half, Except abfence from friends, I confels freely that I have no difcontent at living here, befides what arifes from a filly fpirit of Liberty; which, as it neither fours my drink, nor hurts my meat, nor spoils my stomach, farther than in imagination, so I refolve to throw. it off.

You talk of this Dunciad, but I am impatient to have it volare per ora-there is now a vacancy for fame; the Beggar's Opera hath done its talk, difcedat uti conviva fatur.

LETTER XXXI.

Adieu.

From Dr Swift.

June 1. 1728.

Look upon my Lord Bolingbroke and us two, as a peculiar Triumvirate, who have nothing to expect, or to fear; and fo far fitteft to converfe with one ano- ther: Only he and I are a little fubject to fchemes,. and one of us (I won't say which) upon very weak appearances, and this you have nothing to do with. . I do profess without affectation, that your kind opinion of me as a Patriot (fince you call it fo) is what I do not deferve; because what I do is owing to perfect rage and refentment, and the mortifying fight of flavery, folly, and baseness about me, among which I'm forc'd to live. And I will take oath that you have more

my

Virtue in an hour, than I in seven years;

for

you defpife the follies, and hate the vices of mankind, without the leaft ill effect on your temper; and with regard

to particular men, you are inclined always rather to think the better; whereas with me, it is always directly contrary. I hope, however, this is not in you from a fuperior principle of virtue, but from your fituation, which hath made all parties and interefts indifferent to you, who can be under no concern about high and low-Church, Whig and Tory, or who is firft Minifter-Your long letter was the last I received till this by Dr Delany, although you mention another fince. The Dr told me your fecret about the Dunciad, which does not please me, because it defers gratifying my vanity in the most tender point, and perhaps may whol ly disappoint it. As to one of your inquiries, I am eafy enough in great matters, and have a thousand paltry vexations in my little ftation, and the more contemptible, the more vexatious. There might be a Lutrin writ upon the tricks ufed by my Chapter to I do not converfe with one creature of Station or Title, but I have a fett of eafy people whom I entertain when I have a mind; I have formerly defcrib'd them to you, but, when you come, you (hall have the honours of the country as much as you please, and I fhall on that account make a better figure, as long as I live. Pray God preserve Mrs. Pope for your fake and ease; I love and efteem her too much to wish it for her own: If I were five and twenty, I would wish to be of her age, to be as fecure as fhe is of a better life. Mrs P. B. has writ to me, and is one of the best Letter writers I know; very good fenfe, civility and friendship, without any stiffness or conftraint. The Dun

teize me.

ciad has taken wind here; but if it had not, you are as much known here as in England, and the Univerfity-lads will crowd to kiss the hem of your garment. I am griev'd to hear that my Lord Bolingbroke's ill health forc'd him to the Bath. Tell me, is not Tem-.

perance a neceffary virtue for great men, fince it is the parent of Eafe and Liberty? fo neceffary for the ufe and improvement of the mind, and which Philofophy allows to be the greatest felicities of life? I believe, had health been given fo liberally to you, it would have been better husbanded without shame to your parts..

I

LETTER. XXXII.

Dawley, June 28. 1728. Now hold the pen for my Lord Bolingbroke, who is reading your Letter between two Hay-cocks; but his intention is fomewhat diverted by cafting his eyes on the clouds, not in admiration of what you say, but for fear of a fhower. He is pleased with your pla~ cing him in the Triumvirate, between yourself and me; tho' he says that he doubts he shall fare like Lepidus, while one of us runs away with all the power like Auguftus, and another with all the pleasures like Anthony. It is upon a foresight of this, that he has fitted up his farm, and you will agree, that this scheme of retreat at least is not founded upon Upon his return from the Bath, he finds, are purg'd out of him; and his great Temperance and Oeconomy are fo fignal, that the first is fit

weak appearances. all peccant humours,

for my constitution, and the latter would enable you to lay up fo much money as to buy a Bishoprick in England. As to the return of his health and vigour, were you here, you might inquire of his Hay-makers; but as to his temperance, I can answer that (for onewhole day) we have had nothing for dinner but mutton-broth, beans and bacon, and a Barn-door fowl.

Now his Lordship is run after his Cart, I have a moment left to myself to tell you, that I over-heard him yesterday agree with a painter for 200 /. to paint his country-hall with Trophies of rakes, spades, prongs, &c. and other ornaments merely to countenance his calling this place a farm-now turn over a new leaf—

He bids me affure you, he fhould be forry not to have more schemes of kindness for his friends, than of ambition for himself: There, tho' his schemes may be weak, the motives at least are strong; and he says further, if you could bear as great a fall, and decrease of your revenues, as he knows by experience he can, you would not live in Ireland an hour.

The Dunciad is going to be printed in all pomp with the infcription, which makes me proudeft. It will be attended with Proeme, Prolegomena, Testimonia Scriptorum, Index Authorum, and Notes Variorum. As to the latter, I defire you to read over the Text, and make a few in any way you like beft*, whether dry raillery, upon the style, and way of commenting of trivial critics; or humorous, upon the authors in the poem; or historical, of perfons, places, tines; or

*Dr Swift did fo.

explanatory; or collecting the parallel paffages of the Ancients. Adieu. I am pretty well, my Mother not ill, Dr Arbuthnot vex'd with his fever by intervals; I am afraid he declines, and we shall lofe a worthy man : I am troubled about him very much.

I am, &c

LETTER XXXIII.

From Dr SWIFT.

July 16. 1728.

I

Have often run over the Dunciad in an Irish edition (I fuppofe full of faults) which a gentleman fent me. The notes I could wish to be very large, in what relates to the perfons concerned; for I have long observ'd that twenty miles from London no body underftands hints, initial letters, or town-facts and paffages; and in a few years not even those who live in London. I would have the names of thofe fcriblers printed indexically at the beginning or end of the Poem, with an account of their works, for the reader to refer to. I would have all the Parodies (as they are call'd) referred to the author they imitate-When I began this long paper, I thought I should have fill'd it with fetting down the feveral paffages I had mark'd in the edition I had; but I find it unneceffary, fo many of them falling under the fame rule. After twenty times reading the whole, I never in my opinion faw fo much good fatire, or more good fenfe, in fo many lines. How