feldom provident enough to consider that both wit and beauty will go off with years, and there is no living upon the credit of what is past.

I am in great concern to hear of my Lady Bolingbroke's ill health returned upon her, and, I doubt, my Lord will find Dawley too folitary without her. In that neither he nor you are companions young enough for me, and, I believe, the best part of the reafon why men are faid to grow children when they are old, is because they cannot entertain themselves with thinking; which is the very cafe of little boys and girls who love to be noify among their play-fellows. I am told Mrs Pope is without pain, and I have not heard of a more gentle decay, without uneafinefs to herself or friends; yet I cannot but pity you, who are > ten times the greater fufferer, by having the perfon you most love, so long before you, and dying daily; and I God it may not affect your mind or your health.

pray

LETTER LXII.

Mr POPE to Dr SWIFT.

Dec. 5. 1732.

T is not a time to complain that you have not an

fwered me two Letters (in the last of which I was impatient under fome fears;) it is not now indeed a time to think of myself, when one of the nearest and longest ties I have ever had, is broken all on a fudden,

* "On my dear friend Mr Gay's death: Received December "15th, but not read till the 20th, by an impulse foreboding fome "Misfortune." [This note is indorsed on the original letter in Dr Swift's hand.]

by the unexpected death of poor Mr Gay. An inflammatory fever hurried him out of this life in three days. He died last night at nine o' clock, not depriv'd of his fenfes entirely at laft, and poffeffing them perfectly till within five hours. He afked of you a few hours before, when in acute torment by the inflammation in his bowels and breast. His effects are in the Duke of Queensbury's cuftody. His fifters, we fuppofe, will be his heirs, who are two widows; as yet it is not known whether or no he left a will.-Good God! how often are we to die before we go quite off this stage? In every friend we lose a part of ourselves and the best part. God keep thofe we have left! few are worth praying for, and one's felf the least of all.

I shall never fee you now, I believe; one of your principal calls to England is at an end. Indeed he was the moft amiable by far, his qualities were the gentleft; but I love you as well and as firmly. Would to God the man we have loft had not been fo amiable, nor fo good! but that's a wish for our own fakes, not for his. Sure if Innocence and Integrity can deserve Happiness, it must be his. Adieu, I can add nothing to what you will feel, and diminish nothing from it. Yet write to me, and foon. Believe no man now living loves you better, I believe no man ever did, than

A. POPE.

Dr Arbuthnot, whofe humanity you know, heartily commends himself to you. All poffible diligence and affection has been fhown, and continued attendance on this inelancholy occafion. Once more adieu, and write to one who is truly disconfolate.

Dear Sir,

I am forry that the renewal of our correfpondence fhould be upon fuch a melancholy occafion. Poor Mr Gay died of an inflammation, and, I believe, at last a mortification of the bowels, it was the most precipi. tate cafe I ever knew, having cut him off in three days. He was attended by two Phyficians befides myfelf. I believed the diftemper mortal from the beginning. I have not had the pleasure of a line from you these two years; I wrote one about your health, to which I had no answer. I wish you all health and happiness, being with great affection and refpect, Sir, Your, &c.

LETTER LXIIL.

Dublin, 1732-3.

I

Received yours with a few lines from the Doctor, and the accouut of our lofing Mr Gay, upon which event I shall fay nothing. I am only concern'd that long-living hath not hardened me: for even in this kingdom and in a few days paft, two perfons of great merit, whom I loved very well, have died in the prime of their years, but a little above thirty. I would endeavour to comfort myself upon the lofs of friends, as I do upon the lofs of money; by turning to my account-book, and feeing whether I have enough left for my fupport; but in the former cafe I find I have not, any more than in the other; and I know not any Man who is in a greater likelihood than myself to die poor and friendless. You are a much greater lofer than me by his death, as being a more intimate friend, and often his companion; which latter I could never hope

to be, except perhaps once more in my life for a piece of a fummer. I hope he hath left you the care of any writings he may have left, and I wish, that, with those already extant, they could be all published in a fair edition under your infpection. Your Pocin on the Ufe of Riches hath been juft printed here, and we have no objection but the obscurity of several paffages by our ignorance in facts and perfons, which makes us lofe abundance of the Satire. Had the printer given me notice, I would have honeftly printed the names at length, where I happened to know them; and writ explanatory notes, which however would have been but few, for my long abfence hath made me ignorant of what paffes out of the scene where I am. I never had the leaft hint from you about this work, any more than of your former, upon Taste. We are told here, that you are preparing other pieces of the fame bulk to be infcribed to other friends, one (for inftance) to my Lord Bolingbroke, another to Lord Oxford, and fo on.Doctor Delany prefents you his most humble service: be behaves himself very commendably, converfes only with his former friends, makes no parade, but entertains them conftantly at an elegant plentiful table, walks the streets as ufual, by day-light, does many acts of charity and generolity, cultivates a country-houfe two miles diftant, and is one of those very few within my knowledge, on whom a great access of fortune hath made no manner of change. And particularly he is often without money, as he was before. We have got my Lord Orrery among us, being forced to continue here on the ill condition of his eftate by the knavery of an Agent; he is a moft worthy Gen

1

tleman, whom, I hope, you will be acquainted with. I am very much obliged by your favour to Mr P—, ` which, I defire, may continue no longer than he shall deserve by his Modefty, a virtue I never knew him to 'want, but is hard for young men to keep, without abundance of ballaft. If you are acquainted with the Duchefs of Queensbury, I defire you will present her my most humble service: I think she is a greater lofer by the death of a friend than either of us. She feems a lady of excellent sense and spirit. I had often poftscripts from her in our friend's letters to me, and her part was sometimes longer than his, and they made up great part of the little happiness I could have here. This was the more generous, because I never faw her fince fhe was a girl of five years old, nor did I envy poor Mr Gay for any thing fo much as being a domeftic friend to such a Lady. I defire you will never fail to send me a particular account of your health. I dare hardly inquire about Mrs Pope, who, I am told, is but juft among the living, and confequently a continual -grief to you: she is fenfible of your tenderness, which robs her of the only happiness she is capable of enjoying And yet I pity you more than her; you cannot lengthen her days, and I beg fhe may not fhortem yours.