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LETTER

LXIV.

Feb. 16. 1733-3.

T is indeed impoffible to speak on such a subject as

I the lots of Mr Gay, to me an irreparable one.

But I send you what I intend for the inscription on his tomb, which the Duke of Queensbury will fet up at Westminster. As to his writings, he left no Will, nor spoke a word of them, or any thing else, during his short and precipitate illness, in which I attended him to his last breath. The Duke has acted more. than the part of a brother to him, and it will be strange if the fifters do not leave his papers totally at his difpofal, who will do the fame that I would with them. He has managed the Comedy (which our poor friend gave to the playhouse the week before his death) to the utmost advantage for his relations; and propofes to do the fame with fome Fables he left finished.

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There is nothing of late which I think of more than Mortality, and what you mention, of collecting the best monument we can of our friends, their own images in their writings: (for thofe are the best, when their minds are fuch as Mr Gay's was, and as yours is.) I am preparing also for my own, and have nothing fo much at heart, as to fhew the filly world that men of Wit, or even poets, may be the most moral of mankind. A few loose things fometimes fall from them, by which cenforious fools judge as ill of them as poffibly they can, for their own comfort: and indeed, when fuch unguarded and triffling Jeux d'Esprit have once got abroad, all that prudence or repentance can

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do, fince they cannot be denied, is to put 'em fairly upon that foot; and teach the public (as we have done in the preface to the four volumes of Mifcellanies) to diftinguish betwixt our studies and our idleneffes, our works and our weakneffes. That was the whole end of the laft Vol. of Mifcellanies, without which our former declaration in that preface, "That thefe volumes "contained all that we have ever offended in that "way," would have been difcredited. It went indeed to my heart, to omit what you called the libel on Dr D-, and the best Panegyric on myself, that either my own times or any other could have afforded, or will ever afford to me. The book as you observe was printed in great haste; the cause whereof was, that the booksellers here were doing the fame, in collecting your pieces, the corn with the chaff; I don't mean that any thing of yours is chaff; but with other wit of Ireland which was fo, and the whole in your name. I meant principally to oblige them to separate what you writ feriously from what you write carelessly; and thought my own weeds might pafs for a fort of wild flowers, when bundled up with them.

*

It was I that sent you those books into Ireland, and fo I did my Epiftle to Lord Bathurft even before it was publish'd, and another thing of mine, which is a Parody from Horace, writ in two mornings. I never took more care in my life of any thing than of the former of thefe, nor less than of the latter: yet every friend has forced me to print it, though in truth my own fingle motive was about twenty lines towards the latter end, which you will find out.

Sat. i. lib. ii.

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I have declined opening to you by letters the whole fcheme of my present Work, expecting ftill to do it in a better manner in perfon: but you will fee pretty foon, that the letter to Lord Bathurst is a part of it, and you will find a plain connection between them, if you read them in the order juft contrary to that they were publish'd in. I imitate those cunning tradefmen, who fhow their beft filks laft; or (to give you a truer idea, tho' it founds too proudly) my works will in one refpect be like the works of Nature, much more to be liked and understood when confider'd in the relation they bear with each other, than when ignorantly look'd upon one by one; and often, those parts which attract molt at first fight, will appear to be not the most, but the least confiderable.

I am pleas'd and flatter'd by your expreffion of Orna me. The chief pleasure this work can give me, is, that I can in it, with propriety, decency, and justice, infert the name and character of every friend I have, and every man that deferves to be lov'd or adorn'd. But I smile at your applying that phrase to my visiting you in Ireland; a place where I might have some apprehenfion (from their extraordinary paffion for Poetry, and their boundless Hospitality) of being adorned to death, and buried under the weight of garlands, like one I have read of fomewhere or other. My Mo. ther lives (which is an answer to that point) and, I thank God, tho' her memory be in a manner gone, is

VOL. VI.

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yet awake and fenfible to me, though scarce to any thing else; which doubles the reason of my attendance, and at the fame time sweetens it. I wish (beyond any other wish) you could pass a fummer here; I might (too probably) return with you, unless you preferr'd to fee France firft, to which country, I think, you would have a strong invitation. Lord Peterborow has narrowly escaped death, and yet keeps his chamber: he is perpetually speaking in the most affectionate manner of you: he has written you two letters, which you never received, and by that has been difcouraged from writing more. I can well believe the poft-office may do this, when fome letters of his to me have met the fame fate, and two of mine to him. Yet let not this difcourage you from writing to me, or to him, inclos'd in the common way, as I do to you: Innocent men need fear no detection of their thoughts; and, for my part, I would give 'em free leave to fend all I write to Curl, if most of what I write was not too filly.

I defire my fincere fervices to Dr Delany, who, I agree with you, is a man every way esteemable; my Lord Orrery is a moft virtuous and good-natur'd Nobleman, whom I fhould be happy to know. Lord B. receiv'd your letter thro' my hands; it is not to be told you how much he wishes for you: the whole lift of perfons, to whom you fent your services, return you theirs, with proper fenfe of the diftinction-Your Lady friend is Semper Eadem, and I have written an Epiftle to her on that qualification in a female cha

racter; which is thought by my chief Critic in your abfence to be my Chef d'Oeuvre: but it cannot be printed perfectly, in an age fo fore of Satire, and fo willing to mifapply Characters.

As to my own health, it is as good as ufual. I have lain ill seven days of a flight fever (the complaint here) but recover'd by gentle fweats, and the care of Dr Arbuthnot. The play Mr Gay left fucceeds very well; it is another original in its kind.

God preferve your life, your health, your limbs, your fpirits, and your friendships!

LETTER LXV.

April 2. 1733.

OU fay truly, that death is only terrible to us,

Y as it feparates us from thofe we love; but I real

ly think those have the worst of it who are left by us, if we are true friends. I have felt more (I fancy) in in the lofs of Mr Gay, than I shall fuffer in the thought of going away myself into a state that can feel none of this fort of loffes. I wifh'd vehemently to have seen him in a condition of living independent, and to have lived in perfect indolence the reft of our days together, the two most idle, moft innocent, undefigning Poets of our age. I now as vehemently wish you and I might walk into the grave together, by as flow fteps as you pleafe, but contentedly and chearfully: Whether that ever can be, or in what country, I know no more, than into what country we shall walk out of the grave. But it fuffices me to know it will be ex

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