obscure scene, where you know neither thing nor person. I can only answer yours, which I promise to do after a fort whenever you think fit to employ me. But I can assure you, the scene and the times have depressed me wonderfully, for I will impute no defect to those two paltry years which have flipt by fince I had the happiness to see you. I am, with the truest esteem, : Your's, &c. *LETTER V. From Dr. SWIFT to Mr. POPE. A Dublin, Jan. 10, 1721. Thousand things have vexed me of late years, upon which I am determined to lay open my mind to you. I rather chuse to appeal to you than to my Lord Chief Justice Whitshed, under the situation I am in. For, I take this cause properly to lie before you: You are a much fitter Judge of what concerns the credit of a Writer, the injuries that are done him, and the reparations he ought to receive. Besides, I doubt whether the Arguments I could * This Letter Mr. Pope never received. P. nor did he believe it was ever sent. fuggeft suggest to prove my own innocence would be of much weight from the gentlemen of the Long-robe to those in Furs, upon whose decifion about the difference of Style or Sentiments, I should be very unwilling to leave the merits of my Cause. Give me leave then to put you in mind (although you cannot easily forget it) that about ten weeks before the Queen's death, I left the town, upon occafion of that incurable breach among the great men at Court, and went down to Berkshire, where you may remember that you gave me the favour of a visit. While I was in that retirement, I writ a Discourse which I thought might be useful in such a juncture of affairs, and sent it up to London; but, upon some difference in opinion between me and a certain great Minister now abroad, the publishing of it was deferred so long that the Queen died, and I recalled my copy, which hath been ever fince in safe hands. In a few weeks after the lofs of that excellent Princess, I came to my station here; where I have continued ever fince in the greatest privacy, and utter ignorance of those events, which are most commonly talked of in the world. I neither know the names nor number of the Royal Family which now reigns, further than the Prayer-book informs me. I cannot tell who is Chancellor, VOL. IX. who C who are Secretaries, nor with what nations we are in peace or war. And this manner of life was not taken up out of any fort of Affectation, but merely to avoid giving offence, and for fear of provoking Party-zeal. I had indeed written some Memorials of the four last years of the Queen's reign, with fome other informations, which I receiv'd, as neceffary materials to qualify me for doing fomething in an employment then defigned me*: But, as it was at the disposal of a perfon, who had not the smallest share of steddiness or fincerity, I difdained to accept it. These papers, at my few hours of health and leisure, I have been digefting into order by one sheet at a time, for I dare not venture any further, left the humour of searching and seizing papers, should revive; not that I am in pain of any danger to myself (for they contain nothing of present Times or Persons, upon which I shall never lose a thought while there is a Cat or a Spaniel in the house) but to preserve them from being loft among Messengers and Clerks. a Hiftoriographer. P. it might have made a seasonable pamphlet in the time of their administration, it was a dishonour to just hiftory. The Dean would do nothing against his Friend's judgment, yet it extremely chagrined him. And he told a common friend, that fince * * did not approve his hiftory, he would cast it into the fire, tho' it was the best work he had ever written. However it did not undergo this fate, and is faid to be yet in being. These papers some years after were brought finished by the Dean into England, with an intention to publish them. But a friend, on whose judgment he relied (the fame I suppose whom he mentions above, as being abroad at the time of writing this letter) dissuaded him from that defign. He told the Dean, there were several facts he knew to be false, and that the whole • was so much in the spirit of party-writing, that, though papers, I have written in this kingdom, a discourse to perfuade the wretched people to wear their own Manufactures instead of those from England. This Treatise soon spread very fast, being agreeable to the sentiments of the whole nation, except of those gentlemen who had employments, or were Expectants. Upon which a person in great office here immediately took the alarm: he sent in haste for the Chief Juftice, and informed him of a seditious, factious, and virulent Pamphlet, lately published with a design of setting the two Kingdoms at variance; directing at the same time that the Printer should be profecuted with the utmost rigour of law. The Chief Justice had so quick an understanding, that he refolved, if poffible, to out-do his orders. The Grand-Juries of the county and city were practifed effectually with to represent the faid Pamphlet with all aggravating Epithets, for which they had thanks fent them from England, and their Presentments published for several weeks in all the news-papers. The Printer A Propofal for the universal Use of Irish Manufactures. P. was seized, and forced to give great bail: after his trial the Jury brought him in Not Guil-: ty, although they had been culled with the utmost industry; the Chief Justice sent them back nine times, and kept them eleven hours, until being perfectly tired out, they were forced to leave the matter to the mercy of the Judge, by what they call a special Verdict. During the trial, the Chief Justice, among other fingularities, laid his hand on his breast, and protested folemnly that the Author's design was to bring in the Pretender; although there was not a fingle fyllable of party in the whole Treatife, and although it was known that the most eminent of those who professed his own principles, publickly disallowed his proceedings. But the cause being fo very odious and impopular, the trial of the Verdict was deferred from one Term to another, until upon the Duke of G--ft--n the Lord Lieutenant's arrival, his Grace, after mature advice, and permiffion from England, was pleased to grant a noli profequi. This is the more remarkable, because it is faid that the man is no ill decider in common cafes of property, where Party is out of the question; but when that intervenes, with ambition at heels to push it forward, it must needs confound any man of little spirit, and low birth, who hath no other endowment than that fort of |