fonal obligations which I will ever preferve, to men of different fides, and I wish nothing fo much as public quiet, except it be my own quiet. I think it a merit, if I can take off any man from grating or fatirical subjects, merely on the fcore of Party: and it is the greatest vanity of my life that I've contributed to turn my Lord Bolingbroke to fubjects moral, useful, and more worthy his pen. Dr. -----'s Book is what I can't commend so much as Dean Berkley's', tho' it has many things ingenious in it, and is not deficient in the writing part : but the whole book, tho' he meant it ad Populum, is, I think, purely ad Clerum. Adieu.

• A fine original work called, The Minute Philosopher.

LETTERS

LETTERS

OF

Dr. SWIFT to Mr. GAY:

From the Year 1729 to 17322.

1

LETTER XLIX.

Dublin, March 19, 1729.

IDeny it. I do write to you according

to the

old stipulation, for, when you kept your old company, when I writ to one I writ to all. But I am ready to enter into a new bargain since you are got into a new world, and will answer all your letters. You are first to present my most humble respects to the Duchess of Queensbury, and let her know that I never dine without

thinking of her, although it be with fome dif

ficulty that I can obey her when I dine with forks that have but two prongs, and when the fauce is not very consistent. You must likewise tell her Grace that she is a general Toast among all honest folks here, and particularly at the Deanery, even in the face of my Whig subjects.---I will leave my money in Lord Bathurst's hands, and the management of it (for want of better) in yours: and pray keep the interest-money in a bag wrapt up and fealed by itself, for fear of your own fingers under your carelessness. Mr. Pope talks of you as a perfect stranger; but the different pursuits and manners and interests of life, as fortune hath pleased to dispose them, will never fuffer those to live together, who by their inclinations ought never to part. I hope when you are rich enough, you will have fome little oeconomy of your own in town or country, and be able to give your friend a pint of Port; for the domestic season of life will come on. I had never much hopes of your vampt Play, although Mr. Pope seem'd to have, and although it were ever so good: But you should have done like the Parsons, and changed your Text, I mean the Title, and the names of the perfons. After all, it was an effect of idleness, for you are in the prime of life, when invention and judgment go together. I wish you had 100 1. a year a year more for horfes---I ride and walk whenever good weather invites, and am reputed the best walker in this town and five miles round. I writ lately to Mr. Pope: I wish you had a little Villakin in his neighbourhood; but you are yet too volatile, and any Lady with a coach and fix horfses would carry you to Japan.

LETTER L.

Dublin, Nov. 10, 1730.

my Lord Peterborow in

the

WHEN Queen's time went abroad upon his

Ambaffies, the Ministry told me, that he was fuch a vagrant, they were forced to write at him by guess, because they knew not where to write to him. This is my cafe with you; fometimes in Scotland, fometimes at Hamwalks, sometimes God knows where. You are a man of business, and not at leifure for infignificant correspondence. It was I got you the employment of being my Lord Duke's premier Miniftre: for his Grace having heard how good a manager you were of my revenue, thought you fit to be entrusted with ten talents. I have had twenty times a strong inclination to spend a summer near Salisbury-downs, having rode

over them more than once, and with a young parson of Salisbury reckoned twice the stones of Stonehenge, which are either ninety-two or ninety-three. I defire to present my most humble acknowledgements to my Lady Duchefs in return of her civility. I hear an ill thing, that she is matre pulchra filia pulchrior: I never saw her fince she was a girl, and would be angry she should excel her mother, who was long my principal Goddess. I defire you will tell her Grace, that the ill management of forks is not to be help'd when they are only bidential, which happens in all poor houses, especially those of Poets; upon which account a knife was absolutely necessary at Mr. Pope's, where it was morally impossible with a bidential fork to convey a morsel of beef, with the incumbrance of mustard and turnips, into your mouth at once. And her Grace hath cost me thirty pounds to provide Tridents for fear of offending her, which sum I defire she will please to return me.---I am fick enough to go to the Bath, but have not heard it will be good for my disorder. I have a strong mind to spend my 2001. next summer in France: I am glad I have it, for there is hardly twice that fum left in this kingdom. You want no fettlement (I call the family where you live, and the foot you are upon, a fettlement) till you increase