It is a great favour of Heaven, that your health grows better by the addition of years. I have absolutely done with Poetry for several years paft, and even at my best times I could produce nothing but trifles: I therefore reject your compliments on that score, and it is no compliment in me; for I take your fecond Dialogue that you lately fent me, to equal almost any thing you ever writ; although I live fo much out of the world, that I am ignorant of the facts and perfons, which, I prefume, are very well known from Temple-bar to St. James's; (I mean the Court exclufive.) " I can faithfully affure you, that every let"ter you have favour'd me with, these twenty years and more, are sealed up in bundles, " and delivered to Mrs. W---, a very worthy, " rational and judicious Coufin of mine, and "the only relation whose visits I can fuffer : All " these Letters she is directed to fend fafely to My Lord Orrery is gone with his Lady to a part of her eftate in the North: She is a perfon of very good understanding as any I know of her fex. Give me leave to write here a short anfwer to my Lord B's letter in the last page of yours. My dear Lord, I am infinitely obliged to your Lordship for the honour of your letter, and kind remem brance brance of me. I do here confefs, that I have more obligations to your Lordship than to all the world befides. You never deceived me, even when you were a great Minifter of State : and yet I love you still more, for your condefcending to write to me, when you had the honour to be an Exile. I can hardly hope to live till you publish your History, and am vain enough to wish that my name could be squeez'd in among the few Subalterns, quorum pars parva fui: If not, I will be revenged, and contrive some way to be known to futurity, that I had the honour to have your Lordship for my beft Patron; and I will live and die, with the highest veneration and gratitude, your mostobedient, &c. P. S. I will here in a Postscript correct (if it be poffible) the blunders I have made in my letter. I shewed my Cousin the above letter, and the affures me, that a great Collection of * your letters to me, are put up and fealed, 2 1 a 'Tis written just thus in ❘ were return'd him after Mr. the Original. The Book Gay's death : thơ' any that is now printed seems to mention made by Mr. P. of be part of the Collection the Return or Exchange of here spoken of, as it contains Letters has been industrioufnot only the Letters of Mr. ly suppreft in the PublicaPope but of Dr. Swift, both ❘tion, and only appears by to him and Mr. Gay, which I fome of the Answers. P. and in some very fafe hand b. I am, my most dear and honoured Friend, entirely yours, It is now Aug 24, J. SWIFT. "bad stop'd the Dean's let"ter which gave you that “information; but believed " he would write fuch an"other; and therefore de"fir'd me to affure you, "from her, that she was to" tally ignorant where they " were." "That You may make what use you please, either to the Dean or any other person, of what I have told you. I am ready to testify it; and I think it ought to be known, "the Dean says they are " deliver'd into a safe hand, " and * Mrs. W- declares " she has them not. The "Confequence of their being hereafter published may " give uneasiness to some of your Friends, and of course 66 66 The Earl of ORRERY to Mr. POPE. SIR, I am more and more convinced that your letters are neither lost nor burnt: but who the Dean means by a fafe hand in Ireland, is beyond my power of guessing, thơ I am particularly acquainted with most, if not all, of his friends. As I knew you had the recovery of those Letters at heart, I took more than ordinary pains, to find out where they were; but my enquiries were to no purpose, and, I fear, whoever has them, is too tenacious of them to difcover where they lie. " Mrs. "W-did affure me she had " not one of them, and feem'd " to be under great uneasiness "that you should imagine "they were left with her. "She likewise told me she * This Lady fince gave Mr. Pope the strongest Afsurances that the had used her utmost Endeavours to prevent the Publication; nay, went so far as to feGrete the Book, till it was commanded from her, and delivered to the Dublin Printer: Whereupon her Son in law, D. Swift, Esq; insisted upon writing a Preface, to jußify Mr. P. from having any Knowledge of it, and to lay it up.. on the corrupt Practices of the Printers in London; but this he would not agree to, as not knowing the Truth of the Fact. P. to to you: so I would do all " in my power to make you " entirely easy in that point." This is the first time I have put pen to paper fince my late misfortune, and I should say (as an excuse for Marfton, Oct. 4, 1738. With the truest esteem, Your very faithful and obedient Servant, X 3 this letter) that it has cost me some pain, did it not allow me an opportunity to afsure you, that I am, Dear Sir, ORRERY. LETTERS Twitnam, April 30, 1736. Saw Mr. M. yesterday, who has rea Idily allowed Mr. Very copy the Fic ture. I have enquired for the best Originals of those two fubjects, which, I found, were favourite ones with you, and well deserve to be so, the Discovery of Joseph to his Brethren, and the Refignation of the Captive by Scipio. Of the latter, my Lord Burlington has a fine one done by Ricci, and I am promised the other in a good Print from one of the chief Italian Painters. That of Scipio is of the exact fize one would wish for a Basso Relievo, in which manner, in my opinion, you would best ornament your Hall, done in Chiaro ofcuro. A man not only shews his Taste, but his Virtue, |