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them you were forced to leave your native home, be cause we would oblige you to be a Christian; where as we will make it appear to all the world, that we only compelled you to be a Whig.

There is a young ingenious Quaker in this town who writes verses to his mistress, not very correct, but in a strain purely what a poetical Quaker should do, commending her look and habit, &c. It gave me a hint that a fett of Quaker paftorals might fucceed, if our friend Gay 1) could fancy it, and I think it a fruitful fubject; pray hear what he fays. I believe further, the pastoral ridicule is not exhausted; and that a porter, footman 2), or chairman's paftoral might do well. Or what think you of a Newgate - paftoral, among the whores and thieves there.

Laftly, to conclude, I love you never the worse for feldom writing to you. I am in an obfcure scene, where you know neither thing nor perfon. I can only answer yours, which I promise to do after a fort whenever you think fit to employ me. But I can affure you, the scene and the times have depreffed me wonderfully, for I will impute no defect to those two paltry years which have flipt by fince I had the happiness to fee you. I am, with the tru、 est esteem,

Your's, &c.

1) Gay did write a pastoral of this kind, which is pub. lifhed in his works.

2) Swift himself wrote one of this kind, intitled Der. mot and Sheelah.

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3) LETTER V.

From Dr. SwIFT to Mr. P o PE.

Dublin, Jan. 10, 1721.

Thoufand things have vexed me of late years, upon which I am determined to lay open my mind to you. I rather chufe to appeal to you than to my Lord Chief Justice Whitshed, under the fituation I am in. For, I take this caufe 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. Befides, I doubt whether the Arguments I could fuggeft to prove my own innocence would be of much weight from the gentlemen of the Long-robe to those in Furs, upon whofe decifion about the difference of Style or Sentiments, I fhould be very unwilling to leave the merits of my Cause.

Give me leave then to put you in mind (although you cannot eafily 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 vifit. While I was in that retirement, I writ a Difcourfe which I thought might be useful in such a juncture of affairs, and fent it up to London; but, upon fome. difference in opinion between me and a certain great Minifter now abroad, the publishing of it was deferred fo long that the Queen died, and I recalled my

3) This Letter Mr. Pope never received, P. ror did he believe it was ever fent.

copy, which hath been ever fince in fafe hands. In a few weeks after the lofs of that excellent Princess, I came to my station here; where I have continued ever since in the greatest privacy, and utter ignorance of thofe 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, 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.

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I had indeed written fome Memorials of the four years of the Queen's reign, with fome other informations, which I receiv'd, as neceffary materials to qualify me for doing something in an employment then defigned me 4): But, as it was at the difpofal of a person, who had not the smallest share of steddinefs or fincerity, I difdained to accept it.

These papers, at my few hours of health and leifure, I have been digesting 5) into order by one fheet at a time, for I dare not venture any further,

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5) Thefe papers fome years after were brought finifhed by the Dean into England, with an intention to publish them. But a friend, on whole judgment he relied (the fame I fuppofe whom he mentions above, as being abroad at the time of writing this letter) diffuaded him from that defign. He told the Dean, there were several facts he knew to be falfe, and that the whole was fo much in the spirit of party- writing, that, though it might have made a feafonable pamphlet in the time of their administration, it was a dilhonour 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 caft 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.

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left the bumour of fearching and feizing papers, fhould receive; not that I am in pain of any danger to myself (for they contain nothing of present Times or Perfons, upon which I fhall never lofe a thought while there is a Cat or a Spaniel in the house) but to preserve them from being loft among Meffengers and Clerks.

I have written in this kingdom, a 6) discourse to perfuade the wretched people to wear their own Manufactures inftead of those from England. This Treatife foon spread very fast, being agreeable to the fentiments 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 fent in hafte for the Chief Justice, and informed him of a feditious,' factious, and virulent Pamphlet, lately published with a defign of setting the two Kingdoms at variance; directing at the fame time that the Printer fhould be profecuted with the utmoft rigour of law. The Chief Justice had fo quick an understanding, that he resolved, 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 feveral weeks in all the news - papers., The Printer was feized, and forced to give great bail: after his trial the Jury brought him in Not Guilty, although they had been culled with the utmost industry; the Chief Juftice fent 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 A Propofal for the univerfal Ufe of Irish Manu

factures.

the trial, the Chief Justice, among other fingularities, laid his hand on his breaft, and protested folemnly that the Author's defign was to bring in the Pretender; although there was not a single 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 caufe 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 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 fpirit, and low birth, who hath no other endowment than that fort of Knowledge, which, however poffeffed in the highest degree, can poffibly give no one good quality to the mind 7).

It is true, I have been much concerned, for feveral years past, upon account of the publick as well as for myself, to fee how ill a tafte for wit and fenfe prevails in the world, which Politics, and South - fea, and Party. and Opera's, and Masquerades have in

7) This is a very ftrange affertion. To fuppofe that a confummate knowledge of the laws, by which civilized fo cieties are governed, can give no one good quality to the mind, is making Ethics (of which public laws are fo confiderable a part) a very unprofitable ftudy. The belt divifion of the fciences is that old one of Plato, into Ethics, Phyfics, and Logic. The feverer Philofophers condemn a total application to the two latter, becaule they have no tendency to mend the heart; and recommend the first as our principal study, for its efficacy in this important fervice. And fure, if any human fpeculations can mend the heart they must be those which have Man for their object, as a

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