ever failings fuch men may have, a respect is due to them, as Laminaries whofe exaltation renders their motion a little irregular, or rather causes it to feem fo to others. I am afraid to cenfure any thing I hear of Dean Swift, because I hear it only from mortals, blind and dull: And you fhou'd be cautious of cenfuring any action or motion of Lord B. because you hear it only from fhallow, envious, or malicious reporters. What you writ to me about him I find to my great scandal repeated in one of yours to. Whatever you might hint to me, was this for the prophane? the thing, if true, fhould be conceal'd ; but it is, I affure you, abfolutely untrue, in every circumftance. He has fixed in a very agreeable retirement near Fontainbleau, and makes it his whole bufinefs vacare literis. But tell me the truth, were you not angry at his omitting to write to you fo long? I may, for I hear from him seldomer than from you, that is twice or thrice a year at mbft. Can you poffibly think he can neglect you, or difregard you? If you catch yourself at thinking fuch nonfenfe, your parts are decay'd: For believe me, great Genius's muft and do esteem one another, and I question if any others can efteen or comprehend uncommon merit. Others only guefs at that merit, or fee glimmerings of their minds: A genius has the intuitive faculty: Therefore, imagine what you will, you cannot be fo fure of any man's esteem as of his. If I can think that neither he nor you defpife me, it is a greater honour to me by far, and will be thought fo by pofterity, than if all the Houfe of Lords writ Commendatory Verfes upon me, the Commons order'd me to print my Works, the Univerfities gave me public thanks, and the King, Queen, and Prince crown'd me with Laurel. You are a very ignorant man; you don't know the figure his name and yours will make hereafter: I do, and will preferve all the memorials I can, that I was of your intimacy; longo, fed proximus, intervallo. I will not quarrel with the present Age; it has done enough for me, in making and keeping you two my friends. Do not you be too angry at it, and let not him be too angry at it: it has done and can do neither of you any manner of harm, as long as it has not, and cannot burn your works: while thofe fubfift, you'll both appear the greatest men of the time, in spite of Princes and Ministers; and the wifeft, in fpite of all the little Errors you may please to commit. Adieu. May better health attend you, than, I fear, you poflefs; may but as good health attend you always as mine is at present; tolerable, when an easy mind is join'd with it. I LETTER XXXV. From Dr. Sw I F T. Dec. 2, 1736. Think you owe me a letter, but whether you do or not, I have not been in a condition to write. Years and infirmities have quite broke me; I mean that odious continual disorder in my head. I neither read, nor write, nor remember, nor converse. All I have left is to walk and ride; the first I can do tolerably; but the latter, for want of good weather at this feason, is feldom in my power; and having not an ounce of flesh about me, my fkin comes off in ten miles riding, because my skin and bone cannot agree together. But I am angry, because you will not fuppofe me as fick as I am, and write to me out of perfect charity, although I should not be able to answer. I have too many vexations by my station and the impertinence of people, to be able to bear the mortification of not hearing from a very few diftant friends that are left; and, confidering how time and fortune have ordered matters, I have hardly one friend left but yourself, What Harace fays, Singula de nobis anni prædantur, I feel every month, at farthest; and by this computation, if I hold out two years, I fhall think it a miracle. My comfort is, you begun to distinguish fo confounded early, that your acquaintance with distinguish'd men of all kinds was almost as antient as mine. I mean Wycherly, Row, Prior, Congreve, Addifon, Parnel, &c. and in fpite of your heart, you have owned me a Cotemporary. Not to mention Lords Oxford, Bolingbroke, Harcourt, Peterborow: In fhort, I was t'other day recollecting twenty - seven great Ministers, or Men of Wit and learning, who are all dead, and all of my acquaintance, within twenty years past : neither have I the grace to be forry, that the prefent times are drawn to the dregs as well as my own life. May my friends be happy in this and a better life, but I value not what becomes of Pofterity when I confider from what Monsters they are to fpring. My Lord Orrery writes to you to-morrow, and you see I send this under his cover, or at least franked by him. He has 3000 l. a year about Cork, and the neighbourhood, and has more than three years rent unpaid: This is our condition, in these blessed times. I writ to your neighbour about a month ago, and fubfcribed my name: I fear he hath not received my letter, and wifh you would ask him; but perhaps he is ftill a rambling; for we hear of him at Newmarket, and that Boerhaave hath restored his health. How my fervices are leffened of late with the number' of my friends on your fide! yet, my Lord Bathurft and Lord Masham and Mr. Lewis remain, and being your acquaintance I defire when you see them to deliver my compliments; but chiefly to Mrs. P. B. and let me know whether the be as young and agreeable as when I faw her laft? Have you got a fupply of new friends to make up for those who are gone? and are they equal to the first? I am afraid it is with friends as with times; and that the laudator temporis alti fe puero, is equally applicable to both. I am lefs grieved for living here, because it is a perfect retirement, and confequently fitteft for those who are grown good for nothing: for this town and kingdom are as much out of the world as North-Wales - My head is fo ill that I cannot write a paper full as I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you. I had reason to expect from fome of your letters, that we were to hope for more Epiftles of Morality; and, I affure you, my acquaintance resent that they have not seen my name at the head of one. The fubjects of fuch Epiftles are more useful to the public, by your manner of handling them, than any of all your writings; and although, in so profligate a world as ours, they may possibly not much mend our manners, yet pofterity will enjoy the benefit, whenever a Court happens to have the leaft relish for Virtue and Religion. - LETTER XXXVI. From Dr. SWIFT. Decemb. 30, 1736. Yo OUR very kind letter has made me more melancholy, than almoft any thing in this world now can do. For I can bear every thing in it, bad as it is, better than the complaints of my friends. Tho' others tell me you are in pretty good health, and in good fpirits, I find the contrary when you open your mind to me: And indeed it is but a prudent part, to seem not so concern'd about others, nor fo crazy ourselves as we really are: for we shall neither be beloved nor efteem'd the more, by our common acquaintance, for any affliction or any infirmity. But to our true friend we may, we must complain, of what ('tis a thousand to one) he complains with us; for if we have known him long, he is old, and if he has known the world long, he is out of humour at it. If you have but as much more health than others at your age, as you have more wit and good temper you shall not have much of my Pity: But if you ever live to have less, you shall not have lefs of my Affection. A whole people will rejoyce at every year that shall be added to you, of which you have had a late instance in the public rejoicings on your birth - day. I can affure you, something better and greater than high birth and quality must go toward acquiring thofe demonftrations of public esteem and love. I have seen a royal birthday uncelebrated, but by one vile Ode, and one hired bonfire. Whatever years may take away from |