the doctor last writ; but conclude all to be a parcel of lies. How are eldest master and miss? with your clerk and school-boy? So God bless you all. If the doctor has anything more to say, let him conclude, as I do, with assurance that I am ever, with great affection, yours, &c. Read as you can, for I believe I have made forty mistakes. Direct for me at Doctor Sheridan's in Cavan; but let a clubman * frank it as I do this. Mr. Rochfort is my franker: yours may be General or some other (great beast of a) hero. My two puppies have, in the whole journey, over puppied their puppyships. Most abominable bad firing; nothing but wet turf." The devil a lie I writ, nor will I write to the end of my life. May all happiness attend you and your family. I am, with all good wishes and affection, "Your most obedient humble servant, "THOMAS SHERIDAN. "You were plaguy saucy, who did not like my nuts : I do assure you my dog Lampey cracks them; the Dean is my witness." SIR, FROM MRS. WHITEWAY. Nov 8, 1735 I KNOW the moment you took this letter into your hand what you said, which was, Pox on all Irish * A member of parliament. writers, and Irish letters. It is very little trouble I am going to give you, only be pleased to answer the following questions. How does your leg do? How is your head? How is your stomach? How many days were you on the road? How did you lie? How does Dr. Sheridan? How do you like Cavan? And how do all the good victuals Dr. Sheridan promised you turn out? And now, sir, I beg you will be pleased to suppose, that I began my letter by entreating the favour of hearing from you; and if that is too great an honour for me, that you will order somebody else to do it. Dr. Sheridan would give sixpence I would ask who, rise off his chair, make me a low bow, and uncover, to have the opportunity of telling me. * Now, to write politely, when I change my subject, I always break off, and begin a new paragraph. Mr. Waller has printed an advertisement, offering ten guineas' reward to any person that will discover the author of a paragraph, said to be the case of one Mr. Throp. I do not know whether you heard anything of such an affair before you left town, but I think it is said there is some trial to be about it before the House of Commons, either next week, or the week following.† I beg you will not leave your papers and letters on the table, as you used to do at the deanery, for boys and girls and wives will * A cant expression, much used in those times upon all occasions, and here ridiculed.-D. S. This matter made a very great noise. Colonel Waller was said to have persecuted this unfortunate clergyman, on account of his refusal to surrender some of the rights of his living, with such a complication of harassing assaults, arrests, and law-suits, that Mr. Throp's health actually sunk under them, and he died brokenhearted. A more full account of the matter is given in the notes upon the Legion Club. It appears from the Dean's answer to Mrs. Whiteway, that he was himself the author of the paragraph containing Mr. Throp's case. be peeping; particularly be pleased to take care of mine. It is certain I write correctly, and with a great deal of method; but, however, I am afraid of Curll. Dr. Sheridan has my free leave to read this, on condition he burns it instantly; but first let him take notice of all the compliments I make him. May-be you imagine that if you answer this, you will be no more plagued with my letters; but I have learned from Molly* never to have done with my demands on you: therefore write, or not write, (unless you command otherwise,) you shall hear once a-week from, Sir, Your most obedient and most obliged humble servant, MARTHA WHITEWAY. Molly is just come from the deanery; everything is in good order. She saw Mrs. Ridgeway there. Young Harrison and his sister present you their most obedient respects. FROM AN UNKNOWN LADY. HON. SIR, Castletown, Nov. 9, 1735. EXCUSE a stranger's address; nothing but the opinion I have of your generosity and humanity could encourage me to lay before you the enclosed poem, being the product of a woman's pen.t I see * Miss Harrison.-D. S. the severe strokes you lay on the faulty part of our sex, from which number I do not pretend to exempt myself: yet venture to desire your judgment of this little unfinished piece, which I send you without giving myself the leisure to correct it, willing that your hand should bestow the last beauties. The muse is my best companion: and if you compassionate the desolate, permit me this satisfaction, since a book and a lonely walk are all the gratifications I afford my senses, though not dulled with years. I must entreat you to throw away two or three lines in answer to this; and beg leave to conceal my name, till I have the honour of writing to you again; which, if you will allow, I shall trouble you with a view of several sketches that I writ occasionally, and will no longer conceal the name of, honoured Sir, Your most humble servant, M. M. Sir, direct to Mrs. Mary Moran, at Castletown, near Gorey in the county of Wexford. FROM LADY BETTY GERMAIN. London, November 13, 1735. I HONESTLY Confess I was honoured with yours above a month ago, which ought in all love and reason to have been answered a great while since; but I know your sauciness, as well as you know my niece's; with this difference, that as age is to mend hers, it makes yours grow worse: and the answer to mine had been,-Oh! she can give a quick reply to mine! Now the duke and duchess are here, she wants to know more frequently how and what they do. I can tell you no story of the ring (which you want to know) but that it came to my hands through proper windings and turnings from an Earl of Peterborow; and the connoisseurs say, it is an antique, and a pretty good one. I am very well pleased and happy, if it ever serves to put you in mind that I am your humble servant. I came last week from my house in Northamptonshire. I cannot say the weather permitted me much exercise abroad; but as that house is large, the necessary steps the mistress must make, is some; and I never lost any time I could get to walk out, and sometimes drove abroad in a chair, with one horse; for, being a bad rider, I approve much more of that than mounting my palfrey. And whether it was this, or the country air, or chance, I know not; but, thank God, I am at present as well as ever I was in my life. I am wholly ignorant who is or will be Bishop of Cork; for his grace is such a silly conceited man that he never vouchsafes to consult me in the affairs of his kingdom. I only know that I wish heartily for Dr. Whetcombe,* because he seems to be a modest good sort of a man; and that besides, by your commands, I was the thoroughfare for a step to his preferment before; and therefore, if I was his grace, since there can be no objection against him in this, he should have it. But as these * John Whetcombe, D.D. He was tutor to the Duke of Dorset's family, and Swift had already interfered to prevent his holding his fellowship of Trinity College along with his church preferment. He was made Bishop of Clonfert within a few weeks after the date of this letter. |