opportunity of doing you every good office in my power.

I am, with the greatest esteem and gratitude, Rev. Sir, your most obliged and most obedient serALEXANDER M'AULAY.

vant,

DR KING TO MR DEANE SWIFT.

St Mary Hill, Oxon, April 25, 1738.

DEAR SIR, I HAVE just received your letter by Mr Birt, for which I thank you. It is now more than a month since I wrote to Mrs Whiteway, to acquaint the Dean with the difficulties I met with in regard to the publication of his history, and to desire his advice and directions in what manner I should proceed. I have not yet had any answer; and till I receive one, I can do nothing more. I may probably hear from Ireland before you leave Monmouth; in which case I may trouble you with a packet.

I am pretty much of your opinion about the old poets, and perhaps may confirm you in your whimsies (as you call them) when I have the pleasure of seeing you here again. I heartily wish you a good journey and voyage: but methinks I can hardly excuse you for having been so long absent from us. I wish you had returned to this place, though for one week; because I might have talked over with you all the affair of the history, about which I have been much condemned: and no wonder, since the Dean has continually expressed his dissatisfaction that I have so long delayed the publication of it. However, I have been in no fault: on the contrary, I have consulted the Dean's honour, and the safety of

his person. In a word, the publication of this work, as excellent as it is, would involve the printer, publisher, author, and every one concerned, in the greatest difficulties, if not in a certain ruin; and therefore it will be absolutely necessary to omit some of the characters.

I thank you for the promise you make me concerning The Toast.

Your friends here are all well. Believe me, dear Sir, your most obedient humble servant,

WILLIAM KING.

FROM MISS RICHARDSON TO MRS

WHITEWAY.

DEAR MADAM,

Belturbet, May 6, 1738.

I RECEIVED the favour of your letter last post. I was deprived of having that pleasure sooner by removing from Summer-seat to this place, the beginning of last month, where I was sent for by my father, to attend him in a fit of the gout, of which he has been very ill these three months past. My sister, who takes care of him and his family, being near the time of her lying-in, I trouble you with this account, that you may know how I am engaged at present, which I fear will prevent me having an opportunity of waiting upon you before my uncle

returns.

I most humbly thank you for your kind invitation, and do heartily wish it were any way in my power to let you know the grateful sense I have of my obligations to you. I hope the Dean of St Patrick's is very well: it would have given me infinite plea

sure to have had the honour of being in his company with you.

When I parted with my uncle, he proposed to make but a short stay in England at this time; and at his return, he intended to leave nothing undone that he could think of, to prevail with the Dean and you to spend some time at his house this summer. I hope you will be so good as to give him all the assistance you can, to persuade the Dean to take that jaunt: I really believe it would do him great service as to his health: I please myself greatly with the thoughts of having you there, and your daughter, whom I believe to be a very accomplished young lady, having had the happiness to be educated under your direction. I beg you will make my compliments to her; and be assured that I am, with great respect, Madam, your most obedient and most humble servant,

KATH. RICHARDSON.

TO MISS HAMILTON* OF CALEDON.

MADAM,

Deanery-House, Dublin, June 8, 1738.

SOME days ago, my Lord Orrery had the assurance to show me a letter of yours to him, where you did

* Miss Hamilton of Caledon in the county of Tyrone, a great heiress in her own right, with every virtue and accomplishment to adorn her sex.-F. So far Mr Faulkner, who, perhaps, thought that the second part of Miss Hamilton's character was a necessary consequence of the first. She married Lord Orrery shortly afterwards.

me the honour to say many things in my favour; I read the letter with great delight; but at the same time I reproached his lordship for his presumption, in pretending to take a lady from me, who had made so many advances, and confessed herself to be nobody's goddess but mine. However, he had the boldness to assure me, that he had your consent to take him for a husband. I therefore command you never to accept him, without my leave, under my own hand and seal. And as I do not know any lady in this kingdom of so good sense, or so many accomplishments, I have at last, with a heavy heart, permitted him to make himself the happiest man in the world; for I know no fault in him, except his treacherous dealing with me.

Pray God make you happy in yourselves, and each other; and believe me to be, with the truest esteem and respect,

Madam,

Your most obedient and obliged servant,

JON. SWIFT.

I have neither mourning paper nor gilt at this time; and if I had, I could not tell which I ought to choose.

FROM THE EARL OF ORRERY.

DEAR SIR,

June 13, 1738.

I AM engaged to-morrow at dinner; but I will try to put it off, and send you word in the mɔrning whether I can meet Mrs Whiteway or not. To

show you what a generous rival I am (now I am sure of the lady) I should be glad to carry down a letter from you to my mistress on Friday. She never drinks any wine: but she told me the other day, to do you good, she would drink a bottle. I wish you would insist on it, that I might see whether wine would alter the sweetness of her temper, for I am sure nothing else can.

I rejoice to find there is some little amendment in your health, and I pray God to increase it.

FROM THE SAME.

DEAR SIR,

June 29,

1738.

I HAVE but this paper left, and how can I employ it better than in triumphing over my rival. Mea est Lavinia conjux. To-morrow Miss Hamilton gives me her heart and hand for ever. Do I live to see the day when toupets, coxcomical lords, powdered squires, and awkward beaux, join with the Dean of St Patrick's in loss of one and the same object? My happiness is too great, and in pity to you I will add no more than that I hope to see grief for this loss strongly wrote in your face even twenty years hence. Adieu, your generous rival,

ORRERY.