ness and good nature. I fancy Arsalla* has cured the lady of her spleen. I heartily wish you many new years, with health and happiness; and am, most entirely, &c. I am told poor Gay's play is now in rehearsal, and will please. It was that brought him to town a little before he died; though, without his fever, he could not probably have held out long any where. I MADAM, TO MRS. PILKINGTON. DEANERY HOUSE, JAN. 1, 1732-3. SEND you your bit of a newspaper with the verses, than which I never saw better in their kind. I have the same opinion of those you were pleased to write * The seat of Peter Ludlow, esq., father to the first earl of Ludlow. + Nov. 16, 1732, Mr. Gay tells the dean, "I am at last come "C to London before the family, to follow my own inventions.— "If my present object succeeds, you may expect a better account "of my fortune a little while after the holidays. But I promise "myself nothing." See the preceding letter. He died Dec. 4, only eighteen days after. Mrs. Pilkington, when she was about sixteen, having been teased by her brother to write some verses as a school exercise for him, asked him what she should write upon: Why, said he pertly, what should you write upon but paper? So taking it for her subject, she writ the following lines; which, four years after, were printed in one of the London newspapers. See Pilkington's Memoirs, vol. I, p. 88. O spotless write upon me me*, as have also some particular friends of genius and taste, to whom I ventured to communicate them, who universally agree with me. But O spotless paper, fair and white! On whom, by force, constrain'd I write, Thy purity, to please a boy? The fairest servant of the Muse. No floods can wash thy stains away; Yet this small comfort I can give, That which destroy'd, shall make thee live. Mrs. Pilkington having heard that Dr. Swift had received a paper book, richly bound and gilt, from the earl of Orrery, and a silver standish from Dr. Delany, sent him an eagle quill with the following verses upon his birthday, Nov. 30, 1732: Shall then my kindred all my glory claim, And boldly rob me of eternal fame ? To ev'ry art my gen'rous aid I lend, To musick, painting, poetry, a friend. "Tis I celestial harmony inspire, When fix'd to strike the sweetly warbling wire §. I to the faithful canvas have consign'd Each bright idea of the painter's mind; Behold from Raphael's skydipt pencils rise Such heav'nly scenes as charm the gazer's eyes. Ambitious to transcribe your deathless lays : Accept me as the servant of your Muse; Then shall the world my wond'rous worth declare, And all mankind your matchless pen revere. Quills of the harpsichord. as as I cannot with decency show them, except to a very few, I hope, for both our sakes, others will do it for me. I can only assure you I value your present, as much as either of the others, only you must permit it to be turned into a pen; which office I will perform with my own hand, and never permit any other to use it. I heartily wish you many happy new years; and am, with true esteem, madam, your most obliged friend and servant, J. SWIFT. FROM MR. ROBERT ARBUTHNOT *. DEAR SIR, ROUEN, JAN. 2, 1732-2. I HAVE flattered myself these many years, that vapours or company would have brought you over seas to Spa, or to some such place, and that you would have taken Paris in your way; and so I should have had the pleasure of seeing you in some place of my own, I wonder much that a person of so much good humour can let yourself grow old, or die without seeing some other country than your own. not quite so wicked as to wish you any real illness to bring you to us, though I should not be sorry that you thought you had need of change of air. I wish you a happy new year, and many more; and (whatever interest I have against it) good health, and prosperity, and every thing that I can wish to one that I much honour and esteem. I am * Mr. Arbuthnot married a widow lady of Suffolk, with 6ool. a year. See his character in Mr. Pope's letter to lord Digby, September 1, 1722. 6 I recommend I recommended to your friendship and acquaintance the bearer, Mr. de la Mar. His brother, now dead, has been with you in Ireland: and this gentleman deserves from me all the kindness my friends can show him. Adieu, dear sir, If I can serve you in any thing, command me always, for I am, with great esteem, your most humble and most obedient servant, ROB. ARBUTHNOT. TO LADY BETTY GERMAIN. MADAM, JANUARY 8, 1732-3. ALTHOUGH I have but just received the honour of your ladyship's letter, yet, as things stand, I am determined, against my usual practice, to give you no respite, but to answer it immediately; because you have provoked me with your lady Suffolk. It is six years last spring since I first went to visit my friends in England, after the queen's death. Her present majesty heard of my arrival, and sent at least nine times to command my attendance before I would obey her, for several reasons not hard to guess ; and, among others, because I had heard her character from those who knew her well. At last I went, and she received me very graciously. I told her the first time, "That I was informed she loved to see "odd persons; and that, having sent for a wild boy "from Germany, she had a curiosity to see a wild * It should be, "not hard to be guessed," VOL. XIII. C * "dean * "dean from Ireland." I was not much struck with the honour of being sent for, because I knew the same distinction had been offered to others, with whom it would not give me much pride to be compared. I never went once but upon command; and Mrs. Howard, now lady Suffolk, was usually the person who sent for me, both at Leicester-house and Richmond. Mr. Pope (with whom I lived) and Mr. Gay were then great favourites of Mrs. Howard, especially the latter, who was then one of her ledcaptains. He had wrote a very ingenious book of fables, for the use of her younger son, and she often promised to provide for him. But some time before, there came out a libel against Mr. Walpole, who was informed it was written by Mr. Gay; and although Mr. Walpole owned he was convinced that it was not written by Gay, yet he never would pardon him, but did him a hundred ill offices to the princess. Walpole was at that time very civil to me, and so were all the people in power. He invited me and some of friends to dine with him at Chelsea. After dinner, I took an occasion to say, what I had observed of princes and great ministers, That if they heard "an ill thing of a private person, who expected "some favour, although they were afterward con"vinced that the person was innocent, yet they "would never be reconciled." Mr. Walpole knew well enough that I meant Mr. Gay. I afterward said the same thing to the princess, with the same intention and she confessed it a great injustice. But Mr. Walpole gave it another turn: for, he said to some of his friends, and particularly to a lord a my * It should be," he had written." near |