and what is worse, it is then too late to get others, ' } if they were to be had, for the younger ones are all engaged. I shall never differ from you in

any thing longer, than till you declare your opinion; because I never knew you wrong in any thing, except your condescending to have any regard for me; and therefore, all you say upon the subject of friendship, I heartily allow. But I doubt you are a perverter; for sure I was never capable of comparing the loss of friends, with the loss of money. I think we never lament the death of a friend upon his own account, but merely on account of his friends, or the publick, or both; and his, for a person in private life, was as great as possible. How finely you preach to us who are going out of the world, to keep our spirits, without informing us where we shall find materials! Yet I have my flatterers too, who tell me, I am allowed to have retained more spirits than hundreds of others who are richer, younger, and healthier than myself; which, considering a thousand mortifications, added to the perfect ill will of every creature in power, I take to be a high point of merit, as well as an implicit obedience to your grace's commands. Neither are those spirits (such as they be) in the least broken by the honour of lying under the same circumstances, with a certain great person, whom I shall not name, of being in disgrace at court. I will excuse your blots upon paper, because they are the only blots that you ever did, or ever will make in the whole course of your life. I am content, upon your petition, to receive the duke and your grace for my stewards for that immense sum; and in proper time, I may come to thank you, as a king does the commons, for your loyal benevolence.

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volence. In the mean while, I humbly intreat your grace, that the money may lie where you please, till I presume to trouble you with a bill, as my lord duke allows me.

One thing I find, that you are grown very techy since I lost the dear friend who was my supporter; so that perhaps you may expect I shall be very careful how I offend you in words, wherein you will be much mistaken; for I shall become ten times worse after correction. It seems Mr. Pope, like a treacherous gentleman, showed you my letter wherein I mention good qualities that you seem to have. You have understroked that offensive word, to show it should be printed in italic. What could I say more? I never saw your person since you were a girl, except once in the dark (to give you a bull of this country) in a walk next the Mall. Your letters may possibly be false copies of your mind; and the universal, almost idolatrous esteem you have forced from every person in two kingdoms, who have the least regard for virtue, may have been only procured by a peculiar art of your own, I mean, that of bribing all wise and good men to be your flatterers. My literal mistakes are worse than your blots. I am subject to them, by a sort of infirmity wherein I have few fellow-sufferers; I mean, that my heart runs before my pen, which it will ever do in a greater degree, as long as I am a servant to your grace, I mean, to the last hour of my life and senses. I am with the greatest respect and utmost gratitude, madan, your grace's most obedient, most obliged, and most humble servant.

I desire

I desire to present my most humble respects and thanks to my lord duke of Queensberry. For a man of my level, I have as bad a name almost as I desire; and I pray God, that those who give it me, may never have reason to give me a better.

SIR,

FROM LORD CARTERET.

MARCH 24, 1732-3,

I HAD the favour of your letter of the 19th of February. A gentleman left it at my door. I have not heard from him since, though he said he would call again, and who he is, I do not know. I showed it to my wife and lady Worsley, who will not fail to obey your commands, and tease me, if I could be forgetful of your orders, to attend the cause of the city of Dublin when it comes into the house. I know by experience, how much that city thinks itself under your protection, and how strictly they used to obey all orders fulminated from the sovereignty of St. Patrick's. I never doubted their compliance with you in so trivial a point a point as a recorder *. You can give any one law and capacity in half an hour; and if by chance a rake should get those faculties any other way, you can make the worthy citizens believe he has them not; and you can sustain any machine in a furred gown.

I thank you for the letter by Mr. Pilkington. I have seen him twice at a great entertainment at my

* Mr. Stanard was about this time chosen recorder of the city of Dublin, chiefly at the recommendation of Dr. Swift.

lord

lord mayor's, where you was the first toast. I like the young man very well, and he has great obligations to you, of which he seems sensible.

I hope Dr. Delany is well, and that you see one another often, and then the doctor would not have leisure to pursue his dissertations*, or to answer the reverend prelate on your side, who I hear has answered him. As I have not read the dissertations, so I shall not read the answer; which, I hope without offence, I may suppose to be your case. If so, I hope you will endeavour to keep me well with the doctor, who took it a little unkindly of me, that I would shut my eyes to such revelation, so demonstrated. I have a great esteem for him, to which nothing that he can write upon those subjects can make any addition and therefore, I would run no risk as to altering my opinion of him by reading his books.

That health and prosperity may attend you, is my sincere wish; and I entreat you to believe that I am, with great truth, sir, your most humble and obedient

servant.

The whole family of my ladies send their compliments.

Revelation examined with Candour.

+ Dr. Robert Clayton, bishop of Killala, Jan. 23, 1729; translated to Corke, Dec. 19, 1735; and to Clogher, Aug. 26. 1745. He was the author of "A Vindication of the Old and New Testa"ment, &c." against lord Bolingbroke, and of many other valua ble treatises.

ΤΟ

I

TO DR. SHERIDAN.

DUBLIN, MARCH 27, 1733.

RECEIVED your letter with some pleasure, and a good deal of concern. The condition you are in requires the greatest haste hither, although your school did not; and when you arrive, I will force Dr. Helsham to see and direct you: your scheme of riding and country air you find hath not answered, and therefore you have nothing to trust to but the assistance of a friendly, skilful doctor. For whether they can do any good or not, it is all we have for it; and you cannot afford to die at present, because the publick, and all your family have occasion for you. Besides, I do not like the place you are in, from your account, since you say people are dying there so fast. You cannot afford to lose daily blood; but

I

suppose you are no more regular, than you have been in your whole life. I like the article very much, which you propose in your will; and if that takes place forty years hence, and God for the sins of men should continue that life so long, I would have it be still inserted; unless you could make it a little sharper. I own you have too much reason to complain of some friends, who next to yourself have done you most hurt, whom still I esteem and frequent, though I confess I cannot heartily forgive. Yet certainly the case was not merely personal malice to you (although it had the same effect) but a kind of I know not what job, which one of them hath often heartily repented; however it came to be patched