wish to preserve, but wish more to make it agreeable to you by the full enjoyment of health, friends, fortune, and situation; my next desire should be, that I had a power to contribute to your attainment of any of these comforts.

Your kind inquiries in relation to myself, only justify taking up your time with so insignificant a subject, which I shall be particular upon merely in obedience to your commands.

I have no obligations to the court, nor am likely to have any; I have to my Lord Shelburne, whose house in London is my settled habitation; though I am afraid two years will put an end to my good fortune, the lease of the house, which is an old one, being then expired; and so perhaps may be that of my life, which I have been long tired of. Added to my Lord Shelburne's favours, I have great and many, more than I can express here, to the Duchess of Buckingham, whose table is my constant one, and her coach oftener mine than I ask for it; beside fetching me every day, and bringing me home, makes me share in public amusements without expense; and in summer the variety of change of air, which her station empowers her to take, and more, her inclination to impart to her friends the benefit of, who cannot fail of being so to her, if they have merit enough to be capable of being obliged by the most agreeable sincere manner to engage approbation and gratitude; then I hope you think I have enough to do justice, both in my thoughts and actions, to one so worthy of it.

I am, Sir, your sincerely obliged and

affectionate humble servant,

H. PRATT.

FROM LADY BETTY GERMAIN.

April 5, 1735.

PART the first, you order me to give up my secretaryship; and part the second, called postscript, you employed me about Dr. Sheridan's exchange, when the letters for it must have been at Dublin long before yours came away. I was just thinking that you was a little upon the dear joy; but, to be sure, you were in the right, for what signified my secretaryship when I had no business?

*

The Countess of Suffolk did not give up the first employment at court, for she had no other than mistress of the robes, being £400 a-year, which the Duchess of Dorset had quitted to her, there being no lady of the bed-chamber's place vacant, and it not being quite proper for a countess to continue bed-chamber woman. As to her part about Gay, that I cleared to you long ago; for, to my certain knowledge, no woman was ever a better friend than she by many ways proved herself to him. As to what you hint about yourself, as I am wholly ignorant what it is you mean, I can say nothing upon it. And as to the question, Whether you should congratulate or condole? I believe you may do either, or both, and not be in the wrong: for I truly think she was heartily sorry to be obliged, by ill usage, to quit a master and mistress that she had served so justly, and loved so well. However, she has now much more ease and liberty, and accordingly her health better.

Mrs. Floyd has a cough every winter, and

* An Irish expression.-S.

generally so bad, that she often frightens me for the consequences. My saucy niece* presents her service to Parson Swift. The Duchess of Dorset is gone to Bath with Lady Lambert, for her health; she has not been long enough there yet to find the good effects of the waters: but as they always did agree with her, I have great hopes they will now quite cure her colic.

In all likelihood, you are weary by this time of reading, and I am of writing such a long letter; so adieu, my dear Dean.

FROM DR. SHERIDAN.

April 5, 1755.

DEAR SIR, MRS. PEROTT has this instant invited my two eldest daughters to her house till such time as I may be settled at Cavan. She is a lady the best housewife in Ireland, and of the best temper I ever knew. Her daughters are formed by her example, so that it is impossible to place them where they will have a better opportunity of learning what may be hereafter of real advantage to them. Dear sir, I shall impatiently wait your advice for my affairs here require a longer attendance than I expected. You will be so good as to let me know from Mr.

* Mary, eldest daughter, and one of the coheirs of Thomas Chambers, of Hanworth, in Middlesex, Esq., by Lady Mary Berkeley, sister to Earl Berkeley and to Lady Betty Germain. She married, April 1736, Lord Vere Beauclerc, afterwards Lord Vere.-B.

*

Lingen whether the Duke of Dorset's letter be come in answer to the lords justices, that I may hurry to Dublin; for people are here impatient at having their children so long idle. I am apt to believe that if you put this matter in what light you think proper to the lord chancellor, he will not insist upon a punctilio, which may prove a great loss to me. The Bishop of Killmore can produce a letter I think sufficient to justify their excellencies the lords justices in granting us patents.

I wish you long health and happiness, and shall, dear Sir, ever have a grateful sense of your friendship, and be, with all respect,

Your most obedient and very humble servant,

THOMAS SHERIDAN.

FROM THE ARCHBISHOP OF

CASHELL.t

DEAR SIR,

Cashell, April 7, 1735

I SUPPOSE by this time you have been informed, that Mr. Dunkin‡ was ordained here last Thurs

* One of the secretaries to the lords justices.-D. S.

† Dr. Theophilus Bolton. He was Rector of St. Werburgh's, and Chancellor of the Cathedral of St. Patrick's; Bishop of Clonfert, Sept. 12, 1723; translated to Elphin, April 16, 1724; to Cashell, Jan. 6, 1729, and died in 1744. This prelate appears to have been highly respected by the Dean, as being one of the four bishops who voted against the two bills, which, in the opinion of Swift, went to establish a tyranny in the persons of the spiritual lords over the inferior clergy. See the Poem on the Irish Bishops, vol. XII. p. 409, and the Considerations on the two Bills, &c., vol. VIII. p. 307.

The Reverend Mr. Dunkin, author of several poetical pieces,

day, and that the recommendations got the better of my prejudices to his unhappy genius; which, I hope, will, in some degree convince you, that your power over me is not yet quite worn out.

It is one of the greatest evils that attends those whom fortune has forsaken, that their friends forsake them too; and let me tell you, that your not seeing me the whole winter I was last in Dublin, was not a less mortification to me, than all the hard sayings of the great parliament orators. However, I must own your taking any occasion to write to me at all, has made some amends; for though you seem designedly to cover it, I think I perceive some little marks of that former kindness, which I once pleased

published in two volumes. He took a warm interest in the dispute between Bettesworth and the Dean, and was author of a poem, entitled "Bettesworth's Exultations," levelled against the unlucky serjeant. For this interference, he was assailed by the author of "The Case truly stated between Swift and Bettesworth," who says that Swift

-kiss'd him,

And stroked his head and cheek, and bless'd him;
Then made a deed and left the chit,

In full reversion to his wit;

And said, "Look sharp, thou shalt inherit

A double portion of my spirit;

But squander not this last donation,

'Tis fittest to divide the nation,

That all the world may know what I know,

Thou art my son, and not a bye-blow."

So did Elijah on that day,

When from his man he stole away,

When carried in the fire and smoke,

He threw him down his thread-bare cloak.

Under such attacks, Mr. Dunkin was consoled by the author of a poetical epistle, addressed to him, entitled, a "Libel on the Dublin Dunces;" printed in 1734.

Let this thy motto serve to raise
An ample monument to praise ;
Abused by rascals dull and mean,
Esteem'd and honour'd by the Dean.

Mr. Dunkin was one of the witnesses to the Dean's will.