I had your letter just before this was sealed; but I cannot answer it now.

TO LADY BETTY GERMAIN.

MADAM,

JUNE 15, 1736.

I WRITE this letter to your ladyship, in the employment you have chosen of being a go-between the duke of Dorset and me. I must preface this letter with an honest declaration, That I never proposed any one thing to his grace, wherein I did not chiefly consult his honour and the general opinion of the kingdom. I had the honour to know him from a boy, as I did your ladyship from a child; and yet, excepting great personal civilities, I never was able to obtain the favour of getting one church preferment for any friend, except one too inconsiderable to mention. I writ to, and told my lord duke, that there was a certain family here, called the Grattans, and that they could command ten thousand men: two of them are parsons, as you whigs call them; another is lord mayor of this city, and was knighted by his grace a month or two ago. But there is another cousin of theirs, who is a Grattan, though his name be John Jackson, as worthy a clergyman as any in this kingdom. He lives upon his own small estate, four miles from this town, and in his own parish; but he has four children. He only wants some little addition of a hundred pounds a year; for he has laid out eight hundred pounds, to build upon his

own

own small estate in his own parish, which he cannot leave; and we cannot spare him. He has lain a weight upon my shoulders for many years; and I have often mentioned him to my lord duke as a most deserving person. His grace has now an opportunity to help him. One Mr. Ward, who died this morning, had a deanery of small value: it was a hedge deanery, my lord duke will tell you what I mean; we have many of them in Ireland: but, as it does not require living there, except a month or two in the year, although it be but of forty or fifty pounds yearly rent, it will be a great ease to him. He is no party man, but a loyal subject. It is the deanery of Cloyne: he is well acquainted with the bishop, who is Dr. Berkeley: I have reasons enough to complain of my lord duke, who absolutely refused to provide for a most worthy man, whom he had made one of his chaplains before he came over : and therefore, if he will not consent to give this poor deanery to Mr. John Jackson, I will fall out with him for ever. I desire your ladyship to let the duke know all this.

Somebody read a part of a newspaper to me the other day, wherein your saucy niece is mentioned as married, with five and forty thousand pounds to her fortune. I desire to present her with my most humble service, and that we may be friends for the future. I hope your ladyship still preserves your health and good humour. Your virtues I am in no pain about; for you are confirmed in them by your education and birth, as well as by constant practice.

I

pray God preserve you long, for the good you do to the world, and for your happiness hereafter.

I will (notwithstanding your commands to the con→

trary) be so bold to tell you, that I am, with the greatest respect and esteem,

Madam,

your ladyship's

most obedient and

obliged humble servant.

THE ANSWER.

JUNE 23, 1736.

you

I OUGHT to begin with begging pardon for not answering yours of the 1st of May, before I thank you for that of the 15th of June: but I do not question the newspapers have informed of the great loss I have had in my brother Henry Berkeley. And what is an addition to the grief for the best natured, honest, sincere, disinterested, friendly brother, is the having left a wife, three daughters, and two sons, literally without bread to eat; though perhaps that part might soon be made easy, if those of his relations were as willing, as they are able, to help to take care of them, which hitherto they have only the benefit of from my two nieces.

She that you call my saucy niece, has bestowed her very great fortune (much more than you mention) on lord Vere Beauclerk, and had my approbation of her own choice, for I think him a very deserving gentleman; and all that know him give him a great character. I am now with them in the country; but shall go, in about a fortnight, to Knowle;

and when I am there, will certainly obey your commands to the duke of Dorset. My brother George and lady Suffolk are gone to France to make a visit to lord Berkeley; which I am glad of, as I hope it will induce her to go to Spa and Aix-la-Chapelle, for her health, which I am afraid is very necessary for her, and truly believe is all she wants to make her easy and happy; or else my brother George is not the honest good natured man I really take him to be; and she dissembles well, if she is not so happy as she makes me believe, and I heartily wish her.

You order me to write long letters; but you may see by the nothingness of this, I am yet more unfit than ever to observe your orders, though in all things, and at all times, Your most sincere and truly humble servant,

E. G.

FROM DR. SHERIDAN.

DEAR SIR,

JUNE 23, 1736.

IF you can believe me, I can assure you, that we . have a great plenty of flies at Cavan; and let me whisper you in this letter, nec desunt pediculi nec pulices; but I beseech you not to speak of it. Si me non fallit observatio, we shall have more of the Egyptian plagues, quippe multitudo militum die crástino adventura est in Cavanniam nostram. I do not know what the devil they will do for meat. De nostro cibo, nisi furtim, aut vi abripiant, uxor me capiat, si gustaverint. The ladies are already bespeaking seats in my field upon the hill, Spectatum

veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipsa. Ho, brave colonels, captains, lieutenants, and cornets, adeo hic splendentes congregantur ut ipsis pavonibus pudorem incutiunt, of which I am an eye witness, dejectis capitibus caudas demittunt. Our bakers are all so busy upon this occasion, that they double the heat of the weather, atque urunt officinas. But when the army fires on Friday, proh Jupiter! infernum redolebunt et spirabunt. The noise of guns, the neighing of the horses, and the women's tongues, cælum atque terras miscebunt.

Grouse pouts are come in,
I've some in my bin,

To butter your chin;

When done with our din

-ner, through thick and thin

We'll walk out and in,

And care not a pin

Who thinks it a sin.

We make some folks grin,

By lashing their kin, &c.

I could not mention troop-horses, quin Pegasus noster lusit exultim ut vides; sed jam stabulo inclusus de versibus nihil amplius. You may be surprised at this motley epistle; but you must know that I fell upon my head the other day, and the fall shook away half my English and Latin, cum omnia lingua Gallica, Hispanica, nec non Italica. I would rather indeed my wife had lost her one tongue, totaliter, quoniam equidem nullus dubito nisi radicitus evelleretur tonitrui superaret.

I wish your reverence were here to hear the trumpets; Mistake me not, for I mean not the strumpets.

4

Well,