more by your converfation and kindness than by your letter, I might be base enough to fufpect, that in point of friendship you acted like fome Philofophers who writ much better upon Virtue than they prac tifed it. In answer, I can only fwear that you have taught me to dream, which I had not done in twelve years further than by inexpreffible nonfenfe; but now I can every night diftin&tly fee Twickenham, and the Grotto, and Dawley, and many other et cetera's, and it is but three nights fince I beat Mrs. Pope. I must needs confess, that the pleasure I take in thinking on you is very much lessened by the pain I am in about your health: You pay dearly for the great talents God hath given you; and for the confequences of them in the esteem and diftinction you receive from mankind, unless you can provide a tolerable stock of health; in which pursuit I cannot much commend your conduct, but rather intreat you would mend it by following the advice of my Lord Bolingbroke and your other Phyficians. When you talk'd of Cups and Impreffions, it came into my head to imitate you in quoting Scripture, not to your advantage; I mean what was said to David by one of his brothers: "I knew thy pride and the naughtiness "of thy heart;" I remember when it grieved your foul to fee me pay a penny more than my club at an inn, when you had maintained me three months at bed and board; for which if I had dealt with you in the Smithfield way it would have coft me a hundred pounds, for I live worfe here upon more. Did you ever confider that I am for life almost twice as rich as you, and pay no rent, and drink French wine twice as cheap as you do Port, and have neither Coach, Chair, nor mother? As to the world, I think you ought to fay to it with St. Paul, If we have fown unto you fpiritual things, is it a great thing if we fhall reap your carnal things? This is more proper ftill, if you confider the French word spiritual, in which fenfe the world ought to pay you better than they do. If you made me a present of a thoufand pound, I would not allow myself to be in your debt; and if I made you a prefent of two, I would not allow myfelf to be out of it. But I have not half your pride: witness what Mr. Gay fay in his letter, that I was cenfured for begging Prefents, tho' I limited them to ten fhillings. I fee no reason, (at least my friendfhip and vanity fee none) why you fhould not give me a vifit, when you fhall happen to be difengaged: I will fend a perfon to Chester to take care of you, and you fhall be ufed by the best folks we have here, as well as civility and good-nature can contrive; I believe local motion will be no ill phyfic, and I will have your coming infcribed on my Tomb, and recorded in neverdying verfe. I thank Mrs. Pope for her prayers, but I know the mystery. A perfon of my acquaintance, who used to correspond with the last Great Duke of Tufcany, fhewing one of the Duke's letters to a friend, and profeffing great fenfe of his Highnefs's friendfhip, read this paffage out of the letters, I would give one of my fingers to procure your real good. The perfon to whom this was read, and who knew the Duke well, faid, the meaning of real good was only that the other might turn a good Catholic. Pray afk Mrs. Pope whether this story is applicable to her and me? I pray God bless her, for I am fure she is a good Chriftian, and (which is almost as rare) a good Woman. Adieu, T LETTER XXVI. Mr. GAY to Dr. SwIFT. O&ob. 22, 1727. HE Queen's family is at last fettled, and in the lift I was appointed Gentlemanusher to the Princefs Louifa, the youngest Princess; which, upon account that I am fo far advanced in life, I have declin'd accepting; and have endeavour'd, in the best manner I could, to make my excuses by a letter to her Majefty. So now all my expectations are va nifh'd; and I have no profpect, but in depending wholly upon myself, and my own conduct. As I am us'd to disappointments, I can bear them; but as I can have no more hopes, I can no more be disappointed, fo that I am in a blessed condition. - You remember you were advising me to go into Newgate to finish my scenes the more correctly I now think I fhall, for I have no attendance to hinder me; but my Opera is already finish'd. I leave the rest of this paper to Mr. Pope. Gay is a Free-man, and I writ him a long Congratulatory Letter upon it. Do you the fame: It will mend him, and make him a better man than a Court could do. Horace might keep his coach in Auguftus's time, if he pleas'd; but I won't in the time of our Auguftus. My Poem (which it grieves me that I dare not fend you a copy of, for fear of the Curl's and Dennis's of Ireland, and ftill more for fear of the worst of Traytors, our Friends and Admirers) my Poem, I fay, will fhew what a diftinguishing age we lived in? Your name is in it, with fome others, under a mark of fuch ignominy Wheter thou chufe Cervantes' ferious air, Or, filent, let thy morals tell thy mind. These two verfes ave over and above what I've faid of you in the Poem. Adieu. Entirely approve your refufal of that employment, and your writing to the Queen. I am perfectly confident you have a keen enemy in the Ministry. God forgive him, but not till he puts himself in a ftate to be forgiven. Upon reasoning with myself, I fhould hope they are gone too far to discard you quite, and that they will give you fomething; which, although much less than they ought, will be (as far as it is worth) better circumstantiated: And fince you already just live, a middling help will make you just tolerable. Your latenefs in life (as you fo foon call it) might be improper to begin the world with, but almost the eldest men may hope to fee changes in a Court. A Minifter is always feventy: You are VOL. IX. F thirty years younger; and confider, Cromwell Irimfelf did not begin to appear till he was older than you. I beg you will be thrifty, and learn to value a fhilling, which Dr. Birch faid was a ferious thing. Get a ftronger fence about your 1000 l. and throw the inner fence into the heap, and be advised by your Twickenham landlord and me about an annuity. You are the most refractory, honest, good-natur'd man I ever have known; I could argue out this paper - I am very glad your Opera is finished, and hope your friends will join the readier to make it fucceed, because you are ill-used by others. I have known Courts these thirty-fix years, and know they differ; but in fome things they are extremely conftant: Firft, in the trite old maxim of a minister's never forgiving thofe he hath injured; Secondly, in the infincerity of those who would be thought the best friends: Thirdly, in the love of fawning, cringing, and tale-bearing: Fourthly, in facrificing those whom we really wish well, to a point of intereft, or intrigue: Fifthly, in keeping every thing worth taking, for those who can do fervice or dif-fervice. Now why does not Pope publish his dulness? the rogues he marks will die of themfelves in peace, and fo will his friends, and fo there will be neither punishment, nor reward. - Pray enquire how my Lord St. John does? there's no man's health in England I am more concerned about than his. I wonder whether you begin to taste the pleasure of Independency? or whether you do not fometimes leer upon the Court, oculo retorto? Will you not think of an Annuity, when you are two years older, and have doubled your purchase money? Have you dedicated your Opera, and got the ufual dedication - fee of twenty guineas? How is the Doctor? does he not |