longer than he thought, because he cannot settle his affairs. Mis in the country at some friend's, comes to town in spring, and then goes to settle in Hereford'shire. Her husband is a surly ill natured brute, and cares not she should see any body. O Lord, see how I blundered, and left two lines short; it was that ugly score in the paper* that made me mistake. I believe you lie about the story of the fire, only to make it more odd. Bernage must go to Spain, and I will see to recommend him to the duke of Argyle, his general, when I see the duke next: but the officers tell me it would be dishonourable in the last degree for him to sell now, and he would never be preferred in the army; so that tinless he designs to leave it for good and all, he must go. Tell him so, and that I would write if I knew where to direct to him; which I have said fourscore times already. I had rather any thing almost than that you should strain yourselves, to send a letter when it is inconvenient; we have settled that matter already. I will write when I can, and so shall MD; and upon occasions extraordinary I will write, though it be a line; and when we have not letters soon, we agree that all things are well; and so that is settled for ever, and so hold your tongue. Well, you shall have your pins, but for the candle ends, I cannot promise, because I burn them to the stumps; besides, I remember what Stella told Dingley about them many years ago, and she may think the same thing of me. And Dingley shall have her hinged spectacles. Poor dear Stella, how durst you write those two lines by candle light? bang your bones! Faith, this letter shall go to-morrow, I think, and that will be in ten days from the last, young women; that is too soon of all conscience: but answering yours has

crease in the sheet.. D. S.

filled it up so quick, and I do not design to use you to three pages in folio, no, nooooh. All this is one morning's work in bed; and so good morrow, little sirrahs, that is for the rhyme.* You want politics: faith, I cannot think of any; but may be at night I may tell you a passage. Come, sit off the bed, and let me rise, will you? At night. I dined to-day with my neighbour Vanhomrigh; it was such dismal weather I could not stir farther. I have had some threatenings with my head, but no fits. I still drink Dr. Radcliffe's bitter, and will continue it.

10. I was this morning to see the secretary of state, and have engaged him to give a memorial from me to the duke of Argyle in behalf of Bernage. The duke is a man that distinguishes people of merit, and I will speak to him myself; but the secretary backing it will be very effectual, and I will take care to have it done to purpose. Pray tell Bernage so, and that I think nothing can be luckier for him, and that I would have him go by all means. I will order it that the duke shall send for him when they are in Spain; or if he fails, that he shall receive him kindly when he goes to wait on him. Can I do more? Is not this a great deal? 1 now send away this letter that you may not stay. I dined with Ford upon his opera day, and am now come home, and am going to study; do not you presume to guess, sirrahs, impudent saucy dear boxes. Toward the end of a letter I could not say saucy boxes without putting dear between. An't that right now? Farewell. This should be longer, but that I send it to night.

D. S.

* In the original it was, good mellows, little sollahs. But in these words, and many others, he writes constantly ll for rr. + Those letters which are in italics in the original are of a monstrous size, which occasioned his calling himself a loggerhead. D. S. VOL. XXI.

G

O silly, silly loggerhead!

I sent a letter this post to one Mr. Staunton, and I dìrect it to Mr. Acton's in St. Michael's lane. He for merly lodged there, but he has not told me where to direct. Pray send to that Acton, whether the letter is come there, and whether he has sent it to Staunton.

If Bernage desigus to sell his commission and stay at home, pray let him tell me so, that my recommendation to the duke of Argyle may not be in vain.

LETTER XVI.

London, Feb. 10, 1710-11.

I HAVE just despatched my fifteenth to the post; 1 tell you how things will be, after I have got a letter from MD. I am in furious haste to finish mine, for fear of having two of MD's to answer in one of Presto's, which would be such a disgrace, never saw the like: but before you write to me I write at my leisure, like a gentleman, a little every day, just to let you know how matters go, and so, and so; and I hope before this comes to you, you will have got your box and chocolate, and Presto will take more care another time.

11. Morning. I must rise and go see my lord keeper, which will cost me two shillings in coach-hire. Do not call them two thirteens ?* At night. It has rained all day, and there was no walking, I read prayers to Sir Andrew Fountaine in the afternoon, and I dined with three Irishmen at one Mr. Cope'st lodgings; the other two were one Morris au archdeacon, and Mr. Ford.

* A shilling passes for thirteen pence in Ireland. D. S.

+ Robert Cope, Esq. a gentleman of learning, good fortune, and family; and a correspondent of Dr. Swift's. N.

When I came home this evening, I expected that little jackanapes Harrison would have come to get help about his Tattler for Tuesday: I have fixed two evenings in the week which I allow him to come. The toad never came, and I expecting him, fell a reading, and left off other business. Come, what are you doing? how do you pass your time this ugly weather? Gaming and drinking, I suppose, fine diversions for young ladies, truly. I wish you had some of our Seville oranges, and we some of your wine. We have the finest oranges for two-pence a piece, and the basest wine for six shillings a bottle. They tell me wine grows cheap with you. I am resolved to have half a hogshead when I get to Ireland, if it be good and cheap, as it used to be; and I will treat MD at my table in an evening, oh hoa, and laugh at great ministers of state.

12. The day's are grown fine and long, be thanked. O faith, you forget all our little sayings, and I am angry. I dined to-day with Mr. Secretary St. John I went to the court of requests at noon, and sent Mr. Harley into the house to call the secretary, to let him know I would not dine with him if he dined late. By good luck the duke of Argyle was at the lobby of the house too, and I kept him in talk till the secretary came out, then told them I was glad to meet them together, and that I had a request to the duke which the secretary must second, and his grace must grant. The duke said he was sure it was something insignificant, and wished it was ten times greater. At the secretary's house I writ a memorial, and gave it to the secretary to give the duke, and shall see that he does it. It is, that his grace will please to take Mr. Bernage into his pro tection; and if he finds Bernage answers my character, to give him all encouragement. Colonel Masham and Colonel Hill (Mrs. Masham's brother) tell me my re

quest is reasonable, and they will second it heartily to the duke too; so I reckon Beruage is on a very good foot when he goes to Spain. Pray tell him this, though perhaps I will write to him before he goes; yet where shall I direct? for I suppose he has left Conolly's.

13. I have left off Lady Kerry's bitter, and got another box of pills. I have no fits of giddiness, but only some little disorders toward it and I walk as much as I can. Lady Kerry is just as I am, only a great deal worse: I dined to-day at Lord Shelburn's, where she is, and we con ailments, which makes us very fond of each other. I have taken Mr. Harley into fa vour again, and called to see him, but he was not within; I will use to visit him after dinner, for he dines too late for my head: then I went to visit poor Congreve, who is just getting out of a severe fit of the gout, and I sat with him till near nine o'clock. He gave me a Tattler he had written out, as blind as he is, for little Harrison. It is about a scoundrel that was grown rich, and went and bought a coat of arms at the Herald's, and a set of ancestors at Fleet-ditch; it is well enough, and shall be printed in two or three days, and if you read those kind of things, this will divert you. It is now between ten and eleven, and I am going to bed.

14. This was Mrs. Vanhomrigh's daughter's birthday, and Mr. Ford and I were invited to dinner to keep it, and we spent the evening there drinking punch. That was our way of beginning Lent; and in the morn ing Lord Shelburn, Lady Kerry, Mrs. Pratt and I went to Hyde-Park, instead of going to church; for till my head is a little settled, I think it better not go; it would be so silly and troublesome to go out sick. Dr. Duke* died suddenly two or three nights ago;

he was

*Dr. Richard Duke, of some celebrity in his day, both as a poet nd a divine, was rector of Blaby in Leicestershire; and in 1710