cares which are now as neceffary to her, as hers have been to me. An object of this fort daily before one's eyes very much softens the mind, but perhaps may hinder it from the willingness of contracting other ties of the like domeftic nature, when one finds how painful it is even to enjoy the tender pleasures. I have formerly made fome strong efforts to get and to deferve a friend: perhaps it were wiser never to attempt it, but live extempore, and look upon the world only as a place to pass through, just pay your hosts their due, disperse a little charity, and hurry on. I just now writing (or rather plánning) a book*, to make mankind look upon this life with comfort and pleasure, and put morality in good humour.-And just now too I am going to fee one I love very tenderly; and to-morrow to entertain feveral civil people, whom if we call friends, it is by the courtesy of England.-Sic, fic juvat ire fub umbras. While we do live, we must make the best of life, Cantantes licet ufque (minus via lædet) eamus, Yet am as the fhepherd faid in Virgil, when the road was long and heavy. I am Yours. * He means his Effay on Man; and alludes to the arguments he ufes to make men fatisfied even with their present state, without looking to another. Young wrote his Night Thoughts in direc oppofition to this view of human life, but which, in truth, Young has painted in colours too dark and uncomfortable. M 2 LETTER XLVIII. LORD BOLINGBROKE TO DR. SWIFT. ou may affure yourself, that if you come over this fpring, you will find me not only got back into the habits of study, but devoted to that historical task, which you have fet me these many years. I am in hopes of fome materials which will enable me to work in the whole extent of the plan I propofe to myself. If they are not to be had, I muft accommodate my plan to this deficiency. In the mean time Pope has given me more trouble than he or I thought of; and you will be furprized to find that I have been partly drawn by him and partly by myself, to write a pretty large volume upon a very grave and very important fubject; that I have ventured to pay no regard whatever to any authority except facred authority, and that I have ventured to start a thought, which muft, if it is pushed as fuccessfully, as I think it is, render all your Metaphyfical Theology both ridiculous and abominable. There is an expreffion in one of your letters to me, which makes me believe you will come into my way of thinking on this fubject; and yet I am perfuaded that Divines and Free-thinkers would both be clamorous against it, if it was to be fubmitted to their cenfure, as I do not intend that it fhall. The paffage I mean, is that where you say that you told told Dr. the Grand points of Christianity ought to be taken as infallible Revelations, etc. It has happened, that, whilst I was writing this to you, the Dr. came to make me a vifit from London, where I heard he was arrived fome time ago: he was in haste to return, and is, I perceive, in great haste to print. He left me with eight differtations †, a fmall In this maxim all bigotted Divines and free-thinking Politicians agree the one, for fear of difturbing the established Religion; the other, left that disturbance should prove injurious to their administration of the ftate. And would they be content to take these points for granted themselves, without injuring those, in their fortunes and reputation, who are for inquiring into, and fettling them on, their right grounds, I think nobody would envy their piety or their wisdom: but when they begin to perfecute those who venture to affume this natural liberty, then they unmask their hypocrify and Machivelianism. W. + The work here alluded to, was the first volume of Dr. Delany's "Revelation examined with Candour;" published 1732: a work written in a very florid and declamatory ftyle, and with a greater degree of learning and ingenuity, than of found reafon and argument. Witness, the first Dissertation on the forbidden Fruit; the fecond, concerning the Knowledge of the Brute World conveyed to Adam: the third, of the Knowledge of Marriage given to Adam: the fixth, concerning the Difficulties [and Objections that lie against the Mosaic Account of the Fall: the fifteenth, on fome Difficulties relating to Noah's Ark confidered. The fame may be faid of this Author's Life of King David. The beft of his works feem to be his Reflections on Polygamy. Dr. Delany was an amiable, a benevolent, and virtuous man; a character far fuperior to that of the ablest controverfial writer. His defence of Revelation is of a very different caft from fuch folid and masterly works as the Bishop of Landaff's Apology for the Bible, and Archdeacon Paley's Evidences of Chriftianity. fmall part, as I understand, of his work, and defired me to perufe, confider, and obferve upon them against Monday next, when he will come down again. By what I have read of the two first, I find myself unable to serve him. The principles he reafons upon are begged in a difputation of this fort, and the manner of reasoning is by no means close and conclufive. The fole advice I could give him in confcience would be that which he would take ill and not follow. I will get rid of this task as well as I can, for I esteem the man, and should be forry to disoblige him where I cannot serve him. As to retirement, and exercise, your notions are true: the first should not be indulged fo much as to render us favage, nor the last neglected fo as to impair health. But I know men, who, for fear of being favage, live with all who will live with them; and who, to preserve their health, faunter away half their time. Adieu; Pope calls for the paper. P. S. I hope what goes before will be a strong motive to your coming. God knows if ever I fhall fee Ireland; I fhall never defire it, if you can be got hither, or kept here. Yet I think I fhall be, too foon, a Free-man.-Your recommendations I conftantly give to those you mention; though fome of 'em I fee but feldom, and am every day more re. tired. I am lefs fond of the world, and lefs curious about about it yet no way out of humour, difappointed, or angry though in my way I receive as many injuries as my betters, but I don't feel them, therefore I ought not to vex other people, nor even to return. injuries. I pass almost all my time at Dawley and at home; my Lord (of which I partly take the merit to myself) is as much estranged from politics as I am. Let Philosophy be ever so vain, it is lefs vain now than Politics, and not quite fo vain at present as Divinity: I know nothing that moves strongly but Satire, and those who are ashamed of nothing elfe, are fo of being ridiculous. I fancy, if we three were together but for three years, fome good might be done even upon this age. I know you'll defire fome account of my health: it is as usual, but my spirits rather worse. I write little or nothing. You know I never had either a taste or talent for politics, and the world minds nothing else. I have perfonal obligations, which I will ever preserve, to men of different fides, and I wish nothing fo much as public quiet, except it be my own quiet. I think it a merit, if I can take off any man from grating or fatirical subjects, merely on the score of Party and it is the greatest vanity of my life that I've contributed to turn my Lord Bolingbroke to fubjects moral, ufeful, and more worthy his pen. Dr.'s Book is what I can't commend so much |