was at the fame meeting under the fame real concern; and fo were a hundred others of this town, who had never feen you.

I read to the Bishop of Derry the paragraph in your letter which concerned him, and his Lordship expreffed his thankfulness in a manner that became him. He is efteemed here as a perfon of learning and conversation and humanity, but he is beloved by all people.

I have nobody now left but you: pray, be so kind to out-live me, and then die as foon as you please, but without pain; and let us meet in a better place, if my Religion will permit, but rather my Virtue, although much unequal to yours. Pray, let my Lord Bathurst know how much I love him; I still infist on his remembering me, although he is too much in the world to honour an absent friend with his letters. My state of health is not to boast of; my giddiness is more or less too conftant; I fleep ill, and have a poor appetite. I can as eafily write a Poem in the Chinese language as my own: I am as fit for Matrimony as invention; and yet I have daily schemes for innumerable Effays in profe, and proceed fometimes to no less than half a dozen lines, which the next morning become wafte paper. paper. What vexes me most is, that my female friends, who could bear me very well a dozen of years ago, have now forfaken me, although I am not fo old in proportion to them, as I formerly was: which I can prove by Arithmetic,

for

for then I was double their age, which now I am. not. Pray, put me out of fear as soon as you can, about that report of your illness; and let me know who this Chefelden is, that hath fo lately sprung up

in

your favour? Give me alfo fome account of your neighbour who writ to me from Bath: I hear he refolves to be strenuous for taking off the Teft; which grieves me extremely, from all the unprejudiced reasons I ever was able to form, and against the maxims of all wife Chriftian governments, which always had fome established Religion, leaving at best a toleration to others.

Farewel, my dearest friend! ever, and upon every account that can create friendship and esteem.

LETTER LXXXI.

March 25, 1736.

IF

ever I write more Epiftles in Verfe, one of them shall be addreffed to you. I have long concerted it, and begun it, but I would make what bears your name as finished as my last work ought to be, that is to fay, more finished than any of the reft. The fubject is large, and will divide into four Epiftles, which naturally follow the Effay on Man, viz. I. Of the Extent and limits of Human Reason and Science. 2. A View of the ufeful and therefore attainable,

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attainable, and of the un-ufeful and therefore unattainable, Arts. 3. Of the Nature, Ends, Applica tion, and Ufe of different Capacities. 4. Of the Ufe of Learning, of the Science of the World, and of Wit. It will conclude with a Satire against the mif-applica tion of all these, exemplify'd by pictures, characters, and examples.

But alas! the task is great, and non fum qualiş eram! My understanding indeed, fuch as it is, is extended rather than diminished: I fee things more in the whole, more confiftent, and more clearly deduced from, and related to, each other. But what I gain on the fide of philofophy, I lofe on the fide of poetry: the flowers are gone, when the fruits begin to ripen, and the fruits perhaps will never ripen perfectly. The climate (under our Heaven of a Court) is but cold and uncertain; the winds rife, and the winter comes on. I find myself but little difpofed to build a new houfe; I have nothing left but to gather up the reliques of a wreck, and look about me to fee how few friends I have left. Pray, whose esteem or admiration fhould I defire now to procure by my writings? whofe friendship or converfation to obtain by them? I am a man of defperate fortunes, that is, a man whofe friends are dead: for I never aimed at any other fortune than in friends. As foon as I had fent my last letter, I received a moft kind one from you, expreffing great pain for my late illness at Mr. Chefelden's. I conclude you was eafed of that friendly

friendly apprehenfion in a few days after you had dispatched yours, for mine muft have reached you then. I wondered a little at your quære, who Chefelden was? It fhews that the trueft merit does not travel fo far any way as on the wings of poetry; he is the most noted, and moft deferving man, in the whole profeffion of Chirurgery; and has faved the lives of thousands by his manner of cutting for the ftone. I am now well, or what I must call fo.

I have lately feen fome writings of Lord B.'s, fince he went to France. Nothing can deprefs his Genius: whatever befals him, he will still be the greatest man in the world, either in his own time, or with pofterity.

Every man you know or care for here, enquires of you, and pays you the only devoir he can, that of drinking your health. I wish you had any motive to see this kingdom. I could keep you, for I am rich, that is, I have more than I want. I can afford room for yourself and two fervants; I have indeed room enough, nothing but myself at home; the kind and hearty house-wife is dead! the agreeable and inftructive neighbour is gone! yet my houfe is enlarged, and the gardens extend and flourish, as knowing nothing of the guests they have loft. I have more fruit-trees and kitchen-garden than you have any thought of: nay I have good Melons and Pine-apples of my own growth. I am as much a better Gardener, as I am a worse Poet, than when you faw me: but gardening

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gardening is near a-kin to Philosophy, for Tully fays, Agricultura proxima fapientia. For God's fake, why fhould not you (that are a step higher than a Philofopher, a Divine, yet have too much grace and wit than to be a Bishop) e'en give all you have to the poor of Ireland, (for whom you have already done every thing else,) fo quit the place, and live and die with me? And let Tales animæ concordes be our Motto and our Epitaph,

LETTER LXXXII.

FROM DR. SWIFT.

Dublin, April 22, 1736.

MY

y common illness is of that kind which utterly disqualifies me for all conversation; I mean my Deafnefs; and indeed it is that only which discourageth me from all thoughts of coming to England; because I am never fure that it may not return in a week. If it were a good honest Gout, I could catch an interval, to take a voyage, and in a warm lodging get an eafy chair, and be able to hear and roar among my friends. "As to what you fay of your Letters, "fince you have many years of life more than I, my "refolution is to direct my Executors to fend you all your letters, well fealed and pacquetted, along with

"fome