Antipodes. If I did not know you more by your converfation and kindnefs 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 practised it. In anfwer, 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 can every night diftinctly 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 muft needs confefs, that the pleasure I take in thinking of you is very much leffened 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 distinction you receive from mankind, unless you can provide a tolerable stock of health; in which pursuits I cannot much commend your conduct, but rather entreat you would mend it by following the advice of my Lord Bolingbroke and your other Physicians. When you talked of Cups and impreffions, it came into my head to imitate you in quoting Scripture, not to your advantage; I mean what was faid to David by one of his brothers: "I knew thy pride and the naughti "nefs 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 hun dred dred pounds, for I live worse here upon more. Did you ever confider that I am for life almoft 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 say to it with St. Paul, If we have fown unto you fpiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? This is more proper still, if you confider the French word spiritual, in which sense the world ought to pay you better than they do. If you made me a present of a thousand pound, I would not allow myself to be in your debt; but if I made you a prefent of two, I would not allow myself to be out of it. But I have not half your pride; witness what Mr. Gay fays in his letter, that I was cenfured for begging Presents, though I limited them to ten fhillings. I fee no reason (at least my friendship and vanity fee none) why you should not give me a visit, when you shall happen to be difengaged: I will send a person to Chester to take care of you, and you fhall be used 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 inscribed on my Tomb, and recorded in neverdying verse. I thank Mrs. Pope for her prayers, but I know the mystery. A person of my acquaintance, who used to correfpond with the laft Great Duke of Tufcany, fhewing one of the Duke's letters to a friend, and 4 profeffing profeffing great fenfe of his Highnefs's friendship, read this paffage out of these 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 ask Mrs. Pope whe ther this story is applicable to her and me? I pray God bless her, for I am fure fhe is a good Christian, and (which is almoft as rare) a good Woman. LETTER XXVI. MR. GAY TO DR. SWIFT. Adieu. October 22, 1727. THE Queen's family is at last settled, and in the list I was appointed Gentleman-ufher to the Princess. Louifa, the youngest Princess; which, upon account that I am fo far advanced in life, I have declined accepting*; and have endeavoured, in the best manner I could, to make my best excuses by a Letter to her Majefty. So now all my expectations are vanifhed; and I have no profpect, but in depending wholly upon myself, and my own conduct. As I am ufed * This appointment was treated by all the friends of Gay, as a great indignity; and he is faid to have felt the disappointment very severely, and was too much dejected on the occafion. ufed 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 bleffed condition.-You remember you were advising me to go into Newgate to finish my fcenes the more correctly-I now think I fhall, for I have no attendance to hinder me; but my Opera is already finished. 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 pleased; 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 still more for fear of the worst of Traitors, 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 as you will not much grieve to wear in that company. Adieu, and God bless you, and give you health and spirits. Whether thou chufe Cervantes' ferious air, These two verses are over and above what I've faid of in the Poem'. Adieu. you 1 We fee by this, with what judgment Mr. Pope corrected and erafed. W. LETTER XXVII. DR. SWIFT TO MR. GAY. Dublin, Nov. 27, 1727. I 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 state to be forgiven. Upon reasoning with myself, I should 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 circumftantiated: and fince you already just live, a middling help will make you just tolerable. Your lateness 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 Minister is always seventy: you are thirty years younger; and confider, Cromwell himself 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 stronger fence about your 1000l. 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, honeft, goodnatured man I ever have known; I could argue out this paper I am very glad your Opera is finished, VOL. IX. H and |