chiding of Mrs Howard and the Dean; but I suppose Mr Pope is so just as to pay our arrears, and that you edify as much by him as by us, unless you are so happy that he now looks upon you as reprobate and a cast-away, of which I think he hath given me some hints. However, I would advise you to pass this summer at Kensington, where you will be near the court, and out of his jurisdiction; where you will be teased with no lectures of gravity and morality, and where you will have no other trouble than to get into the mercer's books, and take up a hundred pounds of your principal for quadrille. Monstrous, indeed, that a fine lady, in the prime of life and gaiety, must take up with an antiquated Dean, an old gentlewoman of fourscore, and a sickly poet. I will stand by my dear Patty against the world, if Teresa beats you for your good, and I will buy her a fine whip for the purpose. Tell me, have you been confined to your lodging this winter for want of chair-hire? [Do you know that this unlucky Dr Delany came last night to the deanery, and being denied, without my knowledge, is gone to England this morning, and so I must send this by the post. I bought your opera to-day for sixpence, so small printed that it will spoil my eyes. I ordered you to send me your edition, but now you may keep it till you get an opportunity.] Patty, I will tell you a blunder: I am writing to Mr Gay, and had almost finished the letter; but by mistake I took up this instead of it, and so the six lines in a hook are all to him, and therefore you must read them to him, for I will not be at the trouble to write them over again. My greatest concern in the matter is, that I am afraid I continue in love with you, which is hard after near six months' absence. I hope you have

done with your rash and other little disorders, and that I shall see you a fine young, healthy, plump lady, and if Mr Pope chides you, threaten him that you will turn heretic. Adieu, dear Patty, and believe me to be one of your truest friends and humblest servants; and that, since I can never live in England, my greatest happiness would be to have you and Mr Pope condemned, during my life, to live in Ireland, he at the deanery, and you, for reputation sake, just at next door, and I will give you eight dinners a-week, and a whole half dozen of pint bottles of good French wine at your lodgings, a thing you could never expect to arrive at, and every year a suit of fourteenpenny stuff, that should not be worn out at the right side; and a chair costs but six-pence a job; and you shall have catholicity as much as you please, and the catholic Dean of St Patrick's, as old again as I, for your confessor. Adieu again, dear Patty.

JON. SWIFT.

DEAR SIRS

FROM MR GAY.

March 20, 1727-8.

I AM extremely sorry that your disorder is returned: but as you have a medicine which has twice removed it, I hope by this time you have again found the good effects of it. I have seen Dr Delany at my lodgings; but, as I have been for a few days with Mr Pulteney at Cashioberry, I have not yet returned his visit. I went with him to wait upon Lord Bathurst and Lord Bolingbroke;

both of whom desire me to make you their compliments. Lady Bolingbroke was very much out of order; and, with my lord, is now at Dawley she expects a letter from you. Mrs Howard would gladly have the receipt you have found so much benefit by she is happier than I have seen her ever since you left us, for she is free as to her conjugal affairs by articles of agreement.* The . Beggar's Opera has been acted how thirty-six times, and was as full the last night as the first; and as yet there is not the least probability of a thin audience though there is a discourse about the town, that the directors of the royal academy of music design to solicit against its being played on the outlandish opera days, as it is now called. On the benefit day of one of the actresses last week, one of the players falling sick, they were obliged to give out another play, of dismiss the audience. A play was given out, but the audience called out for the Beggar's Opera; and they were forced to play it, or the audience would not have staid.

I have got by all this success, between seven and eight hundred pounds; and Rich (deducting the whole charge of the house) has cleared already. near four thousand pounds. † In about a month I am going to the Bath with the Duchess of Marlborough and Mr Congreve; for. I have no expectations of receiving any favours from the court. The

Her husband blustered and bullied about her connection with the king, until his mouth was stopped with a pension; but hot before he had made some scandalous and violent scenes, detailed in Walpole's Reminiscences. See p. 215.

+The well-known bon-mot expressed both their good fortune: The opera was said to have made Gay rich, and Rich gay.

VOL. XVII.

Duchess of Queensberry is in Wiltshire, where she has had the small-pox in so favourable a way, that she had not above seven or eight on her face: she is now perfectly recovered. There is a mezzotinto print published to-day of Polly, the heroine of the Beggar's Opera,* who was before unknown, and is now in so high vogue, that I am in doubt, whether her fame does not surpass that of the opera itself. I would not have talked so much upon this subject, or upon any thing that regards myself, but to you: but as I know you interest yourself so sincerely in every thing that concerns me, I believe you would have blamed me if I had said less.

Your singer owes Dr Arbuthnot some money, L have forgot the sum; I think it is two guineas: the doctor desired me to let you know it. I saw him last night with Mr Lewis at Sir William Wyndham's, who, if he had not the gout, would have answered your letter you sent him a year and a half ago. He said this to me a week since, but he is now pretty well again, and so may forget to write; for which reason I ought to do him justice, and tell you, that I think him a sincere well-wisher of yours. I have not seen Mr Pope lately, but have heard that both he and Mrs Pope † are very well. I intend to see him at Twickenham on Sunday next. I have. not drunk out the Gutheridge cider yet; but I have not so much as a single pint of port in my cellar. I have bought two pair of sheets against your coming to town, so that we need not send any more to Jervas upon that account. I really miss you every day;" and I would be content that you should have

*Miss Fenton.--II.

+Mr Pope's mother.-H.

a whole window to yourself, and half another, to have you again. I am, dear Sir,

Yours most affectionately.

You have half a year's interest due at Lady-day, and now it is March the 20th, 1727-8.

FROM MR POPE.

March 23, 1727-8.

I SEND you a very odd thing, a paper printed in Boston, in New England, wherein you will find a real person, a member of their parliament, of the name of Jonathan Gulliver. If the fame of that traveller has travelled thither, it has travelled very quick, to have folks christened already by the name of the supposed author. But if you object, that no child so lately christened could be arrived at years of maturity to be elected into parliament, I reply (to solve the riddle) that the person is an anabaptist, and not christened till full age, which sets all right. However it be, the accident is very singular that these two names should be united.

Mr Gay's opera has been acted near forty days running, and will certainly continue the whole season. So he has more than a fence about his thousand pounds; he will soon be thinking of a

* Before Mr Gay had fenced his thousand pounds, he had a consultation with his friends about the disposal of it. Mr Lewis advised him to intrust it in the funds, and live upon the interest; Dr Arbuthnot, to intrust it to Providence, and live upon