taken. Domestic evils are no more within a man than others; and he who cannot bear up against the first, will sink under the second, and in my conscience I believe this is your case; for being of a weak constitution, in an employment precarious and tiresome, loaden with children, a man of intent and abstracted thinking, enslaved by mathematics, and complaint of the world, this new weight of party malice had struck you down, like a feather on a horse's back already loaden as far as he is able to bear. You ought to change the apostle's expression, and say, I will strive to learn in whatever state, &c.

I will hear none of your visions; you shall live at Quilca but three fortnights and a month in the year; perhaps not so much. You shall make no entertainments but what are necessary to your interests; for your true friends would rather see you over a piece of mutton and a bottle once a quarter; you shall be merry at the expence of others; you shall take care of your health, and go early to bed, and not read late at night; and laugh with all men, without trusting any; and then a fig for the contrivers of your ruin, who now have no further thoughts than to stop your progress, which perhaps they may not compass, unless I am deceived more than is usual. All this you will do, si mihi credis, and not dream of printing your sermon,* which is a project abounding with objections unanswerable, and with which I could fill this letter. You say nothing of having preached before the lord-lieutenant,

* The unlucky discourse had no reference whatever to politics, which, perhaps, led Sheridan to hope printing it might be some sort of exculpation.

nor whether he is altered toward you; for you speak nothing but generals. You think all the world has now nothing to do but to pull Mr Sheridan down, whereas it is nothing but a slap in your turn, and away. Lord Oxford said once to me on an occasion, these fools, because they hear a noise about their ears of their own making, think the whole world is full of it. When I come to town, we will change all this scene, and act like men of the world. Grow rich and you will have no enemies; go sometimes to the castle, keep fast Mr Tickell and Balaguer; frequent those on the right side, friends to the present powers; drop those who are loud on the wrong party, because they know they can suffer nothing by it.

JON. SWIFT.

FROM MR POPE.

Sept. 14, 1725.

I NEED not tell you, with what real delight I should have done any thing you desired, and in particular any good offices in my power toward the bearer of your letter, who is this day gone for France. Perhaps it is with poets as with prophets, they are so much better liked in another country than their own, that your gentleman, upon arriving in England, lost his curiosity concerning me. † However, had he

* He was private secretary to Lord Carteret.-H.

+ Dr James Stopford. See the Dean's letter to him while on his travels, 26th November 1725.

tried he had found me his friend; I mean he hadfound me yours. I am disappointed at not knowing better a man whom you esteem, and comfort myself only with having got a letter from you, with which (after all) I set down a gainer, since, to my great pleasure, it confirms my hope of once more seeing you. After so many dispersions and so many divisions, two or three of us may yet be gathered together; not to plot, not to contrive silly schemes of ambition, or to vex our own or others hearts with busy vanities (such as, perhaps, at one time of life or other, take their tour in every man) but to divert ourselves, and the world too if it pleases; or at worst, to laugh at others as innocently and as unhurtfully as at ourselves. Your travels* I hear much of; my own I promise you shall never more be in a strange land, but a diligent, I hope useful investigation † of my own territories. I mean no more translations, but something domestic, fit for my own country, and for my own time.

If you come to us I will find you elderly ladies enough that can halloo, and two that can nurse, and they are too old and feeble to make too much noise; as you will guess when I tell you they are my own mother and my own nurse. I can also help you to a lady who is as deaf, though not so old, as yourself; you will be pleased with one another I will engage, though you do not hear one another: you will converse, like spirits, by intuition. What you will most wonder at is, she is considerable at court, yet no

*Gulliver.---WARBURTON.

+ The Essay on Man.---WARBURTON.

This is the first notice he gives Swift of his great work: and is so obscure here, that Swift certainly could not guess at the subject; written 1725....Dr WARTON.

party woman; and lives in court, yet would be easy and make you easy.

One of those you mention (and I dare say always, will remember) Dr Arbuthnot, is at this time ill of a very dangerous distemper, an imposthume in the bowels; which is broke, but the event is very uncertain. Whatever that be (he bids me tell you, and I write this by him) he lives or dies your faithful friend; and one reason he has to desire a little longer life is, the wish to see you once more.

He is gay enough in this circumstance to tell you he would give you (if he could) such advice as might cure your deafness, but he would not advise you, if you were cured, to quit the pretence of it; because you may by that means hear as much as you will, and answer as little as you please. Believe

me

Yours, &c.

TO DR SHERIDAN.

Quilca, Sept. 19, 1725.

We have prevailed with Neal, in spite of his harvest, to carry up miss, with your directions; and it is high time, for she was run almost wild, though we have something civilized her since she came among us. You are too short in circumstances. I did not hear you was forbid preaching. Have you seen my lord? Who forbade you to preach? Are you no longer chaplain? Do you never go to the castle? Are you certain of the accuser, that it is Tighe? Do you think my lord acts thus, because he fears it would breed ill humour, if he should

openly favour one who is looked on as of a different party? I think that is too mean for him. I do not much disapprove your letter, but I think it a wrong method; pray read over the enclosed twice, and if you do not dislike it, let it be sent (not by a servant of yours, nor from you) to Mr Tickell. There the case is stated as well as I could do it in generals, for want of knowing particulars. When I come to town, I shall see the lord-lieutenant, and be as free with him as possible. In the meantime I believe it may keep cold; however, advise with Mr Tickell and Mr Balaguer. I should fancy that the Bishop of Limerick could easily satisfy his excellency, and that my lord-lieutenant believes no more of your guilt than I, and therefore it can be nothing but to satisfy the noise of party at this juncture, that he acts as he does; and if so (as I am confident it is) the effect will cease with the cause. But without doubt, Tighe and others have dinned the words tory and jacobite into his excellency's ears, and therefore your text, &c. was only made use of as an opportunity.

Upon the whole matter you are no loser, but at least have got something. Therefore be not like him who hanged himself, because going into a gaming-house and winning ten thousand pounds, he lost five thousand of it, and came away with only half his winnings. When my lord is in London we may clear a way to him to do you another job, and you are young enough to wait.

We set out to Dublin on Monday the 5th of October, and hope to sup at the deanery the next night,

* Dr William Burscough.