· Tranfgreffion of yours, if it be only two bits and one fup more than your ftint, is a great debauch; for which you certainly pay more than thofe fots who are carried dead drunk to bed. My Lord Peterborow fpoiled every body's dinner, but especially mine, with telling us that you were detained by fick nefs. Pray let me have three lines under any hand or pot hook that will give me a better account of your health; which concerns me more than others, becaufe I love and esteem you for reasons that most others have little to do with, and would be the fame although you had never touched a pen, further than with writing to me. I am gathering up my luggage, and preparing for my journey; I will endeavour to think of you as little as I can, and when I write to you, I will ftrive not to think of you: This I intend to return to your kindness; and further, I know no body has dealt with me fo cruelly as you, the confequences of which ufage I fear will last as long as my life, for fo long fhall I be (in spite of my heart) entirely yours. LETTER XVI. Aug. 22, 1726. Many a fhort figh you coft me the day I left you, and many more you will coft me, till the day you return. I really walk'd about like a man banifhed, and when I came home found it no home. 'Tis a fenfation like that. of a limb lopp'd off, one is trying every minute unawares to use it, and finds it is not. I may fay you have used me more cruelly than you have done any other man; you have made it more impoffible for me to live at eafe without you: Habitude itself would have done that, if I had lefs friendship in my nature than I have. Befides my natural memory of you, you have made a local one, which prefents you to me in every place I frequent; I fhall never more think of Lord Cobham's, the woods of Ciceter, or the pleafing profpect of Byberry, but your idea must be joined with 'em, nor fee one feat in my own garden, or one room in my own houfe without a Phantom of you, fitting or walking before me. I travelled with you to Chefter, I felt the extreme heat of the weather, the inns, the roads, the confinement and clofenefs of the uneafy coach, and wished a hundred times I had either a Deanry ог or a horfe in my gift. In real truth, I have felt my foul peevish ever fince with all about me, from a warm unealy defire after you. I am gone out of myself to no purpose, and cannot catch you. Inhiat in pedes was not more properly applied to a poor dog after a hare, than to me with regard to your departure. I wish I could think no more of it, but lie down and fleep till we meet again, and let that day (how far foever off it be) be the morrow. Since I cannot, may it be my amends that every thing you with may attend you where you are, and that you may find every friend you have there, in the ftate you with him, or her; fo that your vifits to us may have no other effect, than the progrefs of a rich man to a remote eftate, which he finds greater than he expected; which knowledge only ferves to make him live happier where he is, with no difagreeable profpe&t if ever he fhould chufe to remove. May this be your ftate till it become what I wish. But indeed I cannot exprefs the warmth, with which I wish you all things, and myfelf you. Indeed you are ingraved elfewhere than on the Cups you fent me, (with fo kind an infcription) and I might throw them into the Thames without injury to the giver. I am not pleas'd with them, but take them very kindly too: And had I suspected any fuch ufage from you, I fhould have enjoyed your company lefs than I really did, for at this rate I may fay Nec tecum poffim vivere, nec fine te. I will bring you over juft fuch another prefent, when I go to the Deanry of St. Patrick's: which I promife you to do, if ever I am enabled to return your kindnefs. Donarem Pateras, etc. 'Till then I'll drink (or Gay fhall drink) daily healths to you, and I'll add to your infcription the old Roman Vow for years to come, VOTIS X. VOTIS XX. My mother's age gives me authority to hope it for yours. Adieu. LETTER XVII. Sept. 3, 1726. YOURS to Mr. Gay gave me greater fatisfaction than that to me (tho' that gave a great deal) for to hear you were fafe at your journey's end, exceeds the account of your fatigues while in the way to it: otherwife believe me, every tittle of each is important to me, which fets VOL. IV. any any one thing before my eyes that happens to you. I writ you a long letter, which I guefs reach'd you the day after your arrival. Since then I had a conference with Sir who exprefs'd his defire of having feen you again before you left us. He faid he obferved a willingness in you to live among us; which I did not deny; but at the fame time told him, you had no fuch defign in your coming this time, which was merely to fee a few of those you loved but that indeed all thofe wifhed it, and particularly Lord Peterborow and myself, who wished you loved Ireland lefs, had you any reafon to love England more. I faid nothing but what I think would induce any man to be as fond of you as I, plain Truth, did they know either it, or you. I can't help thinking (when I confider the whole fhort Lift of our friends) that none of them except you and I are qualify'd for the Mountains of Wales. The Dr. goes to Cards, Gay to Court: one lofes money, one lofes his time: Another of our friends labours to be unambitious, but he labours in an unwilling foil. One Lady you like has too much of France to be fit for Wales: Another is too much a fubject to Princes and Potentates, to relish that wild Tafte of liberty and poverty. Mr. Congreve is too fick to bear a thin air: and fhe that leads him too rich to enjoy any thing. Lord Peterborow can go to any climate, but never ftay in any. Lord Bathurft is too great an husbandman to like barren hills, except they are his own to improve. Mr. Bethel indeed is too good and too honeft to live in the world, but yet 'tis fit, for its example, he should. We are left to ourselves in my opinion, and may live where we please, in Wales, Dublin, or Bermudas: And for me, I affure you, I love the world so well, and it loves me fo well, that I care not in what part of it I pafs the reft of my days. I fee no funfhine but in the face of a friend. I had a glympfe of a letter of yours lately, by which I find you are (like the vulgar) apter to think well of people out of power, than of people in power; perhaps 'tis a mistake, but however there's fomething in it generous. Mr.** take it extreme kindly, I can perceive, and he has a great mind to thank you for that good opinion, for which I believe he is only to thank his ill-fortune: if I am not in an error, he would rather be in power than out. To fhew you how fit I am to live in the mountains, [ will with great truth apply myself to an old fentence: "Thofe that are in, may abide in; and thofe that are "out, may abide out: yet to me, those that are in shall "be "be as those that are out, and thofe that are out shall be 66 as those that are in." I am indifferent as to all thofe matters, but I miss you as much as I did the first day, when (with a fhort figh) I parted. Wherever you are (on the mountains of Wales, or on the coaft of Dublin. Tu mihi, feu magni fuperas jam faxa Timavi, I am, and ever fhall be, Yours, etc. LETTER XVIII. Mr. GAY to Dr. SWIFT. Nov. 17, 1726. Bout ten days ago a Book was publish'd here of the Travels of one Gulliver, which hath been the converfation of the whole town ever fince: The whole impreffion fold in a week; and nothing is more diverting than to hear the different opinions people give of it, though all agree in liking it extremely. 'Tis generally faid that you are the Author; but I am told, the Bookfeller declares he knows not from what hand it came. From the higheft to the loweft it is univerfally read, from the Cabinet-council to the Nursery. The Politicians to a man agree, that it is free from particular reflections, but that the Satire on general Societies of men is too fevere. Not but we now and then meet with people of greater perfpicuity, who are in fearch of particular applications in every leaf; and 'tis highly probable we shall have keys publish'd to give light into Gulliver's defign. Lord is the perfon who least approves it, blaming it as a design of evil confequence to depreciate human nature, at which it cannot be wondered that he takes moft offence, being himself the most accomplish'd of his fpecies, and fo lofing more than any other of that praife which is due both to the dignity and virtue of a man *. Your friend, my Lord Harcourt, commends it very much, though he thinks in fome places the matter too far carried. The Duchefs * It is no wonder a man of worth fhould condemn a fatire on his fpecies; as it injures Virtue and violates Truth: And, as little, that a corrupt man should approve it, because it justifies his principles, and tends to excufe his practice. Dow O 9 2 Dowager of Malborough is in raptures at it; fhe fays the can dream of nothing elfe fince the read it, fhe declares that the hath now found out, that her whole life hath been loft in careffing the worst part of mankind, and treating the beft as her foes; and that if she knew Gulliver, tho he had been the worst enemy fhe ever had, fhe would give up her prefent acquaintance for his friendship. You may fee by this, that you are not much injur'd by being fuppos'd the Author of this piece. If you are, you have difoblig'd us, and two or three of your best friends, in not giving us the leaft hint of it while you were with us; and in particular Dr. Arbuthnot, who fays it is ten thoufand pities he had not known it, he could have added such abundance of things upon every fubject. Among Ladycritics, fome have found out that Mr. Gulliver had a particular malice to Maids of Honour. Those of them who frequent the Church, fay, his defign is impious, and that it is depreciating the works of the Creator. Notwithtanding, I am told the Princefs hath read it with great pleafure. As to other Critics, they think the flying ifland is the leaft entertaining; and fo great an opinion the town have of the impoffibility of Gulliver's writing at all below himfelf, 'tis agreed that part was not writ by the fame hand, tho' this hath its defenders too. It hath pafs'd Lords and Commons nemine contradicente; and the whole town, men, women, and children, are quite full of it. Perhaps I may all this time be talking to you of a Book you have never feen, and which hath not yet reached Ireland; if it hath not, I believe what we have faid will be fufficient to recommend it to your reading, and that you will order me to fend it to you. But it will be much better to come over yourself, and read it here, where you will have the pleasure of variety of Commentators, to explain the difficult paffages to you. We all rejoice that you have fixed the precife time of your coming to be cum birundine prima; which we modern naturalifts pronounce, ought to be reckon'd, contrary to Pliny, in this northern latitude of fifty-two degrees, from the end of February, Styl. Greg. at fartheft. But to us your friends, the coming of fuch a black swallow as you, will make a fummer in the worst of seasons. We are no lefs glad at your mention of Twickenham and Dawly; and in town you know you have a lodging at Court. The Princess is cloath'd in Irifh filk; pray give our fervice to the Weavers. We are ftrangely furpriz'd to hear that the bells in Ireland ring without your money. I hope |