by the fame fagacity that I have often forefeen when I was young. I must leave the town in a week, because my money is gone, and I can borrow no more. Peace will bring your Lordship home; and we must have you to adorn your country, when you shall be no longer wanted to defend it. I am,

MY LORD, &c.

LETTER V.

To Mr. Secretary ST. JOHN*,

SIR,

BE

Chelsea, May 11, 1711.

EING Convinced by certain ominous prognoftics, that my life is too short to permit me the honour of ever dining another Saturday with Sir Simon Harcourt, Knight, or Robert Harley, Efq; I beg I may take the last farewell of those two gentlemen to-morrow. I made this request on Saturday laft, unfortunately after you were gone; and they, like great statesmen, pretended they could do nothing in it without your confent; particularly my Lord-Keeper,

* Afterwards Lord Bolingbroke.

as

as a lawyer, raised innumerable difficulties, although I fubmitted to allow you an hour's whispering before dinner, and an hour after. My Lord Rivers would not offer one word in my behalf, pretending he himself was but a tolerated person. The Keeper alledged you could do nothing but when all three were capitularly met, as if you could never open but like a parishcheft, with the three keys together. It grieves me to fee the present ministry thus confederated to pull down my great spirit. Pray, Sir, find an expedient. Finding expedients is the business of secretaries of state. I will yield to any reasonable conditions not below my dignity. I will not find fault with the victuals; I will reftore the water-glass that I ftole, and solicit for my Lord-Keeper's falary. And, Sir, to fhew you I am not a person to be safely injured,

if

you dare refuse me juftice in this point, I will appear before you in a puddingfleeve gown, I will difparage your fnuff, write a lampoon upon Nably Car, dine with you upon a foreign post-day; nay, I will read verfes in your prefence, until you snatch them out of my hands. Therefore pray, Sir, take pity upon me and yourself;

yourself; and believe me to be, with great

TH

HOUGH there be little reason to exinterpole pect your Lordship should interpose in favour of the Diffenters, who have been so shamefully abandoned, fold, and facrificed by their profeffed friends; the attempt is however so glorious, in all its views, tendencies, and prospects, that, if it be not too late, I would most humbly beg your Lordship not to be immoveable as to that matter. The fatal consequences of that bill cannot be expreffed: I dread to think of fome of them ; and shall as much rejoice with many thousands, if you may be inftrumental to prevent it. May Heaven direct you in this, and in all your great

affairs

affairs for the public good of your coun

try. I am,

My Honoured LORD,

Your most obedient fervant,

JOHN SHOWER.

LETTER VII.

ANSWER to Mr. SHOWER. *

REVEREND SIR,

HAD a

December 21, 1711.

AD not a very painful diftemper confined me, I had defired the favour of feeing you fome time fince; and I fhould have spoken very plainly to you, as I fhall whenever I fee you. I have long foretold, that the Diffenters must be faved whether they will or no: They refift even reftraining grace; and would almost convince me, that the notion of man's being a mechanism is truc in every part. To fee men moved as puppets, with rage for their intereft, with envy acting againft their own intereft, having mens perfons in admiration: Not only thofe of their own body, who certainly

*The Anfwer was written by Dr. Swift, as appears not only from his hand-writing, but particularly from a correction in the original draught.

are

are the first who pretended to confummate wisdom and deep policy; yet have shewn that they knew not the common affairs of this nation, but are dwellers in thick clay. They are Epicureans in act, Puritans in profeffion, politicians in conceit, and a prey and laughing-ftock to the Deifts and fynagogue of the libertines, in whom they have trusted, and to whofe infallibility they have fold themfelves and their congregations. All they have done, or can do, fhall never make me their enemy. I pity poor deluded creatures, that have for seventeen years been acting against all their principles, and the liberty of this nation, without leaving fo much falt as to keep the body of them fweet. For, there has not been one good bill during that term of years, which they have not oppofed in the Houfe of Commons; contrary to the prac tice of those very few Diffenters, which were in the parliament in King Charles the Second's time, who thereby united themselves to the country-gentlemen, the advantage of which they found for many years after. But now they have lifted themfelves with thofe, who had firft denied our Saviour, and now have fold them,