tion, (an argument not to be conquered) or the perfuafion of cunninger brethren than themselves; when I faw a bishop, whom I had known fo many years, fall into the fame fnare, which word I use in partiality to your Lordship. Upon this open avowed attempt, in almost the whole bench, to destroy the church, I refolved to have no more commerce with perfons of fuch prodigious grandeur, who I feared, in a little time, would expect me to kiss their flipper. It is happy for me that I know the perfons of very few bishops, and it is my conftant rule never to look into a coach; by which I avoid the terror that fuch a fight would strike me with.

In the beginning of my letter, I told your Lordship of a defire to know the particulars of a late proceeding, which is in the mouths of many among your acquaintance; from fome of whom I received the following account. That you have the great tythes of two livings in your diocefe, which were let to fome fanatic knight, whofe name I forget. It feems you felt the beginning of a good motion in yourfelf, which was to give up thofe tythes to the two incumbents, (the Fanatic's leafe being near out) either for a very small re

ferved

ferved rent, or entirely, provided you could do fo without leffening the revenue of the fee. And the condition was, that your tenants among them fhould raise the rents 150 l. which was what the Fanatic paid you for both the faid parishes. It is affirmed, that Sir Ralph Gore, one of your tenants, much approving fo generous a proposal, engaged to prevail on the tenants to agree, and offered a large advancement of his own part. The matter was thus fixed, when fuddenly you changed your mind, and renewed the leafe to the fame Fanatic for 300 fine. The reafons of this fingular action are faid to be two: The firft is, That you declared you wanted power to refift the temptation of fuch a fine; the other, That you were diffuaded from it by fome of your brethren, as an example very dangerous, and of ill confequence, if it should be followed by others. This laft I do not in the least wonder at, because such advice is of the fame leaven with the two enflaving and beggaring bills. I profess to your Lordship, that I have no other motive in defiring to be fatisfied upon this point, than a refolution to juftify you to the world, as far as the truth will give me power. I am, &'c.

LETTER LVIII.

To the Duke of DORSET.

MY LORD,

IT

January, 1733-4. T hath been my great misfortune, that, fince your Grace's return to this kingdom, I have not been able to attend you, as my duty and gratitude for your favours, as well as the honour of having been fo many years known to you, obliged me to do. I have been pursued by two old diforders, a giddinefs and deafnefs, which used to leave me in three or four weeks, but now have continued four months. Thus I am put under a neceffity to write what I would rather have chosen to say in your Grace's presence.

On Monday laft week, towards evening, there came to the Deanry one Mr. Bettesworth; who, being told by the fervants that I was gone to a friend's houfe, went thither to enquire for me, and was admitted into the street-parlour. I left my company in the back room, and went to him. He began with afking me, whether I were author of certain verfes, wherein he was reflected on*? The fingularity of the man,

* See these verses, Vol. VII. p. 252. See also Vol. XIII.

P. 389.

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in his countenance, manner, action, ftyle, and tone of voice, made me call to mind that I had once feen him, about two or three years ago, at Mr. Ludlow's countryhouse. But I could not recollect his name, and of what calling he might be I had never heard. I therefore defired to know who, and what he was; faid I had heard of fome fuch verfes, but knew no more. He then fignified to me, that he was a ferjeant at law, and a member of parliament. After which he repeated the lines that concerned him with great emphafis; faid, I was mistaken in one thing, for he affured me he was no booby, but owned himself to be a coxcomb. However, that being a point of controverfy wherein I had no concern, I let it drop. As to the verses, he infifted, that, by his taste and fkill in poetry, he was as fure I writ them as if he had feen them fall from my pen. But I found the chief weight of his argument lay upon two words that rhymed to his name, which he knew could come from none but me. He then told me, That, fince I would not own the verfes, and that fince he could not get fatisfaction by any course of law, he would get it by his pen, and fhew the world what a man I was, N 3 When

When he began to grow over-warm and eloquent, I called in the gentleman of the house, from the room adjoining; and the Serjeant, going on with lefs turbulence, went away. He had a footman in the

hall during all his talk, who was to have opened the door for one or more fellows, as he hath fince reported; and, likewise, that he had a fharp knife in his pocket, ready to ftab or maim me. But the Master and Mistress of the houfe, who knew his character, and could hear every word from the room they were in, had prepared a fufficient defence in fuch a cafe, as they afterwards told me. He hath fince related to five hundred perfons of all ranks, above five hundred falfchoods of this converfation, of my fears and his own brutalities, against all probability as well as fact; and fome of them, as I have been affured, even in the prefence of your Grace. His meanings and his movements were indeed peevifh enough, but his words were not. He threatened me with nothing but his pen, yet owned he had no pretence to wit. And indeed I am heartily glad, for his own fake, that he proceeded no further; for, the leaft uproar would have called his

nearest