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I have written this only to fhew you, that I am ready to do every thing that is practicable, to fave people who are bargained for by their leaders, and given up by their minifters: I fay their minifters; because it is averred and reprefented, that the Diffenting minifters have been confulted, and are confenting to this bill. By what lies, and arts, they are brought to this, I do not care to mention; but, as to myself, the engineers of this bill thought they had obtained a great advantage against me: Finding I had flopt it in the House of Commons, they thought to bring me to a fatal dilemma, whether it did or did not pass. This would have no influence with me; for I will act what I think to be right, let there be the worst enemies in the world of one fide or other. I guess by your letter that you do not know that the bill, yesterday, paffed both Houses, the Lords having agreed to the amendments made by the Commons; fo that there is no room to do any thing upon that head.

What remains, is to defire, that the Dif fenters may seriously think from whence they are fallen, and do their firft works, and recover their reputation of sobriety, integrity,

integrity, and love of their country, which is the fincere and hearty prayer of,

REVEREND SIR,

Your most faithful, and

Moft humble servant,

OXFORD.

I

MADAM,

LETTER VIII.

To Mrs. HILL.

May, 1712.

and

WAS Commanded fome days ago to do what I had long a mind to, but avoided because I would not offend your prudence, or ftrain your eyes. But my Lord Masham affures me there is no danger of either; that you have courage enough to read a letter, though it comes from a man, provided it be one of no confequence, which his Lordship would infinuate to be my cafe; but I hope you will not affront me so highly as to understand it fo. There is not a grain of news in this town, or five miles about it, worth fending you; and what we receive from Windfor is full as infignificant, except the accounts of the Queen's health, and your houfe-keeping. We are affured that you keep a conftant table, and C

VOL. XVI.

that

that your guefts leave you with full ftomachs and full pockets: That Dr. Arbuthnot fometimes leaves his beloved green cloth, to come and receive your chidings, and pick up your money. We intend fhortly to represent your cafe to my Lord Treasurer, as what deferves commiferation; but we hope the matter is already settled between his Lordship and you, and that you are inftructed to be thus magnificent, in order to carry on the cause. We reckon his Lordship's life is now fecure, fince a continuation of band-boxes and ink-horns, the engines of late times, were employed in vain to deftroy him. He will do me the juftice to tell you, that I never fail of toafting you under the name of the Governefs of Dunkirk, and that you have the honour to be very particularly in my good graces. My Lady Mafham ftill continues in a doubtful ftate of neither up nor down; and one of her fervants told mine, that they did not expect fhe would cry out this fortnight. I faw, yesterday, our Brother Hill, who promises to be more thrifty of his health, and feems to have a pretty good stock of it. I hope you receive no visits from the head-ache and the fpleen: And one who knows your constitution very

well,

well, advises you, by all means, against fitting in the dusk at your window, or on the ground, leaning on your hand, or at fee-faw in your chair. I am,

MADAM, &c.

SIR,

LETTER IX.

To GENERAL HILL. *

WIT

Windfor-Castle, August 12, 1712.

ITH great difficulty I recovered your prefent of the finest box in France, out of the hands of Mrs. Hill: She allowed her own to be the prettiest, but then mine was the handfomeft; and, in fhort, fhe would part with neither. I pleaded my brotherhood, and got my Lord and Lady Masham to intercede: And, at last, she threw it me with a heavy figh: But, now it is in my poffeffion, I wish you had fent a paper of directions how I fhall keep it. You that fit at your ease, and have nothing to do but keep Dunkirk, never confider the difficulties you have brought upon me: Twenty ladies have threatened to feize or

Brother to Lady Masham.

C 2

furprise

furprise my box; and what are twenty thousand French or Dutch in comparifon of those? Mrs. Hill fays, it was a very idle thing in you to fend fuch a present, to a man who can neither punish nor reward you, fince Grubftreet is no more: For the Parliament has killed all the Mufes of Grubstreet, who yet, in their laft moments, cried out nothing but Dunkirk. My Lord Treasurer, who is the most malicious perfon in the world, fays you ordered a goofe to be drawn at the bottom of my box as a reflection upon the clergy; and that I ought to refent it: But I am not angry at all, and his Lordship obferves by halves: For the goofe is there drawn pecking at a fnail, just as I do at him, to make him mend his pace in relation to the public, although it be hitherto in vain. And befides, Doctor Arbuthnot, who is a fcholar, fays you meant it as a compliment for us both: That I am the goofe, who faved the Capitol by my cackling, and that his Lordfhip is reprefented by the fnail, because he preferves his country by delays. But my Lord Mafham is not to be endured: He obferved, that, in the picture of the infide, which reprefents a great company dancing, there ftands a fool with a cap and bells,

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