neglect me, when I use all my infinuations to keep myself in your memory. I am very fenfible, that, next to receiving thanks and compliments, there is nothing you more hate than writing letters: But, fince I never gave you thanks, nor made you compliments, I have so much more merit than any of those thousands whom you have lefs obliged, by only making their fortunes, without taking them into your friendship, as you did did me, whom you always countenanced in too public and particular a manner to be forgotten, either by the world or myfelf; for which never man was more proud or lefs vain.

I have now been ten years foliciting for your picture; and, if I had folicited you for a thousand pounds, (I mean of your own money, not the public) I could have prevailed in ten days. You have given me many hundred hours, can you not now give me a couple? Have my mortifications been fo few, or are you so malicious to add a greater than I ever yet fuffered? Did you ever refufe me any thing I asked you? And will you now begin? In my confcience, I believe, and, by the whole conduct of your life, I have reason to believe, that you are too poor to bear the

expence.

expence. I ever told you that I was the richer man of the two; and I am now richer by five hundred pounds, than I was at the time when I was boafting at your table of my wealth, before Diamond Pitt. I have hitherto taken up with a fcurvy print of you, under which I have placed

this lemma:

Veteres actus primamque juventam Profequar? ad fefe mentem præfentia ducunt. And this I will place under your picture, whenever you are rich enough to send it me. I will only promife, in return, that it fhall never lofe you the reputation of poverty; which, to one of your birth, patrimony, and employments, is one of the greatest glories of your life, and fo fhall be celebrated by me.

I intreat your Lordship, if your leisure and your health will permit, to let me know when I can be a month with you at Brampton-castle; because I have a great deal of business with you that relates to pofterity. Mr. Mynett has, for fome time, led me an uncomfortable life with his ill accounts of your health; but, God be thanked, his ftyle is of late much altered for the better,

My

My hearty and conftant prayers are perpetually offered up for the prefervation of you and your excellent family. Pray, my Lord, write to me; or you never loved me, or I have done fomething to deserve your difpleasure. My Lord and Lady Harriot, my Brother and Sifter *, pretend to `attone by making me fine presents; but I would have his Lordship know, that I would value two of his lines more than two of his manors,

c.

LETTER XXXIII.

To His Excellency the Lord CARTERET, Lord-Lieutenant of IRELAND.

MY LORD,

April 28th, 1724.

MANY of the principal persons in this kingdom, diftinguished for their loyalty to his present Majesty, hearing that I had the honour to be known to your Excellency, have for fome time preffed me very earnestly, fince you were declared Lord-Lieutenant

* The members of the Saturday's Club all called one another Brothers, and confequently their wives were Sifters to the feveral members.

of

of this kingdom, to reprefent to your Excellency the apprehenfions they are under concerning Mr. Wood's patent for coining halfpence to pass in Ireland. Your Excellency knows the unanimous fentiments of the

parliament here upon that matter: And, upon enquiry, you will find, that there is not one perfon, of any rank or party, in this whole kingdom, who does not look upon that patent as the most ruinous project that ever was contrived against any nation. Neither is it doubted, that, when your Excellency fhall be thoroughly informed, your juftice and compaffion for an injured people will force you to employ your credit for their relief.

I have made bold to fend you inclosed two fmall tracts on this fubject, one written (as it is fuppofed) by the Earl of Abercorn; the other is entitled to a Weaver, and fuited to the vulgar, but thought to be the work of a better hand.

I hope your Excellency will forgive an old humble fervant, and one who always loved and efteemed you, for interfering in matters out of his province; which he would never have done, if many of the greatest perfons here had not, by their importunity, drawn him out of his retire

2

ment,

ment, to venture giving you a little trouble, in hopes to fave their country from utter deftruction, for which the memory of your government will be bleffed by pofterity.

I hope to have the honour of feeing your Excellency here, and do promife neither to be a frequent vifiter nor troublesome folicitor, but ever, with the greatest respect, &c.

LETTER XXXIV.

To the fame.

MY LORD,

June 9th, 1724.

IT is above a month fince I took the boldness of writing to your Excellency, upon a subject where the welfare of this kingdom is highly concerned.

I writ at the defire of feveral confiderable perfons here, who could not be ignorant that I had the honour of being well known to you.

I could have wished your Excellency had condefcended fo far, as to let one of your under-clerks have fignified to me that a letter was received.