*

2. "The Number of these Sons born thus at one Birth, dook "asquint upon the Trinity, and one of the Books in the Catalogue "fronting the Title, is a Panegyrick upon the Number Three, which "Word is the only one that is put in Capitals in that whole Page.

The next Article against the Tale Teller is bearing so hard upon the Fanaticks, and proving that they make no other use of Religion but for Self-Interest; nay his Charity is equally extensive to Jews, Turks, Infidels, Heathens and Hereticks, insomuch that he thinks it an offence to expose in a ludicrous manner even the Errors of the Romanists, but the greatest Difficulty he meets with, is the Intricacy of the Author of the Tale; who, in the Description of the + Cloth of which the Coats were made, he says, has a farther Meaning than the Words may seem to import; which if so, must be no small Mortification to a Man of Mr. Wotton's Learning and Industry to think, that the meaning of any Passage should be so far hid, as that he cannot be able to tell what it really means.

He likewise thinks the Author guilty of a very heinous and unpardonable Crime, in falling upon Jack, and dealing so freely with the sanctified Principles of Geneva, as he has done through his whole Tale, in comparing the Agreement between Jack's Nose and the Post to Predestination, and by his Admiration and love of || a Musical Bag-Pipe to ridicule the Aversion which the Protestant Dissenters have for the use of Church-Music.

Having thus shewn his Compassion for the erronious Doctrines of the Church of Rome, and asserted the Cause of the well-meaning conscientious Fanatick, he concludes his Observations with a sparring Blow upon the Tale-Teller; in behalf of whom, the most that can be offer'd is the Opinion of a late eminent Author. But whether that will be allow'd as sufficient, in Mr. Wotton's Esteem, I dare not take upon me to determine.

The Accusation is this, "Before I leave this Author, (says he) be "he who he will, I shall observe that his Wit is not his own, in many "Places; and that his Banter of Transubstantiation is taken from the "Duke of Buckingham's Conference with an Irish Priest; the Duke "bantering that Doctrine by changing a Cock into a Horse, which he "has done by turning Bread into Mutton, Wine, &c. and that the

*Three Children at a Birth, is such a supernatural Prodigy as perhaps Mr. Wotton has never heard or read of: I must own 'twas a little unlucky that the Printer us'd his Capitals in the Word Three to make, the Essay upon that Number the more remarkable; but I am glad he did not set it in a Black Letter which would have look'd much Darker, and certainly have amounted to a plain Proof with a Man of Mr. Wotton's known Erudition.

Vid. Pag. 63.

| Pag. 203.

Pag. 198.
Pag. 37. Of the Tale.

"Battle of the Books is taken mutatis mutandis out of a French Book, "entitul'd, Combat des Livres.

Now taking this Accusation for granted, the Earl of Roscommon has laid it down as an establish'd Maxim:

That by improving what was wrote before,

Invention labours less, but Judgment more.

Having gone through all I intended, in relation to Mr. Wotton's Charge against the Tale-Teller, I cannot conclude without owning, that I think him and his Friend Dr. Bentley, are highly to be commended upon Account of their prudent Behaviour, as to that part of the Book which more immediately related to them, viz.

66

Mr. Wotton fairly owns to his Friend Mr. Hammond, to whom his Observations upon the Tale are address'd, "That as to what concern'd them, they ought to sit down quietly under it, leaving their Cause very willingly to the Publick, not being able to undertake a Defence "of it.

66

66

Thus from what has been said, and hoping it will appear that the Authors of the Tale had no other Design than to vindicate the Church of England, expose the Errors of the Romanists, and the Hypocrisie of the Fanaticks, I shall end all in Mr. Wotton's own Words, "That by falling upon the ridiculous Inventions of Popery, by which the Church "of Rome intended to gull superstitious People, and to rook 'em of their "Money; that the World had been but too long in Slavery; that our "Ancestors gloriously redeem'd us from that Yoak, that the Church "of Rome therefore ought to be expos'd (as well as the Vizor of the "Fanatick pull'd off) and that the Author of such a Work deserves "well of Mankind.

Mr. Wotton's Remarks upon the Quotation out of Irenæus in the Title-Page, which it seems are the Words of a Form of Redemption, used some time ago.

Thus transcrib'd from the Title,

Asima cacabasa eanaa irraurista, diarba da caeotaba fobor camelanthi. Iren. Lib. I. C. 18.

B4

A various Reading of it,

Basima caca base ea naa irraurista, diarbada, caeotada fobor camelanhi.

So it is in the old Editions of Ireneus, thus interpreted by him.

Hoc quod est super omnem virtutem Patris invoco, quod vocatur Lumen & Spiritus & Vita, quoniam in Corpore regnásti, i. e.

I call upon this, which is above all the Power of the Father, which is called Light, and Spirit, and Life, because thou hast reigned in the Body.

"The Greek Words which were faulty at first, made the Latin ones yet more so; it is probable that * Irenæus might not understand 'em "right at first. They are Syriae, and in the very learned Mr. (now "Dr.) Grabe's Edition of Irenæus, they are very ingeniously restor'd "out of Jacobus Rhenferdius (i. e. James Rhenford's) Dissertation upon "the Redemption of the Marcosians and Heracleonites.

*Irenaeus corrected by Mr. Wotton: O! the depth of Modern Learning.

FINI S.

ERRAT A.

P. 3. 1. 26. for acquainted, read unacquainted. P. 19. 1. 2. for old read odd.1

1 The Errata are incorporated in this reprint. In Curll's private copy they are struck out and inserted in ink in the text. The other manuscript

marks or corrections in his copy are few and negligible; they include the erroneous alteration of O imitatores to Odi Imitatores in the note on p. 187.

I was in the country when I received your letter with the Apology inclosed in it; and I had neither health nor humour to finish that business. But the blame rests with you, that if you thought it time, you did not print it when you had it. I have just now your last, with the complete Key. I believe it is so perfect a Grubstreet piece, it will be forgotten in a week. But it is strange that there can be no satisfaction against a bookseller for publishing names in so bold a manner. I wish some lawyer could advise you how I might have satisfaction: for at this rate, there is no book, however vile, which may not be fastened on me. I cannot but think that little Parson-cousin of mine is at the bottom of this; for, having lent him a copy of some part of, &c. and he shewing it, after I was gone for Ireland, and the thing abroad, he affected to talk suspiciously, as if he had some share in it. If he should happen to be in town, and you light on him, I think you ought to tell him gravely, That, if he be the author, he should set his name to the &c.' and railly him a little upon it: and tell him, if he can explain some things, you will, if he pleases, set his name to the next edition." I should be glad to see how far the foolish impudence of a dunce could go. Well; I will send you the thing, now I am in town, as soon as possible. But, I dare say, you have neither printed the rest, nor finished the cuts; only are glad to lay the fault on me. I shall, at the end,

1 These two letters are printed from Thomas Sheridan's edition of The

Works of Swift, 1784, vol. xi, pp. 79-82.

344

Letters of Swift & Tooke.

take a little contemptible notice of the thing you sent me; and I dare say it will do you more good than hurt. If you are in such haste, how came you to forget the Miscellanies? I would not have you think of Steele for a publisher; he is too busy. I will, one of these days, send you some hints, which I would have in a preface, and you may get some friend to dress them up. I have thoughts of some other work one of these years and I hope to see you ere it be long; since it is likely to be a new world, and since I have the merit of suffering by not complying with the old. Yours, &c.

Sir,

BENJAMIN TOOKE TO SWIFT.

London, July 10, 1710.

Inclosed I have sent the Key, and think it would be much more proper to add the notes at the bottom of the respective pages they refer to, than printing them at the end by themselves. As to the cuts, Sir Andrew Fountain has had them from the time they were designed, with an intent of altering them. But he is now gone into Norfolk, and will not return till Michaelmas; so that, I think, they must be laid aside; for, unless they are very well done, it is better they were quite let alone. As to the Apology, I was not so careless but that I took a copy of it before I sent it to you; so that I could have printed it easily, but that you sent me word not to go on till you had altered something in it. As to that cousin of yours which you speak of, I neither know him, nor ever heard of him till the Key mentioned him. It was very indifferent to me which I proceeded on first, the Tale, or the Miscellanies: but, when you went away, you told me there were three or four things should be sent over out of Ireland, which you had not here; which, I think, is a very reasonable excuse for myself in all these affairs. What I beg of you at present is, that you would return the Apology and this Key, with directions as to the placing it: although I am entirely of opinion to put it at the bottom of each page; yet shall submit. If this be not done soon, I cannot promise but some rascal or other will do it for us both; since you see the liberty that is already taken. I think too much time has already been lost in the Miscellanies; therefore hasten that: and which-ever is in the most forwardness, I would begin on first. All here depend on an entire alteration. I am, &c.

1 See foot-note, p. 17.