"the Follies of the World, and deploring "its Lofs;" Sensations fo far from my Breast, that if it had not been for about as many chofen Spirits as Noah took into the Ark with him, I fhould have forgot there was fuch a World in being. Even my Friend could not tempt me back again, tho' it was to a Palace. The only Pain I felt (for every other I left behind me at Hyde-park Corner) was, when I caft my Eyes back upon the gentle Pair, once happy Tenants of these Shades; but now driven from their Paradife by fome evil Angel, perhaps never to return! This Thought I could not bear. But when I heard my Lord was ordered into the Field (a Secret referv'd from her Ladyfhip) it roused all the noble Ardour within me; and afhamed of my inglorious Eafe, I took the Field too, a Voluntier among his Hay-makers. I was under Arms, and in the Trenches (very properly fo, for every Furrow was full of Water) feveral Days; and acquitted myself with fuch Spirit and Refolution, that the Commander in chief, our Field Marefchal Richard, foon honour'd me with the Command of a Company.

I begged her Ladyfhip would communicate the poetical Accounts of the Deluge to you, when fhe faw you, but did not imagine fhe would think them worth a Tranfcript. Am glad however that you approve of the Author's Vein, which at that time flowed pretty fpontaneously; and when any thing elfe comes, you will certainly hear of it.I will allow you to rally my Wit as much as you please, if you will only write to me all you know, and think. I like my Epitaph extremely, and will afk no body's Opinion about it; for I won't have a Word alter'd. Love your

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Profe

Profe of all things, but 'tis a Shame to live at Richmond, and not be poetical. My Rhymes would not fucceed with the World, if I was to try them. However, am highly fenfible of the Partiality you fhew to my Plants of both Kinds, and the Sunshine you afford them.

Sir,

LETTER CXXV
Pope to Swift.

NOT to trouble you at prefent with a Recital

of all my Obligations to you, I fhall only mention two Things, which I take particularly kind of you: your Defire that I should write to you, and your Propofal of giving me twenty Guineas to change my Religion, which laft you must give me leave to make the Subject of this Letter.

Sure no Clergyman ever offered fo much out of his own Purfe for the fake of any Religion. "Tis almost as many Pieces of Gold, as an Apoftle could get of Silver from the Priefts of old, on a much more valuable Confideration. I believe it will be better worth my while to propofe a Change of my Faith by Subfcription, than a Tranflation of Homer. And to convince you, how well difposed I am to the Reformation, I fhall be content, if you can prevail with my Lord Treafurer and the Miniftry to rife to the fame Sum, each of them, on this pious Account, as my Lord Hallifax has done on the profane one. I

am

am afraid there is no being at once a Poet and a good Chriftian; and I am very much straitened between two, while the Whigs feem willing to contribute as much, to continue me the one, as you would, to make me the other. But if you can move every Man in the Government, who has above ten thousand Pounds a Year, to fubfcribe as much as yourself, I shall become a Convert, as moft Men do, when the Lord turns it to my Intereft. I know they have the Truth of Religion fo much at heart, that they would cer tainly give more to have one good Subject tranflated from Popery to the Church of England, than twenty heathenifh Authors out of any unknown Tongue in ours. I therefore commiffion you, Mr. Dean, with full Authority, to tranfact this Affair in my Name, and to propofe as follows. First, that as to the Head of our Church, the Pope, I may engage to renounce his Power, whenfoever I fhall receive any particular Indulgences from the Head of your Church, the Queen.

As to Communion in one Kind, I shall also promise to change it for Communion in both, as foon as the Miniftry will allow me.

For Invocations to Saints, mine fhall be turned to Dedications to Sinners, when I fhall find the great ones of this World as willing to do me any good, as I believe those of the other are.

You fee I fhall not be obftinate in the main Points; but there is one Article I must reserve, and which you feemed not unwilling to allow me, Prayer for the Dead. There are People to whofe Souls I wish as well as to my own; and I must crave leave humbly to lay before them, that though the Subfcriptions abovementioned will

3

fuffice

Luffice tor myself, there are neceffary Perquifites and Additions, which I must demand on the Score of this charitable Article. It is alfo to be confidered, that the greater part of thofe, whofe Souls I am most concerned for, were unfortunately Heretics, Schifmatics, Poets, Painters, or Perfons of fuch Lives and Manners, as few or no Churches are willing to fave. The Expence will therefore be the greater to make an effectual Provifion for the Souls.

Old Dryden, though a Roman Catholic, was a Poet; and 'tis revealed in the Vifions of fome antient Saints, that no Poet was ever faved under fome hundred of Maffes. I cannot fet his Delivery from Purgatory at less than fifty Pounds Sterling.

Wallh was not only a Socinian, but (what you will own is harder to be faved) a Whig. Hé cannot modeftly be rated at less than an hundred.

L'Eftrange, being a Tory, we compute him but at twenty Pounds, which I hope no Friend of the Party can deny to give, to keep him from damning in the next Life, confidering they never gave him Sixpence to keep him from ftarving in this.

All this together amounts to one hundred and feventy Pounds.

In the next Place, I muft defire you to reprefent, that there are several of my Friends yet living, whom I defign, God willing, to outlive, in confideration of Legacies; out of which it is a Doctrine in the reformed Church, that not a Farthing shall be allowed to fave their Souls who gave them.

There is one **** who will die within these few Months, with ******* one Mr. Jervas, VOL. II.

N

who

who hath grievously offended in making the Likenefs of almost all things in Heaven above and Earth below; and one Mr. Gay, an unhappy Youth, who writes Paftorals during the Time of divine Service, whofe Cafe is the more deplorable, as he hath miferably lavifhed away all that Silver he fhould have: reserved for his Soul's Health, in Buttons and Loops for his Coat.

I can't pretend to have thefe People honeftly faved under fome hundred Pounds, whether you confider the Difficulty of fuch a Work, or the extreme Love and Tenderness I bear them, which will infallibly make me pufh this Charity as far as I am able. There is but one more whose Salvation I infift upon, and then I have done? but indeed it may prove of fo much greater Charge than all the reft, that I will only lay the Cafe before you and the Ministry, and leave to their Prudence and Generofity, what Sum they fhall think fit to beftow upon it.

The Perfon I mean, is Dr. Swift, a dignified Clergyman, but one, who, by his own Confeffion, has compofed more Libels than Sermons. If it be true, what I have heard often affirmed by innocent People, that too much Wit is dangerous to Salvation, this unfortunate Gentleman must certainly be damned to all Eternity. But I hope his long Experience in the World, and frequent Converfation with great Men, will cause him (as it has some others) to have less and lefs Wit every Day. Be it as it will, I fhould not think my own Soul deferved to be faved, if I did not endeavour to fave his; for I have all the Obligations in Nature to him. He has brought me into better Company than I cared for, made ane merrier when I was fick than I had a mind to

be,