Elephants are always drawn smaller than life, but a flea always larger.

When old folks tell us of many passages in their youth between them and their company, we are apt to think how much happier those times were than the present.

Why does the elder sister dance barefoot when the younger is married before her? Is it not that she may appear shorter, and consequently be thought younger than the bride ?

No man will take counsel, but every man will take money; therefore money is better than counsel.

I never yet knew a wag (as the term is) who was not a dunce. A person reading to me a dull poem of his own making, I prevailed on him to scratch out six lines together. In turning over the leaf, the ink being wet, it marked as many lines on the other side, whereof the poet complaining, I bid him be easy, for it would be better if those were out too.

SUPPLEMENT.

THE FIRST SEVEN LETTERS

OF

SWIFT'S JOURNAL TO STELLA,

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 1710.

LETTER I.

CHESTER, September 2, 1710.

JOE will give you an account of me till I got into the boat,

after which the rogues made a new bargain, and forced me to give them two crowns, and talked as if we should not be able to overtake any ship; but in half an hour we got to the yacht, for the ships lay by to wait for my Lord-Lieutenant's steward. We made our voyage in fifteen hours just. Last night I came to this town, and shall leave it, I believe, on Monday. The first man I met in Chester was Dr. Raymond.2 He and Mrs. Raymond were

1 Mr. Joseph Beaumont, merchant, of Trim, whose name frequently occurs in these papers. He was a venerable, handsome, greyheaded man, of quick and various natural abilities, but not improved by learning; his forte was mathematics, which he applied to some useful purposes in the linen trade, but chiefly to the investigation of the longitude, which was supposed to have occasioned a lunacy with which he was seized in Dublin about the year 1718; whence he was brought home to Trim, and recovered his understanding. But some years after, having relapsed into his former malady, he cut his throat in a fit of distraction.-D. S. 2 Vicar of Trim, and formerly one of the Fellows of the University of Dublin.— D. S.

here about levying a fine, in order to have power to sell their estate. I got a fall off my horse, riding here from Parkgate, but no hurt; the horse understanding falls very well, and lying quietly till I got up. My duty to the Bishop of Clogher.1 I saw him returning from Dunlary; 2 but he saw not me. I take it ill he was not at Convocation, and that I have not his name to my powers. I beg you will hold your resolution of going to Trim, and riding there as much as you can. Let the Bishop of Clogher remind the Bishop of Killala to send me a letter, with one enclosed to the Bishop of Lichfield. Let all who write to me enclose to Richard Steele, Esq., at his office at the Cockpit near Whitehall. My Lord Mountjoy is now in the humour that we should begin our journey this afternoon, so that I have stolen here again to finish this letter, which must be short or long accordingly. I write this post to Mrs. Wellesley, and will tell her that I have taken care she may have her bill of one hundred and fifty pounds whenever she pleases to send for it; and in that case I desire you will send it her enclosed and sealed. God Almighty bless you, and for God's sake, be merry, and get your health. I am perfectly resolved to return as soon as I have done my commission,5 5 whether it succeeds or not. I never went to England with so little desire in my life. If Mrs. Curry makes any difficulty about the lodgings, I will quit them, and pay her from July 9, and Mrs. Brent must write to Parvisol with orders accordingly. The post is just come from London, and just going out, so I have only time to pray God to bless poor little MD, MD, MD, MD, MD, MD, MD, MD.

1 Dr. St. George Ashe, who in 1716 was made Bishop of Derry.-N.

2 This must have been while Swift was sailing in the Bay of Dublin, and the Bishop riding upon the North Strand.-D. S.

3 Dr. John Hough, Bishop of Oxford, 1690; of Lichfield and Coventry, 1699; of Worcester, 1717. He died March 8, 1743, having been a bishop almost fiftythree years.-N.

4 Elizabeth, lady of Garret Wellesley, Esq., one of the daughters of Sir Dudley Colley.-D. S.

5 To solicit the Queen to remit the first-fruits and twentieth parts, payable to the Crown by the clergy of Ireland.-D. S.

LETTER II.

LONDON, Saturday, September 9, 1710.

1

I got here last Thursday after five days' travelling, weary the first, almost dead the second, tolerable the third, and well enough the rest; and am now glad of the fatigue, which has served for exercise; and I am at present well enough. The Whigs were ravished to see me, and would lay hold on me as a twig while they are drowning, and the great men making me their clumsy apologies, &c. But my Lord Treasurer 1 received me with a great deal of coldness, which has enraged me so I am almost vowing revenge. I have not yet gone half my circle, but I find all my acquaintance just as I left them. I hear my Lady Giffard 2 is much at court, and Lady Wharton was ridiculing it the other day; so I have lost a friend there. I have not yet seen her, nor intend it; but I will contrive to see Ppt's mother some other way. I writ to the Bishop of Clogher from Chester, and I now write to the Archbishop of Dublin. Everything is turning upside down; every Whig in great office will, to a man, be infallibly put out; and we shall have such a winter as has not been seen in England. Everybody asks me how I came to be so long in Ireland, as naturally as if here were my being; but no soul offers to make it so, and I protest I shall return to Dublin and the canal at Laracor, with more satisfaction than I ever did in my life. The Tatler expects every day to be turned out of his employment, and the Duke of Ormond, they say, will be Lieutenant of Ireland. I hope you are now peaceable in Pdfr's lodgings;

4

5

1 The Earl of Godolphin.-D. S.

2 Sister to Sir William Temple.-D. S.

3 She was at that time in Lady Giffard's family.-D. S.

4 The Doctor's benefice in the diocese of Meath.-D. S.

5 Mr. Steele.-D. S.

3

6 In these letters Pdfr. stand for Dr. Swift; Ppt. for Stella; D. for Dingley ; D. D. generally for Dingley; but sometimes for both Stella and Dingley; and MD. generally stands for both these ladies; yet sometimes only for Stella. But, to avoid perplexing the reader, it was thought more advisable to use the word Presto for Swift, which is borrowed from the Duchess of Shrewsbury, who whimsically called him Dr. Presto, which is the Italian for Swift.-D. S.