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even to your unfriended, unbenefited nation. He will be a friend to human race where-ever he goes. Pray tell him my best wishes for his health and long life. I wish you and he came over together, or that I were with you. I never faw a man fo feldom whom I liked fo much as Dr Rundle.

Lord Peterborow I went to take a last leave of, at his fetting fail for Lifbon. No body can be more wafted, no foul can be more alive. Immediately after the feverest operation of being cut into the bladder, for a fuppreffion of urine, he took coach, and got from Bristol to. Southampton. This is a man that will neither live nor die like any other mortal.

Poor Lord Peterborow! there is another ftring loft,. that would have helped to draw you hither! He ordered, on his deathbed, his watch to be given me, (that which had accompanied him in all his travels), with this reafon, "That I might have fomething to put me every "day in mind of him." It was a present to him from the King of Sicily, whofe arms and infignia are graved on the inner cafe. On the outer I have put this infcription, Victor Amadeus, Rex Sicilia, Dux Sabaudia, &c. &c.. Carolo Mordaunt, Comiti de Peterborow, D. D. Car. Mor. Com. de Pet. Alexandro Pope moriens legavit, 1735.

*

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Pray write to me a little oftener and if there be a thing left in the world that pleases you, tell it one who will partake of it. I hear with approbation and pleafure, that your prefent care is to relieve the moft helplefs of this world, thofe objects which most want our compaffion, though generally made the fcorn of their fellow-creatures, fuch as are lefs innocent than they. You always think generoufly; and of all charities, this is the most definterested, and least vain-glorious, done to fuch as never will thank you, or can praise you for it.

God bless you with ease, if not with pleasure; with a tolerable state of health, if not with its full enjoy-. ment; with a refigned temper of mind, if not a very chearful one. It is upon these terms I live myself, though younger than you; and I repine not at my lot, could but the prefence of a few that I love be added to thefe. Adieu.

* Idiots

LET

I

LETTER

LXXVIII.

From Dr SWIFT.

Od. 21. 1735-

Answered your letter relating to Curl, &c. I be lieve my letters have escaped being published, be. caufe I writ nothing but nature and friendship, and particular incidents which could make no figure in writing. I have observed, that not only Voiture, but likewife Tully and Pliny, writ their letters for the public view, more than for the fake of their correfpondents; and I am glad of it, on account of the entertainment they have given me. Balfac did the fame thing; but with more stiffness, and confequently lefs diverting. Now I' must tell you, that you are to look upon me as one going very fast out of the world; but my flesh and bones are to be carried to Holyhead, for I will not lie in a country of flaves. It pleafeth me to find that you be gin to diflike things, in fpite of your philofophy. Your mufe cannot forbear her hints to that purpose. I cannot travel to see you, otherwife I folemnly protest I would do it. I have an intention to pafs this winter in the country, with a friend forty miles off, and to ride only ten miles a day; yet is my health fo uncertain, that I fear it will not be in my power. I often ride a dozen miles, but I come to my own bed at night. My best way would be to marry; for in that cafe any bed would be better than my own. I found you a very young man, and I left you a middle aged one; you knew me a middle-aged man, and now I am an old one. Where

is my Lord

? Methinks I am inquiring after a tulip of last year." You need not apprehend any Curls "meddling with your letters to me. I will not de"ftroy them, but have ordered my executors to do "that office.' I have a thousand things more to say ;longevitas eft garrula; but I must remember I have other letters to write, if I have time, which I spend to tell you. fo. I am ever, dearest Sir,

Your's, &c..

LET

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I

LETTER

LXXIX.

From Dr SWIFT.

Feb. 9. 1735-6.

Cannot properly call you my best friend, because I have not another left who deferves the name; fuch a havock have time, death, exile, and oblivion made. Perhaps you would have fewer complaints of my ill health and lowness of fpirits, if they were not fome ex• cufe for my delay of writing even to you. It is perfectly right what you lay of the indifference in common friends, whether we are fick or well, happy or miserable. The very maid-servants in a family have the fame notion: I have heard them often fay, Oh, I am very fick, if any body cared for it! I am vexed when my vifitors come with the compliment ufual here, Mr Dean, I hope you are very well. My popularity that you mention, is wholly confined to the common people, who are more conftant than those we mifcall their betters. I walk the streets, and fo do my lower friends; from whom, and from whom alone, I have a thousand hats and bles fings upon old fcores, which those we call the gentry have forgot. But I have not the love, or hardly the civility, of any one man in power or ftation; and I can boaft, that I neither visit nor am acquainted with any Lord temporal or fpiritual in the whole kingdom; nor am able to do the leaft good office to tie most deferving man, except what I can difpofe of in my own cathedral upon a vacancy. What hath funk my fpirits more than even years and fickness, is reflecting on the moft execrable corruptions that run through every branch of public management.

I heartily thank you for those lines tranflated Singula de nobis anni, &c. You have put them in a strong and admirable light: but, however, I am fo partial, as to be more delighted with those which are to do me the greatest honour I fhall ever receive from pofterity, and will outweigh the malignity of ten thousand enemies. I never faw them before; by which it is plain that the letter

-I do not doubt that

letter you fent me miscarried.you have choice of new acquaintance, and fome of them may be deferving: for youth is the feafon of virtue corruptions grow with years, and I believe the oldest rogue in England is the greatest. You have years enough before you to watch whether thefe new acquaintance will keep their virtue, when they leave you, and go into the world; how long will their fpirit of independency laft against the temptations of future ministers and future kings. As to the new Lord Lieutenant * I never knew any of the family; fo that I fhall not be able to get any job done by him for any deferving friend.

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I

Feb. 7. 1735-6.

T is fome time fince I dined at the Bishop of Derry's, where Mr Secretary Cary told me with great concern, that you were taken very ill. I have heard nothing fince; only I have continued in great pain of mind; yet for my own fake and the world's, more than for your's; because I well know how little you value life both as a philofopher and a Chriftian, particularly the latter, wherein hardly one in a million of us heretics can equal you. If you are well recovered, you ought to be reproached for not putting me efpecially out of pain, who could not bear the lofs of you; although we must be for ever diftant as much as if I were in the grave, for which my years and continual indifpofition are preparing me every feafon. I have ftaid too long from preffing you to give me fome ease by an account of your health; pray do not ufe me fo ill any more. I look upon you as an estate from which I receive my best annualrents, although I am never to fee it. Mr Tickel was at the fame meeting under the fame real concern ;

*The Duke of Devonshire.

and

and fo were a hundred others of this town who had ne.

ver feen you.

I read to the Bishop of Derry the paragraph in your letter which concerned him, and his Lordship expreffed his thankfulness in a manner that became him. He is efteemed here as a perfon of learning, and conversation, and humanity; but he is beloved by all people.

I have no body now left but you. Pray, be fo kind to outlive me; and then die as foon as you please, but without pain; and let us meet in a better place, if my religion will permit, but rather my virtue, although much unequal to your's. Pray, let my Lord Bathurst know how much I love him; I ftill infift on his remem. bering me, although he is too much in the world to ho nour an abfent friend with his letters. My state of health is not to boast of; my giddinefs is more or lefs too conftant; I fleep ill, and have a poor appetite. I can as easily write a poem in the Chinese language as my own: I am as fit for matrimony as invention; and yet I have daily schemes for innumerable essays in profe, and proceed fometimes to no less than half a dozen lines, which the next morning become waste paper. What vexes me moft is, that my female friends, who could bear me very well a dozen of years ago, have now forfaken me; although I am not so old in proportion to them, as I formerly was: which I can prove by arith metic; for then I was double their age, which now I am not. Pray, put me out of fear as foon as you can, about that ugly report of your illness; and let me know who this Chefelden is, that bath fo lately fprung up in your favour. Give me alfo fome account of your neighbour* who writ to me from Bath. I hear he refolves to be ftrenuous for taking off the teft; which grieves me extremely, from all the unprejudiced reafons I ever was able to form, and against the maxim of all wife Christian governments †, which always had fome e• ftablished religion, leaving at best a toleration to o thers.

* Lord Bolingbroke.

The author of the Differtation on parties appears to be of the fame opinion. Warb.

Farewell

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