A Monfieur Monfieur HUNTER, gentilhomme Anglois à Paris t.

London, Jan. 12. 1708-9.

I

SIR,

Know no people fo ill ufed by your men of bu finefs, as their intimate friends. About a fortnight after Mr. Addison had received the letter you were pleased to fend me, he first told me of it with an air of recollection, and, after ten further of grace, thought fit to give it me; fo you know where to fix the whole blame, that it was no fooner acknowledged. It is a delicate expedient you prifoners have of diverting yourselves in an enemy's country, for which other men would be hanged. I am confidering, whether there be no way of difturbing your quiet, by writing fome dark matter, that may give the French court a jealousy of you. I fuppofe Monfieur Chamillard, or fome of his commiffaries, muft have this letter interpreted to them, before it comes to your hands; and there fore I here think good to warn them, that, if they exchange you under fix of their lieutenant-generals, they will be lofers by the bargain. But that they may not mistake me, I do not mean as Viceroy de Virginia, mais comme le Colonel Hunter. I would advife you to be very tender of your honour, and not fall in love because I have a fcruple, whether you can keep your parole, if you become a prifoner to

Hawkefworth marks this letter No. 1. He has inferted all thofe that follow, but none of the preceding.

† Col. Hunter, governor of Virginia, who had been taken prifoner by the French

the ladies; at least it will be a scandal for a free Briton to drag two chains at once. I prefume you have the liberty of Paris, and fifty miles round, and have a very light pair of fetters, contrived to ride or dance in, and fee Verfailles, and every place elfe, except St. Germains I hear the ladies call you already notre prifonnier Hunter, le plus bonnête garçon du monde. Will you French yet own us Britons to be a brave people? Will they allow the Duke of Marlborough to be a great general? Or, are they all as partial as their gazetteers? Have you yet met any French Colonel, whom you remember to have formerly knocked from his horse, or fhivered at least a lance against his breaft-plate? Do you know the wounds you have given, when you fee the fears? Do you falute your old enemies with Stetimus tela afpera contra, contulimufque me: nus. Vos faves que-Monfieur d' Addifon, notre bon ami, eft fait fecretaire de'tat d'Irelande. And unJefe you make hafte over, and get me my Virginian bishopric, he will perfuade me to go with him; for the Vienna project is off; which is a great difappointment to the defign I had, of difplaying my politics at the Emperor's court. I do not like the fubject you have affigned me to entertain you with. Crauder is fick, to the comfort of all quiet people, and Fraud is reveur a peindre. Mr. Addifon and I often drink your health; and this day I did it with Will Pate, a certain adorer of your's, who is both a bel efprit and a woollen-draper. The Whigs car. ry all before them; and how far they will pursue their victories, we under-rate Whigs can hardly tell. I have not yet obferved the Tories nofes: their num ber is not to be learned by telling of nofes; for every Tory has not a nose. It is a lofs, you are not here to partake of three weeks froft, and eat ginger-bread in a booth, by a fire upon the Thames. Mrs. Floyd looked out with both her eyes, and

we

* The lady whom the author here compliments, by putting her

name

we had one day's thaw; but he drew in her head, and it now freezes as hard as ever. As for the convocation, the Queen thought fit to prorogue it, though at the expence of Dr. Atterbury's difpleafure, who was defigned their prolocutor, and is now raging at the difappointment. I amufe myself fometimes with writing verfes to Mr. Finch, and fometimes with projects for uniting of parties, which I perfect over night, and burn in the morning. Sometimes Mr. Addifon and I fteal to a pint of bad wine, and wifh for no third perfon but you: who, f you were with us, would never be fatisfied without three more. -You know, I believe, that poor Dr. Gregory is dead, and Kei folicits to be his fucceffor. But party reaches even to lines and circles; and he will hardly carry it, being reputed a Tory, which yet he utterly denies. We are

if.

here nine times madder after operas than ever; and have got a new caftrato from Italy, called Nicolini, who exceeds Valentini, I know not how many bars length. Lord Somers and Halifax are as well as bufy statesmen can be in parliament-time. Lord Dorfet is no body's favourite but your's, and Mr. Prior's, who has lately dedicated his book of poems to him, which is all the prefs has furnished us of any value fince you went. Mr. Pringle, a gentleman of Scotland, fucceeds Mr. Addifon in the fecretary's office; and Mr. Shute, a notable young Prefbyterian gentleman, under thirty years old, is made a commiffioner of the cuftoms. This is all I can think of, either public or private, worth tel-ling you perhaps you have heard part, or all of both, from other hands; but you must be content. Pray let us know what hopes we have of feeing you, and how foon; and be fo kind, or juft, to believe me always Your most faithful, bumble fervant, JON. SWIFT.

name for that of the fun, was Mrs Biddy Floyd, to whom he addref• fed a fhort but elegant copy of verfes about a year before. See vol. 7,

N3

P.S.

P. S. Mr. Steele prefents his most humble fervice to you; and I cannot forbear telling you of your mechanceté, to impute the letter of enthusiasm to me, when I have fome good reasons to think the author is now at Paris.

LETTER XCVII.

A Monfieur Monfieur HUNTER, gentilhomme An

glois, à Paris.

London, March 22. 1708-9.

I

SIR,

:

AM very much obliged to you for the favour of a kind reproach you fent me, in a letter to Mr. Addison, which he never told me of till this day, and that accidentally but I am glad at the fame time, that I did not deferve it, having fent you a long letter, in return to that you was pleafed to honour me with; and it is a pity it should be loft; for, as I remember, it was full of the diei fabulas, and such particularities as do not ufually find place in news-papers. Mr. Addifon has been fo taken up for fome months, in the amphibious circumftances of premier c to my Lord Sunderland, and fecretary of ftate for Ireland, that he is the worst man I know, either to convey an idle letter, or deliver what he receives; fo that I defign, when I trust him with this, to give him a memorial along with it; for if my former has mifcarried, I am half perfuaded to give him the blame. I find you a little lament your bondage; and indeed, in your cafe, it requires a good share of philofophy.

But,

But, if you will not be angry, I believe I may have been the cause you are ftill a prifoner: for I imagine my former letter was intercepted by the French court; when the Moft Chriftian King reading one paffage in it, (and duly confidering the weight of the person who wrote it), where I faid, if the French understood your value as well as we do, he would not exchange you for Count Tallard, and all the Delris of Blenheim together; for, I must confefs, I did not rally when I faid fo.

I hear your good fifter, the Queen of Pomunki, waits with impatience till you are reftored to your dominions; and that your rogue of a viceroy returns money faft for England, against the time he must retire from his government. Mean time, Philips writes verfes in a fledge upon the frozen fea, and tranfmits them hither, to thrive in our warmer clime, under the fhelter of my Lord Dorfet. I could fend you a great deal of news from the republica Grubstreetaria, which was never in greater altitude,tho'I have been of late but a fmall contributor. A cargo of splinters from the Arabian rocks have been lately shipwrecked in the Thames, to the irreparable damage of the virtuofi. Mrs. Long and I are fallen out. I fhall not trouble you with the caufe; but don't you think her altogether in the wrong? But Mrs. Barter is ftill in my good graces. I defign to make her tell me when you are to be redeemed, and will fend you word.

There's it now; you think I am in jeft: but I affure you, the best intelligence I get of public affairs is from ladies; for the minifters never tell me any thing: and Mr. Addison is nine times more fecret to me than any body else, because I have the happiness to be thought his friend. The company at St James's coffee-house is as bad as ever, but it is not quite fo good. The beauties you left gone off this froft, and we have got a new fet for spring; of which Mrs. Chetwynd and Mrs.

are all

Worfley