Worfley are the principal. The vogue of operas holds up wonderfully, though we have had them a year; but I defign to fet up a party among the wits, to run them down by next winter, if true English caprice does not interpofe, to fave us the labour. Mademoiselle Spanheim is going to mar ry my Lord Fitzharding; at least I have heard fo; and, if you find it otherwife at your return, the confequences may poffibly be furvived. However. you may tell it the Paris gazetteer, and let me have the pleasure to read a lie of my own fending. I fuppofe you have heard, that the town has loft an old Duke, and recovered a mad Dutchefs.

The Duke of Marlborough has at length found an enemy that dares face him, and which he will certainly fly before with the first opportunity; and we are all of opinion, it will be his wifeft course to do fo. Now, the way to be prodigioufly witty, would be by keeping you in fufpenfe, and not letting you know, that this enemy is nothing but this northeaft wind, which stops his voyage to Holland.

This letter going in Mr. Addison's packet, will, I hope, have better luck than the former. I fhall go for Ireland fome time in fummer, being not able to make my friends in the miniftry confider my merits, or their promifes, enough to keep me here; so that all my hopes now terminate in my bishopric of Virginia In the mean time, I hold fast my claim to your promise of correfponding with me, and that you will henceforward addrefs your letter for me, at Mr. Steele's office at the Cockpit. who has promised his care in conveying them. Mr. Domvil is now at Geneva, and fends me word, he is become a convert to the Whigs, by observing the good and ill effects of freedom and flavery abroad.

He

I am now with Mr. Addison, with whom I have fifty times drank your health fince you left us. is hurrying away for Ireland, and I can at present

lengthen

lengthen my letter no farther; and I am not certain whether you will have any from him or no, till he gets for Ireland. However, he commands me to affure you of his humble fervice; and I pray God too much business may not spoil le plus bonnéte homme du monde ; for it is certain, which of a man's good talents he employs on business, must be detracted from his converfation. I cannot writé longer in fo good company, and therefore conclude

Your moft faithful,

and most humble fervant.

J. SWIFT.

I

LETTER XCVIII.

Dr. SWIFT to Dr. WILLIAM KING; Archbishop of Dublin.

My LORD,

London Oct. 10. 1710. Had the honour of your Grace's letter of Sep. tember 16.; but I was in no pain to acknowlege it, nor fhall be any other time, until I have fomething that I think worth troubling you; because I know how much an infignificant letter is worfe than none at all. I had likewife your memorial *, &c. in another packet. I fhould have been glad the bishops had been here; although I take bishops to be the worst folicitors in the world, except for themselves. They cannot give themfelves the little

A memorial of the bishops and clergy of Ireland, concerning the fra-fruits and twentieth parts.

trouble

trouble of attendance, that other men are content to swallow; elfe, I am fure, their two Lordships might have fucceeded eafier, than men of my level are likely to do.

As foon as I received the packets from your Grace, I went to wait upon Mr. Harley +. I had prepared him before by another hand where he was very intimate; and got myself reprefented (which I might juftly do) as one extremely ill ufed by the laft miniftry after fome obligations, because I refufed to go certain lengths they would have me. This happened to be in fome fort Mr. Harley's own cafe. He had heard very often of me, and received me with the greatest marks of kindness and efteem; as I was whispered he would; and the more upon the ill ufage I had met with. I fat with him two hours among company, and two hours we were alone; where I told him my business, and gave him the hiftory of it: which he heard as I could with, and declared he would do his utmost to effect it. I told him the difficulties we met with by Lord Lieutenants and their fecretaries: who would not fuffer others to folicit, and neglected.it themselves. He fell in with me entirely; and faid, neither they nor himself should have the merit of it, but the Queen, to whom he would fhew my memorial with the firft opportunity, in order, if poffible, to have it done in this interregnum. I faid, the honour and merit, next to the Queen would be his; that it was a great encouragement to the bishops, that he was in the treafury, whom they knew to be the chief advifer of the Queen to grant the fame favour in England; that confequently the honour and merit were nothing to him, who had done fo much greater things; and that, for my part, I thought he was ob

Lord High Treasurer of England, created afterwards Earl of Oxford.

liged to the clergy of Ireland, for giving him an opportunity of gratifying the pleasure he took in doing good to the church. He took my compliment extremely well, and renewed his promifes. Your Grace will please to know, that, befides the firft-fruits, I told him of the crown-rents; and fhewed the nature and value of them? but faid, my opinion was, that the convocation had not mentioned them in their petition to the Queen, delivered to Lord Wharton* with the addrefs, because they thought the times would not then bear it; but that I looked on myself to have a difcretionary power to folicit it in so favourable a junc

ture.

I had two memorials ready of my own drawing up, as fhort as poffible, fhewing the nature of the thing, and how long it had been depending, &c. One of thefe memorials had a paragraph at the end relating to the crown-rents. I would have

;

given him the laft; but I gave him the other which he immediately read, and promised to fecond both with his beft offices to the Queen. As I have placed that paragraph in my memorial, it can do no harm, and may poffibly do good. However, I beg your Grace to fay nothing of it; but if it dieth, let it die in filence; we must take up with what we can get.

I forgot to tell your Grace, that when I faid I was in powered, &c. he defired to fee my powers; and then I heartily wifhed them more ample than they were and I have fince wondered, what fcruple a number of bifhops could have to impower a clergyman to do the church and them a fervice, without any imagination of intereft for himfelf.

Mr. Harley has invited me to dine with him today but I fhall not put him upon this difcourfe fo foon. If he begins it himself, I fhall add it

Then Lord Li.utenant of Ireland.

at

at the bottom of this. He fays, Mr. Secretary St. John * defired to be acquainted with me, and that he will bring us together. That may be a further help; although I told him, I had no thoughts of applying to any one but himfelf; wherein he differed from me, and defired I would fpeak to others, if it were but for form ; and feemed to mean, as if he would avoid the envy of being thought to do fuch a thing alone. But an old courtier (an intimate friend) advised me ftill to let him know, I relied wholly upon his good inclinations, and credit with the Queen, &c.

I find I am forced to fay all this very confufedly, juft as it lieth in my memory; but perhaps it may give your Grace a truer idea how matters are, than if I had writ in more order.

XX

I am, &c.

JONATHAN SWIFT.

I

LETTER

XCIX.

The Archbishop to Dr. SWIFT.

Rev. SIR,

Dublin, 08. 16. 1710. Thank you for your's of the 10th inftant, and fend you inclosed a farther power by my Lord Primate and me. My Lord is not able to come to town; which obliged me to wait on him at Johnston, aud hindered the joining of two or three bifhops in it, who are yet in town; but I fuppofe our figning is fufficient. I went in the morning to

* Afterwards created Lord Viscount Bolingbroke.