DEAR SIR, FROM THE SAME. BATH, JULY 6, 1728. THE last news I have heard of you, was from Mr. Lancelot, who was at this place with lord Sussex, who gave me hopes of seeing you the latter end of this summer. I wish you may keep that resolution, and take the Bath in your way to town. You, in all probability, will find here some, or most of those you like to see. Dr. Arbuthnot wrote to me to day from Tunbridge, where he is now for the recovery of his health, having had several relapses of a fever : he tells me that he is much better, and that in August he intends to come hither. Mr. Congreve and I often talk of you, and wish you health and every good thing; but often, out of self-interest, we wish with us. you In five or six days, I set out upon an excursion to Herefordshire, to lady Scudamore's, but shall return here the beginning of August. I wish you could meet me at Gutheridge. The Bath did not agree with lady Bolingbroke, and she went from here much worse than she came. Since she went to Dawley, by her own inclination, without the advice of physicians, she has taken to a milk diet, and she hath writ me an account of prodigious good effects both in the recovery of her appetite and spirits. The weather is extremely hot, the place is very empty, I have an inclination to study, but the heat makes it impossible. The duke of Bolton* I hear has run away with Polly * Who afterward married miss Fenton. Peachum, Peachum, having settled 400l. a year upon her during pleasure; and upon disagreement, 2001. a year. Mr. Pope is in a state of persecution for the Dunciad: I wish to be witness of his fortitude, but he writes but seldom. It would be a consolation to me to hear from you. I have heard but once from Mrs. Howard these three months, and I think but once from Pope. My portrait mezzotinto is published from Mr. Howard's painting; I wish I could contrive to send you one, but I fancy I could get a better impression at London. I have ten thousand things to talk to you, but few to write; yet defer writing to you no longer, knowing you interest yourself in every thing that concerns me so much, that I make you happy, as you will me, if you can tell me you are in good health; which I wish to hear every morning as soon as I awake. I am, dear sir, yours most affectionately. TO DR. SHERIDAN. MARKET HILL*, AUG. 2, 1728. OUR friends here, as well as myself, were sadly disappointed upon hearing the account of your journey. Nobody in town or country, as we were informed, knew where you were; but I persuaded our family, that you were certainly in a way of making yourself easy, and had got that living you mentioned, and accordingly we were grieved, and * The seat of sir Arthur Acheson. rejoiced rejoiced at the loss and settlement of a friend; but it never entered into our heads, that you were bestowing forty days in several stages between constable and constable, without any real benefit to yourself, farther than of exercise; and we wished that nobody should have had the benefit of your long absence from your school, but yourself by a good living, or we by your good company: much less that the pleasure of spiting T had been your great motive. I heartily wish you were settled at Hamilton's Bawn, and I would be apt to advise you not to quit your thoughts that way, if the matter may be brought to bear; 'for by a letter I just received from the bishop of Cork, which was short and dry, with the stale excuse of preengagements, I doubt you can hope nothing from him.-As to what you call my exercise, I have long quitted it; it gave me too much constraint, and the world does not deserve it. We may keep it cold till the middle of winter. As to my return, there are many speculations. I am well here, and hate removals; my scheme was, that you should come hither as you say, and I return with you in your chaise. Sir Arthur, on hearing your letter, pressed me to stay longer. I am a very busy man, such as at Quilca, which you will know when you come; yet I would contrive to be pressed more to stay till Christmas, and that you may contrive to be here again, and take me back with you time enough for my own visitation: and my reason of staying is, to be here the planting and pruning time, &c. I hate Dublin, and love the retirement here, and the civility of my hosts. This is my state and humour upon it, and accordingly you are to manage my scheme. scheme. However, I would have you keep your vacation of September here; and let Mrs. Brent send me a dozen guineas (half of them half guineas) by you, and a periwig, and a new riding gown and cassock, and whatever else I may want by a longer absence, provided you will resolve and swear that I shall stay. I had all Mrs. Brent's packets by Mr. Little. My service to Mrs. Dingley. I cannot say, that I have more to say, than to say that I am, &c. DR. SWIFT TO DR. SHERIDAN. SEPT. 18, 1728 *. My continuance here is owing partly to indolence, and partly to my hatred to Dublin. I am in a middling way, between healthy and sick, hardly ever without a little giddiness or deafness, and sometimes both so much for that. As to what you call my ·lesson, I told you I would think no more of it, neither do I conceive the world deserves so much trouble from you or me. I think the sufferings of the country for want of silver deserves a paper†, since the remedy is so easy, and those in power so negligent. I had some other subjects in my thoughts; but truly I am taken up so much with long lampoons on a person, who owns you for a *This should also be dated from Market-hill. + In the Intelligencer, the xixth number of which is on this subject. back, back, that I have no time for any thing else; and if I do not produce one every now and then of about two hundred lines, I am chid for my idleness, and threatened with you. I desire you will step to the deanery, speak to Mrs. Brent*, bid her open the middle great drawer of Ridgeway's scrutoire in my closet, and then do you take out from thence the history in folio, marble cover; and two thin folios fairly writ. I forget the titles, but you have read them; one is an account of the proceedings of lord Oxford's ministry, and the other to the same purpose. There are foul copies of both in the same drawer, but do you take out the fair ones, not in my hand. Let them be packed up, and brought hither by the bearer. My lady is perpetually quarrelling with sir Arthur and me, and shows every creature the libels I have writ against her §. Mr. Worrall sent me the particulars of the havock made in Naboth's vineyard .-The dburst, &c. I think lady Dun's burning would be an admirable subject to show, how hateful an animal a human creature is, that is known to have never done any good. The rabble all rejoicing, &c. which they would not have done at any misfortune to a man known to be charitable. I wish you could get in with the primate, on the The dean's housekeeper. + History of the Peace of Utrecht. The State of Affairs in 1714. § See Hamilton's Bawn, or the Grand Question Debated. A field not far from the deanery house, which doctor Swift enclosed at a great expense with a fine stone wall lined with brick, against which he planted vines and the best chosen fruit trees, for the benefit of the dean of St. Patrick's for the time being. account |