TO LADY WORSLEY*. MADAM, APRIL 19, 1730. My lady Carteret (if you know such a lady) commands me to pursue my own inclination; which is, to honour myself with writing you a letter; and thereby endeavouring to preserve myself in your memory, in spite of an acquaintance of more years than, in regard to my own reputation as a young gentleman, I care to recollect. I forget whether I had not some reasons to be angry with your ladyship, when I was last in England. I hope to see you very soon the youngest great grandmother in Europe: and fifteen years hence (which I shall have nothing to do with) you will be at the amusement of "Rise up, daughter, &c." You are to answer this letter; and to inform me of your health and humour; and whether you like your daughter better or worse, after having so long conversed with the Irish world, and so little with me. Tell me what are your amusements at present; cards, court, books, visiting, or fondling (I humbly beg your ladyship's pardon, but it is between ourselves) your grandchildren? My lady Carteret has been the best queen we have known in Ireland these many years; yet is she mortally hated by all the young girls, because (and it is * Frances, lady Worsley, only daughter of Thomas, lord viscount Weymouth, was the lady of sir Robert Worsley, bart., and mother to Frances, lady Carteret. She is frequently mentioned with great respect by Dr. Swift. your fault) she is handsomer than all of them together. Pray, do not insult poor Ireland on this occasion; for it would have been exactly the same thing in London. And therefore I shall advise the king, when I go next to England, to send no more of her sort (if such another can be found) for fear of turning all his loyal female subjects here against him. How is our old friend Mrs. Barton *? (I forget her new name.) I saw her three years ago, at court, almost dwindled to an echo, and hardly knew her; while your eyes dazzled me as much as when I first met them which, considering myself, is a greater compliment than you are aware of. I wish you may have grace to find it. My lady Carteret has made me a present, which I take to be malicious, with a design to stand in your place. Therefore I would have you to provide against it by another, and something of your own work, as hers is. For you know I always expect advances and presents from ladies. Neither was I ever deceived in this last article by any of your sex but the queen, whom I taxed three years ago with a present of ten pounds value. Upon taking my leave, she said, "She intended a medal for me, This lady, the widow of colonel Barton, and niece to sir Isaac Newton, was a distinguished beauty, and is celebrated in three different poems in the 5th volume of Dryden's Miscellanies. In her widowhood, she was entertained by lord Halifax, who was very liberal to her at his death. She afterward married Mr. Conduitt, who succeeded to sir Isaac Newton's office in the mint; and by this latter match had a daughter, who was married to lord Lempster. The dean's friendship with this lady appears throughout the Journal to Stella; and is acknowledged by Mrs. Conduitt, in a letter printed in vol. XIII, dated Nov. 29, 1733. "but "but it was not finished." I afterward sent her, on her own commands, about five and thirty pounds worth of silk, for herself and the princesses; but never received the medal to this day. Therefore, I will trust your sex no more. You are to present my most humble service to my old friend sir Robert Worsley. I hope my friend Harry is well, and fattening in the sun, and continuing a bachelor, to enrich the poor Worsley family. I command you to believe me to be, with the greatest truth and respect, &c. FROM LORD BATHURST. DEAR DEAN, JUNE 30, 1730. I RECEIVED a letter from you some time ago which gave me infinite pleasure; and I was going to return you an answer immediately but when I sat down to write, I found my thoughts rolled upon the trifles, which fill the scene of life in that busy, senseless place, where I then was *; and though I had nothing to do there, at least nothing worth doing, and time lay upon my hands, I was resolved to defer writing to you, till I could clear my head from that rubbish which every one must contract in that place. I cannot but fancy, if one of our heads were dissected after passing a winter's campaign there, it would appear just like a pamphlet shop; you would see a collection of treaties, a bundle of farces, a parcel of encomiums, another of satires, speeches, novels, sermons, bawdy songs, addresses, epigrams, proclamations, poems, divinity-lectures, quack bills, historical accounts, fables, and God knows what. The moment I got down here, I found myself quite clear from all those affairs: but really, the hurry of business which came upon me after a state of idleness for six months, must excuse me to you. Here I am absolute monarch of a circle of above a mile round, at least one hundred acres of ground, which (to speak in the style of one of your countrymen) is very populous in cattle, fish, and fowl. To enjoy this power, which I relish extremely, and regulate this dominion, which I prefer to any other, has taken up my time from morning to night. There are Yahoos in the neighbourhood; but having read in history, that the southern part of Britain was long defended against the Picts by a wall, I have fortified my territories all round. That wise people the Chinese, you know, did the same thing to defend themselves against the Tartars. Now, I think of it, as this letter is to be sent to you, it will certainly be opened; and I shall have some observations made upon it, because I am within three miles of a certain castle. Therefore, I do hereby declare, that nothing herein contained shall extend, or be construed to extend, so far: and farthermore, I think myself in honour bound to acknowledge, that under our present just and prudent ministry, I do not fear the least molestation from that quarter. Neither are the fortifications aforementioned in any wise designed to keep them out; for I am well satisfied they can break through much stronger fences than Ob than these, if they should have a mind to it. serve how naturally power and dominion are attended with fear and precaution. When I am in the herd, I have as little of it about me as any body; but now that I am in the midst of my own dominions, I think of nothing but preserving them, and grow fearful lest a certain great man should take a fancy to them, and transport them into Norfolk*, to place them as an island in one of his new-made fish ponds. Or, if you take this for too proud a thought, I will only suppose it to be hung out under a great bow window. In either case I must confess to you, that I do not like it. In the first place, I am not sure his newmade ground may hold good: in the latter case, I have some reason to doubt the foundations of his house are not so solid as he may imagine. Now, therefore, I am not so much in the wrong as you may conceive, to desire that my territory may remain where it is: for, though I know you could urge many arguments to show the advantages I might reap by being so near him, yet I hold it as a maxim, that he who is contented with what he has, ought not to risk that, even though he should have a chance to augment it in any proportion. I learned this from our friend Erasmus; and the corrupt notions, that money is power, and therefore every man ought to get as much as he can, in order to create more power to himself, have no weight with me. But now, to begin my letter to you, I have re *To Houghton, the seat of sir Robert Walpole. ceived |