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lieve I shall buy none, and there's an end; and go to Stoyte's, and I'll go sleep.

30. Morning. This is Good-Friday, you must know, and I must rise and go to Mr Secretary about some business, and Mrs Vanhomrigh desires me to breakfast with her, because she is to intercede for Patrick, who is so often drunk and quarrelsome in the house, that I was resolved to send him over; but he knows all the places where I send, and is so used to my ways, that it would be inconvenient to me; but when I come to Ireland, I will discharge him. * Sir Thomas Mansel, † one of the lords of the treasury, setting me down at my door to-day, saw Patrick, and swore he was a Teaguelander. I am so used to his face, I never observed it, but thought him a pretty fellow. Sir Andrew Fountaine and I supped this fast-day with Mrs Vanhomrigh. We were afraid Mr Harley's wound would turn to a fistula; but we think the danger is now past. He rises every day, and walks about his room, and we hope he'll be out in a fortnight. Prior showed me a handsome paper of verses he has writ on Mr Harley's accident: they are not out; I will send them to you, if he will give me a copy. +

*The words, At night, must here be supplied.

+ He retreated from the office of comptroller of the household, when Harley lost the situation of secretary, in 1707; and returned to office upon the formation of the Tory ministry, when he was made a lord of the treasury, and shortly afterwards replaced as comptroller, on Sir John Holland's removal.

In one great now, superior to an age,

The full extremes of nature's force we find :

How heavenly virtue can exalt, or rage
Infernal how degrade the human mind.

While the fierce monk does at his trial stand,
He chews revenge, abjuring his offence;

31. Morning. What shall we do to make April fools this year, now it happens on Sunday? Patrick brings word that Mr Harley still mends, and is up every day. I design to see him in a few days: brings me word too that he has found out Vedeau's brother's shop: I shall call there in a day or two. It seems the wife lodges next door to the brother. I doubt the scoundrel was broke,* and got a commission, or perhaps is a volunteer gentleman, and expects to get one by his valour. Morrow, sirrahs, let me rise.-At night. I dined to-day with Sir Thomas Mansel. We were walking in the Park, and

Guile in his tongue, and murder in his hand,

He stabs his judge to prove his innocence.
The guilty stroke and torture of the steel

Infix'd, our dauntless Briton scarce perceives:
The wounds his country from his death must feel,
The patriot views; for those alone he grieves.
The barbarous rage that durst attempt thy life,
Harley, great counseilor, extends thy fame;
And the sharp point of cruel Guiscard's knife,

In brass and marble carves thy deathless name.
Faithful assertor of thy country's cause,

Britain with tears shall bathe thy glorious wound :

She for thy safety shall enlarge her laws,

And in her statutes shall thy worth be found.

Yet 'midst her sighs she triumphs, on the hand
Reflecting, that diffused the public woe;

A stranger to her altars, and her land;

No son of hers could meditate this blow.
Meantime, thy pain is gracious Anna's care:

Our queen, our saint, with sacrificing breath,
Softens thy anguish : in her powerful prayer

She pleads thy service, and forbids thy death.
Great as thou art, thou canst demand no more,

O breast bewail'd by earth, preserved by Heaven!

No higher can aspiring virtue soar:

Enough to thee of grief and fame is given.

* Bankrupt.

Mr Lewis came to us. Mansel asked where we dined? We said, together. He said, we should dine with him, only his wife desired him to bring nobody, because she had only a leg of mutton. I said, I would dine with him to choose; but he would send a servant to order a plate or two yet this man has ten thousand pounds a-year in land, and is a lord of the treasury, and is not covetous neither, but runs out merely by slattering and negligence. The worst dinner I ever saw at the dean's was better: but so it is with abundance of people here. I called at night at Mr Harley's, who begins to walk in his room with a stick, but is mighty weak. See how much I have lost with that ugly grease. 'Tis your fault; pray, and I'll go to bed.

April 1. The Duke of Buckingham's house fell down last night with an earthquake, and is half swallowed up; -Won't you go and see it ?-An April fool, an April fool, O ho, young women.-Well, don't be angry, I'll make you an April fool no more till the next time we had no sport here, because it is Sunday, and Easter Sunday. I dined with the secretary, who seemed terribly down and melancholy, which Mr Prior and Lewis ob served as well as I: perhaps something is gone wrong; perhaps there is nothing in it. God bless my own dearest MD, and all is well.

2. We have such windy weather, 'tis troublesome walking, yet all the rabble have got into our Park these holidays. I am plagued with one Richardson, an Irish parson, and his project of printing Irish Bibles, &c. to make you Christians in that country: I befriend him what I can, on account of the Archbishop and Bishop of Clogher. But what business have I to meddle? &c. Don't you remember that, sirrah Stella? what was that

about, when you thought I was meddling with something that was not my business? O faith, you are an impudent slut, I remember your doings, I'll never forget you as long as I live. Lewis and I dined together at his lodgings. But where's the answer to this letter of MD's? O faith, Presto, you must think of that. Time enough, says saucy Presto.

3. I was this morning to see Mrs Barton; I love her better than any one here, and see her seldomer. Why, really now, so it often happens in the world, that where one loves a body best-pshah, pshah, you are so silly with your moral observations.-Well, but she told me a very good story. An old gentlewoman died here two months ago, and left in her will to have eight men and eight maids bearers, who should have two guineas a-piece, ten guineas to the parson for a sermon, and two guineas to the clerk. But bearers, parson, and clerk, must be all true virgins; and not to be admitted till they took their oaths of virginity: so the poor woman lies still unburied, and so must do till the general resurrection. I called at Mr Secretary, to see what the D— ailed him on Sunday; I made him a very proper speech, told him I observed he was much out of temper: that I did not expect he would tell me the cause, but would be glad to see he was in better; and one thing I warned him of, never to appear cold to me, for I would not be treated like a schoolboy; that I had felt too much of that

in

my life already, (meaning Sir William Temple,) that I expected every great minister, who honoured me with his acquaintance, if he heard or saw any thing to my disadvantage, would let me know in plain words, and not put me in pain to guess by the change or coldness of his countenance or behaviour; for it was what I would

hardly bear from a crowned head, and I thought no subject's favour was worth it; and that I designed to let my lord-keeper and Mr Harley know the same thing, that they might use me accordingly. He took all right; said I had reason; vowed nothing ailed him but sitting up whole nights at business, and one night at drinking; would have had me dined with him and Mrs Masham's brother, to make up matters; but I would not. I don't know, but I would not. But indeed I was engaged with

my old friend Rollinson; fore.

you never heard of him be

4. I sometimes look a line or two back, and see plaguy mistakes of the pen; how do you get over them? you are puzzled sometimes. Why, I think what I said

to Mr Secretary was right. Don't you remember how I used to be in pain when Sir William Temple would look cold and out of humour for three or four days, and I used to suspect a hundred reasons. I have plucked up my spirit since then, faith; he spoiled a fine gentleman. I dined with my neighbour Vanhomrigh, and MD, poor MD, at home on a loin of mutton, and half a pint of wine, and the mutton was raw, poor Stella'could not eat, poor dear rogue, and Dingley was so vexed: but we'll dine at Stoyte's to-morrow. Mr Harley pro

mised to see me in a day or two, so I called this evening; but his son and others were abroad, and he asleep, so I came away, and found out Mrs Vedeau. She drew out a letter from Dingley, and said she would get a

* William Rollinson, Esq. was a wine-merchant, but afterwards retired from business, and lived in Oxfordshire. He was a friend of Bolingbroke and of Pope, who bequeathed him a mourning

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