ill at containing. Conolly is out, and Mr Roberts in his place, who loses a better here, but was formerly a commissioner in Ireland. That employment cost Conolly three thousand pounds to Lord Wharton; † so he has made an ill bargain in his life. 29. I wish MD a merry Michaelmas. I dined with Mr Addison, and Jervas the painter, at Addison's country place; and then came home, and writ more to my lampoon. I made a Tatler since I came; guess which it is, and whether the Bishop of Clogher smokes it. I saw Mr Sterne to-day; he will do as you order, and I will give him chocolate for Stella's health. He goes not these three weeks. I wish I could send it some other way. So now to your letter, brave boys. I do not like your way of saving shillings: nothing vexes me but that it does not make Stella a coward in a coach. I do not think any lady's advice about my ears signifies twopence; however I will, in compliance to you, ask Dr Cockburn. Radcliffe I know not, and Bernard I never see. Walls will certainly be stingier for seven years, upon pretence of his robbery. So Stella puns again; why, it is well enough; but I will not second it, though I could make a dozen: I never thought of a pun since I left Ireland.-Bishop of Clogher's bill? why, he paid it me; do you think I was such a fool to go without it? As for the four shillings, I will give you a bill on Parvisol for it on the other side this paper; and pray tear off the two letters I shall write to him and Joe, or let Dingley transcribe and send them ; * A commissioner of the revenue, &c. afterwards speaker. + Who, while lord-lieutenant, took gratuities upon all possible occasions. Archdeacon Walls. I though that to Parvisol, I believe, he must have my hand for.-No, no, I will eat no grapes; I eat about six the other day at Sir John Holland's; but would not give sixpence for a thousand, they are so bad this year. Yes, faith, I hope in God Presto and MD will be together this time twelvemonth; what then? Last year, I suppose, I was at Laracor; but next I hope to eat my Michaelmas goose at my little goose's lodgings. drink no aile, (I suppose you mean ale,) but yet good wine every day, of five and six shillings a bottle. O Lord, how much Stella writes; pray do not carry that too far, young woman, but be temperate to hold out. To-morrow I go to Mr Harley.* Why small hopes from the Duke of Ormond? he loves me very well, I believe, and would in my turn give me something to make me easy; and I have good interest among his best friends. But I do not think of any thing farther than the business I am upon you see I writ to Manley before I had your letter, and I fear he will be out. Yes, Mrs Owl, Blighe's corpse came to Chester when I was there, and I told you so in my letter, or forgot it. I lodge in Bury Street, where I removed a week ago. I have the first floor, a dining-room and bedchamber, at eight shillings a week; plaguy deep, but I spend nothing for eating, never go to a tavern, and very seldom in a coach; yet after all it will be expensive. Why do you trouble yourself, Mrs Stell, about my instrument? I have the same the archbishop gave me ; and it is as good now the bishops are away. The dean * The celebrated Robert Harley, afterward Earl of Oxford. He was at this time a commissioner of the treasury, and chancellor of the exchequer, and daily rising in power. friendly! The dean be pox't: a great piece of friendship indeed, what you heard him tell the Bishop of Clogher; I wonder he had the face to talk so: but he lent me money, and that is enough. Faith I would not send this these four days, only for writing to Joe and Parvisol. Tell the dean that when the bishops send me any packets, they must not write to me at Mr Steele's; but direct for Mr Steele, at his office at the Cockpit; and let the enclosed be directed for me; that mistake cost me eighteenpence the other day. 30. I dined with Stratford to-day, but am not to see Mr Harley till Wednesday: it is late, and I send this before there is occasion for the bell; because I would have Joe have his letter, and Parvisol too: which you must so contrive as not to cost them double postage. I can say no more, but that I am, &c. LETTER V. London, Sept. 30, 1710. HAVE not I brought myself into a fine premunire to begin writing letters in whole sheets? and now I dare not leave it off. I cannot tell whether you like these journal letters: I believe they would be dull to me to read them over; but, perhaps, little MD is pleased to know how Presto passes his time in her absence. I always begin my last the same day I ended the former. I told you where I dined to-day at a tavern with Stratford Lewis, who is a great favourite of Harley's, * * Erasmus Lewis, secretary at that time to the Earl of Dartmouth, an especial favourite of Swift, ás has been noticed elsewhere. was to have been with us; but he was hurried to Hampton Court, and sent his excuse, and that next Wednes. day he would introduce me to Harley. It is good to see what a lamentable confession the Whigs all make me of my ill usage; but I mind them not. I am already represented to Harley as a discontented person, that was used ill for not being Whig enough; and I hope for good usage from him. The Tories dryly tell me, I may make my fortune, if I please; but I do not understand them, or rather, I do understand them. one. Oct. 1. To-day I dined at Molesworth's, the Florence envoy; and sat this evening with my friend Darteneuf, whom you have heard me talk of; the greatest punner of this town next myself. Have you smoked the Tatler that I writ? it is much liked here, and I think it a pure To-morrow I go with Delaval the Portugal envoy, to dine with Lord Halifax near Hampton Court. Your Manley's brother, a Parliament man here, has gotten an employment; and I am informed uses much interest to preserve his brother: and, to-day, I spoke to the elder Frankland to engage his father, (postmaster here,) and I hope he will be safe, although he is cruelly hated by all the Tories of Ireland. I have almost finished my lampoon, and will print it, for revenge on a certain great person. It has cost me but three shillings in meat and drink since I came here, as thin as the town is. I laugh to see myself so disengaged in these revolutions. Well, I must leave off, and go write to Sir John Stanley, to desire him to engage Lady Hyde, as my mistress, to engage Lord Hyde in favour of Mr Pratt. 2. Lord Halifax was at Hampton Court at his lodg ings, and I dined with him there with Methuen* and Delaval, and the late attorney-general. I went to the drawing-room before dinner, (for the queen was at Hampton Court,) and expected to see nobody; but I met acquaintance enough. I walked in the gardens, saw the Cartoons of Raphael, and other things, and with great difficulty got from Lord Halifax, who would have kept me to-morrow to show me his house and park, and improvements. We left Hampton Court at sunset, and got here in a chariot and two horses time enough by starlight. That's something charms me mightily about London; that you go dine a dozen miles off in October, stay all day, and return so quickly; you cannot do any thing like this in Dublin. I writ a second pennypost letter to your mother, and hear nothing of her. Did I tell you that Earl Berkeley died last Sunday was se'ennight, † at Berkeley Castle, of a dropsy? Lord Halifax began a health to me to-day it was the resurrection of the Whigs, which I refused, unless he would add their reformation too: and I told him he was the only Whig in England I loved, or had any good opinion of. + 3. This morning Stella's sister came to me with a let * Sir Paul Methuen, who was ambassador at the court of Portugal, to whom we owed the Portugal treaty. + 24th September 1710. Yet Swift does not yet appear to have renounced the friendship of Addison. But Halifax had not been sparing in professions of friendship to Swift, and even had hinted a wish to make him a prebendary of Westminster. His letter on this subject seems to have been that which Swift elsewhere mentions his having kept as a most admirable original of court promises and professions." Letter to Lady Betty Germaine, dated 8th June 1735. |