liament and convocation. But let me alone, sirrahs; for Presto is going to be very busy; not Presto, but t'other I. * 26. People have so left the town, that I am at a loss for a dinner. It is a long time since I have been at London upon a Sunday; and the ministers are all at Windsor. It cost me eighteenpence in coach hire before I could find a place to dine in. I went to Frankland's, and he was abroad; and the drab his wife looked out of window, and bowed to me without inviting me up; so I dined with Mr Coote, my Lord Montrath's brother; my lord is with you in Ireland. This morning at five my Lord Jersey + died of the gout in his stomach, or apoplexy, or both he was abroad yesterday, and his death was sudden he was chamberlain to King William, and a great favourite, turned out by the queen as a Tory, and stood now fair to be privy-seal; and by his death will, I suppose, make that matter easier, which has been a very stubborn business at court, as I have been informed. I never remembered so many people of quality to have died in so short a time. * That is to say, he was about to assume his serious character of Dr Swift. + Edward, first Earl of Jersey. He had been ambassador extraordinary to the States General and to the court of France in 1699; was a secretary of state, and a lord justice for administration of the government during King William's absence in Holland. Upon Queen Anne's accession, she made Lord Jersey chamberlain of the household, which office he lost in 1704; " and after had no public employment, dying in the 56th year of his age, on August 26, 1711, the day he was to have been named lord privy seal, being likewise designed one of the plenipotentiaries to the congress at Utrecht; and was buried on 4th September following, in St Michael's Chapel in Westminster Abbey."-COLLINS's Peerage, Vol. IV. p. 193. 27. I went to-day into the city to thank Stratford for my books, and dine with him, and settle my affairs of my money in the bank, and receive a bill for Mrs Wesley, for some things to buy for her; and the d-a one of all these could I do.. The merchants were all out of town, and I was forced to go to a little hedge place for my dinner. May my enemies live here in summer! and yet I am so unlucky, that I cannot possibly be out of the way at this juncture. People leave the town so late in summer, and return so late in winter, that they have almost inverted the seasons. It is autumn this good while in St James's Park; the limes have been losing their leaves, and those remaining on the trees are all parched. I hate this season, where every thing grows worse and worse. The only good thing of it is the fruit, and that I dare not eat. Had you any fruit at Wexford? a few cherries, and durst not eat them. I do not hear we have yet got a new privy seal. The Whigs whisper, that our new ministry differ among themselves, and they begin to talk out Mr Secretary. They have some reason for their whispers, although I thought it was a greater secret. I do not much like the posture of things; I always apprehended, that any falling out would ruin them, and so I have told them several times. The Whigs are mighty full of hopes at present; and whatever is the matter, all kind of stocks fall. I have not yet talked with the secretary about Prior's journey. I should be apt to think it may foretell a peace; and that is all we have to preserve us. The secretary is not come from Windsor; but I but I expect him to-morrow. Burn all politics! 28. We begin to have fine weather, and I walked today to Chelsea, and dined with the Dean of Carlisle, who is laid up with the gout. It is now fixed that he is to be Dean of Christ Church, in Oxford. I was advising him to use his interest to prevent any misunderstanding between our ministers; but he is too wise to meddle, though he fears the thing and consequences as much as I. He will get into his own warm quiet deanery, and leave them to themselves; and he is in the right. When I came home to-night, I found a letter from Mr Lewis, who is now at Windsor; and in it, forsooth, another which looked like Presto's hand; and what should it be, but a 19th from MD? O faith, I 'scaped narrowly, for I sent my 28th but on Saturday; and what should I have done if I had two letters to answer at once? I did not expect another from Wexford, that's certain. Well, I must be contented; but you are dear saucy girls, for all that, to write so soon again, faith; an't you? 29. I dined to-day with Lord Abercorn, and took my leave of them; they set out to-morrow for Chester; and, I believe, will now fix in Ireland.-They have made a pretty good journey of it. His eldest son is married to a lady with ten thousand pounds; and his second son has, t'other day, got a prize in the lottery of four thousand pounds, beside two small ones of two hundred pounds each: nay, the family was so fortunate, that my lord bestowing one ticket, which is a hundred pounds, to one of his servants, who had been his page, the young fellow got a prize, which has made it another hundred. I went in the evening to lord-treasurer, who desires I will dine with him to-morrow, when he will show me the answer he designs to return to the letter of thanks from your bishops in Ireland. The Archbishop of Dublin desired * How Atterbury's fate differed from Swift's prognostication, every reader must remember. me to get myself mentioned in the answer which my lord would send; but I sent him word I would not open my lips to my lord upon it. He says, it would convince the bishops of what I have affirmed, that the first-fruits were granted before the Duke of Ormond was declared governor; and I writ to him, that I would not give a farthing to convince them. My lord-treasurer began a health to my lord privy seal; Prior punned, and said it was so privy, he knew not who it was; but I fancy they have fixed it all, and we shall know to-morrow. care you who is privy seal, saucy sluttikins? But what 30. When I went out this morning, I was surprised with the news, that the Bishop of Bristol is made lord privy seal. You know his name is Robinson, and that he was many years envoy in Sweden. All the friends of the present ministry are extreme glad, and the clergy above the rest. The Whigs will fret to death to see a civil employment given to a clergyman. It was a very handsome thing in my lord-treasurer, and will bind the church to him for ever. I dined with him to-day, but he had not written his letter; but told me, he would not offer to send it without showing it to me; he thought that would not be just, since I was so deeply concerned in the affair. We had much company; Lord Rivers, Marr, and Kinnoul, Mr Secretary, George Granville, and Masham; the last has invited me to the christening of his son to-morrow seʼennight; and on Saturday I go to Windsor with Mr Secretary. 31. Dilly and I walked to-day to Kensington to Lady Mountjoy, who invited us to dinner. He returned soon to go to the play, it being the last that will be acted for some time he dresses himself like a beau, and no doubt makes a fine figure. I went to visit some people at Ken : sington. Ophy Butler's wife there lies very ill of an ague, which is a very common disease here, and little known in Ireland. I am apt to think we shall soon have a peace, by the little words I hear thrown out by the ministry. I have just thought of a project to bite the town. I have told you, that it is now known that Mr Prior has been lately in France. I will make a printer of my own sit by me one day, and I will dictate to him a formal relation of Prior's journey, with several particulars, all pure invention; and I doubt not but it will take. Sept. 1. Morning. I go to-day to Windsor with Mr Secretary; and lord-treasurer has promised to bring me back. The weather has been fine for some time, and I believe we shall have a great deal of dust.-At night. Windsor. The secretary and I, and Brigadier Sutton, dined to-day at Parson's Green, at my Lord Peterborow's house, who has left it and his gardens to the secretary during his absence. It is the finest garden I have ever seen about this town, and abundance of hot walls for grapes, where they are in great plenty, and ripening fast. I durst not eat any fruit, but one fig; but I brought a basket full to my friend Lewis here at Windsor. Does Stella never eat any? what, no apricots at Donnybrook? nothing but claret and ombre ? I envy people maunching and maunching peaches and grapes, and I not daring to eat a bit. My head is pretty well, only a sudden turn any time makes me giddy for a moment, and sometimes it feels very stuffed; but if it grows no worse, I can bear it very well. I take all opportunities of walking; and we have a delicious park here just joining to the castle, and an avenue in the great park very wide, and two miles long, set with a double row of elms on each side. Were |