13. It rained most furiously all this morning till about twelve, and sometimes thundered; I trembled for my shillings, but it cleared up, and I made a shift to get a walk in the Park, and then went with the secretary to dine with lord-treasurer. Upon Thursdays there is always a select company; we had the Duke of Shrewsbury, Lord Rivers, the two secretaries, Mr Granville, and Mr Prior. Half of them went to council at six; but Rivers, Granville, Prior, and I, staid till eight. Prior was often affecting to be angry at the account of his journey to Paris ; * and, indeed, the two last pages, which the printer had got somebody to add, are so romantic, they spoil all the rest. Dilly Ashe pre

* 66 Though the bulk of the nation did certainly wish for peace, yet neither of the two schemes here proposed met with approbation, being both looked upon as almost equally insidious and unsafe, and inconsistent with the honour and interest of Great Britain. On the contrary, the generality expressing their readiness rather to bear the burden of taxes some time longer, than lose, by a precarious peace, the fruits of so many victories and conquests, gained in the course of this expensive, but necessary war, our politicians thought fit to seem to strike in with the humour of the people ; which was done artfully enough, in a pamphlet, entitled, ' A New Journey to Paris, together with some secret Transactions between the French King and an English Gentleman,' pretended to be written by one Monsieur Du Baudrier, who was said in it to have been appointed to attend Mr Prior, who, in the same relation, is supposed to have gone into France under the name of Mr Matthews."-Annals of Queen Anne's Reign. Year X. 1712, p. 236.

From the above passage, it would seem that the Whigs considered this jeu d'esprit as a serious experiment on the feelings of the people towards a peace. What Swift calls the romantic part, which spoiled the whole, is an account of a French marquis begging in the highway, an incident too extravagant for the grave humour of the rest of the piece.

tended to me that he was only going to Oxford and Cambridge for a fortnight, and then would come back. I could not see him, as I appointed t'other day; but some of his friends tell me, he took leave of them as going to Ireland; and so they say at his lodging. I believe the rogue was ashamed to tell me so, because I advised him to stay the winter, and he said he would. I find he had got into a good set of scrub acquaintance, and I thought passed his time very merrily; but I suppose he languished after Balderig, and the claret of Dublin: and, after all, I think he is in the right; for he can eat, drink, and converse better there than here. Bernage was with me this morning he calls now and then; he is in terrible fear of a peace. He said, he never had his health so well as in Portugal. He is a favourite of his colonel.

14. I was mortified enough to-day, not knowing where in the world to dine, the town is so empty; I met H. Coote, and thought he would invite me, but he did not Sir John Stanley did not come into my head; so I took up with Mrs Van, and dined with her and her damned landlady, who, I believe, by her eyebrows, is a bawd. This evening I met Addison and Pastoral Philips in the Park, and supped with them at Addison's lodgings; we were very good company; and yet know no man half so agreeable to me as he is. * I sat with

* The following passage in the "Tatler," written by the celebrated Epicure Dartiquenave, gives us some idea of the liveliness of Addison's conversation, when wine had removed the natural shyness of his temper.

"I have the good fortune now to be intimate with a gentleman remarkable for this temper, who has an inexhaustible source of wit to entertain the curious, the grave, the humorous, and the fro

them till twelve, so you may think 'tis late, young women; however, I would have some little conversation with MD before your Presto goes to bed, because it makes me sleep and dream, and so forth. Faith this letter goes on slowly enough, sirrahs, but I can't write much at a time till you are quite settled after your journey you know, and have gone all your visits, and lost your money at ombre. You never play at chess now, Stella. That puts me in mind of Dick Tighe; I fancy I told you he used to beat his wife here: and she deserved it; and he resolves to part with her; and they went to Ireland in different coaches. O Lord, I said all this before, I'm sure. Go to bed, sirrahs.

Windsor, 15. I made the secretary stop at Brentford, because we set out at two this afternoon, and fasting would not agree with me. I only designed to eat a bit

lic. He can transform himself into different shapes, and adapt himself to every company; yet in a coffeehouse, or in the ordinary course of affairs, he appears rather dull than sprightly. You can seldom get him to the tavern; but, when once he is arrived to his pint, and begins to look about and like his company, you admire a thousand things in him, which before lay buried. Then you discover the brightness of his mind, and the strength of his judgment, accompanied with the most grateful mirth. In a word, by this enlivening aid, he is whatever is polite, instructive, and diverting. What makes him still more agreeable is, that he tells a story, serious or comical, with as much delicacy of humour as Cervantes himself. And for all this, at other times, even after a long knowledge of him, you shall scarce discern in this incomparable person a whit more than what might be expected from one of a common capacity. Doubtless there are men of great parts that are guilty of downright bashfulness, that, by a strange hesitation or reluctance to speak, murder the finest and most elegant thoughts, and render the most lively conceptions flat and heavy.”— Tatler, No. 252.

of bread and butter, but he would light, and we ate roast beef like dragons. And he made me treat him and two more gentlemen; faith it cost me a guinea; I don't like such jesting, yet I was mightily pleased with it too. Tonight our society met at the secretary's, there were nine of us; and we have chosen a new member, the Earl of Jersey, whose father died lately. 'Tis past one, and I have stolen away.

16. I design to stay here this week by myself, about some business that lies on my hands, and will take up a great deal of time. Dr Adams, one of the canons, invited me to-day to dinner. The tables are so full here on Sunday, that it is hard to dine with a few, and Dr Adams knows I love to do so; which is very obliging. The queen saw company in her bedchamber; she looks very well, but she sat down. I supped with lord-treasurer as usual, and staid till past one as usual, and with our usual company, except lord-keeper, who did not come this time to Windsor. I hate these suppers mor

tally; but I seldom eat any thing.

17. Lord-treasurer and Mr Secretary stay here till to-morrow; some business keeps them, and I am sorry for it, for they hinder me a day. Mr Lewis and I were going to dine soberly with a little court friend at one. But Lord Harley and Lord Dupplin* kept me by force, and said we should dine at lord-treasurer's, who intended to go at four to London; I staid like a fool, and went with the two young lords to lord-treasurer; who very fairly turned us all three out of doors. They both were invited to the Duke of Somerset, but he was gone to a horse-race, and would not come till five: so we were

* Lord Oxford's son and son-in-law.

forced to go to a tavern, and send for wine from lordtreasurer's, who at last we were told did not go to town till the morrow, and at lord-treasurer's we supped again; and I desired him to let me add four shillings to the bill I gave him. him. We sat up till two, yet I must write to little

MD.

18. They are all gone early this morning; and I am alone to seek my fortune; but Dr Arbuthnot engages me for my dinners; and he yesterday gave me my choice of place, person, and victuals for to-day. So I chose to dine with Mrs Hill, who is one of the dressers, and Mrs Masham's sister; no company but us three, and to have a shoulder of mutton, a small one, which was exactly, only there was too much victuals besides; and the Dr's wife was of the company. And to-morrow Mrs Hill and I are to dine with the doctor. I have seen a fellow often about court, whom I thought I knew; I asked who he was, and they told me it was the gentleman porter; then I called him to mind; he was Killy's acquaintance, (I won't say yours,) I think his name is Lovet, or Lovel, or something like it. I believe he does not know me, and in my present posture I shall not be fond of renewing old acquaintance; I believe I used to see him with the Bradleys; and by the way, I have not seen Mrs Bradley since I came to England. I left your letter in London, like a fool; and cannot answer it till I go back, which will not be until Monday next: so this will be above a fortnight from my last; but I will fetch it up in my next; so go and walk to the dean's for your health this fine weather.

19. The queen designs to have cards and dancing here next week, which makes us think she will stay here longer than we believed. Mrs Masham is not well after