never take it upon me.-Insolent sluts! because I say Dublin, Ireland, therefore you must say London, England: that is Stella's malice.-Well, for that I will not answer your letter till to-morrow day; and so, and so, I will go write something else, and it will not be much; for it is late. 22. I was this morning with Mr Lewis, the under secretary to Lord Dartmouth, two hours talking politics, and contriving to keep Steele in his office of stamped paper he has lost his place of Gazetteer, three hundred pounds a-year, for writing a Tatler, some months ago, against Mr Harley, who gave it him at first, and raised the salary from sixty to three hundred pounds. This was devilish ungrateful; and Lewis was telling me the particulars: but I had a hint given me, that I might save him in the other employment; and leave was given me to clear matters with Steele. Well, I dined with Sir Matthew Dudley, and in the evening went to sit with Mr Addison, and offer the matter at distance to him, as the discreeter person; but found party had so possessed him, that he talked as if he suspected me, and would not fall in with any thing I said. So I stopped short in my overture, and we parted very dryly; and I shall say nothing to Steele, and let them do as they will; but if things stand as they are, he will certainly lose it, unless I save him; and therefore I will not speak to him, that I may not report to his disadvantage. Is not this vexatious? and is there so much in the proverb of proffered service? When shall I grow wise? I endeavour to act in the most exact points of honour and conscience, and my nearest friends will not understand What must a man expect from his enemies? it so. This would vex me, but it shall not; and so I bid you good night, &c. * 23. I know it is neither wit nor diversion to tell you every day where I dine, neither do I write it to fill my letter; but I fancy I shall, some time or other, have the curiosity of seeing some particulars how I passed my life when I was absent from MD this time; † and so I tell you now that I dined to-day at Molesworth's, the Florence envoy, then went to the coffeehouse, where I behaved myself coldly enough to Mr Addison, and so came home to scribble. We dine together to-morrow and next day by invitation; but I shall alter my behaviour to him, till he begs my pardon, or else we shall grow bare acquaintance. I am weary of friends, and friendships are all monsters, but MD's. 24. I forgot to tell you, that last night I went to Mr Harley's hoping-faith, I am blundering, for it was this very night at six; and I hoped he would have told me all things were done and granted; but he was abroad, and came home ill, and was gone to bed, much out of order, unless the porter lied. I dined to-day at Sir Matthew Dudley's with Mr Addison, &c. 25. I was to-day to see the Duke of Ormond; and coming out, met Lord Berkeley of Stratton, who told me, that Mrs Temple, the widow, died last Saturday, * Swift's good intentions in Steele's behalf were misconstrued, to say the least, by that ardent Whig, and rather accelerated the breach which naturally they might have been expected to prevent. See the angry correspondence between Swift and Steele upon this subject. + These words are remarkable, and proved prophetic. The crisis was indeed of such importance, that every actor and near spectator might well wish to keep a register of all relating to it. * which, I suppose, is much to the outward grief and inward joy of the family. I dined to-day with Mr Addison, and Steele, and a sister of Mr Addison, who is married to one Mons. Sartre, a Frenchman, prebendary of Westminster, who has a delicious house and garden; yet I thought it was a sort of a monastic life in those cloisters, and I liked Laracor better. Addison's sister is a sort of a wit, very like him. I am not fond of her, &c. 26. I was to-day to see Mr Congreve, who is almost blind with cataracts growing on his eyes; and his case is, that he must wait two or three years, until the cataracts are riper, and till he is quite blind, and then he must have them couched; and besides he is never rid of the gout, yet he looks young and fresh, and is as cheerful as ever. He is younger by three years or more than I, † and I am twenty years younger than he. He gave me a pain in the great toe, by mentioning the gout. I find such suspicions frequently, but they go off again. I had a second letter from Mr Morgan; for which I thank you: I wish you were whipped for forgetting to send him that answer I desired you in one of my former, that I could do nothing for him of what he desired, having no credit at all, &c. Go, be far enough, you negligent baggages. I have had also a letter from Parvisol, with an account how my livings are set, and that they are fallen, since last year, sixty pounds. A comfortable piece of news! He tells me plainly that he finds you * The celebrated dramatic poet, with whom Swift lived on most friendly terms. He addressed a poem to Congreve so early as No vember 1693. + Congreve was born in the year 1672; consequently he was between four and five years younger than Dr Swift. have no mind to part with the horse, because you sent for him at the same time you sent him my letter; so that I know not what must be done. It is a sad thing that Stella must have her own horse, whether Parvisol will or not! So now to answer your letter that I had three or four days ago. I am not now in bed, but am come home by eight; and it being warm, I write up. I never writ to the Bishop of Killala, which, I suppose, was the reason he had not my letter. I have not time, that is the short of it.-As fond as the dean is of my letter, he has not written to me. I would only know whether Dean Bolton * paid him the twenty pounds; and for the rest, he may kiss. And that you may ask him, because I am in pain about it, that Dean Bolton is such a whipster. It is the most obliging thing in the world in Dean Sterne to be so kind to you. I believe he knows it will please me, and makes up, that way, his other usage. No, we have had none of your snow, but a little one morning; yet I think it was great snow for an hour or so, but no longer. I had heard of Will Crowe's death before, but not the foolish circumstance that hastened his end. No, I have taken care that Cap * This gentleman, as well as Dr Swift, was one of the chaplains to Lord Berkeley, when lord-lieutenant; and was promoted to the deanery of Derry, upon Swift declining to give a bribe of L.1000, demanded by Bushe, Lord Berkeley's secretary. + When Sterne became Dean of St Patrick's, he promised Swift, who had assisted him in his election, a living, called "St Nicholas Without," but by concert with the bishop, contrived to hold it himself, and applied the revenue to build another church; on which occasion, Swift told him he would always respect him, but never look for any friendship from him. Of this he reminds Sterne when bishop, in a letter dated July 1733. tain Pratt shall not suffer by Lord Anglesea's death. * I will try some contrivance to get a copy of my picture from Jervas. I will make Sir Andrew Fountaine buy one as for himself, and I will pay him again and take it, that is, provided I have money to spare when I leave this.-Poor John! is he gone? and Madam Parvisol has been in town? Humm. Why, Tighe and I, when he comes, shall not take any notice of each other; I would not do it much in this town, though we had not fallen out. I was to-day at Mr Sterne's lodging; he was not within, and Mr Leigh is not come to town, but I will do Dingley's errand when I see him. What do I know whether china be dear or no? I once took a fancy of resolving to grow mad for it, but now it is off: I suppose I told you so in some former letter. + And so you only want some sallad dishes, and plates, and, &c. Yes, yes, you shall. I suppose you have named as much as will cost five pounds.-Now to Stella's little postscript; and I am almost crazed that you vex yourself for not writing. Cannot you dictate to Dingley, and not strain your little dear eyes? I am sure it is the grief of my soul to think you are out of order. Pray be quiet, and if you will write, shut your eyes, and write just a line, and no more, thus, How do you do, Mrs Stella? That was written with my eyes shut. Faith, I think it is better than when they are open : ‡ and then Dingley may stand by, and tell you when you go too high or too low.-My letters of business, with packets, if there be any more occasion for such, must be enclosed to Mr Addison, at St * Probably by recommending him to her brother and successor. + See his Journal 15th September. It is actually in a plainer hand. |
