luxury and ambition, this very office of Dictator became perpetual in the perfons of the Cæfars and their Succeffors, the most infamous Tyrants that have any where appeared in ftory.

Thefe are fome of the fentiments I had, relating to publick affairs, while I was in the world: what they are at prefent, is of little importance either to that or myfelf; neither can I truly say I have any at all, or, if I had, I dare not venture to publifh them: For however orthodox they may be while I am now writing, they may become criminal enough to bring me into trouble before midfummer. And indeed I have often wifhed for fome time paft, that a political Catechifm might be publifhed by authority four times a year, in order to inftruct us how we are to speak, write, and act during the current quarter. I have by experience felt the want of fuch an inftructer: For, intending to make my court to fome people on the prevailing fide, by advancing certain old whiggish principles, which, it feems, had been exploded about a month before, I have paffed for a difaffected perfon. I am not ignorant how idle a thing it is, for a man in obfcurity to attempt defending his reputation as a Writer, while the fpirit of Faction hath fo univerfally poffeffed the minds of men, that they are not at leifure to attend to any thing elfe. They will just give themselves time to libel and accufe me, but cannot fpare a minute to hear my defence. So in a plot-discovering age, I have often known an 'innocent man seized and imprifoned, and forced to lie feveral months in chains, while the Minifters were not at leifure to hear his petition, until they had profecuted and hanged the number they propofed.

All I can reasonably hope for by this letter, is to convince my friends, and others who are pleased to with me well, that I have neither been fo ill a

Subject

Subject nor fo ftupid an Author, as I have been reprefented by the virulence of Libellers, whofe malice hath taken the fame train in both, by fathering dangerous Principles in government upon me, which I never maintained, and infipid Productions, which I am not capable of writing For, however I may have been foured by perfonal ill treatment, or by melancholy profpects for the public, I am too much a politician to expofe my own fafety by offenfive words. And, if my genius and spirit be funk by 'encreafing years, I have at leaft enough difcretion left, not to mistake the measure of my own abilities, by attempting subjects where thofe Talents are neceffary, which perhaps I may have left with my youth.

LETTER VI.

Dr. SWIFT. to Mr. GAY.

Dublin, Jan. 8, 1722-3.

COMING home after a fhort Christmas ram

Cble, I found a letter upon my table, and little

expected when I opened it to read your name at the bottom. The beft and greatest part of my life, until these laft eight years, I fpent in England; there I made my friendships, and there I left my defires. I am condemned for ever to another country; what is in prudence to be done? I think, to be oblitufque meorum, oblivifcendus & illis. What can be the defign of your letter but malice, to wake me out of a fcurvy fleep, which however is better than none? I am towards nine years older fince I left you, yet that is the left of my alterations; my bufinefs, my diverfions, my converfations, are all' entirely changed for the worfe, and fo are my ftu

C 4

dies

dies and my amufements in writing; yet, after all, this humdrum way of life might be paffable enough, if you would let me alone. I fhall not be able to relifh my wine, my parfons, my horfes, nor my garden for three months, until the fpirit you have raised fhall be difpoffeffed. I have fometimes wondered that I have not vifited you, but I have been stopt by too many reasons, befides years and lazinefs, and yet thefe are very good ones. Upon my return after half a year amongst you, there would be to me Defiderio nec pudor nec modus. I was three years reconciling myfelf to the fcene, and the bufinefs, to which fortune hath condemned me, and ftupidity was what I had recourfe to. Befides, what a figure fhould I make in London, while my friends are in poverty, exile, diftrefs, or imprisonment, and my enemies with rods of iron? Yet I often threaten myfelf with the journey, and am every fummer practifing to get health to bear it: The only inconvenience is, that I grow old in the experiment. Although I care not to talk to you as a Divine, yet I hope you have not been author of your colic: do you drink bad wine, or keep bad company? Are you not as many years older as I? It will not be always Et tibi quos mihi dempferit Apponet annos. I am heartily forry you have any dealings with that ugly diftemper, and I believe our friend Arbuthnot will recommend you to temperance and exercife. I wifh they could have as good an effect upon the giddiness I am subject to, and which this moment I am not free from. I fhould have been glad if you had lengthened your letter by telling me the prefent condition of many of my old acquaintance, Congreve, Arbuthnot, Lewis, &c. but you mention only Mr. Pope, who I believe is lazy, or elfe he might have added three lines of his own. I am extremely glad he is not in your cafe of needing great meris favour, and

could

could heartily wish that you were in his. I have been confidering why Poets have fuch ill fuccefs in making their Court, fince they are allowed to be the greatest and best of all flatterers: The defect is, that they flatter only in print or in writing, but not by word of mouth: They will give things under their hand which they make a confcience of speaking. Befides, they are too libertine to haunt antichambers, too poor to bribe Porters and footmen, and too proud to cringe to fecond-hand favourites in a great family. Tell me, are you not under Original fin by the dedication of your Eclogues to Lord Bolingbroke? I am an ill Judge at this diftance; and befides, am, for my eafe, utterly ignorant of the commoneft things that pafs in the world; but if all Courts have a famenefs in them (as the Parfons phrase it) things may be as they were in my time, when all employments went to Parliament-mens Friends, who had been useful in Elections, and there was always a huge Lift of names in arrears at the Treafury, which would at least take up your seven years expedient to discharge even one half. I am of opinion, if you will not be offended, that the fureft courfe would be to get your Friend who lodgeth in your house to recommend you to the next chief Governor who comes over here for a good civil employment, or to be one of his Secretaries, which your Parliament-men are fond enough of, when there is no room at home. The wine is good and reafonable; you may dine twice a week at the Deanery-houfe; there is a fett of company in this town fufficient for one man; folks will admire you, because they have read you, and read of you; and a good employment will make you live tolerably in London, or fumptuoufly here; or if you divide between both places, it will be for your health.

I

I wish I could do more than fay I love you. I left you in a good way both for the late Court, and the Succeffors; and by the force of too much honefty or too little fublunary wifdom, you fell between two stools. Take care of your health and money; be lefs modeft and more active; or elfe turn Parfon and get a Bishoprick here: Would to God they would fend us as good ones from your frde!

I am ever, &c.

I

LETTER

VII.

Mr. Port to Dr. SWIFT.

Jan. 12, 1723.

Find a rebuke in a late Letter of yours, that both ftings and pleafeth me extremely. Your faying that I ought to have writ a Postscript,to my friend Gay's, makes me not content to write, lefs than a whole Letter; and your feeming to take his kindly, gives me hopes you will look upon this as a fincere effect of Friendship. Indeed as I cannot but own the Laziness with which you and with which I may equally charge you, both of us have had (and one of us hath both had and given *) a Surfeit of writing; fo I really thought you would know your felf to be fo certainly intitled to my Friendship, that it was a poffeffion you could not imagine ftood in need of any further Deeds or Writings to affure you of it.

tax me,

for

Whatever you feem to think of your withdrawn and feparate state at this diftance, and in this Abfence, Dean Swift lives ftill in England, in every

* Alluding to his large work on Homer.

place