of a very dangerous diftemper, an impofthume in the bowels; which is broke, but the event is very uncertain. Whatever that be (he bids me tell you, and I write this by him) he lives or dies your faithful friend; and one reafon he has to defire a little longer life, is the wish to see you once more.

He is gay enough in this circumftance to tell you, he wou'd give you (if he cou'd) fuch advice as might cure your deafnefs, but he would not advise you, if you were cured, to quit the pretence of it; because you may by that means hear as much as you will, and anfwer as little as you please. Believe me Your's, &c.

LETTER XI.

From Dr. SWIFT.

Sept. 29, 1725.

I

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am now returning to the noble scene of Dublin, into the grand Monde, for fear of burying my parts: to fignalize myself among Curates and Vicars, and correct all corruptions crept in relating to the weight of bread and butter, through those dominions where I govern. I have employ'd my time (befides ditching) in finishing, correcting, amending, and tranfcribing my Travels, in four parts compleat, newly augmented, and intended for the prefs when the world fhall deserve them, or rather when a Printer fhall be found brave enough to venture his ears. I like the scheme of our meeting after diftreffes and difperfions; but the chief end I propose to myself in all my labours, is to vex the world, rather than divert it; and if I could compafs

Gulliver's Travels.

D 3.

that

that defign without hurting my own perfon or fortune, I would be the most indefatigable writer you have ever feen, without reading. I am exceedingly pleafed that you have done with Translations; Lord Treasurer Oxford often lamented that a rafcally world fhould lay you under a neceffity of mifemploying your genius for fo long a time. But fince you will now be fo much better employ'd, when you think of the world, give it one lash the more at my request. I have ever hated all Nations, Profeffions, and Communities; and all my love is towards Individuals: for inftance, I hate the Tribe of Lawyers, but I love Counsellor fuch a one, and Judge fuch a one: 'Tis fo with Phyficians, (I will not speak of my own Trade) Soldiers, Englifh, Scotch, French, and the reft. But principally I hate and deteft that animal call'd Man, although I heartily love John, Peter, Thomas, and fo forth. This is the fyftem upon which I have governed my→ felf many years (but do not tell) and fo I fhall go on till I have done with them. I have got materials towards a Treatife, proving the falfity of that definition Animal rationale, and to fhew it should be only rationis capax. Upon this great foundation of Mifanthrophy (tho' not in Timon's manner) the whole building of my Travels is erected; and I never will have peace of mind, till all honeft men are of my opinion: By confequence you are to embrace it immediately, and procure that all who deserve my efteem may do fo too. The matter is fo clear, that it will admit of no difpute; nay, I will hold a hundred pounds that you and I agree in the point.

I did not know your Odyffey was finished, being yet in the country, which I fhall leave in three days. I thank you kindly for the prefent, but fhall like it three fourths the lefs, for the mixture you mention of other hands; however, I am glad you fav'd yourself so much drudgery-I have been long told by

Mr.

Mr. Ford of your great achievements in building and planting, and efpecially of your fubterranean paffage to your garden, whereby you turned a Blunder into a Beauty, which is a piece of Ars Poetica.

I have almoft done with Harridans, and fhall foon become old enough to fall in love with girls of fourteen. The Lady whom you defcribe to live at Court, to be deaf, and no party-woman, I take to be Mythology, but know not how to moralize it. She cannot be Mercy, for Mercy is neither deaf, nor lives at Court: Juftice is blind, and perhaps deaf, but neither is fhe a Court-lady: Fortune is both blind and deaf, and a Court-lady, but then he is a most damnable Party-woman, and will never make me easy, as you promife. It must be Riches, which anfwers all your defcription: I am glad fhe vifits you, but my voice is fo weak, that I doubt she will

never hear me.

Mr. Lewis fent me an account of Dr. Arbuthnot's illness, which is a very fenfible affliction to me, who by living fo long out of the world, have loft that hardness of heart contracted by years and general conversation. I am daily lofing friends, and neither feeking nor getting others. Oh if the world had but a dozen of Arbuthnots in it, I would burn my Travels! But however he is not without fault: There is a paffage in Bede, highly commending the piety and learning of the Irish in that age, where after abundance of praifes he overthrows them all, by lamenting that, alas! they kept Eafter at a wrong time of the year. So our Doctor has every quality and virtue that can make a man amiable or ufeful; but alas, he hath a fort of flouch in his Walk! I pray God protect him, for he is an excellent Chriftian, though not a Catholic.

I hear nothing of our friend Gay, but I find the Court keeps him at hard meat. I advised him to come over here with a Lord Lieutenant. Philips

writes little Flams (as Lord Leicester call'd those fort of verses) on Mifs Carteret. A Dublin Blacksmith, a great Poet, hath imitated his manner in a poem to the fame Miss. Philips is a complainer, and on this occafion I told Lord Carteret, that Complainers never fucceeded at Court, though Railers do.

Are you altogether a country gentleman? that I muft address to you out of London, to the hazard of your lofing this precious letter, which I will now conclude altho' fo much paper is left. I have an ill Name, and therefore fhall not fubfcribe it, but you will guess it comes from one who efteems and loves you about half as much as you deserve, I mean as much as he can.

I am in great concern, at what I am just told is in fome of the news-papers, that Lord Bolingbroke is much hurt by a fall in hunting. I am glad he has fo much Youth and vigour left (of which he hath not been thrifty) but I wonder he has no more Difcretion.

I

LETTER XII.

Oct. 15, 1725:

draw

am wonderfully pleas'd with the fuddenness of your kind answer. It makes me hope you are coming towards us, and that you incline more and more to your old friends, in proportion as you nearer to them; and are getting into our Vortex. Here is one, who was once a powerful planet, but has now (after long experience of all that comes of Thining) learned to be content, with returning to his firft point, without the thought or ambition of fhining at all. Here is Another, who thinks one of、 the greatest glories of his Father was to have diftinguished

guifhed and loved you, and who loves you hereditarily. Here is Arbuthnot, recovered from the jaws of death, and more pleas'd with the hope of feeing you again, than of reviewing a world every part of which he has long defpis'd, but what is made up of a few men like yourfelf. He goes abroad again, and is more chearful than even health can make a man, for he has a good conscience into the bargain (which is the moft Catholic of all remedies, tho' not the most Universal.) I knew it would be a pleasure to you to hear this, and in truth that made me write fo foon to you.

I'm forry poor P. is not promoted in this age; for certainly if his reward be of the next, he is of all Poets the most miferable. I'm alfo forry for an-. other reafon; if they don't promote him, they'll fpoil the conclufion of one of my Satires, where, having endeavoured to correct the Taste of the town in wit and criticifm, I end thus,

But what avails to lay down rules for fenfe? In's Reign thefe fruitless lines were writ, When Ambrofe Philips was preferr'd for Wit! Our friend Gay is used as the friends of Tories are by Whigs (and generally by Tories too.). Because he had humour, he was fuppofed to have dealt with Dr. Swift; in like manner as when any one had learning formerly, he was thought to have dealt with the Devil. He puts his whole truft at Court in that Lady whom I described to you, and whom you take to be an allegorical creature of fancy: I wifh fhe really were Riches for his fake; though as. for your's, I queftion whether (if you knew her) you would change her for the other?

Lord Bolingbroke had not the leaft harm by his fall, I wish he had receiv'd no more by his other fall; Lord Oxford had none by his. But Lord Bolingbroke is the moft improved Mind fince you faw. him, that ever was improved without shifting into a

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