ment after you disappeared, I found it was to no purpose to be unconcerned, and to slight (as I really have done) all the silly stories and schemes I met with every day; the effects of self-conceit, and a frightened, hasty desire of gain. They asked me, "Has not the dean left the town? Is not Dr Swift gone into the country?"-Yes; and I would have gone into the country too, if I had not learned, one cannot be hurt till one turns one's back; for which reason I will go no more on their errands. But, seriously, you never heard such bellowing about the town of the state of the nation, especially among the sharpers, sellers of bear-skins, and the rest of that kind: nor such crying and squalling among the ladies; insomuch that it has at last reached the house of commons; which I am sorry for, because it is hot and uneasy sitting there in this season of the year. But I was told to-day, that in some countries, people are forced to watch day and night, to keep wild beasts out of their Do you not pity me, for yielding to such grave sayings, to be stifled every day in the house of

corn.

commons?

*

When I was out of England, I used to receive five or six letters each post, with this passage: "As for what passes here, you will be informed by others much better; therefore I shall not trouble you with any thing of that sort." You will give me leave to use it now, as my excuse to you for not

* Stock-jobbers. He who sells that of which he is not pos sessed, is said proverbially to sell the bear's skin, while the bear runs in the woods. And it being common for stock-jobbers to make contracts for transferring stocks at a future time, though they were not possessed of the stock to be transferred, they are called sellers of bear-skins.-H.

writing news. I hope, honest Gay will be better
supplied by some friend or other. Before I received
your direction, I had ordered my servant, who
comes next Monday out of Herefordshire, to leave
your horse at the Crown in Farringdon, where you
can easily send for him. I hear he was so fat, they
could not travel him till he was taken down; and I
ordered he should go short journies: he is of a
good breed, and therefore I hope will prove well :
if not, use him like a bastard, and I will choose
another for you.
I am, Sir,

Your most faithful humble servant,
T. HARLEY.

FROM MR THOMAS. *

REVEREND SIR,

June 22,

1714.

It was with some difficulty, that I prevailed with myself to forbear acknowledging your very kind letter. I can only tell you, it shall be the business of my life, to endeavour to deserve the opinion you' express of me, and thereby to recommend myself to the continuance of your friendship.

My lord-treasurer does, upon all occasions, do justice to your merit; and he has expressed to all his friends the great esteem he has for so hearty and honest a friend, and particularly on occasion of the letter you mention to have lately writ to him. And

*Secretary to lord-treasurer.

all his friends can inform you with what pleasure he communicated it to them.

And now for business; I am to acquaint you, that last Thursday I received the 50l. (which now waits your orders) and dated your receipt accordingly, which I delivered to Mr Wetham, who paid me the money.

I do not pretend to tell you how matters go. Our friend says very bad. I am sanguine enough to hope not worse.

I am, with all possible esteem, ever yours,

WILLIAM THOMAS.

FROM DR ARBUTHNOT.

DEAR BROTHER,

Kensington, June 26, 1714.

I HAD almost resolved not to write to you, for fear of disturbing so happy a state as you describe. On the other hand, a little of the devil, that cannot endure any body should enjoy a paradise, almost provoked me to give you a long and melancholy state of our affairs. For you must know, that it is just my own case. I have with great industry endeavoured to live in ignorance, but at the same time would enjoy Kensington garden: and then some busy discontented body or another comes just cross me, and begins a dismal story; and before I go to supper, I am as full of grievances as the most knowing of them.

I will plague you a little, by telling you the dragon dies hard. He is now kicking and cuffing about him like the devil: and you know parliamentary management is the forte, but no hopes of

any settlement between the two champions. The dragon said last night to my Lady Masham and me, that it is with great industry he keeps his friends, who are very numerous, from pulling all to pieces. Gay had a hundred pounds in due time, and went away a happy man. I have solicited both lordtreasurer and Lord Bolingbroke strongly for the Parnellian, and gave them a memorial the other day. Lord-treasurer speaks mighty affectionately of him, which you know is an ill sign in ecclesiastical preferments. Witness some, that you and I know, when the contrary was the best sign in the world. Pray, remember Martin, who is an innocent fellow, and will not disturb your solitude, The ridicule of medicine is so copious a subject. that I must only here and there touch it. I have made him study physic from the apothecaries bills, where there is a good plentiful field for a satire upon the present practice. One of his projects was, by a stamp upon blistering-plasters, and melilot by the yard, to raise money for the government, and to give it to Radcliffe and others to farm. But there was likely to be a petition from the inhabitants of London and Westminster, who had no mind to be flead. There was a problem about the doses of purging medicines published four years ago, showing that they ought to be in proportion to the bulk of the patient. From thence Martin endeavours to determine the question about the weight of the ancient men, by the doses of physic that were given them. One of his best inventions

* Martinus Scriblerus. It is pity that Arbuthnot, whose humour was pointed, and whose learning was so extensive, had not executed the humorous plan here traced out.

was a map of diseases for the three cavities of the body, and one for the external parts; just like the four quarters of the world. Then the great diseases are like capital cities, with their symptoms all like streets and suburbs, with the roads that lead to other diseases. It is thicker set with towns than any Flanders map you ever saw. Radcliffe is painted at the corner of the map, contending for the universal empire of this world, and the rest of the physicians opposing his ambitious designs, with a project of a treaty of partition to settle peace.

There is an excellent subject of ridicule from some of the German physicians, who set up a sensitive soul as a sort of a first minister to the rational. Helmot calls him Archæus. * Dolæus calls him Microcosmetor. He has under him several other genii, that reside in the particular parts of the body, particularly Prince Cardimelech in the heart; Gasteronax in the stomach; and the plastic prince in the organs of generation. I believe I could make you laugh at the explication of distempers from the wars and alliances of those princes, and how the first minister gets the better of his mistress anima rationalis.

The best is, that it is making reprisals upon the politicians, who are sure to allegorise all the animal economy into state affairs. Pope has been collecting high flights of poetry, which are very good; they are to be solemn nonsense. †

I thought upon the following the other day, as

A late worthy and ingenious physician, (Dr Hunter of York), introduced this supposed Genius of the Stomach as an interlocutor in his facetious work entitled Culina.

+ The specimen of the Bathos.