make my court (which I know is vain), for I own myself full of doubts, fears, and dissatisfactions; which I think on as seldom as I can: yet if I were of any value, the public may safely rely on my loyalty because I look upon the coming of the pretender as a greater evil, than any we are likely to suffer under the worst whig ministry that can be found. I have not spoke or thought so much of party these two years, nor could any thing have tempted me to it, but the grief I have in standing so ill in your grace's opinion. I beg your grace's blessing; And am, &c. MY LORD, TO THE SAME. JON. SWIFT. Trim, Dec. 22, 1716. I HAVE been here some days, to finish the purchase of a glebe for my country parish. I prevailed on a gentleman to alienate twenty acres for 2001. to be had from the trustees of the first-fruits. He then sets me twenty-three acres more for 999 years. Upon these last twenty-three acres, I am, by agreement, to lay out the said 2001. in building, and to give the gentleman immediately 551. out of my own pocket, and to pay him 141. per annum for ever, which is near the value of the whole forty acres ; these last twenty-three acres, after I have built and improved, I design to leave my successor,* who *See the Dean's will. will then have forty-three acres of good glebe, with house, gardens, &c. for 141. per annum. I reckon to lay out of my own money above 2501. and so to be an humble imitator of your grace, longo intervallo. This expedient was a project of Dr Raymond, minister of this town, to deal with a Jew, who would not lessen his rent-roll to save all the churches in Christendom. Dr Coghill, and every body else, approves the thing; since it is a good bargain to the church, a better to the gentleman, and only a bad one to myself; and I hope your grace will have the same thoughts. Since I came down here, I received the honour of a large, and therefore an agreeable letter, from your grace, of November 22. I have reason to think myself hardly dealt with by those of the side in power, who will not think I deserve any place in your good thoughts; when they cannot but know, that, while I was near the late ministry, I was a common advocate for those they called the whigs, to a degree, that a certain great minister told me, I had always a whig in my sleeve; neither did I ever fail to interpose in any case of merit or compassion, by which means several persons in England, and some in this kingdom, kept their employments, for I cannot remember my Lord Oxford ever refused me a request of that kind. And for the rest, your grace may very well remember, that I had the honour of corresponding with you, during the whole period, with some degree of confidence: because I know your grace had wished the same things, but differed only in opinion about the hands that should effect them. It was on account of this conduct, that certain warm creatures of this kingdom, then in London, and not unknown to your grace, had the assurance to give me broad hints that I was providing against a change; and I observe those very men are now the most careful of all others, to creep as far as they can out of harm's way. The system of new zealots, which your grace extracted, must be very suitable to my principles, who was always a whig in politics. I have been told, that upon the death of the last nonjuring bishop, Dodwell* and his followers thought the schism at an end. My notion was, that these people began to set up again, upon despair of their * Henry Dodwell, a very learned nonconforming divine. He endeavoured as much as he could to heal the schism in the church of England, upon the following occasions: In the beginning of the eighteenth century, "observing, that the deprived bishops were reduced to a small number, he wrote 6 A Case in View considered,' proving, that [in case our present invalidly deprived fathers shall leave all their sees vacant, either by death or resignation], we shall not then be obliged to keep up our separation from those bishops who are as yet involved in the guilt of the present unhappy schism. Lond. 1705. 8vo. Some time after, he published A farther prospect of the Case in View, in answer to some new objections not then considered.' Lond. 1707. 8vo. . Upon the death of Dr William Lloyd, the deprived bishop of Norwich, on the first of January 1710-11, Mr Dodwell, with some other friends, wrote to Dr Thomas Kenn, of Bath and Wells, the only surviving deprived bishop, to know whether he challenged their subjection? He returned for answer that he did not and signified his desire that the breach might be closed by their joining with the bishops possessed of their sees; giving his reasons for it. Accordingly, Mr Dodwell and several of his friends joined in communion with them. But others refusing to do so, Mr Dodwell was exceedingly concerned at it and wrote, 'The Case in View now in Fact, proving that the continuance of a separate communion without substitutes in any of the late invalidly-deprived sees, since the death of William, late Lord Bishop of Norwich, is schismatical. With an Appendix, proving, That our late invalidly-deprived fathers had no right to substitute successors, who might legitimate the separation, after cause by the rebellion * being brought to an end; else their politics are, if possible, worse than their divinity. Upon the whole, it is clear, that the game is entirely in the hands of the king and his ministers; and I am extremely glad of your grace's opinion, that it will be played as it ought: or, if we must suffer for a name, however, I had rather be devoured by a lion than a rat. That maxim of the injuring person never forgiving the person injured, is, I believe, true in particulars, but not of communities. I cannot but suppose that the clergy thought there were some hardships and grounds for fears, otherwise they must be very wicked, or very mad; to say more would be to enter into a dispute upon a party subject; a dog or a horse knows when he is kindly treated: and besides, a wise administration will endeavour to remove the vain, as well as the real fears of those they govern. I saw the provost yesterday in this neighbourhood, and had some little talk with him upon the occasion of the Bishop of Killaloe's death: I believe he would accept of the deanery of Derry, if Dr Bolton the dean should be promoted; but I said nothing of it to him. I believe he has written to Mr Molyneux. † I find, since he cannot be trusted with a bishoprick, that he desires to leave his station with as good a grace as he can; and that it may not be thought the schism had been concluded by the decease of the last survivor of those same fathers.' Lond. 1711. 8vo."---Biogr. Brit. Lond. 1793. Vol. V. p. 325. *In Scotland, in the year 1715.-F. + Samuel Molyneux, Esq. a gentleman of great abilities and large property in Ireland, secretary to the Prince of Wales chan cellor of the university of Dublin.---F. that what he shall get is only to get rid of him. I said in general, that such a circumstance, as things stood, was hardly worth the quiet of a man's whole life; and so we parted, only with telling him I intended to write to your grace, in answer to a letter I had from you.. JON. SWIFT. FROM ERASMUS LEWIS, ESQ. SIR, London, Jan. 12, 1716-17. ABOUT two months ago I sent you a very long epistle, and was in hopes you would either have made us a visit, or have let us hear from you. Since you have done neither, we must flatter ourselves that you will be better the new year than the former. Our friend Prior, not having had the vicissitude of human things before his eyes, is likely to end his days in as forlorn a state as any other poet has done before him, if his friends do not take more care of him than he did of himself. Therefore, to prevent the evil, which we see is coming on very fast, we have a project of printing his Solomon, and other Poetical Works, by subscription; one guinea to be paid in hand, and the other at the delivery of the book. He, Arbuthnot, Pope, and Gay, are now with me, and remember you. It is our joint request, that you will endeavour to procure some subscriptions: you will give your receipts for the money you receive, and when you return it hither you shall |