affection for your perfon; and therefore cannot but heartily condole with you for the lofs of fo ami, able, and (what is more) fo favourite a child. 'These are the neceffary confequences of too ftrong attatchments, by which we are grieving ourselves with the death of those we love; as we must one day grieve thofe who love us, with the death of ourfelves. For life is a tragedy, wherein we fit as fpectators a while, and then act our ewn part in it, Self-love, as it is the motive to all our actions, fo it is the fole caufe of our grief. The dear perfon you lament, is by no means an object of pity, either in a moral or religious fenfe. Philofophy always taught men to defpife life, as a moft contemptible thing in itself; and religion regards it only as a preparation for a better; which you are taught to be certain that fo innocent a perfon is now in poffeffion of; fo that the is an immenfe gainer, and you and her friends the only lofers Now, under misfortunes of this kind, I know no confolation more effectual to a reasonable person, than to reflect rather upon what is left, than what is loft, She was neither an only child, nor an only daugh. ter. You have three children left; one of them of an age to be ufeful to his family *, and the two others as promifing as can be expected from their age; fo that, according to the general difpenfations of God Almighty, you have small reason to repine upon that article of life. And religion will tell you, that the true way to preferve them is, not to fix any of them too deep in your heart: which is a weakness that God feldom leaves long unpunished; common obfervation fhewing us, that fuch favourite children are either spoiled by their parents indulgence, or foon taken out of the world; which laft is, generally fpeaking, the lighter punishment of the two.

• Charles Devenish, Efq.

$2

God,

God, in his wifɗom, hath been pleafed to load our declining years with many fufferings, with difeafes, and decays of nature, with the death of many friends, and the ingratitude of more; fometimes with the lofs or diminution of our fortunes, when our infirmities moft need them; often with contempt from the world, and always with neglect from it; with the death of our most hopeful or ufeful children; with a want of relish for all wordly enjoyments; with a general diflike of perfons and things and though all these are very natural effects of increafing years, yet they were intended by the author of our being, to wean us gradually from our fondnefs of life, the nearer we approachAnd this is the use you are to make, in prudence as well as confcience, of all the afflictions you have hitherto undergone, as well as of thofe which, in the course of nature and providence, you have reafon to expect. May God, who hath endued you with fo many virtues, add ftrength of mind, and reliance upon his mercy, in proportion to your prefent fufferings, as well as thofe he may think fit to try you with, through the remainder of your life.

towards the end of it

I fear my prefent ill difpofition, both of health and mind *, has made me but a forry comforter: however it will fhew, that no circumftance of life can put you out of my mind; and that I am, with the trueft refpect, efféem, and friendship,

Dear Madam,

Your most obedient,

and moft humble fervant,

JONATH. SWIFT.

It was written little more than a month before Mrs. Johnson's

death, an event which was then almost daily expected.

LET.

LETTER CXXV.

Dr. SWIFT to Dr. SHERIDAN.

Market hill, Aug. 2. 1728. OUR friends here, as well as my felf, were fadly disappointed upon hearing the account of your journey. No body in town or country, as we were informed, knew where you were but I perfuaded our family, that you were certainly in a way of ma- · king yourself eafy, and had got that living you mentioned; and accordingly we were grieved and rejoiced at the lofs and fettlement of a friend: but it never entered into our heads, that you were beftowing forty days in feveral ftages between conftable and conftable, without any real benefit to yourself, further than of exercife; and we wifhed, that no body fhould have had the benefit of your long abfence from your school but yourself, by a good living, or we by your good company; much lefs that the pleasure of fpighting T had been you great motive. I heartily with you were fettled at Hamilton's Bawn: and I would be apt to advise you, not to quit your thoughts that way, if the matter may be brought to bear; for by a letter I just received from the Rifhop of Cork, which was fhort and dry, with the ftale excufe of pre-engagements, I doubt you can hope nothing from him. As to what you call my exercife, I have long quitted it. It gave me too much constraint, and the world does not deferve it. We may keep it cold, till the middle of winter.

The feat of Si: Arthur Achefon.

As to my return, there are many fpeculations. I am well here, and hate removals. My fcheme was, that you fhould come hither, as you say, and I return with you in your chaise. Sir Arthur, on hearing your letter, preffed me to stay longer. I am a very busy man, fuch as at Quilca, which you will know when you come: yet I would contrive to be preffed more to ftay till Chriftmas, and then you may contrtve to be here again, and take me back with you time enough for my own vifitation: and my reason of staying is, to be here the planting and pruning time, &c. I hate Dublin, and love the retirement here, and the civility of my hofts. This is my state, and humour upon it, and accordingly you are to manage my fcheme. However, I would have you keep your vacation of September here; and let Mrs. Brent send me a dozen guineas (half of them half-guineas) by you, and a periwig, and a new riding gown and caffock, and whatever elfe I may want by a longer abfence, provided you will refolve and fwear that I fhall ftay.

I had all Mrs. Brent's packets by Mr. Little. My fervice to Mrs. Dingley. I cannot fay that I have more to say, than to say that I am, &c.

LETTER CXXVI

Dr. SWIFT to Dr. SHERIDAN.

Sept 18. 1728.

MY continuance here is owing partly to indo

lence, and partly to my hatred to Dublin. I am in a middling way, between healthy and fick, hardly ever without a little giddinefs or deafness,

This alfo fhould be dated from Market hill.

and

and fometimes both. So much for that. As to what you call my leffon, I told you I would think no more of it; neither do I conceive the world deferves fo much trouble from you or me. I think the fufferings of the country for want of filver, deferves a paper †, fince the remedy is fo cafy, and thofe in power fo negligent. I had fome other fubjects in my thoughts; but truly I am taken up fo much with long lampoons on a perfon who owns you for a back, that I have no time for any thing elfe; and if I do not produce one every now and then, of about two hundred lines, I am chid for my idlenefs, and threatened with you. I defire you will step to the deanery, fpeak to Mrs. Brent*, bid her open the middle great drawer of Ridgeway's fcrutoire in my clofet, and then do you take out from thence the history † in folio, marble cover; and two thin folios fairly writ. I forget the titles, but you have read them. One is an account of the proceedings of Lord Oxford's ministry, and the other to the fame purpose. There are foul copies of both in the fame drawer; but do you take out the fair ones, not in my hand. Let them be packed up and brought hither by the bearer. My Lady is perpetually quarelling with Sir Arthur and me, and fhews every creature the libels I have writ against her .

Mr. Worral fent me the particulars of the havock made in Naboth's vineyard **.-The dburft, &c.

In the Intelligencer, the 19th number of which is on this fubject. See it in vol. 4. p. 292.

The Dean's houfe kee..er.

+ Hiftory of the peace of Utrecht.

The state of affairs in 1714. See it in vol. 5. p. 332.

See Hamilton's Bawn; or, The Grand Question debated, in vol. 8. p. 133.

** A field not far from the deanery-houfe, which Dr. Swift inclofed at a great expence, with a fine ftone wall lined with brick; against which he planted vines, and the best chosen fruit-trees, for the benefit of the Dean of St, Patrick's for the time being.

I think