MADAM,

TO LADY MASHAM.

August 7, 1714.

I HAD the honour of a letter from your ladyship a week ago; and the day after, came the unfortunate news of the queen's death, which made it altogether unseasonable, as perhaps it may be still, to give your ladyship this kind of trouble. Although my concern be as great as that of any, other good subject, for the loss of so excellent a princess, yet I can assure you, madam, it is little to what I suffer upon your ladyship's particular account. As you excel in the several duties of a tender mother, a true friend, and a loving wife, so you have been the best and most faithful servant to your mistress, that ever any sovereign had. And although you have not been rewarded suitably to your merits, I doubt not but God will make it up to you in another life, and to your children and posterity in this. I cannot go about to comfort your ladyship in your great affliction, otherwise than by begging you to make use of your own piety, and your own wisdom, of bothwhich you have so great a share. You are no longer a servant; but you are still a wife, a mother, and a friend; and you are bound in conscience to take care of your health, in order to acquit yourself of these duties, as well as you did of the other, which is now at an end.

I pray God to support your ladyship, under so great a share of load, in this general calamity; and remain, with the greatest respect and truth, madam, your ladyship's most obedient, and most obliged servant,

JON. SWIFT.

I most heartily thank your ladyship for the favourable expressions and intentions in your letter, written at a time when you were at the height of favour and power.

TO LORD BOLINGBROKE.

MY LORD,

August 7, 1714.

I HAD yours of the third; and our country post is so ordered, that I could acknowledge it no sooner. It is true, my lord, the events of five days last week might furnish morals for another volume of Seneca. As to my Lord Oxford, I told him freely my opinion before I left the town, that he ought to resign at the end of the session. I said the same thing often to your lordship and my Lady Masham, although you seemed to think otherwise, for some reasons; and said so to him one afternoon, when I met you there with my lord-chancellor. But, I remember, one of the last nights I saw him (it was at Lady Masham's lodgings) I said to him, That, upon the foot your lordship and he then. were, it was impossible you could serve together two months:" and, I think, I was just a week out in my calculation. I am only sorry, that it was not a resignation, rather than a removal: because the personal kindness and distinction I always received from his lordship and you, gave me such a love for you both (if you great men will allow that expression in a little one) that I resolved to preserve it entire, however you differed between yourselves ; and in this I did, for some time, follow your commands and example. I impute it more to the can

dour of each of you, than to my own conduct, that
having been, for two years, almost the only man
who went between you, I never observed the least
alteration in either of your countenances towards
me. I will swear for no man's sincerity, much less
for that of a minister of state: but thus much I have
said, wherever it was proper, that your lordship's
proposals were always the fairest in the world, and
I faithfully delivered them as I was empowered:
and although I am no very skilful man at intrigue,
yet I durst forfeit my head, that if the case were
mine, I could either have agreed with you, or put
you dans votre tort. When I saw all reconcilia-
tion impracticable, I thought fit to retire; and was
resolved, for some reasons (not to be mentioned at
this distance) to have nothing to do with whomever
was to be last in. For either I should not be needed,
or not be made use of. And let the case be what
it would, I had rather be out of the way. All I
pretended was, to speak my thoughts freely, to
represent person's and things without any mingle'
of my interest or passions, and sometimes to make
use of an evil instrument, which was likely to cost
me dear, even from those for whose service it was
employed. I did believe there would be no farther
occasion for me, upon any of those accounts.
sides, I had so ill an opinion of the queen's health,
that I was confident you had not a quarter of time
left for the work you had to do; having let slip the
opportunity of cultivating those dispositions she had
got after her sickness at Windsor. I never left
pressing my Lord Oxford with the utmost earnest-
ness (and perhaps more than became me) that we
might be put in such a condition, as not to lie at
mercy on this great event: and I am your lord-
ship's witness that you have nothing to answer for

Be

1

in that matter. I will, for once, talk in my trade, and tell you, that I never saw any thing more resemble our proceedings, than a man of fourscore, or in a deep consumption going on in his sins; although his physician assured him he could not live a week. Those wonderful refinements, of keeping men in expectation, and not letting your friends be too strong, might be proper in their season-Sed nunc non erat his locus. Besides, you keep your bread and butter till it was too stale for any body to care for it. Thus your machine of four years modelling is dashed to pieces in a moment: and, as well by the choice of the regents as by their proceedings, I do not find there is any intention of managing you in the least. The whole nineteen consist either of the highest party-men, or (which mightily mends the matter) of such who left us upon the subject of the peace, and affected jealousies about the succession. It might reasonably be expected, that this quiet possession might convince the successor of the good dispositions of the church party toward him; and I ever thought there was a mighty failure somewhere or other, that this could not have been done in the queen's life. But this is too much for what is past; and yet, whoever observed and disliked the causes, has some title to quarrel with the effects. As to what is to come, your lordship is in the prime of your years, plein des esprits qui fournissent les espérances; and you are now again to act that part (though in another assembly) which you formerly discharged so much to your own honour and the advantage of your cause. You set out with the wind and tide against you; yet, at last, arrived at your port, from whence you are now driven back into open sea again. But, not to involve myself in an allegory, I doubt whether,

after this disappointment, you can go on with the same vigour you did in your more early youth. Experience, which has added to your wisdom, has lessened your resolution. You are now a general, who, after many victories, have lost a battle, and have not the same confidence in yourself, or your troops. Your fellow-labourers have either made their fortunes, or are past them, or will go over to seek them on the other side.Yet, after all, and to resume a little courage; to be at the head of the church interest is no mean station; and that, as I take it, is now in your lordship's power. In order to which, I could heartily wish for that union you mention; *because, I need not tell you, that sorne are more dexterous at pulling down their enemies than, &c. We have certainly more heads and hands than our adverseries; but, it must be confessed, they have stronger shoulders and better he arts. I only doubt my friends, the rabble, are at least grown trimmers; and that, setting up the cry of "trade and wool," against "Sacheverell and the church," has cooled their zeal. I take it for granted, there will be a new parliament against winter; and if they will retain me on the other side as their counsellor, I will engage them a majority. But since it is possible I may not be so far in their good graces, if your lordship thinks my service may be of any use in this new world, I will be ready to attend you by the beginning of winter. For the misfortune is, that I must go to Ireland to take the oaths: which I never reflected on till I had notice

* This seems to point at a reconciliation between Oxford and Bolingbroke. But the time was passed in which union might have strengthened them, as is well pointed out by Lewis in the next letter save one.