for me, but in what manner it was not possible for him to say; which surely was as much as any conscionable and reasonable man (and God forbid that I should ever prove otherwise) could expect: in short, his kind reception of me at Marston, and the handsome manner he has behaved himself toward me in every particular since I came to him, has been like lord Orrery himself: and now to whom must I attribute all this? not to any merit or conduct of my own, for I am conscious of none, but to the worthy dean of St. Patrick's, who takes delight in doing all the good he can to those who have the invaluable happiness and honour of being acquainted with him; and therefore what a monster of ingratitude should I be not to acknowledge the channel through which this intended bounty of his lordship is to flow to me, let it be more or less? agnosco fontem; for without controversy, you have been the means of bringing all this about: for which I shall say no more (being but bitter bad at making speeches) but the Lord reward you, and to assure you, good sir, that this your act of friendship - manet et manebit alta mente repostum. His lordship told me that he would answer your letter very soon; and as his pen and head infinitely transcend mine, it is likely you will have then a clearer and better account of this matter than I can possibly give you. I have been under an unspeakable concern at an account I lately saw from Ireland of a return of your old disorders of giddiness and deafness; but I still flatter myself that it is not so bad with you as my fears have represented it, which makes me long impatiently to hear how you really are; but I am in hopes your usual medicina gymnastica will carry it all all off; if it does not, more the pity say I, and so will all say, I am confident, that know you; but surely ten thousand times more pity is it that you are not like one of Gulliver's Struldbrugs, immortal; but alas! that cannot be, such is the condition of miserable man; which puts me often in mind of the following lines I have somewhere or other met with, which I apply now and then to myself, by way of cordial. What's past, we know, and what's to come, must be, Or good or bad, is much the same to me; But hold! I believe I begin to preach; and it is well if you do not think by this time that I imagine myself in Rathenny * pulpit instead of writing a letter to the dean, and therefore I forbear. I know writing in your present circumstances must be so very troublesome and uneasy to you, that I am not quite so unreasonable as to expect it from you; but whenever your health permits you, it will be an infinite pleasure and satisfaction to me to hear from you; and the safest way of sending a letter to me will be under cover to lord Orrery, at Marston, near Froome in Somersetshire. I shall trouble you, sir, with my compliments to my very good friends and neighbours lady Acheson and her mother, for whom I have a very real esteem and value, and also to Dr. Helsham and his lady, and with my very affectionate * Mr. Philips's benefice, about three miles from Dublin. love and service to all my Sunday companions at the deanery*. I have no novelties to entertain you with from hence; for here we lead a very retired and perfectly rural life but when I get to London (which I believe will not be till after Christmas, because as I am within ten or a dozen miles of Bath, I have some thoughts of making a trip thither, and try what good those waters will do me) you may depend upon having an account of what passes in the political and learned world that is posssible for me to come at and convey to you, and I hope to be then honoured with all your commissions and commands in that place; for I wish for nothing more than an opportunity of showing with how much gratitude and true esteem for all your favours, I am, sir, your most obedient and much obliged humble servant, MARMADUKE PHILIPS. I have seen your friend Mrs. Cope at Bath, and she desired me to send her compliments to you. SIR, FROM * MONTROSE, DEC. 17, 1734. SOME people here having flattered me that I have a genius for poetry, and my circumstances a little * It was customary for the doctor's friends and acquaintance to visit him on Sunday afternoons, and spend the evening with him; so that every one who was at leisure to go there, was sure of meeting variety of good company. favouring favouring it, I have resolved to turn my thoughts that way I have already tried my talent on some little amusements, and have had the pleasure in secret to see them pretty well received; but few here being much conversant in that study, can be proper judges; and as I would not venture my character abroad in the world without the advice of those who have succeeded in it, I thought I could not more properly apply than to you, who have been pretty happy that way. What I mean is, that you would be pleased to furnish me with a theme to try my genius, with what rules you may think necessary. I expect your compliance with this, as it is the first, at least of this nature, you ever had from this place; and as soon as it is finished, you may expect a copy of the performance from, sir, your most humble servant, * ተ. FROM DR. SHERIDAN. DEAR SIR, DEC. 25, 1734. R. HAMILTON is glad the venison got safe to you; it was carried by a county Cavan man in the 75th year of his age, who went off on Wednesday morning, was back with us on Saturday night, in all + As this letter seems to have been written by some very young adventurer in poetry, we choose to suppress the name, especially as we cannot tell what answer he received from Dr. Swift, or whether afterward he applied himself with success to Apollo and the Muses. 104 miles. 104 miles. He was much affronted that a young fellow was proposed for the expedition. -There's a county Cavan man for you. As for myself, I am grown thirty years younger, by no other method than eating, drinking, and breathing freely in this Elysium of the universe. Happy will it be for you (if I misjudge not, and very seldom I do, as you yourself can witness, who have known me above sixteen years, and I believe a little more, if my memory fails me not, as I have no reason to think it does; for I do not find it in the least impaired) to convey yourself into the finest apartment of our Elysium, I mean to Castle Hamilton, where you will find a most hearty welcome, and all the delights this world can give-But you must take me along with you. Nothing could give me greater pleasure than to hear that your innocent subjects of the Kevin Bayl escaped the gallows, in spite of Bettisworth and all his add hay rents-If he were to make them a holiday, it should make one for me and my boys likewise. Sunday we had a very hard frost-Yesterday morning fair-The afternoon, all night, and this morning to ten, was rain-Now fair again, but lowering. We are just now going to dinner at captain Perott's, * Dr. Swift used to call the people who lived in the liberty of St. Patrick's his subjects: and without dispute they would have fought up to their knees in blood for him. + The right spelling of this name is Bettesworth, constantly pronounced as a word of two syllables, until some poems had come out against him, and then Mr. Bettesworth affected to pronouncè it as three syllables, to which this spelling by Dr. Sheridan alludes. |