maid of honour, and I did not like her, although she be a toast, and was dressed like a man.1

August 11.

I will send this letter to-day. I expect the Secretary by noon. I will not go to the race, unless I can get room in some coach. It is now morning. I must rise, and fold up and seal my letter. Farewell, and God preserve dearest MD. I believe I shall leave this town on Monday.

2

To MISS JOHNSON.

Windsor, August 11, 1711.

I sent away my twenty-seventh this morning in an express to London, and directed to Mr. Reading. This shall go to your lodgings, where, I reckon, you will be returned before it reaches you. I intended to go to the race to-day, but was hindered by a visit. I believe I told you so in my last. I dined to-day at the Green Cloth, where everybody had been at the race but myself, and were twenty in all, and very noisy company; but I made [Coke] the Vice-Chamberlain, and two friends more, sit at a side-table to be a little quiet. At six I went to see the Secretary, who is returned [from his diplomatic mission to the Hague]; but Lord Keeper sent to desire I would sup with him, where I staid till just now. Lord Treasurer and Secretary were to come to us, but both failed. . .

August 14.

We came to town this day in two hours and forty minutes; twenty miles are nothing here. I found a letter from the Arch

1 In a riding-babit, just then coming into fashion. Miss Forester had been married to Sir John Downing in 1701, when he was fifteen, and she but thirteen. They were divorced by mutual consent, springing from mutual aversion.-P.

2 The table set apart for the guests at Windsor.

bishop of Dublin, sent me the Lord knows how. He says some of the [Irish] Bishops will hardly believe that Lord Treasurer got the Queen to remit the First-Fruits before the Duke of Ormond was declared Lord-Lieutenant, and that the Bishops have written a letter to Lord Treasurer to thank him. He has sent me the Address of Convocation ascribing, in good part, that affair to the Duke, who had less share in it than MD; for, if it had not been for MD, I should not have been so good a solicitor. I dined to-day in the City, about a little bit of mischief with a printer. I found Mrs. Vanhomrigh all in combustion, squabbling with her rogue of a landlord. She has left her house, and gone out of our neighbourhood a long way.1 Her eldest daughter is come of age, and going to Ireland tɔ look after her fortune, and get it in her own hands."

3

August 15.

I dined to-day with Mrs. Van, who goes to-night to her new lodgings. . . He [Oxford] desired me to dine with him on Friday, because there would be a friend of his that I must see. My Lord Harley told me, when he was gone, that it was Mrs. Masham his father meant, who is come to town to lie in, and whom I never saw, though her husband is one of our [October] Society. God send her a good time; her death would be a terrible thing. Do you know that I have ventured all my credit with these great Ministers, to clear some misunderstand. ings between them? And, if there be no breach, I ought to have

1 Two months later he writes that Mrs. Vanhomrigh, who seems to have been peculiarly unfortunate in her choice of "landlord " and "landladies," had changed her lodgings again, having found her landlady to be a keeper of a house of "ill-fame." Swift already had suspected this Dame Quickly "by her eyebrows."

2 Excepting once before, on the occasion of a birthday-feast, this is the only occasion on which Swift mentions the daughter who, under the name of Vanessa, was to be so closely connected with him.

8 Lord Oxford's son.

MRS. MASHAM AND HARLEY.

123

the merit of it. 'Tis a plaguy ticklish sort of work, and a man hazards losing both sides. "Tis a pity the world does not know my virtue. I thought the Clergy in Convocation, in Ireland, would have given me thanks for being their solicitor; but I hear of no such thing. Pray, talk occasionally on that subject, and let me know what you hear. Do you know the greatness of my spirit-that I value their thanks not a rush? but, at my return, shall freely let all people know that it was my Lord Treasurer's action, wherein the Duke of Ormond had no more share than a cat. And so they may go whistle, and I'll go sleep.

August 17.

I dined to-day at Lord Treasurer's with Mrs. Masham,1 and she is extremely like one Mrs. Malolly, that was once my landlady in Trim. She was used with mighty kindness and respect, like a favourite. It signifies nothing, going to this Lord Treasurer about business, although it be his own. He was in haste, and desires I will come again, and dine with him to-morrow. His famous lying porter has fallen sick, and they think he will die. I wish I had all my half-crowns. I believe I have told you he is an old Scotch fanatic, and the damn'dest liar in his office alive. I have a mind to recommend Patrick to succeed

1 Née Abigail Hill, a relative, and formerly dependant, of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, whom she supplanted in the Queen's favour. She privately married (1707) Mr. Masham, groom of the bedchamber to the Queen's husband, Frince George, the Queen herself attending the ceremony. She shortly afterwards became Lady Masham, her husband having been made one of the Peers, who were created to balance against the Whig Lords, who happened, at that time, to be in the majority in the Upper House.

2 Swift frequently laments his forced expenditure in the way of fees paid to the great man's great men, porters, and hoc genus omne. E.G.-On Dec. 26, 1710, he complains: "By the Lord Harry, I shall be undone here with Christmas boxes. The rogues at the coffee-house have raised their tax, every one giving a crown, and I gave mine for shame, besides a great many halfcrowns to great men's porters, &c."

him. I have trained him up pretty well. I reckon for certain you are now in town. The weather now begins to alter to

The Queen did not stir out to day; she is in a little fit of the gout. I dined at Mr. Masham's: we had none but our own society members, six in all, and I supped with Lord Treasurer. The Queen has ordered twenty thousand pounds to go on with the building of Blenheim, which has been starved till now, since the change of the Ministry. I suppose it is to reward his last action of getting into the French lines. Lord Treasurer kept me till past twelve.

TO MISS JOHNSON.

London, October 3, 1711.

. Mr. Masham sent this morning to desire I would ride out with him, the weather growing again very fine. I was very busy, and sent my excuses, but desired he would provide me a dinner. I dined with him, his lady, and her sister, Mrs. Hill, who invites us to-morrow to dine with her, and we are to ride out in the morning. I sat with Lady Oglethorpe till eight this evening; then was going home to write-looked about for the woman who keeps the key of the house; she told me Patrick had it. I cooled my heels in the cloisters till nine, then went in to the music meeting, where I had been often desired to go; but was weary in half-an-hour of their fine stuff, and stole out so

Before Bouchain, a town in the north-east of France, not far from Cambrai. This affair was held to be one of Marlborough's greatest military achievements.

2 Swift rather hated than loved music. Music and mathematics he made the two chief pursuits of the ridiculous Laputans.-P. Possibly, his aversion was for fashionable music only.

privately that everybody saw me, and cooled my heels in the cloisters again till after ten. Then came in Patrick. I went up, shut the chamber door, and gave him two or three swinging cuffs on the ear, and I have strained the thumb of my left hand with pulling him, which I did not feel till he was gone. was plaguily afraid and humbled.

He

October 4.

It was the finest day in the world, and we got out before eleven, a noble caravan of us. The Duchess of Shrewsbury in her own chaise with one horse, and Miss Touchet with her. Mrs. Masham and Mrs. Scarborow, one of the dressers, in one of the Queen's chaises; Miss Forester and Miss Scarborow, two maids. of honour, and Mrs. Hill, on horseback. The Duke of Shrewsbury, Mr. Masham, George Fielding, Arbuthnot, and I, on horseback too. Mrs. Hill's horse was hired for Miss Scarborow, but she took it in civility: her own horse was galled, and could not be rid, but kicked and winced; the hired horse was not worth eighteenpence. I borrowed coat, boots, and horse, and, in short, we had all the difficulties, and more than we used to have, in making a party from Trim to Longfield's. My coat was light camlet, faced with red velvet and silver buttons. We rode in the Great Park and the forest about a dozen miles, and the Duchess and I had much conversation. We got home by two, and Mr. Masham, his lady, Arbuthnot, and I dined with Mrs. Hill. Arbuthnot made us all melancholy; he expects a cruel fit of the stone in twelve hours. He says he is never mistaken, and he appears like a man that is to be racked to-morrow. I cannot but hope it will not be so bad; he is a perfectly honest man, and one I have much obligation to.

1 At Killibride, about four miles from Trim. The roadless condition of Ireland must be remembered.-P.