LADY ORKNEY AND THE DUCHESS OF HAMILTON. 131

a great support in the Earl of Godolphin.

2

It is a good jest to hear the Ministers talk of him with humanity and pity, because he is dead and can do them no hurt. Lady Orkney, the late King's Mistress (who lives at a fine place, five miles from hence, called Clifden), and I are grown mighty acquaintance. She is the wisest woman I ever saw; and Lord Treasurer made great use of her advice in the late change of affairs. I heard Lord Marlborough is growing ill of his diabetes, which, if it be true, may soon carry him off; and then the Ministry will be something

more at ease.

MD has been a long time without writing to Presto, though they have not the same cause. It is seven weeks since your last came to my hands, which was No. 32, that you may not be mistaken. I hope Ppt. has not wanted her health. You were then drinking waters... My Lord Shrewsbury is certainly designed to be Governor of Ireland; and I believe the Duchess will please the people there mightily. The Irish Whig leaders promise great things to themselves from his Government; but

1 The ex-Premier died on September 15.

Lady Elizabeth Villiers. An estate in Ireland, of a rental of £20,000, had been settled upon her by her admirer, William III. Writing under date of October 30, of this year, he tells Esther Johnson: "Lady Orkney is making me a writing-table of her own contrivance, and a bed night-gown. She is perfectly kind, like a mother. I think the devil was in it the other day, that I should talk to her of an ugly squinting cousin of hers, and the poor lady herself, you know, squints like a dragon." She was sister-in-law of the Duchess of Hamilton, who, at the age of thirty-three, a fortnight later (Nov. 15), lost her husband, killed in a duel with Lord Mohun-not without suspicion of "foul play " at the hands of one of the Seconds, Mr. Macartney. The Duchess was inconsolable: nor did her sister-in-law's condolences (offered at the instance of Swift) effect the hoped-for good. In fact," they have always been very ill together, and the poor Duchess could not have patience, when people told her I went often to Lady Orkney's. But I am resolved to make them friends." Two days afterwards (Nov. 17) he writes: "The Duchess told me Lady Orkney had been with her, and that she did not treat her as gently as she ought. They hate one another; but I will try to patch it up." The widowed Duchess he described as having "abundance of wit and spirit, handsome and airy, and seldom spared anybody that gave her the least provocation; by which she had many enemies and few friends."

1

care shall be taken, if possible, to prevent them. Mrs. Fenton 1 has writ to me that she has been forced to leave Lady Giffard, and come to town, for a rheumatism; that lady does not love to be troubled with sick people. Mrs. Fenton writes to me as one dying, and desires I would think of her son, I have not answered her letter. She is retired to Mrs. Povey's. Is my aunt alive yet, and do you ever see her? I suppose she has forgot the loss of her son. Is Raymond's new house quite finished? And does he squander as he used to do? Has he yet spent all his wife's fortune? I hear there are five or six people putting strongly in for my Livings. God help them! But, if ever the Court should give me anything, I would recommend Raymond to the Duke of Ormond-not for any particular friendship to him, but because it would be proper for the minister of Trim to have Laracor. You may keep the goldstudded snuff-box now; for my [Club] brother Hill, Governor of Dunkirk, has sent me the finest that ever you saw. It is allowed in Court that none in England comes near it, though it did not cost above twenty pounds. And the Duchess of Hamilton has made me a pocket for it, like a woman's, with a belt and buckle (for you know I wear no waistcoat in summer), and there are several divisions, and one on purpose for my box, oh, ho!

We have had most delightful weather this whole week; but illness and vomiting have hindered me from sharing in a great part of it. Lady Masham made the Queen send to Kensington for some of her preserved ginger for me, which I take in the morning, and hope it will do me good. I hope Parvisol has set

1 Swift's only sister, who, against his wishes, had married, some ten or twelve years before, a currier, of Dublin, but a graduate of Trinity College. Upon the bankruptcy of her husband, she was allowed by her brother a small annuity, and she went to live with Lady Giffard at Moor Park. She died seven years before her brother, in 1739, in the house of Esther Johnson's mother, Mrs. Mose, at Farnham. The assertions of Lord Orrery and of Deane Swift, that Swift never saw or forgave his sister, after the marriage; or, that the cause of offence was the injury to his ambition, or a mercenary one, have been shown to be mere hypotheses.

LADY MASHAM'S TROUBLES.

133

my tithes well this year; he has writ nothing to me about it. Pray, talk to him of it when you see him, and let him give me an account how things are. I suppose the corn is now off the ground. I hope he has sold that great ugly horse. Why don't you talk to him? He keeps me at charges for horses that I can never ride yours is lame, and will never be good for anything. The Queen will stay here about a month longer, I suppose; but, Lady Masham will go in ten days to lie in at Kensington. Poor creature, she fell down in the Court here the other day. She would needs walk across it, upon some displeasure with her chairman, and was likely to be spoiled so near her time. But we hope all is over for a black eye and a sore side; though I shall not be at ease till she is brought to bed. I find I can fill up a letter, some way or other, without a journal. If I had not a spirit naturally cheerful, I should be very much discontented at a thousand things. Pray God preserve MD's health, and Pdfr's1; and that I may live far from the envy and discontent that attends those who are thought to have more favour at Court than they really possess.2 Love Pdfr., who loves MD above all things. Farewell, deelest, ten thousand times deelest MD, MD, MD, FW, FW, ME, ME, ME, ME, Lele, Lele, Lele, Lele.

1 Conjectured to stand for "Poor dear, foolish, rogues." The concluding sentences of this letter, as in many other instances, vary in the MS. from the printed editions. "Deelest," is Swift's usual way of writing dearest, accord. ing to the little language. "FW" may represent Foolish, or Fond, Woman." "Lele" is supposed to represent "There." By analogy, lele ought rather to represent really. ME if applied to Stella, may represent "Mine Ever." But there is wide room for mere conjecture.

A sort of prayer which we may take to have been far from unnecessary,

TO MISS VANHOMRIGH.'

Windsor, October, 1712.

I thought to have written to little Missessy by the Colonel, but at last I did not approve of him as a messenger. Mr. Ford began your health last night under the name of the Jilt, for which I desire you will reproach him. I do neither study nor exercise so much here as I do in town. The Colonel will intercept all the news I have to tell you-of my fine snuff-box, and my being at a ball, and my losing my money at Ombre with the Duke and Duchess of Shrewsbury.

I cannot imagine how you pass your time in our absence, unless by lying a-bed till twelve, and then having your followers about you till dinner. We have dispatches to-day from Lord Bolingbroke. All is admirably well, and a cessation of arms will be declared with France, in London, on Tuesday next. I dined with the Duke of Shrewsbury to-day, and sat an hour by Mrs. Warburton, teaching her when she played wrong at ombre, and I cannot see her defects. Either my eyes fail me, or they are partial. But Mrs. Touchet is an ugly, awkward slut. What do you do all the afternoon? How came you to make it a secret to me, that you all design to come to Windsor? If you were never here, I think you all cannot do better than come for

1 Addressed, "At her lodgings, over against Park Place, in St. James's Street, London." This fatal correspondence seems to have commenced with Swift's residence in Windsor, in the autumn of 1712, while he was drawing together materials for his History of the Peace of Utrecht. It is, therefore, not wonderful that, about the same time, we find him apologising to Stella for the slackness of his correspondence.-S.

2 Perhaps Vanessa's brother, who seems to have been in the army. He is sometimes called the Captain. Or more probably, Colonel Godfrey, mentioned in the Journal to Stella, an inhabitant of Windsor, whom Swift visited.-S.

3 Presented to Swift by General Hill, Governor of Dunkirk, for his celebrated repartee to Lord Oxford, upon the subject of the snail and the goose, which were enchased on this snuff-box.-S.

CHARLES THE XII. AMONG THE TURKS.

you,

135

and pay

for

three or four days. Five pounds will maintain your coach backwards and forwards. I suppose the Captain will go down with you now, for want of better company. I will steal to town one of these days, and catch you napping.

I desire you and Moll1 will walk as often as you can in the Park, and do not sit moping at home, you that can neither work, nor read, nor play, nor care for company. I long to drink a dish of coffee in the Sluttery, and hear you dun me for secrete, and "Drink your coffee, why don't you drink your coffee?" My humble service to your mother, and Moll, and the Colonel. Adieu.2

To MISS JOHNSON.

London, April 1, 1713,

The Swedish envoy told me to-day, at Court, that he was in great apprehensions about his master; and, indeed, we are afraid that Prince is dead among those Turkish dogs. I prevailed on Lord Bolingbroke to invite Mr. Addison to dine with him on Good Friday. I suppose we shall be mighty mannerly. Addison is to have a Play on Friday in Easter week. 'Tis a tragedy called Cato. I saw it unfinished some years ago. Did I tell

1 Miss Mary Vanhomrigh, whom he usually calls Molkin.

A few weeks previously to this first of Swift's letters to her, that have been preserved, Hester Vanhomrigh had complained of his remissness in writing to her:-"Had I a correspondent in China," she reproaches him, "I might have had an answer by this time. I never could think till now that London was so far off in your thoughts; and that twenty miles were, by your computation, equal to some thousands."

3 Charles XII., then a refugee at Bender, in Turkey, after the defeat at Poltava. The apprehensions as to the conduct of the Turks were groundless, as is well known. They, in fact, exhibited an astonishing degree of forbearance towards the expensive eccentricities and barbarisms of the northern hero.