Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Swift to Alexander Pope

Dublin. [January] 1732-3.

I received yours with a few lines from the Doctor, and the account of our losing Mr Gay, upon which event I shall say nothing. I am only concerned that long living hath not hardened me: for even in this kingdom, and in a few days past, two persons of great merit whom I loved very well, have dyed in the prime of their years, but a little above thirty. I would endeavour to comfort my self upon the loss of friends, as I do upon the loss of mony; by turning to my account-book, and seeing whether I have enough left for my support? but in the former Case I find I have not, any more than in the other; and I know not any man who is in a greater likelyhood than my self to die poor and friendless. You are a much greater loser than me by his death, as being a more intimate friend, and often his companion; which latter I could never hope to be, except perhaps once more in my life for a piece of a summer. I hope he hath left you the care of any writings he may have left, and I wish, that with those already extant, they could be all published in a fair edition under your inspection. Your poem on the Use of Riches hath been just re-printed here,' and we have no objection but the obscurity of several passages by our ignorance in facts and persons, which make us lose abundance of the Satyr. Had the printer given me notice, I would have honestly printed the names at length, where I happened to know them; and writ explanatory notes, which however would have been but few, for my long absence hath made me ignorant of what passes out of the scene where I am. I never had the least hint from you about this work, any more than your former, upon Tast. We are told here, that you are preparing other pieces of the same bulk to be inscrib'd to other friends, one (for instance) to my Lord Bolingbroke, another to Lord Oxford, and so on -- Doctor Delany presents you his most humble service, he behaves himself very commendably, converses only with his former friends, makes no parade, but entertains them constantly at an elegant plentiful table, walks the Streets as usual, by daylight, does many acts of charity and generosity, cultivates a country house two miles distant, and is one of those very few within my knowledge, on whom a great access of fortune hath made no manner of change. And, particularly, he is often without mony, as he was before. We have got my Lord Orrery among us, being forcd to continue here on ill condition of his estate by the knavery of an Agent; he is a most worthy Gentleman, whom I hope you will be acquainted with. I am very much obliged by your favour to Mr. P-, which I desire may continue no longer than he shall deserve by his Modesty, a virtue I never knew him to want, but is hard for young men to keep, without abundance of ballast. If you are acquainted with the Duchess of Qpeensbury, I desire you will present her my most humble service: I think she is a greater loser by the death of a friend than either of us. She seems a Lady of excellent sense and spirit: I had often Postscripts from her in our friends letters to me, and her part was sometimes longer than his, and they made up a great part of the little happiness I could have here. This was the more generous, because I never saw her since she was a girl of five years old, nor did I envy poor Mr. Gay for any thing so much as being a domestick friend to such a Lady. I desire you will never fail to send me a particular account of your health. I dare hardly enquire about Mrs. Pope, who I am told is but just among the living, and consequently a continual grief to you: she is sensible of your tenderness, which robs her of the only happiness she is capable of enjoying. And yet I pity you more than her; you cannot lengthen her days, and I beg she may not shorten yours.