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There is no talk of the Duke of Marlborough's return yet. Speculative people talk of a peace this winter, of which I can form no prospect, according to our demands. I am, my lord,

Your grace's most obedient humble servant,
JON. SWIFT.

Your grace will please to direct your commands to me at St James's Coffee-house, in St James's Street,

FROM ARCHBISHOP KING.

REVEREND SIR,

Dublin, Nov. 20, 1708.

I HAVE yours of the 9th instant, and if the scheme of alteration holds, as represented, I despair of our twentieth parts in the present method; yet I can't think it proper to move in any new course, till the declaration of what is intended be more authentic, I have no good ground for my doubt; and yet in my own mind, I make some question, whether all things will be just as surmised. If I find this to be so in earnest, I will then endeavour to obtain an address to my lord-treasurer, which, I suppose, has been hitherto wanting; but, if the matter stick on any considerations not agreeable, there is an end of it. To deal freely, I have very little hope of succeeding any way but it will not make things worse to try the experiment.

I understand some dissenters from hence will apply to the parliament of England this session, to obtain a repeal of the test, and for a toleration on a larger foot than in England; and that a fund

is raised, and agents appointed to solicit their affairs, by the presbyters of the North. I have had some intimation, that all dissenters are not of a mind in this point; the other sects, if I am rightly informed, being as much afraid of them as of us; and that they would rather be as they are, than run the hazard of coming under the jus divinum of presbytery. Something pleasant enough is said to have happened on this occasion. A certain person endeavoured to comfort them, and remove their jealousy, by telling them they needed not to fear; for that the greatest friends to dissenters, and who would be most zealous for toleration, never designed to establish any church, but only to destroy that which had the protection of the laws. Whether this will give them satisfaction I can't tell; but am certain, that if any have so wicked a design, they will fail in it.

I am often alarmed with the fears of some good men, who would persuade me, that religion is in danger of being rooted out of the hearts of men; and they wondered to see me so sanguine in the cause. But I tell them, that I believe it is with religion, as with paternal affection; some profligate wretches may forget it, and some may dose themselves so long with perverse thinking, as not to see any reason for it; but in spite of all the ill-natured and false philosophy of these two sorts of people, the bulk of mankind will love their children. And so it is, and will be with the fear of God and religion : whatever is general has a powerful cause, though every one cannot find it out.

But I have forgot my dissenters: the reason of their applying in Great Britain is, because they see little reason to hope for success here; and if I can judge of the sense of gentlemen that compose the

parliament, they never seemed to be farther from the humour of gratifying them.

As to your own concern, you see hardly any thing valuable is obtained any otherwise than by the government; and therefore if you can attend the next lord-lieutenant, you, in my opinion, ought not to decline it. I assure myself that you are too honest to come on ill terms; nor do I believe any will explicitly be proposed. I could give several reasons why you should embrace this, though I have no exception against your secretaryship;* except that you may lose too much time in it, which, considering all things, you cannot so well spare at this time of the day.

I

As to my own part, I thank God, I was never much frightened by any alterations: neither King James, nor the Earl of Tyrconnel, shocked me. always comforted myself with the 112th psalm, 7th verse. † I never was a favourite of any government, nor have I a prospect of being so, though I believe I have seen forty changes; nor would I advise any friend to sell himself to any, so as to be their slave. I could write some other things, that you would desire to know; but pen and ink are dangerous tools in some men's hands, and I love a friend with an appetite. I am, &c.

W. DUBLIN.

*To the embassy at Vienna, which Swift mentioned in the preceding letter.

"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord."-B.

MY LORD,

TO THE SAME. *

London, Nov. 30, 1708.

I WRIT to you about a fortnight ago, after my return from the country, and gave you some account of an intended change at court, which is now finished. Care was taken to put Lord Pembroke in mind of the first fruits before he went out of his office; but it was needless, for his excellency had it at heart, and the thing is done, of which, I suppose, you have an account. You know who goes over chaplain; the Archbishop of Canterbury, and several other bishops, and the lord-treasurer himself, solicited that matter in a body; it was thought absolutely necessary, considering the dismal notion they have here of so many high-church archbishops among you; and your friend made no application, for reasons left you to guess. I cannot yet learn whether you are to have a new parliament; but I am apt to think you will, and that it must be thought necessary. The affair of Drogheday † has made a noise here, and like every thing else on your side, is used as a handle: I have had it run in my ears from certain persons. I hope you are prepared to take off the sacramental test, because that will be a means to have it taken off here among us; and that the clergy will be for it, in consideration of the queen's

* Alluding to the archbishop's advice that he should apply for the situation of chaplain to the next lord-lieutenant, who proved to be Lord Wharton.

+ Some disputes in corporation affairs.-F.

bounty; and that men in employment will be so wise as to please the court, and secure themselves; but, to think there is any design of bringing the Scotch into offices, is a mere scandal.

Lord Pembroke is to have the admiralty only a few months, then to have a pension of 40001. a-year, and to retire; and it is thought Lord Orford will succeed him, and then it is hoped, there will be an entire change in the admiralty; that Sir John Leake will be turned out, and the whigs so well confirmed, that it will not be in the power of the court, upon a peace, to bring the balance on the other side.

One Mr Shute is named for secretary to Lord Wharton: he is a young man, but reckoned the shrewdest head in Europe; and the person in whom the presbyterians chiefly confide: and, if money be necessary toward the good work in Ireland, it is reckoned he can command as far as 100,0001. from the body of dissenters here. As to his principles, he is truly a moderate man, frequenting the church and the meeting indifferently, &c. *

* On this passage it has been observed by Mr Luson (Duncombe's Collection, Append. to Vol. II. p. xliii.): "This fair character of a whig from Swift is so extraordinary, that it seems as if nothing but truth could have extorted it. It is, however, observable, that with no other correspondent, the extravagance of Swift's humour, and the virulence of his prejudices, are half so much restrained, as in his letters to Dr King. He certainly either feared or respected this prelate, more than any other person with whom he corresponded." This very foolish observation is only retained to show how much Swift has been misjudged. At this time he called himself, and was called by others a whig; and, far from supposing zeal in recommending the principles of that party, would be acceptable to Archbishop King, he is at great pains to express his devotion to the church, lest the prelate should suspect that his high-church principles would at all be slackened or modified by his opinions in state politics.

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