neglected it themselves. He fell in with me entirely; and faid, neither they nor himself should have the merit of it, but the Queen, to whom he would fhew my memorial with the firft opportunity, in order, if poffible, to have it done in this interregnum. I faid, the honour and merit, next to the Queen, would be his; that it was a great encouragement to the bishops, that I he was in the treasury, whom they knew to be the chief adviser of the Queen to grant the fame favour in England; that confequently the honour and merit were nothing to him, who had done fo much greater things; I and that for my part, I thought he was obliged to the clergy of Ireland, for giving him an opportunity of gratifying the pleasure he took in doing good to the church. He took my compliment extremely well, and renewed his promifes. Your Grace will please to know, that, - befides the first fruits, I told him of the crown rents; and fhewed the nature and value of them; but faid, my opinion was, that the convocation had not mentioned them in their petition to the Queen, delivered to Lord Wharton with the addrefs, because they thought the Itimes would not then bear it; but that I looked on myfelf to have a discretionary power to folicit it in fo favourable a juncture.

I had two memorials ready of my own drawing up, as fhort as poffible, fhewing the nature of the thing, and how long it had been depending, &c. One of these memorials had a paragraph at the end relating to the crown-rents. I would have given him the laft; but I gave him the other; which he immediately read, and promifed to fecond both with his beft offices to the Queen. As I have placed that paragraph in my memorial, it can do no harm, and may poffibly do good. However, I beg your Grace to fay nothing of it; but if it dieth, let it die in filence: we must take up with what we can get.

I forgot to tell your Grace, that when I faid I was ipowered, &c. he defired to fee my powers: and then I heartily wished them more ample than they re: and have fince wondered, what fcruple a num

Then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland,

ber

ber of bishops could have to impower a clergyman to do the church and them a fervice, without any imagination of intereft for himself.

MR Harley has invited me to dine with him to day : But I fhall not put him upon this difcourfe fo foon.. If he begins it himself, I fhall.add it at the bottom of this. He fays, Mr Secretary St John* defired to be acquaint ed with me, and that he will bring us together. That may be a further help; altho' I told him, I had no thoughts of applying to any but himfelf; wherein he differed from me, and defired I would fpeak to others, if it were but for form; and feemed to mean, as if he would avoid the envy of being thought to do fuch a thing alone. But an old courtier (an intimate friend) advised me ftill to let him know, I relied wholly upon his good inclinations, and credit with the Queen, &c.

I find I am forced to fay all this very confufedly, just as it lieth in my memory; but perhaps it may give your Grace a truer idea how matters are, than if I had writ in more order.

I am, &c.

JONATHAN SWIFT.

I

LETTER XCIX.

The Archbishop to Dr SWIFT.

Reverend S 1 R,

Dublin, O. 16. 1710. Thank you for yours of the 10th inftant, and fend you inclofed a farther power by my Lord Primate and me. My Lord is not able to come to town; which obliged me to wait on him at Johnston, and hindered the joining of two or three bishops in it, who are yet in town but I fuppofe our figning is fufficient. I went in the morning to wait on his Grace, and intended, when he had figned it, to have applied to other fhops; but he was abroad taking the air, and I could not get it until it was late, and thoughtt better o fign and fend it as it is; than wait for another pot.

Afterwards created Lord Viscount Bolingbroke.

You.

You may expect by the next a letter to his Grace of Canterbury, and another to the Archbishop of York. I apprifed them both of the business. The latter, if I remember right, spoke to her Majefty about it. I am not fure that her Majesty remembers what I faid on that fubject; but am fure the was pleafed to seem fatisfied with it, and to fcruple only the time: I suppose, not thinking it fit to confer the favour fhe defigned the clergy of Ireland by the hands it must then have paffed thro'; but faid, that in the interval of a change, or absence of a chief governor, it should be done. I hope now is the proper time, and that her Majesty will rather follow the dictates of her own bountiful inclinations, than the intrigues of cunning covetous counsellors.

I thought to have troubled you with a great many things; but fuch a crowd of vifitors have broken in upon me before I could lock my gates, that I am forced to break off abruptly, recommending you to God's care.

I am, &c.

WILLIAM, Dublin.

LETTER

C.

The Lord Primate and Archbishop of Dublin to Dr SWIFT.,

SIR,

Dublin, O. 24. 1710. directed a letter to the bishops of Offory and

W Killaloo laat Auguft, defiring and impowering

We

them to folicit the affair of our first fruits and twenti eth parts with her Majefty; which has depended fo long, notwithstanding her Majefty's good intentions, and feveral promifes of the chief governors here to lay our addreffes before her Majefty in the best manner. were then apprehenfive, that thofe bishops might retur from England before the business could be effected; and therefore we defired them to concern you in it; hang fo god affurance of your ability, prudence, and fitts fs to precute fuch a matter. We find the bishops

Dr Narciffus Marsh.

returned

returned before you came to London, for which we are very much concerned; and judging this the most proper time to profecute it with fuccefs, we intreat you to take the full management of it it into your hands; and do commit the care of foliciting it to your diligence and prudence; defiring you to let us know from time to time what progrefs is made in it. And if any thing farther be neceffary on our part, on your intimation we hall be ready to do what shall be judged reasonable. THIS, with our prayers for the good fuccefs of your endeavours, is all from,

SIR,

His is to acknowledge 20th past, which Thursday laft, by reafon of en the other fide.

Dublin, Dec. 16. 1710. the receipt of yours of the came not to my hands till winds that kept the packets

I find the matter of our firft fruits, &c. is talked of I reckon on nothing certain, till her Majefty's letter comes in form; and quære, why fhould not you come, and bring it with you? It would make you a very welcome clergyman to Ireland, and be the best means to fatisfy mankind how it was obtained, altho' I think that will be out of difpute. I am very well apprifed of the difpatch you gave this affair, and well pleafed, that I judged better of the perfon fit to be employed than fome of my brethren. But now it is done, as I hope it is effectually, they will affume as much as their neighbours; 'which I fhall never contradict.

THINGS are taking a new turn here, aswell as with you; and I am of opinion, by the time you come here,

tew

few will profefs themfelves Whigs. The greateft danger I apprehend, and which terrifies me more than perhaps you will be able to imagine, is the fury and indifcretion of fome of our own people, who never had any merit;. but by imbroiling things they did, and I am afraid will yet do mischief.

I heartily recommend you to God's favour;

And am, &c.

WILLIAM, Dublin.

N. B. Dr Swift afed his credit with the miniftry for the benefit of the church of Ireland, fo heartily and jo effectually at this critical time, that he procured a grant from the Queen for exonerating the clergy of Ireland from paying twentieth parts, dated the feventh of February, one thousand feven hundred and ten; and another grant, bearing the fame date, to Narciffus Lord Archbishop of Armagh, Sir Conftantine Phipps, Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, William Lord Archbishop of Dublin, John Lord Archbishop of Tuam, and others, of the firft-fruits payable out of all ecclefiaftical be nefices, in truft to be for ever applied towards purchafing glebes, and building refidentiary houses for poor-endowed

vicars.

The fuccefs of which charitable fund hitherto may be feen in the printed pamphlet containing an account of the firfl-fruits of Ireland.

I

The Archbishop to Dr SWIFT.

SIR, London, Suffolk-freet, Nov. 22. 1716. Read yours of the 13th inftant with great fatisfaction. It is not only an advantage to you and me, that there fhould be a good correfpondence between us, bu alfo to the public; and I affure you I had much ado to perfuade people here, that we kept any tolerable meures wi one another; much lefs, that there was anything of a good intelligence; and therefore you judged right, that it ought not to be faid, that in fo mahy months I had not received any letter from you. VOL. IV.

T

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1