leave your manufcripts about your room, for he would be terribly tempted to beg them, and return them back next winter in four volumes, as he ferved me; although I never let him touch or fee one. He has the name of an honeft man, and hath good fenfe and behaviour. I have ordered him to mark narrowly whatever you are doing, as a prelate, an architect, a country gentleman, a politician, and an improver; and to bring me a faithful account when he returns; but chiefly about your health, and what exercife you make ufe of to increafe or preferve it. But he is in hafte to be gone, and I am fóreed to conclude. 1am, with the greatest refpect, THE bearer, Mr. Faulkner, came to me just an hour before he was taking a journey to Kilkenny and Cafhell, and defired I would write by him to your Lordship, and the Archbishop, only to let your Lordfhip know, that he is an honeft man, and the chief printer, and that I know him and treat him with indulgence, because I cannot help it. For although he printed what I never would have done, yet he got the confent of my X 2 friends, friends, and so I fhall get nothing by being angry with him. He hopeth, as a citizen, to be admitted to you Lords and Ladies in the country, and I am contented you fhall make him welcome ; but take care you put no manufcripts in his hands; otherwife, perhaps there will be the works of the Right Hon. &c. and of my Lady, and the Giant *, neatly bound next winter. My Lady Achefon hath not been well fince the left the town; but her mother is almoft perfectly cured, except the lofs of her eye. I owe my Lady Howth a letter I believe. I defire my moft humbe fervice to her and the Giant. I have time to fay no more, but, that I am, Your Lordship's most obedient servant, LETTER VI. MR. FAULKNER, Am answering a letter I had from Mr. Pope, when I was at Cavan. My absence and ficknefs fince I retired, have hindered me from writing to him. He complains of his unluckinefs that you could never find him at home, which, he fays, fince his mother's death, he is often abfent from. I here will tranfcribe a paragraph which relates to you, and I defire you will return an anfwer to it, time enough for me to fend a letter tonight, and I will infert the fum of it. As to his (Mr. Faulkner's) defign about my works, I beg you will defire him to poftpone it, until he fees the duodecimo edition of them here, with the first volume publifhed by Lintot: for, that joined to the reft by Gilliver †, will make A very tall young Lady, nearly related to Lord Howth. the the completeft hitherto extant, and is revised by me. I guess they will be out about Christmas." Pray let me know what answer I fhall make to Mr. Pope; write it down and fend it by any meffenger, the fooner the better, for I am an ill writ er at night. Jan. 8, 1735-6. 1 am, yours, &c. J. SWIFT. I think you may send your answer by the bearer, for it need not take above two lines. I LETTER VII. To Mr. Benjamin Motte, Bookfeller in London. SIR, Dublin, May 25, 1736. Lately received a long letter from Mr. Faulkner, grievously complaining upon feveral articles of the ill treatment * he hath met with from you, and of the many advantageous offers he hath made you, with none of which you thought fit to comply. I am not qualified to judge in the fact, having heard but one fide; only one thing I know, that the cruel oppreffions of this kingdom by England are not to be borne. You fend what books you please hither, and the bookfellers here can fend nothing to you that is written here. As this is abfolute oppreffion, if I were a bookseller in this town, I would ufe all the fafe means to reprint London books, and run them to any town in England that I could; because, whoever neither of Motte filed a bill in Chancery in England, against Faulkner, for printing Swift's Works, to ftop the fale of them there, which made the author write this letter. X. 3 fends fends the laws of God, nor the country he liveth in, committeth no fin. It was the fault of you and other bookfellers, who printed any thing fupposed to be mine, that you did not agree with each other to print them together, if you thought they would fell to any advantage. I believe I told you long ago, that Mr. Faulkner came to me, and told me his intention to print every thing that my friends told him they thought to be mine, and that I was discontented at it; but when he urged, that fome other bookfeller would do it, and that he would take the advice of my friends, and leave out what I pleased to order him, I faid no more, but that I was forry it fhould be done here. -But, 4 I am fo incenfed against the oppreffions from England, and have fo little regard to the laws they make, that I do, as a clergyman, encourage the merchants both to export wool and woollen ma nufactures, to any country in Europe, or any where else; and conceal it from the customhouseofficers, as I would hide my purfe from a highwayman, if he came to rob me on the road, although England hath made a law to the contrary*: and so I would encourage our bookfellers here to fell your authors books printed here, and fend them to all the towns in England, if I could do it with fafety and profit; becaufe, (I repeat it) it is no offence against God, or the laws of the country I live in. Mr. Faulkner hath dealt fo fairly with me, that I have a great opinion of his honefty, although I never dealt with him as a printer or a bookfeller, but fince my friends told me, thofe things, called mine, would certainly be printed by fome hedge bookseller, I was forced to be paffive This we apprehend is better patriotiẩm than good cafuiftry; tut perhaps we too are prejudiced in our turns, by the Dean's own principle. The English bookfellers. in the matter. I have fome things which I fhalk leave my executors to publish after my decease, and have directed that they fhall be printed in London. For, except fmall papers, and fome treatifes writ for the ufe of this kingdom, I always had thofe of importance to be published in London, as you well know. For my own part, although I have no power any where, I will do the best offices I can to countenance Mr. Faulkner. For, although I was not at all pleafed to have that collection printed here, yet none of my friends advised me to be angry with him, although, if they had been printed in London by you and your partners, perhaps I might have pretended to fome little profit. Whoever may have the hazard or advantage of what I fhall leave to be printed in London after my decease, I will leave no other copies of them here; but, if Mr. Faulkner fhould get the firft printed copy, and reprint it here, and fend his copies to England, I think he would do as right as your London bookfellers who load us with yours. If I live but a few years, I believe I fhall publifh fome things that I think are important; but, they shall be printed in London, although Mr. Faulkner were my brother. I have been very tedious in telling you my thoughts on this matter, and fo I remain, Sir, Your most humble fervant, JON. SWIFT. * Directions to fervants; and the hiftory of the last feffion of Queen Anne; and the peace of Utrecht, both fince printed by G. Faulkner, LET. |