cribes the education of a learned pedant's
son. Its humor may be appreciated by means of the citation given below.
The first book of 'Scriblerus' appeared six years after Arbuthnot's
death, when it was included in the second volume of Alexander Pope's
works (1741). Pope said that from the 'Memoirs of Scriblerus' Swift took
his idea of 'Gulliver'; and the Dean himself writes to Arbuthnot, July
3d, 1714:--

"To talk of 'Martin' in any hands but Yours is a Folly. You
every day give better hints than all of us together could do
in a twelvemonth. And to say the truth, Pope, who first
thought of the Hint, has no Genius at all to it, in my mind;
Gay is too young; Parnell has some ideas of it, but is idle;
I could put together, and lard, and strike out well enough,
but all that relates to the Sciences must be from you."

Swift's opinion that Arbuthnot "has more wit than we all have, and his
humanity is equal to his wit," seems to have been the universal dictum;
and Pope honored him by publishing a dialogue in the 'Prologue to the
Satires,' known first as 'The Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot,' which contains
many affectionate personal allusions. Aitken says, in his biography:--

"Arbuthnot's attachment to Swift and Pope was of the most
intimate nature, and those who knew them best maintained that
he was their equal at least in gifts. He understood Swift's
cynicism, and their correspondence shows the unequaled
sympathy that existed between the two. Gay, Congreve,
Berkeley, Parnell, were among Arbuthnot's constant friends,
and all of them were indebted to him for kindnesses freely
rendered. He was on terms of intimacy with Bolingbroke and
Oxford, Chesterfield, Peterborough, and Pulteney; and among
the ladies with whom he mixed were Lady Mary Wortley Montagu,
Lady Betty Germain, Mrs. Howard, Lady Masham, and Mrs. Martha
Blount. He was, too, the trusted friend and physician of
Queen Anne. Most of the eminent men of science of the time,
including some who were opposed to him in politics, were in
frequent intercourse with him; and it is pleasant to know
that at least one of the greatest of the wits who were most
closely allied to the Whig party--Addison--had friendly
relations with him."

From the letters of Lord Chesterfield we learn that

"His imagination was almost inexhaustible, and whatever
subjec