12 The extreme Tories, who afterwards formed the October Club.

13 Crowd. A Jacobean writer speaks of "the lurry of lawyers," and "a
lurry and rabble of poor friars."

14 See Letter 5, note 10.

15 St. John's first wife was Frances, daughter and co-heiress of Sir
Henry Winchcombe, Bart., of Berkshire, and in her right St. John enjoyed
the estates of Bucklebury, which on her death in 1718 passed to her
sister. In April 1711 Swift said that "poor Mrs. St. John" was growing
a great favourite of his; she was going to Bath owing to ill-health, and
begged him to take care of her husband. She "said she had none to trust
but me, and the poor creature's tears came fresh in her eyes." Though
the marriage was, naturally enough, unhappy, she did not leave St.
John's house until 1713, and she returned to him when he fell from
power. There are letters from her to Swift as late as 1716, not
only doing her best to defend his honour, but speaking of him with
tenderness.

16 "Battoon" means (1) a truncheon; (2) a staff of office. Luttrell, in
1704, speaks of "a battoon set with diamonds sent him from the French
king."

17 Edward Harley, second son of Sir Edward Harley, was M.P. for
Leominster and Recorder of the same town. In 1702 he was appointed
Auditor of the Imposts, a post which he held until his death in 1735.
His wife, Sarah, daughter of Thomas Foley, was a sister of Robert
Harley's wife, and his eldest son eventually became third Earl of
Oxford. Harley published several books on biblical subjects.

18 See Letter 6, note 12. The last number of Steele's Tatler appeared on
Jan. 2, 1711; Harrison's paper reached to fifty-two numbers.

19 Dryden Leach (see Letter 7, note 22).

20 Cf. Letter 7, October 28th.

21 Published by John Baker and John Morphew. See Aitken's Life of
Steele, i. 299-301.

22 In No. 224 of the Tatler, Addison, speaking of polemical
advertisements, says: "The inventors of Strops for Razors have written
against one another this way for several years, and that with great
bitterness." See also Spectator, Nos. 428, 509, and the Postman for
March 23, 1703: "The so much famed strops for setting razors, etc., are
only to be had at Jacob's Coffee-house.... Beware of counterfeits, for
such are abroad."

23 Sir John Holland (see Letter 3, note 28).

24 Addison speaks of a fine flaxen long wig costing thirty guineas
(Guardian, No. 97), and Duumvir's fair wig, which Phillis threw into the
fire, cost forty guin