he will be at London in a fortnight, and leave his wife behind
him; and desires any lodging in the house where I am: but that must not
be. I shall not know what to do with him in town: to be sure, I will
not present him to any acquaintance of mine; and he will live a delicate
life, a parson and a perfect stranger! Paaast twelvvve o'clock,(38) and
so good-night, etc. Oh! but I forgot, Jemmy Leigh is come to town;
says he has brought Dingley's things, and will send them with the first
convenience. My parcel, I hear, is not sent yet. He thinks of going for
Ireland in a month, etc. I cannot write tomorrow, because--what, because
of the Archbishop; because I will seal my letter early; because I am
engaged from noon till night; because of many kind of things; and yet
I will write one or two words to-morrow morning, to keep up my journal
constant, and at night I will begin my ninth.

11. Morning by candlelight. You must know that I am in my nightgown
every morning between six and seven, and Patrick is forced to ply me
fifty times before I can get on my nightgown; and so now I will take my
leave of my own dear MD for this letter, and begin my next when I come
home at night. God Almighty bless and protect dearest MD. Farewell, etc.

This letter's as long as a sermon, faith.

LETTER 9.

LONDON, Nov. 11, 1710.

I dined to-day, by invitation, with the Secretary of State, Mr. St.
John. Mr. Harley came in to us before dinner, and made me his excuses
for not dining with us, because he was to receive people who came to
propose advancing money to the Government: there dined with us only
Mr. Lewis, and Dr. Freind(1) (that writ "Lord Peterborow's Actions in
Spain"). I stayed with them till just now between ten and eleven, and
was forced again to give my eighth to the bellman, which I did with my
own hands, rather than keep it till next post. The Secretary used me
with all the kindness in the world. Prior came in after dinner; and,
upon an occasion, he (the Secretary) said, "The best thing I ever read
is not yours, but Dr. Swift's on Vanbrugh"; which I do not reckon so
very good neither.(2) But Prior was damped, until I stuffed him with two
or three compliments. I am thinking what a veneration we used to have
for Sir William Temple, because he might have been Secretary of State at
fifty; and here is a young fellow, hardly thirty, in that employment.(3)
His father is a man of pleasure,(4) that walks the Mall, and frequents
St. J