THIRDLY.  I will plainly prove him to be dead out of his own Almanack for this year; and from the very passage which he produceth to make us think him alive.  He there sayeth, He is not only now alive, but was also alive upon that very 29th of March, which I foretold he should die on.  By this, he declareth his opinion that a man may be alive now, who was not alive a twelve month ago.  And, indeed, here lies the sophistry of his argument.  He dareth not assert he was alive ever since the 29th of March! but that he is now alive, and was so on that day.  I grant the latter, for he did not die until night, as appeareth in a printed account of his death, in a Letter to a Lord; and whether he be since revived, I leave the World to judge!  This indeed is perfect cavilling; and I am ashamed to dwell any longer upon it.

FOURTHLY.  I will appeal to Mr. PARTRIDGE himself, whether it be probable I could have been so indiscreet as to begin my Predictions with the only falsehood that ever was pretended to be in them! and this in an affair at home, where I had so many opportunities to be exact, and must have given such advantages against me, to a person of Mr. PARTRIDGE’s Wit and Learning:  who, if he could possibly have raised one single objection more against the truth of my Prophecies, would hardly have spared me!

And here I must take occasion to reprove the above-mentioned Writer [i.e., SWIFT himself, see p. 482] of the Relation of Mr. PARTRIDGE’s death, in a Letter to a Lord, who was pleased to tax me with a mistake of four whole hours in my calculation of that event.  I must confess, this censure, pronounced with an air of certainty, in a matter that so nearly concerned me, and by a grave judicious author, moved me not a little.  But though I was at that time out of Town, yet several of my friends, whose curiosity had led them to be exactly informed (as for my own part; having no doubt at all of the matter, I never once thought of it!) assured me, I computed to something under half an hour:  which (I speak my private opinion!) is an error of no very great magnitude, that men should raise clamour about it!

I shall only say, it would not be amiss, if that Author would henceforth be more tender of other men’s reputation, as well as of his own!  It is well there were no more mistakes of that kind:  if there had been, I presume he would have told me of them, with as little ceremony.

There is one objection against Mr. PARTRIDGE’s death, which I have sometimes met with, although indeed very slightly offered, That he still continueth to write Almanacks.  But this is no more than what is common to all of that Profession. GADBURY, Poor Robin, DOVE, WING, and several others, do yearly publish their Almanacks, though several of them have been dead since before the Revolution.  Now the natural reason of this I take to be, that