28.  Well, but I must answer this letter of our MD’s.  Saturday approaches, and I han’t written down this side.  O, faith, Presto has been a sort of a lazy fellow:  but Presto will remove to town this day se’ennight; the Secretary has commanded me to do so; and I believe he and I shall go for some days to Windsor, where he will have leisure to mind some business we have together.  To-day, our Society (it must not be called a Club) dined at Mr. Secretary’s:  we were but eight; the rest sent excuses, or were out of town.  We sat till eight, and made some laws and settlements; and then I went to take leave of Lady Ashburnham, who goes out of town to-morrow, as a great many of my acquaintance are already, and left the town very thin.  I shall make but short journeys this summer, and not be long out of London.  The days are grown sensibly short already, all our fruit blasted.  Your Duke of Ormond is still at Chester; and perhaps this letter will be with you as soon as he.  Sterne’s business is quite blown up:  they stand to it to send him back to the Commissioners of the Revenue in Ireland for a reference, and all my credit could not alter it, though I almost fell out with the secretary of the Treasury,[12] who is my Lord Treasurer’s cousin-germain, and my very good friend.  It seems every step he has hitherto taken hath been wrong; at least they say so, and that is the same thing.  I am heartily sorry for it; and I really think they are in the wrong, and use him hardly; but I can do no more.

29.  Steele has had the assurance to write to me that I would engage my Lord Treasurer to keep a friend of his in an employment:  I believe I told you how he and Addison served me for my good offices in Steele’s behalf; and I promised Lord Treasurer never to speak for either of them again.  Sir Andrew Fountaine and I dined to-day at Mrs. Vanhomrigh’s.  Dilly Ashe has been in town this fortnight:  I saw him twice; he was four days at Lord Pembroke’s in the country, punning with him; his face is very well.  I was this evening two or three hours at Lord Treasurer’s, who called me Dr. Thomas Swift twenty times; that’s his way of teasing.  I left him at nine, and got home here by ten, like a gentleman; and to-morrow morning I’ll answer your little letter, sirrahs.

30.  Morning.  I am terribly sleepy always in a morning; I believe it is my walk over-night that disposes me to sleep:  faith, ’tis now striking eight, and I am but just awake.  Patrick comes early, and wakes me five or six times; but I have excuses, though I am three parts asleep.  I tell him I sat up late, or slept ill in the night, and often it is a lie.  I have now got little MD’s letter before me, N.16, no more, nor no less, no mistake.  Dingley says, “This letter won’t be above six lines”; and I was afraid it was true, though I saw it filled on both sides.  The Bishop of Clogher writ me word you were in the country, and that he heard you were well:  I am glad at heart