Dieu, &c. Sir, for the love of God, give something to the Marquis de Sourdis:" Mr. Prior, half asleep, roused himself up at the name of Marquis, called the poor gentleman to him, and observing something in his behaviour like a man of quality, very generously threw him a pistole. As the coach went on, Monsieur Prior asked me, with much surprise, whether I thought it possible that unhappy creature could be un véritable marquis? For if it were so, surely the miseries of our country must be much greater than even our very enemies could hope or believe? I made bold to tell him, That I thought we could not well judge from particulars to generals, and that I was sure there were great numbers of marquises in France who had ten thousand livres a year. I tell you this passage, to let you see, that the wisest men have some prejudices of their country about them! We got to Calais on Wednesday the 28th in the evening, and the next morning (the 29th) I took my leave of Monsieur Prior, who thanking me in the civillest manner in the world, for the service I had done him, very nobly made me a present of fifty pistoles, and so we parted. He put to sea with a fair wind, and I suppose, in a few hours landed in England. This, Sir, is the utmost I am able to inform you about Monsieur Prior's journey and negotiation. Time alone will let us know the events of it, which are yet in the dark. POSTSCRIPT BY THE TRANSLATOR. The author of this tract having left his master on shipboard at Calais, had, it seems, no further intelligence when he published it: Neither am I able to supply it, but by what passes in common report; which being in every body's mouth, but with no certainty, I think it needless to repeat. A real marquis. [SWIFT.] To this incident Swift refers in his "Journal to Stella," under date September 13th, 1711, when writing on the matter of the pamphlet: "The two last pages, which the printer had got somebody to add, are so romantic, they spoil all the rest." [T. S.] NOTE. THE Country Squires, by means of the "Examiner," and the various publications issued at the instigation of the Tory ministers, were fairly roused to indignation by what they were adroitly persuaded to believe, was the character of the leading Whigs. To them it seemed that the ministers were too lax. They should bring such monsters of iniquity to trial, imprison them in the Tower, or place their heads on the block. Nothing would satisfy them but to have all Whigs out of any place of authority or public office. About two hundred of these squires formed themselves into a Club which they called The October Club, from the ale they drank at the Bell Tavern in King Street, Westminster, where they met to talk over politics in general, and the iniquities of these Whigs in particular. St. John by his passionate eloquence helped to put fuel into the fire of their zeal, and they became clamorous. They began to suspect that Harley was something of a hypocrite or time-server, otherwise they could not account for his indulgence. To appease their ardour Swift wrote this extremely clever letter. His business it was to impress the squires with the many State secrets that had to be safeguarded; with the private matters that influenced the men in high position to a policy of restraint; with the probability that the time was not ripe for justice, but that justice would be done nevertheless; in short, with all sorts of hints and insinuations which would form excellent material for bar-parlour discussions, because they contained a modicum of truth and a large amount of seeming special knowledge of mighty matters of State. And Swift did his business excellently well. The result was that the squires had much food for their ruminations, and ceased from becoming a danger because of their well-meant but precipitate partisanship. The chief members of this Club were : John Aislabie, Francis Annesley, William Bromley, Robert Byerley, Henry Campion, Charles Cæsar, Sir Robert Davers, Charles Eversfield, Ralph Freeman, Sir Thomas Hanmer, John Hungerford, Sir Justinian Isham, George Lockhart, Sir Roger Mostyn, Sir John Packington, Francis Scobel, William Shippen, Sir Thomas Thorold, John Trevannion, Sir William Whitelock, and Sir William Windham. In his letter to Stella under date January 13th, 1711-1712, Swift writes: "I have made Ford copy out a small pamphlet, and send it to the press, that I might not be known for author; 'tis a letter to the October Club, if ever you heard of such a thing." On the 21st he continues: "I dined to-day in the city, where my printer showed me a pamphlet, called, Advice to the October Club, which he said was |