for the monarchy itself? He must expect to see his best friends brought to the scaffold, for asserting his rights; to see his prerogative trampled on, and his treasures applied to feed the avarice of those who make themselves his keepers; to hear himself treated with insolence and contempt; to have his family purged at pleasure by their humour and malice; and to retain even the name and shadow of a king, no longer than his ephori shall think fit.

These are the inevitable consequences of such a change of affairs, as that envenomed party is now projecting; which will best be prevented by your firmly adhering to the present ministry, till this domestic enemy is out of all possibility of making head any more.

A COMPLETE REFUTATION

OF

THE FALSEHOODS ALLEGED AGAINST

ERASMUS LEWIS, ESQ.

(From "The Examiner," vol. iii., Number 21. January 30th, to Monday, February 2nd, 1712.)

"Beware of counterfeits, for such are abroad."

From Friday,

DR. SAFFOLD's Quack-bill. "Quin, quæ dixisti modo,

Omnia ementitus equidem Sosia Amphitryonis sum."

PLAUTUS.

"Parva metu primo, mox sese attollit in auras."

VIRGIL (Eneid, iv. 176).

NOTE.

ERASMUS LEWIS, at the time of the writing of this paper, was a trusted agent of the ministers, and secretary to Lord Dartmouth. He represented Lostwithiel in parliament, and was, afterwards, secretary to Harley, Earl of Oxford. Swift always speaks of him in high terms. Nichols quotes a memorandum written by Swift on the back of one of Lewis's letters which attests the deep regard Swift had for his friend : "Lewis, who is wiser than ever he was; the best of husbands; I am sure I can say, from my own experience, that he is the best of friends; he was so to me, when I had little hopes I should ever live to thank him." Gay, in his "Mr. Pope's welcome from Greece," mentions him as one who has never friend forsaken."

The occasion for writing this paper arose from the fact that Lewis had been accused of carrying on a secret correspondence with the Court of St. Germains. How this rumour spread out is detailed by Swift here and in his letters to Stella. On January 27th, 1712-13, he writes to Esther Johnson: "My friend Lewis has had a lie spread on him, by the mistake of a man, who went to another of his name, to give him thanks for passing his privy seal to come from France. That other Lewis spread about, that the man brought him thanks from Lord Perth and Lord Melfort (lords now with the Pretender) for his great services, etc. The lords will examine that other Lewis to-morrow in council; and I believe you will hear of it in the prints, for I will make Abel Roper give an account of it." Four days later he tells her: "I was in the city with my printer to alter an Examiner,' about my friend Lewis's story, which will be told with remarks." On the 1st February he concludes: "I could do nothing till to-day about the 'Examiner '; but the printer came this morning, and I dictated to him what was fit to be said; and then Mr. Lewis came, and corrected it as he would have it; so that I was neither at Church nor at Court."

Neither this pamphlet nor the affidavits of Erasmus Lewis, Charles Ford, and Brigadier Skelton, prevented the Whigs from making all the capital they could out of this matter. Their attitude may be further studied in the "Flying Post" for February 3rd, and in a collection of Whig tracts and lampoons published in 1714, among the latter of which is a satirical ballad, entitled, "Lewis upon Lewis, or the Snake in the Grass."

The Dr. Saffold from whose poem Swift quotes a line as one of the texts for his paper, succeeded William Lilly in the practice of medical quackery and astrology. He is mentioned by Garth in the "Dispensary." I have been unable to procure a copy of any publication in pamphlet form of this paper, nor am I aware that any such was issued). The present text is that of the original "Examiner."

[T. S.]

I

A COMPLETE REFUTATION OF THE FALSEHOODS ALLEGED AGAINST

ERASMUS LEWIS, ESQ.

[Feb. 2, 1712-13.]

INTEND this paper for the service of a particular person; but herein, I hope, at the same time, to do some service to the public. A monstrous story hath been for a while most industriously handed about, reflecting upon a gentleman in great trust, under the principal secretary of state; who hath conducted himself with so much prudence, that, before this incident, neither the most virulent pens nor tongues have been so bold to attack him. The reader easily understands, that the person here meant is Mr. Lewis, secretary to the Earl of Dartmouth,' concerning whom a story hath run, for about ten days past, which makes a mighty noise in this town, is no doubt with very ample additions transmitted to every part of the kingdom, and probably will be returned to us by the Dutch Gazetteer, with the judicious comments peculiar to that political author: wherefore having received the fact and the circumstances from the best hands, I shall here set them down before the reader, who will easily pardon the style, which is made up of extracts from the depositions and assertions of the several persons concerned.

He was

1 Lord Dartmouth was Secretary of State with St. John. a proud, grave person, from whom Swift could never get a dinner." His annotations to Burnet's "History of his Own Time" are pretty free and to the point. Swift, in the twenty-sixth number of the "Examiner," helps us to realize the man by the following character sketch : "My Lord Dartmouth is a man of letters, full of good sense, good nature, and honour, of strict virtue and regularity of life; but labours under one great defect, that he treats his clerks with more civility and good manners, than others in his station have done the queen." [Ť. S.]