Page:The Wentworth Papers 1715-1739.djvu/204

 1 88 THE WENTWORTH PAPERS.

faithful! to you, and he knows men and things very well, and is a sober diligent man. Really before I knew you had any

thoughts of him I said to Mr. L I did believe you wou'd

not care for W and I wisht you wou'd think of him, if

he thought 'twas for his service. His answere then to me was, he believed, as there was Daroll and Laws, they wou'd sink that place to save the Queen 40s. a day. But now he's of another opinion, and he told, reflecting upon the hint I gave him, when Mr. Tilson spoke to him from you, he thought I might have had it from you, so he was resolved to beg the favour of me to tell you what I now have. The Queen I thank god is very w^ell again and is quite ride of her Ague. They keept it a secreet till the danger was past how many fitt she had had, so that when Dr. Ratclif heard her Phisitians had given her the Bark upon the first fit as he thought, he said the Elector of Hanover was to pay the Queen's Doctors. I have sent you an examiner and a Medley wch is all the news of the town. The Duke of Argile was to go to Greenwich to day so will see you very soon at the Hague. Since I writ this a gentlemen tells me that Mr. Harrison says he's recommended to you for your Secretary. So I went

to Mr. L and he tells me he hears so; and that 'tis Mr.

St. Johns recommend him to you, for your own private secretary. He is the man that writs the Tattlers since Steel left it of, he's a very good Scholar and was some time tutor to the Duke of Queensborroughs children and of late brought into his office.*

Oxford ; he wrote a few poems and continued the Tailcr after Steele. Swift was greatly attached to him as " a pretty little fellow with a great deal of wit, good sense and good nature"; and the following extract from his Journal to Stella shows to whom Harrison owed his appoint- ment : — "171 1, March 15. I was this morning at Mr. Secretary St. John's .... and he has given me for young Harrison the Tatler the prettiest employment in Europe— secretary to Lord Raby, who is to be ambassador extraordinary at the Hague, where all the great afifairs will be concerted, so we shall lose the Tatlers in a fortnight. I will send Harrison to-morrow morning to thank the Secretary." Of his unfortunate early death in September, 1713, we find mention later in the corre- spondence.
 * William Harrison was educated at Winchester and New College,

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