Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 11.djvu/40

28 would engage in it, to whom, if I pleased, he would repeat what I had said. I replied, I had the honour of being well known to his excellency; that I intended to ask his leave to solicit this matter with his lordship, but had not mentioned it yet, because I did not know whether I had credit enough to gain that access he was now pleased to honour me with: that upon his lordship's leave to attend him, signified to me by the earl of Sunderland, I went to inform his excellency, not doubting his consent; but did not find him at home, and therefore ventured to come: but, not knowing how his excellency might understand it, I begged his lordship to say nothing to my lord lieutenant, until I had the honour to wait on him again. This my lord treasurer agreed to, and entering on the subject, told me, that since the queen's grant of the first fruits here, he was confident, not one clergyman in England was a shilling the better. I told him, I thought it lay under some incumbrances; he said, it was true; but besides, that it was wholly abused in the distribution; that as to those in Ireland, they were an inconsiderable thing, not above 1000l. or 1200l. a year, which was almost nothing for the queen to grant, upon two conditions: First, That it should be well disposed of: And, secondly, That it should be well received, with due acknowledgments; in which cases he would give his consent: otherwise, to deal freely with me, he never would. I said, as to the first, that I was confident the bishops would leave the methods of disposing it entirely to her majesty's breast; as to the second, her majesty and his lordship might count upon all the acknowledgments that the most grateful