ERASMUS LEWIS, our author's intimate friend, and a confidential agent of the ministers, had been accused of holding a correspondence with the court of St Germains, owing to the odd accident detailed in the following tract. Swift, in his Journal, thus expresses his design to vindicate him. 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

kr

* Thomas Staffold, a quack-doctor and astrologer, died 12th May 1691, as appears from his elegy in the Luttrell Collection. He may have had a successor, however, who enjoyed or assumed his venerable name.

brought him thanks from Lord Perth and Lord Melfort (lords now with the Pretender) for his great services, &c. 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."-Journal to Stella, Jan. 27, 1712-13.

"I was in the city with my printer to alter an Examiner, about my friend Lewis's story, which will be told with remarks."-Ibid. Jan. 31.

"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 court."-Ibid. Feb. 1.

In spite, however, of all explanation, the more zealous Whigs continued to believe in a report so advantageous to their cause, as establishing an immediate correspondence between a confident of the ministry and the court of the Chevalier St George. This transaction is made the subject of a lampoon, entitled "Lewis upon Lewis, or the Snake in the Grass, a satirical ballad, 1712-13, which occurs in a Whig collection of such pleasantries, called Political Merriment, or Truths told to some Tune, &c. in the glorious year of our preservation, 1714." 8vo.

Feb. 2, 1712-13.

I INTEND this paper for the service of a particular person; but herein I hope, at the same time, to do some good to the public. A monstrous story has been for a while most industriously handed about, reflecting upon a gentleman in great trust under the principal secretary of state; who has conducted himself with so much prudence, that, before this incident, neither the most virulent pens nor tongues have been so bold as 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 has 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.

On Sunday last was month, Mr Lewis, secretary to the Earl of Dartmouth, and Mr Skelton, met by acci dent at Mr Scarborough's lodgings in St James's, among seven other persons, viz. the Earls of Sussex and Finlater, the Lady Barbara Skelton, Lady Walter, Mrs Vernon, Mrs Scarborough, and Miss Scarborough her daughter; who all declared, "that Mr Lewis and Mr Skelton were half an hour in company together." There Mrs Scarborough made Mr Skelton and Mr Lewis known to each other; and told the former, "that he ought to thank Mr Lewis for the trouble he had given himself in the dispatch of a licence under the privy-seal, by which Mr Skelton was permitted to come from France to England." Hereupon Mr Skelton saluted Mr Lewis, and told him, "he would wait on him at his house, to return him his thanks." Two or three days after, Mr Skelton, in company with the Earl of Sussex, his lady's father, went to a house in Marlborough Street, where he was informed Mr Lewis lived; and, as soon as the supposed Mr Lewis appeared, Mr Skelton expressed himself in these words: "Sir, I beg your pardon; I find I am mistaken:

*

* Mr Henry Lewis, a Hamburgh merchant, and, from his being called also Levi, probably a German Jew.

I came to visit Mr Lewis of my Lord Dartmouth's office, to thank him for the service he did me in passing my privy-seal." Mr Levi, alias Lewis, answered, "Sir, there is no harm done." Upon which, Mr Skelton immediately withdrew to my Lord Sussex, who staid for him in the coach; and drove away. Mr Skelton, who was a stranger to the town, ordered the coachman to drive to Mr Lewis's, without more particular directions; and this was the occasion of the mistake.

For above a fortnight nothing was said of this matter; but on Saturday, the 24th of January last, a report began to spread, that Mr Skelton, going by mistake to Mr Henry Levi, alias Lewis, instead of Mr Lewis of the secretary's office, had told him, "that he had services for him from the Earls of Perth, Middleton, Melfort, and about twelve persons more of the court of St Germain." When Mr Lewis heard of this, he wrote to the above-mentioned Henry Levi, alias Lewis, desiring to be informed, what ground there was for this report; and received for answer, " that his friend Skelton could best inform him." Mr Lewis wrote a second letter, insisting on an account of this matter, and that he would come and demand it in person. Accordingly, he and Charles Ford, Esq. went the next morning, and found the said Levi in a great surprise at the report, who declared," he had never given the least occasion for it; and that he would go to all the coffeehouses in town, to do Mr Lewis justice." He was asked by Mr Lewis, "whether Mr Skelton had named from what places and persons he had brought those services ?" Mr Levi, alias Lewis, answered, "he was positive Mr Skelton had neither named person nor place." Here Mr Skelton was called in; and Mr Levi, alias Lewis, confirmed

what he had said in his hearing. Mr Lewis then desired he would give him in writing what he had declared before the company; but Mr Levi, alias Lewis, excused it as unnecessary, "because he had already said he would do him justice in all the coffeehouses in town." On the other hand, Mr Lewis insisted to have it in writing, as being less troublesome; and to this Mr Levi, alias Lewis, replied, "that he would give his answer by three o'clock in the afternoon." Accordingly, Mr Ford went to his house at the time appointed, but did not find him at home; and, in the meantime, the said Levi went to White's chocolate-house; where, notwithstanding all he had before denied, he spread the above-mentioned report afresh, with several additional circumstances, as, "that when Mr Skelton and the Earl of Sussex came to his house, they staid with him a considerable time, and drank tea.

The Earl of Peterborough, uncle to the said Mr Skelton, thought himself obliged to inquire into the truth of this matter: and, after some search, found Mr Levi, alias Lewis, at the Thatched-house Tavern; where he denied every thing again to his lordship, as he had done in the morning to Mr Ford, Mr Lewis, and Mr Skelton.

This affair coming to the knowledge of the queen, her majesty was pleased to order an examination of it by some lords of the council. Their lordships appointed Wednesday the 28th of January last for this inquiry; and gave notice for attendance to the said Levi, alias Lewis, and several other persons who had knowledge of the matter. When Mr Levi, alias Lewis, was called in, he declared, "that Mr Skelton told him he had services for him from France, but did not name any persons.