whom he was mentioned as a man fufed to co-operate with fome of the Harley was glad of an auxiliary : miliarity and his entire confidence. He was admitted to thofe mecti pofed to have been formed; and wa weekly at each other's houfes, and He continued, however, to conv Steele, and contributed to the "Ta At this time, and during his conr the most remarkable events, as we Stella, the name by which he calle This journal was luckily preferved, He was now immerging into pol taken the field. On the Whig fide of lefs note. On the Tory fide, th King. They had published twelve declared himself. The whole cond entered the field alone; he fcorned November 2. 1710, No. 13. of Ti June 7. 1711, when he dropped it Mrs. Manley, and other hands. In 1711, he published a Letter to the country, who drank October b ment to confult on affairs, and drive to account, and get off five or fi violent members of his own party; whom he flimulated as much as he the cabals of the October Club. 86 ་ neglected and oppreffed by the last ministry, becaufe he had re eir schemes. fo well qualified for his fervice, and readily admitted him to fa ags in which the first hints and original plan of action are fupis one of the fixteen minifters, or agents of the ministry, who met were united by the name of "Brother." erfe indifcriminately with all the wits, and was yet a friend to tler," which began in April, 1709. ection with the Tory miniftry, he kept a regular journal of all as little anecdotes, which he tranfmitted every fortnight to 1 Mifs Johnfon, for private perufal, and that of Mrs. Dingley. and fome time fince given to the world. itical controverfy. The writers on both fides had before this were Addifon, Burnet, Steele, Congreve, Rowe, and many others e chief writers were Bolingbroke, Atterbury, Prior, Freind and numbers of a weekly paper, called The Examiner, when Swift uct of the paper was, from that time, put into his hands. He affiftance; and defpifed numbers. His firft paper was published e Examiner; and he continued them without interruption till clofing it with No. 44, and then leaving it to be carried on by he October Club, "a fet of above a hundred parliament-men of er at home, and met every evening at a tavern near the parlia things to extremes against the Whigs; to call the old miniftry heads." Swift feems to have concurred in opinion with the but it was not in his power to quicken the tardiness of Harley, could, but with little effect. His Letter, however, put an end to The next year, he published a propofal for correcting, improving, and afcertaining the English Tongue, in a letter to Harley; general nature of language, and w The certainty and ftability which, fecure by inftituting an academy, many would have been proud to di in a fhort time have differed from i The fame year, he published his fe was to perfuade the nation faid that cleves thousand were fol 1 of power or influence was wanting ritten," fays Dr. Johnfon, " without much knowledge of the thout any accurate inquiry into the hiftory of other tongues. contrary to all experience, he thinks attainable, he proposes to the decrees of which every man would have been willing, and obey; and which, being renewed by fucceffive elections, would purp felf." celebrated political tract, called The Conduct of the Allies. The to a peace; and never had any publication more fuccefs. It is in less than a month. To its propagation certainly no agency It furnished arguments for converfation, fpeeches for debate, and materials for parliamentary refolutions. It was followed by his Barrier Treaty, which carries on the design of the Conduct of the Allies, and his Remarks on the Bishop of Sarum': › Introduction to the third Volume of his Hiftory of the Reformation, in which he treats Burnet like a political antagonist, whom he is glad of an opportunity to insult. The miniftry were not unmin dful of his merits, and had recommended him to the Queen to fill a vacant bishopric; but the recommendation was opposed by Archbishop Sharp, who used this remarkable expreffion," that her Majefty fhould be fure that the man whom she was going to make a bishop was a Christian." The Duchefs of Somerset alfo fhowed the Queen that exceffive bitter copy of verfes which Swift had written against her, called The Windfor Prophecy. As a mark of her displeasure, the Queen paffed Swift by, and bestowed the bishopric on another. As foon as it was known that he was in difgrace with the Queen, his court friends either deferted him or looked coldly on him. Speeches were made against him in both Houses of Parliament. The Scottish Peers went in a body to the Queen to complain of the author of a pamphlet, called the Palli Spirit of the Whigs, written in answer to Steele's "Crifis," in which were many paffages injurious to the honour of their nation. His friend Harley, however, and the rest of the ministry, exerted their influence fo ftrongly in his behalf, that he foon appeared again at court, in higher favour than ever. In April 1713, he was appointed Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin, the best preferment the miniftry would venture to give him. "That miniftry," fays Dr. Johnson, was, in a great degree, fupported by the clergy, who were not yet reconciled to the author of the Tale of a Tub, and would not, without much difcontent and indignation, have borne to fee him inftalled in an English cathedral." In June following, he went to take poffeffion of his deanery; but was not suffered to stay in Ireland more than a fortnight before he was recalled to England, that he might reconcile Harley and Bolingbroke, who began to look on one another with malevolence, which every day increased. Upon his arrival, he contrived an interview at Lord Mafham's, from which they both departed difcontented; he procured a fecond, which only convinced him that the breach was irreconcilable. He told them his opinion, that all was loft, and that he was determined to have no further concern with public affairs. By the diffenfion of his great friends, his importance was now at an end; and feeing his fervices at laft useless, he returned in June 1714, to a friend's houfe at Letcomb in Berkshire, where he wrote that spirited pamphlet, called Free Thoughts on the present State of Affairs; but the death of the Queen, foon after it went to prefs, put a stop to the publication. This event broke down at once the whole fyftem of Tory politics, put an end to all Swift's noble defigns for the public good, and cut off all his own future prospects. There is an admirable picture given of him upon this occafion, by a few strokes of the masterly pen of Arbuthnot: "I have feen a letter," he writes Pope, "from Dean Swift; he keeps up his moble fpirit; and though, like a man knocked down, you may behold him still with a ftern countenance, and aiming a blow at his adverfaries." The brightest and most important part of his life paffed during the four last years of Queen Anne, when his faculties were in full vigour, and occafions for difplaying them arofe adequate to their greatness It is recorded to his honour, and to animate others by his example, that, during his connection with thofe who were in the highest rank, and who in every rank would have been great, he would never fuffer himself to be treated but as an equal, and repulfed every attempt to hold him in dependence, or keep him at diftance, with the utmost resentment and indignation. It happened upon fome occafion that Harley fent him a bank bill of 501. by his private secretary, Mr. Lewis, which he inftantly returned with a letter of expoftulation and complaint; but he accepted afterwards a draught of 1000l. upon the Exchequer, which was intercepted by the Queen's death. When he was defired by Harley to introduce Parnell to his acquaintance, he refufed, upon this principle, that a man of genius was a character fuperior to a lord in a high station. He therefore obliged him to walk with his treasurer's ftaff from room to room, inquiring which was Parnell, in order to introduce himself, and beg the honour of his acquaintance. As to his political principles, if his own account of them is to be believed, he was always against a popish fucceffor to the crown, whatever title he might have by proximity of blood; nor did he regard the right line upon any other account than as it was established by law, and had much weight in the opinions of the people. He was of opinion, that when the grievances fuffered under a present government became greater than thofe which might probably be expected from changing it by violence, a revolution was juftifiable; and this he believed to have been the cafe in that which was brought about by the Prince of Orange. He had a mortal antipathy to ftanding armies in times of peace; and was of opinion, that our liberty could never be fecured upon a firm foundation, till the ancient law fhould be revived, by which our parliaments were made annual. He abominated the political scheme of fetting a monied interefl in oppofition to the landed, and was an enemy to a temporary fufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus at. In thefe opinions, and in his general scheme of politics, Harley was known to concur; but Bolingbroke fought to gratify his ambition by secretly whom he was mentioned as a min He was admitted to those mecti In 1711, he published a Letter to the country, who drank October b ment to confult on affairs, and drive to account, and get off five or fi violent members of his own party; whom he ftimulated as much as he the cabals of the October Club. neglected and oppreffed by the last ministry, becaufe he had rẻ. :ir schemes. fo well qualified for his service, and readily admitted him to fa ngs in which the first hints and original plan of action are supis one of the fixteen minifters, or agents of the ministry, who met were united by the name of "Brother." erfe indifcriminately with all the wits, and was yet a friend to tler," which began in April, 1709. ection with the Tory ministry, he kept a regular journal of all as little anecdotes, which he tranfmitted every fortnight to 1 Mifs Johnson, for private perufal, and that of Mrs. Dingley. and fome time fince given to the world. itical controverfy. The writers on both fides had before this were Addifon, Burnet, Steele, Congreve, Rowe, and many others e chief writers were Bolingbroke, Atterbury, Prior, Freind and numbers of a weekly paper, called The Examiner, when Swift uct of the paper was, from that time, put into his hands. He affiftance; and defpifed numbers. His firft paper was published e Examiner; and he continued them without interruption till clofing it with No. 44, and then leaving it to be carried on by he October Club, "a fet of above a hundred parliament-men of er at home, and met every evening at a tavern near the parlia > things to extremes against the Whigs; to call the old ministry heads." Swift feems to have concurred in opinion with the but it was not in his power to quicken the tardiness of Harley, ‹ould, but with little effect. His Letter, however, put an end to The next year, he published a propofal for correcting, improving, and afcertaining the English Tongue, in a letter to Harley; T general nature of language, and w ritten," fays Dr. Johnfon, "without much knowledge of the thout any accurate inquiry into the hiftory of other tongues. contrary to all experience, he thinks attainable, he proposes to the decrees of which every man would have been willing, and many would have been proud to diobey; and which, being renewed by fucceffive elections, would in a fhort time have differed from i The fame year, he published his purp fe was to perfuade the nation faid that cleves thoufand were fol 1 of power or influence was wanting felf." celebrated political tract, called The Conduct of the Allies. The and materials for parliamentary refolutions. The ministry were not unmin dful of his merits, and had recommended him to the Queen to fill a vacant bishopric; but the recommendation was oppofed by Archbishop Sharp, who used this remarkable expreffion," that her Majesty should be fure that the man whom she was going to make a bishop was a Christian." The Duchefs of Somerset alfo Ihowed the Queen that exceffive bitter copy of verfes which Swift had written against her, called The Windfor Prophecy. As a mark of her displeasure, the Queen passed Swift by, and bestowed the bishopric on another. As foon as it was known that he was in difgrace with the Queen, his court friends either deserted Speeches were made against him in both Houses of Parliament. The him or looked coldly on him. attish Peers went in a body to the Queen to complain of the author of a pamphlet, called the Pull Spirit of the Whigs, written in answer to Steele's "Crifis," in which were many paffages injurious to the honour of their nation. His friend Harley, however, and the rest of the ministry, exerted their influence so strongly in his behalf, that he foon appeared again at court, in higher favour than ever, In April 1713, he was appointed Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin, the beft preferment the ministry would venture to give him. "That miniftry," fays Dr. Johnson, was, in a great degree, fupported by the clergy, who were not yet reconciled to the author of the Tale of a Tub, and would not, without much discontent and indignation, have borne to fee him inftalled in an English cathedral." In June following, he went to take poffeffion of his deanery; but was not fuffered to ftay in Ireland more than a fortnight before he was recalled to England, that he might reconcile Harley and Bolingbroke, who began to look on one another with malevolence, which every day increased. Upon his arrival, he contrived an interview at Lord Masham's, from which they both departed difcontented; he procured a fecond, which only convinced him that the breach was irreconcilable. He told them his opinion, that all was loft, and that he was determined to have no further concern with public affairs. By the diffenfion of his great friends, his importance was now at an end; and feeing his fervices at laft ufelefs, he returned in June 1714, to a friend's house at Letcomb in Berkshire, where he wrote that fpirited pamphlet, called Free Thoughts on the present State of Affairs; but the death of the Queen, foon after it went to prefs, put a stop to the publication. This event broke down at once the whole fyftem of Tory politics, put an end to all Swift's noble defigns for the public good, and cut off all his own future profpects. There is an admirable picture given of him upon this occafion, by a few strokes of the mafterly pen of Arbuthnot: "I have feen a letter," he writes Pope, "from Dean Swift; he keeps up his moble fpirit; and though, like a man knocked down, you may behold him still with a ftern countenance, and aiming a blow at his adverfaries." The brightest and most important part of his life paffed during the four last years of Queen Anne, when his faculties were in full vigour, and occafions for difplaying them arose adequate to their greatness It is recorded to his honour, and to animate others by his example, that, during his connection with thofe who were in the highest rank, and who in every rank would have been great, he would never fuffer himself to be treated but as an equal, and repulfed every attempt to hold him in dependence, or keep him at diftance, with the utmost refentment and indignation. It happened upon fome occafion that Harley fent him a bank bill of 501. by his private fecretary, Mr. Lewis, which he inftantly returned with a letter of expoftulation and complaint; but he accepted afterwards a draught of 10001. upon the Exchequer, which was intercepted by the Queen's death. When he was defired by Harley to introduce Parnell to his acquaintance, he refused, upon this principle, that a man of genius was a character fuperior to a lord in a high ftation. He therefore obliged him to walk with his treasurer's ftaff from room to room, inquiring which was Parnell, in order to introduce himself, and beg the honour of his acquaintance. As to his political principles, if his own account of them is to be believed, he was always against a popish fucceffor to the crown, whatever title he might have by proximity of blood; nor did he regard the right line upon any other account than as it was established by law, and had much weight in the opinions of the people. He was of opinion, that when the grievances suffered under a present government became greater than thofe which might probably be expected from changing it by violence, a revolution was juftifiable; and this he believed to have been the cafe in that which was brought about by the Prince of Orange. He had a mortal antipathy to standing armies in times of peace; and was of opinion, that our liberty could never be fecured upon a firm foundation, till the ancient law fhould be revived, by which our parliaments were made annual. He abominated the political scheme of setting up a monied interefl in oppofition to the landed, and was an enemy to a temporary fufpenfion of the Hebeas Corpus a& In thefe opinions, and in his general scheme of politics, Harley was known to concur; but Bolingbroke fought to gratify his ambition by secretly The period of his political importance is diftinguished by the commencement of his paffion for Mifs Efther Vanhomrigh, celebrated by the name of Vaneffa, whofe history is too well known to be minutely repeated. The date of it may be traced to March 1712, when a remarkable change took place in his manner of writing to Miss Johnsen. Mifs Vanhomrigh was a young woman fond of literature, whom he took pleasure in directing and instructing; till, from being proud of his praife, fhe grew fond of his perfon, and ventured to make him a propofal of marriage. He now, for the first time, felt what the paffion of love was, with all its attendant symptoms, which he had before only known from description, and which he was now enabled to defcribe himfelf in the strongest colours. In this fituation, foon after his return from his installation, in 1713, he wrote that beautiful poem, called Cadenus and Vanela,, in which he is characterised, under the name of Cadenus by the tranfpofition of the letters in the word Decanus, the Dean. His first design feems to have been to break off the connection in the politeft manner poffible. To foften the harshnefs of a refufal of her hand, the greatest of mortifications to a woman, young, beautiful, and poffeffed of a good fortune; he painted all her perfections, both of body and mind, in such glowing colours, as must at least have highly gratified her vanity, and shown that he was far from being infenfible to her charms, though prudence forbade his yielding to his inclinations. If it be faid that he should have checked a passion which he never meant to gratify, recourse must be had to that extenuation which he fo much defpifed, "men are but men." Perhaps, however, he did not know his own mind; and, as he reprefents himself, was undetermined. A poem written in fuch exquifite tafte, of which the was the fubject, and where she saw herfelf dreft out in the most flattering colours, was not likely to administer to her cure; on the contrary, it only ferved to add fresh fuel to the flame. Meantime, the unfortunate Stella languished in abfence and neglect. The journal was not renewed; while a continual intercourfe was kept up between Vana and him. She was the first perfon he wrote to on his retirement to Letcoumb, before the Queen's death, and the lait in his departure from that place to Ireland; whether the foon followed. He arrived in a much more gloomy flate of mind than before. In the triumph of the Whigs, he met with every mortification that a spirit like his could poffibly be exposed to. The people of Ireland were irritated against him beyond measure, and every indignity was offered him as he walked the streets of Dublin. Nor was he only infulted by the rabble; but perfons of diftinguished rank forgot the decorum of common civility, to give him a perfonal affront. While his pride was hurt by fuch indignities, his more tender feelings were often wounded by base ingratitude. In fuch a fituation, he found it in vain to struggle against the tide that oppofed him. He filently yielded, and retired from the world to difcharge his duties as a clergyman, and attend to the are of his deanery. He filled his hours with fome hiftorical attempts relating to the Change of the Miniftry, and the Conduct of the Mnifry. He Ikewife finished a Hiftory of the Four last Years of Queen Anne, which he began in her lifetime, and laboured with great attention, but never published. It was afterwards published by Dr. Lucas; but failed to fatisfy the curiofity which it excited. He was now to contrive how he might be beft accommodated in a country where he confidered himself in a state of exile. He opened his house by a public table two days a-week, and found his entertainments gradually frequented by vifitants of learning among the men, and of elegance among the women. Mifs Johnfon had left the country, and lived in lodgings not far from the deanery. On his public days fhe regulated the table; but appeared at it as a mere gueft, like other ladies. On other days, he often dined at a stated price, with Mr. Worral, a clergyman of his cathedral, whose houfe was recommended by the peculiar neatness and pleafantry of his wife. To this frugal mode of living, he was firft difpofed by care to pay fome debts which he had contracted; and he continued it for the purpofe of accumulating money.. In 1716, he was privately married to Mifs Johnson, by Dr. Afte, bishop of Clogher, to whom he had been a pupil in the College, and who was the common friend to both, in fettling the conditions of this extraordinary union. The marriage made no change in their mode of life; they lived in feparate houfes as before; nor did the ever lodge in the deanery but when Swift was feized with of giddiness. |
