gry, admitted his claim to fome provifion, by offering to make him his deputy as Master of the Rolls in Ire land. This offer however Swift did not accept; but replied, that fince he had now an opportunity of living without being driven into the church for fupport, a fcruple which had hitherto kept him out of it, he was determined to go into Ireland and take orders. [Sketch, $ 25. vol. 8. p. 199.] Swift, during his refidence with Sir William, had never failed to vifit his mother at Leicester once a-year; and his manner of travelling was very extraordinary. He always went on foot, except the weather was very bad; and then he would fometimes take fhelter in a waggon. He chose to dine at obfcure ale-houses among pedlars and hoftlers, and to lie where he faw written over the door, Lodgings for a penny; but he used to bribe the maid with a tefter for a fingle bed and clean fheets. He delighted (fays Lord Orrery) in fcenes of low life. The vulgar dialect was not only a fund of humour for him, but I verily believe was acceptable to his nature; otherwife I know not how to account for the many filthy, ideas and indecent expreffions (I mean indecent in point of cleanli nefs and delicacy) that will be found throughout his works *. In When Swift was a young man, he was prodigiously fond of rambling, even before his pocket could afford the common expences of a journey: and therefore we cannot but applaud his manner of travelling; fince travel about he certainly muft, or elfe die of the fpleen. Oxford, Dublin, London, Moorpark, and Leicester, were at various times the places of his abode; but Leicester in particular, during his mother's life, he commonly vifited once a-year, let his general refidence have been where it would. In short, upon his own feet he ran like a buck from one place to another, Gates, ftiles, and quickfets, he no more valued than if they had been fo many ftraws, His conftitution was strong, and his limbs were active.- -His company in those flights were, I believe, all forts of people which he met in towns and villages where he chanced to refresh himself; fome chat for an hour, and again to the fields. His imagination was always alive, and perhaps beyond all others he had a power to conciliate his ideas to the feveral capacities of all human race, and at the fame time catch entertainment to himself from every fpecies of understanding; agreeable to what is faid in that panegyric on the Dean, written in the perfon of a lady in the north of Ireland, Whene'er In this manner he went down to his mother upon his leaving Sir William, and from Leicester he wrote a letter, dated June 1694 [in vol. 8. p. 198.] to his coufin Deane Swift, then at Lisbon; in which he relates his quarrel with Sir William, and declares his purpofe to take orders in the September following, withing he could procure for him the chaplainship of the factory. What was the effect of this letter, is not known; but Swift foon after obtained a recommendation (fup pofed to be from Sir William Temple) to Lord Capel, then Lord Deputy of Ireland, who gave him the prebend of Kilroot, in the diocefe of Connor, a northern district, worth about 100 l. a-year *. But Sir William, who had been used to the converfation of Swift, foon found that he could not be content to live without him; be therefore urged him to refign his prebend in favour of a friend, and promifed, to obtain preferment for him in England, if he would return t. Swift confented; and Whene'er you joke, 'tis all a cafe Whether with Dermot, or bis Grace: With fuch dexterity you fit Their fev'ral talents with your wit, That Moll the chambermaid can smoke, And Gabagan take ev'ry joke. vol. 6. p. 362. However the Doctor hath often told his friends, that whatever money he faved by this manner of travelling, he constantly threw it away, as foon as he went to London, upon a fine waistcoat, or fome additional gaiety upon a fuit of cloaths. D. S. p. 99. 100, I. * Swift foon grew weary of this preferment. It was not fufficiently confiderable, and was at fo great a diftance from the metropolis, that it abfolutely deprived him from that kind of converfation and fociety in which he delighted. He had been ufed to very different fcenes in England, and had naturally an averfion to folitude and retirement. He was glad therefore to refign his prebend in favour of a friend, and to return to Sheen, &c. Orrery, let. 2. This appears by a letter from Swift's fifter, then in Ireland, to her coufin Deane in Portugal, dated May 26. 1699. "My poor "brother" (fays fhe)" has loft his best friend Sir William "Temple, who was fo fond of him whilst be lived, that he "made him give up his living in this country to stay with him "at Moorpark, and promised to get him one in England: but "death came in between, and has left him unprovided both " of friend and living." D. S. p. 66. Sir Sir William was fo much pleafed with this act of kindnefs, that during the remainder of his life, which was about four years, his behaviour was fuch as produced the utmost harmony between them. Swift, as a teftimony of his friendship and esteem, wrote the battle of the books, of which Sir William is the hero; and Sir William, when he died, left him a pecuniary legacy, (fuppofed to have been about 500l.), and his posthumous works, [Sketch, § 25.] What other favours he received from Sir William, cannot certainly be known. Swift acknowledged none but his ineffectual recommendation to King William ; and he is known to have received frequent remittances from his uncle William, and his uncle Willoughby Swift: fo that Sir William does not feem to have treated him with a liberality for which it is difficult to account. Upon the death of Sir William Temple, Swift applied by petition to K. William for the first vacant prebend of Canterbury or Westminster, for which the royal promise had been obtained by his late patron, whose pofthumous works he dedicated to his Majesty, to facilitate the fuccefs of this application. But it does not appear, that, after the death of Sir William, the King took the leaft notice of Mr. Swift *. His petition and dedication were equally neglected t; and after a fruitlefs attendance at court, which probably increased the aufterity of his temper, he accepted the invitation of the Earl of Berkeley, who had been appointed one of the Lords Juftices of Ireland, to attend him as chaplain and *The promises of Kings are often a kind of chaff, which the breath of a minister bloweth and scattereth away from the face of a court. Swift's petition had no effect. It was either totally forgotten, or drowned amidst the clamours of more urgent claims. From this first disappointment may probably be dated that bitternefs towards kings and courtiers, which is to be found fo u. niverfally difperfed throughout his works. Orrery, let. 3. The Earl of Rumney, who profeffed much friendship for Mr. Swift, promifed to fecond his petition; but as he was an old vitious, illiterate rake, without any fense of truth or honour, he faid not a word to the King. Sketch, § 26. What then was to be done? Honour, or, to ufe a properer word, pride, bindered him from staying long in a state of servility and contempt. Orrery, let. 3. private N private fecretary. It might reasonably have been hoped, that although he had been disappointed of the preferment for which he folicited, yet the employment to which he was invited would have been fecure. But it happened, that after he had acted as fecretary during the whole journey to Dublin, one Bush found means to infinuate to Lord Berkeley, that the post of fecretary was not fit for a clergyman; and his Lordfhip fuffered himself to be fo eafily convinced of this impropriety, that, after making fome apology to Mr. Swift, he appointed Bush secretary in his ftead *. [Sketch, § 26.] This difappointment was foon after followed by another. It happened, that the deanery of Derry became vacant, and it was the Earl of Berkeley's turn to dispose of it. Yet whatever atonement was due to Swift for his Lordship's late breach of engagement, the fecretary having received a bribe t, the deanery was given to another, upon pretence that Swift, who was then more than thirty years old, was too young ‡; and Here was another disappointment, and a fresh object of indignation. The treatment was thought injurious, and Swift expreffed his fenfibility of it in a short, but fatirical copy of verses, intitled, The Discovery. Orrery, let 3.See vol. 7. p. 134. I have been told, that upon the Secretary's being offered 1000l. for the deanery of Derry, he would not conclude the bar. gain, but kept it in reserve, until he had acquainted Swift with the propofal he had received: which after he had done, he made him the offer of the deanery for the like fum. But Swift told him plainly, that he thought he had nothing to do with ecclefiaftical preferments, and rejected his overture with all imaginable difdain. D. S. p. 113. The rich deanery of Derry was intended for Swift by Lord Berkeley, if Dr. King, then Bishop of Derry, and afterwards Archbishop of Dublin, had not interpofed; intreating with great carneftness, that the deanery might be given to fome grave and elderly divine, rather than to fo young a man; "because (added the Bishop) the fituation of Derry is in the midst of Presbyterians, " and I fhould be glad of a clergyman who could be of affift "ance to me. I have no objection to Mr. Swift. I know him to "be a fprightly ingenious young man ; but instead of refiding, "I dare fay he will be eternally flying backwards and forwards "to London; and therefore I intreat, that he may be provided " for in fome other place."Swift was accordingly set aside on account of youth; but as if his ftars had deftined him to a parallel revenge, he lived to fee the Bishop of Derry afterwards fet afide on account of age. That prelate had been Archbishop of and he received instead of it the two livings of Laracor and Rathbeggin, in the diocese of Meath, which together did not amount to half the value of the deanery *. [Sketch, § 27.] The first of these rectories was worth about 2001. and the latter about 60 1. a year; and they were the only church preferments that Dr. Swift enjoyed till he was appointed Dean of St. Patrick's in 1713. [0. let. 3.] Whilft Swift was chaplain to Lord Berkeley, his only fifter, who was of a middle fize, finely fhaped, rather beyond what is called the agreeable throughout her whole perfon, was polite and well bred, with at least a good share of understanding, and at that time worth 300l. by the confent and approbation of her uncles and relations, accepted a propofal of marriage from a tradefman, whofe fortune, character, and fituation were Dublin many years, and had been long celebrated for his wit and learning, when Dr. Lindsay the Primate of Ireland died. Upon his death Archbishop King immediately made claim to the primacy, as a preferment to which he had a right from his fte tion in the fee of Dublin, and from his acknowledged character in the church. Neither of these pretenfions were prevalent. He was looked upon as too far advanced in years to be removed. The reafon alledged was as mortifying as the refufal itself. But the Archbishop had no opportunity of fhewing his resentment, except to the new Primate Dr. Bolter, whom he received at his own houfe, and in his dining-parlour, without rifing from his chair, and to whom he made an apology, by saying in his usual strain of wit, and with his ufual fneering countenance, " My Lord, "I am certain your grace will forgive me, because you know, I "am too old to rife." Orrery, let. 3. Whether or not Dr. King, who was at that time very defervedly in high reputation, although defcended from the meanest of the people, [being the fon of a miller], was afraid of being eclipfed by the fuperior luftre of this young afpiring genius, who was in all respects, notwithstanding that he agreed with the Bishop in affairs ecclefiaftical, a man of a quite different caft and manner of thinking, I fhall not prefume to determine. However it is by no means improbable, that Swift's prodigious talents, which appear throughout his whole life to have been dreaded by all his contemporaries, not excepting even those mi. nifters who were defirous to have the honour of being ranked among his best friends, had a greater share in obstructing his pro motion to the deanery of Derry, than perhaps any filly trifling objections against his youth and fprightlinefs. D. S. p. 114. As Swift did not receive thefe livings till after the deanery was given to another, his non-refidence could not, as Lord Or rery supposes, be the reason why it was not given to him. Hawkef. esteemed, |