pences were greater than their income, it was judged a fufficient reafon to discharge them; but, on the contrary, as foon as they had saved a full year's wages, he conftantly paid them legal intereft for it, and took great pleasure in feeing it accumulated to a fum which might fettle them in fome employment if he should die, or if they found it adviseable to quit his fervice, which feldom happened. And he with whom his fervants live long, has indubitable witneffes that he is a good mafter. It is alfo certain, that, notwithstanding the apparent aufterity of his temper, he did not confider his fervants as poor flaves, to whose service he had a right, in confideration merely of his money, and owed them no reciprocal obligation. He had a fervant whom he used to call Saunders, that lived long with him, and at length fell fick and died. In his fickness, which lafted many months, Swift took care that all poffible relief and affistance should be afforded him; and when he died, he buried him in the fouth ifle of his cathedral, and erected a small piece of statuary to his memory, with this infcription : Here lieth the body of Alexander Magee, fervant to Doctor Swift, His grateful mafter caufed this monument to be erected in memory of his discretion, fidelity, and diligence, in that humble station. Ob. Mar. 24, 1721, atat. 29. In In the original copy, which the author of the Obfervations faw in the Dean's own hand, the expreffion was still stronger, and more to the Dean's honour, thus : His grateful friend and mafter. But a perfon of the Dean's acquaintance, who is much more distinguished for vanity than wisdom, prevailed upon him to leave out friend, even in oppofition to his own well-known maxim, That a faithful fervant fhould always be confidered, not as a poor flave, but an humble friend. Of this perfon the name is not told; but to conceal it, is rather injustice than mercy; for he ought, on this occafion, to inherit a difgrace at least proportionate to the honour which he found means to withhold from Swift. As a member of civil fociety, he was a zealous advocate for liberty, the detector of fraud, and the fcourge of oppreffion. In his private capacity, he was not only charitable, but generous; and whatever mifanthropy may be found in his writings, there does not appear to have been any in his life. His writings in defence of the poor infatuated people of Ireland, are well known; and that he might not be wanting himfelf while he pleaded their caufe with others, he conftantly lent out a large fum of money in fmall portions, to honest, diligent, and neceffitous tradefmen, who paid it, with a final gratuity by way of intereft, to the perfon perfon who kept the account of the disburfements and weekly payments; for he received back thefe loans by a certain fum out of the weekly profit of the borrower's trade, in fuch proportions that the whole should be repaid in a year. [J. R. p. 203, 4.] Befides this, he frequently gave away 5 and 10l. when proper objects offered, without any parade. He was indeed diligent to relieve the poor, and at the fame time to encourage induftry, even in the lowest station; and ufed regularly to vifit a great number of poor, chiefly women, as well in the public streets, as in the by-alleys; and under the arches of Dublin. Some of thefe fold plums, fome hobnails, others tape, and others ginger-bread; fome knitted, fome darned ftock. ings, and others cobbled fhoes: These women were most of them old, deformed, or crippled, and fome were all three. He faluted them with great kindness, asked how they throve, and what ftock they had? If the ware of any of them was fuch as he could poffibly use, or pretend to ufe, he bought fome, and paid for every halfpennyworth fixpence; if not, he always added fomething to their ftock, and ftrictly charged them to be induftrious and honeft. [J. R. p. 132, 133.] It must be confeffed, that these acts of bounty did not appear to be the effects of compaffion : For of the foft fympathy with distress, that fometimes fparkles in the eye, and fometimes glows upon the cheek, he fhewed no fign; and he may therefore therefore be supposed to have wanted it. However, it is certain, that he was wholly free from ill-nature; for a man can have no complacence in that evil which he is continually bufy to re move. His bounty had not indeed the indifcriminating ardour of blind inftinct; and, if it had, it would not have been the inftrument of equal happiness. To feed idlenefs, is to propagate mifery, and difcourage virtue: But to infure the reward of induftry, is to beftow a benefit at once upon the individual and the public; it is to preferve from defpair, those who struggle with difficulty and difappointment; it is to fupply food and reft to that labour which alone can make food tafteful and reft fweet, and to invigorate the community, by the full ufe of thofe members, which would otherwife become not only ufelefs, but hurtful; as a limb in which the vital fluid ceases to circulate, will not only wither, but corrupt. In this view, then, the bounty of Swift was, like every other Christian duty, a reasonable fervice. And that he felt no fecret pleasure in the calamities of others, may be fairly concluded, not only from this general practice, but from many particular facts, in which he appears to have been watchful and zealous to alleviate diftrefs, by unfolicited and unexpected liberality. It happened, that a young gentleman of his choir, being abroad with his gun, fuffered irreparable hurt by its going off accidentally. When the the Dean heard of it, he expreffed great concern; and, having paused a little, "Well," faid he, "this will be a good time, at once to reward merit, and alleviate diftrefs; I will make him a "vicar:" which he did accordingly the fame hour. There are fome infirmities to which the mind, as well as the body, naturally becomes fubject in the decline of life. The detire of accumulating wealth almost always increafes in proportion as it becomes more abfurd; and thofe are most tenacious of money, to whom money can be of leaft ufe. It has been generally faid, that this weakness is the effect of long acquaintance with mankind, who are found to deferve lefs confidence, and lefs kindness, as they are more known. And indeed, though this opinion fhould not haftily be admitted, it must yet be confeffed, that the first article in which men leffen their expences, is generally the money they have been used to give away; and that they gradually lose the inclination to do good, as they acquire the power. But Swift, if he was not exempt from the infirmity, was yet clear of the vice. If his œconomy degenerated into avarice, it must be confeffed that his avarice did not contract his bounty; and he fuffers no degradation in his moral character, who, when the practice of any virtue is become more difficult, is yet able to exert it in the fame degree. Swift turned all the evil of exceffive frugality upon himself. It induced him to walk when he had |
