⚫or to vex fome particular perfons. We must not fuppofe them defigned for pofterity; if he had cultivated his genius that way, he muft certainly have excelled, especially in fatire. We fee fine sketches in feveral of his pieces; but he feems more defirous to inform and strengthen his mind, • than to indulge the luxuriancy of his imagination. • He chufes to discover, and correct errors in the • works of others, rather than to illuftrate, and add • beauties of his own. Like a skilful artist, he ⚫ is fond of probing wounds to their depth, and of enlarging them to open view. He aims to be feverely useful, rather than politely engaging; and as he was either not formed, nor would take pains to excel in poetry, he became in fome meafure fuperior to it; and affumed more the air,

see a work of that uncommon fort :---In short, he ftay'd and dined there; and did not quit the house, or the book, 'till he had read it through: He advised Faulkner, to lofe no time in printing it; and faid, he would answer for it's fuccefs ----He declared, he had not perus'd any thing a long time that had pleas'd him fo much; and dwelt long in commendation of it: He added, that he almoft envy'd the author the pleasure he muft have in writing it ;---That he was forry he had ever faid any thing to his difadvantage; and was convinced Cibber had been very much misreprefented to him; nor did he fcruple to fay, that, as it had been formerly the fashion to abuse Cibber, he had unwarily been drawn into it by Pope, and others. Не often, afterwards, fpake in praife of Mr. Cibber, and his writings in general, and of this work in particular.---He afterwards told Mr. Faulkner, he had read Cibber's Apology thro'. three times; that he was more and more pleased with it: That the style was not inferior to any English he had ever read: That his words were properly adapted: His fimiles happy, uncommon, and well chofen: He then in a pleasant manner faid---• You must give me this book, which is the first thing I ever begg'd from you.' To this, we may be fure Mr. Faulkner readily confented. Ever after in company, the Dean gave this book a great character.---Let the reader make the application of this true and well known fact.

⚫ and

and manner of a critic than a poet.' Thus far his lordship in his VIth letter, but in his TXth, he adds. when speaking of the Second Volume of Swift's Works, He had the niceft ear; he is remarkably 'chafte, and delicate in his rhimes. A bad rhime appeared to him one of the capital fins of poetry.'

The Dean's poem on his celebrated Vanessa, is number'd among the best of his poetical pieces. Of this lady it will be proper to give fome account, as fhe was a character as fingular as Swift himself.

Vaneffa's real name was Efther Vanhomrich * She was one of the daughters of Bartholomew Vanhomrich, a Dutch merchant of Amsterdam; who upon the Revolution went into Ireland, and was ap pointed by king William a commiffioner of the revenue. The Dutch merchant, by parfimony and prudence, had collected a fortune of about 16,000 1. He bequeathed an equal divifion of it to his wife, and his four children, of which two were fons, and two were daughters. The fons after the death of their father travelled abroad: The eldest died beyond fea; and the youngelt furviving his brother only a fhort time, the whole patrimony fell to his two fifters, Efther and Mary.

With this encrease of wealth, and with heads and hearts elated by afuence, and unrestrained by fore-fight or difcretion, the widow Vanhomrich, and her two daughters, quitted their native country for the more elegant pleasures of the English court. During their refidence at London, they lived in a courfe of prodigality, that ftretched itself far beyond the limits of their income, and reduced them to great diftrefs, in the midft of which the mother' died, and the two daughters haftened in all fecrefy back to Ireland, beginning their journey on a Sun

The name is pronounced Vannumery.

day,

day, to avoid the interruption of creditors. Within two years after their arrival in Ireland, Mary the youngest fifter died, and the small remains of the thipwreck'd fortune center'd in Vanessa.

Vanity makes terrible devaftations in a female breaft: Vaneffa was exceffively vain. She was fond of drefs; impatient to be admired; very romantic in her turn of mind; fuperior in her own opinion to all her fex; full of pertnefs, gaiety, and pride; not without fome agreeable accomplishments, but far from being either beautiful or genteel: Ambitious at any rate to be esteemed a wit; and with that view always affecting to keep company with wits; a great reader, and a violent admirer of poetry; happy in the thoughts of being reputed Swift's concubine ; but ftill aiming to be his wife. By nature haughty and difdainful, looking with contempt upon her inferiors; and with the fmiles of felf-approbation upon her equals; but upon Dr. Swift, with the eyes of love: Her love was no doubt founded in vanity.

Though Vaneffa had exerted all the arts of her fex, to intangle Swift in matrimony; she was yet unfuccefsful. She had loft her reputation, and the narrowness of her income, and coldness of her lover contributed to make her miferable, and to increase the phrenfical difpofition of her mind. In this melancholly fituation fhe remained feveral years, during which time Cadenus (Swift) vifited her frequently. She often prefs'd him to marry her: His anfwers were rather turns of wit, than pofitive denials; till at laft being unable to fuftain the weight of mifery any longer, fhe wrote a very tender epiftle to him, infifting peremptorily upon a ferious anfwer, and an immediate acceptance, or abfolute refufal of her as his wife. His reply was delivered by his own hand. He brought it with him when he made his final vifit; and throwing down the let

ter

ter upon the table with great paffion, haftened back to his house, carrying in his countenance the frown of anger, and indignation. Vaneffa did not furvive many days the letter delivered to her by Swift, but during that fhort interval fhe was fufficiently compofed, to cancel a will made in his favour, and to make another, wherein the left her fortuné (which by a long retirement was in fome measure retrieved) to her two executors, Dr. Berkley the late lord bishop of Cloyne, and Mr. Marshal one of the king's Serjeants at law. Thus perifhed under all the agonies of despair, Mrs. Efther Vanhomrich; a miferable example of an ill-fpent life, fantastic wit, vifionary schemes, and female weakness. It is ftrange that vanity fhould have fo great a prevalence in the female breast, and yet it is certain that to this principle it was owing, that Swift's house was often a feraglio of very virtuous women, who attended him from morning till night, with an obedience, an awe, and an affiduity that are feldom paid to the richest, or the moft powerful lovers. Thefe ladies had no doubt a pride in being thought the companions of Swift; but the hours which were fpent in his company could not be very pleasant, as his fternnefs and authority were continually exerted to keep them in awe.

Lord Orrery has informed us, that Swift took every opportunity to expofe and ridicule Dryden, for which he imagines there must have been fome affront given by that great man to Swift. In this particular we can fatisfy the reader from authentic information.

When Swift was a young man, and not fo well. acquainted with the world as he afterwards became, he wrote fome Pindric Odes. In this fpecies of compofition he acceeded ill; fublimity and fire,. the indifenble requifites in a Pindaric Ode not stalent. As Mr. Dryden was Swift's. man, these odes were fhewn to him for his approbation, who faid to him with an unreserved VOL. V. No. 22. F freedom,

freedom, and in the candour of a friend, • Coufin Swift, turn your thoughts fome other way, for nature has never formed you for a Pindaric poet.'

Though what Dryden obferved, might in fome measure be true, and Swift perhaps was confcious that he had not abilities to fucceed in that fpecies of writing; yet this honeft diffuafive of his kinfman he never forgave. The remembrance of it foured his temper, and heated his paffions, whenever Dryden's name was mention'd.

We shall now take a view of Swift in his moral life, the distinction he has obtained in the literary world having rendered all illustrations of his genius needlefs.

Lord Orrery, throughout his excellent work, from which we have drawn our account of Swift, with his ufual marks of candour, has difplayed his moral character. In many particulars, the picture he draws of the Dean refembles the portrait of the fame perfon as drawn by Mrs. Pilkington.

I have beheld him (fays his lordship) in all humours and difpofitions, and I have formed various fpeculations from the feveral weaknefies to which I obferved him liable. His capacity, and ftrength of mind, were undoubtedly equal to any task whatsoever. His pride, his spirit, or his ambition (call it by what name you please) was boundless but his views were checked in his younger and the anxiety of that disappointment had a fenfises upon all his actions. He was four and fevere, but not abfolutely illnatur'd. He was fociable only particular friends, and to them only at particular hers He knew

politenefs more than he practifed it. He was a mixture of avarice and generofity; the form was frequently prevalent, the latter feldom appeared unless excited by compaffion. He was

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