THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For NOVEMBER, 1790.

ART. I. Literary Relics: containing original Letters from King Charles II. King James II. the Queen of Bohemia, Swift, Berkeley, Addifon, Steele, Congreve, the Duke of Ormond, and Bishop Rundle. To which is prefixed, an Inquiry into the Life of Dean Swift. By George-Monk Berkeley, Efq. LL.B. in the University of Dublin, F. S. S. A. Member of St. Mary Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and of the Inner Temple, London. 8vo. PP. 415. 6s. Boards. Elliot and Co. 1789.

BEFORE we proceed to an account of the letters with

which we are here prefented, we shall take a flight view of the inquiry into the life of Dean Swift, by which they are prefaced. Mr. Berkeley's intention in this inquiry, is to defend the character of the illuftrious Dean from fome charges by which it has been affected; the principal of these are, his want of benevolence, his impiety, and his treatment of Stella and Vaneffa. Previously, however, to the difcuffion of these points, a review is taken of the merits of Swift's biographers. They are, we learn, four in number; Orrery, Hawkesworth, Johnson, and Sheridan; for as to Dr. Delany, Deane Swift, Efq. and Mrs. Pilkington, they come under a different defcription. The two former must be confidered as apologists, and the third as a lying goffip.'

The temper of mind with which Mr. Berkeley enters on his inquiry, and its unfavourable tendency to promote truth, will be seen by every one who attends to his treatment of Lord Orrery. His Lordship is not only denied all kind of literary merit, but his name is coupled with the most reproachful epithets we read of the yelps of Lord Orrery,' and the howl of Lord Orrery: Lord Orrery is a common sewer,' and a monster, who, though he had not even the courage of the afs to infult the dying lion, yet, monfter-like, preyed upon the carcafe.' VOL. III.

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Swift

Swift has been charged with being a mifanthrope; and as a proof of it, his character of the Yahoos has been quoted. In answer to this charge, we have a long difcuffion about the dignity of human nature; and we are told, that dignity is not inherent in mankind, because fome men are dignified; any. more than dancing is inherent in horfes, because two mares at Aftley's dance a minuet. What trifling is this!. The fimple queftion is, whether Man, fuch as he is, is fuperior, in the fcale of exiftance, to the other animals, by which he is furrounded. If he is, there is neither wifdom nor truth in reprefenting him as their inferior;-and as for the argument, that Swift, being a teacher of morals, did right to paint the deformity of vice in colours the moft glaring, and in fituations the most difgufting,' it will appear futile, when we reflect that the morals of any individual are not likely to be amended by indifcriminate cenfure on the whole fpecies. What induce. ment for an alteration of conduct, will the worthless man find, in feeing his virtuous neighbour held up to derifion? Or what inftruction will the honeft well-meaning man derive from feeing himself degraded below the rank of a brute, and from being referred to brutes for a fyftem of improved manners?-We mean not, however, to caft any fevere cenfure on Swift for this part of his writings, which, in our opinion, reflects neither honour nor reproach on his moral character.

The next charge which is combated, is that of impiety. We are acquainted with no part of Swift's writings which can juftify fuch a charge; yet, if the ftories related of him be true, there was in his actions, as well as in his writings, an occafional levity of manner, which might be confidered,, by fome, as arifing from an indifference about religion. Mr. Berkeley here curiously defends his conduct. Swift, he tells us, very early in life, conceived a violent difguft at that despicable vice, hypocrify; and therefore carefully concealed his fenfe of religion, that he might not be thought an hypocrite!-Is it not equal diffimulation, at least, if not hypocrify, to be religious, and feem impious? and to fuppofe that Swift entertained a respect for religion, which he was afhamed to profefs, is fuppofing him guilty of a weaknefs, which ill fuits his character as a wife man.

The next point, on which Mr. Berkeley undertakes to elucidate Dr. Swift's character, is his treatment of Stella. Swift's reafons for not publicly marrying Mifs Johnfon, on her arrival in Ireland, are faid to be two. First, her fortune, added to his income, was not fufficient for the maintenance of a family. This confideration, however, was not likely to have actuated the Dean of St. Patrick's, who, but a fhort time

before,

before, when his finances were lower, had abfolutely haraffed Mifs Waryng, with a lefs fortune than Mifs Johnson, to become his wife.-The fecond reafon, which, indeed, appears ftill lefs deferving of our attention, is, that as the caprice of Mifs Waryng had fhewn that he knew only the abuse of power, the Dean might have his fears, that fhould he avow himself the lover of Stella, fhe might alfo be ignorant how to ufe that power with which his avowal would invest her.' Let us try if we cannot obtain a clearer infight into this intricate bufinefs. Before Swift had entered into that peculiar intimacy, which afterward fubfifted between him and Stella, he had experienced too much of the comfortless ftate of living alone;"fo he, a fighing lover, fought a wife;" and with all the romantic ardor attending a firft paffion inconfiderately cherished, threw himself at Mifs Waryng's feet. In a letter here preferved, in which is fome good fenfe, but much more of that kind of writing that would decorate a novel, he vows eternal fidelity to his Varina, as he affectedly ftyles the lady; he "folemnly protests, by all that can be witneffed to an oath, that if he leaves the kingdom before fhe is his, he will endure the utmoft indignities of fortune rather than ever return again, though the King would fend him back his deputy!" then, after a power of oaths, he adds, "only remember, that if you ftill refufe to be mine, you will quickly lose him, that has refolved to die as he has lived, all yours."-Still Varina fuffered him to fail for England, where, as is well known, he met with Stella; a meeting which produced fuch a change of opinions, that on his return, (for he did return, though he was not made Lord Deputy,) we find Varina anxious to know, "what gave his temper that fudden turn as to alter the style of his letters fince he laft came over;"--and what, indeed, was the occafion of this? Not, as Mr. Berkeley would have us imagine, Varina's caprice, but Stella's excellence. In fact, with regard to Varina, the ardent lover was become a cool reafoner; as our readers will perceive, by turning to his letter written at that period to Mifs Jane Waryng, no longer Varina, and which is extracted in our Review for January laft (vol. 1. of the New Series, p. 6.). He there urges every circumftance which is most likely to prevent their union, though he affirms,

upon the word of a Christian and a gentleman, that he had no thought of being married to any other perfon but herfelf;" and after putting fome questions, which were not very likely to be pleafing to the lady, he finishes, by faying, "when you think fit to fend me an answer to this without, I fhall then ap

*" Adriano, or the Firit of June."

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prove

prove myfelf, by all means you shall command, Madam, your most faithful humble fervant." This letter feems to have produced the effect which was intended: certain it is, that Swift and Mifs W. were not married: but after all these violent. affeverations, and unbounded vows of conftancy, Swift could not act fo indecently, as to fubject himself to the reproaches of that lady, if no worfe confequences had followed, by an immediate and public marriage with Stella; who, about that time, went over into Ireland; and this we imagine to be the true caufe that no fuch marriage was then celebrated. How long this caufe continued to exift, we know not, for we are unacquainted with Mifs Waryng's fubfequent fortunes.

Yet, although we muft look up to Mifs Waryng as the im mediate caufe of Swift's myfterious conduct to Stella, there. was, as Mr. Berkeley obferves, another circumftance, which. added to the myftery. Vaneffa*, for a time, had power to captivate the Dean, and to make Stella experience that mortification, which fhe herself had occafioned to Varina. Vaneffa's reign, it is true, was fhort: but to that connection, while it lafted, though much more to the former connection with Mifs. Warying, must be attributed Swift's unjuftifiable treatment of Stella; and not, as is here faid, to that love of fingularity, which, in a greater or lefs degree, is infeparable from genius.'

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The remaining part of the inquiry is employed in vindicating Dr. Swift's character from two charges brought forward by latter Mr. Nichols, in his late edition of the Tatler: the editor of which accufes the Dean of no lefs a crime than the attempt to commit a rape. How fo ridiculous a charge could obtain sufficient credit to induce any man to print it, we are at a loss to imagine: Mr. Berkeley refutes it with a mixture of contempt. and indignation, which it well deferves: it has alfo been contradicted in the Gentleman's Magazine, by the perfon on whole authority it was refted; and it is, we truft, too palpably abfurd to be credited, even by thofe who may meet with the accufation without feeing the defence.

We now proceed to the letters which are contained in this volume; and firft, with regard to their authenticity, we are happy to say, that Mr. Berkeley's open and candid account of the manner in which they came into his hands, has removed all doubt from our minds.-We pafs over the letters from the three, crowned heads, from which we could extract little that would be fatisfactory to our readers. Of Swift's letters to Varina,

Another whimsical name! Surely, from thefe cold conceits, we might fufpect that the good Dean, in all his amours, was rather in play, than in carnett.

we

we have already given an hiftory. To William Richardfon, Efq. he writes as follows:

You

Sir, I have wondered, fince I have had the favour to know you, what could poffibly put you upon your civility to me. have invited me to your houfe, and propofed every thing according to my own scheme that would make me eafy. You have loaded me with.prefents, although it never lay in my power to do you any fort of favour or advantage. I have had a falmon from you of 26'ib. weight, another of 18 lib. and the laft of 14 lib.; upon which my ill-natured friends defcant, that I am declining in your good-will by the declining weight in your falmon. They would have had your falmon double the weight: the fecond fhould have been of 52 lib. the third 104, and the last of 208 lib. It feems this is the way of Dublin computors, who think you country gentlemen have nothing to do but to oblige us citizens, who are not bound to make you the leaft return, further than, when you come hither, to meet you by chance in a coffee-house, and afk you what tavern you dine in, and there pay your club. I intend to deal with you in the fame manner; and if you come to town for three months, 1 will invite you once to dinner, for which I fhall expect to ftay a whole year with you; and you will be bound to thank me for honouring your houfe. You faw me ill enough when I had the honour to fee you at the deanery, Mrs. Whiteway, my coufin, and the only coufin I own, remembers The was here in your company, and defires to prefent her humble Yervice to you; and no wonder, for you fent me fo much falmon, that I was forced to give her a part.'

Next follow fome letters from Mrs. Whiteway to the fame gentleman, which prove her, as an epiftolary correfpondent, to be by no means inferior to her literary friends.

The letters from Dr. Berkeley, afterward Bishop of Cloyne, fill up the greatest part of the volume. Thefe do credit to the clearness of his understanding, and to the goodnefs of his heart: but many of them, which are addrefled to Mr. Thomas Prior, relating to private business, and being, indeed, mere repetitions, fhould not have been publifhed. As a fpecimen of this part of the work, our readers will be pleased with an account of the island Inarime, in a letter to Mr. Pope, from Naples:

I have long had it in my thoughts to trouble you with a letter, but was difcouraged for want of fomething that I could think worth fending fifteen hundred miles. Italy is fuch an exhaufted fubject, that, I dare fay, you'd easily forgive my faying nothing of it; and the imagination of the poet is a thing fo nice and delicate, that it is no easy matter to find out image: capable of giving pleasure to one of the few, who (in any age) have come up to that character. I am nevertheless returned from an ifland where I paffed three or four months; which, were it fet out in its true colours, might, methinks, amufe you agreeably enough for a minute or two. The illand Inarime is an epitome of the whole earth, containing, within the compafs of eighteen miles, a wonderful variety of hills, vales, ragged

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