panned and the water discharged, no regard was paid to his opinion or advice. After the Dean had continued silent a whole year in this helpless state of idiocy, his housekeeper went into his room on the 30th of November in the morning, telling him that it was his birth-day, and that bonfires and illuminations were preparing to celebrate it as usual; to this he immediately replied-" It is all folly, they had better let it alone." He would often attempt to speak his mind, but could not recollect words to express his meaning; upon which, he would shrug up his shoulders, shake his head, and sigh heartily. Among all kinds of smells, none offended him so much as the snuff of a candle. It happened, that a young girl, the daughter of his housekeeper's relation, blew out a candle in his chamber. At which he knit his brows, looked angry, and said, “You are a little dirty slut!" He spoke no more of it; but seemed displeased with her the whole evening. Some other instances of short intervals of sensibility and reason, after his madness had ended in stupor, seem to prove that his disorder, whatever it was, had not destroyed, but only suspended the powers of his mind. He was sometimes visited by Mr. Deane Swift, a relation, and about Christmas, 1743, he seemed desirous to speak to him. Mr. Swift then told him he came to dine with him; and Mrs. Ridgeway the housekeeper immediately said, "Won't you give Mr. Swift a glass of wine, sir?" To this he made no answer, but showed he understood the question, by shrugging up his shoulders, as he had been used to do when he had a mind a friend should spend the evening evening with him, and which was as much as to say 86 you will ruin me in wine." Soon after he again endeavoured, with a good deal of pain, to find words; but at last, after many efforts, not being able, he fetched a deep sigh, and was afterwards silent. A few months after this, upon his housekeeper's removing a knife, as he was going to catch at it, he shrugged up his shoulders, and said, "I am what I am;" and, in about six minutes, repeated the same words two or three times. In the year 1744, he now and then called his servant by his name, and once attempted to speak to him, but not being able to express his meaning, he showed signs of much uneasiness, and at last said, "I am a fool." Once afterward, as his servant was taking away his watch, he said, "bring it here;" and when the same servant was breaking a hard large coal, he said, "That is a stone, you blockhead." From this time he was perfectly silent till the latter end of October, 1745; and then died without the least pang or convulsion, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. 1741 766 7" 164 SOME SOME PARTICULARS. CONCERNING DOCTOR SWIFT. TAKEN FROM MRS. PILKINGTON'S MEMOIRS. MRS. Pilkington's acquaintance with Dr. Swift commenced from sending him some verses on his birth-day*. These the Dean received very kindly, and said he would see her whenever she pleased. man. A few days after she was introduced to the Dean, in Dr. Delany's garden at Delville, by a gentlewo He saluted her, and asked the lady, if she was her daughter? The lady smiled, and said, she was Mrs. Pilkington. "What," says he, "this poor little child married! married! God help her, she is very early engaged in trouble." The Dean engaging Mr. Pilkington, to preach for him at the cathedral next Sunday in St. Patrick's church, Mrs. Pilkington was charmed to see with what a becoming piety the Dean performed that holy service, which he had so much at heart, that he wanted not the assistance of the Liturgy, but went quite through it, without ever looking in the book. He bowed at the table; which * See these verses in vol. XVII. N. behaviour behaviour was censured, as savouring of popery. But this circumstance may vindicate him from the wicked aspersion of being deemed an unbeliever, since it is plain he had the utmost reverence for the eucharist. Service being ended, the Dean was surrounded at the church-door by a crowd of poor; to all of whom he gave charity, except an old woman, who held out a very dirty hand to him. He told her very gravely, "that though she was a beggar, water was not so scarce but she might have washed her hands." When they came to the Deanery, the Dean very kindly saluted Mrs. Pilkington, and without allowing her time to sit down, bade her come and see his library; but merrily told Mr. Pilkington, who was for following them, that he did not desire his company. "Well," said he to her, "I have brought you here to show you all the money I got when I was in the ministry; but don't steal any of it." "I will not indeed, sir," said she. So opening a cabinet, he showed her a parcel of empty drawers: "Bless me," says he, "the money is flown." He then opened his bureau, wherein he had a great number of curious trinkets of various kinds, some of which were presented to him by the earl and countess of Oxford, lady Masham, and lady Betty Germain. At last coming to a drawer filled with medals, he bade her choose two for herself; but he could not help smiling, when she began to poise them in her hands, choosing them by weight rather than antiquity. At dinner the Dean's behaviour was very humourous. He placed himself at the head of his table, opposite to a great pier glass, so that he could see in the glass whatever the servants did behind him. He was served entirely in plate, with great elegance, but الله but the beef being overroasted, put the company in confusion. The Dean called for the cookmaid*, and ordered her to take the beef down stairs, and do it less. She answered very innocently, that she could not. Why, what sort of a creature are you," says he, 66 to commit a fault which cannot be amended?" And turning to Mrs. Pilkington he said very gravely, "That he hoped as the cook was a woman of genius, he should, by this manner of arguing, beable, in about a year's time, to convince her she had better send up the meat too little than too much done?" charging the men servants, whenever they imagined the meat was ready, they should take it, spit and all, and bring it up by force, promising to aid them in case the cook resisted. Having asked Mr. and Mrs. Pilkington if they could smoke? and being answered that they did not; "It is a sign," said he, " you were neither of you bred in the university of Oxford; for drinking and smoking are the first rudiments of learning taught there; and in those two arts no university in Europe can outdo them." Having asked Mrs. Pilkington if she had any faults? "Pray, Mr. Dean," said Dr. Delany, "why will you be so unpolite as to suppose Mrs. Pilkington has any faults?" "I'll tell you," replied the Dean; "whenever I see a number of agreeable qualities in any person, I am always sure they have bad ones sufficient to poise the scale." Mrs. Pilkington bowed, and told him he did her great honour; in that copying bishop Berkeley, whom she had frequently heard declare, that when any speech was made to him, which might be construed * Whom he always distinguished by the name of Sweetheart, See p. 13. N. |