But as his defire of immediate gain was not gratified at the expence of the poor, to whofe diftrefs he was a witness; neither was it gratified at the expence of those whom it was impoffible he should know, though he had many opportunities of doing it.

He once refolved never to renew a certain leafe belonging to the deanery without raifing the rent thirty pounds a year. The tenant had often follicited him, inftead of raising the rent, to take a larger fine; and this man, a very fhort time before the dean loft his memory, urged him with a very large fum, fuppofing that as raifing the rent could only inrich the dean's fucceffor, and a large fine would come into his own coffer, he fhould certainly fucceed. The dean however maintained his integrity, refufed the offer with indignation, and fulfilled his purpose of raifing the rent, though at this time his memory was fo bad, J. R. 208. that the next day he did not remember what he had done, and his love of money fo predominant over every thing but his virtue, J.R. 14 that, though he complained of being deferted, yet he banished his best friends, merely to fave the expence of entertaining them, and would fometimes refuse them a fingle bottle of wine.

As an ecclefiaftic, he was fcrupulously exact in the exercise of his function, as well with regard to fpiritual as temporal things. As to his cathedral he expended more money to fupport and adorn it than had been applied to the fame ufe in any period fince it was first built. He was extremely exact and confcientious in promoting the members of his choir according to their merit, and never advanced any perfon to a vicarage who was not qualified in all refpects, and in the highest degree, whatever their intereft, or however recommended; and he once refufed a vicarage to a perfon for whom the lady Carteret was very importunate, though he declared to her ladyfhip, that, if it

had been in his power to have made the gentleman a dean or a bishop, he would have obliged her willingly, because he faid deaneries and bishopricks were preferments in which merit had no concern, though the merit of a vicar would be brought to the

J.R. 192. test every day. Nor would he suffer one fhilling of the cathedral money to be alienated from its proper use, even for the purpose of charity; when any perfon follicited fuch an alienation, he used to tell them that this money was appropriated, but, says he, as you declare the perfon to be relieved is an object of Christian charity, I will give out of my private purfe any fum proportioned to my revenue, if you will contribute a fum in the fame proportion to yours; my deanery is worth feven hundred pounds, your income is two; if you will give two fhillings, I will give feven, or any larger fum after the fame rate.

As to the poor in the liberty of his own cathedral, they were better regulated than any other in the kingdom; they were all badged, and were never found begging out of their district; for thefe he J. R. 8. built and furnished a little alms-house, being affifted by fome voluntary contributions, and preferved among them uncommon cleanliness and decency by conftantly vifiting them in perfon.

It has already been remarked, that, though he did not himself understand mufic, yet he always attended at the performance of the anthem, that the choir might do their duty; but he had another practice yet more fingular and more useful. As foon as the preacher mounted the pulpit, he pulled out a pencil and piece of paper, and carefully noted whatever was wrong both in the expreffions and the manner in which they were delivered, whether they were too fcholaftic to be generally understood, or fo coarse and vulgar as to lofe their dignity; and he never failed to make these the fubject of an admonition to the preacher as foon as he came into the chapter-house.

He

He improved even his living of Laracor, though he continued there but a fhort time, and left both the house and glebe a convenient and agreeable retreat to his fucceffor at a confiderable expence, for which he knew no return would be made to his executors ; and he determined to affert his right of absence against the archbishop of Dublin, at the expence of feveral hundred pounds, at a time when he did not believe he should ever more claim the privilege for himself, because he would not endanger the liberty, of his fucceffor by an injurious pre

cedent.

letter,

See his vol. XII.

There is no act of virtue, which men have so often fubftituted for the peculiar pofitive duties of Chriftians as liberality to the poor, nor any by which they have so often hoped to attone for the breach of every other moral obligation.

But the dean, though he abounded in charity, was not lefs diligent in the practice of other virtues, or lefs devout and conftant in the folemnities of religion. He was remarkably temperate both in eating and drinking; he was not only juft, but punctual in his dealings, and he had an inviolable regard for truth. As he constantly attended divine worship when he was at home, fo he used always to go early to church when he was in London, and never to fleep without affembling his family in his own chamber to prayers.

It has often been remarked, that virtue in excess becomes vicious, and not only precludes the reward of the poffeffor, but produces rather mischief than good to others. An abhorrence of hypocrify was a triking particular in Swift's character, but it is difficult to determine whether it was more a virtue than a vice, for it brought upon him the charge of irreligion, and encouraged others to be irreligious. In proportion as he abhorred hypocrify, he dreaded the imputation of it, and therefore concealed his piety

with

with as much diligence as others conceal thofe vices, which cuftom has not made reputable. His conftant attendance at church, when he was at the deane→ ty, he knew would be confidered as the duty of his ftation, but whatever had the appearance of voluntary devotion he always took care to hide; when he went to church in London, it was early in the morning, fo that, though he was conftantly at prayers, and at the facrament, yet he appeared to neglect both, as he was at home when others were at church; and, when he went to prayers in his family, the fervants affembled at the appointed hour as it were by stealth, without any notice from a bell, or any other call except the ftriking of the clock; fo that Dr. Delany was fix months in his family before he fufpected him of this unfashionable practice. The fame principle upon which he thus ftudiously avoided appearances of good, made him frequently incur appearances of evil, efpecially when an opportunity offered of indulging his peculiar vein of humour, and gratifying his natural difpofition. One inftance of this has already been given in his folemn addrefs to his clerk from the pulpit by the name of Roger, but there are others which are lefs excufable. Soon after he was made dean of St. Patrick's, he had dined one Sunday with Dr. Raymond, vicar of Trim, and when the bell had wrung, and the people were affembled to evening prayers at the church which was not diftant more than two hundred yards, Raymond, faid he, I will lay you a crown that I begin prayers before you this afternoon; Dr. Raymond accepted the wager, and immediately both run as faft as they could towards the church. Raymond, who was much nimbler than Swift, arrived first at the door, and when he entered the church, walked decently towards the reading desk; Swift never flackened his pace, but, running up the ifle, left Dr. Raymand behind him in the middle of it, and, stepping in

to

to the defk without putting on a furplice or opening the book, began the fervice in an audible voice, and thus won his wager.

It has been common, among pretenders to wit, to affect great contempt for every kind of regularity, to live, or pretend to live, in a state of continual diffipation, without regard to the return of those seasons which have been generally allotted to particular purposes, without fleeping or waking, or eating or drinking, like the rest of mankind. To recover these unhappy wretches from a condition fo deplorable as to fupprefs indignation, and yet fo contemptible as scarce to excite pity, it is here recorded that the life of Swift. was in the highest degree uniform and regular, his hours of walking and reading, of exercise and amuse ment, never varied; and that he might keep the revolution of his employments with greater exactness, his watch was almoft conftantly either in his hand or on the table before him.

As his abhorrence of hypocrify exempted him from affectation, the natural equity of his mind fecured him against envy; envy feems to be a defire of equality gratified by degrading others; as emulation is a defire of equality gratified by advancing ourselves. It does not appear that Swift, upon a fuppofition that he had no fuperior, was without emulation, but by his ready affistance to advance the reputation and circumstances of others, he appears to have been free from

envy.

He cultivated genius wherever he found it, and in whatever degree, with great zeal and affiduity, and would chearfully fpend much time in correcting and improving any literary compofition that had the leaft appearance of ingenuity; nor was this kindness confined to those whofe parts could never come in competition with his own, he started many hints to Mr. Gay which he purfued with great fuccefs, and he recom

mended