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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 conftantly 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 excefs becomes vitious; and not only precludes the reward of the poffeffor, but produces rather mifchief than good to others. An abhorrence of hypocrify was a ftriking 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 as much diligence, as others conceal thofe vices which custom has not made reputable. His conftant attendance at church, when he was at the deanry, 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 ftealth, without

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any notice from a bell, or any other call, except the striking 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 the appearances of good, made him frequently incur the appearances of evil, especially 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 desk by the name of Roger, [above, p. 48.]; but there are others which are lefs excufable. Soon after he was made Dean of St Patrick's, he dined one Sunday with Dr Raymond, vicar of Trim, a little town near Dublin. When the bell had rung, the people were affembled to evening prayers; and Dr Raymond was preparing to go to the church, which was not diftant more than two hundred yards: "Raymond,” said the Dean, "I will lay you a crown that I begin prayers. "before you this afternoon:" Dr Raymond accepted the wager; and immediately both ran 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-defk. Swift never flackened his pace, but, running up the isle, left Dr Raymond behind him in the middle of it, and, stepping into the desk, without putting on a furplice, or opening the prayer-book, began the N 3 fervice

fervice in an audible voice, and thus won his wager. [O. let. 16.]

It has been common among the 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 thofe feafons 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 fcarce to excite pity, it is here recorded, that the life of Swift was in the higheft degree uniform and regular; his hours of walking and reading, of exercife and amusement, never varied; and that he might keep the revolution of his employments with greater exactness, his watch was almost 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 affiftance to advance the reputation and circumftances of others, he appears to have been free from envy.

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He cultivated genius wherever he found it, and in whatever degree, with great zeal and affiduity, and would carefully spend much time in correcting and improving any literary compofition that had the leaft appearance of ingenuity. Nor was this kindness confined to those whose parts could never come in competition with his own. He started many hints to Mr Gay, which he purfued with great fuccefs; and he recommended Congreve, Addison, Parnel, and many others, to those whofe favour was most likely to render them confpicuous.

Among his fingularities, were his refolution never to wear spectacles; and his obftinate perseverance in the ufe of too much exercife. His want of fpectacles made it difficult for him to read; and his immoderate exercife wafted his flesh, and produced a poornefs in his blood, as he was often told by his friends and phyficians, Dr Helfham and Dr Gratton, and as afterwards appeared by experiment; for when he was reduced to a state of idiotism, and ceased from walking, he recovered his flesh in a short time.

He was cleanly, even to fuperftition; his nails were always pared to the quick, to prevent the leaft gathering of dirt under them; and he never dreffed without a bafon of water by him, with which he carefully cleanfed his feet. In his perfon he was robust and masculine, his deportment was commanding, and his walk erect. His voice was fharp and high-toned, especially when he

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read prayers, but not effeminate; and there was a natural feverity in his afpect, which even his fmiles could fcarce foften, nor his utmost gaiety relax. [O. let. 9.]

His manner was without ceremony, but not ruftic; for he had a perfect knowledge of all the modes and variations of politeness and complaifance, which he practifed in a manner peculiar to himself; and the refpect that was due to him by thefe rules, he took care to exact without the least abatement. [D. S. p. 360, 65.]

It will readily be admitted, that every man has fome appetite, affection, or difpofition, which either in kind or degree is irregular, and which it is the province of reafon to order and reftrain. As it will always happen, that in fome inftances paffion will predominate, and reafon in others, it follows, that there must be fome diffimilitude every character; from which Swift's could not therefore be exempt: But upon the whole, it will be found uncommonly fteady and uniform; thơ' fome, to screen their own fcattered and inconfiftent representations of it from cenfure, have pretended, that it was capricious, various, and contradictory.

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Swift appears to have been naturally temperate and chafte; it was therefore easy for him to be frugal: But he was alfo naturally high-spirited; and therefore, as wealth is the pledge of independence, it is not ftrange his frugality fhould verge towards excefs. However, as he acted upon prin

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