SWIFT. A N Account of Dr. Swift has been already col lected, with great diligence and acuteness, by Dr. Hawkefworth, according to a scheme which I laid before him in the intimacy of our friendfhip. I cannot therefore be expected to fay much of a life, concerning which I had long fince communicated my thoughts to a man capable of dignifying his narration with fo much elegance of language and force of fentiment. JONATHAN SWIFT was, according to an account faid to be written by himself, the fon of Jonathan Swift, an attorney, and was born at Dublin on St. Andrew's day, 1667: according to his own report, as delivered by Pope to Spence, he was born at Leicefter, the fon of a clergyman, who was minifter of a parish in Herefordshire. During his life the place of his birth was undetermined. He was contented to be called an Irishman by the Irifh; but would occafion * Spence's Anecdotes, vol. II. p. 273 ally SWIFT. 371 ally call himself an Englishman. The question may, without much regret, be left in the obfcurity in which he delighted to involve it. Whatever was his birth, his education was Irish. He was fent at the age of fix to the school at Kilkenny, and in his fifteenth year (1682) was admitted into the University of Dublin. In his academical ftudies he was either not diligent or not happy. It muft difappoint every reader's expectation, that, when at the ufual time he claimed the Bachelorship of Arts, he was found by the examiners too confpicuously deficient for regular admiffion, and obtained his degree at laft by special favour; a term used in that univerfity to denote want of merit. Of this difgrace it may be eafily fuppofed that he was much afhamed, and fhame had its proper effect in producing reformation. He refolved from that time to study eight hours a-day, and continued his industry for feven years, with what improvement is fufficiently known. This part of his story well deferves to be remembered; it may afford ufeful admonition and. powerful encouragement to men, whofe abilities have been made for a time ufelefs by their paffions or pleasures, and who, having loft one part of life in idleness, are tempted to throw away the remainder in despair. In this courfe of daily application he continued three years longer at Dublin; and in this time, if the obfervation and memory of an old companion may be trufted, he drew the firft fketch of his Tale of a Tub. When he was about one-and-twenty (1688), being by the death of Godwin Swift his uncle, who had fupported him, left without fubfiftence, he went to confult his mother, who then lived at Leicester, about the future Bb 2 future course of his life, and by her direction folicited the advice and patronage of Sir William Temple, who had married one of Mrs. Swift's relations, and whose father Sir John Temple, Mafter of the Rolls in Ireland, had lived in great familiarity of friendship with Godwin Swift, by whom Jonathan had been to that time maintained. Temple received with fufficient kindness the nephew of his father's friend, with whom he was, when they converfed together, fo much pleased, that he detained him two years in his houfe. Here he became known to King William, who sometimes vifited Temple when he was difabled by the gout, and, being attended by Swift in the garden, fhewed hini how to cut afparagus in the Dutch way. King William's notions were all military; and he expreffed his kindness to Swift by offering to make him a captain of horse. When Temple removed to Moor-park, he took Swift with him; and when he was confulted by the Earl of Portland about the expedience of complying with a bill then depending for making parliaments triennial, against which King William was ftrongly prejudiced, after having in vain tried to fhew the Earl that the propofal involved nothing dangerous to royal power, he fent Swift for the fame purpose to the King. Swift, who probably was proud of his employment, and went with all the confidence of a young man, found his arguments, and his art of displaying them, made totally ineffectual by the predetermination of the King; and used to mention this disappointment as his firft antidote against vanity. Before Before he left Ireland he contracted a diforder, as he thought, by eating too much fruit. The original of diseases is commonly obfcure. Almost every boy eats as much fruit as he can get, without any great inconvenience. The difeafe of Swift was giddinefs with deafnefs, which attacked him from time to time, began very early, purfued him through life, and at last fent him to the grave, deprived of reafon. Being much oppreffed at Moor-park by this grievous malady, he was advised to try his native air, and went to Ireland; but, finding no benefit, returned to Sir William, at whofe house he continued his ftudies, and is known to have read, among other books, Cyprian and Irenæus. He thought exercife of great neceffity, and used to run half a mile up and down a hill every two hours. It is easy to imagine that the mode in which his first degree was conferred left him no great fondness for the University of Dublin, and therefore he refolved to become a Master of Arts at Oxford. In the testimonial which he produced, the words of difgrace were omitted; and he took his Mafter's degree (July 5, 1692) with fuch reception and regard as fully contented him. While he lived with Temple, he ufed to pay his mother at Leicester an yearly vifit. He travelled on foot, unless some violence of weather drove him into a waggon, and at night he would go to a penny lodging, where he purchafed clean fheets for fixpence. This practice Lord Orrery imputes to his innate love of groffness and vulgarity: fome may afcribe it to his defire of furveying human life through all its varieties; and others, perhaps with equal probability, to a passion Bb3 which which feems to have been deep fixed in his heart, the love of a fhilling. In time he began to think that his attendance at Moor-park deferved fome other recompence than the pleasure, however mingled with improvement, of Temple's converfation; and grew fo impatient, that (1694) he went away in difcontent. Temple, confcious of having given reafon for complaint, is faid to have made him Deputy Master of the Rolls in Ireland; which, according to his kinfman's account, was an office which he knew him not able to difcharge. Swift therefore refolved to enter into the Church, in which he had at first no higher hopes than of the chaplainship to the Factory at Lisbon; but being recommended to Lord Capel, he obtained the prebend of Kilrcot in Conner, of about a hundred pounds a year. But the infirmities of Temple made a companion like Swift fo neceffary, that he invited him back, with a promife to procure him English preferment, in exchange for the prebend which he defired him to resign. With this requeft Swift complied, having perhaps equally repented their feparation, and they lived on together with mutual fatisfaction; and, in the four years that paffed between his return and Temple's death, it is probable that he wrote the Tale of a Lub and the Battle of the Books. Swift began early to think, or to hope, that he was a poet, and wrote Pindarick Odes to Temple, to the King, and to the Athenian Society, a knot of obfcure men, who publifhed a periodical pamphlet of anfwers to queftions, fent, or fuppofed to be fent, by Letters. I have been told that Dryden, having perufed thefe I verfes, |