to cure him of vanity. The confequence of this wrong step in his Majesty was very unhappy; for it put that prince under a neceffity of introducing those people called Whigs into power and employments, in order to pacify them. For although it be held a part of the King's prerogative to refufe paffing a bill, yet the learned in the law think otherwise, from that expreffion ufed at the coronation, wherein the prince obligeth himself to confent to all laws quas vulgus elegerit.

SECT. XXV. Mr. Swift lived with him (Sir William Temple) fome time; but refolving to fettle himself in fome way of living, was inclined to take orders. However, although his fortune was very fmall, he had a fcruple of entering into the church merely for fupport; and Sir W. Temple, then being mafter of the rolls in Ireland, offered him an employ of about 1201. a year in that office: whereupon Mr. Swift told him, that fince he had now an opportunity of living without being driven into the church for a maintenance, he was refolved to go to Ireland and take holy orders †. He was recommended to the Lord Capel, then Lord Deputy, who gave him a prebend in the north, worth about 1ool. a-year; of which growing weary in a few months, he returned to England, refigned his living in favour of a friend, and continued in Sir William Temple's houfe till the death of that great man, who, befides a legacy ‡, left him the care, and truft, and advantage of publishing his pofthumous writings.

SECT. XXVI. Upon this event Mr. Swift removed to London, and applied by petition to King William, upon the claim of a promife his Majefty had made to Sir W. Temple, that he would give Mr. Swift a prebend of Canterbury or Westminster. The Earl of Romney, who profeffed much friendship for him, promised to fecond his petition; but as he was an old, vitious, illiterate rake, without any fenfe of truth or honour, faid

That is, for the space of about five years and a half, from 1688 to 1694.

An anfwer extremely polite, and feemingly adorned with gratitude; but at the fame time extremely refolute, and worthy of him felf.

Supposed to be 500 I.

c 31

not

not a word to the King. And Mr. Swift, after long attendance in vain, thought it better to comply with an invitation given him by the Earl of Berkeley to attend him to Ireland, as his chaplain and private fecretary, his Lordship having been appointed one of the Lords Juftices of that kingdom. He attended his Lordship, who landed near Waterford; and Mr. Swift acted as fe cretary during the whole journey to Dublin. But another perfon had so far infinuated himself into the Earl's favour, by telling him, that the poft of fecretary was not proper for a clergyman, nor would be of any advantage to one who only aimed at church-preferments, that his Lordship, after a poor apology, gave that office to the other *..

SECT. XXVII. In fome months the deanry of Derry fell vacant, and it was the Earl of Berkeley's turn to difpofe of it; yet things were fo ordered, that the fecretary having received a bribe, the deanry was difpofed of to another, and Mr. Swift was put off with fome other church-livings not worth above a third part of that rich deanry, and at this prefent not a fixth. The excufe pretended was his being too young, although he were then thirty years old†.

* See a poem upon this incident, in vol. 7. p. 134.

He was then upwards of two and thirty years old.

N. B. All the notes in this tract, except that in p. xxvii. and the first in this page, are taken from Mr. Deane Swift,

An

An Account of the LIFE of Dr. JoNATHAN SWIFT, Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin.

A

Late writer justly obferves, that "there has "rarely paffed a life of which a judicious and "faithful narrative would not be useful.

66

For"

(adds he) not only every man has, in the mighty mass " of the world, great numbers in the fame condition "with himself, to whom his mistakes and miscarriages, "escapes and expedients, would be of immediate and "apparent ufe; but there is fach an uniformity in the "ftate of man, if it be confidered apart from adventi❝tious and feparable decorations and difguifes, that "there is scarce any poffibility of good or ill, but is "common to human-kind. A great part of the time of "those who are placed at the greateft diftance by fortune, or by temper, muft unavoidably pass in the fame

manner: and though, when the claims of nature are "fatisfied, caprice, and vanity, and accident begin to pro"duce difcriminations and peculiarities; yet the eye is not 66 very heedful or quick, which cannot discover the fame "causes still terminating their influence in the fame effects, "though fometimes accelerated, fometimes retarded, "or perplexed by multiplied combinations. We are "all prompted by the fame motives, all deceived by "the fame fallacies, all animated by hope, obftructed "by danger, intangled by defire, and feduced by plea"fure *"

If a faithful and judicious narrative of an ordinary life would be fo apparently useful: ftill greater utility may be expected to arife from that of the life of one who has made an illuftrious figure on the ftage of the world, and employed his talents in the fervice of mankind and his country. Dr. Swift was certainly a man of that diftinguished character. He was eminent for his genius, hìз learning, his charities, and many virtues: and though he had faults, yet his faults were outnumbered by his

The Rambler, Numb. 60.

virtues:

virtues and as the failings of great men are to be carefully avoided, their virtues command refpect, and are proper objects of imitation. An account, therefore, of the life and character of the celebrated Dr. Swift cannot but be highly agreeable to the reader, and will, it is hoped, afford both delight and instruction.

Dr. JONATHAN SWIFT was defcended from a younger branch of an ancient family of that name in Yorkshire. But the account of his family fhall be as fhort as poffible; fince, (as Lord Orrery obferves), though his ancestors were perfons of very decent and reputable characters, [and the elder branch of the family ennobled] he himself has been the herald to blazon the dignity of their coat. Bernam Swift, Efq; otherwife called Cavaliero Swift, a gentleman of great wit and humour, who, in the reign of K. James I. poffeffed the paternal estate, was, on the 20th of March 1627, by K. Charles I. created a Peer of Ireland, by the title of Lord Viscount Carling ford, though it is faid he never went into that kingdom. He died without male iffue; and the family-inheritance defcended to his daughters; one of whom married Robert Fielding, Efq; commonly called Handfome Fielding, and the other the Earl of Eglinton. Field-ing foon diffipated his wife's patrimony; and that of her fifter being transferred to the family of Lord Eglinton, the principal estate of the Swifts was divided from the name for ever. [Sketch, § 1.]

One of the younger branches from the fame ftem, was Sir Edward Swift, who diftinguifhed himself by his attachment to the royal caufe in the war between King Charles I. and his parliament, from whom there is no defcendant of the name. [Sketch, § 2.]

Another of the younger branches was the Rev. Mr. Thomas Swift, vicar of Goodrich, in Herefordshire, with which he also held another ecclefiaftical living.

His father William Swift, rector of St. Andrew's in Canterbury, married the Heirefs of Philpot; who contrived to keep her eftate, which was very confiderable, in her own hands. She is faid to have been extremely capricious and ill-natured, and to have difinherited her fon Thomas, an only child, merely for robbing an orchard

chard when he was a boy. But however this be, it is certain, that except a church or chapter leafe, which was not renewed, Thomas never poffeffed more than 100 l. a-year. [Sketch, § 4.] This little eftate, which lay at Goodrich, in Herefordshire, he mortgaged for 300 broad pieces; and having quilted them into his waistcoat, he fet out for Ragland caftle, whither King Charles I. had retired after the battle of Nafeby, in 1645. The Governor, who well knew him, afked what was his errand?" I am come," faid Swift, " to "give his Majefty my coat ;" at the fame time pulling it off, and prefenting it. The Governor told him plea fantly, that his coat was worth little. "Why then," faid Swift, "take my waistcoat." This was foon found to be an useful garment by its weight; and it is remarked by Lord Clarendon, that the King received no fupply more feasonable or acceptable than thefe 300 broad pieces, during the whole war, his distress, being then very great, and his resources cut off. The zeal and activity of this gentleman for the royal cause exposed him to much danger, and many fufferings. He was plundered more than thirty times by the parliament's army, was ejected from his church-livings, his eftate was fequeftered, and he was himself thrown into prifon. His eftate, however, was afterwards recovered, and part of it fold

to pay the money due on the mortgage, and fome other

debts; the remainder, being about one half, defcended to his heir, and is now poffeffed by his great-grandfon, Deane Swift, Efq; * [Sketch, § 8.]

This Mr. Thomas Swift married Mrs. Elifabeth Dryden, of an ancient family in Huntingdonshire, fister to the father of the famous John Dryden the poet; by whom he had ten fons and four daughters. He died in 1658; and of his fons, fix furvived him, Godwin, Thomas, Dryden, William, Jonathan, and Adam. [Sketch, $ 14. 15. 16.]

Thomas was bred at Oxford, and took orders. He married the eldest daughter of Sir William D'Avenant;

The grandmother of this gentleman, one of the wives of Godwin Swift, was heiress to Adm. Deane, one of the Regicides; whence Deane became a Christian name in the family. [Sketch, §14.]

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