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ties, and appear in the best light to the world, than he did to conceal his, or even to put on the femblance of their contraries.

This humour affected his whole conduct, as well in the more important duties, as in the commonoffices of life.

yet

Though a man of great piety, and true religion, he carefully fhunned all oftentation of it: as an instance of which, it is well known that during his refidence in London, not being called upon by any duty to officiate publickly in his clerical capacity, he was feldom feen at church at the ufual hours that pretenders to religion fhew themfelves there; but he was a constant attendant on early prayers, and a frequent partaker of early Sacraments.

Though generous and charitable in his nature to the highest degree, he feemed to part with money fo reluctantly, and fpoke fo much about œconomy, that he paffed for avaricious, and hard-hearted.

His very civilities bore the appearance of rudeness, and his finest compliments were conveyed under the difguife of fatyr.

Lord Bolingbroke, who knew him well, in two words, fummed up his character in this refpect, by faying, that Swift was a hypocrite reverfed.

In short, he always appeared to the world in a mask, which he never took off but in the company of his moft intimate friends: and as the world can judge only by appearances, no wonder they were fo much mistaken in the ideas formed of him.

When we confider that the time in which he made the chief figure in life, was a season wherein faction

faction raged with the greatest violence; that he was looked upon as the principal champion of the Tory cause, and therefore was the common butt at which all the Writers on the Whig fide levelled their shafts; there will be no occafion to wonder, that out of the many calumnies poured out against him, fome of them should stick. These were indeed fo numerous, that we are told by himself, that in the space of not many years, upwards of a thousand Pamphlets and Papers were written profeffedly against him; to which he never deigned to give an anfwer, nor endeavoured to wipe off any afperfion thrown on him. Thus by the former part of his character, juft laid open, he afforded his enemies fufficient ground-work on which to raise what fuperftructure of calumny they pleased, and as no defence was made, it was daily fuffered to increase. For he had very unwifely laid it down as a maxim, "To act uprightly, and pay no regard to the opinion of the world *."

Thus, while he was admired, esteemed, beloved, beyond any man of his time, by his particular friends, not only on account of his fuperior talents, but his pre-eminence in every kind of virtue; he was envied, feared, and hated by his enemies, who confifted of a whole virulent faction to a man. And when we take in the general appetite for fcandal, and the fpirit of envy in the bulk of mankind, which delights in the humiliation of an exalted character

• Mifs Vanhomrigh, in one of her letters to him, has the following paffage. "You once had a maxim, which was-To act what was right, and not mind what the world would say.”

we shall not be furprised, that even among his own' party, he found few advocates to vindicate his fame; and that he had no other fupport in this torrent of abuse, but the consciousness of his own rectitude, and the unalterable attachment of his intimate friends: among which number he could count fuch as were most eminent in those days, both for talents and

virtue.

In this ftate Swift continued 'till the death of the Queen; admired by all as a genius, detefted by most as a man. All the world now knows, upon that event, with what implacable malice the Whigs pursued their antagonists, as foon as they had got all power into their hands. This fpirit raged still more violently in Ireland, than in England; the effects of which Swift fenfibly felt on retiring to his Deanery. The ill name he had obtained in London, followed him to Dublin; where he was the object of general hatred for fome years. But when, in process of time, his true character came to be known, and his exemplary conduct gave the lie to the grofs mifrepresentations that had been made of him; when his spirit of patriotism broke forth into action, and saved his country from threatened ruin; when it was seen that the great object of his life was to promote public good; that in the discharge of all moral and religious duties, he had no fuperiour; in the choice and extent of his charities, perhaps no equal; he obtained fuch a degree of public favour, as no man in that country had ever reached. Praife was united to his name, admira¬ tion and affection to his perfon; and this just tribute

was

was ever after paid to him during his life, and to his memory after his deceafe; till a certain Author' arofe, bent upon fullying his fair fame, who, opening the channels of calumny, long covered over by. time, and raking in them with a friendly industry, once more brought their foul contents to light. Nor was it an enemy that did this, but one who pr profeffed himself Swift's friend, and who was during his life-time, his greatest flatterer; I mean John Earl of Orrery.

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The cruel manner in which he has treated the memory of his friend Swift, as his Lordship in the courfe of the work often affects to call him, had fomething so surprising in it, that people were at a lofs how to account for it, except by fuppofing it to proceed from fome uncommon degree of malevolence in his Lordship's nature. But though he cannot be wholly cleared from an imputation of that fort, yet I am perfuaded that his chief motive to it was not quite of fo black a die. His father had, in his will, bequeathed his library from him; and this circumftance made the world conclude that he looked upon his fon as a blockhead. This stung

the

young man to the quick; and we may fee how deep an impreffion it made on him, by the account he gives of it in one of his letters to his fon. It feems to have been the chief object of his life afterwards, to wipe away this ftigma, and convince the world of the injuftice done him, by publishing fome Work that might do him credit as a Writer. Confcious of his want of genius to produce any thing original, he applied himself diligently to a Tranflation of Pliny's Letters;

A 4

Letters; but he was fo long about this task, and putit into fo many hands to correct it that Melmoth's excellent tranflation of the fame Work, flipped into the world before his, and foreftalled this avenue to fame. Vexed at this difappointment, he looked out for fome other way by which he might acquire literary reputation, and he found no field fo fuited to his talents, as that of criticism; fince, to make a figure there, required neither genius, nor deep learning and therefore he might, with eafe, arrive at the title of a true critic, as defcribed in the Tale of a Tub. Of whom it had been remarked, "Thata true critic is a fort of mechanick fet up with a ftock and tools for his trade, at as little expence as a taylor." But Swift denies this pofition" For, (fays he) on the contrary, nothing is more certain, that it requires greater layings out to be free of the critics company, than that of any other you can name. For, as to be a true beggar, it will coft the richest candidate every groat he is worth; fo, before one can commence a true critic, it will coft a man all the good qualities of his mind: which, perhaps, for a lefs purchase, would be thought but an indifferent bargain." As his Lordship has fairly paid the purchase, it would be hard if he should be denied the title.

The business now was, to find out a proper fubject on which to exercise his talents in that way. As there never had been published any History of Swift's Life, he thought nothing could excite general curiofity more than fome account of that extraordinary man. It is true he was fupplied with

but

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