parts to the clergy, of that kingdom. It was not without great reluctance, that he accepted of this office," for reafons hereafter to be affigned: but his regard to the interefts of the Church, outweighed all other confiderations, and he accordingly fet out for England, as foon as his credentials were ready.

SECTION III.

From the INTRODUCTION to Mr. HARLEY, to the DEATH of the QUEEN.

ON his arrival in London in the month of September, 1710, he found that open war was declared between the two parties, and raged with the utmost violence. There was no room for moderating schemes, and according to his own maxim, that a good citizen could not remain neutral in fuch a fituation of affairs, Swift was to choose his party, and to declare himself accordingly. His arrival at that crifis, filled the Whigs with joy, as in general they looked upon him to be of their party; but the leaders among them were not with out their apprehenfions, being confcious of the i treatment he had met with at their hands. Of this, take the following account from Swift himself *. "All

* At this time, and during his connection with the Miniftry afterwards, Swift kept a regular journal of all the most remarkable events, as well as little anecdotes, which he tranfmitted every fortnight to Stella, for her private perufal, and that of Mrs. Dingley, but upon condition that it should be communicated to no other perion whatsoever, This journal was luckily preferved, and fometime since given to the world. As nothing could better fhew Swift's own fentiments with regard to affairs at that [time, and the motives which induced him to take the part he did in them, than fuch a journal, written as it were to the hour, and tranfmitted to that perfon in the world to whom his heart was most open; the account of his conduct, during that busy time, will, wherever there is an opportunity, be corroborated by extracts from it.

the Whigs were ravished to fee me, and would have laid hold on me as a twig, to fave them from finking; and the great men were all making me their clumsy apologies. It is good to fee what a lamentable confeffion the Whigs all make of my ill-ufage." On the other hand, the Tories were exceedingly alarmed at his arrival, as they had always confidered him in the light of a Whig, and as the leaders of their party had not even the leaft perfonal knowledge of him; how strong their apprehenfions must have been, we may judge from a paffage in Swift's Journal of the following year, dated June 30, 1711, where he fays, that, "Mr. Harley and Mr. Secretary St. John, frequently protested, after he had become their intimate, that he was the only man in England they were afraid of." In fuch a difpofition, therefore, it is to be supposed, that a vifit from Dr. Swift to Mr. Harley, was by no means an unacceptable thing. The occafion of this vifit is fet forth at large, in the letters which paffed between Dr. King, Arch bishop of Dublin, and Dr. Swift, published in his Works. Upon his leaving Ireland, Swift had undertaken to follicit the affair of the first-fruits, and twentieth parts, for the benefit of the Clergy in Ireland, which had been long depending, and in vain attempted by two Bishops fent over for that purpose by the whole body. In his first letter to the Archbishop on that subject, he fays, "As foon as I received the pacquets from your Grace, I went to wait upon Mr. Harley. I had prepared him before, by another hand, where he was very intimate; and got myfelf reprefented (which I might justly do) as one extremely ill ufed by the last Miniftry, after fome obligations, because I refused to go certain lengths they would have me." He afterwards gives fuch an account of the whole transaction as might be proper to be fhewn. But in his Journal

τα

to Stella, he is more particular.-October 4, 1710.— "Mr. Harley received me with the greatest refpect and kindness imaginable, and appointed me an hour, two or three days after, to open my bufinefs to him.”

October 7.

"I HAD NO fooner told him my business, but he enfered into it with all kindness; asked me for my powers, and read them; and read likewife the memorial I had drawn up, and put it into his pocket to fhew the Queen: told me the meafures he would take; and, in short, faid every thing I could wish. Told me he muft bring Mr. St. John and me acquainted; and spoke fo many things of perfonal kindness and esteem, that I am inelined to believe what fome friends had told me, that he would do every thing to bring me over. He defired me to dine with him on Tuesday; and, after four hours being with him, fet me down at St. James's Coffee house in a hackney coach.

"I must tell you a great piece of refinement in Har Jey. He charged me to come and fee him often: I told him I was loth to trouble him, in fo much businefs as he had, and defired I might have leave to come at his levee; which he immediately refused, and said, "That was no place for friends."

October 10, 1710.

"HARLEY tells me he has fhewn my memorial to the Queen, and feconded it very heartily; because, faid he, the Queen defigns to fignify it to the Bishops' of Ireland in form, and take notice that it was done upon a memorial from you; which he said he did to make it look.mare refpectful to me: I believe never any thing was compaffed fo foon, and purely done by my personal credit with Mr. Harley; who is fo excessively obliging,

that

that I know not what to make of it, unlefs to fhew the rafcals of the other party, that they used a man unworthily, who had deferved better. He speaks all the kind things to me in the world."

October 14.

"I STAND with the new people ten times better than ever I did with the old, and forty times more careffed."

When we confider the rapidity of Mr. Harley's motions on this occafion, who was remarkable for procraftination, and the open freedom of his behaviour toward Swift, fo contrary to that clofeness and referve, which were his characteristics, we may judge of his eager defire to fix him in their party. Nor was this hard to be accomplished: Swift had long in his own mind been of their fide; and he only waited for fuch a favourable juncture as now offered to declare himself. Mr. Harley's uncommon condefcenfion, flattered his pride; and the obligingness of his behaviour, engaged his friendship. Accordingly, after he had enquired into their plan, and the measures which they intended to purfue, as he found them entirely confonant to his own fentiments, he embarked without hefitation in their cause, and entered into their interefts with his whole heart. His approbation of their measures he expreffes in the following manner in his Journal,

November 29, 1710.

"THE prefent Miniftry have a difficult task, and want me. According to the best judgment I have, they are pursuing the true intereft of the publick, and therefore I am glad to contribute what lies in my power."

The

The writers on both fides had before this taken the field, and attacked each other with great acrimony. On the Whig-fide, were Mr. Addifon, Bifhop Burnet, Sir Richard Steele, Mr. Congreve, Mr. Rowe, and many others of lefs note. On the part of the Tories, the chief writers were, Lord Bolingbroke, Bishop Atterbury, and Mr. Prior. They had begun a Weekly Paper, called, The Examiner, which was the joint work of those three celebrated Writers, and had published twelve numbers. But as foon as Swift declared himself, they thought all aid to him unneceffary, and the whole conduct of that Paper was from that time. put into his hands. He entered the field alone, and, with a Samfon-like ftrength, fcorned affiftance, and defpifed numbers. His power of ridicule was like a flail in his hand, against which there was no fence. Though he induftriously concealed his name, yet his friend Addifon foon discovered him, and retired prudently from the field of battle, leaving the reft expofed to the attacks of this irrefiftible champion; by whom it must be allowed they were unmercifully handled, till, one after another, they were all laid low. His firft Paper was published on the 2d of November, 1710, No. 13, of the Examiner, which was about a month after his introduction to Mr. Harley; and he continued them without interruption till June 7, 1711, where he drop. ped it, clofing it with No. 44, and then leaving it to be carried on by other hands. During this time he lived in the utmoft degree of confidence and familiarity, not only with Mr. Harley, but the whole Miniftry. Mr. Secretary St. John was not behind Mr. Harley, either in defire of cultivating Swift's acquaintance, or in ad. drefs, which the following extract from his Journal will fufficiently fhew.