duty to make of that melancholy event. "Mem. On Wednesday between feven and eight in the evening, May 13, 1710, I received a letter in my chamber at Laracor (Mr. Percival and Jo. Beaumont being by) from Mrs. F dated May 9, with one inclofed, fent by Mrs. Worral at Leicester to Mrs. F-, giving an account that my dear mother, Mrs. Abigail Swift, died that morning, Monday, April 24, 1710, about ten o'clock, after a long fickness: being ill all winter, and lame; and extremely ill about a month or fix weeks before her death. I have now lolt my barrier between me and death. God grant I may live to be as well prepared for it as I confidently believe her to have been! if the way to heaven be through piety, truth, justice, and charity, fhe is there. J. S."

He always treated his mother, during her life, with the utmost duty and affection: and the fometimes came to Ireland to visit him after his fettlement at Laracor. She lodged at Mr. Brent's, the printer, in George's Lane, Dublin. She asked Mrs. Brent, the landlady," Whether he could keep a tecret?" She replied, "the could very well." Upon which the enjoined her not to make the matter public, which he was now going to communicate to her. “I have a park in this town, that I carried on a correfpondence with whilft I was in England. He will be here prefently to pay his ad dreffes, for he hath heard by this time of my arrival. But I would not have the matter known." Soon after this a rap was heard at the door, and Dr. Swift walked up ftairs. Mrs. Brent retired: but after à little time he was called, and then Mrs. Swift introduced her to her fou, and faid, "This is my fpark, I was telling you of. This is my lover and indeed the only one I thall ever admit to pay their addreffes to me." The Doctor smiled at his mother's humour, and afterwards paid his duty to her every day, unfufpected by Mrs Brent, whom he invited fome years afterwards to take care of his family affairs, when he became Dean of St. Patrick's: and when Mrs. Brent died, he continued her daughter, a poor widow, in the fame office.'

Mr. Nichols hath preferved a curious letter, addreffed by Alderman Faulkner (the celebrated Peter Paragraph of one of Foote's comedies) to the late Earl of Chefterfield. It contains fome ftriking anecdotes of Dean Swift, which his former biographers were unacquainted with. One of them refpects Dr. Sacheverci; and feems to fhow in what light he was privately held by the perfons who, in public, were the warmeft partifans of his caufe. Dr. Sacheverel, in confequence of a moft impudent and inflammatory fermon, preached before the Lord Mayor, on Nov. 5, 1709, was impeached at the bar of the Houfe of Lords, in the name of the Commons of Great Britain, for high crimes and mifdemeanors, &c. Having been tried before the Lords, and found guilty, he was filenced for the space of three years, and his fermon was condemned to be burned by the hands of the common hangman, which fentence was rigidly executed.

When this affair was over (fays Mr. Faulkner) the ministry took very little notice of him, and treated him with great indifference: but upon the Rectory of St. Andrew's, Holborn, being vacant, the

Doctor

Doctor applied to them for that living: but they had no regard to his folicitation. Upon which he wrote to Dr. Swift, with whom he had a very flender acquaintance, to requett his intereft with the Government for that parish: and fet forth, how much he had fuffered for them, and their caufe. Dr. Swift immediately carried this letter to Lord Bolingbroke, then fecretary of state, who railed much at Sacheverel, calling him a busy, intermeddling fellow, a prig, and an incendiary, who had fet the kingdom in a flame, which could not be extinguished, and therefore deferved cenfure instead of a reward. To which Switt replied, True, my Lord ; —but let me tell you a fhort story. In a fea-fight in the reign of Charles II. there was a very bloody engagement between the English and the Dutch feets; in the heat of which, a Scotch feaman was very feverely bit by a loufe in his neck, which he caught, and looping down to crack it between his nails, many of the failors near him, had their heads taken off by a chain fhot from the enemy, which fcattered their brains and blood about him. On this he had compaffion on the poor loufe, returned him to his place, and bid him live there at difcretion: for as he had faved his life, he was bound in gratitude to fave his. The recital of this put my Lord Bolingbroke into a fit of laughter; who, when it was over, faid, "The loule fhall have the living for your flory:" and foon after Sacheverel was prefented to it.'

This is generally the cafe with the tools of a party: they think themselves lions: but their fecret employers, who give them all their confequence, regard them no better than lice!

The liberality of Dean Swift hath been a topic of just encomium with all his admirers: nor could his enemies deny him this praife. In his domeftic affairs, he always acted with ftrict œconomy. He kept the most regular accounts: and he feems to have done this chiefly with a view to increase his power of being useful. Mr. Faulkner informs us, that his income was 9001. per annum, which he endeavoured to divide into three parts, for the following purpofes. Firft, to live upon one third of it. Secondly, to give another third in penfions and charities, according to the manner in which perfons who received them had lived: and the other third he laid-by, to build a hofpital for the reception of ideots and lunatics."

What is remarkable in this generous man, is this, (fays Mr. F.) that when he lent money upon bond or mortgage, he would not take the legal intereft, but one per cent. below it.'

Fires have fometimes happened in Dublin, by which people of all denominations have been fufferers: upon which melancholy occafions, the Dean always exerted himself, not only in perfon, by going from houfe to noule, to make collections for them; but wrote and recommended their melancholy cales to the public. He would go to the afflicted fufferers, offer them his fervice, and would be the firft to fubicribe in a moft princely and gene rous manner to their relief; which worthy example of his, the benevolent citizens of Dublin would imitate."

His charity appears to have been a fettled principle of duty, more than an instinctive effort of good nature; but as it was thus founded and fupported, it had extraordinary merit, and feldom failed to exert itself in a manner that contributed most to render it beneficial. He did not lavish his money on the idle and the worthlefs. He nicely difcriminated characters, and was feldom the dupe of impofition. Hence his generofity always turned to a useful account: while it relieved distress, it encouraged industry, and rewarded virtue.

We dwell with great pleasure on this truly excellent and diftinguishing part of the Dean's character: and for the fake of his charity, we can overlook his oddities, and almost forgive his faults. He was a very peculiar man in every refpect. Some have faid, "What a man he would have been, had he been without those whims and infirmities which fhaded both his genius and his character!" But perhaps the, peculiarities complained of were infeparable from his genius. The vigor and fertility of the root could not fail now and then of throwing out fuperfluous fuckers. What produced thefe, produced alfo the more beautiful branches, and gave the fruit all its richness.

It must be acknowledged, that the Dean's fancy hurried him into great abfurdities and inconfiftencies, for which, nothing but his extraordinary talents and noble virtues, difcovered in other inftances, could have atoned. The rancour he discovered towards the Diffenters, we have already taken notice of. No fect could have merited it in the degree in which he always showed it to them for in fome inftances, it bordered on downright per fecution. He doubtlefs had his reafons for expofing their principles to ridicule: and might perhaps have fufficient grounds for fome of his accufations against their principal leaders in Ireland: but nothing could juftify his virulence against the whole body. Indifcriminate reflections on a community at large, are generally the offspring of ignorance or malice. It is impoffible for us to put down his prejudices to the account of the former; and we thould be forry to impute them to a worfe principle.

In the biographical anecdotes, collected by the Editor of this Supplement, we are informed, fuch was the Dean's chagrin, on the choice which the corporation of Dublin had made of a Dif fenter, for a phyfician to an hofpital in that city, that he immediately altered a will, in which he had nominated them truflces to a public charity of his own. This action trongly marked his temper; but he fhould have confidered, that the corporation had acted, not in a religious, but a civil capacity; and that it was at leaft poffible, that a man might be a very skilful phyfician, without being an orthodox churchman. The prejudices of party, carried into common life, are only fit for the vulgar.

When Swift's refentment was excited, it generally arose to indignation. Amidst the conftellation of virtues which thed a diftinguishing luflre on his character, he wanted one that a minifter of chriftianity ought to be ambitious of numbering amongst the chief ornaments of his profeffion; and that was FORGIVENESSs. This is a virtue that requires a great fhare of humility and Swift feemed to confider himself as having a prescriptive right to haughtiness. His pride gave a dignity indeed to fome parts of his conduct; but it frequently tranfgreffed all the bounds of common civility, and chriftian condefcenfion. His pride was not gratified with lowering on those he hated, with a fupercilious brow: it muft trampie them under his feet. He could not laugh away his refentment." It stuck to his laft fand:" and gained strength by its duration.

Of Dr. Sharp, the Archbishop of York, who hindered his promotion in the church, by infinuating fomething to the prejudice of his religion, he never spoke but with a tone of indig nation, that marked a fettled raneour. Dr. Tenifon, the Archbishop of Canterbury, he calls, for the fame good reason, the most good-for-nothing prelate that ever lived. Mr. Nichols hath tranfcribed, from an authentic MS. in the poffeffion of Thomas Aftle, Efq; a fort of a counterpart to Macky's • Characters,' [annexed to the Memoirs of Secret Services,'] in which the Dean hath difcovered his keennefs of obfervation, and feverity of refentment, againft fome of the most diftinguifhed characters of the court of George I. In fome few instances he agrees with Macky. But in a far greater number, he totally differs from him, and with a dash of his pen damns a character that Macky had exerted all his talents to emblazon and recommend. We shall felect fome of the most striking and characteristic.

Lord Wharton *. He is one of the completeft gentlemen in England: hath a very clear understanding and manly expreffion; with abundance of wit. MACKY. "The moft univerfal villain I ever faw." SWIFT. MS.

Earl of Galway. He is one of the finest gentlemen in the army, with a head fitted for the cabinet as well as the camp: is very modeft, vigilant, and fincere: a man of honour and honefty without pride or affectation." MACKY. "In all directly otherwife. A deceitful, hypocritical, factious knave: a damnable hypocrite: of no religion." SWIFT. MS.

Of John Duke of Argyle, Swift fays in his MS. "Ambitious, covetous, cunning Scot: has no principles but his own intereft and greatnefs: A true Scot in his whole deportment."

In one of his poems, he exprefsly fays he hated Wharton like

@road.'

Earl

Earl of Derby. "He never will make any great figure in the house of peers, the fword being moft his profeffion. He is a fair complexioned man, well shaped, taller than the ordinary fize, and a man of honour." MACKY. "As arrant a

fcoundrel as his brother." SWIFT. MS.

Duke of Grafton. "A very pretty gentleman." MACKY. "Almost a lobberer: without one good quality." SWIFT. MS.

Secretary Johnfton. "He is very honeft, yet fomething too credulous and fufpicious. He would not tell a lie for the world." MACKY." A treacherous knave. One of the greatest knaves even in Scotland." SWIFT. MS.

Here follow fome of Swift's characters in the grofs. Lord Cholmondley. "Good for nothing, as far as ever I knew." Lord Guildford. A mighty filly fellow." Duke of Marlborough. "Deteftably covetous." Earl of Sandwich. "As much a puppy as ever I faw: very ugly, and a fop." Speaker of the House of Commons. "A heavy man."

Swift's particular averfion to Lord Wharton is well accounted for, by a curious anecdote, communicated to Mr. Nichols by the late Dr. Salter.

Lord Somers recommended Dr. Swift, at his own earnest request, to Lord Wharton, when that Earl went as Lord Lieutenant to Ire land, in 178; but without fuccefs: and the answer his Lordship is faid to have given, was never forgotten, or forgiven by Swift, but feems to have laid the foundation for that peculiar rancour, with which he always mentions Lord Wharton. I faw and read (fays Dr. Salter) two letters of Jonathan Swift, then Prebendary of St. Patrick's, Dublin, to Lord Somers: the first earnestly entreating his favour, pleading his poverty, and profeffing the most unalterable attachment to his Lordship's perfon, friends, and caufe: the fecond, acknowdging Lord Somers's kindness, in having recommended him, and concluding with the like folemn profeflions; not more than a year before Swift deferted Lord Somers, and all his friends, writing avowedly on the contrary fide, and (as he boats himself) libelling all the junto round. I faw alfo the very letters which Lord Somers wro.e to the Earl of Wharton, in which Swift is very heartily and warmly recommended; and I well remember the short and very fmart anfwer that Lord Wharton is faid to have given, which, as I have observed, Swift never forgave or forgot. It was to this purpose, "Oh, my Lord! we must not prefer, or countenance thefe fellows; we have not character enough ourselves."

The natural acrimony of Swift's temper was increased by repeated difappointments. This gave a fplenetic tincture to his writings; and amidst the duties of private and domeftic life, it too frequently appeared to fhade the luftre of his more eminent virtues. A pre-fentiment which he had long entertained of that wretchednefs which would inevitably overtake him towards the clofe of life, by the failure of his intellects, clouded his mind with the moft melancholy ideas, and tinged every object

around