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"the univerfity." The civilities which he received at Oxford might indeed proceed from his known connection with Sir William Temple; but he might reafonably impute them alfo to the fuppreffion of a reproach against which there was good reason to fear this connection would not have fupported him nor is it ftrange, that Swift, after his reputation was established, fhould, while he was sporting with this incident in the gaiety of his heart, pretend a mistake which never happened, or that what he meant as a jeft upon the univerfity, fhould, be seriously remembered as an event of his life.

Ir has alfo been faid, that, upon his difgrace at Du blin, he refolved to purfue his ftudies at Oxford, where he almost constantly refided during three years, and was avowedly fupported by Sir William Temple. [O. let. 2.] But the contrary is inconteftably true; for there are not quite two months between the date of his teftimonium, and his taking his Mafter's degree. Befides, in the letter to his uncle juft mentioned, he says, "I am "ashamed to be more obliged in a few weeks to firangers, than in feven years to Dublin college t." [vol. 4. p. 197.]

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ROB, HUNTINGTON Prapof. L. S.

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Quibus in venerabili congregatione magiftrorum regentium 14 die Junil 1692 habita publicatis, JONATHAN SWIFT (gratia priùs petita et conceffa) ad eundem gradum, ftatum, et dignitatem, admissus fuit, apud Oxonienfes, quibus infignitus erat apud fuos Dublinienfes.

10 Nov. 1753,
vera copia

RIC. RAWLINSON.

JONATHAN SWIFT, M. A.
Hart Hall, July 5. 1692.

D. S. p. 43. 44.

See the note, above, p. xi.

+ He went to college, at the age of fourteen, in 1681 ; continued there seven years, as appears by his letter; fo that he did not leave

Ireland,

FROM Oxford he returned again to Moorpark, where he affifted Sir William Temple to revife his works †, corrected and improved his Tale of a Tub, and added the digreffions. From the converfation of Sir William,. who was minutely acquainted with all the intricacies of party, and the fecrets of state, during the reigns of K. Charles II. and K. James II. Swift greatly increased his political knowledge. But having long fufpected Sir William of neglecting to provide for him, merely that he might keep him in his family, he at length refented it fo warmly, that, in 1694, a quarrel enfued, and they parted, [vol. 4. p. 199.]

Ir is probable that Swift did not leave Sir William for fuch a reafon without fevere expoftulation, not only because Swift was no refpecter of perfons, but because it. appears that Sir William, though he was extremely angry, admitted his claim to fome provifion, by offering to make him his deputy as Mafter of the Rolls in Ireland. This offer however Swift did not accept; but re-, plied, that fince he had now an opportunity of living. without being driven into the church for fupport, a fcruple which had hitherto kept him out of it, he was determined to go into Ireland and take orders.

SWIFT, during his refidence with Sir William, had never failed to vifit his mother at Leicester once a-year; extraordinary. and his manner of travelling was very He always went on foot, except the weather was very bad; and then he would fometimes take fhelter in a waggon. He chose to dine at obfcure alehouses among pedlars and hoftlers, and to lie where he faw written over the door, Lodgings for a penny ; but he used to bribe

the

Ireland till 1688. He was fome months with his mother before he went to Sir William, and two years with him before he went to Ireland for his health, which must therefore be in 1691. He returned from Ireland, and continued fome time longer with Sir William before he went to Oxford; which must therefore be in 1692: and in that very year he took his degree. The fact therefore which, Lord Orrey fays, was immediately conftrued to favour an opinion that Swift was Sir William's natural fon, appears never to have happened. Hawkef.

Swift tranflated for Sir William his letters out of the original French into Englifh. D. S. p. 99.

the maid with a tefter for a fingle bed and clean fheets. He delighted (fays Lord Orrery) in fcenes of low life. The vulgar dialect was not only a fund of humour for him, but I verily believe was acceptable to his nature; otherwise I know not how to account for the many filthy ideas and indecent expreffions (I mean indecent in point of cleanliness and delicacy) that will be found. throughout his works 1.

In this manner he went down to his mother upon his leaving Sir William, and from Leicester he wrote a letter, dated June 1694, [in vol. 4. p. 194.] to his coufin Deane Swift, then at Lisbon; in which he relates his quarrel with Sir William, and declares his purpose

to

When Swift was a young man, he was prodigiously fond of rambling, even before his pocket could afford the common expences of a journey: and therefore we cannot but applaud his manner of travelling; fince travel about he certainly must, or effe die of the fpleen, Oxford, Dublin, London, Moorpark, and Leicefter, were at various times the places of his abode; but Leicester in particular, during his mother's life, he commonly vifited once a year, let his general refidence have been where it would. In fhort, upon his own feet he ran like a buck from one place to another. Gates, stiles, and quickfets, he no more valued than if they had been fo many straws. His conftitution was ftrong, and his limbs were active. His company in those flights were, I believe, all forts of people which he met in towns and villages where he chanced to refresh himself; some chat for an hour, and again to the fields. His imagination was always alive, and perhaps beyond all others he had a power to conciliate his ideas to the feveral capacities of all human race, and at the fame time catch entertainment to himself from every fpecies of understanding; agreeable to what is faid in that panegyric on the Dean written in the perfon of a lady in the north of Ireland.

Whene'er you joke, 'tis all a cafe

Whether with Dermot, or his Grace;
With Teague O Murphy, or an Earl,
A Duchess or a kitchen-girl.

With fuch dexterity you fit

Their fev'ral talents with your wit,

That Moll the chambermaid can smoke,

And Gahagan take ev'ry joke. vol. 6, p. 380.

However, the Doctor hath often told his friends, that whatever money he faved by this manner of travelling, he conftantly threw it away, as foon as he went to London, upon a fine waificoat, or fome additional gaiety upon a fuit of cloaths. D. S. p. 99. 100, 1

to take orders in the September following, wifhing he could procure for him the chaplainship of the factory.

WHAT was the effect of this letter, is not known; but Swift foon after obtained a recommendation (fuppofed to be from Sir William Temple) to Lord Capely then Lord Deputy of Ireland, who gave him the prebend of Kilroot, in the diocese of Connor, a northern diftrict, worth about 100 l. a-year *, But Sir William, who had been used to the converfation of Swift, foon found that he could not be content to live without him; he therefore urged him to refign his prebend in favour of a friend, and promifed to obtain preferment for him in England, if he would return +. Swift confented; and Sir William was fo much pleased with this act of kindnefs, that during the remainder of his life, which was about four years, his behaviour was fuch as produced the utmost harmony between them. Swift, as a teftimony of his friendship and efteem, wrote the battle of the books, of which Sir William is the hero; and Sir William, when he died, left him a pecuniary legacy, (fuppofed to have been about 500 1.) and his pofthumous works. :

WHAT other favours he received from Sir William, cannot certainly be known. Swift acknowledged none but his ineffectual recommendation to K. William ; and he is known to have received frequent remittances from his uncle William, and his uncle Willoughby Swift: fo

that

*Swift foon grew weary of this preferment. It was not fuffici ently confiderable, and was at fo great a distance from the metro polis, that it abfolutely deprived him from that kind of converfation and fociety in which he delighted. He had been used to very different scenes in England, and had naturally an averfion to folitude and retirement. He was glad therefore to refign his prebend in favour of a friend, and to return to Sheep, c. arrery, let. 2.

This appears by a letter from Swift's fifter, then in Ireland, to her coufin Deane in Portagal, dated May 26. 1699. "My poor bro"ther" (fays fhe) "haft loft his best friend Sir William Temple, who "was fo fond of him whilft he lived, that he made him give up his living in this country to ftay with him at Moorpark, and promised "to get him one in England: but death came in between, and has " left him unprovided both of friend and living." D. S. p. 66.

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that Sir William does not feem to have treated him with a liberality for which it is difficult to account.

UPON the death of Sir William Temple, Swift applied by petition to K. William for the firft vacant prebend of Canterbury or Westminster, for which the royal promise had been obtained by his late patron, whofe pofthumous works he dedicated to his Majefty, to facilitate the fuccefs of this application. But it does not appear, that, after the death of Sir William, the King took the leaft notice of Mr Swift *. His petition and dedication were equally neglected †; and after a fruitlefs attendance at court, which probably increased the aufterity of his temper, he accepted an invitation of the Earl of Berkeley, who had been appointed one of the Lords Juftices of Ireland, to attend him as chaplain and private fecretary. It might reasonably have been hoped, that although he had been disappointed of the preferment for which he folicited, yet the employment to which he was invited would have been fecure. But it happened, that after he had acted as fecretary during the whole journey to Dublin, one Bush found means to infinuate to Lord Berkeley, that the poft of fecretary was not fit for a clergyman; and his Lordship fuffered himself to be fa eafily convinced of this impropriety, that after making fome apology to Mr Swift, he appointed Bush fecretary in his ftead .

a court.

THIS

The promifes of kings are often a kind of chaff, which the breath of a minister bloweth, and scattereth away from the face of Swift's petition had no effect. It was either totally forgotten, or drowned amidst the clamours of more urgent claims. From this first disappointment, may probably be dated that bitternefs towards kings and courtiers, which is to be found fo univerfally difperfed throughout his works. Orrery, let. 3.

The Earl of Rumney, who professed much friendship for Mr Swift, promised to second his petition; but as he was an`old, vitious, illiterate rake, without any sense of truth or honour, he said not a word to the King.

What then was to be done? Honour, or, to ufe a properer word, pride hindered him from staying long in a state of fervility. and contempt. Orrery, let. 3.

Here was another difappointment, and a fresh object of indig. nation. The treatment was thought injurious, and Swift expreffed his fenfibility of it in a fhort, but fatirical copy of verfes, intitled, The Discovery. Orrery, let. 3. Sec vol. 7. p. 134.

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