Page images
PDF
EPUB

ef their conferences, fo early as the year 1710, was to this effect, That the kingdom was as certainly ruined as a bankrupt merchant; that a peace, whether bad or good, was abfolutely neceffary; that the confederacy muft foon break, and factions increase; and that the miniftry was upon too narrow a bottom, and flood like an ifthmus, between the Whigs on one fide, and the violent Tories on the other; a fituation in which they could not fubfift*. These violent Tories were formed into a fociety called the October club, of whom Swift fays, "They are about a hundred parliament men of "the country, who drink October beer at home, and meet every evening at a tavern near the parlia "ment-houfe, to drive things on to extremes againft "the Whigs, to call the old miniftry to account, and VOL. I. 66 get

d

Of this nature I take fome presents to have been which the Earl made to the Doctor, particularly his own picture enamelled by Zink, the feal of Julius Cæfar, and efpecially the feal of the young Hercules, which were both given to the Earl by his royal miftrefs, and afterwards by the Earl prefented to the Doctor; alluding perhaps, in the prefent of the young Hercules, to the character of Alcides in the poem called Atlas, the Earl being confcious to himself how much the Doctor had fupported the conftitution, the Queen, and the miniftry. But what, I think, fhewed more kindness and affection than any of the former, was the prefent of that penknife wherewith the Earl himself had been ftabbed by Guifcard. It was a common ordinary penknife, with a tortoise fhell handle; and when it was fhut, was just about the length of a man's little finger. But as the blade was broken within half an inch of the handle, by the violence of the blow against one of the Earl's ribs, the Doctor had a hole drilled thro' that part of the blade which was broken off, and another hole thro' that piece which remained in the handle, and by that contrivance they were both held together by a little filver chain. D. S. p.

162. 3.

[ocr errors]

"This king

* Dr Swift's own account of this is as follows. "dom is certainly ruined as much as was ever any bankrupt mer"chant. We must have peace, let it be a bad or a good one; tho' no body dares talk of it. The nearer I took upon things, the "worfe I like them. I believe the confederacy will foon break to pieces; and our factions at home increafe. The miniftry is upon a narrow bottom; and ftands like an ifthmus between the "Whigs on one fide, and violent Tories on the other. They are "able fea-men; but the tempeft is too great, the ship too is rotten,

"and

get off five or fix heads *." Let. to S. Feb. 18. 1710. [D. S. p. 319. 320.]

BUT, if Swift thought this party too precipitant, it is certain he thought Lord Oxford too flow; and he once told him fo in a manner that fhews both his integrity, and the freedom of his converfation with those who have a prefcriptive right to fervility and adulation. He had received (from Col. Hill, a gentleman of worth, who had commanded with great bravery in the battle of Almanza, foon after his promotion to a regiment) a prefent of a fine tortoife shell fnuff-box, richly lined with gold, with the profpect of the rialto of Venice, feveral gondalos playing on the canals, and other figures to the number of 150, reprefenting the pleasures of a carnival, painted on the infide of the lid. This prefent he fhewed one day to Harley; who having admired the painting

[ocr errors]

and

"and the crew all against them. Lord Sommers has been twice "in the Queen's clofet, once very lately; and the Duchess of "St, who now has the key, is a most infinuating woman; "and I believe they will endeavour to play the fame game that "has been played against them. I have told them all this, which they know already; but they cannot help it: they have cau"tioned the Queen fo much against being governed, that the ob"ferves it too much. I could talk till to-morrow upon these things; but they make me melancholy. I could not but obferve, that lately after much converfation with Mr Harley, tho' "he is the most fearless man alive, and the leaft apt to defpond, "he confeffed to me, that uttering his mind to me gave him cafe." [Let. to Stella, March 4. 1710.] D. S. p. 318.

..

..

The ministry feem not to regard them; yet one of them in confidence told me, that there must be fomething thought on to fettle things better. I'll tell you one great ftate-fecret. The Queen, fenfible how much fhe was governed by the late ministry, runs a little into the other extreme, and is jealous in that point even of those who got her out of the other's hands. The ministry is for gentler measures, and the other Tories for more violent. Lord Rivers talking to me the other day, curfed the paper called the Examiner, for fpeaking civilly of the Duke of Marlborough. This I happened to talk of to the Secretary; who blamed the warmth of that Lord and fome others, and swore, that if their advice were followed, they would be blown up in twenty-four hours. And I have reason to think that they will endeavour to prevail on the Queen to put her affairs more in the hands of a ministry than fhe does at prefent: and there are, I believe, two men thought on, &c. [Let. to S.] D. S. p. 320.

and the workmanship, at laft fpied a figure ftudded on the outfide of the bottom, which he thought resembled a goofe; upon which, turning to the Doctor," Jona

than," fays he, "I think the Colonel has made a "goofe of you " Yes, " my Lord," fays the Doctor; "but, if your Lordship will look a little farther, you "will fee that I am driving a fnail before me; which indeed happened to be the device. To this the Earl coolly replied, That is fevere enough, Jonathan; but "I deferve it." [D. S. p. 163, 4.]

[ocr errors]

Ir is equally true, and equally evident, that Swift had no expectations of advantage from his connection. with these perfons; that he knew they could not long preferve their power; that he did not honour it while it lafted, and that he difdained pecuniary obligations *. "THE miniftry" (faith he) are good honeft hearty fellows. I ufe them like dogs, because I expe& "they will ufe me fo. They call me nothing but Jo"nathan; and I faid I believed they would leave me

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Jonathan as they found me; and that I never knew "a miniftry do any thing for thofe whom they make "companions of their pleasures; but I care not.” [Let. to S. Feb. 17. 1710. D. S. p. 322.]

IN the fummer of 1711, he forefaw the ruin of the miniftry, by thofe mifunderstandings among themselves which at last affected it; and it was not only his opi

[blocks in formation]

*Swift, confcious of his great abilities, and that he was not obliged to the miniftry, for any the leaft favour, how much foever they had been obliged to him for his care and protection, treated every one of them round, juft in what style and manner he thought convenient. The miniftry, who were themselves men of wit and penetration, bore with his temper, and foothed him in his greatest irregularities. Had they ventured to have acted otherwise, they knew in their fouls, that he would have taken horse the next morning, and, careless of their fate, expofed them to the fury of their enemies. But this fpirit of dominion, which more or lefs gave a tincture to all his converfation and behaviour throughout his whole life, was fuffered freely to pafs under the foft and gentle appellation of wit and humour. "I dined to-day" (faith_he) with Mr Secretary St John. I went to the court of requests at "noon, and fent Mr Harley into the houfe to call the Secretary, to let him know I would not dine with him if he dined late.” [Let. to S. Feb. 12. 1710.]

nion, but their own, that if they could not carry a peace, they would not be able to keep them felves out of the Tower, even though they fhould agree. [D. S. P. 331. Let. to Stella.] In order therefore to facilitate this great event, Swift wrote, The conduct of the akies ; a piece which he confeffes coft him much pains, and which fucceeded even beyond his expectation. [D. S. P. 332. Let. to S] It was published Nov. 27. 1711, juft ten days before the parliament met; and, before the 28th of January, above eleven thousand were fold, feven editions having been printed in England, and three in Ireland. [D. S. p. 335.] The Tory members in both houfes who fpoke, drew all their arguments from it; and the refolutions which were printed in the votes, and which would never have paffed but for The conduct of the allies, were little more than quotations from it *. [D. S. p. 337. Let. to S.}

FROM

The Whigs, encouraged, supported, and abetted, by the Dutch, the Emperor, and all the princes in the grand alliance, were furious against a peace. In fummer 1711 they had been extremely active in muffering up their forces, and collecting their whole ftrength against the next meeting of the parliament; and with fuch dexterity their affairs were managed, that actually they had got the Queen herself to be fecretly on their fide, as appeared to a demonstration from her behaviour to the Duke of Shrewsbury, Dec. 7. 1711. For," when the Queen was going from the house "of Lords, where fhe fat to hear the debate, Shrewfbury, Lord "Chamberlain, afked her Majefty, whether he, or the Great "Chamberlain Lindsay, ought to lead her out? fhe answered short, "Neither of you; and gave her hand to the Duke of Somerset, "who was louder than any in the houfe against the peace." [Let. to S. Dec. 8. 1741.] And Dr Swift "having afked Lord Oxford, "whether some particular Lords would have voted against the court, if the Duke of Somerfet had not aflured them it would please "the Queen? Lord Oxford plainly told him, his conjectures were 66 true, and that my Lord Duke of Somerset had fo affured them." [Ib. Dec. 1.] And this behaviour of the Queen was in fact the original cause of her making twelve Peers at once, "after she had at laft been perfuaded to her own interest and security. Yet, after all," adds Swift," it is a strange unhappy neceffity of making fo "many Peers together; but the Queen has drawn it upon herself, by her trimming and moderation." [Ib. Dec. 29.] The Whigs thus elated with hope, and with a full affurance of fuccefs in de feating the miniftry, and quafhing the preliminaries of a peace, ftocks fell, and all difficulties feemed to vanish before them. « We have no quiet" (faith the Doctor)" with the Whigs, they

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

FROM this time till the year 1713, he continued to exert himself, with unwearied diligence, in the service of the miniftry. [D. S. p. 156.] And while he was at Windfor, juft at the conclufion of the peace of Utrecht,

66

d 3

he

"are fo violent against a peace; but I will cool them with a vengeance, very foon." [08. 26. 1711.] I have written a paper" (faith he) "which the minifters reckon will do abundance of good, and open the eyes of the nation, who are half bewitched

64

"against a peace. Few of this generation can remember any "thing but war and taxes, and they think it is as it should be ; "whereas it is certain, we are the most undone people in Europe, as I am afraid I fhall make appear beyond all contradiction." [08. 30.]-After the publication of The conduct of the allies, allLondon, both court and city, were alarmed. The Dutch envoy defigned to complain of it, and refufed dining with Dr D'Avenant, becaufe, among others, he was fufpected to be the author. The Whigs refolved to bring it into the houfe of Lords, to have it there examined; and the Lord Chief Justice sent for Morphew the printer, threatned him, afked him who was the author of The conduct of the allies, and bound him over to appear the next term, The noife which it made was extraordinary. "It is fit" (faith the Doctor) it should answer the pains I have been at about it. "Some lay it to Prior, others to Mr Secretary St John; but I am always the firft they lay every thing to." [Dec. 2.] However, within four days after it was published, there was a report in London, that feveral of the Whigs began to be content that a peace fhould be treated- -The parliament, however, met Dec. 7.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

The Earl of Nottingham began and spoke against the peace, "and defired, that in their addrefs they might put a claufe to ad"vife the Queen not to make a peace without Spain; which was debated, and carried by the Whigs, by about fix voices, in a com"mittee of the whole houfe," [Dec. 7.]: and the next day "the claufe was carried against the court in the house of Lords almost two to one." [Dec. 8.] The Doctor, who has written copi oufly on thefe proceedings, concludes his letter in these words. "This is a long journal, and of a day that may produce great al"terations, and hazard the ruin of England. - The Whigs are all "in triumph. They foretold how all this would be, but we thought "it boafting. Nay, they faid the parliament should be diffolved "before Christmas, and perhaps it may. This is all your D-of S-t's doings. 1 warned them [the minifters] of it nine months ago, and a hundred times fince. The Secretary always "dreaded it. I told Lord Treasurer, I fhould have the advantage of him, for he would lofe his head, and I fhould only be hanged, and fo carry my body entire to the grave." [Dec. 8.]-And fhortly after talking of thefe affairs, "Here are" (faith the Doctor) the first steps towards the ruin of an excellent miniftry; for I

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

look

« PreviousContinue »