furprise, wondering for what crime he had deferved to be turned out of his place His maiter oblerving this, asked him if he had no cloaths of his own to put on ? he told him he had. Then go your ways, faid the Doctor, and as foon as you have thrown off your livery, and drehted yourself, come back to me again. The poor fellow, tho he was greatly afstonished at this proceeding, knew Swift too well to expoftulate; and therefore, with whatever reluctance, did as had been commanded. When he returned, the Dean ordered the other fervants to be called up; who immediately attended, expecting that the butler was to be difmiffed in terrorem, and that they should be warned in very severe terms of his offence. Swift, as foon as they had ranged themselves before him, ordered them to take notice, that Robert was no longer his fervant; he is now, faid the Dean, Mr Blakely, the verger of St Patrick's cathedral, a place which I give him as a reward for his fidelity. The value of this place is between thirty and forty pounds a-year. However, Robert would not quit his master, but continued to be his butler fome years afterwards. [D. S. p. 190, 1.] In this inftance the Dean exercifed his pride, his fortitude, and his equity, in a manner peculiar to himself; and tho' there are many who would equally have rewarded fuch fidelity, there are few who would have ventured to wait the iffue of fo fevere and dangerous a probation.

FROM this time the Dean's influence in Ireland was almost without bounds. He was confulted in whatever related to domeftic policy; and, in particular, to trade. The weavers always confidered him as their patron and legiflator, after his propofal for the use of Irish manufactures, and came frequently in a body to receive his advice in fettling the rates of their stuffs, and the wages of their journeymen; and when elections were depending for the city of Dublin, many corporations refufed to declare themfelves, till they knew his fentiments and inclinations. Over the populace he was the most absolute monarch that ever governed men; and he was re

garded

garded by perfons of every rank with veneration and esteem*.

It appears by many of his writings, that he lived in great friendship and familiarity with Lord Carteret during his lieutenancy, notwithstanding his Lordship had figned the proclamation to discover him as the writer of the Draper's letters Swift indeed remonftrated against this proceeding; and once asked his Lordship, how he could concur in the profecution of a poor honeft fellow, who had been guilty of no other crime than that of writing three or four letters for the inftruction of his neighbours, and the good of his country? To this question his Excellency elegantly replied, in the words of Virgil, ·Regni novitas me talia cogit

Moliri.

[D. S. p. 270.]

He was equally diligent to recommend his friends to Lord Carteret, as he had been to recommend them to Lord Oxford; and he did it with the fame dignity and freedom. Pray, my Lord." faid he one day, "have you the honour to be acquainted with the Grattons ?"

66

My

* The name of Auguftus was not bestowed upon Octavius Cxfar with more univerfal approbation, than the name of the Drapier was bestowed upon the Dean. He had no fooner affumed his new cognomen, than he became the idol of the people of Ireland, to a degree of devotion, that in the moft fuperftitious country fcarce any idol ever obtained. Libations to his health, or, in plain English, bumpers, were poured forth to the Drapier, as large and as frequent as to the glorious and immortal memory of K. William III. His effigies were painted in every street in Dub fin. Acclamations and vows for his profperity attended his footfteps where ever he passed. He was confulted in all points relating to domestic policy in general, and to the trade of Ireland in particular: but he was more immediately looked upon as the legiflator of the weavers, who frequently came in a body, confifting of fifty or fixty chieftains of their trade, to receive his advice, in fettling the rates of their manufactures, and the wages of their journeymen. He received their addreffes with lefs majesty than fternness, and ranging his fubjects in a circle round his parlour, poke as copiously, and with as little difficulty and hesitation, to the feveral points in which they fupplicated his affiftance, as if trade had been the only study and employment of his life. When elections were depending for the city of Dublin, many corporations

refufed

My Lord anfwered, he had not: " Why then, pray, my Lord," faid Swift, take care to obtain it; it is of great confequence: the Grattons, my Lord, can "raise ten thousand men [7. R. p. 95.]. He obtained a living for his friend Dr Sheridan; and he recommended feveral others, of whom he knew nothing, but that they were good men. [vol. 4. p. 231.]

HE ufed alfo to remonstrate with great freedom against fuch measures as he disapproved; and Lord Carteret having gained the advantage of him in fome difpute concerning the diftreffes of Ireland, he cried out in a violent paffion, "What the vengeance brought you among "us? Get you gone, get you gone; pray God al

mighty fend us our boobies back again," J. R. p. 25.]; a reply which fhewed at once the turn, the ftrength, and the virtue of his mind; as it was a fine compliment to the force of reafon, by which he had been just foiled, and was expreffed with all the vehemence of his temper, and all the peculiarity of his wit.

He was feveral times in England, on a vifit to Mr Pope, after his fettlement at the deanery, particularly in the years 1726 and 1727.

THERE is a paffage in one of his letters to Dr Sheridan (vol. 4. p. 242.] during his vifit in 1726, by which it appears, that he then had fuch an offer of a fettlement, in the midst of his friends, within twelve miles of London, as, if he had been ten years younger, he would gladly have accepted: " but I am now," fays he, "too "old for new schemes, and especially fuch as would "bridle me in my freedoms and liberalities." He had alfo an invitation from Lord Bolingbroke to spend a winter with him at his house on the banks of the Loire in France; and this he would have accepted, but that he received an account from Ireland, that Mrs Johnson was dangerously ill. [vol. 4. p. 242]

Mrs

refused to declare themselves, till they had confulted his fentiments and inclinations, which were punctually followed with equal chearfulness and fubmiffion. In this ftate of power, and popular love and admiration, he remained till he lost his fenfes. 0. let, 6.

MRS Johnfon's conftitution was tender and delicate; and, as the Dean himself fays, fhe had not the ftamina uita. In the year 1724, he began vifibly to decay; and, in the year 1726, was thought to be dying. The -Dean received the news with agonies not to be felt but by the tenderest and most ardent friendship, nor conceived but by the moft lively imagination, and immediately haftened back into Ireland. [vol. 4. p. 243.]

IT happened, however, that Mrs Johnfon, contrary to -the opinion of her physician, recovered a moderate share -of health; and the Dean, probably to complete fome defign, which in his hafte he had left unfinished, returned again to England in 1727.

FROM England he was once more about to set out för France, upon Lord Bolingbroke's invitation. when news arrived of the King's death. [vol. 4. p. 246.]

b. He had attended the late Queen, while fhe was Princefs, in his former excurfions to England; and he had feen her twice in one week by her Royal Highness's command in this. She had always treated the Dean with great civility, and the Dean had treated her with his ufual and peculiar franknefs. The third day after the -news of the late King's death, he attended at court, and kiffed the King and the Queen's hand upon their acceffion, and was blamed by his friends for deferring it fo long. [vol. 4 p. 246.]

WHAT profpect he had of a change in public affairs on this event, or of any advantage which fuch a change might produce to himself or his friends, does not appear; but he was earnestly intreated to delay his journey. And when he had again determined to fet out, he was, upon fome new incidents, again prevailed upon not to go, by the vehement perfuafion of fome perfons, whom, he fays, he could not difobey. Many schemes were propofed, in which he was eagerly folicited to engage; but he received them coldly; not, as it appears, because he was determined no more to enter into public life, but because the schemes themselves were fuch as he did not approve. However, in the fame letter in which he fays, that if the King had lived ten days longer, he fhould not have dated it from London, but Paris, he fays, that his share in the hurry of the time would not

be

be long, and that he should foon return. P. 246. 247.]

[vol. 4.

He was foon after feized with one of his fits of giddinefs and deafness; a calamity which was greatly ag gravated by the news that Mrs Johnfon was again for ill, that the phyficians defpaired of her life. Upon this occafion he relapfed into the agonies of mind which he had felt the year before. He expected by the next poft to hear that fhe was dead, and intreated that he might be told no particulars, but the event in general; for that, his age being then within three months of fixty, his weakness and his friendship would bear no more. As he defpaired of feeing her alive, he determined not to return to Ireland, so soon as he had intended, but to pass the winter either near Salisbury-plain, or in France. That he might not be interrupted by company, and condemned to the torment of fuppreffing his forrow, to preferve the rules of good-breeding, he quitted the house of Mr Pope, at Twickenham, and retired to a village near London, with a female relation for his nurfe. The next letter that he received, he kept an hour in his pocket, before he could fufficiently fortify himself against the fhock which he expected when he fhould open it. However, as Stella's life ebbed by flow degrees, and fometimes feemed at a stand, if not to flow, his hope of a parting interview revived, and he fet out for Ireland as foon as he was able to travel. [vol. 4. let. 120, 1, 2.]

He found her alive; but, after having languifhed about two months longer, fhe expired on the 28th of January 1727-8, in the 44th year of her age, regretted by the Dean with fuch excess of affection and efteem, as the keenest fenfibility only could feel, and the most excellent character excite.

BEAUTY, which alone has been the object of univerfal admiration and defire, which alone has elevated the poffeffor from the loweft to the higheft ftation, has given dominion to folly, and armed caprice with the power of life and death, was in Stella only the ornament of intellectual greatnefs: and wit, which has rendered deformity lovely, and conferred honour upon vice, was in her only the decoration of fuch.virtue, as without either

wit