tures, whofe face was very much feamed with the smallpox, and furrowed by age. This woman he always diftinguished by the name of Sweetheart. [vol. 6. p 202.]

It happened one day, that Sweetheart greatly overroafted the only joint he had for dinner; upon which he fent for her up, and with great coolness and gravity, "Sweetheart," fays he, "take this down into the "kitchen, and do it lefs." She replied, That was impoffible. Pray then," faid he, if you had roasted it too little, could you have done it more?" Yes, fhe faid, fhe could easily have done that. Why then, "Sweetheart," replied the Dean, "let me advife you, "if you must commit a fault, commit a fault that can "be mended."

66

To the rest of his fervants indeed he appeared to be churlish and auftere; but in reality was one of the best mafters in the world. He allowed them board1-wages at the highest rate then known; and if he employed them about any thing out of the ordinary courfe of their fervice, he always paid them to the full value of the work as he would have paid another. With thefe emoluments, and the fragments from his table, he expected they should find themselves in victuals, and all other neceffaries, except the liveries which he gave them. If, in this fituation, their expences were greater than their income, it was judged a fufficient reafon to difcharge them; but on the contrary, as foon as they had faved a full year's wages, he conftantly paid them legal intereft for, it, and took great pleasure in feeing it accumulated to a fum which might fettle them in fome employment if he fhould die, or if they found it advisable to quite his fervice, which feldom happened. And he with whom his fervants live long, has indubitable witneffes that he is a good master.

Ir is also certain, that, notwithstanding the apparent aufterity of his temper, he did not confider his fervants as poor flaves, to whofe fervice he had a right, in confideration merely of his money, and owed them no reciprocal obligation.

He had a fervant whom he used to call Saunders that lived long with him, and at length fell fick and died. In his fickness, which lafted many months,

h 2

Swift

perfon who kept the account of the disbursements and weekly payments; for he received back these loans by a certain fum out of the weekly profit of the borrower's trade, in fuch proportions as that the whole fhould be repaid in a year. [J. R. p. 203, 4.}··

BESIDES this, he frequently gave away 5 and 10 1. when proper objects offered, without any parade. He was indeed diligent to relieve the poor, and at the fame time to encourage induftry, even in the lowest station; and ufed regularly to vifit a great number of poor, chiefly women, as well in the public ftreets, as in the by-alleys; and under the arches of Dublin. Some of thefe fold plums, fome hobnails, others tape, and others ginger. bread; fome knitted, fome darned ftockings, and others cobbled fhoes: these women were most of them old, deformed, or crippled, and fome were all three. He faluted them with great kindness, asked how they throwe, and what flock they had? If the ware of any of them was fuch as he could poffibly use, or pretend to ufe, he bought fome, and paid for every halfpenny worth fix pence; if not, he always added fomething to their Rock, and ftrictly charged them to be industrious and honeft. [7. R. p. 132, 133.]

Ir must be confeffed, that thefe acts of bounty did not appear to be the effects of compaffion: for of the soft fympathy with diftrefs that fometimes fparkles in the eye, and fometimes glows upon the cheek, he fhewed no fign; and he may therefore be fuppofed to have wanted it. However, it is certain, that he was wholly free from ill-nature; for a man can have no complacence in that evil which he is continually busy to remove.

His bounty had not indeed the indifcriminating ardour of blind inftinet; and, if it had, it would not have been the instrument of equal happinefs. To feed idleness, is to propagate mifery, and difcourage virtue: but to infure the reward of induftry, is to bestow a benefit at once upon the individual and the public; it is to pre ferve from defpair thofe who ftruggle with difficulty and disappointment; it is to fupply food and reft to that la bour which alone can make food tafteful and reft fweet, and to invigorate the community by the full ufe of thofe members which would otherwife become not only use

Swift took care that all poffible relief and affiftance should be afforded him; and when he died, he buried him in the fouth ifle of his cathedral, and erected a fmall piece of ftatuary to his memory, with this inscription:

Here lieth the body of

Alexander Magee, fervant to Dr Swift,
Dean of St Patrick's.

His grateful mafter caused this monument to be erected in memory of his difcretion, fidelity, and diligence, in that bumble flation.

Ob. Mar. 24. 1721, ætat. 29.

In the original copy, which the author of the Obfervations faw in the Dean's own hand, the expreffion was ftill ftronger, and more to the Dean's honour, thus:

His grateful friend and mafter.

But a person of the Dean's acquaintance, who is much more diftinguished for vanity than wisdom, prevailed upon him to leave out friend, even in opposition to his own well known maxim, That a faithful fervant should always be confidered, not as a poor flave, but an humble friend. Of this perfon the name is not told; but to conceal it, is rather injuftice than mercy; for he ought, on this occafion, to inherit a difgrace at leaft proportionate to the honour which he found means to withhold from Swift.

As a member of civil fociety, he was a zealous advocate for liberty, the detecter of fraud, and the fcourge of oppreffion. In his private capacity he was not only charitable, but generous; and whatever mifanthropy may be found in his writings, there does not appear to have been any in his life.

His writings in defence of the poor infatuated people of Ireland are well known; and that he might not be wanting himself while he pleaded their caufe with others, he conftantly lent out a large fum of money in small por tions to honeft, diligent, and neceffitous tradefmen, who paid it with a small gratuity by way of intereft to the perfon

perfon who kept the account of the disbursements and weekly payments; for he received back these loans by a certain fum out of the weekly profit of the borrower's trade, in fuch proportions as that the whole fhould be repaid in a year. [7. R. p. 203, 4.}·

BESIDES this, he frequently gave away 5 and 10!. when proper objects offered, without any parade. He was indeed diligent to relieve the poor, and at the fame time to encourage induftry, even in the lowest station; and ufed regularly to vifit a great number of poor, chiefly women, as well in the public ftreets, as in the by-alleys; and under the arches of Dublin. Some of thefe fold plums, fome hobnails, others tape, and others ginger. bread; fome knitted, fome darned ftockings, and others cobbled shoes: these women were most of them old, deformed, or crippled, and fome were all three. He faluted them with great kindnefs, asked how they throwe, and what flock they had? If the ware of any of them was fuch as he could poffibly ufe, or pretend to ufe, he bought fome, and paid for every halfpenny worth fix pence; if not, he always added fomething to their flock, and ftrictly charged them to be induftrious and honeft. [7. R. p. 132, 133.]

Ir must be confeffed, that thefe acts of bounty did not appear to be the effects of compaffion: for of the foft fympathy with diftrefs that fometimes fparkles in the eye, and fometimes glows upon the cheek, he fhewed no fign; and he may therefore be fuppofed to have wanted it. However, it is certain, that he was wholly free from ill-nature; for a man can have no complacence in that evil which he is continually busy to remove.

His bounty had not indeed the indifcriminating ardour of blind instinct; and, if it had, it would not have been the inftrument of equal happiness. To feed idlenefs, is to propagate mifery, and difcourage virtue: but to infure the reward of industry, is to bestow a benefit at once upon the individual and the public; it is to pre ferve from despair those who struggle with difficulty and difappointment; it is to fupply food and reft to that la .bour which alone can make food tasteful and rest sweet, and to invigorate the community by the full ufe of thofe members which would otherwise become not only use

h 3

lefs,