lefs, but hurtful; as a limb in which the vital fluid ceases to circulate, will not only wither but corrupt. In this view, then, the bounty of Swift was, like every other Christian duty, a reasonable service. And that he felt no fecret pleasure in the calamities of others, may be fairly concluded, not only from his general practice, but from many particular facts, in which he appears to have been watchful and zealous to alleviate distress by unfolicited and unexpected liberality.

Ir happened, that a young gentleman of his chair, being abroad with his gun, fuffered irreparable hurt by its going off accidentally. When the Dean heard of it, he expreffed great concern; and, having paufed a little, "Well," said he, "this will be a good time at once to "reward merit and alleviate diftrefs; I will make him a " vicar:" which he did accordingly the fame hour.

THERE are fome infirmities to which the mind as well as the body naturally becomes fubject in the decline of life. The defire of accumulating wealth almost always increases in proportion as it becomes more abfurd; and those are moit tenacious of money to whom money can be of leaft ufe. It has been generally faid, that this weakness is the effect of long acquaintance with mankind, who are found to deferve lefs confidence and lefs kindness as they are more known. And indeed, tho❜ this opinion fhould not haftily be admitted, it must yet be confefied, that the firft article in which men lessen their expences, is generally the money they have been used to give away, and that they gradually lose the inclination to do good as they acquire the power. But Swift, if he was not exempt from the infirmity, was yet clear of the vice. If his œconomy degenerated into avarice, it must be confeffed that his avarice did not contract his bounty; and he suffers no degradation in his moral character, who, when the practice of any virtue is become more difficult, is yet able to exert it in the fame degree.

SWIFT turned all the evil of exceffive frugality upon himself. It induced him to walk when he had been ufed to ride; and he would then fay he had earned a fhilling or eighteen pence, which he had a right to do what he pleased with, and which he conftantly applied

to his ufual charities; which by this expedient he could continue, and yet expend lefs upon the whole than before. But the diftribution even of this charity was marked with the peculiarity of his character; for that he might proportion his bounty to the neceffities and the merit of various objects, and yet give but one piece of money at a time, he conftantly kept a pocket full of all forts of coin, from a filver three-pence to a crownpiece. [7. R. p. 13.]

But as his defire of immediate gain was not gratified at the expence of the poor, to whofe diftrefs he was a witnefs; neither was it gratified at the expence of those whom it was impoffible he fhould know, tho' he had many opportunities of doing it.

HE once refolved never to renew a certain leafe belonging to the deanery, without raifing the rent 301. a-year. The tenant, had often folicited him, instead of raifing the rent, to take a larger fine: and this man, a very fhort time before the Dean lost his memory, urged him with a very large fum, fuppofing, that as raifing the rent could only enrich the Dean's fucceffor, and a large fine would come into his own coffer, he should certainly fucceed. The Dean however maintained his integrity, refufed the offer with indignation, and fulfilled his purpose of raifing the rent; tho' at this time his memory was fo bad, that the next day he did not remember what he had done, and his love of money fo predominant over every thing but his virtue, that tho' he complained of being deferted, yet he banished his best friends, merely to fave the expence of entertaining them; and would fometimes refufe them a fingle bottle of wine. [7. R. p. 208. 145.]

As an ecclefiaftic, he was fcrupulously exact in the exercife of his function, as well with regard to fpiritual as temporal things. As to his cathedral, he expended more money to fupport and adorn it than had been applied to the fame ufe in any period fince it was first built t. He was extremely exact and confcientious in

promoting

+ In all business relating to his chapter, he pursued their publie intereft with firmnefs and conftaney. He befides took as much care to regulate his choir, as if he himself had really some regard

for

promoting the members of his choir according to their merit, and never advanced any person to a vicarage who was not qualified in all refpects, and in the highest degree, whatever their intereft or however recommended: and he once refused a vicarage to a person for whom the Lady Carteret was very importunate; tho' he declared to her Ladyship, that if it had been in his power to have made the gentleman a Dean or a Bishop, he would have obliged her willingly; becaufe, he faid, deaneries and bishopricks were preferments in which merit had no concern, tho' the merit of a vicar would be brought to the teft every day. Nor would he suffer one fhilling of the cathedral-money to be alienated from its proper use, even for the purpose of charity. When any perfon folicited fuch an alienation, he ufed to tell them that this money was appropriated; but, fays he, as you declare the perfon to be relieved is an object of Chriftian charity, I will give out of my private purfe any fum proportioned to my revenue, if you will contribute a fum in the fame proportion to yours. My deanery is worth feven hundred pounds, your income is two; if you will give two fhillings, I will give feven, or any larger fum after the fame rate. [7. R. p. 192.]

As to the poor in the liberty of his own cathedral, they were better regulated than any other in the kingdom; they were all badged, and were never found begging out of their district: for thefe he built and fur

nished

for mufic. But in this he was always guided by the opinion of thofe who were fuppofed to have been judges of harmony. And that his choir might do their duty, particularly on Sunday nights, when variety of the better fort ufually came to hear the anthem, he conftantly went to church himself. This puts me in mind of an anecdote which happened in those times. An idle, careless fellow, but an excellent finger, and one of the best performers belonging to his cathedral, having laboured for fome time under the higheft difpleasure of the Dean, was forced to abfent himself from the church, and keep entirely out of his fight. But at last, on Sunday evening, having ventured into the finging loft, full in the view of the Dean, he began that particular anthem, Whither shall I go, whither fhall I go, whither shall I fly, from thy prefence? "To jail, you dog you, to jail," faid the Doctor, in a voice loud enough to be heard by many that were about him. But the next morning he forgave the poor finner, on his promise of amend ment. D. S. p. 371.

nifhed a little alms-house, being affifted by fome voluntary contributions; and preferved among them uncommon cleanlinefs and decency, by conftantly vifiting them in perfon. [7. R. p. 8.]

Ir has already been remarked, that tho' he did not himself understand mufic, yet he always attended at the performance of the anthem, that the choir might do their duty. But he had another practice yet more fingular and more useful. As foon as the preacher mounted the pulpit, he pulled out a pencil and piece of paper, and carefully noted whatever was wrong, both in the expreffions, and the manner in which they were delivered, whether they were too fcholaftic to be generally underflood, or fo coarfe and vulgar as to lofe their dignity; and he never failed to make thefe the fubject of an admonition to the preacher as foon as he came into the chapter-house. [See letter to a young clergyman, in vol. 7. p. 170.]

He improved even his living of Laracor, tho' he continued there but a fhort time, and left both the house and glebe a convenient and agreeable retreat to his fucceffor at a confiderable expence, for which he knew no return would be made to his executors; and he determined to affert his right of abfence against the Archbishop of Dublin, at the expence of feveral hundred pounds, at a time when he did not believe he should ever more claim the privilege for himself, because he would not endanger the liberty of his fucceffor by an injurious precedent. [vol. 4. p. 247.]

THERE is no act of virtue which men have fo often fubftituted for the peculiar pofitive duties of Chriftians as liberality to the poor, nor any by which they have fo often hoped to atone for the breach of every other moral obligation.

BUT the Dean, tho' he abounded in charity, was not lefs diligent in the practice of other virtues, or lefs devout and conftant in the folemnities of religion. He was remarkably temperate both in eating and drinking; he was not only juft, but punctual in his dealings, and he had an inviolable regard for truth. As he conftantly attended divine worship when he was at home, fo he ufed always to go early to church when he was in Lon

don;

don; and never to fleep, without affembling his family in his own chamber to prayers.

It has often been remarked, that virtue in excess becomes vitious; and not only precludes the reward of the poffeffor, but produces rather mifchief than good to others. An abhorrence of hypocrify was a ftriking particular in Swift's character: but it is difficult to determine whether it was more a virtue than a vice; for it brought upon him the charge of irreligion, and encou raged others to be irreligious. In proportion as he abhorred hypocrify, he dreaded the imputation of it, and therefore concealed his piety with as much diligence as others conceal thofe vices which custom has not made reputable. His conftant attendance at church, when he was at the deanery, he knew would be confidered as the duty of his ftation; but whatever had the appearance of voluntary, devotion, he always took care to hide. When he went to church in London, it was early in the morning; fo that, tho' he was conftantly at prayers, and at the facrament, yet he appeared to neglect both, as he was at home when others were at church. And when he went to prayers in his family the fervants affembled at the appointed hour as it were by stealth, without any notice from a bell, or any other call, except the ftriking of the clock; fo that Dr Delany was fix months in his family before he fufpected him of this unfashionable practice. The fame principle upon which he thus ftudiously avoided appearances of good, made him frequently incur appearances of evil, efpecially when an opportunity offered of indulging his peculiar vein of humour, and gratifying his natural dif pofition. One inftance of this has already been given, in his folemn addrefs to his clerk from the pulpit by the name of Roger, [above. p. xxvi.]; but there are others which are lefs excufable. Soon after he was made Dean of St Patrick's, he had dined one Sunday with Dr Raymond, vicar of Trim, a little town near Dublin. When the bell had rung, the people were assembled to evening-prayers; and Dr Raymond was preparing to go to the church, which was not diftant more than two hundred yards: Raymond," faid the Dean, "I will lay a crown that I begin prayers before you this af

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you