one or two of our friends are gone fince you faw your "native country." But Swift in his cooler hours never denied his country: on the contrary, he frequently mentioned the house in Dublin where he was born.

Another fuggeftion concerning his being a natu ral Son of Sir William Temple is equally without foundation; for it appears from hiftorical evidence, that Sir William was refident as British Minifter abroad, from the year 1665 to the year 1670, first at Bruffels, afterwards at the Hague; fo that Dean Swift's mother, who never croffed the fea, except from England to Ireland, could not poffibly have had perfonal knowledge of Sir William Temple till fome years after her fon's birth, which happened, as before obferved, in 1667.

When young Swift returned to Ireland, being then fix years old, he was fent to the fchool of Kilkenny, and at fourteen admitted as a ftudent of the University of Dublin. The expences of his education being defrayed by his uncle, Godwin Swift, whofe want of economy had involved him in great difficulties, and fubjected him to the neceffity of reducing the ftipend allowed, his nephew to a very narrow pittance; he was fo difcouraged and difpirited by the contracted state of his finances, that he neglected the dry parts of academical ftudy, fuch as logic and metaphyfics, and paffed his time chiefly in ready hiftory and poetry, as more adapted to amufe him in his melancholy fituation. In confequence of this neglect, when he appeared as a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts, he was fet afide, as he himself expreffes it, for dulnefs and infufficiency. It is to be fuppofed that the word dulnefs was on this occafion used by Swift in a jocular fenfe, as the cause affigned for ftopping a candidate of a degree, for not making a proper anfwer to any question propounded in fome branch of literature appointed for that particular examination; which does not neceffarily imply dulnefs, as it may as well proceed from idleness or neglect. But in Swift it was rather to be imputed to contumacy than either the one or the other; however through the intereft of

his friends, he at length obtained his degree speciali gratia, by fpecial favour, where it ftill remains upon record in the register of the Univerfity.

Swift remained three years at Trinity College, after this difgraceful circumftance, little known or regarded. By fcholars he was deemed a blockhead, and as his fcanty pittance would not admit of affociating with his equals, he feemed to mix with those of a lower clafs, and therefore lived in a reclufe manner, pursuing his ftudy of history and poety, or ruminating on his unfortunate fituation; yet fuch was the force of his genius, that notwithstanding the preffure of his circumftances, he drew out, at the age of nineteen, his firft sketch of the Tale of a Tub. This fact is confirmed by his chamber-fellow at College, Mr. Waryng, who declared he faw it in Swift's hand-writing when he was of that age; and amazing it is that at fuch an early period of life, our author, great as his genius was, fhould have learning and capacity enough to frame fo bold an allegory, and fupport it with fuch spirit throughout a number of sheets.

In the year 1688 Swift was deprived of the affistance of his uncle Godwin, who was feized with a lethargy, which rendered him incapable of attending to bufinels, as well as expofed the deranged ftate of his affairs to the world. Finding his fortune, in confequence of this calamitous event, clouded with a melancholy afpe&t, he determined to leave the kingdom, and took a journey to Leicester in order to confult with his mother upon his future plan of life. She directed him to apply to Sir William Temple, and folicit his advice, and patronage. The lady of Sir William was her relation and there had been a long intimacy between Sir John Temple, father of Sir William, and Godwin Swift, during the time Sir John had been Mafter of the Rolls in Ireland Howeyer averfe fuch an application might be to Swift's haughty fpirit, yet as it was his only refource, he followed his mother's advice; prefented himself to Sir William Temple, at Shene; and was received, and treated, with that A 2

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hofpitality and indulgence, to which his family connections and unfortunate fituation gave him a double claim.

On the fuggeftion of Sir William, who pointed out to him the neceffity of retrieving loft time, he applied himfelf with great affiduity to his ftudies, which engroffed his attention at least eight hours a day, with but few intermiffions. The first of thefe was occafioned by an illness from a furfeit of fruit, to which he afcribed that coldness of ftomach and giddinefs of head, with which he was affected, more or less, during the remainder of his life.

After two years refidence at Moor Park, to which place his patron had removed, when the ftate troubles had ceafed; his health became fo impaired, that in compliance with the advice of phyficians he went to Ireland to try the effects of his native air; but deriving no benefit from it, he foon returned to England and was again received moft affectionately by Sir William Temple, with whom, rifing into confidence, he was often trusted with matters of great importance, as well as employed by him in the correction of his own works.

It is conjectured, and with great probability, that the very extraordinary attachment of Sir William to our author, arofe froin his having fhewn him his Tale of a Tub, after its revision and correction at his leisure hours, during the two years of his refidence with his liberal patron. A work bearing the ftamp of fuch originality of genius must have ingratiated him with a man of Sir William Temple's refined taste and ripened judgment.

Sir William had been Ambaffador and Mediator of a general peace at Nimeguen prior to the Revolution. In this character he conciliated the esteem of the Prince of Orange, who foon after he afcended the throne of England, vifited him at Shene, and confulted him in the most important bufinefs of the State. Here Swift was introduced by his patron to that Monarch, who was fo captivated with his talents that he offered to make him a Captain

a Captain of horse, but upon his declining that offer from a predilection for the Church, he obtained the promife of a Prebendary, as appears from a Letter to his uncle, William Swift, dated 1692, in which he writes I am not to take orders till the King makes "me Prebend."

About this time a Bill was brought into the House of Commons for triennial Parliaments, to which the King, who was a ftranger to the British Conftitution was very averfe, and therefore fent the Earl of Portland to Sir William Temple, to confult him on the expediency of the measure then pending in that House. Sir William, having in vain attempted to convince the Earl that the paffing of the Bill would by no means militate against the power of the Crown, fent Swift to his Majefty, with a compendious account in writing, of the refult of the conference between himself and the Earl. Upon this occafion Swift not only enforced the arguments of his Patron, but took the liberty of introducing fome remarks of his own, being well versed in English Hiftory: all he advanced however could not prevail with the King to adopt the advice of Sir William Temple, fo that the defign of his (Swifts') miffion was totally fruftrated, nor did the Bill ever obtain the Royal fanction. This was the first time Swift had any converfe with courts, and he often obferved to his friends, that the mortification refulting from his difappointment, acted in future very powerfully as a antidote against his vanity.

Swift continued to profecute his ftudies with unremitting affiduity, and from a conviction of the indif penfible neceffity of exercise to prevent the lofs of health, he used to run a mile and a half up and down a hill that was near the house, every two hours. From this very close application it may juftly be concluded that he was determined to prepare himself for his degree of Mafter of Arts, in fuch a manner as to wipe away the difgrace attending his admittance to that of Bachelor in the University of Dublin. Accordingly he went to Oxford, in 1692, took his Mafters' degree,

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and, from the fatisfaction he expreffes at the reception he met with from the university, he was no doubt diftinguished as a scholar, and found the grand end he propofed in the prosecution of his studies fully accomplished.

From Oxford he returned to Moor-Park, where he affifted Sir William Temple in the revifion of his works, corrected and improved the Tale of a Tub, and added the Digressions, which are written in a vein of humour and fatire peculiar to the author.

From a long feries of refidence and converfation with Sir William, who was a finished statesman, and versed in all the finefle and duplicity of courts, Swift acquired great political knowledge, and was induced to fufpect the fincerity of Sir William's promifes, of ufing his intereft with his Majefty in his behalf. In this state of anxious expectation he continued at Moor-Park two years longer, till at length conceiving that Sir William kept him there merely to fubferve his own purposes, he determined at all events to leave him, and enter upon the grand theatre of life.

When Swift communicated his refolution to Sir William Temple; he appeared to be highly chagrined; to obviate however the imputation of forfeiting his word, he told him that at prefent he could do no more than appoint him to a vacant employment in the Rollsoffice in Ireland, the falary of which was about a hundred a year. Swift piqued at an offer which he deemed fo inadequate to his deferts; laconically replied, "that fince he had no opportunity of living without being driven into the church for a maintenance, he was refolved to go to Ireland to take holy orders," and they parted on this occafion, not without evident tokens of difpleafure on the part of Sir William, and resentment on the part of Swift.

While he lived with Sir William Temple at MoorPark, he paid an annual visit to his mother at Leicester, and his mode of travelling was very fingular. He always went on foot, unless the weather was very bad,

and