and that on the contrary he was unwilling that Falkener should print them at all. Falkener, in an advertisement published Oct. 15, 1754, calls himself the editor as well as publisher of the Dublin edition, and the Dean bas often renounced the undertaking in express terms. In his letter to Mr. Pope dated May 1, 1733, be fays, that when the printer applied to him for leave to print his works in Ireland, be told him he would give no leave; and when he printed them without, he declared it was much to his difcontent; the fame fentiment is alfo more frongly expressed in the following extract from a letter now in the hands of the publisher, which was written by the Dean to the late Mr. Benjamin Motte his bookfeller in London. "Mr. Falkener in printing thofe volumes did what I much difliked, and yet what was not in my power to hinder; and all my friends pressed him to print them, and gave him what manufcript copies they had occafionally gotten from me; my defire was that thofe works should have been VOL. I. B printed printed in London, by an agreement between those who had a right to them. I am Sir with great truth Nov. 1. 1735. J. Swift. N. B. In the references that will be found in the margin of the Life D. S. ftands for Deane Swift's Effay on the Life, Writings and Character of Doctor Jonathan Swift. O. for Orrery's Remarks on the Life and Writings of Doctor Jonathan Swift, the 5th edition 12mo, printed for Millar in 1752. 7. R. for J. R's Obfervations on Lord Orrery's Remarks, generally fuppofed to have been written by Doctor Delany. Sketch for a Fragment intitled, The Family of Swift, written by the Dean himself, annexed to Mr. Swift's Effay, and Letter to S. Letters from the Dean to Stella, mentioned by Mr. Swift, but not published. ACCOUNT OF THE LIF I FE OF THE Reverend Jonathan Swift, D. D. Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin. T 10 gratify that curiosity which great eminence al ways excites, many accounts have been published of the life of Dr. Jonathan Swift. These have mutually reflected light upon each other, afcertained controverted facts, and rectified mistakes, which, if they had still been traditional and oral, would ftill have been believed. Several little incidents, which fhewed the peculiarities of his converfation and domestic life, were related by Mrs. Pilkington in her memoirs; though these could be believed only in proportion as they verified themselves. Lord Orrery's Letters contained many of the principal events, intermingled with many characteristic incidents fupported in general upon better authority; but fometimes founded upon falfe information. Some of thefe miftakes were detected by a Volume of Letters figned J. R. in which were alfo fome new materials; and the account fince published by Mr. Swift, with an imperfect sketch by the Dean himself, has furnished yet more. From a comparison of all thefe with each other this account is compiled. It is not thought neceffary to relate every trifling particular that has been recorded, but only to felect fuch as will fufficiently diftinguifh the peculiarities of his character and manners, and B 2 tranfmit tranfmit a knowledge of him to pofterity of the fame kind, if not in the fame degree, as was obtained by thofe among his contemporaries, who were admitted to his converfation and friendship. For the hiftory of his works the reader is referred to them, and to the notes and remarks that are now added. Doctor Jonathan Swift was defcended from a younger branch of an ancient family of that name in YorkJhire. Bernam Swift, efq; who in the reign of king James the First, poffeffed the paternal estate, was, on the 20th of March, 1627, by king Charles the First, created a peer of Ireland, with the title of viscount Carlingford; though it is faid he never went into that kingdom. He died without male iffue, and the family inheritance defcended to his daughters, one of whom married Robert Fielding, efq; commonly called handfome Fielding, and the other the earl of Eglington. Fielding foon diffipated his wife's patrimony; and that of her fifter being transferred to the family of lord Eglington, the principal eftate of the Swifts was divided from the name for ever. One of the younger branches from the fame ftem, was fir Edward Swift, who diftinguished himself by his attachment to the royal caufe in the great rebellion of 1641, from whom there is no defcendant of the name. Another of the younger branches was the reverend Thomas Swift, vicar of Goodrich, in Herefordshire, with which he alfo held another ecclefiaftical living. His father William Swift, rector of St. Andrews in Canterbury, married the heirefs of Phi pot, who contrived to keep her estate which was very confiderable in her own hands; fhe is faid to have been extremely capricious and ill-natured, and to have difinherited her fon Thomas, an only child, merely for robbing an Orchard when he was a boy; but however this be, it is certain, that except a church or chapter leafe v hich was not renewed, Thomas never poffeffed more than Sketch. than one hundred pounds a year; this little eftate, which lay at Goodrich, he mortgaged for three hundred broad pieces, and having quilted them into his waistcoat, he fet out for Ragland Castle, whither his majefty king Charles the First had retired after the battle of Nafeby. The governor who well knew him, afked what was his errand; I am come faid Swift, to give his majesty my coat, at the fame time pulling it off and prefenting it: the governor told him pleafantly that his coat was worth little, why then faid Swift, take my waistcoat; this was foon found to be an useful garment by its weight; and it is remarked by lord Clarendon, that the king received no fupply more feasonable or acceptable than these three hundred broad pieces during the whole war, his distress being then very great and his refources cut off. The zeal and activity of this gentleman for the royal caufe expofed him to much danger and many fufferings; he was plundered more than thirty times by the parliament's army, he was ejected from his church livings, his eftate was fequeftered and he was himself thrown into prifon. His eftate however was afterwards recovered, and part of it fold to pay the money due on the mortgage, and fome other debts; the remainder being about one half defcended to his heir, and is now poffeffed by his great-grandfon, Deane Swift, esq. This Mr. Thomas Swift married Mrs. Elifabeth Dryden, of an ancient family in Huntingdonshire, fifter to the father of John Dryden the poet; by whom he had ten fons and four daughters; of the fons, fix furvived him, Godwin, Thomas, Dryden, William, Jonathan, and Adam. Thomas was bred at Oxford and took orders; he married the eldest daughter of fir William D'Avenant, a The grandmother of this gentleman, one of the wives of Godwin Swift, was heiress to admiral Deane, whence Deane became a Christian name in the family. B 3 but |