INTRODUCTION.

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OTWITHSTANDING the feveral attempts to gratify the curiofity of the world, in delineating the Life and Character of the immortal Swift, yet hitherto little fatisfactory has been pro-, duced on that fubject. The different, and often oppofite lights in which he has been fhewn by the feveral Writers, have occafioned an equal diverfity of judgments in their feveral readers, according to their various prepoffeffions; and even the most candid are too often left in a state of doubt, through the want of having the truth laid before them fupported by fufficient proofs.

Perhaps there never was a man whofe true cha racter has been fo little known, or whofe conduct at all times, even from his first setting out in life, has been fo misreprefented to the world, as his. This was owing to several causes which will be laid open in the following Work. But the chief fource of all the erroneous opinions entertained of him, arofe from Swift himfelf, on account of fome fingularities in his character, which at all times exposed him to the fhafts of envy and malice, while he employed no other fhield in his defence, but that of conscious integrity.

He had, early in life, from causes to be hereafter explained, imbibed fuch a strong hatred to hypocrify, that he fell into the oppofite extreme; and no mortal ever took more pains to display his good quali

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ties, and appear in the best light to the world, than he did to conceal his, or even to put on the femblance of their contraries.

This humour affected his whole conduct, as well in the more important duties, as in the common offices of life.

Though a man of great piety, and true religion, yet he carefully shunned all oftentation of it: as an instance of which, it is well known that during his refidence in London, not being called upon by any duty to officiate publickly in his clerical capacity, he was feldom feen at church at the ufual hours that pretenders to religion fhew themselves there; but he was a conftant attendant on early prayers, and a frequent partaker of early Sacraments.

Though generous and charitable in his nature to the highest degree, he seemed to part with money fo reluctantly, and spoke fo much about œconomy, that he paffed for avaricious, and hard-hearted.

His very civilities bore the appearance of rudeness, and his fineft compliments were conveyed under the disguise of fatyr.

Lord Bolingbroke, who knew him well, in two words, fummed up his character in this respect, by faying, that Swift was a bypocrite reverfed.

In fhort, he always appeared to the world in a mafk, which he never took off but in the company of his moft intimate friends and as the world can judge only by appearances, no wonder they were fo much mistaken in the ideas formed of him.

When we confider that the time in which he made the chief figure in life, was a season wherein faction

faction raged with the greatest violence; that he was looked upon as the principal champion of the Tory caufe, and therefore was the common butt at which all the Writers on the Whig fide levelled their fhafts; there will be no occafion to wonder, that out of the many calumnies poured out against him, fome of them should stick. These were indeed fo numerous, that we are told by himself, that in the space of not many years, upwards of a thousand Pamphlets and Papers were written profeffedly against him, to which he never deigned to give an anfwer, nor endeavoured to wipe off any aspersion thrown on him. Thus by the former part of his character, juft laid open, he afforded his enemies fufficient ground-work on which to raise what superstructure of calumny they pleased, and as no defence was made, it was daily fuffered to increase. For he had very unwifely laid it down as a maxim, "To act uprightly, and pay no regard to the opinion of the world *.'

Thus, while he was admired, efteemed, beloved, beyond any man of his time, by his particular friends, not only on account of his fuperior talents, but his pre-eminence in every kind of virtue; he was envied, feared, and hated by his enemies, who confifted of a whole virulent faction to a man. And when we take in the general appetite for scandal, and the spirit of envy in the bulk of mankind, which delights in the humiliation of an exalted character

Mifs Vanhomrigh, in one of her letters to him, has the following paffage. "You once had a maxim, which was-To act what was right, and not mind what the world would say."

we shall not be surprised, that even among
his own
party, he found few advocates to vindicate his fame;
and that he had no other support in this torrent of
abufe, but the consciousness of his own rectitude,
and the unalterable attachment of his intimate friends:
among which number he could count fuch as were
most eminent in thofe days, both for talents and
virtue.

as a man.

In this ftate Swift continued 'till the death of the Queen; admired by all as a genius, detefted by most All the world now knows, upon that event, with what implacable malice the Whigs pursued their antagonists, as foon as they had got all power into their hands. This fpirit raged ftill more violently in Ireland, than in England; the effects of which Swift fenfibly felt on retiring to his Deanery. The ill name he had obtained in London, followed him to Dublin; where he was the object of general hatred for some years. But when, in process of time, his true character came to be known, and his exemplary conduct gave the lie to the grofs mifrepresentations that had been made of him; when his spirit of patriotism broké forth into action, and saved his country from threatened ruin; when it was feen that the great object of his life was to promote public good; that in the discharge of all moral and religious duties, he had no fuperiour; in the choice and extent of his charities, perhaps no equal; he obtained fuch a degree of public favour, as no man in that country had ever reached, Praise was united to his name, admiration and affection to his perfon; and this just tribute

was

was ever after paid to him during his life, and to his memory after his decease; till a certain Author arofe, bent upon fullying his fair fame, who, opening the channels of calumny, long covered over by time, and raking in them with a friendly industry, once more brought their foul contents to light. Nor was it an enemy that did this, but one who profeffed himself Swift's friend, and who was during his life-time, his greatest flatterer; I mean John Earl of Orrery.

The cruel manner in which he has treated the memory of his friend Swift, as his Lordship in the course of the work often affects to call him, had fomething fo furprising in it, that people were at a lofs how to account for it, except by supposing it to proceed from fome uncommon degree of malevolence in his Lordship's nature. But though he cannot be wholly cleared from an imputation of that fort, yet I am perfuaded that his chief motive to it was not quite of fo black a die. His father had, in his will, bequeathed his library from him; and this circumstance made the world conclude that he looked upon his fon as a blockhead. This stung the young man to the quick; and we may fee how deep an impreffion it made on him, by the account he gives of it in one of his letters to his fon. It seems to have been the chief object of his life afterwards, to wipe away this ftigma, and convince the world of the injuftice done him, by publishing fome Work that might do him credit as a Writer. Conscious of his want of genius to produce any thing original, he applied himself diligently to a Translation of Pliny's Letters;

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