[150] A justice of the peace, who afterwards gave Swift farther
provocation. It was Hutcheson who signed Faulkner's committal to prison
for printing "A New Proposal for the Better Regulation and Improvement
of Quadrille," a pamphlet which Swift did not write, but which had his
favour. A jeering insinuation was made against the famous Sergeant
Bettesworth, whom Swift had already lampooned, and Bettesworth
complained to the House of Commons. Hutcheson aided Bettesworth in this
prosecution, causing Swift to be roused to a strong indignation against
such unconstitutional proceedings.
"Better we all were in our graves,
Than live in slavery to slaves."
These are the lines beginning one of his more trenchant lampoons against
the magistrate. [T. S.]
[151] "The beast who had kicked him" is the expression Swift uses for
Tighe in writing to Sheridan in a letter on September 25th, 1725. In
that letter Swift urges Sheridan to revenge, and promises him his help.
[T. S.]
[152] The word is spelt "Galloway" in the original edition. The earldom
of Galway became extinct in 1720. For an account of the earl, see note
on p. 20 of volume v. of this edition. [T. S.]
[153] Joshua, Lord Allen. See p. 175 [T. S.]
[154] Swift's poem entitled "Traulus" was published at this price, and
gives in rhyme much the same matter as is here given in prose. See p.
176. [T. S.]
[155] Lord Allen was reputed to be wrong in his head. When Swift was
once asked to excuse him for his conduct on the plea that he was mad,
Swift replied: "I know that he is a madman; and, if that were all, no
man living could commiserate his condition more than myself; but, sir,
he is a madman possessed by the devil. I renounce him." (See Scott's
"Life of Swift," p. 365.) [T. S.]
[156] The reader may compare what is stated in these two paragraphs with
the same opinion expressed by the author in "The Public Spirit of the
Whigs." [S.]
[157] See notes on pp. 74, 232. [T. S.]
[158] See note on p. 232. [T. S.]
[159] Mr. Tickell and Mr. Ballaquer. Tickell was Addison's biographer,
and a friend and correspondent of Swift. He was no mean poet, and though
Pope did not care for him Swift did. Tickell was Secretary to the Lords
Justices of Ireland, and Ballaquer Secretary to Carteret. [T. S.]
[160] The day of the anniversary of the accession of George I. In his
"History of Solomon the Second" Swift censures his friend strongly for
his indiscretion. [T. S.]
[161] The Richard Tighe afore-mentioned. [T. S.]
[162] Sheridan wrote a poem displeasing to Swift, which Swift thus
animadverts on in the "History of the Second Solomon": "Having lain many
years under the obloquy of a high Tory and a Jacobite, upon the present
Queen's birthday, he [Dr. Sheridan] writ a song to be performed before
the government and those who attended them, in praise of the Queen and
King, on the common topics of her beauty, wit, family, love of England,
and all other virtues, wherein the King and the royal children were
sharers. It was very hard to avoid the common topics. A young collegian
who had done the same job the year before, got some reputation on
account of his wit. Solomon would needs vie with him, by which he lost
the esteem of his old friends the Tories, and got not the least interest
with the Whigs, for they are now too strong to want advocates of that
kind; and, therefore, one of the lords-justices reading the verses in
some company, said, 'Ah, doctor, this shall not do.' His name was at
length in the title-page; and he did this without the knowledge or
advice of one living soul, as he himself confesseth." [T. S.]
[163] Dr. Stopford, Bishop of Cloyne, one of Swift's intimate friends.
Stopford always acknowledged that he owed his advancement entirely to
Swift's kindness. He wrote an elegant Latin tribute to Swift, given by
Scott in an appendix to the "Life." With Delany and others he was one of
Swift's executors.
[164] Delany was a ripe scholar and much esteemed by Swift, though the
latter had occasion to rebuke him for attempting to court favour with
the Castle people, and for an attack on the "Intelligencer," a journal
which Swift and Sheridan had started. Delany, however, was a little
jealous of Sheridan's favour with the Dean. He was afterwards Chancellor
of St Patrick's, and wrote a life of Swift. [T. S.]
[165] Sir Constantine Phipps, Lord Chancellor of Ireland when Queen Anne
died. [_Orig. Note._]
[166] Swift himself. [T. S.]
[167] Dr. William King, who died a year or so before Swift wrote. [T. S.]
[168] In 1724, two under-graduates were expelled from Trinity College
for alleged insolence to the provost. Dr. Delany espoused their cause
with such warmth that it drew upon him very inconvenient consequences,
and he was at length obliged to give satisfaction to the college by a
formal acknowledgment of his offence. [S.]
[169] A very good friend of Swift, at whose place at Gosford, in the
county of Antrim, Swift would often stay for months together. The
reference here is to the project for converting a large house, called
Hamilton's Bawn, situated about two miles from Sir Arthur Acheson's
seat, into a barrack. The project gave rise to Swift's poem, entitled,
"The Grand Question Debated," given by Scott in vol. xv., p. 171. [T. S.]
[170] Most of these expressions explain themselves. "Termagants" was
applied to resisters, as used in the old morality plays. "Iconoclasts,"
the name given to those who defaced King William's statue.
"White-rosalists," given to those who wore the Stuart badge on the 10th
of June, the day of the Pretender's birthday. [T. S.]
[171] By fines is meant the increase made in rents on the occasion of
renewals of leases. [T. S.]
[172] This document was copied by Sir Walter Scott from Dr. Lyon's
papers. It is indorsed, "Queries for Mr. Lindsay," and "21st Nov., 1730,
Mr. Lindsay's opinion concerning Mr. Gorman, in answer to my queries."
Mr. Lindsay's answer was:
"I have carefully perused and considered this case, and am clearly of
opinion, that the agent has not made any one answer like a man of
business, but has answered very much like a true agent.
"Nov. 21, 1730. Robert Lindsay."
[173] Swift was born at No. 7, Hoey's Court, near the Castle grounds.
[T. S.]
[174] A sort of sugar-cakes in the shape of hearts. [F.]
[175] A new name for a modern periwig with a long black tail, and for
its owner; now in fashion, Dec. 1, 1733. [F.]
[176] Referring to the last four years of Anne's reign, when Harley was
minister. The expression was a Whig one. [T. S.]
[177] "The squeezing of the orange" was literally a toast among the
disaffected in the reign of William III. [S.]
[178] The author's meaning is just contrary to the literal sense in the
character of Lord Oxford; while he is in truth sneering at the splendour
of Houghton, and the supposed wealth of Sir Robert Walpole. [S.]
[179] The paragraph here printed in square brackets did not appear in
the original Dublin edition of 1732. [T. S.]
[180] Was a gentleman of a very large estate, and left it to the poor
people of England, to be distributed amongst them annually, as the
Parliament of Great Britain, his executors, should think proper. [F.]
[181] 4,060,000 in 1734 and 4,600,000 in edition of 1733. To make the
total agree with the division below it, the item against Richard Norton
has been altered from 60,000 to 6,000. [T. S.]
[182] See note on page 269. [T. S.]
[183] See note on page 271. [T. S.]
[184] Humphry French, Lord Mayor of Dublin for the year 1732-3, was
elected to succeed Alderman Samuel Burton. [F.]
[185] John Macarrell, Register of the Barracks, shortly after this date
elected to the representation of Carlingford. [F.]
[186] Edward Thompson, member of parliament for York, and a Commissioner
of the Revenue in Ireland. [F.]
[187] Mr. Thompson was presented with the freedom of several
corporations in Ireland. [F.]
[188] Upon the death of Mr. Stoyte, Recorder of the City of Dublin, in
the year 1733, several gentlemen declared themselves candidates to
succeed him; upon which the Dean wrote the above paper, and Eaton
Stannard, Esq. (a gentleman of great worth and honour, and very knowing
in his profession) was elected [F.]
[189] Dr. William King. [T. S.]
[190] The following, from Deane Swift's edition, given by Sir Walter
Scott in his edition of Swift's works, refers to this "very plain
proposal." It is evidently written by Swift, and is dated, as from the
Deanery House, September 26th, 1726, almost eleven years before the
above tract was issued:
"DEANERY-HOUSE, _Sept. 26, 1726._
"The continued concourse of beggars from all parts of the kingdom to
this city, having made it impossible for the several parishes to
maintain their own poor, according to the ancient laws of the land,
several lord mayors did apply themselves to the lord Archbishop of
Dublin, that his grace would direct his clergy, and his churchwardens of
the said city, to appoint badges of brass, copper, or pewter, to be worn
by the poor of the several parishes. The badges to be marked with the
initial letters of the name of each church, and numbered 1, 2, 3, etc.,
and to be well sewed and fastened on the right and left shoulder of the
outward garment of each of the said poor, by which they might be
distinguished. And that none of the said poor should go out of their own
parish to beg alms; whereof the beadles were to take care.
"His grace the lord Archbishop, did accordingly give his directions to
the clergy; which, however, have proved wholly ineffectual, by the
fraud, perverseness, or pride of the said poor, several of them openly
protesting 'they will never submit to wear the said badges.' And of
those who received them, almost every one keep them in their pockets, or
hang them in a string about their necks, or fasten them under their
coats, not to be seen, by which means the whole design is eluded; so
that a man may walk from one end of the town to another, without seeing
one beggar regularly badged, and in such great numbers, that they are a
mighty nuisance to the public, most of them being foreigners.
"It is therefore proposed, that his grace the lord Archbishop would
please to call the clergy of the city together, and renew his directions
and exhortations to them, to put the affair of badges effectually in
practice, by such methods as his grace and they shall agree upon. And I
think it would be highly necessary that some paper should be pasted up
in several proper parts of the city, signifying this order, and
exhorting all people to give no alms except to those poor who are
regularly badged, and only while they are in the precincts of their own
parishes. And if something like this were delivered by the ministers in
the reading-desk two or three Lord's-days successively, it would still
be of further use to put this matter upon a right foot. And that all who
offend against this regulation shall be treated as vagabonds and sturdy
beggars." [T. S.]
[191] Spelt now St. Warburgh's. [T. S.]
[192] About the beginning of the eighteenth century, Dr. Gwythers, a
physician, and fellow of the University of Dublin, brought over with him
a parcel of frogs from England to Ireland, in order to propagate their
species in that kingdom, and threw them into the ditches of the
University Park; but they all perished. Whereupon he sent to England for
some bottles of the frog-spawn, which he threw into those ditches, by
which means the species of frogs was propagated in that kingdom.
However, their number was so small in the year 1720, that a frog was
nowhere to be seen in Ireland, except in the neighbourhood of the
University Park: but within six or seven years after, they spread
thirty, forty, or fifty miles over the country; and so at last, by
degrees, over the whole country. [D. S.]
[193] Swift's uncle, Godwin Swift, for whose memory he had no special
regard, seems to have been concerned in this ingenious anagram and
unfortunate project. [S.]
[194] This reproach has been certainly removed since the Dean
flourished; for the titles of the Irish peerages of late creation have
rather been in the opposite extreme, and resemble, in some instances,
the appellatives in romances and novels.
Thomas O'Brien MacMahon, an Irish author, quoted by Mr. Southey in his
Omniana, in a most angry pamphlet on "The Candour and Good-nature of
Englishmen," has the following diverting passage, which may serve as a
corollary to Swift's Tract:--"You sent out the children of your
princes," says he, addressing the Irish, "and sometimes your princes in
person, to enlighten this kingdom, then sitting in utter darkness,
(meaning England) and how have they recompensed you? Why, after
lawlessly distributing your estates, possessed for thirteen centuries or
more, by your illustrious families, whose antiquity and nobility, if
equalled by any nation in the world, none but the immutable God of
Abraham's chosen, though, at present, wandering and afflicted people,
surpasses: After, I say, seizing on your inheritances, and flinging them
among their Cocks, Hens, Crows, Rooks, Daws, Wolves, Lions, Foxes, Rams,
Bulls, Hoggs, and other beasts and birds of prey, or vesting them in the
sweepings of their jails, their Small-woods, Do-littles, Barebones,
Strangeways, Smarts, Sharps, Tarts, Sterns, Churls, and Savages; their
Greens, Blacks, Browns, Greys and Whites; their Smiths, Carpenters,
Brewers, Bakers, and Taylors; their Sutlers, Cutlers, Butlers, Trustlers
and Jugglers; their Norths, Souths, and Wests; their Fields, Rows,
Streets, and Lanes; their Toms-sons, Dicks-sons, Johns-sons, James-sons,
Wills-sons, and Waters-sons; their Shorts, Longs, Lows, and Squabs;
their Parks, Sacks, Tacks, and Jacks; and, to complete their ingratitude
and injustice, they have transported a cargo of notorious traitors to
the Divine Majesty among you, impiously calling them the Ministers of
God's Word." [S.]
[195] The Tholsel, where criminals for the city were tried, and where
proclamations, etc., were posted. It was invariably called the Touls'el
by the lower class. [S.]
[196] This and the following piece were, according to Sir Walter Scott,
found among the collection of Mr. Smith. The examples of English
blunders which Scott also reprints were given by Sheridan by way of
retaliation to these specimens of Irish blunders noted by Swift. [T. S.]
[197] This specimen of Irish-English, or what Swift condemned as such,
is taken from an unfinished copy in the Dean's handwriting, found among
Mr. Lyons's papers. [S.]
[198] See note on p. 368. [T. S.]
[199] Dunkin was one of Swift's favourites, to judge by the efforts
Swift made on his behalf. Writing to Alderman Barber (17th January,
1737-38), Swift speaks of him as "a gentleman of much wit and the best
English as well as Latin poet in this kingdom." Several of Dunkin's
poems were printed in Scott's edition of Swift's works, but his
collected works were issued in 1774. Dunkin was educated at Trinity
College, Dublin. [T. S.]
[200] The "Occasional Writer's" Letters are printed in Lord
Bolingbroke's Works. [N.]
[201] Sir Robert Walpole was by no means negligent of his literary
assistants. But, unfortunately, like an unskilful general, he confided
more in the number than the spirit or discipline of his forces. Arnall,
Concanen, and Henley, were wretched auxiliaries; yet they could not
complain of indifferent pay, since Arnall used to brag, that, in the
course of four years, he had received from the treasury, for his
political writings, the sum of _£10,997 6s. 8d._ [S.]
[202] The authority for considering this "Account" to be the work of
Swift is Mr. Deane Swift, the editor of the edition of 1765 of Swift's
works. It is included in the eighth volume of the quarto edition issued
that year. Burke also seems to have had no doubt at all about the
authorship. Referring to the Dean's disposition to defend Queen Anne and
to ridicule her successor, he says, "it is probable that the pieces in
which he does it ('Account of the Court of Japan,' and 'Directions for
making a Birth-day Song') were the occasion of most of the other
posthumous articles having been so long withheld from the publick."
Undoubtedly, there is much in this piece that savours of Swift's method
of dealing with such a subject; but that could easily be imitated by a
clever reader of "Gulliver." The style, however, in which it is written
is not distinctly Swift's.
At the time this tract was written (1728) the Tory party was anxiously
hoping that the accession of George II. would see the downfall of
Walpole. But the party was doomed to a bitter disappointment. Walpole
not only maintained but added to the power he enjoyed under George I. By
what means this was accomplished the writer of this piece attempts to
hint. Sir Walter Scott thinks the piece was probably left imperfect,
"when the crisis to which the Tories so anxiously looked forward
terminated so undesirably, in the confirmation of Walpole's power."
[T. S.]
[203] King George. [S.]
[204] Queen Anne. [S.]
[205] Whigs and Tories. Anagrams of Huigse and Toryes. [T. S.]
[206] Hanover. Anagrams for Deuts = Deutsch = German. [T. S.]
[207] Bremen and Lubeck. [S.]
[208] The quadruple alliance, usually accounted the most impolitic step
in the reign of George I., had its rise in his anxiety for his
continental dominions. [S.]
[209] Through all the reign of George I., the Whigs were in triumphant
possession of the government. [S.]
[210] Sir Robert Walpole [S.]
[211] When secretary at war, Walpole received £500 from the contractors
for forage; and although he alleged that it was a sum due to a third
party in the contract, and only remitted through his hands, he was voted
guilty of corruption, expelled the House, and sent to the Tower, by the
Tory Parliament. [S.]
[212] King George II. [S.]
[213] Sir Spencer Compton, Speaker of the House of Commons. [S.]
[214] Sir Thomas Hanmer. [S.]
[215] About a million sterling. [D. S.]
[216] This piece is included here on the authority of Mr. Deane Swift,
and was accepted by Sir Walter Scott on the same authority. The writing
is excellent and bears every mark of Swift's hand. In the note to the
"Letter to the Writer of the Occasional Paper" was included the heads of
a paper which Swift suggested, found by Sir H. Craik. The present
"Answer" may serve as further evidence of Sir H. Craik's suggestion that
Swift may have assisted Pulteney and Bolingbroke on more than one
occasion.
The present text is that of the 1768 quarto edition. [T. S.]
[217] "Gasping," 1768; "grasping," Nichols, 1801. [T. S.]
[218]
"For neither man nor angel can discern
Hypocrisy--the only evil that walks
Invisible, except to God alone,
By His permissive will, through heaven and earth,
And oft, though Wisdom wake, Suspicion sleeps
At Wisdom's gate, and to Simplicity
Resigns her charge, while Goodness thinks no ill
Where no ill seems."--
_Paradise Lost_, Book III., 682-689. [T. S.]
CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.