gold and filver for coin worth perhaps not a third part of its nominal value.

The nation was alarmed; the new coin was univerfally refufed; but the governors of Ireland confidered refiftance to the King's patent as highly criminal; and one Whitfhed, then Chief Juftice, who had tried the printer of the former pamphlet, and fent out the Jury nine times, till by clamour and menaces they were frighted into a special verdict, now prefented the Drapier, but could not prevail on the Grand Jury to find the bill.

Lord Carteret and the Privy Council published a proclamation, offering three hundred pounds for difcovering the author of the Fourth Letter. Swift had concealed himself from his printers, and trufted only his butler, who tranfcribed the paper. The man, immediately after the appearance of the proclamation, ftrolled from the house, and staid out all

night, and part of the next day. There was reafon enough to fear that he had betrayed his mafter for the reward; but he came home, and the Dean ordered him to put off his livery, and leave the house; for," fays he, "I know that my life is in your power, and I will not bear, out of fear, either your infolence or negligence." The man excufed his fault with great fubmiffion, and begged that he might be confined in the house while it was in his power to endanger his mafter; but the Dean refolutely turned him out, without taking farther notice of him, till the term of the information had expired, and then received him again. Soon afterwards he prdered him and the reft of his fervants into his fence, without telling his intentions, and bade them

pre

take

take notice that their fellow-fervant was no longer Robert the butler; but that his integrity had made him Mr. Blakeney, verger of St. Patrick's; an officer whofe income was between thirty and forty pounds a year: yet he ftill continued for fome years to ferve his old mafter as his Butler *.

Swift was known from this time by the appellation of The Dean. He was honoured by the populace as the champion, patron, and inftructor of Ireland; and gained fuch power as, confidered both in its extent and duration, fcarcely any man has ever enjoyed without greater wealth or higher ftation.

He was from this important year the oracle of the traders, and the idol of the rabble, and by confequence was feared and courted by all to whom the kindness of the traders or the populace was neceffary. The Drapier was a fign; the Drapier was a health; and which way foever the eye or the ear was turned, fome tokens were found of the nation's gratitude to the Drapier.

The benefit was indeed great; he had rescued Ireland from a very oppreffive and predatory invafion; and the popularity which he had gained he was diligent to keep, by appearing forward and zealous on every occafion where the publick intereft was fuppofed to be involved. Nor did he much fcruple to boaft his influence; for when, upon fome attempts to regulate the coin, Archbishop Boulter, then one of the Juftices, accufed him of exafperating the people,

* An account fomewhat different from this is given by Mr. Sheridan in his Life of Swift, p. 211. R.

he

he exculpated himself by faying, "If I had lifted up my finger, they would have torn you to "pieces."

But the pleasure of popularity was foon interrupted by domeftick mifery. Mrs. Johnfon, whofe converfation was to him the great foftener of the ills of life, began in the year of the Drapier's triumph to decline; and two years afterwards was fo wafted with fickness, that her recovery was confidered as hopelefs.

Swift was then in England, and had been invited by Lord Bolingbroke to pafs the winter with him in France; but this call of calamity haftened him to Ireland, where perhaps his prefence contributed to restore her to imperfect and tottering health.

He was now fo much at ease, that (1727) he returned to England; where he collected three volumes of Mifcellanies in conjunction with Pope, who prefixed a querulous and apologetical Preface.

This important year fent likewife into the world "Gulliver's Travels;" a production fo new and ftrange, that it filled the reader with a mingled emotion of merriment and amazement. It was received with fuch avidity, that the price of the first edition was raifed before the fecond could be made; it was read by the high and the low, the learned and illiterate. Criticifm was for a while loft in wonder; no rules of judgement were applied to a book written in open defiance of truth and regularity. But when diftinctions came to be made, the part which gave the leaft pleasure was that which defcribes the

Flying Island, and that which gave moft difguft must be the hiftory of the Houyhnhnms.

While Swift was enjoying the reputation of his new work, the news of the King's death arrived; and he kiffed the hands of the new King and Queen three days after their acceffion.

By the Queen, when the was Princefs, he had been treated with fome diftinction, and was well received by her in her exaltation; but whether the gave hopes which fhe never took care to fatisfy, or he formed expectations which the never meant to raife, the event was, that he always afterwards thought on her with malevolence, and particularly charged her with breaking her promife of fome medals which the engaged to fend him,

I know not whether the had not, in her turn, fome reafon for complaint. A Letter was fent her, not fo much entreating, as requiring her patronage of Mrs. Barber, an ingenious Irifhwoman, who was then begging fubfcriptions for her Poems. To this Letter was fubfcribed the name of Swift, and it has all the appearances of his diction and fentiments; but it was not written in his hand, and had fome little improprieties. When he was charged with this Letter, he laid hold of the inaccuracies, and urged the improbability of the accufation; but never denied it; he fhuffles between cowardice and veracity, and talks big when he fays nothing *.

He feems defirous enough of recommencing courtier, and endeavoured to gain the kindness of Mrs.

It is but juftice to the Dean's memory, to refer to Mr. Sheridan's defence of him from this charge. See the Life of Swift, p. 458. R.

Howard,

per

Howard, remembering what Mrs. Mafham had formed in former times: but his flatteries were, like those of other wits, unfuccefsful; the Lady either wanted power, or had no ambition of poetical immortality.

He was feized not long afterwards by a fit of giddinefs, and again heard of the ficknefs and danger of Mrs. Johnfon. He then left the house of Pope, as it feems, with very little ceremony, finding that two fick friends cannot live together;" and did not write to him till he found himself at Chefter.

He returned to a home of forrow: poor Stella was finking into the grave, and, after a languifhing decay of about two months, died in her forty-fourth year, on January 28, 1728. How much he wifhed her life, his papers fhew; nor can it be doubted that he dreaded the death of her whom he loved moft, aggravated by the confcioufnefs that himfelf had haftened it.

Beauty and the power of pleafing, the greatest external advantages that woman can defire or poffefs, were fatal to the unfortunate Stella. The man whom she had the misfortune to love was, as Delany obferves, fond of fingularity, and defirous to make a mode of happinefs for himfelf, different from the general courfe of things and order of Providence. From the time of her arrival in Ireland he feems refolved to keep her in his power, and therefore hindered a match fufficiently advantageous, by accumulating unreasonable demands, and prefcribing conditions that could not be performed. While the was at her own difpofal he did not confider his pof

feffion