Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

Crown, and kept, as has been obferved, the fucceffion undetermined. Not knowing what to do, he did nothing; and, with the fate of a double dealer, at laft he loft his power, but kept his enemies.

Swift seems to have concurred in opinion with the "October Club;" but it was not in his power to quicken the tardinefs of Harley, whom he ftimulated as much as he could, but with little effect. He that knows not whither to go, is in no hafte to move. Harley, who was perhaps not quick by nature, became yet more flow by irrefolution; and was content to hear that dilatorinefs lamented as natural, which he applauded in himself as politick.

Without the Tories, however, nothing could be done; and, as they were not to be gratified, they must be appeased; and the conduct of the Minifter, if it could not be vindicated, was to be plaufibly excufed.

Early in the next year he published a "Propofal "for correcting, improving, and ascertaining the

English Tongue," in a Letter to the Earl of Oxford; written without much knowledge of the general nature of language, and without any accurate enquiry into the hiftory of other tongues. The certainty and stability which, contrary to all experience, he thinks attainable, he propofes to fecure by inftituting an academy; the decrees of which every man would have been willing, and many would have been proud, to difobey, and which, being renewed by fucceffive elections, would in a fhort time have differed from itself.

Swift now attained the zenith of his political importance: he published (1712) the "Conduct of

"the

"the Allies," ten days before the Parliament affentbled. The purpose was to perfuade the nation to a peace; and never had any writer more fuccefs. The people, who had been amufed with bonfires and triumphal proceffions, and looked with idolatry on the General and his friends, who, as they thought, had made England the arbitrefs of nations, were confounded between fhame and rage, when they found that "mines had been exhaufted, and millions de"ftroyed," to fecure the Dutch or aggrandize the Emperor, without any advantage to ourfelves; that we had been bribing our neighbours to fight their own quarrel; and that amongst our enemies we might number our allies.

That is now no longer doubted, of which the nation was then first informed, that the war was unneceffarily protracted to fill the pockets of Marlborough; and that it would have been continued without end, if he could have continued his annual plunder. But Swift, I fuppofe, did not yet know what he has fince written, that a commiffion was drawn which would have appointed him General for life, had it not become ineffectual by the refolution of Lord Cowper, who refused the feal.

"Whatever is received," fays the fchools, "is "received in proportion to the recipient." The power of a political treatife depends much upon the difpofition of the people; the nation was then combuftible, and a fpark fet it on fire. It is boafted, that between November and January eleven thousand were fold; a great number at that time, when we were not yet a nation of readers. To its propagation certainly no agency of power or influence was

want

wanting. It furnished arguments for converfation, speeches for debate, and materials for parliamentary refolutions.

Yet, furely, whoever furveys this wonder-working pamphlet with cool perufal, will confefs that its efficacy was fupplied by the paffions of its readers; that it operates by the mere weight of facts, with very little affiftance from the hand that produced

them.

This year (1712) he published his "Reflections. "on the Barrier Treaty," which carries on the defign of his "Conduct of the Allies," and fhews how little regard in that negotiation had been shewn to the intereft of England, and how much of the conquered country had been demanded by the Dutch.

This was followed by "Remarks on the Bishop of "Sarum's Introduction to his third Volume of the History of the Reformation;" a pamphlet which Burnet published as an alarm, to warn the nation of the approach of Popery. Swift, who feems to have difliked the Bishop with fomething more than political averfion, treats him like one whom he is glad of an opportunity to infult.

Swift, being now the declared favourite and fuppofed confident of the Tory Ministry, was treated by all that depended on the Court with the refpect which dependents know how to pay. He foon began to feel part of the mifery of greatnefs; he that could fay that he knew him, confidered himself as having fortune in his power. Commiffions, folicitations, remonftrances, crowded about him; he was expected to do every man's bufinefs, to procure employment for one, and to retain it for another. In affifting

thofe

those who addreffed him, he reprefents himself as fufficiently diligent; and defires to have others believe, what he probably believed himself, that by his interpofition many Whigs of merit, and among them Addison and Congreve, were continued in their places. But every man of known influence has fo many petitions which he cannot grant, that he must neceffarily offend more than he gratifies, because the preference given to one affords all the reft reafon for complaint. "When I give away a place," faid Lewis XIV. "I make an hundred difcontented, and one ungrateful."

66

Much has been faid of the equality and independence which he preferved in his converfation with the Minifters, of the franknefs of his remonftrances, and the familiarity of his friendship. In accounts of this kind a few fingle incidents are fet against the general tenour of behaviour. No man, however, can pay a more fervile tribute to the Great, than by fuffering his liberty in their prefence to aggrandize him in his own efteem. Between different ranks of the community there is neceffarily fome distance; he who is called by his fuperiour to pafs the interval, may properly accept the invitation; but petulance and obtrufion are rarely produced by magnanimity; nor have often any nobler caufe than the pride of importance, and the malice of inferiority. He who knows himself neceffary may fet, while that neceffity lafts, a high value upon himself; as, in a lower condition, a fervant eminently fkilful may be faucy; but he is faucy only because he is fervile. Swift appears to have preferved the kindnefs of the great when they wanted him no longer; and therefore it muft

muft be allowed, that the childifh freedom, to which he feems enough inclined, was overpowered by his better qualities.

His difintereftedness has been likewife mentioned; a ftrain of heroifm, which would have been in his condition romantick and fuperfluous. Ecclefiaftical benefices, when they become vacant, muft be given away; and the friends of power may, if there be no inherent difqualification, reafonably expect them. Swift accepted (1713) the deanery of St. Patrick, the best preferment that his friends could venture to give him. That Miniftry was in a great degree fupported by the Clergy, who were not yet reconciled to the author of the " Tale of a Tub," and would not without much difcontent and indignation have borne to fee him inftalled in an English Cathedral.

He refused, indeed, fifty pounds from Lord Oxford; but he accepted afterwards a draught of a thoufand upon the Exchequer, which was intercepted by the Queen's death, and which he refigned, as he fays himself, "multa gemens, with many a groan."

In the midst of his power and his politicks, he kept a journal of his vifits, his walks, his interviews with Minifters, and quarrels with his fervant, and transmitted it to Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Dingley, to whom he knew that whatever befel him was interefting, and no accounts could be too minute. Whether thefe diurnal trifles were properly exposed to eyes which had never received any pleasure from the prefence of the Dean, may be reasonably doubted: they have, however, fome odd attraction; the reader, finding frequent mention of names which he has been used VOL. III.

C

to

« AnteriorContinua »