tion he ftood in with all the leading men, the great im portance he was of to their caufe, and the almost fifterly affection fhewn him by Lady Masham, that he might have afpired to the higheft dignities in the Church, or even, if his bent lay that way, in the ftate. For in those days the gown was not confidered as a difqualification to ministerial offices, as we find the Bishop of Bristol was made Lord Privy-feal, and Ambaffador Plenipotentiary. But as it was a maxim with Swift, that while the Queen pursued her trimming plan, the interests of the Church and State were on a fandy foundation, and that there could be no folid establishment for them, 'till the Whigs were all turned out of their employments, and a total end put to their power; he determined not only never to fall in with the Queen's measures, but on the contrary openly to oppose them. Though at the fame time he must have been conscious that this was the most certain way to bar his own preferment.

The only employment that Swift ever afked for during all that time, was that of Hiftoriographer; and his reafons for defiring it are thus fet forth, in his Memorial to the Queen, April 1, 1714.

"The change of Ministry about four years ago, the fall of the Duke of Marlborough, and the proceedings fince, in relation to the peace and treaties, are all capable of being very maliciously represented to pofterity, if they fhould fall under the pen of fome writer of the oppofite party, as they probably may.

Upon these reasons it is neceffary, for the honour of the Queen, and in justice to her fervants, that fome able hand fhould be immediately employed, to write the hif tory of her Majefty's reign, that the truth of things may be tranfmitted to future ages, and bear down the falfehood of malicious pens."

"The Dean of St. Patrick's is ready to undertake this work, humbly defiring her Majefty will please to appoint

him her Historiographer; not from any view of the profit, (which is fo inconfiderable, that it will hardly ferve to pay the expence of fearching offices) but from an earneft defire to serve his Queen and country: for which that employment will qualify him, by an opportunity of accefs to those places, where papers and records are kept, which will be neceffary to any who undertake fuch a history."

We fee upon what difinterested principles Swift defired this office; and he feems to have been highly provoked at his not obtaining it, laying the blame very unjustly on Lord Bolingbroke, as may be feen in his letter to Mifs Vanhomrigh, August 1, 1714. "I am not of your opinion about Lord Bolingbroke, perhaps he may get the Staff, but I cannot rely on his love to me. He knew I had a mind to be Hiftoriographer, though I valued it not but for the publick fervice; yet it is gone to a worthlefs rogue, that no-body knows." But it But it appears from a letter of Dr. Arbuthnot's, July 17, 1714, that Lord Bo lingbroke was moft hearty in his caufe; where he fays, "I gave your letter, with the inclofed Memorial, cavalierment to Lord Bolingbroke. He read it, and feemed concerned at fome part of it, expreffing himself thus:

That it would be among the eternal fcandals of the government, to fuffer a man of your character, that had fo well deferved of them, to have the leaft uneafy thoughts about those matters." But the truth is, that it was out of my Lord's power to have served him in this point, as the Memorial was not put into his hands, till a fortnight after the place had been difpofed of *. So that it is probable it never was prefented to the Queen. And his friend Ford, to whom he had alfo communicated his fuf

In a letter from Charles Ford, Efq; to Dr. Swift, July 20, 1714, is the following paffage. I thought you had heard the Hiftoriographer's place had been disposed of this fortnight. I know no more of him who has it, than that his name is Maddocks [Madox]."

picions of Bolingbroke, vindicates him from the charge in a letter written five days after the Queen's death, where he says, "I really believe Lord Bolingbroke was very fincere in the profeffions he made of you, and he could have done any thing. No Minister was ever in that height of favour, and Lady Mafham was at least in as much credit, as he had been in any time of her life. But these are melancholy reflections."

There is a paffage in a letter from Swift to Pope, January 10, 1721, relative to this office, which at first view feems to contradict what he himself had faid about it, as related above. "I had indeed written fome Memorials of the Four last Years of the Queen's reign, with fome other informations which I received, as neceffary materials to qualify me for doing fomething in an employment then defigned for me; but, as it was at the difpofal of a perfon, who had not the fmalleft share of steadiness or sincerity, I difdained to accept it." But this apparent contradiction may eafily be thus folved. Swift fcorned to accept the employment, as a favour, from the Officer in whofe department it was, for the reafon he affigns, and would receive it only from her Majefty's own appointment, to whom he therefore perfonally applied by Memorial *.

* The circumstance of the difpofal of this poft from Swift, has afforded Lord Orrery an opportunity of expofing his ignorance, and invidious difpofition to lower Swift's confequence to the utmost. He fays, “He (Swift) knew how useful he was to Administration in general; and in one of his letters he mentions, that the place of Historicgrapher was intended for him, but I am apt to suspect that he flattered himfelf too highly." Surely his Lordship must have been either fo ill informed, as to fuppofe this polt to be a very confiderable one, of that Swift was without any degree of credit. He flattered himself too highly. Good Heaven! that fuch a man as Swift, should be accufed of flattering himself too highly, in expecting an employment, attended with much trouble, and without any degree either of honour or profit!

I fhall

I fhall take leave of this period of Swift's life, by obferving that he was thrown into the world at a most fortunate æra to gratify the ruling paffions of his heart. The chief pleasures of his life feem to have arifen from friendship contracted with men of worth and talents, and the fociety of perfons of wit and genius; and never was there an æra, in which he could be fo amply indulged with regard to both. I know there are numbers who laugh at those who speak with admiration of paft times, and lament the degeneracy of the prefent, as idle declaimers, laudatores temporis acti; with which the world has contantly been furnished in all nations, from age to age; but that in reality all times have been much alike. In order that a fair comparison may be made between the period I have been speaking of, and that which followed to the present time, I fhall here fet down a lift of the extraordinary men who then flourished together.

LIST OF LITERARY CHARACTERS,

Befide many others that might be mentioned, of no fmall note. When they who are advocates for the above opinion, shall attempt to draw out a lift of names in the present times, to be put in competition with thefe, they will foon be obliged to confefs and retract their error.

SECTION V.

From his return to IRELAND to his DEATH.

IMMEDIATELY after the decease of the Queen, Swift returned to Ireland, where he found things in the highest ferment: the Whigs all in triumph, threatening vengeance on the whole body of the defponding Tories, as foon as power fhould come into their hands. However violent the proceedings of the Whigs in England might afterwards be, their animofity against the opposite party was moderate, in comparison with the hatred which their brethren of Ireland bore to the Tories. All the ftories fabricated in England by the Whigs, of an intention to bring in the Pretender by the late Ministry, and which were only calculated for the more violent of their party, and the vulgar, were univerfally and implicitly believed in Ireland. The dreadful and detefted days of James II, of which there were still so many living witneffes in that kingdom, and in which the whole body of Proteftants fuffered fo much, came fresh into their minds, and raised the utmost abhorrence of all who were supposed to be abettors of fuch a measure. They were taught to confider the word Tory and Jacobite, as fynonymous terms; and as Swift was known to have been highly in the confidence of the late Miniftry, he was of courfe fuppofed to have been deeply concerned with them in the plot of bringing in the Pretender. Being the only one then in Ireland, against whom a charge could be made of having an immediate