EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
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in the language, and a considerable number of satirical ana humorous poems. The chief charac- teristics of his prose are, the extensive command which he seems to have possessed over the stores of colloquial language, and the nerre and pre- cision with which he employs it. His great art in satire, is to write as ir he were a verr simple man, and thus to treat vices, follies, ana imper- fections without the least scruple or disguise, and consequently to display them in their utmost possible deformity.
In the year 1716, Swift was privately married by Dr. Ashe, then bishop of Clogher, to a lady wliom he has celebrated under the name of Stella : she was the daughter of Mr. Johnson, steward to sir William Temple, who at his death left her £1000 in consideration of her father's faithful services. She was a person of great delicacy, extremely beautiful, and equally re- markable for the sweetness of her temper and the poignancy of her ^it; her understanding was of the first class, her prudence uncommon, and her piety exemplary. She was guided by virtue in morality, and by sincerity in religion. She had great skill in music, and was perfectly well acquainted with all the lesser arts that em- ploy a lady's leisure. The dean became ac- quainted with her while be lived with sir Wil- liam Temple. When she left England is not known; but they continued in the same economy after marriage as before; be living at the deanery, and she in lodgings on the other side of the Liny. He never openly acknowledged her as his wife, nor was there any thing in their be- haviour inconsistent with decorum, or beyond tbe limits of Platonic love. And such care was always taken to summon witnesses, that perhaps it would be impossible to prove their having been ever together but in the presence of at least a third person. A conduct so very extraordinary in itself could not fail of giving rise to various reflections. But this is one of those actions whose true sources perhaps will never be discovered.
In 1736 Swift was seized with a violent fit of giddiness when he was writing a satirical poem, called the Legion Club, which was so dreadful, that he left the poem unfinished, and never after attempted a composition of any length either in verse or prose. From the year 1739 till the lat- ter end of 1741, his friends found his passions so -violent and ungovemable,his memory so decayed, and his reason so depraved, that they were oblig^ to keep all strangers from him ; for till then he had not appeared totally incapable of conversation ; but at the beginning of the vear 1742, the small remains of his understanding became entirely confused, and his rage increasea absolutely to a degree of madness. In this miserable state he continued for some time ; but at last sunk into a quiet, speechless, idiot, drag- ging out the remainder of his life in that helpless situation. Swift for some years before this terrible catastrophe, was often attacked with gid- diness, and found his memory gradually decay, which ga^e him reason to apprehend his fate. He left all his fortune, which, when some few
legacies were paid, amounted to near £11,000, to build and endow an hospital for idiots and lunatics. A charity remarliably generous, as the unhappy persons who receive the benefit, must for ever remain insensible of their bene- factor. Thus died Dr. Swift, whose capacity and strength of mind were undoubtedly equal to any task whatever. His pride, or to use a softer name, his ambition, was boundless ; but his views were checked in his younger years, and the effects of that disappointment were visible in all his actions. He was sour and severe, but not absolutely Ul-natnred. He was sociable only to particular friends, and onlv to them at particular hours. He was by his abilities rendered superior to envy. He was undisguised and perfectly serene. He performed the duties of the church with great punctualitv, and a decent degree of devotion. He read prayers rather in a strong nervous voice than in a grace- ful manner; and, although he has often been accused of irreligion, notoing of that kind fu>- peared in his conversation or behaviour.* lii his friendships he was constant and undisguised. He was the same in his enmities. He generally spuke as he thought, in all companies, and at all seasons.
1745. The following booksellers appear in the list of bankrupts : Ccsar Ward, of York ; William Raven, of St. Andrew's, Holbom, November ; and Thomas Harris, of London Bridge, December.
1745, Dec. 24. The Manchetter Magazine, of this date, gives a circumstantial account of the movements of the army under prince Charles Edward, during its progress to the south. Some of the aidherents of the prince, during his stay in Manchester, went to the printing-office of Mr. Whitworth, proprietor of the Magazine, and compelled Thomas Bradbury, a journeyman, (in the absence of his master) to print several mani- festos and other papers, which were produced on their trial and iled to Uieir condemnation. Mr. Whitworth continued his newspaper till about the year 1750, but his death we cannot find.
1746. The British Courant ; or Pretton Jour- nal, printed by James Stanley and John Moon, at their shop in the market-place, Preston. This newspaper is embellished with a wood-cut on each side of the title-page, viz. the holy lamb, couchant, being the arms of the town ; and Bri- tannia, the genius of England.
1745. T& Agreeable Mitcdlamy; or, tome- thing to pleate every man'» taste. Printed by Mr. Ashbumer, at Kendal, in Westmoreland. This
- Tbe only preferments which Swift obtained in Ireland,
Mcvions to the deanery of St. Fatrtcki, was Lanuor and Rathbeggan ; the tormer of which was worth about .^IM per annum, and the latter about ifSO. When he took poiu seaaion of these two liTlnn, he went to redde at Laracor, and gave pnbUcnoticetohlsparislilonera, that lie Intended to read praTCti everr Wednesday and Friday. ITpon the sabseqaent Wedneaday, the bell waa ninr. and the rector attended at his desk, when, after having sat some time, and tlndinK the congregation to conaiit oqly of himself and bis clerk, Roger, he began : " Dearly bdoved Roger, tbe scripture moveth you and me io sundry places," and then proceeded regularly through the whole wrvlce.
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