deanery, he found the violence of party reigning in that kingdom to the higeft degree. The common people were taught to look upon him as a jacobite, and they proceeded fo far in their detellations as to throw stones at him as be paffed through the streets. The chapter of St. Patrick's like the rest of the kingdom, received him with great reluctance. They thwarted him in every particular he propofed. He was avoided as a pestilence, oppofed as an invader, and marked out as an enemy to his country. Such was his first reception as dean of St. Patrick's. Fewer talents and lefs firmaefs, muft have yielded to fuch violent oppofition. But fo ftrange are the revolutions of this world, that Dr. Swift, who was now the deteftation of the Irish rabble, lived to govern them with an abfolute fway. The dean's first step was to reduce to reason and obedience, his reverend brethren of the chapter of St. Patrick's in which he fucceeded fo well, and fo fpeedy, that in a fhort time after his arrival, not one member of that body offered to contradict him, even in trifles. On the contrary, they held him in the highest veneration. Dr. Swift made no longer ftay in Ireland, in the year 1713, than was requifite to eftablifh himfelf a dean, and to pass through certain cuftoms, and formalities, or to afe his own words, Through Through all vexations, Patents, inftalments, abjurations, cheats. During the time of thefe ceremonies, he kept a constant correfpondence with his friends in England: all of whom were eminent, in either birth, ftation or abilities. In the beginning of the year 1714, Dr. Swift returned to England. He found his great friends at the helm, much difunited among themselves. He faw the queen declining in her health, and diftreffed in her fituation. The part which he had to act upon this occafion, was not so difficult as it was difagreeable; he exerted all his skill to reunite the minifters. As foon as Swift found his pains frnitlefs, he retired to a friend's houfe in Berkshire, where he remained till the queen's death, an event which fixed the period of his views in England, and made him return as fast as poffible to his deanery in Ireland, loaded with grief and discontent. From the year 1714, till he appeared in 1720, as a champion for Ireland against Wood's halfpence, his fpirit of politics and patriotism, was kept clofely confined within his own breaft His attendance upon the public fervice of the church was regular and uninterrupted: and, indeed regularity was peculiar to him in all his actions, even in the moft trifling. H 4. His His works, from the year 1714, to the year 1720, are few in number, and of fmall importance, Poems to Stella, and trifles to Dr. Sheridan fill up a great part of that period. In the year 1720, he began to reafume the character of a political writer. A small pamphlet in defence of the Irish manufactories, was fuppofed to be his firft effay in Ireland in that kind of writing; and to that phamphet, he owed the turn of the popluar tide in his favour. Dr. Swift's fayings of wit, and humour had been handed about, and repeated from time to time among the people. They were adapted to the understanding, and pleafed the imagina-. tion, of the vulgar; and he was now looked on in a new light, and diftinguished by the title of the dean. The pamphlet, propofing the univerfal ufe of the Irift manufacture within the kingdom, had captivated all hearts. Some little pieces of poetry to the fame purpose, were no lefs acteptable and engaging, ror was the dean's attachment to the true intereft of Ireland any Jonger doubted. His patriotifm was as manifell as his wit; he was looked upon with pleafure and refpected as he paffed through the fireets; and had attained to fo high a degree of popularity, as to become the arbitrator in difputes among his neighbours. But the popular affection which the dean had hitherto acquired, may be faid not to have been univerfal, till the publication of the Drapier's Drapier's Letters, which made all ranks and profeffions univerfal in his applaufe. The oc cafion of thofe letters is too well known to need any place here. At the found of the Drapier's trumpet a vaft fpirit arofe among the people of all ranks and denomination. The papilt, the fanatic, the whig and the tory, all lifted themfelves under the banner of the Drapier. Never was any name beftowed with more univerfal approbation, than the name of the Drapier was bestowed upon the dean, who had no fooner affumed it, than he became the idol. of Ireland, even to a degree of devotion, and. bumpers were poured forth to the Drapier, as large and as frequent as to the glorious and immortal memory of king William III. Acclamations and vows for his profperity attended him wherever he went, and his effigies was painted in every ftreet in Dublin.. The dean was confulted in all points relating to domeftic policy in general, and to the trade of Ireland in particular; but he was more immediately looked on as the legislator of the weavers, who frequently came to him in a body to receive his advice in fettling the rates of their manufactures, and the wages of their journeymen. When elections were depending for the city of Dublin, many corporations refused to declare themselves, till they had confulted his fentiments and inclinations. We have now conducted the dean through the most interesting circumstances of his life to the fatal period wherein he was utterly deprived of his reason, a lofs which he often fee med to forefee, and prophetically lamented to his friends. The total deprivation of his fen fes came upon him by degrees. In the year 1736, he was feized with a violent fit of giddinefs, he was at that time writing a fatirical poem, called, The Legion Club; but he found the effects of his giddinefs fo dreadful that he left the poem unfinished, and never afterwards attempted a compofition of any length, either in verfe or profe: however, his conversation still remained the fame, lively and fevere; but his memory gradually grew worfe and worfe, and as that decreased, he grew every day more fretful and impatient. From the year 1739, to the year 1744, his paffions grew fo violent and ungovernable, his memory became fo decayed, and his reason fo depraved, that the utmost precautions were taken to prevent all strangers from approaching him for till then, he had not appeared totally incapable of converfation: early in the year 1742, the small remains of his understanding became entirely confufed, and the violence of his rage increased abfolutely to a degree of madness. In this miferable ftate, he seemed to be appointed as a proper inhabitant of his own hofpital: efpecially as from an outrageous lunatic, he funk into a quiet, fpeechlefs |