Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

descend into the knowledge of vulgar management; and you cannot make him a greater compliment than by telling instances to the company, before his face, how careless he was in any affair that related to his interest and fortune.

He is extremely proud and captious, apt to resent as an affront and indignity what was never intended for either."

He is allured as easily by every new acquaintance, especially among women, as a child is by a new plaything; and is led at will by them to suspect and quarrel with his best friends, of whom he hath lost the greatest part, for want of that indulgence which they ought to allow for his failings.

He is a generous, honest, good-natured man; but his perpetual want of judgment and discretion, makes him act as if he were neither generous, honest, nor good-natured.

The person above-mentioned, whom he lampooned, and to whom he owes preferment, being in the country and out of order, Solomon had appointed to come for him with a chaise, and bring him to town. Solomon sent him word that he was to set out on Monday, and did accordingly, but to another part of the kingdom, thirty miles wide of the place appointed, in compliment to a lady who was going that way; there staid, with her and her family, a month; then sent the chaise, in the midst of winter, to bring the said person where Solomon would meet him, declaring he could not venture himself for fear of the frost; and, upon the said person's refusing to go in the chaise alone, or to trust to Solomon's appointment, and being in ill health, Solomon fell

* Swift was as likely as most men to exercise a temper such as is here described. His long intimacy with Sheridan is a pretty good proof that his description was overcharged.

into a formal quarrel with that person, and foully misrepresented the whole affair, to justify himself.

Solomon had published a humorous ballad, called "Ballyspellin," whither he had gone to drink the waters, with a new favourite lady. The ballad was in the manner of Mr. Gay's on Molly Mogg, pretending to contain all the rhymes of Ballyspellin. His friend, the person so often mentioned, being at a gentleman's house in the neighbourhood, and merry over Solomon's ballad, they agreed to make another, in dispraise of Ballyspellin Wells, which Solomon had celebrated, and with all new rhymes not made use of in Solomon's. The thing was done, and all in a mere jest and innocent merriment. Yet Solomon was prevailed upon, by the lady he went with, to resent this as an affront on her and himself; which he did accordingly, against all the rules of reason, taste, good nature, judgment, gratitude, or common manners.*

He will invite six or more people of condition to dine with him on a certain day, some of them living five or six miles from town. On the day appointed, he will be absent, and know nothing of the matter, and they all go back disappointed: when he is told of this, he is pleased, because it shews him to be a genius and a man of learning.

Having lain many years under the obloquy of a High Tory and Jacobite, upon the present Queen's birthday he writ a song, to be performed before the government and those who attended them, in praise of the Queen and King, on the common topics of her beauty, wit, family, love of England, and all other virtues, wherein the King and the royal children were sharers. It was very hard to avoid

* Those who choose to compare the ballads, will admit that both Sheridan and the lady had cause of complaint.

the common topics. A young collegian, who had done the same job the year before, got some reputation on account of his wit. Solomon would needs vie with him, by which he lost all the esteem of his old friends the Tories, and got not the least interest with the Whigs; for they are now too strong to want advocates of that kind; and therefore one of the lords justices, reading the verses in some company, said, "Ah, Doctor! this shall not do." His name was at length in the title-page; and he did this without the knowledge or advice of one living soul, as he himself confesseth.

His full conviction of having acted wrong in an hundred instances, leaves him as positive in the next instance, as if he had never been mistaken in his life; and if you go to him the next day, and find him convinced in the last, he hath another instance ready, wherein he is as positive as he was the day before.

A SERIOUS AND USEFUL SCHEME

TO MAKE AN

HOSPITAL FOR INCURABLES,

Of universal Benefit to all his Majesty's Subjects. Humbly addressed to the Right Honourable Lord ****, the Right Honourable Sir ****, and to the Right Honourable******, Esq.

Fœcunda culpæ secula.-HOR.

THE following Treatise is indisputably written by Swift, though not hitherto received among his works. The pamphlet from which it is taken, contains also "The Petition of the Footmen in and about Dublin," both printed by George Faulkner, 1733: and to the tracts there is subjoined the original advertisement concerning Faulkner's edition of the Dean's Works, which we subjoin as there given.* There can be no doubt that, under such cir

* Dublin, Nov. 21, 1733.

The writings of the Reverend Dr. J. S. D. S. P. D. were published six years ago in London, in three volumes, mingled with those of some other gentlemen his friends. Neither is it easy to distinguish the authors of several pieces contained in them.

But, besides those three volumes, there are several treatises relating to Ireland, that were first published in this kingdom, many of which are not contained in the Drapier's Letters.

It hath been long wished, by several persons of quality and distinction, that a new complete edition of this author's works should be printed by itself. But this can nowhere be done so conveniently as in Ireland, where book

cumstances, the bookseller dared not have placed the initials of Swift before a work which was not genuine. It remains to account for the tract's having been afterwards suppressed, though possessing so much of the Dean's peculiar humour. Dr. Barrett believes the reason to have been, lest the jeu d'esprit might be interpreted as casting a slur on an hospital erected upon LazorsHill, now on the Donny-Brook road near Dublin, for the reception of persons afflicted with incurable maladies.

HERE is not anything which contributes more to the reputation of particular persons, or to the honour of a nation in general, than erecting and endowing proper edifices for the reception of those who labour under different kinds of distress.

The

sellers cannot pretend to any property in what they publish, either by law or

custom.

This is, therefore, to give notice, that the undertaker, George Faulkner, printer, in Essex Street, is now printing, by subscription, all the works that are generally allowed to have been written by the said Dr. S. in four volumes; which are now in the press, at 175. and 4d. bound, beautifully printed on a fine paper, in octavo, and shall be delivered to the subscribers by the 25th of March next; eight English shillings to be paid at the time of subscribing, and the remainder at the delivery of a complete set. Whoever subscribes for six copies, shall have a seventh gratis.

The first volume shall contain the prose part of the author's Miscellanies, printed many years ago in London and Dublin; together with several other Treatises since published in small papers, or in the three volumes set out and signed Jonathan Swift, and Alexander Pope.

The second volume shall contain the author's Poetical Works, all joined together; with many Original Poems, that have hitherto only gone about in manuscript.

The third volume shall contain the Travels of Captain Lemuel Gulliver, in four parts, wherein many alterations made by the London printers will be set right, and several omissions inserted. Which alterations and omissions were without the author's knowledge, and much to his displeasure, as we have learned from an intimate friend of the author's, who, in his own copy, transcribed in blank paper the several paragraphs omitted, and settled the alterations and changes according to the original copy.

The last volume shall contain the author's Letters, written under the name of M. B. Drapier; with two additional ones never printed before; and likewise several papers relating to Ireland, acknowledged to be of the same author.

In this edition, the gross errors committed by the printers, both here and in London, shall be faithfully corrected; the true original, in the author's own hand, having been communicated to us by a friend in whom the author much confided, and who had leave to correct his own printed copies from the

« AnteriorContinuar »