objects as they really exift in life, like Hogarth's paintings, without heightening or enlarging them, and without adding any imaginary circumftances. In this way of writing, Swift excelled; witness his defcription of a morning in the city, of a city shower, of the house of Baucis and Philemon, and the verfes on his own death. These are of the fame fpecies with the piece before us, In this alfo confifts the chief beauty of Gay's Trivia, a subject Swift defired him to write upon, and for which he furnished him with many hints. The character of Swift has been fcrutinized in fo many late writings, that it is superfluous to enter upon it, especially as from many materials judiciously melted down and blended together, Dr. Hawksworth the fecond of which was thought to contain a heavy anticlimax. Grac'd as thou art with all the power of words, Known to the Courts, the Commons and the Lords. The unexpected flatnefs and familiarity of the laft line was thus ridiculed by Mr. Brown with much humour. Perfuafion tips his tongue whenc'er he talks, has has fet before the public, fo complete a figure of him. I cannot however forbear to mention a remark of Voltaire, who affirms, "that the famous Tale of a Tub is an imitation of the old story of the three invisible rings, which a father bequeathed to his three children. These three rings were the Jewish, Chriftian, and Mahometan religions. It is, moreover, an imitation of the history of Mero and Enegu, by Fontenelle *. Mero was the anagram of Rome, and Enegu of Geneva. These two sisters claimed the fucceffion to the throne of their fathers. Mero reigned first, Fontenelle represents her as a forceress or jugler who could convey away bread, and perform acts of conjuration with dead bodies: This is precisely the Lord Peter of Swift, who prefents a piece of bread to his two brothers, and fays to them, This, my good friends, is excellent Burgundy, these partridges have an admirable flavour.' The * It was inferted by Bayle in his Nouvelles, &c. vol. v. p. 88, as a ferious narration; fo happily was the allegory disguised. fame Lord Peter in Swift, Peter in Swift, performs throughout the very part that Mero plays in Fontenelle. Thus all is imitation. The idea of the Perfian Letters is taken from the Turkish Spy. Boiardo has imitated Pulci, Ariofto has imitated Boiardo. The geniuses, apparently most original, borrow from each other *. I SHALL Conclude this fection with a ftory, which POPE himself related, because it is characteristical of his old friend, and I fhall give it in the very words which POPE ufed, when he told it to Mr. Spence."Dr. Swift has an odd blunt way that is mistaken by strangers for ill-nature; it is fo odd that there is no defcribing it but by facts +. I'll tell you one, the first that comes into my head. One evening Gay and I went to fee him. On our coming in, * Oeuvres de Voltaire a Geneve. Tom. 4, pag. 223. 1756. The archbishop of Armagh Dr. Hoadly, happening to object one day in Swift's company to an expreffion of POPE, as not being the pureft English, Swift anfwered with his ufual roughness-" I could never get the blockhead to study his grammar," Hey-day, - Hey-day, gentlemen, fays the Dean, what can be the meaning of this vifit? How came you to leave all the great lords you are so fond of, to come hither to see a poor fcurvey Dean Because we would rather fee you than any of them.-Ay, any one that did not know you fo well as I do, might poffibly believe you; but fince you are come I must get fome fupper for you I suppose.-No, Doctor, we have fupped already*.-Supped already, that is impoffible, why it is not eight o'clock-Indeed we have-That's very ftrange; but if you had not supped, I must have got something for you; let me fee, a couple of lobsters. would have done very well, two fhillings; tarts, a fhilling: but you will drink a glass of wine with me, though you fupped fo much before your time only to spare my pocket. No, we had rather talk with you, than drink with you.-But if you had fupped with me, as in all reafon you ought to have done, you must then have drank * Transcribed from Mr. Spence's anecdotes E 4 with with me.-A bottle of wine two fhillingstwo and two are four, and one is five; just two and fixpence a-piece; there Pope, there's half a crown for you, and there's another for you, Sir; for I won't fave any thing by you, I am determined. This was all faid and done with his usual seriousness on fuch occafions: And in fpite of every thing we could fay to the contrary, he actually obliged us to take the money." SECT. |