went to Swift, and demanded whether he was the author of that poem. "Mr. Bettefworth," answered he, "I was in my youth acquaint"ed with great lawyers, who, knowing my difpofition to fatire, advised me, that, if fcoundrel or blockhead whom I had lampooned should ask, Are you the author of "this paper, I fhould tell him that I was not "the author; and therefore I tell you, Mr. "Bettesworth, that I am not the author of "these lines."

any

Bettefworth was fo little fatisfied with this account, that he publickly professed his refolution of a violent and corporal revenge; but the inhabitants of St. Patrick's district embodied themselves in the Dean's defence ; and Bettesworth declared in Parliament, that Swift had deprived him of twelve hundred pounds a year.

Swift was popular a while by another mode of beneficence. He fet afide fome hundreds to be lent in small fums to the poor, from five fhillings, I think, to five pounds. He took no intereft, and only required that, at repayment, a small fee fhould be given to the accomptant; but he required that the day of promised payment should be exactly kept. A fevere and punctilious temper is ill qualified for tranfactions with the poor; the day was often broken, and the loan was not repaid.

This might have been easily foreseen ; but for this Swift had made no provifion of patience or pity. He ordered his debtors to be fued. A fevere creditor has no popular character ; what then was likely to be faid of him who employs the catchpoll under the appearance of charity? The clamour against him was loud, and the refentment of the populace outrageous; he was therefore forced to drop his scheme, and own the folly of expecting punctuality from the poor.

His afperity continually increafing, condemned him to folitude; and his refentment of folitude sharpened his afperity. He was not, however, totally deferted: fome men of learning, and fome women of elegance, often vifited him; and he wrote from time to time either verfe or profe; of his verses he willingly gave copies, and is supposed to have felt no discontent when he faw them printed. His favourite maxim was vive la bagatelle; he thought trifles a neceffary part of life, and perhaps found them neceffary to himself. It feems impoffible to him to be idle, and his diforder made it difficult or dangerous to be long seriously studious, or laboriously diligent. The love of ease is always gaining upon age, and he had one temptation to petty amusements peculiar to himfelf; whatever he did, he was fure to hear applauded; and fuch was his predominance over all that approached, that all

their applauses were probably fincere. He that is much flattered, foon learns to flatter himfelf: we are commonly taught our duty by fear or shame, and how can they act upon the man who hears nothing but his own praises?

As his years increased, his fits of giddiness and deafnefs grew more frequent, and his deafness made converfation difficult; they grew likewise more fevere, till in 1736, as he was writing a poem called The Legion Club, he was seized with a fit fo painful, and so long continued, that he never after thought it proper to attempt any work of thought or labour.

He was always careful of his money, and was therefore no liberal entertainer; but was lefs frugal of his wine than of his meat. When his friends of either fex came to him, in expectation of a dinner, his custom was to give every one a fhilling, that they might please themselves with their provifion. At last his avarice grew too powerful for his kindness; he would refuse a bottle of wine, and in Ireland no man vifits where he cannot drink.

Having thus excluded converfation, and defifted from ftudy, he had neither business nor amusement; for having, by some ridiculous refolution or mad vow, determined never to wear spectacles, he could make little use of books in his later years: his ideas, therefore, being neither renovated by difcourfe nor in

creased

creased by reading, wore gradually away, and left his mind vacant to the vexations of the hour, till at last his anger was heightened into madness.

He however permitted one book to be publifhed, which had been the production of former years; Polite Converfation, which appeared in 1738. The Directions for Servants was printed foon after his death. These two performances fhew a mind inceffantly attentive, and, when it was not employed upon great things, bufy with minute occurrences. It is apparent that he must have had the habit of noting whatever he obferved for fuch a number of particulars could never have been affembled by the power of recollection.

;

He grew more violent; and his mental powers declined till (1741) it was found neceffary that legal guardians fhould be appointed of his person and fortune. He now lost diftinction. His madness was compounded of rage and fatuity. The laft face that he knew was that of Mrs. Whiteway, and her he ceased to know in a little time. His meat was brought him cut into mouthfuls; but he would never touch it while the fervant ftaid, and at laft, after it had stood perhaps an hour, would eat it walking; for he continued his old habit, and was on his feet ten hours a-day.

Next year (1742) he had an inflammation in his left eye, which fwelled it to the fize of an egg, with boils in other parts; he was kept long waking with the pain, and was not easily restrained by five attendants from tearing out his eye.

The tumour at laft fubfided; and a fhort interval of reafon enfuing, in which he knew his physician and his family, gave hopes of his recovery; but in a few days he funk into lethargick ftupidity, motionless, heedlefs, and fpeechlefs. But it is faid, that, after a year of total filence, when his housekeeper, on the 30th of November, told him that the usual bonfires and illuminations were preparing to celebrate his birthday, he answered, It is all folly; they had better let it alone.

It is remembered that he afterwards fpoke now and then, or gave fome intimation of a meaning; but at laft funk into perfect filence, which continued till about the end of October 1744, when, in his feventy-eighth year, he expired without a struggle.

WHEN Swift is confidered as an author, it is just to estimate his powers by their effects. In the reign of Queen Anne he turned the ftream of popularity against the Whigs, and must be confeffed to have dictated for a time VOL. II.

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