of Whitehaven, she took the child thither without the knowledge of his mother, and kept him there about three years, which circumstance occasioned the assertion, that the Dean was a native of Eng land. At the age of six, he was sent to Kilkenny School, and about eight years afterwards he was entered of Trinity College, Dublin, the expense of his education being borne by his uncle, Godwin Swift, a lawyer of eminence; but as he had a large family, he could not make a considerable allowance to his nephew, who, therefore, hated his memory to the last moment of his life.

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His low condition at the university, instead of prompting him to study, produced a sour morosity of disposition, and a strange waste of time; so that when the period came for him to take his first degree, he was not found qualified. second application, he was nearly being rejected again, but the good-nature and interest of some of his friends, prevailed in his behalf, and he obtained the academical honour of bachelor of arts, attended, however, with a mark of dishonour, it being expressly stated, that it was conferred on him speciali gratia.

It is remarkable enough, that what was intended as a badge of degradation in one university, was considered in another as a mark of honour; for when Swift, some years afterwards, was admitted a member of the University of Oxford, the words speciali gratia proved his passport to the degree of master of arts; that learned

body mistaking the 'meaning those words were intended to convey by the college at Dublin.

When the war broke out in Ireland in 1688, Swift came to England, and was advised by his mother to solicit the friendship of Sir William Temple, to whose lady she was a near relation. He did so, and was received by Sir William with great kindness, living with him on his first visit near two years. Here he had often an opportunity of seeing and conversing with King Wil liam, who had a great regard for Sir Willianı Temple, and frequently visited him, in a private manner, at Sheen. The king, it is said, treated Swift with great familiarity, and once offered him a troop of horse, which he declined. It was during his residence at Sheen that Swift improved his mind by reading, and contracted a fondness for politicks to which his conversation with his kinsman essentially contributed. About the year 1693, he was attacked by a violent disorder, for which he was advised by his physicians to return to Ireland, to try the benefit of his native air. Receiving, however, but little advantage from the change, he came back to Sir William Temple, who was then settled at Moor Park, near Farnhain. It was after this last return that he resolved upon embracing the ecclesiastical state, in the hopes that his friend's interest would procure him some valuable preferment; in this hope, however, he was disappointed, and thinking that he had been ill-treated by Sir William Temple,

Temple, he quarrelled with and left him in 1694. He then walked down to his mother, at Leicester, and remained there till, by means of Lord Capel, then viceroy of Ireland, he obtained the prebend of Kilroot, in the diocese of Connor, worth about one hundred pounds a-year.

But Sir William Temple feeling the want of his conversation, prevailed with him to resign the prebend, and return to Moor Park. Here Swift resided till the death of Sir William, who left him a legacy, and his posthumous works. These he dedicated to King William, in hopes of obtaining thereby a stall in the cathedral of St. Paul's, or in that of Westminster. Being disappointed in his expectation, he quitted the court in dudgeon, and could never afterwards endure the name of William.

It was during his abode with Sir William Temple, that he made some attempts at poetry, in three wretched odes, which he termed pindarics. These he shewed to his relation, Dryden, who, on returning them, candidly said, "Cousin Swift, you will never be a poet." This opinion, which was perfectly justified by the miserable performances it was founded upon, kindled in Swift's morbid disposition, a rancorous hatred against the veteran bard, whose writings he never after mentioned without ridicule.

In 1699 Swift was instituted to the united livings of Laracor and Rathbeggin, with the rectory of Augher, in the diocese of Meath, to which,

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which, the year following, was added a prebend in the cathedral of St. Patrick, Dublin.

On receiving these preferments, he determined to fix his residence at Laracor, to which place he journied on foot, and the following is the description of his equipage. A decent suit of black, with coarse worsted stockings, of which he had a second pair, with a shirt in his pocket, a round slouched hat on his head, and a long pole, higher than himself, in his hand.

On his arrival at Laracor, the fourth day, he found the curate, a very worthy man, sitting at the door of his house, smoking his pipe. Swift, on approaching him, very abruptly demanded his name, and the old gentleman had scarcely said Jones, when he exclaimed, "Well then, I am your master!"

Mr. Jones, having recovered from his surprise, bowed, and conducted him into the best room in his cottage, when he introduced him to his wife, saying, "My dear, this is our master, the new vicar." The good woman was shocked, as she well might, at the harshness of the phrase, but she was still more so, when Swift, pulling a bundle out of his pocket, handed it to her with this command, Madam, if you are not too proud, put that into your drawer, if you have one." Mrs. Jones silently obeyed the surly injunction, and Swift, throwing himself carelessly into a chair, asked if they had any thing to eat. This somewhat relieved the curate and his wife; and,

luckily