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gold and filver for coin worth perhaps not a third part of its nominal value.

The nation was alarmed; the new coin. was univerfally refufed: but the governors of Ireland confidered refiftance to the King's patent as highly criminal; and one Whitshed, then Chief Justice, who had tried the printer of the former pamphlet, and sent out the Jury nine times, till by clamour and menaces they were frighted into a special verdict, now prefented the Drapier, but could not prevail on the Grand Jury to find the bill.

Lord Carteret and the Privy Council published a proclamation, offering three hundred pounds for discovering the author of the Fourth Letter. Swift had concealed himself from his printers, and trufted only his butler, who tranfcribed the paper. The man, immediately after the appearance of the proclamation, strolled from the house, and ftaid out all night, and part of the next day. There was reafon enough to fear that he had betrayed his master for the reward; but he came home, and the Dean ordered him to put off his livery, and leave the house; "for," fays he, "I know that my VOL. III. "life

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"life is in your power, and I will not bear, out of fear, either infolence or negli"gence." The man excufed his fault with great fubmiffion, and begged that he might be confined in the house while it was in his power to endanger his mafter; but the Dean refolutely turned him out, without taking farther notice of him, till the term of information had expired, and then received him again. Soon afterwards he ordered him and the reft of the fervants into his prefence, without telling his intentions, and bade them take notice that their fellow-fervant was no longer Robert the butler; but that his integrity had made him Mr. Blakeney, verger of St. Patrick's; an officer whofe income was between thirty and forty pounds a year, but he ftill continued for fome years to ferve his old mafter as his butler.

Swift was known from this time by the appellation of The Dean. He was honoured by the populace, as the champion, patron, and inftructor of Ireland; and gained fuch power as, confidered both in its extent and duration, fcarcely any man has ever enjoyed without greater wealth or higher station.

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He was from this important year the oracle of the traders, and the idol of the rabble, and by confequence was feared and courted by all to whom the kindness of the traders or the populace was neceffary. The Drapier was a fign; the Drapier was a health; and which way foever the eye or the ear was turned, fome tokens were found of the nation's gratitude to the Drapier.

The benefit was indeed great; he had refcued Ireland from a very oppreffive and predatory invafion; and the popularity which he had gained he was diligent to keep, by appearing forward and zealous on every occafion where the publick intereft was fuppofed to be involved. Nor did he much fcruple to boast his influence; for when, upon fome attempts to regulate the coin, Archbishop Boulter, then one of the Juftices, accufed him of exafperating the people, he exculpated himfelf by faying, "If I had lifted up my finger, they would have torn you to pieces.”

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But the pleasure of popularity was foon interrupted by domeftic mifery. Mrs. Johnfon, whose conversation was to him the great E e 2 foftener

foftener of the ills of life, began in the year of the Drapier's triumph to decline; and two years afterwards was fo wafted with ficknefs, that her recovery was confidered as hopeless.

Swift was then in England, and had been invited by Lord Bolingbroke to pass the winter with him in France; but this call of calamity haftened him to Ireland, where perhaps his prefence contributed to restore her to imperfect and tottering health.

He was now fo much at ease, that (1727) he returned to England; where he collected three volumes of Mifcellanies in conjunction with Pope, who prefixed a querulous and apologetical Preface.

This important year fent likewife into the world Gulliver's Travels, a production fo new and ftrange, that it filled the reader with a mingled emotion of merriment and amazement. It was received with fuch avidity, that the price of the first edition was raised before the fecond could be made; it was read by the high and the low, the learned and illi

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terate.

Criticism was for a while loft in wonder; no rules of judgement were applied to a book written in open defiance of truth and regularity. But when diftinctions came to be made, the part which gave leaft pleafure was that which defcribes the Flying Island, and that which gave most disgust must be the hiftory of the Houyhnhnms,

While Swift was enjoying the reputation of his new work, the news of the king's death arrived; and he kiffed the hands of the new King and Queen three days after their acceffion.

By the Queen, when she was Princess, he had been treated with fome diftinction, and was well received by her in her exaltation; but whether she gave hopes which she never took care to fatisfy, or he formed expectations which fhe never meant to raise, the event was, that he always afterwards thought on her with malevolence, and particularly charged her with breaking her promise of fome medals which the engaged to fend him.

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