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"How came you to leave all the great Lords, "that you are fo fond of, to come hither to "fee a poor Dean?'-Because we would raof them.—' Ay, any

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66 one that did not know fo well as I do, "might believe you. But fince you are I come, muft get fome fupper for you, I "fuppofe." No, Doctor, we have fupped already. Supped already? that's impof"fible! why, 'tis not eight o'clock yet.― "That's very ftrange: but, if you had not "fupped, I must have got fomething for 66 you. Let me fee, what fhould I have "had? A couple of lobsters; ay, that would "have done very well; two fhillings-tarts,

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a fhilling: but you will drink a glass of "wine with me, though you fupped fo much "before your ufual 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 drunk "with me.-A bottle of wine, two fhillings

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-two and two is four, and one is five; "just two-and-fix-pence 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 ufual "ferioufnefs on fuch occafions; and, in fpite "of every thing we could fay to the contrary, he actually obliged us to take the "money."

In the intercourse of familiar life, he indulged his difpofition to petulance and farcafin, and thought himfelf injured if the licentiousness of his raillery, the freedom of his cenfures, or the petulance of his frolicks, was refented or repreffed. He predominated over his companions with very high afcendency, and probably would bear, none over whom he could not predominate. To give him advice was, in the style of his friend Delany, to venture to speak to him. This cuftomary fuperiority foon grew too delicate for truth; and Swift, with all his penetration, allowed himself to be delighted with low flattery.

On all common occafions, he habitually affects a style of and dictates raarrogance, ther than perfuades. This authoritative and

magifterial language he expected to be re

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ceived as his peculiar mode of jocularity; but he apparently flattered his own arrogance by an affumed predomination, in which he was ironical only to the refentful, and to the submiffive fufficiently ferious.

He told ftories with great felicity, and delighted in doing what he knew himself to do well. He was therefore captivated by the respectful filence of a fleady liftener, and told the fame tales too often.

He did not, however, claim the right of talking alone; for it was his rule, when he had spoken a minute, to give room by a pause for any other speaker. Of time, on all occafions, he was an exact computer, and knew the minutes required to every common operation.

It may be justly fuppofed that there was in his conversation, what appears fo frequently in his Letters, an affectation of familiarity with the Great, an ambition of momentary equality fought and enjoyed by the neglect of thofe ceremonies which custom has established as the barriers between one order of society

and another. This tranfgreffion of regularity was by himself and his admirers termed greatnefs of foul. But a great mind difdains to hold any thing by courtefy, and therefore never ufurps what a lawful claimant may take away. He that encroaches on another's dignity, puts himself in his power; he is either repelled with helplefs indignity, or endured by clemency and condefcenfion.

Of Swift's general habits of thinking if his Letters can be fuppofed to afford any evidence, he was not a man to be either loved or envied. He feems to have wafted life in discontent, by the rage of neglected pride, and the languishment of unfatisfied defire. He is querulous and faftidious, arrogant and malignant; he scarcely speaks of himself but with indignant lamentations, or of others but with infolent fuperiority when he is gay, with angry contempt when he is gloomy. From the Letters that pafs between him and Pope it might be inferred that they, with Arbuthnot and Gay, had engroffed all the understanding and virtue of mankind, that their merits filled the world; or that there was no hope of more. They fhew the age involved

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involved in darkness, and shade the picture with fullen emulation.

When the Queen's death drove him into Ireland, he might be allowed to regret for a time the interception of his views, the ex-tinction of his hopes, and his ejection from gay fcenes, important employment, and fplendid friendships; but when time had enabled reafon to prevail over vexation, the complaints, which at firft were natural, became ridiculous because they were useless. But queruloufnefs was now grown habitual, and he cried out when he probably had ceafed to feel. His reiterated wailings perfuaded Bolingbroke that he was really willing to quit his deanery for an English parish; and Bolingbroke procured an exchange, which was rejected, and Swift ftill retained the pleasure of complaining.

The greatest difficulty that occurs, in analyfing his character, is to difcover by what depravity of intellect he took delight in revolving ideas, from which almoft every other mind fhrinks with difguft. The ideas of pleasure, even when criminal, may folicit

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