After Capt. Creighton's tract, which is a pretty long one, we have Hints toward an Effay on Converfation. This fenfible paper is followed by A Short Character of his Excellency Thomas, Earl of IVharton, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It is a monftrous, but well.drawn, Caracatura, and a moft severe libel on that Nobleman. It is fufficient to obferve, that Lord Wharton was not of the Dean's party. Among the bad things alleged against his Lordfhip in this paper, is, his quafhing a profecution against the Diffenting Minifters in Drogheda, and ordering the Attorney and Sollicitor General, to enter a Noli profequi to ALL fuch fuits. Such an article of impeachment comes very oddly from the pen of a Proteftant Divine; and will certainly do lefs honour to the character of the Accufer, than to that of the perfon accufed. The remainder of this thirteenth volume is filled with a parcel of infignificant papers, about the Dean's quarrel with Serjeant Bettefworth, moft of which have often been printed before; and with fome yet more infignificant Letters to Mr. Faulkner the Printer, and other perfons. The Account of a monument, to the memory of Dr. Swift, in a letter from the Founder, dated Neale, Feb. 14, 1750, and of the institution of annual games, to be celebrated at the said monument, for three days fucceffively, is not incurious: the premiums to be diftributed on this occafion, being conceived very much in the patriotic fpirit of the Dean himself. In the fourteenth volume, i. e. the second of the present Collection, we first meet with the Letters already mentioned; and concerning which we fhall only add, that thofe addrefled to Dr. Narciffus Marfh, Lord Primate, and Archbishop of Dublin, are the most curious, as they abound with political anecdotes, relating to the times when Harley and St. John were at the head of affairs, and when the Dean expected to make his fortune, by his attachment to that Miniftry. These letters, however, ferve to corroborate Lord Orrery's obfervation, that poor Swift was certainly the dupe of his Tory-friends; who had the addrefs to impofe on his pride, and make him fancy himfelf deep in their fecrets; while it appears, that they either feared him too much, or refpected him too little, to truft him with any thing of confequence. Thefe Letters, which fill about half the volume, are followed by a fhort treatife on Good Manners; abounding with admirable obfervations ;-but, as we imagine, we have met with $ 3 with it in print before, we fhall here mention it no farther.We come now to the Poetry, viz. 1. Ballyfpellin. By Dr. Sheridan. This was printed and hackneyed about, many years ago, in the Magazines, &c. &c. 2. The Dean's Anfwer to the above,-in the fame fort of verse. 3. Several Riddles, and their Anfwers, by Drs. Swift, Sheridan, and Delany. 4. The Logicians refuted-general invective against mankind. 5. Ode to Science-a burlefque on modern Ode-writing: conceived in the fpirit of the Author's famous Love-fong, beginning with Fluttering Spread thy purple pinions. 6. The Puppet Shew: an improvement on the old thought of comparing the world to a theatre. 7. Verfes to Mrs. Sican, a Grocer's wife, of Dublin. 8. to Mrs. Houghton, on her praising her bufband This is fo delicate a compliment, that we dare fay our Readers will be pleased with it: the rather too, as delicacy is not always to be expected from the pen of this witty, but licentious, Writer. To Mrs. HOUGHTON. YOU always are making a God of your spouse, But this neither reason nor confcience allows; Perhaps you will fay, 'is in gratitude due, The Editor 9. A left-handed Letter to Dr. Sheridan. tells us, that "that all the humour of this poem is loft, by the impoffibility of printing it left-handed, as it was wrote. The Dean was fometimes mighty fond of odd conceits; and would occafionally defcend even to boyifhnefs. Capacious minds, like large rooms, will contain a great deal of furniture; and fome veffels, we know, are made to honour, and fome to difhonour. 10. On ftealing a Crown when the Dean was afleep. By Dr. Sheridan. Witty. 11. The 11. The Dean's Answer ;-droll. 12. On the little Houfe by the Church-yard at Castleknock. Printed before, in the London edition, revised by Hawkefworth. 13. Probatur alita. A mere Conundrum. 14. On Noify Tom. Very abufive of the late Sir Thomas Pr-der-t. 15. The Verfes occafioned by the fudden drying up of St. Patrick's Well, near Trinity-College, Dublin, in 1726, if they really were written by the Dean, afford a remarkable inftance of his zeal for Ireland, and refentment of her fubjection to England. St. PATRICK Supposed to speak. By holy zeal infpir'd, and led by fame, lerne, to the world's remoteft parts, Renown'd for valour, policy, and arts. Hither from Colchos, with the fleecy ore, Their drefs, their language, and the Scottish name, $ 4 Wretched Wretched Ierne! with what grief I fee Freedom and virtue in thy fons I found, By faith and pray'r, this crofier in my hand, With omens oft I ftrove to warn thy fwains, As you grew more degenerate and base, See, where the new-devouring vermin runs, Where is the facred well, that bore my name? Here, from the neighbouring nursery of arts*, * Trinity College. O! had O! had I been Apoftle to the Swiss, 16. To the Rev. Mr. Daniel Jackson. Facetious. 17. Verfes by Dr. Sheridan; the words are all abreviated by Elifions. Very odd. 18. Anfwer'd, with more wit than the subject was worth. 19. Dialogue between an eminent Lawyer aud Dr. Swift. Alluding to the I Sat. of Hor. b. ii. Sunt quibus in Satyra, &c. 20. Paulus. By Mr. Lyndfay. 21. Anfwer. By Dr. Swift. A fatire on the Lawyers. 22. On Dr. Rundle. Occafioned by his being made Bishop of Derry. In this compliment to that worthy Prelate, the Dean fhews an unusual freedom of fentiment, particularly in the following lines. Make Rundle Bifhop; fye for fhame! An Arian to ufurp the name! A Bishop in the ifle of Saints! How will his brethren make complaints ♪~ Dare any of the mitred host, Confer on him the HOLY GHOST; Wood's half-pence. + The Abfentees, who spend the in come of their Irish eftates and penfions in England. |