36 
** till death. As they feldom were 
“ apart, and lady Gifford lived 
«© much with her brother Sir Wil- 
«liam, it was through her that 
*« Mrs, Johnfon and her two daugh- 
“ ters (her fon dying young) were 
«brought to the knowledge and 
*« friendfhip of Sir William Temple 
« and his lady ; who difcovering fo 
« many excellencies, and fuch fine 
*« parts, in the “tle Hetty, as fhe 
«« was always called in the Temple 
« family, fo far took upon them- 
w felves the care of her education 
«* as to bring her up with their own 
« niece, the late Mrs. Temple of 
«« Moor Park by Farnham—a moft 
«« acceptable piece of kindnefs and 
« friendfhip this to the mother, 
«whofe little fortune had been 
«« greatly injured by the South Sea 
«« bubbles. And here it was that 
ec Dr. Swift firit became acquainted 
«© with Stella, and commenced that 
«© attachment which terminated in 
«« their marriage. The caufe why 
«« that marriage was not owned to 
«© the world has never been tho- 
« roughly explained. It is the opi- 
«« nion, however, of her own family, 
«« that their finances not being equal 
« to the ftyle in which the Dean 
« wifhed to move, as a married 
«© man, could be the only one; 
« Stella’s own fortune being only 
« £.1,500, one thoufand of which, 
~ «as a farther mark of friendthip, 
« was left her by Sir William 
« Temple himfelf. It was Dr. 
s« Swift’s with at laft to have owned 
«« his marriage; but finding herfelf 
« declining very fait, Stella did not 
- choofe to alter her mode of life, 
«« and befides fully intended coming 
«« over to England to her mother.” 
If we attentively furvey the fitua- 
tion of Swift from the firft moment 
wf his connection with the far-famed 
3 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
obje& of his withes to the period 
immediately preceding her death, 
we fhall- be at a lofs to point out the 
time when, confiftently with the dic- 
tates of prudence, he could -have 
united himfelf with his amiable 
miftrefs. 
From the promifed munificence 
of King William, he received no- 
thing but difappointment. After 
his retirement from Moor Park 
till his conneétion with Lord 
Berkeley, he had no profpect of 
preferment. On his promotion to 
the deanery of St. Patrick, a fyftem 
of the fevereft ceconomy was necef- 
fary to liquidate the debt contracted 
by a long and vexatious attendance 
on miniftry; at the fame time that 
a certain degree of ftate was a ne- 
ceflary appendage to his ftation. 
To the union of Swift and Stella 
there was, however, at one period 
of their connection, a much more 
formidable obftacle than any that 
could have arifen from prudence. 
It is with reluctance I proceed ; but 
during one of the Dean’s long mi- 
nifterial attendances in London, 
commenced his acquaintance with 
Vanefla. ' 
This lady poffeffed wit, youth, 
beauty, a competent {hare of wealth, 
and wniver/al admiration. 'Thus de- 
corated, fhe offered herfelf a willing 
victim at the fhrine of Swift, by 
whofe genius fhe was completely 
fafcinated. : 
To behold, without emotion, fuch 
a facrifice, was hardly to be ex- 
pected from man, ,But to the ho- 
nour of Swift be ,it remembered, 
that though allured by fuch attrac- 
tions. as were indeed at once moft 
rare and powerful, he made a long. 
and obftindte defence; and when 
the death of the queen exiled him 
as it were from England, he ban 
