184 



POETRY AXD POETS. 



was but newly married. The Earl, 

 it is supposed, being willing to have 

 a little diversion, did not introduce 

 him to his lady, nor mention his 

 name. After dinner, said the Dean, 

 " Lady Burlington, I hear you can 

 sing ; sing me a song." The lady 

 looked on this unceremonious man- 

 ner of asking a favour with distaste, 

 and positively refused. He said, 

 " She should sing, or he would make 

 her. "Why, madam, I suppose you 

 take me for one of your poor Eng- 

 lish hedge - parsons ; sing when I 

 bid you." As the Earl did nothing 

 but laugh at this freedom, the lady 

 was so vexed that she burst into 

 tears, and retired. His first com- 

 pliment to her when he saw her 

 again was, " Pray, madam, are you 

 as proud and ill-natured now as 

 when I saw you last 1 " To which 

 she answered, with great good- 

 humour, " No, Mr. Dean, I'll sing 

 for you if you please." From which 

 time he conceived a great esteem 

 for her. (Scott's Life of Swift.) 



SWIFT'S RELIGION. 

 I know of few things more con- 

 clusive as to the sincerity of Swift's 

 religion than his advice to poor 

 John Gay to turn clergyman, and 

 look out for a seat on the bench. 

 Gay, the author of the Beggar's 

 Opera Gay, the wildest of the wits 

 about town it was this man that 

 Jonathan Swift advised to take 

 orders to invest in a cassock and 

 bands just as he advised him to 

 husband his shillings and put his 

 thousand pounds out at interest. 

 The Queen, and the bishops, and 

 the world, were right in mistrust- 

 ing the religion of that man. 

 (Thackeray.) 



SWIFT'S CONVERSATION. 

 The style of his conversation was 

 very much of a piece with that of 

 his writings, concise, and clear, and 

 strong. Being one day at a Sheriffs 

 feast, who among other toasts call- 



I ed out to him, " Mr. Dean, the trade 

 of Ireland ! " He answered quick, 

 "Sir, I drink no memories!" 



Happening to be in company with 

 a petulant young man who prided 

 himself on saying pert things . . . 

 and who cried out " You must 

 know, Mr. Dean, that I set up for 

 a wit !" " Do you so," says the Dean, 

 "take my advice, and sit down 

 again ! " 



At another time, being in com- 

 pany, when a lady whisking her 

 long train [long trains were then in 

 fashion] swept down a fine fiddle, 

 and broke it ; Swift cried out 



" Mantua vze miserse nimium vicina 



Oemoiiffl !" 

 (Dr. Delany.) 



ADDISON' s DIFFIDENCE. 

 Mr. Addison wrote very fluently; 

 but he was sometimes very slow and 

 scrupulous in correcting. He would 

 show his verses to several friends ; 

 and would alter almost everything 

 thatany of them hinted at as wrong. 

 He seemed to be too diffident of 

 himself; and too much concerned 

 about his character as a poet ; or 

 (as he worded it) too solicitous for 

 that kind of praise, which, God 

 knows, is but a very little matter 

 after all ! (Pope.) 



ADDISON' s GRAVITY AND TACI- 

 TURNITY. 



Addison was perfect good com- 

 pany with intimates, and had some- 

 thing more charming in his conver- 

 sation than I ever knew in any other 

 man ; but with any mixture of 

 strangers, and sometimes only with 

 one, he seemed to preserve his dig- 

 nity much, with a stiff sort of si- 

 lence. (Pope.) 



The remark of Mandeville, who, 

 when he had passed an evening in 

 his company, declared that he was 

 "a parson in a tyewig," can de- 

 tract little from his character. He 

 was always reserved to strangers, 

 and was not incited to uncommon 



