able state of Ireland, as the political and commercial affairs of that country were circumftanced, in 1729. 5. A Letter to the Archbishop of Dublin, concerning the Weavers.' The purport of this is collateral with that of the preceding article. The patriot Dean here, likewise, takes a melancholy view of the then state of Ireland, and with a fpirited and manly commiferation, expatiates on the ruin of her trade, the vast yearly remiffion of the rents into England, for the support of abfentees, the deftructive importation of foreign luxury and vanity, the oppreffion of landlords, and the discouragement of agriculture. All these evils he confiders as paft the poffibility of a cure; except that of unneceffary importations of foreign filks, laces, teas, china-ware, and other articles of Fuxury and in order to enforce the remedy of this grievance, he labours with becoming zeal, to recommend the wear of Irish manufactures, both for men and women, and the use of the innocent and wholesome produce of their own foil.--Apologizing for the acrimony with which he ufually treats these subjects, (though he is fometimes droll and ludicrous upon them too) he obferves, that it is hard for a man of common spirit to turn his thoughts to fuch fpeculations, without discovering a refentment which people are too delicate to bear.-There were, indeed, people who could ill brook the rough and manly freedoms which our excellent Author was apt to take, on thefe occafions, because, more than their delicacy, their interefts were likely to be affected by his juft remonftrances and keen invectives: and, accordingly, in return, they gave him fufficient trouble, as far as lay in their power, by fetting on foot profecutions against his printers, and offering rewards for discovery of the Author, in order to punish him as a Libeller.-But, as his caufe was good, bis refolution fteady, his perfeverance unfhaken, he finally triumphed over all his opponents; who defervedly funk into the infamy they fo justly merited: while the patriot Dean became the idol and the glory of that kingdom, for the welfare of which he so worthily exerted those talents with which the Almighty had moft bounteously endowed him. In truth, the Dean was, in this part of his character, whatever may be thought of him as a divine, or even as a wit, A TRULY GREAT AND GOOD MAN. 6. Answers to Letters from unknown Perfons,' 1729. The first of these anfwers, relates to the fame fubject, in general, with the two laft-mentioned papers; but more particularly to the great emigration of the Irish, at this time, to North-America; occafioned by the want of employment, and by their various diftreffes at home. In this paper, he takes occafion to animadvert, with great feverity, on the prevailing turn toward extravagance, and every kind of diffipation, for which, it feems, the the ladies of Ireland were at that time remarkable: thofe of the prefent generation, we hope, are by no means liable to the fame charge. Is it not, fays he, the higheft indignity to human nature, that men fhould be fuch poltroons, as to fuffer the kingdom and themselves to be undone, by the vanity, the folly, the pride, and wantonnefs of their wives; who, under their prefent corruptions, feem to be a kind of animal fuffer'd, for our fins, to be fent into the world for the deftruction of families, focieties, and kingdoms, and whose whole study seems directed to be as expensive as they poffibly can, in every ufelefs article of living; who by long practice can reconcile the moft pernicious foreign drugs to their health and pleasure, provided they are but expenfive; as ftarlings grow fat with henbane; who can play deep feveral hours after midnight, fleep beyond noon, revel upon Indian poifons, and spend the revenue of a moderate family, to adorn a nauseous, unwholfome, living carcafe?'-This cha racter of the Irish ladies, of Dean Swift's time, will naturally induce many of our readers to turn their eyes towards our fair countrywomen, and to put the query .what would the Dean have faid of the English ladies?' The fecond of these letters relates to several particulars mentioned by the Dean, for the improvement of the country, and reformation of the common people; who, in all countries are fufficiently in need of reformation; but what this sarcastic writer here fays of the native Irish, i. e. the country people, or peasants, is monftrously fevere, and, we believe, a grofs exaggeration of the truth, altho' the truth might fuffice to give us a very unfavourable idea of those poor, uncultivated Hibernians. One thing here mentioned, for their improvement, may, perhaps, to fome readers, feem a little extraordinary; but we cannot help looking upon it as an excellent hint: viz. the abolition of the Irish language. This our Author thinks might be effected, in that kingdom, in less than half an age, and at a very trifling expence: at least fo far as to oblige all the natives to fpeak only English on every occafion of business, in fhops, markets, fairs, &c. This, fays he, would in a great measure civilize the most barbarous among them, reconcile them to our customs and manner of living, and reduce great numbers to the national religion, whatever kind may then happen to be established. The method is plain and fimple; and although I am too defponding to produce it, yet I could heartily with fome public thoughts were employed to reduce this uncultivated people from that idle, favage, beaftly, thievish manner of life, in which they continue funk to a degree, that it is almost impoffible for a country gentleman to find a fervant of human capacity, or the least tincture of natural honefty' this, furely faying, is too much; but it might come nearer the truth, at the time when this paper was written, than than it would do if applied to the present state of things in Ireland; as that kingdom is, in every refpect (notwithstanding the many oppreffions and hardships under which it has groaned) greatly improved, within these last thirty years. 7. The Subftance of what was faid by the Dean of St. Patrick's, to the Lord Mayor and fome of the Aldermen, when his Lordfhip came to prefent him with his Freedom, in a Gold Box.' Here the Dean took occafion to vindicate his character from the afperfions of those who had represented him, as a Tory, a Jacobite, an enemy to King George, and a libeller of the government. 8. Thoughts on Religion.' In these thoughts the Dean, who, in many parts of his writings, appears to be a bigot, difcovers a more generous and catholic turn of mind than we heretofore imagined him to be poffeffed of. On the whole, it is perhaps not uncharitable to suppose, that he confider'd modes of religion merely as engines of the state, and that he never was over-burthened with genuine piety, or had any great zeal for christianity in particular, farther than as it happen'd to be the eftablish'd religion of his country. But, to the thoughts. To fay a man is bound to believe, is neither truth nor sense. You may force men, by intereft, or punishment, to fay or swear they believe, and to act as if they believed: you can go no further. • Violent zeal for truth, hath an hundred to one odds to be either petulancy, ambition, or pride. The chriftian religion, in the moft early times, was propofed to the Jews and Heathens, without the article of Chrift's Divinity; which Erafmus accounts for, by its being too ftrong a meat for babes. Perhaps if it were now foftened by the Chinese miffionaries, the converfion of those infidels would be less difficult and we find by the Alcoran, it is the great stumbling block of the Mahometans. But in a country already chriftian, to bring fo fundamental a point of faith into debate, can have no confequences that are not pernicious to morals and public peace." The two firft of the foregoing remarks are uncontrovertible; but the last is a glaring proof of the truth of what we have intimated, that the Dean's chriftianity was merely political. Was he not, in himself, a notable inftance of the fhrewdnefs of his own obfervation, that men may be influenced to fay, and fwear, and even act as if they believed?-But there are feveral more of thefe thoughts that deferve to be felected. I have often been offended to find St. Paul's allegories, and other figures of Grecian eloquence, converted by divines into articles of faith:'-Why did not the Dean point out fome of thofe mifinterpreted figures? He feems to think it a lefs crime to condemn in the lump, than to controvert doctrines.-The follow following fentiment may be more eafily understood; and will do its author more credit: • God's mercy is over all his works; but divines, of all forts, leffen that mercy too much!'-We know not what authority they have to leffen it at all. The next remark is fingular enough, and perfectly characteristic of its author: I never faw, heard, nor read, that the clergy were beloved in any nation where chriftianity was the religion of the country. Nothing can render them popular, but fome degree of perfecution.' It is impoffible that any thing fo natural, fo neceffary, and fo univerfal as death, fhould ever have been defigned by Providence as an evil to mankind *.' The last observation in the series of thoughts now before us, we fubmit to the judgment of our female readers: It is this: • Although reason were intended by Providence to govern our actions, yet it feems that, in two points of the greatest moment to the being and continuance of the world, God hath intended our paffions to prevail over reason. The firft is, the propagation of our fpecies, fince no wife man ever married, from the dictates of reafon. The other is, the love of life, which, from the dictates of reafon, every man would despise, and wish it at an end, or that it never had a being.'-With regard to the matrimonial clause, in this paragraph, it is already fubmitted to another jurifdiction; but as to the diflike here exprefled, with refpect to our very existence, it is evidently the refult of a fplenetic fit, and a proof that the Dean was not a very wife man, at that moment, whatever he was, throughout the general tenor of his conduct, before the powers of his mind were totally fubdued by the fatal diforder which feized him in bis latter days. 8 and 9. Further thoughts on Religion,' and a Prayer for Stella; neither of thefe deferve particular notice. 10. A Sermon from 1 Cor. iii. 19. The wifdam_of_this world is foolishness with God.' In this discourse, the Dean attacks the heathen philosophy and wisdom, in order to prove the great fuperiority of the chriftian religion. He first mentions certain points, wherein the wisdom and virtue of all unrevealed philofophy, in general, fell fhort, and was very imperfect. Secondly, he fhews, in a few inftances, where fome of the most renowned philofophers have been grofly defective in their leffons on morality.' Thirdly, he endeavours to prove the perfection of chriftian wifdom, from the proper characters and marks of it.' And lastly, he undertakes to fhew, that the *This, by mistake is, in the quarto edition, incorporated in the e paragraph with another thought, with which it has no connection. the great examples of wisdom and virtue among the heathen wite men, were produced by perfonal merit, and not inâu enced by the doctrine of any fect; whereas, in chriftianity, it is quite the contrary.' Most of these points, especially the laft, are very fuperficially treated; and, on the whole, this difcourfe will only ferve to ftrengthen th opinion of those who, from former fpecimens of our Author's pulpit compofitions, have hitherto confider'd him as but an indifferent fermonizer. 11 and 12. Upon giving Badges to the Poor,' and Confi derations about maintaining the Poor.' The Beggars of Ireland have long been, and ftill continue to be, the curfe and fcandal of that kingdom. Our patriotic Author often employed his thoughts and utmost endeavours towards redreffing, in fome measure, this grievance; but experience hath fully thewn that nothing but an unlimited freedom, and full encouragement of trade, will effect a reformation of this kind: and when the Irish are to be indulged with fo great a bleffing, no man can tell, without the gift of prophecy. 13. The humble Reprefentation of the Clergy of Dublin, to their Archbishop-fetting forth the Hardship laid upon them by a certain Brief iffued for the Relief of one McCarthy, a School-Mafter, whofe Houfe, on College-Green, was deftroyed by Fire. There is nothing in this paper, that is likely to engage the reader's attention." 14. An Answer to Bickerstaff;'-by a Perfon of Quality. Not quite fo jocular as the Dean's predictions and controverfy with Partridge, under the affumed name of Ifaac Bickerstaff, Efq. 15. Hints on good Manners.' Thefe hints may be confi dered as fupplemental to the Author's fhort Treatife on good Manners, printed in the 14th volume of the octavo edition, and the feventh of the quarto. See alfo Review, vol. 27. p. 275. 16. RESOLUTIONS when I come to be Old.' Written in M,DC,XC,IX. Had the Dean been permitted to try the experiment, it is probable he would have failed in the obfervance of moft of thefe Refolutions; which are feventeen in number, and ranged in the following crder. Not to marry a young woman.' Not to keep young company, unless they really defire it.' Not to fcorn prefent ways, or wits, or fashions, or, &c.' Not to tell the fame story over and over to the fame people." Not to be over fevere with young people, but to make allowances for their youthful follies and weakneffes.' REV. Aug. 1765. M • Not |