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guides and rulers into angels and demigods, to bridle and goad their fellow-creatures like brutes? What natural right doth fuperior cunning give one man over the liberty and independency. of another? Is it not a right of the fame kind as that which fuperior ftrength may give one to his property? Doubtless it is: nor can any better reafon be given, why a wifer man should enflave him, than why a ftronger man fhould rob him. In Society, mutual fagacity, like mutual ftrength, is united for the common good; but the focial compact gives the cunning no greater right to opprefs the fimple than it gives the frong to opprefs the weak. Add to this that the ftupid father may have an ingenious fon; and it would be the greatest act of injustice to shut the gates of knowledge against those who may not as yet have acquired information. How fhould we exclaim against the tyranny of a defign, to prevent the Poor from acquiring property, and for perpetuating wealth in the families of thofe who are now rich! But this would be neither more unjuft, nor more cruel, than the defign of entailing on the generation of the simple and unlearned a conftant ftate of ftupidity and ignorance; for to fuch a flate, that of flavery is infeparably annexed. We cannot help, therefore, expreffing our difapprobation of fuch doctrines as this Author inculcates. The rulers of the people, indeed, may infinuate, as much as they pleafe, that the multitude are happier in their ignorance, than they would be made by their enquiries after knowledge: but men are never happy unlefs they are permitted to be happy their own way; nor do they' enjoy the common privileges of human nature, if they are prevented from exerting thofe faculties, whether of imagination or reafon, with which God hath endowed them.

It is with a very ill grace, the tranflator takes upon him to cenfure the inabilities of others: nor can we allow the juftice of any of his reafons for engaging in a tafk, to which his own acquifitions are fo evidently, and, indeed, confeffedly inadequate. The ill-fuccefs of preceeding tranflators from the German, is by no means, a fufficient plea for his adding to the number of wretched tranflations. The Meffiah of Klopftock, and the Satires of Rabener, may be miferable verfions, without conferring any degree of merit on that of the letter before us. Mr. Warnecke, indeed, feems to impute the deficiency of thofe tranflations to the circumftance of their being made by Englishmen: but we do not fee why an Englishman, who does not understand. German, may not tranflate from that language as well as a German who does not understand English. Is it easier to write a language than to read it? The contrary is generally, and indeed very juftly, conceived to be the cafe. We would advise him, therefore, to study the English language two years longer, before he ventures to tranflate again: for we can affure him that all the

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wit, humour, and Attic falt, with which, he says, the original of this Letter abounds, and which he doubts not may be easily dif covered in this feeble tranflation, are totally evaporated.

K-n-k.

The Pofthumous Works of Dean Swift, concluded: See Review for September, p. 230.

WE

7E are now arrived at that part of this Collection, which contains the Letters to and from feveral perfons. They are feventy-five in number; and the principal names that appear in this correfpondence, are, the Earl of Peterborough, Lord Bolingbroke, the Duke and Duchefs of Ormond, the Duke of Argyle, Lord Chancellor Harcourt, Lord Oxford, Lady Mafham, Lord Carteret, Countefs of Suffolk, Lord Chefterfield, Lady Betty Germaine, Duke of Dorfet, Duke of Chandois, Mefits. Addifon, Steele, Pope, Lyttelton, &c. &c. Some of thefe are of fmall import; but others are more worthy both of the Dean and of the illuftrious perfons with whom he had the honour to correfpond. Their dates begin with the year 1710, and are continued to 1739. There is no doubt of their genuineness; for most of these letters do indeed, as the editor obferved, carry with them their own internal marks of authenticity: Swift is fill Swift; even to the very laft, when his infirmities had got fuch hold of him, that, when writing to his friends, the decay of his faculties became the principal though plaintive fubject.

A letter to Lord Carteret, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, dated in 1724, affords the following particulars, which do honour to the memory of the celebrated Dr. Berkeley, afterwards Bishop of Cloyne. Thefe particulars, indeed, are not wholly unknown to the public; but we deem it not impertinent to infert them here; because they may ferve as a fupplement to the account, given of that great genius, in a late volume of our Review.

In the courfe of this letter, Swift takes occafion to inform his noble correfpondent, that Dr. George Berkeley, who was then juft fet out on a journey to England, was at that time Dean of Derry, the beft preferment in that kingdom, [we fuppofe he means, exclufive of the bishopricks] being worth 1100l. a year. He takes the Bath in his way to London, fays the Dean of St. Patrick's, and will, of courfe, attend your Excellency, and be prefented, I fuppofe, by his friend my Lord Burlington. And, because I believe you will chufe out fome very idle minutes to read this letter, perhaps you may not be ill entertained with fome account of the man, and his errand. He was a Fellow in

the

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the University here; and, going to England very young, about thirteen years ago, he became the founder of a fect there called the Immaterialifts, by the force of a very curious book upon that fubject. Doctor Smallridge, and many other eminent perfons were his profelytes. I fent him fecretary and chaplain, to Sicily, with my Lord Peterborow; and, upon his Lordship's return, Doctor Berkeley spent above seven years in travelling over moft parts of Europe, but chiefly through every corner of Italy, Sicily, and other iflands. When he came back to England, he found fo many friends, that he was effectually recommended to the Duke of Grafton, by whom he was lately made Dean of Derry. Your Excellency will be frighted, when I tell you all

this is but an introduction: for I am now to mention his errand. He is an abfolute philofopher, with regard to money, titles, and power; and, for three years paft, hath been ftruck with a notion of founding an univerfity at Bermudas, by a charter from the crown. He hath feduced several of the hopefulleft young clergymen and others here, many of them well provided for, and all of them in the fairest way of preferment: But, in England, his conquefts are greater; and, I doubt, will spread very far this winter. He fhewed me a little tract, which he defigns to publifh; and there your Excellency will fee his whole fcheme of a life academico-philofophical, (Í fhall make you re-. member what you were) of a college founded for Indian fcholars and miffionaries; where he, moft exorbitantly, propofeth a whole hundred pounds a year for himself, forty pounds for a fellow, and ten for a ftudent. His heart will break if his deanary be not taken from him, and left to your Excellency's dif pofal. I difcourage him by the coldnefs of courts and mini-. fters, who will interpret all this as impoffible, and a vision; but nothing will do. And, therefore, I do humbly entreat your Excellency, either to ufe fuch perfuafions as will keep one of the first men of this kingdom, for learning and virtue, quiet at home, or affift him, by your credit, to compafs his romantic defign; which, however, is very noble and generous, and directly proper for a great perfon of your excellent education to encourage.'

It is no uncommon thing with Swift, who was a warm friend and a bitter foe, to exaggerate, greatly, the virtues of those whom he defigned to commend, as well as the faults of fuch as had the misfortune to be number'd among his enemies; but in this fketch of Dr. Berkeley's character, he feems, according to all the accounts we have met with of that worthy prelate, to have kept ftrictly within bounds, and to have given us a very just likeness of the original.

Most of our Readers, no doubt, have heard of the Dean's famous affair with Counsellor Bettefworth; occafioned by his feRev. O&. 1765.

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vere reflection on Mr. B. in his poem on the words Brother Proteftants and fellow-chriftians*. The provocation given by Swift, was, certainly, very great; but not fo great as the Lawyer's indifcretion, in his manner of resenting it. It is in general, known that he paid the Dean a vifit, on this occafion, and that he behaved fomewhat boifterously towards him; but the particulars of what paffed between them will beft appear from the Dean's own account of that matter, in a letter to the Duke of Dorset +, dated January, 1733-4-of which the following is an extract: "On Monday laft week, towards evening, there came to the deanry one Mr. Bettefworth; who, being told by the fervants that I was gone to a friend's houfe, went thither to enquire for me, and was admitted into the street-parlour. I left my company in the back room, and went to him. He began with asking me, whether I were author of certain verses, wherein he was reflected on? The fingularity of the man, in his countenance, manner, action, ftyle, and tone of voice, made me call to mind that I had once feen him, about two or three years ago, at Mr. Ludlow's country houfe. But I could not recollect his name; and of what calling he might be I had never heard. I therefore defired to know who, and what he was; faid I had heard of fome fuch verses, but knew no more. He then fignified to me, that he was a ferjeant at law, and a member of parliament. After which he repeated the lines that concerned him, with great emphafis; faid, I was miftaken in one thing, for he affured me he was no booby, but owned himself to be a coxcomb. However, that being a point of controverfy wherein I had no concern, I let it drop. As to the verfes, he infifted, that, by his taste and skill in poetry, he was as fure I writ them as if he had seen them fall from my pen. But I found the chief weight of his argument lay upon two words that rhymed to his name, which he knew could come from none but me. He then told me, That, fince I would not own the verfes, and that fince he could not get fatisfaction by any courfe of law, he would get it by his pen, and fhew the world what a man I was. When he began to grow over-warm and eloquent, I called in the gentleman of the houfe, from the room adjoining; and the Serjeant, going on with lefs turbulence, went away. He had a footman in the hall during all his talk, who was to have opened the door for one or more fellows, as he hath fince reported; and, likewife, that he had a fharp knife in his pocket, ready to ftab or

Thus at the bar that booby Bett'sworth,

Though half a crown out-pays his Sweat'sworth,
Who knows in law nor text nor Margent,
Calls Singleton his brother Serjean'.

The Duke was then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

maim me*. But the mafter and mistress of the house, who knew his character, and could hear every word from the room they were in, had prepared a fufficient defence in fuch a cafe, as they afterwards told me. He hath fince related to five hundred perfons of all ranks, above five hundred falfehoods of this converfation, of my fears and his own brutalities, against all probability as well as fact; and fome of them, as I have been affured, even in the presence of your Grace. His meanings and his movements were indeed peevith enough, but his words were not, He threatened me with nothing but his pen, yet owned he had no pretence to wit. And indeed I am heartily glad, for his own fake, that he proceeded no further; for, the leaft uproar would have called his nearest neighbours first to my affiftance, and next, to the manifeft danger of his life. And I would not willingly have even a dog killed upon my account. Ever fince he hath amufed himfelf with declaring, in all companies, especially before Bishops, and Lords, and members of parliament, his refolutions for vengeance, and the several manners by which he will put it in execution,

It is only to the advice of fome judicious friends that your grace owes the trouble of this letter. For, though I difpirited enough by ficknefs and years, yet I have little reafon to apprehend any danger from that man; and those who seem to have moft regard for my fafety, are no more apprehenfive than myself, especially fuch as best know his character. For his very enemies, and even his ridiculers, who are, of the two, by far the greater number, allow him to be a peaceable man in all things except his words, his rhetorical action, his looks, and his hatred to the clergy; which however are all known, by abundance of experience, to be perfectly harmless; and particularly as to the clergy.'

After all, Bettefworth's great fault, and what rendered him particularly obnoxious to Swift, was his being a very zealous Whig, and an active man among the leaders of that party, at a time when party animofities ran high in Ireland; and, indeed, in both kingdoms.

We come now to the poetical articles contained in this posthumous publication; the firft of which is a poem by Dr. Parnell, addreffed to Swift, on his birth-day, November 30, 1713. Parnell's poetical talents are well known; and therefore we fhall pafs immediately to the next article; which is a congratulatory Epiftle from Swift to Lord Harley, on the marriage of the latter. Thefe verfes abound in wit and compliment; but will intereft few Readers in thefe days. Next follow two fmall pieces, one by Bifhop Atterbury, the other by Parnell; and then we It is pretty obvious that Swift has here endeavoured to place Mr. B's behaviour rot only in the most abfurd and ridiculous, but in the worst Light that he poibly could.

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