But the pleasure of popularity was foon interrupted by domeftick mifery. Mrs. Johnson, whofe converfation was to him the great foftener of the ills of life, began in the year of the Drapier's triumph to decline; and two years afterwards was fo wafted with fickness, that her recovery was confidered as hopeless.

Swift was then in England, and had been invited by Lord Bolingbroke to pass the winter with him in France; but this call of calamity haftened him to Ireland, where perhaps his prefence contributed to restore her to imperfect and tottering health.

He was now fo much at eafe, that (1727) he returned to England; where he collected three volumes of Mifcella

nies in conjunction with Pope, who prefixed a querulous and apologetical Preface.

This important year fent likewise into the world Gulliver's Travels, a production fo new and strange, that it filled the reader with a mingled emotion of merriment and amazement. fuch avidity, that the price of the first edition was raised before a fecond could be made; it was read by the high and the low, the learned and illiterate. Cri-ticifm was for a while loft in wonder; no rules of judgement were applied to a book written in open defiance of truth and regularity. But when diftinctions came to be made, the part which gave least pleasure was that which defcribes

It was received with

the

the Flying land, and that which gave moft difguft must be the hiftory of the Houyhnhnms.

While Swift was enjoying the reputa

tion of his new work, the news of

the King's death arrived;

and he

kiffed the hands of the new King and Queen three days after their acceffion.

By the Queen, when he was Princess, he had been treated with fome diftinction, and was well received by her in her exaltation; but whether he gave hopes which the never took care to fatisfy, or he formed expectations which she never meant to raise, the event was, that he always afterwards thought on her with malevolence, and particularly charged her with breaking her promise

of

of fome medals which the engaged to

fend him.

I know not whether fhe had not, in her turn, fome reafon for complaint. A Letter was fent her, not fo much entreating as requiring her patronage of Mrs. Barber, an ingenious Irishwoman, who was then begging fubferiptions for her Poems. To this Letter was fubfcribed the name of Swift, and it has all the appearances of his diction and fentiments; but it was not written in his hand, and had fome little improprieties. When he was charged with this Letter, he laid hold of the inaccuracies, and urged the improbability of the accufation; but never denied it: he fhuffles between cowardice and veracity,

E

city, and talks big when he fays

nothing.

He feemed defirous enough of recommencing courtier, and endeavoured to gain the kindness of Mrs. Howard, remembering what Mrs. Mafham had performed in former times; but his flatteries were, like thofe of the other wits, unfuccefsful; the Lady either wanted power, or had no ambition of poetical immortality.

He was feized not long afterwards by a fit of giddinefs, and again heard of the ficknefs and danger of Mrs. Johnfon. He then left the houfe of Pope, as it feems, with very little ceremony, finding that two fick friends cannot live

tege