Early in the fpring of 1702, King William died, an event that opened to the political world a new fcene of action. When his fucceffor, Queen Anne, came to the throne; the whigs and tories, "creatures," according to the defcription of a whimsical author in the laft century, "who are born with a fecret antipathy to each other, and engage as naturally when they meet as the elephant and rhinoceros," were warmly contending for the afcendancy; and it was generally supposed that the Tories would have prevailed, but contrary to all expectation the whigs had managed matters with fuch dexterity, as to fecure the confidence of the Queen, and of courfe obtain the adminiftration of Government. Swift's friends were now in power, and from the fpecimen he had given of his political knowledge, in his Difcourfe on the Contests, &c. wifhed to retain him in their fervice; but notwithstanding his intereft and perfonal attachment were on their fide, he declined all concern in their affairs. The reafon affigned by Mr. Sheridan in his life, was their encouragement of Fanatics, and Sectaries of all kinds, under an open profeflion of Low-church principles, and indeed maintaining univerfal toleration, under pretence of moderation, and allowing a general liberty of confcience. However this motive may evince his fincerity, it can be no proof of his liberality, in the opinion of those who confider religious liberty as the indifputable claim of rational beings.

Having at this juncture declined all political concerns, his time was mostly employed in compofing fermons, and attending to his parochial duties; nor did he indulge himself in any fallies of fancy till the year 1703, when he penned his Meditations on a Broomflick, and the Tritical Effay on the Faculties of the Mind. The first of these was written in derifion of that canting, fanatical language, which is too often used to delude weak and credulous minds; and the other to expofe the folly and prefumption of superficial scribblers, who, by a bombaftic ftyle, endeavour to give an importance to the most futile and trivial fubjects.

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In the year 1704, he first published his Tale of a Tub, which he had kept by him, by his own confeffion, eight years after it had been completely finished. Mr. Sheridan confiders this work as conducive to the interefts of real religion, in fhewing the effects of fuperftition and fanaticilin in a ludicrous point of view; but Johnson and others think it of a very dangerous tendency; indeed the major part of the clergy of that day were of the fame opinion, as appears from Archbishop Sharpe's having fhewn it to the Queen, in order to debar the author from obtaining a bithopric; nor did Swift, upon that occafion, deny his writing it, though it was evidently repugnant to his intereft. After the publication of this work, his acquaintance was much fought after by all perfons of taste and genius; a fincere and lasting friendship fubfifted between him and Mr. Addifon; and he lived in habits of intimacy with Congreve, Arbuthnot, Prior, Pepe, Parnel, Garth, Berkeley, and other eminent literary characters of that day.

There paffed an interval of four years between this period, and the time of Swift's ftarting from a state of inactivity, when he published, in 1708, feveral pieces on political and religious fubjects, fuch as, The Sentiments of a Church of Englandman;-Arguments against al olifting Christianity;—and, A Defence of the Sacramental Teft. From the general tenor of thefe works Swift's political and religious principles may be easily deduced. It will appear, that he was by no means exempt from the prejudices that prevailed in thofe days; that he was an advocate for a blind and implicit deference for particular doctrines and tenets, without inveltigating the validity of their foundation; and that, with respect to toleration, his principles were inimical to a general liberty of confcience. In a word, however free and unbiaffed his mind might be in other refpects,. in religious matters it was contracted, partial and illiberal. He wrote alfo, the fame year, those admirable papers on Partridge, the almanack-maker, under the name of Bickerstaff.

In 1709, he published a tract, called, A Projet for the Advancement of Religion. This was a very frong, though covert attack upon the power of the whigs.Swift had difcerned that the Queen was then meditating a change in the miniftry to effect which, he knew nothing could more forcibly contribute, than to infinuate that the church was in danger, and called loudly for the protection of her Majefty, and the countenance and fupport of the ministry, and all perfons vefted with authority under the crown; intimating, that the Queen should employ none in her miniftry, or in any offices about her perfon, but fuch as were warmly attached to the religion established by law; which was, in effect, to fay, that the muft difcard the whigs or low-church-party, and chuse her officers from among the tories or high-churchparty, in order to refcue the church from the deftruction with which it was threatened. But the project laid down in this tract fuppofes more zeal, concord, and perfeverance, to carry it into execution, than, from a general view of mankind, can be reafonably expected.

Swift began his political career in 1710, when the whigs were difmiffed, and a tory miniftry was appointed in their tead. Being then in England, he was deputed by the Primate of Ireland, to folicit the Queen for a remiffion of the first-fruits and twentieth parts to the clergy of that kingdom. Having received his credentials, he applied to Harley, not only because he took the lead in adminiftration, but because he had been reprefented to him as a man neglected and oppreffed by the late minif try, for having refufed to co-operate with them in fome of their schemes. Harley received him with apparent cordiality,as a man capable of rendering him the most effential fervices in the profecution of the plan he had in con. templation, and foon admitted him to familiarity, whether ever to confidence has been doubted; for Lord Orrery, who was well acquainted with courts and courtiers, obferves, "that Harley, as a gentleman and a fcholar," might be open and unreferved to Doctor Swift, as far as his nature would permit; but as a minifter of state,

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he ever appeared myfterious and enigmatical, delivering his oracles, like the Delphian deity, in occult terms, and ambiguous expreflions." The Doctor foon after became perfonally acquainted with the rest of the minifters, who courted and careffed him with uncommon affiduity, and admitted him to a political affociation, who dined together, ftatedly, every week, and went under the denomination of Brothers.

From this time the Doctor fupported the interest of his new friends with all his powers, in pamphlets, poems, and periodical papers. The writers on both fides attacked each other with great acrimony. On the whig fide were Mr. Addison, Bishop Burnet, Sir Richard Steele, Mr. Congreve, Mr. Rowe, and others of less note. On the part of the tories were Lord Bolingbroke, Bishop Atterbury, Mr. Prior, and their new associate, Doctor Swift.

The tory party had begun a weekly paper, called The Examiner, and had published twelve numbers, but as foon as Swift had declared his refolution to efpouse their caufe, they committed to him the fole management of that paper. He wrote thirty-three numbers, and it was generally allowed that in point of argument, wit, and fatire, he baffled all his opponents, and maintained a decided fuperiority; which fecured him the utmost degree of confidence and familiarity, not only with Mr. Harley, but the whole miniftry, being always prefent at their most facred confultations on political matters, and a constant companion of their chosen parties, to enliven their focial hours.

But the attention of Swift was not fo totally engroffed by politics as to obliterate from his mind the remembrance of Stella; for, amidst all the business and honours that crowded upon him, he wrote every day an account of whatever occurred, and tranfmitted her a journal regularly, dated every fortnight, during the whole time of his connection with Queen Anne's ministry; and from these unrestrained effufions of his heart, many particu

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lars are known, which could not have been discovered by any other means.

So active was Swift in the caufe he espoused, that he was not content with performing every thing within his own department, but he let flip no opportunity of urging minifters to do what was proper on their part.He told them their faults with great freedom, fometimes in a ferious, and fometimes in a jocofe manner, as opportunities offered. There is a little anecdote,which thews how freely he indulged himself in this vein. He had ever conceived, fince he had joined the party, that Harley, now created Earl of Oxford, was rather too tardy in his meafures, to which he took occafion to allude, on the following circumftance.

Swift having received a prefent of a curious fnuff-box from Colonel Hill, an officer who had fignalized his valour at the battle of Almanza, he fhewed it to Lord Oxford, who, after having admired the painting and the workmanship, turned up the bottom of the box, where he efpied a figure resembling a goofe, upon which, turning to the Doctor, he faid, "Jonathan, I think the Colonel has made a goofe of you!"-"'Tis true, My Lord," replied Swift, but if you will look a little further, you will fee I am driving a nail before me ;' which indeed happened to be the device. Earl cooly replied, "That's fevere enough, Jonathan ; but I deferve it."

To this the

It does not appear that Swift at this time had any great expectations from his connections with thefe exalted characters; as in one of his letters to his favourite Stella, he writes thus, "The miniftry are good honeft fellows; I ufe them like dogs, because I expect they will ufe me fo. They call me nothing but Jonathan; and I faid I believed they would leave me Jonathan, as they found me; and that I never knew a ministry do any thing for those whom they make companions of their pleasures; but I care not.

In 1711 he wrote a letter to the October Club, a society, compofed, according to his own account, of

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