Drogheda, in which Nelly the bar-maid is introduced along with the celebrated Bernard Doyle and a mutton-pie. See Barrett's Essay, pp. 67–8.

(a) In the second copy there is a different arrangement of the verses; thus verses 20 and 21 follow 17.

(b) Sir Constantine Phipps, the great friend and adviser of the Duke of Ormond, created Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1710. He was the ancestor of the present Marquis of Normanby.

(c) The Anglesey here referred to must have been one of the Annesley

THE WHIGS' LAMENTATION.

The Church's defender

When few did befriend her,

Who speaks in her cause like Apollo.

Thus by giving them rope

They have answer'd our hope,

And their line is now brought to an end.

The Doctor's just cause,

For the Queen and the laws,

The Church's true sons will defend.

But as it is common

When death now does summon,

For life to make efforts in vain,

So their impotent malice

Has made some faint sallies,

But now dead, may they ne'er rise again.

Then fill boys the glass,

Here's a health to His Grace,

Whilst those two fast friends are about him,

Whom if he forsake,

With grief I must speak,

In spight of his guards faith they'll rout him.

163

This poem concludes the manuscript collection preserved in Mr. Christie's valuable almanac, and there is every reason to believe that it is Swift's composition, as it is undoubtedly in his handwriting. Whether it is Swift's or not, it is worth preserving, as an "abstract, and brief chronicle" of the time, highly characteristic of the state of society in this country at the beginning of the last century, and recording an event

family, and, probably, Arthur, the sixth Viscount Valentia, and afterwards Earl of Anglesey, who was then in the Irish House of Lords, and was sworn one of the Commissioners for building fifty new churches in 1711. He was also Vice-Treasurer of Ireland from 29th September, 1710, to January 14th, 1714.

164

DR. BARRETT'S ESSAY ON SWIFT.

fraught with interest in the political history of this kingdom, where, as well as in England, it caused great excitement.

There now lies before us Dr. Barrett's own copy of his Essay on the Life of Swift, containing several additions and interlineations in his own handwriting(a). Amongst these we find one particularly worthy of being recorded. It occurs at the end of page 86, where the Whimsical Miscellany is described, and runs thus: "Add: at the end of vol. iii., Appendix, p. 31, a poem thus entitled, On His Majesty King George going abroad this Summer, 1719.'" We must suppose that Barrett had good reasons for believing this poem to be Swift's. We have examined the Whimsical Miscellany and find the piece referred to. It consists of nineteen lines beginning thus:

Go, mighty Prince, where great designs unite,

And bless thy native country with thy sight,
Where no fell party, in traducing tongue,

Shall stain thy glories or thy virtues wrong," &c.

Some of Swift's best pieces appeared in the form of broadsides, and were originally printed for private distribution; and many of them, particularly the satirical and political poems, were given into the hands of ballad-singers, hawkers, and newsvenders, and were sung through the streets of London as well as Dublin. Others were posted on the walls like ordinary modern advertisements; and, at a time when newspapers and cheap literature did not prevail as at present, and when witty lampoons, satires, and pasquinades, were as much relished by the people, and, in all probability, more effectually obtained the ends intended, than the street oratory and violent declamation of more modern times, these effusions must have caused considerable excitement. Many of these broadsides and ballads were in existence thirty years ago; most of them had been printed by John Harding

(a) For the use of this work we are indebted to our friend J. O. Bonsall, Esq., who purchased it at the Vice-Provost's auction.

BROADSIDES RELATING TO SWIFT.

165

(the printer of the celebrated Drapier's Letters), in Molesworth's Court, behind Fishamble-street. When Sir Walter Scott was publishing the collected edition of Swift's works, he was furnished with several of these; some of them he published upon the traditional authority of the persons by whom they were supplied, and others from the internal evidence which they bore of Swift's pen; for, with very few exceptions, they were originally printed without the names of the authors. We possess a large volume of these ballads, and also of broadsides, both in prose and verse, noted in many places in the handwriting of Swift, and bearing evident marks of having been in his possession (a). In this volume we also find several unpublished poems, in manuscript, revised and noted in the handwriting of Swift. The whole collection consists of eighty pieces, extending from 1710 to 1734. Many of these poems have been already published as Swift's in the several editions of his works, but there are others which have never been reprinted. The following brief notices of some of the contents of this collection, will, we feel, interest the lovers of Irish history, and the memory of the eccentric, witty Dean:

"The Speech of the Pst of T- -y C- -ge, to His Royal Highness, George, Prince of Wales." This is the original publication of the celebrated parody upon the speech of the Provost, Dr. Benjamin Pratt, when the Duke of Ormond, the great friend of Swift, was attainted and superseded in the office of Chancellor to the University by the Prince of Wales, afterwards George the Second. The original speech appeared in the London Gazette of Tuesday April 17, 1716. The poetic parody was printed in that year, but in what month we cannot determine. There is no printer's name to it. Sir Walter Scott published this poem

(a) This rare collection has been recently presented to us by our friend George Smith, Esq. Sir William Betham also possesses some volumes of ́rare broadsides (some of them Swift's) printed here, which he has kindly permitted us to make use of.

166

BROADSIDES CONTAINING SOME OF SWIFT'S POEMS.

from the Lanesborough manuscript in Trinity College, and says, "there is great reason to suppose that the satire is the work of Swift, whose attachment to Ormond was uniformly ardent. Of this it may be worth while to mention a trifling instance. The Duke had presented to the Cathedral of St. Patrick's a superb organ, surmounted by his own armorial bearings. It was placed facing the nave of the church. But, after Ormond's attainder, Swift, as Dean of St. Patrick's, received orders from Government to remove the escutcheon from the church. He obeyed; but he placed the shield in the great aisle, where he himself and Stella lie buried." The arms were afterwards restored to their original locality. "The verses,” says Scott have suffered much by the inaccuracy of the noble transcriber, Lord Newtown Butler" (a). The variation, however, between the two copies is not so great as has been supposed; nevertheless, as in several instances it alters the meaning, we here reprint the original broadside as it appeared in 1716, the more particularly as the letters here printed in italics in the words "Provost," "Trinity," and "College," are filled up in the handwriting of Swift, and also the name of Dr. Pratt added as a

note.

I.

Illustrious Prince, we're come before you,
Who, more than in our founders, glory

To be by you protected;

Deign to descend and give us laws,

For we are converts to your cause,
From this day well affected(b).

II.

The noble view of your high merits

Has charm'd our thoughts and fired our spirits
With zeal, so warm and hearty,

(a) See Scott's Swift, vol. xii. p. 351.

(b) In allusion to the Provost having formerly been a Tory.