3

houfes, and were united by the name of

Brother.

Being not immediately confidered as an obdurate Tory, he converfed indifcriminately with all the wits, and was yet the friend of Steele; who, in the Tatler, which began in 1710, confeffes the advantages of his converfation, and mentions fomething contributed by him to his paper. But he was now immerging into political controverfy; for the fame year produced the Examiner, of which Swift wrote thirty-three papers. In argument he may be allowed to have the advantage; for where a wide fyftem of conduct, and the whole of a publick character, is laid open to enquiry, the accufer having the choice of facts, must be very unskilful

if

if he does not prevail; but with regardi to wit, I am afraid none of Swift's pa pers will be found equal to those by which Addifon oppofed him..

Early in the next year. he publifhed a Propofal for correcting, improving, and afcertaining the English Tongue,. in a Letter to the Earl of Oxford; written without much knowledge of the general nature of language, and without any accurate enquiry into the hiftory of other tongues. The certainty and stability which, contrary to all experience, he thinks attainable, he propofes to fecure by inftituting an academy; the decrees of which every man would have been willing, and many would have beenproud to disobey, and which, being re

newed

newed by fucceffive elections, would in a fhort time have differed from itself.

He wrote the fame year a Letter to the October Club, a number of Tory Gentlemen fent from the country to Par-liament, who formed themfelves into a club, to the number of about a hundred, and met to animate the zeal and raise the expectations of each other. They thought, with great reafon, that the Minifters were lofing opportunities; that fufficient ufe was not made of the general ardour of the nation; they called loudly for more changes, and ftronger efforts; and demanded the punifhment of part, and the difmiffion of the reft, of thofe whom they confidered as publick robbers.

Their eagerness was not gratified by the Queen, or by Harley. The Queen was probably flow because she was afraid, and Harley was flow because he was doubtful; he was a Tory only by neceffity, or for convenience; and when he had power in his hands, had no fettled purpose for which he should employ it; forced to gratify to a certain degree the Tories who fupported him, but unwilling to make his reconcilement to the Whigs utterly defperate, he correfponded at once with the two expectants of the Crown, and kept, as has been obferved, the fucceffion undetermined. Not knowing what to do, he did nothing; and with the fate of a double-dealer, at last he loft his power, but kept his enemies.

Swift seems to have concurred in op nion with the October Club; but it was not in his power to quicken the tardinefs of Harley, whom he ftimulated as much as he could, but with little effect. He that knows not whither to go, is in no hafte to move. Harley, who was perhaps not quick by nature, became yet more flow by irrefolution; and was content to hear that dilatorinefs lamented as natural, which he applauded in himfelf as politick.

Without the Tories, however, nothing could be done; and as they were not to be gratified, they must be appeafed; and the conduct of the Minifter, if it could not be vindicated, was to be plaufibly excufed.