Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-01-27
SWIFT.

The I'iSh Mean az HeNrt-Tmnsher.
Appleton's Journall
If one were searching for the por-
trait Of man who would be dan
gerous to the other sex, he would
be reckoned a satirist should he
choose the portrait of Jonathan
Swift. But everybody knows how
he subjugated their minds by his
rancorous pride and savage tyranny;
how three Of the sweetest women
in Great Britain looked for all theil
happiness to his harsh, homely face
until they dropped with disgust OF
died Of despair. With what fierce
arrogance he deported himself! A
poor scribe, with nothing in pros
pect, he was insolent and hectoring
to the greatest. When the Duches,
of Shrewsbury reproached him fol
not dining with her, he replied that i
was too much for her to expect under
the circumstances; that she mus
make more advances; that be look
ed for advances from ladies, es
pecially duchesses. Lady 0glethorI
| introduced him to the Duchess O
Hamilton. To use his own words
he gave her some encouragement
but not much. He wrote to thu
Duchess of Queensberry: 81 an
glad you know your duty; for i
has been a known and established
rule above twenty years in England
that the first advances .haye beer
continually made me by all ladiet
who aspire to my acquaintance
and the greater their quality, The
greater were their advances. HI
seemed to regard himself as a su
perior being, exempt from all socia
laws, entitled to homage, even Of
the highest of the abjectest sort.
During his residence in England
he appeared to become fond = Il
fondness can be associated with
him--of a pretty, amiable, and re.
tired girl, Jane Varying, the sister
of an old college friend. He asked
her to be his wife; but she declined
on account of her delicate health.
She grew better, and, as he had
charmed her scmehow, she repented
of her refusal, and SO wrote him
He then condescended 10 accept
her, but accompanied his accept
ance with conditions so unnatural
and insulting that her selE'respect
compelled her to break with him.
Albright and winning girl, Esther
johnson presumed to be the ille-
gitimate child Of his patron, Sir
William Temple), whom he bad
reared, who had always reVered and
loved him, he treated kindly and
brutally by turns, until he made
her ineFsbly wretcbed, While he
was in LonGon, still another young
woman, Hesther Vauhomrigh, rich
and beautiful, became enRmored Of
the great bear; declared her pas
sion; followed him to Ireland nm
derwent agonies of jealousy ap-
pealed to him most pltcouSly; and
vet woke no serious response In bis
hardened breast. He had been
aifectionate to her in England; but
he changed in Ireland; he seemed
! bent on torturing her She wrote
"If you continue to treat ne ai
You do, you will not long be made
uneasy Nv me. / am sure / could
have borne the rack much better
than your killing, killing words
iShe told the sMelaBeboly truth
His brutal behavior do9nie4 hcr
she withered into the grave.
For the gentle Esther there was
now a chance of happiness. Swift
claimed that she had always had his
heart. He married her from a
sense of duty; but what a marriage,
1t was a feast in u eharnol-house, a
dance Of death, The union was
secret; it was to be nominal merely;
it was to be an Invisible change,
| with a deeper inward torment. His
spme became a hell to him. He
went to England often as he could,
and stayed as long. Poar Esther.
she was twelve years dying Es-
tnra Was as malignant as f0rtune