The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19
H..

H..
In his sixth chapter. Mr. Elton discusses Swift,
Deioe Steele Addison. and Pope. Imagine
says our author, well-equipped Athenian neither
facilo In sentiment nor squeamish loving NOR.
dancy and nbadry in their place, and alive to
the charm OF mastery order. deyelopmcnt and con.
troll imagine him coming on a translation, written
in sound adequate Attic Of the worEs Of Swift
evidently as no would recognize mas.
ter OF style, able To hold up his head
with tho greatest and leaving an indebc
print on the mind. What would the Greek think
when he read Of the Yahoos7 Human life in its
physical responsiveness no Greek had described
with so niOerable an acuteneSs OF sensation.
and even those Greeks 10 whom liic seemed a
light or vain thing had also felt IL solemn and
tragic, the prey even OF some divine necessity
But Swift makes no reference to beauty and ne, r
returns TO the principle Of awe and OF the divine m
things; would he not then. seem a monster? In
style sculpture without beauty, in temper bcnevo-
lence without love: mastery Of intellect without
serenity: by stating these oppoSi,es. We are no,
much closer than an Athcnian critic would DO
to real diyinauon Of this mysterious figure
whose artistic form Is TRANSPARENT and prrf,ct
and who has written himself down at much length
but who has never been described. and perhaps
never VIII be, The earliest authenticated writ
ings Of Jonathan Swift Cborn 1867. is to o seen
In his Ode on Sir William Temples illness u603)
his last Is in his final letters to Mrs " hitevny.
ending In Jan i7Il: he died. not mad. but i'm.
beetle, on Oct 10, i7i5, His first period Of pro
ducton ends with the reign Of Anne Q7lD. It's
chief fruit In Tale Of Tub which came out
With the Battle Of the Books in 1904. but was
alleged by Its author to have been written eight
years earlier. The tale is a derisive apologize.
worked out with endless hotous wit lev eed against
Rome and Calvin, Peter and Jack. but telling
also, by repcrcussion Of blasphemous satire
against Lutheran orthodoxy. In the interspaees
there plays free. destructive intuition. deadly
to certain permanent types, like the chesp sccptc
OF the cheap wit. The region In which Swift
moves throughout his fierce and itful commen,
on tho whole human farce Is a pulling one mel.
Their that Of the discursive reason NJ the free,
p"eucai fancy. In Mr Elton's Judgment
however the book Is the purcst expression Of
Swiffs genius. Thus far. he was a comiortless,
gallery spectator Of the farce, without a career:
he was the client. or ex -client OF the grandee Sir
William Temple, with empty pockets and we'll
DEFINED prcsentiment OF human gracel,ss mesa
In BlckeTSlhHs predictions against Partridge
who suffered bitter burlesquo. d.ath.in.
liio at his hands Swift wears tho un.
moved visago proper 10 all his humor;
but In the Battle Of the Books,- his impassiyo
Countcnance scarcely hides his fury against tho
little lok VINO represent great sWindlo. Tho
same air and the same temper peryade his Ar
gument against Abolishing hristianity," where
his butts arc the feebler dcists. Swifts other
tracts Of this kind less roucal in tone, show tho
hardening Of his political Anglcanism and his
disquict In the Wing camp Partly through do.
feated ambition, chiefly from tenacity to the
Church, Swift moved away to tho Tories and was
rewarded by power, which no mperiousy eAor.
ciSed' without oifice. He played the Tory gamo
honestly to the end. and he gave his spare time
and his sympathy to the help Of obscure merit
Mr.. Elton considers Swifts contributions TO tho
Examiner the hrst and best articles periodically
written by master of English letters in order TO
form party opinions Neither Defoo nor Steele
had style enough tocontest the place Before tho
voter whom he wishes TO persuade Swift represses
The more alarming sallies Of his irony; the geno
alogy Of political lie sometimes Of noble birth
anu sometimes the spawn Of a stock .iobber," Is |
almost the last passage In his works where the
Tree M distinct from the logical imagination has
imprisoned play, Henceforth, a certain aridity |
and system appear In his wit by way Of reward !
when he deemed most inadequate. he was made
Dean OF ST Pauck's Swift bitterly digesied ,
MS irish exile during some years Of silence, but
his reason still maintained its nscendency. Tho
fund OF passion In him was diverted to friendship
TO the hatred Of man. as no commonly is and 10 a
contemptuous and angry pity for the oppressed.
These are the three mansprinys Of his remain.
ing Writings, which include personal letters and
verses his works on behalf Of Ireland and "Gul-
lver's Travels" From LuciAn and Cyrano do
Bergerac and all predecessors who had described
an inverted Utopia under the form Of a Journey.
Swift differs by his motive or rather by the colIec-
ton OF motives that divide the Travels OF CULVER
h'2o' into separate workS The club Of Scribler- |