which resounded with his sparkling wit, and where he' gossiped with Sheridan and Delany,-the lanes and alleys which knew his charity, the squares and streets where the people shouted his name in the days of his unexampled popularity, the mansions where he was the honoured and muchsought guest, perhaps the very rooms he had often visited,— were again occupied by the dust of Swift!"-Wilde's Closing Years of Dean Swift's Life. Casts and drawings were made of the skulls; and that of Swift was carefully examined by Mr. Hamilton, of Dublin, who says: On looking at Swift's skull, the first thing that struck me was the extreme lowness of the forehead, those parts which the phrenologists have marked out as the organs of wit, causality, and comparison, being scarcely developed at all; but the head rose gradually, and was high from benevolence backwards. The portion of the occipital bone assigned to the animal propensities, philo-progenitiveness, amativeness, &c., appeared excessive. 66 "Although the skull, phrenologically considered, might be thought deficient, yet its capacity was, in reality, very great, capable of containing such a brain as we might expect in so remarkable a genius; a section of it exceeding that of an ordinary skull in a very remarkable manner, particularly in its transverse diameter." Mr. Hamilton adds, that "the cranium, in its great length in the anteroposterior diameter, its low anterior development, prominent frontal sinuses, comparative lowness at the vertex, projecting nasal bones, and large posterior projection-resembles, in a most extraordinary manner, those skulls of the so-called Celtic aborigines of North-Western Europe which are found in the early tumuli of this people throughout Ireland.” A cast was taken of the interior of the cranium, which is of exceeding interest, inasmuch as it accurately represents the enormous development of the vessels within the cranium, resembling the cast of a recent brain much more than that of the interior of a skull. Prior to the above date (1835,) Swift's skull had been pronounced by a phrenologist to be very common-place indeed,nay, from the low frontal development, almost that of a fool; and in the measurements of the cranium given in the Phrenological Journal, we find amativeness large and wit small! with similar contradictions to the well-known character of his genius. But all these discrepancies were endeavoured to be accounted for by the fact, that the skull then presented was not that of Swift, the wit, the caustic writer, and the patriot,but that of Swift, the madman and the fool; and to explain this it has been asserted, that the skull had collapsed or fallen in some places! No such change exists; and Esquirol, one of the highest authorities on the subject, has found, from long observation, that the skull previously normal, does not alter its form or capacity from long-continued insanity or imbecility. Thus, concludes Mr. Wilde, the circumstance of Dean Swift's head exhibiting small intellectual and large animal propensities-little wit and great amativeness-has not yet been accounted for by the votaries of phrenology. THE DEAN SHAVING. The quality or talent of humour is often, as Pope remarked in the case of Wycherley, the last to leave a man. At the time Swift was writing to Pope in a strain of gloom and despondency, we find this characteristic note to his cousin, Mrs. Whiteway, concerning a box of soap and a brush which had been sent to him by his cousin, Mr. D. Swift: "Mr. Swift's gimcracks of cups and balls, in order to my convenient shaving with ease and dispatch, together with the prescription on half a sheet of paper, was exactly followed, but some inconveniences attended: for I cut my face once or twice, was just twice as long in the performance, and left twice as much hair behind as I have done this twelvemonth past. I return him, therefore, all his implements, and my own compliments, with abundance of thanks, because he hath fixed me during life in my old humdrum way. Give me a full and true account of all your healths, and so adieu. "I am ever, &c. "JON. SWIFT. "Oct. 3rd or 4th, or rather, as the butler says, the 2nd, on Tuesday, 1738." The Dean was then in his seventy-first year. SWIFT AND MACAULAY-A PARALLEL. The opening of Lord Macaulay's History of England has too great a resemblance to the opening paragraph of Swift's Four Last Years of Queen Anne. Let our readers judge. Here is Macaulay : I purpose to write the History of England from the accession of King James II. down to a time which is within the memory of men still living. I shall recount the errors which, in a few months, alienated a loyal gentry and priesthood from the House of Stuart. I shall trace the course of that revolution which terminated the long struggle between our Sovereigns and their Parliaments, and bound up together the rights of the people and the title of the reigning dynasty. I shall narrate how which resounded with his sparkling wit, and where he gossiped with Sheridan and Delany,-the lanes and alleys which knew his charity, the squares and streets where the people shouted his name in the days of his unexampled popularity, the mansions where he was the honoured and muchsought guest,-perhaps the very rooms he had often visited,were again occupied by the dust of Swift!"-Wilde's Closing Years of Dean Swift's Life. Casts and drawings were made of the skulls; and that of Swift was carefully examined by Mr. Hamilton, of Dublin, who says: On looking at Swift's skull, the first thing that struck me was the extreme lowness of the forehead, those parts which the phrenologists have marked out as the organs of wit, causality, and comparison, being scarcely developed at all; but the head rose gradually, and was high from benevolence backwards. The portion of the occipital bone assigned to the animal propensities, philo-progenitiveness, amativeness, &c., appeared excessive. "Although the skull, phrenologically considered, might be thought deficient, yet its capacity was, in reality, very great, capable of containing such a brain as we might expect in so remarkable a genius; a section of it exceeding that of an ordinary skull in a very remarkable manner, particularly in its transverse diameter." Mr. Hamilton adds, that "the cranium, in its great length in the anteroposterior diameter, its low anterior development, prominent frontal sinuses, comparative lowness at the vertex, projecting nasal bones, and large posterior projection-resembles, in a most extraordinary manner, those skulls of the so-called Celtic aborigines of North-Wester Europe which are found in the early tumuli of this pe A cast was taken of the interior of the cr interest, inasmuch as it accurately represe of the vessels within the cranium, resem much more than that of the interior Prior to the above date nounced by a phrenologi nay, from the low fro and in the measure logical Journal, w similar contrad genius. But accounted f observation, that the skull previously normal, does not alter its form or capacity from long-continued insanity or imbecility. Thus, concludes Mr. Wilde, the circumstance of Dean Swift's head exhibiting small intellectual and large animal propensities little wit and great amativeness-has not yet been accounted for by the votaries of phrenology. THE DEAN SHAVING. The quality or talent of humour is often, as Pope remarked in the case of Wycherley, the last to leave a man. At the time Swift was writing to Pope in a strain of gloom and despondency, we find this characteristic note to his cousin, Mrs. Whiteway, concerning a box of soap and a brush which had been sent to him by his cousin, Mr. D. Swift: "Mr. Swift's gimcracks of cups and balls, in order to my convenient shaving with ease and dispatch, together with the prescription on half a sheet of paper, was exactly followed, but some inconveniences attended: for I cut my face once or twice, was just twice as long in the performance, and left twice as much hair behind as I have done this twelvemonth past. I return him, therefore, all his implements, and my own compliments, with abundance of thanks, because he hath fixed me during life in my old humdrum way. Give me a full true account of our healths, and so adieu. or 4th 788." an was SWIT open great r Los Lure is I pur Jame 66 I am ever, &c. "JON. SWIFT. as the butler says, the 2nd, on seventy-first year. ALLEL. f England has accession of King emory of men still months, alienated a rt. I shall trace the Tong struggle between up together the rights I shall narrate how www the new settlement was, during many troubled years, successfully defended against foreign and domestic enemies; how, under that settlement, the authority of law and the security of property were found to be compatible with a liberty of discussion and of individual actic a never before known; how, from the auspicious union of order and freedom, sprang a prosperity of which the annals of human affairs had furnished no example; how one country, from a stage of ignominious vassalage, rapidly rose to the place of umpire among European Powers; how her opulence and her martial glory grew together; how, by wise and resolute good faith, was gradually established a public credit fruitful of marvels, &c. Here is Swift:- I propose to give the public an account of the most important affairs at home, during the last session of Parliament, as well as of our negotiations of peace abroad-not only during that period, but some time before and since. I shall narrate the chief matters transacted by both houses in that session, and discover the designs carried on by the heads of a discontented party-not only against the Ministry, but, in some manner, against the Crown itself. I likewise shall state the debts of the nation; show by what mismanagement, and to serve what purposes, they were at first contracted; by what negligence or corruption they have so prodigiously grown; and what methods, &c. We are not, we are told, to mistake resemblances for thefts; but here the marks of imitation are too great to be accidental. Perhaps Swift's opening paragraph was ringing, unconsciously, in Macaulay's ears whilst he was framing and elaborating his own well-turned sentences.-Peter Cunningham, F.S.A. Lord Macaulay, it will be seen by referring to p. 54, did not scruple to suspect the Dean of having borrowed the happiest touches" in Gulliver's Travels. CHARACTER OF LORD OXFORD. one of "The Lord Swift said of this truly great statesman: Treasurer is the greatest minister I ever knew: regular in life, with a true sense of religion, an excellent scholar, and a good divine, of a very mild and affable disposition, intrepid in his notions, and indefatigable in business, an utter despiser of money for himself, yet frugal (perhaps to an extremity) for the public. In private company, he is wholly disengaged, and very facetious, like one who had no business at all." Yet Swift knew the great foible of his friend, and in his frank and familiar manner occasionally told him of his fault, which appears to have been a sort of indolent procrastination, rather than negligence. |