again, and left nothing of all the goods, but a few fools, for his wife, children and fervants, to fit down and bemoan their diftreffed condition. Having taken away all, and being gone, Mrs. Swift in compaffion to her poor infant in the cradle, took it up almoft ftarved with cold, and wrapped it in a petticoat which fhe took off from herfelf; and now hoped, that having nothing to lofe, would be a better protection for their perfons, than that which fhe purchased of captain Kirle for 30s. but as if Job's meffengers would never make an end, her three maid-servants, whom they of the caftle compelled to carry the poultry to the caftle, return, and tell their mistress, that they in the castle faid, that they had a warrant to seize upon Mrs. Swift, and bring her to the caftle; and that they would make her three maid-fervants wait on her there; threatning to plunder all under the petticoat, and other uncivil, immo-deft words, not fit for them to fpeak, or'me to write. Hereupon Mrs. Swift fled to the place where her husband, for fear of the rebels, had withdrawn himself: fhe had not been gone two hours, but they came from the caftle, and bring with them three teams to carry away what was before design. ed for plunder, but wanted means of conveyance: when they came, among other things, there was a batch of bread hot in the oven; this they feized: ten children on their knees, intreat but for one loaf; and at laft, with much importunity, obtain it; but before the children had eaten it, they took even that one loaf away, and left them deftitute of a morfel of bread amongst ten children. Ranfacking every corner of the house, that nothing might be left behind, they find a fmall pewter-difh, in which the dry nurfe had put pap to feed the poor infant, the mother, which gave it fuck, being fled to fave her life; this they feize on too: the nurse intreats for God's fake, that they would fpare that; pleading, that in the mother's abfence it was all the fuftenance which was, or could be provided to fuftain the life of the child; and on her knees intreated to fhew mercy unto the child, that knew not the right hand from the left: a motive which prevailed with God himself, though juflly incenfed against Niniveh but to fhew what bowels of compaffion and mercy are to be expected in fectaries, and how far they are from being difciples to him, who fays, "be ye merciful, as your Father which is in Heaven is merciful:" they tranfgrefs that precept of Our Saviour in the letter, and take away the children's meat, and give it unto dogs: for throwing the pap to the dogs, they put up the dish as lawful prize. Mr. Swift's E Swift's eldest fon, a youth, feeing this barbarous cruelty, demanded of them a reafon of this fo hard ufage: they replied, that his father was a traitor to the king and parliament, and added, that they would keep them fo thort, that they should eat the very flesh from their arms; and to make good their word, they threaten the miller, that if he ground any corn for thefe children, they would grind him in his own mill; and not contented with this, they go to Mr. Swift's next neighbour (whofe daughter was his fervant) and take him prifoner; they examine him upon oath, what goods of Mr. Swift's he had in his cuftody: he profeffing that he had none, they charge him to take his daughter away from Mr. Swift's fervice, or elfe they threaten to plunder him; and to make fure work, they make him give them fecurity to obey all their commands. Terrified with this, the neighbours ftand afar off; and pity the diftreffed condition of those perfecuted children, but dare not come or fend to their relief. By this means, the children and fervants had no fuftenance; hardly any thing to cover them, from Friday fix a clock at night, till Saturday twelve at night; until at laft the neighbours, moved with lamentable cries, and complaints of the children and fervants; one of the neighbours over-looking all difficulties, and fhewing that he durft be charitable in defpight of those monfters, ventured in, and brought them fome provision. And if the world would know what it was that fo exafperated thefe rebels againft this gentleman, the earl of Stamford, a man that is not bound to give an account of all his actions, gave two reafons for it; firft, because he had bought arms, and conveyed them into Monmouthshire; which, under his lordship's good favour, was not fo; and fecondly, because not long before, he preached a fermon in Rofs upon that text, "Give unto Cæfar the things which are Cæfar's"; in which his lordship said he had spoken treason, in endeavouring to give Cæfar more than his due. These two crimes coft Mr. Swift no less than gool. Thus far the Mercury; which being written about a year after the tranfacting of thefe barbarities, could not account for Mr. Swift's fequeftration; because that was not formally iffued until about three years after, viz. in 1646; and July the 5th, that year, I find, fays Dr. Walker, the committee of Hereford fequeftred, and ordered the profits of Goodrich into the hands of Jonathan Dryden, * minifter, until the Christmas *This Jonathan Dryden was brother to Mrs. Swift, and a near relation to the famous John Dryden, the poet. Christmas following. This Mr. Dryden was to fee the faid cure duly officiated; and to receive, gather, and difpofe of the dues of the living. When his other living of Bridtow was put under fequeftration, I know not; but Sept. 25, that year alfo, the fame committee ordered his ejectment from it, for fcandal and delinquency, and for his being in actual fervice against the parliament. At the fame time likewise they ordered Mr. Jonathan Smith, the then curate, to be inducted in his cure. The 24th of March following, the committee ordered his ejectment alfo from Goodrich, and the inducting of Gyles Rawlins to fucceed him in that parifh; and affign the fame reafons for it, as they before had done for the turning him out of Briditow. Mr. Swift was alfo imprifoned by the committee, as foon as the garrifon of Hereford fell into the hands of the rebels, and continued prifoner a long time. I find him in cuftody at Ragland-Cafile when the committee ordered his ejectment from Goodrich. He had a temporal eftate in Goodrich, and Marstow, which the fame committee ordered to be fequeftered, Auguft, 4, 1646. After which he endured many grievous hardfhips with his numerous family, but lived to be restored with the church and his majefty, and died at Goodrich, in a good old age. He had thirteen children, and five of his fons went to Ireland in fearch of fortune after the ruin of their father. The fourth was Jonathan, father of the celebrated Dean of St. Patrick's. THE CHARACTER OF AN ENTHUSIAST: [From Mr. CHARLES LESLIE's Caffandra, No. II. reprinted in the 6th volume of his Rehearsal, page 218, 1750.] THE HE fpirit of enthusiasm puts out the eye of reason, and deftroys the sobriety of religion; leaves a man no principle or rule, but that of imagination and impulfes; can make him believe that he is in the exaltation of charity, while he is in the very gall of bitterness, and delighting himself in the fin of Ham. He is not afraid to speak evil of dignities, to revile and bespatter both church and ftate, to expose the 3 B nakedness Vol. XIII. Churchm. Mag. for November 1807. nakedness of father and mother; and can perfuade himself, that all this is out of an high fenfe, and zeal to the glory of God! This can fanctify fchifm and rebellion in his eyes! and in fhort, he can do no evil, because he thinks every thing that he does to be good, for he has an impulfe for it. He imitates nothing of the Apostles, but their miracles: turns religion into romance, and will do nothing ordinary. He keeps himself in a sphere above other mortals, whence he looks down upon them with difdain, which he calls pity. His own infirmities, if he fees any in himself, he calls human frailties; but all others offend of malicious wickedness. He is of all men the most impatient of contradiction, or any reflection upon his reputation; and yet he feeketh not honour of men; and thinks Himfelf an holy and humble man of heart. He is all made up of contradictions; proud in his humility; meek in his rage; charitable in railing; zealous in lying; patient in his revenge; for unity in fchifm; and loyal in his rebellion! He knows nothing truly; and himfelf least of all: an hypocrite to himself, he is every thing but what he is. He is proof against reafon; there is no method with him but exorcifm. And now I think it is time to have done with him. REMARKABLE ANECDOTE OF Mr. STANLEY. [From a fcarce Tract, entitled, "Essays for the Month of January 1717, 8vo."] Cheer in the king's army APTAIN JAMES STANLEY, who had been an of during the civil wars which began in the year 1641, and had loft by the fequeftration fuc ceeding them the largest part of his eftate, retired to fpend the remnant of his days on one of his farms, which he had found means to preferve in the name of a relation of the contrary party, and which was feated in that part of Glouces terfhire which borders on the Severn. He furvived but a little the ruins of his caufe, and dying in his retirement, left his wife, a young widow, with that farm for her jointure, whofe rent, when last lett, had been about about 500l. per annum: fhe had a fon under nine years of age, whom he took from a school he was fent to in the lifetime of his father, and kept him at home, as a means to di̟vert or alleviate her forrow. Robert Stanley, this fon, discovered a genius, much bent to a love of the country. He would often delight to be prefent at the plowings, the thre fhings, and fuch other business of the fervants, and was every year diligent in picking up the acorns, as they fell from fome trees which grew about his mother's house, which acorns he would be whole days employing himfelf in making holes for, and planting up and down in the banks of the hedge-rows or enclosures. The mother, however, was advifed, when her fon reached fifteen, to fend him to London, where the law was believed the most hopeful employment he could follow. He was therefore recommended to the care of an attorney, with whom he lived feveral years; and afterwards fetting up for himfelf, mifcarried in the bufinefs, and either through fear of his mother's difpleafure, or the weight of fome debts he had contracted, procured recommendations for fome fmall preferment abroad, and went over to Jamaica, which was then newly fettled by the English. In Jamaica, from a very narrow beginning, he obtained by the fuccefs of his induftry a confiderable plantation, and lived in that island almoft twenty years; at the end of which time he grew defirous to vifit England again, and there fettle near his mother, who was ftill alive and impatient to see him. In purfuit of this view, he fold his plantation, and freighting a fhip with his effects, put himself and his family on board her, and fet fail for Briftol; to which he was fo near as the island of Scilly, by the Land's End off Cornwall, when the fhip by a ftorm in the night unfortunately fplit upon a rock, where nothing at all of her cargo was faved; and with very much difficulty fome few of the paffengers, among whom was Mr. Stanley himfelf, thus reftored to his country in a condition more naked and miserable than he left it. He found means, however, to get foon to his mother, who received him with that mixture of forrow and joy which was natural to the occafion; and when her firft emotions were over, and her paffions grew calm enough to hear him at large give an account of his fhipwreck and the particulars of his lofs by it, fhe anfwered him with a figh -That he had feared fome misfortune would befal him wherever he was, because a few days before, an unusual high wind had blown down above a hundred of thofe oaks which fhe 3B 2 |