The closing years of Dean Swift's life : with remarks on Stella, and on some of his writings hitherto unnoticed

Front matter

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Preface

To the interest which still attaches to everything connected with the name or history of Swift, I must attribute the very rapid sale of the former edition of this little work. Occupations of a more urgent nature than literature, as well as a desire carefully to revise the whole of this book, and to add much additional information, which I had acquired since the publication of the former edition, have conduced to delay the publication of the present work until now.

Much of the first portion of this Essay,—that in which the question of Swift’s insanity is considered,—originally appeared in the Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science for 1847, in answer to a communication upon the subject, addressed to me in August, 1846, by my friend, Dr. Mackenzie, of Glasgow. To this distinguished physician, who first called my attention to the subject of the disease of the eccentric Dean, the public are indebted for any interest which this Essay may possess, or any additional light which it may throw upon his character and writings.

PREFACE.

During the progress of my researches, while collecting materials for the papers which appeared in the Dublin Quarterly Journal, many curious and hitherto unnoticed facts, chiefly of a literary nature, presented themselves. These, with several most interesting documents, contained in printed broadsides, and manuscripts of the Dean’s, which have very lately been discovered, will be found incorporated in the present edition, which has been carefully revised, considerably enlarged, and the entire arrangement of it recast.

The mechanical arrangements of headings to the pages, and a Table of Contents, will, I trust, be found of assistance to the reader.