vant, Forgive the fins the frailties, and infirmi ties of her life paft. Accept the good deeds the hath done, in fuch a manner, that at whatever time who, as has been faid before, was a menial fervant to Sir William Temple. Ambition and pride will, at any time, conquer reafon and juftice; and each larger degree of pride, like the larger fishes of prey, will devour all the lefs. Thus the vanity of boafting fuch a wife, was fuppreffed by the greater vanity of keeping free from a low alliance. Dr. Switt and Mrs. Johnfton continued the fame economy of life after marriage, which they had pursued before it. They lived in feparate houses; he remaining at the Deanery, the in lodgings at a diftance from him, and on the other fide of the river Liffy. Nothing appeared in their behaviour inconfiftent with decorum, or beyond the limi's of Platonic love. They converfed like friends; but they induftrioufly took care to fummon witneffes of their converfation: A rule to which they adhered fo ftrictly, that it would be difficult, if not impoffible, to prove they had ever been together without fome third perfon. A conduct fo extraordinary in itself always gives room for various comments and reflections. But however unaccountable this renun ciation of marriage-rights might appear to the world, it certainly rofe not from any confc oufne's of too near a confanguinity between him and Mrs. Johnfon, although the general voice of fame was willing to make them both the natural children of Sir William Temple. I am perfuaded, that Dr. Swift was not of that opinion; because the fame falfe pride that induced him to deny the legitimate daughter of an obfcure fervant, might have prompted him to own the natural daughter of fo eminent a man as Sir William Temple. There are actions of which the true fources will never be difcovered. This pe haps is one. I have told you the fact, in the manner I have received it from feveral of Swift's friends and relations; and I must leave you to make your own obfervations upon it. You may imagine, that a woman of Stella's delicacy muft repine at fach an extraordinary fituation. The outward honours which the received, are as frequently beftowed upon a mistress, as upon a wife. She was abfolutely virtuous; and yet was obliged to fubmit to all the appearances of vice, except in the prefence of thofe few people who were witneffes of the cautious manner in which the lived with her husband, who fcorned even to be married like any other men. Inward anxiety affected by degrees the calmness of her mind, and the Arength of her body. She began to decline in her health, in the year 1724; and from the firft fymptoms of decay, the rather haftened than thrunk back in the defcent: tacitly pleafed to find her footsteps tending to that place where they neither marry, nor are given in marriage. She died towards the end of January 1727-8, abfolutely defroyed by the peculiarity of her fate; a fate which perhaps the cou'd not have incurred by an alliance with any other perfon in the world. Oriery. See a further account of Stella in Dr. Swift's life, prefixed to vol.1 thou fhalt please to call her, fhe may be received into everlasting habitations. Give her grace to continue fincerely thankful to thee for the many favours thou haft bestowed on her, the ability, and inclination, and practice, to do good, and those virtues which have procured the esteem and love of her friends, and a moft unfpotted name in the world. O God, thou dispenseft thy bleffings and thy punishments as it becometh infinite juftice and mercy; and fince it was thy pleasure to afflict her with a long, conftant, weakly ftate of health, make her truly fenfible, that it was for very wife ends, and was largely made up to her in other bleffings more valuable and lefs common. Continue to her, O Lord, that firmnefs and conftancy of mind, wherewith thou haft most graciously endued her, together with that contempt of wordly things and vanities, that he hath fhewn in the whole conduct of her life. O all-powerful Being, the least motion of whofe will can create or deftroy a world; pity us, the mournful friends of thy diftreffed fervant, who fink under the weight of her prefent condition, and the fear of lofing the moft valuable of our friends: reftore her to us, O Lord, if it be thy gracious will, or infpire us with conftancy and refignation, to fupport ourselves under fo heavy an affliction. Reftore her, O Lord, for the fake of thofe poor, who, by lofing her, will be defolate; and thofe fick, who will not only want her bounty, but her care and tending; or elfe, in thy mercy, raife up fome other in her place, with equal difpofition, and better abilities. Leffen, O Lord, we beseech thee, her bodily pains, or give her a double ftrength of mind to fupport them. And if thou wilt foon take her to thy felf, turn our thoughts rather upon that felicity which we hope we fhall enjoy, than upon that unspeakable lofs we shall endure. Let her memory be ever dear unto us; and the example of her many virtues, as far as human VOL. X. infirmity Y infirmity will admit, our conftant imitation. Accept, O Lord, thefe prayers, poured from the very bottom of our hearts, in thy mercy, and for the merits of our bleffed Saviour. Amen. Merciful Father, who never afflicteft thy children, but for their own good, and with juftice, over which thy mercy always prevaileth, either to turn them to repentance, or to punish them in the prefent life, in order to reward them in a better; take pity, we beseech thee, upon this thy poor afflicted fervant, languifhing fo long and fo grievously under the weight of thy hand. Give her ftrength, O Lord, to fupport her weakness; and patience to endure her pains, without repining at thy correction. Forgive every rafh and inconfiderate expreffion which her anguifh may at any time force from her tongue, while her heart continueth in entire fubmiffion to thy will. Suppress in her, O Lord, all eager defires of life, and leffen her fears of death, by infpiring into her an humble yet affured hope of thy mercy. Give her a fincere repentance for all her tranfgreffions and omiffions, and a firm refolution to pafs the remainder of her life in endeavouring, to her utmost, to observe all thy precepts. We befeech thee likewife to compofe her thoughts; and preferve to her the ufe of her memory and reason, during the course of her ficknefs. Give her a true conception of the vanity, folly, and infignificancy of all human things; and * Mrs. Johnfun, alias Stella, died on the 28th of January following in the 44th year of her age. ftrengthen ftrenthen her fo, as to beget in her a fincere love of thee in the midft of her fufferings. Accept, and impute all her good deeds, and forgive all thofe offences against thee, which fhe hath repented of, or, through the frailty of memory, hath forgot. And now, O Lord, we turn to thee, in behalf of ourfelves, and the reft of her forrowful friends. Let not our grief afflict her mind, and thereby have an ill effect on her prefent diftemper. Forgive the forrow or weakness of those among us, who fink under the grief and terror of lofing fo dear and ufeful a friend Accept and pardon our moft earneft prayers and wishes for her longer continuance in this evil world, to do what thou art pleased to call thy fervice, and is only her bounden duty; that fhe may be still a comfort to us, and to all others, who will want the benefit of her converfation, her advice, her good offices, or her charity. And fince thou haft promised, that where two or three are ga thered together in thy name, thou wilt be in the midft of them, to grant their request; O gracious Lord, grant to us who are here met in thy name, that thofe requests, which in the utmoft fincerity and earneftness of our hearts, we have now made in behalf of this thy diftreffed fervant, and of ourselves, may effectually be answered; through the merits of Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. BONS MOTS de STELLA. A Lady of my intimate acquaintance both in England and Ireland, in which laft kingdom fhe lived from the eighteenth year of her age, twentyfix years, had the most and fineft accomplishments of any person I ever knew of either fex. It was obferved by all her acquaintance, that fhe never failed in company to fay the beft thing that was faid, whoever was by; yet her companions were ufually perfons of the best understanding in the kingdom. Some of us, who were her nearest friends, lamented that we never wrote down her remarks, and what the French call bons mots. I will recollect as many as I can remember. We were diverting ourselves at a play, called What is it like? One perfon is to think, and the rest, without knowing the thing, to fay what it is like. The thing thought on was the fpleen: fhe had faid it was like an oyfter; and give her reason immediately, because it is removed by taking fteel in. wardly. Dr. Sheridan, who fquandered more than he could afford, took out his purfe as he fat by the fire, and found it was very hot: fhe faid, the reafon was, that his money burnt in his pocket She called to her fervants to know what ill fmell was in the kitchen? they answered, they were making matches: Well, faid fhe, I have heard matches were made in heaven; but, by the brimstone, one would think they were made in hell. After fhe had been eating fome fweet thing, a little of it happened to stick on her lips; a gentle man |