The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. — Volume 10 eBook
Jonathan Swift
P. 613. Burnet, in his character of Charles
II., says:—His person and temper, his vices
as well as his fortunes, resemble the character that
we have given us of Tiberius so much, that it were
easy to draw the parallel between them. Tiberius’s
banishment, and his coming afterwards to reign, makes
the comparison in that respect come pretty near.
His hating of business, and his love of pleasures,
his raising of favourites, and trusting them entirely;
and his pulling them down, and hating them excessively;
his art of covering deep designs, particularly of
revenge, with an appearance of softness, brings them
so near a likeness, that I did not wonder much to
observe the resemblance of their face and person.—Swift.
Malicious, and in many circumstances false.
P. 615. Burnet concludes his character of Charles
II. with these words:—How ungrateful soever
this labour has proved to my self, and how unacceptable
soever it may be to some, who are either obliged to
remember him gratefully, or by the engagement of parties
and interests are under other biasses, yet I have
gone through all that I knew relating to his life
and reign with that regard to truth, and what I think
may be instructive to mankind, which became an impartial
writer of history, and one who believes, that he must
give an account to God of what he writes, as well
as of what he says and does.—Swift.
He was certainly a very bad prince, but not to the
degree described in this character, which is poorly
drawn, and mingled with malice very unworthy an historian,
and the style abominable, as in the whole history,
and the observations trite and vulgar.
BOOK IV.
P. 623. Burnet. Because Chudleigh the envoy
there had openly broken with the Prince [of Orange],
(for he not only waited no more on him, but acted
openly against him; and once in the Vorhaut had affronted
him, while he was driving the Princess upon the snow
in a trainau, according to the German manner,
and pretending they were masked, and that he did not
know them, had ordered his coachman to keep his way,
as they were coming towards the place where he drove;)
the King recalled him.—Swift. A
pretty parenthesis.
P. 626. Burnet. This gave all thinking men
a melancholy prospect. England now seemed lost,
unless some happy accident should save it. All
people saw the way for packing a Parliament now laid
open.—Swift. Just our case at the
Queen’s death.
P. 638. Burnet says that Musgrave and others
pretended:—when money was asked for just
and necessary ends, to be frugal patriots, and to be
careful managers of the public treasure.—Swift.
A party remark,
P. 651. Burnet. Goodenough, who had been under-sheriff
of London when Cornish was sheriff, offered to swear
against Cornish; and also said, that Rumsey had not
discovered all he knew. So Rumsey to save himself
joined with Goodenough, to swear Cornish guilty of
that for which the Lord Russell had suffered.
And this was driven on so fast, that Cornish was seized
on, tried, and executed within the week.—Swift.
Goodenough went to Ireland, practised law, and died
there.
