Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. 1 (of 2)Howitt, William
History
Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Howitt, William
Literary landmarks -- Great Britain; Poets, English -- Homes and haunts
From Laracor, Swift's remove was to Dublin, where he spent the remainder
of his life. Here the deanery has been quite removed, and a modern house
occupies its place. The old Cathedral of St. Patrick is a great object
connected with his memory here. Though wearing a very ancient look, St.
Patrick's was rebuilt after its destruction in 1362, and its present
spire was added only in 1750. In size and proportion the cathedral is
fine. It is three hundred feet long, and eighty broad. It can not boast
much of its architecture, but contains several monuments of
distinguished men; among them, those of Swift and Curran. These two are
busts. Aloft in the nave hang the banners of the Knights of St. Patrick;
and again, in the choir, hang newly-emblazoned banners of the knights;
and over the stalls which belong to the knights are fixed gilt helmets,
and by each stall hangs the knight's sword. The whole fabric is now
undergoing repair, and not before it was needed. Of course, the
monuments of highest interest here are those of Swift and Stella. These
occupy two contiguous pillars on the south side of the nave. They
consist of two plain slabs of marble, in memory of the dean and Mrs.
Johnson--Stella. The inscription on the dean's slab is expressive "of
that habit of mind which his own disappointments and the oppressions of
his country had produced." It was written by himself:
"_Hic_ depositum est corpus
JONATHAN SWIFT, S. T. D.
Hujus Ecclesiæ Cathedralis
Decani
_Ubi_ sæva indignatio
Ulterius
Cor lascerare nequit.
Abi Viator
Et imitare, si poteris,
Strenuum pro virili
Libertatis vindicatorem.
Obiit 19'o. die mensis Octobris,
A.D. 1745. Anno Ætatis 78."
Over this monument has been placed his bust in marble, sculptured by
Cunningham, and esteemed a good likeness. It was the gift of T. T.
Faulkner, Esq., nephew and successor to Alderman George Faulkner,
Swift's bookseller, and the original publisher of most of his works. The
inscription over his amiable and much-injured wife is as follows:
"Underneath lie the mortal remains of Mrs. Hester Johnson, better known
to the world by the name of STELLA, under which she is celebrated in the
writings of Dr. Jonathan Swift, dean of this Cathedral. She was a person
of extraordinary endowments and accomplishments of body, mind, and
behavior, justly admired and respected by all who knew her, on account
of her many eminent virtues, as well as for her great natural and
acquired perfections. She died January 27th, 1727-8, in the forty-sixth
year of her age, and by her will bequeathed one thousand pounds toward
the support of a chaplain to the hospital founded in this city by Dr.
Steevens."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account