The Romance of Old New England RooftreesCrawford, Mary Caroline
History
The Romance of Old New England Rooftrees
Crawford, Mary Caroline
Historic buildings -- New England; New England -- Biography
That Swift was not always, however, so Platonic and fatherly in his
expressions of affection for Vanessa, is shown in a "Poem to Love,"
found in Miss Vanhomrigh's desk after her death, in his handwriting. One
verse of this runs:
"In all I wish how happy should I be,
Thou grand deluder, were it not for thee.
So weak thou art that fools thy power despise,
And yet so strong, thou triumph'st o'er the wise."
After the poor girl's unhappy decease, Swift hid himself for two months
in the south of Ireland. Stella was also shocked by the occurrence, but
when some one remarked in her presence, apropos of the poem which had
just appeared, that Vanessa must have been a remarkable woman to inspire
such verses, she observed with perfect truth that the dean was quite
capable of writing charmingly upon a broomstick.
Meanwhile Berkeley was informed of the odd stroke of luck by which he
was to gain a small fortune. Characteristically, his thoughts turned now
more than ever to his Bermuda scheme. "This providential event," he
wrote, "having made many things easy in my private affairs which were
otherwise before, I have high hopes for Bermuda."
Swift bore Berkeley absolutely no hard feeling on account of Vanessa's
substitution of his name in her will. He was quite as cordial as ever.
One of the witty dean's most remarkable letters, addressed to Lord
Carteret, at Bath, thus describes Berkeley's previous career and present
mission:
"Going to England very young, about thirteen years ago, the bearer of
this became founder of a sect called the Immaterialists, by the force of
a very curious book upon that subject.... He is an absolute philosopher
with regard to money, titles, and power; and for three years past has
been struck with a notion of founding a university at Bermudas by a
charter from the Crown.... He showed me a little tract which he designs
to publish, and there your Excellency will see his whole scheme of the
life academico-philosophical, of a college founded for Indian scholars
and missionaries, where he most exorbitantly proposes a whole hundred
pounds a year for himself.... His heart will be broke if his deanery be
not taken from him, and left to your Excellency's disposal. I
discouraged him by the coldness of Courts and Ministers, who will
interpret all this as impossible and a vision; but nothing will do."
The history of Berkeley's reception in London, when he came to urge his
project, shows convincingly the magic of the man's presence and
influence. His conquests spread far and fast. In a generation
represented by Sir Robert Walpole, the scheme met with encouragement
from all sorts of people, subscriptions soon reaching L5,000, and the
list of promoters including even Sir Robert himself. Bermuda became the
fashion among the wits of London, and Bolingbroke wrote to Swift that he
would "gladly exchange Europe for its charms--only not in a missionary
capacity."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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