A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 45

STERLING, JOHN (1806-1844).--Essayist and miscellaneous writer, _s._ of Edward S., a well-known writer in the _Times_, was _b._ in Bute, and _ed._ at Glasgow and Camb. At the latter he became acquainted with a group of brilliant men, including F.D. Maurice, Trench, and Monckton Milnes. He took orders and became curate to Julius Hare (_q.v._); but intellectual difficulties and indifferent health led to his resignation within a year, and the rest of his life was pa.s.sed in alternating between England and warmer climes. He wrote for _Blackwood's Magazine_, the _London and Westminster_, and _Quarterly Reviews_, and _pub._ _Essays and Tales_, _The Election_, a humorous poem, _Strafford_, a tragedy, and _Richard Coeur de Lion_, a serio-comic poem of which three books out of eight were _pub._ His memory, perpetuated in a remarkable memoir by Carlyle, lives rather by what he was than by anything he did. His character and intellect appear to have exercised a singular influence on the eminent men he numbered among his friends.

STERNE, LAURENCE (1713-1768).--Novelist, _s._ of an officer in the army, and the great-grandson of an Archbishop of York, was _b._ at Clonmel, where his father's regiment happened to be stationed, and pa.s.sed part of his boyhood in Ireland. At the age of 10 he was handed over to a relation, Mr. Sterne of Elvington in Yorks.h.i.+re, who put him to school at Halifax, and thereafter sent him to Camb. He entered the Church, a profession for which he was very indifferently fitted, and through family influence procured the living of Sutton, Yorks.h.i.+re. In 1741 he _m._ a lady--Miss Lumley--whose influence obtained for him in addition an adjacent benefice, and he also became a prebendary of York. It was not until 1760 that the first two vols. of his famous novel, _Tristram Shandy_, appeared. Its peculiar and original style of humour, its whimsicality, and perhaps also its defiance of conventionality, and even its frequent lapses into indecorum, achieved for it an immediate and immense popularity. S. went up to London and became the lion of the day.

The third and fourth vols. appeared in 1761, the fifth and sixth in 1762, the seventh and eighth in 1765, and the last in 1767. Meanwhile he had _pub._ the _Sermons of Mr. Yorick_ (1760), and his remaining work, _The Sentimental Journey_ appeared in 1768. From the time of his finding himself a celebrity his paris.h.i.+oners saw but little of him, his time being pa.s.sed either in the gaieties of London or in travelling on the Continent. Latterly he was practically separated from his wife and only _dau._, to the former of whom his behaviour had been anything but exemplary. His health, which had begun to give way soon after his literary career had commenced, finally broke down, and he fell into a consumption, of which he _d._ in London on March 18, 1768, utterly alone and unattended. His body was followed to the grave by one coach containing his publisher and another gentleman; and it was exhumed and appeared in a few days upon the table of the anatomical professor at Camb. He _d._ in debt, but a subscription was raised for his wife and _dau._, the latter of whom _m._ a Frenchman, and is said to have perished under the guillotine. Worthless as a man, S. possessed undoubted genius.

He had wit, originality, and pathos, though the last not seldom runs into mawkishness, and an exquisitely delicate and glancing style. He has contributed some immortal characters to English fiction, including Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim. His great faults as a writer are affectation and a peculiarly deliberate kind of indecency, which his profession renders all the more offensive; and he was by no means scrupulous in adopting, without acknowledgment, the good things of previous writers.

_Works_ ed. by Prof. Saintsbury (6 vols., 1894). _See_ also Macmillan's Library of English cla.s.sics. _Lives_ by P. Fitzgerald (1896); and H.D.

Traill in English Men of Letters Series.

STERNHOLD, THOMAS (1500-1549), HOPKINS JOHN (_d._ 1570).--Were a.s.sociated in making the metrical version of the Psalms, which was attached to the Prayer-book, and was for 200 years the chief hymn-book of the Church of England. It is a commonplace and tame rendering. The collection was not completed until 1562. It was gradually superseded by the version of Tate and Brady.

STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS (1850-1894).--Novelist and essayist, was _b._ at Edin., the _s._ of Thomas S., a distinguished civil engineer. His health was extremely delicate. He was destined for the engineering profession, in which his family had for two generations been eminent, but having neither inclination nor physical strength for it, he in 1871 exchanged it for law, and was called to the Bar in 1875, but never practised. From childhood his interests had been literary, and in 1871 he began to contribute to the _Edinburgh University Magazine_ and the _Portfolio_. A tour in a canoe in 1876 led to the publication in 1878 of his first book, _An Inland Voyage_. In the same year, _The New Arabian Nights_, afterwards separately _pub._ appeared in magazines, and in 1879 he brought out _Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes_. In that year he went to California and _m._ Mrs. Osbourne. Returning to Europe in 1880 he entered upon a period of productiveness which, in view of his wretched health, was, both as regards quant.i.ty and worth, highly remarkable. The year 1881 was marked by his unsuccessful candidature for the Chair of Const.i.tutional Law and History at Edin., and by the publication of _Virginibus Puerisque_. Other works followed in rapid succession.

_Treasure Island_ (1882), _Prince Otto_ and _The Child's Garden of Verse_ (1885), _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ and _Kidnapped_ (1886), _Underwoods_ (poetry), _Memories and Portraits_ (essays), and _The Merry Men_, a collection of short stories (1887), and in 1888 _The Black Arrow_. In 1887 he went to America, and in the following year visited the South Sea Islands where, in Samoa, he settled in 1890, and where he _d._ and is buried. In 1889 _The Master of Ballantrae_ appeared, in 1892 _Across the Plains_ and _The Wrecker_, in 1893 _Island Nights Entertainments_ and _Catriona_, and in 1894 _The Ebb Tide_ in collaboration with his step-son, Mr. Lloyd Osbourne. By this time his health was completely broken, but to the last he continued the struggle, and left the fragments _St. Ives_ and _Weir of Hermiston_, the latter containing some of his best work. They were _pub._ in 1897. Though the originality and power of S.'s writings was recognised from the first by a select few, it was only slowly that he caught the ear of the general public. The tide may be said to have turned with the publication of _Treasure Island_ in 1882, which at once gave him an a.s.sured place among the foremost imaginative writers of the day. His greatest power is, however, shown in those works which deal with Scotland in the 18th century, such as _Kidnapped_, _Catriona_, and _Weir of Hermiston_, and in those, _e.g._, _The Child's Garden of Verse_, which exhibit his extraordinary insight into the psychology of child-life; _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ is a marvellously powerful and subtle psychological story, and some of his short tales also are masterpieces. Of these _Thrawn Janet_ and _Will of the Mill_ may be mentioned as examples in widely different kinds. His excursions into the drama in collaboration with W.E. Henley--_Deacon Brodie_, _Macaire_, _Admiral Guinea_, _Beau Austin_,--added nothing to his reputation. His style is singularly fascinating, graceful, various, subtle, and with a charm all its own.

_Works_, Edinburgh ed. (28 vols., 1894-98). _Life_ by Grahame Balfour (1901), _Letters_, S. Colvin (1899).

STEWART, DUGALD (1753-1828).--Philosopher, _s._ of Matthew S., Prof. of Mathematics at Edin., was _b._ in the Coll. buildings, and at the age of 19 began to a.s.sist his _f._ in his cla.s.ses, receiving the appointment of regular a.s.sistant two years later. In 1785 he became Prof. of Moral Philosophy, and rendered the chair ill.u.s.trious by his learning and eloquence, his pupils including Lords Palmerston, Russell, and Lansdowne.

S. was, however, rather a brilliant expositor than an original thinker, and in the main followed Reid (_q.v._). His works include _Philosophy of the Human Mind_, in three vols., _pub._ respectively in 1792, 1813, and 1827, _Outlines of Moral Philosophy_ (1793), _Philosophical Essays_ (1810), _Dissertation on the Progress of Metaphysical and Ethical Philosophy_ (1815, part II. 1821), and _View of the Active and Moral Powers of Man_. He also wrote memoirs of Robertson the historian, Adam Smith, and Reid. The Whig party, which he had always supported, on their accession to power, created for him the office of Gazette-writer for Scotland, in recognition of his services to philosophy. His later years were pa.s.sed in retirement at Kinneil House on the Forth. His works were ed. by Sir William Hamilton.

STILLINGFLEET, EDWARD (1635-1699).--Theologian, _b._ at Cranbourne, Dorsets.h.i.+re, _ed._ at Camb., entered the Church, and held many preferments, including a Royal Chaplaincy, the Deanery of St. Paul's (1678), and the Bishopric of Worcester (1689). He was a frequent speaker in the House of Lords, and had considerable influence as a Churchman. A keen controversialist, he wrote many treatises, including _The Irenic.u.m_ (advocating compromise with the Presbyterians), _Antiquities of the British Churches_, and _The Unreasonableness of Separation_. S. was a good and honest man and had the respect of his strongest opponents.

STIRLING, JAMES HUTCHISON (1820-1909).--Philosopher, _b._ in Glasgow, and _ed._ there and at Edin., where he studied medicine, which he practised until the death of his _f._ in 1851, after which he devoted himself to philosophy. His _Secret of Hegel_ (1865) gave a great impulse to the study and understanding of the Hegelian philosophy both at home and in America, and was also accepted as a work of authority in Germany and Italy. Other works, all characterised: by keen philosophical insight and masterly power of exposition are _Complete Text-book to Kant_ (1881), _Philosophy and Theology_ (1890), _What is Thought? or the Problem of Philosophy_ (1900), and _The Categories_ (1903). Less abstruse are _Jerrold, Tennyson, and Macaulay_ (1868), _Burns in Drama_ (1878), and _Philosophy in the Poets_ (1885).

STIRLING, WILLIAM ALEXANDER, EARL of (1567-1640).--Poet, _s._ of A. of Menstrie, and _cr._ Earl of S. by Charles I., 1633, was a courtier, and held many offices of state. He studied at Glasgow and Leyden, and wrote among other poems, partly in Latin, sonnets and four _Monarchicke Tragedies_, _Darius_, _Croesus_, _The Alexandraean Tragedy_, and _Julius Caesar_ (1603-7), the motive of which is the fall of ambition, and which, though dignified, have little inspiration. He also a.s.sisted James I. in his metrical version of the Psalms. He _d._ insolvent in London. The grant of Nova Scotia which he had received became valueless owing to the French conquests in that region.

STIRLING-MAXWELL, SIR WILLIAM (1818-1878).--Historian and writer on art, _s._ of Archibald Stirling of Keir, succeeded to the estates and t.i.tle of his uncle, Sir John Maxwell of Pollok, as well as to Keir, _ed._ at Camb., afterwards travelled much. He sat in the House of Commons for Perths.h.i.+re, which he twice represented, 1852-68 and 1874-80, served on various commissions and public bodies, and was Lord Rector successively of the Univ. of St. Andrews and Edin. and Chancellor of that of Glasgow.

His works include _Annals of the Artists of Spain_ (1848), _The Cloister Life of the Emperor Charles V._ (1852), and _Don John of Austria_, _pub._ posthumously in 1885. They were all distinguished by research and full information, and the last two are standard authorities He _m._ as his second wife the Hon. Mrs. Norton (_q.v._).

STOCKTON, FRANCIS RICHARD (1834-1902).--_B._ at Philadelphia, was an engraver and journalist. He became well known as a writer of stories for children, and of amusing books of which _Rudder Grange_ (1879) is the best known. _The Lady and the Tiger_ was also highly popular. Others are _Adventures of Captain Horne_, _Mrs. Null_, _Casting Away of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne_, _The Hundredth Man_, _Great Stone of Sardis_, _Captain's Toll-gate_, etc. His work was very unequal in interest.

STODDARD, RICHARD HENRY (1825-1903).--Poet, _b._ at Hingham, Ma.s.s., worked in a foundry, and afterwards in New York Custom House, wrote a Life of Was.h.i.+ngton, but is chiefly known as a poet, his poetical works including _Songs in Summer_ (1857), _The King's Bell_, _The Lions Cub_, etc.

STORER, THOMAS (1571-1604).--Poet, _b._ in London, and _ed._ at Oxf., wrote a long poem, _The Life and Death of Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal_.

STORY, WILLIAM WETMORE (1819-1895).--Sculptor, poet, etc., _b._ at Salem, Ma.s.s., was intended for the law, but became a sculptor and an eminent man of letters. His writings include _Roba di Roma_ (1862), _The Tragedy of Nero_ (1875), _The Castle of St. Angelo_ (1877), _He and She_ (1883), _Conversations in a Studio_, _A Poet's Portfolio_ (1894), etc.

STOW, JOHN (1525-1605).--Historian and antiquary, _b._ in London, _s._ of a tailor, and brought up to the same trade. He had, however, an irresistible taste for transcribing and collecting ancient doc.u.ments, and pursuing antiquarian and historical researches, to which he ultimately entirely devoted himself. This he was enabled to do partly through the munificence of Archbishop Parker. He made large collections of old books and ma.n.u.scripts, and wrote and ed. several works of importance and authority, including _The Woorkes of Geoffrey Chaucer_, _Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles_ (1561), afterwards called _Annales of England_, ed.

of the chronicles of Matthew Paris and others, of Holinshed's _Chronicle_, and _A Survey of London_ (1598). It is sad to think that the only reward of his sacrifices and labours in the public interest was a patent from James I. to collect "among our loving subjects their voluntary contributions and kind gratuities."

STOWE, MRS. HARRIET BEECHER (1811?-1896).--Novelist and miscellaneous writer, _dau._ of Dr. Lyman Beecher, a well-known American clergyman, and sister of Henry Ward B., one of the most popular preachers whom America has produced, was _b._ at Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1811 or 1812. After spending some years as a teacher, she _m._ the Rev. Calvin E. Stowe. Up till 1852 all she had written was a little vol. of stories which failed to attract attention. In that year, at the suggestion of a sister-in-law, she decided to write something against slavery, and produced _Uncle Tom's Cabin_, which originally appeared in serial form in a magazine, _The National Era_. It did not at the time receive much attention, but on its appearance in a separate form it took the world by storm. Its sale soon reached 400,000 copies, and the reprints have probably reached a far greater number. It was translated into numerous foreign languages, and had a powerful effect in hurrying on the events which ultimately resulted in emanc.i.p.ation. Her later works include _Dred_, _The Minister's Wooing_, _Agnes of Sorrento_, _The Pearl of Orr's Island_, and _Old Town Folks_.

Some of these, especially the last, are in a literary sense much superior to _Uncle Tom's Cabin_, but none of them had more than an ordinary success. In 1869 an article on Lord Byron involved her in a somewhat unfortunate controversy.

STRICKLAND, AGNES (1796 or 1806-1874).--Historical writer, _dau._ of Thomas S., of Royden Hall, Suffolk, was _ed._ by her _f._, and began her literary career with a poem, _Worcester Field_, followed by _The Seven Ages of Woman_ and _Demetrius_. Abandoning poetry she next produced among others _Historical Tales of Ill.u.s.trious British Children_ (1833), _The Pilgrims of Walsingham_ (1835), _Tales and Stories from History_ (1836).

Her chief works, however, are _Lives of the Queens of England from the Norman Conquest_, and _Lives of the Queens of Scotland_, and _English Princesses, etc._ (8 vols., 1850-59), _Lives of the Bachelor Kings of England_ (1861), and _Letters of Mary Queen of Scots_, in some of which she was a.s.sisted by her sister Elizabeth. Though laborious and conscientious she lacked the judicial faculty, and her style does not rise above mediocrity.

STRODE, WILLIAM (1600-1645).--Poet, only _s._ of Philip S., who belonged to an old Devons.h.i.+re family, he was _b._ at Plympton, Devons.h.i.+re, and showing studious tendencies, was sent to Westminster School and Oxf.

While at the Univ. he began to manifest his poetic talents, and generally distinguished himself, being elected in 1629 Public Orator. He took orders and, on Richard Corbet (_q.v._) becoming Bishop of Oxf., became his chaplain. Later he was Rector of E. Bredenham, Norfolk, and of Badley, Northants, and Canon of Christ Church. On the outbreak of the Civil War he attached himself warmly to the cause of the King. He was a High Churchman, and had a reputation as "a witty and sententious preacher, an exquisite orator, and an eminent poet." It is therefore singular that, until the recovery of his poems by Mr. B. Dobell, he had fallen into absolute oblivion. As a poet he s.h.i.+nes most in lyrics and elegies. With much of the artificiality of his age he shows gracefulness, a feeling for the country, and occasional gleams of tenderness. His play, _The Floating Island_, a political allegory, was produced in 1633 and played before the Court then on a visit to Oxf., where it was a subject of complaint that it had more moralising than amus.e.m.e.nt. Mr. Dobell, who ed. his poems in 1907, claims for S. the poem on "Melancholy" ("Hence all you vain delights"), hitherto attributed to Fletcher.

STRYPE, JOHN (1643-1737).--Ecclesiastical historian, _b._ at Hackney, and _ed._ at St. Paul's School and Camb., took orders and, among other livings, held the Rectory of Low Leyton, Ess.e.x, for upwards of 60 years.

He made a large collection of original doc.u.ments, chiefly relating to the Tudor period, and was a voluminous author. Among his works are _Memorials of Archbishop Cranmer_ (1694), _Life of Sir Thomas Smith_, _Secretary of State to Edward VI. and Elizabeth_ (1698), _Annals of the Reformation_ (1709-31), and _Ecclesiastical Memorials_ (1721); besides Lives of Bishop Aylmer and Archbishops Grindal, Parker, and Whitgift. S., who was a painstaking and honest, but dull and unmethodical, writer, remains an authority.

STUART, GILBERT (1742-1786).--Historical writer, _s._ of George S., Prof.

of Humanity (Latin) at Edin. Among his publications were _An Historical Dissertation on the English Const.i.tution_ (1768), _Discourse on the Government and Laws of England_ (1772), _A View of Society in Europe_ (1778), and a _History of Scotland_ (1782). He was a man of extremely jealous and implacable temper, and made venomous attacks on the historical works of Robertson and Henry. His own writings, though well-written, are inaccurate.

STUBBS, WILLIAM (1825-1901).--Historian, _s._ of a solicitor, _b._ at Knaresborough, Yorks.h.i.+re, and _ed._ there and at the Grammar School of Ripon, and Oxf. In 1848 he became a Fellow of Trinity Coll., and in the same year took orders and was appointed to the coll. living of Navestock in Ess.e.x, where he remained for 16 years, during which he began his historical researches, and _pub._ his earlier works. His first publication was _Hymnale Secundum Usum Sarum_. In 1858 appeared _Registrum Sacrum Anglicanum_, a calendar of English bishops from Augustine; and then followed ed. of several Chronicles in the Rolls Series. The learning and critical insight displayed in these works commanded the attention and admiration of historical scholars both at home and on the Continent. In 1862 he was appointed librarian of Lambeth Palace, and in 1866 Prof. of Modern History at Oxf. There he _pub._ in 1870 his _Select Charters_, and his chief work, _The Const.i.tutional History of England_ (3 vols., 1874-78), which at once became the standard authority on its subject. It deals with the period preceding that with which the great work of Hallam begins. In 1879 he was appointed a Canon of St. Paul's, and in 1884 Bishop of Chester, whence he was translated five years later to Oxf. As an active prelate he was necessarily largely withdrawn from his historical researches; but at Chester he ed. two vols.

of William of Malmesbury. S. was greater as a historian than as a writer, but he brought to his work sound judgment, insight, accuracy, and impartiality. He was a member of the French and Prussian Academies, and had the Prussian Order "Pour le Merite" conferred upon him. Since his death his prefaces to the Rolls Series have been _pub._ separately.

STUKELEY, WILLIAM (1687-1765).--Antiquary, _ed._ at Camb., and after practising as a physician took orders in 1729 and held benefices at Stamford and in London. He made antiquarian tours through England, and was one of the founders of the Society of Antiquaries, to which he acted as sec. He _pub._ _Itinerarium Curiosum_ (1724) and _Stonehenge_ (1740).

He made a special study of Druidism, and was called "the Arch-Druid."

SUCKLING, SIR JOHN (1609-1642).--Poet, _s._ of a knight who had held office as Sec. of State and Comptroller of the Household to James I., was _b._ at Whitton, Middles.e.x, _ed._ at Camb., and thereafter went to Gray's Inn. On the death of his _f._ in 1627, he inherited large estates. After travelling in France and Italy, he is said to have served for a short time under Gustavus Adolphus. On his return he was knighted, and went to Court, where his wealth, generosity, and wit made him a general favourite. When Charles I. was moving against the Scots S. fitted out a gorgeously appointed troop for his service which, however, were said to have fled at first sight of the Scots army at Duns, an exploit which is ridiculed in the ballad of _Sir John Suckling's Campaign_. He got into trouble in connection with a plot to rescue Strafford from the Tower, and fled to the Continent. He _d._ at Paris, it is now believed by his own hand. He was a noted gambler, and has the distinction of being the inventor of the game of cribbage. He wrote four plays, _Aglaura_ (1637), _Brennoralt_ (1646), _The Goblins_, and _The Sad One_ (unfinished), now forgotten; his fame rests on his songs and ballads, including _The Wedding_, distinguished by a gay and sparkling wit, and a singular grace of expression.

SURREY, HENRY HOWARD, EARL of (1517?-1547).--Poet, _s._ of Thomas H., 3rd Duke of Norfolk, was _ed._ by John Clerke, a learned and travelled scholar, and sec. to his _f._ He became attached to the Court, was cup-bearer to the King (Henry VIII.), ewerer at the Coronation, and Earl Marshall at the trial of Anne Boleyn. In 1542 he was made a Knight of the Garter a few weeks after the execution of his cousin, Queen Catherine Howard. He suffered imprisonment more than once for being implicated in quarrels and brawls, did a good deal of fighting in Scotland and France, and was the last victim of Henry's insensate jealousy, being beheaded on a frivolous charge of conspiring against the succession of Edward VI. The death of Henry saved Norfolk from the same fate. S. shares with Sir Thomas Wyatt (_q.v._) the honour of being the true successor of Chaucer in English poetry, and he has the distinction of being, in his translation of the _aeneid_, the first to introduce blank verse, and, with Wyatt, the sonnet. The poems of S., though well known in courtly circles, were not _pub._ during his life; 40 of them appeared in _Tottel's Miscellany_ in 1557. He also paraphrased part of Ecclesiastes and a few of the Psalms. The Geraldine of his sonnets was Elizabeth Fitzgerald, _dau._ of the Earl of Kildare, then a lonely child at Court, her _f._ being imprisoned in the Tower.

SURTEES, ROBERT SMITH (1802-1864).--Sporting novelist, a country gentleman of Durham, who was in business as a solicitor, but not succeeding, started in 1831 the _Sporting Magazine_. Subsequently he took to writing sporting novels, which were ill.u.s.trated by John Leech. Among them are _Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour_, _Ask Mamma_, _Plain or Ringlets_, and _Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds_.

SWIFT, JONATHAN (1667-1745).--Satirist, was _b._ at Dublin of English parents. Dryden was his cousin, and he also claimed kin with Herrick. He was a posthumous child, and was brought up in circ.u.mstances of extreme poverty. He was sent to school at Kilkenny, and afterwards went to Trinity Coll., Dublin, where he gave no evidence of ability, but displayed a turbulent and unruly temper, and only obtained a degree by "special grace." After the Revolution he joined his mother, then resident at Leicester, by whose influence he was admitted to the household of Sir William Temple (_q.v._) at Moor Park, Lady T. being her distant kinswoman. Here he acted as sec., and having access to a well-stocked library, made good use of his opportunities, and became a close student.

At Moor Park he met many distinguished men, including William III., who offered him a troop of horse; he also met Esther Johnson (Stella), a natural _dau._ of Sir William, who was afterwards to enter so largely into his life. Dissatisfied, apparently, that Temple did not do more for his advancement, he left his service in 1694 and returned to Ireland, where he took orders, and obtained the small living of Kilroot, near Belfast. While there he wrote his _Tale of a Tub_, one of the most consummate pieces of satire in any language, and _The Battle of the Books_, with reference to the "Phalaris" controversy (_see_ Bentley), which were _pub._ together in 1704. In 1698 he threw up his living at the request of Temple, who felt the want of his society and a.s.sistance, and returned to Moor Park. On the death of his patron in 1699 he undertook by request the publication of his works, and thereafter returned to Ireland as chaplain to the Lord Deputy, the Earl of Berkeley, from whom he obtained some small preferments, including the vicarage of Laracor, and a prebend in St. Patrick's Cathedral. At this time he made frequent visits to London and became the friend of Addison, Steele, Congreve, and other Whig writers, and wrote various pamphlets, chiefly on ecclesiastical subjects. In 1710, disgusted with the neglect of the Whigs, alike of himself and of the claims of his Church, he abandoned them and attached himself to Harley and Bolingbroke. The next few years were filled with political controversy. He attacked the Whigs in papers in the _Examiner_ in 1710, and in his celebrated pamphlets, _The Conduct of the Allies_ (1712), _The Barrier Treaty_ (1713), and _The Public Spirit of the Whigs_ (1714). In 1713 he was made Dean of St. Patrick's, the last piece of patronage which he received. The steady dislike of Queen Anne had proved an insurmountable obstacle to his further advancement, and her death proved the ruin of the Tories. On the destruction of his hopes S. retired to Ireland, where he remained for the rest of his life a thoroughly embittered man. In 1713 he had begun his _Journal to Stella_, which sheds so strange a light upon his character, and on his return to Ireland his marriage to her is now generally believed to have taken place, though they never lived together. Now also took place also his final rupture with Miss Van Homrigh (Vanessa), who had been in love with him, with whom he had maintained a lengthened correspondence, and to whom he addressed his poem, _Cadenus and Vanessa_ (1726). Though he disliked the Irish and considered residence in Ireland as banishment, he interested himself in Irish affairs, and attained extraordinary popularity by his _Drapier's Letters_, directed against the introduction of "Wood's halfpence." In 1726 he visited England and joined with Pope and Arbuthnot in publis.h.i.+ng _Miscellanies_ (1727). In the same year, 1726, he _pub._ _Gulliver's Travels_, his most widely and permanently popular work. His last visit to England was paid in 1727 and in the following year "Stella," the only being, probably, whom he really loved, _d._ Though he had a circle of friends in Dublin, and was, owing to his championing the people in their grievances, a popular idol, the shadows were darkening around him. The fears of insanity by which he had been all his life haunted, and which may account for and perhaps partly excuse some of the least justifiable portions of his conduct, pressed more and more upon him. He became increasingly morose and savage in his misanthropy, and though he had a rally in which he produced some of his most brilliant, work--the _Rhapsody on Poetry_, _Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift_, and; the _Modest Proposal_ (a horrible but masterly piece of irony)--he gradually sank into almost total loss of his facilities, and _d._ on October 19, 1745.

The character of S. is one of the gloomiest and least attractive among English writers. Intensely proud, he suffered bitterly in youth and early manhood from the humiliations of poverty and dependence, which preyed upon a mind in which the seeds of insanity were latent until it became dominated by a ferocious misanthropy. As a writer he is our greatest master of grave irony, and while he presents the most humorous ideas, the severity of his own countenance never relaxes. The _Tale of a Tub_ and _Gulliver's Travels_ are the greatest satires in the English language, although the concluding part of the latter is a savage and almost insane attack upon the whole human race. His history is a tragedy darkening into catastrophe, and as Thackeray has said, "So great a man he seems that thinking of him is like thinking of an Empire falling."

S. was tall and powerfully made. His eyes, blue and flas.h.i.+ng under excitement, were the most remarkable part of his appearance.

SUMMARY.--_B._ 1667, _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin, entered household of Sir W. Temple at Moor Park 1692, and became his sec., became known to William III., and met E. Johnson (Stella), left T. in 1694 and returned to Ireland, took orders and wrote _Tale of a Tub_ and _Battle of Books_ (_pub._ 1704), returned to Sir W.T. 1698, and on his death in 1699 _pub._ his works, returned to Ireland and obtained some small preferments, visits London and became one of the circle of Addison, etc., deserts the Whigs and joins the Tories 1710, attacking the former in various papers and pamphlets, Dean of St. Patrick's 1713, death of Anne and ruin of Tories destroyed hopes of further preferment, and he returned to Ireland and began his _Journal to Stella_, _Drapier's Letters_ appeared 1724, visits England, and joins with Pope and Arbuthnot in _Miscellanies_ 1726, _pub._ _Gulliver's Travels_ 1727, "Stella" _d._ 1728, gradually lost his faculties and _d._ 1745.