582 SWIFT. after the death of King William, went over to England, for the first time since his settling at Laracor. This jour ney he frequently repeated during the reign of Queen Anne, and soon became eminent as a writer. He had been educated among the Whigs, but at length attached himself to the Tories; because the Whigs, he said, had renounced their old principles, and received others, which their forefathers abhorred. It may, however, be necessary to observe, for the information of those who regard only the modern acceptation of those terms, that the Tories of the reign of Queen Anne, differed much from those now so designated; Tories of that day being the out-party, and consequently opposed to the abuses of the existing go Vernment. We find scarcely any material circumstance recorded of Swift during several succeeding years of his life. He was principally engaged in endeavouring to overthrow the power of the Whigs, and on the change of administration, in 1710, he became a man of considerable consequence, although not filling any public situation. The following extract from the diary of Bishop Kennet, (who was no admirer of Swift) is sufficient evidence of the great extent of his power at this period of his life. “Dr. Swift came into the coffee-house, and had a bow from every body but me, who, I confess, could not but despise him. When I came to the anti-chamber to wait before prayers, Dr. Swift was the principal man of talk and business, and acted as a master of requests. He was soliciting the Earl of Arran to speak to his brother the Duke of Ormond, to get a chaplain's place established in the garrison of Hull for Mr. Fiddes, a clergyman in that neighbourhood, who had lately been in gaol, and published sermons to pay fees. He was promising Mr. Thorold to undertake with my lord treasurer, that according to his petition, he should obtain a salary of 200l. per annum, as minister of the English church at Rotterdam. Then he stopped F. Gwynne, Esq. going in with his red bag to the queen, and told him aloud he had somewhat to say to him from my lord treasurer. He talked with the son of Dr.
