1728,+Jonathan+Swift+and+Gulliver

//**14 March, 1728 **// My dearest Annabelle,

I have finally arrived here in London! I am most excited to begin to learn the ways of the metropolitan life that I have heard such wonderful things about. During my stay, I am especially eager to take in the local theater. I hear that the theater season is about to commence in full effect with new and old showings. I hear that there is a new play opening soon at Lincoln’s Inn Field that I am very eager to see, but the name escapes me now. I’ll try to see if I can find a bill to send you in my next letter.

It seems that the local folk here tend to congregate at these co ffeehouse places that I’ve seen around. The house closest to my stay is called the St. James. It is a place, so I’m told, where people discuss the happenings of the city and in other parts of Europe. I see this as a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with locals and grasp the type of society that I am about to endure.

I picked up a newspaper, //The London Gazette//, as I arrived at my place of stay. Hopefully this will be a good resource for me to gather what sort of information that these people seem to be interested in on a regular basis. I would like to keep you updated, if you will allow it, of my trip. Hopefully I will have many moments of enlightenment and maybe encourage you to join me here in London.

I hope to hear back from you soon.

Yours truly,

Patrick

//**9 April, 1728 **//

My dearest Annabelle,

Thank you greatly for your response letter! I am very pleased to see you are eager to hear about life here in London. It really has been quite an experience over the last month or so. I have finished a personal exploration of the vastness that is London. I have never seen anything like this; it is almost a never-ending world of its own. One would think that is quite frightening, but it is actually rather intriguing, exciting, and interesting.

I’ve made one of my regular visited places to be the St. James coffeehouse that I mentioned in my previous letter. I met some of the local folk and asked them many questions about the local cuisine, theaters; anything I could think of really. They were equally as intrigued with my country lifestyle outside of Manchester. I assured them that their city life was far more interesting. One thing that they did mention was the amount of authors and playwrights that they have encountered in this co ffeehouse. One of them mentioned Alexander Pope as stopping in a few times. But they did say that the most frequent visitor from times past is somebody named Jonathan Swift. They informed me that he has a work out titled //Gulliver’s Travels // and that it has been a very popular, but very controversial, topic of discussion within the coffeehouse. I picked up a copy of the work and plan on reading it over the course of my stay, although I am no sure of the time I have to do so frequently. You should pick it up too, and we can exchange views on it through these letters.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I mentioned //The London Gazette// before as a periodical that I planned on delving into. I have done just that and I am slightly puzzled by some of the entries I have come across so far. The first issue I picked up last month after my arrival wrote mostly of the Dutchess of Luxembourg and a visit she paid to Paris. Then, the next copy I picked up contained an address from the Province of Maryland to His Majesty the King. Do we not have distant relatives in the Maryland Province? I recall a letter from them when I was young. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I am slightly puzzled by this newspaper so far as there hasn’t been much information about the city outside of the classified section within. I hope to see more London relevant news as I continue to read. Something funny did happen to me while I was reading the classifieds in the St. James. I stumbled upon an entry mentioning the seamen of the Royal Navy. It asked all seamen who were to be absent from their upcoming duty to submit reasons for said absence. As I was reading this, I overheard some fellows discussing their reasons when I realized they were truly discussing fabrications of reasons. I found this quite funny, but I did not have the courage to interject into that conversation.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I hope to hear from you again soon.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Yours truly,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Patrick

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">1 May, 1728 **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">My dearest Annabelle,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I am ecstatic to hear that you decided to find a copy of //Gulliver’s Travels// as well! I am also impressed with your speed of reading it. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to read a significant amount of it as of now, but I am approaching t <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">he ending of the first part of the narrative. I am amused by the conflict between the two nations over the proper way to crack an egg. It reminds me of some of the silly disputes we endured when we were young. The whole society described seemed quite dysfunctional, not in the way that they run their government, but in their everyday practices. Now that he has left Lilliput, I hope some of this will be explained. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Speaking of //Gulliver//, I have some very exciting news! I walked into the St. James like usual, but it was much more full than i <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">s has been in times past. There was a man, maybe around 40 years of age, at a table by himself with the only seat left in the house. I asked to join h <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">im, and he balked at the idea first, but then gestured for me to sit. He mentioned the copy of //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">Gulliver //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;"> that I was carrying with me and we began to discuss the work. His knowledge of the detail of the work without looking at my copy was astounding. At this point, he mentioned that he had written the book. It was Jonathan Swift!

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I was overjoye <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">d that I was able to share such an experience with him discussing the finer points of his book. But at this time, I became intrigued with the man himself. I found out that he grew up in Ireland and attended Dublin University, which happened to have been a place I was interested in studying at before I chose to take this trip to London. I learned of his friendship with Alexander Pope, whom he said was in the seat I was sitting in not too long before.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">We began to discuss some of his other writings as well. He happened to have a copy of a work from seven years prior that he was re-reading himself. It was a letter to a clergyman discussing his recent acquisition of the title of clergyman. He says it discus <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">ses the hardships involved in carrying the title, but defends its dignity and importance. It apparentlyserves as a warning to young men looking to enter this way of life, but does not discourage such a choice. He handed me his copy to read and said he had an arrangement to keep. He was attending a showing of the play //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">The Beggar’s Opera //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">, which he claims he had a hand in himself. He handed me the bill, which I included with this letter.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Mr. Swift told me he would love to meet with me again to continue to discuss Gulliver, but that he has limited time to do so. I will continue to update you of these conversations. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I have decided to attend a viewing of //King Henry V,// which, as you may know, is one of my favorites from Shakespeare. I ho <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">pe to soon also attend a viewing of //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">The Beggar’s Opera //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 1.5;">, but Mr. Swift said the viewings have been quite popular.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I hope all is well, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Yours truly,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Patrick

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">26 May 1728 **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">My dearest Annabelle,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I’m truly baffled still by this //London Gazette// paper. Once again, it is speaking of foreign dignitaries. This time, the King of Poland has paid visit to His Majesty. The only detail that was given of this visit was that he met many of the dignitaries within this country. It makes me wonder the intentions of His Majesty. Is he simply showing compassion for his fellow European dignitaries, or does he have a grander idea with these meetings?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">For the first time since I arrived, I did get to see, from a distance of course, one of the members of the Royals. She was surrounded by guards as she entered a ship on the Thames, clearly with a long journey ahead as many provisions were loaded as well. I found in the //Gazette// later that she had made her way to Bristol, but there was no concrete reason for the stay mentioned. It was rather exciting to be able to be as close as I was to Royalty, however!

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">My viewing of //King Henry V// was quite entertaining. It was my first experience of theater within a city such as London and it was very enjoyable. I have never been in a theater as big as Drury Lane before and it was quite the experience. I am very eager to explore other venues as well. I finally secured a space in an upcoming showing of //The Beggar’s Opera//. It has been the high topic of discussion around the coffeehouses lately and I hope to be able to contribute my insight soon.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Mr. Swift was in the St. James again today and we discussed //Gulliver’s Travels// once again. By now I have finished the book in its entirety and I had so many questions for him as the writer. I was first curious as to what the point of showing so many different, completely opposite versions of society in the same narrative. Eventually, after discussing this with him for a while, it became apparent that this whole book seemed to be a satire of life within the countries of Europe. It seems to be a commentary of the ridiculousness of the conflicts that exist between people and nations as well as different religions. I asked him why he chose to comment on such subjects, and he told me to take another look at the society that I was experiencing in London and see if I noticed anything. I wonder what that means?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I hope to hear from you soon,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Yours truly,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Patrick

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">1 July 1728 **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">My dearest Annabelle,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">In response to your most recent letter, yes!, I am still very delighted to be a sort of acquaintance with Jonathan Swift! In fact, it opened up an opportunity for me to meet with Mr. Alexander Pope soon after I sent you my last letter! It was very exciting and I am thrilled that I have been able to meet such well-endowed authors in my stay here. The most flattering part of it is that it was Mr. Pope who approached me! He told me that Mr. Swift had had multiple conversations about literature with me and that Mr. Pope should try to connect with me as well.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I was finally able to see that new play, //The Beggar’s Opera//. It was much more satirical than I anticipated, but it was still an extremely enjoyable experience. I saw it at the Lincoln’s Inn Field, which is where it has been running for some time now to many completely filled rooms. My showing was no different. I could tell that Mr. Swift had some influences in this play, which was written by a friend of his, Mr. John Gay. I was also able to view a showing of another popular play within London, //The Provoked Husband//. This play I saw at the venue of Drury Lane, which apparently has also seen an incredible amount of success so far this theater season. I hope to catch many more plays at both venues during my stay.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Something quite humorous happened to me a few weeks back while I was walking along the Thames near the Tower of London. I had just walked past the Tower while reading the letter that Mr. Swift had given to me. Just a few steps past the Tower, I heard a loud bang from directly behind me. It caused me to leave my feet in fright, and I immediately began nursing my now ringing ears. I figured there must be something soon within the Gazette that would tell me why such a loud noise would occur in the middle of the day with no warning. I picked up a copy of the Gazette and found the answer I was hunting. The King and Queen had returned to London from a trip they took to Richmond. It also happened to be the anniversary of the day that His Majesty took the Crown. With the amount of Royalty and Foreign Ministers that supposedly attended, I am quite surprised with how close I was to the tower during the ceremony. I figure they were not so afraid of a young man reading a pamphlet casually walking by.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I look forward to hearing from you soon,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Yours truly,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Patrick

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">1 August 1728 **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">My dearest Annabelle,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I apologize for not writing to you sooner. I have been very busy travelling all over London. This city is massive, and I still feel as if I have so much more to experience while I am here. I did discover something quite interesting while I was exploring some of the areas around Drury Lane: a review of //Gulliver’s Travels//. I immediately grabbed a copy and read through it right where I was standing. I found it to be quite humorous. Not because it was a bad review or anything of the sort, but because of how it talked about Mr. Swift as a writer. My favorite line of the entire review is found on the ninth page (I will send you the review): ‘it plainly appears to be the Work of an Heathen. In talking to Mr. Swift, it was apparent that he was definitely not an Heathen, but he was for sure critical of the ways of religion as a whole, as evidenced in our reading of //Gulliver’s Travels.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Do you remember in a previous letter when I said that Mr. Swift told me to observe the city around me? To see if I can find something that related to his choosing Europe to satirize? I think I have realized what he was referring to.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Over the last few weeks, the //Gazette// has continued to mention foreign dignitaries and foreign affairs. On July 21, it mentioned the Archbishop of Paris and his ordering of forty hours of prayer, which the King and the Queen will attend. Then, on July 22, the Council of the Assembly of Jamaica wrote His Majesty, thanking him for his loyal care of them, in addition to supporting him after the death of his father. Finally, on July 31, Lord Baltimore arrived in Copenhagen to visit with the King of Denmark on his way to his eventual destination of Stockholm.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I have realized that, at least in the periodical //The London Gazette//, there seems to be a feeling of cosmopolitanism within the city of London. The newspaper has constantly discussed the happenings of foreign lands as frequently, if not sometimes more frequently, than local happenings (outside of classifieds). I am still slightly confused as to why, if in this paper the relations between nations in Europe seem to be in good standing with each other, why did Mr. Swift make it seem as if they were so different and critical of each other in his metaphors? I hope to ask him this if I get another chance to be able to meet with him again.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I hope to hear from you soon,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Yours truly,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Patrick

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">14 August 1728 **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">My dearest Annabelle,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I am nearing the end of my trip and look to return home soon. I do, however, plan on returning to London soon after, possibly to study here as well as make a living here as a writer for //The London Gazette//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I met with Mr. Swift in the St. James one last time, as he was leaving for Ireland the next day. He remembered the question he asked me and was curious as to what I found. I told him of my thoughts on the cosmopolitanism within the //Gazette.// He found that interesting and asked if I believed in that. I was very taken back by this question. He then said his goodbyes to everyone in the St. James and made his way out.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">After some reflection, I think I understand what he means. While, right now, it seems as if the nations of Europe have good relations and understandings with each other, as seen within the //Gazette.// However, if one were to travel any of these other nations, as Gulliver did, one would see that they don’t truly respect or understand the other nations and cultures. Whether that is true or not, we cannot know for ourselves, but it seems to be the point Swift was trying to get across in his writings and his discussions with me.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I am anxious to get home and speak with you personally about all my experiences.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I will see you soon,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Yours truly,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Patrick

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**WORKS CITED:** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Probyn, Clive. “Swift, Jonathan (1667–1745).” Clive ProbynOxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Ed. Lawrence Goldman. Oxford: OUP,. 11 Dec. 2013 <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26833>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Gulliver Decypher'd: Or Remarks on a Late Book, Intitled, Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. By Capt. Lemuel Gulliver. Vindicating the Reverend Dean on Whom It Is Maliciously Father'd. With Some Probable Conjectures concerning the Real Author. To Which Is Prefix'd a Prefatory Discourse concerning Decyphering. N.p.: London : Printed for J. Roberts near the Oxford Arms in Warwick Lane: and Sold by the ellers of London and Westminster [1728?]., n.d.Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Web. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Swift, Jonathan. A Letter to a Young Gentleman, Lately Enter'd into Holy Orders. By a Person of Quality. N.p.: London : Printed for J. Roberts at the Oxford Arms in Warwick-Lane, MDCCXXI. [1721]., n.d. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Web.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Scouten, Arthur H. The London Stage 1660 - 1800. 1st ed. Vol. 2. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1960. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__All newspaper articles taken from '17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers' Database__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), March 15, 1728 - March 18, 1729; Issue 6761.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), March 30, 1728 - April 2, 1728; Issue 6661.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), April 6, 1728 - April 9, 1728; Issue 6663.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), April 30, 1728 - May 4, 1728; Issue 6670.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), May 11, 1728 - May 14, 1728; Issue 6673.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), June 8, 1728 - June 11, 1728; Issue 6681.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), July 13, 1728 - July 16, 1728; Issue 6691.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), July 20, 1728 - July 23, 1728; Issue 6693.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//London Gazette// (London, England), August 3, 1728 - August 6, 1728; Issue 6697.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Pictures (in order of appearance):

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jonathan_swift.jpg <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://www.william-hogarth.com/hogarth/images/7581.jpg