Book 4 — REMARKS ON THE CHARACTERS OF THE COURT OF QUEEN ANNE.

JOHN, DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.

Macky.

A tall, handsome man for his age, with a very obliging address; of a wonderful presence of mind, so as hardly ever to be discomposed; of a very clean head, and sound judgment; ... every way capable of being a great man, if the great success of his arms, and the heaps of favours thrown upon him by his sovereign, does not raise his thoughts above the rest of the nobility, and consequently draw upon him the envy of the people of England. He is turned of 50 years of age.—Swift. Detestably covetous.

JAMES, DUKE OF ORMONDE.

Macky. He hath all the qualities of a great man, except that one of a statesman, hating business. ... He is about 40 years old.—Swift. Fairly enough writ.

CHARLES, DUKE OF SOMERSET.

Macky. Is of a middle stature, well shaped, a very black complexion, a lover of music and poetry; of good judgment.—Swift. Not a grain; hardly common sense.

JOHN, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

Macky. He is a nobleman of learning, and good natural parts, but of no principles. Violent for the high-church, yet seldom goes to it. Very proud, insolent, and covetous, and takes all advantages. In paying his debts, unwilling; and is neither esteemed nor beloved.—Swift. This character is the truest of any.

DANIEL, EARL OF NOTTINGHAM [AFTERWARDS EARL OF WINCHILSEA].

Macky. He hath the exterior air of business, and application enough to make him very capable. In his habit and manners very formal; a tall, thin, very black man, like a Spaniard or Jew, about 50 years old.—Swift. He fell in with the Whigs, was an endless talker.

HENRY, EARL OF ROMNEY.

Macky. He was indeed the great wheel on which the Revolution rolled.—Swift. He had not a wheel to turn a mouse.

Macky. He is a gentleman that hath lived up [Swift, down] to the employments the King gave him; of great honour and honesty, with a moderate capacity.—Swift. None at all.

JOHN, DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

Macky. He hath one only daughter, who will be the richest heiress in Europe.—Swift. Now Countess of Oxford; cheated by her father.

CHARLES [LENNOX], DUKE OF RICHMOND.

Macky. He is a gentleman good-natured to a fault; very well bred, and hath many valuable things in him; is an enemy to business, very credulous, well shaped, black complexion, much like King Charles; not 30 years old.—Swift. A shallow coxcomb.

CHARLES, DUKE OF BOLTON.

Macky. Does not now make any figure at court.—Swift. Nor anywhere else. A great booby.

GEORGE, DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND.

Macky. He is a man of honour, nice in paying his debts, and living well with his neighbours in the country; does not much care for the conversation of men of quality, or business. Is a tall black man, like his father the King, about 40 years old.—Swift. He was a most worthy person, very good-natured, and had very good sense.

CHARLES [FITZROY], DUKE OF GRAFTON.

Macky. Grandson to King Charles II.; ... a very pretty gentleman, hath been abroad in the world; zealous for the constitution of his country. A tall black man, about 25 years old.—Swift. Almost a slobberer; without one good quality.

SIR NATHAN WRIGHT, LORD KEEPER.

Macky. Is son of a clergyman,[1] a good common lawyer, a slow chancellor, and no civilian. Chance more than choice brought him the seals.—Swift. Very covetous.

[Footnote 1: His father had the living of Thurcaston, in Leicestershire. [S.]]

RALPH, DUKE OF MONTAGU.

Macky. He is a great supporter of the French, and other Protestants ... an admirer of learning.—Swift. As arrant a knave as any in his time.

WILLIAM, MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON.

Macky. One of the best beloved gentlemen, by the country party, in England.—Swift. A very poor understanding.

JOHN, LORD SOMERS.

Macky. Of a creditable family, in the city of Worcester.—Swift. Very mean; his father was a noted rogue.—Macky. He is believed to be the best chancellor that ever sat in the chair.—Swift. I allow him to have possessed all excellent qualifications except virtue. He had violent passions, and hardly subdued them by his great prudence.

CHARLES, LORD HALIFAX [AFTERWARDS EARL OF HALIFAX].

Macky. He is a great encourager of learning and learned men, is the patron of the muses, of very agreeable conversation, a short fair man, not 40 years old.—Swift. His encouragements were only good words and dinners; I never heard him say one good thing, or seem to taste what was said by another.

CHARLES, EARL OF DORSET.

Macky. One of the finest gentlemen, in England, in the reign of King Charles II.; of great learning [Swift. small, or none], extremely witty, and hath been the author of some of the finest poems in the English language, especially satire.... One of the pleasantest companions in the world [Swift. not of late years, but a very dull one], when he likes his company.

RICHARD, EARL RIVERS.

Macky. He was one of the greatest rakes in England in his younger days, but always a lover of the constitution of his country; is a gentleman of very good sense, and very cunning.—Swift. An arrant knave in common dealings, and very prostitute.

ARNOLD, EARL OF ALBEMARLE.

Macky. He was King William's constant companion in all his diversions and pleasures.—Swift. Very infamous pleasures.

ALGERNON, EARL OF ESSEX.

Macky. Is son to that earl whose throat was cut in the Tower.—Swift. Cut his own throat.

WILLIAM, EARL OF PORTLAND.

Macky. He is supposed to be the richest subject in Europe, very profuse in gardening, birds, and household furniture, but mighty frugal and parsimonious in everything else; of a very lofty mien, and yet not proud; of no deep understanding.—Swift. As great a dunce as ever I knew.

JAMES, EARL OF DERBY.

Macky. On his brothers death he came to the House of Peers, where he never will make any great figure, the sword being more his profession; he is a fair-complexioned man, well shaped, taller than the ordinary size, and a man of honour.—Swift. As arrant a scoundrel as his brothers.

CHARLES, EARL OF PETERBOROUGH.

Macky. He affects popularity, and loves to preach in coffee-houses, and public places; is an open enemy to revealed religion; brave in his person; hath a good estate; does not seem expensive, yet always in debt, and very poor.—Swift. This character is for the most part true.

CHARLES, EARL OF SUNDERLAND.

Macky. This gentleman is endued with a great deal of learning, virtue [Swift, no], and good sense.

THOMAS, EARL OF STAMFORD.

Macky. Is one of the first branches of the Greys, a noble family in England.... He doth not want sense; but by reason of a defect in his speech, wants elocution.—Swift. He looked and talked like a very weak man; but it was said he spoke well at council.

THOMAS [TUFTON], EARL OF THANET.

Macky. He is a good country gentleman, a great assertor of the prerogatives of the monarchy and the Church.—Swift. Of great piety and charity.

EDWARD [MONTAGU], EARL OF SANDWICH.

Macky. Of very ordinary parts; married the witty Lord Rochester's daughter, who makes him very expensive.—Swift. As much a puppy as ever I saw; very ugly, and a fop.

ROBERT, LORD LUCAS.

Macky. He is every way a plain man, yet took a great deal of pains to seem knowing and wise; everybody pitied him when the Queen turned him out, for his seeming good nature, and real poverty.—Swift. A good plain humdrum.

CHARLES, EARL OF WINCHILSEA.

Macky. He hath neither genius nor gusto for business,... and is zealous for the monarchy and Church to the highest degree. He loves jests and puns, [Swift. I never observed it,] and that sort of low wit.—Swift. Being very poor, he complied too much with the party he hated.

JOHN, LORD POULETT OF HINTON [AFTERWARDS EARL POULETT].

Macky. He is certainly one of the hopefullest gentlemen in England; is very learned, virtuous, and a man of honour; much esteemed in the country, for his generous way of living with the gentry, and his charity to the poorest sort.—Swift. This character is fair enough.

CHARLES, LORD [VISCOUNT] TOWNSHEND.

Macky. Is a gentleman of great learning, attended with a sweet disposition; a lover of the constitution of his country; is beloved by everybody that knows him.—Swift. I except one.

WILLIAM, LORD DARTMOUTH [AFTERWARDS EARL OF DARTMOUTH].

Macky. He sets up for a critic in conversation, makes jests, and loves to laugh at them; takes a great deal of pains in his office, and is in a fair way of rising at court.—Swift. This is right enough, but he has little sincerity.

THOMAS, LORD WHARTON [AFTERWARDS EARL OF WHARTON].

Macky. One of the completest gentlemen in England, hath a very clear understanding, and manly expressions, with abundance of wit. He is brave in his person, much of a libertine, of a middle stature, fair complexion, and 50 years old.—Swift. The most universal villain I ever knew.

CHARLES, LORD MOHUN.

Macky. He is brave in his person, bold in his expressions, and rectifies, as fast as he can, the slips of his youth by acts of honesty; which he now glories in more, than he was formerly extravagant.—Swift. He was little better than a conceited talker in company.

HENRY, EARL OF KENT.[2]

[Footnote 2: Afterwards Duke of Kent.]

Macky. Is the first branch of the ancient family of Grey. The present gentleman was much esteemed, when Lord Ruthen; was always very moderate, has good sense, and a good estate; which, with his quality, must make him always bear a considerable figure in the nation.—Swift. He seems a good-natured man, but of very little consequence.

ROBERT, EARL OF LINDSEY [AFTERWARDS DUKE OF ANCASTER].

Macky. A fine gentleman, has both wit and learning.—Swift. I never observed a grain of either.

MONTAGU, EARL OF ABINGDON.

Macky. A gentleman of fine parts, makes a good figure in the counties of Oxford and Buckinghamshire:... is very high for the monarchy and Church.—Swift. Very covetous.

PHILIP, EARL OF CHESTERFIELD.

Macky. He is very subtle and cunning, never entered into the measures of King William, nor ever will, in all probability, make any great appearance in any other reign.—Swift. If it be old Chesterfield, I have heard he was the greatest knave in England.

CHARLES, EARL OF BERKELEY.

Macky. A gentleman of learning, parts, and a lover of the constitution of his country; a short fat man.—Swift. Intolerably lazy and indolent, and somewhat covetous.

LOUIS, EARL OF FEVERSHAM.

Macky. A third son of the family of Duras in France; he came over with one of the Duke of York's family;... is a middle-statured brown man, turned of 50 years old.—Swift. He was a very dull old fellow.

HENRY, EARL OF GRANTHAM.

Macky. He is a very pretty gentleman, fair complexioned, and past 30 years old.—Swift. And good for nothing.

JOHN, LORD DE LA WARR.

Macky. A free jolly gentleman, turned of 40 years old.—Swift. Of very little sense; but formal, and well stocked with the low kind of lowest politics.

ROBERT, LORD LEXINTON.

Macky. He is of a good understanding, and very capable to be in the ministry; a well-bred gentleman, and an agreeable companion.—Swift. A very moderate degree of understanding.

RALPH, LORD GREY OF WERKE.

Macky. A sweet disposed gentleman; he joined King William at the Revolution, and is a zealous assertor of the liberties of the people.—Swift. Had very little in him.

JAMES, LORD CHANDOS.

Macky. Was warm against King William's reign, and doth not make any great figure in this; but, his son, Mr. Brydges[3] does, being a member of the House of Commons, one of the counsellors to the prince, and a very worthy gentleman.—Swift. But a great compiler with every court.

[Footnote 3: Afterwards Duke of Chandos.]

FRANCIS, LORD GUILFORD.

Macky. Is son to the lord-keeper North, hath been abroad, does not want sense nor application to business, and his genius leads him that way.—Swift. A mighty silly fellow.

EDWARD, LORD GRIFFIN.

Macky. Having-followed King James's fortunes, is now in France. He was always a great sportsman, and brave; a good companion, turned of 60 years old.—Swift. His son was a plain drunken fellow.

HUGH, LORD CHOLMONDELEY [AFTERWARDS EARL OF CHOLMONDELEY].

Macky. This lord is a great lover of country sports; is handsome in his person, and turned of 40 years old.—Swift. Good for nothing, as far as ever I knew.

CHARLES, LORD BUTLER OF WESTON.

Macky. Earl of Arran in Ireland, and brother to the Duke of Ormonde;... of very good sense, though seldom shows it.—Swift. This is right; but he is the most negligent of his own affairs.

MR. THOMAS MANSELL [AFTERWARDS LORD MANSELL].

Macky. He is a gentleman of a great deal of wit and good nature, a lover of the ladies, and a pleasant companion.—Swift. Of very good nature, but a very moderate capacity.

ROBERT HARLEY, ESQ. [AFTERWARDS EARL OF OXFORD], SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Macky. He is skilled in most things, and very eloquent, [Swift, a great lie;] was bred a Presbyterian, yet joins with the Church party in everything; and they do nothing without him.—Swift. He could not properly be called eloquent, but he knew how to prevail on the House with few words and strong reasons.

THE HON. HENRY BOYLE [AFTERWARDS LORD CARLETON], CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER.

Macky. Is a good companion in conversation; agreeable amongst the ladies; serves the Queen very assiduously in council; makes a considerable figure in the House of Commons; by his prudent administration, obliges everybody in the exchequer; and in time may prove a great man.—Swift. He had some very scurvy qualities, particularly avarice.

SIR THOMAS FRANKLAND, POST-MASTER-GENERAL.

Macky. He is a gentleman of a very sweet, easy, affable disposition; of good sense, extremely zealous for the constitution of his country, yet does not seem over forward; keeps an exact unity amongst the officers under him, and encourages them in their duty, through a peculiar familiarity, by which he obliges them, and keeps up the dignity of being master.—Swift. A fair character.

THE RT. HON. JOHN SMITH, ONE OF HER MAJESTY'S PRIVY-COUNCIL.

Macky. A gentleman of much honour, a lover of the constitution of his country; a very agreeable companion in conversation, a bold orator in the House of Commons,[4] when the interest of his country is at stake; of a good address.—Swift. I thought him a heavy man.

[Footnote 4: He was Speaker of the House of Commons, 1705-1708. [T.S.]]

CHARLES D'AVENANT, LL.D.

Macky. He was very poor at the Revolution, had no business to support him all the reign of King William, yet made a good figure. He is a very cloudy-looked man, fat, of middle stature, about 50 years old.—Swift. He was used ill by most ministries; he ruined his own estate, which put him under a necessity to comply with the times.

MATTHEW PRIOR, ESQ., COMMISSIONER OF TRADE.

Macky. On the Queen's accession to the throne, he was continued in his office, is very well at court with the ministry, and is an entire creature of my Lord Jersey's, whom he supports by his advice. Is one of the best poets in England, but very factious in conversation; a thin hollow-looked man, turned of 40 years old.—Swift. This is near the truth.

THOMAS TENISON, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

Macky. A plain, good, heavy man, now much in years, and wearing out; very tall, of a fair complexion, and 70 years old.—Swift. The most good-for-nothing prelate I ever knew.

GILBERT BURNET. BISHOP OF SALISBURY.

Macky. Of a very good family in Scotland, of the name of Burnet, his father was Lord [Swift, laird] of Cremont.... He is one of the greatest [Swift, Scotch] orators of the age he lives in. His "History of the Reformation," and his "Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles," show him to be a man of great learning; but several of his other works show him to be a man neither of prudence nor temper; his sometimes opposing, and sometimes favouring, the Dissenters, hath much exposed him to the generality of the people of England; yet he is very useful in the House of Peers, and proves a great pillar, both of the civil and ecclesiastical constitution, against the encroachments of a party which would destroy both.—Swift. His true character would take up too much time for me (who knew him well) to describe it.

GEORGE STEPNEY, ESQ., ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY TO THE EMPEROR [OF AUSTRIA].

Macky. A gentleman of admirable natural parts, very learned, one of the best poets [Swift, scarce of a third rate] now in England.

MR. [AFTERWARDS SIR PAUL] METHUEN, AMBASSADOR TO THE KING OF PORTUGAL.

Macky. A man of intrigue, but very muddy in his conceptions, and not quickly understood in anything. In his complexion and manners, much of a Spaniard.—Swift. A profligate rogue, without religion or morals; but cunning enough, yet without abilities of any kind.

THOMAS, LORD RABY [AFTERWARDS EARL OF STRAFFORD], ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY TO THE KING OF PRUSSIA.

Macky. He is a young gentleman, de bon naturel, handsome, of fine understanding, [Swift, very bad, and can't spell,] and, with application, may prove a man of business. He is of low stature [Swift, he is tall].

MR. [RICHARD] HILL, ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY TO THE DUKE OF SAVOY.

Macky. Is a gentleman of a good family in Shropshire. He was designed for the church, and took deacon's [Swift, priest's] orders; but having a genius for business, and falling into the acquaintance of my Lord Ranelagh, when tutor to my Lord Hyde, he was sent into Flanders as paymaster to the English troops there. ... He is a gentleman of very clear parts, and affects plainness and simplicity [Swift, au contraire] in his dress, and conversation especially. He is a favourite to both parties [Swift, to neither]; and is beloved for his easy access, and affable way by those he has business to do with. He is a thin, tall man, [Swift, short, if I remember right,] taller than the ordinary stature, near 50 years old.

SIR LAMBERT BLACKWELL, ENVOY TO THE GREAT DUKE OF TUSCANY.

Macky. He affects much the gentleman in his dress, and the minister in his conversation: Is very lofty, yet courteous, when he knows his people; much envied by his fellow merchants.—Swift. He seemed to be a very good-natured man.

MR. [Dr.] AGLIONBY, ENVOY TO THE SWISS CANTONS.

Macky. He hath abundance of wit, and understands most of the modern languages well; knows how to tell a story to the best advantage; but has an affected manner of conversation; is thin, splenetic, and tawny complexioned, turned of 60 years old.—Swift. He had been a Papist.

MR. D'AVENANT, AGENT AT FRANKFORT.

Macky. A very giddy-headed young fellow, with some wit; about 25 years old.—Swift. He is not worth mentioning.

JOHN, LORD CUTTS.

Macky. He hath abundance of wit, but too much seized with vanity and self-conceit; he is affable, familiar, and very brave; ... towards 50 years old.—Swift. The vainest old fool alive.

HENRY, EARL OF GALWAY.

Macky. One of the finest gentlemen in the army, with a head fitted for the cabinet, as well as the camp; is very modest, vigilant, and sincere; a man of honour and honesty, [Swift, in all directly otherwise;] without pride or affectation; wears his own hair, is plain in his dress and manners, towards 60 years old.—Swift. A deceitful, hypocritical, factious knave; a damnable hypocrite, of no religion.

GEORGE, EARL OF ORKNEY.

Macky. He is a very well-shaped black man; is brave; but, by reason of a hesitation in his speech wants expression.—Swift. An honest good-natured gentleman, and hath much distinguished himself as a soldier.

MR. JAMES STANHOPE [AFTERWARDS EARL STANHOPE], ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY TO THE STATES GENERAL.

Macky. He is a man of honour,... and pleases the Dutch. His son, Colonel Stanhope, is one of the finest young gentlemen we have; is very learned, with a great deal of wit. ... A handsome [Swift, ugly] black man.

SIR CHARLES O'HARA [AFTERWARDS LORD TYRAWLEY], LIEUTENANT-GENERAL.

Macky. At the Revolution he had a company in the foot-guards; was afterwards lieutenant-colonel to that regiment; was made colonel to the fusileers, and gradually advanced to the post he now hath, which he well deserves, being of good understanding, and abundance of learning; fit to command, if not too covetous; he is a short, black man, 50 years old.—Swift. His father was a groom; he was a man of sense, without one grain of honesty.

COLONEL MATTHEW AYLMER [AFTERWARDS LORD AYLMER], VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET.

Macky. He hath a very good head, indefatigable and designing; is very zealous for the liberties of the people, makes a good figure in the Parliament, as well as the fleet.—Swift. A virulent party man, born in Ireland.

JAMES, DUKE OF HAMILTON.

Macky. On the Queen's accession to the throne, he made strong efforts to get into the administration, but hath not yet succeeded, though he is well received at court; he is brave in his person, with a rough air of boldness; of good sense, very forward and hot for what he undertakes; ambitious and haughty, a violent enemy; hath been very extravagant in his manner of living; but now grows covetous.—Swift. He was made master of the ordnance; a worthy good-natured person, very generous, but of a middle understanding; he was murdered by that villain Macartney, an Irish Scot.

ARCHIBALD, DUKE OF ARGYLL.

Macky. Few of his years hath a better understanding, nor a more manly behaviour. He hath seen most of the courts of Europe, is very handsome in his person, fair complexioned; about 25 years old.—Swift. Ambitious, covetous, cunning Scot; has no principle, but his own interest and greatness. A true Scot in his whole conduct.

JAMES, MARQUESS OF MONTROSE [AFTERWARDS DUKE OF MONTROSE].

Macky. Representative of the ancient and noble family of Graham; great-grandson to that famous Montrose, who was hanged and quartered for Charles I.; and grandson, by the mother, to the Duke of Rothes. He inherits all the great qualities of those two families, with a sweetness of behaviour, which charms all those who know him; hath improved himself in most foreign courts; is very beautiful in his person, and about 25 years old.—Swift. Now very homely, and makes a sorry appearance.

JOHN, EARL OF SUTHERLAND.

Macky. A very honest man, a great assertor of the liberties of the people; hath a good, rough sense; is open and free; a great lover of his bottle and his friend; brave in his person, which he hath shown in several duels; too familiar for his quality, and often keeps company below it.—Swift. A blundering, rattle-pated, drunken sot.

SECRETARY [JAMES] JOHNSTOUN, NOW LORD-REGISTER.

Macky. Is a younger son of my Lord Warriston, who was beheaded. ... He is very honest, [Swift, a treacherous knave,] yet something too credulous and suspicious; endued with a great deal of learning and virtue; is above little tricks, free from ceremony; and would not tell a lie for the world.—Swift. One of the greatest knaves even in Scotland.

MR. [WILLIAM] CARSTAIRS.

Macky. He is the cunningest, subtle dissembler in the world, with an air of sincerity, a dangerous enemy, because always hid. An instance of which was Secretary Johnstoun, to whom he pretended friendship, till the very morning he gave him a blow, though he had been worming him out of the King's favour for many months before; he is a fat, sanguine-complexioned fair man, always smiling, where he designs most mischief, a good friend when he is sincere; turned of 50 years old.—Swift. A true character; but not strong enough by a fiftieth part.

JOHN, EARL OF MAR.

Macky. He is a very good manager in his private affairs, which were in disorder when his father died, and is a stanch countryman, fair complexioned, low stature, and 30 years old.—Swift. He is crooked; he seemed to me to be a gentleman of good sense and good nature,

ANDREW FLETCHER, OF SALTON.

Macky. A gentleman of a fair estate in Scotland, attended with the improvement of a good education. ... He hath written some excellent tracts, but not published in his name; and hath a very fine genius; is a low, thin man, brown complexion, full of fire, with a stern, sour look, and 50 years old.—Swift. A most arrogant, conceited pedant in politics; cannot endure the least contradiction in any of his visions or paradoxes.

CHARLES, EARL OF MIDDLETON.

Macky. He is one of the politest gentlemen in Europe; hath a great deal of wit, mixed with a sound judgment, and a very clear understanding; of an easy, indifferent access, but a careless way of living. ... He is a black man, of a middle stature, with a sanguine complexion; and one of the pleasantest companions in the world. Towards 60 years old.—Swift. Sir William Temple told me, he was a very valuable man, and a good scholar. I once saw him.

DAVID, EARL OF WEEMS.

Macky. He hath not yet been in the administration; is a fine personage, and very beautiful; hath good sense, and is a man of honour. About 30 years old.—Swift. He was a black man, and handsome for a Scot.

NOTE.—The characters on the Duke of Shrewsbury, the Duke of Devonshire, the Earl of Ranelagh, and Rear-Admiral Byng, have been entirely omitted. The first is not given by Reed, and includes in Birch the single word "none"; the second is not given either by Birch or Reed, but appears only in "The Crypt"; the third is given only by Nichols; and the last is not given by Birch or Reed.

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