The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 1 | Page 2

recondite reading, in which it is not always easy to track him without some research; but I believe that I have not failed to illustrate any matter that required elucidation.
W. E. B.
May 1910.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME I
Introduction xv
Ode to Doctor William Sancroft?Ode to Sir William Temple?Ode to King William?Ode to The Athenian Society?To Mr. Congreve?Occasioned by Sir William Temple's late illness and recovery Written in a Lady's Ivory Table Book?Mrs. Frances Harris's Petition?A Ballad on the game of Traffic?A Ballad to the tune of the Cutpurse?The Discovery?The Problem?The Description of a Salamander?To Charles Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough?On the Union?On Mrs. Biddy Floyd?The Reverse?Apollo Outwitted?Answer to Lines from May Fair?Vanbrugh's House?Vanbrugh's House?Baucis and Philemon?Baucis and Philemon?The History of Vanbrugh's House?A Grub Street Elegy?The Epitaph?A Description of the Morning?A Description of a City Shower?On the Little House?A Town Eclogue?A Conference?To Lord Harley on his Marriage?Phyllis?Horace, Book IV, Ode ix?To Mr. Delany?An Elegy?To Mrs. Houghton?Verses written on a Window?On another Window?Apollo to the Dean?News from Parnassus?Apollo's Edict?The Description of an Irish Feast?The Progress of Beauty?The Progress of Marriage?The Progress of Poetry?The South Sea Project?Fabula Canis et Umbrae?A Prologue?Epilogue?Prologue?Epilogue?Answer to Prologue and Epilogue?On Gaulstown House?The Country Life?Dr. Delany's Villa?On one of the Windows at Delville?Carberiae Rupes?Carbery Rocks?Copy of the Birthday Verses on Mr. Ford?On Dreams?Dr. Delany to Dr. Swift?The Answer?A Quiet Life and a Good Name?Advice?A Pastoral Dialogue?Desire and Possession?On Censure?The Furniture of a Woman's Mind?Clever Tom Clinch?Dr. Swift to Mr. Pope?A Love Poem?Bouts Rimez?Helter Skelter?The Puppet Show?The Journal of a Modern Lady?The Logicians Refuted?The Elephant; or the Parliament Man?Paulus; an Epigram?The Answer?A Dialogue?On burning a dull Poem?An excellent new Ballad?On Stephen Duck?The Lady's Dressing Room?The Power of Time?Cassinus and Peter?A Beautiful young Nymph?Strephon and Chloe?Apollo; or a Problem solved?The Place of the Damned?The Day of Judgment?Judas?An Epistle to Mr. Gay?To a Lady?Epigram on Busts in Richmond Hermitage?Another?A Conclusion from above Epigrams?Swift's Answer?To Swift on his Birthday with a Paper Book from the Earl of Orrery Verses on Swift's Birthday with a Silver Standish?Verses occasioned by foregoing Presents?Verses sent to the Dean with an Eagle quill?An Invitation, by Dr. Delany?The Beasts' Confession?The Parson's Case?The hardship upon the Ladies?A Love Song?The Storm?Ode on Science?A Young Lady's Complaint?On the Death of Dr. Swift?On Poetry, a Rhapsody?Verses sent to the Dean on his Birthday?Epigram by Mr. Bowyer?On Psyche?The Dean and Duke?Written by Swift on his own Deafness?The Dean's Complaint?The Dean's manner of living?Epigram by Mr. Bowyer?Verses made for Fruit Women?On Rover, a Lady's Spaniel?Epigrams on Windows?To Janus, on New Year's Day?A Motto for Mr. Jason Hasard?To a Friend?Catullus de Lesbia?On a Curate's complaint of hard duty?To Betty, the Grisette?Epigram from the French?Epigram?Epigram added by Stella?Joan cudgels Ned?Verses on two modern Poets?Epitaph on General Gorges and Lady Meath?Verses on I know not what?Dr. Swift to himself?An Answer to a Friend's question?Epitaph?Epitaph?Verses written during Lord Carteret's administration?An Apology to Lady Carteret?The Birth of Manly Virtue?On Paddy's Character of the "Intelligencer"?An Epistle to Lord Carteret by Delany?An Epistle upon an Epistle?A Libel on Dr. Delany and Lord Carteret?To Dr. Delany?Directions for a Birthday Song?The Pheasant and the Lark by Delany?Answer to Delany's Fable?Dean Smedley's Petition to the Duke of Grafton?The Duke's Answer by Swift?Parody on a character of Dean Smedley
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Johnson, in his "Life of Swift," after citing with approval Delany's character of him, as he describes him to Lord Orrery, proceeds to say: "In the poetical works there is not much upon which the critic can exercise his powers. They are often humorous, almost always light, and have the qualities which recommend such compositions, easiness and gaiety. They are, for the most part, what their author intended. The diction is correct, the numbers are smooth, and the rhymes exact. There seldom occurs a hard laboured expression or a redundant epithet; all his verses exemplify his own definition of a good style--they consist of 'proper words in proper places.'"
Of his earliest poems it is needless to say more than that if nothing better had been written by him than those Pindaric Pieces, after the manner of Cowley--then so much in vogue--the remark of Dryden, "Cousin Swift, you will never be a Poet," would have been fully justified. But conventional praise and compliments were foreign to his nature, for his strongest characteristic was his intense sincerity. He says of himself that about that time he had writ and burnt and writ again upon all manner of subjects more than perhaps any man in England; and it is certainly remarkable that in so doing his true genius was not sooner developed, for it was not till he became chaplain in Lord Berkeley's household that his satirical humour was first displayed--at least in verse--in "Mrs. Frances Harris' Petition."--His great prose satires, "The Tale of a Tub," and "Gulliver's Travels," though planned, were reserved to a later time.--In other forms of poetry he soon afterwards