sian lady, Sophie Soymanof, born at Moscow,
who married General Swetchine, and, after turning Catholic, became
celebrated in Paris during 1817-51 as the gracious hostess of a salon
where much religious and ethical discussion went on; plain and unimposing
in appearance, she yet exercised a remarkable fascination over her
"coterie" by the elevation of her character and eager spiritual nature
(1782-1857).

SWIFT, JONATHAN, born at Dublin, a posthumous son, of well-connected
parents; educated at Kilkenny, where he had Congreve for companion, and
at Trinity College, Dublin, where he was a somewhat riotous and a by no
means studious undergraduate, only receiving his B.A. by "special grace"
in 1686; two years later the Revolution drove him to England; became
amanuensis to his mother's distinguished relative Sir William Temple,
whose service, however, was uncongenial to his proud independent nature,
and after taking a Master's degree at Oxford he returned to Dublin, took
orders, and was presented to the canonry of Kilroot, near Belfast; the
quiet of country life palling upon him, he was glad to resume secretarial
service in Temple's household (1696), where during the next three years
he remained, mastering the craft of politics, reading enormously, and
falling in love with STELLA (q. v.); was set adrift by Temple's
death in 1699, but shortly afterwards became secretary to Lord Berkeley,
one of the Lord-Deputies to Ireland, and was soon settled in the vicarage
of Laracor, West Meath; in 1704 appeared anonymously his famous satires,
the "Battle of the Books" and the "Tale of a Tub," masterpieces of
English prose; various squibs and pamphlets followed, "On the
Inconvenience of Abolishing Christianity," &c.; but politics more and
more engaged his attention; and neglected by the Whigs and hating their
war policy, he turned Tory, attacked with deadly effect, during his
editorship of the _Examiner_ (1710-11), the war party and its leader
Marlborough; crushed Steele's defence in his "Public Spirit of the
Whigs," and after the publication of "The Conduct of the Allies" stood
easily the foremost political writer of his time; disappointed of an
English bishopric, in 1713 reluctantly accepted the deanery of St.
Patrick's, Dublin, a position he held until the close of his life; became
loved in the country he despised by eloquently voicing the wrongs of
Ireland in a series of tracts, "Drapier's Letters," &c., fruitful of good
results; crow