Jonathan Swift was born in 1667, on the 30th of November. His
father was a Jonathan Swift, sixth of the ten sons of the Rev.
Thomas Swift, vicar of Goodrich, near Ross, in Herefordshire, who
had married Elizabeth Dryden, niece to the poet Dryden's
grandfather. Jonathan Swift married, at Leicester, Abigail Erick,
or Herrick, who was of the family that had given to England Robert
Herrick, the poet. As their eldest brother, Godwin, was prospering
in Ireland, four other Swifts, Dryden, William, Jonathan, and Adam,
all in turn found their way to Dublin. Jonathan was admitted an
attorney of the King's Inns, Dublin, and was appointed by the
Benchers to the office of Steward of the King's Inns, in January,
1666. He died in April, 1667, leaving his widow with an infant
daughter, Jane, and an unborn child.
Swift was born in Dublin seven months after his father's death.
His mother after a time returned to her own family, in Leicester,
and the child was added to the household of his uncle, Godwin
Swift, who, by his four wives, became father to ten sons of his own
and four daughters. Godwin Swift sent his nephew to Kilkenny
School, where he had William Congreve among his schoolfellows. In
April, 1782, Swift was entered at Trinity College as pensioner,
together with his cousin Thomas, son of his uncle Thomas. That
cousin Thomas afterwards became rector of Puttenham, in Surrey.
Jonathan Swift graduated as B.A. at Dublin, in February, 1686, and
remained in Trinity College for another three years. He was ready
to proceed to M.A. when his uncle Godwin became insane. The
troubles of 1689 also caused the closing of the University, and
Jonathan Swift went to Leicester, where mother and son took
counseltogether as to future possibilities of life.
His most famous work remains Gulliver's Travels.
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