From Swift to Benjamin Tooke

Sir, Dublin, June 29, 1710.

I was in the country when I received your letter with the Apology *inclosed in it; and I had neither health nor humour to finish that business. But the blame rests with you, that if you thought it time, you did not print it when you had it. I have just now your last, with the complete Key. I believe it is so perfect a Grubstreet-piece, it will be forgotten in a week. But it is strange that there can be no satisfaction against a Bookseller, for publishing names in so bold a manner. I wish some lawyer could advise you how I might have satisfaction: For, at this rate, there is no book, however so vile, which may not be fastened on me. I cannot but think that little Parson-cousin of mine is at the bottom of this; for, having lent him a copy of some part of, &c. and he shewing it, after I was gone for Ireland, and the thing abroad, he affected to talk suspiciously, as if he had some share in it. If he should happen to be in town, and you light on him, I think you ought to tell him gravely, that if he be the author, he should set his name to the &c; and rally him a little upon it: And tell him, if he can explain some things, you will, if he pleases, set his name to the next edition. I should be glad to see how far the foolish impudence of a dunce could go. Well; I will send you the thing, now I am in town, as soon as possible. But, I dare say, you have neither printed the rest, nor finished the cuts, only are glad to lay the fault on me. I shall, at the end, take a little contemptible notice of the thing you sent me; and I dare say it will do you more good than hurt. If you are in such haste, how came you to forget theMiscellanies? I would not have you think of Steele for a publisher; he is too busy. I will, one of these days, send you some hints, which I would have in a preface, and you may get some friend to dress them up.

THE BOOKSELLERS ADVERTISEMENT ON THIS NEW EDITION

To give the curious Reader a just Idea of what he may expect in this Volume, I cannot do better than transcribe a part of a Letter sent me with the Copy, from an ingenious Gentleman of my acquaintance, whose advice I have followed exactly.

… … . You have here also according to your desire my Tale of a Tub, with all the Notes you have formerly seen, & several others I have added since. You may make what use you please of it, provided you return it me safe when you have done, & that you let no body see it, or know from whom you had it. You’l perhaps find some of these Notes of no great use, because you understand all without ‘em; but some Readers will be apt to wish there were more, to explain some other passages they may not perfectly understand.

I think it's almost needless to tell the Readers, they ought not to impute to the Author the sense given to his words in these Notes; especialy in those taken from his Adversarys, such as M. Wotton, one of the Heroes of the piece. Any one that reads the praises given him by our Author, will easily see his reasons for giving the worst turn imaginable to every thing he has written. I once hoped to have found a great many more curious Notes of this kind, in the Remarks made on this Book by D. Bentley the Author's principal Hero. I am told this is a Master-piece of modern Criticism, & that this Prince of Pedants has, with a vast deal of laborious learning, shewn that he can interpret almost nine passages of Antient Authors in a sense different from that which ourAuthor has given them; but particularly that he has most terribly maul’d this Author with those Arms he had so bountifully bestowed on him in the 160 page of this Treatise, &especially with that of his left hand, of which according to his custom he has been very liberal.

THE BOOKSELLER's ADVERTISEMENT

The following Discourse came into my Hands perfect and entire. But there being several Things in it, which the present Age would not very well bear, I kept it by me some Years, resolving it should never see the Light. At length, by the Advice and Assistance of a judicious Friend, I retrench’d those Parts that might give most Offence, and have now ventured to publish the Remainder; Concerning the Author, I am wholly ignorant; neither can I conjecture, whether it be the same with That of the two foregoing Pieces, the Original having been sent me at a different Time, and in a different Hand. The Learned Reader will better determine; to whose Judgment I entirely submit it.

A DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE MECHANICAL OPERATION OF THE SPIRIT, &c.

For T. H. Esquire, at his Chambers in the Academy of the Beaux Esprits in New-Holland.

Sir,

It is now a good while since I have had in my Head something, not only very material, but absolutely necessary to my Health, that the World should be informed in. For, to tell you a Secret, I am able to contain it no longer. However, I have been perplexed for some time, to resolve what would be the most proper Form to send it abroad in. To which End, I have three Days been coursing thro’ Westminster-Hall, and St. Paul's Church yard, and Fleet-street, to peruse Titles; and, I do not find any which holds so general a Vogue, as that of A Letter to a Friend:Nothing is more common than to meet with long Epistles address’d to Persons and Places, where, at first thinking, one would be apt to imagine it not altogether so necessary or Convenient; Such as, a Neighbour at next Door, a mortal Enemy, a perfect Stranger, or a Person of Quality in the Clouds; and these upon Subjects, in appearance, the least proper for Conveyance by the Post; as, long Schemes in Philosophy; dark and wonderful Mysteries of State; Laborious Dissertations in Criticism and Philosophy, Advice to Parliaments; and the like.

TO HIS MOST SACRED MAJESTY WILLIAM III.

King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, &c.

THE PUBLISHER's EPISTLE TO THE READER

The Collection of the following Letters is owing to the diligence ofMr. Thomas Downton, who was one of Sir William Temple's Secretaries, during the whole time wherein they bear date. And it has succeeded very fortunately for the Publick, that there is contained in them an Account of all the chief Transactions and Negotiations, which passed in Christendom during the seven Years, wherein they are dated; as, The War with Holland, which began in 1665: The Treaty between His Majesty and the Bishop of Munster, with the Issue of it: The French Invasion of Flanders in the Year 1667: The Peace concluded between Spain and Portugal, by the King's Mediation: The Treaty at Breda; The Tripple Alliance; and The Peace of Aix la Chapelle in the first Part. And in the second Part; theNegotiations in Holland in consequence of those Alliances, with the Steps and Degrees, by which they came to decay: The Journey and Death of Madame: The seisure of Lorrain, and his Excellency's recalling; with the first Unkindness between England and Holland, upon the Yatch's transporting his Lady and his Family: And the beginning of the second Dutch War in 1672.

With these are intermixt several Letters, familiar and pleasant.

I found the Book among Sir William Temple's Papers, with many others, wherewith I had the opportunity of being long conversant, having passed several Years in his Family.

I pretend no other Part, than the Care, that Mr. Downton's Book should be correctly transcribed, and the Letters placed, in the Order they were writ. I have also made some literal amendments, especially in the Latin, French and Spanish: These I have taken Care should be translated and printed in another Column, for the Use of such Readers as may be unacquainted with the Originals.

The works included in this volume

This volume of the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jonathan Swift contains the three texts which together made up Swift's early satiric and intellectual masterpiece, ATale of a Tub: that is, ATale of a Tub itself; A Full and True Account of the Battel, Fought last Friday, between the Antient and the Modern Books in St James's Library; and ADiscourse Concerning theMechanical Operation of the Spirit. In a Letter to a Friend. A Fragment.

In addition, this volume includes two further categories of writing:

• (i) early writings clearly acknowledged by Swift, which were associated either with Swift's work on the posthumous publication of the works of Sir William Temple or with the Tale: that is, the editorial materials, including prefaces and notes, from Temple's Letters (1700), Miscellanea. The Third Part (1701), Letters to the King (1703), and Memoirs. Part III (1709), and Swift's correspondence with Benjamin Tooke, Junior, in 1710, regarding the fifth edition of the Tale;

• (ii) writings by others, which have a clear, vital and contemporary connection with the Tale: that is, relevant passages fromWilliam Wotton's Observations upon the Tale of a Tub (1705); Edmund Curll's Complete Key to the Tale of a Tub (1710); and relevant passages from the Miscellaneous Works, Comical and Diverting, byT.R.D.J.S.D.O.P.I.I., published in Holland in 1720. These non-canonical materials are printed in an appendix.

Works not belonging to either of these categories will be published in later volumes of this edition.

‘A Tale of a Tub’, ‘The Battel of the Books’ and ‘A Discourse Concerning theMechanical Operation of the Spirit’

Publication

The first edition of A Tale of a Tub, with The Battel of the Books and The Mechanical Operation of the Spirit, was published on 10 May 1704; it was advertised in the Post Man for 9 May as to be published the next day and in the Daily Courant for 10 May as to be published that day. Swift's usual practice would be to ensure he was out of England before the date of a London publication; unusually, the first edition of the Tale was published some three weeks before he left for Ireland at the end of May.