s in 1711.
Jonathan Swift used the publication to criticise the Whig government for its failure to end the war with France. The Tory government however secretly negotiated with the French to end the War of the Spanish Succession through the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Swift’s closeness to the Tory government made him a member of the inner circle of that government. Through this, he served as a mediator between the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Henry St John (Viscount Bolingbroke) and the Lord Treasurer and Prime Minister, Robert Harley.
Jonathan Swift compiled his experience during this time to his friend, Esther Johnson (referred to as Stella by Swift), which was published as A Journal to Stella after he died. Esther Johnson is believed to have been involved with Jonathan Swift Romantically. Swift also had a relationship with Esther Vabhomrigh who he called “Venessa,” who was one of the daughters of the Vabhomrigh family whom he friended in London. Jonathan Swift featured Esther in his poem Cadenus and Venessa.
Back To Ireland
After the fall of the Tory government and the Whig took over, Jonathan Swift left England for Ireland in somewhat a virtual exile. While in Ireland, Jonathan Swift used his pamphleteering skills to support the cause of Ireland. It was around this time that Jonathan Swift published works like Proposal for Universal Use of Irish Manufacture (1720), Drapier's Letters (1724), and A Modest Proposal (1729). These works gained him the status of an Irish patriot. Nonetheless, the government at the time was not contempt with his status and therefore attempted to silence him. This led to the arrest of subsequent conviction of his printer, Edward Waters, for seditious libel in 1720 for the Swift’s work Drapier’s Letters.
Under the pseudonym, Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, and then a captain of several ships, Jonathan Swift wrote his masterpiece, Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World also known as Gulliver’s Travel first published in November 1726 during his stay in London. This work became an instant hit and was translated into German, Dutch, and French in 1727. He, however, left London back to Ireland upon hearing the news that his friend Esther Johnson was dying. The death of her Esther resulted in his work The Death of Mrs. Johnson in 1728. He wrote his own obituary the Death of Dr. Swift in 1731 but was published in 1739.
The 1730s seemed to be bad for Jonathan Swift, as he also lost his friend John Gay in 1732 and John Arbuthnot followed in 1735. This affected Swift greatly that in 1738 Jonathan Swift also fell ill and believed to have had a stroke in 1742. Jonathan Swift lost the ability to speak properly and showed signs of mental illness. That year he also suffered an inflammation of the left eye and that year ended without him speaking.
Jonathan Swift died on 19 October 1745 close to 80 and was buried beside Esther Johnson according to his wish. After his death, £12,000 of his fortune was used to fund St Patrick’s Hospital for Imbecile, a hospital for mentally ill persons opened in 1757. The hospital still exists and serves its purpose. It is not known whether he had children.
Jonathan Swift has been named after the Swift crater, a crater on Mar’s moon Deimos. He is named after the Swift Street. A festival Trim Swift Festival is in his honor.
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