Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Content
- List of Illustrations
- General Editors’ Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Upon Giving Badges to the Poor
- Considerations About Maintaining the Poor
- A Short View of the State of Ireland
- An Answer to a Paper, Called A Memorial of the Poor Inhabitants, Tradesmen and Labourers of the Kingdom of Ireland
- The Intelligencer
- Intelligencer, No. 1
- Intelligencer, No. 3
- Intelligencer, No. 5
- Intelligencer, No. 7
- Intelligencer, No. 9
- Intelligencer, No. 19
- A Letter to the Archbishop of Dublin, Concerning the Weavers
- An Answer to Several Letters from Unknown Persons
- An Answer to Several Letters Sent Me From Unknown Hands
- A Letter on M’culla’s Project About Halfpence, and a New One Proposed
- A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents, or Country; and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick
- A Proposal That All the Ladies and Women of Ireland Should Appear Constantly in Irish Manufactures
- Maxims Controlled In Ireland
- Advertisement by Dr Swift, in His Defence Against Joshua, Lord Allen
- The Substance of What Was Said by the Dean of St Patrick’s to the Lord Mayor and Some of the Aldermen, When His Lordship Came to Present the Said Dean With His Freedom in a Gold-Box
- A Vindication of His Excellency the Lord Carteret, From the Charge Of Favouring None but Toryes, High-Churchmen and Jacobites
- The Answer to the Craftsman
- A Proposal for an Act of Parliament, to Pay Off the Debt of the Nation, Without Taxing the Subject
- An Examination of Certain Abuses, Corruptions, and Enormities in the City of Dublin
- The Humble Petition of the Footmen in and About the City of Dublin
- Some Considerations Humbly Offered to the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor, the Court of Aldermen, and Common Council of the Honourable City of Dublin, in the Choice of a Recorder
- Prefatory Letter to Mary Barber, Poems on Several Occasions
- Advice to the Free-Men of the City of Dublin in the Choice of a Member to Represent Them in Parliament
- Observations Occasioned by Reading a Paper, Entitled, The Case of the Woollen Manufacturers of Dublin, &c.
- A Letter on the Fishery
- The Rev. Dean Swift’s Reasons Against Lowering the Gold and Silver Coin
- A Proposal for Giving Badges to the Beggars in all the Parishes of Dublin
- Associated Materials
- Appendices
- General Textual Introduction and Textual Accounts of Individual Works
- Bibliography
- Index
Intelligencer, No. 3
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2021
- Frontmatter
- Content
- List of Illustrations
- General Editors’ Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Upon Giving Badges to the Poor
- Considerations About Maintaining the Poor
- A Short View of the State of Ireland
- An Answer to a Paper, Called A Memorial of the Poor Inhabitants, Tradesmen and Labourers of the Kingdom of Ireland
- The Intelligencer
- Intelligencer, No. 1
- Intelligencer, No. 3
- Intelligencer, No. 5
- Intelligencer, No. 7
- Intelligencer, No. 9
- Intelligencer, No. 19
- A Letter to the Archbishop of Dublin, Concerning the Weavers
- An Answer to Several Letters from Unknown Persons
- An Answer to Several Letters Sent Me From Unknown Hands
- A Letter on M’culla’s Project About Halfpence, and a New One Proposed
- A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents, or Country; and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick
- A Proposal That All the Ladies and Women of Ireland Should Appear Constantly in Irish Manufactures
- Maxims Controlled In Ireland
- Advertisement by Dr Swift, in His Defence Against Joshua, Lord Allen
- The Substance of What Was Said by the Dean of St Patrick’s to the Lord Mayor and Some of the Aldermen, When His Lordship Came to Present the Said Dean With His Freedom in a Gold-Box
- A Vindication of His Excellency the Lord Carteret, From the Charge Of Favouring None but Toryes, High-Churchmen and Jacobites
- The Answer to the Craftsman
- A Proposal for an Act of Parliament, to Pay Off the Debt of the Nation, Without Taxing the Subject
- An Examination of Certain Abuses, Corruptions, and Enormities in the City of Dublin
- The Humble Petition of the Footmen in and About the City of Dublin
- Some Considerations Humbly Offered to the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor, the Court of Aldermen, and Common Council of the Honourable City of Dublin, in the Choice of a Recorder
- Prefatory Letter to Mary Barber, Poems on Several Occasions
- Advice to the Free-Men of the City of Dublin in the Choice of a Member to Represent Them in Parliament
- Observations Occasioned by Reading a Paper, Entitled, The Case of the Woollen Manufacturers of Dublin, &c.
- A Letter on the Fishery
- The Rev. Dean Swift’s Reasons Against Lowering the Gold and Silver Coin
- A Proposal for Giving Badges to the Beggars in all the Parishes of Dublin
- Associated Materials
- Appendices
- General Textual Introduction and Textual Accounts of Individual Works
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Ipse per Omnes ibit Personas,
Et turbam reddet in uno.
Headnote
Published c. 25 May 1728; copy text 1728 (see Textual Account).
Swift's next contribution to the journal was a brief account of his friend John Gay's Beggar's Opera, which had, since the success of its London premiere in January, been received equally enthusiastically in Dublin, when it opened there in March. This provides Swift with opportunities for observations on the distinction between wit and humour, and on the nature of satire.
THE INTELLIGENCER.
The Players having now almost done with the Comedy, called The Beggar's Opera for this Season, it may be no unpleasant Speculation, to reflect a little upon this Dramatick Piece, so singular in the Subject, and the manner, so much an Original, and which hath frequently given so very agreeable an Entertainment.
Although an evil Tast be very apt to prevail, both here, and in London, yet there is a point which whoever can rightly Touch, will never fail of pleasing a very great Majority; so great, that the Dislikers, out of Dulness or Affectation will be silent, and forced to fall in with the Herd; the point I mean, is what we call Humour, which in its Perfection is allowed to be much preferable to Wit, if it be not rather the most useful, and agreeable Species of it.
I agreewith Sir William Temple, that the Word is peculiar to our English Tongue, but I differ from him in the Opinion, that the thing it self is peculiar to the English Nation, because the contrary may be found in many Spanish, Italian, and French Productions, and particularly, whoever hath a Tast for True Humour, will find a Hundred Instances of it in those Volumes Printed in France, under the Name of Le Theatre Italien, to say nothing of Rabelais, Cervantes, and many others.
Now I take the Comedy or Farce, (or whatever Name the Criticks will allow it) called the Beggars Opera; to excel in this Article of Humour. And, upon that Merit, to have met with such prodigious success both here, and in England.
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- Irish Political Writings after 1725A Modest Proposal and Other Works, pp. 47 - 56Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2018