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Swift and the Stamp Act of 1712
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
Extract
In a debate, December 22, 1819, in the House of Commons on the Newspaper Stamp Duties Bill, Sir James Mackintosh, speaking of the passage of the original act of 1712, said: “Swift—being then a distinguished Tory, suggested the first idea of a stamp duty for the avowed purpose of preventing publications against the government,—Swift, that parricide who endeavored to destroy that very press to which he owed so much, to which he owed all his fame, and at that very moment all his preferment.”
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- Research Article
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- Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1916
References
1 Parliamentary Debates, vol. xli, p. 1479.
2 Alexander Andrews, The History of British Journalism, London, 1859.
3 James Grant, The Newspaper Press, Tinsley Bros., London, 1871.
4 H. R. Fox Bourne, English Newspapers, London, 1887.
5 George Wingrove Cooke, Memoirs of Lord Bolingbroke, Richard Bentley, London, 1835.
6 John Ashton, Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne, London, 1882.
7 L. Lewis, The Advertisements of the Spectator, Boston, 1909.
8 Grant, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 299.
9 Andrews, op. cit., p. 106.
10 Ashton, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 77; Andrews, op. cit., p. 108.
11 Grant, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 100; Cooke, op. cit., vol. i, p. 221.
12 Cooke, op. cit., vol. i, p. 222.
13 Grant, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 100; Ashton, op. cit., p. 77.
14 Bourne, op. cit., p. 80.
15 Andrews, op. cit., p. 107.
16 Austin Dobson, Richard Steele, A Biography, English Worthies series, Longmans, London, 1886: “The baleful Stamp Act, which Swift had foreseen a year earlier, and had vainly endeavored to avert” (p. 143).
17 Works, edited by Temple Scott, George Bell & Sons, London, 1902, vol. x, pp. 124-125. In the sentences immediately preceding Swift says, “Among the matters of importance during this session, we may justly number the proceedings of the House of Commons with relation to the press, since Her Majesty's message to the House, of January the seventeenth, concludes with a paragraph, representing the great licences taken in publishing false and scandalous libels, such as are a reproach to any government; and recommending to them to find a remedy equal to the mischief. The meaning of these words in the message, seems to he confined to these weekly and daily papers and pamphlets, reflecting upon the persons and the management of the ministry. But the House of Commons, in their address, which answers this message, makes an addition of the blasphemies against God and religion; and it is certain, that nothing would be more for the honour of the legislature, than some effectual law for putting a stop to this universal mischief.”
For historical reasons given below, I am compelled to believe that the interpretation put by the House on the Queen's words is far more reasonable and accurate than that of Swift.
18 F. E. Ball, ed., The Correspondence of Swift, London, 1910-1914.
19 J. Nichols, ed., Epistolary Correspondence of Sir Richard Steele, 2 vols., London, 1809.
20 Whitwell Elwin, The Correspondence of Pope.
21 Gilbert Parke, Letters and Correspondence of Viscount Bolingbroke, 4 vols., London, 1798.
22 Lords Journals, vol. xv, p. 545.
23 Lords Journals, vol. xvi, p. 368.
24 Commons Journals, vol. xii, p. 468.
25 Lords Journals, vol. xvii, p. 22.
26 Commons Journals, vol. xiii, p. 699.
27 Op. cit., p. 94.
28 Press Mark, 816. m. 12 (38).
29 A Letter to a Member of Parliament, Showing, that a Restraint on the press is Inconsistent with the Protestant Religion, and dangerous to the Liberties of the nation, 1698 (32 pp.).
A Modest Plea for the Due Regulation of the Press, In Answer to several Reasons lately Printed against it. By Francis Gregory, D. D., 1698, (46 pp.). A Letter to a Member of Parliament, Showing the Necessity of Regulating the Press: Chiefly from the Necessity of Publick Establishments in Religion From the Rights and Immunities of a National Church, and the Trust reposed in the Christian Magistrate to Protect and Defend Them. 1699, (67 pp.).
Reasons against Restraining the Press, 1704, (15 pp.).
30 Historical mss. Commission, Report 15, App. iv, Mss. of the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, vol. iv, p. 534.
31 The History of the Present Parliament and Convocation. Printed for John Baker at the Black-Boy in Pater-Noster Row M D CCXI. Pp. 113-114.
32 Ibid.
33 Ibid. Also Abel Boyer, Political State of Great Britain from 1711 to 1739, London, 1739. Pp. 485-486.
34 Ibid., pp. 262-272.
35 Ibid., p. 286.
36 Press mark, 4105, CC. 3.
37 Press mark, 698. 1. 13.
38 Some Thoughts on the Representation of the Lower House of Convocation In a Letter to the Reverend Dr. Atterbury, Prolocutor, London. Printed for J. Baker at the Black-Boy in Pater-Noster Row, 1711.
39 Narcissus Luttreil, A Brief Historical Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 to April 1714. 6 vols., Oxford University Press, 1858, vol. vi, p. 680.
40 Commons Journals, vol. xvi, p. 462.
41 Press mark 8223. c. 9. (76).
42 Commons Journals, vol. xviii, p. 28.
43 Ibid., p. 43.
44 Abel Boyer, The History of the Reign of Queen Anne, Digested into Annals, 1703-1712, vol. x, p. 147.
45 Ibid., vol. xi, p. 9.
46 The History of the Proceedings of the Second Session of this Present Parliament. London. Printed: and Sold by John Baker, pp. 82-84. Press Mark 8132 d. 65 (2); Cobbett, op. cit., vol. vi, p. 1125.
47 Commons Journals, vol. xviii, p. 196.
48 Op. cit., vol. vi, p. 1125.
49 Vide supra, No. 46.
50 The History and Defense of the Last Parliament. Printed for A. Baldwin at the Oxford-Arms in Warwick Lane. 1713. (Press Mark 809, p. 3).
51 Gommons Journals, vol. xvii, pp. 196, 198, 200, 203, 212, 217, 218, 226, 227, 234.
52 A comparison of the titles of these two acts will perhaps make this evident.
10th Anne Cap. xix (Stamp Act): “For laying several duties upon all soap and paper made in Great Britain, or imported into the same; and upon chequered and striped linens imported; and upon certain silks, callicoes, linens, and stuffs printed, painted, or stained; and upon several kinds of stamped vellum, parchment, and paper; and upon certain printed papers, pamphlets and advertisements, for raising the sum of 1,800,000 pounds, by way of lottery towards her Majesty's supply; and for licensing an additional number of hackney chairs; and for charging certain stocks of cards and dice; and for better securing her Majesty's duties to arise in the office of the stamp duties by licenses for marriages and otherwise; and for relief of persons who have not claimed their lottery tickets in due time, or have lost Exchequer bills, or lottery tickets; and for borrowing money upon stock, part of the capital of the South Sea company for the use of the publick.”
10th Anne Cap. xxvi: “For laying additional duties on hides and skins, vellum and parchment, and new duties on starch, coffee, tea, drugs, gilt and silver wire, and policies of insurance, to secure a yearly fund for satisfaction of orders to the contributors of a further sum of 1,800,000 pounds toward her Majesty's supply; and for the better securing the duties on candles; and for obviating doubts concerning certain payments in Scotland; and for suppressing unlawful lotteries, and other devices of the same kind; and concerning cake soap: and for the relief of Mary Ravenal, in relation to an annuity of 18 pounds per annum; and concerning prize cocoanuts brought from America; and certain tickets which were intended to be subscribed into the stock of the South Sea company; and for appropriating the moneys granted in this session of parliament.” (The act itself occupies 47 pages.)
53 Press mark 8223 c. 9 (77, 78, 79, 85, 86).
54 Commons Journals, vol. xvii, p. 251.
55 Op. cit., p. 126.
56 The following comment in The Observator, vol. xi, numb. 38, from Wed. May 7 to Sat. May 12, 1712, will show the feeling at the time in regard to the measure:
“If your Honours think such an Exemption will be too partial and open, we humbly propose an Expedient, that it may be handsomely couch'd in a General Clause for exempting all that is Writ by High Church Authors, ad propagandam fidem, especially if it be done on French paper, for we're willing to damn all that's Dutch.”
57 Vide supra, No. 17.