Dean Smedley's Petition to the Duke of Grafton
Non domus et fundus, non aeris acervus et auri.--HOR.Epist., I, ii, 47.
It was, my lord, the dexterous shiftOf t'other Jonathan, viz. Swift,But now St. Patrick's saucy dean,With silver verge, and surplice clean,Of Oxford, or of Ormond's grace,In looser rhyme to beg a place.A place he got, yclept a stall,And eke a thousand pounds withal;And were he less a witty writer,He might as well have got a mitre.Thus I, the Jonathan of Clogher,In humble lays my thanks to offer,Approach your grace with grateful heart,My thanks and verse both void of art,Content with what your bounty gave,No larger income do I crave:Rejoicing that, in better times,Grafton requires my loyal lines.Proud! while my patron is polite,I likewise to the patriot write!Proud! that at once I can commendKing George's and the Muses' friend!Endear'd to Britain; and to thee(Disjoin'd, Hibernia, by the sea)Endear'd by twice three anxious years,Employ'd in guardian toils and cares;By love, by wisdom, and by skill;For he has saved thee 'gainst thy will.But where shall Smedley make his nest,And lay his wandering head to rest?Where shall he find a decent house,To treat his friends and cheer his spouse?O! tack, my lord, some pretty cure,In wholesome soil, and ether pure;The garden stored with artless flowers,In either angle shady bowers.No gay parterre, with costly green,Within the ambient hedge be seen:Let Nature freely take her course,Nor fear from me ungrateful force;No shears shall check her sprouting vigour,Nor shape the yews to antic figure:A limpid brook shall trout supply,In May, to take the mimic fly;Round a small orchard may it run,Whose apples redden to the sun.Let all be snug, and warm, and neat;For fifty turn'd a safe retreat,A little Euston may it be,Euston I'll carve on every tree.But then, to keep it in repair,My lord--twice fifty pounds a-yearWill barely do; but if your graceCould make them hundreds--charming place!Thou then wouldst show another face.Clogher! far north, my lord, it lies,'Midst snowy hills, inclement skies:One shivers with the arctic wind,One hears the polar axis grind.Good John indeed, with beef and claret,Makes the place warm, that one may bear it.He has a purse to keep a table,And eke a soul as hospitable.My heart is good; but assets fail,To fight with storms of snow and hail.Besides, the country's thin of people,Who seldom meet but at the steeple:The strapping dean, that's gone to Down,Ne'er named the thing without a frown,When, much fatigued with sermon study,He felt his brain grow dull and muddy;No fit companion could be found,To push the lazy bottle round:Sure then, for want of better folksTo pledge, his clerk was orthodox.Ah! how unlike to Gerard Street,Where beaux and belles in parties meet;Where gilded chairs and coaches throng,And jostle as they troll along;Where tea and coffee hourly flow,And gape-seed does in plenty grow;And Griz (no clock more certain) cries,Exact at seven, "Hot mutton-pies!"There Lady Luna in her sphereOnce shone, when Paunceforth was not near;But now she wanes, and, as 'tis said,Keeps sober hours, and goes to bed.There--but 'tis endless to write downAll the amusements of the town;And spouse will think herself quite undone,To trudge to Connor from sweet London;And care we must our wives to please,Or else--we shall be ill at ease.You see, my lord, what 'tis I lack,'Tis only some convenient tack,Some parsonage-house with garden sweet,To be my late, my last retreat;A decent church, close by its side,There, preaching, praying, to reside;And as my time securely rolls,To save my own and other souls.
Words in this poem 28
- fundus n.
- The bottom or base of any hollow organ; as, the fundus of the bladder; the fundus of the eye. [L., bottom.]
- withal adv.
- With this; with that. [With + all.]
- witty a.
- Possessed of wit; knowing; wise; skillful; judicious; clever; cunning. [AS. witig, wittig. See Wit, n.]
- mitre n.
- A covering for the head, worn on solemn occasions by church dignitaries. It has been made in many forms, the present form being a lofty cap with two points or peaks. Fairholt.
- bounty n.
- Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F. bonté, fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr. duvas honor, respect.]
- income n.
- A coming in; entrance; admittance; ingress; infusion.
- crave v. t.
- To ask with earnestness or importunity; to ask with submission or humility; to beg; to entreat; to beseech; to implore. [AS. crafian; akin to Icel. krefia, Sw. kr, Dan. kr.]
- polite a.
- Smooth; polished. [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See Polish, v.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- spouse v. t.
- To wed; to espouse. [See Espouse, and Spouse, n.]
- parterre n.
- An ornamental and diversified arrangement of beds or plots, in which flowers are cultivated, with intervening spaces of gravel or turf for walking on. [F., fr. par on, by (L. per)+terre earth, ground, L. terra. See Terrace.]
- ambient a.
- Encompassing on all sides; circumfused; investing. [L. ambiens, p. pr. of ambire to go around; amb- + ire to go.]
- ungrateful a.
- Not grateful; not thankful for favors; making no returns, or making ill return for kindness, attention, etc.; ingrateful. South.
- vigour v. t.
- To invigorate. Feltham.
- antic v. t.
- To make appear like a buffoon.
- snowy a.
- White like snow.
- inclement a.
- Not clement; destitute of a mild and kind temper; void of tenderness; unmerciful; severe; harsh. [L. inclemens; pref. in- not + clemens mild: cf. F. inclément. See Clement.]
- claret n.
- The name firat given in England to the red wines of M [OE. claret, clare, clarry, OF. claret, clar, fr. cler, F. clair, clear, fr. L. clarus clear. See Clear.]
- strapping a.
- Tall; strong; lusty; large; as, a strapping fellow.
- sermon n.
- A discourse or address; a talk; a writing; as, the sermens of Chaucer. [OE. sermoun, sermun, F. sermon, fr. L. sermo, - onis, a speaking, discourse, probably fr. serer, sertum, to join, connect; hence, a connected speech. See Series]
- folks n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- clerk n.
- A clergyman or ecclesiastic. [Either OF. clerc, fr. L. clericus a priest, or AS. clerc, cleric, clerk, priest, fr. L. clericus, fr. Gr. Clergy.]
- troll n.
- A supernatural being, often represented as of diminutive size, but sometimes as a giant, and fabled to inhabit caves, hills, and like places; a witch. Troll flower. (Bot.) Same as Globeflower (a). [Icel. troll. Cf. Droll, Trull.]
- hourly a.
- Happening or done every hour; occurring hour by hour; frequent; often repeated; renewed hour by hour; continual.
- mutton n.
- A sheep. Chapman. [OE. motoun, OF. moton, molton, a sheep, wether, F. mouton, LL. multo, by transposition of l fr. L. mutilus mutilated. See Mutilate.]
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- trudge v. i.
- To walk or march with labor; to jog along; to move wearily. [Perhaps of Scand. origin, and originally meaning, to walk on snowshoes; cf. dial. Sw. truga, trudja, a snowshoe, Norw. truga, Icel. þruga.]
- convenient a.
- Fit or adapted; suitable; proper; becoming; appropriate. [L. conveniens, -entis, suitable, p.pr. of convenire to be suitable, to come. See Convene, v. i.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Dean Smedley's Petition to the Duke of Grafton is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #14353; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jonathan Swift, Dean Smedley's Petition to the Duke of Grafton, in On Poetry: A Rhapsody, and Other Poems (1727), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14353, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems-vol1/dean-smedley-s-petition-to-the-duke-of-grafton.html, id L24616.
Form and metre
Dean Smedley's Petition to the Duke of Grafton is 103 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 2 AABBCCDD----EEFF--GGHHII--JJKKLLMMNNOOPP--QQRRSSTTUUVVVWWXX--YYYYYYZZaabb--ccddeeffgghhiiiijjkkllmmnn shiftA · swiftA · deanB · cleanB · graceC · placeC · stallD · withalD · writer · mitre · clogher · offer · heartE · artE · gaveF · craveF · times · lines · politeG · writeG · commendH · friendH · theeI · seaI · years · cares · skillJ · willJ · nestK · restK · houseL · spouseL · cureM · pureM · flowersN · bowersN · greenO · seenO · courseP · forceP · vigour · figure · supplyQ · flyQ · runR · sunR · neatS · retreatS · beT · treeT · repairU · yearU · graceV · placeV · faceV · liesW · skiesW · windX · grindX · claret · it · tableY · hospitableY · failY · hailY · peopleY · steepleY · downZ · frownZ · studya · muddya · foundb · roundb · folks · orthodox · streetc · meetc · throngd · alongd · flowe · growe · criesf · piesf · sphereg · nearg · saidh · bedh · downi · towni · undonei · londoni · pleasej · easej · lackk · tackk · sweetl · retreatl · sidem · residem · rollsn · soulsn
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Non domus et fundus, non aeris acervus et auri.--HOR. | 16 | ····/˘·········· |
| Epist., I, ii, 47. | 4 | ···· |
| It was, my lord, the dexterous shift | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| Of t'other Jonathan, viz. Swift, | 8 | ·˘/˘/˘·· |
| But now St. Patrick's saucy dean, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| With silver verge, and surplice clean, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Of Oxford, or of Ormond's grace, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| In looser rhyme to beg a place. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| A place he got, yclept a stall, | 8 | ········ |
| And eke a thousand pounds withal; | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| And were he less a witty writer, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| He might as well have got a mitre. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Thus I, the Jonathan of Clogher, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In humble lays my thanks to offer, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Approach your grace with grateful heart, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| My thanks and verse both void of art, | 8 | ········ |
| Content with what your bounty gave, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| No larger income do I crave: | 8 | ·/˘/···· |
| Rejoicing that, in better times, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| Grafton requires my loyal lines. | 8 | /˘˘/·/˘· |
| Proud! while my patron is polite, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| I likewise to the patriot write! | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| Proud! that at once I can commend | 8 | ······˘/ |
| King George's and the Muses' friend! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Endear'd to Britain; and to thee | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| (Disjoin'd, Hibernia, by the sea) | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Endear'd by twice three anxious years, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Employ'd in guardian toils and cares; | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| By love, by wisdom, and by skill; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| For he has saved thee 'gainst thy will. | 8 | ········ |
| But where shall Smedley make his nest, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And lay his wandering head to rest? | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Where shall he find a decent house, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To treat his friends and cheer his spouse? | 8 | ········ |
| O! tack, my lord, some pretty cure, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| In wholesome soil, and ether pure; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The garden stored with artless flowers, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| In either angle shady bowers. | 9 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| No gay parterre, with costly green, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Within the ambient hedge be seen: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Let Nature freely take her course, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Nor fear from me ungrateful force; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| No shears shall check her sprouting vigour, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Nor shape the yews to antic figure: | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| A limpid brook shall trout supply, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| In May, to take the mimic fly; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Round a small orchard may it run, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Whose apples redden to the sun. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Let all be snug, and warm, and neat; | 8 | ········ |
| For fifty turn'd a safe retreat, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| A little Euston may it be, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Euston I'll carve on every tree. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But then, to keep it in repair, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| My lord--twice fifty pounds a-year | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Will barely do; but if your grace | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Could make them hundreds--charming place! | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Thou then wouldst show another face. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Clogher! far north, my lord, it lies, | 8 | ········ |
| 'Midst snowy hills, inclement skies: | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| One shivers with the arctic wind, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| One hears the polar axis grind. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Good John indeed, with beef and claret, | 9 | ··˘/···/˘ |
| Makes the place warm, that one may bear it. | 9 | ········· |
| He has a purse to keep a table, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And eke a soul as hospitable. | 9 | ·····//˘˘ |
| My heart is good; but assets fail, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| To fight with storms of snow and hail. | 8 | ········ |
| Besides, the country's thin of people, | 9 | ˘/·/˘··/˘ |
| Who seldom meet but at the steeple: | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| The strapping dean, that's gone to Down, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Ne'er named the thing without a frown, | 8 | ········ |
| When, much fatigued with sermon study, | 9 | ··˘/·/˘/˘ |
| He felt his brain grow dull and muddy; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| No fit companion could be found, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| To push the lazy bottle round: | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Sure then, for want of better folks | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To pledge, his clerk was orthodox. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Ah! how unlike to Gerard Street, | 8 | ··˘/·˘/· |
| Where beaux and belles in parties meet; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Where gilded chairs and coaches throng, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And jostle as they troll along; | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Where tea and coffee hourly flow, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And gape-seed does in plenty grow; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And Griz (no clock more certain) cries, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Exact at seven, "Hot mutton-pies!" | 8 | ˘/·/·/˘· |
| There Lady Luna in her sphere | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Once shone, when Paunceforth was not near; | 9 | ········· |
| But now she wanes, and, as 'tis said, | 8 | ········ |
| Keeps sober hours, and goes to bed. | 8 | ·/˘/···· |
| There--but 'tis endless to write down | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| All the amusements of the town; | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| And spouse will think herself quite undone, | 9 | ····˘/·˘/ |
| To trudge to Connor from sweet London; | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| And care we must our wives to please, | 8 | ····/··· |
| Or else--we shall be ill at ease. | 8 | ········ |
| You see, my lord, what 'tis I lack, | 8 | ········ |
| 'Tis only some convenient tack, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Some parsonage-house with garden sweet, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| To be my late, my last retreat; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| A decent church, close by its side, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| There, preaching, praying, to reside; | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| And as my time securely rolls, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| To save my own and other souls. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.