Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 1.djvu/161

Rh the translation of Homer, expresses the highest obligations to him for his zeal in promoting the subscription to that work. Gay, by his interest, was appointed secretary to the embassy to Hanover. Harrison, a young man of promising genius, recommended to him by Mr. Addison, was made by him queen's secretary at the Hague, a place of one thousand two hundred pounds a year, though he lived but a short time to enjoy it. We have already seen in what manner he introduced, and recommended Parnell to the ministry. Nor was he unmindful of such as had but a moderate share of merit in that way. He made Dr. King gazetteer; he made Trap chaplain to lord Bolingbroke. He discovered some marks of original genius in some Sea Eclogues, written by an obscure man, one Diaper, and immediately sought the author out, and brought him into light: of this he gives the following account in his Journal, December 1712: "This morning I presented one Diaper, a poet, to lord Bolingbroke, with a new poem, which is a very good one; and I am to give a sum of money from my lord. I have contrived to make a parson of him, for he is half one already, being in deacon's orders, and a small cure in the country; but has a sword at his tail here in town. 'Tis a poor, little, short wretch, but will do best in a gown, and we will make lord keeper give him a living."

Nor were his good offices confined to men of genius only, but merit of every kind was sure to find in him a warm advocate, and oppressed innocence, a protector. He says, in a letter to lady Betty Germain, "when I had credit for some years " at