Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 1.djvu/389

Rh that he had a heart susceptible of the warmest impressions of that sort, but still his friendship was portioned out among numbers; and it seems to have been almost equally shared by Addison, Prior, Arbuthnot, Gay, Pope, lord Oxford, duke of Ormond, lord Peterborow, and many others; but to the perfection of true friendship it is necessary that there should be one particular individual, selected from the rest of mankind, who may be considered as another self, to whom we can unbosom our most secret thoughts, before whom we are not ashamed to lay open our weaknesses and foibles, or, in the expressive phrase, to think aloud. This post was never hitherto occupied by any man; but Swift found no deficiency on that account, as it was amply and more pleasingly supplied by one of the other sex, the incomparable Stella. And to this, in process of time, did Sheridan succeed. His acquaintance with the dean commenced soon after his settlement in Ireland in the following manner. The dean, who had heard much of Sheridan as a man of wit and humour, desired a common friend to bring them together. They passed the day much to their mutual satisfaction; and when the company broke up at night. Swift in his usual ironical way, said, "I invite all here present to dine with me next Thursday, except Mr. Sheridan," but with a look which expressed that the invitation was made wholly on his account. There are certain spirits, concordes animæ, that on the first interview feel an irresistible attraction to each other, and rush into friendship, as some do into love, at first sight; and such was the case between these two men of genius, who had a great similarity both of disposition and Rh