Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/48

 (b) Relation to the 'Tale of a Tub'

Section III of the Tale of a Tub, the Digression Concerning Critics, is largely an attack upon Wotton and Bentley; and there are, besides, many other references in the Tale to them, and to the Ancient and Modern Learning Controversy. It has been suggested that the Battle was written after the Tale, and that the Digressions in the Tale grew out of the Battle. There is very little evidence on the subject, and as both books were added to, at various times before publication, the difficulty of determining the order in which they were written is greatly increased. It may, however, be pointed out that Swift said in 1710 that the Tale was intended to satirise the 'numerous and gross corruptions in Religion and Learning,' and that the greater part of it was written by 1696. If this is true the Digressions must have formed part of the original plan of the book; and we