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Joined: 13 Mar 2011
Posts: 198
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 Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 5:17 pm Post subject: I foolishly disdained |
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This letter is seen as the final salvo in the Drapier's fight against Wood's patent. Although there was a possible agreement between Carteret and Walpole over ending the patent, Swift found it necessary to publish this defence of the fourth letter to ensure that Walpole would not back down from his promise of removing the patent.[68] It has also been seen as a letter celebrating Harding's release from being tried for printing the Drapier's letters.[67]
The Drapier begins his letter with three quotations: Psalm 109, Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 7, and Virgil's Aeneid Book Five.[69] With these passages, he sets the tone for his own defense by appealing to both the reason and the religious sentiments of his audience in order to prove his innocence:
I foolishly disdained to have Recourse to Whining, Lamenting, and Crying for Mercy, but rather chose to appeal to Law and Liberty and the common Rights of Mankind, without considering the Climate I was in.[69]
Some critics argue that Swift did not need to defend himself, and To Viscount Molesworth was written in order to gloat.[70] However, the essence of the letter encourages the Irish to remember the actions of Walpole, Wood, and the British Parliament. By willingly throwing himself before the judgement of his fellow Irishmen and before the final judgement of God, the Drapier claims that he is and always will be on the correct side of the argument.[70]
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