ABSTRACT
In opposing the patent, Swift was, after all, performing the deeds of a mythical hero. It is true that he inherited many of his arguments and facts. It is true that he belonged to a troop of men who fought together against Wood’s coins. But Swift was not doing what he had done in 1711. He was not taking his line from a coterie, or confusing partisan aims with human needs. He responded to his own convictions, taught his own truths, wrote as a master, not a servant.
