1. 5HUM0271 Politics and Culture in Eighteenth-Century Britain
Lecture 4: Gulliver’s Travels and the politics of corruption

2. Structure of the lecture
The Scriblerians
Party politics
Why historians have termed this an ‘age of oligarchy’
Gulliver’s Travels
The Beggar’s Opera

3. The Scriblerians Jonathan Swift John Gay Alexander Pope
[Drapier’s Letters, Gulliver’s Travels,
1726]
John Gay
[Beggar’s Opera, 1728]
Alexander Pope
[The Dunciad
and poems]
Bolingbroke and Pulteney [The Craftsman, ]
John Arbuthnot, Henry Fielding, Richard Glover

4. Possible political positions [simplified]
Whig
Country
suspicion of crown influence
‘independent’
against ‘corruption’
for toleration
Court
Dominate court positions under William III and the Hanoverians
In favour of the fiscal-military state, commerce and empire
Tory
Country/opposition
- High Anglican
landed/anti-commerce
‘blue-water’ foreign policy
Court
- Only under Anne

5. Why have historians thought that the 1720s and 30s were an age of oligarchy?
influence of the monarchy
Jacobite rebellions destroy political reputation of the Tories
Constitutional changes, e.g. the Septennial Act of 1716
Emergence of a prime minister to manage parliament → Sir Robert Walpole’s leadership

6. Sir Robert Walpole ( )

7. Counter-arguments to notions of ‘Whig oligarchy’
Strength of Tories and Jacobites?
Religious and party divides continue
Walpole talented and respected
‘Corruption’ necessary form of government?
Walpole’s government not immune to popular pressure.

8. Areas of ‘Country’ criticism
government finance - National Debt
growth of Civil List
government venality - placemen
Whig oligarchy - Septennial Act of 1716

9. Bolingbroke and Pulteney, The Craftsman, 17 August 1728
Such a general Corruption …is not merely so fantastical as one would at first imagine, by looking into the present Frame and Composition of that House…
what else can be expected from such a venal, sordid Majority; for such they must be who willingly are led blindfold, to pursue the irregular Temper and Passions of some great Minister?”

10. Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726), part II, chapter 6
He fell next upon the Management of our Treasury…if what I told him were true, he was still at a Loss how a Kingdom could run out of its estate like a private Person. He asked me, who were our Creditors? And, where we found Money to pay them?...
He wondered to hear me talk of such chargeable and extensive Wars; that, certainly we must be a quarrelsome People, or live among very bad Neighbours…

11. Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726), part II, chapter 6
Above all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary standing Army in the midst of Peace, and among a free People.

12. John Gay, The Beggar’s Opera, 1728
Peachum: In one respect indeed our Employment may be reckon’d dishonest, because, like great Statesmen, we encourage those who betray their Friends.
Lockit:
‘When you censure the Age,
Be cautious and Sage,
Lest the Courtiers offended should be:
If you mention Vice or Bribe,
‘Tis so pat to all the Tribe;
Each cries – That was levell’d at me.’