The Battle of the Books
Jonathan Swift worked for William Temple during the time of the controversy, and Swift's "A Tale of a Tub" (1703/1705) takes part in the debate. From its first publication, Swift added a short satire entitled "The Battle of the Books" to the "Tale of a Tub." In this piece, there is an epic battle fought in a library when various books come alive and attempt to settle the arguments between moderns and ancients. In Swift's satire, he skilfully manages to avoid saying which way victory fell. He portrays the manuscript as having been damaged in places, thus leaving the end of the battle up to the reader.
Charles F. Swift
Swift married Sarah A. Munroe of Barnstable in 1852. They had seven children: Hannah, Francis, Fred, Theodore, Caroline, Sarah and Charles. He wrote a number of historical works, among them the "History of Old Yarmouth" and the "History of Cape Cod". He died on May 1, 1903 at his home in Yarmouth, Massachusetts.