A Tale of a Tub
The first, second, and third editions of the "Tale" appeared in 1704; the fifth edition came out in 1710. In "The Apology for the &c.", Swift indicates that he originally gave his publisher a preliminary copy of the work, while he kept a blotted copy at his own hand and lent other copies including one to Thomas Swift, Jonathan's "parson cousin". As a consequence, the first edition appeared with many errors. The second edition was a resetting of the type. The third edition was a reprint of the second, with corrections, and the fourth edition contained corrections of the third.
Zephaniah Swift
After serving in Congress, Swift also resumed the practice of law in Windham and engaged in literary pursuits. He wrote "A Digest of the Laws of the State of Connecticut" which was published in 1820. It is said that a country law office was well furnished "if it had a three legged stool and Swift's Digest". He also wrote the first American treatise on the law of evidence. He was variously referred to as an "American Blackstone."