As an ordained Anglican priest, with friends in both church and state to help him, Swift was inside the patronage system, and to some extent its beneficiary, in a way that his Roman Catholic friend and younger contemporary Pope was not. As a man of some real political influence, both during the Harley ministry in London and later as Dean of St. Patrick's, Swift was also empowered to act as a patron himself, and to smoothe the way for younger writers and churchmen. The irony is that Pope, the apparent outsider, in fact found more access to power and wealth than Swift, who had enough access to encourage him to dream of great rewards, and more than enough disappointment to make him bitter and resentful. Both Pope and Swift in their several ways were in fact provided comfortable support and reward; both liked to think of themselves as not only independent but “above” patronage: Swift would have endorsed Pope's mock-haughty claim that he was “above a patron,” and might “condescend to call a minister my friend.” Where they differ is in the strategies they constructed to assert and defend their independence and to soothe the sting of injured merit.

Among major writers of his day Swift is unusual, if not unique, in claiming to place himself firmly outside the patronage system.