beating Patrick
Note by Henry Craik to letters 31 from Journal To Stella

Who had gone off with the key of the chambers, and kept Swift ' cooling his heels in the cloisters ' for two hours. When he came back Swift 'shut the chamber door, and gave him two or three swinging cuffs on the ear,' and strained the thumb of his left hand. It was not the first time that Swift had to correct Patrick's drunken carelessness by similar methods.