Read this excerpt from jonathan swift’s a modest proposal. “i am assured by our merchants, that a boy or girl, before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to this age, they will not yield above… three pounds and half a crown at most… which cannot turn to account either to the parents or the kingdom, the charge of nutriment and rags having been at least four times that value.” which of these is most strongly evidenced by the serious tone of this passage? swift’s use of rational argument swift’s meticulous research into the topic swift’s disregard for the welfare of poor children swift’s use of verbal irony