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standing its title, for purity of sentiment; and in 1709, imitated Horace in an Art of Cookery, which he published, with some letters to Dr. Lifter.

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In 1710 he appeared, as a lover of the Church, on the fide of Sacheverell; and was fuppofed to have concurred at least in the jection of The Examiner. His eyes were open to all the operations of Whiggifm; and he beftowed some strictures upon Dr. Kennet's adulatory sermon at the funeral of the duke of Devonshire.

The History of the Heathen Gods, a book composed for schools, was written by him in 1711. The work is useful; but might have been produced without the powers of King. The fame year he published Rufinus, an hiftorical effay, and a poem, intended to difpofe the nation to think as he thought of the duke of Marlborough and his adherents.

In 1711, competence, if not plenty, was again put into his power. He was, without the trouble of attendance, or the mortification of a request, made gazetteer. Swift, Freind, Prior, and other men of the fame party, brought him the key of the gazetteer's office. He was now again placed in a profitable employment, and again threw the benefit away. An Act of Infolvency made his business at that time particularly troublefome; and he would not wait till hurry fhould be at an end, but impatiently refigned it, and returned to his wonted indigence and amufements.

One of his amusements at Lambeth, where he refided, was to mortify Dr. Tennison, the archbishop, by a publick feftivity, on the fur

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render of Dunkirk to Hill; an event with which Tennison's political bigotry did not fuffer him to be delighted. King was refolved to counteract his fullennefs, and at the expence of a few barrels of ale filled the neighbourhood with honeft merriment.

In the Autumn of 1712, his health declined; he grew weaker by degrees, and died on Christmas-day. Though his life had not been without irregularity, his principles were pure and orthodox, and his death was pious.

After this relation, it will be naturally fuppofed that his poems were rather the amufements of idleness than efforts of study; that he endeavoured rather to divert than astonish; that his thoughts feldom aspired to fublimity; and that, if his verfe was easy and his images familiar, he attained what he defired, His purpose is to be merry; though perhaps, to enjoy his mirth, it may be fometimes neceffary to think well of his opinions.

J. PHILIPS.

PHILIP S.

JOHN

OHN PHILIPS was born on the 30th of December, 1676, at Bampton in Oxfordfhire; of which place his father Dr. Stephen Philips, archdeacon of Salop, was minister. The first part of his education was domeftick, after which he was fent to Winchester, where, as we are told by Dr. Sewel, his biographer, he was foon diftinguished by the fuperiority of his exercises; and, what is lefs eafily to be credited, fo much endeared himself to his fchool-fellows, by his civility and good-nature, that they, without murmur or ill-will, faw him indulged by the mafter with particular immunities. It is related, that, when he was at school, he feldom mingled in play with the other boys, but retired to his chamber; where his fovereign pleasure was to fit, hour after hour, while his hair was combed by fomebody, whose service he found means to procure.

At school he became acquainted with the poets antient and modern, and fixed his attention particularly on Milton.

In 1694, he entered himself at Chriftchurch; a college at that time in the highest reputation, by the tranfmiffion of Busby's ᏞᎥ ícholars

scholars to the care firft of Fell, and afterwards of Aldrich. Here he was diftinguished as a genius eminent among the eminent, and for a friendship particularly intimate with Mr. Smith, the author of Phedra and Hippolytus. The profeffion which he intended to follow was that of phyfick; and he took much delight in natural history, of which botany was his favourite part.

His reputation was confined to his friends and to the university; till about 1703, he extended it to a wider circle by the Splendid Shilling, which ftruck the publick attention with a mode of writing new and unexpected.

This performance raised him fo high, that when Europe refounded with the victory of Blenheim, he was, probably with an occult oppofition to Addifon, employed to deliver the acclamation of the Tories. It is faid that he would willingly have declined the task, but that his friends urged it upon him. It It appears that he wrote this poem at the house of St. John.

Blenheim was published in 1705. The next year produced his greatest work, the poem upon Cider, in two books; which was received with loud praifes, and continued long to be read as an 'imitation of Virgil's Georgick, which needed not fhun the presence of the original.

He then grew probably more confident of his own abilities, and began to meditate a poem on the Last Day; a fubject on which no mind can hope to equal expectation.

This work he did not live to finish: his difeafes, a flow consumption and an asthma, put a stop

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