cure of our Pindarick madness. He firft taught the English Writers that "Pindar's Odes" were regular; and, though certainly he had not the fire requifite for the higher fpecies of Lyrick poetry, he has fhewn us that enthusiasm has its rules, and that in mere confufion there is neither grace nor greatness."

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FENTON.

LISHA FENTON was born near Newcastle in Staffordshire, of an ancient family, whose estate was very confiderable; but he was the younger of twelve children, and, being therefore neceffarily deftined to fome lucrative employment, was fent first to fchool, and afterwards to Cambridge; but doubting the legality of the government, and refufing to qualify himself for publick employment by the oaths required, he left the University without a degree. By this perverfenefs of integrity he was driven out a commoner of nature, and reduced to pick up a livelihood uncertain and fortuitous; but it must be remembered, that he kept his name unfullied, and that whoever mentioned Fenton mentioned him with honour.

From the imperfect account left of this writer, it is impoffible to trace him from year to year. He was a while Secretary to Charles Earl of Orrery in Flanders, and tutor to his young fon. He was at one time affiftant in the fchool of Mr. Bonwicke in Surrey; and at another kept a school for himself at Seven Oaks in Kent; but was perfuaded to leave it (1710) by Mr. St. John, with promifes of a more honourable employment. Before this, he had extolled the Duke of Marlborough and his family in an "Elegiac Paftoral," and in 1707 published a collection of poems.

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When

When Pope, after the great fuccefs of his "Iliad,” undertook the "Odyffey," he determined to engage auxiliaries. Broome and Fenton had twelve books diftributed between them. Fenton tranflated the first, the fourth, the nineteenth, and the twentieth, and with fo much fuccefs, together with his affociate, that their books cannot be distinguished from thofe of Pope.

In 1723 was performed his tragedy of " Mariamne." Cibber rejected it, but it was afterwards played at the other theatre and received with general applaufe. The author's profits are faid to have amounted

to near 1000 1.

It was perhaps after this play that he undertook to revife the punctuation of Milton's poems. To this edition he prefixed a fhort and elegant account of Milton's life, written at once with tenderness and integrity. He likewife published (1729) a very splendid edition of Waller with notes.

The latter part of his life was calm and pleasant. The relict of Sir William Trumbal invited him, by Pope's recommendation, to educate her fon. She afterwards detained him with her as the auditor of her accounts. He died in 1730, at Easthampstead in Berkfhire, the feat of the Lady Trumbal, and Pope, who had been always his friend, honoured him with an epitaph.

"In his perfon, Fenton was tall and bulky, inclined to corpulence, which he did not leffen by much exercife; for he was very fluggish and fedentary, rose late, and when he had rifen fat down to his book or papers. A woman, that had once waited on him in a lodging, told him, as fhe faid, that he would lie a bed, and be fed with a fpoon. This, however, was not the worst that might have been prognofticated; for Pope fays, in his letter, that he died of indolence; but his immediate diftemper was the gout

"Of

"Of his morals and his converfation the account is uniform: he was never named but with praise and fondness, as a man in the highest degree amiable and excellent. Such was the character given him by the Earl of Orrery, his pupil; fuch is the teftimony of Pope, and fuch were the fuffrages of all who could boaft of his acquaintance."

"His collection of poems is now to be confidered. The "Ode to the Sun," is written upon a common plan, without uncommon fentiments; but its greatest fault is its length. No poem fhould be long, of which the purpose is only to ftrike the fancy, without enlightening the understanding by precept, ratiocination, or narrative, A blaze firft pleafes, and then tires the fight."

"To examine his performances one by one would be tedious. His "Tranflation from Homer," into blank verfe will find few readers, while another can be had in rhyme. The piece addreffed to Lambarde is no difagreeable fpecimen of epiftolary poetry; and his "Ode to the Lord Gower" was pronounced by Pope the next ode in the English language to Dryden's Cecilia. Fenton may be juftly esteemed an excellent verfifyer, and a good poet.",

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PRIOR.

ATTHEW PRIOR was born July 21, 1664, according to fome at Winbourne in Dorsetfhire, of what parents is not exactly known; others say that he was the son of a joiner of London*.

When he flood candidate for his fellowship at Cambridge he was registered by himself as of Middlefen. This record, being on oath, ought to be preferred.

He is fuppofed to have fallen by his father's death into the hands of his uncle, a vintner near CharingCrofs, who fent him for fome time to Dr. Busby at Westminster; but, when he was advanced in literature, took him to his own house; where the Earl of Dorfet, celebrated for patronage of genius, found him by chance, as Burnet relates, reading Horace, and was fo well pleafed with his proficiency, that he undertook the care and coft of his academical education.

He entered his name in St. John's College at Cambridge in 1682, in his eighteenth year. He became a bachelor, as is ufual, in four years, and two years afterwards wrote the poem on the " Deity," which ftands first in his volume. The fame year he published "The City Moufe and Country Moufe," to ridicule Dryden's "Hind and Panther," in conjunction with Mr. Montague.

"

The City Moufe and Country Moufe" caused its authors to be speedily preferred. Montague indeed obtained the firft notice, but Prior had not afterwards much reafon to complain; for in 1691 he was fent to the Congrefs at the Hague as Secretary to the Embaffy, in which affembly was formed the grand alliance against Lewis. The conduct of Prior was fo pleafing to King William, that he made him one of the Gentlemen of his bedchamber; and he is fuppofed to have paffed fome of the next years in the cultivation of literature and poetry.

Prior, who was both a poet and a courtier, was not likely to mifs the opportunity of paying refpect to William on the death of Queen Mary (in 1695). He wrote a long ode on the occafion, which was prefented to the king. In two years after he was Secretary to another embaffy at the treaty of Ryfwick, in 1697; and next year had the fame office at the court of France, where he is faid to have been confidered with great diftinction.

He

He was in the following year at Loo with the King; from whom, after a long audience, he carried orders to England, and upon his arrival became under fecretary of ftate in the Earl of Jerfey's office; a poft which he did not retain long, because Jersey was removed; but he was foon made Commiffioner of Trade.

This year (1700) produced one of his longest and moft fplendid compofitions, the "Carmen Seculare." In the Parliament that met in 1701, he was chosen representative of Eaft Grinstead. Perhaps it was about this time that he changed his party; for he voted for the impeachment of thofe lords who had perfuaded the king to the Partition-treaty, a treaty in which he had himself been minifterially employed.

A great part of Queen Anne's reign was a time of war, in which there was little employment for negoci ators, and Prior had therefore leifure to make or to publifh verfes. When the battle of Blenheim called forth all the versemen, Prior, among the reft, took care to fhew his delight in the increafing honour of his country, by an "Epiftle to Boileau." He published foon after a volume of poems.

The battle of Ramilies (in 1706) excited him to another effort of poetry, and in the paper of the " Ex-. aminer" then published, he wrote an effay in ridicule of "Garth's verfes to Godolphin, upon the lofs of his place."

The Tories, who were now in power, were in hafte to end the war; and Prior was fent (July 1711) privately to Paris with propofitions of peace. He returned in about a month, and brought with him M. Mefnager, a minifter from France, invefted with full powers, and the Abbé Gaultier.

The negotiation was begun at Prior's houfe, where the Queen's minifters met Mefnager (September 20, 1711), and entered privately upon the great business, the defign of treating not being yet openly declared.

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