vehemence and rapidity of mind, a copioufnefs of images, and vivacity of diction, fuch as he afterwards never poffeffed, or never exerted."

"In his other works is found an equable tenour of eafy language, which rather trickles than flows. His delight was in fimplicity. That he has in his works no metaphor, as has been faid, is not true; but his few metaphors feemed to be received rather by neceffity than choice. He ftudied purity; and though perhaps all his ftrictures are not exact, yet it is not often that folecifms can be found; and whoever depends on his authority may generally conclude himfelf fafe. His fentences are never too much dilated or contracted."

"His ftyle was well fuited to his thoughts, which are never fubtilized by nice difquifitions, decorated by fparkling conceits, elevated by ambitious fentences, or variegated by far-fought learning.

"Of his duty as a Dean he was very obfervant. He managed the revenues of his church with exact œconomy; and it is faid by Delany, that more money was under his direction laid out in repairs than had ever been in the fame time fince its firft erection. Of his choir he was eminently careful; and, though he neither loved nor understood mufick, he took care that all the fingers were well qualified.

"He came to church every morning, preached commonly in his turn, and attended the evening anthem, that it might not be negligently performed.

"He read the fervice rather with a strong nervous voice than in a graceful manner; his voice was fharp and high-toned, rather than harmonious.

He entered upon the clerical state with hope to excel in preaching; but complained, that from the time of his political controverfies he could only preach pamphlets.

"The

"The perfon of Swift had not many recommendations. He had a kind of muddy complexion, which, though he wailed himfelf with oriental fcrupulofity, did not look clear. He had a countenance four and fevere, which he feldom foftened by any appearance of gaiety. He stubbornly refifted any tendency to laughter.

To his domefticks he was naturally rough; and a man of rigorous temper, with that vigilance of minute attention which his works discover, must have been a mafter that few could bear.

"He did not fpare the fervants of others. Once, when he dined alone with the Earl of Orrery, he faid, of one that waited in the room, That man has, fince we fat at table, committed fifteen faults.

"In his œconomy he practifed a peculiar and offenfive parfimony, without difguife or apology.

"He was frugal by inclination, but liberal by principle; and if the purpose to which he destined his little accumulations be remembered, with his diftribution of occafional charity, it will perhaps appear, that he only liked one mode of expence better than another, and faved only that he might have fomething to give.'

"He told ftories with great felicity, and delighted in doing what he knew himself to do well. He was therefore captivated by the refpectful filence of a steady Liftener, and told the fame tale too often.

"He did not, however, claim the right of talking alone; for it was his rule, when he had spoken a minute, to give room by a pause for any other speaker."

"In the poetical works of Dr. Swift there is not much upon which the critick can exercise his powers. They are often humorous, almost always light, and have the qualities which recommend fuch compofitions, eafinefs and gaiety. They are, for the moft part, what their author intended. The diction is correct, the numbers are smooth, and the rhymes exact. There

feldom

feldom occur a hard-laboured expreffion or a redundant epithet; all his verfes exemplify his own definition of a good stile, they confift of proper words in prom per places.

To divide this collection into claffes, and fhew how fome pieces are grofs, and fome are trifling, would be to tell the reader what he knows already, and to find faults of which the author could not be ignorant, who certainly wrote often not to his judgment, but his humour.

"It was said in a preface to one of his Irish editions, that Swift had never been known to take a fingle thought from any writer ancient or modern. This is not literally true; but perhaps no writer can eafily be found that has borrowed fo little, or that in all his excellencies and all his defects has fo well maintained his claim to be confidered as original.”

JOHN

GAY.

OHN GAY, defcended from an old family that had been long in poffeffion of the manor of Goldfworthy in Devonshire, was born in 1688, at or near Barnstaple, where he was educated by Mr. Luck. Being born without profpect of hereditary riches, he was fent to London in his youth and placed apprentice with a filk-mercer. It is faid, he was foon weary of either the reftraint or fervility of his occupation, and easily perfuaded his master to discharge him.

The Dutchefs of Monmouth in 1712 took Gay into her fervice as Secretary. Of the leifure which he had he made fo good ufe, that he publifhed next year a poem on "Rural Sports," and infcribed it to Mr,

Pope.

Pope. Pope was pleafed with the honour, and in confequence a friendship was formed between them, which lafted to their feparation by death, without any known abatement on either side.

Next year he published "The Shepherd's Week,' fix English paftorals. They were read with delight as juft reprefentations of rural manners and occupations. In 1713 he brought a Comedy called "The Wife of Bath" upon the stage, but it received no applaufe. In the last year of Queen Anne's life he was made Secretary to the Earl of Clarendon, Ambaffador to the court of Hanover. This was a station that naturally gave him hopes of kindness from every party; but the queen's death put an end to her favours.

On the arrival of the Princess of Wales he wrote a poem, and obtained fo much notice, that both the Prince and Princess went to see his "What d'ye call It," a kind of mock tragedy, which was much favoured by the audience. Not long afterwards (1717) he endeavoured to entertain the town with "Three Hours after Marriage," a comedy written, as it is thought, by the joint affiftance of Pope and Arbuthnot, but it was driven off the stage with general condemnation.

Gay is reprefented as a man easily incited to hope, and deeply depreffed when his hopes were difappointed. In confequence of this laft failure, he funk into dejection. His friends tried to divert him. The Earl of Burlington fent him (1716) into Devonshire; the year after, Mr. Pulteney took him to Aix, and in the following year Lord Harcourt invited him to his feat, where, during his vifit, two rural lovers were killed with lightning, as is particularly told in Pope's letters.

Being now generally known, he publifhed (1720) his poems by fubfcription, with fuch fuccefs that he raifed a thousand pounds, by which he was advised by Pope and Swift to purchase an annuity. In that dif

aftrous

aftrous year he had a prefent from young Craggs of fome South Sea ftock. His friends perfuaded him to fell his fhare; but this counsel was rejected; the profit and principal were loft, and he funk under the calamity fo low that his life became in danger.

By the care of his friends, among whom Pope appears to have fhewn particular tenderness, his health was restored; and, returning to his ftudies, he wrote a tragedy called "The Captives," which he was invited to read before the Princefs of Wales. When the hour came, he faw the Princefs and her ladies all in expectation, and advancing with reverence, too great for any other attention, ftumbled at a ftool, and falling forwards, threw down a weighty japan fcreen. The Princefs ftarted, the ladies fcreamed, and poor Gay, after all the disturbance, was ftill to read his play.

It was acted at Drury-lane in 1723, but with very little fuccefs. In 1726 he undertook to write a volume of "Fables" for the improvement of the young Duke of Cumberland, for which he is faid to have been promised a reward.

Next year the Prince and Princefs became King and Queen, and Gay was appointed Gentleman Usher to the Princess Louifa. By this offer he thought himself infulted, his mind being fixed on higher promotion, and sent a meffage to the Queen that he was too old for the place. Great intereft was made to gain him greater preferment, but folicitations, verses, and flatteries were thrown away.

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His mind was now relieved from the pains of this neglect of the court by the unexampled fuccefs of the Beggar's Opera." This play, written in ridicule of the musical Italian drama, was first offered to Cibber, and rejected; being then carried to Rich, it had the effect, as was ludicrously faid, of making Gay rich

and