The fubfequent year his curiofity led him into Wales, and foon after he published his "Dialogues of the Dead."

When, in the latter part of the laft reign, the inaufpicious commencement of the war made the dif folution of the ministry unavoidable, Sir George Lyttleton, lofing his employment with the reft, was recompenfed with a peerage.

His laft literary production was his "Hiftory of Henry the Second," elaborated by the researches and deliberations of twenty years. After living to fee this work most favourably received by the publick, he was feized with his last illness, and died the twenty-second of August 1773, aged 64 years.

"Lord Lyttleton's poems are the works of a man of literature and judgment devoting part of his time to verfification. They have nothing to be defpifed, and little to be admired. Of his "Progrefs of Love," it is fufficient blame to say that it is paftoral. His blank verfe in "Blenheim" has neither much force nor much elegance. His little performances, whether fongs or epigrams, are fometimes fprightly, and fometimes infipid. His epiftolary pieces have a fmooth equability, which cannot much tire, because they are fhort, but which feldom elevates or surprises. furprises. But from this cenfure ought to be excepted his " Advice to Belinda," which, though for the most part written when he was very young, contains much truth and much prudence, very elegantly and vigorously expreffed, and fhews a mind attentive to life, and a power of poetry which cultivation might have raised to excellence."

WEST.

G

WEST.

ILBERT WEST was the fon of the Reverend

Dr. Weft. His mother was fifter to Sir Richard Temple, afterwards Lord Cobham. His father, purpofing to educate him for the church, fent him firft to Eton and afterwards to Oxford; but he was feduced to a more airy mode of life, by a commiffion in a troop of horfe.

After continuing fome time in the army, he became more inclined to civil employment. He therefore laid down his commiffion and engaged in bufinefs under the Lord Townsend, then Secretary of State, with whom he attended the King to Hanover. His adherence to Lord Townsend ended in nothing but a nomination (May 1729) to be clerk-extraordinary of the Privy Council, which produced no immediate profit; for it only placed him in a ftate of expectation and right of fucceffion, and it was very long before a vacancy admitted him to profit.

Soon afterwards he married, and fettled himself in a very pleasant house at Wickham in Kent, where he devoted himself to learning and to piety.---In 1747 he published his "Obfervations on the Refurrection," for which the University of Oxford created him a Doctor of Laws by diploma March the 30th 1748.--He also published a version of Pindar.

Mr. Weft's income was not large; but in time his revenue was improved; he lived to have one of the lucrative clerk fhips of the Privy Council (1752), and Mr. Pitt at last had it in his power to make him Treafurer of Chelsea Hofpital.

Hc

He was now fufficiently rich; but wealth came too late to be long enjoyed: nor could it fecure him from the calamities of life; he loft (1755) his only fon, and the year after (March 26) a ftroke of the palfy brought him to the grave.

"Of his tranflations," fays Dr. Johnson, "I have only compared the firft Olympick Ode with the ori. ginal, and found my expectation furpaffed both by its elegance and its exactnefs.

"A work of this kind muft, in a minute examination, difcover many imperfections; but Weft's verfion, fo far as I have confidered it, appears to be the product of great labour and great abilities.

"His "Inftitution of the Garter" (1742) is writ ten with fufficient knowledge of the manners that prevailed in the age to which it is referred, and with great elegance of diction; but for want of a procefs of events, neither knowledge nor elegance preferved the reader from wearinefs.

"His "Imitations of Spenfer" are very fuccessfully performed, with refpect to the metre, the language and the fiction."

T

GRAY.

HOMAS GRAY, the fon of Mr. Philip Gray, a fcrivener of London, was born Co naill 1716. His grammar education he receivce at Eton' and when he left fchool, in 1734, entered a penfioner at Peterhouse in Cambridge.

After he had remained there. about five years, where he took no degree (as he intended to follow the common law), Mr. Horace Walpole invited him to travel with him as his companion. They wandered

through

through France into Italy, but at Florence they quarrelled and parted. Gray returned to England in September 1741, and in about two months afterwards buried his father, who, had by an injudicious waste of money upon a new house, so much leffened his fortune, that Gray thought himself too poor to ftudy the law. He therefore retired to Cambridge, where he foon after became Bachelor of Civil Law, and where he paffed, except a fhort refidence at London, the reft of his life.

Being advised not to finish a tragedy which hebegan, of the name of " Agrippina," he produced in 1742 the "Ode to Spring," his "Profpect of Eton," and his "Ode to Adverfity." He began likewife a Latin poem "De Principíis Cogitandi.”

In his retirement at Peterhouse he wrote (1747) an ode on the "Death of Mr. Walpole's Cat," and the year afterwards attempted a poem of more importance on "Government and Education," of which the fragments that remain have many excellent lines.

His next production (1750) was his far-famed "Elegy in the Church-yard," which, finding its way into a magazine, firft made him known to the publick. An invitation from Lady Cobham about this time gave occafion to his "Long Story." In the year 1753 he loft his mother.

The "Progrefs of Poetry" and "The Bard" were published in 1757, and Gray's reputation was now fo high, that, after the death of Cibber, he had the honor of refufing the laurel, which was then bestowed on Mr. Whitehead.

When the Profeffor of Modern Languages at Cambridge died, he was, as he fays, cockered and Spirited up till he asked it of Lord Bute, who fent him a civil refufal.

In 1765, believing that his health was promoted by exercife and change of place, he undertook a journey

into Scotland, of which his account, fo far as it extends, is very curious and elegant. He there naturally contracted a friendship with Dr. Beattie.

What he had formerly folicited in vain was at last given him without folicitation. The Profefforfhip of Languages became again vacant, and he received 17681 an offer of it from the Duke of Grafton. He accepted, and retained it to his death.

Ill health made another journey neceffary, and he visited (1769) Weftmoreland and Cumberland. He that reads his epiftolary narration wishes that to travel and to tell his travels had been more of his employment.

His travels and his ftudies were now near their end. The gout, of which he had sustained many weak attacks, fell upon his ftomach, and, yielding to no medicines, produced ftrong convulfions, which (July 30, 1771) terminated in death.

Of his poetry Dr. Johnson's opinion is not very favourable. "His "Ode on Spring," fays he, "has fomething poetical both in the language and the thoughts; but the language is too luxuriant, and the thoughts have nothing new."

"The Poem on the "Cat" was doubtlefs by its author confidered as a trifle, but it is not a happy trifle. In the first stanza the azure flowers that blow, fhew that a rhyme is fometimes made when it cannot easily be found. Selima the Cat is called a nymph, with some violence both to language and fente; but there is good use made of it when it is done, for of the two lines,

"What female heart can gold defpife

"What cat's averse to fifh?

the first relates merely to the nymph, and the second only to the cat. The fixth ftanza contains a melancholy truth, that a favourite has no friend; but the last ends in a pointed fentence of no relation to the pur

pofe;