SIMON HARCOURT Miles, Viri benè de fe, de Litteris meriti Poft Obitum piè inemor, Hoc illi Saxum poni voluit. J. PHILIPS, STEPHANI, S. T. P Archidiaconi Philips has been always praifed, without contradiction, as a man modeft, blameless, and pious; who bore narrowness of fortunewithout difcontent, and tedious and painful maladies without impatience; beloved by those that knew him, but not ambitious to be known. He was probably not formed for a wide circle. His converfation is commended for its innocent gaiety, which feems to have flowed only among his intimates, for I have been told, that he was in company filent and barren, and employed only upon the pleasures of his pipe, His addiction to tobacco is mentioned by one of his biographers, who remarks that in all his writings, except Blenheim, he has found an opportunity of cele brating the fragrant fume. In common, life he was probably one of thofe who pleafe by not offending, and whofe perfon was loved because his writings were admired. He died honoured and lamented, before any part of his reputation had withered, and before his patron St. John had disgraced him. V edt ei “ १९ troloja bas His works are few. The Splendid Shilling barreb ieved has the uncommon merit of an original defign, unless it may be thought precluded by the ancient Centos. To degrade the founding words and stately construction of Milton, by an application to the lowest and most trivial things, gratifies the mind with a momentary triumph over that grandeur which hitherto held its captives in admiration; the words and things are prefented with a new appear ance, and novelty is always grateful where it gives no pain. But the merit of fuch performances begins and ends with the firft author. He that fhould again adapt Milton's phrafe to the grofs incidents of common life, and even adapt it with more art, which would not be difficult, muft yet expect but a small part of the praise which Philips has obtained; he can can only hope to be confidered as the repeater of a jeft. The parody on Milton," fays Gildon, "is the only tolerable production of its au"thor." This is a cenfure too dogmatical and violent. The poem of Blenheim was never denied to be tolerable, even by those who do not allow its fupreme excellence. It is indeed the poem of a scholar, all inexpert of war; of a man who writes books from books, and ftudies the world in a college. He seems to have formed his ideas of the field of Blenheim from the battles of the hercic ages, or the tales of chivalry, with very little comprehenfion of the qualities neceffary to the compofition of a modern hero, which Addison has difplayed with fo much propriety. He makes Marlborough behold at a distance the flaughter made by Tallard, then hafte to encounter and reftrain him, and mow his way through ranks made headlefs by his fword. He imitates Milton's numbers indeed, but imitates them very injudiciously. Deformity is easily copied; and whatever there is in Milton which the reader wishes away, all that that is obfolete, peculiar, or licentious, is accumulated with great care by Philips. Milton's verfe was harmonious, in proportion to the general state of our metre in Milton's age; and, if he had written after the improvements made by Dryden, it is reasonable to believe that he would have admitted a more pleafing modulation of numbers into his work; but Philips fits down with a refolution to make no more musick than he found; to want all that his mafter wanted, though he is very far from having what his master had. Thofe afperities, therefore, that are venera ble in the Paradife Loft, are contemptible in the Blenheim. There is a Latin ode written to his patron St. John, in return for a prefent of wine and tobacco, which cannot be paffed without notice. It is gay and elegant, and exhibits feveral artful accommodations of claffick expreffions to new purposes. It seems better turned than the odes of Hannes *. Το *This ode I am willing to mention, because there seems to be an error in all the printed copics, which is, I find, retained in the laft. They all read; Quam Gratiarum cura decentium The To the poem on Cider, written in imitation of the Georgicks, may be given this peculiar praife, that it is grounded in truth; that the precepts which it contains are exact and just; and that it is therefore, at once, a book of entertainment and of science. This I was told by Miller, the great gardener and botanift, whofe expreflion was, that there were many books written on the fame fubject in prof, which do not contain fo much truth as that poem. In the difpofition of his matter, so as to interfperfe precepts relating to the culture of trees, with fentiments more generally alluring, and in easy and graceful transitions from one fubject to another, he has very diligently imitated his mafter; but he unhappily pleafed himfelf with blank verfe, and fuppofed that the numbers of Milton, which imprefs the mind with veneration, combined as they are with fubjects of inconceivable grandeur, could be fuftained by images which The author probably wrote, Quam Gratiarum cura decentium Ornat; labellis cui Venus infidet. Dr. J. at |