IN the Poetical Works of Dr. Swift there is not much upon which the critick can exercife his powers. They are often humourous, almost always light, and have the qualities which recommend fuch compofitions, eafinefs and gaiety. They are, for the most part, what their author intended. The diction is correct, the numbers are smooth, and the rhymes exact. There seldom occurs a hard-laboured expreffion, or a redundant epithet; all his verfes exemplify his own definition of a good style,

they

they confist of proper words in proper

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 judgement, but his humour.

It was faid, in a Preface to one of the 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 excel

lencies

lencies and all his defects has fo well

maintained his claim to be confidered as original.

GAY.

IN GAY, defcended from an

JOHN

old family that had been long in poffeffion of the manour of Goldworthy in Devonshire, was born in 1688, at or near Barnstaple, where he was educated by Mr. Luck, who taught the fchool of that town with good reputation, and, a little before he retired from it, published a volume of Latin and Englifh verfes. Under fuch a mafter he was likely to form a tafte for poetry. Being

* Goldworthy does not appear in the Villare.

born without profpect of hereditary riches, he was fent to London in his youth, and placed apprentice with a filk mercer.

How long he continued behind the counter, or with what degree of foftness and dexterity he received and accommodated the ladies, as he probably took no delight in telling it, is not known. The report is, that he was foon weary of either the restraint or fervility of his occupation, and easily perfuaded his master to discharge him.

The dutchefs of Monmouth, remarkable for inflexible perfeverance in her demand to be treated as a princefs, in 1712 took Gay into her service as fecretary by quitting a fhop for fuch fervice he might gain leifure, but he cer

tainly