ferred by Goldsmith to Gray's Churchyard; but, in my opinion, Gray has the advantage in dignity, variety, and originality of fentiment. He obferves that the ftory of the Hermit is in More's Dialogues and Howell's Letters, and fupposes it to have been originally Arabian.

Goldfmith has not taken any notice of the Elegy to the old Beauty, which is perhaps the meaneft; nor of the Allegory on Man, the happieft of Parnell's performances. The hint of the Hymn to Contentment I fufpect to have been borrowed from Cleiveland.

The general character of Parnell is not great extent of comprehenfion, or

ap

fertility of mind. Of the little that pears ftill lefs is his own. His praise must be derived from the easy sweetness of his diction: in his verses there is more happiness than pains; he is fpritely without effort, and always delights though he never ravishes; every thing is proper, yet every thing feems cafual. If there is fome appearance of elaboration in the Hermit, the narrative, as it is lefs airy, is lefs pleafing. his other compofitions it is impoffible to fay whether they are the productions of Nature, fo excellent as not to want the help of Art, or of Art fo refined as to refemble Nature.

Of

This

This criticism relates only to the pieces published by Pope. Of the large appendages which I find in this edition, I can only fay that I know not whence they came, nor have ever enquired whither they are going. They ftand upon the faith of the compilers.

PHILIP S

F the birth or early part of the life of AMBROSE PHILIPS I have not been able to find any account. His academical education he received at St. John's College in Cambridge, where he firft folicited the notice of the world by fome English verfes, in the Collection published by the Univerfity on the death of queen Mary.

From this time how he was employed, or in what ftation he paffed his life, is not yet discovered. He must have pub