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 author." This is a cenfure too dogmatical and violent. The poem of Blenheim was never denied to be tolerable, even by thofe who do not allow it 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 feems to have formed his ideas of the field of Blenheim from the battles of the heroic ages, or the tales of chivalry, with very little comprehenfion of the qualities neceffary to the compofition of a modern hero, which Addifon has difplayed with so much propriety. He makes Marlborough behold at a diftance the flaughter made by Tallard, then hafte to encounter and restrain him, and mow his way through ranks made headlefs by

his fword.

He imitates Milton's numbers indeed, but imitates them very injudicioufly. Deformity is eafily copied; and whatever there is in Milton which the reader wishes away, all that is obfolete, peculiar, or licentious, is accumulated with great care by Philips. Milton's verfe was harmonious, in proportion to the general ftate of our metre in Milton's age; and, if he had written after the improvements made by Dryden, it is reafonable to believe that he would have admitted a more pleasing modulation of numbers into his work; but Philips fits down with a refolution to make no more mufick than he found; to want all that his mafter wanted, though he is very far from having what his mafter had. Those asperities, there

therefore, that are venerable 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 several artful accommodations of claffick expreffions to new purposes. It feems better turned than the ode of Hannes *.

To the poem on Cider, written in imitation of the Georgicks, may be given this peculiar praise, that it is grounded in truth; that the precepts which it contains are exact and juft; and that it is therefore, at once, a book of entertainment and of science. This I was told by Miller, the great gardener and botanist, whofe expreffion was, that there were many books written on the fame fubject in profe, which do not contain fo much truth as that poem.

In the difpofition of his matter, fo as to intersperse precepts relating to the culture of trees with fentiments more generally alluring, and in easy and graceful tranfitions from one fubject to another, he has very diligently imitated his mafter; but he unhappily pleased himself with blank verfe, and fuppofed that the numbers of Milton, which imprefs the mind with veneration, combined as they are with fubjects

* This ode I am willing to mention, because there feems to be an error in all the printed copies, which is, I find, retained in the laft. They all read;

Quam Gratiarum cura decentium

O! O! labellis cui Venus infidet.

The author probably wrote,

Quam Gratiarum cura decentium

Ornat; labellis cui Venus infidet. Dr. J.

of

of inconceivable grandeur, could be fuftained by images which at moft can rife only to elegance. Contending angels may fhake the regions of Heaven in blank verfe; but the flow of equal measures, and the embellishment of rhyme, muft recommend to our attention the art of engrafting, and decide the merit of the redfreak and pearmain.

What study could confer, Philips had obtained; but natural deficience cannot be fupplied. He feems not born to greatnefs and elevation. He is never lofty, nor does he often furprise with unexpected excellence; but perhaps to his laft poem may be applied what Tully faid of the work of Lucretius, that it is written with much art, though with few blazes of genius.

The following fragment, written by Edmund Smith, upon the works of Philips, has been tranfcribed from the Bodleian manuscripts.

"A Prefatory Difcourfe to the poem on Mr. Philips, with a character of his writings.

"It is altogether as equitable fome account should be given of those who have diftinguished themselves by their writings, as of those who are renowned for great actions. It is but reasonable they, who contribute so much to the immortality of others, fhould have some share in it themfelves; and fince their genius only is difcovered by their works, it is just that their virtues fhould be recorded by their friends. For no modeft men (as the perfon I write of was in perfection) will write their own panegyricks; and it very hard that they fhould go without reputation, only because they the more deferve it. The end of

is

I

writing

writing Lives is for the imitation of the readers. It will be in the power of very few to imitate the Duke of Marlborough; we must be content with admiring his great qualities and actions, without hopes of following them. The private and focial virtues are more eafily transcribed. The life of Cowley is more inftructive, as well as more fine, than any we have in our language. And it is to be wifhed, fince Mr. Philips had fo many of the good qualities of that poet, that I had fome of the abilities of his hiftorian.

The Grecian philofophers have had their Lives written, their morals commended, and their fayings recorded. Mr. Philips had all the virtues to which most of them only pretended, and all their integrity without any of their affectation.

The French are very juft to eminent men in this point; not a learned man nor a poet can die, but all Europe must be acquainted with his accomplishments. They give praise and expect it in their turns: they commend their Patru's and Moliere's as well as their Condé's and Turenne's; their Pellifon's and Racine's have their elogies, as well as the prince whom they celebrate; and their poems, their mercuries, and orations, nay their very gazettes, are filled with the praises of the learned.

I am fatisfied, had they a Philips among them, and known how to value him; had they one of his learning, his temper, but above all of that particu lar turn of humour, that altogether new genius, he had been an example to their poets, and a fubject of their panegyricks, and perhaps fet in competition with the ancients, to whom only he ought to fubmit.

I fhall

I shall therefore endeavour to do juftice to his me mory, fince nobody else undertakes it. And indeed I can affign no caufe why fo many of his acquaintance (that are as willing and more able than myself to give an account of him) fhould forbear to celebrate the memory of one fo dear to them, but only that they look upon it as a work entirely belonging to me.

I shall content myself with giving only a character of the perfon and his writings, without meddling with the tranfactions of his life, which was altogether private: I fhall only make this known obfervation of his family, that there was scarcely so many extraordinary men in any one. I have been acquainted with five of his brothers (of which three are still living), all men of fine parts, yet all of a very unlike temper and genius. So that their fruitful mother, like the mother of the gods, feems to have produced a numerous offspring, all of different though uncommon facultics. Of the living, neither their modefty, nor the humour of the present age, permits me to speak: of the dead, I may fay fomething.

One of them had made the greateft progrefs in the ftudy of the law of nature and nations of any one I know. He had perfectly mastered, and even improved, the notions of Grotius, and the more refined ones of Puffendorff. He could refute Hobbes with as much folidity as fome of greater name, and expofe him with as much wit as Echard. That noble ftudy, which requires the greatest reach of reafon and nicety of diftinction, was not at all difficult to him. 'Twas a national lofs to be deprived of one who understood a fcience fo neceffary, and yet fo unknown

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