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 BIOGRAPHIA DRAMATICA. 
 
 JN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 1.-i 
 
 *. . .- 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
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BIOGRAPHIA DRAMATICA, 
 
 O R, 
 
 A COMPANION 
 
 T O 
 
 THE PLAYHOUSE: 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 Hiftorical and Critical Memoirs, and Original Anecdotes, of British 
 
 and Irish Dramatic Writers, from the Commencement of 
 
 our 1 heatrical Exhibitions ; amongft whom are fome of 
 
 the moft celebrated Actors. 
 
 ALSO 
 
 An Alphabetical Account of their Works, the Dates when printed, 
 and occafioiial Obfcrvations on their Merits. 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 An Introductory View of the Rise and Progress 
 of the British Stags, 
 
 By, DAVID ERSKINE BAKER, Efq. 
 
 'T^ ^^^ A N E 
 
 TJW 
 
 ^ 
 
 I O Nr'^i-'-^^C^K^) 
 
 W EDIT 
 
 Carefully correftcdj greatly enlarged; and continued from 1764 to 1782. 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUaiE. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for MelT. Rivingtons, St. Paul's Church-Yard ; T. Pay.ve 
 
 and Son, Mews-Gate; L. Davis, Holborn ; T. Longman, 
 
 and G. Robinson, Pater Nofter-Row; J. Dodsley, Pail-Mall; 
 
 J. Nichols, Red-Lion-Paffage, Fleet-Street; J. DEBRL.T,Piccadillyj 
 
 and T. Evans, in the Strand. 
 
 MDCCLXXXII. ■' 
 
 t:ary M.aHUil 
 Archibald 
 
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 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 nr^ H E Editor of thefe Volumes caa 
 claim no other Merit than what arifes 
 from an Attempt to fupply fuch Deficien- 
 cies, and rectify fuch Miftakes as were left 
 ^n the prefent Work by its original Compiler. 
 He hopes, however, that on Examination 
 the following I^ift of Englifh Dramatick 
 Writers, and their diftin6t Performances, 
 will appear as much augmented as it could be 
 by the Aid of any CoUedions already formed, 
 and the Labours of any fingle Hand. The 
 Titles of above a Thoufand Dramas, at leaft, 
 are added to the former Catalogue. The 
 Bookfellers require an Advertifement of this 
 Circumftance, or the Difcovery of it fliould 
 have been left to the Reader. 
 
 Vol. I. b I N T R O^ 
 
 h^DU^ 
 
-i.,*,r j-» 
 
 ■^iJ. 
 
 -crv 
 
 .V / 
 
 
[ vii ] 
 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 A brief View of the Rife and Progrefs of the 
 English Stag£. ;, 
 
 IT is well obferved by the Author of a late * Diflertation 
 on the Theatres, that dramatic compofitions have ever 
 been elleemed amongft the greateft productions o^ 
 human genius ; and the exhibition of them on the public 
 Stage, has by fomc of the wifcft and bed men in all ages, 
 been countenanced, as highly ferviceable to the caufe of 
 Virtue. 
 
 Nothing is more certain than that example is the ftrong- 
 «ft and mod effe<5lual manner of enforcing the precepts of 
 wifdom i and that a juft Theatrical reprefcntation is the 
 belt pidture of Human Nature: with this peculiar advan- 
 tage, that in this humanizing and inftru(£ting Academy, 
 the young Spedator may learn the manners of the world, 
 without running through the perils of it. 
 
 The fame Writer obferves, that as pleafure is the pur- 
 fuit of the greateft part of mankind (and moft juftly fo, 
 while this purfuit is continued under the guidance of 
 Reason), all well-regulated States have judged it proper, 
 both in a political and moral fenfe, to have fome public 
 exhibitions, for the entertainment of the people. And,^^ 
 indeed, what entertainment, what pleafure fo rational, as 
 that which is afforded by a well-written and well-atfled 
 Play i whence the mind receives at once its fill of improve- 
 ment and delight ? — Thus thought the wife and lettered 
 Sages of ancient Greece ; the Romans adopted the fame 
 fentiments, and every polifhed Nation in B.urope hath re- 
 ceived and cultivated the Dramatic Art. In this refpedt 
 our Britifh Iflands have been moft eminent-, having pro- . 
 duced admirable A^ftors, and excellent Authors, both in 
 the Comic and Tragic ftyie; and fometimes alfo noble 
 
 * Gibber's Diflertation on the Theatrej. 
 
 b 2 Patrons, 
 
• •• 
 
 Vni 
 
 INTRODUCTIOl^. 
 
 f 
 
 Tatrons, who have done honour to thcnilllves, by b.^^ 
 co/ning the FricnJs ami IVorcdlors of Men of Genius. 
 it is >vcll known to the Learned, at what cxpcnce the 
 At-hcnians fupported their Theatres, and how often, 
 from among their i*oeir., they chofc Governois of their 
 Provinces, Generals of their Armies, and Gt'irdians of 
 their Liberties. — \\'\\o were more jeahv.r. of their liber- 
 ties than the Athenians ? Wiio better l<.ncvv that Corrup- 
 tion and Debauchery arc tlie greatell foes to Liberty ? — 
 Who better knew, than tliey, that the freedom of the 
 Theatre (next to that of the Senate) was the beft Sup- 
 J)ort of Liberty, againlt all the undermining arts of 
 thofe who wichcdly might kek to lap its foundation ? 
 
 If it be aflied, How came the yitlicnians to lay out an 
 hundred thou land pounds upon the decoration of one 
 fingle Tragedy of So[)hocles ? May we not anfwer, It was 
 not merely for the liike of exhibiting a pompous fpeclacle 
 for idlenels to gaze at, but becaufe it was the moft ra- 
 tional, niolT: inilrudive, and moft delightful compofition, 
 that human wit had yet arrived at; and confequently, 
 the moll vvorthy to be tiie entertainment of a wife and 
 warlike nation ? — And ic may ftill be a queftion, — Whe- 
 ther this public fpiiit inlpiied Sophocles ; or, whether So- 
 phccifs inrpired this public fpirit? 
 
 The divine Socrates aHTifted Euripides in his compofi- 
 . tions. 'Jhc wife Solon frequented Plays, even in his de- 
 cline of life ; and Plutarch informs us, he thought plays 
 ufeful to poliia the manners, and inltil the principles of 
 virtue. 
 
 As Arts and Sciences increafed in Rome, when Learn- 
 ing, Eloquence and Poetry flourilhed, Laslius improved 
 his focial hours with Terence; and Scipio thought it not 
 beneath him to make one in fo agreeable a party. Csc- 
 far, who was an excellent Poet as well as Orator, 
 thought the former title an addition to his honour ; and 
 ever mentioned 'lerence and Mcnander with great refpeft. 
 AugulUis found it eafier to make himfelf Sovereign of 
 the world, than to write a good Tragedy: he began a 
 Play called Ajax, but could not linifli it. Brutus, the 
 virtuous, the moral Brutus, thought his time not mif- 
 
 employe4 
 
 'f> 
 
 fj 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ix 
 
 rmployecl in a journey from Rome to Naples, only to 
 Ice an excellent troop of Comedians •, and was lb pkafed 
 with their performance, tltaC he fent tliem to Rome, with 
 letters of recommendation to Cicero, to take them undct 
 his patronage: — This too was at a timie when the Cit^ 
 was under no fmall confufion from the murder of C/ipfor ; 
 yet, amidft the tumillrs of thofe times, and the hurry bf 
 his own affairs, he thought the having a good Compahy 
 of Adlors of too much conlcquence to the l\iblick tO>be 
 negledted. And in fuch eftimation was Rofcius held by 
 Cicero, that, in pleading the caufe of the Poet Archi&SF, 
 he makes the moft honourable mention of that Atuir*. 't 
 ""♦'In the days of Auguftus, when dramatic entertainments 
 were the common public divcrfions of the people through 
 ail the provinces of that fpacious Empire •, had they been 
 deemed immoral, could they have paffed unccnfured by 
 all our Apoftles, who at that time went forth by divine 
 command to ** convert all nations ?" No vice, no impiety 
 efcaped them ; not only crying fins provoked their ccn- 
 fure, — they even reproved the indecencies of drcfs, and 
 indelicacies of behaviout*. In many places they muft cer- 
 tainly mtet with Theatres. — But we hear not of one 
 Poet or Aftor who received any reprimand from them. 
 On the contrary, we meet with fcveral paiiliges in the 
 "Writings of St. Paul, in which he refers to the Dramatic 
 Poets, citing their expreflions, in confirmation of his own 
 fentiments. But to come nearer our own times, — the 
 truly pious and learned Archbilhop Tillotfon, fpeaking 
 of Plays, gives this icrtimony in their favour, that 
 •* they might be io framed, and governed by fuch 
 '* rules, as not only to be innocently diverting, but in- 
 ** ftrudive and ufeful, to put fome follies and vices out 
 ** of countenance, which cannot perhaps be fo decently 
 •' reproved, rior fo effeilually expoled and corrected any 
 ** other way." 
 
 It is generally imagined, that the Englifh Stage rofe 
 later than the reft of its neighbours, Thofe who hold 
 this opinion, will, perhaps, wonder to hear of Theatrical 
 Entertainmeiits almoft as early as the Conqueft; and yet 
 nothing is more certain, if you will believe an honelt 
 
 b :: Monk* 
 
 
I 
 
 Hi 
 
 11: 
 
 X INTRODUCTION, 
 
 Monk, one William Stephanides, or Fitz Stephen, in lii* 
 Defcriptio Nobiliffima Civitatis Londoniie, who writes thus : 
 ** London, inftead of common Interludes belonging to 
 *' the Theatre, has Plays of a more holy fubjefl : rcpre- 
 ** fentations of thofe Miracles which the holy Confeflbrs 
 ** wrought, or of the fufferings wherein the glorious 
 *' conftancy of the Martyrs did appear." This Author 
 was a Monk of Canterbury, who wrote in the reign of 
 Henry II. and died in that of Richard I, 1191 : and as 
 he does not mention thefe reprefentations as Novelties to 
 the people (for he is defcribing all the common diver- 
 fions in ufe at that time), we can hardly fix them lower 
 than the Conqueft ; and this, we believe, is an earlier 
 date than any other nation of Evirope can produce for 
 their Theatrical reprefentations. About 140 years after 
 this, in the reign of Edward III, it was ordained by aft 
 of parliament, that a company of men called Vagrants, 
 who had made Mafquerades through the whole City, ihould 
 be whipt out of London, becaufc they reprefented fcan- 
 dalous things in the little alehoufes, and other places 
 where the populace aflembled. What the nature of thefe 
 fcandalous things were, we are not told ; whether lewd and 
 obfcene, or impious and profane ; but we fhould rather 
 think the former, for the word Mafquerade has an ill 
 found, and, we believe, they were no better in their in- 
 fancy than at prefent. It is true, the Myfteries of Reli- 
 gion were foon after this period made very free with all 
 over Europe, being reprefented in fo ftupid and ridicu- 
 lous a manner, that the ftories of the New Teftament 
 in particular were thought to encourage Libertinifm and 
 Infidelity. In all probability, therefore, the Aftors laft 
 mentioned were of that fpecies called Mumn.ers ; thefe 
 were wont to rtroll about the country, d relied in an an- 
 tick manner, dnncing, mimicking, and fliewing pof- 
 tures. This cuftom is ftill continued in many parts of 
 England; but it was formerly lb general, and drew the 
 common people To much from their bufinels, that it was 
 deemed a very pernicious cuilom : and as thefe Mum- 
 mers always went mafked and difguifed, they were but 
 too frequently encouraged to commit violent ouLrages, 
 
 and 
 
jging to 
 : repre- 
 Dnfeilbrs 
 glorious 
 1 Author 
 reign ot- 
 : and as 
 'cities to 
 m diver- 
 rm lower 
 n earlier 
 duce for 
 ars after 
 d by aft 
 /"agrants, 
 y, (hould 
 led fcan- 
 :r places 
 : of thefe 
 lewd and 
 Id rather 
 an ill 
 leir iii- 
 f Reli- 
 with all 
 ridicu- 
 cftament 
 lifm and 
 ors laft 
 thefe 
 n an an- 
 ng pof- 
 parts of 
 rew the 
 at it was 
 ; Mum- 
 vere but 
 
 ''§ 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 atitt were guilty of many lewd diforders. However, as 
 bad as they were, they feem to be the true original Co- 
 medians of England ; and their excellence altogether con- > 
 fifted> as that of their fucceflbrs does in part ftill, in mi- 
 mickry and humour. 
 
 In an ad of parliament made in the 4th year of Henry 
 IV, mention is tnade of certain Waftors, Mafter-Himours, 
 Minftrels, and other Vagabonds, who infefted the land of 
 Wales-, "And it is enafted, that no Mafter-Ilimour, 
 «' Minftrel, or other Vagabond, be in any wife fuftained 
 ** in the land of Wales, to make commoiths or gather- 
 " ings upon the people there/* What thefe Matter- Ri- 
 mours were, which were lb troiiblefome in Wales in par- 
 ticular, we cannot tell i poflibly they might be the dege- 
 nerate defcendents of the antient Bards. It is alfo dif- 
 ficult to determine what is meant by their maki.jg Com- 
 moiths. The word fignifies, in Welch, any diftrid, or 
 part of a hundred or cantred, containing about one half 
 of it; that is, fifty villages; and might poITibly be made 
 ufe of by thefe Mafter-Rimours wht.i they had fixed upon 
 a place to aft in, and gave intimation thereof for ten or 
 twelve miles round, which is a circuit that will take ia 
 about fifty villages. And that this was commonly done, 
 appears from Carew's Survey of Cornwall, which was 
 written in Queen Elizabeth's Time. Speaking of the 
 diverfions of the People, " The Guary Miracle," fays 
 he, " in Englifh a Miracle-play, is a kind of Interlude 
 *' compiled in Cornilh, out of fome Scripture Hiftory, 
 *' For reprefenting it, they raife an amphitheatre in fome 
 *' open field, having the diameters of its inclofed plain, 
 " fome forty or fifty feet. The country people flock • 
 *' from all fides many miles ofi', to fee and hear it-, for 
 ** they have therein Devils and Devices to delight as 
 •* well the eye as the ear,'* Mr. Carew has not been [0 
 exaft, as to give us the Time when thefe Guary Miracles 
 were exhibited in Cornwall', but, by the manner of ir, 
 the cuftom feelns to be very antient. 
 
 The year 1378 is the earlieft date we can find, in 
 which exprefs mention is made of the reprcfentation of .^ 
 Myfteries in l^.ngland. In this year the Scholars of ^^-^ 
 
 b 4 Paul's 
 
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xu 
 
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 cc 
 
 ti 
 
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 Paul's School prefented a petition tb Richard IT. praying 
 his Majcfty, ** to prohibit fome unexpcrt people from 
 prcfenting the Hiftory of the Old Teftament, to the 
 great prejudice of the faid Clergy, who have been at 
 great expence in order to repref-nt it publickly as 
 •* Chriftmas.** About twelve years afterwards, viz. in 
 1390, the Parifh Clerks of London are faid to have 
 played Interludes at Skinner's Well, July 18, 19 and 20. 
 And again, in 1409, the tenth year of Henry IV, 
 they aded at Clerkenweil (which took its name from 
 this cuflom of the Parilh-Clerks adting Plays there) for 
 eight days fucceflively, a Play concerning the Creation of 
 the World ; at which were prefent mow of the Nobility 
 and Gentry of the Kingdom. Thefe inftances are fuffi- 
 cient to prove that we had the Myfteries here very early. 
 How long they continued to be exhibited amongft us, 
 cannot be exaftly determined. This period one might 
 call the dead fleep of the Mufcs. And when this was 
 over, they did not prefently awake, but, in a kind of 
 'morning dream, produced the Moralities that followed. 
 However, thefe jiimbled ideas had fome Ihadow of 
 meaning. The Myfteries only reprefented, in a fenfelefs 
 manner, fome miraculous Hiftory of the Old or New 
 Teftament : but in thefe Moralities fomething of defign 
 ' appeared, a Fable and a Moral •, fomething alfo of Poetry, 
 the virtues, vices, and other affecflions of the mind 
 being frequently perfonified. But the Moralities were 
 alfo very often concerned wholly in religious matters. 
 For Religion then was every one's concern, and it was no 
 wonder if each party employed all arts to promote rt. 
 Had they been in ufe now, they would doubtlefs have 
 turned as much upon politicks. Thus, The Ne:u Cujfom 
 was certainly intended to promote the Relbrmation, when 
 it was revived in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. And in 
 • the more early days of the Reformation, it was lb com- 
 mon for the partizans of the old dodl:rines (and perhaps 
 alio of the new) to defend and ilkiftrate their tenets this 
 way, that in the 24th of Henry VIII, in nn A6t of Par- 
 liament made for the promoting true Religion, we find 
 a claufc reftraining all llimors or Players from fmging in 
 ', . ^ *' ," ■ Songs, 
 
 '' ■■('■), 
 
IK T R O D U C T-l O N." 
 
 xtit 
 
 t was no 
 
 StmgSj or playing in Interludes, any thing' that IbbuUI 
 corttradiit the eftabUflied do<arinc?.> Jf, mi ailb cuftoiwarjf 
 at this time to ad): thele morel «? > riiigfous Dramas 
 in private houfes^ for- the cdific^tic land impnofemeht, 
 as well as the diverfion, of well-difpofeiisi facUilics? and 
 for this purpofe the appearance of the « perfons: of the 
 Drama were lb difpofed, as that five or fix Anftojs might 
 reprefent twenty perfonages.ni:; ) t ;u 3;/. •* e:n ni ,j/i.'..' 
 What has been i^iid of the My(feries^and Moralitidsg 
 it is hoped will be fufficient juft to (hew the IVeadir what 
 the nature of them was. We ihould have been gla^ to 
 be more particular ; but where materials are not' to be 
 had, the building muft be deficient. And, to' fay the 
 truth, a more particular knowledge. of the^e things, any 
 farther than as it ferves to (hew the turn and genius of 
 our Anceftors, and the progrelTive refinement of: out lan- 
 guage, was fo little worth preferving, that the lofsr' of 
 ricisfcarce to be regretted. We prbeeed therefore '^ith 
 our fubjeft. The Mule might now be faid to be juft 
 awake when (he began to trifle. in the old interludes, and 
 aimed at fomething like wit and humour. , And for thefe 
 •John Hey wood the Epigrammift undoubtedly clajmiuhe 
 ^carlieft, if not the forcmoll place. He wasljefter to 
 King Henry Vill, but lived till the Beginning of (^een 
 5Elizabcth*s Reign. Gammer GurtorCs NeedUj whiSi is 
 generally called our firft Comedy, and not undefervedly, 
 i, appeared foon.after the Interludes : it is indeed altogether 
 r of a comic caft, and wants not humour, though of a low 
 £ and fordid kmd. And now Dramatic Writers, properly 
 tfo called, began to appear, and turn their talents to the 
 Stage. Henry Parker, Son of Sir William Parker,- is 
 i faid to have written feveral Tragedies and Comedies in 
 /the reign of Henry VIII ; and one John Hoker, in 1535, 
 « wrote a Comedy called Pifcator, or The Fijher caught. Mr. 
 > Richard Edwards, who was born in 1 523 (and in the begin- 
 » ning of Queen Elizabeth's reign was made one of the gen- 
 ' tlemen of her Majefty*s Chapel, and Mailer of the Children 
 I there) being both an excellent Mufician, and a good Poet, 
 V *vrote two Comedies, one called Palamon and Arcite^ in 
 E ivhich a cry of hounds in huntiiig was ib well imi- 
 ' "i-'-- ■ , tated. 
 
tiy 
 
 1 N T ft o D tr c 1 1 o J^* 
 
 I ' 
 
 tated^ that (he Queen aod the Audience were exttemelf 
 delighted^ tlie other^ called Bamen and FithiaSy the two 
 faitbfulkji Friends kt thiH^vrld* About the fame time 
 came Thmnas Sackvilie^ Lord Bucichurft^ and Thomas 
 Norton, the Writers oi Gofii^duti the firft dramatic 
 piece of any conHderation in the Englilh language. Of 
 thefe aod fotne others, bear the judgement of Putten- 
 ham, in his ** Art of Poetry," written in the reign of 
 Queea Elizabeth i " I think, fays* he, that for Tragedy 
 *• the Lord of Buckhorft, and Maifter Edward Ferrys, 
 ** for fuch doings as I have fecn of theirs, do dcfcrvc 
 •* the higheft price; The Earl of Oxford, and Maifter 
 ** Edwards of her Majcfty's Chapel, for Comedy.and In- 
 •* tetlude." And in another place he fays,— <* But the 
 ** principal man in this profefllon (of Poetry) at the 
 ** lame time (viz, Edward VI.) was Maifter Edward Fer> 
 " rys, a man of no lefs mirth and felicity than John 
 *' Heywood, but of much more (kill and magnificence 
 ** in his metre, and therefore wrote for the moft pant to 
 *' the Stage in Tragedy, and fometimes in Comedy or 
 •• Interlude j wherein he gave the King fo much good 
 ** recreation, as he had thereby many good rewards." 
 Of this Edward Ferrys, fo confidefablc a Writer, I can 
 find no remains, nor even the titles of ^ny thjng he wrote. 
 After thefe followed John Lillie, famous in his time for 
 wit, and having greatly improved the Englilh language, 
 in a Rbmance which he wrote, entitled, Eupbues and his 
 England^ or ^it he Anatomy of Wit', of, which it is laid 
 ^y the Publifher of his Plays, "Our nation are in his 
 *• debt for a new Englilh which he taught them, Euphues 
 ** and his England began firft that language. All our 
 »* Ladies were then his Scholars?, and that Beauty in Court 
 ** who could not park Euphuifm, was as. little regarded, 
 •* as flje which now there fpcaks not French." This ex- 
 traordinary Romance, fo famous for its wit, fo falhion- 
 able in the Court of (^een Elizabeth, and which is 
 faid to have introduced fo remarkable a change in our lan- 
 guage, we have feen and read. It is an unnatural aftc^ed 
 jargon, in which the perpetual ufe of Metaphors, Allu- 
 fions. Allegories, and Analogies, is to pal's tor -Wit ; and 
 
 . > ttiff 
 
 ^-. 
 
I N T R O D U C T I aN. 
 
 'X¥ 
 
 ftifF Bombaft for Language, And «vith this nonfenfc the 
 Court of Queen Elizabeth (whofe times afforded better 
 models for ftyle and compofition than almoil any fince) 
 became miferably infet^ed, and greatly helped to let-in all 
 the vile pedantry of language in the folbwing reign. So 
 much raifchief the moft ridiculous inftrument may do, 
 when it is propofed, by deviating from nature, to improve 
 upon her fimplicity. 
 
 Though Tragedy and Comedy began now to lift up 
 their heads, yet they could do no more for fome time 
 than blufler and quibble ; and how imperfeft they were 
 m all Dramatic Art, appears from an excellent criti- 
 cifm, by Sir Philip Sidney, on the Writers of that time. 
 Yet they feem to have had a difpofition to do better, had 
 they known how, as appears by the feveral efforts they 
 ufed to lick the lump into a Ihape : for fome of their 
 pieces they adorned with dumb fhews, fome with cho- 
 rules, and fome they introduced and explained by an In- 
 terlocutor. Yet, imperfed as they were, we had made 
 a far better progrefs at this time than our neighbours, the 
 French : the Italians indeed, by early tranflations of the 
 old Dramatic Writers, had arrived to greater perfedlion ; 
 but we were at leaft upon a footing with the other Na- 
 tions of Europe. 
 
 But now, as it were, all at once (as it happened ia 
 France, though in a much later period) the itruc Drama 
 received birth and perfe(Stion from the creative gen ills of 
 Shakfpeare, Fletcher, and Jonfon, whofe feveral cha- 
 ra(5ters are fo well known, th^C it would be fuperfiubus 
 to fay any more of them. , 
 
 Having thus traced the Dramatic Mufcs through all 
 her charaders and transformations, till fhe had acquired 
 a reafonable figure, let us now return and take a more 
 particular view of the Stage and the Adlors. The firft 
 Company of Players we have any account of, is from a 
 patent granted, in if.74, to James Burbage, and othere, 
 fervants to the earl pf Leicefter. In 1578, the children 
 •f Paul's appear to have been performers of Dramatick 
 Ente.tainments. About twelve years. afterwards the Pa- 
 rilh Clerks of London are faid to have adted the Myilc- 
 
 ries 
 
XVI 
 
 rt^TRODUCflON. 
 
 M 
 
 Jit* 
 
 M 
 
 ries at Skinper's Well. Which of thefc two Companic.4 
 may have bedn the earli^ft, is not certain •, but as the Chil- 
 dren of PauPs are fir(!- mentioned, we muft in juftice 
 give the priority to them. It is certain, the Myfterics and 
 Moralities were adled by thefc two Societies many years 
 before any other regular Companies appeared. And the 
 Children of Paul's continued toa<rt long after Tragedies 
 and Comedies came in vogue. It is believed, the next 
 Company regularly eltabliflied was, the Children of tne 
 Royal Chapel, in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's 
 reign ; the direction of which was given to Mr. Richard 
 Edwards before-mentioned : and Ibme few years after- 
 wards, as the fubje^l of the Stage became more ludi- 
 crous, a Company was formed under the denomination of 
 T'be Children of the Revels. The Children of the Chapel 
 and of the Revels became very famous ; and all Lillie's 
 plays, and many of Jonlbn's, and others, were firft 
 afted by them. Nay, fo great was their vogue and efti'- 
 mation,.that the common Players, as may be gathered 
 from a Scene in Hamlet, grew jealous of them. Uow- 
 ever, they ferved a^ an excellent nurfery for the Theatres ; 
 .many, who afterwards became approved Adors, being 
 educated among them. 
 
 It is furprizing to confider what a number of Play- 
 houfes were fupported in London about this time. From 
 the. year 1570 to the year 1629, when the Playhoufe 
 in White Friars was finilhed, no lefs than feventeen Play- 
 houfes had b*en! built. "The ifjames^of rnoft of them may 
 be colle6ted from the titte-pages of Old Plays. And as 
 the Theatres were fo numerous, the Companies of Players 
 were in proportion. Befides the Children of the Chapel, 
 and of the Revels, we are told that Queen Elizabeth, at 
 ' the requeft of Sir Francis Walfingham, eftabliftied in 
 . handfome falaries twelve of the principal Players of that 
 ; time, who went under the name of her Majefty's Come- 
 . dians and Se. *«uts. But, exclufive of thefe, many No- 
 blemen retained ComjJanies of Players, who aflcd not 
 only privately in their Lords' houfes, but publickly under 
 their licence and protedion. Agreeable to this is the 
 - account which Stow gives us — " Players in former times," 
 
iNTRObUCTION. 
 
 xviS 
 
 fiys he, " were retainers to Noblemen, and none had the 
 *« privilege to aft Plays but fuch.. So in Queen ElizV 
 ** beth's time, many of the Nobility had Servants and 
 ^^ Retainers who were Players, and went about getting 
 »* their livelihood that way. The Lord Admiral had 
 *' Players, fo had Lord Strange, that played, in the City 
 " of London. And it was ufual on any Gentleman's 
 " complaint of them for indecent reflexions in their 
 *« Plays, to have them put down. Thus once the Lord 
 ^* Treafurer fignified to the Lord Mayor to have thefc 
 " Players of Lord Admiral and Lord Strange prohibited, 
 ** at lead for fomc time, becaufe one Mr. Tilney had;for 
 " fome reafon difliked them. Whereupon the Mayor 
 ** fent for both Companies, and gave them ftridt charge 
 ** to forbear playing till farther orders. The Lord 
 *« Admiral's Players obeyed ; but the Lord Strange's," in a 
 " contemptuous manner, went to the Crofs Keys, and 
 ** played that afternoon. Upon which the Mayor cbm- 
 <* mitted two of them to the Compter, and prohibited 
 " all playing for the future, till the Treafurer's plealure 
 *' was farther known. This was in 1589." And in an- 
 other part of his Survey of London, fpeaking of the 
 Stage, he fays, ** This, which was once a recreation, and 
 ^' ufcd therefore now and then occafionally, afterwards by 
 ^' abufe became a trade and calling, and fo remains to this 
 *' day. In thofe former days, ingenious Tradefmen, and 
 ** Gentlemen's Servants, would fometimes gather a Com- 
 " pany of themfelves, and learn Interludes, to expofe 
 " vice, or to reprefent the noble adlions of our ariceftors. 
 ^« Thefe they played at feftivals, in private houfes, at 
 *• weddings, or other entertainments, but in procefs of 
 ^* time it became an occupation ; and thefe Plays being 
 ** commonly adted on Sundays and Feftivals, the Churches 
 f* were forfaken, and the Flayhoufes thronged. Gre?t 
 " Inns were ufed for this purpofe, which had fecret 
 f^ chambers and places, as well as open (lages and galle- 
 " ries. Here Maids and good Citizens Children were 
 " inveigled and allured to private and unmeet contracts •, 
 •^ here were publicly, uttered popular and feditious mat- 
 ?* ters, unchafte, uncomely, ^nd lliameful fppephes, and 
 
 ■*a» 
 
vnR 
 
 1NTR.ODUCTIOK. 
 
 
 IM 
 
 i!:^" 
 
 JJi'l 
 
 I'' 
 
 •• many other enormities. The confidcration of thcfe 
 " things occaffioned, in I574» Sir James Hawes being 
 '^ Mayor, an adt of Common Council, wherein it was 
 ♦• ordained, That no Play fhould be openly afled within 
 *• the liberty of the City, wherein fhould be uttered any 
 •• words, examples, or doings of any unchaftity, fe- 
 •* dition, or fuch like unfit and uncomely matter, 
 ** under the penalty of five Pounds, and fourteen days 
 *' imprifonment. That no Play fhould be ad;ed till 
 •• firft pcrufcd and allowed by the Lord Mayor and 
 •' Court of Aldermen j with many other refl:ri<3:ions. Yet 
 ** it was provided that this A61 (hould not extend to Plays 
 ** Ihowcd in private houfcs, the lodgings of a Nobleman, 
 ** Citizen or Gentleman, for the celebration of any mar- 
 ** riage, or other feftivity, and where no colledion of 
 *' money was made from the Auditors. But thcfe orders 
 ** were not fo well obfervcd as they (hould be j the lewd 
 ** matters of Plays increaftd, ana they were thought dan- 
 •* gerous to Religion, the State, Honefty and Manners, 
 «* and alfo for infection in the time of ficknefs. Wherc- 
 ** fore they were afterwards for feme time totally fup- 
 ** prefled. But, upon application to the Queen and 
 •* Council, they were again tolerated, under the following 
 ** rcftridions. That no Plays be a«5ted on Sundays at, 
 ** all, nor on any Holidays till after Evening Prayer. 
 *' That no playing be in the dark, nor continue any 
 *• fuch time but as any of the auditors may return to 
 *' their dwellings in London before funfet, or at leaft 
 ** before it be dark. That the Queen's Players only 
 ** be tolerated, and of them their number and certain 
 ** names to be notified in the Lord Treafurer's letters to 
 ** the Lord Mayor, and to the Jufticcs of Middlefex and 
 ** Surry. And thole her Players not to divide themfelves 
 ** in feveral companies. And that, for breaking any of 
 •* thefe orders, their toleration ceafe. But all thefe pre- 
 *' fcriptions were not fuificient to keep them within 
 ** due bounds j but their plays, fo abufivc oftentimes of 
 ** virtue, or particular perfons, gave great ofifence, and 
 ** occafioncd many difturbances : when they were now 
 *' and then flopped and prohibited." It is hoped this 
 iong quoraiicn from Slow will be excukd, as it ferves 
 
 not 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XIX 
 
 liot only to prove fever ' fafts, but to (hew the cuflomt 
 of the Stage at that tiuc, and the early depravity of it. 
 But that the Plays not only of that age, but long before, 
 were fometimes perfonal Satires, appears from a manu* 
 fcript Letter from Sir John Hallies to the Lord Chancellor 
 Purleigh, found amongft fome papers belonging to the 
 Houfe of Commons, in which the Knight accufes his 
 Lordlhip of having faid feveral difhonourable things of 
 him and his family, particularly that his grandfather, who 
 had then been dead leventy years, was a man fo remark- 
 ably covetous, that the common Players reprefcntcd him 
 before the Court with great applaufe. 
 
 Thus we fee the Stage no fooner began to talk, than 
 it grew fcurrilous ; and its Brft marks of fenfe were feen 
 in ribaldry and lafcivioufnefs. This occafioned much 
 offence ; the zeal of the Pulpit, and the gravity of the 
 City equally concurred to condemn it. Many pamphlets 
 were written on both fides. Stephen Goflbn, in the year 
 1579, publilhed a Book, entitnled. The School of Abufe^ 
 or, a f leaf ant Invedive againji PoetSy Pipers, Flayers^ 
 Jeflers, and fuch like Caterpillars of the Commonwealth ; 
 dedicated to Sir Phil p Sidney^ He alfo wrote. Flays 
 confuted in five A^iom •, proving that they are not to be 
 fuffered in a Chriflian commonwealth \ dedicated to Sir 
 Francis Walfingham. The defendants in this controverfy 
 were Thomas Lodge, who wrote an old Play, called, A 
 JuOoking'Glafs for London and England ; and that volumi- 
 nous Dramatic Writer, Thomas Heywood. 
 
 But to proceed : The Stage foon after recovered its 
 credit, and rofe to a higher pitch than ever. In 1603, 
 the firft year of King James's Keign, a licence was granted 
 under the Privy Seal to Shakfpeare, Fletcher, Burbage, 
 Hemmings, Condel, and others, authorizing them to adt 
 Plays, not only at their ufual Houfe, the Globe on the 
 Bank-fide, but in any other part of the Kingdom, during 
 his Majefty's pleafure. And now, there lived together 
 at this time many eminent Players, concerning whom we 
 cannot but lament fuch imperfe<ft accounts are tranfmittcd 
 to us. The little, however, which is known, the Reader 
 TyiU find colleftcd together, with great accuracy, by Mr. 
 
 Malone, 
 
ix 
 
 INTRODUCTfc^rf. 
 
 jii 
 
 Malonc, in his '* .9ufif)!ement to Shakfprtthife,**' to whicft 
 work wc Yci\r our Readers for further information.. •' 
 
 And now the U'hedtre fecins to havtf Wen at its hefght 
 of glory and reputation. Dramatic Authors abounded, 
 and every year produced a number of new Plays : nay, 
 {cy great was the pafiion at this time for fbevv or rcprcfen- 
 tation, that it was the falliion for the Nobility to cele- 
 brate their weddings, birth-dnys, and other occafions of 
 rejoicing, with Malques and Interludes, which were ex- 
 hibited with furpriling expence-, that great Architc6; 
 Inigo Jones being frequently employed to furnilh decora- 
 tions with all the magnificence of his invention. The 
 King and his Lords, the Qiieen and her Ladies, fre- 
 j^ucntly pel formed in tiiefc Mafques at Court, and all 
 the Nobility in their own private houfes : in Ibort, no 
 publick entertainment was thought compleat without 
 them •, and to this humour it is we owe, and perhaps it 
 is all we owe it, the inimitable Mafque at Ludbw Caftlc. 
 For the fame univerfal eagerncfs after Theatrical divcN 
 
 • fions continued during the whole reign of King James, 
 and great part of Charles the Firft, till Puritanifm, which 
 had now gathered great flrength, openly oppofed them 
 as wicked and diabolical. But Puritanifm, from a thou- 
 fand concurrent caufes every day increafing, in a little time 
 overturned the- conftitution ; and, amongft their many 
 reformations this was one, the total fuppreffion of all 
 Play:- and Playhoufes. 
 
 This event took place on the nth day of February, 
 ■ 1647, at which time an Ordinance was iflued by the 
 Lords and Commons, whereby all Stage Players, and 
 Players of Interludes and common Plays, were declared 
 to be Rogues, and liable to be punifhed according to the 
 Statutes of the Thirty- ninth of Queen Elizabeth, and 
 
 ♦ Seventh of King James the Firft. The Lord Mayor, 
 Juiiices of the Peace, and Sheriffs of the City of London 
 and Weftminfter, and of the counties of Middlefex and 
 Surrey, were likewife aurhorifcd and required to pull down 
 and demolifh all Playhoufes within their jurifdidl ion, and 
 
 c. apprehend any pcrfons convided of adling, who were to 
 
 be publickly whiptj after which, they W€re to be bound 
 
 ... in 
 
INTRODUCTION* 
 
 ±^\ 
 
 in "a recognizance to aift no more ; and in cafe of a rc- 
 fufal to enter into fuch obligation^ the parties were to be 
 committed until they found fuch fccurity. Jf, after cpn- 
 vidtion, they oflfended again, rhey were thereby declared 
 incorrigible rogues, and to be puniflic' and dealt with 
 as fuch. It was alfo declared, that all money coliedted 
 at Playhoufes Ihould be forfeited to the poor •, and a pe- 
 nalty of five Ihillings was impofed on every pcrfon who 
 ihould be prefent at any Dramatick Entertainment. 
 
 Before the promulgation of this fevere ordinance, the 
 performances of the Stage had been frequently interrupted 
 even from the commencement of hoftilitics between the King 
 and his Parliament. Of the fcveral A6lors at that tirm: 
 employed in the Theatres, the greater parr, who vvei^e 
 not prevented by age, went immediately into the Army, 
 and, as it might be expeded, took part with their Sove- 
 reign, whofe affetflion for their profelHon had been lhe\»:h 
 in many inftances previous to the open rupture between 
 him and- his people. The event of war was alike fatAlio 
 Monarchy and the Stage. Afrer a violent and bloCdy 
 conteft, both fell together*, the King loft his life by the 
 hands of an Executioner ; the Theatres 'were abandoned 
 and deftroyed, and thofe by whom they u fed to be oc- 
 cupied were either killed in the wars, worn out with 
 old, age, or difperfcd in different places, fearful of afiem- 
 bling, left they fliould fubjed themfclvcs to the penalty 
 of the ordinance, and give offence to the ruling powers. 
 
 The fate of their Royal Mafter being deiermined, the 
 furviving dependants on the drama were obliged again to 
 return to the exercile of their former profcflion. In the 
 winter of the year 1648, they ventured toad fome Plays 
 at the Cockpit, but were foon interrupted and filenced 
 by the foldiers, wi;o took them into cnltody in the midft 
 of one of their performances, and committed them to 
 prifon. After this ineffed:c.al attempt to lettle at their 
 former quarters, we hear no more of any public exhibi- 
 tion for fome time. They ftill, however, kept together, 
 and, by connivance of the commanding officer at White- 
 hall, fometimes reprefented privately a few plavs at a 
 (hort diftance from town. Tbxy alfo were permitted to 
 
 Vol. I. c eatertain 
 
xxu 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 'M 
 
 li 
 
 
 |(i^ t 
 
 entertain fomc of the Nobility at their country houTes; 
 where they were paid by thofc under whofe prote6kion 
 they afted. They alfo obtained leave at particular fcfti- 
 vals to divert the publick at the Ked-Buli, but this was 
 not always without interruption. Thofc at the head of 
 affairs ftill continued their implacable rancour againft all 
 who were conncfted with polite letters, and the unfortu- 
 nate A£tors who furvived to this period felt the greateft 
 diftrefs. A flender and jirecarious fupport was all' they 
 could obtain. In this fuuation leveral of them were ob- 
 liged to draw forth the mariiilciipts of their contempora- 
 ries which they had in their poirellion, and many plays 
 ■were publilhcd which might otherwile have never feen the 
 light. 
 
 But though the fury of religious zeal feemed to threaten 
 that the Stage (hould never revive, and every method was 
 taken which might tend to accomplidi that defign, the 
 pleafure which had been received frofM dramatic enter- 
 tainments was too ftrong to be totally overcome. Amidft 
 the gloom of fanaticifm, and whiUl: the royal caufe was 
 confidered as deQ^erate, Sir William Davenant, without 
 molellation, exhibited entertainments of declamation and 
 mufic after the manner of the ancients at Rutland-houfe^ 
 He began in the year 1656, and two years afterwards re- 
 n>oved to the Cockpit, Drury-lane, where he performed 
 until the eve of the Rcitoration. 
 
 ' On the appearance of that event's taking place, the 
 .retainers of the Theatre then remaining collected them- 
 felves together, and began to refume their former em- 
 ployment. In the year 1659, about the time general 
 Monk marched with his aimy out of Scotland towards 
 London, Mr. Rhodes, a bookfeller, who had formerly 
 been wardrobe-keeper to the company which afted at 
 Black Fryers, fitted up the Cockpit in Drury-lane. The 
 A(9:ors he procured were chiefly new to the Stage ; and 
 two of them, Betterton and Kynafton, had been his ap- 
 prentices. About the fame time, the few performers who 
 had belonged to the old companies aflembled, and began 
 .to a6t at the Red-Bull, in Saint John's-Ilrcet, and from 
 'the eagernefs with which two patents were foon afterwards 
 * ' ' . obtained 
 
 iiji 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 xxiit 
 
 obtained from the Crown, it may be prefumeJ that they, 
 met with a confiderable (hare of fucccfs. Sir William 
 Davenant, before the rivil wars broke out, had been fa- 
 voured with a patent y Charles the Firft, and tln-rcforc 
 his claim to a new one was warranted, as well by his for- 
 mer poflTefllon, as by his fervices and fufferings ii. the royal 
 caufe. The other candidate was Thomas Killcgrew, 
 El'q. a perfon who had rendered himfelf acceptable to 
 his Sovereign, as much by his vices and follies, as by his 
 wit or attachment to him in his diftrefs. 
 
 The Adtors who had been employed by Rhodes foon 
 afterwards were taken under the protedlion of Sir William 
 Davenant •, and the remains of the old Companies were 
 received by Mr. Killegrewj all of them were fworn by 
 the Lord Chamberlain as fervants of the Crown*, the 
 former being ftyled the Duke of York's company ; and 
 the latter that of the King. 
 
 The King's coa;pany, after their removal from the 
 Red-Bull, performed in a new-built houfe fituated in 
 Gibbons's Tennis Court, near Clarc-markcr. But this 
 Theatre being not well adapted for the ufe to which 
 it was appropriated, they were obliged to eredl a more 
 convenient one in Drury-lane. This latter was finifhed 
 and opened on the 8th day of April, 1662, with Beau-- 
 mont and Fletcher's Comedy of The Humourous Lieutenant, 
 which was adted twelve nights fucceflively. 
 
 During thefe removals of the King's company, their 
 rivals belonging to the duke of York were (hifting their 
 places of performance, and were feme time before they 
 were wholly fettled. From the Cockpit they went to a 
 new Theatre built In Lincoln's-Inn Fields, which was 
 opened in the fpring of the year 1662, after feveral of 
 their plays had been rehearfed at Apothecaries-Hall. But 
 this Playhoufe was likewile foon difcovercd to be ill-con- 
 trived and inconvenient, and Sir William Davenant found 
 it neceffary to fearch out a new fpot to ere<5t one more 
 commodious. He fixed upon Doriet-Gardcn, in Salif- 
 bury Court, for this purpofe, but did not live to fee tha 
 edifice made any ufe of. This Theatrf'rf^l be menti- 
 oned hereafter. • ' '^^' 
 
 -^^ c 2 The 
 
XXIV 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 -'"Hi 
 
 The two Conipanies being now cftabliflied at Drury- 
 lane and Lihcoln's-Inn Fields, they each began to exert 
 their endeavours to obtain the favour of the town. The 
 principal performers in the King*s company were of the 
 nicn. Hart, Mohun, Burt, Winterfel, Lacy, Cartwright, 
 and Clun; to whom, after the opening of Drury-lane 
 Theatre, were added Joe Haines, Griffin, Goodman, 
 and fome others. Among rhe women were Mrs. Corey, 
 Mrs. Marfliall, Mrs. Knep, and afterwards Mrs. Boutel 
 and Mrs. Eleanor Gwyn. Of the Duke's company were 
 Betterton, Sheppy, Kynafton, Nokes, Mofely, and 
 Floyd, who had all performed under Rhodes ; Harris, 
 Price, Richards, and Blagden, were added by Sir William 
 Pavenant, who alfo about a year after received Smith, 
 Sand ford, Med burn, and two others. The adrefles were 
 Mrs. Davenport, Mrs. Saunderfon (who afterwards mar- 
 ried Mr. Betterton), Mrs. Davies, and Mrs. Longj all of 
 whom boarded in the Patentee's houfe. Befides thcfe, 
 were Mrs. Gibbs, Mrs. Norris, Mrs. Holden, and Mrs. 
 Jennings j and, if any dependance may be placed on 
 the judgment of thofc who then frequented Plays, there 
 were more excellent performers in each Company than 
 have ever been fcen together at any one time fince that 
 period. 
 
 The avidity of the publick for Theatrical Entertain- 
 ments fufficiently recompenlcd for a confiderable time 
 the afliduity of the performers, and the expedlations of 
 the Managers and Proprietors. Their fuccefs was, how- 
 ever, foon interrupted by national calamities. In 1665, 
 the plague broke out in London with great violence ; 
 and in the fucceeding year, the fire which deflroyed the 
 metropolis put a flop to the further progrefs of ftage- 
 performances. 
 
 After a difccntinuance of eighteen months, both houfes 
 were again opened at Chriftmas 1 666^ The miferies occa- 
 ficned by the plague and fire were forgotten, and public di- 
 verfions were again followed with as much eagernefs as they 
 had been before their interruption. Both companies were 
 at firfl fuccefsful •, but after the novelty of the fcveral 
 performers was worn away, and their (lock of plays had 
 
 been 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XXV 
 
 been repeated until they became familiar, the Duke*$ 
 company, excellent as they were allowed to be, felt their 
 inferiority by the flender audiences they were able to draw 
 together. This confideration induced Sir William Dave- 
 nant to try the efFcfts of a new Theatre, built with 
 greater magnificence than that in Lincoln's-Inn, and lie 
 chofe Dorfet-Garden, probably where the Old Playhoufc 
 in Salifbury-Court flood, as a proper place for the piir- 
 pofe i but before this Theatre was finilhed he died, arid . 
 on that event the management of his property therein 
 came into the hands of his widow Lady DaVenant, Mr. 
 Betterton, and Mr. Harris, aflifted by Charles Davenant', 
 afterwards well known as a politician and civil lawyer. 
 This new houfe was opened on November, 1671, not- 
 withftanding an bppofition made to it by the City of 
 London. But the opinion of the publick ftill inclining 
 to the King's .company, Mr. Davenant was obliged to 
 have recourfe to a new fpecies of entertainment. He de- 
 termined to call-in the afliftance of Ihew and found j he 
 increafed the fplendor_of his fcenery, and introduced 
 inufic, finging, and dancing, into fome of the pieces re- 
 prefented. Dramatic Operas,' with expenfive decorations, 
 ibon came into fafhion, and enabled the Duke's company 
 to obtain an advantage over their competitors, ^which they 
 were confeffedly not entitled to by their merit. 
 
 Soon after the Duke's company began to aft in their 
 new Theatre, an accident happened, which muft have 
 difabled their antagonilts from contending with them 
 for a fliort time. In January, 167 1-2, the Playhoufc in 
 Drury-lane took fire, and was entirely demolifhed. The 
 violence of the conflagration was fo great, that between 
 fifty and fixty adjoining houfes were burnt or blown up. 
 Wiiere the Company belonging to this houfe removed, 
 I have not been able to difcover, though I find they con- 
 tinued to ad in the feveral years which intervened betv.een 
 the deftrudion of the Old Houfe and its being rebuilt ; 
 and from the feries of Plays which they produced, it 
 feems probable that they immediately occupied fome The- 
 atre which then remained unufed. The Proprietors of 
 the Old Play houfe, after they had recovered the confler- 
 
 c 3 nation 
 
SI 
 
 '■Si 
 yd 
 
 
 
 Pi 
 
 XXVI 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 nation whl^h this accident had thrown them into, relolvcd 
 to rebuild their Theatre with fuch improvementr, as miyht 
 be fuggcfced •, and fjr that purpofe employed Sir Chril- 
 topher Wren, the mofl: celebrated archited: of his time, 
 to draw the defigii, and fuperintend the execution of 
 it. The plan which he produced, in the opinion of thofe 
 who were well able to judge of itj was fuch a one as 
 was alike calculated for the advantage of the performers 
 and fpcdiatprs •, and the feveral alterations afterwards made 
 in it, fo far from being improvements, contributed only 
 to defeat the intention of the architect, and to fpoil the 
 building. 
 
 The new Theatre, being finillied, was opened on the 
 26th of March, 1674. On this occafion a Prologue and 
 Epilogue were delivered, both written by Mr. Dryderv, 
 in which the plainnefs and want of ornament in the houfe, 
 compared with that in Dorfet-Gardens, were particularly 
 mentioned. The encouragement given to the latter on 
 account of its fcenery and decorations was not forgotten ; 
 and as an apology for the deficiency of embellilhment 
 which was to be found in the former, the diredion of 
 his Majelty is exprefsly aflerted. That the concerns of 
 the Stage were fometimes thought not unworthy the no- 
 tice of Royalty, is very well known. 
 • The preference given to Davenant's Theatre, on account 
 of its fcenery and decorations, alarmed thofe belonging to 
 the rival houfe. To ftop the progress of the public tafte, 
 and to divert it towards themfelves, they end«;avoured to 
 ridicule the performances which were fo much followed. 
 The perfon employed for this purpofe was Thomas Duf- 
 fet, who parodied the Tempeji^ Macbeth, and Pfyche : 
 thefe efforts were, however, ineffeftual. The Duke's 
 Thfatre continued to be frequented-, the vidlory of iound 
 and fhe.v ovt-r lenfe and rcafon was as complete in the 
 Thcatr.: at this period as it hath often been fince. The 
 Kirg's Theatre languiflied; but the great expences in- 
 cur; ed at the other diminiftied their gains to fuch a de- 
 gree, that after a few years the leaders in each difcovered 
 that it would be for their mutual advantasje to unite their 
 inttrcfls together, and open but one lioufc. Of thofe 
 
 who 
 
INTRODUCTIO N. 
 
 xxvu 
 
 1 of thofe 
 a one as 
 ;rformers 
 ids made 
 uted only 
 fpoil the 
 
 ;d on the 
 logue and 
 . Dryden, 
 the houfc, 
 articularly 
 : latter on 
 forgotten •; 
 jcllifliment 
 I i region of 
 ;oncerns of 
 y the no- 
 
 on account 
 longing to 
 ublic tafte, 
 avoured to 
 
 followed, 
 omas Duf- 
 d Pfyche : 
 le Duke's 
 y of lound 
 lete in the 
 ncc. The 
 jpences in- 
 Ifuch a dc- 
 
 difcovered 
 1 unite their 
 Of thofe 
 who 
 
 \ 
 
 who originally belonged to Killegrew*s company, feveral 
 had quitted the Stage, fome were dead, and the chief 
 who remained began to experience the infirmities of age. 
 Thefe confiderations induced them to liften to overtures 
 from Davenant, Betterton, and Smith, who entered into 
 an agreement with Hart and Kynafton, which effeftualljr 
 detached thofe performers from the King's Theatre. Their 
 revolt, and the influence which they poffeflTed, feem^ to 
 have efFe<5led the union fooner than it otherwife might 
 have been agreed to, though it could not have been pre- 
 vented any length of time, having been recommended by 
 the King. The junftion took place in the year 1682, 
 on which event the Duke's company quitted Dorfet- Gar- 
 dens, and removed to Drury-lane. Hart performed no 
 more, but retired on a penfion ; and Mohun foon after- 
 wards died. The remainder of the troop were incorpo- 
 rated with the Duke's, and for the future were ftyled the 
 mgs Company. 
 
 The advantages which were expected to follow this 
 jundlion do not appear to have been the confequence of 
 it. Though the patents were united, the profits to th<e 
 proprietors and performers feem not to have been increafed. 
 The old patentees either fold their authority to new adven- 
 turers, or relinquifhed all their attention to the manage- 
 ment. On the 30th of Auguft, 1687, Mr. Charles 
 Davenant afligned his patent to Alexander Davenant, efq: 
 who, on the 24th of March, 1690, fold his interelt 
 therein to Chriftopher Rich, a lawyer, whofe name is 
 often to be fourrd in the future annals of tiie Theatre. 
 This gentleman, who was not poflefied of abilities cal- 
 culated to make the ftaire flourilh under his adminiftra- 
 tion, foon contrived to engrofs the whole power into his 
 own hands. By various inftances of mifmanagement, he 
 alienated the affe6tions of the principal performers from 
 him, and by wanton oppreQions provoked them to at- 
 tempt their deliverance from the tyranny he exercifed 
 over them. An afibciation of the A6lors was entered 
 into, with Betterton at the head of it. Their complaint, 
 by means of the earl of Dorfet, was laid before' King 
 WiUiam;j and was confidered of fufficient importance to 
 
 c 4 engage 
 
xxvm 
 
 I N T R O D U C T I O N. i 
 
 m 
 
 engage the attention of his Majefty. The principal lajlr- 
 yers at that period were conlulred, who agreed that the 
 a;rants from King Charles to Killegrevv and Davenant 
 aid not preclude the reigning Prince from giving a fimilar 
 authority to any perlbn with whom he might chufe to 
 intruft it. In confequence of this opinion, a licence was 
 granted to a fck(5t number of the Players to adt in a fc- 
 parate Theatre for themfelves. ,■•(! («Wo .tfAvnt 
 
 . This favour being obtained, a fubfcription was fet'on 
 fqpt for building a new Theatre within the walls of the 
 Tennis-Court, in Lincoln's-Inn Fields. The people of 
 quality, to fliew their fcnfe of the ill treatment which the 
 Adlors had received, contributed very liberally for this 
 purpofe. The patentees became fenfible of the folly of 
 their condud, and, to repair the mifchief they had done 
 themfelves, endeavoured to retain as many of the Adors 
 as they could engage. Tofupply the places of fome who 
 had left them, they brought a few new performers froni 
 the companies in the country, and nvade the beft difpofi- 
 tion they were able, to encounter their enemies, ^a;-,-,: 
 The Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn Fields was opened, on 
 the 30th of April, 1695, with the new Comedy of Lovi 
 for Love, which was adled with extraordinary fuccefs du- 
 ring the remainder of the feafon. The new adventurers, 
 however, met with an oppofition from a quarter where it 
 was not cxpedled. A number of the inhabitants of Lin^ 
 coln's-Inn Fields, finding themfelves incommioded by the 
 concourfe of coaches which the Playhoufe drew together* 
 had recourfe to the law, to remedy the inconvenierKies they 
 fuffered. In Trinity Term, they moved the Court of 
 King's Bench for a prohibition to reftrain the Company 
 from adling any longer at the new houfe •, and a rule be- 
 ing gran ceo, caufc was fhewn againft it in the fucceeding 
 term, when further time was allowed to each party to 
 come before the court more fully prepared to fupport 
 and invalidate their fcvcral ruggeftions. The event of 
 this law-iuir can only be conjc<$tured from the Company's 
 being permitted to a£t until their removal to the Hay- 
 fiiarket. . ■ _ . " v ;; , . ; '-1, ■■::-xu 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xxiz 
 
 )avenant 
 a fimilar 
 chufe to 
 ence was 
 t in a fe- 
 
 13 fet on 
 s of the 
 icople of 
 which the 
 for this 
 e folly of 
 lad done 
 le Adors 
 btne who 
 lers froni 
 t difpofi- 
 
 )ened, on 
 1 of Lovi 
 jccefs du- 
 ^enturers, 
 r where it 
 5 of Lin- 
 ed by the 
 together, 
 :nces they 
 Court of 
 ompany 
 rule be- 
 leceeding 
 party to 
 fupport 
 event of 
 ompany's 
 the Hay- 
 
 :--^ 
 'i'* 
 
 The profperity of the new houfe was of no long con- 
 tinuance. After one or two years fuccefs, the audiences 
 began to decline, and it was found that two rival The- 
 atres were more than the town was able to fupport. 
 The old houle fuffered all the diftrefles which obftinacy 
 and ignorance in a manager at the head of a raw, unex- 
 perienced fet of adtors could produce. Having little 
 judgment to dired him in the conduft of a Theatre, 
 he not only permitted the beft Plays to be mangled by 
 the moft defpicable performers, but by the introdudion 
 of tumblers and buffoons, and other extravagances, 
 brought the entertainments of the Stage to the lowelt 
 degree of contempt. He perfifted, however, to the lafl: 
 in the fame mode of conduit which his fon afterwards 
 followed, and by that means had a greater influence on 
 the prefent public entertainments than at firft fight would 
 be thought probable. > .ic: nvn-v 'j-.'ij lo 
 
 While the rival Theatres were contending againft each 
 other with inveterate malice, an enemy to the very tole- 
 ration of Dramatic Entertainments appeared, who, with 
 confiderable ability, and with all the rigid puritanical 
 maxims of a fevere fe<5t, attacked the Stage on account 
 of its profanenefs and immorality. This was the celebrated 
 Jeremy Collier, who, in 1697, publifhed a book, con- 
 taining a fevere invedive againft the adting of Plajs, 
 the profligacy of the performers, and the licentioufnels of 
 the poets j and having fome truth and juftice on his fide, 
 the advocates for the Theatre found themfelvcs hard prefied 
 to anfwer the charges brought againft their favourite dj- 
 verfion. It cannot be denied but that many authors, and 
 fome in great favour with the publick, had written in a 
 manner which warranted the cenfure of every perfon who 
 profefled the leaft regard to propriety or decency. Mr. 
 Collier was oppofed by Congreve, VanbrugJi, Dryden, 
 Dennis, and others, with wit and humour, but without 
 confuting the objedions which had been ftarted either 
 againft themfelves individually, or againft the Stage in 
 general. The public opinion ran fo much againft the de- 
 tenders of the Theatre, and in favour of their enemy, 
 that king William confidered Mr. Collier's book as a work 
 
 which 
 
I 
 
 ■^i 
 
 •1 m 
 
 1 
 
 ' "tWi 
 
 m >:■' 
 
 i(XX 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 which entitled the author of it to feme lenity in a profe- 
 cution then carrying on in confequence of errors in his 
 political conduft. This controverfy produced as much 
 Bs could be wifhed for from it. Mr. Cibber obferves, 
 the calling our dramatic writers to this ftrifl account " had 
 « a very wholefome effed upon thofe who writ after this 
 *' time. They were now a great deal more upon their 
 *^ guard ; indecencies were no longer wit ; and by de- 
 ** grees the fair fex came again to fill the boxes on the 
 «* firft day of a new comedy without fear or cenfure." 
 
 To forward the Stage's reform?;ion, profecutions were 
 commenced againft fbme of the performers for repeat- 
 ing prophane and indecent words. Several were found 
 guilty ; and Betterton and Mrs. Bracegirdle were actually 
 fined. Thefe feverities were not entirely thrown away. 
 From this period may be dated the introduction of that 
 more refined tafte which hath done fo much credit to the 
 Britiih Theatre. 
 
 The managers a^ing under the united patents had hi- 
 therto made ufe of both the Theatres in Dorfet- Garden 
 and Drury-lane ; but about this time the former of thefe 
 houfes was deferted. The company which had been left 
 by Betterton and his party, after ftruggling with unequal 
 force againft the excellent performers who lifted under thq 
 banner of that refpeCtable veteran, began now to remove 
 the prejudices whith had been entertained againft them, 
 and to claim their fhare of applaufe. Many of them virerc 
 much improved. They had the advantage of youth •, and 
 having had the opportunity of exhibiting themfelves in 
 new characters, where comparifons to their difadvantage 
 could not be made, they began to be viewed in a more 
 favourable light. In the mean time, Betterton and fome 
 of his aflbciates were daily lofing ground through old age. 
 Their fyftem of njanagement, which had been haftily 
 fettled, deprived their principal friend of that authority 
 which is necefiaryfor the perfon who undertakes to govern 
 any body of people, and efpecially thofe who belong to 
 a Theatre. The houfe itfelf was too fmall, and poorly 
 fitted up, very infufficient for the purpofes of profit or 
 fplendor. Thefe confiderations induced Sir John Van- 
 
 brugK 
 
 :.4| 
 1 
 
 m 
 
INTRODUCTION'. 
 
 xx» 
 
 ()rugh to procure fubfcriptions for ^redting a new and mag- 
 nificent playhoLife in the Hay- market, calculated to do 
 honour to the architeft and to the naifion, and at the 
 fame time produce wealth to thofe who were concerned 
 in it. The fum of 3000/. was immediately raifed, and 
 the|building begun under Sir John*s diredion. 
 • On this fcheme being propofed', it was agreed that 
 Mr. Betterton ihould affign over to Vanbrugh his licence 
 to perform, and for the future ferve only as an A6lor, 
 without any concern in the conduct of diredion of the 
 Theatre. The propofal was readily aifented to on the part 
 of Betterton. He had now been upon the' Stage between 
 forty and fifty years, and found the infirmities of age be- 
 ginning to make inroads upon his conftitutiori. He was 
 therefore defirous of repofe, and to be relieved from the 
 fatigues of management. In the latter part of the year 
 1704; he performed his part of the agreement, by fur- 
 rendering to Sir John Vanbrugh all his right and intereft 
 in the licence granted to him< The new proprietor aflb- 
 ciated himftlf with Mr. Cohgreve, and, from the joint 
 abilities of fuch excellent writers, great expeftations were 
 formed. On the 9th day of April, 1705, the Theatre 
 was opened with an Italian Opera, which did not meet 
 with the fuccefs expeded from it. Th6 failure of their firft 
 hope obliged the principal manager to exert himfelf ; and 
 he accordingly, with that happy facility which accompa- 
 nied him in writing, immediately produced no lefs than 
 four new pieces. But thefe were infufficient to bring the 
 Theatre into reputation. It was foon found, that the 
 architect of it was better qualified to fupporc the Stage 
 by his writings than to conftrud: houfes to aft his per- 
 formances in. Every piece reprefented appeared under 
 manifeft difadvantage. The edifice was a vaft triumphal 
 piece of architecture, wholly unfit for every purpofe of 
 convenience ; the vaft columns, the gilded cornices, and 
 lofty roofs, availed very little, when fcarce one word in ten 
 could be diftin<Stly heard, for it had not then the form it 
 has now. "At the firfl: opening it," fays Mr Cibber, 
 ** the flat cieling, that is now over the orcheftre; was then 
 ** a femi-oval arch, that fprung fifteen feet higher from 
 
 • X " above 
 
XXXIl 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ( I 
 
 ** above the cornice. The cieling over the pit too was ftill 
 '* more raifed, being one level line from the higheft back 
 •* part of the upper galley to the front of the ftage ; the 
 ** front boxes were a continued fcmicircle to the bare walls 
 •* of the houfe on each fide; this extraordinary and fuper- 
 '* fluous fjpace occafioned fuch an undulation from the 
 ** voice of every after, that generally what they faid 
 ** founded like the gabbling of fo many people in the 
 " lofty aifles in a cathedral — The tone of a trumpet, or the 
 •* fwell of an eunuch's holding note, *tis true, might be 
 " fweetcned by it; but the articulate founds of a fpeaking 
 *' voice were drowned by the hollow reverberations of one 
 '* word under another.'* To thefe difadvantages the litua- 
 tion might be added; it had not at that time the benefit 
 of a large city, which hath fince been built in its neigh- 
 bourhood, and it was too remote from the then frequenters 
 of the Theatre to be much attended by them. All thefe 
 circumftances uniting together afforded fo little profpeil of 
 profit or fuccefs, that in a few months Mr. Congreve gave 
 up his fhare and intereft wholly to Sir John Vanbrugh ; 
 who, at the end of the fecond feafon, either finding the 
 gains which arofe from the management too few, or the 
 trouble arifing from his attendance on it too much, grew 
 alio difgullcd with his fituation, and wifhed to be relieved 
 from it. But of fo little value was the '1 heatre confidered 
 at that junfture, that no perfon thought it of confequence 
 enough to apply for it. At length it was offered to Mr. 
 Owen Swiney, a mere adventurer without property, who 
 had been employed by Mr. Rich as under-manager, and 
 who, with the concurrence of his principal, agreed for it 
 at the rate of five pounds for every ailing day, and not to 
 exceed 700/. in the year. The new manager entered upon 
 his undertaking in the latter part of the yertr 1706, and at 
 the end of the iiril feafon found that he had conliderably 
 improved his fortune. 
 
 From the lime that Mr. Rich got pofiefiion of Drury- 
 Lane Theatre, he had paid no regard to the property of 
 any of the parties who had joint interclts with him, but 
 proceeded as though he was foie proprietor of it. What- 
 ever he received he kept to himlelf, without accounting 
 
 to 
 
 Bi'Ki'. 
 
INTRODUCTION. *i|^m 
 
 to any of his partners', and he had continued this mc^ 
 of condudt fo 'ong, that thbfc who-had any claims on the 
 Theatre abandoned them in defpair of ever receiving any 
 advantage from them. The concerns of the playhoufc 
 were thought of fo little worth, that about this time Sir 
 Thomas Skipwith, who Gibber fays had an equal right 
 with Rich, in a frolick, made a prefent of his (hare to 
 Colonel Brett, a gentleman of fortune, who foon after 
 forced himielf into the management much againft the in- 
 clination of his partner. The ill effed: of two play- 
 houfes being open at once, in point of profit, appeared lb 
 evident to Mr. Brett, that the firlt obje(5t he dedicated his 
 attention to was a reunion of the two companies, and, 
 through the interpofition of the Lord Chamberlain, he 
 efFeded it in the year 1708. It was then refolved, that the 
 Theatre in the Hay-Market (hould be appropriated to 
 Italian Operas ; and that in Drury-I.ane to Plays. The 
 one was given to Swiney, and the other continued with 
 Rich and Brett ; the latter of whom, condu(5ling the bu- 
 finefs of it in a different manner from what it had hereto- 
 fore been, brought it once more into fo good a (late, that 
 Sir Thomas Skipwith repented of his generofity, and ap- 
 plied to the court of Chancery to have the property he 
 had given away reftorcd him. Colonel Brett, offended 
 at this treatment, relinquifhed his claim ; and Mr. Rich 
 again poflefled himfelf of all the powers of the patent. 
 
 Inftead of being warned, by the experience of paft 
 times, to avoid the didiculties which a tyrannical and op- 
 preflive behaviour ta the performers had created, the 
 afting manager refumed his former condud, without 
 fearing or apprehending any refinance to his meafures. 
 An application to the Lord Chamberlain was the con- 
 fequence ; and that officer, who was fuppofed to polfefs 
 both an abfolute and undefinable authority over the ftage, 
 agreed to permit as many of the adlors as choie to engage 
 with Swiney to delert from Drury-Lane, and afl at the 
 Hay-Market, A private treaty was accordingly entered 
 into; and Wilks, Dogget, and Gibber, were propofed to 
 be managers and joint- iharers with. Swiney in conducing 
 the Theatre, which for the future W4s to be ufcd both 
 
 as 
 
Ttxxiv INTRODUCTION.- 
 
 as a Play-houfe and Opcra-houfc. After all the prelimi- 
 naries were fettled, the Lord Chamberlain ifiued an order, 
 dated 7th of June, 1709, forbidding the patentees toper- 
 form any longer ; on which the houfc was fliut up. 
 
 The deferters immediately began to alter the Hay- 
 Market Theatre, in order to obviate the inconveniences of 
 its original conllrudion, and make it fit for the repre- 
 fentation of dramatic performances. They began to 2O: 
 in the winter of the year 1709; and their audiences fo 
 much exceeded their expedations, that they would have 
 had every reafon to be content with the change which had 
 happened, if the dircdlion of the Operas, which this feafon 
 began to decline, had not greatly diminifhed their profits. 
 On the whole, however, they appear to have received more 
 than they had done at Drury-Lane, and therefore were 
 not diflfatislied with their emancipation from the authority 
 of their former governor. ■•■- 
 
 The power of the Chamberlain had always been impli- 
 citly acknowledged. Thole therefore who had any con- 
 cern in the interdicted Theatre patiently fubmitted to the 
 prohibition, and had recourfe only to fupplications in 
 order to procure a revocation of the filencing order. As 
 it was put in execution fo late in the feafon, no imme- 
 diate detriment enfued •, and it was generally expefted, 
 that, as the time of ading approached in the following 
 winter, the proprietors would be permitted to open their 
 houfe. The fummer was taken up in petitions to the 
 Chamberlain, and appeals to the Queen's juftice and hu- 
 manity, both from the patentees and players. The appii" 
 cations, however, were not crowned with fuccefs ; the or- 
 der was ftill continued in force, and at the beginning of 
 the feafon one Theatre only employed. 
 
 As foon as it appeared with certainty that the old ma- 
 nager would not be able to obtain a recall of the order 
 for filencing the patent, one who had fome property in the 
 houfe, and who had joined in all the applications to be 
 relieved againft the Chamberlain's mandate, determined to 
 avail himfelf of his intereft at court, and profit by the dlf- 
 trefs of his partners. This was William Collier, Efq; a 
 lavsyer of an enterprizing head and a jovial heart. He 
 
 was 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xxxr 
 
 was a member of parliament, and by his convivial qualities 
 had become a favourite with the people then in power, and 
 was often admitted to partake with them in thofe detached 
 hours of life when bufinefs was to give way to pleafure. 
 
 This gentleman, obferving the fituation of theatrical 
 affairs to be delperate in the hands of Mr. Rich, applied 
 for and obtained a licence to take the management of the 
 company left at Drury-Lane. The late patentee, who ftill 
 continued in the Theatre, though without the power of 
 ufing it, vyas not to be removed without compulfion. Mr. 
 Collier, therefore, procured a leafe of the houfe from the 
 landlords of it, and armed with this authority took the 
 advantage of a rejoicing night, the 2 2d of November, 
 when, with a hired rabble, he broke into the premilTes, 
 and turned the former owner out of poflTellion. 
 
 Here ended the power of Mr. Rich over the Theatres, 
 After his expuifion from Drury-Lane, he employed the 
 remainder of his life in rebuilding the playhoufe in Lin- 
 coin's-Inn Fields, which was opened about fix weeks after 
 his death by his Ion, in the year 17 14, with the Comedy of 
 The Recruiiing Officer. Both this Theatre and its manager 
 will be mentioned hereafter. 
 
 The fcheme wliich Mr. Collier had engaged in did not 
 profper according 10 his wifljes ; the profits of the feafoa 
 were very fmall, and by no means a compenlation for the 
 trouble, rilk, and cxpence, which he had been at in feat- 
 ing himfclf on the theatrical throne. The joint-iliarers ac 
 the Hay-Market had acquired both fame and money ; he 
 therefore meditated an exchange of Theatres with them, 
 and, by again employing his mfiucnce at court, foon ef- 
 fected it. By the agreement which was then entered into 
 between the rival managers, the fole licence for ading 
 Plays was veiled in Swiney and his partners •, and the per- 
 formance of Operas was to be confined to the Kay-Market 
 under the direction of Collier. 
 
 The authority which this gentleman had now obtained 
 in the Opeia-hoLiIe, he immediately farmed to i\aron 
 Hill, Efq; for 600 /. per an77uni ; but before the feafon ex- 
 pired, he refumcd the management again into his own 
 hands. The flourifhing ftate of Drurv-Lanc had at' 
 
 trailed 
 
XXXVI 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 !. J : 
 
 1 
 
 11' > l 
 
 traced his notice and envy. He grew again diHatisRed 
 with his lUtiun, and propofed once more to retui,. to the 
 ftage he had abandoned. The fame power which had 
 hitherto fupportcd him in his caprices flill continued to 
 favour him. Swiney was obliged to return to the Hay- 
 Market i and Collier, Wilks, Dogget, and Cibber, re« 
 mained at Drury-Lane, where from this period the abili*- 
 ties, induHry, and integrity, of the managers brought 
 their theatre into lb much reputation, that it became to 
 them the fource of independence during the reft of iheir 
 lives. On the contrary, at the end of the firft fcafon, Swiney 
 was ruined at the Hay-Market, and obliged to banifh him- 
 ielf from the kingdom. 
 
 As foon as the new regulation was fettled. Collier ren^' 
 dered his (hare a fmecure, and agreed to accept a certain 
 fum annually in lieu of all claims. In 1712, the Tragedy 
 of Cato was ac^ed, wherein Mr. Booth acquired fo much 
 reputation, that he was encouraged to folicit for a Ihare in 
 the management of the Theatre, and was graciEed in it 
 during the fuccceding year. On his introduttion, Dog*- 
 get, in difguft, retired from the management, to which he 
 never afterwards returned. 
 
 In the year 1714, Qiieen Anne died ; and, amongft the 
 changes which that event brought about, the management 
 of Drury-Lane Theatre was not too inconfiderabie to at- 
 tract the nonce of the court. At the defire.of the afling 
 managers, Sir Richard Steele procured his name to be in- 
 feried inltead of Collier's in a new licence jointly with 
 them ; and this connexion lafted many years equally to 
 the advantage of all the parties. In this year, the pro- 
 hibition which the patent had been long under was re- 
 moved, and Lincoln's-Inn Fields Theatre opened under 
 the diredion of the late Mr. John Rich. 
 
 No foorer were dramatic performances permitted at 
 two Theatres, than the manager of the weaker company 
 was obliged to have recourfe to foreign aid, and to op- 
 pofe his antagonilts with other weapons than the merits of 
 his adtors, or the excellence of the pieces reprelented by 
 them. The performers who were under Mr. Rich's di- 
 re^ion were lo much inferior to thofc at Drury-Lane, that 
 4 the 
 
 It'i,'^ 
 
 V, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XX 
 
 xxvii 
 
 i\\e latter carried away all the applaufe and favour of the 
 town. In this dift^c^s, the genius of the new jnanager 
 fugjy, fted to him a ipccics gf cnterruinmtnr, which hath 
 always been confidered as contemptible, but which atthe 
 iadie time hath been cvtr followed and encouraged. Pan- 
 tomimes were now brought fowards ; and, as found and 
 fhcw had 'r 'he lad century obtained a victory over fcnfe 
 and reafon, the lame event would h iVe followed ag^ain, if 
 the company at Drury-Lmc had not,~from the expericrice 
 of pall times, thought it advirable to ;idopt the fame mca- 
 fures. The fertility of Mr* Rich's invertion in thefe exotic 
 entertainments, and the excellence of his own performance 
 in them, muft be ever acknowledged. By means of thcfc 
 only, he kept the mananrers of the othcr houfe at all timci 
 from relaxing their diligence j and, to the difgracc of pub- 
 lic tafte, frequently obtained more money by fuch ridi- 
 culous and paltry performances than all the fterling meric 
 of the rival Theatre was able to acquire. 
 
 The bufincfs of the ftage was carried on fuccefsfully, 
 and without interruption, until about the year i 720, when 
 on a difguft which the duke of Newcaftle, then lord 
 chamberlain, had received from Mr, Gibber, that gentle- 
 man was for fome time forbid to perform ; and foon after 
 a difference arifing between the lame nolDleman and Sir 
 Richard Steele, the power which had been often exercifed 
 by the perlbns who had held his grace's office was exerted, 
 arid an order of (ilence was enforced again (t i e niana^ers« 
 On this occdfion a controverfy fuccecded ; but how lono- 
 the prohibition lafted, or in what manner the difference was 
 adjurtcd, no where appears. 
 
 In this year 1720, a new playhoufe vas credted in the 
 Hav-Market by one Mr. Potter, a carpenter. It was not 
 built for any particular perlbn or company, but fcems to 
 have been intended as a mere fpeculation by. the architedV, 
 vvho relied ori its being occafionally hired for dramatic 
 exhibitions. 
 
 The harmony which had fubfifted for many years be- 
 tween Sir Richard Steele and his partners was foon after- 
 wards interrupted, and the affairs of the Theatre became 
 again the objeds of a chancery litigatioa, which, in 1726, 
 
 Vot. I. d ' 
 
 was 
 
 •# 
 
¥ 
 
 xxxviii INTRODUCTION; 
 
 f 
 
 was determined in favour of the afting proprietors by ^ 
 decree of Sir Jofeph Jekyll, then mafter of the Rolh. 
 The breach, however, which this difpute had made would 
 perhaps never have been healed, had Sir Richard been 
 able to have refumed his fliare of the management. His 
 faculties at this time began to decline: he foon afterwards 
 retired into Wales, where he died on the ift of September, 
 '1729. % ;^ _■:::, ' : , ,. ■ 1. ..^i^.,,. . „ ._.^/\ -, 
 As the powers of the patent granted to hini termittatt^ 
 at the end of three years after his death, the remaining 
 managers folicited and obtained a renewal of the authority 
 for twenty- one years commencing on the ift of September, 
 1732 ; but the profperous courfe of their affairs was 
 doomed about this time to be firft checked, and after- 
 wards put an end to by the illnefs and deaths of the princi- 
 pal perfons concerned in the Theatre. Booth was ren- 
 dered incapable of performing for feveral years before 
 he died. On the 23d of Odlober, 1730, the ftage fuf- 
 fered an irreparable lofs by the death of Mrs. Oldfield j and 
 about the fame time Mrs. Porter was prevented from aftirig 
 by the misfortunt of a diflocated limb. To complete the 
 whole, Wilks died in September, 1731 ; and Gibber, dif- 
 liking his new partners, grew weary of his Ihare, artd 
 took the earlieft opportunity of parting with it. 
 ' The number of Theatres in London was this year 
 [1729] increafed by the addition of one in Goodman'* 
 Fields, i^hich met with great oppofition from many re- 
 c fpc6tablc merchants and grave citizens, who apprehended 
 ' niueh mifchief from the introduAion of theJe kind of 
 diverfions fo near to their own habitations. Some of tlie 
 " clergy alfo took the alarm, and preached with vehe- 
 mence againft it. Mr. Odell, however, the proprietor, 
 was not deterred from purfuing his defign j he com- 
 v' pleated the building, and, having collected a company, 
 began to perform in it. It is aflerted, that for fome time 
 he got not kfs than one hundred pounds a week by 
 'this undcrfakrngi but the clamour againft it continuing, 
 he was obliged to abandon the further profecution of his 
 ^- fcheme J by which means he fuftained a confiderable lofs, 
 ^ It was afterwards revived by Mr. Giffard with fome degree 
 ^- of fucccfs. The; 
 
 
 Sll'i. H!i 
 
:tors by ^ 
 the Rolli. 
 ade virould 
 :hard been 
 lent. His 
 afterwards 
 September, 
 
 tcrmitlate^ 
 : remaining 
 ic authority 
 September, 
 affairs was 
 and aftcr- 
 F the princi- 
 h was ren- 
 ears before 
 e ftage fuf- 
 ildfield } and 
 from adtirig 
 :ompletetlic 
 Gibber, dif- 
 ihare, ahd 
 t. 
 
 s this year 
 Goodman's 
 m many re- 
 pprehended 
 Icie kind of 
 ome of the 
 with vehe- 
 proprietor, 
 i he Goni- 
 la company, 
 \r fome time 
 a week by 1 
 continuing, 
 tution of his 
 Iderable lofs, 
 I fome degree | 
 The ' 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 itx^x 
 
 The patent for Drnry-Lane being renewed, Mr. Booth, 
 ^ho found his diforder increafc, began to think it was time 
 to difpofe of his (hare and intereft in the Theatre. The 
 perfdn upon w^hom he fixed for a purchafer was John 
 Highmore, Elq; a gentleman of fortune, who unhappily 
 had contracted an attachment to the (iage from having 
 performed the part of Lothario one night for a wager. A 
 treacy between them was fet on foc/t foon after Mr, 
 Wilks's death, and was concluded by Mr. Highmore'Si 
 agreeing to purchafe one half of Mr. Booth's (hare, with 
 the whole of his power in the management, for the fum 
 of two thoufand five hundred pounds. Before his ad- 
 miflion, Mrs. V/ilks had deputed Mr. Ellis to attend td 
 the conduft of the Theatre in her behalf. The intro- 
 dudVion of two people into the management, who were 
 totally unqualified either by their abilities or experience 
 for the offices they were to fill, gave offence to Mr. 
 Cibber : he therefore, to a^oid being troubled with the 
 importance of the one or the ignorance df the other 
 of his brethren, atithorized his fon Theopliilus to aift for 
 him as far as his intereft wds cbnccrned. The firft feafod 
 was ended with fome profit to the patentees-, but Mr. 
 Highmore, being htirt by the impertinence of young Gib- 
 ber, determined iq get rid of his interference, and pur- 
 fchafed the father's fharc for the fum of three thoufand 
 guineas. ; ; / 
 
 This fecond pUrcltaife by Mr. Highmore vVas made kt 
 the beginning of the feafon of 1733, about the fdme time 
 that Mrs. Booth fold her hufbUnd's remaining (hare td 
 Mr. Giffard. Mr. Highmore's conne6li6n with the Theatre 
 began now to be attended with alarming corifecjuences td 
 him; tv^o weeks had hardly pafled before the principal 
 aftors, fpirited up by young Cibber, determirfed to re- 
 volt from thi patentees, arid fet up for themfclves. The 
 houfe called the Little Theatre in the Hay-Market was thert 
 Unoccupied ; they therefore agreed to rent it of the pro- 
 |)riet(Jr,'and, after making the neceffary alterations, Opened 
 K with the Comedy of Love for Love, to an elegant croudcd 
 •udiehce. 
 
mii 
 
 'iy\. 
 
 M: ' 
 
 '.'■I h 
 
 liflij ' 
 
 n 
 
 u. 
 
 xl 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The patentees alfo, though weakened by the defertion of 
 their beft pertorniers, began to ad at the ufualtime. Tofup- 
 ply the places of thofe who had left their fervice,,they were 
 obliged to have recourfe to fuch alTiftance as the country 
 companies would afford. With all the help they could 
 obtain, their performances wtre fo much inferior to thofe 
 exhibited at the Hay-Market, that a conftant lofs was 
 fuftained until the end of the feafon. Mr. Highmore in 
 the mean time buoyed himfelf up with hopes of obtain- 
 ing redrefs, firfl: from the Lord Chamberlain, and after- 
 wards by putting the laws concerning vagrants in force 
 Mgainft the delinquent players. In both thcle expedations 
 he found himlclf difappointed. The lofles fell fo heavy 
 upon him, that he was under the necefiity of giving up 
 ihe contention* in order to fecure a fmall part of the pro- 
 perty he had imprudently rifked in this unfortunate un- 
 dertaking. 
 
 The peiTon who now fucceeded to the patent of Drury- 
 Lane playhoufe was Charles Fleetwood, a gentleman who 
 at one period of his life had poffefled a very large for- 
 tune, of which at this time a fmall portion only remained. 
 He purchafed not only the fliare belonging to Mr. High- 
 more, but thofe of ail the other partners ; and fo little 
 value was then fet upon the Theatre, that the whole fum 
 which he difburfed for it hardly more than exceeded the 
 half of what Mr. Highmore had before paid. The re- 
 volting adors were by this time become diflfatisfied with 
 their fituations. A treaty was therefore opened, and foun 
 concluded, for theii" return to Drury-Lane. 
 
 Although dramatic entertainments were not at this 
 time fupportcd by the abilities of any adors of extraor- 
 dinary merit, and the charaders of thofe excellent perfor- 
 mers who had lately been loft from Drury-I,ane were very 
 )11 fupplied, yet this period feems to have been particularly 
 marked by a fpiric of enterprize which prevailed in thea- 
 tvlc-A affairs. The ill fortune of Mr. Odell at Goodman's 
 i-'ields had not cxtinguifhed the expedations of another 
 Ichemer, who foliciied and obtained a fubfcription for 
 building a magniticent playhoufe in that pare of the 
 town ; and in ipitc of ail oppofition it was compleated 
 
 and 
 
 m 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xU 
 
 and opened on the 2d day of Oftober, 1732, with the play 
 of King Henry IV. Mr. GifFard the new proprietor, 
 however, did not remain long there. In 1733, ^^^ '^^"'^ 
 in Covent-Garden was finiflicd, and Mr. Rich's company 
 immediately removed thither, which occafioned the old 
 building in Lincoln's-lnn Fields to be defcrtcd. Mr. 
 Giffard^vas then advifed, that it would be more for his 
 odv'antage to quit Goodman's Fields, and take the vacant 
 edifice. He accordingly agreed for it in 1735, and acted 
 there during the two enfuing years. 
 
 Soon afterv/ards, though at a time when fo many Thea-^ 
 tres were employed to divert the public, and when none of 
 them were in a flourilhing ftate, the imprudence and ex- 
 travagance of a gentleman, who poflefTed genius, wir, and 
 humour in a high degree, obliged him to Itrike out a new 
 fpecies of entertainment, which in the end produced an 
 extraordinary change in the conftitution of the dramatic 
 fyftem. To extricate himfclf out of difficulties in which 
 he was involved, and probably to revenge lome indig- 
 nities which had been thrown upon him by people in 
 power, that admirable painter and accurate obfervcr of 
 life, the late Henry Fielding, determined to amufe the 
 town at the expence of fome perfons in high rank, and of 
 great influence in the politicat world. For this purpofe he 
 got together a company of performers, who exhibited at 
 the Theatre in the Hay-Market, under thewhimfical title 
 of the Great Mogul's Company of Comedians. The 
 piece he reprefented was Paiquin, which was afled to 
 crowded audiences for fifty fuccefllve nights. Encouraged 
 by the favourable reception this performance met with, 
 he determined to continue at the fame placethe next feafon, 
 v/hen he produced feveral new plays, fome of which were 
 applauded, and the reft condemned. As foon as the no- 
 velty of the defign was over, a vifible difference appeared 
 between the audiences of the two years. The company, 
 which as the plays- bills faid dropped from the clouds, 
 were difbanded ; and the manager, not having attended 
 to the voice of oeconomy in his prolperit)', was left no 
 richer nor more independent than when he Hrft engaged in 
 the project. 
 
 d 2 The 
 
ylii 
 
 I N T R O U e T I O N, 
 
 
 ■<. 
 
 , The fevcrity of Mr. Finding's farirc in thefe pieces had 
 galled the minifter to that degree, that the frDprcffion waj 
 inot erazed from his mind when the caufe of it had lott 
 all etTedt. He irieditated therefore a fevcre revenge on the 
 flape, and determined to prevent any attacks of the liUe 
 kind for the future. In the execution of this plan he 
 fleadily perfifted ; and at la(l had the f^iisfaj^ion pf fee* 
 ing the enemy, which had given him fo much uneafinefs, 
 pffecStuaily rellfained from any power of annoying him on 
 the public Theatres, An ad of parliament paflcd in thp 
 year 17^7, which forbad the reprefpntatipn of any per- 
 formance r.ot previoufly licenced by the Lord Chamber- 
 lain, or in any place, except the city of Weftminfter and 
 the liberties thereof, or where the royal farpijy (hould at 
 any time refu'e. It alfo took frorn the crown the power 
 pf licencing any more Theatres, and inflided heavy pe- 
 nalties on thofe who fhould hereafter perform in defiance 
 pf the regulations in the tlatute. Thjs unpopular aft did 
 not pafs without oppofition. It called forth the eloquence 
 pf Lord Chefterfteld in a fpecch, wherein all the argu- 
 jpicntG in favovir of this obnoxious law were anfwered, the 
 dangers which might enfue from it were pointed out, and 
 the little neceQity for fuch hoftilities ag^inft the ftage 
 clearly demonllrated. It alfo excited an alarm in the peo- 
 ple at large, ^s tending to introduce reftraints on the li- 
 berty of the prefs. Many pamphlets were publiihed 
 9gainft the principle of the adl; and it was combated in 
 every fliape which wit, ridicule, or argument, covild opr 
 pofe it in. All thele, however, availed nothing; the mi- 
 nifter had rcfolved, and the parliament was top compli- 
 ant to flight a biU which came reconimended from fq 
 powerful a quaner. It therefore patfed into a law, and 
 t'reed the then, and all future minifters, frpm any appre- 
 henfions of milch ief from the wit pr malice pf dramatig 
 writers. 
 
 The year 1741, was rendered rernarkable in the thea- 
 trical world by the appearance of an aftor, whofe geniusf 
 ieemed intended to adorp, and whofe abilities were deftined 
 to fupport the (tage. This was the late Mr. Garrick, 
 who, after experi^pcing fome flights from tbc managers 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 .xliii 
 
 pf pru?y-Lane and Covent-Garden, determined to make 
 trial pf his theatrical qualifications at the playhoufe in 
 Goodman's Fields, under the direftion of Mr. Giffard, 
 who was at that time permitted to perform there without 
 molcftation. The part he chofe for his firft appearance 
 was that of Richard the Third, in which he difplayed fo 
 clear a conception of the charafter, fuch power of execur 
 tion, and a union of talents fo varied, extenlive, and un- 
 cxpe<5ted, as foon fixed his reputation as the firft ad:or of 
 his own or any former time. His fame fpread through 
 every part of the town with the greateft rapidity j and 
 Goodman's Fields Theatre, which had been confined to 
 the inhabitants of the city, became the reforcof the polite, 
 and was honoured with die notice of all ranks and orders 
 of people. 
 
 At Goodman's Fields, Mr. Garrick remained but one 
 feafon ; after which he removed to Drury-Lane, where he 
 continued to increafe his reputation, and, by a prudent at- 
 tention to the di£lates of frugality and difcretion, acquired 
 a charadcr which pointed him out as a proper perfon to 
 fucceed to the management of the Theatre a few years 
 after ; and a fortune which enabled him to accompliib that 
 point when the opportunity offered. , .^^sJ > . 
 
 The affairs of Drury-Lane Theatre Tuffered all the mif^ 
 chiefs which could arife from the imprudence or inability 
 of the manager. That gentleman had embarralTed his 
 domeftic concerns by almoft every fpecies of mifeondud, 
 and involved himfelf in fuch difficulties, that there remained 
 no other means of extricating himfelf from them than by- 
 abandoning his country, and retiring abroad. About the 
 year 1745, the whole of his property in the Theatre was 
 either mortgaged or fold -, and the patent, which had been 
 affigned to lome creditors, was advertized to be difpofed 
 of by public audtion. Two Bankers became the pur- 
 chafers, and they received into the management the late 
 Mr, Lacey, to whom the conduA of the Theatre was re- 
 linquifhed. The calamities of the times afie^ted the cre- 
 dit of many perfonsat this jundlure ; and mongll the relt 
 of the new managers, who found themfelves obliged to 
 (lop payment. Their misfortunes occafioned the patent 
 
 d 4 a^ain 
 
jiWv 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ' ■ 11 
 
 ir ' i 
 
 again fo become the objeft of a fale. It was offered ro 
 feveral ptrrfons, but few appeared to have courage enough 
 to venture upon it even at the very low price then afked 
 lor it. At length it was propp!ed by Mr. Laccy, that 
 he and Mr. Uarrick ftiould become joint purchalers. 
 The offer was accepted. A renev^al of the patent was 
 folicited and obtained. All the preliminaries w?re in 4 
 .(hort timp fettled, and, in the year 1747, the houfe was 
 opened with a Prologue written by Dr. Johnfon, and 
 ipoken by Mr. Garrick. ': ••""" •'•^nwa ; i„ u, .,^., «^, 
 
 '■- From this period may be dated the 6ouriibing ftate of 
 'the Theatre. The new partners were furnifl^ed wjth abili- 
 <ties to make tl^.cr purchafe advantageous to themfelvef, 
 and ufcful to the publick. Mr. Garrick's admirable per- 
 formances infured them great audiences ; and the ipduftry 
 and attention of Mr. Lacey were employed in rendering 
 the houfe convenient t6 the frequenters of it. They both 
 txertcd their endeavours to acquire the favour of the 
 town •, and the prefert'nce which was given to them over 
 their rivals at the other Theatre fufficiently proved the 
 fuperior eftimaiibn they were held in. The harmony 
 which fubfilled between them contributed to the fucctfs 
 pf thcrir unciercaking; and their efforts in the end pro* 
 pured them both riches and refpeit. 
 
 The month of December, 1761, was marked with the 
 'death of Mr, Ricli, who had been manager under the 
 parents granted by Chjirles the Second almort fifty years. 
 His peculiar excellence in the compofition of thofe per- 
 formances which demanded fiiew'and expence enabled 
 him, v.'ith an indilTircnt company pf afiors, to make a 
 (land ng.iinil the grearcft perfornners of his time : he was 
 unrivalled in the reprefentation of his fuvonrit^- character 
 Harlequin, and poftcfTcd with many foibles fome qualities 
 which commanded the efieem of his friends ancl ac- 
 quaintance. On his deceafe; the bufinefs of Covent- 
 (larden Theatre was conduced by his fon-in-law Mr. 
 ]3eard. 
 
 In the year 176^, Mr. Gafrick, by the advice of his 
 phylician3, went abroad, in order to relax from the fati- 
 gues of his pmt'ellicn, and to re-ertabhfh his health, 
 >vhich had tjctn much brcken by an uninterrupted exertion 
 
 of 
 
 ■n 14. 
 
1 N T R O D U C T I O ^f . 
 
 xW 
 
 of his abilities on rhe Stage. He was abfcnt two feafons, 
 and then returned to the Theatre, where he remained untill 
 
 ihe year 1776. 
 
 The Theatre in the Hay-market had for fome yca'rs 
 been occupied in the lummer time by viitue of licenced 
 from the Lord Chamberlain. In the month of July, 
 1 766, it was advanced to the dignity of a Theatre royal ; 
 fi patent being then made out to Mr. Foote, authorizing 
 him to build a Theatre in the city and liberties of Wefti. 
 minfter, and to exhibit dramatic performances, &c. there- 
 in, from the 14th day of May to the 14th day of Sep- 
 tember, during his life^ On this grant being pafled, 
 the patentee purchafed the old Playhoufe, which had 
 been built in 1720, and immediately pulled it down. It 
 was rebuilt in the courfe of tiie next year, and opened 
 in the month of May, 1767. Mr. Foote very fuccefsfully 
 managed this Theatre untill the feafon before his death. 
 
 From the deceaf' of Mr. Rich, Covent- Garden The- 
 atre had been intruded to the dire(ftion of his fon-in-law 
 Mr. Beard, who introduced feveral mufical pieces to the 
 Stage, which were received with applaufe, and brought 
 confiderable profits to thofe concerned in the houfe. The 
 tafle of the publick inclined very much to this fpecies 
 of performance for feveral feafonsj but about the year 
 1766 the audiences beginning to leflen, and the afting 
 manager finding no relief for a deafnefs which he had long 
 jjeen afflifted with, he became defirous of retiring from 
 the buftle of a Theatre to the quiet of private life. In 
 the fummer of 1767, a negotiation was fet on foot by 
 Meflleurs Harris and Rutherford, for the purchafe of 
 9II fhe property in the Playhoufe which belonged to the 
 then proprietors j but the advantage of having a capital 
 performer as one of the fharers being fuggefted, Mr, 
 Povyell was invited to join with them, and he recommended 
 JMr. Colman as a pcrfon from whom the undertaking 
 woyld receive great benefit. The propofal being aflentcd 
 to by the feveral parties, the property of the Theatre 
 was afligned in A^guft* *7^7 > the condud of the Stage 
 was intruded to Mr. Colman, and the houfe opened on 
 the 14th of September with th" Comedy of The Rebear/al; 
 
 and 
 
 J 
 
Ii" K-- 
 
 7^v^ 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 M 
 
 f It 
 
 V :i' 
 
 and-a Prologue written by Paul Whitehead, and fpokcn 
 by ^/ff. Powell. 
 
 The difpuies which foon afterwards arofe amongft the 
 pew n^anagers are wnworthy of any notice, on account of 
 the virulence and acrimony with which each party fecms 
 to have been inflamed ; it is fufficient to obferve, that 
 iafter they liad continued a long time, and had received 
 a judicial determination, they were amicably ended. 
 
 Mr. Rutherford fold his fliarc to Meflieurs Leake and 
 Dagge. Mr. Powell died in July, 1769 •, and his widow 
 afterwards married. Dr. Fiflier, who by that means became 
 entitled to fo.ne part of her late hufband's intereft in the 
 Theatre. Mr. Colman managed the affairs of the Stage 
 vniill the year 1774, when his right was purchafed by 
 the reft of his partners, to whom it was immediately af- 
 fignqd, On the 23d of January, i 774, Mr. Lacey died, 
 leaving his property in Drury-lane Theatre to his fon 
 Willoughby Lacey, Efq; who continued to carry on the 
 bufinci's of the Stage in great harftiony with his father's 
 old friend and partner, At length an event took place, 
 >hich the admirci"s of Theatrical entertainments had long 
 cxpeded with concern, and now viewed with regret. Mr. 
 Gairick, at a period when his powers had fuffered little 
 injury from time, and in the height of his fame and popu- 
 larity, detcrmine^l to rclinquiQi all connexions with the 
 Stage, and retire to the honourable enjoyment of a large 
 fortune, acquired in the- courfe of near forty years fpent 
 in the fervice of the publick. His laft appearance was 
 . in the charader of Don Felix in the Play ot" the Wonder, 
 a(5led on the 10th day of June, 1776, for a charitable 
 ^jenefir. He was honoured with a brilliant and crowded 
 :, audience, and was difmified with the loudeft applaufes 
 fver heard in a Theatre. The obligations which ^he pub- 
 \kk are under to him for the decency and propriety of 
 pur prefent dramatic performances, will ever entitle him 
 to the grateful refpe(5t of the world, independent of his 
 , ^extraordinary merit either as an adtor or as an author. 
 , The Peribns to whom Mr. Garrick transferred hi* 
 intereft in the Theatre, were Mr. Sheridan, a young gen- 
 tle.i^an who had already dillinguiftied hi^ifeif as the au- 
 f... - ' V ;nor 
 
 ''^% 
 
 , J*"^ 
 
INTRODUCTION-. 
 
 sJfii 
 
 
 thor of two pxcellent dramatic pieces, one of which had 
 been more fuccefsful than any recent produftion; Mr, 
 Thomas Linlcy, ^n eminent Compofcr i and Dr. Ford* 
 a Phyfician. Thcfe gentlemen, apparently diftrufting 
 their abilities for fo new an undertaking, called to theif 
 aid the experience of Mr. Sheridan's father, wh , ^as de- 
 puted to be the a^iiig manager. But this fyftem, for 
 realons which have not tranfpired, lafted but a Ihort time. 
 The elder Mr. Sheridan gave up l)is poft ; and Mr, 
 Lacey, at about the fame period, fold his Share of the 
 Theatre to his remaining partners, who now continue ill 
 poffcfllon of the whole property therein. 
 
 ihc fucceeding year produced a revolution in thp 
 Theatre Royal in the Hay- market, Mr, Foote, who, 
 after he had obtained the Patent, cpndudled the affairs of 
 his houfe with confiderable ^uccefs, and annually acquire^ 
 a large income ?.s Proprietor and Manager, was if duced 
 to transfer his Theatre to iVIr. Colman, in confideration oC 
 an annuity, and fortie particular advantages as a Per- 
 former, The reafons which prompted him to take this 
 ilep, were fuppofed to have arifen from an infamous pro- 
 fecution which had been malicioufly (as was generally- 
 believed) inftituted againft him. The event of hi? tryal 
 freed him from the charge j but the vexation of min4 
 which it opcafioned fo much injured his health, that ic 
 probably contributed to fhorten his life. He died the 
 ^ift day of Odober, 1777. 
 
 Notwithftanding Mr. Garrick had quitted the Theatre 
 as Manager and Performer, he did not entirely relinquifh 
 jiis attention to the Stage ; he continued to aflift fome au- 
 thors and adtors, and promoted the advantage of the new 
 Patentees occafionaily with his advice and afli^ance. The 
 Jofsof a man who had taken fo confiderable a ps^rt in the 
 ^ramatic line fop futh a number of years, cannot but be 
 fpfteemed as an epocha in the annals of the Stage. He died 
 on the 20th January, 17-9 i and went to the grave with 
 the univerfal admiration ot the publick at large, and with 
 the particular concern of his numerous friends and con- 
 liedions. 
 
 l"o the foregoing brief account of the Englifh Theatre, 
 which it is but juilice to acknowledge is chiefly extraded 
 
 from 
 
 ^ 
 
xlviii 
 
 fNTRODUCfrON-". 
 
 1 I 
 
 ■ }■ 
 
 
 W\fi 
 
 if: 
 
 from the Preface to Mr. Dodfley's Colledlion of Old 
 Plays, and the late Supplement added to it; it may not 
 be improper to fubjoin a fhort account of the feveral au- 
 thors who have already produced works of tne prelent 
 kind. 
 
 The firfl: of thefc which prefents itfelf, is a Lift 
 printed in the year 1656, and prefixed to Goffe's Tragi- 
 comedy of The Carelejs Shepherdefs^ by the bookfcllcrs 
 who publilhcd that piece. It contains merely a Catalogue 
 of fuch Plays as were then commonly fold, without fpecify- 
 ing either the dates or fizes of them. This Lift was 
 augmented by Francis Kirkman, a bookfeller, in 1661, 
 with the fame defeds as were to be found in the former. 
 *^' After an interval of 16 years, Gerard Langbaine, fon 
 of the Fiovoft of Queen's College, Oxford, produced 
 a rew Catalogue in 410, to which he gave the title of 
 Momus Triumphans. Mr. Warton obferves of him, that 
 •* he was firii placed with a bookfeller in London, but 
 •'at 16 years of age, in 1672, he became a Gentleman 
 " Commoner of Univtrfity College in Oxford. His lite- 
 ** rature chiefly cdnfilled in a knowledge of the Novels 
 ** and Plays of various Languages; and he was a con- 
 •• ftant and critical attendant of the Playhoufes many 
 ** years. Retiring to Oxford in the year 1690, he died 
 *' the next year, havin*^ amalfed a collection of more 
 "than a thouland printed Plays, Mafques, and Inter- 
 •' ludes." l-ive hundred copies of his Pamphlet being 
 quickly fold, the remainder of the imprelfion appeared 
 next J ear with another title, viz. A new Catalogue of En- 
 glijh Ptays^ containing Comedies^ &c. London, 16B8, 410. 
 At length he digcfted his work anew, with great accef- 
 fions and improvemerts, which he entitled An Account of 
 the Englifh Dramatick Poets^ &c. Oxon. 8vo. 1691. 
 Of the leveral Catalogues of the Englifh Stage, Lang- 
 baine's only is to be implicitly relied on for his fidelity. 
 He fecms to have been fcrupuloufly exact in putting down 
 no more than he had authority for*, and had he been 
 equally diligent in enquiring after the firft Editions of the 
 feveral Dramatic pieces then extant, his work would have 
 been more ufeful to the Pubiick j but contenting himfclf 
 • ^ *>» ■- . ■ - - ^. - - — - V. -- " with 
 
 1:. 
 
 mA 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xli^ 
 
 with fuch copies as were in his pofleffion, he has been 
 the means of introducing the greatelt confufion in fuch 
 writers as have heedlcfsiy quoted him, and thereby occa- 
 fioned the mod cmbarrafling anachronifms in their com- 
 pofitions. To his want of acquaintance with the earlicll 
 Editions of each author, it may be prcfumed, that he 
 chofc an alphabetical mode of arranging the. works of 
 the feveral writers. With all its faults, it is, however, 
 the bed Book which the fubjed afforded y and has fujr- 
 niflied great afliftance to every writer who has had pcca- 
 fion to haverecourfe to it. . ,,' „ .f.- .. n^ fl-.'fjm- 
 
 To Langbaine fucceeded Mr. Gildon, whofcwor(c, 
 entitled T/je Lives and Chara£lers of the EngUJh DravM^ 
 tick PoelSf Sec, 8va. was printed about the year i^^S* 
 It contains little more than an abllraft of his predeceflbr's 
 performance, continued to the tin^e of the publication of 
 his own. As he mentions fome writers omitted by Lang- 
 baine, his Catalogue has alfo becii of fervicc to later 
 authors, but in a much lefs degree than the former. 
 
 From this time, to the year 1714, no Lill of Play's 
 was publifhed ; but at that period, Mr. Mea^rs, a book- 
 feller, printed a Catalogue, Wiuch afterwards was conti- 
 nued to the year 1726. It was calculated only, for the 
 life of his fhop, and is defeftive from the frequent, w^t 
 of dates, and the total negled Df mentioning the fizes of 
 each performance. In 1723, Giles Jacob gave the Pub" 
 lick his Poetical Regijer, or the Lives and Chara^ert -o/ 
 all the Englijh Poeisy mth an Account of their Pf^rijings, 
 8vo. This he acknowledges to be founded or^' Lang* 
 baine's work; and, with refpefl to tJic diftribution ^f 
 the authors, he continued it in the fame alphabetical 
 mode. He has, however, improved it in one particular, 
 by placing the performances of each writer in their proper 
 chronological order. Though fpoken of with greatcon- 
 tempt by a late author, it mutt be owned that he is ge- 
 nerally accurate and faithful, and affords much inforijia- 
 lion to thofe who have occafion to confult him. It <;an- 
 not be denied that he poffeffed very fmall abilities; biut 
 he was fully equal to a talk where plodding indudry, and 
 not genius, muft be deemed the mod ellcntial qualification. 
 
 The 
 
J'r- ; 
 
 fl^ iNtkODUCtloW. 
 
 ^ The next compilation which appeared was a pofthil- 
 
 '•mous performance, callled J L'tjl of all the Dramatic 
 jiathors, with fotne Account of their Lives , and of all 
 
 'the Dramatic Pieces ever publifhed in the Englijh Lan- 
 ^ua^Cy to the Tear 1747. 8vo. It was added to a Play 
 called Scanderbeg^ by Mr. Whincop, who fccms to havirf 
 received aflfiftance in the execution of it from Mr. Motley. 
 
 'Thefc 'authors have not improved, rn the leaft, on Ja- 
 cob's plan ; and though fomc new materials are added, 
 they arc too frequently innacuratc and ertoneous to have 
 fnuch dependence placed on their authority. A fliort ih- 
 
 • tcnKalelapfed, before the publication of a new perform- 
 ance by Mr. Chetwood, who had been many years Prompter 
 
 •;at the Theatre Koyal in Drury-Lane, and from his fitu- 
 .'••tidn there, might be fuppofed not unqualified for the 
 ^'thr ta(k. His work was called The Britifh Theatre ; cou' 
 
 Yaining the Lives of the Engl'tfh Dramatic Poets, with an 
 "Akdunt ef all their Plays : together with the Lives of 
 
 mofi of the principal ASlors as well as Poets. To tohich'is 
 ^"prefixed, ^a Jhort View of the Rife and Pfogrefs of the 
 ^Englf/h Stage, iiinn^ i?^^* Of this compilation it is 
 
 • difficult to fpeak with any temper. It contains the grolTeft 
 ■^ blunders that negligence could pofTibly create, and mil- 
 ■*' takes that the flighted attention would have prevented. 
 '•The faults, however, of this tivork, arifing from negl^ft 
 'oir ignorance, though Very numerous, are pardonable, 
 V\Wlien compared to fuch as have fraud and deceit for 
 •'thtir parents. In the courfe of his undertaking! he h&s 
 "^forged and created dates and titles whenever the wantojn- 
 ^ tiefs of his invention chofe to give the reins to impofitibn. 
 -'The Reader need only infpedt the article of Shakfpeare, 
 ' 'ivhere Editions are mentioned of every ?lay of thait au- 
 
 • thor, none of which ever exiftcd. The impartiality of a 
 ••Reviewer demands this declaraiionj that the performance 
 'qS Mr. Chetwood, now under confidefation. The Tbed' 
 ' th'cal Records, 12 mo. 1756, and The Playhoufe Pocket 
 'Companion, iimo. 1779. ^^^^ ^\y(^^ on the fame foun- 
 '-dation, are equally erroneous, and altogether umXOrthy 
 
 ';•' 
 •<.* 
 
 ti the (mallelt regard* 
 
 r»>!ih M >n iik*"i 
 
 ¥ 
 
 T»?; 
 
 ;1. ^^:^r$:i,. 
 
 i 
 
 ■;C45iiv^^^>^Jlg 
 
 iH 
 
 ■m 
 
 llii - 
 
 I'l. :' ! 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The work 
 be noticed, 
 (except the I 
 Baker is faid 
 belonging to 
 
 which is now re-pcfblifhed, next clairm i6 
 Ccfides the labours Of the fevera! writA 
 
 ^{\) who have been already inentiotifcd, MK 
 to have 4iail the ule ot fonie manufcripts 
 Mr. Coxcter, a pcrlbn who was very dili- 
 
 fent ui col!e(fling materials for'thfe Liver, of the Englifli 
 'oets. That Mr. Baker polVefied abilities fully compe- 
 tent to the undertaking, the compliments which have 
 been paid to his performance by feveral eminent writers 
 fufficicntly prove. The principal defc<ft in his account 
 arofe from his omitting the places where the pieces were 
 adtcd, and in not inftrrting the various Editions of each 
 Play. He had likcvviie adopted Langbainc's alphabetical 
 arrangement in the account of iurhors, without noting 
 either the dates or fijtes of their works, a fpecies of in- 
 formation which books of this kind parriciilarly want, 
 and are Angularly deficient in. The judgment of this 
 writer is for the moft part corredV, and his criticifms well 
 grounded -, he feems alfo not to have fuflrered himfelf to 
 be milled by prejudice or partiality. With fcvery abate- 
 ment which the dtfedts belonging to the performance 
 might warrant, it was certainly the leaft exceptionable and 
 molt generally approved work on the fubjcdt extant in 
 the Englilh language. '. / .v' >'; " 
 
 To corrett the errors, ana fiippTy the defers of the 
 former edition, it was found neceflary to refer to the ori- 
 ginal publications of the fcvcral Plays mentioned in the 
 following volumes. Many miftakes, tranfmitted from 
 writer to writer without examination, have by this means 
 been redified, and it is prefumed, fome new information 
 added. The principal of the prefent extenfive Collec- 
 tions of Plays on this occafion have been confulted, and 
 much affiftance received from the information of Gentle- 
 men whofe names would, refleft honour on z more refpcft- 
 able publication than a mere Catalogue cat\ pretend to 
 be. The prefent Editor has not been wanting in dili- 
 gence to render the work as petfedl as he was able, con- 
 fiftent with his attention to more important avocations. He 
 dcfircs, however, to derive no credit froin any part of.it ; 
 and tljijreforc, without apology, or folicitatidn for favour, 
 
^tlll- 
 
 !:| 
 
 
 e ' M 
 
 H '. 
 
 m INTRODUCTION. 
 
 commits it to the candour of the Publick, to be eori- 
 demned or praifed as it may be found to dcfcrvc cenfurc 
 or approbation. 
 
 ABBREVIATIONS explained. 
 
 f 
 
 ' -'T -" ■■• 
 
 IdM 
 
 
 I 
 
 £ff*l to • 
 
 '■'f; .JIOTI slots- 
 
 i^^i, 
 
 I 
 
 rr 
 
 jn:-.- 
 
 
 n(ji:-; 
 
 >ts 
 
 
 Burletta 
 
 B. O. Ballad Opera 
 
 C. Comedy 
 C. H. Comical Hiftorjr 
 C. M. Comical Moral 
 C. F. Comic Farce ,; y^rv;-;?; 
 C. O. Comic Opera /;^g3J; 
 
 C. S. Colnical Satire 
 
 D. C. DodQey's Colleaion of Old Playa . '^^^'-^ 
 D. E. Dramatic Entertainment r* Uii 
 D.N. Dramatic Novel - ' 
 D. R. Dramatic Romance 
 D. P. Dramatic Poem 
 
 D. S. Dramatic Satire 
 
 E. Entertainment 
 
 F. Farce >,^.,j.-.,. 
 F. T. Fairy Tale ' ^ J;, 
 F. O. Farcical Opera 
 H. P. Hiftorical Play 
 I. Interlude 
 M. Mafque 
 
 M. E. Mufical Entertainment 
 M.D. Mufical Drama 
 M. O. Mufical Opera 
 N. A. Not afted ^ 
 
 i -"til 
 
 n-j -j-'i 
 .'.; /* H 
 
 ^ .<.. u^tiUxi 'id 
 .1 '■■'', -*l ."ill 
 
 '^'";s. 
 
 - < 
 
 N. P. Not printed 
 O. Opera 
 
 O. P. Occafional Prelude 
 P. P. Petite Piece 
 P. D. Paftoral Drama 
 iiS*» Serenata 
 
 ".♦i.? (.;j ^^: 
 
 
 
 T.C.Tragi-Com. ^.. 
 
 i T.C. O. P. F. Tragi-Comi Operatical Paftoral Farce 
 
 THE 
 
be eori- 
 e cenfurc 
 
 V t: 3 
 
 THE 
 
 ^^ 
 
 G O M P A N i O N 
 
 ' 07 3r.3a 
 
 
 :.,&<?■ <i5-^'i 
 
 Sffl 
 
 ;.^aiiji 
 
 i^'l 
 
 . ';imii- 
 
 w 
 
 :;. ^beii«- 
 
 % ; J 
 
 •' .v;-i4 
 
 
 
 
 ay» m-rdi 
 
 kJ 
 
 v*;n Imih 
 
 
 tS l'.lJitW 
 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 •v. » jia(n 
 
 
 1 :ilh ■ 
 
 
 ;i. 
 
 ^- 
 
 - \V.70'^ 
 
 
 bt^'vj 
 
 
 ■','■; !*..t! ■ 
 
 ., 
 
 
 
 t^b:.:,;. 
 
 
 Er.cvJ 
 
 L,' 
 
 ..j..n 
 
 s:v. 
 
 '.'v.' ,ja.-«tr.i 
 
 
 i^-n t.i<^-3^ 
 
 
 i ; ;%tj 
 
 
 -.•m-J 
 
 
 
 
 :ijlhb 
 
 
 t '.nsJ 
 
 
 TO THE 
 
 P L A y - H O U S E. 
 
 A D 
 
 AR. Gent.— Thefe initials 
 we find prefixed to a dra- 
 • matic piece, entitled. 
 The Valiant Wekhman^ Tragi- Com. 
 
 None of the writers give any ac- 
 count of this author, nor even hint 
 at his name; yet I cannot help 
 venturing one conje£tiire in regard 
 to hiin, which is, that I think it not 
 improbable to be Mr.Robert Armin, 
 author of a Comedy called the Hi- 
 ftory of the Tikio Maids of Moore 
 Clacke, — There being fome relem- 
 blance in the manner iind ftile of the 
 two titles j aiid the difference of only 
 fix years in their dates, the lafl-named 
 piece having been ptibliflicd in thfe 
 year 1609, and this before us in 
 161^. 
 
 Adams, George, M. A. — This 
 gentleman u;is fome time Fellow of 
 St. John's College, Cambridge. He 
 tranllated the lollowing phtys of 
 Sophocles, printed in Bvo. 2 vols. 
 1729: 
 
 Ajax. 
 
 ElcHra. 
 
 Oedipus ^ijranmiSt 
 
 Antigone. 
 
 Oedipus Colomus, 
 
 Trachiniat% 
 
 Farce 
 THE 
 
 I. 
 2. 
 
 3- 
 
 4- 
 
 S- 
 6. 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
 ■««> -v^ *•* » * i* ^ij iS \-^. 
 
 AD 
 
 7. PhihSleles. 
 He alfo wrote 
 
 The Heathen Martyr \ or, 7he 
 Death cf Socrates, Trag. 1 746, 410* 
 
 Addison, Joseph, Efq, — Thii 
 very great ornament to the age he 
 lived in, his own countr}' in parti- 
 cular, and to the caufe of polite li- 
 terature in general, was fon of the 
 Rev. Dr; Launcelot Addifon, who 
 afterwards became dean of Lich- 
 field and Coventry bur, at the time 
 of this fon's birth, redor of Mile- 
 fton, near Ambroftury, Wilts, at 
 which place the fubjedt of our pre- 
 fent confideration received his vital 
 breath, on the i ft day of May, 167 2. 
 He was Very early lent to fchool ta 
 Anibrofbury, being put under the 
 care of the Rev, Mr, Naifh, then 
 tnafter of that fchool j from thence, 
 as foon as he had leceived the fiiil 
 rudiments of literature, he was re- 
 moved to Salifbuiy fchcol, taught 
 by the Rev. Mr. Taylor, and after 
 that to the Charter- Houfe, where 
 he was under the tuition of the 
 learned Dr. Ellis.— Here he firft 
 contrafted an intimacy with Mr» 
 Steele, afterwards SirRichard, which 
 continued alirofl: till bis dtath.'— 
 
 ^l-i i 
 

 
 I!' * 
 
 
 .%: 
 
 A D 
 
 E » I 
 
 A tf 
 
 At about fifteen years of age be was 
 entered of Qycen's College, Oxford, 
 and in about two years afterwards, 
 through the inteieft of Dr. Lan- 
 caller, dean of Mac;dalen, elei^ed 
 into that college, and admitted to the 
 degrees of bachelor and iiialkr ot- 
 arts. 
 
 While he was at the univerfuy, he 
 was repeatedly folicited by bis la- 
 ther and other friends to enter into 
 Holy Orders, which, although from 
 his extreme inodefty and natural 
 diffidence he would gladly have de- 
 clined, yet, in compliance with his 
 father's dcfires, he was once very 
 near concluding on ; whtrn having, 
 through' Mr. Congreve's means, be- 
 come a great favourite with that 
 univerfal patron of poetiy and the 
 polite arts, the famous lord Halifax, 
 that nobleman, who had frequently 
 regretted that fo few tnen of liberal 
 education and gjcat abilities applied 
 themfelves to affairs of public bufi- 
 nefs, in which their dDuiury might 
 reap the advantage of their talents, 
 earneftly perfuaded him to lay afide 
 this dcfign, and as an encourage- 
 ment for him fo to do, and an in- 
 dulgence to an inclination for travel, 
 which (hewed itfelf iu Mr. Addilbn, 
 procured him an annual penfion of 
 300 /. from the crown, to enable him 
 to iTiukc the tour ot France and Italy. 
 
 On this tour then he fet out at tlie 
 latter er.d of the year 1699, did his 
 countrv urcat honour bv his extra- 
 ordinaiy abilities, receiving in his 
 turn every ma-'k ui' cllei'in that 
 could be (liCrt n to a man oi exalted 
 genius, particularly from M. Bui- 
 leau, the f.imoiis French pott, and 
 tlie abl'e Salvini, profeflor oi the 
 Greek tongue in the unlveifiiy of 
 Florence, the former of wliom de- 
 claied that he firll conceived an 
 opinion ot the Ftiglidi gtnius for 
 {Kietiy from Mr. Addilon's Latin 
 Poems, piin'ed in the Mufaj An;;li- 
 cani£, ai;d the luuu traullated into 
 
 elegant Italian ▼crfe* hit Epiftplafjr 
 Poem to lord Halifax, which is 
 etleemed a maller-pJece in its kind. 
 
 In the year 1702, as he was 
 about to return home, he was in- 
 formed from his friends in England, 
 by letter, th*t king William intended 
 him the poll of fccretary to attend 
 the army under prince kugene in 
 Iialy. — This was an office that 
 would have been extremely accept- 
 able to Mr. Addifonj but his ma- 
 jeily's death, which happened be- 
 fore he could get his appointment, 
 put a fto|) to that, to.,ether with 
 his penfion.— This news came to 
 him at Geneva ; he therefore chofe 
 to make the tour of Germany in 
 his way home, and at Vienna com- 
 pofed hisrtreatjfeon Mt^als, which 
 however did notmuke its appearance 
 till after his death. 
 
 A different, fet of tninif^ers com- 
 ing to the management of affairs in 
 the beginning of queen Anne's 
 reign, and confequently the intereH 
 of Mr. Addifon's friends being con- 
 fiderably weakened, he continued 
 unemployed and in obfcurity till 
 1704, when an, accident called hira 
 again into notice. 
 
 The amazing vi(5^ory gained by 
 the great duke of Marlborough at 
 Bienhcim, exciting a defire in 
 the earl of Godolphin, then lord 
 high treafurer, <o have it celebrated 
 in verfe, lord Halifax, to whom 
 th;it nobleman had communicated 
 this his wifh, recommended Mr. 
 Addifon to him, as the only perfbn 
 who was likely to execute fuch a 
 taik in a trunner adtquate to the 
 lubject : in whicli he luccecded ib 
 h;.p()ily, that when the poem he 
 wrote, viz. 7"/.>e Cmnpav^n^ was 
 finilhtd no farther than to the ce- 
 lebrated iimile of the angel, the 
 lord high treafurer was fo delighted 
 with it, that he inuncdiately pre- 
 fenied the author with the place of 
 oii<j oi tiie couin-.iilioncis ot appeals 
 
 in 
 
 ^i 
 
t 3 ] 
 
 A 15 
 
 In tH^ Excife, in the rbom of Mr. 
 Locke, then lately deceafed. 
 
 In the year 1705, he attended, 
 lord Halifax to Hanover, and in 
 thri fuccecdihg year was appoint- 
 ed under-fecr6tary to Sir Charles 
 Hedge?, then fecrfitary 0"" ilate ; 
 nor did he lofe this pod 01 the 
 removal of Sir Charlef, the enrl of 
 $underland, who filcceeded to that 
 |;entlc m, willingly continuing 
 Mr. Av.uifon as his under-fecretary. 
 
 Irt i/og, lord Wharton being 
 apporrittfd lord lieutenant of Ire- 
 land, nominated our author fecre- 
 tary for that kingdom, the queen 
 at the fame time bellowinor on him 
 alfo the poft of keeper ot the re- 
 cordis in Ireland. — Biit when, in 
 the latter end of her mdjefty's 
 feig'n, the minillry was again 
 changed, _ and Mr. Addifon ex- 
 psdled rtd farther employment, he 
 gladly fubmitted to a retirement, 
 in which he had formed a de- 
 sign, which it is much to be re- 
 gietted that he never had in hi; 
 powtr to put in execution, viz. 
 the compiling a Diftionary to fix 
 the ftandard of the Englifli lan- 
 guage upon the fame kind of plan 
 with the famous Dittionario deila 
 , Crufca of the Italians ; a wol-'k in 
 int) language (o much wanted as in 
 !cur own, and which from fo ma- 
 fle'rly, fo elegant^ and fo correft a 
 pen as this gentleman's, could riot 
 have failed being executed to the 
 grcateft degree of perfeflion.— 
 We have however the lefs reafon 
 to lament this lofs, as the famede- 
 fign had fince been carried on, and 
 brought to a maturity that reflefts 
 the higheft honour on our country 
 in general, and its author in parti- 
 cular;— nor after this charadler 
 can I, I thinkj have need to enter 
 into a farther explanation, or even 
 hint that I mean Dr. Samuel 
 tjohnfon's Diftionary of the Eng- 
 lini'language^ 
 
 "What prevented Mr. Acf(!ifoTi*« 
 purfuing this defign, was his being 
 again called out into public bufi- 
 ntfs ; for on the death of thrf 
 queen, he was appointed fecrctary 
 to the lords juftices; then again, 
 in 171^, fee retary for Ireland, and' 
 on lord Sunderland's refignation of 
 the lord lieutenancy, he was mad^ 
 one of the lords comiftiffioners of 
 trade. 
 
 In 1716, he married the coan" 
 tefs of Warwick, and in the en- 
 fuing year was raifed to the high 
 digrity of one o{ her majefty'a 
 principal fecreraries of ftate. — The 
 fatigues of thii? important poU 
 being too much for Mr. Addifon's 
 conditution, whicn was naturally 
 not an extraordinary one, he wa« 
 very foon obliged to refign it, in- 
 tending for the remainder 6f his 
 life to purfue the completion of 
 fome literary defigns which he had 
 '-"ned out: but this he had no 
 time allowed him for the 
 -^if, an afthma, attended with a" 
 dropfy, carrying him off the ftage 
 of this world before he could finilli 
 any of his fchemes. — He departed 
 this life at Holland houfe, near 
 Kensington, on the 17th of June, 
 1719, having then juft entered into 
 his 4Sth year, and left behind him 
 one only daughter* 
 
 As a writer we need fay little of 
 him, as the general eileem his 
 works wer^ Aill are, and ever mull"j 
 be held in, ** pleads, as Shakfpeare 
 *' fay?j Wf' angels trumpet tongucd^* 
 in their behalf ■ — As a poet, his Catt> 
 in the dramatic, and his Campaign 
 in the heroic why , will ever main- 
 tain a place amongft the firA rate 
 works of cither kind. — Yet I can- 
 not help thinking even thefe ex- 
 celled by the elegance, accuracy, 
 and elevation of his Profe JVrif' 
 ings ; among which his papers in 
 the TdtleVf Spe^ator, and Guardian^ 
 hold a foremoll raak, and mult 
 
 B 2 continue 
 
A D 
 
 r + 1 
 
 A D 
 
 
 I'i". 
 
 ji' 
 
 Iri '■ 
 
 WM 
 
 i"i :(' 
 
 
 
 continue the obje£lsofadtr)irauon, 
 fo long as the Engli{h langu.ige 
 retains its purity, or any authors 
 who have written in it continue to 
 be rcaJ. — As a «/•/«, it is imputa- 
 ble to fay too much, and it would 
 even extend beyond our preirnt 
 limits to Tay enough, in his praiie, 
 as he was in every rt'fpcft truly 
 valuable. — In private life he was 
 amiable, in public employment ho- 
 nourable ; a zealous patriot j faith- 
 ful to his friends 3;id'ftcdr,ifl to hii 
 principki-; and the noble fcnti- 
 menis which every where breathe 
 thiough his Qito, are no more than 
 emanations of that love for his 
 country, which was the conitant 
 guids of all his adlions. — Botlafi of 
 ail it't us view 'iim as a Chrillian, in 
 '.vhith li^nt he will appear llill 
 :Dore exalted that» in any other. — 
 And to this end nothing perhaps 
 can more cfFc^ually lead us than 
 the relating an anecdote concern- 
 ing his death, in the words of one 
 of the bell men as wcU as the bcft 
 writers, who, in a pamphlet vviit- 
 ten aiiroll tniire'y to iiitniduce 
 t.hii little llory, fpsak'j of him in 
 the following manner: 
 
 " Alter a long and manly, but 
 *' vain firuggle with his rliflem- 
 *' per," f»ys he, " he difmifltd his 
 '* phyficians, and with them all 
 *' .iiopes of life: but wlih his hopes,- 
 «' oi life he difmiired not hts-rfiTii- 
 •» cern for the living, but fent for 
 *'* a youth (Lord Warwick) neaily 
 ♦.' related, and finely accompli fhed, 
 " but not above being the better 
 " for good irnprefiions from a dy- 
 " ing friend: lie cnmc; but life 
 " n w glin^mr-ring in the focl;er, 
 •'* C\i dying friend was fiknr. — 
 '* A ty-r a decent and proper paufe, 
 •' me y^uth fai\l, D:ar St'r/ you 
 '' /■/// ft,r Mi-: I l-rlicvc, and I hope, 
 *' 'Mat yin 'dve fonte commaiuh ; / 
 ''J'ii/flwU .''< ;ff m;/? facrrd.— May 
 "diliant ;igcs^* pfOCCi-'Cts.this au- 
 
 thor, '• not only hear, but feel th9 
 •' reply ! — Forcibly grafping the 
 " youth's hand, he foftly faid, i>re 
 " in 'what peace a Chrljlian c(Oi die, 
 *' -i-He fpoke with difficulty,, and 
 " foon expired." — The pamphlet 
 from which this is quoted, is en- 
 titled, ConjtHurei on original Coiitpo- 
 JitioHy and, although pobliflied ano- 
 nymoufly, was written by the great 
 Dr. Edward Young.— ^Nor can I 
 with more propriety clofe my cha- 
 rafter of Mr. Addifon than with 
 this very Gentleman's obfervations 
 on the juft-mentioned anecdote, 
 when, after telling iw that it is to 
 this circumftancc Mr. Tickell re- 
 fers, where, in his lines on this 
 great man's death, he has thefe 
 words»' 
 
 He taught us hovo to live; andy 
 Ob f too high 
 
 A price for knowledge^ taught us 
 /jow to die. 
 Thus proceeds Dr. Young ; " had 
 " not this poor plank been thrown 
 •♦ out, the chief article of his gjory 
 " would probably have been funic 
 *' fpr ever, and late ages had re- 
 " c 'ived but a fragment of his 
 •' t; me. — A fragment glorious in- 
 '"^ djeed, for his genius how bright? 
 " out to commend him for com- 
 *ypofnion, though imr^ortal, is 
 y detraftlon now, if there our en- 
 " comium ends. — Let us look far- 
 •* ther to that concluding fcene, 
 '* which fpoke human nature not 
 •'unrelated to tne Divine. — To 
 " that let us .pay the long and 
 •' large arrear of our greatly poll- 
 " humous appluufe.'' 
 
 A little farther hfe thus termi- 
 nates this noble encomium. — " If 
 " powers were not wanting, a mo- 
 " r.nment more durable than thofe 
 *' of marble fliou'd proudly rife 
 " ill tliis ambitious pa^;e to the 
 *' new and fur nobler Addifon, 
 *' thiin thit w!ii h you and the 
 " public have fo long and fo much 
 
 *' admirfcif; 
 
A L 
 
 t i ] 
 
 V. 
 
 A L 
 
 *' admired :— nor this nation only, 
 •• for it is Europe's Addifon as 
 " well as ours ; though Europe 
 " knows not half his titles to her 
 *• efteem, being as yet unconfcious 
 •• that the tjying Addifon far out- 
 •• Ihincsher Addifon immortal." 
 
 Having thus given fome account 
 of the life and death of this great 
 man, nothing more remains in thi* 
 place to be done, but to give a lift 
 of his dramatic pieces, which were 
 the following three: 
 
 I. Rafamond. Opera. 1707. 
 
 a. Cato, T-ag. 17x3. 
 
 3. The Drummer. Com. 1715. 
 
 Alabaster, William. This 
 author was born in Suffolk, and 
 educated in Trinitv College in the 
 univerfity of Cambridge, where he 
 took the degree of mailer of arts, 
 and was atcerwards incorporated 
 of the univerfity of Oxford, 7th of 
 July, 1592. Wood fays, he was 
 the rarelt poet and Grecian that 
 any one age or nation produced. 
 He attended the unfortunate earl 
 of Effex in his voyage to Cadiz as 
 his Chaplain ; but entertaining 
 fome doubts upon religion, he was 
 prevailed upon to declare himfelf 
 a Roman catholic, and wrote a 
 pamphlet to vindicate his condufl 
 on the occafion. Becoming dif- 
 guiled with hi^i new friends, he 
 changed a feconc time, and re- 
 turned 10 the church of England. 
 He was made prebendary of Sr. 
 Paul's Cathedral in London, doftor 
 of divinity, and reflor of Thar- 
 field in Hcrtfordlhire. He died 
 about the beginning of April, 
 1640, and was buried by his friend 
 Nicholas Kucon of Gray's-inn, 
 whom he appointed his exec « or. 
 
 He was the author of fevfral 
 woiks, and one Latin play, wiiich 
 Dr. Johnfon mentions wirh npprO- 
 bation in his life of Milton; fee 
 p. 7. It was called, 
 
 Roxana, Tiag. Svo, \b\z. 
 Vol. I. 
 
 ','.»' 
 
 AtEXANDER, 'William, earl 
 of Sterling. The family of 
 this North Uritifh bard was origin- 
 ally a branch of the Macdonafds. — 
 Alexander Macdonald, their an- 
 cedor, obtained from the family of 
 Argyle a grant of the lands of 
 Mendry, in Clacmanani'hlre, where 
 they fixed their refideace, and took 
 their furnames from the chriftian 
 name of their predeceHbr. Our 
 author was born in the reign of 
 queen Elizabeth ; and, during the 
 minority of James VL of Scotland^ 
 he eave early fpecimens of a rifing 
 genius, and much improved the 
 fine parts he had from nature, by 
 a stty polite and extenlive educa- 
 tion. He firft travelled abroad as 
 tutor to the earl of Argyle, and, 
 after his return, being happy in fo 
 great a patron as the ear!, he was 
 carefTed by perfons of the firft 
 falhiotf, while he yec moved in the 
 fphere of a private gentleman.— 
 Mr. Alexanaer, having a ftrong 
 propenficy to poetry, declined en- 
 teriiig upon any public employ- 
 ment for feme years, and dedicated 
 all his time to the Hudy of the an- 
 cient poets, upon whom he formed 
 his tafte. Although king James 
 had but few regal qualities, yet he 
 certainly was an encourager of 
 learned men. Accordingly, he footi 
 took Mr. Alexander into his fa- 
 vour, ' nd accepted the poems, 
 our author prefented him, with the 
 mod condefcending marks of 
 Cusem. In the year 1614, he 
 created him a knighr, and gave 
 him the pLice of mailer of the re- 
 quefls. Charles I. a!fo beftovved 
 on him great marks of the royal 
 favour, and madi^ h'm fecrctary of 
 ilatc tor the Scotch afFairs, in place 
 of the earl of Ha.Wington, a ;d a 
 peer, by the title of Vifcount 
 Sterling; Hion afior which he raifed 
 him to the ^dignity of an earl, by 
 Icuers pa;ent, dated 14 Jane, 1633^ 
 B 3 upo 
 
 V ,t: 
 
A M 
 
 [ 6 
 
 ..+,.); . 
 
 P" I 
 
 P^iit 
 
 U.i ' Iv 
 
 '•■ : i> 
 
 upon the iblemnity of his majefty's 
 coronation, at the palace of Holy- 
 Rood-Houfe in Edinburgh. His 
 lord (hip enjoyed the place of fecre- 
 tary with the moll unblemiflied 
 repiitiation, for the fpacc of fifteen 
 years, even to his death, which 
 happened on the 12th of February, 
 1640. 
 
 His lordfliip's dramatic pieces 
 are, 
 
 I. Darius. Trag. 410. 1603. 
 * 2. Craefus. Trag. 1604. 
 
 3. The Alexaniliian Tragcille, 410. 
 1604. 
 
 4. ya//«iC^r. Trag. 4to, 1604. 
 His Works were publi(hed in 1637. 
 
 A^fDRfews Miles Peter. This 
 gentleman is a living author, and 
 a dealer in gunpowder; but his 
 Works (which are as follow) in 
 their effeft by no means refemble 
 fo.aif^ive a compofition, being ut- 
 terly deficient in point of force 
 and fplendor. 
 
 "' I. The EleSlion. Int. 8vo. 1774. 
 •^ 2. The Conjurer, F. 1774. N. P. 
 ■' 3. Bilphegor\ or, The W{jheit 
 CO. 1778. N. P. 
 
 4. Summer AmufcmentSt or. An 
 Aihenturc at Mar^atCy C. O. 1779- 
 This was written in conjuniStion 
 with Mr. Milef. 
 
 5. Fire ami W^ter. B. O. 17 80. 
 
 6. Dljjifittlon. C. 8vo. i-j^i. 
 
 7. The Baron Kinhvervr^:hotS' 
 doyftirakengatchdcrn. M. C. 8vo. 
 J781. 
 
 ARMI^J, RcBERT. This au- 
 thor was an adlor at tlie Globe, 
 Black-Fryers, and w;is living in 
 161 1, feme verlcs having been 
 addre/Ted to him iii that jear by 
 John Davies of Hereford ; from 
 which he appears to have occa- 
 fionally pcrlormed the psrt of the 
 Fool or Clown in Shakfpeare'd 
 • Plavs. 
 
 in Tarlcton's Jefls it is faid, that 
 he was an apprentice at fiiti to a 
 Goldfniilh in Lombard- ihecf, and 
 that goifg to a tavern in Gracc- 
 chiuch-ltreet, to dun the keeper 
 thereof, who was a debtor to 
 
 ] 
 
 A R ^ 
 
 his mafter, Tarleton, who of *"« 
 mailer of that tiwern was n°vv 
 only a lodger in it, faw fome vcrfes 
 written by Armin or> the wainfcot 
 upon his mailer's faid debtoff 
 whofe name was Charles Tarleton, 
 and liked them fo well that he 
 wrote others under them, prophe- 
 cying, that as he was, fo Armin 
 ihouTd be : therefore called him his 
 adopted fon, to wear the clown's 
 fuit after him. And fo it fell out, 
 for the boy was fo pleafed with 
 what Tarleton had written of him, 
 fo refpeAed his perfon, fo fre- 
 quented his plays, and fo learned 
 his humour and manners, that 
 from his private pra£lice he came 
 to public playing his parts ; that 
 he was in great repute for the fame 
 all the former part of king James's 
 reign. 
 
 He was the author of 
 The Two Maides of More Clackey 
 Com. 4to. 1609. 
 
 He likewife wrote a book called, 
 A Np^ of Ninnies, Jimpiy of them- 
 /elves luith compcnndsf 1608. And 
 at Stationers -Hall was entered in 
 the fame year, " a book called, 
 •* Phanta/my the Italian Taylor and 
 *' his Boy, made by Mr. Armio* 
 *' fervant to his majerty." I have 
 in another place ventured a furmife 
 in regard to his having been the 
 author of one dramatic piece, fiom 
 the correfpnndence of the prefixed 
 initials (See above, A. R.)- — 
 There was publifhed in the year 
 a pamphlet, entitled, 
 A Difcowfe of Elizabeth Armin, 
 ivhs, -v.'iih f:mc other CompliceSy at' 
 tempted to poifon her hnjhand. 
 
 Whether this ai;ecdote has any 
 reference to our author I cannot 
 pretend to aflinn ; but think it by 
 no means improbable, Irom th« 
 correfpondence of the date with 
 the time that he flourifned in. 
 
 Armstrong, Dr. JOHN., This 
 gentleman was born in Scotland, 
 and after a liberal education de- 
 voted hitnfelf to the lluJy of phyfic, 
 in which, though he was clleemed 
 
 to 
 
 1604, 
 
 
of »''« 
 
 
 as ijOw 
 
 
 [»c verfei 
 
 
 wainfcot 
 
 W. 
 
 debtor* 
 
 ■ y 
 
 rarleton. 
 
 
 that he 
 
 '*;? 
 W 
 
 prophe- 
 
 % 
 
 } Armin 
 
 4 
 
 him his 
 
 'M 
 
 clown's 
 
 
 fell out, 
 
 
 ed with 
 
 
 of him, 
 
 
 fo fre- 
 
 
 ) learned 
 
 
 rs, that 
 
 
 he came 
 
 
 rts ; that 
 
 
 the fame 
 
 
 g James's 
 
 
 A R 
 
 t 7 ] 
 
 A S 
 
 *o have made a confiderable ppo- 
 ficiency, he never arrived at much 
 praaice. He however was ap- 
 pointed phyfician to lihe king's 
 army, a poll which I believe be 
 held at his death. His works have 
 great iflequalirics, fome of them 
 being poffeffed of every requifiie to 
 be fought after in the molt pcrfcft 
 compofuion, while others can hard- 
 ly be confidered as fuperior to the 
 produdtions of mediocrity itfelf. 
 His Jrt cf prifertj'tng Healthy a 
 poem, is his beft peiformanoe, aod 
 will tranfmit his na«e to poUerity 
 as one of the firlt Englifli wri- 
 ters. He died in September, 1779. 
 
 In the year 1770, two volumes 
 of Mifcellanies were printed, in 
 4which is included, 
 
 The Forceti Matria£r^T rag. writ- 
 ten in 1754. 
 
 Arne, Dr. Thomas Augus- 
 tine. This gentleman was the 
 fon of Mr. Arae, an uphddfterer, 
 in Covent-Gardea, the pcrfon fup- 
 pofed to have been intended by 
 Mr. Addifon in drawing the cha- 
 rafler of the celebrated poHtician, 
 in N° 155 and 160 of T/je Tathr. 
 He was early devoted to mufic, 
 and foon became eminent in his 
 profeffion. On the 6th of July, 
 1 7 59, he had the degree of dodor 
 of mufic conferred on him by the 
 univerlily of Oxford. The excel- 
 lence of his compofiticns is uni- 
 verfally acknowledged, and he was 
 p.'irticularly fKilful in inflrufling 
 vocal performers, feveral of whom 
 have been in great favour with the 
 • own. Though poflcficd of abili- 
 lies which feemed to promife him 
 hoih fortune and reputation, he 
 was always in narrow circum- 
 l.ances, to which an uiiboiii;ded 
 nttachmcnt to tiie talr fcv might 
 3 c;ood deal contribute. i?s liici 
 tiie 5th of March, 1778, having 
 written the following pieces: 
 
 I. ./••/.r.vn vv.v, Opcja, <762,8vo. 
 
 2. Tbe Guardian outiwitted^Com, 
 Opera, 1764, 8vo. 
 
 3. TL<e Ro/'e, C.Oper. 1778, Svo. 
 And probably two or three anony- 
 mous drama;. 
 
 ArnoldCorhtelius. Ofthis 
 author we can learn no particulars, 
 except that at one time he was 
 one of the ulhers of Mercha/it 
 Taylors fchool. In ^ volume 6f 
 Poems, pui)li(hedin 1757, in 410. 
 ii a play by him, called, 
 
 O/ffian, Trag. 
 
 A'RROW8MiTH,Mr. This gen- 
 tleman was of Cambridge, and 
 had the degree of mailer ot' arts. 
 Langbaine alone informs us that 
 to him was afcribcd a play, whi;:h 
 however was pubiiihed anony- 
 mous, entitled, 
 
 The Reformation, Com. 410, 1673, 
 
 Arthur, J. Was a pJayer of 
 eminence in the charaders of old 
 men, and for feveral years per- 
 formed at Covent-Garden theatre. 
 He afterwards became manager of 
 the playhoufe at Baih, and died 
 April 8, 1772. 
 
 About the year 1754, was a£led 
 at Covent-Garden, tor his benefit, 
 a Ballad Opera, written as he fa'd 
 by himfelf, and which had beea 
 a^ed at the fame theatre, and 
 printed in 1738. It was called. 
 
 The Luckv Difco<i>ery; or, The 
 Tanner of i^ork, 8vo. 
 
 AscouGH, Charles Edward. 
 This gentleman was fon of Dr. 
 Francis Afcough, dean of Briftol, 
 by a fifter of the firft lord Lyttel- 
 ton. He was brought up in the 
 army, and for fome time had a 
 commifiion in the guards. A bad 
 ftate of health compelled him 
 to relinquifh his profeffion, and 
 obliged him to travel into Iialy. 
 His diforder was not relieved by 
 thpHe meafures, he continued lin- 
 gering for fome time, and in the 
 end died on the 14th day of 
 Odlober, 177^. He was the pub- 
 
 B 4 hiher 
 
A 8 
 
 t 8 ] 
 
 A Y 
 
 mmm 
 
 ■i , 
 
 !<=,' 
 
 !! 
 
 3 
 
 
 I mi 
 
 'I M 
 
 v:r;^ 
 
 liftier of \he Mifcellaneous Works 
 of his uncle lord Lyttelcon, and 
 .wrote fome account of his own 
 travels. He was the author of one 
 plav, called, 
 
 cemiramisy Trag. 1 776, 8vo. 
 , AsHTQK, tk.OB£RT. This au- 
 '.thor was of the kingdom of Ire- 
 land, and wrote one play, whicht 
 from a paflage in the Epilogue, 
 appears to have been produced in 
 the year 1727. It is called, 
 
 7he Batik of Au^hrlm ; or, The 
 Fall of Monjieur St. Ruth. Trag. 
 Printed fevcral times in Dublin. 
 
 AspiNWAi.L, S, Of this au- 
 thor I can learn no account. 
 He publiihed one Tragedy, done 
 as the title-page declares from the 
 French of Cnrhe'Ue. It is called, 
 
 Rcdc^une; or, The Rival Bro' 
 ihert, 176;, Svo. 
 
 AsroN, AuTHONV. Common- 
 ly called ' oiiy Afton, was the fon 
 of a gcnileinan who had formerly 
 been mai'.cr of the Plea Office, in 
 the King's Bench. He was bred 
 an attorney; but having a Anat- 
 tering of humour, he let": the lludy 
 of thp l;iw for the llage. He play- 
 ed on all the theatres in London, 
 but never long in any of them, 
 being of tco liighty a difpofition 
 to fettle any wheie. His way of 
 livi»S>- was peculiar to himfelf and 
 family; rcforting to the principal 
 , cities and to>vn$ in England with 
 . his Midity^ as he called it, which 
 , was compofed ot fome capital 
 fcenes of humour out of the moll 
 celebrated plays, flis company, 
 confined only of himfelf, h'' wife, 
 and fon ; and between every fcenv; 
 a fofig r>r d'alnjjue of hi:, own 
 . ipoiiipofmt;' was fung or performed 
 to iill up ;!'.(: interval. He pre- 
 tended a- ijuht ((> €!very !(;wri he 
 - (Entered ; Hitd whenever iinother 
 companv iuierfered •.'. ith him, he 
 was very ijtfeaij,yp iind dextrous in 
 
 laying them under contribution. 
 In 173 $• he petitioned the Hotite 
 of Commons to be heard againll 
 the bill then depending for regtt- 
 lating the flage, and was permit- 
 tod to deliver a ludicrous fpeech, 
 which was afierwards publifhed. 
 Chetwood, in his Hi(lory of the 
 Stage, printed 1749, imagines that 
 our author was then living, and 
 travelling in fome part of the king- 
 dom. 
 
 He is the author of one piece, 
 called, 
 
 Lcve in a Hurry^ Com. 1 709. 
 
 Aston, Walter. This au- 
 thor is only known as the writer 
 of one piece, which was forbid to 
 be reprefented, called, 
 
 The Refinuralion of King Charles 
 the Second ; or. The JJfe and Death 
 of Oliver Cromiuellf Bal. Open 8vp, 
 
 1733- 
 AvESAY, Robert. This^yri- 
 
 ter is totally unknown. There is, 
 
 however, in print by him one 
 
 dramatic performance, called, 
 
 Britannic and the Gods in Couit' 
 cilf 4to. 1756. 
 
 AyTsE, William. Of this 
 gentleman I know nothing more 
 than that he has favoured the pub- 
 lico with a tranflation of that ce- 
 lebrated dramatic Falloral of TaiTo, 
 called, 
 
 Amlntat. Svo. [1737.] 
 and alfo with that of an Iralian 
 Tragedy, the original text of which 
 he has printed page by page with 
 his tranflation, entitled, 
 
 Merope, 8>o. 1740. 
 
 Ayres, James. This author 
 io mentioned no uhere out in the 
 Eritiih Thcr.tre, where he is faid 
 to be a native of Ireland, and to 
 h.'.ve uri.te one dramatic piece, 
 ckiiiilcJ, 
 
 Sainhc at Court* Bal. Opera. Cvo, 
 
 J' 
 
 B. 
 
 I*ii ■'.; 
 
 '^■■'•"s^^-r- 
 
t s 1 
 
 B, 
 
 This author 
 lers put in the 
 'here he is faid 
 reland, and to 
 rainatic piece, 
 
 aU. Cpeia. Svo. 
 
 B A 
 
 rr\ W. This author Is mentj- 
 j5 « oned by the above initiali, 
 Chich are prefixed to a littl6 piece 
 never aded, but printed by the title 
 
 T/jc Juror, Farce. 8vo. 
 This piece was publiflied in 17 17. 
 
 Bacom, Ur. Was the author of 
 the fevcral dramas hereafter men- 
 tioned. I believe his chriliian 
 name was Phannel, a gentleman 
 of Magdalen College, Oxford, 
 who took the degree of M. A. 
 April 17, 1722 ; of B. D. Apni 
 29, 1 73 1 ; and of D. D. Dec. 9, 
 1735. Fie alfo wrote a Poem, 
 called, The Kite. 
 
 Ills dramatic works are the fol- 
 lowing: 
 
 1. The Taxes. D. E. 1757, 8vo. 
 
 2 . The Injtgnljicanls. C. 1 7 5 7 , 8vo. 
 
 3. The Tryal of the Tirne-kilkrs. 
 C. 17?:, 8vo. 
 
 4. The Moral Sluacli^ D. S. 1757, 
 8vo. 
 
 ;. TheOcuIlfl. D,E. 17^7, 8vo. 
 
 KA!i.iiY,ABBAnAM. This gen- 
 tleman was a member of the ho- 
 iiourable fociety of Lincoln's-Inn, 
 and in the early part of his life 
 wrote n play, called, 
 
 ThcSpigbtfulSlJhr. C. 4to. 1667. 
 
 Baillie, ]Jr. John. This gen* 
 tlcman was one of the phyficians to 
 St. George's Hofpital, and alfo 
 iiyficiHti to the Eiigli/h army in 
 "lindcis. Me died of a fpotted 
 Jcvcr at Ghent, in December, 1743. 
 lie is faid to have been of a very 
 iiniiii!>l<; d'Tpiilitif n, and his lofs 
 w.Ks much rt'grettra by hid friends. 
 
 X^.:i-r his d-ix\.\\ was publiflied 
 by luh'.cription, (or the benefit of 
 his wiilovk., 
 
 "^Ihc :.lar:-Ud Cc^uct. 8vp. T7 '6. 
 
 r 
 
 TJAKEi, Thoi*4.«. Tbtt gen-. 
 tieman w^s the foa of a very einU 
 lient attorney in the city of Lon- 
 don, and was fome time of t!he 
 univerfity of Oxford. His tura 
 was entirely to Comedy, and his 
 Plays in general met with fMCcef*, 
 apd \vere held in good ellimation. 
 Nor was that approbation by any 
 means UQJuft, nutwithftanding the 
 flighting manner in which Mr. 
 Whincop has fpoken of his writ- 
 ings. His plots are in general his 
 own, his conduA of them pleaf-* 
 ing, his chara^lers (Irongty drawn 
 (which is certainly one of the 
 greateft perfedions of Comedy), 
 his language eafy and agreeable, his 
 wit pure and genuine, and his fa- 
 tire juil and poignant. I have the 
 more readily entered into this en^ 
 comium, which I think his writ* 
 ings deferve, to vindicate their 
 charader, as well as the judgment 
 of the public which gave them the 
 fan(!lion of applaufe, from the con- 
 tempt thrown on them by Mr. 
 Whincop, who is the only writer 
 that has attempted to gtve them 
 any charadler at all, ana who- i«ii.'i 
 deed contradids hirofelfia#te cha- 
 radler he has given, fince he denies 
 them both wit and humour, and 
 yet allows them to pofTefa the AV/ , 
 omlca (or, as he calls it, " foirtei ' 
 " thing to make one laugh"), 
 which certainly can never fubfill 
 >vi.hout one or the other of thefe 
 two properties ; but indeed IVIr. 
 Whincop feems on the whole to 
 wriie wiih ionie dtfgree of prejudice 
 aga^nll him, throwing the fame 
 kind of abufc on a periodical pa- 
 per which lie was the author of, 
 Cdiicd the Fcinalc Tath; 
 
 The 
 
 
 •fcl 
 
B A 
 
 [ 10 ] 
 
 B A 
 
 J' . 
 
 < M 
 
 li'l ' " 
 
 ' I' i 1 
 
 ' 1 J 
 
 f: i 
 
 The dramatic pieces he has left 
 behind him are Avq in bumber, 
 and their titles as follow : 
 
 1. Humours of the Age. Com. 
 4to. 1701. 
 
 2. ^unbridge WMt, Com. 410. 
 1702. 
 
 3. ASl at Oxfords Com. 410. 
 1704. 
 
 ^. Hamp/ead Heatb, Com. 4to. 
 1706. 
 
 j^. Fine Ladies Airs, Com. 4to. 
 1709. 
 
 All of them have a confiderable 
 ftiarc of merit, yet only one among 
 the number Hands on the prefent 
 hi\ of adUng Plays, viz. Tunbridge 
 Walks. 
 
 There is an anecdote in regard 
 toacharadler in this Comedy, with 
 rcfped to the author's cbarafter, 
 %vhich I might properly have taken 
 notice of here, but that the reader 
 will find it in the fccond part of 
 this work in my account of the 
 piece itfelf. 
 
 Whether the effeminate turn of 
 difpofuion there hinted at, or this 
 gentleman's attachment to the 
 Mufes, drew him from any appli- 
 cation to buftnefs, or from what 
 other caufe I know not, but during 
 the latter part of his life he flood 
 on but indifferent terms with his 
 father, who allowing him but a 
 very fcanty income, he was obliged 
 to retire into Worcelierlhire, where 
 Whincop tells us he is reported to 
 have died of that loaihfonie difor- 
 der the Morbus pi'diculoj'us. 
 
 Baker, David Esskini, to 
 whonithe public areindebted for the 
 former edition of this work, was the 
 tldtft fon of Henry Baker, a gentle- 
 man well known in the philofophical 
 wot Id, by a daughter of the cele- 
 biaicd Daniel Defoe. Being adopt- 
 ed by an uixle, who was a lilic 
 throwller in Spital Fields, he fuc- 
 ceeded him in his bufinefs; but 
 wanting the prudence and attention 
 
 which are neceffary to fecure fuc- 
 cefs in trade, he foon failed. He 
 was the author of fevera! occafional 
 Poems in the periodical collec- 
 tions, and of one dramatic piece. 
 
 7he Mufe of OJpan ; a dramaMC 
 Poem, felefted from the Poems of 
 Offian, lAed and printed at Edin- 
 burg, i2mo. 1763. 
 
 Baker, R. This author is only 
 known by having produced one 
 dramatic piece, called, 
 
 The MadlLoufe. B. O. 8vo. 1737. 
 
 Bale, John, is more known a$ 
 an hillorian, and controverfialift, 
 than as a dramatick writer. He 
 was born on the 1 \ it of November, 
 1495, at Cove, a fmall village near 
 Dunwich, in Suffolk. His pa- 
 rents, having many other children, 
 and not being in very affluent cir- 
 cumllances, fent him, at the age 
 of twelve years, to the monailery 
 of Carmelites at Norwich, where 
 he received part of his education ; 
 he afterwards fludied at Hulme 
 Abbey in Northumberland, and 
 from thence removed to St. John's 
 College, Cambridge. . While he 
 continued at the uaiverfity, being 
 as he fays ferioufly ilirred up by 
 the illultrious ihe lord Wentworth, 
 he renounced the tenets of the 
 church of Rome ; and, that he 
 might never more ferve fo exe- 
 crable a bead, I took, fays he, to 
 wife the faithful Dorothy, in obe- 
 dience to that divine command, 
 •' Let him that cannot contain, 
 " marry." Bifhop Nicolfon in- 
 finuates, that his diflike to a (late 
 of celibacy was the means of his 
 converfion, more than any doubts 
 which he entertained about the 
 truth of his faith. The change of 
 his religion expofcd him to the 
 perfecution of the Romifti clergy. 
 particularly of Lee archbifliop of 
 York, and Stokcfley bifliop of 
 London : but he found an abU; 
 and powerful proteflor in the per 
 
 fon 
 
XI 
 
 3 A 
 
 /on of lord CronwuJl. *c fav.oy. 
 xite of He^ry the Eighth. On 
 the dcjth of this noblenoan, hf 
 withdrew iato the Low Countries, 
 and refided there elgiu years j in 
 wb^h time be WfOt« feveral pieces 
 in the Englifli language. On the 
 jaccellion of king Iwl*vj>rd the bixth, 
 he w.)s recalled into I'jnglwit and 
 obtained tfec JiKiog oJF Biftops 
 Stocke, in the county of Som4- 
 ^naptpn. During hit refidenpe at 
 his living, he was almolt b/ought 
 to the poiot of death by an ag^e ; 
 when hiring that the king was 
 come in progrv'ft to Southampton, 
 five miles only from where )>e 
 4 welt, be weuf to pay h" refpefts 
 to him. " 1 toke my horfc, fliys 
 ♦* h^, iibopt 10 of the clockc, for 
 " very weakneffe fcant able to fytt 
 ** hym. and (6 capie thydre, Be- 
 *' twixttwoandt^rjeepftheclocke, 
 ♦* the fi»me day, ,1 drew towardes 
 " the place where if his Wiijcjtie 
 **■ was, and jlodeit) ti^: opien Arete 
 " ryght,ngaipftthegajieryc, 4non, 
 ^' my frinde Johan Fylpot, 4 gun- 
 *' tylmap, and oni? of bys previe 
 •* chambre, called unto hiip two 
 ** more of hys companyon? , which 
 ** in moving thpir heade* tovvardes 
 ** me, ihcwsd me nioft frendeiy 
 *' countensgnces, Byoneoftjicfe 
 «' three the kyi'ge havynge infor- 
 *' macion that I wag there in the 
 " llretf, he ipaivtled therof, for fo 
 " much a$ it had {yene tolde hypi 
 *' a lytle afore that I was boti)e 
 " dead and buried. Wjth that 
 " hy§ grace cmne to the wyndowp, 
 *' and earr.eltly bchclde me a ppore 
 ** weake creature, as though he 
 *' had had upon me fo lyinple a 
 " fiibjeft, an earnel ro;;ard, or ra- 
 *' ther a very fatherly care." This 
 vilit to the king o^Cifioncd his :n;- 
 iiit'diiite appoiiitn'.ent 'o the bi- 
 flK.prick ot OiTory, which was fet- 
 tled the nexr day, aj he cjeclarcd 
 aUerAardii, o^niyt />u -mIJI^ rf the 
 
 :j 
 
 S K 
 
 Jfing'f mm mtre m»U09 m^, %w»btat 
 Ji$it »ffritiid$, metJf lS«mr^ *Mpmut^ 
 •r a>(y oihtr Jinifter metuu sift, O^ 
 the 2CHh of Mancb, i$s|, i»e wu 
 comfecratcd »t Dublin by tins «Fcb- 
 biflvop uf th^t fee, aad underweac 
 a varietf ol* perfecutions irovm tbe 
 Popiih party in Irelaai, which ac 
 length conpcUcd him to Wave hia 
 diocer^, and conceaj iaifn^eif in 
 DubUu. Eadeavouring to erca-pe 
 from thence in a fraall trading 
 ved'el, he was taken priibner fa^ 
 the captain of a Dutch nien of war, 
 who/iiltfdd him of all hie money, 
 apparel, and etfiedts. Thf fliip 
 was then driven by ftrefs of weather 
 into St. Ivea in Cornwall, where 
 he was taken up on fufpicion of 
 high treafon, but foon difi:harged. 
 From thence, after a cruize of 
 feveral days, the ihip arrived in 
 Dover Road, and he was again put 
 in danger by a falfe accufatiijo. 
 On bM arrival in Holland, he was 
 kept prifoficr three weeks, and 
 then obtained his liberty on pay- 
 ment of a fum of money, Fnoni 
 Holland he retired to ik&l in 
 Swit;Krl3nd, and continued abroad 
 durjog the remainder of queen 
 Mary's reign. On the acceffion of 
 queen Eti/.abeth, he returned to 
 England; but being difguded with 
 the treatment he met with in Ire- 
 land, he went thither no more. 
 He was promoted on the 15th of 
 January, 1560, to a prebend in the 
 cathedral church of Canterbury, 
 und died in that city in Nov. 1 563, 
 in the 63lh year of his age. Ac- 
 cording to the manners of the times 
 in which he wrote, he appeals to 
 have taken very indecent liberties 
 with all his aiitauonilis in his re- 
 ligious controverfies, and to hav2 
 confjdered himfelfas not bound by 
 any rules of decorum in rsplyinj^ 
 to thofe from whom he differed in 
 Tiiaticri wherein the interellj of 
 rebgiyn were concerned. The acri- 
 '" ' " inony 
 
% 
 
 
 I i 
 
 li 
 
 B A 
 
 r «^ 1 
 
 B A 
 
 
 mohy of his ftyle on thefe ocoTions 
 acquired him the appellation of 
 Jiitiaus Bale, and it was applied to 
 'him with rini;ular propriety. His 
 principal work is cftcemed the 
 Saiptorum illujirium majoris Brytan- 
 tiia' quain nunc Angliam tt Hcotani 
 vacant Catalog us ; a "Japheto per 
 361b annos u/que ad «nnitm hum: 
 jomini 15^7, &.'€. lirll printed im- 
 perfeftly at Wtlel i q4(;, and af- 
 terwards more complcat in 15^7 
 andijifo. He was the author «f 
 a great number of dramatic pieces, 
 . three of which only appear to have 
 been publilhed, vvi. 
 
 1 . A Tragciye or Enfcrlutic, v:a- 
 mfijihig the chti'c' promyjis of God 
 unto Man In i%ll a^es of the ohk la'W 
 
 from the fall of Atlam to the Incar- 
 rniyon of the Lorile Jefus Chrifl, 
 i'.om'iykd ly foban Dalc^ Anno ^0- 
 ttihti 1^38, 8vo. Re-printed in 
 
 . Dodfley's Collection of Old I'lays. 
 
 Another edition, of this perfor- 
 mance was printed in 410. by John 
 Charlewood 1577, and in the title- 
 page faid CO be now fyrll imprinted. 
 (See Ames, 369.) 
 
 2. A brcfe Comedy or Enter lude of 
 Johan Eaphflcs preachyttjf in the 
 Wilder neffe^ the crafty ajjauites of the 
 hypcoyes, ivith the gloryoufe hap- 
 tyfmt of the I^nde Jffus Chrifi. Co>»- 
 fylcdlxy Johan Bale, Juno i q 38, 8vo. 
 Reprinted in the Harleian Mif- 
 cellaiiy, vol. I, p. 37. 
 
 3. A brfc Co»iedv or Enter lude, 
 concernynge the trjnpttiyon if our Lorde 
 and Saver Jifui Chrijl hy iiUthan in 
 the dcfivt. Compyled by Johan 
 Bale, Anno 1538, 8vo. (Ames, 
 
 497. 49^ ) 
 
 Atcoidiiig to Ames all thefe 
 
 pieces were originally printed 
 
 abroad. 
 
 He has a'f) tran/liiied the Tra- 
 
 gevlicsol Pa/nmaci'Ui ; and, in his 
 
 ai.c.)unr or t!\e writers ot Britain, 
 
 b«.lides the plaj.s already mention- 
 
 ed, \,e tias given the followlni; 
 liil of his other dramatic perfor- 
 mance!:. 
 
 1 . Of Chrifl nvhe/i he ivas twelve 
 Tean old, one Comedy, 
 
 2. Of Baptifm and temptation^ 
 two Comedies. 
 
 3. Of Lazarus raifed from the 
 Dead, one Comedy. 
 
 4. Of the Councelli ef Bifhopi, one 
 Comedy. 
 
 5. Of Simon the Leper^ one Co- 
 medy. 
 
 6. Of the Lord'' i Supper and ive^Jh- 
 i);^ the Feet, one Comedy. 
 
 ' 7. Of the Paffton of Chryfl, ivvVJ 
 Comedies. 
 
 8. Of the Sepulture and Refur- 
 rct^ion, two Comedies. 
 
 9. Upon both Marriages of the 
 King. 
 
 1 o. Againfl Momui*s and Zoiluis. 
 
 1 1 . The Treacheries rf the Pap\fli. 
 
 12. Agairfl thofe '•Mho adulterate 
 the Pford of God. 
 
 13. Of John King of England. 
 
 14. Cf the Imptflures of Thomas 
 Becket. 
 
 15. Corruptions of the Divine 
 Laivs, 
 
 16. The Image of Love. 
 Bancroft, John. This author 
 
 was by profeifion a furgeon ; and 
 happening to have a good deal of 
 practice among the young wits and 
 frequenters of the theatres, whom 
 the warm favours they had met 
 with among the fair devotees of 
 the Paphiaii goddefs drove to feck 
 his advice and afliilance, he ac- 
 quired from their converlation a 
 paffion for the mufes, and an in- 
 clination 10 fignalize himfelf in 
 their fervice: in confequence of 
 which inclinstion he made two ef- 
 fays in the dramatic way, neither 
 of which are devoid of merif, nor 
 failed of nieeiing with feme de- 
 gree of fuccefs, viz. 
 
 1. Sertvriui, Trag. .^to. 1670. 
 • , -1 • ;• "^ -• . ■'. a, II my 
 
 li-' 
 
B A 
 
 t '3 1 
 
 B A 
 
 the following 
 tmatic perfbr- 
 
 Im ivat tivflve 
 dy. 
 nJ Temptation, 
 
 aifid from the 
 
 (f B'ljhopsy one 
 
 '^tfir^ one Co- 
 
 htpfxr and ivc^jh • 
 
 medy. 
 
 of Chrxft, X^ 
 
 ire and Kejiir- 
 
 es. 
 
 'iirrlaces of the 
 
 ui*s and Zoilus*s, 
 
 es of the PapKfl,. 
 
 who adulterate 
 
 f of England, 
 lures of Thomas 
 
 f the Divine 
 
 Love. 
 
 . This author 
 I furgeon ; and 
 : a good deal of 
 young wits and 
 heatres, whom 
 
 they had met 
 sir devotees of 
 "s drove to fcek 
 
 Itance, he ac- 
 
 converl'ation a 
 fes, and an in- 
 
 ize himfelf in 
 confequence of 
 
 e made two ef- 
 way, neitlicr 
 of merit, nor 
 
 with fome de- 
 
 ag. /jto. 167Q. 
 
 i. TlenryU. Trng. 4to. 169 j. 
 
 He died in the year 1696, and 
 lies interred in St. I'aul'i, Covcnt- 
 (Jardcn. It is not improbable that 
 he might be related to, or a de- 
 fcendant from, Mr. Thomas Ban- 
 croft, of Swanton in Derby (hi re, 
 whom Sir Alton Coclcaine has ce- 
 lebrated as a poet of edeem. See 
 Cockaine's I'oems, 8vo. 1658. p. 
 103. 1 12. 1 16. 156. 
 
 Coxeter attributes another play 
 to this author, which however he 
 fays he made a prefent both of the 
 reputation and proiiisot: to Mount- 
 fort the player. It was entitled, 
 
 5. Edti'ardUI. 'i'l'ag' 4*0. 1 691. 
 
 Banks, Johx. This gentle- 
 man was bred an attorney at law, 
 and belonged te the fociety of 
 New-Inn. The dry ftudy of the 
 law however not beinc; fo fuitable 
 to his natural difpontion as the 
 more elevated flights of poetical 
 imagination, he quitted the pur- 
 fuit of riches in the Inns bf Court, 
 for the paying his attendance on 
 thofe ragged jades theMufes in the 
 theatre. Here however he found 
 his rewards by no means adequate 
 to his deferts. His emoluments at 
 the bell were precarious, and the 
 various fuccelles of his pieces too 
 feelingly convinced him of the 
 error in his choice. This how- 
 ever did not prevent him from 
 purfuingwiih chearfulnefs the path 
 he had taken ; his thirft of fame, 
 and warmth of poetic e nth ufiafm, 
 alleviating to his imagination many 
 difagreeable circumltances, which 
 indigence, the too frequent atten- 
 dant on poetical puriuits, often 
 threw him into. 
 
 His turn was entirely to Tragedy. 
 His merit in which is of a pecu- 
 liar kind. For at the fame time 
 that his language mufl be confefTed 
 to be extremely unpoetical, and 
 his numbers uncouth and inharmo- 
 nious; nay, even his characters 
 
 very far from being (Irongly nark' 
 ed or dilHnguiflied, and hi« £pi»^ 
 fodei extremely irregular; yet ic 
 is impoffible to avuid being deeply 
 affedled at the repreientation, and 
 even at the reading of his tragic 
 pieces. This is owing iu the ge- 
 neral to an happy choice of nit 
 fubjeifts, which are all borroweif 
 from hiilory, either real or roman- 
 tic, and indeed the moft of them 
 from circumilances io the annals 
 of our own country^ which, not 
 only from their being familiar to 
 our continual recolledTion, but even 
 from their having fome degree of 
 relation to ourfelves, we are apt to 
 receive with a kind of partial pre- 
 polfeflion, and a pre-determination 
 to be pleafed. He has conftantly 
 chofen as the bafis of his plays 
 fuch tales as' were in themielvea 
 and their well-known catailrophes 
 moft truly adapted to the purpofes 
 of the drama. He has indeed but 
 little varied from the (Iridncfs of 
 hiilorical fa(f^s, yet he feema t* 
 have made it his condant rule to 
 keep the fcene perpetually alive, 
 and never futFcr his chara6lers to 
 droop. His verfe is not poetry, 
 but profe run mad. Yet will the 
 falfe gem fometimes approach fo 
 near in glitter to the true one, at 
 leail in the eyes of all but the real 
 ConnoilTeurs (and how foiall a 
 part of an audience are to be 
 ranked in this clafs will need no 
 ghoil to inform us), that bombaft 
 will frequently pals for the true 
 fublime, and where it is render- 
 ed the vehicle of incidents in 
 themfelves afFtfting, and in which 
 the heart is apt to intcrell itfelf, ic 
 will perhaps be found to ha\ i * 
 ftronger power on the human paf- 
 fions than even that property tQ 
 which it is in reality no more than 
 a bare fuccedanenm. And from 
 thefe principles it is that we inu(t 
 account for Mr. Banks's writing;s 
 
 having 
 
ftllT-iI 
 
 ji A 
 
 I H 
 
 1 
 
 It A 
 
 ! i 
 
 hatlrtg iri tfitf gtiittal itAwa rti6t6 
 tttHH ttdni, at^ nrcited mdre tei*. 
 Jttrirt, e*eri jutflcfom aodkAcrt, 
 tbM thofe of much' more cowtfl! 
 jlfld- more truly poefic*!' authors. 
 
 Tht Tragedits he has hit be* 
 hiftd Wrft artf fcvtfn hi* numbcf, 
 and j^c as fbHo«^;. 
 
 i. Ri'i>ai Kin^^T. Tt. ^tfl. 1677. 
 
 2; Dejthr^oit cf Trc^; Tr. 4td. 
 1679. 
 
 5. Flrmcbftritfd. T^ 4:10. 1682. 
 -^ 4. J/lanii ^ttns. Tr. 4t'o. 1684. 
 
 e. XJnbap^' Fdvdriie. Tr. 410. 
 
 6. hmcefttUfiifpcr.tr. s^t6A6g^, 
 
 7. Q)r«J/^t'Grr«^ Tr. 4:0.1696. 
 Of th«ft fCvi/ have b6fen per-' 
 
 fdrtti*^ fcf fbirte ycarsf patt, ex- 
 tfeptmg the' tJ/iDapfyf; Favoi'ite, of 
 jEijrf/' '/ i?^A-, wliich confirmed' 
 tiir reiry lately a flock tragedy at 
 boYh theatres. MV. Jtfnes's Tra- 
 gedy drt '.he fame' ftrbjeft, which 
 cA\t\e out in 1793; a-rtd fince that 
 anotherby MV. Brobk'e fboth which 
 ftb attactoMtit of in their propel* 
 places), fttm however to have 
 bahiflfied' tft^t alfo-from the (lage ; 
 «t Icaftr for a \Vhi!e; Yet I crfnlioit 
 help obfe^vinof, to th^ honour of 
 "Mr. Bahks's Pl^y, that aithough 
 thi'ferv*6 writers, and another of 
 eihitiehte, vis*'. Mt. Ralph, havti 
 all handled th^ ftme ftory in fohie- 
 whata diifbTenrma^ncf, yet they 
 ¥rfve all conturted' in borrowirtg 
 many pafia'^cs from his Trsgi^dy ; 
 and" moreover, that whatever ad- 
 va'rttag^'S their pieces' may have dVc'r 
 his' ill Ibrhe refpefts, yet i n point of 
 Pcithos, which ought to be one of 
 the great aims of Tragedy, he iHll 
 Handv Aiperior to thenY all. 
 
 Tke'vvriters on dramatic fubjefts 
 hai?fe niot Jifcertaihed either the 
 yeal*' df the b'rcli or that of the 
 death of this author, h'is laft re- 
 iftjfi'rts howcveY lie interred in the 
 church of' 8t. Janie/5, Wclttnin- 
 
 Barclat, Sir WttLiAM. Of 
 At* gtfri'tlemati I know no more 
 fftan that he lived irt the fe\p\s of 
 K. Jatftes r, and K. Charles I. atii 
 that he wasf author of otle p^ay, 
 etitrrle*. 
 
 The Lnji Lrttfy', Tt. Com. 4t&i 
 1639% 
 
 BASrfoRri, R-icmartS. Thf* 
 genttemjkn" Wi«, I belicvtf, of Exe- 
 ter College, in Oxford, anfd toofc 
 his degretf of M. A. Nov. 25, 1729. 
 I am etltirtty unacquainted with 
 any ftirther particulars concerning 
 him except that he wrote, 
 
 -Ihty-rr^i^i^icen. Tr. 8V0. T729. 
 
 Bar K*ii, MV. A g^rtstlemati of 
 this nam6 is faid by ail the wHtiers 
 to hrff e befetv th* authoi^ of twt* 
 draiftatic' |)ieCfcs, whofe titles are 49 
 follow; 
 
 1. Been, ehfedtrd. Com, . V' 
 
 2. Fidelia' and For funafiit. 
 
 But thait thfefe plays wert Wrflf- 
 ten by Mr. Biirfcef I cannot but 
 entertain^ a dbubf. The former 6f 
 them hath th« name of Mi's. Pi^i 
 ro' it as th"6 author; arid tHc lattcf 
 is pyobably of the reign of QueBn 
 Elirabetb, a play with that title 
 being ettttfctf at Stationer's Hall 
 on the 1 2th of Nov, 1584; anti 
 Coxter, in' his MS. noteS^, fays, that 
 Mr. Barker, who wrote Fidelia 
 andFortuntitus, is a di^Vrerit per- 
 fon frOm him Who was author of 
 the l^caud fentdd. 
 
 Barnari-), Mr. This getitlef- 
 man is thfeauthof of a volume, en- 
 tided, K;7»r the Sata-ce of Plrafurt^ 
 8vo. 1 7 ;7. in whith ait twO' dra- 
 matic pieces, entitled, 
 
 1. 'The fuiie ivhat. " '"' 
 
 2. Edivard the St'xt, 
 Barnf.s, BARNxaV. Was a? 
 
 younger Ion of Richard Barnes, bi- 
 Ihopof Dbrham, but born in Yorfc- 
 fliire'^1569. He became a ftud^nt 
 of Brtizeh Nofe College in 1586; 
 but left the univerfitv Without' ai de- 
 gree. He afterwards went iitto thtf 
 
 French 
 
 jMIl 
 
B A 
 
 r IS 3 
 
 « A 
 
 French fervice, under the earl of 
 Eflex, in 1591; J'ut when he 
 died is unknown. Bcfides ftveral 
 Poems, he pub'iftied one Play, 
 
 called, 
 
 ne Devil's Chat if r. Trag-. 4 to. 
 
 1607. 
 
 Baron, Robert, Efq. This 
 author was born in the year 
 163c. He received the earlier 
 parts of his education at Cam- 
 bridge, after which he became a 
 member of the honourable^ fo- 
 ciety of Gray's-Inn. jDuring his 
 refidence at the univerfity, and 
 indeed when he was no more 
 than fevcnteen years of age, he 
 wrote a Novel, called, The Cyprian 
 Atademy, in which he introduced 
 the two firil of the dramatic 
 pieces mentioned below. The 
 third of them is a much more re- 
 gular and perfe£l Flay, and was 
 probably written when the author* 
 had attained a riper age. The 
 names of them arc as follows : 
 
 I. Deorum Dona. Muf. 1 
 
 3. Mirza, Trag. 8vo. N. D. 
 Phillips and Winftanle/ have alfo 
 attributed fome other Plays to him, 
 but on what foundation I know 
 hot, viz. 
 
 Dick Scorner, Com. 
 
 Don Quixote. Com. 
 
 DeftntSlion of Jcrufalcmm 
 
 Marriage of Wit at/dfdcnce. 
 
 Together with Mafques and In- 
 terludes; all which however Lang- 
 baine denies to be his, as he alfo 
 does Phillips's aflertion that anyof 
 his pieces were ever reprefcnted 
 on the flawe. 
 
 ]Mr. Baron had a great intimacy 
 with the celebrated Mr. James 
 Howell, the rrreat traveller, in 
 whofe collodions of Letters there 
 is one to .his gentleman (See How- 
 ell's Letters, B. 3. Letter 17.) who 
 was at that time at P^ris. — To 
 Mr. H9well in j)articular, and- to 
 4 ' 
 
 all the ladicfs dnd gentfcwoaei». of 
 Bngland in genera), he has dediu 
 cated his romance. 
 
 Barry, LoDowicK,Efq; What 
 this Gentleman's rank tfi life was 
 ftems fomewhat difHeulV to Atter" 
 mine. The writers on dramatio 
 fubjedls, viz. Langbainet Jacobs 
 Gildon, Whincop, &c. ftiling hiw 
 only Mr. Lodowick Barry ; whereatf 
 Anth. Wood, in his Athene Oxom 
 vol. h p. 629, calls Ifim Locid^ 
 wick Lord Barry, which title Goxe^t 
 ter iu his MS. has alfo beflowed on 
 him. This is htfwever polltively 
 denied by Whincop, p. yu Boc 
 let this be as it may, all- authors 
 agree that he was of an- ancient 
 and honourable family iif beland^ 
 that he flouriflied about the mid» 
 dlfc of K. James the fitfl's reigiii 
 and that he wrote one dramatut 
 piece, .'Atitled, 
 
 Ram Alley. C. 4t«>. i6io. D. Ci 
 
 Basker, Thomas. To a gen* 
 tieman of this name, Langbaine 
 informs us fome of theoldjcata^ 
 logues have attributed the being 
 author of - play printed with the 
 letters T. D. in the title page, and 
 called, , 
 
 The Bloody Batiqiut, Trag. 4tOw 
 1620. 
 
 Bate, Henry. An author yet 
 living, more celebrated for condudV- 
 ing a minifterial News-paper than 
 for his dramatic writings, and ftill 
 more for his duels than either. He i« 
 the fon of a clergyman who had a 
 living at or near Chelmsford in 
 Effex, and is himfelf in orders. 
 He is polFefled of fom« church preu 
 fermcnt, but where it is htuated ia 
 unknown. His dramatic works 
 are the following: 
 
 CI 
 
 1 . Henry and Emma, Interl. 8vo» 
 1774- 
 
 2. The Rival Candidates, Com. 
 Op. 8vo. 1775. 
 
 3. The Blackamoor Wajj'd White, 
 Com. Op. 8vo. 1776. 
 
 4. f/^ 
 
B E 
 
 r i^ } 
 
 
 B E 
 
 w i 
 
 !H!: 
 
 Iti ^ ! 
 
 4. TJje Flitch of Bacon, C. O. 
 
 „ Ivot 1778. 
 
 Beaumont, Francis, and 
 John Fletcher. 
 
 . As thefe two gentlemen were^ 
 while living, the moft inviolable 
 frierds and infeparable compa- 
 nions ; as in their works alfo they 
 were united, the Oreltes and Py- 
 lades of the poetical v?orld ; it 
 would be a kind of injury done to 
 the Manes, of thtlr fritndfliip, 
 Ihould we here, after death, fepa- 
 rate thofe names which belore it 
 were found tpr ?ver joii;yed. For 
 this reafon we ih-dll, under this 
 £ngle article, deliver what we have 
 been able to colled concerning 
 both, yet, for. the fake of order, it 
 will be proper fi-rft to t^ke Tome 
 notice of thofe, particulars which 
 feparately relate to each. Firll 
 then, as his name ilands at the 
 head of this article, we will begiri 
 with .. C -Sv! 
 
 Francis BEAU^1o.vT. This 
 gqntleaian was defcendcd Irom a 
 very ancient family of that name, 
 feated at Grace Dicu in Leicciler- 
 Ihire, His grand-father, John 
 Beaumont, had been mailer of the 
 Rolls, and his father, Ficincis I'sau- 
 niont, one of the Judges 01 the 
 Court of Common I'leas. Nor 
 was his defcent leis honourable on 
 the hdeof his mofher, whofe name 
 was Anne, the daughter of George 
 Pierrepoint of Home Pierrepoiiit 
 in the county of Ncttmgham, Elt]; 
 and of the iame family trom which 
 the prefent Duke of KingUon de- 
 rives his ancellry. 
 
 Our poet however appears to 
 have been only a younger fo;i, 
 Jacob mentioning a brother of his 
 
 .by the title of Sir Henry Beau- 
 mont, though Gibber with moie 
 propriety in his Liirs of the J'oe/.y, 
 vol. I. p. 157. calls him Sir John 
 Beaujnont. He was born in the 
 jear 1525, and retcived his edu- 
 
 cation at Cambridge, birt fit 
 what College is a point which we 
 have not been able to trace. He 
 afierwards was entered a Hudent 
 in the Inner Temple. It is not 
 however apparent that he made' 
 any great proficiency In the law, 
 that being a lUidy probably too 
 dry and unentertaining to be at- 
 tended to by a man of his fertile 
 and fprightly genius. And in- 
 deed, we fliould fcarcely be fur- 
 prifed to find that he had given no 
 application to any (luiiy but poe- 
 try,, nor attended on any court but 
 that of the Mufts ; but on the con- 
 trary Our admiration might fix it- 
 felf in the oppnfiic extreme, and 
 fill us with afloniflimcnt at the 
 grcatnefs of his genius and rapi- 
 dity of his pen, when we look 
 Back on the voiuminoufnefs of hisr 
 works, and then enquire into the 
 ,tlmc allowed him for them ; works 
 that might well have taken up a 
 long; life to have executeil. For 
 aliiiough, out of fifty-three plays 
 which are collefted together as 
 the labours of thefe united author?, 
 Mr. Beaumont was concerned in 
 much the gredtell part of them, 
 yet he did not live to complete his 
 thirtlith year, the king of terrors 
 fumraoning him away in the be- 
 ginning of March 1615, on the 
 9'.h day of which he was interred 
 in the entrance of St. Benedict's 
 chapel h: Weflrainfter-Abbey. He 
 left tiehind him only one daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. P"rances Beaumont, who 
 inuli then have been an infant, as 
 file died in Leicellerfliire fince the 
 year 1 7C0. She had been poficfi"- 
 • 1 of feveral MS. poems of her 
 tdihcr's writing, but the envious 
 Irilh feas, which robbed the world 
 of that invaluable treufure, the re- 
 maining part of Spenfei's Fairy 
 .'^iixn, deprived it alfo of theie 
 poems, which were loft in her 
 \0;age frogi Ireland, in which 
 ' kingdom 
 
B £ 
 
 C «7 3 
 
 fi £ 
 
 I kingdom (he had refided for Come 
 itime in the family of the duke of 
 )rmond. Let us now proceed to 
 >ur fecond author, 
 
 John Fletcher. This gentle- 
 lan was not more meanly de- 
 jcended than his poetical colleague; 
 iis father, the Rev. Dr. Fletcher, 
 laving been firtt made bilhop of 
 Srillol by queen Elizabeth, and 
 Lt'terwards by the fame monarch, 
 [in the year i 593, tranflated to the 
 rich and honourable fee of Lon- 
 Our poet was born in 1576, 
 
 ion. 
 
 land was, as well as his friend, 
 
 [educated at Cambridge, where he 
 
 'made a great proficiency in his 
 
 ihidies, and was accounted a very 
 
 [good fcholar. His natural viva- 
 
 'city of wit, for which he was re- 
 
 Imarkable, foon rendered him a de- 
 
 Ivotee to the Mufes ; and his clofe 
 
 1 attention to their fervice, and for- 
 
 f. lunate connet^ion with a genius 
 
 lequal to his own, foon raifed him 
 
 |to one of the highell places in the 
 
 4emple of poetical fame. As he 
 
 was born near ten years before Mr. 
 
 iBeaumont, fo did he alfo furvive 
 
 lim by an equal number of years ; 
 
 the general calamity of a plague, 
 
 /hich happened in the year 1625, 
 
 involving him in its great deflruc- 
 
 kion, he beirig at that time forty 
 
 line years of age. 
 
 During the joint lives of thefe 
 Iwo great poets, it appears that 
 ithey wrote nothing feparateiy, ex- 
 Icepting one little piece by each, 
 fwhich feemed of too trivial a na- 
 jture for cither to require afiiftance 
 [in, viz. fhc Faithful Sbcphcrckfs, a 
 IPalloral, by Fletcher; and TheMaf- 
 \que cf (jray's-hin Gentlemen, by 
 [iJcaumonr. Yet what (hare each 
 [had in the writing or defigning of 
 [the pieces thus compofed by them 
 jointly, there » no poifibility of 
 determining. It is however gene- 
 Irally allowed that Fletcher's pecu- 
 liar talent was I'.Ht; and Beaumojfit's, 
 V0..I. 
 
 though much the younger man, 
 judgment. Nay, fo extraordinary ; 
 was the latter property in Mr. - 
 Beaumont^ that it is recorded of ' 
 the great Ben Jonfon, who feems 
 moreover to have had a fufficient ,. 
 degree of felf«opinion of his owa 
 abilities, that he conftantly, fo long , 
 as this gentleman lived, fubmitted ) 
 his own writings to his cenfure, 
 and, as it is thought, availed him- 
 felf of his judgment at lead in the i 
 correcting, if not even in the coit- 
 triving all his plots. 
 
 It is probable therefore that the ; 
 forming the plots and contriving , 
 the conduft of the fable, the writ- 
 ing of more ferious and pathetic 
 parts, and lopping the redundant 
 branches of Fletcher's wit, whofe 
 luxuriance, we are told, frequently • 
 ftood in need of caftigation, might 
 be in general Beaumont's portion 
 in the work ; while Fletcher, whofe 
 converfation w'th the Beau Monde 
 (which indeed both of them from 
 their births and (latlons in lite had 
 been everaccuftomed to), added to 
 the volatile and lively turn he pof- 
 fefled, rendered him perfeftly ma- 
 fter of dialogue and polite lan- 
 guage, might execute the deligns 
 formed by the other, and raife the 
 fuperftruclurc of thofe lively and 
 fpirited fcencs which Beaumont 
 had only laid the foundation of; 
 and in this he was fo fucceisful, 
 that though his wit and raillery 
 were extremely keen and poignant, 
 yet they were at the fame time fo 
 perfeftly genteel, that they ufed 
 rather to pleafe than difguft the 
 very perfors on whom they feemed 
 to refleft. Ye^ that Fletcher was 
 not intirely excluded fiom a (have 
 in the conduft of the drama, may 
 be gathered from a llory related by 
 Winllanlcy, viz. that our two 
 bards having concerted the rough 
 draught of a tragedy over a boule 
 of wine at the tavern, Fletcher 
 
 C fuid, 
 

 ■•■•iJ''i 
 
 B E 
 
 t .18 1 
 
 B E 
 
 
 S 
 
 If "li^- 
 
 
 
 ;l-*i ''« '-' 
 
 faid, he would undertake to liH the 
 King ; which words being overheard 
 by the waiter, who had not hap- 
 pened tohave been wttnefs to the 
 context of their converfation, he 
 lodged an information of treafon 
 againft them. But on their ex- 
 planation of it only to mean the 
 deflru^ion of a theatrical monarch, 
 their loyalty moreover being un- 
 fjueftioncd, the affair ended in ajeft. 
 On the wholie, the works of 
 thefe authors have undoubtedly 
 very great merit, and iaxan of their 
 pieces defervedly Hand on the lilt 
 of the prefent ornamprts of the 
 theatre. The plots arc ingenious, 
 interefling and well managed, the 
 charafteri ftrongly marked, and 
 the dialogce fprjghtly and natural; 
 yet there is in the latter a coarfe- 
 Jiefs which is not fuitablr to the 
 poHtcnels of the prefL-nt :v^e, and 
 a fondnefs of repartee, which fre- 
 qucrtly runs into obfcenity, and 
 which we may fuppofc was the 
 vice of that time, fince even the 
 delicate Shaklpeare himlVlfi, rot 
 entirely free trom it. But as thefe 
 authors have more of that kind of 
 wit than the laft mentioned writer, 
 it is not to he 'i^ondered if their 
 works were, in the licentious rei^n 
 of Charles II. preteired to his. 
 Now, however, to the honour of 
 the prefent taile be it l(»o[cen, the 
 tiib'es are entirely tamed ; and 
 while Shiikfpeare's immortal works 
 are our cnnflant and daily fare, 
 thofe of Beaumont and Fletcher, 
 though delicate in fheir kind, n;t; 
 only occa<''^naiiy ferved op, and 
 even then great pains is ever taken 
 to clear them of that fumct^ which 
 the haut '^out Of their contempova- 
 ri'^s confidered as their fupremeil 
 re!i(h, but which the more unde- 
 praved tafte of ^vrj has been juft- 
 ly taught to look on as what it 
 really 1?, no more than a corrupted 
 and un>''hc!crome taim. 
 
 The pieces they have left be- 
 hind them are as follows : 
 
 1. The Womau Hater, C. 1607. 
 4to. 
 
 2. Mafque rf the Inner Temple arnt 
 Gray*s-Im. 1612.410. (By Beau- 
 mout). 
 
 3. T/je Knight of the Burning 
 Prftlc. C. 1613. 4to. 
 
 ^. Cupid* s Revenge. T. about 
 1615. 4to 
 
 5. Th^ scornful Lady, Q, lb 16. 
 4to. 
 
 6. T'^ A' '-• andtto King. T. C. 
 1619. ^ a. 
 
 7. TIh Maid*s Ti-ngedj. 16 ig. 
 410. 
 
 8. Tbinry and T'hcodoret, T. 
 1621. 4to. 
 
 9. Phl'afier. T. C. l65 = . 4to. 
 
 ' XO. The Faithful filjrphe>-diis. P. 
 
 N. D. 4to; (By FletchfO. 
 
 1 1 . The 7ivi) Niibk Kin/men, T. 
 C. r63«;. 410. 
 
 12. Toe Elder Brothtr. C. 1637. 
 4to- 
 
 13. Mohficur Thomas. C. 1638. 
 4to. 
 
 14. W^ttivithntd ]\Toney. C. 1 639. 
 4to. 
 
 15. RnUo. T. 1639. 4to. 
 
 1 6. Rule a U'lfc and have a W-fe. 
 C. 1640. 410. 
 
 17. TbcHight Walker. C. 1640. 
 4to. 
 
 The following 34 Plays were 
 firft publiflied together in Fo. 1 64.7. 
 
 18. The Mad Lover. T. C. 
 
 19. The Spnnijh Curale. C. 
 
 20. The Little Frc7ich Lavyty. C. 
 
 2 1 . The Crijiom of the Country, C. 
 ?.?.. The Noble Qaitlemau, T. C. 
 23. 7 he Captain. C. 
 
 2\. The Beggar* s Bujh. C. 
 
 25. "The Coxcomh. C. 
 
 26. The Falfe One. T. 
 
 27. The Chances. C. ' "' 
 a 8. The Loyal SubjeB. T. 
 
 29. The Ijaivs of Candy. T. C. 
 
 30. The Lover*s Prngrefs, T. C. 
 
 31. The ifiand Primeji, T. C. 
 
 32. Tbt 
 
 
B E 
 
 C '9 ] 
 
 B E 
 
 C. 
 
 32. r/jf Humorous Lieutenant. T. 
 
 T/'f Mr^ fahur, T. C. 
 
 'jy-r il/<»'</ it the Mill, C. 
 
 Tt;? Prophettfs. T. 
 
 Bonduca. T. 
 
 V^'ff ^'c^? Voyage, T. C. 
 
 r/Jir Double Marriage, T. C. 
 
 7"/^^ Pilgrim. C. 
 
 ilii.' JSTw/^-i^/ of Malta, T. 
 
 7"i6; WomarCi Prize, C. 
 
 Lrve's Cure. C. 
 
 ^"/'^ fl"<»«5/? iWa»'j Fortune. C. 
 
 The ^een of Corinth. T. C. 
 
 Womm pleafed. C. 
 
 46. ^ ^e./yr a M^a/-&. T. C. 
 
 47. /^/ fl/ jfeveral Weapons, C. 
 Valentiniau. T. 
 7"^* /"^z/r iWdzV flf/^^ 7/2». 
 
 33 
 
 34 
 
 35 
 36 
 
 37' 
 
 3«- 
 
 39- 
 40< 
 
 41. 
 42. 
 43- 
 44- 
 45 
 
 48 
 49. 
 T.C. 
 50. 
 
 52 
 
 T.C. 
 
 lume's Pilgrimage. 
 Four Plays in One. 
 The mid Goofc Chafe. C. 
 Fo. 1679. 
 
 53. The JVido'M. By Jonfon, 
 Fletcher, and Middleton, 410.1652. 
 
 54. The Jeweller of Amflerdam ; 
 or. The Hague By Fletcher, Field, 
 and Maffinger. N. P. 
 
 55. The Faithful Friend. C. N. P 
 56 A Right Woman. C. Both 
 
 by Beaumont and Fletcher, N. P. 
 
 57. Ihe Hflory rf Mador King 
 of Brittain. By Beaumontj N. P. 
 
 Beckingham, Charles. This 
 gentleman was the Ion of a linen- 
 draperin Fleet-ftrcer. Hewasedu- 
 cated at that great nurfery of learn- 
 ing Merchant-Taylor'sSchool, un- 
 der the learned Dr. Smith, where 
 he made a very great proficiency 
 in all his Hudies, and gave the 
 ilrongell teftimonials of very extra- 
 ordinary abilities. In poetry more 
 particularly he very early difco- 
 vered an uncommon genius, two 
 dramatic pieces of his writing be- 
 ing reprefented on the ftage before 
 he had well compleated his twen- 
 tieth year ; and thofe not fuch as 
 rec|aired the leall indulgence or aU 
 
 lowance on account of his yCiit« 
 but fuch as bore evidence to a 
 boldnefs of fentlment, an atcaracy 
 of diiSlion, aa ingenuity of con- 
 dudl, and a maturity of judgment, 
 which would have done honour to 
 a much more ripened age. The 
 titles of his Flays, both of which 
 were Tragedies, are, 
 
 I. Scipio Africanus. lamo. l/iS. 
 
 a. HearylV.qf'Fram:e,2vo,iy20, 
 
 At the reprefentation of the firft- 
 mentioned piece, his fchool-mailer 
 Dr. Smith, as a peculiar mark of" 
 diftindlion and regard to the merit 
 of his pupil, gave all his boys a 
 holiday on the afternoon oi the 
 author's benefit, in order to afford 
 an opportunity, to fuch of them as 
 pleafed, to pay their compliments 
 to their fchool-fellow on that oc- 
 cafion. 
 
 He was born in 1 695, and be- 
 fides thefe dramatic pieces wrote 
 feveral other potfnts ; but his gfe- 
 nius was not permitted any very 
 lon^ period to expand itfclf in; 
 for he died on the 1 8th of February, 
 1730, in the jad year of his age. 
 
 BEDLOB,Capt.WiLLiAM. This 
 perjured wretch, at the time he 
 lived, made himfelf better known 
 and more confidered oii account of 
 his adions than his writings, hav- 
 ing been a very principal asid ufe- 
 ful evidence in the difcovery of rha 
 Popifh plot in the reign of king 
 Charles il. The particulars of that 
 important event n-c-y be iecn by 
 looking into any of the Englifh 
 hillorians relating to that period; 
 an.) captain Redloe's life, which 
 coivaii.ea I'ttle extraordinary ex- 
 ci piing waat concerned the faid 
 plot, h..vii i> been written by an 
 unk iijwn hand, and poblilhed in 
 J 68 1 , iJvo. being the year after his- 
 death, we fhall refer ojr readers 
 to that work, and only procred to 
 the mention of one dramatic piece, 
 which he publifhed in his life- 
 
 C a time. 
 
Irfi,! 
 
 mm- 
 
 ! I 
 
 k- 1^ 
 
 
 
 1 ^J' 
 
 :::i^.:' 
 
 : 
 
 ^'vyi 
 
 i 
 t 
 
 1 liuw 
 
 1 
 
 V 1' 
 
 
 iiil 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 B E 
 
 C 20 1 
 
 B £ 
 
 time, altho'^gli never a£ted. Ii i? 
 
 entitled, 
 
 «■ Ti>c Excommun'icauJ Prince, Tr» 
 
 Fo. 1679. 
 
 The printer having, without the 
 author's knowledge, added a fecoaJ 
 title, and called it " The Popijh Plat 
 »' in a Play" greatly excited the 
 ©uriofity of the public, who were 
 however much difappointed when 
 they found the plan of the piece to 
 be founded on a quite different 
 ftory. Anth, a Wood, in his 
 Athena Oxmi. vol.ji. p. 884.. will 
 not allow the cafitain the nifirit of 
 this play; but aili^rts that it was 
 written partly, if not entitclv, by 
 one Tho. Walter, M.A. of Jefus 
 College, Oxford, 
 
 Mr. Macphei'fon j<i funpofed to 
 reprefent him very justly in fhe f^iN 
 lowing account ; -• He ro^'o fio"» ; 
 ** footboy, or common simner n 
 " meffages, into a livery fcrvant ui 
 *' the lord Bellafis. To the bafe- 
 *• nefs of his birth, he fiddeo th(» 
 *' lo\veft deprsivity of tlic irriud. 
 *' He was by nature a knave, ax A 
 *• ioUowed iniquity from inclina- 
 <« ticn, more than from profit, Ac- 
 '* live in his perfon, and a wan- 
 " derer uom difpofition, he was a 
 *-' kindol pnll: or letter carrier be- 
 ** yond fta ; and, in that fervile 
 *' condition, ise found an opjjnrtu- 
 ♦' nity 10 become rcquainted with 
 •* the name? , and « he more obvious 
 *' concerns, cf people of note on 
 •' the continent. He converted his 
 *• knowledge into the me. ns of 
 *' fliarpir.g. He went under fnlfe 
 ** names; he borrowed money by 
 *' fraud ; he forged recommenda- 
 ** tions; he perfonited men of fi- 
 *' gure. Under the character of an 
 *' Englifliman of rank, he traverfed 
 *• Italy ; he palled through France; 
 ** he travelled to Spain ;— marking 
 " his way with frauds, cheatry, 
 *' robbery, and lyes. Habituated 
 " to puniihmentsy and fcafoned to 
 
 " prifons, he became hardened a- 
 " gainft ,he animadverfions of the 
 " law ; ami though he fed, half his 
 " time, wirh common felons, out 
 *' of the alms-balket, he was always 
 '« prepared for any wickediiefs that 
 " prninifed temjjorary profit." 
 
 He died at E.iilol, Augufl: co, 
 i68o. 
 
 Be UN, Aphara, or Aphra, 
 Some kind of difpute has arifen in 
 regard- to this lady s chriftian name., 
 in CO ifcquenteof Langbaint's hav^ 
 i.ng attributed that of Aiirsca 'O her 
 as a real nam<', which ',^'as indeed 
 no more than a poetical or^", by 
 which (he was known and adilveflcd 
 by her contemporaries. She was r 
 jijcntlewoman by bl>th, bein;^:^ de- 
 fcended from a vety good famil}% 
 whofe refidence was in the city of 
 Canterbury. She was born fome 
 tiin« in Charges I's reign, but in 
 \;'h:''i year is wncertain. Her fa- 
 ther's liCiinc was Johnfon, who, 
 O.vMjgh the intereft of the lord 
 'iVilioiighby, to whom he was re- 
 laicd, being appointed lieutenant- 
 y;eneral of Surinam, :ind fix and 
 shiny iflands, undertook a journey 
 to the Wefl-Indies, taking with him 
 his whole family, among whom was 
 ourpoetefs, at that time very young. 
 R4r. Johnfon died in the voyage ; 
 but his family reaching Surinam, 
 fettled there for fom.e years. 
 
 Here it was that flie learned the 
 Hiiloryof, and acquired a perfonal 
 intimacy with, the American Prince 
 Orwnoko^ and his beloved hnoindat 
 vviofe adventures (he has herfelf fo 
 p.tthctically related in her cele- 
 brated Novel of that name, and 
 which Mr. Southerne afterwards 
 made fuch an admirable ufe of in 
 making it the ground-work of one 
 of the beft Tragedies in the Englifli 
 language. Her intimacy with this 
 prince, and the intereil (he took in 
 his concerns, added to her own 
 youth and beauty, afforded an op- 
 portunity 
 
B E 
 
 C " I 
 
 6 E 
 
 portunity to the ill-natured and ccn- 
 forious to accufe her of a nearer 
 connection with him than that of 
 friendfhip. This, however, a lady 
 of her acquaintance, who has pre- 
 fixetl fume Memoirs of her Life to 
 an Cfliticn of hfs Novels, takes great 
 rains, and I think very much to the 
 rurpofc, 'o acnuii her of. 
 
 On her reuui to London, (he 
 biv-^ne ihc wuc « t one Mr. Behn, 
 a merchant, rciiuing in that city, 
 biit of Dutch -extrafVion. How 
 long he lived after their marriage, 
 is not very appixrent, probably not 
 very lonr; s i ^r hei ivit and abilities 
 having brou::;ht her into high efti- 
 riiuion at courr, king Charles IL 
 fixed o i ler as a proper perfon to 
 t .-nfiirt fume affairs of importance 
 II broad during the courfe of the 
 Dutch war. To this purpofe Ihe 
 went over to Antwerp, where, by 
 her intrigues and gallantries, (he (o 
 far crept into the iecrets of ftate, as 
 to ani'wer the ends propofed by 
 fending her over. Nay, in the 
 latter end of i665, (he, by means 
 of the influence (he had over 
 one Vander Albert, a Dutchman 
 of eminence, whole heart was 
 warmly attached to her, worm- 
 ed out of him the de(ign formed by 
 Do Ruyter, in conjuniTtion with the 
 family of the De Wits, of failing 
 up the Thames, and burning the 
 Engli(h (liips in their harbours, 
 which they afterwards put in exe- 
 cution at Rochefter. This (he im- 
 mediately communicated to the 
 Englilh court ; but though the event 
 .proved her inielligence to be well 
 grounded, yet it was at that time 
 only laughed at, which together, 
 probably, with no great inclination 
 (hewn to reward her for the pains 
 (he had been at, determined her to 
 drop all farther thoughts of politi- 
 cal affairs, and during the remain- 
 der of her Itay at Antwerp, to give 
 herfelf up entirely to the gaiety and 
 
 gallantries of the place. Vande» 
 Albert continued his addrefles, and 
 after having made fome unfuccefs- 
 ful attempts to obtain the poflefTion 
 of her perfon on cafier terms than 
 matrimony, at length confented to 
 make her his wife: but while he 
 was preparing at Amfterdam for a 
 journey to England with that in- 
 tent, a fever carried him oti^ and 
 left her free from any amorous en- 
 gagements. She was alfo ftrongly 
 folicited by a very old man, of the 
 name of Van Bruin, at whofe ex- 
 pence (he diverted herfelf for a time, 
 and then rejeCled him with that ri- 
 dicule which his abfurd addreffes 
 jullly merited. 
 
 In her voyage back to Enghnd, 
 flic was very n'ear being loll, the 
 velTel (lie was in being driven on the 
 coaft by a ftorm ; but^happening to 
 founder within fight of land, the 
 palTengers were, by the timely af- 
 liftance of boats from the (hore, all 
 fortunately preferved. 
 
 From this pe: 'od (lie devoted her 
 life entirely to pleafure and the 
 Mufes. Her works are extremely 
 numerous, and all of them have a 
 lively and amorous turn. It. is no 
 wonder then that her wit (hould gain 
 her the efteem of Mr. Dryden, 
 Southerne, and other men of ge- 
 nius ; as her beauty, of which in her 
 younger part of life (he poirefled a 
 great (hare, did the love of thofe of 
 gallantry. Nor does (lie appear to 
 have been any llrangcr to the deli- 
 cate fenfalions of that paflion, as 
 appears from fome of her letters to 
 a gentleman, with whom (he cor- 
 refponded under the name of Ly- 
 cidas, and who feems not to have 
 returned her flame with equal ar- 
 dour, or received it with that rap- 
 ture her charms might well have 
 been expet^^ed to command. 
 
 Her wprks, as I have before 
 obferved, vyere very numerous, con- 
 fining of riays, Novels, Poems, Let- 
 C 3 tcrs. 
 
B £ 
 
 t " 1 
 
 B E 
 
 !•' !' 
 
 i>"f 'i 
 
 \ . ^ 
 
 teri, tec. But as our prefent de- 
 *fign only authorizes our taking 
 AOtice of her dramatic pieces, we 
 Aiall hereto fubjoin a lift of them, 
 amounting to feventeen in num- 
 i>er, viz. 
 
 1. Forced Marriage . T. C. 410. 
 1671. 
 
 2. The Amoroui Prince. C. 4to. 
 • 1671. 
 
 3. The Dutch Lover, C. 410. 
 J673. 
 
 4. Abaelazar. T. 4to. 1677. 
 
 5. The Town Flip. C. 410. 1677. 
 6* The Hover. C. Fare I. 4C0. 
 
 1677. 
 
 7. Sir Fatient Fancy. C. 4to. 
 1678. 
 
 8 . The Feigned Courtezans. C . 4to . 
 1679. 
 
 9. The Rover, C. Part II. 410. 
 1681, 
 
 10. The City Heire/i, C. 4to. 
 
 11. The Falfe Count. C. 410. 
 1682. 
 
 \2. The Roundheads. C. 410. 
 1682. 
 ■ 13. Tfie Toung King, T. C. 410. 
 
 14. The Lucky Chance. C. 4to. 
 1687. 
 
 I j'. The Emperor of the Moon. F. 
 4to. 1687. 
 
 16. J^he Widow Ranter. C. 410. 
 1690. 
 
 17. The Tounger Brother. C. 410. 
 1696. 
 
 It will appear by this catalogue 
 that the turn of her genius was 
 chiefly to comedy. As to the cha- 
 rafter her plays HiouJd maintain 
 in the records of dramatic hiitory, 
 it will be difficult to determine, 
 fince their faults and perfeiftions 
 iland in ftrong oppofition to each 
 ether. In all, even the molt in- 
 difierent of her pieces, mere are 
 ilrong marks of genius and under- 
 flanding. Her plots are full of 
 bufiuefs and ingenuity; and her 
 
 dialogue fparkles with the dazzling 
 luftre of genuine wit» which every 
 where glitters amone it. But then 
 Hie has been accufed, and that not 
 without gre:it juIHce, of interlard- 
 ing her cometiii^s with the moil 
 inv.ccent fceneo, and giving an in- 
 dulgence in her wit to the moft 
 indelicate exprcfli(>ns. To this ac- 
 cufation (he has herfelf made feme 
 reply in the Preface to the Lucky 
 Chance; but the retorting the 
 charge of prudery and precifenefs 
 on her accufers is far from being 
 a fuflicient exculpation of herfelf. 
 The belt, and perhaps the only 
 true <•v^;ufe that can be maf'.c for it 
 is, that although (he might herfelf 
 havr as g: eat an averfion as any 
 one to looie fcenes or too warm de- 
 fcriptions, yet, as (he wrote for a 
 livelihood flie was obliged to com- 
 ply with the corrupt tafte of the 
 times. And, as (he was a woman, 
 and naturally, moreover, of an 
 amorous complexion, and wrote in 
 an age and to a court of gallantry 
 and licentioufnefs, the latter cir- 
 cumflances, added to her neceili- 
 ties, compelled her to indulge her 
 audience in their favourite depra- 
 vity, and the former, alTifted by a 
 rapid flow of wit and vivacity, en- 
 abled her fo to do ; fo that both 
 together have given her plays the 
 loofe call which it is but too appa- 
 rent they polfefs. 
 
 Her own private character I (hall 
 give to my readers in the words of 
 one of her own female companions, 
 who, in the memoirs before- men-* 
 tioned, prefixed to her novels, 
 fpoke of her thus : *' She was," 
 fays this lady, •* of a gene^c is, hu- 
 ** mane difpofition, fomething paf- 
 '* fionate, very ferviceable to her 
 *' friends in all that was in her 
 ** power, and could fooner forgive 
 " an injury than do one. She had 
 *< wit, humour, good-nature, and 
 "judgment: ihe was miltrefs of 
 
 ♦♦all 
 
 1^ 
 
 If:: 
 
B E 
 
 r 23 1 
 
 BE 
 
 arader I (hall 
 the words of 
 
 ** all the pleafing arts of converra- 
 *' tion : flic was a woman of fenfe, 
 '• and confequently a lover of 
 *' pleafure. For my part, I knew 
 '♦her intimately, and never faw 
 ** aught unbecoming the jull mo- 
 ♦♦ deity ot our fex ; though more 
 «' gay and free than the folly of 
 •* the precif? will allow." 
 
 After a life intermingled with 
 nuirierous difappointments, which, 
 as Mr. Gildon jullly obfcrves, a 
 woman of her fenfe and merit 
 ought never to have met with, and 
 in the clofc of a long indifpofition, 
 Mrs. Behn departed from this 
 world on the i6th of April 1689, 
 and lies interred in the cloyfters of 
 Weftminllcr-Abbey, under a blue 
 marble-llone, againd the firft pil- 
 lar in the eafl: ambulatory, with the 
 following infcription : ^ 
 
 Mrs. Aphra Behn. ; .. 
 died April the i6ih, <■ 
 1689, 
 Here lies a proof that imt can never it 
 Defence enmgh aj^aitiji murtality. 
 Revived byTho.Waine, in refpcft 
 to fo bright a genius. 
 
 Belchier, Dawbridge- 
 couRT. This <i;entlemHn was the 
 elde(b fon of Wiiiiam Belchier, of 
 Gillclborough in Northampton* 
 fhire, £fq. He wa'i firH entered 
 of Corpus ChrilH College, Cam- 
 ^.ridge, on March 2, 1597 ; and 
 afterwards of Chrift Church, Ox- 
 ford, where he took the degree 
 'of batchclor of arts, Feb. 6, 1600, 
 feme years after which he went 
 into the United Provinces, and fet- 
 tled at Utrecht, where he wrote, 
 or, as Coxeter terms it, tranflated 
 into Englifh (from the Dutch, I 
 luppole) one dramatic piece, called, 
 
 Jtiaui BecT Fo:'i luvjible Comeijy, 
 4to. 1618. 
 
 Phillips and Winflanley, how- 
 ever, among the numerous mif- 
 takcs they are guilty of, have ac- 
 
 tributed this pl«cc to Thomai 
 
 Nalh. 
 
 Mr. Belchier died, in the Low 
 Countries, in 162 1. 
 
 Bellamy, Daniel, fen. snd 
 jun. Thefe gentlemen are father 
 and fon. The father, as we artt 
 informed in the title ;page V3 their 
 works, was fome 'ime mice of St. 
 John's College, Oxford, and the 
 fon of Trinity College, Cam- 
 abridge. They are anthors in con- 
 jundlion, and in the year 1746 
 publilhed a collei5lion of mifcel- 
 lanies in profe and verfe, in two 
 vol. i2mo. in which, among other 
 
 Eieces, are fome which had before 
 een printed by the father. The 
 names of the feveral pieces are as 
 follows : 
 
 1 . lnuocence betrayed, 
 
 2. LanguiJJjing Lover, 
 
 3 Love Triumphant, I2nx0« 
 1722. 
 
 4. Perjured Devotee, 
 
 5. Rival Nymphs* 
 
 6. Eival Priffts, 
 
 7. Faiiqw/hed Love. And 
 
 8. Three feleft fcenes of Gua- 
 riui*s Pa/Ior Fido. 
 
 All thefe little pieces (the od 
 and 8th only excepted) were ex- 
 prefsly written to be performed by 
 the young ladies of Mrs. Bellamy's 
 boarding-fchool at Chelfea, at the 
 dated periods of breaking-up for 
 the holidays, for the improvement 
 of themfelves, and the amufement 
 of their parents and friends. They 
 are well adapted to the purpofe, 
 being (hort and concife, the plots 
 fimple and familiar, and the lan- 
 guage, though not remarttably 
 poetical, nor adorned with at»y 
 very extraordinary beauty, yet, on 
 the whole, f:ir from contemptible. 
 They are calculated for (hewing 
 the peculiar talents of the young 
 ladies, who were to appear in 
 them; and to fet fvrth the im- 
 
 C 4 provemenu 
 

 i I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 ■ ) 
 
 
 B E 
 
 i '4 ) 
 
 B E 
 
 ■ iiif 
 
 
 provemrnts they bad acquired in 
 thfir education, efbeciaUy in n)u< 
 itc, to which end (oneo iire pretty 
 lavilhly difperfed through them 
 all. In a word, the defign on the 
 D^hole is laudable ; and it were to 
 be wiflied that an example of this 
 fort were to be followed in more 
 of the feminaries of education both 
 male and female, as thefe kinds of 
 public exhibitions conlUntly ex- 
 cite a degree of emulation which 
 awakens talents that might other- 
 wife have lain entirely buried in 
 obfcurity, and routes to a greater 
 degree of exertion thofe which 
 have already been difcovered. 
 
 Bellers, Fettipl \ce. Of 
 this gentleman I can give no ac- 
 count, except that he was the au- 
 thor of " A Delineation of Uni- 
 verfal Law." 4to. *' The Ends of 
 Society." 4to. 1759, and one play, 
 called. 
 
 Injured Innocence. T. 1732, 8vo. 
 
 Belon, Peter. Of this author 
 no account is tranfmitted to us. 
 lie was living in 1690 when 
 Langbaine publiihed and VrOte 
 one play, called, 
 
 The Mock Duellifii or, The 
 Jprench Vallet. 410 167c. 
 
 Bennet, Philip, Efq. Who 
 this gentleman was I know not. 
 His name, however Hands as the 
 author of one piece, entitled, 
 
 The Beau*$ Jdventura, Farce. 
 8vo. 1733. 
 
 Bentley, Thomas. This gen- 
 tleman, who is now living, is the 
 fon of the late we!l-knoWn Dr. 
 Bentley, the great critic. The 
 prefent author is poffelled of con- 
 fiderable literary abilities ; yet the 
 turn of his genius ieems not great- 
 ly adapted to dramatic writings, 
 by the fpecimen he has given of 
 them in a piece which made its 
 appearance at Drury Lane Theia- 
 tre in the fummer of i76i» It 
 was entitled. 
 
 \.p>tlPybts, Com. N. P. 
 
 It is attempted to be written af- 
 ter the manner of the Italian co- 
 medy ; but thoug'h the author haj 
 (hewn great knowledge of the 
 world, an accuracy of judgment, 
 and in fome pafTatres of it a llrong 
 poignancy of fatire, yet on the 
 whole It is deficient in that no- 
 velty of plot, variety of incident, 
 and vivacity of wit, which are ef- 
 fential to the very exiftence of 
 comedy. In (hort, the author has 
 written more tike a man of learn- 
 ing than genius, more to the clo- 
 fet than the iiage. It will hot; 
 therefore perhaps be regretted if 
 he fhould for the future employ 
 that learning he is mailer of for 
 the emolument of the public on 
 fubjefts of -more importance, artd 
 quit the arduous, yet Itfs valuable 
 talent of amufing, for the more 
 ufeful one of inflniCling. 
 
 2, Philoifatnus, 'V. \10, "jSj, 
 Bernard, Richard. i\& to 
 
 the particulars of this gentleman's 
 life, none have been handed down 
 to us, farther th. n that he flourifh- 
 ed in the reign of Queen Eliziai- 
 beth, and that he lived at Epwonh 
 in Lincolnfhire. in his literat'y 
 capacity only therefore we can 
 fpe^^k of him, in which light we 
 at-e to confider him as the firft per- 
 fon who gave this kingdom an en- 
 tire tranflation of Terence's Co- 
 ftiedies. To the learned it would 
 be needlefs to repeat their names, 
 but for the fake of our fair readers, 
 and .others uho may not be fo well 
 acquainted with the Latin clafTic^, 
 it may not be improper to inforiri 
 them that they were fix in nunl- 
 ber, and their titles as follows, ' 
 
 I. AMbb'u 
 1, Amria, 
 
 3, Eunmhus, 
 
 4, Hcautontimorumenos, 
 
 5, Hccyra. 
 
 6, Phoanio, 410. 1598^ 
 
 Irir» 
 
 
B E 
 
 t »5 1 
 
 ^ e 
 
 n his literacy 
 eforc we can 
 
 Mr. Bernard has not, however, 
 contented himfelt with giving a 
 bare tranflation of thefe fix yhyt, 
 but has alfo fclc6lcd fcparately and 
 diftinftly, in each fcfiie, all the 
 moll remarkable forms of fpeech, 
 theie3 and moral fentences, after 
 the fame manner as had been done 
 before him in an old French tranf- 
 lation of the fame author, printed 
 at Pari? in 1^74. Thefe little ex- 
 trafts are extremely ijfeful and en- 
 tertaining, and may not only be 
 rendered ferviceable to boys at 
 fchool in the more immediate un- 
 derftanding of the author, but are 
 alfo of great afliftance to thofe 
 who read him with a more claflical 
 view, in the pointing out, and ifix- 
 ing on the memory fome of the 
 mod beautiful pall'ages, or fuch as 
 from the importance of the fenti- 
 xnent, or the peculiar arrangement 
 of tlie phrafeology, may oe the 
 moll dellrable to remember. 
 
 Betterton, Thomas. Though 
 in purfuance of the defign of this 
 work we can infert no names but 
 thofe of dr.imatic writers^ yet the 
 gentleman who now comes i^i^der 
 our confideration requires our 
 ifpeaking of him not in that light 
 only, biit alfo as an a£lor, and that 
 perhaps as the moft capital one 
 that this or any other country has 
 ever produced. He was born in 
 Tothill-Streer, Wellminfter, in the 
 year 1638, his father being at that 
 time under-cook to K. Charles I. 
 He received the iirll rudiments of 
 a genteel education, and fhevved 
 fuch a propenfity to literature, that 
 it was for fome time the intention 
 of his family to have brought him 
 up to one of the liberal profefllons. 
 But this defign the confufion and 
 violence of the enfuing times di- 
 verted them from, or probably put 
 it out of their power to accom- 
 plifh. His fondnefs for reading;, 
 hovyevef} induced him to'requell 
 
 pf his psrents that they wou^^ bta| 
 him apprentice to a boo...c:ller| 
 which was readily complied with« 
 fixing on one Mr, Rhodes, ne^g 
 Charing-Crofs, for his maftcr. 
 
 This gentleman, who had been 
 ward robe- keener to the Theatre in 
 Black-Friurs oefore the trouble*, 
 obtained a licence in 1659, from 
 the power) then in being, to fet 
 up a company of players in the 
 Cock-pit in Drury-Lane, in which 
 company Mr. Betterton entered 
 himlelf, and though not much 
 above twenty years of age, imme« 
 diately gave proof of the moll ca- 
 pital 'genius and merit, and ac- 
 quired the highelt applaufe in the 
 \oj;al KJuhjeSiy the IVild Goofe Chace^ 
 the Spanij!} Curate, and feveral other 
 plays of Beaumont and Fletcher, 
 which were then the pieces mofl in 
 vogue. 
 
 Prefcntly after the refloration, 
 two diftinft Theatres were efta- 
 blifhed by royal authority, the one 
 in Drury-Lane, in confequence of 
 a p^ent granted to Henry Killi- 
 grew, Efq; which was called the 
 King's ' company : the other in 
 Lincoln's -Inn-Fields, who fliled 
 themfelves the duke of York's fer- 
 vants, the patentee of which was 
 the ingenious Sir William Dave- 
 nant; which lall-mentioned gen- 
 tleman engaged Mr. Betterton, 
 and all who had a£led under Mr. 
 Rhodes, into his company, which 
 opened in 1663, with a new play 
 of Sir William's, in two parta, call- 
 ed the Siege of Rhodes, 
 
 In this piece, as well as in the 
 fubfequent characters which Mr. 
 Betterton performed, he increafed 
 his reputation and efteem with the 
 public, and indeed became fo much 
 in favour with King Charles H. 
 that one of his biographers afTerts 
 (fee CMer's Lives of the FoetSy 
 vol. ni. p. 157.) that by hij Ma- 
 jeAy's efpecial command he went 
 
 •ver 
 

 N: 
 
 
 M : i 
 
 B B 
 
 I ,6 ] 
 
 B E 
 
 *©Ter to Paris, to take a view or the 
 French ftage, that he might the 
 better judge what would contri- 
 bute to the improvement of our 
 owiii and even goes To far as to 
 £ay, that he was the firfl wlio in- 
 troduced moving fcenes on the 
 £ugli<h llage, the honour of which, 
 however, the other writers have 
 given to Sir William himfelf. 
 
 In the year 1670, he married 
 one Mrs. S.-undcrfon, a female per- 
 former on the fame llage, who, both 
 at an aiftrefs and a woman, was 
 every thing that human perfedliun 
 was capable of arriving at, and 
 with whom he, through the whole 
 courfe 01' his remaining life, pof- 
 fefled every degree vi happintfs 
 that a perfed union of hearts can 
 belle w. 
 
 When the Duke's company re- 
 moved to Dorfct Gardens, he con- 
 tinued with them; and on the coa- 
 lition of the two companies in 
 1684, he fliil remained among 
 them j Mrs. Bettertun maintaining 
 the fame foremoil figure among the 
 women, that her hulband fupport- 
 cd among the male performers. 
 And fo great was the eflimation 
 they were both held in, that in the 
 year 1675, v^hen a paitoral, called 
 Caljfto, or the Cbajic N'pnfh, writ- 
 ten by Mr. Crown, at the dt'fire 
 of Queen Catherine, confcrt to 
 Charles II. was to be performed at 
 court by perfons of the grcatcll 
 diftinftion, our Engliih Rofcius 
 was employed to inrtrudl the gtn- 
 llemen, and Mrs. Bettcrton ho- 
 noured with the tutorii^;' f^^ the 
 ladies, among whom wvic rhe iv.o 
 princefles Mary and Anne, daugh- 
 ters of the Duke of Yoik, botli of 
 whom afterwards fucceedcd to ilie 
 Crown of thcfe re;ilii>s. In {naie- 
 lul remcmbranceof which, the lat- 
 ter of them, when Quctn, iettled 
 a penfion of ;£' 100 per annum on 
 her old iailrudtreis. 
 
 In 169c, Mr. Betterton, htvinff 
 founded the inclinations of a fcleCt 
 number of the a£lors whom he 
 found ready to join with him, ob- 
 tained, through the influence of 
 the Earl of Dorfet, the royal li- 
 cence for adling in a feparate 
 Theatre; and was very foon en- 
 abled, by the voluntary fubfcrip- 
 tions of many perfons of quality, 
 to ere£l a new play-houfe within 
 the walls of the Tennis Court in 
 Lincolii's-Inn-Fields. 
 
 To this Hep Mr. Betterton was 
 probably induced by two di(lin*!il 
 motives. '1 he firfi was the ill 
 treatment he received from the 
 managers, who, exerting a defpo- 
 tic authority over their performers, 
 which he thought it his duty to 
 remonftrate againll, began to grow 
 jealous of his power; and there- 
 fore, with a hope of abating hii> in- 
 fluence, gave away fome of his 
 capital parts to young and iiifuf- 
 ficient performers. This condufl 
 however had the direft contrary 
 eil'cfl to that which they expelled 
 from it, by attaching to Mr. Bet- 
 terton all the bed players (who be- 
 came apprehenfive of meeting with 
 the fame treatment themfelves), 
 and at the fame time exafperatine; 
 the town, which would not fubmit 
 to be didated to in its diverfions, or 
 ]>ave its moll tational amufementa 
 liamped by bungling and imper- 
 icSi perforn>ances, when it was 
 apparently in thv power of the 
 uianagers to give them in the 
 greateft height of perfedlion. 
 
 The other motive probably was 
 a pecuniary one, with a view to 
 repair, by the more enlarged pro- 
 fits of a manager, the lois of his 
 whule fortune (upwards of two 
 thoufand pounds) - which he had 
 fufFered in the year K92, by ad- 
 venturing it in a tomir.erci.il 
 icheoiP to the Eall- Indies. 
 
 Be 
 
B E 
 
 r «7 1 
 
 B B 
 
 ^!! l*'-.< however «J i' will, the 
 ni, . theatre opened in I ()95, with 
 Mr. Con^jrevt'i Love fur Love, the 
 (ucceft of which was amazingly 
 great. Yet in a few years it ap- 
 peared that the profits arifin| from 
 tills theatre were very inlignifi- 
 cant; and Mr. lietterton growing 
 now into the infirmities of age, 
 and labouring under violent at- 
 tacks of the gout, he gladly quitted 
 at once the fangucs of manage- 
 ment, and the hurry of the itage. 
 
 The public, however, who re- 
 tained a grateful fenfe of the plea- 
 fure they had frequently received 
 from this theatrical veteran, and 
 I'cnfible of the narrownefs of his 
 circuinllances, refolved to continue 
 the marks of their efleem to him, 
 by giving him a beneiit. On the 
 7 th of April 1709, the comedy of 
 Love for Lmie was performed for 
 that purpofe, in which this gen- 
 tleman himielf, though then up- 
 wards of feventy yeari of a^e, 
 a«^ed the youthful part of Valen- 
 tine ; as in the Sepcmber follow- 
 ing he did that of Hamlet, his 
 performance of which the author 
 of the Tatter has taken a particu- 
 lar notice of. On the former oc- 
 cafion, thofe very eminent per- 
 formers Mrs. Barry and Mrs. 
 Bracegirdle, who had quitted the 
 ftage fome years before, in grati- 
 tude to one whom they had had fo 
 many obligations to, a£ted the 
 parts of Angelica and Mrs. Frail ; 
 and Mr. Rowe wrote an epilogue 
 for that night, which was fpoken 
 by Mrs. Barry, who with Mrs. 
 Bracegirdle fupported between 
 them this once powerful prop of 
 the Englilh ftuge. 
 
 The profits of this night are iaid 
 to have amounted to upwards of 
 £ 500, the prices having been 
 raifed to the fame that the operas 
 and oratorios are at prefent, and 
 when the curtain drew up almolt 
 
 as Inrge an audience appearing bft> 
 hind as before it. 
 
 The next winter, Mr. Betterton : 
 was prevailed on by Mr. Ow*n 
 M'Swinney, then manager of the 
 Opera-houfc in the Maymarket (9c 
 which pLys were adted four times 
 a week) to continue performing* 
 though but feldom. In conie- 
 quence of which, in. the enfuing 
 Ipring, viz. on the 2;th of Apru 
 17 10, another play was given out 
 for this gentleman's benefit, viz. 
 the Maid's Tra'^etfy of Beaumont 
 and Fletcher, in which he bimfelf 
 performed his celebrated part of 
 Melantius. This however was tH* 
 laft time he was to appear on the 
 ftage. For having been fuddenly 
 feized with the gout, and beine 
 impatient at the thoughts of diU 
 appointing hi.s friends, he made 
 ufe of outward applications to re- 
 duce the fwellings of hia feet, 
 which enabled him to walk on the 
 llage, thout;h obliged to have hia 
 foot in a flipper. Kut although he 
 aded that day with unufual fpiric 
 and brifknef^, and met with uni- 
 verfal applaufe, yet he paid very 
 dear for this tribute he nad pafd 
 to the public; for the fomenta- 
 tions he had made ufe of occji- 
 fioning a revulfion of the gout/ 
 hunuiur to the nobler parts, threw 
 the diAemper up into his head* 
 and terminated his life on the 
 28th of that month. On the 2d 
 of May, his body was interred 
 with much ceremony in the cloy- 
 fter of Weftmin(ler, and great ho- 
 nour paid to his memory by hia 
 friend the Tatler, who has related 
 lA a very pathetic, and at the fame 
 time the moil dignified manner, 
 tbs procefs of the ceremonial. 
 
 The dramatic pieces he left be- 
 hind him are as follows: 
 
 I. The Roman Firgia; or, U»jufi 
 ^»dge. T, 4to. 1679. 
 
 2. Tht 
 

 i 
 
 iv ^ 
 
 \-'.VH 
 
 
 UU\ 
 
 ' ! 
 
 B I 
 
 f «8 3 
 
 B t 
 
 i. The Revenge ; or, A Match in 
 Uenxigate. C. 4(0. 1 680. 
 
 3. 7hefroJ>bctffii ot. The Hi/lorj) 
 ^D'niclffian. O. 4to. i6go. 
 
 4. King Henry the Fourth, with 
 the Humours of Sir 'John Falftaff. 
 T. C 4to. 1 700. 
 
 e. Tie Amorous Widow ; or, T/je 
 Wanton Wife. C. 410. 1 706. 
 
 6. Sequel ofHe/iry the Fourth, ivo, 
 N. D. [1719]. 
 
 7. 9 he Bondftan; or, Love and 
 Lihrty. T. C. 8vo. 17.19. 
 
 8. TheWomanmadeaJuJiice. C. 
 
 N.P. 
 
 Of the'^ I have not much more 
 to fay, than that thofe which are 
 properly his own are not devoid of 
 merit, and thofe which he has only 
 altered have received an advan- 
 tage from his amendment. In 
 both, however, he has preferved 
 one degree of perfeftion, which is 
 of great confcquence to the fuc- 
 cefs of any dramatic piece, viz. an 
 exaft diipofition of the fcenes, and 
 the prefervation of a juft length, 
 abfolute propriety, and natural 
 Conne£llons. 
 
 As an adlor, he was certainly 
 one of the grcateil of either his 
 own or any other age, but to enter 
 into particular details in that re- 
 fpe£l would only take up the time 
 of our readers unneceflarily, and 
 fill up 3 greater portion of room 
 in this work than we have a right 
 to allot to any one article. I (h^U 
 therefore refer tliofe who are de- 
 firons of having him painted out 
 in the moft lively colours to their 
 imagination, to the defcription gi- 
 ven of him by his contemporary 
 Mr. Colley Gibber, in the Apology 
 for his own Life. And as a man, 
 it is fcarcely poffjble to fay more, 
 and it would be injuP.ice to fay 
 lefs of him, than that he was as 
 unblemiflied a pattern of private 
 and focial qualities, as he was a 
 perfeft model of theatrical aftion 
 and dramatic execution. 
 
 It was on the death of Mr. Bet- 
 terton that queen Anne fettled on 
 his widow the penfion I have taken 
 notice of above, which however 
 Ihe did not enjoy long, the grief 
 for the lofs of fo good a hufband, 
 with whom fhe lived forty yeiirs in 
 the utmoU harmony and afiedion, 
 wrought fo Itrongly on her deli- 
 cate frame, which was already en- 
 feebled by old age, and a long ll-Hte 
 of bad health, that it very foon 
 deprived her of her reafon, and at 
 the end of about half a year of her 
 life alfo. 
 
 BicjcERSTAFFE, Isaac. Ana- 
 tive of Ireland, and for fome time 
 one of the moll fuccefsful writers 
 for the ftage. He was formerly an 
 officer of marines, but left the 
 fervice with circumftances which 
 do not reflect credit on him as a 
 man. He is taid to be ftill living 
 at fome place abroad, to which 
 adecdvjiihout a name has banilhed 
 him, and where he exifts poor 
 and defpifed by all orders of peo- 
 ple. 
 
 He is the author of 
 
 1. Leucothoe. 1756. D. P. 8vo, 
 
 2. Thomas and ca/ly; or. The 
 Sailor* s Return. 1760. M. E. 8vo. 
 
 3. Liove in a Fillage. C 0. 1 762. 
 8vo. 
 
 4. T/m! Maid of the Mill. C. O. 
 1765. 8vo. 
 
 5. Daphne and Amlntor. C. O. 
 1705. 8vo. 
 
 6. The Plain Dealer. C. 1766. 
 8vo. 
 
 7. Love in the City. C. O. 1767. 
 8vo. 
 
 8. Lionel and Clarijfa. C. O, 
 
 1768. 8vo. 
 
 9. The Ahfent Man. F. 1 7 
 8vo. 
 
 10. The Padlock. C. O. 176S. 
 8vo. 
 
 11. The Hypocrite. C. 1768. 8vo. 
 1 3. The Efhefian A&itron. C. S, 
 
 1 769, 8 vo. 
 
 13. Dr, 
 
 ~:vi\ Mbil 
 
BL 
 
 [ *9 1 
 
 BL 
 
 ath of Mr. Bet- 
 \nne fettled on 
 on I have taken 
 which however 
 long, the grief 
 good a hufband, 
 ed forty years in 
 ly and aftedion, 
 fly on her deli- 
 was already en- 
 , and a long Hate 
 lat it very foon 
 r reafon, and at 
 alf a year of her 
 
 L, Isaac. A na- 
 nd for fome time 
 jccefsful writers 
 was formerly an 
 s, but left the 
 imdances which 
 :dit on him as a 
 to be ftill living 
 )road, to which 
 wr has baniftied 
 he exifts poor 
 11 orders of peo- 
 
 of 
 56. D. P. 8vo, 
 'h'aify ; or, Th 
 |6o. M. E. 8vo. 
 'age. C, 0.1762. 
 
 tbc Mill. C. O. 
 
 hninlor. C. O, 
 \eakr. C. 1766, 
 |//y. CO. 1767. 
 varijfa, C. O, 
 
 p«, F. 1 7 
 
 e. o. 1768, 
 
 [. C. 1768. 8vo. 
 Afytron. C. S. 
 
 13. Dr. 
 
 'teS 
 
 1 3. Df> Lqfi in his Chariot, C. 
 
 1769. 8vo. 
 
 14. The Captive, C. O. 1 769. 
 
 8vo. 
 
 1770. 
 
 16. 
 
 1770. 
 
 17- 
 
 A School for Fathers, C. O. 
 8vo. 
 
 'Tts ff'cl/ it's no Worfe, C. 
 Svo. 
 
 The Recruiting Serjeant. M. 
 E. ,770. 8vo. 
 
 18. He woulii if he couU; or, 
 jin old Fool vjorfe than any. B. 1771. 
 8vo. 
 
 Heisfuppofed tobe theauthorof, 
 TheSuliana. F. 1775. not printed. 
 Blapen, Martin, Efq; This 
 gentleman was of Abrey Hatch, in 
 the county of Eflex, and formerly 
 an officer in the army, bearing the 
 commiflion of a lieutenant'Colonel 
 in queen Anne's reign, under the 
 great duke of Marlborough, to 
 whom he dedicated a trandation 
 of Cffifar's Commentaries, vihich is to 
 this day a book held in very good 
 eflimation. In 1714, he was made 
 comptroller of the Mint, and', in 
 1717, one of the lords commiffion- 
 ers of trade and plantations. In 
 the fame year he was appointed 
 envoy extraordinary to the court 
 
 of Spain, in the room of 
 
 Brett, Efq; but declined it, chufing 
 rather to keep the pofi: he already 
 had, which was worth a thoufand 
 pounds ^fr annum, and which he 
 never parted with till his death, 
 which was the 14th of February, 
 1746. He was in the qth, 6th, 
 and 7th parliaments of Great Bri- 
 tiiin, member ;for Stockbridge, in 
 the 8th for Maiden, and the qth 
 for Portfmouth. Coxetcr hints that 
 he wasfecretary of Itate in Ireland, 
 but in this he feems not abfolucely 
 certain, making a query in regard 
 to the rime when, which however 
 muft, if at all, have been in queen 
 Anne's reign ; for from the third 
 year of George I. to the time of 
 his death he held hi^ place ac the 
 
 board of trade, and I believe wat 
 not cue of England. 
 
 He .vrnte two dramatic piecesy 
 both of which (for the one is only ' 
 a Mafque introduced in the third 
 A£l of the other) were printed ia 
 the year 170^, without the author's 
 confent. Their names are, 
 
 1. Orpheus (indEurydic«.M.Z.((^e» 
 
 2. Solon, T. C. 
 
 Blanch, J. This gentleman, 
 who appears to have lived near 
 Glouceller, and is faid in the title- 
 page of his firft performance to 
 have been a clothier, was the aa- 
 thor of three very contemptible 
 pieces, none of which were ever 
 afted. They are entitled, 
 
 I . The Beaux Merchant, C. 4tOa 
 1714. 
 
 - 2. Swords into Anchors, C. 4tO« 
 1725. 
 
 3. Honps into Spinning-iohtels, T, 
 C. 4to. 1725 . , ^ ,. 
 
 By his own account m the Dedi" 
 cation to the fecond mentioned 
 piece, he mull have been born - 
 about 1650, as he then in 172^ 
 declares himfelf to have been 
 feventy-five years of age. In the 
 third parliament of Great Britain, 
 which met in 1710, I find John 
 Blanch, Efq; returned as member 
 for the city of Gloucefter, but do 
 not know that he was the fame 
 perfon. 
 
 Bland, J. Of this author I 
 have no account. In the title of 
 the only piece which he publilhed, 
 he ilyles himfelf Gentleman ; and 
 in the Preface, which is dated 
 from Portpool Lane, Grays's-Inn 
 Lane, he profeffes to indruft any 
 gentleman in the art of pun^u- 
 aiion by the accent points in the 
 Hebrew Cede. The drama which 
 appeared in his name, though ic 
 can hardly be called one, is en- 
 titled, 
 
 The Song of Solotnon. A Drama 
 in fevcn Scenes. Svo. 1750. 
 
 BODSNS, 
 
6 O 
 
 C' 30 3 
 
 B O 
 
 If 
 
 TlbbtfT»9'»GHARLE8. This gen- 
 tleman had a commilGon in the 
 fobt-guartls, befides which he had 
 the honour of being for many years 
 ofteof the gentlenr^n ulliers to his 
 Idte majelly. He was a man of a 
 gtiy turn and lively difpoiition, 
 which he indulged by the com- 
 pOftng one piece for the ftage, 
 which was far from being totally 
 devoid of merit, and yet did not 
 irteet With any very extraordinary 
 foecefs. It was entitled, 
 
 7h€ ModiP} Coufile. C. 8vo. 1732. 
 
 • This piay has been lince cut 
 
 ^bWn into a farce, and adled in the 
 
 year 1760 for Mr. Yates's benefit, 
 
 by the tiile of, 
 
 Marriage a-la-MoJc. 
 
 It has not however made its 
 ap(|)earance in print under that 
 form. 
 
 BoissY, Michael. A French- 
 man, who, in the title-page of his 
 traftflation, ftyles hirnfclf a bar- 
 rifter at law In Paris, and tearhp- 
 of the modern languages at t.-o 
 atfademy of Heath, in Yorkfiiiic. 
 He publiflied, 
 
 ^ht Mifer ofMoliere. izmo.iyjz. 
 
 Bond, Wit-liam. A genrle- 
 rtati we believe of the county of 
 Suffolk. He appears to have been 
 a' perfon of very little genius ; 
 though it is probable that his whole 
 fubfiTtance was at lead in the latter 
 pirt of his life derived from his 
 waitings. Among other perform- 
 ances, he tranflated Buchanan's 
 Hifiory, and was jointly concern- 
 ed with Aaron Hill in writing 
 The Plain Dealer^ a feries of pa- 
 pftrs, afterwards collected in two 
 volttmes, 8vo. From that muni- 
 fitent friiend, he was compliment- 
 ed with hio Tragedy of Zara ; 
 vftich after being offered to the 
 nrartagers of both theatres, and 
 delayed for two years, was obliged 
 t#- b* afted at the Great-Room in 
 York Boildings. The profits of 
 
 tlie performance were intended 
 for the benefit of Mr. Bond, who 
 himfelf reprefented Lufignan ; but 
 he played only one night, for be* 
 ing in a weak condition he faint- 
 ed on the flage, was carried home 
 in his chair, and died next morn- 
 ing.. This happened in 1735, ^^^ 
 year before Zara was originally 
 performed at Driiry-Lane, 
 
 Mr. Bond produced a play writ- 
 ten by a gentleman deceafed, but 
 revifed and altered by himfelf, 
 called, 
 
 The Tufcan Treaty ; or, Tarquiiis 
 Ovfrthroiu. 1733. Svo. 
 
 Booth, Barton. Th- gefl- 
 tleman, who was an author, and 
 alfo a very eminent aftor, was 
 defcended from an ancient and 
 honourable family, which origin- 
 ally had a fettlement in the county 
 Palatine of Lancafter. He was the 
 third fon of John Booth, Efq; who 
 was nearly related to the earl of 
 Warrington, and who, though his 
 •'brtune was not very confiderable, 
 was extremely attentive to the edu- 
 cation of his children. In con- 
 fequence of this parental care, he 
 put the fubjcct of our prefent ob- 
 fervations as foon as he arrived :it 
 the age ' •■ nine years, to Well- 
 minfter-fc'i 10I, where he was firlT: 
 under tk tuition of the famous 
 Dr. Bufby\ and nfterwards under 
 that of his fucccflbr, the no lefs fa- 
 mous Dr. Knipe. Herehelhewfd 
 a Itrong pudlon for learning in ge- 
 neral, and more particularly for an 
 acquaintance with the Latin poets, 
 the fineft pafiages in whofe works 
 he ufed with' great pains to im- 
 print in his memory ; and had be- 
 lides fuch a peculiar propriety and 
 judicious emphafis in the repeti- 
 tion of them, alfiftcd by fo fine a 
 tone of voice, and adorned with 
 fuch a natural gracefulnefs of ac- 
 tion., lis drew on him the admira- 
 tion of ths whole fchco!, and. ad- 
 ded 
 
B O . 
 
 [ 3t J 
 
 B O 
 
 5 Intended 
 Bond, who 
 ignan ; but 
 gilt, for be- 
 in he feint- 
 irried home 
 next morn' 
 
 I originally 
 
 me. 
 
 ■i play writ- 
 
 ceafed, but 
 
 by himfelf, 
 
 ir, Tarquifi*s 
 
 Th- gen- 
 
 authcj, and 
 ador, was 
 indent and 
 bich origin- 
 n the county 
 He was the 
 1, Efq; who 
 the earl of 
 , though his 
 ronfiderable, 
 ". to thcedu- 
 In Gon- 
 ial care, he 
 prefent ob- 
 le arrived ;it 
 , to Well- 
 he was firil 
 the famous 
 ards under 
 |e no lefs fa- 
 e helhewed 
 jrning in ge- 
 larly for an 
 atin poets, 
 hofe works 
 ins to im- 
 nd had be- 
 opriety and 
 the repeti- 
 iby fo fine a 
 lorned with 
 nefs of ac- 
 he admira- 
 ■j!, and, rid- 
 ded 
 
 deJl to the fpnghtlinefs of his parts 
 in general, Ihongly recommended 
 him to the notice of his mailer Dr. 
 Bu(by, who having himfelf, when 
 lyoang, obtained great applaufe in 
 hhf performance of a part in the 
 Moviit alavc. a play written by 
 iWilliam Cartwright, had ever af- 
 ter held theatrical accompliftiments 
 in the higheft eftimation. 
 
 In confequence of this extraor- 
 Idinary talent, when, according to 
 [the cullom of the fchool, a Latin 
 iplay was to be performed, Mr. 
 i.JJooth was fixed upon for the ail- 
 ing the capital part. The pluy 
 happened to be the ylndria^ and 
 the part afligned to him that of 
 Pamphilus, the young Eevd of 
 Terence, in which the mufical fweet- 
 ncfs of his voice, his elegance of 
 deporrment,and gracefulnefs of ac- 
 tion, drew the univerfal applaufe of 
 fill the fpeftators ; and he has him- 
 felf confeffed that this circumftance 
 was what firft fired his young breaft 
 with theatrical ambition. His Ei- 
 ther intended him for the pulpit ; 
 but his mind and inclinations were 
 !iow fo fixed on the llage, that 
 when he had arrived at the age of 
 feventeen, and the time approach- 
 ed when he mud have been taken 
 from fchool in order to he fent to 
 the univerfity, he determined to 
 run any rifque rather than enter on 
 a courl'e of life fo unfuitable to the 
 natural vivacity of his difpofition ; 
 and therefore becoming acquaint- 
 ed with one Mr. A'bbury, manager 
 of the Dublin theatre, who was 
 then in London, probably on the 
 recruiting fcheme, and was very 
 glad to receive a youth of luch 
 promlfing expeftations and grow- 
 ing genius, he immediately quit- 
 ted all other views, engaged him- 
 felf to Mr. Afbbury, Hole away 
 from fchool, and went over to Ire- 
 land with that gentleman ia Juue 
 1638. 
 
 Hls-firft appearance on the ftage 
 was in the part of Qmonoko^ la 
 which he came off with e.\tty tefti- 
 monial of approbation from the . 
 audience. From this time he con- 
 tinued daily improving, and after 
 two fuccefsful campaigns in that- 
 kingdom conceived thoughts of 
 returning to his native country,,, 
 and making a trial of his abilities 
 on the Englifh llage. To this end 
 he firll by letters reconciled him- 
 felf to his friends; and then, as a 
 farther ftep towards infuring his 
 fuccefs, obtained a recommenda- 
 tion from lord Fitzarding (one of 
 the lords of the bedchamber to 
 prince George of Denmark) to Mr. 
 Betterton, who, with great candour 
 and gnod-nature, took him under 
 his care, and gave him all the aj^ 
 liftance in his power. 
 
 The fiill part Mr. Booth ap- 
 peared in at London, which was 
 in 1701, was that of iW^AvwKi, in 
 lord Rochefter's Falcntinian, his 
 reception in which exceeded even 
 his moll fanguine expcftations, and 
 very foon after his performance of 
 Artaba-., in Rowe's Ambitious Step' 
 mciher, which was a new Tragedy, 
 ellablifhed his reputation as fecond 
 at leall to his great inftruftor. 
 Pyrrhus, in the Dijircjl Mother^ was 
 another part in which he fhone 
 without a rival. But he was in- 
 debted to a happy coincidence of 
 merit and chance for that height 
 of fame which he at length attain* 
 ed, in the charadler of Cato^ as 
 drawn by Mr. Addifon, in 17 12. . 
 For this play being coniidered as 
 a party one, the whigs, in favour . 
 of whofe principles it was appa- 
 rently written, thought it their 
 djty flrongly to fupport it, while 
 at the fame time the tories, who 
 had too much fenfe to appear to 
 confider it as a reflexion on their 
 adminiflration, were ftill more ve- 
 hement in their approbation of it, 
 
 which 
 
ml 
 
 'M I ' 
 
 S O 
 
 t 3^ i 
 
 B b 
 
 WKicK t)iey cari-icd to fuch an 
 height, as even to make a collec- 
 tion of fifty guineas in the boxes 
 diu-ing the time of the perform- 
 ance, and prefent them to Mr. 
 Booth, with this compliment, That 
 it was a flight acknowledgment 
 Jor his boncfi oppofition to a perpetual 
 d'tHator, and his (jyitigfo bravely in 
 the caufe of liberty \ beildes which 
 he had another prefent of an equal 
 fum from the managers, in conil- 
 derafion of the great fuccefs of the 
 play, which they attributed in 
 good meafure to his extraordinary 
 merit in the performance; and 
 certain it is, that no one fince that 
 time has ever equalled or even 
 nearly approached his excellence 
 in that charafter. 
 
 But thefe were not the only ad- 
 vantages which were to accrue to 
 Mr. Booth from his fuccefs in this 
 part; for lord Bolingbroke, then 
 one of tiie principal Secretaries of 
 State, in a little time after pro- 
 cured a fpecial licence from Queen 
 Anne, recalling all the former 
 ones, and nominating Mr. Booth 
 as joint manager with Wilks, Gib- 
 ber, and Dogget, none of whom 
 were pleafed at it, but the lad 
 more efpecially took fuch difguft, 
 as to withdraw himfelf from any 
 farther (hare in the management. 
 
 In 1704, Mr. Booth had mar- 
 ried a daughter of Sir William 
 Barkham, of Norfolk, Bart, who 
 died in 1710, without ilFue. Af- 
 ter her death, he engaged in an 
 amour with Mrs. Mountford, who 
 readily put her whole fortune, 
 which was confiderable, being not 
 lefs than ^ 8000, into his hands. 
 This however he very honourably 
 returned ro her, when, on the dif- 
 covery of her intimacy with an- 
 other gentleman, he thought pro- 
 per to break off his connexion 
 with her. She had, however, great 
 reafoa to repent sf her iniidelicy ta 
 
 hihi, for her new lover not6nly 
 embezzled and made away with all 
 her money, but even treated her 
 in other refpe^s extremely ill, and 
 wis guilty of meannefles greatly 
 inconiiftent with the title of a gen- 
 tleman. 
 
 Being nowcftabUnied !n the ma- 
 nagement, he once more turned 
 his thoughts towards matrimrny, 
 and in the year I719 united hinni- 
 felf to the celebrated Mifs Heller 
 Santlow, a woman of a mod amia- 
 ble difpoficion, whofe gieat merit 
 as an adtrefs, added to the moil: 
 prudential oecbnomy, hadenalricd 
 her to accumulate a confjderabld 
 fortune, which was by no means 
 unacceptable to Mr. Booth, who, 
 though a man that had the ftrit^- 
 eft regard to juftice and pundluality 
 in his dealings with every one, yet 
 was not much inclined to the fav- 
 ing of Money. 
 
 With this valuable companion, 
 he continued in the moll pejfeii 
 ftate of domeftic h.ipuinefs till the 
 year 1727, when he was attacked 
 by a violent fever, which lalled 
 him for forty- fit days without in- 
 termiflion ; and although, through 
 the care and fkill of thofe great 
 phyficians Dr. Freind and Dr. 
 Broxholm, by whom he was at- 
 tended, he got the better of the 
 prefent diforder, yet fjom that 
 time to the day of his death, 
 which was not till fix years after, 
 his health was never perfrftly re- 
 eftablifhed. Nor did he ever, dur- 
 ing that interval, appear on the 
 llage, excepting in the run of a 
 play called the Dnubie Fa^Jlioody 
 brought on the Theatre b^' Mr. 
 Theobald in 17^9, and afferted, 
 but unjuftly, to be written by 
 Shakfpeare. In this piece he was 
 prevailed on to accept a part on 
 the fifth night of its performance, 
 which he continued to acl till the 
 twelfth, which was the lalt time i)f 
 
 his 
 
 In 
 
 n 
 
 oemg 
 has lef 
 jmatic 
 Icefsful, 
 Iway. 
 
 rhe 
 [1716. 
 Witl 
 Ian a£i 
 loccafio 
 I they ha 
 [quedioi 
 jlic bore 
 ■time ; I 
 Icontem 
 [down tc 
 jlay whc 
 [able to 
 [not ftr( 
 [And evi 
 [ther tha 
 [than ter 
 \tajie. ] 
 Vol.. 
 
B O 
 
 t 33 1 
 
 B O 
 
 his theatrical appearance, althougn 
 he did not die till the i oth of May, 
 1733, when having been attacked 
 by a complication of diforders, he 
 paid the lad debf to nature, leav- 
 ing behind him no iffue, but only 
 kdifcoiifolate widow, who imme- 
 Jiately quitted the Itage, devoting 
 fhcifclf entirely to a private life, 
 and who died Vo lately as the 15th 
 [of January, 1773. A copy of his 
 ! will may be f^eii in the London Ma- 
 \gazim- for 1733, p. ii6, in which 
 he Itrongly leltifies his elleem for 
 this amiable woman, and affigns 
 his reafons for bequeathing her 
 the whole of his fortune, whi^h he 
 acknowledges not to be more than 
 two thirds of what he received 
 from her on the day of marriage. 
 
 His charader as a writer has 
 rot been eftablilhed by any works 
 of great importance ; yet he was 
 undoubtedly a man of conliderable 
 I erudition, of good claflical knovv- 
 j ledge, and though what he has 
 \ written are trivial in point of bulk 
 I and extent, yet they are far from 
 i being fo in p^iint of merit. He 
 I has left behind him only one dra- 
 matic piece, which, though fuc- 
 Icefsful, was his only attempt in that 
 Iway. It is entitled, 
 
 The Death of DUio. Mafque. 8vo. 
 [17x6. 
 
 ' With refpeft to his abilities as 
 Ian adlor, there is furely no great 
 loccafion to exj)atiate oit them, as 
 [they have never yet been called in 
 queftion ; the applaufe of the pub- 
 jlic bore witnefs to them in his life- 
 Itime ; the commen Nations of his 
 [contemporaries have handed them 
 Idown to pollerity. His excellence 
 hay wholly in tragedy, nor being 
 table to endure fuch parts as had 
 [not ftrong paflion to infpite him. 
 [And even in this ' Ik dignity, ra- 
 [iher than compk^ ucy, rage rather 
 {than tcndernefs, feemf^d to be his 
 hajle. For a more particular idea 
 Vol. I. 
 
 of him however I (hall recommend 
 to my readers the dcfeription Mr. 
 Gibber has j^ivcn of him in his 
 ApoK'gy, and the admirable cha- 
 rafier drawn of him by that excel- 
 lent judge ill dramatic perfedion, 
 Aaron Hill, Efq; in a paper pub- 
 lilhcd by him, called ihti Promp/ef^ 
 which, though too long for our in- 
 ferting in "ihis place, may be feen 
 at length in Thcoph. Ciblcr*i Lives 
 of the Poets ; and in Chctvjood^s 
 H'Jiory of the Stage. His charafter 
 as a man was adorned with m^ny 
 amiable qualities, among which a 
 perfeft goodiiefs of heart, the bafis 
 of every virtue, was remarkably 
 confpicuous. He was a gay, ii idy, 
 r.hearful companion, yet humble 
 and diffident of his own abilities, 
 by which means he acquired the 
 lovfc and efteem of every one ; and 
 fb particularly was he dirtinguiOiedL 
 and carelf'd, and his company 
 fought by the great, that as Chet- 
 wood relates of him, althouoh he 
 kept no equipage of his own, not 
 one nobleman in the kingdom had 
 fo many fets of horfes at command 
 as he had. For at the time that 
 the patentees, jealous of his merit, 
 and appreheniive of his influence 
 with the miniftry, in order to pre- 
 vent his application to his friends 
 at court, which was then kept at 
 Windfor, took care to give him 
 contlant employment in London, 
 by giving out every right fuch 
 plays as he had principal parts in ; 
 yet even this policy could not avail 
 them, as there wa'i punftually 
 every night the chariot and fix of 
 fome nobleman or other waiting 
 for him at the conclufion of the 
 play, which carried him the twenty 
 miles in three hours at farthe(l,and 
 brought him back again next 
 night, time enough for the bufi- 
 neifs of the theatre. 
 
 BooTHBy, Frances. Thisgen- 
 tiewoman lived in the reign of 
 
 i> king 
 
B O 
 
 C 34 1 
 
 B O 
 
 "♦«iii 
 
 •n., 
 
 
 ;fl 
 
 Si . n 
 
 of a lord o 
 *ra3 defcer. 
 Woodftock 
 and bad hy 
 
 king Charles II. dnd was related 
 to lady Yate, of Harrington in 
 Worcellerlhire, as it appears from 
 fome paflfages in the dedication of 
 a dramatic piece, which (he has 
 addrelled to that lady, and which 
 was performed with fome fuccefs 
 at the theatre royal. The title of 
 it is, 
 
 Marcelia. T. C. 4to. 167O. 
 
 BooLTON,'^'JOMAS. This gen- 
 tleman was probably of Liverpool, 
 where his dramatic piece was pub- 
 lilhed. It is called, 
 
 T/je Sailors Farewell', or. The 
 Cji'uea out fit, C. 1 2 mo. 1768. 
 
 BOURCHIER, JSHN, LoRD 
 
 Berners. Grandfon and heir 
 ':■.■ /a me name, who 
 -J from Thomas of 
 Inke of Gloucefler, 
 night of the garter, 
 and .'•Mirtabic of Windfor caftle, 
 undt CAwrrc he Fourth, and was 
 iirft i. ffty ^^y quelling an infur- 
 Tcfllon i- < T-^'all and Devon- 
 ihirc unde cconduA of Michael 
 Jofeph, a blatk-fmith, in 1495* 
 which recommended him to the 
 favour of Henry the Seventh. He 
 was captain of the pioneers at the 
 jigc of Therouenne under Henry 
 the Eighth, by whom he was 
 made chancellor of the Exchequer 
 .ibr life, lieutenant ot Calais and 
 the Marches, appointcil ta con- 
 duct the lady Mary, the king's 
 iiiler, into PVance, on her marriage 
 with Lewis the Twelfth, and with 
 whom (Henry the Eighth) he had 
 the rare felicity of continuing in 
 favour eighteen years. He died 
 in 1532, leaving his gown of 
 damafk tawny furred with jennets 
 to his natuj J fon Humphrey Bour- 
 chier; and certain legacies to 
 two other illegitimate fons, having 
 had only two daughters by his 
 wife Catherine, daughter of John 
 dul:c of Norfolk ; from one of 
 which ladies is dsfcended the pre- 
 
 fent lady barbnefs Berners, whoft 
 right to that title, which had long 
 lam in obfcurity, was clearly made 
 out and recovered by the kie 
 Peter Le Neve, Efq. I^rroy. 
 
 Lord Berners, by the command 
 of king Henry, tranflated "Froif- 
 ** fart's Chronicle," which wai 
 printed in i J23, by Richard Pin* 
 fon. 
 
 He wrote and tranflated many 
 other works, and amonglt the refl 
 was the author of one play, called^ 
 
 Jte in Fineam* C. N. P. 
 
 He died at Calais^ aged 63. 
 
 Bourgeois, Benjamin. I 
 know not whether this is a real or 
 fidUtious name. It fiands how- 
 ever before two Plays, viz. 
 
 1 . 7he Squire bmlcjtjued ; or, Th 
 Sharbers out'"witU(K C. 8vo. 1765. 
 
 2. The Difappointed Coxcomb, 0. 
 8vo. 1765. 
 
 Bourne, Reuben. This gen.' 
 tleman was of the Middle Temple^ 
 and has left behind him one Play^ 
 entitled. 
 
 The Contented Cuckold. C, 4:0^ 
 1692. 
 
 BoYCF, '' \MUEL. This author 
 had fome time a place in the South- 
 Sea-Houfe. He wrote feveral 
 Poems ; and one Drama, entitled, 
 
 'The Rover ; or, Happincfi at laji* 
 P. D. 4to. 1752. 
 
 Boyd, Elizabeth. Who this 
 lady was I know not, but find her 
 to have betn a devotee to the 
 Mufes, from ■<» dramatic piece pub- 
 lidied under her name, entitled, 
 
 Don Saticbo', or. The SludentU 
 mM?n. B. O. 
 to which is added, 
 
 J' ^. Yf4t' Mwrph. M. 8vo. 17219, 
 
 Bover,Abel. Wa-: born the 
 13th of June, 1667, at iiic city of 
 Caft; es in the Uppor Languedoc. 
 He was defcended from a good fa- 
 mily ; his great grandfather and 
 grandfather were mafters of the 
 riding- fchool at Nifmes ; his fa- 
 ther 
 
 B \\ ( 
 
B O 
 
 C a 1 
 
 B O 
 
 ther was prefident of the fupreme 
 court at Callres ; and his mother 
 was Catherine, the daughter of 
 Monfieur Campdomerius, a very 
 famous phyfician. 
 
 Mr. Boyer got his firft rudiments 
 of learning from his uncle Camp- 
 domerius, his mother's brother, a 
 noted divine and preacher among 
 the Hugonots, and then went to 
 the protellant fchool at Podio- 
 Jauris, where he gave proofs of his 
 diligence and defireof learning, as 
 alfo of a good genius ; but he par- 
 ticularly made fuch quick progrefs 
 in the Latin and Greek, as eafily 
 looutftiip all his fchool-fellows. 
 
 In the year 1685, when the per- 
 fecution prevailed againft the I'ra- 
 teftants in France, he followed his 
 wncle Campdomerius by fea to 
 Holland; where, preil'ed by want, 
 he firll entered the military fervice 
 in the year 1687 ; but foon, by the 
 advice of his relations, returned 
 to his Hudies, and went to the uni- 
 verfity of Franaquer in Friefland, 
 where he had the advantage of the 
 moft famous protelTors, viz. Van 
 Koeb, in Philolbphy ; Vander 
 Wagen, in Divinity; iVrizonius, 
 in Phylology 2nd Hillory ; and 
 Hheuficlds, in Hebrew : here he 
 employed his time wholly in lludy, 
 and made confiderable improve- 
 ment in Geometry, and in other 
 parts of the Mathematicks. 
 
 When king James the Second 
 abdicated tliis kingdom, king 
 William and queen Mavy were 
 advanced to the throne, viz. in the 
 year i68g, at whiih time the 
 French Proteilants were fed with 
 hopes of returning again to their 
 own country upon good terms : 
 upon which hope?, and alfo hav- 
 ing a mind to fee England before 
 he returned home, he came over 
 hither: but his defign of return- 
 ing to France being difnppolnted, 
 
 he fell into great poverty ; where- 
 upon, to gain an honeil liveli- 
 hood, he firft of all wrote out and 
 prepared for the prefs with much 
 labour, and at a fmall price, Cam' 
 drn^s Letters to and from his Friends, 
 from the Cotton manufcripts, for 
 the ufe of Dr. Thomas Smith, 
 who afterwards publifhed them, 
 and Camditi's Life with them. 
 
 In the year 1692, he becams 
 French and Latin tutor to Allen 
 Bathurfl, tfq; eldeft fon to Sir 
 Benjamin Bathurft ; this he under- 
 took the more willingly becaufe 
 bis pupil's father being a man of 
 figure and much in ^vour with 
 the princefs Anne of Denmark 
 (afterwards queen of Great-Bri- 
 tain)* he had hopes of obtaining 
 fome preferment at court. 
 
 With this view, and that he 
 might have merit with the father, 
 he fpared no pains to accomplifli 
 the young gentleman, who was of 
 an excellent and promifing genius, 
 and therefore for his pupil's ufe, 
 Mr. Boyer compofed two com- 
 pendious Grammars one Latin, 
 the other French, the iormer of 
 which is ftill in manufcript un- 
 publiflied, the latter was printed 
 and dedicated to the duke of 
 Glouceflcr at three years old, 
 though more to the author's ho- 
 nour than profit : having fpent 
 the prime cf his life in the Kathurft 
 family, he mifled of his expedled 
 advancement, occafioned as he 
 thought principally fay his fiding 
 with a riilFerent party in the di- 
 viiions which reigned at that time 
 in the nation ; Mr. Buyer, with 
 all the reft of his countrymen who 
 hiui fied hither for religion, being 
 more zealous for the whig caufe, 
 than perhaps might be thought 
 became exiles at that time. 
 
 After thefe misfortune; (that he 
 
 might free himftlf from the into- 
 
 D z lerabls 
 
 
B O 
 
 C 36 3 
 
 B O 
 
 
 
 lerabic yoke of teaching fchool) 
 he applied himfelf ftrenuoufly to 
 mafter the E()gli(h tongue, and to 
 that purpole day and night perufcd 
 the bell books in that language, 
 out of which he coUefted what- 
 ever was new and worthy ot' ob- 
 fervation. 
 
 He died on Sunday the i6th of 
 November, ijtg, in a houfe he 
 had buiit himl'eif in Five Fields, 
 Chelfea, and whii buried the 19th 
 of the fame month in Chelfea- 
 church-yard. He left behind him 
 a widow, and a daughter about 
 three years old. 
 
 He was lor raanyyears concerned 
 in, and had the principal manage- 
 ment of, a News-paper, called the 
 Poji-Boy. He likewife publilhed 
 a monthly Work, entitled, Ihe 
 Po/.'/cal Urate of Great-Britain. He 
 wrote a Life of ^ecn Anne^ in folio, 
 which is etteemed a very good 
 Chronicle of that period of the 
 Engliih Hillory. fiut what has 
 rendered him the mofl known and 
 eftablifhed his name are the very 
 compleat Didionary and Grammar 
 of the French language, which he 
 compiled, and which have been, 
 and Hill are, ellcemed the very 
 bell in their kind. Yet all thele 
 works would not authorize our 
 giving him a place here, had he 
 not enliiltd himleif under the ftan- 
 dard of the buikin, by writing, 
 or rather tranflating from the 
 French of M. de Racine, the Tra- 
 gedy of Ip'oigcnia, wliich he pub- 
 liihcd under the title of, 
 
 Achilks in AuUs. T. 410. I 7 00. 
 
 It was performed without any 
 fuccefs, but is fur from being a bad 
 play. Nor can there perhaps be 
 a ftrorger iiillance of the abilities 
 of its author th<n fuccefs in fuch 
 an attempt, fince writing with any 
 degree of correftnefs or elegance, 
 even in profe, in a language which 
 we were not born to the fpeaking 
 
 of, is an excellence not very fre* 
 quently attained ; but to proceed 
 fo far in the perfecUon of it, at to 
 be even fufFerable in poetry, and 
 more efpecially in that of the 
 Drama^ in which the diAion and 
 manner of expreflion require a pe- 
 culiar dignity and force, and in a 
 language lib difficult to attain the 
 perfect command of as the I£ngli(h, 
 is what has been very feldom ac- 
 compiifhed but in the inftance of 
 the gentleman we are now fpeak- 
 ing of; and indeed with regard to 
 the piece itfelf, it is but juiUce to 
 acknowledge, that notwithilanding 
 the rellraint which all tranflution 
 naturally undergoes, and the other 
 difadvantages which attended on 
 its author, the language, thougn 
 not perhaps fo fublime or poetical, 
 fo polilhed into poetry as that of 
 fome of our native writers, yet 
 pofiefled fo great a /hare of cor- 
 reftnefs, and is fo entirely free 
 from any gallicifms, or even the 
 leaft veftige of the foreigner in it, 
 that it is even in that refpeft fu- 
 perior to many of our modern tra- 
 gedies (efpecially thofe written 
 about the time in which that ap- 
 peared), and fuch as no native Eng- 
 lifliman at a firft attempt need be 
 alhamed to confefs himfelf the au- 
 thor of. It is however remark- 
 able, that noiwithftanding the great 
 difficulty that moll foreigners find 
 in the acquiring our language; 
 this is not the only inftance of their 
 having attained it in great per- 
 fection, fmcc VrC meet with an- 
 other gentleman, a countryman of 
 our author, who not only at- 
 tempted, but even repeatedly fuc- 
 ceedtd in dramatic writing in it. 
 This gentleman was Mr. Motteux, 
 nf whom I Ihali make a fuller 
 mention hereafter. And this feems 
 a kind of tacit proof, not only of 
 the native beauty of ths language 
 in itfelf, and its aptnefs for the 
 
 purpoks 
 
 
B O 
 
 C 37 ] 
 
 B O 
 
 purpofcs of the Drama, which 
 could tempt even foreigners to ef- 
 fay its powers, but alfo that it is 
 not of (o difficult a conrtruftion, 
 , nor of (o wild and ungovernable a 
 nature, fo hard to reduce within 
 I the limits of grammatical rules, as 
 [it has been contended to be. 
 
 Boyle, Charles, Earl of 
 Orrery. This nobleman was 
 fecond • fon of Roger, the fecond 
 earl of Orrery, by lady Mary Sack- 
 vilie, daughter of the earl of 
 Dorfet. He was born in Auguft 
 1676, at Chelfea, and at the age 
 of fifteen, 1690, was entered ns a 
 nobleman of Chrilf Church in Ox- 
 ford, under the tuition of Dr At- 
 terbury and Dr. Freind. His ap. 
 plication to ftudy was vigorous 
 and conftant, and his paffion for 
 letters fo lleady and unremitting, 
 that his friends were apprthenfive 
 his health would be injured by too 
 clofe an attention to his literary 
 purfuit?. The firfi work that he 
 printed was the L/fc of Lv/'tnr/fi; 
 tranflated from Plutarch, which 
 gave Dr. Aldrich fo good an opi- 
 nion of him, that he intrufted to 
 his care the new edition of the 
 Ep'Jlles of Phalaris, then about to 
 be printed at Oxford. This book 
 became accidentally the caufe of a 
 very long and furious difpute be- 
 tween Dr. Bentley and Mr. Boyle, 
 and their feveral adherents. It 
 ended at that time greatly to the 
 advantage of the latter*; but pofte- 
 rity hath not ratified the verdift of 
 their contemporaries, it being now 
 the general opinion that Dr. Bent- 
 ley fupported his hypothtjfis with 
 mon learning;, wit, and argument, 
 th.i.i his antagonilh On leaving 
 the univerfity, IV "oyle was 
 chofen member fd ,..e town of 
 Huntingdon ; but his elder bro- 
 ther Lionel, earl of Orrery, dying 
 on the 23d of Auguft, 1703, with- 
 out iiTue, he fucceeded to that 
 
 title ; and entering into the fervice 
 of the queen, had a regiment 
 given him, at the head of which 
 he diftinguiflied himfelf in a very 
 gallant manner. On the i j^th of 
 Oflober, 1 705, he was defied one 
 of the knights companions of the 
 thiille. In 1709, he was taifed 
 to the rank of a major-genera], 
 and fworn of the privy council. 
 He was afterwards appointed en- 
 voy to the States of Brabant and 
 Flanders; and on the loth of 
 September, 17 12, was created an 
 Englilh peer. At the acceiOon of 
 George I. he was made lord of 
 the bed-chamber ; and on the 3d 
 of December, 1714, was confti- 
 tuted lord lieutenant of Somerfet- 
 fhire, and feemed to enjoy the 
 confidence of his fovereign. In 
 17 16, however, he fell under the 
 difpleafure of the court; his regi- 
 ment was taken from him, and 
 he refigned the poft of lord of 
 the bed-chamber. At the time of 
 I-ayer's plot in the year 1722, he 
 was taken into cuftody, and com- 
 mitted to the Tower ; but nothing 
 being difcovered againft him, he 
 was releafed after fix months im- 
 prifonment. This accident is fup- 
 pofed to have much aff^dled him ; 
 and he lived only to the 28th of 
 Auguft, 173 1, on which day he 
 died in the fifty-fixrh year of hi» 
 age. 
 
 He vras the author of one Play, 
 called, 
 
 Js you find it. 0.410.1705. 
 
 Boyle, Mur rough. Lord 
 VIscouNTBLESsl^•GTO^f. This 
 nobleman was fon of Dr. Michael 
 Boyle, archbilhop of Armagh, and 
 lord chancellor of Ireland, who 
 died in the year 1702, at the great 
 age of 93. He was a pt-rfon 
 whofe genius and abilities 'id no 
 credit to the name of Boyle. He 
 wrote one Play, which, from the 
 fpecimen we have feen of it, was a 
 
 D 3 truly 
 
B O 
 
 [ 38 J 
 
 B O 
 
 •lii 
 
 1 
 
 truly contemptible one, and died 
 io the year 1713. 
 
 The name of his Play wai, 
 
 The Loji Princefs. T. 
 
 BoYLEt lloGtR, Earl of Or. 
 BERY. Was the younger brother 
 of Richard, earl of Burlington and 
 Cork, and fifth Ton of Kichard, 
 Ayled the Great Earl of Cork. 
 He was born Aprils;, 1631, and 
 was raifed to the dignity of buron 
 Broghill in Ireland, when only 
 feven years old. liis education 
 was in the college of Dublin ; 
 where he applied himfelf with fuch 
 diligence to his books, and fo 
 happily digefted what he gathered 
 from them, that he was very foon 
 diftinguifhed as an early and pro- 
 xniiing genius. In 1636, his fa- 
 ther fent him to make the tour of 
 France and Italy, in company with 
 lord Kynalmeaky, his elder bro- 
 ther. After his return from his 
 travels, this gallant young noble- 
 man found all things in great con- 
 fufion in England, and a war on 
 the point of breaking out with 
 Scotland ; in which he was Invited 
 to ferve, with marks or peculiar 
 diftinftion j but his thoughts were 
 turned another way. xi the old 
 earl of Cork lovtd to fettle hi;. 
 children very early in th-^ world, 
 a iiiarriage was at this time pro- 
 pofcd for lord Broi^hill, with the 
 lady Margaret Howard, daughter 
 to the earl of Suffolk, and it was 
 quickly concluded : immediately 
 after which his lordftiip, with his 
 new-married lady, let out for Ire- 
 land, where they landed OiStoher 
 23, 1 64. 1, the very day on which 
 the rebellion broke out in that 
 kingdom. 
 
 The family of lord Cork were 
 inftantly obliged to take arms, in 
 order to their own fecurity, as well 
 as that of the publick ; and the 
 poll afligned to lord Broghill, was 
 the defence of hi;, father's caitle of 
 
 Lifmore ; in which he behaved 
 with all the fpirit of a young of« 
 ficer, and all the difcretion of an 
 old one. He afterwards dillin- 
 guilhcd himfelf on many fignal 
 occalions; in the courfe of which 
 he equally manifelled his abilities 
 for the field and the cabinet. At 
 the death of Charles I, however, 
 he was induced to quit both his 
 eliate and his country, as ruined 
 pafl all hopes. For fome time he 
 remained in clofe retirement; but 
 at length Cromwell, to whom the 
 merit of lord Broghill waa well 
 kno^vn, found means to gain him 
 over to that party, which he had 
 hitherto fo rigoroufly oppofed ; 
 but they were Tlich means as re- 
 fled no difhonour to his memory. 
 The ftory is told at length in the 
 Biflgrapbia Britannica, under the 
 article boYLE ; to which >'r refer, 
 being toocircumllantial for fo brief 
 a compilation as the prefent. By 
 his own intereft he now raifed a 
 gallant troop of horfe, confiding 
 chiefly of gentlemen attached to 
 him by perlonal friendlhip ; which 
 corps was foon increafed to a 
 cornpleat regiment of 1500 men, 
 Thefe he led into the field againft 
 tht Irilh rebels ; and was fpeedily 
 joined by Cromwell, who placed 
 the highed confidence in his new 
 ally; and found him of the greateil 
 confequence to the interelt of the 
 commonwealth. Among other con- 
 siderable exploits performed by 
 lord Broghill, his vidlory at Mac- 
 croom deferves to be particularly 
 mentioned ; where, with 2000 
 horfe and dragoons, he brilkly 
 at:acked above ^000 of the rebels, 
 and totally defeated them. Ho 
 afterwards relieved Cromwell him- 
 felf, at Clonmell, where that great 
 commander happened to be io 
 dangerouHy fituated, that he con- 
 feiTed nothing but the feafonable 
 relief afforded him by lord Brog- 
 hill 
 
 ft*Jlc 
 
 :.. i 
 
 Xkm 
 
 
B O 
 
 C » 1 
 
 B O 
 
 I hill could have i'aved him from 
 
 ideibuftion. He 'ikewife worlled 
 
 hoi . Muflccrry, who came againft 
 
 [him with an army raifcd by the 
 
 Upope's nuncio, and which con- 
 
 >rlled of three timei the number of 
 
 f.^rd Brcghili's forces, befidcs the 
 
 id vantage of being well officered by 
 
 fvctcran commanders from Spain. 
 
 When Cromwell became pro- 
 'taftor, he fent for lord Broghill, 
 merely to taice his advice, occa- 
 fionally. And we :ire told, that 
 not long atUT his coming to Kng- 
 landi he Jormcd a project for en- 
 gaging Cromwell to rellorc the old 
 conftitution. The hafis of the 
 fcheme was to be a match be- 
 tween the king (Charles II.) and 
 the protcdlor's daughter. As his 
 lordmip maintained a fecret cor- 
 refpondcncc with the exiled mo- 
 narch and his friends, it is imagin- 
 ed he was, before-hand, pretty 
 fure that Charles was not averfe to 
 the (chcme, or he woulJ not have 
 ventured to propofe it ferioufly to 
 Cromwell : who, at firft, feemed 
 to think it not unfeafible. He 
 ioon changed his mind, however, 
 and told Broghill, that he thouj^ht 
 the projeft impraiticable ; for, 
 I'lid he, '♦ Charles can never for- 
 ♦' give mo the death of his father." 
 In fine, this bufinefs came to no- 
 thing, although his lordfiiip had 
 cngjged Cromwell's wife and 
 daughter in the fcheme ; but he 
 never durft let the proteftor know 
 that he had previoufly treated with 
 Charles about it. 
 
 On the death of the prote£lor, 
 Jord Broghill continued firmly at- 
 tached to his fon Richard, til' he 
 fuw that the honefty and good- 
 nature of that wot thy man would 
 infallibly render him a prey to his 
 many enemies; he did not think it 
 advifable to fink with a man he 
 could not fave. The dark clouds 
 «f anarchy feemed now to be 
 
 hovering over the BritiHi idand : 
 Lord Broghill faw the dorm ga- 
 thering, and he deemed it prudent 
 to retire to his command in Ire- 
 land, where he flionly after had 
 the fatibfartJon of feeing th'ngs 
 take a tutn extremely fiivourrible 
 to the dt-fign he had long been 
 well-wifher to— that oi the king's 
 redoration. In this great event, 
 lord Broghill was not a little in- 
 ftrumental ; and, in confideration 
 of his eminent fervices in this re- 
 fpGt\, Charles created him earl of 
 Orrery, by letters-patent, bearing 
 date Sept. ^, i66o. He was foon 
 after made one of the lords jullices 
 of Ireland { and his condudt, while 
 at the head of affairs in that king* 
 dom, was fuch, as greatly added 
 to the general elleem in which his 
 chara^er was before held. 
 
 His lordfhip's aflive and free 
 courfe of life, at length, brought 
 upon him feme difeafes and in- 
 firmities, which gave him pain and 
 uneafinefs ; and a fever, which fell 
 intohis feet, joined to thegout.with 
 which he was often airlifted, abated 
 much of that vigour which he had 
 (hewn in the early part of his life ; 
 but his indullry and applicatioa 
 were ftill the fame, and bent to 
 the fanie purpofes; as appears 
 from his Letters^ which Ihew at 
 once a capacity and an attention 
 to bufinefs which do honour to that 
 age, and may ferve as an exam- 
 ple to this. 
 
 Notwithftanding his infirmities, 
 on the king's defiring to fee his 
 lordfliip in England, he went over 
 in 1 66^. He found the court ia 
 fome diforder ; his majelly was 
 on the point of removing the 
 great earl of Clarendon, lord h,igh 
 chancellor; and there was al- 
 fo a great mifunderftanding be- 
 tween the royal brothers. Lord 
 Orrery undertook to reconcile the 
 king with the duke of York ; 
 D 4 which 
 
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 wTiich he cfFcfted by prevailing on 
 the' latter to a(k his majetty's par. 
 don for ibnie ilepg he had taken in 
 fupport ot the chancellor. 
 
 On his return to Ireland, he 
 fuund himfelf called to a new fcone 
 of aftion. The Dutch war was 
 then in its height; and the French, 
 in confederacy with the Hollan- 
 ders, were endeavouring to llir up 
 xi\c afi es of rebellion in Ireland. 
 Tbe duke de Beaufort, admiral of 
 France, had formed a fcheme for 
 » defcent upon that ifland; out 
 this was rendered abortive by the 
 extraordinary diligence, military 
 fkili, and prudent meafures, of lord 
 Orrery. 
 
 ,But, in the midft of all his la- 
 bours, a difpute arofe, founded on 
 a mutual jealoufy of each other's 
 grcatneff, beiwixt him and his old 
 friend the duke ofOrmond, then 
 lord lieutenant; the bad efFefts of 
 which were foon felt by both the 
 difputants ; who refurted 10 Eng- 
 land, to defend their rcfpeftive 
 interefts and pretenfions ; both 
 having been attacked by fecrct 
 enemies, who fug^eftcd many 
 things to their prejudice. This 
 quarrel, though of a private be- 
 ginning, became at laft of a pub- 
 lic nature ; and, producing firft an 
 attempt to frare an impeachment 
 againll the duke of Ormond, oc- 
 (calioncd in the end, by way of re- 
 vengf, an aftual impeachment of 
 the eail of Orrery. He defended 
 Jiimfclf fo well, however, againll 
 a charge of high dimes, and even 
 of treafon itfelf, that the profecu- 
 tion came to nothing. He, never- 
 tl) efs, loll his public employ- 
 ment?, but not the king's favour; 
 he llili came frequently to court, 
 and fometimes to council. After 
 this revolution in his affairs, he 
 made feveral voyages to and from 
 /Ireland ; was often rnnfultcd by 
 |iis majcfty on affairs of the utmoft 
 
 confeqaence ; and, on all occa- 
 fions, gave his opinion and advice 
 vvirh the freedom ef an honefl plain- 
 dealing man, nnd a fincere friend ; 
 which the king always found hint, 
 and refpedled him accordingly. 
 
 In 1678, being attacked more 
 cruelly than ever by his old enemy 
 the gout, he made his laft voyag^e 
 to England, for advice in the me- 
 dical way. But his diforder was 
 beyond the power cf medicine ; 
 and having, in his lallillneis, given 
 the ftrongeft proofs of chtilHan pa- 
 tience, manly courage, and ra- 
 tional fortitude, he breathed his 
 laft on the 1 6th of CiJlober, 1679, 
 in the [g'h year of his age. 
 
 As to the literary charailer of 
 this amiable and worthy nobleman, 
 it may be given in few words. 
 His wit was manly, pregnant, and 
 folid ; the early bloffoms of it were 
 fair, but not fairer than the fruit. 
 He wrote feveral political trails 
 and fome ingenious poems ; but 
 the pieces which particularly en- 
 titled him to a place in this col- 
 ledlion were the following Plays, 
 viz. 
 
 1. Mtjffapha^ T. 1667. fo. 
 
 2. Hemy the Fifth. T. ib68. 
 
 fo. 
 
 fo. 
 
 3. The Black Princt. T. 1669. 
 
 4- 
 
 5- 
 6. 
 
 7' 
 8. 
 
 Tryphon. T. 1672. fo, 
 Mr. Anthay. C. 1690. 410, 
 Guzman, C. 1 69 3. 4t0. 
 Herod, T. 1694. fo. 
 Altcmira. T. 1702. 4tO. 
 All thefe (except Mr, Anthony) 
 were collcded and publifhed in 
 2 vol. 8vo. 1739. 
 
 Brauy, Dr, NicHOt,As. Wat 
 defccndcd from Hugh Brady, the 
 firft Proteftant biftiop of Meath. 
 He was the fon of major Nicholas 
 Brady, and was born at Bandon, 
 in the county of Cork, about the 
 year J 659. At the age of twelve 
 years, he went to Wcllminfttr- 
 
 School, 
 
 i!Pl:i 
 
B R 
 
 C 4t 1 
 
 B % 
 
 on all occa- 
 m and advice 
 honeft plain- 
 nccre friend j 
 's found hint, 
 :ordrngIy. 
 tacked more 
 lis old enemy 
 is laft Voyage 
 :e in the mc- 
 diforder was 
 >f medicine ; 
 
 illnefs 
 
 given 
 
 "chrirtian pa- 
 ge, and ra- 
 breathed his 
 i5lober, 1679, 
 sage. 
 
 ch;ira(^er of 
 hy nobleman, 
 
 few words, 
 regnant, and 
 >ms of it were 
 han the fruit, 
 tlitical traAs 
 poems ; but 
 ticularly en- 
 
 in this col- 
 wing Plays, 
 
 667. fo. 
 T. ib68. 
 
 ■• T. 1669, 
 
 72. fo. 
 '. 1690. 4to. 
 93. 4to. 
 [. fo. 
 02. 4to. 
 <fr. j^ttthony) 
 ublifhed in 
 
 >LAs. Was 
 
 Brady, the 
 
 of Mcath. 
 
 jr Nicholas 
 
 |at Bandon, 
 
 about the 
 
 of twelve 
 
 ^'citminfttr. 
 
 School, 
 
 School, from whence he was elefted ' 
 a king's fcholar of Chrift-Church, 
 Oxford. Having itaid there four 
 years, he renioved to Dublin, and 
 took the degrte of mafter of arts, , 
 but had that of doctor of divinity 
 prtfeiited to him by the fame uni- 
 verlity whiiit he refided in Eng- 
 land. Hi^ firll preferment was to 
 a prebend in Sr. Finbarr's cathe- 
 dral, and to the parilh or Kilnag- 
 lorv, in the county of Cork. In 
 1(90, being in London, he was 
 eWde- minifttr of Sf. Catherine 
 Cref Church, and lecturer of St. 
 Michael'- ; after which he was 
 preferred to the reftory of Clap- 
 ham, and the living of Richmond, 
 both in the county of Surrey. He 
 hari occn ihapiiin to king Wil- 
 VvAvn. and qui en Mary, ami aifo to 
 queen Anne, and was <it the time 
 of his dca h, which happened on 
 th.' 2Cth of May, I'-zb, chaplain 
 to rhe pr;ncei's of Wales, after- 
 wards queen Caroline. About the 
 time of hib Settlement in London, 
 he joined with Tate in a new ver- 
 fion of the Pfdms. He alfo tranf- 
 lated The JJl^icid of Firgil^ and 
 puiOifhed feverai volumes of Ser- 
 mons, and one Play, called, 
 
 The Rape ; or, The Innocent Im- 
 foftcrs. T. 1692 410. 
 
 Brando.v, Samuel. This au- 
 thor wrote about the latter part of 
 queen Elizabeth's reign, but of 
 what profelHon he was, or what 
 rank he held in life, I have not 
 been able to procure any informa- 
 tion concernmg. He appears how- 
 ever to havt been poHeired of no 
 fmall (hare of vanity and ielf-fuf- 
 ficiency, from the Italian vtrfe he 
 has fubjoined to the only dramatic 
 piece he wrote, and which not- 
 withllanding the high opinions he, 
 and perhaps fome of his partial 
 friends migr.t entertain of it, is 
 now iptirely forgotten, viz. 
 
 L*Acqua W)nUm$Je ^ eUTM OWo, 
 which may thus be englilhed^ 
 
 Oblivion's powers I have m 
 
 caiiff to fiar ; 
 My "Morks her tvaves sternal- 
 
 LY Jhalljpare. 
 
 The title of the play, which he- 
 thus defies either timei eternity, or 
 oblivion, to eraze the remembrance 
 of, is. 
 
 The -Firtuotts Oatmla. T. C. 
 i2mo. ijqS. 
 
 Br EN AN, Mr. Of this wri- 
 ter I can give no account; hut' 
 he was probably an Irifliman, hav- 
 ing publiihed at Dublin one piece* 
 calied. 
 
 The Painter's Breakfa/i. D. S. 
 lamo. 1756. 
 
 Brereton', Thomas. Thit 
 gentleman was the fon of major 
 1 homas Brereton, of the queen'f 
 dragoons, in the reign of king 
 William HI. and was lineally de- 
 fcended by a younger branch from ' 
 the very ancient and noble familjr , 
 of the Breretons, of Brereton ia 
 Chefliire. He received the firft 
 rudiments r.f learning at the free- 
 fchool at Cheller, from which he 
 was firft removed to a boarding- 
 fchool in the fame city, kept by 
 one Mr. Dennis, a French Refu- 
 gie« and afterwards to Brazen- 
 Nofe College in Oxford, of which 
 he continued a member for eight 
 years, and took the degree of 
 batchelor of arts. About 1717, 
 Sir Robert Walpole, then prime 
 minifler, and who had fome friend- 
 fhip for Mr. Brereton's family, 
 prefented him with a little poll m 
 the Cuftoms, in which his ftation 
 was very agreeable to himfelf, 
 being in the port of Chefter, his 
 own native country. To this then 
 he retired, but did not long enjoy 
 it, death {hatching him away in a 
 few years after his fettling there. 
 * •• y^ji- ^. The 
 
BR 
 
 t 4« T 
 
 II R 
 
 If-TK. 
 
 iJ J 
 
 
 The dramatic pieces which he lived 
 to finiOi were only tW0( and were 
 'never afted, viz. 
 
 I. Eftfter, Trag. lamo. 1715, 
 
 a. Sir John Oldcajile. Trag. 
 
 The firft is little more than a 
 tranflation of the Efther of Racine ; 
 and the laft a dofe imitation of the 
 PoUeu£ie of CorneiUe ; and indeed 
 neitlier of them have any great 
 Ihare of merit in the execution. 
 He had however begun two other 
 pieces, the one a Tragedy^ called, 
 
 Aihaliab, 
 which was to have been a tranfla- 
 tion from Racine's play of that 
 natne; and the other a Comedy, to 
 which he intended to have given 
 the title of. 
 
 The Oxford Ladies j or, The No.' 
 hUman, 
 
 Neither of thefe however did he 
 livft to Hnifli. 
 
 Breton, Nicholas. To this 
 gentleman have both Jacob and 
 Cyildon attributed the honour of 
 authorihip in regard to an old dru- 
 snatic piece, entitled, 
 
 An Old Man's Ltffon; or, A 
 Young Math Love. Int. 410. 1605. 
 but one would be apt 10 imagine 
 they neither of them had feen the 
 piece, and that the latter had im- 
 plicidy copied the error broached 
 by the former, ilnce in the preface 
 Mr. Breton acknowledges himfelf 
 to have been only the editor of 
 this Interlude, nay, even declares 
 that he is wholly ignorant who the 
 author was. As fuch however I 
 could not with propriety avoid in- 
 ferting his name in this place, fince 
 to him the world is at leaft obliged 
 for theknowledge of whatever (hare 
 of merit may he found in the piece* 
 
 Breval, John DvRAMT. Was 
 the fon of Francis Durant de Bre- 
 val, D. D. prebendary of Weft- 
 minller. He was educated at Well- 
 minfter fchool, from whence he 
 went to Trinity College Cam* 
 
 bridge, where he was elected a 
 fellow about the year 1702, bat, 
 upon fome difagreement between 
 hira and Dr. Bentley then mafter 
 of that College, he foon nfter 
 quitted or refigned his fellowfliip 
 and went into the army, then in 
 Flanders, as an enfign. Theeafe 
 with which he acquired the Fie; 
 mifli and German languages, his 
 great learning, his exquilite pen- 
 cil, and genteel behaviour, were 
 foon taken notice of by the duke 
 of Marlborough, who not only 
 promoted him to the rank of cap- 
 tain, but alfo employed him in 
 divers negotiations with feveral 
 German princes, which he cyx.-> 
 cnted with great integrity, and 
 very much to the fatiifa^ion of 
 his noble employer. He began 
 his travels about the year 1720, 
 publiihed the firft two volumes in 
 1723 and 1725, and the 3d and 
 4th in 1738 ; and died univerfally 
 beloved in January 1738-9. He 
 was the author of feveral Poems, 
 and of the following Plays, viz. 
 
 1. The Confederates m F, 1717. 
 8vo. 
 
 2. rhe PUy is the Plat, C, 
 17 1 8. 4to. 
 
 From this Play was taken ; 
 
 3. The Strollers. ¥. 
 
 "4. T/je Rape of Helen. M. O. 
 1737. 8vo. 
 
 ^oon after the appearance of 
 that doughty performance of a club 
 of wits, called Three Hours cftcr 
 Marriage^ which, though publiilied 
 with only Mr. Gay's name to ir, 
 was undoubtedly the joint offspring 
 of that gentleman, Mr. Pope, iwd. 
 Dr. Arbuthnot, and which inec 
 with that condemnation from the 
 public which it juilly merited. Cap- 
 tain Breval, under the aiTumed 
 name of Joseph Gay, produced 
 The Confederates. 
 
 On which account Mr. Pope, 
 who never could forgive the leaft 
 
 attempt 
 
 ii\ 
 
BR 
 
 r 43 1 
 
 B R 
 
 attf ipt made againft his reigning 
 the unriVal'd Ibvercign on the 
 throne of wit, has introduced thu 
 gentleman into that poetical pil- 
 lory the DiMciaff, among the va- 
 rious authors whom he has fup- 
 pofed devotees of the goddefs of 
 Pulhefs. 
 
 Brewer, Anthony. This 
 writer lived in the reign of king 
 lames I. and appears to have been 
 held in high erfimatictt by the wits 
 of that time, as may be more par- 
 ticularly gathered fropi an elegant 
 compliment paid to him in a Poem, 
 called Steps to ParnaffuSy wherein 
 he is fuppofed to have a magic 
 power to call the Mufes to his 
 aflirtancc, and is even fet on an 
 equality with the immortal Shak- 
 fpeare himfelf. There arc how- 
 ever great difputes among the fe- 
 veral writers as to the number of 
 his works. Winftanley and Phil- 
 lips have made him author of fix 
 Plays. The author of the Britijh 
 Thfatre, and after him Mr. Theo- 
 philus Gibber, have given him 
 the credit of three only. Lang- 
 baine, Jacob, and Gildon, allow him 
 but two, and even of thofe, the 
 firllof thefe authors feems to doubt 
 the authenticity of one. 
 
 To come however to the beft 
 judgment I can colledl, I fhall firft 
 mention the pieces which Wiu> 
 ftanley has affiened to him and 
 which are univerfally rejeAed, 
 Thefe are the following three. 
 
 1. Landgartha, T. C. 
 
 2. Loves DominioH, PaftoraU 
 
 3. Law's Loadftone, C. 
 
 The two Plays, which all the 
 writers in general have fet down to 
 this author, are, 
 
 I. Country Girl^ C. 410. 1647. 
 
 a. lj)ve-jick King, T. C. 410. 
 1655. 
 
 Langbalne's objeflion to the firft 
 of thefe being only the letters T. 
 B. in the title page, which might 
 
 have been only a typographlqif 
 error, proceeding, perhaps, from 
 the negligence or careleflhefs of the 
 printer, who, not being certain of 
 the author's chriftian name, mieht 
 chufe rather the inferting any Tet- 
 ter at a venture, than defying the 
 wbrking off the fheet till he could 
 obtain n more authentic informa- 
 tion. 
 
 And now the only piece in dif- 
 pute ii that, entitled. 
 
 Lingua, C. 4to. 1607. 
 
 This Langbaine abfolutely de« 
 nies to be Brewer's, yet affigni no 
 other reafon for fo doing biit hi* 
 own bare ipfe dixit ; neither does 
 Winftanley Ihew any caufe for aA> 
 cribing it to him. Mr. Theophi- 
 lus Gibber, however, as well ai the 
 author of the Britifh Theatre, has 
 followed the authority of the lat- 
 ter ; as has alfo Mr. Dodfley, who 
 republifhed the piece with the name 
 of Anthony Brewer, in his CoU 
 kSlion ofOldPU^s. To this I may 
 add, that probability is alfo in its 
 favour, fince, being of a much ear- 
 lier date than either of the other 
 two, it is pubiiflied anonymous* 
 and may therefore be fuppofed to 
 have been the author's firit filTay 
 in this kind of writing. 
 
 Be the author, however, whom 
 he will, there is a remarkable anec* 
 dote recorded by Winllanley, in 
 regard to the piece itfelf, which 
 points it out to have been in fome 
 meafure the caufe of thofe troubles 
 which dillurbed the peace of thefe 
 realms in the middle of the feven- 
 teenth century. He tells us, that 
 when this Play was a£ked at Cam- 
 bridge, Oliver Cromwell (then a 
 youth) performed a part in it. The 
 fubftance of the piece is a conten- 
 tion among the fenfes for a crown, 
 which Lingua has laid for them to 
 find. The part allotted to young 
 Cromwell was that of Tafius, or 
 Toucbf wh0| having obtained th« 
 
 contefted 
 
Ir'l 
 
 6 It 
 
 ic 44 i 
 
 B R 
 
 icmtefled ebr6net, makes tliis fpi- 
 ritecf declaration, 
 
 Rofts^ and ijysf pack hence ! this 
 
 cronun ami robe^ 
 My browSy and body, circles and itt' 
 
 Brome, Alexandbr. This 
 
 author flouriihed in the reign of 
 
 king Charles I. and was an attor* 
 
 ney in the lord mayor's court. 
 
 He was born in 1620, and died 
 
 June 30th, 1666. So that he lived 
 
 "W* » through the whole of the civil wars 
 
 Hovj paltafttM It jits me I— Jure the & n. n.- j • n 
 
 (l^ and the proteftorfliip, during all 
 
 Jdea/ured my head that nurought this 
 coronet,-^ 
 
 Thty lie that fay^ complexions cannot 
 
 change ! 
 My blood's ennobkdy and I am tranf- 
 
 , fornCd 
 \3nto the /acred tender of a king. 
 Methinis J hear my noble parafites 
 Stiling me Cafary or great Alexander ^ 
 Licking myfeety &CC. 
 
 It is faid that he felt the whole 
 part fo warmly, and more efpe- 
 cially the above-quoted fprech, 
 that it was what firil fired hi.s foul 
 with ambition, and excited him, 
 from the pofTeilion of an imaginary 
 crown, to ftretch his views to that 
 
 which time he maintained his loy* 
 alty untainted. He was a warm 
 cavalier, an^ though in his pro- 
 feffion of the law he could do no 
 fervice to the caufe he loved, yet 
 as he was a devotee of the Mufes, 
 as well as an attendant' on the 
 courts, he frequently turned his 
 pen from the tilling up of writs-, 
 to the inditing of odes, fonnets, and 
 dithyrambs, in the moft of which 
 he treated the round-heads with 
 great keennefs and feverity. In 
 ihort he was author of much the 
 greateft part of thofe fongs and 
 epigrams which were publiflied in 
 favour of the royalids, and againft 
 the Rump, as well in Oliver Crom- 
 
 of a real one, for the accomplilh- well's time as during the rebellion 
 ment of which he was contented to Thefe, together with his epiftles 
 
 wade through feas of blood, and 
 •• fhut the gates of mercy on man- 
 •* kind." 
 
 This ftory, as it hath found its 
 way into moft of the anecdotes of 
 oar author, is here retained. I 
 ihall only obferve upon it, that the 
 Play was published in 1607, and 
 that Oliver Cromwell was not born 
 until 1599' (See the lalt edition 
 of Dodfley's Old Playsj vol. V.") 
 
 Bridges, Thomas. This gen- 
 tleman is a native of Yorkfhire, 
 
 and epigrams tranflated from dif- 
 ferent authors, were all printed in 
 one vol. 8vo. after ihe Rcftoration. 
 He alfo publifhed a verfion of 
 Horace, by himfelf and other 
 hands, which h very far from a 
 bad one. He left behind him only 
 one dramatic piece, which is en- 
 titled, 
 
 The Cunning JLoverSm C. 4to« 
 
 1651. fr, V , 
 
 The world however is indebted 
 to him for two volumes of Richard 
 
 and was at one period of his life Brome's plays in Octavo, many of 
 
 which, but for his care in prefer- 
 ving and publiihing them, would 
 in all probability have been entirely 
 loft. 
 
 Brome, Richard. This au- 
 thor lived in the reign of king 
 Charles I. and was contemporary 
 with Decker, Ford, Shirley, &c. 
 His extradlion was mean, he hav- 
 ing 
 
 a wine-merchant at Hall. He is 
 the author of a very humorous 
 Traveiftie of Homer, the Ad- 
 ventures of a Bank -note, fume 
 poems, snd the two following 
 dramatic pieces : 
 
 1. Bido. C. O. 8vo. 1771. 
 
 2. The Dutgbmu^ M» £. 8vo. 
 1775. -^-4' ^j,"-^- • ' 
 
B R 
 
 [ 45 I 
 
 B R 
 
 ing originally been no better than 
 a menial fervant to the celebrated 
 Ben Jonfon. He wrote himfelt 
 however into high repute, as ia 
 tcftified not only by various com- 
 mendatory verfes written by his 
 contemporaries, and prefixed to 
 many of his plays, but alfo by fome 
 lines which his quondam maftcr 
 addrefled to him on account of his 
 Comedy called the Northern Laftt 
 in which, although Ben Jonfon 
 has given way to that kind of y»> 
 hity .^ hich is perpetually darting 
 forth in all his writings, and re- 
 prefents himfclf as the firft who 
 had inftrufted the age in the co- 
 mic laws ^ and all the perfcft arts 
 of the Drama, yet he pays great 
 commendation to Richard firome, 
 by acknowledging that he has 
 made very good ufe of the im- 
 provements he had acquired durine 
 a long apprenticefhip under m 
 &i]ful a mailer. 
 
 Brome, in imitation of his maf- 
 ter, laid it down as his firft great 
 point, to apply clofely to the (tudy 
 of men and manners. His genius 
 was entirely turned to comedy, 
 and therefore his proper province 
 was obfervaiion more than read- 
 ing. His plots are all his own, 
 and are far from being ill-con- 
 dttded ; and his characters, v.'hich 
 for the moft part are ftrongly 
 marked, were the offspring of his 
 own judgment and experience, 
 and his clofe attention to the foi- 
 bles of the human heart, in a 
 word, his plays in general are good 
 ones, met with great applaufe 
 when firft a£ted, and, as Langbaine 
 informs us, were thought by the 
 players worthy to be revived, to 
 their own profit and the author's 
 honour, in that critical age which 
 he himfelf lived in. Nay we have 
 had a proof, even in our own time, 
 of the merit of one of his Come- 
 dies, which with a very little al- 
 
 teration has been revhrBd «n^ 
 with great fuccefs, viz. iht^Jofifiai 
 Crew, which has brougtit ciowded 
 audiencee to the Theatre Royal ift 
 Covent Ciarden at all the frequeic 
 repetitions of its performance.- 
 
 The Comedies which this au- 
 thor has left behind hiiniu« fifteen 
 in number, ten of which are coT- 
 le^ed together, as befQr^mentfon- 
 ed, under Alexander Brfme, in 
 two vQl^me8 8vo. ea^h volume 
 bearing the title o( Fiv* New Pifys 
 hy Aichard Sreme, The wfaple lift 
 ,of his pieces is as follows : 
 
 1. The Northern Lafi, C. 4tOi* 
 1632. 
 
 2. The Sparagus Garden, C. 4tO» 
 X640. 
 
 3. The Antipodei, C. 4^0. i<^a. 
 
 4. 7he Jovial Crew ; ; or, %be 
 Merry Beggars. C. 4to. i652.'D.C. 
 
 5. A mad Couple weHm^teb^d. jC» 
 8vo. 1653. 
 
 6» Novella. C. 8vo. 1 65 3. 
 
 7. The Court Bfiggar, C. SfO. 
 1653. 
 
 8. The City Wit; or, The Wi^ 
 man luears tlje Brteche$, C 8vo. 
 
 1653. 
 
 9. The Damoi/ellei or, The nem 
 Ordinary. C. 8vo. 1653. 
 
 10. The ^een's Etnhange, C« 
 4to. 1657. 
 
 11. The Englijh Maori or. The 
 M>'-^ Marriage. C. 8vo. 1659. 
 
 12. The Lovefick Courts or. 
 The Amhitiout F$lttuk, C. 8vo. 
 16^9. 
 
 13. Covent-GarJen weeded; or, 
 TbeMtddlefex Jufiice of Peace. C. 
 8vo. 1659. 
 
 14. New Academy \ or. The New 
 Exchange. C. 8vo. 1659. 
 
 1 5» The ^een and Coneuitne, 
 C. 8vo. 165:^. 
 
 He alfo joined with Thomas 
 Hsy wood in The Laneajliire Witches^ 
 and wrote the following pieces 
 now probably loft : 
 
 i.Wltk 
 
B !l 
 
 t 46 ] 
 
 B R 
 
 ■ I M 
 
 ]. Win in » Mcukes* 
 J, Cbrifiianiiia* 
 
 3. 7he Jewi/b Gentleman, 
 
 4. The Lme-fck MaiJ; or, T/jc 
 Honour of young Ladies, 
 
 e. The Lifi and Death of Sir 
 J&trpn Skintf with the fTarres of 
 fhe Law Countries, 
 
 6. The jMrentices Prize, 
 The two laft alfo in conjunAlon 
 with Thomas Heywood. 
 
 Richard Brome died in the year 
 1651. (See Dodfley*s Colleaion 
 of Old Plays, vol. X. p. 12 2.) 
 
 Brooke, Henry, E^. Thii 
 •gentlenan, who is ftill living, is a 
 native of Ireland, having, as I 
 ■have been informed, a paternal 
 eftate in the coupty of Cavan, and 
 is befides barrack*mafter of Mul- 
 lingar, in the county of Weft- 
 meath. He gained great reputa- 
 ■tion as a writer, by the Farmer^s 
 Letters^ publiAied in Ireland, in 
 the time of the rebellion, and writ- 
 4en after the manner of Dean Swift's 
 Drapier*s Letters, His greateft ap- 
 plication however feeins to have 
 •been to the Drama, for in the year 
 1738, he had his Tragedy of 
 Guftavus Fafa rehearfed at the 
 Theatre Royal in Drory-Lane; the 
 •aftors were all ready in their parts, 
 and no bar feemed in the way to its 
 public appearance, when an order 
 . came from the lord chamberlain 
 to prohibit it. He met with the 
 iame ill-fuccefs in Dublin with 
 regard to an Opera, called Jack the 
 Giant ^ellery bsought on foon af- 
 ter the clofe of the rebellion, 
 which after the firft night's repre- 
 sentation was forbidden by the 
 government to be continued. As to 
 his firft play, however, the prohi- 
 bition did him no kind of injury, 
 as he was immediately encouraged 
 to publiih it by a fubfcription, 
 which has been faid to have a- 
 mounted to eight hundred pounds. 
 In X74t> \m Betrayer of his Country 
 
 was brought on the (lage in Dublin, 
 and met with fuccefs ; and about 
 1752, at the fame theatre, his Earl 
 of EJftx, This laft play huwever 
 being, I believe, the property of 
 Mr. Sheridan, late manager of 
 Smock Alley Theatre, when that 
 gentleman a£ted at Drury-Lane in 
 the wintef of 1761, his emolu- 
 ments b^ing to arlfe from a cer« 
 tain proportion of the profits of 
 the houfe on thofe nights in which 
 he performed, he was allowed a 
 right of reviving or getting up fuch 
 plays ac he imagined would turn 
 out the moft to his and the mana- 
 
 Sers joint advantages. Among 
 lofe which he fixed on as his 
 choice, was Mr. Brooke's Earl of 
 Ejfexy which being licenced by the 
 lord chamberlain was now brought 
 on at Drury Lane, and met with 
 good fucceis. 
 
 Through the whole of Mr. 
 Brooke's writings there breathes a 
 ftrong fpirit of liberty, and par 
 triotic zeal, which, though the na- 
 tural and inborn principles of every 
 fubie£l of thefe realms may have 
 fubjeAed them to mifreprefenta- 
 tion, and, what is far from an un- 
 common cafe, rendered general fen* 
 timent fufpefled as particular re- 
 fleClion ; yet thofe who have the 
 pleafurc of knowing this gentleman 
 perfonally muft be To well liTured 
 of the integrity of his hearty and 
 his firm attachment to the prefent 
 happy fucceflion, as will entirely 
 clear him from the flighteft fup- 
 pofition of any intent to excite 
 corruption, or awaken difcontent, 
 by any of his writings. 
 
 His dramatic pieces in them- 
 felves, independent of thefe kind 
 of conftderations, though not to be 
 ranked in the firft dais, have un- 
 doubtedly a confiderable fttare of 
 merit. His plots are ingenioufly 
 laid and well conducted, his cha- 
 radters not ill-drawn, and his lan- 
 guage 
 
B R 
 
 I 47 3 
 
 B R 
 
 6. 
 
 I 
 
 f;uage bold and nervoui; though 
 t muft be acknowledged in the laft 
 particular the author at times feems 
 to pay too little regard to the cor- 
 rcAnefs of meafure, and to that po- 
 YA 'vhich the language of Tragedy 
 ought to receive trom harmony of 
 numbers* 
 His dramatic pieces are as follow : 
 I. Ouftavus Pa/a. T.Svo. 1738. 
 z.VjeEarlofmftinorhnd, T. 
 
 J741. 
 
 3. UtlU John and the Giants, 
 X). O. about 1746. 
 
 4. 'fhe EarlofEffix. T. 8vo. 1 761 . 
 Anthory and Cleopatra, T. 
 The Impofter. T. 
 Cymheline, T. 
 Montezuma. T. 
 
 9. The Vfjial Tirgh,. T, 
 
 It). The Contending Brothers, C. 
 
 ii. 1 he Charitahle Ajjbdauon C. 
 
 I J. The Femak Officer. C. 
 
 13. The Marriage Contratl. Q. 
 
 \%. Ruth. O. 
 
 All printed in his Works, 4 vols. 
 8vo. 1778. 
 
 Brooke, Frances. Thislady, 
 whofe maiden name was Moore, 
 is the daughter and wife of cler- 
 gymen, and a lady of firll-ratc abi- 
 lities. She has written and pub- 
 liihed fome admirable novels, and 
 one play, which was never adled, 
 entitled, 
 
 Ftrginia, Trag. 8vo. 1756. 
 
 Brookes, R. This gentleman 
 was re£lorof Aihney in Northamp- 
 tonlhire, and publifhed a tranfla- 
 tion of Du Halle's Hiftory ofChina^ 
 in which is contained one Play, 
 called, 
 
 Tchao Chi Cott Ell; or, The Lit. 
 lie Orphan of the Family of Tchao. 
 
 Brovghton, Thomas. Was 
 born on the 5th of July, 1704^ in 
 the parifli of St. Andrew, Hol- 
 born, where his father was mini- 
 fter. He received his education 
 at £ton-fchool| and from thence 
 
 was removed to GonviIIe ani) 
 Caiui College. He took the di- 
 gree of batchelor of arts on tb« 
 
 :s8th of May, 1727, and entering 
 into orders lait the aniverfitv for 
 a curacy, that of Offley in Hert- 
 fordfliire. In 1739* he wai in- 
 ftituted to the re£tory of Stibine- 
 ton, in Huntinedonflilre, on th« 
 
 J>refent&tion of ^hn duke of Bed- 
 brd, who alfo appointed hint on« 
 of his chaplains. Soon after ha 
 was chofen reader to the Temple* 
 by which means he became known 
 to bilhop Sherlock ; who, in 174A, 
 prefented him to the valuable vi- 
 carage of Bedminfier. near Bridol* 
 with the chapels of St. Mary Red- 
 clifT, St. Thomas and Abboti 
 Leigh annexed. Some fhort time 
 after, he was collated by the fame 
 patron to the prebend of Bedmin- 
 fter and ReddifF, in the cathedral 
 of Salifbury. Upon receiving this 
 preferment he removed from Lon- 
 don to Brillol, where he married 
 the daughter of Thomas Harris 
 Clerk. He refided on his living 
 till his death, which happened oa 
 the 2ift of December, 1774, in the 
 feventy-firft year of his age, and 
 was, buried in the church of St* 
 Mary Redcliff. 
 
 He was one of the original wri- 
 ters in the Biographia Britannica^ 
 and befides many other works, 
 was the author of, 
 
 Hercules. M. D. 174;. 8vo. . 
 
 Brown, Anthony, Efq; Thjt 
 gentleman was a member of the 
 Temple, and wrote a Play, en- 
 titled, 
 
 The Fatal Retirement.^:. 8 vo. 1 7 39, 
 
 This Play was damned, and in^ 
 deed very defervedly, there being 
 neither plot, incident, or language 
 in it that had by any means a 
 right to recommend it to the pub^ 
 lie regard. Yet its want of foe? 
 cefs was the occafion of fome in- 
 fults being Ihewn to an aflor gf 
 
 great 
 
B R 
 
 I 48 ] 
 
 BR 
 
 mat confeqaencfc, wHofe fpirhed 
 iebanoar on the circumAance may 
 be feen more at large in the ac- 
 count of this Play in the other part 
 of this worlr. 
 
 Brownb, Thomai. This fa- 
 cetious writer* who is the delight 
 of fuch as admire low humour, 
 was the Ton of a farmer ot' ShifFnal, 
 in Shropihire. He was educated 
 at Newport-fchool in that coUnty, 
 attained the knowledge of the La- 
 tin, Greek, French, : Italian, and 
 Spanifli laiaguages. From New- 
 port-fchool ^e removed to Chrift 
 Church College, Oxford. There 
 he was celebrated for his abilities, 
 and for his irregularities ; and on 
 account of the latter was foon 
 obliged to ^ui( the univerfity. 
 After exhauHmg the whole of the 
 fmall pittance he had brought to 
 town with him, he, for his fup- 
 port, became a fchool-maller at 
 &ingfton upon Thames ; blit being 
 impatient of a reclufe life, he 
 foon quitted that Htuation and 
 came again to London, where he 
 plunged into all the licence and 
 diffipation of the metropolis. He 
 now became an author by pro- 
 feflion, and experienced all the 
 viciflitudes of fortune which a 
 mixture of indullry and carelelfiiefs 
 could produce. An anonymous 
 Writer, who has given the world 
 fome account of him, obferves, 
 *' that it was not his immorality 
 ** that hindered him from climb> 
 *Ving to the top of poetry and pre- 
 ** ferment ; but that he had a par- 
 *' ticular way of finning to him- 
 *• felf. To (peak in plain Eng- 
 ** lifli, Tom Browne had lefs the 
 *' fpirit of a gentleman than the 
 ** reft of the wits, and more of a 
 *' fcholar. Tom thought himfelf 
 ** as happy with a retailer of 
 ** damnation in an obfcure hole, 
 ** as another to have gone to the 
 ** devil with all the fplendour of a 
 
 ** fine equipage. 'Twas not the 
 ** brightnefs of Cxlia*s eyes, nor 
 *' her gaudy trappings, that at- 
 *' traArd his heart. Cupid niight 
 '' keep his darts to himfelf; loin 
 " always carried his fire about 
 " him. If fhe had but a mouth, 
 *< two eyes, and a nofe, he never 
 " enquired after the regularity of 
 '" her drefs or features. He al- 
 *' ways brought a good ftomach 
 " with him, and ufed but Utile ce- 
 ** remony in the preface. As of 
 '* his miftreffes, fo he was very 
 *' negligent in the choice of his 
 "companions, who were fome- 
 *' times mean and defpicable, a 
 '* circumlbnce which never fails 
 ** to ruin a man's reputation. He 
 " was of a lazy temper; and the 
 '** bookfellers, who gave him ere- 
 '* dit enough as to his capacity, 
 '' had no confidence to put in his 
 ** diligence." The fame writer 
 adds, that though our author was 
 a good-natured man, yet he had 
 one pernicious quality which eter- 
 nally procured him enemies, and 
 that was rather to lofe his friend 
 than his joke. He died in the 
 year 1704, and was buried in the 
 Clpyfter in Weflminfter-Abbey, 
 near the remains of Mrs. Behn. 
 He was the author of, 
 
 1 . Pljyfit:k ^es a Bleeding ; or. 
 The Apothecary turtud DoHor, C. 
 410.1697. 
 
 2. Ibe Stage Beaux toffed in a 
 Blanket ; Or, H^pocrifie A-la-Mode, 
 C. 4to. 1 704. 
 
 3. The Dijpenfarj, F. Printed 
 in his Works^ 
 
 Brown, Mr. To a perfon of 
 this name, Mears, in his Cata- 
 logue, afcribes a tranflation from 
 Noble of a French Play, entitled. 
 
 The Two Harlequins, F. 8vo. 
 1718. 
 
 Browne, Dr. John. This ele- 
 gant, ingenious, and unhappy au^ 
 thor was bora u Kothbury, in the 
 
 cctt.ity 
 
B R 
 
 t 49 I 
 
 B R. 
 
 CMinty of Nnrt^niiiibrrl.inJ.on the 
 5th of Nv>vf mbi-r, 1715. The fa- 
 ihlly fiom which he \v;is dcfccnd- 
 ed were the Hm^vns of CollUnvn, 
 near HiiJclinr^ton in Scothitui. 
 His fatliet John Brown was a ii:i- 
 itive ol Duns in Scothmd, and, at 
 Ithc time of his (oil's birth, was 
 curate to Dr. Thnmlinfon, rcftor 
 [of Horhbury. He afterwards was 
 colUtt'd to the viCiragr of Wigt 'H 
 in Cumberland. To this place he 
 cairied his (on, and there our au- 
 thor received the firll part ot his 
 ediicition. I'lom thence he was 
 removed to the univerlity of Cam- 
 bridge, where he was inatricu- 
 Luca on the i8ih of December, 
 I7j2, and entered of St. John's 
 Colieye under the tuition of Dr. 
 TuDitall. After taking the degreie 
 of batchelor of arts with great re- 
 putation, he returned co Wigton^ 
 and was oidair.cd by Dr. Fleming, 
 bifhop of Cariifle. His firft pre- 
 ferment was to a minor canonry 
 and lefturerfliip of the Cathedral 
 church of Cailifle. He remained 
 ill obfcuri^y at that city fevcnil 
 years until the rebelliin 17451 
 when he oft d as a volunteer at 
 the fiege of the cuUle, and behaved 
 with great intrepidity. In 1739, 
 he touk the dv-grce of M. A. 
 and fome time aher was prefent- 
 t'd to the living of M. riand, in 
 the county of vVcltmorland. He 
 reiigned liis preferment in the Ca- 
 thedral of Carliile in difgui}. Ori 
 Mr. Pop;''s death he wrote The 
 l*.£ay on Satire, addrefled to Dr. 
 W'arburton, who immediately in- 
 troduced him to his friend Mr. 
 Allen and others, and by his in- 
 terfll with lord Hardwicke pro- 
 cured him the living of Grc.it 
 Horkefley in Effex. In 1757, he 
 publilhed his celebrated I'!.ftimate 
 of the manners and principles of 
 the times, a work which was run 
 down by popular clamour, but not 
 Vol. i. 
 
 anfwcrcd. Obtaining the vicarage 
 ot St. Nicholas, Ncwcallle, he rc- 
 figncd his living in EHextolord 
 tiardwicke, with whom as well as 
 with Dr. Warburtoii there had 
 fome time before been a coolnefs. 
 He received no other preferment, 
 which to a perfon of Dr. Brown** 
 fpirit muft have been 3 great mor- 
 tiiicntioi,. In the latter part of 
 his life, he had an invitation from 
 the eniprefs of Rudia to fuper- 
 iiitend a grand dcfi;^n which fhe 
 h.'.d formed of extending the ad- 
 vantages of civilization over that 
 great empire He accepted the 
 olfcr, and a<*lually prepared for 
 his journey; but finding hi^ hcalih 
 in too precarious a Hate to admit 
 him to fulH!] his intention, he was 
 o':'lii;ed to relinquifh it. 'J his and 
 otiier difappointments were fol- 
 lowed by a dejedion of fpiiits 
 wliich he had otten been fubj' ft to. 
 In an interval of deprivation of 
 reafon, he was prompted to do 
 violence to himfelf, and on the 23d 
 of September, 1766, cut his thioac 
 in the fifty-firft year of his age. 
 The ftage llands indebted to him 
 for two dramatic pieces, the fuc- 
 cefi of which has been different, 
 J'ct has not 1 think done any great 
 honour to public tallc, lince his 
 Jthel/lan, which 1 cannot help 
 thinicing much the more original 
 and better executed piece of the 
 two, has never been perfoi'med 
 fince th2 feafon of its hril ap- 
 pearance; while 7>ar^fl;vij7tf, whofa 
 defign is much too nearly ap- 
 proaching to that of Mcrope and 
 Ibme other of our moJern Trage- 
 dies, llili continues on the liil of 
 ai^lino; plavs. 
 
 His Tragedies, as I before ob- 
 ferved, are only two, viz. 
 
 1. Barhaiojj'a. 8vo. 1755. 
 
 2. AdMiftan. Svo. 1756. 
 and one Oratorio, 
 
 Tbs Cun of Saul. /^io. 1763. 
 
 li BilOWNEj 
 
B R 
 
 [ 50 ] 
 
 E U 
 
 Browne, Moses. This writer 
 is, I believe, yet living. He is a 
 divine of the church of England, 
 vicar of Olney in Bucks, and chap* 
 lain to Morden- College. He is 
 the author of a Poem, called, Snw 
 day Ihoughti ; and fcvtral other 
 pieces, fume of which arc pclfcr- 
 fed of confiderable merit. In his 
 youth, for he was born in the year 
 170J, be wrote two pieces, which 
 were both reprcfented together, 
 and have pretty nearly an equal 
 degree of merit. Ihey are en- 
 titled, 
 
 1. PoVicffn. T. 8vo. 1723. 
 
 2. All bedevilkiU F. 
 
 The fecond was af^ed by w.iy 
 cf an Kntertainnienc added to the 
 ftrft. Neither of them however 
 were performed at a Theatre Roy- 
 af, or even by regular adlors, but 
 only by fome gentlemen ot the au- 
 thor's acquaintance, for their own 
 divfriion and the graflikation of 
 his vanity, at a place which in the 
 title pa^e is called the private 
 'I'heatie m St. Alban's Sticer, but 
 til 13 I im:igine to have been no- 
 tliinq; more than feme fchool or 
 iiiiemb'y room iiucd up for the 
 immediate occafionof this play, and 
 other reprelcntations of" that kind. 
 
 BaowNH, Willi A.M. \\ ashorn 
 at Taviftocl:, in Devonfliirc, in 
 ihe year \'o,o', his fruhfr, ac- 
 cording.!; to Ftiiicc, in his U\irihlcs 
 vf Dcvun^ being probably of the 
 knightly family of Browne, of 
 Browne Hani, in the pniiih of 
 Lsngtree, near Great Torrington. 
 Afte;- he had palled through the 
 gia:uinur-fchot)], he was fent to 
 iCxeter-Coilege, Oxford, where he 
 became a great proficient in claf- 
 lical leariwng, and in the Belles 
 Lettres wasfcaiceiy ecjuallcd; from 
 thence he was removed before he 
 had taken any academical degree 
 to the Inner I'emple, London, 
 where he more paiticularly devo- 
 
 ted himfelf to the Mufes. Tn the 
 beginning of the year 1624, he 
 returned again to Exeter- College, 
 and became tutor to Robert Dor- 
 mer, afterwards eurl of Cirnarvon, 
 who loll hrs life at Newbury fight 
 on the 29th of September, 1643. 
 On the ajth of March, 1624, he 
 received permiflion to be created 
 M. A. although the degree was not 
 conferred upon him till the No- 
 vember following. He is Ailed, in 
 the public Regiller of the univer- 
 fity, a man well Ikilled in all kinds 
 of polite literature and ufeful arts } 
 Vir omni hiunana lilciaiura el bo- 
 narum arttum an^nitione injhv^in. 
 After he had left tlie College with 
 his pupil, he was received into the 
 faintly of William earl of Pem- 
 broke, who had a great refpedt fop 
 him ; and here, according to Wood, 
 he made his fortune fo well that 
 he purchafed an ellate : he alfo 
 adds that he had a great mind in 
 a little body ; but with rc^'.ard to 
 the time of his death he is vi.\-)' 
 doubtful ; for all that he fays of 
 the matter is, that, •' in hrs lear- 
 " ches he finds that one William 
 *' Browne of Ottery St. Mary, irt 
 •' Dtvonlhire, died in the year 
 '* 1645 ; but that hi cannot tell 
 " whether he was the fame with 
 •♦ the Poet.'* 
 
 His Works were collefted and 
 publifhed, by Thomas Davie?, 
 bookicller, in 3 vols. l';72, and 
 amongll them was then firlt printed} 
 
 y/'j Inner Tcitple Mnjljue. 
 
 Buck, Paul. Is in CIdys'i 
 IMSS. laid to be the author of, 
 
 Jhc Three Ladies pJ Ljudon. C* 
 4to. I 592. 
 
 Buj-LocK Christopher. ThiJ 
 author was a player by profeflion, 
 and the fon of Mr. William Bul- 
 lock, whom we find to have flood 
 in very good eftimation in his 
 theatrical capacity, nor was this 
 fon of his by any means deficient 
 
B U 
 
 [ 5' ] 
 
 B U 
 
 In point of merit as an aftor. At 
 wh.Jt place, or in what year, our 
 author was born, 1 liave not been 
 able to trace. He^ bec.imc joint 
 manajjcr with Mr. Kcene, and ano- 
 ther ador, ot the Th(.'atrc in Lin- 
 colu'd-fnn-Field-t. In the year 
 1717 he married a natural daogh- 
 tcr ot that great perff^mtT Mr. 
 Willss, by Mrs. Rogets the aftrcA. 
 This lady wa» bred up to the ftagc, 
 but although, from the advantage 
 or an agreeable figure, fhe plcaled 
 tolerably well in fcveral dramatic 
 charaftfrs, yet flie was far from 
 inheriting the capital merit of ei- 
 ther her father or mother. Mr. 
 Bullock died in 172-I., not much 
 advanced in life, for Mr. Chet- 
 wood, who murt have pcrfonally 
 known him, fays he was then only 
 !n the road toexcellerxs. He h;id 
 a great deal of natural fpri;>hili- 
 nefj, which was of advantage to 
 him on the ftai^r, he perf)rming 
 fdr t!ie moil part the f«me call of 
 charafters at the one houfe that 
 Mr. Coliv'y Cibbcr fcpported at 
 the other, which were the fops, 
 pert gentlemen, &c. in which iive- 
 linel's and cafe are moll cflentially 
 recellary. 
 
 The damatic pieces Mr. Bul- 
 lock left behind him wrrc kven in 
 number, and are as follow ; 
 
 1. lVomaH*s Ri'iteiiaci C. i2mo. 
 171$. 
 
 2. Sllf). F. I?. mo. 1715. 
 
 3 . Adventures of Half an Hour, 
 F. l2mo. 171O. 
 
 4. Cobkr (f Priflon, F. lamo. 
 i;i6. 
 
 ^. Pc'juror. F. 8vo. 1717. 
 
 6. Uuman^i a Riddle. C. 410. 
 1718. 
 
 7. The Traytor, T. 8vo. 171 8. 
 As to the Comedy of IVomaii's 
 
 \tt Riddle, he has been accufed of 
 Ifome unfair dealing about it with 
 [regard to Mr. Savage ; but that is 
 |a point I ihall endeavour more 
 
 fully to CTTplain when we Come ttt 
 the life of that gentleman. 
 
 ^ut.TEi:L, JonM. This author 
 was, I believe, fccrctary to the earl 
 of Clarendon, and was created 
 M. A. at Oxford 9th of Septem- 
 ber, 1 66 1. He was the fon of « 
 Frenchman, of b:jth the fame names, 
 who lived fome time at Dover. He 
 died a batchelor in the parifh of 
 St. Martin in the Fields, VVeft- 
 minllcr, in 1669, having written 
 one Play, called, 
 
 Am:nous Oronius \ Or, The Love 
 in Fafjton, C. 1665. 4'0. 
 
 BuitGEis, Mrs. This authorefs 
 is yet living, and a ihopkeeper 
 in St. George s Street, Canterbury. 
 She has written one Play, feveral 
 times adled in that city, called, 
 
 The Oaks'i or. The Beauties of 
 Canterb'iry. C. 8v0. 1780. 
 
 HURCpYNF, John, Efq; This 
 author was lately a lieutenant* 
 general in his majefly's army, 
 but, difgufted with hii receptioa 
 from government fince his return 
 from Americn, refigncd all his 
 military employments. The fa- 
 tal bufinefs .it Saratoga will tranf- 
 mit his name to pollerity, buC 
 whether with honour or difgraca 
 mull be left to the impartial de- 
 termination of time. H"; married , 
 a daughter of the earl of Derby, 
 and, with the alfiftance of Mr. 
 (iarrick, produced a flight per- 
 formance, entitled, 
 
 The Maid of the Oaks. D. E. 
 
 8vo. r 
 
 74- 
 
 BuRKHEAD, Henry. Thij 
 gentleman was a merchant of Brif- 
 tol, and lived in the reign of king 
 Charles I. He feems to have been 
 a man of ftrong party principles, 
 and wrote a play which was never 
 afted, nor probably even intended 
 fo to be, entitled, 
 
 Cold's Fury. T. 1645. 
 the Aibjeift of it being the frlfll 
 rebellion, which broke out in 0£to- 
 
 £ 2 bcxi 
 
B U 
 
 [ S^ 1 
 
 B U 
 
 ^ber, I '^41. In it he has charac- 
 terized all the principal perfonfi 
 . cor.tcined in the affairs of that 
 time, under feigned names. And 
 even the fccond title to the piece, 
 viz. Lireiulas Mijhy, is exprelTive 
 ot" the fubjcft aimed at, Liicmla 
 beng no more than an an:igram 
 (which was a kind of quibble then 
 much in vogue) formed from the 
 letters wLI ;h compofe the name of 
 Ireland. 
 
 BuRNABY, Charles, \\\i\. 
 This gentleman had a liberal edu- 
 cation, having been bred up at 
 ihe univcrfity, and afterwards en- 
 - tered a member ot the Middle 
 Temple, He wrote four Piay, 
 the names of which are as follow : 
 
 1. 7he Rijhniieil IVifc. C. 410. 
 
 • 1700. 
 
 2. TheLatlieiVyithigDay. €.410. 
 
 1701. 
 
 3. Tie MoJIJIj Hujhand, C. 410. 
 1702. 
 
 4. Love betrayed. C. 410. 1703. 
 iuRNKL, HtNUY, Lfq; All I 
 
 can gather in regard to this gen- 
 tleman is, that he was a native 
 of Ireland, and wrote a play, which 
 was udled with npplaufe at the 
 theatre in Dublin, called, 
 
 1 Miuli^artha. T. C. 4tO, 1 64 1. 
 
 It appears that he had before 
 this made an attempt in the dra- 
 matic way, which hdd mifcarricd ; 
 but what the name of that former 
 play was I cannot trace, nor is it at 
 
 all improbable that it might never 
 make its appearance in print. 
 
 KuuRoiuiHiis, Mr. Of this 
 author 1 can give no account, 
 but that his name appears in the 
 books of the Stationers Company 
 4th of Sept. 1646, as the author of 
 one Play, which I believe was never 
 printed, called, 
 
 The Falall Friend/hip, 
 BuMNEY, Ht. Chart-es. a 
 gentleman who is ftill living. He is 
 author of a Hiilory of Mulick, writ- 
 ten with uncommon elegance and 
 perfpicuity, aswell asthree volumes 
 of Travels through different parts 
 of Europe. He hath likewiie gi- 
 ven the publick a tranflation of 
 one J iece froui the French ot 
 Rouffcau, culled. 
 
 The Cunning Mm, M. E. 8vo. 
 1766. 
 
 Burton, Phiupi'INA. Ispro- 
 bably flill living. She was an ac- 
 trefs one, if not two, feafons at 
 the theatre in the Hay- Market, 
 and produced one play, adled th'j 
 27th of April, 1770, for her own 
 benefit, with very fmall fuccefs, 
 though as much as it deferved, 
 called, 
 
 Fajhion ihfplayed. C. Not printed. 
 Busui., A.MVAs, Efq; M. A. 
 P. R. S. Ut this gentleman I 
 know nothing more than that he is 
 the author of one dramatic piece, 
 not intended for the llage, entitled, 
 Socratci, Dram. Poem. 410. 1758. 
 
r 
 
 t it might never 
 iCe in print. 
 Mr. Of this 
 'e no account, 
 : appears in the 
 oners Company 
 as the author of 
 lelieve was never 
 
 Charles. A 
 ilill living. He is 
 ofMu(ick, writ- 
 on elegance and 
 I asthreevoiumeti 
 ;h different parts 
 hath likewii'e gi- 
 a tranflation of 
 the French ot 
 
 Ian. M. E. 8vo. 
 
 -IPPINA. Ispro- 
 
 She was an ac- 
 
 two, feafons at 
 
 he Hay-Market, 
 
 play, afted thj 
 
 70, for lier own 
 
 fmall fuccels, 
 
 as it dcferved, 
 
 |. C. Not printed. 
 s, Efq; M. A. 
 is gentleman I 
 |re than that he is 
 dramatic piece, 
 le itage, entitled, 
 I'oem. 4to. 17^8. 
 
 [ 53 ] 
 
 ^iA*?> 
 
 c. 
 
 C A 
 
 CJ. Thefe two letters are pre- 
 , fixed to aComedy, entitled, 
 
 •J he T'-.'.-o Mrrry MilkmaiiJs. C. 
 hut I cannot, eitluT tr.)m thefe 
 letters, from tue date, or from 
 any other circumllance belonging 
 to this piece, attribute it to any 
 known author. 
 
 C. R. Thi.-fe letters ftand in 
 the title page to a trannatinn of a 
 Latin Play, written by R. R.ug- 
 gles, entitled. 
 
 hmrawHS. 
 
 C. 
 
 tranflated by R C. who is there 
 fail! to have been fome time maf- 
 ter of arts in Magdalen College in 
 Oxford; and which letters Coxeter 
 in a MS. note explains to Hand for 
 llobert Codrington. 
 
 The writers however have made 
 a flrange jumb!e of errors in re- 
 gard to this tranflator and the au- 
 thor of an hillorical Plav, called. 
 
 Alpha iifus^ kiti^ of Arragun, 
 Langbaine and Gildon having 
 equa'ly run into the error of af- 
 cribi ng both thefe IMays to the fame 
 author, with 'his only dilFerence, 
 that lite finl has diftinguilhcd his 
 name by the letters R. C. and the 
 latter by thofc of R. G. But as 
 the date of publication of thel'e 
 two pieces has a diftVience of up- 
 wards of fixty year?, AU>honlus be- 
 iwi, publiihcd in i 599, and li^nn- 
 rtimiis not till 1662, it is not very 
 prnbible they Ihould both be the 
 work ol on-:- perfon. I have there- 
 foie tlioiiyjit it moil reafonablc to 
 follow the authority ot Lrtngbaine, 
 as explained by Co:<eter, tor the 
 tianliator of the latter ; and that 
 
 C A 
 
 of Gildon, which Jacob likewife 
 acq uie fees with, for the author of 
 the former. 
 
 Cambell,^ Mr. In Mears's 
 Catalogue this name is put to a 
 play, which we believe was never 
 printed, entitled, 
 
 The Raver reclain!d\ or, The 
 Man of Mode a Coxcomb. C. 
 
 Campion, Thomas. Was a 
 phyfician in the reign of king 
 James the Firft, and was the au- 
 thor of, 
 
 1. A M.ijh pr ':ntcJ at ]VhUehall 
 on Tivelfil> Nix^t on the Marriage of 
 Lord Hay;s, and the Daughter and 
 Heir of Lord Dcniiy. (jto. 1 60 7. 
 
 2. Rtitertainment gi'Z'cn by Lord 
 Knowles at Caiv/ame-Hoit/i', near 
 Reading, to ^een Anne, in her PrO' 
 grefi to the Bath, 4to. 16 13. 
 
 . Capeli,, Edwar!). This gen- 
 tleman apt^ears to have been of the 
 county of Suffolk, and received his 
 education at the fchool of Bury 
 St. Edmonds. In the Dedication 
 of his edition of Shukfpeare to 
 the Duke of Grafton, he obfervcs 
 that his father and the grandfather 
 of his grace were friends, and to 
 the patronage of the deceafed no- 
 bleman he owed the leifure which 
 enabled him to bellow the atten* 
 tion of twenty years on that work. 
 He is at prefent deputy infpedor 
 of the Playp, a place of fome pro- 
 fit. He (with the affiilance of Mr, 
 (iarrick) altered one Play from 
 Shaklpeare, which was performetl 
 at Drury-T^ane, viz. 
 
 Aiithouy and Cleopatra. T. Svo. 
 
 ii 3 Carew^ 
 
11 
 
 C A 
 
 [ 54 ] 
 
 C A 
 
 Carew, Lady Elizabeth. 
 This lady flouriihed in the reign 
 of king James, and muft have been 
 of diilindtion in her time ; but 
 
 Nay, Co favourable an opinion did 
 he entertain of his abilities in that 
 refpeft, that it was by his ma- 
 jefly's peculiar command that he 
 
 from what family Ihe was defcend- undertook the only dramatic piece 
 
 ed, or what part of the kingdom 
 claimed t'ic hcJnOur of her birth, I 
 have not been able to difcover. 
 We find, however, fome of her 
 contemporaries dedicating their 
 works to her ; and flie herfelf h^s 
 written one dramatic piece, en- 
 titled, 
 
 MariatHy thefcth ^een ofjc-jjry, 
 T. 4to. 1613. 
 
 Oldys, however, in his MS, 
 notes on Langbaine, fuppofes her 
 Dame fhould be fpelt Cary, and 
 fhat ihe was the wife of Sir Henry 
 Cary. 
 
 Carew, Thomas, Efq; This 
 gentleman was defcended from a 
 very ancient and honourable fa- 
 mily of the name, whole eftabliffi- 
 ment had long been in the county 
 of Devon. He flouriflied in the 
 reign of king Chiarles I. and was 
 brother to Matthew Carew, who, in 
 the lime of the rebellion, appeared 
 to have been very ftrongly at- 
 tached to the caufe of that unfor- 
 tunate prince. Our author re- 
 ceived the rudiments of his edu- 
 cation in Corpus ChrilU Colltge, 
 Cambridge j but it does not ap- 
 pear that he either took any de- 
 gree there, or was even matricu- 
 jated as a member. Aftervvard?, 
 however, having greatly improved 
 himfelf by travelling abroad, and 
 by the converfaticn of ingenious 
 jmen at home, he acquired a great 
 reputation for his wit and poetical 
 abilities, which being taken notice 
 of at court, he was made a gen- 
 tleman of the privy chamber, and 
 fewer in ordinary to the kinej, with 
 whom he Hood very high in fa- 
 vour, infomuch that to the lad he 
 efteemed him as one of the moll; 
 i^eferving wits about his court. 
 
 written, and 
 A Mafcjge. 
 
 (( 
 
 he appears to have 
 which is entitled, 
 
 Cceium Britaniilcuvt» 
 4to. 1634. ■*• 
 
 With a reference to which cir- 
 cumnance he lias prefixed to it the 
 following modell diflich, 
 
 Nan hahet bigenlum ; Cxfar Jld. 
 jvjjit ; hahcho : 
 
 Cur me poJJ'i: ntgiin, pojp quod ilk, 
 piitat 'f 
 
 Lord Clarendon obfcrves, that 
 
 he was a perfon of a pleafant 
 '* and facetious wit, and made 
 " many Poems (efpecially in the 
 *' amorous way), which for the 
 " fharpnefs of the fancy, and the 
 " elegancy of the language in 
 '* which that fancy was fpread, 
 •' were at leaft equal, if not fu- 
 ♦' perior, to any at thjt time : but 
 ** his glory v/as, that after fifiy 
 *' years of his life, fpent with le is 
 " feverity or exactnefs than it 
 *' ought to have been, he died 
 *' with the greatell remorfe for 
 *' that licenfc, and with the great- 
 " eft manifcliation Ot thriliianity 
 ** that his beft friends tould de- 
 «♦ fire." 
 
 He was very much cfleemed 
 and ref;.e6lcd by his contemporary 
 Poets, particularly by Ken Jonfon, 
 Yet, from a llanza relating to him 
 in bir John Suckling's Sefllon of 
 the Poets, he appears to have been 
 a ftudied laborious writer. Per 
 though that gentleman was his 
 friend, and had much kindnefs for 
 him, yt he ci uld not help cha- 
 raflerizing him as follows : 
 
 Tom Carew iwi mxt^ hit ht 
 
 had afiiult^ 
 That ivoidd not ivdl Jiand ivith a 
 
 Laureat ; 
 
 His 
 
C A 
 
 C ss ] 
 
 C A 
 
 I lis M.'/fe Kvas hitie-houndf and 
 
 the ijfuc qfi brain 
 Wai fcUom brought forth but with 
 
 trouhic and pain. 
 He appears to have died in the 
 
 year ifc.i9« 
 
 Caeey, Hev^y. Was a mu- 
 fician by profefiion, and one of 
 the lower order of poeis j his firll 
 preceptor in mufic was Olaus 
 Welleinfon Linnert, a German ; 
 he received fome furchei iralruc- 
 ttons from Ixofeinwrave ; ynJ, laft- 
 ly, was in fome for* a dii.iple of 
 Geminiuni. Being bur fltnderly 
 accompiifhtd in his a:t, his chit-f 
 (employmtnt was teaching at board- 
 inj^-fchonl", and among people of 
 middlirgrank in priva'c fainilirs. 
 Though he had but litile fuill in 
 mulic, he had a prolific invention, 
 and very early in his life diiliii- 
 guifhed himfclf by the compofidon 
 of fongs, being the author both 
 pf the words and the inufic. One 
 of thefe, beginning •* Of all the 
 f Girls that are fo fmart," is faid 
 to have pleafed iWr. Addifon fo 
 piuch, that he more than once 
 vouchfafed to commend it. 
 
 However deficient Carey might 
 be in genius in his profelfton, he 
 wai a fortunate writer, and com- 
 p;;fer for the ilage. I'he dramatic 
 ] icces which he produced were 
 generally fuccefsful, and fome of 
 them are flill favourably received 
 by the public. He was a man 
 who poiiiiireJ a good deal of low 
 humour ; and his Poem, called 
 l\(imhy Pamhy^ in ridicule cf Am- 
 brofe Philips, was honoured by the 
 aj'probation of Mr. Pop:, whofe 
 .(cntiments concerninij it were 
 mentioned in terms of exultation 
 by the author feveral years before 
 his death. 
 
 As the qualities that Carey was 
 endowed with were fuch as ren- 
 dered him an entertaining com- 
 panion, it is no wonder he ihould 
 
 be, as hefreqwen'v .-, in freights.. 
 He therefore in Kk. , fiicuhies had 
 recourfe to his /ritnds, whufc 
 bounty he experienced in fub- 
 fciiptions for the Works which he 
 from time totimepubliflied. IJewas 
 however Hill unhappy, though the 
 caufe of it is not certainly known. 
 It has b:en fue^eltfd by fome to 
 have been occiiioncd by the mah' 
 volencc of tbofe of his own rro- 
 fellion, by others to domeftic iin- 
 eafincfs, and fome afcrlbe it chief- 
 ly to his embaraficd circumftances. 
 To whatever it was owing, h;s ca- 
 taftiophe was fliocking. In a fit of 
 defpair, he laid violent hands upon 
 himfclf on the 4th of Odlober, 1 743, 
 at hi? houfc lu Warner- ftreet. Cold 
 Bath fields, and by means_ of a 
 halter put a period to a life which, 
 had been led without reproach. 
 
 '< Asamufician,"Sir John Haw- 
 kins obferves, •' Carey feems to 
 " have been of the firft of the low- 
 *' eft rank ; and a? a poet the laft of 
 *' that clafs of which Durfcy was 
 ** the firll, with this difference, 
 *' that in all the Songs and Poems 
 " written by him on Wine, Love, 
 ♦* and fjch kind of fubjefts, he 
 " feems to have manifetled an in-r 
 *' violable regard for decency and 
 " good manners.** 
 
 lie vyrote, 
 
 1. ILiitging and Marriage; or| 
 The Dead Man's ff'edJifig. F. 
 
 2. The Contrivances . O. \ivc\ia% 
 1715. 
 
 3. Jmclla. O. Svo. 1732. 
 
 4. Tcraminta. O. Svo. 1732. 
 ^. Chronnnhotonthologos, B. T. 
 
 6. 7oe Honcjl Tor/^ire Man. F. 
 Svo. 1736. 
 
 7. 7 he Dragon ofJFantley. B. O. 
 8vo. 1^37. 
 
 8. Margery, or ^ A luorfe Plagut 
 than the Dragon,, B. O. 8vc. 1738, 
 
 9. Betty ; or, 7'he Country Bump' 
 kins. B. ^'. 1728, 
 
 E 4 10. "Nancy ; 
 
C A 
 
 [ S6 ] 
 
 C A 
 
 10. Nancy; or, 7he Parting Lo' 
 lifers M. 1. 1739. 
 
 Whincop fays he wrote a Farce, 
 Cal'cd, Thi Wife 'ivrll nuviagCil. 
 
 I believe this i cont( undedwith 
 one of' the fame name by Mrs, 
 Centllvre. 
 
 Carey, Henry Lucius, 
 Lord Viscount Falkland. 
 This learned nobleman, whom we 
 find fo jullly celebrated by Mr. 
 Cowley, was the only Ion of f^ir 
 L'jcius Carey, the great Icrd Falk- 
 Innd, who died g'orioally in the 
 fitJd ot honour, and in the fuppoit 
 o< his king;, at the fiimous battle 
 cf Nev* bnrv, Scpt'.nibcr ?o, 16.13. 
 His raoiher's name was Lettirc, a 
 daughter of Sir Ricliard iMorriiru. 
 In what ye;'r he was born 1 h ive 
 rot bi'en able to tri)ce, but fi-.id 
 him to have married Marj»wrct, 
 •laughter of Anthony Huiigciford, 
 Efq; and that he died in i66j. 
 He feems to have inh^^i'ed the 
 virtues of his father, having ren- 
 dered himfelf eminent and very 
 greatly refp'fted both at court, 
 in the fcnate, and in his county i-f 
 Gxfordftiire, of which he was lord 
 lieutenant, not only for his ex- 
 traordinary pints, but alio for his 
 heroic fpirit. Lanpjiaine t< lis us 
 that he was cut off in the prinie 
 cif his ve:iis (which indeed hi- muil 
 have bieii, Lis father having been 
 tio more than thirty four yeiir? ' f 
 age when he was kilkd. sind this 
 foil furviving him only by twer.ty 
 ycsrs), and that he was a' inuch 
 mifl'cd and reorerted whcndcid.as 
 he had been beloved and refpfifted 
 while living. He left one play 
 behind him, which, although it 
 contains a great deal ot tn.e wit 
 :inH fitire, yet it feems dubious 
 whether it was ever reprefented or 
 rot, If- the date of its publicatinn 
 is fubfequent to that of its author's 
 death. It is entitled, 
 
 T:hc Marriage Nf^l't. T. 410. 1 664. 
 
 Mr. Walpole relates the follow- 
 ing anecdote of this nohlemah ; 
 tliat being " brought early into 
 " the Houfe of Commons, and a 
 *' grave fen.it r objcdiing to his 
 " youth, and to his not looking 
 *' as if he had fowed his wild oats; 
 *• he replied with great quick- 
 " nets, Then I am come to the 
 " properell place where are fo 
 •' many geefe to p'ck them up." 
 
 CAKtiY, OkOUGE SaVII.E. 
 
 An au:hor yet living, lie is the 
 fon of Henry Cnrey, of whom an 
 acci.uiu is given in the lait article 
 but o>T?. '1 fie prcfeiit writer was 
 broopht up to the bnfinefs of a 
 piiijf.r, ai;d m.iy piobab'y cXLrcUe 
 the p;i.iefJi>jn at thU time. He 
 was one fen'on at lead on the 
 ibge at Co'eiit-Garden, but made 
 no figure as a player, although his 
 power? of imitaiiou arc very con- 
 fiderable. He is the author of a 
 Leisure on ilf.'v/tvfy, which he 
 delivered with fome fucccfs, and 
 of the follo;ving dramatic per- 
 formances : 
 
 I. Thi- Itiocuhtor. C. 8vo. 1766. 
 
 3. T/:c Ci>//,r^rrs. O. 8vo. 1756. 
 
 3. Liberty c'^aJri/'cJ \ or, Pntr'io- 
 tij'iiiin CI aim. '('. C. P. F.8vo.i76b'. 
 
 4. iibakefpearc'i Juhikc. M. 8vo. 
 1769. ' 
 
 5. The Three Old Women iMcathcr- 
 "M-Je. L 8v'>. 1770. 
 
 6. I'hti Ma^ic Girdle. I?. 4tO. 
 1770. 
 
 7. The hulbiofxn Maid. C. O. 
 I 2mo. 1770. 
 
 Caulell, Lonowic, Efq; 
 This gcnthmr.n v/as a courtier, 
 who lived in the reigns both of 
 kinff Charles iht Firft and Second. 
 He h:,d var!ou< places at court, 
 being gentleman of the bows ta 
 king Charles I, groom of the 
 king's and queen's privy cham- 
 ber, ar;d fcrved the queen mother 
 many ye?rs. Ho wrote fcveral 
 dramatic pieces, the molt of which 
 
 were 
 
C A 
 
 I 57 } 
 
 C A 
 
 were a£ted with confiderablc ap— 
 j)laufe. Their titles are as follow : 
 
 1, Drfirvhig FaVifUiile, T. C. 
 
 i|to. 16:5. 
 
 2. Amiragus andPhiVicia, T. C. 
 
 in two Parts. liino. 1639. 
 
 5. Pnjjicnate Lover. T. C. in 
 two J'arts 4to. 1655. 
 
 4. Fool ivjuU be a Favourite T. 
 C. 8vo. 1657. 
 
 5. Qfinond the Great Jurk. T. 
 8vo. 1657. 
 
 6. Ihrad'tus. T. 410. 1664. 
 
 7. Spartan La.'Iics. C. N'. P. 
 
 •' 'l"he fix lirft of thefe Play? only 
 in general arc afcribeil to this au- 
 thor ; as to the hill-inentionedonc, 
 it is named only in a Catalogue at 
 the end of an edition o\ MuMJetou's 
 MireB'Jliinbicrs. ItfJ.s IT'owcn. Kut 
 Winllaniey, who has omitted the 
 Hcrach'/it!, which undoubtedly was 
 Mr. Cnrlell':, has as err^-neoufly At- 
 tributed to him a 'i'lagedy, written 
 by Dr. Lodge, entitled, 
 
 Marius andSyla. 
 
 Carlisle, James. This gen- 
 tleman was a native of Lancaftiire, 
 and ill the rariier parts of his life 
 fol owed the profeflion (<f a player, 
 but afterwards preferring; the ac- 
 tive rtage of the real world to the 
 feigned affairs of the theatrcal 
 6ne, ; nd chufing rather to h'^ than 
 \r, jH'rfonate, a hcio, he(]uitted that 
 employment, ard took up arms in 
 the defeat e of his country's reli- 
 gion and liberties in the IriOi wars 
 under king VVIlliamlll. to which 
 glorious caiife he refif^ncdhimfelf a 
 willing Tacrifice, dying in the bed 
 of honour at the fair.ous battle of 
 Aughrim un the iith of July, 
 i6gr. He left behind him one 
 dramatic piece, which had been 
 will received, entitled. 
 
 The Fortt •!€ Hunters. C. 410 1 689. 
 
 Carr, |oh\. This au'hor is 
 living, and hasdeft-rvedly acjuircd 
 great leputation as mailer of the 
 fchool at Hertford, and by a happy 
 
 tranflation of Lucian, He has- 
 publifhed feveral Poems and other 
 pieces, and is faid to be the writ<;r 
 of one Play, viz. ' 
 
 F.pponir.a. D. E. 8vo. 1765;. 
 
 Carr, Samuel. Of this au- 
 thor I know nothing, except that 
 he joined with Samuel Hayes in 
 writing one Play, called, 
 
 Eugenia. T. Kvo. 1770. 
 
 Carpknter, Richard. This 
 gentleman, who from the general 
 tenor of his writings and from 
 fome Se mors publilhed under the 
 fame name, in the \ear 1623, it is 
 reafonable to conclude, was a di- 
 vine, was born about the beginning 
 of king Jamef I's reign, and lived 
 till towards the end of Charies Il's, 
 being alive at Aylefbury in Bucks, 
 in 1670. He received his firll 
 rudiments of education at Eton- 
 fchool, from whence he was re- 
 moved to Cambridge, and was 
 eledled a fcholar of King's College 
 in that univerfity, anno 1623. 
 Here he (laid two or three years ; 
 after which he not only quitted 
 that, but alfo his country and 
 friends, went abroad, and ftadied 
 in I'landers, France, Spain, and 
 Jtaly, and at length took orders in 
 the Romilh church from the hands 
 of the I'ope's fubflitute at Rome, 
 and, becoming a monk of the Be- 
 nedictine order, was foon after fent 
 into England in order to gain pro- 
 felytes. But he had fcarcely been 
 a year and a half in this employment 
 before he returned to the Pro- 
 teftant religion, and accepted of the 
 vicarage of Poling, near Arundel- 
 callle in SufTex, on which account 
 he received many affronts from 
 the Romilh prieds who refided in 
 thofe parts; notwithftanding which, 
 in the time of the civil war, he 
 went over to Paris, and there com- 
 menced a railer againil the Pro- 
 tellant?. On his return to Eng- 
 land he again became a Proteftant, 
 
 but 
 
C A 
 
 t 58 1 
 
 C A 
 
 but revolted once more before his 
 death to popery, in which per- 
 (iiafion he died. The great anti- 
 quary Anth. a Wood, who was 
 perfonally acquainted with him, 
 fays of hinj, *' That he was a fan- 
 ** laOical man, that changed his 
 ** mind with his cloaths, and that 
 ** for his juggles and tricks in mat- 
 ** ters of religion he was elleeni- 
 ** ed a theological mountebank.^' 
 And indeed the account I have al- 
 ready given of his leaving both 
 country and religion, of his return- 
 ing to them both, and again for- 
 faking them, feems I think per- 
 feftly to jullify that charafter of 
 him. (See Atbcn, Oxonitnf. vol. I. 
 p. 439.) 
 
 He has moreover left behind 
 him one dramatic piece, which 
 from its very title conveys to us an 
 idea of its having been written by 
 One who, if not an enthufiallt n^uil 
 at leaft have been a warm conrro- 
 vertift in religion, fince he could be 
 induced to make fuch controverfy 
 the bafis of a work, which notwith- 
 flanding the propriety of blending 
 initrudion with amufement in tiie 
 fupcrftru£ture, is everexpeded to 
 have its foundation laid in the lat- 
 ter. It is called, 
 
 7Zk? Pragmatical 'Jtftdt nrjo ka^ 
 vetted. C. 410. N. D. 
 and is fait.1 in the title-page to be a 
 play tending to Morality and Vir- 
 tue. To this Comedy his pi£lure 
 is prefixed, in a very genteel lay 
 habit ; whereas before another woi k 
 publiHied by him he is reprefented 
 as a formal clergyman, and with a 
 very grave and mortified coun- 
 tenance. 
 
 Cautwright, George. Of 
 this gentleman I 'enow nothing 
 more than that he lived at Fiilham, 
 and has obliged the world with one 
 Play, entitled, 
 
 The Heroic Lover, Trag. 8vo. 
 1661. 
 
 ^.angbaine has omitted any m0n<^. 
 tion of this piece or its author. 
 
 CaRTWRIGHT, WtLLIAM.— .. 
 
 There is fome degree of contefl 
 among the biographers concerning 
 the place of thib author's nativity, 
 and the name of his father ; Lloyd, 
 in his Memoiies, declaring him to 
 be the fon of Thomas Cavtwright 
 of liurford in Oxtordfhire, and 
 born Auguft 16, 161^. Whereaa 
 Wood, ill his Athcn. Oxon. (whicl^ 
 \ mud contefs 1 take to be the better 
 authoriiy), tells u ■, that he w;i5 born 
 at Norihv\ay, n?ar Tewklbury in 
 GlouccHerfl.irc, in Scpitmbr )6t i, 
 and that his faflifr's nume was 
 William ; and mid?, that the fa- 
 ther, havipff diiii,)arfd a lair inhe- 
 ritance he knew i\ /z how, w.ts at 
 laft rccli'iced to turn innkeeper at 
 Ci-enceller. Ty this way or life, 
 however, it is probable Jie healed 
 his broken fortune, ?,s we find hinj 
 afterwards bellowing a libenil edu- 
 caiion on this fon, who being a lad 
 of a pri.nufing genius, he pro- 
 Cured him firll: to be initinicd into 
 learning by Mr. Topp, mafter of 
 the free fchool at Clrencefter. 
 From thence he was removed to 
 Weiiminfier, as a king's fcliolar, 
 and lludicd under the learned Dr. 
 Oibaldillon. P'rom thence.in 162S, 
 he went to the univeifuy of Ox- 
 ford, where he was chofen a Un- 
 dent cf Chrift-Church, and placed 
 under the care of Mr. Tarrent, 
 Here he purfued his lludies with 
 unwearied diligence and rapidity, 
 went thr(;ugh the dalles of logic 
 and philofcphy, took the degree of 
 batchelor and maikr of arts, en- 
 tered into holy order?, in which 
 be foon became eminent for his 
 preaching, and was made meta- 
 phyfical reader in the room of Mr. 
 Thomas Barlow of Queen's Col- 
 lege, who afterwards became bilhop 
 of Lincoln. In this cilice alfo he 
 acc[«ired great reputation both for 
 
 hU 
 
C A 
 
 [ S9 i 
 
 C A 
 
 Vi8 litfrary knowledge and his ora- 
 toHcal endowments. 
 
 In 1 64.2, he was promoted to the 
 place of Cuccentor to the Cathedral 
 /)f Salilbury, and on' the 12th of 
 April, 164,^ was ele<5\ed jiinior 
 proftor of the univerfity. Yt-t, as 
 it he had in fo (hort a period run 
 the full race of learning, and rtach- 
 ed the goal of pcricdion, beyond 
 which he could fi^o no farther, he 
 was ken out of this world on the 
 agtli of November following, 164.3, 
 by a malignant fever which then 
 reigned at Oxford, was known by 
 the name of the Caw/) D'/ftj/i:, and 
 was fatal to numbers befulcs. 
 
 No man perhaps ever acquired 
 sn earlier fame than this amiable 
 youth, or, leaving the world at a 
 time of lile when men in general 
 begin but to be known, had ob- 
 tained fo univerfal a homage to his 
 memory from his contemporaries. 
 For though according to the ear- 
 lieft account of his birth he could 
 but have entered into his thirty- 
 third year (and the publilher of 
 his Poems fays, as Wood alfo im- 
 plies, that he died at thirty), he 
 was mod univerfa'ly lamented; and 
 even the king and queen, who 
 were then at Oxford, (hewed great 
 anxiety during his illnefs, and 
 were greatly afilifted at his death. 
 
 The charafter given ot him by 
 the writers of liis time is almoll 
 beyond belief. Ben jonfon, who 
 gnve him the title of his fon, va- 
 lued him fo highly that he faid of 
 hi m , My /o« C a u t w r i g h r •writes 
 all like a man. The editor of his 
 Works applies to him the faying 
 of Ariftotie concerningiEfchron the 
 poer, that he could not tell nvhat 
 ^scHRON could not do, Lang- 
 biiine fays of him, that " He was 
 ** extremely remprkable both for 
 *• his outward and inward cndow- 
 ** ments ; his body being as hand- 
 ** fpme as his foul. He was an 
 
 " expert linguift, underRanlln^ 
 •« not only Greek and Latin, but 
 •• French and Italian, as perfeftly. 
 «* as his mother tongue. He vas 
 *' an excell«nt orator, and yet an 
 " admirable poet ; 3 quality which 
 '' Cicero with all his pains coild 
 " not attain to; nor was Ariftotie' 
 " Icfs known to him than CioeroF 
 " and Virgil." 
 
 In a word, he was of fo fweet' 
 a difpofition, and fo replete with 
 all virtues, that he was beloved of 
 all learned men that knew him, 
 and admired by all flrangers. And 
 u hen after his death his Plays and 
 Poems were publiihed together, 
 we find them accompanied by 
 above fifty copies of verfcs writ- 
 ten by the moH eminent wits of 
 the univerfity, every one being 
 defiroiis to appear in the number 
 of his friends, and to give public 
 teftimony to the world of the value 
 they had for his memory. It is 
 impoflible however to dole his 
 charafter with any thing ftronger 
 or more concife than the mention 
 made of him by the learned and 
 pious Dr. Fell, bifliop of Oxford, 
 who faid of him, *' Cartvvright 
 *• ivas the utm-.ji man could come to^* 
 His dramatic pieces are only 
 four, viz. 
 
 Royal Slave. T. C . 410 . 1 6 3 gi 
 Lady Errant, T. C. 8vo. 
 
 J. 
 
 2. 
 1651 
 »3- 
 
 4 
 
 Ordinary. C. 8vo. 1651. D.C, 
 ISiege. T. C. 8vo. 16^1. 
 Caryl, John. Was probably 
 a Suflexman, and of the Roman- 
 catholic perfuaiion. He was fecre^ 
 tary to queen Mary, the wife of 
 James the Second, and one who 
 followed the fortunes of his abdi- 
 cating mailer. How long he con- 
 tinued in this fervice is unknown; 
 but he was in England in the reign 
 of queen Anne, and recommend- 
 ed the fubjeft of Mr. Pope's 
 " Rape of the Lock" to that au- 
 i thor. 
 
n x 
 
 ¥M 
 
 C A 
 
 C 60 ] 
 
 CA 
 
 ihor uho on its publication nd- 
 <b¥fl:d it to him. He was alive in 
 1717, and at that time mull have 
 lieci a very old man. See three 
 of his letters in '♦ Additions to 
 Pope," vol. II. p. 114. He wrme 
 U ne Etigiyh Prlnalit, or, The 
 
 The high favour, however, in 
 which his lordfhip llood at court, 
 excited the jealoufy of the mini- 
 flcrs, and more particularly of tlie 
 favourite Dok« of Iluckingham ; 
 notwithlhmding which, his lord- 
 fhip prcfcrvcd the Ki' g's afFe(!-tit'.n 
 
 D(ath of Richard the I'hird. T. 410. towardb i>ini in fo pcrkcl a degree. 
 
 1667 
 
 2. S:r Salomon ; or, 'Jke Cauti' 
 itts Coxcomb. C- 410. 1 67 i . 
 
 Cavenrisii, William, Duke 
 OF Newcastle. This noble au- 
 
 thar, in i'^3''', his majeOv gave 
 the llrongf.ll tfilimony o! h;s con- 
 fidence, both in his abiliiifi> ai'd 
 honour, by afiljjnirig liiir, the vary 
 import.iiU oftcc of jiovcrnor to the 
 
 thor, who was jullly efteemcd one Prince of W silt's, in 1(^39, when 
 
 6f the moll finilhed gentlemen, jis 
 well as the moll dillinguiflud ge- 
 neral and ftatefintin of the age he 
 Ijvt-d In, was the fon of Sii Ch.irlcs 
 Cavendifii, whofe father was Sir 
 William Cavendilb, and hi? eliUT 
 brother the full Earl of Di;von- 
 fliire of that family. His nio.h^r 
 was Catharine, daughter of Cuth- 
 bcrr, LordOg'e. Me vsas born in 
 1^92; and his father, whuc^i fco- 
 vered in hiqi, even from infancy, 
 a great qticknefs of geiiins, and a 
 
 tht; trouUlrs hrrkr ovit in cjcotland, 
 the kirg b-ing dbhi'ed, not only 
 to jifremole an army in the north, 
 hut alfo to put himlelf at the h?8d 
 of ir, whit h w^;i3 an expcdrion 
 that Could rot bal requiie immcnfe 
 funii, and that at a tin\e when the 
 roy.d flounces were cx;rfmciy low, 
 his lordihip, in demon ft ration of 
 h's '/.t-al and ioyaby, not only con- 
 tribuit'd ttn thoutand pounds to 
 the treafory, but alfo raifcd a 
 ttoop of horfe, con filling of about 
 
 llrong propenfity toliterjiurc, took two hundred knights and gentle- 
 care 10 improve tliofe advantages, men, who fetved at their own 
 l»y pfocniing for him the bell chifoe, and w le incorporated un- 
 Tiaders in every fcience. dcr ihe title 01 the IMnte's troop; 
 Mis courfc of education bdng on whicli occailon a very remark- 
 Cvirty con>pk'af(d, he appeared at able inllancc was given of how far 
 court with fo higJT areptitation lor his loyalty, however it might eiia- 
 abilit'e?, as drew on him the pe- blifli him in the King's efleem, 
 culiar attention r.nd regard of King ccmtinued 10 give umbrage to ihoie 
 
 lames 1. who, at the creation ol 
 Henry Pfincc of Wales in 1610, 
 "niade li;m a Kuight of the liaih, 
 and, in 1620, his father having 
 been dead th;ce jears, bv whoic 
 dcceafc he btcainc pofliiTi^d oi a 
 large e(bdie, he was created a peer 
 I y the fitle of Baron Ogle and Vif- 
 coi»i;t Manijficld, Vvhich titles v/tre 
 sfterwards farther enr.ohlrd in the 
 third y^ar of King Char cs i'i 
 ri.igr., by the addf.ion or that of 
 _l.'*ra CaiendiHi of Ijolflivcr, and 
 Imo iiiii hipher oneof Euriur Cstw- 
 Cafde uj-ii Tyne. 
 
 who were delimus of a fuperior in- 
 fluence at court. And, as his lord- 
 ihip's bthaviour on the occafioo 
 was fuch, as exalted his reputa- 
 tion, at the fame time that it con- 
 fid'-rably lefFencd that of a rival, 
 I Iball take the liberty of relating 
 the llury in this place. 
 
 in the nu'iibcr of tliofe who 
 lo( kcd wiih an envious i-ye on the 
 par.icuiar diirrdlions fl;twii oour 
 amlior bv the King, was the £arl 
 ot Hid.anc, at tnui time general m 
 chiff cf the hiifc. He was a man 
 icir.ail;.*.b!y leililh in his temper, 
 
 and 
 
C A 
 
 [ 6 
 
 and ol a difpofjtion, alhmigli hii 
 couraj^e had never I'c^lorc been ful- 
 peded, latlur cunr.i. g ai;d pene- 
 traiing, than brave oi o|n;n. 'I'he 
 troop which the Eirl of Newcaftle 
 had railed, tvas, as I have be lore 
 oWcrved, called the Prince's; but 
 was commanded by the earl him- 
 felf, in perfon, as irs captain. 
 When the army drew near Eer- 
 wici<, the t-ari fent Sir William 
 C'arnaby, his aid de camp, to Lord 
 Holland, to know where his troop 
 ihould march; whofe anfwer was, 
 ntxt after the troops of the general irf- 
 ft-as'. The earl on this fent again 
 to reprf.fciit, that ha-'ing the honour 
 to march wider the Primers colours, 
 he thought it not becoming for him to 
 give place to any of the nJFucrs of tiiC 
 field. The general, howevtr, re- 
 peated his orders wiih great pe- 
 rcmptorinefs, which the Earl of 
 Newcallle, iheretbre, obeyed, ta!:- 
 ing no larther notice of it at th it 
 time than by ordering the Prince's 
 colours to be taken off the ftsfF, 
 and marching without any. But, 
 as foon as ever the fervice was 
 over, he fent the Earl ot Holland 
 a challenge, which his lordlhip ac- 
 cepted, and agreed to the time and 
 place of meeting; to which, how- 
 ever, wh.:n our author came, he 
 found not his antagunilt, but his 
 iecond. Tne affair had been dif- 
 clcfed to the King, by whofe au- 
 thority, according to Lord Claren- 
 don, the matter w<:) compofed ; 
 but not without leaving an impu- 
 tation, in the minds of many, of 
 fome want of perfonal bravery in 
 Lord Holland. 
 
 But though in this conted he 
 had apparently the advantage, yet, 
 as it convinced him, in concur- 
 rence with other circumrtanc s, 
 how hard the niiniHerial f<«clion 
 was inclinable to bear upon him, 
 ai.d being unwilling to give his 
 majefcy any trouble about himfelf. 
 
 C A ' 
 
 he voluntarily refigncd tlie placlB 
 of governor to the Prince, and le* 
 tired into the country, wkere he 
 remained (]U!«'t till he received the 
 King's orders to revilit Hull, whith 
 important fortrefs, aoii all ihe ma- 
 ga/incs that were in it, hecfFered 
 to his .Vlajeily to have fccured for 
 him ; but when, intieaC of re- 
 ceiving diredioni for that purpofc, 
 lie found his inltrudions were to 
 obey the order.- of the parliament, 
 he dropped hie dcfi^n, and once 
 more retired into thccourtry. 
 
 Here he remained tctilly inac- 
 tive, till the flame of civil war 
 being kindled to fuch a blaze that 
 it would have appeared :ovvardic« 
 to continue longer fo, h; engaged 
 in the royal caufe, and accepted of 
 a comniifTion for the rafing m. n 
 to take care of tl.3 towi of Ncw- 
 calile, and the four adjccent coun- 
 ties ; in which he was To expedi- 
 tious and fuccefsful, thit his jMh- 
 jetiy conAituted him jeneral and 
 .commander in chief of all the 
 forces railed north of Trent, and 
 Hlfoofthofe that migit be levied 
 in many of the fouthe.'n counties, 
 with a moll extraordinary pleni- 
 potentiary power of cojferring the 
 honour of knighthocd, coining 
 money, and printing and fetting 
 forth all fuch declarations as fhould 
 to him appear expedient. Of all 
 thefe extenlive poweis, however, 
 bis lordfhip made a rery fparing 
 ufe, excepting that ol railing men, 
 which he purfued wi:h luch dili- 
 gence, that in'three inonths he had 
 levied an army of eight thoufand 
 horfe, foot and draguoiiy, with 
 which he marched direiMy into 
 Yorklhire, and, after defcaing the 
 enemy at Peirce bridge, advpinced 
 to York, the governor c' which 
 city furrenderei. up the keys to 
 him* 
 
 During the ;ourfe of ihe civil 
 war, the . earl of Newcsftle was 
 
 Very 
 
C A 
 
 t ^« ] 
 
 C A 
 
 Very fuccefiful, havinjj more than 
 once dtffated general Fairfax, :ind 
 cveo gained feveral important f'orta 
 •nd battle*. For which fcrvice 
 king Chariest in the year i6\y, 
 advanc<d him to the dignity of 
 inarquii of Newcaftlc ) but when, 
 in 1644, through the precipitancy 
 of printe Rupert, his majelly's 
 forcei leceived a total defeat at 
 Marlion Moor, in which the mar- 
 quis's irfantry was cut to pieces^ 
 tills nobleman) finding the king's 
 affairs in that part of the kingdom 
 irretrievably ruined, made the bell 
 of his \imy to Scarborough, and 
 from thaice, with a few of the 
 principal officers of his army, cm- 
 oarked far Hamburgh. Alter 
 ftaying for about fix months at 
 that places he went by Tea to Am- 
 llerdam, ind from thence took a 
 journey to Paris, where he married 
 and refidei fome time. He after- 
 wards removed to Antwerp, where 
 he pafTed die remainder of his ex- 
 lie, during which he underwent a 
 variety of nisiortunes and diftrefs, 
 his circunilances being at fome 
 time fo bad, that the dutchefs her- 
 felf, In the life Tie has written of 
 her hiilband, confeffes they weie 
 both redjuffd to the nccefiiry of 
 pawning iheir cloaths for iubfiil- 
 cnce. For. although his eftates in 
 England w*re valued at upwards 
 Cf twenty tloufand pounds /ler an- 
 vum., yet thsy were let: entirely at 
 the mercy of the parliament, who 
 levied immenfe fums on them. 
 
 Yet, notwithttanding all thefe 
 feveriiies of fortune, during the 
 courfe of a fixtten years banifh- 
 ment, he never bll his fpirit, but 
 lerained his vigoir to the laft, re- 
 cruitiig his nataral vivacity by 
 the fp-ightly coiverfation of his 
 lady, he frequent company of the 
 youngking, whonade him Knight 
 of the Garter, anl a full prepof- 
 iie&oatbacthe cl<uds| which, then 
 
 over-hang his own fortuhes and 
 thofe of his country, would at 
 length be difperfed by the kini^'a 
 reltoration; in this his loidlhip 
 proved a true prophet, for the 
 gl v>my period at length came to 
 an end, and the marquis returned 
 to his own country with his fovc- 
 reign ; where, after being, by let- 
 ters patent, dated March 16, 1664, 
 created earl of Ogle and duke of 
 Newcaftle, his grace withdrew to 
 a happy country retirement, wlicrc 
 he fpent the evening of his days in 
 calm repofe, and in the indulgence 
 of thofe iludies, with which he 
 was th*: moll aficfted. 
 
 At lepgth, after a life of great 
 aflion and great variety, having 
 attained to the highelt honours^ 
 and defcrvedly purchafcd the fair- 
 eit reputation, this truly nobis 
 lord took his flight to a better 
 world on the 25th of Dec. 1676^ 
 a^tatis 84, and lies interred in 
 Wellminfter-Abbeyj again'.l the 
 fcrecn of the chapel of St. iVlichaeli 
 under a moll fpacious and noble 
 tomb, which a little before his 
 death he had caufed to be credled 
 to the ihemory of his dutchefs. 
 The monument rs all of white mar- 
 ble, but adorned with two pillard 
 ot black marble, with entablatures 
 of the Corinthian order, embel- 
 lifiied with arms, as in the pede- 
 llal, with various trophy works, 
 whereon arc tv/o images of v/hite 
 marble^ excellently well carved, 
 and in full proportion, in a cum- 
 bent porture,rcprefenting the duk« 
 and dutchefs. 
 
 With refpeft to this nobleman'i 
 public charafter, it will be need- 
 lefs to add any thing to what has 
 been already faid in regard to his 
 private one. Some of his hifto- 
 rians have feemed to condemn him 
 for a profufenefs and paffion for 
 magnificence, which fometimea 
 had too gteat a tendency to the 
 
 «ucourage« 
 
C A 
 
 [ 63 ] 
 
 C A 
 
 encouragement of luxury and dif- 
 fipation, of which they produce as 
 InlUnccs the two fumptuous en- 
 tertainments wljich he gave to 
 king Charles I. at his feat at Wel- 
 betk, the expences of which, ac- 
 cording to the dutchcfs's own 
 computations, muft have amounted 
 to upwards often thoufand pounds. 
 And others, of the graver kind, 
 have cenfuied him (or too ftrong 
 ati attachment to poetry and the 
 polite arts, in which, however, 
 ihey have done no honour to the 
 delicacy of their own tafte. It is 
 certain, indeed, that this noble 
 perfooage was, from his earlieft 
 you;h, celebrated for his love of 
 the Mufes, that he had a true tade 
 for the liberal arts, was ever de- 
 lighted with having men of genius 
 flbout him, and took a lingular 
 pleafure in rcfcuing neceflitoua 
 merit from obfcurity. In a word, 
 that he was truly the Macenas of 
 king Charles I's reign: but it docs 
 rot appear that, in the bufy fcenes 
 of Hie, his lordHiip fu.^ered his 
 thoughts to ftray fo far from his 
 cmpUvment as to turn author. 
 
 In his exile, indeed, b( ing ex- 
 tremely fond of the breaking and 
 m;in.-"ging horfes, than vvhicn there 
 cannot be a more manly exercifc, 
 though in our delicate age almofl 
 entirely lelt to grooms and jockeys, 
 he thought fit to publilli his ienti- 
 Ments Oil thofe fubjefts, in that 
 very pompous woik primed in his 
 name, and which is iHIl held in 
 high efttem. He alfo, for the 
 amufcment of feme leilure hours, 
 applied himfcif to dramatic poe- 
 try, the produce of which cannot 
 but give us a ftrong idea of his 
 fortitude and chearfulnels of tem- 
 per, even under the greatuil clifli- 
 culties, fjnce, though written dur- 
 ing his banilhment, and in the 
 niJll of depreflion and porerty, 
 all the pieces he has left Ui> in ch^t 
 
 way of writing, are of the ccnkic 
 kind. 1 li'ir titles are^ 
 
 i« 7 fie Country Caflain, Cool* 
 i2mo. 164.9. 
 
 2. Variety. Com. wmo. 1649. 
 
 3. Triumphant fVido-w,C<itiU\lQ» 
 1677. 
 
 4. Humorous Lovers* Com. 4to* 
 1677. 
 
 Whincop alfo afcrlbes to him a 
 Play, called. The Exile ; but as no 
 other writer mentions it, and as it 
 is not to be found in any of the 
 prefent Colleflions of Plays, I ami 
 doubtful about its exigence. 
 
 His grace had been twice mar- 
 ried, but had iifue only by his firfl 
 lady. His titles defcendcd to his 
 fon Henry carl of Ogle, who was 
 the lail heir male of his family, 
 and who dying without ifTue m 
 1 69 1 , the title of Ncwcaftle, in the 
 line of Cavendiih, became extind. 
 
 Cavendish, Margaret, 
 Dutchess of Newcastle. Ihis 
 fantallic lady, as Mr. Wulpole cal'i 
 her, was born in St. John's, near 
 Colchellcr in Effe.-r, about the lai- 
 ter end of the reign of king James 
 the Firif, and was the youngeft 
 daughter of Sir Charles Lucai<, a 
 gentleman of great fpirit and for-* 
 tuiiC, who died when (he was very 
 young. Her mother was remark- 
 ably careful in the education of 
 tliis and her other daughters, giv- 
 ing them all the polite accompli/h- 
 ments in which young ladie;. are 
 generally inUrufleu ; as needle- 
 work, dancing, mulic, and learn- 
 ing the French tongue, 
 
 in 1643, flie obtained leave of 
 her mother to go to Oxford, where 
 the court then refided, and was 
 made one of the maids of honour 
 to lientietta Maria, the roy;iI con- 
 fort of king Charles the FiilU 
 And when the queen was forced 
 to leave England and go to htr 
 rative country, (he attended her 
 tliiiher. At Paris (lie met vvi;h 
 
 '•-' ■ - ' ■ ■_ the 
 
f 
 C A 
 
 [ 64 1 
 
 C A 
 
 the mnrquis of Newcafllf, then a 
 widower, who admiring her per- 
 fon, difpolition, and ingenuity, was 
 married to her in th.it pince an. 
 1645. From Paris they wont to 
 Rotterdam, where thry rt-lidcd fix 
 months. From thtnce thev re- 
 turned to Hrabant unto the city of 
 Antwerp, where they fettled and 
 continued during the time of their 
 exile; chuling it as the mod plea- 
 fant and quiet placr to retire to 
 and enjoy the rcmaitider of their 
 ruined fortunes. She proved a 
 mort agreeable compmion to the 
 marnu'.s in thi^ his melanchoiv 
 recefs, as well by her writinj;- as 
 convcrfaiiun, as apptar-i by ilie 
 many cc^nipiimcnt and aiidp lies 
 which he made to her on thofe 
 occufions. 
 
 She came into England in ordfr 
 to obtain fome of the marquis's 
 rents to fopply ih'jir prcfti:jg ne- 
 ccflities, and pay the dt^bts they 
 had contrad\ed thei ; and accord- 
 ipuly went with lord Lucas her 
 brother to Goldfiniih-llal!, but 
 could not procuic a pi ant to re- 
 ceive one penny out of the mar- 
 quis's vail inhtiitauce : and hrtd 
 it not been for tlie feafonable ge- 
 rerolity of Sir Charles Uavendifh, 
 ihty muft have been expofed to 
 extreme povt;rtv. Havinj;; got a 
 coiific'erable fum from her own 
 and the marquis's relations, file 
 returned to Antwerp, where Uie 
 continued with her lord till the 
 rellorarion of king Chajlcs the 
 Second. On this event the tn.ir- 
 qu's returned to his native coun- 
 try, after fixteen years banfliment, 
 leaving his lady behind todifpatch 
 his affairs, which Ihe fettled and 
 then followed him. .She foon af- 
 ter came to linj^land, where fiie 
 fpent the remainder of her life 
 entirely devoted to letters. She 
 died in London in the year 1673, 
 ai.d was buxied at WcUminucr^ 
 
 Jan 7, 1673-4, where an elegant 
 monument was created to her me- 
 mory. 
 
 IJtr pcrfon it is faid was \ery 
 gracelul; her temper natuially rc- 
 ferved and ftiy ; and /he Itldom 
 faid much in company, efpecialy 
 among llrangers : was motl inde- 
 fatigable in ht r lludies, cuntem« 
 plations, and wti:ings ; wax truly 
 pious, charitable, and generous ; 
 wa^ an excellent oeconomill, very 
 kind to her fervaiits ; and a pt-r- 
 feft piturn of conjugal love ^nd 
 duty. 
 
 Two volumes of Plays written 
 by her have been pubiiihed, the 
 t:rit in lOoa, which contains the 
 following pcrfor ranees, viz. 
 
 1 . Lor'i .1 .iihiutiircs. 
 
 2. T'e Hcjoitd Part of Love's Ad- 
 vcitii>es. 
 
 3. Ihc j'everdU'Us, C. 
 
 4. Toil th''i Ciluiy and Dentfjs Ban- 
 ijuct, part I. 
 
 5. fhe Second Part of ToutUs 
 Glory and Dcat^.i's Bamjuet. 
 
 6. The Lady Contemplation^ p. f. 
 
 7. 'The lyidy Vonteiuplatlon^ p. H, 
 
 8. The mii Cabal, part I. 
 
 9. Wits Cabal, part II. 
 
 10. Tl.^e U'loatuial Jragcdlc, ! 
 
 11. ne Publick iVooifijr. 
 
 1 2. MatrimonialTroublis.Q. p. I. 
 
 1 3. Matrimouiat Troubles, C T. 
 part II. 
 
 14. Nature's three Dauvhtert, 
 Beaut}', Love, and JVit, part 1. 
 
 15 Nature's three Dau^hters^ 
 Beat'ty, I^ve, and IVit, part 11* 
 
 1 6. The Religious. 
 
 17. The Comical HafJ}, ' • 
 
 18. Bell in Camp.-, parti. ' 
 
 19. Bell in Camio, part li. 
 
 20. The Jpncriphal Ladies. C. 
 
 2 I . The Female Acadciny. 
 
 The following hx were printed 
 in aDO'her volume publilhed 1668. 
 
 %z. The Cim--ent of Pletfure. C. 
 
 23. T he Soiiiibic Comttiiii.ous'y cr, 
 Female Wtts. C. 
 
 24. The 
 
C E 
 
 ( «^ 1 
 
 C E 
 
 n.ons ; cr. 
 
 14. T/'r Vrtftnct. C. 
 2^. 7A^ Bnilatt. C. 
 26. TA* ///rf2//-Y '^"•''''. C. p. I. 
 2 7. 7htlilatitxif^.''l<l C. p. II. 
 Cblisia, Mrs. This lady is 
 daut;htcr of David Mallet, tfq; 
 and wifb of Mr. Celifn, a Geiioefc 
 gciiticman, wha formfrly relided 
 jn London in a puMic character. 
 Shf i^ itiil living, and is the au- 
 thor of, 
 
 JlmlHa. T. 8vo. 1771. 
 CiiNTLivRE, Susanna. This 
 lady was daughter of one Mr. Free- 
 man of Holbearh in l.incolnlhire, 
 who although he had been pof- 
 fefs'd of no inconfidcrnble ell.itc, 
 yet being a diflentcr, and a zealous 
 parliamentarian, was at the tine 
 of the refloration extremely periV- 
 cuteJ, as were '.ilfo the fami!*' of 
 his wife, who was daughter of Mr. 
 Markham, a gentleman of a good 
 ellate at Lynn Regis in Norfolk, 
 but of the fame political principles 
 with Mr. Freeman, fo th.it his 
 eftate was confilcated, and he hiin- 
 fflf compelled to fly to Ireland. 
 How long he llaid there I have not 
 been able to trace ; nor whether 
 our authorefs, who from a compa- 
 rifon of concurrent circumilances, 
 I imagine, mull have been born 
 about 1680, drew her firrt breath 
 in that kingdom or in iingl.nnd. 
 Thefe are particulars all her hiflo- 
 rians have been fileiit in regard to; 
 yet I am apt to conjcdure that (he 
 was born in Ireland, as I think it 
 probable her mother might not re- 
 turn to her native country till af- 
 ter the death of her hufband, which 
 happened when this girl was only 
 three years old. Be this as it will, 
 we find her left to the wide world, 
 by the death of her mother alfo, 
 before fhe had compleatcd her 
 twelfth year. Whincop relates a 
 romantic llory of her in a very 
 early period of her life, which, al- 
 though he feems tniltaken in Ibme 
 Vol. I. 
 
 parts of her hiflory (at leaft either 
 "^e or Jacob muft have b<«n fo), 
 iiaving maJe her father furvive ihe 
 mother, and even to liave manic J 
 again before hi* death, yet as he 
 feemi to have taken pains in ol- 
 leAing many circumflances of her 
 life which arc no vhere rife re- 
 lated, 1 cannot think my( If au« 
 thorized entirely to omit it. He 
 tells us, that after her father's 
 death, finding herfelf vrry ill 
 treated by her liepmother, flie 
 determined, though almoll delli- 
 tute of money and every other 
 neceflary, to go up to London, to 
 fcek a better fortune than what ftie 
 had hitherto experienced. That 
 as fhe was proceeding on her joui- 
 ney on foot, Ihe was met by a 
 young gentleman from the uni- 
 vcrfity of Cambridge (whofename, 
 by the way, he informs us of, and 
 was no other than the afterwards 
 W'.II-known Anthony Hammond, 
 Ei"(]0 who was fo ex'remely lUuck 
 with her youh and beauty, .nnd 
 fo afFefted with the diftrefs which 
 her circumllances naturally de- 
 clared in her countenance, that 
 he fell inilantly in love with her; 
 and, enquiring into the particulars 
 of her llory, ibon prevailed on her 
 inexperienced innocence to feizc 
 on the proteition he offered her, 
 and go with him to Cambridge, 
 where, equipping her in boy^» 
 cloaths, he inirnduced her to his 
 intimates at College as a relation 
 who was come down to fee the 
 univerfity, and pal's fome time 
 with him there; and that they 
 continued this intercourfe for fome 
 months, till at length, fated per- 
 haps with polTedion, or perhaps 
 afraid that the affair would be dif- 
 covered at the univerlity, he per- 
 fuaded her to come to London, 
 providing her however with a con- 
 iiJerable fum of money, and a 
 letter of recommendation to a gen* 
 F tlewoman 
 
C E 
 
 [ 66 J 
 
 C E 
 
 <\\ 
 
 tiewoman of his acquaintance in 
 town, fealing the whole with a 
 promife, which however it does 
 not appear he ever performed, of 
 fpeedily following her, and renew- 
 ing their amorous intercourfe. If 
 this ftory is true, it mull have hap- 
 pened when fhe was extremely 
 young ; Whincop, . as well as the 
 other writers, acknowledging that 
 ihe was married in her lixteenth 
 year to a nephew of the late Sir 
 Stephen Fox, But that gentle- 
 man not living with her above a 
 twelvemonth, her v/it and beauty 
 foon procure<l her a fecond huf- 
 band. whofe name was Carrol, 
 and who was an oiTicer in the army , 
 but he having the misfortune to 
 be killed in a duel within about a 
 year and a half after their mar- 
 riaj;e, flie became a fecond time a 
 widow. This lofs was a fcvere 
 affliction to her, as Ih? appears to 
 have finccrftly loved this gentle- 
 man. Partly perhaps to divert her 
 melancholy, but chiefly it is pro- 
 bable for the fake of a fupport, 
 Ihe now applied to her pen, and 
 became a votary to the M"fc% and 
 it is under this name of Carrol 
 that fome of her earlier pieces 
 were publiihed. Her firft attempt 
 was in tragedy, in a Play called, 
 Th Perjured Hujk arid; yet her na- 
 tural vivacity leading her after- 
 wards more to comedy, wc find 
 but one more attempt in the bulkin 
 among eighteen dramatic pieces 
 which ftie afterwards wrote. 
 
 Such an attachment fhe feems 
 to have had to the theatre, that 
 Ihe even became herftlf a per- 
 former, though it is probable of 
 no great merit, as flie never rofe 
 above the ftatlon of a country ac- 
 trefs. However (he was not long 
 in this way of life ; for in 1706, 
 performing the part of AUxander 
 tbt Gie/jf, in Lee's Rival i^rens^ 
 at Windfor, whe^-e the gourt ^hen 
 
 was, (he wounded the heart of One 
 Mr. Jofcph Centlivre, yeoman of 
 the iiioutn, or in other words prin- 
 cipal cook to her majelty, who 
 foon after married her j and after 
 palfing feveral years happily toge- 
 ther, (he died at his houfe in 
 Spring Garden, Charing-Crofs, on 
 the firft of December, 1723, and 
 was buried in the parifli of St, 
 Martin's in the Fields, 
 
 Thus did (i\c at length happily 
 clofe a Pfe, which at its firft fett 
 ting out was overclouded wi'h 
 diificulty and misfortune. She for 
 many years enjoyed the intimacy 
 and elteem of the moft eminent 
 wits of the time, viz. Sir Richard 
 Steele, Mr. Rowe, Budgell, Far- 
 quhar, Dr. Scwell, &c. ^nd very 
 lew authors received more tokens 
 of eueem and patronage from the 
 great ; to which however the con- 
 fiderntion of herfex, and the power 
 of her beaiiry, of which flic pof- 
 feffed a confiderable fliave, might, 
 in fome degree, contribute. 
 
 Her difpufition was good-na- 
 tured, benevolent, and friendly ; 
 and her converfation, if not what 
 could be called witty, was at le.'ifc 
 fprightly and entertaining, lie; 
 family had been warm party folks, 
 and (he feemed to inherit the fam? 
 difpofition from them, maintain- 
 ing the 'firifteft attachment to 
 whig principles, even in the mo!l 
 dangerous limes, and a moll zea- 
 lous regard for the illuftrious 
 houfe of lianover. This party- 
 fpirit, however, which breathes 
 even in many of her dramatic 
 pieces, procured her fome friencis 
 and many enemies. 
 
 As a writer, it is no very eafy 
 thing to eftimate her rank, \\. 
 mult be allowed that her Plays do 
 not abound with wit, and that the 
 language of them is fometimes even 
 poor, enervate, incorreft, and pue- 
 rile, but then her plots ar? bufv 
 
 and 
 
C E 
 
 [ 67 3 
 
 C E 
 
 it, and that the 
 
 and well condufted, and her cha-r 
 rafters in general natural and well 
 marked. But as plot and cha- 
 rafler are undoubtedly the body 
 and foul of comedy ; and language 
 and wit, at beft, but the cloathing 
 and external ornaments. It is cer- 
 tainly Icfs excufable to ftiew a de- 
 ficiency in the former than in the 
 latter. And the fuccefs of fome 
 of Mrs. Centlivre's Plays plainly 
 evince, that the firft will ftrike the 
 minds of an audience more power- 
 fully than the laft, fince her Co- 
 medy of the Brify Body, which all 
 the players had decried before its 
 appearance, which Mr. Wilks had 
 even for a time abfolutely refufed 
 to play in, and which the 
 
 au- 
 
 dience came prejudiced againft, 
 rouzed their attention in defpite 
 of that prejudice, and forced a run 
 of thirteen nights} while Mr. Con- 
 greve's ffay of the JforU, which 
 perhaps contains more true in- 
 trinfic wir, and unexceptionable 
 accuracyof language, thanany dra- 
 matic piece ever written, brought 
 on the Itage with every advantage 
 of recommendation, and when the 
 author was in the height of repu- 
 tation, could fcarcely make its way 
 at all. Nay, I have been con- 
 fidently afTured, that the very fame 
 great a(.T;or I mentioned juft now 
 made u(e of this remarkable ex- 
 preflion with regard to her Bold 
 Hfrokc for a IVifi, viz. that not onh) 
 hi'r Piqy '-muhl he elamiicd, but Jhe 
 htrftifhe damned for ivrit'uig it. Y et 
 we find it ftill fianuingon the lift of 
 afting Plays, nor is it ever perform* 
 ed without meeting with the appro- 
 bation of the audience, as do alfo 
 her Bujy Body, JVondt-r, and Gamejler. 
 That Mrs. Centlivre was very 
 perfedly acquainted with life, and 
 clofely read the minds and man- 
 ners of mankind, no one I think 
 can doubt who reads her come- 
 dies i but what appears to me ihc 
 
 moll extraordinary is, when we 
 confider her Htftory, the difadvan- ' 
 tages fhe mud have laboured un- 
 der by being fo early left to buitle 
 with the world, and that all the 
 education (he could have had mud 
 have been owing to her own appli- 
 cation and afliduity ; when, I lay, 
 we confider her as an abfolutely 
 felf-cultivated genius, it is afloniflt- 
 ing to find the traces of fo much 
 reading and learning as we meet 
 with in many of her pieces, fincc, 
 for the drawing of the various 
 characters fhe has prefented us 
 with, (he muft have perfe«^ly well 
 underltood the French, Dutch, 
 and Spanilh languages, all the 
 provincial disledls of her own, 
 and fomewhat even of the Latin, 
 fince all thefe (he occalionally 
 makes ufe of, and whenever fhe 
 does lb, it is conftantly with the' 
 utmoft propriety and the greatelt 
 accuracy. Jn a word, I cannot 
 help giving it as my opinion, that 
 if we do noi 'illow her to be the 
 very firft of our female writers, 
 Ihe has but one above her, and may 
 juftly be placed next to her pre- 
 dcceffor in dramatic glory, the 
 great Mrs. Behn. 
 
 li Pcijur\l HuJJmnd, T. 410, 
 1700. 
 
 2. Love's Contrivances, C. 4to» 
 1703. 
 
 3. Beauts Duel. C. 410. 1703. 
 
 4. Stolen Heiiifs. C. 4to. 170;^. 
 
 5. Gamefhr, Com. 410. 1705. 
 
 6. Bajfet Table. C. 410. 1 706. 
 
 7. Love at a Venture, C. 410. 
 1706. 
 
 8. Platonic Lady, C. 4to. 1707. 
 
 9. Bufy Body, C. 4to. 1709. 
 
 J o. Man's beiwtcPd, C.4to. 1710. 
 It. Bickerjtaff^i Burying. l'\ 410, 
 
 N.D. 
 
 \2, Marplot. C. 4to. 17 I I. 
 Ptrplex'd Lovers. C. 4tO. 
 
 »3. 
 
 1712. 
 
 14. 
 
 V 2 
 
 Jfotider, C. 4to, 17 13. ' 
 
 i^, G elk am 
 
C H 
 
 t 6s 3 
 
 C H 
 
 ii4>i ^ 
 
 w 
 
 ftt't^ 
 
 ' 111 5 I' 
 
 1 f^;t■! 
 
 15. G(»/i'flZ» £.V^/<7». F. 1 2 mo. 
 
 171?. 
 
 16. IVlfe'Virll managed. F. i2mo. 
 
 17. Cruel Gift. T. 12010.1717. 
 
 1 8. Bold Stroke for a Wife. C. 
 8vo. 17 18. 
 
 ig. Artifice. C. 8vo. 1721. 
 
 Chami;eri.ain,Rop.ert. This 
 author lived in the time of king 
 Charles I. being born in 1607 at 
 Standifli in LiiiColi.fhire. He lived 
 for feme years as clerk to Perer 
 Ball, Efq; who was folicitor -ge- 
 neral to king Chales the Firli's 
 queen. By this gentleman he was 
 at the age of thirty fent to Exeter 
 Colltgf, Oxford, where he pur- 
 fued his lluJie?, and pro; a'ly was 
 bred to t'lu* pulpit, as we find a 
 book written ly h"m, entitled, 
 2iidlurnal Luiuhiat:oiis ; or, M dl- 
 tations Divnc and Mral. He vv rote 
 a Play, calied, 
 
 •7161: Siva^^cri/tg Damfcl, C. 4t04 
 1640. 
 
 Winflanlry has alfo attributed to 
 bim a I'alloral, called, 
 
 SiceliJes. VViitten by Phineas 
 Fletcher. 
 
 Chamberlaine, Dr. Wil- 
 liAM. This gentleman was a 
 phyfician, and 1 imagine was fon 
 of Dr. Peter Chamberlaine. He 
 lived atShafitlb'jryjinDoifecfhirc, 
 in the reign.- of king Charles], 
 and king Charles II. and was a 
 very zealous caviilier. He wrote 
 but one Play, entitled, 
 
 Love's P'lHory. T. C. 4t0. 1658. 
 which, being compofed during the 
 jntefline troubles, at which time 
 the play-houfes were fupprefled, 
 could not then be afted, but fonic 
 vears after the relloration w.is 
 Drought on the llage under the 
 title of, 
 
 Wils led hy the Nof. C. 410. 1 6> 8. 
 
 Chapman, George. Of this 
 voluminous and ingenious writer 
 we are u a lofs to trace Tome ma- 
 9 
 
 terial particulars, viz. the family 
 from whence he was defcended the 
 place where he was born, and the 
 fchool at which he imbibed the 
 earlieft rudiments of his erudition. 
 Ic is known, however, that he firft 
 drew breath in the year 1557, and 
 that in 1^74, being then only in 
 his feventeenth v«ar, yet well 
 grounded in grammar learning, he 
 was fent to the univerfiiy ; but 
 here again fume difficulty arifes as 
 to whether Oxford or Cambridge 
 had the honour of compleating his 
 ftudies. For though it is certain 
 that he was fome time at Ox- 
 ford, and made a figure there in 
 the Greek ard Latin languages, 
 yet it does not appear that he 
 ftione there either in Inge or phi- 
 lofophy, or took any degree. On 
 his return tu London, he was 
 warmly patronized by Sir Thomas 
 Walfingham, and after his death 
 b. his fon. He was alfo held in 
 high ellimation by Henry prince 
 of Wales, and he earl of Somer- 
 fet; but the firft dying, and the 
 other being difgraced. Chapman's 
 hopes of preferment were fruf- 
 trated ; to which difappointments 
 perhaps the umbrage taken by 
 king James at fome rcfleftions call 
 on the Sen's nation in a Comedy 
 called Ecift'Mard Hoe, wherein this 
 author h^^d a hand, mighc be no 
 fmall addition. He appears how- 
 ever to have had fome place at 
 court under thnt monarch, or his 
 queen Anne. But what became 
 of him during the troubles, which 
 he lived to fee, but not to be wittiefs 
 to their entire termination, I know 
 not. He paired however through 
 a long life, dying on the 12th of 
 May, 1654, JEt. 77, and was bu- 
 ried on the fouth fide of the church 
 of St. Giles in the Fields, a mo- 
 nument being eredled over his 
 grave at the expencc, and accord- 
 ing to chc invention, of that great 
 
 architeft 
 
C H 
 
 t 69 ] 
 
 C H 
 
 trcMtea Inigo Jones, who had 
 been his peculiar friend and in- 
 timate. . , ., e 
 
 He was undoubtedly a man ot 
 very great learning ; and although 
 iranflation has within our latter 
 ages reached a greater degree of 
 perfeftion than it had then at- 
 tained, a due honour ou>;ht to be 
 paid to the induftry of ihis writer, 
 who tranflated, and that in a man- 
 ner far from contemptible, the 
 whole ///W, OJyJiy, and £atty- 
 ontyomachia of Homer, fome parts of 
 Hejiod, and Mujxus's Erotopagnion. 
 As to his dramatic Works, they 
 are unequal ; nor has he in any of 
 them paid much attention to re- 
 gularity, the which he has fo 
 greatly infringed, as to extend his 
 number of afts in one piece, viz. 
 Tvjo IVife Mm and all the reji Fools, 
 to two beyond the fettled ftandard. 
 His mailer pieces in the dramatic 
 way are his BuJ^ D'Amboife in 
 Tragedy, his JVido^M's Tears in 
 Comedy, and his Mafque of the 
 Inns of Court. In his private 
 character he was truly amiable, 
 and maintained a very clofe ac- 
 quaintance with the firft rate wri- 
 ters of his time. Yet fuch was 
 Jonfon's natural envioufnefs of 
 difpofition and haughtinefs of tem- 
 per, that, as Chapman began to 
 grow into reputation, he is faid to 
 have grown jealous of him, and 
 being, by the death of Shale fpeare, 
 left without a rival, ftrove to con- 
 tinue fo, by endeavouring to fup- 
 prefs as much as poflible the rifing 
 fame of this his friend. 
 
 The Plays Chapman has left 
 behind him are as follow: 
 
 1 . Blind Be^^ar of Alexandria. C. 
 4to, 1598. 
 
 2. I'umnurous Dry's Mirth. C. 
 4to. 1599. 
 
 3. All Fools. C. 4to.i6o5.D.C. 
 
 4. EaJi'Maid Hoe C. Afli'led 
 bv Ben Jonfon and Marilon, 410. 
 i'6o5. D. C. 
 
 5. Gentleman XJjh.r.Q,. 4*0.1606' 
 
 6. Mottjteur D'Olive, C. 4to* 
 1606. 
 
 7. Bu£y D'Amhois, 
 1607. 
 
 8. Ca/ar and Pompty 
 1607 
 
 9. I Confplracy of Blron, 
 10. l"' 
 
 T. 4to. 
 
 T. 4to. 
 
 T. twe 
 ^ Parts, 4to. 1608. 
 
 11. May Day. C. 4to, l6ri. 
 
 1 2. Widow' i Tears. C. 4to. 1 6 1 2. 
 D. C. 
 
 13. Bu£y D^Amlois's Revenge. 
 T. 4to. 1613. 
 
 14. Mafque of the Middle Tempk 
 and Lincoln' s-Inn. N. D. ( 1 6 1 3.) 
 
 1 5 . T'-MO 'Vjije Men, and all the 
 rejl Fools. C. M. 410. i6ig. 
 
 16. Alphonfus Emperor of Ger' 
 many. T. 4to. 1654, 
 
 17. Revenge for Honour. T. 410. 
 1654. 
 
 Charke, Charlotte. This 
 lady on the fcore of an authorefs 
 has, Imuftconfefs, but barely aright 
 to a place in this work, having 
 only produced one little piece in 
 the dramatic kind, entitled, 
 
 The Art of Management. Far. 8vo» 
 
 1735- 
 
 But as (he was a daughter of the 
 
 celebrated CoIleyCibber, and filler 
 to Theophilus Cibber, (he feema 
 to have a kind of hereditary clam 
 to fome paiticular notice in a woric 
 profeffedly intended for the re- 
 cording of fuch perfonages and 
 things as have any clofe corinec- 
 tion with, or reference to, the af- 
 fairs of the theatre. And althouah 
 file cannot be confideieJ of e']ual 
 confequence to the public wiih 
 either of ttiefe her before named 
 relations, yet as by a courfe of 
 Ibange occurrences, and a difpo* 
 fition apparently of the moil ro- 
 mantic and inconfiderare n.iture, 
 (he rendered ht-rlelf the fubj' ct of 
 much convcriation and t«nrur.*, 
 and a^, like her father and br ith-r, 
 (he has thought proper to publiih 
 to the world lorae oi the ad'en- 
 F 3 tuie« 
 
C H 
 
 C 70 ] 
 
 C H 
 
 i'«!^ 'Mi 
 
 
 tures of her lifr, with a view, as it 
 fhould feem, to apologize for part 
 of her conduft, it would certainly 
 be an omiflion that I could fcarcely 
 te forgiven for, was I not to ob- 
 lige my readers with a fhort Aim- 
 mary of thofe adventures which, 
 divefted from the number of very 
 trifling incidents which ihe had in- 
 terlarded them with, in order to 
 fwcll out her life to the bulk of a 
 volume, may not perhaps be to- 
 tally unentertaining. 
 
 She informs us that (he was the 
 youngeft child of the celebrated 
 Laiireat, born at a time when her 
 mother was forty-five years of atjc, 
 and, having borne no children tor 
 fome years before, began to ima- 
 gine that without this additional 
 blefling (he had fully anfwered the 
 end of her creation, and therefore 
 fecms to conclude that (cxclufive 
 of her parents, by whom flie con- 
 fefles flie was treated with the ut- 
 molt tendcrnefs and afFcftion) (he 
 came not only au unexpefted, but 
 an unwelcome, gueft into the fa- 
 mily. To this diflike of her other 
 Tclaiions flic attributes a very con- 
 fulerable fliare of her following; 
 jnistbrtures; but indeed it mult 
 be contt'fled, that fl'.e very early 
 fccmcd to flicvv' a difpofaion {o 
 wild, fo dilTipaced, and fo unfuit- 
 ablc to her fcx, that it is fcarcely 
 to be wondered (honld give dif- 
 gufl: to thofe of her friends, whole 
 viflies were even the moft favour- 
 aide towards her. In fliort, from 
 infancy (he owns (lie had more of 
 the nial"^ than female in her incli- 
 nations, and rt-htcs two or three 
 droll adventures of her drefling 
 herfelfupin her father's cloaths ; 
 ' her riding cut on the back of an 
 afa's foal, when not above four or 
 . five years old, &0. that fecm an 
 evident foreta'.ic of the like maf- 
 culine condufl which (lie puriued 
 through life. At eight years old 
 
 (he was put to fchool, but had an 
 education bedowed on her more 
 fuitable to a boy than to one of 
 the oppofite fex ; and as (he grew 
 up (he followed the fame plan, 
 being much more frequently in 
 the liable than in the bed-cham- 
 ber, and fully millrefs of the hand- 
 ling of a curry-comb, though to- 
 tally ignorant of the ufe of a nee- 
 die. Her very amufcments all 
 took the fame mafculine turn, 
 (hooting, hunting, riding races, 
 and digging in a garden^ being ever 
 her favourite exercifes. She alfo 
 relates an aft of her prowefs when 
 a meer child, in protefling the 
 houfe, when in expedlation of an 
 attack from thieves, by the firing 
 of piftols and blunderbufTes out at 
 the windows. All her aftions 
 fecm to have had a boyifh mif- 
 chievoufnefs in them, and (he 
 fometimes appears to have run 
 great rifque of ending them with 
 the moft fatal confequences. 
 
 This wildnefs, however, was 
 put fome check to by her mar- 
 riage, when very young, with Mr. 
 Richard Charke, an eminent per- 
 former on the violin; immediately 
 after which flie launched into the 
 billows of a llormy world, in 
 which (lie was, through the whole 
 remainder of her life, buffeted 
 about without ever once reaching 
 a peaceful harbour. Her huf- 
 band's infatiable pa(rion for women 
 very foon gave her juft caufc of 
 uneafinefs, and in a (hort time ap- 
 pears to have occa(ioned a fepara- 
 tion. Ske then applied lo the 
 (tage, apparently from inclination 
 as well as rece(fity, and opened 
 with the little part of Mademoi- 
 felle in the Provoked IfT/p^ in which 
 (ke met with all the fucccfs (he 
 could expeft. From this (lie rofe 
 in her fecond and third attempts 
 to the capital -haradlers of Alicia 
 in yatu S/jortf and Andromache in 
 
 the 
 
C H 
 
 i 7» ] 
 
 C H 
 
 the Diftrcjjrc/} MothrVy m which, 
 r.(itwithlh\nd'mg the rtitiembrance 
 of Mrs. Porter and Mrs. Oldfield, 
 ihe met with great indulgence 
 from the audience, and, being re- 
 niarkablc lor reading wcU, was 
 furtered to go on ufOn I'udden 
 emcrgenci(S to read charafters of 
 no IgIs importance than thofe of 
 Cleopatra and queen Elizabeth. 
 She was after this engaged, at a 
 very good falary and a fufficient 
 fu])ply of very confiderable parts, 
 at the theatre in the Haymarketj 
 and after that at Drury-Lane. In 
 a word, flie fcemed well fettled, 
 and likely to have made no inglo- 
 rious figure in theatrical life, had 
 not that want of confideration and 
 ungovernable impetuofity of paf- 
 fions which run through all her 
 aftions, induced her to quarrel 
 with Mr. Fleetwood, the then ma- 
 nager, whom (he not Only left on 
 a fudden without any notice given, 
 but even veined her fpleen a<;ainft 
 liim in public, by the writing of 
 the little dramatic piece I have 
 fpokeu of above; and though that 
 •rentleman rot only forgave her 
 tliis injury and reftored her to her 
 former ftation, yet fhe acknow- 
 ledges that (he afterwards veiy 
 ungratefully left h.im a fecoiul 
 time, on a cauie in which he could 
 incur no fli:ire of blame. 
 
 Thus havin? thrown liorfelf out 
 of employment in a prok-fTion in 
 which fhe had a fair apparent 
 profpeft of fuccefs, fhe next en- 
 tered on a bufinels, which, by 
 knowing nothing of, fhe muft be 
 certain to fail in ; in a word, fhe 
 commenced trader, and fet up as a 
 grocer and oil-woman in a fliop 
 in Long-Acre. 
 
 In this llation fhe, with a great 
 deal of humour, defcribes and ral- 
 lies her fanguine cxpcdlations and 
 abfurd proceedings, till between 
 her own ignorance, and the tricks 
 
 of (harpers, fome of whom cheat- 
 ed, and others robbed her, fhe 
 was, after having kept (hop about 
 three months, forced to throw it ; 
 up, and fet up a great puppet- 
 fliew, over the Tennis-Court, in 
 James-Street, near the Haymarket. 
 Kut after fome little courfe of fuc- 
 cefs in this defign, it began to fail; 
 and (he was leduced to fell for 
 twenty guineas what fhe fays had 
 cod her near five hundred pounds. 
 During the courfe of thefe tranf- 
 ?£lionS) Mrs. Charke informs us, 
 that (he had highly ofFendsd her 
 father, but by what aftion of her 
 own fhe does not inform us. She 
 confeiTes indeed that fhe had in 
 fome refpefts juftly incurred his 
 difpleafure, but is defirous of hav- 
 ing it appear that it had been 
 greatly aggravated, and occafioned 
 to hang with a heavier load on her 
 than it would otherwife have done, 
 through the ill offices of an elder 
 filler. However, I cannot help 
 imagining the oiFence to have 
 been of a very heinous nature, 
 fince it is evident Mr. Gibber ne- 
 ver after forgave her, nor in her 
 greateft diltrcfles feems to have at 
 ail afTifted her ; a condudl entirely 
 oppofite to that humanity and uni- 
 vciful benevolence which were fb 
 well known to be the charatteriftics 
 of that gentleman's difpouiion ; 
 and indeed, whatever was the firll 
 caufe of his abandoning her, it is 
 apparent fhe took no great care to 
 avoid a farther occafion of refent- 
 ment : tor in a piece called the 
 Baitk of the Pocfs, in which was a 
 chararter moft abufively and fcur- 
 riloully aimed at tiie laiireat, Mrs. 
 Charke, who happened to be a 
 member of the company who per- 
 formed it, v/as herfelf the very per- 
 fon by whom that charader was 
 rcprefentcd ; a llcp which (he cculd 
 not have been compelled to tdke, 
 but which mull have been a vo- 
 Jt' 4 luntary 
 
C H 
 
 C 7» } 
 
 C H 
 
 Juntarjr aft of her own in the exer- 
 tion ol" her refentment, fomewhat 
 of the fame nature with her con- 
 duft towards Mr. Fleetwood ; but 
 which, in confeq lence of the rela- 
 tion file flood in to Mr. Cihber, 
 iruft -.ipparently be the means of 
 throwing an infiiperable b;.r in the 
 Way of any reconciliation between 
 them. 
 
 But to proceed. During the 
 courfe of thefe tranfadlions, Mr. 
 Charke, whom I have before men- 
 tioned, had been for fome time 
 parted from his wife, and had en- 
 gaged himfelf to go over to Ja- 
 maica with a gentleman in the 
 tncrcaniile way, where, in about 
 twenty months after his arrival, 
 he died, leaving our heroine once 
 more at liberty to unite herfelf by 
 the matrimonial tie wherever fhe 
 Jhould tiiink proper. She there- 
 fore informs us, that foon after 
 her parting with her properly rs 
 above related, (he was very clofely 
 addrciled by a worthy gentleman, 
 whofe name (he feems very care- 
 fully to conceal, in confequence of 
 a llrift vow fhe had taken never to 
 difcover it. To this gentleman 
 (lie givts us to undcrrtand flie was 
 united by a f^cret marriage ; but 
 as he did not long furvive that 
 union, fhe was once again left def- 
 titute and friendlels, nay, even 
 pre.udiced in her affairs from a 
 Jalft' report of htr having by his 
 death come in to a very coniider- 
 dble fortune. In (Viort, (he was 
 foon after arretted for a fmall fum; 
 in confequence of which (he was 
 compelled to remain for fome 
 hours in a bailiff's houfe. 'Jhe 
 defcription flie gives of her fenfa- 
 tions on this occafion, and thedif- 
 ap;^ointmeiit flse met with in her 
 various applications for relief, are 
 natural, bui not new; and I can- 
 not fay Ihc h.!S done any great ho- 
 nour to the apparent choice (he 
 
 mull have made of acquaintance, 
 as (lie informs us that (he had not 
 been half an hour in cudody be- 
 fore (lie was furrounded by all the 
 ladies who kept cofFfe-houfes in 
 and about Covent-Gardcn ; and 
 that we find her difcharge at laft 
 was brought about entirely by a 
 fubfcription, formed among a 
 number of well known proditutes 
 and public brothel keepers. 
 
 Being now rcleafed, her folc 
 means of procuring a livelihood 
 was by feekiug out tor the iowell 
 kind of theatrical employment, in 
 fiilitig up cccafionally fuch parts 
 as chanced to be deficient in the 
 private • Ahibitions, or rather but- 
 cheries of fome of our dramatic 
 pieces at the Tennis-court, or elfe- 
 where: in which bufinefs (he feems 
 generally to have chofen the male 
 charatters; and indeed flie moft 
 commonly ufed to be drelTcd in 
 nian'i cloaths even in private life, 
 the reafon of which (he affedls to 
 make a myilery of, ard to imply 
 as if that myilery had fome refer- 
 ence to her connexion with the 
 gentleman above-mentioned. 
 
 Be this as it will, we are in- 
 formed that, in the progrefs of her 
 theatrical adventures of this kind, 
 (he met with one whereby (lie was 
 for a fhort time not a little cmbar- 
 rafled, which was no other than 
 her becoming the objcft of a len- 
 der paiFion in the bofom of a young 
 lady, who, having an immenfe for- 
 tune in her own po(refiion, thought 
 htrfejf at liberty to make an open 
 profe(rion of her love, and even to 
 offer propofals of matrimony. This 
 circumllance, however, obliged her 
 to a declaration of her fex, to the 
 no fmall difappointment of the 
 lady ; and the company of adlors 
 (lac belonged to foon quitting the 
 town, thtf affair was hu(hed up, 
 and the report of it filenced. 
 
 In 
 
t n 
 
 t ^1 1 
 
 C H 
 
 In this uncertain kind of em- 
 ployment Ihe continued till, 
 through the fecomniend:ition of 
 htr bi.ther, (he was received into 
 the family ol :i certaiii no.'leman, 
 in the charafter of a valet de 
 chiirriire or getleman. In this 
 Situation (he dtfcribes herfelf as 
 being very happy, till fome friends 
 of his loriJIhip's remarking an im- 
 prooriery in the entertaining one 
 of her fex in that charader, flie 
 was again difcharged and left to 
 the wide world. 
 
 Htr next employment was the 
 making and felling of faufages for 
 the fupport of heifelf and child. 
 But this failing, fhe became a 
 waiter at the King's-head tavern 
 at Marybone ; commenced after- 
 wards manager of a llrolling com- 
 pany of players, and pafTed through 
 leveral trivial adventures, but moft 
 of them diftrefsful ones, till at 
 length, by the aflillance of an un- 
 cle, Ihe W.IS enabled to open a 
 public houfe, the fituation of which 
 ihe imprudently fixed in Drury- 
 Lnnc ; and here, noiwithftanding 
 the experience her long acquaint- 
 ance with misfortune might, one 
 would think, have given her, the 
 fame indifcrttion and mifmanage- 
 ment which before had ruined her 
 ilill continued to diredl her ac- 
 tions, and fc-ced her in a very 
 Ihort time to (hut up her houfe, 
 and difpofe of all her efteds. She 
 then engaged herfelf in the Hay- 
 market theatre, under her brother 
 i\Jr. Theophilus Gibber; but this 
 provifion did not long continue, 
 that gentleman and his company 
 being foon after obliged to defilt 
 by virtue of an older trom the lord 
 chamberlain. 
 
 Her next engagement was with 
 the celebrated Mr, Kuflel, the pup- 
 pec- (liew man, by whom (he tells 
 us (he was employed at a guinea 
 per day lo move his figures during 
 
 his exhibition at Hiclcford's 6reAt 
 Rome in Brewer-Street. But af- 
 ter his death, the diftrefsful and 
 wretched circumftances of whicli 
 ihe has not badly related, (he agaia 
 joined fortunes with different fets 
 of ilrolling players, among whom 
 (he remained for very near niiii 
 years. 
 
 Her adventures during the cour(e 
 of that time being nothing but one 
 variegated fcene of pitiable dif- 
 trefTes, of a kind which no one caa 
 be a llranger to who has either 
 feen or read the accounts of thole 
 moft wretched of all human beings, 
 the members of a mere ftrolling 
 company of adors, I (hall be ex- 
 cufed the entering into particu- 
 lars, and be permitted to proceed 
 to her coming to London in 1755, 
 where (he publiftied that narrative 
 of her own life, from which this 
 account is abflra^td, and which 
 therefore proceeds Co far as to that 
 year. She afterwards kept a pub- 
 lic houfe at Iflington, but whether 
 (he continued in chat fituatiou to 
 the time of her death I am unable 
 to fay. She concluded, however, 
 a life which had been one conti- 
 nued courfe of mifery, the evident 
 confequence of folly, imprudence, 
 and abfurdity, on the 6th of April, 
 1760, having not long furvived 
 her father and brother ; fome ac- 
 count of whofe lives our reader will 
 find a little further in this work. 
 
 ChATTERTON, THONf AS. This 
 
 extraordinary young man, whofe 
 abilities feem to have been deftined 
 to create animofuies among the 
 learned, was born at Brillol on 
 the 20th of November, 1752. His 
 (ather was mailer of the charity- 
 fchool of St. Mary, Redcliff, nd 
 died when his lou w iS very young. 
 From' his fathei's fuccelfor Mr. 
 Love, he received the only in- 
 llruftion tha: was bell. w.'d on hitn 
 in his early years. On <lie :jd of 
 
 Ajguit, 
 
C 11 
 
 I ?♦ > 
 
 C H 
 
 I 
 
 If 
 
 
 mi 
 
 
 Avgutt, 1760* he was admitted 
 into Coinon't Bluecoat-Tchool, 
 where writing and accompcs on- 
 ly were taught, and continued 
 there fcven years. He then went 
 into the oiKce of Mr. Lambert, 
 an attorney, with whom he re- 
 mained until April 1776. when 
 he quitted Briilol, and came td 
 London, determining for the fu- 
 ture to rely on his pen for fub- 
 fiilence. He immediately cora- 
 nienced a writer for Mugazines and 
 other periodical publications ; but 
 the proHts aridng from thefe were 
 too imall to keep him from dillirel's. 
 On the 22d of Auguft in the fame 
 year,inafit of dcfpair, he fwallow- 
 ed arftnic, and put a period to his 
 life at the age of feventeen years, 
 nine months, and two days. 
 
 The annals of literature do not 
 furniih an inftance of fuch mira- 
 culous talents, as Mr. Walpole 
 properly calls them, being pof- 
 ieflcd by any perfon fo young as 
 our author was when he dei\royed 
 himfelf ; and it is to be lamented 
 thfAt his merit was not known early 
 enough to prevent his wretched 
 catallrophe. Could the feveral 
 Poems, produced under the name 
 of Rowley, be received as genuine, 
 the extent of Chatterton's a- 
 bilities would appear simazing 
 from pieces concerning which there 
 is no difpute, efpecially when 
 their number and his age are 
 confidered. But when we refleft 
 that after every enquiry which 
 fome of the moft intelligent gen- 
 tlemen of the prefent age have 
 made concerning the (iifputed 
 Poems, and the evidence which ac- 
 companies them, they are con- 
 vinced of their being the produc- 
 tions of modern time;;, and even 
 of Chatterton himfelf, the unpa- 
 ralleled genius of this youth, and 
 his early propenfiiics towards for- 
 gery, mull ever engage our at- 
 
 tention and adonifhment. That 
 all the pieces produced by him 
 were really of his own compofi* 
 tion, feems no«v to be gener4lly 
 acknowledged ; and the confcious 
 filence ot the advocates for iheii* 
 aniiqulry fufficiently (hnws that 
 little can be nppofcd to the proofs 
 brought ill Ittpport of his title 
 to them. I therefore venture td 
 afcribe them to him, and on their 
 account inCert his name in the pre-^ 
 fent lilt of dramatic authors. 
 
 In the volume of Kowley'sPocmi 
 are two Drama?, called, 
 
 1. 7/k '•J'ounuimcii!. I. 
 
 2. J'.lla. T. 1. 
 
 5. UoMvjj'i; a Tragedie, un- 
 finished. 
 
 He alfo wrote fome fcenes of a 
 Play, called, 
 
 4. The Doivflger^ which are ftill 
 in MS. 
 
 CiiAVEs, A. Of this author I 
 can trace nothing farther than that 
 he wrote one Play, called, 
 
 Tbe Qirn of Love. C. 1705. 4to. 
 
 He does not however appear to 
 have been a perfon of any confi- 
 derable note, by his piece being 
 dedicated to Sir William Read ihe 
 mountebank. 
 
 CiiF. EKE, Henry. Of this gen- 
 tleman I know noihing more than 
 the finding his name in Coxeter's 
 MS. notes, as author, or as rather 
 tranllator from the Italian, of a 
 Plav, called, 
 
 Free mil. T. .^ to. B.L.N. D. 
 
 CHETWOOD, \V ILl I /iM RUFUS. 
 
 This author for fome vime kept a 
 bookfcller's fhop in Covent-Gar- 
 den. He v»ras alio for twenty 
 years prompter to Drury-Lane 
 Theatre, and in that very laborious 
 and ufeful ofhce was efteemed to 
 have great excellence. Though 
 no aftor himfelf, yet, from h*:\n% 
 fo convcrfant with the ftage, and 
 with the various manners of dif- 
 ferent eminent performers, he be- 
 came 
 
C H 
 
 [ 75 ) 
 
 C I 
 
 came no bad theatrical inflruAor ; 
 nnd to the pains he has taken in 
 that bulinefs feme confiderable ac- 
 tors now living, perhaps, ftand in- 
 debted for part at leall o| their 
 early approbation. 1 have in par- 
 ticular heard it allcrtrd, not only 
 by ^^ . Chetwood himfelf, but 
 otheij, that Mr. Harry received his 
 jirll rudiments of theatrical exe- 
 cution from this gentleman, as did 
 alfo a lady, who has for a few 
 years paft flood in high elHmation 
 with the audiences of Dublin, viz. 
 Mrs. Fitzhcnry, formerly Mrs. 
 Gregory. 
 
 Mr. Chetwood by his •firft wife 
 had a daughter, who was bred up 
 to the theatrical life, and was mar* 
 ried to one Mr. Gemea. His fc- 
 cond wife was a grand-daughter 
 of Mr. Colley Cibber. Mr. Chel- 
 wood himfelf was living in Dub- 
 lin in the year 1760, when a 
 play was atted for his benefit. 
 He was then a prifoner for debt, 
 and, in a note to the Prologue 
 fpoken on that occaTion, it was af- 
 fcrtcd that his old pupil Barry, in 
 his greateft diftreis, had refufed 
 him any alfiiUnce. It fcems pro- 
 bable that he died foon after. He 
 wrote fome pieces in the novel 
 way, and a work called, yl General 
 liyh)iy of the ii/aj^e, which however 
 has very little, or rather indeed 
 no merit. He has alfo written ihe 
 following drnmatic pieces : 
 
 1. Tie Slovk-Jol'ucrs i or, Tie 
 Humours of Kt^ckangc-Jlluy. C. 
 8vo. 1720. 
 
 2. iSmith'Sea. Farce. 1720. 
 
 3. Lover^i Opera. 8vo. 1729. 
 
 4. Generous Free Majon, T. C. 
 F. B. Opera. 8vo. 1731. 
 
 Cibber, Colli'Y, Efq; This 
 gentleman, to whom the Engbfh 
 Ihige has been in many refpefts 
 greatly obliged, both as an aiStor 
 and a writer; and in the latter 
 chara^cr doubly io by being not 
 
 only greatly aflillant in fupporting 
 it by his nameroui and entertaiii- 
 ing dramatic pieces, but alfo iti 
 Hiiloriographer through a very 
 long and important period ; has 
 given us fo very pleafing^ and im- 
 partial a detail of the moi: material 
 circumdances of his life, that I 
 cannot apply to a more peifeA 
 fource of intelligence concerning 
 it than what that work will afford 
 me, more efpecially as in it he has 
 drawn the moft candid portrait of 
 the features of his mind, as well 
 as the cleared narrative of the ef- 
 ifi(k% produced by the different 
 combinations of the feyeral parts 
 of his natural difpolition. From 
 that therefore the greatefl part of 
 the following account will, in as 
 concife a manner as poiTible, be ex- 
 trafled. 
 
 Mr. Cibber then was born on 
 the 6ch of November, O. S. 1671, 
 in Southampton-Hreet, Covent- 
 Garden. His father, Caius Gabriel 
 Cibber, was a native of Holflein, 
 and came into England to follow his 
 profefTion ol a ftatuary fome time 
 before the relloration of king 
 Charles II. The eminence he at- 
 tained to in his art may be judged 
 from the two celebrated images 
 of raging and melancholy madnefs 
 on the two piers of the great gate 
 of Beihleliem Hofpital, and alfo 
 by the baflb relievo on the pcdefial 
 of that llupendous column called 
 the monument, credled in com- 
 memoration of the great fire of 
 London in 1666. His mother was 
 the daughter of William Colley, 
 Efq; of Glaillon in Rutlandfhirc, 
 wliofe father. Sir Anthony Colley, 
 by his fleady attachment to the 
 royal caufe, during the troubles of 
 king Charles I's reign, reduced his 
 edate from three thoufand to about 
 three hundred pounds fcr annum. 
 The family of the Colleys, though 
 extintt by the death of our laureat's 
 
 uncle 
 
 Archibald 
 
C 1 
 
 r 76 1 
 
 C 1 
 
 uncle Edward Colley, Efq; from 
 ifvhoin our author received hi> 
 chrillian name, and who was the 
 lall heir male ot' it, had been a 
 very ancii nt one, it appearing from 
 Wright 5 Hiliory of Rutlanaftire, 
 that ihey had been ftterilfs and 
 members of purliamtnt from the 
 reign of Henry VI!. to the latter 
 end of kii.g C'hiirles I. In 1682, 
 he was fent to the free-fvhool of 
 • Grantham in Lincolnfliire, where 
 lie tlaid till he got through it, 
 from the loweft form to the upper- 
 .moft, and fuch learning as that 
 ich«ol could give him is, as he 
 himfelf aclrnovviedges, the moft he 
 could p.etendto: about 1O89, he 
 was taken from fchool to lland for 
 the eleftion of children into Win- 
 cheder College, but having no 
 farther interell or recommenaation 
 than that of his own naked merit, 
 'i^ arid the being defcended by the 
 
 mother's fide from William of 
 Wickham the founder, it is not to 
 'be wondered at that he wa<; unfuc- 
 cefsful. R;\ther pleafed with what 
 he looked on as a reprieve from the 
 confined life of a fchool boy, than 
 piqued at the lofs of his eleftion, 
 nc returned to London, and there 
 even thus early conceived an in- 
 clination for the Ilaj^e, which how- 
 ever he, on more confiderations 
 ^thaii one, thought projjcr to fup- 
 p'efs; and thtrcrbre wrote t'own to 
 "his faihcr, wlo v. a; at that time 
 - employed at C'hatlworch in ! "erby- 
 :fiiire, by the earl (afterwards duke) 
 of Devonfliire, in the railing that 
 'ieattothe magnificence ic has ever 
 'iince polfefT d, to intrea' of him 
 'that he might be fen; as foon as 
 polfiblc to the univriity. Tii is re- 
 quell his father feened very in- 
 ' clinaMe to comply with, and af 
 ' fared him in his nfwer, th;it as 
 ibon as his own leifu>e would per- 
 jnit, he would go wi h h m to 
 . Cambridge, at which uitivcriiiy he 
 
 imagined he bad more interefi to 
 fettle him to si^vantage than at 
 Oxford ; but in the mean time 
 fent for him down to Chatfworth« 
 that he might in the interim be 
 more immediately under his owa 
 eye. 
 
 Before young Cibber, however, 
 could fet out on his journey for 
 that place, the prince of Orange, 
 afrfrwards king William III. had 
 landed in the well, fo that, when 
 our author came to Nottingham, 
 he found his father in arms there 
 among the force? which the earl of 
 Devonshire had raifed to aid that 
 prince. The old man, confidering 
 this as a very proper feafon for a 
 young fellow i;o dillinguifh himfelf 
 in, and being befides too far ad- 
 vanced in years to endure the fa- 
 tigue of a winter campaign, en- 
 treated the earl of Devonihire to 
 accept of this fon in his room, 
 which his Irrdfhip not only con- 
 fentcd to, but even promifed, that 
 when affairs were fettled he would 
 faither provide fcr him. Thus all 
 at once was the current of our 
 young hero's foitune entirely turn- 
 ed into a new channel, his thoughts 
 of the univerfity were (mothered 
 in ambition, and the intended 
 academician converted, to his in- 
 exprcffible delight, into a cam- 
 paigner. 
 
 They had not been many days 
 at Notfingham before they heard 
 that prime George of Denmark, 
 with fome other great perfons, 
 were gone olFfrom the king to the 
 prince of Orange, and that the 
 princefs Anne, fearing her father's 
 refentment, in confequence of this 
 flep of her confort, had withdrawn 
 herfelf from London in the night, 
 and was then within half a day's 
 journey of Nottingham ; and more- 
 over, that a thoufand of the king's 
 drajroons were in purfuit of her, 
 in order to biing her back ptifoner 
 
 to» 
 
C I 
 
 [ 77 > 
 
 C I 
 
 to London. Although this lad 
 article was no more than a falfe 
 alarm, being; one of the Aratiigenis 
 made ufe of over the whole king- 
 dom, in order to excite and ani- 
 niatc the people to their common 
 defence ; yet it obliged '.He troops 
 to fcrimble to arms in as much 
 order as their confternation would 
 admit of, to haden to her aiTiilance 
 or refcue ; but they had not ad- 
 vanced many miles on the London 
 road, before they met the princefs 
 in a coach;, attended only by lady 
 Churchill and lady Fitzharding, 
 whom they condufled thiough the 
 acclama'ions of the people to Not- 
 tingham, where they were that 
 night ei..ertained at the charge of 
 the ear! cf Devon (lure. On this 
 ©ccafion Mr. Cibber being defired 
 by his lordlhip's Maitre D'Hotel 
 to attend, the pod afligned him 
 was to obrerve what the lady 
 Churchill, afterwards dutchefs of 
 Marlborough, might call for; and 
 from the manner in which he has 
 mademcntionof that lady, it is ap- 
 parent that her charms at that time 
 made fuch an impreflion on his 
 young heart, as though the im- 
 menfe diftanceof her rank obliged, 
 ^nd at the fame time perhaps en- 
 abled, him to lupprefs, yet even a 
 courfe -of fifty years which pafled 
 between that period and the time 
 of his wiitint; his Apology could 
 not entirely efface. 
 
 From Nottingham the troops 
 marched to Oxford, where the 
 prince and princefs of Denmark 
 met. H'.'rc the troops continued 
 in quiei quarters till on the fettling 
 of the public tranquillity, when 
 thev were remanded back to Not- 
 tingham, and thofe who chofe it 
 were granted their difcharge, 
 among whom was our author, who 
 now quitted the field and the hopes 
 of military preferment, and re- 
 turned to his father at Chatfwonh. 
 
 And now his expeAationi of fu« 
 
 ture foitune, in a great menfure, 
 depended Uf)on the promifes of 
 pationage he had received from 
 the earl of DrvonOiire, who, on 
 being reminded of them, was fo 
 goocT as to defire his father to fend 
 him to London in the winter, when 
 he would co.ifider of fome pro« 
 vifion for him ; and our author, 
 with equal honour and candour, 
 acknowledges that it might well 
 require time to confider it, for that 
 it was then much harder to knovir 
 what he was really fit for, than tQ 
 have got him any thing he was noc 
 fit for. During hi* period of at> 
 tendance on this nobleman, how- 
 ever, a frequent application to thf 
 amufemtnts of the theatre, a- 
 wakened in him his pafHon for 
 the llage, which he feemed now 
 determmed on purfuing as hie 
 fummuni boiiutn^ and in fpite of fa- 
 ther, mother, or friends, to fix on &• 
 his «(' plus ultra. 
 
 Previous however to our pro- 
 ceeding to the iheatric;.l anecdote^ 
 of his life, it may be proper to 
 mention one circumtlance, which, 
 though it happened fomewhat 
 later than his firll commencing 
 adlor, I cannot without an im- 
 proper interruption introduce with 
 any chronological exaftnefs with- 
 out breakii.g into the thread qf 
 my narrative hereafter ; yet which 
 is an event conlbntly of import- 
 ance in every man's hiftory, and 
 which he himfelf mentions as an 
 inllance ol his difcretion more 
 defperate than that of preferring 
 the ftage to any views of life. 
 This is no other than his marriage, 
 which he entered into about the 
 year 1693, before he was quite 
 twenty two years of age, merely 
 on the plan of love, at a time whea 
 he himfeif informs us he had no 
 more than twenty pounds a year, 
 which his father had afTured to 
 
 him. 
 
: 
 
 'p I 
 
 r 
 
 I' ' 
 
 I 
 
 \^H 1 
 
 C 1 
 
 t 78 ] 
 
 C I 
 
 him, and twenty fliilUngs per 
 %V( < k froiu tlie tht-atrr, which could 
 not amoriiu to above thirty pounds 
 frr annum more. The laily he 
 jnarricd was filler to John Shore, 
 Eki; who for many years was 
 
 quarters of a year before he was 
 taken into a falary often fhilUngs 
 pfr weelt. The infufficiency of his 
 voic<-, and the dil'advantagcs of a 
 meagre uninformed perfon, were 
 bars to his fetting out as a hero; 
 
 ferjeant- trumpet ot kngland, to and all that feemed prumifing in 
 which gentleman as Nlr. Cibher him was an aptnefs of ear, and in 
 
 was one fl.-iy Paying *■ vifit, his 
 ear was charmed with the har- 
 mony (if a frmiile voice, accom 
 
 confrquence of that a juilnefs in 
 his m..nner of fpeaking. The parts 
 he played were very trivial ; that 
 
 panted by a finger whii h perform- which he was firft taken any con 
 ed in a mafterly manner on a harp- fideraile notice in being of no 
 
 fichurd ; being informed, on an 
 enquiry which p.n unufual curi- 
 ofity urged him to make, that both 
 iht vcicf and hand belonged to 
 the firtfr of" his friend, he bepgcd 
 to be iptioduced, and at firfl fight 
 yazs captivated with the view of 
 every perfona! charm that could 
 render a female amiable and at- 
 tradive. Nor was flie lefs de- 
 
 greater confequence than the Chap- 
 Frfin in the Orphan \ and he him- 
 felf informs us, that the com- 
 mendations he received on that 
 occafinn from Goodman, a vetemn 
 of eminence on the Itage, which ht: 
 had at that time quitted, filh^d him 
 with a tranfport which could fcnrcc- 
 ly be exceeded by thofc of" Alex- 
 ander or Charles XII. at the hc;id 
 
 lighted with the fprightlinefs of of their victorious armies. His 
 his wit, and the eafy gaiety of his next ftep to fame was in confc- 
 addrt-fs. In ihort, a courtlhip quencc of queen Mary's having 
 
 3uickly commenced on the foun- 
 atttm of a mutual paflion, and 
 terminated in a marriage contrary 
 
 commanded the Double Datler to 
 be adled, when Mr. Kynallon, who 
 originally played Lord Touch- 
 
 to the confent of the young lady's wood, being fo ill, as to be en 
 
 father, who, though he afterwards tirely incapable of going on for it, 
 
 thought proper to give her fome Mr. Cibbcr, on the recommenda- 
 
 fortune, ytt in the fuddennefs of tion of Congreve, the author of the 
 
 his refentmcnt put it out of his play, undertook the part, and at 
 
 cwn power to beftow on her all that very (hort notice performed 
 
 that he had originally intended it fo well, that Mr. Congreve not 
 
 her, by appropriating great part only paid him fome very high 
 
 of what he had fo defigned her to compliments on it, but lecom- 
 
 tbe building of a little retirement mended him to an enlargement of 
 
 on the Thames, which was called falary from fifteen to twenty fhih 
 
 Shore's Folly, and which has been 
 demolifhed for many years pall. 
 
 Hut to proceed to his dramatic 
 hJftory. It appears to have been 
 about February 1689, when our 
 author firlhbecame a dangler about 
 the theatre, where for fome time 
 
 lings /fr week. But even this fuc- 
 cefs did not greatly elevate the 
 rank of ellimation in which he 
 flood wi(h the patentees as an ac- 
 tor ; for on the opening of Drury- 
 Lane Theatre in 169^, with the 
 remainder of the old company, on 
 
 he confidered the privilege of the revolt of Bettcrton and feveral 
 
 every day feeing plays a fulficient of the principal performers to 
 
 confideration for the bell of his Lincoln's-Inn Fields, an occafional 
 
 fcrviees; fo that he was full three Prologae which he had written, al 
 
 though 
 
C I 
 
 [ 19 3 
 
 C I 
 
 tl^ough acknowledged ihe bed that 
 had been offered, and very readily 
 paid for, yet would not be admit« 
 ted to an acceptance on any other 
 terms than his ablolutcly relin- 
 quiftiing any chiSm . ihe (peaking 
 it hinifclf. 
 
 Soon after his accepting of the 
 part of Fondlcwifc in the Otii Bat- 
 cl'flor on a fudden emergency, in 
 which, hy the clofell imitation ot 
 Dpgt;et, who had been tlie original 
 performer of it, not only in drefs, 
 but in voice and manner, he ob- 
 tained an almoft unbounded plau 
 dit from the ai'fiience, gave him 
 fome little flight of reputation ; 
 yet not only thu, but even the ap- 
 
 fjlaufc which va the enfuing year 
 le obtained, both aa an author and 
 aftor, hy his firll ccjmedy, calUd 
 J.on'cs S/'i/'f, or the Fool in I'lrjhio/:^ 
 were infulficient to promote him 
 to any confiderable caft of part*, 
 till the year 1697, when Sir John 
 Vaiibrugh did nim a double ho- 
 nour, viz. firll, by borrowing the 
 hint of his comedy for the writing 
 of his Ri'lat/Cy by way of fetjuel to 
 it; and fccondly, by fixing on 
 him for the performance of his fa- 
 vourite charafter in it of lord Fop- 
 pington. In ^707, however, we 
 iind him confidered by Mr« Rich, 
 the patentee, as of fome confe- 
 quence, by his excepting him from 
 the number of the performers 
 >vhom he permitted Mr. Swiney to 
 engage with for his theatre in the 
 Haymarket (though our author, 
 on finding himfilf flightly ufed by 
 this manager, paid no regard to 
 that e:fception, but joined Swiney), 
 and in the enfuing year, when his 
 friend colonel Brett obtained a 
 fourth fhare in the patent, and 
 that the performers formed a coa- 
 lition, and returned to DruryLane, 
 Mr. Gibber alfo conceded to the 
 treaty, and returned with them; 
 ^uc, pt; the Alencing of the |>atent 
 
 in 1709, he, together with Wilki* 
 Dogget and Mrs. Old field, went 
 over again to Mr. Swiney. 
 
 In 1711, he became united a« 
 joint patentee with Collier, Wilks, 
 and Dogget, in the management of 
 Drury-Lane leatrc. And after- 
 wards in a like partnerfliip with 
 Booth,Wilks, and Sir Rich. Steele. 
 During his laiter period, which 
 did not entirely »nd till 1731, the 
 Englilh Ibge w.is perhaps in the 
 moft flourilhing ftate it ever enjoy- 
 ed. But the lofs of Booth, Mrs. 
 Oldfield, Mrs. Porter, and Mr. 
 Wilks, lopping off its principal 
 fupports, Mr. Cibbcr fold out his 
 fhare of the patent, and retired 
 from the public bufinefs of the 
 ftage, to which however he at a 
 few particular periods occafionally 
 returned, pj-rfoiming at no lefs a 
 falary, as I have been informed, 
 than fifty guineas per night ; and 
 in (he year 1745;, though upward* 
 of feventyfour, he appeared in the 
 charafter of Pandulph the Pope's 
 legate, in his own tragedy, called 
 Papal Tyranny, which he perform- 
 ed, notwithiianding his advanced 
 age, with great vigor ,nd fpirir. 
 
 What might perhat^.s be an ad- 
 ditional inducement to this gentle- 
 man to leave the llage at the time 
 he did, when, a he himfelf tells 
 us, though it b gan to grow late 
 in life with hin , yer, iHll having 
 health and llrength enough to 
 have been as iifeful on the llage 
 as ever, he was under no vifible 
 neceflity of quitting it, might be 
 his having, in the year 1730, on 
 the death of Mr. Eufden, been pro- 
 moted to the vacant laurel, the fa- 
 lary annexed to which, together 
 with what he had faved from the 
 emoluments of the theatre, and the 
 fale of his (hare in the patent, fet 
 him above the necefTity of conti- 
 nuing on it. After a number of 
 yea;s pafTed in the utmoA eafe, 
 
 gaiety 
 
C 1 
 
 [ 80 ] 
 
 C I 
 
 gaiety, and good-humour, he de- 
 parted this lite on the. i2th nf De- 
 cember 1757, his man fervant 
 (whom he had talked to by his 
 bed-fide at fix in the morning, in 
 feeming good health) finding him 
 dead at nine, lying on his pilow 
 jurt a> he left him. He had jull 
 compleated his 86th year. 
 
 Mr, Cibbcr ha?, in his own Apo- 
 logy for his liie, drawn To open 
 and candid a portrait of himfelf in 
 every light in which we can have 
 cccafion to confidir him, that I 
 can by no means do more jullice 
 to his character than by taking fe- 
 parately the feveral features ot that 
 portrait to enable the reader to 
 form an idea of him in the feveral 
 points of view, of a man, an after, 
 and a writer. 
 
 As a man he has told us, that 
 even from his fchool-days there 
 was ever a degree of inconiillency 
 in his difpolition ; that he was al- 
 ways in full fpirits ; in fome (mall 
 capacity to do righ , but in a more 
 frequent alacrity to do wrong; and 
 confequently otien under a worfe 
 character than he wholly deferved. 
 A giddy negligence always pof- 
 fefled him, infomuch that he tells 
 us he remembers having been once 
 whipped for his theme, though his 
 inafter told him at the fame time 
 that what was good of it was bet- 
 tt-r than any boy's in the form. 
 The fame odd fate frequently at- 
 tended the courfe of his later con- 
 duft in life, for the indifcretion, 
 or at leail unfkilful opennefs with 
 which he always a£led, drew more 
 jll-wiil towards him than men of 
 worfe morals and more wit might 
 have met with ; whillt his igno- 
 rance and want of jealoufy of man- 
 kind was foltrong, that it was with 
 relu(flance he cou'd be brought to 
 believe any perfcn he was ac- 
 quainted with capable of envy, 
 malice, or ingraucude. In fiiort. 
 
 a degree of vanity fufficient to 
 keep him ever in temper wi:h him- 
 felf; blended with fuch a Ihare of 
 humility as innde him fenfible of 
 his own follies, ready to acknow- 
 ledge them, and as ready to laugh 
 at them ; a fprightlv readinefs of 
 wit and repartee, which fr<:-qiient- 
 ly enabled him to keep the laugh 
 in his fuv'iur, with a fund of good- 
 nature whi.h was not to be ruffled 
 when the jelt happened to run 
 againlt him ; topf^ther with a great 
 natural quicknefb of parts, and an 
 intimate acquaintance with tlegant 
 and polite lite ; f(?fm to be the prin- 
 cipal materials (f which hi.s cha- 
 racter was compcf'fd. Few men 
 had more pcrfonal t.ii:nd!. and .<d* 
 niirers, and few men pcrh.Jps a 
 g'cater number of uncefervrd ene- 
 mies. A Heady att:.chment to 
 thnfe revoiu ion pi inc. pies which 
 he firll fet ou? with in hfe, 1 hough 
 not purfued I y him with virulence 
 or offencf to any o.'e. created a 
 party asjainll him which almoft 
 conftantly pitven'ed his receiving 
 thole advantages trom his writ- 
 ings, or that applaule for his add- 
 ing, which both jultly merited. 
 Yti, that the malevolence of his 
 opponents had very little effeft on 
 his fpleen is apparent through 
 the whole courfe of his difputes 
 with i\Ir. I'ope, who, though a 
 much fiiperior writer with relpeil 
 to fublimity and correftnefs, yet 
 flood very little chance when ob- 
 liged to encounter with the keen- 
 nefs of his raillery, and the eafy 
 unaffcifted ncchalance of his hu- 
 mour. In a word, he Teemed moll 
 truly of Sir Harry Wililair's tem- 
 per, whole fpleen nothit/g could 
 move but inipofiibiliiieb. Nor did 
 it feem within the power of even 
 a^e and infnmity to get the bet- 
 ter rf this felf created happinefs 
 in bis uifpofition, for even in the 
 vviy latter jears of his life I re- 
 member 
 
C I 
 
 [ 8i 3 
 
 C I 
 
 member to have feen him, when, or nearly equalled in any fince. 
 amidft the circle of perfons, not Yet it is apparent, that he fre- 
 one of whom perhaps had attain- ^uently adled parts of confequence 
 ed to the third part of his age, yet in tragedy, and thofe too, if not 
 has Mr. Gibber, by his eafy good- with the admiration, yet with tha 
 humour, liveiioefs of converfation, patient fufFerance of the audience; 
 and a peculiar happinefs he had in and the rank of eftimation he flood 
 telling a ilory, been apparently in^ with refpeft to th« public, ia 
 the very life of the company, and, the- oppofed lights of a tragedian 
 but for the too evident marks of ' ' " 
 
 the hand of time on his features, 
 might have been imagined the 
 younged man in ir« Add to this* 
 that, befides thefe fuperficial Jgre- 
 mens, he was poflfelTed of great 
 humanity, benevolence, and uni- 
 vcrfal philanthropy, and, by con- 
 tinued anions of charity, compaf- 
 iion and beneficence, ever bore the 
 
 flrongefl tellimonial to his being 
 
 mailer of that brighteft of all fub- 
 
 lunary gems, a truly good heart. 
 As an a£lor nothing can furely 
 
 be a flronger proof of his merit 
 
 than the eminence which he at- 
 tained to in that profeffion, in 
 
 oppofition to all the difadvantages 
 
 which, by his own account, we 
 
 find he had to flruggle with. For, 
 
 exclufive of the pains taken by 
 
 many of his contemporaries to keep 
 
 him below the notice of the public, 
 
 nature feemed herfelf to oppofe bis 
 
 advancement.' 
 
 and a comic performer, cannot be 
 better defcribed than in his own 
 words : " I was vain enough to 
 " think," fays he, " that I had 
 *'■ more ways than one to come at 
 " applaufcj and that, in the va- 
 " riety of characters I afiled, the 
 " chances to win it were the 
 •* Urongefl on my fide. That, if 
 '* the multitude were not in a roar 
 '< to fee me in Cardinal Wolfey, I 
 " could be fure of them in Alder- 
 " man Fondlewife. If they hated 
 " me in lago, in Sir Fopling they 
 " took me for a fine gentleman. 
 " If they were filent at Syphax, 
 ** no Italian eunuch was more ap- 
 (^ plaudedthan I when I fung in Sir 
 *« Courtly. If the morals of JEfop 
 " were too grave for them, Juftico 
 *'' Shallow was as fimple and as 
 " merry an old rake as the wifeft 
 '* of our young ones could wifh 
 ** me. And though the terror and 
 " deteftation raifed by king Ri- 
 
 His perfon at firfl, though not " chard might be too fevere a de 
 
 " light for them, yet the more 
 *^ gentle and modern vanities of a 
 " poet Bayes, or the well-bred 
 *' vices of a lord Foppington, 
 " were not at all iiiore than their 
 " merry hearts, or nicer morals, 
 " could bear." 
 
 Though in this account Mr. 
 
 ill-made, was, he tells us, meagre 
 
 and uninformed (but this deteA 
 
 was probably foon amended, as he 
 
 latterly had a figure of fufiicient 
 
 fulnefs and weight for any part) ; 
 
 his complexion was pale and dil- 
 
 mal, and his voice weak, thin, and 
 
 inclining to the treble. His great- 
 
 cfl advantages feem to have been Cibber has fpoken with great mo* 
 
 thofe of a very accurate ear, and a deration of himfelf, yet it is appa- 
 
 critical judgment of nature. His rent that he mud have had great 
 
 merit in tragedy as well as come* 
 dy, fmce the imprefOon he made 
 on the audience was nearly the 
 fame in both ; for as it is well 
 known that his excellence in re> 
 Q prefentiag 
 
 chief excellency lay in the walk 
 of fops and feeble old men in co- 
 medy, in the former of which he 
 does not appear ever to have been 
 excelled in any period before him, 
 Vol. I. 
 
C I 
 
 [ 82 ] 
 
 C I 
 
 ;,'*«' 
 
 
 III 
 
 1^^:' 
 
 if 
 
 Pfr' 
 
 ll 
 
 Ml^ 
 
 
 11 
 
 prefcnting the fops induced many 
 to imagine him as great a coxcomb 
 in real life as he appeared to be on 
 the ftage, fo, he informs us, that 
 from the delight hefeemed to take 
 in performing the villainous cha- 
 rafters in tragedy, half his audi- 
 tors were perfuaded that a great 
 fhare of the wickednefs of them 
 mull have been in his own nature. 
 But this he confeiles that he look- 
 ed on in the very light I mention 
 it in this place, rather as a praife 
 than a cenfure of his performance, 
 fince averfion in that cafe is no- 
 thing more than an hatred incur- 
 red for being like the thing one 
 ought to be like. 
 
 The third and laft view in 
 which we are to confider him is 
 that of a writer. In this character 
 l>e was at times very feverely hand- 
 led by feme of his contemporary 
 .criiics ; but by none with more 
 harfhnefs than Mr. Pope. Party 
 zeal, however, feems to have had 
 a large fliare in exciting the oppo- 
 fition againft him, as it is ap- 
 parent, that, when uninfluenced 
 by prejudice, the audience has, 
 through a courfe of near a cen- 
 tury, received great pleafure from 
 many of his plays, which have 
 conilantly formed part of the en- 
 tertainment of every feafon, and 
 many of them repeatedly perform- 
 ed with that approbation they un- 
 doubtedly merit. The molt im- 
 portant charge againft him feertis 
 to have been, that his plots were 
 not always his own, which re- 
 flfxion would have been juft, had 
 he produced no plavs but fuch as 
 . he iiad altered from other authors; 
 but in his iirlt letter to Mr. Pope 
 he allures us, and with great 
 truth, that his Foolin Fujhioii slTiA 
 Carckfs Hujbandy in particular, 
 weie as much (if not fo valuably) 
 originals as any thing his anta- 
 . goiiiit had ever written. And in 
 2 
 
 excufe for thofe which he did only 
 alter, or indeed compile from 
 others, it is evident that they were 
 for the moll part compofed by toi- 
 leting what little was good in 
 perhaps feveral pieces which had 
 had no fuccefs, and were laid afide 
 as theatrical lumber. On this ac- 
 count he was frequently treated as 
 a plagiary ; yet it is certain, that 
 many of thofe plays which had 
 been dead to the Itage out of all 
 memory, have, by his alTiIling 
 hand, not only been reftored to 
 life, but have even continued ever 
 fmce in full fpirit and vigour. On 
 this account furely the public and 
 the original authors are greatly in- 
 debted to him, that fentiment of 
 the poet being certainly true, 
 
 Chi trac PUom del Sepolcro^ ed 
 in f'lta lo J'erba. 
 
 Petrarch. 
 
 Nor have other writers been fo 
 violently attacked for the fame 
 fault. Mr. Dryden thought it no 
 diminution of his fame to take the 
 fame liberty with the Temprji and 
 the Troilus and Crefjida of Shak- 
 fpeare. Nor do thefe altered plays, 
 as Mr. Cibber jullly pleads, take 
 from the merit of thofe more fuc- 
 cefsful pieces, which were entirely 
 his own. A taylor that can make 
 a new coat well, is not furely the 
 worfc workman becaufe he can 
 mend an old one; a cobler may be 
 allowed to be ufeful, thouj^h no 
 one will contend for his being fa- 
 mous ; nor is any man blaineable 
 for doing a little good, though he 
 cannot do fo much as another. 
 Betides, Mr. Cibber candidly de- 
 clares, that whenever he took upon 
 him to make fome dormant play 
 of an old author lit for the llage, 
 it was honelUy not to be idle that 
 fct him to work, as a good houfe- 
 wife will mend old linen when flic 
 hds not better employment. But 
 
 that, 
 
C I 
 
 t 83 1 
 
 C I 
 
 that, when he was more warmly 
 engaged by a fubjfdl emiielv new, 
 he only thought it a good f ibjeft, 
 when it feemed worthy of an abler 
 pen than his own, and might prove 
 £S ufcful to the hearer as profit- 
 able to himfelf. And, indeed, this 
 erfential piece of merit muft be 
 granted to his own original plays, 
 viz. that they always tend to the 
 improvement of the mind as well 
 as the entertainment of the eye; 
 that vice and folly, however plea- 
 iingly habited, are conftantly lafli- 
 ed, ridiculed or reclaimed in them, 
 and virtue as conltantly rewarded. 
 There is an argument, indeed, 
 which might be pleaded in favour 
 of this author, were his plays pof- 
 felFed of a much fmaller fliare of 
 merit than is to be found in them, 
 which is, that he wrote, at ieall in 
 the early part of his life, through 
 iieceifity, for the fupportof his en- 
 creafmg family ; his precarious in- 
 come as an.aclor being then too 
 fcanty to fupply it with even thp 
 neceflarics of life : and with great 
 pleafantry he acquaints us, that 
 his mufe and his fpoufe were 
 equally prolific ; that the one was 
 feldom mother of a child, but in 
 the fame year the other made him 
 the father of a play ; and that they 
 had had a dozen of each fort be- 
 tween them, of both which kinds 
 fome died in their infancy, and 
 near an equal number of etich 
 were alive when he quieted the 
 theatre. No wonder then, when 
 the Mufe is only called upon by 
 iamily duty, that (he fliould not al- 
 wayb lejoice in the fruit of her la- 
 bour. This cxcufe, I fay, might 
 be pleaded in Mr. Cibber's favou. : 
 but I mull confefs myfelf of the 
 opinion, that there is no occafion 
 for the pleaj and that his plays 
 have m«tii enouj:ih to fpeait in their 
 own Cuife, without the neceflity 
 of begg.j.j; JuJulgence. Hi>i plpts, 
 
 whether original or borrowed, zr& 
 lively and full of bufinefs, yet not 
 confufijd in the action, nor bun- 
 gled in the catr.Ilrophe. His cha- 
 raftcrs are well drawn, and his 
 dialogue cafy, genteel and natural. 
 And if he has not tbeintrinfic wit 
 of a Congreve or a Vanbrugh, yet 
 there is a luxuriance of fancy in 
 his thoughts which gives an almofl 
 equal pleafure, and a purity in hjs 
 fentiments and morals, the want of 
 which in the abovenamed authors 
 has fo frequently and fo juftly been 
 ccnfured. In a word, I think the 
 Englilh ftage as much obliged to 
 Mr. Cibber for a fund of rational 
 entertainment, as to any dramatic 
 writer this nation has producedj 
 Shakfpeare jonly excepted ; and 
 one unanfwerable evidence h^s 
 been borne to the fatisfadlion the 
 public have received from his 
 plays, and fuch an one as no au- 
 thor befides himfelf can boaft, vi«« 
 that although the number of his 
 dramatic pieces is very extenfive, 
 halt of them at leaft are now, and. 
 feem likely to continue, on the lill 
 of afting and favourite plays. 
 
 As a writer, esclulive of the 
 ftage, his two letters to Mr. Pope, 
 and his apology for his o'.vn Lifo^ 
 are too well known, and too juftly 
 admired, to leave me any room to 
 expatiate on their worth. His 
 dramatic pieces are, 
 
 1. Love's lajl Shrft. C. 410, 
 1696. 
 
 2. IVnmans J-fif. C. 4to. 1697. 
 
 3. Xerxes. T. 4to. 1659. 
 
 4. Z,ove makes a 2^Lin. C 410, 
 1700. 
 
 5. King Richard the Third. T. 
 410. 1700. 
 
 6. Sht nuou'd Mid She vjotid not, 
 C. 4to. 1703. 
 
 7. Carci(Js Hujhaud. C, 410. 
 r704. 
 
 8. PeroHa and Izad.ra, Trag. 
 4to. 1706. 
 
 t» a 9. Sihgol' 
 
l! 
 
 c I 
 
 I 84 1 
 
 C 1 
 
 if: 
 
 Vn , 
 
 (f. School'Bny. Farce. 4to. 1707. 
 
 10. Comical Lovers. Cm ^to.iy 07 » 
 
 11. Double Gallant. C. 410. 
 
 I a. Ladji's kjl Stake. C. 410. 
 1708. 
 
 13. Jiival Fools. C. 4tOi 1709. 
 
 14. Fenus and Ado7tis, Mafque. 
 8vo. 1715. 
 
 i^. Myrtll/o. Padoral Interlude. 
 8vo. 1715. 
 
 16. Nonjuror. C. 8vo. 1718. 
 
 17. Xhienai T. Svo. 1719. 
 
 18. RefufaL C. 8vo. 1720. 
 
 19. Hob\ or, The Country Wale. 
 F. i2mo. 1720. 
 
 iO. C^ar in Egypt, Tr. 8vo. 
 1725. 
 
 3 1. Provoked Hvjhand. Com. 
 (Part by Sir John Vanbrugh.) 
 Svo. 1727. 
 
 21. Rival ^cans. Burlefquc 
 Tragedy. Svo. 1729. 
 
 23. L&ve in a Rutdle, PafloraL 
 8vo. 1729. 
 
 24. Damon and Philltda, Ballad 
 Op. Svo. 1729. 
 
 25. Papal 'Tyranny in the Reign 
 (^ King John. T. 8vo. 174$. 
 
 His name is put to an Opera, 
 called, 
 
 Chuck, 
 « . CiBBER, Susanna-Maria, 
 This lady, whofe maiden name 
 was Arne, and whofe merit as an 
 aftrefs was well known, . and long 
 edablifhed, was the daughter of an 
 eminent upholftercr in Covent- 
 Garden, and filler to that great 
 mufical corapofer t)r. Thomas Au- 
 guftire Arne. Her firll appear- 
 ance on the (lage was as a finger ; 
 in which light the fweetnefs of her 
 voice and the ilrength of her judg- 
 ment rendered her very foon con- 
 fpicuous. In the year 1736, how- 
 ever,, (he made her iiril attempt as 
 a fpeaking performer, in the cha- 
 rader of 2Aira, in Mr. Hill's tra- 
 gedy of that name, being its firft 
 reprefentation at Prury Lane ; in 
 
 which part Ihe gave both furpHitf- 
 and delight to the audience, who 
 were no lefs charmed with the 
 beauties of her prefent perform- 
 ance, than with the profpedl of 
 future entertainment from fo va- 
 luable 9Xi acquifition to the ftage; 
 a profpedl which was ever after' 
 perfectly maintained, and a meri- 
 dian lullre (hone forth fully equal 
 to what was promifed from the 
 morning dawn. And though it 
 may not appear to have any im- 
 mediate relation with oar prefent 
 defign, yet I cannot, with juftice 
 to her merits, difpenfe with the 
 tranfmitting down to pcfterity, by 
 this opportunity, fome flight idea' 
 of this capital ornament of our 
 Aage. Her perfon was perfedt- 
 ly elegant; for although (Ke 
 fomewhat declined beyond the 
 bloom of youth, and even wanted 
 that £»;A)«/o;a/ which fometimes 
 is adiilant in concealing the im- 
 prefiion made by the hand of time,> 
 yet there was \o compleat a fym- 
 metry and proportion in the dif- 
 ferent parts which confliruted thir 
 lady's form, that it was impoffible 
 to view her (igure and not think- 
 her young, or look in her face and 
 not confider her handfome. Her 
 voice was beyond conception 
 plaintive and mu(ica), yet far from 
 deficient in powers for the expref- 
 fion of refentment or difdain; and' 
 fo much equal command of fea- 
 ture did (he po(rcfs for the repre- 
 fentation of pity or rage, of cora- 
 placence or difdain, that it would 
 be diffii jU to fay whether (he af- 
 fected the hearts of an audience 
 moft, when playing the gentle, the 
 delicate Celia, or the haughty, the 
 refenting Hermione; in the inno- 
 cent love-fick Juliet, or in the for- 
 faken, the enraged Alicia. In a 
 word, through every call of tra* 
 gedy (he was excellent, and, could 
 we forget the excellence of a Prit- 
 
 chard, 
 
C I 
 
 I 8s ] 
 
 C I 
 
 chard, we fkould be apt to fay, 
 ■inimitable. She made fome at- 
 tempts in Comedy. They were, 
 however, in no degree equal to her 
 excellence in the oppofite walk, 
 and, indeed, after the mention I 
 have juft made of another lady, it 
 will be fufficient to remind my 
 reader, that one (0or and one aflrefs 
 .univerjaUf capital ztt as mjuch as can 
 be exjeded to be the produce of 
 a fingle century. But to drop this 
 digreffion. Mrs.Cibbcr was fe- 
 ,cond wife to Mr. Theophilus Gib- 
 ber, whofe life Iftall immediately 
 relate fome of the circumllances 
 ,of. They were married in April 
 1734.; and what .were the confe- 
 quences of their union are too 
 iwell known to render my entering 
 into any particulars in relation to 
 them necefl'ary. 
 
 In the latter years ttf Mr«. Cib- 
 ;bcr*s life fhe performed at Drury- 
 Lane theatre; but being fubje^ 
 40 a diforder which was unfortu- 
 jjiately unknown to her phyHcian, 
 and confequently treated impro- 
 perly, fhe was often, as Mr. Da- 
 .vics obferves, prevented from giv- 
 ing ;he public "that exquifite 
 f plcafure which (he was fiire 
 " to impart >vhenever fhe adedt 
 ♦' Her health was fo precarious, 
 " and ihe was fo fubjeft to fre- 
 " ij 2nt relapfes, that the news- 
 " papers ranked her amongft 
 '*' the dea,d near three months 
 " fooner than her deceafe. About 
 ■*' a month before Aer death, the 
 " king commanded the Comedy 
 "of the Prmwhd M^ifi ; the was 
 " then indifpofed, but was fup- 
 *' pcfed to be recovering fome 4e- 
 •' gree of health ; nothii|g could 
 *' prevent her paying her duty to 
 " the king and queen by playing 
 " the part of .Lady Brute, a cha- 
 " radler for which fhe had always 
 " difcovered a moll remarkable 
 " foodnefs. The afting this part 
 
 *' when her health was fo infirm, 
 ^' fome people believed to be the 
 ** caufe of her death ; but the 
 '" truth is, fhe had been flrongly 
 ** prefled to bathe in fea-water, to 
 '* which (he had a moft fixed aver- 
 ** fion : however, fhe complied 
 "with the advice of a very emi- 
 '* nent and fkilful phyfician, and 
 " that compliance precipitated her 
 *' deathr Her indifpohtion was 
 ' ' fuppofed to be a bilious colic ; 
 " but on her body being opened, 
 " it proved that, her diforder arof* 
 •" from fl<>mach-worms." 
 
 She died the 30th of January, 
 .1766, aiid was buried in the 
 Clofters in VVeflminfter-Abbey. 
 
 A gentleman who was in com- 
 pany with Mr. Garrick when the 
 news of her death was brought, 
 heard him pronounce her elogium 
 jin the following words : ".—Then 
 tragedy expired with her; and yet 
 fhe was the greateft female plague 
 belonging to my:houre. I coulid 
 eafily parry the artlefs thruib, and 
 defpife the coarfe language of 
 fome of my other heroines; but 
 whatever w,a9 Gibber's objeft, a 
 new part, or a new drefs, fhe was 
 always fure to carry her point by 
 the acu^enefs of her inve^ive, and 
 the fleadinefs of her perfeverance." 
 
 Mrs. .Gibber has a right to a 
 place in this work as a dramatic 
 writer, having brought a very ele- 
 gant little piece on the flage, taken 
 .from the French, called, 
 
 T/je Oracle. Gom. of one A£l. 
 8vc. 1752. 
 
 Gibber, Theophilus. Thii 
 gentleman was foii of the cele- 
 brated laureat, and hulband to the 
 lady mentioned in the preceding 
 article. As if the very beginning 
 of his life was intended as a prelate 
 of the confufion and perplexities 
 which were to attend the progrefs 
 of it, and of the dreadful cataitro- 
 phe which was to put the clofing 
 
 G J prricd 
 
C.I 
 
 period to It, he was born on thr: 
 (!ay of the violent and dellrtdlive 
 florm, 26ih of November, 1703, 
 vhofe fury ranged over the great- 
 ell part of Europe, but. was parti- 
 cularly fatal to this kingdom. In 
 what uej^ree of eldcrfliip he flood 
 among the children of the laureat, 
 I know nut, but as it is apparent 
 ^hat Mrs. Gibber was very prolific, 
 and as our hero did not come in.o 
 the world t.U ten years after his 
 father's marriage, it is proi^able he 
 had many fcniorij. About the year 
 I 716 or 1717 he was fent to Win- 
 cheiler fchool, where he received 
 all the education he had to boaft 
 t)f, and vtrv foon after his return 
 from thence, as he performed in 
 ^''jf Cn/.Jl-i. us Lovers in 172 ! , came 
 pn the iif'ge. inclination and 
 genius prob.ibly induced him to 
 make this profefllon his choice, 
 and ilic power his father pol'efl'ed 
 as one of the m;in:igers of the 
 Theatre-R'^yal, tooether with the 
 cllimarion he flood in as an aftor, 
 enabled this his (on to purfue it 
 »vithconfidjsrnb!cadvantages,M'hich 
 do not ahvays fu favourably attend 
 tlic full attempts of a young per- 
 tornier. In this profclllon, how- 
 evei, he qtiickiv c;ave proots of 
 {;re.it m^'iit, and foon attained a 
 (LOnfidctuble Hiare of the public fa- 
 vour. His manner of adting was 
 in the fame walii of charain:ers 
 wliith his father had with fo much 
 pnd fo jull a reputation fupporteri. 
 In his ileps he tfod, and though 
 not witli ctjual excellence, yet 
 with fufficieni to fet him on a rai k 
 with moll of the rifing gcneratipn 
 of pel former?, both as to prefent 
 worth, and future profpeft of im- 
 provement. 
 
 The fame natural imperfetflions, 
 >vhich were fo long the bars to his 
 father's theatrical adv-iocements, 
 llood flill more llrongly in his way. 
 |iis perfoii y^m iar from pleafmg, 
 
 S6 ] 
 
 C I 
 
 the features of his face rather dif. 
 pufiihp. His v.. ice had the fame 
 fhriil treble, but without that mu- 
 fical harmony which Mr. Colley 
 Cibbcr was mafter of. Yet iHll an 
 apparent gOod underllanding and 
 quickneis of parts ; a perfeft know- 
 ledge of what he ought to repre- 
 fent; together with a vivacity i« 
 his manner, and a kind ot f^ruiii 
 terie which was well adapted to 
 the chariiftcrs he was to repre- 
 fnt; pretty amply counterbalanced 
 ihcfe deficiencies. In a word, hi^ 
 firll felting out in life feemed to 
 promife the afTiirance of future 
 happinefs to him both as to eafe, 
 and even aflluence ofcircumllances, 
 and with refpcft to fame and repu- 
 tiftion ; had not one foible over- 
 clouded hisbrightell profpeds, and 
 at length led him into errors, the 
 confijquences of which it was al- 
 molt impoflible he fhould ever be 
 able to retrieve. This foible was 
 no other than extravagance and 
 want of OGConomy. A fondnefs 
 for indulgences, which a moderate 
 income could not afford, probablv 
 induced him to lubmit tu obliga- 
 tions which it had the appearance 
 of mcannefs to accept of; the 
 confciouf.iefs ofthofe obligations, 
 and the ufe he imagined they 
 might be made of againrt hiip, 
 peihaps might at firlt prevail on 
 him to appear ignorant of what ic 
 was hut too evidT.t he could not 
 avoid knowing, and afterwards 
 urge him to Heps, in the purfuance 
 pt which, without his by any meaps 
 avenging his wrongs, his fame, his 
 peace ot mtnd, his credit, and even 
 Jus future fortunes, were all wrecked 
 at once. The real aiS uating prin- 
 ciples ot the human hei>rt it is im- 
 pcfTible to dive into, an.it he charit- 
 flf'iy-dirpofcd mind will eyer be 
 inclinable to believe the bed j ef- 
 pccially with regard to thofe who 
 arc i>o lunger la a cundiilou to de- 
 
 fcii4 
 
C 1 
 
 I 87 ] 
 
 C I 
 
 fend themfelves. Let then his 
 a(hcs reft in peace ; and, avoiding 
 any minute inveftigation of thofe 
 circumftances which caft a lower- 
 ing cloud over his charaAer while 
 Jiving, proceed we to thofe few 
 particulars which immediately come 
 within our notice as his Hiilorio- 
 graphers. 
 
 Mr. Thcophilus Cibbcr then 
 fcems to have entered firft into the 
 niatrimonial ftate pretty early in 
 life. His firll wife was one Mifs 
 Jenny Johnfon, who was a com- 
 panion and intimate of Mifs Raf- 
 ter's (now Mrs. Clive), and ia 
 her very earlieft years had a 
 fnong inclination for the ftage. 
 This lady, according to her huf- 
 band's own account of her, fe.cmed 
 likely to have made a very con- 
 fpicuous figure in the theatre, had 
 not death in 1733 put a flop to 
 her career in the very prime of 
 life. She left behind her two 
 daughters, Jane and Elizabeth, 
 both of whom are, I believe, ilill 
 living. The firft-meniioned of 
 thefe ladies made two or three at- 
 tempts on the flage ; but though 
 agreeable in her perfon and ele- 
 gant in her manner, yet, from the 
 want of fuflicient fpirit, and the 
 defedl of but an indifferent voice, 
 ihe met with no extraordinary 
 fuccefs. 
 
 After the death of Mrs. Jane 
 Cibber, Mr. Cibber paid his ad- 
 dreffes to Mifs Sufanna Maria 
 .Arne, whofe amiable and virtu- 
 ous difpofition, he himfelf informs 
 us, were the confiderations that 
 induced him to make her his wife. 
 bhe was at that time remarkable on 
 the flage only for her mufical 
 (]ualifications ; but foon after their 
 marriage made her fitil attempt as 
 an adrefs, her fuccefs in which I 
 have taken notice of under the 
 laft article. Mr. Gibber's pecu- 
 fiiary indifcretions, however, not 
 
 permitting him to reilrain his ex* 
 penccs within the limits of his own 
 and his wife's falaries and bene* 
 fits, though their amour t was very 
 confideranle, he took a journey to 
 France for fome fhorttime in the 
 year 1738, on his return from 
 which he appears firft to have taken 
 notice of too clofe an intimacy 
 between his wife and a certain 
 young gentleman of fortune, with 
 whom he had united himfelf ap- 
 parently by all the clofeft ties of 
 fr-endlhip. How far he was or 
 was not guilty of the meannefa 
 charged on him of being acceffary 
 to their correfpondence, is a point 
 I fhall not here enter into the dif- 
 cullion of. A fuit was commenced 
 for criminal converfation, he lay* 
 ing his damage at 5000 /. the ver- 
 dict on which, of only ten pounds 
 damages, too plainly evinces, the 
 fenfe of the adminillrators of 
 juftice in the cafe, to need any far- 
 ther comment. 
 
 After this event, Mr. Gibber's 
 creditors, who were numerous, 
 and had perhaps been fomewhac 
 appeafcd from the profpeA of the 
 pecuniary advantages that might 
 accrue to their debtor in confe- 
 quence of the trial, became more 
 impatient than ever, and not long 
 after Mr. Cibber was arretted for 
 fome confiderablefums, aid thrown 
 into the King'd Bench prifon. By 
 the means of benefit-plays, how- 
 ever, and other affiftances, he ob« 
 tained his liberty ; but as the affair 
 relating to his wife, who was now 
 become an aflrefs of the firfl con- 
 fequencc, and in the higheft fa* 
 vour with the town, had greatly 
 prejudiced him, not only in the opi- 
 nion of the public, but even by 
 (landing as a bar to his theatrical 
 engagements ; and as his natural 
 paflion for difilpation could not be 
 kept within bounds; thefe diliicul- 
 ties repeatedly occurred to him, 
 
 G 4 aud 
 
c t 
 
 i 88 ] 
 
 C L 
 
 tnd Ite WIS freqaently Excluded 
 entirely from any theatre for a 
 whole feafon together. In thefe 
 diftrefles he was ever ready to head 
 •ay theatrical mutitiy that might 
 pat it in his power to form a fe- 
 parate company, which he more 
 than once attempted to fix at the 
 theatre in the Hay- Market, but in 
 wain ; the legiflative power, urged 
 to exertion by the interefts of the 
 cflabliihed and patent theatres, 
 conftantly patting a Hop to hi* 
 proceedings after a fe\y nights 
 performance. In one continual fe* 
 ries of difirefs, extravagance and 
 perplexity of this kind, did he 
 continue till the winter of i7^B, 
 when he was engaged by ^ Mr. 
 Sheridan to go over to Dublin, to 
 aflift him in making a Hand agatnft 
 the new theatre juft then opened 
 in oppofition to him in Crow* 
 ftreet. On this expedition Mr. 
 Cibbcr embarked at JPark-gate (to- 
 setherwith Mr. Maddox, the ce* 
 Kbrated wire-dancer, who had alfo 
 been engaged as an auxiliary to 
 the fame theatre), on board the 
 Dublin Trader, fome time in the 
 month of OAober ; but the high 
 winds, which are frequent at that 
 time of the year in St. George's 
 channel, and which are fatal to 
 many veflels iti' the puHage from 
 this kingdopi to Ireland, proved 
 particularly fo to this. The veful 
 was driven to the coad of Scot- 
 land, where it was caA away, every 
 foul in it (and 'the paflTengefs were 
 extremely nunncrous) periling in 
 the waves, imd the (}>ip itfelf ifo 
 entirely loft, that fcarcely arty 
 veftiges of ft rema ned to indicate 
 where it hiid been wrecked,' ex- 
 cepting a 'box contaiiiitig books 
 tand papers, which. were known to 
 "be Mr. Gibber's, and which were 
 paft |ip on the weilcrp coall 6f 
 ScotUnd. 
 
 Thus fell the well-koown Mr. 
 Theophilus Gibber, whofe life wa« 
 begon, purfued, and ended in a 
 ftorm. Poflefled of talents that 
 might have made him happy, and 
 qualities that might have rendered 
 him beloved, yet through a too 
 infatiablff thirft of pleafure, and a 
 want of conBderation in the meant 
 of purfuine it, his life was one 
 fcepe of mifery, and his charadlet 
 made the mark of cenfure and 
 contempt. Now, however, let his 
 virtues, which were not a few, re- 
 main on record ; and, for his indif- 
 crctions, 
 
 Let then) be buried with him iq 
 
 the grave. 
 But not remembered in his ept- 
 
 taph, ' 
 
 As a wi'iter, he liu not rendered 
 himfelf very confpicuous excepting 
 in fome appeals to the public oS 
 peculiar circamdanceb of his owa 
 diftrefiied life. Ht was indeed 
 concerned in, and has put hit 
 name to, an Account of the Lives 
 of the Poets of Great-Britain and 
 Ireland, in five volumes, lamo. 
 Rut in this work bis own peculiar 
 fliare was very incbnfiderable, 
 many other hands having beeQ 
 concerned with him in it. In the 
 dramatic way he produced the fol« 
 lowing rieces : 
 
 1. Henry the Sixtiy from Shak- 
 fpeare, 8vo, N. D. 
 
 2. T/fc Lover, C. 8^0.1730. 
 
 3. Paiie and Peggy. B. O. 8vo, 
 1730. 
 
 4 . The HarWi Pr»grefi ; or, The 
 Jiidgtto Al Freico, P. 410. 1733. 
 
 c. Romeo and Juliet. T. 8vo, 
 N.D. 
 
 6. TbeAfHien.T.^vo. 1757. 
 
 Clancy, Mich AEX, M. D. 
 This gentleman was the fon of 
 a military man, of an ancient and 
 oflce powerful family in the CQunty 
 
C h 
 
 I 89 1 
 
 C L 
 
 cd with him iii 
 ir'd in his epi« 
 
 • not rendered 
 
 of Clare. He appeara to have 
 been born at the latter end of the 
 h6f or beginning of the prefent, 
 century ; and in the eighth year 
 of hi* age was fettled at one of 
 the beft colle^ -* in Paris, where 
 he continued until the tt^e that 
 the late duke of Ormond fled from 
 England, and went to St. Ger- 
 inains. On that occafion he, with 
 two of his companions, ftole oiit 
 of the college to fee a petfon who 
 had rendered himfelf fo celebrated 
 in Europe, which having accom- 
 pliihed, he was either from fear 
 or Ihame deterred from returning 
 to his preceptor. H!e accordingly 
 refolved to go to his native coun- 
 try, for which purpofe he took 
 place in the boat forHarfieur in 
 Normandy; and foon aJFter ar- 
 riving at Havre de Grace, ob- 
 tained a paflage to Dublin. Un- 
 knowing who his relations were, 
 br at what place they reiided, but 
 lemeihbering to have heard that 
 he fprune from a family on the 
 borders of the county of Clare, he 
 determined to go into that part of 
 the kingdom'. Accordingly he fet 
 but, and made his way throug;h 
 Kilkeriny, where he met with a 
 gentleman who took compai)ion 
 on his helptefs (late, and, in re- 
 quital of iome fervices formerly 
 done by his father, fupported him 
 and placed him in a fchool be- 
 longing' to that town. Here he 
 continued three yfars, when the 
 misfortunes of his benefactor de- 
 prived hiVn of th^ afliAance he had 
 derived from that quarter. About 
 this time an accident brought him 
 to the knowledge of his relations, 
 by whom he was fent to the uni» 
 veriity of Dublin, and became a 
 pupil of Dr. James King. 
 
 He nmained at the univerfity 
 near four years, at the end of 
 which lime finding no profpe^. of 
 advancement, ^nd being young 
 
 and fanguiae, he determiaed to 
 leave Ireland once more for France. 
 He accordingly we|it a palfenger 
 on board a (hip bound for kocbeflei 
 and fet fail on the 35th of ]">*y. 
 1724. In three days time me 
 veilel gained fight of yifle Dieu, 
 on the coail of Britany ; but oa 
 the fourth a Hottn arofe, which 
 drove it to the coaft of Spain , 
 where it was ftranded on the ihore 
 at about a mile's didance from the 
 town of Sf. Sebaftian in Bifcay. 
 From this place he obtained a paf- 
 fage to Eochelle, and from thence 
 to Bourdeaux, where he propofed 
 to ftudy phyiic. He afterward* 
 obtained the decree of dodlor at 
 Rhcims. At what time he re- 
 turned to Ireland is unknown, bat 
 he was there in 1737, yirhtn he 
 was deprived of bit fight by aa 
 accidental cold. This i-endering 
 him incapable of his profe^on^ 
 he amufed himfelf with writing 
 his Comedy called Tit Sharptr^ 
 which was afted five times ia 
 Smock-Alley, and obtained him 
 the notice of Dean Swift. 
 
 From this period, his life feem* 
 to have been pafled with all the 
 inconveniences that refult from 
 confined circuroftaoces, and an in- 
 abilitv to procure the means cf 
 fubfiuence hy a profeffion. Ke 
 however obtained from the late 
 king a penfion of forty pounds e 
 year during his life» and, in the 
 year 1746, procured a fum of 
 money by performing the part of 
 7/V^jthe blind Prophet, in Oedi>- 
 pus^ for his own benefit at Drury- 
 Lane. He afterwards was fettled 
 at Kilkenny, at the Latin fchool 
 there, and was living within a few 
 years. He is the author of a Latin 
 Poem, called ttmplum f^eneris. Jive 
 Amorum Rhapfodia ; and of two 
 diamatic pieces, whofe titles are, 
 
 I. HrrmoTif Prince of Cboraa.^m 
 .8vo. 1746. 
 
 a. The. 
 
C L 
 
 [ 90 J 
 
 CL 
 
 a. Tfjt Sharper.' C. 8vo. 1 750. 
 
 Clei-and, John. This gen- 
 tleman, who is dill living, is a Ton 
 cf the colonel Cleliind, who was 
 fo clofe nn intimate with, and fo 
 zealous an advocate for, Mr. Pope. 
 I am informed, that in the early 
 part of hit life this his Ton was in 
 the fervice of the Eall-India com- 
 pany, and about the year 1736 
 was at their fettlcment at Bombay. 
 lie quitted this Atu^tion rather 
 precipitately, and fpent fome ye:irs 
 in dilFerent parts of Rurope. He 
 fccms ro have imbibed no fmall 
 iharenf the vices of the Eaft, if we 
 may form a judgmentof him from 
 his Niivel, entitled, The Memoirs of 
 a M'mnan of Pleaj'ure^ a book of the 
 moft pern'cious tendency, and juft- 
 ly cit.nfured by every one who has 
 the leaft regard to virtue or de- 
 cency. His Monoirs of a Coxcomhy 
 however, have great merjt. In 
 the dramatic way he has publiflied 
 three pieces, none of which have 
 made an appearance on the (iage, 
 viz. • 
 
 1. Tomlo-Chiqtr., Dram. Ent. 
 in three Afts, 8vo. 1758. 
 
 2. Titus Vfpafian. T. 8vo. 1760 . 
 
 3. The Ladies Subfcription.VixAm, 
 Ent. 8vo. 1760. 
 
 Clivb, Catharine. This 
 lady, whofe name as a dramatic 
 writer we are obliged to mention 
 here, is hov/ever much better 
 known for her unequalled merit 
 es a Comedian, in which light, 
 while any theatrical records are 
 remaining, her memory mud ever 
 be held in the higheit eftimation. 
 She was the daughter of Mr. Wil- 
 liam Raftor, a gentleman who was 
 a nativeof the city of Kilkenny in 
 Ireland, and bred to the law ; but 
 being Urongly attached to the in- 
 lereils of the unfortunate king 
 James II. when that monarch was 
 in Ireland, he entered into hia fer- 
 vice ; on which account a confi" 
 
 derable paternal edate In the coun- 
 ty of Kilkenny, which he would 
 otherwife have inherited, became 
 forfeit to the crown. After the 
 decillve battle of the Boyne, how- 
 ever, he ilill followed his maUer'a 
 fortunes, and through that intereft 
 and his own merit obtained a 
 captain's commillion in the fervice 
 of Louis XIV. But afterwards, 
 procuring a pardon from the Eng- 
 lilh court, he came to this metropo- 
 lis, where he married the daughter 
 of an Eminent citizen on Fiftiftreet- 
 Hill, by whom he hadfeveral chil- 
 dren, and, among the refl, the fub- 
 jeft of our prefent memoirs. 
 
 IWifs Rafter was born in i7ir, 
 and Ihewed a very early inclina- 
 tion and genius for the ftage. Her 
 natural turn of humour, and her 
 pleafing manner of finging fongs 
 of fpirit, induced fome friends to 
 recommend her to Mr. Colley Gib- 
 ber, then one of the managers of 
 Drury Lane Theatre, who imme- 
 diately engaged her at a fmall fa- 
 lary. Her (irft appearance was in 
 boy's cloaths, in the charadler of a 
 page, in the Tragedy of Mithri- 
 iiah'S king of Pontus^ in which Ihe 
 was introduced only tojing a fong. 
 Yet even in this flie met with great 
 applaufe. This was in 1728, at 
 which time (he was but feventeea 
 years of age ; and in the very fame 
 feafon we find that the audience 
 paid fo great attention to her me- 
 rit in the part of Fhillida^ in Gib- 
 ber's Lon;e in a Riddle, which party- 
 prejudice had determined to damn, 
 right or wrong, on account of the 
 author, as to fufFer their riotous 
 clamours to fubiide whenever fhe 
 was on the ilage; a compliment 
 which they even denied to the 
 blood royal icfelf on the enfuing 
 nighr. In 1731, however, flic had 
 an opportunity afforded her, which 
 fhe did not permit to pafs unem- 
 ployed, of breaking forth on the 
 
 public 
 
C L 
 
 t 9i 1 
 
 C O 
 
 public in a full blaze of comic 
 brightncfi. This was in the part 
 of NtH, in the Devil to ptty ; or, 
 The JVin'es Mctamorphafcd \ a ballad 
 Farct, written by Coffey, in which 
 (he threw out a full exertion of 
 thofe comic power*, which every 
 frcqutnter of the Theatre muft 
 finte have receired fuch infinite 
 d lif^ht from. Her merit in thii 
 char.fter occafioned her falary to 
 be doubled, and not ojily eftablilh- 
 cd her own reputation with the 
 audience, but fixed he piece itfelf 
 on the conltant li'l of adin^ Farces, 
 an honour wh'ch perhaps it would 
 never have arrived at, had flie not 
 been in it, nor may long maintain 
 fiiice her i'upport in it is loll. In 
 the year 17 ^2, fhe was married to 
 G. Clive, Kfq; brother of the late 
 Mr. iiaron Clive, which gentle- 
 man is dill living. They did not 
 howiver cohabit long together; 
 yet, notwithllanding the tempta- 
 t'ons to which a Theatre is fome- 
 times Hpt to expofe young perfons 
 of he female fex, and the too 
 gre,it readined of the public to 
 give way to unkind fuppoGtions 
 in regard to them, calumny itfelf 
 has never fee mert to aim the flight" 
 elt arrow at her fame. 
 
 To expatiate on her merit as an 
 aftrefs would far exceed our li- 
 mits, and be wholly unneceflary. 
 After continuing the delight of 
 the town more than forty years, 
 Ihe re ired from the public fcrvice 
 in the \ear I7^'9, at a time when 
 her abilities for the ilage were un- 
 impaired. Her neighbour Mr. 
 Walpole wrote an l!)pilogue, which 
 fhe fpoke on her lalt appearance. 
 She IS Hill living at Strawberry- 
 Hill near Twickenham, where (he 
 continues to enjoy health, eafe, 
 good-humour, and independence. 
 As an author, I imagine, fhe does 
 not aim at immonality, yet (he 
 bo.!} at difFereni: beneficii of l^er 
 
 own, introduced four feveral pttUi 
 pieces on the ftaee, neither of which 
 is totally devoid of merit. Their^ 
 titles are as follow : 
 
 1. Bqyes in Petticoats, %vo,x'j^im 
 
 2. Every fVitman in her Humour, 
 1760. N. P. 
 
 3. The Faithful Iri/hvjoma», F. 
 1765. N. P. 
 
 4. Ifland of Slaves, 1761. N. P. 
 Only the firft of thefe, however, 
 has yet appeared in print ; and a« 
 to the bill it is no more than an 
 almoil literal tranflation of Ma- 
 rivaux's IJJt <ks Ejilavrsy executed, 
 as fhe herfelf confefTes, by a gen* 
 tleman at her requeft. 
 
 Cobb, Mr. '1 his author has • 
 place in the Eafl-India Houfe, and 
 has produced two pieces, called, 
 
 1. ThcFMrs. F. 1780. N. P. 
 
 2 The IVrdtfing Jfiight. A Ba- 
 gatelle. 1780. N. P. 
 
 CocKAiN, Sir Aston. Thia 
 gentlman lived in the reign of 
 Charlts I. He was fon toThomai 
 Cockain, Efq; and was born in the 
 year 1606 at Afhbourne, in the 
 Peak of Derbyfliire, where his fa- 
 ther had a fine feat, and where 
 fome of his predeceffors had re- 
 fided ever iince the reign of Ed- 
 ward I. His family, however, 
 appears to have been ftill more an> 
 cient, tracing back their origin 
 as far as William the Conqueror, 
 to whom they were allied, and in 
 whofe reign they lived at Hem« 
 mington Callle in Effex. Our au« 
 thor had a liberal education, hav- 
 ing been fent to both the univer- 
 fities of Oxford and Cambridge, at 
 the latter of which he was a fellow 
 commoner of Trinity College. 
 From the univerfities he for a time 
 was entered in the Intis of Court, 
 where he feems to have continued 
 more for fafhion's fake than from 
 any other motive. In 1632 he 
 fet out on a tour of Europe, and 
 travelled thropgh France, Italy, 
 
 Geripany, 
 
o o 
 
 1 9* 1 
 
 c o 
 
 
 ill 
 
 Cermany, &c. Here however there 
 appears an eflential difference in 
 the biographers of his life, Cibber 
 in his Lives of the Fuem, vol. II. 
 p. 3 1 6. pofitively declaring; that 
 lie went abroad with Sir Kenelm 
 Dighy, and was abfent for the 
 fpace of twelve yean and Lang- 
 <baine ar>d all the other writers 
 naking him compleat his tour in 
 «• many months. Befides whichi 
 4Coxtter in his MS. Notes has be- 
 ^owed on him as a travelling tu- 
 tor one Dr. Robert Creichton. The 
 latter account however iippears 
 fciott probable. During the civil 
 "Wars he fuffered greatly for his re- 
 ligion, which was that of the 
 church of Rome, and for his at- 
 tachment to the king's caufe, un- 
 •d^r whom he claimed the title of 
 # baronet.; yet, as there was no 
 record ox proper enrollment of a 
 j)atent to that efTed^, he was not 
 4iniverfally allowed the title. He 
 %v»i flrongly addicted to books and 
 jthe (ludy of poetry, in which be 
 indulged hiar»felf in a. retired life, 
 refiding moilLy at a lordihip be- 
 jQ.n^ii\g to him, called Pouley, in 
 .the partih of Polefworth in War- 
 wicklhire. frie died at Derby upqn 
 the breaking of the great froitin 
 February 1684, in the 78th y^ar 
 of his agq, .and was privately bu- 
 ried in ihe ,c4tancel of Polefwonh 
 church. 
 
 bir Aflon is univerfally acknow- 
 ledged to have been a great lover 
 of the polite arts, and by fome is 
 edeemed a confiderable poet. In 
 Jiis piivate trunfadiiuns he -was 
 ;greatly deficient in point of oeco- 
 fiomy, by which means, together 
 with his loffvs* duting the civil 
 'Wiirs, he was obliged to dilpore of 
 ail his patrimory during his lite- 
 time ; «hc loidfhip of An-.brurne 
 t;ein^ fold to Sir William Boothby, 
 baronet; and that of Pooley ;ibove- 
 nKDticotd, which had belonged 
 
 to the family ever ^nce Rkhar4 
 II's time, he parted with to one 
 Humphrey Jennings, Efq; witb 
 the refervation of an annuity for 
 his own life. 
 
 The dramatic pieces he has left 
 behind him are as follow 1 
 
 I. Ohftinate Ladf t). 410. 1657^ 
 a. Trafpolin /uppofed a Princt, 
 T. C. i^mo. 1650. 
 
 3. J Mafqut fir Twelftb-NlgH, 
 lamo. 1659. 
 
 4. Ovitrs Trage/fy. 8vo. 1669. 
 Phillips and WinHanley have omit* 
 ted the third and lad of thefe ia 
 their account of his writings, and 
 attributed to him two anonymous 
 jpieces which are certainly none qf 
 jiis, entitled, 
 
 Therfius. Interlude, and 
 
 Tyrannical Government, T. C. 
 Coxeter in his M3. Notes contra* 
 difis the place of bis birth, fixing 
 itatSlveHon in DerbyHiire; ana 
 adds, moreover, that he was ne- 
 phew to Philip, the firft earl of 
 Chefler^eld, to whom and his 
 countefs he has dedicated hU 
 Ma/que for Tvjelfth Night » which 
 >was performed at their country 
 ie^t, two of their fons adling in it. 
 
 Coc)ciNCs, GEiORCe. Of this 
 writer we can learn no account. 
 He is the author of fevcral ytty 
 contemptible performances, aiul 
 among the reft one Play, called, 
 
 7be Conquejl of Canada ; or, 7he 
 ^iege of ^ebec. An Hiftprical 
 Tragedy. 8vo. 1766. 
 
 <^ODRlNC.TON,RoBEaT, A.M. 
 
 This writer was defcended from 
 an ancient and eilimable family in 
 Glouceftcrlhire, in which county 
 he was horn in the year 1601, and 
 at feventeen yrars of age, viz. on 
 July 29, 16J9, he was elef^ed 
 demy of Magdalen College, Ox- 
 ford, being then of fome months 
 flandirg in that houfe. Here he 
 took the degrees in arts, that of 
 maAer being compleated in 1626. 
 
c o 
 
 r 95 I 
 
 c a 
 
 fettled for 
 which w*8 
 the general 
 
 He afterwardi went abroad on hit 
 travelif on hit retarn from which, 
 being poflVflfed of an independent 
 fortune, he lived for feveral year* 
 in Norfolic, and there remained. 
 At length, however, he went to 
 London, where he 
 the reit af his life, 
 put a period to in 
 great calamity of tHe plague in 
 that city, in 1665* He was a rank 
 
 fiarliamentarian, as appears in the 
 ife of the earl of EHex, which he 
 has written. He was a volumi- 
 noas writer, bat feems principally 
 to have employed himfelf in com« 
 pilement and tranilation,. among 
 the latter of which he has left a 
 tranflation of one Latin play^ writ- 
 ten by G. Ro|^les, of Clare-Hall, 
 Cambridge, entitled, 
 
 Jgttoramusr C. ^to. 1 664. 
 Coffey, Charles. This aa- 
 ' thor was a native of Ireland. He 
 had no very great fliara of original 
 
 fenius ; hii turn was humour, and 
 aving met with fome fucctfs in 
 altering and patching up an did 
 Farce of Jevon's, called the Devil 
 of a Wifct he purfued the fame kind 
 of plan with fome other dramatic 
 pieces,, bat with very little fucceft, 
 moil of them' having, been very 
 juiUy damned. The numbers and 
 names of them may however be 
 feen in the following lift : 
 
 \v Soutlrvoark Fair; or, 
 Shttp-pearing, 0.8vo. 17291 
 a. TIh Beggar*} Wedding, 
 8vo. 1729. 
 
 3. Pheiti or,. 7be Beggar, 
 8vo. 1729. 
 
 4. The Female Par/on; or, The 
 Beau in the Suds. O. 8vo. 1730. 
 
 5. The Devil to fay; or. The 
 Wives Metamorphoftd, O. 8vo, 
 1731. 
 
 6. A Wife and no Wife, F. 
 1732. [Whincop]. 
 
 7. Ihe Boarding-School', or, The 
 Sham Captaiu, O. ftvo. i'73J» 
 
 The 
 O. 
 O. 
 
 8. The Mfhy Coikr % or, Steotm 
 Part of Devil to Perf. F. O. 8tC» 
 
 9« The Devil upon tivo Slicks ; or^ 
 The Country Bean, B.F. 8vo. 1 7*45. 
 Mr. Coffey was in hit perfon con«> 
 fiderably deformed ; yet no maiki 
 was more ready to admit of, anA 
 even join in any raillerv on hiffiw 
 felf. One remarkable inftance of 
 which was his performing the cha- 
 racter of jEptp for hit ov»n betieftt 
 in Dublin. He died on the 13th 
 of May, 174;, and was buried in 
 the PariOi of St. Clement's Danes^ 
 CoLLiaR,.Sir Okorgb. Thia 
 gentleman is an officer of rank kv 
 the navy. He was appointed a 
 poft-captain 12th July, 1763, and 
 has been mach employed in Ame- 
 rica doring^^ the preient war. He 
 is the author of one piece, calkd». 
 Selima and Azor, D. R. 1766. 
 CoLMAN, George. Thisgeo.. 
 tleman is fon of Thomas Colman, 
 Ef<|; refident at the coirrt of the 
 great duke of Tufcany at Pifa, by 
 a lifter of the late coantefis of '£ath» 
 It has been faid that he was bom 
 abroad, where alfo his father died 
 8th April, 1733. He received bi» 
 education at Weilminfter-fchool, 
 from whence he removed to Chrift> 
 Church College, Oxford, and there 
 took the degree of M. A. Mardh. 
 18, 1758. He afterwards went 
 to Lincolns-Inn, in order to ftudy 
 the law,, and was called to the 
 bar, at which he ,praAi(ed a very 
 Ihort time. Oa the death of the 
 earl of Bath he cum): into pofTef- 
 fion of a confiderable annuity, left 
 him by that nobleman, which wa» 
 augmented on the death of general 
 Pulteney. It may bfc prefumed, 
 that his profeffional purfuits were 
 rather in compliance with the 
 wilhes of his friends than from any 
 inclination to fuch kind of ftudies. 
 He therefore foon •afterwards en- 
 tirely quitted the law, and de- 
 
 voted 
 
c o 
 
 r 94 3 
 
 C& 
 
 voted his attention to dramatick 
 writing. In the year 1768 he 
 became one of the joint patentees 
 of Covent Garden theatre, and 
 continued in the njanagement there- 
 of until i77;» when he fold his 
 fhare and interell in it to his part- 
 ners. On Mr. FoQte's intention 
 of relieving^ himfelf from the fa- 
 tigues of management, Mr. Colman 
 became proprietor of the Hay- 
 market theatre in 1777, in which 
 pod he has ever fince continued. 
 His genius leads him to works of 
 humour, a confiderable fund of 
 which appears in fome of the Ef- 
 fays which he has written in the 
 courfe of a periodical paper, cal- 
 led the ConnoiJJcur. He afterwards 
 however paid his court folely to 
 the Comic Mufe, by whole infpi- 
 xation he has produced the iui- 
 lowing Dramas, viz. 
 
 1. Polly Huniycomie, D. N« 
 1760. 8vo. 
 
 2. The Jealous IFife, C. 1761. 
 
 The Mufical La<Iy, F. 1762. 
 Philajitr. T. altered, 1763. 
 The Deuce is in him. F. 1763. 
 
 Svo. 
 
 3' 
 Svo. 
 
 4- 
 Svo. 
 
 Svo. 
 
 6. A Midfummer^s Night Dream, 
 altered, 1763. Svo. 
 
 7. AFaiiyTale. 1764. Svo. 
 
 . 8. The Clandiftine Mairiagc. C. 
 , 1766. Svo. 
 
 9. The Englijh Merchant. C 
 .1767. Svo. 
 
 10. King Lear. T. altered, 
 ry68. 8yo. 
 
 11. The Oxonian in Toivn. C. 
 ^ 1769. Svo. 
 
 12. Man and Wife. C. 1 769. 
 Svo. 
 
 The Portrait. B. 177c. 8vo. 
 Ihe Fairj Prince. M. 1 77 t. 
 
 13- 
 14. 
 
 Svo. 
 
 Svo. 
 
 Comus, M. altered. 1772, 
 
 16. Achilles in Petticoats. 0» 
 altered, 1774. Svo. 
 
 17. The Man of Bujinefs. C« 
 1774. Fvo. 
 
 18. Epiccene; or. The Silent Wo-> 
 man. C. altered, 1776. Svo. 
 
 I g. The Spleen ; or, IJlingion Spa, 
 C. P. 1776. Svo. 
 
 20. Occajional Prelude. 1776. 8 vo. 
 
 21. ^(?iuJ5row«. O.P.I 776. Svo. 
 
 22. The Spanijlj Barber. Q.ii'j'i, 
 N. P. 
 
 23. The Female Chevalier. C. 
 altered, 1778. N, P. 
 
 24. Bonduca. T. altered^ »778. 
 Svo. 
 
 2^. The Suicide. C. 1778. N. P. 
 
 26. The Separate Maiatenance. 
 C. 1779. N. p. 
 
 27. The Manager in Diftreji, 
 Prel. Svo. 1780. 
 
 Alfo a tranflation of the Come- 
 dies of Terence. 410.1765. 
 
 Thefe Pieces have confiderable 
 merit. In his Petite Pieces the 
 plots are fimple, and no great mat- 
 ter of incident introduced into 
 them ; yet they contain llrong 
 character, and are aimed at the 
 ridiculing of fafhionable and pre- 
 vailing follies, which ought to be 
 made effential points of confidera- 
 tion in every produ£tion of the 
 fock. His more regular Comedies 
 have the fa.iie merit with the others 
 as to the prcfervation of charadter, 
 which reHe^ honour on the au- 
 thor ; and alFord us the profped^ 
 of an ample contribution from this 
 quarter to the variety of our dra- 
 matic entertainments of this more 
 difficult kind. This gentleman 
 hiis been alfo fuppofed to be the 
 author of feme i-liays, under the 
 title of the Genius^ publiftied in the 
 St. 'James's R<veniiig PoJ}. 
 
 Con<-,mNHn, IVIatthew, Eftj; 
 This gentleman was a native of 
 Ireland, and defcended from a 
 good family in that kingdom. He 
 had 4 libsrgil eduQacion bellowed 
 
 ' oa 
 
c o 
 
 i 9$ ] 
 
 c o 
 
 on him by his parents, and was 
 bred to the law. His wit and li- 
 terary abilities recommended him 
 to the favour of his grace the duke 
 of Newcartle, through whofe in- 
 terelt he obtained the port of at- 
 torney-general of the ifland of Ja- 
 maica, which office he filled with 
 the utmoft integrity and honour, 
 and to the perfeft fatisfaftion of 
 the inhabitants, for near feven- 
 teen years ; when having ac 
 quired an ample fortune, he vas 
 defirous of pafling the clofe of his 
 life in his native country; wiih 
 which intention he quitted Jamai- 
 ca and came to London, propoiing 
 to pafs fome little time there be- 
 fore he went to fettle entirely in 
 Ireland. But the difference of cli- 
 mate between that metropolis and 
 the place he had fo long been ac- 
 cuflumed to, had fuch an effefl on 
 his conftitution, that he fell into a 
 galloping confumption, of which 
 he died on aadof Jan. 1749, a few 
 weeks after his arrival in London. 
 
 The world is obliged to him 
 for feveral original poems, which, 
 though fmall, have coniiderable 
 merit ; and for one play, entitled, 
 
 M^'exford mils. Com. 
 He was alfo concerned with Mr. 
 Roome and another gentleman in 
 altering Richard Brome't Jovial 
 Crew into a ballad opera, i 1 which 
 fhapeii is now frequently perform- 
 ed. As to his piofe writings, they 
 are moflly political, or critical ; 
 in the latter of which having 
 pretty feverely attacked Mr. Pope 
 and Dean Swifr, the former, whofe 
 difpofition was on no occaiion 
 of the moft forgiving nature, has 
 handled him very feverely in the 
 Dunciad. 
 
 CoNGREVE, William, Elq. 
 This gentleman was defcended 
 from the ancient family of the 
 Congieves, of Congrevc in Staf- 
 fordlhire, his father being fecond 
 
 fon to Richard Congreve of that 
 place. Some authors, and in par- 
 ticular Sir James Ware, contend, 
 for his having been born in Ire- 
 land, hut as Jacob, who was parti- 
 cularly acquainted with him, and 
 who in his preface acknowledges 
 his obligations to Mr. Congreve 
 for his communication of what 
 related to himfelf, has abfolutely 
 contradided that report, I fliall 
 on his authority, which I confider 
 to be the fame as Mr. Congreve's 
 own, fix the fpot of his nativity ac 
 a place called Bardfa, not far from 
 Leeds in Yorkfhire, being part of 
 the eftate of Sir John I^wis, his 
 great-uncle by his mother's fide. 
 It is certain, however, that he 
 went over to that kingdom very 
 young ; for his father being only 
 a younger brother, and provided 
 for in the army by a commiifion 
 on the Irifh eftablifliment, was 
 compelled to undertake a journejr 
 thither in confequence of his com- 
 mand; which he afterwards parted 
 with to accept of the management 
 of a confiderable eftate belonging 
 to the Burlington family, which 
 fixed his refidence there. How- 
 ever, though he fufFered this foa 
 to receive his firll tinAure of let- 
 ters in the great fchool at Kil- 
 kenny, and afterwards to com- 
 pleat his claflical learning under 
 the diredion of Dr. Aih, in the 
 univerfity of Dublin, yet being 
 defiroo^ that his ftudies (hould be 
 directed to profit as well as im- 
 provement, he fent him over to 
 England foon after the Revolution, 
 and placed him as a lludent in the 
 Temple. The dry, plodding ihidy 
 of the law, however, was by no 
 means fuitable to the fprightly 
 volatile genius of Mr. Congreve, 
 and therefore, though he did not 
 want approbation in thofe iludies 
 to whicii his genius led him, yti 
 he did not even attempt to make 
 
 any 
 
 f 
 

 iH 
 
 
 111 ' ' 
 ill: i 
 
 c o 
 
 C 96 1 
 
 c o 
 
 My proficiency in a fervice which 
 he was probably confcious he 
 ihoald make no figure in. Excel- 
 lence and perteAion were what, it 
 is apparent, he laid it down as his 
 principle, from the very firft, to 
 make it his aim the acquiring; 
 for in the very earlieft emanation 
 of his genius, and a very early one 
 indeed ' it was, viz. his Novel, 
 called Love and Duty reconcileel^ 
 written when he Was not above 
 feventeen years of age, he had not 
 only endeavoured at, but indeed 
 fucceeded in, the prefenting to the 
 work! not a meer novel according 
 to taile and faihion then prevail- 
 ing, but a piece which ihould 
 point out, and be in itfeif a mo- 
 del of, what novels ought to be. 
 And though this cannot itfeif be 
 called with propriety a dramatic 
 work, yet he has fo ftridtly ad- 
 hered to dramatic rules in the 
 compofition of it, that his arriv- 
 ing at fo great a degree of perfec- 
 tion in the regular drama, in fo 
 ihort a time afterwards, is hardly 
 to be wondered at. His firft play 
 was the Old Batc/jeior, and was the 
 amufement of fome leifure hours 
 daring a ilow recovery from a fit 
 of illnefs, foon after his return to 
 • England, and was in itfeif fo per- 
 iled, that Mr.Dryden, on its being 
 . ihewn to him, declared he had ne- 
 ver in his life feen fuch a firfi play; 
 and that great poet having, in 
 conjunction with Mr. Sootherne 
 ' and Arthur Maynwaring, Efq; 
 > given it a flight revifal, the ma- 
 . nager of Drury Lane theatre 
 .'• brought it on the ftage in 1693, 
 where it met with fuch univerfal 
 approbation, that Mr. Congreve, 
 though he was but nineteen years 
 . of age at the time of his writing 
 ' it, became now confidered as a 
 prop to the declining flage, and a 
 - rifing genius in dramatic poetry. 
 The next year he produced the 
 
 DouhJe Dealer, which, for what rei» 
 fon however I know not, did not 
 meet with fo much fuccefs as the 
 former. The merit of his firll 
 play, however, had obtained him 
 the favour and patronage of lord 
 Halifax, and fume peculiar marks 
 of diftindion from queen Marjr« 
 on whofe death, which happened 
 in the dofe of this year, he wrote 
 a very elegant elegiac paftoraL 
 In 1695, when Betterton opened 
 the new houfe in Lincoln's*Ina- 
 Fields, Mr. Congreve joining with 
 him, gave him his comedy of Love 
 for LovCf with which the company 
 opened their campaign, and which 
 met with fuch fuccefs, that they 
 immediately o^red the author a 
 fhare in the profits of the houfe, 
 on condition of his furaiiiine 
 them with one play yearly. This 
 offer he accepted of; but whether 
 through indolence, or that correfl- 
 nefs which he looked on as necef- 
 fary to his works, his Monrniiig 
 Bride did not come out till 1697^ 
 nor his If^ of the World till two 
 years after that. The indifferent 
 fuccefs this laft-mentioned play, 
 though an exceeding good one, 
 met from the public, compleated 
 that difguft to the theatre, which a 
 long Gonteft with Jeremy Collier, 
 who had attacked the immoralities 
 of the Engliih ftage, and more ef- 
 pecially fome of his pieces, had 
 begun, and he determined never 
 more to write for the llage. This 
 refolution he punftually kept, and 
 Mr. Dennis'S obfervation on that 
 point will, I am afraid, be found 
 but too true, when he faid, ** that 
 '* Mr. Congreve quitted the ftage 
 ** early, and that comedy left it 
 ** with him." Yet, though he 
 quitted dramatic writing, he did 
 not lay down the pen entirely; 
 but occafionally wrote many little 
 pieces both in profe and verfe, all 
 
 of 
 
c o 
 
 i 97 3 
 
 c o 
 
 t)f which ftand on the records of 
 literary fame. 
 
 It is very poffible, however, that 
 he might not {o foon have given 
 way to this difguft, had not the 
 eafinefs of his circumltances ren- 
 dered any fubfervience to the opi- 
 iiions and caprice of the town ab- 
 iolutcly unnecelFary to him. For 
 his abiiitics h ng very early in life 
 introduced hiiu to the acquaintance 
 of the earl of Halifax, who was 
 then the Maecenas of the age, that 
 nobleman, defirous of raifing fo 
 promifing a genius above the ne- 
 ceflity of too hafty productions, 
 made him one of the commiiTioners 
 for licenfing hackney-coaches. He 
 foon after bellowed on him a place 
 in the pipe-office, and not long 
 after that gave him a po(l in the 
 cuiloms, worth fix hundred pounds 
 per annum. 
 
 On the 14 November 1714, he 
 was appointed commillioner of 
 wine-licences, and on the 1 7 Dec. 
 in the fame year was nominated 
 fecretary of Jamaica, fo that, with 
 nil together, his income towards 
 the latter part of his life was up* 
 wards of twelve hundred pounds a 
 year. Thus exalted above depend* 
 ence, it is no wonder he would 
 not longer render himfelf fubjeft to 
 the capricious cenfures of impo- 
 tent critics. And had his poetical 
 father, Mr. Dryden, ever been 
 raifed to the fame circumftances, 
 it is probable that his All for Love 
 would not now have been efteemed 
 the beft of his dramatic pieces. 
 
 Eut to return to Congreve. The 
 greatell part of the lall twenty 
 years of his life was fpent in eafe 
 and retirement ; and he either did 
 not, or affctted not to give himfelf 
 any trouble about reputation. Yet 
 fome part of that conduft might 
 proceed from a degree of pride. 
 'J". Gibber, in his Lives of the 
 Poet"!, vol. IV. p. 93. relates an 
 Vol. I. 
 
 anecdote of him, which I cannot - 
 properly omit here : '• when the 
 '* celebrated Voltaire, fays he, was 
 « in England, he waited upoa 
 " Congreve, and pafled him fome 
 ■' compliments as to the reputa- 
 *' tion and merit of his works. 
 " Congreve thanked him, but aC . 
 *' the fame time told that ingeni- " 
 *• ous foreigner, he did not chufe to 
 ** be conjidered as an author^ hut only 
 *' ai a private gentleman, and in that 
 *' light txpcHed to he vi filed. FoU 
 " taire anfiverrd, that if h had never 
 •' been any thing hut a private gen- 
 *' tkman, in all probability he had 
 " never been troubled voiti that vijitm 
 " And obferves in his own ac- 
 •' count of the tranfaftion, that he 
 *' was not a little difgulled with 
 *' fo unfeafonable a piece of va- 
 " nity." 
 
 To.-fards the clofe of his life he 
 v/as s -^ afflifted with the gout» 
 and , vlindnefs, when making 
 ato . • • '^^th.for the benefit of the, 
 waters, he was unfortunately over- 
 turned in his chariot, by which it 
 is fujpofed he got (bme inward 
 bruifcy as he ever after complained '' 
 of a pain in his fide, and on his 
 return to London continued gra- 
 dually declining in his health, till 
 the 19th of Jan. 1729, when he 
 died, aged 57, at his houfe in 
 Surry-Street, in the Strand, and on 
 the 26th following was buried in 
 Weftminller-Abbey, the pall be- 
 ing fupported by perfons of the 
 fint diitinction. 
 
 H'.s dnimatic pieces are feven 
 in number, and their titles as 
 follow, 
 
 1. Old Batchelor. C. 410. 1693. 
 
 2. Double Dealer. C. 4to. 1694. 
 
 3. Love for Love • C. 4to. 1695, 
 
 4. Mourning Bride. T. 4t0.i697. 
 
 5 . li'^ay of the World. C. 410. % 700. 
 
 6. Judgment of Paris, Mafqj 
 4to. 1701. 
 
 7. i)emelt, O. ,4tO. 1 707. 
 
 H CONOLLY) 
 
c o 
 
 I 98 T 
 
 c o 
 
 m 
 
 ;\A 
 
 m 
 
 ill 
 
 mi' 
 
 CoNOLLY, Mr. This gentle- 
 man was of the kingdom of Ire- 
 land, and a AudenC in the Temple. 
 He wrote one unfaccefsful play, 
 entitled, 
 
 T/je C'emoilpur. C. 8vo. 1736. 
 Coxeter in his notes calls him 
 Connol, but on what authority I 
 know not. 
 
 Cook, John. Of this author 
 
 ' no farther account is extant, chan 
 
 that he wrote in king Tumes I's 
 
 time, and obliged the world with 
 
 one play, enatled, 
 
 Greens fit ^wij'.e. C. 4to. 1614. 
 
 He was alfo a'^thor of fifiy ejji- 
 
 . grams, entered in the books of 
 
 the Statione/'s company- 22 M[ay, 
 
 ' 1604. 
 
 Cooke, Adam Mosej Ema- 
 "nuel. \Vho this author is 1 am 
 unable to give any acf^unt, or 
 whether he is yet living or deae!. 
 If the former, it may be prefumcd 
 that he is an inhabitaiit of Bed- 
 'lam, having publiftjed two pieces 
 ' which no one except a lunatic 
 could have written. They are en- 
 titled, 
 
 1. Tfjc Kinz cannot err, C. 
 1 2 mo. N. O. [176 2. J 
 
 2. The Hermit converted; or. The 
 Maid of Balh married. 8vo. N. D. 
 
 Cooke, Edvard, Efq; Of 
 this gentleman Langbaine, &c. 
 make no farther mention than 
 that he wrote in king Charles ll's 
 time, and was author of one dra- 
 matic piecr, viz. 
 
 i/'w'i Trhimph, T. 4to. 1678. 
 Coxeter, '. his iNlS. takes notice 
 of a tranOation of Le Grand's Di- 
 flne Ejjicurifi, or the Empire of 
 Plea fur c cTcr the Firiues^ by One 
 
 ■ Edvvard Cookc, Efq; from the date 
 
 ■ of which, being publifhed in 1676, 
 it is probably the work of this au- 
 thor. 
 
 CooKF., Thomas. This gen- 
 tleman was born at Brain tree in 
 
 Eflex, abo'Jt the year 1707, and 
 educated at Felfled fchtfol in the 
 fame ..ounty. He mud have made 
 a very rapid progrcfs in literature, 
 for in 1726, at which time he was 
 only nineteen years of age, he 
 gave the world a very correft edi- 
 tion of the works of the famous 
 Andrew Marvel, prefixed to which 
 \^ a life of the author. This work 
 he dedicated to the earl of i'em- 
 broke, who, being much delighted 
 with the learning and abilities of 
 fo young a writer, became a yiity 
 warm patron to him, and even 
 wrote feveral of the notes to hrs 
 tranfiation of Hejiod^ which he 
 publilhed 1728. Befiies thefe, Mr. 
 Cooke has obliged the public with 
 a tranfiation of Cicero de Natura 
 Deoriim^ and of the comedies of 
 Terence, and prepared an edition 
 and tranHation of Plautus, the Am- 
 phy trion only of which he has pub. 
 liihtid. His reputation and merit 
 therefore as a claflical writer are 
 apparently great : which is more 
 than I can venture to fay of him 
 as a dramatic author. Yet as he 
 has launched into that path, we 
 cannot rcfufe his pieces a place 
 here, though they met with no fuc- 
 cefs at the time they appeared. 
 Their titles are as follow, 
 
 1. Albion. M. 8vo. 1724. 
 
 2. The Batik of the Poets. F. 
 8vo. 1730. 
 
 3. The Triumphs of Love and Ho' 
 nour, P. 8vo. 1731. 
 
 4. The Eunuch. F. 8vo. 1 757. 
 c. The Mournful Nuptials. T. 
 
 8vo. 1739. 
 
 6. Love the Caufe and Curt ef 
 Grief'. T. 8vo. 1744. 
 
 7. Amphi/tryon, tran Hated from 
 Platitnu i2mo. 1746. 
 
 He alio tranflated Terence :n 3 • 
 vols. 1734. 
 
 He was alfo concerned with Mr. 
 Mottley in writing a farce, cillcd 
 Penelope, 
 
 of 
 
c o 
 
 C 99 T 
 
 c o 
 
 cF which fee more particularly io 
 Ics proper place, in the other part 
 of this work. 
 
 Cooper, ELizABETKk Of the 
 prefent lady, whom we muft rank 
 among the female geniufes of this 
 kingdom, I can trace nothing far- 
 ther than that (he was the widow 
 of one Mr. Cooper, an audlioneer ; 
 th?.t (he was the editor of a work, 
 entitled the Mujis Librarvy and au- 
 thor of two Comedies, entitled, 
 
 I. Rival IFuiows. C. Wvo. 1735. 
 
 3. f he Nobleman. C. 1736. N. l'. 
 
 Corey, John. All that is re- 
 corded of this gentleman is that 
 he lived in king Charles II's reign, 
 and fent forth into the world '< 
 dramatic piece, which is entirely a 
 compiiement, or rather plagiarifm 
 from other authors. The title of 
 it is. 
 
 The Generous Enemies, C. 410. 
 1672. 
 
 Corey, John. This gentle- 
 nan has been, by feme of the 
 writers, confounded with the lall- 
 nientioned one, but is indeed 
 quite another perfon, having flou- 
 riihed in queen Anne's and king 
 George Ill's reigns. He was de- 
 fcended from an ancient family in 
 Cornwall, but was himfelf born at 
 BarniUble in Devonlhire. He was 
 intended for the ftudy of the lav*, 
 and to that purpofe was entered 
 of New-Inn ; but having a thea- 
 trical turn, and preferring the 
 oratory of the ftage to that of the 
 hdx^ he did not long continue, 
 there before he turned player, 
 which profcdion he followed for 
 twenty years to the time of his 
 death, which happened about 1 72 1 . 
 Vet it is probable he might have 
 made a more confpicuous (igure 
 in the walk of his (ir(l deftination j 
 for though he was acknowledged 
 to be ajuft and fenfible fpeaker, 
 yet being but low in ibture, and 
 his voice none of the beft» he was 
 
 ever obliged to work againil the 
 (Iream, and labour with difiiculties 
 which prevented his being held in 
 any very high ellimation in a pro- 
 fcllion which, of all others, requires 
 the greateft number of perfections, 
 and to arrive at excellence in which 
 a peribn ought not to be de(icient 
 in any one advantage that either 
 nature or art can beftow. He 
 brought two dramatic piecec on 
 the lUge, whofe titles are as follow £ 
 
 1 . A Cure for yealok/jit C. 4to. 1 70 1 , 
 
 2. The Metamorpho/is. F,4to. 1704. 
 CoTT»N, Charles, Efqj This 
 
 gentleman was th» (on of Charles 
 Cotton, of Beretford in Stafford'* 
 (hire, and was born on the 28th of 
 April, 1630. He received his 
 education at Cambridge, and af- 
 terwards travelled into France and 
 other foreign countries. He was 
 twice married, and by his firft 
 wife left feveral children. The 
 place of his refidence during th^ 
 greater part of his life was at the 
 family feat at Beresford. He died 
 in the parilh of St. James's, Weft- 
 minder, in 1687, having written 
 one dramatic piece, or rather 
 trandated it from the French o£ 
 Corneille, for the ufe of his (ifter 
 Mr*. Gianhope Hutchinfon, to 
 whom, when it was publiihed, 
 which was not till many years af- 
 ter the writing of it, he thought 
 proper to dedicate it. It is en- 
 titled, 
 
 Horace. T. 410. 167 1. 
 But though, on account 
 
 piece, I have a right to 
 him as a dramatic writer. 
 
 of this 
 
 mention 
 
 yet hia 
 
 principal fame was founded on his 
 merit as a burlefque writer, in 
 which I'jhr he is fo confiderable as 
 to Hand almoll in competition with 
 the excellent author of Hudibras 
 himfelf. 11 i s moll celebrated Foent 
 of this Kind is his Scarronides^ or 
 Travel! ie of the (irft and fourth 
 books of the JEmid, But although 
 H X from 
 
€ O 
 
 r '00 1 
 
 C O 
 
 M' 
 
 from the title one would be apt to 
 hntgine it an imitation of Scar* 
 ron's iiamous TraveiUe of the f<ime 
 author, yet, on an examination, 
 it will be found greatly to excel 
 not on!y that, but every attempt 
 of that kind. hitherto made in any 
 language. He has alfo tranflated 
 feveral of Liician's Dialogues in the 
 fame manner, under the title of 
 the Scoffer fcoffed ; and written 
 ansther Poem of a more ferious 
 kind, called The Wonders of the 
 Fenk. It is not known what his 
 circumftances were with refpeft to 
 fortune; they appear however to 
 have been eafy, if one may form 
 any judgment from the turn of his 
 writing?, which feems to be fuch 
 i(8 it is fcarcely poiHble any one 
 Jcoold indulge in, whofe mind was 
 hot perfcdlily at eafe. Yet there is 
 6ne aftecdote in relation to him, 
 which \ cannot avoid relating, and 
 which feems to (hew that his vein 
 *f humGur could' not retrain itfclf 
 i)n any confideration, viz. that in 
 tronfequence of a fingle couplet in 
 ^is (^irgil trai^ejile, wherein he has 
 Wade mention of a peculiar kind 
 kA. ruff worn by a grandmother of 
 l^i?, who lived in t1* Peak, he loll: 
 '^n eftate of four hundred pounds 
 ■per aufixrn, the old lady, who^?! 
 Bumbur' and tefty difpofition he 
 could by no means have been a 
 "ftranger to, never being able to 
 forgive the liberty he had taken 
 with her, and having her fortune 
 wholly in her own difpofal, al- 
 though flie had before made him 
 her fole heir, altered her will, and 
 gave it all away to an abfolute 
 ilranger. 
 
 Cowley, Aqr A HAM. This ex- 
 cellent poet was the fon of a grocer 
 •nefer the end of Chancery-LanC', 
 in Fleet-flrect, London, at which 
 place our autpor was born in the 
 year 161B. Kis mother, through 
 ' the interell of fome friends, pro- 
 
 cured him to be admitted a king^ 
 fcholar in Weftminfter-fchool» 
 where his inclination and genius' 
 for poetry ihewed itfelf very early, 
 for Langbaine, Jacob, Gildon, and 
 all the other writers fay that he 
 wrote the tragical Hiftory of 
 Pyramus and Tfjtjbe at ten years 
 old, at twelve that of ConJIanun, 
 At fifteen hcpublilhed acoUeflion 
 of Poems under the tile of Poetical 
 Bloffhms. One thing extreamly 
 remarkable in him was, that with 
 To extraordinary a natural genius, 
 his teachers could never bring bim^ 
 to retain even the common rule» 
 of grammar.. So that had he not 
 formed the mod intimate ac- 
 quaintance with the books them- 
 felves from which thofe rules are 
 drawn, he could never have been 
 mafter of them. In 1656, he was 
 elefted a fcholar of Trinity Col- 
 lege, Cambridge, and removed to 
 that univerfity. Here he went 
 through all his cxercifes with a 
 remarkable degree of reputation,, 
 and at the fame time maft have 
 purfued his poetical turn with 
 great eagernets,. as it appears that 
 the greateft part of his Poems werfc 
 written befere he left the univer- 
 fities. He had taken his degree of 
 mafter of arts before 1643, when, 
 in confcquence of the turbulent 
 times, he, among many other?, was 
 ejefted from the college ; whereon 
 retiring to Oxford, he entered 
 himfelfof St. John's College, and 
 that very year, underthe denomi- 
 nation of a Scholar ofOxfmil^ pub- 
 lifhed a Satire called The Puritan 
 and li.'c Piipijl. It is apparent how- 
 ever, that he did not remain very 
 long a: Oxford, for his zeal to ibe 
 royal cauie engaging liim in the 
 fervice of the king, who was very 
 fciifible of his abilities, and by 
 whom he w.is frequently employ- 
 ed, he attended his maji-!ty in many 
 of his j.ourij[ies and expeditions, 
 
 and 
 
c o 
 
 i loi ii 
 
 C O 
 
 nc Puritan 
 
 and gained not only that prince's 
 efteem, but the rcgardof manyother 
 great perfonages, and in particular 
 of lord Falkland, one of the prin- 
 cipal fecretaries of ilate. 
 
 During the heat of the civil 
 war he was fettled in the earl of 
 6c. Alban's family ; and when the 
 queen-mother was obliged to re- 
 tire into France, he accompanied 
 her thither, laboured Itrenuoufly 
 in the affairs of the royal family, 
 undertook feveral very dangerous 
 journeys on their account, and was 
 the principal inflrument in main- 
 taining an epiftolary correfpon- 
 (jence between the king and queen. 
 
 In the year 1656, it was judged 
 proper that Mr. Cowley fhoulc: 
 come over to England, and under 
 pretence of privacy and retirement 
 give notice of the fituation of af- 
 fairs in this kingdom to thofe by 
 whom he was employed. Soon 
 after his anival, however, he was 
 f:ized, in the fearch after another 
 gentleman of considerable note in 
 the king's party; but although it 
 was through miilake that he was 
 taken, yt when the republicans 
 found all their attempts of every 
 kind to bring him over to their 
 caufe proved inefFe£lual, he was 
 committed to a fcvere confine- 
 ment, and it was even with con- 
 liderable difHculty that he obtained 
 his liberty, when, venturing back 
 to France, he remained there in 
 his former fituation till near the 
 time of the king's return. 
 
 Soon after the Reftoration he 
 became poifefFed of a very compe- 
 tent edate, through the favour of 
 his principal friends the duke of 
 Jjuckingham, and the earl of St, 
 Alban's, and being now upwards 
 of forty years of age, he took up 
 a refolution to pafs the remainder 
 >of a life, which had been a fcene 
 of lempeft and tumult, in that 
 fuuatiou which hud ever baen the 
 
 obje£l of his wifbes, a (ladlous re- 
 tirement. His eagernefs to gec- 
 out of the buflle of a court and 
 city made him lefs caretul than 
 he might have been in the choice 
 of a healthful habitation in the 
 country, by which means he found 
 his foJitude from the very begin- 
 ning fuit left with the conilitution 
 of his body than with his mind. 
 His (int rural refidence was at 
 Barn Elms, a place which Iviiig 
 low, and being near a large rivtr, 
 was 'fulije£l to variety of brefzos 
 from lanu and water, and liable in 
 the winier>time to great inconve- 
 nience from the dampncfs of the 
 foil. Tiie confequencc!> of this 
 Mr. Cowley too foon experienced, 
 by being feized with a dangerous 
 and lingering fever. On his re- 
 covery from this he removed to 
 Chertfey, a fituation not much 
 more healthful, where he had not 
 long been before he was feized 
 with another confuming difeafe. 
 Having languifhed under this for 
 fome months, he at length got the 
 better of ir, and feemed |.reuy well 
 recovered from its bad f'ympioms ; 
 when one day, in the heat of funv- 
 mer of 1667, Itaying too long in 
 the fields to give fome direftions 
 to his labourers, he caught a molt 
 violent cold, which was attended 
 with a defluxion and ttopp.ige in 
 his bread, which, for want of time- 
 ly care, by treating it as a com- 
 mon cold, and refufing advice till 
 it was paft remedy, took him off 
 the ffage of lire on the 28th of 
 July in that year, being the 49th 
 of his age ; and on the 3d of 
 Auguft following he was interred 
 in Wellminller-Abhey, near the 
 ofh^s of Chaucer and his beloved 
 Spe lifer. 
 
 Mr. Cowley, as a writer, had 
 perhaps as much fire and imagi- 
 nation as any author of the Kno-- 
 lilh nation ; his wit is genuine a.^d 
 
 H 3 natural j 
 

 r 
 
 6 
 
 i 
 
 JOi 
 
 J 
 
 ,r -• 
 C O 
 
 natural ; but then hit vernficatlon 
 is frequently irregular, rough and 
 incorref^, and the redundancy of 
 his fancy out-runnine the power 
 of his expreflion, this latter ap- 
 pears fomerimes puerile, and even 
 fat and infipid. Yet thefe faubs 
 are certainly cxcu fable, when we 
 cnniider at how early a time of 
 life almoll all his Pieces were writ- 
 ten. Had he lived in a left per- 
 plexed period of our hiftory, or 
 been himfelf lefs principally con- 
 cerned in the tranfa<^ion& of the 
 period he did live in, we perhaps 
 might have met with greater plea- 
 sure from thofe writings which he 
 might have produced at a more 
 advanced age, when the judgment, 
 being arrived at greater maturity, 
 could have held a tighter rein 
 over the rapid and unruly courfers 
 of imagination. It is evident that 
 fancy was his principal dire£lrefs, 
 and by a kind of fympathy with 
 writers of the fume difpoiition he 
 became involuntarily a poet. He 
 tells us himfelf, that his admira- 
 tion of Spenfcr, whom he had ri.ad 
 over before he was twelve years 
 old, firll infpired him with an in- 
 clination for poetry; and what 
 writer has imagination equal to 
 Spenfer? and we are alfo told that 
 
 polite, and modeil, generous in hli 
 difpontion, tempetHie in his life, 
 devout and nious in his religion, « 
 focial companion, and a (incere 
 friend. ^Or, to fum up his cha. 
 radler in a few words, we need ony 
 repeat the words of his mailer 
 king Charles II. who on the" news 
 " of his death declared that Mr. 
 " Cowley had not left a better 
 " man behind him in England." 
 It is moreover one of the peculiar 
 advantages of exalted virtue, that 
 even bad men reverence it, and 
 arc pleafed to draw fome houour 
 to themfclves by p.iying tribute 
 to it. A tr.ORument therefore Wu«i 
 erefted, to the memory of Cowley, 
 by George Villers, duke of Buch. 
 ingham, in 1675. His dramatic 
 works, which however are thofe of 
 all his writings the lead eftcemed, 
 are four in number, their titles are 
 as follow: 
 
 1. Lovers Ridillc. Paft. C. iimo, 
 Y638. 
 
 2. Naufragium Jocularc. C, 
 i2mo. 1638. 
 
 3. Guardian, C 410. id^o, 
 
 4. Cutter of Coleman Street, C, 
 4to. 1663. 
 
 CowLiiY, Mrs. H. This lady 
 is the wife of a perfon who enjoys 
 a place in the Ihmp-ofHce, and 
 
 his accidentally meeting with the who is fuppofed to employ him» 
 
 works of Pindar, the molt exalted 
 genius for the flights of fancy 
 among the Ancients, led him into 
 that piaJarique way of writing, in 
 which, however faulty he may 
 fometimes be in refpect to num- 
 bers, he has never yc: been excel- 
 led in the force of hie figures, and 
 the fublimity of his Itile and fen- 
 timents. 
 
 fclf as a writer in 
 news-papers. From 
 
 fou'ie of the 
 a dedication 
 to T^he Maid of Arragon, a Tale, 
 fhe appears to be the daughter of 
 Mr. Parkhoufe of Tiverton, in 
 Devonihirc, and was f«id, when 
 her iirft play was produced, to 
 h'lvc !.een related to th<j family of 
 the I'elebratcd Mr. Gay. She has 
 been a fuccefsful writer for the 
 ftage, each of her performances 
 
 The 
 
 As a man, in his public capa- 
 
 c" he was aclive and difccrning, having met with applaufe. 
 
 le jtri(flell: integrity, and molt names ot them are as follow 
 
 ^ laken loyalty. In his private 1 . ^fl>c Runa'-Moy, C, Syo. 
 
 Jife, he was eafy of accefs, gentlC; 
 
 1776. 
 
 ^ *, Who's (hi Dii^ei ic.%<.Q.\-]-<^ 
 
 Adfindy 
 
 3' 
 
 11 i I! I 
 
c o 
 
 r >«>3 3 
 
 C R 
 
 V 
 
 3. Mtna. T. 8vo. 1779. 
 
 4. The Belle's Stratagem, C. 
 1780. N. I'. 
 
 She is fuppofed to be the author 
 
 of 
 
 5. The School for Eloquence, I, 
 
 1780. N. P. 
 
 Cox, Robert, This author, 
 if he has a right to be called by 
 that title, was an excellent come- 
 dian, who lived in the reign of 
 king Charles I. But when the 
 ringleaders of the rebellion, and 
 tlie pretended reformers of the na- 
 tion, among other acSs of purita- 
 nical zeal, fuppre/Ted the repre- 
 fentations of the theatre, this per- 
 former was compelled for a liveli- 
 hood to betnke hiinfelf to the mak- 
 ing of drolls or farces, which were 
 in general nothing more than fe> 
 \ti\ fcenes of humour from fome 
 of the Flays which had been the 
 greateft favourites, put together 
 without any order, regularity, or 
 apparent defign. Thefe drolls he 
 found means of getting licenced, 
 or rather connived at by the legi- 
 ilature, and performed as it were 
 by ftealth, under the fan£lion of 
 rope-dancing, at the Red-Bullplay- 
 houi'e, and in country towns at 
 wakes and fairs. A large collec- 
 tion of them was publilhed after 
 the Reftoration by Kirkman ; for 
 fome account of which, and the 
 Plays they were feledted from, fee 
 the fecond volume of this work 
 under the title of lilts ; or Sport 
 vpon Sport. There is another col- 
 ledion publiflied, as a fecond part 
 to the former, the Pieces in which 
 are fuppofed by Kirkman to have 
 been originally written by Cox, 
 and wluji confifts of the following 
 Interludes, excepting only the firll, 
 which is known to be his, viz. 
 
 I. AHcon and D'tana^ with the 
 Pattoial Itory of the Nymph Qeaone^ 
 fe'f. 4to. N, D. ',v V :. ' .s , 
 
 5. 'The Black Maiit 
 
 3. Venus and Adonis ', or Thf 
 Maid's Philofop/jy. 
 
 4. Phtlelis and Conjlantia, 
 ^. King AbaJ'uerus and ^tem 
 
 EJiher. 
 
 6. King Solomon's Wijdom, 
 
 7. Dithilo and Gra/iida, 
 
 8. fTiltJhire Tom. 
 
 9. Ocnone, P. 
 
 10. Bottom the Weaver, 
 
 11. The Cheater Cheated, 
 The lall ten were originally 
 
 printed in 410. 
 
 In thefe kind of drolls he ufed 
 to perform th: principal parts 
 himfelf, and that fo well, that he 
 was a great favourite, not only in 
 the country, but alfo at Loitdnn, 
 and in the univerflties themfelves. 
 And Langbaine relates the follow- 
 ing humorous anecdote of him 
 (which proves him to have been a 
 very natural performer), that once 
 after he had been playing the part 
 of Simpleton the Smith, in his own 
 AHaon and Diana^ a real Smith of 
 fome eminence in thofe parts, who 
 law him a£l, came to him, and 
 offered to take him as his journey- 
 man, and even to allow him 
 twelve-pence a week more than 
 the cuftomary wages. 
 
 Cradock, Joseph. An aui> 
 tfaor fiill living. He is pofl'efled 
 of a confideraBle fortune in the 
 county of Leiceller, and hath pro- 
 duced one Play, altered' from Lei 
 Scythes of Voltaire, and called, 
 
 Zobeide. T. 8vo. 1 77 1, 
 and another, entitled, The Cziar, 
 not yet aAed. 
 
 Crane, Edward. This au- 
 thor refided at Manchefter, where 
 he printed a Colleftion of Poetical 
 Mifcellanies in bvo. 1 76 1 . in which 
 amongft other pieces are two Tra- 
 gedies, viz. 
 
 1. The Female Parricide, 
 
 2. Said and Jorunuan. 
 Craven, Lady Elizabeth. 
 
 This lady is daughter ot Au.;i r is 
 H 4 ' C..I 
 
C R 
 
 t '«4 I 
 
 C R 
 
 carl oF Berkeley, and was married in England. At his £ift arrival 
 
 to William lord Cravea May lo, here, his neceflities compelled him 
 
 1767. She is the author of feveral to accept of an oflite lUll more 
 
 ngreedblc performances, and of iho formal and dirgulinig t'nan even his 
 
 following Dramas: fituation in Amcriw.a. ''his was 
 
 1. T/ji' SUfp-waiktr, from the no oilier than the being gentlcoian- 
 French of l''o>it ile Filf, ismo. iiiher to an u'd indt-ptudent lady 
 J77&. printfd at Strawberry Hill, of (juality. Soon v,cury of this 
 
 2. 1'he Miniature "Figure. C. dif^tyreeable drudgery, he had re- 
 adied at Newberry, and at Drury courfe to his pen for fupport ; 
 Lane, in 1780. l\ot printed. and as neither the piecilt'iiefs of 
 
 Craufurd, Daviu, Kiq; This his education, nor the dillrcls of 
 
 gentleman was a North Briton, of his circujniiances, could fuppicis 
 
 Dumfoy, in the Wcflcrn part of the hreof his genius, his writin<;s, 
 
 Scotland, and was hiit«'riographcr which were in the dramatic way, 
 
 loon rendered his abilitjc 1 known 
 lo the town and court : wm n, as 
 it appears, fortunately for him, 
 the earl of Rocheller, whofc en- 
 mity to Dryden made him readily 
 fnatch at any opportunity of mor- 
 irfying him, prevailed on the 
 queen to lay her contmands on 
 Crowne, in preference to that poet, 
 for the writing of a Mafque, to be 
 performed at court, which he exe- 
 cuted uncier the title oi Lal'Jlo, 
 That it was not from any pecu- 
 
 for that kingdom to cjucen Anne. 
 He wrote two inlays, whofe lilies 
 were as follow : 
 
 1. Couitjbip Alamoiic. C. 1700. 
 4to. 
 
 z. Love at Ji'fi ISij^ht. C. N. D. 
 4to. 
 
 The firft of ihcfe Pieces he left 
 to the care of Mr. Pinkethnian the 
 comedian to publifh, his affairs 
 calling him into his own country 
 juft as it was ahout to be adcd. 
 
 His other writings ate, a let of 
 love epilUes in verle, in imitation liar regard to our author himfelf, 
 of Ovid, and entitled, OviJius that lord Rocheiler urged this no- 
 i?»7Vrt»?i/rw, being an intrigue be- mination, is very evident, for, at no 
 tween two perfonsofquality; three greater diftance than two years 
 novels, in one volume 8vo. and afterwards, the great fuccefs of 
 fome Memoirs of the affain and re- Mr. Crovvne's two T ragedies of 
 tioliitiom of Scotland, .\ f. <' the DcJlruClion ofjerufaltm excited 
 
 Crisp, Henry. Tiiis author the envy of that nobleman fo far, 
 belonged to the Cuftomhoufe, and as to make him as levere an cne» 
 produced one Piay, called, > my as he had appeared to be a 
 
 Virginia. T. Svo. 1/54. warm Iricnd to him ; nay he even 
 
 .Crowne, John. '1 his gen- endeavoured to do him prejudice 
 tleman was the fon of an inde- at court, by informing the king 
 pendent minillcr in ihat part of of his defcent and education, 
 America called N^ova Scotia, hut which however his majeiiy was fo 
 whether born there or not, is un- lar fiom paying any regard to, 
 certain. He received hij edu- tliiit he even treated the informer 
 cation however in that cliinaie, the with that contempt {o mean an 
 rigid manners of wbich not alto- infinuution juftly merited. Mr. 
 geiher luiting with the vivacity of Crowne was now highly in favour 
 his genius, he determined to quit at court, and particularly with (he 
 that country and leek his tortaiiC kir.j^, as indeed any one migh: be 
 
 » • J » 4 
 
C R 
 
 I 
 
 los ] 
 
 C R 
 
 who contributed to his pleafures ; fummit of his hopes of being eratifi- 
 and it is well known that Charles cd in the performance of the Icing's 
 
 mife ; when lo ! in an inllant 
 
 II. WIS ever peculiarly fond of 
 thiatricnl ainurements. The fa- 
 vours he received from this mo- 
 narch, added to the natural gaiety 
 ot' his temper, induced him lo join 
 with the 'Tniy party ; in coufe- 
 
 promit 
 
 an untortunate accident intervened 
 to darti them all at once; and tum- 
 ble down the fabric which he had 
 been rearing ! This was no Icfs 
 than the hidden death of the 
 
 qupnce of which he wrote a Come- king, who was feizcd with an 
 dy, called, the City Politics, in apopleftfc fit, on the day of its laft 
 which the IVhii^^s were feverely fa- rehearfal, and who, though he did 
 
 tirized. When written, he found 
 much difficulty in getting it re- 
 pn-'font-^-d, the oppofite party, and 
 
 {jariiciilarly lord Arlington, the 
 ord chamberlain, who was fecret- 
 ly in the Whig ioterell, endea- 
 vourinjj all they could to get it 
 fupprefled. Ac laft, however, by 
 the immediate command cf the 
 
 indeed revive from it, died in three 
 days afterwards, leaving onr un- 
 fortunate bard plunged in the 
 depth of dillrcfs and difappoint- 
 ment. 
 
 What were the particular occur- 
 rences of Mr. Crowne's life after 
 this great lofs, I have not been 
 able to trace ; but it is moll pro- 
 
 king himfelr", it was brought on the bable that writing for the ftagc be- 
 ftage ; but though even the con- came his fole fupport, as we find. 
 
 trary party acicnowledged it to be 
 H good Play, it created Mr. Crowne 
 a great many enemies, which cir- 
 cumftance, added to the precari- 
 oufnefs of theatrical emoluments, 
 induced him to apply to the king 
 for fome pcft that might fecure 
 him from diftrcfs tor the remain- 
 der of his life. This his majerty 
 readily promifed him, but infilled 
 
 befides the play on which his ex 
 pedations were thus fixed, and 
 which was played at that time 
 with great fuccefs (as indeed it 
 has ever fince been on every re- 
 vival of it), that he wrote fix 
 others, the laft of which made its 
 firil appearance about the end of" 
 the lall century. How long he 
 lived is uncertain, for although 
 
 on our author's writing one Co- Goxeter, in his notes, informs u* 
 
 medy more before he took leave that he was living in 1 703, no 
 
 of the Mufes, and, to obviate all writer has pretended to ailign the 
 
 objeftions which he made of being abfolute date of his death. It is 
 
 at a lofs for a plot, &c. put into probable, however, that he did not 
 
 his hands, by way of a ground long furvive that period ; and we 
 
 work, a SpaniHi Play called Non are told by Jacob, that he was bu« 
 
 p!ii-(ie rjer. On this Mr. Crowne Tied in St. Giles's in the Fields. 
 
 iiumcdiately fct to work, and aU As a man, he feems to have pof^ 
 
 though, when he had advanced fefled many amiable and focial 
 
 fonie length in it, he found that it virtues, mingled with great viva- 
 
 liul been before, tranflated, under city and ealinefs of difpofition. 
 
 tnc title of Taru^o's JViles, by Sir 
 '1 liom IS St. Serfe, and had even 
 bi ni damned in the reprefsntation, 
 yei he proceeded in his plan, and 
 p.oduced his very excellent Co- 
 incily of Sir Courtly Nice. And 
 row he ftcmed to be ax the very 
 
 As a writer, his numerous works 
 bear fuflicient teftimony of his 
 merit. His chief excellence lay 
 in comedy, yet his tragedies are 
 far from contemptible. His plots 
 are for the moll part his own in- 
 vention; his charadters are ingene- 
 
C R 
 
 f io6 J 
 
 C U 
 
 ;<; 
 
 ral rtrongly coloured and higlily 
 AnitliCvl ; and hi» dialo;;ue lively 
 ;ind ipirited, attentively divcrli- 
 Ticd, and well itdantcd tu the fcve- 
 ral fpcikcrf. So that on tlic whole 
 he may ailurcdly be allowed to 
 Hand at lead in the third rank of 
 our dramatic witters. 
 
 The pieces he has left behind 
 him are feventcen in number, be- 
 fides one not printed; and ilicir 
 namcii are ah follow, 
 
 1. JuHana. T. C. 4to. 1671. 
 
 2. CharUiWlhh of France. ^Xo, 
 1672. 
 
 3. 7he Country Wit. C. 4:0. 
 1675. 
 
 4. An(homach\ T. 4.10. 1675. 
 
 5. Citl!/lo. M. 410. 1(17 1* 
 
 6. Cit)i Ftiliius. C 410. 1675. 
 
 7. The Dijlrucllon of Jauj'alcm. 
 T. Two I'r.na. 410. 1677. 
 
 8. The Ambitious Statcj'nian. T. 
 410. 1679. 
 
 9. The Ml/try of Civil J-Fur. T. 
 4to. 1680. 
 
 10. Hcmy the Sixth, part. I. 
 T. 4to. i68f. 
 
 11. Thycps. T. 4 to. :63i. 
 Sir Courtly Nice, C 410. 
 
 12. 
 
 1685. 
 
 U. 
 ^690. 
 
 lb. 
 1694. 
 ^7 
 
 Daritn. T. 410. 
 
 The E/igliJI} Fiiar. 
 
 Rcgulus. T. 4to. 
 The Mairifd Ecuu. 
 
 1688. 
 C 4to. 
 
 1694. 
 C 410. 
 
 iS. Jti/iice But 
 
 T. 4to. 1698. 
 
 .;. c. N. p. 
 
 C K OX A I. L, Dr. Samuel. Was 
 the foil of Samuel Croxall, redor 
 of Hanworth in Middlefex, and 
 vicar cf \\ alton upon Thames in 
 Surry ; in the laft of which places 
 our author was born. He received 
 his eafiy education at Eton-fchool, 
 and froai thence was admitted to 
 St. John's College, Citmbridge, 
 after which he entered into holy 
 ortiiTs. Having a lirong aitach- 
 jjiept to the whig intcrclt, he cm- 8vo. 1771 
 
 ployed Iiis pen in favour of that 
 party duriiip; the latter end of 
 queen Annt'i reign. After h« 
 quitted the univerlity, he was in- 
 llituted 10 the living of H.impton 
 in INIiddlffex, and then to the 
 united parifljes of St. Mary, So- 
 merfct, and St. Mary, Mourn h.-iw, 
 in thf city of London, both which 
 he held to hi» death. He was alfo 
 chancellor, picbend, canon refi- 
 dentiary, and portionid, of the 
 church of Hereford ; and in the 
 year 1732 was made arch-deacon 
 of Salop, and chaplain in ordinary 
 to the king. He died at a very 
 advanced age the 13th of Fe- 
 bruary, i7i;z, having published 
 one dramatic piece, called. 
 
 The Fair Circa£ian, D. P. 4to. 
 17:0. 
 
 C U M B K R L A N D, R I C II A K D. 
 
 This gentleman is fon to Dr. 
 Cumberland, biHiop of Kilmore, 
 in Ireland, by Joanna, youngell 
 daughter of the celebrated Dr. 
 Rich;ird Bentley. He is a very 
 prolific, but unequal, writer : 
 fome of his Comedies making 
 near approaches towards excel- 
 lence, while other of his works, as 
 may be prefumed from the hally 
 compolition of them, are by no 
 means calculated to fupport the 
 reputation he has acquired. H« 
 is folicitor and clerk of the Re- 
 ports in ihe Trade and Plantation 
 Oriice, and hath given to the pub- 
 lic the following performances: 
 
 1 . 7 he Banijhnient of Cicero. T. 
 4to. 1 76 1, 
 
 2. The Summer's Tale, C. 8vo. 
 1765. 
 
 3. Amelia. M. E. 8vo. 1768. 
 
 4. The Brothers. C. 8vo. 1769. 
 
 5. The Wtjl Indian. C. 8vo. 
 1771. 
 
 6. Amelia, ]M. E. altered, 8vo, 
 1771. 
 
 7. Tmnn of Athens, altered. T. 
 
 8, The 
 
c u 
 
 C 107 1 
 
 C V 
 
 c. 
 
 9. 77>e F<{/hionallt T/mtr. 
 8vo. 1773. 
 
 y. The Note of Hand. F. 8vo, 
 
 10. The Choleric Man, 8vo. 
 
 »77?' 
 
 11. 77^<> liattle of Uojllngi. T. 
 
 Svo. 177b'. 
 
 12. Calypfo. O. 8vo. 1 779. 
 
 13. The Bondman, altered. T.C. 
 
 1779. N. P. 
 
 14. The Duke of Mla», altered. 
 
 T. r;7f)- N. P. 
 
 15. The Ifidozv of Dclj>hi. O. 
 Svo. 1780. N. P. 
 
 Cu^NlN^.HAM, John. An ele- 
 gant and ingenious poet, and a 
 very worthy man. He was born 
 in the year 1729 in Dublin, where 
 his father, an eminent wine mer- 
 chant, and his mother both of 
 whom were of Scotch parents, then 
 rcfided. He was the youngeft fon 
 of his father, and early began to 
 exhibit fpecimens of his poetical 
 powers. By the time he was 
 twelve years old he produced fe- 
 veral pieces which are Hill admired, 
 and at the age of feventeen years 
 wrote the only dramatic per- 
 formance that he left. The tree 
 acccfs which this little drama gave 
 him to the play-houfe was of very 
 pernicious confequence to him. Ic 
 treated a difgull at the plodding 
 lite of a tradefman, and excited 
 a defire to appear on the llage as 
 a performer, though he fcarce pof- 
 feifed a fingle recjuifite for fuch a 
 profcinon. His figure was tc^tally 
 agaiull him either for 'IVagedy or 
 genteel Comedy : in i\\s petit maitre 
 cil^, however, he was tolerable, 
 and if he in any thing rofe to cx- 
 C«II«nce, it was in his favourite 
 wak, the mock French chiirader. 
 
 His pallion for the itage hid 
 obtained fo Ihong a powi r over 
 him, that againlt the wilhes of his 
 friend.-, and without any commu- 
 pication of his intentions to ihcni, 
 
 he fecretly left his family and em* 
 barked for England, where he 
 commenced itinerant player witix: 
 a fuccefs that by no means an- 
 fwered hii cxpci'tations. He foon 
 became fenfible of liis imprudence, 
 but pride prevented his return to 
 his parents ; and ere he had time 
 to work himfclf into a refolutioii 
 of obeyinc the calls of duty, he 
 received intelligence that his fa- 
 ther had become infolvent. This 
 news was followed by that of his 
 death. Still, however, an afylun 
 was open to our author in the 
 houfe of an affeftionate brother 
 Mr. P. Cunningham, one of the 
 bed ilatuaries in Ireland, who re- 
 peatedly urged him to return j 
 but the idea of a Hate of depen- 
 dence was of all others the mod: 
 repugnant to him. What he had 
 originally adopted from choice, 
 he now found himfelf obliged to 
 perfift in from neceffity. After 
 having experienced various vicif- 
 fitudcs in the North of England, 
 we find him in the year 1761 a 
 performer at Edinburgh, under the 
 direction of Mr. Love. Here he 
 wrote fome of his bell pieces. 
 It is at this period that, as a poetf 
 he alfo begaa to emerge from ob« 
 fcurity. 
 
 Willing to fnatch at every op- 
 portunity that might extricate him 
 from a profeiTion in which nature 
 had denied him the qualities to 
 fhine, and for which he had long 
 Ipd all relifh, he chearfully adopt« 
 ed the advice of his friends, and, 
 in hopes of obtaining a more com^v 
 forcable, as well as a morerefpecl- 
 ablc, fubfillence in the world of 
 letters, he repaired from Edin- 
 bura^h to London. 'I'hefe hopes 
 however were vain. Hardly had 
 he fct foot in the capital, v/hen 
 he found the bookfeller, by whom 
 he was to be employed, had rtopr 
 ped payment. He foon alfo dif^ 
 
 covered 
 
c u 
 
 t »o8 1 
 
 c u 
 
 ^ [ 
 
 ifll 
 
 «' 
 
 covered that fcandal and political 
 altercation had entirely taken up 
 the attention of the public, and 
 that, uolefs he prodituted his abili- 
 ties to thefe objects, he was not 
 likely to meet with much fuccefs. 
 He therefore left the town with 
 precipitation afcer a fftort and dif- 
 agreeable (lay in it, and once more 
 returned to Scotland. 
 
 At this juncture, Mr. Digges 
 was manager of the Edinburgh 
 play-houfe, and he treated our au- 
 thor with uncommon refpeft and 
 kindnefs. Mr. Cunningham con- 
 tinued under that gentleman's 
 management until he quitted Scot- 
 land. He then returned to New- 
 caftle upon Tyne ; a fpot which, as 
 it had been his refidence for many 
 years, he had originally left with 
 regret, and which to hislall breath 
 he ufed emphatically to call his 
 home. 
 
 At this place and in the neigh- 
 bouring towns he earned a fcanty, 
 but to him a fuflicient fubfiftence. 
 Though his mode ot life was pre- 
 carious and rather difreputable, it 
 became much lefs fo from the 
 animation he was held in by fome 
 of the moft refpedtable charaders 
 ifi the country, who afforded him 
 
 their fupport and proteflloiu 
 Being pafTionately fond of retire- 
 ment, and happy in the fociety of 
 a little circle of rural friends, he 
 rejected every folicitaiion to try 
 once more his fortune in the ca- 
 pital, declaring it to be his wifli, 
 that as he had lived, fo he might 
 die among his friends in Northum- 
 berland ; nor was that wifh de- 
 nied him. From a long rooted 
 diforder in his nerves, a lingering 
 illnefs enfued, which, on the iSth 
 day of September, I773,»tirmi- 
 nated his life. He was buried in 
 St. John's Church-yard, Newcaftle. 
 
 He is intitled to a place in this 
 work on account of one piece al« 
 ready mentioned, called. 
 
 Love in a Mifi. F. i2mo. 1747. 
 
 CuNNlNGilAM, JOSIAS. Of 
 
 this author I only can inform the 
 reader, that he w.-ote one Drama, 
 called, 
 
 T/je Royal Shepherds. P. 8vo. 
 1765. 
 
 CuTTS,JoHN. Of this gentle- 
 man I know nothing further than 
 that his name (lands as an author 
 in the title-page of one dramatic 
 piece, entitled. 
 
 Rebellion dejiated. T, 4to. 1745. 
 
 1.^ 
 
 Pli^i 
 
 D. 
 
 D D D D 
 
 DD. Gent. Thefe initials lar date ; the tranflation has af- 
 
 , 1 (ind no wlu^rc but in the figned to it the Enc^Iifh title of, 
 
 Ijiiuf;! Theatre, the author of -The Faithful Shepherd. I'ail. 
 
 Whiih has attributed them to a Com. 
 
 trandator of Guarir.:'' s P njior Fido D. I. Thefe initials ftand equal- 
 
 f(.m>; time in the leventetnth cen- ly in the title pages of two feveral 
 
 tury, though without any p^rtica- dnmaiic pieces ; but as they ait: 
 
 of 
 
rr A 
 
 C >o9 1 
 
 D A 
 
 efvery difFerent kinds, and there is 
 thirteen y ears diftance ir theirdates, 
 it is fcarcely probable tiiey fliould 
 be both the work of the fame au- 
 riior. Their titles are, 
 
 1. HeWs High Court ofjufiice, 
 
 2. The Mall. C. 
 Langbaine tells U3, that the laft 
 was afcribeU by Dr. Hyde, the 
 Proto-bihliothccarius or upper li- 
 brarian of one of the Univerfitles, 
 to Mr. Dryden ; but as it is pro- 
 bable the do£k}r might have no 
 llronger foundation for his con- 
 jedlure than the" mere correfpon- 
 dcnce of the letters I. D. with the 
 words John Dryden, I am apt to 
 join in opinion with Langbaine, 
 that the diflimilarity of ftile, ef- 
 pecially in the epiftle dedicatory, 
 in which Mr. Dryden's manner 
 was in general very charafteriftic, 
 is an argument fufficiently ftrong 
 againft the too peremptorily giv- 
 ing the honour or afcribing the 
 dilgrace of being the author of it 
 to that very celebrated wriler. 
 
 Daltont, John-. This gentle- 
 man was a native of the county of 
 Cumberland, and born I believe 
 near Whitehaven. He was a mem- 
 ber of Queens-College, Oxford, 
 and took the degree of M. A. May 
 9, 1734. He afterwards became 
 tutor or governor to the only fon 
 of Algernon Seymour, late duke 
 of Somerfet, a very hopeful and 
 pcomifing young gentleman, whofe 
 death in the bloonx of youth and 
 expeftation Hands on record in a 
 very affeding manner in two let- 
 ters on that occnfion, written by 
 his afflided mother the countefs of 
 Hertford, afterwards dutchefs of 
 Somerfet, and v/nich fince her 
 death have been publilhed in Mr. 
 Duncombe's Colledion of Letters. 
 On the 4th July, 17^0, he v/as 
 honoured with the ''cgrtes of B. 
 ' and D. D. At the time of his 
 death, which, happened z\ July, 
 
 1763, he was prebendary of Wor*^ 
 cefler, and redor of St. Mary at 
 Hill. Dr. Dalton's claim to a 
 mention in this work is his having 
 altered, and rendered more fit for 
 dramatic exhibition, Milton*s ad- 
 mirable Mafque at Ludlow Caftle* 
 which he confiderably extended, not 
 only by the infertion of.fome fongs 
 and dii^erent pafTages fele^d from 
 other of Milton's works, but alfo 
 by the addition pf feveral fongs 
 and improveinents of his own, la 
 admirably adapted to the man- 
 :ier of the original author of the 
 Mafque,as by no means todifgrace 
 the more genuine parts, but on the 
 contrary mud greatly exalt our 
 ideas of Dr. Dalton's poetical abi- 
 lities. It has moreover had the 
 advantage of being moft excellently 
 fet to mufic by Dr. Arne, ahd is 
 fometimes adted under the title 
 of 
 
 Comus, Mafque. 8vo, 1738. 
 
 Dalton,. John. Tiiis author 
 refides at Clifton near York, and 
 is the keeper of a publick garden, 
 where company are accominodated 
 with tea. In the Prologue to his 
 Farce he pleads his poverty in ex- 
 cufe for his attempting the Drama. 
 The name of his performance is, 
 
 Honour Revoareled i or, The Ge- 
 nerous Fortune Hunter, F. 8vo. 
 
 »775' 
 Dance, James. See Love, 
 
 James. 
 
 Dancer, John. This author, 
 who lived in the reign of Charles 
 If. is faid to have been born in 
 Ireland. He was a fervaiu in the 
 family of the duke of Ormond, and 
 lived a great par of his time ia 
 that kingdoi). About the year 
 1670 he came over into England, 
 .nud being perfeft mailer of the 
 French and Italian languages, he 
 tranflated three dramatic Pieces 
 from the originals of three emi- 
 nent Poets, viz, Taflb, Corneille, 
 
 and 
 
D A 
 
 r rto 1 
 
 DA 
 
 I .1 
 
 ■li 
 
 ijii ' ■ 
 
 w, 
 
 and Quinauit. The Pieces are as 
 follow : 
 
 1. Anjynta. Paft. 410. 1660. 
 
 2. Nkomcdc. T. C. 410.1671. 
 
 3. yJgriftpa, kinjf of Alba, Trag. 
 4to. 1675. 
 
 Langbaine has given us this au- 
 thor's name Dancer, alias Daun- 
 cy; but whence the doubt con- 
 cerning his name arifes I know 
 jjot, unlets from the irregularity 
 of fpelling which was given way to 
 at the time this gentleman wrote. 
 Danill, Samuel. This gen- 
 tleman, who Hands in high elH- 
 ination among the wi iters of the 
 age he lived in, both as a poet 
 and an liillorian, flourifticd in the 
 reigns of queen iiiizabeth and 
 king James 1. He was the fon of 
 a mufic-maller, and born near 
 Taunton in Somerfetfhire, in the 
 year 1562. At feventeen years of 
 age he was admitted a commoner 
 of Magdalen-Hall, Oxford, at 
 which place he continued for about 
 the fpace of three years, and dui Ir.g 
 that time, by the affiftance of an 
 excellent tutor and the dint of 
 great affiduity and application on 
 his own fide, made a very con- 
 iiderable progrefs in all branches 
 of academical learning. Thofe 
 which were of a graver turn how- 
 ever not fo well fuiting his ge- 
 nius, he applied himfelf princi- 
 pally to hiftory and poetry, which 
 continued to be his favourites du- 
 ring the remainder of his life. At 
 the expiration of the abovemen- 
 tioned term he quitted the uni- 
 verfity, and came up to London, 
 where his own merit, and the in- 
 tereft of his brother-in law, John 
 Florio, the celebrated author of an 
 Italian Didionary, recommended 
 him to the favour of queen Anne, 
 king James Id's confort, who was 
 plcaled to confer on him the ho- 
 nour of being firll gentleman ex- 
 traordinary, and afterwards one of 
 
 her grooms of the privy chamber j 
 which being a pou of very little 
 employment, the income of it en- 
 abled him to rent a houfe at a 
 fmall diftance from London, which 
 had a very fine^ garden belonging 
 to it, amongft the folitary amufe- 
 ments of which he is faid to have 
 compofed the moll of his Piays. 
 Towards the latter part of his life 
 he quitted London entirely, and 
 retired, according to Dr. Fuller, to 
 a farm near the Devifes, in VVilt- 
 Ihire, but Wood fixes the place of 
 his retreat at Beckington near 
 Philips Norton, in Somerfetfliire, 
 where he commenced farmer, and 
 after fome years fpent in a health^ 
 ful exercife of that employment, in 
 the fervice of the Mufes and in 
 religious contemplation, he died in 
 the year 16 19. 
 
 Such is the fum of the accounts 
 given by different authors of this 
 writer's life. Yet there is an evi- 
 dent confufion in it, which I can- 
 not fay I well know how to clear 
 up, with refj)efl to his age at the 
 time of his death, all the authors 
 feeming to be agreed in the year 
 when he died; nay, Wood has 
 even given us a copy of his monu- 
 mental infcription, which affixes 
 a date to his death : and yet Lang- 
 baine, Gildon, and Jacob, have 
 all pofitively declared that he lived 
 till near eighty years of age. Nor 
 can I account for this any other- 
 wife, than by fuppofing that the 
 two lall have, without any exami- 
 nation or even reHexion, copied 
 the grois errors of the firft, who 
 has, in concuirence with the ac- 
 count given of him by Wood, ab- 
 folutely fixed his birth in 1^62* 
 and his death in 1619, at which 
 time he could have been only fifty- 
 feven, and yet immediately after 
 alTcrted that he lived to fourfcore 
 years of age. And even after all 
 there is fome difHculty rcmaming, 
 
 as 
 
D A 
 
 [ 
 
 III 
 
 } 
 
 J) A 
 
 as we find a correfted edition of 
 his Cleopatra greatly altered, and 
 alfo one of the f^ffion of the tvjehe 
 GciUcffcs, which is faid to be pub- 
 lifhed by the author trom his own 
 copy, in julHfication of himfelf, 
 from a fpurious edition before 
 printed without his knowledge: 
 both of which are dated in 1623. 
 But as the general edition of his 
 works in 1623 were nublifhed by 
 his brother Mr. John Daniel, it is 
 pollible thefe fflterations may have 
 been from MS. copies which he 
 had himfelf prepared for the prefs 
 before his death, fince it is fcarceiy 
 pcflible that Wood, who had feen 
 his monument, could have mif- 
 taken the date infcribed upon it. 
 The abovenamcd monument was 
 ereded to his memory by the lady 
 Anne Clifford, afterwards countefs 
 of Dorfet, to whom he had for- 
 merly been tutor, and who was 
 a very great lover and encourager 
 otlearning and learned men. 
 
 His dramatic pieces, which how- 
 ever are not equal to fome other 
 of his poetical works, and iHll lefs 
 fo to his hiftories, which are yet 
 held in very high edimation, are 
 the following fix, viz. 
 
 1. Cleopatra. T. lamo 1^94. 
 
 2. Philotas, T. 4t0. 1605. 
 
 3. ^(cen's Arcadia. Pall, 410. 
 1606. 
 
 4. Tttlyys* Feftival; Or, The 
 SlNcen*s U^ake. I. 4to. 16 10. 
 
 5. Hymens Triumph, I'aft. Trag- 
 Com. 4to, 1623. 
 
 6. Vijion of the iivclve GodJtJTcs, 
 4to. 1623. 
 
 He was alfo poet laurcat to king 
 James I. in which honour he whs 
 iucceeded by the celebrated Ben 
 Jonfon ; but in what year he him- 
 ielf was firft promoted to the lau- 
 rel, I do not find any account re- 
 corded. 
 
 Darcy, James. Thisgentle- 
 man was a njitive of the county of 
 
 Galway, in Ireland, whether yet 
 living or not I cannot pretend to 
 aflert. But he has obliged the 
 public with two dramatic pieces, 
 both of them performed at the 
 Theatre Royal in Dublin. Their 
 refpedive titles are, 
 
 1 . Love and Ambition, T. 8vo« 
 
 2. Orphan of Venice. T. 
 
 Dauboun, alias Daborn, Ro- 
 bert. Though the lame differ* 
 ence appears in the fpellinj*; of this 
 author's name as in Mr. Dancer's, 
 beforementioned, the lall is cer- 
 tainly right. He lived in the reign 
 of king Jimes I. apd had a liberal 
 education, being mafter of arts, 
 but in what univerfity he took his 
 degree appears uncertain. He was 
 alfo in holy orders, and it is pro- 
 bable had a living in Ireland. At 
 lead it is apparent he was in that 
 kingdom, from a Ser-non publifhed 
 by him on Zech. ii. 7. in the year 
 1618. which is faid in the title- 
 page to have been preached at Wa- 
 terford. He wrote the two fol- 
 lowing Plays : 
 
 1. Chrijiian turned Turk, T. 4 to, 
 1612. 
 
 2. Poor ILviS Comfort. T. C. 
 410. 1655. 
 
 D'AvENANT.CnAnLESjLL.D. 
 
 This gentleman was eldeft fon of 
 Sir William D'Avenant, the poet 
 laureat, whom we are jull about to 
 mention. He was born in the 
 year 1656, and received the firft 
 rudiments of letters at the gram- 
 mar fchool of Cheame, in ouriy. 
 He gave very early proofs ot an 
 active and fprlghtiy genius, ;ind, 
 being fent to Oxford to conipleac 
 his lludies, became a fellow-com- 
 moner of Balicl college in 1671, 
 but left the univerfity without 
 taking a degree. When he was 
 only nineteen years old he pro- 
 duced the fingle dramayc piece 
 which he gave the puUic. He 
 
 foon 
 
W h 
 
 i 1 
 
 P A 
 
 I 11^ 3 
 
 P A 
 
 foofl i-ellnquiflied all attention to fpedl of death Itfelf, were Infuf- 
 
 poetry, for ftudies of a very dif- ficient to abate his ardor or lefl'en 
 
 ferent nature. Applying himfelf his diligence in the caufe of his 
 
 to the civil law, he hau the degree darling miftrefles the Mules : for 
 
 of doftor conferred on him by the it is rtvorded of him, that when 
 
 univerfity of Cambridge, and in 
 the firft par!iamenc of kinp; James 
 the fecond rcprefented ihe Bo- 
 rough of St, ives, in Cornwall. 
 He was alfo about the fame time- 
 appointed infpeftor of plays and 
 commiilioner of excife, in which 
 latter empioyment he continued 
 from 1683 to 1689. '^n ^^9*^ '^^ 
 was elefted one of the reprcfen- 
 tatives for the Borough of Great 
 Ecdwin. Some time afterwards 
 he had the poll of infpedlor gene- 
 ral of the exports and imports bc- 
 ilowed upon him. He died in 
 
 he wi\s prifoner in Cowes cadle, 
 and on a pretty near certainty (ac- 
 cording to his own exprefiion) of 
 being hanged withia a week, he 
 ftil! purfued the co.. ^.ofition of his 
 celebrated poem of Gi^v dibert, and 
 evtn was mailer en gh of his 
 temper and abilit. s to write a let- 
 ter to his friend Hobbes, giving 
 fome account of the progrefa he 
 had made in it, and offering fome 
 cricicifms on the nature of that 
 kind of poetry. But to proceed 
 more regularly in hio hillory. 
 Our author was a younger fon 
 
 poffeffion of this employment, No- of Mr. John D'Avenant. who was 
 
 vember 6, 1714 He was a voiu 
 minous and excellent writer on tlie^ 
 fubjedts of politics and revenue dur- 
 jngthe reigns of king William and 
 queen Anne. Moft of his works in 
 this way were colleded by Sir 
 Charles Whitworth in five volumes 
 8vo. He wrote one drama called, 
 
 Circe. D, O. 4tc. 1677. 
 
 Davenant. Sir William, 
 
 a citizen of Oxford, being a very 
 lubftantial vintner, and keeping 
 a large tavern, afterwards known 
 by the name of the Crown in that 
 cii) ; where he moreover, in 1621, 
 attained to the honour of being 
 elefted mayor. This fon was bora 
 at Oxford in Feb. 1605, and very 
 early in life gave tokens of a lively 
 and proroifing genius. He rc- 
 
 Knt, To this gentleman, whofe ceived the rudiments of gramma 
 variegated life I am now about to tical learning from Mr. Edward 
 
 relate the circumllances of, the 
 EngliHi ftage perhaps Hands more 
 deeply indebted than to any other 
 writer of this nation, with refpcft 
 to the refinement of poetry, and 
 his zealous application to thv.- pro- 
 moting and contribaiing towards 
 thofe rational pleafures, which are 
 fiiiell for the cntertainnieni of a 
 civilized people. And the greater 
 ^tould his merit be elleemtd in 
 this particular, fince net only 
 the important affairs of the (late, 
 , whofe neceffities demanded his af- 
 iillance, and cf which he was no 
 unadive memi>"i at a period of 
 greai tonfufion and perplexity, but 
 even confinement, and the prc- 
 
 Sylveller, who kept a fchool in the 
 parilh of All-Saints, Oxford, and 
 in the year iC^i, being that of his 
 father's mayoralty, he was enter- 
 ed a member' of Lincoln college 
 in that univerfity, in order to 
 compleat his academical ftudies 
 under Mr. Daniel Hough. Here 
 however he took no degree, nor, 
 according to Wood's opinion, 
 made any long refidence, that 
 writer a\)folutely informing us, at 
 the fame time, that he acknow- 
 ledges the ftrength of his genius, 
 and even dillinguiflics him by the 
 title of the hwect Swan of Ifis, 
 that he was ncverthelefs cunlider- 
 
 ably 
 
D A 
 
 [ "3 ] 
 
 D A 
 
 ably deHcleot in univerfity learn* 
 
 irig. 
 
 On his quitting the univerfity, 
 he became one in the reiiniie of 
 the magnificently difpofed Frances 
 dutchefs of JRichmond, out of 
 vi'hofe family he removed into 
 that of the celebrated Sir Fiilke 
 Oreville, lord EiOok, whofe hif- 
 tory I have fecorded in its pro- 
 per jjlace. But after the un- 
 happy death of that nobleman in 
 ibzS, bein^f now left vvithout a 
 patron, although not in ditlrefled 
 circumAances, it is probable that 
 views of proiit as well as amufe- 
 nient might induce him to an ex- 
 ertion of his geniiis, as he in tha 
 enfuing year produced his firll 
 play, called A.bovtne^ King of the 
 iamhariisy which met with great 
 fuccefs. 
 
 For the ei^ht fiicceeding years 
 he paft his time in the fervice of 
 the Mur(;;s, and a cbnilant attend- 
 ance at court, where he ivas very 
 inuch careU'ed l|y all the great wits 
 there, among whom we find him 
 in the clofeft intimacy with the 
 carl of Dorfet, lord treafurcr Wef- 
 toii, and the accomplifhed Endy- 
 ihion Ported efq. in confequcnce 
 iifthis extenfivc perfbnaj inteieit, 
 and the peculiar patron .ge of the 
 queen, he was in the year 1 63 7 
 promote^i to the laurel, which was 
 vacant by the death of Ben Jon- 
 fon, and for which Thoinsas May 
 flood as his competitor. In the 
 life of that poet the reader will 
 find related the refentment he 
 Ihcwed on the lofs of this eleflion; 
 and it will equally appear, in tKc 
 courfe ot this gentleman's hirtory, 
 with what ardent gratitude and 
 iinlhalcen zeal for the caufe of the 
 royal fathily he repaid this mark 
 of their cftecm tor him. For as 
 foon as ever che civil war broke 
 out, he d«a)oollrace<l his lovalty to 
 
 yoL, li 
 
 the king, not only in word, but ac- 
 tions. ^ 
 
 In May 1641, he was accufed 
 by the parliament of being con- 
 cerned in a defign tor feduting 
 the army from their adherence to 
 the parliamentary authority ; and 
 a proclamation being iffued for 
 the apprehending him and others 
 engaged in that defign, he was 
 flopped at Feverrtiam, fent up 10 
 London, and put under the cuf- 
 tody of the lerjeant at arms. From 
 hence, in the month of July fol- 
 lowing, he was bailed, and fooa 
 after found it ne elliiry for him to 
 withdraw to France. In this at- 
 tempt to fly, however, he Was not 
 rhuih more fuccefsful than in the 
 former, reaching no farther than 
 Canterbury befbre he was again 
 feized by the mayor of that city.^ 
 and obliged tu Undergo a '.vr/ 
 drift ex;imiuation. Whetiier he 
 was put into confineiTient on this 
 occadon, or fufTcred to proceed 
 on his journey, is a point that his 
 biograt/hers have not rendered ex- 
 tremely clear; but it is prettv evi- 
 dent that the delay arifing from it 
 was not a very long one, as we 
 find that he did at length join the 
 queen in Prance, wiic^e he fiaid 
 for fome tiriit;, till, accoftipanving a 
 jiarce! of military llorf* which that 
 princefs f^nt over tor the ufe rt 
 the earl of Newcalllp, he was eti- 
 tertained by his lordfhip, wh > had 
 been his old friend and pa'.ron, ift 
 the ilaiion 01 lieutcnafit-gencral of 
 the ordname. 
 
 In his military capacity he ap- 
 pears to have behav^id well, for, at 
 the fiege of Gl.ucerter in Stpt. 
 1643, he fec'ived the honour pf 
 knighthjod from the king, as ad 
 acknowledgmrnt of his bravery 
 and fignal fei vices. But on tiiC 
 declining of the ki\ig's affairs, fo 
 far as to be bevond retrieval, Sir 
 
 1 ' William 
 
■m>0!^u .• 
 
 D A 
 
 [ "4 } 
 
 D A 
 
 William ontfe mrsre retired to 
 France, where he changed hi.s re- 
 ligion foi* that of the church of 
 Rome, ard remained for a confi- 
 der.ble time with the queen and 
 prince of Wales. By them he was 
 held in high ef^eem, and appears 
 to have been entrufted with foms 
 important negotiatioi^s in 1646, 
 and particularly erriployed by the 
 queen in an attempt, though an 
 unfuccefsful one, to prevail on 
 king Charles I. to comply with 
 fome temporifing fteps which fh-e 
 confidered as necelTary td Hi's in- 
 terefts. 
 
 In 1650, an ingenious projefl 
 having been formed for fcnding a 
 fcleft number of anificf fs (parti- 
 cularly weavers) from France to 
 Virginia, for the improvement of 
 that colony, our author, encou- 
 raged to it by the" queen-aiother/ 
 undertook the condui.% pf thiii ex- 
 pedition, and abfolutcl/ embarked 
 in the profecution of it from one 
 of the ports of Normandy. But 
 fortune no!; being inclined to fa- 
 vour him, th"? veffel had fcarct ly 
 gotcleai'of \.vi- French coat^, be- 
 fore (he fell in w ;h, and v/as- taken 
 by, a (hip of war belonging to the 
 parliament, who carried her into 
 the I(le of Wight. 
 
 Sir William D'Avenaot on this 
 occafion >vas confined lor fome 
 time clofe prifonfir to Cowes caf- 
 tle,- and in the cnfuing year was 
 fent up to the Tower of London, 
 in order to take his trial before 
 the High Court of Jurtice. 
 
 During his conRnemcnt, his life 
 was for a long time kept in the 
 utmotl fufpence and danger ; yet 
 what is very remarkable, it had fo 
 little effed on his na'ural vivacity 
 and eafinefs of difpofition, that he 
 Hill with great afliduity purfued 
 his poem ofGondibat, two books 
 of which he had written while in 
 France. &y \\ hat means he ef- 
 
 liam'» 
 
 Uroi;j-:i 
 mane 
 
 caped this impeniling florm is not 
 abfolutely apparent. Some have 
 attributed it to the interpolition 
 of two aldermen of York, to whom 
 he had (hewn fome peculiar civi- 
 lities when they had ibeen taken 
 prifor!;:rs in the nnrth by the earl 
 of Newcaflle's forces; and others 
 afcfibe his fafety to the mediation 
 of the greit Milton. Though the 
 former of thefe particulars may 
 have fome foundation, and mighf 
 be a concurrent circnm'nance ja 
 his prefervation, yet I c^innot help 
 thinking the latter moil likely to 
 ha^e been the principal inflrument 
 in it ; as the immortal hard' was' 
 a man whofe intereit was mod po- 
 ten!: at that time ; and it is reafon- 
 •ti)i* to imagine a fym pathetic 
 r^^-^rd ff.r a perfr ) of Sir Wil- 
 poetical ahiiides muft plead 
 • in his favour in io hu- 
 i Iireaft a<j that of Miltopy 
 ?nd point out to him that true 
 genius ought to be confidered of 
 no party,' but claims the protec- 
 tion of all : and what feems to 
 confirm this is, that we find ten 
 years afterwards, vi/hen the latter 
 was exadly in the fame predica- 
 ment, he fiood indebted for the 
 fame proteftion to Sir William, to 
 whom therefore mankind ought 
 to confider themfelves as under 
 double obligations, fince, but fo? 
 his intercelUon for the life of Mil- 
 Ion, the world would never have 
 been niriched with the noblelV 
 poem it can boall. 
 
 Be this,^ however, as it will, he 
 was at length admitted to his li- 
 berty as a prifoner at large ; yet 
 his circumiiances being now cun- 
 fiderab'y reduced, he made a bold 
 effort towards at once redreffing 
 them', and redeeming the public 
 fronr that cynical and auftere gloom 
 whioh had long hung over it, oc- 
 calioned by the fuppreflion of thea- 
 trical amul'cmcnts. He well kne>v 
 
 thu( 
 
D A 
 
 [ i»5 3 
 
 D A 
 
 that a theatre, if condufled with 
 fKill and addrefs, would (till find a 
 fuiHcient number of partisans to 
 fupport it; and having obtained 
 the countenance of lord Whitlocke, 
 Sir [ohn Maynard, and other per- 
 fon.' i'f r.5nk. who we*.' in reality 
 ni> niend: to the can? and hypo- 
 crUv \\h'.'::i then fo flroo;;ly pre- 
 vai.'t'd, he j>;ot permiiKd ;<■ open 
 a {on oi th«;f'..fe -->;. Riitiari .'• Floufe, 
 in Charter-Hoafe Vard, where he 
 began ^vith a reprefentation, which 
 liC called an Opera, but was in 
 reality ctuite a difFerenf thing. 
 This meeting w ifh er r.oura^ement, 
 k; iHli proceeded, CvA at length 
 growing bold' .• by fucrtfs, he 
 wrote, asd cam •»! to be sidled, fe- 
 veral rf?gu);Ar Plays, which, by the 
 great profits arifing from them, 
 pcrfediy anfv\7tred the more im- 
 portant part of his defign, that of 
 amending his fortunes. Imme- 
 diately after the reiloration of 
 ling Charles II. however, which 
 brought with it that of the Britifh 
 ftage in a ilate of unreilrained li- 
 berty, Sir William D'Avenant ob- 
 tained a patent for the reprefen- 
 tation of dramatic pieces, under the 
 title of the Duke'a theatre in Lin- 
 coln's-Inn Fields. The firli open- 
 lug of this theatre was with a new 
 Play of his own, entitled, the Siege 
 tf Rhodes, in which he introduced 
 a great variety of fine fcores and 
 beautiful machinery. And here 
 it is neceffary to obferve, that Sir 
 William D'At'enant was the firll 
 perfon to whom the EngliHi flage 
 is indebted for thofe decorations ; 
 which he brought over the idea of 
 from the theatres in France, his 
 long refidence in which country 
 had greatly improved his taile^ 
 and induced him to endeavour at 
 a greater regularity in the coiidudt, 
 and a greater corredlnels in the 
 language of his pieces, than the 
 mauner of the dramatic writers 
 
 of his own country had hitherto 
 attained. Nor could he, amonz 
 other improvements, omit thofe of 
 decoration and fcenery, fo necef- 
 fary for heightening the deception, 
 on which fo great a part of our 
 pleafure in this kind of entertain- 
 ments condantly depends, in which 
 we now even greatly exceed our 
 neighbours, but which at that 
 time the Englifli ftage was fo bar- 
 baroufly deficient in ; for although 
 it is true that, in the reign of king 
 Charles I. we read of many dra- 
 matic entertainments, which were 
 accompanied with very rich fce- 
 nery, curious machines, and other 
 elegant embellilhments, and the 
 greateft part of them even con- 
 ducted by that great architect Inigo 
 Jones, yet thcfe were employed 
 only in the Mafques and Plays 
 reprefented at court, r.nd were 
 much loo expenfive for the little 
 theatres, in which Plays were thea 
 afled for hire. Thefe theatres 
 were fo numerous, there being ge- 
 nerally fix or feven opv^n at once, 
 (we are told, that there were 
 ar one time no Icfs than feventeen 
 playhoufes fubfifting in London, 
 fmall as it then was in comparifon 
 to its prefent extent), and the prices 
 fo extremely low, that they could 
 afford no farther decorations to 
 affill the aftor's performance, dt 
 elevate the fpeftator's imagination, 
 than bare walls, coarfely matted, 
 or at the bell covered with tapef- 
 try, and nothing more than a blan- 
 ket, or a piece of coarfe cloth, by 
 way of a curtain ; in this lituatiou 
 were they in Shakfpeare's time^ 
 who, in fome of his chorufes, 
 fcems to have had an apparent re- 
 ference to it ; and not much bet- 
 ter does it appsar to have been at 
 any period before the B.eftoration, 
 at which time tafle and luxury, 
 genius and gallantry, elegance arid 
 Itcentioufnefs:, feem to have made 
 i - a minded 
 
A 
 
 [ 1x6 ] 
 
 D A 
 
 n J 
 
 i 
 
 a iiMnglcJ entry into thefe king- on it in his SfJ^on of th P,>etSi 
 doms, under the aufpices ct" a in which he has the following 
 witiy and wickfd, a merry and line?, 
 
 miflhievous, monarch. But to 
 quit this digrefiion. 
 
 Sir W'illianj D'Avcnant conti- 
 nued at the head of his company 
 ^vvhlch was afterwards removed to 
 a ilill larger and moremagn-ficent 
 theatre built in Dorfct Gardens,) 
 til! the time of his death, which 
 happened on (he 17th of April, 
 1668, in the ()4ch year of his ;ige; 
 and in two days afterwards was 
 interred in \Vellniinfler-Ab!>cy, 
 very near iiis lival for the laurel, 
 *ihf). May, leaving his Ton Dr. 
 C'hrirlcs D'Avenant, mentioned in 
 the };iil article, his iiirceffor in tlie 
 manajrcment of the theatre. On 
 his giav«. Hone is iniLrbeJ, in 
 imitation of Hen Jonfoi.'s Ihort 
 cpitiipli, the fol.ovving words, 
 
 O nirc Sir U'tUhim Datriiaut ! 
 
 Tliiis, after p;.fiir;r through 
 many llorms of dif5iculiy and tid- 
 verfiiy, lie at length ipent the 
 
 It ill D'yftvnant, aJljanCtl of a 
 foolljl) tn'ifchanct 
 
 That he had got lately travelling 
 in France, 
 
 Moilijliy Ijujt'd the batulfomentfs ofs 
 Mufe 
 
 Might itwf ^cfirtnity about him 
 excuje. 
 And 
 
 i^utrly the company ivonld ha<ue teen 
 content 
 
 If they could have found ariy pre- 
 cedent ; 
 
 But in all their records, in vcrfe or 
 inprofe. 
 
 There w.if not one laurcat with- 
 out a nofe. 
 
 Although it is far from my in-, 
 clination to propagate flander, or 
 add to the perpetuating any tale 
 of private calumny, yet I might, 
 as a biographer, be thought guilty 
 of an omilFion, (hould I not take 
 notice in this place, that, in con- 
 
 evening of his days in eafe and fequence of the extraordinary 
 fereniiy. While living he had the beauty of Mrs. D'Avcnanf, our 
 happinefs of being univeifally be- author's mother, and the frequency 
 
 loved, and at his death was as uni- 
 vcrfaliy lamented. 
 
 As a man, his chnraflcr rippears 
 to have been in every refptd jer- 
 fedly amiable ; honour, courage, 
 gratitude, integrit\, j;cr:iijs, and 
 tivacity, having apparently betn 
 
 of the vifits of Shakfpeare, who, 
 in the courfe of his journeys into 
 Oxfordlhire, ufed moft generally 
 to refide at the houfe of her huf- 
 band, who, as I have before ob- 
 fcrved, kept an inn in the city of 
 Oxford, thrre have not been 
 
 the predominant features cf his wanting thofe who have conjec- 
 taind ; and all the hiflorians ft-cm tuied Sir William D'Avenant to 
 to allow, that he was poflefl'ed of have been not only the poetical, 
 an sgreeablc perf^n and handfome but even the natural fon of that 
 face, till, in confequei ce of fbmc inimitable bard ; and, as a far- 
 amorous dalliances, whereby his ther corroboration of the furmife, 
 rofe had greatly fuftVred, the fym- would infinuate a refemblance of 
 inetry of the latter wss confider- feature, and urge the vivacity of 
 ably disfigured, and became the Sir William's natural difpofition, 
 fubjift ot mu'.h wit among his which was diametrically oppofite 
 contemporary pcets. ^ir Jnhn to the gloomy faturnine complex- 
 Suckling in particular, thougii his ion of Mr. D'Avenant, his fup- 
 fiiend, could not avoid touching joied and legal parent. Was the 
 
 fact 
 
 I 111 
 
 II 
 
D A 
 
 [ 117 1 
 
 D A 
 
 fiift certain, how greatly would 
 this author appear the favourite 
 of the Mufes, firft to receive bis 
 exillence, and afterwards to owe 
 the continuance of ir, to the two 
 ^oH exalted geniufes that ever 
 jived ! biit, as the circumllances 
 on which the fuppolition is found- 
 ed are by no means fuch as are 
 aciequate to a proof; us gallantry, 
 and more elpeciall. adultery, were 
 iar from the reigning or fafliion- 
 able vices of that age ; and more- 
 over, as Shakfpeare more particu- 
 larly fecins remarkabh' for the 
 chaltity and amiable purity of his 
 r.i0raU ; I cannot think, that the 
 calling a ftain on the virtue of a 
 Icdy of reputation, and fixing a 
 blot on the mor^l'conduft of fo 
 valuable a man, are fufficiently au- 
 thorized by the mere fuggellions 
 of fancy, or the inclination of 
 tracing out a baftard pedigree in 
 the poetical line, for a writer, 
 whofe own merit is fufficlent to cd- 
 fuie him the remembrance of ages 
 yet to come. 
 
 As a poet, Sir William's rank 
 feems as yet undetermii.cd. His 
 celebrated epic of Gundtbcrt was 
 lendered at the fame time the fub- 
 jeft ot the hij;hert commendation 
 iind the fevered criticifin ; though, 
 I mull cc.nfefs, that envy appears 
 to me to have had a much {greater 
 {hare in the latter than jullice ; for, 
 though the flory 01 it may not per- 
 haps be fo interefting (and that 
 too in great meafgre from its not 
 being fi well known) as thofe of 
 the ///Wand JE««V/, jnd that the 
 fei'ers of rhime, and ftill more {\j^ 
 thofe of llanzd poetry, lay it under 
 very great reilraint, yet it mult be 
 acknowledged, even by its Itrong- 
 eft opponents, that there runs 
 through the >vhoIe of it a fuMi- 
 niity in the finciaients, a noble- 
 Jjels in the minmrs, a purity in 
 (h^ di^ion, and a luxuiiuncy in 
 
 the conceptions, that would have 
 done honour to any writer of-any 
 age or country whatfocver. 13ut 
 to ceafe any farther eulo^ium on 
 this poem, as no tcdimony of his 
 poetical merits can be conlidered 
 more valid than that of Mr Vix^- 
 den, uho was not only his con- 
 temporary, but even wrote in con- 
 junction with him, and as nothing 
 can be ftronger or more ample 
 than the commendation that gen- 
 tleman has given him, I (hall with 
 his wordi clofe th" pr^fent account 
 of Sir VVilliam D'Avenant and his 
 abilities. 
 
 '* I found him (fays that author, 
 *' in his preface to the TemfieflJ bt" 
 " fo quick a fancy, that no'hing 
 " was propofid to him on which 
 •* he could not quickly produce 
 •• a thought extremely plealknt 
 "and furprifing; and thcfe firlt 
 " thoughts of his, contrary to the 
 '• old Latin proverb, were nut al- 
 "• v.ays the le;ill happy; and as 
 '' his fancy was quick, fo iikewifu 
 *' were the produces of it remote 
 '* and new. He borrowed not of 
 " any oiher; and his imaginations 
 *• were fuch, as cnuld not catiiy 
 " enter into any other man. His 
 " conedtions were fober and judi- 
 " cious, and he corrcdled his ovyn 
 " writings much more feverely 
 " than thofe of another man; be- 
 " ftowing twice the labour and 
 ♦' pains in poiifhing which he uftd 
 '* in invennon." 
 
 Sir William D'Avenant's dra- 
 maiic works are numoroas, yet not 
 one ot them is at prelent on the 
 li.l of ai'tng piavs, which I cannoc 
 help lo neiimes regretting, as there 
 are certainly thof.' among then\ 
 that Tiuch better deftrve h.i^ hb- 
 rour, ih.n many pi ces vyhich aitc 
 very frequently ai,d lui ccfsru ly 
 repePntecj 'he titles o nem 
 all may be fcen in the fo';o\v ng 
 li:': 
 
 1 3 i» --'V^iifi 
 
D A 
 
 I ii8 } 
 
 D A 
 
 I . Jlhsr^'ie^ King of the I '/«- 
 iarJs. T. 4to. 1629. 
 
 J. Cruel Brother. T. 410. 1 630. 
 
 3. Juji Italian. T. C. 410. 1630. 
 
 4. "-[anple of Love, M. 410. 
 1634. 
 
 5. Triumphs of the Prince D*A- 
 tnour, M. 4to. 1635. 
 
 6. Platonic Lon'crs, C. ^Xf^.ltlt. 
 
 7. Wits. C. 4to. 16 ^6. D. C. 
 8* Britannia Triumphans, M. 
 
 4to. 1637. 
 
 9. Salmacida Spolia. ]VI« 4to. 
 
 1639- , „ 
 
 to. Unfortunate hovers, T. 410, 
 
 1643. 
 
 I I. Love and Honour. T. C. 410. 
 1649. 
 
 12. Entertainment at Rutland 
 Houfe, 4to. 1656. 
 
 13. The Sirge of Rhodes. E. 4to. 
 i6j;6. 
 
 14. T''^* Cruelty of the Spaniards 
 in Peru. 4to. 1658. 
 
 iq. 7i? Hfloyy if Sir Francis 
 Drake. E. 410. 1659. 
 
 16. Sir^e nf Rhodes, Play, two 
 Parts. 4to. 1663. 
 
 ir. Rinmh. T. C. 410. 1668. 
 
 i'^. Man*i the Mijjler. C. 410. 
 1669. 
 
 19. Fair Fa-voriU. T. C fo. 
 ^673. 
 
 20. I.az\} againfi Lovers, T. C. 
 fo. 1673. 
 
 • 21. Ncivsfro.'n Piymoul'j. C. fo. 
 1673. 
 
 22. Plnyhoifc to It Icit. C. lo. 
 
 »673- 
 
 23. AV^f. T. C. fo. 1673. 
 
 ■ 34. Dfu.Jc;. T. C. fo. 1673. 
 
 25. hladxth. T. |to. 1674. 
 
 He joined with Dryden In al- 
 
 . tering 7hf Tonpefl and 'Julius 
 
 ^ai<n ; and iu the Sutioncrs Books, 
 
 III Jan. '6^9, is entcfeci a Play 
 
 Vvrittt n bv him, called, 
 
 , The Chloncl. N. I'. 
 
 Davem'ok r, HocHRT. Oftl.is 
 jju'hor lui circom.'.inccs are cciiic 
 down to ihii prcleiu linies. lie 
 
 wrote feveral Plays, three of which 
 only are prir.tcd, called, 
 
 1. A Nino Trick to cheat the 
 Devil. C. 4to. 1639. 
 
 2. King fnbn and Matilda, T, 
 
 4to. 1655. 
 
 5. The City Night Cap ; or, Crede 
 quod holes et hales, T. C. 410, 
 1661. D. C. 
 
 He was alfo the author of the 
 following : 
 
 4. The Pedler, C. 163O. 
 
 £. The Pirati', See Stceveos'i 
 Shakfpeare, vol. I. p. 331. 
 
 6. The Fatal Brothers, T. 
 
 7. Ihr Politick ^tcen ; or, Mur- 
 ther nuill out, 
 
 8. The fVomai^i miftaien. See 
 Art, EuuE. 
 
 ?. Hemy I* and Henry II. 
 c does not appear whether thefe 
 are one or two Plays. In the 
 Books of the Stationers Company, 
 they are faid to be written by 
 Shakfpeare and Davenport. Henry 
 I. was in the poffcfllon of Mr, 
 V\'arburton, Soracrfet Ilirald. 
 
 Dauncey. SceDANCl-K. 
 
 Davy, Samuel. This author 
 is mentioned no where but in the 
 Kriiifn Theatre, He \\.. .shorn in 
 Irelar.d, ?.rA I imagine it was in 
 that kiiigficni that he brought the 
 following piece on the llaye, vi2. 
 
 The Irt.uherous hLJhand, T. 
 
 Davys, Maky. This female 
 author was born in Irelai ', (he 
 v/as n.arried to a clergyman, whom 
 fhe furvived ; and after his death 
 kept a coffee-houfe at Cambridge, 
 v^here fhe died. She war a tor- 
 refpondent of Dean Swift ; and 
 thirty-fix Letters from him to her 
 and her huiband are now in the 
 
 banas 
 
 r. Ewen of Cambiidgc. 
 
 ue wrote uvo dram.itic 
 
 i'.ces 
 
 both in the comic walk, emiried, 
 
 1. The 2s 01 1 born He-rifs, C. 
 I jrr..!. 17 1 6. 
 
 2. itclf Ri'verl. C. Svo. 1725. 
 
 Bt;;ides, thefe i»ie wrote fonie No- 
 
 I 1 
 
D £ 
 
 { i»9 J 
 
 D E 
 
 ithor of the 
 
 vets, poems, and Familiar Letters, 
 which, together with the above, 
 are publifhedin 2 vols. five. 1725. 
 under the title of The IVorks of 
 Mrs. Davys, 
 
 Day, John. This author, by 
 the date of his works, mult have 
 flouril'hed in thereignsdfkin^ James 
 I. and king Charles I. and wrote 
 the following dramatic pieces: 
 
 1. Ifle of Gulls. C. 4to. 1606. 
 
 2. Travels of Three Enf^HJh BrO' 
 ihcrs. Hiftorical Play, 410. 1607. 
 
 The author was alftHed in this 
 by William Rowley and George 
 Wilkins. 
 
 3. Humour out of Breatlj, C. 
 4to. 1608. 
 
 4. Law Trich. C. 410. 1608. 
 ^. Parliament of Bees. Ma/(]ae. 
 6. Blind Beggar of BetbnalGreen, 
 
 C 4to. 1659. 
 
 He alfo joined with Decker in a 
 Flay not printed, called, 
 
 Guy Earl of Warwick, 1 6 1 9. 
 and with Marlow in ' 
 
 The Maidens Holiday. 1654. 
 The precife time of his Birth and 
 death, however, are not known ; nor 
 are any farther particulars record-' 
 ed concerning him, except that he 
 had conneflion with fome of his 
 contemporary poets of note, and 
 had beenaftudentinCaiusCollege^ 
 Cambridge. 
 
 Decker, Thomas. Thisgen- 
 tlt-man was a writer in the reigji 
 of king James I. and, being a con- 
 leniporary with Ben Jonfon, became 
 more eminent by having a quarrel 
 with that great poet, than he would 
 perhaps otherwil'e have done from 
 t\v: merit of his own works. ^ hat 
 t!ie ori;rinil occafion oi" their con- 
 idl was, 1 know not; but jonfon, 
 who crnainly could never " bear 
 " a rival near the throne," has, in 
 his Foa.!j.'r-^ the £),'./.■. •/,;.•.' of that. 
 amhor, among nnany other poets 
 •vhom he has fatvri/.rd, been pe- 
 culiarly il-vei'.' on Decker, whom 
 
 he has charaAerifed under the 
 name of Crijpinus. This compli- 
 ment Decker has amply repaid ia 
 in his l>aiyroni/f{ix^ or the Untruf- 
 fing a humorous Potty in which, un- 
 der the title of young Horace he 
 hns made Ben the hero of his 
 piece. Ai great wits, and efpe- 
 cially thofe of the fatyrical kind, 
 will always have numerous ene- 
 mies, befides the general fondncfs 
 the public have of feeing men of 
 abilities ;.bu(eeach other, this Play 
 was extremely followed, and, as ^t 
 appears to have been one of our 
 authors Hrll pieces, it probably laid 
 the fouodation of hii fame as a 
 writer. Although, as I have be- 
 fore obferved. Decker was but a 
 middling poe£, yet he did not want 
 hisadnfHrers, even among the poets 
 of hi s time.; fome of whom thought 
 themfelves not difgraced by writ- 
 ing in conjunction with him.; 
 Webder having a hand in three of 
 his Plays, and ilowley and Ford 
 joining with kf\n\ in another. 
 Richard Brome in particular ufed 
 always to call him father, which is 
 fomewhat the more extraordinary, 
 confidering the oppofition fublilU 
 ing between him and Jonfon, aa 
 Brome had been fervant to, and 
 was a particular favourite with, the 
 laureat,. Rj[r. Theo. Gibber ob- 
 serves, on this occ^ifion, that it is 
 the misfortune of litile wic-^, that 
 their admirers are as inconfiderable 
 as themfelves. and that Hrome's 
 applaufes confer no great honour 
 on thofe who enjoy them. Yet, J 
 think, in this cenl'ure he- has been 
 fomewhat too fevere on both, for 
 Brome's merit was certainly not in- 
 confiderable, fince it could force 
 sdmir.itiou and even public pr.ii;c 
 from the enviou'? iJen iiimfelf. 
 And although Lari^biitie, who 
 writes with partiality tot'ti 1 Jonfon, 
 has given the preierence in fo !'a- 
 pcrlative a degree to thofe Plays 
 I 4 lU 
 
D E 
 
 i tio ] 
 
 D B 
 
 t 
 
 \u 
 
 I? 
 
 I!- ■' 
 
 
 in which our nuthnr was united quent catalogues have explained to 
 
 with others, iigainll thofc wliich mean Samuel Rowlly. 
 
 were entirely his own, yet I can- liefulfs thele, Phillips and Win. 
 
 rot help hiiikini:; that in his i:/>';>r/? Haniey h^ve afpribed four other 
 
 pn>i)if, and the Comedy of OU Plays to this author it^ coiijunflion 
 
 FifViuNiitui, both wl)ich are alloivcii with Webller, viz. 
 
 to be foleiy \vs, th-re are beauties, 
 both as (o ch.iiudUr plot, and Ian- 
 gu.ijic, 'qu^l 10 the abilities of any 
 of til I'e authors th..t be was evtr 
 adilied by, and indeed in the 
 for.ricr eq lal lo any drama.ic wri- 
 ter (Shak.}>e,ire excepted) that this 
 iflaiid lias jjioduced. 
 
 Tiie ONinianc pieces he was con* 
 ^erned in may be feen in the cu- 
 fuing catnlo|;ue : 
 
 1. Oiil Fottunatus, C. 4to. 1600. 
 
 2. S'ltV'O'iiallix, C.S. 4to. 160^. 
 
 3. Hmijl iVhon; C. iiril Part. 
 4to. 1604.. 
 
 .. 4. Ufjlward Hop. C. AfTuled 
 by WfHitpr. 4.rr.. 1607. 
 
 5. Nortlnvarcl Iloe. Q. Afljllcd 
 by Weblicr. 4.10. iC'07. 
 
 6. Hyars Uijiory. Affifted by 
 Wei^ller. 410. 1607. 
 
 7. H hote rf Bullion. Hillory. 
 4to. 160". 
 
 NfM Trick to cleat the DtviL C, 
 
 Niihlc Stra/iger. C. 
 
 U'cakcll goes to the Wall. T. C. 
 
 H'vnian ryjUl have her Will, C. 
 Ip this, however, they are mif- 
 taken, the Noble S/ra»^^cr having 
 been written by Lewis Sharps j 
 T/j.- Ntw Trick to cheat the Divil, 
 by Uavcnport ; and the other tw,o 
 by atioiiynioos author^. 
 
 The prcciff time of this author's 
 birth and death are ntt recorded ; 
 yet he could not have died young, 
 ns the firll Play vye find of his writ- 
 ing was publifhed in 1600, and 
 the latcft date we meet with to 
 any other is ia i6j8, except the 
 i<u/i*s Darlings which Langbaiijie 
 obferves was not publifhed till after 
 the death of its authors. 
 
 Delap, Mr. Of this t;entleman 
 1 know no qnore than that he 
 is a North-Briton, and a clcrgy- 
 
 8. 1/ this hiti't a good Play, the man of the church of England. 
 
 Drvii'i iii^t. C 4tO. 1612. 
 
 g. Match me in hondon, T, C. 
 4to. t6 f I. 
 
 10. 14'onder of a Kingdom, C, 
 4to. 16,7. 
 
 He v/rote other pieces not pub- 
 liflicd, viz. 
 
 1 . Gity Earl of U^arivick, 1 6 1 9. 
 written in conjun^lion with John 
 Day. , 
 
 2. The Jcnu of Fcnicc, *, 
 
 3. CvJlavusKingof^wthhnd, 
 
 4. The 7a c of 'Jocmid,/ and 'IJlo'ifo. 
 The two k.rt were once in the 
 
 pnfllllion of Mr. Wai burton, 
 
 5. 'Ihe Spaiiijh Soiiidur. T. 
 in he linokh ot the Stationers without any fuccefs. He wrote 
 
 Company 1631 ai.d 1653 thisPlrty atid altered the following pieces: 
 is aliened to l.c written Dy D>.'ckcr. i. The S/>cuter ; or, Double Re- 
 
 To the printed copy the initials vmgc, C. F. Svo. 1756. 
 S. R. are prefixed, vvhiclx fubie- 2, Minorca. T, 8vo, 1756. 
 
 .3. Ik 
 
 He is a living writer, and has 
 brought on the llage one dramauc 
 piece, entitled, 
 
 Hecuba. T. Svo. 1762. 
 
 Delamaynk, Thomas, Wrote 
 one piece, called, 
 
 Love and Honour, D. P. taken 
 fioin Virgil in 7 Cantoes, i2mo. 
 1742. 
 
 Ueli., HiiNRY. This perfon 
 was a bookleller firit in Tower- 
 lirect, and afterwards in Holborn, 
 where he died very poor a few years 
 ago. He once acteinpted to per- 
 form the part of IVJrs. Termagant 
 at Covent Garden theatre, but 
 
D £ 
 
 i "I 3 
 
 D E 
 
 lowing pieces : 
 or, Double Re- 
 
 g. .' ^hrout C. 8vo. 17^6. 
 
 4. 1 be FrcnchififH La(^ never in 
 Paris, Kvo. lyq;. 
 
 Dtfin AM, Sir JoHK. Thiselc- 
 gani writfr was the only fon ot 
 birJihnDenham, knight, of Little 
 Horlley, who w.is, at the time of 
 Our author's birth, which happened 
 in 16 1(, lord chief baron of the 
 Exchequer in Ireland, and one of 
 the lord» jullices of ihat kingdom : 
 Inconrequence of vv hich cur author 
 was born in Dublin, but was 
 brought over from thence at two 
 years old, on the promotion of h's 
 father to the rank of a baron of the 
 Exchequer in England. 
 
 His grammatical lenniing he re- 
 ceived in London, and in Michael* 
 mas Term 1631 was removed from 
 thence to Oxford, wbtre he was 
 rnteied a gentleman commoner of 
 Trinity College; bur, inilead of 
 /hewing any eurly dawnings of 
 that genius which afterwards ihone 
 forth in him, he appeared a flow 
 dreaming young man, and one 
 )vhofe darling paffion was gaming. 
 Here he continued for three years, 
 >vhen, having paiied his examina- 
 tions, and tal;^-n a degree as 
 Bafchelor of Arts, he came to 
 l^ndon, and entered himl'eif at 
 Lincoin's-Inn, where he applied 
 
 fiietty clofely to the ftudy of the 
 >tw. Yet his darling vice was lUll 
 predominant; and he frequently 
 found himfelr llripped to h:s lalt 
 Shilling, by which he fo greatly 
 difplcafed his father, that h- was 
 obliged, in appearance at IcalL to 
 |ef rni, for tear of being abfolu^ely 
 abaiid^^ned by him. On his death, 
 however, b-ing no longer rcibuincd 
 by pttreiital auihomy, iie again 
 gave way to it, and, beinj; a iluoe 
 \o (harpers, i'oon fquandeivd away 
 feveral thoifand pounds. 
 
 In the latier end of 1641, h"w- 
 ever, to the aitoi.ilhinciu <jt every 
 pae, his gw-nius bruke foiilt ia a 
 
 full blaze of meridian brightneft, 
 in that julily celebrated And ad- 
 mired Tragedy the •SVi^^, and fooo 
 after (hone out again in his Poem 
 of Cooper's Hill. In the fame 
 year he was pricivcd for high IheritF 
 for the coiinty of Surry, and made 
 governor of Farnham-cailie, for 
 the king. But being poffeflisd of 
 no great (hare of military know- 
 ledge, he prefcntly quitted that 
 poli, and retired to his majedy at 
 Oxford. 
 
 And now the grand rebellion • 
 being broke out iu its full force, 
 he (hewed the warmell attachment 
 to the royal family, and in th« 
 courfe of their unhappy affairs 
 became of (ignal fervice to them. 
 In the year 1647, when the king 
 h.id been delivered into the hands 
 of the army, he undertook, on the 
 behalf of the queen-mother, to gain 
 flccefs to his majelly, which he 
 found means to do t)y the afTiftance 
 of Hugh Peters. On this occahon 
 the king converfed with him in an 
 unreferved manner with regard to 
 his affairs, and, entruliink him with 
 nine cyphers, commanded him to 
 (lay privately in Lond -n, in order 
 to luceive all his letters to and 
 from his correfpondeivc, all which 
 were conllantly dc cyphered and 
 undecyphered by Mr. Cowley, at 
 that time with the qucen-mothcr in 
 France. I'liis truit h<; perfv>rmed 
 with great punctuality and fafeiy 
 lor fume time, till at leng'h Mr. 
 Cowley's hand being know", this 
 aH^air was dilcovered, ^nd Mr. 
 L)Lnham obllgeii to make his 
 eftape to France. In r04S he was 
 f nt anibaifador, trg then with 
 lort Cri;f;i, to 1 oL.iivi, where he 
 fu;v.ec<3.d lo wvll as to briny h .k 
 ten ihoufand pounds for the king^ 
 U-vnd tiu.ie i;: his ffiajelty'i bcot- 
 llh fu'^jfCls. 
 
 A wu 10 j 2 he ertirnvd to l.w"g« 
 laiiU; uiid mjutd Adaut .' j'^:' t 
 
r a: 
 
 . D E 
 
 I «« 3 
 
 D E 
 
 the earl oF Pembroke's at Wilton, 
 having quite exhauded his own 
 fortune by his palfion for gaming, 
 and the expences he had been at 
 during the civil war. It does not 
 clearly appear what became oF 
 him between that time and the 
 Kelloration, though it is moft pro- 
 bable he went over again to France, 
 and reftded there till king Charles 
 IPs return from St. Germain's to 
 Jerft;y, when he was immediately 
 appointed, without any folicitation, 
 furveyor general of all his ma- 
 jefty's buildings, and at the coro- 
 nation of that monarch made 
 Knight of the Bath. 
 
 On fome difcontent arlfing from 
 ^ fecond marriage, he for a little 
 time lolt his fenfes, but on his re- 
 covery continued in great efleem 
 at court for his poetical abilities, 
 efpecially with the king, who was 
 fond of poetry, and during his 
 exile ufed frequently to give Mr. 
 Denham arguments to y/rite on. 
 
 This irgenious gentleman died 
 at an office he had built for him- 
 ielf near Whitehall, March lo, 
 1668, statis 53, and w;is buried in 
 Wellniinllfr-iibbey, leaving behind 
 hiin,aiiio.ng thcf-veiiil works where- 
 by his poeiiral fame ftands ella- 
 bliflied, only one dramatic one, 
 
 The Sophy. T. fo. 164.1. 
 
 As a poet wc need only refer to 
 the teftiiDonials of m:iny wrierf, 
 particularly Dryden and Pope, in 
 his favour. As to his moral cha- 
 jatlcr, he has had no vice iinputed 
 to him but that of gaining ; and 
 although authors have been filcnt 
 as to his virtues, yet ir we may 
 judge from hij works, he was a 
 gooii-naiured mm and .ui ca^/ 
 companion ; and from his afi'ons 
 it appears that he was one or i[\\&. 
 honour and integrity, n-iu in the 
 day of danger autt lainult, of un- 
 
 fhaken loyalty to the {iifteringin» 
 terc'i of his fovereigv 
 
 Den'i.<:, CHARLtb, Was the 
 fon oi- ihe reveronH J icoU Denis, a 
 French clergvm.M,, • rn at Ktiche- 
 f(.cault,»vho iled hither o-^ account 
 of hia religion. He was trother 
 of admiral Sir Peter Denis, and 
 wrote fome fables and pncjcal 
 piece? which were favourably re- 
 ceived by the public. He n alfo 
 faid to have been the tranflaior of. 
 
 The Siege of Calais. T. 176^, 
 8vo. 
 
 Dennis, John^. This gentle- 
 man, who, though he has left many 
 dramatic pieces behind him, was 
 much lefs celebrated for ibcm than 
 for his critical writings, was the 
 fon of an eminent fadier, a citizen 
 of London, in which metropolis 
 our author was born in the year 
 1657. 
 
 lie received the lirll branches of 
 education under Dr. Horn, at the 
 great fchool at Harrow on the Hill, 
 where he commenced acquaintance 
 and intimacy with many young 
 noblemen twid gentlemen, who af- 
 teiwards made confiderable figures 
 in public affairs; whereby he laid 
 the foundation of a very ftrong and 
 e;ctenfive intereil, which mighr, 
 but ibr his own fault, have been of 
 infinite ferviceto him in tutiire life, 
 Fiom Harrow he went in ib;; 
 to Caius College, Cambridge, 
 whtre, af;er his proper (landing, he 
 took the degree of batchelor of arts. 
 Hcwas expelled the college for lite- 
 rally at tempting to ftab a perfonin 
 the 'aik ; after which he made the 
 tour of Europe, and in the courfe 
 r ! it he conceived fuch a detcUa- 
 ;i.)n for defpotifm, as confirmed 
 liiin ftil! more llrongly in thofe 
 whig principles which he had from 
 his infancy imbibed. 
 
 On his return to England, he 
 became eaily actjuainted with 
 
 Dryden, 
 
D E 
 
 [ '23 ] 
 
 D E 
 
 Dry den, Wycherlcy, Congreve, 
 and vSoutherne, whole converlation, 
 jnfpiiing him with a paffion for 
 poetry, and a contempt for every 
 attainment that hod not fome rela- 
 tion to the Be'ks LettreSf diverted 
 him irom the acquifition of any 
 profit ble art, or the esercife of 
 any pruteflion. 
 
 This, to a man who had rot an 
 independent income, was undoubt- 
 edly a misfortune. However, the 
 7,e<)l he fliewed for the Proteftant 
 fucceflion having recommended 
 him to the patronage of the duke 
 of Marlborough, that nobleman 
 procured him a place in the 
 cuftoms, worth 120/. fcr annumt 
 which he enjoyed for fome years, 
 till from profufenefs and want of 
 ceconomy he was reduced to the 
 necefQty of difpofing of it to fatisfy 
 fome very preFmg demands. By 
 the advice uf lord Halifax, how- 
 ever, he referved to himfelf, in the 
 fale of it, an annuity for a term of 
 years, which term he outlived, 
 and was, in the decline of his life, 
 reduced to extreme neceflity. Mr. 
 Theo. Cibber relates an anecdote 
 of him which I cannot avoid rt- 
 peating, as it is not only highly 
 cfaaradteriltic of the man whofe 
 affairs we are now confidering, but 
 alfo a flriking and melancholy in- 
 flance, among thoufands, of the 
 dii^.refsful predicaments into which 
 men of genius and literary abili- 
 ties are perhaps apter than any 
 others to plunge themfelves into, 
 by paying too flight an attention 
 to the common concerns of life, 
 and their own moll important in- 
 tcrclls. 
 
 '' After he was worn our," faj'3 
 tli.ir author, " with age and po- 
 " vcrty, lie reiiJcd witliia the 
 " vtrgu of the court, to prevent 
 " danger from hia creditors. One 
 '' Satiirdnv nijjht, ht happened to 
 '• iauiutj tc apuUic hcufc, which, 
 
 " in a flir rt time, he difeovercd 
 " to be ou* of the verge. He 
 " was fitting in an open drinking* 
 *' room, and a man of a fufpicioui 
 " appearance happened to come 
 ''in. There was fomething about 
 " the man which denoted to Mr. 
 " Dennis, that he was a bailiif. 
 " This llruck him with a panic ; 
 " he was afraid his liberty was now 
 " at an end ; be fat in the utmoft 
 " folicitude, but durft not offer to 
 " itir, left he ihould be feized 
 " upon. After an hour or two 
 " had pafl in this painful anxiety, 
 " at lalt the clock flruck twelve, 
 •^when Mr. Dennis, in an extafy^ 
 ** cried out, addrclTing himfelf to 
 *' the fufpefted perfon, Now^ Slr^ 
 *• bailiff' or no bailiffs I djtit care a 
 ^'^ farthing for you^you have no fovter 
 " novc. The man was aflonifhed 
 " at his behaviour; and, when ic 
 *' was explained to him. was fo 
 *' much affronted with the fufpi- 
 '* cion, that, had not Mr. Dennis 
 " found his prote£lion in age, he 
 " would probably have fmarted for 
 " his ffliflaken opinion of him." 
 A ilrong pidlure of the effefls of 
 fear and apprehenfion in a tem- 
 per naturally fo timorous and jea- 
 lous as Mr. Dennis's, of which the 
 reader may fee two more whimii- 
 cal inllances in the fecond part of 
 this work, under the Tragedy of 
 hiherty Afferttd. 
 
 Mr. Dennis, partly through a 
 natural peevifhnefs and petulance 
 of temper, and partly perhaps ior 
 the fake of procuring the means 
 of fub/idence, was continually en- 
 gaged in a paper war with his con- 
 temporaries, whom he ever treated 
 with the utmofl: feverity; and 
 though many oi his obfervations 
 were: judicious, yet he ufually con- 
 veyed them in language fo Jcur- 
 rilous ai)4 abulive as deftroyed 
 their intended efFe£l; and as his 
 attacks v/cre aimolt always on per- 
 
 fons 
 
D E 
 
 ■[ »4 ] 
 
 D E 
 
 1' ' 
 
 1*. 
 
 If. 
 
 ). ill ; 
 
 fons of fupcrior abilities to himfcif, 
 "jiz. Addifor, Steele, and Pope, 
 their replies ufually turned the 
 popular tpinion fo greatly againft 
 him, that, by irritating his tedy 
 temper the mpre, it rendered him 
 a perpetual torment to himfelf; 
 till ai length, after a long life of 
 viciflitudes, difappointments, ai-d 
 turmoils, rendered wretched by iii- 
 difcietion, and hateful by male- 
 volence, haying ouj-liyed the jre- 
 verfion of his f llate, and reduced 
 to dilUefs, from which his having 
 been daily creating enemies had 
 left him fcarcely any hope of re- 
 lief, he was compelled to, what 
 rouft be the moft irkfome flation 
 that can be conceivt^d in hnmati 
 life, the receiving obligations from 
 thofe whom he had been continual- 
 ly treating ill. In the very clofe 
 of his days a play was afled for 
 his bcnetit at the little theatre in 
 the Hay-maiket, procured through 
 the united in eretts of MeiTrs. 
 Thonifon, Mallet, and Pope, the 
 Lill of whom, notwiihitand-rg the 
 grofs manner in which Mr. Dennis 
 had on many occafions uft?d him» 
 and the long warfare that had fub- 
 filled between them, interefted 
 himfelf very warmly lor him, and 
 even wrote an occaf;onal prologue 
 to the play, which was fpoken by 
 Mr. either, jnn. 
 
 Yet ( uradir.iration of Mr.Pope's 
 generofity will be Ibmewhat r.ba- 
 teo, when we recollect that this 
 boailcd jrrolcf^ue was deligned 
 throuebout a? a fneer on Dennis, 
 Kis vanity, however, was fo ttronp-, 
 or his intelirfls were become fo 
 cr.fteblcJ, th:.t he did not perceive 
 its tenJ.ency, though he i'tood be- 
 hind the fcencf and heard it de- 
 livered. Jndfic!, as Ciunt B'T/Jit 
 fay.s, this was an zQ. ol moll" un- 
 merciful mercy" m the aiithcr 
 of the DicndaJ, wh'jfc charitv, on 
 
 the prefent occafion at leaft, wa* 
 difpenled with a cynic hand. 
 
 Not long after this, "jiz. on the 
 6th of January, 1733, Mr. Dentiis 
 died, being then in the 77th year 
 of his age. 
 
 His chara£ler as a man may ba 
 fufficiently gathered from the cir- 
 cumftances w.ehdve related of him. 
 As a writer, he certainly was pof- 
 fefled of much erudition, and a 
 confioerable fhare of genius ; and 
 had not his felf-opinlon, of which 
 perhaps no man ever poUefTed a 
 larger fliare, induced him to aim 
 at the empire of wit, for which he 
 was by no means ijualified, and in 
 ' confequcnce thereof led him to 
 treat every one as a rebel who did 
 not fubfcribe to his pretended 
 right, he would probably have been 
 allowed, and, from the enjoyment 
 of an eafy mind, pofTibly poifeifed, 
 m-i? niirit than appears in many 
 of h s wiitings. In prcfe, he is 
 far fiOi.i a bad writer, where abufe 
 and perfonal fcurrility does nor 
 nnngle iifelf with his language, 
 In verfe, he is extremely unequal, 
 his numbers being at fome times 
 fpirited and harmonious, and his 
 fubjedls elevated and judicious, 
 and at olhcis Hat, harfli, and pu- 
 erile. As a dramatic author, he 
 certainly defervcs not to be held 
 in any confideration. His plots, 
 excepting that of his Plot and no 
 F/t)f, which is a political Play, are 
 all borrowed, yet in the general 
 i-.ot ill chofen. Gut his charadlcry 
 are illdefigned and unfiniflied, his 
 language profaical, flat, and un- 
 dramaiic, and th*; conduct of his 
 principal fccnes heavVt dull, and 
 unimpaiTi(;ned, In ftiort, though 
 lie certainly had judgment, it is 
 evident he had no execution, and 
 fo much betrer a critic is he than 
 a dr.imaiilt, that I cannot he'p 
 fubi'cribinf^ to the opinion of a 
 
 gentleman. 
 
 
D E 
 
 [ 1^5 ] 
 
 t) I 
 
 j^entleiTian, who (aid of liini, that man in his offices of mafter of rh» 
 
 he was the moll compleat inllruc- ceremonies at Bath and Tunbridge. 
 
 tor for a dramatic poet, fince he By the profits of thefe he might 
 
 could teach him to diilinguifh ^'W have been enabled to place him- 
 
 plays by his precepts^ and baiiuxmi felf With ceconomy in a lefs pre- 
 
 h'^ \\\i exampls. carious Hate; but his want of con- 
 
 His dr.imatic pieces nre nine in diift continued after he was in the 
 
 r'<imber, as may be leen in the fol- poUeflion of a confiderable income^ 
 
 lowing lift, by which means he was at the time 
 
 I. Plot and 710 Plot. C. 410 N. of his death, 7 March, 1769, as 
 
 nccelTnou^ as he had been at any 
 period of his life. 
 
 He trahilatcd one piece from 
 the French of the king of Prufliit, 
 called, 
 
 SyUa. D. E. 1753. 8vo. 
 
 DjQOEhf, Chari.es. He has 
 been more fuccefsful as a com- 
 pofer of mufick than as a writer 
 of dramatic pieces. He was for- 
 merly on the flage, and acquir- 
 ed feme reputation in the perform- 
 ance of Mungo in The Padiod-^ 
 and Ralphin The Maid nf the Mill. 
 He has left the Theatres as an aftor 
 
 D. [1697]. 
 
 2. Rinaldo and Armida. 4tO. 
 t6i;9. 
 
 3. Iphigenia. T. 4to. 17OC. 
 
 4. Comical Ga'.iant. C. 410. 
 1702. 
 
 ^. Lihafyajfertcd. T. 4to. 1704. 
 
 6. Gibraltar. C. 410 1705. 
 
 7. O'phtus and Eur: dice. M. 
 4to. 1707. 
 
 8. y^pp'in and l^iiginja. Trag. 
 
 4to. N. D. [1709]. 
 
 9. Cnrivhiuin. T, 8v0. 1720. 
 Derrick, Samuei,. Thisgen- 
 
 ileman was a nutive of Irel.ind, and 
 was bora in the year 1724. Be- for fome years, hut ftill continues 
 ■irg intended fbr trade, lie was to furnifh part of every winter's en- 
 fome time placed wi'.h a linen- teriainmenc as author and corn- 
 draper in Dublin, bur diTiiking po!"er. The following ;.- a lift of 
 his bufuiefs, he quitted it and his his performnnces : 
 country about the year 17?!, and i. The Shepherd's Arl'fice. D. P. 
 commenced author in London. '^']b^> 8vo. 
 
 .Soon aficr he arrived at the me- 2. Da'p.n and Phillida. altered 
 
 iropoHs, he indulged an inclina- from Cibber. C. O. 1768. 8vo. 
 
 tion which he had imbibed for 3. The JVedding Ring, C. O. 
 
 the ftiige, and appeared in ibe cha- 1773- 8vo. 
 
 Tader of Gloucelk-r in ya//r-.9/w(', 4. The Dcferter. M. D. 177J. 
 
 but wi.h fo little fuccefs, that he 8vo. 
 
 never repeated the experiment. 5. The lVair.-nmn\ tix^^he Flijl 
 
 After this attempt he fubfifted of Auv^vji. IJ. O. 1774. Bvo. 
 
 chiefly by his writings, but being 6. 'Jl-e Coblcr ; or, A Wife often 
 
 of an expenfive difpofuion, run- Thovfai'd. B. O. 1774. bvo. ' 
 
 ring into the follies and excel- 7. The Metamorphofn. C. O. 
 
 fes of gallantry and gaming, he 1775. 8vo. 
 
 lived alraoll all his time the flave 8. Ihe i^aker. 
 
 of dependence, or the fport of 8vo. 
 
 chance. His acquaintance with 9. Pnnr Vulcan! 
 
 people of fafliion, on Beau Nafti's 10. The Gipfics. 
 
 de.ith, procured him at length a 8vo. 
 
 more permanent fubfifteoce. He ir. Rnfe and Qollin. CO. 177S. 
 
 Was chofen to fBCCeeJ that gentle- 8vo. 
 
 I .12. Tht 
 
 C. O. 1776. 
 
 B. 1778. 8vo. 
 
 C. O. 177S. 
 
ill 
 
 ¥ 
 
 m ' 
 
 1%. 
 
 D I 
 
 t 1^6 ] 
 
 D O 
 
 C. O. 
 
 '3« 
 
 1778. 
 
 1779. 
 15- 
 
 1 2. T^'f Wives revengeef. 
 X778. 8vo. 
 
 jlnnette and Lubifi, C. O. 
 
 8vo. 
 
 72>? C/jc^o Penjiontr. C. O. 
 
 8vo. 
 
 y/v Mirror ; or, Harlcqnin 
 every -whrrc. Pant. Burl. 1 779 ijvo. 
 16. The ShepherJcfi of the Alps. 
 CO. 1780. 8vo. 
 .. DiGBv, George, Earl of 
 Bristol. This author was, as 
 Mr. Walpole obferves, " a fingu- 
 *' lar perfon, whofe life was one 
 *• contradiftion. He wrote againlt 
 *• Popery, and embraced it ; he 
 *' was a zealous oppofer of the 
 •' court, and a facrifice for it : 
 *' was confcientioufly converted 
 *' in the midft of his profectition 
 *' of lord StrnfFord, and was moll 
 " unconfcientioufly a profecutor of 
 *' lord Clarendon. With great 
 " parts, he always hurt himfelf 
 *' and his friends j with romantic 
 •' bravery, he was alwtiys an un- 
 •• fuccefsful commander. He fpoke 
 '• for the Teft aft, though a Ro- 
 " man Catholic; and addit'ted 
 *' himfelf to Alirologv, on the 
 *' birth-day of true philofophy." 
 The hillories of England abound 
 with the adventures of this in- 
 con fiilent and eccentric nobleman, 
 who, amongtt his other purfuits, ef- 
 fcemed the dr;tma not unworthy 
 his attention. He wrote one Play, 
 called, 
 
 Ehira. C. 410. 1667. 
 Downes the prompter fays, that he 
 joined with Sir Samuel Tuke in 
 thecompofition of The Adventures of 
 Five Hours, and that between 1667, 
 and 1665 he wrote two Plays 
 made out of the Spanilh, called, 
 
 1. 'Ta better than it ivas, 
 
 2. W-or/t' afiri fi^jrje. 
 
 Neither of which have been print- 
 ed, uniefj one of them Ihould be 
 the (amc as Ehira, w.th a dilver- 
 cnt title. After a life, which at 
 
 different periods of it commanded 
 both the refped and contempt oi' 
 mankind, and not unfrequently 
 the fame fentiments at one time, 
 he died neither loved nor regretted 
 by any party in the year 1676. 
 
 DiLKE, Thomas, Efq; This 
 trentleman lived in the reign of 
 William III. and was the fon of 
 Mr. Samuel Dilke, of an ancient 
 family at Litchfield, where our 
 author was born. He had a uni- 
 veriity education, having been 
 fome time a iludent at Oriel Col- 
 lege, Oxford When he quitted 
 the univerfity he went into the 
 army, and had a lieutenant's com- 
 milllon under lord Raby, after- 
 wards earl of Strafford, to which 
 nobleman he dedicated one of his 
 plays, of which he has left three 
 behind him, whofe titles arc as 
 follow : 
 
 1 . Lover's Lkc.!:. C. 4to. i 696. 
 
 2. City Laefy. C. 410. 1697. 
 
 3. Pretenders, C. 410. 1698. 
 
 Docns, Francis. This gen- 
 tleman is a native of Irtjland, and 
 I believe yet living. He hath pro- 
 duced one Play acted at Dublin, 
 called, 
 
 The Patriot King ', ory Irijh Chief,; 
 T. Svo. 1774. 
 
 DcDD, James Solas. This au- 
 thor, who is [till living, was bred 
 a furqcon, and in the year 1752 
 publiflied " An Eflay towards a 
 •' natunil Hiltory of the Her- 
 '* RiN'G.'* During the coniell 
 about Elizabeth Canning, he alfo 
 took a part in it, and publilhed a 
 pamphlet in her defence. He af- 
 terwards compofed a LcHure oa 
 Hearts, which he rCad publickly at 
 Exeter-Cliange, with fome degree 
 of fucccfs. He is at this time 
 Prelident of one of the difputing 
 focieties, and an attendant at fe^ 
 veial of them. One dramatic piece 
 by him hath been afted once and' 
 publifhcd, entitled, , 
 
 Qanc 
 
 \k .. 
 
D O 
 
 C "7 ] 
 
 D o: 
 
 Gallic Gratitude; or, The French- 
 vun in India. C. 8vo. 1779. 
 
 DooD, William. This un- 
 fortunate author was the eldell 
 fon of the Rev. William Dodd, 
 niu iv ye.rs vicar of Bourne, in 
 Lincoln. hire, and was born May 29, 
 1729. He was fent, at the age of 
 jixteen, to ire univerfity of Cam- 
 brdgf, and admitted in the year 
 1745 a fi2ar of Care Hall. In 
 
 '749*5° ^® '°°^ '^'^ degree of 
 B. -\. with great honour, being 
 upon that occafion in the lift of 
 wranglers. Leaving the univerfity, 
 be imprudently married a mifs 
 Mary Perkins in 1751, was or- 
 dained a deacon the fame year, 
 prieft in 1753, and foon became a 
 celebrated and popular preacher. 
 His firft preferment was the lec- 
 turefliip of Weft Ham. In 1754 
 he was appointed ledurer of St. 
 Olave's, Hart-Street, and in 1757 
 took the degree of M. A. at Cam- 
 bridge. On the foundation of the 
 Magdalen Hofpital in 1758, he 
 was a ftrcnuous fupporter of the 
 charity, and foon after became 
 preacher at the chapel ot it. By 
 means of his patron bifliop Squire, 
 he in 1763 obtained the prebend 
 «)f Brecon, and by the interell of 
 Ibme city friends procured himfelf 
 to be appointed king's chaplain ; 
 foon after which he had the edu- 
 cation of the prcfent earl of Chef- 
 terfield committed to his care. In 
 1766 he went to Cambridge, and 
 took the degree of LL. D. At 
 this period the eilimat^on he was 
 held in by the world was fuffi- 
 cient to give him expedations of 
 preferment, and hopes of riches 
 and honours ; and thefe he might 
 probably have acquired, had he 
 pofTeffed a comnior portion of 
 prudence and dif. -^lon. But, 
 impatient of his Atuation, and 
 deJirous of advancement, he un- 
 luckily fell npoa means which in 
 
 the end were the occafion of his • 
 ruin. On the living of St. George,, 
 Hivover Square, becoming vacant, , 
 he wrote an anonymous letter to. " 
 the Chancellor's lady, offering 
 3000 guineas if by her alliftance 
 he was promoted to it. This be- 
 ing traced to hira, complaint waa 
 immediately nade to the king, 
 and Dr. Dodd wis difmiiTed with 
 difgrace from his poll of chaplain. 
 From this period he lived neg- . 
 levied, if not defpifed ; and hia 
 extravagance ftill continuing, he 
 became involved in difficulties, 
 which tempted him to forge a bond 
 from his late pupil lord Chefter- 
 fieldj Feb. 4, 1777, for 4200 1. 
 which he aftually received ; but, 
 being detefted, was tried at the 
 Old Bailey, found guilty, and, in 
 fpite of every application for 
 mercy, receive? fentence of death; 
 and was executed at Tyburn, June 
 2 7» '777' I^'"' Dodd was a volu- 
 minous writer, and poflefled con- 
 fiderable abilities, with little judg- 
 ment and much vanity. Amongll 
 other purfuits he had made fome 
 attempts in dramatic poetry, and 
 very early in life wrote, 
 
 1. The Syracufcvi, T. 
 
 This is faid to have been in th? 
 hands of one of the managers 
 when he took orders, but on that 
 event was withdrawn. 
 
 2 . Sir Roger cJe Coverly. C, 
 This was in the poireffion of Mr. 
 
 Harris, when the author was taken 
 into cuftody. 
 
 Neither of thefe plays has been 
 publilhed. 
 
 DoDSLEY, Robert. This au- 
 thor was born in the year 1 703, 
 near Mansfield in Nottingharq- 
 Ihire, as it is fuppofed ; and his (irll 
 fetting out in life was in a fervile 
 llation (footman to the honourable 
 Mrs. Lowther), which, however, 
 his abilities very foon raifed him 
 fron; for h..vi'.jg written the 
 
11 
 
 f 1 
 
 
 El >X 
 
 't^ 
 
 
 D O 
 
 c 
 
 u3 ] 
 
 D O 
 
 Tox/ho/>t and that piece being (hewn retained, and ever exprefled, t6' 
 to Mr. Pope, the delicacy of fatirc the memory of thofe to whom he. 
 
 which is confj^i^uous fn it," though 
 cloathcd with th6 greatell fimpli-. 
 city of defign, fo ffr'ongly recom- 
 mended its author to the liotice of 
 that celebrated poet, that he (Con- 
 tinued from that time to' ch^ day 
 of his death a warm friend ;ind 
 zealous patron lo Mr. Dodflty 
 and although he had himfelf lio 
 
 owed the obligation of his iirft 
 being taken notice of in life. J 
 ihail not, however, dMcll any lon» 
 ger on the amiaBlenefs of Mr. 
 Dodfley's charader as a man, fince 
 iriany liefides niyfelf were well ac- 
 quainted wit^ it. As a wri'er, 
 there is an eafc iini^ elegance that 
 run through all his works, which 
 
 connexion with the theatres, yet foiheiimes are ri'iore ^jleafing than 
 
 procured him fuch an intcreil as 
 infured its being iimmcdiately 
 brought on the Itage, where it 
 iVietwith til.; fuccefs it merited: 
 :1s did alfo a Farce call ' :!.- KI>/g 
 and Miller of Mtw^' m, which 
 made its appearance ^^^ enfu- 
 ing year^ viz. :r-6. om the 
 
 a more laboured and ornamented 
 manner. In \tt(ii, his* nunibers 
 are llowing, if not fuhlime, anrf 
 his fulijeds cnnrtantly well chofen 
 and entertaliiing. In prcfe Ke is 
 tamiliar, yet chrUU-; and in his 
 "^ramatic pieces he has ever kept, 
 in his eye the one great principle,' 
 
 fuccefs of thef' pifces h° entered (^Acclando paritaiiuc inonciido\ fome 
 
 Into that buhr :*'^- m.\C\ of ^U 
 others has the -i- i<ffl r-nnedion 
 tsith, and the molt iu' \\\z d'i- 
 jjcndence on, perfoi. - • T genii s 
 and litferature, vii. that of a book- 
 fe'ler. In this ftation Mr. Pope's 
 lecommendation, and his own me- 
 rit, foon obtained him not only 
 
 general moral is coulfantly con- 
 veyed in the general plan, and 
 particular inftrudtion difperfcd in 
 the particular llrokes ot fatire. 
 The dialogue moreover is eafy, 
 the plots are Hmple, and the cata- 
 llrophes interefting and pathetic. 
 Mr. Dodfley by his profeffion 
 
 the countenance of perfdns of the acquired a very handfome fortune, 
 
 £rft abilities, but alfb of thofe of 
 the firll rank, and iii a few years 
 raifed him to great eminence in 
 )iis profeffion, in whit^h he was al- 
 moft, if not altogether, at the 
 head. Yet, neither in this capa- 
 city, nor in that of a writer, 
 had fuccefs any improper effeft 
 on him. In one light he pre- 
 {erved the ftriiflell integrity, in the 
 other the moll becoming humility. 
 Mindfuf of the 6arly encourage- 
 ment his own talents met with', 
 Tie was evicr ready to give the 
 fame o'pportutiity of advancement 
 to tdofe of Othe/s, and has on 
 many oec'afions been not only the 
 
 73;- 
 
 with which he retired from bufi 
 nefs before his deaih, which hap- 
 pened the 2(;th day of Sept 1764, 
 at the honfe of his friend Mi. 
 Spence, at Durham. He wrote, 
 I. The tnxjbsp. D.S. 8vo. i 
 3. TJm King and the Miller 
 Mansfield. D. F. 8vo 1737. 
 
 3. 5/r John Cockle at Court, F. 
 8vo. 1738. , 
 
 4. 7 he Blind Bi'ggar nf JJcthnal 
 Grrcn. B. O. ' '0. l , !• 
 
 z,. Rex etPoriiifex. Pant. 8vo. 
 1745. 
 
 6. The Triunph of Peace. M. 
 4to. i74g. 
 
 7. Cleone. T. 8vo. 1759 
 
 publifter but the patron of genius. Belides thcfe, he has publifhed a 
 
 But there M no circumftance which little calleftion of his own work? 
 
 adds more luilre to his charader, in one volume 8vo. under thie mo- 
 
 than the grateful remciabjance ke deil title of Tr-i^ii, and a poem of 
 
 1 . coniiderablft 
 
D O 
 
 i 1^0 ] 
 
 D O 
 
 bufj- 
 ch hap- 
 
 1764, 
 Ml. 
 wrote, 
 
 Llur (f 
 
 F. 
 
 ' JJcthnul 
 It. 8vo. 
 ice. ]Vt. 
 
 ■59; , 
 lifhed a 
 
 n work* 
 the mo- 
 poem of 
 
 iVdcrablft 
 
 crtnfiderable length, entitled, Pul' 
 Uc Fi'fne, in 410. 1 754. 
 
 He has ilCo executed tWo works 
 of great fervice to the caule of 
 genius, as they are the mtans of 
 preferving pieces of merit, that 
 might oCherWife fiYik into oblivion, 
 vi?:. the publication of a collec- 
 tion or poems by different eminent 
 hands, in fix vol. i2mo. and a 
 cdllcftion of plays by old authors, 
 in twelve volumes of the fame 
 {[i.e. : ' '7" \_'_ 
 
 DdcGET, l^ffDW A S. This au- 
 thor was alfo an aftor. He was 
 born in Caftle-Str'eet, Dublin, and 
 maJe his firft theatrical attempt 
 Oil the ftage of that metropolis ; 
 but not meeting with the encoii- 
 rSgemetVr. there that his iserit un- 
 doubtedly had a right to, he came 
 over to England, and entered him- 
 felf in a travelling company, but 
 from thence very foon Vvas re- 
 rtoved 10 London, and eftablilhed 
 ift Drury-Lane and Lincoln's-Inn- 
 Fields theatres, where he was uni- 
 verfally liked in ev>ery charafter 
 he performed, but fl\one in none 
 more confpicuoufly than in thofe 
 oF Fondrswife in the Old Batchelor, 
 and Ben in Loi-e for Lo-'vet which 
 Mr. Congreve, with whom he was 
 a very great favourite, wrote in 
 fome meafure with a view to his 
 manner of afting. 
 
 In a few years after he femoved 
 to Drury-Lafte theatre, wheie he 
 became joint manager with Wilks 
 and Cit-<bcr, in which fituation he 
 continued till, on adilgult he loolc 
 in the year 171 2, at Mr. Ho<ith's 
 being forced on them as a fharer 
 in the management, he threw up 
 his part in the property of the 
 theatre, though it was lO&kcd on 
 to have been Worth a thou'and 
 pounds yftf*- <i//««w. He had, now 
 eve ., by his frugality, faved a com- 
 petent fortune to render 4iim eafy 
 ior the remainder of his life, with 
 
 Vol. 1. 
 
 which he retired from the hurry oF 
 hafinefs in the very meridian of 
 his reputation. As an adfor he had 
 great merit, and his contemporary 
 Cibber informs us that he was the 
 mort an original, and the ftridl- 
 eft obferver of nature, of any ac- 
 tor of his time. His manner, ' 
 though borrowed from none, fre- 
 quently ferved for a model to 
 many; and he poffefled that pe- ' 
 culiar art which fo very few per* . 
 formers are mafters of, viz the 
 arriving at the perfeftly rid cul- 
 ous, without (lepping into the lealfc 
 impropriety to attain it. And fo 
 extremely careful and flcilful was 
 he in the dreffing his charaders to 
 the greateft sxaftrtefs of propriety^ 
 that the leaft urtir-le of what he 
 wore feeired in fome meafure to 
 fpeak and mark the dilfeieot hu- 
 inour he prefentcd ; a neceflary 
 care in a comedian, in which 
 many performers are but too re- 
 mifs. 
 
 Mr. Dogget lived until the 22d 
 of Sept, 1721, huving, as I before 
 obferved, made himielt indepen- 
 dent of bufinefs, by hih care and 
 oeconomy while he remaiii^d in it. 
 In his political principles he was, la 
 the words of Sir Rich ird Steele, a 
 ivhig up to the head and eon ; and 
 fo ilriftly was he attached to the 
 ititerelfs of the houfe of Hanover, 
 that he never Jet flip any occafion 
 that pfefented itfelf of demon- 
 itrating his fenf.rtients in that re- 
 fpetiL One inftance among others 
 is well known, which is that the 
 ye^r ifter kmi; George I came to 
 the throne, this performer gave a 
 watcini n'-s coat and filverb'dge, 
 to bt: lowed f 'I by fix watermen, 
 on the fi;fi- day of Augulf, being 
 the annivrfary of that i^i;) 's ac- 
 ceffiop to the throne. And at his 
 de.«h bcqueaibed a certain fum of 
 money, the inte .^ft of which wa« 
 'to be appropriactd annually, for 
 
 K ever. 
 
D O 
 
 t »3« I 
 
 D O 
 
 ■^^M 
 
 ever, to the purchafe pf « Hfee 
 Coat and badge, to be rowed for 
 in honour of the day. Which ce- 
 remony is every year performed 
 on the firft of Auguft, the claim- 
 ants fetting out on a fignal given 
 at that time of the tide when the 
 current is (Irongeft againd them, 
 and rowing from the Old Swan 
 near London Bridge, to the White 
 Swan at Chelfea. 
 
 As a writer, Mr. Doggct has 
 left behind him only one tomcdy, 
 which has not been performed in 
 its original Irate for many years, 
 entitled, 
 
 T/je Country Wah. C 4to. 1696. 
 It has been altered however into 
 a ballad farce, which frequently 
 makes its appearance under the 
 title of, 
 
 Flora ; or, Hoh in the Well. 
 
 DoKMAN, Mr. This gentle- 
 man lived at Hampftead. 1 know 
 howeyer nothing more of him 
 than that he is the author of one 
 wretched play, entitled, 
 
 Sir Rdgcr de Coi'crley, D. E. 8vo. 
 1740. 
 
 DossiE, RcEERT. THis gen- 
 tleman was principal fecretary to 
 the fociety for the encouragement 
 of arts and manufatTturcs. He died 
 a few years (ince, having given to 
 the public one trifling piece called. 
 
 The Statcfman foiled. M. C. Svo, 
 1768. 
 
 Dover, John. This gentle- 
 man was the fon of Mr. Robert 
 Dover, an eminent attorney at 
 law, at a place called Bollon on 
 the Keaih, in Warwickfliire, and 
 the chief direftor and manager of 
 an aflembly called the Olyn-.pic 
 Games, which were annually cele- 
 brated upon CotTwold Hills, in 
 Gloacefterihire. Our author re- 
 ceived his education at Magdalen- 
 College, Oxnn. from whence, be- 
 ing intended by his father for the 
 kw, he removed to Gray's-Inn> 
 . 4 ■ 
 
 and was called to the ban The 
 ora'.ory of the courts, however, not 
 fu'iting his inclinatipp To well Vs 
 that of the pulpit, he Toon quitted 
 the law, and took orders ; and 
 Coxeter te Is us, that at the time 
 his notes were written, Mr. Dover 
 was a miniller ol the Gofpel at 
 Drayton, in Oxfordlhire. The 
 exai^ period of his birth I find no 
 where recorded, but imagine he 
 mut^ have lived to a con(iderabIe 
 age, as 'he timeof Coxeter's writ- 
 ing, when be meo ioni him as 
 living, could not at the earliell be 
 fooner than 1720, and a play 
 which he publiflied, and which ho 
 declares to have been his amufe- 
 nient after the fatigues of the law, 
 was publilhed in 1667. The title 
 oi it is, 
 
 'I he Roman Generals, T. 4to. 1 66 7. 
 
 Dow, Alexander. This gen- 
 tleman was a native of Scotlapdy 
 and an officer of eminence in the 
 fervice of the Eail India Company. 
 He was fuppofed to be the tranfla- 
 tor of feveral works fro^n the Per- 
 fian language, though it is gene- 
 rally thought, from the afSftance he 
 received, that very liule of them 
 could be called his own. He ii) 
 like manner prodoced two drama- 
 tic performances called, 
 
 1. Zingis. T. 8vo. 1769.. . ^ 
 
 z. Scthona. T. 8vo. .1774. 
 
 Fie died in the Ead-Itidies about 
 the latter end of 1779- 
 
 Dower, E. Who, or of what 
 profeffion this author was, 1 know 
 rot ; but he feems by his writing* 
 to have been the moft perfeft pro- 
 feilor of poverty that ever devoted 
 himfelf to the tattered lifters of 
 ParnalTi's ; for the few poems he 
 hai publilhed breathe nothing but 
 complaints of his deftitute and 
 dillreffed condition ; and, indeed, 
 his brain feems to have been quite 
 as enipty,-as his pockets. He has 
 printed the poems above-mention-, 
 
 ed,' 
 
D O 
 
 i '31 1 
 
 2) tC 
 
 ti, (ogfthsr «»ith a narrative, in 
 which he cafts the m6ft feverfe 
 irfleftions on the manager of one 
 of the theatrrs, and on the late 
 dutthefs dowager of Marlborough', 
 for noc having given hiirt monrjr, 
 as a reward for his having dd- 
 prived the commanity of perhaps 
 a good porter (»r cobler; in the at- 
 tempt to make a ma(t execrable 
 fcribbler. With ihefc he has pub- 
 liihed a dramatic pitce, which, 
 though far from having any merft 
 in point of plot orcharaftfer, yet is 
 fo far tolerable with rclpedl to the 
 language, and fo ftr (uperior to 
 any of the other fpecimens he has 
 given us of his writings", that, 
 notwithdanding the abufe he has 
 dared to vent agatnil Mr. Fleet- 
 wood for not accepting it, I can 
 fcarceJy believe it to have been his 
 own. It is called, 
 
 T/je Salopian Squire, Dramatic 
 ^a1e, Svo. 1738. 
 
 Down HAM, Hugh. A phyfl- 
 clan yet living, who hath vvrilten 
 one piny called, 
 
 Lucius Junius Brutuu I J. P. 
 8vo. 1779. 
 
 Downing, George. This au- 
 thor is living, and pfobably ar this 
 time a performer in feme one of 
 the drolling companies, which en- 
 tertiiin the difFerent parts of the 
 kingdom. He fays in one of his 
 works that his father was a tradef- 
 man, who gave him a genteel edu- 
 cation* that in the nineteenth year 
 ot his age he married unknown to 
 his friends, and that he ha? fre- 
 quently fufFered all the hardf^ip's 
 incident to the life of an itine- 
 rant player. Me is author of the 
 follovviiig three dramatic pieces^ 
 
 1. NfMiiarke!; or, 77- ours 
 of the Turf. C. i2mo. r^ .,. 
 
 2. The Part hi art Exile. T. 8V0. 
 
 '774- 
 
 ;^ The Koluntccrs ; or, Taylors to 
 ■^rms. I. 8to. ifiOi '' • 
 
 Drake, Dr. James. This aa«» 
 thor was njore celebrated for hit 
 political thsn hiaf dramatic works. 
 He was born at Cam I ridge, in the 
 year 1667, and "had a lilerail edu- 
 cation, fird st Wivelinghaoi, an4 
 afterwards at Eton. On thfc aoth 
 March, 16B4, he was admitted into 
 the Univerfity of Cambridge, and 
 fome time before the RevolatioA 
 took the degree of- B. A. He fooft 
 afterwards became M. A. and i& 
 1694 M. D. He then rcmo ed to 
 Loudon, and was chofen fcllolv ^ 
 the Koyal Society, and of the col- 
 lege of Phyficians. It may be 
 prefumed, that his pradlice in his 
 profefiion was not very confider- 
 "able as we find him from this tim^ 
 much engaged in many literary 
 and political undertakings. He 
 was Concerned in a paper calfed, 
 Mercurius PoUticusy wherein were 
 inferted expreffions which afford- 
 ed his enemies fome groimd-s for 
 a profecution in the Quecn'« 
 Bench. This was carried on 
 againlV him with great feverity, 
 and, though he was acquitted, ia 
 v/rit of error was broiigiit by go- 
 vernment. This, added to repeat- 
 ed diiappointmcrits and ill treat- 
 ment from fome of his party, 
 thiew him at length into a fever, 
 ot which he died at Weftminltet 
 on 2d March, 1 706-7, after a fhort 
 confinement to his bed. He was 
 the author of, 
 
 The Sham Laoyyer^ or. The 
 LucJcy Extravagant. C. 410. 1697. 
 
 Draper, Matthew. Of this 
 author 1 can give no account. He 
 wrote one play, called, 
 
 The Spcndihrijt. C. b'vo. r73r« 
 
 DuAYTON, Michael. This 
 gentleman, who was a poet of 
 great renown in the reigns of 
 queen Elizabeth^ James F. and 
 Charles I. was of a very antient 
 faniily, originally dcfcendcd from 
 the town of Drayton in Leicefter- 
 
 K a &ire j 
 
K I ■''' 
 
 ■a -lip 
 
 D K 
 
 t '3* 1 
 
 D R 
 
 Jhlref but his parents removing 
 into WarwickihirCf he was born ac 
 a little village, called Harful, in 
 that county, tn i;63,. VVhilil he 
 was extremely young, he g:ive 
 fuch proofs of 8 growing genius, 
 as rendered him a favourite with 
 his tutors, and procured him the 
 patronage of fome pcrfons of dif- 
 tin£tion ; for from his own words 
 v/c may gather, that even at ten 
 years of age he had made a con< 
 iiderabVe proficiency in the Latin 
 tongue, and was page to a per- 
 fbn of quality. Sir Alton Coc .ain 
 mentions his having been for fome 
 time a ftudent at Oxford, though 
 it is molt probable that he' cont- 
 pleated his Iludies at the other uni- 
 verfity. His propeniity to poetry 
 was extremely Arong, even from 
 his infancy ; and ive tind the moil 
 qi his principal pieces publiihed, 
 and himff^lf highly dillinguinied 
 as a poet], by the time he w^s 
 about thirty yeaxs of age. It ap- 
 pears, from his poem of Mqfes's 
 JBirt/j and Miracles^ that he was a 
 fpeftator at Dover of the famous 
 Spaniih Armada, and it is not im- 
 probable, that he vvas engaged iii 
 .ibnie military employment ih^re. 
 It is certain, that not only for lAs 
 merit as a writer, but his valuable 
 ■ nalities as a man, he was held in 
 a^ Utimation, and Itrongly pa- 
 T- Auzed by feveral perfonages of 
 confequence ; particularly by Sir 
 ITenry Goodere, Sir Walter Allon, 
 and the countefs of Bedford, to 
 "the firll: of whom he owns himfelf 
 indebted for great part of his edu- 
 cation, and by the fecond he was 
 for many years fupported. 
 
 At the coronation of king 
 •.Jnmcs I. Sir Walter Afton fixed 
 on Mr. Drayt9n as one of the 
 'ifquircs to attend him at his crea- 
 ition of knight of the Bathj and it 
 "has. been alledged th .c, during 
 .king James's miniftry, our poei 
 
 was inflrumental in a correfpoiy 
 dcnce carried on between thai! 
 prince and queen Elizabeth. Thif 
 a/Tcrtion, however, wanu confir- 
 mation, and the rather, as we firi 
 that, though Drayton did un- 
 qurflionably ftoop to grofs flattery 
 to that monarch in fbme i'oemt 
 written on his accelTion, yet lie 
 met with no preferment fron> him y 
 and even his Poeni» ihemfelvet 
 met with a vtty coot and unfa- 
 vourable reception. 
 
 His works are very numerous, 
 and fo elegant, that his manner 
 has been copied by many modern 
 writers of eminence dncc. Among 
 thefe the moH celebrated one is the 
 Pely-Olbion, which is a deicription 
 of (he feveral parts of this iiland, 
 iu twelve foot verfe, and contained 
 in thiny books, or, as the author 
 has himfelf called them, Songs. 
 
 Neither Langbaine, Jacob, nor 
 any of the other writers have mei> 
 tioned hiih as a dramatid; but 
 Cexeter tells us, tliat he has feca 
 an old MS. to the Play, called, 
 
 7h( Mory Devil of Kd/nonton, 
 C. uo. i6o8. 
 
 which declares it to have been 
 wriuen by Michael Drayton, Efc); 
 but iSiiiy tor the reafon we have 
 afligned under its article in the 
 fecoud volume, can hardly have 
 been written by him. Meres, 
 however, fpeaks of him as a writer 
 of Tragedy, and pronounces the 
 following eulogiu n on him-CWit's 
 Treafury, p. 281.): "'As Aulus 
 *♦ Perlius i'laccus is reported a- 
 '• inong al writers to be of an 
 '♦ honed life and upright converfa- 
 ** tion, fo Michael Drayton (qKent 
 " toiics honor ii tt aninrh caufd no- 
 •* mino) among fchollers, fouldeers, 
 " poeCf, and all fons of people,i 
 "is helde for a man of vertuoiii 
 " difpofition, honell converlation, 
 •' arul wd governed cariage, uhich 
 *' is airaolt meracuious among 
 
 '' gpoi 
 
D R 
 
 { '33 1 
 
 D R 
 
 /" frood wits in thefe (^etlli.ing' 
 ♦' and corript tinie«, when there 
 •• is nothing but rogery in vil- 
 •' lanous man, and when cheat- 
 *' ing '>'!() craftioes is counted ths 
 " clttAnC'' wit and founded wif- 
 *' ao.ne." 
 
 This celebrated bard eicd in 
 i6ji, being fwcty-eigbt years of 
 age, and wa^ buried atuong the poets 
 ju W crtminfter-Abbey. Over his 
 <Trave ia ere^ed a hand feme table 
 nmnument ofbliie marble, adorned 
 with hi^ eiligies in buflo Innreated. 
 
 Dr*k, Thomas. 'Ihe very 
 name of this author has been hi- 
 t>.frto unknown, and I am unable 
 to give any account of him. From 
 the Books of the Stationers' Com* 
 pany, however, I find he was the 
 author of one piece afcribed to 
 Heywood, and joint author with 
 Kobert Davenport of another 
 which hath not be?n printed. 
 The firft ii 
 
 'I he L'fi of the Dutche/s o/Sufolk, 
 4to. 163 1. ■ J ' 
 
 The other, 
 
 The lV()»tan*s mlftaken, 
 
 Drury, Robert. Of this gen- 
 tleman I know nothing more, than 
 that he was an attorney at law, 
 itnd wrote the four following Farces, 
 viz. 
 
 1. D«<vil of a Duke, B. Fi 8vo. 
 
 2. Mad Captaitt. O. 8vo. 1732. 
 
 3. The Fancy* d ^een. O. 8yo. 
 
 1733- 
 
 S,. Rival MilUnen. T. C. O. 
 P.F. 1735. 
 
 DRYnE^f, John. As this very 
 eminent poet had but little con- 
 cern with public affairs, any far- 
 ther than by his writings, £ nd as the 
 incidents of his life had no great 
 variety in them, or at Jeait very 
 few of them are on record, I (hall 
 snolUyconfinemyrelf, in this detail 
 of his hillory, to his proceedings 
 and I'togrefi in literary And poeti- 
 
 cal fame. It will therefore be fuf- 
 iicient to inform my readers, that 
 he was the fon of Erafmus Dryden, 
 Efq; cfTichmarfh, and grandfon 
 of Sir F.rafmus Dryden, of Ca- 
 nonfhury, both in Northampton^ 
 (hire, and that he was born Augufl 
 9, 1631, at Aldwinde near Oun- 
 de, in the faid county; a village, 
 which, as he himfelf informs us, 
 belonged to the earl of Exeter, * 
 and which was alfo famous for 
 giving birch to the celebrated Dr. 
 i'homas Fuller, the hilbrian. 
 
 He received the rudiments of hi« 
 grammar learning at Weftminfter- 
 fchooJ, under the learned Dr. 
 Bufby, and from thence was re- 
 moved to Cambridge, where he 
 was entered a penfioner, and ma- 
 triculated the ftth of Julv, :5;o. 
 He took his degree of Batche^Of 
 of Alts in 1653, and v/as elefted 
 fcholnr of Trinity College, of 
 which he appears, by his Latia 
 verfes in the Epithalamla Canta- 
 hrigienfia,^ /^to. 1(162. to have been 
 afterwards a ftllow. Yet, in his 
 earlier days he gave no very ex- 
 traordinary indications of genius, 
 for, even the ye^r before he quitted 
 the univerfity, he wrote a Poenu 
 on the death of lord Mailings, 
 which was by no means a prefage 
 of that amazing perfetftion in poe- 
 tical powers which he afterwards 
 polTalfed. His Hrlt Play, viz. The 
 Wild Gallant, did not appear till 
 he was about thirty one years of 
 age, and then met with fuch indif- 
 ferent fuccefs, that had not ne- 
 ceffity afterwards compelled him 
 to purfue the arduous talk, the 
 Englifli ftage had perhaps never 
 been favoured with fome of its 
 brightell ornaments. 
 
 But to proceed more regularly. 
 On the death of Oliver Cromwell 
 he wrote fome heroic ftanzas to 
 his memory ; but on the Rellora- 
 tion, being deiirous of ingratiating 
 K 3 himfelf 
 
^a^ 
 
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 (716) 872-4503 
 

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 - ft 
 
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 Unrfelfwith tiM niw c«Qrt.4i«j}ro. 
 d^icfd, firit, a Form entitled .<^<iPa 
 rt^uM^ Hdd ttftfrwArdi » pftnegyric 
 t9 the kiagou hii cofonaiion. In. 
 i^6«. he addrcfl^d a Poem to the 
 lord chtnttfljor Hyde, pvefented 
 on New-Year^* Dity ; and in the 
 fame year a Satire on the iXutch. 
 Ill tMft appealed kit Jtntins Miro' 
 hflit, wbich wa< an hillorii-pl Poem 
 in celebration of ihedi^lte oi York'* 
 viflory over the' Du;ch^ Thefe 
 pieces at length obtained him 
 the favour of the crown t and Sir 
 Wfltiain D'Avenant dying the 
 fiMne yeafi Mr» Dryden was ap- 
 
 );)oioted to Atcaeed -him as poet> 
 •ureati About the Aime time he 
 ttngaged hlmfelf b^ contraiEt to 
 write iour Plays in each year^ 
 V'hich, notwithiUnding the afTer- 
 ticni of ibme writers^ he never 
 C3cecutcd. 
 
 In 1675, the (earl of 'Rochefler, 
 
 ^nhofe envious iind malevolent dif« 
 
 pefition ,W(>ul(] not permit, him to 
 
 abe growing njerit meet , with iis 
 
 d«ie rewHrd, and \v<»s therefore 
 
 finccreiy chsj'ri'ne'd at t|ie very juil 
 
 f^ppUu^e. which Mr. Diydcn's dra- 
 
 itiaiic pieces had been' received 
 
 with, WHS determined^ if poitible, 
 
 V> ihake hU interest at court, snd 
 
 focceedcd fo far a« to recommend 
 
 Mr. Ciovvne, an author by no 
 
 Xieans'ot equiil tneri-;, and at that 
 
 lime of an obfcure reputation, to 
 
 <ifrite a mat<5ue Tor the louri, w^ich 
 
 <S«rtainly belonged to Mi,p.-yc:cn'j 
 
 ttffice as poet-laurf nt, '^mt was 
 
 this 'lennly attack, r.or ir.dced the 
 
 Btcd ,jot«nt one, tViat Mr, Dryden'a 
 
 jufblv-acc^iiiiied lam>^- df>Qw ott him ; 
 
 for, lo;Me } e.irj befei-.\ the duke of 
 
 iBuckingh^m, a nriiin of not much 
 
 bcrc- a rharacU'-r • t-an lord Ro- 
 
 ciitiifr, had moit levcrely ridiculed 
 
 |ikv<r<U ofiour au'lior's Playe^ in his 
 
 admired piciecsuHed y\\<t Rt.ve«rjml, 
 
 Butthoua-h the ictrinfic wit which 
 
 nio3 thvough thai per Iqrinancc caat 
 
 net even to this ko«f fatUf CMit.- 
 ing our laughter, yet at th« ffme 
 time it ought not (> be tha f^andard 
 on which wc Ihould (ixMr.£l^r, 
 den>'s poetical i«p9«MHon, if we 
 coaiid^r that the piec;v tatr« ridi» 
 culed are not any ol ihofe whiph are 
 looked on ai the Chef D'Oenvrei 
 of thie author | that the very paf» 
 fagea burlrfqued are frequently, 
 in their original place», ^nuch lefa 
 ridiculous than when thus d«« 
 tachedi like a rotten limb, froqi 
 the body of the work, and expoTiid 
 to view with additional diftottions, 
 and divrfted of that connedion 
 with the other parts which, white 
 it preferved, gave it not only fym* 
 metry but beapty ; ard laflly, that 
 the varioua inimitable beuMtiesi 
 which th<* critic has funk in obIi« 
 vion^ arr infinitely more numeroiia 
 than the deformities. which he hat 
 thus induilrioufly brought forth td 
 our immediate inlp^ilion. 
 . ..Mr, Dryden, however, did not 
 fufFer thefe attacks to pufs with 
 impunity, for in 167^ ilure carod 
 out an EJ)i^_ on Satire^ ikid to be 
 written jointly by him and th<l 
 earl of Nlulgiave. containing fome 
 very fevere reflexions on the earl 
 of RocheOer end the dptchei^ of 
 Pcrifmouth, who, it is not impro- 
 bable,, might be a joint indrument 
 in the above^menticned adVoat 
 Oiewn to Mr.<Dryd«n, and in i68t 
 he publwhQd his^^/a/rw and'^f/''' 
 topbci, in which the wcll-knowa 
 charafier of xrivirit drawn for th<j 
 dcke cf Buckingham, is certainly 
 fevere • enough to repay ail the n- 
 <^<a!e thrown on hire by tha( no* 
 Wcmen in the chara^r oJF Bisftu 
 'I he lei^ntment ib««Mn by tb« two 
 p.eers , was very, difiercnti lord 
 Bochefter; w^o was al coward as 
 well u$ 4 nMn of the molt depra* 
 vtd morals,, bafely hired thte'e ruf* 
 £ans to cudgel Drydt^ in a coiee* 
 houte-j iHit the dlukef^Qf J^uckin^ 
 
 ham, 
 
6 fl 
 
 t «ij y 
 
 t) Fb 
 
 vrL drawn fcr th« 
 
 Imm; ti wfe are t6ld» hi t'llierc 
 open manner, took' thtt taflc on 
 himfelf, and at the iiime time pre- 
 feiitcd him withe pnrfe contain- 
 ing no very trifline Aim of money^ 
 temn|^ bim' that he ;;Bve him tKe 
 beating fs • puniniment for his 
 impudence, but beitowed the gold 
 on him at a reward for hit wit. 
 
 In 1680, waspubliflied i^ti^an^ 
 lation of OvitPs J(fi/fks in Engliflii 
 verfe, by feveral hsnds, two of 
 which, together with the preface, 
 were by Mr. Dryden. In 1682, 
 came out his Religio Lahif de- 
 figned as a defence of revealed 
 religion, Mgainft Dei(l«, Papirts, 
 t^c. and in 1684, hepubliflied a 
 tranfldtjon of M. Maimbooig'a Hif- 
 tory of the League, which he had 
 undertaken by the command of 
 king Charles II. On the death 
 of that printe he wrote a poem 
 facred to hts memory, entitled, 
 ThrtHedlet At^ifjialh, 
 
 Soon after the acceffion of king 
 James II. oor author changed hts 
 religion for that of the church of 
 ^ome, and wrote two pieces in 
 vindication of the Romim tenet?, 
 vit! ADefincttf the Paper Sy writ- 
 ten by the late king, of blefled 
 memory, found in his ftrong box } 
 and the celebrated poem, after- 
 wards anfwered by lord Halifax 
 and Prior, entitled The Hind an^ 
 ,he PantfMr. By this extraordinary 
 iUp he not only engaged himfelf 
 in controverfyj and incurreci much 
 ceniure and ridicule from hts con- 
 temporary Witt; but, on the com- 
 pletion of the revolution, beiii)^, 
 Vn account of his newlychofcn 
 religion, difqualiiied from Bearing 
 »ny office under the government, 
 he was dripped of the laurel, 
 which to his tViH greater tnortifi- 
 caiion was bellowed on .Shadurell. 
 a man- to whom he Had a moll 
 fettW averlioh. This circufm- 
 fiante ovci?fiotitrd his writtng the 
 
 vtty fevem poem, called Mi(e 
 Tkchot. 
 
 Mr. Prydcn'i circuniflancei had 
 never bieeii affluent ; but, now be- 
 inji deprived of this little fupporr, 
 he found bimfelf reduced to the 
 Tieceffity of writini^for meer bread. 
 We coiifequently find hiitf from 
 this period engaged iil pe^forniancea 
 of labour as wdlas eeiiius, vi2. iti 
 tranflating works of others ; and 
 to this neceflity pfrliaps our nation 
 Hands indebted for ibire <^ the 
 beft tranflation^ eXtant. In the 
 year he loft the laurel, he pub- 
 lilhed the life of Sr. Frv,nc?8 Xa- 
 vier, from the French. In 1693' 
 came out a tranflation of Jwvenal 
 and Ptrjiusy in the firl): of which 
 he had a confiderable hand, and 
 of the latter the entire execution. 
 In 169$ was publiAied h\i woie 
 verfion of Frernoy's Art nf Faint- 
 ing \ and the year 1697 gave the 
 world that translation of Virgil*^ 
 works entire, which (lill does, and 
 perhaps eve> will, Hand foremoft 
 among the attempts made on that 
 author. The pftitt jtiecn of this 
 eminent writer, fuch as Pro- 
 logues, Epilogues, Epitaphs, Ele- 
 gies, Songs, itt. are too numeroua 
 to be fpecified here. They have 
 been colledled into volumes, and 
 are now incorporated in his works 
 ahiong the hnglilh Poets. Hia 
 Fahla^ the lall work he publiibed, 
 corifill of many of the moll inter- 
 elHng dories rn Homer, Ovid, 
 Boccace, and Chaucer, tranflaced 
 or nr>odernized in the moll elegant 
 atid poet cal manner, together with 
 feme original ptecei; among which 
 is that aqiazing (Jide on St. CacU 
 i'la^i day, whd)> though wrtren 
 in the very dcxTin'e of its author's 
 life, and at a period 'when q!d age 
 and diftrels conTrtir^d as it wrre to 
 daitip h?s |?ocu.c ar4or and clip 
 the wings of fanoy, yit poilefies (o 
 much t)f Both, as vVould be fuffi- 
 
 K 4 ciciiC 
 
P R 
 
 I »36 3 
 
 D It 
 
 Ci«i)t to have rendered him im- 
 mortal, had he never written a &a- 
 gle line befidei. 
 
 Dryden married the lady £li« 
 zabeth Howard* filler to the earl 
 of Berklhire, who furvived him 
 eight years, though for the laft 
 four of them ihe was a lunatic, 
 having been deprived of her fenfes 
 by a nervous fever. By this lady 
 he had three font, who all furvived 
 him. Their names were Charles, 
 John, and Henry. Of the lall of 
 thefe I can trace no particulars. 
 The fecond fome little account 
 will be given of in the fucceeding 
 article ; and, with refpeft to the 
 eldeft, there is a circumlUnce re- 
 lated by Charles Wilfon, Efq; in 
 his life of Congreve, which feems 
 fo well attefled, and is icfelf of fp 
 very extraordinary a nature, that 
 I cannot avoid admitting it to a 
 
 i}lace here. The event is as foi< 
 0W8. ' 
 
 Dryden, with all his under- 
 flanding, was weak enough to be 
 fond ofjudicial aftrolojgy, and ufed 
 to calculate the nativity of his 
 children. When his lady was in 
 labour with his fon Charl^ , he, 
 being told it was decent to with- 
 draw, laid his watch on the table, 
 begging one of the ladies then.pre- 
 fent, in a mod folemn manner^ to 
 take exa£t notice of the very Mi- 
 nute the child was born ; whi^h Oie 
 did, and acquainted him with it. 
 About a week after, when his lady 
 was pretty well recovered, Mr. 
 JDryden took occaiion to tell l^er 
 thai he bad been calculating, the 
 child's nativity, and obferyca, 
 with grief, that he was born in au 
 evil hour, for Jupiter, Venus, and 
 the Sun, were all qnder the earth, 
 and the lord of his afcepdant af- 
 iliiEted with a hateful fquare of 
 Mars and Saturn. If he lives to 
 arrive at the 8th year, fays he, 
 ** he will go near to die a violent 
 
 ** death on his very birthirday; hyf 
 ** if he ihould eicape, as 1 ifee but 
 " fmall hopei,^ he will in the 23d 
 *' year be undei; the yery fame evil 
 *' diredion, and if he fliOuld,efcap^ 
 ** that al(o, the 334 or 34th ye^ 
 " is, I feai"— -here He vas inter.' 
 rupted by the immoderate grief of 
 his lady, who could no longei^ 
 hear calamity prophecied to be< 
 fall her fon. The time at lall 
 came, and Avguft was the iuau> 
 fpicious month in, which young 
 Dryden \yas to enter into the eighth 
 year of his age. The covert being 
 in progref^, and Mv Dryden ajc 
 leifure, he was invited to tb^ 
 country-feat of the ea^l of Berk- 
 shire, his brother-in-law, to keep 
 the long vacation with him at 
 Charlton in Wilts ; his lady was 
 invited to her uncle Mordaunt's, 
 to pafs the rc.mainder of the fum- 
 mer. When (hey ^ame to divide 
 the children, lady Eli:;ab^:h woul^ 
 hav9 him take John,. and fufier 
 her to take Charles ; but Mr^ Dr><« 
 4en was too abfulute, and they 
 parted in anger ; he topk Charles 
 with, him, and llie was obliged to 
 be pontent vyith John. When th,e 
 fatal day came, the anxiety of tbje 
 Jady's fpirits occafioned fuel) ai) 
 effervefceuce of blood, as thrt-^ 
 her into fo* violent a fevty that 
 her life was defpaired of, till » 
 letter came from iMr. Dryden, re- 
 proving her for her wonaanilh crc- 
 dijility, and aiTirino; her that he; 
 .child was well, >yhicn recc\vered her 
 (pirits, and in £;( weeks after, Q-.f 
 received an eclaircilfement of the 
 whole affair, Mr., Dryden, ci.htr 
 tk'ough fear of being reckoned 
 fuperttitious, or thinking, it 9 
 fcience oeneath his (lijidy, was ex* 
 tremely cautious of letting any one 
 know that be was a deale][ in at- 
 trology; therefore could not ex- 
 cufe his abfence, on his fun's an* 
 iiiverffr^, fro^ a general hunt|ng 
 
 match 
 
D R 
 
 I ^17 1 
 
 rrif 
 
 IP9tch lord Berkfiiire had inade, 
 to which all the adjacent gentle- 
 men were invited. When he went 
 out, he took care to fet ike boy 
 a double exercife in the Latin 
 tongue, which he taught hi* chil- 
 dren himfelf, with a llridl charge 
 not to ftir put of the room tjfl hi« 
 return i well Jcnoiying the talk he 
 had fet hiqi would take pp longe? 
 time, Charles wa« performing hti 
 duty, in o)>edience to his father { 
 but, as ill fate would have it, the 
 ilag made tojyards |be houfe ; and 
 the noiie alarming the fervants, 
 they h^ed out to fee the fport. 
 Ot^e of them took youn^ Dryden 
 by the hand, and led hiro out to 
 fee it alio, when, juft as they came 
 to the gate, the flag being at bay 
 with the dogs, made a bold pulh, 
 and leaped oyer the court wall, 
 which ^as very low, aod very old; 
 and thp dogs fpljpwing, threw 
 down a part of the wall |en yards 
 in length, under which Charles 
 Dryden lay buried. He was im- 
 mediately due out, and after fix 
 weeks languishing jn a dangerou? 
 way he recovered : fo far Pryden^s 
 predi£lio|i was fulfilled: in the 
 fwenty-third yeqr of his age, 
 Charles fell from the top of an old 
 tower h^plopgipg to the Vatican 
 ^t Rome, occauoned by a fwim- 
 ming in his head, with which he 
 yvas feized, the heat of the day 
 being cxcefTtve. He again reco- 
 vered, but was ever after in a Ian- 
 gu^Oiing iickly %te. |n the thir- 
 fy-third year of his age, being re- 
 turned to {England, he vvas uri- 
 happily drowned at Windfor. He 
 had with aQOther gentleman fwum 
 ^wice over the Thames { but re- 
 furbing a third tiipe. it was fup- 
 pofed he wis taken with the cramp, 
 pecaufe he called out for help, 
 though too late. Thus the father's 
 falculatioB proved but too pro- 
 phetical. 
 
 
 At laft, after a long life^ haif 
 raffed with the moil laborious of 
 «1I fatigues, vis. that of the mindf < 
 and coMtinoaUy made anxioar bf 
 diArefs and diffi^pltjr, our itutb«e 
 departed this Itfir oa the RtSt <^ 
 May, 1 701, and was interred in; 
 Weilminiier'Abbey. On the iptl): 
 of April he had been very bad witk 
 the goqt anderifipeUs in one leg 3 
 but he was then fomcwhat reco^ 
 yered, and defigned to go abroad f: 
 on the Friday following he ear s • 
 partridge for his fupper, and going 
 to take a turn in the little gardea 
 behind his houfe in Gerald-Street* 
 he was feized with a violent pain 
 under the ball of the great toe o£ 
 his right foot; t&at, unable to. 
 fland, he cried put for help, and 
 was carried in by his &rvants« 
 when, upon fending for- furgeons, 
 they found a fmall black fpot in 
 the place affe£ted ; he fobmitte4 
 to their preient applications, and 
 when gone called his fon Cfaarlea 
 to him, uiing thele words: " I 
 i''- know this black fpot is a morti- 
 '* iication : I know alfo, that it 
 ** will feize my head, and that they 
 *"> will attempt to cut off my leg 1 
 *' but J command you, my fon, 
 <* by your filial duty, that you do 
 *^ not fuffet me to be difmember- 
 *' ed :" «s he foretold, the event 
 proyed ; and hit fon was too du- 
 tiful to difobey his father's com- 
 mands. 
 
 On the Wcdnefday morning fol- 
 lowing, he breathed his lail, under 
 the moil excruciating pains, in the 
 69th year of his age. 
 
 The day after Mr, Dryden'a 
 death, the deai^ «>f Wefttninfter 
 fent word to Mr. Dryden 's widow, 
 that he would make a preDnt ojt 
 the ground, and all other abbey- 
 fees, for the funeral : the lord Ha- 
 lifax likewife fent to the lady I^i- 
 zabeth, and to Mr. Charles Dry* 
 den) offering to defray tl^e expf ncei 
 
 , of 
 
trie 
 
 t «s« 1 
 
 15 R 
 
 i«:^«o«eft6w ftve huiKlrcid|)<iotid# 
 Ob a nbnMnent ia the < Abbey f 
 fthidvgMivroito «flfer< waa aocMt- 
 «i<; ; Aetatdisi^f on Sundajr fol-' 
 ftfwiagi tMa «an»miny bchi^ «(*•» 
 ftmbndy the otM'pfe wa» put imo a 
 «blTer htarfa, aveaded hy eig;bt«en 
 dtouratngf eoaciw*.^ Whtif they 
 werd jutt rtacty to ma«a, tard Jc^n 
 laryr) ibn df lord clfancalldr }t(-i 
 ifkysy a nimr dedicated to infioay; 
 with fotteof hfi< rakiih coiApanioit* 
 riding by, afked wholes funeral ic 
 was; and bein^ tald it was Mr. 
 Drydeb's, he prottefted he ihould 
 ••C be boriod in that private man- 
 Mr, that he would himfislf, with 
 die lady Elizabeth's leave, have 
 tiie honour of the interment, and 
 iMndd beftow a thoufand pounds 
 OH a moauacnt ia the Abbey for 
 him. This put a Hop to their 
 IwooeAoH ;- and the lord • Jefferys, 
 werii fcrverelof the gentlemen, who 
 lldd' alighted from their coaches, 
 went up (lain to the lady, who 
 wtw iicK in^bed. His lordihip re- 
 peated the purport of v\ hat he had 
 faid belbW ; but the I^dy Elizabeth 
 refuifng htr confetft, hi fell 6h 
 his. knees, vowing never to rife till 
 ia» requvft wa^^ granted. The lady 
 under a iudden futprlif fainted 
 away; andierd jefl^ryi^, pretettding 
 to have obtained her confent, tir- 
 «icr(Sd the body to he carried to 
 Mr. Ru(r<.rs, an undertaker in 
 Ciiieapfidet and'tO be left there till 
 fuvthtr orders. In the mean time 
 she Abbey war lighted up, the 
 ground opened, the'choir: atteiid* 
 i\i^ and the bi(hop waning fome 
 ■lidors tb no p^ry^ffe' for the corpfei 
 'i^hc next day Mr. Charles Dry^lea 
 jitf.4ketl on ^my lord Halifax and 
 tilt bilhop ,♦ and endeavoured'- to 
 «tecfebi*ifaothcr, by retnting the 
 tftltbi' Three day* after,, t'he un- 
 <i«ritaker bating received no or- 
 idtwiy waited' Ok)s the lord je^vryt-^ 
 1> 
 
 wbo prettmdid it was a drunken 
 froliC, that he remembered nothing 
 of the mstten, and he might do 
 what be pleaf^d with the bod^. 
 Upon this; the undertaker waited 
 on the lady Elitabetb, who defired 
 a day's refpite, whicb was grantcdi 
 Bli. Charles Di^yden immediately 
 Wrote to the lord Jeflfbrys, Ivho r^« 
 turned fiftr anfwei^, that he knew 
 nothing of the matter, and would 
 be troubled no more about it. Mf. 
 Dryden> hereupon applied again to 
 th» lord Halifax and the bfliop 
 of Rocheller, who abf<>lutely re>» 
 fufed to do any thing iti the aflair. 
 In this diflrrfs, Dr Garth, who 
 had been Mr. Dt-yden's' intimate 
 friend, fent for the corpfe to the 
 College of Phyficians, and pro- 
 pofed a fubfcripiion; which 'Aic- 
 ceeding, about three Wtek« sifter 
 Mr. Dryden*8 deeeaft', Df. Garth 
 pronounced a fine Latin oration 
 over the body, whicb was' con- 
 veyed from the College, attended 
 by a numerous train of coaches to 
 Wettminller-Abbey, but in veiy 
 great diforder. At lalt the corpfe 
 arrived at the Abtiey, which was 
 all oniighted. No organ played, 
 no anthem ftfng; only t Wo of the 
 fingtng boys preceding the corpftr, 
 'who fung an ode. of I40race, wilh 
 each a finali candle in their hand. 
 When the funtral was over. Mi*. 
 Charles DrydeA lent a challenge 
 to lord Jefierys, Who refufing to 
 •anfwer it, he feht fcveral others, 
 and went often himfelf ; but could 
 neither get a letter delivered, ncKr 
 admittance to fpeak to him; 
 which fo in cm fed him, that, P.ti-- 
 ing his tordihip rei\iftd to atifvrer 
 him like a gefitleni^aiil,'be yeftrfved 
 -to watch an upporrUfiity, and bttive 
 him to fight, though «^th all thfc 
 rules of honour I whiCh his lord- 
 ihip bearing, quitted tite town, 
 ti^ncj Mr. ChArles' never iVatl ait op- 
 portunity CO m^et him, thod g^ hj^ 
 
 fought 
 
D'R 
 
 Cti» 11 
 
 % 
 
 fiug^t it to hii deakfi, with) the' 
 
 utmoft appJicatioo. ' 
 ' i\ir. Drydtfn had no monaneat' 
 ereSted lo him for TcvCTal year*} 
 to which Mr. Fitpe ailudoi in h»' 
 epitaph intended for Mr. Rowe, 
 JO this line. 
 
 Bfnenth a rude tfiui ti0»ielffi Jlone, 
 
 Ije lits, ^ '■' :' 
 
 . In a note uport which we arrin- 
 formed, that the tomb of Mr, 
 Prydvn was erected upon this hint, 
 by Sh«fEeid duke pf Backingham, 
 to which was originally intended 
 this epitaph : 
 
 This Sheffield raii^ J. The /acred du^ 
 
 bfloWy 
 Was Dryden once ; the refi nuho does 
 
 mi know f 
 
 Which was fince changed into 
 the plain infcription now upoa 
 ti, viz. 
 
 I. D R Y DEN, 
 
 • UatUs Aug. g, 1621. 
 
 Mortuiis 'MbHx I, 1701. 
 
 yahannes Sbrfficld, dux Suckingka- 
 
 mienfis^ pojult, 
 
 • Mr. Drydi;n's rharacler has been 
 yery differently drawn by differ^ 
 ent hands, fome of which have ex- 
 alted it to the bigbeft degree of 
 commendatbn, and others debafed 
 it to the (d\«reft eenfure. The 
 latter, however, we moft eharge to 
 that ftrong fpirit of party which 
 prevailed during great part of 
 Drydcn's time^ ana ought there* 
 fore to. be taken- witHgi-eat allow- 
 aacefr. Werr wei indeed to form 
 a; judgment of the author from 
 fome of his dramatic writings, we 
 (hoi)]d perbapa be apt to conclude 
 him a man) of the moft lieentioui 
 RioraJsj many of his cOihciKea con^ 
 tajritijt ;i great fharo- of loofends, 
 even extending to obfcenity ;. but 
 ^ we eoirfuier th»r, as tile |foct 
 tc'll^ us, ' . . 
 
 Th^ nnh^ live i» pkajtt iKiffi fUtflf 
 m Ibite^ • 
 
 if we then look back tto the feani^ 
 daie^s Ifcence of the ate ]Mi tiv*!^ 
 in, the indigence wfaictt ai^ fImM 
 he underwent, aid the aeeefi^ M 
 cot»ftquet>tly lay under of c«»p^» 
 ing w>ith the pabHc taA% h&kvrti 
 deyraved, We fliall fniely not re^ 
 ftife our pardon 10 the connj^fetf 
 vPriier, nor our credit to tlMfe of 
 hts> con tern porariMi whb #erfriflK 
 timately act] uatiited with hidi, an4 
 who have aflbred us there was no-* 
 thing rentarkaMy vki6ui in hi# 
 perfonal character. 
 
 From fome parts of his hiftoff 
 ke appears unfieady, and tohavtf 
 too readily temporized with thtf 
 feveral revolutions in church an^ 
 Hatle. This, hoWevtr, migRt in 
 ibme meafure have been owing to 
 that natural timidity and difl^ence 
 in hif difpofition, which aJnfoft all 
 the writers feem to ag#ee tM hie 
 poiTeffing. Congreve, WiVbfe ati« 
 thortty cannot be fufpe^M, hai 
 given' us fuch- an accotine of him, 
 ai itwktkhim ajipear nO left iiaia* 
 ble in his private chara^er m 4 
 man, than he w*s illdftifibua iJi bll 
 public One as a poet^ la tU« 
 former light, accordifa|[ to thit 
 gentlema?», he was humane, com* 
 paffionate, fbrgiving, aitdfiiKp^elj^ 
 friendly } of an extesfivt rmI^ 
 ing, a teniciotta memory, aUd n 
 rettdy comatttnication ; g««ite in 
 the OMreftlods of the writint* of 
 othcir», and patient undtn'tmf re^ 
 pKheniioa ofbiri own dt^ende^t 
 eafy of aeceft himfelf, but< flov^ 
 and diffident iti his adVKncet' to 
 otiwrs'i and of all- men thfe' mo^ 
 modcft' and the mdir eify tO^ \Sk 
 diflwumenahoed ita hi«apt>n)te11e^, 
 dthm to his fuporfors Ofhis^e^anlik 
 As to hln wfitiiig)^ htfttperhaiA 
 the happieft in the bak^Ony <Xm 
 mimban^ of any poet **<» ever 
 Hvn> eiAer h^tf Or mk m 
 
 tfnftV 
 
ff n 
 
 t; »4« 1 
 
 D R 
 
 ^Iroet Mot.fyen Mr Pope bimfelf Ungaage fo much, and fatk 
 
 excepted. His imagination if ever various matter, and in (o vanV 
 
 «arm. hi* images |>obl<;« his de-> ous mannen, fo well. Another 
 
 i^ripiip^K bfia«it;fol» ajad his fen- tbin^, 1 ma^ <'ty, was very peculiar 
 
 ^i^^ts.jgd, ana becoming. |n to hiai, wbith is, that his parts did 
 
 %» pf9(«,)i4 is poetical without not decline with his years, but 
 
 Wiab«j8> ' ioncife without pedap- that he was an improved writer to 
 
 try, i^ad clfsar without prolixity, the lad, eyen to near fevent^ year* 
 
 ^ a .dramatift i^fi has, perhaps, of age ; improving even in nr? 
 
 llbfilcaj^ inherit of all his writings* 
 
 sukd indeed the fair conf<riuon 
 
 whic^ be has made of his uniitr 
 
 9jefs for the writing of comedy 
 
 (and his comip pieces it is, that 
 
 Save been the mod feverely hand.- 
 
 led by the tLr^ucs) would) one 
 
 might imagine* have been fuf- 
 
 i^cient tp Silence the ciaipoar of 
 
 <bat fna Jing band* The pa/Tagp 
 
 \% in his a^mijrable E/Tay on Dra> 
 
 saatic Poetry : t- I wppt (fays he) 
 
 ** that , gaiety of humour that is 
 
 ** required in it. My converfa? 
 
 «5 ii(^ is flow and dull,, my hu« 
 
 f* mpur i^turnine and referved. 
 
 V in i(bort» I am none ci'thofe who 
 
 f* ctideayour tp breajc jeft^ in comr 
 
 ** pany, and make repartees ; fo 
 
 and imagination as well as m 
 judgment ; witk^efs his Ode on St. 
 Csecilia's Day, and his Fables, hif 
 latell performance. He was equal* 
 ly excellent in verfe and profe. 
 His rrofe had all the clearnefs 
 imaginable, without deviating into 
 the language pr di^on of poeiry^ 
 In his Poems, his didion is, wben« 
 ever }^;s f^bje;^ . requires it, fq 
 fuhlime, and fo truly poetical, 
 that its efTcnce, like that of pure 
 gold, cannot be deilroyed. Take 
 bis veries, and dived them of their 
 rhymes, disjoint (hem of their 
 numbers,. tranfpoCe their cxpreA 
 fions, make what arrangement or 
 difpofitlon you plcafe in his words; 
 yet Oiall there eternally be poetry. 
 
 ** tbajt ih fe who decry ny (Come- and fomething which will be found 
 
 ** dies:, do me no injury, except it incapable of being redu<:ed to ab- 
 
 ^* be in point of profit. Reputa-. folute profe. What he has done 
 
 '* tioo in them is the lad thing to in. any one fpecics or didin^ kind 
 
 *'.yvhich I ib.ail pretend." of writing would have been fuf-^ 
 
 Iq tragedy iilfo he feems to have ficient to have acquired him a ytrf 
 
 been very diffident of his own me- great name. If he had written 
 
 rit, and confcious of the difad- nothing but his Prefaces, or no- 
 
 Tantages he \ky under from his thing but his Songs and hts Pro- 
 
 coropt4M necedity of rendering }ogues, each of thetp vyould have 
 
 his pieces popular ; aiid though entitled him to thf preterence an^ 
 
 ther^ are ,many of theiq whif b are diftinAion of excelling in its kind, 
 
 truly excellent, yet he telli us, Eeiides his other numerous writ> 
 
 that he never wrote aiiy thing in iogs, he was author of, and con- 
 
 |he drainatic way to pieafe himfelf ceroed in* the following dramauQ 
 
 byt his ^/,'^r JLfl;i;<. 1 (ha|l, how- pieces, viz. ^ 
 
 ever|Clofe my a(;cpunt of this ce- i. ibe If^ild Galfant, C. This 
 
 lebratcd author with the words of was his fird piece, but I believct 
 
 Idr. Congreye, who has borne the oot printed before 16691. ^tq» 
 
 following Ihong tedimonial to his 2. The Rival Ladies. T, C» t^Oy 
 
 pcetipal merit. 1664. 
 
 ^* I may veqtu^^e (fays that gen- 5. The Indian Emptnur* 4to« 
 
 tlemai))to fay, ip general terms, 1667. 
 
 that, no man has written in our ^, Secret 
 
 \ 
 
D It 
 
 t «4« 1 
 
 D D 
 
 llmg in its kind. 
 Duoeroai wnt> 
 hor of, and con- 
 lowing dramatifi 
 
 iHmu C. This 
 , but 1 believe 
 tbb^. 4tp. 
 
 adits. T. C. ^ 
 
 4. Secret Love j or, Tift Maiden 
 S^ueen, 410. 1668. 
 
 j. ."<> 3f«r//» Mar-all, C. 410. 
 
 1668. 
 
 6. J2'Tmpe/t. C4to. 1670. 
 
 7. ^/t Eve King's Love ; or, 7"^* 
 Mock 4ftrologer. 410, 167 1. 
 
 8 . Tyrannick Love > or, 7^ Rnyal 
 Ilartji-. T. 410. i67». 
 
 9. T'he ConqH(fi ^'Granada, ^XO, 
 
 1672. 
 
 10. Almanvor aiiff Aimahidc % or, 
 ^/;ir Coiiquejl of Granada, Part II. 
 4to. 167a. 
 
 11. Marriage Airiftude, C. 410. 
 
 1673. .' ' 
 
 12. The JffignatioM', t»f Love in 
 
 toNunmry, 4lo<: 1673. • • 
 
 13. Ambiyna. T.'4to. t67J. 
 
 1 4 . 7«6/ ^/fi/< tflwucinst and Fall 
 of Man, 0.410^ 1674. 
 
 15. Aurengxehe, T. 4tO. 1676. 
 
 16. AU for Love. T. ^10. lb^i. 
 
 17. Oedipus. T.,4tO. 1679. < 
 ^ 18. Troilus-4n4Qn^' T.4to. 
 
 1679. 
 
 19. 7y6< Kimi Kre/kri ori Afr. 
 Limlferham. Pv4tOw 1680; 
 
 20. y^^< ^^?ifc i^V/Jr. T. C. 
 4to. 168 1. . . 
 
 zX.lheDukiofGuife, T. 410. 
 1683. 
 
 22. i#/!$iM and AUfiOiius. O. fo. 
 1685. ' 
 
 ;>3. DoHSehq/iian, T. 4to. 1 690. 
 
 J 4. Ampbitjyom. C. zto. 1 69 1. 
 
 25. King Arthur. £>.• O. 4tO, 
 1691. 
 
 26. Cleomenes the Spartan Hero. 
 T. 4to. 169%. 
 
 . iy. Love triumphant. T. C. 410. 
 1694* 
 
 He brpughtxupon the fiage a 
 iPlay, of which Jie: only wrote one 
 tene, called, . . 
 
 The Miflaken Hujbaad. C. 410. 
 1675. 
 
 Dryden, John, jcin. This 
 gentleman . wa? fecond Ton to the 
 great poet laft'mehttoned. He 
 went early to Rome, where he was 
 
 entertained by the pope Kt one dC^ 
 the gcntlemrn of his bed-ch<mbei', 
 and at whitb place he died ; but 1 
 cannot trace in what ' yciar thit 
 event happened. While he wa9 
 abroad he wrote one Play, vidiick 
 he fcnc over to hit fat^r, who aC 
 length brought it oii the, fltge» 
 -though not ull fome yeiirrs after ic 
 was written. It Is entitled, 
 
 TheHuHandhii&mik CachU, C. 
 4to. 1696. 
 
 DuGTois, Dorothea. Was the 
 wife of a mufician, and datghter 
 of the earl of Anglefe* by'AAne 
 Sympfon, a lady llmo aflerted he^ 
 f«if to be wife of liis lonlQiip^ 
 though difowned by l>im. Ill coop 
 feqaence of this difputed rights 
 the prefent lady wiis neier td- 
 kaowlcdged as legithnatefy be.' 
 lonting to the faiAily, but pdfled 
 mim of her life in great indigenck 
 and inefeaua) attemptfiitf elabli fli 
 her claim to thAt diftiiij^ion, whkh 
 Ae alfo ufed in the title.'pages of 
 her writings. She printed an a6* 
 coant of her own doty' in a work 
 called Theodora. A Novel, ia 
 2 vols. 1770, and died a few vears 
 paft. She wrote one tnttfical en- 
 tertatnment, called, 
 
 TU Divorce. M. E. 4tO. 1771,' 
 DuFFET, THOMASk This au- 
 ihior.was a milliner in the New 
 Exchange ; but, his genius leading 
 ■ him to dramatic poetry, he wrote 
 fevecal pieces for the (rage, which 
 at firft met with good fuccefe, baC 
 afterwards funk' into contempt and 
 oblivi«jn. And, indeed^, the favour- 
 able reception they found at their 
 firll appearance, fefml not to have 
 been lb much owinj; to the geniaa 
 of their author, which was but of 
 a very moderate rank, as to that 
 fondnefs of abafe and fcarrilit/ 
 which has been almoft at all timet 
 prevalent with the public ;i and 
 Mr. DafFet ftcod more indebted tQ 
 the jjreat names of thefe aufthora 
 
 ' who£is 
 

 ;i: 
 
 11 
 
 V o 
 
 1 i4» 1 
 
 D U 
 
 mhoC* WKOiku bt attMiptccI to faaiw 
 U(ym tod xidkute, vis. Dfydsn, 
 iSk«i«fflU, m4 Settle, (h»n to any 
 ^BCrie of hit own. TraYcftie xfid 
 Jborltfqoc wUl ever crett* a Uug)i4 
 4>ut,Jl>CMv«v«r )nteniieid>can neverdo 
 «Dy enential., hurt to p«rronitances 
 of real worth I nor coald the Mn^ 
 ^tmptfi^ Plyeht^ or Emffrtfi tf Mt- 
 rMic0,^Uflcn» IB the opinion of the 
 Ju<Uiclioi>tt, th« value of the ori- 
 
 Sinali on which they are founded, 
 kod although noiw and then aigreat 
 jcnitti and a, t(iie fuod.ot' hHOiQur 
 Any ftainp imrnortality on a bur^ 
 le^ilCf a« in the cafe of Scarr<m*i 
 Virgil '^ra^^it, and Ctn/«>i*s Scar- 
 xmdfui, yet, where a deficiency of 
 thofe bdUiant.qualitieiis apparent, 
 and-ftvevn of fcurrjliiy and pet- 
 fopaiillrnatwre indulged, at in (he 
 .abtwe-nam^d iworks of Mr.. Dttf- 
 fet,, though they may for a (boit 
 j>erio4 diawio the public- to join 
 lotbe.Uagb vitif thsm. yet it will 
 conlUfvUy ho found, in a little 
 4iina, to c^cbanse it. for laughing 
 itt thetn„aivd ftt length to condemn 
 ihein tp (i perpetual obfcurity and 
 ^ntetapt, , . 
 
 The piqcts Mr. Dtiffet has left 
 behind him, the belief which weae 
 thor«Twhi<;h m^t with the woril fuc- 
 4efs, are f\:f in number, viz. 
 
 ^ a, ^niflf Re^ue. C. 4to. 1674. 
 3. Emj^efi t^ Morocto, F. 410. 
 
 1^7*' 
 I 4. ^tffA Tiewpfjf. F. 4to. 167.J. 
 5. Jieavt/i ftJun^j. . M. 4to. 
 
 0. ^.(( Debwcit^tl, C> '4t6. 
 
 •4lkll)png .(Kefe, boweyerf the firft 
 h evftry. *l;crc mentJoncdas by an 
 
 vWikivvW" Author, excepting by 
 
 •^Itap^^uiair, who attributes it to 
 (his writer. 
 PvN<:oi«iKS,WrLLiA.u. This 
 
 . j^»vU»TW« .>v»8 the ^-QUDger fon of 
 
 » . .y'lJ^ 
 
 John Duncomlie, E(<). ofStokki, 
 in Hertfnrdfliire. He married « 
 .filler of Mr. Hughn, aothor of 
 7be Siege qf Dama/'eus, and wM 
 the writer and editor of levertil 
 Agreeable works. He died Feb. 26, 
 i7C9,atthe a^ offourfcore year*. 
 
 nil dramatic works are, 
 
 i,Ailialimb. T, lyea. 
 
 f. Lkcius yunius Brutus, T. 
 
 »734. 
 
 D'UarBr, Thouas. This au- 
 thor, who is more generally fpoken 
 of by the familiar name of Tom, 
 was defccnded from an ancient (a« 
 mily in France. Hi» parents, be« 
 .ing Hugonots, fled from Rochelle 
 before it was beficged by Lewk 
 XIII. in 1628, 'aod fettled at 
 ■Exeter, where -this their fon was 
 born, but in what year is unce^ 
 .tain. He was originaiiy bred to 
 .Uve law, but foon finding that pro* 
 fefilon too- faturnine for his volatilt 
 .an|d lively g«i>i4i»j ke-^uiKcd it, to 
 become a devotee of the Mufe^i 
 .in.whkh he met with no fmall fuc- 
 cefs. Mis dramatic pieces, whi^ 
 are very Autparoosi were in jjeneral 
 well received ; yet, though he has 
 .not been- dead above iixty yearsi 
 there is not one of them now on the 
 muiler^roU of aAing^^' playa t that 
 licentioufnefs of intrigue, loofe^ 
 .nefs of fentiment. and iddeiieacy 
 of wit, which were rheir ftrongeft 
 .recommendations to- the audiences 
 for whom they were written, haV' 
 .ingvvery juftly-'baniflied them from 
 the llage in this period of purer 
 . tafte. "Sfetare they very far from 
 being totally devoid of merit. The 
 fsplots are in general btffyy intricate^ 
 ; and entertaining; the chacajStert 
 not ill drawn^ although rather too 
 .farcical, Jsiid the language, if not 
 pctfLdtly Correft, yet eafy and wdl 
 adapted for the dialogue bf Co- 
 medy. But what Mr. D'CJrfitjr 
 : obtained his greateft reputation 
 by, was a peculiarly happy knadc 
 
 W 
 
D U 
 
 i Mj y 
 
 D Vv 
 
 he poiTcntd io the writing of S«« 
 
 tires and irregular Odei. Many 
 of ihefc were upoa temporary^ oc- 
 cafions, and were of no little 
 fervice to the partjr io whofe c^ufe 
 he wrote ; wnich, together with 
 hii natural vivacity aod good- 
 humour, obtained him the favoar 
 of great nuqfibers of perlpns ojCall 
 ranks and conditionH, monarchi 
 themfelvei not excluded. He w<as 
 ftrongly attached to the tory inie- 
 rell. and in the latte^ juu-t of queen 
 Anne*( reign had freqventiy the ; 
 honour of diverting that princefs 
 with witty catches and longs of 
 humour, fuiie4 to the fpirit of the 
 times, written by Hipfelf, and., 
 which he fung in a liyely aad en- 
 tertaining manner. And the au> 
 thor of the G«ffr//{tf«, wJ?o, ip N* 
 67, has given a very Humourous 
 account of Mr. D'Urfey, with a 
 view to recommend him to the 
 public notice for ajbenefit pIjmjj, 
 tells us, that he remembered king 
 Charles II. leaning on Tom D*Ur- 
 frey's (houlder more than once, 
 and humming over a fong with 
 him. 
 
 He was cert^nl^. a very divert- 
 ing companion, and a chearful, 
 honeft, good*natared4^an') fo that 
 he was the delight of the mod po- 
 lite cpmpanies an^ converfations 
 from the beginning of Charles ITs 
 to the latter part of king George I's 
 reign ; and many an honcA gentle- 
 roan got a reputation in his c^ap- 
 try by pretending to have jbeen 
 in CPippauy with Toin D'Uifey. 
 Yet, fo univerfal a (favourite as he . 
 was, it is apparent, that tqw^rds 
 the latter part oj[ his Itk he (lood 
 in need of alliance |p prjpy.cQi his 
 paffit^e thff remainder of it ia a. 
 cage. Tike a fiogi(^ bii^, fur, to , 
 fpeak in bis ovjrn woi;ds, *? i;fp?.atpd , 
 hy the above-named authpr, ** af- 
 'Vter having written mpre Odes 
 
 ••iinet as many CeotdiA If 
 ♦• Terence, he found himfelf f0*f 
 *< daced to ^reat difficulties by th« 
 '*, import unities cf a ftt ^ man, 
 " who of late years had furnUbcd] 
 **;]Hn!t with ihe aoeMMiodationa 
 <* of life, and would noi« aa W0; 
 *' fay, be .paid with a fong.** Mr. 
 Addifpi) then uiforgii iia« thar, in 
 order to extricate him from thefti 
 diAcujtjes, hjB himfelf inimcdiate' 
 ly applied to the direAoirs of tjia: 
 pUy-hpofe,, who .vary geoeropfl/ 
 agreed to aA the P/ofttMg ii'i/feru •/ 
 pjay of Mr. D'Urfev's, Jor .the 
 benefit of its author. What^t^r**, 
 fi^t joftbis benefit was, tlocs .aot ap- 
 pear 4 but it was probably fufficienC: 
 tpiifaki^ hjltn eafy,. aswer find him 
 living and continuing to wjjtc with . 
 t^fai^ hygiOHr andjiiveKDei'aco 
 the time of his deathT wivi);h'bap*j> 
 pened on the 26th of February, 
 1723. What was his age at this 
 .iUDSfc jJLQSt perainly fpeciBed any 
 where, but he mull have been con- 
 fiderably advanced in life, his firft 
 Play, which coald fcarcely have 
 bdien written before he was twenty 
 years of age, having made its ap- 
 pearance forty-feyea years before. 
 He was buried in the church-yard 
 of St. Jameb^, \ye(U|(inlleJK ' , 
 . ThoTc who have a jQuriofiyr ti^. 
 ff f; his ballads, Soanets, 4i>c. may 
 fijnd a large nqmber. . 9f them 
 brought together in (i (oiledioA 
 iu fix volugies in dtioftjepifoot im-. 
 titled puis to funrge lifelmcl^i «f: 
 which the G^ar^iaitf in K* a/^i 
 fpsaks in very favourajjle terns* 
 The titles of his draij^aMc piece*: 
 may be foujtd in the eivfulag lift. 
 
 1 . .W i^Mempt^s. T. 4IP. 1 676. 
 
 2. RotKlH^i^batid. 0.^410, L^6i.< 
 
 4. J^fol twrtld Critff^ C. 4tlQ* 
 
 5. TritMfirTmh Cr 410. 4478* 
 ^. §qiih* QM-^flp. C.4««..i679» 
 
D U 
 
 i U4 i 
 
 D O 
 
 I. Si'fMstHdfy mfg. Ci 4t6. >b. Dm ^Ixott, C. Part lit, 
 k69t. ' 4toi 1696. 
 
 9. Rwtifi* C. 4tO. 1683. 31. Cynthia and En/iymicn, 0; 
 
 io» Mjio^d PriHcrft. T. C.4to« 4<l). 1697. 
 
 ll5«a. »i. iHtrigUfsc/Fttj/kilks. C. 410. 
 
 II. Co m m iwAt lrh of Wtnun, T. 1697. 
 
 Ck 4to. 1 686. aj» Cam^igntrt, C. 4ro. i6(j8. 
 
 13. ^mdiUh C. 4to. 1686. 34. MaJJaniillo, Play, in two 
 
 13. fW« Pfffirmtkf, C. 4toi Parts. 410^ 1699. 4to. i*joo. 
 1688. ' 2^. Bath. 0,410.1701. 
 
 14. i9iir/2^ D*Jnilait. T. 4to. a6. IVonders in the Huh, C. 0. 
 16^1. • 4to. 1746. 
 
 1$. Low ftr Mmf^, C. 4tOi 37. ModerH Propheti C 410. N. 
 
 1691. D. [1709.} 
 
 16, Marriajgt'bater fHatcb*d* Gt t%. Old Modi and the Npjj, C« 
 
 4to» 16911' 4to. N. D. 
 
 fj, Rithkottd fhltf/i* C. '4to. 29. The Tnuo ^ens of Brniford. 
 
 1693. M. F. 8vo. 1731. 
 
 18. JDH !^ix»fe» C. Parti* $0. Grtcian • Heninf, T. 8vo. 
 4toi 1694. 1731. 
 
 19. VoH ^iMote, C. Part II. 31. Ariadne, P. 0. 8vo, 173^ 
 4.1694. 
 
 . 9-:r 
 
 ».'f' 
 
 >-»ftri - 
 
 
 -.►*.%* '.» 
 
 
 v! •)■»« 
 
 1 M ' '' 
 
 -.- i*;v,' 
 
 flrt-^-r-! 
 
 ' >■, 
 
 t ♦tiy* 
 
 E. 
 
 .A" 
 
 
 E&. See K. Fi 
 9 Eacrakdj Lai^kekce. 
 This gentleman was the fon oi 
 Thomas Eadhard, d clftrg^rmati, and 
 was bom at Barfliam, in the coiinty 
 of Suffolk, in the year 1686. He 
 received his encly education in the 
 houfe ef his father, and at the age 
 of feventetn, May i6, 1687, 
 
 was 
 
 admitted a fixer of CHrift's Col- 
 lege, in Cambridge, where he took 
 the degrees of B. A. in 1691, and 
 of M. A> in 169^. He anerwards 
 entered into holy orders, and was 
 prefenied to the living of Wefton 
 andElkinton in Lincolnihire, where 
 lie fpent above twenty year^ ot his 
 life. He was alfo made preben- 
 •Uiy of LiacolD, and on the lith 
 
 iA 
 
 oF Aviguft, 171 a, inftalled arch- 
 deacon of Stow; By king George 
 the Firft, he was pfefented to iflc 
 living^ of Rendblfham, Sbcburti, 
 ahd Alford, in Suffolk, at which 
 places he lived about eight ^earS iti 
 a continued ill ftate of health. 
 Being advifed to go to Scarborough 
 for the ufe of the watet-s, he pro- 
 ceeded as far as Lincoln, bat there 
 declining very faft, he was incapa- 
 ble of profecutiflg his journey ; arid 
 on the i6th of Auguft, 1730, go- 
 ing to take the air, he died in his 
 chciriot, and was buried nn the 19th 
 of the fame month in the chancel 
 of St Mary Magdalen's Church id 
 Lincoln, without any grave-ftono 
 or other monument of him. He 
 
 acquired 
 
E D 
 
 I U5 ) 
 
 B D 
 
 iMuired a great reputation b^ hit 
 writings, moreerpecially hit Hiftory 
 of England, which, though vio- 
 lently attacked by Oldnvxon, it ftrll 
 held in cnnfiderableeitimation. In 
 (he dramatic way he hut produced 
 nothing original, nor any thing in- 
 tended For tneatrical reprefentation, 
 but has, however, m?oured the 
 world with very good tranllationa, 
 from Plautui and Terenct, of the 
 nine following Comediet, viz. 
 
 1. Ampfj^trion, C. 
 
 2. EpiHicus, C. 
 
 3. RufitMs, 8vo« 1694. lamo. 
 
 1716. ';h ta '•.•>J>v 
 
 4. AttdrtMi C. ' 
 
 5. Eunuihus, C. 
 
 6. Heauloniitu'vumtHOt* 
 
 7. Adelphi. C. 
 
 8. Hecyra. 
 
 9. Phormio^ 
 
 KccLF.STON, EoWAnt). Of this 
 gentieman I know no more than 
 thHt he was author oi one dramatic 
 piece, entitled, 
 
 l^oalj's Flood. O. 4to. 1679. 
 It was afterwardt republilhed by 
 two different titles, viz. 
 
 The CaUicli/rn^ and 
 
 The Deluge. 
 
 Edward the sixth. If is 
 affeited l^y Holland,- in his Herb- 
 dogia, as quoted by Mr. Walpole, 
 p. 23. Royal Authors^ vol. I. that 
 this monarch not only wrote notes 
 from the LeAures or Sermons he 
 heard, but compofed a moft ele- 
 gant Comedy, the title of which 
 was, 
 
 Ihc Whore flf BahyloH. 
 Of the exigence of this piece, Mr. 
 Wal|)ole appears to entertain fome 
 doubr. Tanner, however, from 
 Bale, mentions it, and quotes a 
 fingle line from it, by which it is 
 ftewn to huve been written In 
 Latin. 
 
 Edwards, Richard. This 
 very early writer was born in 
 SonKrfetfliirc iu 152 j, vv^s adwic- 
 • Vol. J, 
 
 ted a fctidar of G}rpua ChrlftI 
 College in Oxford, under the tu« 
 ition of George Etherege, May 1 1* 
 1540. I the beginning of 1547, 
 being only twenty-four yeart of 
 age, he wai elected a ftudent of the 
 upper table of Chrill Church, at its 
 foundation by king Henry VIII. 
 and the fame year took hit degree 
 at Mafter of Arii. In the begin- 
 ning of queen Elizabeth, he was 
 mtac one of the gentlemen of her 
 chapel, and teacher of mufic to the 
 children of the choir. Chetwobd 
 aflisrts, but on what foundation I 
 know not, that he hod fa licence 
 granted him by that monarch to 
 fuperintend the children of the 
 chajiel at her niajelly's company 
 of comedians ; or, in other terms, 
 had a patent as manager of a thea- 
 tre royal in that reign. Be that as 
 it will, it is certain that he was 
 eftcemed both an excellent poet and 
 mufician, as many of his compoH- 
 tirms in mufic (for he was not only 
 (killed in the executive, but alfo in 
 the theoretical part of that fcience) 
 and his works in poetry do (hew ; 
 for which he was highly valued 
 by thofe that knew him, efpecially 
 his alTociates in Lincoln's-Inn, of 
 which fociety he was not only a 
 member, but in fome refpetfts an 
 ornament. 
 
 He is almoft one of our firft dra- 
 ■ matic writers, having left behind 
 him three pieces, which were re- 
 prefented on the ilage, the earlieft 
 of which is dated as fbon as 1562* 
 Their titles are, 
 
 1 . Damon and Pythias* C, 
 
 2. Palamon and Arcyie, C. in 
 two Parts. 
 
 The firft of thefc was a£ted at 
 court and in the oniverfny, and 'is 
 reprinted in the (irft vdlume of 
 Dodfley's Colleaion of Old Pla^s. 
 Ot the latter. Wood has farniftjpd 
 us with the following anecdote, viz. 
 that bcirtg- afted in Chrift-Chuvch 
 
 U . Hall, 
 
TS. fi 
 
 I »46 ) 
 
 E L 
 
 ii 
 
 Hall, 1 566, before qaeen Eliza- 
 beth, her majefty was fo much de- 
 lighted with it, that fetiding for 
 the author to her, ihe was plcafed 
 to give him many thanks, with 
 promlfe of reward for his pains. 
 fie alfo. tells us, that in the faid 
 play was afted a cry of hounds in 
 the quadrangle, upon the train of 
 a fox in the bunting of Thefeus ; 
 with which the young fcholars, 
 who ftood i". the remoter parts of 
 the ilage and in the windows, were 
 fo much taken and furprized, fup^ 
 pofing it had been real, that they 
 cried out, tJjere^ ther€'—he^s caught t 
 he\ eaughti AH which the queen, 
 merrily beholding, faid, Oh! ex' 
 €ellent ! theft boys in very truth are 
 ready to leap out of the windoivs to 
 ;foll(rv} the hounds. He adds more- 
 over, that at a fort of private re.- 
 jiearfal of this piece before the 
 queen's arrival at Oxford, in the 
 prefencc of certain coilrticrs, it wai 
 ib well Ulced by them, that they 
 faid it far furpafled Dapwn and 
 Pythias, than which the/ thought 
 nothing could be better ; nay, fome 
 even faid, that if the author pro- 
 ceeded to wri'e any more plays 
 before his death, he would ccrtain- 
 Jy run mad. This, however, w;is 
 never put to the tell, for though 
 lie began fome other dramatic 
 pieces, he never finifhed any but 
 the above, death taking him away, 
 much lamented by all the ingeni- 
 ous men of his time, that very 
 year 1566. He wrote fc-veral 
 poems, which were publiflicd after 
 his death, together v/ith thofe of 
 fome authors, in a colltdion en- 
 titled, A Faradlfc ofrtiiintyDiivfrs^ 
 1578. And whpn he was in the 
 extremity of his lall ficknefii, he 
 wrote a poem on that -occafion, 
 which was elleemed a good piece, 
 entitled, Ed-joardJs Suu'^mH; pr, 
 f he Souks Knell. 
 J£jfcpts, Rich AS n. Is (av- 
 
 pofed to have been born m Bed. 
 fordfliire. After an education at 
 Weftminller-fchool, he went to 
 the univerfity of Oxford, where 
 he was eleded lludent of Chrift 
 Church in 1571. He proceeded 
 in arts in 1578, and about the 
 fame time entered into orders, and 
 became a celebrated preacher, 
 In 1 584, he was inilalled a pre- 
 bendary in the cathedral of Salif- 
 bury, and afterwards appointed 
 chaplain to queeo Elizabeth. He 
 received the canonry of Chrift 
 Churchin z;86. Ini589,hewa3 
 created doi^or of divinity ; and in 
 1 596, was made dfcan c»f Worcefter, 
 in which lall Aation he remained 
 until his death, which happened oa 
 the 19th of Novcr-ber, 1604. 
 
 In Meres's WitsTreafury, 1598, 
 p. 283. he is enumerated among 
 the writers of tragedy at that 
 j)eriod ; and Wood fays, th« 
 ** his younger years he fpent in 
 *' poetical fancies, and competing 
 *' plays, moHIy tragedies ; but at 
 " riper he became a pious and 
 '* grave divine, an ornament to 
 ''his profeflion, and a grace to 
 •• the pulpit." 
 
 None of Dr. Eedes's Plays a-e 
 now exilling. 
 
 Elizab?th,Queen. Ourrea- 
 ders may perhaps be furprized to 
 find the name of this illullrious 
 princefs among the catalogue oi 
 our dramatic writers, as it is well 
 known that there is no piece ex- 
 tant as hers. Yet it would be an 
 inercufable omiflion in a work of 
 this nature, were we to pafs oyer 
 unnoticed the it\formation which 
 Sir Kobert Naunton and others 
 have given us, that this princefs, 
 lor her own private amufiement, 
 tranflated one of the tragedies of 
 Euripides from the Greek ; though 
 which particular play it was, they 
 have none of them fpecified. To 
 attempt any account ot thf fventi 
 
een born in Bed. 
 
 an education at 
 ol, he went to 
 r Oxford, where 
 lludenc of Chrift 
 He procccvicd 
 , and about tiie 
 i into orders, and 
 )rated preacher, 
 s indalled a pre- 
 ithedral of Salif- 
 -wards appointed 
 Q Elizabeth. He 
 nonry of Chrift 
 
 In 1589, hewiij 
 divinity ; and in 
 tean c>f Worcerter, 
 ition he remained 
 rhich happened on 
 :r.ber, 1604. 
 tsTreafury, 1598, 
 numerated among 
 
 tragedy at that 
 (/ood fays, thtc 
 ^ears he fpent in 
 s, and compofing 
 tragedies ; but at 
 ime a pious and 
 
 an ornament to 
 
 and a grace to 
 
 iedes-s Plays a*e 
 
 JuEEN. Our res- 
 ts be furprized to 
 of this illullrious 
 the catalogue of 
 iters, as it is well 
 
 is no piece ex- 
 
 :t it would be an 
 
 Tion in a work of 
 
 we to pafs oyer 
 
 iformation which 
 
 nton and others 
 
 that this princefs, 
 
 vaie amufement, 
 
 i the tragedies of 
 
 eGrceic; though 
 
 play it was, they 
 
 m fpecified. To 
 
 yni ot thr f vent* 
 
 of 
 
 E S 
 
 C »47 I 
 
 i I 
 
 .-"i 
 
 \ 
 
 £ S 
 
 of the life and reign of this il- 
 ludrious fovereign, befides that it 
 would far o'erleap the bounds of 
 our work, would be an a£t of ab* 
 folute fuperfluity, as it has been 
 fo well and amply executed by 
 many hiftorians of great abilities. 
 We ihall only here obferve, that 
 the circumllance on which we have 
 here had occafion to mention her, 
 is one teftimonial among many of 
 that eminence in learning which 
 flie maintained, and that fhe not 
 only was perfect miftrefs of mofl 
 of the living languages, but was 
 alfo equally well acquainted with 
 the dead ones, and converfant with 
 the labours of the ingenious in 
 ages far remote. 
 
 EsTCouRT, Richard. This 
 gentleman was an aftor as well as 
 a writer. He was born at Tewkf- 
 bury, in Gloucefterfhire, according 
 to Chctwood (General Hiflory of 
 the Stage, p. 140.) in t668, and 
 received his education at the Latin 
 fchool of that town, but having an 
 early inclination for the flage, he 
 ilole away from his father's houfe 
 at fifteen years of age, and joined 
 a travelling company of come* 
 dians then at Worceiler, where, 
 for fear of being known, he made 
 his iirfl appearance in woman's 
 deaths, in the part of Roxma in 
 Akxaniier the Great, But this dif- 
 guife not fufficiently concealing 
 him, he was obliged to make his 
 efcape from a purfuit that was 
 made nfter him, and, under the 
 appearance of a girl, to proceed 
 witti great expedition to Chipping 
 Norton. Here however being dif- 
 covered, and overtaken by his pur- 
 fuers, he was brought back to 
 Tewkfbury, and his father, in or- 
 der to prevent fuch excurfions for 
 the future, foon after carried him 
 up tu London, and bound him ap- 
 l)rciuiv.e to an apothecary in HaUon> 
 
 Garden. From this confinement 
 Mr. Chetwood, who probably might 
 have known him, and perhaps had 
 thefe particulars from his own 
 mouth, tells us, that he broke 
 away, and pafTed two years in Eng- 
 land in an itinerant life ; thougb 
 Jacob, and Whincop after him, 
 fay that he fet up in bufinefs, baC 
 not finding it fucceed to his liking, 
 quitted it for the fiage. Be this 
 however as it will, it is certain 
 that lie went «ver to Ireland, 
 where he met with good fuccefs oa 
 the flage, from whence he came 
 back to London, and was received 
 in Drury-Lane theatre. His firfl 
 appearance there was in the part of 
 Dominic the Spanijh Fryar^ in 
 which, although in himfetf but a 
 very middling adtor, he eftablifhed 
 his charafler by a clofr imitaticA 
 of Leigh, who had been very cele- 
 brated in it. And, indeed, in this 
 and all his other parts, he was 
 modly indebted for his applaufe to 
 his powers of mimickry, in which 
 he was inimitable, and which not 
 only at times afforded him oppor- 
 tunities of appearing a much better 
 a£lor than he really was, but en- 
 abling him to copy very exactly 
 feveral performers of capital me- 
 rit, whofe manner he remembered 
 and afTumed, but alfo by recom- 
 mending him to a very numerous 
 acquaintance in private life, fe- 
 cured him an indulgence for faults 
 in his public profefiion, that he 
 might otherwife perhaps never 
 have been pardoned ; among 
 which he was remarkable for the 
 gratification of that '• pitiful am- 
 bitioTiy " as ^'hakfpeare jultly fliles 
 it, and for which he condemns the 
 low comediiins of his own time» 
 of imagining he could help his au- 
 thor, and for that reafon frequent- 
 ly throwing in additions of his 
 own, which the author not only 
 L z had 
 
^^■^ 
 
 t h8 3 
 
 E T 
 
 i'' s 
 
 liad never intended, but perhaps 
 would have confidercd as moft op- 
 ' pofite to his main intention. 
 
 Eftcourt, however, as a compa- 
 nion, was perfedlly entertaining and 
 agreeable, and Sir Richard Siee'e, 
 in the SpeSlator^ records him to have 
 been not only a fprightly wit, but 
 a perfon of eafy and natural polite- 
 nefs. In a word, his company was 
 extremely courted by every one, 
 and his mimickry fo much ad- 
 mired, that perfons of the iiril 
 quality frequently invited him to 
 their entertainments, in order to 
 divert their friends with his drol- 
 lery, on which occafions he con- 
 ilantly received very handfome 
 prefents for his company. Among 
 others he was a great favourite 
 with the duke o\ Marlborough, 
 and at the time that the famous 
 Beefsteak Club was erected, which 
 confilled of the chief wits and 
 greateft men in the kingdom, Mr. 
 KOcourt had the office aligned him 
 of their Providore, and as a mark 
 of dif^intElion of that honour, he 
 ufed, by way of a badge, to wear 
 a fmall gridiron of gold, hung 
 about his neck with a green filk 
 ribband. He quitted the irage 
 fome years before his death, which 
 , happened in 1713, when he was 
 interred in the parilh of St. I'aul's, 
 Covent-Garden,' where his brother 
 comedian, Joe Haines, had been 
 buried a kw years before. He 
 left behind him two dramatic 
 pieces, viz. 
 
 I. Fair Example. C. 410. 1706. 
 
 1. Fritndhi. Iiitcil. 4to. N. D. 
 The latter of thefe wis only a ri- 
 dicule on theiibfurditycf t!;e Iralian 
 operas at that tine, in which not 
 only the unnatural circumllance 
 was indulged of mufic and har- 
 mony attending on all, even the 
 moft agitating p;iflions, but alfo 
 the very words ihemfelves which 
 were to accompany that niufic, 
 
 were written in different langnageit, 
 according as the performers who 
 were to ling them happened tp be, 
 Italians or Englifh. 
 
 ETHERECE,SlRGEORCE,Knt. 
 
 This gentleman, fo remarkable for 
 his wit and gallantry, ilouriftied in 
 in the reigns of Charles II. and 
 James II. He was defcended ^rom 
 a very good and ancient family in 
 Oxfordfhire, and was born about 
 the year 1636. It is fuppofed that 
 he received the early paits of his 
 education at the univerfity of Cam- 
 bridge, . though it does not appear 
 that he made any long refidence 
 there, an inclination for feeing the 
 world having led him to travel 
 into France when he was very 
 young. On his return, he for 
 fome time lludied the municipal 
 laws of this kingdom at one of the 
 inns of court, but finding that 
 kind of iludy too heavy tor his 
 volatile and airy difpoGtion, and 
 confequeritly making but little pro- 
 grefs in it, he foon quitted it for 
 pleafure and the purfuit of gayer 
 accomplifliments. 
 
 In 1664, he brought on the ftagc 
 his Comedy of 7be Comical Re- 
 venge^ or. Love in a Tuby which 
 met with good fuccefs, and intro- 
 duced him to the intimacy of the 
 carl of Dorfet, with wjiom, as well 
 as other leading wits, luch as the 
 dv;ke of Buckingham, lord Ro- 
 cliciter, Sir Charles Ssdiey, &c. 
 his eaiy unreferved converiation 
 and happ)' adclrefs rendered him J 
 verv "rent favourite. The fuccefs 
 of this inlpircd him to. the writing 
 of a ffill better Comctly, viz. Sh( 
 <:'j,v.W if Jhc cou\l. This piece 
 raifed great expectations ot fre- 
 quent additions to the amufements 
 of ihc theatre from fo able a pen ; 
 but Mr. htiierege was too much 
 addiikd to pleafurc, and had too 
 few incitements fiom ntceflity, fi^r 
 him to give any conllant appli- 
 cation 
 
E t: 
 
 r M9 ] 
 
 B T 
 
 cation to the Belles LcUns^ whjch 
 he made only the amufement of a 
 tew leifure moments. So. that he 
 produced but one play more, and 
 that not till eight years after the 
 preceding one. This was the Man 
 of MoJcy which is perhaps the moft 
 elegant comedy, and contains more 
 of the real manners of high life 
 than any one the Englifh ftage was 
 ever adorned with. This piece 
 he has dedicated to the beautiful 
 dutchefs of York, in whofe fervice 
 he then was, and who had fo high 
 a regard for him, that when, on 
 the acceflion of king James II. 
 (he came to hi queen, (he pro- 
 cured his being fent ambaflkdor 
 firft to Hamburgh, and afterwards 
 to Ratifbon, wnere he continued 
 till after his majelly quitted this 
 kingdom. Our author was ad- 
 difted to certain gay extravagan- 
 ces, fuch 2s gaming, and a moft 
 unbounded indulgence in wine and 
 women ; and as by the latter of 
 thefe intemperances he had greatly 
 damaged his countenance (for 
 otherwife he was a handfome man, 
 being fair, flender and genteel) fo 
 by the former he had greatly ina- 
 paired his fortune; to retrieve 
 which he paid his addreiTes to a 
 rich widow ; but ihe being an 
 ambitious woman, had determined 
 not to condefccnd to a marriage 
 with any man who could not be- 
 Aow a title on her, on which ac* 
 count he was obliged to purchafe 
 a knighthood. It docs not ap- 
 pear whether he had any iiTue by 
 this lady ; but by Mrs. Barry the 
 aflrefs, with whom he lived for 
 feme time, he had one daiighter, 
 on whom he fettled a fortune of 
 five or fix thoufand pounds ; fhe 
 however died very young. 
 
 None of the writers have ex- 
 aftly fixed the period of Sir 
 George's death, though all Teem to 
 
 ■■•■ i ■•;■■ .«;.i;ir: 
 
 place it hot lon^ after th*? ^'Evolu- 
 tion. Some fay that c v; c great 
 evenrfje followed his b? cr xing 
 James into France, and di^d there. 
 But the authors of the Biographia 
 Britannka mention a report that 
 he came to an untimely death, by 
 an unlucky accident at Ratifbon ; 
 for that, after having treated fome 
 company with a liberal entertain- 
 ment at his houfe there, where he 
 had taken his glafs too freely, and 
 being, through his' great complai- 
 fance, too forward in waiting^ on 
 his guefts at their departure, Hulh- 
 ed as he was, he tumbled dowa 
 (lairs, and broke his neck, and fo 
 fell a martyr to jollity and ci- 
 vility. 
 
 Sir George Etherege feems to 
 have been perfeftly formed for the 
 court and age he lived in. By 
 the letters which paffed between 
 him and the duke of Buckingham^ 
 the earl of Rocheiler, and Sir 
 Charles Sedley, he appears to have 
 been thoroughly a libertine in fpe- 
 culation as well as pradlice, yet 
 poifelTed all that elegance of fen- 
 timent, and eafy affability of ad- 
 drefs, which are ever the charac- 
 teriftics of true gallantry, but which 
 the libertines of the prefent age 
 feem to have ytty little idea of. 
 As a writer, he certainly was born 
 a poet, and appears to have been 
 pofTefTed of a genius whofe viva- 
 city needed no cultivation ; for 
 we have no proofs of his having 
 been a fcholar. His works haye 
 not, however, efcaped cenfure, on 
 account of that licentioufnefs which 
 in the general runs through them, 
 which render them dangerous to 
 young unguarded minds, and the 
 more fo for the lively and genuine 
 wit with which it is gilded over, 
 and which has therefore juftly ba- 
 niflied them from the purity of the 
 prefent ftage* 
 
 L 3 SiT 
 
I; 
 
 Mm 
 
 E T 
 
 t «P 1 
 
 E T 
 
 Sir George left behind him only 2. She nuou^d ifjht couU, C. 410. 
 
 the three dramatic pieces we have 166 3. 
 
 before-mentioned, viz. i. ManofModt, €.410.167^ 
 
 1 . Comical Revenge ^ C. 410. 1 664. 
 
 «k. 
 
 F. 
 
 F A 
 
 FABIAN, Thomas. All I find 
 mentioned of this author is, 
 that he was fome time one of the 
 fooimen to king George the fe- 
 cond, when prince of Wales, and 
 that he wrote one dramatic piece, 
 which was afted without fuccef^, 
 called, 
 
 TrickforTr'tcJc. F. 8vo. 1735. 
 
 Fane, Sir Francis, jun. 
 Kflight of the Bath. , This hon- 
 ourable author lived in the reign 
 of king Charles II. He was grand- 
 fon to the earl of Weftmoreland, 
 (his father being one of that no- 
 bleman's younger fons) and re- 
 (ided for the maft part at Fulbeck, 
 in Lincolnfhire. He was appoint- 
 ed, by the duke of Newcaftle, 
 governor, firft of Doncafter, and 
 afterwards of Lincoln. Langbaine 
 gives the higheft commendations 
 of his wit and abilities, and indeed 
 other of his contemporaries have 
 paid him high compliments. Be- 
 iides fome poems, he has '"^ft the 
 following dramatic pieces, viz. 
 ■ i I. Love in the Dark. C. 410. 
 1675. 
 
 2. Sacrificp. T. 410. 1686. 
 * 3. Mafiue for lord Rochtjler* s Fa- 
 kntinian, 
 
 Faxshaw, Sir Richard. 
 Bart. This gentleman was the 
 tenth and youngeft fon of Sir 
 Henr. FanHiaw, of Ware-Park, in 
 Hertfordfhire, (vvliohad been cre- 
 ated ?. Barooct by king Charles I. 
 
 F A 
 
 at the fiege of Oxford) and brother 
 to the right honourable Thomas 
 lord vifcount Fanihaw. He was 
 born in 1607, and received the 
 firtl rudiments of learning from 
 that famous grammarian and cri- 
 tic Thomas Farnaby, and com- 
 pleated his ftudies at the univer- 
 fity of Cambridge, from whence 
 he fet out on his travels for the 
 attainment of farther accompliih- 
 ments. At his return, his pro- 
 mifing abilities recommended him 
 to the favour of king Charles I, 
 who, in the year 1635, appointed 
 him refident at the court of Spain, 
 for the adjuring of fome points in 
 difpute between the two powers. 
 
 On the breaking out of the re- 
 bellion he returned to England, 
 and attaching himfelf with great 
 firmnf fs to the royal caufe, became 
 intrulied in many very important 
 affairs, particularly the truft of 
 fccretary to the prince of Wales, 
 whom he attended in many of his 
 journeys. 
 
 In 1648 he was made treafurer 
 of the navy under prince Rupert, 
 which poll he kept till Sept. 2, 
 1650, when he was created a Ba- 
 ronet, and fent an envoy extraor- 
 dinary to Spain. From thence be- 
 ing recalled to Scotland, where 
 the king was, he ferved as fecre- 
 tary of ftute till the fatal battle of 
 Worcefter, in which he was taken 
 prifoner, and committed for a long 
 
 tioie 
 
F A 
 
 [ til J 
 
 J" A 
 
 time tp clore confinement in Lon- Hertford, his lady and all his for* 
 
 doD, till ac length, on account of vivio^ children attending, it was 
 
 hii health, he waa admitted to depohted in the vault of hia father- 
 
 bail. in-law, Sir John Harrilbn, by 
 
 In Feb.-uary 16^9, he repaired whofe eldeft daughter Sir Richard 
 
 to the king- at Breda ; and return- had fix Tons and eight daughters, 
 
 ing to England ac the Refloration, of whom however he left only one 
 
 \i WIS expedlcd he would have 
 been appointed fecrstary of Qate. 
 He was, however, only made maf 
 ter oirequells, an honourable and 
 lucrative employment, anxl fecre- 
 t'dty for the Latin tongue. 
 
 lu 1661, at which time he was 
 one of the hurgefTes in parliament 
 for the univerfity of Cambridge, 
 he was fworn a privy counfcllor 
 for Ireland, and fent firil as en- 
 voy extraordinary, but afterwards 
 endowed with a plenipotentiary 
 cominiiTton to the court of Portu- 
 gal, where he negotiated a mar- 
 riage between his mailer king 
 Charles II. and the Infanta Don- 
 na Catharina, daughter to kitig 
 John VJ. Being recalled in 1663, 
 he was fworn of the privy council, 
 and, in February 1664, fent am- 
 baiTador to the court ol Madrid, to 
 negotiate a treaty of commerce. 
 During his refidence there, king 
 Philip died, and Sir Richard, avain 
 ing himfelf of the minority of bis 
 fun and fucceflbr, put the finifh* 
 ing hand to a peace with Spain, 
 a treaty for which was figned at 
 Madrid, Dec. 6, 166^. Having 
 
 fon and four daughters behind 
 him. 
 
 Here it remained till the 18th 
 of May, 1671, on which day it 
 was removed into the parilh church 
 of Ware, in the faid county, and , 
 there laid in a new vault made or 
 purchafed on purpofe for him and 
 his family, over which was erefied 
 an elegant monument fur him and 
 his lady; being near the old vault 
 where all his ^ncellors of Ware 
 Park lay interred. 
 
 His general charader is ver/ 
 concifely conveyed by the author 
 of the Ihort account of his life' 
 prefixed to his Letters, who fays 
 of him, '* That he was remark- 
 **■ able for his meeknefs, fincerity, 
 ** humanity, and piety, and was 
 ** alfo an able llacefraan and a 
 " great fcholar, being in particular 
 *' a compleat mailer of feveral mo- 
 *' dern languages, efpecially the 
 *' SpaniQi, which be fpoke and 
 ** wrote with as much advantage 
 ** as if he had been a native." 
 
 As to his' writings, there aie 
 few excepting his Letters during 
 his embaffies (and which were noc 
 
 thus fully executed his commif- publilbed till 1702, in 8vo) thac 
 
 fions, he was preparing for his re- :^re original. The moll being 
 
 turn to England, when, on the tranflations, and written, as ic 
 
 14th of June 1666, he was feized fhould feem, by uay of amufement 
 
 at Madrid with a violent fcrer, and relaxation during his confine- 
 
 which, on the 26th of the fame 
 month, the very day he had ap- 
 pointed for fetting out on his jour- 
 ney, put an end \o his valuable 
 life, in the 59ih ye«r of his age. 
 His bqdy. .being embalmed, was 
 conveyed by land to Calais, and 
 lb to Lgndx^n, froja whence, being 
 carried to A^'^aUows cj^urch in 
 
 ment. One of thefe tranflations 
 it from the Italian of the celebra- 
 ted Guarini, the other from the 
 Spaniih of Antonio de Meodoza. 
 Their names are as follow : 
 
 I. /; Fajor iido. Pall. 410. 
 
 1647- 
 
 a. ^crer per fob querer,, Play 
 of three a£ts. Ato. 1634. 
 
 L 4 • N.B. T« 
 
FA 
 
 [ 
 
 i;i 
 
 ] 
 
 FA 
 
 N. d. I'd this piece is added 
 another, a tranflation from the 
 fame Spanifli author, entitled, 
 
 3. Fiefles de Aranjuex, ij.to. 1670. 
 Beiides thefe he tranflated into 
 Latin verfe a paftoral, written by 
 Fletcher, entitled, 
 
 The Faithful Shcphcrdffs^ 
 to which he has prefixed the Ita- 
 lian title of, 
 
 4. La Fida Pqftora, • 
 Farquhar, George. This 
 
 gentleman was defcended from a 
 family of no inconfiderable rank 
 in the North of Ireland, his fa- 
 ther being a clergyman, and, ac- 
 cording to fome, dean of Armagh. 
 Our authof was born at London- 
 derry, in 167S, where he received 
 the rudiments of erudition, and 
 from whence, as foon as he was 
 properly qualified, he was fent to 
 the univerfity of Dublin, in 1694, 
 but the modes of iludy in that 
 place being calculated rather for 
 making deep than polite fcholars,' 
 and Mr. Farquhar being totally 
 averfe to ferious purfuits, he was' 
 reckoned by all his fellow fludents 
 as one of the dulled young men in' 
 the univerfity, and even as a com-' 
 panion he was thought extremely' 
 heavy, and difagrecablc. A late' 
 writer of his life, who declares 
 that he received Kis information 
 from one of Mr. Farquhar's inti- 
 mate acquaintance, mentions this 
 and' the foHowing circumftance; 
 that our author having received a 
 college exercife from his tutor 
 ujion the miracle of oiir Saviour's 
 wal}cing upon the water, and 
 coming into the hall for examina- 
 tion, the next day it was found 
 that he ha^ not Brought his exer-> 
 cife written as the rell had done ; 
 at which the, lefturer being- dif- 
 pleafed» Farquhar dfRred to inake 
 onie extempore ; and after coh- 
 iGdering fdnie time, he obferved, 
 that he thought it no great mirticte, 
 
 linr J the man that is born to be 
 hanged, &c. The impiety of this 
 reply quite «xtingui(hed all the- 
 approbation which he expe6btd 
 from its wit, and he was accord- 
 ingly next fitting expelled in the 
 ufual form, tanqnam prjlllentia hujus 
 J'ocictatis. On this event he en- 
 gaged himfelf to Mr. Aflibury, the 
 manager of the Dublin theatre, 
 and was foon introduced on the 
 ibge. In this fituation he con- 
 tinued no longer than part of one 
 feafon, nor made any very con- 
 fiderable figure. For though his 
 perfou was fufficiently in his fa- 
 vour, and that he was pofTefled of 
 the requifites of a ftrong retentive 
 memory, a juft manner of fpeak- 
 ing, and an eafy and elegant de- 
 portment, yet his natiiral diifi-' 
 dence and timidity, or what ii 
 ufually termed the ftagt-terrar^ 
 which he was never able to over- 
 come, added to a thin infufficiency 
 of voice, were ilrong bars in the 
 way of his fuccefs, more efpecially 
 in tragedy. However, notwith* 
 ftanding thefe difadvantages, it is 
 not improbable, as frotn his ami- 
 able private behaviour he was very 
 much efteemed^ and had never 
 met with the leall repulfe from 
 the audience in any of his per< 
 formances, that he might have 
 continued much longer on the 
 ftage, but for an accident which 
 determined him to quit it on a 
 fudden ; for being to play the part 
 of Guydmar in Dryden's Indian Em- 
 pcroTy who kills Vafquez, one of 
 the Spanifli generals^ Mr. Far-' 
 quhar, by fome miftake, took a 
 real fword inftead of a foil- on the 
 fiage with hlrh^i and in the en^ 
 gagement wOUnAtd' "his brother 
 tragedian, Who'(a£fod. Fdfqiiezi in 
 fo dangerous a' r4'aHft^r,*ihat,'ar- 
 though it did riot prove'ntortal, h6 
 was a lon^^tiih6:befoi«'li*i»e'c6\'ei'- 
 ed it; and the confideration of 
 
 the 
 
FA 
 
 [ tsi i 
 
 FA 
 
 the fatal confequences that might 
 have enfaed-, wrought fo Wrongly 
 on our author's humane difpoA- 
 tion, that he took up a refolution 
 never to go on the llage again, or 
 fabmit himfelf to the poiGbility of 
 fuch another mi Hake. 
 
 Thus did Mr. Farquhar quit 
 the ilage, at a period of life when 
 few have even attempted to j«o 
 on it, for at this jun^ure he could 
 not have been much more than 
 fcventeen ye s of age, fince fome 
 time afterwards, when Mr. Wiiks, 
 being engaged again to Drury 
 Lane theatre, lett Dublin, Mr. 
 Farquhar accompanied him to 
 London ; and this event happened 
 no later than in the year 1696, at 
 which time he was but eighteen. 
 Mere his abilities and agreeable 
 nddrefs met with confiderabie en- 
 couragement, and in particular re* 
 commended him to the patronage 
 of the earl of Orrery, who gave 
 him a lieutenant's commiiTion in 
 his own regiment, then in Ireland, 
 which he held feveral years, and 
 in his military capacity conftantly 
 behaved without reproach, giving 
 on many occaiions proofs of great 
 bravery and condu^. 
 
 But thefe were not all the per- 
 fe£lions which appeared in Mr. 
 Farquhar ; and Mr. Wilks, who 
 well knew his fiumour and abili- 
 ties, and was convinced that he 
 would make a much more con- 
 fpicuous figure as a dramatic wri- 
 ter, than as a theatrical performer, 
 never ceafed his folicitations on 
 that head, till he had prevailed on 
 him to undertake a comedy, which 
 he compleated and brought on the 
 ftage in 1698. This was his Love 
 and a Bottle, a comedy, which, 
 though written by its author when 
 under twenty years of age, yet 
 contains ruch a variety of inci< 
 dents and'thara£)er, and fuch a 
 fprightlinefs of dialogue, Hi muft 
 
 cdnvinee ut, that even then fie 
 had a very confiderabie knowledge 
 of the world, and a very clear 
 judgment of the manners of mad- 
 kind ; end the fuccefs of it, even 
 notwithftanding that Mr. Wilks, 
 the town's great favorite in tome- 
 dy, had no part in it,, was equal 
 to irs defert. Whether this play 
 made its appearance before or af- 
 ter he received his commiffion, 
 does not feem very clear, but it is 
 evident that his military avoca- 
 tions did not check his drannatic 
 talents, but on the contrary rather 
 improved them, fince in many of 
 his plays, more efpecially in his 
 Recruiting Officery he has admira- 
 bly availed himfelf of the obferva- 
 tions of life and character, which 
 the army was able fo annply to 
 fupply him with. And with fuct^ 
 an eafy pleafantry, and yet fo fe- 
 vere a critical jultice, has he rallied . 
 the fciblesj follies, and vices, evea 
 of thofe chara£Urs that he might 
 have been fuppofed the moll par- 
 tial to, that it has been obferved* 
 if he had not been himfelf aii 
 Irifliman and an officer, it would 
 have been almoft impoflible for 
 him to have avoided the refent- 
 ments which would probably have . 
 fallen on him for the liberty he 
 has taken in fome of his pieces 
 with the chara£ters of fome of the 
 gentlemen of the army, as well as 
 with thofe of a ueighbouring king- 
 dom. 
 
 The fuccefs of his firft play ef- 
 tablifhed his reputation, and en- 
 couraged liim to proceed, and the 
 winter feafon of the jubilee year 
 1700, gave the public his favourite 
 play of the Qonjiant Couple, in 
 which the gay airy humour thrown 
 into the chara£ler of Sir Harry 
 Wildair, were fo well fuited to 
 Mr. Wilks's talents, that they gave 
 him fuch an opporiunily of exer- 
 tion, as greatly heightened hi« re- 
 
 puutiou 
 
F A 
 
 [ tJ4 1 
 
 F A 
 
 putat'ion with the public, and ia 
 great meafure repaid thole a£ls of 
 frienddiip which he had ev«r be- 
 ftor/td on Mr. Pafquhar. This 
 piece was played fifty^three nights 
 in the firft ieafon, and has juAly 
 Continued in high eileem ever 
 fince. The following year pro- 
 duced a fequel to if ; which, 
 though much the mod indifferent 
 of all his plays^ yet met with to- 
 lerable fucceiis, and ii deed with 
 much better than the comedy of 
 the Incottftant^ which he gave to 
 the public next year, viz. in 1702, 
 and which vainly excelled it in 
 point of intriniic merit. But the 
 failure of the lall-meiitioived piece 
 was entirely owing to the inunda- 
 tion of foreign entertainments of 
 muAc, tinging, dancing, S^'c. which 
 at that time broke m upon the 
 Englifli itage in a torrent, feemed 
 with a magical infatuation at once 
 to take pofTcilion of Brfiidi tal^e, 
 and occafloned a total negleA of 
 the more valuable and i rrinlic 
 produ£lioK« of our own country- 
 inen. 
 
 This little difcouragement, how- 
 ever, did not put a Hop to our 
 author's ardor for the entertain- 
 ment of the public, fince we find 
 him flill writing till almofl the 
 hour of his death ; his Beaux Stra- 
 r«^'<'R} having been produced during 
 his lad illneO, ana his death hap- 
 pening during the run of it. I 
 fliall m this place compleat my 
 account of his plays, by giving an 
 entire lirt of them, as follows: 
 
 1 . Ijove and a Bottle, C. 4tO. 
 1699. 
 
 2. Conjlant Covple. 0.410.1700. 
 
 3. Sir Harry Wildair, C. 4to. 
 1701. 
 
 4. Ineotiftant, 0. \X0, I'jQi, 
 
 5. Stage Coach. F. (afljfted hy 
 JHotteux.) 4to. 1705. 
 
 6. Recrm.hg OJiecr, C. 4^ 
 17.05. 
 
 7. TwH Rivals, C. 4tO. 1706. 
 
 8. Beaux* Stratagem, C* 410* 
 1707. 
 
 As it has been generally imagined 
 that in all his heroes, he has in- ■ 
 tended to iketch out his own cha» 
 rafler, it is reafonable to con- 
 jedture that bis own cbarafler mull 
 have born a flrong refemblance tQ 
 th^t of thofe heroes ; who are in 
 general a fet of young, gay, ra- 
 kilh fparks, guilty of^fome wild- 
 nelfes and follies, but at the fame 
 time bleiied with parts and abili- 
 ties, and adorned with cour<)ge 
 and honour. It is not therefore 
 to be wondered that Irom the few 
 letters of his which are extant in 
 print, we fin' him ftrongly fuf- 
 ceptible of the tenderer paffions, 
 and at the fame time treating them 
 wiih great vivacity and levity. 
 His warmeft attachment, however, 
 appears to have been to her whom 
 he conflantly ililes his dear Pine- 
 lopcy who is fuppofcd to have been 
 the celebrated Mrs. Oldiield. Nor 
 is it at all wonderful, that he 
 fliould find his heart engaged by a 
 lady who poffefled every actra£lion 
 both of perfon and convrrfaticr, 
 and to whofe excellence in her pro- 
 fei&on he owed much of the fuc- 
 cefs of his pieces ; nor that fhe 
 fhould entertain a very peculiar 
 regard for a young gentleman of 
 wit, fpirit, and gallantry t to whofe 
 firft notice of her (be flood in- 
 debted for being op the ftage at 
 all, and whofe dramatic laMurs 
 afterwards afforded her many hap* 
 py opportunities of recommend- 
 ing herfelf to the public favpur on 
 it. And now, as X have mention* 
 ed this lady, it may not be amifs 
 to explain the hipt thrown out 
 above, that it was wholly owing 
 to captain Farquhar that fhe be- 
 came an aflrefs, which was ii^ 
 confequence of , thci Jyllowing in- 
 
 ' *■ That 
 
f A 
 
 i «5$ 
 
 F A 
 
 are extant in 
 
 " That gentleman dining one day 
 It her aunt's, who kept the Mitre 
 Tavern in St. James's Market, 
 hcird Mifs Nancy reading a play 
 behind the bar. This drew his 
 attentiott'to lilteit for a time, when 
 he was To pleafed with the proper 
 emphafis and agreeable tarn (he 
 gave to each charaAer, that he 
 {wore the girl was cut out for the 
 Ange. As flie had always exprefled 
 an inclination for that way of life, 
 and a defire of .rrytng her fortune 
 in it, her mother, on this en- 
 couragement, the next time (he 
 faw captain Vanbrugh (afterwards 
 Sir John), who had a great refpe£l 
 for the family, acquainted taim 
 with captain P'arquhar's opinion ; 
 on which he defired to know whe- 
 ther her bent was moit to tragedy 
 or comedy. Mifs being called in, 
 informed him, that her principal 
 inclinatioit was to the latter, hav- 
 ing at that time gone through all 
 Beaumont and Fletcher's comedies, 
 and the play (he was reading wheo 
 captain Farquhar dined there, hav- 
 ing been the Scm-nful Latly. Cap- 
 tain Vanbrugh Ihorily after recom- 
 mended her to Mr. Chriftopher 
 Rich, who took her into the houfe 
 at the allowance of fifteen (hillings 
 per week. However, her agree- 
 able Hgure and fweetnefs of voice 
 foon gave Jier the preference, in 
 the opinion of the whole town, to 
 all the young adfrefles of that 
 time ; and the dake of Bedtord, in 
 particular, being pleafed to fpeak 
 to Mr. Rich in her favour, he in- 
 ilantly raifed her to twenty fliillings 
 per week. After which her («me 
 and falary gradually increafed, till 
 at length they both atnined that 
 height which her merit entitled 
 her to. 
 
 Whether Mr. Farquhar*s con- 
 neftions with this lady extended 
 beyond the limits of mere friend- 
 (hip, it is not my intention here to 
 
 enquire. But of what kiojl '^^'^ft 
 they were, it is evidciit they die 
 not long interfere with any mom 
 regular engagement ; for in 1701 
 capt. Farquhar was ilifirried, and 
 according to general report to at 
 lady of a very good foftuae ; but 
 in this particular the captain and 
 the public were both alike mif- 
 taken , for the real fa6t was, that 
 the lady, who in truth bad no for- 
 tune at all, had ftllen fo violent!/ 
 in love with our authofj, that, de- 
 termiiied to have him at any rate, 
 and judging, perhaps very juftly^ 
 that a gentleman of his volatile 
 and dilfipated humour would not 
 eafily be drao^n into the matrimo- 
 nial cage, without the bait of forae 
 very confiderable advantage to aU 
 lure him to it, (he contrived to 
 have it given out that (he was pof- 
 felTed ot a large fortune ; and find- 
 in; means afterwards to let Mr. 
 Farquhar know her attachment to 
 him, the unitedjpowersof intereft 
 and vanity perfectly got the htttet 
 of his paflion for liberty, and theyl 
 were united in the hymeneal bands. 
 But how great was his difappoint- 
 tnent, when he found all his pro- 
 fpe^ts overclouded fo early in life 
 (for he was then no more than four 
 and twenty), by a mariiage from 
 which he had nothing to expe^ 
 but an annual increafe of family, 
 and an enlargement of expence in 
 confe()ttence of it far beyond what 
 his income would fupport ! Yet to 
 his immortal honour be it record- 
 ed, though he found himielf thus 
 deceived in a moft effimttal parti- 
 cnlar, he never once was known to 
 upbraid his wife for it, but ge- 
 neroufly forgave an impofitioa 
 which love for him alone had urg- 
 ed her to, and even behaved to 
 her with all the tendernefs aiul 
 delicacy of the maSL indulgent 
 hnfband. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
F A- 
 
 C. «S6 ] 
 
 f A 
 
 •• Mn.Farqtthw, howerer^ did not 
 very lone enjoy the happincfi (he 
 ]iad purckafed by this ttratagcm } 
 for toe circumftancei that attend- 
 ed this union were in fome rerpe£t 
 perhaps the means of fhortening 
 the period of the captain's life. 
 Finding himfelf conuderaL'.y in- 
 volved in debt in confequence of 
 their increaflng family, he was in- 
 duced to make application to a cer- 
 tain noble courtier, who had fre- 
 quently profefled the greateil 
 mendQiip for him, and given him 
 the ftrongeft ailu/ances ot intended 
 Services. This pretended patron 
 repeated his former declarations^ 
 but expreding much concern that 
 he bad nothing at prefent imme- 
 diately in his power, advifed him 
 to convert his commifTion into 
 money to anfwer his prefent occa- 
 fions, and aflured him that in a 
 very fhort time he would j>rocurc 
 another for him. Farquhar, who 
 could not bear the thoughts of his 
 wife and family being in didrefs, 
 and was therefore ready to lay hold 
 on any expedient for their relief, 
 followed this piece of advice, and 
 fold his compiflion ; but to his 
 great mortification and difappoint- 
 ment found, on a renewal of his 
 application to this inhuman noble- 
 man, that he had either entirely 
 forgotten, or had never intended 
 to perform, the promife he had 
 made him. This diftraAing fruf- 
 tration of all his hopes fixed itfelf 
 fo flrongly on our author's mind, 
 that it foon brought on him a fure, 
 though. not a very fudden declenr 
 fion of nature, which at length car- 
 ried him ofF. the ftage oMife in 
 the latter end of. April 1707, be- 
 fore he could well be faid to have 
 run half his cpurfe, being not 
 
 Suite thirty years of age when h^ 
 ied. 
 
 . ■> V 
 
 Notwithdanding the feveral dif- 
 
 appojniuvcnts and veiiacions which 
 
 this gentleman met witk during 
 his toort Aay in thjs tran|it(>ry 
 world, nothing feems to have been 
 able to overcome the readinefs of 
 hi* geniui, or the eafy good-nature 
 of his difpofiiion ; for h« began 
 and finilhed his well-known Lot 
 medy of the Beaux Stratagem ii% 
 about fix weeks, during his laft illi> 
 nefs, notkviihllanding that he, for 
 great part of the time, was ex- 
 tremely fcnfible of the approaches 
 of death, and even foretold what 
 actually happened, viz. that he 
 Ihould die before the run of it was 
 over. Nay, in fo calm and manly 
 a manner did he treat the expe£la- 
 tion of that fatal event, as even to 
 be able to exercife his wonted 
 pleafantry on the very fubjeA. For 
 while his play was in rehearfal, his 
 friend Mr. Wilks, who frequently 
 vifited him during his illncfs, ob- 
 ferving to him that Mrs. Oldfield 
 thought he had dealt too freely 
 with the charadler of Mrs. Sullen, 
 in giving her to Archer, without 
 fuch a proper divorce as might be 
 a fecurity for her honour, — O^, 
 replied the author, with his ac- 
 cullomed vivacity, J luill^ ifjhe 
 pkajesf fahe that immediate^f by 
 getting a real divorce^ marrying her 
 myfiif\ and giving Iter wy bond that 
 Jhejhall be a real nuidovj in kfs than. 
 a Jhrtnigbt. But nothing can give 
 a more perfefl idea of that difpofi- 
 tion I have hinted at in him., than 
 the very laconic but expreffive bil- 
 let which Mr. Wilks found after 
 his death among his papers di- 
 reAed to himfelf, and which, as a 
 curiofity in its kind, I cannot re- 
 frain from giving to my readers J 
 it was as follows : 
 
 *« Dear Boi^ 
 
 *^ I have not any thing to leave 
 
 ** thee to perpetuate my memory, 
 
 .** but two helpleis girls; look upon 
 
 *' them fometimes, and think of 
 
 "him 
 
F A 
 
 C '57 I 
 
 F E 
 
 ^« him that was, to the l«ft moment 
 •< of hit life, thine, 
 
 ** Otorge Farauhar,** 
 nor would it be doing juftice to 
 IVIr.\^ illcs'a memory not to obferre 
 in thii place, thai he paid the moft 
 
 SunAual regard to the requeft of 
 is dying fncnd, by iiewiug them 
 every aA of regard, and when they 
 became fit to be put out into the 
 world, procured a benefit for each 
 of them for that pnrpofe. 
 
 Of Mr. Farquhar's family, his 
 wife died in circumftancea of the 
 utmoft indigence ; one of his 
 daughters was married to a low 
 tradefman, and died foon after; 
 the other was living in 1764, in 
 mean indigent circumib noes, with- 
 out any knowledge of refinement 
 either in fentiments or expences ; 
 fhe feemed to take no pride in her 
 father's faree, and was in every 
 refpcft fitted to her humble fttua- 
 tion. 
 
 Of his charai^er as a man, we 
 have an account by himfelf in a 
 piece which he calls 7^^ P/(!?«r«. 
 As a writer, the opinions of cri* 
 tics have been various ; the ge- 
 neral charadler which has been 
 given of his comedies is, that the 
 fuccefs of moll of them far exceed- 
 ed the author's expectations ; that 
 he was particularly happy in the 
 choice of his fubje^ls, which he 
 aUvays took care to adorn with a 
 great variety of charadlers and in- 
 cidents ; that his flile is pure and 
 unafFedtcd, his wit natural and 
 flowing, and his plots generally 
 well contrived. But then, on the 
 contrary, it has been objected, that 
 he was too hal(y in his produdlions ; 
 that his works are loofe, though 
 indeed not To grofsly liber;ine as 
 ihofe of fome other wits of hi* 
 time; that his imagination, though 
 lively, was capable of no great 
 compa fs, and his wit, though palTa- 
 bl:, not I'uch as would gain ground 
 
 on confideration. In « word, Ke 
 fecms 10 have Seen a man of a 
 genius rather fpughtly thn" ^reac*; 
 rather flowing than folid { hw cha- 
 raAers are natural, yet not over 
 ftrongly marked, nor peculiarly 
 heightened ; yet, as it is apparent 
 he drew his obfervationa from thoft 
 he converfed with, and formed alt 
 his portraits from nature, it ii more 
 than probable, that if he had lived 
 to have gained a more general 
 knowledge of life, or his ^iream- 
 llances had not been fo llraitened 
 as to prevent his mingling with 
 perfons of rank, we might have 
 feen hia plava embelliflied with 
 more finifted chara£tert, and a« 
 domed with a more poliflied dia- 
 logue. 
 
 On the whole, however, hb 
 pieces are very entertaining, and 
 ainioll all of thent, after near four^ 
 fcore years have palled over them, 
 are flill fome of the greateft fa- 
 vourites of the public. Hia Twin 
 Rivals has been conlidered by the 
 critics as his moft perfeft, regular, 
 and finilhed play, yet it is far from 
 Handing in the fame rank of pre- 
 ference with the audience ; which ' 
 is one inftance among many that 
 ferve to evince that the art of 
 pleafing in dramatic writings, and 
 more efpecially in cometfy, fre- 
 quently depend^ on a certain hap- 
 pinefF, which cannot be reduced 
 within the limits of any didaCtic 
 rules or critical invelHgation. 
 
 Fenton, Elijah. This gen- 
 tleman was the youngeft of twelve 
 children, and was born ata town 
 called Shelton, near Newcadle un- 
 der Line, io Staffoidfliire, in which 
 county are feveral families ^ of the 
 name of Fenton, all of whom are 
 branches from the fame original 
 (lock, which was a very ancient 
 and honourable one. Nor had he 
 Icfs right to boaH of the antiquity 
 of his family on tne female fide, 
 
 his 
 
F E 
 
 r 158 ] 
 
 F B 
 
 % 
 
 5(1 
 
 r- 
 
 I : . 
 
 il»-? 
 
 Ms notlier being lineally dcfcend- 
 cd from one Mare, who was ao of- 
 icer ia Williann the Conoaeror'i 
 army. All the writers of hit life 
 ■re hlent ai to the date of hit birth, 
 but agree that he wai intended 
 for the niniftry, to prepare him fur 
 which he was lent to the univerflty 
 •T Canbriiige, and entered of Jefus 
 College, where he took the degree 
 of batchclor of arts in 1 704. Here 
 however he embraced principles 
 very oppofite to the government, 
 whereby he became di^naiiKed for 
 the taking order*. Soon after his 
 quitting toe univerfity, he was en- 
 teriaiited by the earl of Orrery as 
 his fecretary; but how long he 
 coittinu:xl in that office does not 
 clearly appear. He was at one 
 period an ufher to a country-fchool, 
 and probably was aflilied by his 
 cideft brother, who had an eftate 
 of a thoufand pounds fitr attnnm^ 
 and 10 whom he cmltantly paid 
 « yearly vifit. Certain, however, 
 it is/ that he was a man of great 
 humanity and tendernefs, and of a 
 DRoft atfablc and genteel behaviour, 
 which qualities, joined to his great 
 good fenfe and literary abilities, 
 i^ighly endeared him to all who 
 knew him, and more efpeciaily to 
 his relations, by whum he was 
 greatly careHed. 
 
 His life, net being intermingled 
 with any affairs of public bufinef;, 
 was like that of moll (ludious men, 
 vfry barrt-n of incident. It was, 
 however, bleft with an uninter- 
 rupted calm, which he enjoyed till 
 the inevitable ftroke deprived the 
 uorldofhim and fiis virtues, on 
 ihe i^th of Jul), 1730. Hedied, 
 and was buried at Kail Hamplitad 
 Park, near Oakir.gham in Berk- 
 shire, leaving bel.ind bini the fame 
 »air reputation he hud carried with 
 him thrnuth life. In fhort, he 
 \v;is p^ihips the very hnppiell man 
 aiiiciig ihe whole ejcenlive num- 
 
 ber we (hall have occafion to mm* 
 ticn in the courfe of this work* 
 He had that good fortune which 
 rarely befalls authors, of having 
 his merits acknowledged and re- 
 fpctfted during his life-time, with> 
 out having laid himfelf o]ien tothe 
 jealoufy or malevolence even of his 
 brother writers. And as, while 
 living, he enjoyed the fricndihip of 
 Mr. Pope, fo after death he re- 
 ceived from that poet the tribute 
 of a very elegant epitaph, which is 
 to be found in Mr. Pope's works, 
 and which more ArongVy characte- 
 rizes the goodnefs of the perfon it 
 was written upon, than ail that I 
 could add on this occafion could 
 polliblydo. 
 
 Mr. Fenton wrote many poems, 
 but only one dramatic piece, which 
 is entitled, 
 
 Mariamne. T. 8 vo. 1725. 
 This, howevtr, met with perhaps 
 as much applaufe as any play that 
 had appeared for many years both 
 before and after it ; and indeed 
 much more than could be expedled 
 under the difadvantageous circum- 
 llances that attended on its firit ap- 
 pearance. For, in confequence 
 of the ill behaviour of the mana- 
 gers of Drury-Lane theatre, who, 
 notwithtlanding repeated promifes 
 to the contrary, had delayed bring- 
 ing it on for three or four years 
 together, he was induced, and in- 
 deed adviled by his friends, to car- 
 ry it to the theatre in Lincoln's- 
 Inn Field!, where he was affured 
 that his intcrell (hould be ftrongly 
 fijpported ; and indeed thefe pro- 
 miles were amply performed ; for 
 although that theatre was then (0 
 entirely cut of favour with the 
 town, which in general is guided 
 ,by caprice and faOiion alone, that 
 for a long time before, the mana- 
 gers had fcatcely ever been able 
 to defray their charges, nay, frc- 
 c]ucitcly had aclcd to audiences of 
 
 five 
 
F E 
 
 C »^9 1 
 
 F I 
 
 five or fix pounds, the merit of 
 this piece not only brought crowd- 
 ed houfei for feveral nighti toge- 
 tber, but f«emed by fo doinj; to 
 have turned the current of public 
 favour into a new channel, from 
 which, during the exigence of that 
 theatre, it never after fo totally 
 deviated, at it had done for a con- 
 fiderahle while before. 
 
 The followins remark of Mr. 
 Horace Walpole, in the poftfcript to 
 his Mfjltrieui Mother^ does fo much 
 honour toMr.Fentonasapoet, that 
 it ought not to be omitted at the 
 concluiion of this fhort account of 
 him : ** The excellence of our 
 ** dramatic writers is by no means 
 '' equal to that of the great men 
 " we have produced in other 
 ** walks. Theatric genius lay dor - 
 '< mant after Shakfpeare ; waked 
 *' with fome bold and glorious, 
 '' but irregular, and often ridi- 
 '* culous flights in Dryden ; re- 
 « vivcd in Otway ; maintained a 
 "placid pleafing kind of dignity 
 *■*■ in ^owe, and even fhone in his 
 «' Jane Shore. It trod in fublime 
 *' and daflic fetters in C(7/0,butwas 
 " void of nature, or the power of af- 
 " fefting the paflions. In Southern 
 *' it feenied a genuine ray of na- 
 " ture and Shakfpeare ; but faN 
 " ling on an age dill more Hot- 
 " tentot, was llifled in thofc grofs 
 *' &ndbarbarousprodudions,tragi- 
 " comedies. It turned to tune- 
 " ful nonfenfc in the Mourning 
 " Eride } grew ftark mad in Lee ; 
 " whofe cloak, a little the woife 
 •' for wear, fell on Young ; yet 
 '• in both was ftill a poei'a cloak. 
 •* It recovered its fenfes in Hughes 
 •' and Fenton, who were afraid it 
 '' (hould reiapfe, and accordingly 
 •' kept it down with a timid, but 
 '• amiable, hand — and then it laii- 
 '' guiftied. We have not mounted 
 '♦ again above the two Uft." 
 
 Ferrers, CnwARv. Was of • 
 f' d family at Baldefly Clenton, )l» 
 \. .trwickfhirfl, but the name of 
 the particular place where he wn 
 born, or that of the houfe in 
 Oxford where he was educated, 
 are circumftances anknown. It is, 
 however, certain, that he comi* 
 nued there feveral years ; and 
 v;hen he left the univerfity, had 
 written feveral traeedies and co- 
 medies, or interludes, all which 
 gave the king fo much good r«> 
 creation, that, as Puttenham fayi, 
 he had thereby many good re** 
 wards ; and he further adds, that 
 for fuch thingt at bt haibjeen (f bh 
 •Mritifig, and of the vuriting of 7b«ni4s 
 Sackvile, they dffcrve the fricCt &C. 
 He probably died 1 564. None cf 
 his plays have reached the prefect 
 times. 
 
 Field, Nathaniel. Thia 
 author lived in the reign of kin^ 
 James I. and king Charles I. ana 
 on the authority of Roberts the 
 player, in his anfwer to Pope, 11 
 fuppofed to be the fame Nathankl 
 Field whofe name is joined with 
 tholie of Hening, Burbadge, Con* 
 del, &c. before the folio edition 
 of Shakfpear's works, and alfo in 
 the Dramatif Perfona prefixed to 
 the Cynthia" s Revels of Ben Jonibn. 
 I have, however, fome fufpicion 
 that this is a miftake, and that 
 the prefent author was a perfon of 
 the fame name who was fellow 
 of New-College, Oxford, in the 
 year 163 5, and not Field the player. 
 He wrote two dramatic pieces, 
 whofe titles are as follow: 
 
 1 . Woman is a JViathcr'Cock. C. 
 4to. 161 z. 
 
 2. Amends for Ladies, C. 4to. 
 1618. 
 
 Befidcs thefe, he was concerned 
 with Mailinger in the writing of 
 a very good play, called, 
 
 Ihe Fatal Powy, 410. 1632. 
 
 on 
 
Fl 
 
 r 160 ] 
 
 F I 
 
 ' I ! 
 
 Sin ■ i ,,.< 
 
 «tv- which two authors Hnce have 
 formed the ground-work of their 
 refpeclive tragedies, viz. Mr. 
 Kowe, that ot his Fair Penitent^ 
 and Aaron Hill of one which he 
 left behind him unfiniihcd, by the 
 title of the Infohcnt ; or, Filial 
 \Pirty. 
 
 I have not been able to trace 
 the jufl period either of the birth 
 or deaih of this author. 
 
 Fielding, Henry. Thiswell- 
 Jc^own and julMy celebrated wri- 
 ter of our own time, was born at 
 .Sharpham ParV: in SomerfetHiire, 
 April 22, 1707. His father Ed- 
 ,4\)und Fielding, £fq; who was a 
 younger fon of the earl of Denbigh, 
 was in the army, and towards the 
 clofc of king George I's reign, or 
 the accelTion of George II. was 
 promoted to the rank of a licutf- 
 ,;iMiiit-gen«raI. His mother was 
 daughxr to judge Gould, and 
 aunt to the preiirnt Sit Henry 
 Gould, one of the judges of the 
 .Common Fleas. This lady, befjdes 
 wur a-ithor, whofeems to have been 
 ;hcr firll born, had another fon 
 .and four daughters, And, in con- 
 ibquence of his father's fecond 
 anarriape, Mr. Fielding had fix 
 h.df broiheis, all of whom are 
 dead, except the prefent Sir John 
 Fitlding, now in the commifllon of 
 the jv-MCL" for the counties of Mid- 
 dlefcv, Suny, HflVx, and the li- 
 berties ot Weftminrter. 
 
 Our author received the fitft 
 riidinicins of his education at 
 Jiome, under the care of the Rev. 
 }Mr. Oliver, for whom he feems to 
 j)dvc ha<l 110 Vf^ry '_;ieat regaid, as 
 he ij laid to have; dcfigned a por- 
 trait of his ch;irai!or in the very 
 huinoinjT yet deldlabio one pt 
 jiari'Mi 'rruilil>r, in his Jn/rp'' 
 J'lii'if-nii. When taken troin un- 
 der this gentleinar.'s char;;!.', lie 
 was reraovid to Kton-School, whcie 
 he had an oppoiuiiuiy ol culii- 
 
 vating a very early intimacy and 
 frieudHiip with ieveral, who af< 
 terwards became the iiril perfons 
 in the kingdom, fuch as lord Lyt- 
 telton, Mr. Fox, Mr. Pitt, Sir 
 Charles Hanbury Williams, &c. 
 who ever through life retained a 
 warm regard for him. But thefe 
 were not the only advantages he 
 reaped at that great feminary of 
 education ; for by an afiiduous ap- 
 plication to ftudy, and the pofTef- 
 fion of ilrong and peculiar talents, 
 he became, before he left that 
 fchool, uncommonly vcrfcd in the 
 Greek authors, and a perfe£l maf- 
 ter of the Latin clalTics. Thus 
 accomplilhed, at about eighteen 
 years of age he left Eton, and 
 went to Leyden, where he ftudicd 
 under the moll celebrated civilians 
 for about two years, at the expi- 
 ration of which time, the remit- 
 tances from lingland not coming 
 fo regularly as at Aril, he was obli- 
 ged to return to London. 
 
 In fliort, general Fielding's fa- 
 mily being very greatly incrcafed 
 by his fecond marriage, as may be 
 feen from what we have faid above, 
 it became impoflible for him to 
 make fuch appointments for this 
 his eldell: fon, as he could hav^ 
 wiflied ; his allowance was there- 
 fore cither very ill paid, or intire- 
 ly neglefied. This unhappy fitua- 
 tion Toon produced all the ill con- 
 fc(]ucnccs which could arife from 
 poverty and diflipation. Foflel- 
 Icd of a ftrong cunllitution, a live- 
 ly imagination, and s. difpofition 
 naturally but little formed tor oeco- 
 noniy, he found himfclfhis own 
 nnilcr, in a place where the temp- 
 tations to every expetifive pleafure 
 are numerous, and the means of 
 graiil)iny; them eafily attainable. 
 J'fora tins unloifunatcly plcafirg 
 litiiaiion fprunj:^ the fource of every 
 mi:lor;r.iie or une;ifinefs that MV. 
 Kidding aJlciwards IcU through 
 
 lite, 
 
F I 
 
 t «6« 1 
 
 F 1 
 
 life. He very Toon found that his 
 finances were by no means ade- 
 quate to the frequent draughts 
 made on him from the confe- 
 quences of the briflc career ofdif- 
 fipation which he had launched 
 into; yet, as difagreeable impref- 
 fions never continued long upon 
 his mind, but only on the contrary 
 rouzed him to rtruggle through 
 his difHcuUies with the greater 
 fpirit and magnanimity, he flat* 
 teied himfclf that he fhould find 
 hii refources in his wit and inven- 
 tion, and accordingly commenced 
 writer for the ftage in the year 
 1727, at which time he had^ not 
 more than attained the completion 
 of his twentieth year. 
 
 His firll attempt in the Drama 
 was a piece called Ij)ve in fiveral 
 Mafquci, which, though it imme- 
 diately fucceeded the long and 
 crowded run of the Provoked Huf- 
 hnnJ, met with a favourable re- 
 ception, as did likewife his fecond 
 play, whii.h came out in the fol- 
 lowing year, and was entitled, The 
 fcmpU Jieau. He did not how- 
 ever meet with equal fucccfs in all 
 his dramatic works, for he has 
 even printed in the title-page of 
 one of his Farces, as it ivas damned 
 at the Thcat'-e Royal in Di iiry Lauc; 
 and he himfelf inform;; us, in the 
 general prefdcc to hii? Milcellanies, 
 th.it K): the IVcddiitg Day^ though 
 afted fix nights, his profits from 
 the lioufe did not exceed iifty 
 pounds. Nor did a much better 
 fate attend on (ome or his earlier 
 produdions, fo that, thouj^h it was 
 his lot always to write from nc- 
 ceflitv, he would probably, not- 
 withltanding his writing:, have la- 
 boured continually under that ne- 
 ccffity, had not the feverity of chc 
 public, and the malice of his ene- 
 ipies, met with a noble allevation 
 from thf patronage of feveral pcr- 
 fons of dillinguilhed rank and cha- 
 
 VoL. I. 
 
 radler, particularly the late dukes 
 of Richmond and Roxburgh, John 
 duke of Argy'e, the firft lord 
 Lyttelton, &c, the laft-named of 
 which noblemen not only by his 
 friendlhip foftened the rigour of 
 our author's misfortunes while he 
 lived, but alfo by his generous ar- 
 dour has vindicated his chara£ler 
 and done jullice to his memor/ 
 after dea h. 
 
 About fix or feven years, after 
 Mr. Fielding's commencing a wri* 
 ter for the l^ge, he fell in love 
 with and married one Mifs Crad- 
 dock, a young lady from Salifbury^^ 
 poflefTed of a very great (hare or 
 beauty, and a fortune of about 
 fifteen hundred pounds ; and about 
 the fame time his mother dying, 
 an ertate at Slower, in Dorfetfliire, 
 of fomewhat better than two hun- 
 dred pounds^rr annum^ came into 
 his poflcffion With this fortune, 
 which, had it been conduced with 
 prudence and occonomy, might 
 have fecurcd to him a ftate of in- 
 dependence tor lift, ^nd with the 
 heips it might have derived from 
 the productions of a genius unin- 
 cumbered with anxieties and per- 
 plexity, mii;ht have even afforded 
 him an affluent income; with this, 
 I fay, and a wil^ whom he was 
 fond of to ditlrattion, and for 
 whofe fake he had taken up a re- 
 folution of bidding adieu to all the 
 follies and intemperances to which 
 lie Jiad add'ded himfelf in that 
 fhort but very rapid career of a 
 town life which lie had run, he 
 determined to retire to his country 
 feat, and there reiide entirely. 
 
 But here, in fpite of this pru- 
 dent rcf ilution, one folly only took 
 place of another, and family pride 
 now brought on him all the in- 
 conveniencies in one place, that 
 youthful diflipalion and libertinifm 
 had done in another. The in- 
 come he polTeffed, though faffi- 
 
 M cient 
 
r 5 
 
 t '6« J 
 
 F r 
 
 I :■'' 
 
 if 
 
 cteht for t&ft^ and even fome de- 
 
 Sree of elegance, yet was in no 
 egree adequate to the fupport of 
 either luxury or fplendour. Yet, 
 fond of figure and magnificence, 
 he incumbered hitnfelF with a large 
 retinue of fervants^ and hfs natu- 
 ral turn leading hint to a fondnefs 
 for the delights of fociety and con- 
 vivial mirth, he threw wide open 
 the gates of hofpitality, and fuf- 
 fered his whole patrimony to be 
 devoured up by hounds, horfes, 
 and entertainments. In fliort, in 
 hk than three years, f;om the 
 mere paflion of being eAeemed a 
 man of great fortune, he reduced 
 himfelf to the difpleafing fituation 
 of having no fortune at all ; and 
 through an ambition of maintain- 
 ing an open houfe for the recep- 
 tion of every otie elj'c, he foon found 
 •i'?«tt/<//" without a habitation which 
 ]ie eould call his own, In a word, 
 by a defire, as Shakfpeare expref- 
 fcsit, -V 
 
 -^•^ of Jhtfvotng a more fivclUng 
 
 port 
 Than his faint means wouUgrani 
 
 continuance^ 
 
 "he was, in the courfe of a very 
 fliort period, brought back to the 
 fime unfortunate fituation which 
 he had before experienced; but 
 with this aggravation to it, that 
 he could now have none of thofe 
 refourccs in future to look forward 
 to, which he had thus indifcrcetly 
 lavifhed. He had undermined his 
 own fupports, and had now no- 
 thing but his own abilities to de- 
 pend on for the recovery of what 
 he had fo wantonly thrown from 
 him, an eafy competence. Net 
 difcouraged, however, he deter- 
 mined to exert his bell abilities, 
 lieto'.>k himfelf clofely to the iludy 
 cf the law, and after the cuUo- 
 mary time of probation at the 
 'i cmpic, was called to the bar, and 
 
 ntflde no inconfiderable figure fit 
 Weftmtnfter-Hall. 
 
 To the praftice of the kw Mr» 
 Fielding now applied Himfelf with 
 great affiduity both in the courts 
 here and on the circuits, fo long 
 as his health permitted him, and 
 it is probable would have rifen to 
 a confulerable degree of eminence 
 in it, had not the intemperances 
 of his early parts of life put a 
 check, by their confequences, to 
 the progrefs of his fuccefs. In 
 fhort, though but a young man, he 
 began now to be moleiled with 
 fuch violent attacks from the gcur, 
 as rendered it impoffible for him 
 to be as condant at the bar as the 
 laborioufnefs of his profeffion re- 
 quired, and would only permit 
 him to purfue the law by fnatches, 
 at fuch intervals as were free from 
 indifpoBtion. However, underthefe 
 united feverities of pain and want, 
 he Hill found refuurces in his ge- 
 nius and abilities. He was con- 
 cerned in a political periodical 
 paper, caUed the Champion, which 
 owed its principal fupport to his 
 pen ; a pen which feems never to 
 have lain idle, fince it was perpe- 
 tually producing, almoil: as it were 
 extempore, a play, a farce, a pam- 
 phlet, or a news-paper, but whofe 
 full exertion of power feemed re- 
 ferved for a kind of writing dif- 
 ferent from, and indeed fuperior 
 to, them all ; nor will it perhaps 
 be ncceffary, in proof of this, more 
 than to mention his celebrated no- 
 vels of Jofeph Andrc'vos and lorn 
 Jones, which are too well known 
 and too juttly admired to leave us 
 any room for expatiating on their 
 merits. Precarious, however, as 
 this means of fubfillence unavoid- 
 ably iPuU be, it was fcarcely pof- 
 llble he fnould be enabled by it 
 to recover his fliattered fortunes, 
 and was therefore at length obli- 
 ged to accept of the olHce of an 
 
 at^'ting 
 
T I 
 
 t »63 1 
 
 F 1 
 
 teeing niagiftrate in tlie comtniffioh 
 ot the peace for the county of 
 Middlefex, iii which fiatiun he 
 continued iti'U pretty near the time 
 of his dc3th<; a». ofHoe, hawevef, 
 which feldomfsuk of being hate- 
 ful to the populate^ and of courfe 
 liable to many infamous and un- 
 juftimputatibns, paTtioiiiarly thacdf 
 venality ; a charge which the ill- 
 ii;uured world, not unacquainted 
 with Mr. Fielding's want of oBco- 
 norny and pairion ^r expence, were 
 but too rieady to cail upon him. 
 Yet from this charge Mr. Murphy, 
 in the life of this author, prefixed 
 to a late edition of his works, has 
 taken great pains to exculpate him, 
 as has likewife Mr. Fielding him- 
 felf, in his f^qyage to Lijboriy which 
 was not only his laft work, but 
 may with feme degree of pro- 
 priety be confidered at the laft 
 words of a dying man ; that 
 voyage having been undertaken 
 only as a Jfrnier rejbrt in one lad 
 defperate effort for the prefervation 
 of life, and the reftoring a confli* 
 tution broken with chagrin, dif- 
 trefs, vexation, and public buHnefs ; 
 for his flrength was at that time 
 entirely exhaufted, and in about 
 two months after his arrival at 
 Lilbon, he yielded his laft breath, 
 in the forty-eighth year of his age, 
 and of our Lord 1754. 
 
 Mr. Fielding's genius, as I have 
 before obferved, was moft fuperior 
 in thofeftrong, lively, and natural 
 paintings of the charadfers of man- 
 kind, and the movements of the 
 human heart, which conllitute the 
 biifis of his novels, yet, as comedy 
 bears tlie clofeft aflinity to this 
 kind of writing, his dramatic 
 pieces, every one of which is comic, 
 are far from being contemptible. 
 His tarces and ballad pieces, more 
 efpccially, have a fprightlinefs of 
 manner, and a forciblcnefs of chs- 
 radcr, which ii is jmpoflible to 
 
 avoid teing agreeably entertain- 
 ed by ; and in thofe among 
 them which he has in any degree 
 borrowed frbm Moliere or any 
 other writer, he has done his ori- 
 nal great honour and juilice by the 
 manner in which he has handled ) 
 the fubjeft. The number and ' 
 titles of his dramatic works are as 
 follows : 
 
 1. Love in feveral Mafques, C. 
 8vo, 1728. 
 
 2. Temple Beau. G. 8vo. 1730. 
 
 3. Author's Farce, C. 8vo. 173()« 
 
 4. 'Tragedy of Tragedies. 8»b. 
 
 1730- ^ , 
 
 5. Coffee-houfe Politician. CZ^, 
 
 1730. 
 
 6. Letter Writers. F. 8vo, 1731. 
 
 7. Grubftreet Opera. 8vo. 1731. 
 
 8. Lottery. F. 8vo. 1731. 
 
 9. Modern Hi(/band.C.Hvo.iy ^2, 
 
 10. Mock Doaor. B. F. 8vb,. 
 
 »732. 
 
 lU Debauchees. C. 8vo. 1732. 
 
 12. Covent-Garden Tragedy, F» 
 8vo. 1732. 
 
 13. Mi/er. C. 8vo. 1732. 
 
 1 4. Intriguing Chambermaid. B* 
 F. 8vo. 1733. 
 
 1^. Don i^ixote in England, C. 
 8vo. 1733. 
 
 lb. Old Man taught Wifdom. F, 
 8vo. 1734. 
 
 17. Pafauln, C. 8vo. 1736. 
 
 \%, Hijtorical Regifter. C. 8vo* 
 
 ig. Euridice, F. 8v6. 1737. 
 
 20. Euridice hiji^d, F. 1737. 
 
 21. Tumble-dovm Dick, D. E,' 
 8vo. 1737- 
 
 22. Mifs Lucy in Town. F. 8vo. 
 1742. 
 
 21. Plutus the God of Riches. C. 
 AfTilled by Mr. Young. 8vo. 1742, 
 
 24. JVedding Day. C. 8vo. 
 
 1743- 
 
 25. Interlude between Jupiter^ 
 Junp^ and Mercury. 8vo. 1743. 
 
 26. The Fathers ; or, The Good- 
 naturcd Man, C. 8vo. 1779. 
 
 M 2 As 
 
til 
 
 w 
 
 A i'i 
 
 F I 
 
 £ 164 J 
 
 F 1 
 
 As to Mr. Fielding's charafter " exhibit a farce or a puppet-Aew, 
 
 as a man, it may in great meafure " in the Hay-Market theatre, 
 
 be deduced from the incidents I '* which was wholly inconfiflent 
 
 have above related of his life, but *• with the profeOion he had em- 
 
 cannot perhaps be with more can- *'■ barked in. But his intimates 
 
 dour fet forth than by his biogra- " are. witnefs how much his pride 
 
 pher Mr. Murphy, in the woik I " fuffered when he was forced into 
 
 before made mention .of, and with 
 fome of whofe words therefore 1 
 Ihall clofe this article. 
 
 *' It will be, fays that gentleman, 
 *' an humane and generous office 
 ** to fet dcwn to the account of 
 •' fiander and defamation, a great 
 
 '* meafures of this kind ; no man 
 •' having a juller fenfe of propriety, 
 *' or more honourable ideas of the 
 '* employment of an author and a 
 «• fcholar." 
 
 Fielding, Sarah. Thislady 
 was filler to Henry Fielding. She 
 
 *• part of that abufe which was was author of David Simple, and 
 
 *' difcharged againft him by his feveral Novels, and tranuator of 
 
 "enemies in his life-time; de- Xenopkon* s Memorabilia. She was 
 
 ** ducing however from the whole born in the year 17 14, and lived 
 
 ** this ufeful leflbn, that quick and chiefly at Bath, where (he dieii in 
 
 ** iK'arTn pojjiotts Jl^ould he ear!y con- April 1768. Her friend Dr. John 
 
 *' troukd, and that dijjipation and ex- Hoadly, who erefted a monument 
 
 *• travagant pleafures arc the mojl to her memory, fays, 
 
 " Her unafFedled manners, can- 
 
 '*' did mind, 
 *' Her heart benevolent, and foul 
 
 *' refign'd ; 
 *• Were more her praife, tha» 
 
 " all (he knew or thought, 
 '* Though Athena' wifdom to 
 
 " her fex fhe taught." 
 
 *' dangerous paUiatiotis that can be 
 * * found for dfappointments and vex9- 
 
 Slie wrote a dramatic 
 
 •' tioHS in the fitjl f.ages of life. We 
 *' have feen, adds he, how Mr. 
 *' Fielding very foon Squandered 
 *' away his fmallpatrimony, which, 
 •' with oeconomy, might have pro- 
 *• cured him indej.>endence ; — we 
 *' have feen how he ruined, into the 
 *• bargain,;! conftituiion, which in 
 
 *' its original texture ieemed form- printed in three volumes, 
 *• ed to lail: much longer. When called, 
 •' illnefs and indigence were once 
 •' let in upon him, he no longer 
 ** remained the mailer of his own 
 *' adions ; and that nice delicacy 
 •• of conduft which alone conlli- 
 ' tutes and preferves a character, and of D. C. L. Oft. 27, 1681. 
 
 novel, 
 
 '753. 
 
 The Cry. 
 
 FiLMER, Edward. This gen- 
 tleman was bred at All Souls Col- 
 lege, Oxford, where he took the 
 degree of B. C» L. Feb. 21, 1675, 
 
 •' was occafionally obliged to give He was ever a (Irong advocate for 
 
 •' way. When he was not under dramatic writings, which, togeihcr 
 
 *' the immediate urgency of wnt, with the protclfors of dramatic 
 
 ** thole who were intimate with poetry, he has warmly defended 
 
 •' him are ready to aver, that he againll their furious enemy and 
 
 ** had a mind greatly fuperior to opponent Jeremy Collier. In the 
 
 *• any thing mean or little ; when decline of his life he produced a 
 
 " his finances w«re exhautled, he 
 *' was not the moll elegant in his 
 *' choice of the means to rediefs 
 ** himielf, and he would inilantly 
 
 plav, which, thoMgh it bears ftrong 
 tellimony to the undcrllandingand 
 abilities of the anthor, yet fdileil 
 of fuccefs on the llage for the want 
 
 of 
 
F I 
 
 [ 16^ ) 
 
 F I 
 
 :ns* wifdom to 
 
 of that force and fire, which it is 
 probable the dof^or, in a lefs ad- 
 vanced time of life, would have 
 been able to have lieftowed oa it. 
 The piece is intituled, 
 T/jc Unnatural liroiher, T. 4tO, 
 
 Finch. An.ve, Countess of 
 WiNCHiiLSEA. This lady was 
 daughter of Sir William Kingfmill 
 of Sidmonton, in the county of 
 Southampton, knight. She was 
 maid of honour to the du;chefs of 
 York, fecond wife to king James II ; 
 and was afterwards married to 
 Heneage, fecond fon of Heneage, 
 earl of Winchelfea, by lady Mary, 
 fecond daughter of William Sey- 
 mour, duke of Somerfet; which 
 Heneage was, in his father's life- 
 time, gentleman of the bed-cham- 
 ber to the duke of York, and af- 
 terwards, upon the death of his 
 nephew Charles, fucceeded him in 
 the title of earl of Winchelfea. 
 This lady died on the 5th day of 
 Auguft, 1720, having, in the year 
 1713, publifhed a colledlionof her 
 Poems, anfiongft which is, 
 
 Arijlodemus. T. 
 It is faid that many of her Poems 
 Hill remain in MS. 
 
 FiSHiiOURNE, Mr. This gen- 
 tleman belonged to the irins of 
 court, and is only mentioned here 
 byway of perpetuating thai infamy 
 which he has juilly incurred, by 
 bti.ig known to be the autlior of a 
 tliauritic piece, entitled. 
 
 This play is fo extremely obfcene, 
 ;uid beyond all bounds indecent 
 ;ind Immoral, that even the earl of 
 Rochelter, whofe libertinifm was 
 I.) profetfed and open, and who 
 Ic'.rccly knew what the fcnfe of 
 Liame wiis, could not bear to uh- 
 lier^o the imputation of being the 
 author <.f this piece (which, in 
 crtler to make it fell, was pub- 
 liflied with initial Ictctrs in the 
 
 ,,!% 
 
 title. Intended to mifguide ths 
 opinion of the public, and induce 
 them to fix it on that nobleman), 
 and publ'fhed a copy of verges to 
 difclaim his having had any (hare 
 in the compolition. Nor has it 
 indeed any fp^rk of refemblance 
 to lord Rochefler's wit, could that 
 even have atoned (which however 
 it could by no means have done) for 
 the abominable obfcenity of it. To 
 fuch lengths did the licence of that' 
 court induce perfons to imagine 
 they might proceed in vice with . 
 full impunity. 
 
 Fisher, Dr. Jasper. Was a 
 gentleman's fon, born in Bedford- 
 ihire, and entered a commoner of 
 Magdalen Ha)! in 1607. He af- 
 terwards took the decrees in arts, 
 became divinity or philofophy rea- • 
 der of Magdalen College, redlor • 
 of Wilden, Bedfordfliiie, about • 
 1631; and at length doflor of' 
 divinity. Oldys, in his manu- 
 fcript notes on Langbaine, fays 
 he was blind. He publifhed fome . 
 Sermons, and one I^lay, called, 
 
 Fuimus Troes, the true Trojans,- 
 T. 4to. 1633. 
 
 FLECKN'Ofi, R.ICHAUD. This 
 writer lived in the reign of king • 
 Charles II. He is faid to have 
 been orij;inally a Jefuit, and, in 
 confequeiice of that prolelfion, to 
 have had connexions with moll: of 
 the pcifons of diilinftion in Lon- 
 don, who were of the Roman ca- 
 tholic perfuafion. The charadler 
 that Laii'^baine gives of him is, 
 that his acjuaintunce with the no- 
 bility wa> more than with the 
 Mufes, and that he had a greater 
 propenfuy to rhyming, than genius 
 for poetry. 
 
 he wiote many things both in 
 profe and verfe, more efpecially 
 the latter, and has left behind him 
 five dramatic pieces, only one of 
 which he co.^d ever oknain the 
 
 M 3 favour 
 
F L 
 
 t i66 ] 
 
 F L 
 
 m 
 
 Mim 
 
 tm 
 
 favour pf having afled, and that 
 riiet with but indiiFerent fuccefs. 
 Their titles are, 
 ' 1. Love's Dominion. jy.V.iztao. 
 1654. 
 
 2. Marriage of Oceanus and Bri- 
 tannia. M. i2tno. 1659. 
 
 3. Erminia. T. C. izmo. 1661. 
 
 4. Damoifelles a-la-Mode, C 
 121110. 1667. 
 
 5. Love's Kingdom, P. T. C 
 lamp; 1674. 
 
 The author, however, wrapped up 
 5n his own felf-opinion, has carried 
 off this difappointment in a man- 
 rer extj'emely cavalier and almoft 
 peculiar to himfelf; for, in the 
 Prfface to his Demoiftlks a-la'Mode^ 
 whith had been rcfufcd by the 
 players, he has thefe very remark- 
 able words : " For the ading this 
 *• comedy," fays he, " thofe who 
 *' have the government of the llage 
 ** have their humour, and would 
 <* be intreated ; and I have mine, 
 *♦ and won't intreat them ; and 
 •• were ail dramatic writers of my 
 •* mind, they ihould wear their 
 ** old plays thread-bare, ere they 
 *' fhould have any new, till they 
 •' better underftood their own in- 
 •* terell-, and how to difiinguilh 
 *^ between good and bad." The 
 duke of Buckingham, in his Re- 
 btarjhl, feems to have kept this 
 pafiiige ftrongly in his eye in the 
 anger he has put into Bayes's 
 irtouth when the players were gone 
 to dinner. However, notwith- 
 iUnding all this important bluilcr 
 of Mr. Fltcknoe, and his having 
 printed to his D'n-::atis Peifona 
 the names of the a£loi5 he had in- 
 tended the feveral putts to be per- 
 formed by, in order, as \\c. fays, 
 *' that the reader might have half 
 *• the pleafure of feeing it aded," 
 it is probable that he and his works 
 might have funk together into ab- 
 folute oblivion, had not the refent- 
 
 ment of a much greater poet agalnft 
 him, I mean Mr. Dryden, doomed 
 him to a diilerent kind of immor. 
 tality from that which he aimed 
 at, by giving bis name to one of 
 the fevereft fatires he ever wrote, 
 viz. his iV/aci%-<r/f/w, which, though 
 pointed at Shadwell, has never- 
 thelefs Tome fevere llrokes upon 
 our author, which, together with 
 the title of the poem itfelf^ will 
 preferve his r.emory, and, as he 
 bimfelf propofed by the publi- 
 cation of his own works, " con- 
 " tinuc his name to pofterity," fo 
 long as the writings of that admira- 
 ble poet continue to be read. 
 
 Fleming Robert, jun. V. D. 
 M. Of this writer I can give no 
 account. He publifhed a volume 
 of Religious Poetry, entitled, 
 
 ♦' The Mir r our of Divine Love 
 *' itnvail*d." 8vo. 1691. 
 in which is contained, 
 
 7/je Mone^rchical Image; or, iVif- 
 huchaJnezzar i Dream, D. P. 
 
 Fletcher, John. See Beau- 
 mont, Francis. 
 
 Fletcher, Phineas, This 
 learned writer was the fon of Giles 
 Fleichcr, doftor of the civil law, 
 and ambaffador from queen Eliza- 
 beth to Theodore Inanowich, duke 
 of Mufcovy ; and nephew to bifhop 
 Fletcher, father of the celebrated 
 John Fletcher the dramatic poet. 
 He was educated at Eton, and in 
 1600 was fent to King's College, 
 Cambridge, where he took the 
 degrees cf A. B. in 1604, and 
 A. M. in i6c8. He afterwards 
 entered into holy orders, and pof- 
 'ft-Jfed the living of Hilgay, in 
 Norfolk, where it fcenis probable 
 that he died. He is an author 
 wbofe fame is not equal to his 
 merit, having written feveral 
 pieces, as the Purple Ifland^ Pif- 
 citiory Eclogues^ Locujia^ and Other 
 works, which deferve to be better 
 
 known 
 
 ^^ 
 
F O 
 
 t 167 1 
 
 F O 
 
 le ever wrote, 
 
 icnown that they are at prefent. 
 He hath produced one drama, en^ 
 titled, 
 
 Skelides, Pifcat. 4tO. 163 1. 
 
 FooTE, Samuel, Efq; Thii 
 well-known author was born at 
 Truro in Cornwall, but in what 
 year I know not. His father John 
 Foote enjoyed the poHs of commif- 
 fioner of the prize office and fine 
 contraA. His mother was heirefs 
 of the Dineley and Goodere fami- 
 lies, and to her, in confequence of 
 an unhappy and fatal quarrel be- 
 nveen her two brothers, Sir John 
 Dineley Goodere, bart.and Sir Sa- 
 muel Goodere, captain of his ma- 
 jeily's fliip the Ruby, which ter- 
 minated in the lofs of life to both, 
 the Dineley eftate, which was of 
 great value defcetided. He re- 
 ceived his education at Worceile*. 
 College, formerly Gioucefter-Hall, 
 Oxen, which owed its foundation 
 and change of name to Sir Tho- 
 mas Cooks Winford, bart. a fecond 
 coufin of our author's. From the 
 Univeriity he was removed to the 
 Temple, being defigned for the 
 fludy of the law; in which it hs 
 molt probable that his great ora- 
 torical talents, and powers of mi- 
 mickry and humour, would have 
 ihewn themfelves in a very con- 
 I'picuous light. The drynefs and 
 gravity of this (ludy, however, jiul 
 fuiting the more volatile vivacity 
 of his difpofition, he chofe rather 
 to employ thofc talents in a fphere 
 of aftion to which they feemed 
 better adapted, viz. on the ftage, 
 in the purfuit of which the repeat- 
 ed proofs he received of the pub- 
 lic approbation bear the ilrongeft 
 tellimonials to his merit. His firll 
 appearance was in the part of 
 Oihello, but whether he early dif- 
 covered that his fort did not lye 
 in tragedy, or that his genius €0uld 
 not bear the being only a repeater 
 of the works oi uthcrSf he {qqo. 
 
 ftruck out into a new and untrod- 
 den path, in which he at once at- 
 tained the two great ends of af- 
 fording entertainment to the pub- 
 lic and emolument to himfelf« 
 This was by taking on himfelf the 
 double charaifter of author and 
 performer, in which light, in 1747* 
 he opened the little theatre in the 
 Haymarket, with a dramatic piece 
 of his own writing, called The 
 Diver/ions of the Morning. Thia 
 piece confifteil -of nothing more 
 than the introduAioa of feveral 
 well-known charadlers in real life, 
 whofe manner of converfation and 
 expreflion this author had stty 
 happily hit in the didion of his 
 drama, and IHII more happily re- 
 prefented on the flage by an exadt 
 and mod amaeing imitation, not 
 only of the manner and tone of 
 voice, but even of the very per- 
 fons, of thofe whom he intended to 
 take off. Among thefe charafterg 
 there was in particular a certain 
 phyfician, who was much better 
 known from the oddity and fingu- 
 larity of his appearance and con- 
 verfation, than from his eminence 
 in the pradtice of his piofeflion. 
 The celebrated chevalier Taylor 
 the oculill, who was at that time 
 in the height of his vogue and 
 popularity, was alfo another ob- 
 jeft, and indeed adeferved one, of 
 Mr. Footers mimickry ^.ad ridi- 
 cule; and in the latter part of his 
 
 piece. 
 
 under the charafter of a 
 
 theatrical diredlor, this gentleman 
 took off with great humour and 
 accuracy the feveral ftiles of aftiiig 
 of every principal performer of the 
 Englilh ilage. 
 
 This performance at firft met 
 with fome little cppofition from 
 the civil magiUrates of Weftmin- 
 fter, under the fanQion of the aft 
 of parliament for limiting the 
 number of piay-houfes. But the 
 author being patronized hy many 
 
 ]V1 4. «w 
 
F O 
 
 I i68 ] 
 
 F O 
 
 H".j 
 
 IhH 
 
 of the principal nobility and 
 others, this oppofition was over- 
 ruled, s.nd with an aher:<tion of 
 the title of his piece to that of 
 Mr. FtJOte's giving Tta to his 
 Friends^ he proceeded without far- 
 ther moleflation, and reprefented 
 it through a run of upwards of 
 forty mornings, to crowded and 
 fplendid audiences. 
 
 The enfuing feafon he produced 
 another piece of the fame kind, 
 which he called An AuHion of Pic- 
 tures. In this he introduced feve- 
 ral new chara^er;, all however 
 popular ones, and extremely wtll 
 known, particularly Sir Thomas 
 de Veil, then the acSling jtiltice of 
 peace for Weftminllcr; Mr. Cock, 
 the celebrated audlioneer, and the 
 equally famous orator Ilcnley. 
 This piece had alfo a very great 
 run. 
 
 Neither of the above-mentioned 
 pieces have yet appear(:d in print, 
 nor would ihey perhaps give aiiy 
 very great pleafure in the clofetj 
 for, confining principally of cha- 
 ia£lers whofe peculiar fingularities 
 could never be perfe£tlv repre- 
 fented in biiick and wljite, ihey 
 might probably appear flat rnd 
 infipid, whtn diverted of that 
 ftrong colouring which Mr. Footc 
 had given 'hcjn in his perfonal 
 reprcfentaticn ; for it m.iy not be 
 improper to o'lifcive in thi^; pldce, 
 that he himlelt repiefeiued all the 
 principal charaders in eacii pieie, 
 which It' od in need of his mimick 
 powers to execute, fliifting from 
 one to another with ail ths dexte- 
 rity of a Proteus. He now, how- 
 ever, proceif'eJ to pieces of fome- 
 what more dramatic regularity, 
 his Knights being the prmluce of 
 an enfuing fcafoii. Ytt in this 
 alfo, though his plot and characr 
 ters feemeci lefs immediately per- 
 fonal, it was apparent that he kept 
 feme paiticular real perlbnagea 
 
 ftrongly in his eye in the perform* 
 ance, and the town took on them- 
 felves to fix them where the re- 
 femblance appeared to be the mod 
 flriking. It would be fuperfluous 
 in this place to enumerate the 
 courfe of this gentleman's drama- 
 tic progrefs as to all the refpeflive 
 pieces which he ha3 fince written 
 and performed, as a particular ac- 
 count of each of them may be feen, 
 under its proper head, in the fe- 
 cond volume of this v/ork. Let it 
 here fuiHce therefore to obfcrve, 
 that he continued from time to 
 time to entertain the public, by 
 feledling for their ufe iuch cha- 
 raders, as well general as indi- 
 vidual, as fcemcd moll likely to 
 contribute to the exciting our in- 
 nocent laughter, and beil anfwer" 
 the principal end of dramatic writ- 
 ings of the comic kind, viz, the 
 relaxation of the mind from the 
 fatigue of bufinefs or anxiety. 
 
 The following is a lilt of his 
 performances. 
 
 1. Tajic. C. 8vo. 1752. 
 
 2. The Englijkman in Paris, C, 
 8vo. 1753. 
 
 3. The Knights. C, 8vo. 1754.. 
 
 4. The lLngiiJhm.in returned J'lom 
 Paris. F. 8-0. 17^6. 
 
 5. The Autbo.-. C. 8vo. 1/57. 
 
 6. The Din.'fr/ions of the Mortting, 
 F. 175S. N, F. 
 
 7. Tlw Mijior. C. 8vc'. 1760. 
 
 8. ThcLyai. C. 1761. printed 
 8vo. 1764. 
 
 9. 1!)c Oraiors. 8vo. 1 762. 
 
 1 0. The nJiiyur of Garratt, C. 
 8vo. 1765. 
 
 I I. 7/v Patron. C. 8vo. 1764. 
 
 1 2. The Co>um:£'ary. C. 8vo. 
 1765. 
 
 13. Prehide, on opening the 
 theatre, 1767. 
 
 14. The Devil upon Two Sticks, 
 C. 1768. printed 8vo. 1778. 
 
 15. The Lame Lover, C. 8vo. 
 1770. 
 
 16. fht 
 
F O 
 
 t «^9 1 
 
 F O 
 
 16. The Maul of Bath. C. 1771. 
 printed 8vo. 1778. 
 
 17. The Nabob, C, 177a. 
 printed 8vo. 1778. 
 
 18. Ficly in Fattens. F. 1773. 
 
 N. P. 
 
 19. The uankrttpt. C. 8vo. 1773. 
 
 20. T^he Cozenen. C. '774* 
 printed 8vo. 1778. 
 
 21. TU Capuchin. C. 1776. 
 printed 8vo. 1778. 
 
 22> ^ Tnp to Calais. C. 8vo. 
 17:- 8. 
 
 Befides thefe pieces Mr. Foote 
 fufFcrcd his name to be put to a 
 work, entitled, The Comic Thfatre^ 
 in ; vols. 121110. being a tranila- 
 tion of a number of French come- 
 dies. Of thefe however wc are 
 Cilured the firft only. viz. The 
 Tottng Hypocrite, is to be afcribcd to 
 hioi. 
 
 The following is the lift of them. 
 Vol. I . The Young Hypocrite, 
 Ihe Spendthrift. 
 The Triple Marriage. 
 Vol. 2. The Imaginary Qhftacle, 
 7he Sijlers. 
 
 The Libertine ; or, The 
 Hidilen Treafure, 
 Vol. 3. The Legacy ; or, The For- 
 tune Hunter, 
 The Generous Artifice ; or, 
 
 The reforinKi Pake. 
 The IFhiwJi-al Lovers ; or, 
 The Double hifideiity. 
 Vol. 4. The Blunderer. 
 
 The Amorous parrel. 
 The Conceited Ladies. 
 The Forced Marriage. 
 Vol. 5. The Man Hater. 
 
 The Faggot-binder ; or. The 
 
 Mack DuHor. 
 The GciitlcTiian Cit. 
 To proceed wiih Mr. Foote's 
 hiilory. From the year 1752 to 
 1761, he continued to perform ac 
 one of the theatres every feafon 
 as fancy or intcrcft direfted his 
 choice, generally for a ftated num- 
 ber of nights ; and on thefe en- 
 
 gagements he ufually brought oat 
 a new piece, in this courfe he 
 went on until a very preffing em* 
 barralTment in his affairs compel- 
 led him to perform The Minor at 
 the Hay-Marlcet in the fummer of 
 the year 1760, with Aich a com- 
 pany as he could hadily colleft. 
 The fuccefs of this attempt feem« 
 to have fuggeded to him the 
 fcheme of occupying that theatre 
 when the othe'-s were (hut up ; 
 and from the year 1762, until the 
 feafon before his death, he rejga- 
 larly performed there, and ac- 
 quired a very confiderable income, 
 which, as oeconomy was not to be 
 numbtred among his excellencies, 
 he generally expended in the grati- 
 fication equally of his vices and 
 virtues, bfing at times both ge- 
 nerous and extravagant. In Fe- 
 bruary 1766. he had the misfor- 
 tune to fall from his horfe while 
 at lord Mexborotigh's feat in the 
 country on a vifit, when the duke 
 of York alio was there. It is ge- 
 nerally fuppofed that this accident 
 facilitated his application for a 
 patent, which he obtained on the 
 9th of July in the fame year. As 
 he was ever attentive to fuch 
 temjwrary circumdances as would 
 alford fubjeifls of ridicule, fo he 
 was not at all fcrupulous who he 
 otFended in his fatirical career. 
 In 1776, he drew a charafter in- 
 tended for a lady of quality then 
 much talked of, who had inHuence 
 enough to obtain a prohibition to 
 his play being reprcfcnted, and in 
 the controverfy wnich this in- 
 cident occalioned feme imputa- 
 tions were thrown out againfl his 
 charadcr too grof. to be recorded, 
 and of too vile a nature to be be- 
 lieved without the cleared evi- 
 dence. This difpute had hardly 
 fubfided, when a legal charge was 
 made againlt him for an offence 
 iimilar to that before alluded to ; 
 
 and 
 
F O 
 
 t »70 ] 
 
 F O 
 
 : T 
 
 i' '■' t 
 
 .r J-f' J 
 
 ■ ■ A 1 
 
 1- 
 
 II .■■■■>- 
 
 I^'ifl*:^ 
 
 »nd it is but juftice to hii me- 
 mory to declare, that the accufa- 
 tion was generally fuppofed to 
 have originated in malice, and 
 that he was acquitted by the di- 
 re£tioo, and agreeable to the fenti- 
 ments.cf the judge who tried him, 
 after a very lontj ;ind llrift invelH- 
 gation of all ihe circumllances of 
 the aftair. The lliock which he 
 received f.om this difgraccful fitu- 
 yiion is fuppofed to have had a 
 fatal efttiii upon him. A few 
 SQontlis afterwards he was feized, 
 while on the llage, with a paraly- 
 |ic lit, from which he recovered 
 Sufficiently to fpcnd the fumnicr at 
 |irightheiinftone, and from thtnce, 
 on the approach of winter, was 
 •dvifed to remove to France. On 
 the 2oth of October, 1777, he ar- 
 tived at Dover, intending imme- 
 diately to proceed to Calaif. But 
 about eleven o'clock next morn- 
 ing he complained of a Hiivering, 
 and went to bed, where he was 
 ft-i/.ed with another fit, which tailed 
 three hours ; after it was over he 
 lay very compofed, and feemed in- 
 clined to lleep ; in a few minutes 
 Ite btgan to breathe in a moaning 
 tone, and at length fetched a deep 
 ligh, and expired. He was buried 
 in Weltminller Abbey. 
 
 Mr. Foote's dramatic works are 
 all to be ranked air.ong the petite 
 fines of the theatre, as he ne- 
 ver attempted any thing which 
 attained the bulic of the moie 
 perfect drama. In the execu- 
 tion of them they a'e fomeiimes 
 k)ore, negligent, mui unhnillicd, 
 fccminft rather to be the haity 
 productions of a man ot genius, 
 whole Fe^afus, though' indued with 
 ;fire, has no inclination for fati;guf, 
 tlian the labcured finilhings of a 
 profell dramaiifl aiming at inimtn- 
 taiity. His plots are fomewhat 
 irregular, and their cata[lr<-phes 
 not rJw<iys conclutive cr perfectly 
 
 wound up. Vetf with all thefe 
 little deficiencies, it mall be con- 
 feifed that they contain more of 
 one e/I'ential property of comedy, 
 viz. flrong character, than the 
 writings of any other of our mo- 
 dern authors ; and although the 
 diclion of his dialogue may not, 
 from the general tenor of his fub« 
 jcdts, either require, or admit of, 
 the wit of a Congreve, or the e]e< 
 gance of an Etherege, yet it is 
 conflantly embellifhed with num- 
 berlefs ftrokes of keen fatire, and 
 touches of temporary humour, 
 fuch ai only the cicarcll judgment 
 and deepelt difcernment could dic- 
 tate ; and though the language 
 fpokcn by his characters may at 
 firft fight feem not the mod accu- 
 rate and correft, yet it will, on a 
 clofer examination, be found en- 
 tirely dramatical, as it contains 
 numbers of thofe natural minutiis 
 of expreflion, on which the very 
 bafis of charafter is fnquently 
 founded, and which render it the 
 trued mirrour of the converfation 
 of the times he wrote in. 
 
 It has been objected againft Mr. 
 
 Foote, that the introduction of 
 
 real charafters on the llage was not 
 
 only ungenerous, but cruel and un- 
 
 juft; and that the rendering any 
 
 perfon the objeft of public ridicule 
 
 and laughter, was doing him the 
 
 mod eilcndal injury poflible, as it 
 
 was wounding the human breaft in 
 
 the tendered point, viz. its pride 
 
 and felf-opinion. Yet I cannot 
 
 think this charge fo ftrong as the 
 
 vehement opponents or mimickry 
 
 would have it appear to be. ]Mr. 
 
 Foote himfelr, in his Minor, has 
 
 very properly dillinguifhed who 
 
 are the proper objcds of ridicule, 
 
 and the legal viv^tinis to the lafh 
 
 ot i'arire; that is to fay, thofe who 
 
 appear what they are not, or would 
 
 be what they cannot. When hy- 
 
 pocrify and diilimulation would 
 
 by 
 
 Si i' p*'f Tl 
 
V O 
 
 I >7» I 
 
 F O 
 
 lay foares for the foitusei, 9r coiv- 
 taminatr the priAcipLei of mf^^'' 
 kind, i( is furely but juAice to the 
 v,QT\d to withdraw the malk, gnd 
 ihew their natural facet wish tho 
 diliortions and (hocking deformi- 
 tje. they ^te really poflfefleii of. 
 And when afFe£tation or fingula- 
 rity overbear the more valuable 
 parts of any perfon's charadier, 
 and render thole difagreeable and 
 \vearirome companions, who, di- 
 vcded of thofe chara^riAic foi- 
 ble;), might be valuable, fenfible, 
 and entertaining members of the 
 community, it is themfelves furely 
 who iSt the ridiculous part on the 
 more extenfivs ilage of the world j 
 and it fhould ruher be deemed an 
 sd. of kindncA both to the perfons 
 themfelves and their acquaintance 
 to let up fuch a mirrour before 
 them, as by pointing out to them- 
 felves their abfurd peculiarities 
 (and who is without fome/) afford 
 them an opportunity, by amend- 
 ment, to dellroy the refemblance, 
 and fo avoid the ridicule. Such a 
 *'. ;t of kindnefs as it would be to 
 iead z. perfon to a looking-glafs 
 who had put on his peruke the 
 wrong fide foremoA, inltead of fuf- 
 fering him in that condition to 
 run the gauntlet in the mall or 
 the playhoufe, where he muft per- 
 ceive the titter of the whole affem- 
 b!y raifed againll him, without 
 knowing on what account it is 
 raifed, or by what means to put a 
 Hop to it. In a word, if a Sir 
 I'tnurious Trifle, a Peter Para- 
 graph, or a Cadwallader, have 
 ever had thdr originals in real life, 
 let thofe originals keep their own 
 counfel, remember the {jui ca/>it, 
 ille fac!tf and reform their refpec- 
 tive follies. Nor can I help being 
 jjf opinion, that an author of this 
 l<ind in fome refpedls is more ufe- 
 ful to the age he lives in, than 
 thofe who only range abroad into 
 
 the v^tiovi f«eoci of life for geae- 
 ral charaAer. And although Mr* 
 {^oote*3 dramatic piecea may «ot 
 perhaps have the good fortune to ' 
 attain immortality, or be perfeAl/ 
 rclifhed by the audiences of a fu- 
 ture age, yet I cannot deny him 
 here the juAice of bearing (Irong 
 teAimony to his merits, and rank'' 
 iug him among the iirft of the 
 dramatiAs of t/?is, 
 
 Fo^D, joH^r. This gentleman 
 Mvas 9 member of the Middle Tem- 
 ple, and wrote in the reigns of 
 James. I. and Charles I. Ue was 
 not only himfelf a weli-wiiher and 
 devotee to the Mufes, but alfo « 
 friend and acquaintance of molt 
 of the poets of his time, particu- 
 larly of Rowley and Decker, with 
 whom he joined in the compofi- 
 tion of fome of their plays. He 
 wrote however eleven dramatic 
 pieces on his own tuundation en« 
 tirely, all of which have confider- 
 able meri% and met with good 
 fuccefs. Not only his genius as a 
 writer, but his difpofition us a nan, 
 feems to have been more inclined 
 to tragedy than comedy, at leaib if 
 we may be allowed to form our 
 judgment on a diAich concerning 
 him, written by a contemporary 
 poet. 
 
 Dcefi in a dump John Ford •was 
 
 alone goty 
 WtthfoUUd armSf and melancbofjf 
 
 bat. 
 
 According to the cuAom of that 
 time, his name is not affixed to any 
 of his plays, but they may be 
 known by an anagram generally 
 printed in the title-page inAead of 
 a name, viz. 
 
 Fide Honor. fr ' 
 
 and the titles of them are as in the 
 following liil. 
 
 I. The Lovers Melancbo^. T. 
 4to. 1629. 
 
 z» Loi'i'i Sacrifice, T. 410. i6^^. 
 
 1. *Tif 
 
F O 
 
 t t^t ) 
 
 F O 
 
 "It, 
 
 1 '"i 
 
 II 
 
 ' !'.■.■' 
 
 mm ■ 
 
 li'iif.r . i 
 
 . ). *fi$ Pity She's a Whort, T. 
 4to. 1633. 
 
 4. 7bt Broktn Heart, T. 410. 
 
 5. Perk'iM H^arbeck. H. 4tn, 1 63 4. 
 0. The Fancies Cbajl and NolU, 
 
 4to. 16:8. 
 
 7. The Ladies TryaK T. 410. 
 1619. 
 
 8. The Sun*s Darling. M. 4tO. 
 1656. (Aififted by Decker.) 
 
 9. Beauty in a Trance. N. P. 
 
 10. Tht Royal Combat. C. N. 
 P. 
 
 1 1 . An til hrgintting has a good 
 endf and a bad beginning may have a 
 gaod end. N. P. 
 
 1 2. The London Merchant. N. P. 
 
 The third of thefe is an admir- 
 able play, and is to be found in 
 Doddey's Colledion, vol. VIII. 
 
 He alfo afll'led Decker and Row- 
 Icy ill the writing of another piece, 
 auitled. 
 
 The lyiuh of Edmonton. Com. 
 
 Windunley obferves, that this 
 author was very beneficial to the 
 Ked Bull and Fortune play-houfes, 
 ai may appear by the plays which 
 he wrote. But this is apparently 
 a millake, fince in the feveral title- 
 pages to his plays they will be 
 found to have beci) all adled either 
 at the Giobe, or the Phtrnix, fome- 
 titnes called the Cuckpit. 
 
 I know not when this author 
 \vas bom, nor is there any parti- 
 coiar account of the time of his 
 death ; but as ail his plays were 
 publiffied between 1625 and 1636, 
 It is icarcely to be fuppoled fo ra- 
 pid a courfe of genius could have 
 been Hopped all at once, by any 
 thing but that great inevitable 
 Irroke ; J am therefore apt to be- 
 lieve he mull have died Ihortly af- 
 ter the laft- mentioned year. For 
 as to The Sun's Darlitigt written by 
 him and Decker, though not pub- 
 lifhcd till 1656, yet Langbaine has 
 iiifoimed us wiih rcfpeiSt to it, that 
 
 7 
 
 it did not make its appearance in 
 print till after the death of both its 
 authors. 
 
 Winftanley has alfo by mi(}ake 
 attributed to this author the play 
 of Love's Labyrinth, written by 
 the perfon I Ihali next have oc- 
 cafion to mention. 
 
 Ford, Thomas. Whether this 
 author was any relation to the 
 above-mentionrd gentleman or not, 
 I have not been able to difcover. 
 All I can trace concerning him is, 
 that he lived in the reign of 
 Charles 1. and was probably an 
 EITex man, as he mentions him- 
 felf to have been of the neighbour- 
 hood of Maiden. He publifhed 
 one dramatic piece, entitled, 
 
 Love's Labyrinth. T. C. 8vo. 
 l66o. 
 
 FoRDB, Brownlow. Appears 
 to have been a player in Ireland. 
 He produced one piece taken from 
 Gibber, and printed at Newry, 
 called, 
 
 The Miraculous Cure; or, The 
 Citiztn outwitted, F. 1 2 mo. 1 7 7 1 . 
 
 FoRMiDO, Sir Cornelius. 
 Under this name is entered in the. 
 Books of the Stationers' Company, 
 9 Sept. 1655, one play, which 
 was ileilroyed by Mr. Warburton's 
 fervant, called, 
 
 The Governor, 
 
 FoRKST, ■J'HKoriiii.us. Thfs 
 gentleman is an attorney, and Iihs 
 been many vears concerned for the 
 playhoule in adjuUing the l.iw- 
 concirns vvliich iirife in the thea- 
 trical world. He has written many 
 fongs and one drama, entitled, 
 
 the Weather Cock, M. £. 8vo. 
 
 '773- 
 
 JbouNTAiN, John. This gen- 
 tleman lived in Devonlhire, and 
 foon after tlie Rcltoration .publifl: • 
 'iA a play, which he had written for 
 the amufemtnt of fome leifure 
 hours, and without any view to tha 
 llage, entitled, 
 
P R 
 
 I m 1 
 
 t k 
 
 7/^ HtwarJt ef Virtue, C. 410. 
 1661. 
 
 About eight years after its fir(l 
 publication, however, the author 
 being dead, Mr. ShadwII tnolc it 
 in hand, and making foniw altera- 
 tions in it, brought it on the rtage, 
 where it met with very good fuc- 
 ccfs, under the title of, 
 
 The Royal Shfpherdc/s. T. C. 4to. 
 1669. 
 
 F«anct8,Philtf. Thisgen- 
 tleman is of Irifh extra^ion, if not 
 born in th^t kingdom. His fa- 
 ther was a dignified clergyman, 
 being dean of fome cathedra!, and 
 alfo reflor of St. Mary, Dublin, 
 from whence he wa« fjcfted by the 
 court on account of his Tory prin- 
 ciples after he had enjoyed the 
 living eighteen years. Our pre- 
 fent iiuthor his fon was alfo bred 
 to the church, and had a doflor's 
 degree conferred on him. He was 
 more celebrated as a tranflator 
 than an original writer, his ver- 
 fions of Horace and Demnjihencif 
 particularly the former, having met 
 with great applaufe. He was alfo 
 acontiderabte political writer, and, 
 at the beginning of the prefent 
 reign is fuppofed to have been 
 employed by the government in 
 writing in its defence, for which 
 he was promoted to the reftory ot 
 Barrow, in Suffolk, at the defire of 
 lord l-iolland, and to the captainfiiip 
 of Chelfea Hofpital. He died at 
 Bath the 5th of March, 1773, 
 leaving a fon, who is at this time 
 one of the fupreme council at 
 Bengal. 
 
 As a dramatic writer he was not 
 very fuccefsful, having written 
 only two pieces, which were but 
 cooly received. The titles of 
 them a>c-, 
 
 1. Eugenia. T. 17^2, 
 
 2. Coiijiantine. T. 1754. 
 Churchill once faid in converfa- 
 tion that he intended to write a 
 
 rattricM poem, in which FrdncU 
 Was to make his appearance in th« 
 charad\er of the Orilimry of Htva- . 
 gate, 
 
 Franklin, Dr. Thomas. Thu 
 
 learned and ingenious author was 
 
 the ''on of Richari Franklin, well 
 
 knowr a^ the printer of an anti> 
 
 miniderial paper call ;d The Crafti- . 
 
 }nan, in the condud of which ho 
 
 received great affidan^e from lord 
 
 Bolingbroke, Mr. Pultcney, aitd 
 
 other exi'ellent writers, who then 
 
 oppofcd Sir Robert VValpole's mea- 
 
 fur£s. By the advice of the fucond 
 
 of thefc gentlemen, it is faid, 
 
 our author was devoted to the 
 
 church with a promife of being 
 
 provided for by the patriot, who 
 
 afterwards forgot his unJertakingy 
 
 and entirely neglefted him.' He 
 
 was educated at Wedminfler-fchool, 
 
 from whence he went to the uni- 
 
 verfity of Cambridge, where he 
 
 became fellow of Trinity College, 
 
 ami was fome time Greek pro- 
 
 feflbr. In December 1758, he was 
 
 inllituted vicar of Ware and 
 
 Thundrich, which, with the leflure- 
 
 Ihip of Sr. Paul, Covent-G.-irden, 
 
 and a chapel in Queen IIk , are 
 
 all the preferments he can boaflof. 
 
 This gentleman is pollisflld of no 
 
 inconliderable (hire of learning 
 
 nnd poetical abilitic , but, we 
 
 know not exaflly h' v, has con- 
 
 trivt'd to render him^ If" obnoxious 
 
 to moll of his c\)ntemporaties. 
 
 Perhaps, hud he been willing to 
 
 allow merit in others, his own 
 
 would hiive been more confpicu- 
 
 ous. Such at Icart was Churchill's 
 
 opinion, and we have found little 
 
 reafon to difpute the truth of what 
 
 he has faid to that purpofe in the 
 
 following couplet : 
 
 «' Others for Franklin voted, but 
 
 " 'twas known 
 ** He iicken'd ;it all triumphs 
 " but his own." 
 
 He 
 

 <F R 
 
 C 174 3 
 
 F R 
 
 He IS the author of, 
 
 A Trati^tiott of SopUcits^ W>n- 
 talniAg. , 
 
 I. JjaM. •• - *r •-'- - 
 
 2. Electa. 
 i; 3. Oeciipui fy r annus ^ 
 ;. 4, Aritigohe. ,,..,,„ J 
 
 t . Oedipus Coloncus* ,' ^, ' . 
 
 0. Jracbiiittg, 
 ' 7. ThihSletei, 
 
 And the following Plays : 
 
 1. fZ-f £<ir/ J" fFarwicL t. 
 8vb. 176ft. 
 
 2. Orejlcs. T. trarflatcd from 
 Vohaire, afted at Covent-Garden 
 for Mrs.yitei*s'bentfir, March 13, 
 1769. 
 
 3. Ek^ra. T. tranflated from 
 Voltaire, 1774. „. .. 
 
 4. Matilda. T. 8vO. 177^;^ 
 
 5. The ContraH. C. Svo. 1776. 
 b. Tragopodagra\ or, 7"Z>f G(7«/. 
 
 .16. Socrates* Dram. PBrfomri 
 17. Alzira; oiy The Americans. 
 
 T* 
 
 1 8. Cataline 
 
 or, Roiitcprefcr^eJ, 
 The 
 
 Dr. 
 
 19. 7V;^ Coffee-Haufe \ 
 Scotch U oman. C. 
 
 iO. 7 he Oiphan of China, T. 
 
 21. Olympia. T. 
 
 Fraunce, Abraham. This 
 ancient author lived in the reign 
 of queen Elizabeth. Accordir^g 
 to Oldys's MSS. -he wa« bred at 
 the. exj>ence of Sir Philip Sidnfey 
 at St. John's College, Cambridge, 
 where he took the degree ot M. 
 A. and afterwards went to Gray 's- 
 Inn, where he continued until he 
 was called to the bar of the court 
 of the Marches in Wales. In 
 Augud 1590, he was recommend* 
 ed by Henry earl of Pembroke to 
 lord treafurer Burleigh, as a man 
 
 T. tranflaicd from Lucian, 410, , in every refpeft fufficient for the 
 
 lySo. place of her majefty's foUcitor in 
 
 t)r. FrailkHn, like Rir. Foote, that court. What became of him 
 
 faffered a trandacion from the ;;fterwards does not appear. He 
 
 French to be printed in his name ; has written feveral things in the 
 
 but perhaps few, if more than aukwardeft of all verfe, though at 
 
 thofe, Plays of Voltaire mentioned that time greatly in vogue, Englijh 
 
 ebove were really by him. It was Hexameter. Among other things 
 
 a tranflation of Voltaire's Works, 
 to which alfo Dr. Smollett's name 
 appears. It contains the follow- 
 ing pieces : 
 
 1. Oedipus. T. 
 
 2. Mariamne. T» 
 
 3. Brutus. T. 
 
 4. Semiram's. T. 
 
 5. The Death of Cafar. T. 
 
 6. Amelia ; or, The Duke of 
 St.Foix. T. 
 
 7. Orrjles. T, 
 
 8. The Frodlgal. C. 
 
 9. Merope. T. 
 
 JO. 
 
 II. 
 
 12. 
 
 13- 
 14. 
 
 Nilfilrtr. C, 
 7hr Bnbhler. C. 
 Zara. T. 
 7hcP,udc. C. 
 
 Pondo>a, 
 
 Mahomet, 
 
 O. 
 
 T. 
 
 he has eixecuted a tranflation of 
 Tajfo's Aminta, which he has dedi- 
 cated to the celebrated countefs of 
 Pembroke, under the title of, ' 
 
 A/r^ntas, Pad. 
 It if, however, contained in the 
 body of another piece, entitled, 
 
 Countefs of Pembroke's Iiy Church, 
 Play, in two Parts, or more pro- 
 perly (peaking, a Pafioral and an 
 Elegy, of which Amyntas is the 
 former. 
 
 FuEEMAN, Ralph. This gen- 
 tleman lived in the time of king 
 Charles I. and molt probably is 
 the fame who was one of the maftcr s 
 of requeft in the reign of that mo- 
 ra. ch. While the inteftinc trou- 
 bles lafted, he thought proper to 
 bury himfclf in retirement, during 
 
 which 
 
 -m 
 
F R 
 
 f t ITS ] 
 
 ¥ 
 
 ■««■■ 
 
 F IT 
 
 vihkh he employed his hours in' the 
 j;uifiiit of poetry, and produced a 
 tragedy on which Langbainejdnd 
 ether writers bellow a very high 
 charader. It is entitled, 
 
 Jmperiak. T. 4to. 165;. 
 
 Freeman, Mark, of Taun- 
 ton in Somerfetfhire. This name 
 is, I believe, a fiftitious one. It 
 Hands, however, in the title-page 
 of one piece, which is both tem- 
 porary and local, called, 
 
 The D<rMnfall of Bribery ; or, Tlje 
 Honejl Man of Taunton. B. O. 8vo. 
 
 >733- 
 
 Frowde, Philip. This gen- 
 tleman's father was poft-maller- 
 general in the reign of queen 
 Anne. When or where our au- 
 thor was born, or where he re- 
 ceived his firft rudiments of learn- 
 ing, I have not been able to afcer- 
 tain. It is fufficient, however, to 
 obferve, that he finifhed his itudies 
 at the univerfity of Oxford, where 
 he had the honour of being parti- 
 cularly diftinguiflied by Mr. Addi- 
 fon, who was fo extremely pleafed 
 with the elegance and purity of 
 feme of his poetical performances, 
 efpecially thofe in Latin, that he 
 gave them a place in his celebrated 
 coUeftion, entitled the Mufa An- 
 glUanee, to whofe merit fo Itrong a 
 tedimonial was given in the decla- 
 ration of that great French poet M. 
 Eoileau Defpreaux, that from the 
 perufal of that colleflion he Aril 
 conceived an idea of the greatnefs 
 of the Britilh genius. In the dra- 
 matic way Mr. Frowde produced 
 two pieces, both in the tragic walk, 
 entitled, 
 
 1 . Fall of Saguntum. T. 1727, 
 
 2. Philotas. T. 8vo. 1731. 
 Neither of them, however, met 
 with very great fuccefs, though 
 they had ftrong intcreft to fupport 
 them, and were allowed to have 
 confiderable merit; efpecially the 
 lall, whofe fate the author himfelf 
 
 1 
 
 ?rt his dedication of il Id \\\e tart 
 if C^hefterfield (who at thte tkmt 
 \i\\t\\ it was a^ed was aihbatTadn^ 
 to the States General, and cOYifet 
 iqu'ently could not oMige the pieci 
 by his countenance at the reprei 
 fentation) defcribes by the word* 
 oi Juvenal, Laudatur etalget. Thus 
 ftir, however, the judgment of the 
 public itands vindicated, that it 
 muft be confelFcd Mr. Frowde'a 
 tragedies have more poetry than 
 pathos, more beauties of language 
 to pleafe in the clofet, than iTrokes 
 of incident and adlion to flrikc 
 and alloni(h in the theatre, and 
 confequently they might force a 
 due applaufe from the re'adirij, at 
 the fame time that they might ap- 
 pear very heavy and even infipid 
 in the reprefentation. 
 
 This elegant writer died at hn 
 lodgings in Cecil-flreet in the 
 Strand, Dec. 19, 1738, equally la- 
 mented as he had been beloved, 
 for though his writings had recom- 
 mended him to public e^eem, the 
 politenefs of his' genius was the 
 lead amiable part of his charader ; 
 for, befides the poffefllon of the 
 great talents of wit and learning, 
 an agreeable complaifance of beha- 
 viour, a chearful benevolence of 
 mind, a punflual fincerity m 
 friend(hip, and a Ctr'xSi adherence 
 to the praftice of honour and hu- 
 manity, were what added the moft 
 brilliant ornaments to that cha- 
 radler, and render'd him an ob- 
 jeA of efteem and admiration to 
 all who knew him. 
 
 FuLWELL, Ulpian. An an- 
 cient writer, of whom Wood 
 has recorded nothing farther than 
 that he lived in the reign of queen 
 Elizabeth, was a native of Somer- 
 fetfliire, and defcended from a 
 good family there, that he was 
 born in 1 556, and at the age of 
 thirty years became a commoner 
 of St. Mary's llall in Oxford ; 
 
 thdC 
 
F V 
 
 t 176 ) 
 
 that it does not appear whether he 
 took any degree there or not : but 
 thatwhilehecontinucdin that hoafe 
 he was edeemed a perfon of inge* 
 suity by his contemporaries. He 
 wrote one moral dramatic piece ia 
 rhyme, viz. 
 
 f Y 
 
 Z^ke will to liht quoihe the DevU 
 to Collier, InterU 
 
 FrvEi Alexander. All I 
 know of this gentleman is, that he 
 lived in the reign of queen Anne^ 
 and publi(hed a play, entitled, 
 
 The Royal Martyr King Charles h 
 Trag. 4to. 1709. 
 
 G. 
 
 G A 
 
 GJ. See GouGH, J. 
 . Gager, Wm. LL.D. 
 This very learned and ancient au- 
 thor I do not find mentioned in 
 any of the lillsof Englifh dramatic 
 writers, which he is undoubtedly 
 entitled to be, as a native of this 
 kingdom, notwithftandinj^ that his 
 pieces are written in the Latin 
 tongue. In what year he was born 
 or died does not appear, but he 
 received the rudiments of his edu- 
 cation at Weftminller, from which, 
 being removed to the Univerfity 
 of Oxford, he was entered a iVu- 
 dent in Chrill Church College in 
 .1574, where he took the degrees 
 in arts, and afterwards, entering 
 on the law line, took the degrees 
 in that faculty alfo in 1589. 
 About which time, being famed 
 for his excellences therein, he be- 
 came chancellor of the diocefe of 
 Ely, being held in hivrh efteem by 
 Dr. Martin Heton, the bifhop of 
 that fee. The commendation 
 which Anth. a Wood gives of him 
 as to his poetical talents, is fome- 
 what extraordinary. He was (fays 
 that author) an excellent poet, ef- 
 pecially in the Latin tongue, and 
 reputed the belt comedian (by 
 which I fuppofe he means drnma- 
 
 G A 
 
 tic writer) of his time, whethef, 
 adds he, it Was Edward earl of 
 Oxford, Will. Rcwiey, the once 
 ornament for wit and ingenuity of 
 Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, Ri- 
 chard Edwards, John Lylie, Tho. 
 Lodge, Geo. Gafcoigne, William 
 Shakelpeare, Tho. N:i(h, or John 
 Hey wood. A combination of 
 names, by the bye, lb oddly jum- 
 bled together, as muft convince 
 us that Mr. Wood was a much 
 better biographer than a judge of 
 dramatic writings. He alfo tells 
 us that Dr. Gager was a man of 
 great gifts, a good fcholar, and an 
 honeft man, and that, in a contro' 
 verfy which he maintained in an 
 epiltolary correfpondence with Dr. 
 John Rainolds, concerning fiage 
 plays (which controverfy was print- 
 ed at Oxford in 410. 1629), he had 
 faid more for the defence of plays 
 than cm well be faid again by any 
 man that ihall i'ucceed or come 
 after him. He at length, how- 
 ever, gave up the point, either 
 convinced by Dr. Rainold's argu- 
 ments, or perhaps afraid of incur* 
 ringr cenfure, fhould he have pur- 
 fued the fubjeft any farther. Wood 
 informs us that our author wrote 
 feveral plays, of which however he 
 
 givo 
 
G A 
 
 t t^^ J 
 
 G A 
 
 « the Devil 
 
 . All 1 
 
 is, that he 
 leen Anne^ 
 ntitled, 
 \g Charles It 
 
 le, whether', 
 'ard earl of 
 f, the once 
 ingenuity of 
 Fibridge, Ku 
 Lylie, Tho. 
 ne, William 
 :i{h, or John 
 bination of 
 I oddly jum- 
 ]ft convince 
 vas a much 
 D a judge of 
 ie alfo tells 
 as a man of 
 olar, and an 
 in a contro* 
 ainrd in an 
 ice with Dr. 
 ruing fiage 
 [fy was print- 
 29), he had 
 nee of plays 
 [gain by any 
 ;d or come 
 cth, how- 
 lomr, either 
 nold's argu- 
 id of incur- 
 ie have pur- 
 Ither. Wood 
 luthor wrote 
 t however he 
 giver 
 
 g!ves us the titles of no more than nlc. He not only wrote, but |>rint& 
 
 ed with his own hands, many hymot ' 
 and treatifc3 fur the ufe of the Mo- 
 ravians; and undcr(iood perfeftly 
 the whole art of clock making. 
 Hefuperintended the publication o^ 
 many ufeful and valuable works, 
 particularly the bed edition of lord 
 
 thref, VIZ 
 
 1. Meleager, 
 
 2. RivaUs. 
 
 3. Ul^jjes rtAtix. /' 
 which are all written in Latin^ 
 and, as we are informed by the 
 above*cited author^ were adited 
 with great applaufe in the refec- 
 tory of Chrift Church College; but 
 only the fird of them does he af- 
 fure us of having been printed, 
 which it was at Oxford, in 4to. 
 1^92, and occaHoned the letters 
 between the author and Dr. Rai- 
 nolds, which I have before fpoken 
 of. Dr. Gager w^ living at, or 
 near the city of Ely, in ibio. I 
 cannot however omit one circum- 
 llance of our author, which I am 
 afraid will be no very ftrong re- 
 commendation of him to my fair 
 readers, viz. that in an aft at Ox- 
 ford in 1608, he maintained a 
 thefts, that it was lawfitl for buf- 
 hands to beat their wives, ' This the- 
 
 Bacon, 1765. He Was the author o( 
 The MartyreUm of Ignatius. T. 
 8vo. 1773. 
 
 GardinerjMatthew. This 
 author is mentioned no where but 
 in the Britijh Theatre^ the writer of 
 which informs us that he was a 
 native of Ireland, and wrote two 
 dramatic pieces^ mod probably per- 
 formed in that kingdom, whofd 
 titles were 
 
 1. Parthian Hero, Trag. 
 
 2. Sharpers, Ballad Opera. 
 GaroikbR) Mrs. formerly mifs 
 
 Cheney, is the wife of an inferior 
 adtor, and was herfdf On the Itagtf 
 in the feveral theatres of London. 
 She made her firil appearance at 
 fis was anfwered by Mr. Heale, of Drury-Lane in the year 1763, ia 
 Exeter College, an avowed cham- the character of Mjfs Prue, in Lovi 
 pion for the fair fex. fir Love^ and was well received at 
 
 Gambold, John. Was born the Hay-Market in feveral of Mrx 
 at Haverford Weft. He was for- Foote's pieces. In the year 1777 
 merly of Chrid Church College, fhe left England and went to Ja> 
 Oxford, where he took the degree maica, where it is imagined fhe 
 of M. A. May 30, 1734. He was now refides. She is the author of 
 afterwards, in 1740, when his only one piece, afled at the Haymarker, 
 dramatic piece was written, mini- Augafl 9, 1777, for her own be* 
 Her of Staunton Harcourt, in Ox- nefit, called 
 
 fordlhire. But, falling amongd the 
 fcfl called Moravians, he relin- 
 (juiihed his cunneflion with the 
 ihurch of England, and became 
 profelledly and Readily an adhe- 
 rent of the new doilrines. He 
 was for many years the principal 
 
 The Advert'ffmen'. ; or, A Bold 
 Stroke for a Hujband. C* NoC 
 printed. 
 
 GAfeRicK, David. This ex- 
 cellent adtor, whofe name will be 
 ever held in rcfpcd by the admirers 
 of t' satrical reprefentations, was 
 
 paftor, or bilhop, at their houfc in the fon 0/ Peter Garrick, a captain 
 iseviU-Court, Fetter-Lane; but re- in the army, who generally refided 
 
 tired about 1768 to his native 
 town, where he died Sept. 13, 177 1. 
 He was a mt»r of confiderable 
 Itirniii 
 Vol. I. 
 
 V,, and an inger.ious mecha- 
 
 at LitchHcld. He was born at 
 Hereford, where his father was on 
 a recruiting party, and baptized 
 February 26, 17 16, as appeais by 
 N the. 
 
6 A 
 
 •i ^7^ } 
 
 G A, 
 
 the churcha-eglftci of the parifli of 
 All Souls in that city. His mo- 
 th<>i-'s maiden name was Cloughj 
 daughter to oue of the vicars in 
 LltchHeld cathedral. .At the age 
 bf ten years he was put under the 
 Care of Mr.' Hunter, mailer of the 
 gramniar-fchool at Litchiieid^ but 
 iijade no great progrefs in litera- 
 ture. "He very early (hewed his 
 attachment to dramatic entertain- 
 ments, having in the year 1^27 
 reprefenied the charadler of fer- 
 jeant Kite in 9/je Recruit ip^ Qlhcer 
 ivith great applaufe. From fchool 
 he went toLilbon to vifit his uncle, 
 but Hayed only a (hort time there 
 before he returned to England, on 
 tihich he Went again to Mr. Hun- 
 tcr^ and in 1735 becanje the pupil 
 bf Dr. Samue] Johnfon, who about 
 that time undertook to teach the 
 Clallics to a ccrt.iin number of 
 ycnng gentlemen. , 
 ' The progrefs he made under 
 this jible tutor was not fuch as the 
 brilliancy of his parts might feem 
 to promife ; the vivacity of his 
 chr.rader unfittal him for fCii- 
 oiis piirfuit-, and his attention to 
 the drama prevailed over every 
 other olijed. Alter a time ])rj 
 Johnfon grew tired of teaching } 
 ^iid Mr. Garrink being defiious of 
 ;i more adtive life, it was agieed 
 by both the pupil and hjs tutor to 
 quit Litchfield, and try their for- 
 tunes in the metrcpolib. They ac- 
 cordingly fet out together on the 
 adof M^ich, 1736, and on the 9ih 
 of the laiiie moiul), Mr. Gamck 
 U'Bs entered of Lincoin'slnn, it 
 being then intended iliat the law 
 fhould be his profeffion. Having 
 had a recommendation from Mr. 
 Walmfley to Mr. Colfon, mafter of 
 the fchool at Rochefter, he on the 
 death of his uncle about 1737 
 went dirc6tly there with a view to 
 fiiiilh his education. In the com> 
 
 pany of fb rational a philofopliVf 
 as Mr. Colfon, he was impercepti- 
 bly ahd gradually improved in the 
 talent of thinking and reafoning ; 
 nor were the example and precepts 
 of fo wife -a man vainly beftcwed 
 on a mitid fo acute as that of Mr^ 
 Gar rick. 
 
 His father died foon after, and 
 t^'as not long furvivcd by his mo- 
 ther. He then engaged in the 
 wine trade, in purtncrlhip with his 
 broiher Peter Garrick ; but this 
 Connection lalling but alhort time, 
 he refolved to try his talents ontht 
 llage, and in the furaraer of 1741 
 went doWn to Ipfwich, where he 
 aded with great applaufe under 
 the name of Lyddal. The part 
 which he firll performed was that 
 of Aboan in the tragedy of Qio»- 
 nakr. 
 
 After a fnmmer fpent in the 
 country, he determined to venture 
 on the London llage. He had no<v 
 elijiyed his powers, and confidercd 
 himfelf as worthy of a more re- 
 fpc4\ab!c fituation in the theatre; 
 but it is generally faid^ that the 
 then directors of Drury-Lane and 
 CciVi'nt Garden coui<l not be in- 
 duced to entertain the fame fenii* 
 ments. He was therefore obliged 
 to accept the offer of Mr. Giffard, 
 then mailer of GoOdman's-Fields 
 play-houfe, who tngagcdhij:^; and 
 he made his firfl: appearance thert 
 on the igth of Oil. 174.1, in. the 
 charuder of Richard the T'bird, fn 
 which, like the fun burlling from 
 behind an ohfcure cloudy he dif 
 played, in the very earliell dawn, 
 a foircwhat more than meridian 
 brightnefs. In Ihort, his excel* 
 Ictice dazzled and aitonilhed every 
 one; and the feeing a young niaii, 
 in no more than his twenty-foiirih 
 year, and a novice to the flage» 
 reaching at one fmgle ftep to that 
 height of perfection which matu- 
 rity 
 
A 
 
 
 G A 
 
 rity of yeara ar.d long praftical 
 experience hail, not been able to 
 beftcw on thfc then capital pcrfor- 
 rt\ess of the Engiiih itage, was a 
 phxnomenon which could not but 
 become the objeft of univerfalfpecp- 
 Ijiion, and as univerfal adnniration. 
 The theatres tovVards the c6uft-end 
 of the town werfc on this occafion 
 deferted, pcrfons of all ranks flock- 
 ing to Gcodman's-Fitlds, where 
 .¥r. Garrick continued to aft till 
 ihedofe of tlie fcafon, when, hav- 
 ihg very advantageous terms offer- 
 ed him for performing in Dublin 
 during fonifc part of the furiimer, 
 he went over thither, where he 
 found the fame jiilt horn age paid 
 to his merit, which he had ^e^.'ei'v- 
 ed from his own countrymen. To 
 the lervice of the latter, however, 
 he ellecmcd himfelf more imme- 
 diately bound ; atid thereforej in 
 the enfuing winter^ cnj^aged him* 
 fttf to Mr. Fleetwood, then ma- 
 nager of Drury-Lane playhoufe, 
 in which theatre he continued till 
 
 the vear 
 
 '74v 
 
 in the winter of 
 
 which he again went over to Ire- 
 land, and coiuinued there through 
 the whole of that i'eafon, being 
 joint manager with Mr. Sheridan 
 in ihe dii-edion arid profits of the 
 theatre royal in Smock -Alley. 
 Irom thence he returned to Eng- 
 land, anu vrts engaged for the fea- 
 ibn of 1 746 t^'ith the late Mr. 
 Rich, pntentee of Covent-fjarden. 
 This, however, was his lalt per- 
 tormance as an hired iiftor, for in 
 thecMe of that feafon, Mr. Fleet- 
 rt^ood's patetit for the iti;inageinent 
 of Drury-Ljine beiiig expijed, and 
 that gentleman hiving no inclina- 
 tion farther to purfue a defign by 
 which, from his want of acquaint- 
 ance with the proper conduft of 
 it, or fome other reafons, hie had 
 already confidcrably impaired his 
 fortune, Mr. Garrick, in conjunc- 
 
 tion with Mr. Lacy, purdijife^ 
 the property of that theatre, toge- 
 ther with the renovation of the 
 patent^ and, in the winter of 1747^ 
 opened it with thfi beil part of Mr. 
 Fleetwood's former company, and 
 the great additional Itrength of 
 Mr. Barry, Mrs,, Fritchard, and 
 Mrs. Cibberi from Covent-Gar« 
 den. 
 
 In this flaeion Mr. Garrick c0n« 
 tinned until the year 1776, witH 
 an interval of two years, from 1763 
 to 1765, which he devoted to tra- 
 velling abroad, and both by hia 
 condui::> as a manager, and his un« 
 equalled meritj as an aflor from 
 year to year, added to the enter- 
 tainment of the public, which with 
 an indefatigable afliduity he con* 
 fulted. Ndr were the public hf 
 any means ungrateful in returns' 
 for that afliduity. On the con-r 
 ti-ary, by the warm and defervcd 
 encouragement which it gave him^ 
 he tt^as raifed to thjit Hate of eafe 
 and affluence to which it mult 
 furely be the wifli of every honeft 
 heart to fee fuperior excellence of 
 any kind exalted; 
 
 After his return from h«t tra^ 
 vels, Mr. Garrick declined th« 
 performance cf any new charac- 
 ters ; but continued to appear 
 everyfcafon in fome of his favoJrite 
 parts until the year 1776, when^ 
 fatisfied with the Wealth he had ac- 
 c^juiredi and the fame which he had 
 ellablilhcd, in familiarity with ma* 
 ny of the moft refpcftableperfons of 
 t'no kiugdomj heretired to thflfenjoy-* 
 ment of repofe fome the fiitigues of 
 his profedion, and quitted the lla^S 
 on the lothday of June i776,aftef 
 performing the character of Don 
 helix, in Mrs. Centlivre's comedy 
 of T/je Wontferi 
 
 At this peiiod the (lone^ a dif- 
 otder to which he had bien long 
 fubief), began to make fuch in- 
 
 N ]i roadc 
 
 'Hi'* 
 
O A 
 
 r i8s^ f^ 
 
 O A 
 
 toads on His conflitution, that the 
 happineiii which he expedled from 
 retirement was often interrupt- 
 ed, and fometimes delUoyed, by 
 the violence of the pain he en- 
 dured, lie had been ufed to try 
 rhe effefXs of quack medicines, to 
 relieve him from the torments 
 which he fufFered, and it has been 
 thought that his health received 
 much injury from this injudicious 
 mode of tampering with his ma- 
 lady. At ChriOntas 1778 he viiit- 
 ed lord Spencer at Althorpe, where 
 he was taken ill, but recovered 
 fufficiently to return to London, 
 and died at houfe in the Adelphi 
 after a few days ficknefs on the 
 20'h January 1 779. His body was 
 inteh-ed with great funeral pomp 
 in Weftminfter Abbey, on the ift 
 of February following. 
 
 To enter into a particular detail 
 of Mr. Garrick's fevej-al merits, or 
 a diicuflion of bis peculiar excel- 
 lencies in the immenfe variety of 
 characters be performed, would be 
 a taik, not only too arduous for 
 me to attempt, and too extenfive 
 for the limits of the prefent work, 
 but alfo entirely impertinent and 
 vnneceifary, as very few perfons, 
 for whole entertainment or infor- 
 mation this book is intended, can 
 be fuppofed unacquainted with 
 them.1 However, as readers in 
 ibme more diftant periods, when, 
 as Mr. Cibber expreflies it, ti>e 
 animated graces of the player luill^ at 
 beft^ but ftiint})) glimmer through the 
 memory, or imperfeci atte/iation, of a 
 few fui'^k}ingJpc£latori\ ijay, when 
 even tbefe teftimonials fliall be un- 
 attainable, will be de(iroHS of form- 
 ing to their ideas a portrait of the 
 perfon and manner of this amaz- 
 ing performer, I Ihall here be- 
 queath my litrle mite to future 
 dramatic hiftory, by offering foch 
 a rude flcetch of them, as, when 
 •uched up hereafter by fome othsr 
 
 pencil, may atifwer the inteadei 
 purjiore, and prove a perfeiSt pic> 
 ture. 
 
 Mr. Garrick in his perfon was 
 low, yet well-fhaped and neatly 
 proportioned and, having added 
 the qualifications of dancing and 
 fencing to that natural gentility 
 of manner, which no art can be- 
 llow, but which our great mother 
 nature endows many with, even 
 from infancy, his deportment was 
 conftantly eafy, natural, and en- 
 gaging. His completion was 
 dark, and the features of his face, 
 which were pleafingly regular, 
 were animated by a full black eye, 
 brilliant and penetrating. His 
 voice was clear, melodious and 
 commanding, and, although ;: 
 might not poffefs the flrong over- 
 bearing powers of Mr. MofTop'i, 
 or the mufical fweetnefs of Mr. 
 Barry's, yet it appeared to have a 
 much greater compafs of variety 
 than either \ and, from Mr. Gar- 
 rick's judicious manner of conduct- 
 ing it,' enjoyed that articulation 
 and piercing dittintflnefs, which 
 rendered it equally intelligible, 
 even to the moft diftant parts of 
 an audience, in the gentle whif- 
 pers of murmuring love, the half- 
 fmothered accents of infelt paiTion, 
 or the profeffed and fometimes 
 aukward concealments of an afide 
 fpeech in comedy, as in the rants 
 of rage, the darings f»fdefpair, or 
 all the open violence of tragical 
 enthufiafm. 
 
 As to his particular fort or fu- 
 perior call in ailing, it would be 
 perhaps as difficult to determine 
 it, as it would be minutely to de- 
 fcribe his feveral CTicellencies in 
 the very different calls in whici* 
 he at different times thought pr» 
 per to appear. Particular fupe» 
 riority was fwallowed up in hi» 
 univerfality; and fhould it even be 
 coniended, that there have been 
 
 perfoiiueis 
 
 
G A 
 
 { i8i ] 
 
 G A 
 
 perlbrmers equal to him in their 
 own reTpeftive forti of playing, 
 yet even' their partizans muu ac- 
 knowledge, there never exilkd any 
 one pertormer that came near his 
 excellence in To great a variety 
 of parts. Tragedy, comedy, and 
 farce, the lover and the hero, the 
 jealous hufband who fufpefls his 
 wife's virtue without caufe, and 
 the thoughtlefs lively rake who 
 attacks it without defign, were all 
 alike open to his imitation, and all 
 alike did honour to his execution. 
 Every paflion of the human breafl: 
 feemed fuhjeded to his power« of 
 expreflioa, nay, even time itfelf 
 appeared to Icand dill or advance 
 as he would have it. Rage and 
 ridicule, doubt and defpair, tranf- 
 port and tendernefs, companion 
 and contempt, love, jealoufy, fear, 
 fury and fimplicity, all took in 
 turn pofleflion of his features, while 
 each of them in turn appeared to 
 be the fole polfefTor of thofe fea- 
 tures. One night old age fat on 
 his countenance, as if the wrinkles 
 fhe had flampt there were indeli- 
 ble ; the next the gaiety and bloom 
 of youth feemed to o*erfpread his 
 face, and fmooth even thofe marks 
 which time and mufcular conform- 
 ation might have really made 
 there. Of thefe truths no one 
 can be ignorant, who ever faw 
 him in the feveral churaflers of 
 Lmr or Hamlet, Richard^ Dorilas^ 
 Romeo^ or Lujtgnan ; in his Ranger, 
 Bays^ Drugger^ Kitejy^ Brute, or 
 Benedifl. In Ihort, nature, the 
 millrefs from whom alone this 
 great performer borrowed all his lef- 
 fons, being in herfelf inexhaufli- 
 ble, and her variations not to be 
 numbered, it is by no means fur- 
 prizing, that this, her darling 
 fon, fhOuld find an unlimited fcope 
 for change and diverfny in his 
 manner of copying frOm her vari- 
 ous produ^ions; and, as if ihe 
 
 had from his cradle marked hlia 
 out for her trueft reprefentative, 
 fhe beftowed on him fuch power* 
 of expreflion in the mufcles of his 
 face, as no performer ever yet pof- 
 fefTed ; not only for the diipluy of 
 a fingle paffion, but alfo for the 
 combination of thofe various con- 
 flidlt with which the human breafl 
 at times is fraught ; fo that in his 
 countenance^ <>ven when his lipit 
 were filent, his meaning flood por- 
 trayed In characters too legi^^le for 
 any to miflake it. In a word, the 
 beholder felt himfelf afFeded he 
 knew not how, and it may be truly 
 faid of him* by future writers, 
 what the poet has faid of Shak- 
 fpeare, that in his a£ling, as in tb* 
 tth/s writing. 
 
 His pvwerfiil Jirolci prejtding truth 
 
 imprefs' ely 
 And unrejijlcd pqjjion Jlorm^d the 
 
 breajt. 
 
 During the courfe of his ma- 
 nagement, the public, undoubted- 
 ly, were much obliged to him for 
 his indefatigable labour in the 
 condud of the theatre, and in the 
 pains he took to difcover and gra- 
 tify its tade ; and, though the 
 fituation of a manager will per- 
 petually be liable to attacks from 
 difappointed authors and unde- 
 ferving performers ; yet, it is ap- 
 parent, from the barren nefs both 
 of plays and players of merit which 
 for fome years appeared at the 
 oppofue theatre, that this gentle- 
 man cannot have refufed accept- 
 ance to many of eithei' kind, that 
 were any way deferving of the 
 town's regard. In fhort, it docs 
 not appear that this is the age of 
 cither dramatic or theatrical ge- 
 nius ; and yet it is very apparent, 
 that the pains Mr. Garrick tuolc 
 in rearing many tender plants of 
 the latter kind, added fevferal va- 
 luable performers to ihp EnglifH 
 
 N 3 llage, 
 
G A 
 
 i 182 3 
 
 G A 
 
 ;■• : .1* J 
 
 ftage, wltofe fir ft blolToms were; far 
 from promifing fo fair a fruit as 
 they have fince produced: — and 
 that, among the feveral dramatic 
 pieces which made their firU'ap- 
 toearance oji the theatre in Driiry- 
 Lane, there are very fevv, whofc 
 authors hare not atkhowlc'dged 
 themfelvcs greatly ind.ebted tu this 
 gentleman for uTcful Hints or ad- 
 vantageous alterations, to which 
 their fucccfs has in great neafurc 
 been ov/ing. Add to this care, 
 the revival df many pie.es of the 
 more ear^y Writers; pitct's pof- 
 fcfli'd- of great merit, but which 
 hadi either through the ne^ied or 
 ignorance of other managers, lairi 
 for a long time unemployed and 
 unregarded. But thele is one park 
 of theatrical condui"i which bas^hk 
 ^nqueftionably to' ht recorded, to 
 ivir. Garrick's honour, fince the 
 ^aufe of vir.tue and mqrality, and 
 the formation of public manners 
 arc very confiderably di^pendant 
 oh it, and that is, the zeal with 
 which he eyer aimed to banith 
 from the ftage all thofe plays wlil.;H 
 carry with them 'an imitiofal ten- 
 dency, and to prune from thofe, 
 which do not abi'olately'on the 
 whoJfe promote the inierefts of 
 vice, fuch fcenes of licentioufnefs 
 and liberty, as a redundancy of 
 wit and too great liv^elinefs of ima- 
 gination has induced fome of our 
 comiC writers to mdii ge them- 
 felves in, and which the fympa- 
 thetic difporufon of an age of gal- 
 lantry and inirii;ue had given a 
 fan^Slion 10. The purity cf the 
 Engliih ft.ige was certainly much 
 inoie fully eftahliftied during the 
 adfniiiillration of this theatrical 
 riiiniilcr, than it had ever been 
 dui. ng preceding managements: 
 for vshat the public tafte had'itfelf 
 in ibine meafure begun, he, by 
 keeping that taile wichio itspro* 
 
 per channel, and feeding it \yltl) a 
 pure and untainted Aream, feemed 
 to have compleatcd ; and to havi 
 endeavoured as much as poffiblcto 
 keep up to the prpmife made in 
 the Prologue aboye quoted, and 
 which was Ipoken at the firlf open- 
 ing df that 'theatre under his di- 
 rt dl ion, viz. ' ' 
 
 £iJiic fctnic virtue form the rjitig 
 
 age^ 
 Ar.d truth difftijc her radiance from 
 
 the f age. 
 
 His fupcriority ta all others in 
 one branch of excellence, however, 
 inuft not mal^e us overlook ihd 
 rank he is entitled to Hand in a; to 
 ahothcr ; nor our rememSrance of 
 his having been the /fj;^ athr liv- 
 ing, induce us to forget, that he 
 was' far from being the Iq/i writer, 
 Notwithftanditig the numbcrleis 
 and laborious avocations attending 
 tin liis profeflion as an.a^or, and 
 his ftation as a manaV>e7, yet ftill 
 liis ad^ive gepius vyas perpetually 
 bqrfting forth iri'varioq? little pro- 
 dvi£lions both in the dramatic and 
 
 !)oetical way, whole inerxt cannot 
 )ui: make us regret his want of 
 time for the puriuance of more ex- 
 tenfive and important works 
 Of thefe he has publicly avowed 
 himfelf the authcjrofthe lollow- 
 ing, fome of which are originals, 
 and the reft tranflation? or altera); 
 tiftns from other authors, wiiha de« 
 fign to aJapt them to 1h|| prcfent 
 talle of the public. 
 
 1. The laying JTakt, C. Svp. 
 
 2. ATifs in her Tceuii or? th^ 
 Medley of Loorru F. Svo. 1747, \ 
 
 3. 'Lctbe. D. S. Svo. 1749. 
 
 4. Homeo and Juliet, T. altered, 
 J -mo. 175c. 
 
 ^. Everj Man in his HutJUur, C, 
 Svo. 175 1. 
 6,The Fairies^ O. Svo. 1755. 
 
 7. r-j? 
 
 X' 
 
G A 
 
 C ««3 1 
 
 G A 
 
 Jet. C. 8vp. 
 
 7. TbeTtmpefi. O. 8fO. 1756. 
 
 8. Florizel and PerJita. D. P. 
 17^6. Printed 8vo. 17^8. 
 
 9. Catherine and Petruc/jig, F. 
 8vo. 1756. 
 
 10. LiUi/ut. D.E. >o. 1757. 
 
 1 1. Tibe Male Coaueti or, Seven- 
 tien Hundrtd and fijty-feven, F. 8vo. 
 
 1757' 
 
 12. Gamefttrs, C* altered, 8vo, 
 
 1758. 
 
 13. JfahtUa; or, The Fatal Mar- 
 riage. T. altered, 8wo. 1758. 
 
 14. The Guardian. C. 8vo. lyfg. 
 
 15. High Life belvM Stairs. F. 
 8vo. 1759. 
 
 1 6. 7/^^ Enchanter ; or, £. wf 
 *W Muficlk. M. D. 8vo. 1 760. 
 
 17. narUtiuin*sInva/ibn,'?.i']6l. 
 
 N.P. 
 
 18. O''''^'^'*'* 1*« Alt^fct^' 1 2 mo. 
 1761. 
 
 19. 7he Farmer* s Return from 
 London, I. 410. 1762. 
 
 20. The Clandejiine Marriage. C. 
 8vro. 1766. 
 
 21. The Country Girl. C. altered, 
 8vo. 1766. 
 
 22. Neck or Nothing. F. 8vo. 1 766. 
 
 23. QymoH. D. R. 8vo. 1767. 
 
 24. j4 Peep behind the Curtain ; 
 or, The NrM Rehearfal. F. 8vo. 
 1767. 
 
 25. The JuhiUe. D. E. 1769. N.P. 
 
 26. King Arthur; or, The Britijb 
 Wartfjy. T. altered, 8vo, 1770. 
 
 27. Hamlet. T, altered, 1771, 
 
 28. The Inftitution of the Order of 
 the Garter^ 8vo. 1771. 
 
 29. The Irijh Widoiu. C. 8vo. 
 1772. 
 
 30. The Chances, C. altered, 
 8vo. 177^ 
 
 31. Albumaxar^ C. altered, 8vo. 
 
 1773. 
 
 32. /f/^f^. T. altered, 8vo. 1773. 
 
 33. ^ Chrijimas Talc. 8vo. 1 774. 
 
 34. 7"i# Meeting of the Cvmpcuiy. 
 Prel. 1774. N.P. 
 
 35. /?<?« Ton ; or, Wir^i^ £,//*■<? aht.ve 
 Stairs, Far. 8vo. 1775. 
 
 36. May Day. B. O. 8vo. 177^. 
 Vol. I. 
 
 37. 7*i6< Theatrical Candidates, 
 Prel. 8vo. 1775. 
 
 He alfo altered, Rule a Wife and 
 have a fViJit ; Mahomet ; and fome ' 
 other pieces. 
 
 Befides thefe, Mr. Garrick was 
 the authot of an Ode on the death 
 of Mr. Pelham, which, in lefs than 
 fix weeks, ran through four edi« 
 tions. The Prologues, Epilogues, 
 and Songs, which he wrote, are 
 almoil innumerable, and poflfefs a 
 confiderable degree of happineft 
 both in conception and exe- 
 cution. It would, however, be 
 in vain to attempt any enumera- 
 tion of them in this place ; and 
 it is indeed the lefs neceflary, as 
 we cannuc doubt but (bme one of 
 his furviving friends will take care 
 to give a complete edition of his 
 works, in fuch a manner as will da 
 honour tokis memory. 
 
 Garter, Thomas. I meet 
 with no mention of this gentlemaa 
 among any of the writers, but 
 only in Coxeter's MS. Notes, 
 where, without any farther ac- 
 count, a very old piece, publilhed 
 about the middle of queen Eliza- 
 beth's reign, is afcribed to a pcr- 
 fon of this name. The piece it- 
 felf is entitled. The Co/umody of, 
 Susanna. 1568. 
 Gascoigne, George. Efq; 
 This gentleman flourifhed in the 
 beginning of nueen Klizabeth*s 
 reign. He was born at Waltham- 
 ftow in the Forell, in EfTix, and 
 haJ 3 taile cf each of our famous 
 univerfities before he was entered 
 of Gray's-lnn ; for his volatile 
 temper made him focn leave one 
 of thefe delightful places for an- 
 other, and all of them for the armv, 
 where his behaviour was fo fijjnal- 
 ly b.ave, as to entitle hira very 
 judly to the motto he took, of 
 Tarn Marti quam Mercuric, 
 
 In this ftation^he was for fcmfr 
 
 tims ill various cities of Holland, 
 
 N 4 after 
 
i] 
 I 
 
 U 
 
 
 i^ 
 
 G A 
 
 C «84 3 
 
 G A 
 
 after wLich he weut to France, in 
 order to fee and lludy the manners 
 of thut court, where he happened 
 to meet with a Scottifli hidy, whom 
 he fell in love with and married. 
 At length, being tired of this ram- 
 bling way of life, he came back 
 to £ngland, and returned toGray's- 
 ]nn, where he compofed raoSk of 
 his various pieces ; and afterwards 
 to his native place ; where, fays 
 Cu::cter, he died, and was buried 
 in his middle age, anno i;78. 
 There i», however, an old piece 
 in vcrfe (in black letter and with- 
 out date, 4to. London) entitled, 
 yt 2\c»ifnihra>ice of the lutll-imployeU 
 J.ife ar.d gcdy End of George Gaf- 
 cui^net I'.J'n', ivho drccd/ed at Statn- 
 fird in l.incoliijhire, the "ftb of Ofl* 
 ^^11' ^^-^ ^'Poft of George IVhei- 
 Jioiies, Gi'ntUman^ an Eyi-ivitnefs of 
 his fodly and charitable Rnd in this 
 iVoilJ. 
 
 The dramatic pieces he has left 
 behind him are four in number, 
 their names as follows : 
 
 1. Jocrjia. T. Tranflated from 
 
 £uri>;:dcs. 4t0. 1 565. 
 
 2. ToeSuppofeu C. Tranflated 
 iiom ylrioflo. 4:0. 1565. 
 
 ■i^. The Gbfi (f Government. T. 
 C. 4t«'. 157^-. 
 
 4. T:c Pirafiires at Kinelworth, 
 M. 410. ti^S;. ^ 
 
 His works, including the firll 
 
 two, were printed in 410. B. L. 
 
 1565; and again, with The Plea- 
 
 fhrci oj Kenelnuorth, and other pieces, 
 
 in 4to. B. L. 15^7* 
 
 liefjdes thcfe piece, he wrote 
 fcveral other tilings in verfe and 
 prole, and at that early lime was 
 ellcemed not only a perfrn of po- 
 litencfs, eloquence, and under- 
 itandinjr, but alfo the bcfl love 
 ijoet t-xtaiit; nor were his dia- 
 matic works held in any trilling 
 ellimaiion. Among the reft uf his 
 j)Ieces is a fatire, called 'iht Sled 
 
 Gla/sf printed in 1576, to which 
 is prefixed the aathor's piAure in 
 armour, with a ruff and a large 
 beard. On bis right hand h^ng 
 a muf(|uet and bandiliers, on lua 
 left ftands an ink-horn and fome 
 books, and underwritten is the 
 motto above*mentioned, Tarn Marti 
 quam Mercurin. No very ftrtking 
 nark of the author's modelly I 
 
 Gay, John. This gentleman 
 was defcended from an ancient 
 family in Devonfhire, was born at 
 £xeter, and received his educa- 
 tion at the free-fchool of Batnlla* 
 pie, in that county, under the care 
 of Mr. William Rayner. He was 
 bred a mercer in the Strand, but 
 having a fmall fortune indepen- 
 dent of bufinefs, and confidering 
 the attendance on a (hop as a de* 
 eradation of thofe talents which 
 ne found himfelf pofTeiTed of, he 
 quitted that occupation, and ap- 
 plied himfelf to other views, and 
 to the indulgence of his inclina- 
 ticn for the Mufes. Mr. Gay was 
 born in the year 1688. In' 171s 
 we find him fecretary, or rather 
 domellic fleward, to the dutchefs of 
 Monmouth, in which ilation he 
 continued till the beginning of the 
 year 17 14, at which time he ac- 
 companied the earl of Clarendon 
 to Hanover, whither that noble- 
 man was difpatched by queen 
 Anne. 
 
 In the latter end of the fame 
 year, in confequence of the queen's 
 death, he returned to £ngland, 
 where he lived in the highelt efti- 
 mation and intimacy of frjendftiijp 
 with many perfons of the firft diP- 
 ' tindlion both in rank and abilities. 
 He was even particularly taken 
 noticeof by queen Caroline, then 
 princefs of Wales, to whom he had 
 the honour of reading in manu- 
 fcript his tragedy of the Captives, 
 and in 1726 dedicated his fables, 
 
 4 '^y 
 
 'i 
 
G A 
 
 C »8s 3 
 
 G A 
 
 bypermiflion, to the dukeofCum* 
 berland. From thU countenance 
 (hewn to him. and namberlefi^ pro- 
 jnifcs made him of preferment, it 
 was reafonable to fuppofe, that he 
 would have been genteely provided 
 for in fome office fuitable to his 
 inclination and abiliticB. Inilead 
 of which, in 1727, he was offered 
 the place of gentleman-uflier to 
 out! of the youngeft princeffes ; 
 an office which, as he looked on it 
 i» rather an inilignity to a man 
 whofe talents mi^jh^ have been fo 
 much belter employed, he thought 
 proper to refufe, and fome pretty 
 warm remonllFances were made on 
 the occafion by his fincere friends 
 and zealous patrons the duke and 
 dutchefs of Queenfberry, which 
 terminated in thofe two noble per- 
 {(inagt's withdrawing from court ia 
 dii'giill* 
 
 Mr. Gay's dependence on the 
 promifes of the Great, and the dif- 
 appointments he met with, he has 
 figuratively defcribed in his fable 
 of ihe Hure 'with many Friends. 
 However, the very extraordinary 
 fuccefs he met with from public 
 encouragement made an ample 
 amends, both with refpeft to fatif- 
 faflion and emolument, tor thofe 
 private difappointments. For, in 
 the feafon of 1727-8, appeared his 
 Beggar i Operas the vaft fuccefs of 
 which was not only unprecedented, 
 but almoft incredible. It had an un- 
 interrupted run in London of fixty- 
 three nights in the firil feafon, and 
 was renewed in the enfuin? one 
 with equal approbation. It fpread 
 into all the great towns of Eng- 
 land ; was played in many places 
 to the thirtieth and fortieth time, 
 and at Bath and Briftol 6fty ; made 
 its progrefs into Wales, Scotland, 
 and Ireland, in which laft place it 
 vyas ailed for twenty-four fucceffive 
 nights, and lall of all it was per- 
 fprmed at Minorca. Nor was the 
 
 fame of it confined to the reading 
 and reprefeniation alone, for th« 
 card-table anddrawing-room (hared 
 with the theitre and clofet in thii 
 refpcA; the ladies carried about 
 the favourite fongi of it engraven 
 on their fan-mounts, and fcrecna 
 and other pieces of furniture were 
 decorated with the iiime. Mifa 
 Fen ton, who adled Polfy^ though 
 till then perfeAly obfcure, became 
 allatonce the idol of the town; her 
 pidures were engraven and fold in 
 great numbers; her life written; 
 books of letters and verfes to her 
 publilhed ; and pamphlets made of 
 even her very fayines and jefts { 
 nay, fhe herfelf received to a Na- 
 tion, in confequenceof which fhe, 
 before her death, attained the high- 
 eft rank a female fubjed can ac« 
 quire, being married to the duke 
 of Bolton. In fhorr, the latire of 
 this piece was fo ftriking, fo ap. 
 parent, and fo perfedly adapted to 
 the talle of ivl degrees of people, 
 thatiteven for that feafon overthrew 
 the Italian opera, that Dagon of 
 the nobility and gentry, which had 
 fo long feduced them to idolatry, 
 and wTuch Dennis, by the labour* 
 arid outcries of a whole life, and 
 many other writers, by the force 
 of reafon and reflection, had in 
 vain endeavoured to drive from 
 the throue of public taile. Yet 
 the Herculean exploit did this lit' 
 tie piece at once bring to its com- 
 pletion, and for fome time recalled 
 the devotion of the town from an 
 adoration of mere found and fhow, 
 to the admiration of, and relifh for, 
 true fatire and found underiland- 
 ing. 
 
 The profits of this piece were 
 fo very great, both to the author 
 and Mr. Rich, the manager, that 
 it gave rife to a quibble, which 
 became frequent in the mouths of 
 many, viz. That it had made RicK 
 gay, and Gay rich; and I have 
 
 heard 
 
G A 
 
 [ 186 ] 
 
 O A 
 
 i^m 
 
 htuA U aTTerted, that the auchor*8 
 own advanlagei frum it were not 
 Icfi than two thoufand poundi. 
 In confequcnce of thi« fuccefs, 
 M'- Gay was induced to write a 
 ftcond part to it, which he entt- 
 tleo Pol/if, But the difgull Tub- 
 Ming between him anJ the court^ 
 logetlicr with the mirreprefenra- 
 tions made of hint, as having been 
 the author of fome difaflV6\ed li> 
 bels and feditious pamphlets, a 
 charge which, howevtr, he warm- 
 ly difuvows in his preface tn this 
 opera, a prohibitiun of it was 
 fent from the lord chambt-rlain, 
 9t the very time when every 
 thing was in rcadinefs for the 
 rehearfal of it. 'Ihis difapp'jint- 
 ment, however, was far from be- 
 ing a iofs to th: author, for, as 
 it whs afterwards confcfled, even 
 by his very bcft friend.^, to bo in 
 every refpeA infinitely inferior to 
 the firft part, it is more ttiaii pro- 
 bable, that it might bav'e tailed of 
 that great fuccefs in the reprcfent- 
 ation which Mr. Gay might pro- 
 inife himfelf from it, whereiis the 
 pmfita arifing from the publica- 
 tiuu of it afrer.vardsin qunrto, in 
 confequcnce of a very lar;;e Aib- 
 I'cription, which tliis appciranca 
 of pt'riccuiion, .id.icd to i\\c au- 
 thor's grrac prjfunal interet) pvo-» 
 cured iur hlni, wtre at lealtade- 
 (}uate 10 what could have accrued 
 to him from a moderate run, had 
 it l^een reprefentfd. H^ after- 
 wardj new wrote T/;e IVifc of Jiath, 
 which was the lalJ dramatic piece by 
 him that made its appearance doriiijir 
 his life ; his Opera of A::hiUcs^ the 
 Comedy of the Difirejl Ulfe, and 
 }iis Fapce of The Rchcarfal at Go- 
 tham hving brought on the i^age 
 or pubJifhcd after his death. What 
 other works he executed in the 
 dramatic way will be feen in the 
 enluing lil}, and their feveral fuc- 
 ctiics in iht; rciptdivc accounts of. 
 
 them in the fecond volume of thl« 
 work. Their titles are as follow : 
 
 1. TOe Mnhocki. T. C. F. 8vo, 
 1713. 
 
 2. V)t H'ift qf Bath, C. 4tO, 
 
 I7I3. 
 
 3 . Tht WUl d'ye call it. T. C. 
 P. T. 8vo. 17 1 5. 
 
 4. Ihrf* Hours after Marriage, 
 C. 8vo. 1717. 
 
 1;. Diont. P. 4tO. 1720. 
 
 6. The Captives. T. 8vo. 1723. 
 
 T. 1 he neggar*s Opera. 1728. 
 
 8. VoUy. O. 4 to. 17J9. 
 
 9. The iVift ef Bath. C. 8vo, 
 
 10. ^cis and Galatea. P. O, 
 8vo. 1732. 
 
 11. ji' llli's. O. 8vo, 1733. 
 
 12. 'The D-firrfl'd i^'ife. C. 8vo, 
 
 '743- 
 
 13. The Rchcarfal at Gotham, 
 
 F. Bvo. i7s'4. 
 
 MolV of the Catalogues afcribe 
 to him a piece, called '• No Fooli 
 like lyits," whi'-h is no more than 
 a republication of Wright's Female 
 yiriuifos^ inteidrd to expofe Cib-* 
 ber's pl.-igiariim in The Rifufal. 
 Dcfides ihefe, Mr. Gay wrote many 
 very valuable pieces in vcrfe, 
 among which his Trivia, or the 
 Art c/iJUiiiiifi.^ the t'trats if Land n, 
 though one cf his firrt pociical at-, 
 tempts, is far from be ifg the lead 
 conffiera*! Is; but, as among his 
 dramatic worlci, Ylm Bi'::^^^ar'i()p(ra 
 did at fiffl, n ml perhaps ever will, 
 Uaiid ui> ;;» unrivalled maftcr-picie, 
 fo, among his poetical work;, his 
 Fa'iiis hold the fame rank of eilj- 
 mation : the latter having been 
 aimoll as univerfally read, as the 
 former was reprefented, and both 
 equally admired. It would there- 
 fore ba f.iperrtuous here to add 
 any thin; farther to thefe felf- 
 reared mmuments of his fame as 
 a poet. As a man, he appears to' 
 have beea morally amiable. His 
 V, ...: . difpofuioft 
 
 ■/ .- 
 
6 E 
 
 [ 187 J 
 
 G C 
 
 Jtfpoution wa« fweet And affable, 
 !ih temper grnerou;, nnd his con- 
 vcrfatinn ag,recable and entertain- 
 i;)g. He had indeed one foibU, 
 too frequently incident to men of 
 jjreat literary abilities, and which 
 liibjeincd him at diues to incon- 
 yenicncies, which otherwife he 
 needed not to have experienced, 
 viz, an excefs of indviencc, which 
 prevented him from exertin" the 
 full force of his talents. He was, 
 however, not inattentive to the 
 ineuns of procurinff an indcpend- 
 ancf, in which he would protiubly 
 have fuccccded, had not bis fpirits 
 been kept down by difappointments. 
 He hiid, however, faved feveral 
 thnufand ppund^ at the time of 
 his death, which happened at the 
 houfe of the duke and dutchefs qf 
 Queenibcrry, in Burlington Gar- 
 dens, on Decembei' 1722. He wfts 
 interred in VVeftminfter- Abbeys, 
 and a monumetvc creeled to his 
 niepiory, at the eypence of his 
 afore-mentioned noble be,ncfa£\or», 
 with an infcription expfeftivc of 
 their regaids and^ hi| own deferta, 
 and an epitaph in verfe by Mr. 
 I'opci but, as bpth of them are 
 lUll in exirtepce, arid free of accefs 
 to every one, it would be imper?- 
 tincnt to,r(;pu^c either of them io 
 this place, ' 
 
 Gay, Joseph. This name is 
 only a fitftitious one, yet I could 
 not avoid giving; it. a place here, 
 »s ocherwiie fome readers might 
 be mifled, by the finding it pre- 
 fixed to a dramatic piece, entitled^ 
 
 7/jc Ci>NjfJciaUs, Faice. 
 For an explanation of it, how^ever^ 
 oee Breval, Capt. John Durant. 
 
 Genileman, Francis. An 
 author yet living. He was bora 
 in Ireland on the 23d of Oflober, 
 1728, and received his education 
 at Dublin, where he was fchool- 
 fcllow with the late Mr. Moflbp 
 the Tragedian. At th« age of iif* 
 
 teen* he obtained a commifSon In 
 the fame regiment with hit father, 
 who likewife belonged to the army} 
 but making an exchange to a new- 
 raiffd company, he wat d^fmiflrd 
 the feivice by his regiment being 
 reduced at the conclufion of the 
 war in 1748, On this event he 
 indulged hi» inclination for the 
 fliige, and accordingly appeared 
 a'. Dublin in the character of ^i^M/r, 
 in the play of Qroonoko. Not* 
 with(\anding an unconfequential 
 figt;re and uncommon timidity, Ifs 
 f lys, he fucceeded beyondhis moflt 
 funguine expedations; but having 
 iome property, and hearing that 4 
 legacy had been left him by a rt« 
 lation, he determined to come to 
 London, where it appears he dfi^ 
 fipated what, little fortune he pof- 
 fefTed. He then engaged to per- 
 form at the theatre in Bath, and 
 remained there fome time. From 
 thence he went to Edinburgh, and 
 afterwards belonged to feveral 
 companies ofa^or8,atManchefler» 
 Liverpool, Cheller, and other 
 places. Growing tired of a pub- 
 lick life, he fettled at Malton, « 
 market- town about twenty mileii 
 fiom York, wher'; be married and 
 had.fomeexpcilation ot being pro- 
 vided for by the Marquifti of 
 Granby, to whom he was recom- 
 mended by a gentleman who had 
 known his father. With this hope 
 he removed to London, but foon 
 had the mortification to find all 
 his profpects clouded, by the fud- 
 den death of his patron. In 1770 
 he performed at the Hay-market 
 under the management of Mn 
 Foote, and continued with him 
 three feafons, when he was dif^ 
 charged " at a time of peculiar 
 *' embarrafTment known to the 
 " manager," which he could not 
 then account for, nor had at any 
 time after a iingle idea of expla* 
 nation- Mr. Gentleman proba'* 
 
 bly 
 
 3 
 
t^G 
 
 1 
 
 I 1" ] 
 
 G 1 
 
 %1y now Mongs to Tome drolling 
 company. From his own ac- 
 count, he feems to have no great 
 reafon to be fatisfied with his 
 fuccefs, either as an adlor or 
 author. Speaking of himfelf in 
 the latter profefiion he fays, *' I 
 ** heartily wiflu I had been fated 
 ** to ufe an awl and end fooner 
 ** than the pen, for nothing but a 
 *• penfioned defender of govern- 
 *' ment, a fycophant to managers, 
 •• or a ilave to bookfellcrs, can do 
 •* any thing more than crawl." 
 He is the author of 
 
 1. Sejanus. T. Svo. 175T. 
 
 2. 'The Stratford Jubilee. C. 8vo, 
 
 3. The Sultan ; or. Love and 
 ■2<a»v. T. Hvo. 1770. 
 
 4. T&e Tobaccoiiift, C. 8vo. 
 1771. 
 
 5. Cupids Revenue, P. 8vo. 
 177a. 
 
 6. The Pantheoiiitcs, D. E, 8vo, 
 
 »773- 
 
 7. Tht Modljh }Fife. C. 8vo. 
 
 1774- . 
 
 He is alfo author of the follow- 
 ing piece-t, none of which have 
 been published : 
 
 I. Zaphira. T. 
 ( 3. Richard 11. altered. T. 
 
 3. T/>e Mcntaliji. D. S. 
 
 4. The Fairy Court. I. 
 
 He has had the difcredit, but 
 we know not on what foundation, 
 of being editor of the worft edition 
 that ever appeared of any Eng- 
 lifh author, we iv.ean Shakipeare 
 as printed by Mr. Bell. 
 
 Gefkhev, John. Was the au- 
 thor ct a very ancient play, Hill 
 remaining in manufcript in the 
 library ot lord Shelburiic, entitled, 
 
 7he Uughcars. C. 
 
 GiLuaN, Charles. This gen- 
 tleman was born at Gillinghnm, 
 near Shaftcfbury, in Dorfedliire, 
 in the year 1665. His parents 
 find family were ail of ihc Rumifh 
 
 perfuafion, and confequently en< 
 deavoured to inllili the fame prin- 
 ciples into our author; but in 
 vain, for no fooner did he iind 
 himfelf capable of reafuning, than 
 he was alfo able to difcover the 
 foppery, errors, and abfurdity, of 
 that church's tenets. His father 
 was a member of the fociety of 
 Gray's-Inn, and had fuifered con- 
 fiderably in the royal caufe. Mr, 
 Gildon received the firlt rudiments 
 of his education at the place where 
 he was borm; but at no more than 
 twelve years of age, his patents 
 fent him over to Doway in Hai- 
 nault, and entered him in the 
 £ngli(h college of fecular priefts 
 there, with a view of bringing 
 him up likewife to the prieHhood; 
 but all to no purpofe, for, during 
 a progrefs of five years ftudy there, 
 he only found his inclinations 
 more Itrongly confirmed for a quite 
 different courfe of life. 
 
 At nineteen years of age ha re- 
 turned to England, and when he 
 was of age, and by the entrance 
 into his paternal fortune, which 
 was not inconliderable, rendered 
 in every refpeft capable of enjoy- 
 ing the gaieties and pleafures of 
 this polite town, he came up to 
 London, where, as men of genius 
 and vivacity are too often deficient 
 in the article of oeconomy, he foon 
 fpent the bell part of what he had, 
 and, that he might be fure, as 
 lord Townly fays, never to mend 
 it, he crowned his other impru- 
 dences by marrying a young lady, 
 without any fortune, at about the 
 age [of twenty-three, thereby ad- 
 ding to his other incumbrances 
 that of a growing family, without 
 any way improving his reduced 
 Circumltances thereby. 
 
 During the reign of king James 
 IT. he dedicated a great deal of 
 tin-,e to the ftudy of the religious 
 controverfics which then fo llruog- 
 
 1/ 
 
G T 
 
 c' x«9 i 
 
 C 1 
 
 ly prevailed ; and he declares, in 
 fonie of his writings, that it coll 
 him above (evtn years ftudy and 
 contelt, and a very clofe applica- 
 tion to books, betore he could en- 
 tirely overcome the prejudices of 
 his education. For, though he 
 never had given credit to the ab- 
 furd tenets of the church of Rome, 
 nor could ever be brought to em- 
 brace the ridiculous doclnue of 
 her infallibility, yet, as he had 
 been taught an early reverence to 
 the prielthood, and a fubmifflve 
 obedience to their authority, it was 
 a long time before he afTumed 
 courage to think freely for himAslf, 
 or declare what he thought. 
 
 A tranfition from the extreme of 
 bigotry to that of infidelity, is a cir- 
 cumftance not fo uncommon as to 
 create any furprize, when we ob- 
 fsrve tha^t it was exaftly Mr. Gil- 
 don's cafe. In 1693, he ufhcred 
 into the world •' T/je Oracles of 
 Reafon^"* written by Charles Blount, 
 Efq; after that author's unhappy 
 end, with a pompous eulogium 
 and a defence of felf-murdcr. lie 
 was afterwards, however, as Dr. 
 Leland obferves, (vol. i. f^iew of 
 Dcijiical IVriters^ p. 43) " con- 
 « vinced of his error ; of which 
 ** he gave a remarkable proof, in 
 ** a good book which he publilh- 
 " ed in 1705, intituled, The Dajfs 
 ** Manual; or, ji National Ln- 
 " (juiry into the Chrip.ian Religion ; 
 " the greatell part of which is 
 " taken up in vindicating the doc- 
 " trines of the exigence and at- 
 *< tributes of God, his providence 
 *' and government of the world, 
 " the immortality of the foul, and 
 " a future ftate." 
 
 Having, as I have before ob- 
 ferved, greatly injured his fortune 
 hy thnughtlenaefs and diHipation, 
 kc was \\<r» obliged to confidcr on 
 fome method for the retiieving it, 
 or indeed rather for the means of 
 
 fubfldetice; and he himfeff cftn^it* 
 ly owns, in his elfays, that nccef- • 
 lity {the general inducement) was 
 his firll motive for venturing to be 
 an author; nor was it till tie had 
 arrived at his two and thirtieth 
 year, that he made any attempt in 
 the dramatic way. 
 
 He died on Sunday the 1 2th of 
 Jan. 1723-4, nor can 1 give a 
 betterfummary of his literary cha- 
 ra(^:er, than by mentioning what 
 was at the lime faid of him in 
 Boyer's Political State, vol. xxvll. 
 ^1. 102. where he is faid to have 
 been " a perfon of great liteti- 
 *• ture, hut a mean genius; who, 
 " having attempted feveral kinds 
 *' of writing, never gained much 
 '* reputation in any. Among other 
 " treatifes he wrote the Engiijb 
 *' jirt of Poetry, which he had 
 *' pra>.^ifed himfelf very unfuc- 
 '* cefsfully in his dramatic per- 
 «* formances. He alfo ^vrote an 
 '* Knglifli Grammar; but what he 
 ** Teemed to build his chief hopes 
 *• of fame upon was his late Cri- 
 *' trical Commentary on the duke 
 *• of Buckingham's Effay on Poe- 
 •♦ try, which laft piece was peru- 
 ** fed and highly approved by his 
 *' grace." 
 
 His dramatic pieces are as fol* 
 lows: 
 
 1. 7he Roman Bride* s RevtHge, 
 T. 4to. 1697. 
 
 2. Phaeton i or. The Fatal Di" 
 vorce. T. 4.10. 1698. 
 
 3. Mi-afurc for Meafkre ; or. 
 Scanty the beji Adifoicaie, \to. 1700, 
 
 4. love's naim ; or, The ^et» 
 of Wales, 7'. 410. 1701. 
 
 ^. The Patriot ; or, Tfjt Italiam 
 Revngt. T. 4to. 1703. 
 
 He air^ wrote two critiques in 
 a dramatic form, intituled, 
 
 1 . A Comparifon between the tta9 
 Stages, 8vo. 1702. 
 
 2. A New Rehearfal; or, Bay* 
 the Tounger. i znio, » 7 1 4. 
 
 None 
 
■A'-'.M: 
 
 b^I 
 
 { 190 
 
 J 
 
 ah 
 
 Mom of them met with any 2. Jlbtrtus Wallenjicin, T; |to* 
 ^reat fuccefs) and indeed, though 1639. 
 they do not totally want merit, 3. The LaJics Privilege. C. 410; 
 
 1 640. 
 
 4. The HoUandeir. d 410. 1640* 
 
 5. Wit i» a Confiable. C. 410. 
 1640. 
 
 6. The Parafidc j or, Rcvoige 
 
 yet, by too ilrong an emulation 
 
 of the ftile of Lee, of whom he 
 
 was a great admirer, but witridut 
 
 being pofTeflTed. ot that brilliancy 
 
 of. poetical imagination, which 
 
 frequently atones for the mad for Honour. N. P. 
 
 flights, of that poet, Mr< Gildon's 7. The Ftjlal T, N; P. 
 
 Verfe runs into a perpetual train b". The Nol>le trial. T; C. N. Pi 
 
 of bombaft and rant. g. The Dutchefi of Fcrnantlina; 
 
 He, about two years after Mrs. T. N. P. 
 Behn*8 death, brought on the Glover, Richard, Efq; This 
 llage, with fome few alterations of very ingenious author is (lill liv- 
 his own, a comedy which that ing. He was brought up in rhe 
 
 lady had left behind her, entitled, 
 The Toun^er Brother i or. The 
 Amorous Jilt. 
 
 Though not a man of capital 
 genius himfelf, yet he was a pretty 
 Icvere critic on the writings of 
 bxhers) and particularly the free- 
 dom he took in remarking upon 
 ^(Jr. Pope's Rape of the Locky ex- 
 cited the refentmcnt of that gfn- 
 tkman^ who was never lemaika- 
 ble for any great readinefs to for- 
 give injuries, to fuch a height, 
 that he has thought proper to im- 
 tuortalize his name, together with 
 that of the fnarling Dennis, in his 
 telebiated poem the Dunciud. 
 -Gl.ai't'uorne, Henry. This 
 author lived in the reian o\ Charles 
 \f and V\ inrtanley calls him one 
 of the chitfcll dramiitic poets of 
 that age. Though that coilimend- 
 ation, however, is far beyond what 
 hjs. merits tan lay claim to, yet 
 we cannot but allow hmi to have 
 hfcn a good writer^ and though 
 his plays are now entirely l<tid 
 afide, yet, at the time they, were 
 written, they met with cgnfider- 
 
 mercantile. way, in which he made 
 a confpicuous figure, and by a re- 
 markable fpecch that he delivered 
 in behalf of the merchants of Lon- 
 don, at the bar of the Houfe of 
 Commons, about the ye-ir 1740, 
 previous to the breaking ovit of 
 the Spanilh warj acquired, and 
 with great jullice, the cbarailer of 
 an ;,ble and ftcady patriot ; and 
 indeed, on every occafion, he has 
 Ihewn a moll petfe£l. knowledge 
 of) joined to the moft ardent zeal 
 for, the commerci-al interefts of this 
 mition, and an inviolable attach- 
 ment to the. welfare ot his coun- 
 trymen in general-5 and that of 
 the city of London in particular. 
 In 1751, having, in cohfequence 
 of unavoidable hfles in trad«. and 
 perhaps^ in fome meafurc, of his 
 74?alous warmth for the public in- 
 tereds, to the negledt ot his own 
 private emoiumentsj fomewhat re- 
 duced his fortunes^ he condeicend- 
 ed to Itand Candida c for the plac^ 
 of chamberlain of the city pf Lon- 
 don, in oppofition to Sir Thomas 
 Harrifon, but loft his election there 
 
 able approbation and fuccefs. They by no very great m.ijoMty. 
 
 are nine in number, and their ti' 
 ^ks- as follow : 
 "i. Argalui and Parthmia, 410. 
 
 From the time of Mr. Glover'l 
 misfortunes in trade, he lived m 
 obfcurity, known only to his 
 frichds, and declining to take any 
 
 . ftftite 
 
G' L 
 
 I i^V 1 
 
 e t 
 
 st^Ue part in public affairs. At 
 length, having furmoanted the 
 diiRculcies of his fituation, he 
 a^ain rclinquifhed the pleafufes of 
 retirement^ and in the parliament 
 which met in 1761 was eledted 
 nicmber for Weymouth. He hath 
 fince rtood forwards on feverai 
 occafions, in a manner highly hon- 
 ourable to himfe' and advanta- 
 geous to the public. 
 
 His abilities are (o well known, 
 thiit I need no farther expatiate 
 on them 5 in the Beiies LeUres, he 
 ha3 alCo made no inconfiderable 
 <Rgure, and in that view it is that 
 VK have occafion to confider him 
 in this Work. Mr. Glover Very 
 tarly demonftrated a ftrong pro- 
 p^nfity to, and genius for, poetry ; 
 yet his ardour for public, and 
 •he hurry nectlftrily attendant on 
 his private, aftairsj fo far inter- 
 fered with that incliration, that 
 iiiWis fome years before he had it 
 in his power to fini(h an epic 
 poem 
 young, 
 
 jtd ot which was the gallant ac 
 tions of that great general, and 
 his heroic defence of, and fall ar^ 
 t'ne pnfs ot lihrmopyUe. Tnis 
 niece, however, the public werefo 
 iyiig in expe*Jtatlou of, and had 
 encouraged iuch exrravagan* ideas 
 of, th;it although on its publication 
 it was found to have very great 
 H^autits, yet the ardbur of the 
 lovers of pdetry foon funk into a 
 kind of cold foigetfulnefs with re- 
 g.ird lO it, bccaule it did not pof- 
 frfs more than the narrow limits 
 of the defign itfelf vvou'd admit of, 
 or indeed than it was in the power 
 of human genius to execute. His 
 poetical abilities, therefore, lay for 
 fbme years dormant, till at length 
 he favoured the world with two 
 dramatic pieces, called, 
 
 :. lioaditia. T. 8vo. I753. 
 i, McJca. T. 4to. 1 76 1, 
 
 , 'I' "* 
 
 wnith he had begun when 
 entitled Ltonulai, the fub- 
 
 Mr. Glover has alfo written a fe^ 
 quel to his Medea ; but as it rC' 
 
 quires fceneryof the irfoft cXpenfive 
 kind, it has never yet been exhibit- 
 ed. We hear, indeed, that itwasap- 
 p.oved by Mrs. Yates, the magic 
 of whofe voice and action in tb5 
 firft pdrt of the fame piece, pro- 
 duced as powerful eifedls as any 
 imputed by Greek or Roman poeti 
 to. the charafter Ihe reprefented* 
 
 GoFF, Thomas. "This gentle- 
 man Hourilhed in the reign of 
 James I. He Was b6rn in EfTex 
 about the year 1592, and n^teived 
 his £ril introduction to lean ing at 
 Wfeftminfter-fchool, from whicK 
 placCj ar the age of eightee^j, he 
 was removed to the univerficy <^ 
 Oxford, and entered as a ftudetjt 
 of Chrift Church College. Here 
 he compleated his lludies, and, b/ 
 the dint of application and in- 
 d^lftry, b . a ver/ able fcholar,- 
 obtainec 'harafter of a good 
 
 poet, ar , . ..ig endowed with the 
 jjowers of oratory, was, after his 
 taking orders, greatly elleemed a» 
 an e^celi^nt preacher. He had 
 the degre3 cf batchelor of divinity 
 conferred on him before he quit- 
 ted the univcrfity, and, in the 
 year 1623, was preftrred to the 
 living of , Kail Cfimdon, in Surry^ 
 Here, notwithilanding that he had 
 long been a profcfled Cnemy to the 
 female fex, and even by fome 
 efteemed a woman-hater, he un- 
 fortunately tied himfelf to a wife, 
 the widow of his predeceiibr, who 
 proved as great a plague to him as 
 it was Well pofiible for a Ihiew to 
 be; and became a true Xnntippe to 
 our ecclefiaflical Socrates, who, be- 
 ing naturally of a mild and paiieiit 
 difpofition, which it feems fhe gave 
 him d:iily opportuniiits for the 
 exercife of, was unable to cope 
 with fo turbulent a fpirlr,' hacked 
 as fhe was by the ehil ifcn flie had 
 had by her former hufband. In a 
 
 wordi 
 
e o 
 
 C «9* 1 
 
 G O 
 
 word, it was believed by many, 
 that the uneafmers he met with in 
 domeftic life, from the provoking 
 temper of this home-bred fcourge, 
 ihortenedtheperiodofhisexiflence, 
 which he refigned to him from 
 whom he had received it, in July 
 1639, being then only thirty-five 
 ];ears of age, and was buried on 
 the 27th of the fame month at his 
 cwn parifh-church. 
 
 Mr. GofF wrote four dram:;tic 
 
 Eleces, which met with coofidera- 
 le applaufe, but were none of 
 them publi(hed till f ft':r his death. 
 Their names are as fjUow : 
 
 1. Raging Turk. 7.410. 1 631. 
 
 2. Couragioui Turk. T. 410. 
 1632. 
 
 3. Oreftcs. T. 4to. 1633. 
 
 4. Carelifs Shepherdefs, T - 4tO. 
 1656. 
 
 Towards the latter part of his life 
 he quitted dramatic writing, and 
 applied himfelf folely to the bufi- 
 nefs of the pulpit. Some of hi« 
 Sermons appeared in print in 
 1627. 
 
 Philips and Winftanley have fa- 
 thered a cozTtedy on this author, 
 calle<l, 
 
 Cupid*3 Wlmligig, 
 than which notl^ng could be more 
 oppofue to his genius. Befides, 
 the true author \}f that piece has 
 fo far declared himfelf, as to have 
 afl'xed the initial letters £. S. to 
 his Epiftle Dedicatory, which is 
 moieover interlarded with fuch a 
 kind of ridiculous unmeaning 
 mirth, as could never have fallen 
 from Mr. GoAf, who was a man of 
 a grave, fcdaie turn, and whofe 
 pen never r'cduced any thing but 
 what Was perfectly ferious, manly, 
 and becoming his charader as a 
 divine. 
 
 Wood, moreover, has attributed 
 to him, but indeed with a q[ua[;re, 
 a tragedy, called, 
 
 UeBafiatd. 
 
 y 
 
 which, however, Coxeter has givell 
 to Cifmo Mauuche, 
 
 Got TING, Arthur, An au< 
 thor who li-ed in the reign of 
 queen Elizabeth, and iianflated 
 many claffical and other works, by 
 which he acquired conHderable re- 
 putation. The Dedication of his 
 Ovid to the Earl ot Leicefler, is 
 dated from Berwick. He tranf. 
 lated from Theodore JBeza one 
 dramatic piece, called, 
 
 Abraham^ offering bis Son Ifaakt, 
 Goldsmith, Francis, Efq. 
 This gentleman lived in the reign 
 of king Charles I. He was the 
 fon of Francis Goldfmith, of St. 
 Giles's in the Fields, efo. He re- 
 ceived the earlier parts of his edu- 
 cation at Merchant Taylors fchool, 
 under Dr. Nicholas Goy, from 
 whence he was removed, in the 
 beginning of the year 1629, to 
 the Univerfity of Oxford, where 
 he was entered a gentleman-com- 
 moner at Pembroke College, but 
 foon after tranflated to St. John's, 
 where, having taken a degree in 
 arts, he returned to London, and 
 for feveral years ftudied the com- 
 mon law in Gray's-Inn j but pro- 
 bably, having an independent ior- 
 tune, and being more clofely at- 
 tached to other kinds of learning, 
 he indulged his inclination, and 
 favoured the world with a tranfla- 
 tion from Hugo Grotius, of a tra- 
 gedy, or facred drama, entitled, 
 Sophompaneas, Trag. 8vo. N. 
 
 D. 
 
 GoL;>SMiTH, Oliver. Was 
 born at Elpbin, in the county of 
 Rofcommon in Ireland, in the year 
 1729. His father the Rev. Charles 
 Goldfmith had four fons, of whom 
 Oliver was the third. He was in- 
 {Irudled in the daffies 'ax. the fchonj 
 of Mr. Hughes, from whence he 
 was removed to Trinity College, 
 Dublin, where he was admitted a 
 lizar on the 11 ih June 1744. At 
 
 the 
 
G O 
 
 'f 
 
 ^93 1 
 
 G O 
 
 Ihe Univerfily he exhibited ho 
 fptciincn of that genius which 
 (lilHnguifhed him In his maturer 
 years. On the 27th' of February 
 J 749, O. S. (two years after the 
 regular time), he obtained the de- 
 t.;ree of batcheloir of arts. He th'en 
 turned his thoughts to the profef- 
 Jion of phyfic, and after attending 
 fome co'jrfes of anatomy in Dub- 
 lin, proceeded to Edinburgh in 
 the year 1 7; I, where he ftudied 
 the fevel^al bhinches of itiedicine 
 under the different profeffors in 
 that Univerfity. His thoughtlefs 
 difpofuion foon involved hLin in 
 diilicultics, and he was obliged to 
 quit Scotland precipitately, Co a- 
 void being connned in prifon for 
 the debt of another perfon. In 
 1754. hie arrived at Sunderland, but 
 being purfued by a legal procefs* 
 on nccount of the before-mcnti- 
 bncd debt, was arrefted, and after- 
 wards fet at liberty by the friend- 
 fhip oF Mr. Laughlin Maciane, 
 and Dr. Sleigh, Who Were then in 
 the College. On his being re- 
 leafed he took his pafl'age on board 
 a Dutch fliip to Rotterdam. Frona 
 thence he went to BruflelS, vilited 
 great part of Flanders, and after 
 paiiing fome time at Strasbourg 
 and Louvain, where hfe obrained 
 the degree of batchelor in phylic, 
 .he accompanied an Englifli gen- 
 tleman to Geneva. 
 
 On his arrival at Geneva he was 
 recommended as a proper perlon 
 to travel with a young man, who 
 had received a confiderable for- 
 tune by the death of his uncle. 
 They continued together until they 
 arrived at the fouth of France, 
 where on a difagreement they part- 
 ed, and our author was left to 
 flruggie with all the difHcuItles 
 that a man could feel, who was in 
 a ftate of poverty in a foreign 
 country without friends. His dc-* 
 fire of feeing tl;<fe world was not 
 Vol, L 
 
 t.7 
 
 abated by any hardHiips : he ptf^ 
 filled in his fcheme though hik 
 finances were fo low as to oblige 
 him to travel on foot, and acqdir* 
 a lodging and fubfiftence from al'- 
 moil the chai'ity of the peafantj, 
 who were repaid by his entertain^ 
 ing them with fome tunc? on t. 
 G^rihan flute. At length hili 
 curiofity being eratiffed, he bent 
 his courfe towards Etigland, and 
 arrived at Dover about the Isegini 
 ningof the winter 1758. 
 
 His fituation was not much 
 mended on his arrival at London; 
 To obtain the means of fupporting; 
 himfeU, he applied to fet^eral apo- 
 th!\:aries and chymifts, and at laft 
 was received by one of the latter 
 piofeflion into his labbratory. 
 With this perfon he continued un- 
 till he difcovered that Dr. Sleigh 
 was in London. He then left the 
 chymirt and refided with his friend 
 the do6\or, but being unwilling td 
 be a burden to that gentleman, he 
 became an aflillant to Dr. iVJilneri 
 who kept a fchool at Peckhami 
 He remair.ed not long in this fitua* 
 tion but returned to London, took 
 a lodging in Green Arbour-Court 
 in the Old Bailey, and commenced 
 a profeffed author. 
 
 This was in the year 1759, be- 
 .^re the clofe of which he pro- 
 duced feveral works, parxularly 
 a periodi-al publication called, 
 T/.>e Brc, and u'ln Enquiry into the 
 prt'jhtt State cf polite Learning in Eic- 
 vrtpe. He alfo became a writer in 
 The Public I,eJger, and in a few^ 
 vears was enabled to emerge from 
 his mean lodgings in the Old Bai- 
 ley to the politer air of the Tem- 
 ple, where he f^ok chambers in 
 1762, and lived in a more credit- 
 able manner. His reputatinn con- 
 tinr.ed to iricreafe, and was fully 
 ellablilhed by the publication o( 
 ^he 7rni'cllcr in tlie year' 1765. 
 In iib% he commenced dramatiq 
 
 Q writer, 
 
 ■3^ 
 
G C 
 
 I »94 1 
 
 G O 
 
 writer, and mighr, w^ith a fmall at- 
 centioA to pt-udence and oeconomy, 
 have placed himfelf in a flate 
 above want and dependance. He 
 is faid to have acquired in one 
 year no lefs than 1800 1. and the 
 advantage! arifing from his writ- 
 ings were very confiderable for 
 many years befoie his death. But 
 thefe were rendered ulelefs by an 
 improvident liberality which pre* 
 vented his diflin^uifhing properly 
 the objects of his generofity, and 
 an unhappy attachment to gam* 
 ing with (he arts of which he was 
 very little acquainted. He re- 
 mained therefore at times as much 
 embarrafled in his circumiUnces 
 as when his income was in its low- 
 eft and moft precarious Hate. 
 
 He had been for fome years af- 
 fli£led at different times with a 
 violent ftrangury, which contri- 
 buted to imbitter the latter part 
 of his life, and which united with 
 the vexations he fufiered upon 
 other occasions, brought on a kind 
 of habitual defpondency. In this 
 condition he was attacked by a 
 nervous fever, which being im- 
 properly treated, terminated in his 
 diflbiution on the 4ih day of April 
 1774, in the forty-fifth year of^his 
 age. His remains were depofited 
 in the burial ground belonging to 
 the Temple, and a monument hath 
 iince been erefted to his memory, 
 in Weftminller-Abbt'y, at the ex- 
 pence of a literary club to which 
 he belonged' He is the author of, 
 
 1. T/je Good-natured Man. C. 
 8vo. 1768, 
 
 2. She Stoops to Conquer I or, The 
 Mifiak srfthe Night. C 8vo. 1772. 
 
 3. The Grumbler. F. 1772. Not 
 printed. 
 
 Dr. Goldfnuth's poetical works 
 were collected by Mr. Evans, 
 fcookfeller, in the Strand, and 
 printed in a vols. 8vo. 1780. 
 
 G0MER8AL, Robert. This 
 gentleman, who was a divine, flou- 
 
 rifhed in the reign of Charles I, 
 and was born at London in 'i6odi 
 from whence, at fourteen years of 
 age, he was fent by his father tt 
 Cnrift Church College, in Oxford, 
 where, foon after his being enter< 
 ed, he was elefted a fludent on the 
 royal foundation. At about feveo 
 years fianding, he here took his 
 degrees of batchelor and maftcr of 
 arts, and before he left the uni> 
 verfity, which was in 1627, he had 
 the degree of batchelor of divinity 
 conferred on him. Being now in 
 orders^ he was preferred to the 
 living of Flower in Northampton- 
 ihire, where it is probable that he 
 refided till his death, which wai 
 in 1646. He was accounted a 
 pood preacher, and printed fome 
 iermons, which were well efleemed. 
 As a devotee to the Mufes, he puh. 
 liOied feveral |K>ems, particularly 
 one, called the Levite*s Revenge^ 
 being meditations, in verfe, on the 
 19th and 3o;h chapters of Judges, 
 and one piay, which, whether it 
 was ever performed or not, 1 can- 
 notpretend toafcertain. Itstitleis, 
 
 Lodvwick Sforaof Duke ^'Mitaa, 
 Trag. lamo. 1632. 
 
 CiooDALL, William. From 
 the account this writer gives of 
 himfelf in a preface to his mifcel- 
 lanies, we find that he was an ap> 
 prentice io a clother at Worcefter, 
 with whom he lived until the time 
 of his fervice expired, at the end 
 of which he came to I^ndon, and 
 was recommended by Mr. Sandys 
 to the fervice of the honourable 
 James Douglas, £fq; where be re- 
 mained when he publifhed his only 
 dramatic piece, entitled. 
 
 The Fal/e GuarJiani putmiUeJ. 
 B. O. 8vo. 1740. 
 
 GooDENovGH, Mr. A living 
 author who has produced one 
 piece, entitled, 
 
 tVilliam and Nantff, M. £. 8f«« 
 1780. 
 It was firft calM. 
 
G O 
 
 t »95 1 
 
 G O 
 
 f Charleil. 
 
 Ion in 1600, 
 een years of 
 Itis father tt 
 , in Oxford, 
 being enter* 
 udent on the 
 t about fevea 
 ere took his 
 tndl m after of 
 left the uni- 
 1627, he had 
 or of divinity 
 king now in 
 erred to the 
 yJorthampton- 
 >bable that he 
 h, which wai 
 accounted a 
 printed fome 
 well eftecmed. 
 lufes, he pub- 
 I, particularly 
 viu*s Revenge^ 
 n verfe, on the 
 ters oi Judges, 
 h, whether it 
 or not, I can- 
 »in. Itstitleis, 
 Duke o/Miiaa. 
 
 .LI AM. From 
 riter gives of 
 to his mifcel- 
 ic was an ap« 
 at Worcefter, 
 until the time 
 d, at the end 
 
 I^ndon, and 
 Mr. Sandys 
 he honourable 
 
 where be re* 
 »UOied his oalf 
 lied, 
 ians tutmitted. 
 
 Mr. A living 
 produced one 
 
 fie Cottagers. And printed id 
 
 Jvo. 1779- 
 
 GooDHALL, James. Of this 
 author 1 know no mure than that 
 he was of LydlingK.n, in the 
 county of Rutland, and wrote two 
 plays, entitled, 
 
 riaiaze/ie; or, Tbe Fatal Cott' 
 yi'j. T. 8vo. N.D. [1:54.] 
 
 1. King Richard \\, T altered 
 and imitated from Shakipeare, 8vo. 
 
 1772. 
 
 Goodwin^ T. Is a living au* 
 thor.who has pubtilhedone drama, 
 called, 
 
 fhe Loyal Shepherds ; or, The 
 Eti/lic Heroine. D. P. 8vo. 1 7 79. 
 
 Gordon, William. ihis 
 gentleman is known only as the 
 author of one play, called, 
 
 Luponc, or. The Inquljitor. C. 
 
 8yo (731. 
 
 Gordon, Mr. Is rhe name of 
 atranflator of Terence^ whofc work 
 was p'iblifhed in 1 752. Who or 
 what he was we art* unable to dif- 
 cover, but it feems to have beeji 
 the intention of the publifiier that 
 the reader Ihould mi't-.ike the pre- 
 fent author for Tliomas Gordon, 
 Efq; the celebrated political wri- 
 ter. 'Ihe prefeut performance is 
 very unworthy io refpeftaliie a 
 rame. As a fpccimt^o of the 
 I tranllator's abilities f r the under- 
 tilting, the following pdffige may 
 be produced, (fee Sc/f- 1 ormentor, 
 A. 11. S. I.), where the words 
 \ignarumariis meretrida are render- 
 ed, *• quite a llranger to the trade 
 |*'ofth'.;fc Bitches." 
 
 GoRiNrt, Charles, Efq; Of 
 Ithit gentleman I meet with no- 
 Ithiog more than the bare mention 
 ■of his name, and a record of his 
 jhving been author of one drama- 
 Itlc ^iece, which was a£ted at 
 |Drury-Lane theatre, entitled, 
 
 Irene; or, Th Fair Greek, T. 
 (to. 1703. 
 
 Coxcter, however, in fab MS. 
 
 Notes, tells us, that there was a 
 Charles Goring, Efq; of Magda- 
 len College, OAford, who ti ok his 
 degree there as mafter of arcs, 
 April 27, 1687, and annexes a 
 quaere, with a refertm-e to our 
 avJthor, the date of whofe play, 
 though twenty y**ar' later thin that 
 of the conferring this degree, is 
 far from totally difagreeing with, 
 the probability of their being both 
 the. fame perfon. 
 
 GossoN.SxEpaEN. AlCentilh 
 man by birth, wha was admitted 
 fcholav of Chrllt Church College, 
 Oxford, -^pril 4, 1572, at the age 
 of fixteen, or thereabouts. He Kft 
 the univerfity wi'hout compleat- 
 ing his degrees and came to Lon« 
 don, where he coiijmenc<-d poet, 
 and wrotf, as h;: acknowledges, he 
 plays hereafter mentioned. Ho 
 then retiied itito ilie couiury to 
 inftrucl a gentleman's fons, and 
 contiiiufd there until he ftic-wed his 
 dillike to plays in fuch a churli{h 
 and ofFe ilive manner that his pa« 
 tr.)n growiiitr weary of his com- 
 pany, he; left his fer'> ice and took 
 orders. He was at firft parfou of 
 Great Wigborow, in EiTex, and 
 afterwards of St. Botolph with- 
 out Bilhoplgate, in London. The 
 names of his dramatic pieces are 
 as fol'ows : 
 
 1. Cafiili/i*s Con/piracies* 
 
 2, The Comedie i>f Captain Mario, 
 |. Praifi at Parting. Morality. 
 None of them were ever printed. 
 GouGH, J. Gent, or J. G, 
 
 Who this Mr. G^ugh was I know 
 not ; only by the date of the un> 
 dermentioned piece it is evident 
 he mutt have lived in the reign of 
 Charles I lIow:ver, this name, 
 or the iiii(ia!s annexed, (land iq- 
 difcriminstcly in the title-page to 
 different copies isf the only editioA 
 of a dramatic piece, entitled. 
 
 The Strange Dijiwe^, T. Q. 419, 
 1640. 
 
 Oz QoVXBc 
 
G R 
 
 [ 196 y 
 
 Q R 
 
 1 Ki 
 
 .ill f 
 
 Gould, Robert. This au- 
 thor was originally a domellic of 
 the earl of I>or(ct and Midd'eton, 
 but afterwards, having had foitie 
 education, and being polfefTed of 
 feme abilities, fet up a fchool ia 
 the country. He wrote One dra- 
 matic piece, called, 
 
 1 . Tbe Rival Sixers. T. 4I0. 1 696, 
 And he fecms to be the fame Mr. 
 
 Gould in wbofe name a poflumous 
 play was publilhed, entitled, 
 
 2. Innocence lij/irfjffetl ; Or, Tife 
 Royal Penitents. 8vo. 17J7. 
 
 Graham, George. This gen- 
 tleman was educated at Eton, and 
 from thence, in 1746, was fent to 
 King's College, Cambridge. He 
 afterwards became one of the 
 itiaRers ot the fchool already named, 
 and died February, 1767. He 
 wrote one play, called, 
 
 Telcmachus. M: 410. 1763. 
 Part of it was fet to muftck by P. 
 Hayes, 1765, and printed in 410. 
 He was likewife author of a tra- 
 gfedy which was refufed by Mr. 
 Garrick, and has not hitherto ap- 
 peared in print. 
 
 Granville, George, Loan 
 Lan usDowN E. Was fecond fon of 
 Bernard Granville, and grandfon of 
 the famous Sir Bevil Granville, 
 who was killed at the battle or 
 Landfdowne in 1643. He was 
 born in 1667, became a mcmberof 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, at a 
 very early period of life ; took his 
 degree of M. A. at the age ^of 
 thirteen years, and was with dif- 
 ficulty prevented from taking up 
 arms both at the time of Mon- 
 mouth's rebellion, and at the Ro- 
 volution in defence of king Jartes 
 the Secondi Having no public 
 employment, being totally uncon- 
 jii&ifted with the court, and pof- 
 fefled of but a contrafted fortur.e, 
 " ? devoted his attention, during 
 
 e reign of king William, to lite- 
 ixy purfuitsaad ainufemenu ; the 
 
 ►;r^«>' 
 
 t y 
 
 fruits of which appeared in Hi 
 plays and poems, chiefly written 
 within that period. At the ac. 
 ceffion of queen Annr, he was 
 chofen int > parliament, and fate in 
 the houfie of Commons until he. 
 was created a peer. On the change 
 of the miniAry in the year 1710, 
 he was appointed fecretary at war, 
 and afterwards fucceflively control- 
 ler and treafurer of the houfehold.^ 
 His conneflions with the Tory 
 miniflers prevented his being em- 
 ployed in the fucceeding reigns of 
 George I. and II. in Hie former 
 of which he. fell under the fufpicion 
 of plotting again (t the govern- 
 ment, and was c^^mmitted to rhe 
 Tower, where he was confined 
 feventeen months. The latter 
 part of his life was fpent in the 
 cultivation of letters, in an ho- 
 nourable retirement, u n iverfall ybe- 
 loved and refpefted by all orders, 
 of men. He died January 30, 
 1735, in ^^'^ fixty-eighth year of 
 his age. Mr. Wialpole obferves, 
 that ** he imitated Waller, but as 
 " that poet hdi been much ex- 
 •* celled fince, a faint copy of a 
 *' faint maftei mull lb ike lefs." 
 His dramatic pieces are, 
 
 1. The She Gallants, C. 4to., 
 i6y6. 
 
 2. Heroick Love. T. 4to. 1698, 
 
 3. The Jetu of Feniee. C. 4tOi 
 1701. 
 
 4. Pekus and Thetis. M. 410, 
 
 I/OI. 
 
 5. The BritiJ}} Enchanters; or,, 
 iV'rj Magicklikc Love. T. 4to.i7o6. 
 
 He afterwards r.ew wrote Ih 
 She Gallant Sf and named it, 
 
 6. Once a Lovcr^ and al%vqys a 
 Levrr. ' C 
 
 G?-Ari Thomas. This excel* 
 lent writer was the fon of Philip 
 Gray, who followed the bufinefs of 
 a fcrivener in the city of Londop« 
 His mother's name was Antrobus,. 
 and he was born in Cornhill, Dec, 
 
 f\ 
 
G R 
 
 [ i97 3 
 
 G t 
 
 Theth. M. 4to, 
 
 j6«i7i^> He received his edu- 
 cation at Eton fchool, under the 
 care of hit uncle Antrobai, then 
 one of the afliftant matters. At 
 this firminary he became acquaint- 
 ed with Mr. Horace Walpole and 
 Mr. Well. From £ton he re- 
 moved to St. Feier*8 College, Cam- 
 briiigr, where he was admitted a 
 penfioner in the year 1734. He 
 remained at the univerfity until 
 the latter end of the year 1738, 
 when he toolc chambers in the 
 Temple, with a defign to apply 
 himlc'lf to the iludy of the law; 
 but on an invitation given him by 
 Mr. Walpole to be his companion 
 in hii) travels, he gave up this in- 
 lention, and never after refumed it. 
 They began their travels on the 
 29th of April, 1739, and proceed- 
 ed through France and Italy until 
 July, i74i» when a flight diHigree- 
 ment arifing between them, Mr. 
 Gray returned to England alone, 
 about the ift of September; and 
 two months after his father died, 
 leaving him in circumdances ra- 
 ther contracted. He now aban- 
 doned the Uudy of the law, and 
 being left to follow his own in- 
 clination, determined to take up 
 his refidence at Cambridge, to 
 which place he went foon after 
 and took his degree of bachelor 
 in civil law, but without any de- 
 sign of devoting himfelf to any 
 profeflion. 
 
 He continued from this time at 
 Cambridge with the ufual uni- 
 formity of a college life, few inci- 
 dents diftinguiihing it from that of 
 other gentlemen, who relinquifh 
 ail public fcenes for the tranquil- 
 lity of academical retirement. In 
 1757, he had the offer of being 
 appointed poet laureat, but de- 
 clined it, nor had any honours or 
 emoluments bellowed on him till 
 theyeari76S, when, without his 
 •*n folicitation, or that of his 
 
 friends, he was appointed Regius 
 Proftriror of Modern Hillory at 
 Cambridge. He lived there three 
 years after this promotion, and died 
 on the 31ft of July, 1773. 
 
 His excellence as a poet will be 
 confe/Ted by all who are entitled to 
 judge of ir, except now and then 
 by a jealous critic educated at Ox- 
 ford, and afliduous in depreciating 
 the merit of every author who 
 flouriOied at a rival univerfity. 
 We do not, however, pretend 
 that Mr. Gray's performances at* 
 alike exempt from defefls ; for 
 in his Odes he fomotimes ap- 
 pears to heve been mere attentive 
 to theglitter of words, than thedii^ 
 tindlnefs of ideas. And yet, if 
 thefe truly original pieces main- 
 tain their reputation till the cri- 
 tics who cenfure them can impair 
 it by producing better, they may 
 at leaib be fatisiied with their pre* 
 fent fpcurity. — The moil unfavour- 
 able remarks that truth can fug- 
 geil concerning our author as a 
 man, are, that there was areferve 
 in his behaviour too nearly refem- 
 bling failidioufnefs, and that he 
 was apt to indulge himfelf in fuch 
 modilh niceties of drefs as did not 
 always correfpond with the fo- 
 briety of an academic gown. 
 
 He began a tragedy, of which 
 he lived to finifh only one fcene, 
 and part of a fecond. It is eatitled, 
 
 Agripp'ma. 
 Printed in Mr. Mafon's Life of 
 him. 4to. 1775. 
 
 Green, Alexander. This 
 gentleman is mentioned by all the 
 writers, but with no farther ac- 
 count of him, than that he lived in 
 the reign of Charles II. and foon 
 after the Reftoraiion prefented the 
 world with one dramatic piece, en- 
 titled. 
 
 The 
 
 1663. 
 03 
 
 Politician chtated^ Com* 4to* 
 
 but 
 
 r 
 
O R 
 
 [ 198 ] 
 
 G R 
 
 but vilretlicr it was ever af^ed does 
 not apptar. 
 
 GBE»iN,(iKORr.E Smith. T>iis 
 •uthif ib [.Tobably iliil living ; he 
 haf. puUIiflicd t\v > plays, which 
 were never adri'd, enurlcd, 
 
 I. Oi'vcr Crbm-wcil. liilh Play. 
 
 8vo I75*' 
 
 a. The Kicf J.afl\; C. 8vo. 1762. 
 GrEE.N, I OBE" r. '^Ill^ author 
 
 lived I <• lie I tip not queen KlizabctH, 
 and had *) libvial edu ation. He 
 w«8 firll of S. John's t ollige,Cani 
 bridgr, w'. ere he took tbedegiecnf 
 B. A. 1 57S, he afterward, remove d 
 to Clare Hail, and, \n 15*^5, be- 
 came M. A. it i» {'aid he was iiicc- 
 wife incorporated at Oxford. He 
 Vin^ a man ot ^reat humour and 
 dr'lhry, and by no means defici- 
 ent in point ot wit, h<id he not too 
 ot'er: proliitiued that happy l)ut 
 d.ipgerou- talcnr, 10 the baft pur- 
 p fe> of vice and oblctnitv. In 
 (liort, bO'h ill theory ard priidtice, 
 he iVi mi to have be*, n a moll per- 
 fcd libettine; tor, ahhc ugh he 
 appears to h^ve been bltlftd with 
 a beautiful, virturus, and very de- 
 feiving lady to hii> wife, yet we 
 find that he balcly a'.andoned her 
 and a (hild which (he had l)orne 
 hiiii, to primry ami diftrcfs, lavifll- 
 ing his fortune and iubitance on 
 harlots and common proliiiutes. 
 Unable, however, to maintain the 
 expenctswh.cl. the unlimited extra- 
 vagance of thofe wretches necefTa- 
 rily drew him into, he was obliged 
 to h;tve lefource to his pen for a 
 maintena' ce, and indeed 1 think 
 he is the firft Engliih p et we have 
 on record as writing for bread. 
 A'' he' had a great fund of that li- 
 centious kind of wit, which would 
 xncifl fliongly recommend his works 
 among the rake'i of t-hat age, his 
 writings fold well, and aii^orded 
 him a coofiderable income. Till 
 at length, after a courfe of years 
 
 fpent in diflipation, rtot, and de. 
 bauchery, whereby his faculties, 
 his foitine, and conAitution, hU 
 been deftroyed, we find him fallen 
 into a liate of the mol) wretched 
 penury, difeafe, and fe!f-condein> 
 nation. Nor can there be a 
 ftronger piifiure of the miferabli 
 condition of a b<?ing thut pinch- 
 ed to repentance by the griping 
 hand of dilVef's, than a letter 
 which, in the decline of life, he 
 wro:e to his much-wronged wife, 
 and which, though too long to be 
 here infcrted, ma) be feen in TLeop. 
 Gibber's Lives of the Poffs, vol. [, 
 p. 89. by which it appears that 
 be found hinifelf deferted even by 
 the very co:npani()ns of his riots, 
 dellitute of the common nrcedaries 
 of life, and in confequence of a 
 courfe of repeated fallhoods, per- 
 juries, and prophancnefs, became 
 an object of general contempt and 
 detella:ion. 
 
 His letter is truly a penitential, 
 and it is to be hoped, a iincereone; 
 yet, from the titles of fome of his 
 later woiks, fuch as. Green's 
 Nrver too tale, in rwo Parts ; 
 G R « E N *s Ftircivil to Folly ; G R E E N 's 
 Groaifivortb of Wit,iiC. he fcems to 
 have chofe to aflume the habit of a 
 penitent, as^^if he wag defircus of 
 bringing himfelf back into the 
 good opinion of the world, by an 
 atknowledgment of thofe faults 
 which had been too openly com- 
 mitted for him to deny, and by the 
 appearance of an intended reform- 
 acion. Wood, in his Faftit vol.1, 
 p. 137. tells us, that our author 
 died in 1 592, of a furfeit gotten 
 by eating too great a quantity of 
 pickled herrings and drinking 
 Khenifh wine with them ; a death 
 which feems in even poetical juf- 
 ticc, to be the proper conclufion 
 for a life fpent as his bad been. 
 At this feail, his friend Thomas 
 
O R 
 
 [ »99 1 
 
 G R 
 
 Na(hi hereaFter mentioned, was 
 likewife prefrnt. His works of 
 different kinds are very numerous, 
 biit i> to his dramatic ones, there 
 are many difficulties that iland in 
 the way of coming, wi»h any de- 
 gree of certainty, at a knowledge 
 ot them. The following are un- 
 doubtedly by him : 
 
 I . Tbe Hijioty of Frytr Bacon and 
 frjer Jiungav. 4to. I 594. 
 
 a. The Hifiory of Oilando FunofOt 
 one of the Kvthe Peers of France. 
 4to. i<;94. 
 
 3. The Com/'cal Hijiory of AU 
 phottfus Ktn^ of Arra^on, 410. I $99. 
 (Oldv&'s MS. Notes on Lang- 
 baine.) 
 
 4. The Scotiijbe Story of fames the 
 Feurthe flaine at Floddon^ intermixed 
 ivil/j a pkafant Ctnudic^ prefenled ly 
 Oleron King if the Fairies. 1 599. 
 Enteied in St^ationers* Hall i^94> 
 
 5. The H'fiory of Johe. N. P. 
 This had been in the pulTefllon of 
 Mr. Warburton. 
 
 He alfo joined with Dr. Lodge, 
 in his comedy, entitled, 
 
 A Loohing-Glafs for London and 
 Eng'and. 
 
 But Win(lanley, befides thefe, has 
 attributed one entire play to him, 
 called, 
 
 Fair Emm, 
 which, however, is printed anony- 
 mons; and ailierts that he was 
 concerned with Dr. Lodge in the 
 compoiition of four other dramatic 
 pieces, called, 
 
 Lady Alimoiy, C. 
 
 La'vis of Nature* C. 
 
 Liberality and Prodigality, C. 
 
 Luminalia, M. 
 But for my opinion in regard to 
 thefe, fee farther io my account of 
 Dr. Lodge. 
 
 Wood alfo tells us, that Mr. 
 Green, hiving reflected on Gabriel 
 Harvey, in feveral of his writings, 
 Harvey, not being able to bear 
 Ui abuics, did inhumaoly trample 
 
 upon him when he lay full low ih 
 hiB grave, even as Achilles infulted 
 the dead body of Hector. 
 
 The following elegant lines are 
 extradled from a pamphlet pub- 
 lifhed by Gabriel Harvey atter 
 Green's death, intituled, '* Foure 
 ** Lttters, and certaine Son« 
 • *' nets: Efpfcially touching Ro' 
 ** bert Greene and other parties 
 " by him abufed. 410. 1592.** 
 
 Rybertus Grenus, utriulqut AcM» 
 dtmia Artium Magfler^ de Stiftjb* 
 
 " Hie ego, cui rifus, rumores, fella, 
 " puellz, 
 *' Vana libellorum fcriptio, vita 
 " fuit : 
 ** Prodigus ut vidi Ver, uEflatem* 
 '* que furoris, 
 '* Autumno, atque Hyemi, cum 
 '■*■ cane dtco vale. 
 ** Jngenii bullnm ; plumam Artisj 
 . " fiftulam am:indi ; 
 " Ecquse non mifero plangac 
 avenatono?" 
 
 Green, Rupert. Ofthisdra" 
 matic infant, we know no more 
 than that he is a Ion of Mr. Valen- 
 tine Green the mezzo-tinto fcraper. 
 He has produced a tragedy, called. 
 
 The ikcrct Plot. I amo. 1777. 
 
 GllEVILLE, biR FuLK, LoR» 
 
 Brook. This riaht honourable 
 author was Ton to Sir FulkGreville, 
 the elder, of Beauchamp Court in 
 Warwickshire, and defcended from 
 the ancient family of the Grevitlfs, 
 who, in,ths reign of Edward HI. 
 were feated at Cambden in Glou* 
 cellerQiire. He was horn in ij); 4, 
 the fame year with his friend Sir 
 Philip Sidney, and received his 
 education at Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge; from whence on his re- 
 moval to court, he foon gre^r 
 highly in favour with queen Eliza- 
 beth, nor continued lefs in the 
 efteem of her fucceffor James I. 
 who at his coronation created hini 
 Knight of the Bath; ia 16^5, 
 O 4 mado 
 
I 
 
 )'<■ 
 
 ! f'H 
 
 ill 
 
 II 
 
 i'fj 
 
 I 
 
 [ aoo 
 
 PR 
 
 made hjm chancellor of tlic Ex- 
 chequer, and in the- feventtenth 
 year of hit reign raifed him to the 
 rank of the peerage, with the title 
 t{ BhTon Brook of Bcauchamp's 
 
 ] 
 
 o u 
 
 air of !ofo!cnce, he recei^jed a (hirp 
 rcliiike Irom his lordfhip, which he 
 immediately rcmrncd by giving 
 him a mortal (lul> in the back, of 
 which wound he died, but whe? 
 
 Court, and one of the g^ntlcmt-n ther inllantly or not, due« not ap 
 of the bed>chamber. He was ~' 
 
 equally eminent for his learning 
 And courage, in both which he 
 greatly diflinguifhed himfelf. and 
 was one of the moll particular in- 
 tiri.ates of the ingenious Sir Philip 
 Si(rney, whofe life prefixed to his 
 celebrated romance the Anudia^ 
 under the name of Philophilippos, 
 was written by this gentleivian. 
 Beiidcs this he wrote a ficatilc of 
 Human Lcainiti^ ; a Treatift oflVars ; 
 9nd an Imjuijiiipn upon Foi\c aiui IL -. 
 mur, all of which arccompofed in 
 ^fjiifiesf or ilanzas of lix lines e;ich, 
 the four firll of which are alter- 
 nate, and the lall two rhyming to 
 each other. His tide to a pluce 
 in this woik, however, is fuuncicd 
 on two dramatic pieces (both tra- 
 cedies) which he wrote, entitled^ 
 
 1. Alaham. T. 
 
 2. Mujlapha, T. 
 Neither of ihefe I believe were 
 
 ever afled, they being written 
 
 pear. The affaffin, however, con- 
 ceiving his own condition to be 
 defperaie, went into anuher room, 
 and having locked the door, fell on 
 his fword. Thus in order to evade 
 the fentenpe of the law, he became 
 himfelf the executioner of julHce, 
 receiving from bis own hand that 
 death which otherwife would have 
 been infli^ed on him by that ot' 
 the common hangman, 
 
 Lord Brook lies buried amnno 
 the reft of his honourable anccl- 
 tors, ill Warwick church, ulider 4 
 monument of black and wh.te 
 marble, on the which he is {(iled, 
 
 Servant to ^ccn ElizahciJjf 
 Vounfdlor to Kh'g yatms, 
 
 and 
 Frltiul to Sir PhiUp Su/ttcy. 
 
 He died without ilTue, having 
 never been married, and thofe ^vh.o 
 are defiroui of reading his charac- 
 ter more at large, may he further 
 
 flriftly after the model of the yn- fatisiied by perufing the account 
 cients, with Chbrufc?, &c. and en- given of him by Fuller, in his Bit- 
 
 tirely unfit for the En'glilh ftage. 
 
 This amiableman of quality loft 
 bis life in a tragical manner on the 
 30th of September in the year 
 1628, being then feventy-four years 
 «f age, by the h^nds of one Hay 
 
 tij/? I'Forthies, (See VVarvyicklhire, 
 p. 127.) 
 
 Griffin, Benjamin. This 
 gentleman was ^n adtor as well as 
 an author. He was the fon of the 
 reverend Mr. Benjamin Griffin, 
 
 wood, who had fpent the groatell redlor of Buxton and OxnSad, in 
 and bell part of his time in his thf county of Norfolk, and chaplain 
 jjerfonal fervice, for which not to the earl of Yarmouih. At the 
 thinking himfelf fufficiently re- laft-mefttioned of thefe two places 
 warded, he expoftulated with his JMr. Griffin was born in 1680, and 
 mailer on it, they two being alone received his education at the free- 
 in his lordlhip's bed-chamber in fchool of North Wallham in th? 
 Brookhpufe in Holboi-n (the fpot faid county, founded by the noble 
 of ground where Brook-llreet now family of the f aftdns. 
 (landb). His remonflrances, how- He was put apprentice to a gla- 
 ever, being probably made with zier at Norwich; but playing being 
 foo much peremptorinefs and an amoreagreeablepuifuittohimthan 
 . " glazing. 
 
O R 
 
 i l^' J 
 
 G R 
 
 glazing, he ran away from his ma* 
 lier, Hnd got initiated among a 
 pack oi Itrolleri who fu-qurnted 
 that city in tlie year 1713, wiih 
 whom, and in other companies, lie 
 arrived at coiiri()erahIe exctlleocc, 
 till in the year 1714, he made 
 one at the opening of the new 
 theatre in Lincoin's-Inn-Fields. 
 Here he gained great ^ppluufe, 
 and eiiablilhed a charaAer to him« 
 feif in the cad of parts which he 
 commonly performed 1 which were 
 ^iKvuys in low comedy, and rooilly 
 in the lelty old men. In fhort, he 
 in a few years became of fo much 
 confcquencc, that the managers of 
 Drury-Lnne, noiwithllanding they 
 had already Norris and Johnfon, 
 wdo were lUll more excellent in 
 the fame way ofplnying, and there- 
 fore could make but little ule of 
 ^Ir. Gr'.fHn at their own houfe, 
 JFoLMid it, neverthelefs, worth their 
 while to buy off his weight againd 
 iheni ill the rival theatre, by en- 
 gaging him at a larger falary than 
 he had hitherto had there ; and, 
 indeed, fo intrinfically great was 
 our author's merit, that though, in 
 Con(eqt)snce of the circumllance 
 abuve-meiitioned, he made his ap- 
 pearance b»t feldom, yet, when- 
 ever he did, it syas condantly with 
 ^pplaufe, nor did the excellence 
 ot the aboye-rmentioned attors by 
 any means eclipfe his, or ieem to 
 abate the- favourable opinion the 
 public had conceived ot him, even 
 >vhen they at any time appeared 
 on the Hage together with him. 
 
 IMr. Chetwood, in his Britijb 
 Theatre^ fays, that Mr. Griffin re- 
 moved to Drury-Lane theatre in 
 1720; but this I think mull be 
 a mi (lake, as we find his comedy 
 QfSVhigand Tory brought on in Lin- 
 Coln's-Inn-Fields that year, which 
 would hardly have been the cale, 
 had the author fo lately quitted that 
 theatre, and joined in an oppofition 
 
 at that time of fo much coBfe^ueacc 
 •gainll them. 
 
 This author died in 1739, being 
 the {oth year ot his agt* and letc 
 behind him Hve dramatic pieces, 
 whofe titlf s are as follows, viz. 
 
 I. Injur' d Virtue, T. lamo* 
 
 1715- 
 a. Lent i« a Sack. F. 12 mo* 
 
 1715. 
 
 3. Humours of Pur gator], F, 
 izrep. 1716. 
 
 4. Mafqueradf. F. 1717. 
 
 5. JV^iigandToty. C. 8vo.t720. 
 Gr iFFiTH, Elizabeth. Thin 
 
 lady is a fuccefsful writer, who 
 hath employed her attention on 
 worlcs of very dilFeient kinds, and 
 generally to the increafe of her re- 
 putation. She is ofaWelfli de< 
 fcent, and bore the fame naine 
 b^rfore ihe married as Ihc hath 
 done fince. Her hulband, Mr. 
 Richard Griffith, who is alfo ait 
 Huthor, is a gentleman of a good 
 family in Ireland. 
 
 The fird performance in which 
 (he didinguimed her talents, was 
 her fiiare in the Letters of Henry 
 and Frances, which contained the 
 genuine correfpondence between 
 her and her hufband before their 
 marriage, and for fome years after. 
 Thefe manufcripts were publilhed 
 at the particular requed of Mar- 
 garet, Ute countefs of Cork, who 
 was one of her friends and confi- 
 dents in this connection, which 
 was at fird kept fecret on account 
 of certain family reafons, as ma/ 
 be gathered from fome of the let- 
 ters. This colledlion has received 
 the approbation of the generality 
 of readers. 
 
 Mrs. Griffith is the author of 
 feveral Novels, and has been en- 
 gaged in a variety of other per- 
 formances. She has alfo writteii 
 the following drnmatrc pieces: 
 
 x.neFlatonickWife, C. 8vo. 
 1765. 
 
G R 
 
 t "* ] 
 
 G R 
 
 ■>>■ f 
 
 
 2. Amttna. D. P. 4to. 176 J. 
 j|. The Double MJiake. C. 8vo. 
 
 count of it might well have been 
 fpared. 
 
 And indeed, the public is fcarcc- 
 
 ]y to be blamed for the ill uTage 
 
 he has received, as they would 
 
 5. A JVtft in the Right. C. 8vo, probably have fuffered this piece 
 
 to have died in obfcurity, with 
 
 1766. 
 
 - 4. The School for Rakes. C. 8vo. 
 
 U69 
 
 17 a- 
 
 6. The Times. C. 8vo. 1779. 
 
 Grimes^ Mr. This author 
 was a fchool-maftcr, and wrote one 
 {inall piece, performed by his pu- 
 pils at Cordwainers Hall. It is 
 called, 
 
 An Opera alluding to the Peace. 
 8vo. 1712. 
 
 Grimston, William, Lord 
 Vi s t o u N T. This nobleman, 
 whofe title tlands in the lill of the 
 Irilh peerage, was father to the 
 prefent lord Grimfton. He was 
 torn about 169?, and in April 
 1719, was creiited baron of Dun- 
 boyne, in the coiintv of Meath in 
 Ireland, and vilcount Griniflon. 
 At the Hge of thirteen years, while 
 at fchool, he wrote a pla\ , which 
 
 many othe'S of equal merit, hud 
 it not been for the malevolence of 
 the late dutchefs of Marlborough, 
 who, in the courfe of an oppofi- 
 tion which (he thought proper to 
 make to this worthy peer, in an 
 eledion for members of par'ia- 
 menr, where his lordihip was a 
 candidate, caufed a large impref- 
 fion of rhis play to be printed off, 
 at her own fole charge, and to be 
 difperfed among the electors, with 
 a frontifpiece, conveying a mod 
 indecent and unmannerly reflec- 
 tion on his lordfliip's underiland- 
 ing, under the allegorical figure 
 of an elephant dancing on the 
 ropes. 
 
 Lord Grimfton reprefented this 
 
 was never a£led, but primed in the conteded borough, which was St. 
 
 year 1705, eiwitled. 
 
 The Lawyer^ i Fortune. Com. 410. 
 It is true, this piece, fo far from 
 having any dramatic inerit in ir, 
 is full of the groilelt abfurdities ; 
 but when the infantine years of 
 its author come to be confidered, 
 and that it might probably be 
 ewing to the p;irtiality of parents 
 in the gratification nf a childiHi 
 vanity, that it wis ever pubiiihed: 
 if it is moreover known, that 
 when, at a marurcr time of life, 
 the author himfelf, on a review of 
 it, became fenfible of its faults, he 
 took the utmod pains to call in 
 the inipreflion, and prevent, if 
 poflible, fo indifferent a perform- 
 ance to lland forth in ev dence 
 agfiinfl even his boyifh abilities, 
 furely a fiill fault, fo amply re- 
 pented, mitjht eafily be forgiven, 
 9nd the afperity with whiih the 
 author has been treated on the ac- 
 
 Albans, in the ^A, 4th, 5th, and 
 7!H parliaments of Great Britain ; 
 and by his behaviour while he con« 
 tinued in the houfe, his condud 
 in a rational and happy retirement 
 after his quitting public affairs, 
 and his prudent oeconomy through 
 life in the management of an 
 ellate, which, though a large one, 
 was, at the time it defcended to 
 him, loaded with the incijmbrance 
 of numerous fortunes and heavy 
 jointures faddk d on it, gave am- 
 ple proof ol the injaft'C'' of the 
 infiiiuations fo artfully thrown out 
 againil him, and fupported folely 
 on this one trivial error of his 
 childhood ; and, it is bot juflice 
 to a valuable charafler, thus at- 
 tempted to be injured, to conclude 
 our account of him with the amia- 
 ble portrait drawn of him by the 
 author of the lives annexed to 
 ff'hincofi Hcandabrg. ** This ro- 
 
 «• blcman," 
 
G R 
 
 [ 2C3 ) 
 
 G W 
 
 ♦« feleman," fays that writer, «• is one of the two nominated by tlie 
 
 "a good hufoand to one of ihe univcrfity of Oxford. On the 25th 
 
 " belt ot wives ; an indulgent fa- June 1604, ^^ ^^' admitted a 
 
 " ther to a hopeiul and numerous candidate of the College of Phy- 
 
 <' offspring; a kind mafler to his flcians of London, at the begia- 
 
 " fervjntst a generous friend, and niiig of 1605 was made phyfi- 
 
 ** an affable and hofpitable neigh- cian of the Tower, and on zz 
 
 «' hour." D'C. in the fame year, was chofea 
 
 He died t^th day of October a fellow of the cuLege. He kept 
 
 1756* his jjrofeflbrfliip at Grefham Col- 
 
 Grove, Joseph. Is hardly in- lege until! Sepr. T607, when he 
 
 titled to a place in this work, be- quitted it prob^ibly on his mar* 
 
 irg only the publilhcr of one of riage 
 
 Shaklpearc*!) plays. He was an 
 at orney, and refidcd at Kichmot;d, 
 where he d ed Murch 27, 1764. 
 He wroie the life of cardinal Wol- 
 fcy, in 4 vols Svo. and ocher 
 works. The pluy he republ.lhed 
 was, 
 
 After leaving Grefham College 
 he continued to pra£tife pbyfic 
 with fiiccefs in London, and was 
 much efteemed both in the city 
 and at court. He died, according 
 to Wood, at his houfe in Old Fifh- 
 
 Strect in 1627, though Dr. Ward 
 IL'/i'y the Eighth. T. 8vo. 1 ■'^S. fays he was livinj? in 1639, wben 
 GwiNNE, Matthi-w. VVas his name appeared in the i'>6flr/H<i- 
 
 cnfxriay printed in that year. 
 " He was," fays Dr. Ward, " a 
 
 the ion oi Edward Gwiiine, who 
 defcended from an ancient family 
 in Wales, but dwelt at London. 
 In tlie year i;74., he was elcded 
 a fcholar of St John's College, in 
 Oxford, where he fock the cegree 
 ef B. A. on the r4th of May 1578, 
 and was afterwards perpetual fel- 
 low ot the college. He had the 
 honour of being appointed mailer 
 
 " man of quick parts, a lively 
 " fancy and poetic genius, had 
 " read much, was we 1 verfed ia 
 " all forts of polite literature, ac- 
 *' curately (killed in the moderu 
 " languages, and much valaed tor 
 '' his knowledge and fuccefs in 
 ♦' the practice of phyfic. But his 
 
 regent in July 15K2, and read the ** Latin llyle wa» formed upon a 
 mufic lefture. When he had taken *' wrong talie, which led him from 
 his degrses in arts, he entered up- "the natural and beautiful fim- 
 on the phyfic line, and priidiled '* piicity of the ancients, into 
 as a phyHcian in and about Ox- " points oi wir, afFefled jingle, 
 ford leveral years. In 1588 he *' and fcraps of fcntences dctach- 
 was appointed junior prodlor of *' ed from old authors; a cullom 
 iht; univerfiry, and on July 17, '* wh ch ..t thai time began to 
 159;, was created dodor of phytic, "prevail bo'h here and abroad, 
 he obtained leave of the college '* And, he fcems to have contraft- 
 
 '* ed thi.- h'imour gradually, as it 
 " grew more in vogue ; for his 
 *' O atio in Uiud<m mvjica^ is not fo 
 '* deeply tinged with jr, as his 
 " Oiatiimes dua^ (poken many 
 " years afterwards in Grefham 
 ♦Cnlege." 
 
 Bi-'fiues leveral other pieces he- 
 
 m 
 
 1595, to attend Sir Henry 
 Unton, embaffador from queen 
 Klizabeth to the Freni <i coun, and 
 continued with him during his ab- 
 fence abroad. 
 
 Upon tne fettlement ot Gre- 
 fham College, he was ch fen the 
 fin! profefFor of plufic about t^e 
 ke^ianing of March 13(^6, being wrote iwu Littin plays, called, 
 
 I. hicro. 
 
O \v 
 
 I ^0+ ] 
 
 .1, ^(To, T. 4to. 1603. 
 ' \ 2. -f^er/timtrti five Annus recur' 
 rtns. 410. 1607. 
 
 GwiNNET, Richard, Efq; of 
 Great Shutdington in Gluuceller-> 
 Ihire. The name of this gentle- 
 maa became more familiar to the 
 public, by means of his acquaint- 
 ance with Mrs. Thomas ihe cele- 
 brated Corlnna, than by any merit 
 ot his own. He was the ion of a 
 Gloucederfhire gentleman, and was 
 feven years at Chriil Church Col- 
 
 G W 
 
 lege, Oxford, under the tuition of 
 Dr. Gaftrell. He afterwards re» 
 fided fome time in the Temple, 
 but did not follow the profeflion 
 of the law, or any other, which 
 feems to have been owing to an 
 infirm conilitution, that was too 
 weak to permit him to refide in 
 Loi:don. He died rsprij 16,1717, 
 having produced one piay, in- 
 titled, 
 
 T/.'C Country Stju'irc; Ot,ACbr>fimai 
 Gamiol. C. Printed in 8vo. 173a. 
 
 ' .,1 ",'■ * i ' " 
 
 •1, •■■ y •-■■ •-■ . 
 . - *• ^ ' -' - - " • ^ 
 
 H. 
 
 .\.'^J% 
 
 m 
 
 H 
 
 HA' 
 
 ABIKOTO.V, WlttfAM. 
 
 Thia gfinileman, who flou- 
 
 fjllicd in the reij^^,n of king 
 Charles I. was born on the 4th 
 of Nov. 160:;, at Handlipin VVor- 
 cefleribire. being of a Roman Ca- 
 tholic family, he was fenc to re» 
 ceive the early parts of his educa- 
 tion at Paris and St. Omers, where 
 he was very earneilly entreated to 
 take on him the habit of a Jefuit. 
 But an ecclefialUcal life being by 
 no means agreeable to his difpo- 
 fition, he refilled all their lolici- 
 tations and returned to England, 
 where, by his own application 
 and the iiillruiSlion of his father 
 Thomas Habington, Efq; he made 
 great proficiency in the ftudy of 
 hillory and other ufetul branches 
 of literature, ami became, accord- 
 ing to the account given of him 
 by Wood in his Athcn. Oxon. a 
 very acci mpalhed gentleman. 
 
 His principal bent was to hif- 
 tory, as is apparent from his writ- 
 ings, among which are fome Oo- 
 J'crvations on Uifiofy^ in j vol. Bvo. 
 
 5 ~. ■■ 
 
 HA 
 
 and a hiftory of Edw, IV. written 
 and publilhed at the defire of king 
 Charles 1. Yet, for tiie amufemcnt 
 of fome leifure hours, he wrote a 
 confiderablc number of little love 
 poem?, publifhed under the title 
 of Cajiara^ and a play, called, 
 
 The ^een of Arragon. Trag, 
 Com. fol. 1640. D, C. 
 which he appears himfelf tohave 
 had a very diffident opinion of; 
 but having (hewed it to Philip earl 
 of Pembroke, that nobleman was 
 fo much pleafed with it, that he 
 caufed it to be afled ac court, and 
 afterwards to be publiihed, though 
 contrary to the author's inclina- 
 tion. Wood acquaints us, that, 
 during the civil war, Mr. Habing- 
 ton (probably for the fake of pre- 
 ferving to himfelf that calm, which 
 is ever moft agreeable to a lludi- 
 ous and fedenraty dilpofition) tem- 
 porized with ihofe in power, and 
 was not unknown to Oliver Crom- 
 well. Yet, it is probable, this 
 temporizing was no more than a 
 mere non-refiilance, as we have no 
 
 accounjc 
 
 _;»i 3a4S.i«tWw-J'*-'i- 
 
n A- 
 
 I 205 1 
 
 li A' 
 
 account of his having been raifed 
 to any kind of preterment dur- 
 ing the protetlor's government. 
 He died rNoveniber 30, 1654, 
 being jult entered into his 50th 
 year. 
 
 Haines, Joseph, (commonly 
 called Count Haines). This 
 gentleman was a very eminent low 
 comedian ami a perfon of great 
 facetioufnefs of temper and rcadi- 
 refsofwit. When, or where, or 
 of what parents he was born, are 
 particulars which the hiflorians of 
 his life are totally filen: about. 
 I: is certain, however, that the 
 earlier parts of his education were 
 communicated to him at the fchool 
 of St. Martin's in the Fields, where 
 he made fo rapid a progrefs as to 
 become the admiration of all who 
 knew him. 
 
 From this place he was fent by 
 the voluntary fubfcription of a 
 number of gentlemen, to whofe 
 notice his quicknefs of parts had 
 iirongly recommended him, to 
 Queen's College, O.^ford, where 
 his learning and great fund of 
 humour gained him the titeem 
 and regard of Sir Jofeph Williana- 
 fon, who was afterwards fecretary 
 ofilate, and miniller picniijoten- 
 tiary at the cocduding the peace 
 of Hyfvvick. When Sir Jofeph was 
 appointed to the tiift of thofe high 
 offices, he took our author as his 
 Latin iecretary. But taciturnity 
 not being one of thofe qualities 
 which Haines was eminent for, 
 Sir Jofeph found that, through his 
 means, affairs of great importance 
 frequently tranfpired even before 
 they came to the knowledge of 
 thofe who were more immediately 
 concerned in them. H« was, 
 therefore, obliged to remove hira 
 from an tmplrtyment for which he 
 feemed (o ill calculated, but re- 
 commended him, however, to one 
 of the heads of the univerftty of 
 
 Cambridge, where he was rtfrj^ 
 kindly received j but a company 
 of comedians coming to perforoj 
 at Stourbridge fair, Mr. HiiineA. 
 took fo fudden an inclination for 
 their employment and wayofliv-* 
 ing, thac he threw away his cap' 
 and band, and immediati:ly joined' 
 their company. 
 
 It was not long, however, he^ 
 fore the reputation of his' thebtri'* 
 cal abilities procured hint' ah in*' 
 vitation to the theatr* royal inf 
 Drury Lane, where his ihimifabto 
 performance on the public lbg<e«' 
 together with his vivacity and' 
 pleafantry in private converfiition,' 
 introduced him not only- to th^ 
 acquaintance, but even the faitil-' 
 liarity of perfons of the moil ex- 
 alted abilities, and of the firft rank' 
 in the kingdom. Infomuch, that' 
 a certain noble duke, being ap»' 
 pointed ambalTador to the Frenck' 
 court, thought it no iifgrace io'. 
 take Joe Haines ivith himi as a> 
 companion, who being, beiid£s hia' 
 knowledge of the dead languages,- 
 as perfect mailer of the French' 
 and Italian, as if he had been a- 
 native of the refpcftive capitals of 
 P.nris and Rome, was greatly ca- 
 rtlled by many of the French no-' 
 bility. 
 
 On his return from France, where 
 he had aifumed the title of count,' 
 he again applied hlmfclr to the 
 flage, on which he continued till 
 1701, on the 4th of April in which 
 year he died of a fever, after a 
 very fhort illnels, at his lodgliYgs 
 in Hart Street, Long- Acre, and' 
 was buried in the church-yard of' 
 St. Paul's, Covent-Garden. 
 
 There is one dramatic plecfe, 
 faid to be his, iniitled, 
 
 Ti-e Fatal Mifiake. T. 4*0,' 
 1692. 
 
 But the compofition of it is fo' 
 very miferable, and fo devoid of 
 ahy marks of that humour and* 
 
 fprightl^neft 
 
H A 
 
 [ ao6 3 
 
 H A 
 
 
 \rm' 
 
 t^ 
 
 a ; it ■ "i 
 
 SM 
 
 m 
 
 fprlghtlinefs which ran through 
 his whole converfation, that fotne 
 of the .writers feem inclinable to 
 acquit him of being tl >? author of 
 it. Yet I know not whether that 
 is quite a fufiicient reafon for To 
 doing, as it is by no means un- 
 common to find, among men of 
 profefled drollery, that the man- 
 ner is much more than the matter; 
 and the table, as Shakfpeare has it, 
 is often fet in a roar, by jokes, 
 which, if repeated without the im- 
 mediate humour of the fpeaker, to 
 accompany them, would fcarcely 
 excite a fmile, unlets of contempt. 
 And it is remarkable of the very 
 perfon we are now treating of, 
 that fome of his prologues and cpi- 
 logueSf which ufed to force thun- 
 der-claps of applaufe from the au- 
 dience when fpoken by himfclf, 
 and according to his own concejj- 
 tions in the writing of them, ap- 
 pear but flat and intipid when we 
 come to read them in the ciufet. 
 I do not mean this, however, in 
 any degree to depreciate Mr. 
 Haines's merit. That he poflefltd 
 a great fhare of genuine wit, I do 
 not in the leaft queilioi) ; and al- 
 though every jeii book will furnifli 
 numbers ot droll turns of humour, 
 which are faid to have come fioni 
 him, I think I cannot better dole 
 this account of him, than by the 
 repetition of one undoubtedly au- 
 thentic Bon Mot of his, handed 
 down to us by his contemporary 
 Colley Gibber, who, in H'i Apo- 
 lopy, relates this Itory. ** Joe 
 ♦* Haines," fays he, *' being alked 
 *' what could tranfport Collier in- 
 *• to fo blind a zeal for the genc- 
 ** ral fuppreffion of the ftage, when 
 " only (bme particular authors h^d 
 ** abufed it, whereas the ftage, he 
 " could not but know, was gene- 
 •* i-ally allowcJ, ivhen rightly con- 
 «* dufted, to be a deli^tful me- 
 ** thod of mending our morals V 
 
 '* For that very reafon^ replied 
 Halnei^ ** Collier is by prqfijjinn a 
 •* innrdl-tncnAir himfflf^ and two of 
 '• a trade ^ you knvM^ can never 
 *• a^rec!* 
 
 Hamiltov,Newbur«h. This 
 gentleman lived in the family of 
 duke Hamilton, and was probably 
 related to his grace. He wrote two 
 dramatic pieces> ent'' "d, 
 
 1. Doatiiig Lovers. Com. 1 2 mo* 
 1715. 
 
 2, Petticoat Plot . f urce. I amo. 
 1720. 
 
 Ndiher of ihefe pieces met w^tii 
 fuccefs. The firft of them, how- 
 ever, was ftipporfcd through three 
 performances, for the fake of the 
 author's benefit, whofe intereft 
 was fo flrong, and hi< acquaint- 
 ance [0 extenlive, that he was en- 
 abled to lay the pit and boxes to- 
 gether, at the advanced price of 
 fix Ihiliings for each ticket. 
 
 Hammond, William. Tnis 
 wiitfr is mentioned no where but 
 in the Briiiih theatre, where he 13 
 faid to buve been a young gentle- 
 man in the army, and to hav: 
 written a dramatic piece of one 
 a€t, entitled. 
 
 Preceptor. Ball. Opera. 1740. 
 
 Haroham, John. This au- 
 thor, when living, was well known 
 among pcrfons of genius and talle. 
 He was born at Chicheller,and bred 
 a lapidary or diamond-cutter; but 
 afterwards became more eminent 
 in another profeflion, being at the 
 time of his death pofTelfed of the 
 grcateft fnuif trade in or about this 
 metropolis. His fhop was at the 
 Red Lion, near Fleet-market, in 
 Fleet-itreet. Befides this, he had 
 for fome years been principal num- 
 berer to the theatre royal in Drury- 
 Lane. What Mr. Hardbam's ad* 
 vantages from education were, I ne- 
 ver could learn, but, by the dint of 
 ftrongnatural parts, and good breed- 
 ing, he rendered hivfeif agree- 
 able 
 
 H 
 
H A 
 
 C 207 1 
 
 H A 
 
 )in. 120)0* 
 
 rce. i2ino. 
 
 able to numbers of the mod confi- 
 (jerable wits and critics of the age, 
 and even himfdf made one at- 
 tempt ill the dramatic way, which, 
 although, I beliere, it was not 
 even intended for the rtage, is in 
 print, and is far from being devoid 
 of genius or poetical imagination. 
 It is entitled, 
 
 'The Fortune Tellers, Com. 
 
 Mr. Hard ham, however, was at 
 once a patron and preceptor to 
 many of our candidates for hiftri- 
 onic laurels. He was therefore 
 feldom without embryo RicbarJi 
 and Hotfpurs llrutting and bellow- 
 inff in his dining-room, or the 
 parlour behind his Ihop. The 
 latter of thcfe apartments was 
 adorned with heads of moil of the 
 perfons celebrated for dramatic ex- 
 cellence, and to thefe he frequent- 
 ly referred in the courfe of his 
 inftruftions. 
 
 There is one circum^ance, how- 
 ever, in his private charafter, which 
 deferves a more honourable refcue 
 from oblivion. His charity was 
 extenfive in an uncommon degree, 
 and was conveyed 10 many of its 
 cbjci^s in the molt delicate man- 
 ner. On account of his known 
 inteority (for he once failed in 
 bufinLis more cieditab'iy than he 
 could have made a fortune by it), 
 he WIS often intruded with the 
 care of paying little annual impends 
 to unfortunate women, and others 
 who were equally in want of relief; 
 and he has been known, with a 
 generofity almoft unexampled, to 
 continue thefe annuities, long after 
 the fources ef them had been Itop- 
 ped by the deaths or caprices of 
 the perfon* who at firii fupplied 
 them. At th<^ fame time he per- 
 fuaded the receivers that their 
 money was remitted to him as 
 Vfual through its former channel. 
 Indeed his parfe was never (hut 
 
 'a 
 
 even to thofe who were cafual* 
 ly recommended by his common 
 acquaintance. He died in Sep- 
 tember, 1772, and by his will be^ 
 qucaihed the. intereit of upwards 
 • of twenty-two thcufand pounds m 
 the 3 per Cents, to a female, wboj 
 after the death of his wife, had 
 gained but too llrong an afcen- 
 dency over him ; and at her de- 
 ceafe the principal, &c. to the poor 
 of his niirive city. Thefe parti- 
 culars which reflcil fuch honour 
 on Mr. Hardham's memory, de- 
 ferve to be as generally known at 
 his popular fort of fnufF entitled 
 37, a combination of figures which, 
 in the public opinion, continues 
 to Hand at leafl as high as the po- 
 litical numher 4^. 
 
 Harding, Samuel. Was the 
 fon of Rcberr Harding, of Iplvvichi 
 ill Suffolk. He was born in the 
 year 16:8, and, as Wood iays, IjC- 
 came a fojoumer of Exe'^r Col- 
 lege, Oxford, in the year it».-4* 
 where, in 1638, he took one de- 
 gree in arts. He afterwards be- 
 came chaplain to a nobleman, and 
 about the beginnin;^, or in the 
 heat of the civil war, died; having 
 written one piny, called, 
 
 Sialy ami Napln ; or, T/je Fatal 
 Vninn. T. 4:0. !6|.0. 
 
 Harris, Josl-.ph. This perfon 
 was a comedian, but of no great re- 
 puta'ion in hie profelfi,)n. Yet, as 
 Jacob informs uf, by the aflillarce 
 of his friends, he aimed at b'.'ng 
 an author, and produocd th'; four 
 following dramatic pieces, all of 
 which feem to have mif i: ried in 
 the reprefentation, viz 
 
 1. The Mjfiakes, T. C. 410. 
 1691. 
 
 2. T}.ie City h'lde. C. 410. 1696. 
 
 3. I.ovc's a Lottery, and a Wcmam 
 the Prize. C. 4 to. 1699. 
 
 4. Love a»d RiJjti retondled, M* 
 4to. i:;99. 
 
 HaRRIS|. 
 
'i^^^>, 
 
 k A 
 
 t iog i 
 
 tt A 
 
 l| Mil 
 
 ']' Harris, James. A living 
 Writer, and author of thofe three 
 YilUable works, entitled, (i.) TAree 
 Treat ifes ; i^. Cencernitt^ Art', ad. 
 Muji(\ Paintings and Poetry ; and 
 «d. Happhiifs. (2.) Hermes, A 
 rhilofnphicttl inquiry concerning Uni- 
 n'eifal Grammar. (3,) Philojopljical 
 Arrangements, He \vas one of thi 
 fons of a gentleman of the fame 
 names by lady Elizabeth his wife, 
 third dauehter of Anthony fecond 
 earl of Shaftelbury, and fiAer to 
 the celebrated author of The Cha- 
 raAcrifiics. He was born in the 
 Clofe of Sarum, and educated un- 
 der the Rev. Mr. HclC; mall'..r of 
 the public Grammar-fchooi there. 
 From thence he went, in f^xd, to 
 Wadham College in Oxford, but 
 did not receive any degree. We 
 do not find that he ever took any 
 aflive part in public life j yet, on 
 the i6th of April, 1765, he v/as 
 appointed to a feat on die treafut <^ 
 bench, wliich he continued in poi'- 
 feiBon of until July 12, 1765. He 
 is the author of one fmall piece, 
 called, ., ^ 
 
 Ihc Spring, P. 4(0. 1762, * 
 
 Harrison, vWaLiAM. This 
 author was was a TT<an of mean 
 employment, being hy trade no 
 other than a patten-nKiker. Yet 
 he was elleemed to be inader of 
 excellent natural parts. He wrote 
 one play, whicli, though it was 
 never aded, probably from want 
 uf intereft, is far hom being devoid 
 of merit ; it is eniitled. 
 
 The Pilgrims. D. E. 4tO. 1761. 
 
 Harrison, Thomas. Anau- 
 thor known only from having pub- 
 linicd one drama, entitled, 
 
 , Beltejha%zar ; or, The Heroic 
 y«u. D. p. lamo. 1727. 
 
 Harper, Samuel. An author 
 DOW unknown. He publidied one 
 play, called, 
 
 The Mock Pbilcfnphfv, C." i zmo; 
 
 Harrod, W. This writer W44 
 a Kentilh man, boin in the town 
 wh'.ch he has celebrated in a De- 
 fcriptive Poem, called, 
 
 Hivenoke, .410. 1753. 
 He likewife wrote oi,e play, viz. 
 
 The Patriot. T. ?vo. 1769. 
 
 Hart, Mr. A Scotch gentle- 
 man, who has prod'iccd one play 
 adted at EJii>.burgh, c;>lledj 
 
 Herm'nius and k.Jp,ijia, T. Svo, 
 
 I75+. 
 
 Hartson, Hall, A gentle 
 man of whom very lew p:iriiculars 
 are known, at leait in this king- 
 dom. He was a native of Ireland } 
 and, if our intormatioQ is '.ot er- 
 roneous, was brought up at the 
 liRJvejfity of Dublin in ihe lowelt 
 r r.l: of ftudents. He was patro- 
 nii-";U ho»^2ver, by t'c celebrated 
 Dr. Lsland, who is fuppofed to 
 have fiff. i':*ed Jiim materia] aflill- 
 unce in rhe only dramatic piece 
 iie has written, He quitted his 
 country in the charadler of tutor 
 to a young perfon of fortune, with 
 whom he refided in London, and 
 its environs, for a few years. He 
 died (I think in town) in March, 
 2773, not long after the publicar 
 tion of his Poem, entitled, Tonih. 
 
 He wrote The Countej's of i>al:f- 
 bury, which is founded, on fome 
 incidents in I)r« Lelnnd's novel of 
 LoHgfword, Earl of Salljluiy, and 
 was Aril afted with fuccefs at Mn 
 Foote's ^lay-houfe in the Hay- 
 Market, and afterwards at the 
 theatre royal in Drury-Lane. It 
 was publilbed in Svo. 1767. 
 
 HaT cHET, William. This 
 author was a performer on the 
 ftage, though he feems never to 
 have arifen to much eminence in 
 that profeflion. He a£ted a part 
 in his fin} p'^y, as did Mrs. Hay- 
 wood^ with whom he lived upoi^ 
 terms of friendihip, ail(| joine<i 
 with her in converting Fielding's 
 Tern Thumb into an opera. Be- 
 
 fide* 
 
k A 
 
 i io^ ] 
 
 ri A 
 
 ,e play, viz. 
 ,'0. 1769. 
 ;otch genile- 
 ;cd one play 
 
 Jia, T. Svo, 
 
 ., A gentk 
 :w p:irticu!ats 
 in tills king- 
 ve of Ireland ; 
 tja is '.ot er- 
 it up ac the 
 in ihe lowelt 
 rtt was pairo- 
 ['iic celebrated 
 . fuppofed to 
 naterial affift- 
 ramatic piece 
 le quitted bis 
 after of tutor 
 f fortune, with 
 London* and 
 w years. He 
 n) in March, 
 the publica- 
 iniitled, Tputh. 
 vinlej's oj b'aljf' 
 dcd, on fome 
 and's novel of 
 Salijlwy, and 
 fuccefs at Mr^ 
 in the Hay- 
 A'ards at thtf 
 ury-Lane. It 
 ). 1767. 
 .LiAM. This 
 brmer on the 
 ;ems never to 
 eminence in 
 a fled a part 
 id Mrs. Hejr- 
 he lircd upon 
 aA^ joined, 
 ing Fielding** 
 a. opera. Be* 
 fidei 
 
 titi tliil, he vfM this adtfiof 6f, 
 
 1. Tbe Rival Father', oi*, Tte 
 D;athif JthlHtts, T. 8v6. Xfio. 
 
 2 . ihe Chmfc Orphan, T. HV-o; 
 N.t). 1:1741.3 .^ 
 
 H AT H 'V A y , -^'-. This' auihof 
 Is only jntfnuciied by Msrci Ai 
 one of die rfi;tr,iatic rt'rltfcVs « f th'^ 
 times. His waiksarc entli<?l;i- yn- 
 
 Havard, William. 'i itis 
 gentlenran ^*>^i a'ri adoi* bfcloiiging 
 to the tlieaifd rd'yafl in l!)rury-Lane. 
 Ke was tH<! (on of a vintnftr id 
 Dublin, a"nd fervid KJs i\t\t &s .p- 
 puntict- (cv a fcrrge'On; Ivjt, having 
 an early iiicl'iriiinnn ftjl- ti<ie llage, 
 he ijiihtfd the proc'ton he was 
 intended for, iind engaired himfelf 
 finl at the theatre in Gobdman's- 
 Ficlds, from whence he re'moved 
 to the theatres royal, in both 
 ff^hich he at diflVrent times has 
 been /cCcived. Ai ah aflor, he 
 ifood in Very good eftiriiatibri with 
 the public. His perJbfi was coiAely 
 arid gcnffeer, his vdicd cTear and 
 articalate, and his critical judg- 
 nient, and perfect underftanding 
 of the ibeaiiing of* his author, 
 ffiorie forth con^rcuouffy in every 
 part he pftrforhied. He did not 
 want fteKng, but, from a degred 
 of monotony, which feemed na- 
 tural to his voice, he fotnetimes 
 fell ftiort with refpeft to err-paff- 
 fiOned execution. . ]A6 w^«. How- 
 ever, always decent, fenftbld, and 
 ppffefl, and sfcquir^d' an rafe in 
 his danncr and aepbrttnent, which 
 it is unconimon to tn^e^ with, and 
 which Kfhdered him, if^ riot a ca- 
 pital, at Icaft a very ufefn', per- 
 fortner; and if, on any dccafion, 
 necefllty at accidsrit threw him 
 into pa'rifi whi<ih might appeal 
 above th«< rank of cHaradtcrs 
 which he ufuaily filled, he cori- 
 fiahtly made wa/ through them 
 with lefs difgtirt than foine per- 
 formers wtfuld hfaVf donf, Who, 
 Vol. I. 
 
 witH greafer particular bc'autiejl 
 intermihgle'd' an cqua[ number of 
 glaring deformities 
 
 hi an author, Mr. Havard llood 
 nearly in the fame predicaimcnc 
 that lie did as an aftor j for, thougli 
 mnch inferior to our firll-rate dra- 
 matids, he was at ihe fame tim^ 
 as gi'eatly fuperior to many, whof^ 
 pieces have even met v*ith fucc«fs. 
 Gpod-fenfe, correftnefs, an4 fenfi- 
 bility, ran through his writings; 
 and tKbugh he did not aOonifli ut 
 with thelublime flaihes of a Shale- 
 fpearie, or touch bur hearti wit^ 
 the tende'r ft^nfrttions of an Otway, 
 yet he neither iUrted out into the 
 puerile bombaft of a Banks, nor 
 funk into the infeii/lble profaicajl 
 coldnefs of a Trapp. In a word, 
 the fenfible lelTon of the medio /*- 
 tijimis ibisi feemed to be the rule 
 of Mr. Havard^ conduct both on 
 the llage and in the Itudy, and^ 
 indeed, He appeared to have fuiTt- 
 ciently availed himfelf of aiii adhe- 
 rence' to this maxim; the fiienC 
 attention conltantly paid to hi» 
 performance in the theatre avouch- 
 ing the truth of it on the one hand, 
 and the fuccefs his dramatic pieces, 
 efpccially one of them, met: with oA 
 their reprefentation, evincing it oii 
 the other. The names of his plays, 
 which are four in number, are as 
 follow, 
 
 I. 
 
 2. 
 Svo. 1737. 
 
 3. lie§ulus. T. 8vo. 1744. 
 
 4. The Elopement. F. 1763. N.P*. 
 Mr. Havard was moreover in 
 
 his private charafler extremely 
 ^jrittiable, being polite, humaire, and 
 friendly. In a word, he was ge- 
 nerally eHeemed and beloved by 
 all who knew him. He cr/ntinued 
 cii the ftage until the year 1769, 
 when finding the infirniities of 
 age increafing, he took leave of 
 the tlieatre in form, in an epilogue 
 P written 
 
 Scanderhg. T. Svo. 1733,^ 
 King Charles the Fi'Ji. H. T. 
 
H A 
 
 [ "i 1 
 
 H A 
 
 I i; 
 
 .! ,|5,V 
 
 
 written And fpoken by himrelf, af- 
 ter the play of Zara, in which 
 Mr. Garrick a^eJ foi- his benefit, 
 lie retired firll to Idington, but 
 being there not fo near his friends 
 as he wilhed, he returned to the 
 lodgings he had formerly occupied 
 in Tavjftock-Street, where after a 
 lingering illnefs he died the 20th 
 of February 1778, at the age of 
 68 years. 
 
 Hausted, Peter. This gen- 
 tleman was born at Oundle in 
 Northamptonfliire, towards the be- 
 ginning of the reign of Kinj; James 
 the firft. He received his educa- 
 tion in Queen's College, Cam- 
 bridge, where, after pnfling through 
 the proper exercifes, he took his 
 degree ns mailer of ai\s; and, after 
 quirting the univerfjty, entering 
 into holy orders, he became, firil, 
 curate of Uppingham in Rutland- 
 fliire, and fome time afterwards 
 n&or of Hadham in Hertford (hire. 
 In 1 64 1, he had a degree of dodor 
 of divinity conferred on him. 
 
 On the breaking out of the civil 
 wars, he was made chaplain to 
 Spencer earl of Northampton, 10 
 whom he adhered in all his en- 
 gagements for the royal interel>, 
 and was with him in the caftle of 
 Banbary in Oxlbrdlhire at the very 
 tltnc it made fa vigorous a defence 
 againit rhe parliamenr's force-. In 
 that cajile, as Wood, in his F.t,^/, 
 informs os, Mr, Hauded con- 
 cluded his lait moments in the year 
 164:;, and was buried within the 
 precindls of it, or elfe in the church 
 belonging to Banbury. 
 
 Both Langbaine and Wood give 
 this author the chiJrafter cf a very 
 ingenious man and a good poet ; 
 all the teftinionials we have' extent 
 of the latter charafter are a ti'anf- 
 ' lation of rhcrius's H^'pmr/s Tabac't, 
 and two drarnatic pTtces, ihe fnil 
 of which, it is pretty apparent from 
 the very title- png-, met vvi:h but 
 
 indifferent fuccefs. They are en* 
 titled, 
 
 1. The Rival Friem/j, C. 410, 
 163a. 
 
 2. Senile Odium. C. 12 mo. 16331 
 Hawker, Essex. This au- 
 thor was a performer at the thea> 
 tr« inLincoln's-Inn-Fields ; where 
 he produced one piece, called, 
 
 The PfeMng. T.C.i^.F.O, 8vo. 
 
 Hawkins, William. Thij 
 gentleman is fon to the celebrated 
 ferjeant Hawkins, whofc excellent 
 trcatife on the crown law is in 
 great eflimation among the pro^ 
 feflbrs of that branch of jarifprj. 
 dence. He is yet living, and re- 
 ceived his education at the univer- 
 fity of Oxford, where he wab fome 
 time fellow of Pembroke College, 
 and took the degree of mailer of 
 arts April 10, 1744 On there- 
 fignation of the poetry profefTor- 
 fliip by Dr. Lowth, he fuccceded 
 him June 6, 1751. Befides his 
 dramatic works, he is the author 
 of feveral other performances, par- 
 ticularly 3 vols, of mifcellaniet 
 8vo. 1758, a tranllation of part of 
 yir^ily and fome fermons. He 1% 
 at prefent rcdtor of Little Cafler- 
 ton in Rutlandfhirc, and hath 
 written the thne following plays, 
 
 1 . Hcmy and Rvjavijitd. T. 8vo. 
 17.19. 
 
 2. The Siege of Aleppo, T. 8vo, 
 1758. 
 
 3. Cymleline. T. 8vo. 1759. 
 
 The laft of thefe is only an al- 
 teration of a tragedy of the im- 
 mortal Shakfpeare; in which in^ 
 deed it were to be wifhed that hi. 
 had either fixed on the ftory only, 
 and made the conduiSt and lan- 
 guage of it entirely his own, or 
 elfe that he had taken fomewhat 
 lefs liberty with his original, fince, 
 a3 it now ftands, there appears toe 
 great a dillimilarity between the 
 difFerent parts of it, to render it 
 
 pcrfeiitly 
 
U A 
 
 [ ill 1 
 
 H A 
 
 perfeftly pTeaftng, either as the 
 work of Shakfpcare or of Mr. 
 Hawkins. 
 
 The other piects, which may 
 more properly be called his own^ 
 are far from wanting rni;rir. 
 
 HAWicr>f8, WitLiAM. An ad- 
 ihor of the lalt century, who was 
 mailer of Hadlcigh fchool, and 
 while in that capacity wrote for the 
 kifeof his fcholars one piece, called, 
 
 Apollo Jhroviti^. 1 2 mo. 1626. 
 
 He alio pviblidied, " Corolla 
 " varia contexta per Guil. Hau- 
 " kinum fcholarcham Hadlcia- 
 " num in agro Suffolcienci. Can- 
 " tabr. ap. Tho» Buck." 1634. 
 i:mo. 
 
 Hawling, Francis. Of this 
 author's dramatic works no fpeci' 
 men remains, nor have we been 
 able to colledl any circumftances 
 concerning him. In the year 1751 
 he publifhed the firft part of " A 
 " Mifcellany of Original Poems," 
 and in the preface mentioned an 
 intention of producing another 
 cnlleftion, in which were to be 
 cbntained, 
 
 1. Scvfrjteen Huntfred antt Ttjenty; 
 or, T/je H/Ji:iric, Satiric , Tnij^i-Comic 
 Humowi of Jixcbd'jgc- Alley, 1723. 
 
 2. 'Th Indian Emperor ; or, The 
 Couqufji of Peru by the S^paniardi. T. 
 1728. 
 
 This propofcd publication we 
 believe never appeared. 
 
 In iVfercs's Catalogue, 1726, two 
 other pieces by him are m;ntion- 
 ed, viz. 
 
 3. The Impertinent Lo^^Fr.u C, 
 
 4. It fijotttd have vome fooner. F. 
 Hayks, Samuef.. In con* 
 
 junftioii \Vith Robert Carr, wrote 
 cne piece, called, 
 
 Eugenia. T. 8vo. 1766. 
 
 Haw'KES WORTH, Jon N.LL.D. 
 
 This gentleman was born about the 
 ywr 1715. He originally was 
 brought up to a mecnanical profef- 
 i"on,aiid,it wearenotmifinformed, 
 
 that of a watch-maker. He was 
 likewifeof ttie left gf prelbyterians, 
 and a memberof thecelebratedTom 
 Bradbury's meeting, from which 
 he was expelled for fome irregu- 
 larities. He iifterwards devoted 
 llis attention to literature, and be- 
 came an author of considerable 
 eminence. In the early part of 
 his life, his circumrtances were ra- 
 ther confined. He refided fomu 
 time at Bromley, in Kent, where 
 his wife kept a boarding-fchool, 
 which they relinqui/hed in order 
 to accommodate two women of 
 fortune who came to relide with 
 tliem. He afterwards became 
 known to a lady who had gre^t 
 property and intereft in the Eaft- 
 India company, and through her 
 means was chofen a diredor of 
 that body. When the defign of 
 compiling a narrative of the dif- 
 coveries in the South-Seas was 
 fuggelled, he was recommended as 
 a proper perfon to be employed oa 
 the occaiion. This taflc he exe- 
 cuted, and is faid to have received 
 for it the enormous fum of 6000/. 
 His work, though written with 
 elegance, whether through want of 
 accuracy in the narrative, or from 
 fame notions which were propagat- 
 ed in it of an heterodox caft, or on 
 account of particular occurrences 
 too luxuriantly defcribed, did not 
 attbfd that complete fatisfidlion 
 that was expected from it. In 
 confequence of his fituation as an 
 Ealt-lndia direi'lor, and of his con- 
 nexion with the admiralty while 
 writing the above work, it has 
 been fuggeftcd that he injured his 
 health by too freely indulging in 
 tht pleaiures of the table, which 
 brought on a fever, of which he 
 died at a friend's houfe in Lime- 
 ftreet, Nov. 17, 1773. He is the ' 
 author of, 
 
 I. Atupl-ytryon, C. altered, 8vo, 
 
 17^6. 
 
 i' a i.Orootioh, 
 
^ £ 
 
 t »'^ ] 
 
 U B 
 
 T^V 
 
 i. Ononokt, T< aJtered, 8vs. 
 1760. 
 
 3. Etfgar and Emmtlitu, F. T. 
 &V0. 176^1. 
 
 He alfo wrote, 
 
 Zimri. O. 4to. 1760. 
 
 H^ZARD, Joseph. This gen' 
 tleman is fori oi u perfon whofe 
 name is knuwa, over thegreateft 
 J^art of the kingdom, a^ one of the 
 I'avourite retailers of chances in 
 our lUte>lotteries. He was lately 
 of Lincoln College, in Oxford, 
 and, when a mere boy, produced 
 cn(e drama, intituled, 
 
 RfjIo^Mald. M. Printed by fub- 
 fcriptioQ at Chelmsford, iztao, 
 1.767. 
 
 H£A.D, RicHARDt This au- 
 thor was the Ton of a minifter ia 
 Ireland, who, being murdered, 
 aiuong many thoufands mure, in 
 the dreadful maiTacre in that king- 
 dom ia 1641, Mr5. Head, with 
 this fan, then but young, came 
 over to England, where, havings 
 been trained up in learning, he 
 was fent, through the friendihtp of 
 fome perfons who had had a regard 
 fur his father, to Oxford, and com- 
 pjeated his ftudies in the very fame 
 college that his father had former- 
 ly, be longed to. His circumnan<.es, 
 however, being mean, he was taken 
 a>vay from the univerfity before he 
 ' had got any degree, and was bound 
 apprentice to a bookfeller, and 
 when out of his time married, and 
 fet up for himfelf ; but, having a 
 ftrong propenfity to two pernicious 
 paiSons, viz. poetry and gaming, 
 the one of which is for the molt 
 part unprofitable, and the other al- 
 moH always deflrufiive, he quickly 
 ruined his circumftanceF, and was 
 obliged to retire for a time to IrC" 
 land. Here he wrote his only 
 dramatic piece, which was entitled, 
 
 Hk isf ubique. C. 410. 1 663. 
 By this piece h<, acquired very 
 great reputation iind fome money; 
 
 on which he returned to Englnji, 
 reprinted his romedy, and dtdi* 
 cated it to the duke of Moanouth ;, 
 but, noctting with no eacouragt- 
 ment, he once mere had rccour(» 
 to his trade of booktclling, But^ 
 no fooner had he a little recovered 
 himfelf, than he again lent an ear 
 to the fyren allurements of ple&- 
 fure and poetry, in the latter of 
 which he ieems never to have-ma<ie 
 any gre.it proficiency. He failed a 
 fecond time in the world ', on 
 which he had again recourfe tu hit 
 pen for fupport, and v. rote feveral 
 different pieces, particularly the 
 iirll pan of the Kngl{/h Jiogue^ in 
 which, however, he had given fcope. 
 to fo much licentioufncis, that he 
 could not get an imprimatur granted 
 to it, till he had expunged fome of 
 the mod lufcious dcrcriotions out 
 of ir« To this lirft part three more 
 were afterwards added by Air. 
 Head,, in conjunAion with Mr. 
 Francis Kirkman, who had alfo 
 been hit partner in trnHe. 
 
 The buiinefs of an author, how- 
 ever, and its emoluments, being 
 very precarious, it appears from 
 Windanley, who was perlonally 
 acquainted with him, that he after- 
 wards met with a great many 
 crofles and afHiclions, and was at 
 lafl cail away at fea as he was go- 
 ing to the ifle of Wight, in the 
 year 1678. 
 
 Heard, Williami Js the 
 Ton of a bookfeller who lived in 
 Piccadilly, and has written one 
 piece, called, 
 
 7/je S)iuff-Box ', or, A Trip to 
 Bath, C. 8vo. 1775. 
 
 H£MiNcs, William, This 
 gentleman was fon^ of John Hem> 
 ings, the famous player, who was 
 contemporaiywithShakfpeare,and 
 whofe name we find, together 
 with thofe of Burbage, Condel, 
 Taylor, iic, before the folio edi- 
 tion of that author's works. He 
 
 m'i 
 
Ik E 
 
 t "3 ] 
 
 tt t 
 
 or's works. He 
 
 WH t>ern at London, aliout tlie 
 beginning of the rvign of James I. 
 and receired his education at Chrtft 
 Church College in Oxford, where 
 he was entered at a dudent in the 
 year 1621, and in 1628 took his 
 degree of Mai>er of Arts. During 
 the time of the troubles he wrote 
 (bine dramatic pieces, which were 
 at that time rery well efteemed, 
 ind after the Redoration were re- 
 vired with great fuccefs. Their 
 titles are at follow : 
 
 1. The Fatal ContraR, T. 410. 
 
 1653. 
 
 2. The Jew* s Tragedy, 4to.i662. 
 
 3. The Eunuch. T. 410. 1687. 
 (N. B. This is only the title by 
 which the firft-mentioned play was 
 revived in the year 1687,) 
 
 HE^JOERso^f, Andrew. A 
 Scotchman, who formerly kept a 
 bookfeiler's (hop in Weftminfter- 
 Hall. In the title>pages of his 
 performances, which are very nu- 
 merous, he ftyles himfelf A. M. 
 He hath published one dramatic 
 piece, called, 
 
 Arfinoe. T. 8vo. 1752. 
 
 Herbert, Mary, Countess 
 OF PEMBRoifE. This noblc fe- 
 male author was wife of Henry 
 earl of Pembroke, and lived in the 
 reigns of queen Elizabeth and 
 king James I. She was alfo the 
 filler of the famous Sir Philip Sid- 
 ney, to whom that great genius 
 dedicated his well-known ro- 
 mance called the Arcadia^ and 
 from whom it has been almoft 
 conftantly named the Countefs of 
 Fembioke's Arcadia. This cir- 
 cumitance was of itfelf fufjjcicnt 
 to have entailed immortality on 
 her memory ; but her merits ilood 
 in need of no derived honour, 
 being in themfelves entitled to 
 the higheft praife and commenda- 
 tion. She was not only a lover of 
 the Mules, but alfo a great cn- 
 coura»?r of polite literature; a 
 
 quality not very frequently inet 
 with amon^ the fair. And, not 
 contented with affbrding her fane- 
 tion to ihofe talents in others, fhe 
 was careful to cultivate them, and 
 fet an example of the ufe of them in 
 her own perfon. In the dramatic 
 way, on which account Oie is en- 
 titled to a place here, (he tranflated 
 one piece from the French, called, 
 
 Antmius, T. 13 mo. 150$. 
 Coxetcr Cava, that, with tne aijift- 
 ance of ner lord t chaplain. Dr. 
 Gervafe Babiogton, afterwards bi- 
 fhop of Eiceter, fhe made an etaA 
 tranflation of the Pjklms iff David 
 into Englilh metre. He, however, 
 makes a query as to their being 
 ever printed ; but Wood (Athin, 
 Oxon. vol, I. p. 194.) afcribctfuch 
 a tranflation to her brother Sir 
 Philip Sidney, and informs us that 
 it is in MS. in the library of the 
 earl of Pembroke at Wilton, curi- 
 oufly bound in a crimfon velvet 
 cover, left thereto by tbii }ady, 
 
 Some Pfalms by her are, how- 
 ever, printed in Mr. Harrington's 
 Nuga Antiqutt^ 3 vols, ixmo.iyyp^ 
 
 In what year fhe was born, I 
 have not been able to trace ; but 
 fhe was married in ii;76. She died 
 at her houfe in Atderfgate-flreet, 
 London, Sept. 25, 162 1, and lies 
 buried in the cathedral church of 
 Salifbury, among the graves of the 
 Pembroke family. 
 
 I cannot clofe my account of 
 this moft excellent lady, better 
 than by tranfcribing the character 
 given of her by Francis Qlborn, ia 
 his Memoir s of the Riigv of King 
 JaTi\es^ Paragraph 24. 
 
 *' She was (fays he) that fifter of 
 " Sir Philip Sicfney, to whom he 
 •* addrefTed his Arcadia^ and of 
 " whom he had no other advan- 
 •' tagc than what he received fioni 
 •■ the partial benevolence ol" for- 
 *' tune in making him a man j 
 ^' which yet Ihe did, in fome judg? 
 
 I* 3 ' ** we»i*» 
 
H B 
 
 C.^H ] 
 
 H E 
 
 I , 
 
 '(. 
 
 ^1 i\ 
 
 ," mcnt?, recompenfe in beauty, hnd Aniflied hU ruin, lie pro. 
 " licr pen being nothing (hoi t of i'cflts hinifcit' alfo on ihe point of 
 .*' hifl, >s I am ready to attell, To far leaving the kingdom with a refo. 
 *' at To inferior n reafon may be lution cf never returning, unlcfi 
 *' tulcen, having fcen incomp-truble fortune put it in hit power to pur- 
 " letters of hers. But, Icll 1 fhc;uld chafe und live retired. 
 
 He Y LI N, Pktkk , This author i« 
 bc'.t^r known for hi* poli mical than 
 poetical wcrks. He was horn atliur- 
 ford, in Oxfordfhire, on the j9thof 
 NovenilKT, i59(j, and received hii 
 education at the frec-fchool of the 
 fjiiie tcvvn. At the age of four, 
 tccn, he was placed at Harthall, 
 and two years after became demy 
 of Mapdalcn College. In Cilo- 
 
 •• fcem to trefpafs upon truth, 
 •* which few do unfuborncd (as I 
 '• proieft I aiTJ, unlefs by her rhe- 
 *' toric), I ihall leave the world 
 ** her cpitnjh, in which the author 
 ** doth nianifell himfdf a poet in 
 ** all things but untruth." 
 
 Untifrnra'h thhJ'Me hearfe 
 J/ttt the fuhjfii of all verje ; 
 ' SvflMcy^sJtflery I'cmlroke^s mother : 
 
 V» .1 I .1 Liiui r I bcr, 1017, he took the degree of 
 
 jJeath ! ere thou ktllji fuch an- -n \ ' ' . , i- ,, • 
 
 ^1 •' -' iS. A, and in the year (ol owniff 
 
 other. 
 
 Fair and good, and karn^<lasJJ?e^ 
 Tintejhall thrciu a dart at thee. 
 Marble piles let w> man ral/e 
 To her fai.ie^ —for after-days 
 Some khidiwmnn, bo'fi nsfye^ 
 Reading this, like Niobe, 
 Shall tttnt ftatue, and become *■■' 
 Both her mourner, and her tomb. 
 
 Hewitt, J. Was the author 
 of two Plays, entitled, 
 
 I, A Tutor for the Beau; i or, 
 L4)i'e in a iMhrinth, C. 8vo. 1737. 
 
 year following 
 was cho(cn perpetual fellow of the 
 faid hcufe. He was made dtHCoii 
 and piiell by Dr. ilowfon, bilhop 
 cf Oxford, in 1623; and foon at- 
 ttT taking pnrt with givat violence 
 in behalf of the claims of the 
 hii^raixhv, he be«:<ime known to 
 aichbifhop Laud, with whom he 
 remained in high eilimation dur- 
 irg that prelate's life. Jn 1631, 
 he was appointed rcftor of He- 
 iiiiiigroid, ill Huntin;>donihiie, iind 
 prebendary of Wcdminfter. 1 he 
 
 2. Fatal F^dfocd', or, DiJh(:j:>\I next year, the king bedowed upoB 
 
 Innocence. T. 8' <>. N. D. 
 
 Of this author we do not know 
 any pariicuiarh witii certainty, but 
 imagine him to \c the fame perfon 
 who, in 17:7, pu'olilhfd a Collec- 
 tion of Milcellanies in profe and 
 verfe, at Br.llol, under the name 
 ■ rf John Ihvvit:. In the Dcdica- 
 cation of thib volume to James 
 Kewict, T?-H]; I'econd commiilioner 
 f<,i trade 10 his inijierial majtlty of 
 Ruffia, the author afierfs himfeTf 
 to be the leoitimate Ton of that 
 gentleman, and complains oi hav- 
 ing bren ncgki^'krd by him. He, 
 however, conilTiVs tiiat he had 
 ijiifbehiived biiulclt, and had ven- 
 lun^d f( me money iieiosigip.;/ to :>is 
 tu.hcr at the groom pjxici's, uluca 
 
 him the rich living of Houghton 
 in thi- Spring, in Durham, which he 
 was foon permitted to exchange 
 for. the ledtory of Alresfbrd, m 
 HampOiire. In 1633, he proceed- 
 ed D. D. and, in i6_j3, was pre- 
 fenttd to the rectory cf Souih 
 Wainboiour;h, in Hainplhire. On 
 the 10th ot Apri^, ib;o, he wsj 
 chofeii cleik of the eonvocaiion 
 for Wellii'.intler ; atiu, on thecom- 
 nunccmeiit of the troubles, foon 
 legan to experience all the hard- 
 fliipb wnieh thofe who adhered to 
 the royal caufe futlercd. Fron 
 this tiiuu to tliC Kelloration', he 
 lived in a continued liaie ot wai)t, 
 maintaining him leifchii lly by writ- 
 iijy books, Tlipugh !u ieaiotis u:; 
 
 advocate 
 
11 E 
 
 t «»5 1 
 
 H E 
 
 idvocate for ; „ i^'urch and crown, 
 lie nevci rofc hicherthan to be Tub- 
 dean of WcftminfttT, in which poll 
 he died May 8, 1663. In hit 
 youth he wrote two Latin plays, 
 which werf never printed, called, 
 
 1. tiprviui. T. l6i6. 
 
 2. Thcomaihia. C. 1618. 
 Hkywooo, Mrs. Eliza. Thii 
 
 lady was perhaps the moft volu- 
 minous female writer this kingdom 
 ever produced. Her genius lay 
 for the molt part in the novel kind 
 of writing. In the early part of 
 her life, her natural vivacity, her 
 fex's conllitutional fnndnefs for 
 pallantry, and the paflion which 
 then prevailed in the public talle 
 for perfunal fcundal, and diving 
 into the intrigues of the great, 
 guided her pen to works, in which 
 a fcope was piven for great licen- 
 tioiifnefs. The celebrated Atalanth 
 of Mrs. Manley ferved her for a 
 model, and the court of Cflr/w<i7;;'<7, 
 the AlTi-u Utopia, and fome other 
 pieces of a like nature, were the 
 copies her genius produced. Whe- 
 ther the loofenefs of the pieces 
 themfelves, or fome more private 
 reafons, provoked the refenlment 
 of Mr. IVpe againft her, I cannot 
 pretend to determine ; but, cer- 
 tain it i'', that that great poet has 
 tuken feme pains to perpetuate her 
 name to immortal infamy ; hav- 
 ing, in his Dunciiul, propofed her 
 as one of the prizes to te run for, 
 in the grimes inllituted in honour 
 of the inauguration of the monart^h 
 of Dulmfs, This, however, I own 
 I cannot readily fuhfcribe to; for, 
 although 1 Ihould be far from vin- 
 dicating the libertinilm of her 
 fubjeds, or the expofing with ag- 
 gravation to the public the private 
 errors of individuals, yet, I think, 
 it cannot be denied, that there is 
 great fpirit and ingenuity in Mrs. 
 Hiywood's manner of treating fub- 
 ]<i\.», which the friends of virtue 
 
 may perhaps wifh flie had never 
 entered on at all ; and that in 
 thofe of her novels, where perfonal 
 charadler has not been admitted to 
 take place, and where the ilorie* 
 have been of her own creation, 
 fuch as her Lovr i» Kxccfs, Fruit' 
 Icji Enquiry, &c. (he has given 
 proofs of great inventive powers, 
 and a perftft knowledge of the af- 
 fe^ions of the human heait. And 
 thus much mul^ be granted in her 
 favour, that whatever liberty ihe 
 might at firll give to her pen, to 
 the offence either of morality 01; 
 delicacy, (he feemed to be foon 
 convinced of her error, and deter- 
 mined not only to retbim, but eveik 
 atone for it ; lince, in the numer- 
 ous volumes which (he gave to the. 
 world towards the latter part of her 
 lite, no author has appeared more 
 the votary of virtue, nor are there 
 any novels iii which a (Irider pu- 
 rity, or a greater delicacy of fenti- 
 ment, has be^n preferred. It may 
 not, perhaps, be difagrceable in 
 this place to point out what thefe 
 latter works were, as they are ■^axy 
 voluminous, and are not perfedlly 
 known to every one. They may 
 therefore, though fome what fo- 
 reign to the purport of this work, 
 be found in thtf following lill, viz. 
 
 The Female SbcSliXtor, 4 vols. 
 
 Kpi/Ilesfor the Lailies, 2 vols. 
 
 Fmtunate FoiintiUn^, i vol. 
 
 Jl(lvt'i:turci of }iaturc, i vol. 
 
 IVJ}. of Jief/y Thoi/i^htkfs, 4 voIf« 
 
 JtiDiy a^il Jemny Jcjpimy^ 3 vols. 
 
 lii'viftUe Spy, 2 vols. 
 
 HuJOan/i and Wife, 2 vols, 
 rnd a pamphlet, entitled, 
 
 // Prcfeiii for a Servant Maid, 
 When youiig, (he dabbled in dra- 
 matic pctftry, but with no great 
 f\jcccfs ; none of her plays either 
 meeting with much approbation at 
 the (iril, nor having been admitted 
 to repetition fincc. Their titles 
 were as follow ; 
 
 P 4 I. i'Wr 
 
^ £ 
 
 [ ^^^ 3 
 
 H E 
 
 
 1*' :iv^ 
 
 1 ;''-'tV'1" 
 
 1. FpirCafiiivf. T. 8y.o. ;7^I. 
 
 2. I'hff to be let. C. 8yo, 1724. 
 
 3. Frederick J)ukt of ^riiuJ-Wfcii. 
 T. Svo. 1729. 
 
 4. O/frrt n/Qptrau (jplncd vith 
 Mr. Hatchet.) 8vo. 1733. . 
 She had ^Ifo an inclin^tipo for the 
 theatre as a perfprmer, jnd was 
 on the flaee at Dublin in the year 
 17 1 5. She alf' adled a principal 
 part in h*;r own comedy of the if'ift 
 to be let ; and her name ftauds in 
 thp drama of a trsgecjy^ entitled, 
 9'hc Ri'val Father, written by N^r. 
 Hatchf t, a gentlen)?n with whqm 
 ihc appears to Lave h»d a clofe 
 literary intimacy. 
 
 As to the circumriance? of Mrs. 
 Heywood's life, v( ry little light 
 feems to appear; for, though the 
 world was inclinable, probably in- 
 duced by the general tenor pf her 
 earlier writings, to affix on her the 
 character of a lady pf gallantry, 
 vet I have never heard of any par- 
 ticular intrigues or connections 
 clirtftly laid to her charge; and 
 liave been credibly informed that, 
 from a fuppofitiot] pf fome impro- 
 per liberties being taken with her 
 character afier death, by the inter- 
 mixture of truth and faI(hood with 
 her hiflory, flie laid a foiemn in- 
 junction on a pcrfon, who was 
 well acquainted with all the parti- 
 culars of it, not to communicate 
 to any one the leaft clrcumllance 
 relating to her ; ib that probably, 
 unlefs fome very ample account 
 ftould appear from that quarter it- 
 felf, wheitby' her Hory may be 
 placed in a tnip and favourable 
 light, the world will llill bo left in 
 the dark with regard to it. All 1 
 have been able to learn is, thi»t 
 her father was in the mercantile 
 way, that fli« waj born at London, 
 and that, at the linif of her death, 
 which w^s on the 25th of February, 
 1756, fhe was about fixty-lhree 
 years of age. 
 
 Wi/li r^pe.& to hjsr g^tuui ««4 
 abilities, her works, tyhich ara 
 yery nuiperpps, luuil ftand i/n evi. 
 deiice ; but 1 cannot belp obferving, 
 as tu her perfonal charader, that i 
 w»s told by poic, who was well acr 
 quainted vvith her for many years 
 before her clpfc of life, that fhe 
 yvas good-natured, affiible, lively, 
 and entertaining ; and that, what- 
 ever errors die might in any re- 
 fpeA ijayc rup into in her youth- 
 ful days, fl^e was, ^^ring the wholp 
 courfe of his knowledge of her, 
 reinark^ble fpr the moll: rigid ancj 
 fcrupuious dpcoruir;, delicacy, and 
 prudenre, both with refped\ to her 
 conduft and converfation. 
 
 Heywood, Jasper, D.D. Tki^ 
 writer, who flpuriflied in the reign 
 of queen Elizabetht was fou of the 
 famous poet and epigramipatill of 
 that name, whom wc fhall iinmeT 
 diatejy have occafion to mention. 
 He was born in London in 11; 7^, 
 and in the twelfth yea^- of h- age 
 was fcnt to the univerfity of Ox- 
 ford, and entered a Audent in 
 Mcrton College. Here he re- 
 ceived thole uletul parts of educa- 
 tion, gratnmar and logic; and, 
 in 1553, took his degree as Maliec 
 of Arts, and was admitted to a 
 probationary fellowihip in that 
 college, where he gained a fupe- 
 riprity over all his fellow-lludeiui 
 in difputations at the public fchool, 
 and was (as appears from an ora- 
 tion written in his praife by David 
 De la Hyde, entitled De Ligno ct 
 Fd-no) nominated there Rex Eri^ni 
 Fnhaiunr, or a kii|d of Cb>{ftmai 
 Ijord. L.<ingbaine and Jacob both 
 fay th^t he quitted this college, at 
 which he only pa0ed his y<»u"ver 
 days, for a fellowft.ip in All-SoaI» 
 Colifge in the fame uniYcrlity, 
 l^ut \V'cod informs us, that, hav- 
 ing been guilty of feveral mifde- 
 Dieanours, fuch as are pecuji^r to 
 )omh, wtl^Qtiis ^1)^ ;:4Hininer5, 
 
 which 
 
H E 
 
 t *«y 1 
 
 H E 
 
 «y^hich In dio(c dajps were paniAed 
 with grpat feverity, and which pro* 
 bably he ran into the more readily 
 from being, in confequence iof his 
 father's quitting England, left verv 
 early to himfelf, he was obliged^ 
 in order to prevent expnlilon, to 
 refign his fellowihip, upon a third 
 admonition from the warden and 
 fociety of Merton College, on the 
 4th of April, i;i;8. 
 
 Soon after this he quitted Eng- 
 land, and, going over to St. 
 Omer's, entered himfelf into the 
 fociety of Jefus at that place, from 
 whence, after having fpent two 
 years in the ftudy of divinity 
 among the priefts, he was fent to 
 Piling, in Switzerland, where he 
 fpent upwards of feventeen years 
 in difcufltng certain points of con- 
 troverfy among thofe whom h« 
 called Heretics ; in which time, on 
 account of bis diftinguiihed learn- 
 ing, and his ardent zeal for the 
 holy Mother, he was promoted to 
 the degree of Dodtor of Divinity 
 and of the four Vows. 
 
 In the year 1581, pope Gregory 
 XIII. called him away from Oi- 
 ling, in order to plant him at the 
 head of the firft miffion of Jefuits 
 to England ; in which office, be- 
 ing fettled in the metropolis of his 
 native country, and et^eemed as 
 provincial of the order in that great 
 kingdom, he ran into great luxury 
 and magnificence, afFcfting morp 
 the exterior fliew of a grandee than 
 the humility of a prielt, and fup- 
 por:ing as fplend'd an equipage as 
 money could th^n furnith him 
 with. 
 
 Dr. Fuller, in his Briujlo Worthies 
 (London, |i. 22?.), has run into 
 an error with relped to our author, 
 telling us that he was executed in 
 the reign of (jueen Rlizabcth. tut 
 Anth.d Wood (Jthcn.O.xoH. vol. I. 
 col. 252.) informs uf, that he paid 
 the great debt to nature at Naples, 
 I 
 
 on tlie 9t^ of jMuarf, 1^98; and 
 Sir Richard Baker rdates, that he 
 was one of the chief of the feventy 
 priefts that were taken in 1585 | 
 and that, when fome of them were 
 condemned, and the reft in danger 
 of the law, her majeAy cauTed 
 them all to be ftiipped away, and 
 fent out of England : from whence 
 it feemt probable, that he went im* 
 mediately to Rome, and at length 
 fettled in the city of Naples, where 
 he contracted an intimacy with 
 that zealous catholic }ohn Pitfeus, 
 by whom he is fpoken of with 
 great refpe£t and honour. 
 
 This account feems aUb con- 
 firmed by a copy of verfes, pre- 
 ferved by Sir John Harrington^ 
 which were written by this an- 
 thor on his being taken and car- 
 ried to prifon, and the readineft 
 (hewn by the earl of Warwick to 
 afford him relief. Which laft cir- 
 cumltance he hints at in the fol- 
 lowing words : 
 
 -—Thanks to that Lord that wills 
 
 megoo4t 
 For 1 'Mant all things^ fatfiffg kojt 
 
 and wood. 
 
 During the courie of his ftudies 
 at the univerfity, he tranflated three 
 of thofe tragedies which are attri- 
 buted to Seneca, viz. 
 
 1. Thyejies, T. i2mo. 1561. 
 
 2. Hercules Furens, T. i2mo. 
 1^61. 
 
 3. Trofis. T. 
 
 He has chofen ait uncouth fort 
 of verfe for thefe tranflations, vjz. 
 that of fourteen fyllables. Yet hq 
 has been very oorrtft in the mean- 
 ing of his author, where he has 
 ituck to the original, and in fome 
 alteration', which he has profeffcd- 
 ly made in the conduft of the 
 pieces, has (hewn great judgment 
 and ir«g;enuify. 
 
 He\wood, Johk. This poet 
 is one uf the very firft dramatic 
 
 writers 
 

 f 
 
 
 
 > 
 
 V 
 
 
 H E 
 
 I ^18 ] 
 
 HE 
 
 ! ll 
 
 
 writers that our ifiand produced j 
 he wa- ! o:n at North Mims, near 
 St. Albans in Ilertfordfbirf, and 
 jeceiw(-d the firft rudiments of his 
 education at Oxford ; but the 
 fprij>hilinefs of his dilpofition not 
 Leing well adapted to the fedcn- 
 tary life of an academician, he 
 went back to his native place, 
 which being in the neij^hbourhocwl 
 of the great Sir Tho. More, he 
 preiently ccntrarted an intim<icy 
 with that Maecenas of wit and ge- 
 nius, who introduced him to the 
 kroyviedge and patron;)ge of the 
 prjiicel Mary. Hey wood's ready 
 wic and aptnefs for jcft and re- 
 partee, together with the polief- 
 iion ot great ficili l:)0ch in vocal and 
 inliruniencai niufi" , rendered him 
 a tavourite w'th flenry VIU. who 
 frequently rewardcu him very high- 
 ly. On the acccflion of t.dward VJ. 
 he rtill continued in favour, thoiic;h 
 the author of the y/;7 of Euaijh 
 Poetry fays, it >^as " for the mirth 
 *' and quicknefs of conceit, more 
 *' tiian any good learning that was 
 " in him." When his old patro- 
 ne<5 queen Mary came to the 
 fhrone, he flood in higher eflima- 
 tion than ever, being aduiitrcd in- 
 to the moft intimate converfaiion 
 VV.th her, on nccount of his happy 
 laiciit of telling divert'i'g ilorics, 
 which he did toanufii her oainful 
 hours, even when fue was languir.i- 
 ii'g on her death-bed. 
 
 Ax. the deceafe of that prirccf'. 
 however, beinjj; a bigottd I.oin.ui 
 Catholic, perceiving that the iVo- 
 teflaat irtc/eil was iii;ely to pie- 
 \idl uiuler tlie patronage of her 
 fucccltbr queen Elizal-eih, and per- 
 haps apprehenfive that forne of 
 the fcvciities, v.hich had lieen 
 pradifed on the Proceilants in the 
 DTCCcding reign, might be reta- 
 liated on thofe of a contrary pcr- 
 fuafion in the enfuing one, and 
 moie cfpcciaily oa the }Cvu!ii:r 
 
 favourites of queen Mary, he 
 thought it beit, tor the fecurity of 
 his peifon, and tlie prefervation of 
 his religion, to quit the kingdom. 
 Thus .thruwing himfelf into a vo- 
 luntary exile, he fettled at Mechlin 
 in Drabant, where he died in 1565, 
 leaving feveral children behind 
 him, to all of whom he had given 
 liberal educations. Amo.ig the 
 relt was Jafpir, fome account of 
 whom we gave in the lall article. 
 From what has been faid above, 
 his charaftcr in private life may 
 be gathered to have been that of 
 afprightly, humourous, and enter- 
 taining companion. As a poet, he 
 was held in no inci nfiderable 
 elleem by his contemporarie?, 
 though none of hii writings ex- 
 tended to any great length, but 
 feem, like his converfrtion, to 
 have been the rcfult of little fud- 
 den fellies of mirth and humour. 
 His •• '",^eil work is entitled, A 
 PariT ■(' of' the Spider atid the Fty^ 
 and forms a pretty thick quarto 
 in o'd Englilli veri'e, and printed 
 in the black letter. Our honcft 
 chronicler Holinlhed defcribes this 
 poem in the following words; 
 '' One alfo hath made a booke of 
 the tipitier a>iti the Fiii\ wherein he 
 dealeth fo ptofoutidlie, and iicyond 
 ail mealure ot fKili, that neither 
 he himijlie that m.ide it, neither 
 auie one tliat readeth it, can 
 jer.cl: iiato tlic ineaiiinr' thtreot." 
 D-ja-ifildi! nj iL'^UiiJ, p. 2^9. By 
 v.aycf Iroriti (piece to this book, is 
 a v.oodcn print ot the author at 
 full k-iioth, aii<i moit probtibly in 
 tJie hnhit he ofaally wore; ior he 
 is dreft in a fur gown, foaicwhai: 
 rcfcmbliiig that of a mailer of 
 ar:^i, excepting that the bottom of 
 the ilccves reach no lower than his 
 kne^'s. He has a round cap on his 
 head, and a dagger hanging to his 
 girdle ; and his cliin and lips are 
 c. .'[e fhaven. 
 
 Hit 
 
 
 n-*- 
 
H E 
 
 [ 2»9 ] 
 
 H E 
 
 His other works are, a dialogue 
 conipofed of all ihe proverbs in 
 the E:iglifh language ; and three 
 quarto pamphlet?, containing fix 
 hundred epigram!). None ot" his 
 dramatic works, which are fix in 
 number, have e^itended beyond the 
 limits o^ an interlude. The titles 
 of them are as follow : 
 
 1. A Flay bt't\wen yohan I he 
 H."j!)a/u/, Tyh the Wife, ard Sir 
 j'uliau /le Prii//. /|to. 1533. 
 
 2. y/ mety Flay hrtiveen the Par- 
 domr and the Friaiy the Curate and 
 Neighbour F rat. 4tO. I 533. 
 
 3. The Play called the Four PP. 
 A ne'xe and a very mery Interlude of 
 a Palmer, a Parihfie'-, a Potycary, 
 a Pedlar. 4to. N- D. D. C. 
 
 4. ^ Play of Gcntenaeji and No' 
 mliiy. Int. 410. N. D. 
 
 i;. A PLy of Love. Int. 4to. 
 
 J533- 
 
 0. A PLvi of the Jr,-aiher, called, 
 A neiv and a 'very merry ln:crlude of 
 Weathers. 410. 15^3. 
 
 Phillips and VVinilanley have at- 
 tributed two other pieces to him, 
 viz. 
 
 7he Pi':dar of Wakefield. 
 
 Philatas, Scotch. 
 But Langbaine rejefts their autho- 
 rity; and 1 think with very good 
 reaion, as both thofe pieces are 
 printed anonymous, and both of 
 thcin not publilhcd till upwards 
 of thirty years after this author's 
 death. 
 
 i do not find any writer who af- 
 certains die exad time of John 
 Heywood's birth, or his age at the 
 time of h's death ; but lie could 
 nut have died a young nian, as we 
 hnd him to have furvuetl the birth 
 of his fon Jafper by full thirty 
 years. 
 
 Heywood, Matthew. I do 
 not find anv luch pcrfon mention- 
 ed by any of the writers but VVin- 
 llanley, who (Lives of the Poets, 
 p. 9;.), atter mentioning John, 
 
 Thomas, .nnd Jafper Heywood; 
 add?, " and, as if the names of 
 " Heywood were dellinated to the 
 " llage, in my time I knew one 
 " Matthew Heywood, who wrote 
 " a comedy, called, ■* 
 
 " 'Ihf Lhanolin-^. 
 " that fiiould have been afted at 
 •' Audlcy-End houfe, but, by I 
 " know not what accident, was 
 " prevented." 
 
 It is difficult to controvert what 
 our author thus ailerts on his 
 knowledge ; i)ut \\ inlfanley vvas 
 very liable to niinakes, and it is 
 well known that tiiere is a ooinedy 
 of that name extant, which was 
 written by iVIiddleton and Rowley 
 in conjuntlion, and that ,0 other 
 Hands in any of the catalogaej. 
 
 Heywoop, Thomas. This 
 author wns an aftor as well as a 
 writer, and flourilhed in the reigns 
 of queen Elizabeth, king Jaints I. 
 and king Charles I. though what 
 particu.ar year gave him to the 
 world, or robbed it of him, feems 
 not eafy to afcertain. He appears 
 to have been a native of L^DColn- 
 fhire, from a copy ot verfcs to his 
 friend James Yorke, on his book 
 of Heraldry, prefixed to that work. 
 He was certainly the moil volu- 
 minous dramatic writer that this 
 natioi), or indeed any othn, ever 
 produced, excepting the celebrated 
 Spaniih play-wnght, Lopez de 
 Vtga; for, in the preface to o(.e of 
 his plays, called, -ihe EyiyJ.ifij Tra^ 
 vfller^ he tells us, that it was one 
 preitrved amongit two hundred 
 and twenty, in which, fays he, 
 " 1 had either an entire hand, or 
 •' at leaft a main finger. Of this 
 prodigious number, however, all 
 the writers agree in the opinion, 
 that there are only twenty-four re- 
 maining. Eor this, different rea- 
 fons might perhaps be afligned. 
 Thofe that Kirkmun has given us 
 are romantic and extravagant to 
 
 th9 
 
H B 
 
 [ i«d 1 
 
 H E 
 
 ■.:;■} 
 
 
 tf3 1: t 
 
 
 Ul7» } 
 
 ipj 
 
 Ae f reatef! degree. ** It is faid 
 ** (relates Kirl^aa) that he not 
 ** only a^d himielf every day, 
 •* but alfo wrote every day a flieet ; 
 '^' KkV^d, that he might lole no time, 
 ""■ many of hi$ plays were com- 
 *' pofed in the tavern, on the back- 
 *' fide of uveinrbiJIs, which may 
 *♦ be the occafion that fo many of 
 *' iheni are loft." But this account 
 is inconfiileni: with ail belief, for, 
 t)efides, that it is not apparent that 
 Haywood's clrcumftances were ever 
 {\»iih as Ihould compel him co make 
 ihefe Shifts, or that a man, who 
 was a conflant frequenter of ta- 
 verns, Hiould at the fame time be 
 {o penurious as to make ufe of 
 bills to fpare himfelf the expence 
 of a few (hects of paper ; yet, had 
 even this been :he cafe, it would 
 rot occafion the lofs of his pieces, 
 iincif?, before thjy could poflibly 
 he performed, thcfe fcraps muO: 
 Jjave been all collefled together, 
 and tranfcribed in a body, for the 
 tife oi the performers and promp- 
 ter. Kut the reafons he himfelf 
 has given us, in the above-men- 
 tioned preface, fcera to be the 
 saod rational ones ; for, though it 
 js probable that fo adive a genius 
 as it is evident from the bulk of 
 his works Mr. Heywood's muft 
 have been, coii'd never l)e idle, 
 iior atlbrd to lofe any time, or 
 even let a finglie thought pal's by 
 hira unemployed at the very mo- 
 ment it occurred ; and that, con- 
 sequently, he might have planned 
 ibme of ills plays in taverns, and 
 rven bavq fecured fpme occafional 
 hints, by penning them down on 
 the bnck ot tavern- bills, or any 
 rccafional fcraps of paper he nilgHl 
 Jiave about hun ; yet it is very 
 unlikely th<it he ihouid fuffer 
 ihofe thoughts, he had beer fo 
 
 car'tful to prcjerve, to be after- 
 Vtards lolt by an onaccoimtable 
 Mt^iigence. But b? givci t/a :hie* 
 
 very good reaA>nB for no tnore of 
 his pieces having appeared in 
 print ; the firft, ♦♦ that many of 
 ♦• them, by the (hifting and change 
 " of companies," (at a time when 
 there were fo meny theatres in the 
 metropolis, and that the perform. 
 ers, moreover, frequently travel- 
 led the country) *•* had been neg- 
 " ligently loft." The fecond, 
 *' that others of them were ftill 
 *' retained in the hands of fome 
 •♦ attors, who thought it againft 
 " their profit to have them come 
 " in print." And here it will be 
 proper to obferve, that at that time 
 the profits of an author were not 
 determined by the fuccefs of hit 
 works, no fuch thing as third 
 nights being known or thought of 
 till after the Keiloration, but that 
 the a£tors purchafed to themfelves 
 the fole property of the copy, by 
 which means, as it could not be 
 their intereft to publiOi any piece 
 till the public curiofuy in regard 
 to it was entirely fated, it is pio- 
 bable many very good plays may 
 have been entirely loll. The third 
 reafon he gives us is, ** that it was 
 *' never any great ambition in him 
 **■ to be voluroinoufly read." 
 
 Thofe of his works, which are 
 to be met with in print, are as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 1. Robert Earl of Huntingdon's 
 D<n.vnfall, 410. 1601. 
 
 2. Robert Earl of Huntingdor! i 
 Death. Hill. Play. 4to. 1601. 
 
 3 & 4. Ed'ijoard IV. Hift. Play, 
 two parts. B. L. 410, N.D. 
 
 ^ & 6. If ynu knonu not me, ym 
 lihow Isobodj. Hift. Play, two parts, 
 4to. 1&06. 
 
 7. Fair Maid 
 Coni. 4to. 1607. 
 
 161 t, 
 
 9. ^dv\.r A>c, 
 161J. 
 
 nf the Exchange, 
 
 Hift. Play. 410. 
 
 |-Iift. Play. 4to. 
 
 10. 
 
 Jlrazru 
 
H B 
 
 r "^ ) 
 
 H I 
 
 'he Exchangt. 
 
 10. Jirazcn J^ge. Hift. Play. 
 410, 1613. 
 
 11. Fotur * Prentices of Lomlanw 
 Hill. Play. 4to. ^«)^5. 
 
 1 2. IVoman killed •aiith KinJiufs, 
 Trng. 410, 1617. 
 
 \^, Rapti>fLucrece. Trag. 410. 
 
 1630. 
 
 14 & 15. Fair Maid of the Wfji, 
 C. two parts. 410. 1631. 
 
 16. Iroa Age. Hiii. Play. 410. 
 1632. 
 
 17. F.ngUjfh Traveller. Tragi- 
 Cotn. 4X0. '633. 
 
 18. Maitlenhead vjell lifl. Com. 
 4to. 16 4. 
 
 iq, Lancajhire Witches. Com. 
 (Aflillcd by Rich. Brome.) 410. 
 1634. 
 
 20. hwt^s Mlflrefi. Mai^ue. 
 4to. 16^6. 
 
 21. Challenge for Beautjf, Tr. 
 Com. 4to. 1636. 
 
 22. Royal King and Loyal S«l>' 
 jcd. Tragi-Com. 410. 1637,. 
 
 23. f'Fife Wo: nan of }hgfd»u. 
 Com. 4to. 1638. 
 
 24. Fortune l>y Land and Sea^ 
 Tragi-Com. (Aflillcd by William 
 Rowley.) 410. 16;; 5. 
 
 Mr. Heywood appears to have 
 been a very favourite author with 
 Langbaine, who ranks him in the 
 fecond clafs of dramatic writers* 
 though his contemporaries would 
 not allow his performances to Hand 
 fo high in defert, as may be ga- 
 thered from the following lines, 
 which Langbaine has quoted from 
 one of the poets of that time, who, 
 after mentioning fume other au« 
 thors, thus proceeds, 
 
 And Hcfivood fage^ 
 
 Th^ apologetic Atlas ofthejhtge ; 
 Well of the Golden Age /»e could 
 
 entreaty 
 But little of tie met he could 
 
 Three/cm efivcel bales he eh- 'fiend 
 at a-lump^ 
 
 For he %vas ebrifttt^din Ptmif^ 
 
 fus* pump\ n 
 
 The Mhjes gajfp to Aurora* s hd^ 
 
 And evtrfihce thett timt fjit Ja^ 
 
 vjot red. ft 
 
 It rtuft be aTlowerf^, however, that 
 he was a good general fcholar, 
 and a very tolerable liiafter of the 
 ciaflkal langu»ges, as appears from 
 t'he great ule he ma.'le of the an- 
 cients, and his various quotations 
 from them" in his works, efpecially 
 his A%>*s Fitidication^ in which 
 he has difplayed great erudiiion*- 
 What rank he held as an adlor, I 
 I'TiOw nor, but it is probable no 
 very confulerable one, as all hi» 
 biographers are filent on that head; 
 and. indei^d, if we confider how 
 much" he wrote, it is fcarcely poDi- 
 ble to conctivc he could have fo 
 much time to fpare for an applica.' 
 tiotl to that art, as was necefTary 
 for the attaining any perfedion in 
 it> 
 
 HiFFERNAN, Paul. This au- 
 thor was a native of Ireland : he- 
 received part of his education in 
 the univerfity of Dublin, and I be- 
 lieve took th'e degree of doftor of 
 phyfic in (bme of the foreign uni- 
 verfities ; but, not having met witli 
 arty great fuccefs in the profeflion 
 he was bred" to, was obliged 10 rely 
 on his pen for hit fuhfiftance. 
 While in Dublin he was for fome 
 time concerned in a public politi- 
 cal paper,, written in oppofition to 
 the famous Dr. Luca?, and, after 
 his coming over to this kingdom, 
 was employed by the bookfellers in 
 various works of tranflaiion, com- 
 pilenicnr, &c In (hort, with no 
 principles, and flender abilities, he 
 wis perpetually difgracing litera- 
 ture, which he was doomed to fol- 
 low for bread, by fuch a conducft 
 as was even unworthy of the loweft 
 and moft contemptible of the vul- 
 gar. His converfation was highly 
 
 olf<t:uiive 
 
H I 
 
 t «2i 1 
 
 M i 
 
 I 
 
 
 ofFenlive to decency and good 
 manners, and his whole behaviour 
 difcovered a mind over wliich the 
 opinions of mankind had no in- 
 fluence. After an irregular and 
 Ihamcful life, oppr^flfed by poverty, 
 and in th^ latier part of it by dif- 
 ^afe, he ended a miferable exig- 
 ence about the Tpring of the year 
 
 His drnmatick works are, 
 i."T/.,i- Laciys Cbclcc. P. P. 8vo. 
 
 '759- 
 
 2 . The Ipyhi's nf a Free People, 
 
 D. P. 8vo. 1761. 
 
 3. The Ni-jj H:pp''c,-a>e<.. F. 
 1761. N. P. 
 
 4. The Earl of IP r mid. T. 
 8vo. 1764. 
 
 or. 
 
 The Heroine 
 :, i gcn- 
 
 ^- 7'hc Phill'fbic ii'ijJii', 
 Jtjtrononiy. F. .uo. 1774, 
 
 He alio com pi 
 cfthe Cave. S-^e jijN ■ ■ ' 
 
 HiGDt.N', Henry 
 tieman was a member c. liic hon- 
 ourable fociety of the INIiddle 
 Templs diiriiig the reigns of 
 James II. and kin/j Willinni III. 
 He was a perfoa of great wit, 
 an agreeable and facetious com- 
 panion, and well known to all the 
 fprightly and coi;veifible part of 
 the town. He was author of one 
 dramatic piece, entitled, 
 
 The Wavy Mltkw. C. 4to. 1693. 
 and, indeed, his fondnefs for the 
 convivial and fecial delighis Teem- 
 ed to (hew itfdr very apparent 
 even in the conduft of his play, 
 for he had introduced fo many 
 drinking fcenes into it, that the 
 pertbnners got drunk before the 
 end of the third aft, and, being 
 unable to proceed with the repre- 
 fentation, were obliged to difmifs 
 the audience. The behaviour of 
 the Bear-garden criticks (is th« 
 author calls them) on thib occa- 
 fmn, he firongly complains of ir* 
 ^is prefice. 
 
 HiGGONs, Bevil. Was <htf 
 yoirnger fon of Sir Thomas Hig-f 
 gons, of whom an account may be 
 feen in Nichoh*s SekH ColkSlioK of 
 PoctnSy vol. I. p. 42. by Bridget 
 his feconri wife. At the age of 
 fixteen, he became a commoner of 
 St. John's College, Oxford, in 
 Lent Term, 1686, but went after- 
 wards to «^'ambridge. He was a 
 Heady adherent to the caufe of the 
 exiled family, and accompanied 
 king James into France, where he 
 mainiaincd his wit and good hs- 
 mour undcprc/red by misfortunes. 
 He pu'!)!iu;i;d a book againft bi- 
 fl)op uurnet's Hiito; y, and died 
 I ft March 1735, having written 
 one play, called, 
 
 The Gnicrous Conqueror ', or, The 
 Timely D^Jlovejy. T. 4.to. 1702. 
 
 Hill, Aaron, This gentle- 
 man, who was born in Beaufort- 
 Buildings in the Strand, February 
 10, 1684.-5, W3S the eldell fon of 
 George; Hill, Efq; of MaJmlbury- 
 Abbey in Wiltfhire; and, in con- 
 fequence of this defcciit, the legal 
 heir to an entailed etlate of about 
 2000 /. per annum ; but the indif- 
 crctions and mifcondufts of his 
 father having, by a f'ale of the pro- 
 perty , which he had r>o right to 
 e«Bcu;e, rende:^?d it r.i no advan- 
 tage to the family it julHy belonged 
 to, our au'*-or was leffy together 
 with Mr. Hji's oth«r children, to 
 the care of, and a dependence on, 
 his mother and grandmother ; the 
 latter of whom (Mrs. Anne Gre- 
 gory) was more partirnlarliy anx- 
 ious for his t 'icatli,,,) and im- 
 provement. The firil rudiments 
 of learning he 1 reived from Mr. 
 Reyner, of Barnflaple in Devon- 
 fhire, to whom he was fent at nine 
 years old, and, on his removal 
 from thence, was placed at Weft- 
 miiiUer-fchool, under the care of 
 the celebrated Dr. Knipe. Heic 
 
 his 
 
n I 
 
 t a»3 1 
 
 fit 
 
 Vis genius foon rendered itfelf con* 
 rpicuous, and, by enabling him at 
 times to perform the tafks of others 
 as well as'hii own, frequently pro- 
 cured for him, from fome of his 
 Cchool-fellowi of more limited abi- 
 lities, an ample amends for the 
 very fcanty allowance of pocjtet- 
 moiiey which the tircumitances of 
 his family laid him under the ne- 
 ceiGty of being contented with. 
 
 Our author left Weftminfter- 
 fchool in the year 1699, being 
 then only fourteen years of age ; 
 and, having heard his mother fre- 
 quently make warm mention of 
 . the lord Paget, who was a pretty 
 near relation of her's, and was at 
 that time at Conllantinople, in the 
 rank of ambafTador from the Eng- 
 lifli to the ;J«oaian court, he con- 
 ceived a very ilrong inclination of 
 paying a vifit, and making him-* 
 itlr knovn to that nobleman. I'his 
 Uefign he communicated to Mrs. 
 Gregory, and, meeting with no 
 oppoiuion from her in ic, he em- 
 burked on the 2d of March 1700, 
 being tht-n but jult fifteen, on 
 board a vefTel that was going to 
 tonitantinople, in which city he 
 ai rived after a fafe and pro/psfous 
 voN'iige. _ _ , . :bs •• -^ ' -' 
 
 On his arrival he was received 
 with the utmoU kindnefs and cor- 
 dialiiy by the ambalfador, who was 
 no lefs pleafed than fur[)rized at 
 that ardour lor. improvt'ment, 
 which could induce a youth of his 
 tender years to adventure fuch a 
 voyage, on a vifit to a rehition 
 whom he knew by charruter only, 
 lie immediately provided him a 
 tutor in the hunTc witli himk'lf, 
 under whofe tuition he very foon 
 lent him to travel, being defirous 
 of indulging to the utnioii: that 
 laud.!ble curioliry and ihirH: of 
 knowledge, which fccmed fo ilrong-- 
 ty impreiled on the amiable (iiiod 
 «f our young adventurer, Uithi 
 
 this ^cn'tlema?:;, who was a ledrncJ 
 ecclefi»ftit, he travelled iHrougH 
 Egypt, Paieftine, and the greateft 
 part of the Eall ; and, on lord 
 Pagct's returning home, as that 
 nobleman chofe. totake his 'jour- 
 ney by land, Mr. Hill- had an op- 
 portunity of feeing great part of 
 Europe, at moft of the courts of 
 which the ambaffador niadi fome 
 little flay. 
 
 With lord Paget oar author con- 
 tinued in great eftimation ; and 
 it is not improbable that his lord- 
 Ihip might have provided gen- 
 teely for him at his death, had not 
 the envy and malevolence of a cer- 
 tain female, who h;id great in- 
 fluence with him, by falihoods and 
 mifrepreientationii, in great mea- 
 fure, prevented his good intentions 
 towards him. Fortune, however, 
 and his own merits, made him 
 amends for the lofs of this patro- 
 nage ; for his known fobriety and 
 good underilanding recommend'jd 
 him foon after to Sir William 
 Went.vorth, a worthy Baronet of 
 Yorkihire, who being inclinable 
 ti) make the tour* of Europe, his 
 relations entjaged Mr. Hill to ac- 
 company him as a fort of gover- 
 nor or travelling tutor, which of- 
 fice, tbou^^h himfelf of an age 
 which mii,ht-rather be expected to 
 require the being put under tui'iou 
 itielf, than to become the guide 
 and diredlor of others, he executed 
 lb well, as I'to bring home the 
 your-g gentleman, after a courfe of 
 two or three ycjrs, very greatiy 
 improved, to the entire fatisiuc- 
 lion, not only of himfelf, but of 
 all his fiiends. 
 
 In the year 7709 he commer- 
 ced author, bv the publication of 
 an liiUory of the Ottoman Em- 
 pire, compiled Irom the materialj 
 which he had cullected in the 
 courfe of iiis d:;iercnt travch, and 
 during his refid.nce at the Turkifh 
 
 coutt. 
 
 /•. 
 
H t 
 
 c «*4 i 
 
 k t 
 
 '■If 
 
 toUrU Thi* w«rk. thevgli k iMt 
 with Aiccefs, Mr. Hill fraqpeht4)r 
 aA»vwtrd» repented tlM< liavkig 
 priateJ, and would hmifei ft at 
 times, very fevcrely cfiti«tzft ob- if; 
 and>indieed» to (ay ih» truth 0^ k, 
 there are in it a great minrlMr of 
 puerilities, wivich render it Tm* i«- 
 ferior to the merit of hU f»b£»- 
 quent veri tings ; in which corre^ 
 nefs has ever been fo ftrong a cha- 
 ra^riA)e» that hi9 ci<ttios have 
 even attributed- it to him' as a 
 fault i whereas, in thiy work, 
 there M- beA appears the' UiH}ur of 
 » juveitile genius, rather chu^Dg 
 to give the tu)l reign te fi-ery fimcy, 
 and indulge the imaginatio'H of the 
 poet, than make ufe of the curb of 
 cooler judgment, or aim at ihe 
 plainnefs and perfpicuity of the 
 h»(loriufl> About the fame year 
 be pubiifhcd his Arft poetical piece, 
 eit'titted- Camiiliif^ itt vindieation 
 and honour of the es'tl of Peter* 
 borough-, who had hcein general in 
 Spain^ This Poem was printed 
 without ^y author's name ; but 
 lord Peterborough, hsving. made it 
 his bufinefs to itad out to whom 
 be was indebted for this compli- 
 ment, appointed Mr. Hill his fe- 
 cretary ; which poft, however, he 
 quitted the year following, on oc- 
 Cftfioa of his marriage. 
 
 In r7o^ he, at the defire of Mr. 
 Booth, vrrote his firft Tragedy of 
 Elfiidi or, Tfje Fair Jnnr0ant. 
 This Play was compofed in little 
 more than a week, on which ac- 
 couiitit is no wonder that it Ihould 
 be, as he himfelf has defcribed it, 
 ** an unpruned wildernefs of fan- 
 " cy, with here and there a flower 
 *• amen^ the leaves ; but without 
 " any fruit of judgmeut.*' 1 his, 
 bowever, he ahered, and brought 
 ott the Aage again about twenty 
 year* afterwards, under the title of 
 Atixhuoid. Yet, even in its firft 
 form, it met with fafficient ea« 
 
 ceriTij^dinlnt to zndweie hiitt vss. 
 feoeid ati^ehrpi ih rhe dmnatie 
 w^y, thou^ of another kind, vi^, 
 the Ooenr of RhiMldoy the muiicli 
 ef which w«s the firli- piece of com- 
 pefition of that admifsble nrmltef 
 Mr. Handeh after hit awival irt 
 England. This piece, in the year 
 i'7ro, Mr. Hill brought on th0 
 i^age j^t tte kingi's theatre irt tkt 
 Hay-market, of which he was at 
 that time direAor, and whei^ it 
 met with Very^ great and deferved 
 fuccef?. 
 
 It appears, from the above nc- 
 count, that Mt. Hill was, »t this 
 period, manager of the theatre, 
 which he conduced entirely to 
 the fatisfad^ion of the public ; atad, 
 inrlecd, no man feemed better qua- 
 lified for fuch a llation, if we may 
 be allowed to form our oprnioil 
 from that admirable judgmtrnt in 
 theatrical affairs, and perfect ac« 
 quainrance both with the laws of 
 the drama and the rules of a£iii>g, 
 which he gives proofs of, not only 
 in a Poem entitled, the Art of Ad' 
 iftgt and in the courfe of his perio- 
 dical ElTays intitu'ed the P)i>m/>icr, 
 which appeared in his life-time, 
 but aifo in many parts of an epi- 
 ftoiary coriefpondence which he 
 maintained with various perions of 
 tade and genius, and which have 
 fince been publifhed among his 
 poithumous works, in tour vo- 
 lumes in oftavo. This poft, h(>\v- 
 ever, he relinqnifaed in a few 
 months, from feme mifonderftand- 
 ing ; and though he was not long 
 after very earneftly folicited, and 
 that too by a perfon of the firll 
 dilUndlion and confequence, to 
 take the charge on him again, yet 
 he could not be prevailed on, by 
 any means, to re-acceprt it. 
 
 It is probable, hoWever, that 
 neither pride, nor any harboured 
 refentment, were the motives of 
 this retuf.il, but one much njoi'o' 
 
 amiable, 
 
II t 
 
 t 225 1 
 
 Ik I 
 
 s above nc- 
 vas, »t this 
 he theatre, 
 entirely to 
 ublic ; a^d, 
 I better qua- 
 I, if we may 
 }ur o^inioil 
 judgmtrnt in 
 I perfett ac- 
 ihe laws of 
 les of acting, 
 of, not only 
 e Art of AA' 
 of his perio- 
 he Prompur^ 
 is life-lime, 
 of aTi\ epi- 
 which he< 
 U8 perfons of 
 which have 
 among hi J 
 n tour vo- 
 lis port, how- 
 Id in a few 
 fanderftand- 
 a« not long 
 ilicited, and 
 of the firll 
 [equence, to 
 |m again, yet 
 iled on, by 
 
 it. 
 iwever, that 
 ly harboured 
 motives of 
 much moi'e 
 ami.iblej 
 
 aiiiiahle, viz. an anient zcnl fbr ge- 
 neral improvcnuiir, and an «•«>- 
 hciIikIs for the public good> winch 
 ever attended him through lite, irt 
 which htf was at all times indtfn-' 
 tig.il)l<*, and to which he,' on dif- 
 krciu occasions, ffcquently facri- 
 f.ccd, not only hiJ enfe and fAtill 
 jiOi'Mi, but oven large fiims of 
 money a)fo; and, indeed, this va* 
 hiablc property of public fpirit 
 JLcms to have been his foul's dar- 
 ling paffion ;- for he himfeif, irt 
 one of his Prefaces, freaking di 
 poetry, ttJlls us, '* that he hfl« no 
 *' better reafon fbr wiihing it well 
 "than his Tove for a iniflrefs, 
 " whom he fhould never be nui- 
 "ritdto; for that, whenever he 
 «' grew iimbitious, he would wifh 
 " to build higher, and owe his 
 •' memory to fome occafion of 
 " more importance than his wri- 
 "tings." To this motive, there- 
 fore,! fay, it is probable that we 
 ought to attribute his declining 
 the theatrical direflion ; for in the 
 fame year h": married the only 
 d;iughter of Edward Norris, Efq; 
 of Siratford in Ef!e>?, and, as the 
 fortune that lady brought him was 
 very confideraole, he was now bet- 
 ter able to purfue fome of his more 
 public defigns than he had betore 
 been. 
 
 The (irll projefl which Mr. Hill 
 fit on foot, for which he obtained 
 ■J patent, and of" which he washim- 
 iWf the fole difcoverer, was the ma- 
 king an oil, as fweet as that froni 
 Olives, from the beech nut?, which 
 are a very pleniiful produce of 
 fome parts of thefe kingdoms. This 
 W33 an improvement appan-nrly 
 1 andacknowleugediyof great u'l"'' - 
 and murt have turned out to <. 
 advanta;^c, had the conduct cf it 
 continued in tlie hands or the ori- 
 ginai inventor, bat, being an 
 Uisltrtaking of too great extent for 
 fiisowti fortune fingly tO' p'.in'utr, 
 
 V.JL. 1. 
 
 he w«s oHli^ed to call In the n(l 
 l»(iance of oihfrs ; and took a Tub- 
 fcription of twenty five .hjufand 
 pounds on fh:ire: and annuities, iij 
 lecurii/ of wl'ich \\i afligncd ovef 
 his- patent in tfuil for the propriei 
 tOr% fr>rniing frofn amdnglf tncm'- 
 f^lves a bndv, who- v; ere to aft irt 
 concert with th'j patentee, undet' 
 the denomination (jf the Beech Orl 
 Company. However, as mankind 
 are sipt to be over fanguinein their 
 expetlations, and too impatient, 
 under any the ieaii: difapjaOmtmcnt 
 cf thofe expcffhtions, there foon 
 arofe difputes among them, which 
 (i-Slir,ed Mr. Hill, in vindica'ion 
 of io.Tie mifreprefentations conr 
 cerning hi'nfeif, to publifh a fair 
 rtare of the cafe, by which it ap- 
 peared phi Illy '.hat all the m-ncy, 
 that had hitherto been cmployv"d, 
 had been f:.i'Iy and candidly ex- 
 pended f)r the public benefit, and 
 that the Patentee had even waived 
 all the advantages, to which, by 
 agreement, he had been entitled. 
 Thefe difputes, howirver, termi- 
 nated in the overthrowing th6 
 whole defign, without any emo- 
 lument either to the Patentee or 
 the adventurers, at a time when 
 profits were already arifing from 
 it, and, if purfued with vigour, 
 would, in all probability, h.ive 
 continued increafing and perma- 
 nent. Mr. Hill procured his pa- 
 tent for this invention in Oiftober 
 17 1 5, and the date of his public 
 appeal, in regard to the affair, is 
 the 30ih of November, 1716, 
 Thus, exduiive of the time cm- 
 ployed in bringing the invention 
 itfeif to marCrity, W2 fee a full 
 three vears labour of a gentleniatt 
 of abilities and ingenuity entirely 
 frulfrated, through the inequalljy 
 or his own fortune to carr\^ hii 
 plan into execution firigly, and the 
 frronena? warmth i.nd impatience 
 of th> t"c v^triQUS tempers with 
 CL whxh 
 
:1 
 
 1 h-,' 
 
 IlK* 
 
 Wmi 
 
 fflii ' 
 
 iw' 
 
 Mu: 
 
 lili 
 
 ffHi ' 
 
 :«iiiii 
 
 
 '! * i ■; 
 
 
 H 1 
 
 I a*6 ] 
 
 H I 
 
 .-n' ' f 
 
 .1^^ * t 
 
 which he was, in confeqnence of 
 that iiirunicicncy, obliged to unite 
 himfclf for the ptrftftion of it. 
 
 Me was alfo concerned with Sir 
 Robert Montgomery in a dffign 
 for cOahlilhing a plantation vt a 
 vafl trad uf land in the South of 
 Carolina, for which purpofc a 
 grant had been purchufed from 
 the lords proprietors of that Pro- 
 vince ; but here again the want of 
 a larger fortune than he was niaf- 
 ter of, Hood as a bar in his way ; 
 for, though it has many ycai , lince 
 been cxtenfivdy cultivated under 
 the name of Gto.\^ia, yet it never 
 proved of any advantage to him. 
 
 Another very valuable projcrt 
 he fet on foot about the year 1 727, 
 which was the turninjj to a great 
 account many woods of very large 
 extent in the North of Scotland, 
 by app'-ing the timber, j)roducrd 
 by thf rjj. to the ufes of the navy, 
 for which it had been long er- 
 joneoully imagined they were to- 
 tally unfit. The falfitv of this 
 fuppnfiiion, however, he clearly 
 evinced ; for one tTitire vellc! was 
 built ot ir, aiu!, on tiial, \va« 
 found to be of as gocd liniht-r au 
 that lirerj all t irom any part or the 
 world ; and although, indeed, there 
 -' ere not many trees in thefe woods 
 
 j^o enough tor malls to Ihips of 
 the hngell burthen, yet there were 
 n iilions fit for thofc of all fmallcr 
 vclll'ls, and for every other bnii'.ch 
 of fliip-bLiluiiig. in this under- 
 tnking, however, he met with va- 
 rious obftacles, not only from the 
 ignorance of the natives of that 
 country, but even from Nature 
 herfelf; yet Mr. Hill's afliduity 
 and perfeverance furmounte*! them 
 all. For when the trees were by 
 his Older chained together inio 
 floats, the unexperienced High- 
 lander; refufed to venture tlum- 
 felves on them down the river Spey ; 
 nor would have been prevailed on. 
 
 had not he firft gone himfclf t« 
 convince thcni that there was no 
 danger. And n«)w the great num- 
 bcr fif rocks, which cnoakcd ui 
 different paris of this river, and 
 feemed to render it impaffablc, 
 were another impediment to his 
 expedition. But, by ordering grc.it 
 fires to be made upon them Ht the 
 time of low tide, when they wiie 
 moll expofed, and throwing tjuan> 
 titles c\ water upon them, tlity 
 were, by the help of proper tools, 
 broken to pieces and thrown down, 
 and a free pafTage opened tor the 
 iluats. 
 
 This defign was, for fomc limr, 
 carried on with. great vigour, and 
 turned out to very good account; 
 till fome of the perions concerncj 
 in it thou)*ht proper to call oT 
 the men and liorfcs from the wo .s 
 of Abernethy, in order to einpIo)» 
 ,them in their lead Amines in ths 
 fame country, from whence they 
 promifed themfelvcs to reap a Hill 
 moreconfidcrablcadvantage. What 
 pri' arc emolument Mr. Hill re- 
 cci-ccl from this aiFair, or whether 
 any at all, I am tminformed of. 
 ilv'vevjr, the mngiflrates of inver- 
 •itis, /ibordeen, &c. pafd him the 
 compliment of the freedom of their 
 refpedjve towns, and entertained 
 iiirn with all imaginary honours. 
 Yet, noiwiihtlandmg thefe hon- 
 ours, which were publieiv paid 19 
 Our author, and the diilinguilhed 
 civiliiics which he met with fron 
 the dwke and duieltefs of Gordon, 
 and other perfons of rank to whom 
 he became known curing his re- 
 fidencc in the Highlands, this j 
 Northern expedition was near pro- 
 ving of very unhappy confequences j 
 to his fortune ; for, in his return, 
 his lady being at that time in I 
 Yorklhire for the recovery of her| 
 health, he made fb long a con- 
 tinuance with her in thatcouniyJ 
 as afforded an opportunity to fonKj 
 
 pWfODi, 
 
 5. i 
 
^I t 
 
 t "7 1 
 
 H ! 
 
 (b long a con- 
 in that county,! 
 portunity to fome 
 
 perf'^ns to whofe hands hir hat! 
 conliiicd the management o* cer- 
 tain importati .iffairs, to bt; guiity 
 (,f.i Ijicich of trull, that aimed ut 
 the ikllruftion of the greatcll part 
 tl'what no vas worth. However, 
 hehappil) iciurncd liir.c enough 
 lofruitrate their villuiiious inten- 
 tiom. 
 
 In the year 1731 he met with 
 a Uvi'-re fhock by the \ufa of hiii 
 lady, V iih whom he had palled 
 upw.irJs of twenty happy years, 
 and to whom he had ever had the 
 iincered and teiAdercIl attachment. 
 The thought of the following epi- 
 taph, whuh he wrote on htr, 
 tliougli not original, is enciiely 
 [■octicai : 
 
 Enough, coll Jlonc ! — fujice hcf 
 
 lon^-loni'il name : 
 IVonls arc too nueak to pay her vif- 
 
 tui^s claim.—' " 
 
 Teinplci, and tomli, antt toff^ues, 
 
 Jhall '•.mijlc ar^Kiay j 
 And po^.mr* s vain pomp in wouW- 
 
 riii^ dnji decay ; 
 ])!it ere mankind a tuifc more per* 
 
 feci fee, 
 Eternity^ O Time f Jljall hiiry thee, 
 
 Mr. Hill, after this, continued 
 In London and an iiitercourfc with 
 !he public, till about the year 
 1738, wht-n he, in a manner, 
 withdrew htmfelf from ihc u'orld, 
 by retiring to Plaitlow, in I'fitfx, 
 where he deVoted himfr^lf entiiely 
 to ftudy, and the cuUivation of 
 his family and gardtn. Yet the 
 concerns of the public became by 
 no means a matter of inditfercnce 
 to him ; for, even in this retire- 
 bient, he clofely applied to the 
 bringing to perfeftion many pro- 
 fitable imi^rovements. One more 
 pariicu arly he lived to com pleat, 
 though not to reap any beneht 
 from it himfelf, viz. the art of 
 making pot a(h equal to that 
 brought from Ruffia, to-whith 
 
 place an immenfe fum of fflOnef 
 ufcd annually to be fent from thci« 
 kingdoms for that article alontf* 
 III his folitude he wrote and pub- 
 liihcd fcveral poetical pieces, par« 
 ticularly an heroic poem, entitled 
 the Faticiad^ another of the fame 
 kind, called the Impartial, a Poem 
 upon Fa.th^ and three books of an 
 epic poem which he had many 
 years before begun, on the iloryr 
 of Gideon. lie alfo adapted to the 
 l^nglilh Hagc Monf. de Voltaire'i 
 tragedy of Mcrope, which was the 
 laft work he lived to compleat} 
 fur, from .ibout the time he was 
 foliicicing the bringing it on the 
 llar^e, an illnrfs feized him, from 
 the tormenting pains of which he 
 had fcarce an tiour's intermillion } 
 and, after trying in vain all the 
 aids that medicine could alFord 
 him, he at lalt returned to Lon- 
 don, in hopes that hiu native air 
 might have proved beneficial to 
 him { butt a!as ! he was pail re- 
 covery, br-ing wafted almolt to a 
 ilcfleton, from fome internal caufe» 
 which had occaiioned a general 
 decay, and was believed to be an 
 inflammation in the kidneys, the 
 foundation of which molt proba- 
 bly had been laid by his inteufd 
 and indefatigattle application to 
 his (ludies. ile juftliv^d to fee 
 his tragedy introduced to the pub- 
 lic, but tlie day before it was, by 
 comm uid of Frederic prince of 
 Wales, to have been repref-tntej 
 for his benefit, he died, in ihe 
 very minute of the earthquake^ 
 Feb. 8, 1749-50, ot 'he fh >ck of 
 which, though ipeechl**fs, he ap- 
 peared fenfiblc. This event hap-* 
 pened within two days of the full 
 completion of hiS fixty-fitth year^ 
 the lalt twelvemonth of whi>.!i he 
 had palled in the utmolt torment 
 of body, but with a calmnei and 
 rtfignation uiat ga^'e teitim ny of* 
 the molt unlhaken iortiiude oi 
 Q^x foui 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 & 
 
 {./ 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 &". 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 m ■2.2 
 
 u lii 
 
 £ Vi. 
 
 Hi 
 
 1 
 
 L25 1 1.4 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.6 
 
 vl 
 
 ^> 
 
 
 
 % 
 
 7 
 
 y^ 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 

 6^ 
 
I 
 
 i "8 ] 
 
 H I 
 
 IJe was interred near lord 
 
 foul. 
 
 GoSdolpHin'sf ' mdiJhtrient, ' fn thi 
 
 greak ctoifter of WeftmlnlUr-Abi 
 bby, in the fsnie ^rave with licr, 
 #hn had^ whil6 hvin^, been the 
 Iffearell to him, - =■ 
 
 With regard to Mr^ Hill's pri^ 
 ♦ate' chara^cr, he was in every 
 
 . irfpeft perfectly; aminble. His 
 feerfc^n was, itt his yoath, ex- 
 frernely fair and hatidfbme. He 
 ^s tall, tot too thin, yet gcr* 
 i^e'lly rtiade. Hiii eyes were a dark 
 bhie, bright arid penetrating ; his 
 iMlrb/bwn, atid his face oval.- His 
 ♦dariterkncfc ' wt.s • mbft generally 
 Iftihiattd by a fmils, which was 
 JHbre^ 'partkularty ^illinguifhable 
 ♦WieneVer he entered into conver* 
 feliori ; in' th« 'doing which his 
 idtfrefs was rrioil engagingly af- 
 fable, yet ftjiH|led with a native 
 iin^ifttiined dlghWy, which render- 
 ed hW ecjually the ohjedl of ad- 
 intratton and' re^edl with thofe 
 Who had- the pleafare of his ac-^ 
 qtiai-ntknce* ' His Voice was iweet, 
 and his tX>iBverfation elegant; and 
 fo'cxtenfive wai hie knowledge in 
 allfiibjefts/that fcarcely any could 
 occilr oh which he ciil not ijcquit 
 himfelf in a moll: mafterlv and 
 entertaining manner. His tem- 
 iper, though naturally warm when 
 touted by injuries, was equally 
 lioble in a readinefs to forgive 
 them ; and To much inclinable was 
 he to repay evil with goocJ, that 
 3ie frequently eXercifed that chrif- 
 tian' leflbn, even to the prejudice 
 of his bwn circumftances. He was 
 • generous matter, a fincere friend, 
 an affe£lionate hulband, and an 
 jtjdulgfnt and tender parent ; and 
 indeed fo benevolent was his dif- 
 j)v.»fition in general, even beyond 
 the power oi' the fortune he was 
 bleffed with, that the calamities of 
 thofu he i<n( \v, and valued as de- 
 lierving, affe«lkd him more dteply 
 than his cwn. In confecjucrice of 
 
 u-<.i - ■/' 
 
 this we find him beftpwing rt^ 
 profits of m^ny of his VvOrks for 
 the relief of his friends, atvd par- 
 tici)larly his dramatic ones, none 
 of which he could ever be' prevail- 
 ed oh to accept or" a benefit for, 
 till at' the very clofe of his life, 
 when his narrow circtjmttanccs 
 compelled him tO follicit the aft- 
 ing of his Mcrofe, for the relief of 
 i«3 author from thofe difficulties 
 out of which he had frequently 
 been the generous ihftrument of 
 extricating others. His manner 
 of living was temperate to thegreat- 
 eil: degree ii) every refp<;cl but that 
 of late hours, which, as the nigh; 
 is Icfs liable to interruptions thaii 
 the day, his 'indefatigable love of 
 ftudy frequently drew him into. 
 ^xi labour deterred him from the 
 profecution of any d'efign which 
 appeared to him to be praife-wor- 
 tffy and feafible ; nor was it in the 
 power of the greateft misfortunes 
 (and, indeed, from his birth, he 
 feemed d^lHned toencountermaoy) 
 to overcome, or even fhake, his for- 
 titade of mind. 
 
 As a writer, he mud be allowed 
 to lland in a very exalted rank of 
 merit. And although it may be 
 confefled that the rigid correftnefs, 
 with which he conftantly repe- 
 rufed his works for alteration , the 
 frequent life of compound epi« 
 thets, and an dr<fo verborum in 
 great meafure peculiar to himfelf, 
 have jullly laid hiql open to the 
 charge of being, in fome places, 
 rather too turgid, 4nd it) others 
 fomewhat obfcure ; yet the ner- 
 vous power we find in them will 
 furtly atone tor the former fanttj 
 and, as to the latter, the intrinfic 
 Uerling fenfe we cont;antly find on 
 a clofe cxaiiiination of every paf- 
 fage of his writings, ought to 
 make us overlooK our having beeii 
 obliged to take fome little painJ 
 in i'.ig£iiig through ike rock in 
 
 which 
 
jcftQWing rte 
 lis Works for 
 ids, and par< 
 c ones, none 
 er be' prfivail- 
 a benefit for, 
 fe of his life, 
 circamlhnces 
 )nicit the aft. 
 or the relief of 
 I'ofe difficuUies 
 lad frequently 
 inilrument of 
 His manner 
 atetothegreat- 
 rcfptcl but that 
 :h, as the night 
 rraptions than 
 itigable love of 
 irew hini into. 
 L hi n\ from the 
 ' defign which 
 3 be praife-Wor- 
 lor was it in ihe 
 icfl njisfortuhes 
 m bis birth, he 
 tncountermany) 
 ;n fhake, his for- 
 
 muft be allowed 
 exalted rank of 
 3ugh it may be 
 igid correftnefs, 
 conftantly repe- 
 r alteration, the 
 compound epi« 
 '(io verborum in 
 j'.iar to himfelf, 
 AT^ open to the 
 in feme places, 
 4nd ift others 
 yet the ner- 
 ind in them will 
 he former fanltj 
 ':er, the intrinfiC 
 ^nl'untly find on 
 ,n of every paf- 
 iings, ought to 
 lour having bfe^ 
 111 me lit lie p»»" 
 ih ike rock in 
 ^hicH 
 
 M I 
 
 [ "9 3 
 
 H 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 which it was contained. As I 
 have, however, in this place, no- 
 thing to do with any but his dra- 
 matic writings, the reader may 
 fee a CQjnpleat catalogue of them 
 in the following lill, vit. 
 
 1. Elfridy or, 7 he Fair Incon- 
 jlant. T. 4to. N.D.[l 710.3 
 
 2. The Walking Statue ; or, The 
 Oevil in the IVine Cellar. T. 4to. 
 
 N.D. £i7'o-l 
 
 3. Trick upon Trick', Of, Squire 
 Brah'Jcfs. C. N. P. 
 
 4. Rinahio. O..8vo. 171 1. 
 
 ;. The Fatal Fifion', or. The Fall 
 tfSiam. T. 4to. 1 7 16. 
 
 6. King Jtienry V ; or, The CoU' 
 qutjl of France hy the FngVJh, T. 
 Svo. 1723. • 
 
 7. AthelwoU. T. Svo. 1732. 
 
 8. Zara., T. 8vo. 1735. 
 
 9. Jlzira. T. 8vo. 1736. * 
 
 10. Metope. T. Svo. 1749. 
 
 T. Svo. 
 
 He hears no token of the fahter< 
 
 .Jireanis., . ...u j - hu 
 
 yliid mounts , far tf, among, the\ 
 
 Jxvans (f Thaiiifcs. >V 
 
 This, thoug^h fnr the geiit1i'(][ 
 piece of fatire in tHfc whole p'Oe 
 
 in 
 
 ». 
 
 Revenge. 
 
 11. Roman 
 
 J7S3' 
 
 1 2 . The Infolvcnt ; or. Filial Piety, 
 
 T. Svo. 1758. 
 
 13. Merlin in Lo^'C P. O. 1750.- 
 
 14. The Mufcs in Mourning. C. 
 0. 1759. 
 
 15. The Snake in the Grafs, D. S. 
 1759. n^. 
 
 16. Saul. T. 1759. 
 
 17. Bar axes. T. 1759. 
 
 Mr. Hill's dramatic work?, in- 
 cluding The Fatal Extravagance^ 
 were printed in 2 vols. Svo. 1759. 
 
 Our author fecms to have lived 
 ia perfed harmony uith all the 
 writers ot his time excepting iVJr. 
 Pope, with whom he had:a (hort 
 paper war, occafioned by that gen 
 
 and conveying at tKe fanie tfhlfe^ 
 an oblique compHiiient, r(!>u/ftcl' 
 Mr. Hill to the takings (bme no- 
 tice of it, which h?,,did, byia^^oem, 
 written during his pereg,!;in^ion in 
 the North, entitled, The Frogir/X 
 of l^tt, a Caveat for the, UJe if aft 
 eminent J^riicr^ wRitli hd begriis' 
 with the folfewing eight lines, iit 
 which Mr. Pope's tjJo well-knowhi 
 difpofition is eleojan^y, yet vtry 
 feverely charafterized'. 
 
 Tuneful i\i.ExiSt on the Thivctttf 
 
 fairfde, 
 
 TU laditi' ,plr^-thit!gy and the. 
 
 Alufe's pride i 
 
 \ With merit popular, ivith ivit 
 
 polite, , ^ ... . . 
 
 Eafy, tho* vain, and elegant, tl'^ 
 
 Dijiriiig, and deferving ethers. 
 
 prdijc. 
 Pearly accepts a fame be nc^er- 
 repays: , , ^t;.; 
 
 ^ Unborn to cfjerif!}, SNEAKINOtiri 
 
 And voanti the foul /« fpread tlnr. 
 vjorth be loves. 
 
 The *• fmtakingfy' apprth^es^ iipj 
 the laft couplet, Mr Pope wa^ 
 much affected by; and, indeerf,! 
 through their whole coniroy^rJ)t% 
 afteiW-iHCv in Which- it was' gene"-, 
 rally thought Mr. Hill hid coinfi.' 
 
 derably the advantage, Mr. Popis' 
 tleman's introducing him in the feems rather to exprefs his rtpeot-^ 
 Dunciad, as one of the competitors ance by denying the offence, th^'i" 
 for the priz^ offered by the God- to vindicate himfelf, fuppofing it 
 deli of Duhiefs, in the following to have been giv'en. ^ 
 
 'iies: I-iiLL, Sir John. This- ^gft'* 
 
 ll'cii Hill efay*d; fcarce vanifl/d tleman, whd may very jullly btt 
 out qffght, etteenied' Ms s phtnoiiheiibrt in li'-^ 
 
 He buoys up itiflant^ and returns teraty biftafyiWa^-perhnp's onfe of' 
 so Igi'i ; the moft voluminous writers th;it 
 
 0^3 this 
 
l\' 
 
 II I 
 
 [ 330 ] 
 
 H I 
 
 jjar 
 
 this or any other age has {)ro- 
 ^uced ; yet, on an examination of 
 his works, it will, I am afraid, ap- 
 pear, that he has juft inverted that 
 fentiment of Horace, which his 
 name-fake laft-otentioned chofe for 
 the mono of his Fatal Fijionj and 
 that the dolor's maxim will ap- 
 pear t)>e direA contrary to the 
 
 J not for vulgar admiration fyurite ; 
 ITo be well readf not much, is my 
 delight. 
 
 But of this more hpre?ftcr. He is 
 the fecond fon of one Mr. Theo- 
 philas Hili, a clergyman, if I mif- 
 take not, of either Peterborough 
 pr Spaldirg. The yeaj of our a\i- 
 thor« birth I am not abfol^tely 
 afcertaiued of, but Ihould, from a 
 ^oUeAipn of circuihftances^ V ^P' 
 to conclude it about 1716 or 1 7 ^7, 
 as in the year 1740 we find him 
 engaged in a contrbverfy with ^r. 
 Rich, in regard to a little opera 
 called Orpheus f in which mi|ch 
 
 Sjerfcnal ^bufe appeared on both 
 ides. He was originally boqnd 
 apprentice tO an apothecary, afler 
 f«?rving his time to whom, he fet 
 up in that profeflion in a little 
 ihop in St, Martin's Lane; bgt, 
 haying vtry early incumbered hirti- 
 felf with the cares of a family* by 
 an haftr marriage with a young 
 woman of no fortune, the daughter 
 of one Mr. T^-ayers, who was 
 houOiciId fleward to the late earl 
 pf Burlington, and. wboin he lell 
 in love with at a dancingf he 
 found the little bufinefs he had in 
 his profelTion infufficient tor the 
 Support of it, anfl therefore wa? 
 obliged to apply to other refources 
 %o help out the poor pittance he 
 coold obtain hy his regular occur 
 pation. Having, during his ap- 
 pjvnticcihip, attended the bptanical 
 ]e£lures which are periodically' 
 given under the patronage of the 
 
 ponipany of apoth.ecari^s, and be- 
 
 ' ' ■ ", 1 '■ ■ ■ • » • 
 
 ing polTeffed of quick natural pai ,» 
 and ready abilities, he had made 
 himfelf a very compleat matler of 
 the praflical, and indeed the the. 
 oreticai part alfo, of botany j and, 
 hiving procured a recomiheDda> 
 tion to the late duke of Richmond, 
 and the lord l'etre,'t^Y6 noblemen, 
 whofc love of fcience and condant 
 cncour»gement of genius everdi4 
 honrur to their country, he was 
 by them employed in th'e regula* 
 tibn of their refpedlive botsnic 
 gardens, and the arrangement oP 
 certain curious dried, plants, which 
 thpy were, in pofl'effion of, Af- 
 filK'd by the gratuities he received: 
 from thefe noblemen, he v'as ena- 
 bled to put a fchcme in execution 
 of travelling over feveral parts of* 
 this kingdom, to gather certain of 
 the more rare and uncomnnon 
 plants } a feledt number of which, 
 prepared in a peculiar manner, htf 
 propofed to publifh, as it were, hy 
 fuhfcription, at a c^r^aip price. 
 The labour ahd expences atten- 
 dant on an undertaking of this 
 kind, however. Being very great, 
 and the number of even probable 
 purchafeis very few, the emolu- 
 ments accruing to him from all 
 his induilry, which was indeed in^ 
 defatigable, were by no me^ns ade- 
 quate either t<> his expedlations or 
 bis' merits. Th« ftage now pre- 
 fented itl'elf to * as a foil in 
 which genius r-'y^ ind a chance 
 of ilo'ui'ilhing. Lui thisi plan pro< 
 ved likewifc abortive, and, after 
 two or three unfuccefsful attempts 
 at the little theatre in the Hay- 
 Market, aod the theatre royal in 
 Coven t Garden, he was obliged 
 to relinquifh his pretenfions to the 
 f«3ck and buflcin, and apply again 
 to his botanical advantages, and 
 his bufinefs as an apothecary. 
 
 During the courfe of thefe oc- 
 currences, he was introduced to 
 the acqu^ia|ic$ of Martin folket, 
 • 1 • • ' • • ' ■ Efii; 
 
H I 
 
 C »3» 3 
 
 HI 
 
 £(q; tke late prefident of the 
 Royal Society, to Dr. Alexander 
 Stuart, Mr. Henry Baker, F. K. S. 
 aod many other 2;entlemen emi- 
 '^sent in the literary and philofo- 
 phical world, by ail of whom he 
 was received and entertained, on 
 every occafion, with the utmod 
 c;indour aod warmth of friend (hip ; 
 being edeemed as a young man of 
 very confiderable abilities, Arug- 
 gling with the moll laudable af- 
 tiduity againft the llream of mif- 
 fortune, yet, with a degree of 
 bfiiful diffidence, which fecmed 
 an unfurm out) table bar t3 his ever 
 feeing able to ftem the torrent, or 
 Giake that figure in life which his 
 Deric juftiy entitled him lo. In 
 this point of view Mr. Hill ap- 
 peared for a confiderable time, ad- 
 mitted to every literary affembly, 
 eiteemed and care(&d by all the 
 individuals v/hich cumpoied them, 
 yet indigent and diilrcHed, and 
 ifometimes put to difficulties for 
 the obtaining even the common 
 Beccfraries of life. At length, 
 about the year 174^ or 1746, at 
 yhich time he had a trifling ap* 
 pointment of apothecary to a re- 
 giment or two in the Savoy, he 
 tianilated from the Greeic a fmall 
 UdCif written by Theophrallus, on 
 liones and gems, which, by the 
 addition of a great number of very 
 judicious and curious notes, he 
 (nlarged into an odtavo volume of 
 three (hillings and fix- pence price, 
 which formed almoft a compleat 
 /yllem of that branch of Natural 
 Hillory. This work he publifhed 
 by fubfcription, and, being ex- 
 tremely well executed, and as 
 ftiongly recommended by all his 
 literary friends, it not only an- 
 fwered hU expectations from it 
 with refpeft to pecuniary advan- 
 Uges, but alfo eilablilhed a repu- 
 ution for him as writer, in con- 
 fequencc of which he was imme- 
 
 diately engaged in works of more 
 extent, and of greater importance. 
 The firil work he undertook wai. 
 a general Natural Hiftory, in three 
 volumes, folio, the firll of which, 
 exclufive oT other writings, he 
 complcated in lefs than a twelve- 
 month. He was alio engaged, in 
 conjunAion with George Lewis 
 Scott, Efq; in a fupplement to 
 Chamben^s DiStionary, He took on 
 him the management of a monthly 
 publiiation, entitled the Britljh 
 Magrtznc^ in which he wrote a 
 great variety of eflays on different 
 iubjedls; and was at the fame time 
 concerned In many other works. 
 In ftiort, the rapidity of his pen 
 was aftonilhing, nor will it per- 
 haps readily gain credit with pof- 
 teriry, that while he was thus em- 
 ployed in feveral very voluminous 
 concerns at one time, fome of 
 which were on fubjeAs which 
 feemed to cUim fiftgly the whole 
 of his attention, and which he 
 brought to perfe^ion wkh an ex- 
 pedition that is fcarcely to be con- 
 ceived, he folely, and without any 
 affiftance, carried on a daily perio- 
 dical E^ay, under the title of the 
 InfpeSlor. Nor was this the only 
 extraordinary circumtiance attend- 
 ing on it ; for, notwithllanding all 
 this employment, fo much leiibre 
 did he find means ever to x^{zx\^ 
 to himfelf, that he was, at the fame 
 time, a condant frequenter of every 
 place of public amufement. No 
 play, operia, ball or afiTembly, but 
 Mr. Hill was fure to be feen ar, 
 where he colleded, by wholefale, 
 a great variety of private intrigue 
 and perfonal fcandal, which he as 
 freely retailed again to the public 
 in his IttfpeSlors and Magazines. 
 
 But now a difpofition began to 
 fhew itfelf in this gentleman, which 
 thofe, who had been the moil in- 
 timate with him in his earlier parts 
 of life, could never have fofpeAec^. 
 
 0.4 « 
 
H I 
 
 C »3a 3 
 
 H I 
 
 19 him% viz* S4> onhouAded (hare ext^nr, and may be handv-d d«wn 
 of V8nii.y and felf-luilicit'acy, which to pullerity when the cauife of 
 hat^ for y tars Iain dormjMit bfhind t.hcni is forgotten, it will not, per. 
 tjiie n^iw. of meir dir^t opp^olite htips, be diiiigrecabh: to iny rea< 
 qyallties ol: l^unt^lity yn^ 4'i&- (i^rs, if I Uke vp a fmall portioit 
 qerce ; a pride, w/iich >ac peri>«- of their time in a detail of the 
 
 origin and progrefs of it. 
 
 When Mr. Hill had flarted all 
 
 at once, aa I have befbrc related, 
 
 Jyalities ol: l^unt^lity yn^ 4'i&- 
 crce ; a pride, wJiich >a« per|>e- 
 tually laying cLiim ip homage by 
 n.o means b. fv^ue, i^nd a vindic- 
 t)ve«d"s whicir ever v:oqld forgive 
 tj)t* relAifal of it 10 him. Hence it 
 
 from a ilaie of indigence and dif. 
 
 ^as th^l ptn'«xnal abufc and tlic irefs, to ta He the comforts of very 
 titoft lic^fiiicus and uncandid fcur> conliderable emolumentB from his 
 
 rility continually flowed tfo;n his 
 pen ; evf ry atffdnt, though ever fo 
 trivial, which liii pr;de met with, 
 bcittg uftuvec^ly revenged by a pub- 
 lit attacU on the morale undcr- 
 ifiUidingf, or peculiarities al' the 
 perfon from whoin u bad bem iCr 
 ceived. In conicqi'Ciice of this 
 dif^Olition wc find hu:) very fre- 
 qui;ntly wiig.iged in pvrfonal dif- 
 putcs'uiid (^uarj-ds ; particularly 
 
 labour, giddy wi»h fucccfs, and 
 elated, beyond bounds, with the 
 warm fiinlhinr of profperity, he 
 feeined to be leiacd with a kind of 
 infatuation. Vanity took entire 
 poflelfion of his bofom, and banifn- 
 cd from tlitince every coniidera- 
 lion btrt ot fe!f. His converfation 
 turned on little elfe, and even his 
 very writings were tainted with 
 perpetual details of every Kttleoc- 
 
 in one with an Iri<h gcntlennn, of currence that happef^ed to him. 
 
 tb^ name of Bi^iwnc, who, on A pallion for drels, (hew and pa- 
 
 fjnding himfelf uuiverfally cbiifi- radf, the natural atiendants on 
 
 (lered OS the pei ton inu-pdud by a felf love, now broke forth ; he fet 
 
 ve;ry ridiculous chavafter dr;iwii in up his chariot, and, profeirint;to 
 
 QOC of the Iiirpo^orb, thf^ught dU'ume the chara^er of a meer 
 
 proper to bellow iome corrf<iiion 
 
 <jn hitp, not of the t^eiit'ell kind, 
 
 il> the public gaidens of Kane- 
 
 htgb, which however Mr. 11. 11 
 
 <ioe3 not appear to have replied to 
 
 Viith ai^y other i\ capon but his 
 
 pen. He alfo engaged himfclf ia 
 
 a little paper war with Mr, WOod- 
 
 waid, the c< median, in conie- 
 
 uian of pleafure, gallantry and Hott 
 Ton,' afi^e£^ed to expreft, on every 
 occalinn, t!;e higheft contempt for 
 biifinefs and the drier kinds ot 
 Dudy. His raillery both in com^ 
 pany and in his writing!, frequently 
 turned on thofe who cloi'ely attach* 
 «d. themfcives to philofopbical in- 
 veiligutions, more efpecially in tha 
 
 <]uen(e of an infult that genilonian brunches of natural philofophy. 
 received, ii\ t];e exj^riife. of hift The commoti-place wit of abHfitig 
 
 prottfTion, ffom a geiuleman. in 
 one of the boxus. I^]r. Hi!l wa» 
 Sflfo extremely bufy in tlve oppo- 
 Ction againrt'the lar.c Mr. HeOJ'y 
 Fielding, in that iivtricate a;nd in- 
 exj-licablc afFiiir of Elizabeth Caiv 
 ])ing But the moil important 
 contell he was ever concerned in 
 was his attack on ^he Kuyal So- 
 ciety of London, which, as his< 
 
 the Medal-Scrapcjr, live Butterfly- 
 £iunt6r» the Cockle- Shell -Mer- 
 chant, &c. nmv appeared in fome 
 of. hh ^Hgitzines and Inipe^Vors, 
 and latwo or three places he even 
 infiiilged fame dillant glances of 
 ffttiee at the Pwoy»i Society. Not-' 
 with{l;indii}g which, however, 
 wl^eO' the fuppleitient to Chavh 
 heri^s P<i!i:onn!y was< rcarly fmifli-' 
 
 ^f iiings oij i^ fitisjjdt ^js^oi foixu^ ad^. the prx)pdao<s- of ||i,m- work, 
 
 
 -y 
 
 •*; 
 
H I 
 
 C ni 1 
 
 h i 
 
 wkty fenht>1c t>( the ii/eigMt Which hr$ Hth^ unkl^lc to obtain ttie Tu^ 
 F. R. 8. Bfl'neked tb the au- fcrijjtibn of the reijuifite hiim&ei' 
 
 of XdctHben to his recoinniehdi- 
 tli6n, obtig^d hite to lay it ATide,, 
 from a convi^ion thac he coufd 
 
 an 
 
 thor's tisfne, e^r has in the re- 
 
 cornmendntion of a work of that 
 
 r:itur*, wete very defiroo* that 
 
 Mr. HiM (who had jaft before this ndt expeft fo carry an eleifliWh iii 
 
 parch.'ifcd a diploma for the de- a body compofed of three h'.incJred' 
 
 greeoidoftor of phyfic frOnfi the member^s, of whkh Ae could riot 
 
 Scotch univerfity of St. Andrews) prevail On rhree to fet their narneii 
 
 ftiould alfo have this adtlitiort as 
 well as Mr.. Scott, his colleague in 
 the work. In confiqiience of this 
 
 to the barely recommervJi'ng hiiii 
 as a candidate. Thus dif^if poinr-' 
 ec^, his vanity piqued, and' his 
 
 their defign, the new Dr. HiK pro- pride lowered, ifio reliof was left 
 
 curtd Mr Scott to propofe him ilirti but raiting and fcurrility, for 
 
 tor eledlion into that honourable which purpofe, dtclarino open war 
 
 body; but the doftor's cOnduft for with tne focieiy in general, he firft 
 
 fnme time paft having been fuch pubUflicd a pamphlcr, cntliled, ^ 
 
 as had rendered him the objelft of J^ijjirfation on Rnyat iiocirt'cs^ i>i a' 
 
 contempt to fome, of difguft to letter from a Sclavoniah nobleman 
 
 others, and of ridicule to almoA 
 all the rert of his former grave and 
 philofophical acquaintances, he 
 now flood but a very indifferent 
 
 in London to his friend in Sclavo- 
 nta, which, betides the tiioll ill- 
 mannered and unjud abufe on tlte 
 whole hcarned body, he had been 
 
 chance for carrying an eleftiop, juft aiming, in vain, to become % 
 where an opp«tiiion of one thitd member of, is interlarded with the 
 
 was fuflkient to rejett the candi 
 date ; and as the failing in that 
 attempt might have done our au^ 
 thor more eflential prejudice thnn 
 the fucceeding iii it could even 
 have brought nim advantage, the 
 late ingcnto'us and worthy j^reii- 
 dent Martin Foikes, Efq; whofe 
 remembrance rouil ever live in the 
 higheil efflmation with all who 
 ever had the honour of knowing 
 him, notwithftanding that Dr. f Idl 
 
 grollelt perfonai fcurrriiCy on the 
 charafters of Mr. Foikes and Mr. 
 Henry Baker, two gentlemen to" 
 whom Dr. Hill had Ktrmerly beeti 
 under the greareft obligations, an<f 
 whofe re(pt£live reputations iq: 
 both ,he moral and literary worltf 
 had long bt'cn too firmly eliabli(h« 
 ed for the we.k efforts of a diC- 
 appoiiited fcribbler to fh;;ke or un- 
 dermine. Not contented with thi3|^ 
 he ptoceeded to compile together a 
 
 had given him peribnal occafion large quarto volume, entitled, A^ 
 
 of offence agaiifft him, yet with the Rrh'irM of the tForks of the Re)/al 
 
 utmolV^enerofity anti candour, ad- Spcirty, in which, by the moll lih- 
 
 vifed Mr. Soott to difTuade his fair quotations, mutilations, an<{ 
 
 fVierfd, for hij own fake, againfl a fnifrcpreft-ntatiohs, numbers of tfie 
 
 defign which thcreappedred fo lit- papers, i-ead in that rlluUripus af- 
 
 tle probafbiHlly of his futccedin^ fembly, and publithed under the' 
 
 jn. This advice, hoWfcvei*, DV. title of the PhiLjophk-al Tranfac 
 
 iiill, itiflead of confidering it iff tiding are endeavoartjd to be ren- 
 
 tRe generous light it >Vas itieint,- dered ridiculous. Tliis work ia 
 
 rtifrtitcrpreted iATO a prejodtcet^ tifhe^ed fnto thq World vAih a n\o(l 
 
 cpji^mon againit hisihierett; and; abufiv'e and infamous dfedica-ioti^ 
 
 would have perfifted in his iiitei\'- t"6 Martin Foikes, Efq; agiiinil' 
 
 ^o(j even in defpight of it, had not wllOxA" add tht afore-mentioned 
 
 I Mr. 
 
H ? 
 
 £ ^34 J 
 
 H I 
 
 ft|r. Henry Httker, the weight of 
 j^is furious attack was chiefly 
 aimed, Ance of the few other au? 
 fhors, who have been dragged in 
 to fufifer the la(h of the, dpdor's 
 abofe, much the grcateil part of 
 ihem feem to have had no claim 
 to hi* rcfentment, but that of be- 
 ing correfpondentfl of, or their 
 pieces being cominunicated by. 
 Me or tKe other of thcfe gcntlc- 
 nten. But here ag^in Dr. Hill 
 met with a difappoimment ; for 
 the perfpns, whom he had thus iin- 
 juiily and ungratefully attacked, 
 t>etng greatly above the reach of 
 hh malice, he found the ill effeQ.9 
 of it, like a recoiling piece, revert 
 onhimfelf; the world, inllead of 
 laughing with him, defpifed him ; 
 thofe, who would have otherwifc 
 been the principal purchafers of 
 his philofophical writings, were 
 pow too much exafperated to af- 
 ford him the leail encourdgcn:ci',t 
 or affiftance. By giving fo ample 
 a fcope to perlbnal flandcr and 
 fcurrilous abufe in fome of his 
 works, and by his too great hurry, 
 and the impolTibilicy of giving a 
 proper digfltion to others, he made 
 himfelf lo many peifonal enemies 
 on the one hand, and wrote him- 
 felf fo out of repute, both with 
 tlte town and the boukfellers, on 
 the other, that at length, even 
 when employed by the latter, he 
 wrs obliged, by contract, to con- 
 ceal from the former his being the 
 author, from the confideraiion that 
 his very name was fufficient to 
 damp the fale of any piece to 
 whicn it might be af!)xed. This, 
 however, did not prevent his en- 
 gaging in many works, though not 
 fo voluminoufly as before, till at 
 length he hit upon another method 
 for getting money, which, as I am 
 informed, brought him a very con- 
 iiderable income. This was no 
 other than the preparation of cer- 
 
 tain fimple medicines, whofe ef* 
 fedls are very ferviceable in fnany 
 vafet, and^ being moftly of the e- 
 ^etable kind, are, I believe, v^^ry 
 inofFenfive in all. Thefe medi 
 cines, in confequencc of conftant 
 advertifements and puffing, have 
 had a very extenfive fale anfl con- 
 fumption, and afe, I think, chiefly 
 of four forts, viz. The Effentt tf 
 tyatcr-Dock, TinHure of Fakrian^ 
 PeSloral Lalfam of Honey ^ and Tinc- 
 ture of Bardana. Dr. Hill was, 
 for fome time, warmly patronized 
 by the earl of iiute, through whofe 
 intereiT, I have been informed, b« 
 was apppintc^, to the pianage- 
 ment of t)ie royal gardens, but, 
 by what means I j^now not, the 
 grant was never confirmed. Under 
 that noblei;ian's patronage, and, \ 
 believe, at his expence, the dodtor 
 publifhed a yery pompous and vo- 
 luminous botanical work, entitled, 
 A Sjfiem of Botat^t with a great 
 nuniper of elegant and magnificent 
 copper-plates. 
 
 About the faine time he ht^ 
 quently appeared at x^t ipagnifi- 
 9ent routs of the late dutchefs of 
 Northumberland, where, had he 
 not been generally known, the 
 /plendor of his drefs might have 
 denoted him to be fome perfon of 
 real confequence and fortune. But 
 as the frequenters of this elegant; 
 afTembly took not the flighted no- 
 tice of him, his fituation among 
 the great and the polite was rather 
 an obje£l of commiferation than 
 envy. 
 
 In the latter part of his life h9 
 was honoured by the kini; of Swei 
 den with the order of Vaf^* and 
 died in November 1775, ®^ ^^^ 
 gout, a diforder which though he 
 profefled to cure in others, he wa) 
 unable to ^oot out of his own con* 
 flitution. He was buried at Den- 
 ham, 
 
 And 
 
V* 
 
 H I 
 
 f ^35 J 
 
 H I 
 
 And now, having related what 
 peculiar circumfUnces I hav? been 
 able Vj coUeft in regard to his life, 
 it may be expe£ted that I ihoiUd 
 jive (ome obfervations with refpe^l 
 to hit charaAer ; yet thefe I fliall 
 here confine oqly to his literary 
 (jne, and the rank ojf merit which 
 his writings' .ought to ftand in. 
 Dr. Hill's gfeatelt enemies could 
 jiotdeny that he wasmaf^vrofcon-; 
 Tiderable abilities, and an amaxing 
 nuicknefs of part?. The rapidity 
 of his pen was ever aftoni(hing, 
 ;nd I hav^ even been credibly in- 
 formed, that he has been known 
 tp receive, )vithin one year, no I^fs 
 than fifteen hundred pounds for 
 i^e works 0/ his own fingle hand, 
 \vhich, as he Was never in fuch 
 e'dimatioii as to be entitled to any 
 extraordinary ^ke for his copies, 
 i;, I believe, at le^il three times 
 as mach as ever was made by any 
 one writer in the fame period of 
 time. But, had he wrote much 
 lefs, he would probably have been 
 much more read, '^^he vaft va- 
 riety of fubic^s he handled, cer- 
 tainly required fuch » fund of 
 univerfal knowledge, and fuch a 
 boundlefs genius, as were never, 
 perhaps, known to center in any 
 one man ; and therefore i( is not 
 to be wondered ar, if, in regard tQ 
 fome, he appears very inaccurate, 
 in fome very fuperficial, and, in 
 others, very inadequate to the taflc 
 He had undertaken. His works, 
 in the philofophical way, are what 
 he feemed moft likely to have pur- 
 chafed future fame by, had he al- 
 lowed himfelf time to have diged- 
 cd the ktiowledge he was pofleiTed 
 of, or adhered' t<) that orecifioti 
 with regard to veracity which the 
 relation of literary fafls fo rigidly 
 demands. His novels, of which 
 lie has written many, fuch as the 
 Hiftory of Mr. Lovell (in which 
 tfi had endeavoured to perfuade 
 
 the world he bad givett the de^* 
 tail of his own life), the adven- 
 tures of a Creole, the life of Udx 
 Frail, Sec. have, in fome parts of 
 them, incidents not difagreeabljf. 
 related, but the mod of them ar^ 
 no more than narratives of private 
 intrigues, containing, throughoor, 
 the grQlTell calumnies, and aiming 
 at the blackening and undermin*. 
 ing the private characters of many, 
 refpedable and amiable perfon-° 
 ^ges. In his Eifays, which are by 
 much the belt of his writings, there 
 is, in general, a livelinefs of ima- 
 gination, and a prettinefs in the" 
 iiianner of extending perhaps fome- 
 very trivial thought, which, at 
 the firfl Coup d*Oeil, is pleafing 
 enough, and may, with many, be 
 roiiiaken for wit ; but, on a nearer 
 examination, the imagined flerling 
 will be found to dwindle doiva 
 into meer French plate. A con- 
 tinued ufe of fmart fhort periods,, 
 bold aiTertions, and a rotain of 
 egotifms, for the mod part give a 
 glitter to them, which, however, 
 prefently fullies to the eye, and 
 feldom tempts the fptftator to a 
 fecond glance. In a word, the 
 utmoil that can be faid of Dr. Hill 
 is, that he had talents, but that 
 he, in general, either greatly miC" 
 applied them, or moft miferablf 
 hackneyed them out. 
 
 As a dramatic writer he Hands 
 in no elHmation, lor has been 
 known in that view by any ^hing 
 but three very infignificant little 
 pieces, one of which I have men« 
 tioned above. Their titles are, 
 
 1. Orphtui. O. fol. 1740. 
 
 2. 7/v Critical Minute. F. about 
 1754. N. P. 
 
 3. The Rout. F. 8vo. 1758. . 
 Hill, Richard, £fq;. Wet 
 
 fufpe£k this name to be a fictitious 
 one, and intended to be impofed 
 on the public for the author of 
 feveral pieces againft the celehiat- 
 
 'e4- 
 
rt I 
 
 r *3<^ 3 
 
 U d' 
 
 €i John Wcflpy. It (lands, how- 
 ever, before one drama, entitied* 
 Tf.cdn'fpel SbAp. C. 8vo. 1778. 
 Ht*rhsr,i'.V, JanN. A comic 
 aftbr of confiderable rOerir, whofe 
 performance on the lia^fe was much 
 fccig&tened by a dirtoriioh of his 
 i)tce, occafiODed by an accidental 
 burn in his youth. His iltuucion 
 in the theatre was at firli: very 
 Jow, beinj^ no more thun a candlc- 
 ifluffirr; but on the death of 
 PiiklcnthiTian he fucceedcd to nil 
 his characters, and was received in 
 them by the public with great ap- 
 plaufe. H^ built a theatre nt 
 Briit(d»l, and had another in (ow.t 
 torwardncfs at Bath when he died. 
 At owe periotl of his life, he kept 
 a coiFse-houfe ibmc where near 
 Covem-Gtirden, and died at Ijrillol 
 the rath of February, 1748. He 
 wrote one piece, ciilled, 
 
 A Joi'.rnr)/ tt> Br'jfiol ; or, Tbe 
 Jiffnifi IVi'ijlvuaiu F. 8vo. 175 1. 
 
 ]M». Hippcfley had two daugh- 
 trrs both adredes, and one of thtra, 
 Mrs. GfCcn, was excellent in the 
 characters of anciervt ladies and 
 s^igails. He had alfo a fon whu 
 died {bme )ears iince governor of 
 j^ fort iri Africa. He was a man 
 of letters, and wrote feveral very 
 feiifible pamphlels. Old Mr. Hip- 
 pefley ac one time inten<ied him 
 for the (iage, and was fpeaking to 
 Q'uin on the fubjeft, when he was 
 told by the cynic, that if the 
 younj^ gentleman was dcfigned for 
 tite theatre, it was high time to 
 born him (I. e. in order to give- 
 him ibme refem'blance to his fa--' 
 iher.) 
 
 KiTCHGOcK, — — . Was for- 
 merly a performer on the York 
 flage,^^ and. id at tbis tiftie prompter 
 <jf the theitre roy^l ati tlie H*y- 
 Marker. He is the aUlkor o'f nvo 
 Blays, GftHesd*, 
 
 n tlU! A'J^ciirirHt. C gVoJ 1773', 
 .2U 9tZ>/ CoijNfi-; of, Th Jirfiakcs 
 afi he Heart, C. 8vo. 1777. 
 
 HoADr,Y,Dr. Br.NjAMiff. kl- 
 deft fon of the bi/hop of Win- 
 cheftcr, was bbVn Feb. id, 1705-6, 
 in firoadllreer, edncated, as Was his 
 yountjer brother, at Dr. Newcome'i 
 at Hackney, and Bcnct Colltge, 
 Cnmbrid^e; bleing admitted ptn- 
 fioner April 6, 1722, under the 
 worthy archbifiiop Herring, then 
 tutor there. Here he took a degree 
 inphyfic in 1727 ; and, particular- 
 ly appl^'ing to mathematical and 
 philol'ophical (Indies, was well 
 knovyn (along with tht^ learned 
 and ingenious Drs. David Hartley 
 and Davics, both late of Hath, who 
 with him compofed the whole 
 clafs) to make a greater progrefs 
 under the blind profcfTor Saunder- 
 fon than any yonng gentlenian 
 then in the univerfity. When his 
 late majefty was at Cambndgc in 
 April, 1728, he was upon the lift 
 of gentlemen to be created doftors 
 of phyfic ; but, either by chance 
 or management, his name was not 
 found in the lafl lift ; and he had 
 not his degree of M. D. till about 
 a month after by a particiilar man- 
 damus. Through this trartfaclion 
 it appeared that Dr. Snape had not 
 forgotten or forgiven the name of 
 Hoadly ; for he not only behaved 
 to hint with great ill-manners, but 
 oblhufled him in it as much as 
 lay in his power. He wus F. R. S. 
 very young, and had the honour 
 of being nlaitfe known to the learn- 
 ed world as a philofopher, by a 
 Letter from I he Re^jcrend Dr. Samuel 
 Clarke to H^. Benjatnin Hoadly, F. 
 A*, i). occa^oneti' hy the prcfenl Coti' 
 trb'verjjf amoHg Maiheniat'tcians con- 
 crrning the Proportion of Ftloclly ana 
 Force in Bodies in Motion, He was 
 made regillrar of Hereford while, 
 li-is father filled that fefe ; and vvas 
 appointed phyfician to his majcfly's 
 Koufehold fo early as June 9, 1742. 
 Jtisriniarkable, that he was for 
 fonie years phyficijfn to both the 
 
 houjch.ldi 
 
¥9 
 
 i w I 
 
 H 9 
 
 . hufj.'oiifs toeethft', bavlap been 
 .ippointcjl to tfi^t of the prince of 
 \\ale!>, Jan. 4, 1745-6, iu the 
 place of Dr. Lamotie, a Scotch- 
 man with a French name (whom 
 the prince had hinifijlf ordered tp 
 bcHruckout of thfe lift, on his im- 
 jirudent bchavjovir zt the Smyrna 
 C'ort^e-houle at the lime of the rt- 
 bcllion, 1745;) ajpd, witi; • irticu- 
 lar circumltivoces much to his ho- 
 nour : the pcince himfplf. hctbrq 
 the warrant could be finifhed, or- 
 dering tt^e ftyle to be altered ; and 
 that he ihould be called pbyfician 
 to the hpufchold, and not in cxtrar 
 ordinary f as the otber had been : 
 cbrerving, that this would fecure 
 that place tp hinjj io z^ie. of a de,r 
 mife, and be a bar ag^ainft anyon^ 
 getting over him.. Nay, not co»j- 
 tent with th,U» l^is royal h'ghneiTs 
 voluntarily wr'qte a letter to the 
 bifliop with his Qwn hand — '* thai 
 •' he wa? gls(d of this opportunity 
 " of giving Hip * token of hi» 
 " gratitude fpr his fervices foriperl)t 
 •* to his family ; and ttiat he was 
 «' his affcHionate Fredekicki P." 
 — This, being at a time when the 
 families were not upon the bell 
 terms, is a prpof that I^r, Hoadly 
 was a moCt u,nexceptionab1e man. 
 He was faid to. have filled the polla 
 Wiih Jifigular honour. He married^ 
 1. Elizabeth, dauj^Kter of Henry 
 Betts, Efq; of Suffolk, counfellor 
 :it law, by whom he had one fon, 
 Benjamin, that died an infant. 2. 
 Ann daughter and coheirefs of the 
 honourable general jVrmllrong, by 
 whom he left' lio ifTue. He diecj 
 in the life-ti(iv.e of his father, 
 Augurt 10, 1757, Ht his hoijfe at 
 Chelfea, fince iiir Kichard Glvn's, 
 which he had built ten years 
 before. He publil^ed, i. Three. 
 Letters on tlx (Ji'gani of ^>'Jl>i- 
 ratir,)i, read at the J^oynl 0>U:\^e 
 of Pf.yjiclaiis, LoiidqUy jl. D. 1737, 
 hin^^ ihi Gui/iiiifiija Lcdurcs for th^^ 
 
 
 Ttmr, Tif ivhuh is a^frd an Jft^ 
 petiiiiXf K''>'ita^'ai!/g J^tyi/aris ou Joj^f 
 M^cnittfiits if Dr. U^HJluif^ pu^ 
 ifbrJjn tha TraiifaiUnns ifl^Jt, ^nWtt 
 i\adcly tjr tk' 1 ft^r 173^, /si hf^h 
 jcvnin itaedl^'y M. D, /i/^,-v «/' ti<f 
 CUligf of I^lyftciafifft oM (f. tiw 
 linjol i'oaitji LiifiJoii, i_y ^o, ^tPr 
 ?. Or at in /lunivcrjavia ifi- ^hcntK<f 
 i.,)lf. Mcdicifr, I^m^ueM/ju^if^ fjg 
 Har-vfii injlitiito habila^ die^ i B° Otff, 
 J. D. 174a, a Beif Hoaiify_ M. iPl^ 
 Oil/, A/<fV. et <i'. A'. ^ 1 74.4, f Ucivm* 
 ed a ve^ry elegant piece ojf If3tin'. 
 3. The Hujpidous Hitll/qnd^, % Co« 
 np9<Jy. 4. Ohfiraciypns^ 0\ aSerjft 
 of b'Je^lrical EApcri/neftts. By Dr. 
 Hoadly and Mr. ^^filfgtfl, F. R. S. 
 
 'J bjs dotlor wfts, it; his priv^to 
 ch^raiS^ei^, ap amiable hMmmtfi men, 
 and. s^ift agretablfl. fpjightly, cowr 
 panjoi). In Ms prQfe4ia« H« wa4 
 ievne^. «n4, jurfifiious^^i>.d, ag a 
 Wfit^r, there nef!dj> np 4'»ntMtr.toiKf 
 mpny to b|B hprni^ to, j^i^ mcrjl, 
 thai\ thP very pj:e^rv*g. t-QfoedjH 
 he ha» Uft bshind iHtflfc vhipj,* 
 whcnevei: repreiVnte4k fif ntviwallyv 
 alfjjrd* frefti ple?fuf,t,t0jtht audif* 
 ence, Wp fcarce I^vb. pcje^ «o 
 mention, to any on^, tbtj lei^ft conn 
 verfant with tb-^atmal j^tSairi, th4fi 
 we roe^n 
 
 7/v Sufpicious Hi(/l(^n^_ Com* 
 8,vo. 1747. 
 
 HuADLY, Dr. JoHiV.. Thit 
 gentleman was the young.«ft (oil 
 of Dr. H^pja\iun Hoadjy, bi(k<Jp 
 of Vyinch«lier. He was bdrn iot 
 Bipad-ftrcer, O^a.qber t>, 1 7 1 1 ,. antk 
 educated at Mr.,Np>w*9my's fchool 
 in llackpey, where h^ get gl»4ii 
 ^.PrP.l^U'C^ '-y. p?rfprnii«g..th(? patti 
 ot 1 hocyas in The ISie^^c of DafiAJiutti 
 In June 1750, he vya>..a4<ipitt$^iac 
 Cicf.pus Cinifti CoUtfgA^, JA -Ca«ft- 
 bridg(^, and abou.t, tU*? f^tf^ t^ipie 
 nt thv Temple,, inteR^iitig to,ft;^dy 
 the la^v. This. d*lign, hfovejjtr,- 
 h,e Iboij ab,4«duiK/i.,i .iyt in .the 
 

 fl 6 
 
 t »33 ] 
 
 U6 
 
 ttict yrar we find he had relio^ 
 quifhcd all thoughts of the law at 
 « nrofefllniu He tuok the degree 
 ofLL.B. in 1 735, and, on the apth 
 of November following, was ap< 
 pointed chancellor ot Winchefter, 
 ordained deacon by his father 
 Dec. 7t and priell the aid of 
 the fame month. He was imme-^ 
 diately received into the prince Oi 
 Wales's houfchold as his chapkin, 
 as he afterwards was in that of the 
 princefs Dowager, May 6j 1 75 J. 
 
 His feveral preferments he re- 
 ceived in the following order of 
 time : The reftory of Michel- 
 nerfli, March 8, 1737; that of 
 Wroughton, in Wiltlhire, Sept. 8, 
 1737; and that of Airesford, and 
 a prebend of Winchefler, 39th of 
 November in the fame year. On 
 June 9, T743, he was inllituted 
 to the redlory of St. Mary near 
 Southampton^ and on Dec< i6( 
 1746, collated to that of Overton. 
 He had the honour to be the firft 
 perfon on whom archbiOiop Her« 
 ting conferred the degree of a 
 doclon In May 1 760, he was ap-^ 
 pointed to the maftetlhip of St. 
 Crofs ; and all thefe preferments 
 he enjoyed until his death, except 
 the living of Wroughton and the 
 prebend of Winchefler. He wrote 
 ibme Poems in Dodfley's Collec- 
 tion, and is fuppofed to have very 
 materially afliltcd his brother in 
 The Sujpidous Hujhand. He like- 
 wife publilhed an edition of his 
 father 8 works in 3 vols, folioi 
 After living to the age of fixty- 
 fbar, the delight of his friends, he 
 died March 16, 1776, and with 
 him the name of Hoadly became 
 eztin£k. 
 , . He was the author of. 
 
 I. 
 a. 
 
 • 4- 
 Ivo, 
 
 The Contrqft. 1731, C, N. P. 
 Jepbtha. O. 1737. 8vo. 
 Levis Revenge. P. 1745. 8 VO. 
 Phoehe, 1748.. P. 8vo. 
 Tht Forte of Truth. O. 1764, 
 
 He alfo rcvifed LSIIo's Artten oY 
 Fi^trJIiam \ and wrote the fiftifi 
 M\ of Miller's Mahimet. 
 
 }\t left feveral dramatic works 
 in manufcript behind him ; and, 
 among the reft, 'M«> Houji-kerpcr^ 
 a farce, on the plan of Hgh Uft 
 brlmv Stairs, in favour of which 
 piece it Was rejeAed by Mr, Gar- 
 rick, together with a tragedy on 
 a religious fuhjedl. So great, how- 
 ever, was the Dodlor's fondnefs fo^ 
 theatrical exhibitions, that no vifi- 
 tors were ever long in hit honfe 
 before they Were folicited to accept 
 a part in fofne interlude or other. 
 He himfelf, with Garrick and 
 Hogarth, once performed a laugh- 
 able parody on the fcene in Julim 
 Cafar, where the Ghofi appears to 
 Brutus. Hogarth peifonated the 
 fpe£lre \ but fo uni-etentlve was 
 his memory, that, although his 
 fpeech confifted only of a few lines, 
 he was unable to get them by 
 heart. At lafl they hit on the 
 folloiving e^'pedient in his favours 
 The verfes he vlras to deliver were 
 written in fuch large letters ofi the 
 outfide of an illumitiated paper 
 lanthorn, that he could read them 
 when he entered with it in his 
 hand on the ftage. Hogarth pre- 
 pared the play-bill on this oc- 
 ca(ion, wuh charaAeridIc orna- 
 ments. The original drawing is 
 dill preferved, and We eould wi(h 
 it were engraved, as the flight- 
 ed fketch from the defign of fo 
 grotefque a painter, would b4 
 welcome to the collectors of his 
 works. 
 
 The tragedy was on the flory 
 of lord Cromwell^ and he once in* 
 tended to give it to the dage. In 
 a letter dated Auguft 1, 176^, hd 
 thus apologizes to a friend to whom 
 he intended to prefent the copy : 
 ** Your kind concern, &c. de- 
 " manded an earlier acknowledg-' 
 ** ment, had I not delayed till aii 
 
 ** abfolutf 
 
H 6 
 
 I »39 1 
 
 H 6 
 
 ** abfotilte anfwer came from my 
 «« friend David Garrick with hit 
 *' fixed refolution never more to 
 *\lirut ami frtt hit I. >..r upon tbt 
 ^''JiaTt again. This decree hat 
 " unhinf^ed my fchemes with re- 
 «• gard to lord C omwcU, tor no- 
 *' thing but the concurrence of fo 
 •« many circamftar.ces in my favoar 
 " (his entire difnnerefted friend- 
 •< Ihip fur me and the good Oo£lor*8 
 •< iiumory ; Mrs. Hoadly's bring- 
 *• ing on a piece of the Doftor's 
 •' at the fame time ; the ftory of 
 *' mine being on a religious fub- 
 «jed^, iic, and the peculiar ad- 
 " vantage of David's unparalleled 
 " performance in it), could have 
 *' perfuaded me to break through 
 " the prudery of my profeffion, 
 ♦♦ and (in my ftation in the church) 
 «' proiiuce a play upon the ftage." 
 
 HoDSON, "Wir.MAM. This 
 gentleman is a fellow of Trinity 
 College, Cambridge. In the year 
 1770, he obtained Mr. Seaton'i 
 prize ; and is likewife author of 
 two ri.tys, called, 
 
 1, Arfacti T. 8vo. 1775. 
 
 2. Zoraidd. T. 8vo. 1780. 
 HoKER,JoMN. Was firft demy 
 
 or femi-commoner, afterwards fel- 
 low of St. Mary Magdalen, Col- 
 lege, and, in 1535, mailer of arts, 
 being then accounted excellently 
 well read in Greek and Latin au- 
 thors, a good rhetorician and poet, 
 and much commended for his 
 fancy. He was living in Mag- 
 dalen College in 1543, being then 
 batchelor of divinity of three years 
 fianding, and died, we may con- 
 jefture, very fliortly after. Among 
 other things he wrote, 
 
 Fi/cator; or, The Fijber caught. 
 Com. 
 
 Hor.cKAPT, Thomas. Is a 
 native of the county of Lancatler, 
 and was brought up to a mecha- 
 nical trade, which he relinquirtied 
 for the lUge. He is at prcfenc an 
 
 n^nr at Drury-Lane theatre, •nil 
 it the author of feveral perfor- 
 mancet, {mrticularly a novel, cali- 
 ed, 
 
 Alwyn, in 2 volt. lySo. 
 and one dramatic piece, entitled^ 
 
 The Cii/ti i or, Lovt and Ftar, 
 C. O. 1778. , 
 
 Holder, Mr. In Downet^c 
 Ritfdus AnglicaHui^ p. ;i6. we fimi 
 there was an author in the reigd 
 of Charles II. of this name. He 
 is mentioned at the writer of one 
 piece, which probably was never 
 printed, entitled, 
 
 The Ghnfts, Afled between 1 662 
 and i66j, by the Duke*g com- 
 pany. 
 
 Holland, Samuel, Gent. Of 
 this author I know no more thaa 
 he wrote one dramatic piece (print" 
 ed in a book, entitled, ** Wit and 
 *• Fanc^ in a Male ; or. The In- 
 " comparable Champion of Love 
 '< and Beautie." A mock Ro^ 
 mance, izmo. i6;6.) called, 
 ycnus and Adonii, M. 
 HooLE, Charles. Was bora 
 at Wakefield, in Yoikfliire, in tha 
 year 16 10, and educated at the 
 Iree-fchool there. At the age o\ 
 eighteen years, by the advice of 
 his kinfiinan Dr. Robert Sanderfon, 
 afterwards biHiop of Lincoln, he 
 was fent to Lincoln College, Ox- 
 ford, where he became a proHcicnt 
 in the Greek and Hebrew tongnes, 
 and in philofophy. After he had 
 taken one degree in arts, he en- 
 tered into orders, retired to Lin- 
 colnfhire for a time, and was ap- 
 pointed mafter of the free-fchool 
 at Rotheram, in Yorklhire. In 
 the beginning of the civil war he 
 Went to London, and, by the in- 
 vitation of fome of the citizens, 
 he taught a private fchool firft near 
 Red-Crofs-Street, and afterwards 
 in Token-Houfe-Garden in Loth- 
 bury. About the Relloration he 
 was invited intG^onmoutMhire; 
 
 but 
 
^ ^ 
 
 { '«4« 1 
 
 H <* 
 
 tiia;) to g'p thet^ not being . ai^ 
 'fy/ered, ^e rct^irqp^ to I^<idon« 
 'and was taken under the prbtei^iu^ 
 of his^ re|ati«^|i Pr. Saiji^dfffon, 
 whp died fpQp aftpr. Abqi4 that 
 riipf he becajne, rector of Stock, 
 sear Bitlericay in lUlex, wher^ he 
 died on tha 7th. of iMarcb, 1666, 
 having amongft oilier works pub- 
 lilhedf ^ 
 
 A Tranjlatlfl^ of Terence . 8 VO. 1 6 6 3 . 
 HooLE., John. This gentle- 
 tletnan i^ a livings author,, and is 
 auditor to the Kaft-Ind>a Con^- 
 paoy. H*, ^W^ produced three 
 Plays to the lV;igjt;, via. 
 
 I. Cyrus. 1. 8vO. 1768. 
 -. . 2. 7iim»this;, '£, 8vp. 17/10. 
 
 3. Ckonicc Princej'i of RitlrpiM, 
 T. S,vo. 177^.. 
 
 /Lnd tr3i\(I:'tied froii;! Metajlajin^ 
 ArtaxerofC). 
 
 'The Pl^mfiad^ ^ .. 
 
 ti\'pfyiU. ' ' '< " . 
 
 Demetrius* ^ 
 
 6. IhfitopljQon, "-yt 
 
 Printed in 2 vols. lamo. 1767* 
 
 The pubiic are alfo indebted to 
 him for a tranflation of Tnjo, and 
 pa It of Arlrfio. 
 
 HotY DAY, Df. Barton. Thi^ 
 gentleman wa$ fonoi: one Thomas 
 Fiolyday, a taylor, and was bom 
 in the pariih.of All-Saints, in the 
 city of Oxford, about the latter 
 end of qj^een Elizabeth's reign. 
 He was very early entered of 
 Chrift Church in, the univerfitv of 
 Oxford during the time of Dr, 
 Havis, who was not only his pa- 
 tron, but a relation alfo. \n thi^ 
 tolitge he took his degrees of 
 batchelor atvd mailer of aits^, iind, 
 in 16 [ q enteued into huly orders, 
 in which his abilities very foon 
 made him taken nqiice of, and rtQ- 
 ^&vf:di him a very, popular preacher. 
 He loon afur obtained two good 
 living.', b^ch of ihcnt iu Q.^ford'- 
 
 I. 
 
 2. 
 
 3- 
 4« 
 
 5- 
 
 ibjr?, i|?d, ia tl»e y««r. ^hi%\ Sm 
 wei^f. ^ chsplnin to ^\x. Francts 
 Stewart, when he, accDnpanied, to 
 hjdowB country^ tb^ fajnqui^count 
 Gundai^ore, who had b^eq many 
 yeurs ambaiHidor froffi the court 
 of Spain t<t t!>atof England. In 
 thisjoumt'y thedo^^'s facetious 
 and agreeable mannef gte^vly i»* 
 gratiAted him in th«< favour of 
 count Gutidamore* 
 
 Soon after his return he was 
 appointed, by kiof Charles I. as 
 on« of his chap1ai>>4i and; before 
 1626, fucceedi^d Dr. Bridges, as 
 archdeacon of Oxfocd, In 1642 
 be was, by virtue o^ th^ king's 
 letters, created^ w|thi«veral pthei'!!, 
 dof^tor of diviiiity, And opvy, the 
 rebellion being.. hroJis. ou<, he 
 fheltered hiinfelf n^ar Oxford*, 
 but very fpon began tp give proofs 
 of a want of Itedfallncfs, which 
 occafioned him the blanve aad cen- 
 fiire of many of his apcient friends 
 arnong the clergy ; the mpli of 
 ^honi chofc rather to. live-iapor 
 verty during the ufyrpation, tbaa 
 by a mean coippliance wi.ih the 
 times to betray the interieils of 
 the church, and the caqte of their 
 unhappy exiled fo.vereign. For, 
 when he faw the rayai party fo far 
 declining, that their cauf^ began 
 to appear defpf rate, he thought it 
 the moA for his own interell to 
 temporize, and appear to join in 
 with the prevailing power. Nay, 
 on Oliver Cromwell^s being raifed 
 to the protedtorfliip^ he even fo far 
 coincided with the meafures then 
 purfued, as to fuboiit to an exa- 
 mination by the triers, in order to 
 his Iving indii<i^<'d into th«f redoiy 
 «)f Shilton in IJerkfliire, which had 
 been vacated by the ejeflme.nt of 
 one Thomas Lawrence, on account 
 cti his being 7i(m amifu-is mentis. H« 
 lived, however, to fee the reilora- 
 tion of kir-g. Charles II. inconfe- 
 (^u^nce of which. event the doctor 
 
 threw 
 
H O 
 
 C ^41 J 
 
 H O 
 
 (hTtv up the living he had held wine Before they bpgan, in order 
 
 under the proteftor, and returned to remove their timidity, his ma- 
 
 to Eifley near Oxford, to live on jefty grew fo tired with the per- 
 
 his archdeaconry, and it is thought formarce, that, after the firft two 
 
 that, had he furvived, his poetry, a^s were over, he feveral timw 
 
 and the fame of his learning and made elForts to be gone. Ar 
 
 abilities, gave him To fair a chance length, however, being perfuaded 
 
 for preferment, that, notwiihftand- by thofe whowere about him to 
 
 ing his having aftt'd a tempori- 
 7ing part, which had greatly in- 
 jured him with the royalills, it 
 was probable he would foon hive 
 
 have patience till it was pver, left 
 the young men Ihould be difcou- 
 raged by {o apparent a flight 
 fhewii to them, he did fit it out, 
 
 been raifcd to a bilhoprick, or at though much againft his will. On 
 thfc lead to a very rich deanery, which the following fmart and in- 
 
 genious epigram was made by a 
 certain fcholar : 
 
 ^f Chrill Church mtrriage^ dont 
 
 before the kitigf 
 Left that their mates Jliould tvant 
 
 an offering. 
 Tie king himjclf did offer. fVhaf, 
 
 I pray? 
 hj offer'd tviice or thrice-^ to go 
 
 away. 
 
 Home, John. This gentleman 
 is a native of Scotland, and, I be- 
 lieve, related to Davi'd Hume the 
 hiilorian. Our author was bred 
 to the miniilry in the Kirk of 
 Scotland. But, riotwithllanding 
 the rigour of that church, findinjif 
 in his natural genius a bent to 
 poetry, and not conceiving that 
 tragedy, in whifK ihe principles of 
 virtue, of morality, of filial dutyf. 
 
 But the irreflll:ible monarch fum- 
 inoned him away from the village 
 of Eifley on the 2d day of Odlober 
 1661. Three days afrer which he 
 was interred at the foot of bilhop 
 King's monument, under the fduth 
 wall of the ille, joining on the 
 South (ide to the choir of Chrilt 
 Church cathedral, near the remains 
 pf William Cartwright and John 
 Gregory. 
 
 His writings are very numerous 
 both in the cla/Iioal and theologi- 
 cal way; but hfi'has only left oni 
 dramatic piece behind him, which 
 is entitled, 
 
 TEXNOrAMlA. 4tO. l6l3. 
 Wood relates an anecdote in re- 
 lation to this play, which has fome 
 humour in it, and therefor,e may 
 not prove unentertaining to our 
 readers. He tells us that this 
 piece had been publickly adled in Of-patriotic zeal, arj^ of reverence 
 
 Chrift Church hall. In, the year 
 1617, but with no very great aj\; 
 plaufe ; but that the wits of thofe 
 times, being willing to diftinguifh 
 tliemfelves before the king, were 
 relblved, with leave, to ail the 
 j fame comedy at Woodftock. Per- 
 milTion being obtained, it wzt ac 
 
 for an ovcr-rufing power, could 
 be inconfiflent wit|i'tli"e p>ofeflion' 
 of a religion, in which all thefe 
 are in the ilrop.gefl manner incul- 
 cated and enjoined, he formed a 
 dramatic piece, and prefenting it 
 to the managers of the theatre ac 
 Edinburgh, at that time in a more 
 
 cordingly adted on Sunday even- flourilhing condition than it had 
 ing, Aug. 26, 1621. Bur, whe- been for many years before, and 
 
 [ther It was too grave for his ma 
 jc'^y and too fcholaftic for the au 
 
 |tK aftors had 
 V«u I. 
 
 vying, in every refpedl, as far as 
 circumftanccs would permit, with 
 thofe of this metropolis, they f.iw 
 taken too much its merit, readily accepted it^ put 
 R . it 
 
 I liiencf , or whether, as fome faid. 
 
H O 
 
 '•[ .?4* ] 
 
 H O 
 
 
 li 
 
 it into relicarfal 9pd prepared 
 .for the performance of it in fuch 
 a manner at might do honour to 
 the autiior, and bring both credit 
 and emolument to themfelves. 
 Thefe tranfaAions, however, coni- 
 ing to the knowledge of the elders 
 of the Kirk, they, in their great 
 ^eal, firft remonllrated with the 
 author on the ieinous crime he vva$ 
 committing ; but he, riot quite fo 
 perieaiy convinced a!> they would 
 have had him, of the iniquity of 
 the aQ. itfelf, unconfcious of any 
 ill intention, and pretty thorough- 
 ly perfuaded that his play would 
 meet with a fuccefs from which 
 he ihould reap both fame and pro- 
 fit, was not willing at once to de- 
 fift, nor with his own hands to 
 pull down a fabrick he h:id, at 
 the expence of much timt; and 
 labour, been rearing. They now 
 endeavoured to terrify, the perr 
 formers from icprefenting it, but 
 with no better fuccefs. Author 
 and adtors were ho/^ equally in- 
 corrig'blc; the pitCe was brought 
 on, and met with that encourage- 
 ment which its merii very juil!y 
 entitled it to. Whit remained 
 then for thcfe inCenfed elders to 
 do, but in a public convocation to 
 expel and for ever difquaiify ior 
 the miniftry^ not only this difo- 
 bedient fon, but even others, his 
 friinds, who were wicked enbugl^ 
 either to keep him company, or 
 go to fee his piece performed, and 
 ty various pamphle s, atuvertiie- 
 ments, &c. to thunder their //»</- 
 ihemas againft thofe implements of 
 Satan the adors, who had thus led 
 afide, or at leafl abetted in his 
 wandering, this loll iheep of the 
 flock. However, as perfecution 
 pioft commoiily defeats its own 
 purpofes, fo did it happen in this 
 cafe, for the ill treatment which 
 Mr. Home had met with in his 
 own i:ountry pfsci^red hiin a ^loH 
 
 valuable protcAion in an adj^eot 
 one Being known to the earl of 
 Bute, and that noblepian rep^e- 
 fenting the circumftances of this 
 unreajonable oppr^ffion, cxercifed 
 on a man of genius, to our prefcnt 
 fovereign, thep prince of WuIks, 
 his royal hi^hneis flrfsiched out his 
 protecting hand to the author of 
 Douglas^ and, by fettling a very 
 handfome penfton on htm, and 
 Iheltering hio[t under his own pa- 
 trunage, put it out of the power 
 of either bigotry, envy, or malevo- 
 lencp, to blaft his laurels. Mr. 
 Home has fince purfued his poe- 
 tical talents, and produced moi^ 
 dramatic pieces, which have been 
 brought on the flage in this ci(y j 
 but, whether through an cagernefj 
 to prove ilill farther his iiiclina. 
 tion to deferve the favour he has 
 met with, he has not allowed him- 
 felf a fufficient tiipe for the plan- 
 ning, digefting, reccnfidering, and 
 c^rrc^ling his works, or that in his 
 firll play t^e diffidence of a young 
 author might make him more ready 
 to afk and to ptirfue ijie judgment 
 of others, or from any other caiife 
 I kni-w not, but Douglas feems tlill 
 to ftand as iVir. Home's mafter- 
 piece in dramatic writing. He hat 
 never fince refumed his clerical 
 profeiRon, but enjoys a place under 
 the government, which he obtain* 
 cd many years ^go. It was re- 
 ported not long fin^e that he had 
 fome prcfciifiops,' tp the title of 
 earl of Dunbar, but on what grounij 
 we have not learned. His p'ays, 
 which ^re all tragedies, are en'- 
 titled as follows : 
 
 1. Douglas. T. 8vo. 1757. 
 
 2. Jgis. T- 8vo. 175b. 
 
 3. The Siege of ^quikia^ T. 8vo, 
 1760. 
 
 4. The Fafal Difcovery. T. Svo, I 
 1769. 
 
 5. AloHzo. T. 8vo. 1773. 
 
 6. Jlji(d, T. 8vo. 1778. 
 
> 
 
 in an adj^ent 
 
 I to the earl of 
 
 )bieiiian repre- 
 
 Ubnces of this 
 
 iflion, exercilcd 
 
 , to our prefcnt 
 
 ince of Waks, 
 
 ilretched out his 
 
 ) the author of 
 
 fettling a very 
 
 on him, and 
 
 der his own pa- 
 
 jt of the power 
 
 ;nvy, or malevo. 
 
 h laurels. Mr. 
 
 mrfued his poe- 
 
 produced moi? 
 
 which have been 
 
 lage in this ci^y j 
 
 ugh an cageroefs 
 
 ther his indiua- 
 
 be favour he has 
 
 not allowed him- 
 
 Ipe for the plan- 
 
 eccnfideriDg, and 
 
 rkf, or that in his 
 
 idtnce of a young 
 
 ce hlai pioi e ready 
 
 fue the judgment 
 
 any other caufe 
 
 IDou^/^s feems M 
 
 Home's (nafter- 
 
 writing. He hji 
 
 roed his clerical 
 
 joys a place under 
 
 "which he obtain* 
 
 ^go. It was rt' 
 
 Ifince that he had 
 
 |s' 10 the title of 
 
 jut on what groans 
 
 Irned. His l^'ays, 
 
 Iragedies, are ea^ 
 
 \ 8vo. 1757. 
 |8vo. 175b. 
 'Jquikia, T.8vo.| 
 
 )'ifc(yvery. T. SvO, 
 
 8vo. 1773' 
 ISvo. 1778. 
 
 H O 
 
 t 243 1 
 
 H O 
 
 HopEH, Mrs. This lady ^vas 
 the daughter of one Mr. Harford, 
 a very eminent upholflerer and 
 cabinet-maker in the city, and 
 married to a perfon of the fame 
 occupation in •Cornhill, to whom 
 ihe brought no inconfiderable for- 
 tune. "Biit, • though Mr. Hoper's 
 
 and '^tTe mind, the pen appeared 
 V. r no improbable refource ; 
 anc 'iramafic writing was that to 
 which her genius found its flrong> 
 eft bent. Here, however, (he had, 
 }*haetnn-\\Vt^ undertaken too ar- 
 duous a taflc for her to perform. 
 For, though fhe wrote three or 
 
 circumftances were, at the firft fet- four pieces, none of them were ac- 
 tini> out In lii«, fully adequate to cepted by the managers; and when, 
 that fortune, k'nd' that, for fom^ at her own expence, fhe found 
 
 time, he continaed fuccefsful in 
 bufinefs, yet a vain defire, whfch 
 is no uncommon frailty among 
 perfons in trade in this metropo- 
 lis, of fuppofting a figure fome- 
 what greater than his rank in life 
 
 means to have two of them repre- 
 fented, one at the little play-houfe 
 in Goodman*s-Field5,^nd the other 
 at the little theatre in the Hay- 
 Market, the fuccefs they met with 
 was a fufficient vindication of the 
 
 required, together with a real de- -manager's refufal of them. Their 
 dine in the bufinefs itfelf, in a titles were. 
 
 few years conftderably impaired 
 his circumftances. Yet, even at 
 his death, they were found not fo 
 much ihattered, but that a little 
 care and a continuance of good 
 fortune might have fully retrieved 
 them. But, having left behind 
 him only a wife and one fon, nei- 
 ther of them experienced in trade, 
 and the latter even too young to 
 condudt it, the bufinefs was now 
 
 1 . Edvjard the Slack Prince. T, 
 
 N. P. ■ ^;;r„;, , ' 
 
 2. ^cen fi't^r^Y^oreiJ. Bur. 
 8vo. 1749. . ' . 
 
 Mrs. Hoper's' good underftand- 
 ing, however, at fength, opening 
 her eye's to the difficulties that at- 
 tended on the performance of this 
 plan, ftie retired With her fon, 
 now grown up, to £nfield in Mid- 
 dletex, where the latter, who had 
 obliged to be carried on by jour- a liberal education, fet up a fchool, 
 neymen only, who, probably tak- in whxh he met with good fuc- 
 ing advantage of Che ignorance of cefs; and which, fi nee his death, 
 their miftrefs, or at leaft not aft- which happened many years ago, 
 ing with the fame aflidoity for was continued under the care of 
 another as they might have done o^r authorefs. 
 for their own immediate emolu- ' Hopkins, Charles. Thisgep- 
 ment, flie foon found herfelf iri- tleman was fon of Dr. Ezekiel 
 vo'.ved in too large a concern for Hopkins, bifhop of Londonderry 
 her to manage, and therefore pru- in Ireland, to which kingdom our 
 dently threw up bulinefs before it author, who was born in Devon- 
 had plunged her into difhculties fhire, was carried over very young, 
 beyond her power of extricating and received the early parts of 
 herfelf from. Having fold off her his education in Trinity College, 
 ftock in trade, and fettled her af- Dublin. From thence he was fenc 
 fairs, fhe now confidered of fume to England, and compleated his 
 method, whereby fhe might find fludies in the utiiverfity of Cam- 
 means to increafe, rather than di- bridge, where he became a mem- 
 
 minilh, the little pittance fhe was 
 at prefent pofTelfed of. Being a 
 woman of a fprightly imagination 
 
 ber of Queen's College, and took 
 
 the degree of A. B. 16S8. On 
 
 the breaking out of the wars in 
 
 R 2 Ireland, 
 
H O 
 
 t M4 1 
 
 H Q 
 
 :l,^ 
 
 Ireland, he went thither, and, en- 
 tering into the fcrvice of king 
 William, exerted his early valour 
 }n the caufe of his country, its 
 religion and liberties. Thefc >vars 
 \x\ag at an end, he returned again 
 to his native land, where he fell 
 Into the acquaintance and elle^ip 
 pf gentlemen, whofe age and ge- 
 niu8 were moll agreeable to his 
 pwij. 
 
 In 1694, he publiihcd fome 
 •* Epiftolary Poems and Tranfla- 
 *' tions}" 9nd in 1691; " The Hif- 
 •• tory of Love," which , by the 
 fweetnefs pf his numbers and ca- 
 iinefs of his thoughts procured 
 him confiderablc reputation. Wiih 
 Mr Dryden in particular he be- 
 came a great favpuritp. He af- 
 terwards pubiiihed " The Art of 
 *' Love," '^ which, Jacob fays, ad- 
 ** c!ed to h's fan.e, aqd happi y 
 ♦'brought him acquainted with 
 *• the earl of Dprfet qnd other per- 
 f fons of diftindlion, whn were 
 ** fond (ff his company, through 
 *• the agrpeablenefb of his ttmper 
 f and the pleafantry of his co^- 
 ♦' verfation. It was in his power 
 ** to have made his lortune ip any 
 *' fcenc pf lire ; but he was always 
 *' more ready to ferve others than 
 '*' mindfpl ot his own affairs ; and 
 *• by the exceflcs of h.rd drinly- 
 ** ing, and a too paillonate fon^- 
 •' nefs for the fair fex, he died a 
 •• martyr to the caufe ip the ihirty- 
 *' fixth year of h's ag^*" H'* 
 deatn happened about the begin- 
 ning of the year 17P0. 
 
 In his dramatic writings his ge- 
 pius led hipj to tragedy ; the pieces 
 he has left behind him being the 
 three following: 
 
 I . Pyrrhus^ king of ^ptr^S, T. 
 
 4to. 1695. 
 
 3. BoacHcea^ ^een of Britain. 
 T. 4to. 1697. 
 
 3. FrienJfbip imprcv^ti, T. 410, 
 
 «***. * < *# -fy^ •^-' 
 
 Horde, Thomas, jqp. TMi 
 author has publifhed one drama 
 which was fold by himfelf at the 
 gra.min»r fchnol at Stow, on the 
 Wold, Glout^efterihire, called, 
 
 DainoH and Pb(bi* M. E. 8va. 
 »774- 
 
 liORDfN, FJlLDIfRAKD. Wai 
 
 the fon ot Dr. Horden,, miniiier 
 of 1 \vicli:et)h4m, in Middlefex. He 
 was an a£lpr ai vttell 9$ an author. 
 Wi flourilhed in the reign of Wil- 
 liam HI. and, being pofleiTed of 
 a'nipll every reqaifite for eminence 
 in the dramatic prpfeflion, wai 
 daily growing into favour with 
 the public, when unfortunately, 
 af^er having been abqut feven 
 years uppfi the ftage, he loft hit 
 life in a frivolous, riaft, accidental 
 quarrel, which he fell intp at the 
 bar of the Rofe tayern,. as he was 
 palling through that houfe, in or; 
 der tq go (o rehearfal. On oc- 
 cafion pf his death, one colonel 
 Hui;gefs, 4 gentleman, who waj 
 refident at Veni^re, and fome other 
 perlbns of diftindtipn,'Were obliged 
 to take their trial ; but were \uiXu- 
 ourably acquitted, it appearing tq 
 have beep a piere accidental nn'. 
 coHte. 
 
 Among other perfeilion-S ne- 
 cefr*'y to his proKflion, he pof- 
 feO'ed a perfon lo remarkably hand- 
 fome, that, after he was killedi 
 feveral ladies, very well drefTed, 
 came in malks, which were thea 
 grc?itly worn, and fome even open- 
 ly and in their own coaches, to 
 vifit him in his (hrowd. 
 
 'I he author of the dramatic ca- 
 talogues have ^fcribed to him one 
 play, entitled, 
 
 NrgUSed f^irtut. T. 4tO. 1696, 
 But it appears, from the Preface, 
 &p. that it was only put into his 
 bands by a friend. 
 
 Mr. Horden was buried in a 
 vault in the parilh-chufch of ^' 
 Cle^ent^-Danes* 
 
 HoUGHj 
 
H O 
 
 [ M5 3 
 
 H O 
 
 », jap. Thw 
 ;d one drama, 
 himrdf at the 
 Stow, OQ th» 
 ire, called, 
 t* M. E. 8vo. 
 
 ivrakd. Wai 
 Diden,, miniiler 
 Middlefex. He 
 I 9$ 3n author. 
 » reign of Wil. 
 ng poflciTed of 
 lie for eminence 
 prpfeflion, wat 
 to favour with 
 unfortunately, 
 n abqut feven 
 jge, he loft his 
 ra(h, accidental 
 • fell imp at the 
 ivcrn,. as he wa» 
 lai h"ufe, in or? 
 learfal. On oc- 
 ath, one colonel 
 fman» who was 
 !, and Tome other 
 ion,.M/ere obliged 
 ; but were Ivjn* 
 it appearing tQ 
 accidental reur 
 
 perfedicn-s ne- 
 [otlflion, he pof- 
 •ennarkably hand- 
 he was killed, 
 ;ry well dreffed, 
 fhich were thea 
 , feme even open- 
 own coaches, w 
 
 row.d. 
 
 the dramatic ca- 
 [ribcd to him one 
 
 T. 4to. 1696. 
 l-om the Preface, 
 Lly put into his 
 
 ■ 
 
 vas buried in > 
 [iih-chu^ch of St. 
 
 Mouch, J. This gentleman is 
 oFthe Inner-Temple, and author 
 of an opera adtod at Drury-Lane, 
 for the benefit ofaVIift Younge, in 
 the year 1778, entitled, 
 
 Second Tljought is bfji, , 8vo. 
 
 1778. . 
 
 HowAkD, The Hon. Edward, 
 Efq; This gentleman was much 
 more illuftrious from his birth and 
 family, than from the brilliancy 
 of his genius, being bioiber to 
 the earl of Bcrkfhire and to Sir 
 Robert Howard, whom we (hall 
 have occafion hereafter to mention. 
 Poetry was his pafllon rather than 
 his talent, and, though he wrote 
 many plnys and an epic poem, he 
 gained no reputation by any of 
 them ; but, on the contrary, only 
 furnifhed food for the wits. of that 
 time, who have treated him very 
 fcverely ; particularly the earl of 
 Rocheller, in an inve£lUe againfl 
 his comedy of the Six Dqy^s Ad- 
 niiniure, and the earl of Dorfet, 
 that l>r^ good man ivitb the <worJi' 
 nHun-d Mu/f^ in a copy of verfes 
 addre<red to him on his poem of 
 the BridJ/j Princes. 
 
 Mr. Howard, lived in kinjg 
 Charles IPs Veign ; but the ^arti- 
 cubr dates either of his birth or 
 death do not (land on record. 
 The dramatic pieces he has lefi 
 behind him are the following : 
 
 1. Ufu per. T. 4to. 1668. 
 
 2. Six Day*s Advert fure, C. 4 to, 
 167 1. 
 
 3. Wuman^s Conqueji, T. C. 
 4I0. 167 1. 
 
 4. Man o/Nciv-Mariet, C. 410. 
 1678. 
 
 5. TU' Change of Croivnes, A 
 1 P/<iv. N. P. 
 
 6. The London Gentleman. C. 
 1 N. P. 
 
 7. The United Kingdoms. N. P. 
 \(S(p The Rehear/al.J 
 
 Howard, The Hon. James, 
 £iq^ This gentleman was alfo ot 
 
 the fierkfliire family, and was con« 
 temporary with the lail-mentioir.:«l 
 author. He wrote two plays, 
 which were repreicnted with fuc- 
 ccfs, and held in elleem in their 
 time; and likewife altered another* 
 which was frequently a£ied< Their 
 titles are, 
 
 1. All Mi/iaken. C. 410. 1672. 
 
 2* The Englijh Monfieur. C. 4tO« 
 1674. 
 
 3. Romeo and Julitt, T, Com* 
 (not printed.) 
 
 In . regard to the laft-mentioned 
 piece, a more particular account 
 of it may be feen in the fecond vo- 
 lume of this work, under its own 
 tikle. 
 
 Howard, Sir Robert, Knt. 
 This gentleman was brother to 
 the earl of Bcrkfhire, and to Mr. 
 Edward Howard before-mention- 
 ed. His mother was one of the 
 daughters and coheireffes of Wil- 
 liam lord Eurghley. Wood ac> 
 quaints us, that he received his 
 e lucation under Dr. Edward Drope, 
 at Magdalen Colltge, Oxford. 
 He was not lefs fteadiiy attach- 
 ed, than the reil oi his family, 
 to the interefts of thar unhap- 
 py monarch king Charles I. and, 
 with the reft of them, fufFer- 
 ed confiderably in the maintain- 
 ing his loyalty to that caufe. 
 He had, however, the honour of 
 knighthood oeiiowcd on him for 
 hi> gallant behaviour in rtlruing 
 the lord Wilmot, lieutenant-gene- 
 ral of ihe king's forces, wno was 
 wounded aid taken prilonv-r at 
 Cropley-Briuge fight on the 29th. 
 of June 164.4. A' '1*6 Keftoratiott 
 he was choftn one of the lurgeliiss 
 for Stockbridge in Hampiliire, to 
 ferve in the parliament which be- 
 gan at VVedtninfter on the 8th oT 
 Mjy t66i, and, on the 19th of 
 June 1678, was promoted to tho 
 place of auditor of the Exchequer, 
 at (hat time wotih ieveral thoudind 
 
 R ^ pounda 
 
H O 
 
 i ^46 3 
 
 H O 
 
 pounds per anu. But this prefer- 
 nient was genrrally confidered as 
 a reward for the fervices he had 
 dene the crown in affixing to ca- 
 jole the parliament out of money. 
 In 1679 he was ele£led member 
 for CaftleRifmg, in Norfolk, for 
 which place, after the Revolution 
 was effefled, we find him fitting 
 as reprefentative in the firft parlia- 
 ment under king William III. 
 and, about the i6th of Feb. 1688, 
 he was admitted to the privy- 
 council, took the oaths, and be- 
 came a very rigid profecutor of 
 the Nonjurors, difclaiming all 
 ' kind of converfation or intercourfe 
 with any of that chara£ler. The 
 incidents of his life are not very 
 numerous, or at leaft not recorded; 
 but in 1692, when he'can fcarcely 
 be fuppofed much lefs than feventy 
 years of age, he married Mrs. 
 Dives, who was one of the maids 
 of honour to queen Mary. He 
 lived however feveral years after- 
 wards, and died on the 3d Sept. 
 1698. 
 
 • With refpea to Sir Robert 
 Howard's abilities, they appear to 
 have occafioned debates among 
 the writers ; Langbaine, Jacob, 
 and Gildon, (peaking in very warm 
 t^ms in his commendation; while 
 Cibber, on the contrary, will al- 
 low him no higher claim to notice 
 in the republic of letters, than that 
 of being brother-in-law toDryden. 
 It is true, indeed, that fome of his 
 contemporaiy writers, and thofe 
 iif eminence too, amorg whom 
 were Mr. Dry den himfelf, Mr. 
 Shadwell, and the duke oi Buck- 
 ingham, have pretty rigidly hand- 
 led him and his works : but, as it 
 is generally acknowledged that 
 Sii; Robert w.is a man of a very 
 obftinate and pofitive temper, fu- 
 percilious, haughty, and over- 
 MBiiug to the greacell degree in 
 
 
 > ]i,',i-i-iA,.i\ti^-<'- 
 
 ■T 
 
 his behaviour to others, and pof- 
 fcfTed of an infufFerable (hare of 
 vanity and felf-fufficiency in re- 
 gard to his own abilities, it is 
 not improbable that thefe quali- 
 ties might create him an enmity 
 among his contemporary witi, 
 who would perhaps have readily 
 fubfcribed to the merits he really 
 pofTeiied, had he not feemed 10 
 aim at a fuperiority which he had 
 no claim to; in confequence of 
 which Dryden wrote a fevere criii- 
 cifin on his Duke of Lerma; Shad- 
 well pointed him out under the 
 charafter of Sir Pofuive Atall, in 
 his comedy called, 77)«r Impertl. 
 nents ; and the duke of Bucking, 
 ham intended, and had even made 
 him, the hero of his Rehearfal, un- 
 der the name of Bilboa, although, 
 after the play had been fiopped fiom 
 rcprefentation by the plague ia 
 1665, that nobleman altered his 
 plan, and pointed the artillery of 
 his fatire againft a much greater 
 name, in the charaAer of Baycs, 
 retaining only fome few llrokes 
 again I! Sir Robert, in parodies on 
 certain paflages in his plays. Yet, 
 notwithftauding all this virulence 
 againft him, I cannot look on him 
 as an author devoid of genius, 
 fince two of his pieces, viz. The In- 
 dian ^een and ^'be Committee^ con- 
 tinued for a long time favourites 
 with the puUic, and the latter, 
 even to this day, when even the 
 fpecies of charailer againft which 
 the fatire of it is principally aim- 
 ed, viz. the Roundheads and puri- 
 tanical Zealots, is totally aboliihed 
 and forgotten among us, is Hill 
 frequently performed, and never 
 makes its appearaiice without giv- 
 ing fatisfa^ioD to the audience, 
 and prbducing aU the effedls which 
 the true vis comica ever has en the 
 mind.' A certain fign that the 
 piece muft pollefs ibme, if not a 
 
H O 
 
 ( H7 J 
 
 H O 
 
 3- 
 4- 
 
 6. 
 
 capital (hare of merit. His lift of 
 dramatic pieces is confined to fe* 
 yen in number, viz. 
 
 1. Biimi Ladyt C. 8vo. i66o« 
 
 2. SHrfrixal. T. C. fol. 1665. 
 Committee. C. fol. 1665. 
 r,j{al Firgin. T. fol. 1665. 
 Indian ^een, T. fol. 166^. 
 Great FavoHrile. T. C. 410. 
 
 1668. 
 
 7. The C»ttqnejl of China ly thi 
 lartars, T. N. P. 
 
 Howard, Goroes Edmond. 
 This author is ftill living, and 
 pradlifes as an attorney in Dublin. 
 He is the writer of feveral law 
 books publilhed in Ireland^ chiefly 
 relating to the proceedings ot the 
 courts in that kingdom. In one 
 ot the ludicrous notes to the epif- 
 tle from George Faulkner to bint 
 (printed in the liatchelor), he is 
 faid to be defcended from the be- 
 fore-mentioned hdward Howard, 
 but I know not what degree of 
 credit this afTertion is intitled to. 
 His Mufe began to exert hel'felf 
 very late in Viic ; for he tells us, in 
 tii8 preface to TU Siege of Tamar^ 
 that he was fifty years of age be- 
 fore he commenced a dramatic 
 author. He fay* alfo, that he 
 could challenge the world to find 
 in any of his publications, poetical, 
 political^ or otherwife, a (ingle fyl" 
 iable to the prejudice of his neigh- 
 bour^ or to the prace of fociety in 
 any refpe£l ; agaioft truth, or the 
 drifted principles of religion and 
 virtue. He might boalt, with 
 equal veracity, that his dramatic 
 performances have confined their 
 attacks to our patience, without the 
 leall invafion of our feelings ; that 
 he has neither oompelled tears, nor 
 excited terror; but that all his 
 readers have found themfeives in 
 a ftate of as perfedt tranquillity 
 « the clofe of bis tragic fcenes, as 
 »t the opening of them. -. »»»> 
 
 He is the author of, "^ 
 
 t. Almeyda\ or, ^he Hinftd 
 Kings. T. 8vo. 1770. 
 
 2. The Siege 0/ Tamor* T. 8vo» ' 
 
 J773* 
 
 In the notes to the before-men- 
 tioned epiftle, he is faid to be thd 
 author of) 
 
 The Femab Gam^fier, C. vA. 
 MS. . 
 
 Howell, James, Efq. Thii 
 gentleman was born about the Iut» 
 ter end of June or beginning of 
 July I $^4, at Abermarlis in Caer- 
 marthenftrire, South- Wales ; of 
 which place his father, at thail 
 tiffle« wa.0 minifter. He received 
 the firft part oi his education and 
 grammar' learning at the Utt' 
 (chool of Hereford, from whence, 
 before he wa5 quite fixteen year*' 
 of a^e, he was fent to Jefus Col- 
 lege in Oxford. Here he linillied' . 
 his academical (ludies, and took 
 the degree of mailer of arts. On 
 his quitting the unirerfity, he ac- 
 quired the efteem and friendlhiiy 
 of Sir Robert Manfel, by who(# 
 means, together with fome fmall 
 aifillimces from his father^ he was 
 enabled, in the year 1618^ to go 
 abroad, where he continued three 
 years on his travels through 
 France, Italy, and the Low-Coun- 
 tries, by which he made himfelf 
 perfeftly mailer of the living lan- 
 guages, and every other branch of 
 tifeful knowlrd^} and, {0 great 
 was the reputation of his abilitiei, 
 that, foon after his return, he wii 
 made choice of by king James T* 
 to be fent on a negoii.ition to the 
 court of Madrid, for the recovery 
 of the Spanilh Monarch, a very 
 rich Englifh (hip, which had been 
 feized by the vice-roy of Sardinia* 
 for his mailer's ufe, under pr<-tence 
 of j>rohibited goods having beea 
 found in it. 
 
 During his abfence he waa eie£t- 
 ed, in 1623, fellow of Jefus CoN 
 lege, and, beinf in favour with 
 
 ^ 4 Jbmanuel 
 
H O 
 
 C a48 ] 
 
 H O 
 
 Emanuel lord Scroop, lord prefi- 
 '^ent of the North, was by bim 
 appointed bis fecretary, on his 
 return. This polt calling him to 
 refide at York, he formed fuch an 
 interell in thit county, as to pro- 
 cure his being eleded burgefs for 
 the corporation of Richmond, by 
 the fuffrages of the mayor aad al- 
 dermen of that corporation, to fit 
 in the parliament, which began at 
 Weflninfier in 1627; and, in the 
 year 1631, was- made fecretary to 
 Robert earl of LeiceAer, who was 
 appointed ambafledor extraordi- 
 nary at the coutt of Copenhagen, 
 on a commiflipn of condolement 
 on the death of king Charles I'» 
 grandmother, Sophia, qu 'ten-dow- 
 ager of Denmark ; on which oc- 
 caiion Mr. Howell very eminently 
 dillinguiflied himfelf by feveral 
 ^ fpeeches delivered in Latin before 
 the king of Denmark, fetting forth 
 the occafion of the embafly. 
 
 On his return to England,- he 
 W' . put into many beneticial em- 
 ployments, and, about the be;>in- 
 ning of the civil war, was appoint- 
 ed, by king Charles I. one of the 
 (lerks of the privy council. But, 
 although thefe polls were equally 
 lucrative and honourable, he does 
 not feem to have been mafler of 
 nuch oeconcmy, for when, in the 
 year 1643, he was f^ized by the 
 committee of parliament, and fent 
 to the Fleet Prifon, where, by the 
 courfe of his letters, it is evident 
 he continued till after the dt-ath of 
 the kit^g^ we find he was obliged 
 to have recourfe to his pen for a 
 fubfiilence, which at that time, 
 before the, trade of authorfhip h:id 
 been (o hackneyed as of late years 
 it has been,, was no defpicable em- 
 ployment ; ^nd VVoQd tells us that 
 It brought. him in a very comfoit- 
 able fubliftence. 
 
 This long and dtfagreeable con- 
 
 fioemeat, togethei With the nar- 
 
 j ill aftJHf 
 
 I f.'kj -'j 
 
 i"' 
 
 rownefs of his circumflaoces, anj 
 the laborious manner in which be 
 was compelled to provide for him- 
 felf, feemed to have ftiaken the 
 firmnefs of Mr. Howell's political 
 attachments; for, during the re- 
 bellion, we find him temporizing 
 with the pyevailing party, and in- 
 clinable to enter into their mea- 
 fures; for which reafon, though 
 they feem not to have accepted of 
 his fervices, yet, at the Reilora- 
 tion, he was not reinftated in bis 
 place of clerk of the council, but 
 only appointed the king's hiilorioo 
 grapher, being the firit in England 
 vuho ever bore that title. But this 
 being a phce of no great emolu- 
 ment, he was obliged to continue 
 his trade of writing to the lad. 
 He lived to an ad' anced age, nnd 
 died in the beginning of Novem- 
 ber 1666, being then in his 73d 
 year. 
 
 As he was almoft one of the (irft 
 among our Engliih authors who 
 introduced writing for a liveli- 
 hood, fo is he likewife one among 
 the moll voluminous of thofe who 
 have applied the advantages of 
 literature to that purpofe, having 
 written and ttanflated no lefs than 
 forty-nine feveral books, exdufive 
 of one dramatic piece, which he 
 wrote while he was at Paris, and 
 which was prefented there at court 
 no lefs than fix times by the king 
 and grandees in perfon, entitled, 
 
 Nuptials of PeUus and ^tjetis. 
 Com. and Mafque, 4to. 1654. 
 
 Mr. Howe!l was, undoubtedly, 
 a man of nioft extenfive know- 
 ledge, a mofl perfeA linguil>, and 
 very well verfed in modern hif- 
 tor},' more 'efpecially thole of the 
 countries through which he tisd 
 travelled. His letters are e^t- 
 tremely entertaining, and convey 
 anecdotes and obfervations that 
 might by no other means have 
 been handed down to us, aod 
 
H O 
 
 t «49 ) 
 
 H U 
 
 fpeak tbeir author to have been no 
 bad politician. And as to poetry, 
 though he has been little more 
 than a dabbler in it, yet he has a 
 confideriible fliare of fancy, and 
 his numbers are fmoother and 
 more harmonious than thofe of 
 jnolt of the writers of that time. 
 He lies buried on the north-fide of 
 the Temple church, with the fol- 
 lowing inscription over uim, pro* 
 bably written by himfelf in his 
 life-time. 
 
 Jacobus Howell. Camhro-Bri' 
 tannuit Kegii Hijloriographus (in 
 Angl'ta primui) ; qui, pqfi varias 
 perigrinationts^ tamlem Natura Cur- 
 fum pcrcgit ; fatur Annorum (S* 
 Pama^ Domi, forifque hue ufque er- 
 raticus; hie fixtu. 1666. 
 
 Hughes, John. This amiable 
 man, and elegant author, was the 
 fon of a citizen of Loudon, and 
 was born at Marlborough in Wilt> 
 ftire, on the 29th of Jan. 1677, 
 but received the rudiments of his 
 education in privace fchools at 
 London. Even in the very earlieft 
 parts of life his genius feemed to 
 Ihcw itfelf equally inclined to each 
 of the three filler arts, mufic, 
 poetry, and defign, in all which he 
 made a very cotifiderable progrefs. 
 To his excellence in thelb quali- 
 fications, his contemporary and 
 friend,' Sir Richard Steele, bears 
 the tollowing extraordinary teili- 
 rr.onial. " He may" (fays that 
 author) *' be the emulation cf 
 " more perfons of different talents 
 " than any one 1 have ever known. 
 ** His head, hands, or heart, were 
 " always employed in fomething 
 •' worthy imitation. His pencil, 
 " his bow, or bis pen, each of 
 "which he ufcd in a mafterly 
 •* manner, were always direfted to 
 " raife and entertain his own mind, 
 *' or that of others, to a more 
 " chearful profecution of what is 
 
 noble and virtaoas." Such is 
 
 i( 
 
 the evidence borne to his talents 
 by a writer of the firil ranic ; yet 
 he feemi, for the moft part, tp 
 have purfued thefe and other po^ 
 lite lludies little farther than \xf 
 the way of agreeable amufenienu« 
 under frequent confinement, occa> 
 iioned by indifpofition on a vak* 
 tudinarian (late of health. 
 
 Mr. Hughes had, for fome time, 
 an employment in the office ot 
 ordnance, and was fecretary to 
 two or three commiiilonerc under 
 the great-feal for the purchtfe of 
 lands, in order to the better ferv* 
 ing the docks and harbours at 
 Portfmouth, Chatham, and Har- 
 wich. 
 
 In the year 1717 the lord chaa- 
 cellor Cowper, to whom our au- 
 thor had not long been known, 
 thought proper, without any pre* 
 vious folidtaticn, to nominate him 
 his fecretary for the commiiTion* 
 of the peace, and to diilinguiiili 
 him with Angular marks of his fa- 
 vour and aiFedion ; and, upon hia 
 lordfhip's laying down the great 
 feal, he was, at the particular re- 
 commendation of this his patron, 
 and with the ready concurrence of 
 his fucceflbr the earl of Macdef- 
 field, continjied in the fame em- 
 ployment, which he held till the 
 time eii his deceafe, the 171^ of 
 Feb. 1719, being the very r'.^ht 
 on which his celebrated tragedy of 
 The Sirge ofDama/cus made its firft 
 appearance on the ftage; when, 
 after a life modly fpent in pain 
 and (icknefs, he was carried off* by 
 a confumption, having but barely 
 compleated his 42d year, and at 
 a period in which he had juft ar- 
 rived at an agieeahle competence, 
 and was advancing, with rapid 
 Heps, towards the pinnacle of fame 
 and fortune. He was privately 
 buried in the vault under the chao** 
 eel of St. AnUievv's church in Hol- 
 bOurn''. 
 
 As 
 
H U 
 
 t *J0 1 
 
 H IT 
 
 As i man, the worthjr mention 
 made of him by narhbert of his 
 contemporary writers is faffleient 
 to give us the moll exalted idea of 
 Ml virtues; and. as a writer, nd 
 ftrongcT proof Can be offered of the 
 tffteem he was held in by the truelt 
 judges of poetry, than to mention 
 that the great ft/tr. Addifon, after 
 baving fdffercM- the four firll Afls 
 of his tragedy to lie by him for 
 feveral years, widiout putting the 
 fintdtmg hand to the piece, at 
 length ftted'oo Mr. Hughes, whom 
 he earndHy perfaaded to under- 
 take the talk, a* the only perfon 
 (fapablr of adding a hfth Act to ir. 
 And though that author afterwards 
 thought proper to undertake it 
 himielf, yet it was by no means 
 from anv difBdence of this gentle- 
 man's abilities, jjut from the juft 
 reftedTion that no one could have 
 lb perfeA a notion of his defign 
 as bimfelf, who had been fo long 
 arid fo carefnlly thinking of it. 
 
 Oar authors poetical works are 
 numerous, but it is not our bufi- 
 nefs in this place to take notice of 
 any but his dramatic writings, 
 which are as follows : 
 
 1. Tfie Mi/ant hrope» €.1709. 
 
 2. Ca^pji and Telimachus, O. 
 
 QVO. 17 1 2. 
 
 : ^, Afollo and Daphne, M. 1716. 
 
 4. The Sirgt of Damafcm. T. 
 8vo. 1720. 
 
 5. Orfjtes. T. from Euripides. 
 One fcene only. 
 
 6. The Mifcr. C. from Moliere, 
 The firft Aft only. 
 
 1 , Cupid and Hymen. M. 
 'The three laft were originally 
 printed in his works, 2 vols. 1 2mo. 
 
 1735- 
 
 8. Amalafont ^een cf the Golhs. 
 
 T. Written in 1 696, at the age of 
 nineteen, ftill in MS. , 
 
 9. Sophy Mrza. T. Still in MS. 
 Mr. Hoghes wrote two A<^ of 
 
 this play, which was fiui(hed by 
 Mr. Dancpmbe. 
 
 Hoghes, Thomas, Was the 
 author of one very ancient play* - 
 entitled, 
 
 Arthur, lamo. 1587* 
 
 Hull, Thomas. A performer 
 on Covent-Garden theatre, and 
 deputy-manager there. He has 
 deported himfelf with great pro- 
 priety in private life, and at lead 
 with good fenfe on the fla;;e. He 
 is the author and reformer of the 
 following pieces 
 
 P. 
 
 8vo. 
 
 72tf Ahfcnt Man. F. 1764. N. 
 
 Pharnaces. O. 1765. 8vo. 
 The SpaniJIj Lady, M. E. i -jS^, 
 
 4. AIUh the Right, F. 1766. N. 
 P. 
 
 5. The Perplexities, from Tuke< 
 C. 1767. 8vo. 
 
 6. The Fairy Favour. M. 1767. 
 8vo. 
 
 7. TJje Royal Merchant, from 
 Beaumont and Fletcher, O. 1768. 
 8vo. 
 
 8. The Prodigal Son. Orat. : 773. 
 4to. 
 
 9. Henty the Second i or t The Fall 
 of Rofamond. T. 1 7 74. 8vo. 
 
 10. Edward and Ekonora. from 
 Thomfon. T. 1775. 8vo. 
 
 1 1 . The Comedy of Errors, from 
 Shakfpeare. 1779. N. P. 
 
 HuMPHRYs, Mr. This gen- 
 tleman is known only as the au- 
 thor of one piece, called^ 
 
 U^i>Jes. O. 4to. 1733. 
 
 Hunt, William. Thisgen- 
 tleman, Whincop tells us, was a 
 colleftor of excife, and wrote one 
 play, which was never aded, but 
 was printed at York, entitled, 
 
 The Fall op" Tarquin. T. 1 2mo. 
 
 The fame author informs us^ that 
 it is a moft wretched piece, and, as 
 a fpecimen of its merit, quotes us 
 
 the 
 
H U 
 
 t «5« ] 
 
 H Y 
 
 the following very extraordinary 
 lire: 
 
 And the tall trees Jlood circling 'n 
 a row. 
 
 Hunter, Governor. In the 
 title-page of the only copy of the 
 pUy after mentfoned, which ia 
 row in the collcftion of Thomas 
 Pciirfon, Efq. Coxeter has put 
 the name of Governor Hunter as 
 the author. This gentleman we 
 imagine was colony) Robert Hun- 
 ter, who, in the year 1710, was 
 feiit to the governraent of Nevir 
 Yoilc with 3700 Palatines to fettle 
 there. He had been appointed 
 lieutenant governor of Virginia, 
 but was taken by the French in 
 hi- voyage thither. From New 
 York he went to England in 17 19, 
 and, upon the accelTion of George 
 the Second, was continued go- 
 vernor of New York and the Jer- 
 feys. Upon account oF his health 
 he obtained the government of 
 Jamaica, where he arrived Fe- 
 bruary 1727-^, and died March 31, 
 1734. The piece he is declared 
 by Coxeter to be the author of is 
 called, 
 
 Andioboros. F. 4t0. 
 
 HuRst, P.OBERT. This gen- 
 tleman I know nothing of, only 
 that he was an officer, and the au- 
 thor of one play, which was afted 
 with no very great fuccefs, en- 
 titled, 
 
 The Roman Maid. T. 8vo. 1725. 
 
 Hyde, Henry, Lord Hyde 
 AKoCoRNBtJRY. This noblcman 
 was eldeft (on of the laft earl of 
 Clarendon. He was not more dif- 
 tinguiftied by his birth and fortune 
 thnn by his virtues and abilities. 
 " He was, fays Mr. Walpole, up- 
 " 'ight, calm, ileady \ hi» vir- 
 
 " tues were of the gentleft com- 
 
 " plexion, yet of the firmeli tex- 
 <« ... 
 
 » 
 
 <i 
 
 ture : vice could not bend him. 
 nor , irty warp him ; even hie 
 
 own talents cpuld not miflead 
 " him. Though a mailer of elo- 
 '* quence, he preferred jallice add 
 <' the love of ois country to all the 
 " applaufe which the violence of 
 ** the times in which he lived 
 " was fo prodigal of bellowiag oa 
 " orators who diiUnguifli thsm- 
 ** fclves in any faflion ; but the 
 ** tinfel of popularity and the ia- 
 " trinfic of corruption wereequal- 
 " ly his contempt. He fpoke, «or 
 " wrote, nor adted. for iamc. Aa 
 ** goodnefi was the obje<^ and e»d 
 *' of all his adions, can that liiia 
 " be obfcure ? car thofe wrtdns;* 
 " which breathe his foul aoc bie 
 ". valuable, when we are aflur* 
 *' ed by the greatell aaihoritf, 
 *' and that too of one who knew 
 ** him well, that it is a teftof vir> 
 ** tue to difdain whatever Ht dif" 
 ♦« daiatdf*' He W4s created D. C. 
 L. by the univerfity of Oxford, 
 Dec. 6, 1728, and was Jcilled by a 
 fall from his borfe in France on the 
 2d of May, 1 7 ;8. He was aather 
 of a few pamphlets, publifned with- 
 'out his name ; of fome tragedies 
 ftill in manufcripti; and of a co- 
 medy, called, 
 
 7he Mijiakes ; or, TU Hapfy Re- 
 fcntmcnt. 8vo. 1758. 
 
 Hyl.^lNd, William. Is faid, 
 in the title-page of the only work 
 which we ever faw by him, to have 
 been a farmer in Su^ex. His play- 
 is called, 
 
 The i^hljmreck, D. P. 1 746. 8vO. 
 Dedicated to iidward Medlejc, 
 
 
 
 '■ r. 
 
t ip 1 
 
 U M 
 
 J' 
 
 JB. By thefe initiils we find 
 « a piece diftinguiihed, which 
 bears the title of, 
 
 fbt Sq/hfui lowers. T. C» 
 
 J. Gi or Jacob, Giles. By 
 thefeinitia]* Mr. Jacob has thoaght 
 proper to diftinguifh himfelf in his 
 Poetical Rfgifitry or Livti and Cha- 
 roHtrs of the Englijh Dramatic Ports^ 
 8vo. ni9f p. 318. And, as no 
 writer has given us any account of 
 him but himfdf, I cannot pretend 
 to offer to my readers any thing fo 
 iatisfaflory concerning him us the 
 Itpetition of his own words. 
 
 He is (fays he, fpeaking in the 
 third peribn) the Ton of a confider- 
 able malfter of Romfey, in the 
 county of Southampton, at which 
 place he was born anno 1686. His 
 mother is of the family of the 
 Thornburgh's in Wilts, one of 
 whom was bifhop of Worcefter, in 
 the reign of king Charles I. and 
 two of them attended the ruyal 
 exile. He wai bred to the law 
 under a very eminent attorney ; 
 and has flnce been fteward snd fe- 
 cretary to the honourable William 
 Blathwayt, Efq; a celebrated cour- 
 tier in the reign of king William, 
 and who enjoyed great preferments 
 in the ftate in the late and prefent 
 reign. 
 
 He was author of two drama- 
 tic pieces, viz. 
 
 I . Love in a Wood. F. 1 2 mo. 1 7 1 4. 
 
 a. Soldier's Iqfi Stake. C. 
 For the Hrll of thefe, which, how- 
 ever, was never a£ted, he apolo- 
 gized that it was written in ihree 
 or four days, and brfore the author 
 was any ways acquainted with the 
 ttage, or poetical writings ; and as 
 to the latter, he only informs us 
 
 J A 
 
 that he had Aich a piece prepared 
 for the ftage. 
 
 Mr. Jacob followed the profef' 
 fion of the law, and wrote fcvemt 
 books in that fcience, fome of 
 which are lUll held in efleem. par- 
 ticularly his I.aiu DiHionaiy : and 
 indeed works of compilement ferm 
 to have fuited his talent rather 
 than thofc of genios ; for it mull 
 be confeflcd that his Poetical Re- 
 g'Jlir^ notwithftanding fome few 
 errors in it, is by much the bed 
 book of the kind hitherto extant; 
 and. yet fo little merit had his own 
 dramatic pieces, that, according 
 to Whincop, Dr. Sewel, who was 
 by no means remarkable for ill- 
 nature, on reading his farce called 
 Love in a Wood^ wrote the follow" 
 ing very fevere lines in the title- 
 page: 
 
 Parent cfDarknffs! genuine fon of 
 
 night \ 
 Total eclipfe^ without one ray of 
 
 light: 
 Born nuhen duU midnight beUs for 
 
 funerals chime ^ 
 Jujl at the clojing of the Bellman* $ 
 
 rhime, 
 
 Mr. Jacob died the 8th of May, 
 
 »744« 
 Jacob, SirHildebrakd. Thi« 
 
 gentleman we believe to he yet 
 
 living at a very advanced, age. He 
 
 is descended from Sir John Jacob 
 
 of Bromley, one of the farmers of 
 
 the curtoms, who was treated a 
 
 baronet, Jan. if, 1664. He is the 
 
 auihni- of a volume of Poems, and 
 
 feveral fe pa rate publications, be- 
 
 lidfs the following Plays : 
 
 I . Ihe Fatal Conflancy. T. 8va. 
 
 2Abt 
 
J tt 
 
 C *JJ 1 
 
 J E 
 
 '>6f Be!Im,in't 
 
 ■. f/x* A'</f fl^ PAiVJ ; confining 
 lof three Comtdies, vi?,. 
 
 a. the Hafpy ConJ}nn(y. 
 
 3. 77w Trjal of Conjugal Lovt, 
 8vo. 1738. 
 
 JACjcMAv, . A gentle- 
 man of Ireland who was brought 
 pp to the law. He is llill living, 
 find author of, 
 
 I. ThtMtli'fian. B. O.8vo.i77(5. 
 
 1. A'd the IVorUVs a Stage, F, 
 pvo. 1777. 
 
 Jackson, ■. A native of 
 
 the county i)f Wcftmorland, who we 
 are told w^s brought up to trade, but 
 relinquilhed it in order to try his 
 fortune on the ftag^-, Though pof- 
 fcfled of a good jtcrfon and fbme 
 judgment, he wis but an indif- 
 ferent perforrPw-r, owing to the 
 difadvantages of a harlh voice and 
 provincial accent. He is the huf- 
 band of Mrd. Jackfon late of 
 Covent-Garden theatre, and has 
 produced the following Plays : 
 
 1. Elf rid. T. 1775. N.P. 
 
 2. 7le Britl/h Hiroini; T. 1778. 
 N.P. 
 
 3. Sir William IFallace. T. 17 80. 
 N. P. 
 
 Jacksov, — — — . A gentleman 
 of this name is in the Jecond vo- 
 lume of Hughes's Letters, p. 190. 
 faid to be the tranllator of, 
 
 Jjax, T. from Sophocles, 1 2mo. 
 171b. 
 
 jA(iyES, T. An author of tlje 
 reign of king Charles I. of whom 
 nothing is known but that he pro- 
 duced one piece now in MS. in the 
 library of lord Shelburne, called* 
 
 IhtQ^ernofCorfica. T. 
 
 JeffHeys, Georoe. Was the 
 fon of Chriftopher JefFrev s of Wel- 
 dron, in Northamptonfhirp, and 
 nephew to James lord Cbandois. 
 He was born in the year 1678, was 
 educated at WeHminfter-fchool un- 
 der Dr. Bufby, and admitted of 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, 1694, 
 
 i 
 
 where he took the digreei in arti. 
 In 170s he was eirfttd fellow of 
 his college, and prciidcr^ in the 
 philofophy fcho(/!^ as moderator 
 in 1700. Me was alfo fub-orator 
 for Dr. Aylot^e j but not going 
 into orders wiiliin eight years as 
 th^ (latutcs of Trinity College re-< 
 quire, he quitted his fcllowihip ia 
 1 7Q9. In the words of one of his 
 contemporaries (the vice chatacellor 
 Dr. Wiilker), ♦♦ he performed his 
 *' exercifes in the college and uni- 
 ** verfity with applaufc, which, 
 ** with a genteel modcit deport- 
 " ment, gained him much eikem." 
 Though Mr. JelFrcys was called to 
 the bar, he never practifed the 
 law ; bgt after a^in.; as fecretar/ 
 ^0 Dr. Hartflonge, bilhop of Derry, 
 at the latter cpd of queen AnneV 
 and the beginning of king Georgp 
 the Firll's reijgn, fpcnt mud of the 
 remainder of his life in the fami- 
 lies of the two lall dukes of Chan- 
 dos his relations. He died on the 
 17th day of Augull, 1755, age(| 
 feventy-feven year*. |4c w** the 
 author of, 
 
 i^tkvin^ T. 8vo. 1734. 
 Merope. T. 8vo. 1731 
 r(}e Triumph / Truth. An Ora- 
 torio. 
 
 Thefe three dramatic perfor- 
 niances are printed in a quarto 
 volume of Mifcellanies, pabliflie4 
 by Mr. Jeflfreys in the year 1754. 
 
 Jennens, Charles. Anon* 
 conformifl: gentleman of confider- 
 able fortune in Leicefterlhire. In 
 his youth he was fo remarkable for 
 the number of his fcrvants, the 
 fplendor of his equipages, and the 
 profufion of his t;^ble, that from 
 this excefs of pump he acquired 
 the title of Socman the MagntfiuHt. 
 Not long before his death, he im- 
 prudently thruft his head into thaC 
 hornet's nell an edition of Shak* 
 fpeare ; but his attempt, which 
 was lame and impotent indeed, 
 
 being 
 
I 
 
 pM§f 
 
 J E 
 
 -t 2Si ] 
 
 J o 
 
 being treated with ridicule by the 
 reigning editors, he purfued it with 
 abated Tpirit, and af>er he had 
 publiihed Lfar, Julius Ccefar^ 
 Hamlety Macbeth^ and Othello^ in 
 a manner ^hich has fince confign- 
 cd them to flails and chandlers' 
 fhops, he died Dec. 20, 1773, at a 
 lUtely maniion erected by himfelf 
 at Gopfal in' hi's native county. 
 His name is recorded in this work 
 on account of fome of Handel's 
 oratorios, for which he is faid to 
 bave compiled the words, and par- 
 ticularly thofe for 
 
 The Mcjjiah. 
 
 Jenner, Charles. Was a 
 member of the univerfity of Cam- 
 bridge, and, at the time of his 
 death which happened the i Ith of 
 IVIay, 1774, reftor of Claybrooke, 
 in the county of Leicefter. He is 
 the author of feveral poems and 
 novels, and of the following dra- 
 matic pieces : 
 
 "i. Luanda. D. E. lamo. 1770. 
 
 2. The Man of Family, Sent. 
 Com. 8vo. 1 77 1. 
 
 Jephso^i, Robert. An Irifti 
 gentleman ftill living. He was 
 patronized by the lord Townfend 
 during the time of that nobleman's 
 refidence in that kingdom. He is 
 in pofTefiion of fome poft under 
 the government, and we believe 
 a meihber of the Hibernian houfe 
 of commons. He has wrote two 
 Flays, called, 
 
 1. Braganza. T. 8vo. 177 . 
 
 2. IheLepuofLombardy.'Tt^yiO, 
 1778. 
 
 Jerningham, Edward. A 
 gentleman of the county of Nor- 
 folk, author of many Poems of very 
 unequal merit, though fome of 
 them are intitled to cohfidcrable 
 praife. He is alfo the wriief of 
 one piece, which certai*-^" was lit- 
 tle calculated to add ( .iS reputa- 
 tiori. It w§s called 
 
 Margaret of Anjou. ' Hift. Int. 
 1777. N.P. 
 
 Jevon, Thomas. This au- 
 thor flogriflied in the reigns of 
 king Charles II. and king James 11. 
 He was an aflor and a dancing- 
 mailer, and attained great emi- 
 nence in both thofe profeflions, 
 efpecially the former, in which 
 his general cad was that of low 
 comedy. He did not, however, 
 Ibhg enjoy the fun-(hine of popu- 
 lar applaufe, for he was taken ojf 
 in the very prime of life, viz. at 
 the age of thirty-fix years, on the 
 20th of December, i688, and was 
 interred in Hampilead church- 
 yard. 
 
 He wrote one dramatic piece, 
 which even in its original form 
 met with fuccefs, but has fince un- 
 dergone almoft as many tranf- 
 formations as the Banjans ot^^ tl)e 
 Eafl-Indies fable their Deity Will- 
 non to havepaffed through. ,It is 
 entitled, 
 
 'The Devil of a Wife. C. F. 410. 
 j686. 
 
 In GEL AND, Thomas. 'Mils 
 gentleman is one of our oldcll 
 dramatic writers, having been a 
 fiudent at Cbnil Church in the 
 univerfity ot Cambridge in the 
 reign of queen Elizabeth. Me 
 wrote one dramatic piece, which 
 he himfelf flties zprettie and merrie 
 Interlude. It is entitled, 
 
 The Difohcdicnt Child, Interl. 410, 
 B. L.N.D. 
 
 JoddreLjPaul. Agentlem'an 
 of fortune, who, from the title- 
 page of his play, appears to have 
 been a member of one of the uni- 
 verfities, having taken the degree 
 of mafier of arts. He defigns to 
 give a complete tranflation of 
 jrifophancs ; and has produced 
 at the Hay-Market, 
 
 A Widov} and no Wid(nv. C. 
 1779. Printed in 8 vo. 1780. 
 
 ■ Johns, 
 
 it 
 II 
 
'Hift. Int. 
 
 This au- 
 e reigns of 
 ing James 11. 
 1 a dancing- 
 great eroi* 
 ; profeflions, 
 r, in which 
 that of low 
 ot, however, 
 line of popu- 
 was taken o}F 
 f life, viz. at 
 years, on the 
 b88, and was 
 ead church- 
 
 amatic piec?, 
 jriginal fonn 
 t has fince un- 
 many trani- 
 lanjans of tlie 
 ir Deity Will- 
 hrough. ,It is 
 
 fe. C. F. 4to. 
 
 DMAS. Tllis 
 
 of our cldcll 
 aving been a 
 huich in the 
 bridge in the 
 ;izabeth. He 
 piece, which 
 7//V and merrie 
 jtlcd, 
 \hl. Inter!. 4to. 
 
 A gentlem'an 
 trom the title- 
 Ippears to have 
 >ne of the uni- 
 :en the degree 
 He defigns to 
 Itranflation of 
 Ihas produced 
 
 J o 
 
 t ^59 3 
 
 J O 
 
 TVidonw 
 ivo. 178c. 
 
 John 
 
 C. 
 
 3. The Blazing Comety The Mad 
 Ijwen ; or, The Beauties of the 
 Foets, PIdy. 8vo. 1732. 
 
 4. Jll Jilive and Merry, C. 
 1738. N. P. 
 
 Three df thefe pletes were re- 
 hrefented at the theatre in the 
 Hay-Market; but the firfi, in par- 
 ticulnr, took an amazing run, 
 owing to the whitniical madnefs 
 and extravagance which ran 
 through the whole piece and its 
 author, who himfelf prefented a 
 principal charader in it called- 
 lord Flame, into which he had 
 thrown fuch a mixture of fine 
 thoughts and unintelligible fudian 
 that no one could poffibly under- 
 Hand what he was aiming at; and 
 if at any time this unintelligibie- 
 refj was objefled to him as a fault 
 in his piecfj his condant reply 
 waf, that the fault did not lie in 
 that, but in the audience, who did 
 not take the proper method for 
 attaining a knowledge of his mean- 
 ing; that no one could poflibly un- 
 de'rliand an author perfectly, unlefs 
 they examined his works in the 
 fame fituation and Hate of inind 
 as they were written ; and there- 
 fore, as he himfelf never fate down 
 to write without a fiddle in his 
 hand, it was impoflibie for any one 
 to comprehend the fenfe of what 
 he wrote without an inftruraent 
 cf the very fame kind to quicken 
 their underflandings. But, in or- 
 der in fome meafure to remedy 
 this deficiency in the audience, he 
 ufed to iidt his part of lord Flalne 
 in a manner equally extravagant 
 with the reft of the affair, viz. with 
 a violin in his hand, which he 6c- 
 cafionally played upon, and fume- 
 times walking in high ftiltS. His 
 drefs on this occafion was fuch as he 
 commonly wore, viz. a fuit of black 
 velvet, with a long white flowing 
 
 ?eriwig. It is faid that Sir Robert 
 t'aipole prorrtoted the fuccefs of 
 
 his pitlce as far ai lay in his power, 
 making it ferve to engage the at-, 
 tentidn of the public from fome ' 
 flate defigns of his own, which, 
 were at that time ready to be put 
 in execution. Soon after the ex- 
 hibition of this whimfical drama, 
 was formed a meeting, called the 
 Hurlothruriibo Society. A hft of 
 its members was printed, with a 
 frontifpiece reprefenting the mon- 
 fler defcribed in the firft lines of 
 Horace's Art of Poetry. 
 
 Mr. Johnfon is a native of Che- 
 fhire, and was bred to and follow- 
 ed the profeflion of a dancing roaf^ 
 ter, yet, from what has been above- 
 related, it is apparent he mull have 
 been infefted with a ilrong tinc- 
 ture of infanity, in confequence of 
 which, it is probable, that not 
 many perfons would be willing tof 
 entruft their children in his hands} 
 yet, as his madnefs did not take 
 any dangerous or mifchievous 
 turn, and as it was accompanied 
 with flights of wit and humour 
 that rendered him, though an ex- 
 traordinary, yet far from a dif- 
 agreeable companion, his acquaint- 
 ance was fought by moft of the" 
 gentlemen of fortune in that coun- 
 try, at whofe houfes he ufed to re- 
 fide alternately for a confiderabie 
 timej in fuch manner as to render 
 the purfuit of bufinefs unnecef- 
 fary to him. He lived long after 
 he quitted writing for the flage,' 
 as that original oddity which the 
 world ran mad in admiration of^ 
 only becaufe they did not under- 
 Hand it, at length grew lirefome^ 
 and became as univerfaliy decried 
 as at fird it had been univerfaliy 
 follovi/ed. The fol'owing humour- 
 ous anecdote, which was related to 
 me by a gentleman who left Che- 
 fiiire not long fince, may ferve to' 
 give the reader funrie idea of Mr. 
 Johnfon*s general turn, and un- 
 concerned manner. Some littlel 
 
 S ■: time 
 
*'\ 
 
 
 iiU 
 
 n 
 
 J o 
 
 { ?6o 1 
 
 J o 
 
 time ago. our author havino been ^bt civlU^iei he h(f4 retched from 
 invited to pafs (bme months at' the him\ that be aljo maintained the )jhh- 
 country houfe of a gentleman who fji nfpecl fqr his kfjyi ' n^d thought it 
 had a great reg^r^ for him, but bis dutj, iy every mc(i;(s in his poivcr, 
 itvhom he had never viifited before, to contribute to the reparation nf her 
 ht accepted the invitatipn, and peace of mind, %vi^ic/j it appears that 
 was fqr fome time treated with tlie he had been the innocent caufe of Sf. 
 utmoft hofpitaiity and klndnefs. tarhing; {hat hcy therefore^ nn;^ht give 
 But at length, having Ihewn in her the flrongcfl ajfuratices from him^ 
 fome of his expreirions and aflions together witl) his compliments, that he 
 that wild and unaccountable ex- never would again trouble her houfe 
 travagance and oddity which runs whilft living, but, as a teftimonial 
 through his compofitions, the lady of his fincere eReem, y^« might tk- 
 of the houfc, who happened to en- tend on it that^ after hi? death, he 
 joy but a very indifferent ftate of Jhotdd confider her as the vtry firil 
 health, which rendered her hip- perfon to idjom, on a vijil back to this 
 pifh and low-fpirited, and being ivorld, he JJuould think himfelf miifer 
 moreover naturally of a timorous an obligation to pay his rrfpeth. This 
 difpolition, beg[an to be ey.t'enicly meifage being delivered to the 
 alarmed at hisnehaviour, and ap- Jady, who we have before obferved 
 prehenfiv6 that at fome time or was of an Hypochondriac corn- 
 other he might do mifc^ief either plcxion, threw her into ftill greater 
 to himfelf of others. On thij (he apprehenfions than before; and, 
 repeatedly remonitrated to her huf- fearing that he would be as good 
 band, intreating him to find fome as his word, intreated the gentle, 
 means of getting rid of Mr. John- man to go back to Mr. Johnfon, 
 fon. The gentleman, however, and beg from her thaj be wou'd 
 who was better acquainted with 
 Johnfon's manner, and therefore 
 under no futh apprehenfions, was 
 unwilling to proceed to an a£l of 
 fo much feemir.g inhcfpltality, as 
 
 the forbidding his houfe to a per- 
 fon whom he had himfelf invited 
 to it, and therefore decHned fo 
 doing for Tome time; til! nt length, 
 on the continued lolicitations of 
 his lady, whom he lour.d he could 
 not make eafy on any other t'-'rni?, 
 he comn)iflioned a inutual friend 
 to both to break the aflUir to iMr. 
 Johnibn. This being done with 
 all the tenderiiefs ima^Miiable, ar.d 
 the true realon afligned by way of 
 vindication of the gentleman him- 
 felf, Mr, Johnfon, with great c(m)!- 
 ijeCs, and a gaiety of temper pecu- 
 liar to himfelf, replied, '^Ihat he 
 ivas mnfl pcrJctVy peifnadcd of Mr. 
 ■ ■■ V regard for him, diid jl'oidd 
 
 ever retain the ninji gratful fife (f 
 
 continue where, he was, or at lead 
 ](avour them with bis company as 
 often ns polfible, for that, with ail 
 his wildnefs, flie had much rather 
 fee him alive than dead, 
 
 Johnfon died a few years ago, 
 leaving behind him a tragedy, 
 entitled, Pompcythc Great^ of which 
 only the two fallowing lines occur 
 to memory. Some charafter in 
 the piece fpeaking of a fieve made 
 ufe of in the infernal regions, lays, 
 
 '• And all the little fouls 
 " Drop through the riddle- 
 " holes." 
 
 As a writer he ftands iti the fime 
 predicament as in his perfonal 
 charader; his writings have mad- 
 nefs in them, but at the fame time 
 it is evidently the madnefs ot a 
 man of great abilities.. In his 
 Ihirhthrumho, more pai ticularly, 
 theic are fome beauties, in the 
 
 mldit 
 
JO 
 
 {261 i 
 
 inidil: of ntimberlcfs abfardhies; 
 that would do honour even to our 
 firllrate geniufes. In proof of 
 which I fliall prefent my readers 
 with a few quotations from that 
 drama, which may prove by no 
 means unentertaining, not only as 
 fpecitiiens of his manner of writ- 
 ing, but as they are in themfelves 
 truly worth prefer^^ing ; and that 
 the book it(elf being extremely 
 fcarce, and moreover, from the 
 general idea formed of it, hardly 
 coniidercd as worth looking into, 
 the greatett part of thenr may 
 pnflibly be unacquainted with that 
 piece. Without regard to order, 
 therefore, the following fdntiments 
 are felefted from it. 
 
 " Pride is tbe ferpent*s egg, 
 «' laid in the hearts of all, but 
 '• hatched by none but fools." 
 
 " Confcitnce is an intelleftaal 
 *' caul that covers the heart, up- 
 " on which all the faculties fport 
 " in terror, like boys that dance 
 «' upon the ice." 
 
 " You are tht mod covetous 
 " rftfm in the univerfe; yoa give 
 •• what you have away' to the poor, 
 " that you may enjoy it all your- 
 " felf ; and when your iim6 is to 
 •' die, you'll not leave a farthing 
 " behind you to fling away." 
 
 " He that lives in pl<?afure runs 
 •' up a fcore, and he that is af- 
 " flicled is paying debts." 
 
 " A coquet is a whore in the 
 " foul, a harlot for the devil." 
 
 " Oh ! who fhall. deliver me 
 " from the contagion of mortals ! 
 " Of my lambs, that innocently 
 " fport ali round me, of them will 
 •' I learn humility, and defpife 
 *' your arrogance : my dog, that 
 " fcouts upon the plain, I will 
 *' compare him with you, and blufli 
 " for you. He loves me and is 
 " conftant, a fervent friend, will 
 *' fight till death for his mailer, 
 " rifes not up againft him when he 
 
 *' Jihltes htm ; he is gra'teful, lie 
 ** flatters not, and to your fliame 
 ""has more companion j for with! 
 " his tongue he will heal the woynd 
 *' of the opprefTed. Ye rationals, 
 " Ifearn of brutes, tHcy leaCh me to 
 " abhor mankind." 
 
 Semcntory's fentlmerits of hap? 
 pinefs in love areirigfcriious. "Of 
 " all happihefs (fays fhe) that is 
 " the moil fweet, that is neareft to 
 •' us; riches lie in the purfe, love 
 " in the heart ; never niarry for 
 *' honour or title ; fame is always 
 " at a diftattce ; thfe man I love is 
 *' near. What is fame ? A word ; 
 " that word is wind, the humming 
 ** of a bee; but w"h'en I fleep by 
 " the man I love, no wind can 
 *' come to me." 
 
 The fcene betw^een Urbandenny 
 and Puny the mife'r contains the 
 following very jull remarks on 
 avarice and upllart gentility. The 
 mifer is in alarm on a rebellion 
 being ralfed in the city, and ex- 
 claims to himfelf thus, " Oh ! 
 " thefe rogues are coming, they'll 
 " rob me, take my plate, and break 
 ** my windows ; O ! fweet hea- 
 " ven, forgive me all my ill-dreamt 
 ** vifionary lewdnefs. If they 
 *' come, I fhall never purchafe 
 *' Kemp's ellate, and buy a coat 
 " of arms and a patent for my fon. 
 
 Enfer Urbandenny. 
 
 " Urban, So, old Gaddecar, 
 ** you're at prayers ; cry aloud, 
 *' thy deity is deaf, with your 
 '' fquinting foul that kens boih 
 *' earth and heaven ; fling your 
 " bags into the elements, then 
 " will you look ftraight up right, 
 ** I^egone, what hall thou to do in 
 " this world ? what doll thou 
 *' mean ? 
 
 " Puny. I mean to be the root 
 " of a family. 
 
 *' Urban. If the root be avarice, 
 
 «' what will the body, branches, 
 
 S3 *' leaves, 
 
J o 
 
 C «6* 1 
 
 J o 
 
 *' leaves, and fruit be ? twenty 
 *' generations muft pafs away be- 
 *' fore thy feed can be refined fo 
 *' far as to produce a gentleman. 
 
 *' Put^. Is not gold a gentle- 
 *♦ man j a perfon of quality ?— r 
 *< What makes a gentleman i 
 
 f* Urban, £ducat}on, honour, and 
 *• generofityj add to i fine gentle- 
 <* man, love, refolution, taile : a 
 ** perfon of quality has all thefe 
 *' perfe£lions, and is difcerning ; 
 *< with a fublime thirft in the foul; 
 *• a longing to reward merit ; 
 ** fervent to ferve the meanejl, and 
 *' punAual to his word ; his blood 
 *' is double and treble refined ; he's 
 *' full of heaven ; a fun-fire ; a 
 *' light that quenches all the flame 
 ** of nature. 
 
 *' Pu»y. Cannot a new-born 
 ** gentleman have all thefe per- 
 *' feftions ? 
 
 " Urban. No, your upftarts are 
 " huge and tall, converfe with a 
 ** prince of the air, and their 
 V noftrjls are full of the devil." 
 
 Dologodelmo's curfe on Hurlo- 
 thrumbo is perhaps equal to any 
 thing of the kind in our own or any 
 other language. It is as follows : 
 
 " May heaven pour down upon 
 '• him the bitter bleffing, the honey 
 " curfe, ihe gilded pill that fatif- 
 " fies dehre and infedls the mind ; 
 " give liim rich s, and make him 
 " love them ; then will he be ab- 
 *' horred of men, the fpirits, the 
 *• angels, and the gods ; may a 
 *' proud fign appear in his iace, 
 *' that he n\Vi\ be a tavern for 
 *• devils to riot and banquet in ; let 
 •• him pamper nature, feed high to 
 •' deftroyhis tallc, fo blind all the 
 " beauties of his mind ; then will 
 " his hungry pleafure devour up 
 •' all the eternal treafure of his 
 
 foul." 
 
 1 Hiall clofe this fet of qucia-s 
 t'lous V. irh part of a fpecch of lord 
 t'liune's, which being the moii ex- 
 7 
 
 travagant- charader in the wholf 
 piece, will fliew how much ori- 
 ginality and inventive imagination 
 this writer poffefles even in his 
 wildeft flights. It is part of a de- 
 fcription of the next world, where, 
 after he has given fome general 
 account of the ftate of fpirits 
 there, he then proceeds, 
 
 " Qijeen Elizabeth is in berbu^ 
 *' felling of fry'd fritters ; Pompey 
 ** and Alexander carry charcoal to 
 ♦* feed her fi|-es ; the Great Mogul, 
 ** the Czar, the grim 3a(haw, the 
 ** Emperor, the Grand Turk, and 
 " Caefar, are fcrambling for the 
 *• drops of the pan ; and, as they 
 ** were vyont, are fcuffling for tri- 
 " fles, till it raifes their inextin* 
 ** guifttable rage to loggerheads." 
 
 On the preient occafion, however, 
 the original compiler of this work 
 was millaken. The la!l fpeech he 
 has quoted cap boafl: of little 
 originality or invention, being only 
 a copy from Epillemon's Fifinn of 
 Hell and the Ekfian Fitids, wit/j the 
 I'ttrious occupations of tnatiy great per- 
 Jonages there^ in the fecond book 
 and thirtieth chapter of Rabelais' 
 Hiflory of Pantagrueh 
 
 Jones, Henry. This author 
 was a native of Ireland, being born 
 at Drogheda, in the county of 
 Meath in that kingdom. He was 
 bred a bricklayer, but, having a 
 natural inclination for the Mufes, 
 he purfued his devotions to them 
 even during the labours of his 
 mere mechanical avocations, and 
 compoling a line of brick and a 
 line of verfe alternately, his walls 
 and poems rofe in growth toge- 
 ther; but which of his labours will 
 be mofl: durable, time alone mud: 
 determine. His turn, as is moll 
 generally the cafe »vith mean poets, 
 or bards of humble origin, was 
 panegyrick. This procured him 
 fomeiriends, and, in the year 1745, 
 when the earl of Chefterfield went 
 
 over 
 
JO 
 
 [ *S3 ] 
 
 J o 
 
 (frer to Ireland as lord lieutenant, 
 Mr. Jones was recommended to the 
 notice of that nobleman, who was 
 not more remarkable tor his own 
 Ihining talents and brilliancy of 
 parts, than for his zealous and ge- 
 nerous patronage of genius in what- 
 ever perfon or of whatever rank 
 he might chance to meet with it. 
 His Excellency, delighted with the 
 
 " neverbe taken into his catalogue, 
 " heappeared to think himfelf born 
 " rather to be fupported by others, , 
 " than under a duty to fecure to 
 " himfelf the profits which his 
 " writings and the munificence of 
 " his patrons from time to time 
 •* afforded." 
 
 After experiencing many reverfes 
 of fortune, which an over-bearing 
 
 difcovery of this mechanic Mufe, fpirit and an imprudence in regard 
 
 not only favoured him with his own to pecuniary concerns confequent- 
 
 notice and generous munificence, ly drew on him, he died in great 
 
 but alio thought proper to tranf- want, in April 1770, in a garret 
 
 plant this opening flower into a belonging to the mader of the 
 
 warmer and more thriving climate, fiedrord CoAee-houfe, by whofe 
 
 He brought him with him to Eng- charity he had been fome lime fup- 
 
 land, recommended him to many ported, leaving an example to 
 
 ol the nobility there, and not only thofe of iuperior capacities and at- 
 
 by his influence and intereft pro- tainments, who, delpifing thecom- 
 
 cured him a large fubfcription for mon maxims cf life, often feel the 
 
 the publiftiing a coliedion of his want of not purfuing them when 
 
 Poems, but it is faid even took on it is too late, 
 himfelf the alteration and correc- The appearance of Mr. Jones's 
 
 tion of his tragedy, and alfo the Play is fo recent, that, excepting 
 
 care of prevailing on the mana- for the fake of more diftant rea- 
 
 gers of Covent-Garden theatre to dcrs, it would fcarceiy be neceflary 
 
 bring it on the ftage. This noble- to mention that the title of it is, 
 man alfo recommended him in the The Em I of Ejfex. T. Svo.iyjj, 
 
 warmert manner to the late Mr. My opinion of Mr. Jones's merit 
 
 Colley Cibber, whofe friendly and ^a a dramatic writer may be feen 
 
 humane difpofition induced him to in my account of this play in the 
 
 fhew him a thoulandafts of friend- other part of the prefent work. 
 
 fliip, and even made ftrong efforts 
 by his intereft at court to have 
 iecured to him the fucctflion of the 
 laurel after his death. 
 
 With thefe favourable profpefts 
 it might have been exp^ded that 
 Mr. Jones would h^ve paiTed 
 through life with lb much decency 
 as to have enfured his own happi- 
 nefs, and done credit to the par- 
 tiality ol his triends ; but this was 
 rot the cafe. '* His temper," fays 
 cne v»ho fcems 10 have known him, 
 "was, in conffquence of the do- 
 " minion of his ( alliens, uncertain, 
 
 His poetical worth in his other 
 wriiings was certainly nof in itfelf 
 contemptible, yet was tar from 
 being of the firllrate kind. In 
 (hort, it was pretty nearly on a par 
 with that of ano:hcr ruilic-bred 
 bard of this century, whom ihc 
 royal favour having given a fanc- 
 tion to, it became a falhicn to ad- 
 mire his writings, though the 
 greatell value that either that gi.-n- 
 tlcman's Poems or 'hofe <•>■. our 
 author p; ifcffed to call them into 
 notice above hundreds of the hum- 
 bler inhabitants of Parnaiius, was 
 
 " and capricious ; eafily engaged, their being produced by geniufes 
 " andeafily difgulled ; and asaco- entirely uncultivated ; fo ih.u the 
 *' nomy was a virtue which could wonder was not how men of a poe- 
 
 S 4 tical 
 
J. a 
 
 [ ^<?4 I 
 
 J o 
 
 tlcal turn (bould produce fuch 
 verfes as theirs, but now any veVfcs 
 at all fliould be the produce of a 
 thatcher or a bricklayer. 
 ' He alfo left a tragedy unfiniih- 
 ed, called, 
 
 T^e Cave of Idray 
 which falling into the hands of 
 Dr. tijfFernan, he enlarged it to 
 ^V(B A"«. and brovight it out un- 
 der the title of. 
 
 ^he Heroine of the Cave. 
 Jones, John. Of this author 
 I find no flirther mention than that 
 he lived in the reign of Char'es I. 
 and vroie oiie very indiiferent 
 pk), entitled. 
 
 Adi-ojla. T. C. 4t0. J 655. 
 Jon SON, Ben. One of the nioft 
 confiderable dramatic poets of the 
 Tail age, whether we condder the 
 number or the merit of his pro- 
 dudlions. He was born at Well- 
 ntinfler in June 1574, and was 
 educated at the public fchool there, 
 under the great Camden. He was 
 defcended from a Scots family ; 
 smd his father, who loft his eftate 
 under queen J^ary, dying before 
 Cur poet was born, and his mother 
 marrying a bricklayer for her fe» 
 cond huiband, Ben was taken from 
 ^fchool to work at his father-in- 
 law's trade. Not being captiva- 
 ted with this employment, he went 
 into the Low Countries, and dif- 
 tingiiilhed himfelt in a military 
 capacity. 
 
 On his return to England he 
 entered himfclf at St. John's col- 
 lege Cambridge, but how long he 
 continued there we are not in- 
 formed. On his quitting the uni- 
 verfny he applyed to the itage for 
 a maintenance, and became a 
 member of an obfcure company, 
 which performed at the Currain 
 in Shorediteh. At the faine time 
 he turned his thoughts to compo- 
 fition, but is generally fuppofcd to 
 have been unfuccefsful in his iir^ 
 
 aucmpts. His perform^i^ces as ^n 
 alitor met with little more ^. 
 plaufe, aj)d to com pleat bis milery 
 tie ^ad the misfortune in a duel 
 to kill ois opponent, for which he 
 \yas con^mittcd to prifon ; but 
 how long he remained there, or 
 bv what methods he obtained bli 
 liberty, we have no account. It 
 was, however, while in cufiody for 
 this filence that he was made a 
 convert to the church of Rome, in 
 whofe communion he Headily per- 
 illed for twelve years. 
 
 It is fuppofed, that about this 
 time he became acquainted with 
 Shukfpeare, who according to tra. 
 dition aiTiiled him in fome of his 
 dramatic attempts, and coniider- 
 ably promoted his intereft, though 
 he could not by means of it ic- 
 cure himfclf from the virulence of 
 our author's pen. For many years 
 from this period, Ben produced 
 Ibrae piece annually, for the moil 
 part \yiih applaufe, and ellablilhed 
 his reputation with the publick 
 as one of the fupports of the ling- 
 liih liage. 
 
 In 1613, he was in France ; but 
 the occalion of his going, and the 
 ftay he made, e alike uncertain, 
 In 161Q, he went to Oxford, re- 
 fided K>me time at Chriil-Church 
 College, and in July 16 19 was 
 created M. A. in a full houfe of 
 convocation. On the death of 
 Samuel Daniel in Ot^ober, the 
 fame year, he fucceeded to the va- 
 cant laurel, the falary of which 
 was then one hundred marks fcr 
 annuniy but on our author's ap- 
 plication in 1630, it was aug^ 
 mented to the annual fum of one 
 hundred pounds and a tierce of 
 Spanidi wine. 
 
 As we do not find Jonfon's ctco- 
 nomical virtues any where record- 
 ed, it is the lefs to be wondered 
 at, that quickly after we learn that 
 he was mx'^ poor and fick, lodg- 
 ing 
 
yrm^^a^ •» ^n 
 ttle more ^■ 
 leat his mifery 
 tune in a dud 
 , for which he 
 ) prifon ; but 
 lined there, or 
 le obtained bti 
 io account. It 
 e in cttfiody for 
 lie was made a 
 ch of Rome, ill 
 he (leadily per- 
 ars. 
 
 that about this 
 icquainted mi\\ 
 ccording to tra- 
 
 in feme of his 
 
 , and coniidcr- 
 
 intnreft, though 
 
 means of it le- 
 
 ihe virulence of 
 
 For many years 
 
 Ben produced 
 ly, for the moft 
 ;, and ellabliihed 
 th the puhlick 
 lorts of the iing- 
 
 in France ; but 
 joing, and the 
 ike uncertain, 
 to Oxford, re- 
 Chrill-Church 
 uly 1619 was 
 full houfe of 
 the death of 
 OiElober, the 
 ceded to the va- 
 iilary of which 
 idred marks per 
 ur author's ap« 
 it was aug' 
 ual fum of one 
 nd a tierce of 
 
 id Jonfon's ccco- 
 ly where record- 
 be wondered 
 er we learn that 
 and fick, lodg- 
 ing 
 
 kt 
 
 J o 
 
 ing in 40 dbfcure alUy : 04 which 
 
 ] 
 
 JQ 
 
 1 1> 7ii EnUrtain^fmi ofi the twt 
 
 QccaAon i( waj, vh«A Cliartci. b«- Kttizs.tfOreat.BrifainaniiVtimarht 
 
 ing prevailed on irx bi» ftiVOttr, at fh*o»alJ*Sf Ju^ 2<\, 1606. 
 
 fept hiipt ten guineas; which Ben 12. fi/muuei', or. The Solmni- 
 
 receiving, faidt " bis m«j«l'ty haa ties of Ma/que and Barriers at Cowt^ 
 
 " f«Qt 194 te9 guineas bec«uft I a» the Mirrit^e 0/ the EarJ ^f t^x 
 
 *• am poor, and live in an alley, and Laify Frances, fecond. dauj^bui'. 
 
 '* go 9q4 tell biin that his (buL lives tfi. the Ear.1 ^ Sufioli, 1606. 410* 
 
 *' in an alley." 13. ^« Entertainment, of. King. 
 
 In juilice,. however, to the me- yams and ^en ^tu, at Tiitpiiaid\ 
 
 mory of Charles, it ihoi^ld be ob- zid of May 1607. 
 
 fefvetj, that this llory was proba- 14. The Mafam of Btauty. pre- 
 
 bly formed from the cynicalnefs of- fented at IVhitehall Twejfth-ttigh/, 
 
 Brn Jonfon's temper, rather than 160B. 
 
 f/om at)y real fai'it, as it is certain 
 that the king once bellowed a 
 bounty of one hundred pounds on 
 i)imj which is acknowledged in an 
 epigram written on the occafion. 
 
 He died in Augufl: 1637, ^^^^ 
 63 years, and.wap buried in Wcll- 
 ininfter- Abbey. 
 
 His dramatick, compofitions are 
 very numerous, and are here fct 
 down according to the times in 
 which thfy were originally per- 
 formed : 
 
 1 . Sfvery man in hii humour. C. 
 1593.410. 
 
 2. Every man out of his humour, 
 C. S. I 599, 4to. 
 
 3. Cyntbit^s Revels ; or. The 
 Fountain of Love. C. S. 1600. 410. 
 
 4. Poetajler ; or, His Atraign- 
 m(nt. C. S. 1 60 1. 4to, 
 
 5. StjanuSf his Fall, T. 1603. 
 4to, 
 
 6. Part of King James's Enter- 
 tainment in faffing to his Coronation, 
 1603. 4to. 
 
 7. A Particular Entertainment of N. D. 
 
 15. A Mafque with Nuptial S(ings. 
 at Lord rifcouiit Haddingtoi^s Mat' 
 rage at Cvurtt on Shrove Tuefdnff at 
 night, i6q8. 
 
 16. The Mafque of ^eens cekr 
 hratcdat Whitehall ^ Feb. 2, 1609. 
 
 17, Jl^picaa/te ; or, The Silent W«* 
 man, C. 16091 4to. 
 
 18, TIh Caje is altered. C. 1 609. 
 4to. 
 
 This had been a£led bcfpre 
 1599. 
 
 1 g,. The Speeches at Prince Henry's 
 . Barriers. N. D. 
 
 20. Oheron the Fairy Prince. M. 
 N. D. 
 
 21. The Alchymifli C, 1610. 
 4tO. 
 
 2 2 . Love freed from Ignorance and 
 Folly. M. N. D. 
 
 25. Love refored, M. N. D. 
 
 24. A Challenge at Tilt at a Mar- 
 riage. M. N. D. 
 
 25. Catalincy his Conjpiraiy. T. 
 161 1. 4to. 
 
 26. The Irifh Mefque ai Court, 
 
 the ^ecn atfd Prince at AlthorpCy 
 25 offuney 1603. 4to. 
 
 8. A private Entertainment of the 
 Kino and ^lecn on May-Day in the 
 Morning, at Sir William Cornwallis's 
 Houfe at Highgate^ 1694. 
 
 9. Volpone't or, The Fox, C. 
 i6oj;. 
 
 10. The, ^een*sM^^ut of Black" 
 wfs. 1605. 
 
 27. Mercury vindicated from the 
 Alchemifis at Court. M. N. D. 
 
 28. Bartholome^M Fair. C. 1614. 
 
 29. The Golden Age refiored. M. 
 1615. 
 
 30. Chrifimasy his Mafque, 16 r 6. 
 
 31. The Devil is an Afs, C. 
 1616. 
 
 32. A Mafque at Lord Hay* Sy for 
 the Entertainment of Monjicur Le 
 
 Baron 
 
JO 
 
 I *66 1 
 
 JO 
 
 Im 
 
 BtroH de Tour^ Jimhajfador 'Extra' 
 wdinaiyfrom the French Ktng^ Feb. 
 J2, 1617. 
 
 33. The FifioH of Delight. M. 
 1617. 
 ■ 54. pUafitre reconciled to F'irtue. 
 
 M. i6i9> 
 
 35. For the Honour of Wales, 
 M. N. D. 
 
 36. News from the nenu World 
 difcevered in the Moon, M. 1620. 
 
 • 37. The Mctamorphofed Gipjtcs, 
 M. 1621. 
 
 38. The Mafque of Augun^ with 
 ihe feverdl Anti-majques frefcnted on 
 Ttuclfth- Night. 1632. 
 
 39. Time vindicated to himfclf 
 and to his Honours ; M, prefenitd 
 Twelfth-Night, 1623. 
 
 40. Neptune's Triumph for the 
 JReturn of Albion. M. prcfenttd 
 Tnuelfih-Night. 1624. 
 
 • 41. Pa^s Anniverfaryi or, The 
 Shepherd's Holy day. , M. 1625, 
 
 43. The Staple rf Ne-vjs, C. 1625, 
 
 43. The Mafque of Owls at Kenel- 
 VJortb. 1626. 
 
 44. The Fortunate IJks and their 
 Union. M. 1626. 
 
 45. New Inn; or. The Light 
 Heart. .C. 1629. Printed 8vo. 
 1631. 
 
 46. Lovers Triumph through d'i- 
 lipolis. M. 1650. 
 
 47. Chloridia, Rites to CHoris 
 eind her Nymphs. M. 1630. 
 
 48. The King's Entertainment at 
 Wclbeckj in Nottinghamfoirc^ at his 
 going to Scotland 1633. 
 
 49. Love's Welcome. The King and 
 ^jhieens Entertainment at Boljirjer^ 
 at the Earl of Ncwcafilis^ the ^oth 
 of July 16:4. 
 
 50. Magnetick Ltiiiy ; or, Hu' 
 mours reconciled. C. 
 
 51. ^ Tale, fa Tub. C. 
 
 52. The Sad Shepherd 'y or, A 
 Tale of "iobi/i Hoo.'. Unfiniflied. 
 
 53. Mortimer's Fall, T. Un- 
 finifhcd. 
 
 The laft four were originally in 
 the folio edition of Ben Jonfon'* 
 Works, 1640. 
 
 Ben Jonfor. publiOied part of 
 his Work* in tolio 161 6. 
 
 Another edition of the whole in 
 folio 1692. 
 
 An edition in 6 volumes. 8vo, 
 1716. 
 
 An edition by Mr. Whalley in 
 7 volumes, 8vo. 1756. 
 
 The fame gentleman is now pre« 
 pariiig a new edition for the preft, 
 
 BeHdes the pieces abovemen< 
 tinned, Ben Jonfon joined with 
 Chapman and Marlton in 
 
 EafliAjard Hoe. C. 1605. 
 and with Fletcher and Middleton 
 in 
 
 The Widow. C. 1 652. 
 
 Jordan Thomas. Was a per- 
 former belonging to the company 
 at the Red Bull, and a<^ed the 
 part of Lepida in the tragedy of 
 Mefjiilina. He Houri(hed in the 
 reign of Charles the Firil, and 
 was one of the few players and 
 poets who lived to fee the refto- 
 ration of Charles the Second. On 
 the death of John Tatham, he 
 fucceeded him as city poet, and 
 regularly compofed the pageants 
 from the year 1671 to 1684, when 
 it may be pre fumed he died. He 
 was fucceeded by Taubraan, and 
 kft four plays, viz. 
 
 1. The li'alks of Jflington and 
 HngfUon, with the Humours of Wood- 
 
 finet CojHptcr. €.410. 1657. 
 
 2. Fancy's Fiftivals. M. 4tO. 
 1657. 
 
 3. Money is an Afs. C. 4to, 
 1668. 
 
 4. Love hath found cut his Eyes, 
 N. P. 
 
 This laft was amongll the 
 M 8 S. deftroyed by Mr. War- 
 burton's fervant. 
 
 Joy NER, Willi AM. Was born 
 in Oxfordlhire, in the latter end 
 
 of 
 
J o 
 
 t ^67 1 
 
 J o 
 
 volumes. 8vo. 
 
 ftf kin^ Charlei I's reign, and was 
 educated at Magdalen colleg:e, 
 where he obtained a fellowfhip, 
 which he kept till he changed his 
 religion, on which he made a vo> 
 luntary refignation of it, and, being 
 fond of retirement, took great de- 
 light in the favour and good will 
 ot his private friends, which a na- 
 tural fweetnefs of difpofitiQn that 
 he poileilied, and an inoffenftve 
 prudence in his behaviour, cbr 
 tained for him in a very perfett 
 degree 1 nor did he think proper 
 to interfere either in the public 
 eontroverfiei 'of religion or the af- 
 fairs ot Hate, till^ on the new mo- 
 delling; of the univerfity under the 
 Etclefiajlical Commiffioners in king 
 James I I's reign, he was reinftated 
 in his former rank in the college, 
 wiiich however he did not very 
 long enjoy, for Ihortly after, viz, 
 at the Revolution, the college was 
 
 reftored to its former fettlem<nt, 
 and he and, the reft of the fellows 
 removed. On which occalion hp 
 again betook himfelf to folitudef 
 in an obfcure villaee in Bucking- 
 hamfhire, where he lived for many 
 years in the moil retired manner, 
 not dying till the i4.th of Septem- 
 ber 1706. When he firrt with- 
 drew from Oxford, he wrote one 
 dramatic piece, entitled, 
 
 The Roman Emprefs, T. 410. 
 1671. 
 
 Langhaine informs us that the 
 ancient name belonging to Mr. 
 Joyner's family had been Lyde, 
 and takes notice of a little book 
 writteii by this gentleman, inti- 
 tuled, Obfirvatiotti on the Life of 
 Cardi7{al Regitialdui Polus^ in the 
 title page of which the author dif- 
 guifes' himfelf under the initials 
 6. L. which he interprets to flaAd 
 for Gulielmus Lyde, 
 
 K. 
 
 K F 
 
 KF. Thefe two letters Lang- 
 « baine interprets to mean 
 Francis Kirkman, and Hand af- 
 fixed to the dedication of a piece 
 of dnmacic fatire, entitled, 
 
 'lie Ptrjbyterian Lajh. T. C. 
 
 Kirkman was a very great pub- 
 lifher of dramatic works foon after 
 the Relloration. Whether there- 
 fore he was the author or only the 
 editor of this piece, is not ex- 
 tremely apparent, even allowing 
 Mr. Langbaine's explication of 
 the initials, which moreover Cqx- 
 
 K F 
 eter's MS. has given u£ to be 
 
 This Kirkman, in whofe name 
 by the way Langbaine makts 
 fome degree of confufion, calling 
 him at .one time Francis, and ac 
 others John Kirkman, was the pun- 
 lilher dt a coUedion of dramatic 
 pieces, under the title of 
 
 The Wits ; or. Sport upon Sporty 
 confiding of the following Farces 
 or Drolls, intended for fairs. 
 
 I. Bouncing Knight, 
 . 2. Bubble, . , 
 
 3. Cluhmen, 
 
!9 
 
 I 
 
 K E 
 
 C ^68 ] 
 
 K E 
 
 4. Empirkk. 
 
 5. /?y«rt/ Malcbt 
 
 6. i^a^^ /ff/r. 
 
 7. Forc'4 f^^lot'"' 
 
 ^% Frtnch DaHCing-^!ftfl«r» 
 9. Gravt-maken, 
 I 10. ytnkiHi'.i Love Courfi, 
 1 1 . Invifible Smirk. 
 
 ■ 1 2. Z^drnf Conunonwealtb* 
 13. I'andlif^j, 
 
 . 14. 3/c4 Tejlator. 
 15. Prince in Conceit* 
 
 ■ \hy SinipktoHf 
 
 1(7. StailfOtt, I 
 
 181 Surprize, 
 
 ig. 7r^ Love*. 
 
 20. TZmw ;w>-ry ^^J. 
 A3 alio H fccond part of this col- 
 k^ioi>, for which lee Cox, Ro- 
 
 X£RT. 
 
 Kbate, Georoe, Efq; A gen- 
 tieoian of fortune, who has obli- 
 ged the world witlt feveral poems 
 of diftinguiihed elegance and re- 
 putation. His claim to a place in 
 this work is derived from a dra* 
 matick piece, entitled. 
 
 The Monument in Arcadia, D. P. 
 4to. 1773. 
 
 Keefe,John. This author is 
 an adlor on the Irifh flage, but in 
 that profefTion has not exhibited 
 any marks of genius or abilities.' 
 As a writer, however, he has been 
 more fuccefsful, having produced 
 two pieces, which poiTefs conii- 
 derable comic merit. They are 
 called, 
 
 1. Ton^ Lumpkin in Town; or, 
 Tlje Dilttanti. F. 1 7 78. Printed 
 8vo. 1780. 
 
 2, The Son-iM-Lo'vim F. 1779» 
 N. P. 
 
 Kklly, J©hn. This gentle- 
 inr.ii was a member of the hon- 
 ouiable fociety of the Middle 
 Temple. He was concerned with' 
 Others . in writing a daily peri- 
 odical paper,- called the UniverJ'al 
 Spectator ^ and in fome other lite- 
 
 rary undertakings ; and is author 
 of five dramatic pieces, the tides 
 of which are ai follow : 
 
 1. T)m! Mctrricd Phihifopfjer. C. 
 8vo. 1732. 
 
 2. fimon in Love ; or, The In* 
 HOccntThifi. C. 8vo. 1733. 
 
 3. n<e Fall of Bob', or, Tbt 
 Oracle of Gin. T. 12 mo. 1736. 
 
 4. The Levee, F. 8vo. 1741. 
 Chetwood mentions him as the 
 
 author of a piece, called, 
 
 ^. Pill ami Drop. An Fnttr- 
 tainment which feems not to have 
 been printed. 
 
 Kelly, Hugh. Was a nr.;ire 
 of Ireland, horn on the bari'is uf 
 Killarney Lake^ in the year 1739. 
 His father, a gentleman of good 
 family, having reduced<his fortune 
 by a feries ot unforefeen misfor- 
 tunes, was obliged co repair to 
 Dublin, that he might endeavour 
 to fupport himfelf by his perfonal 
 induliry. A tolerable fchool-edu- 
 cation was all he could aH^brd to 
 his fon, who was bound an appren- 
 tice to a ftay-maker, "itiA ferved- 
 the whole of his time - ich dili- 
 gence and fidelity. At the expi- 
 ration of his indentures, he fet out 
 for London in order to procure a 
 livelihood by his buiinefs. This 
 happened in the year 1760 ; and 
 he encountered all the difficulties 
 a perfon poor and without friends 
 could be fubjedt to on his firll ar- 
 rival in town. It was, however, 
 his good fortune to introduce him- 
 felf into the fociety of a fet of 
 reputable tradefmen, who ufed to 
 meet at a public houfe in KuiTel' 
 ftreet, Co vent- Garden, where he 
 in a (horc time became acquainted 
 with an attorney, who, being 
 pleafed with his company and 
 converfation, invited him to his 
 houfe, and employed h'm in copy* 
 ing and tranfcribing, an occapa- 
 tion which heprofecuted with fo 
 much affiduity, that ho; is faid to 
 
 have 
 
 have ea 
 a week, 
 pared 
 be deem 
 
 ever, 
 
 rieJ, 
 
u 
 
 X E 
 
 i ««P J 
 
 K E 
 
 as a nr.iire 
 
 have earned about three guineas 
 a week, an income which com* 
 pared to his former guins might 
 be deemed affluent. Tired, how- 
 ever, of this drudgery, he foon 
 atcer, about 1762, commenced au- 
 thor, and waa intruded with the 
 management cf feveral periodical 
 publicatious, in which he wrote 
 mnny original eflTays and pieces 
 of poetry, which extended his re- 
 putation, and procured the means 
 of fobfillence for himfelf, his wife 
 to whom he was then lately mar* 
 rleJ, and a growing family, for 
 vvbich he ever (liewed a laudable 
 and anxious attention. For feve- 
 ral years after this period, he con- 
 tinued writing upon a variety of 
 fubjeds, as the accidents of tho 
 times chanced to call for the af- 
 lilbmce of his pen ; and as during 
 this period politicks were the chief 
 objedls of public attention, he em- 
 ployed himfelf in compofing many 
 pamphlets on the important quelti- 
 ons then agitated,, the greater part 
 of which are now buried in obli- 
 vion. About the year 1767, he 
 was tempted, by the fuccefs of Mr. 
 Churchill's Rofcimt, to write fome 
 ftridures on the performers of ei- 
 ther theatre in two pamphlets, in- 
 tituled Thefpls^ both which give 
 great offence 10 fome of the prin- 
 cipal perfons at e;ich houfc. The 
 talents for fatire, which he dif- 
 piayed in this work, recommended 
 him to the notice of Mr. Garrick, 
 who, in the next year, caufcd his 
 firlt play of Faljc Dciuacy to be 
 ailed at Drury-Lane. it was re- 
 ceived with great appliuife, and 
 from this time he continued to 
 write for the llage with profit and 
 fuccefn, until the lalt period of 
 his life. As his reputation in- 
 crcaied, he began to turn his 
 thoughts to fome mode of fupport- 
 ing his family lefs precarious than 
 by writings and for that purpolc 
 
 entered hintfelf a menber of th6 
 Middle Temple. After the regu- 
 lar (leps had been taken, he was 
 called to the bar in the year 1774* 
 and his proficiency in the Aadf 
 of the law afforded very profflifing 
 hopes that he might make a dif^ 
 tinguiihed figure in that profef* 
 fton. 
 
 His fedentary courfe of life had, 
 however, by this time, injured his 
 health, and fubjeded him to much 
 affliAion. Early in the year i777y 
 an abfcefs formed in his fide, 
 which, after a few days illnefs, 
 put a period to his life on the 
 third day of February, at his houfe 
 in Gough Square, in the thirty* 
 eighth year of his age. 
 
 Very foon after his death, one 
 of his own comedies, j4 IVord to 
 the IViJiy (which had been afled 
 but once, being driven from the 
 llage by a mob, becaufe our au- 
 thor fometimrs wrote in defence 
 of government) was performed for 
 the benefit of his dilbcfTed wife 
 and his infant family. On this 
 occafion, Dr. Samuel Johnfon, 
 whofe charity is wont to alFume a 
 v.iriety of ihapes, produced a new 
 prologue. It is almoit needlefs to 
 addj that his lines were heard with 
 the moil refpectful attention, and 
 difiiiified with the loudeft applaufe. 
 
 The writer of iVIr. Kellev's life, 
 prefixed to the quarto edition cf 
 his works 1778, has given the 
 following defcnption and character 
 of him : " His ftature was below 
 •' the middle lize. His complex- 
 " ion was fair, and his conffitution 
 ♦• rather inclined to corpulency ; 
 " but he was remarkably cheerful, 
 •' and a moft pleafing and face- 
 " tious companion. Though very 
 V fond of talking where he found 
 " his converf tion agreeable, he 
 *' was fo well bred,- as to liften to 
 *• others with the moft becoming 
 '* acccr.tion. As a hulbitnd and a 
 
 ♦' father 
 
K t 
 
 I i70 1 
 
 K fe 
 
 I 
 
 ** father his conduct wii fingu- 
 •• larly exemplary ; nor can we 
 ** give a more lively proof of hit 
 ** domcAic happinefH than in a 
 •• copy of verles written in the 
 ** year 1762, in which as well as 
 *• in othtr little poems he cele- 
 *' brates hit wife under the namc> 
 ** of Mir A. 
 
 *• Nor were his attention and 
 *• benevolence confintd to his own 
 •* family, for hi» hand was ever 
 •* ready to relieve ihe diOrefles of 
 •* the unfortunate ; and fuch was 
 •• the wrell-known humanity of his 
 ♦* nature, thai even whilft he was 
 ** himfelfllruggling under diHicuU 
 ** ties, it is almoll incredible how 
 *' many applications were fucccH- 
 ** fully made to him from the 
 •' poor and needy. He had fo 
 •* large a portion of genuine good- 
 *' nature that he was ne;'er known 
 *' to give the Icalt offence, nor 
 '* could he be but with extreme 
 " uifiiculty provoked with the im- 
 •♦ pertinence of others ; being al- 
 " ways difpofed to treat every 
 *' body with the utmolt candour 
 •' and affability. 
 
 •• As a writer, his genius muft 
 " be allowed to have been un- 
 *' common, when it is confidered 
 " under what preffures of fortune 
 " moft of his performances were 
 ** written, and vvith what rapi- 
 •' dity they were \ifliered into the 
 " world ; fome of which, could he 
 " have afforded Icifure to pc lifh 
 " them, would have juftly ranked 
 " among the bed productions of 
 " this age, fo fertile in works of 
 •' talte and erudition." 
 
 He was the author of the fol- 
 lowing plays : 
 
 1. Falfe Delicacy. C. 176S. 8vo. 
 
 2. A fford to the Wife. C. 1 7 70. 
 8vo. 
 
 3. Clementina. T. 1771. 8vo. 
 
 4. The School for Hives, C. 
 1774. 8vo4 
 
 If. The Prince of jlj^ra. T. al- 
 tered from Drydeii. 1774. N. P. 
 
 6. j4 Romance of an Hour, F« 
 1774. 8vOi 
 
 7. The Man of RiafoH, C. 1776, 
 N. P. 
 
 He is fiitd to have been the 
 tranflator of the following piece, 
 
 I.* Amour a la Mftdc ; or, Love a 
 la Mnile. F. 17^0. 8vo. 
 
 Kenrick, William. Thij 
 author, with confidtrable abilitie^j 
 Was neither happy nor fuccefsfui. 
 Few perfons were ever Irfs refpeft- 
 ed by the world. Still fewer have 
 created fo many enemies, or drop* 
 ped into the grave fo lht!e regret- 
 ted by their contemporarie?. Ht' 
 was the fon of :t titizen of Lon- 
 don, and Was brought up to :i 
 mechanical bufinefs as it is fiii), 
 having been often very illiberally 
 reproached by his advcrfaries with 
 having ferved an apprenticelhip to 
 a brafs-rule-maker. Whatever was 
 his original dellination, he feeni3 
 early to have abandoned it, and to 
 have devoted his talents to the 
 cultivation of letters, by which he 
 fupported himfelf during the reft 
 of a life which might be faid to 
 have paflc'd in a Uate of warfare, 
 as he was feldom without an enemy 
 to attack or to defend himfelf 
 from. He died the 9th of Juncy 
 1777, having written the foliow- 
 ing dramatic pieces, vi/. 
 
 1. Ftiii. Piirodi-tragi-comical 
 Satire, 8vo. 1752. 
 
 2. Faijiciff's irctUtng. C. Sva. 
 1766. 
 
 3. Falftaff's IVcddlng. C. alter- 
 ed 8vo< 1766^ 
 
 4. The mdow'd mji, C. 8vOi 
 1768, 
 
 ^. The Dueil'ift. C. avo. 1775* 
 
 6. The Lady of the Manor, CO. 
 8vo. 1778. 
 
 7. Tlx Spendthrift ; or, A Chr'f- 
 mas Gambol, F. 1778. N. P. 
 
 Kli-LIGREW, 
 
K I 
 
 C ^7t ] 
 
 K I 
 
 KiLtiotEw, Dr. Henry, Was 
 the fifth and youngeft Ton of Sir 
 Robert Killigrew, and was born 
 at Hanworth, in Middlefex, on 
 the nth of F«b. i6i}. He was 
 c'lucated under Mr. Thomas Fsir- 
 nai.^ , became a commoner of Chrii? 
 Church in i6a8, an^ foon ah^ 
 Itudent, and when batchclor ut 
 tins one of the quadragefimal cot- 
 ledlors. In July i6t8, he was 
 created M. A. being then about to 
 travel, and entering afterwards into 
 the facred funftion became chap- 
 lain to the king's army. On the 
 id of Nov. 1641, he took the 
 <^.egree of D. D. and immediately 
 uas appointed chaplain to the 
 duke of York, and promoted to 
 the twelfth Ua!l in the church of 
 Weilminrtcr. He fuftered in coni- 
 mon with thoA: who adhered to 
 the royal caufi: during the inter- 
 regnum, but on the Relloration 
 was made almoner to the duke of 
 York, fupcrintendant to the affairi 
 oF his chapel, reflor -of Wheal- 
 hamlled in Hertfordfhire, and 
 the next year matter of the Savoy, 
 in which he remained in the year 
 1695. The year of his death I 
 have not been able 10 afcertain. 
 The p'ay, on which account we 
 have admitted him to a place, 
 fecms not to have been a£led till 
 fome time after the occalion was 
 pall tor which it was originally 
 deligned, viz. the celebration of 
 the nuptials of lord Charles Her- 
 bert with the lady Mary Villiers, 
 at which time the author was 
 no more than feventeen years of 
 age. This circumllance wf gather 
 from an anecdote concerning it, 
 related by Langbaine, that reflecfh 
 honour on the author. For he 
 tells us, that on its iirll reprefent- 
 ation at Black-Friars, certain cri- 
 tics cavilled at the charai£ler of 
 Ckantbes in it, objedling that it 
 was monfirous and impo0ble^ for a 
 
 perfon of only feventeen years o!<f4 
 as that character is fuppofed to be* 
 to conceive and utter fuch fen- 
 timenti ai he it made to fpeak« 
 and which would better fuit th« 
 lips of one of thirty years of age 1 
 to which objection the learned and 
 ingenious lord Falkland made this 
 very judicious reply, in vindicatioa 
 of the author, viz. that it was net* 
 thir monArous nor impoflible for 
 jne offcvtntttH yean to /peak at fuch 
 a rate ; fwhtn he that matle hiiujpeak 
 in that nanner^ and ivrote the "whole 
 play, nxMs him/elf no older. The ti- 
 tle of the piece, which has alfo 
 been highly commended by Bca 
 Jonfon, II 
 
 The Confpiracy, ^. 410, 163®, 
 Mr. Killigrew was in Italy, moil 
 probably upon his travels, at the 
 time that this play was firfl: pub* 
 lilhed, by which means it came 
 out very imperfect and incorreft. 
 But after his return, it is probable 
 he might himfelf make fome alter- 
 ations in it, and it was republilh- 
 ed, with the altered title of, 
 
 Pallantui and liudora. fo. 16^ J. 
 
 Dr. Killigrew was father of Mr», 
 Anne Killigrew, celebrated for her 
 poctr) nd painting, on whom 
 D;> Jen wrote an elegy. 
 
 KiLLioRiiw, Thomas. Was 
 brother of the former, and wa« 
 born at Hanworth in the month of 
 February, 161 1. He feems to 
 have been early intended for the 
 court ; and to qualify him for 
 rifing there, every circumftance of 
 his education appears to have been 
 adapted. In the year 1635, while 
 upon his travels , he chanced to be 
 at Loudon, and an cye-witnefs to 
 the celebrated impofture of cxor- 
 cifing the devil out of feveral 
 nuns belonging to a convent ia 
 th^t town. Ol this tranfadtion he 
 wrote a very minute and accurate 
 account ilill in MS. in the Pepy- 
 fiaa library at Magdalen College, 
 
 CambridgCiT 
 
K I 
 
 t i7« 1 
 
 k I 
 
 :V,' 
 
 Ctmbridge. He wks appoiiitMl 
 pa^e Off honour to king C harks I. 
 and faithfulij adhered to his catife 
 Until the death of that unfortunate 
 monarch ; aftftr which he attend- 
 ed hii fon in his exile ; to whom 
 he was highly acceptable on ac- 
 count of his fodal and convivial 
 taualiHcations. He married Mrs. 
 Cecilia Crofts^ one of the maids of 
 honour to queen Henrietta. With 
 this lady he had a difpute on 
 the fubjeA of jealoufy, at which 
 Thomas Carew was prefent, and 
 wrote a Poem, introduced into the 
 inafque of Caelum Britanhicum, and 
 afterwards a copy of verfes on 
 their nuptials printed in his works. 
 
 in the year 1651, he was fen t 
 to Venice as refident at that llate, 
 although, fays lord Clarendon, 
 *' the king was much difluaded 
 ** from it, but afterwards his ma- 
 •• jefty was prevailed upon, only 
 ** to gratify hint (Killegrew) that 
 •' in that capacity he might bor- 
 ** row money of Knglifli merchants 
 ** for his own fubfiftence, which he 
 " did, and nothing to the honour of 
 ** his mailer; but was at lait com- 
 •• pelled to leave the republic for 
 *• his vicious behaviour ; of which 
 ** the Venetian ambaffador com- 
 ** plained to the king when he 
 *• came afterwards to i^aris." 
 
 After the Relioration he was ap- 
 pointed groom of the bed-chamber, 
 and continued in high favour with 
 the king, and had frequently ac- 
 cefs to him when he was denied tc 
 the firil peers in the realm ; and 
 being a man of great wit and live- 
 Jinefs of parts, and having from 
 his long intimacy with that mo- 
 narch, and being much about his 
 perfon during his troubles, acquired 
 a freedom and familiarity with 
 him, which oen the pomp of ma- 
 jefty afterwards could not check 
 in him, he fometimes, by way of 
 jeft, which king Charles was ever 
 
 fond of, if girhaiilie; even though 
 himfelf was thte »b|eil: of the fetiri; 
 would adventure bold truihs wHicK 
 fcarcely any one btftdes v^buld 
 have dared even to hint M. One 
 llory in particular is related of 
 him, Which, if true, is a (Irong 
 proof of the great lengths he Would 
 fometimes proceed in his freedoms 
 of this kind, which is as follows i 
 When the king's unbounded paf- 
 fioh for women had given his mif- 
 trefs fuch an afcendency over him, 
 that, like the effeminate Perfiart 
 monarch, he was much fitter to 
 have handled a dillafFthan to wield 
 a fceptre, and for the converfation 
 of his concubines utterly n6gle^- 
 ed the moll important affairs ot 
 ftate, Mr, Killigrew went to pay 
 his majelly ai vifit in his private 
 apartments, habited like a pilgrirt 
 who was bent on a long journey. 
 The king, furpriwd at the oddity 
 of his appearance, immediately 
 aiked him what Was the meaning 
 of it, and whither he was going f — 
 To hell, bluntly replied the wag.— 
 Priihve^ faid the king, i\:bat can 
 your errdnd he to that place ? — lo 
 fetch back Oliver Crotniuell (rejointd 
 he), that he may takefutne care of the 
 affair i of England, for his fticcejfor 
 takes none &( all. 
 
 One more Itory is related of him, 
 which is not barren of humour. 
 King Charles's fondnefs for plea- 
 fure, to which he almoft always 
 made bufinefs give way, ufed fre- 
 quently to delay affairs of confe- 
 quence from his majefty's difap- 
 pointing the council of his pre- 
 fence when met f<ir the difpatch of 
 bufinefs, which negled gave great 
 dilgufl and offence to many of thofe 
 who were treated with this feem- 
 ing difrefpe£t. On one of thefe 
 occafions the duke of Lauderdale, 
 who was naturally impetuous and 
 turbulent, quitted the council- 
 chamber ia a vioieitt paffion, and, 
 
 meeting 
 
K I 
 
 C ^73 1 
 
 K I 
 
 meeting Mr. Killfgrew prefently 
 after, exprelfed h'rr.rtlf on the oc- 
 cafion in very difrefpectful terms 
 of his majcfty. Killigrew begged 
 his grace to moderate his paflion, 
 and offered to lay him a wager of 
 an hundred pounds that he himfelf 
 would prevail on his majetty to 
 come to council in half an hour. 
 The duke, furprized at the bold- 
 neft of bis aflfertion, and warmed 
 by rcfetotment againft the king, 
 accepted the wager ; on which 
 Killigrew immediately went to the 
 king, and, wirhout ceremony, told 
 Mm what bad happened ; adding 
 thefe words, '* I know that your 
 *' majedythatet Lauderdale, though 
 ♦' the neceflity of your affarra com- 
 ** pels you to carry an outward 
 " appearance of civility; now, if 
 •'you chufe to be rid of a man 
 *' who is thus difagreeable to you, 
 " you need only go this once to 
 '* council ^ for I know his covet- 
 " ous difpotition fo perfedly, that 
 *' I am well perfuaded, rather than 
 " pay this hundred pounds, he 
 •'would hang himfelf out of the 
 •' way, knd never plague you 
 " more " The king was fo plcafed 
 with the archnefs of this obferva- 
 tion, thjit he immediately replied, 
 Wllthcny Ki'lligreiv, I pofiti'vcly will 
 10% and kept his word accordingly. 
 
 Mr. Killigrew died at White- 
 hall, the ipth of March, 1682. 
 
 During- his refidence abroad, he 
 applied the greafeft part of his 
 leifure hours to the ftudy and prac- 
 tice of poetry, and particularly 
 dramatic writings, feveral of Ins 
 plays being coinpofed in that 
 period of time. To ihis Sir John 
 Denham humoroufly alludes-, and 
 alfo draws a ch a rafter of our au- 
 thor extremely confillent wifh the 
 circumlfances wc have been rc- 
 htint; of him, in his copy of vevfes 
 on Mr. Killigrcw's return from 
 his cnihaflV at Venice :■ 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
 I. ^^ 'V^r;*!. 
 Our ReJiJcnt Tom \ 
 
 From Venice is cnme^ 
 And hai. left all the Utatifman lehliui 
 him ; | 
 
 Talks at the fame pitchy 
 Is as 'Mifcy is as riih^ 
 Andjtfi'Vjhtreyou left him^youfindbintt 
 
 II. v 
 
 But nuho fays he*s not 
 
 A Man of much Plot, 
 May repent of this filfe Accufat'ion ; 
 
 Having plotted and penned 
 
 Six Plays to attend " 
 
 On the Farce of his Negotiation. * 
 
 However, though Sir John Den- 
 ham here hints at only fix, Mr. 
 Killigrew wrote feven Plays while 
 abroad, and two after he came 
 home ; the names of them all are 
 as follows : 
 
 1. Prifoners, T. C. 
 
 2. C'araciUa. T. C. 
 
 3. Primefs. T. C. 
 
 4. Parfon's Wedding. C. D. C. 
 
 5. Pilgrim, T. 
 
 6. and 7. Cicilia and Clorinda^ 
 two Parts. T. C. 
 
 8. and 9. fhoma/h, two Parts. C. 
 
 I O. and II. Bellamira, her Dream^ 
 two Parts. T. C. 
 
 The firft two of thefe were print- 
 ed in i2mo. 1641; andallofthemi 
 in folio, 1664. 
 
 Killigrew, Sir WiLLiA>f, 
 Knt. This gentleman was elrifr 
 brother to the two former. He 
 was born in May i6o<;, at the 
 manor of Hanworth, hear Hamp- 
 ton Court, and was entfred a gen- 
 tleman commoner in Sr. John's 
 College. Oxford, in the M.dfummer 
 Term of the year 1622, Hcrar he 
 continued for about three years, 
 at the expiration of which he fee 
 out on his travels, ahd made the 
 tour of Europe. Wh it time, he 
 fpent abroad does not exaftly ap- 
 pear ; but we find him, after his 
 rtuiirn, appointed governor of Bcn- 
 
 T dcnnis 
 
 ^V: 
 
K I 
 
 t m J 
 
 K I 
 
 
 (tennis Caftle and Falmouth Haven, 
 both in the county of Cornwall, 
 and alfo put in the command of 
 the militia of the weftern part of 
 that coHnty. 
 
 His next promotion brought him 
 to court, as an immediate atten- 
 dant on the king's own perfon, 
 being made one of the gentlemen 
 ufhers of the privy chamber, which 
 poll he kept till the breaking-out 
 of the civil wars, when he had the 
 command of the two great troops 
 of thofe that guarded the king's 
 perfon during the whole courfe of 
 the war between the king and par- 
 liament, bellowed on him. He was 
 in attendance on the king at the 
 time that the court refided at Ox- 
 ford in the year 1642, at which 
 time he alfo was admitted to the 
 degree of doAor of civil law. But, 
 when the king's affairs had fallen 
 into fuch a fituation as to be ap- 
 parently paft recovery, he thought 
 It the moft prudent flep, though 
 he was under a neceffity of fufFer- 
 ing by his attachment to the royal 
 caufe, to enter into a compofition 
 for his edate with the committee 
 of fequeArations. 
 
 Though king Charles II. was 
 not remarkable for his returns of 
 gratitude to thofe who had been fuf- 
 ierers in the intereHs of his family, 
 yet in the prefent inftance he con- 
 tradiAed his general conduct, for 
 this gentleman was one of the firll 
 anwng his father's fervants that he 
 took notice of, firll reftoring him 
 to the poll of gentleman uiher of 
 the privy chamber, which be had 
 '■ hekl under Charles I. and after- 
 ' wards, on his own marriage with 
 Donna Catharine of Portugal, 
 creating him her majefty's iirft 
 vice-chamberlain, which honour- 
 able ftation he held for two and 
 twenty years, when, being greatly 
 advanced in life, he retired from 
 ■ court, and, from fome books 
 
 which he pnbliflied after that time^ 
 feems to have devoted the retnaJB- 
 der of his life to a due preparation 
 for his being called to another 
 world, which event happened to 
 him in the year 1693, at which 
 time he was eighty-eight years of 
 age. 
 
 I do not find any mention made 
 by former writers of what eftima- 
 tion he was held in by his con* 
 temporaries with refped to genius. 
 And indeed, excepting his drama- 
 tic pieces, I find nothmg of his in 
 print till the time when, in the en- 
 tire decline of life, he publilhed a 
 colledlion of detached thougks 
 and reHe£lions on the inftability cf < 
 human happinefs, when fixed on 
 any other views than thofe which 
 are to arife from the enjoyments 
 cf another (late. His dramatic 
 works, liowever, received the com- 
 mendations of Mr. Waller^ Sir I 
 Robert Stapleton, and others, and j 
 are the following. 
 
 1. Pandora, Cpm. 8vo. 1664. 
 
 2. Ormafcles, Tragi-Com. 8ro, I 
 1665. 
 
 3. ScUudrn. TragiCom. 166;. I 
 
 4. Sirge of Urbin. Tragi-Com,! 
 Fol. 1666. 
 
 5. Imperial Tragciy^ (attributed | 
 toliimonly.) fol. 1669. 
 
 KiLLiGREW, Thomas, Elq.l 
 As if the name of Killigrew was! 
 of itfelf a warrant to the title ofl 
 wit, this century has, as well asl 
 the two preceding ones, produced| 
 an author of that name. He wai 
 gentleman of the bed-chamber to 
 his late majelly when prince on 
 Wales, and wrote one play, ea-j 
 titled, 
 
 CfniChat, Com. N.D. (1719)] 
 
 King, Dr. William. Wai 
 born in London in 1663, thefoi 
 of Ezekiel King, a gentleman, alj 
 lied to the family of Clarendon. 
 
 From Weftminller-fchoc'; vh» 
 he wu a fcholar oa the foai ^^' 
 
". J l^ >i -^T' l "*" ' ' ■■""" " 
 
 1 after that time, 
 red the remaJD- 
 due preparation 
 lied to another 
 It happened to 
 1693. at which 
 ty- eight years ot' 
 
 y mention made 
 of what eftima- 
 in by his con- 
 refpet't to genius. 
 ;pttng his drama* 
 nothing of his in 
 i when, in the en> 
 Fe, he publiflied a 
 Etached thougks 
 1 the inftability cf 
 s, when fixed on 
 than thofe wbicit 
 m the enjoyments 
 e. His dramatic 
 received the corn- 
 Mr. Waller; Sir 
 n, and others, and 
 g. , 
 
 Cort. 8vo« i66|. 
 ..Tragi-Cona. 8ro, 
 
 Tragi Com. 1665. 
 
 Hin. Tragi-Com. 
 
 ragcd^. (attributed 
 ol. 1669. ' I 
 Thomas, Elq.l 
 
 of Killigrew was! 
 ant to the title ofl 
 ry has, as well aij 
 ing ones, produced| 
 at name, ticm 
 the bed-chamber ID 
 
 :y when prince oft 
 Irote one play, eaj 
 
 ;om.N.D. (i7>9)j 
 William. Wai 
 J)n in 1663, theM 
 Ig, a gentleman, >ll 
 Wyof CUreBdon.f 
 linllcr-fchoG', vhd 
 irORthcfoHk^*^ 
 
 ^ I 
 
 i 275 1 
 
 K I 
 
 tinder the care of Dr. Bufijy, he 
 Was At eighteen elcdiJd to CHrift 
 Church, in 1681 ; where he is faid 
 to have profccuted his itudies with 
 fu much incenfenefs and activity, 
 that, before he was eight years 
 flanditig, he had read over, and 
 made remarks upon, twenty-two 
 thoufand odd hundred books and 
 manufcripts. The books were cer- 
 tainly not very long, the manu- 
 fcripts not very difficult, nor the 
 •remarks very large; for the calcu- 
 lator will iind that he difpatched 
 feven a^day, for every day of his 
 eight years, with a remnant that 
 more than fatisfies molt other (lu- 
 dents. He took his degree in the 
 moil expenfive manner, as a grand 
 compounder ; whence it is infer- 
 red that he inherited a confider- 
 able fortune. 
 
 In 1688, the ftme year he was 
 made mailer of arcs^ his engag- 
 ed in the ftudy of the civil law, 
 became do*^or in 1692, and was 
 admitted advocate at Dodlors Com- 
 mons. 
 
 Though he was a regular advo- 
 cate in the courts ot civil and ca- 
 non law, he did not love his pro- 
 feflion, nor indeed any kind of 
 bufintfs which interrupted his vo- 
 luptuary dreams, or forced him to 
 roufe from that indulgence in 
 which only he could find delight. 
 IS reputation as a civilian was 
 vet maintained by his judgments 
 In the courts of delegates, and 
 raifed very high by the addrefs 
 and knowledge which he difcover- 
 ed in 1700, wher he defended the 
 earl of Anglefea againil his lady, 
 afterwards dutchels of Bucking- 
 hamfhire, who fued for a divorce, 
 and obtained it. 
 
 The expense of his picafurcs, 
 ind negleft of bufinefs^ had now 
 'vITcned his revenues ; and he was 
 willing to accept of a feitlement 
 ill Ireiand, where, about 1703, he 
 v^as fliidc judge of the admiralty, 
 
 commiflloncr of the prizes, keepef 
 of the records in Birmingham's 
 tower, and vicar-general to Dr« 
 Marlh the primate. 
 
 But it is vain to put wealth with- 
 in the reach of him who will not > 
 Itretch out his hand to take lU 
 King foon found a friend, as idle 
 and thoughtiefs.as himfelf, in Up- 
 tonj one of the judges^ who had a • 
 pleafant houfe called Mountown* 
 near Dublin, to which King fre« 
 qnently retired, delighting to neg- 
 led his interell, forget his cares, 
 and defert his duty. 
 
 In 1708) when lord Wharton 
 was fent to govern Ireland, King 
 returned to London, with his po- 
 verty, his idicnefs, and his wit; 
 and publilhsd fome eflays called 
 Ufcful Tran/adiions . His Voyage ta 
 the IJlandofCajamai is particularly 
 commended. He then wrote the 
 All of Love^ a poem remarkable, 
 notwithllanding its title, for purity 
 of fentiir.ent; and in 1709 imi- 
 tated Horace in .m Art of Cookery^ 
 which he publifljcd, with fome let- 
 ters to Dr. Liller. 
 
 In 17 10 he appeared, as a lover 
 of the church, on the* fide of Sache- 
 vcrell ; and was fuppoled to have 
 concurred at Icaft ia the projeftion 
 of ^hc Exatniner. 
 
 In 171 1, competence, if not. 
 plenty, was again put into his 
 power. He was, without the trou- 
 ble of attendance, or the mortifi- 
 cation of a requeft, made gazet- 
 teer. Swiff, Frtind, Prior, and 
 other men of the fame party, 
 brought him the key of the ga- 
 zetteer's ofKce* He was now again 
 placed in a profitable employment, 
 and again threw the benefit away. 
 An a£\ of infolvency made his 
 biidnrfs at that time panicidary 
 troubiefome ; and he would not 
 wait till hurry fliould be at an end, 
 but impatiently refigned it, ani 
 returned to his wonted indigenes 
 and amufem«nts. 
 
 T a In 
 
ill 
 
 K N 
 
 t ^76 ] 
 
 K Y 
 
 
 
 If I'M, , ^ }, 
 
 '^;^ 
 
 1^1 
 
 In the autumn of 17 1 2 his health 
 • declined; he grew weaker by de- 
 grees, and died on Chrillmas-day. 
 Though his life bad not been with- 
 out irregularity, his principles were 
 pure and o'rthodoK, and his death 
 was pious< 
 
 His works were collefted by Mr. 
 Nichols, in three volumes, 8vo, in 
 1776; amongft which ia a whim" 
 £cal piece, which entitles him 10 a 
 place in this work, called, 
 
 T/je Tragi Conufjy of Joan ofHed' 
 ingtotu 
 
 King, Thomas. Is ftillliting, 
 an aclor of the firA eminence at 
 Drury-Lane theatre, and a man 
 who has had the good fortune to 
 be univerfally loved, and refpeded 
 by a very numerous acquaintance. 
 He was born in London Auguil 
 1730, appeared at Drury-Lane in 
 the year 1748, and after perform- 
 ing there a fhort time, and finding 
 all the comic charaders engrofled 
 by thofe feniors of his in the 
 theatre, Yates, Woodward, and 
 Shuter, went to Dublin, where he 
 continued until the year 1 759, 
 when he returned to London a 
 iiniihed aiTtor, in many of the cha- 
 radlers he has fince attempted. 
 He has fecured to himfelf a hand- 
 io;ne income from the profits of 
 Sadlers Wells, which he purchafed 
 fome years ago, and which he has 
 
 - much increai'ed by means of good 
 management. H is the author of 
 two pieces, called, 
 
 I. Love at fiyji Sight. B. O. 
 8vo. 1763. 
 
 H 2. Wit's hijl Stake. F. Svo. 1769. 
 KiRKE, John-. Of this author 
 
 ■ I can trace nothing farther than 
 that all writers apree in placing 
 
 ' him in the reign of king Charles I. 
 
 ' nnd naming him as the author of 
 one piece, entitled, 'v . «. 
 
 Se^•in Cha!np')iis of Chriflcnilom. 
 
 • Play. 4.to. 1 638. 
 
 Knlvkt, Ralph. Was a Nor- 
 folk gentleman, and contemporary 
 
 with Mr. Kirke abo\e-ffientionej< 
 He wrote one little piece, which 
 was intended only for a private re-' 
 prefentation at the Floriil's feaftat 
 Norwich, entitled, 
 
 Rhoiion and Iris, P. 410. 1 631, 
 
 Knipe, Charles* Of this 
 gentleman I know little m^re thaa 
 of the foregoing author. - He was, 
 however, of Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge, an officer in the army, 
 and author of one Petite Piece of 
 the theatre, which met with fome 
 applaufe at its £rft appearance, 
 entitled, 
 
 A City Ramble, Farce of two 
 A£ls. i2mo. 171$* 
 ' Kyd, Thomas. This author 
 produced one play, which was the 
 conftant objedl of ridicule amongil 
 his cont£mporaries and immediate 
 fuccefTors. The circumAances of 
 his life, however, are unknown. 
 He feems like the generality of 
 poets to have been poor, and pro- 
 bably died about the year 159401 
 1595. He produced 
 
 I . Cornelia. T. 4to. i ^94. D. C, 
 
 3. The SpaniJ}} Tragedy y or, Hk- 
 ronimo is mad again. 410. 1603, 
 But sdcd probably before 1590. 
 D. C. 
 
 Mr. Hawkins, witi, fome pro- 
 bability, conjectures him to hare j 
 been the author of 
 
 Solyman and^ Perfeda, T. 4t0< 1 
 
 1599- 
 
 Kyffin, Maurice% Of thi» 
 gentleman I know nothing more 
 than that he was one of the lirll 
 tranflators into Englifli of one of 
 the comedies of Terence, viz. 
 
 Andria. C. Printed in the black j 
 letter. 1588. 
 
 He wrote early in the reign of j 
 queen Elizabeth, and feems, froiiij 
 circumllancea relating to this plaj,! 
 to have been tntor to the children! 
 of the celchra'ed lord BvickhurlU 
 a particular tvhich of itfelf isluf-l 
 fitient to give us a very favourafc!t| 
 idcu of his hterary abilities. 
 
- 1 
 
 I s?7 ] 
 
 L. 
 
 'e. Farce of two 
 
 lURlCE^ Of tlii» 
 »ow nothipg more 
 IS one of the lirll 
 Englifii of one of 
 Terence, riz. 
 rinted in the black 
 
 t A 
 
 LACKET, Dr. . In the 
 Books of the Stationers* Com- 
 jwny, 13th of September, 1630, 
 this author's name is put to the fol- 
 lowingLatin play, which, I believe, 
 was not publiihed at that time, 
 but appeared with three others in 
 izmo. 1648. It was called, 
 
 Loyola, C. 
 Of this author no particulars can 
 at prefent be difcovered. 
 
 Lacy, John. Flourifhed in 
 the reign of king Charles II, He 
 was born near Doncafter in York- 
 Ihire, and was at firft bred a danc- 
 ing-mafter, but afterwards went 
 into the army, having a lieutenant's 
 commiflion and warrant as quarter^ 
 mailer under colonel Charles Ger- 
 rard. The charms of a military 
 life, however, he quitted to go 
 upon the ftage, in which profeflion, 
 from the advantages of a fine per- 
 fon, being well Ihaped, of a good 
 llature and well proportioned, ad- 
 ded to a (bund critical judgment, 
 and a large fliare of comic hu- 
 mour, he arrived at fo great a 
 height of excellence, as to be unl- 
 verfally admired ; and in par- 
 ticular was fo high in the 
 efteem of king Charles II. that his 
 majefty had his picture painted 
 in three feveral characters, viz. 
 Tca^:!e in the Com/nit tce^ Scmple in 
 the Cheats, and Galllard in th« 
 Variety^ which pidure is ilill pre- 
 /^■frved at Windfor-callle. Hie cafl 
 (if afting was chiefly in comedy ; 
 and his writings are all of that 
 kind, he being the author of the 
 fear following plays : 
 
 1. Dumb Laay. C. 410. 1^:72. 
 
 2. Sir Hinalcs Buffoon, C 410. 
 J604. 
 
 L A 
 
 3. Old Troop, C. 4tO. 1698. 
 
 4. SaiMney the Scot. C. 410. 1 698. 
 The fecond of thele was not 
 brought on the ftage till three 
 years after the author's death, 
 which happened on the 17 th of 
 September, 1681. Mr. Durfey., 
 who wrote the prologue to it, has, 
 in the following lines, paid a very 
 grear, but, as it appears, a very de- 
 ierving compliment to Mr. Lucy's 
 theatrical abilities, in reference to 
 the advantages the piece might 
 have received from the author's 
 own performance in it, had he 
 been living: 
 
 Kfjo^iV, that fam'J Lacy, Orna- 
 
 meiit (/ th* Stagr, 
 That Standard ^'true Comedy /« 
 
 oitr Agfy 
 
 Wrote this neiv Play — ] 
 
 And if it takes not^ all that ive can 
 
 fay on*ty 
 /j, Ty?'t;<? his Fiddle, not his 
 
 Hands, to play ont. 
 
 Lambert, B a r r o w n a r. e. 
 Was a painter, and publiihed, about 
 1747, one piece, entitled, 
 
 T^he Wrukers, 
 
 Langforo, Abraham. Thii 
 gentleman was perhaps better 
 known in the polite than in the 
 poetical v^orld, Itanding once th« 
 foremoll in renown among afetof 
 orator", whofe eloquence mull be 
 confeflod of the molt perfeft and 
 powerful kind, fince it has that- 
 amazing prevalence of p/:rruading 
 mankind to pare with even ihcir 
 money* la a word, to leave am- 
 biguities, he was the moil cejc- , 
 braied audtioncer of this age, and v 
 fuccefTDr in that profefiion to the 
 grear Mr. Cock. His fucceU, or 
 
 T 3 perliap* 
 
-i-.:._ 
 
 L E 
 
 C ^78 1 
 
 L t 
 
 perhaps his merit, was not fo great 
 in the fxeicife of his pen as in that 
 of another more valuable weapon ; 
 for the only dramatic pieces which 
 he attempted, never met with 
 much fuccefs, though one of them 
 has been aded within a lew ^ears. 
 They are called, 
 
 1. The JucigvKtit of Paris. Int. 
 8vo, 1730, 
 
 2. i he Lover his tTMti Rival, B. 
 O. 8vo. 1736. 
 
 Langhorne, John, D. D. Was 
 born at Kirby Stephen, in Weft- 
 jnorland. His father was the Rev. 
 Joftph Langhorne, of Winilon, 
 who died when his Ton was young. 
 After entering into holy orders, he 
 became tutor to the fons of Mr. 
 Cracrofr, a Lincolnihire genile- 
 man, whofe daughter he married. 
 Tbjs lady in a Ibort time died, 
 and the lofs of her was very pathe- 
 tically lamented by her h'llhaiid in 
 a monody, and by another gentle- 
 man, Mr. Cariwright, in a poem, 
 entitled, Coujlantia. Dr. Langhorne 
 held the living' of Blagden, in 
 Sotntrfeilhirc, at the time of his 
 death, which happened on theifl of 
 April, 1779, and is iivputed to his 
 ufual fubllitute for the Callaliun 
 fountain, rather too frequent 
 draughts of Burton ale at the Pea- 
 cock in Giay'E-Inn-Lane. 
 }\t wrote one drama, called 
 'The Fatal Prppbecy. Diam. Pc-.T.. 
 I2mo. 1766. 
 
 Latter, Mary. This au- 
 thorefs was a (hop- keeper at Read- 
 ing, in Berkfhire, where (he died 
 |he 4.1 h of March, 1777, having 
 publi(h«:d, 
 
 the ISirge of Jerttfuhm ly Titus 
 Vffpafian. T. 8vo. 1763. 
 
 Leanerd, John. 1 his gentle- 
 man lived in the reign of Charles IL 
 Mr. Langbaine has treated him 
 with great feverity, and indeed a 
 dtgrce of fcurriliiy, which has 
 (pin<;v^h^t the a|>pearaiic; of per- 
 
 fonal pique and refentment. He 
 has called him *' a confident pU. 
 *' giary, whom he difdains to Itile 
 *' an author ; Qne, who, though he 
 ** would be etleemed (he father, it 
 *' at bell but the midwife to the 
 *' labours of others i" and that, 
 *< GipfyTlik^;, he begs with (lolea 
 '* children, that he may raife the 
 •' more compalhon." Yet, beg. 
 ging Mr. Langbaine's pardon, who 
 by the bye on many occ^fions 
 (hews himfelf to be tar from »n 
 impartial writer, though piagiarifm 
 be a fault, this gentleman is not 
 more guilty of it than many whom 
 he has let pafs without 10 feverea 
 cenfure. And although he may 
 have burrowed from otht-rs, yet he 
 feems to have had at lead foaie 
 merit of his own, iinc^ Jiicob hai 
 attributed to him an original play, 
 front which one of our moA enter- 
 taining comic writers, viz. Colley 
 Cihber, has borrowed the greateit 
 part of a very pleaiing comedy, 
 and which is frequently afted to 
 this day, viz. HbeivouldaHiJhc'voonli 
 not. 'l'h& p!ay of Mr. Leanerd'^ 
 is entitleoT 
 
 the Counterfeits. C.. 410. 1679. 
 The two other dramatic pieces, 
 which our author has publifhed 
 under his own name, and for 
 which Mr. LangbainQ has attacked 
 him with fo much warmth acd 
 violence, are entitled, 
 
 1. Cofintty Innocence^ C. 4tO, 
 1677. 
 
 2. Rambling J^fiifC C. 4tQ. 
 1678. 
 
 "Leapor, Mary. Is one of| 
 the inlUnces which may be pro- 
 duced of the powers of natural 
 genius little alTiIled by educat 
 tioo. She was the daughter of a 
 perfon who, at the time of \t:\ 
 birth, the 26th of February, i7M)| 
 was gardener to judge Blencowe, 
 at Marfton St. Laurence, in North- 
 a^iciocfliiie. She was brought up I 
 
L E 
 
 [ »79 1 
 
 L E 
 
 efentment. H« 
 a confident pU* 
 
 difHains to Itile 
 , who, though he 
 led the father, ii 
 ; midwife to the 
 rsi" and that, 
 begs with Holca 
 he may raife the 
 )n." Yet, bpg. 
 ne's pardon, who 
 
 many oc^^fions 
 
 be tar from an 
 hough plagiarifm 
 entleman is not 
 chan many whom 
 ithout to feverea 
 Ithough he may 
 oin others, yet he 
 ad at lead foine 
 , iince J«iCob has 
 
 an original play, 
 )f our moft enter- 
 iters, viz. Colley 
 owed the greatelt 
 jleafing comedy, 
 quently a£led to 
 
 >oitli^ anJJhe vjotiLl 
 of Mr. Leanerd'i 
 
 y^iee. C. 4to. 
 
 uader the care of a pioui and fen- 
 fible mother, who died a few years 
 belore her. The little education 
 which flie received, confifled whol- 
 ly in being taught to read and 
 write. She began at a very early 
 age f^ compofe verfes, at lirll with 
 the approbation of her parents, 
 who afterwards, imagining an at- 
 tention to poetry would be pre- 
 judicial to her, endeavoured by 
 every pofTibie means to difcoun- 
 
 minfter-fchool, from whence he 
 went to Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge, where he was admitted a 
 fcholar en the foundation in 1668^ 
 He commenced B. A. the fame 
 year, bu c, not fucceeding to a fel- 
 low(hip, he tried to jpu(h his for- 
 tune at court. He was not long, 
 however, in this purfuit, for meet- 
 ing with no fubflantial favo irs, he 
 determined to try his talents on 
 the tlage ; and accordingly, in the 
 
 tenanre her in fucb purfuits. year 1672, made his appearance at 
 
 Thefc, however, were inelFe£iual, 
 and ihe was at Ir.ft left to fellow 
 the bent of her genius and in- 
 clination. She died the 12th of 
 November, 1 746, at Brackley ; and 
 after her death two volumes of 
 her Poems were printed in 8vo. in 
 174H and 1751. in the latter of 
 which is 
 
 T/jc Unhapfff Father. T. 
 Some adta ot a fecond Play. 
 
 LuriiARD, Thomas. Was in 
 one part of his life fecretary to 
 his majcHy's envoy extraordinary 
 in Hamburg, and many years 
 direftor of the Opera Houfe in 
 that city. He wrote feveral books 
 of different kinds. After his re- 
 turn to England, he was appoint- 
 ed a juftice of peace for the liberty 
 of Weilroinfter and county of Mid- 
 dlefex, in which (lation he became 
 a ufeful and adlive magifliute. He 
 died in December, 1759, having 
 produced one piece, entitled, 
 
 liritaiinia. O. 4to. 1732. 
 
 Le Greece, SirRor.EKT. Is 
 mentioned in an entry in the Books 
 of rhe Stationers' Company, the 
 jQthofJune, 1660, as theauiUorof 
 one play, called 
 
 Nothing imbojjihle to LoDCm 
 
 Lee, Nathaniel. Averyemi- 
 nent dramatic poet of the lall cen- 
 tury, was the fon of Dr. Lee, mi- 
 niller of Hatfield, who gave him a 
 liberal education. He received his 
 
 firft rudimeius of learning at Well- turn for tragedy, although hi 
 
 6. T4 
 
 the Duke's theatre in thecharafler 
 of Duncan in Macbeth, Cibber 
 fays, that our author " was fo 
 **■ pathetic a reader of his own 
 ** fcenes, that I have been in- 
 *' formed by an a£lor who was 
 ** prefent, that while Lee was 
 *' reading to major Mohun at a 
 ** rehear^I, Mohun, in the warmth 
 *' of bis admiration, threw down 
 ** his part, and faid, Unlefs I were 
 ** able to play it as well as you 
 ** read it, to what purpofe fliould I 
 •• undertake it ! And yet (con- 
 •* tinues the laureat) this very su- 
 *'~ thor, whofe elocution raifed fuch 
 '* admiration in fo capital an ac- 
 " tor, when he attempted to be an 
 •• attor himfelf, foon quitted the 
 ** llage in an honelt defpair ot 
 *' ever making any profitable n- 
 " gure there." In 1675 ^^* ^'^^ 
 play app-ared ; and he wrote nine 
 plays, befides two in which he 
 joined with Dryden, between that 
 period and the year 1684, on the 
 nth of November or which he 
 was taken into Hedlam, w e i<r he 
 continued four years. All his 
 tragedies contain a very gr^at 
 portion of true poetic eiithuiiarm. 
 None ever felt the pdffir>n ot love 
 more truly ; nor could any one 
 defcribe it with morr tendctncfs. 
 Addifon commends his g(.niu3 
 highly; obferving that rone of 
 our Englifli poets had a Happier 
 
L E 
 
 [ 280 ]' 
 
 L E 
 
 tural fire and unbridled impetuonty 
 hurried him beyond all bounds of 
 ])rot)abi ity, and fomctlnnes were 
 quite out of nature. I'he truth 
 is, the poet's imnginntion ran away 
 with hjs reafon. While in Bedlam, 
 he made that famous witty reply 
 to a coxcomb fcribblcr, who had 
 the cruelty to jeer him with his 
 misfortune, by obferving th.it it 
 *vas an ea(y thing to write like a 
 madman : No, faid Lee, it is not 
 on cajy ih'tig to 'voi ite itkv a madman ; 
 but It IS 'veiy ca/y to ivriif like a fool, 
 
 Lee had the good fortune to re- 
 cover the ufe of his reafon <b far 
 as to be'difchargcd from his me* 
 lanclioly coofiriement ; but he did 
 jiot.long furk'i\e his enlargement, 
 dying in the vfar lOoi, or 1692. 
 CiciyE, in iiiilMS. notes, f:ys that our 
 jiuihor '* rcturiiing one night irora 
 *' the Bear Jnd Harrow in LUitcher 
 •' Row, through Clare-market, to 
 *'' his lodging? in Dukc-ltreet,over- 
 *' laden with wine, be fell down 
 *' on the ground as foine i^y, iic- 
 *' cording to others on a bulk, 
 *• au-l was killed or ftiHed in the 
 *' fnow. He was buried in the 
 ** parilh church of bt. Clement's 
 *' Danes, aged about thirty-fiVe 
 ♦* year ." 
 
 His dramatic pieces are, 
 
 1. Nero, J^>»j)t/o>- ^f Rome, T. 
 4to. 167 1-,. 
 
 2. iScphoiiiJlay or Hiiniiiljal^s Over' 
 ihronu. T. 410. i6;6. 
 
 3. Gloria'! til or, The Court of 
 Augujlus. T. 4to. 1676. 
 
 4. The Rival i^cens ; or, A!cX' 
 mnder the Gnat. T. 4 to. 1677. 
 
 5. MthridatcSy Kif/g of Pont us. 
 T. 4to. 1678. 
 
 6. Theodujius ; or, I'he Force of 
 Z^vc. T. 410. i6So. 
 
 7. Cafar Borgia. T. 410. 16H0. 
 
 8. Lucius Junius Brutus, T, 
 4T0. 168 f. 
 
 9. Caijiantlne the Great, T, 410. 
 16S4. - , . 
 
 10. 1%e Trincefs of CUvt. X, 
 4to. i6Sg. 
 
 1 1 . Ihe Majfacrt of Paris. T. 
 410. 1690. 
 
 Befides the above tragedies, L«e 
 was concerned with Dr)den in 
 writing the Duke of Guife^ 1683, 
 and that other excellent tragedy, 
 entitled Of<//^»j, 1679. WMThew 
 d'J'.us and Alexander the Great are 
 ilovk-plays, and to this day are 
 oticn a£led with great applaufe. 
 Wr. Barry was particularly for- 
 tunate in the charadler of the Ma- 
 cedonian Hero. 
 
 Lee, John. This author is like* 
 wife an actor who has performed in 
 many of the theatres in Great Bri- 
 tain aod Ireland ; and, if his own 
 accountof himfelf may be credited, 
 is entitled to rsnk with the moft 
 excellent performers of the prefent 
 or paft 'times. His talents, how- 
 cvei, are hardly ^bove mediocrity, 
 and though by dint of puffing he 
 has ofien intruded himfelf on the 
 llages in London, he has always 
 been difmifled with coldnefs and 
 negle£b. It is remarkable, that he 
 fcitce ever wasconneiled with any 
 theatre that he did not quarrel 
 with the manager or fume perfon 
 belonging to it, and perhaps there 
 are more appeals to the public in 
 print from him on his paltry dif. 
 pules, than from any other, perfon 
 that can be pointed out. He is 
 now an ai^^or at Bath. His im- 
 . mediate claim to a place in this 
 work is founded on three literary 
 murders (which he is willing to 
 call alteratioiis) committed on, 
 
 1. Macbeth. T. 8vo. 1753, 
 Printed at Edinburgh. 
 
 2. 'Iht Countiy kk'tfe. C. 8vo. 
 1765. 
 
 3. The Man of ^alitj, F. Svo. 
 1776. 
 
 Lee, Mils. Is daughter to the 
 former gentleman, and, forry we 
 
 are 
 
 ^v<«<w4lR^tfr*^C->.^ .• 
 
' L E 
 
 I ^9t ] 
 
 L K 
 
 are to obferve from the fpirit 
 which difcovers itfelf in the preface 
 to fier only dramatic performance, 
 thacflie feemstopoflefsmuthof her 
 father's petulance and irafcibility. 
 JuOice however calls upon us to 
 declare, that her play exhibits a 
 degiLC of merit which promifes 
 niu^h future entertainment to the 
 public. It is entitled, 
 
 The Cl'hpter of jiccUents, C. 
 8vo. 1780. 
 
 Lego, I'homas. This author 
 was born at Norwich, and became 
 a member of Trinity and Jefus 
 Colleges in Cambridge, in both 
 which hfufci he acquired a con- 
 fidtrable reputation as \ dramatic 
 w iter. He was afterwards made 
 th.' fi^cond mailer of (Jonvil and 
 Crti.js College, was a dortor in the 
 Cf urc of arches, one of the mailers 
 in (Chancery, the king's law pro- 
 fe'i' i". and twice vice chancellor of 
 C;.nibrMj[ie. He died m July 1607, 
 iii'td y:, h iving written two plays 
 which werf afted at Cambridge 
 with great ai.plaiife, entitled, 
 
 I . "-rhe Defiyucllon of Jerufahm, 
 
 2,' The Lip of King Richard the 
 Thi.fl. 
 Neither of thefe are printed. 
 
 Lejgh, John, was an adlor, 
 but of no very great eminence, 
 and theieiore (hould be dittin- 
 guifhcd from the great Leigh, who 
 wii'i contemporary with Underbill, 
 Betterton, &:c. He was a native 
 of Ireland, and made his firft thea- 
 trical clfay on the rtage in Dublin. 
 From thtiice he came over to Lon- 
 don, where, from his having the 
 advantage of a good figure, he was 
 engaged by Mr. Rich in a com- 
 pany with which, in the year 17 14, 
 he opened the theatre royal in Lin- 
 coinVInn-Fields. IJut, though he 
 continued on the llage for twelve 
 years after, he made no confidcr- 
 «ble advances towards theatrical 
 excellence. He died in 1726, in 
 
 the 57th year of his age, nnd left 
 behind him two dramatic pieces, 
 entitled, 
 
 1. KenJtngtonGardens, Com. iivOk 
 1720. 
 
 2. HoFs iVetUing. Farcc. 12 mo. 
 About 1722. 
 
 Lennox, Mrs. Arabella. 
 This lady, who is now living, and 
 an authorefi by profeflion, is the 
 wife of a perfon who has a place 
 in fome public office. Her maiden 
 name was Ramfay. She wn$ the 
 daughter of a North American 
 gentleman, and it Ihould fecm from 
 fime of her poems that (lie is a 
 native of New York, on which 
 place Ihe has written a fevere fa- 
 tiie. Her fam** has been raifed 
 on the foundation of her novels, 
 of which ihe has produced fe- 
 veral, viz. the Female i^xotPf 
 Hcnriftiei^ Sophia^ &c. which r.ro 
 far from wanting merit in their 
 wuy ; her fuccefs in the dramatic 
 walk has r.ot been equal to what 
 Ihe has expericpced in her other 
 works. It mull, however be conr 
 feflfed, that the former are nor wor» 
 thy of their author. They are en» 
 titled, 
 
 1. Philander, D, P. 8vo. 1757V 
 
 2. The Sfler. C. 8vo. 1769. 
 3., Old City Iklannen. C. altera 
 
 cd, 8vo. 1775. 
 
 Legly, (jeorge. From a de.. 
 dication by this author to the earl 
 of Weftmorland, wherein he men- 
 tions his work as the frozen coov 
 ception of one born in a cold cli- 
 mate, I imagine that he was a 
 native of Scotland. He was redor 
 of Wittering in Northampton (hire, 
 and wrote three pieces, which 
 though they have a dramatic form 
 he ftyles only Divine Dialogues, 
 They are entitled, 
 
 1 . Dives's Doom ; or, The Rich 
 Mattes Mifety. 
 
 2. Fire and Brint/lone\ or, Tht 
 DrflruSilon of Sodom, 
 
 3. Ahrom 
 
L E 
 
 [ «8a ] 
 
 L E 
 
 5.' Abrahants Faith . 8vo. id 
 edition, 1684. 
 
 The dates of the dedications are 
 Jan. 7, 1675, and June 14, 1676. 
 
 LtvERiDRii, Richard. Of 
 the country or parentage of this 
 gentleman I am entirtly ignorant. 
 Being ^oflciTed of a deep and firm 
 bafs voice, he bccnme very early 
 in life a retainer to the theatres. 
 Sir John Hawkins fay«,*he per- 
 formed the part cf Ifmercn in 
 Drydcn's (he means Howard's) 
 tragedy of The huUan l^caiy and 
 in it fung- that fine fong, •' Ye 
 twice ten hundred deities," com- 
 pofed by I'urcell on purpofe for 
 him. When the theatre in Lin- 
 coln's-lnn-tieltis was opened, he 
 became one of Mr. Rich'b com- 
 pany, and continued to perform 
 therein while he remained on the 
 flage. About the year 1726, he 
 
 ** number of perfons an annual 
 ** contribution for his fupport, 
 <* which he continued to receive 
 *< until his death." He died aid 
 of March 1758, at the age of 88 
 years. He produced, 
 
 Pyramui and Tbijht. CM. 1 2mo. 
 1716. 
 
 Lewis, David. This gentle- 
 man, according to Whincop, was 
 living in the year 1 74 7. The fame 
 writer alfu informs us, that he was 
 favoured with the ellecm and 
 friendOiip of Mr. Pope, to whom 
 he dedicated his only dramatic 
 piece, entitled, 
 
 Philip of Macedon, Trag. 8vo. 
 1727. 
 
 Lewis, Edwako, M. A. Of 
 this gentleman we know no mere 
 than that he is author of. 
 
 The Italian Hujbantl; or, The 
 vislated Bid avenged i a moral 
 
 ©pcnedacofFee-hoiifc inTavillock- drama, 8vo. 1714, 
 
 Street, and published a coliedion 
 of his fongs in two pocket-volumes 
 neatly engraved. *' Being a roan, 
 ** fays Sir John Hawkins, of rather 
 ** coarfe manners and able to drink 
 
 We fufpeft him however to be 
 the fame Edward Lewis, M. A. who 
 in the year 1769 publiflied a work, 
 entitled, The tan lot King dij'play 
 cd, in the Life and Riign of Hinry 
 
 •• a great deal, he was by fome the Eighth^ King nf England : Jrom 
 
 •• thought a good companion, the Time of hii a^uarrell ivith the 
 
 *• The humour of his fongs, and Pope, to his Death. Printed for 
 
 **• indeed of his converfation, con- Edward and Charles Dilly, in the 
 
 •* filled in exhortations to defpife Poultry. In, the title-page to this 
 
 •* riches, and the means of attain- jierformance, he rtyles himfelf rec- 
 
 ** ing them ; to drown care by 
 •'drinking; to enjoy the prefent 
 •• hour, and to fet reHeftion and 
 •* death at defiance. With foch 
 
 tor of Waterllock and Emington, 
 in Oxfordlhire. V\^e would, if 
 pofiible, avoid leading our readers 
 into millakes ; and yet it is natu- 
 
 *' a difpofition as this, Levrridge ral for us to fuppofe the author of 
 
 ** could nut fail to be a welcome the moil ridiculous cf all drama- 
 
 ** vifitor at all clubs and airem- tic performances, might likewife 
 
 *' blics, where the avowed pur- have written the ablurdeft of all 
 
 *• pofe of meeting was an oblivion hiftorical productions j efpecially 
 
 ** of care; and being ever ready to when there occurs fuch a coinci* 
 
 ** contribute to the promotion of dence between dates and names. 
 
 •* focial mirth, he made himfelf The tendency of the latter piece 
 
 *' many friends, from whofe bounty is to reprefent our lewd and fan- 
 
 •' he derived all the comforts that guinary tyrant Henry the eighth 
 
 *' in an extreme old age he was as an excoiplar of cbaility and 
 
 *• capable of enjoying. A phyfi- mercy, 
 
 *♦ ciiui in the city piccured from a Litr.o, 
 
L I 
 
 [ *83 ] 
 
 L I 
 
 IiiLt.o, George, wai by pro- 
 fefllon a jeweller, and was born in 
 fhe neighbourhood of Moorgate in 
 t,ondon on the 4th of Feb. 1693, 
 in which neighbourhood he pur- 
 fued hit occupation for many 
 year* with the fairell and moll un- 
 b'.emifhed charadler. He was bred 
 up in the principles of the Pro- 
 tellant DilTenters ; but let his reli- 
 gious tenets have been what they 
 would, he would have been an ho- 
 nour tu uny {e£i he had adhered 
 to. lie was (Irongly attached to 
 the Mufes, yet feenied to have laid 
 it down as a maxim, that the de- 
 votion paid to them ought always 
 to tend to the promotion of virtue, 
 morality, and religion. In pur- 
 fuance of this aim, Mr. Lillo was 
 happy in the choice of his fubjec^s, 
 and fltewed great power of atfedt- 
 ing the heart, by working up the 
 paflions to fuch a height, .1 to ren- 
 der the diilrelfes of commori and co- 
 medic life as equally interefting to 
 the audiences as that of kings and 
 heroes, and the ruin brought on 
 private families by an indulgence 
 of avarice, iult, &c. as the havock 
 made in flates and empires by 
 ^imbition, cruelty or tyranny. His 
 George Barmve/l, Fatal Curinjity^ and 
 4rHtn of Fe'verjham, are all planned 
 on common and well-known Ho- 
 nes ; yet they have perhaps more 
 frequently drawn tears from an 
 audience, than the more pompous 
 tragedies of Alexanthr the Guat, 
 Jll fr Ijn'Cf &c. particularly the 
 firll of them, which, being found- 
 ed on a well known old ballad, 
 many of the critics of that time, 
 who went to the firll re|)relenta- 
 tion ot it, formed (o contemptible 
 an idea of the piece in their ex- 
 pr^lations, that they purchafed the 
 ballad, fome thouiands of which 
 were uled in one, d.;y on this ac- 
 count, in order to draw compari- 
 fons between that and the play. 
 
 3 
 
 But the merit of tbe play foon got 
 the better of this contempt, and 
 prefented them with fcenei written 
 lb truly to the heart, that they 
 were compelled tofubfcribeto their 
 power, and drop their ballads to 
 take up their handkerchiefs. 
 
 Mr. Lillo, as 1 before obferved, 
 has been happy in the choice of 
 his fubjeAs; his conduct in the 
 management of them is no left 
 meritorious, and his Pathot very 
 great. If there is any fault to be 
 objedled to his writings, it is that 
 fometimes he afFefls an elevatioa 
 of flyle fomewhat above the fimpli* • 
 city of his fubje£), and the fup- 
 poled rank of hit charaAers ; but 
 the cuftom of tragedy will Hand in 
 fome degree of excufe for this, and 
 a ftill better argument perhaps may 
 be admitted in vindication, not 
 only of our prefent author, but of 
 other writers in the like predica- 
 ment, which is, that even nature 
 itfe f will juilify this condudl, Hnce 
 wc hnd even the mod humble cha- 
 racters in real life, when under 
 peculiar circumliances of dillrefs, 
 or actuated by the influence of any 
 violent paflions, will at times be 
 elevated to an aptnefs of cxpref- 
 iion and power of language, not 
 only greatly fuperior to themfelves, 
 but even to the general language 
 of converfation of perfons of much 
 higher rank in lite, and of mindi 
 more perfedly cultivated. 
 
 In the Prologue to Elmerlci, 
 which was not aded until after the 
 author's death, it is faid, that when 
 he wrote that play he ti'<?j deprejftd 
 by vjanty and afllicled by difcafe; 
 but in the former particular there 
 appears to be evidently a niiltake, 
 as he died poflefl"ed of an ellate of 
 60 /. per annum, befldes other ef- 
 fefts to a confiderable value. The 
 late editor ot his works (Mr. Da- 
 vies), in two volumes, i2mo. 1775, 
 relates the following flory of his 
 
 author. 
 
1. I 
 
 I '84 1 
 
 L I 
 
 luthor, which how< ver we canur* 
 think adapted to convey uny l.i* 
 vour.ibleimpredion of tht; perfon f;f 
 whom it in told : " Inwards the lat- 
 •* ter pavtofhi8Iife,Ml.l.il^),whe- 
 ** thcr from judgment 01 humour, 
 *• determined to put ili;; linccrity 
 *' of his friends, who prfiftfi'i'd a 
 •• very hii.'h rejard for him, to a 
 *• trial. In order to cany on i\\h 
 *♦ dcfign, he put in pr.idice an 
 *' odd kind of Itrat^geni : he aiV.rA 
 •• one of his intimate acquiintance 
 •* to lend him a conrKTciaMe fum 
 •' of money, and for this he dc- 
 *• clared he would give no bond, 
 •* nor any other ftcuriiy, except a 
 *' note oi h:ind ; the perfon to 
 •' whom he applied, not likini^ tbe 
 ♦* termii, civilly refu fed him. 
 
 *♦ Soon after, Lillo met his ne- 
 •* phew, Mr. Underwood, with 
 •* whom he had been at variance 
 *' for fume time. He put tho fame 
 ♦• quelHon to him, dcliring liim to 
 •• lend him money upon the fame 
 ** terms. His nephew, either from 
 •• a fagacious apprehenfion of his 
 *• uncle's leal intention, or from 
 ♦' generofily of fpirit, immediately 
 •' ofi'ered to comply with his rc- 
 •• quelt. Lillo was fo wcU plcaled 
 *' with this ready compliance of 
 *' Mr. Undirwood, that he imme- 
 •* diatcly declared that he was 
 ♦' fully fatisfied with the love and 
 *• regard that his nephew bore 
 *' him ; he was convinced that his 
 *' friendship was emiiely dirmte- 
 *' rellt-d, and alfured him that he 
 ♦ ' fhould reap the benefit fuch ge- 
 *' nerous behaviour deferved. Jn 
 ♦' confequence of this proiiiife, he 
 *' bequeathed him the bulk ot his 
 *' fortune." 
 
 The fame writer fays, that Lillo 
 jn his peifon was lully, bat not 
 tall, and of a pleafing afped, 
 though unhappily deprived oi ths 
 ^ght ofone eye. 
 
 Our nuthor died Sepf. 3, xy^q, 
 in t'le 47th year of his age; and 
 a few months after hit death, 
 Henry Fielding printed the M- 
 lowir.g charader of him in f/je 
 Cl'timpion : " He had a perfect 
 •' knowledge of human nature, 
 ** though his contempt of all bale 
 •• means of application, which are 
 *• tht; neccHary l^eps to great ac- 
 *• quaintunce, relWdincd his con- 
 *• verfaiion within very narrow 
 " bound'. He had the fpirit of 
 *• an old Uoman, joined to the in- 
 *' nocjnre of a primitive Chrillian ; 
 *' he was content with his little 
 *' ft.ite ot lite, in which his excel- 
 " lent temper of mind gave hi.ii 
 *' an happincfs beyond the power 
 " of riches, and it was ncceflary 
 *' for his friends to have a (harp 
 " infight into his want of their 
 •' fcrvices, as well as good inclina* 
 *' lion or abilities to fcrve him, 
 "In flicrt, he was one of the bell 
 •* of men, and thofe who knew 
 •' him bell will moll regret his 
 *' lofs." 
 
 Whincop (or the compiler of the 
 lid of pLys aiHxed.to his Scanelci' 
 i('^) has indeed fpoke but flight- 
 ingly of his genius, on account of 
 fome little fort of rivalfl)ip and 
 pique fubfifting between that gen-t 
 tienian and our author with re- 
 fpeot to a tragedy of the latter'?, 
 entitled, T/je Chri/lian Hero, writ' 
 ten on the fume llory with the 
 Scaiiderbcjr of the former. Not- 
 withftanding which, under the 
 fandlion not only of the fuccefs ot 
 his pieces, but alfo of the com« 
 meiidations beflowed on them by 
 Mr. Pope, and other indiCputable 
 judges, I fhall venture to affirm 
 that Mr. Lillo is far from Handing 
 in the loweft rank of merit (how- 
 ever he may be ranged with re- 
 fpe£l to fame) among oar dramatic 
 writers, 
 
 Hi» 
 
L L 
 
 C 28s ] 
 
 1 L 
 
 Ills dramatic pieces are feven 
 ill number, and tlieir titles as 
 tollow : 
 
 1 . Svhni ; or, T/jt Counlry Uu- 
 r.aU O. 8v<). 1730. 
 
 2. The 1 .nuthm Merchant', or, 
 The Wjlory of George Jiarmvell, T. 
 Z\o, 1731. 
 
 3. The Chri/lian Hero. T. 8vO. 
 N.D. ri734] 
 
 4. Jbe I'atal Curiojity, T. 8vo. 
 
 5. Marina, a Play, 8vo. 1738. 
 
 6. Britannia and lialavia. M. 
 8vo. 1740. 
 
 7. Ml/neriik; or, Jujlite Trium- 
 phant. T. 8vo. 1740. 
 
 8. Arden of Feverjham, F. 12 mo. 
 176a. 
 
 In the propofah Tor publidiing 
 Lillo's works ioma years ago, be- 
 fides the above, vas coutained one 
 piece, called, . > 
 
 '[he Regulators. . 
 
 LloY'I), Robkrt. Was the fon 
 of Dr. Peirion Lloyd, and was 
 formerly one of the ulhers of Weft- 
 ninller-fchool. He was author of 
 a poem called the A^or, which not 
 only gave proofs of great judg- 
 ment in the fubje£l he was treating 
 of, but had alfo the merit of fmooth 
 verfiiicatioa and great llrength of 
 poetry. In the beginning of the 
 Poetical IFar^ which for feme time 
 raged among the wits of this age, 
 and to which the celebrated Rof- 
 ciad founded the fird charge, Mr. 
 Lloyd v^ as fufped^ed to be the au* 
 thor of that poem. That chari;;e, 
 however, he exculpated hiiiilelf 
 Irom, by an advertilement in ihe 
 public papers; on which occafion 
 the real author, Mr. Churchill, 
 boldly Hepped forth, and in the 
 faine public manner dtclarcd bim- 
 felf ; and drew on that torrent of 
 A'^ti-Rofciads, Apolo^lcs^ ISJurphiitihy 
 Chiirchilliads, Examiners, &iC. which 
 for a long time k. pt up the at- 
 ten;ion and employed the gcniufcs 
 I 
 
 of the grcatcli part of the critical 
 world. 
 
 !Mr. Lloyd was fome tiflpeof the 
 univcrfiiy of Canibrid{>r, where 
 he tuok the ticgree ot M. A. Afttr 
 hf (]uitied his place; of uihcr of 
 WclUninller-li:hool, .he relied en- 
 tirelyon hiJ pen for fubfiflcncej 
 but being of a thoughtlefs and ex- 
 travagant difpofition, he foon mad'; 
 hlqifelf liable to debts which he 
 was unable to aofwer. In. con- 
 fcquence of this fituation he was 
 confined in the Fleet Prifon, where 
 he depended for fupport almoit 
 wholly on the bojuiuyfa^id gene- 
 rofity of his friend Churchill, whofe 
 kindnefs to him contimied undi- 
 miniihed during all his neccHiiies. 
 On the death of this his liberal 
 benefaflor, Mr. Lloyd. fuAk into 
 a ftate of defpondency,,w)>i9h gtfxt 
 an end to his exilUuce oa the 
 15th of December, 1 764,^ in Icfa 
 than a month after he was inforii- 
 ed of the lofs of Mr. Ch«rcf)ill. 
 
 Mr. Wilkes fays, th^t ,*« JVIr. 
 '* Lloyd was mild ^nd affable .in 
 " private life, of gentlemanners, 
 " and very engaging ip^^fp vet fa- 
 ••tion. He was an excell^.t 
 " fc holar, and an .eafy natural poer. 
 *• His peculiar excellence was ;the 
 " drclliiig up aniold thought in a 
 '* new, neat, and trim pianiter. 
 " He was content*^ to fcaniper 
 "round the footgf jParpa/Tui on 
 •* his little Welch pofjey,; which 
 ♦' feems never to have tired. He 
 *' left the fury of the winged fteed 
 •' and the daring heights of the 
 V facred mountain to the fublime 
 " genius of his ijfiepd Churc- 
 *'hill." 
 
 As a dramatic writer his fame 
 wa; not very great. The follow- 
 ing is a lill of his works : 
 
 1. The Tears and Triumphs of 
 P'arr.njpis. 410. 17O0. 
 
 2. Arcadia; or, 7 he Shepherd's 
 H^ddifi^. D. P. bvo. i76j. 
 
 3. The 
 
L O 
 
 [ a86 ] 
 
 L G 
 
 3. 72>* A't'w School for H^omen, C. 
 Printed in 7he Su Jameses Maga- 
 zinCf 1763. 
 
 4. the Death of jlilam, T. lamo. 
 1763. 
 
 5. The Capricious Lovers. C. O. 
 8vu. 1764. 
 
 LocKMAN, John. Late fecrc' 
 tary to the Britifli Herring Fiihery. 
 His poetical talents feem not very 
 cxtenfivc, as the greateft part of 
 what he has favoured the world 
 with of that fort, has been only a 
 few fongs, odes, &c. written on 
 temporary fubjefls, and intended 
 to receive the advantage of mutical 
 compofition before they reached 
 the public. I find, however, two 
 pieces of the dramatic kind, both 
 of them defigned to be fettomufic, 
 but only the fecond of them, I 
 believe, ever performed. They 
 are entitled, 
 
 1. Refalinda, M.D. 410.1740. 
 
 2. David's Lamentations. Ora- 
 torio. 
 
 Mr. Lockman had -been concerned 
 in feveral tranflations and compile- 
 ments of very co'nfiderable works ; 
 particularly the General Dulionaty 
 and BlainviUe's Travels: but, what 
 18 more to his praife, he was a man 
 of the moft fcrupulous integrity. 
 In converfation he had foroe hu- 
 mour ; but as for his attempts to 
 exicite merriment on paper, they 
 were indeed wretchedly unfuc- 
 cefsful. See, reader, (if thou canid 
 find it) a controverfial pamphlet 
 written by him in reply to one 
 Nelme, an officer belonging like- 
 wife to the Herring Fiihery. Poor 
 Lockman, however, was in himfelf 
 fo inoffenfive a being, that all 
 who knew hi n, when they heard of 
 his death, exprefled their concern 
 at having loft him. 
 
 He died the ad of February, 
 1771. 
 
 Lodge, Thomas, M.D. The 
 family from which this gentleman 
 
 was defcended,had its rdfidenceiflf 
 Lincolnihire, but whether the doc< 
 tor himfelf was born there feems not 
 very eafy to be afcertained. Lang- 
 baine and Jacob, and after them 
 Whincop and Chetwood, who in 
 the general are little more than 
 copiers, run into the miilake bf 
 giving this gentleman his educa- 
 tion at the univerfity of Cambridge, 
 whereas Wood informs us, that it 
 was at Oxford he was educated, 
 where he made his firft appearance 
 about 1573* and was afterwards 
 a fcholar under the learned Dr* 
 Hobye of Trinity College. Here 
 he made very cunfiderabie advances 
 in learning, dedicated fome time 
 to reading the poets of antiquity) 
 and having himfelf a turn to poe< 
 try, more elpecially of the fatirical 
 kind, his genius feon. rendered it- 
 felf confpicuous in various compo- 
 fitions ot that nature, and obtained 
 him no inconfiderable reputation 
 as a wit and poet. However, Mr. 
 Lodge being very fenfible of the 
 barrennefs of the foil throughout 
 the whole neighbourhood of Par- 
 naffus, and how feldom the iludy 
 of poetry yields a competent pro- 
 vifion to its profeffors, very pru- 
 dently confidered it as only an 
 amufement for leifure hours, a re- 
 laxation from more important la> 
 hours ; and therefore, alter having 
 taken one degree in arts, applied 
 himfelf with great afliduity to the 
 more profitable iludy of phyfic, for 
 the improvement of which he went 
 abroad, and after ilaying a fuilicient 
 time at Avignon to be entitled to 
 the degree oT doAor in that uni- 
 verfity, he returned, and in the 
 latter end of queen Elizabeth's 
 reign was incorporated in the 
 univerfity of Cambridge. He af- 
 terwards fettled in London, where, 
 by his ikill and inteieft with the 
 Roman catholic party, in which 
 pexfuafton it is faid he was brought 
 
 up, 
 
L O 
 
 C ^«7 ] 
 
 L 
 
 •p, he met with good faccefs, and 
 came into great praflice. 
 
 In what year Dr. Lodge was 
 born . does not evidently appear, 
 but he died in 1625, and had 
 tributes paid to his memory by 
 many of his contemporary poets, 
 who have charaflerized him as a 
 man of very confiderable genius. 
 
 His dramatic worksare as follow : 
 
 1. Jl'^owids of Civil tVar. T. 410. 
 
 2, Looking Gltffs for London and 
 England. I . C. 410. 1 598. ( Af- 
 fifted by Robtri Green.) 
 Winftanly hat> named four more 
 dramatic pieces, befides the firil of 
 the two above-named, which he 
 afTerts to have been written by this 
 author, in conjunction with Robert 
 Green, viz. 
 
 Lacfy Alimowf, C. ^ <• 
 
 La'MS of Nature, C. 
 
 Liberalitie and Prodtgalitie, C- 
 
 Luminalia. M. 
 But the three firil of thefe, though 
 they might be brought to agree in 
 point of time, yet are all printed 
 anonymous : and, as to the lad,, it 
 was written on a particular occa- 
 fton, and that not till two years 
 after Dr. Lodge's death, and full 
 thirty-five after that of Robert 
 
 Green. t/ tjh 
 
 Lovi:, James. By this name 
 the prefent author was diltinguilh- 
 ed for many years before his 
 death, though it was only af- 
 fumed when he firlt attached 
 himfelf to the Aage. His real 
 name was Dance, and he was one 
 of the funs of Mr. Dance the city 
 furveyor, whofe memory will be 
 tranfmitted to pollerity, on ac- 
 count of the clumfy edifice which 
 he erected for the refidence of the 
 city's chief ciagiilrates. Our au- 
 thor received, it is faid, his edu- 
 cation at Wellminiler fchool, from 
 whence he removed to Cambridge, 
 lyhich it is believed he left with- 
 
 out taking any degree. Abo«C 
 that time a fevere poetical fatire 
 againft Sir Robert Walpole, thca 
 ininifler, appeared under the titl6 
 of, ** Are thefe things fo I'*' which, 
 though written by Mr. Miller, ^ 
 was afcribed to Mr. Pop . To 
 this Mr. Love immediately v/rote 
 a reply, called, '• Tes th'v arc^ 
 ivhat then ?" which proved fo 
 fatisfaftory to the perfon whofe 
 defence was therein undertaken, 
 that he made him a handfome 
 prefent, and gave him expedlationt 
 of preferment. Elated with this 
 diiiinAion, with the vanity of a 
 young author, and the credulitf 
 of a young man, he conHdered hit 
 fortune as eflablilhcd, and neg-' 
 lefting every other purfuit, l)c- 
 camean attendant at the minider'a 
 levee?, where he contracted habits 
 of indolence and expence without 
 obtaining ainy advantage. The 
 ftage now offered itfelf as an aly- 
 lura from the diiHcuIties he had 
 involved himfelf in, and therefore 
 changing his name to Love, he 
 made his fird efTays in flrollipg 
 companies. He afterwards per- 
 formed both at Dublin and Edin- 
 burgh, and ut the latter place re- 
 fidcd fome years as manager. At 
 length he received in the year 
 1762 an invitation to Drury-l^ne 
 theatre, where he contiuued dur- 
 ing the remainder of his life. la 
 1 765, with the affiftance of his bro- 
 ther, he erefted a new theatre at 
 Richmond, and obtained a licence 
 for performing in it ; but did not 
 receive any benefit from it, as the 
 fucccfs of it by no means anfwor- 
 ed his expedations. He di«d about 
 the beginning of the year 1774- 
 He neither as an a£lor or author 
 attained any great degree of ex- 
 cellence. His performance of Fal- 
 (lafF was by much the befl, but this 
 has been exhibited to the public 
 with fo much more advantage by 
 - " • . Mr. 
 
-L O 
 
 [ 288 ] 
 
 L O 
 
 I 
 
 Mr. Henderfon, that the little re- 
 putation >vhtch he acquired by it 
 has hecn entirely eclipfed by the 
 fuperioriry of genius which his 
 ' fuccefibr has difplayed in the re- 
 prefcntation .of the fame charac- 
 ter. ' As an author, he has given 
 the world the followng pieces : 
 I. Pamela,, C. 8vo. 1742. 
 • 2. 7/>e rdlage Wedding. P. E. 
 8vo. 1767. 
 
 3. 7imon of Athens, altered, 8vo. 
 1768. 
 
 4. 71je Ladies Frolick. O. 1770. 
 N.P. 
 
 ^. City Madam. C. 1 7 7 1 . N. P 
 Lovelace, Richaru. An 
 elegant poet of the lall century. 
 He was the eldeft fon of Sir Wil- 
 Jiam Lovelace of Woolridge in 
 .Kent, and was born in that coun- 
 .ty about 1618. He received his 
 
 frammar learning at the Charter- 
 loufe, and in the year 1634., b'e- 
 icame a gentleman commoner of 
 Gloucefter Hall Oxford, being 
 then as Wood obferves, •* ac- 
 '** counted the mod amiable and 
 - *' beautiful perfon that eye ever be- 
 ** held, a perfon alfo of innate 
 >* modefty, virtue, and courtly de- 
 • *' portmcnt, which made him then, 
 •« but efpecially after when he re- 
 •' tired to the great city, much ad- 
 •* mired and adored by the female 
 *♦ fex." In 1636 he was created 
 M. A. and leaving the univer- 
 fity, retired, as Wood phrafes it, 
 in great fplendor to the court, 
 where being taken into the fa- 
 vour of lord Goring, he became 
 a foldier, and was firft an enfjgn 
 and afterwards a captain. On 
 the pacification at Berwick, he re- 
 turned to his native country, ^nd 
 took pofieflion of his eltate worth 
 about five hundred pounds per 
 annum, and about the fame time 
 was deputed by the county to de- 
 liver the Kentifli petition to the 
 Houfc of Commons, which giving 
 
 offence, he was ordered into cof- 
 tody, and confined in the Gate- 
 houfe, from whence he was rt- 
 leafedon giving bail, not to go 
 beyond the lines of communication 
 without a pafs from the fpeaker. 
 During the time of his confinement 
 to London, he lived beyond the in- 
 come of his edate, chiefly to fup. 
 port the credit of the royal caufe, 
 and in the year 1646 he formed a 
 regiment for the fervice of the 
 French king, was colonel of it, 
 and wounded at Dunkirk. In 
 1648 he returned to England with 
 his brother, and was again com- 
 mitted prifoner to Peterhoufe in 
 London, where he remained until 
 after the king's death. At that 
 period he was fet at liberty, but, 
 *' having then confumed all his 
 *' eftate, he grew very melancholy 
 •' (which at length brought him 
 '** into a confumption), became 
 *' very poor in body and purfe, 
 *' was the objeft of charity, went 
 '* in ragged cloaths (whereas when 
 *' he was in his glory he wore 
 ** cloth of gold and filver), and 
 " moftly lodged in obfcure and 
 "dirty places more befitting the 
 " worlt of beggars and pooreft of 
 " fervants." He died in a very 
 mean lodging in Guppowder-alley 
 near Slioe-Larie, in 1658, and 
 was buried at the weft end of St. 
 Bride's church. He wrote tWo 
 plays, neither of which have b;!en 
 printed, viz. 
 
 1. 7he Scholar. C. ad^ed at 
 Gloucerter Hall and Salifbuiy- 
 Court. N.P. 
 
 2. TheHoIdier. T. N.P. 
 Lower, Sir "William, Knt. 
 
 was a noted cavalier in the reign 
 of king Charles I. He Was biarn 
 at a place called Ttemare in Cdrn- 
 wall. During the heat of the civil 
 wars he took refuge in Holland, 
 where, being llrongly attached to 
 the Mufcs, he had an opportunity 
 
 of 
 
t It 
 
 C 289 ] 
 
 L Y 
 
 cfenjoyinig tboir fociet}'^ and piiN 
 fuing his itudy in peace and pri- 
 vacy. He was a very great admi- 
 rer of the French poets, particularly 
 Coriieiile and Quinaulc, on whofe 
 works he has buik the plans of 
 four out uf the fix play.i which he; 
 wrote ; the titles of his dramatic 
 worlcs are, 
 
 1. Phcenix in her Flames, T. 
 4(0. 1639. 
 
 2. Folyeu^es; of, 'T7je Martyr. 
 Trag. 4t04 1655. 
 
 3. Horatiui. Trag. 410. 1656. 
 
 4. Inchantcd Ljn'ers. I'ait. 12010. 
 1658. 
 
 5. Noble Ingratitude. Paft.-Tragi- 
 Comedyt ismo* 1659. 
 
 6. Amorous Phantafm, T. C. 
 iiino. 1660. 
 
 Sir William Lower died in 1662. 
 
 Lucas, Henry.' This gentle- 
 man is a fludent at the Iviiddle- 
 'lemple, and fon to t ■t<!le- 
 brated Irifh patriot I . cas. 
 He is the author of r.i piay, 
 printed In a volume of mifcella- 
 nies; 410. It is entitled, 
 
 IheEarlofSomerfit.T.^iO. 1780. 
 
 LuPTON, Thomas. Of this 
 author Langbaine tells us he was 
 unable to recover any particulars, 
 either as to the time of his birth, 
 the place where he lived, or any 
 thing he wrote, excepting one 
 piece mentioned in former cata< 
 logues, entitled, 
 
 Ml for Money, 4to. 1578. B. L. 
 As to the former particulars, I 
 know as little as Mr. Langbaine, 
 but happening to have feen the 
 play, which that writer honeftly 
 conleflcs he had not, am able to 
 afccrtain the author's name, which 
 Mr. Langbaine has millakenly 
 called Lupon. The name as I 
 have given it, is printed, together 
 with that of the publilhcr, at the 
 end of the piece, which is very 
 old, being written in rhime, and 
 printed in the black letter, with- 
 out any numbering to the pa^jcs. 
 
 Vol. I, 
 
 The manner of the writing, more- 
 over, is as old ati that of the princ 
 ing. The charaflers are figu- 
 rative J jiU for Mi'ttfVi i'^it Wth' 
 e»t Mnnrj^ Mon.y nuithout JVit, Plea' 
 fure^ &c. being perfonified and 
 made interlocutors in this play or 
 morality. 
 
 Lyoe, William. Sec Joy- 
 NKR, William. 
 
 Lylly, or Lilly, JoHw. Was 
 born in the Wilds of Kent, about 
 the yecr 1553, according to the 
 compulation of Wood, who fays 
 ** he bi^came a Uudent in Magda- ' 
 *' len College in the beginning of 
 *' 1569, aged (ixteen or there- 
 *' abouti, and was afterwards one 
 " of the demies or clerks of that 
 " houfe." He took the degree of 
 B. A. April 27, 1573, and of M. A. 
 in the year 157?. On fome dif- 
 guft he removed to Cambridge, 
 from whence he went to court, 
 where he was taken notice of by 
 queen Elizabeth, and had expe£ia- 
 tions of being preferred to the poft 
 ot mader of the revels, fn which, 
 after many years attendance he 
 was difappointed. In what year 
 he died is unknown, but Wood 
 fays, he was alive in 1597. He 
 was a very afliduous ftudent, and 
 warmly addifted, more efpecially, 
 to the ftudy of poetry, in which 
 he made fo great a proficiency, 
 that he has bequeathed to the 
 world no lefs thun nine dramatic 
 pieces. He is confidered as the 
 firll who attempted to reform and 
 purify the Englith language, by 
 purging it of obtolete and uncouth 
 expreflioni-. F'or this purpofe he 
 wrote a book, entitled, Ruphucs- 
 and his England, which met with 
 a degree of fuccefs nnufual with 
 the tirll attempters of reformation, 
 being almolt immediately and uni- 
 verfaily followed. At kail, if we 
 may give credit to the words 
 of Mr. Blount, who publifhed fix 
 of Mr. Lilly's plays together, in 
 
 U one 
 
L U 
 
 [ 29d } 
 
 L Y 
 
 tone volume in twelves ; in a pre- 
 face to which he fays of our au- 
 thor, that ** our n.ainn are in bis 
 *• debt for a ncnu Englifi..^ ivhich he 
 *' fau^/jt them: Eiiphues and his 
 *' England (fays he) bc>an firji that 
 *' language; all oar ladies were his 
 *^ fholars ; aiid that beauty at courts 
 **■ ivhich LVitld nvt parley Euphuifmc 
 *' (that is to/ity), who \\>as unable to 
 »" convrje in that pure and reformed 
 '* Rnglijh, '•Mhlch he had formed his 
 *' i\}nrk to be thejlandardnf was as 
 ** little regarded as Jhe nuhich nimj 
 •' there fpeaks not F'-r'ah.'" 
 
 Accoiding to this Mr. Blount, 
 Mr. Lilly was deferving of the 
 hi'ihei'; encomiums* He ftiles him, 
 m hi?, tiiie-page, ihe only rare poet 
 (fthat time^ the ivitty, comical, face- 
 iioujly.ijuiek, and unparalleled John 
 IJllv; and in his epillle dedicatory 
 fays, " that he fate at Jpollu's table; 
 •' t'.at j'lpollo gave him a ivreatb of 
 '- ' his oivn Baves without fnatching, 
 *' and that the lyre he played on had 
 •' no borrowed f rings," And in- 
 deed, if what has been above 
 faid with regard to the reforma- 
 tion of the bnglifii language had 
 been fact, he cer:ainly had a claim 
 to the higheil honours from his 
 countrymen, and even to have a 
 llatue ereded to his memory. 
 Thefe eulogiums however are not 
 well founded, for though the lan- 
 guage might be improved by him 
 in its then liate, he was but an af- 
 fefled writer. 
 
 His plays, which were in that 
 age very well efteemed both by the 
 court and the univerfity, are, as 
 I faid before, nine in number, and 
 their titles as follow : 
 
 1. Alexander and Campafpc, 
 Tragi-Com. 4to. 1584.. 
 
 2. Endimlon. Com. 4to. 1 jgi. 
 
 3. Sappho and Phaon, C. ^to. 
 1591. 
 
 4. Galatea. Com. 4to. 1^92. 
 
 5. My das. Com. 4to. 1592. 
 
 6t Mother Botnbie. C. 4.10. 1594. 
 
 7. IVoman in the Moon. Coltl* 
 4to. 1597. 
 
 8. Maid her MetamOrphoJis. 4101 
 1600. 
 
 q. Love his Metamo'pbojis. Dram. 
 Paft. 410. 1 601. 
 
 VVinllanley has attributed an- 
 other piece to this author, entitled, 
 
 A Warning for Fair Homen. 
 but very erfoneoufly, that having 
 b(^en written by an anonymous 
 author. 
 
 ■Lynch, Francis, Efq;. Of 
 this gentleman 1 can trace nothing 
 farther than that he was a writer 
 of the prefent century, and author 
 of two dramatic pieces, viz. 
 
 1. The hidepcndant Patriot. C« 
 8vo. 1737. 
 
 Chetwood only mentions, 
 
 2. The Man of Honour. C. 
 Lyon, Willi AM. Was a ftrol- 
 
 Hng player, who fometimes ufed to 
 perform at the theatre in Edin- 
 burgh, in which city he died about 
 the yeir 1748. He was confider- 
 ed as very excellent in the cha- 
 racter of Gibby ; but the moft re- 
 markable quality which he polieli- 
 cd was an uncommon retentive 
 memory, of which the following 
 inilance may be given as a proof. 
 When he was one evening over his 
 bottle, in company with fome of 
 his brethren of the theatre, he wa^ 
 gered a crown bowl of punch, a 
 liquor of which he was very fond, 
 that next morning at the rehearfal 
 he would repeat a Daily Advertifer 
 from beginning to end. The playef, 
 who coniidered this boaft as words 
 of courfe only, paid no great re- 
 gard to them ; but as Lyoh was 
 pofitive, he laid the wager. Next 
 morning at the rehearfal he put 
 Lyon in mind of his wager, ima- 
 gining, as he was drunk the night 
 before, that he certainly mult have 
 forgot it, and raillicd him on his 
 ridiculous bragging about his me- 
 mory. Lyon pulled out the pa- 
 per, defucu bim to look at it and 
 
 be 
 
L Y 
 
 [ ^6i 1 
 
 Lf 
 
 >e Moon. Coiiji 
 amarpbnfis. 4tOi 
 mo'pbojts. Dram. 
 
 attributed an-> 
 author, entitled, 
 ^air JVomen. 
 fly, th;it having 
 
 an anonymous 
 
 CIS, Efq;. Of 
 :an trace nothing 
 he was a writer 
 itury, and author 
 liects, viz. 
 iant Fatriot, Qt 
 
 lentions. 
 Honour. C. 
 AM. Was aftro!- I 
 fometilnes ufed to 
 theatre in Edin- I 
 :ity he died about 
 He was confider- 
 llent in the cha- 
 1 but the moftre- 
 which he poliefl- 
 )mmon retentive 
 ich the following 
 given as a proot. 
 evening over his 
 ny with fome of 
 e theatre, he wa^ 
 owl of punch, a 
 e was very fond, 
 7 at the rehearfal 
 Daily Advertifer 
 end. The playef, 
 is boaft as words 
 aid no great re- 
 ut as Lyon waj 
 he wager. Next 
 |rehearfal he put 
 his wager, ima« 
 drunk the night 
 Irtainly mult have 
 illicd him on his 
 g about his trie- 
 lUed out the pa- 
 ;o look at it and 
 be 
 
 i)*j'idgc himfelf whether he did or inftarce of a flrong memory, tne 
 
 (iid not win his wager. Notwith- |^arallel of which perhaps cannot 
 
 it.indiiig the unconncdtion between be pfuduct'd in .itiy age or nation, 
 
 the paragraphs, the variety of ad- He is the author of one faice 
 
 \ertirt.Mnents, and the genera] chaos alttred from Vanbru^h, called, 
 
 which f^oes to the compofition of T>.'e IVrd^^H//-^ Lovers -y or, Like 
 
 any news-paper, he repeated it M.^Jlcr like Man. F. 8vo. ^745^ 
 
 ffonn bfj;ir!ninj^ to end, withciit Printed ac Edinburgh. 
 t!ic kail hefitation or niillal^e : an , 
 
 
 * V 
 
 M 
 
 
 ^Mta 
 
 M A 
 
 Ivi 
 
 E. Thef initials fland to 
 _ ^ a dramatic piece, pub- 
 iTfiu'd in the reign of Charles 11. 
 tniitled, 
 
 Saiitt Cicily. Trag. 
 But I can,not find oiit any known 
 author of that timt*, v/ith whole 
 name the letters will correfpond, 
 or by whom therefore I can w'ith 
 any appearance of probability form 
 a conjecture of itj having been 
 written. 
 
 M. \^. Thefe letters Itand in 
 the title-page of a dramatic |)iece, 
 called, 
 
 7/^f Female Itlts. Com. 
 Coxeter, in his remarks on Jacob, 
 has altered wit! his pen the letters 
 ot \V. N. which tnat author had 
 mentioned as belonging to a piece, 
 entitled, 
 
 Hiiiitln^tons Diveitifement, In- 
 terlude, 
 to thofe at the head of this article. 
 J thtrcfore imagine thefe to be the 
 letters properly belonging to it, 
 and Jacob to have been in a riiif- 
 take. Whincop, however, has im- 
 plicitly copied the W. N. from 
 Jacob. 
 
 Mabbe, Jambs. Was of a good 
 family in the county of Surry, and 
 Was born in the y^ar 1569. He 
 wsj fent to Magdak/i College, Ox- 
 ford, in 15^5; and two years after- 
 
 wards became a demy in thii 
 houfe. In 1595 ^^ ^^^ chofen 
 perpetual fellow, and took the de- 
 gree of M. A. in J598. He had 
 tb*; honour to be one of the proc- 
 tors of the univerfity in 1606, 
 and having ftudicd the civil law, 
 he three years ;<ficr petitioned the 
 congregation of regents to be fa* 
 voured with the degree of batche* 
 lor of that faculty. At length, he 
 was taken into the fcrvice of Sit* 
 John Digby, ICnt. afterwards earl 
 of Briifol, and was by i'im madd 
 his fecrctary, when he went am- 
 bafTacjor into Spain, whtre be re- 
 mained feveral years improvii:g 
 himfelf in various forts of learn- 
 ing, ind in the cuftoms &nd man- 
 ners of that and other eountriesi 
 After his return into England, h« 
 was made one of the lay preben- 
 daries of the cathedral church o^ 
 Wells, being then in ordeis and 
 efteerned a learned man, a good 
 orator, and a facetious conceited 
 wit. la 1642 he was living at 
 Abbotibury in DorfetlhirS, in thi 
 iarnily of Sir John Stiangcwaysj 
 where he died fuon afterwards, and 
 Was buried in the church belong- 
 ing to that place. He tran(lai.ed 
 
 The Spauijh Btimil reprefented in 
 Celejiinai or, 7/-'f Tragic Cifneily of 
 Ciil'lh) a/ill ?fleli'>ia, foi. i6ji. 
 
 U 2 Ma« 
 
i\ 
 
 m A 
 
 ( *9« 1 
 
 M A 
 
 Mac CaAthy, Chaelottb. 
 Is the aithor of one performance 
 publiihed apparently with the ftew 
 to introduce fome propofals for 
 printing a hook, called ** Juftice 
 ** and Reafon faithful Guides to 
 ** Truth j" whicH however we be- 
 lieve was never made public. It 
 is entitled. 
 
 The Autlxtr andBookftlUr, Dram. 
 Piece. 8vo. N. D. [1765.] 
 
 MachiiV, Lewis. Concern- 
 ing this author I find nothing up' 
 on record but that he lived in the 
 reign of king James I. and wrote 
 one dramatic piece, which we find 
 reprinted in Dodfley's ColIeAion of 
 Old Plays, entitled, 
 
 The Dumb Knight, Com. 4tO» 
 1607. 
 
 Mackensie,H. AScotch gen- 
 tleman, who has written fome no- 
 vels which have met with applaufe, 
 and one play, called, 
 
 The Prince of Tunis. T. 8r0. 
 
 1773' 
 
 MACKLl^f, Charles. This 
 author is a native of Ireland, born, 
 as 1 have been informed, in the 
 county of Wed Meath, and that the 
 name of bis family was M 'Laugh* 
 lln, which feeming fomcwhat un- 
 couth to the pronunciation of an 
 Knglifli 'ongae, he, on his coming 
 upon the Haee, anglicixcd it to 
 that by whicn he has ever fince 
 been known. He is fuppofed to 
 baVe been born as early as the be- 
 ginning of this century, and came 
 over to England about the year 
 1726. He periormed in feveral 
 flroliing companic?, and after- 
 wards at the theatre in Lincoln's- 
 Inn-Fields, where his merit was 
 firA flievvn in a fmall charadier in 
 Fielding's Coffee-Houfe Politician^ 
 which in the hands of any other 
 performer would have gone unno- 
 ticed. He afterwards became an 
 eminent aAor, and enjoyed the fa- 
 your of the town for many years, 
 
 though his performance on the 
 il«ge wai often interrupted for 
 whole feafons together by ciifi'er- 
 ences with managers, and difputes 
 wi h performers. At the latter end 
 of 1 753, he took leave of the llage 
 in form, by an epilogne,and opened 
 a coifee-houfe under the Piazza in 
 Co vent- Garden, where he fet on 
 foot a difputing club, under the 
 name of theBritilh Inquifition; but 
 this fcheme not anfwering, he re- 
 tnrned to the theatre, where he 
 ilill continues with abilities unim- 
 
 E aired by age, and where from 
 is appearance of health he may 
 continue to entertain the town for 
 many fucceeding years. 
 
 Mr. Macklin in his private cha> 
 radler is a tender hufband, a good 
 father, and a fteady friend. To 
 his firmnefs and refolwtion in fup- 
 porting the rights of his theatrical 
 brethren, they have been relieved 
 from a fpecies of oppreffion to 
 which they had been ignomini- 
 oufly fubjeAed for many years, 
 whenever the caprice or malice of 
 their enemies chofe to exert itfeif. 
 We allude to the profecution 
 which he commenced and carried 
 on againil a certain fet of infigni- 
 ficanc beings who, calling them- 
 felvcs The Town, ufed frequently 
 to difiurb the entertainments of 
 the theatre, to the terror of the 
 aAors, as well as to the annoyance 
 and dilgrace of the publick. 
 
 His merit as a comedian in va* 
 rioQs characters is too well known 
 to need our taking up much tine 1 
 in expatiating on it, particularly j 
 in Sir Gilbert Wrangle in the Rt- 
 fiifaU Don Manuel in the Kindh' 
 ^poJor^Siud Sir Archibald M'Sarcafni 
 in his own Farce of Lon.'e a-la-Moui. 
 He has alfo been elleemed as vefv 
 capital in the charafter of SKak- 
 fpeare's Jago j but the part in 
 which he was long allowed to (hiBC 
 without a coinpeiltor, is that ot 
 
 Shvlock 
 
M A 
 
 [ ^93 ] 
 
 M A 
 
 Shylock in the Merchant of Vitiice, 
 which he performed in fo natural 
 a manner, that a gentleman among 
 the audience, on hisfirll appearance 
 in it, by wuy of dillindiou of his 
 Aiperior excel 'cnce, llarted out in- 
 to this accidental extempore, 
 
 this if the Jerv 
 That Shak/peare dreiv. 
 
 Which expreflinn being; ready to 
 every one's remembrance, efta- 
 blilhed Mr. Macklin's very dcferv- 
 ed reputation in the character. 
 The attempts of his imitators, as 
 often as he was engaged in Irehtnd, 
 fervcd only to manifeft a wretched 
 inferiority, and afford us additional 
 reafon to lament his abfence from 
 the London ftage. At lenj^'th, in 
 the year 1777, Mr. Henderfon, a 
 young man of uncommon abilities, 
 and Hill more confiderahlepromife, 
 undertook to perfonate the Jew, a 
 part which Mr. Garrick (wiio re- 
 peatedly refuff d to employ our ad- 
 venturer) had never dared to per- 
 form. It is fcarce necelTary to add, 
 tha» the fuccefs of this new candi- 
 date for dramatic fame by far ex- 
 ceeded his own private hopes, as 
 well as the expeilation of his 
 friends. Having never been in 
 town at a period when Mr. Mack- 
 lin reprefentcd Shylock, he was 
 certainly no copyilt, but, on the 
 contrary, executed his talk from 
 genuine conceptions, and in a 
 manner fo new to his audience, 
 that they exprefled the greatnefs 
 of their furprize by the abundance 
 of their applaufe. K\en the.vete- 
 ran, whole talents we have already 
 recorded, was aT>'^np; the fotemoit 
 to join in a candid and arr.pls tef- 
 timony to the merits of his rival. 
 '1 hele appear indeed to be eredted 
 on a wider compafs of literature, 
 and a found.r undcrfianding, 
 than are difcoverable among the 
 gre.iter part of his fraternity. Such 
 aJviintages, Mffillsd by his known 
 Vol. I, 
 
 prudence and decency of mannen, 
 cannot fail in time to fecure him the 
 managementof oneof thofe theatres 
 to which he has proved himfelf fo 
 valuable a fervant. But to return 
 to Mr. Macklin. He had the mif- 
 fortune in the year 173;, in confe- 
 quence of a fudden adt of paflton, 
 to occafion the death of a brother 
 comedian (one Mr. Hallam), and 
 flood his trial on account of ir, 
 but was honourably acquitted, it 
 appearing to be .nerely accidental, 
 and without any malice /r<'//'»/r. As 
 he has fpent much the greatell part 
 of that life in the fervice of the 
 publitk, it were much to be wiflied 
 that the remainder of it might 
 take a quiet rcpofe, free from thoCe 
 llorms and hurricanes which have 
 but too frequently dillurbed it. 
 He was formerly confidcred as' an 
 excellent tutor in the theatrical 
 arts; and indeed the fuccefs Mifs 
 Macklin very juflly met with 
 feems a ftrong proof of the truth 
 of this aifertion. 
 
 Mr. Macklin, however, about fix 
 years ago, committed a notorious 
 trefpafs upon tragic ground, by 
 attempting the very difficult parts 
 of Machelb and Richard the Third. 
 We honour his fpirit on this oc- 
 cafion, and wilh we were autho- 
 rized to record his fuccefs. From 
 the thorough knowledge and ad- 
 mirable conception which he dif- 
 played in thefe charadlers, we can- 
 not but regret that he did not at- 
 tempt them at an earlier period of 
 his life, before the town was fo 
 much impreflcd with the excel- 
 lence of his comic performance, as 
 to receive with prejudice his efforts 
 in a different walk. Mr. Macklin 
 more than fatisfied the expedtations 
 of his friends, and has every reafon 
 to complain of a want of candour 
 in thofe who oppofed him. 
 
 Mr. Macklin's merit as a writer 
 
 is more particularly enlarged on 
 
 in our refpcilive aci.-ounts of his 
 
 worksin the ftcond volume. It will 
 
 U 3 W 
 
n A 
 
 be therefore nccillefs to recapitu- 
 late heie what we have there laid, 
 and conlequcntiy fuilicien'; CO point 
 6ur Ills pei(ormaiiccsto the reader's 
 farther obfti vation liy an eiuitncra- 
 lion of th'.-ir tiik-s in the follow- 
 ing lift, viz. 
 
 I. Kins; Henry the ScTrntb i or, 
 The Fi'piJI} Impojlor, T. 8vo. 1746. 
 
 a. A Will and no U'iU\ or, A 
 new Cnfe for the Lamuyers, T. N. 1'. 
 
 3. The Siifpicioiti ilujlxtrut criti- 
 elzrd 'j or, The Plague 0/ Enn'v. I". 
 N. P. 
 
 4. The Fortune Hunt in ; or, The 
 Widmu hciviiched. F. N. I\ 
 
 ^. I.rve a-la Mrde. F. 1760. N.P. 
 
 6. T/>e MarriiJ Libertine. C 
 
 1761. n; i\ 
 
 7. The Irijh Fine Lady. F. 1767. 
 
 8.,, 97'r True-horn Scntchman. C. 
 t'VP. Since aJted at Coven t Gar- 
 den, under the title of 7he Man of 
 ihelForld. C. 1781. 
 
 Madden, Dr. Samuel. It 's 
 with concern that we are able to 
 jjive no other account of this 'jene- 
 fa5tor to h"s country than the ^jtc- 
 f'ent flight and impeiftd ontf. ile 
 is faid to have bi-^en born in Ire- 
 land, and educated at Dublin, 
 where he refided the greater pare 
 rfhislife. In the year 1739, how- 
 ever, he appears to have been in 
 England, and having written a 
 tr;igcdy was, as he iiimleU fays, 
 tempted to let it come out by tlie 
 ofxcr of a noble I>udy or books from 
 the profits of if. In 1732, he 
 publifhed *' Memoirs of ihe twen- 
 *' titth century ;'' a book which 
 for fonie rcafori new unknown was 
 in a few day- totally fuppreiied. 
 In 1740, we find him in his na- 
 tive country, and in that year fet- 
 ting apart the lum of one hundred 
 pounds to be dillributcd in pre- 
 miums for the encoiirojienicnt of 
 jirts, niainifaohires, and Iciepcc; and 
 line fauic fum he continued lu bc- 
 
 94 
 
 M Pt 
 
 flow every yenr while he livrr!. TW 
 y^ooA elFcCts of thefe wcll-appiied 
 benefiK^tions have been very fuf. 
 ficienily lelt in the kingdom whete 
 they were given, and have even 
 extendtd their influence to its 
 fifti'r country, having given rife tn 
 the fociety for the enrouragenient 
 of aits and fcicncca In London. 
 In an oration fpoken at Dublin, 
 Dec. 6, 1757, '^y Mr. Sheridan, 
 that gentleman took occafion \6 
 mention Dr. Madden's bounty, 
 a.)d intended to have proceeded in 
 the following manner, but was 
 prevented ')y cbferving our author 
 to be then prefent. Spt^aking of 
 the admirable inllitutions of pre- 
 miums, he went on< " Whofe au- 
 " thor, had he never contributed 
 ** any thing farther to the good of 
 " his country, would have deftrvcd 
 *' immortal honour, and mull have 
 '• liCL'n held in reverence by latelt 
 *• poflcrity. But the unwearied 
 ** and difinterelled endeavours dui- 
 " ing a long courfc of year?, of 
 *' this truly good man, in a variety 
 *' of branches to promote indullryv 
 " and confequently the vvelfa-e of 
 " this kingdom ; and the mighty 
 *' benefits which have thence re- 
 " fuited to the community; have 
 '' made many of the good people 
 *' of Ireland forry, that a long- 
 •' talked of fv.heme has not hitherto 
 '■ bten put in execution ; that we 
 " might not appear inferior in 
 ♦* point of gratitude to the citizens 
 " of London, with refpeft to » 
 " icllow-citizrn * (furely not with 
 ♦' more realon), and that like them 
 " \vc might be able to addrefs 
 " our patriot, Prajenti tihi muturot 
 " h'y^imur honor is." 
 
 Dr. Madden was pofTcfled of fomc 
 church prelerment in Ireland, and 
 died the 3Cih of December, 176^ 
 
 The play which he wrote in his 
 youth WHS called, 
 
 * Sir John Barnard. 
 ■^ )lhcm'pi.k;, 
 
M A 
 
 C *9S 1 
 
 M A 
 
 of k 
 
 us 
 
 ;o(re(red of fomc 
 ill Ireland, and 
 cember, 176;;. 
 he wrote in his 
 
 Thtmiftockt^ the Lover 
 Cnunhy, T. 8vO. 1729. 
 
 Dr. Madden alfo wrote another 
 tragedy, which he left ai a lej;acy 
 to Mr. bheridan, -in whnfe pofTefliun 
 it now probably remains. 
 
 Maidwell, L. The times of 
 this gei)tlem?)n*s birth and death 
 are not recorded by any of the wri- 
 ters. It appears, however, that 
 he lived in the reign of Charles II. 
 and kept a private fchool in Lon- 
 don for the education of young 
 gentlemen ; during the receifes 
 from which very fatiguing em- 
 ployment, it is probable thit, by 
 way of amuCement, he wrote the 
 piay puLlilhed in his nam?, viz. 
 
 The Loving Enaniii. C. 4to. 
 1680. 
 
 Mallet, David. The fol- 
 lowing account is chiefly coUefted 
 from Dr. Johnfons life of him. 
 
 He was by original one of the 
 Macgregors, a clan that became 
 9bput fixty years ago, under the 
 conduct of Robin Roy, fo formida- 
 ble and fo infamous for violence 
 and robbery, that the name was 
 annulled by a legal abolition ; and 
 wlien they were all to denominate 
 thenifclvcs anew, the father, I fup- 
 pofe, of this author called himfclf 
 Wat loch. 
 
 David Malloch was by the pe- 
 nury of his parents compelled to 
 be Janitor of the high fchool at 
 Edinburgh ; a mean office, of 
 which he did not afterwards de- 
 light to hear. But he furmounted 
 the difidvantagea of his birth and 
 fortune ; for when the duke of 
 Montrufe applied to the CKiliege of 
 Edinburgh for a tutor to educate 
 his fons, Malloi-h was retommend- 
 rd ; and with his pupils made af- 
 terwards the tour of Europe ; nor 
 i» he known to have diihonour- 
 cd his credentials. 
 
 We fhall exhibit the feries of his 
 4raiQati? works at the conduAon 
 
 of this article* ' 't'he preciA; ord«r 
 in which his other performances 
 were written,- the plan of our work 
 does not demand. Kis Hrli pio- 
 dudlion, however, was the b..'lad 
 of IVilliam and Margaret^ which 
 was followed by the Exinrfiont a 
 poem on Verbal Criticifm, &c. 
 
 Having cleared his tongue froni 
 his native pronunciation fo as to 
 be no longer diHinguiflied as a 
 Scot, he -feemed inclined to difin* 
 cumber himfelf from all adherences 
 to his original, and took upon him 
 to change his name from Scotch 
 Malloch to Englijh Mallet, with- 
 out any imaginable reafon of pre- 
 ference which the eve or ear can 
 difcover. VVh:it other proofs he 
 gave of difrefpefl to bis native 
 country, 1 know not ; hut it was 
 remarked of him, that he was the 
 only Scot whom Scotchmen did 
 not commend. Our biographer 
 might have added, that he was the 
 oiily one whom they did not la- 
 ment. The news of his death was 
 followed by no encomiums on his 
 writings or his virtues. A lefs 
 difplay of forrow, and more fcanty 
 marks ot refpei^t, have not attend- 
 ed the memory of Warburton, 
 whofe various merits might at leall 
 have entitled him to fpch praife as 
 his numerous facerdotal paralitcs 
 could bellow. 
 
 In 1734, he tool: the degree of 
 M. A. at St. Mary Hail, Oxford. 
 
 In f740, when the prince of 
 Wales had a ftparaie court, he 
 made Mallet his uMcler-fecretary; 
 and when it w is found th ii Pope 
 had clandeliinely printed an un- 
 authorized number or the Patriot 
 King, Bolingbroke employed Mal- 
 let (1747) as the extrcutiontr of 
 his vengeance Mallet had not 
 virtue, or had no"^ fpirit, to refufe 
 the office ; and was rewarded, not 
 long after, with the legacy ot lorld 
 Bolingbroke's worko, which vkene 
 
 U 4 pub.iihcd 
 
M A 
 
 T «9« ] 
 
 M A 
 
 publiQied with fwcud yeiy much and tafy. The red of hit chit 
 L«h)w our editor's expedation. radlcr may, without injury to i.js 
 
 In confequence qt a thoufanfl memory, fjiik into filencr, S^e, 
 pounds ktt by the dutchcfs of however, his letter to Perruk, 
 Maryborough, he undertook to ppbli(hed in a vollcftion, a vols. 
 Write the life of the dulte her huf- 1 21110. 1767. vol.11, p. ai. 
 band. From the late duke he had 
 likewife a peniion to promote his 
 indullry. lie talked much of the 
 , progreis he had made in this work, 
 . but left not, when he diod, the 
 
 . fnip.liell veftige of any hiuorical 
 : labour beiiind him. 
 
 In the political difputcs which 
 • commenced at the litoinnin;* of 
 the prtu-ni rLign, Mr. iSialloch 
 :,. ^ook part vviiii his countrvman lord 
 -Bute, to Icrvc whom he wrote hii 
 tragedy oi Elvira, and vvas reward- 
 ed uith the t;fli,:c of ket-per of 
 the ii( ok of ciitiies tor fliip:' in the 
 : port ot London, to wliicli he was 
 ^j)poinicd in the year 1763. He 
 ■ enjoyed alfo a confide; aHle ptnfion, 
 )vhich had been teliowed on him 
 for his lucccls in turning the pul)- 
 lie vengeance upon liynjj, by 
 means of a 1-, uer of acculaiion un- 
 der the charader of a Plain Man. 
 
 Towar(ii) the latter end of bis 
 life, he v.<;nt with his wife to 
 France ; but after a while, finiling 
 his health d.c!ining, he returntd 
 alone to iinglanii, and died in April 
 176^. 
 
 lie vv3<! twice married, and by 
 his firll wife had feveral children. 
 One of itis daughters we have al- 
 ready mentioned in the courfe 
 of this work. His feccnd wife 
 was the daughter of a nobleman's 
 ileward, who had a coMfidciable 
 fortune, which (he took tare to re- 
 tain In her own h>.nds. 
 
 DTr. Mu'och's llature was di- 
 minuave , but he was regunil/ 
 formed. His appearance til! he 
 grew corpulent was agreeable, 
 and he ft:frcred it to want ■;<; -re- 
 C(,nin!tndatiori irtat drcfs couiil give 
 
 As a writer, he cannot \\c placed 
 in any high clafs. There is no 
 fpecies of compohtion in which 
 he was eminent. His dramas had 
 their day, a flioit day, and are 
 forgotten. His life of Bacon is 
 known, as it is appended to Bacon's 
 volumes, but is no longer men- 
 tioned. I'he titles of his plays 
 ai , 
 
 1. Eu\\ilUe, T. 8vo. 173 1. 
 
 2. Mnjlaf)ha. T. 8vo. 1739. 
 
 3. Jlfiiil. T. in conjunction 
 with Thon;f..n, 8ve. 1740. 
 
 4. Jljrdt, T. alteied, dvo. 1751, 
 ^. B'itatim.i M. 8vo. 1755. 
 
 6. Khiia. T. 8vo. 1763, 
 MA:jLh.y,DE-LA-:r<r'iiiRE,was 
 the daughter of Sir Roger Manley, 
 who is laid to be the author of the 
 full volume of that famous work, 
 tlic lu'k'Jh !>py, Mrs. Manley re- 
 ceived an education fuicable to her 
 birth ; and gave early difcovcries 
 of a genius, much fiipcrior to what 
 is ulually found among her fex. 
 In her infancy (he loft her mother; 
 a lofs which was attended by many 
 other misfortunes; for when the 
 grew up, (he was cheated into a 
 falfe marri.ige by a near relation 
 of the fanirt name, to whom her 
 father had bequeathed the care of 
 her. We call it a falfc marriage, 
 becaufe th? gentleman had a for- 
 mer wife then living, and pre- 
 tended to marry her, only to gra- 
 tify a cri liinal paflion. She uas 
 afterwards broiit?ht to London, 
 wii'jro Ihe wan Ibon deferred by 
 hjm ; and thus, in liu- very morn- 
 ing of her life, when all things 
 fhould have been gay and pro- 
 mifmg, (he wore away three 
 
 Itt His fonverfacion was elegant wretched years in folitude. 
 
 When 
 
 (he 
 
M A 
 
 [ ^97 ] 
 
 M A 
 
 (he appeared in the world again, 
 Hie fell, by mere accident, under 
 the parroiiage of the dutchefs of 
 Cleveland, a millrefs of Charles II. 
 Siie was introduced by an ac- 
 quaintance of her grace's, to 
 whom (he was paying a yifit ; but 
 the dutchefs, being a woman of a 
 very fickle temper, grew tired of 
 Mrs. ManW in fix months time, 
 and difcharged her upon a pre< 
 tcnce, whether groundlefj or not is 
 uncertain, that (he intrigued with 
 her Ton. When our authorefs was 
 dirmifTed by the dutchefs, (he was 
 foluited by general Tidcombe to 
 pais fome time with him ar his 
 country-feat; but (he excuft-d her- 
 felt by faying, *' Fhat her love of 
 " folitude was improved by a dif- 
 " gult of tho world ; and iince it 
 f' was impodible for her to be in 
 *' public v/ith reputation, (he was 
 " refolved to remain concealed.'' 
 In t!iis folitude (he wrote her fird 
 trngedy, which was afted in the 
 ye.ir i6q6. As this play fucceed- 
 ed, (lie received fuch unbounded 
 incenfe from admirers, that her 
 apartment was crowded with men 
 ot wit and gaiety. This proved, 
 jn the end, very fatal to her vir- 
 tue; and (he afterwards engaged 
 in intrigues, and was taken into 
 keeping. In her retired hours, (lie 
 wrote her four volumes of the 
 Memoirs of the Nciv Atalantls, in 
 which (he was not only very free 
 with her own fex, in her wanton 
 defcriptlon of love-adventures, but 
 alfo with the charadters of many 
 high and dil^ingui(hed perfonages. 
 Her father had always been' attach- 
 ed to the caiife of Charles I. and 
 (lie herfelf had a confirmed aver- 
 fion to the whig miniftry ; fo that 
 the reprefentations of many cha- 
 rafters in her Atalantis are no- 
 thing eife but fatires upon thofe, 
 who had brought about the Revo- 
 lution. Upon this a warrant was 
 1 
 
 granted from the fecretary of 
 llate's oflice, to feize the printer 
 and publilher of thofe volumes. 
 Mrs. Manley had too much gene« 
 rofity, to let innocent perfons fuf* 
 fer on her account : and therefore 
 voluntarily acknowledged herfelf 
 as the author of the woik in L]uer- 
 tion. When (he was examined 
 before lord Sunderland, who was 
 then fet;retary, he was curious to 
 know, from whom (he got infor- 
 mation of fome particulars, which, 
 they imagined to b^ above her cwa 
 intellicence. She replied, with 
 great liumility, that the had no 
 defign in writing, farther than her 
 own amufement and diveriion ia 
 the country, without intending 
 particular refleftions and charac- 
 ters, and aid alTure them, that 
 nobody was concerned with her. 
 When this was not believed, und 
 the contrary urged againll her bjr 
 feveral circumllances, (he faiua 
 " then it mull be by infpiration, 
 «« becaufe, knowing her own inno- 
 *' cence, (he could account for it 
 " no other way." The fecretary 
 replied, that *' infpiration ufed to 
 *' be upon a good account ; but 
 that her writings were llark- 
 naught." She acknowledged, 
 that his lord(hip*!» obfcrvaiion 
 might be true ; but, as there 
 were evil angels as well as good, 
 that what ihe had wrote might 
 rtill be by infpiration." The 
 confecjuence of this examinatioil 
 was, that Mrs. Manley was clofe 
 (hut up in a me(renger's houfe. 
 without being allowed pen, ink^ 
 and paper. However, her coun- 
 cil fued out her Habeas Corpus, and 
 fhe was admitted to bail. Whe- 
 ther thofe in power were alhamed 
 to bring a woman to a trial for 
 writing a few amorous trifles, or 
 whether the laws could not reach 
 her, (he was difcharged, after feve- 
 ral times expofing herfelf ia per- 
 
 fon 
 
 t< 
 
 
M A 
 
 C »98 1 
 
 M A 
 
 fon to crrfs the court before the to have left the univerfity wiiboirt 
 bench of juiij^c^, with her three taking a degree; and puifuing the 
 
 attendani.s, the printer and two 
 pubiilJicrs. Not lon;^ after, a total 
 ch^iiige ot the miiuriiy cnrird ; 
 flie then came into grent lavour 
 with tluir liiCtiTors, and was em- 
 ployed in dif'.nuiig the tory mca 
 
 line of civil cirplo)mcnt, we hnd 
 h^ni, in 1707, fecrctary 10 Mr. 
 Sianyan, envoy to ihc!-wifs Can- 
 tons. lie ttlt»*iwaids, in queen 
 Aniic's lime, was promoted to be 
 niinilicr to tl>e Giifiiis, and, on 
 
 furrs porriKd in the four lafl years the 30ih of June, t/tt, was ap. 
 
 cf the queen. 'I'lic p'amphlcts pointed «.nvoy to liie thirteen Can- 
 
 vhic'ii flie wrote at this period arc ions and to ihc Uepuhlie!; of the 
 
 numerous, and fomc of ihem iuch Grifons. Alter tlii.s p.-riod we tan 
 
 as would not difgracc ihc bell pen diicover no account of him. He 
 
 then engaged in the defence of tranflaitd J~)io'i Capta, and wrote 
 
 governinent. After Dean Swift the following phivj. viz. 
 
 jelinquilhed T/jc Examiner, Ihe l. The Gi/icrvus Choke, C. 4!0. 
 
 continued it wiih great fpirit for a 1700. 
 
 conlidtrable time, and (requently 2. All for the hit er\ or, 7it' ///• 
 
 £ni(hed ptecesi begun by thnt ex- falUhle Cure. C. 4to. 170^. 
 
 cellent writer, who alfo often ufcd MANUCHE.MajorCosMO. This 
 
 to furnifh her with hints for thofe 
 cf her CR-n ccmpofition. At this 
 time or foon afterwards flic be- 
 came conntdled with alderman 
 
 gent'eman appears to have been 
 an Italian by b.rth ; and Phillips 
 has given us his n.'tmc M;inuci, in 
 which it is not improbable thut 
 
 Earbcr, who was then the favourite he may for once have been in the 
 
 lory printer, and with him flie re- right. He toolt up arms for king 
 
 iided until the time cf her death, Charles, and haa a major's ccni- 
 
 which happened on the iilh of mifllon, but whether of hovie or 
 
 July i7:?4, at his hcufe on Lam- foot does not appear. He wrote 
 
 beth liill. She whs buiied in the 
 middle illc of the church of St. 
 Bennet, Paui's VVh:trf, where a 
 marble gravc-llpnc was crcdcd to 
 her meuiory. 
 
 Her dramatic works are as fol- 
 low, 
 
 1. Ttx Royal yrjdvef. T. 410. 
 1696. 
 
 2. Jhe Jj<fc I.iK'cr ; or, 7w y'cu- 
 Ifius HnjiaacL C. 4:0. 1696. 
 
 3. Al'iiyna ; or, The Aral'.an 
 f'lnv. '1'. 4to. 1707. 
 
 4 . I. iitius , the h I iji Chrijiiun Ki»^ 
 of Biila'i:. 4 to. 1717. 
 
 M ANN! N o, Fk A N c I s. This au- 
 thor was fon of i'rancis Wanninj:; 
 cf London, gent, and was matricu- 
 I.Tted at Oxiord the 8th of M;uch, 
 l62C, being then a commoner of 
 Trinity CViilegc under the tniiion 
 pi Mr. 'I'homaa Sykes 
 
 three plays in the En^IiHi lan- 
 guage, ar.d, conhdering that he 
 \vas a foreigner, and that he only 
 wrote for his diverfion, and not by 
 way of a profeflion, and t!ia: at 
 leait he has the merit ol their being 
 original, wholly his own and un- 
 borrowed, ihey ate icry far from 
 being contemptible. Their titles 
 arc, 
 
 1. The yufi General., T. 4:0, 
 1650. 
 
 2. The Loyal Lovers. T. C 4(0. 
 1653. 
 
 3. TheBaJlard. V. (Attributed 
 to him by Coxeter.) 410. 1652. 
 
 In lord Northampton's library at 
 C;.lilc Alhby, in Ncrthamptoo- 
 fliire, are two or thiee INiS. phiys 
 by this author. 
 
 Markham, Ghfvasf., Efq. 
 He fcems Was the fon of Robert Markhan?, 
 
 oi 
 
M A 
 
 r »99 ] 
 
 M A 
 
 of Gotham in Nottinghamnilre, F.J^Cy trai\flal(il inf Ferft from th^ 
 I'.l'q. H<* flourifhed in the rcij'.ns Italian^ 8vo. 1609. 
 nt (]ucen Elizabeth, king James I. Uefiiles thei'e, Coxeter mrntions 
 uiid king Charlej 1. for the lad ot° the tollowing works in profe, not 
 whom he took up arms, and bore tak-n notice of by the writers of 
 a caprain^ commiirion. lie was a his iife, which lie attributes to him, 
 good fchol.ir, being perfed mailer vi/. 
 
 of the French, Italian, and Spanifli i. Drvfreux. Vertut* t Tears for 
 
 languages. He was Bxtremely the Lvji of the mof Chrlfiian King 
 well veifed both in the theory and Htnty^ third nf that Name^ Kin^ of 
 practice of militai y difcipline, ai)d Fiance, ami the untimel)/ Death of 
 
 the mnj} nohle and hrroical f'f^alter 
 Dcvnciix, ivho ivaijiain before Roan 
 in Frannce. Firfl '■written in French^ 
 hy that moj} excellent and learned Gen- 
 t/eivoman Madame Gennoifne Pela.t 
 Maukte^ and paraphrajlically tranf- 
 lated into F.ngl'Jh hy Jarvis Mark- 
 hatn, 4to. 1597. 
 
 2. The Art of Archerie, 8vo. 1634. 
 
 3. The iioldier's Fxcrdji; &:c. in 
 three books, of which there was a 
 third edition, 410. i6j.5« 
 
 To thcfe may be added, his Eng- 
 lljb Anwlia, alluding his beginning 
 from Sir Philip Hid'iiy's ending, 410. 
 1607. and other piv^ces. 
 
 At what lime iVIr. Markham was 
 born, or when he died, I have not 
 been able to trace j he was, how- 
 ever, a ufeful writer, and, during 
 the laft century, bis works on Hu(- 
 bardry, Agriculture, &c. were 
 held in great efteem. On the 
 records of the Stationers' Com- 
 pany is a very extraordinary agree- 
 ment figned by this author, v " i-h 
 proHably arofe from the book{'-'ii'i >,' 
 knowledge of the value of Mark- 
 ham's work, and their apprcheh- 
 lions that a new perform, mce on 
 
 was a grcit adept in horfeminfhip, 
 farriery, and husbandry ; by which 
 means he was fully qualitied for 
 the iranflatioii and compilcment of 
 nuiperous volumes on all thefe 
 fubject.s, many of which are even 
 now lv;)d in very high ellcera. 
 He alfo wrote foiiie books on ruf-al 
 recreations. Nor among his other 
 attentions were the Mufes neg- 
 lected, tor we Hnd one play extant 
 in his name, though he was indeed 
 ;iiriiled in it by Mr. Sampfon, of 
 whom we Ihall hereaftr have oc- 
 callnn to fpeak, entitled, 
 
 IJerud and A.^tipatcr. T. ^.to. 
 1622. 
 
 Laiigbajne fpeaks very highly in 
 his commendation, and very juftly, 
 lis a great benefactor to the public, 
 l<y his numerous and ufeful publi- 
 cations, but fays little of his poe- 
 try ; and indeed both he and 
 Jcjcob, and lince them Cibber in 
 his Livci of the Poets, icon not to 
 know nf any other poetical works 
 t; at he was concerned in : but 
 (.uxetcr, in his MS. notes, has 
 mentioned two pieces of poetry by 
 this author (both indeed tranfla- 
 tions) of confidsrable confequence, the fame fubjeft might be hurtful 
 
 VIZ. 
 
 1 . ArinJlo''s Satires^ in feven fa- 
 ijurus Difcnufes. 4 to, r6o8. and 
 
 2. The FiVnns IVhnre, or Nolne 
 C')urtczctn : co'/fainii/s: the lamcutahle 
 Complaint of PituHiia^ ti^e famous 
 Roman Courtezan^ fomct '?ifc m.'jl-cfs 
 ^iiiio the ^iCHt Cardiml Hippoi^tu (>/' 
 
 to the treatifcs then ci;culating. It 
 is as follows : 
 
 " Md. That I Gervafe Mark- 
 " barn, of London, Gent, do pro- 
 " mife hereafter never to write 
 " any mnrs book or books to be 
 " printed of the difeafes or cures 
 •' oiutjy cattle, as horfe, oxe, cowe, 
 
 " flieepe, 
 
M A 
 
 C 300 3 
 
 M A 
 
 » 
 
 ' *** Ihf epe, fwlne, and goaies, &c. 
 ** In witnes whereof 1 have here- 
 ** nnto fett my hand the 24th day 
 •* of Julie, 1617. 
 
 " Gervis Markhm." 
 Marlbf.,ChristopH!;r. Liv- 
 ed in the reign of queen Elizabeth, 
 and was not only an author but 
 
 ' an aftor alfo, being very conHder- 
 able in both capacities. There is 
 no account extant of his family, 
 
 ' but it is well known that he was 
 of Ben net College, in the univer- 
 jity of Cambridge, where he took 
 the degree of B. A. 1583, and 
 M. A. 1 587 ; he, however, quitted 
 
 ■ the acadrmic life, and went on the 
 , - fiage. Thomas Heywood, whom 
 
 we have mentioned before, ftyles 
 him \hc iffi of Pocfs i nay, D;;iy- 
 ton iilfo has beiitowed a iiigh paoe- 
 gyric on him, in A copy of verfes 
 called the Ctnjure of the PoetSy in 
 livhich he fpeaks of him in the fol- 
 lowing manner : 
 
 liext MarloCy lathed in the Thrf- 
 
 ftan fpr'tn^i, 
 Jiad hi him thofe hrave fullunary 
 
 things 
 That your frjl poets had', his 
 
 raptures ':vcre 
 JfU air and Jtre^ ivhich made his 
 
 I'erJ'cs clear ; 
 For that fine tnadnrjs Jtill he did 
 
 retain, 
 jrhich rightly Jljoidd pojjlfi a poet's 
 
 hrain. 
 
 Mr. Marloe came to nn \in:ime- 
 !y end, falling a vidtim to the 
 pioft torturing paffion of the hu- 
 pan breait, jealouly. For, being 
 deeply in love with a iMrl of a low 
 flation, he found himleif rivalled 
 
 ■ by a fellow in livery, who, as 
 Wood informs us, h.id more the 
 appearance of a piipp than a man 
 formed for the tendtr and gener- 
 "ous pafiion of love. IMarloe find- 
 ing the Fellow with his miArefs, 
 
 • and having feme reafons to Aifpcd 
 that fhegrantea him favours, dreiv 
 
 Ma dagger, a weapon at that time 
 moll univerfally worn, and rufli- 
 ed on him to Aab him ; but the 
 footman, being nimble, warded oiF 
 the impending flroke, and, feizing 
 hold of Marloe's wrift, turned the 
 fatal point, and plunged the poig. 
 nard into its mafler's head, of 
 which wound, notwithftanding all 
 poflible care being taken of him, 
 he died foon after, in the year 
 
 '593' 
 
 Wood confiders this cataftrophc 
 as an i.iimediate judgment on the 
 up happy fuf{i:rer for his blafphe- 
 mies and impiety j for he tells us 
 that Marloe, prefuming upon hi* 
 own little wit, choughr proper to 
 praAife the moft epicurean in> 
 dulgence and openly profcfTed 
 atheifm ; that he denied God our 
 haviour; blafphemed the adora" 
 ble Trinity ; and, as it was re« 
 ported, wrote feveral difcourfes 
 againfl; it ; affirming our Saviour 
 to be a deceiver, the facred fcrip- 
 tures to contain nothing but idle 
 llor:?s, and all religion to be a de- 
 vice of policy and prieftcraft. 
 
 This charader, if juft, is fuch a 
 one, as fliould induce us to look 
 back with contempt and pity on 
 the memory of the perfon who 
 poilelled it, and recall to our mind 
 that inimitable fentiment of the 
 great and good Dr. Young, in his 
 Complaint : 
 
 When I behold a genius bright and 
 
 bafe, 
 Of tow'ring talents^ </«</terref- 
 
 trial aims ; 
 Me thinks I fce^ as thro^Mit from her 
 
 high Jphcre, 
 The glorious fragments of a foul 
 
 immortal^ 
 With ruhhijh mix'df and glittering 
 
 in the tlifl% 
 
 I would, however, rather wifli to 
 take this charafter with fome de- 
 gree of abatement, and, allowing 
 that Mr. Marloe might be inclina- 
 
 [)lc 
 
M A 
 
 t 301 ] 
 
 M A 
 
 ble to free-thinking, yet that he 
 could not run to the unhappy 
 lengths he is reported to have 
 done, efpecially as the time he 
 lived in was a period of bigotry ; 
 and that, even in thefe calmer 
 times of controverfy, we find a 
 great aptnefs in perfons, who differ 
 in opinion with regard to the fpe- 
 culative points of religion, either 
 wilfully or from the millaking of 
 terms, to tax each other with 
 deifm, herefy, and even atheifm, 
 on even the moil trivial tenets, 
 which have the lead appearance of 
 being unorthodox. 
 
 But, to quit his charadler in a 
 religious view, let us now confider 
 him as a poet, and in this light 
 he muft be allowed to have had 
 great merit. His turn was entirely 
 to tragedy, in which kind of writ- 
 ing he has left the fix following 
 teltimonials of his abilities : 
 
 1. TambirlaiHethtGrtat.T. two 
 Parts. 4to. 159c. 
 
 2. Edvjardlh T. 4tO. 1598. 
 5. The Majfacrc of Paris. T. 
 
 8vo. N. D. 
 
 4. The Tragical Htfiorie of Dr. 
 Fauftus. 4to. 1616. 
 
 5. The Jeiv of Malta. T. 4to. 
 1633. 
 
 6. Ltt^*s Dominion ; or. The Laf- 
 civious I^een, T. i2mo. i66t. 
 He alfo joined will) Na(h, in the 
 writing a play, called 
 
 DiJof ^ccn of Carlhagey 410. 
 
 1594- 
 
 and had begun a very fine poem, 
 
 called Hero and Lean Jer, which was 
 
 afterwards finifhed by Chapman, 
 
 though not with the fame fpirit 
 
 and invention that its author had 
 
 begun it with. 
 
 He alfo joined with Day, in 
 
 T6e Shepherds Holyday. 
 
 Marmion,Shakerley. This 
 writer, v/ho flaurifhcd in the reign 
 of Charles I. was born in the here* 
 ditary manfion-houfe of his fa* 
 mily at Ayiihoe in Northamp- 
 
 ton (hire, about t^e beginning of 
 January 1603. When a boy he 
 was pnt to fchool at Thamf in 
 Oxfordfhire, from whence, at about 
 the age of fixteen, he was re-- 
 moved to Wadham College, Ox- , 
 ford, where he was entered firfl as 
 .1 gentleman commoner, and after- 
 wards, in 1624, took his degree of 
 mailer of arts. 
 
 Anthony Wood fays, that he was 
 " a goodly proper gentleman, and 
 '* had once in his polfeffion feven 
 *' hundred pounds per annum at. 
 ** leaft." The whole of this am- 
 ple fortune he diflipated ; after 
 which he went into the Low Coun- 
 tries, but not meeting with pro- 
 motion according to hisexpet^a-. 
 tion, he returned to England, and 
 was admitted one of the troop 
 raifed by Sir John Suckling for th« 
 ufe of king Charles I. ia his ex- 
 pedition againft the Scots in the 
 year 1639; but falling fick at 
 York, he returned to London, 
 where he died in the fame year. 
 
 Mr. Marmlon is not a volumi- 
 nous writer; yet I cannot help 
 confidering him as one of the belt 
 among the dramatic authors of 
 that time. His plots are ingeni- 
 ous, his charaoers well drawn, 
 and his language not only eafy 
 and dramatic, but full of lively 
 wit, and folid underilanding. He 
 left only four -plays behind him, 
 one of which, viz. The Anti- 
 quary^\% to be feen among Dodfley's 
 Old Plays, vol. X. The titles of 
 his pieces are, 
 
 I. Holland's Leaguer, C< 4(0* 
 1632. 
 
 a. Fine Companion, C. 4t0>t633^ 
 
 3. jtntiquaiy, C. 4to. 1641. 
 
 4. Tlje Cr^y Merchant j or, The 
 Souldier*d Citizen. C. N. P. 
 Philips and Winftanley, according 
 to their ufual cullom of fathering 
 anonymous plays on tvy authors 
 that they think proper to find out 
 to: them, have attributed to JVIr. 
 
 Marmioa 
 
 *» 
 
IM A 
 
 t 302 1 
 
 Bi A 
 
 Martnion a play which is nbt his, 
 nor bears any refemblance tb his 
 manner of writing, entitled, 
 
 The Faithful Shepherd. 
 
 Marsh, Charles. This gen- 
 tleman is a living author, and now 
 afts as a juftice of peace tor the li- 
 berty of Weftminfier. He was for- 
 merly a bookfeller in Round-Court 
 and at Charing Crofs, but was ori- 
 ginally clerk to the chapel in 
 Duke-ftreet, Weftminfier. 
 
 He is the author and alterer of 
 the fbllowing three plays. 
 
 t. Amajis King cf Egypt. T. 
 8vo. 1738. 
 
 2. Cymhcline. altered, Svo. 175;. 
 
 3. fhe iVintcr's Talc. A play 
 altered, 8vo. 1756. 
 
 4. Romeo and Juliet. T. altered, 
 N. P. 
 
 MARStoN, John. Ofthi^etni- 
 nent poer, who flourilhed in the 
 reigns of queert Elizabeth and 
 king James I. but tew ciicum- 
 ftances remain on record. Wood 
 only informs us that he was a ilu- 
 dent in Corpus Chrifti Colitge Ox- 
 ford, but hr,s neither fixed the 
 place of his birth, lior the family 
 trom which he wais defcended ; 
 and Langbaine tells us, that he 
 was able to recover no farther in- 
 formation of him than what he 
 had learned from the tefiitnony of 
 his bookfeller ; and, as that relates 
 only to the merit of his writings, 
 it is little more than what might 
 have been gathered from the pe- 
 rufal of his works, viz. that he 
 was a chaile and pure writer, 
 Avoiding all that ohfcenii; , ribal- 
 dry, and fcurrility, which to6 
 toany of the play-wrights of that 
 time, and indeed much more fo in 
 fome periods fince, have made the 
 bafis of their wit, to the great dif- 
 grace and fcandal of the flage. 
 That he abhorred fuch writers and 
 their works, and purfued fo oppo- 
 fite a praftice in his own pevtorm- 
 ances^ th«t '* whatfoeVe^ sven in 
 
 " the fprln?^ of his years he pr^- 
 *' fented upon the private and pub" 
 '' lie tht-aire, in his auiunin and 
 " declining aj^e he needed not to 
 " be afhamcd o .'' 
 
 Mis plays arc eight in number, 
 and their titles as follow, viz. 
 
 1. Jiito/iio and Mcllida. IlifJ. 
 4to. 1602. 
 
 2 . Antonio's Revenge. Trag. 4 to, 
 itoz. 
 
 3 . Jnfatinie Cotnitrfs, T. 410. 1 603. 
 Maiecflntenl. T- C. 410. 1604. 
 Dutch Courtezan. C. 4 to. 1 60 q; 
 
 4- 
 
 5- 
 
 0. Rarafitnjlcr, Ccm. 410. 1606. 
 
 7. Sophofiijla, Trag. 410. i6c6. 
 
 8. Mbatycu'ivill, C. 4to. i6o7< 
 It is evident that Marllon muii 
 
 have lived in friendfhip wiih Ben 
 Jonton at the time of his writing 
 t!ie Makcnnteut^ which play he l.as 
 Vvarnily dedicated to him ; yet it is 
 probable that Ben's fclf-lufficicncy 
 and natural arrogance mi^ht in 
 time leflen that friendlhip, as we 
 afterwards find our author, in his 
 epillle to the reader prefixed to his 
 Sophonijla^ calling fome very levcre 
 glances at the pedantry and pla- 
 giarifm of that poet, in borrowing 
 orations from Salliill iand other of 
 the cliiflical writers, and makin 
 ufe of them in his tragedies 
 Sijanus and Cataline. Ben Jonfon 
 told Drummond of Hawthornden, 
 that he had fought feveral times 
 with Marllon, and faid that Mar- 
 flon wrote his father-in-Iavv's 
 preachings, and his father in-law 
 his comedies. IVlarflon alfo wrote 
 fome excellent fatirej, called, The 
 Scourge of Villainy^ I 599- 
 
 The exaft period of Marfton's 
 death is not known, but he was 
 certainly living in 1633. As a 
 fpecimen of his poetry, Mr. Dod- 
 fley has republidied the Maleconteni 
 in his Colleftion, vol. IV. 
 
 MARf YNjBtNJAMINjEfq. ThiS 
 
 author \Vas nephew to Mr. Edward 
 Martyn, rhetoric proftlfor of Gre- 
 iham College, and fen of Richard 
 
 Martyn^ 
 
M A 
 
 t 'i03 ^ 
 
 M A 
 
 years he pr^-' 
 ivate and pub" 
 > auiumn and 
 needed not lo 
 
 ht in number, 
 low, via, 
 Mcllula. \Mi 
 
 gc. Trag. 410, 
 
 }. T. 410.1603. 
 . C. 410. 1604. 
 h. C ^ to. 1 60 5; 
 !tim. 4to. i5o6. 
 •ag. 410. i6g6. 
 
 C. 4to. 1607. 
 
 Marllon mult 
 dfliip with Ben 
 of his writing 
 icli play he l.as 
 ) him ; yet it is 
 
 rclt-!ufiicitncy 
 mce mij^ht in 
 endlhip, as we 
 
 auihor, in his 
 
 prefixed to his 
 3me very levcre 
 antry and pla- 
 , ill borrowing 
 ill and other of 
 s, and makin 
 
 "o? 
 
 is tragedies 
 
 Ben Jonfon 
 Hawthornden, 
 t feveral times 
 faid that Mar- 
 father-in-law's 
 s father in-law 
 flon alfo wrote 
 ■es, called, The 
 
 599- 
 
 d of Marfton's 
 
 n, but he was 
 1633. As a 
 
 etry, Mr. Dod- 
 the Malecontenl 
 
 \io\. IV. 
 MiNjEfq. This 
 to Mr. Ldward 
 
 rotHror of Gre- 
 
 fon of Richard 
 
 Martyn, a gentleman of a Wilt- 
 Ihire tamily, who had been a linen- 
 draper, was afterwards made a 
 commiifioner of the ilampduties 
 by lord GoJolphio, and died at 
 Buenos Ayres, to which place he 
 went as agent for the SoUth-Sea 
 company. The prefent writer was 
 liis eldert fon, and was very aitive 
 and inlirumental in eltiiblifhing 
 the colony of Georgia (of which 
 he has publilhed an account) 
 about the year 1733, when a io- 
 ciety of noblemen and gentlemen 
 w;ii> formed for that purpofe, to 
 wliich he fome time afted as fecre- 
 tary. He was alfo examiner of the 
 ODt-ports in the cullom houfe, and 
 died, as I am irilormed, aboui No- 
 vember 1763. He wrote one play 
 only, called, 
 
 Ti'noleon. T. 8vo. 1730. 
 
 Mason, John, lived in ihe time 
 of king James I. and in the early 
 part or that reign publilhed one 
 dramatic piece, which he has en- 
 tiil-d, 
 
 Mdli'djls the Turk. A worthy 
 tragedy. 4(0. 1610. 
 Whethfr it merits the title of trar- 
 tl>y I cannot pretend to determine, 
 but ic is evident that the author 
 had himf-ilf a very high opinion of 
 its worth, from the foiluwing motto 
 which he has tixed to it, quoted 
 from Horace, viz, 
 
 Sumc Suterhlant ijuajltam meritis. 
 
 He is fuppofed to have been of 
 Catherine Hall Cambridge, and to 
 hiVe taken the degree of B. A. 
 there in 160ft. 
 
 Mason, WitLiAM. This gen- 
 tleman is one of the few authors 
 who is intitled to the applaufe of 
 the world, as well for the virtues 
 of his heart as for the excellence 
 of his writings. He is the fon. of 
 a cl«r>/yman who h^d the living 
 0! Hull, in Yorkfhire, where our 
 Rtithor was bora about the y^At 
 
 1726. He was admitted of St. 
 John's College Cambridge, where 
 he tiiolc his degrees of B. A. anAM. 
 A. and his poetical genius in the year 
 1747 procured him a fellowfhip in 
 Pembroke-Hall, which, however, 
 he did not obtain polfeffion of 
 without fome litigation. In the 
 year 1754, he entered into holy 
 orders, and was patronized by the 
 late earl of Holdernclfe, who pro- 
 cured him a chaplainOiip to hit 
 nlajelh', and gave him the valua- 
 ble redoiy ot Arton, in Yoikfliire, 
 where he now chie'ly refides, and 
 which he has made a deligh.ful 
 retirement. He is alfo piei.entor 
 at York. He married a young 
 lady of a good tamily and amia- 
 ble chavai^tcr, but ofaconfump- 
 tive conilitution, which foon de- 
 prived hiiu of her at Erillol Welts, 
 as appears by her elegant epitaph 
 in that cathedral. Mr. Mafoo at 
 prefent exerts himfcif as a poli- 
 tician in the county where he 
 refides, and feems to have been 
 very aftlve in iormine^ the afio- 
 ciation cltubhflied there. He was 
 the pubiifher of his friend Mi. 
 Gray's works, and the author of 
 
 1. Elfrida. I). P. 4to. 1752. ; 
 This was altered by Mr. Colmsn 
 
 in 1772, without the author's con- 
 fent, and performed at Covent- 
 Garden ; and again, in 1779, by 
 Mr. Mafon himlelf, aiid adtid on 
 the fime llage. 
 
 2. Carattacui. D. P. 4to. lyf^. 
 'i'his was altered by ]Mr. Maiba 
 
 himlelf in J776, and perfoiintd at 
 Covent-Garden. 
 
 Mr. Mafon is faid to have writ- 
 ten a Mafque callcJ, Cnpld ant 
 Ffyche ; which 'has been fet to 
 mufick by Giardini, but not yet 
 afted. 
 
 The comr^endation bcftoweil 
 on Klfiida and Carsifiacus In thcjr 
 original form, have been fecondei 
 by an t'(|ual degree of appUufs 
 
 iiiice 
 
M A 
 
 t 304 1 
 
 M A 
 
 lince they were adapted to the 
 llage. The firll is perhaps the 
 moil finifhed, the fecond the mod 
 Urikjng performance. The trath 
 of hiftory, in regard to the ton- 
 teiled fair-one, has been violated. 
 In refpeft to the haidy veteran it 
 has been preferved. In the former, 
 the flory is domellic, and we re 
 interefled only for the diftre^'s of 
 Athelwold and his wife. Jr t' 
 latter, the events involve tl fa ^ 
 of our own country, while wunder 
 and pity are alternately engaged 
 by the diiFerent Htuations of 
 Caraflacus, Elidurus, Arviragus, 
 snd Evelina. The condu£l of 
 Elfrid and her huiband, being not 
 nntini^ared with childilhnefs and 
 deceit, comj,jratively fpeaking, 
 can operate' but weakly on our 
 compaiuon. The Britifh heroes 
 and heroine, being uniformly great 
 and irreproachable, always com- 
 mand the attention they deferve. 
 In the perfon of Athelwold, the 
 betrayer of his prince's confidence 
 is julUy puniflied ; but that event 
 is communicated to us only through 
 the cold medium of relation. By 
 the future felt-denials of his wi- 
 dow, we are as flightiy moved, for 
 thefe are to be ranked with vo- 
 luntary penances, and do not take 
 place till after the cu'-tain has 
 dropped on our expectations. In 
 CaraAacus the final detiiny of the 
 furviyors is more natural, decifive, 
 afiid {Litisfadlory. When Elfrida 
 takes leave of us, our thoughts will 
 Iponianeoufly turn on tlie dif- 
 ficulties attending the obfervance 
 of her vow, a comic, yet an ir- 
 refiltibleidea. But when the aged 
 chief and his daughter are led 
 away in chnins frooi ihe dead body 
 of a Ton and brother, our tears and 
 admiration accompany their de- 
 panure, while a eleafing hope fug- 
 jrefts itfelf that Eve'ina will find 
 a.^)roteAor ia the ycurg Brigan* 
 
 tinn prince, and that her fathef^i 
 captivity will tend only to exalt 
 the former greatnefs of his cha* 
 rafter. — The chorufes in the firft 
 of thefe ■ dramas, though highly 
 ethick and poetical, fofe fome- 
 what of their weight, being pro- 
 nounced by lemalcb without fpe- 
 cific offices or character*. Thefe 
 ladies indeed <ippear to talk and 
 fing, only becaufs they have no 
 other occupation. From the ve* 
 nerable fons of Mona, who arc 
 material agents throughout the 
 fecond piece, the like efFufions of 
 fancy and in(lru£lion proceed with 
 fingular propriety. They are bards 
 by profeiTiont and the delivery of 
 religious and moral truths is their 
 immediate province. At the fame 
 time we ihould add, that the ly 
 lick parts in Eljiida contain lefs 
 objedionable pailages than thofe 
 in CuraBacus. If they never rife 
 to the fublimity that diilinguiflies 
 the ode beginning 
 
 Hark ! heard ye not yon foot* 
 ilep dread } 
 
 they never defcend into the almoft 
 burlefque llrain of 
 
 — — • and fweep and fwing 
 Above, below, around } 
 
 phrafes which ferve only to awa- 
 ken a train of as mean and ludi* 
 crous ideas as Mr.ColmanS threat* 
 ened chorus of Grecian wafher- 
 women could have excited. — The 
 real beauties, however, of both 
 thefe performances, fo fuccefsfully 
 predominate over every feeming 
 imperfeftion they may betray, that 
 on a review of what we have writ" 
 ten, we fcarcely think our remarks 
 to the difadvantage of either de- 
 ferve confideration. 
 
 Massinckr, Phimp. This 
 excellent poet was fou to Mr. I'hi- 
 lip Maffinger, a gcntltnian uho 
 had fome employment under the 
 
 carl 
 
 i 
 
M K 
 
 I 3«^S 1 
 
 M A 
 
 ver, of both 
 
 farliof Montgomery, in wtiofe {er- 
 vice he died, after having fpent 
 ffvirral happy years in his family. 
 Our author was born at Salilbury 
 in queen Elizabeth's reign, anno 
 1^84, and at the age of eighteen 
 was entered a fellow-commoner of 
 S'. Alb.in's Hall, in ©xford, in 
 •vMch llation he remained three or 
 four years, in order to compleat 
 his educatiori. Yet, though he 
 was encouragett in the purfuit of 
 Ills rtudies by His father's patron, 
 ihe earl of Pembrokie, the natural 
 bent of his genius leading hira 
 niuch more to poetry and polite 
 li:eratnre,' than 10 dryer and more 
 ab.lrufe Audies of logic and phi- 
 lofophy; andj being impatient for 
 Si opportunity of moving in a 
 more public fphere of adlion, and 
 improving his poetical fancy and 
 his knowledge of the Bc&s Lr/cci^ 
 by converfation with the world, 
 aid an intercoilrfe with men of 
 wit and geniu--', he quitted the 
 univerfity without taking any de- 
 I gree, and came up to London, 
 Where, applying himfelf to writing 
 for the ftage, he prefently rofe 
 into high reputation) his plays 
 meeting wiih the univcrfal appro- 
 bition of the public, both for the 
 puricy of their ftile, and the in- 
 genuity and osconomy of their 
 Ulots, Though his pieces befpeak 
 •iim a man of the firft-rate abili- 
 ties, and well qualified both as to 
 learning and A moft perteft ac-> 
 quaintance with the methods of 
 Nratnatic waitings, yet he was at 
 I the fame time a perfon of the moll 
 jtonfummate modefty, which ren- 
 l^tfed him extremely beloved by 
 jsilhis contemporary poets, few of 
 If'liom but what eHeemed i\ as an 
 llifnour to join with him in the 
 Itompofition of their work?. The 
 jpiect-s he has left behind him are 
 |ai follow : 
 Vol, I. 
 
 Jia/Ijful Lover. C. 8vo. 
 Guardian. C. II. 8vo, 
 Very IFoma^. T. d 8vo« 
 
 T. Plrgln Martyr, T. (affifted 
 by Decker.) 4to. 1622. 
 
 2. Duke of Mila^u T. 4t0. 162J. 
 
 3. B:n<^ Jian, T. 4to. 1624. 
 
 4. i^nman AHor, T. 4to. 1629. 
 
 5. Rentgadoi T. C. 410. 16 30. 
 
 6. Piclure. T. C. 4to. 1630. 
 
 7. Emperor of the Eaft. ■ T. C. 
 4to. 1634. 
 
 S. Maid 0/ Honour. T. C. 410, 
 1632. 
 
 g. Fatal DKi*^y. T. 4t0. l6jj. 
 (Affilted by Field.) 
 
 ro. Ne-iv //■■'ay to pay old Debts. 
 C. 4to. 1633. 
 
 11. Gn-at Dulce of Florence, C« 
 4to. 16^6. 
 
 12. Unnatural Comlat, T. 4to« 
 1639. 
 
 14. 
 
 /^ 
 10? q, 
 
 16. OldLrrM. C. (Allifted by 
 Rowley and Middleton.) 410. 1656, 
 
 17- City Madam. C. 410, 1659. 
 
 Befides thcfc jueces which are • 
 printed, he was the author of 
 
 1. ne Nol>/e Choice i or, 7/jf 
 Orator. 
 
 2. T/je Wandering Lovers', or^ 
 Tie Painter. 
 
 3. Toe ItaUf.n Nig/jt-pUce \ or. 
 The Unfntun^Je Piety, 
 
 4. The ""yudge ; or^ Believe asyon 
 Lijl. 
 
 5. The Prifoner- ; or, The Fair 
 Aitc/jo- efs. T. C. 
 
 6. -The Spanijlo Ficerty \ or, 7^* 
 Hjnour of/f'^oman. C* 
 
 7. Mi nervals Sacrijice \ or, 7h: 
 Forc'd Lady. T. 
 
 8. 7he 'fyrant. ^. 
 
 9. Philei2%o.nnd iiippoUta. 'T. Q ■ 
 
 10. Antorni) ■niij Vallia. G. ■ ,■ 
 
 1 1 . Fnfc and V/'cbomi, C, 
 
 Of thei'e the full feven wore en* 
 
 tercl in ihe books of the St:icioiu;r!.' 
 
 X V - , Companr 
 
M A 
 
 C 306 I 
 
 U A 
 
 Company by Mr. Mofely, Septem- 
 ber 9, 1653, and the r6ni»ining 
 four by the fame perfon, 29 June, 
 ^66o'. 
 
 Thofe marked 1, 4, 6, 7, ?, 0, 
 
 10, and rty were in the poflelliot 
 of Mr. VVarbu.Ton, SomerrftHe-' 
 raid, and deftroyed throu!,ti the 
 ignorance of his fervant. 
 
 Alinoll all the writers agree very 
 nearly in their accounts of the 
 time of his birth ; but Coxetcr's 
 MS. points out a miftake in the 
 ara of his death, which he make; 
 to have happened in March 1639, 
 in which he is fupported by the 
 authority of Wcod^s Athen. Cxou. 
 whereas Lanjjbaine and Jacob, and 
 after them Vhincop and Gibber, 
 have plactxl in it 1669. Coxetei, 
 however, fecmsto .li?ve the greater 
 apparert pcobybiliiV on his <;de', 
 both wuh a coi,!i'c'erauon of the 
 very great agt;,. (m. 
 that he rnVift Lave lived to, ac- 
 cording to the latter fuppofition, 
 ind moreover from the epitaph 
 Written on him by Sir Afton Coc- 
 kaioj in wdiicb he is faid to be 
 buried in the very fame grave with 
 Fletcher, who died in \6i^; and 
 tvhich, had there been a diftancc 
 of forty-four years between their 
 refpeftive departures,-- it is proba- 
 ble would have beetf a circum- 
 il'ance fcar<^e]y known, and mueh 
 lefs worth recording.- 
 
 There is one thing, howefcr, 
 fomewhat un:ic:ountable, which 
 IS, that Chetwood, who, in his 
 double capacity of bookfeller and 
 
 he Kvas horn in 1 578, anJ Jifitiit 
 1659, in the %\fi year of bis age. 
 
 It is, however, univerfally agreed, 
 that his bo(.ly was buried in the 
 church-) ard of St'. Savioiir^s, South- 
 wark, and that he was ;n£er,d?:i 10 
 the grave by all the coKiedkns 
 then in town.- His deanh v s^ fud- 
 den ; and thtf place of i'; ri:;. owfr 
 houfe, near to the play-hoatie, »n 
 the Bai:k Sidi", South wrrk, r'liC 
 he went to bed in good health, 
 and was foun^^' dead ihc next 
 morn ]«}>,. 
 
 Checu'ood tt% M, tbat he had' 
 feen in MS. 
 
 Believe <!s you iJji, written by 
 Mr. Maffi.!ger,; 
 and that it h.-d the following 
 cence, fi?j[ned by lord Herbety who j 
 Was mafler 6f the levels in king 
 Charles Ps reign, viz. 
 
 This play, called Believe at jou 
 8^ years) Lijl, may be afted this 6th of May 
 1631. Henry Herbert.! 
 
 And now, it is but a piece of 
 juftice due to the nremory of this 
 very great man, to make fome lit- 
 tle farther mention of his nlerir, 
 which feems ill good meafure to 
 havie been bufFied ia obfcurity, and 
 forgotten annongfl: the extenfivel 
 number of writers of the htaft pe- 
 riod, whofe afhes it was not wortlil 
 awakening or calling fbrth from I 
 the caverns of oblivion. But Wheal 
 we cunfider how long many ofl 
 thofe pieces, even of the immortatl 
 Shakfpeare himfclf, which are nowl 
 the greateft ornaments of the pre- 
 fent ffa£;e, lay by negleSed, al- 
 
 prompter, had great opportunities, though they wanted no mote than 
 and indeed wanted not curiofity, a judicious pruning of fonie few 
 to enquire into thofe affairs, has, ' . , . . « 
 
 in his Britijl) Theatre, varied from 
 j\ll the other writers in both the 
 beginning and end of his mortal 
 exitlence; and, without afiigning 
 any anthority but his own ipfe 
 clixit^ has pofuively afTcitcd that^ 
 
 luxuriances, fome little AragglingJ 
 branches, which over-huiig thel 
 f.iirer flowers, and hid fotne ofl 
 the choiceft fruits, it 19 tlie leffl 
 to be wondered that thfs author,! 
 who, though fecond, iUiids not 
 more ihatt fecond to him^ Ihoulil 
 
i 
 
 lj2, and Jif^iit 
 car of his age. 
 I iverfally agreed, 
 s buried in the 
 Saviour's, Souti\- 
 was jittendeil lo 
 I the coRsedknj 
 is daash V'S,4 fud- 
 ace p( i'i "i";". owtt 
 5 play-houie, im 
 oufhwprk, w-i«e 
 in good health, 
 dead the next 
 
 1 tM, tbat he had' 
 
 /.//if, v.'ritten by 
 ;cr.. _ -,^ 
 
 the following h- |j 
 lordHerbertywho 
 !he revels in king 
 1, viz. 
 
 tiled Believe as jou 
 sd this 6th of May 
 Ienry Herbert. 
 is but a piece of 
 he wemory of this 
 , to make fomelit- 
 lion of his rterit, 
 good meafure to 
 d m cbfcurity, and 
 gfi; the extenfive 
 *s of the fan).e pe- 
 es it was not worm 
 calling forth' from 
 iblivion. But When 
 ow long many of 
 ^en of the immortal 
 felf, which are now 
 aments of the pre- 
 by megleSed, al« 
 inted nomortthan 
 uning of forte few 
 me little (traggling 
 cb over-hnng thej 
 and hid fotne of| 
 uits, it i? t6e lef* 
 that thfs author, 
 fecond, lUiidJ no 
 md 10 hiro> ftouM 
 iha! 
 
 M A 
 
 C 307 3 
 
 M A 
 
 {hare Tor a while tbs fame def- 
 
 tiny- 
 Thole who ate unacquainted 
 
 with Maflinger's writings will, 
 perhaps, be furpriz^d to find one 
 plac'r? him in an equal rank with 
 Beairrsont and Fletcher, and the 
 imnvjri-l Ben ; but I flatter my- 
 felf i'. . if they will but give 
 ihen/f ! js the trouble of perufing 
 hii piays, their adonifhment will 
 ceafe, chat they will acquiefce with 
 me in my opinion, and think 
 themfeh'cs obliged to me for point- 
 ir;; out 'o them Co vaft a treafury 
 cf entertainment and delight. 
 
 tvlalfinger has certainly equal 
 invention, equal ingenuity, in the 
 condud of his plots, and an equal 
 knowledge of charader and nature, 
 with Beaumont and Fletcher; and 
 if ir (hould be objected that he 
 has lefs of the vis comU-a^ it will 
 furely be allowed that that defi* 
 ciency is amply made amends for 
 by that purity and decorum which 
 he has preferved, and a rejedlion 
 of that loofenefs and obfcenity 
 which runs through moll of their 
 comedies. As to Ben Jonfon, I 
 (hall readily allow that he excels 
 this author with refpedt to the 
 lludied accuracy and claflical cor- 
 teftnefs of his ftile ; yet Maffinger 
 has fo greatly the fuperiority of 
 him in f re, pathos, and the fancy 
 and management of his plots, that 
 I cannot help thinking the ba- 
 lance ftands pretty even between 
 them. 
 
 Maflinger's works have been 
 twice republifhed in four volumes 
 8vo. viz. in 1761 and 1779. ^^ 
 is to be lamented that more jurtice 
 was not done him by the editors 
 on each of thefe occafions. 
 
 Maurice Thomas. This gen- 
 tleman was formerly of Univerfity 
 College, Oxford. He is now cu- 
 rate of VVoodfoid, in EfTex, and 
 hath tranflatcd, • ■ ,• .*• 
 
 Oedipus lyrannus of Sophecks'm 
 
 1779- 
 
 Printed in a quarto volume of 
 poems publifhed in that year. 
 
 Maxwell, John. The title- 
 pages of this author's pieces be- 
 fpeak htm an object of pity. He 
 is there faid to be blind, and from 
 the fubfcriptions at the end of 
 each we may conclude that he was 
 poor. He was an inhabitant, and 
 probably a native, of York, where 
 the following plays were printed, 
 
 1. 7he Rttyai Captive. T. 8vo. 
 
 •74^ 
 
 2. 'The Loves of Prince Emiliui 
 
 and Louifa. 8vo. 17$$. 
 
 3. the Djfirefed Virgin, T. 8vo. 
 1761. 
 
 May, Thomas, Efq; was both 
 a poet and an hiilorian, and flou- 
 rimed in the reigns of James I. 
 and Charles I. He was born in 
 the year 1^95, and was the fon of 
 Sir Thomas May, of an ancient, 
 but fomewhat declining family, in 
 the ( ounty of SufTex. He received 
 his education in the univerfity of 
 Cambridge, where he was entered 
 a fellow-commoner of Sidney Col- 
 lege ; during his refidence at 
 which place, he applied very cloli: 
 to his iludies, and acquired that 
 fund of learning of which his va- 
 rious works give fuch apparent 
 teflimony. From thence he re- 
 moved to London, and frequently 
 made his appearance at court, 
 where he contracted the friend- 
 fhip, and obtained the efteem, of 
 feveral perfons of fafliiQfi and dif- 
 tindion, more (.'fpeciaUy with the 
 accompliflied Endymion Porter 
 Efq; one of the gentlemen of thrt 
 bed-chatnher to the king ; a per- 
 fon fo dearly valued by Sir William 
 D'Avenant, that he has ftilcd him 
 Lord of his Maje and Heart, 
 
 On the death of Ben Jonfon in 
 
 1637, Mr. May flood candidate 
 
 fcr the vacant laurel, in cOmpe- 
 
 X 2 ticioa 
 
M A 
 
 [ 3o3 ] 
 
 M A 
 
 titlonwUhSirWilliam D'Avcnant ; 
 but the latter carrying the day, 
 our author was fo extremely cx- 
 afperated at his (iifappointment, 
 that, rotwithHanding he had hi- 
 therto been a zealous courtier, yet, 
 through rcfcntmcnt to the queen, 
 to whofe interell he imagined Sir 
 William was indebted for hia fuc- 
 cefs, he commenced a violent and 
 inveterate enemy to the king's 
 party, and became not only an 
 advocate, but hiilorian for the par- 
 liament. In that hiflorv, how- 
 ever, he has (hewn entirely the 
 fpleen of a malecontent, and in- 
 deed it is fcarcely poflible it fliould 
 happen otherwise, iince it is ap* 
 parent that he efpoufed the parcv 
 merely through pique and refent- 
 meut, and not from any pubtic- 
 fpirited principles ; and confe- 
 tjuently, that, had he hapjiened to 
 have obtained the bays, it is rea- 
 fonable to fuppofe he would, with 
 equal warmth, have efpoufed and 
 fupported the royal caufe, as un- 
 der his prefent circumfiances he 
 did the republican. 
 
 Lord Clarendon^ with whom he 
 was intimately acquainted, fays, 
 *' That his father fpent the for- 
 '♦ tunc which he was born to, fo 
 *' that he had only an annuity 
 «• left him not proportionable to 
 •♦ a liberal education ; yet, fince 
 " his fortune could not raife his 
 ** mind, he brought his mind down 
 •' to his fortune, by a great mo- 
 " delly and humility in his na- 
 *' ture, which was not afFcAed, 
 *' but very well became an im- 
 ** perfeftiori in his fpeech, which 
 " was a great mortification to 
 "him, and kept him from enter- 
 ** ing '-pon any difcourfe but in 
 •' the company of his very friends. 
 •* His parts. of nature and art were 
 «« very good, as appears by his 
 *' tranflation of Lucan (none of 
 \* the eafieft work of that kind), 
 
 ro: 
 
 " ai5d more I?^ his Supplement ro 
 " Lucan, \vhicji, being entirely 
 •• his own, for the learning, the 
 " wit, and the langypge, mav b^ 
 •"vvfll looked upon as one of the 
 " left epic poems in the English 
 ♦» language. He writ forae oihcr 
 '• commendable pieces of the reign 
 «♦ of fpme of our kings. He was 
 " cheriflied by many perfons of 
 " honour, and very acceptable in 
 "all places; yet (to fliew that 
 *' pride and envy l\avc thbir in- 
 *' fluence upon the narroweft 
 *♦ minds, r.ad which have the 
 " greateft femblance of humility) 
 «' though he had received much 
 ** countenance, and a very con« 
 *' fiderable donative from the 
 " king, upon' his majeHy's refu- 
 *' fing to give him a fmall penfion, 
 *' which he had defigned and pro. 
 •' mifed to another very ingeni- 
 •' ous perfon, whofe qualities he 
 *• thought inferior to his own, he 
 " fell from his duty and all his 
 " former friends, and proftituted 
 '♦ himfelf to the vile office of ccle- 
 " brating the infamous ads of 
 *• thofe who were in rebellion 
 *' againft the king ; which he did 
 *' fo meanly, that he feemed to all 
 " men to have loft his wits when 
 •' he left his honefly; and fliortly 
 " after di?d raiferable anJ neg- 
 *' leded, and deferves to Jc for- 
 *' gotten.^'* 
 
 He died fuddenly, in the year 
 1650, and the 55th of his age; 
 for, going well to bed, he was 
 there found next morning dead, 
 occafioned, as fome fay, by tying 
 his nigh -cap too clofe under hij| 
 fat chin and cheeks, which choak- 
 ed him when he turned on tlie 
 other fide ; JWid, as Dr. Fuller ex- 
 pieflcs it, *' if he were himfelf* 
 " b'^'J/i'^ and partial writer, yet lie 
 " lieth buried near a good arai 
 " true hillorian indeed, viz. th 
 " great Mr, Williain Caniden, in | 
 
 " the I 
 
MA 
 
 i 309 3 
 
 MA 
 
 * die Weft fide of the South ifle 
 " of Weftftimller-Abbey." He 
 had a monument^ with a Latin in- 
 fcription, raifcd oycx him by or- 
 ^er of the p-irliament, who had 
 mnde him their hiltoriographer. 
 But, before his body had relied 
 there eleven years, it was taken up 
 (with other bodies that had been 
 depofited therefrom 1641 till the 
 Reiloration) and buried in a large 
 pic in the church-yard belonging 
 to St. Margaret's Weftminller. A^ 
 the fame time his naonument alio 
 was taken down and thrown aiide, 
 and in the place of it was fet up 
 that of Dr. Thomas Triplet, anno 
 1670. 
 
 Though the circumftance above- 
 mentioned in regard to king Charles 
 feems to fpeak him fomewhat opi- 
 nionated, and jealous of the re- 
 fped due to his own merits, yet 
 we mud allow fomewhat for the 
 frailty of human nature, arid even 
 his enemies cannot furely deny 
 him to have been a very good 
 poet. 
 
 His works are numerous ; but 
 thofe of the greateft note are, a 
 tranflation of Lucan*s Pharfalia, 
 together with a continuation of 
 it, in feven books, both in Latin 
 and Englifh verl'e. He wrote 
 likewife an Hijloty of Henry II. 
 and the above-mentioned Hijlory 
 of the Parliament,, in profe. He 
 alfo wrote the five following plays, 
 viz. 
 
 1. Antigone, T. 8vo. 163 1, 
 
 2. The Heir. C. 4tO. 1633. 
 
 3. Agrippina^ Emprefs rf Rome. 
 T. i2n!0. 1639. 
 
 4. Cleopatra y S>uecn of Egypt. T. 
 i2mo. 1639. 
 
 5. OU Couple, C. 4to. 1658. 
 "The fecond and lall of thefe are 
 reprinted by Dodfley, in his Col- 
 kftion, to which is prefixed fome 
 fiiort account of the author, and 
 a very fevere epitaph written on 
 
 him in Latin, by one of the cavalier 
 party, which he had fo much 
 abufed. 
 
 Phillips and Winflanley have at- 
 tributed two other plays to this 
 author^ but without any regard co 
 chronology, the one of thetri hav- 
 ing been printed v/hen Mr. Mny 
 could not have been above three 
 years old, and the other, which was 
 written by Robert Green, a year 
 before he was boi n. The pieces 
 are, 
 
 I. fie OM Jnf*s Talc. C. 
 
 3. OrlaiiJi) Furio/o. C. 
 
 MAYt^E, Jasi'er, D. D, This 
 very learned and ingenious gentle- 
 man was born in 1604, the fecond 
 year of king Jnmes I's reign, at a 
 little market town called Hather- 
 leigh, in Devonlhire. He received 
 his education at Weftminfter-fchool, 
 where he continued till the age of 
 nineteen, when he was removed to 
 the univerfity of Oxford, where 
 he was admitted into Chrift Church 
 College in the rank of a Servitor ; 
 but in the enfuingyear, viz. 1634, 
 he was chofen into the number of 
 ftudents on that noble foundation., 
 Here he took his degree of batchelor 
 and mailer of arts, after which he 
 entered into orders, and was pre- 
 ferred to two livings in the gift of 
 the college, one of which was 
 fituated pretty near Oxford. It 
 does not, however, feem to have 
 been fo much the Dodor's own in- 
 clination that led him to the pul- 
 pit, as the folicitation of certain 
 perfons of eminence, who, on ac- 
 count of the figure he made at the 
 univerfity in the Itudy of arts and 
 fcicnces, and from an cfteem for 
 his abilities, which they were de- 
 firous of being enabled to reward, 
 urged him to go into orders. 
 
 On the breaking-out of the civil 
 wars, when king Charles I. was 
 obliged to fly lor fhelter to Ox- 
 ford, and kct'p his co;irt there, in 
 
 X 3 order 
 
I 3'o ] 
 
 W U A 
 
 Order to avoid the refentmcnt of 
 the populace in London, wher: 
 continual tumults were prevailing, 
 Mr. Mauie was made choice of, 
 among others, to preacfi before his 
 jnajelly. Soon after this, viz. in 
 1646, he was created doflor in 
 divinity, and refided at Oxford till 
 the time of the mock vifitation of 
 that univerfity by Oliver Crom- 
 well's creatures, when, with many 
 others, equally diftinguiftied for 
 their zeal and loyalty to the king, 
 .he was not only ejefled from the 
 college, but alfo deprived of both 
 Jiis livings. 
 
 During the rage of the '•ivil 
 war, he found an hofpitable reruge 
 in the family of the earl of Devon- 
 fhirc, where he continued till the 
 Tleiloration, when he was not only 
 relloied to his former benefices, 
 hut made one of the canons of 
 Chrill-Church, chaplain in ordi- 
 nary to his majefty, and archdeacon 
 of Chichefter ; all which prefer- 
 ments he kept till his death, which 
 happened on the 6th of December, 
 1672. He lies buried on the north 
 fjde of the choir in the cathedral of 
 Chiia-Church. 
 
 Dr. Moyne was held in very 
 high efteem both for his nacural 
 parts and his acquired accom- 
 pliihments. He was an orthodox 
 preacher, and a man of fevere vir- 
 tue ard exemplary behaviour, yet 
 ofartadyand facetious wit, and 
 a ve.v iino-ular turn of humour. 
 From fome Itories tiiat are related 
 of him, he feems to have borne 
 fome degree of refemblance in his 
 jnannev to the celebrated Dr. Swift ; 
 but, if he did not poffefs thofe very 
 brilliant parts that dillinguifhed 
 the Dean, he probably was lefs 
 fubjedl to that caprice and thofe 
 unaccountable whimfies, which at 
 times fo greatly eclipfed the abili- 
 ties of the latter. Yet there is one 
 anecdote related of him, which, al- 
 
 M E 
 
 though I cannot be of opinion tb«t 
 it reniAs any great honour to h!\n 
 memory, as it feems to carry fome 
 degree of cruelty with it, yet is it 
 a itrong mark of bis refemblance 
 to the Dean, and a proof that his 
 propenfity for drollery and joke 
 did not quit him even in his lately 
 moments. The Roty is this. The 
 doflor had an old fervant, who 
 had lived with him iome )car8, to 
 whnm he bequeathed an oM trunk, 
 in which he told him he uould 
 find fomething that 'Mould make h'u^ 
 drink after his death. The fervant, 
 full of expedlation that his mafter, 
 under this familiar exprefiion, had 
 left him fomewhat that would be a 
 reward for the afliduity of bis p?(t 
 fervices, as foon as decency woul4 
 permit, flew to the trunk, wheii 
 behold, to his great difappoint- 
 mcnt, the boa rted legacy proved 10 
 be — a red nrifig. 
 
 The doclor, however, bequeath- 
 ed many legacies by will to pious 
 ufes, particularly fifty pounds to. 
 wards the rebuilding of St. Paul's 
 cathedral, and two hundred pounds 
 to be diftributed to the poor of the 
 paridies of Caflington, and Pyrton 
 near Wattington, of both whith 
 places he had been vicar. 
 
 In his younger years he had an 
 attachment to poetry, and wrote 
 two plays, the lormer of which 
 m V be feen in the ninth volume of 
 Dodiley's Colleftion, viz. 
 
 1 . The City Match. C . folio 1 639. 
 
 2, j^morous IVar, T. C. 410. 
 
 Mead, Robert, M. D. was 
 born in Fleetflreet, London, in the 
 year 16 16. He received the firil 
 parts of education at Wetimin- 
 Iter fchool, from whence, in his 
 eighteenth year, he removed to 
 Oxford, and was elet-'kd a ftudent 
 of Chrift Church College in that 
 univerfity. As foon as he had 
 taken the degree of iliaftcrofarts, 
 
M E 
 
 t 311 ] 
 
 M E 
 
 )y>t]uUted his acadrmical (ludies, 
 and took up arms torkin^CUarlesI. 
 who gave him a captain's commif- 
 lion in the garrifon at Oxford. In 
 \I|iy .1^4^, <he was appointed, by 
 the governor thereof, one of the 
 commiffioners to treat with thofe 
 of the parliament concerning a fur^ 
 render, and in the next month was 
 lAually created a doAor of phy- 
 fic. 
 
 He followed Icing Charles Ti. 
 into France, and was fent by him 
 as an agent into Sweden. Soon 
 sdter this he returned to the place 
 of his nativity, died in the very 
 fame houfe in which he had been 
 born, on the 12th of Feb. 16^2, 
 St. 36, and lies buried in the 
 <;hurch of St. Dunftan's in the 
 Weft. 
 
 W'hile;he was an under-graduate 
 in the univerfity, he wrote one 
 play, which however <was never 
 publifhed till afior his deceafe. It 
 is entitled. 
 7'/je Combat of Lave anilFricndJ}}ip, 
 Com. 4tQ. 1654. 
 !lbillips has alfo, but without foun- 
 dation, attributed to this authbr an 
 anonymous piece, entitled, 
 
 Ue Coftly IVhore, A Comical 
 Hiilory, 410. 163 . 
 
 Medbourn, Matthew, an 
 after of confiderable eminence, 
 belonging to the duke of York^s 
 theatre, in the reign of king 
 Charles .II. but being a Rooxan 
 Catholic, and iriflamed wi^K a too 
 forward and indifcrect zeal for the 
 religion he had been brought up in, 
 he became engaged in'Titus Oates's 
 plot, on which account he Avas 
 committed to Newgate, in which 
 place he died, although, as Lang- 
 t)ainc obferves, he merited a much 
 fcjtter fate. He wrote, or rather 
 made a tranflation at large from 
 Woliere of, a comedy, entitled, 
 tarUiffe, 4:0. 2670, 
 
 This gentleman aUo publifhed an* 
 other dramatic piece, which he de- 
 dicated to the queen, of which 
 Gildon fays, notwithilanding the 
 letters E. M. in the title-page, he 
 was fuppofed to have been the au« 
 thor ; it is entitled, 
 
 Saint Ceclh. Trag. 
 Though all the writers mention hit 
 having died in prifon, yet none of 
 them have informed us in what 
 year that catallrophe happened. 
 
 Mepwall, Hem? Y, waschap- 
 Isin to John Morion, archhilhop 
 of Canterbury. He wrote one 
 drama, printed by John RaAeil, 
 entitled. 
 
 Nature. A Cood^ Interlude' 
 of Nature, 
 
 Me I r. AN, Mark Awtony. A 
 living author, who had once a place 
 in the port-office, but is at prefent 
 a teacher of the Englifli language 
 and accompts at feme of our lit- 
 tle fchools. He hns written three 
 things which he calls plays. Bao- 
 t'um in crajf) jurarcs aire naios. 
 They were publiflied by fubfcrip- 
 tion in an 8vo. volume, and are 
 feverally entitled, 
 
 1. Emilia. T. 
 
 2. NorthumlerlatiJ. T. ' 
 
 3. The Frieniisi G. *' 
 Melmoth, CouRTNEy. See 
 
 Pratt Robert. 
 
 Menpez, Moses, lifq. This 
 gentleman was a Jew. and, if I am 
 not miftaken, either a ftock-broker 
 or a notary -public. He was a per- 
 fon of confiderable genius, of ati 
 agreeable behaviour, andentertain- 
 ing inconverfation, and had a very 
 pretty turn for poetry. He was 
 what poets rarely are, extremely 
 rich, being fuppofed to be at the 
 time of his death, which happened 
 the 4th day of February 1758, 
 worth one hundred thoufand 
 pouwds. He . wrote three little 
 dramatic pieces, all of which met 
 
 X 4 vvit!' 
 
 
 
 
 
M E 
 
 C 3'» 1 
 
 M C 
 
 with giod fuccelg, and Tome of the 
 /on^i. in two uf ih'.m llill juiliy 
 coniiuui: lavourUis with pcrfui.4 of 
 poetical and inuiic:i) ullu. 
 
 I. Liaptt. MkiUc.tl Entertain- 
 nrienr, bvo. 174.9 
 
 3. Shcpiad\ Loiti-yy. Ditto. 8vo. 
 
 3. 1 hi Double DijC'lpoiiMitcnt, F. 
 8vo, 1753. 
 
 MtRiioK, Thomah, lived in 
 tVe ici<,M) of l<inp Ciifirlcii II. 
 I-angbuine has been extremely fe- 
 vere upon him, telling us that he 
 >vas certainly the meanell dramas 
 tic writer that ever England pro- 
 ductd ; and, a]»plying to his (lupi- 
 dity a parody on the cxpreffion of 
 Menedemus the philofophcr, re- 
 lating to the wickedneis of Ter- 
 feu8, fa)s, that he h indeed a pott ^ 
 hut if alt men that are, lucicy or ever 
 Jhiill be, the dudijl ; that ncvtr man's 
 Aile was more bomball ; and that, 
 as he liimfelf did not pretend to 
 iuch a quicknefs of apprehenli.u 
 as to undcrlland cither of hib plays, 
 he can only inform us that they 
 are two in number, and that their 
 titles are, 
 
 1. Love and }?'ur. T'^g* 4'o« 
 1658. 
 
 2. lyanJeriHg Lovers, T. C. 
 4to. 1658. 
 
 He alfo informs U9, from Mr. Me- 
 riton's own authority, that he had 
 written another play, called, 
 
 The Several If^tts. Com, 
 which, however, he made only his 
 pocket companions, iliewing :hem 
 only to a few feled and private 
 friends, on which, moreover, he 
 remarks, that thofe were certainly 
 happiefl who were not reckoned 
 in the number of this author's 
 friends, and confequeptly com- 
 pelled tp liften to fuch fuHian, 
 which, like an empty ca(k, makes 
 a great Ibund, but yield^ at l)eil 
 Boshuig but lecj. 5:,, 
 
 In proof of thefc aflirtioni '>it, 
 I.an^'hnine has given his readrrs a 
 copy (if part of the cpi'He dcdiva- 
 torv to the JViindiiiig / tn>er^ which 
 is indeed a curiolny in its w:;y, 
 and fo which 1 reltr thoic \* bo are 
 lond of grafping a cloud, or rcg.il- 
 ing their appetites with whipp'd 
 fyllabub. 
 
 Mhs taykr, HaNny. Thisau- 
 thor wf s a watchinakcr, who wrote 
 one play} and putting it into the 
 hands uf Mr. Theobald, that gen* 
 tleman ibtmed from it a t ;'^eity, 
 which he procured to be a(^ d and 
 printed as his own. 'I'his pro- 
 ceeding offended the origin;;! au- 
 thor, who loon after publifhcd his 
 o>yn performance with a dw-dica- 
 tiun to Mr. Theobald. Ic was 
 called, 
 
 The Ferfdious Brother. T. 1 2 mo, 
 1716. 
 
 Theobald made only a few alte- 
 ratioo» in the language of the 
 piece, and, on ihe Qitngih of thefc' 
 lew, affumed to himfelf the merit 
 of the whole llrufture. We (hall 
 certainly be credited on the prefent 
 occaiion, as perhaps no reader will 
 undergo, as we have done, the fa' 
 tigue of examining evidence on 
 both fides. Impartiality, h *wever, 
 compels us to aver that Mellayer 
 might bring as feir an adion 
 againU his o])poncnt, in any of (he 
 courts of Farnafl'us, 
 
 " A$ heart could wilh, and need 
 
 , '• not ihame 
 '♦ The proudeft man alite to 
 " claim." 
 
 Poor Tib, though unmercifully 
 ridiculed by Pope, never appeared 
 to us fo defpicable as throughout 
 this tranfadtion. 'W e had -feen hira 
 before only in the light of a puny 
 critiCy 
 
 ** But here the fell attorney prowls 
 «« for prey.'* ' 
 
 MlCHEL" 
 
M 1 
 
 I y$ 
 
 1 
 
 ' 1^ f ^ 
 
 Brother. T. 1 2 mo, 
 
 iild wifh, and need 
 
 ime 
 
 sit man allte to 
 
 ^ MiCHr.T.ioRNr;, Jortv. Thrs 
 f>«nttcnian was on*; of the governors 
 of Londonderry wh?n belirped hy 
 king- James II, in the year i')8l?-9. 
 The gri!int fortiJudir and perfcve- 
 ranee of that porrifon, the hnrd- 
 Ihips they futFered, and the fuc* 
 cefs which attended their effort?, 
 are fubjefts of fome of the molt 
 ifiierelUng pages in hiilory. From 
 the fate of the prefcnt nuthor it ap- 
 pears, tliat the rewaids of the (o- 
 vcrci(»n did not keep pace with the 
 eiccrtions of his fuhjci'-ls. After 
 the gHllant and hatardoua fv'rvice 
 in which they had been employed, 
 their pay was neglcded, and they 
 were abandoned to poverty and 
 dirtrefs, Amongll the rcrt, our 
 author was fo far reduced, that he 
 Was contined in the Fleet for debt, 
 niul during ihat rellraint wrote the 
 iiiigle dramatic piece which entitles 
 h:m to a place in this work, called, 
 
 Ji eland prefervrd \ or, 'fhc ^'i'l^t' 
 6f Londonderry, folio 1707. (SeC 
 (Rough's Biitiih Topography, vol, 
 11. p.Scg.) 
 
 MiDDLETow, Thomas, Was 
 a very voluminous writer, and lived 
 fo late as the time of Charles I, 
 Vet 1 can meet with very few par- 
 ticulars relating to him ; for, not- 
 withftanding That he has certainly 
 ftsewn coniiderab]e genius in thofe 
 plays, which are unqueftionabiy all 
 his own, and which are very nu- 
 merous, yet he feems in hii life- 
 time to have owed the grcaieft 
 part of the reputuiion he acquired 
 to his coiinedioii with Joiilbn, 
 Fletcher, Maliiiip.cr, and Rowley, 
 with whom he w;is concerned in 
 the writing of Ibveral piece?, but 
 to have been coniid?r^d in himfelf 
 as a •j^enius of a very inferior clafs, 
 and coiicerr.ing wiiom the world 
 was not greatly interclled in the 
 purfuing any aie:r.oir:\ Yet, fure- 
 ly it is a proof kiI merit fuflicieiit 
 to eftabli!h bi;ii in a lank iM from 
 
 thtf moft contemptible among our 
 dramati.c writers, that a fetof mefi 
 of fuch acknowledged abilities con- 
 ffdered him as deferring to be ad- 
 mitted a joint-labourer with them 
 in the fields of poetical -fame ; and 
 more efpecially by Fletcher and 
 Jonfon, the firll of whom, like a, 
 widowed Mufr, could not be fiip- 
 pofed readily to admit another 
 partner after the lofs of his long 
 and v^etl-beloved matb Beaumont ; 
 and the latter, who entertained fo 
 high an opinion of his own talents 
 as fcarcely to admit any brother 
 near the throne, and would hardly 
 have permitted the clear waters of 
 his own Heliconian fprings to have 
 been muddied by the mixture of 
 any dreams, that did not appa- 
 rently flow from the fame fource, 
 and, however narrow their cur- 
 rents, were no^ the genuine pro- 
 duce of Parnairos. 
 
 The pieces which Middleton 
 wrote entirely, sind thofe in which 
 he only fiiared the honour with 
 others, are dilUnguiflicd in the foi^' 
 lowing lift : 
 
 1. Jilurt Mr.ConJlahk. C. \\0, 
 1602. 
 
 2. PL-en'x. T. C. 4to. 1607. 
 
 3. Michaelmas Term. C. 410. 
 1607. 
 
 4. Tour Fii'c Gallants, C. 410. 
 N. D. [t6o8.] 
 
 ^. F,tmilyofL(n>L\ C. 4tO. 160^* 
 
 6. Mad irurld my Maf.eru C. 
 4to. 1608. 
 
 7. Trick to catch the old One. C. 
 4to. 1608. 
 
 8. Roari»^ Girl, 410. 1611. 
 Affilled by Decker. 
 
 9. Fair i^arrel. 4to. 1617. (In 
 this play Rowley joined with our 
 author.) * 
 
 10. Inner Temple MjJijHe. 4*0. 
 1619. 
 
 1 1 . IVorld topd at Tennis M. N. 
 
 D. 
 
 G.vne at Cbrjfc. 410. N. D. 
 13. Chajie 
 
M I 
 
 r 3H } 
 
 M 1 
 
 l! 
 
 
 73. QjqfieMaidinCbeapJide. C. 
 ^to. 1633. 
 
 14. Widow. C. (In this Mid- 
 ^dkton only joined with f ktchex 
 «nd Jonfon.) 410. ib>,2. 
 
 15. ChaKgeling. T. 4tO. 1653. 
 (The author alfilled by Rowley.) 
 
 16. SpanifljGypJie. C. ^Aflilled 
 by Rowley.) 410,1663. 
 
 17. Old Law. C. 4to. 1656. 
 <(l'his author and Rowley aflillcd 
 Mailinger in jtvricing this comedy.) 
 
 18. 1^0 PVit, no Hdp Me. a Wo- 
 Ji:a>Ps. C 8vo. 1657. 
 
 19. More Dijfembkrf hefuksWoi' 
 men. C. 8vo. 1657. 
 
 20. Women hcixiare Wo}ncn. T. 
 S,vo. IJ657. 
 
 21. Mayor of ^inhorough* C. 
 4to. 166 1. 
 
 22. Any Thing for a miet Life. 
 C. 4to. 1622. 
 
 23. The Puritan Maid, Mod,Jl 
 iVife^ and Wanton Widov:. C. N^, 
 
 Befides the above pieces, Mid- 
 ^leton wrote a TTagi-Comedy, 
 jcalled The Wxtch, now in MS. 
 in the CoUeAion of Thomas Pear- 
 fon, Efq. This performance is fup- 
 pofed to have furnifhed Shaklpeare 
 vfith hints for the incantations in 
 Macbeth. See the lall edition of 
 Shakfpeare, vol. I. p. 325. One 
 hundred copies of this curious 
 piece "have been printed by a geiv- 
 tleman as prefents to his friends. 
 
 Middleton alio wxote the fol- 
 lowing pajjeants : 
 
 1 . The Triumphs of Truth, 410. 
 1613. 
 
 2. The Sunnc in Aries, 410. 1 6 1 4 . 
 
 3. The Triumph of Health and 
 Trofperity. 410. 1626. 
 
 Our author was, in 1626, ap- 
 pointed chror)oIoger to the city of 
 London, and is luppofed to have 
 flied fbon after the publication of 
 the lali pageant. 
 
 Mii.E3, William Augustus. 
 This author is living. He had 
 
 formerly a poll in the office p0 
 Ordnance, but, on a mifunderr 
 (landing between him and the per- 
 fon at the head of that department, 
 he was difmi/Ted from his place. 
 He is the author of Letter* front 
 Selim, printed in the public papers 
 to expolie theabufes in the office to 
 which he had belonged, and many 
 pajjnphlets, both with and without 
 his name. He hath j^lb written 
 the following dramas : 
 
 1 . Summer Anmj'emtuts ; or, An 
 Aiheiiturc at Margate. C. O. 1 7 7^ 
 In conjundion with Mr. Andrews. 
 
 2. The Artifice. C. O. 8vo, 
 1780. 
 
 Miller, James. Wasthefon 
 of a clergyman, who pofiisfled two 
 livings of confiderable value in 
 Dorfetfhire. He was born in the 
 year 1703, and received his edu- 
 cation at Wadham College, in Ox- 
 ford. His natural genius and tura 
 for fat ire, however, led him, by 
 way of relaxation from his more 
 ferious Hjudies, to apply fome por- 
 tion of his time to the Mufes; 
 and, during his refidence at the 
 univerfity, he compofed great part 
 of a comedy called the Humours cf 
 Oxfordy fome of the charadkrs in 
 which being either really dcfigned 
 for, or at leaA pointed out, as 
 bearing a flrong refemblance to 
 fome of the liudents, and indeed 
 heads, of that univerfity, gave con- 
 fiderable umbrage, created the au- 
 thor many enemies, and probably 
 laid the foundntion of the greatcil 
 part of his misfortunes through 
 life. 
 
 On his quitting the univerfity, 
 he entered into holy orders, and 
 got immediately preferred to the 
 lefturefliip of Trinity College iij 
 Conduit-ltreet, and to be preacher 
 at the private chapel at Rothamp- 
 ton in Surry. 
 
 'J he emoluments of his prefer- 
 ment, however, being not very 
 
 confidera- 
 
M I 
 
 I 3»5 i 
 
 M X 
 
 CQpfiderable, he having married an 
 amiable young lady with a very 
 g^pteel fortune, Anding the ex- 
 pences of a family growing upon 
 him, he was encourage', by the 
 foccefs.of his ixrll play, which had 
 been brought on the lUge at the 
 particular recommendatipn of IVlrs. 
 pid field, to have recourfe to dra- 
 matic writing, as a means of en- 
 larging his finances. But this kind 
 pi compofition being coniidered, 
 in this l^ueamiihage, as fomewhat 
 foreign to, and inconfiilent with, a 
 clerical profeiTion, a certain right 
 reverend prelate, from whom Mr. 
 Miller had perhaps fome expefta- 
 tions of preferment, made fome 
 very harQi remonllrances with him 
 on the fubjedl, and, on not per- 
 ceiving him perfedly inclinable at 
 once to quit the advantages he re- 
 ceived from the theatre, without the 
 JafTurance of fomewhat adequate 
 to it from the church, thought 
 proper to withdraw his patronage. 
 Qn which, in a fatyrical poem 
 which our author publiilied foon 
 after, there appeared a charafter, 
 which being univerfally fixed on as 
 intended for the billiop, occafioned 
 an irreconcileable breach between 
 his lordfhip and the author, and 
 was for many years afterwards 
 thought to have retarded his ad- 
 vancement in the church. 
 
 Mr, Miller proceeded with his 
 dramatic produclions, and met 
 with fo good fuccels that, from 
 the reprelentation of three or four 
 other pieces, he reaped very con- 
 siderable emoluments, and very 
 proliably might have continued fo 
 to do, had not his wit and pro- 
 ptnfiiy to fatire involved him in a 
 JiniUe with the body of critics, the 
 fupporters or dertroyers of this 
 kind of writing ; for having, in a 
 comedy called the Coffcc-llouic, 
 drawn certain ciiarafters, which 
 were imag-ned to be defignedfor 
 
 Mrs. Yarrow and her d^uglitee» 
 who kept Dick's CofFee-Houfe be-^ 
 tvveen the Temple-gates, and for 
 fome of the perfons who frequente4 
 that houle, the Templars, who con- 
 fidered this ilep as touching their 
 own copyhold, went in a body a» 
 the play-houfe, with a refolutionv 
 vr.ry far from uncommon at that: 
 time, of damning the piece righc 
 Of wrong. J V j 
 
 The author, however, denying 
 the charge laid againft him, the 
 inns of court wits might perhaps 
 have been reconciled to him, had 
 not the engnver, who was em- 
 ployed to draw a frontifpiece for 
 the play, unfortunately taken the 
 Iketch of his defign from the very 
 coffee-houfe in queilion. Thi« 
 circumftance rendering them en- 
 tirely implacable, all attempts that 
 he made afterwards, proved entire- 
 ly unfuccefsful, it being of itfelf a 
 fufficient reafon, with thofe gen- 
 tlemen, to damn any piece, if it 
 was known, or but fufpefted to be 
 his. Thus was Mr. Miller's great 
 refource (topped at once, and he 
 again reduced to a dependence on 
 his little pittance in the church, 
 with fcarcely a profpedl of any 
 advancement ; for, hefides the en- 
 mities he had created by the feveral 
 circumilances above-mentioned, he 
 was in his principles a Iteady hisjh- 
 church man, which was a circum- 
 Itance at that time no way favour- 
 able to his promotion. 
 
 His integrity, however, in thefe 
 principles was To firm, that he had 
 rcfoluiion enough to withftand the 
 temptation of a very large offer 
 made him by the agents of the mi- 
 niOry in the time of general op- 
 pofition, notwithftanding that hit 
 circumilances were at that period 
 very far from being eafy. He has, 
 indeed, frequently acknowledged 
 that this was the feverelt trial his 
 conllancy ever endured, and that 
 
 his 
 
M i 
 
 X Si6 } 
 
 m i 
 
 i 
 
 1%. 
 
 J '^r^M 
 
 hh tend<rnefs for the mod amia- 
 bl« of wives^ whore dependence 
 had bc™n fwallowed up in his mif- 
 fortures, had even lloggered his 
 frrmnefs; and inducted him to found 
 her difpofition, by hinting to her 
 on what terms preferment might 
 be purchafed ; but ftie, with an 
 intrepidity and indignation whi.h 
 dlmoft made him blnih at the 
 thought of having hefitated for a 
 fiiTgle moment, rfjeded all pro- 
 pofii's of fo fervile a nature, and 
 ilenccd every fcruple that could 
 on her account have fuggelkd itfelf 
 to him. However, thus far he 
 *^a3 willing to have temporized, 
 that thojj^h he would not eat the 
 bread purchafed by writing in the 
 ▼indication of principles he difap- 
 proved, yet he would have l^ipu- 
 latcd with the miniitry on the 
 lame terms never to have drawn 
 his pen againll th'',-^. But this 
 propofal was reject': : .1 the other 
 iidej and fo terminal;-'^ their nego- 
 tiations. 
 
 Thus diu Mr. Miller's wit and 
 honelly ftand for many years the 
 molt powerful bars to his fortune ; 
 and, as if feme over-ruling planet 
 Jiung over his delHny, and ileter- 
 mined to baniili fuccefs entirely 
 from him, the llroke of death hur- 
 ried him away, jult aa his profpefts 
 appeared to be clearing* up in more 
 refpecTts than one. For, by the 
 gift of Mr. Cari-y of Dorfetfhire, 
 he was zt length prefentcd to the 
 very proliiable jiving of Upcerne, 
 which his father had before pof- 
 iclled ; befides which, having 
 tranfl.iied the Mahomet of Monfieur 
 de Voltaire, and adapted it to the 
 Englilli Ibige, it made its appear- 
 ance at Drury-Lane theatre, and, 
 as all his former attempts having 
 been in comedy, by which means 
 the author of this tragedy was not 
 fufpefted, it pafTcd wiih very coii- 
 fiderable apf lobation, and a pro- 
 
 bability of a reafonable fuccefs'j 
 when behold, on the y^xy night 
 that fliould have been that of his 
 firft benefit, and before he had 
 received a twelvemonth's revenue 
 from liis own benefice, he died at 
 his lodgings in Cheyne Wall:, 
 Chelfea, without ever having it in 
 his power io make that provifion 
 ibr his family which he had fo 
 long iblicited. 
 
 As a man, his charafter may 
 partly be deduced from the fore- 
 going relation of his life. He was 
 firm and iledfall in his principles, 
 ardent in hisfricndfhips, and foine- 
 what precipitate in his refentments. 
 In his converfation he was fpright- 
 ly, theartul, and a great mailer of 
 ready repartee, till tov/ard^ the 
 latter part of his life, whtn a de- 
 preffion of circuraftr.nce? threw a 
 gloom and hypochondria over his 
 temper, which got thp better of 
 his natural gaiety and difpofition. 
 
 As a writer, he certainly has a 
 right to Hand in a very pftima- 
 ble light. His Humours of Oa' 
 ford is perfeftly his own, and 
 is much the beft of his dramatic 
 pieces ; for it is probable that, 
 when he applied to that kind of 
 wiiting by way of fupport, he had 
 both Jefs leiiuie and lefs i'nirits for 
 the retouching and finiihing them, 
 than when he wrote merely for 
 amufement. Befides, the mofl: of 
 his other plays are more or left 
 built on the foundation of other 
 writers, although the ornamt-'utal 
 parts of the ilrudure h<ive been 
 added to them by their prefent fa- 
 bricator. The names of them are, 
 
 1 . ^Jhe Humours of Oxford. C. 
 8vo. 1730. 
 
 2. The Mothcr-i!i-Lai\} ; or, The 
 Dictor the D'i'fdfe. C. 8vo. 1 7 34. 
 
 3. The Man of Tojie. C. bvo. 
 1736. 
 
 4. Univcrfal Poffcn, C. Svo. 
 
 5. The 
 
 
M I 
 
 [ VI } 
 
 MI 
 
 5. The Cofce-Heufe, D. P. 8vo. 
 
 ^737- 
 
 6. Art and Nature. C. 8VO.1738.. 
 
 7. An Ho/pi tal for FmIs. D. F. 
 ovo. 1739. 
 
 3. Mahomet the Impojlor. T. 8vo., 
 
 ^744* 
 
 9. Jofeph and his Brethren. Orat. 
 
 4to. 1744. _ 
 
 10. 'IhePUnure; 01, The Cuckold 
 in Conceit. C. 8vo. 1745. 
 
 At the end of HavanCs King 
 Charles T. is adv ertifed a drama by 
 our author,' called, 
 
 The Savage ; or, TL^e Force , ^ 
 Nature i I believe, however, it ne- 
 ver was printed. 
 
 He wrote alfo a comedy called 
 Sir Roger cle CoverJy, by the defirc 
 of Mrs. Oldfield, who intended to 
 have played the Widow. Mr. 
 Wilks was defigned for Will Ho- 
 neycombe, and Mr. Gibber for Sir 
 Roger ; but the deaths of the two 
 * rmer occafioned its being . laid 
 afide. 
 
 Betides thefe dramatic pieces, be 
 wrote feveral political pamphlet.s 
 particularly one called Are tbe/i 
 Things fo ? which was taken very 
 j^reac notice of; he was author, of 
 a poem called Ilarlrquiii Horace, a 
 fatire, occafioned by fome ill treat- 
 ment he had received from Mr. 
 Rich, the manager of Covent- 
 Garden theatre; and was likewife 
 concerned, together uilh Mr. 
 Henry Baker, F. R. S. in a, com- 
 plete tranflation of the comedies of 
 Mdivre, printed together with thp 
 original French, and publilhed by 
 Mr. Watts, 
 
 Mr. Miller died in April 1 744, 
 leaving behind him a vvife.andtwo 
 children, a Ton and daughter, the 
 l:Utcr of whom is fince dead, but 
 the other two we believe are flill 
 living , and, although it may feem 
 foiiiewhat foreign to our prcfent 
 purp^Tc, yet it would he unj.itf 
 to the characler of that lady^ whvjfe 
 
 heroical and noble behaviotrr \ve 
 have .already recorded one inltance 
 of aoove, not here to convey to 
 pofterity the record of that ftill 
 continued attachment to the hon- 
 our and reputation of her hufband 
 even after death, which induced 
 her to devote the whole pro6tt 
 both of a benefit play, which Mr. 
 Fleetwood gave her a little time 
 after Mr. Miller^s deceafe, and 
 alfo of a large fubfcription to 9 vo- 
 lume of admirable fermonsof that 
 gentleman's, which flie publifhed, 
 to the fatisfaftion of his creditors, 
 and the paynvent of thofe debts 
 which his limited. circumftances 
 Jiad unavoidably engaged him in, 
 even though by the fo doing flie 
 left herfelf and family almoft defli- 
 tut.e of the common necelTaries of 
 life. 
 
 Mr. Miller's fon was bred a 
 furgeon, and was fome time ra 
 that llation in the navy ; but has 
 fince applied to literary avocations 
 for his livelihood. Among other 
 works he has been concerned in, 
 he has publifhed a volume of ori- 
 ginal poems, and a tranflation of 
 the Abbe Batieaux's Cours dn Bilks 
 Lcttra. 
 
 M11.TOK, John. The mo!^ \V- 
 kiftrious of the Fnglifh poets, v:j% 
 dfifcended of a genteel frimily, fc«t-- 
 ed at a place of their own namf.. 
 viz. Milton, in Oxfurdfhire. Hs 
 was born Dec. 9, 1608, and re- 
 ceived his firll rudimeirt of r^'u- 
 cation under the care of his p£h- 
 rents, afliltcd by a private tutor. 
 He afterwards paffcd fome time 
 at St. Paul's fchool, London; in 
 which city his father had fettled, 
 being engaged in the bufinefs of 
 a fcrivener. At the aj^e of feven- 
 teen, he was fent to Ch rift's Col- 
 lege, Cambiidgf? ; where he made 
 a great progrels in all parts of 
 acadfmiciil learning; but his chief 
 dilight was ift poecry. In i6*B 
 
 be 
 
'M I 
 
 [ srS ] 
 
 Bl I 
 
 fie proceeded batchelor of arts, 
 having pertormed his exercife for 
 it with great applaufe. His father 
 ' defignecl him for the church ; but 
 the young gentleman'» attach- 
 ments to the Mufes was fo llrong, 
 it became impofTtble to engage him 
 in any other purfuits. In 1632, 
 lie took the degree of mailer of 
 arts ; and, having now fpent as 
 much time in the univcrfity as be- 
 
 After 
 
 five years fpent in ihU 
 manner, he obtained his father's 
 pcrmiflion to travel, for farther im- 
 provement. Iti the fpriug of the 
 year 1638, he fet out lor Paris, 
 v^here he was iritroddced to the 
 celebrated Grotius ; from thence 
 he deponed for Genoa, and from 
 Genoa he went to Florence ; where 
 he fpent tvto months with great 
 fatisfa£lion, in the company of 
 
 came a perfon who determined not perfons the mdtt eftiinent for rank, 
 to engage in any of the three prO- parts, or learning; Hence he went 
 feflions, he left the college, greatly to Rome, where ne palTcd the famfc 
 regretted by his acquaintance, but time in the fame ttiaiiher.' His 
 highly difpleafed with the ufual next remove i9ats to Naples ; 
 method of training up youth there, whence his defign was to proceed 
 for the lludy of divinity ; and be- into Sicily and Greece ; but, hear- 
 ing much out of humour with the ing of the commotions then be- 
 public adminiflration of ecclefiafli- ginning to Air in England, he re- 
 cal affairs, he grew dlflatisfied with folved to (horten his tour, in order 
 the eftabliftied form of church go- to return to his native country ; 
 vernment, and difliked the whole being Of too public-fpirited a dif- 
 plan of education pradlifed in the pofition to remain an unconcerned 
 univerfjty. His parents, who now fpcftator of the great ftruggle for 
 dwelt at Horion, near Colnbrook, liberty which he faw approaching, 
 in Buckinghamlhire, received him Returning therefore to Rbme, and 
 with unabated afFedlioii, notwith- from thence to Florence, he croff- 
 itanding he had thwarted their ed the Appenine, and pafled by 
 views of providing for him in the the way of Bologna and Ferrara to 
 church, and they amply indulged Venice^ where he fhipped off the 
 him in his love of retirement ; books he had coiledled in bis tra- 
 wherein he enriched his mind with vels. After a month's Hay at Ve- 
 the choiceft ftories of Grecian and nice, he went through Verona, 
 Roman literature. His poems of Milan, and along the Alps, dowu 
 Covius, VJUegro, 11 Pcnfcrofo and the Leman Lake to Geneva, where 
 
 I^'cidas, all written at this time, 
 would have been fuihcicnt, had he 
 never produced any thing more 
 coniiderable, to have tranlmitted 
 his fame to lateft pofterity. How- 
 ever, he was not fo abforbed in 
 his fludies, as not to make frequent 
 cxcurlions to London ; neither did 
 fo much excellence pafs unnoticed 
 among his neighbours in the coun- 
 try, with the moft dillinguilhed of 
 whom he fometimes chofe to re- 
 lax his mind, and improve his 
 acquaintance with the world, as 
 well as with books. 
 
 he fpent fome time, and then fet 
 out on his return through France, 
 whence ne arrived in England, 
 towards the dofe of the year 1 639. 
 The times, however, not being 
 yet ripe for his defign of attacking 
 the epifcopal order, he determined 
 to lie perdue for the prefcnt ; but, 
 that he might not be idle, he fet 
 up a genteel academy in Aldcrf- 
 gate-llreet. In 164 1, he began 
 to draw his pen in defence of the 
 Frefbyterian party ; and the next 
 year he married the daughter of 
 Richard Powell, Efq; ot foreft- 
 
 Hill, 
 
M I 
 
 t 5»9 i 
 
 M 1 
 
 Jiill, in Oxfordfh/re. This lady, 
 jiowever, whether from a differ- 
 ence on account of party, her fa- 
 ther beings a zealouj RoyaltH, or 
 foiiie other caufe, faon thought 
 proper to retfirn to her relations ; 
 tvhich fo incenfed her hufband, 
 that he refolved never to take her 
 dgainy and wrote and publilhed fe- 
 veral cra£ts in dtefence of the doc- 
 trine and difcipUneof ZJ/v/wv^. He 
 even made hiS' addrefles to another 
 lady ; but this incident proved the 
 means of a reeonciliation with 
 Mrs. Milton. 
 
 In 1644 he wrote his tradl upon 
 education ; and the reflraint on 
 the liberty of the prefs being con- 
 tinued by a£l of p&rliament, he 
 wrote boldly aixi nohly againft 
 that reftr^int: fur which feafon- 
 flble effort eternal honour and 
 glory be to the memory of the ad-" 
 niirable author ! That infamous 
 fcheme of licencing continued, how- 
 ever, to the year 1649 » when Mr. 
 Mabbot, who held the office of 
 licenfer, was fo mach alhamed of 
 it, and fo dlfgufted with the prac- 
 tice, that he threw up the em- 
 ployment, and the council of date 
 totally annulled 
 which be due 
 their memory alfo ! 
 
 In 1645, he piibliflied his Ju- 
 n'l'nlk poems; and about two yeaps 
 after, on the death of his father, 
 he took a fmaller houfe in High 
 Holborn, the back of which open- 
 ed into Lincoln's-Inn-Fields ; and 
 heie he kept clofe to his ftudies, 
 p! fed to obferve the public af- 
 fairs daily tending toward the great 
 end of his wifhes, till it was com- 
 pleated in the dellrudlion of mo- 
 narchy, by the fatal cataftrophe and 
 death of Charles the Fiift. 
 
 • ut after this dreadful blow was 
 ii. uck, the Prefbyterians made (o 
 much out-cry againtt it, that Mil- 
 ton grew apprehenfive left the de- 
 
 the office ; for 
 reverence paid to 
 
 iign of fettling a cominon\<i>eahH 
 fhould mifcarry ; for which reafon 
 he publilhed his Tenure of Kings 
 and MagiJIrates : Proving timt it i» 
 laii^l for ariy to have the po-ixitr^ t9 
 tall to account a tyrant or voickeJ 
 kingj and, after due convi^ioa^ t» 
 depofe and put him to death. Sooa 
 after this, he entered apon his 
 Hijlory of England^ a work plajaned 
 in the ^nie Republican fpirit, be- 
 ing undertaken with a view of 
 preferving the country from fab- 
 mitting to monarchical govern- 
 ment, in any future time, h^ ex- 
 ample from the paft. But, before 
 he had made any great progress \Xk 
 this work, the coramoowealth was 
 formed, the council of ftate ere&- 
 ed, and he was 'pitched upon for 
 their Latin fecretary. The fainous 
 Eixtfy BafftXixD coming out about the 
 fame time, our author,, by com- 
 mand^ wrote and poblifiled his 
 Jconoclqftes the fame year. It was 
 alfo, by order of his mailers, back* 
 ed by the reward of one thoufand 
 pounds. After that, in 1651, he 
 publiflied his celebrated piece, en- 
 titled Pro Popido Anglicano Defenjto^ 
 a defence ot the people of Eng- 
 land, in anfwer to Salmalius's iJt- 
 fence of the King, which perform- 
 ance fpread his fame over all Eu- 
 rope. He now dwelt in a plea- 
 fant houfe, with a garden, in Petty 
 France, Weilminfter, opening into 
 St. Jameses Park. In 1652 he bu- 
 ried his wife, who di'.-d not long 
 after the delivery or her fourth 
 child; and about the fame time he 
 alfo loil his eye-fighr, by a Gutta 
 Serena, which had been growing 
 upon him many years. 
 
 Cromwell took the rrins of go- 
 vernment into his own hands in 
 the year 1653 ; but Milton ftill 
 held his ofike. His Icifure hours 
 he employed in profccuiing his 
 ftudies, wherein he was fo tar from 
 being difcouragcd by the iol's ^^i 
 
 his 
 
 
 ) 
 
 
M r- 
 
 t 3^2 1 
 
 M 1 
 
 lis fi]ghf, that he even conceived 
 hopes this misfortune would add 
 new vigour to t)is genius ; which, 
 in faft, fecms to have been the 
 cafe. Thus animated, he again 
 ventured upon matrimony. His 
 fecord lady was the daughter txf 
 captain Woodcock of Hackney i 
 ihc dicdm chiWbed, about a year 
 aftrr. ■•'P'"' 
 
 On thc'depofitlon of the Pro;. 
 te£lor, Richard Cromwell, and oft 
 the return of the long parliament, 
 Milton being ftill ccntinued'*fecre- 
 tary, he appeared ngain in print i 
 ■j)]i.i'''ng for a farther reformation 
 o*-" The haws relating to religion j 
 t'-sd, during the anarchy that en-' 
 infti'.f he drew up feveral fcLemes 
 ibi rc-eftablifliing the common- 
 vv ilth, exerting all his faculties to 
 prevent the lerurn-of Chafles II. 
 J rMand's deftiny, ' however, and 
 ♦ 'h. ••Ics's good fortune prevailing, 
 t.ui^ author chtjfe to confult his 
 fafet^', and retired to a friend's 
 lionfe in Bartholomew Clofe. A 
 particular profccution was intend- 
 ed againft him ; but the juft efteem 
 to which his admirable; genius and 
 extraordinary accomplifhmenrs en- 
 titled him, had raifed him fomany 
 triendp, even am'ing thofe of the 
 oppofite party, that he was in- 
 cluded in tne g«mer;il amnel'ty. 
 
 This Itorm over, he married sk 
 third wife: Elizabeth daughter of 
 Mr. Minniall, a Chcfliire gentle- 
 man ; and not long after he took 
 a houfe in the ArtiHery Walk, 
 leading to Bunhill-Fields. This 
 was his lafl iiage; here he {:U " wn 
 for a longer continuance than he 
 had before been able to d( j^ny 
 where ; and though he hau loll 
 his fortune (for every thing be- 
 longing to him went to wreck at 
 the Reftoration) he did not lofe 
 his talle ibr literature, but con- 
 tinued his ftiidiee with ahnoll as 
 
 much ardor as ever ; and applied 
 himfelf particularly u the finifhing 
 his grand work, the Paraciijl- Lnf,; 
 one of the nobleft poems that ever 
 ivas produced by human genius ! 
 We could enlarge with pleafure on 
 the niimberle's and exquifite beau- 
 tics of this ijiii^lifh. epic ; but this 
 has been fo copioufly done by Mr. 
 Addifon and many others, that any 
 attempt of that Kind here would 
 be altogether fuperfluous. It was 
 publilhcd in 1667, and his Para- 
 tiifc Rrgaineti came out in 1670. 
 This latter work fell fhort of the 
 excellence of the former produc- 
 tion ; although, were it not for iHe 
 tranfcendcnt merit of the ParaJl/c 
 T.rji, the fecondcompofition would 
 doubtlefs have flood foremolt in 
 the rank of Englifh epic poein.i : 
 but, perhaps, the ground-wcrk was 
 tmtavourable to the poet, many 
 being of opinion that the niyllerics 
 of the Chrirtian fchenic arc im,)ro- 
 per fubjefts for thf. Mufe. After 
 this he publilhed many pieces in 
 profe ; for which we refer our rea- 
 ders to the edition of his H'Jiivicaly 
 Poftical and MifieUaiicous If 'oris, 
 printed by Millar, in 2 vol. 410. 
 in 1753. 
 
 In 1674, this great and worthy 
 man paid the lau debt to nature;, 
 at his houfe in Bunhill-Fields, in 
 the 66th year of his age ; and was 
 interred on the 12th of November, 
 in the chancel of St. Giles's Crip- 
 plegate. A decent monument was 
 creded to hi-^ memory, in 1737, in 
 Wertminlter-Abbcy, by Mr. Ben- 
 son, one of the auditors of the 
 imprefs. /s to his perfon, "t was 
 remarkably nandfcme, but his con- 
 llitution was tender, and by no 
 means equal to his inceffant appli- 
 cation to his ftudics. Though 
 greatly reduced in his circura- 
 Itance.o, yet he died worth ii;ool< 
 in money, be fides his houihold 
 
 goodsl 
 
M t 
 
 [ 3*1 1 
 
 M t 
 
 goods. He had no Ton, but laft 
 behind him three daughters, whom 
 he had by his firft wife. 
 
 Hi« dramatic works are, 
 
 I. Cot/Ml^ Maique. 410. 1637. 
 
 a. ^amjjfot^ Agonyhs. T. 1670. 
 The for^ser ot thefe pieces hath 
 long been^ and fliU continues to 
 be, a favourite entertainment on the 
 Britiih theatre; but it was firft 
 pertbrined at Ludlow Cadle by 
 perfons of diflinftion. The fe- 
 cond, though- an admirable per- 
 formance on the plan of the an- 
 cients, i« not adapted to the mo- 
 dern ilage. 
 
 Biftjop Atterbury, however, once 
 very much preiTed Mr. Pope to re- 
 view and poliih this piece : '* If, 
 " fays he, upon a new perufal ot 
 " it (which 1 defire you to make) 
 " you think as I do, that it is 
 *' written in the very fpirit of the 
 " ancients, it deferves your care, 
 *' and is capable of being improv- 
 •' ed, with little trouble, into a 
 '• perfeft model and ftandard cf 
 •' tragic poetry.'* 
 
 Mr. Peck in 1740 republifhed 
 a piece, which, with fcarce any 
 grounds, he was willing to afcribe 
 to our author. It was called, 
 
 Tyrannical Governnttnt anatomiZ' 
 d\ or, A Difcourfe concerning evil 
 Counfelhrs^ being tlje Life and Death 
 of John the Bapt\fi, 4tO. 1642. A 
 trandation from Buchanan. 
 
 Mitchell, Joseph, was the 
 foil of a ftone-cutter in North Bri- 
 tain, and was born about the year 
 1684. Mr. Gibber tells us that 
 he received an univerfity educa- 
 tion while he remained in that 
 kingdom, but does not fpecify to 
 which of the ferainaries of acade- 
 mical literature he flood indebted 
 for that advantage. He quitted 
 his own country, however, and re- 
 paired to the metropolis of its 
 nciglibour nation, with a view of 
 improving hia fortun*. Here he 
 
 Vol, I. 
 
 got into favour with the eafj qf 
 btair and iiir Robert Walpole } oa 
 the latter of whom he was for great 
 part of his life almod entirely de- 
 pendent. In (hort, he received fo 
 many obligations from that open- 
 handed fiatefman, and, from a fenfe 
 of gratitude which frems to have 
 been llrongly Mr. Mitchell's cha- 
 rafteriilic, was fo zealous in his 
 intereft, that he was even dillin- 
 guifhed by the title of Sir Robert 
 Walpole's poet. Notwithftanding 
 this valuable patronage, however, 
 his natural dillipation of temper, 
 his fondnefs for pleafure, nnd ea- 
 ger nefs in the gratification of every 
 irregular appetite, threw him into 
 perpetual didrelles, and all tbofe 
 uneafy lituations, which are the 
 natural confequences of extrava- 
 gance. Nor does it appear that 
 after having experienced more than 
 once the fatal effe£ls of thofe dan- 
 gerous follies, he thought of cor- 
 rcding his conduit at a time when 
 fortune put it in his power fo to 
 do. For when, by the death of 
 his wife's uncle, feveral thoufand 
 pounds devolved to him, he feems 
 not to have been relieved, by that 
 acquifuion, from the incumbrances 
 which he laboured under ; but, on 
 the contrary, inftead of difcharg- 
 ing thofe ^ebts which he had al- 
 ready contrafted, he lavifhed away, 
 in the repetition of his former fol- 
 lies, thofe fums which would not 
 only have cleared his reputation 
 in the eye of the world, but alfp, 
 with prudence and ceconomy, 
 might have rendered him eafy for 
 the remainder of his life. 
 
 As to the particulars of his hif- 
 tory, there are not many on record, 
 for his eminence in public charac- 
 ter not riling to fuch an height as 
 to make tht tranfadlions of his life 
 important tollrangers, and the fol- 
 lies of his private behaviour in- 
 ducing thofe who were more inti- 
 , Y mate 
 
 
M I 
 
 C 3*2 ] . 
 
 M O 
 
 jnatf with him, rather to conceal 
 than publish his a(fHons, there is a 
 cloud of ohfcurity hnnging over 
 them, which is neither ealy, nor 
 indeed much worth while attempt- 
 ing, to withdraw from them. His 
 geniuo was of the third or fourth 
 rate, yet he lived in good corre- 
 fpondence v, ' th moft of the eminent 
 ■v/its of his time ; particularly with 
 Aaron Hill, El'q; whofe eftimable 
 charartcr rendered it an honour, 
 and almoft a Uamp of merit, to be 
 • noticed by him. That gentleman, 
 .on a particular occafion, in which 
 
 ■ Mr, Mitchell had laid open the 
 dillreifed fituation of hi^ circuin- 
 
 ■ fiances to him, finding; himfelf un- 
 able, confillently with prudence, 
 to relieve him by an immediately 
 pecuniary afiiilancc (as he h.id in- 
 deed but too greatly injured hic> 
 own fortune by ads of almofl; un- 
 bounded geoeroHty), yet fuund 
 tneans of afiiliing him cCentially 
 by another method, which was by 
 prefenting him with the profits and 
 reputation alfo of a very beautiful 
 dramatic piece in one ad, enti- 
 tled, the Fatal Extravagance, a 
 piece which feemed in its very ti- 
 tle to convey a gentle reproof to 
 Mr. Mitchell on tlieoccafiun of his 
 own dilireires. It was a6led and 
 printed in Mr, Mitchell's name, 
 and the emoluments ariling from 
 it amounted to a very confiderable 
 fum. l\i\. Miichell was ingenuous 
 enough, however, to undeceive 'he 
 world with regard to its true au- 
 thor, and on every occafion ac- 
 knowledged the obligations he lay 
 under to Mr. Hill. The dramatic 
 pieces, which appear under this 
 gentleman's name, are, 
 
 1. Fatal E.->iia-vagancc, Trag. 
 8vo. lyzr. 
 
 2. '^ Fatal Exiravagatice, T, 
 enlarged, lamo. 1725. 
 
 3. The H-gbland Fair, Ballad 
 Opera. 8vo. 1731. 
 
 The latter of thefe is really M^ 
 Mitchell's, and does not want me- 
 rit in its way. 
 
 This author died Feb, 6, 1738; 
 and Mr. Cibber gives the follow- 
 ing charader of him, with whicl^ 
 I ihall clofe this account, 
 
 " He fcems (fays that writer) 
 ♦* to have been a poet of the third 
 •' rate ; he has feldom reached the 
 *• fublime; his humour, in which 
 ** he more fucceeded, is not ftrong 
 *' enough to lall J his verfification 
 •' holds a itate of mediocrity ; he 
 " pollciicd but little invention; 
 " and, if he was not a bad rhime- 
 " ftcr, he cannot be denominated 
 " a line poet, for '.here are but few 
 ^' marks of genius in his wri* 
 " tings." 
 
 His poems were printed in twb 
 volumes, 8vo. 1729. 
 
 MoLi, OY, Charlus, Efq, 
 This gentleman was defcended 
 from a very good family in the 
 kingdom of Ireland, and was him- 
 felf born in the city of Dublin, and 
 received part of his education at 
 Trinity College there, of which he 
 afterwards became a fellow. At 
 his firll coming to England he en- 
 tered himfelf of the Middle-Tem- 
 ple, and was fuppofed to have hnd 
 a very confidcrabie hand in the 
 writing of a periodical paper, call- 
 ed, i'V'f 'journal, as alfo fince that 
 lime to have been almoft the fole 
 author of another well-known pa- 
 per, entitled, Cannon Senfe. All 
 thefe papers give teftimonv of 
 Urong abilities, great depth of un- 
 derftanding, and clearnefs of rea- 
 foning. Dr. King was a confider- 
 able writer in thelatter, as werelords 
 Cheiierfield and Lyttlcton. Out 
 author had large offers made hiin 
 to write in defence of Sir Robert 
 Walpole, but thefe he rejerted: 
 notwithllanding which, at the 
 great change in the minillry in 
 1742, he was entirely neglede»i, 
 
 us 
 
M O 
 
 [ 323 ] 
 
 M O 
 
 ti well as his fellow-labourer Am- 
 herft, who conduced T/>c Craftf- 
 man. Mr. Molloy, however, hav- 
 ing married a lady ot fortune, was 
 in ciicumftances which enable J 
 him to treat the ingratitude of 
 liis patriotic friends with the 
 contempt it defervfd. He lived 
 many years after this period, dy- 
 ing fo lately as the i6th of Julj;, 
 1767. 
 
 He alfo wrote three dramatic 
 pieces, entitled, 
 
 1. Perplexed Couple, C. i2mo. 
 1715. 
 
 2. The Coquet. C. 8vo. 17 18. 
 
 3. Half-pay Officer i. F. 1 2 mo. 
 
 None of thefe pieces mrt with 
 any very extraordinary Tucccfs j 
 but the author of Whincop's ca- 
 talogue relates an anecdote relat- 
 ing to one of them, viz. The Half- 
 pay Oncers, which, befides its hav- 
 ing lome humour in itfelf, has fo 
 much concern with theatrical hif- 
 tory, that I cannot deny it a place 
 here. 
 
 There wa?. fay? that writer, oi^e 
 thing very remjirlcable at the rc- 
 prefentation of this farce ; the part 
 of an old grandmother was per- 
 formed by Mrs. Fryer, who was 
 then eighty-five years of age, and 
 had quitted the ftage ever fince the 
 reign of king Charles II, It was 
 put in the bills, The Part of Lady 
 Rkhlove to beperformed by Peg Frye.', 
 who has not appeared upon the flage 
 ihefc hfiy years \ which drew toge- 
 ther a great houfe. Thecharai'ter 
 in the farce was fuppofed to be a 
 very old woman, and Pcjj went 
 through it very well, as if ihe had 
 exert-- ' ' er ucmofl abilities. But 
 the I being ended, fhe was 
 
 brought again upon the rtage to 
 dance a jigg, which had been pro- 
 siHed in the bills. She came tot- 
 tering in, as if ready to fall, and 
 ijiade two or three pretended offers 
 
 to go out again ; but all on a fid* 
 dep, the mufic llriking up the //^ 
 Troty (he danced and fnotcd it aU 
 mod as nimbly as any wench of 
 «ive and twenty couIJ have done. 
 This woman afterwards fet up a 
 puMic houfe at lottcnham Court7 
 and great numbers frequently went 
 to fatisfy their curiofity in feeinpf 
 fo extraordinary a perfon, "* 
 
 This (lory recalls to miid a very 
 extraordinary particular fomewhac 
 of the like kind, in the life ot tho 
 celebrated M. Baron, the Garriclf 
 or the Betterton of the French 
 nation. That great aflor hiiving^ 
 on fome occafion. taken difguft at 
 the reception he had met with iii 
 the pu.-fuance of his profcflionj 
 quitted ihe rtage, after having hfex\ 
 on it for feveral years, although ai 
 that tii'ic in the yery height of h'i 
 reputation. He continued in a 
 private and retired mannpr fop 
 many years ; after which, at a timo 
 of life when mofl men would havq 
 confidered themfelves 4s veterans, 
 would have found their faculties 
 abating, and been defirous of re-j 
 tiring, if poffible, from the hurry 
 of public bufinefs, he returned 
 again to the rtage with renewed 
 vigour and improved abilities } 
 rofe to a higher rar,k/0f fame thati 
 even that which he had befqre ob- 
 tained, p'nying the youngeift and 
 moft fpirited characters with un- 
 abated vivacity; and continuing 
 fo to do for many years afrerwnrds, 
 till death fnatched hi.ii away in a 
 very advanced age. 
 
 MoNCRiEF, John. This au- 
 thor was a native of Scotland, and 
 for fome time tutor to a young 
 gentleman at Eton fchool. Ha 
 died about the year 1767, 
 prdducL'd one play, called, 
 
 App'nn, T. 8vo 17 (,',', 
 
 Montague, Wai.ter. 
 gentleman was feconl 
 Henry the iirlt earl of i\Ianchefter 
 
 y f, of 
 
 having 
 
 This 
 oF 
 
 
M O 
 
 [ 3H } 
 
 M O 
 
 v::" 
 
 of that name, from wbom the 
 
 f»refent dukes of Manchefter are 
 ineally defcended. He was born 
 in the pai ifli of St. iJotolph, with- 
 out Alderfgate, about the clofc of 
 queen hlizabeth's,or the beginning 
 of king James I's reign, but the 
 particlilar year is not fpecified by 
 any of the biographers. He re- 
 ceived fome years' education at 
 Sidney College, Cambridge, and 
 aftCTwards travelled into France, 
 where he unhappily was perverted 
 to the communion of the church of 
 Rome, and retired for fome time to 
 a monalHc life. He was hrft made 
 abbot of Nantuei! of the Benedic- 
 tine order in the diocefe ot Mentr, 
 and afterwards of St. Martin's in 
 the diocefe of Roan. He was like- 
 wife agent for king Charles's queen 
 at the court of Home, and both their 
 majefties exerted themfelves to ob- 
 tain a caidinal's hat for him* 
 though without effeft. When the 
 firft fymptoms of the civil war 
 broke out in 1639, he and Sir 
 Kenclm Digby we.u employed by 
 the oneen to ihlic'n '.he Englifh 
 Roman citnoli- s u a liberal con- 
 tributii n in. incvtiey for enabling 
 the king to repel the Scots. They 
 difcharged the con)mifiicn with 
 great fidelity and liiccels. Af- 
 ter this Mr. Montague went to 
 France, from whence returning 
 with difpatches of importance, he 
 was apprehended at Rochefler, and 
 underwent a long and fevere con- 
 finement, notwithilanding he was 
 claimed by the French amball'ador. 
 He was releafed in 1 647 ; but being 
 afterwards reported by the council 
 to be a dangerous perfon, it was 
 voted in parliament that " he 
 «' fhould depirt the nation within 
 *' ten days, and not return with- 
 *' out leave ()F the houfe on pain of 
 " death and confifcation of his 
 *' ellate." Fveturning to France, 
 the queen-dowager of England 
 
 made him her lord aln:»oncr. Re 
 at this time, lord Charendon r,h. 
 ferves, '* appeared a man whcily 
 *' retrained from all the vanity 
 " and levity of his form'T life ., 
 "and perleftly mortified vt the 
 ** plcafures of the world, winch he 
 " had enjoyed in a very great 
 " meafure and excefi. 
 
 " He dedicated himfelf to hi» 
 
 " ftudies with great aufterity ; and' 
 
 *' feemed to have no arteftion or 
 
 "ambition for preferment; but 
 
 *' to live within himfelf upon the 
 
 *' very moderate exhibition he hiid 
 
 " left to him by his father ; and 
 
 *' in this melancholic retreat he 
 
 '* had newly taken the order of 
 
 *' priellhood; which was in truth 
 
 " the molt reafonable way to fa- 
 
 " tisfy his ambition, if he had any 
 
 " left ; tor both the queen regent 
 
 *' and the cardinal could not but 
 
 *' liberally provide for his fupport' 
 
 " in that profeflion ; which they 
 
 *' did very Ihortly after : and this 
 
 ** devout profeflion and new furc- 
 
 " tion much improved the inte- 
 
 " reft and credit he always had in 
 
 " his old millrcfs ; who very much 
 
 " hearkened to him in cafes of 
 
 *' confcience: and flie confefTed to 
 
 " the chancellor, that he was a lit- 
 
 *' lie too bigotted in this affair; 
 
 " and had not only prefTed her 
 
 " very pailionately to remove the 
 
 " fcandal of having a proteilant 
 
 •' chapel in her houfe, as incon- 
 
 •' firtent with a good confcience, 
 
 *' but had likewife inflamed the 
 
 " queen regent with the fame zeal, 
 
 *' who had very earneftly prefTed 
 
 " and importuned her majeily no 
 
 " longer to permit that offence to 
 
 " be given to the catholic religion. 
 
 " In conclufion, Ihe wilhcd him to 
 
 *' confer with Mr. Mountagii<, 
 
 and to try if he could withdra.v 
 
 him from that afperity in that 
 
 particular ; to which purpcfi t^ie 
 
 chancellor conferred with hini) 
 
 " but 
 
 
fff o 
 
 t 3*5 J 
 
 M O 
 
 «'« bit iv'rthout iny cfFeft." But 
 thouj5li he fo rigidly adhered to 
 <his religious prejudices ; yet when 
 Hhe queen turned the di»kc of 
 Glouceller out of dc^rs for re- 
 fuiing to be a convert to popery, 
 Mr. Montague took him into his 
 p'Otedion, and his royal highnefs 
 fjfided with him at his fine abbey 
 of Puntoife until the duke wait fent 
 for by the king. 
 
 This gentleman, who was ufu- 
 ally called the Abbe Montague, 
 and fometimes Lord Abbot of Pon- 
 toife, did not lone furvive the 
 queen-mothtr of England, that 
 princefs dying on the lad day of 
 AuguA 1669, and Mr. Montague 
 before the end of the fame year. 
 He was buried in the church or 
 chapel belonging to the bofpital of 
 Incurables at Paris. 
 
 Before his quitting his country, 
 and defertion from the Proteftant 
 religion, he wrote one dramatic 
 piece, entitled. 
 
 The Shepherd's Paradife. Pad. 
 8vo. 1629. 
 
 More, Hannah. This lady 
 h a native of Briftol, where ftie 
 lomc time kept a boarding fchool 
 for ladies. 
 
 She is the author of, 
 
 I. The ticarc'j of Happinefs. P. D. 
 Svo. 1773. 
 
 -'. The Injlcxihle Captive. T. 
 Svo. 1774. 
 
 i'erty, T. 8vo. 1778. 
 
 4. Fatal Faljl:ood, 
 MoRELL, Thomas. 
 
 T.Hvo. 1779. 
 This au- 
 thor is yet living, a clerg\ man, 
 and one of the fecrctaries of the 
 Antiquarian Society. Hevvasedu- 
 cited at Kton, from whence in 
 \; .2 he was removed to King's 
 <..ol!pge, Cambridoe. He has pub- 
 iiiiicd ftveral Greek plays with 
 le.irned fchoHai has been editor 
 ol feveral editions of Ainfworth's 
 Ihi'i.imj'y and Hcdeilc's £MvVt)« j 
 ;iiid autlior of, ' - 
 
 I. Htevia, T. 8vo. 1749. 
 
 a. PromelheminChaim, T. iJto. 
 
 »773- 
 
 He compiled alfo the woras of 
 feveral Oratorios, and was one of 
 the earlieft writers in the Gentle- 
 man's Magazine. 
 
 Moore, Edward. Was bred 
 a linen-draper, but having proba^ 
 bly a ftrongcr attachment to the 
 Itudy than the counter, and a more 
 ardent zeal in the purfuit o^' fame 
 than in the fearch af' un^* 
 
 lie quitted bufmefs, z led to 
 
 the Mufes for a fuppo '-fe 
 
 he had certainly a ver d 
 
 pleaiing manner ; in ^f 
 
 Selim the Perfian, whit is a com- 
 pliment to the ingenious lord Lyt- 
 telcon, he has fhewn himfelf a per- 
 fect mafter oi the mod elegant kind 
 of panegyrick, viz. that which is 
 couched under the appearance of 
 accufation ; and his Fables for tU 
 Female Sex feem, not only in the 
 freedom an^eafejof the verfi Bcation, 
 but alfo in the forciblenefs of the 
 moral and poignancy of the fatire, 
 to approach nearer to the manner 
 of Mr. Gay, than any of the nu- 
 merous imitations of that author, 
 which have been attempted fince 
 the publication of his Fables. As 
 a dramatic writer, Mr. Moore has, 
 I think, by no means met with the 
 fuccefs his works have merited, 
 fince, out of three plays which he 
 wrote, one of them has been con- 
 demned for its fuppofed refem- 
 blance to a very celebrated comedy 
 (The Confcious Loveis), but to 
 which I cannot avoid giving it 
 greatly the preference ; and an- 
 other, viz. The Gamefier^ met with 
 a cold reception, for no other ap- 
 parent reafon, but becaufe it too 
 nearly touched a favourite and 
 fafliionable vice. Yet on the whole 
 his plots are interefting, his cha- 
 i;i(5ler3 well drawn, his fentiments 
 delicate, and his language poetical 
 
 y q .ana 
 
 ^.**-Kifr.*^' 
 
^. 
 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
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 Sdences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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 ^ 
 

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M O 
 
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 M O 
 
 ind >p1ea(ing} and, what crowns 
 the whole of his recommendation, 
 the greateft purity runs throuph 
 all his writings, and the apparent 
 tendency of every piece is towards 
 the promotion of morality and 
 Virtue. The two plays I have 
 mentioned, and one more, make 
 the whole of his dramatic works, 
 as follo\V8 : 
 
 U founjiing. C. 1 748* 
 . a. Gil Bias, C. 1751. 
 !»,! J- Gamefter. T. 1753. 
 ,Mr. Moore marri^ a lady of the 
 same ot Haoiiltch, daughter to Mr. 
 H. table-decker to the princefles ; 
 who had herfelf a very poetical 
 turn, and has been faid to have 
 . ailiiled him in the writing of his 
 tragedy. One Specimen of her 
 poetry, however, was handed about 
 before their marriage, and has 
 jfiDce appeared in print in The 
 Gentkman^s Magazine^ 1749, p. 
 192. It was addrelHild to a daugh- 
 ter of the famous Stephen Duck ; 
 and begins with the. following 
 Ittanza : 
 
 Would yifii thmk it, my Duci, for 
 
 ■thefauh Imuft dfwrt^ 
 foar Jenny^ at lafi^ is quite co- 
 
 *i>ctous grmvn ; 
 Tho* millions if fortune jheuld la- 
 
 vifhly pour, 
 ' tjtitt jhou*d he wrttched^ if 1 had 
 
 liitf/ More. 
 
 And after h&lf a dozen fianzas 
 . more, in which, with great inge- 
 
 n^iity and delicacy, and X^^ >" ^ 
 , imanner that exj^reiles « Hncere af- 
 
 ^eAion, fhe has quibbled on our 
 . author^s name, (he concludes with 
 /the following lines: 
 
 Teu nuitl voon'der, ^ gtrl^ ivho 
 
 this dear one can be^ 
 W^jofe merit can boaft fuch a con* 
 
 qufft as me; 
 £utyouJhanU knvtu his name\ tho* 
 
 'i toUjou bffore^ 
 
 It begins with «« M ; hut J dare nti 
 fay MORE. 
 
 Mr. Moore died the 28th of Fein 
 17^7, fooB after his celebrated 
 paper?, entitled The fforld, were 
 colleded into volumes. 
 
 His works were printed in one 
 volume, 4to. 1756. 
 
 MboRE, Sir THOiwASi Thfs 
 gentleman lived in the reign qf 
 king George I. which monarch 
 beftowed on him the honour of 
 knighthood: on what occafioil is 
 not recorded ; but, as fome writers 
 have obferved, it was fcarcely on 
 account of his poetry. He wrote 
 hut one pla^y, which is rcniark* 
 able oqly for its abfiirditiesii It h. 
 entitled, 
 
 Mangora, King of the Timluftans* 
 T. 4to. 1 7 18. 
 This play, partly through the ne- 
 cellity of the a£tors of Lincoln's* 
 Inn-Fields theatre, who were then 
 only a young company, and had 
 met with but ffnall encouragebent 
 from the publickv and were glad 
 of making trial of any thing that 
 had but the nature of novelty to 
 recommend itj and partly through 
 the influence of many good dinners 
 and fuppers which Sir Thomas 
 gave them while it was in rehearfa), 
 at length made its way to the ftage ; 
 but we need do no more, to give 
 our readers an idea of the merit of 
 the piece and the genius of its au- 
 thor, than the, quoting a few lines 
 from, it, which Mr. Viftor has 
 given us in his Hiftory of the Stage* 
 In one part of the play the king 
 makes ufe of the following very 
 extraordinary txclamation : 
 
 By all the ancient Gads cf Rome 
 and Greece, 
 
 I lave wy daughter better than hf^ 
 niece ; 
 
 If any one Jhould ajk the rtafok 
 tuly, — 
 
 Td tell \m — Nati&e makes the 
 Jlron^^ tici, 
 
 Andv 
 
M O 
 
 t 3«7 ] 
 
 M O 
 
 And, in another place, having con- 
 ceived a fufpicioQ of fome deiign 
 being formed agaiaft his life, he 
 thus emphatically calls for and 
 Gominands affiftance : 
 
 Call up my guatdi! caU *eM up 
 
 ev^ty one! 
 If you don*t cnUall'—yot^daigood 
 
 call none* 
 
 Neither of thefe parages, however, 
 are to be found in the printed, and 
 perhaps, were never met with in 
 the manuficript copy^ They inighc 
 only have been defigned aa a ridi* 
 cule on. the bathos df fome other 
 tragedy, v .i»»<l -, 
 
 Sir Thoma» died the i6th of 
 April,.i735. ' 
 
 • MoRGAM, M'Namaha, Efq. 
 * A nativie of Ireland ; wa^ if I am 
 act millaken, a member of the 
 konoaiiabte fociety of Lincoln's- 
 Inn» iind has fince been called to 
 tke bar, and pra£tifed as a co8n« 
 fellor in the courts of jutlice in 
 Dublin* H*: cuntra3ed a clofe 
 friendikip) with Mr. Barry the ce- 
 lebrated uAor^ through whofe in- 
 fluence a tragedy of his, founded 
 on a part ofiSir iPhilip SidneyV/^r- 
 cadiat was brought on the (lage in 
 X7;4. it Kiet with fume iucceia 
 from the-ftrong manner in which it 
 was fupported in the performance, 
 and from the potent in tereil«f the 
 Irilh gentlemen in Londoni, excited 
 in favour of their countryman's 
 work; a kind of national.^zeal, 
 which is highly praife-worthy, and 
 which indeed we meet with in the 
 people of. every country but our 
 own., the natives of which, when 
 they chance .to meet abroad, feem 
 to pay no more peculiar regard far 
 each other^ than for the natives of 
 North-America, or the coaft of 
 Coromandel. Mr. M'Namara's 
 tragedy, however, cej-tainly found 
 as favourable a reception aa It 
 ipould laf any claim to, as it was In 
 
 r .tvy refpeCls very far frpm being 
 limited within the firift rules of 
 the drama, and of a fpecies of wri^ 
 iug much too romantic for t(ie 
 prefent tadc. It is entitled^ 
 
 PhilocUa, T. Svo. 1754. .:,i«i 
 Mr. Morgan died in thjeyear 176:2. 
 
 Morton, £.. This author piibf^ 
 liihed one dramatic piec^at Salpp,^ 
 to which he fays in an advertife^ 
 ment he was induced to enable 
 him to fuppolrt a large family. It 
 was callied, 
 
 The Regifter Ojfice, F. 1 2 mo. i 758. 
 
 Moss, TfHEOPHiLUfl. Is au- 
 thor of one moll contemptible 
 piece, which was never acted, but 
 which the vanity of feeing hia^ 
 name in print has feduced him to 
 the publication of^ entitled., 
 
 ^he General Lever. C Svo. 1748* 
 We have been informed, howevei«. 
 that the real name of this writer is 
 not Mofs; but Marriot. 
 
 MoTTEUx, Peter Akthony, 
 This gentleman was a native of 
 France^ being born in 2.660, at 
 Rohan in Normandy, where alfo 
 be received his education. , On 
 the revocation of the edi£l of 
 Nantz he came over to England. 
 He lived at firfl withhi« godfather 
 and relation Paul Dominique, 
 £fq; but afterwards grew a con< 
 fidetable trader himfelf) kept a 
 large Ead-Indla warehouie in 
 Leaden-hall-ftreet, And had a vqt^ 
 genteel place in the GeneraUPoll- 
 Office relating to the foreign ki.-^ 
 ters, being mafter of feveral lait- 
 guages. During his refidence ift 
 this kingdom, he acquired fo pcr- 
 fet^ a mailery of the Engliih lan>- 
 guage, that he not only was quali- 
 fied to oblige the world with a very 
 good tranflation of Don Quixote, 
 but alfo wrote feveral Songs, Pro- 
 logues. Epilogues., ^^. and, what 
 was iUlI more extraordinary, be- 
 came a very eminent dramatic wri- 
 ter in a language to which he was 
 
 Y 4 aot 
 
S) d 
 
 [ 3*8 ] 
 
 M O 
 
 n&t native. The ndpt^iv^ dtles 
 of his ftomercos piecei of that kind 
 are a« follow, 
 •1. Love*3 a Jefi, C. 4to. 1696. 
 
 2. Loves cf Mars and f^enus. 
 Play, fet to fnofic. 410. i606. 
 
 3. Vo^l^. Y.stty A€l a Play, 
 4t0. 1697. 
 
 4. Europe^s Rtvefs, Mafical In» 
 terliide. 4to. 1697. 
 
 5. 5M«/y in Dfftrtfi. T, 410. 
 1698. . 
 
 6. ^rtr«^ Princffs. IX O. 4to« 
 1^99. 
 
 7. Foar Sea/ens. Mufical Inter* 
 lude. 4to. 1699. 
 
 8. Ads and Galatea, M. 410. 
 1701. 
 
 < 9. Britain's Happintft. Mufical 
 Interlude. 410. 1704. 
 
 ■ 10. Jlrjinoe^ ^luen ^ Cyprus. 
 O.-4t0{. 1705. 
 
 II. humous Mifit, C. 410. 
 370^ 
 
 « -i 2. Tempk ofLvije, P. O, 4to. 
 i'7b6. 
 
 13. ThowfriSf ^urt» of Scythia, 
 O. 4to. 1 707. 
 
 14. Lovers Triumph. P. O. 410, 
 J7o». 
 
 - ^ 15. Love dragooiCd. F. 
 
 This gentleman, who fceiijg to 
 )iave led a vei*y comfortable life, 
 his circuinilan(fes having been per* 
 feflly eafy, was yet unfortunate 
 m his death; for he was found 
 dead in a diforderly houfe in the 
 pariih of St. Clement Danes, not 
 without fufpicicn of having been 
 murdered ; though other accounts 
 lay, that he met with his fate in 
 trying a very odd experiment. 
 This acci(ient happened to him on 
 the igtb of February, 1717-18, 
 Which, being hjs birth -day, exaftly 
 coaipieatcd his 58th year. His 
 t)ody was interred ih bis own pa- 
 i-jfh cliui-cli, wi.icli Was rhai oh .st, 
 rAlhdiew fjcdi'vOsufr, in tiie cuy 01 
 iiciidon. 
 
 MOTTLBY, JoHK, Ifq^ is the 
 fon of colonel Mottl^, who was 
 a great favoiirite with king James 
 the fecond, and followed the for« 
 tunes of that prince into France. 
 James, not being able himfelf to 
 provide for him fo wel^ as he de« 
 fired, procured for him, by his in. 
 tereft, the command of a regi> 
 ment in the fervice of Louis XlV. 
 at the head of which he loft his 
 life, in the battle of Turin, in- the 
 year 1706. The colonet married 
 a daughter of John Goife, Efq; of 
 Ablodfcoart, in Gloucefterfliire, 
 with whom, by the death xif a 
 .1 other who left her his "drhvla 
 eftate, he had a very CDniidcpable 
 fortune. The family of the Gaif^), 
 however, being of priHciples diat 
 metrically oppofite to diofe of the 
 colonel, and zealoas friends to the 
 Revolution, Mrs. Mottley, tasxi* 
 withftanding the tendereft afice^ 
 tion for her huftand, and rq)Ckted 
 invitations from the < king and 
 queen then at St. Germains, couM 
 not be prevailed on to foHoW him« 
 but rather chofe to live on the re» 
 mains of what he had left her be* 
 bind. The colonel being irat over 
 to England, three or four years af< 
 ter the Revolution, on a fccFCt 
 commiinon fircm king James, and 
 cohabiting with his wife during 
 his Olort ftay there, occafiotaed 
 the birth of our a*u* tn the year 
 1692. 
 
 Mr. Mottley iVCc^.d the firft 
 rudiments of hie education at St. 
 Martin's library fi&hool, founded 
 by archbin^op Tennifon ; but W8< 
 foon c'al'ed forth into byfinefs, 
 being placeii in the Excife Office 
 at fix'ren year? of age uncer the 
 coniptrollcr, lord Vifcount Howe, 
 whoit brother and lifter were both 
 related by marriage to his mother, 
 'I'His place he j^ept till the year 
 \'^£^■, when, in confequence of'aa 
 
 licbappy 
 
M O 
 
 [ 3«9 3 
 
 M O 
 
 unhappy contract th«t he had 
 made, probably in piirfuitof ibmc 
 of the babble? of that iofauated 
 ycar^ he wa> obliged to rafiga it. 
 ' ..Soon after the uccelfion of kiOg 
 Geor|;e I. Mc> Mottiey had been 
 promifed by. the lord 'Halifax, at 
 chat time firll lord oF riie treaftiry, 
 the place of one of the commii^ 
 lioners of the 'fFiiie Licence Offct \ 
 blit when the day caitie that his 
 Daflne flioold have beei^ ioferted ih 
 the patent, a more ipoivcrful !«> 
 tcreft, to his great tiirpriiie, had 
 fiepped ta between him and the 
 pracrmoftt of which he had ib 
 |A>fitiVe a promife* Thi«, iiow- 
 rrer^ Was not the only dUappoiat* 
 Meat ef that kiftd Which thb gen- 
 ijemtn net with, for, at the pe- 
 iriod afaove-nentioaedy when he 
 parted with his place in the £x- 
 ciic, he had o^e in the Exchequer 
 abfoiutely given to hiU hy Sir 
 Robert Walpole, to whom he lay 
 unde^ many* other tiUigatioos. 
 But in this cafe^ aa.w,ell as the 
 preceding one, a^ the very time 
 that he itnagiaed hiflifelf the fu> 
 rell, he was doomed to find hia 
 hopes fruftraied ; for that mini- 
 fler, BO longer than three ■ days 
 afterwards, recoUedkii^ that he 
 had made a prior promtfe of it to 
 another, Mr. Mottley was obliged 
 to relinquiih his claim to him, who 
 had, in honour, aa earlier right 
 to it. 
 
 Mr. Guife, our author's grand- 
 father by the mother's fide, had 
 fettled an eftate on him after the 
 death of his mother, ihe being to 
 receive the income of it during 
 her life-tioie ; but that lady, whofe 
 inclination tor expence, or what 
 the world commonly calls fpirit, 
 was greatly above her circum- 
 lUnccs, thu6 ditr.inifhed as they 
 were in confeqoencc of her huf- 
 baad's party principles, being con- 
 hdexttbiy involved in debt, Mr. 
 
 Mottley, in order to free Jkt fr»m< 
 thofe incambranoes, cokifetrted to 
 the (hie of the «flate, althoMgh Aw 
 was no more thai leaant /or life. 
 This Aap was taken at lihe very 
 time that he loft hii place in the 
 Eacife, which m^;fat perhapa be 
 one motiM for his joiainig to the 
 fale, and when h£ wa* ahaoft 
 twentyieight yesrs of we. 
 
 In the fame yenr, finding hia 
 fbrtmies in fome meafiire impair- 
 ed« and hu profbefts over-doiided* 
 he applied to hu pen, wlhich had 
 bitherea been oaly his amaienent* 
 fbr the means of immediate fup* 
 port, and wrotis his foil |>lay, 
 which met with tolerable fucceft. 
 From that time he depended ohieAy 
 on his literary abilities for the 
 amendment of his fortnne, and 
 wrote the Allowing dfamadc 
 pieces ; iome df which met with 
 tolerable faceeft^ 
 
 J. hnperid Cafti<bet, T. flvo. 
 1 710. 
 
 z. JtntacBut. T. 8vo. tjtu 
 
 3. Peael^, Mock 3all. Of, 
 8vo. 1728. 
 
 4. Cre^fmuH, F. 8vo. r.728. 
 
 5. Wulow hevjitcb*J. C. 8vik^ 
 173P. 
 
 He had alfo a hand in the com* 
 pofition of that maiqr-fathcred 
 pieee, the Devil t»pff% as well al 
 in that of the farce of Penelefe ; as 
 snay be -feen in t>or account of 
 thofe pieces in the fecond volume 
 of this work. He puUtihed a life 
 of the great Czar Peter, by fub» 
 fcripiion, in which he met with 
 the fandion of Ibme of the royd 
 family and great numbers of the 
 nobility and gentry ; and, on oc- 
 cafion of one of his bene&cs, which 
 happened on the 3d of November^ 
 her lace msjetly qixeen Caroline, 
 on the 30th of the • precedine 
 month (being theprince of Wales^ 
 birth-day), did the author the fin- 
 gulax honour of di^pofing of a 
 
 great 
 
M O 
 
 t 330 :! 
 
 M o^ 
 
 great number of his tickets^ with 
 er own hand, in the drawing- 
 room, moft of which were paid for 
 in gold, into the hands of colonel 
 Schutz, his royal highnefs's privy- 
 purfe, from whom Mr. Mottley 
 ireceived it, with the addition of 
 a very liberal prefent from the 
 |>rince himfelf. 
 
 Mr. Mottley died the 30th day 
 of Oftober, 1750. 
 
 It has been furmifed, and I 
 think with feme appearance of 
 reafon, that Mr. Mottley was the 
 compiler of the lives of the dra- 
 matic writers, publiOied at the end 
 of Whincop's ScanJerhf^^, It is 
 certain^ that the life of Mr. R-Iott- 
 ley, in thatwork, is rendered one 
 of the moft important in it, and' 
 is particularized, by fuch a num- 
 ber of varioDS incidents, as it fee ms 
 improbable fliould be known by 
 any but either himfelf or fome one 
 
 . nearly- related to him. Among 
 others he relates the following 
 anecdote, ^ith which^ as it con- 
 tains fomc iiumour, i fhall ciofe 
 
 , this article. 
 
 When colonel Mottley, our. au- 
 thor's father, came over, as has 
 been before related, on a fecret 
 commiflion from the abdicated mo- 
 narch, the government, who had 
 by fome means intelligence of it, 
 were very diligent in their endear 
 vours to have him feized. The 
 colonel, however, was happy 
 enough to elude their fearch ; but 
 feveral other pcrfons were, at dif* 
 ferent times, feized through mif- 
 take for him. Among the reft, 
 it being well known that he fre- 
 quently fupped at the Blue Pofts 
 Tavern in the Hay-Market, with 
 one Mr. Tredenham, a Cornilh 
 gentleman, particular diredtions 
 were given for fcarching that 
 hcufe. Colonel Mottley, however, 
 happening net to be there, the 
 -meiiengers found Mr. Tredenham 
 
 atone, and with a heap of papers 
 before him, which being a fuf- 
 picious circumftance, they imme.^ 
 diately feized, and carried him 
 before the earl of Nottingham, 
 then fecretary of Hate. 
 
 His lord (hip, who, however^ 
 could noi avoid knowing him, as 
 he was a member of the houfe of 
 commons, and nephew to the fa« 
 mous Sir £dward Seymour, alked 
 him what all thofe papers con-; 
 tained. Mr. Tredenham made an- 
 fwer, that they were only the fe-' 
 veral fcenes of a play, which he 
 had been fcribbling for the amufe- 
 ment of a few leifure hours. Lord 
 Nottingham then only defired 
 leave juii to look over them, which 
 having done for fomc little time»' 
 he returned them again to the aa- 
 thor, alluring him that he was 
 perfeftly fatisfied ; for, Uf>on my. 
 Kvord, faid Jie^ / tmi find no plot 
 bi them, ' v C-1 .' ■ "'f 
 
 Mou^^^fORr, Willi AM. This 
 gentleman, who was far from a con*' 
 temptible writer, though in much 
 greater eminence as an a£lor, was 
 born in the year 1659, but of what 
 family no particulars are extant, 
 farther than that they were of 
 Stafford (hire. It is probable that 
 he went early upon the llage, as 
 it is certain that he died young; 
 and Jacob informs us that, after 
 his attaining that; degree of ex-^ 
 cellence which fliewed itfelf in his 
 performance of the charadler of 
 Tallh.y^ and Sir Courtly Nice, h? 
 was entertained for fome time in 
 the family of the lord chancellor 
 JelFeries, who, fays Sir John 
 Rerefby, " at an entertainment of 
 *' the lord mayor and court of 
 •' aldermen in the year 1685, call- 
 " eJ for Mr. Mountfort to divert 
 " the company (as his lordfhip 
 " was pleafed to term it) : he^being 
 " an excellent mimic, my lord 
 " made him plead before him in 
 
 ■" a feigned 
 
M @ 
 
 £ 3}^ 3 
 
 M O 
 
 ^'* a feigned caufe, in which he 
 '** aped all the great lawyers of the 
 •' age in their tone of voice, and 
 '** in their aAion and geflure of 
 ** body to the very great ridicule 
 <* not only of the lawyers, but of 
 *' the law itfelf ; which to me' 
 (fays the hiflorian) *' did not feem 
 '** altogether prudent in a man of 
 ** his lofty ftation in the law s 
 •* diverting it certainly was ; but 
 " prudent in the lord high chan- 
 ** cellor, Ifliall never thin kit. "-vf- 
 ter the fall of lord JefFeries, our au- 
 thor again returned to the ftage, 
 in which proteflion he continued 
 till his death, which happened in 
 169*. 
 
 Mr. CoUey Cilbber, who has, in 
 ^is Apology, fliewn great candour 
 and warmth in his bellowing all 
 due commendations on his con- 
 temporaries, has drawn one of 
 the moil amiable portaits of Mr. 
 iMountfort as an aftor. He tells 
 vs that he was tall, well made, 
 fair, and of an agreeable afpe6l. 
 His voice clear, full and melo- 
 dious; a moft affe^ing lover in 
 tragedy, and in comedy gave the 
 trueft life to the real charader of a 
 fine gentleman. In fcenes of gaiety 
 he never broke into that refped 
 that was ^ue to the prefence of 
 equal or fuperior characters, though 
 inferior aCiors played them, nor 
 fought to acquire any advantage 
 over other performers by Fineffr, or 
 flage-tricks, but only by furpaffing 
 them in true and maflerly touches 
 of nature. He had in himfelf a 
 fufiicient ihare of wit, and a plea- 
 fantry of humour that gave new 
 life to the more fprightly charac- 
 ters which he appeared in ; and fo 
 much decency did he preferve even 
 in the more difl'olute parts in co- 
 medy, that queen Mary II. who 
 was remarkable for her folicitude 
 in the caufe of virtue, and dif- 
 «ouragemeat of even the appeai:- 
 
 nnceofvice, did, on feeing Mri« 
 Behn's comedy of the Hover per- 
 formed, at the fame time that Ihd 
 expreffed her difapprobatioQ of thd 
 piece itfelf, make a very jull dif- 
 tinAion between the author and 
 a£lor, and allowed a due praife to 
 the admirable performance of Mr* 
 Mountfort in the charadier. He 
 had, beftdes this, fuch an amazing 
 variety in his manner, as very fevir 
 a£lor$ have been able to attain ; 
 and was fo excellent in the caft c^ 
 fops .and fictit maitres, that Mr» 
 Cibber, who was himfelf in.htgh 
 eftcem in that manner of playingv 
 nor only acknowledges that he wal 
 greatly indebted to his obfervatiou 
 of this gentleman for hia own fuc- 
 cefs afterwards, but even confefles 
 a great inferiority to him, more 
 efpecially irt perfonal advantage ; 
 and fays moreover, that had Mr. 
 Mountfort been remembered wheii 
 he firil: attempted them, hisdefeA*' 
 would have been more eafily dif- 
 covered, and confequentiy his fa- 
 vo arable receptidn in them very 
 much and very jultly abated^ 
 
 Such were the excellences of 
 this great performer, who did 
 not, however, in all probability^ 
 reach that fummit of perfedlion 
 which he might have arrived at, 
 had he not been untimely cut off 
 by the hands of a bafe anaflin, in 
 the 33d year of his age. As the 
 affair was in itfelf of an extraordi'- 
 nary nature, and fo eflential a cir- 
 cumilance in Mr. Moantfort*is hif- 
 tory, I need make no apology fo!r 
 giving a fhort detail of it in this 
 place, colleded from the circum- 
 flances which appeared on the trial 
 of the murderer's accomplice. 
 
 Lord Mohun, who was a man 
 of loofe , morals, and of a turbu'. 
 lent and rancorous fpirit, had, 
 from a kind of fympathy of dif- 
 pofuion, contratSled the clofell in- 
 timacj wiih one captain Hill, whom 
 
 nature-^ 
 
M O 
 
 f ^3. 1 
 
 M O 
 
 e, ^ wfth-boMinj; jfrom him 
 «v«ry Tvkiiibk quality, feemed to 
 Imt* imendMl Ibr a cat- throat. 
 HillJnul )on|; entertained a paffion 
 fW that ^ebrated teStrtfa mm. 
 Brace^tifdla, ivhidi that lady -had 
 trneAcd^ «ritli the contetnptofnis 
 4udiun which his charaAer juftly 
 4ielcrv«d. Fired with refentment 
 for thia treatitient, Hill's vatiity 
 «roul<l not fuller him to attribote 
 k to *ny other caufe than a pre- 
 Mgagement of 1>er affedtions in fa- 
 vow <lf Tome other lover. Mount- 
 fort's a£re«tfbfe perfon, his fre- 
 ^uently.perfetMlftig the counterparts 
 in low-fcMics with Mrs. Bracegir- 
 41e, and the tefpeO. which he ufed 
 iflwaystoffiy'h^r, induced captain 
 iliH to -fik nn Itim, though ^ mar- 
 ried man, as the fuppofed bar to 
 his own fuccefs. Grown dcfperate 
 then of Succeeding by fair means, 
 lie diMei*niinted to attempt force; 
 snd, communicating his deiign to 
 iord* Mbhun, whofe attachment to 
 •him wafi (b threat, as to render him 
 the accottp4rce J4i all his fcheme?, 
 and th« promoter of even his moft 
 <crimiflalpi«ftfiires,they determined 
 *m ajilati for tarrying her away 
 rfrom the pley-houfe ; but, not find- 
 ing her there, they got intelligence 
 •where lh« vm to fup, and, having 
 lijri'd atmmber of folditrs and a 
 ■coach foi-thc purpofe, waited near 
 the door for her coming cut, and, 
 t)n her To doing, the rufri-ans ac- 
 ■twiHyieiised her, and were going 
 HO force 'her into the couch; but 
 'her wother, fand t^.e gefttlemsn 
 'Wlrde houfe flic came out of, ir- 
 -terpofii-^g till fill 'Aet'fiffiftKTice could 
 'CORse up, file was refciuri from 
 tbcm, and fafe'y efcc-icd to her 
 •own b'jule. Lord Mohun and 
 -<■:!p•Hin'H^^l, liowcvrr, enraged ::t 
 iti'.-'T d?r;i.ppointinert in this a-t- 
 ten>]>t, inimedi.'ueK" refolveo or oi-e 
 of another kind, and with violent 
 4 
 
 imprecationi openly vowed-revenge 
 on Mr. Mountfbrt. 
 
 Mrs. Bracegirdh:*.i rtw^ther, and a 
 gentleman who were ear-witneiTVrs 
 to their threats^ iftinrreiiiatciy fent 
 to inform Mrs. Mountttirt of her 
 huftand's danger, vuh their opi- 
 nion that fheflinald Warn him ri u, 
 and adviftt him not to come liome 
 thpt night ; but, unforrunwely, lio 
 mefl'ciiger Mrs. "Mount forr ^eiir wag 
 able to find him. In the jnf.in 
 time his lordfliip and the cspran 
 paraded the flrcets with tljtiir 
 (words drawn till about midnight ; 
 when Mr. Moantfurt, on his re- 
 tarn home, was met and iilltrted in 
 a friendly manner by lord Molicn j 
 but, while that ftandal to thjc 
 rank and tide which he bore was 
 treachcronfly holding him in a 
 converfation in*hich he could form 
 no fufpicion from, the<aflaflin Hill, 
 being at his back, iiril gave him.a 
 delperate blow on the head with his 
 left hand, and immediately after- 
 wards, before Mr. Mountfort haid 
 tirr.c to draw and ftand on his de- 
 fence, he, with the fword he held 
 ready in his right, ran him through 
 the body. This laft drcumflance 
 iMf. Mountfort declared, as a dy- 
 ing man, to Mr. Bancroft, the fur- 
 gcon who attended him. Hill im- 
 mediately made his efcape ; but 
 lord Mofaun was feized, and flood 
 his trial ; but, as it did not appear 
 that he immediately affifted Hill 
 in perpetrating this afl'aili nation, 
 and that, although lord Mofaun had 
 joined with the captain in his 
 threats of revenge, yet the a£lual 
 mentior of murther could not be 
 proved, his lordlhip was acquitted 
 by his peers. Hcafrcrvvards, how- 
 e^•er, himfelf loft his life in a dad 
 witii tht diike of Hamilton, in 
 whidi it has been hinted thatfome 
 of the iame kind of treachery, 
 which he had been an abettor of 
 
 in 
 
M O 
 
 [ 333 1 
 
 M V 
 
 n the above<inMtiooed »flrair, was 
 
 £ut in praAic« againft himfelf. 
 Ir. MoiMicfort'i death happened 
 in Norfolk-Street in the Strand, in 
 the winter of i6<^2. His body 
 was interred in th^. d)urch>yard of 
 St. CIcmeAt Danes. 
 
 He left behind him the fix fol- 
 lo«vmg dramatic pieces; tbefecoad 
 of tlieo^t however, is noaiinated as 
 hrs by no writer but Chetwoed ; 
 and CoMter tells m it was written 
 by John Bancroft, aad given by 
 Ikim to Mr. Moontfort. 
 
 z. lujurtd Lwers, Tragr 4tOr 
 1688. 
 
 ft 2. Edward the Third, Trag. 
 4to. 1691. 
 
 3. Greenwich Pari* Com. 4to. 
 1691. 
 
 4. Suceefifiil Strangers. Com. 410. 
 1696. 
 
 5. Ufe and Death cfDr. Fatifius, 
 Farce. 4(0. 1697. 
 
 , 6. Ztlmant. T. 410. 1705. 
 4 MosEEN, William. This 
 gentleman, formerly an a£lor on 
 the theatre yoyal in Drury Lane, 
 was, as I have been informed, ori- 
 ginally bred to the lav;^ ; bat, pro- 
 bably finding the Uborioufnefs or 
 gravity of that profeffion unfuitable 
 to his natural difpofition, he quit- 
 ted it for the llage, on which, 
 however, he made no very confpi- 
 cuous figure. Yet be gave fome 
 proofs of genius and hunoour in the 
 writing way, being reputed the 
 author of a very diverting account 
 of the adventures of a fummer 
 company of comedians, detached 
 from the roetropolitaa theatres, 
 commencing capital heroes within 
 the limits of a bara, and to the au- 
 dience of a country town. The 
 book is entitled, Toung Scarron^ and 
 gives evident proofs of the author's 
 -having a perfed knowledge of the 
 fceaes and charafters he attempts 
 to defcribe, and no veiy uniktlful 
 jteacil for the pourcraying them 
 
 with thmr moll ftrikiag fealMMv 
 and in the livelicft cokwrs. He 
 has alfo written fome little poemir 
 which were publiihtd by r«iMerip- 
 tion, together with » farce, tn- 
 titled, 
 
 The Heireft ; or, The Mi^tdlitan, 
 8vo. 176a. > 
 
 MUNDAY, ANTUOWy. Tlf» 
 
 author is celebrated by McMt 
 amongft the comic poets as the 
 bell plotter; but none iof hitdiii- 
 matic pieces are come down to the 
 
 Erefent times. He appears to have 
 sen a writer throngh a very long 
 period, there being works eziftine 
 publiflied by him, which are dated 
 in 1580 and 1621, and prob^y 
 both earlier and later than thofe 
 yean. In the year 1582, he de^ 
 te£led the treafonable practices of 
 Edmund Campion, and his confe- 
 derates, of which he pnbliihed an ac- 
 count, wherein he is ftyled, ** fome- 
 time the pope's fcholier allows in 
 the feminarie atRoome." The pub- 
 lication of this pamphlet brongbt 
 down upon him the vengeance of 
 his opponents, one of whom, in 
 aa anfwer to him, has giren his 
 hiftory in thefe words ; ** Munday 
 " was fird a ftage-player, after an 
 ** apprentife, >diich tyme he wel 
 ** ferved with deceaving of his 
 ** maflcr, then wandring towardcs 
 " Italy, by his own report became 
 *' a cofener in his journey. Com- 
 ** ffiing to Rome, in his ihort abode 
 ** there, was charitably relieved, 
 ** but never admitted in the femi- 
 ** nary, as he plefeth to lye in 
 *' the title of his booke, and being 
 *' wery of well doing returned 
 ^ home to his firll vomite, and 
 ** was hift from his tizgt for his 
 " folly. Being therby difcou- 
 " raged he fct forth a balet a- 
 *' gainil plays, though (o conftaat 
 ** yonth) he afterwards began a- 
 '* gain to ruifie upon the ftagr. I 
 ** omit (continues this author) 
 
 ** among 
 
•^^ 
 
 M U 
 
 [ 334 I 
 
 M U 
 
 «* among other places his beha- fame bufiners in ^'hich he ha4 
 
 •* viour in Barbican with his good been engaged before ; but having 
 
 «* miilrefs :ind mother. 'I'wo cultivated a taRe for literature, kit 
 
 •* things however inuft not be mercantile employment was firft 
 
 •* pa/Ted over of this bays infeli- negledted, and afterwards totally 
 
 «* citie, two feveral ways of late laid afidc. In the year 175a, he 
 
 f* notorious. Fird he writing up- feems to have commenced author-. 
 
 «♦ on the death of !• verard Haunlt, 
 *< was immediately controk-d and 
 ♦* difproved by one of his ownc 
 ** batche, and (hortly after fetting 
 ** forth ihe apprehenfion of M. 
 ♦' Campion was difproved by 
 •* George (I was about to fay), 
 ♦* Judas Eliot who writing againft 
 ** him proved that thofe things he 
 ** did were for lukers fake only, 
 *' and not for ihf. truthe thogh he 
 
 having at that time begun T/je 
 Gray's-Ittn Journal, which conti« 
 nued until October 1754, in which, 
 month and year ihe author put an 
 end to it, and entered upon a new 
 profefiion, that of a performer on 
 the liagc. On the i8th of Oao- 
 ber 1754, he appeared on Covent- 
 Giirden theatre in rhe character of 
 Othello ; but though he poflefled 
 figure, voice, genius, and an ac- 
 
 <' himfelf be a perfon of the fame curate conception of the parts he 
 
 a6led, yet he foon found that he 
 was not likely to add to his fame 
 in a fituation where excellence is 
 very fcldom to be ir.^t with. At 
 the end of the firft year he removed 
 to Drury-Lane, wher« he remained 
 only until the feafbn dofed, at the 
 conclufion of which he renounce^ 
 the theatres as an a£tor, and re- 
 fumed his former employment of 
 a writer. The violence of parties 
 at this junAure running very high, 
 our author undertook the defence 
 of the unpopular fide, and began 
 
 ** predicament, of whom I mulle 
 ** fay that if felony be honelly 
 *' then he may for his behaviore 
 ** be taken for a laweful witnefs 
 **. againft fo good nicn." It will 
 take from the credit of this narra- 
 tive to obferve that our author was 
 after this time fervant to the earl 
 of Oxforjd, and a mcflenger of the 
 queen's bed-chamber, pofts which 
 he would fcarce have held had his 
 charadler been fo infamous as is 
 xeprefented above. 
 
 Murphy, Art.hur. An au- 
 
 thor ftill living, who, after attempt- a period icar paper 6th November 
 ing feveral profeftions, has at laft 1756, called. The fcfl, which was 
 
 fixed on the law, in which he is 
 likely to acquire a refpedable fitua- 
 tion and an eafy fortune. He is a 
 native of Ireland ; and Corke is 
 faid to have been the place of his 
 birth. In the early pare of his 
 life he was initiated into the myf- 
 teries of trade, and was feme time 
 clerk in a merchant's counting- 
 houfe; but having taken too active 
 B part in a theatrical difpute which 
 aroie in the town where he lived, 
 he was difmifTed from his employ- 
 ment, and immediately removed to 
 
 London. Here 
 
 again 
 
 he found it 
 
 anfwered by the late Owen RufF- 
 head, Efq; in another under the 
 title of The Conuji. To prevent 
 his being obliged to rely folely 
 on the precarious fiate of an au^ 
 thor, he now determined to ftudy 
 the law; but, on his firft applica- 
 tions to the focieties of both the 
 Temples and Grays-Inn, he had 
 the mortification to be refuied ad- 
 miflion, on the illiberal ground of 
 his having adled on the flage. H? 
 was however received as a member 
 at Lincoln's-Inn, and in due time 
 called to the bar, fince when he has; 
 
 expedient to have recourfe ta the gradually withdrawn himfelf froqi 
 
M U 
 
 C S55 1 
 
 M tJ 
 
 the public as a writer. At the be- 
 ginning of the prefent reign he 
 was employed to write againlt the 
 famous North Briton, -ind for a 
 confiderable time publiflied a week- 
 ly paper, called, the Auditor ; but 
 being difguftcd as is fuppofed at 
 fome improper behaviour amongll 
 his party triend», hr ^mm that time 
 gave up all attention to politics, 
 and devoted himfelf wholly to the 
 ftudy of his piofcfllon as a lawyer. 
 He pubtifhed an edition of Henry 
 Fielding's works, with a life of the 
 author in 1 762 ; and, befides many 
 other pferformances, produced be- 
 tween the years 1756 and 1777, 
 the following dramatic pieces. 
 
 I, The J/)f>rentlce. F. 8vo. 1756. 
 
 a. The Sboiter; or, The Trifle 
 Revenue. C, F. 8vo. 1756. 
 
 3, Tf^e Rn^liJhtHan from Paris, 
 F. 1756. N. P. 
 
 4. The Vpholjlerer \ Or, IVfiUt 
 News. P. hvo. 1758. 
 
 §. The Orphan oj China. T. 8vo, 
 
 6. The Defart IJland, D. P. 8v«« 
 
 1760. »» 
 
 7. Tht fVay to kttp Him, C. 8vO. 
 
 1760. 
 
 8. The IVo), to keep Him. C, 
 enlarged, 8vo. 1761. 
 
 9. Alt in the IVtong, C% SvVt 
 
 1761, *•«.- 
 
 10. The Old Maid. Com. 8v«. 
 1761. 
 
 11. Th( Citizen, F. 8vo. 1765, 
 firll a£led in 1761. 
 
 1 2 No on(*s Enf/ny but his tWlt, 
 C. 8vo. 1764. 
 
 13. ff^hat 1VC mujl all come to. C% 
 'ivo. 1764. 
 
 14. The School for Guardians, C. 
 8vo. 1767. 
 
 15. Zenobia. T. 8vo. 1768. 
 
 16. The Grecian Daughter, T» 
 8vo. 1772. 
 
 17. Alzuma. T. 8vo. 1 773. 
 
 18. Ne-aii jrom ParnaJJus. Prel. 
 1776. N.P. 
 
 19. Know your owi^ J^ndi Ct 
 8vo. 1777. 
 
 N. 
 
 N A 
 
 N 
 
 M. Thefe letters ftand as 
 
 . the initials of a young 
 
 lady's name, who introduced on 
 the Itage an alteration of Beau- 
 mont and Fletcher's Loyal Subjcity 
 tinder the title of, 
 
 The Faithful General. Trag. 410. 
 1706. 
 
 Nabbes, Thomas, wrote in the 
 reign of Charles I. Langbaine 
 ranks him as a hird-rate poet, but 
 Cibber wi!I not admit to above a 
 ^fth-rai^ degree of merii. Yet he 
 
 N A 
 
 appears to have been well edeemed 
 by his contemporaries, fome of 
 them having publicly profi:fle(l 
 themfelves his friends, and Sir 
 John Suckling having warmly pa- 
 tronized him. One degree of me- 
 rit at lealt he has a claim to ; and 
 that is, that his plays are truly and 
 entirely his own, not having had 
 recourfe to any preceding ^yriter 
 for afliilance ; on which account 
 his deiiiiencies are certainly more 
 pardonable^ and the applaufe due 
 
 to 
 
I 
 
 H 
 
 M.I 
 
 K A 
 
 C J36 3 
 
 N A 
 
 to hi* bcftuHa* more truly his own, 
 than thofe of many other hardi. 
 yUt LMgb»me, whofe gre«t read- 
 ing enabled him very accurately to 
 trace i\ff pU^iarifms of authors, 
 feems to coniiiin, at the fanae time 
 that He Quotei the author's own 
 airertion of it in his prologue to 
 the (lofncdy. d CwtHt-GtrJerii in 
 thefe words, 
 
 He juJUfes that */is no herr(/vi*(i 
 
 Jirain 
 From the invention of another's 
 
 brain ; 
 Nor ifiti he fleal the fancy ^ &c. 
 
 The dramatic piecci extant by this 
 author are the following, 
 
 r. Mlqfotefmus, MiSfque. 4to. 
 
 2. Uannihal anil Scipig, Hiil. T. 
 4to. 1637. 
 
 J. C9vt*t-GarJf«» Com. 4to. 
 1638. 
 
 4» Sffing*tQkti^* Maique. 410. 
 1638. 
 
 5. Entertainment on the Princess 
 Birth-Day. Mafque. 4to. 1638. 
 
 6. Tottenham Court. Com. 410. 
 1639. 
 
 7. Unfortunate ^rhither, Trag. 
 4to. 1640. 
 
 8. Bride. Com. 4to. 1640. 
 Phillips and Winilanley, according 
 to their ufual cullou), have afcribed 
 two other anonymous plays to him, 
 which however Langbaine has 
 provid ncl to be his. They are 
 entitled, 
 
 CV/" the Firjl. Trag. 
 
 Woman Hattr arraigwJ. Com^ 
 Wood informs us, thatMr'Nabbcs 
 jnade a cofitinuation of KnoUes's 
 H'Jiory qfthe Turksj from the year 
 XC28 to ihe end of 1637, collected 
 frpiQ the di^ioiches of Sir Peter 
 Wyche, Kni. ambaiTador at Con- 
 ilaatinople, and others. 
 
 Coateter le«ms to be of opinioti, 
 but without much reafon, that this 
 b ihp Thqmas Nabbes, who lies 
 
 buried in the Temple chufch, si^ 
 der the organ on the inner fide. 
 
 Nash, Thumas* Was born at 
 the feaport-town of LeoftoH', in 
 Suffolk, and was defcendcd from 
 a family whofe refidence was itf 
 Hcrtfordihire. He received his 
 education at St; John's College, in 
 the unlveriity of Cambridge, where 
 he took the degree of B. A. i ^8;. 
 If we may judge from his pamphlet, 
 entitled Pierce Pennile/i, which, 
 though written with a confidcrabie 
 fpixit, feems to breathe the feniN 
 meats of a man in the height of 
 defpair and rage againft the world, 
 it appears probable that he had 
 met with many dilappointmenis 
 and much diilrefs. And, indeed, 
 it feems not improbable, from the 
 mention which he makes of Robert 
 Green 10 his Pierce Penniltfs, and 
 from his having been with that 
 writer.at the fiealt in which he took 
 the furfeit that carried him off the 
 fiage of life, that he had been, and 
 even continued to the lafl to be^ 
 a companion and intimate to that 
 loofe and riotous genius, whofe 
 hiflory I have before related. And, 
 as diifipation moft generally feeks 
 out companions of its own krnd to 
 confort and affociate with, it will 
 not, perhaps, appear an improba- 
 ble fuggeflion, thatfome of Green*!; 
 comrades might run into the fame 
 extravagances, and meet with the 
 fame dillrefl'es in confequence of 
 rtieni, that he himfelf had done, 
 and that Nalh^s pamphlet above- 
 mentioned might be no lefs a pic-* 
 ture of the fituation of his mmd, 
 than the recantation pieces which I 
 have taken notice <» in the life of 
 Green* 
 
 Our author is fuppofed to have 
 died about the year 1600, and 
 before that time feems to have al- 
 tered the courfc of his life, and to 
 have become very piuas. In a 
 pamphlet, entitled Christ fears 
 
 ever 
 
N A 
 
 [ 337 1 
 
 N E 
 
 tvir JtrulaUin, printed brfore the 
 end of the fixtrcnth ccnnirv, he 
 h^=it in a dedication to Lnd/ 
 ^lI/wlbethCllr«•y, ' A hundred uii- 
 '* fortunate farewels to fantatticall 
 •' fatirifme. In iho.e v lines herc- 
 *• tofore I mif-fpcnt my fpirit, and 
 ** prodigally coiilpired againll good 
 *• houre*. Nothing is there now 
 " fu muvh in my vowo an to be 
 '* at peace with all men, and -nake 
 «• (ubniinive amende where I have 
 ♦♦ moll difplcaied.— A;»ain. To a 
 " little morewic huveniy increafin 
 ** yecres recla'-m d mtre thtrn I \ix 
 ** before : thofe that hive beene 
 *' perverted by any of my wcrkcs, 
 " let them rcade this, and it fliill 
 •• thrice more benefit them. The 
 •♦ autumne I ir.iitace, in (heading 
 *' my leaves with the fiees, and 
 *' fo doih the peacock fhead his 
 •• taile, &c." 
 
 Na(h% talent was fatlre, in which 
 he mull have had great excellence, 
 if we may give credit to the autho- 
 Hty of an old copy of verfes, which 
 Langbaine has quoted, concerning 
 hitn, in which it is faid of him : 
 
 Sbarpjy fatyric was he | and that 
 
 luay 
 He went, that Jincc his beings to 
 
 this ihy^ 
 Fcnu have attempted', and Ifurchf 
 
 think 
 Thofe wnrdsjhall hardly he Jet down 
 ■ in ink 
 . Shall Jcorch aftd blajl, fo as his 
 I could, nuhrn he 
 Would infii SI vengeance. 
 
 Particularly, he was engaged in a 
 moll virulent p;ipcr war with the 
 fame Dr. Gabriel Hnrvey, whom 
 his friend Robert Green had fa- 
 tirized in fome of his writings, and 
 Whofe rancorous revenge led him 
 even to treat him ill after deatli, as 
 1 have before given an account of 
 onderGREEN. 
 Vo L. I, 
 
 His dramatic works ire only 
 three in nmnhcr, viz. 
 
 J . ly^do J^iifH pf Carthag*, T. 
 4to. is9i> 
 
 2. Sintmr's InJ} Hill and 'Tffla- 
 mci'. C 4 to. i6oc. 
 
 5. The 0J<- "f Orgs. C.N. P. 
 Bflides thcfe, Phillips and Wln- 
 ftanif-y have very unjuflly afcribrd 
 to this author Mr. Dawbridge- 
 Court Bflchier's comedy of Hans 
 Jiii'r Pol (which I have re (lore d to . 
 the right owner), and at the fame 
 time omitted the mention of the 
 trag-dy of Dido, which was un- 
 qutlHonably his ; or at lead he had 
 a conddcrable hand in it in con* 
 juntSlion with Marloe. 
 
 Nesbit, G. a Scotch write, 
 who, from chronicles and records, 
 produced one dramatic perform- 
 ance printed at Edinburgh, called, 
 
 Ca!rdoii*s lears ; or, Irailact. T. 
 i2mo. i73j. 
 
 Nevii, Robert. Livedinthe 
 reign of king Charles I. There 
 are no particulars relating to him 
 extant, farther than that he re* 
 ceivfd his education at King's 
 College, ID the univer(Jtyof Cam- 
 bridge, where he obtained a fellow- 
 (hip ; and that he wrote one play, 
 which is far from deficient in point 
 of merit, entitled, 
 
 T/'e Poor Scholar. C. 4 to. 1662. 
 
 NeVILL, At,EXANOER. I"hl3 
 
 author was a native of Kent, lived 
 in the reign of queen Elizabeth, 
 and was brother to Dr. Thomas 
 Neviil, who fucceeded to the \ 
 deanery of ' Canterbury on the 
 deccafe of bi(hpp Rogers. He 
 made a vpry early progrefs ia • 
 learning, particularly in the ftudv 
 of poetry, for, at (txteen years of 
 a?c, he was (ixed on, by the cele- 
 brated Jafper Heywood, as one of 
 thofe whom he thought capable of 
 joing with himfelf in a traDda'ion 
 of the tragedies oi Seneca, That 
 Z which 
 
1 
 
 I 
 
 I I 
 
 l\\ 
 
 N fi 
 
 t 5^8 J 
 
 N t 
 
 wl)ich this vouth undertook was 
 the fifth, entitled, 
 
 Oedipus. Trag. 
 This piece was executed in the year 
 I j6o, though not publifhed till the 
 »eft, by Heywood, Newton, Nuce, 
 and Stud ley, in i^8i ; befidcs 
 ^vhich. Wood acquaints us of an> 
 other work of this author, entitled, 
 KettuSy five de Furotibus Norfolci- 
 enjium, &c. 1583. Mr. Nevill was 
 born in 1544, and died the 4th of 
 October, 16 14. He was buried in 
 the chapel belonging to the ca- 
 thedral church of Canterbury, in 
 a monument erefled for that pur- 
 pofe by his brother the dean, who 
 died in 1615, having furvived our 
 author. 
 
 Neville, Henry. Thefeco.id 
 fon of Sir Henry Neville, of Bil- 
 lingbeare in Berkfhire, Knight. 
 He was educated at Oxford ; and 
 in the beginning of the civil war 
 travelled into Italy and other coun- 
 tries ; from whence he returned in 
 1645, or thereabouts, and became 
 recruiter in the long parliament for 
 i^bingdon, at which time he was 
 very intimate with feveral zealous 
 commonwealths-men, whofe prin- 
 ciples he imbibed and propagated 
 with all his abilities. 
 
 In November 165 1, he was 
 flefted one of the council of Hate ; 
 but when he faw that Oliver Crom- 
 well aimed at centering the go- 
 vernment in his own fingle per- 
 fon, he left him, was out of his fa- 
 vour, and adled little during his 
 life-time. 
 
 In 1658, he was chofen burgefs 
 for Reading, to ferve in Richard's 
 parliament; and when the protedtor 
 was depofed, and the long parlia- 
 ment reftored, became again one 
 of the council of Hate. 
 
 In the interval between the depo- 
 fition of Richard Cromwell, and 
 the Reftoration of Charles II. our 
 author, with James Harrington and 
 
 other favourers of the republican 
 fydem, held frequent meeting) for 
 the purpofe of recommending and 
 cAabliihing that fpecies of govern- 
 ment. This dub lafted until the 
 eve of the Reftoration, when our 
 author was taken into cuQody, but 
 foon afterwards releafed. From 
 this time he lived privately, with- 
 out giving any offence to the 
 reigning powers. In 1681, he 
 publifhed the work for which he 
 is now moft didinguiflied, entitled, 
 •• Plato ReJivivus^ or, ul Dialogue 
 ** coneermnj;G(nvrKmfnty" thefourth 
 edition of which was printed for 
 Mr. Hollis in 1763. He died the 
 20th of September, 1694, and was 
 buried at Warfiekl, in £erkfhire. 
 Among his other works he wroteone 
 political dramatic piece, entitled, 
 
 Shi{fflingy cuttings and dealing in 
 a Game at Piquet^ being aSled from 
 the Tear 1653 to 1658, hy Oliver 
 ProteHor and otherst &c. 4to. 1 659, 
 
 Neville, . A living au- 
 thor, who has produced an inugni- 
 ficant piece, called, 
 
 Plymouth in an Uproar, C. 0, 
 8vo. 1779. 
 
 Newman, Thomas. All that 
 we know of this gentleman is, that 
 he lived in the beginning of the 
 17th century, and that he tranf- 
 lated two of 'TVrr/ice'j comedies, viz. 
 
 1. Andria, 
 
 2. Eunuch. i2mo. 1627. 
 
 NewtonjThom AS. This learn- 
 ed writer was the eldell fon of 
 Edward Newton, of Butley, in the 
 parilh of Preftbury, in Chefliire, 
 by Alice his wife. He was born 
 in that country, and received his 
 firfl rudiments of grammatical 
 erudition under the celebrated John 
 Brownfword, for whom he appears 
 ever to have retained the moft ar- 
 dent and al moil filial affedlion; 
 for, in his encomium on feveral 
 illuilrious men of England^ he has 
 this very remarkable dtlHch on him: 
 
 Rhetor a J 
 
 ». 
 
K £ 
 
 [3^9 3 
 
 N O 
 
 C. O. 
 
 (thetorai Grammaticum^ Po^hijlora 
 Te^ue Vottam 
 ^ii nrgatf-^is lippus^ lu/dtSf 
 thffus^ inert* 
 
 Nay, fo great was Kis refpeft for 
 the memory^V of this gentlemnn, 
 that he afterwards ere^ed a mo- 
 nument for him on the fouth wall 
 of the chancel of the church of 
 Macclesfield, in Cheihire, with a 
 Latin infcription, highly in his 
 commendation. But, to return to 
 our author. He was fent very 
 young to Oxford ; but, whether 
 through any difgult, or from what 
 other caiife I know not, he made 
 no long flay there, but removed to 
 Cambridge, where he fettled in 
 Queen's College, and became fo 
 eminent for his Latin poetry, ,s to 
 be elleemed by his contemporaries 
 as deferving to rank with the moft 
 celebrated poets who have written 
 , in that language. 
 
 After this he retired to his own 
 county, making fome refidence at 
 Oxford, which ne took in his way ; 
 and, having "obtained the warm 
 patronage of Robert earl of Eflex, 
 he taught fchool and praflifed phy- 
 fic with fuccefs at Macclesfield. 
 It appears, however, that he was 
 in holy orders alfo; for Wood fays, 
 that at length, being beneficed at 
 Little II ford, in EfTex, he taught 
 fchool there, and continued at that 
 place till the time of his death, 
 which, after his having acquired a 
 confiderable eflate, happened in 
 the month of May 1607. He was 
 buried in the church belonging to 
 that village, for the decoration of 
 which he left a confiderable le- 
 gacy. He wrote and tran flared 
 many books, and, among the lat< 
 ter, the third tragedy of Scnrat, 
 entitled, 
 
 7 Mais. T. Ato. 1581. 
 Yet, though he tranflated only this 
 one play, he took on himfebf .the 
 
 publication :i>f all the reft, as tranf* 
 iatediby Heywood, Neville^ Nuce,-^ 
 
 Phillips has wrongfully qttri* 
 buted to this author the compnfi- 
 lion of Marloe's tragedy of Tam' 
 bcrlahie tht Gttdt ', or, Tl/e Scyt/jta/t 
 Shepherd. 
 
 Newton, Jameo. This au" 
 thor gave the publick one piece 
 never a£led, called, 
 
 Alexises Paradife ; of, A Trip to 
 the Garden of Love at Vaux-Hail, 
 C. 8vo. N.D* 
 
 NiccoLs,— — . In the books of 
 the Stationers' Company the i^th 
 of February, i6n, is an entry of 
 the following pUy, by an author 
 of this name. 
 
 The Twynaes Tragedye, 
 The chrilUan name of this Writjef 
 is not mentioned ; but I appre- 
 hend he was Richard Niccols, 
 an cdeemed poet of the times, born 
 in London of genteel parents, and* 
 in 1602, at the age of eighteen, 
 entered a fludent in Magdalea 
 College, Oxford, where he ftaid 
 but a ihort time before he removed 
 to Magdalen Hall. He took the 
 degree of B. A. 1606, and wrote 
 feveral poems. He alfo made ad-' 
 ditions to The Mirror qf'Magi/irates. 
 
 Le Noble, Monsieur. A 
 French writer, produced one pttite 
 piece, which was a£ted here by a 
 fet of ftrollers, of his own country, 
 on the theatre in Lincoln's-Inn- 
 Fields. It met with but little fuc- 
 cefs, and was entitled, 
 
 7he Two Harlequins, Farce, of* 
 three A6ts. 8vo. 17 18. 
 
 In Mears's Catalogue the tranf- 
 lation of this piece is afcribed to 
 one Brown. 
 
 NoPRis, Henry. Wasfonto 
 Mr. Henry Norris the comedian, 
 who, from his admirable per' 
 fcrmance in Fnrquhar's comedy of 
 tilt- Conftant Couple, acquired the 
 nick-name of JuUlee Dicky. • This 
 Z 2 gentleman 
 
 V 
 
N O 
 
 i 34^ ] 
 
 N U 
 
 ! 
 
 Mr.tleman a^fo trod in his father's 
 Aeps as an at'lor, though not with 
 equal fuccels, nor perhaps equal 
 n>«iit ; yet, notwithllanding the 
 flighting manner in \vhich Chet- 
 wood, both in his Hijlory of the 
 tStage^ and in his i?r/Vj(^ Theatre, 
 fptaks of h"m, Wr. Norris had cer- 
 tainly great nncrit, and in many 
 parts equalled, if not excelled, the 
 bckl adors who have attempted them 
 iincfie. He performed for many 
 veiirs in the theatres of London and 
 Dutlin ; but, in the decline of bis 
 ' life, letired to York, where he 
 . joined the eftabllflied company cf 
 comedians belonging to that city, 
 among whom he died the lorh cf 
 February, 1731. He publifhed a 
 collcdlion ot poems, and two dra- 
 matic pieces, entitled, 
 
 I. Royal Merchant. C. (Sup- 
 
 pofed to be this author's, from the 
 
 initial letters annexed H. N.) 
 
 • This is only an alteration of the 
 
 ■ -^'i'?"'''' ^"J^ ^^ Beaumont and 
 -Fletcher. 410. 1706. ^^jH" 
 
 : .-The Deceit, Earce. }2mo. i^^iT,. 
 ^ Norton, Thomas, Efq All 
 - that can be traced concerning this 
 '- gentleman is, that he wa? an inha- 
 ■. bitiint, if not a native, of Sharpen • 
 haule,. or Sharpenhoe, in Bedford- 
 ^' flii>e, that he was a barriJlcr at 
 " law, and a zea'ousi calvinill in the 
 
 • beginning of queen Elizabeth's 
 ■'% reign, as appears by feveral tracts, 
 
 • printed together in 8vo. 1569. 
 -He was counfel to the Stationers' 
 
 Company, in whofe books I find 
 i- accounts of the fees paid to him 
 
 ft't down, the laft of which was 
 ► between the years 1583 and 1584, 
 t' within which period I imagine he 
 
 died. He was contemporary with 
 ©Sternhold and Hopkins, and af- 
 % fiftant to them in their noted ver- 
 ,3^ lion of the Pfalms, twcnty-feven of 
 ►r. which he turned into Englifh 
 s metre, to which, in all the editions 
 •■ of them, the initials of his name 
 ft... -'Ncd. He alfo tranflated 
 
 into Engllfh feveral fjnall LuIh 
 pieces, and, being a clofe intimate 
 and fellowHudeAt with Thoina» 
 Sackville, Efq; aft.erwards earl of 
 Dorfct, he joined with him in the 
 compoGng one dramatic piece, of 
 which Mr. Nortoiu ^^jote the three 
 lirii Afls, entitled, • 
 
 Ferrex and Porrcx. 8vo. N. D, 
 Afterwards reprinted with confi- 
 derable alterations under the title 
 of Gorloduc. 
 
 Norton,——. Cf this au- 
 thor I can give no account. He 
 feems, however, to be the per- 
 fon whole name Norton is fiib- 
 fcribed to fome verles prefixed to 
 Eccleltone's Noah*s Delude. He 
 wrote one play publilhed by Mr. 
 Southerne, called, 
 
 Pavfanias the Betrayer tf hit 
 Country, T. 4to. 1 696. 
 
 Dr. Garth, in The Dtjj>enfaiy, 
 Canto I V. vex. 218. fays, „ 
 
 *' And Britain, firtce Paujaniat 
 
 *' was w'rit, 
 " Knows Spartan virtue and 
 
 " Athenian wit;**.' ■ .' ■■* 
 
 NucE, Thomas. Was a con- 
 temporary with Mr. Thpmas New- 
 ton before-mentioned, and con- 
 cerned with him in the tranflation 
 oi Seneca s tragedies, of which one 
 only fell to his fhare, viz. the 
 eleventh, which is entitled, 
 
 OUavia. T. B. L. 4 to. i;8l. 
 Some author.'-, Delrio in particular, 
 have denied this play's having 
 been written by Seneca, and in- 
 deed the Hory of it being founded 
 on hiflory fo near the time of the 
 fuppofed author, and the confi- 
 deration of the tyrannical periid 
 in which Seneca lived, ieem to 
 furnilh a reafonable ground of 
 fufpicion on this head. But this 
 being a particular, the dilcufTionof 
 which is fomewhat foreign to our 
 prefent purpofe, any farther en- 
 tjuiry a^out it in this place will be 
 necdicfs. 
 
r 34' r 
 
 o. 
 
 OB 
 
 OBR{ENt William. This 
 gentleman wai the Ton of 
 one who taught the fcience of 
 fencing. He was, we believe, 
 brought up to the fame profeflion, 
 but relinquiflied it when young, 
 and turned his attention to the 
 flage, where he foon became a dif- 
 tinguifhed aftor. His firft appear- 
 ance was at Drury^Lane theatre in 
 the year 1758, in the part of cap- 
 tain Brazen ; and indeed in cha- 
 racters of that clafs he arrived at 
 a great degree of reputation. Af- 
 ter continuing on the ftage for 
 fix years, he married lady Su- 
 fan Strangways, daughter to lord 
 llche(ler, and foon after went over 
 to America, where he enjoyed a 
 profitable poft. He is Hill living, 
 and has entertained the public with 
 two pieces, viz. 
 
 1. Cro/i Purpofis, Farce. 8vo. 
 
 2. The Dad. C. 8vo. 1773. 
 Odell, Thomas, Efq. Was 
 
 born in Buckinghamfhire to- 
 wards the concluiion of the laft or 
 the beginning of this century. )n 
 the fame county he had a very 
 hatidfome paternal ellate, the 
 greateft part of which he expend- 
 ed in the feivice of the court in- 
 terett ; bur, en the death of lord 
 Wharton, who had been his pa- 
 tron, and who, with other friends 
 ot t!ie fame principles, had pro- 
 cured him a penfinn from the go- 
 vernment, Mr. Odell, finding both 
 his fortunes and in eirfl impaired, 
 ereded a theatre in Goodman's- 
 Fields, which he rpenfd in Oclo- 
 ber 1729. For the firit fealbn it 
 met with all the fuccefii that could 
 
 O D i 
 
 be wiflied for, and fully anfwered 
 his expectations; and, indeed,^it is 
 probable that it would ftill have 
 gone on with like fuccefs, had noc 
 a connection, which it was faid the 
 fon of a refpeCtable and bonoar« 
 able magiftrate of the city of Lon- 
 don had with the faid theatre, 
 given umbrage to the lord mayor 
 and court of aldermen, who, under 
 the appearance of an appreheniion 
 that the apprCtotices and journey* 
 men of the trading part of the city 
 would be led too readily in diflipa- 
 tion, by having a theatre brought 
 fo near home to them, made an 
 application to court for the fup- 
 preffion of it. In confequence of 
 this, an order came down for the 
 (hutting it up; in complaifance to 
 which, (for at that time there was 
 no a£t of parliament for limiting 
 the number of the theatres), Mr. 
 Odell put a ftop to his perform- 
 ances, and, in the end, found him-, 
 fclf under a neceflity of difpofing 
 of his property to Mr. Henry Gif- 
 fard, who, not meeting with the 
 fame oppofuion as our author, 
 raifed a fubicription for the build- 
 ing of a more ample play houfe oa 
 the fame fpor, to which affembling 
 a very tolerable co.npany of per- 
 formers, he went on fuccefsfully, 
 till tlie pafling of the faid ad; for 
 the immediate occaiion of which, 
 fee vo'. II. under GoL-kii Hump. I 
 tannot, however, help obferving 
 in this place one p.iriicular, for 
 whiih that theatre has been re- 
 niarkabie, and that is, fur the firft 
 iippcarance, in 1741, of cur £rg- 
 lilh Rofcius, Mr. Garrick. But, 
 to return 10 our author. 
 
 Z 3 Mr. 
 
^'m<^' 
 
 O G 
 
 C 34» 1 
 
 O G 
 
 ; '■' 
 
 i> 
 
 2. 
 
 4' 
 
 Mr. Odell was, in 1738, ap- 
 pointed deputy mailer of the re- 
 vels, under tiisgrace the late duke of 
 Grafton, then lord Chumberlatn, 
 and Mr. Chetwynd, the licenfer of 
 the llage. This plaice he held till 
 his death, which happened in May 
 1749. He brought fbur dramatic 
 |>iece8 on the llage, all of which 
 met with (othe Ihare of fuccefs. 
 Their titles are as follows : 
 'J. Chimrra, C. 1711. 
 Patron. Opera. N. D. 
 Smugglers. Farce. 1 7 29. 
 Prodigal. Com. 1744, 
 Oding8£ls, Gabriel. Of 
 this gentleman's life I can find no- 
 thing farther on record, than that 
 he was born in L4l>don, that he 
 was matriculated of Pembroke 
 College, Oxford, 23d of April 
 1707, and that, becoming lunatic, 
 he put an end to his own life by 
 the afliftance of a cord, on the loth 
 pf Feb. 1734, at his houfe in 
 ThatchM-Court.Weftminfler. He 
 wrote three dramatic pieces, the 
 titles of which are as follow : 
 
 1. 7be Bath unma^ed, C. 1725. 
 
 2. '[bt Caprieious Lovers, Com. 
 ^726. 
 
 *" 5. Bayt^i Opera, 17 30. 
 
 Ogborne, David. This in- 
 genious and worthy man is better 
 Known as a painter than as a play- 
 
 Bridge, a calf with fix legs pro- 
 duced at Great Baddow, and Wood 
 the ghaftly miller of Billericay), 
 have rucccflively immortalized him 
 in his own neighbourhood. Aim- 
 ing however wiih laudable ambi- 
 tion at more general and extenfive 
 fame, and being convinced that 
 the pen and pencil are inftruments 
 fomewhat limilar, and are put in 
 motion by the fame manual agen- 
 cy, till within a few years pail he 
 difcovered 116 fuificient reafon for 
 his inability to manage the one fo 
 as to render it as profitable to 
 himfclf as the other. Or perhaps 
 he might have met with the hack- 
 neyed fcntimcnt — utpiflura poefii-^. 
 erroneoufly tranflated, and took it 
 for granted that no man could be 
 a painter without fome vein of 
 poetry in his compofition. We 
 learn indeed that the reception of 
 his dramatic works did not entire- 
 ly fupport the expedlations he had 
 formed concerning them ; but be- 
 ing too wife to hazard repeated 
 trials on the flage or in the dofer, 
 and of a difpofition too gentle and 
 |)acific to engage in literary war- 
 tare, his disappointment neither 
 breaks out into inveAives againll 
 the adlors who mangled, or the 
 critics who condemned his per- 
 formances. On the contrary, far 
 
 Wright, and therefore might more from harbouring the leail refent- 
 
 properly be ftyled the Raffaelk 
 than the Shaifp^are of Chelmsford, 
 in EfTex, where he refides. It is 
 with pleafure we fei?e an oppor- 
 tunity of doing fuch jullice to his 
 modeft merits as they may fairly 
 claim. '1 he fidelity of his pencil 
 in reprefenting the cavalcaite of 
 the judges into the county town, 
 and the yet more extraordinary 
 proceflion of the claimants of the 
 bacon-flitch into Dunmow, toge- 
 ther with a few provincial mon- 
 fters (fuch as portraits of a fi(h 
 \vith wings taken at Baule's- 
 
 ment toward players, audiences, 
 and reviewers, or indulging the 
 flighteft pique againil the eiForts 
 of more fortunate bards, he is ever 
 ready in his original capacity to 
 decorate the fccnes which he no 
 longer thinks himfelf qualified to 
 write; and confeflVs his acquief- 
 cence in that jultice which com- 
 pelled him, as Hamlet fays, to 
 throw aiuqy the iwrfcr part of his 
 profefiion, and live the better '•jul.'h 
 the ether half. The only piece he 
 is known to have printed is, 
 
 ''Is 
 
 •*..■■(■'-■:■ '' 
 
 • < ' 
 
O H 
 
 t 343 1 
 
 O L 
 
 The Merty Midnight Miftah ; or, Mcflrs. AddifontEufden, and Pope. 
 
 Comfortabk Conclufion. Com. Svo. The laft of thefc, however, whom 
 
 176^. he had attacked in different letters 
 
 Ohara, Kane. Of Mr. Ohara which he wrote in The Fiyitt'g Pqftt 
 
 we learn no more thin that he is and repeatedly reflected on in his 
 
 ft native of Ireland, a younger bro- profe eflays on criticifm, and in 
 
 ther of a genteel family, and at his art of logic and rhetoric, writ- 
 
 diis time aboat the age of three- ten in imitation of Bouhours, has 
 
 fcore. He refides near Dublin, condemned him to an immortalit/ 
 
 and from his appearance and man* of infamy, by introducing htm in- 
 
 ners by no meant promifes the fef- to his Dunciad, with fome very 
 
 tivity that enlivens all hif compo- diftinguilhing marks of eminence 
 
 fitions. He is faid to have an amon^ the devotees of dulnef«* 
 
 exquiiite taile in mufic, and cer- For, m the fecond book of that 
 
 tainly has great (kill in the bur- fevere poem, where he introduces 
 
 lefque. He feldom goes much the dunces contending for the 
 
 abroad, and we are told that for prize of dulnefs, by diving in the 
 
 fome years paft he has been de- mud of Fleet-Ditch, he reprefents 
 
 prived of his eyefight. In pro* our author as mounting the fides 
 
 ducing rhymes and adapting new 
 words to old mufic he is unequal- 
 led. He is the author of the fol- 
 lowing pieces, mod of which ftill 
 continue favourites with the pub- 
 
 lie, 
 
 I. Midas. Burl. Svo. 176+. 
 a. The Golden Pippin. B. 8vo. 
 
 1773' 
 
 3. The Two Mfers, M. F. 8vo. 
 
 ?775' 
 
 4. Jpril Day, B. 8vo. 1777. 
 
 ^, Tom Thumb. B. i;8o. 
 
 of a lighter, in order to enable 
 him to take a mure efficacious 
 plunge. 
 
 •Mr. Oldmixon, though rijid 
 with regard to others, is far frorn 
 unblameable himfeff, in the very 
 particulars concerning which he 
 IS fo free in his accufations, and 
 that fometiines even without a 
 ftria adherence to truth ; one re- 
 markable inftance of this kind it 
 is but juftice to take notice of, and 
 that is bis having advanced a par- 
 
 Oldmixon, John. This gen- ticularfadl to charge three eminent 
 
 tieman was defcended from an an- 
 cient family of the name, origi- 
 nally feated at Oldmixon, near 
 Bridgwater, in Somerfetfliire. He 
 was a violent party writer, and a 
 
 perfons with interpolation in lord 
 Clarendon** hiftory, which fa£t was 
 difproved by Dr. Atterbury, the 
 only furvivor of them ; and the 
 pretended interpolation, after a 
 
 very fevere and malevolent critic; fpaceofalmoft ninety years, pro- 
 in the former light he was a (Irong duced in his lordflup's own hanc)- 
 opponent of the Stuart family, writing ; and yet this very author 
 whom he has, on every occafion, himfelf, when employed by biihop 
 as much as poflible endeavoured to Kennet in publiihing the hiflorians 
 blacken, without any regard to that in his coUe(.^ion, has made 
 impartiality which ought ever to 
 be the moft eflential charafteriliic 
 of an hiftorian. In the other cha- 
 rafter he was perpetually attack- 
 ing, with the moft apparent tokens 
 of envy and ill-nature, his feve- 
 ral contemporaries; particularly 
 
 no 
 fcruple of perverting Daniel's chro- 
 nicle in numberlefs places. 
 
 What year Mr. Oldmixon was 
 born in, is not mentioned l;v anv 
 of the writers, nor where he re- 
 ceived his education. lie was, 
 however, undoubted'v a nun of 
 
 "Zt 4- leuraing 
 
 \ 
 
■0 T 
 
 C 344 1 
 
 O 
 
 
 learning and >.hilit!es ; and, ex- 
 cKilive of his flrong b'uirtd pieju- 
 dice, and naturarmurofencls and 
 
 fetulance, far from a bad writer, 
 le has left behind him three dra- 
 inatic pieces, the titles of which 
 are, 
 
 1. Jtmyntai, Pad. 4to. 1698. 
 
 2. Grove ; or, Love't Paradife. 
 Opera, 410. 1700. 
 
 3. Governor of Cyprus, T. 410. 
 1703. 
 
 lie alfo wrote a paftoral, called, 
 ^h'Kfi^t which fo;ms ons act ct" 
 "Mr. Motleux's 'Novelty ; or, Evoy 
 jIB a Play. As he was always a 
 violent party writer on the whig 
 fide, he was at length rewarded 
 wiih a fmaM poll in the revenue 
 at Bridgwarei. He died in a very 
 advanced age, July 9, 1742 
 
 Otwav, Thomas. Was not 
 more remarkable for moving the 
 tender paflions, than for the va- 
 riety of fortune to which hf him- 
 felf was fubjcfted. He was iht fon 
 of the Rev. Mr. Humphrey Orway, 
 reflor of Wolbeding, in SufTex, 
 and was born the 3d of March, in 
 the year 1651. He received his 
 education at Wickeham fchool, 
 rear Winchefler, and became a 
 commoner cf Chrift Church, in 
 Oxtord, in 1669. But, on his 
 quitting the univetfity, and com- 
 ing to London, he turned player. 
 His fuccefs as an ai^or was but in- 
 different, hr.vir.g made only one 
 attempt in Mrs. Behn's tragedy af 
 'Jhe yia'mti Bri(lccr.->cri! ; he was 
 more \alued for ilie fpriohlinefs 
 of his convcrfation and the acuic- 
 nefs cf his wit j which gained him 
 the friendfhip of the earl of Ply- 
 inouth, who procured! him a cor- 
 Dei's commiflion in the troops 
 which then ferved in Flanders. 
 
 Poor Tom Oiway, like the reft 
 of the wits of every age, was but 
 % Ipitd «cononiill \ and therefore it 
 
 is no wonder that we generally 
 find him in very ncceflitous cir» 
 cumftances. This was particularly 
 the calie with him at his rctura 
 from Flanders. He was, mure- 
 over, avtrlie to the military pro- 
 fcflion, and it is therefore not ex- 
 traordinary, ail things confidered^ 
 that Tom and his commifTiun foon 
 quarrelled, and pa;ttd, never to 
 meet again. 
 
 Afier this, he had recourfe to 
 wilting for the it.-ge; and now it 
 was that he found out the only 
 eniploynient that nature feems to 
 have fitted him for. In comedy 
 he has been dtemed too licentious ; 
 which, however, was no great ob- 
 jrdlion to thofe who lived in theprn- 
 liigate days of Charles II. But in 
 t af»edy lew of our Englifh poets 
 ever equalled him ; and perhaps 
 none ever e:ccellcd him in touching 
 the paffions, particularly that of love. 
 There is generally fomcihing fa- 
 miliar and domeUic in the fabie of 
 his tragedy, and there is amazing 
 energy in his exprtffion. Tfae 
 heart that decs rot melt at the 
 diilrefles of his Orphan, mufl be 
 hard indeed ! 
 
 But though Otway pofiefTcd, in 
 fo eminent a degree, the rare ta- 
 lent of writing to the heart, yet he 
 was not very favourably regarded 
 by feme of his contemporary poets; 
 nor was he always iuccefsful in hfs 
 dramatic compofuions. After ex- 
 periencing many rcvtrfes of for- 
 tunf, iu rcg;ird to his ciicum- 
 Hances. but generally changing 
 for the worfe, he at lall ditd 
 wreithtdiy in a public-houfe on 
 Tower-Hill, April 14, 1(185, whi- 
 ther he had letired to avoid the 
 prtfTure of his creditors. Some 
 have faid, that dowmight hunger 
 compelling him to fall toi> eagerly 
 upon a piece of bread, of which 
 he had been fotiie time iu want. 
 
 ,*r^' 
 
 ■'-■"T^^ 
 
 
T 
 
 .[ 345 1 
 
 O 2 
 
 iIjc firll mouthful choakcd him, lively- fet him down as the author 
 and inftantly put a period to his of one dramactc piece never adted. 
 
 days 
 
 His dramatic writings are, 
 .. I. Akihiades. Trap. 410. 167^, 
 
 2. Den Carlos Prince of ^pain, 
 Trag 4to. 1676. 
 
 3. Titus and Berenice, T. 4to. 
 1677. 
 
 4. The Cheats pf Scapin. F. 410. 
 1677. 
 
 5. FriendJ}}ip in Fajhion. Com. 
 410. 1678, 
 
 6. Caius Marias. Trag. 410. 
 i6!?o. 
 
 7. T/'f Orphan^ T. 410. 1680. 
 
 8. The Soldier's Fcrtune. Com. 
 4to. 1 63 1. 
 
 9. fV/z/Vf Prrfcrved. Trag. 410. 
 
 -4 6i)2. 
 
 but which, by the date, muil h^ve 
 been wiitten, or at ieait publifted, 
 during the time of the /uter-fe^num. 
 It is entitled. 
 
 The Fal/e Favorite difgraced. T, 
 C. Uvo. 1657. 
 
 All the (jthrr writers have infcrted 
 this play in their catalogues as 
 anonymous, excepting Langbalne, 
 who only tells us that it was al- 
 cribed to the above-mentioned 
 gentleman. 
 
 Owen. Robert, Efq;. Ofthii 
 gentleman 1 can find no farther 
 account, than that he lived in the 
 reign of Q. Anne, and that he re- 
 
 ceived the earlier parts of his edu- 
 cation at Eton fchool, from whence 
 10. The Atbe'JI; or the fecond he removed, for the liniihing of 
 part of The Sotdier^s Fortune. C. his ftudies, to King's College in 
 4 to. 1684. Cambridge. He wrote one dra- 
 
 Befides thefe plays, Mr. Otway matic piece, founded on the Gre- 
 made fome tranflat'.ons, and wrote cian hillory, and entitled, 
 feveral mifccllatjeous poems. His Hypertnnejlra. T. 410. 1 703. 
 
 whole works are printed in three 
 volumes izmo. 1757« 
 
 In the year 1719 was printed a 
 piece afcribed to Utway, but cer- 
 tainly not written by him, called, 
 . Heroic Fricndjhip. T. 4tO. 
 
 At the time of bis death, how- 
 ever, he had made fomp progrefs 
 
 OzELL, John. This writer, to 
 whofe induHry, if not to his ge- 
 nius, the world lies under very 
 confiderable obligations, received 
 the firll rudiments of his education 
 from Mr. Sliaw, an excelieiu gram- 
 marian, and mailer of the iVee- 
 fchool at Alhbv de la Zouch, in 
 
 in a play, as will appear from the Leicefterihin;. He afterwards corn- 
 
 following advcrtilemenr, printed 
 in L't?.llrange*8 Obfervator, Nov. 
 a7, 1686. 
 
 '• Whereas Mr. Thomas Otway, 
 ♦• fome lime before his death, made 
 *' four iiils of a play ; whoever can 
 *' give notice in wr^.oie h<inds the 
 " c'>py lies, ei her to v r. Thomas 
 '♦ Dettrrtoii or to Mr. William 
 *' Smith, at the the;itre royal, (hall 
 " be weM rewarded for his pain;:." 
 
 D'OuviLLE, Gko. Gerbier. 
 Of this genilcmnn 1 know nothing 
 more th:ta that, from his name, 
 he appears to have been a French- 
 cua, and that C^-'xeier has poii- 
 
 pleated hib grammatical lludies 
 under the reverend Mr. Mount- 
 ford, of Chrill's Hofpital, where, 
 having attained a great degree of 
 perfection in the dead lan^uaE;e!:, 
 viz. the Latin, Greek and He- 
 brew, it was next the inteniion of 
 his tiiends to have lent him to the 
 univerlity of CaiTtbritiue, t'.^eie to 
 tiniili h:s lluaie^, with a view to 
 his being admiited into holy orders. 
 Eut Mr. Ozell, averr*^ to the con- 
 finement of a college life,, and per- 
 haps difinclincd to the Clerical 
 pruieilion, and defirou.s of beiii<» 
 to»nvr brough: ou: ir.co, and fet- 
 tled 
 
o z 
 
 t 346 1 
 
 6. 
 
 7- 
 8vo. 
 
 8. 
 
 tkd in the world, than the regular 
 courfe oi academical gradations 
 would permit, rollicited and ob- 
 tained an employment in a public 
 office of accompts, with a view to 
 itvhich he had taken previous care 
 tq qualify himfelf by. a mod per- 
 fed knowledge of arithmetic in all 
 its branches, and a great deg-ee of 
 excellence in writing all the ne- 
 ccn*ary hands. 
 
 Notwithflanding, however, this 
 grave attention to bufinefs, he ftill his earlieil fetting out in life, con 
 retained an inclination for, and an flantly in the pofTefTion of very 
 
 o z 
 
 Cata. T. lamo. 1716. 
 
 T^je Fair of St, Gtrmams, C. 
 
 1718. 
 
 Tht Mifer, C. lamo. 1730, 
 g, 7he Plague of Riches. Com* 
 l2mo. i73,<;< 
 
 Mr. Oz,e!l had the good fortune 
 to efcape all thofe viciflitudes and 
 anxieties in regard to pecuniary 
 circumAances, which too frequent- 
 ly atiend on men of literary abili- 
 ties; for, befides that he was, from 
 
 attention to, even polite literature, 
 that could fcarcely have been ex- 
 pelled ; and, by entering into 
 much converfation with foreigners 
 abroad, and a clofe application to 
 reading at home, he madt himfelf 
 inader of moft of the living Ian- 
 
 good places, having been for fome 
 years auditor-general of the city 
 nnd bridge accounts ; and, to the 
 time of his deceafe, auditor of the 
 accounts of St. Paul's cathedral 
 and St. Thomas's Hofpital ; all of 
 them pods of considerable emolu< 
 
 fuages, more efpecially the French, ment; a gentleman, who was a na- 
 talian and Spanifh, from all tive of the fame country with him, 
 ^vhich, as well as from the Latin who had known him from a fchooU 
 and Greek, he has favoured the boy, and it is faid lay under parti- 
 world with many valuable tranf- cular obligations to his family, 
 lations. But, as it is in the light of dying when Mr. Ozell was in the 
 a ramatic writer only that he has very prime of life, left him fuch a 
 
 any claim to a place in this work, 
 1 ihall not enter into a recapitula- 
 tion of any of his pieces but thofe 
 which have fome connexion with 
 the theatre. Thefe, however, 
 though all tranflations, are very 
 numerous, there being included in 
 fhem a complete Engliih veriion of 
 the dramatic pieces of that judly 
 celebrated French writer, Mo- 
 liere, beiides fome others from 
 Corneille, Racine^ S:c. the titles of 
 which are to be fuund in the fol- 
 lowing lill : 
 
 1. The Cidi or, The Heroic 
 Paughter. T. I imo. 1714 
 
 2. uiUxander tin Great. 
 izmo. 1 7 14. 
 
 3. Britannicus, 
 
 Trag. 
 
 T. izmo. 1714 
 
 The Litigants. 
 
 4- 
 1715. 
 
 5. Manlius 
 iiiao, 17 15. 
 
 Com. 
 
 CapitoUnus, 
 
 I 
 i2mo. 
 
 Trag. 
 
 fortune as would have been a com- 
 petent fupport for him, if he fhould 
 at any time have chofen to retire 
 from bufinefs entirely, which how« 
 ever it does not appear he ever 
 did. Our author died OAoberi 5, 
 1743, and was buried in a vault 
 of a church belonging to the pa- 
 rifli of St. Mary Aldermanbury ; 
 but what year he was born in, and 
 confequently his sge at the time of 
 his death, are particulars that I do 
 not find on record. 
 
 That Mr. Ozell was rather a 
 man of application than genius, 
 is pppareni from many circum- 
 llances; nor is any thing, perhaps, 
 a Itronger proof cf it, than the very 
 employment he made choice of ; 
 fjnce it has been much oftener 
 feen, that men of brilliant talents 
 have quitted the more fedentary 
 avocations they have fortuitonfly 
 
 bee 4 
 
C 347 1 
 
 t) Z 
 
 been bred to* than that they have 
 fixed on uny fuch by their own 
 eleiftion ; and perhaps our author 
 u the only initance of a perfon, 
 even of a turn to the heavier and 
 more abllrufe branches of litera- 
 te re, who ever cbofe to bury the 
 greatell part of his hours behind 
 the defk of a compting houfe. 
 
 Notwithftandine this obferva- 
 tJon, however, Mr. Ozell's abili- 
 ties, if lefs entertaining, were not 
 perhaps lefs ufeful to the world 
 than thofe of fome other writers ; 
 for, though he produced nothing 
 originally his own, yet he has 
 cloathed in an Englifh habit feve- 
 ral very valuable pieces; and, 
 though his tranflations may nor, 
 perhaps, have all that elegance and 
 fpirit which the originals poflefs, 
 yet, in the general, it muft be 
 confefled that they are very juft, 
 dnd convey, if not the poetical, at 
 leall the litcal meaning of their 
 refpeftive Hu'hors: and indeed, ic 
 were rather ft be wifhed, that this 
 writer had confined himfelf to the 
 tranflation of works of a more ff?- 
 riotis nature, than have engaged in 
 thofe of humour and genius, which 
 were qualities he feemed not to 
 poiTefs himfelf, and therefore could 
 not do juHice to in others. Mo- 
 liere, more particularly, is an au- 
 thor of that fuperior genius, that 
 it would require abilities almolt 
 equal to his own to tranflate him 
 in fuch a manner as to give him, 
 i" the cloathing of our own lan- 
 guage, the perfeA air and manner 
 of a native. There is a peculiar 
 fpirit, a peculiar manner, adapted 
 to the dialogue and language of 
 the ftage, more particularly in co- 
 medy, wiiich is only attainahle by 
 pbferv^tion and pradtice, and ren- 
 ders a writer or dramatic genius 
 alone properly qualified lor the 
 tranilation of dramatic piecfs. 
 4nd this is apparently the rculbn 
 
 tha^, notwithllanding we havB 
 many very good comedies in our 
 own language, founded almoil 
 entirely on thofe of foreign aa< 
 thors, yet very few of. the pieces 
 themfelves, from which they have 
 been borrowed, have afforded much 
 
 fileafure to the reader in the tranf- 
 ations that have appeared of them. 
 Celebrated as the name of Moliere 
 has been for above a century pad, 
 notwithftanding that there has 
 been more than one perfe£l tranf- 
 lation of his works publilhed in 
 Englilh, yet I will venture to af- 
 firm, that his pieces are very little 
 known, excepting to thofe who, 
 from their acquaintance with the 
 French language, are enabled tp 
 read them in the original ; nor 
 can T help hinting my wi(h, that 
 fome writer of eminence would un- 
 dertake the talk, which would be^ 
 flow To valuable an additition to the 
 libraries of the £elles Lettres, and 
 introduce M. de Moliere among; 
 the fet of our intimate acquaint- 
 ances, as perfectly as Cervantes or 
 Le Sage, and enable us to converfe 
 as familiarly with the Milcr and 
 Hypochondriac of tlie one, as with 
 the Don ^tixote and Gil Bias oF the 
 others, but this is a digreilion 
 for which 1 beg pardon, and will 
 therefore proceed. 
 
 Mr. Ozell feems to have had a 
 more exalted idea of h's own abi» 
 lities than the world was willing 
 to allow them, for, on his beinjj 
 introduced by Mr. Pope into the 
 Dtincad (for what caufe, however, 
 does not appear), he publifhed a 
 very extraordinary udvertifement, 
 figned with his name, in a paper 
 called the IVichly Mallty, Sept. 1 7 ag, 
 in which he exprelFes his refent- 
 ment, and at the fame time draws 
 acomparilon, in his own favo'ir, 
 beivvvcn Air. I'opc and himfelf, 
 both wiih lefpccl to learning and 
 pQ:ll;;al genius. The advertife- 
 
 n'.^nt 
 
o z 
 
 "[ J43 ] 
 
 o z 
 
 mmt at length tniy be feen in the 
 notes to the J)uHiia<i. But though 
 I contcfs 1 cannot readily fubfcribe 
 to this felf-afrumed preference, yet, 
 {IS Mr. C.'oxeier informs us, that 
 his convt-rJatioti v/as furprizin^ly 
 agreeable, anti his knowledge of 
 nien nnd things confiderabje, and 
 as it is |)robable that, with an ua- 
 
 derrtardinp; fomewhat al)ove thd 
 conmrnon rank, he poirciTed a con- 
 lidtrable (hare of good-nature, I 
 will ri-Hdiiy allow, that a perfon of 
 (his character m\g\\x. be nuch more 
 amiable than one of a greater bril- 
 liancy of parts, if deficient in ihcfe 
 guoJ qualities. 
 
 !i 
 
 /'i'.^v.. 
 '» »: „ . 
 
 .^• 
 
 P. 
 
 PP. Monsieur. Inthisman- 
 « ner, but without giving us 
 any explanations of ihefe initials 
 has Langb.iine diltinguifhed the 
 iiuthorof a inuHcal dr.imatic piece, 
 performed in king Charles ll's 
 rt^ign, entitled, 
 
 Ariadne, Opera. 
 
 1\ R. Coxeter, in his notes, his 
 givia us the full title of a very old 
 p ay, with thcfe letters in the title- 
 p;ige, called, 
 
 yippius ami f^ir^inia, T. C. 
 Neither Langb.iine, Jacb, nor 
 \\ bin cop's cduor, have taken any 
 notice of this phiy ; but Cheavood 
 ( Bv'ttijh Theiitii\, p. 2 1.) mentions 
 the piece, with its very early date 
 of 1575. but has not iiinted at any 
 author's name or initials. 
 
 1'. T. Thefe initial letters are 
 printed to two play?, bothpublifli- 
 1 1 in Ciiarlcs U's reii-n. j'lioue'i 
 ar h:tec!) years cillancc from each 
 ether, yet ii is not iin,iroba''^Ie ilicy 
 luiph: Loth be ;he work of I'r.e fanie 
 p^rlon. In lookiig baik to tlie 
 vvfiters of that tin.e, I can tii.d 
 only one dram:iiic iiuthcr whoil- 
 n-iiiic wi'l correrpoiid with ilieie 
 li."ter5, and th:it is I hciir.a- Pnrtc-, 
 VSj^t of >vliuii< i lurfl liavt- OvCalii^n 
 
 to mat(e farther mention. It u 
 indeed only conjtiHure ; yet, as the 
 walk of writing in both thefc pieces 
 is the fame with thofe which are 
 declaredly that gentleman's, as 
 the dates ol all come within a 
 reafonable coinpafs as to time, as 
 it was no uncDiumon prd^tice at 
 th.it period for known authors to 
 fiibfcribe only initials to theic 
 works, and laltly as Mr. Langbaine 
 feems to hint at Mr. I'orter's hav- 
 ing written more than had come 
 to his knowledge; I hope I (hall be 
 p.irdoned, on all thefe circum- 
 ilances of probability, if I prefume 
 to attribute thcfe two pieces to him. 
 Their refpedtive titles are, 
 
 1. Fifnch Conjuror. C. 4to.l678. 
 
 2. ffittj ComUt T. 0.410.1663. 
 Palsgk AVE, John. Thislearn* 
 
 ed and ancient writer flourilhed in 
 the reigns of Henry VII. and 
 litnry VIII. He received his 
 <;rr:imTi;;iicHl learning at London, 
 where hs was t>orn. He lludied 
 hs^ic ard plii'.o'ophy at Cam- 
 hri 'o;c, at which univcrlity he re- 
 lid'.-d rill h-j had attained the de- 
 gree of barchelor of arts, after 
 which he wciit to Paris, where he 
 fpt iu u V c I ij 1 \ ea rs i ii i he ft u d y of 
 
 philulu- 
 
P A 
 
 C 349 I 
 
 t A. 
 
 philofoplucal and other Irarningf 
 look the drgree of malU. >f arts, 
 «nd acquired fuch excelI'Mice in 
 the French tongue, that, in t;i4, 
 when a treaty of marriage was ne- 
 gnciated between Louis XII. king 
 of France, and the princefs Mary, 
 filler of l<inj» Hmry VIH. of 
 England, Mr. Paifj;ravc was chofcn 
 to be her tiit.)r in that lanj^uaq;/*. 
 But Louis XIL dying alrroU im- 
 mediately after his marriage, Palf- 
 grave a'tt-pded his fair pupil bnck 
 to Englard, where he taui>ht the 
 French Jhneua'je to many ol ilie 
 young no!)ility, obtained good 
 ch'irch preferment, Hnd was ap- 
 pointed by tUt king one of his 
 chaplains in ordinary. 
 
 In the year 1^31, he fettled at 
 Oxford for fomc time, and the next 
 year was incorporated marter of 
 arts in that univerfitv, as he had 
 before been in that of Paris, and a 
 few days after was admitted to the 
 degree of batchelor of divini'y. 
 
 At this time he was highly 
 tflccmtd for his learning; and, 
 • what is very remarkHble, though 
 an Englilhman, he was the tir(l 
 author who reduced the French 
 tongue under grammatical rules, 
 or that had attempted to hx it to 
 any kind of ftandard. This he un- 
 dertook, and executed with great 
 ingenuity and fuccefs, in a large 
 work which he publiihed in that 
 language at London, entitled, 
 U Ecclairc'JJfmeht de la hanguage 
 Fran^oiSf containing three booKs, 
 in a thick folio, 1 550, to which he 
 has prefixed a large introdudiion 
 in Englifli, So that the French 
 nation feeins to lland indebted to 
 our country originally lor that 
 itniverfality whicli their language 
 at prefent poflefTes, and on which 
 they fo greatly pride theiiifelves. 
 Thefe works, however, would not 
 have entitled him to a place in this 
 regiller of authors, had h.: not 
 
 ti'anfltted into the Englifh a Lstia 
 play, written by one Will. Fullo* 
 1 IS (an author then livlnj; at 
 Hagen in Holland), entitled, 
 
 Acnlqftus. Com. 
 
 When Mr. Palfgrave was born, 
 or to what age he lived, are parti- 
 culars which I have not been able 
 to trace; yet, from the concur- 
 rence of varioua fail*, I cannot 
 fuppofe him to have been much 
 lefs than fixty years of age at the 
 Unw of his pui>lilhing the above- 
 mentioned tranllation, which waa 
 in I lie year 1540. 
 
 I'arkki:, Ihan. Concerning 
 this perloii, wlio Kcms to be ih«s 
 ol<J(%t dranvitic author in the £ng- 
 liOi language, our biographers are 
 totally lilenr, i le wrote one piece 
 which has lately been prefented to 
 the pu'uli^k in Mr. Hawkins'* 
 Colledion of Old Flays, and is 
 called, 
 
 CauJlemas Day; or. The Killing 
 of the C/j'ttiinn of Ij'rael. A Myftery, 
 .15 t 2. Ff lilted 1773. 
 
 Far KKR, Henry, LordMor- 
 Liiv. Was the fon of Sir William, 
 Parker, by Alice filler of Lovel, 
 Lord Morhy, by which title this 
 Henry was fummoned to parlia- 
 ment ill the twenty-full of rie;iry 
 the fiigiuh. Except being a pretty 
 voluminou.s author, we find nothing 
 remarkable of him, but that he 
 was one of the barons who figned 
 the memorable letter to Clement 
 the Seventh, thicatenir,g him with 
 the lofs of his fupremacy in Eng- 
 land, uniefs he pioceedod to dif- 
 patch the kings divorce; and 
 having a quarrel far precedence 
 with the lord Dacre of Gillefland, 
 had his prt'tenfions cor.firmjd by 
 parliament. Antony Wood fayr, 
 lie was living an ancient man, and 
 in elteem among the nobility, in 
 the latier end of the reign of 
 Henry the Eighth. A liil of hia 
 vyorks may be fecn in Mr. Wa!- 
 
 pole'i 
 
P E 
 
 t 3S0 J 
 
 P 8 
 
 (>oIc't Citatogue of royal and nobla 
 i^uthori* vol. I. p. 9 J. among 
 which are feveral tragedies and 
 conediet^ the yeiy names of which 
 
 are loft. 
 
 I'atersow, William. He 
 wnt a nativ« of Scotland, and 
 an intimate friend of Mr. Thom- 
 fon the abihor of the Scafois, 
 When that gentleman received his 
 aopointment of furveyor of the 
 Leeward Iflands, he made Mr. Pa- 
 terfon his deputy. On Mr.Thom- 
 fon'd death he fucceeded him in 
 that oHicc, and we believe died 
 fonie years ago. He wrote one 
 play, called, 
 
 Jlrmlmus. T. 8vo. 1 740. 
 
 Paton, — — . A Scotch gen- 
 tleman, who printed one piece at 
 Edinburgh, called, 
 
 IVilliam and Lucy. O. 8vo. 1780. 
 
 Patrick, Dr. Samuel. This 
 gentlrman, at the time of his death 
 which happened on the 20th of 
 March, 1748, was ufher of the 
 Charter-houfe-fchool. He fuper- 
 intended fome editious of Hederic's 
 Lexicon and Ainfworth's Dt^Jonary, 
 and gave to the publicic 
 
 A Complete Tranflation of Te- 
 rcftccy 2 vols. 8vo. 1745. 
 
 Payne, Nevil. An author 
 who lived in the reign of king 
 Charles the Second, and wrote 
 three plays, called, 
 
 1. The Fatal Jtaloujy. T. 410. 
 ■1673. 
 
 2. The Morning Ramble ; or, 
 The Toivn Humours. C. 410. 1673. 
 
 3. The Sirge of Conftantinople. T. 
 4to. 1675. 
 
 Feafs, William. Langbaine, 
 who lived the neareft to the time of 
 publication of the dramatic piece 
 I am on the point of mentioning, 
 has inferted it in bis Catalogue of 
 Flays by unknown authors, and 
 only tells us, that it was fappofed 
 by Kirkman, but on what ground 
 he knows not, to have been writ- 
 
 ten by one Peaps. Jacob, Gildon, 
 and Whincop, however, have, on 
 this authority, pofitively affixed the 
 right of it to that name. But 
 Chetwood. in his Brit'\)h Thratrt^ 
 has gone (till farther, and annexed 
 the chritlian name I have made 
 ufe of at the head of this article. 
 How far he is right in this parti- 
 cular, or on what foundation he 
 has fo done, I know not. It is, 
 however, agreed by all the writers, 
 that our author lived in the reign 
 of Charles I. and was a Hudent at 
 Eton, as alfo that the piece was 
 compofed when he wns but feven" 
 teen years of age, which informa- 
 tion they derive from the title- 
 fage and preface to the piece icfelf. 
 t IS entitled, 
 
 Love in its Exiajy. P. 4to. 1649. 
 Coxeter, in his MS. notes, has 
 made a query with regard to the 
 fpelling of the author's name, fup- 
 poflng that it might have been 
 one i'epys of Cottenham, in Cam- 
 bridgeihire, of which family was 
 fecretary Pepys. 
 
 Peck, Francis. Of this labo- 
 rious compiler but little is known. 
 He was born at Stamford, in Lin- 
 col nfh ire, on the 4th day of May, 
 1694, and received his education 
 at Cambridge, where he took the 
 degrees of batchelor and mailer of 
 arts. In 1 72 1, he was curate of, 
 King's ClifT, in the county of 
 Northampton, from whence he 
 was removed to the reflory of 
 Godeby near in Melton, in Lei- 
 cefterlhire, the only preferment he 
 ever obtained ; he died there the 
 13th ef Auguft, 1743, at the age 
 of ilfty-one years, having pub- 
 lilhcd one drama, called, 
 
 Herod t'je Great, D. P. 410.1740. 
 
 Printed in a volume, called 
 
 *• New Memoirs of the Life and 
 
 •« Poetical Works of Mr. John 
 
 *' Milton." 
 
 His 
 
P B 
 
 t 3ii 3 
 
 P E 
 
 His 
 
 Hit publication, entitled "Deftdi- 
 rata Cuiiitfa, (he nioH ufeful and 
 entertaining any which he pro- 
 duced, was reprinted in quarto, by 
 T.Evans, in 1779. 
 
 Peei.e, George, M. A. This 
 poet, who flourifhed in the reign 
 of queen Elizabeth, was a native 
 of Dcvonlhirc, from whence being 
 fent to Hroadgate's Hal), he was 
 fome time aiterward, made a ilu- 
 dentofChrill Church Col!cj;e, Ox- 
 ford, about the year 1 573, where, 
 after going through all the fcveral 
 forms of logic and philurophy, 
 and taking all the nccefrary (le; s, 
 he was admitted to his mailer of 
 arts degree in i;79. After this it 
 appears that he removed to Lon- 
 don, wnere he became the city 
 poet, ar.d had the ordering of the 
 pageants. He lived on the Bank- 
 iide over-againll Black Fryars, and 
 maintained the ellimation in his 
 poetical capacity which he had ac- 
 Quired at the univerfity, and which 
 leems to have been of no incon- 
 fiderable rank. He was a good 
 padoral poet ; and Wood informs 
 us, that his plays were not only 
 often aded with great applaufe in 
 his lifetime, but did alfo endure 
 reading, with due commendation, 
 many years after his death. He 
 fpeaks of him, ho.vever, as a more 
 voluminous writer in that way than 
 he appears to have been, mention- 
 ing his dramatic pieces by the dif- 
 tindion of tragedies and comedies, 
 and has given us a lill of thofe 
 which he fays he had feen ; but in 
 this he mud have made fome mif- 
 take, as he has divided the feveral 
 incidents in one of them, viz. his 
 Edward I. in fuch manner as to 
 make the Life of Llewellin, and the 
 Sinking ofS^eenElinory two detached 
 and feparate pieces of themfelves ; 
 the error of which will be feen in 
 the perufal of the whole title of 
 this play. (See vol. II. Eik<:ardl.) 
 I 
 
 He, moreover, telli us, that the 
 Ull-mentioned piece, together with 
 u ballad on the :<<m'* fubjeft, was, 
 in his time, usually lold by the com- 
 mon ballad-mongers. The real 
 tides 0!' the plavs written by thia 
 nulhor, ui which four only are 
 known, are, 
 
 1 . The Arraigmnent nf P^rii, P. 
 410. 1^84. 
 
 2. kdivard tijt Fiiji, 410. I5'03. 
 
 3 . King David and Fair Btlhjabc, 
 T. 4to. 1399. 
 
 4. Tijc TurkiJJj Mahomtt and 
 IlyifH the Fair Greek. N. P. 
 See the Supplement to Sha^fpeaie, 
 vol. I. p. 191. edit. 1780. 
 
 Wood ;ind Wiiiflanley, mifgui^l- 
 cd by furiiier catalcgues, have aha 
 attributed to him another tragedy, 
 entitled, 
 
 AlphonfiiSf Emfxror of Germany, 
 But this Langbaine alTures us was 
 written by Chapman, he himfelf 
 having the play in his pofFeflion, 
 with that author's name to it. 
 
 About the year 1593, Peele 
 fcems to have been taken into the 
 patronage of the earl of Northum- 
 berland, to whom he dedicated in 
 that year, The Honour of the Garttr^ 
 a Poem Gratulatorie — the FirflUnv 
 confecrated to his noble name. He 
 was almoft as famous for his tricks 
 and merry pranks as Scoggan, 
 Skelton,or Dick Tarleton ; and as 
 there are books of thtirs in print. 
 To there is one of his called, " Mer- 
 •' rie conceited Jells of George 
 *• Peele, Gent, fometime ftudent 
 " in Oxford; wherein is (hewed 
 '* the courfe of his Life how he 
 " lived, &c.'* 4to. 1627. Thefe 
 jeds, as they are called, might with 
 more propriety be termed the tricks 
 of a fliarper. Peele died before 
 the year 1598. Meres, in his 
 mCs Trcafuryy p. 286. fays, " A« 
 *' Anacreon died by the pot, fo 
 " George Peele by the pox." 
 Oldys lays, he left behind him a 
 
 wile 
 
II' i 
 
 p It 
 
 C 3si J 
 
 P tt 
 
 Wife and a dauj^htfr. He feems 
 to have befn a perfon of a vciy ir- 
 rfj*iiiar life; and Mr. Steevens, 
 with great probability, fuppofes 
 tldit thecharafler o( Gtor^e Fit- 
 hoivd, in the Puritan^ was defigned 
 
 PiUi-MPs, Ambrose. Was 
 defcended rrom a very ancient and 
 confiderable family of that name 
 in Leicefterfliire. He was born 
 about the year 1671, and received 
 his education at St. John's Col- 
 
 as a reprefeniative (A George P tele, lege, Cambridge. From the rtian- 
 See a note on that Comedy, p, 587. net in which Mr. Pope mentions 
 as pobliihed by Mr. Malone, 8vo. him, in the treatife on the Bathos, 
 
 i;8o. 
 
 pEN"NV,Mrs. Her maiden name 
 tvas Chriitian. She is a decent, 
 r^v)od kind of w Oman, married to 
 one who hiid been a fcaf'aring per- 
 fon, and wlio h.d the misfortune 
 to lofc one of his It-gs ; in con- 
 fiijerailon of which he obtained a 
 liuall penlion. She pubJilh'-d a 
 Volume of i'oems by fubfciifition in 
 ifto. 177 1, and has latel) foiiciicd 
 
 ao a zealous FroteOant deacon, he 
 fccms to have beeri intended for 
 the church, and to have taLen the 
 firll orders therein. During hi» 
 ilay at the oniverfity he wrote his 
 puKontls, which acquired him at 
 the lime a high reputation, con- 
 cerning the merits of which the 
 critical world has fince been 
 much divided. Ke alfo, in 1700, 
 publilhed a life of John Wilii&m'i, 
 
 the patn'iiage of Dr. Johnion 10 a lord liCeper of the groat feal^ bilhop 
 llcond volume. In tbe former is of Lincoln, and archbilhop of 
 
 contiiined 
 
 7/v IV'fih Day, An entcrtain- 
 nicnt or three Ads. 
 
 Percv, Thomas. This gen- 
 tleman, who is a dciflor in divi- 
 nity, and ftliow of the Antiqua- 
 iian Sctiety, was many years one 
 of his niajerty's chaplains in or- 
 dinary, lie is at prefent dean of 
 Cailille, reftor oi Wiibye, and 
 vjcar of Ealton Mauduit in North- 
 ampconlhire. He is better lincwn 
 by that excellent publication, the 
 Rfli(|ues of Ancient Englifli Poe- 
 try, 17^5' in 3 vols. l2mo. which 
 v;is '.he amuftment of his leifure 
 
 York, in the reigns of king James 
 and Charles I. in which are re- 
 lated feme remarkable occurrences 
 in ihofe times, both in church and 
 ibite; with an appendix, giving 
 an account of his benetaiJlions to 
 St. John's College. This work 
 Cibbcr feerns to imagine Mr. Phil- 
 lips made ufe of, the better to di- 
 vulge hisoxvn political principles, 
 which, ill the courfe of it, he had 
 a free opportunity of doing, as the 
 archbifliop, who is the hero of hi» 
 work, was a flrong opponent to 
 the high church mealur^-s. 
 
 Vs hen he quitted the univerfity. 
 
 liouri i?,^ edit. 1775), ^^*" ^y ^^® *"'^ came to London, he became a 
 
 piece which brings his name into 
 the prefent work, viz. 
 
 'f/je Litile Orphan of China ; or, 
 Vje lloufc of Chao. "T. Printed 
 in Mfceliantous Ficcts relating to 
 the Chinefe. i2mo. 2 vols. 1762. 
 
 Peterson, Joseph. Was a 
 flrolling player, but, in the year 
 17<3, performtd at Drury-Lane. 
 He wrote one drama, entitled, 
 
 '■rheRarceS/jow, or, ^T he Fox f rapt, 
 O. 8vo. I7j9- Printed at Yuik. 
 
 conllant attendant at, and one of 
 the wits of, Button's CofFee-houfe, 
 where he obtained the friendlhip 
 and intiniacy of many of the cele- 
 brated geniufes of that age, more 
 particuldrly of Sir Richard Steele, 
 who, in the fitll volume of his 
 Tauer, has infeitcd a little poem of 
 Mr. Phillips's, which he calls a 
 M'bitcr Fiiccy dated from Copen- 
 hagen, u\k\ addrsfied to the earl of 
 Dorfc', on which he beflowi the 
 
 ' bi^heil 
 
P H 
 
 C iS3 1 
 
 P H 
 
 ^ighe(l encomiums; and, indeed, 
 fo much jullice is tliere in thefe 
 his commendations, that even Mr. 
 Pope himfelf, who, for reafons that 
 I fliall prefently mention, had a 
 fixed averlion for the author, while 
 he atFected to dcfpife his other 
 works, ufed always to except this 
 from the number. The firft diflike 
 Mr. Pope conceived againft Mr. 
 l*hillip?, proceeded from that jea- 
 loufy of fame which was fo con- 
 fpicuous in the charafter of th .t 
 great poet; for Sir Richard Steele, 
 who, as I have before obferved, 
 was an admirer of Phillips, had 
 taken fo ftrong a liking to the 
 paftorals of the latter, as to have 
 formed a defign for a critical com- 
 parifon of them with thofe of Pope, 
 in the conclufion of which the pre- 
 ference was to have been given to 
 Phillips. This defign, however, 
 coming to Mr. Pope s knowledge, 
 that gentleman, who could not 
 bear a rival near the throne, deter- 
 mined to ward'ofF this Itroke by a 
 ftratagem of the molt artful kind, 
 which was no other than taking 
 the fame tafk on himfelf, and, in a 
 paper in the Gi/an/iafi, by draw- 
 ing the like comparifon, and giv- 
 ing a like preference, but on prin- 
 ciples of criticifm apparently falla- 
 cious, to point out the abfurdity of 
 fuch a judgment. However, iiot- 
 v/ithftandiiig the ridicule that was 
 drawn pn him in confequence of 
 his appearing as it were in compe- 
 tition with fo powerful an anta- 
 gonift, I cannot help giving it as 
 my opinion that there are, in fome 
 parts of Phillips's pallorals, certain 
 llrokes of nature, and a degree of 
 fimplicity, that are much heiter 
 fuited to the purpofes of pailoral, 
 than the more corretitly turned pe- 
 riods of Mr. Pope's verfification. 
 Mr. Phillips and Mr. Pitpe b^iing 
 of different political principle!.-, 
 was another caufe of enmity be- 
 Vot. I. 
 
 tween them, which arofc at lengtli 
 to fo great a height, that the 
 ■former, finding his antagonilt top 
 hard for him at the weapon of wit, 
 had even determined on making 
 ufc of n rougher kind of argument, 
 for which purpofe he even went fo 
 far as to hang up a rod at Button's 
 for the chaftifement of his adver- 
 fary whenever he fhould come thi- 
 ther ; which, however, Mr. Pope 
 declining to do, avoided the argu- 
 mentum bacuUnum^ in which he 
 would, no doubt, have found him- 
 felf on the weakeft fide of the 
 queltion. 
 
 Be fides Mr. Pope, there were 
 feme other writers who have writ- 
 ten in burlefque of Mr. Phillips's 
 poetry, which was fingular in its 
 manner, and not difHcuU to imitate, 
 particularly Mr.Henry Carey, who, 
 by fome lines in Phillips's llile, and 
 which were for fome time thought 
 to be Dean Swift's, Hxed on that 
 author the name of Naraby Pam- 
 by ; and Ifaac Hawkins Browne, 
 Kfn,; in his poem called a Pipe of 
 Tohacco, which, however, i;; writ- 
 ten with great good hu'mour, and, 
 though intended to hurhfque^ is by- 
 no means deligned to ridicule Mr. 
 Phillips, he having taken the very 
 fame liberty with Swift, Pope, 
 'Ihomfon, Your.g, and Cibber. 
 
 As a dramatic writer, our author 
 h;i3 certainly ct.nfiderable meri;. 
 All his pieces of that kind met with 
 fucctf^, and one of them is at this 
 time a Itandard of enteriainmeat 
 at both theatres, being generally 
 repeated feveral times in ever/ 
 feafon. The titles of them aU» 
 being three in number, are, 
 
 1. Diftrrjl Mother, T. 419. 
 1712. 
 
 2. The Briton. T. 8vo. 1723, 
 
 3. Humphry Duke of Gloucf.er, 
 T. Hvo. 1723. 
 
 Mr. Phillips's circumllances were 
 
 in general, through his life, not 
 
 A a only 
 
P H 
 
 t 354 J 
 
 P H 
 
 only eafy, but rather affluent, 111 con- 
 fequence of his being conrie£\ed, by 
 his political principles, witliperfons 
 of great ranic and confequcncc. 
 He was concerned with Dr. Hugh 
 Boulter, afterwards archbifhop of 
 Armagh, the right honourable 
 Richard Weft, Efq; lord-chancellor 
 of Ireland, the reverend Mr. Gil- 
 bert Burnet, and the reverend Mr. 
 Henry Stevens, in writing a feries 
 of papers called the Free-Thinker^ 
 which were all publifhed together 
 by Mr. Phillips, in three volumes 
 in 8vo. In the latter part of queen 
 Anne's reign, he was fccretary to 
 the Hanover club, who were a fct 
 of noblemen and gentlemen who 
 had formed an aifociation in ho- 
 nour of that fucceflion, and for the 
 fupport of its interefts, and who 
 ufed particularly to diftinguifh in 
 their toalls fuch of the fair-fex as 
 were moll zealouHy attached to the 
 illuflrious houfeof Brunfwick. In 
 honour of which ladies our bard 
 wrote the following lines : 
 
 IFhile tbrje^ the chofen heautla of 
 
 our ijlc, 
 Fropitiotts on the caitfe of freedom 
 
 fmile ; 
 ^'he rajh pretemhr's hopes tw may 
 
 defpife. 
 And trvjl Britatmidi fafety to 
 
 their eyes. 
 
 Mr. Phillips's Ration in this club, 
 together with the zeal ihewn in his 
 writings, recommending him to the 
 notice and favour of the new go- 
 vernment, he was, foon after the 
 acceflion of king George I. put 
 into the commiffion of the peace, 
 and, in 1717, appointed one of the 
 commiflloners of the lottery. And, 
 on his friend Dr. Boulter's being 
 made primate of Ireland, he ac- 
 companied that prelate acrofs St. 
 George's channel, where he had 
 confiderable preferments heftowcd 
 on him, and was ele^led a member 
 
 of the houfe of commons there, af 
 reprefcntativc for the county of 
 Armagh. 
 
 At length, having purchafed an 
 annuity for life oi four hundred 
 ■poMnAfi per annum, he came over to 
 Kngland fome time in the year 
 174.8, but did not long enjoy his 
 fortune, being ftruck with a palfy, 
 of which he died June j8, 1749, 
 in his feventy-eighth year, at his 
 lodgings near Vaux Hall. 
 
 " Of his perfonal charafter," 
 fays Dt. Johnfon, "all I have 
 " heard is, that he was eminent 
 ** for bravery and Ikill in the 
 ** fword, and th:\t in converfation 
 ** he was folemn and pompous." 
 He is fomewhere called Quaker 
 rhil'iipf, but, however, appears to 
 have been a man of integrity ; for 
 the late Paul Whitehead relates 
 that, when Mr,Acidifon was fecrc- 
 tary of rtate, Phillips applied to 
 him for fome preftrment, but was 
 coolly anrwered that it was thought 
 that he was already provided for 
 by being made a juftice for WelU 
 minller. To this obfervation our 
 author, with fome indignation, re- 
 plied, •• Though poetry was a 
 *' trade he could not live by, yet 
 " he fcorned to owe fubfillence to 
 ** another which he ought not to 
 " live by." 
 
 Phillips, EDWARr>. Of thij 
 gentleman I can trace nothing far- 
 ther than his name, that he was a 
 writer of the laft reign, and pro- 
 duced five litde, dramatic pieces, 
 entitled, 
 
 1. TheChamlermaid, B. O. Svo. 
 1730. 
 
 2. 7ht Mock I.anxycr, B. O. 8ro. 
 
 1733- 
 
 3. The Livery Rake and Country 
 
 I.afs. B. O. 8vo. 1733. 
 
 4. The Rryal Chace ; or. Merlins 
 Cave. Svo. 1736. 
 
 5. 'Britons fr ike home', or, The- 
 Sai/ors Rehearjal. T. Svo. 1739. 
 
 Phillips, 
 
 if 
 
P H 
 
 [ 255 1 
 
 P H 
 
 t^HiLLips, JOHN. This name 
 Is put to 'the three following pieces, 
 rone of which were ever aded. 
 i'hfe firft two of them, however, 
 being written tntirely on party 
 fubjefts, and at a time that every 
 ad of zeal ihewn for the interell of 
 the houfe of Hanover, which was 
 as yet not fo firmly eftabliihed in 
 the hearts of the people as it has 
 iince moft happily and moll de- 
 fervedly rendered itfelf^ met with 
 a generous and kind return. Mr. 
 Chetwood has informed us, thac 
 the author received a handfome 
 prefent from the government in 
 confideration of them. The corn- 
 piler of Whincop's catalogue feems 
 to furmife, that this name of Phil- 
 lips was rot a real, but only an 
 aflTumed one ; and Curll^ in an ad- 
 vertifement to the play of The 
 Maid*s the Mijirrfs, aicribes them 
 to Dr. SewcU. But on what ground 
 this fuppoiltion and affertion are 
 built, 1 know nor, as I can fee no 
 reafon why an author, who only 
 wrote in contempt of an unjuftifi- 
 able rebellion, and in ridicule of 
 the profelTed or detefted enemies 
 of a juft and an amiable monarch, 
 fhould either be afraid or afhamed 
 of as openly declanng bis name as 
 his opinions. Be this as it will, 
 the titles of the pieces, publifhed 
 under his name^ areas follow : 
 
 1. Earl of Mar marr\l, F. 8vo. 
 1715. 
 
 2. Pretender* s Flight. F. 8vo, 
 1 7 16. 
 
 3. Inqufjitlon. F. 8vo. 1717. 
 Phillips, R. This writer's 
 
 name is mentioned by Coxeter, as 
 author of a fcries of poetical llories, 
 printed in 410. 1683, under the 
 title of The I'i^ory of Cupid over 
 the Gods and Goddrffes ; and of one 
 dramatic piece, dated 1 701, entitled, 
 
 Fatal Inconjiancy. Trag. 
 
 Phillips, William, Efq. 
 Whether this gentleman was a 
 
 native of Ireland or not, Jacob ha$ 
 informed us that he was educated 
 in that kingdom, and that he wroto 
 a tragedy, entitled, 
 
 1. TheRevengffiil^eeti.T.yS^^, 
 In this the compiler of Whincop's 
 catalogue agrees with him, but 
 afterwards gives us the name of 
 another gentleman, whom he fliles 
 
 PHXLLirs, Capt. William, which 
 gentleman he informs us was the 
 author of another tragedy, en- 
 titled, 
 
 2. Ilihcrnia Freed. T. 8vo.i72«« 
 This play, however, Coxeter, in 
 his MS. notes on Jacob, has in- 
 fcrted as the work of the fore- 
 going gentleman; Mears, and after 
 him Chetwood, in h\iBrit;J}} fhea^ 
 tre^ has gone lUll farther, making 
 mention of another piece alfo by 
 the title of 
 
 3. St. Stephen* s Green, Com. 
 afcribing all the three plays indif^ 
 criminately to a William Phillips, 
 Efq. And to thefe may be added 
 another, entitled, 
 
 4. Belifariui. T. 8vo, 1 7 24. 
 As we have reafon to believe the 
 author of the firfl: piece to have 
 been an Irifhman, and that the 
 fecond and third have an apparent 
 reference to that country, I cannot 
 help joining in opinion, that thefe 
 authors mult have been one and 
 the fame peffon. The only oh- 
 jedion to that opinion is, the dif- 
 tance of time between 1698 the 
 date of the firft play, and 1722, 
 which is that affixed to tlie earliett 
 of the other. But, as we find a 
 difference only in the title of the 
 gentleman at the feveral periods, 
 it is not at all improbable that the 
 Revengeful ^een might have been 
 written before the author hwd tnken 
 on himfelf the military profeffion, 
 the employment of which might 
 put a flop to that attachment to the 
 Mufes, which afterwards, in times 
 of peace and recefs from martial 
 
 A a a bufinefs, 
 
t n 
 
 I 3S6 J 
 
 p' r 
 
 ^urinefs, he could not avoid in< 
 dpiging hitnfelf by returning lo. 
 . This author died Dec. 12, 173a. 
 
 Phillii's, T. This author pro- 
 duced one drama, entitled, 
 , Low and Gloty. M. 8vo. 17^34^ 
 
 Philifs, Catii£imnb»^ was 
 the daughter of Mr. Fowler, a 
 merchant of London,, and was 
 born Jan.- i, 1631. She was edu- 
 cated at a tfoarding fchool in 
 JHackney, where ihe very early 
 tlillinguilhed herfelf for her fkill in 
 poetry. She was marxied to James 
 i'hilips, of Cardigan,. Hfq; and af- 
 ijerwards went with ihe vifcountefs 
 of Diincannon into Ireland. This 
 amiable lady died of the finall-pox 
 in London, June 22, 1664, to ilie 
 legret ot all who knew her; and, 
 itmong many others, tlic great 
 Cowley, who exprelfed his reTpecl 
 for her memory, by an elegant ode 
 upon her death. 1 Her works were 
 printed in folio, tinder the title of, 
 *' Poems by the moft defervedly- 
 *^ admired Mrs. Catherine Philips* 
 *' the matchlefs Orinda," 1667. 
 There was likcwile another folio 
 edition, in 1678; and, in 170;, a 
 fmall volume ot her letters to bir 
 Charles Cotterel were printed un- 
 der the title of,. *' Letters from 
 *' Orinda to Poliarchus;" the edi- 
 tor of which tells U6, that •' they 
 *' were the elrecl or an happy in- 
 " timacy between herfelt and the 
 *' late famous Poliarchus; and are 
 *' an admirable pattern for the 
 *' pleafing correfpondence of a vir- 
 *• tuous fricndlhip. They will fuf- 
 •* ficiently inflrudl us, how an in- 
 •' tercourfe of writing between 
 •' perfons of different iexes ought 
 •* to be managed with delight and 
 •' innocence ; and teach the world 
 " not to load fuch a commerce 
 ** ^^ ith cenfure and detradion, 
 •' when it i» removed at fuch a dif- 
 •' tar.ce from even the appearance 
 *♦ of guilt." 
 
 . iihtt wrote two plays, vi:?* 
 
 1. Powpey. T. 4to. i665ir' 
 
 2. Horace. T. fol. 1667. j 
 
 PlLKINGTON, Mrs. LvETITfA, 
 
 a native of Dublin, was. born in 
 17 12. Her father was Dr. Van- 
 lewin, an eminent phyfician of 
 that city. Our authorefs was mar- 
 ried, very young/ to the Rev. Mr. 
 Matthew Pilkington, who was 
 alfo a poet of no ineonfiderabis 
 merit. This pair of wits, as is but 
 too often the cafe, lived v^ty un- 
 happily together ; and at lengtb 
 were totally feparated, in confe- 
 quence of an accidental difcovery 
 which Mr. Pilkington made of a 
 gentlemnn in his wife's bed'cham- 
 ber. Of this affair, however, Mi-s. 
 I'ilkington, in her celebrated Me- 
 moirs of her own Life, gives fuch 
 an account, as would perfuade her 
 readers to believe that, in reality, 
 nothing criminal pafTed between 
 her and the gentleman ; but, Cre* 
 dot Judaus Afella. 
 
 After this unlucky affair, Mrs. 
 Pilkington had recourfe to her pen 
 for a fupport, and raifed a very 
 confiderable fubfcription for her 
 Memoirs, which are extremely en- 
 tertaining, pariicularly on account 
 of the many lively anecdotes ih« 
 has given of Dean Swift, with 
 u honi flie had the honour of being 
 veiy intimate. 
 
 'i'his unhappy but ingenious wo- 
 man died, in great penury, in July- 
 1750; having had recourfe to the 
 bottle, in order 10 drown herfor- 
 tows ; by which it is thought Ihe 
 fhortened her days. She departed 
 at the age of 39, leaving fevenil 
 clii'dren to take their chance in the 
 wide world ; for her hufband re- 
 nounced them at the fame time 
 that he renounced her. John, her 
 eldell fon, turned out alfo fome- 
 thing of a poet ; and has likewife 
 publilhed his Memoirs. He died 
 in the year 1763. 
 
 Mi». Pilkington, befides her 
 other Po«mi» and h«c Memoirs,. 
 
 ' waa 
 
Ft 
 
 t 357 ] 
 
 PI 
 
 7. -' .: 
 
 TITTA, 
 
 born in 
 Ir. Van- 
 ,cian of 
 /as mar* 
 lev. Mr. 
 ho was 
 fiderable 
 as is but 
 very un- 
 it length 
 in confe- 
 difcovery 
 lade of a 
 ed-cham-" 
 ver, Mn. 
 ated Me- 
 jives fuch, 
 •fuade her 
 in reality, 
 i betMveca 
 but, Cre- 
 
 Fair, Mrs. 
 to her pen 
 [ed a very 
 for her 
 remely en- 
 jn account 
 cdotes lh« 
 kvift, with 
 ar of being 
 
 eniouiwo- 
 iry, in July- 
 )urfe to the 
 vn herfor- 
 lougbt Ihe 
 departed 
 jng fevenil 
 lance in the 
 ufband r«- 
 iiime time 
 John, her 
 alio fome- 
 as likewife 
 He died 
 
 jef.des her 
 Memoirs^ 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 WAS author of one burlefque dra- 
 matic piece, entitled, 
 
 1. T/je Turkijb Court; or, T/jt 
 XjondoH Prtntitt ; afted in Dublin. 
 1748. N. P. 
 
 2. One Aft of The Roman Father » 
 printed in her Memoirs. 
 
 PiLON, F. Was born at Corke, 
 and intended for the profeflion 
 of phyfick ; but relinquifhed that 
 fcheme in order to appear on the 
 llage, where he met with no ap- 
 probation. 
 
 He has been fortunate in adapting 
 temporary fubjefts to the Itage, 
 and in that line has had foine 
 fuccefs. If his pieces do not dif- 
 play much ingenuity or invention, 
 or afford any confiderable ihare of 
 fatisfaftion to theauditoror reader, 
 it Ihould be remembered that all 
 cf them are evidently the produc- 
 tions of halte, intended merely 
 to take the advantage of fome 
 temporary publick event, which 
 would not allow of opportunity for 
 the correftions of leifure or judg- 
 ment, and therefore intitled to 
 every kind of indulgence. Mr. 
 PlloD is the author of, 
 
 1 . The Invafion ; or, A Trip to 
 Brlghthelmjione. F. 8vo. 1778. 
 
 2. The Liverpool Prize. F. 8vo, 
 1779. 
 
 3. The Jllumination ; or, The 
 Glaziers Cgn/piraty. 2 ie\. 8vo. 1779. 
 
 4. 7ht Device; or, The Deaf 
 Doiior, F.N. P. 1779. 
 
 5. The Deaf Lover. F. 8vo, 
 
 6. The Siege of Gihraltar. M. F. 
 8vo. 1780. 
 
 7. The Humour t of an Eh i^ ion, 
 F. 8vo. 1780. 
 
 PiTCAiRNEjDr. Archibai-d. 
 This eminent phyfician was de- 
 tcetided Of the ancient houfe of" 
 ri'cairne, in the county of Fife, 
 ;.!!d was born on Cluillmas-day, 
 \Oii. H^ received his education 
 ;li h" viljn^e iftllfd Palknth, and 
 
 V«'.. 1. 
 
 then was removed to the univtrfit/ 
 of Edinburgh with a view to the 
 Iludy of divinity ; but this not 
 fuiting the vivacity and freedom 
 of his genius, he was permitted by 
 his friends, though with fome re*! 
 luiHance, to change the original 
 defign, and bend his attention to 
 the law, which, being more agreed 
 able to him, be puriued with the 
 utmoU alTiduity. So intenfe was 
 he in this ftudy, that his confli- 
 tution was much injured by it, 
 and at length brought him into fof 
 ill a ftate of health, that he became 
 in danger of having a heftic con- 
 fumption. To prevent this, he {^t 
 out by ihe advice of his phylicians 
 to Montpelier, and in his way 
 got as far as Paris, where finding 
 himfelf much recovered, he con- 
 cluded there was no occafion for 
 proceeding any farther ; and meet- 
 ing with fome agreeable con|f>a- 
 nions of his own countrymen, he 
 determined to fit down and iludy 
 the law in that univerfity. He 
 afterwards changed his intention, 
 and began to uudy phyfic, but 
 had not been thus employed many 
 months before he was recalled 
 home. After fome ftay in Scot- 
 land, he returned a fecond time to 
 Paris, to complete himfelf for th@ 
 pradice of medicine. In 1692, 
 he was invited, by the curators of 
 the univerfity of Leyden, to be 
 profelibr of phyfic there, which he 
 accepted, and Ipoke his inaugural 
 oration April i5. He continued 
 there three years, and then v - 
 fited Scotland, intending to re- 
 turn with a lady, the daughter of 
 Sir Archibald btevenfon, whom he 
 propoled to marry; but her parents 
 not being willing to let her go 
 a^ load, our author was obliged to 
 remain at home, and fettled at 
 Edinburgh, where the cxtcnfive 
 praiflice hr immediately tell into, 
 gHvr i)lm nciiher room nor leifure 
 ■\ a 3 to 
 
?I 
 
 [ 3S8'J 
 
 P O 
 
 7. Iht Czar of Mufcoiy. T. 410^ 
 
 01. 
 
 8. The Doubie Difirefu T. 410. 
 
 ,01. 
 g. The Covqurjl cf Spain. T. 410. 
 
 1705. 
 
 10. The Beau defeated \ or, The 
 
 »p regrfct the lofs of his profcflbr- 
 ihip abroad. He continued in 
 great eminence, in his proreiTion 
 until the time of his death, which 1:01 
 happened 061. 20, I7i3> In his 
 youth he printed one play, called, 
 
 TitAjfmbly. C. lamo. 
 
 PiX, Mrs. Mary. Of this lady, Luckf younger Brother. C. 410. N. 
 though a woman of confiderable D. (This is in feme Catalogues 
 genius and abilities, I can trace afcribed to Mr. Barker.) 
 nothing farther than that I'ne was Popple, William. This gen- 
 bprn at Nettlebed in Oxfordihire, tleman was for many years go- 
 and that her maiden name was vernor of Bermudas, to which poit 
 Griffith, being the daughter of he was appointed in the year 1745 
 
 one Mr. Griffith, a clergyman, and 
 that, by the mother's fide, Iht was 
 defcended from a very corfiderable 
 family, viz. that of the Wallis's. 
 By the (late of her writings (he 
 fiourifhed in king William Ill's 
 reign, but in what year Ihe was 
 born, to whom married, or when 
 (he died, are particulars which 
 feem buried in obfcurity and ob- 
 
 He had before been in the Cof- 
 ferer's Office, and, in June 1757, 
 was made folicitor and clerk of 
 the Reports to the commiffioners 
 for Trade and Plantations. He 
 ded the 8th of February, 1764, 
 having written, 
 
 1. 'Ibe Ladys Ke-venge ; or, The 
 Rover rfclaimed. C. 8v(j. 1734. 
 
 2. The Double Decftt ; or, A Cure 
 
 livion. She was contemporary for Jealcujy. C. 8vo. 1736 
 
 V^ith Mrs. Manley and Mrs. Trot- 
 ter, afterwards Mrs. Cockburne ; 
 and is ridiculed in company with 
 thefe ladies in a little dramatic 
 piece, called The Female PFits ; but, 
 however near £he may Hand on a 
 par with the latter in refpeft to 
 her poetical talents, I can by no 
 means think her equal to the 
 former. Her works, however, will 
 
 Ihere are alfo fcveral pieces in 
 verfe, written by this gentleman, 
 in a Colleftion of MiCcellanoous 
 Poem?, publiihed by Richard Sa- 
 vage, in 8vo, 1726. He uas like- 
 wile concerned in fome periodical 
 papers ; particularly The Prompter ; 
 in which he was jointly connected 
 uiih the celebrated Aaron Hill, 
 Efq. Mr. Popple likewife puMifli- 
 
 "beft fpeak in her commendation; ed a tranflation of Horaces Ait of 
 they are ten in number, and their Portry. 410. 175J. 
 
 titles as follow : 
 
 1 . Tbc Sjiani//j Wives. F. 4to, 
 1696, 
 
 2. Ihrahim theTbirteenth, Emperor 
 cf the Turks. T. 410. i6g6. 
 
 3. The Innocent Mtjlrejs. C. 4to. 
 1697. 
 
 4. The Dal'ver decci'ved, C. 4to. 
 l6y8. 
 
 5. ^ten Catherine ; or, The Ruins 
 tf Love. T. 410. 1698. 
 
 6. The FalJK Friend ; or, The Fate 
 
 »f J>ifobt4m(e, T, 4to. 1699. 
 
 PoROACi:', Samufl, a writer 
 in the reign of king Charles \\. 
 He was fon of the Rev. Mr. John 
 Poidage, reftor of HrsdHrld, in 
 Berkfhire, and formerly head Iku 
 ard of the lands to i'hilip the 
 fecond carlo/ Pembroke. He wa>~- 
 probably born at Bradfield; whore 
 he received his education 1 am un- 
 able to trace, but find him nuii- 
 tiored by Wood as a nienibor ot' 
 the honourable fociety of Lincoln';' - 
 Inn. Befidcs an edition with cut:. 
 
 ■■;^f) 
 
 JV 
 
 lU 
 
P o 
 
 i 359 1 
 
 P O 
 
 y. T. 4iOw 
 
 T. 4to. 
 
 r. T. 410. 
 
 ; or, T"/'* 
 J. 410. N. 
 [Catalogues 
 
 I 
 
 This gen- 
 years go- 
 which poft 
 year 1745. 
 1 the Cof- 
 lune 1757, 
 d clerk of 
 nminionets 
 tions. He 
 ary, 1764, 
 
 :e ; or. Tie 
 vo. 1734. 
 
 or, Jl Curt 
 
 736. 
 
 i\ pieces in 
 gentleman, 
 ifcelianoous 
 Richard Sa- 
 le uas like- 
 J periodical 
 e Prompter j 
 y conncrttd 
 iaron Hill, 
 nfe publini- 
 accs Att nf 
 
 , Avvrucr 
 Charles Jl, 
 !. Mr. John 
 rsd/ifld, in 
 )■ head (lew- 
 
 I'hilip the 
 :e. IJc w.as 
 ield; where 
 on I am un- 
 i him nuMi- 
 
 nicmbor of 
 3,(LiiKoln';'r 
 Ja with cutr, 
 
 (puWlfhed after the author's ideath) 
 of Riy>t.)lils\ Gild's Kiveii^e aga'uijl 
 jSIurHcr and Adultery^ he has fa- 
 voured the world, of his own pro- 
 duds, with a romance, entitled 
 F.liana, two plays of original com- 
 pofitiuQ, and a tranilation of a 
 third. The titles of the faid dra- 
 matic pieces are, 
 
 1. Troadcs. T. I2mo, 1660. 
 
 2. Herod and Mariauinc. 'l\ 4^X0, 
 X673,. 
 
 3. Sie^^e of Txihylui. T. 4to. 1678. 
 Portal, AcRAijAM. Was the 
 
 fon of a cltrpyrnan, and lately a 
 goldfmith and jeweller onLudgaie?' 
 Hill. He is at prefent a book- 
 f.'ller in ihe Strand, and has wrote 
 chree dramas, called, 
 
 1 . Qlbido und iiotJjioHia, T. 8vo. 
 
 1753. 
 
 2. The Lidijlrctt Lover, C. Svo. 
 1768. 
 
 3. The Cady of Ba^idad. C, O. 
 
 The Songs only printed. 
 
 Porter, Henuv. Author of 
 9 dramatic piece, which made its 
 appearance in the latter part of 
 tjueen Elizabeth's reign, entitled, 
 
 Tic Tkjjo angry Woikcii of Aoingt 
 ton. Com. 410. I 599. 
 Wood (Athcii. Oxon. vol. 1. p. 781.) 
 mentions a Mr, Henry Porter, of 
 Chrill-Church College, in the uni- 
 verfity of Oxford, and batchelor 
 of mufic, who, he tells us, w^s fa- 
 ther to Mr. Walter Porter, fome 
 time gentleman of the royal cha- 
 pel, and mailer of the chorilkrs at 
 Weflminfter, in the reign of king 
 Charles I. And, although Wood 
 does not mention that gentleman 
 as a writer, yet, as the date of his 
 degree, which was in July i6co, 
 is but one year fubfequent to that 
 of the above-mentioned play, I 
 think it is no very far fetched con- 
 jeftMre that he mi^jht be the author 
 of it. 
 
 Porter, Thomas, A major 
 in the army in the r "igns of king 
 Charles 1. and il. He i^ the 
 avowed author of two dramatic 
 pieces, entitled, 
 
 1. Fillaln. T. 4to. 1663. 
 
 2. Carnival. C. 4tO. 1664. 
 With ref'pcrt to a conjecture of his 
 having written more in the drafipa- 
 tic way, fee above, under the ill) i- 
 tialsP. T. ■' 
 
 Potter, Henrt. Of this au- 
 thor we know no particulars. He 
 wrote one piece, called, 
 The Decty. O. Svo. 1733. 
 PoTTJiR, John. This is a liv- 
 ing author, He has produced one 
 piece, the title of which is, 
 
 The Choice of Apclln. S. 4f>, 1 7 65 . 
 PoTTEii, K, This gentleman 
 is a clergyinan of the counry of 
 SiiiFolk. He is the author of fc- 
 veral poems which have confi- 
 derable merit, and has publilhed 
 a complete tranflation oi j^fihylus ; 
 containipg the fpllowing plays, 
 viz. 
 
 Prometheus chained, . , ,.,, 
 The Supfil.'caiils,. 
 The ji'ven Chiefs agai'Jl Thiles, 
 A^aiKiinnoi), ,1..^ 
 
 Toe Chccphora» , . .- ; 
 
 The Furies. ■ ■ 
 
 7, The Perftitns. 410.1777. 
 He has alio ui.derrakcii ;i tranf- 
 lation of Euripides, for which pro- 
 pofals are now circulating. 
 
 Pottjngeu, Israel. Was 
 brought up to the trade of book- 
 felling, and feived his apprenticc- 
 fliip to Mr. Worral, He for fome 
 time kept a fliop in Pater-noller- 
 Row, where he projeilcd a va- 
 riety of periodical publications, 
 many of which proving unfnc- 
 cefffu' he was under the nccciiity 
 of relinquilliing that branch of his 
 bufine'fs, and opened a circulat- 
 ing library near Great Turnrtile. 
 This al fo not fucccediog, he de- 
 
 I. 
 
 ^. 
 
 3- 
 
 4- 
 
 r 
 
 6. 
 
 A a 4 
 
 livercd 
 

 ■ 
 
 I :! 
 
 P O 
 
 [ 360 ] 
 
 P o 
 
 livcietl Stevens's Lcfturc on Heads 
 at Iflington ; and at ptcfv/nt, v\c 
 bclifvr, derives his principal fup- 
 pnrr irom his pen, in which he 
 unhappily meets with occafional 
 interruptions from a dilorder in 
 his mind. He has publiflied, 
 I » 'T6f Mnhoiiiji. C. 8 vo. 1 7 6 1 . 
 
 " boys do their exercife, fo the laft 
 ♦' d.iy ; which commorily brings 
 ••them cut prnportionably detcc- 
 " live. Eut Wi ks never loft an 
 '' hciir ot precious timt-, and was, 
 '♦ ill all his parts, peifcdt, to fuch 
 '• an ex^iftitude, that 1 queflicn, 
 ♦' it" in forty years he ever f.vo 
 
 <e Hurniiroiis .'ilrmirfl ; or, "times changed or inifplaced an 
 
 Wattii of the (hcyheards. F. 
 tff^ [176..] 
 I'oMHJ^, George. Was both 
 an authAIKiiwd after. His father, 
 fays Gildon, was an ancient plnyer, 
 who was then (1698) lately dead. 
 His abilities, a^ a performer, were 
 much fuperior to ihofe which he 
 pofleifed as a writer. When it is 
 confidered that he wuf etfeeiiied at 
 ere period of his life a rival to 
 Betterton, his excellence on the 
 ilage will fcarcely be difpuitd. 
 Thi: irregulaiities of his lile Ire- 
 cjuently difabicd him from exert- 
 Jiig the talents whch he vv;ts al- 
 lowed to pnfiefs, and his negli- 
 gence permitted a rival to obtain 
 a fupcnoriiy over him, which in 
 the end attached him fo llron(»iy 
 to the bottle, that he loll the favour 
 of the publick, and died feme time 
 
 " article in any one ot them, 
 *' To be mafter of this uncom- 
 *' mon diligence, is adding to the 
 " gift of nature, all that is in an 
 •* hftor'spowcrj and this duty of 
 " Uud'ying perff-^^t, whatever after 
 " is rernifs in, he will propor- 
 *' tionrJly find, that nature may 
 " have been kit d to him in vain ; 
 " for though Piiwel had an af- 
 " furance that covered this neg- 
 *' lidl much better than a man of 
 " mere mt'delly might have done, 
 " yet wi.h all his intrepidity very 
 '^ often the diflidence and con- 
 •' cern for what he was to fay 
 " m;ide h'm lofe the look of what 
 " h^ was to he, 
 
 '' Bur bcfides this indifpenfnble 
 " oualitv of dilijience, Wilks had 
 *' the advantage; of a fober cha- 
 racter in private life, which 
 
 in the )car 1714. He was buried ** Povvel not having the Icaft re- 
 in the vault of St. Clemer.' Danes. '' craul to, laboured under the un- 
 
 His character as a periormer 
 will be clearly feen by the foUoi^- 
 jng account of the rcfpedive me- 
 rits of Wilks and himRlf, ex- 
 tracted from the .apology for the 
 life of Coiiey Cibber : " Thouph 
 
 *' in voice and ear nature had been 
 ** more kind 10 I'owcl, yet he fo 
 " otten loli the value of them by 
 
 " haj-py disfavour, not to fay con- 
 " tempt, of the publick, to whom 
 " hi? licentious courfes were no 
 " fecret : even when he did well, 
 " that natural prejudice purfued 
 " him ; neither the hero nor the 
 *• gentleman, the young Ammon 
 " nor the Dorimanr, could conceal 
 
 _ - _. -^ *' from the confcious fpcdator the 
 
 *' an unheedful coniidcnce, that " true Geoige l-'owc!." 
 " the conilant wakeful care and An inflance of Powel's intem- 
 " decency of Wilks left the other perance is recorded in the preiace 
 " far behind in the public cftetm to the Reiapi'e of Sir John Van- 
 *' and approbation. Nor was his brugh. The charafiers which he 
 *' rhea'or\ lefs tenacious ihan that of performed with the nioft applaufe 
 '*' Wilks; but Powel |)ut too much were JJlexander* and the Heroes 
 •• tnifl: in it, and idly deferred the of Diyden's ivi/dcyi Tragedies; he 
 "lludying his p^us, as fcllOOi- =';■ Spca»ior, N°3i. ^o. Tailer,N°3. 
 
 was 
 
P R 
 
 [ 561 ] 
 
 P R 
 
 was rot, however, unfucccfsful in 
 the reprefentation of comic fcenes, 
 having, as Gibber obfcives, no in- 
 fronftderable portion of humuur. 
 
 He wrote, 
 
 \. Jlphonjd King of Naples. T. 
 4to. 1 69 1. 
 
 2. A Very good Wife. C. 410. 
 1693. 
 
 3. The Treacher oil i Brothers. T. 
 4to. 1696. 
 
 4. The Impoflure defated \ or, ^ 
 Trick to cheat the Dc/d. 410. 1698. 
 
 Befides tliefe, he was the pub-, 
 liftier of the following perfor- 
 inances : 
 
 1. The Corn'fJ} Comedy. 4to, i6q6. 
 
 2. Boitdiica ; Or, The Brit if!) 
 Heroine. T. 410. i6q6. 
 
 3. A Neiv Oprra called Brutus 
 pf j4lba ; or, Miignjia's Triumph, 
 4to. 1696. 
 
 Pratt, Robert. This is a 
 living author, better known under 
 his afTumed names of Courtney 
 Melmoth. We are informed he 
 is a native of St. Ives, in Hunt- 
 ingtonfhire, and was brought up 
 to the church, in which we be- 
 lieve he had fome preferment. He 
 afterwards threw otF his gown, 
 (:hanged his name, and made his 
 appearatiCe on the ftage at Covent- 
 Garden theatre in J 774, but with 
 little or no fucccfs. The parts he 
 appeared in were Philajler and 
 Hamlet, Since his failure in this 
 attempt, he hath fubfifted chiefly 
 by writing, though we think he 
 fometimes employed himfclf in de- 
 livering ledtures at Bath, and other 
 places, on the Englifh language. 
 He is at prefent a bookfeller at 
 Bath. One dramatic performance 
 hath been biought on the Ibge, 
 entitled, 
 
 Jnfph Jlndreivs, F. Afted at 
 Drury-Lane, for Mr. Benfley's be- 
 nefit, the ao'.h of April, 17 /K. 
 Not printed. 
 
 Preston, Thomas, L.L. D. 
 flourilhed in the earlief part ot 
 queen Elizabeth's reign, was fint 
 mailer of arts and fellow of Kirg'i 
 College, Cambridge, and after- 
 wards created a dottor of civil 
 law, and maOer of Trinity-Hall in 
 the fame univerfi'y. In the year 
 1564, when queen Eli?,abe^ was 
 entertained at Cambridge this 
 gentleman :.£led fo admirably well 
 in the tragedy of /)///.■•, a Latia 
 play, compofed by John Ritwlfo, 
 one of the fellows of King's Col- 
 lege, and did moreover fo genteely 
 and gracctully difputt: before her 
 majefty, that, as a tedimonial of 
 hfr approbation, flie bellowed a 
 penfion of twenty pounds per arh. 
 vum upon him, a circumrtance 
 which Mr. Steevens fuppofes to 
 have been ridiculed by Shakfpeaie 
 in the Mtdfummer Ni^ht'*s Dream^ 
 at the conclufion of adl tlie fourth. 
 On the 6rh of Sept. 1566, whea 
 the Oxonian Mufes, in their turn, 
 were honoured with a vifit from 
 their royal miftrefs, oit author, 
 with eight tnore Cantabrigians, 
 were incorporated mailers or' arts 
 in the univerfity of Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Prefton wrote one dramatic 
 piece, in the old metre, entitled, 
 
 •' A Lament able Tragedy ?nixeJ 
 *^ ful of plcafint mirth contcynniv the 
 • ' life of Camhifes King of Percia., 
 *\from the beginning of his Kingdo?ne 
 " nnto his Death y his one good deed 
 ♦* of execution after the many ivicked 
 ** deeds and tirannmis murders com~ 
 *' mitted hy avd tbrniigh him, and laji 
 *' of all his odious death bv God's /'///- 
 " tice appointed, doon on Inch order -as 
 *'fdlo'Mth." B. L. 4to. 
 For a more particular account of 
 which, fee vol. II. Cambyses, 
 This pcrloimance Langbaine ima- 
 gines Shakfpeare meant CO ridicule, 
 when, in his play of Hemy IV. 
 part 1. a^ II. he makes Falllaff 
 
 talk 
 
P R 
 
 r 361 j 
 
 P u 
 
 talk of rpeaklng in iing CamT>yfts 
 Vem. In proof of u hich conjec- 
 ture he has given his leaders a 
 quotation from the Leginnin<> of 
 llie play, being a fpcPi^h or king 
 Cambyfes himfclf, whirh, on the 
 fame account that he quoted it, and 
 alfo as being a good Specimen of 
 the manner of writing of many 
 author* at that period of timt;, I 
 ihall take tlie liberty of tranfcrib- 
 Sng. The words are as tolluw : 
 
 JWv counfutU grave anit faplcnf^ 
 With lords of legal train ; 
 
 Jltttnlive tares tovhirtls us bendy 
 And mark ivbat Jkall be Jain, 
 
 So you, likeiv'Je, myvaliait knight ^ 
 Whoft many a^s dothJiy\ 
 
 JBy brute of fame the founding trump 
 Dooth ferje the azure Jky, 
 
 j\lyfapient tvonrdsf J Jay perpend. 
 
 And fo your Jkd delate : 
 Xott ino^i.ve that Mors vanqu'Jlnd hath 
 
 Cirus, that king ofjlatc: . ■ • 
 
 And /, by due inheritance, 
 PoJJ'efs that priiucl)/ crotvn ; 
 
 Jiuling, 1y Jivord of mighty forcCt 
 In place of great renown. 
 
 Prbstwich, Edmund. A wri- 
 ter of king Charles I's riign, who, 
 was author of one dramatic piece, 
 entitled, 
 
 ir-ppolittit. Trag. i;m'>. 1651. 
 
 Pritchard, I\ir. This name 
 appears to one piece, called, 
 
 The Fall of Pi a, Ion. 8vo. 1736. 
 Tlic author is only faid to be the 
 inventor in the title page, but 
 whether this term is confined to 
 the pantoniinc intermixed with it, 
 entitled, 
 
 Harlequin rejlorcd; or, Tafle Ala-< 
 mode. 
 or is to be extended to the whole 
 performance, dees not feem quite 
 certain. 
 
 Puttevham, -1 — . This au- 
 thor lived in the reign of queen 
 Elizabeth, and was one of the 
 band of her gentlemen penfioners. 
 He is alfo foppofed to have been 
 the writer of The Arte of En^lifli 
 Forfie, 410. 1589. in which he 
 mentions the following pieces as of 
 his own compofition, tliough lion^ 
 of them have been pul I'-'hcd : 
 
 1. L'iflie London. Int. 
 
 2. The Woer. Int 
 
 3. Ginecocratia^ C. 
 
 CL 
 
 Q.U 
 
 Q UAELES, Francis, Efq. Was 
 fon of James Quarles, Efq; 
 clerk of the board of Green Cloth, 
 and purveyor to queen Elizabeth. 
 He was born in 1 592, at Stewai df, 
 an ancient feat of the family, near 
 Romford in EfTex ; from whence 
 he was firft fent to Peter-Houfe, 
 atid afterwards to Chriil-Chu^ch 
 
 CLU 
 
 College, Cambridge, for the com- 
 pleating of his lludies; and, on his 
 return to London, became a mem- 
 ber of Lincoln's-Inn. He was 
 fume time cup-beaier to the queen 
 cf Bohemia, and chronologer to 
 tlie city of London; and went over 
 to Ireland as fecretary to that truly 
 gftat prelate James Ulher, arch- 
 
 b'ihop 
 
Q.U 
 
 C 363 ] 
 
 CLU 
 
 blftiop of Armagh. But the trou- " any ways oflFending againft hi* 
 bles in thai kingdom forcing him '* duty to God, his neigKbour, or 
 from thence, he returned to his *' himfelf." 
 
 native country, where he died, on 
 the 8(h day of Sept. 1644, xtut. 
 1^2, and was buiicJ in (hu pariHi 
 churcli of St. Vedaft, Follcr-Lane. 
 His works, both in verfe and profe, 
 are numerous and well known, 
 particularly his Divine KmUrnn^ 
 which has been a good copy to the 
 old bookfelkrs, and is to this day 
 in great rcquell with one fort of pi- 
 ous readers; though, on account of 
 the obfolete quaintnd's of ftilc, 
 which many of the writers of that 
 age made ufc of, his works, with 
 ^hofe of many of his coiuempora- 
 ries once in high repute, are now 
 totally neglefted, or at leall held 
 in but night elliniation. Among 
 his other works was a piece en- 
 titled, the Lityal Convert, for the 
 writing of which he underwent a 
 very fevere f.rofecutioii, from the 
 yfurped authority then in being. 
 
 Langbaine, a great admirer of 
 his works, gives him this amiable 
 charackr. " He was (lays he) a 
 **■ poet that mixed religion and 
 ■fancy together; and was very 
 
 In dramatic writing he only pro- 
 duced one piece, to which even hit 
 y.ealnus advocate Langbaine gives 
 no higher commendation thao 
 flyling it <a;i innocent, inoffenjive play. 
 It is entitled, 
 
 'I he Virgin IVidovo. Com. 410, 
 1649. 
 Mr. Qnarles had, by one wife, no 
 Icfs than eighteen children ; one 
 of whom, John, inheriting both 
 his father's genius and his loyalty, 
 received his education at Exeter 
 College, Oxford; and, in 1642, 
 being then but eighteen years of 
 age, bore arms within the garrifon 
 of Oxon, tor king Charles I. in 
 whole army, it is faid, he after- 
 wards had a captain's commiiTion. 
 But, on the declenfion of his ma- 
 jel^y's caule, he retired to London, 
 where, in cunfequence of his .at- 
 tachment to the royal party, he 
 was reduced to write for a bare 
 fubfi Hence, and there continued in 
 a poor and mean condition, till 
 the great plague, which raging in 
 and about London, fwept him 
 away, with many thoufands more. 
 
 <* careful in all his writings not to 
 
 ^* intrench upon good-manners by in the fatal year 1665. 
 
 V. any fcurriUty in his works ; or 
 
 R. 
 
 R T 
 
 ir\ J. See Shcphcv^i Holiday. 
 JlV.* R. T. Thefe initial letters 
 ^nd in the title of one dramatic 
 piece, entitled, 
 
 The Extravagant Shepherd. Path 
 Com. 
 ^here is no authv who wrote 
 
 R T 
 
 about that time whofe name would 
 fuit with thefe initial?, excepting 
 Thomas Rawlins, of whom here- 
 after: yet, without fome farther 
 concominant circumftances, I can- 
 not think inyfclf authorized to fa- 
 ther this play upon him. 
 
 R. W. 
 
R A 
 
 r 364 J 
 
 R A 
 
 T?. W. Thefe two letters (land 
 lirfore a kind ot droll or faicc, 
 played at Barlholonitw ami South- 
 Mr. irk fairs, and publilhed in king 
 Cb'irlt's ll'j time, entitled, 
 
 T^ Coronation of ^tccii Eliza^ 
 bftlt. 
 
 I'hele letters aie alio afBxcd to a 
 piece, entitled, 
 
 ^he Three I.nrds iifnf T^idlrs of 
 loiiihn. See vol, I, Thtte Laiiits 
 qf l.cndon, 
 
 Raoci.if*, Ralph. Was de- 
 liceiKlcd frcm an ancient family of 
 kis name in Chefliire, and received 
 part of his education at Oxtord, as 
 Wood fuppofes at Brazen-Ni>fc 
 College, but it is uncertain wlictiicr 
 he took any degree. Me atterwards 
 kent his attention to the education 
 et" youth, and obtained part of the 
 Carmelite's boufe at liitchin, in 
 Ileriforiilhirc, anno 1^38, which, 
 #)n the difliilution of the monalle- 
 rics, had become unoccupied. 
 Here he opened a fcliool, in which 
 ke hiui great fuccefs, foon grew 
 rich, and was much refpedcd in 
 the ntighbourhood. IJe formed 
 one of the lower rooms into a 
 llagc for his fcholars to aft Laiiii 
 ami Engliih comedies, in order 
 that tkey might acquire confidence 
 in public fpeaking. He lived fc- 
 vcral yeiirs after 155J?, and died 
 and was buried at Hitchin. It 
 does not appear that any of his 
 dramatic pieces were ever publifh- 
 ed, thouph he had many by him 
 in the reign of king Edward VI, 
 which he ( itcn told his friends he 
 w'juIJ never publifi) until they had 
 remained b, him nine ycar^.. The 
 names of them are ;ts follows: 
 
 1 . Diva and Lczants. C. 
 
 2. Pattern Qrijctd. C. 
 
 5, Friciidjhip of lit us cud Cifb- 
 pas. C 
 
 4. Cl.aixtr's Mfh'ac. C. 
 
 iLc J^u-.iiiny oj ^'Wv/Vi. T. 
 
 
 7, Thr DiJiveiy ofSufonttah. 1*, 
 
 ». Ibf Jiuinitig of John Hujs. T. 
 
 5. Jonas. T. 
 
 to. liti.ludenfjhdith, T. 
 
 Kaii'h, James, l.iq. One of 
 the greattll political, though not 
 one of the greatrll poetical writers 
 of the prelcnt age. Of his family 
 we can trace no paiticulars; but 
 it is fciid his dcfLcnt was but mean, 
 and that he folely taifed himfelf 
 from olifcurity by his merit ] a 
 circuiul^ance which redounds more 
 to his honour than would a lonr 
 bead-roll of great ancellors, ** ftucc 
 " (ucr with titles and hung roand 
 " with lirings." 
 
 JVIr. Ralph's firft appearance in 
 ».lie world, before he became dif- 
 tiiiguiihed ior his writings, was, 
 as we arc informed, in the cha- 
 rade r of a fehool-maller, at Phila- 
 delpliia, in Norih-Ameiica; which 
 rc'inoce iituution not luitiiig hib ac- 
 tive mind, he canu" to bngl.ind, 
 about the beginning of the reign 
 of George II. We have not learnt 
 what was then the immediate ob- 
 jcdl ol his purfuir, but it was pro- 
 bably fomeihing in the public of- 
 fices dependent on the court ; for 
 hi: foon became a frequenter of the 
 levees, and attached to fome great 
 men, to whom his abilities reconir 
 mcnded him. He did not, how- 
 ever, at firlt make any figure in 
 the political world, but rather ap- 
 plied himfelf to writing for the 
 rtage, in which he was not very 
 fuccefsful. He alfo produced fome 
 pieces of poetry, particularly A''']^'^/, 
 a poem, rf which Mr. I'ope thus 
 taNCs notice in his l}:>nciad : 
 
 Slciici;ye ivohis ! ivhile Ralph f» 
 
 Cynthia hiKvJi, 
 And i!:akcs Ni^ht hideous — arfivef 
 
 him^ ye c-wls I 
 
 This paflage INIr. Pope has il- 
 lu'lratcd by a very a' ufive note, 
 vvherca Mr. Rali^l.'i tharatter is 
 
R A 
 
 i S^S 1 
 
 R A 
 
 intfft unmercifully torn to pieces ; dauf»htcr, nbout ejphtecn, died it 
 ^hicli feverity, it f Pins wa^ oc- a few weeks nfcer liim. 
 
 cafioiicd by a piece attributed to 
 our autli'tr, entitled, ■.Vrt'v,»v, a 
 poetn, in which the facred trium- 
 'irate, D' an Swit', Mr. I''^pe and 
 Mr. Uay, were attacked. I'ni w;;9 
 high treafon rtfelf. Mr. Ralph 
 waa vrry fjlfciy and iiijjrinuHy le- 
 prefenipd in the /)/<"/ 'lu/, 'vlr, 
 Fopc fiys, he W.1S fo ilHtorate, t'lat 
 he did not even underll.iiul French: 
 whereai it is very ctTUrn that he 
 was mailer of the Frencli and La- 
 tin language-, and not aItor;ether 
 ignorant of the Italian ; and was, 
 in truth, a very ingeni'ius profe- 
 writer, altho«;yh he liit! not fue- 
 
 ls a 
 
 pOtT. 
 
 cced 
 
 Knglantiy commencing at the He- 
 iloration, is much eiteemed, as 
 were his political pamphlets; feme 
 of which were looked upon as maf- 
 ter-pieccj. He wa« likewifc; c >n- 
 cerned in writing efiays in feveral 
 periodical papers; in which he be- 
 came fo formidable to the minillry 
 towards the end of Sit Robert VV.il- 
 polc's time, thnt it was deemed ex- 
 pedient to take him otF by a pen- 
 iion. He had j/reat cxpeftations 
 from the !ate prince of W;iie?, who 
 
 His dramatic wiitings are, 
 f. FnJf>io/ia'>lr LaJy; or, liarle* 
 quints Opera. 8vo. 1730. 
 
 2. Fall of the Earl vfF.Jfcx. T. 
 8vo. 1731. 
 
 3. La'Ayer'*i Fetfft. Farcf . 1 744* 
 
 4. yJJlrolnrrcr. C 8vo. 1 744. 
 One of Mr. Ralph's lad: perfor- 
 mances had alfo fnme relation 19 
 the liage; and was cllcemtd a very 
 excellent and very entcrtainint; 
 perfoi mance. It was entitled, l>je 
 Cajf rf Atilhors, 
 
 Ramsay, Am, an. Ts faid to 
 have been a barber in EdinhurTh. 
 Hii talk in poetry, however, has 
 
 His ifijt.iiy of julUy vaifed him to a degree of 
 
 i'amc that may in feme mealure be 
 confidcred as a recompence for tlic 
 frowns of fortune. His fongs aro 
 in fome eAcem ; a: is alfo one 
 of his dramatic pieces, which pof- 
 feffes merit enough to have beep 
 fufpedlcd not to be his produftion. 
 The names of them are as follows : 
 
 1. The N'iptial.u M. 8vo. 1725. 
 
 2. The Gentle Shepherd, Vz&. 
 Com. 
 
 Our Njrthcrn bard, who died ia 
 ) .nuary 1758, was father to the 
 frequently piade ufe of Mr. Ralph's ingenious Mr. Ramfay, a portrait- 
 pen in the controverfics in which painter ol the prefent age, and who 
 
 it is well known that prince w-s 
 engaged : but, by the death of ! s 
 royal highnefi, all our autlv I's 
 views of preferment were enf rely 
 cut off. At the acceffion of Geo. 
 
 has likcwife dillinguifhcd himlel!f 
 by fome tradls on various branchet 
 of polite literature, particularly 
 the Lmefiigator, 
 
 Ranpall, Johx. Was the 
 
 III. however, Mr. Rnlph, though author of one trifling piece, called, 
 
 confiderably advanced in yt^ars, be- 
 gan to be again taken notict; of, 
 and his hopes were revived ; but, 
 alas 1 the gre:it circi-imvcntor of 
 human txpedations, dea'h, put a 
 final period to all \\\i fchemes, 
 January 24, 1762, at his houfc in 
 Chifwitk ; after fuffering a long 
 and fevee affliction from the gout, 
 •f which diliirdcr alfo his only 
 
 The Dlfappointment. ' B, G. 8v0w 
 
 1732- 
 Ramdolph, TnOiMAs. Thi» 
 
 valuable poet was a fon of William 
 Randolph, of Hamfey, near Lewes 
 in Suffex, Efq; iteward to Edward 
 lord Zouch, by Elizabeth his wife, 
 daughter of Thomas Smith,, Efq; 
 of JN'cvvnham, near Daventry in 
 Northamptonlhirc, at whiijh place 
 
 uor 
 
k A 
 
 C 366 3 
 
 R A 
 
 (Mr author was born on the i^th 
 of June, 1605. ^^ received the 
 early parts of his education at 
 Weftminfter-School, from whence, 
 being one of the king's fcholars, 
 he removed to Trinity College in 
 Cambridge, at the age of eighteen ) 
 in which college he obtained a 
 fellowfhip, and afterwards com- 
 menced mailer of arts, in which 
 degree he was incorporated at Ox- 
 ford. Very early in life he gave 
 proofs of an amazing quicknefs of 
 parts, and he was not only edeem- 
 ed and admired by perfons of ge* 
 nius at the univerlity, but likewife 
 highly valued and beloved by the 
 belt poets of that age in the me- 
 tropolis. His extenfive learning, 
 gaiety of humour, and readinefs 
 of repartee, gained him admirers 
 throughout ail ranks of mankind, 
 and more efpecially recommended 
 him to the intimacy and triendihip 
 ofHenJonfon, Who admitted him 
 as one of his adopted Tons in the 
 Mufefc, and held him in equal 
 efteem with Mr. Cartwright, of 
 whom I have before made mention. 
 
 Randolph's turn, in his drama- 
 tic works, is entirely to comedy ; 
 his language is elegant, and his 
 fentiments are juft and forcible. 
 His chiradlers are, for the moll 
 part, llrongly drawn, nnd his fatire 
 well chofen and poignant. In 
 Ihort, it were to be wifhed, that 
 fome writer of merit would endea- 
 vour at the raifing him out of the 
 obfcurity in which his writings at 
 prefent feem buried, by altering 
 his pieces, fo as to render them fit 
 for the prefent ftage, or at the 
 leaft giving the world a correA and 
 critical edition of them. 
 
 The dramatic pieces he has left 
 behind him, of which the firil five 
 were publifli'^.-^ after his death by 
 his brother Mr. Thomas Ran- 
 dolph, of Chrift-Church College, 
 Pxford, ire the following, viz. 
 
 1. Arijlipput. C. 4tO. 1630; 
 
 2. Conceited Pedlar, Farce. 4td» 
 1630. 
 
 3. Jealous Lovers. C. 4tD. i632» 
 
 4. Mufei Looking-Glafs, C. 4to« 
 1638. 
 
 ^» Amyntas, Part. 410. 1638* 
 
 6. Hey for Honefly^ Down luitb 
 Knavery. C. 410. 165 1. 
 
 In the books of the Stationers* 
 Company, 29th of June, 1660, is 
 entered 
 
 The Prodigal Scholar, Com. By 
 Thomas Randall. 
 
 The fourth of thefe has, within 
 a few years paft, been revived at 
 Coven t-Garden theatre, and is re- 
 printed in Doddey's Colle£lion of 
 Old Flays. It is probable that, 
 had a length of days been permit* 
 ted to this author, he would have 
 produced many more valuable 
 pieces, foine of which might have 
 become brilliant ornaments to the 
 Englifh ilage ; but, alas ! at the 
 very time when he was attaining 
 the prime of life, at the very time- 
 when genius was beginning to be 
 tempered by judgment, and fancy 
 to be moderated Dy experience, ac 
 the very time, in a word, when the 
 mod fanguine expe£lations were 
 raifed of a future harveft of luxu^ 
 riant fruit, this flouriihing bloflbm 
 was cropped by the envious hand 
 of death. In ihort, according to 
 Wood, being too like the genera* 
 lity of men oF abilities, fomewhat 
 addidled to libertine indulgences, 
 and, in confequence of keeping 
 too much company, and running 
 into faOiionable excefTes with great- 
 er freedom than his conilitution 
 could bear, he aiSded in Shorten- 
 ing his own days, and died be- 
 fore he had completed the age of 
 twenty-nine years, at the houfeof 
 William Stafford, Efq; of Blather- 
 wyke in Northamptonihire, and 
 was buried, uith the ancefiors of 
 the family of Stafford, in an i(le 
 
 adjoining 
 
R A 
 
 t 367 3 
 
 R A 
 
 adjoining to the church of that 
 place, on the 17th of March 1634. 
 foon aftci which a monument of 
 white marble was ereded over his 
 grave, at the charge of Sir ChriAo. 
 pher (afterwards lord) Hatton, of 
 Rirhy, with an infcription upon it, 
 in Latin and £ngliih verfe, written 
 by our author's intimate friend 
 Veter Hauiled, of whom I have 
 before had occafion to make men- 
 tion, and give fome account of in 
 his proper place. 
 
 Rastall, John. Was born 
 in London, and educated at the 
 ttniverfuy of Oxford. Returning 
 to his native place, he fet up the 
 trade of printing, which was then 
 cikemed a profeilion not unworthy 
 of a fcholar, or man of letters. 
 He was very intimate in the family 
 of Sir Thomas More, whofe filler, 
 Elizabeth, he married, and was 
 extremely zealous for the Catholic 
 caufe, and a great hater of the 
 proceedings of king Henry VUL 
 Fox fays, our author was converted 
 by John Frith. He died at Lon- 
 don in i$36, having, according to 
 Wood, befides other works, written 
 
 " A neix) Interlude f and a mery^ 
 * ' of the Naturf (ft/je It H Elements, 
 '* declaringe many, proper Points of 
 ** Pljyiofopby, naturally and iiyvers 
 *^ flrannge Lamh^ &c." 410. From 
 internal circumllances it feems to 
 have been printed about i^io. 
 
 Ravenscroft, Edward. 
 This writer, or rather compiler of 
 plays, lived in the reigns of Charles 
 ][. and his two fucce/Torii. He was 
 defcended from the family of the 
 Ravenfcrofts, in FlintOiire ; a fa- 
 mily, as he himfelf in a dedication 
 aflerts, fo ancient, that, when 
 William the Conqueror came into 
 England, one of his nobles mar- 
 ried into it. He was fome time a 
 member of the Middle Temple, 
 but, looking on the dry ftudy of 
 ;he law as greatly beneath the at- 
 
 tention of a man of genius, quittel 
 it, for the pleafure of ranging in 
 the more Howery fields of poetry : 
 but here again he feemed averfe to 
 labour, rather choofing to pluck 
 and form nofegays of thofe flowers 
 which had been planted by others* 
 than by the cultivating of any 
 untitled fpor, to^ obtain a genuine 
 right of inheritance in the produ<A 
 of his own induUry. In a word, 
 he was an errant plagiary; and 
 although, by boldly daring to en- 
 ter the lids, in a vigorous oppo- 
 fition to Mr. Dry den, the power 
 ofhi» antagonill ftamped a degree 
 of diftinftion on him which he 
 would never otherwife have ob- 
 tained ; yet it is, perhaps, the only 
 claim he can properly lay to pub« 
 lie notice ; and Mr. Dryden might, 
 with great propriety, have retort* 
 ed on him in the words of Ajax : 
 
 Ifse tidit Pretlum jam nuHc Cer» 
 
 taminis hujus^ 
 ^i, cum villus erit, Me CUM 
 
 certajp firetur, 
 
 Mr. Kavenfcroft's .dramatic pieces 
 are twelve in number, and are as 
 follow : 
 
 1. Mamamouchi. C. 4to. 1672. 
 
 2. Care lefs Lovers.. C. 410. 1673. 
 
 3. Scaramouch^ a Philofopher, &c. 
 C. 4to. 1677. 
 
 4. Wrangling Ijoveru C. 4to. 
 1677. 
 
 5. King Edgar and J ifreda. T. 
 4to. 1677. 
 
 6. Englifl} LoTMycr. C. 410. 1678- 
 
 7. London Cuckolds, C. 410.1682. 
 
 8. Dame Dobfon. C. 4(0. 1684. 
 
 9. 7itus Andronicus. T. 410. 1687. 
 
 10. Canterbury Ouejis. C. 4tO. 
 1695. 
 
 \\. Anatomifi. €.410.1697. 
 
 1 2. ItalianHuJhand. T. 410. 1 698. 
 
 Rawlins, Thomas, Efq. Was 
 principal engraver of the Minr, 
 in the reigns both of king Charles 
 the FirU and Second, and died in 
 
 that 
 
ft E 
 
 C 568 J 
 
 ii r 
 
 mnt employment in 1670, Hewai 
 intimately acquainted with moil of 
 the wits and poets of hit ijme, and 
 wrote for amafement only, not for 
 profit; for, in the preface to his 
 £rft play, he thus addreiTes the 
 vcatier. " Take no notice of toy 
 •* name (fays he) for a fecond work 
 ** of this nature ihall hardly bear 
 *' it. I have no defire to be known 
 •* by a thread-bare coat, having ^ 
 ** CalHng that will maiiitain it 
 •' woolly." The pieces which pafs 
 under his name are the following: 
 
 1. Rehellion. T. 410. 1640. 
 
 2. -Tom Ejfe^ice. C. 4to. 1677. 
 
 3. Tunhridge PFelis. C. 4.10. 
 1678. (Afcribed to this author.) 
 
 Reed, Joseph. It feldom hap- 
 pens that a Ibidl attention to bufi- 
 nefs is found compatible with poe- 
 tical purfuits. The prefent aiithor 
 is an example that they may be 
 united. He v/a* born at Stockton, 
 in the county of Durham, about the 
 year 1725. and fucceeded his father 
 in the bufinefs of a rope-maker, 
 which he carried on there until 
 about the year 1 754, when he re- 
 moved to London ; and fhortly af- 
 ter fettled at King David's Fort, 
 Ratcliffe Highway, where he ftill 
 refides, condudling his manufac- 
 tory in a very extenfive manner. 
 He has written many pieces which 
 have never been aded or publilhed, 
 bcfides the following : 
 
 1. The Superannuated Gallant, F. 
 lamo. 
 
 2. Madrigal and Trulktta. Mock 
 Trag. 8vo. 17C8. 
 
 3. The Rfglfier Office. F. 176 1. 
 
 4. Dido. T. 1 766, N. p. 
 
 ^. Tom Jones. C. O. 1761). 8vo. 
 
 Kevet, Edward. Qf this au- 
 thor I can trace nothing farther 
 than that he mull have lived in the 
 reign of k'ing Charles If. and that 
 he wrote one dramatic piecei which 
 was a very hafty, and therefore pro- 
 bably not a very extraordinary per* 
 
 forroance, haviti|[ been begun an4 
 iinifhed in a fortnight, entitled, 
 
 7hc Totvn Shifts. 410. 1 67 1 . 
 
 Reynolds, John* Philips men* 
 tions a writer of this name a» 
 tranflator of 
 
 Aminta. 
 Probably the fame as was pub-* 
 iiflied anonymoufly in 4tQ. 1628. 
 
 Rhodes, Richard, M. D. 
 This author was of a good extrac- 
 tion, being the fon of a eentlemaa 
 of Ijondoj), and probably born ia 
 that metropolis, though in what 
 year is not apparent. He received 
 the rudiments of his education in 
 Wettminfter-School, from whence, 
 being at that time well grounded 
 in grammar, and in the pradical 
 part ot mulic, he wastranTplanted 
 to Oxford, where he became a 
 ftudent in Chrift-Church College, 
 but took only one degree in arts, 
 at which time he made certain com- 
 pofitions in mufic. From thence 
 he went to France, and too|k the 
 decree of doftor in phyfic at Mont- 
 pellier, but, being of an unfettled 
 difpolition, or perhaps fond of 
 travel, he from thence took a jour- 
 ney to Spain, where at Madrid he 
 died, and was buried in the year 
 1668. While he was at the uni- 
 verfity of Oxford, he wrote one 
 play, entitled, 
 
 Flora's f^agaries. C. 4 to. 1670. 
 
 Richard, Nathaniel. Of 
 this author I find nothing farther 
 on record than that he was of Caius 
 College, Cambridge, where in 
 1634 he took the degree of LL. B. 
 and, about the beginning of the 
 civil war, publilhed one dramatic 
 piece, entitled, 
 
 MrJJhlina the Roman Emprefs. T, 
 i2mo. 1640. 
 
 Richards,— — .Was the au- 
 thor of one piece, afted for a bene- 
 fit, called, 
 
 The Device j or, The Marnat^e 
 Office, CO. 1777. N. P. 
 
 RlCHAROSON, 
 
 .! 
 
R I 
 
 t 361) ] 
 
 It t 
 
 RicHARDSoK, Elizabeth. 
 The daughter of a tradefman in 
 the city of London. She died of a 
 confumption in the month of Octo- 
 ber I779> a few months after the 
 appearance of her only play, called, 
 
 The Double Deception. C. 1779.. 
 
 RiDEH, William, M. A. All 
 I can learn with relation to this 
 author is, that he took bis degree 
 of mailer of arts fome time in the 
 reign of James I. and that he wrote 
 •ne dramatic piece, entitled, 
 
 Tht Ttoins, C. 4'0. 165^. 
 tt had, however, been a^ed as 
 early as 1613. 
 
 RioLEY, Dr.GtOSTE*. This 
 worthy Divine was defcended col- 
 lateraiiy from Dr. Nicholas Ridley, 
 bilhop of London, who was burnt 
 in the reign of queen Mary. He 
 was born at fea, in the year 1702, 
 on board the Gloucefter Ead India* 
 man, to which circumilance he 
 was indebted for his chrillian name. 
 He received his education at Win* 
 cheller fchool, and from thence 
 was elefled to a fellowihip at New 
 College, Oxford, where he pro- 
 ceeded B. C. L. April 29, 1729. 
 In thofe two feminaries he culti- 
 vated an early acquaintance with 
 the Mufef, and laid the foundation 
 of thofe elegant and folid acquire- 
 ments for which he was afterwards 
 fo eminently dilHnguifhed, as a 
 Poer, a Hiilorian, and a Divine. 
 Dr. Ridley in his youth was much 
 addicted to theatrical performances. 
 Midhurft in Suifex was the place 
 where they were exhibited ; and 
 the company of gentlemen sflors 
 to which he belonged, con filled 
 chiefly ot his coadjutors in a tra- 
 <jedy herv. after mentioned. He is 
 fa id to have performed the cha- 
 r;ifters of Marc Antony, Jalfier, 
 Horatio, and Monefes, with dif- 
 tinguilhed app'aufe, a circumAance 
 that will be readily believed by 
 thofe who are no fitangers to his 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
 judicious and graceful manner of 
 fpeakiiig in the pulpit. Young 
 Cibber, being likewife a Wylceha- 
 mill, called on Dr. Ridley : foon 
 after he had been appointed 
 chaplain to the Bad India Com- 
 pany at Poplar, and would have 
 perfuaded him to quit the church 
 for the ftage, oblerving chat it 
 ufually paid the larger falariei of 
 the two. For great part of his life 
 he had no other preferment than 
 the fmall college living of Weftbw 
 in Norfolk, and the donative of 
 Poplar in Middlefex, where be re- 
 fided. To (hefe his college add- 
 ed, fome years after, the donative 
 of Romford, in £flex. Between 
 thofe two places the curricle of 
 his life had (as he exprefled it) 
 rolled for fome time almoll per- 
 petually upon poft-chaife wheels^ 
 and left him not time for even 
 the proper Hudies of ceconomy, or 
 the necelfary ones of his profelfion. 
 Yet in this obfcure iituation he 
 remained in polTeflion of, and con- 
 tent with, domeliic bappinefs; 
 and was honoured with the inti- 
 mate friendlhip of fome who were 
 not lefs diflinguiOied for learning 
 than for worth: among thefe, it 
 may be fufficient to mention Mr. 
 Chriftopher i^itt, Mr. Spence, and 
 Dr. Berriman. To the laft of 
 thefe he was curate and executor. 
 In 1756 he declined an offer of go- 
 ing to Ireland as firll chaplain to 
 the duke of Bedford ; in return for 
 which he was to have had the 
 choice of promotion, either at: 
 Chrift-Church, Canterbury, Weli- 
 minfter, or Windfor. His mo- 
 defty inducing him to leave the 
 choice of thefe to his patron, the 
 confequence was that he obtained no 
 one of them ail. In 1763, he pub- 
 lilhed the '♦ Life of biftiop Ridley," 
 in quarto,' by fubfcription, and 
 cleared by it as much as bought 
 him 800 1. in the public fuods. 
 
5: I 
 
 I 370 J 
 
 R I 
 
 I. 
 
 In llie iaiter part of his life he 
 had the mistortune to lofc both 
 hi.H fons, each of them a youth cf 
 abilities. The elder, James^was au- 
 thor of " The 'Jales cf the Gtnir,'' 
 and (ome other literary perform- 
 ances. Thomas, tht younger, was 
 fent by ths Eali: India Company 
 :is a writer jto Msdrafs, where he 
 vfcLS no fooner fettled than he died 
 of the fmall-pox. In 1765, Dr. 
 Ridley publiflied his *' Review ©f 
 Philips's Life of Cardinal Pole ;"' 
 and in 1768, in reward for his 
 Iribours in this controverfy and in 
 another which 7.6f Conjijjinnal pro- 
 duced, he was prefented by arclr- 
 biihop Seeker to a golden prebend 
 in the cathedral church of Salif- 
 burv (an option), the only reward 
 he received from the greaf, during 
 a long, ufeful, and laborious life, 
 devoted to the duties of his func- 
 tion. At length, worn out wiih 
 inrirmities, he departed this lire 
 in 1774, leaving a widow and four 
 daughter?, of whom the only mar- 
 ried one (Mrs. Evans) has pub- 
 liflied a novel in two volumes. 
 He was buried at Poplar ; and the 
 following epitaph, wiitten by Dr. 
 Lowth, bifhop of London, is in- 
 icribed upon his monument: 
 
 '• H. S. E. 
 
 Glosterus RiDLrv, 
 Vir optim".5, itue;;err:rr'.i-.5 ; 
 
 Verbi Divi:-,! MinifiPi- 
 r^ricus, (i(J;:lis, iiuicfclUis : 
 Ah Acaucmii Osoiiionfi 
 Pfo moritis, t^ pixtcr oiiiii em. 
 In facra Tlieolngia Doftoratu inrigniuis. 
 Poeta natus, 
 ■ Or.itorJK Taeultati iiiVj ^iifius (iuduii. 
 Qu.un fucrat ii\ concionamlo facundus, 
 Plurimoriim animis diu inficlebic; 
 Qjnm varia eruditioiie liUtiuctos, 
 Scripta iplius fempcr telhibiintur. 
 Obilt t«rtia die metifis Noveinbris, 
 A, D. 1774, iE,tati5 7a." 
 
 Two poems by Dr. Ridley, one 
 .ilyled •' Jovi Eleutherio, or an 
 .♦'Oiienng to Libsxty," the other 
 
 called " Pfyche," are in the thir«f 
 volume of Dodfley's CoUtftion. 
 The feqjel of the latter poem, 
 entitled •' Melampus,'* h Hill un- 
 pubiidicd. and in the hands of his 
 family. His claim to a place in 
 this Work arifcsirom the following 
 dramatic per forma noes. yet remain- 
 ing in MS. viz. 
 
 1. Jugurthtt, T. 
 
 2. -The Frulikfi Rcdi-efi. T. 
 This play was written during, 
 
 a vacation i&, 172S, and was the 
 joint prcduaion of Dr. Ridley 
 and foor friends, viz. Mr Thomas 
 Fletclicr, afterwards bifliop of 
 Kildare, Mr, Eyre, Mr. IMorrifon, 
 and IVIr. Jcnncns, each of whom 
 wrote an adt, en a plan previ- 
 oully concerted. When they deli- 
 vered in their feveral eroporti^ns,, 
 at their meeting in the winter, few 
 readers v/ouid have known that the 
 whole was not the production <>f a 
 fingle hand..' This tragedy was of- 
 fe'-f;d to iMr. \Vilks,but never afted.. 
 
 {■irrvvisE, joii-u. Was fellow . 
 of King's College, Cambridge, in 
 I ?o7, and tnailer of St. Paul's 
 fcliool ill J522. He compiled one' 
 play out of Virgi!,which was afted; 
 before Cardinal Wolfey with great 
 appiaufe, and is called, 
 
 IXido, T. 
 
 RivKus, Mr. This author waa> 
 3 Jcfuit, who lived, 1 br'ieve, irtt 
 the reign of James I. an^ wrote 
 one play, entitled, 
 
 '^[heiroytor, T. 4to. 1635. 
 which, I imagine, was never afted 
 in its oiiginal fo'm ; bin, falling 
 into the hands cf Mr. James tihir- 
 ley, he, with very confidcrable al-- 
 teration? and improvements ot his 
 own, brought it on the llage, and' 
 publiPned it among his own works. 
 Mr. Piivers compofed this piece 
 while he was in confinement in 
 Newoaie, on account of fome po- 
 litic;al and religioi;s concerns, in 
 which prifon he digd. It was nf- 
 
 ten!vaid.> 
 
R P 
 
 [ 37» ] 
 
 K O 
 
 T. 
 
 n di-ring, 
 
 tcrwprds, viz. in 1692, revived 
 With fucccf;) ; and after that again, 
 with fome alterations, by Mr. 
 Clirirtopher Builock, the comedian. 
 
 RoBii, J. Of this lad/ I can 
 learn no account. She wrote one 
 play, called, 
 
 Jhe Fatal hrgc.cy, T. 8vo. 1725. 
 
 Roberts, Mifs. This lady is 
 equally unknown. She is faid to be 
 the autl^ur qf-a play not adled, called, 
 
 M(ikohn, \.. 8vo. 1779. 
 
 RoBixsoij, Mr. : . A genr 
 
 tleinaq, we believe, ftill living at 
 ke^d:il, in Weftiaprland. In his 
 youth he wrote one piece, called. 
 
 The Iiitri>^i<iiig hiiUiiifrf aiu( y^'i 
 
 ii»-n!(i' Ckiki. MockTrag. izij^o. 
 
 RoBii^soN', .Maria. This 
 Ir.dy is a native of Briliol, and 
 the daughter .of a merchant there. 
 Her father at one period of his 
 life was ia circumllances which 
 promifcd our authorefs a more 
 refpeft.^ble fituatiph than .that in 
 which flie is at prefent diftinguifh- 
 fd. She was edtfcatcd by mifs 
 Hannah More^ whofe name we 
 have already mentioned. iji the pre* 
 fi'nt worlc^ under whom (he made 
 :i confiderable proficiency in tiie 
 elegant accomplilhments of her 
 {ex. About the time that (he had 
 fni(hed her education, the misfor-* 
 t;;nes of her father commenced, 
 lie failed in his bulinefs, and dy- 
 ing (bon after, left nyr authorefs.to- 
 tally unprovided for. The beauty 
 of her face, the e!egance of her 
 fi\^u;e, and her tafte f jr poetry ;uk1 
 r.iufic, naturally pointed out the 
 Ibge as a refource from the dif- 
 ttefles in which (lie had become 
 involved. She was accordingly re- 
 commended to Mr.Garrick, who 
 propofed her firll appearance to 
 he in the character of Cordelia j 
 but before the night fi<ed upon 
 for her performance, Ihe became 
 ac ^uaiiited with Mr* llQi)iiifon» 
 
 then a young lawyer, v/ho prt* 
 vailed upon her to marry hinif 
 and reliqquiih her deftgn qf ap- 
 pearing on the Ilage. A unioq 
 which had for its foundatioh paf' 
 fion, poverty, and extravagancy, wai 
 not likely to produce any happy 
 efeds. DidipiitioQ and improvi- 
 dence foon reduced them to great 
 difficulties, which . fug^elted a, 
 return to the former fcceme o( 
 her devoiting herfelf to the Hage. 
 She accordingly appeared in the 
 part of Juliet ^t Drury-Lane, and, 
 improving in her profcijlon, footi 
 became a favourite with the pub- 
 lic. At the Lonplufion of the feafon 
 which began in I779> die quitted 
 the ftagp, and at ptplent lives with 
 her hulband in a Hate of ignomi- 
 nious fplendoi*, which they have nr? 
 apparent and confequently no re- 
 putable means to lupport. She. 
 has written manv copies of verfcs» 
 9nd one drama adcd at her benefit 
 the 30th of Apnl 177S, called. 
 
 The Lucky Efcape. M. F. 177S. 
 The fongs.only printed. 
 
 Rogers, Richard, This au* 
 thor is better known as an oflicer 
 in the army, wherein he acquire4 
 the cornmiilion of a major, than by 
 any of his literary produftions. 
 His name is trequently to be met 
 with during tiu: courfe of the laft 
 war in North-America. He pub- 
 liflied a book containing an ac- 
 count of his feverul canipaigns, 
 and a dtfcription of the Biitilh CO* 
 lonies in that part of the globe. 
 Hit claim to a piace in this work 
 arifes from one pcrlorr.unce, en- 
 titled, 
 
 PoHtcach ; or, The Savages of 
 Awerica. T. Sv-o. 1766 
 
 RoLT, RicHAi^D. Of this au- 
 thor \ycrc we enabled to furnifti a 
 circumilaniial account, we flioultj 
 fcarce receive the thapks of our 
 readers; for what entertainment id 
 there in the de^il of a life ma4s 
 ^)»/» . -HP 
 
R O 
 
 t 371 T 
 
 R O 
 
 "up of literary expedients, and 
 tranfitions from one degree of ne- 
 ceflity to another? Mr. Rolt was 
 remotely allied to the family cf 
 Ambroie Philips, but had no learn- 
 ed education, fo that the firrt poft 
 in which we find him, was that of 
 hackney writer to an attorney. 
 He was always indeed a poor low 
 'creature, and confequently his 
 chief connexions were among peo- 
 ple of the fame defcription. He 
 married, however, fome relation of 
 Dr. Percy, the prefent dean of 
 Carliile, and afterwards became a 
 drudge to bookfellers as often as 
 they would truft him with em- 
 ployment. As a fpecimen of his 
 integrity, he once went over to 
 Ireland, where he publifhed Dr. 
 Akenfide's Pltafura of Imagination, 
 as his own work, and under his 
 own name. As a mark of hia pru- 
 dence, he engaged, in concert with 
 Chrirtopher Smart, in 1756, to 
 write a periodical pamphlet, call- 
 ed, 'Jhe Utiitftrfal Fifitor^ for one 
 Gardener a publifher, on the fol- 
 lowing very extraordinary condi- 
 tions. Our author and his coad- 
 jutor were to divide a third of 
 the profits arifing from its fale, 
 they on their part figning an agree- 
 ment to the following purpofe : 
 •* That they would engage in no 
 *• intermediate undertaking what- 
 ** ever, and that this contract 
 *' (hould remain in force for the 
 •* term of ninety-nine years.'' 
 Never furely did rapacious avarice 
 didate a more unrcitfonable bargain, 
 or fubmifiive poverty place itfelf in 
 a more humiliating fituation. Had 
 we not received thefe anecdotes 
 from a gentleman whofe memory 
 and whofe veracity we cannot dif- 
 trud, a compact fo abfurd on all 
 fides could hardly have obtained 
 belief. Mr. Rolt was likewife em- 
 ployed with Smart in fome thea- 
 trical enterprize, at the little thea- 
 tre in (he Hay- Market. He was 
 
 afterwards faid to have joined with 
 Shiittr in a fcheme of the like na- 
 ture. This circumftarrcc indeed 
 is recorded by Churchill, in one 
 of the later editions of his. RoJ'ciaA: 
 
 *' Secret as night, with RolCs ex- 
 
 ♦' pericnc'd aid, 
 '* The plan of future operationi 
 
 -laid." 
 
 Thus is Rolt in pofTcflion of fuch 
 immortality as the pieces of 
 Churchill can confer ; yet as their 
 fubjefls were of a temporary kind^ 
 they have already loft their confe- 
 quence, for the fuperftrudlure will 
 not furvive the foundation. £x- 
 cept in the RoJ'ciaii, the heroes of 
 which our fatiriit had made his 
 peculiar ffucfy, he rather owed hit 
 fuccefe to party prejudice than 
 power of thought, or force of cx- 
 prefTion. When in his Night he 
 undertook a general theme, he was 
 not to be diitinguifl^d from the 
 common tribe of verfifiers. Even 
 though he had engaged Vice on his 
 fide, it was long before this poem 
 reached a fecond edition. To 
 conclude, our author Rolt expired 
 about the year 1773, as he had 
 lived, in mifery, leaving one daugh- 
 ter behind him, who like her fa- 
 ther is no favourite of fortune, and 
 has ill health fuperadded to her 
 other manifold diftreiTes. He is 
 the author of, 
 
 t. Eli:ia. O. 8vo. 1754. 
 
 2. The Rc^al Shepherd. O. 8vo. 
 1763. 
 
 3. Almena. O. 8vo. 1764. 
 
 RooME, Edward. This au- 
 thor was the fon of an undertaker 
 for funerals in Fleetftreet, and was 
 brought up to the law. In the 
 notes to the Dunciad, b. 3. 1. 152. 
 where he is introduced, he is faid 
 to have been a virulent party 
 writer, and to have offended Mr. 
 Pcpe by fome papers, called, Paf- 
 quin, wherein that gentleman was 
 reprefented as guilty of malevo'ent 
 
 prafticei 
 
 
R a 
 
 [ 373 3 
 
 R O 
 
 pracViCCS with a great man (biihop 
 Atterbury), then under the ptofe- 
 cution ot' parliament. By the fol- 
 lowing epigram, he appears to 
 have been mors fortunate in ccn- 
 verfation than in wj-iting : 
 
 *• You aik why Roorne diverts 
 
 *' )Ou with his jokes, 
 •• Yet if he writes, is dull as 
 
 " other folks. 
 ** You wonder at it— This,, fir, is 
 
 " the cafe, 
 •• The jeft is 'oft unlefs he prints 
 
 *• his face." 
 
 Mf. Roome, the i8th of 0£lober, 
 
 1728, fucceeded his friend Hor- 
 neck as follicitor to the treafury, 
 jind died the loth of December 
 
 1729. After his death one piece 
 by him, in lyhich he received foroe 
 aiTiftanoe from the celebrated Sir 
 William Yonge, was brought on 
 ^he ltage« It was called, 
 
 7'/;^ 'Jovioi Creiv, C. O. 8va. 
 
 i'his perfonnance with further 
 alterations was, revived and a£ied 
 within a few years at Covent-Gar- 
 den with amazing fuccefs. 
 
 RojVE, Nicholas, Efq; fon to 
 John Rowe, lift); feijeant at law, 
 was born at Little fierkford, in 
 BedfordHiire, amio 1673. ^"^'^ ^'^^' 
 cation was begun at a private fe- 
 jninary in Highgate, from wl ence 
 he was removed to Wellminrter- 
 fchool, where he was perfefted 
 in clallical literature under dodlor 
 Bulhy. His father deiigning him 
 for his own profefllon, entered him, 
 at J 6 years of age, a (Indent of the 
 Middle Temple. He loon made a 
 conliderahle progrefs in the law, 
 and might have made a figure in 
 that profefllon, if the love of poe- 
 try and the Belles Lettres had not 
 too much attrafted his attention. 
 At the age of 25 he wrote his firft 
 tragedy, Tie Ambitious Step-Mother; 
 the great fuccefi of which made 
 
 him entirely lay afide all thoughts 
 of the law. Rowe is chiefly to be 
 confidered (as Dr, johnfon ob- 
 serves) in the light of a tragic 
 wri:er and a tranflator. In his at- 
 ten pt at comedy he failed fo ig- 
 •nominionfly, that his Biter is not 
 inferted in his works ; and his oc- 
 catlonal poems and Oiort compo* 
 fitions are rarely worthy of either 
 praife or cenfure; for they feem 
 the cafual fports of a mind feeking 
 rather to amufe its leifure than to 
 exercife its powers. 
 
 In the conftmftion of his dra- 
 mas there is not much art ; be is 
 not a nice -obferver of the unities. 
 He extends time and varies place 
 as his convenience requires. To 
 vary the iplace is not (in the opi- 
 nion of the learned critic from 
 whom thefe obfervations are bor^ 
 rowed) any violation of nature, if 
 the change be made between the 
 &Qt.t ; for it is no lefs eafy for the 
 fpedator to fuppofe himfelf a:t 
 Athens in the fecond a6t, than at 
 Thebes in the firft ; but 10 change 
 the fcene as i; done by Rowe ia 
 the middle of an a£t, is to add more 
 u6l5 CO the play, fince an '&&. is fo 
 much of the bufinefs as is tranf- 
 aded without ipterruption. Rowe, 
 by this licence, eanly extricates 
 hi.-Tifeirfrom difhculties ; as in lady 
 Jane Gro)), when we have been ter- 
 rified with all the dreadful pomp 
 of public execution, and are won- 
 dering how the heroine or the poet 
 will proceed, no fooner has ^ane 
 pronounced fome prophetic rhimes, 
 than — pafs and be gone—the fcene 
 dofes, and Pembroke and Gfirdintr 
 are turned out upon the (lage. 
 
 I know not (fays Dr. Johnfon), 
 that there can be found in his plays 
 any deep fearch into nature, any 
 accurate difcriminations of kindred 
 qualities, or nice difplav of paf- 
 fion in its progrefs ; all is general 
 and undefined. Nor does he much 
 
 B b 3 intereli: 
 
R 6: 
 
 C 374 1 
 
 K q 
 
 
 intercft cr afFeft th* auditor, ex- 
 cept in yanf Si'ore, who is always 
 fcen and heard with pity, uV/zWa 
 is a charader of empty noife, with 
 «o refeniblance to real forrow or 
 to natural madncfs. 
 
 U'hcnce then has Rowe his re- 
 putation ? hfom the rfcafonablcneft 
 «nd propriety of fome of his fcenes, 
 from I he elegance of his diftion, 
 »nd the fuavity of his verfc. He 
 fildom moves either pity or terror, 
 but he often «|evaic8 the fenti- 
 jnents ; he feldom pierces the 
 hreai\, but he always delights the 
 «ar. and often improves the andcr- 
 ilanding. Bc;ng a great admirer 
 of Sholcfpeate, he gave the public 
 an edition qi. his p}ay« ; to which 
 he prefixed »n account of that 
 great man's life. Bat the motl 
 cor.fiderablc of Mn Rowe's per- 
 formances, wa« a tranflation of 
 hucatCs Pharftilia, which he juft 
 lived to finilh),ibut not to publifli; 
 ./or it did nOCfipp«'ar in print till 
 ten years after hi death. 
 
 His attachment to the Mufes, 
 however, did not entirely unfit 
 him fur bufinefs ; for when the 
 fiuke of Qu*>^»fbury was fecretary 
 of ftate, he made Mr. Ro\ye his 
 under- lecretar.y for public affairs: 
 J)ut, after the duke's death, the 
 avenues to his preferment being 
 Hopped, 'le pajTed his tim-^ in re- 
 tirement during the rell of qoeen 
 Anne's reign. On the acceffion 
 of George 1. he was made poet 
 laureat, and one of the land fur- 
 veyors of the cuftoms in the port 
 of London. He was alfoxlerk of 
 the council to the prince of Wales^ 
 and the lord chancellor barker 
 made him his fecretary for the pre- 
 fentations ; but he did not long 
 enjoy thefe prdmotions, for be 
 died Dec. 6, 1718, in th« 4$tfa 
 year of his age. His dramatic 
 pieces art, 
 t\' r .... mxs. . 
 
 1, Tbe Ambitious Step- Mother, 
 T. 4to. 1700. 
 
 3. TamerlaHe. T. 410. 170?. 
 3. Fair Prnitent. T. 4to. 1703. 
 
 4. 
 
 5- 
 
 The Biter. C. 4to. 1 7 
 
 /UJ. 
 
 ^tj'iy.'ai 
 
 ^ 
 
 UhJJeu T. 4.10. 1706. 
 Boyal Convert. T. 4 to. 170!?. 
 
 7. Jane Shon, T. 410. N. D. 
 
 [i7'3-] , 
 
 8. La^y Jane Grty. T. 410. 
 
 I7<5' 
 The fourth piece did not nice* 
 with the fame fuccol's as his tr.'ge- 
 dies J for his genius by no means 
 fuited the Comic Mufc. 
 
 Mr. Rowe was twice married^ 
 had a fon by his firlt wife, aiid a 
 .daughter by his fecnnd. 
 
 He was a handfome, genteel 
 man ; and his milid was as »mi. 
 able as his perfon. He lived be- 
 loved, and at his death had the 
 honour to be lamented by Pilr. 
 Pope, in an epitaph which is print- 
 ed in Pope's wofkr, although it 
 v/as not affixed on Mr. Rowc'e 
 monument, in Weftminfter-Abbey, 
 where he was interred in the poet's 
 corner, oppofire to Chaucer. 
 
 RovvLEY, Samuel. This gen- 
 tleman lived in the reign of James I. 
 and confequently was contempora- 
 ry with another wfiier of the fame 
 name, of whom 1 fliall give an 
 account in the next article ; but, 
 •whether he was any way related 
 to him, is not appaient. He fiiles 
 himfelf fervant to the prince of 
 .Wales, but we know not what 
 place he enjoyed under his royal 
 highnefs. Thtire art; two plays 
 prin'ed as his, the titles of which 
 are, 
 
 1 . When Tou fee ■ftte Tvu km-JJ me. 
 Hilh Play. Ato. 16-2 r. 
 
 2. lioMe ^punijh ii'oleUer. T. 4to. 
 1634. 
 
 HoWLEV, William. VVh« 
 ftands in the third ciftfs of drair.a- 
 ttc writers, lived in the teign of 
 ■iSitm '■■'■ '-^'t'^ la *i^vv«r «-' king 
 
ft d 
 
 r 375 ] 
 
 R U 
 
 kirg Jatnefl. and was one of tKe 
 
 conipaiiy of players belonging co 
 ihc prince oi \V'ales. I'he parts 
 which he ulcd to pcrfi^rin were 
 chiefly comic ones. There are 
 tew particuiars prfi<:rve<l in regard 
 to him, more than his clofc in- 
 timacy and connctilion with all ilie 
 piinci,)a! wics and poetical ge« 
 niules of that age, by whom he 
 was well beloved, and jw'iih Tome 
 of whom he joined in their wri- 
 tings. Wood iind IMercs, if they 
 mean the fa.ne perfon, yvhich h 
 not likely, llyle him *' the orna- 
 *^ mtnt fur wit and ingenuity of 
 *' Penibrokeilall, in Cambridge." 
 Jn a word, he was a vci-y great 
 benpfadlor to the Englilh Itage, 
 having, txclufive of his aid knt iq 
 Middleton, Day, Heywood, Web- 
 fter, &CC. left us five playj of his 
 own conipofmg, and one in which 
 pveri the immortal Shaktfpeare'« 
 nume is allixed as alFurding hini 
 JTome i.lTulancc. Their titles are 
 as follow, 
 
 1 , AV:u If'mJi'r, a Woman ncivr 
 vc.xt, C. 4to 163^. 
 
 2. ylL's i,>j} by Lvji. T. 410. 
 
 3 Match at 'Midm^Jt. C. 410. 
 
 1633. 1^- ^^• 
 
 4. Shoemaker U a (^entkmafi. C . 
 4:0. 1638. 
 
 5. liirch of Merlin. T. C. 410. 
 J 663. 
 
 6. IVltch of Edmonm. T. C. 
 
 4to 1658. 
 
 He aUb wrote five plays which 
 are not printed, but were entered 
 in the books of the Stationers' 
 Company, 9th of September, 1653, 
 and 29th of June, 1660. They 
 are entitled, 
 
 1 . Ihe Fool ivithout Book, 
 
 2. A Knave in print j or, Oue 
 for another, 
 
 2, The None Jiich, C. 
 4. fhe 3 00k of the four hsnmra- 
 He Loves* 
 
 he Parliament of l.oni ; 
 
 Of thtfe the three lalt were de- 
 ftroyed by Mr. Waiburtou's fer- 
 vant. 
 
 The pU in which he was con- 
 cermd with others (but, not hav- 
 ing the principal hand, are not 
 afcrlbcd to him , are the follow- 
 ing, to which I have added each 
 authcr's name who joined with 
 him. 
 
 1. Travels of the three EnC;l[(h 
 Brnihc's, John Day and George 
 Wilkins. 4;o. 160^. 1 
 
 2. Fair parrel. C. Thomas 
 Middlcton. 4to. 1617. 
 
 3. Chan^ling. T. Thomas Mid- 
 dlcton. 4 to. 1653. 
 
 4. OU Laiv. T. C. Philip 
 MafTinger and Thomas Middletop. 
 4to. 1656. 
 
 5. Cure fir a CucioU, C. John 
 Wtbftcr. 4to. i66i. 
 
 (\ -fhracian JfoneJer. C. H. 
 John V\'ebller. 410. 1661. 
 
 7. Spamjh Gibfey. C. Thomas 
 Ilyiidd'cco^. 410. 1663. 
 
 8. Fortune i>y Land and Sea, C, 
 Thomas Heywood. 410. i66^'. 
 
 IluGGLEs, George, A. M. 
 h\\\ can diicover concerning this 
 writer is, that he belonged to Clare- 
 Hall, Cambridge, and was author 
 of a very celebrated and very hu- 
 morous Luin play, which was 
 adled at that univerfity before 
 king James I. on liie 8th of 
 ]^'Jarch, 1614, entitled, 
 
 J^^fioramus. C. lamo. 1630. 
 
 KuLE, John, M. A. A ichool- 
 mailer at iiflington. As the fol- 
 lowing piece was acted by his pu- 
 . pils at their bre^king-up, it is 
 , probable he was the author of it. 
 It is entitled, 
 
 1 he Agreeable Surprize, C, 1 2ttiO, 
 1 766. 
 
 RuTTER, Joseph. This lu- 
 thor lived in the reign of king 
 Charles I. and was a dependent on 
 the family of Edward earl of 
 
 B b 4 Dorfet, 
 
R V 
 
 C 376 3 
 
 R Y 
 
 /. 
 
 Dorfet, lord chamberlain to the 
 cueen, being tutor to his fon. At 
 ine command of his patron, he 
 undertook a tranflation of the firii 
 part of the C/^/, from the French 
 of CorneilU, which, when executed, 
 was fo well approved of by the 
 king, to whom it was (hewn, that, 
 at his majeOy's own dcfire, the 
 fecond part of the farr.e piece was 
 put into Mr. Ruber's hands, with 
 an injunction to t^anflate it, which 
 he immediately obeyed. He be- 
 fides wrote one original dramaiic 
 piece, fo that the works of this 
 kind, which he has left behind him, 
 are, 
 
 1. Shfpherd*s HoUJay. T. C. Paft. 
 8vo. 163^. 
 
 i. Cid. T. C. in two parts. 
 120)0. 1637 and 1640. 
 
 Ryan, Lacy. Jhis gentle- 
 mar, though generally, I believe, 
 elleemed a native of Ireland, was 
 born in the parffli of St. Margaret, 
 Weftminller, about the year 1694. 
 He was the fon of Mr. Danid 
 Ryan a tayior, and had his edu- 
 cation at St. Paul's bchool, after 
 which it was intended to bring 
 him up to the law, for which pur- 
 pofe he was a fhort time with Mr. 
 Lacy, an attorney, his godfather. 
 He had once lome thoughts of 
 going to the Eaft-Indies with his 
 brother (who died there il\())', 
 but a Ibonger propenfity to the 
 iUge prevailing, by the friendfhip 
 of Sir Rxhard Steele he was in- 
 troduced into the Hay-Market 
 company 17 10, and was taken 
 confiderable notice of in the part 
 of Marcus in Cato during the firil 
 run of that play in 1712, though 
 then but eighteen years of age. 
 He from that time increafed in 
 favour, arofe to a very confpi- 
 cuous rank in his profeiTion, 
 and condantly maintained a very 
 ufeful and even important caft of 
 parts, both in ^agedy and comedy. 
 
 In hit pcrfon he was genteel and 
 well made ; his judgment was cri- 
 tical and correal; his underOand- 
 ingofan author's fenfe moll ac- 
 curately juft, and his emphafis or 
 manner of pointing out that fenfe 
 to the audience, ever conllantty 
 true, even to a mufical exac'^nefs. 
 His feelings were flrong, and no- 
 thing could give more honourable 
 evidence of his powers as an ac- 
 tor, than the fympathy to thofe 
 fenfations, which was ever ap- 
 parent in the audience when he 
 thought proper to make them feel 
 with him. 
 
 Yet, fo many are the requiiites 
 that fhould go to ih« forming a 
 capital aftor, fomevvhat fo very 
 near abfolutc perfeifiion is ex- 
 pei>ed in thofe who are to convey 
 to us the idea, at times, of even 
 more than mortality, that, with all 
 the above-mentioned great quali- 
 ties, this gentleman was dill exclud- 
 ed from the lift of firfl-rate perform- 
 ers, by a deficiency in only one 
 article, viz. that of voice. 
 
 It is probable that Mr. Ryan's 
 voice might not naturally have 
 been a very good one, as the ca- 
 dence of it feemed always inclina- 
 ble to a fharp fhriil treble ; but an 
 unlucky fray with fome watermen, 
 at the very earliell part of his 
 theatrical life, in which he re- 
 ceived a blow on the nofe, which 
 turned that feature a little out of 
 its place, though not (q much as 
 to occafion any deformity, made 
 an alteration in his voice alfo, by 
 no means to its advantage; }et 
 dill it continued not di^ulling, 
 till, feveral years afterwards, being 
 aittacked in the llreet by fome ruf- 
 fians, who, as it appeared after- 
 wards, miftook him for fome other 
 perfon, he received a brace of 
 pirtol-bullets in his mouth, which 
 broke fome part of his jaw, and 
 prevented his being able to per- 
 form 
 
R V 
 
 [ 377 3 
 
 ^ Y 
 
 form at all for a long time after* 
 wards; and though he did at 
 length recover from the hurt, yet 
 his voice ever retained a Tre- 
 mulum or quaver, when drawn out 
 to any length, which rendered 
 his manner very particular, and, 
 by beine extremely eafy to imi- 
 tate, laid him much more open to 
 the powers of mimickry and ri- 
 dicule, than he would otherwife 
 have been. Notwithdandtng this, 
 however, by being alway* ex- 
 tremely perfeft in the words of 
 his author, and jail in the fpeak- 
 ing of ihem, added to the fenfi- 
 bility I before mentioned, an ex- 
 aft propriety in drefs, and an eafe 
 and gentility of deportment on the 
 ftage, he remained even to the laft 
 a very deferved favourite with 
 many ; which, moreover, his ami- 
 able character in private life did 
 pot a little contribute to. And a 
 vefy ftriking inflance of the per- 
 fonal elleem he vis held in by 
 the public, (hewed itfelf on oc- 
 cafion of the accident I relatei' 
 above, at which time his late royal 
 highnefs, Frederick prince of 
 Wales, contributed a very hand- 
 fome prefei)t to make him fome 
 amends for the ipjury he muft re- 
 peive from being out of employ- 
 ment ; and feveral of the nobility 
 and gentry followed the laudable 
 example fet them by hishigh- 
 nefs. 
 
 The following anecdote will 
 (ttvt to (how that the profelfion of 
 an a^or is not always without fe- 
 rious inconvenience, and perhaps 
 will difplay the charader of a 
 manager in no veryamiablepointof 
 view. Between the years 1740 and 
 1750 a favourite nephew of poor 
 Ryan died, and was to be interred 
 at Poplar near London. The fur« 
 vivor petitioned Rich to be ex- 
 cufed from playing on that night ; 
 )>ut this tyrant was inexorable. 
 
 The funeral therefore was ap« 
 pointed at an early hour, that fuf- 
 ficient time might be gained for 
 our author's return to to^ theatre. 
 Unluckily, however, the under'* 
 takers were fo dilatory, that the 
 mourner could only attend the re- 
 mains of the deceafed as far as the 
 chapel door, where he dropped a 
 filent tear over them, that will long 
 be remembered by the fpedtators 
 of this diftrefsful occurrence. 
 
 The trieniKhip fubliiUng be* 
 tween him and his great theatri- 
 cal contemporary Mr, Quin, is 
 well known to have been invio- 
 lable, and reflets honour to them 
 both, 'i hat valuable and juftly- 
 admired veteran of the Engli(h 
 llage, even when he had quitted ic 
 as to general performance, did, 
 for fome years afterwards, make 
 an annual appearance in his fa- 
 vourite character of Sir John Fal- 
 (la(F, for the benefit of his friend 
 Mr. Ryan ; and when, at laft, he 
 prudently declined hazarding any 
 onger that reputation which he 
 lad in 10 many hardy campaign* 
 nobly purchafed, by adventuring 
 into the field under the difad- 
 vantages of age and infirmity, yet, 
 even then, in the fervice of that 
 friend, he continued to exert him- 
 felf; and, when his perfon could 
 no longer avail him, he, to fpeak 
 in FaUta(rs language, us'd his ere- 
 Ait J yea^ and fo md //.—that he 
 hag been known, by his intereft 
 with the nobility and gentry, to 
 have difpoled, in the rooms of 
 Bath, among perfons who could 
 very few of them be prefent at the 
 play, as many tickets for Mr. 
 Ryan's benefit as have amounted 
 to an hundred guineas. 
 
 Indeed, all Mr. Ryan's connec- 
 tions were fuch as ferved to (how 
 how far he preferred the fociety of 
 worthy men to that of more fa(hion- 
 »ble characters. He is known to 
 
 have 
 

 C 378 ] 
 
 R Y 
 
 k.ivB bren a prcat walker { and 
 whsn lif incditaied n tally of un- 
 ulual Ud};^!), 4s otccn as he could 
 he wniilU i^revail qn the late i\]r. 
 (jibfon ot Movent Gardun the,itre 
 to l)c hii com')anion. Ijut luuch 
 cxcrcifc r.u' cxudly fuicing I'uc dif- 
 pofition and rotund ly <'♦ this gen 
 firman, (who cholc a b(»>Ic iti^d 
 his eafe before a ilocif of hccjlih 
 purchaied at the rate o. fuch un- 
 jiienihil agitation), he was rarely 
 t<i be tcmpicd iurthcr than thcout- 
 Ikirts of London. Were it our 
 tuflc to defcrlbc Air. Gibfon as an 
 ador, jullice would comptl us to 
 allow that his innJu of uticrance 
 (an habitual dcfcd) threw every 
 
 intlniacc friend, he bequeathed hU 
 entire foriunc, aniouniinj; to up- 
 wards of tight (houfand pounds, 
 wh'rh his prudence hm) accumu- 
 laiKl, lo (he poor 01 the town al- 
 ready meiuiuDr*!. llik tomb ii^ 
 one r f the churches there, is mark* 
 c.t by a few of P»lr. (i.irrick's lines j 
 but the' wonh of the deccaltd 
 nii^ht have entitled him even to 
 tilt' l.illii g honour which an epitaph 
 by Dr. Johnlbn would certainly 
 have loiifirrcd. —Perhaps, on fu- 
 tura tn'iuiry, Mr, Ciibfon will 
 Caive hjs plice in tlii& work as the 
 author, at Icall as the altcrec of 
 fome dramatic perfprmancc. Yet 
 there niay be readers fingulav 
 
 line he pronounced, as Timon fays, enough to thini< tl.at his good 
 
 '^ :nto llrong fnuddcrrs and im- qualities alone \^ere fufilcient to 
 
 '* mor al agues." Yet we Ihould authorize our notice of him in 
 
 likewife add, that he was never thefecontradcd annals of the ftagc, 
 
 Jibfurd or ridiculous in his deport- and under the article appropriated 
 
 ment, unlefs when driyen by the to his friend Mr. Ryan, who at 
 
 taftelefs oblUnacy of Mr. Rich 
 into parts from which no man, 
 however (kilful, could efcape with 
 reputation. On this account^ his 
 performance of y-^fr, in the tragedy 
 of Diodifian, would have forced :i 
 laugh from the tortured regicide 
 expiring on a wheel. Due, 
 
 — cur iiifidatui honor a 
 Arcucrim fairia ? 
 
 Jn a ffw charadlers of age and 
 fimplicity, he was at once natural 
 and afFeding. 'v\'e muft likewife 
 add, that his underllanding was 
 found, his reading extenfive; and 
 what {hould outweigh all other 
 «logiums, his temper was bencvo- 
 lent, and his integrity without a 
 blemilh. He died in the year 
 1771, during one of his annual riographer to king William IIJ. 
 jcxcuriions to Liverpool, where he He was a man of great learning 
 had been long the decent manager .and a lover of poetry ; but, when 
 of a fummer theatre, firll railed he fets up for a critic, feems to 
 into confequence by himfelf, and prove that he has very few of the 
 licenced at his own pcrfonal foli- requifites for that charadler ; and 
 citation. After the death of an was indeed almoU totally difqua- 
 ^ liticd 
 
 length, in the 68th year of a life, 
 fifty year-i of vyhicli he had fpciit 
 in the fervice and cniertainnu-nt of 
 the publlck, paid the {jreat debt to 
 nature ac Bath, to which place he 
 h.id retir'.'d for his health the ^5tl\ 
 of Augult, 1760. 
 
 V\'hat entitles him to a nich in 
 this work is, his having given to 
 the llage a little dramaiic piece of 
 one Aft, entitled, 
 
 7/.ie CoLlci's Opaa. 1729. 8vo, « 
 RvMiiR, Thomas. Vv'as born 
 in the North of Krgland, and 
 educated at the vniverhty of Cam- 
 bridge, but in what college I know 
 not. On his fettling in London, 
 he beciime a member of the fo- 
 ciety of Gray's-Inn, and, in 1693, 
 fucceeded Mr. Shadwell as hi,lto- 
 
It V 
 
 i 379 1 
 
 R y 
 
 Itfied for it, by his want of can« 
 (Jour. The feveriiiei which he has 
 •xerled, in his view of the (raf,e- 
 dies of the lafl »^e, againft the 
 inimitable Shakfpcarc, are fcarcC' 
 ly to be forgiven, and mull furcly 
 be confidered as a kind of facri- 
 lej:;e committed on the SanHum 
 Sanilorum of \.he Mufes. And that 
 his own talents for dramatic poe- 
 try were extremely inferior to thofe 
 of the perfons whofe writings he 
 has with lo much rigour aitackcd, 
 will be apparent to any one who 
 will take the trouble ot pcrufing 
 one play, which he has given to 
 the world, entitled, 
 
 Eil^ar. Trag. 4(0. 1678 
 But, although 1 cannot fubfcribe 
 cither to his fame or his judgment 
 
 is n poet or crtrtc, yet it cannot 
 be denied that hr w.ii a very rjt- 
 cellent antiquarian and hillorian. 
 Some of his pieces relating to our 
 conllitutJon are remurl- ably pood, 
 «nd hill well-known^ valuable, am] 
 molt ufiful work, entitled /7t 
 /Wcrrt, printed in feventccn vo- 
 lumes in folio, will ftand an ever- 
 lallmg monument of his worth, his 
 indefitignble nlfidiiity, and clcar- 
 iiefs of judgment as an hillorical 
 compiler. lie died on the i+tH 
 day of December, 1713, and wat 
 buried in the parifli church ot 8t, 
 ClemeniN Danes. 
 
 KrvKs, EMZAnnTH. Is thti 
 author of one piece, called, 
 
 Ibc Frmk. CO. 8vo. 1777, 
 
 
 s. 
 
 S E 
 
 SE. Thefe initial letters are 
 9 prefixed to a piece which ap- 
 pear^ to have bef'a afcribed to 
 Shakfpeare, though at that time 
 confidered as an imp,oficion, con- 
 trived with a view to promote 
 the fale of the book. Yet there 
 appears a degree of inconfiften- 
 cy in the ftory, as Shakfpeare's 
 chrillian name was too univcrfally 
 known to admit of any impofition 
 under falfe initials, or for any one 
 to miftake E. S. for William 
 Shakefpeare. The title of the 
 piece is, 
 
 ' Cupid*s Wjirligig. C. 
 Phillips and VViallanley have com> 
 
 S E 
 
 mittcd a miriakc in regard to this 
 play, by attribuiinj^ it to Mr. 
 Thomas Gc/F, who(e genius and 
 manner of writing were as oppo- 
 {\vc to comedy as light to dark- 
 nefs ; and iHll more fo, if poOible, 
 to that ludicrous turn which runa 
 through great part of this piece, 
 and is particularly coiifpicuous in 
 the epinie dedicatory. 
 
 S. J. We find no lefs than 
 three fcveral dramatic pieces with 
 thefe initials in the title page. 
 Coxeter, in confequence of fome 
 lines written by Mr. Stanley, 
 feems of opinion that the PljilUs 
 of Sc^roi was tianllated by Sir 
 
 Edward 
 
S A 
 
 C 3S0 J 
 
 S A 
 
 £4wsrd Sherbourne, yet, as the 
 initials affixed to the piece do not 
 agree with that gentleman's name, 
 and correfpond perfedtly with that 
 of James Shirley, I am rather in- 
 clined to afcribe two of thefe to 
 Jum. They are called. 
 
 New Athenian Comedy. 
 
 Phillis efScyros, Pali. 
 
 Prince of Prig's Revels. C. 
 
 S. S. Thefe initials only fland 
 in the title page of one play, writ- 
 ten, or at leall printed, in the 
 reign of king James I. nor do I 
 £nd any known author of that 
 period with whofe name thefe let- 
 ters correfpond. The play is en- 
 titled, 
 
 TJbc Honeft Larj^er, C. 4tO. 
 
 Sackville, Thomas, Lord 
 BvcKHURST. This noble author, 
 who from a private gentleman was 
 before his death advanced to a very 
 Iiigh rank both in honour, fame, 
 and fortune, was fon of Richard 
 Sackville, Efq; of Buckhurft, in 
 the pariih of Withian in SufTex, at 
 which place our author was born 
 in the year i$;6. His mother's 
 name was Winifred, the daughter 
 of Sir John Bruges, fome time 
 lord mayor of London. From his 
 childhood he was diilinguifhed for 
 a livelinefs of wit and manlinefs of 
 behaviour. He received the firft 
 part of his univerfity education at 
 Hart Hall, Oxford, yet took no 
 degree there, but removed to 
 Cambridge, where he did not re- 
 fide long, but had the degree of 
 mailer of arts conferred on him. 
 He afterwards entered himfelf 
 a iludent in the Temple, and 
 at an early time of life was call- 
 ed to the bar. Here it was pro- 
 bably that his friendihip and 
 intimacy commenced with Mr. 
 Thomas Norton, in conjundlion 
 with whom he wrote a tragedy, 
 entitled, 
 
 Fcrrex and Porrex, T. 8vov 
 N. D. 
 
 It had been before furreptitioufly 
 printed under the title of, 
 Gorboduc. 4'0. B. L» 
 This piece in its original form, 
 of which Mr. Norton wrote the 
 three iirlt Acls, and Mr. Sackville 
 the two iail, was performed by the 
 gentlemen of the Inner Temple at 
 Whitehall before queen Elizabeth, 
 on the i8ih of January, 1^61, 
 long before Shakfpeare appeared 
 on the ilage, and when Mr. Sack- 
 ville was only in his twenty-fixth 
 year. 
 
 Although the fprightlinefs of 
 Mr. Sackyille's genius had thus 
 induced him to dedicate fome of 
 his hours to poetry and pleafure, 
 yet hillory was his favourite fludy, 
 more efpecially that of his own 
 country, in confeqi^ence of which 
 he had formed a defign of a kind 
 of Biograpbia illit/irium yirorum^ or 
 the Lives of feveral great Perfon- 
 ages in verfe, of which fome fpeci- 
 mens are printed in a book pub- 
 lifhed in 1550, called The Mirrour 
 for Magifirates, the induftion to 
 which is wLoliy his own. 
 
 This defign, however, Mr. Sack- 
 ville had not leil'ure or opportunity 
 to purfue» for his great abilities 
 being diilinguilhed at court, he 
 was called forth into fuch a con- 
 tinued connexion with public af- 
 fairs, as left him no time for the 
 execution of any of his literary 
 plans. In the fourth and fifth 
 years of queen Mary, we find his 
 name on the parliamentary lifts ; 
 and in the fifth of queen Elizabeth, 
 anno J 564, when hi* father was 
 eleflcd knight of the fhire for 
 Suflex, he was returned as one of 
 the members for Buckinghamfhire. 
 Not long after this, however, he 
 went abroad to travel, and was de- 
 tained for fome time prifoner at 
 Rome ; but his liberty being pro- 
 cured 
 
 '^'^ 
 
S A 
 
 C 381 J 
 
 S A 
 
 ftudy, 
 
 Cured him, he returned to Eng- 
 land, to take poll'effion of a very 
 large inheritance, which, by his fa- 
 ther's death, in 1566, devolved to 
 him. 
 
 On his return, he was knighted 
 in 1567, in the queen's prefence, 
 by the duke of Norfolk, and at 
 the fame time promoted to the 
 dignity of the peerage by the title 
 of Baron Buckhurft. His lordfhip 
 was of fo profufe a temper, that 
 though \us income was a very large 
 one, )'et his fondnefs for magni- 
 ficence and expence would not per- 
 mit h'uv to live within it, and 
 fometimes fnbjetled him to con- 
 fiderable inconveniencies. The 
 queen's frequent admonitions on 
 this fuhjecl, however, at length 
 made fome impreiHon on him, and 
 induced him to become more care- 
 ful of his affairs. 
 
 In 1573, his royal miftrefs fent 
 him ambaffador to Charles IX. 
 king of France, to congratulate 
 that prince on his marriage with 
 the emperor Maximilian's daugh- 
 ter, and on other important af- 
 fairs ; where he wis received and 
 entertained with all thofe honours 
 which were due to his own merit, 
 and the dignify of his fovereign. 
 
 In 1574, we find his name men- 
 tioned as one of the peers who fat 
 on the trial of Tliomas Howard, 
 duke of Norfolk, who was con- 
 demned and executed for being 
 concerned in a plot for recovering 
 the liberty of Mary queen of Scots, 
 at which time he was alfo in the 
 privy-council. He was nominated 
 one of the commiflioners for the 
 trial of that unhappy queen her- 
 felf, and though it does not appear 
 that he was prefent at her con- 
 demnation at Fotheringay Caftle, 
 yet after the confirmation of her 
 i'entence he was the perfon made 
 choice of on account of, his addrefs 
 
 and tendernefs of difpofition, to 
 bear the unhappy tidings to her, 
 and fee the decree pat in execu- 
 tion. 
 
 In I ^67, he went ambalTador to 
 the States-General, to accommodate 
 differences in regard to fome re- 
 monftrances they had lade againft 
 the condu£l of the earl of Leicefter. 
 This commifrt(}ii he ex~'uted with 
 the Qtmoft fidelity and honour, 
 yet by it he incurred the difplea- 
 fure of lord Burleigh, whofe it:> 
 fluence with the queen occafioned 
 him not only to be recalled, but 
 conBned to his houfe for nine 
 months. On the death of lord 
 Leiceller, however, his intereft at 
 court was renewed ; he was made 
 knight of the Garter, was one of 
 the peers who fat on the trial of 
 the earl of Arundel, and was join- 
 ed with lord Burleijgh in the pro- 
 moting a peace with Spain ; ia 
 confequence of which a treaty wat 
 renewed with the States-Genera!, 
 which, as lord Burleigh then lay 
 fick, was negotiated folely by lord 
 Buckhuril; whereby the queen, 
 befides other advantages, was eafed 
 of a charge of nt lead 120,000/. 
 per annum I which, according to 
 the value of money then, was not 
 much lefs than equal to half a. 
 million now. 
 
 On Dec. 17, 1591, he was, ia 
 confequence of feveral letters from 
 the queen in his favour, ele^ed 
 chancellor of the univerfity of Ox- 
 ford, in cppofition to the earl of 
 Effex, and incorporated mailer of 
 arts ; and on lord Burleigh's death, 
 the queen, as a ju(t reward for his 
 merits, for the fervice he had done 
 his country, and the vad fums he 
 had expended, was pleafed to con- 
 Ititute him lord high treafurer. 
 
 In the fucceeding year, he was 
 
 joined in a comrriiflion with Sir 
 
 Thomat Eserton and lord Eifex 
 
 * for 
 
 ; 
 
 .it 
 
S 4 
 
 [ 58^ 3 
 
 S A 
 
 ipf negotiating afFairs with the 
 fenaite of Deninarkf Wbeo the 
 laft-named nobleman a^d hi^ fa^' 
 tion difperfed libels again (I the 
 qucien coDcecniog the affairs of 
 Irekiod^ lord Buckhurll engaged in 
 her tn^jeiiy's vindication, ai^dwhea 
 at h& that poor, mifguided, raOi, 
 unhappy favourite was, with his 
 friejid Southan)pton« broug,ht to 
 trial, this nobleman was condi- 
 tuted iQrd high ileward on the oc- 
 cafion. 
 
 After the death of ihe queen, 
 ^er fucceilor king James J, who, 
 evep before bis arrival in England, 
 had the higheft fenl"e of lord Euck- 
 Jburft's fervices and great abilitie?, 
 renewed bis patent for iife as lord 
 iigh treafurer, and in the eiif'u- 
 ing year created him eqrl of Dor- 
 fet, and appointed him one of the 
 (commillioners for executing the of- 
 fice of earl marfhal. 
 
 He did not, however, very long 
 enjoy thefe additional honours, for 
 on the J 9th of April, 1608, he died 
 (iiddenly, at the council table 
 "Whitehall, and on the 26th of 
 May following was interred with 
 great folemnity in Weftminfter 
 Abbey, his fureral fermon being 
 preacned by the famous Dr. Abbot, 
 at that time his chac'lain, but after- 
 wards archbifhop of Canterbury. 
 
 The fuddennefs of his death 
 afforded fome little grounds for 
 conjecture and fufpicionj butthbfe 
 Were immediately put a ftop to, 
 wKen on opening his head, the 
 caufe of his deceafe was found to 
 be a liydroccphatuij or Utile biigs of 
 water coUefled about the brain, 
 which by fudden burfting mull ne- 
 ceffarily occafion the catallrophe 
 that followed. 
 
 His character as a ilatefman and 
 a man we need not expatiate on, 
 as the chronicles of cur own na- 
 tional affairs during hi!> time are 
 all lavilh in his praife,. As a wri- 
 
 t/r (ill which light, howcvei", it it 
 piobable he would have (hooe with 
 fiiperior brilliance, had not matters 
 of much more material importance 
 flopped his pen) we have but few 
 remains of hin>left; yet,concern> 
 ing what we have, I cannot better 
 guide the judgment of our readers 
 with refpcdl to them, than by re. 
 peating the charaftcr given of his 
 Qorboduc^ by that elegant writer 
 and acknowledged judge of liters* 
 ture, Sir Philip Sidney. " It is," 
 fays he, " full of flately fpeechefj 
 " welMbunding phrafes, climbing 
 '* to the height of Seneca's fiile, 
 " and as full ot notable morality^ 
 " which it doth moft delightfully 
 *' teach, and fo obtain the very end 
 '* of poetry.*' 
 
 Wood fays, he was buried at 
 Withiam above-mentioned, but our 
 antiquary is millaken. 
 
 Sadler^ Anthony, D. D. 
 This gentleman was fon of Thomas 
 Sadler, of Chilton, in Wiltfliire, 
 Efq; at which place he was born 
 towards the beginning of the reign 
 of James I. At feventeen year^ 
 of agfe, viz. in the Lent Term of 
 the year 1,627, he was entered 
 batler of St. Edmund^s-Hall, in 
 Oxford, and, in 1631^ was ad- 
 mi tied to the degree of batchelor 
 of art?, and received into holy 
 orderjj foon after which he be- 
 came chaplain to a gentleman in 
 Hertfordll.ire, his name-fake, and 
 mort probably a relation. Tor 
 wards the beginning of the civil 
 war he was curate of Biihoplloke^ 
 in Hamffhire, and was after*'ards 
 chaplain to Letitia, dowager lady 
 Paget ; till at length, in the year 
 1654, being prefenied to the living 
 of Compton lianway, in Dorfet- 
 (hire, he was refufed to pafs by 
 the Trier i^ which was the occa&oii 
 of a troublefome cqnteft .between 
 him and thofe gentlemen. Sopp 
 after this he was made vicar of 
 
 Mitchart, 
 
S A 
 
 t 383 1 
 
 s A 
 
 l^itchani, in Sorry. But, indeed, 
 he reem» ro have been a man of a 
 turbulent difpafmon, for we find 
 him, in the year 16.64, engaged in 
 a violent quarrel with one Robert 
 Cramer, a merchant of London^ 
 but an inhabitant of Mitcham, of 
 whofe behaviour he complains, in 
 a little pamphlet of one (heet in 
 quarto, entitled, Strafige Ne-ws in- 
 kcedfrom Mitcham^ in Surrey. After 
 this, however, he took the degree 
 of doftor of divinity, and was ap- 
 pointed one of his majefty's chap- 
 lains extraordinary, in which rank 
 1 imagine he continued till his 
 death, which happened about the 
 year i68o, and the 70th of his 
 age. He was no very voluminous 
 writer, but has left one fmall dra- 
 matic piece behind him, written 
 on a loyal occaiion, bat which I 
 Imagine, from a circumitance in 
 the title Jjage, wa^ never repre- 
 iirnted. It is enti 
 
 7he Subjeif! J. 
 Rejioralhijn, M. 
 
 Sadler, Thomas, Appears 
 to have been a Shroplhire man, 
 there being in pruita volume of 
 pciems pubiiQied a^ Salop, wherein 
 is contained, 
 
 TLe Merry Miller ; or. The Coun- 
 irymans Ramble. F. Svo. 17^6. 
 
 Sadler, J. Was of Emmanuel 
 Collfge, in Cambridge. Ht was 
 the author of the following play, 
 which is afcribed to him on the 
 authority of archbilhop Sancrott, 
 who had fublcrifced the name of 
 the writer to a copy of it in the 
 library of the aforefaid college. 
 Jt is called, 
 
 Maiannade Jit Ciel. M. 4.to. 1 640. 
 
 Sampsot:, William. All I 
 ean trace relating to this author 
 .is, that he lived in the reign of 
 king Charles T. and was for lomc 
 time retained in, and a dependent 
 on, the family of Sir Henry VVil- 
 lou^hby, of Richiey, in Derby- 
 
 
 Kind's 
 
 (hire. He was the aothor of one 
 play, entitled, 
 
 r. T/jc f^ffw Brceiktr* Trag. 4(04 
 1636. 
 
 a. The Widow Prize. C. N. P. 
 He was alfo afifilant to Mr. Mark- 
 ham, in the compoittion of hit 
 tragedy of 
 
 litrod and Antlpattr. 4tO. i6*a* 
 Sandford, Mr. In Mears* 
 catalogue the following play is aP 
 cribed to a pcrfon of tni< aame, 
 
 T'be Female Fop ; or, Thefalfe one 
 fitted. C. 8vo. 
 
 Sandys, George, Efq. This 
 '^itx^ accomplilhed gentleman wa» 
 a younger fon of Kdwin archbi- 
 il.op of York, and was born aC 
 Biihops-Thorp^ in that county, in 
 1577. At eleven years of age hd 
 was fcnt to the univerfity of Ox- 
 ford, vvhere he was matriculated 
 of laint Mary's-Hall. In the year 
 1610:, remarkable for the murder 
 of that j^reat and good princei^ 
 Henry IV. of France, Mr. Sandy» 
 fet out on his travels, and, in the 
 courfe of two years, made a very 
 eMenfive tour, having not onfy 
 travelled through feveral parts of 
 F.urope, but alio vifitcd rnuny ci- 
 ties and countries of the eaff under 
 the Turkifn empire, as Conilattti- 
 rople, Greece, i'gypt, and the 
 Holy Land, after which, taking at 
 view of the remote parts of Italy 
 and the iflands adjoining, he went! 
 to Rome, where he met with one 
 Nicholas Fitzherbert, his countny- 
 nian, and formerly his fellow-ftu- 
 dent, by whom he was fhewn all 
 the antiquities of that once re- 
 nowned city. From thence he 
 went to Venice, and being by this 
 time very greatly improved, and 
 oecome not only a perftft fcholar 
 but a complcat gentit-man, he. re- 
 turned to his native country. 
 where, sfter properly digeliin-g 
 , the ohrervfitionshe had made,, .he 
 publifhcd an account of his tra- 
 vels 
 

 S A 
 
 I 384 1 
 
 S A 
 
 Vels in folio, which is held in rery 
 confidersble eftimation. He had 
 alfo an inclination liV poetry, his 
 cxercifes in which, howcer, feeih 
 t.0 have been moflly on religious 
 fnbjei^s, Except bis tranflation of 
 Ovid*i Mnamorbbo/ii, He alfo pa* 
 raphrafed the Ffaims, and has left 
 bcnind him • tranflation^ with 
 notes, of one facred drama, written 
 originally by Grotius, under the 
 title cf Cbrijlus PatieitSy and which 
 "Mr. Sandys, in his tranflation, has 
 called. 
 
 C/jrijPs Pajion. ijmo. 1640. 
 There are but few incidents known 
 concerning our author, but all the 
 writers who have mentioned him, 
 ^iiiz 'n bellowing on him the 
 ^ charKcler, not only of a man of 
 genius, but of fingular worth and 
 
 {)iety. For the moft part of his 
 attcr days he lived with Sir Francis 
 Wenman, of Cpfwell, near Whit- 
 s j/in Oxfordfliire- to whom his fif- 
 terwas married ; probably chufing 
 that fituation in iome meafure on 
 account of its proximity to Bur- 
 ford, the retirement of his inti- 
 mate acquaintance and valuable 
 friend Lucius, lord vifcount Falk- 
 land. He died, however, at the 
 houfe of his nephew^ Sir Francis 
 Wyat, at Bexley in Kent, in 1643 ; 
 and was interred in the chancel of 
 that parifii church. 
 
 He had no monument ere£led 
 to his memory, but various writers 
 have handed down the following 
 infcription, as one that was due to 
 his merit : 
 
 Georgius Sandys, Poetarum An- 
 glontm/uifaculi Princeps. 
 
 And the high commendations gi- 
 ven of him by the aLove-mentioned 
 ingenions nobitman, in a copy rf 
 verfes addrefled to Grot: us on his 
 Chrifius Pattens^ are a mod honoura- 
 ble tribute to, and an immortal 
 
 record of, oar author'* gre^t wohfl 
 and abilities. 
 
 Savage, Richard. One bf the 
 moft remarkable characters that 
 we have met withj in all the re- 
 cords of biography. He was the 
 unfortunate Ion of the mdft unna- 
 tural of mother^, Ann, countei^ of 
 Macclesfieldj who confefled that 
 her hufband, the earl of Macclef- 
 iield, was not the father of the 
 child, but that he was aduUeroufly 
 begotten by the earl of Rivers, 
 whofe name was Savage. This 
 declaration flie voluntarily made, 
 anno 1697 (on the i6th day of 
 January in which year our author 
 was born in Fox-Court, Holborn, 
 and was chriftened on the i8th, 
 under the names of Richaid Sirath)^ 
 in order to procure a feparation 
 from her hufband, with ivhom flte 
 had lived, for fome time, on very 
 uneafy terms. As to th« truth of 
 the fa£^, there was no doubt made 
 of it ; for lord Rivers acquiefced in 
 her declaration, and appeared, by 
 the meafures he took to provide 
 for him, to confider the child as 
 his own. But his mother, who 
 was certainly his mother, whoever 
 was the father, had other, and lef< 
 natural fentiments, with refpedt to 
 the duty which all parents^ owe to 
 their offspring. Strange as it may 
 appear, the countefs looked upon 
 her fon, from the moment of his 
 birth, with a kind of refentment 
 and abhorrence. She refolved to 
 difown him, and therefore com- 
 mitted him to the care of a poor 
 woman, whom flie direAed to edu- 
 cate him as her own, enjoining 
 her never to inform him who were 
 his real parents. 
 
 The Kaplefs infant, however, 
 was not wholly abandoned. The 
 lady Mafon, mother to the countefs, 
 took fome charge of his education, 
 and placed him at a grammar- 
 
 fchool 
 
wohIi 
 
 sbfthe 
 
 rs that 
 
 the re- 
 
 vas the 
 
 { unna- 
 
 nte^ of 
 
 id that 
 
 lacclef- 
 oi the 
 
 teroufly 
 Rivers, 
 
 . This 
 
 f made, 
 day of 
 
 ' author 
 
 ■lolbbrn, 
 
 le 1 8th, 
 
 i Sir.ith), 
 
 sparation 
 
 motn (he 
 
 , on very 
 trath of 
 
 ibt made 
 
 liefced in 
 
 sared, by 
 
 L provide 
 child as 
 
 her, who 
 whoever 
 
 , and lefK 
 refpeft to 
 its- owe to 
 as it m&y 
 >ked upon 
 cnt of his 
 efentment 
 •folved to 
 ore com- 
 of a poor 
 ed to edu- 
 enjoining 
 who were 
 
 however, 
 
 jed. The 
 : countefsy 
 ducation, 
 grammar- 
 fchool 
 
 S A' 
 
 t ZH 1 
 
 S A 
 
 fchopl near St. Alhnns, where he 
 went by the name of his nurfe. 
 
 VVhiie he was at this fchonl, his 
 father, the rarl Kivcts, wns fuiz'-d 
 with a dilkmper which thrcifCiieil 
 his life; and, as he lay on his 
 death-bed, he was liffirous of pro- 
 vidinp; for fl'is, among others o{ his 
 natural children. Accordingly he 
 lent to the countefs, to enquire af- 
 ter her fo'-i ; and Tne had ihc mon- 
 ftrous crut:l(y to tkclare hi;n ihaiJl 
 The earl, not fufpecling that there 
 could cxill in nature a moihcr 
 who could thus caufelefsly ruin 
 her child, without procuring any 
 advantaeje to heifeU by fo doing, 
 believed h-: wicked ie,.ort; and 
 thereupon bellowed upon another 
 the futn of fix thoul'and pounds, 
 whicli he had before bequeathed to 
 his fon hy lady Macclesfield. 
 
 This unnatural woman did not 
 ftop here in her enmity to, and 
 even perfecution of, her fon. She 
 fanned a fcheme, on his quitting 
 the above- mentioned fchool, to 
 have him kid-napped away to the 
 Plantations ; hut this contrivance 
 was, by fome accident, defeated. 
 She then hatched another device, 
 with the v.ew of burying !;im in 
 poveny snd t)brcuiity for tlie le- 
 niP.inder of his days ; and had him 
 placed witii a fhoe-maker in Hol- 
 bjrn. In this llation, hrwever, he 
 did not long continue ; for his 
 nurfe dying, he went to take care of 
 the elFefts of his fuppofed mother, 
 and found in her boxes fon c of lady 
 JMafon's letters to the good woman, 
 which intormtd yoiiiig Savage of 
 his birth, and the caufe of its con- 
 cealment. 
 
 From the moment f thia dif- 
 coveiy, it was natural for him to 
 gr)w dilTatisficd with his ltaii')n 
 iitid employment in Holborn. He 
 now conceived he had a right to 
 ih ire in the affluence of his real 
 mother, and therefoff; hedireiftiv, 
 Vol. I. 
 
 and perhaps indifcreetly, applied 
 to her, and made u(e of every aft 
 to awake her tendcrnefs and at- 
 tracf her regard. But in vain did 
 he folicit this unfeeling parent } 
 flie avoided him with the utmolt 
 precaution, and took meafures to 
 prevent his ever entering her houfe 
 on any pretence whatever. 
 
 S.'ivage w;is at this time fo 
 touched with the difcovcry of hi« 
 birth, that he (requeotly made ic 
 his prafticeto walk in the evening 
 bi.f)re his mothtr's door, in the 
 hope of feeing her by acciilcnt ; 
 and often did h- warmly folicit 
 her to admit him to fee her ; bu: 
 all to no efitft — he could nei her 
 foften her heart, nor open l)er 
 hand. 
 
 Mean time, while he was aflidu- 
 oufly endeavouring to roufe the 
 affeclions of a mother, in whom 
 all natural afFedion was extind, 
 he was delHtute of the means of 
 fupport, and reduced to the mife- 
 ries of want. We are not told hy 
 what means he got rid of his obli- 
 gation to the (hoe-maker, or whe- 
 ther he ever was adually bound to 
 him ; but we now find him very 
 differently employed, in order to 
 procure a fubfulence. In flutrt, the 
 youth had parts, and a llrong in- 
 clination toward literary purfuits, 
 ■fpecially poetry. Neeelfity, how- 
 ever, firll made him an author ; 
 and he was very oddly initiated 
 into the myfteries of the prefs by 
 ,a little poem on a very finynlar 
 fubject foi' fuch a perfon as ouP 
 young author to meddle vvitii } 
 viz. the fan:ot!s liar^gorlan con- 
 ti overly, then Wiirmiy aj>itated by 
 the T'olemica! writers of ihac time. 
 
 This wii^, however, but a crude 
 effort of unruiiivated genius, of 
 which the author Was afcprward,s 
 much alhamed. He then atiempt- 
 fd another kind cf writing ; and, 
 at only eighteen years of J'ge, of- 
 
 C c fcred 
 
S A 
 
 [ 3^^ J 
 
 S A 
 
 ifUcf for ihislierout-cartoffpring} 
 biit we do not find that ihis pro- 
 n.ifc was jurfcirmed. 
 
 B<:'int{ thus obliged to depend ow 
 
 fcreJ a comedy to the flnge, en- 
 titled H'oma/i's a Ruh/k,\v))]i.U was 
 refuftd by the phiyers ; for, in fad, 
 
 the piece was not Savage's pro- v-'-t. c -• r --•• 
 
 pertj', it not being his own per- Mr. \\ ilks, he betana .^n afliduou* 
 iormaiice, but »he work of a lady fnouenier of the therftrf?, and 
 wl\o hud tranflattd it from the ihcnce the amuftmrnts of the R^ge 
 Spanifli, and given Savage a copy took fuch poUeflion of his liiii d»- 
 of it: the Hory is cifc-umitantially that he was ncter abfent ficm a 
 rtlatcd in cur fecond volume, un- play in feveral years. 
 dcr the above-mentioned title of In iy23, hf brought on the flage 
 this play. Two venrs after this, h'lf irn'^edy of Sir T/mhims Ova /?u>y} 
 ke wrote I.oi'r in a Fal, borrowed in which he himftif performed the 
 likewife from the Spanifli, but with principal charafter, but with fo 
 littlcbetter fuccefs than bv-fore ; fof little reputation, thnt he uffd tO' 
 ji was adlcd fo late in theyc;ir,that blot his name out of (he Danmtii 
 the author received fcaice any /V/wffrtr, whenever any of the print- 
 other advantage from it than the ed copies of the pl.y fell ir.io his 
 
 handf.^ The whole pn fits tif this 
 performance, from the rding. 
 
 acquaintance of Sir Richard StfeJe, 
 and Mr. Wilka, the ce'tbuiteci 
 coivceuian, by whom he was pitied, 
 tuuntcnanceii, and relieved. The 
 tormer efpoirfed his intereft with 
 
 printing, and the dedication, a- 
 mountcd to about ::oo/. Tlw; ce- 
 lebrated Aaron Hill, £fq; w;;s of 
 
 the nioft beiiCvo'tnt zea',. decbr- great fervice to him in e^rrefting 
 
 ing lli.it the inhumanity of bis and fitting this piece for the llage 
 
 mother had given him a ritrhc to and the preis ; and extcnd<'d his 
 
 find every good man his !;uhcr. patronage and good offices fvill far- 
 
 Steele jjr'jpofcd to h:ive clbihiiflied ther. Savage was, like many other 
 
 him in a fttt'od ichemc-of life, and wits, a bad manager, and was ever 
 
 to have married him to a natural in difirefs. As fall ss his frier' 
 
 daughter of his, on whom he in- rr.ifd hiracntofone difiicuhy, 
 
 tended to bcfiow a thoufand pounds ; funk into another; ai:d when 
 but Sir Richard conduced his own 
 
 affairs fo hr.dlv, that he found too 
 jnych difiicuhy in railing fo con- 
 iiderab'c a fum ; on which account 
 the mnrriat-e was deioved. In the 
 mean time feme officiou'- [erfon 
 informed ilie pood-natiued hnighr, 
 that bis ir.it'-.dcd ion ir;-!aw had 
 J idicclcd liin; ; which, whcihcr true 
 or not, fo provoked Sir Richard, 
 that he wiihdrtw his frrcndfliip 
 from Savage, ;tnd never rifrci wards 
 admitted him into his houie. 
 
 JVlr. Vv'ilks, however, Hill re- 
 mained in his intereft ; and even 
 found means to foften the heart if 
 Savage's mother, fo far as to ob- 
 tain from her the fi'm or fifty 
 pounUS} with a promife of tai thtr 
 
 As fall i'S his friends 
 he 
 he 
 found himfelf greatly involved, he 
 woold ramble about like a vaga- 
 bond, with fcarce a flilrt on his 
 back. He ^as in One of thefe 
 fituations all the time wherein he 
 v.rote his tragedy .nbove-mcnti- 
 cned ; without a iodginj-, aiid of- 
 ten without a dii;ner : fo that he 
 iifed to fcribble on fcaps of paper' 
 picked up by accident, or begge-d 
 in the ftiops which he occafionally 
 frrpped int", as lh^ugh^^ occurred 
 to him, cravirg tht fa\rur of he 
 pen aiid ink, as it were jull to lake 
 a meniorandum. 
 
 Mr. Hill alfo earnetVy promoted 
 a fublcnption to a volume or iNiit- 
 cell.'itiief, by Savage ; aiid l-ktwife 
 funjflied part ot the potn^s o'. 
 
 v>hi^la 
 
S A 
 
 t 387 1 
 
 S A 
 
 ironiotecl 
 
 I'kewife 
 !Ct^■^ nt 
 V» lUy.ll 
 
 which the volume was compofed. 
 To tfj'is mifcellany Savage wrote a 
 preface, in which he gives an ac- 
 count of his mother's cruelty, in a 
 very uncomnion Itrain of humour. 
 
 The profits of his Trajjedy and 
 his MifccUanies together, had now, 
 for a time, fomewhat raited poor 
 Savage, both in circumdances and 
 credit ; fo that the world juft began 
 to behold hici with a more favour- 
 able eye than formerly, when a 
 misfortune befel him, by which 
 not only his reputation but his life 
 was endangered. 
 
 On the 20th of November, 1727, 
 Mr. Savage came trom Richmond, 
 whither he had for fome time re- 
 tired, in order to purfue his iludies 
 without interruption ; and acci- 
 dentally meeting with two ac- 
 quaintances, whofe names were 
 Marchaht and Gregory, he went 
 in with them to a coifee-houfe, 
 where they fat drinking till it was 
 late. He would willingly have 
 gone to bed in the fame houfe, 
 but there was not room for the 
 whole company, and therefore they 
 agreed to ramble about the (Ireets, 
 and divert themfelves with fuch in- 
 cidents as (Itould occur, till morn- 
 ing. Happening to difcover a 
 light in a coffee- houfe near Char- 
 ing-Crofs, they went in and de- 
 manded a room. They were told 
 the next parlour would be empty 
 prefently ; as a company were then 
 paying their reckoning, in order 
 to leave it. Marchant, not fatif' 
 fied with this anfwer, abruptly 
 riiihed in the room, and behaved 
 very rudely. This produced a 
 quarrel ; ivvorils were drnwo, and 
 in the confufion one Mr. James 
 Sinclair was killed. A woman 
 fcrvant likewile was accidentally 
 wounded by bavag", 'as Oxt was 
 endeavouring to hold hiin. 
 
 Savage and his companions, 
 being takea into cuilody, were tried 
 
 for this offence, and both he and 
 Gregory were capitally convidled 
 of murder. Sav.ige pleaded hi* 
 own caufe, and behaved with great 
 reiblution ; but it was too plainly 
 proved, thai he gave Sinclair his 
 death's wound, while Gregory com- 
 manded the fword of ihe deceafed. 
 The convidl>, being recondurtcd 
 to prifon, were heavily ironed, 
 and remained with no hopes of 
 life but from the royal mercy \ 
 but, can it be believed ? this hit 
 own mother (yes, it may be be- 
 lieved of he ) endeavoured to in- 
 tercept. She was now in hopes 
 of entirely getting rid of him for 
 ever ) and that the lad chance for 
 his life might be totally turned 
 againll him, Ihe had the horrible 
 inhumanity to prejudice the queer, 
 againfl him at this critical junc- 
 ture, by telling her majefty the 
 mod: malicious flories, and even 
 downright falfhoods, of her un- 
 happy fon ; which fo far anfwered 
 her diabolical purpofe, that for a 
 long while the queen totally re> 
 jefted all petitions that were offer- 
 ed io her in favour of this un* 
 happy man. 
 
 At length, however, comi affion 
 raifed him a friend, whofe rank 
 and charader were too eminent to 
 fail of fuccefs : this was the amia- 
 ble countefs of Hertford, etter- 
 wards dutchefs of Someribt, who 
 laid before the queen a true ac- 
 count of ihe extraordinary ftory 
 ana fufferings ot poor Savage ) 
 and, in confequence of foch lea- 
 fotiable and powerful interpofuion 
 in his favour, he was foon after ad- 
 mitted to bail ; and, in Marcb- 
 1728, hepleadid the royal par- 
 don, to which alfo the oetitioa 
 delivered to hi- majelly l>y he lord 
 Tyrconnel, and the folicitations 
 in his behalf mode to Sir R. Wal- 
 nole by Mrs. Oldfield, were not a 
 little conducive. 
 
 C c 3 Though 
 
S A 
 
 t 388 ] 
 
 8 A 
 
 Though misfortune made an im- 
 prtilion on the mind of the indif- 
 crrct Savage, it had not fufficient 
 weight with him to produce a 
 thorough change ]n his Ute and 
 manners. He feems fated to be 
 wretched throughout the whole 
 courfe of his li^e. He had now 
 lecovcred his liberty, but he had 
 no means of fubfllience. The 
 luclcy thought new llruck him 
 (lucky indeed, had he known how 
 to have improved it to the mod 
 advantage), that he might £7>OT/>f/ 
 his mother to do fomeihing ior 
 him, and extort from her, by a 
 lampoon, what /he refufed to na- 
 tural affection. He threatened, 
 that he would feverely expofe her, 
 and the expedient proved fuccell- 
 fui. Whether fliame prevailed 
 with her, or whether her relafions 
 had more delicacy than herA:lf, is 
 not very clear; but the event might 
 have made Savag^ happy for the 
 remainder of his days, had he pof- 
 feffed but common prudence. In 
 fliort, lord Tyrconnel received him 
 into his family, treated him upoa 
 an equal footing, and allowed him 
 200 1. a year. 
 
 Savage was now, for once, on 
 the top of tcrtune's wheel ; but, 
 alas! his head foon grew giddy, 
 his brain turned, and down he 
 came head-long, with fuch a fall 
 as he never could recover. For 
 fome time he lived with his noble 
 friend in the utmoft eafe and af- 
 fluence ; and the world feemed to 
 fmile upon iiim, as though he had 
 never experienced the flightell of 
 its frowns. This intert'al of prof- 
 perity furniflied him with oppor- 
 tunities of enlargi )<; his know- 
 ledge of human rfiture, by con- 
 templating life from its higheft 
 gradation coits lowell; and in this 
 gay period of his days he pub- 
 iiilicd T/je lVai'Jera\, a moral poem, 
 which was approved by Mr. Pope, 
 
 and which the author himfelf con- 
 fidered as his mailer piece. It was 
 addrefled to the earl of Tyrconnel, 
 with the higheft ftiains of pane- 
 gyric. Theic praifes, however, in 
 a (liort time, he found himfelf in- 
 clined to retrart, being difcardcd 
 by the nobleman on whom he had 
 beftowed them. 
 
 The caufe afiigned by his lord- 
 fliip, for withdrawing his protec- 
 tion from this ill-fated man, wa5, 
 that Savage was guilty of the moll 
 abandoned behaviour, introducing 
 company into his houfe, with 
 whom he pradifed the moft licen- 
 tious frolics, and committed all the 
 outrages o' druukennefs: more- 
 over, that he pawned or fold the 
 books of which his lordfhip had 
 made him a prefrnt, fo that he had 
 often the mortification to fee them 
 expofed to fale upon flails. On 
 the other hand. Savage alledged, 
 that lord Tyrconnel quarrelled with 
 him, becaufe he would not fub- 
 Arad from his own luxury what 
 he had promifcd to allow him ; 
 but this is by no means probable. 
 Our author's known character 
 pleads too flrongly againfl him ; 
 for his conduft was ever fuch as 
 made all his friends, fooner or 
 later, grow weary of him ; and 
 even forced nioft of them to be- 
 come his enemies. 
 
 Being thus once more turned 
 adrift upon the world, Savage, 
 whofe paffions were very flrong, 
 and whofe gratitude was very fmall, 
 became extremely diligent in ex- 
 pofing the faults of lord Tyrcon- 
 nel; and he, moreover, now 
 thought himfelf again at liberty 
 to take his revenge upon his mo- 
 ther. Accordingly, he wrote The 
 Bcijlardy a poem, remarkable for 
 the vivacity in the beginning, 
 where he finely enumerates the 
 imaginary advantages of bafe birth, 
 and for the pathetic conclufion, 
 , ,' wherein 
 
S A 
 
 t 389 ] 
 
 S A 
 
 nan, wnf. 
 
 wherein he recounts the real cala- 
 niitiej which he fuilered by ihe 
 crime of his parents. The reader' 
 wili not be (li/'pleafed with a tran- 
 fcript oribme of the lines, in the 
 opening of the poem, as a fpeci- 
 men ol^^this writer's fpirit and man- 
 ner of vcrfification. 
 
 Bli'fl be the haflard's birth ! thro* 
 
 iwr/d'rous luaysy 
 He Jlj'trui excentric Hie a comet's 
 
 blaze. 
 No Jickly fruit of faint compliance 
 
 he ; 
 He ! flamfd in Nature's mint with 
 
 fxtafy ! 
 He lives to buVd^ not boafi a gene- 
 rous race ; 
 No tenth tranfin'.tter of a fooUfh 
 
 face. — 
 Ilcy kindling from within, requires 
 
 no flamCy 
 He glori/s in a hajiard's glowing 
 
 name. 
 —Nalurt's unbounded Son, he 
 
 flands alone. 
 His heart unbiased ^ and his mind 
 
 his oivn. 
 — O mother / yet no mother /— r 
 
 'tis toyou 
 JWy thanks for fuch diflingu'ifid 
 
 claims are due. 
 
 This poem had an extraordinary 
 fale ; and its appearance happen- 
 ing at the time when his mother 
 was at Bath, many pcrfons there 
 took frequent opportunities of rcr 
 peanng paHawcs from The Baflard 
 in her hearing ; fo that (he was 
 obliged to fiy the place, and take 
 flielter in* London. 
 
 Some time after thif, Savage 
 fornied the refolution of applying 
 to the queen ; who having once 
 given him life, he hoped (lie might 
 farther extend her goodnefs to 
 him, by enabling him to fupport 
 v.. With this view he publilhed a 
 poem o. her birth-day, which he 
 isatiljcd The Voluuiecr-Lau-cat. He 
 
 had not, at that timf, one friend 
 10 present his verfes to her ma- 
 jelly J who, nevert^elefii, fent him 
 Hf:v pounds, w'.h an intimation 
 that he might annually (.'rpeit the 
 fame bounty. Accordingly he con- 
 tinued to pay her majelty this com- 
 pliment on every enfuing birth- 
 day, and had the honour of pre- 
 fenting his compofitions, and of 
 killing hermajefty's hand. 
 
 But fatire was rather his turn 
 than panegyrick ; and, among 
 other exercifes of his propcnfi'.y 
 this way, was a lampoon upon the 
 clergy, t^ith a view ro expofe the 
 bi(hop of London, who was then 
 engaged in a difpute with the lord 
 chancellor, which, being the fub- 
 jedl of general converlution, fur- 
 niflied Savage with a popular to- 
 pic. The piece was entitled The 
 Progrejs of a Divine, in which h« 
 painted the charader of a profli- 
 gate pried in fuch odious colours, 
 as drew upon him the utmoft re- 
 fentmeiit of the eccleliaflics ; who 
 endeavoured to take their revenge 
 on him by a profecutlon in tiie 
 King'a-Bcr.ch for obfcenity. in re- 
 gard to fonie paliajcjcs in this per- 
 foimance. In anfwer to this charge. 
 Savage juftly p'eaded that he had 
 only introduced obfcene ideas with 
 the view of expofing them to der 
 tedation, and of difcouraging vies 
 by (hewing its deformity. A< the 
 redlitude of this plea was obvious, 
 it was readily admitted by Sir 
 I'hilip Yorke, afterwards lord chan- 
 cellor, who then preJided in th.it 
 court; and who accordingly dilV 
 milfed the infor:ra:ion. 
 
 Bur, though Savage found (b 
 many fiiends, and had fo many 
 refources and fupplies, he wab tver 
 in (iitlrefs. The queen's annual 
 allowance was no'hing to a n)9n 
 of his (Irange and fingnlar extra- 
 vagance. His ufual cullom was, 
 as Toon as he had receivf^d hjis peo- 
 
 jl: c J ^n, 
 
S A 
 
 C 390 1 
 
 8 A 
 
 I 
 
 fion, to dif ppear with it, and 
 fpcrfte hitn(clt' from his moll in- 
 timate friends, till every jhilling 
 of the fifty pounds was fpenr ; 
 which done, he ugain ajipeared, 
 pcnnylefs as beforr : but he would 
 never intorm any perfon where he 
 had b'^en, nor in what manner his 
 money had been difllpatcd. From 
 the report;, howevei, of feme who 
 found means to penetrate his 
 haunts, it would feem th;it hi- ex- 
 pended both his time and his ta(h 
 in the molt fordid and defpicable 
 ferfuniity ; particularly in eating 
 and drinking, in which lie wou'id 
 indulge in the muii imfocial man- 
 ner, htiing whole days and nights 
 by himfelf, in obfcure houfes of 
 enr^rrainment over his bottle and 
 tr> ncher immerfed in filth and 
 flcth, with 'larcf decent apparel ; 
 gppfrally wrat)pcd up in a hoife- 
 man's gr' at coat ; and on the 
 whole, with his very h-mely coun- 
 ter ance, and figure altogether, ex- 
 hibiting an objed the moft dif- 
 gulling to the fight, if not to fome 
 other of the fi-nfes. 
 
 His wit and parts, however, (lill 
 raifed him new friends as fall as 
 his mifb^haviour loH him his old 
 Ones ; and Sir K. Walpole, the 
 prime miniller, was warmly fol- 
 licited in his favour. Bur, though 
 promiles were made, nothing more 
 than promift .s were obrained from 
 that ctlcbr ited llatefman. Whe- 
 ther it Was that fome enemy to 
 Savage hinted to Sir Roberr, that 
 any thing done for that unhappy 
 man, would be a mere u/alle of 
 benevolence, and chari y utterly 
 thrown away, or to whatever 
 caufe it was owing, certain it is, 
 that our author's difitppointment, 
 with refpeft to his cxpeftations 
 from this minilter, could not pro- 
 ceed from any want of generofity 
 in Sir Robert, who was confefTedly 
 a muft niuniiicent patron, and 
 
 bounteous rewardcr of literary me. 
 rit J efpccially wht-re men of Itt- 
 ters employed their t.:lcnis in his 
 fcrvice. 
 
 His poveity flill increafing, he 
 was ev«n reduced fo low m to be 
 dcftiiute of a lodging; inronuuh 
 thar he often prided his nights in 
 thole mean hnuiVs which are fct 
 open for tafual wanderers ; fomc» 
 times in cellars, amidit the riot 
 and filth of the mull profl <:;aie of 
 the rabble; and not feldoni would 
 he walk thj flrects till he was wea- 
 ry, and then lie down (in fammer) 
 oi> a bulk, or (in winter) w|th his 
 alibciates among the aflies of a 
 glafs-houfe, 
 
 Yet, amidft all this penury and 
 wretchednifa, had this man fo 
 much pride, (o high an opinion of 
 his own merit, that he ever kept 
 up his fpirits, and was always rea- 
 dy to reprefs, with fcojn and con- 
 tempt, the leall appearance of any 
 flight or indijjnity towards him- 
 felf, in the behaviour of his ac- 
 quaintance, among whom he look- 
 ed upon none as his fu(ierior: he 
 'ujoulii be treated as an equal, even 
 by perfons of the highell rank ! 
 we have an inllance of this prepof- 
 terous and inconfiftent pride in 
 his refufing to wait upon a gen- 
 tleman who wai defirous of reliev- 
 ing him when at ihe loull ehU 
 of diflrclf, only bccaufe the nicf- 
 fage fignified the gentleman's de- 
 fjre to fee him at nine o'clock in 
 the morning: Savage could not 
 bear that any one (hoiild prefumc 
 to prefcribe the hour of his at- 
 tendance ; and therefoe he ah- 
 folutely rejeclcd the proffered kind- 
 nefs. 
 
 This life, unhappy as it may be 
 already imagined, v/as yet render- 
 ed more unhappy by the death of 
 the queen, in 17^8 ; which Itroke 
 deprived him of all hopes from 
 the court. His pcnfion was dif- 
 
 conunvicd ; 
 
S A 
 
 i 391 ] 
 
 S A 
 
 crmtinueJ; and the infolcnt man- 
 rcr in \vtui:K he dciiiiinded of Sir 
 Rolwrt Walpole to have it rellor- 
 ed, for ever cut off thii confidcr- 
 ublo fuppiv ; which poflibly had 
 lit-cn oiuy dtiaytd, ana might have 
 ^<en recovered by proper appli- 
 cation. 
 
 His dlftrcfs mw became fo 
 ;>rc;jr, and fo notorious, that a 
 fchcme was at leng'h concerted 
 for procuring him ;i permanent 
 relief. It WIS propofcd that he 
 fhould retire into VVa'.ts, with an 
 allowance of 50 / frr Hunnm^ on 
 wh'ch he was to live privately, in 
 a cheap place, for ever quitting 
 Jiis town-haunts, and refigning all 
 fan her pretcnlioas to fame. This 
 offer he fecmed gladly to accept ; 
 but his intentions were only to de- 
 ceive hi fiiend-, by retiring for a 
 while, to wiiie another tragedy, 
 and then to return wiih it to Lon- 
 don, in order to fwing it ttpon the 
 ilng-. 
 
 Ill 1730, he fet out for Swan fey 
 in the Brillol (iage-coacli, and was 
 fiirnilhcd \yith fifteen guineas to 
 bear the tx pence of his jiurney. 
 iJut, on the t4th day after his 
 tlep.trture, his friends and bene- 
 fa^^lors, the principal of whom was 
 no other than the great Mr. Pope, 
 who txpeftcd to he.ir of his ar- 
 rival in V\ ales, wvrc furprized 
 with a letter Irojn Savage, iiiform- 
 ing them that he was yet upon the 
 ro.id, and could not proceed for 
 v/ant i)f mor.ey. There was no 
 other remedy than a remittance; 
 which was fcnt him, and by the 
 heip of which he was enabled to 
 reach Briitol, fom whence he 
 was to proceed to Swanfey by 
 water. At Briftol, however, he 
 found an embargo laid upon the 
 (hipping; fo that he could not im- 
 mediately obtain a paffage. Here, 
 therefore, being obliged to ftay for 
 fome time, he, with \\\t ufual fa- 
 
 cility, fo Ingratiated himfflf with 
 the principal inhibitant-f, 'hat he 
 was frequently invited tp their 
 houfe', diliingtiiftied at their pub- 
 lic entcftainiiients, and treated 
 with a regard thit highly gratified 
 his vanity, ami Hierclote eafily 
 cng:iged his affiftions. At lens^ih, 
 with great reUiitantc, he proceed- 
 ed to Swanfey, wheie he lived 
 about a year, verv much difl'icif- 
 fied wi'.h the diminution of his 
 falarv ; forhehul, in his leiten., 
 treated his contributors fo info- 
 Itntly, that molt of them with- 
 drew their fubfcriptlons. Here he 
 finiOicd his tragedy, and refolvcd 
 to return with it to London • 
 which was ftrenuoufly oppofed by 
 his great and conllant friend Mr. 
 I'ope ; who propi-fid that Saa^a 
 fhould put this play into the hands 
 of Mr. Thonifon and Mr. Mallet, 
 in order th.it th y might fit it for 
 the liage, that his friends Hiould 
 receive the prolits it might bring 
 in. iiiid that the author fliould re- 
 ceive the produce by way of an- 
 nu ty. This kind and prudent 
 Theme was rcjeded by Jjava^e, 
 with the utmoit conieiiip-. He 
 declared he would not fubmit his 
 works to any onf-'s correilion ; 
 and that he woii'd no longer be 
 kept in leading-lhlngb. Accord- 
 ingly he foon returned toBiillo', 
 in his way to London; but at 
 Brillol, meeting wi.h a repetition 
 of the fame kind treatment he had 
 before lound there, he was tempt- 
 ed to make a feond (lay in that 
 opulent city for fome time. H7re 
 he was again not only careff d and 
 treated, but the fum of thirty 
 pounds vvas raifed for him, with 
 which it had been happy if he had 
 immediately departed for London: 
 but he never confidcred that a fre- 
 (juciit repetition of fuch kindnefs 
 vvas not to be expedled, and that 
 it was poffible to tire i:ut the gc- 
 C c 4 nexoiity 
 
 /CI 
 
S A 
 
 I 39' 1 
 
 S A 
 
 nfrf'fiiy of his BrilHl fricnt^j, as 
 he hsid l)trore iiie.1 his (lifiuls 
 fvery whrie ild". In fl»ort, he 
 iciitaincil here till his company 
 was no ioiij;er wclcom*', His vi- 
 fits in every family wcie loo often 
 r peaic I ; his wit had loll ii? no- 
 V(l y, and his iricniilar bihaviMur 
 grew troublcfomc, Ncafiitycamc 
 upon him befure h<; w<u aware i 
 his I'lonty was Iptnt, his do;iti s 
 worn out, his appear.incc was 
 ihabhy, and his prtfeoce was dif- 
 gpftful at every table. He now 
 began to fiid every man frcni 
 h"me at wffofe houfe he calkd, 
 and he found it diiiicult to o' tuin 
 a dinner. Thus reduced, it w i;ld 
 have been prudent in him to have 
 V'thdraun from the pli.ce ; but 
 I'ruilercc and Sav:in;f were never 
 acquainted. He lljiid, in the miiltt 
 cf povtriy, hitn[;er, and coiutinpU 
 till the niiilrcfs of a cortee-lioule, 
 to whom he cued about c'^ht 
 piiuii.if, .nrrelled him for the delit. 
 lie remained for fume tin:e, ;.t a 
 grent cxptnce, in the houf-.- of i!,c 
 llierirt's oiRcer, in hopes of \in- 
 curinij bail; whiih expence he 
 \vas enabled lo defray, by a prefent 
 ci' five guineas fiom Mr. Naih at 
 JJiith. No bail, however, was to 
 be found; fo that poor Savage was 
 at lall lodc^ed in Newgate, a prilba 
 ib named in liiiilol. 
 
 Kut it was the fortune of this 
 extraordinary morial always to 
 find mor- friends than hcdtfervtd. 
 The kfpper of the prifoii too!: 
 compafiiori on him, and grealiy 
 foiiencd the ligours of l/is cuiilinc- 
 luent by every Una of indul- 
 gence ; he fuiiported hi 'i at Lis 
 own table, gave him a com mo 
 dious ^-oom to himfelf, allowed 
 him to lland at the door of the 
 gaol, and even frecjuently took him 
 into the fhj'df, f-r the bencli: of 
 tne ar and exercife : fo. that, in 
 
 ft a. 
 
 li;y, Savase cndurtd fcvver 
 
 hariiniii)*; iu- thit place thui he 
 hud ulually fnffercd duiing the 
 jrit-.iifl! [ ait of lii.i life. 
 
 W'h If he remaintd in this not 
 inrolcrablc jiifon, liis ingratitude 
 ajiaii; b/t'ke « nr, in a biuer faiire 
 on the ci'y of Biillol, to w!iich he 
 crtainly owed prcat fbligation?, 
 nuiwithlbHiding ih- circunillancej 
 of his arrell, which wa. but the 
 acf of an individual, and that at- 
 tended wirh no ciicuiiilUnccs oi 
 injtillue or cruelty. This fatiie 
 he entitled l.onri,tn and llrij.v} Cihii^ 
 paifd; and in it he abuftd the in- 
 hai)ic.ii)ts of the latter with fuch a 
 fuirit of refentir.ent, tliat the rea- 
 der would imagine he had never 
 received anv other than the moll 
 injurious treatment in that city, 
 But this is ever the behaviour of 
 Ungiateful people. If a thoufand 
 favours Hie bellowed on them, and 
 hft^rv-ards but the fniallell ofience 
 is given, all the previous obligi- 
 tions ae immei iateiy cancelled, 
 c.nd the liiigle clfcnte, jA'rhapg too 
 an ini.;',inary one, is returned with 
 as much rancour and refentn.ent 
 as if no aCt of friendlhip or kind- 
 ncfs had ever exitleci, or had the 
 leall right to be brought into the 
 account ; as though irjuries only, 
 whether real or fuppofed, ought to 
 be remembered, and favours to be 
 as readily -forgot, as they were li- 
 berally conforicd ! 
 
 When Savage had remained a- 
 bout fix months in this holpitable 
 priion, he received a letter front 
 I'di. Pope (who Hill continued lO 
 allow him 20/. a year), contain- 
 ing a charge of very atiocious in- 
 gratitude. What were the parti- 
 culars of this charge, we are not 
 informed; but, from thenotoiioui 
 charader of the man, there is rea- 
 fon to fear that Savage was but too 
 juilly accufcd. He, however, fo- 
 lemnly protel1:ed his innocence; 
 but he was very.unufually aifc^Sed 
 
 n 
 
S A 
 
 f! 3"^ I 
 
 S^A 
 
 on thU oecailon. In a kw diyi 
 aft«r, hewM feized with a dlfor* 
 der, which at firil wai not rufpefk- 
 ed to be dangeroui ; hut, growing 
 daily more languid and d^ofled, ar 
 luft a fever feized him, and he ex- 
 pired on the firft of Auguft, 17431 
 M the 46th year of his age. 
 
 Thus lived, and ihui died, 
 Kichard Savage, lea^inv behind 
 htm achara^er (Vrangclycnequered> 
 with vices and good qualities. OF 
 the former we have fern a variety 
 of indances in this abftrad of his 
 life ; of the lattter, his peculiar 
 fituation in the world gave him 
 but few oppottunities of making 
 any confiderable difplay. He was, 
 however, undoubtedly a man of 
 excellent parts ; and, had he te- 
 ceivcd the full benefits of a liberal 
 education, and had hit natural 
 talents been cyltivaied to the belt 
 advantage, he might have made a 
 refpeftable figure in life. He was 
 happy in an agreeable temper, and 
 a lively flow of wit, which made 
 his company much coveted ; nor 
 was his judgment, both of writings 
 and of inen, inferior to his wit ; 
 but he was too much a (lave to his 
 paffions, and his pafTions were too 
 eafily excited. He was warm in 
 his friendlhips, but implacable in 
 his enmity ; and his greateft fnult, 
 v/hich is indeed the greateil of ail 
 faults, wat ingratitude. He feemcd 
 to fuppofe e\ery thing due to his 
 merit, and that he was little obliged 
 to any one for thofe favours 
 Vuhicb he thought it their duty to 
 confer on him ; it is therefore the 
 lefs to be wondered at, that he ne- 
 ver rightly eftimated the kindnefs 
 of hu many friends ai^d benefac- 
 tors, or preferved a grateful and 
 flue, fenfe of their generofity to- 
 wards him. 
 
 The dramatic works of this un- 
 happy bard, which are only two- in 
 nomber, have been already men- 
 tioned i but we muiK in confor- 
 VOL. I. 
 
 mliy to Our mcAodf, hfr«' rectal- 
 twtate tliem : 
 
 1. /,«w in a Vfit. Curt, fron^ 
 the 8pani(h. 8vo. 1719. 
 
 ». Hir Thomat Ovtrburj, T. 81^0, 
 ■ ■ 1724. ■■ 
 
 TV) which may be added h fecond 
 tragedy on the fubjei) of the lac- 
 t^rj wnich he had begun to write 
 during his reftdencc in Wales, 
 This he left in pawn, with the 
 g4ofer'*< Briftbl, wjth whom it re- 
 mained when our author diedf 
 On that event it Wns bought by 
 Mr. Cave for fcven guinea , and 
 laid by among hit own ^jpen* 
 where it was found many year$ 
 after. It ws then pat into thif 
 hands of Mr. William Woo(' ill, 
 who made fome alterations in i( 
 himfelf, and received others f^om 
 both Mr. Garrick and Mr. Cnl- 
 man. Thefe, however, confille<| 
 chiefly of tranfpofitions. When 
 compreted, it was produced at Co- 
 vent-Garden in the year 1 777, Snd 
 a6led with applaufe. 
 
 The works of this original wri- 
 ter, after having long lain difperfedl 
 in magazines and fugitive pub- 
 lications, were collected and pub- 
 li(hed by T. Evans, bookfeller, ia 
 the Strand, in an elegant edltioi} 
 in 2 vols. 8vo. to which are pre- 
 fixed, the admirable Memoirs of 
 Savage, written by Df. Samuel 
 Johnfon. 
 
 Saunders, Chav ■ .. i^ 
 young gentleman, who lived In tlte 
 reign of king Charley II. who£p 
 wit, Langbaine in^'ims us, began 
 to bud as earlv r^s that of the in, - 
 comparable Cc wley; and was like 
 him, a king's fcholar at Weftminfter 
 fchool at the time that he wrote 4 
 play, viz. 
 
 laotfrlane the Great. T. 4 to. i(5H li 
 Mr. Ranks has. complimenred our 
 young author in a copy of'yeifes 
 prefixed to this playj and Mr. 
 Dryden did him the honour of 
 writing ^he prologtje to it. Whe- 
 C c ; tbcr 
 
sc 
 
 C 39* ] 
 
 SC 
 
 t\tt the Ibokt of fat* deprived 
 the\worId foon of this promifing 
 genius, we know not ; but there are 
 no later fruits of it on record in 
 the dramatic lifts. 
 
 ScHOMBERG, Ralph* M. D. 
 A foa of Pr. Ifaac Schomberg, 
 who WM not more remarkable on 
 account of his conteft with the 
 college of phyiicians, than for his 
 engaging manners and his fecial 
 virtues. Thefe indeed were hap« 
 pily tranfmitted in the perfon of 
 the late Dr. Ifaac Schomberg, an^ 
 other of his fens, who by death ef- 
 caped the lafting dilgrace his brO" 
 ther's conduA has accupiulated on 
 jiis very amiable family. Our au- 
 thor, who is ftill living (if a life 
 like his can properly be called .>:^- 
 idence), has been long a fcribbler 
 without genius or veracity, Happy 
 at leaft, in point of fortune, acd 
 1)is own conceit, he might have 
 remained, if the following robbery 
 cf a fpital had been the onl}> one 
 upon record againft him. In th$ 
 year 1767, he publifhfd a work, 
 entitled, A Critical Dijjfeitatia,t en 
 theChara^ers and Writings of Pindar 
 and Horace, In a Letter to the 
 Right Honourable the Earl of B ^ 
 This, as the Monthly Revienuers tru- 
 ly obferve, is a remarkable inftance 
 ^f plagiarifm. " We have now 
 (fay thefe gentlemen) before us 
 a little duodecimo, printed at 
 yaris in 1673, and entitled, 
 Comparaifon de Pindare et d*Horacey 
 Dediee a Monf. It Premier Prefident. 
 Par Monf, Blondell, Maijlre des Ma- 
 thematiqutt a Monfiegneur le Dau- 
 fhin. From this work has Dr. 
 Ralph Schomberg of Bath pilfered 
 and tranQaied what he has given 
 to the publick as his own Critical 
 Dinirlation en the CharaSlen and 
 V^itingi of Pindar and Horace : 
 a procedure which requires no 
 (MXjih^f explanauon ! But it is 
 
 ll 
 
 1 
 
 
 't 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 
 hoped we (hall hear no mo|e of> 
 this honour (Ale gentlentan in the 
 republic of literature." The cha*. 
 ritable hope expreflcd by the /?#- 
 viewers, however, was not falfilled. 
 We have heard of our author 
 again, and ina tranfaflionof which 
 we ihall be forgiven if we do not 
 relate the particulars. But why, 
 K may be a^ed, is any page m 
 this book encumbered by his 
 name ? As a dramatic biographer I 
 am compelled to its infertion, for 
 our DoSir has written the three 
 following pieces defigncd for the 
 ftage. The -two firft are fuch 
 wretched efforts at pleafantry, that 
 none will difpute his claim in 
 them J and the other performance, 
 as I was told by Mr. Garrick, who> 
 refufed it, deferves as bad a cha-« 
 rafter. Their titles are, 
 
 I. The Death of Bucephalus. F. 
 8vo, 1765. 
 
 Z. The Judgment of Paris, Burl, 
 8vo. 1768. 
 
 3, Romulus and Tlerjilin. T» 
 Within a few months paft, thia 
 tragedy has been retommended by 
 fomc paragraph-writer in our pub-", 
 lick prints, as fit for immediate 
 exhibition. There is difficulty, 
 however, in afcribing the flighted 
 notice of it to any other pen than 
 that of its author. An anonymous 
 dram 9) indeed, on the fame fub« 
 jcft, and with the fame title, 4to« 
 was publiflied in 1685; a piece 
 concerning which the original 
 compiler of the prefent work has 
 <>xnreired himfelf in favourable 
 terms. Perhaps Dr. Schomberg* 
 with his ufual freedom, may havo 
 borrowed, and with his ufaalauk« 
 wardnefs may have fpoiled it% 
 Compare alfo bis Life of Mgcenas 
 with that written by Meibomius^ 
 and then exclaim with Horace: 
 
 —movcat cornkula rifum 
 , Fwti>vis f^M^ata coUribHs-l ;-i 
 
 ai X* 
 
 I4| rf i% 
 
 ,1 .i»Y 
 
8 B 
 
 ' I 395 1 
 
 S E 
 
 Even the all-fwallowing vafis at in the general JAibilfe,ah» g^tt^ 
 
 Bath-£a{lon has been ipund to 
 paufeate our Do^or''} cova^oCy ions. 
 When it was ^rll opened, he was 
 a conttant candidate for the myrtle 
 wreath. The wreath, however, as 
 if indued with prefcience of his 
 
 of which was both agrceai^le to 
 his years, and ex^thy fuit;|ble to 
 his lafte and temper. He was 
 foon introduced to the king ; and 
 it was not long before hry, who 
 ffcomn^ndcd hi«n tp his majelly. 
 
 future (hame, pL-rfilted in avoid* found they had thereby, in iuoie 
 jng the flightell contaft with his meafure, fopplanted themfelves. 
 
 head. 
 
 Scott, T.iomas. Was edu- 
 cated at WeUininittr-fchool, from 
 whence he was removed to the 
 univerfity of CatpUridge, in the 
 reign of king William III. and, 
 during the latter part of queen 
 Anne's reign, he vyas fccretaty (o 
 the earl of Roxburgh. He was 
 author of the followiug dramatic 
 pieces, 
 
 1. M'ci Marriage. C. ^to. 1696. 
 
 2. Unhappy Kindmj's. T. \\o. 
 
 Sedley, SirCHAULEH, Bart. 
 
 Sir Charles had fucli a iliUmguifli- 
 ingly polit«; eafinefa :n his manner 
 and converfation, as fethim higher 
 in the royal notice and favour 
 than any of the courtiers his ri- 
 ynls, notwithlianding they ail aim- 
 ed at the famt' turn, and fome of 
 them even excelled in it. In the 
 view of heightening their plea- 
 fures, our author, among the reft, 
 did not negled to exert his taleuts 
 in writing. 'Ihe produdlions of 
 his pen were fome plays, and fe- 
 veral amorous poems, in which 
 the foftnefs of the verfes was fo 
 
 One of the gay wits that enlivened exquifiie, as to be called, by the 
 the pleafurable court of king duke of Buckingham, Sedley's 
 
 Charles II. was grandfon of Sir 
 Williatn Sedley, Bart, the muni- 
 ficent founder of the Sedleian lec- 
 ture of natural philofophy at Ox- 
 ford, and fon of Sir John Sedley, 
 of Aylesford, in Kent, Bart, by 
 his wife Elizabeth, daughter and 
 
 pyiichaaft. " Iheie wtre no marks 
 " of genius or true poetry to be 
 '* defcried (fay the authors of the 
 " Biographia Jiritannica) \ the art 
 " wholly conftlled in raiftng loofc 
 •' thoughts and lewd defires, with- 
 " out giving any alarm, and fo 
 
 heir of Sir Henry Saville, Knt. '* the poifon worked gently and 
 the learned warden of Mertoa Col- '* irrefillibly. Our author, we may 
 jege, in Oxford, and provoft of *' be fure, did not efcape the in- 
 
 i'.ton. Sir Charles was born about 
 the year 1639 ; and, afcer a pro- 
 per foundation of grammar learn- 
 ing, was fent to Oxford, where he 
 was admitted a fellow commoner 
 
 " fe£lion of his own ait, or rather 
 ♦• was fiift tainted himftlf, before 
 ** he fpread the infection to others." 
 A very ingenious writer of the 
 pre.ent day, however, fpeaks much 
 
 ]&vea 
 
 of Wadham College in Lent-term, more favourably of Sir Charles 
 
 1655-6. But he left the univer- Sedley's writings. •• He ftufdied 
 
 fity \yithout taking any degree, *' human nature, and was dittin- 
 
 cnd, retiring into his own coun- " guiflied for the art of making 
 
 try, lived privately there, ou, of *' ^OT/f//" agreeable, particularly to 
 
 humour, as it fliould fecm, with *' the ladies ; lor the verles of lord 
 
 the governing powers, till the Ref- " Rocheiler, beginning with, Sed- 
 
 toration of Charles II. when he ** ley has 1 hat prevailing gfntle arf^ , 
 
 «ame 10 London, in order to join '* Sec. io often quoted, allude not 
 
 .. '• to 
 
 :;Y 
 
S E 
 
 C 396 ] 
 
 S E 
 
 
 "•' to his Kwitiz/^Sy but to his prr- 
 ** /hnal ac/i/rrfs.'* LanghORNe's 
 £J'u/i.w<, Sec. 
 
 Diffolutenefs and debajichcry 
 were the fcandalous cliHrafleriftics 
 •f the times ; and it was Sir Charles's 
 
 it neceflary, in the language of 
 thti court, to have a Handing armv, 
 it was oppofed ftrongly bv the gen- 
 tlemen of the country pany, 
 .'.niong whom were the carl of 
 Dorfet and Sir Charles Sedlcy, 
 
 ambition to diAinguiOi hiir.felf one of which bore a great fway in 
 among the foremoft in the fafliion. the houfe of peers, and the other 
 In jtinc 1663, our author, lord in that of the commons. Their 
 Buckhurrt, and Sir Thomas Ogle, intercft was fo confiderable in both, 
 were convened at a public- houfe efpecially Sir Charles Sedley's, 
 in Bow-Street, Covent-Garden, that the king, forefeeing it would 
 and, being enflamed with ftrong be a work of ihegreatclt difiiculty 
 liquors, they went up to the 1.J- to gain their confent for the pay- 
 cony belonging to that houfe, and nient of more troops than what 
 
 there fliewed indecent pollures, 
 and gave great offence to the paf- 
 fengers in the Urect, by very ui<- 
 maniierly difchargcs upon rhem ; 
 which done, Sedley ftripptd hini- 
 I'elf naked, and preached to the 
 jjeople in a grofs and fcandalous 
 manner: whereupon a riot being 
 laifed, the mob became clamorous, 
 and would have forced the door 
 rtxt to the ftrcet ; but being op- 
 pofed, the preacher and his com- 
 |)aiiy were driven from the bal- 
 cony, and the windows of a room 
 into which they retired were bro 
 
 were upon the eftablilhment of the 
 lafr reign, contented himfelf with 
 dropping the purfui: of ir, by a 
 diflblution of the parliament. In 
 the fame fpirit, our patriot wa» 
 very sftive in bringing on the 
 Revolution. This was thought 
 more extraordinary, as he had re- 
 ceived favours from Jameb : but 
 that prince had taken a fancy to 
 Sir Charles's daughter (though it 
 feems (he was not very handfome), 
 and, in confequcnce of his in- 
 trigues with her, he created Mifs 
 Sedley couniefs of Dorchetler. 
 
 lien by the mob. The frolic being This honour, fo far from pleafing, 
 
 loon rtporttd abioad, and as per- greatly Ihocked Sir Charles. How- 
 
 fons of faliiion were concerned in ever libertine himfelf had been, 
 
 it, it was fo much the more ag- yet he could not bear the thoughts 
 
 gravated. The company were of his daughter's dilhonour ; and, 
 
 fummoned to appear before a court with regard to this her exaltation, 
 
 of julb'ce in Weftminfter-Hall, be only confidered it as rendering, 
 
 where, bcinp indidled for a riot, 
 ihcy were all finsd, and our au- 
 thor was fentenced to pay ^00/. 
 
 After this affair, Sir Charles 
 lock a riore feiious rn, applied 
 himfelf to bufinefs, and becaae a 
 member of parliament, in which 
 he was a frequent fpeakcr. We 
 find him alfo in the houfe of 
 conair.ons in the rcipn of Jamco 
 II. V. hnfc attempt-! upon tbt- cth- 
 ftiiotioi) lie v)>;>-(,roiinv' witlillocd. 
 When th^.' defrat c.f i'r,^ rebels un- 
 dir the di'.kc of M'Tuuoulh mudc 
 
 her more confpicuoufly infamous. 
 He therefore conceived a hatred 
 for the king; and from this, as 
 well as other motives, rradily 
 joined to difpolftfs him of the 
 ihione. 
 
 A witty faying of Sedley's, on 
 this occafion, is recorded. *'I 
 " hate ingratitude, faid Sir Charles ; 
 " and therefore, as the king h>is 
 " made my daughter a countefr, I 
 " will endeavour to make his 
 *' daughter a queen ;" meanin;^; 
 the princcfs M.ny, r.uuricd to the 
 
 priric? 
 
 was. 
 
 C. 4t'>- 
 4. B. 
 Death ri 
 
 6. 7/ 
 St. 
 title ]i 
 
S B 
 
 t 297 ] 
 
 S E 
 
 prince of Orange, who difpoflefl"- 
 ed Jumcs oit' the throne at the 
 ever-glorious Revolution. 
 
 Sir Charles lived many years 
 after the Revolution, in full pof- 
 feffion of his wit and humour, and 
 was, to the iaft, an agreeable com- 
 panion. He died at a good old 
 age Aug. 20, 1701. 
 
 His dramatic writings are, 
 
 1. The Mulberry Ga<^c{i:n. C. 4to. 
 1668. 
 
 2. Anthony and Cleopatra, T, 
 4to. 1667. 
 
 3. Tiellamira ; or, The Mijlrcfs, 
 C. 4t'>- 1687. ' ',. 
 
 4. Beaitv the Conqueror ; or, The 
 Death nf Mark Anthony. T. 
 
 5. T'le Grumbler. C. three a.'"ts. 
 
 6. The Tyyci>/t Kvv^ of Cute. T. 
 St. Serfe, Sir Thomas. This 
 
 title Jacob ha^ given to a gentle- 
 man whom neither Lan2;baine nor 
 Gildon has dignified with any 
 thing but his plain name. He was 
 a native of No;th Britain, and it 
 appears, by the dedication of a 
 play which he '.vrote, and will be 
 prefently mentioned, that he was 
 in the king's fsrvice in the North 
 of Scotland in the times of the 
 troubles, though in what poll is 
 not mentioned ; yet, it is evident, 
 that he ventured his peifjn on a 
 fervice of coniiderable daiiger, no 
 lefs than that of a fpy, from the 
 following four lines wnich Coxeter 
 has quoted concerning him from 
 the Coveni -Garden Drollery^ 8vo. 
 1672. p. 84. viz. r ' 
 
 Once like a Pedlar they * have 
 
 heard thee bra^, 
 ILyw thou didji cheat their Jtghti, 
 
 and fave thy crai^ ; 
 IVhen to the great Montrofs^ under 
 
 pretence 
 Of godly Bukes, thou hroughtjl 
 
 Intclligem-e. 
 
 The title of the above-mentioned 
 * The Covenanters. 
 
 play, the ground-work of which, 
 however, is borrowed from the 
 Spanidi, is 
 
 Tarugo'i mies. C. 410. 1^68. 
 Langbaine gives it a good cha- 
 rafter, and, in the eleventh volume 
 of " The Englilh Poets," p. 190, 
 may be feen a \CTy elegant copy of 
 vtrfes by the earl of Dorfet, ia 
 com|jliment to Sir Thoiiias St. 
 Serfe, on its publication. 
 
 Sl;tti.k, Elk an ah. Son of 
 Jofeph Settle, of Dunftable, in Ked- 
 fordihire, was born in 1648; and 
 in the 1 8th year of his age was 
 entered commoner of Trinity Col- 
 lege, Oxon ; but he quitted the 
 univcrnty without taking any de- 
 gree, and came to Londui, where 
 lie applied himfclfto the iludy of 
 poetiy ; in which he lived to make 
 no inconhderable fi^rure. Finding 
 the nation divided between the 
 opinions of whig and tory, he 
 thought proper, on ftrll fetting out 
 in Jite, to join the whigs, who 
 were tlifn, though the minor, yet 
 a povvfcrful party, and in fupporc 
 of which he employed his talents 
 as a writer. Afterwards, he chang- 
 ed fides, turned tory, and wrote 
 for that pai ty with as much zeal 
 as he had formerly flttwn for the 
 intered of the whigs ; by which 
 we lee that politicians, and pa- 
 triots, were made of the fame 
 fort of fluff iin thoSe times, as in 
 the prellnt. He alfo wrote an 
 heroic |7oem on the coronation of 
 the high and mighty monarch 
 James Jf. 168^ ; commenced 3 
 journalill for the court, and pub- 
 lifht'd weekly an effay in behalf 
 of the adniiniflration. 
 
 Poor hikanah was unfortunate 
 in the change of his party; for, 
 before he had derived any, fulvd-, 
 advantage from abandoning his 
 old friends the Revolution took 
 place, and from that period, hav- 
 ing loll gli his credit, he lived 
 
 poor 
 
S E 
 
 [ 59S J 
 
 S fe 
 
 poof and defpifed, fubjefl to all 
 the miferies of the moft abjeft 
 Date of indigence, and deditute 
 of any advantageous and reputa- 
 ble conne£tion. In the year 1 58o, 
 he was fo violent a whig, that the 
 famous ceremony of pope-burning 
 on the 17th of November was en- 
 trufted to his management ^nd 
 he feems to have been ar (hat 
 time much in the confidei :e :^ 
 thofe who oppofcd gove . Tie .. 
 After his change, like othti- con- 
 verts, he became equally violent 
 againft thofe with whom be had 
 before afTociated, and adlually en- 
 tered himfelf a trooper in king 
 James's army at Ilounflow Heath. 
 In the latter part of his life he was 
 fo reduced a^ to attend a booth in 
 Bartholomew Fair, kept by Mrs. 
 Minns and her daughter Mrs. 
 Leigh, and received a falary from 
 them for writing droll?, which ge- 
 nerally were approved of. He 
 alfo was obiiged to appear in h:s 
 old age as a performer in thefe 
 wretched theatrical exhibition;, 
 and, in a farce called St. George for 
 England, zSttdi a dragcn inclofed 
 in a cafe of green leather of his 
 own invention. I o this circum- 
 ftance, Dr. Young refers in the 
 following lines oi his epilUe to 
 Mr. Pope; ■ -I ■ 
 
 ** Poor Elkanah all otherchanges 
 
 ♦• part. 
 *'• For bread in Smithfield dra- 
 
 *• gons bifi'd at lall, 
 ** Spit rtreams of fire to make 
 
 *' the butchers gape, 
 •' And found his manners fuit- 
 
 •' ed to his ftiape. 
 *• Such i' the fate of talents 
 
 " mifapply'o, &c." 
 
 In the end, he obtained admifIior\ 
 into the Charter houle, and died 
 there Feb. J2, 1723-4. '1 he wri- 
 ter of a periodical paper, called, 
 fr/je BritoN, Feb. 19, 1724, fpcaki 
 
 of liim as then jufl dead, and 
 adds, '' he was a man of taH fta- 
 *' tuie, red fsce, fl:ort black hair, 
 " Jived in the city, and had a nu- 
 '• incrous poetical ifTue, butfhaicd 
 *' the misfortune of feveral other 
 " gc itlemen, to furvive them all.'* 
 Mr. Settle's dnimatic works are, 
 
 1. Ctviibjjli^ King of Fcrjia, T, 
 4to. 1671. 
 
 2. The Eaiprcf of Morocco. T. 
 4to. 1673. 
 
 :}. Love anJ Revenge. T. 410. 
 i67C> 
 
 4 7'lje Cofiqurjl of China ly tl^ 
 T altars, T. 410. 1676. 
 
 5. Ibrahim, the lllufrioui Bajfa, 
 T. in heroic vtrii. 4to. 1677. 
 
 6. Pajior Fido ; or, Vjc Faithful 
 Shepherd. Pall. 4to, 1C77. 
 
 7. Fatal Love; or. The Forced 
 Inconfian^. T. 410. 1680. 
 
 8. The Female Prelate, being the 
 hiltory of the life and death of 
 Pope Joan. T. 4to. 16S0. 
 
 9. The Heir of Morouo, T. 4 to* 
 1682. 
 
 :o. DflrcJJid Innocence \ or, The 
 Priucffs nfPerJia. T. 4tO. :69l. 
 
 1 1 . The Jmhitious Stave ; or, A 
 generous Revenge, T. 4to. 1694. 
 
 12. Phi!afler\ or. Love lies a 
 bleeding. T. C. 4t0. 1695. 
 
 13. The World in the Moon. O. 
 4to. i6t)7, 
 
 14. The Virgin Prcphetefs', or, 
 The Fate of Troy, An Opera. 410. 
 1701. 
 
 15. City Ramble; or, The Play 
 hcuje ireddini;. C. 4tO. N. D. 
 
 *i6. The Sie^e of Trny. Dr. Ferf. 
 8vo. 1707. 
 
 17. I he Ladies Triu/nph. A Co- 
 mic Opera. 8vo 1718. 
 
 This author had a pcnfion from 
 the city, for an annual pane- 
 gyric to celebrate the fellival 
 or the lord mayor ; in confe- 
 quence of which he wrote va- 
 riOU!- pcems, called Triumphs for 
 the Inauguration of the Lord Mayor ; 
 
 the 
 
S E 
 
 C 399 i 
 
 S H 
 
 the lad of which was in ths parilh to their poor who are buried 
 
 year 1708, bu: was not: reprefent- from the wcrk-houfe ; neither did 
 
 cd on account of the death of a fingle friend Or relation attend 
 
 prince George of D.-nmark two him to the grave. No memorial 
 
 days before. Ikfides his d amatic was placed over his remains ; but 
 
 piec<::s, he pu))li(hed irxAvy ccca- they ]ie juft under a holly tree, 
 
 fionaf poems, addrefl'ed to his pa- which formrd a part of a hedge- 
 
 trons. Some months before his row that v/as once the boundary 
 
 dtceafe, he offered a play to the of the chorch-yard. 
 
 managers of the theatre-royal in lie was a man of an amiable dif- 
 
 Drury-Lane, but he lived not to pofition, and greatly efteemcd a- 
 
 bring it on the llage : it was call- mong his acquaintance. In his 
 
 ed, T/je Kx/iif'Jtim (f toe Da/ws from political principles he was inc!ined 
 
 Britaliu to the tory party, which might in 
 
 Sewell, Dr. George. This fome meafure be the reafon of his 
 
 au:hor was born, in what year we being fo wann an antagonitl: to the 
 
 know nor, at the college of Wind- bifliop of Salilbury, whofe zeal 
 
 for, of which place his father, Mr. had (o eminently exer ed itfelf ia 
 
 J'jhri Sewell, was irtafurer and the caufe of the whigs. As an 
 
 chapter clerk, fie received his author, he was undoubtedly pof- 
 
 «arly education at Eton fchool, but fefled of aconhderable fiiare of ge- 
 
 was aficrwards frnt to the univer- niu;;, --.nd wrote in coniert with 
 
 fity of Cambridge, where he was fevrral of h's contemporary ge- 
 
 entcrcd oi Peter Houfe College, niufcs, particularly in the 5'/)^t7«^);-f 
 
 and there to^k the degree of and Tailcrs^ in the fifth volume of 
 
 batchtlor uf phyfic in '70Q. From the latter, ai;d the ninth of the 
 
 thence he went over to Leyden, former, in wiiith he was principally 
 
 where he iuidif d under the fa:noii3 concerned, as alfo ia a tranllation 
 
 Dr. Boerhaave; and, on his return ot the J^Ltamorphafes of Ovid, and 
 
 to London, piachrcdphyfick in that an cditijn of bhakfpcare's Poems. 
 
 metropolis forfevcral years; but his He left only one dramatic piece 
 
 » 
 
 fjccrfs was not fnfiitient to ii:!duce 
 him to continue there. He then 
 retired to Hampllead, and followed 
 his pioftfli n with credit, reputa- 
 tion, and profit, until three oth:r 
 plulicians fettled at the p'ace, 
 :if'.er wliich his gains became very 
 inconfiderable. He kept no houfe, 
 but was a bi'fli'Jcr ; whs miicli 
 elleemed, and fo frcquen ly invrr- 
 od to the tailcs of gintk-meii in 
 the iieighbomhood, that he had 
 iVidoni occalioa to dine u£ home, 
 lie died the ^th of 1 ebtuary, 1721, 
 and was tuppoltd at that time to 
 he in .e.y indigent circumllascef, 
 as he was interred on the 12th of 
 
 behind him, wiiich met with good 
 fuccefs at firft, bur has not beea 
 ai^ecl for fcveral years jwft, »>n- 
 li^leJ, '' 
 
 1. AiVr Ji- alter Raleigh^ T. 3vo. 
 17.9. 
 
 2. Ksn:^ Richard the Flrft. 8vo. 
 172;;. This confills only of a few 
 fragments. 
 
 Shadwell, Charles. This 
 gentleman, Jacob tells us, was 
 nephew to the poet-laureat, whofe 
 life we fhall record in the next 
 article. But »Jhc:wood, in his 
 Britijh Thiatre, makes nim more 
 nearly related, being, as he fays, 
 his y.junger (on He had fervrd 
 
 tht lame nunth in the meanell in Portuc;i'l, and enjoyed a poii in 
 ni.ituier, his coihn being litMe the revenue in Dulilm, in which 
 bctiex than thoie allotted by the ciry he disd on the 12th of Augull, 
 
s 'J, 
 
 s 
 
 H 
 
 t 400 j 
 
 S II 
 
 1726. He wrote feven dramatic applied li'mTelf wliolly to culru'aff! 
 
 pieces, the titles of which are, 
 
 1. Fair ^aker nf Deal. C. 410. 
 1710. 
 
 2. Humours of the Army. C. 410, 
 
 3. HaJfymMiig. C. 
 
 4. i'ArfOT Pr'nice. C. 
 
 5. Rothcric O'Connor. T. 
 
 6. I'liKtifiir Lonvrs. F. 
 
 7. Irijh Hojpitality. Com. 
 
 All thefe, excepting the i^<7/r 
 Xluaker of Deal, and the Huviours if 
 ihe /Ir/nv, made thdr appearance 
 
 thofe elegant lludies which were 
 the fafluonaI)lc amufenients of 
 the times ; and it was not long 
 bfttore he became eminent in dra- 
 matic poetry, a Ipeclmen of wisicli 
 appcaiid in a comedy ca!ku The 
 Huiien Lovers^ or, The Iwpertintn;^^ 
 which was atitcd at the dnl.t .i 
 theatre. As the plii;/ was v-t^W re- 
 ceived, he wrote ■:- j;reat uiariy 
 more comeuico, which met "ith 
 good fucccfb. 
 
 in the mtr.n whi'e, as it wag 
 
 on th? Irifli ftage only, ar.d aie impoiTible in thefe times to Hiinc 
 printed together in one volume in among the great orcsj w!iich is 
 
 jiv.jno. \ 72c. 
 
 Sh A DWELL, THOMAi!. Poct- 
 
 Jattrp.it to king vViiiiam III. uas 
 defcer.ded nom a.'i anci( nt family 
 in StaiFordfirrP, :-,nd u^s born 
 about the year 164c, zi Ls=uton 
 Hall in Norfolk, a iejii bejongir.g 
 to his father, vs ho was b ed to the 
 liiW ; but, having an ample ibr- 
 tunc, did not trouble himtelf with 
 the pradice, chufing rather to 
 
 the p Jtt's ambuion, without Tid- 
 ing with one of the par-ies, whig 
 or lo.'V, Mr. Shadv ell's lot te:i 
 r.moi.g the whigs; and, in cou- 
 ftquence thertot, he wns fct up a» 
 a rival to Drydcn. Hence there 
 grew a mutual diflikc between 
 them ; and, upon the appearance 
 of Dryden's tragedy, c.'i!led '7/'f 
 Duke of Gil if c, in 1683, our author 
 was charged with having liie prin- 
 
 ferve hi- country as a jufiice of cipal hand in writing a piece, inii- 
 
 tled, i)flfi!e Ki'Jiii'otis on ihepri-wneicd 
 Parallel in the PLy called theYinKe oi 
 Guife, in a Leftertoa Friinei; which 
 was printed the fame year, in lour 
 (hteti, 4to. Mr. Diyden wrote 
 
 peace. He »vas in that commiflion 
 for three counties, Middlefex, Nor- 
 folk, and SufFoik, and difcharged 
 the office with dillinguiftied abi- 
 lity and exad integrity. In the 
 
 civil wars he was a great fufFerer a vindication of the Parallel ; and 
 for he royalcaufej lb that, hav- fuch a ftorm was raifrd, both a- 
 ing a numerous family, he was re- gainll Shadwell and his friend 
 duced to the neceflity of felling Hunt, who affifled him in it, ihat 
 and fpeading a confide able part this latter was forced to fly into 
 of his eliate, to fupport it. In Hoi 
 
 thefe circuniilances he refolved to 
 breed his fon to his own prcleffion ; 
 but the your.g gentleman, having 
 as little difpofition to plod in the 
 drudgery of the law, us his father 
 had, quitted the Temple, and re- 
 folved to travel. He had a talle, 
 and fon e genius, for polite litera- 
 ture ; and, upon his return home, 
 falling into acquaintance with the 
 molt celebrated wits of the ac;e, he 
 
 and; and we find our author 
 cor'.-iplaining, that in ihffe, whicK 
 he calls the worftof linief, his ruin 
 was dc(:gncd, and his life foucjht ; 
 and tl'.at, for near ten years, he 
 was ktpt from the exercife of that 
 pioftnicn which had afibrdcd him 
 a competent lubiiilcnce. However, 
 he at lall favv himfclf crowned with 
 the laurel, whi(h was ilrippedfrom 
 the brows of his antagonilt ; who 
 thereupon, by way of revenge, 
 
 wrote 
 
t 4=' J 
 
 S H ' . - S H 
 
 ^rnte tj-.e hittereft fatire againft medics, and the bed judges of tnit 
 
 him th;u ever «as penned; this age gave their tcflimony for the;n« 
 
 Wjs the celebrated Mac-F!ecknop. They have in ihem fine llrcAes of 
 
 Our new iaureat ha.i the mif- humour ; the charadlcrs are often 
 
 fortune to enjoy his honour but a orijrinal«) llrongiy nidrked, and 
 
 very few years, for he died fud- weli furtained. Add to this, that 
 
 denly in 1692, in the fifiy-fecond he had the greateA expedition ima- 
 
 yti'.rofhis age, at Cheiii;a, and ginable in writing, and fntnetimci 
 
 7/.V interred in the church there, produced a play in lefs than a 
 
 il'r- irieiid, Dr. Nicholas Brady, month. Befides feventeen plays, 
 
 priMched his Funeral Sermon ; he wrote federal other pieces of 
 
 wherein he affures us^ that our an- poetry, fome of which have becA 
 
 thor was '* a man of great ho- commended. An edition of his 
 
 •' neify and integrity, and had Work-, with fome account of his 
 
 *' a real love of truth and fince- life and writings prefixed, was 
 
 •' rityi an inviolable fidelity and publifhed in '"20, in four vo- 
 
 *' ftridtnefs to his word, an un- fumes, 1 zmo. His dramatic works 
 
 *•' alterable frienddiip where-ei-er arej 
 
 " he proftded it; and a much i. T^je Sullen Lr-vcrs; or, Tbt 
 
 *' deeper fenfe of religion, than Imperii uents. C. \xci. 1668. 
 
 ♦'many others have, who pretend 2. -Jhe Royal SbcphcrJefs, T. C* 
 
 •* to it more oponly. His natural 410. 1665. 
 
 •'and acquired abilities, (conti- 3. The llnmaurijl, C. 4to. 16714 
 
 " nuesthe Do(5tOr) made him fuffi- 
 ** ciently remarkable to all that he 
 '' cbnverfed with, vciy few being 
 *' equal to him, in all the be- 
 •• coming qualities and accom- 
 plilhnjerits of a compleat gen- 
 
 4. fhe Mife>: C. Ato. 1672. 
 
 f. Epj'mi Pf-'ells, C. 4to. 1673. 
 
 6. Pjycbe. T. .;to. 1671;. 
 
 7. the Lihmhie. T. ^to". 1676, 
 
 8. The rirtufiU C. 4to. 1676* 
 
 9. The HJioryof fiiuofi pf A: .'.w* 
 
 '' tienKin." After his death came the Manha'ter. 410. 1678. 
 
 out "fhe Volunteers;, or. The Stock- 10. A true IFL^oiV, C. 4^0* 
 
 Johhers^ a comedy, acted by their 1679. 
 
 majeftiCb' fervanis, with a dedica- 11. The Woman Captain. €.410* 
 
 tioii to the queen by i\Jrs. Shad- i6h'd. 
 
 Well, our author's widow, and an 12, The Tancnililrc li'Uche^, rnA 
 
 epilogue, wheiein his character as Tcague CyDii*elly, the Irij'i Priijli, 
 
 rt poet is fet in the bell and moll Ci 4to. t6S2. 
 
 advantageous light; whichj per- 13. The Squire of Jlfitid, C» 
 
 haps, wis judged necelfary to ba- 4!0. 1688. 
 
 lance the very different drawing, 14. ButyFa'.r. C. 4to. 16R9. 
 
 and even abufive rcprcfentation of iq; Amorous B'i^nt, with the fe- 
 
 it, by Dl-ydtOj who is generally cOnd part of TcagHe O'Dlvelly. 410* 
 
 condemned tot- treating our author 1690. 
 
 too unmercifully, his rcfentrcnt i6. The Scoiveren. C.4to. ifpti 
 
 carrying him beyond .he bounds of 17. The f''olu>iteers\ OT^TheStttk^ 
 
 truth; for though it mud be owned Johocrs. A poilhumous Comedv^ 
 
 thatShadwellfellvalilylhort of Ben already mentioned. 4(0.1693. 
 
 j[onfon, whom he fet up to hi.'n- SnAkspEARE, Willi am. Th« 
 
 felf as a model of excellence, yet great poet of nature, and the glory 
 
 it is certain there are high autho- of the Britifli nation, wis defcend* 
 
 rities in favour of many of his CO- ed of a reputabic iamilv, at Strat- 
 
 1 
 
 
 ill' 
 
 
 Vot. I 
 
 Dd 
 
 lord 
 
S H 
 
 t 4<J« ] 
 
 s a 
 
 ford upon Avon. His father was 
 in the wool-trade, and dealt con- 
 fidcrably that way. He had ten 
 children, of whom our immortal 
 poet was the elded, and was born 
 l&e i6th of April, 1564. At a 
 proper age he was put to the free- 
 fchool in Stratford, where he ac- 
 quired the rudiments of grammar- 
 learning. Whether be difcovered 
 at this tii^te any extraordinary ge- 
 nius or inclination for literature, 
 is uncertain. His father had no 
 defign to make a fcholar of him ; 
 on the contrary, he cook h'xtb early 
 from fchool, aud employed him 
 in his own bufinefs ; but he did 
 not continue long in it, at leail 
 under the controul, for at feven- 
 teen years of uge be married, com- 
 menced matter of a family, and be- 
 came a parent before he was out 
 of his minority. He is now fup- 
 pofed to have fettled in bufinefs 
 for himfelf, and to have had no 
 Other thoughts than of purfi^ing 
 the wool-trade ; when, happening 
 to fall into acquaintance with fome 
 perfons v/ho followed the praciice 
 of deer-flealing, i)e was prevailed 
 upon to engage with them in rob- 
 "bing Sir Thomas Lucy's Park, 
 rear Stratford. The injury being 
 repeated more that once, that gen- 
 tleman was provoked to enter a 
 profecution againll the dclia- 
 rjuents ; and Shakfpeare, in re- 
 venge, made him the fubjcfk of a 
 ballad, whichj tradition fays, was 
 pointed with fo much bittemefs, 
 that it became unfafc for the au- 
 thor to flay any longer in the 
 country. To efcape the lav/, he 
 fled to London, where, as might 
 "be expefted from a man of wit 
 andhum'Jirin his circumftances, 
 he threw himfclf among the play- 
 ers. 'Thus was this grand lumi- 
 nary driven, by a very untoward 
 accident, into his genuine and 
 proper fpherCt 
 
 His fir{i admifllon info the p!ay-> 
 houfe wag fuitable to his appear- 
 ance } a llranger, and ignorant of 
 the art, he was glad to be taken 
 into the company in a very mean 
 rank ; nor did his performance 
 recommend him to any diilinguiih- 
 ed notice. Thepart of an undcr- 
 aftor neither engaged nor deferved 
 hh attention. It was far from Ail- 
 ing, or being adequate to, the 
 powers of his mind : and there- 
 fore he turned the advantage which 
 that fituatioit afforded him, to a 
 higher and -nobler ofe. Having, 
 by practice and obfervation, ac- 
 quainted himfelf with the mecha- 
 nical ccconomy of the theatre, his 
 native genius fupplicd the reil: 
 but the whole view of his firft at- 
 tempts in fiage-poetry being to 
 procure a fubfiilence, he direfled 
 his endeavours folcly to hit the 
 talle and humour that then pre- 
 vailed amongll the meaner fort of 
 people, of whom his audience was 
 generally compofed ; and there- 
 fore his iinages of life were drawn 
 from thofe cf an inferior rank. 
 Thus did Shakfpeaie fet out, with 
 little advantage of education, 
 no advice or alTiliance of the learn- 
 ed, no patronage of the better 
 fort, or any acquaintance among 
 them. But ^vhen his perforitiances 
 had merited the protedion Jl his 
 prince, and the encouragement of 
 the court Kad fucceeded to thai 
 of the town, the woiks of his riper 
 years were manifeftly raifed above 
 the level of his foritler produc- 
 tions. 
 
 In this vay of writing he was 
 an abfolute original, and of fuch 
 a peculiar call, as halh perpetually 
 raifed and conlounded the emu- 
 lation of his fucceffors ; a com- 
 pound of fuch very Angular ble- 
 jnifhes, as welt as beauties, that 
 thefe latter have not more mocked 
 the toil of every afpiring undcr- 
 
 take'r 
 
t 403 i 
 
 § H ' ■ " ; . s i« 
 
 taiccir to etmilate them, tlian the tors, and bequeathed to them tri* 
 Former, as flaws intimately united beft part of his elUte, which they 
 to diamonds have bafflied every came into the pofTcflion of not 
 attemptof the ablcft artilh to take long after. He djed on the 23d 
 them out without fpniling the of April following, being the fifty- 
 whole. It is faid that queen third year of h's age, and was in- 
 Elizabeth was fo mu> h pleafed with terred among his anceftors, on this 
 the delightiui charafter of Sir North fide of the chancel, in the 
 John FalilalF, in the two parts of great church of Stratford, wherb 
 Hcriry the Fourth, that ihe com- there is a handfomc monument 
 inanded the author to continiie it 
 for one play more, and to (hew 
 the Knight in Love ; which he 
 executed inimitably, in The Merry 
 Wives of H'indfor. 
 
 Thte naiTies of his patrons are 
 row unknown, except that of the 
 earl of Southampton, who is parti- 
 cularly honoured by liiin, in the de- 
 dication of two poems, Vinus and 
 Adonis, and the Rape of Lucrece ; in 
 
 ere£ied for him, infcribed with the 
 following elegiac dillich in Latin* 
 
 Judicio Pyliam, Gcnio Socratem^ 
 
 Arte Muronem, 
 Terra tej^it, Popalus mceretf O^tn- 
 
 pus bahet. 
 
 In the year 1740, another very 
 noble one was raifed to his me- 
 mory, at the public cxpence, iii 
 Wellminfter- Abbey, an aitiple con- 
 
 the latter ■. fp cially he exprefles tribution for this purpofe beingj 
 
 himfelf in fucli terms, as gives coun- made, upon exhibiting his tragedy 
 
 tenance to what is related of that of JuUus C^efar, at the theatre 
 
 patron's dillinguilhed gencrofity to royal in Drury-Lane. April 20j 
 
 him. In the beginning of king 1738. Seven years after his deatH^ 
 
 Janies I's reign (if not (ooner) he 
 was one of the principal ma- 
 hagers of the ptay-houfe, and con- 
 tinued in it feveral years after- 
 wards ; till, having acquired fuch 
 a fortune as fatisfied his mode- 
 i-ate wifhes and views in life, he 
 quitted the ftage and all other 
 bufinefs, and pafTed the remainder 
 of his time in an honoi\rahlc eafe, 
 at his native town of Stratfoi*d, 
 where he lived in a handfomc 
 houfe of his own purchafing, to 
 Which he gave the nailie of Ne-w- 
 Place; and he had the good for- 
 tune to fave it from the flames, in 
 the dreadful fiie that confunicd writings. Bat the plays being al- 
 the grcateft pari, of the town, in moil in "he fame mangled condition 
 
 his plays were collefled and pub- 
 Hlhed in 1625, in folio, by two of 
 his principal friends in the com- 
 pany of comcdfans, Heminge and 
 Condell ; who perhaps lik^wile 
 correfted a fecond edition in folio, 
 1632. Though both thefe werd 
 extremely faulty, yet they are 
 much lefs fo than the edition^ 
 in folio of the years 1664. and 
 1 68 5, nor was any better at- 
 tempted until 1714, when a fifth 
 was publifhed in 8vo. by Mr. 
 Nicholas Rowe, but with few if 
 any corrctlioni ; only he prefixed 
 fothe accountof ihe avithorMifeand 
 
 1614. 
 
 In the beginning of the yedr 
 1616, he made his will, whekin 
 he teftiiied his refpedt to hij quon- 
 dam partners in the theatie. He 
 appointed his youngell daughter, 
 jointly with her huiband, cxecu- 
 
 35 at firrt, iMr. Pope Was prevailed 
 upon to undertake the tafk of 
 clearing away the rubbish, and re- 
 ducing th'jm to a better order; 
 -ind Rccordii-'gly he printed .1 new 
 edition of them in 1731, in .4to'. 
 Utreapon Mr. Lewis Theobald, 
 D d 3 after 
 
S H 
 
 C 404 1 
 
 s It 
 
 after many years fpcnt in the fani'; 
 tifk, ^ublifhcd a piece, called ^'lak' 
 fpeare rtjlorcd, 410. 1726, wliich 
 was followed by a new edition o^ 
 Shakfpeare's works in 1733 ^y 
 the fame author, rcpu. lifhed in 
 1740. In ! 744, Sir Thomas Han- 
 mer publilhed at Oxford a pom- 
 pous edition, with emendations, in 
 iix volumes, 4 to. The lateDr.War- 
 burton, bifliop of Gloucefter, added 
 another new edition with a great 
 number of correflions, in 1747. 
 This was fucceedeJ hy other edi- 
 tions, viz. that of Dr. Johnfon, in 
 8 vols. Svo. 1765. Twenty of the 
 old qua! tos by Mr.Ste^ vens, 4 vols. 
 8vo. 1766. Of all the pla). by 
 Mr. Capell, 10 vols, crown hvo. 
 1768. Ilanmer's quarto repub- 
 lifhcd at Oxford 1771 ; a new edi- 
 tion in 10 vols. 8vo, 1773, by 
 Johnfon and Steevens ; and a fc- 
 cond impreflion of the fame work, 
 with corrections and additions, 
 1778. 
 
 Lell it fhould be thought fin- 
 gular, that the plays ot Shak- 
 fpeare remain unindebted tor the 
 lead correftion, or explanation, to 
 cur heroes of the flage who have 
 been fo often ftyled his kjl com- 
 7nciitators, it is time to remark 
 that this fentiment, though long 
 and confidently repeated, has lit- 
 tle pretenfion to tWfe degree of 
 credit \\hich it (hould Item to 
 haveohtained. flow far the rules 
 of gran:niar have been obferved or 
 violated, cannot be known from 
 attitude or grimace ; nor can ob- 
 fcuie or corrupted pallages be il- 
 lullrated or rellored by pclUire or 
 vociferation. The utmolt a player 
 can do, is to deliver line< which he 
 underrtands, with propriety, ener-" 
 gy, and grace. Here ius prwer 
 commences, and here it ends. 'Tis 
 receflary therefore that the loud 
 and indiAind applaufe which has 
 hitherto been laviftied on the 
 
 idea of hiflrionic commentatorftiip, 
 fhould be contincd within its pro- 
 per bounds, and that a line of 
 feparation Ihould be drawn be- 
 tween the oflices and requifites of 
 the fcholar and the mimic, be- 
 tween the undertaking that dc 
 niands fome degree of capacity 
 and learning, and that which may 
 be faiisfadlorily executed by the 
 nierc aid of imitation and fenfibi- 
 lity. A 1 ite adrefs of unrivalled 
 excellence in boih tragedy and 
 comedy, together with a young 
 adtor of the hij»hell promife, were 
 known to have poUellld under- 
 Handings of no greater extent than 
 the platform on which they trod. 
 'J hey were happy in a ftrong 
 theatrical conception, and from 
 that fingle circumllance their fuc- 
 cffs was derived. — New monu- 
 ments, however, are continually 
 rifing to h nour Shakfpeare's ge- 
 nius in the learned world ; and 
 we murt not conclude, without ad* 
 ding another teftimony ot the ve- 
 neration paid to his manes by the 
 publick in general, which is, that 
 a mulberry-tree, pbiited upon his 
 tilato by the hands of t;his revered 
 bard, was cut down not many 
 years ago^ and the wood, being 
 converted to icveral comeftic ufes, 
 was all eagerly bought at a high 
 price, and each fingle piece trea- 
 iund up by its puichafer, as a 
 prtv ious mcnioiial of the planter, 
 after the feller of ic had been 
 diiven out of the town. 
 
 'I'he following is a lift of ouf 
 author's plays, fpecifying the years 
 in which they arc feverally fup- 
 pofed to have been written. The 
 arrangement of tlum is adopted 
 from that of Mr. Ivlalone, the ac- 
 curacy of which, not having been 
 difputed, we prefuine has received 
 the fandion of the learned. 
 I. * Titus Andronicui. 1589. 
 2% Love's Labour Lrji, 1591. 
 
 3. r.'ji 
 
s n 
 
 C 405 3 
 
 S H 
 
 3. Fhjl Part ofKiH^ Henry VI. 
 1591. ' 
 
 4. Saond Part of King HcivyW, 
 
 5. Third Part of King Hcn>y VI. 
 1502. 
 
 6. * Pericles, 1592. ». 
 
 7. * LiiLiiiie. I ^93. 
 
 8. The 'livo Gcutleiiien nf Verona, 
 
 9. 'The Winter's Tale. I ?g4. 
 
 I o. A Midju)nmer*s Night's Dream, 
 
 1 1 , Rnmeo and 'Juliet. I 595. 
 
 1 2. The Cnnndv of Errors, 1 596. 
 
 13. Hamlrt, t ^gb. 
 
 14. King yithn. 1^96. 
 
 I^. King Richard a. 1597. 
 
 16. Knig Richard \\\, I 597. 
 
 17. Fiijl Part of King Ucmy \W, 
 
 I.?97' 
 
 lb". The Mirihant of Venice. 1598. 
 
 19. AlCs Well that ends ivell. 
 1 593. 
 
 20. '* Sir John Ohkaftle. 1598. 
 a I . Second Part of King Heniy IV, 
 
 1598. 
 
 23. Kin^HnryV, I ^^gg. 
 
 23. * The Puriiun, 160O. 
 
 24. 7l///t(6 </</o rt^<;«f Nothing. 
 1600. 
 
 25. i^i vo« ///Jr /V. 1 600, 
 
 2 b. Merry PHves nf Wind/or. 1 60 1 . 
 
 27. A'/«5' Wc.vH' VIII. 1 60 1. 
 
 28. * i.ifc and Death of Lord 
 d'onnvcH. 1602. 
 
 29. Troilus and C.rrJJida 1602, 
 
 30. Mrafnre for Meafure, 1603. 
 
 3 I . Cymbeline. 1 604. 
 
 32.* T'/'c London Prodigal, 1 605 . 
 
 33. Av'«^ Z^^rtr. 1605. 
 
 34. 'Macbeth. 1606. 
 
 35. 7"/^^ Taming of the Shre-M, 
 i6o6. 
 
 36. jfidius Crfar. 1607, 
 
 37. • ^ Torkjhire Tragedy, 1608. 
 
 38. Antony and Cleopatra. 1608. 
 
 39. Coriolanus. 1 609. 
 
 40. Timon of A them. 1610, 
 
 4 1 . Othello. 1 6 1 1 , 
 
 4 J, 7^6^ Tcm^^, i6l3. 
 
 45. TiCi'// V{g-/'/. 1614. 
 'Ihe ye;lrs m which the abova 
 pieces were fcverally piiiucd, may 
 De fcen in the fublcqucnc voluma ' 
 under the title of each play 
 
 The ftven I'lays marked thui • 
 in the above lill, .ire omitted in 
 moll of the edition* of our author's 
 works, on a fuppofition that they 
 were not wrirten by him. They 
 have, however, been feparately re* 
 publifhcd with great elegance and 
 corredncfs, and the advantage of 
 an ample commentary (together 
 with ail his Poems), by the inge* 
 nious Mr. Mjlone, in two volumet 
 8vo. i;8o. At prefeijt therefor* 
 every reader has the power of 
 judging for himfelf. 
 
 Shakt, Li WIS. This gcntle» 
 man iivtd in the reign of Charles I. 
 and wrore one play, entitled, 
 
 The Ntible Stranger, C. 4tO, 
 1640. 
 
 Sharpm AN, EpwARD. Was a 
 member of the Middle Temple in 
 the reign of James I, and wrote % 
 play much rcfembling, if not bor- 
 rowffi from, Marfton's comedy of 
 the Parafitifcr. It is entitled, 
 T/'e Flcire. C. 410. 1 6 1 5. 
 Sh A \v, SAMUiii-. Was born at 
 Rcj^ton, in the county of Derby, 
 in tht: year t(i3;, aiiu educated at 
 the free-iciiool there. At the age 
 of fourrcen years he was fent to 
 the univerlity of Cambridge, and 
 became a membjrof ?)t. Jolui'sCol- 
 lege. VVhen he had completed his 
 itudies, he removed 10 I'amworth 
 in Warvvic (hire, and was uiher of 
 the free-lchool there in 1656. 
 From Tamworih he removed to 
 Molely, a fmall place on the 
 borders of Worccftcrftiire, being 
 invited thither by coionel Greaves 
 of that place, who h id a j»reat re- 
 fpeft for him, ;inJ Ihewed him much 
 kindnefs. At hi- cumifip thi'her, 
 he was ordaineo by the ciaflital 
 prtfbytery at Wirklwortn in Der- 
 P d 3 bvlhire j 
 
 '■i-ifl? i 
 
 r .'' 
 
 '*.[.• *i 
 
S H 
 
 [ 406 ] 
 
 S H 
 
 by (lure ; and in 1658 obtained a 
 )iif lin'aiioii tVom ihe pr jttdor to 
 the rediciry of Long Whation, 
 whuh . as m ilie gin cf the irown, 
 In I line the lame year he had full 
 mul irvv poflllliKii of ihls living, 
 in which he c -ntinued until the 
 Ht'ii.iaifJ.i iti «6oo. At that junc- 
 tun', apprf I'.L'iulirj; loi; e dillurb- 
 anci* ht, in Scf^,ti mher, obtained 
 a In 111 pre fentation tnder the i',reat 
 ftal ol i.nj^iiitul ; but i.oiwithlland- 
 iii^ hi:, title was thjs corrobo-ated, 
 intcrell was made with thi- lord 
 ch.'M.celior, iind uiir author was 
 turned rut o; hih preferment about 
 a year ' i*.rore the aft of Uniformity 
 took place. He was afterwards 
 cffcred his living again, without 
 any other condition than reordi 
 jia.ion. But he ufed to fay he 
 would not lie to God and man, in 
 declaring his piclbyterian crdina> 
 tion invalid. 
 
 From VVhatton he removed to 
 Cotes, a fmall village near Lough- 
 borough, and during his ftay th^jre 
 both himftf and his family were 
 aifli£le>i with the plague, being 
 infeded by fome relations frqm 
 London who came from thence to 
 .avoid it, He buried two friends, 
 two chi'dren, and a fervanr, of that 
 dirtemper, during the progrefs of 
 which he and his wife attended the 
 iick and each other, and he him- 
 felf wns forced to bury the dead in 
 his own garden. 
 
 T' wards the latter end of the 
 year i<i66, he removed to Aftiby 
 dc la Zouch, and v/ns chofen in 
 1668 to be fole fchool-mafter of 
 the free fchool there, which his 
 piety, learning, and temper, foon 
 rnifed imp fuch reputation, that 
 the nuir. I'cr of his fch'^lars in- 
 cri'a'.d ij' fo great a degree, that 
 Jiri h-.td often i6q loys or more 
 i.ndfr Ms care. i\]any of th;fe af 
 tciw^rdi, (became diflinguilUed cl^- 
 
 rafters in the three profe. ..^i 
 of I.1W, phytic, and divinity. 
 
 He died Jan. 33, i6ijC, in the 
 59th year il his age, leaving 
 U'iiind him the chararter of an 
 iipri^iit, modeli, fcnfib'e, and mot 
 dirate ipan, ::n ornament to his 
 profcfiion, apd a bcncfador to hii 
 country. 
 
 Ik- was the antbor oftwo dratnas 
 written for bjs fcholari, and ade^ 
 by tliem at their breakings up for 
 the holidays. They are called, 
 
 1 , H 01 ii'f inadt vijihlc ; or, G^am' 
 mar and Rln'ttiiick at (ommodateH ta 
 the Lhcsiind Manners oj Men, izmo, 
 1679. 
 
 2. UOIKIAOiJPONHJIE ; or, V't 
 Dfftnnt Humoun of Mm. litao% 
 1692. 
 
 SHEFriELD, John, Duke o,f 
 BotKiNOHAM. This great no- 
 blenK;n, whole charadter was con- 
 fpituous in the age he lived, in the 
 feveral capacities of a foldicr, a 
 llatefman, and a writer, was born 
 in the year 1645. At nine years 
 of age he loil his father, and his 
 mother marrying again foon after, 
 the care of his education was left 
 entirely to the condudt of a gover- 
 nor, who, though himfelf a man of 
 learning, had not that happy man- 
 ner of communicating his know- 
 ledge whereby his pupil could 
 reap any great improvement un- 
 der him. In confeqiienceof which, 
 when he came to part from his go- 
 vernor, after having travelled with 
 him into t'rance, he quickly dif- 
 covered, in the courfe of his con- 
 verfaiion with men of genius, that 
 though he had acquired the po- 
 liier accomplifhments of a gentle- 
 man, yet that he was llil! greatly 
 deficient in every part of litera- 
 ture, and thofe higher excellencies, 
 v/ithout which it is impollible to 
 rife to any conliderable ^egree of 
 emincuce. 
 
 f iciued 
 
S H 
 
 I 407 1 
 
 S H 
 
 piqued at this rcflc£>loii, and 
 Tel'olvcd liy his own appliiation to 
 make amends tor the fault of his 
 yovernor, and recall the time he 
 lind loll, he de.ermincd, though in 
 the hcijjht ot youthful bltod, and 
 in podcliion of an ample fortune, 
 two Arong allurementii to dilTipa- 
 tion, to lay a pMlrjint on his ap- 
 petites and paflions, and dedicate 
 for fome time a ccnain number of 
 hours eveiy day to lludy. By this 
 means he made an amazing pro- 
 grefs, and very Toon acquired a 
 degree of learning, which very 
 julHy entitled him to the charadler 
 he ever after maintained, ot a very 
 tine fcholar. 
 
 Not coiuented, however, with 
 this acquifuion, but as eager in 
 the puruiic of martial as ot literary 
 glory, he again obtained a mattery 
 over tven the moft irrcfiiiibie of 
 all the paflions ; and though en- 
 gaged in an attachment of love to 
 a lady, by whom, from his own 
 account, he met with an equal re- 
 turn of affedtion, yet even this tie 
 could not keep him at home, when 
 the call of honour fummoned him 
 abroad. In (hort, he entered him- 
 ielf a volunteer wiih the carl of 
 OiFory, in the fecond Dutch war, 
 and was prefent in that famous and 
 bloody naval engagement at Soldi- 
 bay, where the duke of York, af- 
 terwards James II. commanded as 
 admiral. And thoudi this was at 
 a tme of life when mofl young 
 gentlemen are fcarcely out of the 
 hands of their dancing-mafters, our 
 youthful hero exerted fo much gal- 
 lantry of behaviour, that he was 
 immediately appointed cooitnander 
 of the Royal Catharine, a fecond 
 rate man of war. 
 
 After this our author made a 
 campaign in the French fervice ; 
 and when Tangier was in danger 
 of being taken by the Moors, he 
 >vas, in confe^uence of his own 
 
 olTcr to head the forces which were 
 to defend it, appointed commander 
 of them. He was then earl of 
 Mulgravr, one of the lords of the 
 bed chamber to king Charles II. 
 and had been, on the 28ih of May, 
 1674, inlialled knight of the Gar- 
 ter. But now a i^ott wicked ma- 
 chination againit his lite was con- 
 certed at comt, in which the king 
 himfell has been fufpedted to have 
 utied a very princip-il part, and 
 for which hiilotians aflign ditFerent 
 caiifes. Some of the writers have 
 imai^ined that ihe king had dif- 
 covered an intrigue bttwren lord 
 Muiprave and one of his own mif- 
 treO'es, and was therefore dtter- 
 niincd to put his rival out of the 
 way at any rate. But Mrs. Manlcy, 
 in her Jialantis, and Mr. Boyer, m 
 his Hillory of Queen Anne, attri- 
 bite it to the tiilL-overy of certain 
 overtures toward^ itiarriagc, which 
 this nohleman w. • bold enough tn 
 make to the piiiicefs Anne, and 
 which file herfelf feemed not in- 
 clinable to difcoura;;e. 
 
 Be the caufe what it would, 
 h iwever, it is appaient that it wat 
 intended lord Mulgrave Ihould be 
 loll in the pa/l'age ; a vetTel Iveine 
 provided to carry him over, which 
 had been fent home as unfervice- 
 able, and was in fo thattercd a con- 
 dition, that the captain of her de- 
 clared he was afraid to make the 
 voyage. On this his lordfliip ap- 
 plied not only to the lord high 
 admiral, but to the king him< 
 i(i\^ 'Ihefe remonftrances, how- 
 e'cr, were in vain ; no redrefs was 
 to be had, and the earl, who faw 
 the trap laid for him by his ene- 
 mies, was compelled to throw him- 
 felt into almotl inevic. ble danger, 
 to avoid the imputation of cowar- 
 dice, which of all others he had 
 the greatetl deieilation ot. He, 
 however, dilfuaded feveral volun- 
 teers of quality from accompany- 
 
 P d 4 log 
 
S H 
 
 [ 408 ] 
 
 S H 
 
 Jrf» liim in the evpediilun ; only he frequently made to him agajnft 
 
 the earl of P!\ mouth, tl-p king's tbofe meafur«-s by which he after- 
 
 n.-it';i.! fon, pi ;iied hinifelf on wards lc;it the crown, yet he did 
 
 riinniig thtr ii.me hazard vyiih a not think proper to take from him. 
 
 n:a! , vvlio, in fpMe of tb« ill trtnt- His lorcifliip was no friend to, or 
 
 m.iu he ii.ei with from the mini- promoter of. the Revolution ; and 
 
 J1rv, ci-u I lo valianil) brave every \\'lieu kirg J ;mes, in oppofition to 
 
 thiit nolileuian's advice and that of 
 hii' frii-nds, did (]iiit the kingdom, 
 he appears to hr.ye been one of the 
 lords who wrote fiich letters to the 
 f!<;i't, the army, and ail the confir 
 derable garrifous in Eiigiand, as 
 perluwdtd them to continue in pro- 
 per (irder and (ubjeiiUon, To his 
 huriianiiy, diiedion, End fpirited 
 behaviour in council alio, his ma- 
 jefty llocd indebted ior the protec- 
 tion he obtained from the lords in 
 London, upon his being feized and 
 infuited by the populace at Fever- 
 fl;am in Kent. 
 
 When the Revolution was 
 
 t: 'T in the lervite of his f;i- 
 ^her. 
 
 } 1 evidence, however, defeated 
 t^.i'.: malicious khemt, by giving 
 them leuiaikahle fine weather 
 thrcuj:h the \vi;,,ie \c)agc, which 
 laOed three wc ks, at the tcimina- 
 ticin ot which, by 'he ainilance of 
 pii . p g ill ■ whole linie to dif- 
 char^jc ihe water, v/hich leaked in 
 ver) ialt. ih;-y lirrived {<.fe at Tan- 
 gier. A'.-d perhaps there cannot 
 be a more linking inllance ot in- 
 liate firmnels asid magnanimity 
 than in the behaviour of this no- 
 bleman during the voyage. For 
 though he wa.- fully convinced of brought about, lord Mulgrave was 
 the hourly dangers they were in, guilty of no mean compliances 
 yet was hi' n-ind fo c.ilm and un- to king William ; and thcugh he 
 diilurhcd, that ha even indulged vi)ied arid gave his reafons llrongly 
 bis pafiion for the Mufes amiall in parliament for the prince of 
 the tuitiul's of the tempelluous Orange's being proclaimed king^ 
 elements, and during rhis voyage together with ihe princefs his wife, 
 fomjscfed a poem, which is t^ be ana afterwards went to court to 
 \\\et with among his othei works. 
 
 The confeqiience of this expe- 
 dition was the retreat of the 
 Il^uirs, and tie blowlpg-up of 
 Tangier, On his return, the king 
 betoir.ii g appealed, and tie earl 
 forge'ting the ill i jElcs done him, 
 a mu'Uil r< conci!iati''n enlued, and 
 he C'ljoycfl hi'' n;a;p:;y s favour to 
 the hut. 
 
 D: ring the fliort reign of king 
 
 pay his addrefies, where he was 
 very gracioufly received, yet he 
 accepted of no poll under that go- 
 vernment till fome years after- 
 wards. 
 
 In the latter part of king \^'il- 
 linm's reign, however, he enjoyed 
 feyeral high offices, and on the 
 acceffion of queen Anne, that prin- 
 cefs, who ever had a great re- 
 gurd for him, loaded him with 
 
 Janes II. hi heL f veial conhdtr- employments and dignities. In 
 
 nb!t polls, pirrlculaily that of go 
 yerTor c! Hul , in wh ch he iuc- 
 cteJed ihe uDlortupate duke of 
 TviO! nioulh, and the high office of 
 \on\ chamhcilairi, which, aHhouj;,h 
 iat < r!y that monarch grew cooler 
 toward;- l.iin o^i account ot the 
 
 Apiil 1702, he was (worn lord 
 privy feal, made lord lieutenant 
 and cultos rotulorum for the North 
 Riding of Yoiklhirc, and one of the 
 governors of the Charter- houfe; 
 and the fame year was appointed 
 one 01 the con:m;flioncrs to treat of 
 
 u;eaiciu'; r.r.d hcnell repioniliances au union beiyvcyn England an4 
 
 Spotian^, 
 
S H 
 
 [ 409 3 
 
 S H 
 
 {Scotland. On the 9th of March, been a mod accompHllied noblei> 
 
 ^703, he was created duke of man, whecher we view him in tho 
 
 J<ormanby (of which he had been light of an excellent poet, a Ihinr 
 
 piadc marquis by king William), ing orator, a poljte courtier, or a 
 
 and on the 19th of the fame month confummate ilatefman. But as ta-f 
 
 iduke of Buckingham. lents fo fuperior, and a difpofition 
 
 In the year 17 10, the wliig mi- fo enterprizing as the duke of 
 
 niftry beginning to give ground, Bu^lyingham's, never fail to excite 
 
 his grace, who was llrongly at- envy and malevolence, it is not to 
 
 inched to tqiy principles, joined be wondered at that his characlf;r 
 
 with Mr. liarlcy, afterwards earl fliould have been attacked with fe- 
 
 of Oxford, in fuch nieafqres a? verity by feme of his enemies, 
 
 brought about a change in the The principal faults they h ive laid 
 
 ipinirtry, fliook the poyyer of the to his charge are avarice, pride, 
 
 duke and dutchefs of Marlbo- and ill-'iature. As to the firll, 
 
 rough, and introduced Mr Harley, every one who is in the lead ac- 
 
 ihe earl of Shrewfbury, lord 3o- quaiptcd with the human heart, 
 lingbrokt, &c, into the adinini- niuft be perfedlly convinced that 
 ftration. Her majelly now offered covetoufnefs is abfohucly incom- 
 to make hin; chancellor, which he patible with indolence, and yet it 
 
 refufed, but in 17 11 was appoint- 
 ed fteward of her majelly's houf- 
 hold, and prefiden: of the council, 
 and on her deccafe in 17 13 wqs 
 nominated one of the lords jullices 
 in Great Britain, t'l! the arrival of 
 king George 1, from Hanover. 
 
 i$ well ki^own that his grace loll: 
 very conjldcrably for a cnurf« of 
 forty years together, from h.s not 
 taking the p.iins to vifit tholis 
 eltates he poifeflld at fome dif- 
 taiice from London. At.d as to 
 the latter part of the accufjtion, 
 
 His grace died on the 24th of thofe who ws-re moft intim.ite with 
 
 February 1720, in the 75th year him have declared him to be of a 
 
 pf his age, and alter lying in ihite tender companionate difpofition. 
 
 lor fome days at Buckingham He is indeed allowed to have been 
 
 houfe, was interred with great paiiiouate, but when his raj',e fub- 
 
 folemnity in WeAminfter- Abbey, fuled, his concern for having given 
 
 where a handfome monument has way to that infirmity rver teilihcd 
 
 iince been erefted to his memory, 
 with an epitaph written by him- 
 felf, and diredled by his will to be 
 engraved en it. He left only one 
 legitimate fon behind him, named 
 Edmund ; but that young nobler 
 man dying in the very ; loom of 
 youth, wiih him the titles of the 
 ohefiield family expired, 
 
 Hii grace's valo r a as on many 
 occafions fufliciently proved, nor 
 \vert' hjs other abilitirs confined to 
 letcera only, and the encouriige- 
 ment of learnin;:;, lor by the ac- 
 f;ounts given of him by all his 
 
 itfelf in peculiar acl.s ot kindnefs 
 and benehcence towards thole on 
 whom his pafTion had vt-nied it- 
 fcif. An intrepid magnanimity, 
 and perfcverance -n whatever he 
 undertook, feem to have been his 
 llrongelt charafterillic, and al- 
 though a natural gaiety of difpofi- 
 tion, backed by affluence of for- 
 tune, led him into fome ads of 
 iiberiiniim in his youth, eipecially 
 with regard to the lair (ex. which 
 in the latter p.irt of his life he fre 
 quent'y CNprefTed toncrn t'.;r, yet 
 over his paflions he feoms to have 
 |jio^rapherSj he appears 10 have had the llron^ell commaua, when-: 
 
 I 
 
S H 
 
 t 410 1 
 
 S H 
 
 rvcr motives of greater importance 
 called on him to lay a reltraint 
 upon them. 
 
 With refpefl to genius and thofe 
 talents which were adapted to the 
 polite arts, it is evident from his 
 works that he poiielTed them in an 
 eminent degree. He was perhaps 
 cne of the moft elegant profe 
 writers of his time, and is inferior 
 to few even in the fublime fl ghts 
 of poetry. He has left behind him 
 two dramatic pieces, which, though 
 rever acted, were intended for the 
 llage, and to be performed after 
 the manner of the ancients, with 
 mufical chorufes between the afts. 
 They are both taken from the tra- 
 gedy of Julius Cafar^ as written 
 By Shakfpeare, bat with great al- 
 terations made in them by our au- 
 thor. The titles of them are, 
 
 1. y alius Cajar. 
 
 2. Marcus Brutus. 4t0. 1752, 
 Shepherd, i;irn»RD. This 
 
 author is now li/inr. He is a 
 ficrgyman, and was formerly a 
 member of the univerfuy of Ox- 
 ford. At one period of his life he 
 was fellow of Corpus Chiilli Col- 
 lege, and took the degree viM. A. 
 January 14, 1:57, B. D. January 
 28, 1765, and we believe that of 
 J). D. fince. He has written fcve- 
 ral poetical and other perform- 
 anccf, and two dramatic pieces, 
 called, 
 
 1. Hc£i r. D. P. 4to. 1770. 
 
 2. Bianca, J rag. 8vo. 1772. 
 Printed at Oxford. 
 
 Shutpard, S, Lived in the 
 reigi. 01 kii g Charles I. He was 
 the fon of Dr. Harinan Shepp.ird a 
 phyiician, who ditd July 12, i'>39« 
 Oidys, in h s MvS. iictcs, fays our 
 author wa imprifoncd at Whit- 
 lington College, for writing a pa- 
 per or news-book, which came out 
 weekly, or thrice a week, called, 
 i)Jcrrnri//i Elcnirictis. He alft), dur- 
 ing the prohibition of the ftage^ 
 
 wrote and publiflied two fmall 
 d' matic pieces on party fub. 
 jefts, which, however, bear much 
 itronger teliimony to his loyalty 
 than to his pr( tital abilities ; for, 
 befides the ftiortnefs of each of 
 them, being not longer than a fm^ 
 g!e atl of a moderate play, they 
 are almoft entirely ftolen from 
 other authors. The titles of them 
 both, are the fame, the fecond be- 
 ing only a continuation of the 
 fame fubjpft with the firlK They 
 are entitled, 
 
 J be Conimittee Man curried. C, 
 in two parts. 410. 1647. 
 
 Shkrburne, Sir £dward, 
 Knii;ht. This author, or at Icaft 
 learned tranflator, was born in 
 Goldfmith's Rents, in the parifh 
 of St. Giles's, Cripplegate, Lon- 
 don, in 1616, and was of the fame 
 ancient family with Sir Nicholas 
 Sherburne, Bart, of Stonyhurft in 
 Lancalhire. He was commiflary 
 general of king Charles I's artil- 
 lery, was conllanc in his attach- 
 rrenr to the royal caufe, and, in 
 confideration of many faithful (ier- 
 vices and fufferings, was kniglitcd 
 by Charles H. at Whitehall, in 
 1682. Wood mentions him by the 
 title of late clerk of hia majelly's 
 ordnance and armories within the 
 kirgdom of England, which polt 
 he niuft have licld under king 
 Charles IL He was a perfon of 
 great learning, and tranfla'ed three 
 ot the tragedies of Seneca, viz. 
 
 1. Media. 8vo. 1648. 
 
 2. T^oadcs, 8vo. 1679. 
 
 3. Phadra and Hippo litus. 8vo. 
 1701. 
 
 Coxeter alfo tells us, that he had 
 been informed that the Clouds in 
 Stanley's life of AriHophanes was 
 written by this gentleman. He 
 alfo conjectures him to be the 
 tranflator of the 
 Fhillis qf5exros%^ 
 
 But 
 
S H 
 
 t 4" 5 
 
 S M 
 
 ]But witVi regard to that conjefture, 
 fee before under the initial letters 
 S.J. 
 
 Sheridan, Dr. Thomas. This 
 author was thp inti'nate friend of 
 Dean Swift. He is faid by Shields, 
 in Gibber's Lives of the Poets, to 
 have been born .ibout the year 
 1684, in the county of Cavan, 
 where, according to the fame au- 
 thority, his parents lived in no very 
 elevated Hate. They aredefcribed 
 as being ui.able to atford their fon 
 the aJvantuges of a liberal educa- 
 tion ; but he being obfcrved to 
 give early indii-ations of genius, 
 a'traded the notice of a friend to 
 his family, who fent him to the 
 college of Dublin, and contributed 
 towards his fupport while he re- 
 mained there. lie afterwards en- 
 tered into orders, and fet up a 
 fchool in Dublin, which long 
 maintained a very high degree of 
 reputation, as we!l for the atten- 
 tion bellowed on the morals of the 
 fcholars, as for their proficiency in 
 literature. So great was the efl:i- 
 raation in which this feminary was 
 hcid, that it is afierted to have 
 produced in fome years the fum of 
 one thoufand pounds. 
 
 It does not appear that he had 
 any confiderable preferment; but 
 his intimacy with Swift, in the 
 year 1725, procured for him a 
 jiving in the South of Ireland worth 
 about 150 /. a year, which he went 
 to take polfelhon of, and, by an 
 acl of inadvertence, deftroyed all 
 his future cxpedations of rifing in 
 the church ; for b;^'ing at Corke 
 on the firll: of Augufr, the anni- 
 verfary of king George's birth-daj-, 
 he preached a Sermon, which had 
 for its text, Sufficient for the day is 
 the etJil thereof. On this being 
 known, he was flruck out of the 
 Jift of chaplains to the lord lieu- 
 JLenant^ and forbid the caiUe* 
 
 This living Dr. Sheridan afler* 
 wards changed for that of Dun- 
 boyne, which, by the knavery of 
 the farmers and power of the gen- 
 tlemen in the neighbourhood, fell 
 as low as 80/. per annum. He 
 gave it up for the free-fchool of 
 Cavan, where he might have lived 
 well in fo cheap a country on 80/. 
 a year falary, befides his fcholars; 
 but the air being as he faid too 
 moid and unwholefome, and t}eing 
 difguikd with fome perfons who 
 lived there, he fold the fchool for 
 about 400 /. and having foon fpenc 
 the money, he grew info difeafes, 
 and died Sept. 10, 17^8. 
 
 Lord Corke has given the fol> 
 lowing character of him : " Dr. 
 '* Sheridan was a fchool-mafter, 
 " and in many inllances perfedlly 
 " well adapted for that ftation. 
 " He was deeply verfed in the 
 " Greek and Roman languages, 
 " and in their cuftoras and anti- 
 f» quities. He had that kind of 
 *' good nature, which abfence of 
 ♦' mind, indolence of bjdy, and 
 «' careleflhefs of fortune, produce; 
 «' and although rot over-ftridl in 
 *' his own conduft, yet he took 
 " care of the morality of his 
 « ? fcholars, whom he fent to the uni- 
 '♦ verfity remarkably well found- 
 " ed in all kinds of ciaffic; '. i, arn- 
 " ing, and not ill inflrufted m the 
 •' fecial duties cf life, Jie was 
 *' flovenly, indigent, and chearful. 
 •* He knew books mu^h berter 
 *' than men ; and 1;.'. h^ew the 
 ♦' value of money l^aft of all. In 
 ♦' this fituation. and with this dif- 
 " pofuion, bwift falicf ed upon 
 <>' him as upon a priiy with which 
 " he intended to r«"gale himlelf 
 " whenever his ap^'cite (hould 
 *' prompt him." His lo^dfliip then 
 mentions the event of rhe uuIuck/ 
 Sermon, and aads, ' this \\- 
 '^ jarred, good-nacured, iiri])rovi> 
 
 Mdent 
 
 
 -i 
 
 
S H 
 
 r 4^* ] 
 
 S H 
 
 ♦* i?ent man rcturmd to Dublin, 
 •' unhinged tVcin all favour at 
 •* conn, and even banilhed from 
 ♦' the Ciid'e. But Hill he lemain- 
 ♦' cd a punlter, a quibbler, a fidler, 
 " and a wit. Not a day pafTcd 
 •• without a rebus, an anagram, or 
 •' a madrigal. His pen and his 
 *' fiddk'ft.ck were in continual nio- 
 •' tirn, and yet to little or no pur- 
 ♦' pole, \i we may give credit to 
 
 • ' the foliowing verfcs, which ftiall 
 *' fcrve as the conclulion Ot his 
 *' poetical charadler : 
 
 , *♦ With muficand poetry equally 
 •• blefs'd, 
 
 • ** A bard thus Apollo mofl hum- 
 
 '♦ biy addrefs'd : 
 ♦• Gri-ai Author of poetry, mufic, 
 
 " and light, 
 ♦• Inltruacd i,y thee, I both fiddle 
 
 •' and write ; 
 •* Yet unheeded I fcrape, or I 
 
 " fcribble all day, 
 •' My tunt's are nciilcfled, my 
 
 *• verle flung aw;iy. 
 ■ " Thy fubilirute nere, Vice-. 
 
 " Apollo difdains 
 ** To vouch for my numbers, or 
 
 " lilt to my llrains. 
 *' Thy manual ii^^n he refufts to 
 
 *• put 
 ♦* To the airs T produce from the 
 
 " pen or the gut : 
 
 • *' lit tliou then pmpinous, great 
 
 *' Pi.crbu.s and s^rant 
 " Rebel, cr reward, to my mciit 
 
 " or want. 
 *' Tho' the Dean and Dclany 
 
 " trnnlcendentiy Ihine, 
 •' O ! brighten one lolo, or fon- 
 
 " ne: of mine : 
 " Make one work immortal, 'tis 
 
 '• all I lequelt. 
 " Apollo look'd plcas'd, and re- 
 
 " folving tojoll, 
 •' R.cplicd — Honert friend, I've 
 
 *' confider'd your cafe, 
 «' Nor diJlikc your unsvicaning 
 •» •' and innocent fate. 
 
 •* Your petition 1 grant, the boon 
 
 " is not great, 
 *' Your woiks 11). dl continue, an4 
 
 " here's the receipt ; 
 " On R< ndeauj * hert-after you* 
 
 " fiddle-linngs f^-cnd, 
 ♦' Write vcrfes in circle?, they ne* 
 
 " ver fnall end." 
 
 Dr. Sheridan tranflated Peifius^ 
 and claims a place in this work as 
 the tranfldtor of 
 
 Pbiloch-tc. T. from Sophocles t 
 8vo. 1725. 
 
 Shi;rii>an, Tmomas, ]M. A, 
 This geniienian, who is now liv- 
 ing, is fon of the former, and has 
 made himfcif well known by his 
 feveral endeavours for the promo- 
 tion and improvement of the art of 
 oratory in thefe kingdoms. He 
 was i believe, born at QKi'Ic-', a 
 little eitatq in the county of Cavaii 
 in Ireland, whi. h came into the 
 family in right of his mother, the 
 daughter of one Mr. M'Tlierfoi), a 
 Si.ots jn^ntieman, who became pof- 
 fclled of it during tiie tioubles in 
 Ireland. 
 
 He had the honour to have Denn 
 Swift tor his god-father. The e;irly 
 parts of iii? cdccatinii he leceivtd 
 from his father, who zfteruardf. 
 felit him to Wellminlter Ichool, at 
 a time when he could very iil af- 
 ford it. Our author was there* 
 immediately taken notice of upon 
 examination, and although a nitre 
 Itranger, was by pure merit c- 
 Ie6"ted a king's f.holar. But their 
 maintenance fometimcs lallin? 
 ftiorc, the Dodlor was io poor, tiiat 
 he could not add fourttcn pounds 
 to enable his fon to finifh the year, 
 v\.hich if he had done, he would 
 have been removed to a higher 
 clafs, and in another year would 
 
 * A Song, or pPcuLiar kiiul of Poetiy, 
 whii. li r;;f.ii ns to the bi'giiu-.liig of tr.e firft 
 vf lie, and coatinues iu a ptr^ietual rot.i- 
 
 tlOU( 
 
 have 
 
JS H 
 
 t 4*3 ] 
 
 S tt 
 
 haVe been fped off (as the phrafe U) affairs of public cntertiinrtiertt, 
 
 to a fcllowfhip inOxloid or Cam- forced him into notice and apprO- 
 
 bridge. B*ing thus recalled to bation. And, as if one piriuii had 
 
 t)ublin, he was ftnt to the unt- been fixed on by fate for awaken- 
 
 Verlity there, and was chofen oi the ing the almoil expiring talle of 
 
 founda'.ion j foon after obiained both kingdoms, it was marly an 
 
 an exhibition, and, in ly^S, pro- the fame time that our great 'oiil- 
 
 pofed to Ifiiid for a fellowlhip. liant ftar appeared at once with 
 
 He likewil'e took his degree of da/,z!ing lullre in the liaft^ and this 
 
 M. A. I'his courfe of education other new phxnomeiion flione forch 
 
 fmilhed, i', was time for .Mr. with almoil equal loltre from the 
 
 SheriJiin to fet forwards in life ; Weft of the theatric hemifphere. 
 
 but having no kind of intercft to But there was a piece of fervlce 
 
 procure pieferment, had he thought ilill remaining to be done to the 
 
 of goioj^ injo orders, nor any for- Irilb theatre, even of more im- 
 
 tune to provide fcr himfe'f in any portance than the acquifuion of 
 
 of the oiher liberal profeffiors, till capital peiformers, and which was 
 
 fuch time as his own talents might relerved for Mr. Sheridan to ac- 
 
 have infixed his fuccefs, what iTep complilh. This was the curbing 
 
 was to be taken became a point of the licentioufnefs which had long 
 
 foine confideration. The young reigned with an unlimiccd empiic 
 
 gentleman's inclinations, added to behind the fcenes, and the puttiiij; 
 
 the applaufe that he iiad frequently a Hop to the liberties daily takcti 
 
 met wi'.h trom thoh who h d b-'cn by the young and unruly among 
 
 prefent at the delivery of fome of the male part of the audience, 
 
 his academical oercifes, in which, who, by the prefcription or'cwlbini 
 
 though veiy young, he had ac- almcll immemorial, had conllantly 
 
 quiicd great reputation as a jull claimed a right of coming into ihi; 
 
 and critical oiator, poinded his green-room, attending rchearfals, 
 
 thoughts towards ihe theatre. That and carrying on gallantries in the 
 
 of Dublin W.1S indeed, at that time, moft open and ottcnfivi 
 at a vfjry low ebb, not only with 
 refpe'fl to the emoluments arifing 
 from it, but alfo as to the theatri- 
 cal merit of the performers, and 
 Hill much more fo as to the internal 
 ceconomy and conduct of it, and 
 the private charaders of the great- 
 el'r part of its mtmbers, and con- 
 fequently not much frequented, 
 
 ive manner^ 
 wit^ fach of the actrefffs a5 would 
 admit of them, while thoie who 
 would not, were perpetuaiiv ex- 
 pofed to infult and il!-crec^;ncnt. 
 Thefe grievances ^.ir. Siieridau, as 
 foon as he became manager of the 
 theaire, which was not long after his 
 firfl coming on thf ilagc,dcuij:iined 
 by degrees to remove, and he ar 
 
 excepting by the younger and more la'f happily cffefted, though not till 
 licentious members of the com- after his having been invoUed in 
 munity, who went thci'e more for contells with perhaps the moll tu- 
 
 the fake of induli^ing an inclina- 
 tion of riot and intrigue, than from 
 ^ny other rnotive. Notwithftand- 
 ing thefe di fad vantages, however, 
 Mr. Sheridan's merit, and the 
 
 multuous audiences in the world* 
 not only at the hi7ard of lohng hi;; 
 means of fubfiltence, but even at 
 the rifque of his life, from the re- 
 fentmentof a fet of luwlefs rio- 
 
 ftrong fupport his intereft met with ters, who were however, thr.;ugh a 
 from his fellow-coilegians, who, in noble exertion of juilicri in the ma- 
 thac city, bear great fvvay in all ths giiU-a^-y of Dublin, in the fupporf 
 
 of 
 
 i| 
 
S H 
 
 t 
 
 4H 
 
 S H 
 
 6f Co good a caufe, at length con- 
 vinced of their error, or at Icall of 
 the imprafticability of fJurfuing it 
 iny farther with impunity. And 
 thus to Mr* Sheridan's care, judg- 
 ment, affiduity, and fpirit, the 
 theatre of Dublin flands indebted 
 for the regularit^f, decorum, and 
 propriety, which it has fince been 
 conduced with, and the reputa- 
 tion it has acquired ; it having 
 been brought to that ftriftriefs of 
 Conduft, that neither powei-s of in- 
 tereft ol- df vjolLdce could procure 
 an admittance for arly ohe behind 
 t:i fcenes during the time either 
 '^f performance or rchearfal. Nor 
 tias the public been under lels con- 
 
 -■rable obligations to thisgentle- 
 .a.an, not only for the eafe and quiet 
 ^ joyment of their moll rational 
 amufement, but alfo for the very 
 
 "rit of the performances, in con- 
 li.jyence of his introducing fuch a 
 d;-gree of regularity into them, as 
 became a temptation for oiher per- 
 Ibns, as well as himfcif (poflefled 
 of amiable characters, defcendcd 
 from good families, whofe educa- 
 tions had been liberal, and who 
 were endowed with thofc virtues 
 and acconipliihments without which 
 theatrical e\ce!!ence can never be 
 attained) to offer thcii- fervices to 
 the public, ia a profeffon, which, 
 for a long time, with rei •>' £1 to that 
 kingdom, none but peilons, in- 
 tlifFerent to that moft Valuable of 
 all eiirthly poficflions, the good 
 Opinion of the world, would ven- 
 ture to appear in. 
 
 During the fpace of tbou "igh. 
 years, Mr. Sheridan pofTelled this 
 important office of manager 'f the 
 theatre Royal of Dublin, with 
 all the fuccefs both Vvith refpedl 
 to fame and fortune that could 
 well be cxpefted ; till at length, 
 an unfoitunate occurrence over- 
 threw at once the fecmin^ly liable 
 
 fabric he had fo lone and with Ca 
 hiuch pains lecn tc.ing, proved 
 the fhipwreck of his private for- 
 tune, and indeed hithcrro the de- 
 ftruciion of all tliofe flourilhirg 
 profpefls the Irilh llage feemed 
 then '^ have of an eftablilhcd fuc- 
 ccfs. 
 
 In thefumrtict of the year I7t;4i 
 in which the rancour of political 
 parly arofe to the greatcll height 
 that it had almoU evor been known 
 to do in Dublin, IVIrj Sheridan 
 unfortunately revived a tragedy, 
 viz. MiUcr^s Mahoimt. In this play 
 were many palTages, which, thouv;h 
 no more than general ffntiments of 
 liberty, add the det.;lt?.t:on of bri- 
 bery and corrupr'on in thofe who 
 have the conduit of public afi'airs, 
 yet being fixed on by the iinli- 
 courticrs as cxprtiiive of th ir own 
 opinions in regard to cr rtain per- 
 fons at that time in power, thofe 
 pafiages W'cre infilled on by i-hem 
 to be repeated j i demand which^ 
 on the firft night of its reprefenta- 
 tion, was complied with by Mr. 
 Digges, by whom the part of Al- 
 canor, in which moll of them oc- 
 curred, was then performed. On 
 the fucceedirg night, however, in 
 confequence of fome rcnionllrances 
 which had been made by the ma- 
 nager, on the impropriety and in- 
 conveniences attending on fuch A 
 praftice, the fan.e fpeeches, v.hen 
 again called for by ttie audience, 
 were retnfed by the aftor, and, oh 
 fome hint- which he Could nc; 
 avoid giving of his inducement for 
 that rtrlufal, the manager became 
 the objeft -f their rcfentmf-ot. On 
 his not appearing to mollify their 
 rage ijy fome kir.d of apology, they 
 flew out into the moft outrageous 
 violence, cut the fcentry to piece* 
 with their fwords, tore op the 
 benches and boxes, and, in a word^ 
 totally dcf^uiled the theatre ; con- 
 cluding' 
 
S H 
 
 [ 415 1 
 
 8 H 
 
 tluding with a refolutlon never 
 ttiorc to pc^mit Mr. Sheridan to 
 appear on that Aage. 
 
 In confequence of this tumult 
 he was obliged to place the ma- 
 nagement of his ravaged play- 
 houfe in ether hands for the en- 
 fuing feafon, and come himfeH to 
 England, where he continued till 
 the opening of the winter of the 
 year 1756, when tne Ipirit of party 
 being in fomc degree fubfided, and 
 Mr. bhcridanS pirfonal opponents 
 fomewhat convinced of the impe- 
 tuous ralhnefs of their proceed- 
 ings, he reiurned to his native 
 coun'ry, and having preceded his 
 full appearance on the Itage by a 
 public apology for fjch parts of 
 his condu£l as might have b'en 
 cnnfidercd as exceptionable, he 
 was again received wiih tliC high- 
 ffl: favour by the audience. But 
 row, theugh otice more feated on 
 the throne ot theatrical fuvcreij!;n- 
 ty, his reign, whicli had been thus 
 dillurbed by an infurrt:ft;o;i at 
 home, was yet to undergo a fc- 
 cond Ihock from an affair Itili. if 
 poflible, ni'-re fatal, being no lefs 
 than an invalion from abroad. 
 'I'wo mighty potentates from i'.ng- 
 liiid, viz. Mr. Barry and IMr. 
 Woodward, having found means 
 to found the difpcluion of the pec- 
 pie of Dublin, with whom the for- 
 mer, cxclufive of his allowed thea- 
 trical merit, had great interefl: by 
 being tlieir countryman, and find- 
 ing it the opinion of many, that a 
 fecond theatre in that city would 
 be likely to meet with encourage- 
 ment, if lupportcd by good per- 
 formers, immediately raifed a laige 
 fubfcription among the nobility 
 and gentry, fet artificers to work, 
 crctfted a new play-houi'e in Ciow- 
 flreet during the fummer feafon, 
 and, havint; en^;aged a company 
 felcdcd from the two theatres of 
 Loadon, were ready lor opening 
 
 by the beginning of the enfhirjj^ 
 winter. And now, at a time when 
 Mr. Sheridan needed the gieatelt 
 increafe of theatrical Itrcngth, he 
 found himfeU dcferted by fome of 
 his principal performers, who had 
 engaged thcmfelves at the new 
 houfe ; and, as if fate was deter- 
 mined to combat againit him, fome 
 valuable auxiliaries, which he had 
 engaged from England, among 
 whom were iVIr. Theophilus Cib- 
 bcr, and Mr. JVladdox the wire- 
 dancer, loll their lives in the at- 
 tempt to come to Ireland, being 
 driven by a ilofin, and call away 
 on the coulf of Scotland. 
 
 This was the finil-hing rtroke to 
 that ruin w.ich had begun to take 
 place, and had been lb long im- 
 pending over his head. He was 
 now compelled entire'y to throw 
 up his whole concern with that 
 theatre, and to feek out for fon-e 
 other means of providing for him- 
 felf and lamily. 
 
 In the year J 7,7, Mr. Sheridnnt 
 had publilhed a plan, whereby Ik; 
 propofed to the natives of Ireland 
 the eltablifhment of an acadcmv 
 for the accomplilhmcnt of youth 
 in every qualification necciTary tor 
 a gentleman. In the formation of 
 this defigii he confidcred the art of 
 oratory as one of the principal ef- 
 fentials, and, in order to give a 
 llronger idea of the utility of that: 
 art, by example as well as theory, 
 he opened his plan to the publiC'in 
 two or three orations, whtch were 
 fo well written, and fo admiiablv 
 delivered, as to give li-.e higncll 
 pioofs of the abil.iics ;>f the pro- 
 pof'er, and his fitncfs for the ojhce 
 of fuperintendant of fitch an aca- 
 demy J for which poll ho ofieted 
 his fervice to the pLibiic. Yet hew 
 it happened I know not, buc, 
 though the plan itfelf \^as in fume 
 degree carried into execution, jVir. 
 Sheridan was unfortunattiy ex- 
 cluded 
 
 - * ■ U 
 
 vi 
 
 
 i Sili 
 
 i 
 
 
 Mm 
 
 '?*t 
 
 MSm ti 
 
 
 '^V'i 
 
 
 .;.*<! 
 
 
 ■;«•;; 
 
 ^-' 
 
 
 l':B 
 
 P 
 
 P 
 
 ffi 
 
 £ 
 
 1 
 
 
 
I 
 
 tludcd from any fhare In the con- 
 duftofit. 
 
 He then came over once more 
 to England, where he compofcd a 
 courfe of e\cellcnt lertures on Klo 
 cution and Oratory, which he pub- 
 licly resd in the theatres of the uni- 
 Ver(tties of Oxford, and Cambridge 
 to numerous nnd elegant audiences, 
 v<;ry confiderably to his emolu- 
 ment, and flill more fo to his repu- 
 tation. From thence he ag.un 
 rame to London, where, for fevtral 
 years palt, his time feem? to have 
 been divided between the avoca- 
 tior s of his former profeflion (hav- 
 inj^, performed frequently in lome 
 of his mort favourite charafters in 
 the feveral thtatresroyal)^ and that 
 of reading lectures. Some part 
 of the winter of 1763, alfo, he 
 puhliflied propofals for ertabiifh- 
 ing an academy for introducing 
 the Enplifli language in its purity, 
 both of grammar and pronunci- 
 ntion, into the kingdom of Scot- 
 land, where moreover he had met 
 with fucceis in his led^ures ; but 
 this dcfign leems, for the prefent 
 at leaft, to be laid afide. 
 
 JVlr. Sheridan, in 1778, publifli- 
 ed a Dictionary of the Englifli 
 ^'^"S^'^S^i and, for the lafl: three 
 years, exercifed the office of ma- 
 nager of Drury-Lane theatte under 
 hii fon, one of the patentees. He 
 is at prefent engaged in a defigu 
 of giving the public a complerc 
 edition of the works of Dean Swifr, 
 together with a life of the author, 
 concerning which, from the new 
 information he is fuppofed to be 
 capable of communicating, confi- 
 derable expectations arc formed. 
 
 I ha\e been the fuller in my ac- 
 count of this gentleman, as his 
 clofe connexion with, and his real 
 confcquence in theatrical hillory, 
 feem naturally to render the events 
 of his life of fome importance to 
 the de voices of the drama: ic Mufes, 
 
 ^ S ft ■ 
 
 and to entitle him to an aiftpW 
 mention in a work of this nature. 
 What plan he propofes to purfue 
 hereafter 1 am not informed ofj 
 but, be it what it will, his merits 
 rf v.'rious kinds certainly entitle 
 him to the encouragement of the 
 public, in whofe fervice h« has 
 ever been faitlitully afllduous, al- 
 though in many inllances unfuc- 
 ccfsfully fo. As an adlor, the ca- 
 pital llation he fo long maintained 
 in the good opinion of audiences 
 who value themfelves highly on 
 being critical judges of theatrical 
 pertormances, ii furcly fuflicient t.6 
 authorize our allowing him, if not 
 a place in the firlt rank of adors^ 
 at lead deferving of one fuperior 
 to thofe in the fecond. Nature has 
 indeed been rather niggard of her 
 favour to him with re^pert to voice 
 and perfon, but the judgment in 
 oratorical execution, and the criti- 
 cal underllanding of his author^ 
 which are fo eflentially his cha- 
 raflerillics, mull ever afford delight 
 to the judicious and ciifcerning.-— 
 As a fchclar, all who know him 
 mufi: acknowledge his excellencies ; 
 and as a Writer, his Ef^ay on Bri- 
 tijh EJucatiuti, and his courfe of 
 Oratorical Lc'^ura, as well as tho 
 many little pieces which, in hit! 
 own defence, he has at times been 
 obliged to fend forth into the 
 world, fhew a depth of reafoningj .H 
 fullnefsof imagination, and acom- 
 mand of language, which fpeak his 
 praifes in more proper terms than 
 it is in the power of try pen to dil- 
 play them with; In the dramatic 
 way he has only produced one ori- 
 ginal piece, ai.d prepared three 
 more tor the llage from the work* 
 of other authors, vlzi 
 
 1 . Capiaiu O'B'umkr. Farcc. 
 
 2. Curiolaiius. Trag. 
 
 3. LcyalSubjc^. T. C. altered 
 from Beaumont and Fletcher. 
 
 i^. Rcinco 
 
 \ i: 
 
 n 
 
S H 
 
 [ 4'7 1 
 
 S H 
 
 4. Rn/neo and Julitt, T. altered 
 from Shikfpe.irc. 
 
 Si!ERrr).\N, Richard BRii\3- 
 l.EV. This ^eiiileiiiai), wh ■ i^ with 
 great propriety liyltd the Ci»:^rcn'r 
 of the prefent theatre, is :hc ion of 
 Mr. and IMrs, Sheridan mc:uioned 
 in the precedinj!; and fui.iVtjoent ar- 
 ticles, lie was born at Qiiik^, near 
 Duhlin, ahoiJt thi^ year 17c?, und 
 at the iigc of fix yeais \v:i> bt()u;:,ht 
 to Enj',land, and placed at Marrow 
 fchooi, where he received his cJu- 
 cation under the cure o[ Dr. Sum- 
 ner. After having fiiii(hc;d his 
 ftudies at that feminary, he enter- 
 ed himfeif of the Middle Temp'e 
 fociety, with a view to the profef- 
 fion of the law, but the aitrailions 
 of dramatic poetry feem to have 
 fufpended his ardour in that pur- 
 fuit. At the age of eighteen, he 
 joined with another gentleman in 
 tranJlating the epiltles of Anjltene- 
 tui from tiie Greek; and before he 
 arrived at the age of twenty two, 
 his firlt play, The Rivah, was ati^ed. 
 In the year 1776, Mr. Garrick, 
 having rcfolved 10 quit all his thea- 
 trical connexions, entered into a 
 treaty witii Mr. Sheridan, Mr. 
 l.inley, and Mr. l^ord, for the lale 
 of his fhare and intereft in the pa- 
 tent, which agreement was foon 
 afterwards finilhed ; and luce that 
 period our author has been one of 
 the managers of Drury-Lanc tluM- 
 tre, On the 13th of April, 1773, 
 he was married to Mifs L'.liz.ibe.li 
 l.inley, an acccmplilhed lady of 
 txquifue muiiLal talent?. He at 
 prefent reprefents the borouoh of 
 Stafford in parliament, and is the 
 author of the following: piecfs : 
 
 I. The Rivals. C. «vo. 
 
 * /, 
 
 AV. PcitriLlis Day ; or, '1 he 
 .^eming Lieutenant. F. 177^. N.P. 
 
 3. The Duenna. C. O. 1775. 
 N.P. 
 
 4. A Trip to Scarhorou^^h. C. 
 altered from V:inbruph 1776, N. ?. 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
 <;. TIr School r'or SeanJai. C. 
 1777- N.I'. 
 
 6. rheCni.i^ F. 1778. N. P. 
 
 7. The C-irii ; or, A Tia^eih if 
 hei'tfifl V. 1779. N. P. 
 
 Sheridan, Pkancks. This 
 l.-;dy was wi*e to Mr. Sher'dan 
 tile e'd.M. Slic was born in Ire- 
 land at-'out the year 1724, but de. 
 fcendcd {n.r. a goo.) Knglifh fa- 
 mily which had rciiioved thither. 
 Her maiden name was Chanibcr- 
 l.iine, !)eing the granif-daugliter 
 of S;r Oliver ' hambcrlaine. The 
 f rll iiteiary performance, by which 
 ffie diftinj^uillied herfelf, was a lit- 
 tle pamphlet a: the time ui a vio* 
 le-M party difpute relative to the 
 theatre, in which I\!r. Sheridaa 
 had newly embarked his f(/rtune. 
 So well- iined a work cx«-iting the 
 attention of Mr. Sh<'ridan, he pro- 
 ci'red himlelf to be introduced to 
 his fair patronef-, to whom he was 
 foon afterwards married. She was 
 a perlon of the moll amiable cha- 
 raderin every relation of life, with 
 the moll engaging manners. After 
 lingering fome \e.irs in a very weak 
 Ibite of health, (he ditd at Blols, in 
 the fouth of France, in the year 
 1767. 
 
 Her dramatic works are, 
 
 1. 7 he DJioveiy. Com. 8vo. 
 176^ 
 
 2. The Dup'-. C. 8vo. 176;. 
 
 Mr;!. Slitridan was alfo the au- 
 thor of Svif/jiy J)i<fit/'/j:h, a novel in 
 q volumts, which may be tanked 
 wi;h the iirll productions of that 
 clafs in our?, o*- in any other lan- 
 j>uaves. There is alfo an excellent 
 littif romance in one volume, call- 
 ed, N:-r.'>yal'aJ, in which there ii a 
 j're'U dciil of imagination produc- 
 tive cf a.T admirable moral. 
 
 Shipman, Thomas. Of this 
 gentlctran we have no farther iu« 
 lormition, than that he was de- 
 fcendcd of a very good family, 
 itnd had, by iliuc of ;;n cxcellenc 
 
 iL c tducatic 
 
 m 
 
 n 'i I 
 
 I' m 
 
S II 
 
 [ 418 ] 
 
 S 11 
 
 etlucation, acquiud all thofc ac- 
 cnm{)lilhnu'nts wliiih were nccd- 
 lary to Ht liim tor convcrrntion, 
 and itiitli'r his company dcfirable 
 by the bell wits of the noc. We 
 find oi'I} one dramatic pitce of his 
 extant, uhoic title is 
 
 /fr/iry III. i>j' I'ruucc. T. 4(0. 
 I678. ' 
 
 Yet it nppenrs, iioiii :i colIidl.i<-n 
 of his poems, cnii;led, C\ini/:„<i, 
 iliat he w;is Iicld in liii>h tlleeni 
 by Mr. Cowley, and luid written 
 oihcr trngcdies. lUit what tliey 
 were entitled, or whether everp-jb- 
 liflicd, it is not ealy t.) tncc. i Ic 
 lived in the reign of Chailes 11. 
 and is fuppofcd to have died in the 
 year 1691, 
 
 Shirm.v, IIknrv. Of this 
 pcntlein;m I can tr,(ce no f.irther 
 particuhus, than that he lived in 
 the reign of kirg Charles 1. and 
 wrote one -day, entitled, 
 
 u n,' lihii/p-'.i So/Jur. Trag. 
 410. 1638. 
 
 and the following which were nc- 
 ■ ver printed, vi/.. 
 
 2, The Upaitijh x)ukc of Lcrnia, 
 • 3. 7h Dnkci,/ Guiz}, 
 
 4. Ihe .D"rri ./>,ivfi., 
 
 C. Gi'iii(!o a.'C ^''i)>:J?,!i!t Loi'cr. 
 
 Entered in tlie l>(>^yks of the Sta- 
 tioners Cxninriny Sept. 9, 1655. 
 Fl.itmr.n, fpeaking of him, lays, 
 " in the ealamiticij oF the Inte re- 
 *• bellion he was no linall ihaier, 
 *' but had the good tortune to re- 
 *' tire fiom a to;al ruin." 
 
 Wood ini.^gines him to have been 
 brother, or fume near relation of 
 James Shirley, whom I now Ihall 
 proceed to give fonie account id. 
 
 Shirley, Jamls. Was of an 
 ancient fdndli', and born about tlie 
 year 1 C94., in I-ondon. He was 
 educated at Merchant Taylor's 
 fehool, and trom theice removed 
 to St. John's in Oxford; where 
 Dr. Laud, then prefidcnt of thar 
 college^ conceived a great affec- 
 
 tion for him, en .iccount if hh 
 c'.telknt part?, yet would oiten 
 tell him, that " he was an ■ ifit 
 •* perlon to take the lacrtd tunc- 
 •• tioii upon him, ami fliould never 
 •' have his confcnt," btcuit Mr. 
 Shiiley had a laroe niol*: •^'v-yr, his 
 left ciicek, which i.aud clleemcd a 
 defoimity. Aftciwardf, leaving 
 O.xford, he went to Cambridge, 
 and fuon after, entering ir.to or- 
 dcis, lie took a cure a; or near St. 
 Aih:ins. In the mean time, grow- 
 ing unlettled in hi- principles, he 
 t hanged his religion lor that of 
 R( inc, leli his living, and taught 
 a gramniar-fchool in '1. Albans ; 
 but ihis tivpioyment being uncafy 
 to liiin, he retired to London, lived 
 ill Gray's-lnn, and became a writer 
 of plj)f. My this he gained, not 
 only a 1 .elihood, but alio great 
 lelpcdl and encouragement from 
 perfons of quality, efpecially Iroin 
 the cjueen, wife to king, Charles 1. 
 who njadc him her feivant. Wiien 
 the rebellion broke out, he was 
 obliged to leave London and bis 
 f.;mi!y (ler he had a wife and 
 children), and being invited by his 
 jatron \\'illiani, carl, afterwards 
 duke of Newcallie, to follow his 
 fortune in the civil wars, he at- 
 tended his lorufiilp. On the de- 
 cline ol tlic king's caufe, he retired 
 to London ; where, among other 
 of his liiends, he lound Mr. Stan- 
 ley, author of the Lives qftherhi' 
 lojifhirs, who fupported hlii) for 
 tlie prefent. The ailing of plays 
 being prohibited, he then returned 
 to Ins old occupation of teaching 
 fehool, which he did in White- 
 l-r\:ir.i; and, at the Relloration, 
 ftveral of his plays were brought 
 upon the theatre again. Jn i6C)t> 
 happened the great fire of L(n- 
 don, by which he was burnt out of 
 his houfe near Fleet ftrect j from 
 wkci.cc he removed into the parilh 
 of St. Giles's in the Fieldsj wiicie, 
 
 being 
 
\i 
 
 L 4'9 1 
 
 S It 
 
 hfinri; extremely !i»Vri1c'»l with the 17. The Maiti^i Revenge. Trag, ^.^^ 
 
 u.Ts ;ifitl tcmif (uiMli.mc I by that 4t(). if)",8. 
 
 <irr;!(itul foiiH ':;r uioii, ihcy h'lili 18. L'jb'^t yidni'nal i>f Vraiii:c, 
 
 died within liic Ip.icc of tunity- 'i 'aR- 4'<). lf>.*'> 
 
 four hours, and Nv'cro iiiu'ired in 
 
 thj l.iini' i'r..vc. 
 
 10. y/v //''./. c: 
 
 4ro. I()'^y. 
 
 :'0. Atfiiiiui, Dramatic l\iiio- 
 
 ntiiJes ihirty-ninr pl.iys, tr;!jie- rul. 4to i6.)C;. 
 
 (Iic'i an 
 
 .1 c 
 
 omciJii' 
 
 pruiud at dif- 
 
 3 I, 
 
 //v /. 
 
 fcr<Mit linirs, li>- [lublilhcd an <iC- 410. 16.0, 
 tavo vnliime ot pocv.is i;i \(^.\()^ 22. 'lie Ol^[>^ 
 
 iiinoroui K our (■'>', 
 itinhv> Com. 
 
 !fO. 
 
 with tlirte tr;«('h tcjatun' 10 I'ram- 1^40. 
 
 in.ir. Hu a 111 lied hi 
 
 patioi 
 
 the 
 
 duke oF NtwcalUc, in toiniiofiiit^ l'!ay. 410. i6.;o 
 iVveral plays, which fl\c dnkc pui- 2|. Loi>v's i.'n 
 
 lilhcd; ah iikevvil'c .Mr. Jdlui 0;'il- I'- 40. 
 by, in his u.\ui\:\uo\\ (>( I! ■.vii'i .lud 2^. The Cwjliiu 
 
 '3. i^t.PAirhKj'or Irda:i. H'.rt. 
 
 r.ip. 41 c 
 
 .■■/, 1 
 
 )y writing nofs on thcni 
 
 1640. 
 
 .[.to. .•^«-i>« 
 
 lie was by many coiiluitTcd as one 26. The Coronai. . Cou;. 410, 
 
 )f th 
 
 c molt no;c 
 
 d c! 
 
 rauuitic poL'ts 
 
 1640. 
 
 oi' his timr; and (bmc thuu;^ht hiiu 27 T""'' Tfiiimpo of Beauty, M. 
 
 even equal to l"!t.£ciur hunielt. 
 
 5V(>. 10 
 
 '.G. 
 
 Our aiiihur's dramatic j.icces -i\i. The Jjiothin, Com. 8vo. 
 
 are, 
 
 16, 
 
 1. The li1'Jcl!)ir. C. 4to. i62f 
 
 2 . ''fhe Grateful ^ervunt. L . 4 
 
 to. 
 
 163^ 
 
 29. "The i^'iflrru C. UVO. l6?2. 
 
 30. '//ir I) iil'tful IL'ir, 'J iugi« 
 
 Cojvi,«Svo. lOiJJ 
 
 3. The School of Compliments, C. ;<i. //v Imujhr. Tragi-C 
 
 Dm. 
 
 4to. i6_ji. 
 
 4. The Cha'v^t's] or, Lcvc in a 
 Maze. Com. 4to. 16;,:!. 
 
 Svo. i6p, 
 
 ^?. '//('c Caitliniil, 'I'rai 
 
 5' 
 
 Content 'OH 
 
 He 
 
 unom' uHi 
 
 I 
 
 c 
 
 Ol!). 
 
 Ve Ci 
 Hvo. 
 
 ■■/ iSVc/'iV. 
 
 svo. 
 
 ragt. 
 
 '53- 
 
 C. AtO. 
 
 3 J.- Cupid and Death, jM. 4:0. 
 16;; 8. 
 
 3 g . 7('f Politician. T. C. 410. 
 
 36. The Ge'itlanan of Venice, T. 
 C. 410. 't)C^. 
 
 ,7. 7/1' CoHtfitlnn of j-ljax a>ul 
 
 Riches. Mafiiuc, .|to. 16^ 
 
 6. The il'itty 1' air -One.' 
 
 7. The Triumphs of Peace. M, 
 4to. 1633. 
 
 8. The Bird in a Ca^e. C. 410 
 
 9. The Tray tor, T. 4ro. 163^. 
 
 10. The Lady of ['icifurt. C. Uivjpi for jJchilles* ylr.>/uur, i\j. 
 410. 1637. iivo. 1659. 
 
 11. The Taa:? Admiral. Trnfri- 3H. tli'nnia and" Mammon, C. 
 Com. 410. 1637. 8vo. 1 (>(,() 
 
 12. '7/'^ li.xample, I'rJgi-Corn. 39. yi'ui'omtina ; or, '//r il/i-r- 
 4tO. lOlJ. champs U'fe. 'V 410. 16(0. 
 
 13. /7)'f/t' I'arJi. C. 4to. 1637. lie vva, alio the author of the 
 
 14. Tie Gamvjlcr, 0.410.1637. followii' • not pruned ; 
 ij'. 7'/'6' AVi^/ l\ufc'\ 'I'ra^^i- ii>. /I'lui. T. i'- 39. 
 
 Coin. 4to. 1O38. Lo'lce :'i the Lad e. C. 1639. 
 
 10. ThcDnle's Mijl'ef, Tiagi- 7v-'</A.V/, or L^iy'j Tafc;;;,', C. 
 
 Com. 4to. j^'jS. irciuioiitd in Juj poeii s. ;ip- 
 
 E c 2 pr h.';nd 
 
 if;!" 
 
 
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 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
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 (716) 872-4503 
 
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 ppctiend this lad to be the fame as 
 T/jr Doitbifiil Heir. 
 
 We have long wifhed to foe a 
 corifded edition of all this au. 
 thoi's pieces. " His imagination 
 (fays Dr. FarmT in his Eff<iy on the 
 J^rarning of i^hakfpearc) is lometimes 
 fine to an extraordinary degree." 
 Why will not (we boriow the 
 words of another Cumbridge man, 
 the author of Jin Heroic AMrefs in 
 l^rofc to the Rev. Richard IVatJon^ 
 DD, F.R.S. 4to. 1780. a work 
 rt'plcte with wit, humour, learn- 
 ing and fancy, together with a 
 }:ltufant digree of extr.ivagance) 
 " foiiie ingenious comnientator, 
 perhaps one of the Shuhfpcrian 
 troop of which there are above 
 fifiy horfe and foot, «r7;/^v/ with an 
 &:c. at the end," undertvikethetafi: f 
 
 Shirley, William. This 
 geiitKman is Aill living, and was 
 for fome years rcfuient in Portu- 
 gal, in a public chara<^er, if I reigns of Henry VH. and VIII. 
 niiftake not. On fome difgull. He was laurtated at O:(ford, and 
 however, or difpute which he had was permitted to hold the fame 
 involved himfeU in there, he re- honour at Cambridge. Having 
 turned to England about the ye^r liudied (fays Mr. Warton) in both 
 1749. He has ever been elteemed our univerfities, he was promoted 
 
 5. The Biith of Hercules. 
 4to. 1765. 
 
 6. The Roman Sacrifice. T. 1 7 76. 
 N. P. 
 
 7. The Rvuan ViHim, T. 
 
 8. Akibiades. T. 
 
 9. The Firjl Part of Kivg Henry 
 the Secnnd, H. T. 
 
 10. The Second Part of King 
 He my the Second, H. T. 
 
 I I . The Fall of Carthage. T. 
 AU /niftnken. C 
 7hc Good Eijglifhwan. B. O. 
 FnJ}/iotiah!e Frttndjhip. B. O. 
 1 V 7/. .Shepherds Ceunfliip. M . P. 
 'J he lart nine are not yet printed. 
 Shuckrorough, Charlls. 
 Of Longborough, in the county of 
 Gloucclter, was the author of one 
 play never a^ed, entitled, 
 
 Antiochus, A I'rag. 8vo. 1 740. 
 Skelton, John. A poet, who 
 was defcended from the Skeltons of 
 Cumberland, and flouriOied in the 
 
 a perfon of deep penetration, and 
 well verfed in afiairs of trade and 
 the coirmercial inttrefts and con- 
 redions of different kingdoms, 
 more efpecially thofe of Great- 
 Britain and Portugal. He has 
 alfo been generally confidered as 
 the author, of fcveral letters on 
 thofe fubjeds, publilhed in the 
 
 to the redtory of Difs, in Norfolk^ 
 But for his buffooneries in the 
 pulpir, and his fatirical ballads 
 aguini^ the mendicants, he was 
 feverely cenfuied, and perhaps 
 fufpended by Nykke his diocefan, 
 a rigid biOiop of Norwich, from 
 exercifing the duties of the facer- 
 dotal funflion. Wood fay.', he 
 
 Daily Gazetteer, and figned Lujita- was alfo puniOied by the bifliop 
 fi.'ctis. In his poetical capacity, 
 however, Mr. Shirley does not 
 Ihind in fo conliderable a light, 
 though feveral or his plays have 
 been reprefented on the llage. 
 The toliowinsj is a lift of them ; 
 
 1. The Parricide. T. 8vo. 17^9. 
 
 Kit/g Piptn's Campaii^u. B. O. 
 8vf). 1745. ^ _ _ 
 
 3. Edivardthc Black Pnncc. T. daring to .ittack the dignity of 
 
 8v<'. 17 so. cardinal Wollcy, he was clofel)J 
 
 for *' having been guilty of certain 
 crimes, AS Mosr voets are" 
 But thefe perfecutions only ferved 
 to quicken his ludicrous difpofi- 
 tion, and to exafperate the acri- 
 mony of his fatire. As his fer- 
 moiis could be no lifhger a vehicle 
 for his abufe, he vented his ridi- 
 cule in rhimino; libels, ^t length 
 
 4. Ku.H.a. T. 4I0. lyCv 
 
 pUi 
 
 fucd 
 
S L 
 
 f 4M 1 
 
 S M 
 
 Purfued by the officers of that 
 powerful minider ; and, taking 
 (helter in the fanduary of VVell- 
 niinfter-Abbey, was kindly enter- 
 tained and prote<£led by abbot 
 J flip, to the day of his death. He 
 died and was buried in the chancel 
 of the neighbouring church of Saint 
 Margaret, in the year i^2g. 
 
 With the general coarfenefs, oh- 
 fcenity, and fcurrility, that dif- 
 tinguiflies his fmaller poems, oar 
 readers cannot fail to be acquaint- 
 ed. He takes his place, however, 
 in this work, as author of four dra- 
 matic pieces, entitled, > 
 
 I . T/je Ni^ramanjir, An Enterl. 
 
 z. Magnificence, A Morality. 
 
 3. The Comedv of Virtur, 
 
 4. The Comedy of Good Order, 
 Of the fecond an imperfeftcopy 
 
 is in the colledion of the late 
 David Garrick, Efq; and a perfeA 
 one in the univerficy library at 
 Cambridge, D4. 8. The two latter 
 feem not to have been printed. 
 
 Slade,John. Was a lieutenant 
 in the tenth regiment of marines, 
 and loil his life in the Ramillies, 
 when that (hip was cad away the 
 15th of February, 1 760. He wrote 
 a piay, aded one night at the Hay- 
 Market by himfelf and his friends. 
 It was called. 
 
 Love and Duty. T. 8vo. 1756. 
 
 Smart, Chuistopher. We 
 have but few particulars of this 
 unfortunate author, who, from the 
 dedication of his Poems, appears 
 to have been bom in the county of 
 Kent. He was once the favourite 
 of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, 
 where he received a part cf his 
 tducation, took the degree of M. 
 A. and became a fellow. At this 
 early period of his life, he was not 
 more rtmarkable for his learning 
 than his humour, of which many 
 example?, like the following, are 
 Jliil remembered by his academical 
 acijiiaintance. The three beadles 
 
 of the univerfity being men of un- 
 ufual bulk, he is faid to have cha- 
 radtcrized them in this extempore 
 hexameter — 
 
 Pin^uia lergcm'tnortim abdomina he' 
 dvllarum. 
 He loft his fellow/hip, however, 
 by marrying Newbery the book- 
 feller's wife's daughter by a former 
 hulband ; yet to this event his fuc- 
 ceeding mifcarriages are not to be 
 Imputed, as he had previoufly quit- 
 ted the univerfity on account of 
 debts he had contrafted by his ex- 
 travagance and attachment to the 
 bottle. 
 
 This unfortunate habit of in- 
 temperance had a fatal effect upon 
 him. It was carried to fuch ex- 
 cefs, that about the year 1757 he 
 was obliged to be confined in a 
 madhoufe, where he continued 
 about two years and during that 
 time is faid to have completed his 
 tranflationof the Pfalms. In 17^9, 
 he had a benefit at Drury-Lane 
 theatre, when Mr. Garrick's Farce 
 of The Guardian was arted for the 
 firft time. After his releafe from 
 confinement, he publilhed many 
 pieces, and was reduced to the moll 
 deplorable Hate of poverty. Ac 
 length, after fufFering the accu- 
 mulated miferies of debtF, difeafe, 
 and infinity, he was releafcd by 
 death on the 2iflof May, 1771. 
 
 His tranflaiion of Pope's Ode on 
 Saint Cecilia' i Day has been celebrat- 
 ed much beyond its merit. Being 
 written without regard totonformi- 
 tv «.f nicafure, itcunnot b<; leceived 
 as the Icgitiiiiate reprefciitative of 
 a Knman ode ; neither are fome ex- 
 pre'Jions in it aiiihorized by any 
 wiiter in the fiinie language. 
 
 T'ne hicccfii of his verfton of 
 i'op: '0 I'JJiiy on Crilici/m was fuitable 
 [() :lie wiidnefs of fuch an under- 
 takiiig. Had he chofen the Teni- 
 plf // l\ui!i\, or Windfr Fitiifl, for 
 the exptriment, being general fub- 
 
 lie 3 jtCtj, 
 
\(\. 
 
 8 M 
 
 [ 421 ] 
 
 S M 
 
 jeifls, the Latin language could 
 ealily have fur iflitd liini with cor- 
 lefponaent eNpn/li-ns ; l:iii where 
 could he exp'.-ci lo nifet wiih 
 phralei, c;'p:ibli.- ot ruu:t:\:i.g ider.s 
 of thf jlnj^lc of )llinl<•,^*r(l oilur 
 peculi.il ities of uio:.tru Kiighfa 
 Vcrin'kaj. ii ? 
 
 7' It: pciforoianc that exhibits 
 tlie highcil lliobr of his jjenius, is 
 ont- or tii.'ii c(ipics of i.-i.iii verit-s 
 pub ifiied ainua'.y ar C>.n)b;idiiC 
 iirdcr ii-,c title <i» a 'iripos. In 
 this, his perronihcaiions df 2Ia- 
 th'fis, jhLciii, occ. ab' und with tie 
 molt poetical ining;! y, delivered in 
 langu:ioe that will abide the tcii I 
 criticif I). 
 
 bmiirt was engnged with Rolt in 
 more than one ii;(.r:irv enre.-prize, 
 particularly in Mother Mi.i)i!ght''i 
 E'.tcrtabiuuHt at the lii'V- Market 
 theatre. This was firll uriili-rtaktii 
 at the cxpen;.e of^tiie INlr. Ncwbery 
 already mentioned, and was after- 
 wards carried on with lOHi;' degree 
 of fuccefs. See article Roj.r. 
 
 Our author's cl.iim to a place in 
 this work is derived frfin a dra- 
 iratic p ece written by him, and 
 aiftcd at Hembroke College under 
 the following ti le : 
 
 1 . 7/v Gratijul Fair. C. . '■ 
 In this mock drama his well known 
 fimileof the Collier, the Erickduft- 
 men, and the barbe;, was original- 
 ly inferted. The 1 loiogue to it is 
 priiued in the fourth volume of 
 ne Poetical i'.>-i!e::ikr. 
 
 2. Ihc "JiJ^niint ofMi.hv. i\I. 
 4to. 1752. 
 
 3. Hamtah. O 4tO. 1764. 
 Smith, Edmumi. A pcct of 
 
 confiderabie reputation, was the 
 only Ion < f Tvjr. Neale, an emi- 
 nent irerchartl, ;.nd was born iu 
 the ) '^r 166O. txitii. '.I'isrortunes 
 ot h'l lather, ^vhiili wcie ioi>n tifter 
 foiiovscd by his death, otcahoncd 
 &lie foil's beii^f^ left vi-ry young in 
 ahe hards of Ish, Srnlth, who had 
 
 married l.Is father's fiftcr. ' li 
 j^^^tnth iD.'in ti-attd him as if he 
 had been his own tl ild, an4 
 piactd him at Wcllmiuller fchool, 
 utd.r Dr. Huihy. Alter the death 
 of his geitiou:. guardian, whofe 
 n.'.me in giatitude he 'bought pro- 
 j.er to altunie, he wa.. removed to 
 Crriir C^hurih, in 0.\ ford, and was 
 there, by his aunt, handfomely 
 maiiitaii'.ed till lier death, iiome 
 t:mf before hs kaving ChrilU 
 CiuiKh, lie was fer.t for by his 
 mother to Woixefler, and acknt w- 
 kdged by her as a hgitiiiiate fon j 
 wh'ch his fiicr.d Mr. Oldilworlh 
 mentions, to wipe off ihe afpcr- 
 fions that fome had ignorantly call 
 on his birth. He paffed through 
 the exercifes of the college and 
 univtrfity with unufual applaufe, 
 and acquired a great jcputatioii in 
 the fci'cols boih for knowledge 
 ai d fkill in difputation. '^\r. 
 Smith'i works are not many. His 
 oniy traj;cdy was ailed in 1709; 
 aid was introduced upon the ftage 
 at a time when the Italian operas 
 fo much eiignflid the polite world, 
 that fenfe was altogether facri- 
 ficid to found : and this occahoned 
 Mr. Addifon, who did our poet 
 the honour to write the prologue, 
 to rally therein the vitiated tafle 
 of the public, in preferring the 
 unideal entertainment of an opera 
 to the genuine ' -^fe ot a Britilh 
 pc t. This I. y,withapofm 
 
 to the murrof) . wlr. John Phil- 
 lips, his nofi intimate friend, thrte 
 or four odes, ai d a Latir. oration, 
 fpoken publick'y at Oxford, in 
 Laiu-lciii ihviiui: Bodieii^ were pub- 
 lifhcd in the year 17 19, under the 
 nane of his works, by Mr. Ohiif- 
 worili ; who prefixed a character 
 cf iht' author, from wi.erce ihis 
 account is ti;k(:n. iVIr. Smith died 
 in July 1710, in the forty-iecond 
 year cT his age, ar the feat cf 
 Gtorgc Ducket, Efci; called Jrlrit- 
 
 thani, 
 
S M 
 
 [ 423 ] 
 
 S M 
 
 tliam, in Wiltfhire, and was buried 
 in the parifh church there. Mr. 
 Oldii'worth has reprefentcd Mr. 
 Smith as a man abounding with 
 qualities equally good and great ; 
 and we have no reafon to impute 
 this panegyric to the partiality of 
 friendlhip. Mr. Smith had, ne- 
 verthelefs, fome flight defedls in 
 his conduft ; one was an extreme 
 carelelFnefs in drefs, which fingu- 
 iarity procured him the name of 
 captain Ragg. His perfon was yet 
 fo well formed, that no negleft 
 of this kind could render it dif- 
 agreeable; infomuch that the fair 
 fex, who obferved and admired 
 him, ufcd at once to commend and 
 reprove him, by the name of the 
 handfome floven. It is acknow- 
 ledged alfo, that he was much in- 
 clined to intemperance ; which 
 funk him into that Uoth and in- 
 dolence which has been the bane 
 of many a bright genius. Upon 
 the whole, he was a good-natured 
 man, a iinifhed fcholar, a fine poet, 
 and a difcerning critic. 
 
 Mr. Smith took the degree of 
 M. A. July g, i6g6, and was ex- 
 pelled the college Dec. ^o, 1705. 
 Theonlyplay which hefinifhed was, 
 
 Phicdra and HipboUttcs. T. 410. 
 N. D. [1709.] 
 
 He had b'^gun a tragedy on the 
 fubjefl of lady Jane Gray, but 
 died before it was finiflied. 
 
 Smith, Henry, Wrote in the 
 reign of William III. He belong- 
 ed to Clifford's Inn, and was au- 
 thor of one play, entitled, 
 
 The Frincc/s of Parma, T. 410. 
 16^9. 
 
 Smith, John. Lived at Sten- 
 ton, in Yorkfhire ; and wrote one 
 dramatic piece, refufed by the 
 players, but printed under the ti- 
 tle of, 
 
 Cytherea. C. 4to. 1677. '' 
 
 Smith, Willi AM. This gen- 
 tleman wrote, in the reign of kin^j 
 
 James I. three dramatic pieces, 
 whofe titles are,*"'^ *' ' '^ 
 
 1. He^or of Germany, Hift. PJay. 
 4to. 161^. 
 
 2. Fr(cman*s Honour. Play. 
 
 3. St, George for England, This 
 was deftroyed by Mr. Warburton'a 
 fervant. ";. 
 
 The fecond of them, I believe, 
 never appeared in print, being 
 only mentioned in the epiftle dedi- 
 catory of the other. 
 
 Coxeter quccries, whether this 
 author is not the William Smith, 
 Rouge Dragon purfuivant at arms, 
 fpoken of in the Englifh Topogra' 
 phn-y p. 2. 
 
 Smith, Dr. . Concerning 
 
 this author we fliall tranfcribe the 
 account given by Dr. Johnfon in 
 his life of Savage. •' Mr. Smith, 
 " a gentleman educated at Dublin ; 
 •' but being hindered by an im- 
 " pediment in his pronunciation 
 *' from engaging in orders, for 
 " which his friends defigned him, he 
 *' left his own country, and came to 
 •* London in quell of employment, 
 *' where he found his felicitations 
 • fruitlefy, and his ncceflities every 
 " day moreprelfing. In this difr 
 *■*' trefs he wrote a tragedy, and of- 
 *' fered it to the player?, by whom 
 " it was rejefted. Tims w?re his 
 •* laft hopes defeated, and he had 
 ** no other profpeft than that of 
 *' the moft deplorable poverty, 
 " But Mr. Wilks thought his per- 
 *' formancc, though not perfedt, 
 " at leart worthy of fome rewa.-d, 
 *' and thcl-cfore offered him a be- 
 *' nefit. This favour he in'proved 
 *• with fo much diligence, that 
 •*» the hculc afford'.'d him a con- 
 *' fuleiable funi, with which he 
 " wenf 10 Leyden, applied himfclf 
 '* to the liudy of phyfic, and pro- 
 " fccuted his dt-fign with fo much 
 " diligence and fucccfs, thatwh-n 
 " Dr. J'oLihnave wns dtfiicd by 
 " the Czuriiia to recommend pro- 
 
 E e 4 
 
 i;er 
 
 -^ 
 
S M 
 
 C 4H ) 
 
 S M 
 
 ** per perfons to introduce into was well received. He al/b made 
 ** Rufli.i the practice and (ludy a new tranflation of Don ^iixcttf 
 **ofpl>)fic, Dr. Smi h was one from the Spanilh : and, in 175a, 
 *' of thofe he felea^d. He had a • • • ' >•- • ■ 
 
 *' confiderahle penfion fe:t!ed on 
 " him nt his ariival, and was at- 
 •' terwards one of the chief phy- 
 •♦ ficians at the Ruffian cout." 
 
 'I'hc play abovc-mtniioiied was 
 called, 
 
 7/>r Cuptk-e Pthicf/s. N. P. 
 
 A grateful letter iroir. Dr. Smith 
 to Mr. Willis is printed ia Chet- 
 WOod's IJiJlury of thr S.'j^c, p. 240, 
 
 Smolllt, ToBiA!,, M. D. A 
 well known writer ot the prtfent 
 age, was born at a {n-rdl .ii.;ij;e 
 V/ilhin two miles of Cameron, on 
 the brinks of the river i:den, about 
 the year 1720. He w.is bred to 
 the practice of phyilc and furj^;f.ry, 
 and was fome time on boaid a (hip 
 ct war as iurgeon, in wh'ch ca- 
 
 he (Irucic into a different branch 
 of litera'urtf, and puhlilhed a tracl 
 on bathing and Bath waters. 
 About this time he obtained a 
 degree as doftor of phyfic. He 
 rt-iidtd at Chf.'fta, and had fome 
 practice ; hut writing was his chief 
 purfuit. His HJloty of England 
 met with ;una'.iit)g fuccefs ; but 
 this was chitfi/ aiir.buted to the 
 uncfnunon arts of publication 
 n:ad^' ufe of liy his bookfcller; 
 neverthftlefs, there is confiderahle 
 nieiit in the ooftor's liifiory, 
 which, in point of ilyle, is inferior 
 to none. He alfo engaged in a 
 periodical woik, entitled Z/v C//'- 
 t\al Jiiz'tw; in which the acri- 
 mony of his llriilures txpofed him 
 to great inconveniences, particu- 
 
 pacity he icTvci at the liege of larly a prolecution from admiral 
 
 Carthagena, At the end or the Knowlet.; in confequenceof which 
 
 • var \vhich v/as terminated by the he underwent a heavy fine and 
 
 peace of Aix la C'hapelle, in 1748, imprifonment in theKings's Bench. 
 
 h*ving no lart^er employment at In the year 1762, he engaged in 
 
 fea, he berook himfelf to his pen ; 
 , and, being haps y in a lively gt- 
 rius, he loon produe»d his cele- 
 brated novel, entithd Roderick 
 Jiaiiihiiiy which met with great 
 iucce:is. This encouraged him to 
 purfue the fame path, .'^nd he af- 
 terwards gave the town another 
 novel, entitled Pcrc-rine Fuktc; 
 3n which he luckily introduced the 
 Jiiiiory of the cclebrr.ted Indy Vane. 
 1'his epifode gave the book a 
 great run ; but it had likewife no in- 
 
 dcieiice of adminidration, and 
 publiflicd a paper, called Ihe Bri- 
 Ion \ hut beirg oiFended at fome 
 behaviour in his friends, he re- 
 linquiihed the employment in dif^ 
 
 gmt. 
 
 At length, his conl^itutinn being 
 greatly impaired by a fedentary 
 life and afficuous application to 
 fludy, he went abroad for his 
 health in the month of June 1763, 
 He wrote an account of his tra- 
 vels in a feries of letters to fome 
 
 confiderahle merit, independent of friends, which were afterwards 
 that lady's entertaining narrative, publiflifd in two volumes. Du- 
 ■' • 1 -• 1 . 1 ■ ■ . . 1 j^jjjg gjj jjj.jj {\rc\e he appears to 
 
 have laboured under a conllant fit 
 of chagrin. He had juft belore 
 loft his only child, a daughter, 
 wiiom he loved with the tendeielt 
 afTeftion. Af:er his return to his 
 native country, he found his health 
 continue to decline ; he therefore 
 
 went 
 
 the materials of which, it is laid, 
 flic herfelf fuinifhed. He likewife 
 wrote a third novel, entitled Ftr- 
 (iifiand Count Fathom^ which was 
 judged greatly inferior to the two 
 former; and to this gentleman 
 alio the public was obliged for a 
 new tiaiiilation oiQll Blu^ which 
 
 
S M 
 
 I 4«5 3 
 
 S O 
 
 iMnt back to Italy, and died near 
 Leghorn, OA. 21, i77i< 
 
 The plays and poems of Dr. 
 Smollet have been colIeAed and 
 publiflied by T. Evans, in one 
 volume Svo. 
 
 The doAor had a ^feTy agreea- 
 ble vein of poetry ; as appeared 
 by fome little occational pieces, 
 particularly The Tears of Scotland, 
 He is author of two dramatic 
 pieces, viz. 
 
 1. The Regicide. T. 8vo. 1749. 
 
 2. The Reprijali or. The Tars 
 ef Old England. F. Svo. 1757. 
 
 Smyth, John. Was the Ton 
 of John Smyth of Barton, in Glou- 
 ceiterihire. He was horn in the 
 year 1663, and became a fervitor 
 of Magdalen- College in 1679, ^' 
 the age of feventcen years. In 
 June 1686, he took the degree of 
 M. A. at that time he was uiher 
 of the fchool adjoining to Mag- 
 dalen-College great gate. 
 , He wrote one play, intitled, 
 
 Wi.1 her and lake her\ or. Old 
 Fools ivill he meddling C. 4to. 1 69 1 . 
 
 Wood fays, he was the author 
 of Scarronides ; or F'irgil Trtevejly. 
 A mock poem on the fecond book 
 of Virgil's yEncis, in Englilh bur- 
 lefque, 1691. Svo. 
 
 Odes paraphrafed and imitated 
 in Mifcellany ^oems and Tranjlations^ 
 by Oxford Hands, 168;. Svo. 
 They are from p. 64 to 92. 
 
 Smyth, James Moorb, Efq. 
 Was the fon of Arthur Moore, 
 Efq; one of the lords commiilion- 
 ers of trade in the reign of queen 
 Anne; and, his mother was the 
 daughter of Mr. Smyth, who left 
 this his grandfoii an handfome 
 cllaie, upon wluch account he ob- 
 tained an a6t of parliament to 
 change his name from Moore to 
 Smyth ; and, befides this ellate at 
 the death of his grandfather, he 
 h.id his place of pay-malier to the 
 biind of gentlemen pcnfioucrs, 
 
 jointly with his younger brother. 
 Arthur Moore, Efq. He was bred 
 at Oxford, and wrote one comedy, 
 called, 
 
 The Rival Mndis, Svo. 1726. 
 He wrote feveral humorous Tonga 
 and poems ; and, in cunjundtioa 
 with the late duke of Wharton, 
 began a weekly paper, called The 
 Inquijitory which favoured fo much 
 of Jacobitifm, that the publiiher 
 thought it too dangerous to print* 
 and It dropt oi courfe. He died 
 in the year 1734. This gentle- 
 man, having the mikfortunetorank 
 with the enemies of Mr^ Pope, 
 was honoured with a pUc6 in that 
 immortal faiire, The Dunciad ', in 
 which he is damned to everlalling 
 fame. He is particularly pointed 
 at there as a notorious plagiary* 
 in (lanced in a remarkable llory, 
 for which the reader is referred to 
 the notes to the fecond book of 
 The Dunciad^ in that part which 
 celebrates the foot-race of the 
 bookfellers. 
 
 SOMERVILE, WlLtlAM. Thi« 
 
 gentleman was defcended from a 
 very ancient family in the countjr 
 of Warwick. His anceAors had 
 large polTeflions at Kingdon, in 
 Worcellerihire, fo early as the 
 reign of Edward I. He was the 
 fon of Robert Somervile of Edflon, 
 in Warwick(hire„ and, as he fays 
 himfelf, was born near Avon's 
 Banks. He was bred at Win- 
 cheller-fchool, but it does not ap- 
 pear that he was of any univerfity. 
 Dr. John fon fays, he never heard 
 of him but as of a poet, a country 
 gentleman, and a ufefui juftice of 
 the peace. 
 
 The following account, copied 
 from the letters of his friend 
 bhentlone, will be read with paia 
 by thofe whom h's poems have 
 delighted. 
 
 " Our old friend Somervile is 
 " d-.-ad! I did not imagine I could 
 
 " have 
 
s o 
 
 t 
 
 4i6 ) 
 
 S O 
 
 • hare been fo forry as I find my- 
 •* felf on this occafion, HiMatum 
 ♦• qH/rrimus. 1 can now excufe all 
 ** his foibles; impute them to age 
 •* and to dillrefs of ciicun(ii]anccs: 
 •' the lalt of thefe tonfideriitions 
 •• wrings nny very fnul to think 
 *' on. For a man of his^h fpirit, 
 ♦' confcious of having (at hall in 
 •• one prod udlion) generally plealed 
 •* the world, to be phgucd and 
 «♦ threatened by wretches that are 
 •* low in every fenfe, to be forced 
 •• to drink himfeU into pains of 
 •* the body, in order to get rid of 
 «* the pains of the mind, is a mi- 
 •« lery." 
 
 He died July 14, 174^ 
 , From lady Luxborough's letters, 
 j>. 211. we find Mr. Sr.mervile 
 Cranflated from Voltaire the fol- 
 lowing play, wh'ch was then in 
 tAS. in her hands, viz. 
 
 Jths-ira. 
 ,f SoMNER, Henry. Of iht': gen- 
 tleman I know nothing farther 
 than that he wrote one dramaiic 
 |>iece, entitled, 
 
 Orpheus and Euridce. Op. 410. 
 
 "740- 
 
 •" SoUTHKFN, Thomas. This 
 
 •mirent poet was born in Dublin, 
 in the year 1660, and received 
 his education at the univetfity 
 there. In the eighteenth year of 
 bis age he quitted Ireland, and, as 
 iiis intention was to purfue a lu- 
 crative profeflion, he entered him- 
 felf in the Miditle T,emp!e ; but 
 the natural vivacity of his mind 
 overcoming all cor.fjderations of 
 advantage, he quitted that Hate of 
 life, and entered into the more 
 zgreeahie fcrvice of the iMufes. 
 The Hril dram-jtic po-r.'orrnance of 
 Mr. Southern, was liis Pajian 
 Prince, or /^cv.v/ 7>;v: •/',/•, acted in 
 the yrar if:S2. This play v.-.ts 
 introduced at a ti;i:e ulicii tiie 
 tory ititereft was trii'mpliant in 
 Erighu;u, and .he character of the 
 
 Lm'eil Brnfhr was intended to Com- 
 pliment James duke of York, who 
 afterv.ard? rewarded the poet. His 
 next play was a comedy,' called 
 ^fht Dil'ifpointment ; Or, The ItiO- 
 tier in Fajhioiiy pel formed in the 
 year 16^4. 
 
 After the accefHon of king 
 James If. to the throne, when the 
 du!:c of Monmouth made an un- 
 f.)riunafe attempt upon his uncle's 
 trc'Wi), iVlr. :icuthern went into 
 the army, in the regiment of foot 
 railed by the lord J errers, after- 
 wards commanded by the duke of 
 pK rsvick ; and he had three com- 
 in flions, viz. enfign, lieutenant, 
 fli^d captain, under king James, in 
 that fgiment. During the reign 
 of this prince, in the year before 
 the HevpluiJon, hewrote a tragedy, 
 called the Spartan Datne. This 
 play was inimitably afled in 1 7 19, 
 Mr. Booth, Mr. Wiiks, Mr. Cib- 
 bcr, Mr. Mills, len. Mrs.Oldfield, 
 and Mrs. Porter, all performed in 
 ir, in their heght of leputation, 
 and the full vigour of their pow- 
 er?. Mr. Soufhern acknowledged, 
 that he received from the book- 
 feller, as a price for this play, 
 150/. which at that time was very 
 extraordinary. He was the firft 
 who raifcd the advantage of play- 
 writing to a ftcond and third 
 night. Southern was induftrious 
 to draw all imaginable profits 
 from his poetical labours. Dry- 
 den once took occafion to afk him, 
 how much he got by one of his 
 plays ? to which he anfwered, that 
 he was really iiniamed to inform 
 him. But Mr. Dryden being a 
 little importunate to know, he 
 pUin'y tuld him, that by his laft 
 play he cleared feven hundred 
 .pounds; which appeared al^f^nilh- 
 ine to Dryden, as he himfelf had 
 never been able to acquire inore 
 than one hundred by h:.': moll 
 fuccefbful pieces. The feciet i', 
 
 Souther^ 
 
 ^ 
 
s o 
 
 i 427 ] 
 
 s o 
 
 Southertt was not beneath the 
 drudgery of folicitation, and of- 
 ten fold his tickets at u very high 
 price, by making applications to 
 perloni. of ciiilindion J wliich, pei- 
 naps, Dryden thought was much 
 beneath tlie dignity of a poet. 
 Our author continued, from time 
 to time, to entertain the public 
 with his dramatic pieces, the 
 greatfft part of vvhich met with 
 the fuccefs they deferved. 
 
 Of oui author's comedies, none 
 are in pMilefTion of the ftago, nor 
 perhaps deferve to be fo ; for in 
 that province he is lefi excellent 
 than ill tragedy. The moll finiih- 
 ed, and the mod pathetic of his 
 plays, in the opinion of the cri- 
 tics, is his Oioonnka. His Fatal 
 Marriage, or Innocent /tilultery, 
 met vyuh deferved fuccefs ; the 
 aft«'fting incidents, and interelling 
 tale in the tragic part, fufnciently 
 compeofate for the low, trifling, co- 
 mic intrufjons, Mr. Southern died 
 May j6, 1746, in the eighty fix th 
 year of his age ; the latter part of 
 which he fpent in a peaceful fe- 
 r«nity, having, by his commif- 
 iion as a fuldier, and the profits o£ 
 his dramatic works, acquired a 
 handfunie fortune ; and, being an 
 exatt qeconomid, he improved 
 what fortune he gained, to the 
 bell advantage : he enjoyed the 
 longeit life of all our poets, and 
 died the richell of them, a very 
 few excepted, 
 i » His dramatic pieces are, 
 
 1. The Loyal Brother, T. 410. 
 J682. 
 
 2. Th: Difappointmcnt. C. 4to. 
 
 1684. 
 
 3. &lr Anthony Love, or Ihc 
 Rainhli>'g Ln(h<. C. 410. 1691. 
 
 4. The U'ivti ExcuJ'c, or Ciic- 
 koUi make thomc'-ves. C. 4to. 1 69 2. 
 
 5. -The MaiiVs lajl Praya; or 
 A/iy Thing rather than/ail. C 410. 
 
 6. The Fatal Marriage^ or Ti^ 
 Innocent Atiuitiiy. T. 4,10. 1694. 
 
 7. Oroonnko, T. 4 to, 169O. 
 
 8. The Fate of Capua. T. 4to« 
 1700. 
 
 9. The Spartan Dame. T. 8vo« 
 
 10. Monc/i theMlJIrrfs. C. Svo. 
 1726. 
 
 Gildnn, in his continuation of 
 Langbaine (fays Mr. 01d\s in his 
 JMS. additions to that book), in- 
 forms us, that our author was the 
 fon of George Southernc, of Strat- 
 ford upon Avon, in VV'arwic^<- 
 Ihire ; and that he became a fer- 
 vitor of l'cnil)roke-Hall, Oxford, 
 in the year 1680, aged feventeen, 
 or more, according to Wood. Mr. 
 Oldys adds, that he remenibetcd 
 Mr. Southern *' a grave and ve- 
 nerable old gentleman. He lived 
 near Covent-Gardcn, and ufed 
 often to frequent . the evening 
 prayers there, always neat and 
 decently dreded, commonly in 
 black, with his filver fword and 
 filver locks ; but latterly it feems 
 he refided at Weilminiter." The 
 late excellent poet Mr. Gray, in 
 a letter to Mr. Walpole, dated from 
 Burnham, in Buckinghamlhire, 
 September 1737, has alfo the fol- 
 lowing obfervaiion concerning our 
 author. " We have old Mr. 
 Southern at a gentleman's houfe 
 a little way c9i, who often comes 
 to fee us ; he is now feventy feven 
 ye;irs old, aid h.is almoft wholly 
 loll his memory ; but is as agree- 
 able an old man as can be, at 
 leail I perfuade myfelf fo when I 
 look at bim, and think of Ifabella 
 and Oioonoko." Mr. Mafon adds 
 in a note on this paflage, 4to. 
 edit. p. 25. ih.1t " Mr. Gray al- 
 ways thought highly of his pa- 
 thctick powers, at the fame time 
 that he blamed his ill tafte for 
 nii-Ning them fo injudicioufly with 
 farce, in order to produce that 
 
 monllfous 
 
S T 
 
 C 4*8 1 
 
 S T 
 
 nonArous fpedes of compofltion, 
 called Tragi-comedv." Mr. South- 
 ern, however, in ihe latter part 
 of his liie, wna fcnfible of the im* 
 jKopiitty of blending tragedy and 
 womcdy, and ufed to declare to 
 lord Corke his regret at comply- 
 ing with the licentious talle of 
 the times. 
 
 His dramatic writings were for 
 the lirll time completely publilh' 
 ed by T. Evans, in 3 vols, i zmo. 
 
 Sfatemaw, Thomas. This 
 gentleman was rcdtor of Wilton, in 
 Northamptonftiire, and aathor of 
 one drama, called, 
 
 Tibe School Bnys Mqfh^ tiiji^iicd for 
 tf)e Diver/ton of fouth^ and their 
 Excitfment to Learning. 8vo. 174^. 
 
 Speed, John. Son of John 
 Speed the chronologer, was born 
 in London, eledled fcholar of St. 
 John's Collfge, from Merchant 
 Taylors fchool, in 1612, at the age 
 of feventeen years. He afterwards 
 became fellow of that college, and 
 took his degrees of M. A. and B. 
 and D. M. In this lall faculty he 
 became eminent among the acade- 
 micians, bur was fnaiched away 
 at an early age. He died in May 
 1640, and was buried in the cha- 
 pel of St. John's College. He is 
 the author of, 
 
 Stonehctii^e. Part. 1636. N. P. 
 
 This was adled before Dr. 
 Richard Baylie, the prefident, and 
 fellows of the College, in their 
 common refedory. 
 
 Stanley, Thomas. Wasthe 
 fon of SirThomasStanley, Knight, 
 and was born at Comberlow, in the 
 parifli of Clothall, in Hertfoid- 
 fhire. After an education in gram- 
 mar learning in his fathei's own 
 houfe by the ingenious Mr. Edward 
 Fairfax, the tianflator of foj/'', lie 
 was admitted a genrlcman com- 
 moner of Pembroke Mall, in Cam- 
 bridge, at the age of'thiruren years, 
 and became an early proiicicnc in 
 
 in all kinds of polite literature. In 
 1640. he was incorporated M. A. 
 at Oxford, having taken before 
 that degvee at Cambridge. He 
 then travi-lled into foreign coun- 
 trii's, and en his return lived, 
 during part of the civil wars, in the 
 Middle Temple, where he became 
 acquainted with Sir Edward Sher- 
 burne. He died the izth af 
 April, 1678, at his lodgings in 
 Suffblk-llreet, and was buried at 
 St. Martin's in the Fields. He 
 tranflated 
 
 7 he Clou lis J from the Greek of 
 Ariflophanes, folio, 1656. 
 
 I'rinted in his Hljlory of Philo' 
 fphy, 
 
 St APLETON, Sir Robert. Was 
 the third fon of Richard Staple- 
 ton, Efq; of Carleton, in York- 
 fliire, and was educated a Roman 
 Catholic, in the college of the 
 Engliih Benedi£lines, at Doway ; 
 but, being born with a poetical 
 turn, and too volatile to be con* 
 fined within the walls of a cloi- 
 fter, he threw off the reAraint of 
 his education, quitted a redufe 
 life, came over to England, and 
 turned Proteftant. Sir Robert 
 having good interell, the change 
 of his religion having prepared 
 the way to preferment, he was 
 made gentleman-ufher of the privy- 
 chamber to the prince of Wales, 
 afterwards Charles II. We find 
 him conllantly adhering to the 
 intereil of his royal mailer; for 
 when his majeily was driven out 
 of London, by the threatenings 
 and tumults of the difcontented, 
 he followed him, and, in 1642, 
 he received the honour of knight- 
 hood. After the battle of Edge- 
 hill, when his majetly was obliged 
 to retire to Oxford, our author 
 then attended him, and was creat- 
 ed do<Slor ot the civil laws. V\'hcr\ 
 the royal caufe declined, Staple^ 
 ton thought proper to retire and 
 
 apply 
 
S T : 
 
 I 4^9 1 
 
 9 T 
 
 apply himfclf to ftudy; arJ, aj 
 he was not amongll the molt con- 
 fpicuuus of the royaliils, he was 
 fufFered to enjoy his fotitude un- 
 molelled. At the Kelioration he 
 was again promoted in the (er- 
 vice ot' Charles II. and held a 
 place in that monarch's cd^'em 
 till his death. Langhaine fays, 
 that his writings h ,• made him 
 not only known, but admired, 
 throughout all Kngland, and while 
 Afu/'teus and yuvaial are in elUem 
 with the learned, Sir Robert's 
 fame will ilill furvive ; the tian- 
 flation of thefe two authors h^iv- 
 irg placed his name in the tem- 
 ple of immortality. As to Mu/ieus^ 
 he had (o great a value for him, 
 that, after he had tranHated him, 
 he reduced the flory into a dra- 
 matic poem. 
 
 He died the loth of July 1669, 
 and was buried at St. Peter's 
 Weilminller. He is the author of, 
 
 1. The Slighted Maid, C. 410. 
 1663. 
 
 2. The Slrp-mother. T. C. 410. 
 1664. 
 
 3. Hero Oiul Lcaiuhr. C. 4to. 
 i66g. , 
 
 In the books of the Stationers' 
 Company the 29th of November 
 i!;;3, is entered, as the produc- 
 tion of this author, a play, called, 
 
 4. The Royal Cljoice. N. P. 
 
 Staylev, Gkorge. a come- 
 dian ibrmerly on the Irifh ftage, 
 who wrote one piece, called. 
 
 The Rival Theatres ; or, A Play- 
 houfe to be Let, A Farce. 8vo. 
 
 1759. 
 
 Steele, Sir Richard. Was 
 born about the year 1 676, in Ireland, 
 in which kingdom one branch of 
 the family was poirefTed of a conil- 
 derableeftatein the county of Wex- 
 ford. His father, a counfellor at 
 law in Dublin, was private fecre- 
 tary to James dukeof Ormond, but 
 he WAS of Bn^liih extraiTtion, ar.d 
 
 his Ton, while very young, hdng 
 carried to London, he put him to 
 fchool at the Chartcr-houfe, whence 
 he was removed to Merton Col- 
 lege in Oxford, where he was ad- 
 mitted :> poil-malier in 1692. Hit 
 inclination and genius being turn< 
 ed to polite literature, he com- 
 menced author during his refidrnce 
 in the univeility, and ai^ually 
 fiiiifhcd a comedy j which, how- 
 ever, he thouuht Ht to fupprefs, as 
 unworthy of his genius. Mr. 
 Steele was we!l-beloved and re- 
 fpedcd by the wliole focitty, and 
 hud a good intcrcit with them af- 
 ter he left the univerhty, which h« 
 did without taking any degree, in 
 the full refolution to enter into 
 the army. This ilep was h>j>hly 
 difpleaHng to his friends ; but the 
 ardor of his paflion tor a military 
 life rendered him deat tuany other 
 propofal. Not being i.ble to pro- 
 cure a better ftation, he entered at 
 a private gentleman in the horfe- 
 guards, notwithllanding he there- 
 by lo(l the iucceflion to his Irifh 
 eliate. However, as he had a flow 
 of good-nature, a generous open- 
 nefs and franknefs of fpiiit, and 
 a fparkling vivacity of wit, — thefe 
 qualities rendered him the delight 
 of the foldiery, and procured him 
 an enfign's commiirioii in the 
 guards. In the mean time, as he 
 had made choice of n profeflion 
 which fet him free from all the 
 ordinary reltraincs on youth, he 
 fpared not to indulge his inclina- 
 tions in the wildell excefles. Yec 
 his gaieties and revels did not paft 
 without fome cool hours of reHec- 
 tion, and in thefe it was that he 
 drew up his little treatife, entiti-d 
 The Chriftian Hero, with a deHgii, 
 if we may believe himlelf, to bea 
 check upon his paffions. For this 
 ufe and purpofe it had lain fome 
 time by him, when he printed it 
 in 1 701, v>'ith a dedication to lord 
 
 Cutis, 
 
S T 
 
 [ 430 1 
 
 S T 
 
 Cutts, who had not only nppointed from all emplovmcnrj, in 171 r# 
 
 him hi:* private fecrciary, but pro 
 cuied for him a company in lord 
 Lucas's regiment of fufilecrs. The 
 vhi'le plan and tcnour nf our au> 
 ihoi'j book was fuch a flat con tra- 
 dition to the general courfe of his 
 life, that it became a fubjef^ of 
 
 Mr. Steele aJtlreH'cd a letter of 
 thanks to him lor the fcrvicesdone 
 to his country. However, as our 
 author Hill continued to hold his 
 place in the llamp-oHice under the 
 new adminilhation, he forbore tn- 
 terin^^ wi'h iiisi pen upon political 
 
 itiuth mirth and raillery : but thcle fubjcv'ts. But, adhering more clofe 
 thrifts had no etfefl ; he perfevered ly to Mr. Addifon, he dropt 7f'e 
 
 jiivariably in the fame contradic 
 fion, and, thou^^h he had no power 
 to change his heart, yet his pea 
 vas never proltituted to his follies. 
 Urdir the influenie ofthatj;'>oJ 
 jcnle, he wrote liis firll play, which 
 procured him the reg.ird of king 
 
 Ttif/cr; and atieiwaids, by the af- 
 fiflancechielly of that Heady friend, 
 he carried on the fame plan, under 
 the title of T/r Spcilator. 'i'he (uc- 
 cefs of tiiii pjiper was equ.^l to that 
 ot the former, which encouraged 
 him, before the clofe ot it, to pro- 
 
 William, who refolved to give hini ceed upon the fame defign in the 
 
 fome eilential marks of his favour; charader of The Guar lUan, This 
 
 and though, upon that prince's was opened in the beginning of 
 
 death, hit hopes were difappointed, the year 1713, and was laid down 
 
 yet, in the beginning of queen in Otlobi;r the fame year, liut. 
 
 Anne's reign, he w.is appointed to 
 the profitable pl.ice of Cazeiteer. 
 He owed this poll to the friendlhip 
 of lord Halifax and the earl of 
 Sunderland, to whom he had been 
 recommended by his fchool-fellow 
 ]V]r. Addifon. That gencleman alfo 
 lent him an helping hand in pro- 
 rioting the comedy, called The 
 Tender Hi'Jiand^ whicii was aded in 
 1704, with great fuccefs. But his 
 next play, '^Ihe l.\hig Lover, found 
 a very different fate. Upon this 
 jebulF from the Itage, he turned 
 the fame humorous current into 
 another channel ; and, early in 
 the year 1709, he be^an to publifli 
 
 in the courie of it, hit thoughts 
 took a ftrongcr turn to politics ; 
 he engaged wiih great warmth 
 againlt the miniftry, and, being 
 determined to profecute his views 
 that way. by procuring a feat itt 
 the houfe of common$, he imme- 
 diately removed all obllacles there- 
 to. For that parpofe, he took 
 care to prevent a forcible difmif- 
 fion from his poft in the llamp- 
 office, by a timely refignation of it 
 to the earl of Oxford ; and, at the 
 fame time, gave up a penfion, 
 which had been, till this time, 
 paid him by the queen, as a fervant 
 to the late princf George of Den- 
 
 ^heTatler; which admirable paper mark. This done, he wrote the 
 
 was undertaken in concert withDr. 
 Swift. His reputation was per- 
 fedly eflabiifhed by this work; and, 
 during the courie of if, he was 
 made a commiffioner of the llamp- 
 duties, in 1710. Upon the change 
 cf the miniltry the fame year, he 
 fided with the duke of Marlbo- 
 
 fajmous Guarf/ian upon the demo- 
 lition of Dunkiik, which was pub- 
 lilhed Auguil 7, 1713; and the 
 parliament being difiblved the m xt 
 day, the Guarilian was foon fol- 
 lowed bv feveral other warm poli- 
 tical triifts againlt the adminillra- 
 tion. Upon the meotitg of the 
 
 rough, who had levcral years en- new parliament, Mr. Steele having 
 
 ttrtnined a fiiendfhip for him ; been returned a member tor the 
 
 and, upon hu grace's difmillion borough of Siockbridge in Doriet- 
 
 • . V IhiiC, 
 
S T 
 
 [ 43« ] 
 
 •S T 
 
 fljIrP, took hii feat accoiilingly in 
 the houl'c of cnmiiions, buc w;u 
 expelled ih'.'ncc in .1 few dj\s fit- 
 ter, for writing fcveral fcdiiious 
 and fcandalous uliels, ns he lind 
 been indeed t'orewamed by ilie au- 
 thor of a periodical paperi called 
 TVa' Exa'fiiiier, I'icfently atier Ills 
 expulfjon, !k' pubiilhed propol'als 
 for writing ihe Hillory of tbe Duke 
 of Marlboroujjh. Ac the i ime 
 time he alfo wrote 'tie iSpinJIi-i- \ 
 and fet up a paper, <alle.<, The 
 Header. He alio continued pub- 
 lilhing feveral other things in the 
 fa>ne Ipirit, until the death of tl.e 
 queen. Immediateiv a!ter which, 
 as a reward for thefe lervicts, he 
 was taken into favour by her fu>'- 
 ceflbr to the throne, K. George I. 
 and appointed furveyor to the 
 royal ftables of Hampton-Court, 
 and put into the commiflion of the 
 peace in the county of Middlcfex ; 
 and, having procured a licence for 
 chief manager of the royal com- 
 pany of cumedianr, he eafjly ob- 
 tained it to be changed the fame 
 year, 17 14, into a pa<eiit from his 
 majelly, appointing him j',ovefiior 
 of the faid company during his 
 life; and to his executors, admi- 
 niltrators, or afiigns, for the fpacc 
 of three years afterwards, lie was 
 alfo chofen one of the rcprefen- 
 tatives for Boioughbridge in Yoik- 
 fnire, in the fi.-lt parliament of 
 that king, who conferred the ho- 
 nour of knighthood upon him, 
 April 28, 1 71 3', and, in Auguil 
 following, he received five hun- 
 dred pounds from Sir Robert Wal- 
 pole, for fpecial fervices. Thus 
 highly encouraged, he triumphed 
 over his opponents in leveral 
 pamphlets wrote in this and the 
 following year. In i7i7, he was 
 appointed one of the commifTioners 
 for enquiring into the ellates for- 
 feited by the late rebellion in Scot- 
 land. This carried hi(a into that 
 
 part of the united kingdom, where, 
 how uriwdionic a gucll foevcr he 
 might be to the generality, yrt l>e 
 received from kveral of the nobi* 
 lity and gentry the molt diUin- 
 guifliiiig marks of refpcd. In 
 1718, he buried his fccond wife, 
 who h.id brought him a handfome 
 lortune, and a good cllate ia 
 Wales ; but neither that, nor the 
 ample additions ately made to his 
 iiivoau', \fcrc fiifli;ient to anfvver 
 his demands. The thoughtltfs vi- 
 v.;city of his fp-rit often reduced 
 him to little (hifis of wit for iti 
 fupport ; and the project of the 
 Fjh-iool this year owed its birth 
 chiefly to the [rojedlor's neceflitics. 
 The following year he oppofed 
 the remarkable peerage bill in the 
 Houfe of CommooH, and, during; 
 the courfe of this oppofition to the 
 court, his licence for afling plays 
 was revoked, and his patent ren- 
 dered incfF;dual, at the inftance 
 of the lord chamberlain. He did 
 his utmoU to prevent fo great a 
 lofs, and, finding every direft ave- 
 nue of approach to his royal maf- 
 ter etfedually barred againfl: him 
 by his powerful adverfary, he had 
 recourfe to the method of applying 
 to the public, in hopes tint his 
 complaints wouhl reach the ear of 
 his fovercign, though in an indi- 
 rec'^ courfe, \>y that canal. In this 
 fpiric he formed the plan of a 
 periodical paper, ro be publiflied 
 twice a week, under the title of 
 Th^ Thiiitre ; the lirll number of 
 which came out on the 2d of Jan. 
 1719-20. In the mean time, the 
 misfortune of being out of favour 
 at court, like other misfortunes, 
 drew alter it a train of more. 
 During the courfe of this paper, ia 
 which he had affumed the feigned 
 name of Sir John Edgar, he was 
 outragcoufly attacked by Mr. Den- 
 nis, the noted criiic, in a very abu- 
 sive pamphlet, entitled,. The Cha- 
 
 r.i^er 
 
S T 
 
 f 43* 1 
 
 S T 
 
 raller and Cotuhil of Sir John Etf- 
 ^ar. To this infult our author 
 made a proper reply in The Theu' 
 trr. 
 
 While he was flriiggling, with 
 all his might, to f.ve iiiiiifclf from 
 ruin, he found time to turn his 
 pen againll the niifchievous South- 
 Sea fchemc, which had nearly 
 brought the nation to ruin, in 
 1720. And the next year he was 
 rtilored to his oflice and authority 
 in the play-houle in Drury-Lane. 
 Of this it was not long belore he 
 made an additional advantage, by 
 bringing his celebrated comedy, 
 called 77't' Coujcioiis Lovirs, upon 
 that itage, where it was a£ted with 
 prodigious fuccefs ; fo that the re- 
 ceipt there mull have been very 
 coniiderable, befides the profits 
 accruing by the fale of the copy, 
 and a purfe of five hundred pounds 
 given to him by the king, to whom 
 he dedicated it. Yet, notwith- 
 ftanding thefe ample recruit;:, 
 about the year following, being 
 reduced to the iiimofl extremity, 
 he fold his (hare in the play- 
 boufe, and fuon after commenced 
 a law-fuic with the managers, 
 which in 1726 was determined to 
 his difadvantage. During thefe 
 misfortunes ot Sir Richard, there 
 was once an execution in his 
 houfe. Being however under the 
 necefTity of receiving company a 
 few days afterwards, he prevailed 
 on the bailiffs to put on liveries, 
 and pafs for his fervantf. The 
 farce fucceeded but for a fhort 
 time ; for the knight enforcing 
 his ordeis to one of them in a man- 
 ner which this vermin of the law 
 thought too authoritative, the in- 
 iolent rafcal threw off the mafk, 
 and difcovered his real occupation. 
 Soon after, Sir Richard retired to 
 a fmall houfe on HaverHock-hill, 
 in the road to Hampflend. Part 
 of this building remains, and is 
 
 now a cottage. Here Mr. Pope 
 and other memliers of the Kitcac 
 club (which during; fummcr wus 
 held at the Upper Flafk on Hanip- 
 llead Heath) ul'ed to call on him, 
 and take him in their carriages to 
 the place of rendezvous, having 
 now, therefore, for the lad time, 
 brought his fortune, by the fnoft 
 heedltfs profufion, into a dcfpc- 
 rate condition, he was rendered 
 altogether inccipable of retrieving 
 the lofs, by being feizcd with a 
 paralytic diforder, which greatly 
 impaired his undeillanding. In 
 thefe unhappy circumltances, he 
 retired to his feat at Langunnor, 
 nearCacrmarthen in Wales; where 
 he paid the laft debt to nature, on 
 the 2ifl of September, 1729, and 
 was privately interred, according 
 to his own defire, in the church of 
 Caermarthen. 
 
 Of three children which Sir 
 Richard had by his fecond wife, 
 £lizal)eth, being the only one theh 
 living, was married young; in 1731, 
 to the honourable John Trevor, 
 then one of the Welch judges, af- 
 terwards baron Trevor of Brom- 
 ham. Sir Richard was a man of 
 undiflembled and exienfive bene- 
 volence, a friend to the friendlefs, 
 and, as far as his circumOances 
 would permit, the father of every 
 orphan. His works are chafleand 
 manly. He was a (Granger to the 
 moft diAant appearance of envy or 
 malevolence, never jealous of any 
 man's growing reputation, and fo 
 far from arrogating any praif'e to 
 himfelf from his conjunction with 
 Mr. Addifon, that he was the firll 
 who defired him to dilHnguifh his 
 papers. His greatell error was 
 want of a'conomy. However, be 
 was certainly the mofl agreeable, 
 and (if we may be allowed the ex* 
 prefTion) the moil innocent r^ike, 
 that ever trod the rounds of in- 
 dulgence. 
 
 The 
 
S T 
 
 t 43i 3 
 
 V 
 
 S T 
 
 The dramatic works of Sir 
 llichard Steele are the fo]lo\iing : 
 
 1. The Funeral; QT^ Grief Ala- 
 inode, C. 4to. 170^. 
 
 2. ^he Tender Hujband\ ol", Tin 
 ActotnpV^ed Fools. C. 410. 1 704. 
 
 3. The L^ing Lover; or, The 
 Ladies' Fricndjbip. C. 410.1706. 
 
 4; ihe Confcioui Lovers, C. 8vo. 
 
 1721. 
 
 I; 
 
 Ihe Gentleman. C. 
 The School of Aiiion, C» 
 
 The two laft were left unfinift- 
 Cd, and are probably dill in MS. 
 
 Stephens, John. Lived in 
 the Ireigh of James L was a mem- 
 ber of the honourable fociety of 
 Liiicoln's-Inn^ and author of one 
 dramatic piece, entitled^ 
 
 Cynthia s Revenge. T. 4to. 1 6 1 3. 
 
 Sterling^ J. Was the inti- 
 inate friend Of Mr; Cuncanen al- 
 ready mentioned, and born it^ the 
 famb country. They appear to 
 have viiited England at the fame 
 time ; and in order to improve 
 their fortunes^ they agreed to Write 
 for and againil the miniltry ; and 
 that the fide each of them was 
 to take, fhould be determined by 
 loffing up a piece of money. It 
 fell to our authot-'s lot to oppofe 
 the miniUry^ but he was not equal- 
 ly fuccefsful with his friend. He 
 afterwards went into ordersy> and 
 became a clergyman in Maryland^ 
 He wrote rwo plays, called, 
 
 \, The Rival Generals. T. 8vo. 
 I722. 
 
 2. The Parricide. T. 8vo. 1736. 
 
 Stevens, George Alexai^i- 
 DER. This perfonage, who is 
 ilill living, and is well known both 
 as an adtur and author, but Hill 
 more fo as a boon companion, was 
 born in Holborn. Inclination or 
 tiecefTity, and probably both, led 
 him early to the ftagc, in which 
 profeflion he palled iome years in 
 Itinerant companies, particularly 
 in that whofe principal Itation is at 
 
 Vot. I. 
 
 Lincoln^ till at length he appedrecl 
 to have fixed his refidence in Lon-* 
 don, where he Was eltablilhed by 
 an engagement at the theatre 
 royal in Covent Garden. His per* 
 formances as an adlor, were truly 
 contemptible, for in that walk 
 he difplayed no genius or merit. 
 After living in every kind of dif- 
 lipation, generally neccHitous, and 
 always extravagant, he had the 
 good fortune to hit upon a plan 
 which enabled him to place him- 
 felf in independent if nbt aMuent 
 circumftances. He compofed a 
 ftrange medley of fenfe and non- 
 fenfe, wit and ribaldry, adapted 
 to his own powers of perform a nee* 
 called A I iHure upon Heads. With 
 this, he travelled about England^ 
 exhibiting at different towns, and 
 was uncommonly fuccefsful in his 
 undertaking. By this happy expe* 
 dient, he itl a few years acquired a 
 fortune fufficient to afford him a 
 comfortable retreat in his old age« 
 which is faid to have already o- 
 vettaken him^ and itnpaired ill 
 fome meafure the faculties of his 
 mind. As a companion, he was 
 chearful, humorous, and enters 
 taining ; particularly after the 
 manner of his predecelTor Tom 
 D*Urfey, by his finging, with 
 much drollery and fpirit, a va- 
 riety of fongs of his own writing, 
 many of which are not only pol- 
 feiTed of great humour, but true 
 wit, a happy manner of exprelTion, 
 and an originality of fancy, not 
 often exceeded by authors in that 
 walk of poetry. VH has, indeed, 
 been fometimes condemned, and 
 that not entirely without caufe, for 
 having run into too great a degree 
 cf libertinifm in his little fallies 
 of this kind. Mr. Stevens is alfo 
 author of a novel in two volume?, 
 entitled The Adventures of Tont 
 Fool, and has been concerned ia 
 fevcral literary prod unions of the 
 F f ■' " periodical 
 
 ¥ 
 
 
'.( 
 
 S T 
 
 t 434 ] 
 
 S T 
 
 periodical kind, viz. f flays in The 
 Public Ledger f Beauties of the Ma- 
 gazifies^ Sec, in which he has given 
 proof of a conliderabie fhare both 
 of humour and genius. His daim 
 to a place in this work is on ac* 
 count of the following pieces. 
 
 1. Dijliefi upon Dijlrffh\ or, 
 Tra^ethi! in true Tajle. Builefque 
 Trag. 8vo. 17$ 2. 
 
 2. The Fiouh Flogi^ed i or, 7 he 
 S''it':Jh Sailors in America. F- 8vo. 
 1767. This is generally afcribcd 
 to him. 
 
 3. 7 he Court of Alcxandtr. O. 
 8vo. 1770. 
 
 4. the Trip to P or tf mouth. A 
 iketch of one Aft. 8vo. 1773. 
 
 Stevens, John. This per- 
 fon was by profeffion a bookfeller, 
 but, failing in bufmefs, applied 
 for fubfillence to the collet'Ving 
 together any materials he could 
 meet with of the poetical produc- 
 tions of his acquaintance, and 
 
 Irelnnd. He alfo was employed 
 in fevcral other fervices, and died 
 the ?7th of Oftober 1726. Ik 
 trarllated feveral books frorti the 
 Spunifh, and one play in which 
 he made fome alterations, called^ 
 
 Ati Evenings Intrigue. C. 8vo. 
 1707. 
 
 Stkwart, James. This au- 
 thor we believe to be a primef. 
 He is llill iJvin^, andisfaid to have 
 wrote the fecond, as well as the 
 fii ft, piece, 
 
 1. The Two Rtigljh Gentlemen^ 
 C. 8vo. 1774. 
 
 2. The Cobler of Cafilehury, C. 
 8vo. 1779. 
 
 Stewart, Thomas. Of this 
 author we only know that he wrote 
 
 Valentia-t or, The Fatal Birth- 
 Day. T. 8vo. 1772. 
 
 Still, John. Was the fon of 
 William ^>till, of Grantham in 
 Lincolnlliire. He was admitted at 
 Chrill's College, Cambridge, where 
 
 and 
 
 printing them for his own advant- he took the dfgree of M. A. He 
 
 afterwards became rcftor of Had- 
 leigb, in the county of Suffolk, 
 and archdeacon of Sudbury. He 
 was aifo fucceflively mailer of St. 
 John's and Trinity Colleges in the 
 univerfity already mentioned; and 
 two years after the death ot bilhop 
 Godwin, was appointed to the va- 
 car: fee of fiath and Wells, in 
 whiLh he continued till his deceafe, 
 which happened Feb. 26, 1607. 
 
 Uis najiu', as a dramatic writer, 
 has been hitherto unknown ; bat 
 there are ciicumftaiices to induce 
 a beliet that he was the author of, 
 
 Gammer Gurto>is NecMc. C. 410. 
 B. L. 157^. 
 In the Burfar's books of Chrift's 
 College, 9 Eliz. (i. e. 1566) is the 
 following entry : " Item for the 
 *• Carpenters fetting upp the fcaf- 
 *' fold at the Plaie xx^" As at 
 that time there was no mailer of 
 arts of Chrift's College whofe 
 name began with the letter S ; and as 
 
 it 
 
 age, (ometimes as his own, 
 fometimcs withoirt any mention of 
 the authors; but more frequently 
 making ufe of their names for a 
 fandVion to pieces which he put 
 forth without their corftnt, and, 
 indeed, to their prfjudice, being 
 generally printed from ipurious 
 and incorrcffl: copies, which he had 
 by fome clandeftine means or other 
 procured. Among the reft of his 
 pubiiciitions is one dramatic piece, 
 for whivh he took fubfciipnons in 
 his own n<ime; but, inciiifercnt as 
 it is, [ am much in doubt as to its 
 being his produdion. It is entitled, 
 
 The Modern Mlfe. C. Hvo. 1745. 
 
 Stevens, Captain John. The 
 COntinuator of Dugd:ile's Monafi- 
 cout and compiler of a Spanifti 
 Dit^ionary. He was a Roman Ca- 
 tholick, and at the Revolution fol- 
 lowed the fortunes ot his abdi- 
 cating matter, in whofe fervice he 
 accepted a commiflion, and ac- 
 companied him in the wars in 
 
§ T 
 
 t 435 
 
 ii !s not probable that any other per- 
 fon than one belonging to the hf^u 
 tvhere the play was adled, woii 
 ht employed in writing it, thtr;; 
 is little leafon to heficate about af- 
 fcrlbing this piece to our author. 
 From the books of the Stationers' 
 Company, it might feem as though 
 it had been compufed fome years 
 before publication, there being an 
 entry in 1 563 by Thomas Col- 
 well, editor to the aboVe per- 
 formance, of a play, entitled, 2))r- 
 con ofBeiliam, which we imagine v\ as 
 riot printed tinder that title. This 
 circumrtance, however, is incon- 
 clulive. In the year 1598, an in- 
 terlude, called Tijcriyles, appeared, 
 & produftion we have mver met 
 ilvitli ; but no one has hitherto con- 
 ceived it to he the fame with 7roi- 
 ii/n and Ciijhla^ becaufe the chn- 
 raftirr of ihojites has likcwife been 
 intrdd ced in the latter, Beiluim 
 beggars (as they were ftvl' d) we 
 may fuppofe to hate been cha- 
 tarters tomm n to many of our 
 ancient dram is. See note on 
 Kinir Lear, edit. 1778, vol. IX. 
 p. 426. 
 
 SrlLLlxVGFLEET, BeNJAMIN. 
 
 Grandfon to the well-known bifliop 
 6i Worcefter, and equally dillin- 
 guifhed as a naturalifl and a poer. 
 His father Edward was f(*llow of 
 St. John's College in Cambridge, 
 F. R. S. M. D. and Grefham pro- 
 feflbr of phyfic ; but, marrying in 
 1692, loll his lucrative offices, and 
 the bifhop's favour ; a misfortune 
 that afFeited both him and his 
 pofterity. However, going into 
 orders, he obtained, by his father's 
 means, the living of Newirigton- 
 Butts, wbich he imnficdiately ex- 
 thanged for thofe of Wood-Norton 
 and Swanton in Norfolk. He died 
 in 1708. Benjamin, his only fon, 
 t^as educated at Norwich fchool, 
 ^hich he leit in 1720, with the 
 charadler of an excellent Icholar. 
 
 ST 
 
 He then went to Trinity CoTIc^i' 
 in Cambridge, at the requeft of Dr. 
 Bentiey, tke aaHer, who had been 
 private tutor to his father, dorhel>ic 
 chaplain to his granc^farher, and 
 was much indebted to the family. 
 Here he was a candidate for a fel- 
 lowlhip } but was rejefted by the 
 mafter's influence. This was a 
 revere and unexpe£led difappoint- 
 ment ; and but little alleviated af- 
 terwards by the DoAor's apology^ 
 that it was a pity that a getulemat^ 
 of Mr. Stillingfleet's parts (hould 
 be buried within the walls of a 
 college. Perhaps, however, thiai 
 ingratitude of !)r. Bentiey war. not 
 of any real diflervice to Mr. Stil- 
 lingfleet. By being thrown intoi 
 the world, he formed manv ho- 
 nourable und valuable cohneiiions; 
 The late lord Barrington gave him^ 
 in a very polite manner, the place 
 of mailer of the barracks at Ken- 
 fing'on ; a favour to which Mr., 
 Stillingfleet, in the dedication of 
 his '• Calendar of Flora" to that 
 nobleman, alludes with great po- 
 litenefs, as well as the warmell 
 giatitude. His " Calcndai" was 
 formed at Stratton in Norfolk, in 
 1755, ^^ ^^* hofpitable feat of Mri 
 Marftiam, who had made feveral 
 remarks of that kind, and had 
 communica'cd to the publick hii 
 curious «• Obfervations on the 
 •* Growth of IVees.'' Bur it was 
 io Mr. VVyndham, of Fclbrig in 
 Noriulk, that he appears to have 
 had the greatell obligations. He 
 travelled abroad with him; fpent 
 much of his time at his houCe ; 
 and was appointed ore of his exe- 
 cutors ; with a confiderable addi- 
 tion to an annuity which that gen- 
 tleman had fettled up m him id 
 his life-time, Mr. ytillingHeei's 
 genius fcems, if we may judge froni 
 his works, to have led him princi- 
 pally to the Uudy pf natural hiftory, 
 which he profecutcd as an ingeni- 
 
 ^ i 3 V cut 
 
S T 
 
 E 436 J 
 
 S T 
 
 OQs philofopher, an ufeful cuizen« 
 and a good man. Mr. Gray makes 
 the following favourable mentioa 
 of him, in one of his letters dated 
 from London, in 1761 : *• I have 
 larely made an acquaintance with 
 this philofc pher, who lives in a 
 garret in the winter, that he may 
 fupport fome near relations who 
 depend upon him. He is always 
 employed, confequently (accord- 
 ing to my old maxim) always hap- 
 py, always chearful, and feems ro 
 me a worthy hoiieil man. His 
 prefent fchemc is to fend fome per- 
 fbns, properly q.ualified, to refide a 
 year or two in Attica, to make 
 themfelves .acquainted with the 
 climate, produ£lions, and natural 
 hiftOry of the country, that we may 
 Mnderlland Ariftotle, Theophrailus, 
 &c. who have been Heathen Greek 
 to us for {o many ages ; and this 
 he has got propufed to lord Bate, 
 no unlikely perfon to put it in 
 execution, as he is himfelfa bo- 
 tanift." A beautiful elogium on 
 him, by Mr. pennant, is prefixed 
 to the fourth volume of the •* Sri- 
 tilh Zoology." An epiflle by Mr. 
 Stillingrieet, in 17*3, is printed 
 in the Poetical Magazine, 1764, 
 p. 224. Hepublifhed^about i733r 
 an ai)Oiiymous pamphlet^ intituled, 
 *' Some Thoughts concerning Hap- 
 pinefs ;" and in 1759 appeared a 
 volumeof " Mifcellaneous Tracls," 
 which is in much eiteem, and does 
 great honour both to his head 
 and Lcart. They are chiefly tranf- 
 lations of efTays in the '* Amce- 
 *' nitatcs Academica:," publilh- 
 fd by LinnsBMs, interfperfcd with 
 fome obi'ervations and additions 
 of his own. In tliis volume he 
 fliews a tafie for claffical karninf:, 
 and entertains us with feme ele- 
 gant poetical efFullons. He an- 
 nexed to it foiv.e valuable " Ob- 
 fervations on GrafTes," and dedi- 
 cated the whole to George lord 
 
 Lytteltonr A fecond edition of 
 it appeared in 1762 ; a third in- 
 177;. Mr. Stillingfleet likewife 
 publiflied " Some Thoughts oc- 
 cafioned by the late Earthquakes, 
 1750," a poem in 4to. and " The 
 Principles and Powers of Har- 
 mony, i77i,"4to. a vei'y learned 
 work, built on Tartini's. Traf/afo 
 lit Mujica Jfcondo la vera Sdcnza 
 dcW Armonia. Thcfe, and his 
 " EfJay on Converfation," in the 
 firft volume of Dodfley's Collec- 
 tion of Poems, entitle him to a 
 didinguiihed rank among our 
 Englifh poets. The " Effty" ia 
 addrefTed to Mr. Wyndham with 
 all that warmth of friendihip 
 which diihnguiOies Mr. Stilling- 
 fleet. As it is chiefly didactic, it 
 does not admit of fo many orna- 
 ments as fume compofitions of 
 other kinds.' However^ it contains 
 much good-fenfc, ftje>\: a con- 
 fiderable knowledge of mankind, 
 and has ieveral parages that, in 
 point of harmony and cafy ver- 
 fification, would not difgrace the 
 writings of our moll admired poets^ 
 Here more than once Mr. Stilling- 
 fleet Ihews hiinfelf ftill fore from Dr^ 
 Bentley's cruel treatment of him '^ 
 and towards the beautiful and 
 moral clofe of this poem (where 
 he girw us a &etch of himfelt"} 
 foems to hint at a mortification of 
 a more delicate nature, which he 
 is faid to have fuffered from the 
 other fex. This too may perhaps 
 account for theafperity with which 
 he treats theladies in the " Verfes"*^ 
 printed in the fjxth voluine of 
 Mr. Nichols' Golltftion of Poems. 
 To thcfe difappointments it was 
 perhaps "owing that Mr.^ Stilling- 
 fieet neither married, nor went 
 into order?/ His London refidence 
 was at a fadler's in Piccadilly, 
 where he died in 1771, aged above 
 fevcnty, leaving ieveral valuable 
 papers behind him. lo thtie 
 
 M?. 
 
8 T 
 
 t W ] 
 
 € T 
 
 Mr. Pennant alludes, when he 
 fays, •• I received the unAniflied 
 •' tokens of his regard by virtue 
 *• of his promife ; the only papers 
 ** that were reilued -from the 
 -" flames to which his modefty had 
 ^' devoted all the reft." He was 
 l>uried in St. Jamei's church, with- 
 out the flighted monument of his 
 hiV'nqr exifted. 
 
 He is the author of «ne drama, 
 called, 
 
 Parad'ife Lojl. Orat. 4(0. 1 760* 
 
 Stocxdale, Perci.val. This 
 gentleman is a nativeof (he northern 
 part of the kingdom, and is alfo a 
 clergyman. He was feme time 
 chaplain to the faftory at Leghorn, 
 and refided in Italy. After his 
 arrival in England, he became ac- 
 quainted with Mr. Garj-ick, by 
 whofe intereit he procured the ap- 
 pointment of chaplain to a man of 
 -war; but this oifice he has Once 
 refigncd. He is the author of a 
 •tranflation from Tajb, called, 
 
 Amyntas. Paft. 8vo. 1770. 
 
 Storace, Stephen. A fo- 
 <reigner and a mufician. He was, 
 Ave think, at one time a proprie- 
 tor of Marybone-Gardens, during 
 which period he produced, 
 
 I. La Scrva Padrona. M. E. 
 ;tranflated. 
 
 a. The Coquet, M. E, tranf- 
 lated, 8vo. 1771. 
 
 5TR0DE,,.Dr. William. This 
 -gentleman was only fon of Philip 
 Strode iifq; fometime living near 
 .Plimpton, and grandfon to Hr Ri- 
 chard Strode,, of Nevvinham in 
 Dtvonftiire, in which county he 
 was born towgrds the end of queen 
 Elizabeth's reign, and, at nineteen 
 .years of age, was admitted*of Chrill 
 Church College, Oxford, into 
 which he had been received a ftu- 
 dent from Wertminfter fchool. 
 He took holy orders, and became 
 a florid and celebrated preacher in 
 Uie univcrii:}'. in 1629, he was 
 
 chofen puibtic orator «f the un^ 
 verfity, being then one of the proc- 
 tors of it; aridtwoy«a;: after, was 
 admitted to the reading of the 
 Sentences. In 163H, he was in- 
 ftjjled canon of Chrift-Churclv, 
 and in the fame month created 
 ^a£tor in divinity. 
 
 Dr. Strode died of a middle age, 
 having only attained his 4;th year, 
 on the loth of March, 1644,' ^"^ 
 was buried in the divinity chapel 
 belonging to the cathedral church 
 of ChriftiChurch, Oxon. He was 
 a -good preacher, an exquifite ora- 
 tor, an eminent poet, and indeed, 
 in the general, a peifon of great 
 parts, though, as Wood obfeVves, 
 not equal to thofe of William Cart- 
 wright, of whom fee an accoivnt 
 before. He publiftied many fcr- 
 mons, fpeeches, orations, epiftles, 
 and poems, but has left behind 
 him no more than one attempt in 
 the dramatic way, which is en- 
 titled, ■ 
 
 The Floating IJland. Tr. Com. 
 4to. 16^5. 
 Wood has given us the title o£ it 
 as follows, 
 
 PaJJions calmed \ or, Tlje fettling 
 of the Floating JJland. 
 
 Stsoude, Mr. Downey, in his 
 JRofcius AnglicanuSj p. 3 1, mentioir* 
 a perfon of this name as the au- 
 thor of one play a£led at the 
 Duke's theatre between 1662 and 
 167 1> entitled, 
 
 M Pl>t; or, The Difgui/cs, C. 
 probably not printed. 
 
 SrUDT.y, John. Of this gen- 
 tleman I can find no farther men- 
 tion made by any of the writers, 
 than that be llood in high elUma- 
 tion as a poet in the reign of 
 queen Elizabeth ; that he received 
 his education at Weftminfter 
 fchool, was afterwards a Itodent 
 at Trinity College, Cambridge, 
 and is by Chetwocd faid to have 
 been killed in Flanders in 15S7, 
 
 F t 3 « 
 
 >'?,* 
 
6 U 
 
 [ 438 1 
 
 s w 
 
 at the fiege i i Breda, where he horfe, for the king's fervice. entire- 
 had u eommana under prince Mau- Iv tit his own charge, and io richly 
 
 ind compleaily mounted, that it is 
 faid to have coll him i2ooi. But 
 tliefe troops and their leader dif- 
 ti ;(.'ui(hed themfelves only by their 
 Ijiici) , for they did nothing tor the 
 king' fefvite, wliich^ir John laid 
 very much to htart. He died of a 
 fever, the 7th of Mi<y 1641, at 
 twenty-eight ytars of age. The 
 advantogcs of birth, perfon, edu- 
 cation, parts and ftirtiine, wit' 
 which tliis gentleman fet out in 
 the world, had railed theexpefta- 
 tions of mankind to a prodigious 
 height ; and, perhapf, his dying 
 fo young was better for his fame, 
 than if he had lived longer. He 
 was a fprightly wit and a courtly 
 writer, as Drydcn fomewhere calls 
 him ; but certainly not a great 
 genius, as feme have afl'eftcd to 
 reprefent hini ; a polite and eafy 
 verfifier, but not a poet. His 
 works ^onfilt of a few poems, let- 
 ters, &;c. and five plays. Thele 
 lall are, 
 
 1 . 'T/.>e Difcontented Colonel, 410. 
 N. D. (1642.) 
 
 T. C. 
 
 rice. All ihe connection he has 
 iviih dramatic hiU<;ry. is hi? having 
 trauila ed the fourth, fcvtnth, 
 eighth, and lenih tragcuic^ of Sv- 
 pavr, viz. 
 
 I. Agamemnon. 8vo. 1 563. 
 
 a. ilirUtu. 8vo. 1563. 
 
 3, Henuks Oiiaus. 4to. 1581. 
 r' 4. Hippolitui. 410. 1581. 
 
 Stub My, John. Wrote three 
 plays, ii!i uf which fetm to have 
 pi»i with fuccefs. Thiir refpec- 
 tiv<.- titles are, 
 
 1 . l.ovc ititd Duty. Trag. 8vo. 
 
 2. Tl:e Cimpronvfe, Com, 8vo. 
 
 3. ISif'jfiris. Trng, 8vo. 1729. 
 Suckling, Sir John Was fon 
 
 pt Sir Jr-hn tuclcliiig, comptroller 
 pf the houltiold to king Lhailes I. 
 ami was born in the year 1613. 
 He cultivated mufic and poetry, 
 and excelled in both ; for, though 
 he had a vivacity and fprightiinefs 
 in hi'- nature, which would not 
 fufFer his attention to be long con- 
 lined to any thing, yet he was 
 ipade ample amends for 'hi«, by 
 iln-ngth of genius and quicKnefs 
 ot aoprehcnfion In his youth he 
 traveled iiito foreign countries, 
 and becapie a moft accompiiflied 
 
 fentlcman. He was allowed to 
 ave the peculiar happinefs of 
 making every thing he did become 
 him. Yet he vvas not fo devoted 
 to wit, gallantry, and the Mules, 
 as to be wholly a llranger to the 
 camp, in his travels ht- made a 
 j:ampaign unotnhe great Guliavus 
 
 2. Aglauia, 
 
 3. 7/jc Golditis. C. 
 
 4. The Sad DM'. T. unfiniflied. 
 
 5. Brenoralt. T. This is -ll^e 
 J)ijcnnicnted Qdonel^ altered. 
 
 The laft four were printed ori- 
 ginally in 1646. 
 
 His poems, plays, fpccches, 
 tmfts, and letters, are all col- 
 ledtd into one volume, in 8vo. 
 
 This 
 
 170 
 
 SwJFT, Dr Jonathan'. 
 excellent writer has never 
 
 > 
 
 et 
 
 Adoiphus, vvheic he vvas prefent at been inclmitd in any liil of dra- 
 
 three batil.!-, five fitge-, and feve- matic autliors ; but though his 
 
 ral Ikirtn.flies ; and, if hii valour temper and incHnatidn feem not 
 
 vy;.^ not fo remar! able, (ays Mr. to have led him to pay much re- 
 
 Lngbaine. in the beginning of our gard to the llage, yet we appre- 
 
 civil war^ yet his loyalty uasex- hend him to have an undoubted 
 
 ceedin^ly fo ; for, after his remrn right to a place in this work, even 
 
 ^p hii toumry, he raifed a troop i.f on account ci" liis Polite Converja- 
 
s w 
 
 I 439 ] 
 
 S W 
 
 ice, entire- 
 
 I'toiij which Is carried on in a man- 
 ner truly dramatic. He was born 
 ihe 30ih of November, 1667, at 
 Dublin, according to fome wri- 
 ters, but, as he himfelt' at other 
 times ufed to aflei-t, at Leicelier. 
 At fix years of age he uas fent to 
 the fchool at Kilkenny, where he 
 continued eight years. On (he 
 24th of April 1682, he was en- 
 tered of the college of Dublin, but 
 while there difcovered no jjro- 
 mife of any fuperior abilities. In 
 1685, after havii'g been refufed 
 his degree of batchelor of arjs for 
 jnfufliciency, he was admitied 
 fpcciali gratia, which in that uni- 
 veifi'y is confiUered as the higheft 
 degree of reproich and dilhonour. 
 This difgrace was attended with 
 very gooa efFc'ifls. To prevent a 
 repetition of it, he bent all his 
 faculties to the improvement of 
 his mind, during the fpace of 
 feven years, in which time he 
 ftudied eight hours a day. In 
 1688, his untie, who had fup- 
 portfd him, died ; on which event 
 he vifited his mother, and by her 
 jccommendation made himfelf 
 known to Sir William Temple, 
 who received him with great kind- 
 nefs, and entertained him at his 
 houfc. On the 14th of June 1692, 
 he was adirrJtted B. A. at Ox- 
 ford, and on the 5th of July took 
 his mailer's degree there. In the 
 year 16(^4, a difference arole be- 
 tween him and Sir William Tem- 
 ple, which occafioned their pari- 
 ing, and Dr. Swift foon after en- 
 tered into holy orders. The firll 
 preferment he received was the 
 prebend of Kilroot, worth about 
 100/. a year. This he foon after re- 
 ligned at therequell of Sir William 
 Temple, who defired to be recon- 
 ciled to him, and undertook to 
 procure him other preferment in 
 England. From thi-- time he re- 
 (idsd chieHy at the houfc of Sir 
 
 William, who at his dc«th left 
 to his care the publication of 
 his podhumnus works. Soon 
 after rhe death of his ptitron, ha 
 accepted an invitation from the 
 Ciirl of Herkeley, one cf the lords 
 julH'.es of Ireland, to accompany 
 th.it nobkman as his chaphtin and 
 private fccreiary. But the latter 
 office he never executed, another 
 perfon being appointed to it. He, 
 however, received the livings of 
 Laracor and Rathbeggin, in the 
 dioceli: of Meath, and, in 170 1, 
 took the degree or doflor of di- 
 vinity. He foon became eminent 
 as a writer, and attnched himfelf 
 to the whig party, by whom he was 
 neglefted, and, in confequfnce 
 thereof, took the firft opportunity 
 of quitting them in difguft. In 
 1710, he was commiffioned by the 
 priniaie of Ireland to folicit the 
 queen to exonerate the chrgy of 
 Ireland from paying the twentieth 
 parrs and firit fruits, which oc- 
 cafioning his introduftion to Mr, 
 Harley, afterwards earl of Oxford, 
 he was received with open arms 
 by the tories, to whom he became 
 from that time a fall friend and 
 fteady adlierert. He contributed 
 by his pen in a great degree to the 
 dtwnfal ('f the whig minii'rry, and 
 fupporied in the fame manner the 
 meafures of the four lail \ears of 
 queen Anne. He had, however, 
 nu reward tor hs labours until the 
 year 1713, when he accepted the 
 de.nfry of Si. Pairick'*, Dublin; 
 and the queen dying foon after, ^ 
 hit frunds fell into difgrace, and 
 he obtained no further preferment 
 during the reft of his life. From 
 this period he refidedalmoft wholly 
 in Ire. and and, by devoting his 
 attention to he intereft of that 
 count'), accjuired a greater (hare 
 of popularity there than any private 
 perlon had ever before polfelled. 
 In ti.e latter part of his life be 
 
 Ff4 
 
 wu 
 
 % 
 
8 W 
 
 t 440 3 
 
 s y 
 
 was afljifted with fits of deafnefs 
 find giddinefs, which terminated 
 in a Rate of idiotifm. He died in 
 Odober 1745) and left his fortune 
 to endow an Kofpital for the re* 
 Ception of lunatica. 
 
 fiefidei H'he Polite Cpnver/ation 
 already mentioned, it iialTerted by 
 ' George Faulkner, in a note on Mr, 
 Ford's letter, dated Dec. 13, 173 a, 
 that the I)ean, in 173P, wrote two 
 ^£ts of a comedy, which he fent to 
 jyir. Gay to finifli, called, 
 
 The Flayers RcbcarJaU 
 
 SwiNEY, Mac 0\v£K, A gen- 
 tlen)an born in Ireland, and for- 
 merly a managftr of Drury-Lane 
 theatre, and afterwards of the 
 queen's theatre in the Ha •-Market. 
 After leaving that office he refided 
 in Italy leveral years, and, at his 
 return, procured a place in the 
 Cuftom-Houfe, and was keeper of 
 the King's Mews. He died the 
 ;?d of Odlober 1754, and left his 
 fortune to bis favourite Mrs. Wof- 
 fi ,gton. His dramatic pieces are, 
 
 The 
 
 01 
 
 uac, 
 
 ■k 
 
 _ or. Love's 
 
 Fhficia/i. C. 4to. 1705. 
 
 2. Camilla, O. 410. 1707. 
 
 3. Pjnhus and Dcmetriuu 
 4to. 1799. 
 
 4. jle ^laci ; or. Love's 
 
 the 
 
 O, 
 
 the 
 Ph).'/:ci(tn, F. 8vp. 1745. -^^ ^^" 
 teration of the former. 
 
 SwiNHOE, GlL}5ERT, Efq. A 
 
 native of Northumberland, lived 
 jn the reigns of king Charles 1. 
 <ind king Charles II. and, during 
 ihi; Ufjrpatipn, D«blilhed one play, 
 #r.titltd. 
 
 Tl}e Vnhapfy Fair Irene, T. 410, 
 
 SvDNEV, Sir PHiLi»,the Mar>. 
 cellus of the Englifti nation, was 
 born at PenlhuHt in Kent, in 
 '554' His father was Sir Henry 
 Sydney, Bart, and his mother was 
 Mary, daughter to John Dudley, 
 duke of Northumberland. He was 
 educated 9,1 Oxford, where he con- 
 tinued till feventeen years of age^ 
 when he fet out on the tour of Eu- 
 rope, and at Paris narrowly efcaped 
 the horrid mafl'acre in 1572, by 
 taking flielter in the houie of the 
 Englidi ambaHador. Queen l^li- 
 zabeih io highly prized his merit 
 and abili;ies, that (he fent him am- 
 balfador to Vienna, and to feveral 
 other courts in Germany j and, 
 when the fame ^i his valour be- 
 came fo extcnfive, that he was put 
 in ele^lion for the crown of Po- 
 land, ihe refufed to further his ad- 
 vancement, left fhe ihould lofe the 
 brighieft jewel of her crown. The 
 brevity we are con^ned to ii. this 
 work, will not permit us to en- 
 large on the tranfaftions of his life, 
 VVe fliall therefore only add, that 
 he was killed at the battle of ^ut- 
 phcii, in 1586, while he waf- 
 mounting the third horfe, having 
 before had two killed und^r him. 
 Befide his other works, he wrote 
 one dramatic piece, which is print- 
 ed wiih his poems, and called, 
 
 7 he La^ o/Mity, Majque, pre. 
 Anted to queen Elizabeth, in th^ 
 gardens pf Wapftead in BITsx, 
 
 
C 44X 1 
 
 T. 
 
 T A 
 
 T A 
 
 TAILOR, Robert. Wrote 
 one play, called. 
 
 The Ho^ has loft his Pearl, C. 
 4to. 1611. 
 
 Talbot, J. In this manner, 
 one of the initial letters prefixed 
 to a dramatic piece, publilhed in 
 the lad century, wa* filled up in a 
 copy which had long been in the 
 pofTeflion of a noble family. No 
 particulars are known of this au> 
 thor, hut he feems to have been 
 the fame perfon who wrote fome 
 verfes, printed in the third volume 
 of Nichols* Seka ColUSlion of 
 Poems, p. 89. This play above- 
 insntioned was a tranflation from 
 Seneca, entitled, 
 
 Troas, 4tc. 1686. 
 
 Tarlton, Richard. Was a 
 
 celebrated ador and jeller, and 
 
 like many of his fraternity joined 
 
 fome humour to a great deal of 
 
 profligacy. He was bora at Con- 
 
 dover, in the county of Salop, and 
 
 was originally brought to London, 
 
 and introduced to court by a fervant 
 
 of Robert earl of Leiccller, who 
 
 found him in a field keeping his 
 
 father's fvvine; where being highly 
 
 pleafed, fays Fuller, with his happy 
 
 tinhap^ anlwers, he took him under 
 
 ][»'s patronage. He was an aftor 
 
 at the Bull, in Bifhopfgate-llreet, 
 
 and performed the Judge's cha- 
 
 radlerin the play of Kin^ Henry Y, 
 
 which was prior to that of Shak- 
 
 fpeare. Stow fays, in 1583, when 
 
 the <]ueen, at the fuit of Sir Francis 
 
 Walfingham, conftitutcd a dozea 
 
 players at Barn-Iilms, allowing 
 
 them wages and liveries as grooms 
 
 of the chamber, Richard Tarkon 
 
 \yas one. Sir Richard Baker fays, 
 
 that for the Clown's part he never 
 
 had his equal, nor ever wilt. 
 Ben Jonfon, who Itbelt the frater- 
 nity, mentions him with fome re« 
 fpect for fupporting the charaAer 
 of the ilagc-keeper in the induc- 
 tion to Bartholomew-Fair, He for 
 fome time kept an ordinary ia 
 Pater-noller-How, and then the 
 lign of the Tabor, a tavern ia 
 Grace-church-flreet, where he was 
 chofen fcavenger, but was oftea 
 complained ot by the ward fur 
 negledl : he laid the blame on the 
 raker, and he again on his horfe* 
 who being blooded and drenched 
 the preceding day, could not b« 
 worked. Then, fays Tarl ton, the 
 horfe muft fuffer ; fo he fent him 
 to the Compter, and when the 
 raker had done his work, fent hitn 
 there to pay the prifon-fees, and 
 redeem his horfe. Another ftory is 
 told of him, that having run up a 
 large fcore at an ale-houfe in Sand- 
 wich', he made his boy accufe him 
 for a feminary prieft. Theolficera 
 came and feized him in his cham- 
 ber on his knees crofTing himfelf ; 
 fo they paid his reckoning with the 
 charges of his journey, and he got 
 clear to London. When they 
 brought him before the recorder 
 Fleetwood, he knew him, and he not 
 only difcharged him, but entertain- 
 ed him very courteouily. Tarlton 
 was married to a wife named Kate, 
 who is faid to have cuckolded him, 
 wherefore a waterman once landed 
 him at Cuckolds Point coming 
 from Greenwich. Another time 
 being in £i great liorm as they 
 were failing from Southampton, 
 and every man being; to throw his 
 heavieil baggage overboard which 
 he could belt Ipare, he offered to 
 
 throw 
 
T A 
 
 ( 44* ] 
 
 T A 
 
 l)»TOw his wife over, but tlif com- planof it hath been lately difcover- 
 |;;iiiy rrtcucd In r. I u vvixid la\s, ed by Mr.Steevcns. andib at piefcnt 
 l< v^.is gracious in hii. time wi h in IVir.IMalone's poflellioii. In Ga- 
 llic quvcii, and in the ptop.c'S bricl Harvey's *' Foutc Ixttcrs ami 
 fic.'it ;ipp!.)Ulc; ;.mii.' Fuller iillVfif, ** trrftiiiu- tl'UDtels, tj}icui,ly tvuchn^ 
 liiat '* uhtd qt'tcn K'i/,abeili was •» RoIh'H Gnrnr iinti othc> paitivi ly 
 *• Ivrious (I Ciire not lay iullen) ^^ l>y In/r. iibujed^'" 410. 1592, p. ic;. 
 *' ;iid out of jjood huiiiour, he nuntion is made v\ a woik writ- 
 •* could updgnipi{h her at liis plea- ten by Thomas N;iflie, " — right 
 *' liiie. Fitr higl.eft favourites *' tV;rnia!ly conveyed aicorditig 10 
 *' would in fonie cafe-, go to Tarl- *' ih^' llile and ttiiour of 'I'arlioi.'j 
 *' lun bciore tin y would go to the •• preiidcnt, his fan.ous play ot the 
 •' (|ucrn, and he was tl.eir uflier *' ISi-vm tlioilly ilintws^ which tnofl; 
 *' to prepare tlieir advantageous " otidiy, but mull lively pia\e, I 
 •* accels unto her. In a word, he •* ir.ight have fcene in London : 
 •• toid the oueen moie of her faults "and wis veiy gently invited 
 ** ihan melt of her chaplains, and 
 
 
 ' thc;cunto at Oxturd by Tarlton 
 " himlcUe, of whome 1 merrily 
 " dcniaundlng, which of the feavtn 
 •' was his owne deadlie fiiine, he 
 " bluntly oUitlwered after this 
 '' manner ; By Ciod, the finre cf 
 •' other genllcinen, lechery. Oh, 
 " but that, M. rarieicn,isnntyou.r 
 ** part upon the ili-gf i you are to 
 " bl.tTie, that diliiinblc with the 
 *' world, and have one part for 
 " your frends plcafure, another 
 " for your owne. I am fomcwl'at 
 " of Di'dor P^rnc'i religion, (juotU 
 "he: and a'i">iuptlie tooke bis 
 " leave." Tailion died about 
 i:;i''9, and was buiied at fihoic- 
 ditch. On the 2d day of Auguit, 
 in that year, Heiiiy K)rkhani had 
 licenie unto " A forowfull newe 
 *' foniette, intidcd Tarlion's Re- 
 •* tai,taii(jn upon thii iheamc, 
 '• gy'tn him by a gent at the 
 " IjcI Savage without Lut'gae 
 " (howe or els never), beinge tlie 
 
 •' cured licr melancholy better than 
 •* all her phyficians". He, how- 
 ever, was foiDe time in difgrate, 
 and dilcarded from court for 
 fcurriloiis reflexions on Leiccfler 
 and Raleigh. He was very fa- 
 Hious fcir his extempore wit on the 
 tlage. Dr. Cave, Dc Polilica, Oxf. 
 ]i5b;3,'4to. f^).', " Ariflote'es fu- 
 **• um Theodoituim laudavit qucn- 
 *' dana periium tragadiarum ac- 
 " lortm, Cictio fuLni Rofcium, 
 *' nor. Angli 'Jii,'u:rii;.m in cujus 
 ** voce et vultu on.nes jocofi af- 
 
 idluJ, in ci';u3 ccretrofo ca- 
 
 pitc,lepid:L' idcttla^ habitant." 
 FulLr Ly:, •' much of his n.erri- 
 *' mcnt lay in hii very looks and 
 *' ricliorf, according to the tpi'.aph 
 *' written upon him ; 
 
 " Ilii: fitus tflcuiur. poterat vox, 
 
 *' actio, vu'iu?, 
 
 *' Fa- Fieraclito rcddere Dc- 
 
 '' mocritum. ^.^ > .1 c l r >» ,\„j . » 
 
 *' lalte theme he fonge. And on 
 
 ** Indeed the relf-faine words fpok- the i6th of Oitcber, there was 
 
 •'tn bv anc/iU-r, would hardly licenced to Richard Jones, " Tarl- 
 
 *' nii'Ve a liitrry man 10 
 
 fniilt 
 
 «*vvhivh unercd by him v/>iild 
 *' f:-rce a f;id foul to laughter." 
 
 lie wai, the authcr ot one dra- 
 xniitic periormancc, called. 
 
 toi 's repentance or his farewell 
 " to his triends in l.is ficknes a 
 *• little before his death, 5;c." (See 
 the entries from the books of the 
 Stationers' Company.) 
 
 Ilii was fo celebrated in his time, 
 
 H»:ciiiif.v,',v:o.; : Lulthcfchimeor tha; liis portrait was hung out as a 
 
T A 
 
 [ 443 1 
 
 T A 
 
 r.ewe 
 
 f gn for ale-houfcs. BiHiop Hall, 
 in hib Satires, has this liiu : 
 
 «♦ To fit with Tarltoii ^.. an ale- 
 »• poll's figne !" 
 
 OIdy.% in his MS notes, fays, 
 there is an ale houfe fign of a Ta- 
 bor and Pipe-man. with the name 
 ofTarlton uiulcr it, in the tho- 
 rough of 'outhwark, and it was 
 taken from the print Welore the 
 old 4to. Book nf Tarltou's Jert'. 
 Lord Oxford had a portrait of hiin 
 )yith his tabor and pipe, and it 
 was probably taken troin the 
 pamplilct, called Ttiilioti's Jifls, 
 4to. ]6ii. in the title-page of 
 which there is a wooden plate of 
 Tarlton at full length in his 
 Clo\^n's drefs, playing on his pipe 
 with one hand, and beating his 
 drum with the other. This print 
 is fo well cut, that the flatneis ap- 
 pears in his nofe which he got by 
 parting fome Jogs and bears ; yet 
 It did not afl'eifl him, he faid, but 
 he could finell an honclt man from 
 ^, knave. 
 
 Tate, Nahum. This author 
 was the fon of Dr. Faithful Tate, 
 and was born at Dublin in 1652. 
 At the a^e of fixicen years, he was 
 ailmicted of the college there, but 
 does not ;ippear to have followed 
 any pmfeflion. It is obfervcd in 
 the notes to the Dunciari, that he 
 was a cold writer, of no invention, 
 bu: tranflated tolerably when be- 
 friended by Dryden, with whom he 
 fometimes wrote in conjunftion. 
 He fucceeded Shadwell as poet- 
 laureat, and continued in that of- 
 fice until his death, which hap- 
 pened on the izth day of Augull, 
 171 c, in the Mint, where he then 
 refided as a place of refuge from 
 the debts which he had contracted, 
 and was buried in St. George's 
 Church. Giidon fpeaks of him as 
 ^ man of great honefty and mo- 
 gleil/ -f but he fecms to have been 
 
 ill qualified to advance himfelf In 
 the world. A perfon who died in 
 1763, at the age of ninety, re- 
 membered him well, and faid he 
 was remarkable for a downcaft- 
 Icok, and had feldom much to fay 
 for himfclf. Oldys alfo defcribes 
 him as a free, good-natured, fud- 
 dling companion. With thefe qua- 
 lities, added to a meagre coun- 
 tenance, ir will not appear fur- 
 prl/ing that he was poor and de* 
 fpifed. He is at prefcnt better 
 known for his verfion of the Pfalms, 
 in which he joined with L)r. Brady, 
 than any other of his works, 
 amongll which are the following 
 plays: 
 
 1. Brutus of Alba. T. 410. 1678. 
 
 2. The I^oyal General. T. 410. 
 i63o. 
 
 3. King Lear. Altered from 
 Shakfpeare, 4to. 1681. 
 
 4. Richa'd II. or The Sicilian 
 Uj'urper. Hill. Play, 4t(). 1681. 
 
 ^ The Ingratitude of a Loifimcri' 
 ivialih, or The Fall of Coriolaiius, 
 410. 1681. 
 
 6. Cucktild^s Haven, or ^n Al- 
 derman no Conjurer. F. 4to. 1685. 
 
 7. A Duke and no Duke. F. 4to. 
 i6rfq. Taken from Sir Alton 
 Cockain's TrappoUn. 
 
 8. The JJland Prinecfs. Tragi- 
 Com. 4to. 1687. 
 
 9. Injured Love, or The Cruel 
 Uujband. T. 4to. 1707. 
 
 Tatham.John. City-poet in 
 the reign of Charles I. wrote four 
 plays, viz. 
 
 1. Love cro'Mis the End, P. 12 mo. 
 1640. 
 
 2. The DifiraHed State. T. 410. 
 165 1. 
 
 3 . Scots Fagaries^ or A Knot of 
 Knaves 4to. 1652. 
 
 4. The Rumps or The Mirror of 
 late Times. C. 410. x 66 1 . 
 
 Tavkrner, William. The 
 fon of Mr. Jeremiah Taverner, a 
 portrait-painter^ was bred to the 
 
 civil 
 
T A 
 
 r 444 1 
 
 T H 
 
 e»»n law, which he praAifrd in 
 DoAmh* Common). He hnd alfo 
 bimfclf a genius for painttn(^, but 
 never cxercifed it with a view to 
 pioijt. He died the 8th of Ja- 
 wtuityy i7)[, and was author of 
 •he following pieces : 
 
 1. T(m! Faithful Biii/i- o/Graitatfa. 
 . Play, 4to. 1704. 
 
 2. Vm MaiJ th* Mfjlyfs, C. 4tO. 
 170S. 
 
 3. 7ht fematt Aih'OcattSy or 7ht 
 FrcutUk Stock- Jobbers. C. 410. 1 7 1 3 . 
 
 4. 7he Artfui HujUul. C. N. 
 
 D. [1716.) 
 
 «. TU Artfml mjk C. 8vo. 
 1718. 
 
 6. *7is •oiitl if it takes. C. Svo. 
 1719. 
 
 QJears, in his Catalogue, men- 
 lioRs him us the author of the fol- 
 ^ lowing two pieces, which, I be- 
 Ikve, were never printed : 
 
 7. Ixien. M. 
 
 5. E'Vf ry Body mijlakfn. F. 
 Taylou, John. This writer 
 
 . is ofual!) diliingoiftied by the title 
 of The li'ater Potty having been of 
 DO btglveroccufvtion than a fcuiler 
 OQ the river Thames. He was 
 bom io (he city of Gtoaceller in 
 1580; but received hardly any 
 eaacacioo, as be declares he fcarce 
 karat his Accidence. He was 
 
 , bound apprentice to a waterman 
 
 ' in London, and at the intervals 
 which he could fpare from his 
 lu inefs» ufed to employ himfelf in 
 v.i.iung pamphletSv of which fome 
 are not deli lute of merit. He w/as 
 fourteen or fixteen years fcrvant 
 ill ;be Tower, and once was mad 
 enough to VLij'ure himftlf and a 
 companion ik a t:K)at made of paper 
 £3 Rochet'ttr; but before they 
 . landed the w.iKT foaked through, 
 s.-^d if it had not been for coriis 
 or bladders, they had been both 
 
 ' drowned. In t lit- year i632,afo!io 
 volume of his works was pon- 
 liflied, contaiiii::^ about half chc 
 4 
 
 I 
 
 number of pieces which he pr«. 
 ductd. He was a violent loyafirt j 
 and at the beginning of the re- 
 in iiion retired to Oxford, from 
 wlicni e, on the furrendcr of that 
 ace, he returned to London, and 
 ept a puhl'ck-houfe in Phcenlx- 
 Alley, by Long Acre. On the 
 death of the king, he fee up the 
 fign of the Mourning Crown ; liut 
 that giving oifence to the reigning 
 povvers, he was obliged to pull it 
 down ; on which he hung up hit 
 own picture, under which were 
 written thefe two lines : 
 
 »* There's many a King's Head 
 
 *' hang'd up for « fign, 
 *' And many a Saint's Ht-ad too. 
 ** Then why not mine ?** 
 
 He died in the year 1654, in the 
 feventy-fifth year of his age, and 
 was buried in Covent-Garden 
 Church-yard. His nephew, « 
 painter at Oxford, gave his pic- 
 ture to the fchool-gallery there. 
 
 In Hyde's Catalogue of the 
 Bodleian Library, two plays by 
 our author are mentioned, which 
 are in no other coUe£lion. The/ 
 are called, 
 
 1. The Sculler, A Play, 1614, 
 4to. 
 
 2. Fair an/i Foul Wtatbtr, A 
 Play. 1615. 4to. 
 
 Terks, T, This author, who 
 publiihed a tranflation of Voltaire's 
 poem of the civil war of Geneva, 
 likcwifc wrote one piay, called, 
 
 Riiharit in Cyprus, Trag. 8vo. 
 1769. 
 
 Theobald, Lbwis. This au- 
 thor, who was born at Sitting- 
 home, in ICent, was the fon of 
 Mr. Theobald, an attorney of that 
 tDVvn, and was bred to his father's 
 bufinefs. He was concerned in a 
 paper, called, TheCenfory and pub- 
 iiihed ;in edition of all Shakfpeare's 
 playf, wiiich was once in great 
 eitceni, being preferred to tholis 
 
T rt 
 
 C 445 ] 
 
 T H 
 
 Head 
 
 eduioni puWifhed by Pope, Wtr- 
 burton, and Hftnmcr. He died in 
 the year 17 < leaving the follow- 
 ing dramatic pieces : 
 
 I. EUara, T. 13010. 1714. 
 
 a. TIm Ptrfian Prinaj's ; or, 
 Royal yUlain, T. I a mo. 1715. 
 
 3. The PerfiHtoui Brother, T. 
 4to. 17 15. 
 
 4. Oedipus King of Tbeles. T. 
 lamo. 171 5« 
 
 5. Plutui I or, The fFarltI*i Liol. 
 C. lamo. I7i5> 
 
 6. The Clouds. C. I a mo. 171^. 
 
 'R 
 
 1- 
 
 O. 
 
 M. 8vo. 
 T. 8to. 
 
 jjreac 
 
 7 . Pan and Syrinx, O. 
 
 8. The Lad/s Triumph. 
 8vo. 1718. 
 
 9. Detiui ami Paulina, 
 i?i6. 
 
 10. Fir hard the Second, 
 1720. 
 
 ti. The Rapt of Proferpint. P. 
 
 13. Harlequin a Sorcerer, P. 8ro. 
 1735. 
 
 \ I. Jpollo and Daphne, O. 8vo. 
 1726. 
 
 14. The Double Falfljood ', or. The 
 Di^rf^ Lovers. Play. 8vo. 1727. 
 
 15. Orejies. D. O. 8vo. 173 1. 
 
 16. The Fatal Secret, T. lamo. 
 
 »735- 
 
 17. Orpheus and Eutydice. O. 
 
 Jvo. 1740. 
 
 18. T/m Hap^ Captive. O. 8vo. 
 
 1741- 
 
 Theobald, John. This gen- 
 tleman had the dtjjiee of a doftor 
 of phyfic, but does not appear to 
 have been of the London college 
 of phyficiaus. He publiflied a 
 little volume of poetry in 1753, 
 called '* Mufa Panegyrica ; died 
 May 17, 1760; and, amongll 
 many other performances, pro- 
 duced a tranilation of 
 
 Merope. T. from Voltaire, 8vo. 
 174.4. 
 
 Thompson, Thomas. All we 
 can fay of this author i?, that 
 he'publilhcd the two fuliuwing 
 plays : 
 
 1. Vh Engrjb Rogue, C. 4(0. 
 1668. 
 
 2 . Mother Si'iptoH. Com. 4to. N . D. 
 Thompson, Ei *arb. Thi* 
 
 ^retricious hard, lelt any difpiits 
 fhouM hereafter 'rife aboat tite 
 place (his birth, hath in tbe i«- 
 trodudion to one of his ]rw4 
 poems, given the world a kind of 
 information which would hardlf 
 have been thought worth leeking. 
 He fays, 
 
 " I am the bard (the Ne^ of 
 
 •' my time) 
 *' Born on the Humher^ famed 
 
 •* for lufctoas rhime." 
 
 His education, if we may judge bf 
 his writings, was in the Hews $ bat 
 yet, ftrange as it may feem, he 
 claims the honour of being « pvpil 
 of Dr. Cox at Harrow. He went 
 early to fea, making his firft voyage 
 to Greenland, in the year 1750, and 
 was on board the fleet of admiral 
 Hawke, when the fignal victory 
 was obtained in Quiberon Bay, in 
 1759. He was at that time a'lieu- 
 tenant, having received his ap- 
 pointment the 26th of November 
 1757. After th« war was over, 
 he employed himfelf as an author, 
 and cnlifting himfelf under Mr, 
 Garrick, obtained through the in- 
 terell of that gentleman the coro- 
 miflion of a captain on the 7th of 
 April 1772. He is at prefent com- 
 mander of a frigate, and is en- 
 titled to claim the (hanks of his 
 brethren on account of his petition 
 to parliament, for an increafe of 
 their half-pay. He is the au'hor 
 of the following pieces : 
 
 1. The Hobby Horfe. 
 N. P. 
 
 2. The Fair ^yaicr ; 
 Humours of the Nar^y. 
 
 «773- , 
 
 3. The Sjrens. M. 8vo. ^776, 
 
 4. Saint Helena; or. The JJle of 
 Love, M. E. 1776. N. p. 
 
 5. The 
 
 F, 1765. 
 
 or, 
 C. 
 
 The 
 8vo. 
 
 li 
 
 u 
 
T H 
 
 t 44"^ ] 
 
 T H 
 
 ^. The Seraglio. C. O. Svo. 
 1776. 
 
 Thompson, Wii.mam. Was 
 
 ftcond fon of the Rev. Mr. ■ 
 
 Thompfon, thirty-two years vicar 
 of Brough, in the county of Welt- 
 morland. He received liis educa- 
 tion at Queen's College, in the 
 univerfify of Oxford, where he af- 
 terwards became a fellow, and 
 took the degiee of M. A. the 26th 
 of February 1738. Tn 175!, he 
 was d candidate for the poetry 
 profeflbrfhip at Oxford, but did 
 liot fucceed in his application. He 
 was redlor of South Wefton and 
 Hampton Pyle, in thecounty otOx- 
 I'ord. . I have not been able to dif- 
 cover when he died. He wrote 
 One play, called, 
 
 Gondihert a?id Birth a, T. 8vo. 
 1757. Printed in a volume of 
 poems. 
 
 Thomso'N', ]Ak^s. Was born 
 the nth of September 1700, at 
 Ednam, in the fliire of Roxburgh, 
 in Scotland. His father was mi- 
 
 had conceived, from his journc^' 
 to the capital, in the Icart difap- 
 pointed. The reception he ir.ei 
 with, wheiever he wu-^ introduced, 
 embolderred him tG rlfque thepub- 
 Ifcation of his exctllcnt poem on 
 Winter. This piece wh' publifh- 
 ed in !7;6; and, from the uni- 
 verfal apolaufe it met ^ith, Mr. 
 Thomfon's acquaintance was court- 
 ed by people of the firll: ra!!e and' 
 fafliion. But the chief advantage 
 which it procured him, was the 
 acquaintance' of Dr. Rundle, after- 
 wards bifhop of Derry, who intro- 
 duced him to the late lord chan- 
 cellor Talbot; and fome years af- 
 ter, when the eldeft fon of that 
 robleman was to make his tour of 
 tra>?cllihg, Mr. Thomfon was cho- 
 fen as a proper companion for him.' 
 The ejtpe(5^3tions •X'hrch his IVinlcr 
 had raifed, were fcflly fatiffied by 
 the fufcceffive publications of the 
 other feafons : of Suimrur, in the 
 year 1727; o{ Spring, in the fol- 
 lowing year ; and of Autnwn^ in 
 
 nifter of Ednam, and was highly a quarto edition of his works, irr 
 
 refpefted for his piety and dili 
 gence in the paftoral duty. Our 
 author received his fchool educa- 
 tion at Jedburgh, from whence he 
 was removed to the univerfity of 
 Edinburgh. At this time the ftudy 
 of poetry was become general iii 
 Scotland, the beft Englilh authors 
 
 1730. Befides the Scaj'ons, and his 
 tragedy of S/)/>/jonijl>a, Written and 
 adled with applaafe in the year 
 1729, he had, in 1727, publifhcd 
 his poem to the memory of Sii' 
 Ifaac Newton, with an account of 
 his chief difcoveries ; in which hi 
 was affiled by his friend Mr. Gray, 
 
 being uiiiverfally read, and imita- A gentleman well vcricd in thi 
 
 tions of them aitempied. Thorn- Newtonian philofophy. That fame 
 
 fon's genius led him this way, and year the refentment of our mer- 
 
 he foon relinquifhed his views of chants, tor the interruption of theii" 
 
 engaging in the facred funftion ; trade by the Spaniards iii America, 
 
 nor had he any profpeft of being running very high, Mr. Thomibn 
 
 otheivvife provided for in Scotland, zealouily took part in ir, and wrote 
 
 his fpiritid and public-fpirited 
 Britafinia, to roufe the nation to 
 revenge. 
 
 With the hon. Mr. Charles Tal- 
 bot, f)ur author vifited mofl of the 
 courts in Europe, and returned 
 with his views greatly enlarged ; 
 the hopes which Mr. Thomlon not of exterior nature only, and 
 3 the 
 
 where the firll fruits ot his genius 
 were not fo favourably received as 
 they deferved to be. Hereupon 
 he repaired to London, where 
 works of fancy feldom fail of meet- 
 ing with a candid reception and 
 due encouraoement. Nor were 
 
t H 
 
 t 447 1 
 
 T H 
 
 the works of art, but of human of Wales, who fettled rn him « 
 Jife and manners, and ofihecn- hindfome allDwante, and honouied 
 ftitutioii and policy "f the ft^veral him with many marks of particular 
 ftiitcs, their coi.nfCtions, and their favour. Notwithllamlingthis, how- 
 religious inllitutions. How par- ever, he wjis rc-fufed a licence for 
 licuiar and juoiciou"! his ol'ferv.i- his tragedy of KdwarA and Ekt>- 
 tions were, we fee in his poem on noray which he had prepared lor 
 l.ibnty^ brgun (oop after his return the itage in the vcar ;739. 
 to Enghind, We fr-e, at the fame Mr. 'Ihomfon's next perTifm- 
 time, to what a high pitch his care ance was the mafqiie oi Alfred, 
 of hit country was raifed, Iw the written jointly with Mr. Malkt, 
 cornparifons he had nil along been by tne command of the prince of 
 making of our happy <i;overnment Wales, for the entertainment of 
 with thofe of other nations. To hid royal highnefg's court, at Clif- 
 infpire his fellow fulijeifls with the den, his fuinmer lefidence, in the 
 like fentimcnts, ar.d Ihew them by year 1 710. Mr. Fhomfon's poem, 
 what means the precious freedom entitled, "The Caftk rf Indolence^ was 
 we enjoy may be preserved, and his lalt work publilhed by himfelf; 
 how it may be abufed or loll:, he his tragedy of Corivlanus being; 
 employed two years in cornpofing only prepared for the theatre, 
 that noble work, upon which he when a fatal accident robbed il»e 
 valued himfelf more than upon all world of one of the bell of mea 
 his other writings. On his return and befl of poets. He would com- 
 to England with IMr. Talbot (who monly walk the diftance bctw€c« 
 foon nt'tcr died), the chancellor London and Richmond (where he 
 made him his fecreiary of briefs ; lived), with any acquaintance that 
 41 place of little attendance, fuiting offered, with whom he might chat, 
 his retired indolent way of life, and reft himfeif, or perhaps dine 
 and e(]ual to all his wants. This by the way. One f iminer even- 
 place fell, when death, not long ir.g, bein-^ alone, in his walk froia 
 after, deprived him of his noble town to liammcrfmith, he hal 
 patron, and he then found himfelf over-heated hin.rclf, and, in that 
 reduced to a Hate o\ precarious condition, imprudently tnok a 
 dependence, in which he palled boat to carry him to Kt-w; apprs- 
 <he remainder of his life ; except- bending no bad confequence from 
 ing only the two laft years of it, the chill air on the river, v/hick 
 tluring which he enjoyed the office his walk to his hnuie. towards the 
 of furvtyor-general of the Lee- upper end of Kew-Lane, had al- 
 ward-Iilands, procured for him by ways hichcrto prevented. But luiw 
 lord Lyttelton. His genius, how- the cold had f > ftri::td him, that th-s 
 ever, could not be fappreffed by next day he found himfeif in a higli 
 any reverfe of fortune. He re- tever. This, however, by the uii 
 fumed his ufual chearfulnefs, and of prop^'r meiiicims, was removi-d, 
 never abated one article in his way io that he was thought to be out of 
 of living, which, though fimple, danger; till the fine weather hav- 
 was genial and elegant. The pro- ing ter.ipted hiin to e.spoie hitnfeif 
 fits arifing from his works were once /nore to the evening citws, 
 not inconhderible ; his tragedy of his fever returned wiih violence, 
 JlgamfniHon^ adled in 1738, yielded ana .;it'i fuch fymptoin« as left no 
 a good fum. But his chief dcpcn- hopes oi a cure. His lamented 
 <lence was upon Frederick prince death happened on the J7th cf 
 
 Augui!, 
 
 
 1.^ 
 
 1^ ^ *, 
 
■••»• 
 
 T H 
 
 C 448 ) 
 
 T « 
 
 Aagud, 1748. His teftamentary acquainted with Mr. Colman, in 
 
 executors were the lord Lyttleton, 
 whofe care of our poet's fortune 
 and fame ceafed not with his life ; 
 and Mr. Mitchell, a gentleman 
 equally noted for the truth and 
 conAancy of his private friendship, 
 and for his addrefs and fpirit as a 
 public mifiifler. By their united 
 xntereft, the orphan play of Corio- 
 lanus was brought on the ftage, to 
 th 1 beft advantage; from the pro- 
 iits of which, and the fale of ma- 
 
 concert tvith whom he, in 1754, 
 began that excellent periodical 
 work The Connoijfeur^ which was 
 carried on for two years with 
 great fpirit and fuccefs. From 
 the date on his monument, he ap- 
 pears to have been born in 1724^ 
 though from the defcription of 
 the authors of The CommJJiur in 
 the lad number, where his jige is 
 mentioned to be then only thirty, 
 it is rather to be fixed two years 
 
 nufcripts and other effefls^ a hand- later. .He had the degree of M. A. 
 
 fome fum was i emitted to his 
 £fters. His remains were depofit- 
 ed in the church of Richmond, 
 under a plain (lone, without any 
 infcription. A decent monument 
 was ereAed to him in Weft- 
 minfter-Abbey, in the year 1762, 
 the charge of which was defray- 
 ed by the profits arifing from a 
 fplendid edition of his works in 
 quarto; Mr. Millar, the bookfel- 
 
 conferred on 
 1750, and B. 
 
 him, April 19th, 
 M. May 18, 1754. 
 Though he took one degree in 
 phyfick, he never pradlifed that 
 fcience, but being in eafy cir- 
 cumflances determined to indulge 
 the bent of his inclination, un- 
 Ihackled by the fetters of any pro- 
 feflion. Like Dr. Arbuthnot, he 
 amufed himfelf with laughing at 
 the follies of the times, with a 
 
 \kXy who had purchafed all Mr. degree of pleafantry that amufed 
 Thomfon's copies, generoufly giv- the publick, without offending the 
 
 ing up his property, on this grate 
 ful occafion. His dramatic works 
 are, 
 
 1. Sopfjontjba. T. 8vo. 1730. 
 
 3. Agamemnon, T. 8vo. 1738. 
 3^ Edward and Eleonora. Trag. 
 
 Svo. 1739, 
 
 4. Alfred. Mafque, Written in 
 conjunction with Mr. Mallet. 8vo. 
 1740. 
 
 5. Tancred and Slgifmnnda, T, 
 .8vo. 1745. 
 
 6. Coriolanus, T. 8vo. 1749. 
 'Jhornton, Bonnell. This 
 
 ilj^cnious gentleman was the fon 
 of a phyfician, we think, in Dor- 
 fctfhirc, and he himfelf was in- 
 tended for the fame profellion. 
 
 individual, at whom the ridicule 
 was aimedt Scarce a fingle po- 
 pular topick ofiered which did 
 not afford him a fubjeft for a pam- 
 phlet,- an effay, a copy of verfes^ 
 or fome whimfical paragraphs, 
 in the news-papers. Of fome of 
 thefe diurnal vehicles of intelliy 
 geiice he was the founder and con- 
 dudlor, as well as the chief fup- 
 port of others. Few perfous pof- 
 feffcd more wit and humour; ftill 
 fewer cxercifed thefe qualities in 
 a manner more harmlels, or lefs 
 cffenfive. He, at one period of 
 his life, entered into a treaty with 
 the late Mr, Rich for the purchaffi 
 of Coven t Garden theatre, but 
 
 He was born in the City of Well- the negotiation proved abortive, for 
 
 reafons to which we are ftrangers. 
 The latter part of Mr. Thorn- 
 ton's life cannot be contemplated 
 with pleafure ; he indulged him- 
 felf fo frequently and immode- 
 rately 
 
 minller, and educated at the fchool 
 there, from whence he was re- 
 moved to Chrilt-Church, Oxford. 
 At one or other of thefe femina- 
 ries, it fecms probable, he became 
 
T H 
 
 t 449 
 
 1 
 
 t <> 
 
 fttely 10 the pleafures of the bot- 
 tle, that he at lad ruined his con- 
 flitution, and died the 9ih of May 
 I768. A monument was fooii aN 
 terwards erected to his memory in 
 ihe Cloiftcrs, VVeftminller, on 
 which is an infcription written 
 by Mr. Thomas Warton. Though 
 Mr. Thornton feems to have been 
 fo well qualified for comick wri- 
 ting, yet he produced nothing tor 
 the ftage, and his introduCliun 
 into this work arifes only from 
 8 tranll-ation of Plautus, in which 
 the following plays are indebted 
 to him for their Englilh drefs, viz. 
 
 1. Amphitryon, 
 
 2. The Braggart Captain, 
 
 3. The Treaj'we, 
 
 4. The Mi for. • ' 
 
 5. The Sbijnireck^ 
 Thurmond, JoH^f. Was the 
 
 (on of Mr. John rhurmond,ana£lor 
 o^ fome eminence, at Drury Lane 
 theatre. He was bred a dancing- 
 maOer, and in that walk acquired 
 confiderable reputation. He was 
 the compofer of fevcral panto- 
 mines ; and Chetwood intimates 
 that he was living in the year 
 1749, having quitted the pradlice 
 or his profcflian before he was dif- 
 abled by age or infirmitiesi The 
 performances which he brought on 
 the ftage^ are^ 
 
 1 . Harlequin Shrppard. 8 Vo. 1 7 2 4 , 
 2» Apollo and Daphne y or, /f«r- 
 le^uin"Mezcii>y. 8vo. 1725* 
 
 3. Harlequin Doilor Faujlust with 
 the Mafque of the Deities, 
 
 4. Apollo and Daphne^ or Har- 
 lequin's Metamorphofes. 
 
 5. Harlequin* s Triumph, &c« 
 The laft three were printed to- 
 gether. 1 2 mo. 1727. 
 
 ToLsow Francis. Was a 
 clergyman, and^ we believe, a na- 
 tive of the county of Northamp- 
 ton* At an early period of life 
 he was discarded by his father* 
 who afterward! difinhcrited him 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
 on account, as it is faid) bf th^ 
 irregularities of his life ; and ini^ 
 deed when it is confidered that, iii 
 the year i/'i3, he fell u»<ler fuC- 
 picion of inurderin^r a badard 
 child, which ^he had by a young 
 lady, though then in orders and 
 a married man, for which a bill 
 Was preferred againik him at the 
 aflizes, but thrown out by the 
 grand jury, the refentment of his 
 father will hai-dly be fuppoiied td 
 be ill-founded. At the time his 
 play appeared) he was much dif- 
 treiled. In his dedication to lord 
 Grimfion, he faysj *• It is well 
 " known that an attempt of this 
 *' nature, efpecially when the firll* 
 '* and that of one whofe years 
 " have not as yet been fufficient 
 *• to draw out to his experience 
 " the plan of human life, is always 
 " attended with vaO, and almoft 
 " unconquerable diiHculties, even 
 *' among thofe who can boall more 
 *• to have ihared the fmiles of for- 
 " tune than I can. How thetl 
 <' (hall I item this tempefluous 
 " fea ? How then ftiall 1, almoft 
 *' o'ergrown with misfortunes, find 
 ** a perfon whofe anbiaiTed hon- 
 *' Our will fmile on ray poor en- 
 '• deavours ? — Again : Nor was ic 
 " a fmall motive to induce mc td 
 ** lay my labours at your feet, 
 *< that yotlr lordOiip had fume 
 *' knowledge of me before the un- 
 *' happy ditFerences betwixt my 
 *' father and myfelf left me ex- 
 ** pofod to the hard ufage of aii 
 *' ungrateful world.*' He after- 
 wards became chaplain to the earl 
 of Sufiex, and in 1736, hy the iu- 
 terefl of lady Longueville, vicai* 
 of Eaflon Mduduit* He died in 
 1745-6, having befides fome other 
 works, produced^ 
 
 The Eari of JVarniiick^ or Sri- 
 iifh Exile, , Ti 8<rOi N. D. [ 1 7 19]. 
 
 T6LLET., Elizabeth. Was 
 the daughter of George Toilet^ 
 
 G g £fq> 
 
 Il 
 
 
 t 
 
 ,1;' r 
 
 ■I . 
 
 m 
 
 'KB 
 
>'t 
 
 t o 
 
 X 450 ) 
 
 T n 
 
 £fq; commiflioner of the navy 
 1b the reigns of king William and 
 qaeen Anne. She was born in 
 ine jrear 169^, and her father, ob- 
 ferving her extraordinary genius, 
 gave her fo excellent an education 
 that, befides. great ikill in mufic 
 and drawing, ihe fpoke fluently 
 and correaiy the Latin, Italian, 
 and French languages ; and well 
 anderllood hiftory, poetry, and 
 the mathematicks. Thefe quali- 
 fications were dignified by an on- 
 .fctgned piety, and the nioral vir> 
 tues which fhe pofTefled and 
 •praftifed in an eminent degree. 
 The former part of her life was 
 ■fpent in the Tower of London, 
 where her father had a houfe ; the 
 latter at Stratford and Weftham. 
 She died on the ift of February, 
 17 54, aged fixty years, and was 
 buried at the latter place. 
 
 In the year 17;;, a volume cf 
 Jier poems was printed, amongft 
 which appeared, 
 
 Sujanna^ or, Innocrnce Trtfervei» 
 A mufical drama. 
 
 She was honoured with the 
 friendlhip of Sir Ifaac Newton, 
 who was mnch pleafed with fome 
 of her firll effays. It has been ob- 
 ferved, that a few of her poems 
 'have fuch a philofbphical call, and 
 fo great a depth of thought, that 
 they will fcarce be underltood by 
 the Beau Monde. Her Latin 
 poems are alfo written in a truly 
 claflical tafte. She would not fuf- 
 fer her works to appear till (he 
 herfelf was beyond the reach of 
 envy or applaufe. They abound 
 wich fentiment and finipliclty, and 
 yet arc far from being dellituteof 
 Spirit and poetical ornament. 
 
 Her eftaie, which was a eon- 
 fiderable one, (he left rw her 
 youngell nephew. Her eldefl ne- 
 phew George Toilet, of Bet!:y, in 
 StaiFordfhire, but formerly of 
 Lincoln'ii-Inn,who was well known 
 
 for his valuable notes on Sha1[. 
 fpeare, died the axil day of O£io- 
 
 ber, 1779' 
 
 ToMKi 3, Mr. The fate of thia 
 author is fingularly hard. Though 
 the comedy he has written is indif- 
 putably an excellent one, yet the 
 whole we know of him is, that he 
 was fcholar of Trinity College, 
 Cambridge, in 1594, and B. A. 
 in i 598. He produced one play, 
 called, 
 
 Alhumazar, C. 4to. 1615. 
 
 Toms, Mr. Was celebrated for 
 his performance on the trumpet. 
 He died about the year 1779, 
 having adapted to the fiage La 
 Bnona Figliola, under the title of 
 
 The Accomplijhed Maid, B, O. 
 8vo. 1766. 
 
 ToosEy,G. P. An author dill 
 living, who follows the bufinefs of 
 an apothecary in Compton-flrcet, 
 Soho. He has publiflied one play^ 
 called, 
 
 Schafiian, T. 8vo. 1773. 
 
 TovRKEUR, Cyril. An au* 
 thor of the reign of king James I. 
 the circumftances of whofe life are. 
 .totally unknown. A contempo- 
 rary writer fays of him : 
 
 *' His fame unto that pitch was 
 
 *' only rais'd, 
 ** As not to be defpis'd, nor over 
 
 •• prais'd." 
 
 He wrote, 
 
 1. The Revenger* i Tragedy » 4,10. 
 1607. D.C. 
 
 2. The Jtheifi*s Tragedy, 410. 
 1612. 
 
 3. The Nohkmaa T. C. N. P. 
 Tracy, John. A gentleman 
 
 of Gloucetterfhire, was author of 
 
 PeriandcTy King of Corinth, T. 
 8vo. 1731. 
 
 Trapp, Dr. Joseph. A cele- 
 brated divine and poet, was the fon 
 of Mr. Jofcph Trapp, re6tor «f 
 Cherington in Gloucellerlhire, 
 where he was bore in 1679. He 
 
 was 
 
t R 
 
 t 
 
 ^as educated it Wadham College, 
 Oxford, where he was chofen tel- 
 low, and todk the degree of M. A. 
 May i3t 1702, and was after- 
 wards created D. D. by Diploma j 
 February i) 17*7* In 1707^ he 
 was appointed to the profeflbr- 
 fliip . of poett'y founded by Dr. 
 Birkhead, formerly fellow of All- 
 Souls College. He wis the firft 
 profeflbr, and publiflied his Lec- 
 tures under the title oi PraUHiones 
 Poetica. He has (hewn there, in 
 very elegant Latin^ how perfeflly 
 he underilood every fpecies of 
 poetry, and how critically and juft- 
 ly he could give direflions towards 
 the formation of a poem on the 
 mod judand moHeftabliihed rules. 
 He (hewed afterwards^ by his tranf> 
 lation of f^'trgil^ that a man may 
 be able to direfl^ who cannot exe-^ 
 cute ; that is, may have the cri- 
 tic's judgment, without the poet's 
 animation. While he was em- 
 ployed, however, in this undertake 
 ing, he would often rife from bed, 
 flrike a light, and commit a num- 
 ber o^ lines to paper. Surely no 
 part of his work has merit enough 
 to juftify his frequent defertion 
 and difturbance or his wife at fuch 
 tinfeafonable hours ; but it (hould 
 feem, from this example, that a 
 Pegcfus of Lead may fuinetimes be 
 as rellleis as a Mufc df Fire. Dr. 
 Trapp was reftor of Harlington 
 in Middlefex, of Chrift Church in 
 Newgate-ftreet, and St. Leonard's 
 in Foller-iane, London ) alfo lec- 
 turer of Sti Lawrence-Jury and St. 
 Martin's in the Fields* His very 
 high-church-principles were pro- 
 bably the reafon why he did not 
 feach a more dignified fiation* He 
 died in November 1747, and left 
 behind him the character of a pa- 
 thetic aitd inftrufiive preacher, an 
 excellent fchoiar^ a difcerning cri- 
 tic, and a very exemplary liver. 
 He is author o'f a tragedy^ called, 
 
 . i . - . ^ ^ 
 
 Ahramuh^ or Love ana En^rith 
 Ti 4to 1 7041 
 Several occafional poems were 
 written by him in Engli(h ; and 
 there is one Latin produAion of hie 
 in the Mxfte Anglkarua, He alfo 
 tranllated Milton's Paradije JL/>^ 
 into Latin s'ztk^ but With littld 
 fuccefsi 
 
 TrotTERj CATHAftlNt. Wat 
 the daughter of captain David 
 Trotter, a Scots gentleman. He 
 was a commander ih the royal 
 navy in the rei^n of Charles lU 
 and at his death left tWo daugh« 
 tersj the youfigeft of whom, Catha- 
 rine, our celebrated authorefi, was 
 born in London, Auguft 16, 1679* 
 She gave early marks ofi>er ge-^ 
 nius^ and learned to i^rlte^ and. 
 alfo made herfelf tnilirefs of thd 
 French language, by her own ap-^ 
 plication and diligehce, without 
 any inftruelor ; but flie had fomft 
 a(ni(ance in the ftudy of the Latidt 
 grammar and logic, of which lat- 
 ter (he drew np an abllra£l foi^ 
 her owh ufei Thfe moft ferious 
 and important fubjedls, and el^ 
 )ecially religion » fodn engaged 
 ler attention. But, notwithHand^ 
 ; ng her education, her intimacy 
 with feveraL families of dilHn^iion^ 
 of the Romifh perfuafiOn^ expofel 
 her, while very young, to inipref^ 
 (ions in favour of that churchy 
 which not being removed by hti 
 conferences with iara^ eminent 
 and learned members of the church 
 of £t)g1arid, (lie embraced the Ra- 
 mi(h communion, in which (h0 
 continued till the year 1707. Ill 
 1696, (he produced a tr^gCd/^ 
 Called Agnes de Cajlro^ which was 
 a£ked at the theatre-royal j when 
 (he was only in her feventeentll 
 year. The reputation of thi* per-* 
 .formance, and the verfes which (lifl 
 .addre(red td Mr. Congreve upi3ii 
 his Mourning Bride, in 1 697, werO 
 probal)ly the foundation of her 
 
 O g 4 acquaintaacdi 
 
 III 
 
 j "■■Si' 
 
 \■'■■ 
 
 i<k 
 
 
r R 
 
 t 4Si 1 
 
 T R 
 
 accjaaintance with that celebrated 
 writer. Her fecond tragedy, i^Vi- 
 tal Friendfljip, was afted in 1698, 
 at the new theatre in Lincoln'i- 
 Inn-Fieldf. This tragedy met with 
 great applaafe, and is ftill thought 
 the moft perfect of her dramatic 
 performances. Her talents, how- 
 ever, not being confined to tra- 
 gedy, flie brought upon the ftage, 
 in lytJr, a comedy, called Love 
 at a Left, or Mnfl Votet -arty it. 
 In the fame year (he gaye the 
 public her third tragedy, entitled, 
 The Unhappy Penitent, afted at the 
 theatre-royal in Drury-Lane. But 
 poetry and dramatic writing did 
 not fo far engrofs the thoughts of 
 our author, but that fie fometimes 
 turned theni to fubjefts of a very 
 different nature. 1 hough en- 
 gaged in the profeffion of a reli- 
 gion not very favourable to fo ra- 
 tional a philofophy as that of Mr. 
 'Locke, yet ihe had read his in< 
 comparable E.£m on Human Un- 
 derjianding with ft) clear a compre- 
 'henfion, and fo unbiafTed a judg- 
 ment, that her own conviction of 
 the truth and importance of the 
 notions contained in it, led her 
 to endeavour that of others, by 
 removing fome of the nbjeAions 
 urged againft them. She drew up, 
 therefore, a defence of the eflay, 
 againft fome remarks which had 
 ■b<en publifhed againit it in 1667 ; 
 and farther diftinguifhed herfelf in 
 an extraordinary manner, in de- 
 fence of Mrr Locke's writings, a 
 female metaphyfician being a re- 
 Inarkable phcendmenon in the re- 
 'public of letters. 
 
 She returned to the exercife of 
 her dramatic genius in 1701, and 
 fixed upon the revolution of Swe- 
 den, under Gi^avui Ericifon^ for 
 the fubjeft of a tragedy. This 
 tragedy was a£led in 1706, at the 
 queen's theatre in the Hay-Mar- 
 ktt. In 1707 her doubti con< 
 
 ^ 
 
 cerning the Romilh religion, which 
 (he had h many years profefled, 
 having led her to a thorough ex- 
 amination of the grounds of it, 
 by confulting the bell books on 
 both fides of the queftion, and ad- 
 vifing with men of the belt judg- 
 ment, the refult was a convidion 
 of the faifenefs of the pretenfions 
 of that church, and a return to 
 that of England, to which ihe ad- 
 hered during the remainder of her 
 life. In 1708, fhe was married 
 to the reverend Mr. Cockburn, 
 then curate of St. Dunflan's in 
 Fleet-ftreet, but who afterwards 
 obtained the living of Long-Horfe- 
 ly, near Morpeth, in Northum- 
 berland. He was a man of con- 
 fiderable abilities; and, among 
 feveral other things, wrote an ac- 
 count of the Mofaic deluge, which 
 was much approved by the learned. 
 Mrs. Cockburn's remarks upon 
 fome writers in the controverfy 
 concerning the foundation of mo- 
 ral duty and moral obligation, 
 were introduced to the world in 
 Auguft 1743) in the Literary 
 Journal, entitled The Hilary rftbe 
 tVorks of the Learned. Theftrength, 
 clearnefs, ' ';d vivacity, fhewn in 
 her remarks upon the moft ab- 
 ftra6t and perplexed queftions, im- 
 mediately raifed the curiofity of 
 all good judges about the con- 
 cealed writer; and their admira- 
 tion was greatly increafed when 
 her fex and advanced age were 
 known. Dr. Rutherforth's Efay 
 on the Nature and Obligations of Vir- 
 tuey publiihed in May 1 744, foon 
 engaged her thoughts ; and, not- 
 withltanding the althmatic difor- 
 der which nad feized her many 
 years before, and now left her 
 fmall intervals of eafe, ihe applied 
 herfeif to the confutation of that 
 elaborate difcourfe; and, having 
 finiihed it with a fpirit, elegance, 
 •and perfpicuity e^ual, if not fu- 
 
T R 
 
 C ^Si 3 
 
 T R 
 
 pertor, to all her former writinfifaf very contrafled fortune were fop^ 
 
 tran(mi(.ted her manufcript to Mr. ported by her with calmnefs and 
 
 Warbarton, afterwards bifliop of in filcnce; nor did (he ever at-' 
 
 Glcuceller; whopubliQiedit, with tempt to improve it among thofe 
 
 a preface 4/f his own, in April great perfonager, to whom flie wu 
 
 1747, under the title of, Rimarkt 
 upon tl^f Principles and Keafoniugs of 
 Dr. Rutberforib*s EJJity oh Oh Na- 
 ture and 0/>if^fitions of Virtue^ in 
 fiiidicatign of the contrary Primiplts 
 and RfofoHi inforcfd in the IVritingi 
 of the late Dr. Hamurl Clark. 
 
 The lofs of hrr huiband, on the 
 4ih of January 1748, in the 7 til 
 year of his age,i wbh a fev«re (hock 
 to her; and (he did not long fur- 
 vive him, dying on the nth of 
 Mav 1749, in her 71ft year, after 
 having long fupported a painful 
 diforder, with a refignation to the 
 divine will, which had been the 
 governing principle of her whole 
 life, and her fupport under the 
 various trials of it. She was in- 
 terred near her hu(band at Long« 
 Horfley. 
 
 Mrs. Cockburn waa no lefs ce* 
 lebrated for her beauty, in her 
 younger days, than for her genius 
 and accomplilhments.' She was in> 
 deed fmall of (lature, but had a 
 remarkable livelinefs in her eye, 
 and a delicacy of completion, 
 which continued to her death. 
 Her private chara^er rendered her 
 extremely amiable to thofe who in> 
 tiiiiately knew her. Her conver* 
 fatiun was always innocent, ufeful, 
 and agreeable, without the leafl 
 aftedation of being thought a wit, 
 and attended with a remarkable 
 modelly and di(Hdence of herfelf, 
 and a conAant endeavour to adapt 
 her difcourfe to her company. Her 
 difpofition was generous and bene- 
 volent; and ready upon all occa- 
 fions to forgive injuries, and bear 
 them, as well as misfortunes, with- 
 out interrupting her own eafe, or 
 tfa«t of others, with complaints or 
 rt:proachcs. The preffures of a 
 
 known, by importunities, to which 
 the bell minds ane moll avcrfe^ and 
 which her approved merit and efta* 
 blijhed reputation (hould have ren> 
 dered unnece(rary. But her abili'^ 
 ties as a writer, and the merit of 
 her works, will not have full juf- 
 tice done, without a due attention 
 to the peculiar cirCumdancea in 
 which they were produced : her 
 early youth, when (he wrote fome } 
 her advanced age, and ill ftateof 
 health, when (he drew up others; 
 the uneafy fuuation of her fortune, 
 during the whole courfe of her 
 life ; and an interval of near 
 twenty years in the vigour of it, 
 fptnt in the cares of a family, 
 without the leaft leifure for read- 
 ing or contemplarion ; after which> 
 with a mind Co long diverted and 
 incumbered, refuming herdudies, 
 (he inllantly recovered its entire 
 powers, and, in the hours of re* 
 laxation from her domelUc em- 
 ployments, purfued, to their ut> 
 moll limits, fome of the deepell 
 enquiries of which the human 
 mind is capable! Her works are 
 collected into two large volumes, 
 8vo. by Dr. Birch, 1751 ; who has 
 pre(ixed to them an account of her 
 life and writings, from which we 
 have extrafted the imperfed nar- 
 rative here given. 
 
 The following is the lift of her 
 dramatic pieces. 
 
 1. Agnes de Cajiro, Trag. 41.0, 
 1695. 
 
 2. Fatal Frlcndpip. Trag. 4to, 
 1698. 
 
 3. 1 he Unhappy 'Penitent, Trag. 
 4to. 1 70 1. 
 
 4. Love at a Lm/s ; or, Mojl 
 Foles cany it. C. 4to. 1701. Thil 
 was afterwards revifed, and intend* 
 
 Ci g 3 c4 
 
T U 
 
 C 454 ] 
 
 T U 
 
 •d to be brought again on tbe 
 ti»tfi nader the title ot, 
 
 lit Honourabit Dtcrivrn j of , M 
 fight M the loft, C. N.P. 
 
 5. The Htvoitttiom ofSixs:den. T. 
 4to. 1706, 
 
 TvKE, Richard. Wat au- 
 thor of one religfous play, called, 
 • Tbt J}ivim ComtJian; Or, fhe 
 jfiigbt Vji ofPlay$, a facred Ti-agi- 
 (Com. 410. 1672. 
 
 TuKE, Sir Samuel. This au- 
 
 attki 
 t of ih«\ 
 
 miflake fays, be was allre 
 time he publiihed hi* account ( 
 dramatic poeu. 
 
 V{t was the author of, 
 
 7 be Afheniurfi qf' Fiv( Hours* C, 
 Folio. 1663. 
 
 TuTCHiN, John. Wai 9 de> 
 fpicable fcribbler in the reign of 
 Icipg James the fecond, and very 
 early in life became obnoxious to 
 the government from the viru- 
 lence of his writiii];s. He ivat 
 
 thor was of Te^nple CreflTy, in the profecuted for a political performT 
 county of Eflex, and a colonel of ance on (he fide of Monmouth, 
 liorfe in the lervice of king Charles and being found guilty, was fen-i 
 
 the firfty while thf aflfaiis of that 
 monarch wore any appearance of 
 iuccefi. He was very a£live in a 
 rifing in the county of EfTex, 
 'whicn ended tatally to fome of the 
 chief a£lors in jt. Soon after the 
 Relioration he intended to retire 
 ircm bufinefs, but was diverted 
 
 tenced by JefFfies to be whipped 
 through feveral market towns in 
 the weft. To avoid this fevere 
 punifliment, he petitioned the kins 
 that the fentence might be changed 
 to hanging. At the death of this 
 unfortunate monarch he wrote an 
 invedlive aj^ainft his memory. 
 
 from that dcfign for fome time by which even the feverity of his fuf- 
 
 his ntajefty-s l-eco|nmending him 
 to adapt a 8pani(h play to the 
 £nglifh ftage, which he execued 
 with fome degree of fqccefs. On 
 the 31ft of March 1664, he was 
 created a baronet. He married 
 }AiTy the daughter of Edward 
 
 ferings can harc^ly excnfe. He 
 was the author of The Ok/ervator^ 
 which was begun April i, 1702, 
 becoming obnoxious to the tories, 
 be received a fevere beating in 
 Auguil 1707, and died in much 
 diftiefs in the Mint, the 23d of 
 
 Sheldon, a lady who was one of the September following, at the age of 
 
 drefiers to queen Mary, and pro- 
 bably a Roman Catholic, of which 
 perfuafion our author feems alfo to 
 iiave been. He died at Someifct- 
 houfeon the 26th of January 1673, 
 find was buried in the vault under 
 llii; chapel there* Lan^baine \>y 
 
 47. In fome verfet on hi* death 
 be is called captain Tutchin. He 
 wrote 
 
 The Unfortunate ShepJjrrd. P. 8vo, 
 1685. Printed in a collc£liop of 
 his poems* 
 
 '% 
 
 V. 
 
 «. 5. 
 
 »> 
 
 ^'V^''»-''~-1sfci«'--=''^.r,~i,;-^,,^ 
 
»i-'ff*« 
 
 ( ♦$$ i 
 
 «*T| 
 
 V. 
 
 wrote an 
 
 V A 
 
 VAN*BKUGH, Sir John. Was 
 defcended from an aniieat 
 family in Chcfhire, which came 
 originally from France; though, 
 byltiii name, he ihould ;ippear to 
 be of Dutch extradion. He was 
 born about the middle of the reign 
 of Charles II. and became emi- 
 nent for poetry an<il (kill in archi- 
 tecture; to both whkh he difco- 
 vered an early propenfion. He 
 had a moit ready wit, and was 
 particularly turned for dramatic 
 produdions. His firtl comedy, 
 called, T/je Relapfe^ or Firtue in 
 Danger^ was acted with great ap- 
 plaufe in the year 1697, which 
 encouraged him to proceed ifi the 
 fame track. The reputation which 
 be gained by hifi comedies, was re- 
 warded with greater advantages 
 than ufually arife^frpm the profits 
 of writing for the flage. He was 
 appointed Clarencieox king at 
 arms ; a place, which he fomc time 
 held, and at laft difpofed of. In 
 Auguft 17 16 he was appointed 
 furveyor of the works at Green- 
 wich Hofpital: he was likewife 
 made c3inptroller-general of his 
 majefty's works, and furveyor of 
 the gardens and waters. But we 
 are rathe/ to afcribe thefe prefer- 
 ments to his (kill in architecture, 
 than to his dramatic writings. Se- 
 veral noble ftrudures were raifed 
 under bis diredlion at Blenheim 
 in Oxfbrdfliire, Claremont in Sur- 
 ry, and the Opera-houfe in the 
 liay-market. In fome part of Sir 
 John's lite, for we cannot afcer- 
 tain the time, he went over to 
 France ; where, his tafte for archi- 
 tedure exciting him to view the 
 fortifications of the couhtry, he 
 
 V A 
 
 was one day obferved by an eo^ 
 ncer, whofe informai|c^n cai^(e4 
 him to be fecnred by authority^ 
 and fent to the Baftile ; but he yvas 
 ilbon fet at liberty. He died of j) 
 <)uiniey, at his houfe in Whitehall, 
 in 1736. He was the contempo- 
 rary and friend of Mr. CongrevCf 
 Thefe two comic writers gave nevy 
 life to the £nglilh flage, and rt* 
 Aored it to reputftioa, wheii >%K 
 had, in reality, been fijikiag fof 
 fome time. It would, howeveiy 
 have been more to tbeir credit, \u 
 while they exerted their wit upo9 
 this occafiOB, thfey had prefctve4 
 it |)ure and unmixed with that ob> 
 fcenity and licentioafnefs which, 
 while it pleafed, tended to corrupt 
 the audience. When Mr« Collief 
 attacked the immorality and pfOr 
 fanenefs of the lUge, in the yeaf 
 169S, thefe two writer* wei^.)4t 
 principal »bjeds. , , ,i.f 
 
 Sir John's dramatic pieces are, 
 
 1. the Relapjei or. Virtue iif 
 Da/igrr. Com. 4to. 1697. 
 
 2. The Provoked Wifi, C. 4tO^ 
 1697. 
 
 3. JEfip, Com. ia two parts, 
 4to. 1607. 
 
 4. The Pilgrim, C. 4to. 1709* 
 
 5. The Falfe Friend, Com. 410, 
 1702. 
 
 6. Ihe Confederacy, Com. 4to, 
 
 7. The Miftah* C. 410, 1706. 
 
 8. The Cuckold in Conceit, C» 
 1706. N. P. 
 
 9. *Squire Treloeiy, Q, 1706. 
 N. P. 
 
 10. The CoHHtry-^Hwfe, Farce, 
 lamo. 1715. 
 
 XI, A loumey to Londoa^ Q, left 
 unfiniihed. lamo. 1727. 
 G g 4 Vavohan, 
 
U D 
 
 C 45« J 
 
 V I 
 
 Vauqhan, Thomas. Thii 
 ffrnttemiin is • living dramatiih 
 \ie is the Ton of one who acquii^cd a 
 genteel fortune by the pradlice of 
 the Uw, for which profciTion ihepre- 
 feiit author is faid to huvc^ been iiw 
 tended. Hehas produced the fol« 
 lowing pieces, neither of which can 
 boaft ot muc!! merit or fuccefs. 
 
 1 . Lfivi*t Mefamorpbofii. F. 1 7 76. 
 
 ». The Hjicl. F. 8vo. 1776. 
 TToAL, Nicholas. This au- 
 thor is, by Leland, ftyled Odo- 
 vallus* He was born in Hamp- 
 Ihire, and was admitted fcholar 
 of Corpus Chrilli College the 18th 
 of June, 1510, ut about the age of 
 fourteen. He then took the degree 
 of batchelor of arts, and became 
 probationer fellow the 3d of Sept. 
 I ^24 i but loll the degree of mafler 
 foon afterwards, on account of his 
 inclination to the tenets of Luther. 
 He then obtained the mafterfliip 
 of Eton fchool, and, in the per- 
 fbrmmce of his duty there, bcr 
 laved, according to the account of 
 Thomas TulTer, withgreatfeverity. 
 He proceeded in arts in ij;34, but 
 in 1541 was near lofing his place, 
 being fufpeded of fome concern in a 
 fobbery of plate belonging to the 
 college, with two of his fcholars. 
 For this fa£l he was exainined by 
 the king's council, but we do not 
 ' know the refuit of their enquiries. 
 The charge probably was dif- 
 covered to be ill-grounded. He 
 afterwards was fervant to queen 
 Catherine Parr, and, in the be- 
 ginning of Hdwar^ Vl's timp, was 
 promoted to a canonry at Windfor. 
 Wood fays he wrote feveral come- 
 dies, and Bale ipentions The Trai 
 ^etfy of Popery. But none of thefe, 
 \ believe, now exift. A fpecimen, 
 however, of his abilities in this 
 Wayi ni^y be fecn in a long quota- 
 |ioo ivpxn a rhiming interlude by 
 
 * 1. 
 
 htm, printed in Hll/on^ An ef 
 lj>g!cke. \^^T> 
 
 Veoeriits, Paul. TranHatcd 
 from the German a play, called, 
 
 TU Roval Cuckold, or Grtnt 
 Bajlard, Tragi -Com. 4,to. 1695* 
 
 Victor, Bunjamin. Tbw 
 
 fcntleman to^t to the dignity of 
 rifh laurear, from an outfet in life 
 which fliould feem to have nromifed 
 him no fuch advancement. He was 
 brought up a peruke-maker, or 
 rather a barber ; but quitted that 
 inglorious and ftarving profcffion. 
 to engage in the fale of Norwich 
 ftulfi. Ffom this fecond effort he 
 likewife derived but inconfiderable 
 gains ; ami, what he thought a IHU 
 more mortifying circumilance, the 
 memory of his original trade was 
 Qccafionally unpropitious to his 
 third and moil hazardous under- 
 taking, that of dramatic poetry. 
 When he offered one of his plays 
 to the late Mr. Rich (a mau apt to 
 treafure up farcallic images to afliil 
 him in keeping writers for the 
 ilage at a diirance), poor Ben re- 
 ceived the ufual laco'.ic anfwer, 
 that his piece •would n,>nio. The 
 bard, however, defiring to be fur-< 
 nilhed with more particular reafons 
 for this unfavourable determina^ 
 tion, was difmifled by the manager 
 with the following ihort remark~< 
 *' Mr, there is too much borfe- 
 " hair in your tragedy." Our 
 author then became under-ma-. 
 nager at Smock- Alley, Dublin. 
 At lad, after having produced 
 piany literary commodities which 
 were chiefly returned upon hia 
 hands, he accepted the treafurer- 
 ihip of Drury-Lane theatre, a poft 
 in which he acquitted himfclf with 
 the moft fcrupulous exaAnefs an4 
 fidelity. During this period he 
 coUefted his works in three volumes 
 8vo. and publifhed them by fub- 
 fcription, omittinj^ only his pamr 
 
 |)hl« 
 
V I 
 
 f 457 ] 
 
 V I 
 
 -ma- 
 b)in. 
 uced 
 /hich 
 
 hia 
 urer- 
 
 poft 
 with 
 
 an4 
 I he 
 jmes 
 
 fub- 
 
 pWet entitled the V/^w of the 
 JVood, (a narrative which in its 
 time hud alTorded no fmall gratU 
 fication to malignant curiofity), 
 and his Eiiftory of the Stage. This 
 gentlemnn's iingularitiei (for fotne 
 ne had) were ofquile un innocent 
 na;are. He regarded the proper 
 arrangement of a play-tioafe as 
 the greatell and moll important 
 tafk propnffd to human abilities. 
 He was therefore Iblemniy and te- 
 dioudy circumllantial in his ac- 
 counts of entrances and exits 1' S 
 and O P ; dcfcribed to an inch 
 the height of every plume, and the 
 length of every tram be had feen 
 upon the (lage ; and dwelt much 
 on the advantages received by 
 many authors, as well as aflors, 
 from his experience and his ad- 
 monitions. He likewife contrived 
 to prolong thefe his narratives by 
 repeated fummonfes to attention, 
 fuch as *' Sir, fir, fir; obferve, ob- 
 ** ferve, obferve;" and was the 
 molt faithful chronoloj^er of a jeft, 
 a riot, or any other incident at- 
 tending the reprefentarion of a 
 new play ; always beginning his 
 ftory in nearly the following words: 
 — " I remember, once in the year 
 *' I735> wlicn /was at the head 
 ** of a merry party in the pit — " 
 The dif^uding pronoun / being 
 alfo too Tavilhiy ehiploycd in his 
 Hiftory of the Siage, our late fatirift, 
 Mr. Churchill, obferved that Fi£ior 
 ego ihoutd have been its motto. 
 Mr. Vidor died about three years 
 ago, at an advanced age, and with- 
 out previous ficknefs or pain, at 
 his lodgings in Covent-Garden. 
 He was author of the dramatic 
 pieces now to be enumerated. 
 
 1. TheTi'M Qeatlemen of Verona, 
 C. altered 8vo. 1763. 
 
 2. Jltcmira. T. 8vo. 1776. 
 
 3. The ftftai Error, T. §V0. 
 1776, 
 
 4. The Foriunati Pta/kHt^ or 
 NMiire luill prevail. C. 8vo. 1776. 
 
 5. The Sacrifice^ or Ct^id's Fa- 
 gar let. 8vo. 1776. 
 
 ViLLIERS, GeOROK, DUKE Of 
 
 Buckingham. This ingenious 
 and witty nobicman, ^yhofe ming> 
 ledchaiaAer rendered him at once 
 the ornament and difg'-ace, the 
 envy and ridicule, of the court he 
 lived in, was iun to that famous 
 ilatefman and favourite of Icing 
 Charles I. who oft his life by the 
 hands of lituteaunt Felton. Our 
 author was bnrn at Wallineford 
 houfe, in the parifli of St. Martia 
 in the Fields, on the 30th of 
 January 1637, which being but 
 the year before the fatal cata- 
 Urophe uf his father's death, the 
 young duke was left a perfed in- 
 fant ; a circumtlnnce which is fre- 
 quently prejudicial to the morals 
 of men born to high rank an4 
 affluence of fortune. The easly 
 parts of his education he received 
 from various domeitic tutors, after 
 which he was fent to the univer- 
 fity of Cambridge, where having 
 compleated a courfe of lludies, he* 
 with his brother lord Francis, went 
 abroad, under the care of one 
 Mr. Aylefbary. Upon his return^ 
 which was not till after the break- 
 ing out of the civil wars, the king 
 being at Oxford, his grace re- 
 paired thither, was prefented to 
 his majedy, and entered of Chrift- 
 Church colleee. Upon the de- 
 cline of the King's caufe, he at- 
 tended prince Charles into Scot- 
 land, and was with him at the 
 battle of Worcefter in 1651,^ after 
 which, making his efcape beyqnd 
 fea, he again joined him, and 
 was foon after, as a reward for 
 this attachment, made knight of 
 the garter. 
 
 Defirous, however, of retriev- 
 ing his alFiiirs, he came privately 
 
 (o 
 
V I 
 
 [ 4S8 ) 
 
 V I 
 
 ttf England, tnd io 16(7 married 
 JMary, ihc daughter and fole hei- 
 »ef» of ThooiH lord Fairfax, 
 through whofe incercil he recover- 
 ed ihe greatri) pan of the rftate 
 lie had )oA, and the aHurance of 
 fiicceeding to ait accumulation of 
 wealth in the right of his wife. 
 
 We do itot find, bowevei, that 
 thik liep loi\ him the royal (»• 
 Toar ; for, after the RcHoration, at 
 which tihie he is fain to have pol^ 
 ftPkd un eliatc of twenty thouiand 
 pounds per annvm^ he was made 
 rneoftne lords of the bed-cham- 
 %er, called to the privy courcii, 
 Vnd appoiDtcd lord lieuienant of 
 Yorkmire, and m^Acr of the horfe. 
 All thete high oflice*, however, he 
 loft again in the year 1666. l<'or 
 iiaving been refufed the poll of 
 prefidf nt of the North, he became 
 difaffcftcd to the kin;;, and it 
 was difcovered that he had car- 
 lied on a fee ret ^orrefpondence by 
 letters and other tranfa£lions with 
 One Dr. Heydon (a man cf no 
 kind of confequence, but well 
 fitted to be made the implement 
 of any kind of bufinefs) tending 
 to rnife mutinies among his ma- 
 jelly's forces, puriicularly in the 
 ktavy, to llir up fedition among 
 the people, and even to engaee 
 petfons in a coiifpiracy for the 
 fcizing the Tower of London. 
 Nay, to fuch bafe lengths had he 
 proceeded, as even to have given 
 money to villains to put on jackets, 
 and, pcrfonating feamen, to go 
 about the country begging, and 
 exclaiming for want of pay, while 
 the people opprefled with taxes 
 y/ctt cheated of their money by 
 the great officers of the crcwn. 
 Matters were ripe for execution, 
 and an infunedlion, at the head 
 ef which the duke was openly to 
 have appeared, on the very eve 
 cf breakirg out, v»hen it was dif- 
 covered by means oi fome agents 
 
 whom Heydon had rmpIo}ed !• 
 tMtxy letters to the duke. The 
 dctcdion of this affair fo cxaf- 
 perated the king, who knew Buck- 
 ingham to be capable of the 
 blackeft deiigns, that he imme- 
 diately ordered him to be feized { 
 bat the duke finding means, hav- 
 ing defended his houfe for fome 
 time by force, to make his efcape, 
 his majelly ttruck him out of all 
 his commiflions, and ifTued forth 
 a proclamation, requiring his lur* 
 render by a ctriain day. 
 
 This Oorm, however, did not 
 long hiing over his head ; for on 
 his making an humble fubmif- 
 fion, king Charles, who was far 
 from being of an implacable tem- 
 per, took him again into favour, 
 arid the very next year rellored 
 him both to the privy- council and 
 bed-chamber. But the duke's dif- 
 poiition for intrigue and machi- 
 nation could not long lie idle, for 
 having conceived a refentment 
 againu the duke of Ormond, for 
 having a£led with fome feveriiy 
 againlt him in regard to the laA- 
 mentioned affair, he, in 1670, was 
 fuppofed to be concerned in an 
 attempt made on that nobh man's 
 life, by the fame Blood who after- 
 wards endeavoured to ileal the 
 crown. Their defign was to hi<ve 
 conveyed the duke to Tyburn, and 
 there have hanged him; and fo 
 far did they proceed towards the 
 putting it in execution, that Blood 
 and his fon had actually forced 
 the duke out of his coach in St. 
 James's-ftreet, and carried him 
 away beyond Devonlhire-houfe, 
 Piccadilly, before he was refcucd 
 from them. 
 
 That there mull have been the 
 (ironged reafons for fufpe£ling the 
 duke of Buckingham of having 
 been a party in this villainous 
 project, is apparent from a Itory 
 Mr. Carle relates from the beil 
 
 authority 
 
V I 
 
 ( 4^9 1 
 
 ♦ 
 
 was 
 
 n the 
 g the 
 iving 
 inous 
 llory 
 bell 
 xority 
 
 anthority in his Life of the dake 
 of Ormond, of the public rrfenc- 
 ment and open menaces thrown 
 out to (he duke on the occafioiit 
 by the earl of OfTny, the duke uf 
 Ormond's foii, even in the pre- 
 fence of the king him (elf. But 
 ai Charles II. Vikv moll otl ermen* 
 wai more f: nfible ut injunct uone 
 JO himfelf than others ic dri!s not 
 appear, that this tranfaAio i hurt 
 thcduke'a intercll at court } for in 
 1671 be was inlUlled chancellor 
 of the univerfity of Cambridge, 
 and Tent ambafladur to France, 
 where he wat very nobly enter- 
 tained by Lewis XIV. and pre- 
 fenced by thai monarch at his de- 
 parture with a fword and belt fet 
 with jewels, to the value of forty 
 tboufand piftoles ; and the next 
 year he was eiupluyed in a fecond 
 cmbaiTy to that king at Utrecht, 
 however, in June 1674, *>* '^' 
 figned the chaiicellorOitp of Cam- 
 bridge, and about the iame time 
 became a zealous panizan and fa- 
 vourer of the Nonconform ills. On 
 the i6tb uf February 1676, his 
 grace, with the earls of Salilbury 
 and Shafteibuiy and lord Wharton, 
 were committed to the Tower by 
 order of the houfe of lords, fcr a 
 contempt, in refufing to retract 
 the purport of a fpeecn which the 
 duke had made concerning a dif- 
 folution of the parliament. 
 
 But upon a petition to the tng, 
 he was difcharged thence in May 
 following. In 1680, having fold 
 Wallingford-houfe in the Strand, 
 "he purchafed a houfe at Dowgate, 
 and refided there, joining with 
 the earl of Shafteibury in all the 
 violences of oppoiition. About 
 the time of king Charles's death, 
 he fell into aa ill ilate of health, 
 and went into the coimtry to his 
 own manor of Helmefley, in York- 
 shire, where he generally pafled 
 iiis tiiqe ip hunting and enter* 
 
 taininff his friends. Tht« he coo- 
 linued until a fortnight before hii 
 death, an event which huppened 
 at a tenant's honfe, at Kirkby 
 Moorftde, April 16, 1688, after 
 three days illnefs, of an ague and 
 frvrr, arifing from a cold >vhich 
 he caught by fitting on the ground 
 after fox-hunting. The day be- 
 fore his death, he fent to his old 
 fervent, Mr. Brian Fairfax, to 
 provide him « bed at his houfe, at 
 Bilhop'hill, in York(hire; but the 
 next murning the f.me man re* 
 turned with tne news that his life 
 was defpaired of. Mr. Fairfax 
 immediately went poll to him, 
 but found him fpeechlefs. The 
 earl of Arran, fon to duke Hamil- 
 ton, was with him, who hearing he 
 wa> fick hiid vifitedhim in his wkj 
 to Scotland. When Mr. Fairfax 
 came, the duke knew him, ]o> ked 
 earncllly at him. but louid not 
 fpeak. Mr. Fairfax alked a gen- 
 tleman there prefent, a juilice -)f 
 peace, and a worthy difcreet man 
 in the neighbourhood, what he 
 had laid or done before he becaine 
 fpeechlefs ; who told him, that 
 fome quellions had been a&ed 
 him about his ellate; to which he 
 gave no anfwer. Then he wa^ 
 admonilhed of the danger he was 
 in, which he Teemed not to ap« 
 prehend; he was aflced if he would 
 have the minifter of the parifli 
 fent for to pray with him ; to 
 which he gave no anfwer> Thii 
 occafioned another quelHon ro be 
 propofed, if he would have a pn- 
 prfli priell; but he replied with 
 great vehemence, No, no ! repeat- 
 ing (he words he would have no- 
 thing to do with them. The famd 
 gentleman then alkcd him again, 
 if he would have the minifter fent 
 for, and he calmly faid.jw, fir^ 
 fend for him. The minifter ac- 
 cordingly came, and did the of- 
 fice enJoiQcd by the church, he 
 
 duke 
 
 I 
 
V I 
 
 r 460 ] 
 
 V I 
 
 duke devoutly attending it, and we do not finJ him on record for 
 
 receiving the facrament. In about any one dflcrvedly generous ac- 
 
 an hour after he became fpeeth- ticn. As he had lived a profii- 
 
 lefs, and died on the fame night, gate, he died a beggar; and as be 
 
 His bcdy was buried in Wellmin- had raifed no friend in his life. 
 
 iler Abbey. 
 
 As to his pcrfonal charafler, 
 it is in)p<flible to fay any thing 
 in its Vindication ; fur though his 
 icvercll ei)emies acknowledge him 
 to have poflcfTed great vivacity 
 and a quicknefs of parts pccu- 
 
 he found none to lament him at 
 his diath. 
 
 As a writer, however, he flands 
 in a quite dittercnt point of view. 
 There we fee the wit, and forget 
 the lihcrfinc. His poem&, which 
 indeed are not vtrv numerous, 
 
 liarly adapted to the purpofes of are capital in their kind ; but what 
 ridicule, yet his wattntll advocates will immortalize his memory whiie 
 
 }iave never attributed to him a 
 fingle virtue. His generofity was 
 profufenefs, his wit malevolence, 
 the gratification of his paiTions his 
 ibie aim through life, his very ta 
 
 our language fliall beunderliood.or 
 true wit reliihed, is his celebrated 
 comedy of 
 
 I. The Rchearfai. C. 410. 1672. 
 
 A comedy, which is lo perfect 
 
 lents caprice, and even his gal* a mailer piece in its way, and ib 
 lantry the meer love of plealure. truly an original, that n><twiih- 
 But it is impolTible' to draw bis Aanding its prodigious fuccefs, 
 charader with equal beauty, or even the talk of iniiation, which 
 with more jullice, than in that mort kinds of excellence have ex- 
 given of him by Dryden, in his cited inferior geniufes to under- 
 Ahfolom a>itl Aclntopbel^ under the take, has appeared as too arduous 
 name of Zimri, which is too well to be attempted with regard to 
 known to authorise my inferting thi!=, which through an whole 
 it here, and to which therefore I century Hill Hands aloi.e, notwith- 
 ihall refer my readers. Handing that the very plays it was 
 Hew greiitly is it to be lament- written expreftly to ridicule, arc 
 
 ed that fuch abilities Ihould have 
 been fo Ihamefully mifapplied ! 
 For, to fum up his charadier at 
 once, if he appears inferior to his 
 father as a iiatefman, he was cer- 
 
 forgotten, and the talk it was 
 meant to expofe, totally exploded^ 
 and although many other pieces 
 as abfurd, and a taAe as depraved, 
 have fince at times fprung up, 
 
 tainly fuperior to him as a wit, which might have afforded ample 
 and wanted only application and materials in the hands of an equal 
 ileadit;efs to have made as con- artiticer. 
 
 fpicuous a figure in the fenate and 
 the cabinet as he did in the draw- 
 ing-room. But his love of plea- 
 fure was fo immoderate, and his 
 ragernefs in the purfuit of it fo 
 ungovernable, that they were per- 
 petual bars againft the execution 
 
 There is alio another play pub- 
 lilhed under the duke's name, 
 called, 
 
 2. 7hc Chances. C. 4 to. 1682. 
 
 This however is no more ihan 
 a ptofciled alteration of the co- 
 medy of the fame name, written 
 
 of even any plan he might have by Beaumont and Fletcher. 
 
 formed folid or p.aife-worthy. In 
 
 confequence of which, with the 
 
 polfellion of a fortune that might 
 
 Jiiive enal led him to render hiin- 
 
 feif an gbjei^t of aluioit adoration, 
 
 3. The Battle of Sedgcwore. F. 
 
 A compleat edition of this au- 
 thor's works was publilhed in 
 2 vols. 8vo. 1775. by T. Evan?, 
 in the Strand. 
 
 W. 
 
£ 46i ] 
 
 K iv 
 
 w. ^^' v.. 
 
 ) 1 
 
 1672. 
 
 1682. 
 
 than 
 be co- 
 biritien 
 
 W A 
 
 "\' , w A -• 
 
 ■'■■*'. 
 
 I 1 i 
 
 WACBu, Lewis. Wrote one 
 interlude, called, 
 
 AIa>y Ma^Jalcnc, her l^fe and 
 Repcntnttnce^ 410. i ^67. 
 
 Wager, W. Of this author 
 no particulars are known. He 
 lived in the reign of queen Eliza- 
 beth, and wrotr, 
 
 The longer thou llvcjl^ the mare 
 Foole thou (i^t, C. 410. B. L. N. D. 
 
 Waldron, — — . An ailor 
 at prefeni at Drury-Lane theatre. 
 He has produced the following 
 pieces : 
 
 1 . The MaJd of Kent. C. iyj$. 
 Printed in 8vo. about 1778. 
 
 2. The Contrq/i. F. 1 77 J. N. P. 
 
 3. "The Richmond Heireji, C, Al- 
 tered from Durfey, N. P, 
 
 Walker, Thomas. Was the 
 fon of Francis Walker.of the parilh 
 oi St. Anne, Soho, and was born 
 in the year 1698. He was bred 
 tinder a Mr. Midon, who kept a pri- 
 vate academy ; and, having an in- 
 clination to the llage, firit tried his 
 talents in Mr. Sheppard's com- 
 pany, and was found, by Mr. 
 Bootii, afting the part of Paris in 
 a droll, called The Siege of Troy, 
 He performed the part of Charles 
 in the Noftjuror, and Teemed to 
 difcover abilities calculated to in- 
 I'ure his fuccefs on the Sage. After 
 being a few years at Drury-Lane, 
 he deferred to Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 
 and reached the higheft reputation 
 in the character of Captain Mac- 
 heath, in which it is fuppofcd he 
 has never been equalled. His fuc- 
 cefs in this part was fatal t6 him. 
 He funk into habits of intempe- 
 rance, became ufelefs to the thea- 
 tre, and in confequence thereof 
 was difmiiTed (torn it. He after- 
 
 wards went to Ireland, and died 
 there in the year 1744. 
 
 He brought two dramatic pieces 
 on the ftage, viz. 
 
 1. Thci^aker'sOpera.^vo,iliZ, 
 
 2. Tfj€ Fate ofrillaiHj, T. 8vo. 
 
 1730- 
 WalkeRjWilliam. Wasborn 
 
 in the ifland of Barbadoes, where 
 his father was a conGderable plan- 
 ter. He was fent to England for 
 education, and placed at Eton 
 fchool. His fit (I play was produced 
 at the age of nineteen years, and 
 he performed a part in it himfelf* 
 It feems probable that he after- 
 wards iludied the law, and returned 
 to his native country, as I find a 
 perfon of both his names died 
 attorney general at Barbadoes the 
 14th of Auguft, 1726. Hewiote, 
 
 1. F'iJlorious Lo^'<•. T. 410. 1698* 
 
 2. Marry y or do luorje. C. 410. 
 1704. 
 
 Walker, T. Was the author 
 of one play, called, 
 
 The ff'it of a If man, C. 4tt». 
 170^. 
 
 Waller, Edmund, -Efq. Was 
 the fou of Robert Waller, Efq; 
 of Agmondc(ham in Buckingham- 
 fhire, by Anne, the fifter of the 
 great Hamden, who diltinguilhed 
 himfelf fo much in the beginning 
 of the civil wars. He was bora 
 in 1605; and, his. father dying 
 when he was very young, the care 
 of his education fell to his mother, 
 who fent him to Eton fchool. He 
 was afterwards transferred to King's 
 College in Cambridge, where he 
 could not continue long ; for at Gx- 
 teen or feventeen years of age, he was 
 chofen into the laft parliament of 
 king James I. and ferved as burgefs 
 
 for 
 
 
 
 w. 
 
( - 
 
 W A 
 
 t 46a 1 
 
 W A 
 
 for Agmondeiham. He began to 
 exercife his poetical talent To early 
 as the year 1633, as appears from 
 his verfes " Upon the Danger his 
 ** Majelly (being Prince) efcaped 
 *• in the Road of St. Andero;" 
 for there prince Charles, returning 
 from Spain that year, had like to 
 have been call away. It was not, 
 however, Mr. Waller's wit, his 
 fine parts, or his poetry, that fo 
 much occafioned hicn to be firft 
 publicly known, ss his carrying 
 off the daughter and fole heirefs of 
 a rich citizen, againft a rival, 
 whofe intered was efpoufed by the 
 court. It is not known at what 
 time he married his firft lady ; 
 but he was a widower before he 
 was five and twenty, when he be- 
 gan to have a paHion for SacharifTa, 
 which was a fiftitious name for the 
 lady Dorothy Sidney, daughter 10 
 the earl of Leic«fler, and after- 
 wards wife to the earl of Sunder- 
 land. He was now known at 
 court, carelFed by all who had any 
 relifh for wit and polite literature, 
 and was one of the famous club, 
 of which the lord Falkland, Mr. 
 Chillingworth, and other eminent 
 men, were members. He was again 
 returned burgefs for Agmondefham 
 in the parliament which met in 
 April 1640. An intermiifion of 
 parliaments having difgufied the 
 nation, and raifedjealoufies againft 
 the defigns of the court, which 
 would be Aire to dilcover them- 
 felves, whenever the king came to 
 aflc for a fupply, Mr. Waller was 
 one of the firlt who condemned the 
 preceding meafures. He (hewed 
 himfelf in oppofuion to the court, 
 and made a ipeech in the houfe on 
 this occafion, from which we may 
 gather fome notion of his general 
 principles in government ; where- 
 in, howrver, he afterwards proved 
 very variable and inconflant. He 
 ,oppofed the court alfo in the long 
 
 3 
 
 parliament, which met in Movent* 
 ber following, and was chofen to 
 impeach judge Crawley, which 
 he did in a warm and eloquent 
 fpeech, July the 6tb, 1641. This 
 fpeech was fo highly applauded, 
 that twenty thoufand of the m were 
 fold in one day. In 1642, he 
 was one of the commifTioners ap' 
 pointed by the parliament to pre- 
 fent their proportions of peace to 
 the king at Oxford. In 1645, he 
 was deeply enguged in a defign 
 to reduce the City of London and 
 the Tower to the fervice of the 
 king, for which he was tried and 
 condemned, together with Mr. 
 Tomkyns his brother-in-law, and 
 Mr. Challoner. The two latter fuf- 
 fered death, but Mr. Waller ob- 
 tained a reprieve ; he was, how- 
 ever, fentenced to fufFer a year's 
 imprilbnment, and to pay a Hne 
 of ten thoufand pounds. After 
 this, he became particularly at- 
 tached to Oliver Cromwell, upon 
 whom he wrote a very handfome 
 panegyric. He alfo compoftd a 
 noble poem on the death of that 
 great man. 
 
 At the Keftoration he was treat- 
 ed with much civility by Charles IL 
 who always made him one of the 
 party in his diverfions at the 
 duke of Buckingham's and other 
 places. He fat in feveral parlia- 
 ments after the Refloration. He 
 continued in the full vigour of 
 his genius to the end of his life » 
 and his natural vivacity made his 
 company agreeable to the laft. 
 He died of a dropfy, Oflober the 
 ift, 1687, and was interred in the 
 church-yard of Beconsfield^ where 
 a monument is ere£led to his me- 
 mory. He is looked npon as the 
 moft elegant and harmonious ver- 
 fifier of his time, and a great re- 
 finer of the £ngliih language. H>» 
 dramatic pieces are, 
 
 J. Pompty tht Great. T. 1664, 
 
W A 
 
 I 463 3 
 
 w'A 
 
 1664. 
 
 a. Tie Maid*s Tragetiy ; altered 
 from Fletcher. 8vo. 1690. 
 
 Walms, Gkorge. This au- 
 thor probably refides in the city of 
 York, where his only dramatic 
 piece was aded and printed. It 
 IS called. 
 
 The Mercantih Lovers. Dram. 
 Sat. i77y 8vo. 
 
 Walholb, Horace. This 
 gentleman is dill living. He is 
 the youngefl Ton of the celebrated 
 minifter Sir Robert Walpole, after- 
 wards earl of Orford, by his firft 
 wife Catherine Shorter ; and was 
 born about the year 17 1 5 or 1716. 
 He received his education at Eton, 
 where he became intimately ac- 
 quainted with our late poet Mr. 
 Gray, with whom, in the years 
 1739, 1740, and 1741, he made 
 the tour of France and Italv. He 
 was chofen member for Callington 
 in Cornwall in the parliament 
 which met' on June 35, 1741; for 
 Caftle Rifing, in Norfolk, in 1747; 
 and for King's Lynn in 1754 and 
 1761 ; at the end of which feflion 
 he declined all further parliamen- 
 tary bulinefs. He is ulher of his 
 majedy's Hlxchequer, controller of 
 the Pipe, and clerk of the Eftreats 
 in the Exchequer. His own nu- 
 merous performances, as well as 
 the many excellent works of 
 others, which he has generouily 
 thrown into the common ilock of 
 literature, have juilly entitled him 
 to every various kind of praife 
 that a grateful public could beftow. 
 He is the author of a tragedy, 
 entitled, 
 
 The Mj^erioui Mother. 
 
 Printed at his own private prefs 
 at Strawberry-Hill, 8vo. 176S. 
 bur not publiihed. 
 
 Wandesford, Osborne 
 Sydney. Of this author I can 
 team notliing. He produced one 
 pLiy, called, 
 
 Fatal Love ; or, The "DrgentrfOt 
 Brother. T. 8vo. 17 30. 
 
 Wafiti., Gborce. Wrote one 
 play, called. 
 
 Tide tarikth for mo Man. Coiiu 
 B. L. 4to. 1576. 
 
 Warroys, Thomas. Thia 
 gentleman, we believe, is concern- 
 ed in fome trade. He was brought 
 up in the counting houfe of Sir 
 Robert Ladbroke, and was <«•- 
 temporary there with the cele- 
 brated Mr. Powell. Imbibing the 
 fame fondnefs for theatrical amufe- 
 ments, he determined to try his 
 abilities as an ador, and made 
 his appearance ct Covent Gardea 
 theatre in the year (770, in the 
 chanider of PoAhumus. His fuc- 
 cefs in this attempt was very fmail, 
 and he had the prudence to relin- 
 quilh a profefiion in which he was 
 not qualified to exceL He is the 
 author of, 
 
 1. The Preceptor, Com. 
 
 2, The Rival Lovers. Com. 
 Both printed in 8vo. 1777. 
 
 Ward, Howard. Was a man 
 of low extra^ion, born in Oxford' 
 (hire about the year 1667, and al- 
 moU deihtute of education. He 
 was an imitator of the famous 
 Butler, and wrote The Reformation^ 
 a burlefque poem, in which he 
 aimed at the fame kind of hu- 
 mour which has fo remarkably 
 dilHnguilhed Hudibras. Of late 
 years, fays Mr. Jacob, he has kept 
 a public- houfe in the city, but ia 
 a genteel way. Wa>d was, in his 
 own droll manner, a violent anta- 
 goniil to the Whigs, and, in con- 
 fequcnce of this, drew to his houfe 
 fuch people as. had a mind to in- 
 dulge thdr fpleen againft the go- 
 vernment. He uas thought to be 
 a man of ftrong natural parts, aii<t 
 pofTelTed a very agreeable plca- 
 fantry of temper. Ward was much- 
 aiffronccd whf« he-readMr. Jacob's 
 %■• .. ''' . ■ 1. V accottut» 
 
 it'?'. J 
 
 m 
 
 50 
 
 
W A 
 
 [ 464 3 
 
 W A 
 
 account, in which he mentions his 
 keeping a public houfe in the city; 
 and, in a book, called, ApoUo*s 
 Maggot, declared this account to 
 be a great falflty, proteliing that 
 his public houfe was not in the 
 city, but in Moorfiflds. Oldys 
 fays he lived a white in Gray's- 
 Inn, and for fome years latterly 
 kept a public-houfe in Moorfieids, 
 then in Clerkeiiwcll, and lalUy a 
 punch-houfe in FulwoodVRents, 
 within one door of Gray's-Inn, 
 where he would entertain any com- 
 pany who invited him, with many 
 Aories and adventures of the poets 
 and authors he had acquaintance 
 with. In this fituation he died June 
 20, 1731, and was buried the 27th 
 of the fame month in St. Pancras 
 Church-yard, with one mourning 
 coach for his wife and daughter 
 to attend his hearfe, as himfelf 
 had directed in his poetical will, 
 which was written by him June 
 24, 172c This will was printed 
 in Jpplciy^s Journal^ Sept. 28, 17 3 1. 
 "Ward is mod diilinguiflied by his 
 well-known London Sfiy. He wrote 
 one dramatic piece, called. 
 
 The Humours of a Coffee-Houfe. 
 Com. as it is daily afled ac moil 
 of the coffee houfes in London. 
 
 Ward, Henry. A come- 
 dian, who publiftied three drama- 
 tic pieces, called, 
 
 I. The Hapfy Lovers i or, The 
 Beau met amorpho/ed, O. 8vo. 1736. 
 
 a. The Petticoat Plotter ; or. 
 More Wi^s than one for a Wife, F, 
 
 3. Hhe Widow's Wi/hi or, Jn 
 Kijuipage ^'Lovers, F. All thefe 
 were printed together in 8vo, 1746. 
 
 Warde, William. Was a 
 fchool- mailer at Beverly, in York- 
 fhire. He publilhed feveral pieces 
 on grammar and on hufbandry, 
 and one dramatic performance, 
 called, 
 
 The Prologue, Interludes^ and Epi- 
 hgut to the Heautotitimorut»€ncs of 
 
 Terence, aSied at Beverly SJjoolt 
 Chriflmas I7f,6. Fo. 1757. 
 
 Warner, RichaIid, Efq, 
 This worthy man was tht fon of a 
 banker, who is fomewhcre men* 
 tioned by Addifon or Steele, as 
 having always worn- black leather 
 garters buckled under the knee, 
 a cullom moil: religioufly obferved 
 by our author, who in no other 
 inflance afle£led fingularity. He 
 was poiTeiTed of a genteel fortUk:e, 
 and refided in an ancient family 
 feat with an extenfive garden be- 
 longing to it, on Woodford Green 
 in Effex. He was elleemed to be 
 a found fcholar, and a botanift of 
 no common ikill and experience* 
 He publiihed an ingenious traft, 
 intituled. Plants n'oodfordienfes, 
 8vo. and a Letter to David Gar- 
 rick, Efq\ concerning a Glnfjary to 
 the Plays of Sbaijpeare, &c. 8vo. 
 1768. Indeed he had been long 
 making collei^^ions for a new edi- 
 tion of that author ; but on Mr. 
 Steevens'sadvertifement ofhisdc' 
 fign to engage in the fame taflc on 
 a diiferent plan, he defiAed from 
 the purfuit of his own. In his 
 youth he had been remarkably 
 fond of dancing; nor till his rage 
 for that diverfion fubfided, did he 
 convert the larked room in his 
 houfe into a library. To the lail 
 hour of his life, howeve- h9 
 wa« employed on the Gloffa<j al- 
 ready mentioned, which, lince the 
 appearance of our great dramatic 
 writer's plays in ten vols. 8vo. 
 1778, may be regarded as a work 
 of fupererogation. At his death, 
 which happened on the nth of 
 April 1775, ^^ be<]ueathed all hia 
 valuable books to Wadham Col- 
 lege, Oxford, where he received his 
 education ; and if we are not mif« 
 informed, he left to the fame fo- 
 ciety a fmall annual Aipend to 
 maintain a botanical leAure. He 
 takes his place in thit vvork as the 
 
 trariOator 
 
 I. 
 2. 
 
 3- 
 
 4. 
 
 5- 
 6. 
 
 7- 
 8. 
 
rSi 
 
 V 
 
 W A 
 
 [ 46s 1 
 
 W E 
 
 Waykts, William. Author of 
 one play, called, 
 
 Tuc longer thou Uvejle^ tl^e mire 
 Foole thou arte. C. B. L. N. D. 
 
 Wi:vi- R, PiOBL^iiT. The au;hor 
 of one dram;itic piece, ca'icd, 
 
 l..u/Iy yuvc/itiii. Interlude, B. L. 
 
 N. b. 
 
 VVeaveu, John. This perfon 
 was a celebrated dancing-mailer, 
 who made his chief rcfidence at 
 Shrewftjiiry. He differed from 
 nioft of his profeifion, not altoge- 
 ther depending upon his llcel\ 
 He wrote, or invented, feveral 
 pieces, called dramatic panto* 
 mimes. 
 
 1 . The Loves of Mars and F'cnus, 
 8vo. 17 17. 
 
 2. Orpheus and Eur'ullce, 8vo. 
 1718. 
 
 3. Pcrfens and Andromeda. 8vo. 
 1728. 
 
 4. The Judgment of Paris . 1732, 
 He alio wrote federal judicious 
 
 Books, that fluv.v a Head is not 
 wanting to his H;;e;s, vi:'.. 
 
 A Hytory of the Mimes aud Pan- 
 tomimes of tic /Indents. 
 
 The Art of Daucing^ with a Trea- 
 tife on Aciion and Gtjiure. 
 
 He was the fird reiiorer of pan- 
 tomimes after the ancient manner, 
 without fpeaking. 
 
 Webster, Johnt. Was clerk 
 of St. Andrew, Fiolborn, and a 
 member of the IVIerchant-taylors 
 company. He was accounted a 
 tolerable poet, and was well elleem- 
 ed by his contemporary author?, 
 particularly Decker, Marilon, and 
 Rowley, with wljom he wrote in 
 conjundion. His plays are, 
 
 1 . The iVhife DevU, or, Tra^e- 
 
 irrannator of all fiich comedies of 
 Plautus, as the late Mr. Thornton 
 did not live to finiih, viz. 
 
 1 . The Captives, 
 
 2. The T^vin Brothers, 
 
 3. The Difcovety. 
 
 4. The Apparition, • . f ' 
 c. The Cheat. ' ' ' ' 
 
 6. ConjHj^al Fidelity, 
 
 7. The Cajket. 
 
 8. TheParaJiie. ' ' 
 $. The Churl. ''- ' '' ' 
 
 10. The Carthaginian, 
 
 11. The Courtezans. 
 
 12. The Perfian. 
 
 13. The A/s-Dealer. ' [^ 
 
 14. The Lots, 
 WaSE, CHRISTOlfHER. This 
 
 gentleman was educated at Eton, 
 and in 164^ fucceeded to King's 
 College Cambridge, where he took 
 the degree of batchelor of ar^; but 
 afterwards removed to Cfeford, 
 and was appointed fuperior beadle 
 in law. He was fome time mafter 
 of Tunbridge fchool, and tranf- 
 lated feveral books from the Greek 
 and Latin. He alfo compiled foine 
 fchool books, and dic-d about the 
 year 1690. He tranflated from 
 Sophocles, 
 
 ElaHra. T. 8vo. \b\g. 
 
 Watson, John. Was born at 
 Rengworth, in the county of Wor- 
 cefter. In the year 1559, he was 
 made mafter of the hofpital of St. 
 Crofs. He was alfo prebendary, 
 dean, and at lad bilhop of Win- 
 thefler. » He was confecrated Sep- 
 tember 18, 1580, and died the 
 23d of January >>,83, at the age 
 of 63 years. Meres fpeaks of the 
 play by oul" author, after mention- 
 ed, as able to abide the teft of Arif- 
 
 totle*s precepts and Euripides' ex- die of P. Giordano Urjlni^ Duke of 
 amples. From a paffagein ^A^jw'j Brachiano, tvith the jj/:; and 
 Scokmafler it appears to have been Death of Fttio>'ia Corombona^ tit 
 written in Latin and not publiilied. famous f^enetian Courtezan. 410. : 6 r 2. 
 It was called, , a. The Dennl's Lai^'-Qfe ; or, 
 
 Alfalon. T. I ■ When Women go to Lm\}\ tU Divill 
 
 Vol. I, ' ■ ■ ■■ ' H h - /; 
 
 
 
 '"It:-' 
 
 l» 
 
 '{tR'il 
 
 w 
 
.W E 
 
 [ 466 1 
 
 ij full of liufiuefu Tragi-Com. 410. 
 1623. 
 
 3. The Dulciufs of Malfiy. T. 
 4to. 1623. 
 
 4. Afpius and Vir\^inia, T. 410. 
 1654. 
 
 5. The Thraclan Jf-'cnJei . Comi- 
 cal Hillory. 410. 1661. 
 
 6. A Cure for a Cuckold. Com. 
 4to. 1661. • 
 
 Welsted, LEONAr.n. This 
 gentleman was defcended from a 
 very good family in Leicellerfhirc, 
 :ind his maternal grandfnther was 
 Mr. Staveley, author of T/j^' fhrf 
 
 \V E 
 writing from contempt. 
 
 Jn hiJ' 
 
 " tranflations he has given us the 
 •• very foul and fpirit of his au- 
 •' thors. His odes, his epiilles, 
 *' his verfes, his love-tales, all are 
 •* the moll pcrfeA things in all 
 '* poetry." If this pleafant repre- 
 fentatinn of our author's abilities 
 were jull, it would feem no wonder, 
 if the two univerfities fhould ftrive 
 with each other for the houour of 
 his education ; but it is certain the 
 world hath not coincided with this 
 opinion. Our author, however, 
 does not appear to have been a 
 
 leach. He received the rudiments of mean poet ; he had certainly from 
 
 hiseducation in Weftminfterfchool. nature, a good genius, but, after 
 
 In a piece, faid, but falfely, to he came to town, he became a vo- 
 
 hare been written by Mr. Weliled, tary to pleafure; and iheapplaufes 
 
 called The Charockrs of the Times, of his friends, which taught him 
 
 printedin 8vo. 1728, lie is made to to overvalue his talents, perhapi 
 
 fayot hinifelf, that " he had, in his flackened his diligence, and, by 
 
 *• youth, railed fo great ex pefla- makinp him truft iolely to nature^ 
 
 *' tions of his future genius, that flight the afliftance of art. 
 «' there was a kind of llruggle In the year 1718, he wrote the 
 
 «» between the two univerfities, Triumviralc, or a letter in verfe 
 
 *» which fliould have the honour from I'ahnon to Cclia from Bath, 
 
 *• of his education ; to compound which was meant as a fatire againft 
 
 '• this, he civilly became a mem- Mr. f ope. He wrote feveral other 
 
 *' ber of both, and, alter having occafional pieces againft this gen- 
 
 *« palTed fome time at the one, he tleman, who, in recompence of his 
 
 «* removed to the other. From enmity, has mentioned him in his 
 
 «' thence he returned to town, Dunciad, in a parody upon Dot- 
 
 ** where he beoame the darling ha/ns Conper^s Hill, as follows : 
 •' expedation of all the polite wri- 
 *' ters, whole encouragement he 
 
 «' Flow JVelfted, flow, like thine 
 
 " infpirer, beer, 
 '• Tho' Hale, not ripe, tho' thin, 
 
 " yet never clear ; 
 " So fweetly mawkiih, and fo 
 
 •' fmoothly dull, 
 " Heady, not ftrong, and foaming, 
 
 " tho' not full." 
 
 Mr. Welfted, when he was young, 
 bad a place in the fecretary of 
 " vour, he publilhed a book of flare's otlice, and married a daugh- 
 •* poems, fome in the Ovidian, ter of Mr. Henry Purcell, who 
 «« fome in the Horatian manner, died in 1724. His fecoftd wile, 
 «' in both which the moil exquifue who furvived him, was fifter ot 
 *'jude;cs pronounced he even ri- Sir Hoveden Walker, and bilhop 
 «' Volfcd his nialteKs. His love Walker the defender of London- 
 *< verlli have refcued that way of derry. He 
 
 •' acknowledged in his occafional 
 " poems, in a manner that will 
 •« make no fmall part of the fair.c 
 «' of his proteftors. It alfo ap- 
 *' pears from his works, that he 
 *' was happy in the patronage of 
 «' the molt illuftrious characters of 
 *' the prcfent age. Encouraged 
 •' by fuch a com.binaiion in his fa 
 
W E 
 
 [ 467 1 
 
 W E 
 
 He was in general in pood cir- 
 cumftani-es, having a place in the 
 office of ordnance, and a houfe in 
 the Tower ot London, where he 
 died about the year 1749. His 
 only dramatic piece is, 
 
 The DiJJhnhLcd Wanton^ or "^Jy 
 Son ^et Money. C. 8vo. 1726. 
 
 West, Gii.BEUT. This excel- 
 lent writer and worthy rnan was 
 fon of the Rev. Dr. Weft, hy a filler 
 of lord Co'oham. He was born 
 in 1706, educated at Winchcfter 
 and Eton fchoois, from the latter 
 of which he einoved to the uni- 
 verfity of Oxford, where he be- 
 came ohc of the iludents of Chrill- 
 Church College. Being of a Itu- 
 dious and grave turn, he was in- 
 clined to go into the church ; but 
 was perfuaded to abandon that pur- 
 fuit by !.is uncle lord Cobham, 
 who gave him a cornetcy in hi» 
 own regiment, exempting him at 
 the fame time from country-quar- 
 ters, &c. This profeflion he foon 
 quitted, a profpedl of advancing 
 himfelf being prefented to him of a 
 naturemore agreeable to his wilhes. 
 A number of young gentlemen 
 were to be elefted from the uni- 
 verfities, and at the expence of 
 government taught foreign lan- 
 guages, and then fent to the fe- 
 cretaries ofHce to be initiated into 
 bufinefs, and trained there for 
 public fcrvices, as envoys, f mbaf- 
 fadors, &c. On this plan being 
 adopted, Mr. Weft was one of 
 thofe fixed upon ; and, on his firfl: 
 introduftion into the office, was 
 treated with great kindnefs by lord 
 Townfhend, who exorefled the 
 ftrongeft inclination to ferve him ; 
 but his uncle, lord Cobham, being 
 a ftrenuous oppofer of government, 
 he foon found that he fhoald (land 
 ro chance of preferment. He 
 therefore quitted the office, and at 
 the fame time all views of making 
 his fortune ; being diffuaded by 
 
 his nrclc from going to the Tem- 
 ple, where he had been entered 
 with a dclign of ftudying the law, 
 a.' his lalt rcfource after his difap- 
 p)intments. 
 
 Soonarter,he mnrried the daugh- 
 t{ r of Mr. D.irtlctt, and retired to 
 V/ickham in Kent, where lie lived 
 a tranquil, domeilic life, univ. r- 
 fally elleeined and loved by his 
 friends, who frequen'dy vifited him 
 in his retrcit. Among thofe with 
 wliom he was moft imimate, one 
 was the great earl of Chatham. 
 This gentleman, on a vacancy 
 which happrned whilft he was pay- 
 mafter, appointed Mr. Weft trca- 
 furer of Chelfea-Hofpital, a place 
 in his gift. He had in May 1729, 
 in confequence or a fchool-fricnd- 
 fhip with one of the duke of De- 
 vonfliire's fons, been nominated a 
 clerk extraordinary of the privy 
 council ; but recived no advan- 
 tage from his appointment until 
 April 1752, when by right of fuq- 
 ceffion he filled the vacancy made 
 by the deceafe of one of the cicrks 
 in ordinary. 
 
 In the year 1747, he publlftied 
 a very learned and valuable woik 
 on the fubjedt of the Refurrerliori, 
 in which, with great ability, h: 
 refuted the objections and cavils of 
 fome infidel writers. As a telti- 
 n^ony of the favourable opinion 
 which was entertained of this per- 
 formance, the univerfity of Ox- 
 ford created him a dodlor of laws 
 by diploma, March 30, 1748. 
 About the year 1755, he loft his 
 fon at the age of twenty yeais, 
 and did not long furvive it. He 
 died on the 26th day of March, 
 1756. 
 
 His works bear teflimony of his 
 worth and learning, and the fenti- 
 mcnts of his friends fufticiently 
 (liew the virtiies of his heart. 
 Eefides his book on the Refurrec- 
 tion already mcniioned, he tranf- 
 
 Hh 2 latcJ 
 
 !■' i 0! 
 
 ill 'J 
 ml] 
 
 'f 
 jl 
 
 
W E 
 
 C 468 ] 
 
 vr E 
 
 latcd PinJary and alfo puhllfh- 
 ed feveral poetical performances, 
 amongH which are the following 
 dramas : 
 
 I. The hjliitttton rf the Oriter of 
 the Garfrr. D. P. 4to. 1742'. 
 
 3. Iphigrnta in Taurh, T, 
 
 3. ^he Triumphs of the Gout, 
 
 The two lalt were printed in 
 4to. 1749, ^'(^ ^^^ tranflation of 
 Pitufar. 
 
 West, Mat r HEW. This gen- 
 tleman was of Trinity College, 
 Dublin, and wrote one play, called, 
 
 Ethclintla^ or Love ami Duty. 
 T. lamo. 1769. 
 
 West, Richard. This gen- 
 tleman was a member of one of the 
 Temples, and married the daugh- 
 ter of biihop Burner. He was 
 appointed king's council the 24th 
 of Oftober, 1 7 1 7 ; and in the year 
 1725, advanced to the office of 
 lord chancellor of Ireland. This 
 h'gh port he did not long enjoy, 
 but died the 3d of December, 1 726, 
 in circumllances notadequate to the 
 dignity which he had poflefled. 
 He left one fon, a very promifing 
 young gentleman, who died on 
 the III of June, 1742, and who is 
 fulliciently known to the public 
 by his friendfhip with Mr. Gray. 
 Our author the chancellor, wrote, 
 Jt Difcourfe cnncerning Treafons and 
 Bills of Atta'ntkr^ '7i4» and .-^/i 
 Inquiry I to the l^Janner of creating 
 Peers, 1 7 19. Whincop fays, ha 
 was fuppofcd to have written, 
 
 Hccnba. T. 4to. 1726. 
 
 Westov, John, Eft]; wrote a 
 play, called. 
 
 The Jmazokian ^ern, or The 
 Amours if Thakjlris and Alexander . 
 Tragi- Com. 410. 1667. 
 
 Wetherby, James. Belong-' 
 ed to the revenue at Brillol, and 
 wrote 
 
 Paul the SpaniJ}} Sharper, Farce. 
 1730. 
 
 Wharton', Anne. A lady 
 eminent for her poetical talents 
 in the reign of king Charles II. 
 She was the daughter and cohei« 
 refs of Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley, 
 in Oxfordfliire, who, dying with- 
 out a fon, left his eltate to be di- 
 vided between this lady and her 
 filler, the cuuntefs of Abingdon, 
 whofe memory Mr. Dryden has 
 celebrated in a funenil panegyric, 
 in titled Eleanora. She was the 
 firft wife of Thomas, afterwards 
 marquis of Wharton, by whom 
 fhe had no iilue. She wrote many 
 poems printed in Drydcn's and 
 Nichols* Colleflions. The mo- 
 ther of John Wilmot, earl of Ro- 
 chefler, was aunt to this lady j for 
 which reafon Mr. Waller fays, 
 they were allied in genius and in 
 blood. She died at Adderbury, 
 Oflober the agth, 1685, and was 
 buried at Winchendcn the loth of 
 November following. 
 
 From a caveat entered on the 
 books of the Stationers* Company, 
 it appears that ftie wrote a play, 
 which has never been printed, 
 called, 
 
 Love's Martyr, or, //"/// a^ove 
 Crcwncs. 
 
 Whetstone, George. Is an 
 author of whom very little is 
 known. From the circumftance 
 of his being a kinfman to ferjeant 
 Fleetwood, recorder of London, ic 
 is probable that he was of a good 
 family. It appears that he hrft 
 tried his fortune at court, where 
 he confumed his patrimony in 
 frultlefs expeftation of preferment. 
 Being now deftitute of fubfiftence, 
 he commenced foldier and ferved 
 abroad, though in what capacity 
 is unknown. Such, however, was 
 his gallant behaviour, that his fer- 
 vices were rewarded with acidi- 
 tional pny. lU. returned from the 
 wars with honour, but with little 
 
 proiit, 
 
 <( 
 
W H 
 
 C 469 I 
 
 W I 
 
 profit, and his profpeft of ad* 
 vancement was fo fmall, that he 
 determined to convert his fword 
 into a plough -(hare. He therefore 
 turned fa-mer, and being unfuc- 
 cefsful in that undertaking, as 
 moll gentlemen are, was under the 
 neceflity of applying to the gene- 
 rofity of his friends. This he 
 found to be •* a broken reed, and 
 *' worfe than conomon beggary of 
 " charity from llrangcrs. Now 
 *' craft accolled him in his fleep, 
 ** and tempted him with the pro- 
 *' pofals of feveral profeflions ; but 
 •* for the knavery or flavery of 
 *' them, he rejefled all : his mu- 
 *^ nificence conftr^incd him to 
 *' love money, and his magnani- 
 
 «i 
 
 mity to /jate all the ways of get- 
 *' ting it." At laft he refolved to 
 feek his fortune a^-fea, and ac- 
 cordingly embarked with Sir 
 Humphrey Gilbert in the expedi- 
 tion to Newfoundland, which was 
 rendered unfuccefbful by an en- 
 
 fagement with the Spaniih Sect. 
 rom this period, Mr. Whetflone 
 feems to have depended entirely on 
 his pen for fubfiftence. Where or 
 when he died I am totally ignorant. 
 
 He was the author of 
 
 Promos and Cajpindra, C. 4X0. 
 1578, 
 
 Wmincop, Thomas, Efq; This 
 gentleman wrote 
 
 ScanderUg, or, hove and Liherty, 
 Trag. not atSted, but publilhed 
 with the life of Scanderbeg, 8vo. 
 
 «7+7- 
 
 Whitakex, William. Pub- 
 lilhed a play, called, 
 
 The Co if ()i racy. Of Change of Go- 
 vernment. T. ^to. 1680. 
 
 White, James. This author 
 was a fchool-malter in Cecil-ftreet, 
 in the Strand. He wrote a trea- 
 tife, called «• The Englifh Verb, 
 * a Grammatical Efl'ay in the di- 
 *' dadlivef Lorm. 8vo. 1761." and 
 tranflated from Ariftophane-i, 
 
 The Clouds. C. 1 2 mo. 1759. 
 
 Whitehead, William. This 
 gentleman is the fon of a tradef« 
 man in the town of Cambridge, 
 and was member of Clare-Hall. 
 He accompanit'd the lords vif- 
 count Nuneham and Villiers, fons 
 of the earls of Harcourt, and 
 Jerfey, in their travels during 
 the years 1754, 1755, and 1756. 
 In 1757, he was appointed poet 
 laureat on the death of Colley 
 Cibber, which office he at prefent 
 holds, together with that of re- 
 gilter o\ the order of the Bath. 
 He is the author of feveral poe- 
 tical works of confiderable merit, 
 and the following dramaticic 
 pieces, 
 
 1 . The Roman Father, T. 8vo. 
 1750. 
 
 2. Fatal Conjlancy, A Sketch, 
 limo. 17^3. 
 
 3. Creufa^ ^een of Athens, T* 
 8vo. 1754. 
 
 4. The School for Lovers, C. 
 8vo. 1762. 
 
 5. A Trip to Scotland, F. 8vo. 
 1770. 
 
 WiONELL, J. This author 
 was an ador at Covent-Garden, 
 and poifefTed the fingular talent 
 of imparting ftatelinefs to comic 
 dialogues, and merriment to tra- 
 gic fceaes. Little more is known 
 of him, than that he was author 
 of a volume of poems, 8vo. 1762. 
 ♦' Why, Mr. Wignell," exclaimed 
 Garrick, during a rchearfal of 
 the Sufpic'ious Hufband, •* cannot 
 you enter and fay, Mr, Stri^landy 
 i&Vr, your coach is feady, without 
 all the declamatory pomp of Booth 
 or Quin?" ** On my foul, re- 
 plied the aftor, Mr. Garrick, I 
 thought I had kept the fentimen: 
 down as much as poflible." Thofe 
 likewife who were lucky enough 
 to be prefent at Mr. Macklin's 
 performance of Macbeth, cannot 
 fail to remember how greatly the 
 
 H h 3 piece 
 
 f4 
 
W I 
 
 [ 470 1 
 
 W I 
 
 piece wai enlivened by the fits of 
 laughter which our ;iuthor pro- 
 voktd in the very ferious cha- 
 radter of the Dodcr. 
 
 In the abcve-mentioncd volume 
 arc two dram. IS, emitultd, 
 
 Ijk'c's Artifice^ or, The pcrpkxcd 
 Sijulie, F. 
 
 Tin' Tiiii'iip'' of Hymen. M. 
 
 He died the 35th of January, 
 
 J774. 
 
 Wir.o, RoDVRT. A dilTenting 
 nniiillcr, was niitiior of Ittr Jio- 
 rM.'r, and fonie other poems : and 
 alio of 
 
 71.' Bcnrfuc. C. .(.to. 16S9. 
 
 Wii.Dfc.K, James. Was an 
 aftor fome time at Drury-Lane 
 theatre, but afUrwards in Dublin, 
 where he may piobahly be yet 
 living. He is the author of one 
 jni:(ical piece, intituled. 
 
 The Gaitlnnan Gardiner, B. O. 
 izmo. 1751. 
 
 WiLKiNS, Gn.oR 01;. This au- 
 thor wrote a pl;iy, c died, 
 
 The JSlljlriei of cforecd yiarrUige, 
 T. C. 4to. 1607. D. C. 
 
 Wll.KlNiONr, RlCMARO. THc 
 
 author of one play, called. 
 
 Vice Reel..': '"id. Of, 7uc Pojfionatc 
 J^Hilrcfs C. 4to. I70^ 
 
 Wjm.ak, Lr.oN'ARD. This au- 
 thor wrote a paftoral, called, 
 
 Jijina^ or, True Lovers Mlrronr. 
 8vo. 1651. 
 
 Wii.i.KT, Thomas. This au- 
 thor was, and may probably be 
 llill, a hartiware man at Chelmf- 
 ibrd, ia Elfex. He is the author 
 of one piece, tntiiulcd, 
 
 J>i,.\t:,';i j> u'l. 4tO. I 7 
 
 Williams, John. Is only 
 Icnown as the author of one play, 
 ta!ltd, 
 
 Ruda/wiid JJ'el/s, or. Good Luck 
 fit l.fift. C. i2mo. 17^3. 
 
 VVi LM AMs, Josti-u. Was the 
 tu'.hor of :i play, which was never 
 priiited, culled, 
 
 Pave al All^ or, The Mdnlghl 
 yi.kentures, C. nc'tcd M;iy, 1694, 
 
 Willi AMs, Anna, This is a 
 living authorcfs, who, under the 
 diladvantage ofalofs of her eye- 
 fijdit, hath cultivated letters with 
 fomc fiiccefs. SI»e rcfides under 
 the roof of that conltant patron 
 of the unfortunate, Dr. Samuel 
 Johnlbn. A volume of Mifcella- 
 nics, writ'ii by herfclf and her 
 frieniis, wa.-. printed in 410. iti 
 i7r6, in which is contained, 
 
 The Ihilnhithited IJland^ tranflated 
 from Metaftafio. 
 
 VV I LMOT, John, EARL OF Ro- 
 
 ciii-STHR. Was fon to the fa- 
 mous Henry lord Wilmot, (after- 
 wards earl of Rocheller) who was 
 lb very inllrumental in the prefer- 
 vation of Charles II. in his flight 
 from Worcelkr, where he was de- 
 feated by (."rnmwell. The memo- 
 rable, wit, who is the fubjcft of 
 this article, was born in 1648, 
 and was educated firll at Burfoid 
 free-fchool ; from whence, in 
 1659, he was admitted a noble- 
 man of Wadham-Colkge, in Ox- 
 ford. He afterwards travelled into 
 France and Italy ; and, at his re- 
 turn, he frequented the debauched 
 court of Charles II. where his na- 
 tural propenfities to vice were 
 not likely to be curbed or cured. 
 Here he was firft made one of the 
 gentlemen of his majefty's bed- 
 chamber, and then comptroller of 
 Woodftock Park. 
 
 In the winter of 166^ he went 
 to fea, under the earl of Sand- 
 wich, who commanded a fleet em* 
 ployed in the war with the Dutch. 
 Wilmot behaved very well in the 
 attack made oa the enemy in the 
 port of Bergen in Norway, and 
 gained a high reputation for cdu- 
 rag<' ; which he afterwards loll in 
 an adventure with the earl of 
 Mulgrave, who called him to an 
 
 account, 
 
W I 
 
 ( 471 ] 
 
 W I 
 
 account, for fomc words wliich he 
 was reported to have too trcdy 
 fpoken of the carl. VVilmot ac- 
 cepted the challenge ; but when 
 he came to the plate appointed, 
 he declined coining to ad^ion ; ur- 
 j;ing that he was fo weak with a 
 certain diflempcr, that he found 
 himlclf unlit to fii'ht. This un- 
 lucky air.iir entirely ruined his 
 reputation for courage, and fuh- 
 jeded him to fiinherinfulrs; wiiich 
 will ever be the cafi', when once 
 people know a m.iu's wnaku' fs in 
 this rtfpeft. His reputation for 
 ivit, however, Hill kept him fiom 
 totally finking in the opinion of 
 the world ; but, on the other 
 hand, his excefiive debaucheries 
 were every day more and more 
 completing the ruin of his confti- 
 tution ; and the natural vivacity 
 of his imagination being ilill more 
 inflamed with wine, made his 
 company fo eager';' coveted by 
 his gay aflbciates, that they wc,e 
 ever contriving to engage hin. 
 deeper and deeper in extravagance 
 and intemperance, in order that 
 they might be the more diverted 
 by his humour. All this fo en- 
 tirely fubdued him, that, as he 
 afterwards acknowledged, he was 
 for five years together continually 
 Klrunk ; not, indeed, all the while 
 under the vilible tfFeft of liquor, 
 but fo inflamed in his blood, that 
 he was never cool enough to be 
 mailer of himfelf. There were two 
 principles in the natural temper 
 of, this lively and witty noble- 
 man, which hurried him into great 
 cxcelTes ; a violent love of fenfual 
 pleafure, and a difpofition to ex- 
 travagant mirth. The one in- 
 volved him in the groffeft debau- 
 cheries, and the other led him to 
 many odd adventures and fro- 
 licks ; feme of which are related 
 in the feveral accounts that have 
 
 been publidied of his life, but we 
 have no room to repeat them here. 
 As to his genius, his principal 
 turn feemj to h.ive been towards 
 fatire; but, being in this refpe<£l 
 as licentious as in every thing elfe, 
 his fatires ufually degenerated into 
 mere libels ; in which he had 
 fi) peculiar a talent of mixing his 
 wit with his malice, that all his 
 compofitions were c.ifily known. 
 In regard to his other poems, 
 which have been fo ufualiy ad- 
 nii'cd fur their wit, as well as for 
 their obfcenity, they are too in- 
 delicate to dcferve any particular 
 notice. It is a compliment jullly 
 due to the more refined tafte of the 
 prefent age, to fay, that fuch grofs 
 produdions no longer pleafe, or 
 can be even endured. They are 
 indeed, as a more moral bard juiU 
 ly cxprefles it, more apt xo put out 
 than to kindie the Hre. His tra- 
 gedy ot Fakntt/iuiu, however, and 
 fome other pieces publiOied by 
 Tonfon, fhew that he was not 
 incapable of more ferious produc- 
 tions. 
 
 By conftant indulgence in fen- 
 fuality, he entirely wore out an 
 excellent conlHtution, before he 
 was thirty years of age. In Oflo- 
 ber 1679, when he was flowly re- 
 covering from a difeafe which had 
 proved fufficiently powerful to 
 niake a ferious imprcIFion on him, 
 he was vifited by bifhop Burnet, 
 on an intimation that fuch a vifit 
 would not be difagreeable. It is 
 natural to fuppofe that the good 
 bifliop has made the mod of this 
 affair. Wc have only his account 
 of the matter ; and, as far as that 
 account may be relied upon, he 
 made a perfeft convert of this il- 
 luftrious profligate ; fo that he 
 who lived the life of a libertine 
 and an atheifl', died the death of 
 a good chriitian and a fincere pe- 
 
 H h 4 nitent. 
 
 »fl 
 
 § 
 
W I 
 
 C 47* 3 
 
 W I 
 
 r'tcnf. Hi)W f;ir, however, that 
 )" nitencc whidi is extorted by at- 
 flidlion, and the horrors of an ap- 
 proaching tlifToluiion, ran be ef- 
 'ffmrd ^niuiiif^ or effc^hial^ it a 
 queilion which it would not be 
 tfry proper todifcufs in this place. 
 
 Lord RochclUr died in July 
 1680, of mere old age, before he 
 had compleated his thirty-tbird 
 year; quite worn down, ^ct that 
 nature had not ftrength even for 
 a dying groan. He left behind 
 him a fnn named Charles, and 
 three daughtt^rs. The fon died the 
 jciir after his father, ft) the male 
 line ccalint^, the title of earl of 
 KochiHer wns transferred, by the 
 king, to the family of Hyde, in 
 the pcrfon of Laurence, a younger 
 fon cf F ilward earl of Clarendon. 
 
 Lord Roche flcr's dramatic works 
 confift only of one play, viz. 
 
 Valentinlan. Tfag. (altered from 
 Beaumont and lletcher.) 410. 
 
 WiLMOT, RonKRT. A gen- 
 tleman of the Temple, who pub- 
 liflied a drnm.'itic piece, callrd, 
 
 Taiuycil nnil G'fiuunil. 410. 1^92. 
 V>. C. This play was not ori- 
 ginally written by Wilinot, but 
 many years before publicaiion, by 
 himfelf and a fet of T'cmpk-rs, and 
 was reviled afterwards by him. 
 
 VVii.soNT, Jo:i.v. This gentle- 
 man, who lived in Ireland, in the 
 reign ot king Charles II. and was 
 recorder of Londonderry, was the 
 author of four play?, 
 
 1. An/iionicus Ccmmcnius, T. 
 4«o. 1664. 
 
 2. 7hc Prc'cHors. C. 4'0. 1665. 
 
 3. The Cheats. €.4*0. 1671. 
 
 4. Hi'I/hr^cr, cr, Ihe luarric^c 
 cf tie Dtvii. C. 4to. 1 69 1. 
 
 Wilson, RoEERT. Wrote one 
 pl.'.y, called, 
 
 h.-c Cctla'i Vrcphcdc, C. 410. 
 1 V4- 
 
 Wir.sov, AuTHi'n. Was the 
 fon of Richard Wilfon, of Yar- 
 mouth, in the county of Norfolk, 
 genii 'irnn. He was born in the 
 year i$(y9« and when at the age 
 of nineteen, was lent by hit mo- 
 ther into Trance, where he ftaid 
 until 1611. His father, who had 
 waded his eOate, and was not able 
 to maintain him, placed him with 
 Sir Henry J pillcr, in order to be 
 one of his clerks in the Exchequer- 
 office ; but having forr.c quarrels 
 with the domclVics, he was dif- 
 charged fiom that fervice. He 
 then robbed his father, and foon 
 alter became fecretary to the earl 
 (f Eflex, whom he accompanied 
 abroad in the feveral wars wherein 
 that nobleman rendered himfelf 
 confpicuous. He was in great fa- 
 vour with his noble patron, with 
 whom he continued until he was 
 forced out of his fervice by the 
 diflikc which the fecond countefs 
 of Elfex conceived towards him. 
 On this event, he removed to Ox- 
 ford, and fettled at Trinity Col- 
 lege. He was admitted to the 
 degree of mafter of arts, but ap- 
 pears to have been fickle with re- 
 fpec'l to his academical purfuits. 
 He ut times applied himfelf to the 
 mathematics, to phyfic, and to 
 divinity, though without any fixed 
 or {determined plan. While he 
 was in this irrefnlute Hate, he re- 
 ceived information that the earl of 
 Eflex had recommended him to 
 the fervice of Robert earl of War- 
 wick. He accordingly accepted 
 the ofler m..de him by that noble- 
 man, with alacrity, and remained 
 with him during the refc of his 
 life, which terminated in 06\ober 
 1652, at FtlHead in Eiiex, wheie 
 he was buried. 
 
 He was the author of a Life of 
 King James the Firil, not very fa- 
 vourable to the charadtcr of that 
 
 monarch ; 
 
 cc 
 
 wd 
 
 \\ 
 
 at 
 
 tn 
 
 thJ 
 
 thd 
 
 Sel 
 
 1 61 
 
 r 
 
w o 
 
 C 473 ] 
 
 w o 
 
 the 
 ap- 
 re- 
 uits. 
 the 
 to 
 fixed 
 he 
 re- 
 .rlof 
 to 
 War- 
 :pted 
 oble- 
 lined 
 his 
 tober 
 'heie 
 
 fe of 
 y fa- 
 that 
 rch ; 
 
 monarch ; and Wood fayi, he had 
 compnfed fume comedies which 
 M/ere a£ted at the Black Fryers in 
 London, and during the adt-time 
 at Oxford. But none of them fcem 
 to have been printed. Tliree of 
 them were entered in the books of 
 the Stationers' Company the 4th of 
 Sept. 1646, and the gth of Sept. 
 lb?; ; the titles of which were, 
 
 The S'wilzer, 
 
 The Corporal, 
 
 7 ha Inconjlartt I^tfy, 
 
 The lad of thefe had been In the 
 poflcflion of Mr. Warhunon, and 
 was deftroyed by his P-rvant. 
 
 VVh.son, . An author of 
 
 this name is mentioned by Meres 
 in 1598 ab one of the bell writers 
 of comedy in his time. None of 
 Wilton's works, 1 believe, have 
 come down to the prefent day. 
 
 Wise, Joseph. A clergyman 
 in Suilex, who is the author of one 
 dramatic piece, entitled. 
 
 The Coronation of Davit!. 8vo. 
 1766. 
 
 Wiseman, Jane. Was a fer- 
 vant in the family of 'Mr. Wright, 
 recorder of Oxford, where having 
 much Icifure time, Ihc employed u 
 in reading plays and novels. She 
 began there a tragedy, which flic 
 finilhed in London; and foon after, 
 marrying one Holt, a vintner, they 
 were enabled, by the profits of her 
 play, to iet up a tavern in Wtft- 
 minller. 'Ihe drama flie produced 
 was called, 
 
 Anticcbus the Great ; or, The Fa- 
 tal i*elapjc. T. X70.'. 4to. 
 
 Wood, Nathan i'^l. Was a 
 clergyman of the city ot Norw ch ; 
 he wrote a dramatic piece, called, 
 
 The Conjiiil of Conjcicnce. C. 4 to. 
 15S1. 
 
 Woodward, Henry. This 
 celebrated performer was born in 
 London , in the year 1717, edu- 
 cated at Merchant Taylor's fchool, 
 
 ind wai at fird engaged in the bn- 
 fmefi of a tallow-chandler. He 
 was then bound prentice to the 
 late Mr. Rich, under whofc tuition 
 he became qualified for a Harlc« 
 quin. His fubfc(]uent fuccefs as a 
 comic adtor is too well known to 
 need our commemoration. After 
 he had faytd about 6000/. from 
 his emoluments on the llages ia 
 London, he lod it all a<);air, by im- 
 prudently commencing manager 
 in Ireland. He then returned to 
 Covent-Gardcn, where he conti« 
 nucd till the time of his death, 
 which happened on the 17th of 
 April, 1777, and was occafioncd 
 by an accident as he was Jumping 
 on to a table in the character ot* 
 Scrub. Durinji; his illnefs, the 
 late Dr. Ifaac Schoniberg (\\% 
 fchool-fellow) who attended him, 
 refufed the acceptance ofafingle 
 fee. To have been thus refpedted 
 by a man of dillinguilhed inte- 
 grity, is no fmall degree of praife. 
 Our authors mere excr-Ilerice in 
 the pantomimic art would not have 
 entitled him to a place in this 
 work. He claims it as the al- 
 tercr of 
 
 1 . Marplot in LiPjnn. F. 
 
 2. The Man's the Mijer. C. 8vo. 
 
 '77^ 
 WoRSDAi-r., James. Tie would 
 
 have been little known (as Mr. 
 Walpole obferves in his Anectlotes 
 of Paiutlug in Vnglantlf vol. IV.) 
 had he Keen dillinguillied by no 
 talents but li's pencil. He was 
 apprentice to Sir Godfrey Kneller; 
 but marr)iiic,r his wife's niece with- 
 out their conient, was difmifled by 
 his mailer. On the fame, how- 
 ever, of that education, bv his 
 finging, ocelient mimickry, and 
 facetious fnirit, he gained both 
 patrons and bullnefs, and was ap- 
 pointed mallcr-p;iiiuer to the board 
 of ordnance. He was the author 
 
 of 
 
 'ili'! 
 
 'If '.r 
 
 
 
w o 
 
 C 474 ] 
 
 w o 
 
 of feveral fmall pieces, fongs, &:c. taken into cuftody, our author fled 
 bclides the following dramatic per- from i'.ngland to France, afrer- 
 formanct s : wards fixed his refid-ncc at Flo- 
 
 I. ACurefor a ScoU. p. i2mo. rence, and juft before tiic death of 
 173B. (jueen Slizabith was eriplojed by 
 
 1. The yljjhahly. Farce, in which the Crreat Duk:- cf TuIc.t.v/ to 
 Mr. \^ O! (dale himfelf aftcd the wnrn king James (if" fome di-'figns 
 
 fi:ppofcd to be ^enlorming a2:Mnll 
 hh liFf. This commifTion he exe- 
 cuted to the fatisfadi'on of all 
 f:3rties ; and on king J :mcs's ac- 
 celfion to the crown ot \Migland, 
 iVIr. Wotton returned home, and 
 
 part of Old Lady Scandal, 
 jj. 7/'ci^ir.u of Spain. 
 
 4. The Kxlravaganf Jujlice. F. 
 The three lall have not been 
 
 printed. 
 
 5. Gtifcnnatio //v Great. Tragi- 
 
 Com. Political, Whimfical O. P. was foon afterwards knighti J, and 
 4to. 1759. appointed ambailador in onMnary 
 
 Of this gentleman Mrs. Pilking- to Venice. In palling thi;;ugh 
 ton has related feveral pleafant Auglburg, he fill into con.jany 
 anecdotes in her MvwwVi. with fome genfiemcn, by one of 
 
 He died June 12, 1767, and whom he was deiired to write a 
 was buried at St. Paul's, Covent- fentence in his Album., when he fet 
 Garden, with this epitaph com- down the iollowing dehnition of 
 
 an ambaifador : l.egatm eft vir 
 bonus, peregre viiJJ'us ad mentietidn/n 
 
 reipvhlicc caufci, in which the Latin 
 word meutiendum, being interpreted 
 in a fenfe different irom what was 
 intended by the writer, occafioned 
 him afterwards fome trouble. He 
 
 poled by himfelf: 
 
 •* Eager to get, but not to keep 
 
 ♦' the pelf, 
 '* A friend to all mankind, ex- 
 
 " cept himfelf." 
 
 WoTTOiV, Sir Henry. Was 
 born at Bodon-Hall, in the county returned home in 1610, and fpent 
 of Kent, on the 30th of iMnrL-h, five years in /ruitlef:, attendance at 
 1 56S. He was fcnt to Winchefter court, without any employment, 
 kliool, where he continufd until which arole from the above indif- 
 thc iige of fixtecn years, ;;nd then cretion at Augtburg. In 161^, 
 was admitted of Ntw College, after an ambaflage of fome months 
 Oxford, but had chambers in to the United Provinces, he re- 
 Harc-Hall. At two years lland- turned again to Venice in the fame 
 iiig he removed to Qiief^n's Col- character lie had before (illed ; and 
 lege, and Pudied the civil law un- on the death of Winwocd, fecretary 
 dcr Albericua G-utilis. On the of liate, expelled to have fucceed- 
 death of his father in i!;^9, he cd him, but met with a difappoint- 
 determiiicd to complete hi.i tduca- menc. He, however, ilill kept in 
 lion abroad, and accordingly tra- employment abroad, being fent 
 veiled through the greater part of ambaifador extraordinary to the 
 Europe. Having fpent feveral duke of havoy, and into Germany 
 yeais ill this manner, he returned upon the affairs of the eleftor Pa- 
 home an acccmpliflied fcholar, and latine. He was then remanded to 
 was about 151)0 apoointed fccre- Venice, and did not return to 
 i.iry to Robert earl ef LfTex, whom England until after the death of 
 he ai companied in his expeditions king James. In 1623,=^ he fuc- 
 againfr the Spaniards and the re- ceeded to the provollfliip of Eton 
 Lciiiuui inlh. Oa the earl being College, into which ^he w;'.s inlti- 
 
 tutcd 
 
\ 
 
 anv 
 
 ppouu- 
 kt'pt in 
 fent 
 to the 
 rmany 
 lor Fa- 
 ded to 
 urn to 
 uh of 
 fiic- 
 Eion 
 ;s inlu- 
 
 tUtcd 
 
 e 
 
 w y 
 
 [ 475 3 
 
 w y 
 
 tilted July 26, 1625. In this re- 
 treat, which was extremely agree- 
 able to him, he might have pafll-d 
 the remainder of his life much to 
 his fatisfaftion ; but by the want of 
 punduality in the payment of his 
 fiipends by the government, and 
 his own improvidence, the advan- 
 tages of his retirement from the 
 bufy world were totally loll:. He 
 is faid at times to have been in 
 fiich Jiftrefs, that he was deftitute 
 c: means to fupply the occafions 
 Oi the day. In this ftate, he con- 
 tin \ed during the rell of his life, 
 harraffed by creditors, and dif 
 trefll'd by debts con tracied in the 
 ferviceof a government, which re- 
 fufed to relieve him even by pay- 
 
 was reconciled to the Proteftant 
 religion. He afterwards entered 
 himfelf in the Middle-Temple ; 
 but, making his firll appearance 
 in town in the loofe reign of 
 Charles II. whf* wit and gaiety 
 were the favouri^t; dilliii^tions, he 
 foon quitted ihj dry lludy of the 
 law, and purfueu things more 
 agreeable to his own genius, as 
 well as to the taile of ihc age. As 
 nothing was likely to take better 
 tlian dramatic performances, ef- 
 pecially comedies, he applied him- 
 i'elf to this fpecies of writing. Oa 
 the appi;arance of his firlt play, 
 he became acquainted with feveral 
 of the firll-rate wits, and likewiie 
 with the dutchefs of Cleveland, 
 
 ing what he wasjuftly entitled to with whom, according to the fe- 
 
 cret hillovy of thofe times, he was 
 admitted to the lall decree of in- 
 timacy. Viliiers, duke of Buck- 
 ingham, had alfo the highcll ef- 
 teem for him ; and, as mafter of 
 the horfe to the king, made him 
 one of his equerries ; as colonel 
 of a regiment, captain-lieutenant 
 of his own company, refigning to 
 him at the fame time his own pay 
 as captain, with many other ad- 
 vantages. King Charles likevvife 
 fhewed him fignal marks of fa- 
 vour ; and once gave him a proof 
 of his eilcem, which perhaps never 
 any Sovereign prince before had 
 given to a private gentleman. Mr. 
 Wycherly being ill of a fever, at 
 his loJ^ings in i'ow-llreet, the 
 king did him the honour of a 
 vific. Finding him extremely 
 weakened, and his fpirits mifera- 
 bly ihattered, he commanded him 
 to take a journey to the South of 
 France, believing that the air of 
 Moiitpeiicr would contribute to 
 rellore him, and affured him, at the 
 fame time, that he would order 
 him 500/. to defray the charges 
 of the journey. Mr. Wycherly 
 
 accordii;g!y 
 
 demand. He died the loth of 
 December 1639, at the age of fe- 
 venty-two, and was interred in the 
 chapel of Eton-College. 
 
 When he was a young man at 
 Queen's-College, he compofed a 
 tragedy, which was never printed, 
 called, 
 
 Wrioh T, John. This gentle- 
 man, who was of the MidJle- 
 Temple, wrote twodramatic pieces. 
 
 1. Thycfies, T. 1 2 mo. 167+. 
 
 2. Mnck Thycjlcs. Farce, in bur- 
 lelly.ie verfe. 121^0.1674. 
 
 Wright, Thomas. Was nia- 
 chiniil to the theatre, and wrote 
 
 The Female l^irtuojos. C. 410. 
 1693. 
 
 Wycherly, William. This 
 eminent comic poet, who was born 
 about the year 1640, was the cl- 
 delt fon of Daniel Wycherly, of 
 Cleve, in Shroplhire, Efq. When 
 he was about fifteen years of age, 
 he was fent to France, where he 
 became a Roman Catholick ; but, 
 on his return to England, and being 
 entered a gentleman-commoner of 
 Queen's-College in Oxford, he 
 
 
W Y 
 
 I 476 1 
 
 W Y 
 
 accordingly went into France, and, 
 having Ipent the winter there, 
 returned to England, entirely re- 
 ftored to his former vigour. The 
 king, (hortly after his arrival, told 
 him, that he had a fon, who he 
 was refolved fhould be educated 
 like the Ton of a king, and that 
 he could not choofe a more proper 
 man for his governor than Mr. 
 VV'ycherly; for which fervice 1500/. 
 per annum fhould be fettled upon 
 him. 
 
 Mr. Wycherly, however, fuch 
 is the uncertain ilate of all hu> 
 man affairs, loll the favour of the 
 king, by the following means :-^ 
 Immediately after he had received 
 the gracious offer above-mention- 
 ed, he went down to Tunbridge, 
 where, walking one day upon the 
 Wells-walk, with his friend Mr. 
 Fairbeard, of Gray's-Inn, juft as 
 he came up to the bookfeller's 
 Ihop, the countefs of Drogheda, 
 a young widow, rich, noble and 
 beautiful, came there to enquire 
 for The Plain Dealer. " Madam," 
 fud Mr. Fairbeard, " fince you 
 *• are for the Plain Dealer, there 
 •• he is for you ;" pulhing Mr. 
 Wycherly towards htr. " Yes," 
 faid Mr. Wycherly, ** this lady can 
 *' bear plain dealing ; for fhe ap- 
 •• pears to be fo accomplifhed, 
 " that what would be a compli- 
 *' nient to others, would be plain 
 *' dealing to her." " No, truly, 
 •* Sir," laid the countefs, " I am 
 " not without my faujts, any more 
 •* than the reit of my fex ; and 
 " yet, notwithflanding, I love plain 
 *' dealing, and am never more 
 " fond of it, than when it tells 
 ** me of them." " Then Madam," 
 fays Mr. Fairbeard, " you and 
 ** The Plain Dealer feem defigned 
 *' by heaven for each other." In 
 fhorr, Mr. Wycherly walked a turn 
 or iw • with the countefs, waited 
 
 upon her home, vifited her dailjr 
 at her lodgings while (he ilaid at 
 Tunbridge, and at her lodgings 
 in Hatton-Garden after fhe went 
 to London ; where in a little time 
 he married her, without acquaint^ 
 ing the king. But this match, fo 
 promifmg, in appearance, to his 
 fortunes and happinefs, was the 
 adlual ruin of both. As foon as 
 the news of it came to court, it 
 was looked upon as a contempt of 
 his majefty's orders ; and Mr. 
 Wycherly's conduct after his mar- 
 riage occafioned this to be refent- 
 ed ftill more heinoufly; for he 
 feldom or never went near the 
 court, which made him thought 
 downright ungrateful. The true 
 caufe of his abfencc, however, 
 was not known. In ihort, the lady 
 was jealous of him to that degree, 
 that fhe could not endure him to 
 be one moment out of her fight. 
 Their lodgings were in Bow- 
 flreet, Covent-Garden, over againfl 
 the Cock ; whither, if he at any 
 time went with his friends, he 
 was obliged to leave the windows 
 open, that his lady might fee there 
 was no woman in company. Ne- 
 verthelcfs, ihe made him fome 
 amends, by dying in a reafonable 
 time. She-fettled her fortune on 
 him : but his title being difputed 
 after her death, the expences of 
 the law and other incumbrances, 
 fo far reduced him, that, not be- 
 ing able to fatisiy the importunity 
 of his creditors, he was flun^; into 
 prifon, where he languifhed fe- 
 veral years ; nor was he releafed, 
 till king James II. going to fee 
 his Plain Dealer, was fo charmed 
 with the entertainment, that he 
 gave immediate orders for the pay- 
 ment of his debts ; adding wifhal 
 a penfion of 200 /. per annuntf 
 while he continued in England. 
 But the bountiful intentions of 
 
 tha; 
 
[ 477 3 
 
 w Y ^ w y 
 
 that prince had not all the de- 
 fij^ned effeft, for Wycherly was 
 ainamed to give the earl of Mul- 
 grave, whom the king had fent to 
 demand it, a full account of his 
 debts. He laboured under thefe 
 difficulties, till his father died ; 
 and then too the eftate, that de- 
 fcended to him, was left under 
 very uneafy limitations, fince, be- 
 ing only a tenant for life, he could 
 not raife money for the payment 
 of his debts. However, he took 
 a method of doing it, which few* 
 fufpefted to be bis choice ; and 
 this was, making a jointure. He 
 had often declared, that he was le- 
 folved to die married, though he 
 could not bear the thoughts of 
 living in that (late again : accord- 
 ingly, juft at the eve of his death, 
 he married a young gentlewoman 
 with 1500/. r:)rtune, part of which 
 he applied f-' ♦!»« ufes he wanted 
 it for. Eit . s after the cele- 
 bration of tl '•; . i:_.tials, on the ill 
 of January 2715, he died, and 
 
 was interred in the vault of il(*' 
 vent-Garden church. He pub- 
 liihed a volume of poems in 1704, 
 folio; and, in 1728, his pollhu- 
 mous works, in profe and verfe, 
 were publiflied by Mr. Lewis 
 Theobald, in 8vo. His dramatii; 
 pieces are, 
 
 1 . Itove in a Wood, or, St. Janie^i 
 Park. C. 4to. 1672. 
 
 2. The GcHtleman Dancing-Meif- 
 ter. C. 4to. 1673. 
 
 3. The Country Wife. C. 4t0. 
 167^. 
 
 4. The Plain-Dealer. C. 4to. 
 1677. 
 
 Mr. Pope, when very young, 
 made his court to Mr. Wycherly, 
 when very old; and the latter was 
 fo well pleafed with the former, 
 and had fuch an opinion of his 
 riling genius, that he entered into 
 an intimate correfpondence with 
 him. See the letters between Pope 
 and Wycherly, printed in Pope'a 
 works. 
 
 * ' 
 
 
 r-A 
 
 I 
 
 Y. 
 
 jy. 
 lal 
 
 id. 
 of 
 
 la; 
 
 Y A 
 
 YARRiNGTON, Robert. 
 Wrote a play, called, 
 
 Tciw Tragedies in One, printed 
 not till many years after it was 
 written, 4to. 1601. 
 
 Yarrow, Joseph. Was a per- 
 former in the York theatre, where 
 he produced one ir-ma, entitled, 
 
 l^ow at fi<-fi ^'^ht, or. The Wit 
 efa Woman. B. O. 8vo. 1742. 
 
 7 
 
 Y O 
 
 Young, Dr. Edward. The 
 fon of Dr. Edward Young, dean 
 of Sarum, was born at Upham, 
 near Winchetler, in June 1681. 
 He was placed on the foundation 
 at Winchetler College, where he 
 remained until the election after 
 his eighteenth birth-day ; when 
 not being chofen to N^.w College, 
 he, on the 13th ot Odober 1703, 
 
 was 
 
y o 
 
 478 ] 
 
 Y O 
 
 was entered an inciependcnt mem- events Dr. Young }'>robably look 
 
 ber (;f that focicty, and, that he orders; and in /ipril 172?, was 
 
 might bo at little expeiice, refided 
 
 at the lodgings of the waiucn, who 
 
 had been a particular friend or" his 
 
 father. In a few month-, the death 
 
 of his bcncfaftnr occafioned him 
 
 appointed chaplain to George the 
 Second. In Jirly 1730, he was 
 prefentcd by his College to the 
 reftory of VVelwyn in Hertford- 
 fliire J and in April 1732, married 
 10 remove to Corpus, the prefi- lady Elizabeth Lee, daughter of 
 dent of which college invited the earl of Litchfield, and widow 
 him rhere for the fame reafons as of colonel Lee. This lady died in 
 the warden of New College had the year 1740, and her death was 
 before done. In 1708, he v/as no- foon afterwards followed by that 
 minated :o a lawfcllowfhip at All- of her daughter, an amiable young 
 Souls by archbifliop Tennifon. lady, whofe hulband, Mr. Temple, 
 On the 23d of April, 17 14, he fon of lord Palmerllon, did not long 
 f jok the degree of batchelor of furvive her. The lofs of thefe 
 civil law; and his doiSlor's degree, three perfons, for fome time threw 
 on the loth of June, 1719. a gloom over Dr. Young's mind, 
 
 Tv'o years atter he had taken an a gave birth to the "Night 
 hL nrtt degree, he wris appointed Thoughts, a work by which it cer- 
 to fpcak the Latin Oration, which tainly was the author's wifli to be 
 was delivered on laying the fcunda- diftinguifhed, and by which his 
 lion of 'he Coorington Library, reputation has been eftablilhed 
 In 1719, 'ie was received in the earl throughout his own and the neigh- 
 of Exetci's fam.ly 'as tutor to lord bouring kingdoms. From this time 
 Burleigh, with whrni he was to he lived in his retreat at Welwyn, 
 travel, and might have fecurcd an without reciMving any addition to 
 annuity ot ico/. /£Trt?/«w;;, had he his preferment, 
 coniinuedin ihatfituation; buthav- In 1761, at the age offourfcore, 
 ing been admitted, to an intimacy he uas appointed clerk of the 
 with the witty and profligate duke clofct to the princefs- dowager of 
 
 he diiertly attached 
 
 of Wharton, 
 
 liimfelf to that nobleman, with 
 whom he vifited Ireland, and un- 
 der whofe aufpiecs he became a 
 candidate for the borough of Ciren- 
 cefler, in which attempt he v^^as 
 unfuccefsful. While he continued 
 in friendfliip with this ingenious, 
 unfortunate, and excentric man of 
 quality, heisfuppofedtohave great- 
 ly relaxed from thel^rictand rigid 
 rules of virtue, and to have indulged 
 in a degree of licence very remote 
 from the feverity he obferved in 
 the latter part of his life. The 
 connexion between the peer and 
 the poet feems to have been broken 
 by the retreat of the former from 
 the kingdom, and his death loon 
 afterwards. On the firA of thefe 
 
 Wales, and died in April 176;. 
 
 He left the bulk of his fortune, 
 which was confiderable, to his 
 only fon, whom he had long ex- 
 cluded both from his roof and his 
 protetSiion. V\ hat ofTence occafi- 
 oned this fufpenfion of parental 
 tendernefs, we are not enabled to 
 determine. Dr. Young himfelf 
 (who never failed to difcovcr vir- 
 tues in a coach and fix, and without 
 a blulh could balance " Heaven'* 
 againll lord " Wilmington" •) on 
 the fcore of profane flattery may 
 need forgivenefs, and we hope will 
 receive it. Yet during his laft 
 confinement, even when the ex- 
 peftuion of life had forfook him» 
 
 * " And Liv'.ghs at heave, O Wil- 
 
 he 
 
Y O 
 
 [ 479 ] 
 
 Y O 
 
 core, 
 the 
 of 
 
 he continued ftrenuous in re- 
 fufingtofee his child, who repeat- 
 edly but vainly wiflied for his 
 parting benedidion. How far this 
 obftinate refentment accorded with 
 the true fpirit of Chrillianity, let 
 thofe who are engaged in more 
 ferious difquifitions, enquire. Be 
 
 mid day;— nay, that fculb, bones, 
 and inltruments of death, were 
 among the ornaments of his ftady. 
 Thus encouraging the habitual 
 gloom that hung over his imagi- 
 nation, it foon became peopled by 
 the phantoms of difcontenc. He 
 indulged an early luxury in de- 
 
 it fuificient for us to cbferve, that fcribing the miferies of a world 
 
 fuch fentiments of placability and that did not immediately forward 
 
 mercy as the Night-Thoughts incul- his defigns and gratify his ev- 
 
 cate, are not always the refult of pedlations ; and was far advanced 
 
 a gentle and companionate frame in this flrain of complaint at an 
 
 of mind in the writer of them, age when hope would have been 
 
 They are collefted with eafe, be- warm in the bofom of every other 
 
 caufe even novels can furnifh young man with iimilar profpeds 
 
 them. They are praifed with an in view. The reader therefore 
 
 appearance of zeal, becaufe earnelt will not fuppofe that his difpofi- 
 
 commendation of them may be tion brightened up when he had 
 
 he 
 
 miftaken for fympathetic virtue. 
 Had the Sicilian tyrant been an 
 author, he would have been a- 
 ftiamed to have left his works un- 
 furniOied with thefe ambitious de- 
 corations. 
 
 In a codicil to his will, Dr. 
 Young enjoined his houfe-keeper 
 to deftroy all his manufcripts, 
 books of accompt excepted. We 
 hope his injundion, for the fake 
 of his literary fame, was obeyed. 
 It has fuflrrcd fufficiently by R<^- 
 Jignation, a l^oeni publiflied by him- 
 felf, as well as byi'uch other trifling 
 piev"' as the avarice of bookfellers, 
 fince his death, has appended to 
 his works. 
 
 Of the private habits of Dr. 
 Young, very few particulars are 
 known ; but as thofe few may ferve 
 to draw out others, we (hall make 
 no apology for fuch flender in- 
 formaiion on the fubjeft as chance 
 has thrown within our reach. 
 
 Singularity is faid to have pre- 
 dominated in uis molt juvenile 
 praftices. The late Dr. Ridley 
 remembered a report current at 
 Oxford, tliat when he was com- 
 poling, l.e would fliut up his win- 
 dows, and Jit by a lamp even at 
 
 fuifered from real difappointments, 
 and the weight of years fat hea- 
 vier upon him. His diicourfe, 
 even to the laft, was rathf.r expref- 
 five of a reUlefs than a fettled 
 mind. His powers of delightinj^ 
 were in great meafure confined to 
 his pen. His extemporaneous wit 
 and merriment hoivever, have been 
 much extolled. The chofen few 
 who were allowed the honour of 
 vifiting him, always returned with 
 pretended ailoniihment at his col- 
 loquial talents. We fay pretend- 
 ed, becaufe, on enquiry, thefe 
 wondercrs could recoiled no fen- 
 timent or remark of his that Ipark- 
 led as a bon mot, or diflinguiflied 
 itfelf by any vmcommon degree of 
 novelty or importance. Two fpe- 
 cimens of his unpremeditated 
 acutenefs are preferved. The one 
 is happy enough, the other is dif- 
 graced by profanenefs. His luck 
 indeed mull have been bad, if, ia 
 threefcore years of converfation, 
 he had not wandered twice into 
 fuccefsful pleafantry. 
 
 Dr. Young role betimes, and 
 obliged his domelHcks to join 
 with him in 'he duties of morning 
 prayer. He read but little. In- 
 deed 
 
 i 
 
 
 1 
 
 / . 
 
Y O 
 
 t 480 ] 
 
 Y O 
 
 deed his woiks betray more of 
 fancy, than variety or depth of 
 knowledge. While his health per- 
 mitted him to walk abroad, he 
 preferred a folitary ramble in his 
 church-yard, ro exercife with a 
 companion on a more cheerful 
 fpot. He was moderate in his 
 meals, and rarely drank wine, ex- 
 cept when he was ill, being (as 
 he faid) unwilling to wafle the 
 fuccours of ficknels on the ftahi- 
 lity of health. Afcer a flight re- 
 freihment, he retired to bed at 
 eight in the evening, although he 
 might have gueds in his houfe who 
 wifhed to prolong his flay among 
 them to a later hour. He lived 
 at a moderate expence, rather in- 
 clining to piirfimony than profu- 
 iion ; and yet continued anxious 
 for increafe of preferment, after 
 it could have added nothing to 
 his enjoyments ; i'or he expended 
 annually little more than the half 
 of his income, the world and he 
 having reciprocally turned their 
 backs on each other. Whether his 
 temper had difinciined him to 
 conciliare friend.", or he had fur- 
 vived their afFedlion, we are not 
 informed ; but his curate at Wel- 
 Wyn being appointed his fole ex- 
 ecutor, it ihould fcem as if he had 
 been refolved to accompany the 
 fortune a fon was to inherit, with 
 as few tokens of regard and con- 
 fidence as a father could poflibly 
 beftow. The remains of Dr. 
 Young were depofited in his own 
 church, with a plain Latin in- 
 fcriptioti over them ; but as it 
 only tells us what is alrejidy 
 known, our readers would gaii; 
 nothing by its infertion. The 
 amount of his wealth cannot be 
 afcer tained but by its heir, the 
 
 ex«cutor having purpofely tranf- 
 ferred every part of it, without 
 calling up the total fum, that he 
 might thereby avoid giving an- 
 fwers to the queftions of thofe 
 whofc curiofity exceeds their man- 
 ners. 
 
 In the poetical as well as profe 
 compofitionsofYoungthereismuch 
 originality, but little judgment. 
 We fcarce recollcdl a fingle line or 
 exprefTion that he has borrowed 
 from any other Englifh writer. 
 His defcdls and beauties arc alike 
 his own. Of the epigrammatic 
 turn of his fatires (however vi- 
 cious in point of talle) thete is no 
 example ; nor was he indebted to 
 any poet, ancient or modern, for 
 the plan of his Ni^bt-thoughtu 
 Among his fmaller pieces, (even 
 fuch as were pubiifhcd by him- 
 felf) there are fome which we 
 could willingly part with, parti- 
 culaily thofe childifh tiifles, his 
 odes and fea-pieces, in which words 
 over-power ideas, and loyalty tri- 
 umphs at the expence of imagina- 
 tion. On the whole, the writings 
 ol" Young may be confidercd as 
 thofe of a powerful though gloomy 
 advocate for religion and mora- 
 lity ; and perhaps theire is no paf- 
 faj^e, among all his performances^ 
 which in the hour of felf-exami- 
 naiion he would have wiQied an- 
 xioufly to retraft, thofe excepted, 
 in which his addition to licen- 
 tious flattery has induced him to 
 drefs up his patrons in the attri- 
 butes of a Being whofe greatnefs 
 and whofe goodnefs admit of no 
 approximaton. 
 
 His dramatic works are, 
 
 1. Bujlrh. T. Svo. 1 7 19. 
 
 2. 7 he Revenge. T. Svo. ^721. 
 
 3. The Bvotben. T. Svo. 1755. 
 
 APPEN. 
 
•■•i 
 
 i 481 j 
 
 ^•n 
 
 '.UT'^T [ 
 
 k P P E iSI D I X 
 
 T O 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME; 
 
 B R 
 
 BRAITHWAITB, RiChAAD. 
 Was the fecond fon of Tho, 
 Braithwaite, qf Warcop near Ap- 
 pleby, in Weftmorland, (he fon 
 and heir of Thomas Braithwaite 
 of Barnflde, who was fon of 
 Richard BraithWaite of Amble- 
 fide, in the Barony of Kendal. 
 lie was boril id the year 1588* 
 and at the agft of fixteen years 
 became a commoner of Oriel Col- 
 lege, Oxford, being matriculated 
 as a gentlemah's ion, and a na- 
 tive of We ilmorland; While be 
 continued in that houfe, which 
 was at leaft three years, ** he 
 *,* avoided (fays Wood) as much 
 ** as he could the rough paths of 
 ** logic and philofophy, and traced 
 «* thofe fmooth ones of Poetry 
 *' and Rdmati Hiilory, in which 
 ^* at length he did excell." He 
 afterwards removed to Cambridge, 
 and then retired to the North, 
 where his father bellowed on him 
 an eflate at Barniide beforemen- 
 tioned. In this retreat he lived 
 many years, became captain of a 
 foot compaiiy in the trained 
 bands, a deputy lieutenant in the 
 county of Weftmorlunci, and a 
 julUce of peace. He married a 
 fecond w.'fe in the latter part of 
 his life, &:A went :c refide at 
 Appleton near Richmond, in York- 
 thut i where he died the 4th of 
 May, 1673, and was buried in the 
 Vol. I. 
 
 G R 
 
 |>artfii chuich of Gaterick, near 
 that place. 
 
 He was a voluminous writer, 
 and aroongft other things pro- 
 duced the following dramas : ' 
 
 i. Mercurius BritannicuSy or^ 7%e 
 EHgiyb InttUigencer. T. C' 410 
 1641. 
 
 .a. Rfgicidium, T; 8vo. 1665. 
 
 CoRWEivs, Mrs. A perfor- 
 mer belonging to the Theatre iii 
 Crow-Hreet, Diiblin. She has pro- 
 duced one play, a£ted at her own 
 benefit, March 14, 1781} called, 
 
 The Deceptions, C. 
 
 u 
 
 Dymock, — — . To a gen- 
 tleihan of this name may be afcribt 
 e4 a trandation from Guarini, of 
 which two editions were print- 
 ed in the lail century. In the 
 dedication of the firft to Sir Edw. 
 Dymock, the tranflatorj who is 
 fpoken of as his near kinfman, is 
 mentioned to be then dead ; and 
 from the fecund to Charles Dy- 
 mock, efq; it may be inferred that 
 he was that gentleman s father. 
 The plav is, iiuitled, 
 
 7/ P^l'hr Fhloy or, Th« Faithful 
 Slji'pUfJ^ 410. 1602. 
 
 Graves, Richard. Is the 
 
 fecond fon of Richard Graves, 
 
 I I efq; 
 
 %\ 
 
 
 '1(1 
 
 I 
 
H E 
 
 [ 48i J 
 
 H E 
 
 efq; and was born at Mickleton, addrefs for promoting Mr. Iload* 
 
 in the county of Gloocener, IVjay ly, and occaHonaUy afliltcd ia 
 
 4> 1 7 15. He wfts rducated at foWe Whigjjublicaqons. jHr af- 
 
 Abington fchool, Berks, elefled fedlcd a low fimplicity in hii wri- 
 
 from thence, Nor. x, 1732, a tings, ami was remarkably happy 
 
 fcholar of Pembroke College, Ox- in touching the manners and pai- 
 
 ford. chofen fellow of All Souls Aons. lie died much lamented 
 
 College, 1736, and M. A. 1739. in Auguft, 1711. Amongft other 
 
 He is now tcftor of Clavcrton, perfoimances, he is, faid by the 
 
 and vi<;aV of Kildnerfden, in the. writer oi his life, to hive almoil 
 
 county of Somerfct. He was the fiiiifhcd 
 
 intinnie friend of Mr. Shenftone, yllixaiuhr. Opera, fet to mu- 
 
 and has publilh^d Vhe Spiritual fic by Purccll. 
 i^ixotff in 3 vols. Columella, or, Hhkvey, John Lono. This 
 
 The Di/lreJJid Aitchotet. Ejipbyo/titfy noblemaiji was the fecond fon uf 
 
 a Co'icdtion of Poems, in * vols. John, the firftearl of Brjftol, and, 
 
 and other pieces. In the 2d V9< 
 lume of the latter, is. 
 
 on the dea^h oi' his elder brother, 
 heir to the title, vvhich^ however. 
 
 Paft. 8vp. 1760. 
 
 Echo and Narcij[/us,','f^i)ita. Tie did not enjoy, as l^e was fur 
 
 vivcd by his father. He was born 
 bdlober »5, 1696, and very caily 
 became an attendant on the court, 
 ^eing appointed on the 7th of 
 November, 17 14, gentleman, of 
 the bed-chamber to the Prince cl 
 
 ; ., H ..... • • 
 
 •' He^Jiey, Akthony. Father 
 of Lord Chancellor Northington, 
 was bred ht Oxford, where he 
 
 diflinguilhcfd hiuifelf by an early Wales, afterwards George the Se- 
 
 taflc for polite literature, and ar. cond. In the year 172^1 he was 
 
 intimate acquaintance with the chofen member for St. Edmund's 
 
 ancient Poets, which naturally Bur^^, which place he continued 
 
 exciting a congenial fplrit, he to reprefent until he was called up 
 
 became no fnconfiderable writer, to the Houfe of Lords. On the 
 
 PofTeffed of an ample fortune, and 6th of May, 1730, he was ap- 
 
 in high favour at the court of pointed vice chamberlain of his 
 
 King Willialh, he lived in the Majefty'shoufehold, and efpoufing 
 
 greatell familiarity wiih thofe of the caufe of the then minirtry, of 
 
 the firft rank for quality and wit ; which Sir Robert VValpole was at 
 
 but at that time i'cemz to have the head, he exerted all the force 
 
 avoided interkrit.g in politicks, of his pen and his eloquence in 
 
 Ke had fomethinsj of the cha- fupport of the meafures of that 
 
 racier of TibuUus, and, except iiis 
 extravagance, poffeflsd all his 
 ether c]ijajities ; hisindclcr.ee, his 
 
 adminiflration. Mr. VValpole fays, 
 his pamphlets are equal to any 
 that were ever written. On ac- 
 
 eallantry, his wit, his hutr.nnity, count ofoneof them, called Sc- 
 his generofity, lis learning:, his dif/o/i anJ Drfamation difplaycJy he 
 Ihare ot leUcr?. He confer. ted to was Involved in a duel the 25.th 
 be chofen a member <'t pailii»nent of January, 1731, with the earl 
 in the Jail year ot King \Villi.T[ii, of Bath, then Mr. Pulteney, in 
 aiui rotuijiiieri in iliat afienib'y which neither of the partieb re- 
 iiniil his death. l;c:r,g on ail ceived any irjury. On tht; 12th 
 occiif-ois '.ealous aiferter of li- of June, 1733, he was called up 
 
 by writ, 
 .. , lind 
 
 bcrlv, he u:.s tlv-' tr.ovfr of the to the Houfe of Peers 
 
H XJ 
 
 [ 4«3 1 
 
 L I 
 
 »n^ on the ift of Majr, 1740, 
 had the cullody of the privy feat 
 delivered to him. He Continued 
 fteadily wraclied ro the fortune 
 of his friend, Sir Robert Walpole ; 
 end when that miniiler was dri- 
 ven troin his poll, he rcfigned alfo 
 his employment, iiiid oppofed the 
 new adminillrntion during the 
 Ihort retnaiflder of his life, which 
 ended Auglill 5, 1743. His lord- 
 Ihip was unlu'kily engaged in a 
 controvci fy with Mr. Pope, who, 
 befides a very fevere letter in profc 
 printed in his works, and fome in- 
 ddental notices, has drawn hischa- 
 rai^ter under the name of SporuSf 
 in the Epiftle to Dr. Arbiithnot, 
 with all the virulence of an en- 
 raged author. Lord Hervey was 
 particularly remafkabie for the 
 elegance of his drcfs. He left 
 many manufcripts behind him, 
 which have not been yet printed, 
 and, amongil the reft, 
 
 Agrippina, Trag. 
 
 HUGCiIX3,VVll.t.l AM. W;is the 
 fon of John lluggins, efq; Warden 
 of the Fleer. Being intended for 
 Ho!y orders, he was ri:in ro ^■Iaa- 
 dfilen Coil'ge, Oxford, where he 
 took the degree of M. A. April 30, 
 X719, It is pr'bniile he did n^: 
 lon^ perfcvere ia his intenuon of 
 entering into the church, as on 
 the ijih of Ot^ber, 1721, he 
 was appointed wardrobe-kcepsr 
 and keeper of the private lodgings 
 at Hampton-Court; and on the 
 death of his elder brother, it may 
 be prefiimtd, he totally laid addc 
 every idea of following the clerical 
 prbfeffi'm. He iranflated and pub- 
 lifhed an edition oi Ari^jln^ in two 
 quarto volumes, which he after- 
 wards caufed to bedeltroyed. He 
 atfo left in MS. at the time of 
 his death, July :, 1761, aTragedy, 
 a Farce, and a Tr^nflation of 
 Dantr, of which a fpecimen was 
 publifiied i.. The Brityh M^^iiziae, 
 
 s 
 
 1763. H was thf author of '"•^ 
 Judith. Oratorio, Ovo. 1732^ 
 
 K 
 Knap, — — . Is a li"ing wri- 
 ter, who has produced one Farce, 
 
 called, 
 
 Jhe Exdfe/nan, 1780. N. P. 
 
 L 
 
 Lindsay, Sjr David. Wa« 
 defcended of an ancient family, 
 and born in the reign of King 
 James IV. at his father's feat, 
 called the Mcunt, near Coupar in 
 Fifi^lhire. He was educated at the 
 univcrfty of St. Andrews, and, 
 after making the tour of Europe, 
 returned to Scotland in the year 
 1514. Soon after his arrival, Ive 
 was appointed gentleman of the 
 bed-chamber to tiie. kinj,', and 
 tutor to the your.n" prince, after- 
 wards James V.- Frcm the vcrfei 
 prefixed to his Drcon, we learn 
 that he enjoyed feveral other ho- 
 nourable employments at Court j 
 but, being fuppofed to favour th2 
 P.rformarion, he fell into difgrace, 
 ""*'» ^\'hh ^'^^ deprived (f ail 
 his places, except that of Lioa 
 King at Arms which lie held to 
 the time of his death. 
 
 Af*:er the deccafc of King 
 James V. Sir David Lindiay be- 
 came a favourite of t!ie carl of 
 Arran, regent f>f Scotland; but 
 the abbot of Paifley did net fufFer 
 him to continue long in favour 
 with the carl. He thfn reti r.'-d to 
 his paternal cftate, and fjiejit the 
 remainder of his d^iys in rural 
 trantjuilH'y. Ke died in the year 
 1553. His claim to a place in 
 this work is on the fcore of a 
 few dramatic pieces ftilF prefervfrf 
 in MS. (and, as I think, in the 
 Advocates'Library at EJinburgh), 
 and perhaps on account of others 
 ireniioned in a prefatory' adver- 
 tifcment to his Foems. As the 
 
 1 1 i book 
 
 <i 
 
L 1 
 
 C 4S4 ] 
 
 N E 
 
 t»ook ii uncommonly fcarce, I 
 (hall fet down the title of it, as 
 well as an extrn6\ in fuppori: of 
 the latter part of my alfcrtion. 
 
 ♦• The v.orki of tlie famous and 
 worthy Knight, Sir David Linde- 
 fay of the Mount, alias, Lyon 
 King of Armes. Newiie cor- 
 rected and vindicate from the 
 former errours whertwith they 
 iverc corrupted, and augroenfii 
 uiih funcirie woikes, &c. &c. 
 Edir.bnrgh, primed by Andrew 
 Hart. 1634." 
 
 Vtom the Printer^ Advcrtife- 
 mciic to the render. 
 
 " — Sir David Lindcfay, albeit 
 a Courtcour of his calling, and 
 excrcifed nitout matters of eflate, 
 yet a mun of fuch finceritk and 
 faithfutnedc, that he fpared not 
 as well in his fatyricall farcas and 
 fliys, as in all his other workes, 
 10 enveigh moft Iharply, both 
 again ll the' enormities of the 
 Court, and the great corruption 
 cf the clergie, that it is to be 
 wondred how ever he efcaped their 
 bloodie hands, they having fuch 
 power at that time to (bed the 
 blood of God's Sainftcs, &c." 
 
 Many of the pieces contained 
 in this coileftion were written by 
 order of James V. Such is " The 
 Anfwere which Sir David Linde- 
 fay made to the King's flyting." 
 This alliterative thapiody begins 
 — " Pvedoubtcd Roy your rag- 
 ment I have read :" and the book 
 concludes with the following 
 words : " Qucd Lindefay at the 
 command of James V." 
 
 Mackenfic lells us, that our Au- 
 thor's Comedies were fo facetious, 
 that they afforded abundance of 
 mirth. The lame writer alfo fays, 
 that Sir D:ivid wrote feveral Tra- 
 gedies, and was the firft who in- 
 troduced dramatic poetry into 
 Scotland. One of his Comedies 
 was played in 1615 ; but he i& de- 
 
 4i\. -^ 
 
 dared to haw underdood nothing 
 of the rules of the theatre. 
 
 Lo V E r 1 , 1\ o B K R T . Probably 
 ;in Iriih gentleman, who wrote one 
 I'lay, called, 
 
 //;r /y<j/!i'flr</. Trag. See vol.11* 
 p. 2S. 
 
 M 
 
 Morris, Robert. The au- 
 thor was, I believe, a furveyor. 
 Me wro'.e (oiae Lcdures, and other 
 ?;imphltt» on the Science of 
 Architecture, and one I'lay, called. 
 
 Fatal l^ecij/iyy or, Liberty re* 
 f^aincd, T. 8vo. 1 742. 
 
 MuRWAY, C. A pcrformerbe- 
 Ionj>ing to the Norwich company 
 of Comedians. He is the author 
 of two dramatic Pieces, called, 
 
 r. The Neiu Maid of the Oaks, 
 T. Hvo. 1778. 
 
 3. The kxfcriment. F. 8 vo. 1 7 7 9. 
 
 N 
 NkdhamMauchamont. Was 
 born at fiurford in Oxford (liire, in 
 the month of Auguft, 1620. lJi» 
 father dying foon after his birth, 
 the care o\ his education devolved 
 on Chrillophcr Glyn, vicar of 
 Biirford, and matier of the fchool 
 there, who had married his mo- 
 ther. At the age of fourteeu 
 years, he was fetit to All Souls 
 College, Oxford, where he was 
 made one of the chorifterc, and 
 continued until the year 1637^ 
 when he toolc the degree of 
 Bachelor of Arts. He then re- 
 tired to St. Mary's Hall, and after- 
 wards became udier at Merchant 
 Taylors School. How long he 
 continued in this fuuation, is utj- 
 known ; but we afterwards fii.d 
 him an under clerk in Gray's-lnn, 
 where, fays Wood, by virtue of ar 
 good legible coun-hmd, he ob- 
 tained a confortabic fubfillence. 
 His next tranlltion was to a writer 
 agajnll government; after which' 
 
 he 
 
nothin{f 
 
 'robably 
 rote on« 
 
 c vol. IL 
 
 The au- 
 furveyor. 
 ind other 
 ence of 
 y, called, 
 ii^erfy re- 
 
 )rmerbc- 
 company 
 le author 
 ailed, 
 t/je Oaki, 
 
 3VO.1779. 
 
 )NT. Was 
 
 dOiire, in 
 >20. lii» 
 his birth, 
 devolved 
 vicar of 
 the fchool 
 his mo- 
 fourteeu 
 All Souls 
 he was 
 (ler», and 
 ar 1637^ 
 cgree of 
 then re- 
 and after' 
 Merchant 
 long he 
 in, is ufi- 
 ards fi!:d 
 ray's-lnn, 
 irtue of ar 
 , he ob- 
 bfirtence. 
 a writes 
 ^er which 
 he 
 
 P O 
 
 t 48s 1 
 
 W I 
 
 Jje ftudicd phyfic, and veering 
 about in his principles, reconciled 
 himfelf to the king, and wrote 
 Mgainft his former friends. He 
 was thereupon taken intocuQody, 
 and having obtained his pardon, 
 was once more prevailed upon to 
 change his party. At the Kctlora- 
 tion, nppr hending the refent- 
 ment of the royaliUs, he fecretcd 
 himfelf until his p^trdon wat> af* 
 fiired to him. He then refumcd 
 the practice of phyfic, and conti- 
 nued rt fuccefsfully during the 
 rcll of his life, which ended fud- 
 deiily at ihc houie of one Hidder, 
 in DVvereux Court, Nov. 1678. 
 Wood fa;vs, " He was a perfon 
 ^'^cndowed with quick natural 
 " parts, was a good humanitian 
 <' poet, and boon droll : and had 
 ** he been conftanc to his cava- 
 " leering principles, he would 
 '« have been beloved by, and ad- 
 *' mired of all ; hut being mer- 
 " cenary, and valuing oaotxsy and 
 *' fordid intcreft rather than con- 
 *' fcience, friendlhip, or love to 
 " his prince, was much hated by 
 *' the royal party to his lall, and 
 •• many cannot yet endure t) hear 
 •*' him ipoken of." He wrote 
 
 77p(' Ler,>dlfrs IfjcPJ, or, "^Ihc In- 
 dtpenAntti Coufpirncy to rajt out 
 Monarchy. i[nterl. 410. 1^47. 
 
 O Beirne, Thomas Luwis, 
 This gentleman is a native of 
 Ireland, and is in Holy orders. 
 He was chaplain to Lord Howe, 
 and is the author of leveral poli- 
 tical pieces. Alfo, 
 
 Ihc Gtnexpus Im^Jl»r*_ Com. 
 8vo. X7S0. • . ' '' -' 
 
 :i.l' t ,, 'I > ,1 il. . ' 
 
 ! . 1. X .ip -lijifrf », M • •( 
 
 Powell, Martin. The name 
 of this perfon is stxy familiar to 
 the iilngliih reader, from the Ut- 
 ^uei« mention of it in J be Specla- 
 
 7 
 
 tnr. He was the mailer of a. ce- 
 lebrated puppet-(hew, and ii faid, 
 in the title-page of the following 
 piece, to be the author oi it. 
 
 I'cnui and Adonh^ or, *[ht Tr:'- 
 umbhs of Love. iM. O. 8vo. 17 I J« 
 
 Prerton, Mr. An itinerant 
 after, who publilhed m Dublin one 
 piece, calkd, 
 
 '1 he Rivtil Futhcr. F. 8vo. 1754. 
 
 R 
 
 Rasfe, H. v.. Thii writrr, 
 who was formerly librarian to the 
 landgrave of HeiFe Calile, it au- 
 thor of a few works in Natural 
 Hlilory, which have aciiuired him 
 fome reputation. He has alfo 
 tranllatcd from the German one 
 drama, called, 
 
 Nathan iljc Jflji. Philofophical 
 Drama, Svo. i78it. ,.,^.ri 
 
 - nH 
 .0. ^'.:-. ■ . -8 . - 
 
 Sheridan, Miss. This lady 
 is daughter of Mr. Sheridan the 
 elder, and filter to the prefenc 
 manager of Drury-Lane. She 
 has produced one performance, 
 called, 
 
 I'ljc ^mli^ucus Lower. F. J781. 
 Not printed. 
 
 ,t, -Jt -ssr^ 
 T 
 " TopHANf, Edward. Is an 
 offiier in the guards, and author 
 of one piece, called, 
 
 Deaftudtcdl F. J/Sp. N. P, 
 
 W 
 
 Wilde, George. Was the 
 fon of 1-ienry Wilde, a citizen of 
 •London, and was born in the 
 county of Middiefex in the year 
 J 60 1. At the age of nineteen 
 years, he was elefteit a fchoiar of 
 •St. John's College from Merchant 
 Taylors School, and, in 1634, 
 took one degree in the tacuhy of 
 civil law. he A erwards becaius 
 one of the chaplains to archbithop 
 
 I i 3 Laud) 
 
 '1: 
 
 r-5 
 
 I 
 
 
 .M 
 
 
 ■ m 
 
 ' « 
 
 
VV M 
 
 I 4«6 3 
 
 W H 
 
 4..* 
 
 Xjttid, who intended to h«^ prt' 
 ferrtd him i» (hd vicarage oi St. 
 Gilu at Readifi^f ia which he 
 wai prrvenlcd by the civil wan. 
 Adhering to the royal caufe, he 
 was appointed preacher before the 
 king and parliament in Oxfoid, 
 being then in great elleem for his 
 eloquent preaching, and therefore 
 had the degree oif LL.. D. con- 
 ferred ui>on him. In the year 
 1048, he wa) turned out of his 
 /ellikwOiip; by the pbriiitaicntary 
 viliiorit and foflfered moil of the 
 hardship* which the loyalids ex- 
 fetititiced.' On the King's Kefto- 
 ratidn, he wa» aniongA the few 
 «iho were not DCgleAcdt being 
 viedc . btfliop ,;of ;. Londonderry, 
 where he was much refpe^ed for 
 Ikia pohlio. (piritj religious con- 
 verfation and. itbtcmpUry .piety. 
 He was author of, 
 
 I. T/.'c Hoi f: Ml of LflT'crs^ or, 
 ^faic'4 lld/l)itn(, 'C<>ip* .i6|6. N. P. 
 ■:il:2*.JJtTmopfjyii,'Pii Latiio, N.. P. 
 
 - fWMARTON, PtHLIl'DuKE OF. 
 
 •This .excentric ooHcman, who 
 xnade.hiitviiBlf as te:tark4ble by his 
 vices ati by his abilities, was the 
 .ofiJy. fdn of Thomas Mircjuis of 
 Wharton. He was bom i». tb.e 
 year 1699, and at the age of 
 hardly fixieen jt'ar', united him- 
 'i'clf in marriage wiih a daugh- 
 ter of. Major Gcner^il lljlmes.; 
 a match which Btre4tcd his f^- 
 iJficr fo much as to a»n:ribaie in 
 a great mcafuie to his (k-jth. 
 In the beginning of the ye:ir 1 7 1&, 
 •hefetout upon his travels ; but 
 conceiving a diHike to his go- 
 vernor, he abruptly left him at 
 Geneva, and went, to Lyons, 
 where an unaccountable whim in- 
 duced him to write a letter to the 
 
 • Pretender then at Avignon, where- 
 with he fent a prefent of a \ery 
 fine ftone horfe. Thefe overtures 
 were favourably received, Jind he 
 
 • was invited to the Chevalier'9 
 
 coiirt, treated with grtfat refprA, 
 and had the title of Duke of 
 NorihumbcrUnd contcrred upon 
 him. He tiaid, however, there 
 but one day, and then went 10 
 Pitris, where he viAtcd the queen- 
 dowager, widow of Jamei the 
 Second, then living. From thence 
 he returned to Eng'and, and af- 
 terwards pnffed over to Ireland, 
 in which kingdom he wa« per- 
 mitted to take his feat in the 
 houfc of preri, though under age. 
 At thiit jund^ure, he fupportrd the 
 menfurei of government i but in 
 a fhort time changed fides again, 
 and look part with theoppofnion, 
 to whom he rendered bimfelf ex- 
 tremely fervicrable both by his 
 pen and his fpeechrs. In this 
 cwrfcJje continued fome years, 
 and at the fame time indulged 
 Jlimfelf Ml every fpecics ol ca- 
 ■travagsnce to fo high a pitch, that 
 be encumbered his. efVxte without 
 ia.»frofpe£t of relieving himfelf 
 from the difficulties in which he 
 was involved. This fltuation irnde 
 it ncceffary for Kim to quit the 
 kingdom on a princi|)Ie of oeco- 
 numy; but fo little did he attend 
 to any rules of prudence, that he 
 immediately went to Vienna, nnd 
 from thence through Spain, id 
 both kijtgdoms dilording fufficient 
 proofs ot hii enmity to the Brunl- 
 wick line. JDt\ hU arrival at 
 Madrid,, he was fcrved with an 
 order under the privy feal, com- 
 : mending, his return ihomc. This 
 he trta'.ed with the uimofl con- 
 tempt, .aod from .that time he 
 appears to havi: abandoned all 
 thoughu of Jeeiug his native 
 couniry. 
 
 Whilft he was rambling abroad 
 in thiji manner, his dutchef;) died 
 in England on the r4th of April, 
 1726; and he foon afterwards 
 married Mademoifelle Obero, one 
 of the maids of honour to ' the 
 
 (jueen 
 
W H 
 
 [ 457 ] 
 
 W H 
 
 queen of Spain. After the foletn- 
 nization of hit mariage, he 
 fpeni Tome time at Rome, ac« 
 ceptcd of a blue garter from the 
 Pretender, and auumrd the title 
 of Duke of Northumberland. His 
 cxceflei foondifguded the Italians; 
 and he embarked from Rnmc to 
 Barcelona, where hearing that the 
 fiege of Gibraltar wai degun by 
 the Spaniards, he went to the 
 enemy's camp, and adted as a vo> 
 luntter again(t his countrymen. 
 For this fa&, a bill of indiament 
 was preferred apainU him for hi{;h 
 trealon, and his refourcet from 
 England were indtintly cut oiF. 
 He continued, however, fullenly 
 tb refufe making any overtures to 
 reinllate himfelf, whiLh he might 
 eaiily have accomplilhed by. ih« 
 ilightcft centre flion. Thercmaindfr 
 of his life was [Mffcd in rhe (aine 
 ignomiotous and difgraceful man- 
 ner the fortper had been. Pro- 
 fligate,, poor, and abandoned, he 
 ruHcred at times all the miferies <>£ 
 want and contempt. At length an 
 afi'ront of a particular kind roufed 
 his refentment, and awakened hini 
 to a fenfe of the deplorable lUte 
 to which h< l^ad reduced himfelf. 
 
 Unable to revenge the infult, or 
 to bear up agiiintt ir, he funic un- 
 der bit accumuJated diflrefTes, and 
 fell into a decline. He died the 
 vft day of May, 1731, at the 
 locrnaraine convent at Tcrragont, 
 BuA was interred the next day by 
 the monks in the fame manner 
 they bury thofe of their own order. 
 Mr. Pope'a charadier of this un- 
 happy man, in hts Moral Effiiys^ 
 Kpillle 1. is too well known to 
 need reprating. * 
 
 Amongll other extravagancei, 
 the duke of Wl\artpn once be^-an 
 a Tra(i;edy, to which LadyNf. .ry 
 Wortley Montague wrote an Epi- 
 logue, wliivh IS prcferved ii| 
 Dod /ley's Colle,1itn pf Poems. Tbv, 
 fubjcdt of this piece was, 
 
 Maty i^ern of Scots, 
 No part ot it, however, is fiiid to 
 be exifting, but tne four follow- 
 ing lines : 
 
 ^ure were I free, and Norfolk were • 
 
 prifoner, 
 I'd tiy with more Impatience to hit 
 
 arms, 
 Than the poor IfracJite gaz'd upon tht 
 
 ferpcnt, 
 When life was the reward of every 
 
 look. 
 
 » ■ • ■ 
 fli 
 
 «l 
 
 is 
 
 V 
 
 abroad 
 lefs died 
 
 April, 
 terwards 
 )ero, one 
 
 to ' the 
 tjueen 
 
 
 lU 
 
 ADDITICNg 
 
C 488 3 i 
 
 «j( -t-i 
 
 ^.::..f 'i .'..^ t 
 
 ..- «. ..^.t 
 
 'V 
 
 
 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 
 
 •. ^ ff- w J. ' -' ^ 
 
 i^^' 
 
 ■**<-'*»''' 
 
 
 
 '/fl ?' 
 
 1 .;.» 
 
 
 . ^ , 
 
 
 
 - r* ' V 
 
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 «*w* '. ' • 
 
 THE 
 
 F'l 
 
 R S 
 
 i^ ! 'i. 
 
 Vi'i; ,» <'-.7V- ' 
 
 
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 " f '* 
 
 7*T . 
 
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 T o 
 
 BA - 
 
 PAGE 14. Bahclay, Sir 
 William.] Dele this article, 
 and fubftitute the followirj. 
 
 Berkley, Sir Wi^.liam. 
 Was a knight's foh, born in 6r 
 near London, and younger bro- 
 ther of John, Lord Bcik'ey cf 
 Stretton. He was eledlcd pro- 
 bationer fellow of Merton College, 
 Oxford, in 1625, and four years 
 afterwards was admitted IVIafier of 
 Arts. In 1630, he fet out on his 
 travels. Atter his return, he be- 
 came gentleman' of ihe piivy 
 chamber to Charles the Firft; and 
 in 1646 was fent to Viiginia 
 about public concerns. In 1660, 
 he was made governor of that 
 J lace, and continued in the ollice 
 until ihe year ii^76. He died 
 foon after his return to England, 
 and was buried at Twickenham, 
 July 13, 1677. He wrote one 
 play, calle'cl, 
 
 Ti'e J.rjl LaJy, Tragi-Com. 
 R!. 1659., 
 
 P. 24. co!. I. Ekvn'iTj Phi- 
 i.Ti', Lsqj Dele this article, and 
 rcud 
 
 JJbNM-T, PilTLIP, Fjqj Was 
 fellow of MngJaUn College, ii) 
 t. ar.ibridge. He afterwards tock 
 (irrifcrf, and ''it-d aVout 1752. He 
 Wiii the outi'.or cJ u i'atm, califJ, 
 
 VOL u ^I'E. ^';i; 
 
 %' 
 
 I 
 
 '>e Beau PJnlnf other ^ 1736, and '. r 
 ^he Beauts Advcntttrcf, Farce, 
 
 ■ the 
 Svo. 1733. 
 
 P. 2;. Betterton Thomas.] 
 To this article may be Sdded thd 
 following defcription of him, gi- 
 ven by Antony Alibn, in a pam- 
 phlet, called, " A Brief Supple- 
 *' menf to CoHey Cibber, efq; 
 •* his lives of the late famous 
 *' adfors and aftreffes, 8vo. Mr. 
 '* Betterton (although a fiiperlative 
 ** good aftor) laboured under an 
 '' ill-figure, being clumfily made, 
 "having a great head, a fliort 
 " thick reck, (looped in the 
 " !l;r,niIdcr:S and had fat fhort 
 " arms, which he rarely lifted 
 •* hi;:;hcr than his fiomach. Mis 
 " i;ft hind frequently lodged in 
 •' his breaft, between his coat 
 *' and waiilcoat, while with his 
 •'light he prepared his fpccch 
 *' His aiflions were few, but uil. 
 *' He had little eyes and a broad 
 " face, a little pock-fretten, a 
 " corpulent body, and thick legs, 
 <' wiiii large feet. He was better 
 *' io meet than to follow ; for his 
 " aij-ed w;i<. ferious, venerable, 
 " and Mijtftic; in his latter time 
 " a litrle paralytic, his voice 
 •' w.'ti low ;:::d gruinblirg ; yet he 
 
 " could 
 
.JlJ 
 
 and 
 Farce, 
 
 urn, gi- 
 , a pam- 
 Supple- 
 )er, efq; 
 himous' 
 ro. Mr. 
 jerlativa 
 mdcr art 
 y made, 
 a (hort 
 in the 
 .It (hort 
 y lifted 
 h. Ilis 
 dged in 
 i)is> toat 
 with his 
 fpccch 
 l?ul uH. 
 a broad 
 iteii, a 
 ck Ifgs, 
 s better 
 1 for his 
 ncrable, 
 ttcr time 
 s voice 
 ; yet he 
 " could 
 
 pi 
 
 i ^H 3 
 
 C Q 
 
 << coul4 tunei it by an artful cU« Catalogues, he has afcribed all ; 
 
 *' max, which enforced aniverial ihefe pieces to that writer. Thu« 
 
 '* attention, even ^ir^m' the fops thefe biographers have afcribed 
 
 '* and orange girls. He was in- Liberality and Proitigaliiy^ Lady 
 
 " capable of danqipg, even in. a Alimony y l^uminalia, ax\d f/jc Laws 
 
 "country dance; as was Mrs. 47/" ^<7/«rf , to Thpmas t-otlge and-* 
 
 " Barry : bqt their good qualities Robert Green, merely becaufe all 
 
 were more than equal. to. thfir thefe pieces happened toljcar-i 
 
 ''deficiencies.*'.,,,, ,, ^ - , . ^. 
 P. 28. Bl CXE R S TA p r E, 
 Isaac] Add, 
 
 " He was probably born about the 
 year 1735, having been appointed 
 Qne of the pages to Lord vjheder- 
 field, when he was Lord Lieute- 
 nant of Ireland in 1746. 
 ' p. 42, Brewer, Anthony.] 
 Add, ! • 
 
 The ftory, howcyqr, of Prom- 
 well's having performed a part in 
 Lingua might llill be tru".' ' |t i? 
 
 not faid he afted in tiiis play on Oxford, June 24, 1769. 
 US Jirjl reprefentation. It might _ 
 
 have been exhibited at CamhriUgs 
 many years after its original pro- 
 du£^ion. 
 
 There is no more reafon for 
 afcribing Lingua to Biewer than 
 to any other dramatic writer. 
 
 ranged in the Catalogues after 
 The Loollng Qk^'s fifr London, ft 
 play wriuen by thofe two authors; 
 Almoft all their errors will be- 
 found to have arifen fiOm this, 
 mifapprehenlion. 
 
 P. 47. Bkooke, Frances.]- 
 Add, - 
 
 The Siege ofSinope, Trag, 8va, 
 l/Sr. .. ' 
 
 P. 52.Borney,E|r.Chaih,E8.} 
 Add, . ■ 
 
 Dr. Bqrney took bis degree at 
 
 iff- !s:' 
 
 ?• 53« ICapell, Edward.! 
 
 Add, ^ '■ 
 
 Mir. Capell died th^ 24Ch of 
 February, 1781, having left the 
 publication of his School if Shak- 
 
 The true origin of Philips's mif- fpeare to Mr, Collins, a Hereford 
 take, and of Winftanley's alfo fhire divine, who is Ihoitly expeil 
 
 (who copied him implicitly), was 
 this. In his account of Plays, he 
 took Kirkman's Catalogues, print- 
 ed in 1661 and 167 1, for his 
 guide. Kirkman's rule was to fet 
 the author's name opppfite to his 
 play, and where the writer of a 
 piece was unknown, to leave a 
 blank. Philips, not attending to 
 this, imagined that all the plays 
 which were fet down in thofe Ca- 
 talogues without an author's name 
 firenxed, belonged to the writer 
 dll mentioned ; and finding under 
 letter L, the plays of Lt .idgartha^ 
 Jjove^i Lnatlftoncy LiNGUA, and 
 Love's Vunnnion^ immediately after 
 Ihe Love-fJi Kifig, to which 
 JJrtwcr's name is tmiexed in the 
 
 ■U; ttl 
 
 ,> 1* J1.1U 
 
 ed to publilh it. 
 P. 69. Chapman, George.] 
 
 Add, 
 
 1 8. The Fatal Love, A French 
 Trag. N. P. 
 
 19. Tragedy <>f a Tor\fbire Gen- 
 tleweman and her SiMh. N. P. ..-'* 
 
 2Q. Ihe Second Maidens Tra- 
 gedy, MS. 
 
 In the date of his death, for 
 i6i;4 read 1634. 
 
 P. 91. Cobb, Mr.] Add, 
 
 3. Ihe ContraSi, or, T'hc Female 
 Captain. Farce, .1780. N. P.. 
 
 4. IFljo'd have thought it ? Y. 
 1721. N. P. 
 
 (;. Kenjingmn Gardens^ or. Tic 
 Ifalking Jockey, Interlude, :78i. 
 W» 1 • 
 
CO 
 
 [' 490 ] 
 
 c o 
 
 V, ^4, CoLUAm, Georof..] 
 Add, 
 ^2B. Preht^iff, J781. N. P. 
 
 s^. The Merchant. Cora. Print- 
 ed in Thornton's tranflation of 
 that author. 
 
 P. 95. Congrevb, William.] 
 Add, - • 
 
 CongreVfc'fi birth-place, con- 
 cerning which there has been fome 
 difpute, is afccrtained by the xe- 
 gifter of the college of Dublin 
 (where he' was educated) in which 
 the following entry is found,- 
 *» 168^, die quihto Aprilis hora 
 ** die pomerid. Gulielmus Con- 
 *^ gre«ep«nfion.» filiusGuIi. Con- 
 ** greve generofi de Youghalia 
 4- aniAds natus fexdecim natus 
 •• Bardfagram in Com Eboracen 
 * ediic Kilkcnnije fat ferula doft 
 " Hinton.'V' Tutor St. George 
 Alhe. 
 
 P. 98. Cooke,' Adam Moses 
 flMAtfUfe*.] Dele the article, and 
 fubHitute the following. 
 
 'CooKEr A. IVI. E. By the lad 
 three letters intended for Adam 
 Mefts, Emflnuel, this unhappy lu- 
 ratic'ufcd to diftinguifti hiirtfelf. 
 His ceal namfc was Thomas, and 
 he was born in Northtlmberlandi 
 rec»ived aliberal'^uea^iott there, 
 and from thence was , fent t6 
 Queen's-CoHege, Oxford. Indue 
 time he entered into orders, re- 
 turned to his native county,., and 
 was foon after prefetited' to a 
 good living.- A turn for myfie- 
 ries led him to a perufal of bur, 
 my (lie writers, and he caaghtthe 
 fame enthufiadic- flame which 
 warmed them. A reclufe and fe- 
 dentary life greatly cherifhed his 
 notions, and it was not long be- 
 fore he was looked on by all the 
 country as a fecond Jacob Beh-- 
 men. He had fome notions pe- 
 culiar to himfelf. He maintained 
 in his fermons and in his private 
 converfation, that the Jevvilh ce- 
 
 remonies we're not abrogated by 
 the Chriftian difpenfation. in 
 particular, he infixed on' th? ne« 
 ceffity of circuQicifion, and fup« 
 ported his dbArine by his own 
 praflice. Such novel notions, and 
 iuch extravagant behaviour, in a 
 proteftant clergyman, fooh reach- 
 ed the ears of the bilhop of the 
 diocele, and in confequence there- 
 of he was deprived, and hit living 
 given to another. Our Jewifli 
 Chriftian then came to London, 
 and commenced author ; but his 
 unintelligible jargon not felling, 
 he was reduced to great diftrels. 
 In this dilemfna he knew not 
 what to do; but at lall put in' 
 practice ahother odd notion, that 
 the goods of fortune ought to be 
 ihat%d in common by all God's 
 creatures. 
 
 Among vinous cjfpt>?ients for 
 fetisfying his hunger formed upon 
 this: plan, one was to refort to fome 
 well-frequented CofFeehoufe, and 
 placing himfelf iat a table to ap- 
 propriate to his own ufe the finl 
 buttered muffin and tiot of coftcQ 
 that was brought to it. This he 
 would often be perrhitted to do 
 without any interruption from the 
 gentlemen that fatnear him, <'orae 
 of whom were diverted, and fome 
 aRoniflied to fee a clerg\ man fa- 
 miliarly regale himfel/ with a 
 breakfaft that was not provided 
 for him. Asfoon as it was finilh- 
 ed, however; he would rife from 
 the table, fay a .fliort grace, and 
 very unconcernedly make towardis 
 the dbor; and when queflrbned 
 by the mafter of the coffee-houfe 
 about the impropriety of u>fnig 
 that which he did not order, and 
 the injuilice of not paying for it 
 when he had done, he would 
 prove by mode and figure, that 
 the good things of this world 
 ought to be in common. The 
 bucks and bloods enjoyed the joke, 
 
 and 
 
c o 
 
 [ 491 1 
 
 D R 
 
 roiice 
 
 ome 
 
 fa-- 
 
 th a 
 
 ided 
 
 lilh- 
 
 from 
 
 and 
 
 wards 
 
 bncd 
 
 loufe 
 
 ufing 
 
 and 
 for it 
 ivould 
 
 that 
 world 
 
 The 
 
 joke, 
 
 and 
 
 and a ring was ufually formed for 
 the two difputants, the parfon and 
 the cofFee-tnan ; but the latter 
 being unable to invalidate the 
 leflimonies brought out of 7he 
 Talmud and many learned Wri- 
 tings, which were quoted in He- 
 brew, Greek, and Latin, the for- 
 mer always came off viAorious. 
 
 Another pradtice by which this 
 gentleman fignalized himfelf vv;is 
 ttreet-preaching; and having feme 
 time before let his beard grow, 
 be was generally known by the 
 name of The Bearded Pr'itjt. In 
 this extravagant manner he went 
 on for fome time, till fome clergy- 
 men made intereft for him to be 
 fent to Bedlam, where he was 
 confined for about two or three 
 • years. As foon as he was releafed, 
 he took a refoiution of going, to 
 Scotland, and nflually travelled 
 over that country on fo:t with 
 not a fingle farthing in his pocket, 
 . fubfiding, as hioifelf informs us 
 in one of his pamphlets, by the 
 contributions of the well-difpofed. 
 ' P'rom thence he went to Ireland) 
 and travelled over a great 'part of 
 that kingdom; and, on his arrival 
 at Dublin in 1760, was entertain- 
 ed by fome gentlemen in Trinity 
 C(iUege, who compaiiionating the 
 melancholy cafe of a clergyman 
 in dillrcfs, gave him his board 
 and lodging gratis, A^ter he had 
 flaid in lieland a few months, 
 and publilTit-d fome very original 
 pieces, which no one could under- 
 iland but himfelf, he returned to 
 England, vifited Oxford, and 
 then came aaain to London. He 
 afterwards propofed to go to Ame- 
 rica as foon as his finances would 
 enable him ; but this voyage, we 
 believe, he n^ver made. His 
 death is faid to have been occa- 
 fioncd by his copying Origen too 
 clofely. The time when it hap- 
 pened is uncertain. 
 
 Hit dramatic works have been 
 already enumerated. 
 
 F. 103. CowLET, Mks. H.] 
 Add, 
 
 6. The World as It j^ees. Com. 
 1 78 1. N P. Afterwards altered to 
 
 Second Thought is btjl. C 178 1. 
 N. P. 
 
 p. 104. Cr A V2N, Laot Eli- 
 zabeth.] Add, 
 
 3. TfM Silver Tankard. M. F, 
 1781. N. P. 
 
 D 
 
 •»» 
 
 P. 120. Delap, Mr.] Add, 
 
 2. The R(iyal Suppliants. T. 
 8vo, 1781. 
 
 P. 126. DruDEN, Chasles.j^ 
 Add, 
 
 17. The JJlanders. C. O. Svo. 
 1781. . ■ . ' 
 
 P. 130. Dover, John;]' Add, 
 Wood fays he had writteu one or 
 two more plays. 
 
 Dow, Alexander.] Being 
 under the neceflity ot quitting 
 Scotland in confequence of a doei, 
 he entered himfelf as a common 
 failor on board an Eafl-India ilfip, 
 bound to Bencoolen ; where tho 
 fecietaryfhip to the governor 
 being vacant, Mr. Dow vpry for- 
 tunately obtainod that oftice, and 
 foon became lieutenant colonel. 
 
 DowMNO, George.] Wasat 
 one time a comedian in the York 
 company. He quitted the (lage 
 before his death, aiid became maftcf 
 of a fchool at Rirmingham, wbere 
 he died about the laUt^r Cttd uf the 
 year 1780. " \{\i 
 
 P. 133. Dr YDEN, John ] Add, 
 
 The fo!loiving curious cjrcum- 
 flances of this great writer I have 
 been favoured with by a gentlfe- 
 man, to whom this Appendix 
 owes other obligations, 
 
 'I'he original compiler of this 
 work has obferved, that D.'ydea 
 engaged by contract to write ^«r 
 pla^s a year ; but it haf lately been 
 
 proved 
 
D R 
 
 t 4^^ 3 
 
 D R 
 
 proved by indirpufable authority 
 that he only conuuc'.ted to produce 
 ihrit in every ycpr. This agree- 
 ment, however, he never peiformed, 
 as appears from an original paper 
 figned by the players vvith whom he 
 Jipode thiii itipulation, which is pre- 
 feivcd in Mr. Malonc's HupfUrnent 
 to Shak/pcarc^ vol. I. p. 395, . 
 
 The difordcrly maiiner in whicL 
 Dryden's funeul was condadcd s 
 nfcertaiiied by a fnJrical por :, 
 intituled, •' Dcfcription of ii r« 
 ♦' Dryden's Funeral," printed in 
 Fo!, 1700. The author of ttefe 
 Vfrfes, hcwever, nialcis no men- 
 tion of the outrages faid to hnve 
 been connniitted by the fon of Lord 
 
 ielTerics. Had fuch a circumftarce 
 appent'd, he hardly v/ould have 
 omitted it. This writer alierts, 
 tliat the expt-nce of the funeral 
 Hvas dclrayed by Lord Halifax. 
 
 .— "fuch as wiotc our country {0 tn- 
 M " (lave, 
 
 \ His kinditefs foliovys even totl^e grave. 
 , jHc tilt! grcac bard at his tiw> charge in- 
 
 /Lnjciy ills vice lolivingworih prefers." 
 
 The fo!!owir)g lines, in which 
 
 Dr. Gsfih ji> defcribed, are not 
 ■without merit. 'fe'*'* 
 
 " Bur C»-,-, rjiy Mafc, t!io learwcd Garth 
 'iprrai-:,' 
 ■' He I'.-gliing comts, and is half lirown'd 
 '^ in Vfai-i; 
 « Ti-c fir.iouj C-:th, -wlKim learned poets 
 
 Kiisihi of tV ' orf>r cf laf vninnl. 
 
 , '" 7'.. of Api'Ilo Icnrt.'rf iiU wonilious ii;il!, 
 
 '■- He taugl-.r him hoU' to lir.g, and how to 
 
 kill; 
 ^* i'l'V all he fends unt» tkc (tarkfume 
 grave 
 lie honours alfo with an epitaph '■'. 
 " ih'. entevtain'd the audience with Ora- 
 tion, 
 ; Tiio' very new, yet fiamcthiog out of 
 falhion j 
 
 fiot caufc the hearers are with Ieamt«ic 
 
 Weft, 
 He faid it in the language of thcheaft; 
 But fi) pronounc'd, the found and fcnfp 
 
 agiees 
 A country mcufe talks better in a 
 
 cheefe. 
 —Next him the fons of Mufick pafj 
 
 alont, 
 y^iid murder Horace in confounded 
 
 foog, 
 Whole monument, more durable than 
 
 brafs, 
 Ij r.ow defac'd by ever/ chanting Ak. 
 Ko mail at Tyburn, doom d to lake a 
 
 iVvinjing,. 
 Would Par to hear fich mifcrabls 
 
 tinging.''^ 
 
 F'om an Epigram printed fhort-« 
 ly after his death, we learn th^t 
 Dryden had a fevere, unaniroated 
 
 countenance. 
 
 " AJteefiy eye he fticws, and no fwett 
 feature •)■, 
 
 Yet was in truth a favourite of na- 
 ture" 
 
 %tt, Epigrams on the Paintings of 
 the virji evtincnt Mc^cn^ by J. C. 
 
 Efi]. Svo:, I,7PO. 
 
 As curiofwy is intereiled in every 
 particular relating to fo great a 
 poet, the following anecdotes ane 
 perhaps worth prcferving : «♦ \ 
 remember plain John Dryden 
 (fays a writer in Ihe iJcntkinan^s 
 Mttgazi»r, for Fchruary, 1745, 
 who was then eighty-feven years 
 of age) before he paid his court 
 to the great, in one uniform 
 cloathing of Norwich Drugget, 
 I have eat tarts with him and 
 Madam Reeve [an adtrefs, who 
 was Dryden's miftrefs, and the 
 original performer of Amarillis ia 
 The Rehearfal'] at the Alulberry 
 Garden, when our author advanced 
 to a fword and Cbedrcvx Wig. 
 [This was probably the Wig that 
 bwift has ridiculed in The Bank 
 
 ■* Mr. 0!dys, in on? of his MSS. meniions that Garth's Epitaph on Dryden ^yas 
 ill his poireflion. It is not hfwcver, I believe, now extant. 
 
 -{- Feature is but a ftroke or part of the counteoanee, but is here by Syncchdocht 
 ufcd fci the wieA, [Note by the author.] ; , 
 
U D 
 
 [ 493 1 
 
 M A 
 
 «•/■ the Books.\ Porterity is abfo- 
 lutely miftaken as to that great 
 man. Though forced to be a 
 fatirid, he was the milded creature 
 breathing, and the readieit to hcip 
 the young and deferving. Though 
 hU comedies are horribly full of 
 double entendre, yet 'cwas owing 
 to a falfe compliance for a dilfo- 
 lute age: he was in company the 
 modelTeil mau that ever a)h« 
 verfed." 
 
 He had, however, as Dr. John* 
 fon has obferved, no mean opi- 
 nion of his own abilities. Of this 
 an anecdote, which a late teamed 
 Judge ufed to relate to his foti, 
 how a dignitary in the church, i« 
 a fuificient proof, in his youth 
 he frequented Will's Coffee-houfe, 
 and occasionally entered into con- 
 Verfation with the old bard. Soon 
 after the firtl appearance of AUr,- 
 ander>s Feqft, he congratulated the 
 author on his having produced an 
 Ode which the whuie town con- 
 fidered as the bell compotltion of 
 that kind that had ever Wen writ- 
 ten. " Why it is fo, faid Dryden ; 
 and I will tell you farther, young 
 man ; it is the bed ode that ever 
 will be written." 
 
 For the firll play of Dryden 
 which was publiihed by the eider 
 Tonfon, the price given was twenty 
 pounds. This fom the book'feller 
 (whofe (hop was then in the lUeei 
 near Gray's-lnn) was unable to 
 raife without applying ta '\be\ 
 Swale, then a bookfelicr in L'cile 
 Britain, who advanced tiie m'^ney 
 for a moiety of the proits. The 
 p!ay (old ; and Ton) -n was en- 
 abfled by it to purciiafe ihe I'uc- 
 ceeding ones on !jis own hottoni. 
 
 P. 141. Dubois, Dorothea.] 
 Add, 
 
 She died in Dublin about Janu- 
 ary 1774. 
 
 F 
 P*ic2. Far qiJHAR, George.] 
 Add, 
 
 He wa$ entered as a Sizer in 
 the College of Dublin, July !-> 
 161^4. In- the Regificr he is ilylcd 
 *■ filiu« Gulielmi Fmquhar Cle- 
 ' rici annos 17 natu?." A late 
 Biographer,- who appears Co have 
 had good information, fays bis fa^* 
 ther had only a living in the 
 church of 1 50/. a year, and' that 
 he had (even children. The fame 
 writer fays he left the College of 
 Dublin in the year i6q;, on ac- 
 sount of the death of his patro* 
 Dr. Wifeman, bilhop of Dromore, 
 and makes no mention of hit 
 havirg been expelled. Farquhar's 
 firft appearance on the ihge was 
 in the chara^iter of Othello. 
 
 P. 159. Field, Nathaniel.] 
 Add, 
 
 Gildon, in his continuation of 
 Langbaine, was the Brft writer 
 that faid this author was iikewife 
 an ador. 
 
 P. 173. Francis, Phii-ip.1 
 For Captainfhip read Chaplain- 
 fhfp. 
 
 G 
 
 P. i83. Gentleman, Fran- 
 cis.] Add, 
 
 8. OrooHoko, or, T/je Royal Slave. 
 T. lamo. 1760. 
 
 9. The Coxcomh. F, 1771. N. P. 
 P. 190. Goldsmith, Oliver.! 
 
 Add, 
 
 He was not oom at Elphin, 
 but at a place called Forney, in 
 the county of Lonyfo/d. 
 
 P. 198. Greicne, Robert.] 
 
 Add, 
 
 The letter mentioned in this 
 page is aiferted by Naihe, in his 
 /JlMiiK^it of Pieyce PenHilcJJCy 1 593, 
 10 be a forgery, 
 
 H 
 
 P. 206. Hamilton, New- 
 
 SUK.GH.] Add, 
 
 3. Sampfon, Orat. 4to. 1743. 
 P. 3oS. Harris, Jamks.] 
 Add, 
 
 He 
 
 u 
 
 #- 
 
it,: 
 
 ho '■ «♦ 
 
 , • be diffd the 4 1 ft day of Dectm- 
 |icr, 1780. 
 
 ibid. HarsisoN, Thomas.] 
 Pcle the whole article, and fub- 
 flitute the following. 
 
 Hahrison, 'Ihomas. Was 
 mioiftlRr of the Difleni!ng Con- 
 gregation in Little Wjid-Street. 
 On March 16, 17 2 8- 9, he preach- 
 ed ihe Funeral Sermon of Dame 
 Mary Pagr at Devonihire-Sc^iKxre. 
 tie afterwards conformed and re- 
 ceived epifcopal ordination from 
 the bifiiop ot London, Se;5t. 1.4^ 
 
 J 
 
 K f 
 
 1729, 
 
 at St. Leonard's Fofter- 
 
 Laj»e, .^ni preached a Recantation 
 Scitnon fhere. ' He on the iijth of 
 febronrv, ,729, preached a Ser- 
 'Bumat (isncliffe, in Leicerterlhire, 
 on his introduction to that cure, 
 and all theft; Sennc..<' ^re ii^ print. 
 He ia alfb tk: a.'ii ar of one 
 drama, called, 
 
 Behejhazzar, &"'', 
 
 F. 212. HsARn^ Wjj.l:a!«.] 
 Add, 
 
 2. falentine^s Day, M. D. 8vo. 
 1776. 
 
 . P^ 320. Kfywood Thomas.] 
 Add, 
 
 . The aflertrbn that third nights 
 were not known until after the 
 Ksftoraiion is not well foundsd. 
 It sppears from a Prologue of 
 t)esk'':'s, that authors had the 
 benefit of one third night fo early 
 as »he year 1612. 
 
 P. 245. Howard, Edward ] 
 { Add. 
 
 ^ From the following verf.s in The 
 Sfjfion cf the FoetSy printed among 
 The State Poems, Fart L p. 20b. 
 it fhould feem that fonne of the 
 plays afcribed to Edward Howard, 
 were written by Shirley : 
 
 *' Ned Howava in whom great nature i* 
 
 found, 
 
 Tho' nevertook notice of v.ntil th?t day, 
 
 Impatiently fat till it came to his lound, 
 
 Then roCe and commended the plot of 
 
 his play. 
 
 till ^ ' - W 
 
 S'Xch arrocrnnce made Al^ollo ITark-inaJ, 
 But Shiilcy cndeavoui'd t« appeafe hit 
 choler, 
 
 l^j n-xning this flay, and fwearinir the la^ 
 In poetry wa» a vtry pert fcholar." ' 
 
 P. 247. Howard, GoR9e« 
 Edmonj.] Add, ■ ;^ 
 
 '//jtf Female Ganiffltr is a Traje- 
 <'y, and was printed, izmo,. ijT/ 'J. 
 
 P. 250. Hull, Tho ma;.] 
 
 ji. I..nvc' iviil JtHfi "v^ the 'tK'ty, 
 CO, 1777. Sor.gs only printed. 
 
 P. 
 
 Add, 
 
 MO ««« (if. 
 
 104. Jo^ 
 
 
 It is fbfervable that Mer?s, in 
 \ni IFits Treapayy printed in i^vS, 
 enumerates Pi. Jonfon rnion;r thp 
 moft eminent Tra^k writers of .thst 
 time. Yet his firft play '(Ei'ery 
 Mcfi in his Humour) is nof fup- 
 pofed to have appeared before that 
 year, and the only two traj^edies 
 he has left were not aftc-J o;- 
 printed till fome years aftetv^ards. 
 
 The writers of that time indeed 
 ufe the word Tragcch in a very 
 lax ienfe ; but Jonfon had not 
 then written even a poem of io 
 ferious a cal^ as to be entitled tu 
 that appellation. ..'.^ ,•-' « ,*? ■ 
 
 K ' 
 
 P. 268. Keef E, John.] A<itl. 
 
 3. The Dead J live. F. 17^1. 
 N. P. 
 
 4. The Jlyrccahle Surprise, F. 
 1781. N. P. 
 
 L 
 
 P. 2;S. Langford, Acra- 
 ham.] Add, 
 
 He died the tSih of Septembrr, 
 1774, aged fixty-three, and was 
 buried in St. Pancras Church- 
 yard, where a monument is ereft- 
 ed to his memory, with a ridicu- 
 lous epitaph infcribed on one fide 
 of it, and abfurdly copicu-qn the 
 oppolite fide. 
 
 . :;^1Al ,. P- 2?o, 
 
 # 
 
 / i 
 
M A 
 
 t 49S ] 
 
 8 T 
 
 ^■o. 
 
 rP.-aSo. Lee, John.] Add, 
 
 Since this article was printed, 
 ^4r. Lee died 1781. 
 
 P. 28 1. Lennox, Arabella,] 
 lier neme Charlotte. 
 
 P. 289. Lucas, Henay.] 
 Add, 
 
 2. Love in Di/gwfe. Op. about 
 
 1767- 
 P. 290. Lynch, Francis.] 
 
 For ohly read a/jo, 
 
 ,'■ .'5' M 
 
 P. ^00. Mario, Christo- 
 1>H£R.] L. 2 of Poetry, for /ul>- 
 lu!ia>y read tranjlunary. 
 
 P. 301. col. I. For Shtpfitrits 
 Holyday read Maydct^i Holyday. 
 
 P. 322. Milton, John.] L. 
 29. for' Foetifai tend Po/itka/, 
 
 P. 3^3. col. |. For MOZEEN, 
 William, read Muze en Tho- 
 mas.] 
 
 . - N 
 
 P. 336. Nash, Thomas.] Add, 
 To the account already given of 
 this writer it may be added, chat 
 it appears from a very fcarce pam- 
 phlet entitled, '* The Trimming of 
 *' Tho. Nafhe gentleman, by the 
 *' high tituled patron Don Richardo 
 *' de Medico Campo, Barber Chi- 
 *' rurgeon to Trinity College in 
 *» Cambridge," 410. 159/, that 
 Naihe was then (in 1597) in con- 
 finement on account of his having 
 written a play, called, T/je Ifle of 
 Dogs ; that while he was at Cam- 
 bridge, he wrote part of a fhow, 
 sailed Tenninui et non Ter?iiinns, 
 for which the ptrfon, who was 
 concerned with him in that com- 
 
 ijofitioii, was expelled ; that Nafhe 
 eft his college when he was feven 
 years ftanding, and before he had 
 taken his fvlalter's degree, about 
 the year i^Sy ; and that after his 
 arrival in London, he w?.s often 
 confine 1 i:i diifcrer.c gaols. 
 
 Supponu^ him w huv'e gone to 
 
 college when he was ilxtecn yCart 
 old, it appears by this account that 
 he was born in the fame year 
 that gave Shakfpeare to the world 
 
 (1564). 
 
 He died either in the year 
 1600 or 1601 ; for he pablifhed 
 one of his pamphlets in 1^99, and 
 he is fpokcn of as dead in an 
 old comedy, called ^Tbe Return frok 
 ParnaJ/iiSy which was written ip 
 1602. 
 
 P. 3;;. Pilon, F.] Add 
 8. fhelytthora. F. 1781. N.P. 
 P. 358. Pix, JVAry.] Add 
 1 1 . The Advtnturei of Madrid, 
 Com. 410. N. D. 
 
 P. 359. Potter, R.J Add, 
 Since this article was- written, 
 Mr. Potter has publifhed the firft 
 volume of a tranflation of Euri- 
 pides, 4to. 1781 ; containing, 
 
 1 . The Baccha. 
 
 2. Ion, 
 
 3. Akeftls, 
 
 4. Medea. 
 
 5. Hippolitus, 
 
 6. The Phoenician Vilnius, 
 . 7. Xhe Sypf>licants. 
 
 8. Hercule:, 
 
 9. The Heraclidef, 
 
 P. 3;i. RoBiNso.v, Maria.] 
 Since this article was written, 1 
 am inclined to doubt the truth of 
 fome circumllances contained in 
 it. L?.tcr information induces me 
 to believe, that neither the father 
 (who is living), nor the hufband 
 of this lady, were evtr in fuch 
 relpcttiible fituiitions as they are re- 
 prefented to have bf;on. It is 
 more than probable, that they are 
 all worthy of one another, and the 
 bell of the fee is undeferving of 
 any further notice. 
 
 W 429. col. I. I. 54. for 1553 
 read 1653. 
 
 P. 433. 
 
C A 
 
 t 4^6 1 
 
 £ 
 
 ' .?; 433. col. 1. 1. 8. for 1706 by miftake unier the foraicr «!«* 
 
 md 1704. fcription. 
 
 P. 445. Theobald, Lbwii ] 
 
 8 Aad 
 ti . o T t IQ- Merlin, or, 72'^ 2)«>// »^ 
 
 ,F. 454. Stewart, James.] «. ^,-„^ Paiit Byo i7ia 
 
 Dele f *r Cch/er of Qi/lkbury , and ^ "j;, 1^; ^,^,^^ ,^ Hannibal, 't. 
 
 Stewart, Charles. Theau- 
 llior of 
 
 - 1. TbeCoMer ofCafhhuiy. C. O. 
 8V0. i279» 
 
 See vol. II. p. 8a. 
 
 P. 460. ViLtlERs, GeorgK 
 
 Add 
 
 °* *Z?9*_ . _., __ . Duke OF Buckingham.] A 
 
 2. S,pe Fru^, or,Tbe Marnage ^^^ K^oration. T. C. 
 
 ?. Int. 1781.- N. P. f V ,, 
 
 3« DamHai{OHf or, liij^g hot, 
 
 Iiit. 1781. N. P; 
 
 P. 444. Taylor, John.] Dele 
 the whole article. On examining 
 
 P. 464. col. 7. DtXt ftrtitfte 
 Waybr, Willtam. 
 
 P. 477, Yarrow, Joiepk.] 
 
 the pieces faid in the Bodleian Add 
 
 Catalogue to be Plays, we find 3. Trick for fricktOt^Thel^intner 
 
 ihem to be only Poems put down eutyjitted, P. O. 8vo. 1742* 
 
 END OF THE FIEST VOLUME, 
 
 lit ik/i tu\. 
 
 i ;^^ I *