His opinions, fo far as the means of judging are left us, feem to have been right; but his life was, it seems, irregular, negligent, and fenfual. PRIOR has written with great variety, and his variety has made him popular. He has tried all ftiles from the grotefque to the folemn, and has not fo failed in any as to incur derifion or difgrace. His works may be diftinctly confidered as comprifing Tales, Love-verfes, Occafional Poems, Alma, and Solomon. His Tales have obtained general approbation, being written with great familiarity miliarity and great fpritelinefs: the lan-guage is eafy, but feldom grofs, and the numbers smooth, without appearance of care. Of thefe Tales there are only four. The Ladle; which is introduced by a Preface, neither neceffary nor pleafing, neither grave nor merry. Paulo Purganti; which has likewife a Preface, but of more value than the Tale. Hans Carvel, not over-decent; and Protogenes and Apelles, an old story, mingled, by an affectation not difagreeable, with modern images. The Young Gentleman in Love has hardly a juft claim to the title of a Tale. I know not whether he be the original author of any Tale which he has given us. The Adventure of Hans Carvel has paft through many fuccef fions of merry wits; for it is to be found in Ariofto's Satires, and is perhaps yet older. But the merit of fuch ftories is the art of telling them. In his Amorous Effufions he is lefs happy; for they are not dictated by nature or by paffion, and have neither gallantry nor tenderness. They have the coldness of Cowley, without his wit, the dull exercises of a fkilful verfifyer, refolved at all adventures to write fomething about Chloe, and trying to be amorous by dint of ftudy. His fictions therefore are mythological. Venus, after the example of the Greek Epigram, afks when she was feen naked and bathing. Then Cupid is mistaken; then Cupid is difarmed; then he lofes his darts to Gany Ganymede; then Jupiter fends him a fummons by Mercury. Then Chloe goes ahunting, with an ivory quiver graceful at her fide; Diana mistakes her for one of her nymphs, and Cupid laughs at the blunder. All this is furely defpicable; and even when he tries to act the lover, without the help of gods or goddeffes, his thoughts are unaffecting or remote. He talks not like a man of this world. The greatest of all his amorous effays is Henry and Emma; a dull and tedious dialogue, which excites neither esteem for the man nor tenderness for the woman. The example of Emma, who refolves to follow an outlawed murderer wherever fear and guilt fhall drive him, deferves no imitation; and the experi ment ment by which Henry tries the lady's conftancy, is fuch as must end either in infamy to her, or in difappointment to himself. His occafional Poems neceffarily loft part of their value, as their occafions, being lefs remembered, raised less emotion. Some of them, however, are preserved by their inherent excellence. The burlesque of Boileau's Ode on Namur has, in fome parts, fuch airinefs and levity as will always procure it readers, even among those who cannot compare it with the original. The Epistle to Boileau is not fo happy. The Poems to the King are now perufed only by young students, who read merely that they may learn to write; and of the |