tection, and not only affifted him in any casual diftreffes, but continued an equal and steady kindness to the time of his death.

By his interpofition Mr. Savage once obtained from his mother fifty pounds, and a promife of one hundred and fifty more; but it was the fate of this unhappy man, that few promises of any advantage to him were performed. His mother was infected among others with the general madness of the South Sea traffic; and, having been difappointed in her expectations, refused to pay what perhaps nothing but the profpect of fudden affluence prompted her to promise.

Being thus obliged to depend upon the friendship of Mr. Wilks, he was confequently an affiduous frequenter of the theatres; and in a fhort time the amusements of the stage took fuch poffeffion of his mind, that he never was abfent from a play in feveral years.

This conftant attendance naturally procured him the acquaintance of the players, and, among others, of Mrs. Oldfield, who was fo much pleased with his converfation, and touched with his misfortunes, that he allowed him a fettled penfion of fifty pounds a year, which was during her life regularly paid.

*This I write upon the credit of the author of his life, which was published 1727.

That

That this act of generofity may receive its due praise, and that the good actions of Mrs. Oldfield may not be fullied by her general character, it is proper to mention what Mr. Savage often declared in the ftrongest terms, that he never faw her alone, or in any other place than behind the fcenes.

At her death he endeavoured to fhew his gratitude in the most decent manner, by wearing mourning as for a mother; but did not celebrate her in elegies, becaufe he knew that too great profufion of praife would only have revived thofe faults which his natural equity did not allow him to think lefs, because they were committed by one who favoured him; but of which, though his virtue would not endeavour to palliate them, his gratitude would not fuffer him to prolong the memory, or diffuse the cenfure.

In his WANDERER, he has indeed taken an opportunity of mentioning her, but celebrates her not for her virtue, but her beauty, an excellence which none ever denied her: this is the only encomium with which he has rewarded her liberality, and perhaps he has even in this been too lavish of his praife. He feems to have thought, that never to mention his benefactress would have an appearance of ingratitude, though to have dedicated any particular performance to her memory would have only betrayed an officious partiality, that, with

out exalting her character, would have depreffed his own.

He had fometimes, by the kindness of Mr. Wilks, the advantage of a benefit, on which occafions he often received uncommon marks of regard and compaffion; and was once told by the Duke of Dorset, that it was juft to confider him as an injured nobleman, and that in his opinion the nobility ought to think themselves obliged, without folicitation, to take every opportunity of fupporting him by their countenance and patronage. But he had generally

the mortification to hear that the whole intereft of his mother was employed to frustrate his applications, and that she never left any expedient untried, by which he might be cut off from the poffibility of supporting life. The fame difpofition fhe endeavoured to diffufe among all those over whom nature or fortune gave her any influence, and indeed fucceeded too well in her defign; but could not always propagate her effrontery with her cruelty, for fome of thofe, whom the incited against him, were ashamed of their own conduct, and boasted of that relief which they never gave him.

In this cenfure I do not indifcriminately involve all his relations; for he has mentioned with gratitude the humanity of one Lady, whofe name I am now unable to recollect, and to whom therefore I cannot pay the praises which

The

fhe deferves for having acted well in oppofition to influence, precept, and example.

The punishment which our laws inflict upon those parents who murder their infants is well known, nor has its justice ever been contested; but if they deferve death, who destroy a child in its birth, what pains can be fevere enough for her who forbears to deftroy him only to inflict fharper miferies upon him; who prolongs his life only to make it miferable; and who expofes him, without care and without pity, to the malice of oppreflion, the caprices of chance, and the temptations of poverty; who rejoices to fee him overwhelmed with calamities; and, when his own induftry, or the charity of others, has enabled him to rife for a fhort time above his miferies, plunges him again into his former diftrefs?

The kindness of his friends not affording him any conftant fupply, and the prospect of improving his fortune by enlarging his acquaintance, neceffarily leading him to places of expence, he found it neceffary ** to endeavour once more at dramatic poetry, for which he was now better qualified by a more, extenfive knowledge, and longer cbfervation. But having been unfuccefsful in comedy, though rather for want of opportunities than genius, he refolved now to try whether he should not be more fortunate in exhibit ing a tragedy.

The story which he chofe for the subject, was that of Sir Thomas Overbury, a ftory well; adapted to the ftage, though perhaps not far enough removed from the prefent age, to admit properly the fictions neceffary to complete the. plan for the mind, which naturally loves. truth, is always moft offended with the violation of those truths of which we are most certain; and we of courfe conceive those facts most certain, which approach nearest to our own time.

Out of this story he formed a tragedy, which, if the circumftances in which he wrote it be confidered, will afford at once an uncommon proof of ftrength of genius, and evenness of mind, of a ferenity not to to be ruffled, and an imagination not to be fuppreffed.

During a confiderable part of the time, in which he was employed upon this performance, he was without, lodging, and often without meat; nor had he any other conveniences for study than the fields or the street allowed him; there he used to walk and form his fpeeches, and afterwards ftep into a fhop, beg for a few moments the use of the pen and ink, and write down what he had compofed upon paper, which he had picked up by acci

dent.

If the performance of a writer thus diftreffed is not perfect, its faults ought furely to be

imputed