תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

feffion, nor indeed any kind of business which interrupted his voluptuary dreams, or forced him to roufe from that indulgence in which only he could find delight. His reputation as a civilian was yet maintained by his judgements in the courts of Delegates, and raised very high by the addrefs and knowledge which he discovered in 1700, when he defended the earl of Anglefea against his lady, afterwards dutchess of Buckinghamshire, who fued for a divorce, and obtained it.

The expence of his pleafures, and neglect of bufinefs, had now leffened his revenues; and he was willing to accept of a fettlement in Ireland, where, about 1702, he was made judge of the admiralty, commiffioner of the prizes, keeper of the records in Birmingham's tower, and vicar-general to Dr. Marsh, the primate.

But it is vain to put wealth within the reach of him who will not ftretch out his hand to take it. King foon found a friend, as idle and thoughtless as himself, in Upton, one of the judges, who had a pleafant house called Mountown, near Dublin, to which King frequently retired; delighting to neglect his intereft, forget his cares, and defert his duty.

Here he wrote Mully of Mountown, a poem; by which, though fanciful readers in the pride of fagacity have given it a poetical interpretation, was meant originally no more than it expreffed, as it was dictated only by the author's delight in the quiet of Mountown.

In 1708, when lord Wharton was fent to govern Ireland, King returned to London, with his poverty, VOL. X.

D

his

his idleness, and his wit; and published some effays, called Ujeful Tranfactions. His Voyage to the Island of Cajamai is particularly commended. He then wrote the Art of Love, a poem remarkable, notwithstanding its title, for purity of fentiment; and in 1709 imitated Horace in an Art of Cookery, which he published, with fome letters to Dr. Lifter.

In 1710, he appeared as a lover of the Church, on the fide of Sacheverell; and was fuppofed to have concurred at leaft in the projection of The Examiner. His eyes were open to all the operations of Whiggifm; and he bestowed fome ftrictures upon Dr. Kennet's adulatory fermon at the funeral of the duke of Devonshire.

The Hiftory of the Heathen Gods, a book compofed for fchools, was written by him in 1711. The work is ufeful; but might have been produced without the powers of King. The fame year, he published Rufinus, an hiftorical effay; and a poem, intended to difpofe the nation to think as he thought of the duke of Marlborough and his adherents.

In 1711, competence, if not plenty, was again put into his power. He was, without the trouble of attendance, or the mortification of a requeft, made gazetteer. Swift, Freind, Prior, and other men of the fame party, brought him the key of the gazetteer's office. He was now again placed in a profitable employment, and again threw the benefit away. An Act of Infolvency made his bufinefs at that time particularly troublefome; and he would not wait till hurry fhould be at an end, but impatiently refigned

it, and returned to his wonted indigence and amufe

ments.

One of his amusements at Lambeth, where he re fided, was to mortify Dr. Tenison, the archbishop, by a publick feftivity, on the furrender of Dunkirk to Hill; an event with which Tenifon's political bigotry did not fuffer him to be delighted. King was refolved to counteract his fullenness, and at the expence of a few barrels of ale filled the neighbourhood with honeft merriment.

In the autumn of 1712, his health declined; he grew weaker by degrees, and died on Christmas-day. Though his life had not been without irregularity, his principles were pure and orthodox, and his death was pious.

After this relation, it will be naturally fuppofed that his poems were rather the amufements of idlenefs than efforts of ftudy; that he endeavoured rather to divert than astonish; that his thoughts feldom afpired to fublimity; and that, if his verse was eafy and his images familiar, he attained what he defired. His purpose is to be merry; but perhaps, to enjoy his mirth, it may be fometimes neceffary to think well of his opinions.

[blocks in formation]

SPR A T.

THOMAS SPRAT was born in 1636, at Talla ton in Devonshire, the fon of a clergyman; and having been educated, as he tells of himself, not at Westminster or Eton, but at a little school by the church-yard fide, became a commoner of Wadham College in Oxford in 1651; and, being chofen fcholar next year, proceeded through the usual academi cal course; and, in 1657, became mafter of arts, He obtained a fellowship, and commenced poet.

In 1659, his poem on the death of Oliver was published, with thofe of Dryden and Waller. In his dedication to Dr. Wilkins, he appears a very willing and liberal encomiaft, both of the living and the dead. He implores his patron's excufe of his verses, both as falling "fo infinitely below the full "and fublime genius of that excellent poet who "made this way of writing free of our nation," and being "fo little equal and proportioned to the re"nown of a prince on whom they were written;

fuch great actions and lives deferving to be the

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

fubject of the nobleft pens and moft divine phan"fies." He proceeds: Having fo long expe*rienced your' care and indulgence, and been ❝ formed, as it were, by your own hands, not to en"title you to any thing which my meannefs pro"duces would be not only injuftice, but facrilege."

He published, the fame year, a poem on the Plague of Athens; a subject of which it is not easy to say what could recommend it. To these he added afterwards a poem on Mr. Cowley's death.

After the Restoration he took orders, and by Cowley's recommendation was made chaplain to the duke of Buckingham, whom he is faid to have helped in writing the Rehearsal. He was likewise chaplain to the king.

As he was the favourite of Wilkins, at whofe house began those philofophical conferences and enquiries which in time produced the Royal Society, he was confequently engaged in the same studies, and became one of the fellows: and when, after their incorporation, fomething feemed neceffary to reconcile the publick to the new inftitution, he undertook to write its hiftory, which he published in 1667. This is one of the few books which felection of sentiment and elegance of diction have been able to preserve, though written upon a subject flux and tranfitory. The Hiftory of the Royal Society is now read, not with the wish to know what they were then doing, but how their Transactions are exhibited by Sprat.

In the next year he published Obfervations on Sorbiere's Voyage into England, in a Letter to Mr. Wren.

[blocks in formation]
« הקודםהמשך »