He is fuppofed to have fallen, by his father's death, into the hands of his uncle, a vintner * near Charingcross, who fent him for fome time to Dr. Busby, at Westminster; but, not intending to give him any education beyond that of the school, took him, when he was well advanced in literature, to his own house, where the earl of Dorfet, celebrated for patronage of genius, found him by chance, as Burnet relates, reading Horace, and was so well pleased with his proficiency, that he undertook the care and coft of his academical education.

He entered his name in St. John's College at Cambridge in 1682, in his eighteenth year; and it may be reasonably fuppofed that he was diftinguished among his contemporaries. He became a Bachelor, as is ufual, in four years; and two years afterwards wrote the poem on the Deity, which stands first in his volume.

It is the established practice of that College, to fend every year to the earl of Exeter fome poems upon facred fubjects, in acknowledgment of a benefaction enjoyed by them from the bounty of his ancestor. On this occafion were thofe verfes written, which, though nothing is faid of their fuccess, seem to have recommended him to fome notice for his praife of the countefs's mufick, and his lines on the famous picture of Seneca, afford reafon for imagi

* Samuel Prior kept the Rummer Tavern near Charing Cross in 1685. The annual feast of the nobility and gentry living in the parish of St. Martin in the Fields was held at his house, Oct. 14, that year. N.

+ He was admitted to his Bachelor's degree in 1686; and to his Mafter's, by mandate, in 1700.

ning that he was more or lefs converfant with that family.

*

The fame year he published the City Mouse and Country Moufe, to ridicule Dryden's Hind and Panther, in conjunction with Mr. Montague. There is a ftory of great pain suffered, and of tears shed, on this occafion, by Dryden, who thought it hard that "an "old man should be fo treated by those to whom he "had always been civil." By tales like these is the envy, raised by superior abilities, every day gratified: when they are attacked, every one hopes to fee them humbled; what is hoped is readily believed; and what is believed is confidently told. Dryden had been more accustomed to hoftilities, than that fuch enemies should break his quiet; and, if we can suppose him vexed, it would be hard to deny him fenfe enough to conceal his uneafiness.

The City Moufe and Country Moufe procured its authors more folid advantages than the pleasure of fretting Dryden; for they were both speedily preferred. Montague, indeed, obtained the first notice, with fome degree of discontent, as it seems, in Prior, who probably knew that his own part of the performance was the beft. He had not, however, much reason to complain; for he came to London, and obtained fuch notice, that (in 1691) he was fent to the Congress at the Hague as fecretary to the embaffy. In this affembly of princes and nobles, to which Europe has perhaps fcarcely feen any thing equal, was formed the grand alliance againft Lewis, which at last did not produce effects proportionate to the magnificence of the tranfaction.

* Spence.

The

The conduct of Prior, in this fplendid initiation into publick business, was so pleasing to king William, that he made him one of the gentlemen of his bedchamber; and he is fuppofed to have paffed fome of the next years in the quiet cultivation of literature and poetry.

The death of queen Mary (in 1695) produced a fubject for all the writers: perhaps no funeral was ever so poetically attended. Dryden, indeed, as a man discountenanced and deprived, was filent; but fcarcely any other maker of verfes omitted to bring his tribute of tuneful forrow. An emulation of elegy was univerfal. Maria's praise was not confined to the English language, but fills a great part of the Mufa Anglicana.

Prior, who was both a poet and a courtier, was too diligent to mifs this opportunity of refpect. He wrote a long ode, which was prefented to the king, by whom it was not likely to be ever read.

In two years he was fecretary to another embaffy at the treaty of Ryswick (in 1697*); and next year had the fame office at the court of France, where he is faid to have been confidered with great diftinction.

As he was one day furveying the apartments at Versailles, being fhewn the Victories of Louis, painted by Le Brun, and afked whether the king of England's palace had any fuch decorations; "The mo"numents of my master's actions," faid he, "are "to be feen every where but in his own house."

*He received, in September 1697, a prefent of 200 guineas from the lords juftices, for his trouble in bringing over the treaty of peace. N.

The

The pictures of Le Brun are not only in themselves fufficiently oftentatious, but were explained by infcriptions fo arrogant, that Boileau and Racine thought it neceffary to make them more fimple.

He was in the following year at Loo with the king; from whom, after a long audience, he carried orders to England, and upon his arrival became under-fecretary of state in the earl of Jerfey's office; a poft which he did not retain long, because Jersey was removed; but he was foon made commiffioner of trade.

This year (1700) produced one of his longeft and moft fplendid compofitions, the Carmen Seculare, in which he exhaufts all his powers of celebration. I mean not to accufe him of flattery: he probably thought all that he writ, and retained as much veracity as can be properly exacted from a poet profeffedly encomiaftick. King William fupplied copious. materials for either verfe or profe. His whole life. had been action, and none ever denied him the refplendent qualities of steady refolution and perfonal courage. He was really in Prior's mind what he represents him in his verses; he confidered him as a hero, and was accuftomed to fay, that he praised others in compliance with the fashion, but that incelebrating king William he followed his inclination. To Prior gratitude would dictate praife, which reafon would not refuse.

Among the advantages to arife from the future years of William's reign, he mentions a Society for ufeful Arts, and among them

Some that with care true eloquence fhall teach,

And to juft idioms fix our doubtful speech;

VOL. X.

M

That

That from our writers diftant realms may know

The thanks we to our monarchs owe,

And fchools profefs our tongue through every land,
That has invok'd his aid, or blefs'd his hand.

Tickell, in his Profpect of Peace, has the fame hope of a new academy:

In happy chains our daring language bound,
Shall sport no more in arbitrary found.

Whether the fimilitude of thofe paffages which exhibit the fame thought on the fame occafion proceeded from accident or imitation, is not eafy to determine. Tickell might have been impreffed with his expectation by Swift's Propofal for ascertaining the English Language, then lately published.

In the parliament that met in 1701, he was chofen reprefentative of East Grinstead. Perhaps it was about this time that he changed his party; for he voted for the impeachment of those lords who had perfuaded the king to the Partition-treaty, a treaty in which he had himself been minifterially employed.

A great part of queen Anne's reign was a time of war, in which there was little employment for negotiators, and Prior had therefore leifure to make or to polifh verfes. When the battle of Blenheim called forth all the verfemen, Prior, among the reft, took eare to fhew his delight in the increafing honour of his country by an Epiftle to Boileau.

He published, foon afterwards, a volume of poems, with the encomiaftick character of his deceased patron the duke of Dorfet it began with the College. Exercife, and ended with the Nut-brown Maid.

The