condition did not enable him to procure any affiftance. The last time that the keeper faw him was on July the 31ft, 1743, when Savage, feeing him at his bedfide, faid, with an uncommon earneftness, "I have fomething to fay to you, Sir;" but, after a paufe, moved his hand in a melancholy manner, and, finding himfelf unable to recollect what he was going to communicate, faid, ""Tis gone!" The keeper foon after left him, and the next morning he died. He was buried in the church-yard of St. Peter, at the expence of the keeper, after fix months confinement.

"He was (fays Dr. Johnson, who was intimate with him) of a middle ftature, of a thin habit of body, a long vifage, coarse features, and melancholy afpect; of a grave and manly deportment, a folemn dignity of mien, but which, upon a nearer acquaintance, foftenedinto an engaging eafiness of manners. His walk was flow, and his voice tremulous and mournful---He was eafily excited to finiles, but very feldom provoked to laughter.

His mind was in an uncommon degree vigorous and active. His judgment was accurate, his apprehenfion quick, and his memory fo tenacious, that he was frequently observed to know what he had learned from others in a fhort time, better than thofe by whom he was informed; and could frequently recollect incidents, with all their combination of circumstances, which few would have regarded at the prefent time, but which the quickness of his apprehenfion impreffed upon him. He had the peculiar felicity that his attention never deferted him; he was preíent to every object, and regardful of the moft trifling occurrences. He had the art of efcaping from his own reflections, and accommodating himself to every new scene."

"His method of life particularly qualified him for converfation, of which he knew how to practife all the graces. He was never vehement or loud, but

at once modest and easy, open and respectful; his language was vivacious and elegant, and equally happy upon grave or humorous fubjects."

"With regard to his ceconomy nothing can be added to the relation of his life. He appeared to think himfelf born to be fupported by others, and difpenfed from all neceffity of providing for himself.”

"His temper was, in confequence of the dominion of his paffions, uncertain and capricious; he was eafily engaged, and easily disgusted; but he is accufed of retaining his hatred more tenaciously than his benevolence.

"He was compaffionate both by nature and principle, and always ready to perform offices of humanity; but when he was provoked (and very fall offences were fufficient to provoke him) he would profecute his revenge with the utmoft acrimony till his paffion had fubfided. His friendship was therefore of little

value."

"He could not eafily leave off when he had once begun to mention himself or his works; nor ever read his verfes without ftealing his eyes from the page, to difcover, in the faces of his audience, how they were affected with any favourite paffage.'

"As an author therefore, and he now ceases to influence mankind in any other character, if one piece which he had refolved to suppress be excepted, he has very little to fear from the ftricteft moral or religious cenfure. And though he may not be altogether fecure against the objections of the critic, it must however be acknowledged that his works are the productions of a genius truly poetical, and, what many writers who have been more lavishly applauded cannot boast, that they have an original air, which has no refemblance of any foregoing writer; that the verfification and fentiments have a caft peculiar to themselves, which no man can imitate with fuccefs, because what

was

was nature in Savage, would in another be affectation. It must be confeffed that his defcriptions are ftriking, his images animated, his fictions juftly imagined, and his allegories artfully pursued; that his diction is elevated, though fometimes forced, and his numbers fonorous and majestic, though frequently fluggish and encumbered. Of his ftyle the general fault is harshness, and its general excellence is dignity; of his fentiments the prevailing beauty is fublimity, and uniformity the prevailing effect."

SOMERVILE.

R. JOHNSON's account of this author is thort,

DR and confeffedly unfatisfactorily.

He was a gentleman whofe eftate was in Warwickfhire; his houfe is called Edfton, a feat inherited from a long line of ancestors, for he was faid to be of the firft family in his county. He tells of himself, that he was born near the Avon's banks. He was bred at Winchefter-school, but whether of any Univerfity is not stated.

Of the close of his life his friend Shenstone gives the following fad account in one of his Letters:

66

Our old friend Somervile is dead! I did not imagine I could have been fo forry as I find myfelf on this occafion. I can now excufe his foibles, impute them to age and to diftrefs of circumstances: the last of these confiderations wrings my very foul to think on. For a man of high fpirit, conscious of having (at least in one production) generally pleased the world, to be plagued and threatened by wretches that are low in every fenfe; to be forced

to

to drink himself into pains of the body, in order to get rid of the pains of the mind, is a mifery." He died July 14th, 1743.

Dr. Johnson says but little of his occafional poems. We fhall give the reader only the principal part of his remarks on the "Chafe," this author's greatest work.

"His great work is his "Chafe," which he undertook in his maturer age, when his ear was improved to the approbation of blank verfe, of which however his two firft lines give a bad fpecimen. To this poem praife cannot totally be denied. He is allowed. by fportfmen to write with great intelligence of his fubject, which is the first requifite to excellence; and though it is impoffible to interest the common readers of verfe in the dangers or pleafures of the chase, he has done all that tranfition and variety could easily effect; and has with great propriety enlarged his plan by the modes of hunting ufed in other countries."

JAM

THOMSON.

AMES THOMSON the fon of a minifter well efteemed for his piety and diligence, was born September 7, 1700, at Ednam in the fhire of Roxburgh, of which his father was paftor. His mother, whofe name was Hume, inherited as co-heirefs a portion of a small eftate. The revenue of a parish in Scotland is feldom large; and it was probably in commiferation of the difficulty with which Mr. Thomfon fupported his family, having nine children, that Mr. Riccarton a neighbouring minifter, difcovering in James uncommon promifes of future excellence, undertook to fuperintend his education and provide him books.

He

He was taught the common rudiments of learning at the fchool of Jedburgh, a place which he delights to recollect in his poem of "Autumn;" but was not confidered by his master as fuperior to common boys, though in thofe early days he amufed his patron and his friends with poetical compofitions, with which he fo little pleafed himself, that on every new year's day he threw into the fire all the productions of the foregoing year.

From fchool he was removed to Edinburgh, where he had not refided two years when his father died, and left all his children to the care of their mother, who raised upon her little eftate what money a mortgage could afford, and, removing with her family to Edinburgh, lived to fee her fon rifing into eminence.

He now determined to vifit London, and cultivate with new diligence his bloffoms of poetry, which had occafionally burfted forth to the admiration of many. At his arrival he found his way to Mr. Mallet, and had recommendations to feveral perfons of confequence, which he had tied up carefully in his handkerchief; but as he paffed along the ftreets, with the gaping curiofity of a new-comer, his attention was upon every thing rather than his pocket, and his magazine of credentials was stolen from him.

His firft want was of a pair of fhoes. For the fupply of all his neceffities, his whole fund was his

Winter," which for a time could find no purchaser; till, at last, Mr. Millan was perfuaded to buy it at a low price; and this low price he had for fome time reafon to regret; but a Mr. Whatley, happening to turn his eye upon it, was fo delighted that he ran from place to place celebrating its excellencies. Thomfon obtained likewife the notice of Aaron Hill. The poem was dedicated to Sir Spencer Compton, who, through

the