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contemporaries, having written during the first year of his admiffion a copy of Latin verfes, "On the marriage of George, Prince of Denmark, with the lady Anne," which were acknowledged to poffefs a claffical terfenefs of diction and harmony of numbers.

He was admitted to his Bachelor's degree in 1686, and two years afterwards produced his poem on the Deities as a College exercife, agreeable to the established practice of St. John's, to prefent the Earl of Exeter annually fome poems on facred fubjects, as an acknowledgment of a benefaction enjoyed by the members, from the liberality of his venerable ancestor. This compofition, though no literary eulogium was paffed upon it, happens to have recommended him to the notice of the noble Earl for his verfes to the Countefs of Exeter, in praise of her Mufe," and his lines, on the famous picture of "Seneca dying in a Bath," afford ground for concluding that he had been introduced to that family.

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The fame year he wrote, in conjunction with the honourable Charles Montague," the City Moufe and Country Mouse," in ridicule of Dryden's Hind and Panther." Spence, a contemporary writer, relates that Dryden was much affected by that fatiric production, and introduces that great Poet's words upon the occafion, who thought it hard that an old man fhould be fo treated by those to whom he had always been civil." Dr. Johnson obferves, upon this circumftance, that

by tales like these is the envy, raised by fuperior 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 :" and he adds, that " Dryden had been more accuftomed to hoftilities, than that fuch enemies fhould break his quiet, and if we can suppose him vexed, it would be hard to deny him fenfe enough not to conceal his uneafinefs."

From this humorous performance, the authors derived more

effential benefit than the mere gratification of fretting Dryden, for they both foon after obtained preferment. Montague, indeed, was first noticed, which occafioned fome degree of dif content on the part of Prior, as appears from the following lines.

"My friend Charles Montague's preferrd,
"Nor would I have it long obferved--

"That one Moufe cats, while t' other's starv'd.

But Prior's caufe for complaint was foon removed, for having been invited to London, by his patron the Earl of Dorset, in 1691, he was fent to the Congrefs at the Hague, in which was formed the grand alliance against Lewis XIV. as fecretary to the Earl of Berkeley, ambassador and plenipotentiary from King William. In this exalted sphere Prior conducted himself with fuch addrefs, as to conciliate the king in fo high a degree, that, as a teftimony of his approbation, he appointed him one of the gentlemen of his bedchamber, which enabled our author to devote fome of the enfuing years to the quiet purfuit of literary acquirements.

The death of Queen Mary, in 1695, produced an almost univerfal emulation of elegy, and (to ufe the words of Dr. Johnfon) "no funeral, perhaps, was ever fo poetically attended. Dryden indeed, as a man discountenanced and deprived, was silent; but fcarcely any other maker of verfes omitted to bring his tribute of tuneful forrow." Among the reft, Prior prefented to the King on his Majesty's arrival in Holland, an elaborate ode fraught with the highest encomiums on the character of his much loved confort, by whofe decease, his Majefty, and all his loyal fubjects, had fuftained such irreparable lofs. The bard became fo enhanced in the esteem of his fovereign, that, in 1697, he was appointed fecretary to the Embaffy on the treaty of Ryswick, and at the conclufion of which, he was presented with a confiderable fum by the Lords Juftices as a remuneration for his fervices. The next year he was appointed to the fame office at the court of Versailles, an event which furnished the following anecdote:

As Prior was one day furveying the royal apartments, being fhewn the victories of Lewis le Grand, painted by Lebrun, and afked whether the king of England's palace had any fuch decorations?"The monuments of my master's actions," said he, ❝are to be seen every where but in his own houfe." Dr. Johnfon obferves, upon the occafion, that "the pictures of Lebrun 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.

Prior had the honour of attending his fovereign in 1699 at Loo, from whom, after a long audience, he was dispatched with orders to the court of London, and upon his arrival was appointed under fecretary of state in the earl of Jerfey's office, which he did not long retain, as the earl was removed, but was foon after made a commiffioner of trade.

In 1700 he produced the Carmen Seculare, one of his moft elaborate and splendid compofitions. His eulogium on king William furpaffes all his other efforts at celebration. On this production Dr. Johnson makes the following comment.

"I mean not to accuse him of flattery: he probably thought all that he writ, and retained as much veracity as can be properly exacted from a Poet profeffedly encomiaftic. 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 reprefents him in his Verses. He confidered him as a hero, and was accustomed to say that he praised others in compliance with the fashion, but that in celebrating 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 Willam's reign he mentions a fociety for useful arts among them."

Since that with care true cloquence hall teach,
And to juft idioms fix our doubtfut fpeech;
That from our writers difiant realms may know,

The thanks we to our inonarchs owe;

And fchools profefs our tongue thro' every land,

That las invoked his aid, or blefsed his hand.

Prior was elected reprefentative for Eaft-Grinstead in the Parliament that affembled in 1701, at which period he added to the numberless proofs of human versatility in abandoning the whig party, and joining the tories in voting for the impeachment of Lord Sommers, and other peers, charged with advising the King to the partition treaty; that very treaty in which he himself had been engaged as a minifterial agent.

The greateft part of the reign of queen Anne being occupied in the prosecution of war, and therefore affording no opportunity for employing agents in a diplomatic capacity, Prior had leifure for the exertion of his poetical genius, and availed himfelf of the opportunity of teftifying the pleasure and fatisfaction he derived from the increafing glories of his country, in an Epistle to Boileau, on the victory obtained by the Duke of Malborough at the battle of Blenheim. On this event he had to contend with two formidable rivals, Addison and Philips.

Having attained to an eminent degree of fame, both perfonal and literary, he was induced to publish a volume of poems, with a dedication to Lionel Duke of Dorfet, containing an eulogium on his predeceffor, and the poet's patron. The collection began with the College Exercife and ended with the Nut-brown Maid.

The memorable battle of Ramilies, in 1705, afforded our author another opportunity for the display of his poetical talents, in fignalizing the prowess of his countrymen. His Ode on this victory is written in Spencer's ftanza, and is remarked as the only compofition produced by that event, which is now remembered.

As the nation became weary of the burthens of war, and the queen became diffatisfied with her Minifters; the adverfe party, with Harley at their head, formed expectations of expelling the whigs from court and from power; to effect which a paper, called the Examiner, was published periodically,

in order to convey intelligence to the people of ministerial abufes, the avarice of generals, the tyranny of favourites, and the probability of approaching ruin. Some of the papers of the Examiner were written by Swift, fome by King and other men of abilities of the party. One in particular in ridicule of Garth's veries to Lord Godolphin upon the loss of his place, was written by Prior, and answered by Addison, in a paper entitled the WhigExaminer, published in oppofition to the Examiner. From the tenor of the anfwer, Addison appears to have known the author either by conjecture or intelligence.

The Tory party having gained their ends in fupplanting their opponents in the poffeffion of the reins of government, and being defirous of effecting their purpose of putting an end to the war as fpeedily as poffible; Prior was fent privately to Paris, with propofitions of peace, in July 1711, and on his return, within the course of a month, was accompanied by M. Meffnager, the French plenipotentiary. The negociation commenced at Prior's refidence, where the queen's ministers met Meffnager on the 20th of September, and entered privately upon the great bufinefs. His importance in that tranfaction is evident from the mention made of him in the following letter from lord Bolingbroke to the queen :

"My lord treasurer (Harvey) moved, and all my lords were of opinion, that Mr. Prior should be added to those who are em ployed to fign; the reason for which is, because he having perfonally treated with Monf. de Torcy, is the best witness we can produce of the sense in which the general preliminaries are entered into; befides which, as he is beft verfed in matters of trade of all your Majefty's fervants, who have been trufted in this fecret, if you fhall think fit to employ him in the future treaty of commerce, it will be of confequence that he has been a party concerned in concluding that convention which must be the rule of this treaty.

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The affembly of this important night was in some degree clandes

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