But whatever were her motives, no fooner was her fon born, than fhe difcovered a refolution of difowning him; and in a very fhort time removed him from her fight, by committing him to the care of a poor woman, whom the directed to educate him as her own, and injoined never to inform him. of his true parents.

Such was the beginning of the life of Richard Savage: Born with a legal claim to honour and to affluence, he was in two months illegitimated by the parliament, and difowned by his mother, doomed to poverty and obfcurity, and launched upon the ocean of life, only that he might be swallowed by its quickfands, or dafhed upon its rocks.

His mother could not indeed infect others with the fame cruelty. As it was impoffible to avoid the inquiries which the curiofity or tenderness of her relations made after her child, the was obliged to give fome account of the measures which she had taken; and her mother, the Lady Mason, whether in approbation of her defign, or to prevent more criminal contrivances, engaged to tranfact with the nurse, to pay her for her care, and to fuperintend the education of the child.

In this charitable office the was affifted by his godmother Mrs. Loyd, who, while fhe lived, always looked upon him with that tenderness, which the barbarity of his mother made peculiarly neceffary; but her death, which happened in his tenth year, was another of the misfortunes of his childhood; for though the kindly endeavoured to alleviate his lofs by a legacy of three hundred pounds, yet, as he had none to profecute his claim, to fhelter him from oppreffion, or call in law to the affiftance of juftice, her will was eluded by the executors, and no part of the money ever paid.

He was however not yet wholly abandoned. The Lady Mason ftill continued her care, and directed him to be placed at a small grammar-school near St. Alban's, where he was called by the name of his

nurfe,

nurse, without the least intimation that he had a claim to any other.

Here he was initiated in literature, and paffed through feveral of the claffes, with what rapidity or what applaufe cannot now be known. As he always fpoke with refpect of his mafter, it is probable that the mean rank, in which he then appeared, did not hinder his genius from being diftinguifhed, or his industry from being rewarded; and if in fo low a ftate he obtained distinction and rewards, it is not likely that they were gained but by genius and industry.

It is very reasonable to conjecture, that his application was equal to his abilities, becaufe his improvement was more than proportioned to the opportunities which he enjoyed; nor can it be doubted, that if his earliest productions had been preferved, like thofe of happier ftudents, we might in fome have found vigorous fallies of that fprightly humour, which diftinguishes THE AUTHOR TO BE LET, and in others, ftrong touches of that ardent imagination which painted the folemn fcenes of THE WANDERER.

While he was thus cultivating his genius, his father the Earl Rivers was feized with a diftemper, which in a fhort time put an end to his life. He had frequently inquired after his fon, and had always been amused with fallacious and evasive answers; but being now in his own opinion on his death-bed, he thought it his duty to provide for him among his other natural children, and therefore demanded a pofitive account of him, with an importunity not to be diverted or denied His mother, who could no longer deny an answer, determined at least to give fuch as fhould cut him off for ever from that happinefs which competence affords, and therefore declared that he was dead; which is perhaps the first inftance of a lie invented by a mother to deprive her fon of a provifion which was defigned him by another, and which fhe could not expect herfelf, though he fhould lose it.

This was therefore an act of wickedness which could not be defeated, because it could not be fufpected; the Earl did not imagine, that there could exift in a human form a mother that would ruin her fon without enriching herfelf, and therefore bestowed upon fome other perfon fix thousand pounds, which he had in his will bequeathed to Savage.

The fame cruelty which incited his mother to intercept this provifion which had been intended him, prompted her in a fhort time to another project, a project worthy of fuch a difpofition. She endeavoured to rid herself from the danger of being at any time made known to him, by fending him fecretly to the American plantations *.

By whofe kindness this scheme was counteracted, or by what interpofition fhe was induced to lay afide her defign, I know not; it is not improbable that the Lady Mafon might perfuade or compel her to defift, or perhaps fhe could not eafily find accomplices wicked enough to concur in fo cruel an action; for it may be conceived, that those who had by a long gradation of guilt hardened their hearts against the fenfe of common wickednefs, would yet be fhocked at the defign of a mother to expofe her fon to flavery and want, to expofe him without interest, and without provocation; and Savage might on this occafion find protectors and advocates among thofe who had long traded in crimes, and whom compaffion had never touched before.

Being hindered, by whatever means, from banifhing him into another country, fhe formed foon after a fcheme for burying him in poverty and obfcurity in his own; and that his ftation of life, if not the place of his refidence, might keep him for ever at a distance from her, the ordered him to be placed with a fhoemaker in Holborn, that after the ufual time of trial, he might become his apprentice t.

Savage's Preface to his Miscellany. + Preface to Savage's Mifcellanies.

It

It is generally reported, that this project was for fome time fuccefsful, and that Savage was employed. at the awl longer than he was willing to confefs; nor was it perhaps any great advantage to him, that an unexpected difcovery determined him to quit his occupation.

About this time his nurfe, who had always treated him as her own fon, died; and it was natural for him to take care of thofe effects, which by her death were, as he imagined, become his own; he therefore went to her houfe, opened her boxes, and examined her papers, among which he found fome letters written to her by the Lady Mafon, which inform'd him of his birth, and the reasons for which it was concealed.

He was now no longer fatisfied with the employment which had been allotted him, but thought he had a right to share the affluence of his mother, and therefore without fcruple applied to her as her fon, and made use of every art to awaken her tenderness, and attract her regard. But neither his letters, nor the interpofition of those friends which his merit or his diftrefs procured him, made any impreffion upon her mind: She ftill refolved to neglect, though the could no longer disown him.

It was to no purpose that he frequently folicited her to admit him to fee her; fhe avoided him with the most vigilant precaution, and ordered him to be excluded from her house, by whomfoever he might be introduced, and what reafon foever he might give for entering it.

Savage was at the fame time fo touched with the difcovery of his real mother, that it was his frequent practice to walk in the dark evenings for feveral hours before her door, in hopes of feeing her as fhe might come by accident to the window, or cross her apartment with a candle in her hand.

But all his affiduity and tenderness were without effect, for he could neither foften her heart, nor

B 4

PLAIN DEALER. See Appendix.

open

open her hand, and was reduced to the utmost miferies of want, while he was endeavouring to awaken the affection of a mother: He was therefore obliged to feek fome other means of fupport, and having no profeffion, became, by neceffity, an author.

At this time the attention of all the literary world was engroffed by the Bangorian controverfy, which filled the prefs with pamphlets, and the coffee-houfes with difputants. Of this fubject, as most popular, he made choice for his first attempt, and without any other knowledge of the question, than he had cafually collected from converfation, published a poema against the bishop.

What was the fuccefs or merit of this performance I know not; it was probably loft among the innumerable pamphlets to which that dispute gave occafion. Mr. Savage was himfelf in a little time afhamed of it, and endeavoured to fupprefs it, by deftroying all the copies that he could collect.

He then attempted a more gainful kind of writing*, and in his eighteenth year offered to the ftage a comedy borrowed from a Spanish plot, which was refufed by the players, and was therefore given by him to Mr. Bullock, who, having more interest, made fome flight alterations, and brought it upon the stage, under the title of † WOMAN'S A RIddle, but allowed the unhappy author no part of the profit.

Not difccuraged however at his repulfe, he wrote two years afterwards LovE IN A VEIL, another comedy, borrowed likewife from the Spanish, but with little better fuccefs than before; for though it was received and acted, yet it appeared fo late in the year, that the author obtained no other advantage from it, than the acquaintance of Sir Richard Steele, and Mr. Wilks; by whom he was pitied, careffed, and relieved.

* Jacob's Lives of Dramatic Poets.

Sir

This play was printed first in 8vo, and afterwards in 12mo, the fifth edition.