Angel. "Have a care-If you remember, "the strongest Sampfon of your name pull'd 66 an old house over his head at last."

"Here you have the Sacred Hiftory burlefqued; and Sampfon once more brought "into the house of Dagon, to make sport for "the Philiftines!

Congreve's last play was The Way of the World; which, though as he hints in his dedication it was written with great labour and much thought, was received with fo little favour, that, being in a high degree offended and disgusted, he refolved to commit his quiet and his fame no more to the caprices of an audience.

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From this time his life ceafed to be publick; he lived for himself and for his friends and his friends was able to name every among man of his time whom wit and elegance had raised to reputation. It may be therefore reafonably fuppofed that his manners were polite and his converfation pleasing.

He feems not to have taken much pleasure in writing, as he contributed nothing to the Spectator, and only one paper to the Tatler, though published by men with whom he might be fuppofed willing to affociate; and though he lived many years after the publication of his Miscellaneous Poems, yet he added nothing to them, but lived on in literary indolence; engaged in no controverfy, contending with no rival, neither foliciting flattery by publick commendations, nor provoking enmity by malignant criticism, but paffing his time among the great and fplendid, in the placid enjoyment of his fame and fortune.

Having owed his fortune to Halifax, he continued always of his patron's party, but, as it feems, without violence or acrimony; and his firmnefs was naturally efteemed, as his abilities were reverenced. His fecurity therefore was never violated never violated; and when, upon the extrufion of the Whigs, fome interceffion was used left Congreve should be difplaced, the earl of Oxford made this anfwer:

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"Non obtufa adeo geftamus pectora Pœni, "Nec tam averfus equos Tyriâ fol jungit ab urbe."

He

He that was thus honoured by the adverse party, might naturally expect to be advanced when his friends returned to power, and he was accordingly made fecretary for the island of Jamaica; a place, I fuppofe, without truft or care, but which, with his poft in the cuftoms, is faid to have afforded him twelve hundred pounds a year.

His honours were yet far greater than his profits. Every writer mentioned him with respect; and, among other teftimonies to his merit, Steele made him the patron of his Mifcellany, and Pope infcribed to him his tranflation of the Iliad.

But he treated the Mufes with ingratitude; for, having long converfed familiarly with the great, he wished to be confidered rather as a man of fashion than of wit; and, when he received a visit from Voltaire, difgufted him by the despicable foppery of defiring to be confidered not as an author but a gentleman; to which the Frenchman replied," that if he had "been only a gentleman, he should not have 66 come to vifit him."

In his retirement he may be fupposed to have applied himself to books; for he discovers more literature than the poets have commonly attained. But his ftudies were in his latter days obftructed by cataracts in his eyes, which at laft terminated in blindness. This melancholy state was aggravated by the gout, for which he fought relief by a journey to Bath; but being overturned in his chariot, complained from that time of a pain in his fide, and died, at his house in Surrey-street in the Strand, Jan. 29, 1728-9. Having lain in ftate in the Jerufalem-chamber, he was buried in Westminster-abbey, where a monument is erected to his memory by Henrietta dutchess of Marlborough, to whom, for reafons either not known or not mentioned, he bequeathed a legacy of about ten thousand pounds; the accumulation of attentive parsimony, which, though to her fuperfluous and useless, might have given great assistance to the ancient family from which he defcended, at that time by the imprudence of his relation reduced to difficulties and distress.

CONGREVE has merit of the highest kind; he is an original writer, who borrowed neither the models of his plot, nor the manner of his dialogue. Of his plays I cannot speak diftinctly; for fince I infpected them many years have paffed; but what remains upon my memory is, that his characters are commonly fictitious and artificial, with very little of nature, and not much of life. He formed a peculiar idea of comick excellence, which he supposed to confift in gay remarks and unexpected answers; but that which he endeavoured, he seldom failed of performing. His scenes exhibit not much of humour, imagery, or paffion: his perfonages are a kind of intellectual gladiators; every sentence is to ward or strike; the contest of smartness is never intermitted; his wit is a meteor playing to and fro with alternate corufcations. comedies have therefore, in fome dergree, the operation of tragedies; they furprise rather than divert, and raise admiration oftener than merriment. But they are the works of a

His