restless cruelty continue her perfecution from the first hour of his life to the laft.

But whatever were her motives, no fooner was her fon born, than fhe discovered a refolution of difowning him; and in a very short 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 disowned by his mother, doomed to poverty and obscurity, and launched upon the ocean of life, only that he might be fwallowed 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, he was obliged to give fome account

of

of the measures that she had taken; and her mother, the Lady Mason, whether in approbation of her defign, or to prevent more criminal contrivances, engaged to transact with the nurse, to pay her for her care, and to fuperintend the education of the child.

In this charitable office fhe was affifted by his godmother Mrs. Lloyd, who, while she 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 shelter 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 was ever paid,

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

out

out the leaft 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 applause cannot now be known. As he always spoke with respect 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 diftinction 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, because his improvement was more than proportioned to the opportunities which he enjoyed; nor can it be doubted, that if his earliest productions had been preserved, like thofe of happier ftudents, we might in fome have found vigorous fallies of that sprightly 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 short 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 refuse an answer, determined at least to give fuch as fhould cut him off for ever from that happiness which competence affords, and therefore declared that he was dead; which is perhaps the first inftance of a lye invented by a mother to deprive her fon of a provifion which was defigned him by another, and which he could not expect herself, though he fhould lofe 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

riching herself, and therefore beftowed 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 whose kindness this fcheme was counteracted, or by what interpofition she was induced to lay afide her defign, I know not; it is not improbable that the Lady Mafon might perfuade or compel her to defist, or perhaps he 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 sense of common wickedness, would yet be fhocked at the defign of a mother to expose her fon to slavery and want, to expose him without intereft, and

* Savage's Preface to his Mifcellany.

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