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felves, which no man can imitate with fuccefs, because what 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 purfued; that his diction is elevated, though sometimes forced, and his numbers fonorous and majeftic, though frequently fluggish and encumbered. Of his ftyle, the general fault is harfhness, and its general excellence is dignity; of his fentiments, the prevailing beauty is fublimity, and uniformity the prevailing defect.

For his life, or for his writings, none, who candidly confider his fortune, will think an apology either neceffary or difficult. If he was not always fufficiently inftructed in his fubject, his knowledge was at least greater than could have been attained by others in the fame state. If his works were fometimes unfinished, accuracy cannot reasonably be exacted from a man oppreffed with want, which he has no hope of relieving but by a speedy publication. The infolence and resentment of which he is accufed were not easily to be avoided by a great mind, irritated by perpe

tual

tual hardships, and conftrained hourly to return the fpurns of contempt, and reprefs the infolence of profperity; and vanity may surely readily be pardoned in him, to whom life afforded no other comforts than barren praises, and the conscioufnefs of deferving them.

Those are no proper judges of his conduct, who have slumbered away their time on the down of affluence; nor will any wife man prefume to fay, "Had I been in Savage's "condition, I fhould have lived or written "better than Savage."

This relation will not be wholly without its ufe, if those, who languifh under any part of his fufferings, fhall be enabled to fortify their patience, by reflecting that they feel only thofe afflictions from which the abilities of Savage did not exempt him; or those, who, in confidence of fuperior capacities or attainments, difregard the common maxims of life, fhall be reminded, that nothing will fupply. the want of prudence; and that negligence and irregularity, long continued, will make knowledge ufelefs, wit ridiculous, and genius contemptible.

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SWIFT.

S W

W IF T.

SWIFT.

AN Account of Dr. Swift has been already

collected, with great diligence and acuteness, by Dr. Hawkefworth, according to a scheme which I laid before him in the intimacy of our friendship. I cannot therefore be expected to say much of a life, concerning which I had long fince communicated my thoughts to a man capable of dignifying his narration with fo much elegance of language and force of sentiment.

JONATHAN SWIFT was, according to an account faid to be written by himself, the son of Jonathan Swift, an attorney, and was born at Dublin on St. Andrew's day, 1667: according to his own report, as delivered by Pope to Spence, he was born at

Leicester,

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