That Prince Arthur found many readers, is certain; for in two years it had three editions; a very uncommon inftance of favourable reception, at a time when literary curiofity was yet confined to particular claffes of the nation. Such fuccefs naturally raised animosity; and Dennis attacked it by a formal criticism, more tedious and disgusting than the work which he condemns. To this cenfure may be opposed the approbation of Locke and the admiration of Molineux, which are found in their printed Letters. Molineux is particularly delighted with the fong of Mopas, which is therefore fubjoined to this nar

rative.

It is remarked by Pope, that what raifes the hero often finks the man. Of Blackmore it may be faid, that as the poet finks, the man rifes; the animadverfions of Dennis, infolent and contemptuous as they were, raised in him no implacable refentment: he and his critick were afterwards friends; and in one of his latter works he praises Dennis as equal to Boileau in poetry, and fuperior to him in critical abilities.

He

He feems to have been more delighted with praise than pained by cenfure, and, inftead of flackening, quickened his career. Having in two years produced ten books of Prince Arthur, in two years more (1697) he fent into the world King Arthur in twelve. The provocation was now doubled, and the resentment of wits and criticks may be fupposed to have increased in proportion. He found, however, advantages more than equivalent to all their outrages; he was this made one of the physicians in ordinary to king William, and advanced by him to the honour of knighthood, with a present of a gold chain and a medal.

year

The malignity of the wits attributed his knighthood to his new poem; but king William was not very ftudious of poetry, and Blackmore perhaps had other merit: for he fays in his Dedication to Alfred, that he had a greater part in the fucceffion of the house of Hanover than ever he had boafted.

What Blackmore could contribute to the Succeffion, or what he imagined himself to have contributed, cannot now be known.

That he had been of confiderable use, I doubt not but he believed, for I hold him to have been very honeft; but he might easily make a false estimate of his own importance: thofe whom their virtue reftrains from deceiving others, are often difpofed by their vanity to deceive themselves. Whether he promoted the Succeffion or not, he at least approved it, and adhered invariably to his principles and party through his whole life.

His ardour of poetry ftill continued; and not long after (1700) he published a Paraphrafe on the Book of Job, and other parts of the Scripture. This performance Dryden, who pursued him with great malignity, lived long enough to ridicule in a Prologue.

The wits easily confederated against him, as Dryden, whofe favour they almost all courted, was his profeffed adversary. He had befides given them reason for refentment, as, in his Preface to Prince Arthur, he had faid of the Dramatick Writers almost all that was alleged afterwards by Collier; but Blackmore's cenfure was cold and general, Collier's

Collier's was perfonal and ardent; Blackmore taught his reader to diflike, what Collier incited him to abhor.

In his Preface to King Arthur he endeavoured to gain at least one friend, and propitiated Congreve by higher praise of his Mourning Bride than it has obtained from any other critick.

The fame year he published a Satire on Wit; a proclamation of defiance which united the poets almost all against him, and which brought upon him lampoons and ridicule from every fide. This he doubtless forefaw, and evidently despised; nor should his dignity of mind be without its praise, had he not paid the homage to greatnefs which he denied to genius, and degraded himself by conferring that authority over the national tafte, which he takes from the poets, upon men of high rank and wide influence, but of lefs wit, and not greater virtue.

Here is again discovered the inhabitant of Cheapfide, whose head cannot keep his poetry unmingled with trade. To hinder that in

tellectual

tellectual bankruptcy which he affects to fear, he will erect a Bank for Wit.

In this poem he justly cenfured Dryden's impurities, but praised his powers; though in a fubfequent edition he retained the fatire and omitted the praise. What was his reason I know not; Dryden was then no longer in his way.

His head ftill teemed with heroick poetry, and (1705) he published Eliza in ten books. I am afraid that the world was now weary of contending about Blackmore's heroes; for I do not remember that by any author, ferious or comical, I have found Eliza either praised or blamed. She dropped, as it seems, dead-born from the prefs. It is never mentioned, and was never seen by me till I borrowed it for the present occafion. Jacob fays, it is corrected, and revised for another impreffion; but the labour of revision was thrown away.

From this time he turned fome of his thoughts to the celebration of living characters; and wrote a poem on the Kit-cat Club, VOL. IH.

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