he had given notice of its danger. Smith, not pleased with the contradiction of a fhopman, and boaftful of his own knowledge, treated the notice with rude contempt, and swallowed his own medicine, which, in July, 1710, brought him to the grave. He was buried at Gartham. Many years afterwards, Ducket communicated to Oldmixon, the hiftorian, an account pretended to have been received from Smith, that Clarendon's History was, in its publication, corrupted by Aldrich, Smalridge, and Atterbury; and that Smith was employed to forge and infert the alterations. This story was published triumphantly by Oldinixon, and may be supposed to have been eagerly received; but its progress was foon checked; for finding its way into the Journal of Trevoux, it fell under the eye of Atterbury, then an exile in France, who immediately denied the charge, with this remarkable particular, that he never in his whole life had once fpoken to Smith; his company being, as must be inferred, not accepted by thofe who attended to their characters. The charge was afterwards very diligently refuted by Dr. Burton, of Eton, a man eminent for literature; and, though not of the fame party with Aldrich and Atterbury, too ftudious of truth to leave them burthened with a falfe charge. The teftimonies which he has collected have convinced mankind that either Smith or Ducket was guilty of wilful and malicious falsehood. parts of This controverfy brought into view those Smith's life which, with more honour to his name, might have been concealed. Of Smith I can yet fay a little more. He was a man of fuch eftimation among his companions, that the cafual cenfures or praifes which he dropped in converfation were confidered, like thofe of Scaliger, as worthy of prefervation. He had great readiness and exactness of criticism, and by a curfory glance over a new compofition would exactly tell all its faults and beauties. He was remarkable for the power of reading with great rapidity, and of retaining with great fidelity what he fo easily collected. He therefore always knew what the prefent queftion required; and, when his friends expreffed their wonder at his acquifitions, made in a state of apparent negligence and drunkennefs, he never difcovered his hours of reading or method of ftudy, but involved himself in affected filence, and fed his own vanity with their admiration. One practice he had, which was eafily obferved: if any thought or image was prefented to his mind, that he could ufe or improve, he did not fuffer it to be loft; but, amidst the jollity of a tavern, or in the warmth of converfation, very diligently committed it to paper. Thus it was that he had gathered two quires of hints for his new tragedy; of which Rowe, when they were put into his hands, could make, as he fays, very little ufe, but which the collector confidered as a valuable ftock of materials. When he came to London, his way of life connected him with the licentious and diffolute; and he affected the airs and gaiety of a man of pleasure; but his dress was always deficient; fcholaftick cloudinefs cloudiness still hung about him; and his merriment was fure to produce the fcorn of his companions. With all his careleffnefs, and all his vices, he was one of the murmurers at Fortune; and wondered why he was fuffered to be poor, when Addifon was careffed and preferred: nor would a very little have contented him; for he estimated his wants at fix hundred pounds a year. In his course of reading, it was particular that he had diligently perufed, and accurately remembered, the old romances of knight-errantry. He had a high opinion of his own merit, and was fomething contemptuous in his treatment of those whom he confidered as not qualified to oppofe or contradict him. He had many frailties; yet it cannot but be fuppofed that he had great merit, who could obtain to the fame play a prologue from Addison, and an epilogue from Prior; and who could have at once the patronage of Halifax, and the praife of Oldifworth. For the power of communicating these minute memorials, I am indebted to my conversation with Gilbert Walmsley, late registrar of the ecclefiaftical court of Lichfield, who was acquainted both with Smith and Ducket; and declared, that, if the tale concerning Clarendon were forged, he fhould fufpect Ducket of the falfehood; " for Rag was a man "of great veracity." Of Gilbert Walmsley, thus prefented to my mind, let me indulge myself in the remembrance. I knew him very early; he was one of the first friends that literature procured me, and I hope that at at leaft my gratitude made me worthy of his no tice. He was of an advanced age, and I was only yet a boy; yet he never received my notions with contempt. He was a Whig, with all the virulence and malevolence of his party; yet difference of opinion did not keep us apart. I honoured him, and he endured me. He had mingled with the gay world without exemption from its vices or its follies, but had never neglected the cultivation of his mind; his belief of Revelation was unfhaken; his learning preferved his principles; he grew first regular, and then pious. His ftudies had been fo various, that I am not able to name a man of equal knowledge. His acquaintance with books was great; and what he did not immediately know he could at leaft tell where to find. Such was his amplitude of learning, and fuch his copioufnefs of communication, that it may be doubted whether a day now paffes in which I have not fome advantage from his friendship. At this man's table I enjoyed many chearful and inftructive hours, with companions fuch as are not often found; with one who has lengthened, and one who has gladdened life; with Dr. James, whofe skill in Phyfick will be long remembered; and with Da-. vid Garrick, whom I hoped to have gratified with this character of our common friend: but what are the hopes of man! I am disappointed by that stroke of death, which has eclipfed the gaiety of nations, and impoverished the publick ftock of harmless pleasure, In the Library at Oxford is the following ludiCrous Analysis of Pocockius: Ex AUTOGRAPHO. 1 mus [Sent by the Author to Mr. Urry.] OPUSCULUM hoc, Halberdarie ampliffime, in lucem proferre hactenus diftuli, judicii tui acumen fubveritus magis quam bipennis. Tandem aliquando Oden hanc ad te mitto fublimem, teneram, flebilem, fuavem, qualem demum divinus (fi Mufis vacaret) fcripfiffit Gaftrellus; adeo fcilicet fublimem ut inter legendum dormire, adeo flebilem ut ridere velis. Cujus elegantiam ut melius infpicias, verfuum ordinem & materiam breviter referam. verfus de duobus præliis decantatis. 2dus & 3 de Lotharingio, cuniculis fubterraneis, faxis, ponto, hoftibus, & Afia. 4tus & 5tus de catenis, fubdibus, uncis, draconibus, tigribus & crocodilis. 6us, 7us, 8us, gus, de Gomorrha, de Babylone, Babele, & quodam domi fuæ peregrino. 10", aliquid de quodam Pocockio. 11, 12us, de Syriâ, Solymâ. 13us, 14us, de Hofeâ, & quercu, & de juvene quodam valde fene. 15us, 16us, de Ætnâ, & quomodo Etna Pocockio fit valde fimilis. 175, 1845, de tubâ, aftro, umbrâ, flammis, rotis, Pocockio non neglecto. Cætera de Chriftianis, Ottomanis, Babyloniis, Arabibus, & graviffimâ agrorum melancholiâ; de Cæfare Flacco*, Neftore, & miferando juvenis cujufdam florentiffimi fato, anno ætatis fuæ centefimo præmaturè abrepti. Quæ omnia cum accuratè expenderis, neceffe eft ut * Pro Flacco, animo paulo attentiore, fcripfiffem Marone. Oden |