men of different opinions. He was one of the fixteen Tories who met weekly, and agreed to address each other by the title of Brother; and seems to have adhered, not only by concurrence of political defigns, but by peculiar affection, to the earl of Oxford and his family. With how much confidence he was trufted, has been already told. * He was however, in Pope's opinion, fit only to make verses, and less nefs than Addison himself. faid without confideration. qualified for busiThis was furely Addison, exalted to a high place, was forced into degradation by the sense of his own incapacity; Prior, who was employed by men very capable of estimating his value, having been fecretary to one embaffy, had, when great abilities were again wanted, the fame office another time; and was, after fo much experience of his knowledge and dexterity, at laft fent to tranfact a negotiation in the highest degree arduous and important; for which he was qualified, among other requifites, in the opinion of Bolingbroke, by his influence upon the French minifter, and by skill in questions of commerce above other men. * Spence. Of 9 Of his behaviour in the lighter parts of life, it is too late to get much intelligence. One of his anfwers to a boaftful Frenchman has been related, and to an impertinent he made another equally proper. During his embaffy, he fat at the opera by a man, who, in his rapture, accompanied with his own voice the principal finger. Prior fell to railing at the performer with all the terms of reproach that he could collect, till the Frenchman, ceafing from his fong, began to expoftulate with him for his harfh cenfure of a man who was confeffedly the ornament of the stage. "I know all that," fays, the ambaffador, "mais il chante fi haut, que je ne fçaurois vous entendre." In a gay French company, where every one fung a little fong or ftanza, of which the burden was, "Banniffons la Melancholie;" when it came to his turn to fing, after the performance of a young lady that fat next him, he produced these extemporary lines: Mais celle voix, et ces beaux yeux, Tradition represents him as willing to defcend from the dignity of the poet and states man to the low delights of mean company, His Chloe probably was fometimes ideal: but the woman with whom he cohabited was a despicable drab * of the loweft fpecies. One of his wenches, perhaps Chloe, while he was abfent from his houfe, ftole his plate, and ran away; as was related by a woman who had been his fervant. Of this propensity to fordid converfe I have feen an account fo fe riously ridiculous, that it feems to deferve Insertion †. "I have been affured that Prior, after having spent the evening with Oxford, Boling"broke, Pope, and Swift, would go and fmoke ct a pipe, and drink a bottle of ale, with a "common foldier and his wife in Long Acre, before he went to bed; not from any "remains of the lownefs of his original, as 66 one faid, but, I fuppofe, that his faculties, "Strain'd to the height, "In that celeftial colloquy fublime, "Dazzled and spent, funk down and fought repair." Spence; [and fee Gent. Mag, vol. LVII. p. 1039.] +Richardfoniana. Poor Poor Prior, why was he fo ftrained, and in fuch want of repair, after a conversation with men not, in the opinion of the world, much wifer than himself? But fuch are the conceits of speculatifts, who ftrain their faculties to find in a mine what lies upon the furface. His opinions, fo far as the means of judging are left us, seem to have been right; but his life was, it feems, irregular, negligent, and fenfual, PRIOR has written with great variety, and his variety has made him popular. He has tried all ftyles, from the grotefque to the fo lemn, and has not fo failed in any as to incur derifion or disgrace. His works may be diftinctly confidered as comprising Tales, Love-verfes, Occafional Poems, Alma, and Solomon. His Tales have obtained general approba tion, being written with great familiarity and great spriteliness: the language is easy, but, feldom grofs, and the numbers smooth, with→ out appearance of care. Of thefe Tales there are are only four. The Ladle; which is introduced by a Preface, neither neceffary nor pleafing, neither grave nor merry. Paulo Purganti; which has likewise a Preface, but of more value than the Tale. Hans Carvel, not over decent; and Protogenes and Apelles, an old ftory, mingled, by an affectation not difagreeable, with modern images. The Young Gentleman in Love has hardly a just claim to the title of a Tale. I know not whether he be the original author of any Tale which he has given us. The Adventure of Hans Carvel has paffed through many fucceffions of merry wits; for it is to be found in Ariofto's Satires, and is perhaps yet older. But the merit of fuch ftories is the art of telling them. In his Amorous Effufions he is lefs happy; for they are not dictated by nature or by paffion, and have neither gallantry nor tendernefs. They have the coldnefs of Cowley, without his wit, the dull exercises of a skilful verfifier, refolved at all adventures to write fomething about Chloe, and trying to be amorous by dint of study. His fictions therefore are mythological. Venus, after the example of the Greek Epigram, afks when fhe |