offending his modefty. I fhall begin this Addrefs, fays he, by declaring that the opinion I have of a great part of the following verfes, is the highest indication of the esteem in which I hold the noble character I prefent them to. Several of them have authors, whofe names do 'honour to whatever patronage they receive. As fhare of them, fince it is too late, after what I have already delivered, to give my opi'nion of them, I'll fay as much as can be faid ' in their favour. I'll affirm that they have one ◄ mark of merit, which is your lordship's approbation; and that they are indebted to fortune for two other great advantages, a place in good company, and an honourable protection.'

to my

The gentlemen, who affifted Concanen in this collection, were Dean Swift, Mr. Parnel, Dr. Delany, Mr. Brown, Mr. Ward, and Mr. Stirling. In this collection there is a poem by Mr. Concanen, called A Match at Football, in three Cantos written, 'tis faid, in imitation of The Rape of the Lock. This performance is far from being despicable; the verfification is generally fmooth; the defign is not ill conceived, and the characters not unnatural. It perhaps would be read with more applaufe, if The Rape of the Lock did not occur to the mind, and, by forcing a comparifon, deftroy all the fatisfaction in perufing it; as the difproportion is fo very confiderable. We fhall quote a few lines from the beginning of the third canto, by which it will appear that Concanen was not a bad rhimer.

In days of yore a lovely country maid
Rang'd o'er thefe lands, and thro' thefe forefts
[ftray'd;
Modeft her pleasures, matchlefs was her frame,
Peerless her face, and Sally was her name.

By no frail vows her young defires were bound,
No fhepherd yet the way to please her found.
Thoughtlefs of love the beauteous nymph ap-
[pear'd,
Nor hop'd its transports, nor its torments fear`d.
But careful fed her flocks, and grac'd the plain,
She lack'd no pleasure, and the felt no pain.
She view'd our motions when we tofs'd the ball,
And fmil'd to fee us take, or ward, a fall;
"Till once our leader chanc'd the nymph to spy,
And drank in poison from her lovely eye.
Now penfive grown, he fhunn'd the long-lov'd
[plains,
His darling pleafures, and his favour'd fwains,
Sigh'd in her abfence, figh'd when she was near,
Now big with hope, and now dismay'd with
[fear:

At length with falt'ring tongue he prefs'd the

[dame,

For fome returns to his unpity'd flame;
But she difdain'd his fuit, defpis'd his care,
His form unhandfome, and his briftled hair;
Forward the fprung, and with an eager pace
The god purfu'd, nor fainted in the race;
Swift as the frighted hind the virgin flies,
When the woods ecchoe to the hunters cries:
Swift as the fleeteft hound her flight fhe trac'd,
When o'er the lawns the frighted hind is chac'd;
The winds which fported with her flowing veft
Difplay'd new charms, and heightened all the
[reft:

Thofe charms display'd, increas'd the gods de[fire,

What cool'd her bofom, fet his breast on fire : With equal speed, for diff'rent ends they move, Fear lent the virgin wings, the fhepherd love: Panting at length, thus in her fright the pray'd, Be quick ye pow'rs, and fave a wretched maid, Protect

Protect my honour, fhelter me from fhame,
Beauty and life with pleasure I disclaim.

Mr. Concanen was also concerned with the late Mr. Roome, and a certain eminent fenator, in making The Jovial Crew, an old Comedy, into a Ballad Opera; which was performed about the year 1730; and the profits were given entirely to Mr. Concanen. Soon after he was preferred to be attorney-general in Jamaica, a post of confiderable eminence, and attended with a very large income. In this ifland he spent the remaining part of his days, and, we are informed made a tolerable acceffion of fortune, by marrying a planter's daughter, who furviving him was left in the poffeffion of feveral hundred pounds a year. She came over to England after his death, and married the honourfable Mr. Hamilton.

0000000000000000

T

RICHARD SAVAGE,

Efq;

HIS unhappy gentleman, who led a course of life imbittered with the most fevere,, calamities, was not yet deftitute of a friend to close his eyes. It has been remarked of Cowley, who likewife experienced many of the viciffitudes of fortune, that he was happy in the acquaintance of the bishop of Rochefter, who performed the laft offices which can be paid to a poet, in the elegant Memorial he made of his Life. Though Mr. Savage was as much inferior to Cowley, in genius, as in the rectitude of his life, yet, in fome refpect, he bears a resemblance to that great man. None of the poets have been more honoured in the commemoration of their hißory, than this gentleman. The life of Mr. Savage was written fome years after his death by a gentleman, who knew him intimately, capable to diftinguish between his follies, and thofe good qualities which were often concealed from the bulk of mankind by the abjectnefs of his condition. From this account we have compiled that which we now prefent to the reader.

*

In

* However flightly the author of Savage's life paffes over the lefs amiable characteristics of that unhappy man; yet we cannot but difcover therein, that vanity and ingratitude were the principal ingredients in poor Savage's compofition; nor was his veracity greatly to be depended on. No wonder therefore, if the goodnatur'd writer fuffer'd his better understanding to be mified, in fome accounts relative to the poet we are now speaking of.----Among many, we fhall at present only take notice of the following, which makes too confpicuous a figure to pass by entirely unnoticed.

4

In the year 1697 Anne countefs of Macclesfield, having lived for fome time on very uneafy terms with her husband, thought a public confeffion of adultery the most expeditious method of obtaining her liberty, and therefore declared the child with which he then was big was begotten by the earl of Rivers. This circumstance foon. produced a feparation, which, while the earl of Macclesfield was profecuting, the counters, on the 10th of January 1697-8, was delivered of our author; and the earl of Rivers, by appearing to confider him as his own, left no room to doubt of her declaration. However ftrange it may appear, the countefs looked upon her fon, from his birth, with a kind of refentment and abhorrence. No fooner was her fon born, than fhe discovered a refolution of difowning him, in a fhort time removed him from her fight, and committed him to the care of a poor woman, whom fhe directed to educate him as her own, and enjoined her never to inform him of his true parents. Inftead of defending his tender years, he took delight to fee him ftruggling with mifery, and continued her perfecution, from the firft hour of his life to the Taft, with an implacable and reftlefs cruelty. His mother, indeed, could not affect others with the fame barbarity, and though fhe, whofe tender fol-

In this life of Savage 'tis related, that Mrs. Oldfield was very fond of Mr. Savage's converfation, and allowed him an annuity, during her life, of 50 l.---These facts are equally illgrounded :---There was no foundation for them. That Savage's misfortunes pleaded for pity, and had the defir'd effect on Mis. Oldfield's compaffion, is certain :---But the fo much difliked the man, and Jifapproved his conduct, that she never admitted him to her converfation, nor fuffer'd him to enter her house. She, indeed, often relieved him with such donations, as spoke her generous difpofition.--But this was on the follicitation of friends, who frequently fet his calamities before her in the most piteous light; and from a principle of humanity, she became not a little inftrumental in faving his life.

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