Wood has his information from his brother, whofe narrative placed him at Cambridge, in oppofition to that of his neighbours, which fent him to Oxford. The brother's feems the best authority, till, by confeffing his inability to tell his hall or college, he gives reason to suspect that he was refolved to beftow on him an academical education; but durft not name a college, for fear of detection. In He was for fome time, according to the author of his Life, clerk to Mr. Jefferys of Earl's Croomb in Worcestershire, an eminent juftice of the peace. his fervice he had not only leifure for ftudy, but for recreation his amufements were mufick and painting; and the reward of his pencil was the friendship of the celebrated Cooper. Some pictures, faid to be his, were fhewn to Dr. Nash, at Earl's Croomb; but, when he enquired for them fome years afterwards, he found them deftroyed, to ftop windows, and owns that they hardly deferved a better fate. He was afterwards admitted into the family of the Countefs of Kent, where he had the use of a library; and fo much recommended himself to Selden, that he was often employed by him in literary bufinefs. Selden, as is well known, was fteward to the Countefs, and is fuppofed to have gained much of his wealth by managing her eftate. In what character Butler was admitted into that Lady's fervice, how long he continued in it, and why he left it, is, like the other incidents of his life, utterly unknown. The viciffitudes of his condition placed him afterwards in the family of Sir Samuel Luke, one of Cromwell's officers. Here he obferved fo much of the the character of the fectaries, that he is faid to have written or begun his poem at this time; and it is likely that fuch a defign would be formed in a place where he faw the principles and practices of the rebels, audacious and undiiguiled in the confidence of fuccefs. At length the King returned, and the time came in which loyalty hoped for its reward. Butler, however, was only made fecretary to the Earl of Carbury, prefident of the principality of Wales; who conferred on him the ftewardship of Ludlow Castle, when the Court of the Marches was revived. In this part of his life, he married Mrs. Herbert, a gentlewoman of a good family; and ved, fays Wood, upon her fortune, having ftudied the common law, but never practifed it. A fortune she had, fays his biographer, but it was loft by bad fecurities. In 1663 was published the first part, containing three cantos, of the poem of Hudibras, which, as Prior relates, was made known at Court by the taste and influence of the Earl of Dorfet. When it was known, it was neceffarily admired: the King quoted, the courtiers ftudied, and the whole party of the royalifts applauded it. Every eye watched for the golden fhower which was to fall upon the author, who certainly was not without his part in the general expectation. In 1664 the fecond part appeared; the curiofity of the nation was rekindled, and the writer was again praised and elated. But praife was his whole reward. Clarendon, fays Wood, gave him reafon to hope for "places and employments of value and "credit;" but no fuch advantages did he ever obtain. It is reported that the King once gave him three hundred guineas; but of this temporary bounty I find no proof. Wood relates that he was fecretary to Villiers Duke of Buckingham, when he was Chancellor of Cambridge: this is doubted by the other writer, who yet allows the Duke to have been his frequent benefactor. That both these accounts are false there is reason to fufpect, from a story told by Packe, in his account of the Life of Wycherley; and from fome verfes which Mr. Thyer has published in the author's Remains. "Mr. Wycherley," fays Packe, fays Packe," had always laid "hold of an opportunity which offered of repre"fenting to the Duke of Buckingham how well Mr. "Butler had deferved of the Royal Family, by writ"ing his inimitable Hudibras; and that it was a "reproach to the Court, that a perfon of his loyalty "and wit fhould fuffer in obfcurity, and under the "wants he did. The Duke always feemed to hearken "to him with attention enough; and after fome "time undertook to recommend his pretenfions to his Majefty. Mr. Wycherley, in hopes to keep "him fteady to his word, obtained of his grace to name a day, when he might introduce that modeft and unfortunate poet to his new patron. At laft an "appointment was made, and the place of meeting "was agreed to be the Roebuck. Mr. Butler and ❝his friend attended accordingly; the Duke joined them; but, as the D-1 would have it, the door "of the room where they fat was open, and his Grace, "who had feated himself near it, obferving a pimp "of "of his acquaintance (the creature too was a knight) "trip by with a brace of ladies, immediately quitted "his engagement to follow another kind of bufinefs, at which he was more ready than in doing good "offices to men of defert, though no one was better "qualified than he, both in regard to his fortune and "understanding, to protect them, and, from that "time to the day of his death, poor Butler never "found the leaft effect of his promife!" Such is the ftory. The verfes are written with a degree of acrimony, fuch as neglect and difappointment might naturally excite; and fuch as it would be hard to imagine Butler capable of expreffing against a man who had any claim to his gratitude. Notwithstanding this difcouragement and neglect, he ftill profecuted his defign; and in 1678 published the third part, which ftill leaves the poem imperfect and abrupt. How much more he originally intended, or with what events the action was to be concluded, it is vain to conjecture. Nor can it be thought ftrange that he should stop here, however unexpectedly. To write without reward is fufficiently unpleafing. He had now arrived at an age when he might think it proper to be in jeft no longer, and perhaps his health might now begin to fail. He died in 1680; and Mr. Longueville, having unfuccefsfully folicited a fubfcription for his interment in Westminster Abbey, buried him at his own coft in the church-yard of Covent Garden *. Dr. Simon Patrick read the fervice. Granger In a note in the "Biographia Britannica," p.1075, he is faid, on the authority of the younger Mr. Longueville, to have lived for fome Granger was informed by Dr. Pearce, who named for his authority Mr. Lowndes of the Treasury, that Butler had an yearly penfion of an hundred pounds. This is contradicted by all tradition, by the complaints of Oldham, and by the reproaches of Dryden; and I am afraid will never be confirmed. About fixty years afterwards, Mr. Barber, a printer, Mayor of London, and a friend to Butler's principles, beftowed on him a monument in Westminster Abbey, thus infcribed : M. S. SAMUELIS BUTLERI, Qui Strenfhamia in agro Vigorn. nat. 1612, Vir doctus imprimis, acer, integer; Deeffet etiam mortuo Tuntulus, After his death were published three small volumes of his pofthumous works: I know not by whom collected, or by what authority afcertained; and, lately, two volumes more have been printed by Mr. fome years in Rofe-ftreet, Covent-Garden, and alfo that he died there; the latter of these particulars is rendered highly probable, by his being interred in the cemetery of that parish. H. * They were collected into one, and published in 12mo. Thyer |