to hurt Pope with another weapon, and charged him, as Pope thought, with Addison's approbation, as · difaffected to the government.

Even with this he was not fatisfied; for, indeed, there is no appearance that any regard was paid to his clamours. He proceeded to groffer infults, and hung up a rod at Button's, with which he threatened to chaftife Pope, who appears to have been extremely exafperated; for in the first edition of his Letters he calls Philips rafcal," and in the laft ftill charges him with detaining in his hands the fubfcriptions for Homer delivered to him by the Hanover Club.

I fuppofe it was never fufpected that he meant to appropriate the money; he only delayed, and with fufficient meannefs, the gratification of him by whofe profperity he was pained.

Men fometimes fuffer by injudicious kindness; Philips became ridiculous, without his own fault, by the abfurd admiration of his friends, who decorated him with honorary garlands, which the firft breath of contradiction blasted.

When upon the fucceffion of the Houfe of Hanoverevery Whig expected to be happy, Philips feems to have obtained too little notice; he caught few drops of the golden fhower, though he did not omit what flattery could perform. He was only made a Commiffioner of the Lottery (1717), and, what did not much elevate his character, a juftice of the Peace.

The fuccefs of his firft play muft naturally difpofe him to turn his hopes towards the ftage: he did not however foon commit himself to the mercy of an audience, but contented himfelf with the fame already acquired, till after nine years he produced (1722) The Briton, a tragedy which, whatever was its recep

tion,

tion, is now neglected; though one of the scenes, between Vanoc the British Prince and Valens the Roman General, is confeffed to be written with great dramatick fkill, animated by fpirit truly poetical.

He had not been idle, though he had been filent; for he exhibited another tragedy the fame year, on the ftory of Humphry Duke of Gloucefter. This tragedy is only remembered by its title.

His happiest undertaking was of a paper called "The Freethinker," in conjunction with affociates, of whom one was Dr. Boulter, who, then only minister of a parish in Southwark, was of so much confequence to the government, that he was made first Bishop of Bristol, and afterwards Primate of Ireland, where his piety and his charity will be long honoured.

It may eafily be imagined that what was printed under the direction of Boulter would have nothing in it indecent or licentious; its title is to be understood as implying only freedom from unreasonable prejudice. It has been reprinted in volumes, but is little read; nor can impartial criticifm recommend it as worthy of revival.

Boulter was not well qualified to write diurnal effays; but he knew how to practife the liberality of greatness and the fidelity of friendship. When he was advanced to the height of ecclefiaftical dignity, he did not forget the companion of his labours. Knowing Philips to be flenderly supported, he took him to Ireland, as partaker of his fortune; and, making him his fecretary, added fuch preferments,

*The Archbishop's "Letters," publifhed in 1769 (the origi nals which are now in Chrift Church library, Oxford), were collected by Mr. Philips. C.

as,

as enabled him to reprefent the county of Armagh in the Irish parliament.

In December 1726 he was made fecretary to the Lord Chancellor; and in Auguft 1733 became judge. of the Prerogative Court.

After the death of his patron he continued fome years in Ireland; but at laft longing, as it feems, for his native country, he returned (1748) to London, having doubtlefs furvived moft of his friends and enemies, and among them his dreaded antagonist Pope. He found however the Duke of Newcastle ftill living, and to him he dedicated his poems collected into a volume.

Having purchased an annuity of four hundred pounds, he now certainly hoped to pass fome years of life in plenty and tranquillity; but his hope deceived him he was ftruck with a palfy, and died * June 18, 1749, in his feventy-eighth year.

Of his perfonal character all that I have heard is, that he was eminent for bravery and fkill in the fword, and that in converfation he was folemn and pompous. He had great fenfibility of cenfure, if judgement may be made by a fingle ftory which I heard long ago from Mr. Ing, a gentleman of great eminence in Staffordshire. 66 Philips," faid he, "was once at table, when I asked him, How came "thy king of Epirus to drive oxen, and to fay "I'm goaded on by love?' After which queftion " he never spoke again."

Of The Diftreft Mother not much is pretended to be his own, and therefore it is no fubject of criti

* At his houfe in Hanover-ftreet, and was buried in Audley

chapel. C.

VOL. III.

S

cifm:

cifm his other two tragedies, I believe, are not below mediocrity, nor above it. Among the Poems comprised in the late Collection, the Letter from Denmark may be justly praised; the Paftorals, which by the writer of the "Guardian" were ranked as one of the four genuine productions of the ruftick Muse, cannot furely be defpicable. That they exhibit a mode of life which did not exist, nor ever exifted, is not to be objected: the fuppofition of fuch a ftate is allowed to Paftoral. In his other poems he cannot be denied the praife of lines fometimes elegant; but he has feldom much force, or much comprehenfion. The pieces that please best are thofe which, from Pope and Pope's adherents, procured him the name of Namby Pamby, the poems of fhort lines, by which he paid his court to all ages and characters, from Walpole thefteerer of the "realm," to Mifs Pulteney in the nursery. The numbers are fmooth and sprightly, and the diction is feldom faulty. They are not loaded with much thought, yet, if they had been written by Addifon, they would have had admirers: little things are not valued but when they are done by those who can do greater.

In his tranflations from Pindar he found the art of reaching all the obfcurity of the Theban bard, howeyer he may fall below his fublimity; he will be allowed, if he has lefs fire, to have more fmoke.

He has added nothing to English poetry, yet at leaft half his book deserves to be read: perhaps he valued moft himself that part which the critick would reject.

WEST.

WEST.

GILBERT WEST is one of the writers of whom I regret my inability to give a fufficient account; the intelligence which my enquiries have obtained is general and scanty.

He was the fon of the reverend Dr. Weft; perhaps* him who published "Pindar" at Oxford about the beginning of this century. His mother was fifter to Sir Richard Temple, afterwards Lord Cobham. His father, purpofing to educate him for the Church, fent him firft to Eton, and afterwards to Oxford; but he was feduced to a more airy mode of life, by a commiffion in a troop of horse, procured him by his uncle.

He continued fome time in the army; though it is reasonable to suppose that he never funk into a mere foldier, nor ever loft the love, or much neglected the pursuit, of learning; and afterwards, finding himself more inclined to civil employment, he laid down his commiffion, and engaged in bufinefs under the Lord Townshend, then fecretary of ftate, with whom he attended the King to Hanover.

* Certainly him. It was published in 1697. C.