love his profeffion, nor indeed any kind of bufinefs which interrupted his voluptuary dreams, or forced him to rouse from that indulgence in which only he could find delight. His reputation as a civilian was yet maintained by his judgements in the courts of Delegates, and raised very high by the address and knowledge which he discovered in 1700, when he defended the earl of Anglesea against his lady, afterwards dutchefs of Buckinghamshire, who fued for a divorce, and obtained it. The expence of his pleasures, and neglect of business, had now leffened his revenues; and he was willing to accept of a settlement in Ireland, where, about 1702, he was made judge of the admiralty, commiffioner of the prizes, keeper of the records in Birmingham's tower, and vicar-general to Dr. Marsh the primate. But it is vain to put wealth within the reach of him who will not ftretch out his hand to take it. King foon found a friend as idle and thoughtless as himself, in Upton, one of the judges, who had a pleasant house called Mountown, near Dublin, to which King frequently retired; delighting to neglect his intereft, forget his cares, and defert his duty. Here he wrote Mully of Mountown, a poem; by which, though fanciful readers in the pride of fagacity have given it a political interpretation, was meant originally no more than it expreffed, as it was dictated only by the author's delight in the quiet of Mountown In 1708, when lord Wharton was sent to govern Ireland, King returned to London, with his poverty, his idleness, and his wit; and published some effays called Useful Tranfactions. His Voyage to the Island of Cajamai is particularly commended. He then wrote the Art of Love, a poem remarkable, notwithstanding its title, for purity of fentiment; and in 1709 imitated Horace in an Art of Cookery, which he published, with -fome letters to Dr. Lifter. f In 1710 he appeared, as a lover of the Church, on the fide of Sacheverell; and was fuppofed to have concurred at least in the S 4 * pro 1 projection of The Examiner. His eyes were open to all the operations of Whiggism; and he bestowed fome ftrictures upon Dr. Kennet's adulatory fermon at the funeral of the duke of Devonshire. The History of the Heathen Gods, a book composed for schools, was written by him in 1711. The work is useful; but might have been produced without the powers of King. The fame year he published Rufinus, an historical effay, and a poem, intended to dispose the nation to think as he thought of the duke of Marlborough and his adherents. In 1711, competence, if not plenty, was again put into his power. He was, without the trouble of attendance, or the mortification of a requeft, made gazetteer. Swift, Freind, Prior, and other men of the fame party, brought him the key of the gazetteer's office. He was now again placed in a profitable employment, and again threw the benefit away. An Act of Insolvency made his business at that time particularly troublefome; and he would not wait till hurry should 5 should be at an end, but impatiently refigned it, and returned to his wonted indigence and amusements. One of his amusements at Lambeth, where he refided, was to mortify Dr. Tennison, the archbishop, by a publick feftivity, on the furrender of Dunkirk to Hill; an event with which Tennison's political bigotry did not fuffer him to be delighted. King was refolved to counteract his fullennefs, and at the expence of a few barrels of ale filled the neighbourhood with honeft merriment. In the Autumn of 1712 his health declined; he grew weaker by degrees, and died on Christmas-day. Though his life had not been without irregularity, his principles were pure and orthodox, and his death was pious. After this relation, it will be naturally supposed that his poems were rather the amusements of idleness than efforts of ftudy; that he endeavoured rather to divert than. astonish; that his thoughts feldom aspired to |