thoughts diffufed with too much verbofity, yet it cannot be denied to contain both philofophical argument and poetical spirit. Of the reft I cannot think any excellent: the "Skylark" pleafes me beft, which has however more of the epigram than of the ode. But the four parts of his "Paftoral Ballad" demand particular notice. I cannot but regret that it is paftoral; an intelligent reader, acquainted with the scenes of real life, fickens at the mention of the crook, the pipe, the sheep, and the kids, which it is not neceffary to bring forward to notice, for the poet's art is felection, and he ought to fhew the beauties without the groffness of the country life. His ftanza feems to have been chofen in imitation of Rowe's "Despairing Shepherd." 66 In the first are two paffages, to which if any mind denies its fympathy, it has no acquaintance with love or nature: I priz'd every hour that went by, Beyond all that had pleas'd me before; And I grieve that I priz'd them no more. When forc'd the fair nymph to forego, She gaz'd, as I flowly withdrew, So fweetly the bade me adieu, I thought that the bade me return. In the fecond this paffage has its prettiness, though it be not equal to the former : I have found out a gift for my fair; I have found where the wood-pigeons breed: She will fay 'twas a barbarous deed: For he ne'er could be true, fhe averr'd, Such tenderness fall from her tongue. In the third he mentions the common-places of amorous poetry with fome addrefs: 'Tis his with mock paffion to glow! How the nightingales labour the ftrain, In the fourth I find nothing better than this natural ftrain of Hope: Alas! from the day that we met, What hope of an end to my woes, When I cannot endure to forget Yet Time may diminish the pain : The flower, and the fhrub, and the tree, In time may have comfort for me. His "Levities" are by their title exempted from the feverities of criticifm; yet it may be remarked in a few words, that his humour is fometimes gross, and feldom fprightly. Of the Moral Poems the firft is the " Choice of "Hercules," from Xenophon. The numbers are fmooth, the diction elegant, and the thoughts juft; but fomething of vigour is ftill to be wifhed, which it might have had by brevity and compreffion. His "Fate of Delicacy" has an air of gaiety, but not a very pointed and general moral. His blank verfes, thofe that can read them may probably find to be like the blank verfes of his neighbours. "Love and "Honour" is derived from the old ballad, "Did you not hear of a Spanish Lady?"-I wish it well enough to wish it were in rhyme. The "School-mistress," of which I know not what claim it has to stand among the Moral Works, is furely the most pleasing of Shenstone's performances. The adoption of a particular ftyle, in light and short compofitions, contributes much to the increase of pleasure: we are entertained at once with two imitations, of nature in the sentiments, of the original author in the ftyle, and between them the mind is kept in perpetual employment. The general recommendation of Shenftone is eafinefs and fimplicity; his general defect is want of comprehenfion and variety. Had his mind been better stored with knowledge, whether he could have been great, I know not; he could certainly have been agreeable. YOUNG. YOUNG. THE following life was written, at my request, by a gentleman who had better information than I could eafily have obtained; and the publick will perhaps wish that I had folicited and obtained more fuch favours from him *. "DEAR SIR, "In confequence of our different conversations about authentick materials for the Life of Young, 'I fend you the following detail. "Of great men, fomething must always be faid to gratify curiofity. Of the illuftrious author of the "Night Thoughts" much has been told of which there never could have been proofs; and little care appears to have been taken to tell that, of which proofs, with little trouble, might have been procured." EDWARD YOUNG was born at Upham, near Winchester, in June 1681. He was the son of Edward Young, at that time fellow of Winchester *See Gent. Mag. vol. LXX. p. 225. N. College College and rector of Upham; who was the fon of Jo. Young of Woodhay in Berkshire, ftyled by Wood, gentleman. In September 1682 the Poet's father was collated to the prebend of Gillingham Minor, in the church of Sarum, by bishop Ward. When Ward's faculties were impaired through age, his duties were neceffarily performed by others. We learn from Wood, that, at a vifitation of Sprat's, July the 12th, 1686, the prebendary preached a Latin fermon, afterwards published, with which the bishop was so pleased, that he told the chapter he was concerned to find the preacher had one of the worft prebends in their church. Some time after this, in confequence of his merit and reputation, or of the intereft of Lord Bradford, to whom, in 1702, he dedicated two volumes of fermons, he was appointed chaplain to King William and Queen Mary, and preferred to the deanery of Sarum. Jacob, who wrote in 1720, fays, "he was chaplain and clerk of "the closet to the late Queen, who honoured him by standing godmother to the Poet." His fellowship of Winchefter he refigned in favour of a gentleman of the name of Harris, who married his only daughter. The dean died at Sarum, after a fhort illness, in 1705, in the fixty-third year of his age. On the Sunday after his deceafe Bishop Burnet preached at the cathedral, and began his fermon with faying, "Death has been of late walking round us, "and making breach upon breach upon us, and has "now carried away the head of this body with a "ftroke; fo that he, whom you faw a week ago diftributing the holy myfteries, is now laid in the "duft. But he ftill lives in the many excellent di 6.6 2 "rections |