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The fame year, at the request of Mr. Ket, he tranflated his Latin verfes, on the death of Sir Wilun Scott, and his "Donaides." These verfions, with which he appears to have been highly pleased, e probably lost.

"I am glad to hear," he writes Mr. Ker," that your brother is provided for; it is difficult to id a right fettlement here; for the number of expectants is incredible. Our country pours forth r annual fwarms, unceafing, inexhaustible. Good Lord! what ftrange unfeemly creatures they t too! I have feen three and twenty of my own acquaintances, who, I believe, will not be provided tthefe three and twenty years. But all the poor fervice that I can do fhall never be wanting. I anot show myself thankful to Heaven a better way."

In 1727, he writes Mr. Ker: "I agreed with a lady in London to fend my brother an apprentice her's, who is a rich merchant in Jamaica; and wrote to my brother to come up hither, in order be fent fome months to an academy, where he might learn writing and accounts. But just as was preparing to fet out, we had a letter from Madeira that this merchant would not need an apentice for a year or fo, which broke all my measures. But as I incline to do my brother all the tvice in my power, I wrote to his friends to fend him to Perth, and ordered what money I could are to be paid him at Edinburgh; for I hope, by Mr. Paton's affiftance, to settle him advantageously, twithstanding this difappointment."

Of his brother, whom he exerted himself fo kindly, though ineffectually, to serve, no farther acyant is given; but it is known that he afterwards procured him an advantageous office at Greenock, here he was called Malloch. Of Mr. Paton, on whofe affiftance he depended, he writes Mr.

:

"You have undoubtedly heard of Mr. Paton my coufin, that went to fea when I was born ; e has made a confiderable fortune, lives in Bristol, and has wrote to me feveral times." Mr. Ker having fent him a copy of his "Canticum Solomonis," publifhed this year, he writes im. "I have read over your poem with a great deal of pleasure, and think your style is accurate nd elegant. Your profe I prefer even before Burman's, because it is more perfpicuous, and not enumbered with thofe parentheses and laboured inverfions of conftruction which obfcure and stiffen is. Your poetical paraphrafe is true to the meaning of the original, if I may be judge of it by our teral tranflation in profe, and preferves every where those beauties that diftinguish this divine fong. have neither Beza's nor Johnston's verfion of this poem, but I prefer your's before that of Borem's, which is loofe and rambling, in which he has very often explained away Solomon's meaning, and given us his own fancies inflead of it."

"I have now finished,” he adds, " and am preparing for the prefs against winter, a poem, in wo books, which I began last year in the country. The first book has been perused by Mr. Molineux, the Prince's Secretary, by Mr. Hill, Dr. Young, and Sir John Clerk, whofe acquaintance I had the good fortune to obtain while he was in London. It is in the hands of Mr. Dennis; and, as foon as that dread critic has condemned or approved it, it fhall wait on you by the way of Edinburgh."

On his leaving town, foon after, he writes Mr. Ker: "I fold the copy of my poem to a bookfeller for 25 guineas. Mr. Dennis, the feverest of all our English critics, has read and approved of it, as you will find by his letter which I send you, and defire you will return it in your first an fwer to this."

It was published in 1728, under the title of the Excurfion, a defultory and capricious view of fuch fcenes of nature as his fancy led him, or his knowledge enabled him to defcribe. It has the beauties and faults of the « Scafons" of his friend Thomfor, which were then in their full bloom of reputation.

Alluding probably to his poem called A Winter's Day, which Mr. Ker had fuppofed to be Thomfon's, he writes him: "Mr. Thomfon's "Winter" is a very different poem, of confiderable length, and agreeing with mine in nothing but the name. It has met with a great deal of deferved applaufe, and was written by that dull fellow whom Malcolm calls the jeft of our club. The injustice I did him then, in joining with my companions to ridicule the first imperfect effays of an excellent genius, was a ftrong motive to make me active in endeavouring to encourage him; and I believe I fhall never repent it. He is now fettled in a very good place, and will be able to requite all the fervices his friends have done him, in time. The fecond edition of his poem is now in the prefe, and fhall be font you as foon as it is published. I am fure you will like it; for it is filled with

VOL. IX.

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a great many moral reflections, as well as with a fine fpirit of poetry. You will find before it th copies of recommendatory verfes, one written by Mr. Hill, the fecond by a very fine woman, a request, and the third by myself."

In 1731, he brought on the stage, at Drury-Lane, his Eurydice, a tragedy, which was favour received. The prologue and epilogue were furnished by his friend Hill. It was revived at Day Lane, with alterations, 1760, and republished the same year. Its fuccefs was not great, though n principal parts were performed by Garrick and Mrs. Cibber. Dr. Johnsen observes, that he al "heard it mentioned as a mean performance."

About this time, or before, he conducted his pupils round the common circle of modifh traves and, on his return, the influence of the family in which he refided, and his poetical reputation, sa rally procured him admiffion to many perfons of the highest rank, and the highest character, to s.3 nobles, and flatefmen, the Prince of Wales, Lyttleton, Chesterfield, Bolingbroke, Pope, Young,

In 1733, he published his poem on Verbal Criticism, defigned to pay court to Pope, by riding Theobald, Bentley, Dennis, Cooke, and other editors, collators, commentators, and verbal criti It is little more than an improvement, or rather expansion of a fragment which Pope printed in a Miscellany long before he ingrafted it into a regular poem. The caft of diction, and conftruétis of the verfe, feem to be copied from Pope. The execution is better than the defign, which cannot be commended.

Dr. Johnson farcastically obferves, that having cleared his tongue from his native pronunciation fo as to be no longer diftinguished as a Scot, he seemed inclined to difencumber himself from all :herences of his original, and took upon him to change his name from Scotch Mallosh to English Make, without any imaginable reafon of preference which the eye or the ear can discover." What other proofs he gave of disrespect to his native country," he says, "I know not; but it was remarked of him, that he was the only Scot whom Scotchmen did not commend."

In juftice to Mallet, it ought to be mentioned, that this alteration did not originate in any dire spect to his native country, but was suggested to him by his cousin Paton, in 1724, as appears fr the following poftfcript to his letter to Mr. Ker of that date: "My coufin Mr. Paton would hart me write my name Mallet; for there is not one Englishman that can pronounce it." He continue, however, to write his name Malloch down to the year 1728, and probably fome time longer. A Englishman accustomed to pronounce Malloch, as if it were written Mallock, cannot easily dikeve any imaginable reafon of preference in changing it to Mallet, unless he had an opportunity of hearing the laft fyllable pronounced by a Scotchman. The last observation is fufficiently difproved by the tenor of his correfpondence with Mr. Ker, his readiness to do good offices to his countrymen, i his friendship with Thomson, which was never once disturbed by any casual mistake, envy, or j loufy on either fide.

The following anecdote is related by Dr. Johnfon, whofe intelligence on fome few occafions may be queftioned, and whofe opinion of Mallet is rather unfavourable.

"About this time, Pope, whom he vifited familiarly, published his " Effay on Man," but coscealed the author; and when Mallet entered one day, Pope asked him flightly what there was new! Mallet told him the newest piece was fomething called an Essay on Man," which he had inspected idly; and feeing the utter inability of the author, who had neither skill in writing nor knowledge of his fubject, had toffed it away. Pope, to punish his felf-conceit, told him the fecret."

When the Prince of Wales fet himself at the head of the oppofition, and kept a separate court, he endeavoured to increase his popularity by the patronage of literature, and made Mallet his under Secretary, with a falary of 200 1. a-year. Thomson likewise had a pension.

In 1734, he attended the Prince of Orange on his visit to Oxford, and wrote the congratulatory veríes prefented to him by the University, which breathe the nobleft fentiments of liberty. On this occafion, he was admitted to the degree of Master of Arts at St. Mary-Hall.

In 1739, he brought on the stage, at Drury-Lane, his Muftapba, a tragedy, which was honoured by the recommendation of the Prince of Wales, and performed with fuccefs, but was never revived. It was dedicated to the Prince. The prologue was written by Thomson.

In 1740, he was employed by Millar, the bookfeller, to prefix a Life of Bacon to a new edition of his works, in 4 vols. folio.; which he has written with great elegance and judgment; though per

haps with more knowledge of history than of fcience. It ranks with the best pieces of biography in ur language.

The fame year, he was affociated with Thomson in the compofition of the Mafque of Alfred, which vas performed on the 1st of August in the gardens of Cliefden, in commemoration of the acceffion George I.; and in honour of the birth-day of the Princefs of Brunswick. It was afterwards al10ft wholly changed by Mallet, and brought on the stage, at Drury-Lane, in 1751, but with no reat fuccefs.

In 1741, he married Mifs Elftob, a lady of great merit and beauty; upon which occafion Hill rites him: "You have fired my curiofity to fee and hear this lady, who has had fo ftrong and wift an influence upon an heart fo firm and fo impreffed as yours was by the memory of a former weetness. The luftre must be amiably fevere and sparkling, that had the power to attract unto felf a flame fo generous as your first, and which your pen delighted to defcribe with such a manly nd unmodifh tenderness."

Hill afterwards fent him the following verses on his marriage. The thought is borrowed from ouhours," a little poetical stream drawn from a French fountain."

Tafte, faid I, and deep difcerning,
Grace and virtue too thrown in,
Air-like cafe, and fun-like learning,
All are claims not worth a pin.
No, faid Truth, and frown'd her nod to't,
Fortune lives with none of thefe;
Fools and there fhe fwore by G-d to't,
Fools are thofe fhe works to please.

How, cry'd Wit! behold a Mallet
In our Elftob's bofom blefs'd:

Once, faid Truth, I'm out-recal it,
Miracles must fand confefs'd.

From this time he refided at Strand-Green, and afterwards at Putney; and lived in the style of a gentleman.

In 1747, after a long interval, he published his Amyntor and Theodora; his greatest work, addressed • Lord Chesterfield, and prefaced with a beautiful copy of Verfes to Mrs. Mallet. He fold this 10em to Vaillant the bookfeller for 120 1.

After the death of Pope, when it was found that he had clandeftinely printed an unauthorised umber of Bolingbroke's "Idea of a Patriot, King," &c. his "guide, philofopher, and friend," in a it of useless fury, refolved to blaft his memory, and employed Mallet as the executioner of his ven

reance.

Mallet, from his dependence on the Prince, was content to court Bolingbroke, then high in his Confidence, by prefixing an Advertisement to the " Idea of a Patriot, King," and other tracts published 1749; in which he charged Pope with "having been guilty of a breach of trust, and of having taken upon him further to divide the subject, and to alter and omit paffages according to the fuggestions of his own fancy.”

The charge was enforced with fo unfriendly, and so vindictive a severity, that Warburton thought it proper for him to interpofe, not indeed to vindicate the action, for breach of trust has always fomething criminal, but to extenuate it by an apologetical " Letter to the Editor," &c. in which he supposes, with great appearance of reafon, that the irregularity of Pope's conduct proceeded wholly from his zeal for Bolingbroke, who might perhaps have deftroyed the pamphlet, which he thought it his duty to preferve, even without its author's approbation. To this apology an answer was written by Mallet, in a Letter to the most impudent Man living.

For this act, which, it is hoped, Mallet unwillingly performed, he was rewarded, not long after, with the legacy of Bolingbroke's works.

In 1754, by the help of Millar the bookfeller, and, in oppofition to the remonstrance of Lord Hyde, he published the "Works" of Bolingbroke, in 5 Vols. 4to.; in which, it seems, he confulted his own profit, which was very much below his expectation, more than his benefactor's fame, as appears from a prefentment of the Grand Jury of Westminster, Oct. 16. 1754, of these five volumes, "as tending, in the general scope of feveral pieces therein contained, as well as many parti

cular expreffions which had been laid before them, to the subversion of religion, government, wi morality; and being also against his Majesty's peace."

Many of the political pieces had been written during the oppofition to Walpole, and givet Franklin the printer, as he fuppofed in perpetuity. These, among the reft, were claimed by th will. The queftion was referred to the arbitration of Mr. Draper and Mr. Wotton; but, foon the arbitrators had declared their award, Mallet fent them notice that he retracted and revokeć b fubmiffion, and that he discharged them from proceeding to make any award. Franklin fubma "A State of the Cafe," &c. to the public, in 1754.

The life of the Duke of Marlborough having been left unwritten by Lord Molefworth, who ha been his favourite in Flanders, and Steele, to whom the papers supposed to contain the neceffary i formation, had been fucceffively delivered, the old Duchefs, in her will, affigned the task to Ch and Mallet, with a reward of 1000l. and a prohibition to infert any verses. Glover rejected t legacy, and devolved the whole work upon Mallet, who had a penfion from the late Duke, to pr mote his industry, and who talked much of the discoveries which he made in Holland, and of the diligence he was exerting upon this work; but left not, when he died, the smallest veftige of hiftorical labour behind him.

In 1755, his Mafque of Britannia was acted at Drury-Lane, with fuccefs. The prologue, in th character of a drunken failor reading a play-bill, was written in conjunction with Garrick, fpoken by the latter, with so much applause, that it was called for, and infifted on by the audien many nights in the feafon, when the piece itself was not performed.

In 1756, when the nation was exasperated by the ill fuccefs of the war against France, he was ployed to turn the public vengeance upon Byng, and wrote a letter of accufation, under the cha racter of a Plain Man. The paper was circulated and difperfed with great industry; and he, fr his seasonable intervention, had a confiderable penfion bestowed upon him, which he retained to death.

In 1759, he published a collection of his Works, in Profe and Verfe, in 3 vols. 12mo. with a dedic tion to Lord Mansfield.

The fame year, he published a poem, called Tyburn, to the Marine Society, a fuppofed remontr of the gallows at Tyburn, to that patriotic inftitution, on account of the fervice which it had no dered the nation fince the commencement of the French war.

In 1760, he publifhed his beautiful ballad of Edwin and Emma, which was elegantly printed. Birmingham, by Balkerville, in 4to. The profits arifing from the fale were intended for a char table ufe.

In 1762, he published a small collection of Poems on Several Occafions, with a dedication to the Du! of Marlborough, in which he " hopes foon to prefent his Grace with fomething more folid, m.:: deferving his attention, in the "Life of the first Duke of Marlborough ;" which has not yet p peared.

In the political difputes which commenced at the beginning of the prefent reign, he took part w his countryman Lord Bute, to serve whom, he published Truth in Rhyme, in 1762; and wrote his tre gedy of Elvira, in imitation of De la Motte's tragedy, founded on a Portuguefe ftory, taken from the "Lufiad" of Camoens, which was acted at Drury-Lane, in 1763, with little fuccefs, as it was brought on at a critical time, and looked upon by many as a minifterial play. He was rewarded with the office of Keeper of the Book of Entries for Ships in the Port of London, to which he was appointed in 1763."

Towards the latter end of his life, he went with his wife to France; but after a while, finding b health declining, he returned alone to England, and died in April 1765.

He was twice married; and, by his first wife, had several children. One daughter, who married a Genoefe gentleman named Celefia, who formerly refided in London in a public character, wrote a tragedy called " Almida," acted at Drury-Lane, 1771; and "Indolence," a poem, 4to. [***, His fecond wife was the daughter of a nobleman's steward, who had a confiderable fortune, what fhe took care to retain in her own hands.

His Plays and Poems have been frequently reprinted; and his poems were collected in the fifty third volume of the "Works of the English Poets," 1779.

The character of Mallet has been variously represented by his friends, and by his enemies. Acording to Hill, who knew him well, his manners were as amiable as his abilities were respectable. With Young, Pope, Thomson, and Lyttleton, he lived in habits of familiar intimacy; and, it is but aftice to add, that no man maintained his fhare in converfation more happily than Mallet. His ehaviour to Pope after his death has drawn upon him the univerfal accufation of ingratitude; but, f he had not virtue, or had not spirit to refuse the office affigned him by Bolingbroke, it ought to e remembered that Pope was not innocent, and that he had fome dependence on the favour of Bolingbroke, a man whose pride and petulance made his kindness difficult to gain, or keep. He is aid to have adopted the peculiar fentiments of his patron with regard to religion; but of this there s no better evidence than the publication of his pofthumous works, in which he feems to have acted from confiderations of gain rather than zeal for the propagation of his opinions. His integrity in anfiness and in life is unimpeached. Vanity, the most innocent species of pride, seems to have been his predominant paffion. Pathos was a quality which he conceived to be fo much the characteristic af his own poetry, that he once quarrelled with Jones, author of the " Earl of Effex," for pretending to it. The dispute ended by his turning the poor bricklayer out of the room where they were spending the evening together. As a political writer, he seems to have been of that numerous clafs of men of letters, who think it no difhonour to be minifterial hirelings.

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"His ftature," fays Dr. Johnson, "was diminutive; but he was regularly formed; his appearance, till he grew corpulent, was agreeable, and he suffered it to want no recommendation that dress could give it. His converfation was elegant and eafy. The rest of his character may, without injury to his memory, fink into filence." This laft obfervation cannot be generally allowed; his titude to Mr. Ker, his kindness to his brother, his fervices to Hill and Thomson, his benefience to Derrick (Letters, 2 vols. 1767), and his exemplary tenderness in the discharge of the relative duties of husband and parent, command our esteem for his character, and confer a lafting honour on his memory.

As a poet, though he may not be altogether fecure from the objections of the critic, he has very Ettle to fear from the stricteft moral or religious cenfure; his works are not only the productions of a genius truly poetical; but they are friendly to the best interests of morality and liberty; they infpire virtue, truth, and patriotism; and inculcate the neceffity of goodness to the present and future happinefs of mankind. His compofitions are characterized by elegance of diction, and correanefs of judgment, rather than vigour of expreffion or fublimity of fentiment, neither of which are wanting. His powers have had every aid that laborious cultivation, that ufeful and polite learning could give; he poffeffes a judgment critically exact, but has not an highly creative imagination. He is an elegant and pleasing writer, a smooth and correct verfifier, but not a first-rate poet. His Excurfion is not devoid of poetical fpirit and picturefque defcription. Many of the images are ftriking, and many of the paffages are elegant. He obferves clearly, and defcribes forcibly; but he errs by endeavouring to imprefs his fubject on the mind with a pomp and reduplication of expreffion. In his Verbal Criticism, there is more pertnefs than wit, and more confidence than knowledge. Horace and Shakspeare are skilfully delineated. The three concluding couplets are excellent. The verfification is tolerable, nor can criticism allow it a higher praife. Amyntor and Theodora, his most elaborate performance, though fomewhat tedious and diffuse, abounds in ftriking images, pathetic incidents, and moral reflections. "The naufeous affectation of exprefling every thing pompously," fays Dr. Warton, " is no were more vifible than in a poem lately published, intitled Amyntor and Theodora. The following inflance may be alleged, among many others. Amyntor having a pathetic tale to discover, being choked with forrow, and at a lofs for utterance, ufes these ornas mental unnatural images:

O could I fteal

From harmony her fofteft warbled strain
Of melting air! or Zephyr's vernal voice,
Or Philomela's fong, when love diffolves
To liquid blandifhment his evening lay,
All nature smiling round-

There is in this paffage, it must be acknowledged, an attempt at dignity above the occafion. Pax thos feems to have been intended, but affectation only is produced, It cannot, however, be denied, U u iij

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