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J. PHILIP S

JOHN PHILIPS was born on the 30th of December, 1676, at Bampton in Oxfordshire; of which place his father Dr. Stephen Philips, archdeacon of Salop, was minifter. The first part of his education was domeftick; after which he was sent to Winchefter, where, as we are told by Dr. Sewel, his biographer, he was foon diftinguished by the fuperiority of his exercises; and, what is lefs easily to be credited, fo much endeared himfelf to his schoolfellows by his civility and good-nature, that they, without murmur or ill-will, faw him indulged by the mafter with particular immunities. It is related, that, when he was at fchool, he feldom mingled in play with the other boys, but retired to his chamber; where his fovereign pleafure was to fit, hour after hour, while his hair was combed by fomebody, whofe fervice he found means to procure *.

At

*Ifaac Voffius relates, that he alfo delighted in having his. hair combed when he could have it done by barbers or other perfons skilled in the rules of profody. tains this ridiculous fancy, the following is a tranflation; "Many

Of the paffage that con

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At school he became acquainted with the poets ancient and modern, and fixed his attention particularly on Milton.

In 1694 he entered himself at Chrift-church, a college at that time in the highest reputation, by the tranfmiffion of Bufby's fcholars to the care firfst of Fell, and afterwards of Aldrich. Here he was diftinguifhed as a genius eminent among the eminent, and for friendship particularly intimate with Mr. Smith, the author of Phædra and Hippolytus. The profeffion which he intended to follow was that of Phyfick; and he took much delight in Natural History, which Botany was his favourite part.

His reputation was confined to his friends and to the university; till about 1703 he extended it to a wider circle by the Splendid Shilling, which ftruck the publick attention with a Mode of writing new and unexpected.

This performance raised him fo high, that, when Europe refounded with the victory of Blenheim, he was, probably with an occult oppofition to Addifon, employed to deliver the acclamation of the Tories. It is faid that he would willingly have declined the task, but that his friends urged it upon him. It

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'people take delight in the rubbing of their limbs, and the combing of their hair; but these exercises would delight much more, if the fervants at the baths, and of the barbers, were "so skilful in this art, that they could exprefs any measures with "their fingers. I remember that more than once I have fallen "into the hands of men of this fort, who could imitate any mea"fure of fongs in combing the hair, fo as fometimes to express very intelligibly Iambics, Trochees, Dactyls, &c. from whence "there arofe to me no fmall delight." See his Treatife de Foematum cantu & viribus Rythimi. Oxon. 1673. p. 62. H.

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appears that he wrote this poem at the houfe of Mr. St. John.

Blenheim was published in 1705. The next year produced his great work, the poem upon Cider, in two books; which was received with loud praises, and continued long to be read, as an imitation of Virgil's Georgick, which needed not fhun the prefence of the original.

He then grew probably more confident of his own abilities, and began to meditate a poem on the Laft Day; a fubject on which no mind can hope to equal expectation.

This work he did not live to finifh; his diseases, a flow confumption and an asthma, put a stop to his ftudies, and on Feb. 15, 1708, at the beginning of his thirty-third year, put an end to his life.

He was buried in the cathedral of Hereford; and Sir Simon Harcourt, afterwards Lord Chancellor, gave him a monument in Westminster Abbey. The infcription at Westminster was written, as I have heard, by Dr. Atterbury, though commonly given to Dr. Freind.

His

His Epitaph at Hereford:

JOHANNES PHILIPS

Obiit 15 die Feb. Anno

Cujus

Dom. 1708.
Etat. fuæ 32.

Offa fi requiras, hanc Urnam infpice:
Si ingenium nefcias, ipfius Opera confule;
Si Tumulum defideras,
Templum adi Westmonafterienfe:
Qualis quantufque Vir fuerit,
Dicat elegans illa & præclara,
Quæ cenotaphium ibi decorat,
Infcriptio.

Quàm interim erga Cognatos pius & officiofus,
Teftetur hoc faxum

A MARIA PHILIPS Matre ipfius pientiffimâ,
Dilecti Filii Memoriæ non fine Lacrymis dicatum,

His Epitaph at Westminster:

Herefordiæ conduntur Offa,
Hoc in Delubro ftatuitur Imago,
Britanniam omnem pervagatur Fama,
JOHANNIS PHILIPS:
Qui Viris bonis doctifque juxta charus,
Immortale fuum Ingenium,
Euriditione multiplici excultum,
Miro animi candore,
Eximiâ morum fimplicitate,
Honeftavit.

Litterarum Amoniorum fitim,

Quam Wintoniæ Puer fentire cœperat,
Inter Edis Chrifti Alumnos jugiter explevit,
In illo Mufarum Domicilio

Præclaris mulorum ftudiis excitatus,
Optimis fcribendi Magiftris femper intentus,
Carmina fermone Patrio compofuit

A Græcis

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A Græcis Latinifque fontibus feliciter deducta,
Atticis Romanifque auribus omnino digna,
Verfuum quippe Harmoniam
Rythmo didicerat.

Antiquo illo, libero, multiformi
Ad res ipfas apto prorfus, & attemperato,
Non numeris in eundem ferè orbem redeuntibus,
Non Claufularum fimiliter cadentium fono

Metiri:

Uni in hoc laudis genere Miltono fecundus,
Primoque pone par.

Res feu Tenues, feu Grandes, feu Mediocres
Ornandas fumferat,

Nufquam, non quod decuit,

Et videt, & affecutus eft,
Egregius, quocunque Stylum verteret,
Fandi author, & Modorum artifex.
Fas fit Huic,

Aufo licèt à tuâ Metrorum Lege difcedere,
O Poefis Anglicanæ Pater, atque Conditor, Chaucere,
Alterum tibi latus claudere,

Vatum certe Cineres, tuos undique ftipantium
Non dedeçebit Chorum.

SIMON HARCOURT, Miles,

Viri benè de fe, de Litteris meriti

Quoad viveret Fautor,

Poft Obitum piè memor,

Hoc illi Saxum poni voluit.

J. PHILIPS, STEPHANI, S. T. P. Archidiaconi
Salop. Filius, natus eft Bamptoniæ

In agro Oxon. Dec. 30, 1676.
Obiit Herefordiæ, Feb. 15, 1708,

Philips has been always praised, without contradiction, as a man modeft, blamelefs, and pious; who bore narrowness of fortune without difcontent, and

tedious

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