brought upon him in the following parts of his life, might be justly imputed to fo unimproving an example.

Nor did the kindness of Sir Richard end in common favours. He propofed to have eftablished him in fome fettled fcheme of life, and to have contracted a kind of alliance with him, by marrying him to a natural daughter, on whom he intended to beftow a thousand pounds. But, though he was always lavish of future bounties, he conducted his affairs in fuch a manner, that he was very feldom able to keep his promifes, or execute his own intentions: and, as he was never able to raise the fum which he had offered, the marriage was delayed. In the mean time he was officiously informed, that Mr. Savage had ridiculed him; by which he was fo much exafperated. that he withdrew the allowance which he had paid him, and never afterwards admitted him to his house.

It is not indeed unlikely that Savage might by his imprudence expofe himfelf to the malice of a talebearer; for his patron had many follies, which, as his difcernment eafily difcovered, his imagination might fometimes incite him to mention too ludicrously. A little knowledge of the world is fufficient to discover that fuch weakness is very common, and that there are few who do not fometimes, in the wantonnefs of thoughtless mirth, or the heat of tranfient refentment, fpeak of their friends and benefactors with levity and contempt, though in their cooler moments they want neither fense of their kindness, nor reverence for their virtue; the fault therefore of Mr. Savage was rather negligence than ingratitude. But

Sir Richard muft likewife be acquitted of feverity, for who is there that can patiently bear contempt from one whom he has relieved and fupported, whose eftablishment he has laboured, and whofe intereft he has promoted?

He was now again abandoned to fortune without any other friend than Mr. Wilks; a man, who, whatever were his abilities or skill as an actor, deferves at leaft to be remembered for his virtues *, which are not often to be found in the world, and perhaps lefs often in his profeffion than in others. To be humane, generous, and candid, is a very high degree

* As it is a lofs to mankind when any good action is forgotten, I fhall infert another inftance of Mr. Wilks's generofity, very little known. Mr. Smith, a gentleman educated at Dublin, being hindered by an impediment in his pronunciation from engaging in orders, for which his friends defigned him, left his own country, and came to London in queft of employment, but found his folicitations fruitlefs, and his neceffities every day more preffing. In this diftrefs he wrote a tragedy, and offered it to the players, by whom it was rejected. Thus were his laft hopes defeated, and he had no other profpect than of the moft deplorable poverty. But Mr. Wilks thought his performance, though not perfect, at leaft worthy of fome reward, and therefore offered him a benefit. This favour he improved with fo much diligence, that the house afforded him a confiderable fum, with which he went to Leyden, applied himself to the ftudy of phyfick, and prosecuted his design with so much diligence and fuccefs, that, when Dr. Boerhaave was defired by the Czarina to recommend proper persons to introduce into Ruffia the prac tice and ftudy of phyfick, Dr. Smith was one of those whom he had felected. He had a confiderable pension settled on him at his arrival, and was one of the chief phyficians at the Ruffian court. Dr. J.

A Letter from Dr. Smith in Ruffia to Mr. Wilks is printed in Chetwood's Hiftory of the Stage. R.

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of merit in any cafe; but thofe qualities deferve ftill greater praife, when they are found in that condition which makes almoft every other man, for whatever reafon, contemptuous, infolent, petulant, felfish, and brutal.

As Mr. Wilks was one of thofe to whom calamity feldom complained without relief, he naturally took an unfortunate wit into his protection, and not only affifted him in any cafual diftreffes, but continued an equal and fteady kindness, to the time of his death.

By this interpofition Mr. Savage once obtained from his mother fifty pounds, and a promise of one hundred and fifty more; but it was the fate of this unhappy man, that few promises of any advantage to him were performed. His mother was infected, among others, with the general madness of the South Sea traffick; and, having been disappointed in her expectations, refufed to pay what perhaps nothing but the prospect of sudden affluence prompted her to promife.

Being thus obliged to depend upon the friendship of Mr. Wilks, he was confequently an affiduous frequenter of the theatres; and in a fhort time the amufements of the ftage took fuch poffeffion of his mind, that he never was abfent from a play in feveral years.

This conftant attendance naturally procured him the acquaintance of the players, and, among others,

*This I write upon the credit of the author of his life, which was published 1727. Dr. J.

of Mrs. Oldfield, who was fo much pleafed with his converfation, and touched with his misfortunes, that the allowed him a fettled penfion of fifty pounds a year, which was during her life regularly paid.

That this act of generofity may receive its due praife, and that the good actions of Mrs. Oldfield may not be fullied by her general character, it is proper to mention what Mr. Savage often declared, in the strongest terms, that he never faw her alone, or any other place than behind the scenes.

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At her death he endeavoured to fhew his gratitude in the moft decent manner, by wearing mourning as for a mother; but did not celebrate her in elegies *, because he knew that too great a profufion of praise would only have revived those faults which his natural equity did not allow him to think lefs, because they were committed by one who favoured him: but of which, though his virtue would not endeavour to palliate them, his gratitude would not suffer him to prolong the memory or diffuse the cenfure.

In his Wanderer, he has indeed taken an opportunity of mentioning her; but celebrates her not for her virtue, but her beauty, an excellence which none ever denied her; this is the only encomium with which he has rewarded her liberality, and perhaps he has even in this been too lavifh of his praife. He feems to have thought, that never to mention his benefactress would have an appearance of ingrati

* Chetwood, however, has printed a Poem on her death, which he afcribes to Mr. Savage. See Hiftory of the Stage, P. 206. R.

tude,

tude, though to have dedicated any particular performance to her memory would have only betrayed an officious partiality, that, without exalting her character, would have depreffed his own.

He had fometimes, by the kindness of Mr. Wilks, the advantage of a benefit, on which occafions he often received uncommon marks of regard and compaffion; and was once told by the Duke of Dorset, that it was just to confider him as an injured nobleman, and that in his opinion the nobility ought to think themselves obliged, without folicitation, to take every opportunity of fupporting him by their countenance and patronage. But he had generally the mortification to hear that the whole intereft of his mother was employed to fruftrate his applications, and that the never left any expedient untried, by which he might be cut off from the poffibility of fupporting life. The fame difpofition fhe endeavoured to diffuse among all thofe over whom nature or fortune gave her any influence, and indeed fucceeded too well in her defign: but could not always propagate her effrontery with her cruelty; for, fome of thofe, whom the incited against him, were ashamed of their own conduct, and boafted of that relief which they never gave him.

In this cenfure I do not indifcriminately involve all his relations; for he has mentioned with gratitude the humanity of one lady, whose name I am now unable to recollect, and to whom therefore I cannot pay the praises which she deserves for having acted well in oppofition to influence, precept, and example.

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