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poem, When Spring comes on, is, he fays, taken from the French. I would add, that the description of Barrenness, in his verses to Pope, was borrowed from Secundus; but lately fearching for the paffage which I had formerly read, I could not find it. The ·Night-piece on Death is indirectly preferred by Goldsmith to Gray's Church-yard; but, in my opinion, Gray has the advantage in dignity, variety, and originality of sentiment. He obferves that the ftory of the Hermit is in More's Dialogues and Howell's Letters, and fuppofes it to have been originally Arabian.

Goldsmith has not taken any notice of the Elegy to the old Beauty, which is perhaps the meaneft; nor of the Allegory on Man, the happiest of Parnell's performances. The hint of the Hymn to Contentment I fufpect to have been borrowed from Cleiveland.

The general character of Parnell is not great extent of comprehenfion, or fertility of mind. Of the little that appears ftill lefs is his own. His praise must be derived from the easy sweetness of his diction: in his verses there

there is more happiness than pains; he is fpritely without effort, and always delights though he never ravifhes; every thing .is proper, yet every thing feems cafual. If there is some appearance of elaboration in the Hermit, the narrative, as it is less airy, is lefs pleafing. Of his other compofitions it is impoffible to fay whether they are the productions of Nature, fo excellent as not to want the help of Art, or of Art fo refined as to refemble Nature:

This criticism relates only to the pieces published by Pope. Of the large appendages which I find in the laft edition, I can only fay that I know not whence they came, nor have ever enquired whither they are go-ing. They stand upon the faith of the compilers.

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AMUEL GARTH was of a good family in Yorkshire, and from fome school in his own country became a student at Peter-houfe in Cambridge, where he refided till he commenced doctor of phyfick on July the 7th, 1691. He was examined before the College at London on March the 12th, 1691-2, and admitted fellow July 26th, 1692. He was foon fo much distinguished, by his converfation and accomplishments, as to obtain very extenfive practice; and, if a pamphlet of those times may be credited, had the favour and confidence of one party, as Ratcliffe had of the other.

He is always mentioned as a man of benevolence; and it is just to suppose that his defire of helping the helpless, difpofed him

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to fo much zeal for the Difpenfary; an undertaking of which fome account, however fhort, is proper to be given.

Whether what Temple fays be true, that physicians have had more learning than the other faculties, I will not ftay to enquire; but, I believe, every man has found in phy-. ficians great liberality, and dignity of fentiment, very prompt effufion of beneficence, and willingness to exert a lucrative art, where there is no hope of lucre. Agreeably to this character, the College of Phyficians, in July 1687, published an edict, requiring all the fellows, candidates, and licentiates, to give gratuitous advice to the neighbouring poor.

This edit was fent to the Court of Aldermen; and a queftion being made to whom the appellation of the poor fhould be extended, the College anfwered, that it should be fufficient to bring a testimonial from a clergyman officiating in the parish where the patient refided.

After a year's expérience, the phyficians found their charity frustrated by fome malignant

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lignant oppofition, and made to a great degree vain by the high price of phyfick; they therefore voted, in Auguft 1688, that the laboratory of the College fhould be accommodated to the preparation of medicines, and another room prepared for their reception; and that the contributors to the expence fhould manage the charity.

It was now expected that the Apothecaries would have undertaken the care of providing medicines; but they took another course. Thinking the whole defign pernicious to their intereft, they endeavoured to raise a faction against it in the College, and found fome phyficians mean enough to folicit their patronage, by betraying to them the counfels of the College. The greater part, however, enforced by a new edict in 1694, the former order of 1687, and fent it to the mayor and aldermen, who appointed a committee to treat with the College, and settle the mode of adminiftring the charity.

It was defired by the aldermen, that the teftimonials of churchwardens and overfeers fhould be admitted; and that all hired feryants, and all apprentices to handicraftsmen,

fhould

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