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ing that he was more or lefs converfant with that family.

The fame year he published the City Mouse and Country Mouse, to ridicule Dryden's Hind and Panther, in conjunction with Mr. Montague. There is a ftory* of great pain fuffered, and of tears shed, on this occafion, by Dryden, who thought it hard that "an "old man should be so treated by those to whom he "had always been civil." By tales like these is the envy, raised by fuperior abilities, every day gratified: when they are attacked, every one hopes to fee them humbled what is hoped is readily believed; and what is believed is confidently told. Dryden had been more accustomed to hoftilities, than that fuch enemies fhould break his quiet; and, if we can fuppofe him vexed, it would be hard to deny him sense enough to conceal his uneafinefs.

The City Mouse and Country Moufe procured its authors more folid advantages than the pleasure of fretting Dryden; for they were both speedily preferred. Montague, indeed, obtained the first notice, with fome degree of discontent, as it seems, in Prior, who probably knew that his own part of the performance was the best. He had not, however, much reafon to complain; for he came to London, and obtained fuch notice, that (in 1691) he was fent to the Congress at the Hague as fecretary to the embaffy. In this affembly of princes and nobles, to which Europe has perhaps fcarcely feen any thing equal, was formed the grand alliance against Lewis, which at laft did not produce effects proportionate to the magnificence of the tranfaction.

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The conduct of Prior, in this fplendid initiation into publick bufinefs, was fo pleafing to king William, that he made him one of the gentlemen of his bedchamber; and he is fuppofed to have paffed fome of the next years in the quiet cultivation of literature and poetry.

The death of queen Mary (in 1695) produced a fubject for all the writers: perhaps no funeral was ever fo poetically attended. Dryden, indeed, as a man discountenanced and deprived, was filent; but fcarcely any other maker of verses omitted to bring his tribute of tuneful forrow. An emulation of elegy was univerfal. Maria's praise was not confined to the English language, but fills a great part of the Mufa Anglicana.

Prior, who was both a poet and a courtier, was too diligent to mifs this opportunity of respect. He wrote a long ode, which was prefented to the king, by whom it was not likely to be ever read.

In two years he was fecretary to another embassy at the treaty of Ryfwick (in 1697 *); and next year had the fame office at the court of France, where he is faid to have been confidered with great diftinc-. tion.

As he was one day furveying the apartments at Versailles, being fhewn the Victories of Louis, painted : by Le Brun, and asked whether the king of England's palace had any fuch decorations; "The mo"numents of my mafter's actions," faid he, " are "to be feen every where but in his own house."

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* He received, in September 1697, a prefent of 200 guineas from the lords juftices, for his trouble in bringing over the treaty of peace. N.

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The pictures of Le Brun are not only in themselves fufficiently oftentatious, but were explained by infcriptions fo arrogant, that Boileau and Racine thought it neceffary to make them more fimple.

He was in the following year at Loo with the King; from whom, after a long audience, he carried orders to England, and upon his arrival became under-fecretary of ftate in the Earl of Jerfey's office; a poft which he did not retain long, because Jersey was removed; but he was foon made commiffioner of trade.

This year (1700) produced one of his longest and most splendid compofitions, the Carmen Seculare, in which he exhaufts all his powers of celebration. I mean not to accufe him of flattery: he probably thought all that he writ, and retained as much veracity as can be properly exacted from a poet profeffedly encomiaftick. King William fupplied copious materials for either verfe or profe. His whole life had been action, and none ever denied. him the refplendent qualities of fteady refolution and perfonal courage. He was really in Prior's mind what he reprefents him in his verfes; he confidered him as a hero, and was accuftomed to fay, that he praised others in compliance with the fashion, but that in celebrating King William he followed his inclination. To Prior gratitude would dictate praife, which reason would not refuse.

Among the advantages to arife from the future years of William's reign, he mentions a Society for feful Arts, and among them

Some that with care true eloquence shall teach,
And to juft idioms fix our doubtful speech;

VOL. II.

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That from our writers diftant realms may know

The thanks we to our monarchs owe,

And schools profess our tongue through every land,
That has invok'd his aid, or bless'd his hand.

Tickell, in his Profpect of Peace, has the fame hope of a new academy:

In happy chains our daring language bound,
Shall fport no moré in arbitrary found.

Whether the fimilitude of thofe paffages which exhibit the fame thought on the fame occafion proceeded from accident or imitation, is not eafy to determine. Tickell might have been impreffed with his expectation by Swift's Propofal for afcertaining the English Language, then lately published.

In the parliament that met in 1701, he was chofen reprefentative of Eaft Grinstead. Perhaps it was about this time that he changed his party; for he voted for the impeachment of thofe lords who had perfuaded the King to the Partition-treaty, a treaty in which he had himself been minifterially employed.

A great part of Queen Anne's reign was a time of war, in which there was little employment for negotiators, and Prior had therefore leifure to make or to polifh verfes. When the battle of Blenheim called forth all the verfemen, Prior, among the reft, took care to fhew his delight in the increafing honour of his country by an Epistle to Boileau.

He published, foon afterwards, a volume of poems, with the encomiaftick character of his deceased patron the Duke of Dorfet: it began with the College Exercife, and ended with the Nut-brown Maid.

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The battle of Ramilies foon afterwards (in 1706) excited him to another effort of poetry. On this occafion he had fewer or lefs formidable rivals; and it would be not easy to name any other compofition produced by that event which is now remembered.

Every thing has its day. Through the reigns of William and Anne no profperous event paffed undignified by poetry. In the last war, when France was difgraced and overpowered in every quarter of the globe, when Spain, coming to her affiftance, only fhared her calamities, and the name of an Englishman was reverenced through Europe, no poet was heard amidst the general acclamation; the fame of our counfellors and heroes was entrusted to the Gazetteer.

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The nation in time grew weary of the war, and the Queen grew weary of her minifters. The war was burdenfome, and the minifters were infolent. Harley and his friends began to hope that they might, by driving the Whigs from court and from power, gratify at once the Queen and the people. There was now a call for writers, who might convey intelligence of past abuses, and fhew the waste of publick money, the unreasonable Conduct of the Allies, the avarice of generals, the tyranny of minions, and the general danger of approaching ruin.

For this purpose a paper called The Examiner was periodically published, written, as it happened, by any wit of the party, and fometimes, as is faid, by Mrs. Manley. Some are owned by Swift; and one, in ridicule of Garth's verfes to Godolphin upon the lofs of his place, was written by Prior, and anfwered

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