PARNELL.

1679–1718.

Born at Dublin-Educated at Trinity College, Dublin-Made Archdeadon of Clogher-Marrier

-Loses his wife-Introduced to Swift and Pope.

The life of Dr. Parnell is a task which I should very willingly decline, since it has been lately written by Goldsmith,' a man of such variety of powers, and such felicity of performance, that he always seemed to do best that which he was doing ; a man who had the art of being minute without tediousness, and general without confusion ; whose language was copious without exuberance, exact without constraint, and easy without weakness.

What such an author has told, who would tell again? I have made an abstract from his larger narrative ; and have this gratification from my attempt, that it gives me an opportunity of paying due tribute to the memory of Goldsmith.

Το γαρ γέρας έστι θανόντων.

Thomas Parnell was the son of a commonwealthman of the sw.10 name, who, at the Restoration left Congleton in Cheshire, wbere the family had been established for several centuries, and settling in Ireland, purchased an estate, which, with his lands in Chest.ire, descended to the poet, who was born at Dublin in 1679 : and, after the usual education at a grammar school, was at the age of thirteen admitted into the college, where, in 1700 [July 9], he became Master of Arts, and was the same year ordained a deacon, though under the canonical age, by a dispensation from the Bishop of Derry.

About three years afterwards he was made a priest; and in 1705 [February 9] Dr. Ashe, the Bishop of Clogher, conferred upon kim

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the Archdeaconry of Clogher. About the same time he married Mrs. Anne Minchin,' an amiable lady, by whom he had two sons who died young, and a daughter who long survived him.

At the ejection of the Whigs, in the end of Queen Anne's reign Parnell was persuaded to change his party, not without much censure from those whom he forsook, and was received by the new ministry as a valuable reinforcement. When the Earl of Oxford was told that Dr. Parnell waited among the crowd in the outer room, he went by the persuasion of Swift,' with his treasurer's staff in his hand, to inquire for him, and to bid him welcome ; and, as may be inferred from Pope's dedication, admitted him as a favourite companion to his convivial hours, but, as it seems often to have happened in those times to the favourites of the great, without attention to his fortune, which, however, was in no great need of improvement.

Parnell, who did not want ambition or vanity, was desirous to make himself conspicuous, and to show how worthy he was of high preferment. As he thought himself qualified to become a popular preacher, he displayed his elocution with great success in the pulpits of London; but the Queen's death · putting an end to his expectacions, abated his diligence ; and Pope represents him as falling from that time into intemperance of wine. That in his latter life he was too much a lover of the bottle, is not denied ; but I have

1 heard it imputed to a cause more likely to obtain forgiveness from mankind, the untimely death of a darling son ; or, as others tell, the loss of his wife, who died [1711] in the midst of his expectations.

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He was now to derive every future addition to his preferments from his personal interest with his private friends, and he was not long unregarded. He was warmly recommended by Swift to Archbishop King, who gave him a prebend in 1713 ; and in May 1716 presented him to the vicarage of Finglass, in the diocese of Dublin, worth four hundred pounds a year.' Such notice from such a man inclines me to believe that the vice of which he has been accused was not gross, or not notorious.

But his prosperity did not last long. His end, whatever was its cause, was now approaching. He enjoyed his preferment little more than a year, for in July 1717, in his thirty-eighth year, he died at Chester on his way to Ireland.

He seems to have been one of those poets who take delight in writing. He contributed to the papers of that time, and probably published more than he owned. He left many compositions behind him, of which Pope selected those which he thought best, and dedicated them to the Earl of Oxford.' Of these Goldsmith has given an opinion, and his criticism it is seldom safe to contradict. He bestows just praise upon the 'Rise of Woman,' the 'Fairy Tale,' and the ‘Pervigilium Veneris ;' but has very properly remarked, that in the Battle of Frogs and Mice’ the Greek names have not in English their original effect. He tells us that the ‘Bookworm’ is borrowed from Beza ; but he

. ; should have added, with modern applications; and when he dis

been ill for grief of his wife's death, and has been two months at Bath.--Swift: Journal to Stella (Scott, iii. 36).

? Johnson follows Goldsmith, but the value of the living is much overrated.

8 I cannot account for this blunder in the period of Parnell's death. He was in London in 1718, and the last mention of him that I can find occurs in a letter from Francis Waters to Pope, dated 11th of Sept., 1718, wherein Waters (Jervas's servant) records that Parnell had called on Pope that day at Jervas's house in Cieveland-court. (MS. letter, part of Pope's MS. “Iliad,' in British Museum.) The register of Trinity Church in Chester records the burial of Thomas Parnell, D.D., under the 18th of October, 1718. He left an only child, a daughter. His grave is unmarked. Both Johnson and Goldsmith have left epitaphs on Parnell: the former in Latin, the latter in English. There is a good mezzotinto portrait of Parnell, in gown and band, engraved 1771, “from an original painting in the possession of Sir John Parnell," nephew of the poet.

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covers that 'Gay Bacchus' is translated from Augurellus, he ought to have remarked that the latter part is purely Parnell's. Another poem, ‘When Spring comes on,' is, he says, taken from the French. I would add that the description of Barrenness,' in his verses to Pope,'' was borrowed from Secundus; but lately searching for the passage which I had formerly read, I could not find it. The ‘NightPiece 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 observes, that the story of the 'Hermit' is in More's ‘Dialogues' and Howell's 'Letters,' and supposes it to have been originally Arabian.

Goldsmith has not taken any notice of the 'Elegy to an Old Beauty,' which is perhaps the meanest, nor of the 'Allegory on Man, the happiest of Parnell's performances. The hint of the

' 'Hymn to Contentment? I suspect to have been borrowed from Cleveland.11

The general character of Parnell is not great extent of comprehension, or fertility of mind. Of the little that appears, still less is his own.

His praise must be derived from the easy sweetness of his diction ; in his verses there is more happiness than pains ; he is

; sprightly without effort, and always delights, though he never ravishes ; everything is proper, yet everything seems casual. If there is some appearance of elaboration in • The Hermit,' the narrative, as it is less airy, is less pleasing. Of his other compositions it is impossible to say whether they are the productions of Nature, so excellent as not to want the help of Art, or of Art so refined as to resemble Nature."

This criticism relates only to the pieces published by Pope. Of

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the large appendages which I find in the last edition, I can only say that I know not whence they came, nor have ever inquired whither they are going. They stand upon the faith of the compilers. 13

The following extracts are from Swift's 'Journal to Stella,' and have not been explained by his editors :

22nd Dec. 1712. I dined with Lord Treasurer to-day, who has engaged me to come again to-morrow. I gave Lord Bolingbroke a poem of Parnell's. I made Parnell insert some compliments in it to his Lordship. He is extremely pleased with it, and read some parts of it to-day to Lord Treasurer, who liked it as much. And indeed he outdoes all our poets here a bar's length. Lord Bolingbroke has ordered me to bring him to dinner on Christmas Day, &c.

25th Dec. I carried Parnell to dine at Lord Bolingbroke's, &c.

31st Dec. To-day Parnell and I dined with Lord Bolingbroke, to correct Parnell's poem. I made him show all the places he disliked; and when Parnell has corrected it fully, he shall print it.

17th Jan. 1612–13. This rogue Parnell has not yet corrected his poem, and I would fain have it out.

31st Jan. I value myself upon making the ministry desire to be acquainted with Parnell, and not Parnell with the ministry. His poem is almost fully corrected, and shall be soon out.

19th Feb. I was at Court to-day to speak to Lord Bolingbroke to look over Parnell's poem since it is corrected ; and Parnell and I dined with him, and he has shown bim three or four places to alter a little.

His poem will be printed in a few days.

20th March. Parnell's poem will be published on Monday, and to-morrow I design he shall present it to Lord Treasurer and Lord Bolingbroke at Court.

27th March. Parnell's poem is mightily esteemed; but poetry sells ill.

Now the ‘London Gazette' tells us what the title of this poem was—the Gazette of 21-24 March, 1713, advertising as published this day, and by Ben Tooke (Swift's own favourite printer), “ An Essay on the different Styles of Poetry, inscribed to Lord Bolingbroke;' and two presentation copies of the poem (in 8vo. pp. 36), to Young and Gay, now before me, bear Parnell's name in MS., for the poem appeared anonymously.

Of this poem, wholly unknown to every biographer of Parnell and annotator of Swift, here is what I consider the best passage :

Then hosts embattled stretch their lines afar,
Their leaders' speeches animate the war:
The trumpets sound, the feather'd arrows fly,
The sword is drawn, the lance is toss'd on high,

13 They were first published in 1758, in the posthumous works of Parnell, and are genuine though unworthy of his name.