allotted the praife of ftrength to Denham, and fweetnefs to Waller. His harmony of verfification has fome a batement: he ufes the expletive do very frequently; and, though he lived to fee it almoft univerfally rejected, was not more careful to avoid it in his laft compofitions than his firft. Reputation had given him confidence; and finding the world fatisfied with his productions, he fatisfied himfelf. His rhymes are fometimes weak words: so, makes the rhyme twice in ten lines, and occurs often through the book.

Of his nobler and more weighty performances, the greater part is panegyric; for of praife he was very lavish his verfes upon Cromwell have obtained their juft share of commendation. Such a feries' of lines had then rarely appeared in the English language. Some are grand, others grace ful; all are mufical.

His facred poems do not pleafe like fome of his other works; but before the fatal fifty-five, when his political conduct fo much difhonoured his literary powers, had he written on the fame fubject, his fuccefs would hardly have been better.

But of the praife of Waller, though much may be taken away, much will remain; he added fomething to our elegance of diction, and fomething to our propriety of thought. His opinion concerning the duty of a poet is contained in his declaration, that he would blot from his works any line that did not contain fome motive to virtue." And to him may be applied what Taffo faid of himfelf and Guarini, after having perufed the Paftor Fido-"If he had not read Aminta, he had not excelled it."

Of Thomas Otway, one of the firft names in the English drama, little is known. He was the fon of a clergyman, and born in Suffex, 1651. From Winchefler fchool, where he was educated, he was entered a commoner of Christ church, 1669; but left the

univerfity without a degree; whether for want of money, or impatience of academical reftraint, is not known.

At London he commenced player, but was unable to gain any reputation on the ftage. But unfuccefsful in this line, he felt in himself powers which qualified him for a dramatic author; and, in his twenty-fifth year, he produced Aleibiades. He afterward published Titus and Berenice, from Rapin; the Cheats of Scapin, from Moliere; and Friendship in Fafhion, a comedy, which, whatever might be its firft reception, was, upon its revival at Drury Lane, hiffed off the ftage for its immorality.

Want of morals or decency, did not, in thofe days, exclude any man from the fociety of the opulent and the great, if he brought with him any powers of entertainment; and Otway is faid to have been a favourite in the circle of the wits. But as he who defires no virtue in his companion, has no virtue himself, thofe with whom Otway affociated had no intention of ferving him further than by paying the reckoning; their kindnefs was without benevolence, and their familiarity without friendship. "The great, at that time, allowed no favour to men of genius, but to fhare their riots, from which they difmiffed them again to their own narrow circumftances; thus they languifhed in indigence without the fupport of eminence."

The Earl of Plymouth, however, procured for Otway a cornet's commiffion in fome troops fent into Flanders; but he did not profper in his military character, for he foon left hist commiffion behind him, whatever was the reason, and came back to London in extreme want. His play of Don Carlos appears to have had uncommon fuccefs, and from which he is reprefented to have received great benefit. The Orphan was exhibited in 1680. This yet keeps poffeffion of the stage, and has pleafed for a century, thro'

all

all the viciffitudes of dramatic fashion; it is a domestic tragedy, drawn from middle life; its whole power is upon the affections: for it is not written with much comprehenfion of thought, or elegance of expreffion; but, if the heart be interested, many other beauties may be wanting, and not missed. The next year produced the Fall of Caius Marius, much of which is bor rowed from the Romeo and Juliet of Shakespeare.

His laft and greatest work is Venice Preferved; ftill a favourite of the public, notwithstanding the want of morality in the defign, and the def picable fcenes of low comedy with which he has diverfified his tragic action. By comparing this with his Orphan, it will appear that his images were become stronger, and his language more energetic. The ftriking paffages are univerfally known; and The public judges rightly of its faults and excellencies, that it is the compofition of a man not attentive to decency, nor zealous for virtue, but one who conceived forcibly, and drew originally, by consulting nature in his own breaft.

He also wrote poems which are in the late collection, and tranflated from the French the Hiftory of the Triumvirate.

All these were produced before he was thirty-four years old. He died in a manner painful to relate. Having been compelled by his neceffities to contract debts, and hunted by bailiffs, he retired to a public houfe on Tower-hill; he went out (fays his biographer) almoft naked, in the rage of hunger, and finding a gentleman in a coffee-houfe, asked him for a fhilling; the gentleman gave him a guinea; and Otway going away, bought a roll, and was choaked with the first mouthful.

The principal power of Otway was in moving the paffions: he appears to have been a zealous royalist, and received what, in thofe times, was the

common reward of loyalty-he lived and died neglected.

Mrs Catharine Phillips, known by the name of the "matchlefs Orinda,” was much and defervedly esteemed for her poetical talents, and was unrivalled by the female wits of her time. Her poems are more admired for pro• priety and beauty of thought than harmony of verfification, in which the was generally deficient.

She tranflated the Pompey and Horace of Corneille. Her Letters to Sir Charles Cotterell are among the beft of her works.

The comedies of Wycherly were in great reputation, and were conformable to his perfonal character, which confifted of little virtue, mucli wit, and more libertinifm. Thefe, in the reign of Charles, were the first qualifications of a fine gentleman, and the ftrongeft recommendation to the favour of the court. At the fame time Killigrew, Sir George Etherege, and other play wrights, publifhed works well adapted to the licentioufnefs of the court, and the prevailing manners of the age.

The Marquis of Newcastle, in confequence of his rank rather than his merit, was celebrated among the poets. His writings, confifting of plays and poems, are now little regarded; but his book on horfemanfhip is yet held in efteem.

Payne Fisher, poet-laureat to Cromwell, was a copious and not inelegant writer of Latin verfe: he flourished before and after the restoration. This character by Strada is exactly applicable to him.

"Nullius hodie mortalium, aut nafcitur, aut moritur, aut præliatur, aut rufticatur, aut abiit peregre, aut rediit, aut eft, aut non eft, (nam etiam mortuis ifte canit) cui non extemplo credat Epicedia, Genethliaca, Proterptica nænias nugas." (See a catalogue of his works, Athene Oxonienfis.)

Thomas May was a diftinguished

poet

THA

HAT every man has a defire of happiness, is a truth familiar to the mind of the most inattentive obferver. of human actions. This de fire, though not in every cafe the ftrongeft of our active principles,is perhaps that which preffes molt upon the attention, is molt frequently summoned to exercife, and accounts for the greatest number of human actions. It enters into the compofition of many emotions and defires, and is the fource of the pleafures and pains of anticipation, Hope and fear are nothing but felf-love directed upon the objects of futurity.

The impoffibility of our enjoying, by any combination of present plea fures, a happiness commenfurate to our powers of enjoyment; and the uneafinefs which cannot be removed by all the gifts of nature or of for tume, has given rife, in the mind of every individual, to an endless fucceffion of defires, a.id prompted to a correfpondent diverfity of purfuit. Animated by the uncertain profpect of future happiness, we naturally en quire into the probability of our obtaining it, endeavour to efcape from the pain which accompanies uncertainty in a fubject that we conceive to be important; apply the treafures of experience to the difcovery of the future, and at laft come to a concludion, either unfavourable to our wishes, which excites fear, or favourable to them, which excites hope. :

It is well known, however, that hope is feldom confiftent with experience. Imagination can grafp at an object of enjoyment, without any

regard to the probability or even poffibility of our ever obtaining it; muse with delight on fuccefs which reason defpairs of ever being realifed; enumerate with fondness the advantages which we fhall reap from fituations in which there is no probability that we fhall ever be placed; draw a thousand agreeable conclufions from prefumptions which vanish at once before the eye of experience; and grow proud of that fuccefs which depends upon the uncertain operation of contingent caufes.

This fact proceeds from the influence of inclination upon belief. Every future event, which is an object of defire, we believe will certainly happen; and we often think and act upon that belief, without examining the folidity of its foundation. On this ultimate fact in our conftitution is founded the extenfive influence of hope in every fituation of life; whether it mitigates the acutenefs of mifery; excites the liftleffness of indolent profperity, or animates the penfive inters vals of folitary recreation.

Hope, as it is often produced by defire, fo it always ftrengthens the defire which gave it birth. This fact is moft ftrikingly true in thofe cafes in which the attainment of our object requires activity and perfeverance. It is alfo true in other cafes, when the gratification of our defires depends upon circumstances which we cannot controul. Hope enlivens our conceptions of the happinefs which is in profpect, and increases the emotion which is founded on fuch concep tions. Hope animates defire, and animates

animates alfo the exertion which is neceffary to fecure fuccefs. When fuch an exertion is required of us, in order to prevent difappointment, this confidence in futurity ftrengthens the motives which formerly impelled us to action, and forms a habit of bodily and active, occupation. When no fuch exertion is required, when the fuccefs of our hopes depends upon the operation of circumftances which lye beyond the fphere of our influence, the mind generally prefers the pleafures of joyful anticipation to thofe lefs obvious and attractive pleafures which accompany a fruitless activity. On this diftinction depends, in a great measure, the influence of fociety and of folitude, on the formation of character.

Hope is fometimes the confequence of that defire which is excited by the productions of imagination when combining the conftituents of perfection and happinefs. As foon as our defires are excited by the perception of objects calculated to excite them, hope and fancy ascend the throne of the understanding, whifper the pro mifes of unclouded happiness, fummon together the minifters of human enjoyment, prefent before the eye of the mind all their treafures, and affure us, with a confidence which dreads not the contradiction of ex perience, that these treasures will one day be our own.

The ideas of which thefe dreams of fancy confift, are more commonly united by the relation of fucceffion than by that of contiguity. To combine a group of objects different from any which we have perceived, is an effort of mind which is generally inconfiftent with the cafe that is requi fite, before we can indulge this kind of hope.

This operation of the imagination contributes greatly to the sum of hu man happinefs, and, by prefenting to the attention beautiful patterns of excellence, animates and directs the arEd. Mag. Jan. 1802.

dour of afpiring genius. It has when accompanied with feeling and taste, a tendency, however, to produce à difrelifh to the uniform events of real life; to fofter a fenfibility which too readily perceives the imperfection mingled with every human enjoyment, and to confine the attention almost entirely to the regions of fancy.

The influence of hope on the mind feems to depend principally upon the following circumstances:

1. On the strength of inclination which produces it.

2. On the leisure which the mind enjoys from pleasure and from busi nefs. All our emotions, both plea. fant and painful, are increased by want of occupation, and blunted by the hurry of bufinefs and pleasure. On this account, the uneafinefs which produces hope, and confequently hope itfelf, is never fo ftrongly felt as when the attention is difengaged from any particular object, and left to the guidance of accident or fancy.

3. On the influence of experience on the mind. 1 his depends partly on its removing our confidence in the delufions of hope. but principally on the pain which is annexed to disap pointment. This pain, like every other, after it is felt, becomes an ob ject of averfion, and therefore of avoidance; and the only way to avoid it is to deliver our expectations from the flavery of inclination, and to check every hope which is not fanctioned by the authority of reafon. Hope, however, frequently regains her influence, and, while reafon flumbers ufurps the throne of experience. This influence continues, till the terrors of disappointment are again impreffed upon the reluctant attention. A very grievous disappointment often produces averfion to any thing by which hope may be excited, and terminates in a melancholy indulgence of the grief which refufes to be com forted When the hour which determines our fuccefs draws nigh, and

the