A. PHILIP S

F the birth or early part of the life of AMBROSE

OF PHILIPS I have not been able to find any ac

count. His academical education he received at St. John's College in Cambridge, where he first folicited the notice of the world by fome English verses, in the collection published by the Univerfity on the death of Queen Mary.

From this time how he was employed, or in what ftation he paffed his life, is not yet difcovered. He must have published his Paftorals before the year 1708, because they are evidently prior to thofe of Pope.

He afterwards (1709) addreffed to the universal patron, the Duke of Dorfet, a " poetical Letter from "Copenhagen," which was published in the " Tat"ler," and is by Pope in one of his firft letters mentioned with high praife, as the production of a man "who could write very nobly."

Philips was a zealous Whig, and therefore eafily found access to Addifon and Steele; but his ardour feems not to have procured him any thing more than

kind words; fince he was reduced to tranflate the "Perfian Tales" for Tonfon, for which he was afterwards reproached, with this addition of contempt, that he worked for half-a-crown. The book is divided into many fections, for each of which if he received half-a-crown, his reward, as writers then were paid, was very liberal; but half-a-crown had a mean found.

He was employed in promoting the principles of his party, by epitomifing Hacket's "Life of Arch. "bishop Williams." The original book is written with fuch depravity of genius, fuch mixture of the fop and pedant, as has not often appeared. The epitome is free enough from affectation, but has little fpirit or vigour.

In 1712 he brought upon the ftage "The Diftreft "Mother," almoft a tranflation of Racine's "Andromaque." Such a work requires no uncommon powers, but the friends of Philips exerted every art to promote his intereft. Before the appearance of the play, a whole "Spectator," none indeed of the beft, was devoted to its praife; while it yet continued to be acted, another "Spectator" was written, to tell what impreffion it made upon Sir Roger; and on the first night a felect audience, fays Pope, was called together to applaud it.

It was concluded with the moft fuccefsful Epilogue that was ever yet fpoken on the English theatre. The three first nights it was recited twice; and not only continued to be demanded through the run, as it is termed, of the play, but whenever it is recalled

* Spence,

to

to the ftage, where by peculiar fortune, though a copy from the French, it yet keeps its place, the Epilogue is fill expected, and is ftill fpoken.

The propriety of Epilogues in general, and confequently of this, was queftioned by a correfpondent of the "Spectator," whofe Letter was undoubtedly admitted for the fake of the answer, which foon followed, written with much zeal and acrimony. The attack and the defence equally contributed to ftimulate curiofity and continue attention. It may be difcovered in the defence, that Prior's Epilogue to "Phædra" had a little excited jealoufy; and fomething of Prior's plan may be discovered in the performance of his rival. Of this diftinguifhed Epilogue the reputed author was the wretched Budgel, whom Addifon used to denominate the man who calls "me coufin;" and when he was afked how fuch a filly fellow could write fo well, replied, "The Epi❝logue was quite another thing when I faw it first." It was known in Tonfon's family, and told to Garrick, that Addison was himself the author of it, and that, when it had been at firft printed with his name, he came early in the morning, before the copies were distributed, and ordered it to be given to Budgel, that it might add weight to the folicitation which he was then making for a place.

Philips was now high in the ranks of literature. His play was applauded; his tranflations from Sappho had been published in the " Spectator;" he was an important and diftinguifhed affociate of clubs witty and political; and nothing was wanting to his happinefs, but that he fhould be fure of its continuance

The work which had procured him the first notice from the publick was his Six Paftorals, which, flattering the imagination with Arcadian scenes, probably found many readers, and might have long paffed as a pleafing amufement, had they not been unhappily too much commended.

The ruftic poems of Theocritus were so highly valued by the Greeks and Romans, that they attracted the imitation of Virgil, whofe Eclogues seem to have been confidered as precluding all attempts of the fame kind; for no fhepherds were taught to fing by any fucceeding poet, till Nemefian and Calpurnius ventured their feeble efforts in the lower age of Latin literature.

At the revival of learning in Italy, it was foon difcovered that a dialogue of imaginary fwains might be compofed with little difficulty; because the converfation of fhepherds excludes profound or refined fentiment; and, for images and defcriptions, Satyrs and Fauns, and Naiads and Dryads, were always within call; and woods and meadows, and hills and rivers, fupplied variety of matter, which, having a natural power to footh the mind, did not quickly cloy it.

Petrarch entertained the learned men of his age with the novelty of modern Paftorals in Latin. Being not ignorant of Greek, and finding nothing in the word Eclogue of rural meaning, he fuppofed it to be corrupted by the copiers, and therefore called his own productions Eglegues, by which he meant to exprefs the talk of goatherds, though it will mean only the talk of goats. This new name was adopted

by

by fubfequent writers, and amongst others by our Spenfer.

More than a century afterwards (1498) Mantuan published his Bucolicks with fuch fuccefs, that they were foon dignified by Badius with a comment, and, as Scaliger complained, received into fchools, and taught as claffical; his complaint was vain, and the practice, however injudicious, spread far, and continued long. Mantuan was read, at leaft in fome of the inferior schools of this kingdom, to the beginning of the present century. The fpeakers of Mantuan carried their difquifitions beyond the country, to cen. fure the corruptions of the Church; and from him Spenfer learned to employ his fwains on topicks of controverfy.

The Italians foon transferred Paftoral Poetry into their own language: Sannazaro wrote Arcadia," in profe and verfe; Taffo and Guarini wrote "Favole "Bofchareccie," or Sylvan Dramas; and all nations of Europe filled volumes with Thryfts and Damon, and Theftylis and Phyllis.

Philips thinks it "fomewhat ftrange to conceive ❝how, in an age so addicted to the Muses, Paftoral "Poetry never comes to be fo much as thought upon." His wonder feems very unfeasonable; there had never, from the time of Spenfer, wanted writers to talk occafionally of Arcadia and Strephon; and half the book, in which he first tried his powers, confifts of dialogues on Queen Mary's death, between Tityrus and Corydon, or Mopfus and Menalcas. A feries or book of Paftorals, however, I know not that any one had then lately published.

Not