retired to the care of his fifter in Chichester, where death in 1756 came to his relief. "After his return from France, the writer of this character paid him a vifit at Iflington, where he was waiting for his fifter, whom he had directed to meet him there was then nothing of disorder difcernible in his mind by any but himself; but he had withdrawn from study, and travelled with no other book than an English Teftament, fuch as children carry to the school: when his friend took it into his hand, out of curiofity to fee what companion a Man of Letters had chofen, I have but one book,' said Collins, but that is the best'." Such was the fate of Collins, with whom I once delighted to converfe, and whom I yet remember with tenderness. He was vifited at Chichester in his laft illness, by his learned friends Dr. Warton and his brother; to whom he spoke with difapprobation of his Oriental Eclogues, as not fufficiently expreffive of Afiatick manners, and called them his Irish Eclogues. He fhewed them, at the fame time, an ode infcribed to Mr. John Hume, on the fuperftitions of the Highlands; which they thought fuperior to his other works, but which no fearch has yet found *. His diforder was no alienation of mind, but general laxity and feeblenefs, a deficiency rather of his vital than his intellectual powers. What he fpcke wanted neither judgement nor fpirit; but a few minutes exhausted him, fo that he was forced to rest upon It is printed in the late Collection. R. the the couch, till a fhort ceffation reftored his powers, and he was again able to talk with his former vigour. The approaches of this dreadful malady he began to feel foon after his uncle's death; and, with the usual weakness of men fo difeafed, eagerly fnatched that temporary relief with which the table and the bottle flatter and feduce. But his health continually declined, and he grew more and more burthenfome to himself. To what I have formerly faid of his writings may be added, that his diction was often harfh, unfkilfully laboured, and injudicioufly felected. He affected the obfolete when it was not worthy of revival; and he puts his words out of the common order, feeming to think, with fome later candidates for fame, that not to write profe is certainly to write poetry. His lines commonly are of flow motion, clogged and impeded with clusters of confonants. As men are often ef teemed who cannot be loved, fo the poetry of Col lins may fometimes extort praise when it gives little pleasure. Mr. Collins's first production is added here from the "Poetical Calendar." TO MISS AURELIA C-R, ON HER WEEPING AT HER SISTER'S WEDDING. Ceafe, fair Aurelia, ceafe to mourn; With Love united Hymen ftands, DYER. DYE R. OHN DYER, of whom I have no other account JOH to give than his own Letters, published with Hughes's correfpondence, and the notes added by the editor, have afforded me, was born in 1700, the fecond fon of Robert Dyer of Aberglafney, in Caermarthenshire, a folicitor of great capacity and note. He paffed through Westminster fchool under the care of Dr. Freind, and was then called home to be inftructed in his father's profeffion. But his father died foon, and he took no delight in the study of the law, but, having always amufed himself with drawing, refolved to turn painter, and became pupil to Mr. Richardson, an artist then of high reputation, but now better known by his books than by his pictures. Having ftudied a while under his master, he became, as he tells his friend, an itinerant painter, and wandered about South Wales and the parts adjacent; but he mingled poetry with painting, and about 2. 1727 1727 printed "Grongar Hill" in Lewis's Mifcellany. Being, probably, unfatisfied with his own proficiency, he, like other painters, traveled to Italy; and coming back in 1740, published the "Ruins of "Rome." If his poem was written foon after his return, he did not make ufe of his acquifitions in painting, whatever they might be; for decline of health and. love of ftudy detertnined him to the Church. He therefore entered into Orders; and, it seems, married about the fame time a lady of the name of 'Enfor; "whose grand-mother," fays he, "was a Shakspeare, "defcended from a brother of every body's Shakspeare;" by her, in 1756, he had a fon and three daughters living. 66 His ecclefiaftical provifion.was for a long time but flender His firft patron, Mr. Harper, gave him, in 1741, Calthorp in Leicestershire, of eighty pounds. year, on which he lived ten years, and then exchanged it for Belchford in Lincolnshire, of feventyfive. His condition now began to mend. In 1751, Sir John Heathcote gave him Coningsby, of one hundred and forty pounds a year; and in 1755 the Chancellor added Kirkby, of one hundred and ten. He complains that the repair of the house at Coningsby, and other expences, took away the profit. In 1757 he published "The Fleece," his greateft poetical work; of which I will not fupprefs a ludicrous ftory. Dodfley the bookfeller was one day mentioning it to à critical visiter, with more expectation of fuccefs than the other could eafily admit. In the converfation the author's age was afked; and being reprefented as adVOL. XI. T vanced |