does beft what fuch multitudes are contending to do well. This praise was the praise of Shenstone; but like all other modes of felicity, it was not enjoyed without its abatements. Lyttelton was his neighbour and his rival, whose empire, fpacious and opulent, looked with disdain on the petty State that appeared behind it. For a while the inhabitants of Hagley affected to tell their acquaintance of the little fellow that was trying to make himself admired; but when by degrees the Leafowes forced themselves into notice, they took care to defeat the curiofity which they could not fupprefs, by conducting their vifitants perverfely to inconvenient points of view, and introducing them at the wrong end of a walk to detect a deception; injuries of which Shenftone would heavily complain. Where there is emulation there will be vanity; and where there is vanity there will be folly *. The pleasure of Shenftone was all in his eye he valued what he valued merely for its looks; nothing raised his indignation more than to ask if there were any fishes in his water. This charge against the Lyttelton family has been denied with fome degree of warmth by Mr. Potter, and fince by Mr. Graves. The latter fays, "The truth of the cafe, I believe, was, that the "Lyttelton family went fo frequently with their family to the Leafowes, that they were unwilling to break in upon Mr. "Shenftone's retirement on every occation, and therefore often "went to the principal points of view without waiting for any one "to conduct them regularly through the whole walks. Of this Mr. Shenstone would fometimes peevifhly complain; though [ am perfuaded, he never really fufpected any ill-natured intention in his worthy and much valued neighbours." R. His house was mean, and he did not improve it; his care was of his grounds. When he came home from his walks, he might find his floors flooded by a fhower through the broken roof; but could fpare no money for its reparation. In time his expences brought clamours about him, that overpowered the lamb's bleat and the lipnet's fong; and his groves were haunted by beings very different from fawns and fairies *. He spent his eftate in. adorning it, and his death was probably hafened by his anxieties. He was a lamp that spent its oil in blazing. It is faid, that, if he had lived a little longer, he would have been affifted by a penfion fuch bounty could not have been ever more properly bestowed; but that it was not afked is not certain; it is too certain that it never was enjoyed. He died at the Leafowes, of a putrid fever, about five on Friday morning, February 11, 1763; and was buried by the fide of his brother in the church-yard of Hales-Owen. * Mr. Graves, however, expreffes his belief that this is a groundless furmife. "Mr. Shenftone," he adds, "was too much refpected in the neighbourhood to be treated with rudeness: and "though his works (frugally as they were managed), added to his manner of living, muft neceffarily have made him exceed his "income, and, of courfe, he might fometimes be diftreffed for money, yet he had too much fpirit to expofe himself to infults from trifling fums, and guarded against any great diftrefs, by an "ticipating a few hundreds; which his eftate could very well bear, as appeared by what remained to his executors after the payment of his debts, and his legacies to his friends, and "annuities of thirty pounds a year to one fervant, and fix pounds "to another: for his will was dictated with equal juftice and ge nerofity." R. He was never married, though he might have obtained the lady, whoever fhe was, to whom his " Paf"toral Ballad" was addreffed. He is reprefented by his friend Dodfley as a man of great tenderness and generofity, kind to all that were within his influence; but, if once offended, not eafily appeafed; inattentive to œconomy, and careless of his expences: in his perfon he was larger than the middle fize, with fomething clumfy in his form; very negligent of his cloaths, and remarkable for wearing his grey hair in a particular manner; for he held that the fashion was no rule of drefs, and that every man was to fuit his appearance to his natural form. His mind was not very comprehenfive, nor his curiofity active; he had no value for those parts of knowledge which he had not himself cultivated. His life was unftained by any crime; the Elegy on Jeffe, which has been fuppofed to relate an unfortunate and criminal amour of his own, was known by his friends to have been fuggefted by the ftory of Mifs Godfrey in Richardfon's " Pamela." What Gray thought of his character, from the perufal of his Letters, was this: "I have read too an octavo volume of Shenstone's "Letters. Poor man! he was always wifhing for 66 money, for fame, and other diftinctions; and his "whole philofophy confifted in living against his Thefe," fays Mr. Graves, "were not precifely his fentiments; though he thought right enough, that every one should, “in fome degree, confult his particular fhape and complexion in "adjuting his drefs; and that no fafhion ought to fanctify what "was ungraceful, abfurd, or really deformed." ❝ will “ will in retirement, and in a place which his tafte had adorned; but which he only enjoyed when "people of note came to fee and commend it; his "correfpondence is about nothing elfe but this place " and his own writings, with two or three neighbour"ing clergymen, who wrote verfes too." His poems confift of elegies, odes, and ballads, humorous fallies, and moral pieces. His conception of an Elegy he has in his Preface very judiciously and discriminately explained. It is, according to his account, the effufion of a comtemplative mind, fometimes plaintive, and always ferious, and therefore fuperior to the glitter of flight ornaments. His compofitions fuit not ill to this defcrip tion. His topicks of praise are the domeftick virtues, and his thoughts are pure and fimple; but, wanting combination, they want variety. The peace of fo• litude, the innocence of inactivity, and the unenvied fecurity of an humble ftation, can fill but a few pages. That of which the effence is uniformity will be foon defcribed. His Elegies have therefore too much refemblance of each other. The lines are fometimes, fuch as Elegy requires, fmooth and easy; but to this praise his claim is not conftant; his diction is often harfh, improper, and affected; his words ill-coined, or ill-chofen, and his phrafe unfkilfully inverted. The Lyrick Poems are almost all of the light and airy kind, fuch as trip lightly and nimbly along, without the load of any weighty meaning. From thefe, however, "Rural Elegance" has fome right to be excepted. I once heard it praifed by a very learned lady; and though the lines are irregular, and the thoughts thoughts diffused with too much verbofity, yet it can, not be denied to contain both philofophical argument and poetical fpirit. Of the reft I cannot think any excellent; the "Skylark" pleases me beft, which has however more of the epigram than of the ode. But the four parts of his " Paftoral Ballad" demand particular notice. I cannot but regret that it is pastoral; an intelligent reader, acquainted with the scenes of real life, fickens at the mention of the crook, the pipe, the sheep, and the kids, which it is not neceffary to bring forward to notice, for the poet's art is felection, and he ought to fhew the beauties without the groffness of the country life. His ftanza feems to have been chofen in imitation of Rowe's " Defpairing "Shepherd." In the first part are two paffages, to which if any mind denies its fympathy, it has no acquaintance with love or nature; I priz'd every hour that went by, Beyond all that had pleas'd me before; But now they are paft, and I figh, And I grieve that I priz'd them no more. When forc'd the fair nymph to forego, She gaz'd, as I flowly withdrew, So fweetly the bade me adieu, I thought that the bade me return, |