On the 23d of April, 1714, Young took his degree of batchelor of civil laws, and his doctor's degree on the 10th of June, 1719.

he discovered, it

Whether he ever None has hitherto

Soon after he went to Oxford, is faid, an inclination for pupils. commenced tutor is not known. boafted to have received his academical inftruction from the author of the "Night Thoughts."

It is probable that his College was proud of him no less as a scholar than as a poet; for in 1716, when the foundation of the Codrington Library was laid, two years after he had taken his batchelor's degree, Young was appointed to speak the Latin oration. This is at least particular for being dedicated in English "To the Ladies of the Codrington Family." To thefe ladies he says, "that he was unavoidably flung "into a fingularity, by being obliged to write an epiftle dedicatory void of common-place, and "fuch an one was never published before by any "author whatever; that this practice abfolved them "from any obligation of reading what was prefented "to them; and that the bookfeller approved of it, "because it would make people ftare, was abfurd "enough, and perfectly right."

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Of this oration there is no appearance in his own edition of his works; and prefixed to an edition by Curll and Tonfon, in 1741, is a letter from Young to Curll, if we may credit Curll, dated December the 9th, 1739, wherein he fays that he has not leifure to review what he formerly wrote, and adds, "I have not the Epiftle to Lord Lanfdowne.' If you will take my advice, I would have you omit VOL. XI. "that,

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U

"that, and the oration on Codrington. I think the "collection will fell better without them."

There are who relate, that, when first Young found himself independent, and his own mafter at All Souls, he was not the ornament to religion and morality which he afterwards became.

The authority of his father, indeed, had ceafed, fome time before, by his death; and Young was certainly not afhamed to be patronized by the infamous Wharton. But Wharton befriended in Young, perhaps, the poet, and particularly the tragedian. If virtuous authors must be patronized only by virtuous peers, who fhall point them out?

Yet Pope is faid by Ruffhead to have told War. burton, that "Young had much of a sublime genius, though without common fenfe; fo that his genius, having no guide, was perpetually liable to degenerate into bombaft. This made him pass a foolish youth, the fport of peers and poets: but his having a very good heart enabled him to fupport the clerical character when he affumed it, firft with decency, and afterwards with honour."

"The

They who think ill of Young's morality in the early part of his life, may perhaps be wrong; but Tindal could not err in his opinion of Young's warmth and ability in the caufe of religion. Tindal used to spend much of his time at All Souls. "other boys," said the Atheist, " I can always anfwer, "because I always know whence they have their arguments, which I have read a hundred times; "but that fellow Young is continually peftering me "with fomething of his own *." After

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As my great friend is now become the fubject of biography, it should be told, that, every time I called upon Johnfon during

the

After all, Tindal and the cenfurers of Young may be reconcileable. Young might, for two or three years, have tried that kind of life, in which his natural principles would not fuffer him to wallow long. If this were fo, he has left behind him not only his evidence in favour of virtue, but the potent teftimony of experience against vice.

We shall foon fee that one of his earliest productions was more ferious than what comes from the generality of unfledged poets.

Young perhaps afcribed the good fortune of Addifon to the "Poem to his Majefty," prefented, with a copy of verses, to Somers; and hoped that he alfo might foar to wealth and honours on wings of the fame kind. His firft poetical flight was when Queen Anne called up to the House of Lords the fons of the Earls of Northampton and Aylesbury, and added, in one day, ten others to the number of peers. In order to reconcile the people to one, at leaft, of the new lords, he published, in 1712, "An Epiftle to the Right Honourable George Lord "Lanfdowne." In this compofition the poet pours out his panegyrick with the extravagance of a young man, who thinks his prefent ftock of wealth will never be exhausted.

The poem feems intended alfo to reconcile the publick to the late peace. This is endeavoured to be done by fhewing that men are flain in war, and

the time I was employed in collecting materials for this life and putting it together, he never suffered me to depart without fome fuch farewell as this: "Don't forget that rafcal Tindal, Sir. "Be sure to hang up the Atheist." Alluding to this anecdote, which Johnfon had mentioned to me.

that in peace “ harvests wave, and Commerce fwells “her fail.” If this be humanity, for which he meant it; is it politicks? Another purpose of this epiftie appears to have been, to prepare the publick for the reception of fome tragedy he might have in hand. His lordship's patronage, he fays, will not let him "repent his paffion for the ftage;" and the particular praise bestowed on "Othello" and "Orconoko" looks as if fome fuch character as Zanga was even then in contemplation. The affectionate mention of the death of his friend Harrison of New College, at the clofe of this poem, is an inftance of Young's art, which difplayed itself so wonderfully fome time afterwards in the "Night Thoughts," of making the publick a party in his private forrow.

Should juftice call upon you to cenfure this poem, it ought at leaft to be remembered that he did not infert it in his works; and that in the letter to Curl}, as we have seen, he advifes its omiffion. The bookfellers, in the late body of English Poetry, fhould have diftinguished what was deliberately rejected by the refpective authors. This I shall be careful to do with regard to Young. “I think," fays he, "the following pieces in four volumes to be the most "excufeable of all that I have written; and I with

lefs apology was needful for thefe. As there is no "recalling what is got abroad, the pieces here re"published I have revifed and corrected, and ren"dered them as pardonable as it was in my power to "do."

Dr. Johnfon, in many cafer, thought and directed differently, particularly in Young's Works. J.N.

3

Shall

Shall the gates of repentance be fhut only against literary finners?

When Addison publifhed "Cato" in 1713, Young had the honour of prefixing to it a recommendatory copy of verses. This is one of the pieces which the author of the "Night Thoughts" did not republish.

On the appearance of his " Poem on the Laft Day," Addison did not return Young's compliment; but "The Englishman" of October 29, 1713, which was probably written by Addison, fpeaks handfomely of this poem. The "Laft Day" was published foon after the peace. The vice-chancellor's imprimatur, for it was printed at Oxford, is dated May the 19th, 1713. From the exordium Young appears to have fpent fome time on the compofition of it. While other bards" with Britain's hero fet their fouls on "fire," he draws, he fays, a deeper fcene. Marlborough had been confidered by Britain as her hero; but, when the "Laft Day" was published, female cabal had blafted for a time the laurels of Blenheim. This ferious poem was finished by Young as early as 1710, before he was thirty; for part of it is printed in the "Tatler." It was infcribed to the Queen, in a dedication, which, for fome reason, he did not admit into his works. It tells her, that his only title to the great honour he now does himself, is the obligation which he formerly received from her royal indulgence.

Of this obligation nothing is now known, unless he alluded to her being his godmother. He is faid indeed to have been engaged at a fettled ftipend as a writer for the Court. In Swift's "Rhapfody on "Poetry" are these lines, fpeaking of the Court-