rived from the old ballad, "Did you not hear of a Spanish Lady?"-I wish it well enough to wish it were in rhyme.

The Schoolmistress, of which I know not what claim it has to stand among the moral works, is surely the most pleasing of Shenstone's performances. The adoption of a particular style, in light and short compositions, contributes much to the increase of pleasure: we are entertained at once with two imitations, of nature in the sentiments, of the original author in the style, and between them the mind is kept in perpetual employment.

The general recommendation of Shenstone is easiness and simplicity; his general defect is want of comprehension and variety. Had his mind been better stored with knowledge, whether he could have been great, I know not; he could certainly have been agreeablea.

a Mr. D'Israeli's remarks on Shenstone and his writings, may be profitably compared with Johnson's life. See last edition of the Curiosities of Li

YOUNG.

THE following life was written, at my request, by a gentleman who had better information than I could easily have obtained; and the publick will, perhaps, wish that I had solicited and obtained more such favours from him.

“DEAR SIR,—In consequence of our different conversations about authentick materials for the life of Young, I send you the following detail.

"Of great men, something must always be said to gratify curiosity. Of the illustrious author of the Night Thoughts much has been told of which there never could have been proofs; and little care appears to have been taken to tell that, of which proofs, with little trouble, might have been procured."

Edward Young was born at Upham, near Winchester, in June, 1681. He was the son of Edward Young, at that time fellow of Winchester college, and rector of Upham; who was the son of Jo. Young, of Woodhay, in Berkshire, styled by Wood, gentleman. In September, 1682, the poet's father was collated to the prebend of Gillingham Minor, in the church of Sarum, by bishop Ward. When Ward's faculties were impaired through age, his duties were necessarily performed by others. We learn from Wood, that at a visitation of Sprat's, July the 12th, 1686, the prebendary preached a Latin sermon, afterwards published, with which the bishop was so pleased, that he told the chapter he was concerned to find the preacher had one of the worst prebends in their church. Some time after this, in consequence of his merit and re

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putation, or of the interest of lord Bradford, to whom, in 1702, he dedicated two volumes of sermons, he was appointed chaplain to king William and queen Mary, and preferred to the deanery of Sarum. Jacob, who wrote in 1720, says, "he was chaplain and clerk of the closet to the late queen, who honoured him by standing godmother to the poet." His fellowship of Winchester he resigned in favour of a gentleman of the name of Harris, who married his only daughter. The dean died at Sarum, after a short illness, in 1705, in the sixty-third year of his age. On the Sunday after his decease, bishop Burnet preached at the cathedral, and began his sermon with saying, "Death has been of late walking round us, and making breach upon breach upon us, and has now carried away the head of this body with a stroke; so that he, whom you saw a week ago distributing the holy mysteries, is now laid in the dust. But he still lives in the many excellent directions he has left us, both how to live and how to die."

The dean placed his son upon the foundation at Winchester college, where he had himself been educated. At this school Edward Young remained till the election after his eighteenth birthday, the period at which those upon the foundation are superannuated. Whether he did not betray his abilities early in life, or his masters had not skill enough to discover in their pupil any marks of genius for which he merited reward, or no vacancy at Oxford afforded them an opportunity to bestow upon him the reward provided for merit by William of Wykeham; certain it is, that to an Oxford fellowship our poet did not succeed. By chance, or by choice, New college cannot claim the honour of numbering among its fellows him who wrote the Night Thoughts.

On the 13th of October, 1703, he was entered an independent member of New college, that he might live at little expense in the warden's lodgings, who was a particular friend of his father, till he should be qualified to stand for a fellowship at All Souls. In a few months the warden of New college died. He then removed to

VOL. VIII.

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Corpus college. The president of this society, from regard also for his father, invited him thither, in order to lessen his academical expenses. In 1708, he was nominated to a law-fellowship at All Souls by archbishop Tenison, into whose hands it came by devolution. Such repeated patronage, while it justifies Burnet's praise of the father, reflects credit on the conduct of the son. The manner in which it was exerted, seems to prove that the father did not leave behind him much wealth.

On the Mr of April, 1714, Young took his degree of bachelor of evil laws, and his doctor's degree on the 19th of June, 1719.

Soon cher de weat & Ovived, he discovered, it is stil a-bacva že zapi's Wieder he ever commenced was not known. Nine has herto boasted to inm woerved is arażemeni ustrictva Zam ne author of fre A Phongios

1. s traduce at us lege was proud z um 70 as a sovar Han 18 1 poet, izen 172 vien de inmin 200 a ne Cairnggu ibrary vas ini, 790 Tears uter der kad tik÷0 hs hacter's jegree. Yung was appointeĖ speak De Laan zetom. Dis & it est, patient young isinami a agrisa," the males magyar tumið." Diese uies te says - 72 “Anda wanitacha Rang nor a signart", y eng sh write a 20iste zevicature vna i ZIMIAUS sie) i 2

Awer rumister retire

the oration on Codrington. I think the clean ail el
better without them."

There are who relate, that, when first Ye four in-
self independent, and his own master at All STLLE DE TRE
not the ornament to religion and morality whiri e afe-
wards became.

The authority of his father, indeed, had ceased, some
time before, by his death; and Young was certainly not
ashamed to be patronised by the infamous Wharton. But
Wharton befriended in Young, perhaps, the poet, and par-
ticularly the tragedian. If virtuous authors must be pa-
tronised only by virtuous peers, who shall point them out?
Yet Pope is said, by Ruffhead, to have told Warbur-
ton, that "Young had much of a sublime genius, though
without common sense; so that his genius, having no
guide, was perpetually liable to degenerate into bombast.

This made him pass a foolish youth, the sport of peers and
poets: but his having a very good heart enabled him to
support the clerical character when he assumed it, first
with decency, and afterwards with honour."

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
cause of religion. Tindal used to spend much of his time
at All Souls. "The other boys," said the atheist, "I can
always answer, because I always know whence they have
their arguments, which I have read a hundred times; but
that fellow Young is continually pestering me with some-
thing of his own."

After all, Tindal and the censurers of Young may be reconcilable. Young might, for two or three years, have tried that kind of life, in which his natural principles would not suffer him to wallow long. If this were so, he has

As my great friend is now become the subject of biography, it should be told, that every time I called upon Johnson during the time I was employed in collecting materials for this life and putting it together, he never mufered me to depart without some such farewell as this: Don't forget fiat rascal Tindal, sir. Be sure to hang up the atheist." Alluding to this anecdote, which Juson had mentioned to me.

e.

cularly