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Men fometimes fuffer by injudicious kindhefs Philips became ridiculous, without his own fault, by the abfurd admiration of his friends, who decorated him with honorary garlands which the first breath of contradiction blafted.

When upon the fucceffion of the House of Hanover every Whig expected to be happy, Philips feems to have obtained too little notice he caught few drops of the golden bofhower, though he did not omit what flattery

could perform. He was only made a Commiffioner of the Lottery, (1717), and, what nodid not much elevate his character, a Justice ni of the Peace.

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Hob The fuccefs of his first play must naturally difpofe him to turn his hopes towards the

ftage: he did not however foon commit him od felf to the mercy of an audience, but contentyled himself with the fame already acquired,

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still after nine years he produced (1721) The 3 Briton, a tragedy which, whatever was its reception, is now neglected; though one of the scenes, between Vanoc the British Prince

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and Valens the Roman General, is confeffed to be written with great dramatick skill, animated by fpirit truly poetical,

He had not been idle though he had been filent; for he exhibited another tragedy the fame year, on the story of Humphry Duke of Gloucefter. This tragedy is only remembered by its title,

His happiest undertaking was of a paper called The Freethinker, in conjunction with affociates, of whom one was Dr. Boulter, who, then only minister of a parish in Southwark, was of fo much confequence to the government, that he was made first bishop of Bristol, and afterwards primate of Ireland, where his piety and his charity will be long honoured.

It may easily be imagined that what was printed under the direction of Boulter, would have nothing in it indecent or licentious; its title is to be understood as implying only freedom from unreafonable prejudice. It has been reprinted in volumes, but is little read; nor can impartial criticifm recommend it as worthy of revival,

Boulter

Boulter was not well qualified to write diurnal effays; but he knew how to practise the liberality of greatness and the fidelity of friendship. When he was advanced to the height of ecclefiaftical dignity, he did not forget the companion of his labours. Knowing Philips to be flenderly fupported, he took him to Ireland, as partaker of his fortune; and, making him his fecretary, added fuch preferments, as enabled him to represent the county of Armagh in the Irish Parliament.

In December 1726 he was made fecretary to the Lord Chancellor; and in August 1733 became judge of the Prerogative Court.

After the death of his patron he continued fome years in Ireland; but at laft longing, as it seems, for his native country, he returned (1748) to London, having doubtlefs furvived most of his friends and enemies, and among them his dreaded antagonist Pope. He found however the duke of Newcastle still living, and to him he dedicated his poems collected

into a volume.

Having purchased an annuity of four hun dred pounds, he now certainly hoped to pass fome years of life in plenty and tranquillity, but his hope deceived him: he was struck with a palfy, and died June 18, 1749, in his feventy-eighth year,

Of his personal character all that I have heard is, that he was eminent for bravery and fkill in the fword, and that in converfation he was folemn and pompous. He had great fenfibility of cenfure, if judgement may be made by a single story which I heard long ago from Mr. Ing, a gentleman of great eminence in Staffordshire. Philips," faid he," was "once at table, when I asked him, How came thy king of Epirus to drive oxen, and to fay I'm goaded on by love? After which question he never spoke again,”

Of the Diftreft Mother not much is pretended to be his own, and therefore it is no subject of criticism: his other two tragedies, I believe, are not below mediocrity, nor above it. Among the Poems comprised in the late collection, the Letter from Denmark may be juftly praised; the Paftorals, which by the

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writer of the Guardian were ranked as one of the four genuine productions of the ruftick Muse, cannot surely be despicable. That they exhibit a mode of life which does not exist, nor ever existed, is not to be objected; the fuppofition of fuch a state is allowed to Pastoral. In his other poems he cannot be denied the praise of lines fometimes elegant; but he has. feldom much force, or much comprehenfion, The pieces that please best are those which, from Pope and Pope's adherents, procured him the name of Namby Pamby,

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Poems of short lines, by which he paid his court to all ages and characters, from Walpole the fteerer of the realm, to mifs Pulteney in the nursery. The numbers are smooth and spritely, and the diction is feldom faulty. They are ! not loaded with much thought, yet if they had been written by Addison they would have had admirers: little things are not valued but when they are done by those who cannot do greater.

In his tranflations from Pindar he found the art of reaching all the obfcurity of the Theban bard, however he may fall below his fublimity;