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of the few poems in which blank verfe could not be changed for rhyme but with difadvantage. The wild diffufion of the fentiments, and the digreffive fallies of imagination, would have been compreffed and reftrained by confinement to rhyme. The excellence of this work is not exactnefs but copioufnefs; partilar lines are not to be regarded; the power is in the whole; and in the whole there is a magnificence like that afcribed to Chinese plantation, the magnificence of vaft extent and endless diverfity.

His laft poem was the "Refignation;" in which he made, as he was accustomed, an experiment of a new mode of writing, and fucceeded better than in his "Ocean" or his " Merchant." It was very falfely reprefented as a proof of decaying faculties. There is Young in every stanza, such as he often was in his highest vigour.

His tragedies, not making part of the Collection, I had forgotten, till Mr. Steevens recalled them to my thoughts by remarking, that he seemed to have one favourite catastrophe, as his three plays all concluded with lavish fuicide; a method by which, as Dryden remarked, a poet eafily rids his fcene of perfons whom he wants not to keep alive. In "Bufiris" there are the greatest ebullitions of imagination: but the pride of Bufiris is fuch as no other man can have, and the whole is too remote from known life to raise either grief, terror, or indignation. The "Revenge" approaches much nearer to human practices and manners, and therefore keeps poffeffion of the ftage: the first defign fecms fuggefted by " Othello;" but the reflections, the incidents, and the diction, are original. The moral obfervations are fo introduced, and

fo

fo expreffed, as to have all the novelty that can be required. Of "The Brothers" I may be allowed to fay nothing, fince nothing was ever faid of it by the publick.

It must be allowed of Young's poetry, that it abounds in thought, but without much accuracy or felection. When he lays hold of an illuftration, he purfues it beyond expectation, fometimes happily, as in his parallel of Quickfilver with Pleafure, which I have heard repeated with approbation by a Lady, of whose praise he would have been juftly proud, and which is very ingenious, very fubtle, and almoft exact; but fometimes he is lefs lucky, as when, in his " Night

Thoughts," having it dropped into his mind, that the orbs, floating in fpace, might be called the cluster of creation, he thinks on a cluster of grapes, and fays, that they all hang on the great vine, drinking the "nectareous juice of immortal life."

His conceits are fometimes yet lefs valuable. In the "Laft Day" he hopes to illuftrate the re-affembly of the atoms that compofe the human body at the Trump of Doom" by the collection of bees into a fwarm at the tinkling of a pan.

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The Prophet fays of Tyre, that "her Merchants are Princes." Young fays of Tyre in his "Mer"chant,"

Her merchants Princes, and each deck a Throne.

Let burlesque try to go beyond him.

He has the trick of joining the turgid and familiar: to buy the alliance of Britain, "Climes were paid "down." Antithefis is his favourite, "They for "kindness hate:" and "because the's right, the 's ever in the wrong."

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His verfification is his own; neither his blank nor his rhyming lines have any resemblance to those of former writers; he picks up no hemiftichs, he copies no favourite expreffions; he feems to have laid up no ftores of thought or diction, but to owe all to the fortuitous fuggeftions of the prefent moment. Yet I have reason to believe that, when once he had formed a new defign, he then laboured it with very patient industry; and that he compofed with great labour, and frequent revifions.

His verfes are formed by no certain model; he is no more like himself in his different productions than he is like others. He feems never to have ftudied profody, nor to have had any direction but from his own ear. But with all his defects, he was a man of genius and a poet.

MAL.

MALLET.

OF

F DAVID MALLET, having no written memorial, I am able to give no other account than fuch as is fupplied by the unauthorised loquacity of common fame, and a very flight perfonal knowledge.

He was by his original one of the Macgregors, a clan, that became, about fixty years ago, under the conduct of Robin Roy, fo formidable and fo infamous for violence and robbery, that the name was annulled by a legal abolition; and when they were all to denominate themselves anew, the father, I fuppose, of this author, called himself Malloch.

David Malloch was, by the penury of his parents, compelled to be Janitor of the High School at Edinburgh; a mean office, of which he did not afterwards delight to hear. But he furmounted the difadvantages of his birth and fortune; for, when the Duke of Montrofe applied to the College of Edinburgh for a tutor to educate his fons, Malloch was recommend

ed;

ed; and I never heard that he difhonoured his credentials.

When his pupils were fent to fee the world, they were entrusted to his care; and, having conducted them round the common circle of modifh travels, he returned with them to London, where, by the influence of the family in which he refided, he naturally gained admiffion to many perfons of the highest rank, and the highest character, to wits, nobles, and statef

men.

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Of his works, I know not whether I can trace the feries. His first production was " William and Margaret*;" of which, though it contains nothing very ftriking or difficult, he has been envied the reputation; and plagiarifm has been boldly charged, but never proved.

Not long afterwards he published the "Excurfion" (1728); a defultory and capricious view of fuch fcenes of Nature as his fancy led him, or his knowledge enabled him, to defcribe. It is not devoid of poetical fpirit. Many of his images are ftriking, and many of the paragraphs are elegant. The caft of diction feems to be copied from Thomson, whofe "Sea"fons" were then in their full bloffom of reputation. He has Thomfon's beauties and his faults.

His poem on "Verbal Criticifm" (1733) was written to pay court to Pope, on a fubject which he either did not understand, or willingly mifreprefented; and

*Mallet's "William and Margaret" was printed in Aaron Hill's "Plain Dealer," N° 36, July 24, 1724. In its original state it was very different from what it is in the last edition of his works. Dr. J.

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