Bride, a tragedy, fo written as to fhew him fufficiently qualified for either kind of dramatick poetry.

In this play, of which, when he afterwards revised it, he reduced the verfification to greater regularity, there is more buftle than fentiment; the plot is busy and intricate, and the events take hold on the attention; but, except a very few paffages, we are rather amufed with noife, and perplexed with ftratagem, than entertained with any true delineation of natural characters. This, however, was received with more benevolence than any other of his works, and ftill continues to be acted and applauded.

But whatever objections may be made either to his comic or tragic excellence, they are loft at once in the blaze of admiration, when it is remembered that he had produced thefe four plays before he had paffed his twenty-fifth year; before other men, even fuch às are fome time to fhine in eminence, have paffed their probation of literature, or prefume to hope for any other notice than fuch as is beftowed on diligence and enquiry. Among all the efforts of early genius which literary hiftory records, I doubt whether any one can be produced that more furpafies the common limits of nature than the plays of Congreve.

About this time, began the long-continued controverfy between Collier and the poets. In the reign of Charles the Firft the Puritans had raifed a violent clamour against the drama, which they confidered as an entertainment not lawful to Chriftians, an opinion held by them in common with the church of Rome; and Prynne published Hiftrio-maftix, a huge volunie, in which stage plays were cenfured. The outrages and crimes of the Puritans brought afterwards their whole

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fyftem of doctrine into disrepute, and from the Reftotation the poets and the players were left at quiet; for to have molefted them would have had the appearance of tendency to puritanical malignity.

This danger, however, was worn away by time; and Collier, a fierce and implacable Nonjuror, knew that an attack upon the theatre would never make him fufpected for a puritan; he therefore (1698) published A fhort View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage,. I believe with no other motive than religious zeal and honeft indignation. He was formed for a controvertist; with fufficient learning; with diction vehement and pointed, though often vulgar and incorrect; with unconquerable pertinacity; with wit in the highest degree keen and farcaftick; and with all those powers exalted and invigorated by just confidence in his cause.

Thus qualified, and thus incited, he walked out to battle, and affailed at once most of the living writers, from Dryden to Durfey. His onfet was violent: those paffages, which while they ftood fingle had paffed with little notice, when they were accumulated and exposed together, excited horror; the wife and the pious caught the alarm, and the nation wondered why it had fo long fuffered irreligion and licentioufnefs to be openly taught at the publick charge.

Nothing now remained for the poets but to refift or Ay. Dryden's confcience, or his prudence, angry as he was, withheld him from the conflict; Congreve and Vanbrugh attempted anfwers. Congreve, a very young man, elated with fuccefs, and impatient of cenfure, affumed an air of confidence and fecurity. His ehief artifice of controverfy is to retort upon his adver

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fary his own words; he is very angry, and, hoping to conquer Collier with his own weapons, allows himself in the use of every term of contumely and contempt; but he has the fword without the arm of Scanderbeg; he has his antagonist's coarfenefs, but not his ftrength. Collier replied; for conteft was his delight, he was not to be frighted from his purpose or his prey.

The cause of Congreve was not tenable; whatever gloffes he might ufe for the defence or palliation of tingle paffages, the general tenour and tendency of his plays must always be condemned. It is acknowledged, with univerfal conviction, that the perufal of his works will make no man better; and that their ultimate effect is to reprefent pleasure in alliance with vice, and to relax thofe obligations by which life ought to be regulated.

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The ftage found other advocates, and the difpute was protracted through ten years; but at last Comedy grew more modeft; and Collier lived to fee the reward of his labour in the reformation of the theatre.

Of the powers by which this important victory was atchieved, a quotation from Love for Love, and the remark upon it, may afford a specimen.

Sir Sampf. Sampson's a very good name; for your Sampfons were frong dogs from the beginning.

Angel. Have a care-If you remember, the strongesi Samplon of your name pull'd an old houfe over his head at laft..

"Here you have the Sacred Hiftory burlesqued; "and Sampfon once more brought into the house of 3 Dagon, to make fport for the Philistines !"

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Congreve's laft play was The Way of the World; which, though as he hints in his dedication it was

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written with great labour and much thought, was re'ceived with fo little favour, that, being in a high degree offended and difgufted, he refolved to commit his quiet and his fame no more to the caprices of an audience.

From this time his life ceafed to be publick; he lived for himself and for his friends; and among his friends was able to name every man of his time whom wit and elegance had raised to reputation. It may be therefore reasonably fuppofed that his manners were polite, and his converfation pleafing.

He feems not to have taken much pleasure in writing, às he contributed nothing to the Spectator, and only one paper to the Tatler, though published by men with whom he might be fuppofed willing to affociate; and though he lived many years after the publication of his Mifcellaneous Poems, yet he added nothing to them, but lived on in literary indolence; engaged in no controverfy, contending with no rival, neither foliciting flattery by publick commendations, nor provoking enmity by malignant criticifm, but paffing his time among the great and fplendid, in the placid enjoyment of his fame and fortune.

Having owed his fortune to Halifax, he continued always of his patron's party, but, as it feems, without violence or acrimony; and his firmness was naturally esteemed, as his abilities were reverenced. His fecurity therefore was never violated; and when, upon the extrusion of the Whigs, fome interceffion was used left Congreve fhould be difplaced, the earl of Oxford made this answer:

"Non obtufa adeo geftamus pectora Pœni,

"Nec tam averfus equos Tyria fol jungit ab urbe."

He that was thus honoured by the adverse party, might naturally expect to be advanced when his friends returned to power, and he was accordingly made secretary for the island of Jamaica; a place, I fuppose, without truft or care, but which, with his poft in the customs, is faid to have afforded him twelve hundred pounds a year.

His honours were yet far greater than his profits. Every writer mentioned him with respect; and, among other teftimonies to his merit, Steele made him the patron of his Mifcellany, and Pope infcribed to him his tranflation of the Iliad.

But he treated the Mufes with ingratitude; for, having long converfed familiarly with the great, he wished to be confidered rather as a man of fashion than of wit; and, when he received a vifit from Voltaire, disgusted him by the despicable foppery of defiring to be confidered not as an author but a gentleman; to which the Frenchman replied, "that if he had been "only a gentleman, he fhould not have come to visit "him."

In his retirement he may be fuppofed to have ap plied himself to books; for he difcovers more literaFure than the poets have commonly attained. But his studies were in his latter days obftructed by cataracts in his eyes, which at laft terminated in blindnefs. This melancholy ftate was aggravated by the gout, for which he fought relief by a journey to Bath; but being overturned in his chariot, complained from that time of a pain in his fide, and died, at his houfe in Surrey-freet in the Strand, Jan. 29, 1728-9. Having lain in state in the Jerufalem-chamber, he was buried in Weftminfter-abbey, where a monument is erected to his me

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