are parly mythological, and partly religious, and there fore not suitable to each other; he might better have made the whole merely philofophical. There are two ftanzas in this poem where Yalden may be fufpected, though hardly convicted, of having confulted the Hymnus ad Umbram of Wowerus, in the fixth ftanza, which answers in fome fort to these lines: Illa fuo præeft nocturnis numine facris- Illa fuo fenium fecludit corpore toto Haud numerans jugi fugientia fecula lapfu, His Hmn to Light is not equal to the other. He feems to think that there is an Eaft abfolute and pofitive where the Morning rifes. In the laft flanza, having mentioned the fudden eruption of new created Light, he says, Awhile th'Almighty wondering ftood. He ought to have remembered that Infinite Knowledge can never wonder. All wonder is the effect of novelty upon Ignorance. Of his other poems it is fufficient to fay that they deferve perufal, though they are not always exactly polished, though the rhymes are fometimes very ill forted, and though his faults feem rather the omiffions of idleness than the negligences of enthusiasm. TICKELL TICK EL L. T HOMAS TICKELL, the son of the reverend Richard Tickell, was born in 1686 at Bridekirk in Cumberland; and in April 1701 became a member of Queen's College in Oxford; in 1708 he was made Master of Arts, and two years afterwards was chofen Fellow; for which, as he did not comply with the statutes by taking orders, he obtained a difpenfation from the Crown. He held his Fellowship till 1726, and then vacated it, by marrying, in that year, at Dublin. Tickell was not one of those scholars who wear away their lives in clofets; he entered early into the world, and was long bufy in publick affairs; in which he was initiated under the patronage of Addifon, whofe notice he is faid to have gained by his verfes in praife of Rofamond. To those verses it would not have been just to deny regard; for they contain fome of the most elegant encomiaftick strains; and, among the innumerable poems of the fame kind, it will be hard to find one with which they need to fear a comparifon. It may deferve obfervation, Q4 vation, that when Pope wrote long afterwards in praise of Addifon, he has copied, at least has resembled, Tickell. Let joy falute fair Rofamonda's fhade, And wreaths of myrtle crown the lovely maid. Since Love, which made them wretched, made them great. Then future ages with delight shall see TICKELL. How Plato's, Bacon's, Newton's, looks agree; POPE. He produced another piece of the fame kind at the appearance of Cato, with equal fkill, but not equal happiness. When the minifters of queen Anne were negotiating with France, Tickell published The Profpect of Peace, a poem, of which the tendency was to reclaim the nation from the pride of conqueft to the pleasures of tranquillity. How far Tickell, whom Swift afterwards mentioned as Whiggiffimus, had then connected himself with any party, I know not; this poem certainly did not flatter the practices, or promote the opinions, of the men by whom he was afterwards befriended. 1 Mr. Addifon, however he hated the men then in power, fuffered his friendship to prevail over his publick fpirit, and gave in the Spectator fuch praises of Tickell's poem, that when, after having long wished to perufe it, I laid hold on it at laft, I thought it unequal to the honours which it had received, and found it a piece to be approved rather than admired. But the hope excited by a work of genius, being general and indefinite, is rarely gratified. It was read at that time with so much favour, that fix editions were fold. At the arrival of king George he fung The Royal Progress; which being inferted in the Spectator is well known, and of which it is just to say, that it is neither high nor low. The poetical incident of most importance in Tickell's life was his publication of the first book of the Iliad, as tranflated by himself, an apparent oppofition to Pope's Homer, of which the first part made its entrance into the world at the fame time. Addifon declared that the rival verfions were both good; but that Tickell's was the best that ever was made; and with Addison the wits, his adherents and followers, were certain to concur. Pope does not appear to have been much difmayed; for, fays he, I have the town, that is, the mob on my fide. But he remarks, that it is common for the smaller party to make up in diligence what they want in numbers; he appeals to the people as his proper judges; and if they are not inclined to condemn him, he is in little care about the high-flyers at Button's. Pope did not long think Addison an impartial judge; for he confidered him as the writer of Tickell's verfion. The reasons for his fufpicion I will literally transcribe from Mr. Spence's Collection. "There had been a coldness (faid Mr. Pope) be"tween Mr. Addison and me for fome time; and we "had not been in company together, for a good while, any where but at Button's coffee-house, where I used "to fee him almost every day.-On his meeting me there, one day in particular, he took me afide, and 66 "faid 66 "faid he should be glad to dine with me, at such a ta¬ Ivern, if I ftaid till thofe people were gone (Budgell "and Philips). We went accordingly; and after "dinner Mr. Addifon faid,That he had wanted for "fome time to talk with me; that his friend Tickell "had formerly, whilst at Oxford, tranflated the first "book of the Iliad; that he defigned to print it, and "had defired him to look it over; that he must there"fore beg that I would not defire him to look over 66 my first book, becaufe, if he did, it would have the "air of double-dealing.' I affured him that I did not "at all take it ill of Mr. Tickell that he was going to "publish his tranflation; that he certainly had as much right to tranflate any author as my felf; and that 66 66 publishing both was entering on a fair stage. I then "added, that I would not defire him to look over my "first book of the Iliad, because he had looked over "Mr. Tickell's; but could wish to have the benefit of "his obfervations on my fecond, which I had then "finished, and which Mr. Tickell had not touched "upon. Accordingly I fent him the fecond book the 66 next morning; and Mr. Addifon a few days after "returned it, with very high commendations.Soon "after it was generally known that Mr. Tickell was "publishing the first book of the Iliad, I met Dr. "Young in the street; and, upon our falling into that fubject, the Doctor expreffed a great deal of fur"prize at Tickell's having had fuch a tranflation fo 66 long by him. He faid, that it was inconceivable to "him, and that there must be fome mistake in the "matter; that each ufed to communicate to the other "whatever verfes they wrote, even to the leaft things; "that Tickell could not have been bufied in fo long a "work |