frankly confeffed, that they were fellows of whom he would very willingly be rid. And being then asked, why he did not difcharge them, declared that they were bailiffs, who had introduced themselves with an execution, and whom, fince he could not fend them away, he had thought it convenient to embellish with liveries, that they might do him credit while they ftaid.

His friends were diverted with the expedient, and by paying the debt discharged their attendance, having obliged Sir Richard to promise that they should never again find him graced with a retinue of the fame kind.

Under fuch a tutor, Mr. Savage was not likely to learn prudence or frugality; and perhaps many of the misfortunes, which the want of those virtues brought ́upon him in the following parts of his life, might be justly imputed to fo unimproving an example.

Nor did the kindnefs of Sir Richard end in common favours. He proposed to have established him in fome fettled scheme of life, and to have contracted a kind of alliance with him, by marrying him to a natural daughter, on whom he intended to beftow a thousand pounds. But though he was always lavish of future bounties, he conducted his affairs in fuch a manner, that he was very seldom able to keep his promises, or execute his own intentions: and, as he was never able to raise the fum which he had offered, the marriage was delayed. In the mean time he was officiously informed, that Mr. Savage had ridiculed him; by which he was fo much exafperated, that he withdrew the allowance which he had paid him, and never afterwards admitted him to his house.

It

It is not indeed unlikely that Savage might by his imprudence expofe himself to the malice of a talebearer; for his patron had many follies, which, as his difcernment easily discovered, his imagination might fometimes incite him to mention too ludicrously. A little knowledge of the world is fufficient to discover that, fuch weakness is very common, and that there are few who do not fometimes, in the wantonness of thoughtless mirth, or the heat of tranfient refentment, fpeak of their friends and benefactors with levity and contempt, though in their cooler moments they want neither sense of their kindness, nor reverence for their virtue. The fault therefore of Mr. Savage was rather negligence than ingratitude; but Sir Richard must likewife be acquitted of severity, for who is there that can patiently bear contempt from one whom he has relieved and supported, whofe eftablishment he has laboured, and whofe interest he has promoted?

He was now again abandoned to fortune, without any other friend than Mr. Wilks; a man, who, whatever were his abilities or fkill as an actor, deserves at least to be remembered for his virtues *, which are not

often

*As it is a lofs to mankind when any good action is forgotten, I fhall infert another inftance of Mr. Wilks's generofity, very little known. Mr. Smith, a gentleman educated at Dublin, being hindered by an impediment in his pronunciation from engaging in or ders, for which his friends defigned him, left his own country, and came to London in queft of employment, but found his folicitations fruitless, and his neceffities every day more preffing. In this distress he wrote a tragedy, and offered it to the players, by whom it was rejected. Thus were his last hopes defeated, and he had no other profpect than of the most deplorable poverty. But Mr. Wilks thought his performance, though not perfect, at least worthy of some reward, and therefore offered him a benefit. This favour he im

3

proved

often to be found in the world, and perhaps lefs often in his profeffion than in others. To be humane, generous, and candid, is a very high degree of merit in any cafe; but those qualities deferve ftill greater praise, when they are found in that condition, which makes almost every other man, for whatever reason, contemptuous, infolent, petulant, felfish, and brutal.

As Mr. Wilks was one of thofe to whom calamity feldom complained without relief, he naturally took an unfortunate wit into his protection, and not only affifted him in any cafual diftreffes, but continued an equal and steady kindness to the time of his death.

By his interpofition Mr. Savage once obtained from his mother fifty pounds, and a promife of one hundred and fifty more; but it was the fate of this unhappy man, that few promises of any advantage to him were performed. His mother was infected among others with the general madness of the South Sea traffic; and, having been disappointed in her expectations, refused to pay what perhaps nothing but the profpect of fudden affluence prompted her to promife.

Being thus obliged :o depend upon the friendship of Mr. Wilks, he was confequently an affiduous frequenter of the theatres; and in a fhort time the amuse

proved with so much diligence, that the house offered him a confiderable fum, with which he went to Leyden, applied himself to the study of phyfic, and profecuted his design with so much diligence and fuccefs, that Dr. Boerhaave was defired by the Czarina to recommend proper perfons to introduce into Ruffia the practice and ftudy of phyfic. Dr. Smith was one of those whom he fe'ected. He had a confiderable penfion fettled on him at his arrival, and was one of the chief physicians at the Ruffian court. Orig. Edit.

+ This I write upon the credit of the author of his life, which was published 1727.

VOL. III.

S

ments

ments of the ftage took fuch poffeffiofi of his mind, that he never was abfent from a play in feveral years.

This conftant attendance naturally procured him the acquaintance of the players, and, among others, of Mrs. Oldfield, who was fo much pleafed with his converfation, and touched with his misfortunes, that fheallowed him a fettled penfion of fifty pounds a year, which was during her life regularly paid.

That this act of generofity may receive its due praise, and that the good actions of Mrs. Oldfield may not be fullied by her general character, it is proper to mention what Mr. Savage often declared in the strongest terms, that he never faw her alone, or in any other place than behind the fcenes.

At her death he endeavoured to fhew his gratitude. in the most decent manner, by wearing mourning as for a mother; but did not celebrate her in elegies, because he knew that too great profufion of praife would only have revived thofe faults which his natural equity did not allow him to think lefs, because they were committed by one who favoured him; but of which, though his virtue would not endeavour to palliate them, his gratitude would not fuffer him to prolong the memory or diffufe the cenfure.

In his Wanderer he has indeed taken an opportunity of mentioning her, but celebrates her not for her vir tue, but her beauty, an excellence which none ever denied her this is the only encomium with which he has rewarded her liberality, and perhaps he has even in this been too lavifh of his praife. He feems to have thought, that never to mention his benefactress would have an appearance of ingratitude, though to have dedicated any particular performance

to

to her memory would have only betrayed an officious partiality, that, without exalting her character, would have depreffed his own.

He had fometimes, by the kindness of Mr. Wilks, the advantage of a benefit, on which occafions he often received uncommon marks of regard and compaffion; and was once told by the Duke of Dorfet, that it was juft to confider him as an injured nobleman, and that in his opinion the nobility ought to think themfelves obliged, without folicitation, to take every opportunity of fupporting him by their countenance and patronage. But he had generally the mortification to hear that the whole intereft of his mother was employed to fruftrate his applications, and that he never left any expedient untried, by which he might be cut off from the poffibility of fupporting life. The fame difpofition fhe endeavoured to diffuse among all those over whom nature of fortune gave her any influence, and indeed fucceeded too well in her defign; but could not always propagate her effrontery with her cruelty, for fome of thofe, whom the incited against him, were afhamed of their own conduct, and boafted of that relief which they never gave him.

In this cenfure I do not indifcriminately involve all his relations; for he has mentioned with gratitude the humanity of one Lady, whofe name I am now unable to recollect, and to whom therefore I cannot pay the praises which the deferves for having acted well in oppofition to influence, precept, and example.

The punishment which our laws inflict upon thofe parents who murder their infants is well known, nor has its justice ever been contefted; but if they deferve death who deftroy a child in its birth, what pains can