be fevere enough for her who forbears to destroy hin only to inflict sharper miferies upon him; who prolongs his life only to make him miferable; and who expofes him, without care and without pity, to the malice of oppreffion, the caprices of chance, and the temptations of poverty; who rejoices to fee him overwhelmed with calamities; and, when his own induftry, or the charity of others, has enabled him to rife for a short time above his miseries, plunges him again into his former diftrefs?

The kindness of his friends not affording him any conftant fupply, and the profpect of improving his fortune by enlarging his acquaintance neceffarily leading him to places of expence, he found it neceffary to *endeavour once more at dramatick poetry, for which he was now better qualified by a more extensive knowledge, and longer obfervation. But having been unfuccefsful in comedy, though rather for want of opportunities than genius, he refolved now to try whether he should not be more fortunate in exhibiting a tragedy.

The story which he chofe for the fubject, was that of Sir Thomas Overbury, a ftory well adapted to the ftage, though perhaps not far enough removed from the prefent age, to admit properly the fictions neceffarily to complete the plan: for the mind, which naturally loves truth, is always moft offended with the violation of thofe truths of which we are moft certain; and we of course conceive thofe facts most certain, which approach nearest to our own time.

Out of this story he formed a tragedy, which, if the circumftances in which he wrote it be confidered, will afford at once an uncommon proof of firength of genius,

In 172,

and

and evenness of mind, of a ferenity not to be ruffled, and an imagination not to be fuppreffed.

During a confiderable part of the time in which he was employed upon this performance, he was without lodging and often without meat; nor had he any other conveniences for study than the fields or the street allowed him; there he ufed to walk and form his fpeeches, and afterwards ftep into a fhop, beg for a few moments the ufe of the pen and ink, and write down what he had compofed, upon paper which he had picked up by accident.

If the performance of a writer thus diftreffed is not perfect, its faults ought furely to be imputed to a cause very different from want of genius, and muft rather excite pity than provoke cenfure.

But when under thefe difcouragements the tragedy was finished, there yet remained the labour of introducing it on the stage, an undertaking, which, to an ingenuous mind, was in a very high degree vexatious and difgufting; for, having little intereft or reputation, he was obliged to fubmit himself wholly to the players, and admit, with whatever reluctance, the emendations of Mr. Cibber, which he always confidered as the difgrace of his performance.

He had indeed in Mr. Hill another critick of a very different clafs, from whofe friendship he received great affistance on many occafions, and whom he never mentioned but with the utmost tenderness and regard. He had been for fome time diftinguifhed by him with very particular kindness, and on this occafion it was natural to apply to him as an author of an eftabled character. He therefore fent this tragedy to im, with a short copy of verses, in which he defired

* Printed in the late collection of his poems.

his correction. Mr. Hill, whofe humanity and po litenefs are generally known, readily complied with his request; but as he is remarkable for fingularity of fentiment, and bold experiments in language, Mr. Savage did not think his play much improved by his innovation, and had even at that time the courage to reject feveral paffages which he could not approve; and, what is ftill more laudable, Mr. Hill had the generolity not to refent the neglect of his alterations, but wrote the prologue and epilogue, in which he touches on the circumftances of the author with great

tenderness.

After all thefe obftructions and compliances, he was only able to bring his play upon the ftage in the fummer, when the chief actors had retired, and the reft were in poffeffion of the house for their own advantage. Among these, Mr. Savage was admitted to play the part of Sir Thomas Overbury, by which he gained no great reputation, the theatre being a province for which nature seemed not to have defigned him; for neither his voice, look, nor gefture, were fuch as were expected on the stage; and he was fo much afhamed of having been reduced to appear as a player, that he always blotted out his name from the lift, when a copy of his tragedy was to be fhown to his friends.

In the publication of his performance he was more fuccefsful, for the rays of genius that glimmered in it, that glimmered through all the mifts which poverty and Cibber had been able to fpread over it, procured him the notice and efteem of many perfons eminent for their rank, their virtue, and their wit. Of this play, acted, printed, and dedicated, the accumulated profits arose to an hundred pounds, which he thought

thought at that time a very large fum, having been never master of fo much before.

In the dedication *, for which he received ten guineas, there is nothing remarkable. The Preface contains a very liberal encomium on the blooming excellences of Mr. Theophilus Cibber, which Mr. Savage could not in the latter part of his life fee his friends about to read without fnatching the play out of their hands. The generofity of Mr. Hill did not end on this occafion; for afterwards, when Mr. Savage's neceffities returned, he encouraged a fubfcription to a Miscellany of Poems in a very extraordinary manner, by publishing his story in the Plain Dealer, with fome affecting lines, which he afferts to have been written by Mr. Savage upon the treatment received by him from his mother, but of which he was himself the author, as Mr. Savage afterwards declared. These lines, and the paper in which they were inferted, had a very powerful effect upon all but his mother, whom, by making her cruelty more public, they only hardened in her averfion.

of

Mr. Hill not only promoted the fubfcription to the Mifcellany, but furnished likewife the greatest part the Poems of which it is compofed, and particularly The Happy Man, which he publifhed as a fpecimen.

The fubfcriptions of those whom thefe papers fhould influence to patronize merit in diftrefs, without any other folicitation, were directed to be left at Button's

*To Herbert Tryst, Efq. of Herefordshire.

† The Plain Dealer was a periodical paper, written by Mr. Hill and Mr. Bond, whom Mr. Savage called the two contending powers of light and darknefs. They wrote by turns each fix Effays; and the character of the work was obferved regularly to rife in Mr. rill's weeks, and fall in Mr. Bond's. Orig. Edit,

$ 4

coffee

coffee-house; and Mr. Savage going thither a few days afterwards, without expectation of any effect from his propofal, found to his furprise feventy guineas *, which had been fent him in confequence of the compaffion excited by Mr. Hill's pathetic reprefentation.

To this Miscellany he wrote a Preface, in which he gives an account of his mother's cruelty in a very uncommon strain of humour, and with a gaiety of imagination, which the fuccefs of his subscription probably produced.

The Dedication is addreffed to the Lady Mary Wortley Montague, whom he flatters without referve, and, to confefs the truth, with very little art. The fame obfervation may be extended to all his Dedica

* The names of those who so generously contributed to his relief, having been mentioned in a former account, ought not to be omitted here. They were the Duchefs of Cleveland, Lady Cheyney, Lady Castlemain, Lady Gower, Lady Lechmere, the Duchefs Dowager and Duchefs of Rutland, Lady Strafford, the Countefs Dowager of Warwick, Mrs. Mary Floyer, Mrs. Sofuel Noel, Duke of Rutland, Lord Gainsborough, Lord Millington, Mr. John Savage. Orig. Elt.

This the following extract from it will prove :

-"Since our country has been honoured with the glory of your "wit, as elevated and immortal as your foul, it no longer remains "a doubt whether your fex have ftrength of mind in proportion to "their fweetnefs. There is fomething in your verfes as diftinguished as your air. They are as ftrong as truth, as deep as reafon, as clear "as innocence, and as smooth as beauty.-They contain a nameless "and peculiar mixture of force and grace, which is at once fo mov"ingly ferene, and to majestically lovely, that it is too amiable to appear any where but in your eyes and in your writings.

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"As fortune is not more my enemy than I am the enemy of flat“ tery, I know not how I can forbear this application to your Lady"ship, because there is scarce a poffibility that I should say more "than I believe, when I am speaking of your Excellence." Orig. Ed.