fo much a regular fabrick, as a heap of fhining materials thrown together by accident, which strikes rather with the folemn magnificence of a ftupendous ruin, than the elegant grandeur of a finished pile.

This criticism is univerfal, and therefore it is reafonable to believe it at leaft in a great degree juft; but Mr. Savage was always of a contrary opinion, and thought his drift could only be miffèd by negligence or stupidity, and that the whole plan was regular, and the parts diftinct.

It was never denied to abound with strong reprefentations of nature, and juft obfervations upon life; and it may easily be observed, that most of his pictures have an evident tendency to illuftrate his first great pofition," that good is the confequence of evil.” The fun that burns up the mountains, fructifies the vales; the deluge that rufhes down the broken rocks with dreadful impetuofity, is feparated into purling brooks; and the rage of the hurricane purifies the air.

Even in this poem he has not been able to forbear one touch upon the cruelty of his mother, which, though remarkably delicate and tender, is a proof how deep an impreffion it had upon his mind.

This must be at leaft acknowledged, which ought to be thought equivalent to many other excellences, that this poem can promote no other purposes than thofe of virtue, and that it is written with a very strong fenfe of the efficacy of religion.

But my province is rather to give the hiftory of Mr. Savage's performances, than to display their beauties, or to obviate the criticisms which they have occafioned; and therefore I fhall not dwell upon the parti

cular

cular paffages which defeve applause: I fhall neither fhew the excellence of his defcriptions, nor expatiate on the terrifick portrait of fuicide, nor point out the artful touches, by which he has diftinguished the intellectual features of the rebels, who fuffer death in his last canto. It is, however, proper to observe, that Mr. Savage always declared the characters wholly fictitious, and without the least allufion to any real perfons or actions.

From a poem fo diligently laboured, and fo fuccefsfully finished, it might be reasonably expected that he should have gained confiderable advantage; nor can it, without fome degree of indignation and concern, be told, that he fold the copy for ten guineas, of which he afterwards returned two, that the two laft fheets of the work might be reprinted, of which he had in his abfence intrufted the correction to a friend, who was too indolent to perform it with accuracy.

A fuperftitious regard to the correction of his sheets was one of Mr. Savage's peculiarities: he often altered, revised, recurred to his first reading or punctuation, and again adopted the alteration; he was dubious and irrefolute without end, as on a question of the last importance, and at last was feldom fatisfied: the intrufion or omiffion of a comma was fufficient to difcompofe him, and he would lament an error of a fingle letter as a heavy calamity. In one of his letters relating to an impreffion of fome verfes, he remarks, that he had, with regard to the correction of the proof, "a fpell upon him;" and indeed the anxiety with which he dwelt upon the minutest and most tri

fling

fling niceties, deferved no other name than that of fascination.

That he fold fo valuable a performance for so small a price, was not to be imputed either to neceffity, by which the learned and ingenious are often obliged to fubmit to very hard conditions; or to avarice, by which the bookfellers are frequently incited to opprefs that genius by which they are supported; but to that intemperate defire of pleasure, and habitual slavery to his paffions, which involved him in many perplexities. He happened at that time to be engaged in the pursuit of fome trifling gratification, and, being without mo ney for the prefent occafion, fold his poem to the first bidder, and perhaps for the first price that was pro pofed, and would probably have been content with lefs, if lefs had been offered him.

This poem was addreffed to the Lord Tyrconnel, not only in the first lines, but in a formal dedication filled with the highest ftrains of panegyrick, and the warmeft profeffions of gratitude, but by no means remarkable for delicacy of connexion or elegance of style.

These praises in a fhort time he found himself inclined to retract, being discarded by the man on whom he had bestowed them, and whom he then immediately discovered not to have deferved them. Of this quarrel, which every day made more bitter, Lord Tyrconnel and Mr. Savage affigned very different reasons, which might perhaps all in reality concur, though they were not all convenient to be alleged by either party. Lord Tyrconnel affirmed, that it was the conftant practice of Mr. Savage to enter a tavern with any company that propofed it, drink the most expensive wines

wines with great profufion, and when the reckoning was demanded, to be without money: If, as it often happened, his company were willing to defray his part, the affair ended, without any ill confequences; but, if they were refractory, and expected that the wine fhould be paid for by him that drank it, his method of compofition was, to take them with him to his own apartment, affume the government of the house, and order the butler in an imperious manner to fet the best wine in the cellar before his company, who often drank till they forgot the refpect due to the house in which they were entertained, indulged themselves in the utmost extravagance of merriment, practifed the most licentious frolicks, and committed all the outrages of drunkenness.

Nor was this the only charge which Lord Tyrconnel brought against him: Having given him a collection of valuable books, ftamped with his own arms, he had the mortification to fee them in a fhort time expofed to fale upon the ftalls, it being ufual with Mr. Savage, when he wanted a small fum, to take his books to the pawnbroker.

Whoever was acquainted with Mr. Savage easily credited both thefe accufations: for, having been obliged, from his first entrance into the world, to fubfift upon expedients, affluence was not able to exalt him above them; and fo much was he delighted with wine and converfation, and fo long had he been accustomed to live by chance, that he would at any time go to the tavern without fcruple, and truft for the reckoning to the liberality of his company, and frequently of company to whom he was very little known. This conduct indeed very feldom drew upon him thofe incon

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veniences

veniences that might be feared by any other perfon; for his conversation was fo entertaining, and his address so pleasing, that few thought the pleasure which they received from him dearly purchased, by paying for his wine. It was his peculiar happiness, that he scarcely ever found a stranger, whom he did not leave a friend; but it must likewife be added, that he had not often a friend long, without obliging him to become a stranger.

Mr. Savage, on the other hand, declared, that Lord Tyrconnel* quarrelled with him, because he would not fubftract from his own luxury and extravagance what he had promised to allow him, and that his refentment was only a plea for the violation of his pro mife: He afferted, that he had done nothing that ought to exclude him from that fubfiftence which he thought not fo much a favour, as a debt, fince it was offered him upon conditions which he had never broken; and that his only fault was, that he could not be fupported with nothing.

He acknowledged, that Lord Tyrconnel often exhorted him to regulate his method of life, and not to fpend all his nights in taverns, and that he appeared very defirous, that he would pafs thofe hours with him, which he fo freely bestowed upon others. This demand Mr. Savage confidered as a cenfure of his conduct, which he could never patiently bear; and which, in the latter and cooler part of his life, was fo offenfive to him, that he declared it as his refolution, "to fpurn that friend who fhould prefume to

* His expreffion in one of his letters was, "that Lord Tyrconnel "had involved his eftate, and therefore poorly fought an occafion to quarrel with him." Orig. Edit. VOL. III.

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