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moved to lodgings in Mount-street, almost entirely devoted himself to solitude and study.

As the nature of Mr. Cumberland's occupations, in his character of amanuensis to Lord Halifax, did not require the whole of his attention, he found leisure to cultivate an acquaintance with the celebrated Bubb Doddington, and many other noted men of that day. In a short time after this, in consequence of a dispute between his patron and the prime minister, (the Duke of Newcastle), our author found himself in a very disagreeable predicament. Instead of look ing up with the well-founded hope of preferment, he was soon taught to perceive that he was now no more than the exsecretary of an ex-statesman. This recess from business, enabled him to visit Eastbury, a magnificent mansion appertaining to the statesman now just alluded to, who there, as at his villa at Hammersmith, and his town-house in Pall Mall, was never approached by his admiring guests, but through a suite of fine apart ments; and they were rarely seated" but under painted cielings, and gilt entablatures."

After obtaining a lay-fellowship at Trinity College, he composed his first dra-matic poen, "The Banishment of Cicero," in five acts; but he himself candidly allows, that for a "hero," he was not happy in his choice of the Roman orator. Anterior to this, he had written his "Caractacus," and even in his boyish days he addressed "Farewell lines to Hammond." His first offering to the press, however, was in the shape of a poem, entitled “St. Mark's Eve," pubJished by Dodsley, and from which neither the author nor bookseller, appear to have derived any profit.

He now got acquainted with Mr. Charles Townshend, the celebrated wit, for whom he solved an enigmatical question, and reviewed and criticised an elaborate report, while one of the Lords of Trade. Mr. C. also made some translations in verse, from the Troades of Seneca, and was introduced by Lord Halifax to Garrick, who then resided at Hampton; but he declined accepting of his "Cicero," for the stage, and the author is candid enough to remark, that when he published this play, he was conscious that he published Mr. Garrick's justification for refusing it."

Mr. Cumberland now began to think of settling in life; and having obtained the office of crown-agent for the province

66

of Nova Scotia, by means of Lord H. he paid his addresses to Miss Ridge, daughter of George Ridge, esq. of Kilmiston, in the county of Kent, and "had the unspeakable felicity to find them ao cepted, and sanctioned by the consent of all parties concerned; thus," added he, I became possessed of one whom the virtues of her heart, and the charins of her person, had effectually endeared to me, and on the 19th of February, 1758, (being my birth-day), I was mar ried by my father, in the Church of Kilmiston, to Elizabeth, the only daughter of George and Elizabeth Ridge."

In consequence of a change in the administration, on the death of George II. Lord Halifax again returned to power, and was soon after appointed to the high office of viceroy of Ireland. Our author as well as his father, accompanied him thither, and resided for some time in Dublin Castle, as Ulster Secretary. He at the same time, was entrusted with the management of the lord-lieutenant's private finances, which were in a very de ranged state.

On the new king's accession, Mr. C. composed and published a poem addressed to the young sovereign, his present majesty, in blank verse. Soon after this he retired from Ireland," perfectly clean-handed," without advancing his fortune a single shilling, but from the fair income of office, and his disinterestedness never having been betrayed to accept of any thing which delicacy could possibly interpret as a gratuity. Anterior to his departure, he was offered the rank of a baronet by his patron, which he respectfully declined. On his return to England, he found a place of 2001. per annum, his sole reward, after eleven years attendance, and Mrs. C.'s fortune of 30001. reduced to a very small balance. His situation however, was considerably mended by an office in the Board of Trade, conferred by the late Earl of Hillsborough. As his new employment consumed but little of his time, he coposed the “ Summer's Tale," which had a run of nine or ten nights, and he sold the copy-right to Mr. Dodsley for a li beral remuneration.

He now relinquished what he is pleased to term "his melodious nonsense," to Bickerstaffe, the writer of popular aperas; and on the advice of Smith, the ac tor, betook himself to legitimate comedy, and brought out the "Brothers," at Covent Garden Theatre. Some compli mentary lines in the epilogue, introduced

him once more to Garrick, and a lasting friendship was thenceforth formed between them.

In the course of the ensuing year, Mr. C. paid a visit to his father in Ireland, and laid the plan of his "West Indian." While resident there, he received the honorary grant of LL.D. from the Uni versity of Dublin. On his return, he entered the field of controversy, and vindicated the insulted character of his grand-father Dr. Bentley, from "an offensive passage in a pamphlet written by Bishop Lowth, professedly against Warburton, acrimonious enough of all conscience, and unepiscopally intemperate in the highest degree, even if his lordship had not gone out of his course to hurl this dirt upon the coffin of my ancestor." He now got acquainted with Goldsmith, Burke, Reynolds, Soame Jenyus, and also with Dr. Samuel Johnson, whom he describes aptly enough:

"Herculean strength, and a stentorian voice,

Of wit a fund, of words a countless choice:
In learning rather various than profound,
In truth intrepid, in religion sound:
A trembling form, and a distorted sight,
But firm in judgment, and in genius bright;
In controversy seldom known to spare,
But humble as the Publican in prayer;
To more than merited his kindness, kind,
And though in manners harsh, of friendly

mind;

Deep ting'd with melancholy's blackest shade, And, though prepared to die, of death

afraid

Such Johnson was of him with justice vain, When will this nation see his like again?"

Meanwhile Lord Germaine obtained the seals for the colonial department, and Mr. Cumberland, still a subaltern at the Board of Trade, having accepted of an invitation to Stoneland, was enabled by the friendship of the new minister to become secretary in the place of Mr. Pownall. His official fame seems to have been lost in the splendour of his literary talents. Such indeed was the reputation of the subject of this memoir, at the present period, that he was applied to by Dr. Dodd, for a defence. This task however, was assigned to Dr. Samuel Johnson, while other pursuits now opened to the view, and a diplomatic mission seemed to court the ambition of our author. Having discovered in 1780, that there was a fair prospect of a secret negociation with Count Florida Blanca, then minister of Spain, he repaired to the neutral port of Lisbon, with the

Abbé Hussey, Chaplain to his Catholic Majesty, accompanied by his wife and two daughters. Thence they proceeded to Aranjuez, where he was well received by the Spanish premier, and engaged soon after in a negociation for a separate peace with the court of Madrid. This project however, completely failed; and our author returned to England, where, instead of obtaining a suitable reward for his exertions, he found himself neglected and we believe disavowed.

On the dissolution of the Board of Trade, Mr. C. fixed himself at Tunbridge Wells, where his books and his pen became his best associates. There, among others, he cultivated an acquaintance with the late Earl of Guilford, who had become old, infirm, and blind, and who in the decline of life appeared infinitely more happy, and more amiable, than when directing the pointless efforts, and lavishing the unavailing wealth, of Britain, against a continent inhabited by men, independence. The quondam premier who panted after, and at length acquired now listened with attention for the first time, to those complaints which he had before spurned at; and the ex-diplomatist began to entertain a respect for the ex-statesman who had bereaved himself and family of their dearest hopes. He also formed a strict friendship with his then neighbour, Sir James Bland Burgess, in conjunction with whom he has since written many verses. From this favourite spot he retired however for a called Cumbertand House, by the prowhile, and left a beloved residence, since prietor, in honour of him. It was now his intention to pass the remainder of his days at Ramsgate, where one of his daughters, who had been many years married to Lord Edward Bentinck, the uncle of the present Duke of Portland, then dwelt. But he did not remain long there, for the memory of the Wells was still dear to him, and he accordingly returned thither, and occupied a small house on Mount Sion, exactly opposite to his former mansion. He was now once more in his proper element. Every spring brought down a number of the first families in the kingdom, and, during the winter, he made occasional excursions

to town.

His influence, also, was dis

* Mr. Hussey, better known by the ap"pellation of Dr. H. was an Irishman by birth, and afterwards obtained an episcopal mitre as a titular Roman Catholic bishop, in partibus remot. Ed.

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displayed and exerted in the election
of a master of the ceremonies, and he
was flattered by the choice of the vo-
lunteers, by whom he was chosen ma-
jor commandant. In consequence of an
accession to their numbers, he after.
wards obtained a commission as lieute-
nant-colonel, and the writer of this me
moir has often seen him march a couple of
miles at their head, and give the word
of command with all the ardour of an ex-
perienced veteran.

Nor were his literary pursuits entirely
forgotten. Mr. C. at an advanced pe-
riod of life, could still occasionally com-
pose a jeu d'esprit, and he once more
ventured even to write for the stage;
but we lament to observe, that none of
his latter performances evinced the spirit,
or experienced the success of his West
Indian. He also undertook a quarterly
review, to which he prefixed a preface,
and appended his name to this, as well
as many of the leading articles; but this
speculation also proved unfortunate.
Memoirs of his own Life," however,
were read with satisfaction, and circu.
lated with a certain degree of avidity.
Soon after their appearance, he confided
the care of arranging his posthumous
works to Messrs. Rogers and Sharpe,
together with Sir James Bland Burgess.
It is with sorrow we are obliged to
remark, that Mr. Cumberland towards
the latter part of his life, experienced a
variety of misfortunes. One of his grand-
sons, having at an early period of life
been sent to sea as a midshipman, had
received a corporeal punishment for
some trifling fault; this circumstance,
which we believe is unusual on the part
of a midshipman, preyed on his mind,
more especially as the young man died
soon after. He wrote for, and, we have
heard, obtained a court-martial for the
trial of the officer in question; but although
be was acquitted, yet the circumstances
of the case rankled in his mind, and ren-
dered him at times uneasy. His favourite
daughter also was far from enjoying a
good state of health, while her husband,
a foreign officer, who had served abroad
with credit, appeared to be afflicted with
a mortal distemper. His own affairs too,
were far from being flourishing, and his
late literary pursuits had not been at
tended with that flattering success which
he experienced during his earlier years.
It was in this situation, at some dis-

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tance from his own beloved house, and from Tunbridge Wells, a residence to which he was so much and so long attached, that Richard Cumberland resigned his breath, at the house of Mr. Henry Fry, in Bedford Place, Russel Square, in the 80th year of his age, on the 7th of May, 1811. The author of this article, who had known him for some years, bebeld bis grave on the day of his interment, in Poets Corner, Westminster Abbey, with a considerable degree of emotion. A procession was formed on the occasion, and his mortal remains being deposited in a spot, nearly at an equal distance from Dryden and Addison, Dr. Vincent, the Dean of Westminster, and himself an author, pronounced the following funeral discourse over the re mains of his old schoolfellow :

"The person you now see deposited here, is Richard Cumberland, an author of no small merit: his writings were chiefly intended for the stage, but of a tendency strictly inoral; they were not destitute of faults, but cannot be charged with grossness; nor did they abound with oaths, or libidinous expressions, as I am shocked to observe is the case with many of such compositions of the present day. He wrote as much as any; few excelled more; and his works must be holden in the highest estimation so long as the English language will be understood. He considered the theatre as a school for moral improvement, and his remains are truly worthy of mingling with the illustrious dead which surround us.

"Read his prose subjects on divinity! there you will find the true christian spirit of the man who trusted in our lord and saviour Jesus Christ; so may God forgive him his sins, and at the resurrection of the just, receive him into ever lasting glory!"

Mr. Cumberland in person, appeared rather below the middle size, with a countenance, from which the vermilion flow of health was not banished until the last and most afflicting period of his existence. He usually dressed in blue or black, was always neat. in his apparel, and when he so chose, could be both pleasing and instructive in his conversation. In respect to the world, he affected to possess a critical knowledge of it, yet he, to adopt his own language,

"In its fair promises reposed more trust
Than wiser heads, and older hearts, would
risque."
* May 14th.
4 A

We

We most sincerely hope that his wishes may be fully verified, and that the following apostrophe has not been addressed by him in vain :

Some tokens of a life not wholly pass'd In selfish strivings or ignoble sloth, Haply there may be found when I am gone, Which may dispose fair candour to discern Some merit in my zeal, and let my works Outlive the maker, who bequeaths them to thee;

For well I know where our perception ends Thy praise begins, and few there be who

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Wreaths for the poet's brow, till he is laid Low in his narrow dwelling with the worm.' Mr. C. has left, we believe, five children, and about sixteen grand-children, to bewail his loss, and respect his memory. Of four boys, two perished in the service of their country, and two still remain; one of these, Richard, educated at Cambridge, is a captain in the navy, and another a barrack-naster. One of his daughters, as has already been said, married the brother of the Duke of Portland; another became the wife of a man of fortune, and a third, with whom he lived, was united to a German officer. Here follows a catalogue of his works, inaccurate, perhaps, in some particulars, but probably the best hitherto published.

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7. The Choleric Man; a comedy, to which Garrick wrote the Epilogue.

8. Timon of Athens; altered from Shakespeare.

9. The Fashionable Lover; 1772. 10. Note of Hand, or a Trip to Newmarket; 1776.

11. Mysterious Husband; 1783.

12. The Battle of Hastings; a tragedy, in which Henderson played the character of Edgar Atheling.

13. Box Lobby Challenge.

14. The Opera of Calypso.

15. The Impostors; a comedy.

16. The Widow of Delphi, or Descent of the Deities.

17. False Impressions.

18. The Carmelite; said to be his best tragedy, 1785.

19. The Natural Son; a comedy.
20. The Dependant.

21. Days of Yore.

22 Ward of Nature.
23. First Love.

24. The Jew.

25. Country Attorney.
26. Walioons.

27. Wat Tyler.

28. The Clouds.

29. The Sailor's Daughter.

IV. UNPUBLISHED DRAMAS..

1. The Elder Brutus; a tragedy.
2. The False Demetrius.
3. Tiberius in Caprea. And
4 Torrendal; a tragedy.

V. FUGITIVE PIECES.

1. Verses on the Accession of his present Majesty.

2. A Poem after the manner of Goldsmith's "Retaliation."

3. Verses on the Bust of the present Prince of Wales.

4. An irregular Ode, addressed to the Sun, composed at Keswick, and published in 1775-6.

5. Ode to the late Dr. Robert James; suggested by the recovery of the author's st cond son from a fever, in consequence of the prescriptions of that physician.

6. Lines to the late Earl of Mansfield.
7. Epilogue to the Arab.

8 Verses Complimentary of Romney, and Sir Joshua Reynolds.

9. Verses to Richard Sharpe, esq. who first suggested the idea of Mr. C.'s Memoirs.

10. Verses presented to the late Princess Amelia, by the author's daughter-in-law, Lady Albinia Cumberland.

11. Verses to Nelson.

12. Affectation; and 13. Avarice.
14. Verses to the Prince of Wales.
15. Verses to Mr. Pitt.

16. Chorusses in the Appraiser, 1793.

VI. MISCELLANEOUS. 1. Translations from the Troades of Se

песа.

2. Curtius in the Gulph.

3. A short Sketch of Lord Sackville's Character, dedicated to the Earl of Dorchester, 1785.

4. The Observer; two editions published in the two first years. The work now ex tends to five volumes, and displays great learning, and good morals.

5. An accurate Catalogue of the Paintings in the King of Spain's Palace at Madrid. 6. Anecdotes of eminent Painters in Spain. 7. Memoirs, 2 vols. 4to. 8. Preface to Tipper's Review.

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SCARCE TRACTS, WITH EXTRACTS AND ANALYSES OF SCARCE BOOKS.

It is proposed in future to devote a few Pages of the Monthly Magazine to the Insertion of such Scarce Tracts as are of an interesting Nature, with the Use of which we may be favoured by our Correspondents; and under the same Head to introduce also the Analyses of Scurce und Curious Books.

Considerations and Proposals in Order to the Regulation of the Press: together with Diverse Instances of Treasonous and Seditious Pamphlets, proving the necessity thereof. By Roger L'Estrange. London: printed by A. C. June 3, M.DC.LXIII.

The Stationers are not to be entrusted with the care of the Press, for these following Reasons.

IRST. They are both parties and

brought up servants to the mystery of printing which they still retein in dependence: Others again are both printers and stationers themselves; so that they are entrusted (effectually) to search for their own copies, to destroy their own interests, to prosecute their own agents, and to punish themselves; for they are the principal authors of those mischiefs which they pretend now to redress, and the very persons against whom the penalties of this intended regulation are chiefly levell'd.

2ly. It is not adviseable to rely upon the honesty of people (if it may be avoided) where that honesty is to their loss: especially if they be such as have already given proof that they prefer their private gayn before the well-fare of the publique; which has been the stationer's case throughout our late troubles, some few excepted, whose integrity deserves encouragement,

Sly. In this trust, they have not only the temptation of profit, to divert them from their duty (a fair part of their stock lying in seditious ware), but the means of transgressing with great privacy, and safety for, make them overseers of the press, and the printers become totally

at their devotion; so that the whole trade passes through the fingers of their. own creatures, which, upon the matter, concludes rather in a combination, then a remedy.

4ly. It seems a little too much to reward the abusers of the press with the credit of superintending it: upon a confidence that they that destroyed the last king for their benefit, will now make it their businesse to preserve this to their loss.

5ly. It will cause a great disappointment of searches, when the persons most concern'd shall have it in their power to, spoyl all, by notices, partiality, or delay.

6ly. As the effectual regulation of the press is not at all the stationer's interest, so is it strongly to be suspected that it is as little their aym: for not one person has been fin'd, and but one prosecuted, (as is credibly affirmed) since the late act, notwithstanding so much treason and sedition printed and disperst since that time.

7ly. It is enjoyn'd by the late Act "that no man shall be admitted to be a master-printer, until they who were at that time actually master-printers, shall be by death or otherwise reduced to the number of twenty:" which provision notwithstanding, several persons have since that time been suffer'd to set up masters; which gives to understand that the reducing of the presses to a limited number is not altogether the stationers pur pose.

The Printers are not to be entrusted with

the Government of the Press. First, All the arguments already objected against the stationers, hold good also against the printers, but not fully so strong. That is, they are both par

tyes

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