what they were founded; and was therefore no friend to the Bishop of London. But he had another reason for appearing as a warm advocate for Dr. Rundle; for he was the friend of Mr. Fofter and Mr. Thomson, who were the friends of Mr. Savage.

Thus remote was his interest in the question, which however, as he imagined, concerned him so nearly, that it was not sufficient to harangue and dispute, but neceffary likewife to write upon it.

He therefore engaged with great ardour in a new Poem, called by him, THE PROGRESS OF A DIVINE; in which he conducts a profligate prieft by all the gradations of wickedness from a poor curacy in the country, to the highest preferments of the church, and describes with that humour which was natural to him, and that knowledge which was extended to all the diversities of human life, his behaviour in every ftation; and infinuates, that this priest, thus accomplished, found at last a patron in the Bishop of London.

When he was asked by one of his friends, on what pretence he could charge the Bishop with fuch an action, he had no more to fay, than that he had only inverted the accufation, and that he thought it reasonable to believe, that he, who obftructed the rife of a good man

without

without reafon, would for bad reafons promote the exaltation of a villain.

The clergy were universally provoked by this fatire; and Savage, who, as was his conftant practice, had fet his name to his performance, was cenfured in THE WEEKLY MISCELLANY*

with

A fhort fatire was likewife published in the fame paper, in which were the following lines:

For cruel murder doom'd to hempen death,
Savage, by royal grace, prolong'd his breath.
Well might you think he fpent his future years
In prayer, and fafting, and repentant tears.
-But, O vain hope!-the truly Savage cries,
"Priests, and their flavish doctrines, I defpife.

"Shall I

"Who, by free-thinking to free action fir'd,
"In midnight brawls a deathlefs name acquir'd,
"Now ftoop to learn of ecclefiaftic men ?—

"No, arm'd with rhyme, at priests I'll take my aim,
"Though prudence bids me murder but their fame."
WEEKLY MISCELLANY.

An answer was published in THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGA ZINE, written by an unknown hand, from which the following lines are felected:

Transform'd by thoughtless rage, and midnight wine,
From malice free, and push'd without defign;

In equal brawl if Savage lung'd a thrust,
And brought the youth a victim to the duft;
So ftrong the hand of accident appears,
The royal hand from guilt and vengeance clears.
Instead of wafting "all thy future years,
"Savage, in prayer and vain repentant tears;"
g 3

Exert

with feverity, which he did not feem inclined to forget.

But a return of invective was not thought a fufficient punishment. The Court of King's Bench was therefore moved against him, and he was obliged to return an answer to a charge of obfcenity. It was urged, in his defence, that obfcenity was criminal when it was intended to promote the practice of vice; but that Mr. Savage had only introduced obfcene ideas, with the view of expofing them to deteftation, and of amending the age, by fhewing the deformity of wickednefs. This plea was admitted; and Sir Philip Yorke, who then prefided in that court, difmiffed the information with encomiums upon

Exert thy pen to mend a vicious age,

To curb the priest, and fink his high-church rage;
To fhew what frauds the holy veftments hide,
The nefts of av rice, luft, and pedant pride;
Then change the fcene, let merit brightly fhine,
And round the patriot twift the wreath divine;
The heavenly guide deliver down to fame;
In well-tun'd lays tranfinit a Foster's name;
Touch every paffion with harmonious art,
Exalt the genius, and correct the heart.
Thus future times fhall royal grace extol;
Thus polish'd lines thy prefent fame enrol.
But grant

-Malicioufly that Savage plung'd the fteel,
And made the youth its thining vengeance feel;
My foul abhors the act, the man detefts,
But more the bigotry in prieftly breafts.

GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, May 1735.

the

the purity and excellence of Mr. Savage's writings.

The profecution, however, anfwered in fome measure the purpose of those by whom it was fet on foot; for Mr. Savage was fo far intimidated by it, that, when the edition of his poem was fold, he did not venture to reprint it; fo that it was in a fhort time forgotten, or ́ forgotten by all but those whom it offended.

It is faid, that fome endeavours were used to incenfe the Queen against him: but he found advocates to obviate at least part of their effect; for though he was never advanced, he ftill continued to receive his penfion.

This poem drew more infamy upon him than any incident of his life; and, as his conduct cannot be vindicated, it is proper to fecure his memory from reproach, by informing those whom he made his enemies, that he never intended to repeat the provocation; and that, though, whenever he thought he had any reafon to complain of the clergy, he used to threaten them with a new edition of THE PROGRESS OF A DIVINE, it was his calm and fettled refolution to fupprefs it for ever.

He once intended to have made a better reparation for the folly or injustice with which he might be charged, by writing another poem, called, THE PROGRESS OF A FREETHINKER, whom he intended to lead through all the stages

of vice and folly, to convert him from virtue to wickednefs, and from religion to infidelity, by all the modish fophiftry used for that purpose; and at last to difinifs him by his own hand into the other world.

That he did not execute this defign is a real lofs to mankind, for he was too well acquainted with all the scenes of debauchery to have failed? in his representations of them, and too zealous for virtue not to have represented them in such a manner as fhould expose them either to ridicule or deteftation.

But this plan was, like others, formed and laid afide, till the vigour of his imagination was spent, and the effervefcence of invention had fubfided; but foon gave way to fome other defign, which pleased by its novelty for a while, and then was neglected like the former..

He was still in his ufual exigencies, having no certain fupport but the penfion allowed him by the Queen, which, though it might have kept an exact œconomist from want, was very farfrom being fufficient for Mr. Savage, who had never been accustomed to dismiss any of his ap petites without the gratification which they foli-, cited, and whom nothing but want of money withheld from partaking of every pleasure that fell within his view.

His conduct with regard to his pension was very particular. No fooner had he changed the