Quàm interim erga Cognatos pius & officiofus, A MARIA PHILIPS Matre ipfius pientiffimâ, Herefordiæ conduntur Offa, Hoc in Delubro ftatuitur Imago, Honeftavit. Litterarum Amoniorum fitim, Præclaris mulorum ftudiis excitatus, Antiquo illo, libero multiformi Ad res ipfas apto prorfus, & attemperato, Non numeris in eundem ferè orbem redeuntibus, Non Claufularum fimiliter cadentium fono Metiri: Uni in hoc laudis genére Miltono fecundus, Res feu Tenues, feu Grandes, feu Mediocres Nufquam, non quod decuit, Et videt, & affecutus eft, Fandi author, & Modorum artifex. Aufo licèt à tuâ Metrorum Lege difcedere Vatum certe Cineres, tuos undique ftipantium SIMON HARCOURT Miles, Viri benè de fe, de Litteris meriti. Poft Obitum piè memor, J. PHILIPS, STEPHANI, S. T. P. Archadiaconi in agro Oxon. Dec. 30, 1676. Obiit Herefordiæ, Feb. 15, 1708. Philips has been always praised, without contradiction, as a man modeft, blameless, and pious; who bore narrowness of fortune without difcontent, and tedious and painful maladies without impatience; beloved by thofe that knew him, but not ambitious to be known. He was probably not formed for a wide circle. His converfation is commended for its innocent gaiety, which feems to have flowed only among his intimates, for I have been told, that he was in company filent and barren, and employed only upon the pleafures of his pipe. His addiction to tobacco is mentioned by one of his biographers, who remarks that in all his writings, except Blenheim, he has found an opportunity of celebrating the fragrant fume. In common life he was probably one of those who please by not offending, and whofe perfon was loved beaufe his writings were admired. He died honoured U 2 and and lamented, before any part of his reputation had withered, and before his patron St. John had dif graced him. His works are few. The Splendid Shilling has the uncommon merit of an original defign, unless it may be thought precluded by the ancient Centos. To degrade the founding words and ftately conftruction of Milton, by an application to the lowest and most trivial things, gratifies the mind with a momentary triumph over that grandeur which hitherto held its captives in admiration; the words and things are prefented with a new appearance, and novelty is always grateful where it gives no pain. But the merit of fuch performances begins and ends with the first author. He that should again adapt Milton's phrafe to the grofs incidents of common life, and even adapt it with more art, which would not be difficult, must yet expect but a small part of the praise which Philips has obtained; he can only hope to be confidered as the repeater of a jeft. "The parody on Milton," fays Gildon," is the only tolerable production of its author." This is a cenfure too dogmatical and violent. The poem of Blenbeim was never denied to be tolerable, even by. those who do not allow its fupreme excellence. It is indeed the poem of a scholar, all inexpert of war; of a man who writes books from books, and ftudies the world in a college. He feems to have formed his ideas of the field of Blenheim from the battles of the heroic ages, or the tales of chivalry, with very little comprehenfion of the qualities neceffary to the compofition of a modern hero, which Addison has displayed with so much propriety. He makes Marlborough behold at diftance the the flaughter made by Tallard, then hafte to encounter and restrain him, and mow his way through ranks made headless by his fword. He imitates Milton's numbers indeed, but imitates them very injudicioufly. Deformity is eafily copied ; and whatever there is in Milton which the reader wishes away, all that is obfolete, peculiar, or licentious, is accumulated with great care by Philips. Milton's verfe was harmonious, in proportion to the general state of our metre in Milton's age; and, if he had written after the improvements made by Dryden, it is reasonable to believe that he would bave admitted a more pleasing modulation of numbers into his work; but Philips fits down with a refolution to make no more mufick than he found; to want all that his mafter wanted, though he is very far from having what his mafter had. Thofe afperities, therefore, that are venerable in the Paradife Loft, are contemptible in the Blenheim. There is a Latin ode written to his patron St. John, in return for a present of wine and tobacco, which cannot be paffed without notice. It is gay and elegant, and exhibits feveral artful accommodations of claffick expreffions to new purpofes. It feems better turned than the odes of Hannes *. * This ode I am willing to mention, because there seems to be an error in all the printed copies, which is, I find, retained in the latt, They all read; Quam Gratiarum cura decentium O! O! labellis cui Venus infidet. The author probably wrote, Quam Gratiarum cura decentium Ornat; labellis cui Venus infidet. Orig. Edit. To the poem on Cider, written in imitation of the Georgicks, may be given this peculiar praife, that it is grounded in truth; that the precepts which it contains are exact and juft; and that it is therefore, at once, a book of entertainment and of fcience. This I was told by Miller, the great gardener and botanist, whose expreffion was, that there were many bocks written on the fame fubject in profe, which do not contain fo much truth as that poem. In the difpofition of his matter, fo as to interfperfe precepts relating to the culture of trees, with fentiments more generally alluring, and in eafy and graceful tranfitions from one fubject to another, he has very diligently imitated his master; but he unhappily pleafed himself with blank verfe, and supposed that the numbers of Milton, which imprefs the mind with veneration, combined as they are with fubjects of inconceivable grandeur, could be fuftained by images which at most can rife only to elegance. Contending angels may shake the regions of heaven in blank verfe; but the flow of equal measures, and the embellishment of rhyme, muft recommend to our attention the art of engrafting, and decide the merit of the redftreak and pearmain. What study could confer, Philips had obtained; but natural deficience cannot be fupplied. He feems not born to greatnefs and elevation. He is never lofty, nor does he often furprife with unexpected excellence; but perhaps to his laft poem may be applied what Tully faid of the work of Lucretius, that it is written with much art, though with few blazes of genius. |