fion and envy, yet never miffed an opportunity of being truly ferviceable to him. The commerce between them was carried on to the common intereft of both. When Pope had a Mifcellany to publifh, he applied to Parnell for poetical affiftance, and the latter as implicitly fubmitted to him for correction. Thus they mutually advanced each other's intereft or fame, and grew ftronger by conjunction. Nor was Pope the only perfon to whom Parnell had recourfe for affiftance. We learn from Swift's letters to Stella, that he fubmitted his pieces to all his friends, and readily adopted their alterations. Swift, among the the number, was very useful to him in that particular; and care has been taken that the world fhould not remain ignorant of the obligation.

But in the connexion of wits, intereft has generally very little fhare; they have only pleasure in view, and can feldom find it but among each other. The Scribblerus Club, when the members were in town, were feldom afunder, and they often made excurfions together into the country, and generally on foot. Swift was ufually the butt of the company, and if a trick was played, he was always the fufferer. The whole party once agreed to walk down to the houfe of Lord B. who is ftill living, and whofe feat is about twelve miles from town. As every one

agreed to make the best of his way, Swift, who was remarkable for walking, foon left the reft behind him, fully refolved, upon his arrival, to chufe the very beft bed for himfelf, for that was his cuftom. In the mean time Parnell was determined to prevent his intentions, and taking horfe arrived at Lord B's by another way, long before him. Having apprized his lordship of Swift's defign, it was refolved at any rate to keep him out of the houfe; but how to effect this was the queftion. Swift never had the fmallpox, and was very much afraid of catching it as

foon therefore as he appeared ftriding along at fore distance from the houfe, one of his lordship's fervants was dispatched, to inform him, that the smallpox was then making great ravages in the family, but that there was a fummer-houfe with a field-bed at his fervice, at the end of the garden. There the difappointed Dean was obliged to retire, and take a cold fupper that was fent out to him, while the rest were feafting within. However, at laft they took compaffion on him; and upon his promifing never to chufe the beft bed again, they permitted him to make one of the company.

There is fomething fatisfactory in these accounts of the follies of the wife; they give a natural air to the picture, and reconcile us to our own. There have been few poetical focieties, more talked of, or productive of a greater variety of whimfical conceits, than this of the Scribblerus Club, but how long it lafted I cannot exactly determine. The whole of Parnell's poetical exiftence was not of more than eight or ten years continuance; his firft excurfions to England began about the year 1706, and he died in the year 1718; fo that it is probable the club began with him, and his death ended the connexion. Indeed, the feftivity of his conversation, the benevolence of his heart, and the generofity of his temper, were qualities that might ferve to cement any fociety, and that could hardly be replaced when he was taken away. During the two or three laft years of his life, he was more fond of company than ever, and could fcarcely bear to be alone. The death of his wife, it is faid, was a lofs to him that he was unable to fupport or recover. From that time he could never venture to court the Mufe in folitude, where he was fure to find the image of her who first inspired his attempts. He began therefore to throw himself into every company, and to feek from wine, if not

relief,

relief, at least infenfibility. Those helps that forrow first called for affistance, habit foon rendered neceffary, and he died before his fortieth year, in fome measure a martyr to conjugal fidelity.

Thus in the space of a very few years, Parnell attained a share of fame, equal to what most of his contemporaries were a long life in acquiring. He is only to be confidered as a poet; and the univerfal efteem in which his poems are held, and the reiterated pleasure they give in the perufal, are a fufficient test of their merit. He appears to me to be the laft of that great school that had modelled itfelf upon the antients, and taught English poetry to resemble what the generality of mankind have allowed to excel. A ftudious and correct obferver of antiquity, he fet himself to confider Nature with the lights it lent him; and he found that the more aid he borrowed from the one, the more delightfully he refembled the other. To copy Nature is a task the most bungling workman is able to execute; to felect fuch parts as contribute to delight, is referved only for those whom accident has bleft with uncommon talents, or fuch as have read the antients with indefatigable induftry. Parnell is ever happy in the selec tion of his images, and fcrupuloufly careful in the choice of his fubjects. His productions bear no refemblance to thofe tawdry things, which it has foi fome time been the fashion to admire ; in writing which the poet fits down without any plan, and heaps up fplendid images without any selection; where the reader grows dizzy with praise and admiration, and yet foon grows weary, he can fcarcely tell why. Our poet, on the contrary, gives out his beauties with a more fparing hand; he is ftill carrying his reader forward, and juft gives him refreshment fufficient to fupport him to his journey's end. At the end of his course the reader regrets that his way has been fo fhort,

C 3

fhort, he wonders that it gave him fo little trouble, and fo refolves to go the journey over again.

His poetical language is not lefs correct than his fubjects are pleafing. He found it at that period, in which it was brought to its highest pitch of refinement; and ever fince his time it has been gradually debafing. It is indeed amazing, after what has been done by Dryden, Addifon, and Pope, to improve and harmonize our native tongue, that their fucceffors fhould have taken fo much pains to involve it into pristine barbarity. Thefe mifguided innovators have not been content with reftoring antiquated words and phrafes, but have indulged themselves in the moft licentious tranfpofitions, and the harfheft conftructions, vainly imagining, that the more their writings are unlike profe, the more they refemble poetry. They have adopted a language of their own, and call upon mankind for admiration. All thofe who do not understand them are filent, and those who make out their meaning are willing to praife, to fhew they underhand. From thefe follies and affectations the poems of Parnell are entirely free; he has confidered the language of poetry as the language of life, and conveys the warmeft thoughts in the fimpleft expreffion.

Parnell has written feveral poems befides these published by Pope, and fome of them have been made public with very little credit to his reputation. There are ftill many more that have not yet feen the light, in the poffeffion of Sir John Parnell his nephew, who from that laudable zeal which he has for his uncle's reputation, will probably be flow in publifhing what he may even fufpect will do it injury. Of thofe, which are ufually inferted in his works, fome are indifferent, and fome moderately good, but the greater part are excellent. A flight ftricture on the moft ftriking fhall conclude this account,

which I have already drawn out to a difproportionate length.

Hefiod, or the Rife of Woman, is a very fine illuftration of an hint from Hefiod. It was one of his earliest productions, and firft appeared in a mifcellany published by Tonton.

Of the three fongs that follow, two of them were written upon the lady he afterwards married; they were the genuine dictates of his paffion, but are not excellent in their kind.

The Anacreontic, beginning with, "When Spring came on with fresh delight," is taken from a French poet whofe name I forget, and, as far as I am able to judge of the French language, is better than the original. The Anacreontic that follows, "Gay Bac chus," &c. is also a tranflation of a Latin poem, by Aurelius Augurellus, an Italian poet, beginning with,

Invitat olim Bacchus ad cænam fuos
Comum, Jocum, Cupidinem.

Parnell, when he tranflated it, applied the characters to fome of his friends, and as it was written for their entertaiment, it probably gave them more pleasure than it has given the public in the perufal. It seems to have more fpirit than the original; but it is extaordinary that it was published as an original and not as a tranflation. Pope fhould have acknowledged it, as he knew.

ineft

The Fairy Tale is inconteftably one of t pieces in any language. The old dialect is not perfectly well preferved, but this is a very flight defect, where all the reft is fo excellent.

The Pervigilium Veneris (which, by the bye, does not belong to Catullus) is very well verfified, and in general all Parnell's tranflations are excellent. The battle of the Frogs and Mice, which follows, is done