a stop to his studies; and on Feb. 15, 1708, at the beginning of his thirty-third year, put an end to his life. He was buried in the cathedral of Hereford; and Sir Simon Harcourt, afterwards Lord Chancellor, gave him a monument in Westminster Abbey. The infcription at Westminster was written, as I have heard, by Dr. Atterbury, though commonly given to Dr. Freind. His Epitaph at Hereford : JOHANNES PHILIPS. Dom. 1708. Obiit 15 die Feb. Anno Ætat. fuæ 32. Cujus Offa fi requiras, hanc Urnam infpice, Si Ingenium nefcias, ipfius Opera confule; Si Tumulum defideras, Templum adi Westmonafterienfe : Qualis quantufque Vir fuerit, Dicat elegans illa & præclara, Quæ cenotaphium ibi decorat Infcriptio. Quàm interim erga Cognatos pius & officiofus, Teftetur hoc faxum A MARIA PHILIPS Matre ipfius pientiffimâ," Dilecti Filii Memoriæ non fine Lacrymis dicatum. His Epitaph at Westminster: Herefordiæ conduntur Offa, JOHANNIS PHILIPS: Litterarum Amoniorum fitim, Præclaris Æmulorum ftudiis excitatus, Optimis fcribendi Magiftris femper intentus, Carmina fermone Patrio compofuit A Græcis Latinifque fontibus feliciter deducta, Atticis Romanifque auribus omnino digna, Verfuum quippe Harmoniam Rythmo didicerat. Antiquo illo, libero, multiformi Ad res ipfas apto prorfus, & attemperato, NonNumeris in eundem ferè orbem redeuntibus, Non Claufularum fimiliter cadentium fono Metiri : Uni in hoc laudis genere Miltono fecundus, Primoque pæne Par. Res feu Tenues, feu Grandes, feu Mediocres Ornandas fumferat, Nufquam, Nufquam, non quod decuit, Et videt, & affecutus eft, Egregius, quocunque Stylum verteret, Aufo licèt à tuâ Metrorum Lege difcedere O Poefis Anglicana Pater, atque Conditor Chaucer, Alterum tibi latus claudere, Vatum certe Cineres, tuos undique ftipantium Non dedecebit Chorum. SIMON HARCOURT Miles, Viri benè de se, de quo Litteris meriti Post Obitum piè memor, Hoc illi Saxum poni voluit. J. PHILIPS, STEPHANI, S. T. P. Archidiaconi Salop, Filius, natus eft Bamptoniæ Philips has been always praised, without contradiction, as a man modeft, blameless, and pious; who bore a narrow fortune without discontent, and tedious and painful maladies without impatience; beloved by those 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 3 among his intimates; for I have been told, that he was in company filent and barren, and employed only upon the pleasures 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 whose person was loved because his writings were admired. He died honoured and lamented, before any part of his reputation had withered, and before his patron St. John had difgraced 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 stately construction 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 firft author. He that fhould again adapt Milton's phrase to the grofs incidents of common life, and even adapt it with more art, which would not be difficult, muft 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 "The parody on Milton," fays Gildon, "is the only tolerable production of its au"thor." This is a cenfure too dogmatical and violent. The poem of Blenheim was never denied to be tolerable, even by those who do not allow it fupreme excellence. It is indeed the poem of a scholar all inexpert of war; of a man who writes books from books, and studies the world in a college. He feems to have formed his ideas of the field of Blenheim from the battles of the heroick 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 flaughter made by Tallard, then hafte to encounter and reftrain him, and mow his way through ranks made headless by his fword.. He imitates Milton's numbers indeed, but imitates them very injudiciously. 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 ftate 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 have admitted a more pleafing 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. Those afperities, therefore, |