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fondness for describing matters of trifling importance which often becomes wearisome.

HENRY FIELDING (b. 1707, d. 1754) was a descendant of the noble house of Denbigh. His father was a general in the army, and so extravagant in his way of living as to be a very bad example to his son. Being left in poverty, Fielding tried to support himself by writing plays, all of which are now forgotten. He led a gay and dissipated life. Money was spent as fast as it was earned. His wife brought him a fortune, of which he soon got rid; and then he began to write those humorous novels which, in many respects, are unequalled in English literature. His wild life ruined his health, and he was ordered by his medical advisers to reside at Lisbon, where he died. His novels are bright, sparkling, and full of the liveliest humour. He delights in introducing people who have odd ways of speech or manner; describes low life as only one can who knows it well; and, indeed, his novels all seem to contain the records of his own experiences. As stories, the books are faultless, but their heroes are not worthy of the name, and the lessons they teach are far from healthy. Tom Jones, his principal novel, contains an admirable picture of life and manners, and tells the story of a generous, open, manly young fellow, who gets into all sorts of scrapes, and leads a reckless and wicked life. Fielding's other novels are Joseph Andrews, Amelia, and Jonathan Wild.

TOBIAS GEORGE SMOLLETT (b. 1721, d. 1771) belonged to an ancient Dumbartonshire family. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, and studied medicine with the intention of becoming a physician. When only nineteen years of age, he left the practitioner to whom he had been apprenticed, and proceeded to London with a tragedy of his own in his pocket, in the expectation of gaining a living by his writings. In this he was unsuccessful; and it was not till after he had been some

time in the navy as surgeon's mate, and had visited the West Indies, that he was able to make any impression on the English public as a writer. When he returned to London to practise his profession, he began to write those novels which have made his name famous. Like Defoe, he wrote satirical papers-more particularly against the wretched state of the navy-and was fined and imprisoned. Like Fielding, although not from the same cause, he had to leave England in broken health, and died at Leghorn, after writing the most comical of all his works-Humphrey Clinker. Of his novels, Roderick Random, Peregrine Pickle, and Humphrey Clinker are considered the best. The heroes of the first and second resemble Tom Jones, being represented as good humoured and generous persons given to mischief and folly; but the type of character is meaner than that of Fielding's so-called hero. In the last named of Smollett's novels we have the history of Humphrey, a shabby fellow, brought up in a workhouse. He is successively blacksmith, hostler, and gentleman's servant. At the close of the story, he turns out to be the son of the gentleman he has been serving. Smollett's style is very lively and amusing, although spoiled by coarseness and indelicacy. His stories have no plan as Fielding's had, but consist of a number of adventures strung together on the thread of a human life.

PHILOSOPHERS AND WRITERS ON RELIGIOUS
SUBJECTS.

LORD SHAFTESBURY (b. 1671, d. 1713), grandson of Ashley, the famous Chancellor, was first the pupil, and afterwards the friend, of Locke, the philosopher. He wrote essays on philosophical and religious subjects, and these were published collectively under the name of The Characteristics. He is remarkable as being the first to maintain the existence of what is called "a moral sense," or the power within us almost instinctively to perceive the difference between good and evil. Shaftes

bury's style was very refined-so refined, indeed, as to be sometimes stiff and unnatural.

DR. SAMUEL CLARKE (b. 1675, d. 1729).-This distinguished divine was born at Norwich, and educated at Oxford. He is the writer of many vigorous and eloquent Sermons, and of a philosophical essay on the Being and Attributes of God, in which his wonderful powers of argument are most clearly exhibited.

GEORGE BERKELEY (b. 1684, d. 1753) was an Irish bishop, notable for the keenness of his genius and the benevolence of his character. As a proof of the latter characteristic, we have his earnest exertions in attempting to establish a missionary college in the Bermudas, for the conversion of the savages. Seven years of his life were spent in the effort, although in the end it had to be abandoned. His greatness of intellect is exhibited in his works, one of the most remarkable of which is The Theory of Vision-a philosophical treatise on optics, containing doctrines which, though considered absurd at the time, are now recognized as correct. Berkeley's style is characterised by the refinement common to the writers of the period.

JOSEPH BUTLER (b. 1692, d. 1752), Bishop of Durham, was one of the greatest theological philosophers of modern times. His great work is the Analogy between Natural and Revealed Religion, in which he shows that if the infidel believes God to be the Author of Nature, he cannot deny that he is also the Author of Religion as it is revealed to us in the Bible. Butler's works are much sought after by students of theology, but ordinary readers will find them very difficult to understand because of the closeness of the reasoning, and the attention required to follow the line of argument.

Other Writers on Religious Subjects.-Chief among these were DR. FRANCIS ATTERBURY, so famous for the

disturbance he created during the reign of Queen Anne; DR. PHILIP Doddridge, a Nonconformist divine, author of The Family Expositor; DR. GEORGE CAMPBELL, Professor of Divinity at Aberdeen, who wrote a Dissertation on Miracles; and MATTHEW HENRY, the well known commentator.

MISCELLANEOUS WRITERS.

DR. JOHN ARBUTHNOT (b. 1667, d. 1735) was a physician attached to the court of Queen Anne. He was associated with Pope and Swift in writing the Memoirs of Martin Scriblerus, a very amusing satire on the abuse of learning. Martin is very anxious to make his son a scholar, and, amongst other things, provides him with a geographical suit of clothes, which shall keep him in constant remembrance of the place from which each article comes. He is daily questioned about these places, and his father calls this examination in geography, "travelling at home." It has been supposed that this idea first suggested the use of object lessons. But Arbuthnot's great work is his History of John Bull, a political satire written against the continuance of the war by Marlborough. The following are some of the characters: John Bull (England), Squire South (Charles, Archduke of Austria), Lord Strutt (King of Spain), Lewis Baboon (France), Nic. Frog (Holland), and Humphrey Hocus (Marlborough). It is very clever and brimful of fun. Arbuthnot's satirical burlesque is said to have stamped the name of John Bull on the English nation.

HENRY ST. JOHN, VISCOUNT BOLINGBROKE (b 1678, died 1751), well known as a brilliant speaker on political subjects during the reign of Queen Anne, was the friend and counsellor of Pope, in whose Essay on Man the effects of his counsels are visible. He was himself a writer of repute, the most important of his works being the Idea of a Patriot King, and Letters on the Study and Use of History. He also wrote a series of papers against Christianity, but these he left to be published after his death. His style

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is lively and picturesque, and his language dignified and eloquent.

Other Miscellaneous Writers.-There were only two of importance, RICHARD BENTLEY, the greatest classical scholar that England has ever seen, and LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU, one of the cleverest of letterwriters.

CHAPTER XII.

THE POETS-FROM 1750 TILL 1800.

CHARACTER OF THE POETRY.

POETS.― Goldsmith - Cowper - Chatterton - Crabbe-BurnsOther Poets-Ballad Poetry. DRAMATISTS. - Sheridan

Other Dramatists.

DURING this period the artificial and fashionable style of the past age was abandoned, and the poetry became more natural and earnest. The great political events of the time, such as the American War, the French Revolution, &c., had the effect of awakening the national spirit, and the poets were not slow to catch up the enthusiasm which prevailed. The publication of Percy's Reliques of English Poetry had also an important influence on the literature of the day.

OLIVER GOLDSMITH (b. 1728, d. 1774) wrote cleverly on so many different subjects that it is difficult to tell how he ought to be classed. His poems are charming; his comedy is delightful; his histories are good; and his novel is one of the best in the language. For the sake of convenience, however, we prefer to consider him among the poets of the period. He was the son of a clergyman, and was born at Pallas, in the county of Longford. After receiving a fair education, he was sent by his uncle to Trinity College, Dublin, where he cared