HENRY JONES.

THIS author ftands in the line of celebrity from his talents rifing above the obfcurity of his original, and the lowness of his education. Like Ben

Jonfon he was bred a bricklayer, and like him he foon relinquished the drudgery of a mechanical profeffion for the ervice of the Mufes. Jonfon how. ever, having a great fuperiority of education, laid the bafis of that fame "Which left like Egypt's kings a lafting tomb:"

whilft Jones, not having exertion enough to improve his education, nor conduct fufficient to render himself deferving of patronage or public countenance, ftunted the growth of his natural talents, and in the end fell a facrifice to his diffipations.

Henry Jones was born at Bewley near Drogheda, in the North of Ireland, about twenty-five miles from Dublin, in the year 1721.. His family in all probability were in low circumstances, as he was bred a bricklayer. He, however, had a good English fchool educa. tion previous to his apprenticeship, and fhewed fuch a defire to improve that little, that in the courfe of learning his trade, he made himself acquainted with fome of our beft authors, and with many tranflations from the Greek and Latin Poets. This course of study in time induced him to try his hand at verfification, and whilst he feemed to mix unnoticed in the common herd of mechanics, Jones at once furprized the Corporation of Drogheda with a compiimentary copy of verfes, with fome hints towards the further improvement of their town, trade, &c. &c. Thefe verfes, which were never printed, and of which the author kept no copy, were reckoned fo good that they were for fome time thought to be above the flight of a bricklayer, but Jones foon identified his claim to the Mufes by other productions, and particularly by fome lines occafioned by the death of Mr.

VOL. XXV.

O thou! applauded by the wife and great, Nor worth or genius could pottpone thy fate; Too long an exile from the worlds of blifs, Thy trains feraphic fball their Anthems raife, By envying Angels snatch'd too soon from this, Give Heaven new harmony-and God new praise.

Thefe poems fo recommended him to the favour of the Corporation of Drogheda, and other Gentlemen of the town, and in particular to Lord Chief Juftice Singleton, who lived at Bewley, where Jones was born, that they paid him every kind of civility, and conftantly made him one of their convivial parties.

In the latter part of life Jones would have faftened upon this kind of pa tronage, and yielding to the pleafures of a Corporation table, would have thought his time happily filled; but youth is the feafon of fpirit and adventure, and an opportunity foon offered of calling out our young poet to greater fcenes, and more independent profpects.

The Parliament Houfe in Dublin be-. ing about to be repaired at this time, a number of workmen in all branches. were in much requeft; and Jones living but twenty-five miles from the capital, thought this would be a lucky oppor tunity to try his fortune. His line and rule were his immediate pretenfions; but his Mufe was the mistress he fecretly relied on. With this hope he left Drogheda about the beginning of the year 1745, much against the inclination of his friends, but with that confidence in his own powers which, generally fpeaking, if properly founded, and di-ligently purfued, feldom mifleads us.

Had

Had his prudence been equal to this refolution, it was the luckieft meafure he poffibly could have adopted. He had an opportunity of living in the capital of his country upon better terms than in his own native place; he had the means of improving himself both in the line of his profeffion, and as a Poet; and above all, perhaps, he might then have the flattering hope (which afterwards came to be verified) of his Mufe reaching the ear of a Mæcenas, who had taste and liberality to encourage and reward his labours.

The following circumftance foon brought him to this laft point of fuccefs. Lord Chesterfield, who had been fome time before appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, juft landed in Dublin. Jones thought this a good oppor. tunity to come forward. He accordingly addreffed his Excellency in a copy of verfes on his arrival; wherein he not only panegyrizes with fome force and delicacy, but towards the clofe thus artfully infinuates his own humble occupation.

"Nor you, great Sir, on these weak numbers frown,

Which mourn a Swift, and fing thy just re

nown;

Such strains, alas! as my unletter'd hand, Trembling would reach thee on the crowded

ftrand;

But thronging thousands intercept my way,
And deafening 10's drown my feeble lay;
Yet if a moment from the toils of state,
And all the burthen of a kingdom's weight,
Some little leifure to the Muse you lend,
(Each leisure moment is the Mafe's friend),
Permit, my Lord, that my unpolish'd lays
May hope for pardon, tho' they fail to pleafe."

Jones had the good fortune to have thefe lines prefented by his conftant friend through life, Lord Chief Juftice Singleton; and he had ftill the better fortune to fee his Poem take effect. Lord Chesterfield was pleated with it, and enquiring into the origin and charafter of the author, fent for him, liberally rewarded him, and took him into his immediate protection.

What pecuniary reward our author received is now uncertain; but whatever it was, "the bricklayer's frock went on no more." He commenced author at large, and foon after, by his Lordship's defire, followed him to England.

On his arrival here, which was in the year 1748, he collected fome of the best of the poems he had written at different times before his introduction to Lord Chesterfield, and added others upon a variety of occafional fubjects which he took fome pains to polish and refine. With thefe his Lordship feemed highly pleafed. He thought he faw fomething in this mechanic mufe which in time might do credit to his patronage and the republic of letters; he therefore not only received him at his houfe with kindness and hofpitality, but recommended him to several Noblemen and Literati, by whofe affiftance he publifhed his Poems by fubfcription, and was liberally rewarded.

With the little poctical freight which Jones brought with him from Ireland, he likewife brought the sketch of a Tragedy entitled "The Earl of Effex." Having now leifure to correct it, and money fufficient to keep him from the drudgery of other purfuits, he fat down to this tragedy, and finished it about the latter end of the feafon of 1752. It was highly approved of by Lord Chefterfield, and warmly recommended by him to Colley Cibber, who not only introduced him to the Manager of CoventGarden Theatre, but continued his regards for him through life by a thousand acts of friendship and humanity, and even made ftrong efforts by his intereft at Court to have fecured to him the fuc ceffion of the laurel after his death.

It was rather remarkable, that on the very day that Jones fent the manufcript tragedy of "The Earl of Effex" to the Manager of Covent Garden Theatre, the late Dr. P. Francis fent his tragedy of "Conftantine." This rather embarraffed the Manager which he thould bring out firft. Jones's friends (and they were powerful in point of rank and numbers) pleaded the origi nality of his genius, and the preffure of his circumstances; but Francis difregarded thefe particulars, and infifted upon the juftice of an equal claim. The Manager felt this, and after ruminating for fome time to do juftice to both, propofed toffing up for the priority. The parties agreed, and whilft the fhilling was fpinning in the air, Jones, with the coarfenets of his original education, cried out, “Woman" by the groffeft name he could make ufe of. He was fuccefsful, and the Doctor turned away

in difguft, pretending to be more hurt at the indelicacy of his rival than at the failure of his own fuccefs.

Francis's "Conftantine" came out the next year, and afforded a striking contrast between art and nature. The Scholar's Tragedy nearly failed, whilft the Bricklayer's met with univerfal applaufe. It was brought out in the best part of the feafon, January, and was played fifteen nights to very great houles, and his benefits were fuppofed to bring him in no less than five hundred pounds—a fum, confidering the ftate of the theatre and audience in those days, which was almoft unprecedented.

The merits of this Tragedy were much cried up at that time; the public had been long taught to expect it; and as the Author had already published a book of Poems, wherein fome of the first names in both kingdoms appeared as Subfcribers, and as he was likewife well-known to be protected and encouraged by fo great a judge and patron of the Mufes as Lord Chesterfield, expectation ran high. This expectation was further confirmed by overflowing audiences, as John Bull found fome thing fo congenial in the ground-for pretenfions of an humble Bricklayer, that he very freely gave him his praife and protection.

Banks had written upon this fubject before, and Brookes followed in 1761. The former feems to have more pathos than Jones, and Brookes's, upon the whole, appears to be written with more powers of poetry. But Jancs, by catching at the popular character of the Earl of Effex, and introducing thofe incidents which led to the fall of that unhappy Nobleman, renders it more an Englifb fory, and being thus rendered more intelligible and congenial_to_an English mind, it alone keeps poffeffion of the Stage to this day.

Whilft the public gave him praife, critical envy was not filent. To be a favourite of the Mufes in itself was a ftimulus to ill-nature; but for a low mechanic to woo fuch miftreffes was infufferable:-hence, amongst other reflections upon our new Dramatift, it was faid, the Tragedy was not his own; or at least he was fo far affifted by his noble patron, as to leave him little or no merit; that they could evidently fee the linfig-woolfey thoot itfelf with the filk; and that though fome paffages were poctical, others were lit

A fimilar charge has been often alledged against young authors, on account perhaps of the facility with which it might be made. A Novice, if he has merit, creates envy, and perfons poffeffed of this quality find their intereft in attempting to crush a rival in embryo. A Novice likewife, gene. rally speaking, has not many friends to defend him; nor is he himself dexterous enough to repel the arts, the intrigues, and the infinuations of the many;-he befide all this cannot be compared with himfelf; fo that there are various affailable places about him, which envy is quick-fighted enough to fee and to attack.

Speaking of this as a general queftion, and we fpeak upon fome experience, we believe it is not once in twenty. times that an author rifes into any degree of fame by another man's labours, and by his permition. Fame is not fo eafily acquired, and when acquired not fo eafily parted with, as to form the common commerce of friendship; the receiver of fame too, from the inequality of talents, muft foon be difcovered, and when difcovered, his pretenfions are at an end. The charge in the courfe of time has been made again many, and yet no one inftance, we believe, has appeared, that any great work has been claimed by any but the origi nal author fo that we are pretty lafc in giving credit to any man who publicly figns his name to a work, except he has already fhewn himself incompetent to fuch credit for fpeaking truth on that occafion.

Upon the queftion at iffue, Whether Jones was the author of the Earl of Effex? there is all the internal evidence of its being a fact. There is nothing in the writing of that Tragedy that may not be atchieved by the author of the Poems which were already published in his name, and univerfally acknowledged to be his. He had previously fhewn his Tragedy, piece-meal, to many of his friends, and has been knowa to make feveral alterations during the Rehearsal on the fpot. Jones freely confeffed the few alterations which Lord Chefterfield fuggefted, which were in the too great familiarity of language in fome paffages, and one in particular, of changing the phrafe, the Houfe is up," to "the Senate is re

L12

folved.

fled." But, except thefe, and fome arrangements of the fcenes fuggefted by Colley Cibber, we fubfcribe to Jones's repeated declarations," that the Tragedy was entirely his own."

Indeed, if any doubt could arife upon this fubject, it must have been long fince cleared up by his two fubfe. quent Tragedies, "Harold," and The Cave of Idra." This last was brought upon the Stage fome years af ter Jones's death, by his old friend and brother adventurer Dr. Paul Hiffernan, under the title of "The Heroine of the Cave," and though it was left in an unfinished state by the author, evidently fhewed a fpecies of writing equal to "The Earl of Effex."

Of "Harold," we believe it is now entirely loft to the world. Jones ufed to fpeak of this as his chef-d'auvre, and we remember to have heard Dr. Hiffernan repeat fome paffages of it that were very poetical, both in point of fentiment and power of language. It was never brought upon the Stage, or published, therefore to fan what is become of it now, mut entirely be conjecture. The late Mr. Reddith, of Drury-lane, poffeffed himself of all Jones's Manufcripts, and by this obtained "The Cave of Idra," which Hiffernan, as we have already faid, exrended to Five A&ts, and brought out for Reddith's Benefit. "Harold," in all probability, was amongst the num ber of these papers, and perhaps intended for fome future Benefit; but the fubfequent infanity of Reddish deranged all this, and perhaps configned "Harold" to the flames, or impenetra ble obfcurity.

That Jones had been playing what gamblers call "the best of the game" with the Bookfellers, relative to this Tragedy, is pretty evident, as he ob. tained fome money on it from Mr. Cooper the printer, and perhaps from others; but fuch is the impolicy of knaves, that in cheating their friends they cheat themfelves. Had Jones meant honeftly to have brought this Flay forward, the probability was, that he could have redeemed what he bor. rowed on it, and put a confiderable fum in his own pocket, but he chofe to make it an engine of deceit, and thus facrificed his intereft and reputation.

Some Critics thought they got scent of "Harold," when it was known that Mr. Cumberland was bringing out his Tragedy called "The Battle of Haf

tings;" and Mr. Cooper, who was interested to know this fact more than others, attended the Theatre on the first night's reprefentation for that purpofe. But whatever "The Battle of Haftings" was like, it was not like Jones's "Harold ;" and this Mr. Coo per was fo fenfible of, that to atone for his own fuggeftions on that head, as well as to do every degree of justice to Mr. Cumberland, he published the fol lowing Letter in The General Adver tifer.

To the EDITOR of The GENERAL ADVERTISER.

SIR,

"Having heard feveral Gentlemen. not only in the Theatre, but in private company, queftion whether Mr. Cumberland is the author of the Tragedy now playing, called "The Battle of Haftings," and declaring it to be an alteration of a Tragedy written by the late Mr. Jones (author of the Earl of Effex), called "Harold;" I beg leave, through the channel of your Paper, to relate a few circumftances, which may tend to clear all doubts upon that fubje&t.

"Some years ago Mr. Jones brought me a Tragedy called "Harold," which was to have been my property, upon terms then agreed on between us. It remained in my hands for fome months, and I read it twice with great attention. After this Mr. Jones called on me again, and left with me two books of a poem he was writing, called "Kew Gardens," which I also agreed to purchase. At this time he requefted me to lend him the Tragedy, that he might fhew it to a friend. I did fo and this requeft was in a few days followed by a fecond for the poem, which I likewife complied with, but from that day never faw the author or his works.

"Upon the first reprefentation of "The Battle of Haftings". I went to fee it, I own on purpofe to prove whether it was a new piece, or an alteration from that for which I had paid a confi deration. As many paffages in Mr. Jones's Harold are perfect in my memo ry, and I muft immediately have known them, I think it but common justice to Mr. Cumberland to declare, that his Play does not bear the leaft resemblance to Mr. Jones's in any one Scene. "I am, Sir, "Your very humble Servant, "JO. COOPER." [ To be concluded in our next. ]

AN

IN the fame year, 1751,Mr.Bower publifhed by way of fupplement to his Second Volume, feventeen fheets, which were delivered to his fubfcribers gratis; and about the latter end of 1753 he produced a third volume, which brought down his Hiftory to the death of Pope Stephen, in 757.

His conftant friend, Mr. Lyttelton, at this time become a Baronet, in April 1754 appointed him Clerk of the Buck Warrants, instead of Henry Read, Efq. who held that place under the Earl of Lincoln. This office was probably of no great emolument. His appointment to it, however, ferves to fhew the credit he was in with his patron*. On this occafion the following lines appeared in the daily papers:

From Romish fafting, penance, and belief,

Bower fled to English liberty and beef; With moft unrighteous appetite and palate,

He left his brethren to their fish and fallet ;

From Rome to Lyttelton transfers his hopes,

And now he cuts up venifon and the Popes..

It was in this year the firft ferious attack was made upon him on accrunt of his Hiftory of the Popes, in a pamphlet printed at Douay, entitled, Remarks on the Two First Volumes of

the late Lives of the Popes. In Letters from a Gentleman to a Friend in the Country, 8vo." and written, as Mr. Bower afferted, by a Popish Prieft, Butler, one of the moft active and dangerous emiffaries of Rome in this kingdom.

His correfpondence with the Jefuits at laft came to light, and falling into the hands of a perfon who poffeffed both the fagacity to difcover, and the induftry to purfue and drag to public notice the practices of our Hiftorian, the warfare began in the year 1756, and. ended in the total difgrace of Mr. Bower. After a careful perufal of the controversy, a lift of which is added to this account, we are compelled to be lieve that our Author (who, fhocking as it may be to obferve, made an affidavit, denying the authenticity of letters we think fully proved) was clearly convicted of the material charges afledged against him. He repelled the attack, however, made on him with great spirit, and continued to affert his innocence, and to charge his enemies with foul practices, long after his Hiftory of the Popes, as well as his own veracity, had fallen into contempt. We find, in the courte of this controverfy he ran fome hazard of being brought on the Stage by Mr. Garrick, on account of the manner in which he mentioned that inimitable actor and his lady in one of his works ‡.

From this period his whole time seems