ing that Mrs. Boscawen, in the midst of her grief for the loss of the admiral, derived consolation from the perusal of the "Night Thoughts," Mrs. Montagu proposed a visit to the author. From conversing with Young Mrs. Boscawen derived still further consolation, and to that visit she and the world were indebted for this poem. It compliments Mrs. Montagu in the following lines: And again "Yet, write I must. A Lady sues, "A friend you have, and I the same, Will bring to life those healing thoughts That friend, the spirit of my theme Extracting for your ease, Will leave to me the dreg, in thoughts By the same Lady I am enabled to say, in her own words, that Young's unbounded genius appeared to greater advantage in the companion, than even in the authorthat the christian was in him a character still more inspired, more enraptured, more sublime than the poet-and that, in his ordinary conversation, 66 —letting down the golden chain from high, He drew his audience upward to the sky." Notwithstanding Young had said, in his "Conjectures on original Composition," 1 that blank verse is verse un 1 66 1 This piece was read by the author himself to Johnson at the house of Mr. Richardson, the author of Clarissa. Boswell's Johnson, vol. v. p. 231. fallen, uncurst; verse reclaimed, reinthroned in the true language of the Gods "-notwithstanding he administered consolation to his own grief in this immortal languageMrs. Boscawen was comforted in rhyme. While the poet and the christian were applying this comfort, Young had himself occasion for comfort, in consequence of the sudden death of Richardson, who was printing the former part of the poem. Of Richardson's death he says "When heaven would kindly set us free, And earth's enchantment end; It takes the most effectual means, To "Resignation" was prefixed an Apology for its appearance: to which more credit is due than to the generality of such apologies, from Young's unusual anxiety that no more productions of his old age should disgrace his former fame. In his will, dated February 1760, he desires of his executors, in a particular manner, that all his manuscript books and writings whatever might be burned, except his book of accounts. In September 1764 he added a kind of codicil, wherein he made it his dying intreaty to his housekeeper, to whom he left 10007." that all his manuscripts might be destroyed as soon as he was dead, which would greatly oblige her deceased friend." It may teach mankind the uncertainty of worldly friendships, to know that Young, either by surviving those he loved, or by outliving their affections, could only recollect the names of two friends, his housekeeper and a hatter, to mention in his will; and it may serve to repress that testamentary pride, which too often seeks for sounding names and titles, to be informed that the author of the "Night Thoughts" did not blush to leave a legacy to his "friend w wong ww wut we were born?" I'm madam kuvaunty winch marked a bamer and a hous baxyor for we fricade of the author of t Turugina? had bedore bestowed the same the mis footman, in an epitaph in his “Church-yard ” 1731 James: Harker, dated 1749; which I am glad to find in the the collection of his works. Young and his housekeeper were ridiculed, with more ill nature than wit, in a kind of novel published by Kabel in 1755, called "The Card," under the names of Dr. Elwes and Mrs. Fusby, In April 1765, at an age to which few attain, a period was put to the life of Young. He had performed no duty for the last three or four years of his life, but he retained his intellects to the last.. Much is told in the "Biographia," which I know not to have been true, of the manner of his burial-of the master and children of a charity-school, which he founded in his parish, who neglected to attend their benefactor's corpse; and of a bell which was not caused to toll so often as upon those occasions bells usually toll. Had that humanity, which is here lavished upon things of little consequence either to the living or to the dead, been shewn in its proper place to the living, I should have had less to say about Lorenzo. They who lament that these misfortunes happened to Young, forget the praise he bestows upon Socrates, in the Preface to “ Night" Seven, for resenting his friend's request about his funeral. During some part of his life Young was abroad, but I have not been able to learn any particulars. tu his seventh Satire he says, “When, uter attie. The few have wen Spread i vin masty shapes vici ce very we And i is zovi da sm is rm some her wa he once wandered no de memy's amp, wth & dass #r his hand, winch he was rating intently; and had some difffeulay to prove that he was only 11 disent qver sinÈ IVE a spy The curious reader of Young's he will murally inquire to what it was owing, that, though he ived £uest dres years after he took Orders, winch included one vivie regt uncommonly long, and part of another, he was never sùvugis worthy of the least preferment. The author of the “ Ngh Thoughts" ended his days upon & Living which one v him from his College without any favour, and to which be probably had an eye when he determined on the Church. To satisfy curiosity of this kind is, at this distance of time, far from easy. The parties themselves know not often, at the instant, why they are neglected, nor why they are preferred. The neglect of Young is by some ascribed to his having attached himself to the Prince of Wales, and to his having preached an offensive sermon at St. James's It has been told me, that he had two hundred a year in the late reign, by the patronage of Walpole; and that, whenever the King was reminded of Young, the only answer was, he has a pension. All the light thrown on this inquiry, by the following Letter from Secker, only serves to shew at what a late period of life the author of the "Night Thoughts" solicited preferment. "Deanry of St. Paul's, July 8, 1738. "Good Dr. Young, "I have long wondered, that more suitable notice of your great merit hath not been taken by persons in power But how to remedy the omission I see not. No encourage ment hath ever been given me to mention things of this nature to his Majesty. And therefore, in all likelihood, the only consequence of doing it would be weakening the little influence, which else I may possibly have on some other occasions. Your fortune and your reputation set you above the need of advancement; and your sentiments, above that concern for it, on your own account, which, on that of the Public, is sincerely felt by "Your loving Brother, "THOS. CANT.” At last, at the age of fourscore, he was appointed, in 1761, Clerk of the Closet to the Princess Dowager.1 One obstacle must have stood not a little in the way of that preferment after which his whole life panted. Though he took Orders, he never intirely shook off Politics. He was always the Lion of his master Milton, pawing to get free his hinder parts. By this conduct, if he gained some friends, he made many enemies. Again, Young was a poet; and again, with reverence be it spoken, poets by profession do not always make the best clergymen. If the author of the "Night Thoughts " composed many sermons, he did not oblige the public with many. Besides, in the latter part of life, Young was fond of holding himself out for a man retired from the world. But he seemed to have forgotten that the same verse which contains oblitus meorum, contains also obliviscendus & illis. The brittle chain of worldly friendship and patronage is broken as effectually, when one goes beyond the length of it, as when the other does. To the vessel which is sailing from the shore, it only appears that the shore also recedes; in life it is truly thus. He who The mother of George III. |