his prefumption that the story could not have been read without thoughts of the Countefs of Salisbury, though it had been dedicated to another. "To be'hold," he proceeds, "a perfon only virtuous, ftirs ❝in us a prudent regret; to behold a perfon only ami"able to the fight, warms us with a religious indig"nation; but to turn our eyes on a countess of Salifbury, gives us pleasure and improvement; it works a fört of miracle, occafions the biafs of our nature "to fall off from fin, and makes our very fenfes and "affections converts to our religion, and promoters "of our duty." His flattery was as ready for the other fex as for ours, and was at least as well adapted.

Auguft the 27th, 1714, Pope writes to his friend Jervas, that he is just arrived from Oxford-that every one is much concerned for the Queen's death, but that no panegyricks are ready yet for the King. Nothing like friendship had yet taken place between Pope and Young; for, foon after the event which Pope mentions, Young publifhed a poem on the Queen's death, and his Majesty's acceffion to the throne. It is infcribed to Addifon, then fecretary to the Lords Juftices. Whatever was the obligation which he had formerly received from Anne, the poet appears to aim at fomething of the fame fort from George. Of the poem the intention feems to have been, to fhew that he had the fame extravagant strain of praise for a King as for a Queen. To discover, at the very outfet of a foreigner's reign, that the Gods blefs his new fubjects in fuch a King, is fomething more than praife. Neither was this deemed one of his excufeable pieces. We do not find it in his works. Young's

Young's father had been well acquainted with Lady Anne Wharton, the firft wife of Thomas Wharton, Efq; afterwards Marquis of Whartona Lady celebrated for her poetical talents by Burnet and by Waller.

To the Dean of Sarum's vifitation fermon, already mentioned, were added fome verfes "by that excel"lent poetess Mrs Anne Wharton," upon its being tranflated into English, at the inftance of Waller, by Atwood. Wharton, after he became ennobled, did not drop the son of his old friend. In him, during the fhort time he lived, Young found a patron, and in his diffolute defcendant a friend and a companion. The Marquis died in April 1715. The beginning of the next year the young Marquis fet out upon his travels, from which he returned in about a twelvemonth. The beginning of 1717 carried him to Ireland; where, fays the Biographia, "on the fcore of his extraordinary qualities, he had the honour done him of being admitted, though under age, to take his feat in "the Houfe of Lords."

66

With this unhappy character it is not unlikely that Young went to Ireland. From his Letter to Richardfon on Original Compofition, it is clear he was, at fome period of his life, in that country. "I remember," fays he, in that Letter, fpeaking of Swift," as I "and others were taking with him an evening walk, "about a mile out of Dublin, he ftopt fhort; we paffed "on; but, perceiving he did not follow us, I went

back, and found him fixed as a ftatue, and earnestly "gazing upward at a noble elm, which in its upper"most branches was much withered and decayed. 66 Pointing at it," he said, " I shall be like that tree, I fhall die at top."-Is it not probable, that this vifit

to

to Ireland was paid when he had an opportunity of going thither with his avowed friend and patron?

From The Englishman it appears that a tragedy by Young was in the theatre fo early as 1713. Yet Buy firis was not brought upon Drury-Lane Stage till 1719. It was infcribed to the Duke of Newcastle, "because. "the late inftances he had received of his Grace's un"deferved and uncommon favour, in an affair of some» "confequence, foreign to the theatre, had taken from "him the privilege of chufing a patron." The Dedication he afterwards fuppreffed.

"has

Bufiris was followed in the year 1721 by The Revenge. Left at liberty now to chufe his patron, he dedicated this famous tragedy to the Duke of Wharton. "Your Grace," fays the Dedication, "been pleased to make yourself acceffary to the fol"lowing scenes, not only by fuggefting the most "beautiful incident in them, but by making all pof"fible provision for the fuccefs of the whole."

That his Grace fhould have fuggefted the incident to which he alludes, whatever that incident be, is not unlikely. The laft mental exertion of the fuperannuated young man, in his quarters at Lerida, in Spain, was fome fcenes of a tragedy on the ftory of Mary Queen of Scots.

Dryden dedicated Marriage à la Mode to Wharton's infamous relation Rochefter; whom he acknowledges not only as the defender of his poetry, but as the promoter of his fortune. Young concludes his addrefs to Wharton thus-" My prefent fortune is his "bounty, and my future his care; which I will ven"ture to fay will be always remembered to his ho"nour, fince he, I know, intended his generofity as

an

66

"an encouragement to merit, though, through his very pardonable partiality to one who bears him fo fin"cere a duty and refpect, I happen to receive the be "nefit of it." That he ever had fuch a patron as Wharton, Young took all the pains in his power to conceal from the world, by excluding this dedication from his works. He fhould have remembered, that he at the fame time concealed his obligation to Wharton for the most beautiful incident in what is furely not his leaft beautiful compofition. The paffage juft quoted is, in a poem afterwards addreffed to Walpole, literally copied :

Be this thy partial fmile from cenfure free;
'Twas meant for merit, though it fell on me.

While Young, who, in his Love of Fame, complains grievously how often dedications wash an Ethiop white, was painting an amiable Duke of Wharton in perifhable profe, Pope was, perhaps, beginning to defcribe the fcorn and wonder of his days, in lafting

verfe.

To the patronage of fuch a character, had Young ftudied men as much as Pope, he would have known how little to have trufted. Young, however, was certainly indebted to it for fomething material; and the Duke's regard for Young, added to his Luft of Praife, procured to All-fouls College a donation, which was not forgotten by the poet when he dedicated The Revenge.

It will furprize you to fee me cite fecond Atkins, Cafe 136, Stiles verfus the Attorney General, 14 March 1740; as authority for the Life of a Poet. But Biographers do not always find fuch certain guides as

the

the oaths of those whofe lives they write. Chan cellor Hardwicke was to determine whether two annuities, granted by the Duke of Wharton to Young, were for legal confiderations. One was dated the 24th of March 1719, and accounted for his Grace's bounty in a ftyle princely and commendable, if not legal"confidering that the publick good is advanced "by the encouragement of learning and the polite "arts, and being pleased therein with the attempts "of Dr. Young, in confideration thereof, and of the "love he bore him, &c." The other was dated the 10th of July, 1722.

Young, on his examination, fwore that he quitted the Exeter family, and refufed an annuity of 100%. which had been offered him for his life if he would continue tutor to Lord Burleigh, upon the preffing folicitations of the Duke of Wharton, and his Grace's affurances of providing for him in a much more ample manner. It also appeared that the Duke had given him a bond for 600l. dated the 15th of March 1721, in confideration of his taking several journies, and being at great expences, in order to be chofen member of the Houfe of Commons at the Duke's defire, and in confideration of his not taking two livings of 200l. and 400l. in the gift of All-fouls College, on his Grace's promises of serving and advancing him in the world.

Of his adventures in the Exeter family I am unable to give any account. The attempt to get into Parliament was at Cirencester, where Young ftood a contefted election. His Grace difcovered in him talents for oratory as well as for poetry. Nor was this judgement wrong. Young, after he took orders, became

a very