by offering to provide for him in that kingdom. But depending on the more flattering but probably lefs fincere promises of another great man at home, he declined that offer, which afterwards he had reason to regret. His tranflation of the "Mifantrope" of Moliere, with an excellent preface (omitted in Ozell's edition) appeared in 1709. 1709. He afterwards tranflated the first act of the "Mifer," but did not finish that play. In 1711, at the defire of Sir Richard Steele, he made fome alterations in Dryden's" Alexander's feaft," but Mr. Clayton's compofition of it was far, it feems, from fatisfying the connoiffeurs *. In 1712, his opera of "Calypfo and Tele"machus" was performed at the king's theatre in the Haymarket. The particular discouragements under which it laboured, and its triumph over them, are mentioned in the following work. Mr. Hughes's tranflation of Vertot's "History of the Re"volutions in Portugal," though printed * See letter xvii, p. 67. + Page 96, note. in 1712, was not published till after his death. The share that he took in the Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian is specified at the bottom of the page. In 1713, after the In the Tatler he wrote No. 64, a letter figned Jofiah Couplet." No. 73, a letter againft gamefters, figned "William Trufty;" Mr. Tickell alludes to this letter in a copy of verses addressed to the Spectator, No. 532: From felon gamesters the raw fquire is free, and No. 113, the inventory of a beau. In the Spectator, No. 33, a letter on the art of improving beauty. No. 53, a fecond letter on the fame fubject. No. 66, two letters on fine breeding. No. 91, the hiftory of Honoria, or the rival mother. No. 104, a letter on riding-habits for ladies. No. 141, remarks on a comedy, entitled "The Lan"cashire Witches." No. 210, on the immortality of the foul. No. 220, a letter concerning expedients for wit. No. 230, all, except the last letter. No. 231, a letter on the awe of appearing before public affemblies. No. 237, on Divine Providence. No. 252, a letter on the eloquence of tears and fainting fits. No. 302, the character of Emilia. No. 311, a letter from the father of a great fortune. No. 375, Guardian was dropped, he was a large contributor to a paper undertaken by Sir Richard Blackmore, ftyled "The Lay Monk." In the fame year, his his "Ode to the Creator "of the world, occafioned by the fragments " of Orpheus," was printed at the particular inftance of Mr. Addison, and was mentioned by him with applause in the Spectator. The "tenth book of Lucan" was tranflated by our author at the defire of Mr. Tonfon, before Mr. Rowe undertook to tranflate the whole. That Cato was finished and brought upon the stage is faid to have been owing to Mr. Hughes; that gentleman representing to Mr. Addison the a picture of virtue in diftrefs. No. 525, on conju gal love. No. 537, on the dignity of human nature. No. 541, rules for pronunciation and action, chiefly collected from Cicero. No. 554, on the improve ment of the genius, illuftrated in the characters of lord Bacon, Mr. Boyle, fir Ifaac Newton, and Leonardo da Vinci. In the Guardian, No. 37, which contains remarks on the tragedy of Othello. great great fupport which the principles of li berty there inculcated would give to the old English public spirit at that dangerous crifis. At this hint, Mr. Addison, after having afked Mr. Hughes to finish it, took fire himfelf, and went through with the vth act. On its appearing, Mr. Hughes fent the author a copy of verses, which were afterwards prefixed to it, with feveral other poems. Two letters that paffed on that occafion are inferted in this collection*. To the "poetical mifcellanies" published by Sir Richard Steele, in 1714, he was at first a large contributor, but finding, before publication, that Mr. Pope's "Wife of Bath's Tale," and fome other pieces, which were inconfiftent with his ideas of decency and decorum, had been admitted, he immediately withdrew most of his own, and would allow only two small poems, and those without a name, to appear there. The pieces thus withdrawn were inserted the fame year in another "miscel 86 lany, lefs brilliant perhaps but more Page 102-104. unexceptionable, printed for Pemberton, His edition of the "Works of Spen"fer," in fix volumes octavo, dedicated to lord Somers, in 1715, attracted the attention and gratified the expectation of the public. A fhort parallel between the editor and his author, drawn by a masterly hand, may be feen in the following work. His "Apollo and Daphne" was brought on the ftage in the fame year. The intereft which Sir Richard Steele took in its fuc-, cefs, will appear by letter xxxviii. Mr. Tickell's "Prophecy of Nereus" (imitated from Horace) and applied to a fecondfighted Highland wizard, at the time of the rebellion, gave rife to fome "Critical re r marks" by Mr. Hughes (in a letter to Thomas Serjeant, efq;) in which he clearly fhews, that though there are excellent lines in that imitation, "the ferious destroys the burlesque; and the burlefque infects and "debafes the ferious." Nor was our author, at that alarming crifis, an idle દે * Page 129, note*. † Page 135. fpectator |