Mr. John Hughes, the eldest fon* of a citizen of London, by Anne, the daughter of Ifaac Burges, efq; of an ancient family in Wiltshire, was born at Marlborough in that county, January 29, 1677, but was educated at London, and received the first rudiments of learning in private schools. The weakness, or, at leaft, the delicacy, of his conftitution diverted him, perhaps, from feverer studies, and induced him to cultivate as an amusement the fifter-arts of poetry, mufic, and drawing. At the age of nineteen he imitated in paraphrase one of the most difficult odes of Horace . At the fame age he wrote a tragedy, entitled, "Amalafont, Queen of the Goths," which displays a fertile genius and masterly invention; but as it was not revised and corrected by the author in his riper age, it * His grandfather, Mr. William Hughes, of Marlborough, was one of the minifters ejected by the Bartholomew-act in 1662. See his life in Calamy's "account" of thofe minifters. + Book i, ode 22. See p. 20. was was never brought on the ftage, and ftill remains in manuscript *. By the Muses, however, he was not wholly engroffed. He had a place in the office of ordnance, and was fecretary to feveral commiffions under the great feal, for purchafing lands for the better fecuring the royal docks and yards, at Portsmouth, Chatham, and Harwich. The " Triumph of Peace" was his first poem of any length that appeared in public. It was written on occafion of the peace of Ryfwick, and printed in the year 1697. It was received, in particular, with great applaufe, by the best critics at Cambridge, as appears by a letter to a friend of the author. In the following See "I think I never heard a poem read with so "much admiration as the "Triumph of Peace" was "by our best critics here; nor a greater character 66 66 given to a young poet at his first appearance; no, not even to Mr. Congreve himself. So nobly ele"vated are his thoughts, his numbers so harmonious, and his turns fo fine and delicate, that we cry out "with Tully, on a like occafion, Noftræ fpes altera "Roma." Dated Feb. 28, 1697-8. year year he addreffed fome verfes to the author of "Fatal Friendship," a tragedy. This writer, then Mrs. Trotter, was afterwards well know to the literary world by the name of Mrs. Cockburn. His "Court of "Neptune," on the return of king William from Holland, and a " fong" on the duke of Gloucefter's birth-day, were both printed in 1699. On the death of king William, in 1702, he published a Pindaric ode, entitled, "The Houfe of Naffau." His fentiments on the propereft manner of tranflating Horace, may be collected from a letter to a friend, dated the fame year, 录 inclofing a tranflation of the ode to Grof- * See p. 27. their share of his attention; in particular, a thanksgiving fermon, preached before the queen at St. Paul's, in Aug. 1705, by Dr. Willis, dean of Lincoln, gave rise to a letter to the dean from our author, entitled, "A review of the cafe of Ephraim and Judah, and its application to the case of "the church of England and the dif " fenters *." A new tranflation of the "advices from Parnaffus," and the " political touchstone" of Trajano Boccalini, being published in 1706, Mr. Hughes was prevailed with to revife and correct it, and to add a preface. In the fame year a "Complete History of "England" being undertaken by the bookfellers, on a plan recommended fome years before by Sir William Temple, our auther undertook to collect the materials for the two first volumes, and gave an account of them in a very judicious introduction. This work was continued and completed * See p. 147. + Sce p. 8. by by Dr. Kennet, whofe name it bears. In the fucceeding year, Mr. Hughes's "ode "to the memory of William, duke of De"vonfhire," was performed at Stationershall by the celebrated Signora Margarita and Mrs. Tofts. In 1708, his translation of Fontenelle's "Dialogues of the Dead,” after having lain by him fix years, was permitted to see the light. This translation had the unusual honour of being mentioned with applause in the "Journal des Sçavans.” Prefixed is a difcourfe in defence of his au thor, and two original dialogues are annexed. Some years after, he tranflated Fontenelle's "Difcourfes concerning the "ancients and moderns," and also the celebrated" Letters of Abelard and Heloife." The latter was fo well received as to pass through feveral editions in a few years, though the name of the tranflator was long unknown. Thomas earl of Wharton, on his being appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, in 1708, expreffed his regard for Mr. Hughes VOL. I. b by |