verfation and addrefs were so pleasing, that few thought the pleasure which they received from him, dearly purchased by paying for his wine. It was his peculiar happinefs that he fcarcely ever found a ftranger, whom he did not leave a friend; bút it muft likewise be added, that he had not often a friend long, without obliging him to become an enemy. Mr. Savage on the other hand declared, that ford Tyrconnel quarrelled with him becaufe he would not fubtract from his own luxury and extravagance what he had promifed to allow him; and that his refentment was only a plea for the violation of his promife: He afferted that he had done nothing which ought to exclude him from that fubfiftence which he thought not fo much a favour as a debt, fince it was offered him upon conditions, which he had never broken; and that his only fault was, that he could not be fupported upon nothing. Savage's paffions were ftrong, among which his refentment was not the weakeft; and as gratitude was not his conftant virtue, we ought not too hattily to give credit to all his prejudice afferts against (his once praised patron) lord Tyrconnel. During his continuance with the lord Tyrconnel, he wrote the Triumph of Health and Mirth, on the recovery of the lady Tyrconnel, from a languishing illness. This poem is built upon a beauti. ful fiction. Mirth overwhelmed with fickness for the death of a favourite, takes a flight in queft of her fifter Health, whom she finds reclined upon the brow of a lofty mountain, amidst the fragrance of a perpetual fpring, and the breezes of the morning fporting about her. Being folicited by her fifter Mirth, the readily promifes her affiftance, flies away in a cloud, and impregnates the waters of Bath with new virtues, by which the fickness of Belinda is relieved. VOL. V. No. 21. D While While Mr. Savage continued in high life, he did not let flip any opportunity to examine whether the merit of the great is magnified or diminished by the medium through which it is contemplated, and whether great men were felected for high ftations, or high ftations made great men. The refult of his observations is not much to the advantage of those in power. But the golden æra of Savage's life was now at an end, he was banished the table of lord Tyrconnel, and turned again a-drift upon the world. While he was in profperity, he did not behave with a moderation likely to procure friends amongst his inferiors. He took an opportunity in the fun-fhine of his fortune, to revenge himself of those creatures, who, as they are the worshippers of power, made court to him, whom they had before contemptuously treated. This affuming behaviour of Savage was not altogether unnatural. He had been avoided and despised by those despicable fycophants, who were proud of his acquaintance when raised to eminence. In this cafe, who would not fpurn fuch mean Beings? His degradation therefore from the condition which he had enjoyed with fo much fuperiority, was confidered by many as an occafion of triumph. Those who had courted him without fuccefs, had an opportunity to return the contempt they had fuffered. Mean time, Savage was very diligent in expofing the faults of lord Tyrconnel, over whom he obtained at least this advantage, that he drove him first to the practice of outrage and violence; for he was fo much provoked by his wit and virulence, that he came with a number of attendants, to beat him at a coffee-house; but it happened that he had left the place a few minutes before: Mr. Savage went next day to repay his vifit at his own houfe, but was prevailed upon by his domeftics to retire without infifting upon feeing him. He He now thought himself again at full liberty to expofe the cruelty of his mother, and therefore about this time published THE BASTARD, a Poem remarkable for the vivacity in the beginning, where he makes a pompous enumeration of the imaginary advantages of base birth, and the pathetic fentiments at the close; where he recounts the real calamities which he suffered by the crime of his parents. The verfes which have an immediate relation to thofe two circumftances, we fhall here infert. In gayer hours, when high my fancy ran, Blefs'd be the Bastard's birth! thro' wond'rous- He shines excentric like a comet's blaze. His daring hope, no fire's example bounds; -Nature's unbounded fon he stands alone, -O mother! yet no mother!-'Tis to you My thanks for fuch diftinguish'd claims are due. -What had I loft if conjugally kind, By nature hating, yet by vows confin'd, You had faint drawn me with a form alone, A lawful lump of life, by force your own! -I had been born your dull domeftic heir, Load of your life and motive of your care; Perhaps been poorly rich and meanly great; The flave of pomp, a cypher in the state: D 2 Lordly Lordly neglectful of a worth unknown, . After mentioning the death of Sinclair, he goes on thus: 1 ་་་ ♫ →→→Where shall my hope find reft? - No [mother's care Shielded my infant innocence with prayer; No father's guardian hand my youth maintain'd, Call'd forth my virtues, and from vice re[ftrain'd. $ ° ! This poem had extraordinary fuccefs, great numbers were immediately difperfed, and editions were multiplied with unufual rapidity. One circumftance attended the publication, which Savage ufed to relate with great fatisfaction. His mother, to whom the poem with due reverence was infcribed, happened then to be at Bath, where fhe could not conveniently retire from cenfure, or conceal herself from obfervation; and no fooner did the reputation of the poem begin to spread, than fhe heard it repeated in all places of concourfe; nor could the enter the affembly rooms, or cross the walks, without being faluted with fome lines from the Baftard. She therefore left Bath with the utmost haste, to shelter herself in the crowds of London. Thus Savage had the fatisfaction of finding, that tho he could not reform, he could yet punifh his mother. Some time after Mr. Savage took a refolution of applying to the queen, that having once given him life, he would enable him to fupport, it, and therefore published a fhort poem on her birth day, to which he gave the odd title of Volunteer Laureat. He had not at that time one friend to prefent his poem at court, yet the Queen, notwithstanding this act of ceremony was wanting, 3 wanting, in a few days after publication, fent him a bank note of fifty-pounds, by lord North and Guildford; and her permiffion to write annually on the fame fubject, and that he should yearly receive the like prefent, till fomething better thould be done for him. After this he was permitted to prefent one of his annual poems to her majesty, and had the honour of killing her hand. When the difpute between the bishop of Londor, and the chancellor, furnished for fome time the chief topic of converfation, Mr. Savage who was an enemy to all claims of ecclefiaftical power,' engaged with his ufual zeal against the bishop. In confequence of his averfion to the dominion of fuperftitious churchmen, he wrote a poem called The Progrefs of a Divine, in which he conducts a profligate prieft thro' all the gradations of wickednefs, from a poor curacy in the country, to the highest preferment in the church; and after defcribing his behaviour in every station, enumerates that this prieft thus accomplished, found at last a patron in the bishop of London. The clergy were univerfally provoked with this fatire, and Savage was cenfured in the weekly Mifcellany, with a feverity he did not feem inclined to forget: But a return of invective was not thought a fufficient punishment. The court of King's-1 Bench was moved against him, and he was obliged to return an answer to a charge of obscenity. It was urged in his defence, that obscenity was only criminal, when it was intended to promote the praċtice of vice; but that Mr. Savage had only introdu ced obfcene ideas, with a view of expofing them to deteftation, and of amending the age, by fhewing the deformity of wickednefs. This plea was admitted, and Sir Philip York, now lord Chancellor, who then prefided in that court, difmiffed the in t D3 Divi formation, |