lady, by whom he had two fons who died young, and a daughter who long furvived

him.

At the ejection of the Whigs, in the end of queen Anne's reign, Parnell was perfuaded to change his party, not without much cenfure from those whom he forfook, and was received by the new ministry as a valuable reinforcement. When the earl of Oxford was told that Dr. Parnell waited among the croud in the outer room, he went, by the persuasion of Swift, with his treasurer's staff in his hand, to enquire for him, and to bid him welcome; and, as may be inferred from Pope's dedication, admitted him as a favourite companion to his convivial hours, but, as it seems often to have happened in those times to the favourites of the great, without attention to his fortune, which however was in no great need of improvement.

Parnell, who did not want ambition or vanity, was defirous to make himself confpicuous, and to fhew how worthy he was of high preferment. As he thought himself qualified to become a popular preacher, he difplayed his elocution with great fuccefs

in the pulpits of London; but the queen's death putting an end to his expectations, abated his diligence: and Pope represents him as falling from that time into intemperance of wine. That in his latter life he was too much a lover of the bottle, is not denied; but I have heard it imputed to a cause more likely to obtain forgiveness from mankind, the untimely death of a darling fon; or, as others tell, the lofs of his wife, who died (1712) in the midst of his expectations.

He was now to derive every future addition to his preferments from his perfonal interest with his private friends, and he was not long unregarded. He was warmly recommended by Swift to archbishop King, who gave him a prebend in 1713; and in May 1716 prefented him to the vicarage of Finglas in the diocese of Dublin, worth four hundred

pounds a year. Such notice from fuch a

man, inclines me to believe that the vice of which he has been accused was not grofs, or not notorious.

But his profperity did not last long. His end, whatever was its caufe, was now approaching.

proaching. He enjoyed his preferment little more than a year; for in July 1717, in his thirty-eighth year, he died at Chester, on his way to Ireland.

He feems to have been one of those poets who take delight in writing. He contributed to the papers of that time, and probably published more than he owned. He left many compofitions behind him, of which Pope selected those which he thought beft, and dedicated them to the earl of Oxford. Of thefe Goldfmith has given an opinion, and his criticifm it is feldom fafe to contradict. He bestows just praise upon the Rife of Woman, the Fairy Tale, and the Pervigilium Veneris; but has very properly remarked, that in the Battle of Mice and Frogs the Greek names have not in English their original effect.

He tells us, that the Bookworm is borrow ed from Beza; but he fhould have added, with modern applications: and when he difcovers that Gay Bacchus is tranflated from Augurellus, he ought to have remarked, that the latter part is purely Parnell's. Another VOL. II.

U

poem,

poem, When Spring comes on, is, he fays, taken from the French. I would add, that the defcription of Barrenness, in his verfes to Pope, was borrowed from Secundus; but lately fearching for the paffage which I had formerly read, I could not find it. The ·Night-piece on Death is indirectly preferred by Goldsmith to Gray's Church-yard; but, in my opinion, Gray has the advantage in dignity, variety, and originality of fentiment. He obferves that the ftory of the Hermit is in More's Dialogues and Howell's Letters, and supposes it to have been originally Arabian.

Goldsmith has not taken any notice of the Elegy to the old Beauty, which is perhaps the meaneft; nor of the Allegory on Man, the happiest of Parnell's performances. The hint of the Hymn to Contentment I suspect to have been borrowed from Cleiveland.

The general character of Parnell is not great extent of comprehenfion, or fertility of mind. Of the little that appears still lefs is his own. His praise must be derived from the eafy sweetness of his diction: in his verses there

there is more happiness than pains; he is fpritely without effort, and always delights though he never ravishes; every thing is proper, yet every thing feems cafual. If there is fome appearance of elaboration in the Hermit, the narrative, as it is less airy, is lefs pleafing. Of his other compofitions it is impoffible to fay whether they are the productions of Nature, fo excellent as not to want the help of Art, or of Art fo refined as to refemble Nature.

ges

This criticism relates only to the pieces published by Pope. Of the large appendawhich I find in the laft edition, I can only fay that I know not whence they came, nor have ever enquired whither they are going. They ftand upon the faith of the compilers.