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judges of Sacheverell; but voted for a mild fentence. Being now no longer in favour, he contrived to obtain a writ for fummoning the electoral prince to parliament as duke of Cambridge.

At the queen's death he was appointed one of the regents; and at the acceffion of George the Firft was made earl of Halifax, knight of the garter, and firft commiffioner of the treasury, with a grant to his nephew of the reverfion of the auditorfhip of the Exchequer. More was not to be had, and this he kept but a little while; for on the 19th of May, 1715, he died of an inflammation of his lungs.

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Of him, who from a poet became a patron of poets, it will be readily believed that the works would not mifs of celebration. Addifon began to praife him early, and was followed or accompanied by other poets; perhaps by almoft all, except Swift and Pope, who forbore to flatter him in his life, and after his death fpoke of him, Swift with flight cenfure, and Pope in the character Bufo with acrimonious contempt.

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He was, as Pope fays, "fed with dedications" for Tickell affirms that no dedication was unrewarded. To charge all unmerited praise with the guilt of flattery, and to fuppofe that the encomiaft always knows and feels the falfehoods of his affertions, is furely to difcover great ignorance of human nature and human life, In determinations depending not on rules, but on experience and comparifon, judgement is always in fome degree fubject to affection, Very near to admiration is the wish to admire.

Every man willingly gives value to the praife which he receives, and confiders the fentence paffed in his favour as the fentence of difcernment. We admire in a friend that understanding that felected us for confidence ; we admire more, in a patron, that judgement which, inftead of feattering bounty indifcriminately, directed it to us; and, if the patron be an author, thofe performances which gratitude forbids us to blame, affectation will easily difpofe us to exalt.

VOL. II.

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To these prejudices, hardly culpable, intereft adds a power always operating, though not always, becaufe not willingly, perceived. The modesty of praife wears gradually away; and perhaps the pride of patronage may be in time fo increased, that modeft praise will no longer please.

Many a blandishment was practifed upon Halifax, which he would never have known, had he no other attractions than those of his poetry, of which a fhort time has withered the beauties. It would now be efteemed no honour, by a contributor to the monthly bundles of verfes, to be told, that, in ftrains either familiar or folemn, he fings like Montague.

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HE Life of Dr. PARNELL is a task which I fhould very willingly decline, fince it has been lately written by Goldfmith, a man of fuch variety of powers, and fuch felicity of performance, that he always feemed to do beft that which he was doing; a man who had the art of being minute without tedioufiiefs, and general without confufion; whofe language was copious without exuberance, exact without constraint, and easy without weakness.

What such an author has told, who would tell again? I have made an abstract from his larger narrative; and have this gratification from my attempt, that it gives me an opportunity

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tunity of paying due tribute to the memory of Goldfmith.

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THOMAS PARNELL was the fon of me name, a commonwealthfinan of the fame who at the Reitoration left Congleton in Cheshire, where the family had been establifhed for feveral centuries, and, fettling in Ireland, purchased an eftate, which, with his lands in Cheshire, defcended to the poet, who was born at Dublin in 1679: and, after the ufual education at a grammarfchool, was at the age of thirteen admitted into the College, where, in 1700, he became mafter of arts; and was the fame year ordained a deacon, though under the canonical age, by a difpenfation from the bifhop of Derry.

About three

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years afterwards he was made

a prieft; offer allotte ; and in 1705 Dr. Alhe, the bithop of Clogher, conferred him arch4055854pm of antiron the fame time deaconry of Clogher. About

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he married Mrs. Anne Minchin, an amiable

lady, by whom he had two fons,

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o died

young,

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