to be much without company, and though he was very capable of a judicious choice he was often contented with the first that offered for this he was sometimes reproved by his friends, who found him surrounded with felons; but the reproof was on that, as on other occasions, thrown away: he continued to gratify himself, and to set very little value on the opinion of others. But here, as in every other scene of his life, he made use of 324 such opportunities as occurred of benefiting those who were more miserable than himself, and was always ready to perform any office of humanity to his fellow-prisoners 2. He had now ceased from corresponding with any of his 325 subscribers except one3, who yet continued to remit him the twenty pounds a year which he had promised him, and by whom it was expected that he would have been in a very short time enlarged, because he had directed the keeper to enquire after the state of his debts. However, he took care to enter his name according to the 326 forms of the court, that the creditor might be obliged to make him some allowance if he was continued a prisoner, and when on that occasion he appeared in the hall was treated with very unusual respect *. But the resentment of the city was afterwards raised by some 327 accounts that had been spread of the satire, and he was informed that some of the merchants intended to pay the allowance which the law required, and to detain him a prisoner at their own expence. This he treated as an empty menace 5; and perhaps might have hastened the publication, only to shew how much he was superior to their insults, had not all his schemes been suddenly destroyed. I When he had been six months in prison he received from one 328 1 Prior, according to tradition, was in this below Savage. He was 'willing to descend from the dignity of the poet and the statesman to the low delights of mean company.' Ante, PRIOR, 49. 4 2 Ante, SAVAGE, 93; post, 337. 3 Pope. Ante, SAVAGE, 272 n. 3. On June 19, 1743, he wrote of his creditor Mrs. Read (ante, SAVAGE, 301):-'I was last court-day but one sent for up by habeas corpus to the of his friends', in whose kindness he had the greatest confidence, and on whose assistance he chiefly depended, a letter that contained a charge of very atrocious ingratitude, drawn up in such terms as sudden resentment dictated. Henley, in one of his advertisements, had mentioned' Pope's treatment of Savage 3. This was supposed by Pope to be the consequence of a complaint made by Savage to Henley, and was therefore mentioned by him with much resentment. Mr. Savage returned a very solemn protestation of his innocence, but, however, appeared much disturbed at the accusation. Some days after 1 Mr. Pope. JOHNSON. This note first appears in The Lives of the Poets. See ante, SAVAGE, 112. "The next two sentences first appear in The Lives of the Poets. 3 John Henley, 'Orator Henley' as he was called, used to hold forth every Sunday in a large room near Lincoln's Inn Fields. To fill his house every Saturday's Journal produced a long advertisement, setting forth the next day's entertainment.' Gent. Mag. 1786, p. 295. In a footnote it is said: These advertisements were so eccentric that a collection of them were printed, which, at this time of day, would afford much entertainment.' This note should, I think, run:-'if a collection were printed, at this time of day it would, &c.' Whiston, in 1727, published Mr. Henley's Letters and Advertisements which concern Mr. Whiston, with a few Notes. Brit. Museum Cata. Pope had attacked Henley. 'And has not Colley still his lord and whore? His butchers Henley, his freemasons Moore?' Prol. Sat. 1. 97. 'Come, harmless characters, that no one hit ; Come Henley's oratory, Osborne's Horace Walpole wrote on Dec. 5, 1746:-The famous Orator Henley is taken up for treasonable flippancies.' Letters, ii. 68. For Henley, see post, BROOME, 15. This letter-if the resentment was expressed in a letter-is not in print. Pope sent Allen a letter to forward to the simple man it is directed to [Savage]. Later on he wrote to Allen:-'My last short letter showed you I was peevish. Savage's strange behaviour made me so; and yet I was in haste to relieve him, though I think nothing will relieve him.' Ruffhead's Pope, p. 506; Pope's Works (Elwin and Courthope), ix. 201. What is apparently Pope's last letter to him begins:-'I must be sincere with you, as our correspondence is now likely to be closed. Your language is really too high, and what I am not used to from my superiors; much too extraordinary for me, at least sufficiently so to make me obey your commands, and never more presume to advise or meddle in your affairs, but leave your own conduct entirely to your own judgment.' 16. x. 102; Ruffhead's Pope, p. 505. In Gent. Mag. Dec. 1745, p. 663, in some lines To the Memory of Mr. Richard Savage, he is described as 'Left to remorse by rage, to scorn by pride, To friendship wronged a martyr when he died.' A footnote refers to 'p. 178 of his Life, where it alludes to Mr. Pope's using the term scoundrel, which Savage could not long survive.' In the title to these lines he is 'Mr. Richard Savage.' In his lifetime all his poems in The Gent. Mag. are by 'Richard Savage, Esq.,' and so he is styled in all the verses addressed to him. wards he was seized with a pain in his back and side, which, as it was not violent, was not suspected to be dangerous; but growing daily more languid and dejected on the 25th of July he confined himself to his room, and a fever seized his spirits. The symptoms grew every day more formidable, but his condition did not enable him to procure any assistance. The last time that the keeper saw him was on July the 31st, 1743, when Savage, seeing him at his bed-side, said, with an uncommon earnestness, 'I have something to say to you, Sir'; but, after a pause, moved his hand in a melancholy manner, and, finding himself unable to recollect what he was going to communicate, said, ''Tis gone!' The keeper soon after left him ; and the next morning he died. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Peter, at the expence of the keeper. Such were the life and death of Richard Savage, a man 329 equally distinguished by his virtues and vices; and at once remarkable for his weaknesses and abilities. He was of a middle stature, of a thin habit of body, a long 330 visage, coarse features, and melancholy aspect2; of a grave and manly deportment, a solemn dignity of mien, but which, upon a nearer acquaintance, softened into an engaging easiness of manners. His walk was slow, and his voice tremulous and mournful. He was easily excited to smiles, but very seldom provoked to laughter. His mind was in an uncommon degree vigorous and active 3. 331 His judgement was accurate, his apprehension quick, and his memory so tenacious that he was frequently observed to know what he had learned from others in a short time, better than those by whom he was informed; and could frequently recollect incidents with all their combination of circumstances, which few would have regarded at the present time, but which the quickness of his apprehension impressed upon him. He had In the Burial Register of St. Peter's is the following entry:-' An. Dom. 1743, Aug. 2nd. Richard Savage the Poet." N. & Q. 2 S. iv. 286. According to Gent. Mag. 1743, p. 443, he died on Aug. 5. On p. 490 is an epitaph on him in verse. 2 Earl Rivers was 'a tall handsome man, and of a very fair complexion.' Swift's Works, xii. 227. The Coun tess of Macclesfield was described 3 In this paragraph and the two the peculiar felicity that his attention never deserted him: he was present to every object, and regardful of the most trifling Occurrences. He had the art of escaping from his own reflections, and accommodating himself to every new scene. 332 To this quality is to be imputed the extent of his knowledge, compared with the small time which he spent in visible endeavours to acquire it. He mingled in cursory conversation with the same steadiness of attention as others apply to a lecture; and, amidst the appearance of thoughtless gaiety, lost no new idea that was started, nor any hint that could be improved. He had therefore made in coffee-houses the same proficiency as others in their closets; and it is remarkable that the writings of a man of little education and little reading have an air of learning scarcely to be found in any other performances, but which perhaps as often obscures as embellishes them. 333 334 His judgement was eminently exact both with regard to writings and to men. The knowledge of life was indeed his chief attainment; and it is not without some satisfaction that I can produce the suffrage of Savage in favour of human nature, of which he never appeared to entertain such odious ideas as some, who perhaps had neither his judgement nor experience, have published, either in ostentation of their sagacity, vindication of their crimes, or gratification of their malice 2. His method of life particularly qualified him for conversation, of which he knew how to practise all the graces. He was never vehement or loud, but at once modest and easy, open and respectful; his language was vivacious and elegant, and equally happy upon grave or humourous subjects. He was generally censured for not knowing when to retire3, but that was not the defect of his judgement, but of his fortune; when he left his In the first edition of the Life of Savage [p. 180], 'as others in their studies.' The ambiguity of 'studies' led, no doubt, to the change. 2 Mrs. Piozzi writes:-"I used to tell Dr. Johnson in jest, that his morality was easily contented; and when I have said something as if the wickedness of the world gave me concern, he would cry out aloud against canting, and protest that he thought there was very little gross wickedness in the world, and still less of extraordinary virtue.' John. Misc. i. 208. 'BURKE. From the experience which I have had - and I have had a great deal-I have learnt to think better of mankind. JOHNSON. From my experience I have found them worse in commercial dealings, more disposed to cheat, than I had any notion of; but more disposed to do one another good than I had conceived.' Boswell's Johnson, iii. 236. See ib. n., for similar opinions held by Bolingbroke and William Pitt. Ante, SAVAGE, 66, 287. 3 company he was frequently to spend the remaining part of the night in the street, or at least was abandoned to gloomy reflections, which it is not strange that he delayed as long as he could; and sometimes forgot that he gave others pain to avoid it himself. It cannot be said that he made use of his abilities for the 335 direction of his own conduct: an irregular and dissipated manner of life had made him the slave of every passion that happened to be excited by the presence of its object, and that slavery to his passions reciprocally produced a life irregular and dissipated. He was not master of his own motions, nor could promise any thing for the next day. With regard to his œconomy nothing can be added to the 336 relation of his life. He appeared to think himself born to be supported by others, and dispensed from all necessity of providing for himself; he therefore never prosecuted any scheme of advantage, nor endeavoured even to secure the profits which his writings might have afforded him. His temper was, in consequence of the dominion of his passions, uncertain and capricious: he was easily engaged, and easily disgusted; but he is accused of retaining his hatred more tenaciously than his benevolence. He was compassionate both by nature and principle, and 337 always ready to perform offices of humanity3; but when he was provoked (and very small offences were sufficient to provoke him), he would prosecute his revenge with the utmost acrimony till his passion had subsided. His friendship was therefore of little value; for though he was 338 zealous in the support or vindication of those whom he loved, yet it was always dangerous to trust him, because he considered himself as discharged by the first quarrel from all ties of honour or gratitude, and would betray those secrets which, in the warmth of confidence, had been imparted to him. This practice drew upon him an universal accusation of ingratitude: nor can it be denied that he was very ready to set himself free from the Boswell attributes Johnson's late hours to his unwillingness to go into solitude.' Boswell's Johnson, i. 421. 'Solitude,' said Reynolds, 'to Johnson was horror; nor would he ever trust himself alone but when employed in writing or reading. He has often begged me to go home with him to prevent his being alone in the coach.' John. Misc. ii. 221. 2 Savage had much in common with Otway (ante, OTWAY, 7, 14), with Smith (ante, SMITH, 67, 68), and with King (ante, KING, 10, 15). Ante, SAVAGE, 93, 324. 3 |