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fellows, by his civility and good-nature, that they, without murmur or ill-will, faw him indulged by the mafter with particular immunities, It is related, that, when he was at school, he feldom mingled in play with the other boys, but retired to his chamber; where his fovereign pleasure was to fit, hour after hour, while his hair was combed by fomebody, whofe fervice he found means to procure.

At fchool he became acquainted with the poets ancient and modern, and fixed his attention particularly on Milton.

In 1694 he entered himfelf at Chriftchurch; a college at that time in the highest reputation, by the tranfmiffion of Bufby's fcholars to the care first of

Full,

Fell, and afterwards of Aldrich. Here

he was diftinguifhed as a genius eminent among the eminent, and for a friendship particularly intimate with Mr. Smith, the author of Phedra and Hippolytus. The profeffion which he intended to follow was that of phyfick; aud he took much delight in natural hiftory, of which botany was his favourite part.

His reputation was confined to his friends and to the univerfity; till about 1703 he extended it to a wider circleby the Splendid Shilling, which ftruck the publick attention with a mode of writing new and unexpected.

This performance raised him fo high, that when Europe refounded with the

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the Tories.

victory of Blenheim, he was, probably with an occult oppofition to Addison, employed to deliver the acclamation of It is faid that he would willingly have declined the task, but that his friends urged it upon him. It appears that he wrote this poem at the houfe of St. John.

Blenheim was published in 1705. The next year produced his greatest work, the poem upon Cider, in two books; which was received with loud praises, and continued long to be read as an imitation of Virgil's Georgick, which needed not fhun the prefence of the original.

He then grew probably more confident of his own abilities, and began to meditate a poem on the Last Day; a

fub

fubject on which no mind can hope to

equal expectation.

This work he did not live to finish: his diseases, a flow confumption and an afthma, put a stop to his ftudies; and on Feb. 15, 1708, at the beginning of his thirty-third year, put an end to his life. He was buried in the cathedral of Hereford; and Sir Simon Harcourt, afterwards Lord Chancellor, gave him a monument in Weftminster Abbey. The infcription at Weftminster was written, as I have heard, by Dr. Atterbury, though commonly given to Dr. Freind.

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Offa fi requiras, hanc Urnam infpice, Si Ingenium nefcias, ipfius Opera confule; Si Tumulum defideras,

Templum adi Weflmonafterienfe:

Qualis quantufque Vir fuerit,

Dicat elegans illa & præclara,
Que cenotaphium ibi decorat

Intcriptio.

Quàm interim erga Cognatos pius & officiofus,

Teftetur hoc faxum

A MARIA PHILIPS Matre ipfius pientiffimâ,

Dilecti Filii Mcmoriæ non fine Lacrymis dicatum.

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