"At the fame time, it is not to be diffembled that, with inatten tive readers, a pretty numerous clafs, darknefs frequently paffes for depth. To be perfpicuous, on the contrary, and to be fuperficial, are regarded by them as fynonimous. But it is not surely to their abfurd notions that our language ought to be adapted.

66

It is proper, however, before I difmifs this subject, to observe, that every kind of ftyle doth not admit an equal degree of perfpicuity. In the ode, for inftance, it is difficult, fometimes perhaps impoffible, to reconcile the utmost perfpicuity with that force and vivacity which the species of compofition requires. But even in this cafe, though we may juftly fay, that the genius of the performance renders obfcurity to a certain degree excufable, nothing can ever conftitute it an excellence. Nay, it may fill be affirmed with truth, that the more a writer can reconcile this quality of perfpicuity with that which is the diftinguifhing excellence of the species of compofition, his success will be the greater.

,,

We shall give the contents of the third book, and take our leave of this excellent Effay on Criticism, in the appendix to the prefent volume of our Review.

K.

The Original Works of Dr. William King. Continued from page 367, and concluded.

In the year 1701, we are told, Dr. King was recalled to the bufy scenes of his life; engaging, as a civilian, in the cause of his friend, James, the third Earl of Anglefea, who had married Lady Catharine Darnley, natural daughter to King James II. and was divorced from her by bill in parliament the fame year. But,

"Notwithstanding the reputation acquired by Dr. King in the progrefs of lord Anglefea's caufe, a caufe which demonftrated his fhining abilities; it must be acknowledged, he never afterwards ttained any friking eminence in a profeflion where conftant affiduity and a long courfe of years are requifites for the acquifition of fame. Captivated by the mufes, he neglected bufinefs, and, by degrees, as is natural to fuch tempers, began to dread and abhor it. Heedlefs of thofe neceffary supplies which a due attention would a&ually have brought to his finances, they were fo much impaired by his neglect, and by the gay courfe of life which he led, that he gladly acepted the offer of preferment in Ireland; a fure fign that his prac tice was not then very confiderable, as he is perhaps the only civilian that ever went to refide in Ireland after having once having experienced the emoluments of a fettlement in Doctors Commons.

"Dr. King was now, viz. in the year 1702, in a new scene of action. He was judge of the high court of admiralty in Ireland, fole commiffioner of the prizes, and keeper of the records in Birmingham's Tower. The latter, indeed, was rather a matter of honour than of profit; the falary being at that time but ten pounds a year, though af

terwards

terwards advanced to four hundred. He had likewife the happiness of being appointed vicar general to the lord primate, Dr. Narciffus

Marth.

66

With thefe honours he was well received and countenanced by perfons of the highest rank, and might have made his fortune if the change of climate could have wrought a change in his difpofition. But fo far was he from forming any defigu to heap up riches, or of treafuring up any of that money which was now in a manner thrown into his lap, that he returned to England with no other treasure than a few merry poems and humorous effays."

On his re-fettlement in London, he employed himfelf, after giving the public thofe fatirical effays on philofophical puerilities before-mentioned, in finishing his poem on the art of love, in imitation of Ovid, de Arte Amandi.

The

"In 1709, he also published his most ingenious poem, Art of Cookery, in imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry; with fome Letters to Dr. Lifter and others, occafioned principally by the Title of a Book published by the Doctor, being the works of Apicius Cælius,* concerning the Soups and Sauces of the Ancients. With an Extract of the greatest Curiofities contained in that Book.t' Among the letters, is one upon the dentifcalps, or tooth-picks, of the Ancients. Another contains a fine imitation of Horace, Book J. Ep. V. being his Invitation of Torquatus to fupper.§-And a third contains remarks upon The Lawyer's Fortune, or Love in a Hollow 'Tree, a Comedy by Lord Grimfton.****

Our author was afterwards employed in the Examiner; undertaking a defence of Dr. Sacheverel, and engaging in a number of political publications to ferve the purposes of his patrons.

"Towards the clofe of the year 1711, his fortunes began to reaffume a favourable afpect; and he was recommended by his firm friend Dr. Swift to an office under the government. I have fettled Dr. King, fays that great writer ff, in the Gazette; it will be worth two hundred pounds a year to him. To-morrow I am to carry him to dine with the Secretary. And in another letter, he tells the archbishop of Dublin, I have got poor Dr. King, who was fome time in Ireland, to be Gazetteer; which will be worth two hundred and fifty pounds per annum to him, if he be diligent and fober, for which I am engaged. I mention this, because I think he was un'der your grace's protection in Ireland. From what Swift tells the archbishop, and a hint which he has in another place dropt, it should feem that our Author's finances were in fuch a flate as to render the falary of Gazetteer no contemptible object to him. Patrick is gone,

***

Y y 2

fays

"De Opfoniis five Condimentis, five Arte Coquinaria, Libri Decem. Amftelod. 1709." + Vol. III. p. 41.

P. 47,

++ Journal to Stella, Dec. 31, 1711.

$ P. 52.

** P. 65. Jan. 8, 1711-12.

It was worth three hundred pounds a year to his predeceffor, Mr. Steele; and was much more confiderably augmented in favour of Mr. Ford, who fuc eeeded Dr. King. See p. xxiv.

.

fays Dr. Swift, to the burial of an Irish footman, who was Dr. King's fervant; he died of a confumption, a fit death for a poor flarving Wit's footman *.'

This office, however, though beftowed on the doctor with the beft grace in the world, and attended with little trouble, he foon relinquished as too laborious; giving himself up to literary amusements, and, as it is faid, to the too liberal indulgence of the bottle. It is really lamentable to find a spirit of industry and oeconomy hardly ever connected with the talents of wit and genius: fo true and fo trite is the obfervation of Lady Luxborough to Shenftone, when reproaching him in a friendly way, for want of oeconomy, the fays, "You may be a good fpeculative oeconomift for what I know; but I never met with a practical one in a foul where generofity and benevolence had a place, or to which a bright genius was joined."

"On quitting the employment of Gazetteer, our author retired to the houfe of a friend, in the garden-grounds between Lambeth and Vauxhall; where he enjoyed himfelf principally in his library; or, amidft felect parties, in a fometimes too liberal indulgence of the bottle t. He still continued, however, to vifit his friends in the metropolis, particularly his relation the earl of Clarendon, who refided in Somerfet-houfe.

"A little incident, occafioned by the furrender of Dunkirk into the hands of the British troops under Brigadier Hill, July 7, 1712, is faid to have pleased the Doctor highly; who was at that time a perfect valetudinarian, and naturally out of the common road in his tafte for pleasure. Hearing that his Grace of Canterbury (Dr. Tenifon) was not pleafed with the general rejoicings occafioned by that important event, and that he had ordered his gates to be fhut; Dr. King determined to diffuse hilarity around him, invited the watermen and his poor neighbours of Lambeth in general to partake of fome barrels of ale, at a houfe near his little cot; where the good-natured Doctor difpenfed his favours with an equal hand in honour of his Queen and Country; and the numerous company affembled on this occafion returned to their respective homes, neither mad, drunk, nor difappointed. "We have two publications of Dr. King, in the courfe of this year, befides his Rufinus' already mentioned. One was, ' Britain's Palladium; or Lord Bolingbroke's Welcome from France.' This was publifhed Sept. 13, 1712.

The other piece was intituled, Ufeful Miscellanies, Part I. 1712.' He feems to have intended a continuation, if his life had been prolonged. But this was the laft production he lived to publish.

As autumn advanced, the Doctor drooped infenfibly, and then neither cared to fee, or to be feen, by any one: and, winter drawing on, he shut himself up entirely from his nearest friends; and would

Journal to Stella, Dec. 19, 1711.

† Mr. Pope, in that remarkable letter to Lord Burlington which defcribes his journey with Lintot, puts this fingular character of Dr. King into the mouth of the bookfeller: I remember Dr. King could write vertes in a tavern, three hours after he could not speak.'

not fo much as fee his noble relation, till his lordship, hearing of his weak condition, fent his fifter to fetch him in a chair to a lodging he had provided for him oppofite Somerfet-houfe in the Strand, where, next day, about noon, being Chriftmas-day, 1712, he yielded up his breath, with the patience and refignation of a Philofopher, and with the true devotion of a Chriftian Hero: but would not be perfuaded to go to reft the night before, or even to lie down, till he had made fuch a will as he thought was agreeable to the inclinations of Lord Clarendon. After his death, this noble Lord took care of his funeral; and had him decently interred in the North Cloysters of Weftminfter-abbey."

Of our author's character, both as a man and a writer, we have the following sketch.

In his morals, he was religious and strictly virtuous. He was a man of eminent learning, and fingular piety, ftrictly confcientious in all his dealings, and zealous for the caufe rather than the appearance of religion. His chief pleasure confifted in trifles; and he was never happier than when he thought he was hid from the world: yet he loved company, provided they were fuch as tallied with his humour (for few people pleafed him in converfation). His difcourfe was chearful, and his wit pleafant and entertaining. His philofophy and good fense prevailed over his natural temper, which was fullen, morofe, and peevish; but he was of a timorous difpofition, and the leaft flight or neglect would throw him into a melancholy ftate of despondency. He would fay a great many ill-natured things, but never do one. He was made up of tenderness and pity, and tears would fall from him on the fmalleft occafion*.

"To

If men of genius were not extraordinary, and frequently inconfiftent characters, we should be apt to queftion the propriety of this delineation of Dr, King's. That good-natured men, having the misfortune of too playful an imagination, and too nice a fenfe of propriety, have been remarkable for faying and writing ill-natured things, is no novelty. The poetical Earl of Dorfet was ftigmatifed as

"The beft good-natur'd man, with the worst-natur'd mufe.” And even the late Charles Churchill was by most people thought good-natured: A man's philofophy and good fenfe alfo, might, as we are told of Socrates, get the better of his natural bad temper in many cases; but how a man of a fullen, morofe, and peevish difpofition, could be made up of tendernefs and pity, is not easily reconcileable to the common ufe of terms.-To illuftrate the character of this writer farther, the editor clofes his additional obfervations at the end of his third volume, with the following parallel :

"In the progrefs of thefe volumes through the prefs, the editor could not but frequently remark a striking fimilarity between Dr. King and the author of the Epiftles to Lorenzo;' Dr. King's most striking characteristics were, an inexhauftible fund of real wit, and an irony moft feverely poignant; talents which Dr. Kenrick poffeffes in perfection. The former was properly a bon vivant, and had a heart fo exquifitely convivial, that he was the delight of all with whom he affociated: in this point of view, the comparison will fcarcely be difputed. And even their poetry is not unlike. Our author, in his Art of Love,' like the writer of the Epiftles,' wifhed rather, perhaps, to attach his readers by the power of his philofophy, than by the fweetness of his poetry. Yet that many inftances might be produced, where the fenfe

of

"To conclude. He was a civilian, exquifitely well read; a fkilful judge; among the learned, an univerfal fcholar and able critic; expert in moft languages and fciences; in poetry, an Englifh Ovid. In conversation, he was entertaining, without levity or fpleen. As an author, his character has been thus concifely fummed up:

Read here, in fofteft founds, the keeneft fatire;
A pen dipt deep in gall, a heart good-nature;
An English Ovid from his birth he seems,
Infpir'd alike with ftrong poetic dreams :

The Roman rants of heroes, gods, and Jove;
The Briton purely paints the Art of Love."

"But our author has defcribed himself in the following verfes found in his pocket-book at his death, being then fresh written with a lead

pencil:

I fing the various chances of the world,

Through which men are by fate or fortune hurl'd;
'Tis by no scheme or method that I go,
But paint in verfe my notions as they flow:
With heat the wanton images pursue;

• Fond of the old, yet fill creating new.

Fancy myself in some secure retreat;

• Refoĺve to be content, and fo be great!'

S.

of both must be allowed to be happily adorned with the most judicious choice of rhyme, the flight eft infpection of the Orpheus and Eurydice' of the one, or the Moral Epiftles' of the other, will plainly teftify. In their highter effays, their manner is still more congenial: the fame concifenefs, the fame epigrammatic turn, is evidently confpicuous. And, to heighten the fimilarity, if Dr. King ventured boldly to enter the lifts with Dr. Bentley, Dr. Kenrick hath, not lefs daringly, waged literary war with a modern Ariftarchus, the justly celebrated author of the Rambler.”

How far this parallel be juft, we shall not take upon us to fay; but if the following sketch, of the author of the epiftles, by himself, bear any likene's, there are certainly fome traits in his difpofition and character not ua like thofe of Dr. King.