"falling church." "The King," fays Waller, does me great honour, in taking notice of my domeftick "affairs; but I have lived long enough to ob" ferve that this falling church has got a trick of rif❝ing again."

He took notice to his friends of the King's condu&t; and faid, that "he would be left like a whale upon "the ftrand." Whether he was privy to any of the tranfactions which ended in the Revolution, is not known. His heir joined the prince of Orange.

Having now attained an age beyond which the laws of nature seldom fuffer life to be extended, otherwife than by a future ftate, he seems to have turned his mind upon preparation for the decisive hour, and therefore confecrated his poetry to devotion. It is pleafing to discover that his piety was without weakness; that his intellectual powers continued vigorous; and that the lines which he compofed when be, for age, could neither read nor write, are not inferior to the effufions of his youth.

Towards the decline of life, he bought a small house, with a little land, at Colfhill; and faid, "he should "be glad to die, like the ftag, where he was roused." This, however, did not happen. When he was at Beaconsfield, he found his legs grow tumid: he went to Windfor, where Sir Charles Scarborough then attended the King, and requested him, as both a friend and phyfician, to tell him, what that fwelling meant. "Sir," answered Scarborough," your blood will run "no longer." Waller repeated fome lines of Virgil, and went home to die.

As the disease increased upon him, he compofed himself for his departure; and calling upon Dr. Birch

to

to give him the holy facrament, he defired his children to take it with him, and made an earneft declaration of his faith in Chriftianity. It now appeared, what part of his converfation with the great could be remembered with delight. He related, that being prefent when the duke of Buckingham talked profanely before King Charles, he faid to him, "My Lord, I "am a great deal older than your grace, and have, I believe, heard more arguments for atheism than ever

your grace did; but I have lived long enough to fee "there is nothing in them; and fo, I hope, your 66 grace will."

He died October 21, 1687, and was buried at Beaconsfield, with a monument erected by his fon's executors, for which Rymer wrote the infcription, and which I hope is now rescued from dilapidation.

He left feveral children by his fecond wife; of whom, his daughter was married to Dr. Birch. Benjamin, the eldest fon, was difinherited, and fent to New Jerfey, as wanting common understanding. Edmund, the fecond fon, inherited the estate, and represented Agmondeíham in parliament, but at last turned Quaker. William, the third fon, was a merchant in London. Stephen, the fourth, was an eminent Doctor of Laws, and one of the Commiffioners for the Union. There is faid to have been a fifth, of whom no account has defcended.

The character of Waller, both moral and intellectual, has been drawn by Clarendon, to whom he was familiarly known, with nicety, which certainly none to whom he was not known can prefume to emulate.

It is therefore inferted here, with fuch remarks as others have fupplied; after which, nothing remains but a critical examination of his poetry.

"Edmund Waller," fays Clarendon, "was born "to a very fair eftate, by the parfimony, or frugality, "of a wife father and mother: and he thought it fó "commendable an advantage, that he refolved to im

prove it with his utmost care, upon which in his 66 nature he was too much intent; and, in order to "that, he was fo much referved and retired, that he "was scarce ever heard of, till by his addrefs and

dexterity he had gotten a very rich wife in the city, "against all the recommendation and countenance and "authority of the Court, which was thoroughly en"gaged on the behalf of Mr. Crofts; and which used "to be fuccefsful in that age, against any oppofition. "He had the good fortune to have an alliance and "friendship with Dr. Morley, who had affifted and in"ftructed him in the reading many good books, to "which his natural parts and promptitude inclined "him, especially the poets; and at the age when "other men used to give over writing verfes (for he

was near thirty years when he firft engaged himself "in that exercife; at leaft, that he was known to do "fo), he furprised the town with two or three pieces "of that kind; as if a tenth Mufe had been newly "born to cherish drooping poetry. The Doctor at "that time brought him into that company, which "was most celebrated for good converfation; where "he was received and efteemed, with great applaufe "and refpect. He was a very pleasant difcourfer, in earneft and in jeft, and therefore very grateful to all

"kind

"kind of company, where he was not the lefs "efteemed for being very rich.

"He had been even nurfed in parliaments, where "he fat when he was very young; and fo, when they "were refumed again (after a long intermiffion), he appeared in thofe affemblies with great advantage; having a graceful way of fpeaking, and by thinking "much on feveral arguments (which his temper and complexion, that had much of melancholic, inclined "him to), he feemed often to speak upon the fudden, "when the occafion had only adminiftred the oppor"tunity of faying what he had thoroughly confidered, "which gave a great luftre to all he faid; which yet "was rather of delight than weight. There needs no "more be faid to extol the excellence and power of "his wit, and pleafantnefs of his converfation, than "that it was of magnitude enough to cover a world "of very great faults; that is, fo to cover them, that they were not taken notice of to his reproach; viz. a "narrownefs in his nature to the loweft degree; an "abjectness and want of courage to fupport him in any virtuous undertaking; an infinuation and fer"vile flattery to the height, the vaineft and most im

"

perious nature could be contented with; that it pre"ferved and won his life from those who moft refolved "to take it, and in an occafion in which he ought to "have been ambitious to have loft it; and then pre"ferved him again, from the reproach, and contempt "that was due to him, for fo preferving it, and for "vindicating it at fuch a price; that it had power

to reconcile him to thofe, whom he had most of"fended and provoked; and continued to his age "with that rare felicity, that his company was accep

« table,

table, where his fpirit was odious; and he was at "leaft pitied, where he was most detefted."

Such is the account of Clarendon; on which it may not be improper to make fome remarks.

"He was very little known till he had obtained a "rich wife in the city."

He obtained a rich wife about the age of three-andtwenty; an age before which few men are confpicuous much to their advantage. He was known, however, in parliament and at court; and, if he spent part of his time in privacy, it is not unreasonable to suppose, that he endeavoured the improvement of his mind as well as of his fortune.

That Clarendon might misjudge the motive of his, retirement is the more probable, because he has evidently mistaken the commencement of his poetry, which he fuppofes him not to have attempted before thirty. As his first pieces were perhaps not printed, the fucceffion of his compofitions was not known; and Clarendon, who cannot be imagined to have been very studious of poetry, did not rectify his first opinion by confulting Waller's book.

Clarendon obferves, that he was introduced to the wits of the age by Dr. Morley; but the writer of his Life relates that he was already among them, when, hearing a noise in the street, and enquiring the cause, they found a fon of Ben Jonfon under an arreft. This was Morley, whom Waller fet free at the expence of one hundred pounds, took him into the country as director of his ftudies, and then procured him admiffion into the company of the friends of literature. Of this fact, Clarendon had a nearer knowledge than the bio grapher, and is therefore more to be credited.

The