We have passed over our Author's Paraphrase on Part of the Book of Job, in order to bring his dramatic performances together. The Paraphrase has been well received, and has often been printed with his Night Thoughts. This would be admired, perhaps, as much as any of his works, could we forget the original; but there is such a dignified simplicity even in our prose translation of the poetic parts of scripture, that we can seldom bear to see them reduced to rhyme, or modern measures. His next, and one of his best performances, is entitled The Love of Fame the Universal Passion, in Seven characteristic Satires, originally published separately, between the years 1725 and 1728. This, according to Dr. Johnson, is a "very great performvance. It is said to be a series of epigrams, aud if it be, it is what the author intended: His endeavour was at the production of striking distichs, and pointred sentences; and his distichs, have the weight of solid sentiment, and his points the sharpness of resistless truth. His characters are often selected with discernment, and drawn with nicety; his illustrations are often happy, and his reflections often just. His species of Satire is between those of Horace and Juvenal: He has the gaiety of Horace without his laxity of numbers; and the morality of Juvenal, with greater variety of images."-Swift indeed has pronounced of these Satires, that they should have been either "more merry, or more severe :" in that case, they might probably have caught the popular taste more; but this does not prove that they would have been better. The opinion of the Duke of Grafton, however, was of more worth than all the opi nions of the wits if it be true as related by Mr. Spence, that his grace presented the author with two thousand pounds. "Two thousand pounds for a poem!" said one of the Duke's friends: to whom his grace replied, that he had made an excellent bargain, for he thought it worth four. On the accession of George I, Young flattered him with an Ode, called Ocean, to which was prefixed an introductory Ode to the King, and an essay on Lyric Poetry of these the most observable thing is, that the poet and the critic could not agree: for the Rules of the Essay condemned the Poetry, and the Poetry set at defiance the maxims of the Essay. The biographer of British Poets has truly said, "he had least success in his lyric attempts, in which he seems to have been under some malignant influence: he is always labouring to be great, and at last is only turgid." We now leave awhile the works of our author, to contemplate the conduct of the man. About this time his studies took a more serious turn; and, forsaking the law, which he had never practised, when he was almost fifty, he entered into orders, and was, in 1728, appointed Chaplain to the King. One of Pope's biographers relates, that, on this occasion Young applied to his brother poet for direction in his studies, who jocosely recommended Thomas Aquinas, which the former taking seriously, he retired to the suburbs with the angelic doctor, till his friend discovered him, and brought him back. His Vindication of Providence, and estimate of Human life, were published in this year; they have one through several editions, and are generally re garded as the best of his prose compositions: But the plan of the latter never was completed. The following year he printed a very loyal sermon on King Charles' Martyrdom, entitled, An Apology for Princes. In 1730, he was presented by his college to the rectory of Welwyn in Hertfordshire, worth about 3001. a year, beside the lordship of the manor annexed to it. This year he relapsed again to poetry, and published a loyal Naval Ode, and Two Epistles to Pope, of which nothing particular need be said. He was married, in 1781, to Lady Elizabeth Lee, widow of Colonel Lee, and daughter to the Earl of Litchfield; and it was not long before she brought him a son and heir. Sometime, before his marriage, the Doctor walking in his garden at Welwyn, with his lady and another, a servant came to tell him a gentleman wished to speak to him. "Tell him," said the Doctor, “I am too happily engaged to change my situation." The ladies insisted that he should go, as his visitor was a man of rank, his patron, and his friend; and as persuasion had no effect on him, they took him, one by the right hand, and the other by the left, and led him to the garden-gate. He then laid his hand upon his heart, and in the expressive manner, for which he was so remarkable, uttered the following lines: "Thus Adam look'd when from the garden driven, Hard was his fate, but mine still more unkind : His Eve went with him, but mine stays behind." Another striking instance of his wit is related in reference to Voltaire: who, while in England, (probably at Mr. Doddington's seat in Dorsetshire) ridiculed, with some severity, Milton's allegorical personages, Sin and Death; on which Young, who was one of the company, immediately addressed him in the following extemporaneous distich : "Thou art so witty, profligate, and thin, "Thou seem'st a Milton, with his Death and Sin.” Soon after his marriage, our author again indulged his poetical vein in two odes, called The Sea Peace, with a poetical Dedication to Voltaire, in which the above incident seems alluded to in these lines, "On Dorset downs, when Milton's page In 1734 he printed an Argument for Peace, which afterward, with several of his smaller pieces, and most of his dedications, was consigned by his own hand to merited oblivion: in which circumstance he deserves both the thanks and imitation of posterity. About the year 1741 he had the unhappiness to lose his wife; her daughter by Colonel Lee, and this daughter's husband, Mr. Temple. What affliction he felt for their loss, may be seen in his Night Thoughts, written on this occasion. They are ad dressed to Lorenzo, a man of pleasure, and of the world; and who, it is generally supposed, was his own son, then labouring under his father's displea sure. His son-in-law is said to be characterized by Philander, and his Lady's daughter was certainly the person he speaks of under the appellation of Narcissa.- -(See Night III.) In her last illness, which was a consumption, he accompanied her to Montpellier: or, as Mr. Croft says, to Lyons, in the South of France, at which place she died soon after her arrival. Being regarded as an heretic, she was denied christian burial, and her afflicted father was obliged to steal a grave, and inter her privately with his own hands;* (See Night III.) In this celebrated poem he thus addresses Death: "Insatiate archer! could not one suffice? "Thy shaft flew thrice, and thrice my peace was "slain ; "And thrice, ere thrice yon moon had fill'd her ❝ horn. I take the liberty of inserting here a passage from a letter written by Mr. W. Taylor, from Montpellier, to his sister, Mrs. Mouncher, in the preceding year 1789, which may be considered as curious, and will be interesting and affecting to the admirers of Dr. Young and his Narcissa: "I know you, as well as myself, are not a little partial to "Dr. Young. Had you been with me in a solitary walk the "other day, you would have shed a tear over the remains of "his dear Nareissa. I was walking in a place called the King's “Garden; and there I saw the spot where she was interred. "Mr. J, Mrs. H-, and myself, had some conversation "with the gardener respecting it; who told us, that about 45 |