But missing his mirth and agreeable vein, Here Cumberland lies, having acted his parts, His fools have their follies so lost in a crowd Here Douglas retires from his toils to relax, I fear'd for your safety, I fear'd for my own; * The Rev. Dr Dodd, who was executed for forgery. + Dr Kenrick, who read lectures at the Devil Tavern, under the title of "The School of Shakespeare." [Kenrick was a well known writer upon town, of prodigious versatility, and some talent. Dr Johnson once observed of him, "He is one of the many who have made themselves public, without making themselves known." He was a man of no principle, and frequently wrote the severest libels against those with whom he was living on terms of apparent friendship. Amongst those who experienced the bitterness of his abuse was our author himself, which led to the altercation with Evans the bookseller.- See Life of Goldsmith prefixed. He was the original editor of the Morning Chronicle, but was afterwards dismissed for negligence.-B.] James Macpherson, Esq. who lately, from the mere force of his style, wrote down the first poet of all antiquity. [Macpherson's claim to New Lauders and Bowers + the Tweed shall cross over, And Scotchman meet Scotchman, and cheat in the dark. Here lies David Garrick, describe me who can, For he knew when he pleased he could whistle them back. original genius, rests chiefly upon what has not yet been ascertained with sufficient accuracy, viz. his own share in the publication which he gave to the world as a translation of Ossian's Poems. He was, however, unquestionably a man of considerable talents, and not deficient in classical learning. The popularity of his Ossian induced him to publish a version of Homer in the same style of measured prose; but this work, which is the one alluded to in the first part of this note, certainly added nothing to his reputation.-B.] * William Lauder, a Scottish schoolmaster, who, by interpolating certain passages from the Adamus Exul of Grotius, from Masenius, and others, with translations from Paradise Lost, endeavoured to fix on Milton a charge of extensive plagiarism from the modern Latin poets. Dr Douglas, in a pamphlet entitled, Milton no Plagiary, detected and exposed this impudent imposture, and extorted from the author a confession and apology, dictated by Dr Johnson, who had been so far imposed upon by the forgery as to furnish a preface and postscript to Lauder's pamphlet.-B. Dr + Archibald Bower, a Scottish Jesuit, and author of a History of the Popes from St Peter to Lambertini. He also published, about the year 1755, his Motives of Conversion from Popery to Protestantism. Douglas published a critical examination of this pamphlet, in which he convicted Bower of gross imposture, and totally destroved the credit of -B. his But let us be candid, and speak out our mind, Ye Kenricks, ye Kellys,* and Woodfalls + so grave, What a commerce was yours, while you got and you gave! To act as an angel and mix with the skies: Old Shakespeare receive him with praise and with love, Here Hickey reclines, a most blunt pleasant creature, Here Reynolds is laid, and, to tell you my mind, His pencil our faces, his manners our heart. To coxcombs averse, yet most civilly steering, When they judged without skill, he was still hard of hearing: Mr Hugh Kelly, originally a staymaker, afterwards a newspaper editor and dramatist, and latterly a barrister, was a native of Ireland. His comedies of False Delicacy and the School for Wives, had considerable success. He also wrote Clementina, A Word to the Wise, &c. B. + Mr William Woodfall, printer of the Morning Chronicle. Sir Joshua Reynolds was so deaf, as to be under the necessity of using an ear trumpet in company. After the fourth edition of this Poem was printed, the publisher received the following epitaph on Mr Whitefoord, from a friend of the late Doctor Goldsmith. [Mr Whitefoord was not, as Colman erroneously observes in his Random Records, a member of THE LITERARY CLUB, but he was of the party at the St James's Coffeehouse which provoked Retaliation. In the Foundling Hospital for Wit are some apologetical verses by him for having read in that club a ludicrous epitaph on the supposed death of Goldsmith. — B. HERE Whitefoord reclines, and, deny it who can, What pity, alas! that so liberal a mind Ye newspaper witlings! ye pert scribbling folks! Merry Whitefoord, farewell! for thy sake I admit "Thou best humour'd man with the worst humour'd Muse." * Mr Caleb Whitefoord, author of many humorous essays. + Mr Whitefoord was so notorious a punster, that Dr Goldsmith used to say it was impossible to keep him company, without being infected with the itch of punning. Mr H. S. Woodfall, printer of the Public Advertiser. § Mr Whitefoord had frequently indulged the town with humorous pieces under those titles in the Public Advertiser The following poems, by Mr Garrick, may in some measure account for the severity exercised by Dr Goldsmith in respect to that gentleman. [The latter copy of verses, at least, can have no share in accounting for the alleged severity, as this clever jeu d'esprit was necessarily written after Retaliation. The Fable, also, which is printed in Dodsley's Annual Register for 1776, is there said to have been written some time after the appearance of Goldsmith's poem; but Davies, in his Life of Garrick, mentions it as one of the humorous effusions at the St James's Coffeehouse on the occasion referred to in the notice prefixed to Retaliation, and Cumberland seems to confirm this account. It must be admitted, that in these verses the Doctor's character is very happily and very truly described, yet surely with sufficient severity to justify the honest bluntness with which Goldsmith alludes to the great failing of the gifted actor. Garrick's epigram, by shewing how easily his vanity was hurt, only confirms the justness of the poet's censure.-B.] JUPITER AND MERCURY; A FABLE. HERE, Hermes, says Jove, who with nectar was mellow, Be sure, as I work, to throw in contradictions, A great love of truth, yet a mind turn'd to fictions: Set fire to the head, and set fire to the tail. For the joy of each sex, on the world I'll bestow it, ON DR GOLDSMITH'S CHARACTERISTICAL COOKERY. A JEU D'ESPRIT. ARE these the choice dishes the Doctor has sent us? "Candour," says Mr Davies, in his Life of Garrick, " must own, that Mr Garrick, in his verses on Goldsmith, was gentle in describing the subject, as well as delicate in the choice of his expressions; but that Garrick's features in the Retaliation are somewhat exaggerated." Davies' candour seems to be a little too much on one side. The likenesses are both admirable, and it is difficult to say which is the more just. Garrick, let it be remembered, gave the provocation; and it is not easy to discover the superior" gentleness," and "delicacy" of his witty exposure of the poet's foibles.-B. |