Men fometimes fuffer by injudicious kindnefs; Philips became ridiculous, without his own fault, by the abfurd admiration of his friends, who decorated him with honorary garlands which the firft breath of contradiction blasted.

When upon the fucceffion of the Houfe of Hanover every Whig expected to be happy, Philips feems to have obtained too little notice; he caught few drops of the golden shower, though he did not omit what flattery could perform. He was only made a Commiffioner of the Lottery, (1717), and, what did not much elevate his character, a Justice of the Peace.

The fuccefs of his first play muft naturally difpofe him to turn his hopes towards the stage; he did not however foon commit himself to the mercy of an audience, but contented himself with the fame already acquired, till after nine years he produced (1721) The Briton, a tragedy which, whatever was its reception, is now neglected; though one of the scenes, between Vanoc the British Prince and

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and Valens the Roman General, is confeffed to be written with great dramatick fkill, animated by fpirit truly poetical.

He had not been idle though he had been filent; for he exhibited another tragedy the fame year, on the ftory of Humphry Duke of Gloucefter. This tragedy is only remembered by its title.

His happiest undertaking was of a paper called The Freethinker, in conjunction with affociates, of whom one was Dr. Boulter, who, then only minifter of a parish in Southwark, was of fo much confequence to the government, that he was made firft bishop of Bristol, and afterwards primate of Ireland, where his piety and his charity will be long honoured.

It may easily be imagined that what was printed under the direction of Boult.r, would have nothing in it indecent or licentious; its title is to be understood as implying only freedom from unreafonable prejudice. It has been reprinted in volumes, but is little read; nor can impartial criticifm recommend it as worthy of revival.

Boulter

Boulter was not well qualified to write diurnal essays; but he knew how to practise the liberality of greatnefs and the fidelity of friendship. When he was advanced to the height of ecclefiaftical dignity, he did not forget the companion of his labours. Knowing Philips to be flenderly fupported, he took him to Ireland, as partaker of his fortune; and, making him his fecretary, added fuch preferments, as enabled him to represent the county of Armagh in the Irish Parliament.

In December 1726 he was made fecretary to the Lord Chancellor; and in August 1733 became judge of the Prerogative Court.

After the death of his patron he continued fome years in Ireland; but at last longing, as it feems, for his native country, he returned (1748) to London, having doubtless survived moft of his friends and enemies, and among them his dreaded antagonist Pope. He found however the duke of Newcastle ftill living, and to him he dedicated his poems collected

into a volume.

Having purchased an annuity of four hundred pounds, he now certainly hoped to pafs fome years of life in plenty and tranquillity;

but his hope deceived him he was ftruck with a palfy, and died June 18, 1749, in his seventy-eighth year.

Of his perfonal character all that I have heard is, that he was eminent for bravery and fkill in the fword, and that in converfation he was folemn and pompous. He had great fenfibility of cenfure, if judgement may be made by a single story which I heard long ago from Mr. Ing, a gentleman of great eminence in Staffordshire. 66 Philips," faid he, “was "once at table, when I asked him, How came

thy king of Epirus to drive oxen, and to "fay I'm goaded on by love? After which "queftion he never spoke again."

Of the Diftreft Mother not much is pretended to be his own, and therefore it is no fubject of criticism: his other two tragedies, I believe, are not below mediocrity, nor above it. Among the Poems comprised in the late collection, the Letter from Denmark may be justly praised; the Paftorals, which by the

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writer of the Guardian were ranked as one of
the four genuine productions of the ruftick
Mufe, cannot furely be defpicable. That they
exhibit a mode of life which does not exist,
nor ever existed, is not to be objected; the fup-
pofition of such a state is allowed to Pastoral.
In his other poems he cannot be denied the
praise of lines fometimes elegant; but he has
feldom much force, or much comprehension.
The pieces that please best are those which,
from Pope and Pope's adherents, procured
him the name of Namby Pamby, the poems
of short lines, by which he paid his court to
all ages and characters, from Walpole the
fteerer of the realm, to miss Pulteney in the
nursery. The numbers are smooth and spritely,
and the diction is feldom faulty. They are
not loaded with much thought, yet if they
had been written by Addison they would have
had admirers: little things are not valued but
when they are done by those who cannot do
greater.

In his tranflations from Pindar he found the art of reaching all the obscurity of the Theban bard, however he may fall below his fublimity;

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