has this paffage: "I am particularly obliged to Mr. Congreve for his free and early communication of what relates to himself, as well as his kind directions for the compofing of this work:" which work being published in Congreve's life-time, and no exception made to the account given of himself, renders Jacob's authority in this cafe indifputable. What led Southern and others into this mistake, was probably Congreve's being carried into Ireland when he was very oung; for his father had there a command in the army, and afterwards became fteward in the Burlington family, which fixed the refidence of himself and family in that kingdom. Congreve was fent to the school of Kilkenny, and thence to the university of Dublin; where he acquired a perfect skill in all the branches of polite literature. A little after the revolution in 1688, he was fent over to London, and placed in the Middle-temple: but the law proving too dry for him, he troubled himself little with it, and continued to purfue his former ftudies. His first production as an author, was a novel, which, under the affumed name of Cleophil, he dedicated to Mrs. Catherine Levefon. The title of it was, "Incognita, or Love and duty reconciled." Vivacity of wit, fluency of style, and strength of judgment are fhewn in this work; and the merit of it is great, if we consider it as the first-fruits of a youth of 17. It has been faid, that at the bottom it is a true hiftory; and though the scene is laid in Italy, yet the adventures happened in England. As he did not then think proper to own this piece to the world, fo whatever reputation he gained by it, was confined within the circle of a few acquaintance. Soon after he applied himself to dramatic compofition, and wrote a comedy called "The Old Bachelor;" of which Dryden, to whom he was recommended, faid, "that he never faw fuch a first play in his life; and that it would be a pity to have it mifcarry for a few things, which proceeded not from the author's want of genius or art, but from his not being acquainted with the stage and the town." Dryden revifed and corrected it; and it was acted in 1693. The prologue, intended to be fpoken, was written by lord Falkland; the play was admirably performed, and received with fuch general applaufe, that Congreve was thenceforward confidered as the prop of the declining Itage, and as the rifing genius in dramatic poefy. It was this play, and the very fingular fuccefs that attended it upon the ftage, and after it came from the prefs, which recommended its author to the patronage of lord Halifax: who, being defirous to place fo eminent a wit in a state of eafe and tranquillity, made him immediately one of the commiffioners for licenfing hackney-coaches; beftowed upon him foon after a place in the Pipe-office; and the office of a commiffioner of wine licenfes, worth worth 600l. per annum. We need not wonder that, after fuch encouragement as the town, and even the critics, had given him, he thould quickly make his appearance again on the ftage; and accordingly, the year after, he brought on "The Double Dealer." This play, though highly approved and commended by the best judges, was not fo univerfally applauded as his last; the caufe of which is fuppofed to have been the regularity of the performance; for regular comedy was then a new thing. Queen Mary dying at the clofe of this year, Congreve wrote a pattoral on that occafion, intituled, "The mourning mufe of Alexis;" which, in point of fimplicity, elegance, and correctnefs, is equal to any thing of the kind that has appeared in our language. In 1695 he produced his comedy called "Love for Love," which gained him much applaufe; and the fame year diftinguished himself in a new kind of poetry, by addressing to king William an ode "Upon the taking of Namur;" in which he fucceeded greatly. After having established his reputation as a comic writer, he had a mind to attempt a tragedy; and, in 1697, his "Mourning Bride" was acted at the new theatre in Lincoln's-inn Fields. Few plays had raised higher expectations, and fewer had anfwered them; in fhort, it was not poffible for any thing to be better received. His attention was now called off from the theatre to another fpecies of compofition, which was wholly new, and not very agreeable to him. His four plays were attacked with great fharpness by that zealous reformer of the ftage, Jeremy Collier; who, without any pity for his youth, or confideration of his fine parts, fell upon him, not as a dull or taftelefs, but as a dangerous and pernicious writer. The truth is, and it must be owned, he had admitted many libertinifms into his plays; and Collier attacked him as a very immoral writer. An anfwer was neceffary, and therefore an anfwer was given; which, if it does not entirely justify him, fhews however great modelty and wit. It was printed in 1698; and the title of it is, "Amendments of Mr. Collier's falfe and imperfect citations, &c. from the Old Bachelor, Double Dealer, Love for Love, Mourning Bride. By the author of thofe plays." In this apology for his own conduct, he lays down many things which are well worth knowing; and without knowing which, it is impoffible to form a right notion of the innocence, excellence, or ufe of play. Though this quarrel is believed to have created in him fome diftate to the flage, yet he afterwards brought on another comedy, intituled, "The Way of the World;" of which it gave fo just a picture, that the world feemed refolved not to bear it. This completed the difguft of our author to the theatre; upo which the celebrated critic Dennis, though not very famous for for either, faid a very fine and a very kind thing, "that Mr. Congreve quitted the ftage early, and that comedy left it with him." This play however has long ago triumphed over its ad verfaries, and is now juftly efteemed, as much as it deferves to be. He amufed himself afterwards with compofing original poems and tranflations, which he collected in a volume, and published 1710, when Swift describes him as never free from the gout," and "almoft blind;" yet amufing himself with writing a "Tatler." in He had a fine tafte for music as well as poetry; as appears from his "Hymn to Harmony in honour of St. Cecilia's day, 1701," fet by Mr. John Eccles, his great friend, to whom he was alfo obliged for fetting several of his fongs. His early acquaintance with the great had procured him an easy and independent ftation in life, to which it is very rare that either true genius or literary merit of any kind recommends a man: and this freed him from all obligations of courting the public favour any longer. He was ftill under the tie of gratitude to his illuftrious patrons; and as he never miffed an opportunity of paying his compliments to them, fo on the other hand he always thewed great regard to perfons of a lefs exalted ftation, who had been ferviceable to him on his entrance into public life. He wrote an epilogue for his old friend Southern's tragedy of Oroonoko; and we learn from Dryden himself, how much he was obliged to his affiftance in the tranflation of Virgil. He contributed alfo the eleventh fatire to the tranflation of "Juvenal," published by that great poet, and wrote fome excellent verfes on the tranflation of Perfius, performed by Dryden alone. The best part of the last 20 years of his life was spent in ease and retirement; but towards the end of it, he was much afflicted with gout, which brought on a gradual decay. It was for this, that in the fummer of 1728, he went to Bath for the benefit of the waters, where he had the misfortune to be overturned in his chariot; from which time he complained of a pain in his fide, which was fuppofed to arife from fome inward bruife, Upon his return to London, his health declined more and more; and he died at his houfe in Surry-street in the Strand, Jan. 19. 1729. On the 26th, his corpfe lay in ftate in the Jerufalem chamber; whence the fame evening it was carried with great folemnity into Henry VIIth's chapel at Westminster, and afterwards interred in the abbey. The pall was fupported by the duke of Bridgewater, earl of Godolphin, lord Cobham, lord Wilmington, the hon. George Berkeley, efq. and brigadier general Churchill; and colonel Congreve followed as chief mourner. Some time after, a neat and elegant monument was was erected to his memory, by Henrietta duchess of Marlborough [F]. It has been obferved of Congreve, that no man ever paffed through life with more ease and lefs envy than he. No change of ministries affected him in the leaft, nor was he ever removed from any poft that was given him, except to a better. His place in the Cuftom-houfe, and his office of fecretary in Jamaica, are faid to have brought him in upwards of 1200l. per annum; and though he lived fuitably to fuch a fortune, yet by his economy he raifed from thence a competent estate. He was always upon good terms with the wits of his time, and never involved in any of their quarrels, nor did he receive from any of them the least mark of diftaste or diffatisfaction. On the contrary, they were follicitous for his approbation, and received it as the highest sanction of merit. Addifon teftified his perfonal regard for him, and his high esteem of his writings, in many inftances. Steele confidered him as his patron upon one occafion, and was defirous of fubmitting to him as an umpire on another [G]. Even Pope, though jealous, it is faid, of his poetical character, has honoured him with the highest testimony of deference and efteem [H]. Congreve," fays Dr. Johnfon," has merit of the highest kind; he is an original writer, who borrowed neither the models of his plot, nor the manner of his dialogue. Of his plays I cannot fpeak diftinctly, for fince I infpected them many years have paffed; but what remains upon my memory is, that his characters are commonly fictitious and artificial, with very little of nature, and not much of life. He formed a peculiar idea of comic excellence, which he fuppofed to confift in gay remarks and unexpected answers; but that which he endeavoured, he feldom failed of performing. His fcenes exhibit not much of humour, imagery, or paffion: his perfonages are a kind of intellectual gladiators; every fentence is to ward or ftrike; the contest of smartness is never intermitted; his wit is a meteor playing to and fro with alternate corrufcations. His comedies have therefore, in fome degree, the operation of tragedies; they furprise rather than divert, and raife admiration oftener than merriment. But they are the works of a mind replete with images, and quick in combination. Of his mifcellaneous poetry I cannot fay any thing very favourable. The powers of [] To whom he bequeathed a legacy of about 10,000l. the accumulation of attentive parfimony, which, though to her fuperfluous and useless, might have given great affistance to the antient family from which he defcended, at that time 7 by the imprudence of his relation reduced to difficulties and dittrets. Dr. Jubnfu [c] In the dedication of his Mifcellanies, and in the address prefixed to Addifon's Drummer. [H] Poftfcript to his tranflation of Ho. mer's Iliad. Congreve Congreve feem to defert him when he leaves the ftage, as Antæus was no longer ftrong than he could touch the ground. It cannot be obferved without wonder, that a mind fo vigorous and fertile in dramatic compofitions fhould on any other occafion difcover nothing but impotence and poverty. He has in thefe little pieces neither elevation of fancy, felection of language, nor fkill in verfification: yet if I were required to select from the whole mafs of English poetry the most poetical paragraph, I know not what I could prefer to an exclamation in The Mourning Bride:' ALM. It was a fancy'd noise; for all is hush'd. ALM. It was thy fear, or else fome tranfient wind We'll liften LEON. Hark! ALM. No, all is hush'd, and still as death.-Tis dreadful! Whofe ancient pillars rear their marble heads, "He who reads thofe lines enjoys for a moment the powers of a poet; he feels what he remembers to have felt before, but he feels it with great increase of fenfibility; he recognizes a familiar image, but meets it again amplified and expanded, embellished with beauty, and enlarged with majesty. "The Birth of the Mufe' is a miferable fiction. One good line it has, which was borrowed from Dryden: of his irregular poems, that to Mrs. Arabella Hunt feems to be the beft: his Ode for Cecilia's Day,' however, has fome lines which Pope had in his mind when he wrote his own. His Imitations of Horace are feebly paraphraftical, and the additions which he makes are of little value. He fometimes retains what were more properly omitted, as when he talks of vervain and gums to propitiate Venus. Of his tranflations the 'Satire of Juvenal' was written very early, and may therefore be forgiven, though it have not the maffinefs and vigour of the original. In all his verfions ftrength and fprightlinefs are wanting: his Hymn to Venus, from Homer, is perhaps the beft. His lines are weakened with expletives, and his rhymes are frequently imperfect. |