THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW; For the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. AN ACCOUNT OF THE WRITINGS OF WILLIAM HAYLEY, Efq. [With an ELEGANT ENGRAVING of him.] THIS gentleman has afforded fo much entertainment to the public, and his works have been fo univerfally read and applanded, that we feel fome fatisfaction in being able to gratify the wishes of his numerous admirers, who have, by various applications, folicited us to prefent them with a portrait of him. 'The life of a reclufe author feldom affords incident, and that of Mr. Hayley, perhaps, lefs than most other writers. We fhall therefore, on the prefent occafion, confine ourfelves to his works, from which we pro⚫ fefs to draw the only circumstances relating to bim, which are either important, which we can communicate with any degree of confidence. or Suffex has the honour of ranking Mr. Hayley among its worthies, and Eaton of having given him the rudiments of his educa tion. His infancy was marked with mifery, and but for the attention of an affectionate mother, he had probably gone to the grave unknown. To this excellent parent he has addreffed the following invocation, which we are happy to felect, as well as an evidence of an extraordinary fact, as a proof of filial piety and gratitude: Thou tender Saint, to whom he owes much more Than ever child to parent ow'd before! In life's first feafon, when the fever's flame. ling'ring years, To bathe thy idiot orphan in thy tears; and prayer: Nor pray'd in vain; thy child from pow'rs above Receiv'd the fenfe to feel and blefs thy love. Nature, who deck'd thy form with Beauty's Exhaufted on thy foul her finer powers; O THOU fond Spirit, who with pride haft Taught it with all her energy to feel fmil'd, And frown'd with fear on thy poetic child, While thy kind cautions warn'd him to be ware Of penury, the Bard's perpetual fnare ; Love's melting foftnefs, friendship's fervid zeal, While my fond thoughts o'er all thy merits Thy praise thus gushes from my filial foul; Nor will the public with harsh rigour blame This my juft homage to thy honour'd name; To please that public, if to please be mine, Thy virtues train'd me-let the praife be thine. Since thou haft reach'd that world where love alone, Where love parental can exceed thy own; power, Power to exalt, with every aim refin'd, The lovelieft of the arts that blefs mankind. From Eaton Mr. Hayley went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge; and while there, printed the first poem known to be written by him. This was on the royal marriage in 1761, and appeared in the collection of verfes published by the Univerfity on that occafion. From that time to the year 1778, he lived out of the obfervation of the world. Delicate or inconftant health, or the love of literary retirement, prevented him from serving the com.. munity in fcenes of active life; he therefore devoted himself to pursuits more pleasing, though less profitable. Thou first and fairest of the focial arts! Charm of all regions! to no age confin'd!! ESSAY ON EPIC POETRY. After a recess of many years from public obfervation, he in 1778 produced, without his name, A Poetical Epifle to an eminent Painter, 4to. a work which both merited and obtained fo much applaufe, as probably encouraged him to avow himself the author, by putting his name to a fecond edition of it. In 1779, he joined the political clamour of the day, and published An Epifle to Admiral Keppel, 4to. congratulating that gentleman on his honourable acquittal; and in the fame year attacked the Bishop of London for a defertion of his political principles in An Elegy on the ancient Greek Model, 4to. Neither of thefe pieces, though known to be written by him, form any part of the collection of his works lately published. In the next year, be gave the public An Epifile to a Friend on the Death of John Thornton, Efq. 4to. With this gentleman he appears to have lived on terms of intimacy, at Cambridge, and the praise he bestows on him reflects the highest honour on both the deceased and the furviving friend. In 1780, he published An Essay on Hijlery, iz three Epiftles to Edward Gibbon, Efq. 410, and in 1781, An Ode infcribed to John Howard, Elg F. R. S. author of the State of English and Foreign Prifons, 4to. In the fame year also, The Triumphs of Temper, 4to. a poem, in fix cantos, appeared; and in 1782, A Effay on Epic Poetry, in five Epifiles to the Rev. Mr. Mafon, 4to. To fhew himfelf master of every fpecies of poetry, he in 1780, published Plays of three As written for a private Theatre, 4to. Of thefe, The Two Conneiffeurs and Lord Ruffel have been brought on the ftage at the Hay-market, and acted with great fuccefs, Since this publication, a very amufing work, intitled, " An Effay on Old Maids," has been ascribed to Mr. Hayley, and we believe with truth, though it has not been owned by him. In the course of the laft year, he collected fuch of his works as he had published with his name into fix volumes, 8vo. Mr. Hayley is married, and his lady feems to poffefs fome portion of his taste and genius. She has published a translation of Madame de Lambert's Ellays on Friendship and Old Age, which is executed with great fpirit and fidelity. The works of Mr. Hayley are calculated to imprefs the most favourable opinion of him as a man; and if we are not mifinformed, his manners (which is not always the cafe with men of genius) are perfectly in unison with the fentiments occafionally exhibited in his works. He has obferved, that it was a kind of duty incumbent on those who devote themselves to poetry, to raife, if poffible, the dignity of a declining art, by making it as beneficial to life and manners, as the limits of compofition and the character of modern times will allow. This rule feems to have been strictly adhered to by him. The fubjects of his feveral performances are all important, and handled in fuch a manner, as to convey both entertainment and inftruction, to mend the heart, refine the tafte, and render mankind better, and, by confequence, more happy. There are many pleafing traits of cha racter fcattered through Mr. Hayley's works. One of them we fhall felect to close this imperfect account, For me, who feel whene'er I touch the lyre, My talents fink below my proud defire; Who often doubt, and fometimes credit give, When friends affure me that my verse will live; Whence lonely peace and focial pleasure And friendship dearer than the smile of kings! Whom health too tender for the bustling And magnify, with irritation's zeal, throng, Led into penfive shade and foothing fong; Whatever fortune my unpolith'd rhymes May meet, in prefent or in future times, Let the bleft art my grateful thought employ, Which foothes my forrow and augments my joy ; Those common evils we too strongly feel, The envious comment, and the subtle style Of fpecious flander, ftabbing with a fmile; Frankly I wish to make her bleffings known, And think thofe bletings for her ills atone; Nor wou'd my honeft pride that praise forego, Which makes malignity yet more my foe. ESSAY ON EPIC POETRY For the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. An ACCOUNT of GEORGE ROBERT FITZGERALD, Esq. G EORGE ROBERT FITZGERALD was the eldest fon of Fitzgerald, Eiq. of Rockfield, a place about two miles diftant from the town of Castlebar. His mother was Lady Mary Hervey, fifter to the late and prefent Earls of Bristol. He received, it is faid, his education at Eton, where he acquired a very competent thare of literature, at leaft fufficient to preferve him from the contempt of the learned *. At an early age he married Mifs Conolly, filter to the Right Hon. Thomas Conolly, Member of Parliament for the county of Londonderry, and coufin-german to his Grace the Duke of Leinster, With this 4ady Mr. Fitzgerald received a fortune of ten thousand pounds, and at the fame time his father executed a deed of fettlement, by which he engaged to allow him a yearly income of one thousand pounds; but as this was either irregularly or not at all paid, it became one of the fources of the contention between father and fon, which terminated in the end fatal to both. Soon after the celebration of Mr. Fitzgerald's marriage with Mifs Conolly, the young couple went abroad, and after an ab. fence of ten years, during which time Mrs. Fitzgerald died, leaving him one daughter only, who is ftill living, he returned to IreLand in the year 1775. During his refidence in England, he lived a life of boundless diffipation; and being poffeffed of perfonal courage, he was frequently involved in quarrels, which usually ended with reputation to his valour, though to his difgrace as a member of fociety. One of the firft occafions of his becoming an object of public notice, was in the year 1773, when being at Vauxhall, in company with a Captain Croft and fome other persons, he wantonly interfered in a quarrel begun by his companion with the Rev. Mr. Bate on account of fome misbehaviour to Mrs. Hartley, the actress. In the course of this bufinefs Mr. Fitzgerald introduced his footman to Mr. Bate under the character of a gentleman, and impofed upon him in fuch a manner that he was induced to box with his antagonist. This trick being foon afterwards difcovered, Mr. Bate exposed Mr. Fitzgerald's behaviour in the public papers, in which he held him up to ridicule with great fuccefs for feveral weeks. The contest engaged much the attention of the town, and in the conclufion of it, public opinion decided in favour of Mr. Bate's conduct, and univerfally condemned that of his feveral opponents. Amongst those who cenfured Mr. Fitzgerald's behaviour on this occafion, was a gentleman of the name of Scawen, who gave his opinion with great freedom in his prefence. This occafioned high words, and even a blow, which compelled Mr. Fitzgerald to call Mr. Scawen to account. A duel was the confequence, of which the following relation was given by Capt. Nicholas Nugent, Mr. Scawen's fecond. "On Wednesday Sept. 1ft, Mr. Scawen and Mr. Fitzgerald, with their feconds and furgeons, met at Lifle, according to the ap. pointment of Mr. Fitzgerald. All matters relating to the duel being adjusted, they arrived at their ground, in the Austrian dominions, between Lifle and Tournay, about a quarter before seven in the evening. The feconds having measured the distance, which, by mutual agreement, was ten paces, each gentleman took his post. Mr. Scawen, in going to his ground, asked Mr. Fitzgerald if te chose to fire first? who replied, it was a matter of indifference to him; but altering There is a poem by him, printed at Dublin, entitled The Riddle, and infcribed to John Scott, Efq. now Lord Earlsfort, Chief Juftice of the King's Bench. his |