Memoirs of Thomas Warton, late Poet Laureat. Extracted from an Account of his Life and Writings, by Richard Mant, M. A.

TH

HOMAS Warton was descended from an ancient and honourable family, of Beverley, Yorkshire. His grandfather, Antony Warton, appears to have been the first of the family that settled in Hampshire; he was a member of Magdalen college, Oxford, and rector of Breamore, in New Forest; he had three sons, of whom two were deaf and dumb; the third son, Thomas, father of the subject of the present sketch, was born at Godalming, Surry, in 1687; and became fellow of Magdalen college, Oxford, and vicar of Cobham, in Surry, and professor of poetry, in Oxford. He married Elizabeth, daughter of the rev. Joseph Richardson, rector of Dunsfold, Surry; and had by her three children, Joseph, the late master of Winchester college; Thomas, the subject of these memoirs; and a daughter, Jane, now living unmarried, at Wickham, Hants. A volume of his poems were published by his eldest son in 1748. His son Thomas was born at Basingstoke, in 1728, and, at an early age, discovered unusual mental powers, of which the following transla

tion, performed before the age of eleven, is a specimen.

"When bold Leander sought his distant fair,

"(Nor could the sea a braver burthen bear)

"Thus to the swelling waves he spoke

his woe,

"Drown me on my return, but spare me as I go."

In 1743, he was admitted a commoner of Trinity college, to which he continued warmly attached till his death. In 1747, he published "The Pleasures of Melancholy," written in his 17th year. The age of the author is sufficiently discernible in its luxuriance and want of compression; but it is truly a Miltonic poem, abounding with bold metaphors, and highly-coloured pictures, and shews that, even thus early, he was partial to the taper'd choir, and scenes of awful solemnity and grandeur.

In 1749 came out his Triumph of Isis," occasioned by the jacobite principles, which were suspected to prevail in the university of Oxford, about the time of the Rebellion of 1745. Soon after its suppression, the irregu larity of some young men gave offence to the court, in consequence of which a stigma was affixed to the vice chancellor, and some of the heads of houses, at the time Mason published

his

his "Isis," an elegy, in which he adverts to the abovementioned circumstances. In answer to this poem, Warton's Triumph of Isis" appeared. This work, at least, shews the readiness with which Warton could apply himself to the treatment of an occasional subject, and Mason readily yielded the palm for its superior excellence to his own poem. At several times, from March to July 1750, Mr. Warton contributed to "The Student," a monthly miscellany, published in Oxford, "A Panegyric on Oxford Ale," The Progress of Discontent," Morning," an ode. The Author confined to College," and a metrical version of the 39th chapter of Job. The Panegyric on Oxford Ale" is inferior to Philips's "Splendid Shilling" only because it is an imitation of it: "The Progress of Discontent" is an exquisite picture of human life, exemplified in an individual instance. It may be said to be the best imitation of Swift that has yet appeared." Of the version from Job it is but little to say, that it is nervous and spirited. The following anecdote will shew, that his talents were known and esteemed in college. In the common room it was a custom to elect a poet-laureat, whose duty was to celebrate, in a copy of English verses, a lady, likewise annually chosen, and distinguished by the title of lady-patroness, to which office Warton was selected in 1747 and 1748. His verses, still remaining in the common room, are written in an elegant and flowing style, and have that kind of merit 'which doubtless ensured them applause when they were written. He had, of course, before this period, taken the degree of A. B. In 1750 he became M. A. In 1751 he suc

ceeded to a fellowship, and was thus placed in a situation easy, independent, and particularly congenial to his habits of retirement and study. In this year he published "Newmarket," a satire-" The Oxford Sausage" an "Ode for Music"-and a copy of Latin hexameters on the death of Frederic prince of Wales. "Newmarket," the only satire which our poet has written, is remarkable for its biting sarcasm and manly indignation, and is, perhaps, not inferior to the best satirical compositions of Young or Pope. Of the "Ode for Music" little can be favourably said. The verses on the death of Frederic possess much fine poetical imagery. In 1753 he compiled the "Union, or select Scots and English Poems," among which are several of his own writing. About 1754 he drew up a body of statutes for the Radcliffe library. In the same year were pub lished his "Observations on the Faerie Queene of Spenser," of which Dr. Johnson had a high opinion. Warton was peculiarly fitted for works of that description, from a natural turn to the study of romantic history and ancient poetry. He possesses the singular merit of having been the first to illustrate his authors by an examination of the works with which they had been principally conversant. His remarks on the stanza and versification of Spenser, on Spenser's imitation of Chaucer and Ariosto, and those which relate to the poem, considered by itself, display an elegant taste and a discriminative judgment; but its greatest merit consists in an illustration of the more obscure sources from which Spencer drew its detection of the fabulous legends which he copied; its developement of the

reasons

reasons which induced the poet to adapt his plan to the extravagance of romance, rather than to the correct model of the classics; and its exposition and examination of that attachment to allegoric poetry which prevailed at and before the time of Spenser,

Ecclesiastical architecture constituted a favourite study of our au thor, on which subject he intended to have published*. In 1757 he was elected professor of poetry, and, about the same time, contributed Nos. 33, 93, and 96 to the Idler; of the former number part has been quoted as the work of Johnson, by Dr. Parr. At that period a degree of friendship subsisted between Johnson and Warton, which lasted but a short time. Warton, it seems, esteemed his friend as a lexicographer and philosopher, but doubted his taste and classical knowledge; Johnson, in return, said that "Tom Warton was the only man of genius whom he knew without a heart," and spoke contemptuously of his poetry. About that time, Colman and Thornton invited Warton to engage in a periodical publication. Ile de clined being a principal, but occasionally favoured their work, as he did the Adventurer and World, with gratuitous assistance. He after wards wrote the inscription for Bonnel Thornton's monument in Westminster abbey. At that period also he published two small anonymous tracts ; the first, “ A Description of the City, College, and Cathedral of Winchester;" the other, "A Companion to the Guide, and a Guide to the Companion," being a complete supplement to all the ac

counts of Oxford hitherto published; a burlesque of infinite jest and hu mour on Oxford guides and companions; it passed through several editions, and is now, as well as the former, extremely scarce.

During the time of Mr. Warton's holding the poetry professorship, he fulfilled the duties of his office by a constant recommendation of the ele gance and simplicity of the classic poets. This was the grand object of his lectures, into which he introduced translations from the Greek Anthologies; a specimen of their merit is before the public, under the title "De Poesi Bucolica Graecorum Dissertatio," which was afterwards enlarged, and prefixed to his edition of Theocritus. In 1758 he published, anonymously, " Inscrip tionum

Romanarum Metricarum Delectus." This selection of Latin metrical inscriptions, principally sepulchral, are taken from Mazochius, Smetius, Gruter, &c. to which are added a few modern epigrams, namely, one by Dr. Jortin, and five by himself, on the model of the antique. The work deserves great credit, not only as the plan is, in some degree, original, and the epîgrams are selected by himself from á farrago of uninteresting materials, but also on account of the judgment with which he discriminates between the flippancy and point of the mo dern epigrammatists of Martial's school, and the chastised and simple grace of the Greek, and earlier Latin, models. This work was, in 1766, followed by one of Greek inscriptions, being an edition of Cephalas's Anthology; the preface is written by our author, which, though

though chiefly narrative, is, however, elegant and perspicuous, distinguishing features of all his Latin compositions. To this book the sum of his praise has been already given, as he has added nothing to Reiske's but the preface. In 1771 the promised edition of Theocritus made its appearance; a publication distinguished for its correctness and splendour, and, perhaps, the best that has appeared from the Clarendon office. It was printed without accents, by the recommendation of the delegates of that press. It has been objected that, in this work, he has not sufficiently exerted his critical acumen in improving the text, yet has he elucidated his author by the aid of the scholiasts and other commentators, illustrated the allusions to the more obscure customs and mythology of the ancients, and shewn much taste in developing the beauty of his author, and comparing him with other poets; the prefixed dissertation is ingenious, and his reasons for preferring Theocritus to Virgil, as a pastoral poet, seem de

cisive.

Previously to this, in 1760, he wrote the life of sir Thomas Pope, the founder of his college, and of doctor Bathurst, its principal benefactor; but, as a biographer, he is not to be much celebrated. Sir Thomas Pope and doctor Bathurst were not of sufficient importance for narratives of their lives to exeite general interest. Aware of this, Warton has endeavoured to supply the defect, by the interspersion of collateral matter. The life of Bathurst is diversified with anecdotes of sevcral of his learned contemporaries; and that of Pope exhibits an interesting, and partly original, narrative of particulars, connected with the persecutions and private life of

queen Elizabeth, of whom the cus tody was committed to him by queen Mary; with a judicious summary of the state of learning about the time of the foundation of Trinity college; but such digressive merit, however amusing, detracts from the dignity and nature of biography, and sinks the object of the work into a mere appendage. In 1761 and 1762, he wrote, as poetry professor, verses, for the Oxford collection, on the death of George II. the marriage of the present king, and the birth of the prince of Wales; the verses on the king's marriage are elegant, and distinguished for their delicacy of compliment, though they have less poetical imagery than those

on

the death of the prince of Wales, and less dignity than those on the death of George II. To these last it may be objected that they have not so much concern with the dead king, as with the patriot to whom they were addressed.

To the collection of 1761, he contributed the ode entitled the

Complaint of Cherwell." It is a pleasing pastoral, though it may not add much to his fame as a poet. In 1764 was published the "Oxford Sausage, or select Poetical Pieces written by the most celebrated Wits of the University of Oxford." Several of the poems and the humorous preface were written by Mr. Warton, to whom, likewise, the conduct of the work is attributed. In 1771 he was elected fellow of the antiquarian society, and in the same year instituted to the living of Kiddington, in Oxfordshire, on the presentation of George, earl of Litchfield, chancellor of the university, for whom he afterwards wrote an epitaph.

In 1774, his greatest and most important work appeared, "The

History