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fervid, and shews more dexterity than strength. He was however one of our earliest examples of cor

rectness.

"The versification, which he learned from Dryden, he debased rather than refined. His rhymes are often dissonant; in his Georgics he admits broken lines. He uses both triplets and alexandrines, but triplets more frequently in his translations than his other works. The mere structure of verses seems never to have engaged much of his care. But his lines are very smooth in "Rosamond", and too smooth in "Cato.

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"His prose is the model of the middle style; on grave subjects not formal, on light occasions not groveling, pure without scrupulosity, and exact without apparent elaboration; always equable, and always easy without glowing words or pointed sentences. Addison never deviated from his track to snatch a grace; he seeks no ambitious ornaments, and tries no hazardous innovations. His page is always fuminous, but never blazes in unexpected splendour.

"It seems to have been his principal endeavour to avoid all harshness and severity of diction; he is therefore something verbose in his transitions and connexions, and sometimes descends too much to the language of conversation; yet if his language had been less idiomatical, it might have lost somewhat of its genuine anglicism. What he attempted, he performed; he is never feeble, and he did not wish to be energetic; he is never rapid, and never stagnates. His sentences have neither studied

amplitude, nor affected brevity; his periods, though not diligently rounded, are voluble and easy. Whoever wishes to attain an English style, familiar but not coarse, and elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison.

"

BLACKMORE.

SIR RICHARD BLACKMORE was the son of Robert Blackmore, of Corsham in Wiltshire, supposed to have been an Attorney. Having been for some time educated in a Country School, he was sent at thirteen to Westminster; and in 1668 was entered at Edmund-hall in Oxford, where he took the degree of M. A. June 3, 1676, and resided thirteen years; a much longer time than is usual to spend at the University. He afterwards travelled at Padua, he was made Doctor of Physic; and having wandered about a year and a half on the Continent, returned home.

In some part of his life, though it is not known when, his indigence compelled him to teach a school, and afterwards, having studied Physic for some time, he commenced Physician, and obtained high eminence and extensive practice. He became Fellow of the College of Physicians April 12, 1687-His residence was in Cheapside, and his friends were chiefly in the City. He was therefore made a poet not by necessity but inclination, and was not known as a maker of verses till he published

(in 1696) "Prince Arthur," an heroic poem in ten books, written, as he relates, by such catches and starts, and in such occasional uncertain hours as his profession afforded, and for the greatest part in coffeehouses, or in passing up and down the streets.

That this work found many readers is certain ; for in two years it had three editions, a very uncommon instance of favourable reception, at a time when literary curiosity was yet confined to particular classes of the nation. In 1697 it appeared in twelve books instead of ten. In the same year, he was made one of the Physicians in ordinary to King William, and advanced by him to the honour of Knighthood, with a present of a gold chain and a medal.

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His ardour of poetry still continued, and in 1700 he published a "Paraphrase on the Book of Job," and other parts of the Scripture. The same to the world a "Satire on Wit; year gave a proclamation of defiance to his rivals, that united almost all the poets against him, and which brought upon him lampoons and ridicule from every side. In 1705 he published "Eliza" in ten books, another heroic poem.

"

From this period he turned some of his thoughts to the celebration of living characters; he wrote a poem on the " Kit-cat Club," and Advice to the Poets how to celebrate the Duke of Marlborough. Some considerable time after, the poem of " Advice to a Weaver of Tapestry" appeared, which Steele, in the Tatler, treats with the utmost contempt.

In 1712 he published "Creation, a philosophical

Poem." Addison gives it the highest praise in the 339th Number of the Spectator. Dennis calls it "a Philosophical Poem, which has equaled that of Lucretius in the beauty of his versification, and infinitely surpassed it in the solidity and strength of his reasoning.

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This poem, if he had not written any thing else, would have transmitted him to posterity among the first favourites of the English muse.

When the "Spectator" stopped, he considered the polite world as destitute of entertainment ; and in concert with Mr. Hughes, who wrote every third paper, published three times a week the "Lay Monastery. This undertaking proceeded no further than to forty papers, which was afterwards collected into a volume, and called in the title a "Sequel to the Spectators."

Some years afterwards (1716 and 1717) he published two volumes of "Essays in Prose. " In August 22, 1716, he became one of the Elects of the College of Physicians, and was soon after (October 1) chosen Censor.

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He now began to think that his poem on "Creation would be imperfect, unless he likewise enforced the truth of Revelation; and for that purpose added another poem on " Redemption. He had likewise written before his "Creation" three books on the "Nature of Man"

"

In 1721 he produced a "New Version of the Psalms of David fitted to the Tunes used in the Churches," which being recommended by the archbishops and many bishops, obtained a licence

for its admission into public worship; but no admission has it yet obtained, nor has it any right to come where Brady and Tate have got possession.

He now again turned his mind to heroic poetry, and produced "Alfred" in 1733, an epic poem

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Johnson says,

of twelve books. It did not however add much to his reputation, and is by this time quite forgotten. He wrote several treatises on physic, and also engaged himself in theological controversy;. but the books which he published on those subjects are now not much noticed. He died on the eighth of October 1729. "As a writer, " Blackmore depended with great security on his own powers, and perhaps was for that reason less diligent in perusing books. His literature was, I think, but small. What he knew of antiquity I suspect him to have gathered from modern compilers: but, though he could not boast of much critical knowledge, his mind was stored with general principles, and he left minute researches to those whom he considered as little minds.

"With this disposition he wrote most of his poems. Having formed a magnificent design, he was careless of particular and subordinate elegancies; he studied no niceties of versification; he waited for no felicities of fancy; but caught his first thoughts in the first words in which they were presented nor does it appear that he saw beyond his own performances, or had even elevated his mind to that ideal perfection which every genius born to excel is condemned always to

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