Young perhaps afcribed the good fortune of Addison to the Poem to his Majesty, prefented, with a copy of verses, to Somers; and hoped that he alfo might foar to wealth and honours on wings of the fame kind. His firft poetical flight was when Queen Anne called up to the Houfe of Lords the fons of the Earls of Northampton and Aylesbury, and added, in one day, ten others to the number of Peers. In order to reconcile the people to one at least of the new Lords, he published in 1712 An Epistle to the Right Honourable George Lord Lanjdowne. In this compofition the poet pours out his panegyrick with the extravagance of a young man, who thinks his prefent

ftock

ftock of wealth will never be ex

haufted.

The poem feems intended also, to reconcile the publick to the late peace. This is endeavoured to be done by fhewing that men are flain in war, and that in peace harvests wave and commerce fwells her fail. If this be humanity, it is not politicks. Another purpose of this epiftle appears to have been to prepare the publick for the reception of fome tragedy of his own. His Lordhip's patronage, he fays, will not let him repent his passion for the stage and the particular praife beftowed on Othello and Oroonoko feems to fhew that fome fuch character as Zanga was even then

in

in contemplation. The affectionate mention of the death of his friend Harrison

of New College, at the clofe of this

1

poem, is an inftance of Young's art, which difplayed itfelf fo fully thirty years afterwards in the Night Thoughts, of making the publick a party in his private forrow.

Should justice call upon you to cenfure this poem, it ought at least to be remembered that he did not infert it into his works; and that in the letter to Curl, as we have feen, he advises its omiffion. The bookfellers, in the prefent Body of English Poetry, fhould have diftinguished what was deliberately rejected by the refpective authors. This I fhall be careful to do with regard to Young.

Young. "Ithink, fays he, the following "pieces in four volumes to be the most "excufeable of all that I have written;

>

" and I with less apology was needful for

thefe. As there is no recalling what "is got abroad, the pieces here re"published I have revised and corrected, "and rendered them as pardonable as it

was in my power to do."-Shall the gates of repentance be shut only against literary finners?

When Addison published Cato in 1713, Young had the honour of prefixing to it a recommendatory copy of verfes. This is one of the pieces which the author of the Night Thoughts did not republish.

On

4

the

On the appearance of his Poem on the Laft Day, Addifon did not return Young's compliment; but The Englishman of October 29, 1713, which was probably written by Addifon, fpeaks handfomely of this poem. The Last Day was published foon after the peace. The vice-chancellor's imprimatur (for it was first printed at Oxford) is dated May the 19th, 1713. From the Exordium Young appears to have spent fome time on the compofition of it. While other bards with Britain's hero fet their fouls on fire, he draws, he fays, a deeper fcene. Markborough had been confidered by Britain as her hero; but, when the Laft Day was published, female cabal had blafted for

a time the laurels of Blenheim. This