Collected from various AUTHORS, as
-well as Private FRIENDS.

DWARD YOUNG, L.L.D. Author of the

E' Night Thoughts, and many other excellent Pieces,

was the only Son of Dr. Edward Young, an eminent,
learned and judicious Divine; Dean of Sarum, Fel-
low of Winchester College, and Rector of Upham, in
Hampshire. He was born in the Year 1684, at Up-
ham, and after being educated in Winchester College
was chosen on the Foundation of New College at Ox-
ford, October 13, 1703, when he was nineteen Years
of Age; but being fuperannuated, and there being
no Vacancy of a Fellowship, he removed before the
expiration of the Year to Corpus Chrifti, where he
entered himself a Gentleman Commoner.

In 1708, he was put into a Law Fellowship, at All
Souls, by Archbishop Tennison. Here he took the de-
gree of B.C,L. in 1714, and in 1719, D. C. L. In
this Year he published his Tragedy of Bufiris, in
1721, the Revenge, and in 1723, the Brothers; a-
bout this time he publifhed his elegant Poem on the

* Difqualified on account of his Years.

Laft

Laft Day, which being wrote by a Layman, gave the more Satisfaction. He foon after published the Force of Religion, or Vanquish'd Love, a Poem, which alfo gave much Pleasure, to most who read it, but more especially to the noble Family, for whofe Entertainment it was principally written. Some charge the Author with a Stiffness of Verfification in both thefe Poems; but they met with fuch fuccefs as to procure him the particular Friendship of feveral of the Nobility, and among the reft the Patronage of the Duke of Wharton, which greatly helped him in his Finances. By his Grace's Recommendation he put up for Member of Parliament for Cirencester, but did not fucceed. His Noble Patron honoured him with his Company to All Souls, and through his Inftance and Perfuafion was at the Expence of erecting a confiderable Part of the New Buildings then carrying on in that College. The Turn of his Mind leading him to Divinity, he quitted the Law, which he had never practifed, and taking Orders, he was apappointed Chaplain in Ordinary to King George II. April, 1728.

In that Year he published a Vindication of Providence in Quarto, and foon after, his Eftimate of Human Life in the fame fize; which have gone through feveral Editions in 12mo. and thought by many to be the best of his Profe Performances. In 1730, he was prefented by his College to the Rectory of Welwyn in Herefordshire, reputed worth 300l. a Year, befides the Lordship of the Manor annexed to it. He was married in 1731, to Lady Betty Lee, Widow of Colonel Lee, and Daughter to the Earl of Litchfield; (a Lady of an eminent Genius and great Poetical Talents) who brought him a Son and Heir not long after their Marriage.

Though always in high Esteem with many of the first Rank, he never refe to great Preferment. He was a Favourite of the late Prince of Wales, his prefent Majefty's Father, and for fome Years before his Death was a pretty constant Attendant at Court;

A 2

but

*He was naturally of an ambitious Temper and Dif pofition.

but

upon the Prince's Deceafe all his Hopes of farther rifing in the Church were at an End; and towards the latter part of his Life his very Defire of it feemed to be laid afide; for in his Night Thoughts he obferves that there was one, (meaning himself) in Britain born, with Courtiers bred, who thought even Wealth might come a Day too late; however upon the Death of Dr. Hales, in 1761, he was made Clerk of the Clofet to the Princess Dowager of Wales.

About the Year 1741 he had the Unhappinefs to lofe his Wife, and both her Children, which he had by her firft Hufband; a Son and Daughter, very promifing Characters. They all died within a fhort Time of each other: That he felt greatly for their Lofs, as well as for that of his Lady, may easily be perceived by his fine Poem of the Night Thoughts, occafioned by it. This was a fpecies of Poetry peculiarly his own, and has been unrivall'd by all who have attempted to copy him. His Applaufe here was defervedly great. The unhappy Bard" whofe Griefs in melting Numbers flow, and melancholy Joys diffufe around," has been often fung by the Profane as well as Pious. They were written, as before obferved, under the recent Preffure of his Sorrow for the Lofs of his Wife, and his Daughter and Son-inLaw; they are addreffed to Lorenzo, a Man of Pleafure, and the World, and who, it is generally fuppofed (and very probably) was his own Son, then labouring under his Father's Difpleafure. His Son-inLaw is faid to be characterized by Philander, and his Daughter was certainly the Perfon he speaks of under the Appellation of Narcissa: See Night 3, 1. 62. In her last Illness he accompanied her to Montpelier in the South of France, where fhe died foon after her arrival in the City.*

After her Death it seems she was denied Christian Burial on account of being reckoned a Heretic, by the Inhabitants of the Place, which Inhumanity is juftly

* She died of a Confùmption, occafioned by her Grief for the Death of her Mother.

+ The Priests refufing the Doctor Leave to bury his Daughter in one of their Church-yards, he was obliged,

justly refented in the fame beautiful Poem; See Night 3, Line 3, Line 165 in which his Wife alfo is frequently mentioned; and he thus laments the loss of all three in an Apoftrophe to Death.

• Infatiate Archer! could not one fuffice?

Thy fhaft flew thrice, and thrice my Peace was • flain;

And thrice, ere thrice yon Moen had fill'd her 'horn.

He wrote his Conjectures on Original Compofition when he was turn'd of Eighty: If it has Blemishes mixed with its Beauties it is not to be wondered at, when we confider his great Age and the many Infirmities which generally attend fuch an advanced Period of Life. However the many excellent Remarks this Work abounds with, make it juftly esteemed as a Brightening before his Death: The Refignation, a Poem, the last and leaft esteemed of all Dr. Young's Works, was published a fhort time before his Death, and only ferved to manifeft, the Taper of Genius which had fo long fhone with peculiar Brightness in him, was now glimmering in the Socket. He died in his Parfonage Houfe, at Welwyn, April 12th, 1765, and was buried according to his own Defire (attended by all the Poor of the Parish) under the Altar-Piece of that Church by the Side of his Wife*. This Altar-Piece is reckoned one of the most curious in the Kingdom, being adorned with an elegant Piece of Needle-Work by the Lady Betty Youngt.

Before

with the Affiftance of his Servant, to dig a Grave in a Field near Montpelier, where they depofited the body without the Help of any of the Inhabitants, who confider Proteftants in the fame light as they do brutes.

The Bell did not toll at his Funeral, nor was any Perfon allowed to be in Mourning.

;

In the Middle of it are infcribed thefe Words, I am the Bread of Life. On the North Side of the Chancel is this Infeription, as supposed by the Doctor's Order VIRGINIBUS Increase in Wisdom and Understanding; and oppofite, on the South Side, PUERISQUE-and in Favour with God and Man. See App. to Biog. Bri

Before the Doctor died he ordered all his Manufcripts to be burnt; thofe that knew how much he expreffed in a fmall Compafs, and that he never wrote on trivial Subjects, will lament both the Excefs of his Modefty (if I may fo term it) and the irreparable Lofs to Pofterity; especially when it is confidered, that he was the intimate Acquaintance of Addison, and was himself one of the Writers of the Spectators.

In his Life-time he published two or three Ser mons, one of which was preached before the House of Commons.- He left an only Son and Heir, Mr. Frederick Young, who had the first Part of his Education at Winchefter School, and becoming a Scholar upon the Foundation, was fent, in Confequence thereof, to New College in Oxford; but there being no Vacancy (though the Society waited for one no lefs than two Years,) he was admitted in the mean Time in Baliol College, where he behaved fo imprudently as to be forbidden the College. This mifconduct difobliged his Father fo much, that he never would fuffer him to come into his Sight afterwards: How ever by his will he bequeath'd to him, after a few Legacies, his whole Fortune, which was confiderable.

As a Chriftian and Divine, he might be faid to be an Example of primeval Piety; he gave a remarka ble Inftance of this one Sunday when preaching in his turn at St. James's; for though he ftrove to gain the Attention of his Audience, when he found he could not prevail, his Pity for their Folly got the better of all Decorum; he fat back in the Pulpit and burst into a Flood of Tears..

The Turn of his Mind was naturally folemn; and he ufually, when at Home in the Country, spent many Hours in a Day, walking among the Tombs in his own Church-yard: His Converfation as well as Writings, had all a Reference to a future Life; and this Turn of Mind. mixed itfelf even with his Improvements in Gardening, he had, for Inftance, an Alcove with a Bench, fo well painted in it, that at a Diftance it feemed to be real, but upon a nearer Approach the Deception was perceived, and this Motto appeared,