fublimity; he will be allowed, if he has less fire, to have more smoke. He has added nothing to English poetry, yet at least half his book deferves to be read; perhaps he valued most himself that part, which the critick would reject. WEST. W E S T. G ILBERT WEST is one of the writers of whom I regret my inability to give a fufficient account; the intelligence which my enquiries have obtained is general and scanty. He was the son of the reverend Dr. Weft; perhaps him who published Pindar at Oxford about the beginning of this century. His mother was fifter to Sir Richard Temple, afterwards lord Cobham. His father, purpofing to educate him for the Church, fent him firft to Eton, and afterwards to Oxford; but he was feduced to a more airy mode of life, by a commiffion in a troop of horse pro-, cured him by his uncle. He He continued fome time in the army; though it is reasonable to fuppofe that he never funk into a mere foldier, nor ever loft the. love or much neglected the pursuit of learning; and afterwards, finding himself more inclined to civil employment, he laid down his commiffion, and engaged in bufinefs under the lord Townshend, then secretary of state, with whom he attended the king to Hanover. His adherence to lord Townshend ended in nothing but a nomination (May 1729) to be clerk-extraordinary of the Privy Council, which produced no immediate profit; for it only placed him in a state of expectation and right of fucceffion, and it was very long before a vacancy admitted him to profit. Soon afterwards he married, and settled himself in a very pleasant house at Wickham in Kent, where he devoted himself to learning, and to piety. Of his learning the late Collection exhibits evidence, which would have been yet fuller if the differtations which accompany his verfion of Pindar had not been |