they confift of proper words in proper

places.

To divide this Collection into claffes, and fhew how fome pieces are grofs, and fome are trifling, would be to tell the reader what he knows already, and to find faults of which the author could not be ignorant, who certainly wrote often not to his judgement, but his humour.

It was faid, in a Preface to one of the Irish editions, that Swift had never been known to take a fingle thought from any writer, ancient or modern. This is not literally true; but perhaps no writer can easily be found that has borrowed fo little, or that in all his excel

lencies

lencies and all his defects has fo well

maintained his claim to be confidered as original.

JOHN

old family that had been long in poffeffion of the manour of Goldworthy in Devonshire, was born in 1688, at or near Barnstaple, where he was educated by Mr. Luck, who taught the fchool of that town with good reputation, and, a little before he retired from it, published a volume of Latin and Englifh verfes. Under fuch a mafter he was likely to form a taste for poetry. Being

* Goldworthy does not appear in the Villare.

born without profpect of hereditary riches, he was fent to London in his youth, and placed apprentice with a filk mercer.

How long he continued behind the counter, or with what degree of foftness and dexterity he received and accommodated the ladies, as he probably took no delight in telling it, is not known. The report is, that he was foon weary of either the reftraint or fervility of his occupation, and eafily perfuaded his master to difcharge him.

The dutchefs of Monmouth, remarkable for inflexible perfeverance in her demand to be treated as a princess, in 1712 took Gay into her service as fecretary by quitting a fhop for fuch fervice he might gain leifure, but he cer

tainly

tainly advanced little in the boaft of independence. Of his leifure he made fo good use, that he published next year a poem on Rural Sports, and inscribed it to Mr. Pope, who was then rifing faft into reputation. Pope was pleafed with the honour; and when he became acquainted with Gay found fuch attractions in his manners and converfation, that he seems to have received him into his inmoft confidence; and a friendship was formed between them which lafted to their feparation by death, without any known abatement on either part. Gay was the general favourite of the whole affociation of wits; but they regarded him as a play-fellow rather than a part

A 2