Ode to Mercy,

ibid.

162

Ode to Liberty,

Ode to a Lady, on the Death

of Colonel Charles Rofs in the Action

of Fontenoy. Written in May, 1745, 167 Ode to Evening,

168

The Manners. An Ode, 174

The Paffions, An Ode for

Mufic,

178

An Epiftle to Sir Thomas

Hanmer, on his Edition of Shakespear's

Works,

182

Dirge in Cymbeline,

183

MEMOIRS

MEMOIRS

OF THE

AUTHOR.

THE

HE enthusiasm of poetry, like that of religion, has frequently a pow erful influence on the conduct of life, and either throws it into the retreat of uniform obfcurity, or marks it with irregularities that lead to mifery and difquiet. The gifts of imagination bring the heaviest task upon the vigilance of reafon; and to bear thofe faculties with unerring rectitude, or invariable propriety, requires a degree of firmnefs and

of cool attention, which doth not always attend the higher gifts of the mind. Yet, difficult as nature herself seems to have rendered the task of regularity to genius, it is the fupreme confolation of dulnefs and of folly, to point with gothic triumph to thofe exceffes, which are the overflowings of faculties they never enjoyed. Perfectly unconscious that they are indebted to their ftupidity for the confiftency of their conduct, they plume themselves on an imaginary vir tue, which has its origin in what is really their disgrace.- Let fuch, if fuch dare approach the fhrine of COLLINS, withdraw to a respectful distance, and, should they behold the ruins of genius, or the weakness of an exalted mind, let

them be taught to lament that nature

has

has left the nobleft of her works im

perfect.

OF fuch men of genius as have borne no public character, it feldom happens that any memoirs can be collected, of confequence enough to be recorded by the biographer. If their lives pass in obfcurity, they are generally too uniform to engage our attention; if they cultivate and obtain popularity, envy, and malignity will mingle their poison with the draughts of praise; and through the industry of those unwearied fiends, their reputation will be fo chequered, and their characters fo much difguifed, that it fhall become difficult for the hiftorian to feparate truth from falfehood.

Of our exalted poet, whofe life, though far from being popular, did not altogether pafs in privacy, we meet with few other accounts than fuch as the life of every man will afford, viz. when he was born, where he was educated, and where he died. Yet even these fimple memoirs of the man, will not be unacceptable to those who admire the poet: for we never receive pleasure without a defire to be acquainted with the fource from whence it springs; a fpecies of curiofity, which, as it feems to be instinctive, was, probably, given us for the noble end of gratitude; and, finally, to elevate the enquiries of the mind to that fountain of perfection from which all human excellence is derived.

CHI