fore her the whole feries of his mother's cru-elty, expofed the improbability of an accufation by which he was charged with an intent to commit a murder that could produce no advantage, and foon convinced her how little his former conduct could deferve to be mentioned as a reafon for extraordinary feverity. The interpofition of this Lady was fo fuccefsful, that he was foon after admitted to bail, and, on the 9th of March 17:8, pleaded the King's pardon. It is natural to enquire upon what motives his mother could perfecute him in a manner fo outrageous and implacable; for what reafon the could employ all the arts of malice, and all the fnares of calumny, to take away the life of her own fon, of a fon who never injured her, who was never fupported by her expence, nor obftructed any profpect of pleasure or advan tage; why the should endeavour to deftroy him by a lye-a lye which could not gain credit, but muft vanish of itself at the first moment of examination, and of which only this can be faid. to make it probable, that it may be obferved. from her conduct, that the most execrable crimes are fometimes committed without apparent temptation. This mother is ftill alive, and may perhaps even yet, though her malice was fo often defeated, enjoy the pleasure of reflecting, that the the life, which fhe often endeavoured to deftroy, was at least shortened by her maternal offices; that though fhe could not tranfport her fon to the plantations, bury him in the flop of a mechanic, or haften the hand of the public executioner, the has yet had the fatisfaction of imbittering all his hours, and forcing him into exigencies that hurried on his death. It is by no means neceffary to aggravate the enormity of this woman's conduct, by placing it in oppofition to that of the Counters of Hertford; no one can fail to obferve how much more amiable it is to relieve, than to opprefs, and to rescue innocence from deftruction, than to deftroy without an injury. Mr. Savage, during his imprisonment, his trial, and the time in which he lay under fentence of death, behaved with great firmnefs and equality of mind, and confirmed by his fortitude the esteem of those who before admired him for his abilities. The peculiar circumftances of his life were made more generally known by a fhort account *, which was then published, and of which feveral thousands were in a few weeks dispersed over the nation; and the compaffion of mankind operated fo powerfully in his favour, that he was enabled, by *Written by Mr. Beckingham and another gentleman. d4 frequent frequent prefents, not only to fupport himself, but to aflift Mr. Gregory in prifon; and, when he was pardoned and releafed, he found the number of his friends not leffened. The nature of the act for which he had been tried was in itself doubtful; of the evidences which appeared against him, the character of the man was not unexceptionable, that of the women notorioufly infamous: fhe, whofe teftimony chiefly influenced the jury to condemn him, afterwards retracted her affertions. He always himself denied that he was drunk, as had been generally reported. Mr. Gregory, who is now Collector of Antigua, is faid to declare him far lefs criminal than he was imagined, even by fome who favoured him: and Page himself afterwards confeffed, that he had treated him with uncommon rigour. When all thefe particulars are rated together, perhaps the memory of Savage may not be much fullied by his trial. Some time after he had obtained his liberty, he met in the street the woman that had fworn with fo much malignity against him. She informed him, that he was in diftrefs, and, with a degree of confidence not easily attainable, defired him to relieve her. He, inftead of infulting her mifery, and taking pleasure in the calamities of one who had brought his life into danger, reproved her gently for her perjury; and, changing changing the only guinea that he had, divided. it equally between her and himself. This is an action which in fome ages would have made a faint, and perhaps in others a hero, and which, without any hyperbolical encomiums, must be allowed to be an inftance of uncommon generofity, an act of complicated virtue; by which he at once relieved the poor, corrected the vicious, and forgave an enemy; by which he at once remitted the strongest provocations, and exercifed the most ardent charity. Compaffion was indeed the diftinguishing quality of Savage; he never appeared inclined to take advantage of weaknefs, to attack the de-. fenceless, or to prefs upon the falling whoever was distressed was certain at least of his good wifhes; and when he could give no affistance to extricate them from misfortunes, he endeavoured to footh them by fympathy and tendernefs. But when his heart was not foftened by the fight of mifery, he was fometimes obftinate in. his refentment, and did not quickly lofe the remembrance of an injury. He always continued to speak with anger of the infolence and parti-. ality of Page, and a short time before his death. revenged it by a fatire *. *Printed in this Volume. It It is natural to enquire in what terms Mr. Savage spoke of this fatal action, when the dan ger was over, and he was under no neceffity of ufing any art to fet his conduct in the fairest light. He was not willing to dwell upon it; and if he tranfiently mentioned it, appeared neither to confider himself as a murderer, nor as a man wholly free from the guilt of blood*. How much and how long he regretted it, appeared in a poem which he published many years afterwards. On occafion of a copy of verfes, in which the failings of good men were recounted, and in which the author had endeavoured to illuftrate his pofition, that "the best "may fometimes deviate from virtue," by an inftance of murder committed by Savage in the heat of wine, Savage remarked, that it was no very just representation of a good man, to fuppofe him liable to drunkenneis, and difpofed in his riots to cut throats. He was now indeed at liberty, but was, as before, without any other fupport than accidental favours and uncertain patronage afforded him; fources by which he was fometimes very liberally fupplied, and which at other times. were fuddenly stopped; fo that he spent his life *In one of his letters he tiles it "a fatal quarrel, but too-well known." between |