behold the ruins of genius, or the weakness of an exalted mind, let them be taught to lament that nature has left the nobleft of their works imperfect.

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 obscu、 rity, 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 disguised, that it shall become difficult for the hiftorian to separate truth from falfhood.

Of our exalted poet, whofe life, though far from being popular, did not altogether pass 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 fprings; a species of curiofity, which, as it seems

to be inftinctive, 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.

CHICHESTER, a city in Suffex, had the honour of giving birth to the author of the following poems, about the year 1721. His father, who was a reputable tradefman in that city, intended him for the fervice of the church; and with this view, in the year 1733, he was admitted a scholar of that illuftrious feminary of genius and learning, Winchefter college, where fo many diftinguished men of letters, fo many excellent poets have received their claffical education. Here he had the good fortune to continue feven years under the care of the very learned Dr. Burton; and at the age of nineteen, in the year 1740, he had merit fufficient to procure a distinguished place in the lift of those scholars, who are elected, upon the foundation of Winchester, to New College in Oxford. But as there were then no vacancies in that society, he was admitted a commoner of Queen's College in the fame university; where he continued till July 1741, when he was elected a demy of Magdalen College. During his refidence at Queen's, he was at once diftinguished for genius and indolence; his

exercifes, when he could be prevailed upon to write, bearing the vifible characteristics of both. This remifs and inattentive habit might probably arise, in some measure, from difappointment: he had, no doubt, indulged very high ideas of the academical mode of education, and when he found science within the fetters of logic and of Ariftotle, it was no wonder if he abated of his diligence to fcek her where the fearch was attended with artifi cial perplexities, and where, at last, the pursuer would grafp the shadow for the fubftance.

WHILE he was at Magdalen College, he applied himself chiefly to the cultivation of poetry, and wrote the epiftle to Sir Thomas Hanmer, and the Oriental Eclogues, which, in the year 1742, were published under the title of Perfian Eclogues.-The fuccefs of these poems was far from being equal to their merit; but to a novice in the pursuit of fame, the least encouragement is fufficient: if he does not at once acquire that reputation to which his merit intitles him, he embraces the encomiums of the few, forgives the many, and intends to open their eyes to the striking beauties of his next Publication.

WITH prospects fuch as thefe, probably, Mr. Collins indulged his fancy, when, in the year 1743,

after having taken the degree of a batchelor of arts, he left the univerfity, and removed to London.

To a man of fmall fortune, a liberal spirit, and uncertain dependencies, the metropolis is a very dangerous place. Mr. Collins had not been long in town before he became an inítance of the truth of this obfervation. His pecuniary refources were exhausted, and to restore them by the exertion of genius and learning, though he wanted not the power, he had neither fteadiness nor induftry. His neceffities, indeed, fometimes carried him as far as a scheme, or a title page for a book; but, whether it were the power of diffipation, or the genius of repose that interfered, he could proceed no farther. Several books were projected, which he was very able to execute; and he became, in idea, an historian, a critic, and a dramatic poet by turns. At one time he determined to write an history of the revival of Letters; at another to tranflate and comment upon Ariftotle's Poetics; then he turned his thoughts to the Drama, and proceeded fo far towards a tragedy-as to become acquainted with the manager.

UNDER this unaccountable diffipation, he suffered the greatest inconveniencies. Day fucceeded day, for the fupport of which he had made no pro. vifion, and in which he was to fubfift either by the

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long-repeated contributions of a friend, or the generofity of a cafual acquaintance.-Yet indolence triumphed at once over want and shame; and neither the anxieties of poverty, nor the heart-burning of dependance had power to animate refolution to perfeverance.

As there is a degree of depravity into which if a man falls, he becomes incapable of attending to any of the ordinary means that recall men to virtue, fo there are fome circumftances of indigence fo extremely degrading, that they destroy the influences of shame itself; and most spirits are apt to sink, under their oppreffion, into a fullen and unambitious defpondence.

HOWEVER this might be with regard to Mr. Collins, we find that, in the year 1746, he had spirit and resolution enough to publish his Odes defcriptive and allegorical. Mr. MILLAR, a bookfeller in the Strand, and a favourer of genius, when once it has made its way to fame, published them ON THE AUTHOR'S ACCOUNT. - He hap pened, indeed, to be in the right not to publish them on his own; for the fale was by no means fuccessful and hence it was that the author, conceiving a just indignation against a blind and taste. lefs age, burnt the remaining copies with his own hands.

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