the foundation of Winchester, to New College in Oxford. But as there were then no vacancies in that fociety, he was admitted a commoner of Queen's College in the fame univerfity; 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 distinguished for genius and indolence; his exercises, when he could be prevailed upon to write, bearing the vifible characteristics of both. This remifs and inattentive habit might probably arise, in fome 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

abated of his diligence, to feek her where the fearch was attended with artificial perplexities, and where, at last, the pursuer would grafp the fhadow for the fubftance.

WHILE he was at Magdalen College, he applied himself chiefly to the cultivation of poetry, and wrote the epistle to Sir Thomas Hanmer, and the Oriental Eclogues, which, in the year 1742, were first 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 leaft 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 ftriking beauties of his next Publication.

WITH profpects 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 instance of the truth of this obfervation.-His pecuniary resources were exhaufted, and to restore them by the exertion of ge

nius

nius and learning, though he wanted not the power, he had neither steadiness nor industry. His neceffities, indeed, fometimes carried him as far as a scheme, or a title page for a book;

At

but, whether it were the power of diffipation, or the genius of repofe 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 dramatick poet by turns. one time he determined to write an hif tory 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 so far towards a tragedy-as to become acquainted with the manager.

UNDER

UNDER this unaccountable diffipation, he fuffered the greatest inconveniences. Day fucceeded day, for the fupport of which he had made no provifion, and

in which he was to fubfift either by the long-repeated contributions of a friend, or the generofity of a cafual acquaintance. Yet indolence triumphed at once over want and fhame; and neither the anxieties of poverty, nor the heart-burning of dependence 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 circumstances of indigence fo extremely degrading, that

they