Why praife we, prodigal of fame, Whofe godlike bounty fparesmankind. ODE TO SUNDERLAND, Simple I, and innocent of art, The tale that footh'd my infant years impart, By Nature fitted for an humble theme, To tune a vulgar note in Echo's praise, AVhilft Echo's felf refounds the flatt'ring lays, Or whilft tell how Myra's charms furprise KENS.GARDEN, Paint rofes on her cheeks and funs within her eyes. OXFORE. EDINBURG: AT THE Apollo Pufs, BY THE MARTINS. THOMAS TICKELL. THIS gentleman, well known to the world by the friendship and intimacy which fubfifted between hin and Mr. Addifon, was the fon of the Rev. Richard Tickell, and was born in 1686 at Bridekirk in Cumberland. In 1701 he was fent to Queen's College Oxford, in 1708 he was made Master of Arts, and in 1710 was chofen Fellow, for which, as he did not comply with the statutes by taking orders, he obtained a difpenfation from the Crown. In the 1726 he married at Dublin, and in that year vacated his Fellowship. While he was at the univerfity he wrote fome beautiful verses addressed to Mr. Addison on his opera of Rofamond, which fo effectually recommended him to that gentleman that he held him in efleem ever afterwards. He produced another piece of the fame kind on Cato, but not with equal happiness. When Mr. Addison went into Ireland as Secretary to Lord Sunderland he carried Tickell with him and. employed him in business; and when he afterwards in the 1717 rose to be Secretary of State he conferred the place of Undersecretary on Mr. Tickell. On Mr. Addison's refigning the Secretaryship, Mr. Craggs who fucceeded him continued Tickell in his place, which he held till that gentleman's death. Mr. Addifon being a diffident man confulted with his friends about difpofing of fuch places as were immediately dependant on him, and communicated to Sir Richard Steele his defign of preferring Mr. Tickell to be his Undersecretary, which Sir Richard warmly oppofed, confidering Tickell as a petulant man. He obferved that Tickell was of a temper too enterprising to be governed, and as he had no opinion of his honour he did not know what might be the confequence if by infinuation and flattery, or by bolder means, he ever had an opportunity of raising himfelf. It holds pretty generallytrue that diffident people, under the appearance of distrusting their own opinions, are frequently positive, and though they pursue their refolutions with trembling, they feldom fail to pursue them. Mr. Addison had a little of this tem→ per; he could not be perfuaded to fet afide Mr. Tickell, nor even had caution to conceal from him Sir Richard's opinion. This produced a great animofity between Sir Richard and Tickell which fubfifted during their lives. Mr. Tickell, in his life of Addison, prefix'd to his own edition of that great man's works, (for when Addifon died he left him the charge of publifhing his works) throws out fome unmannerly reflections against Sir Richard, who was at that time in Scotland as one of the Commiffioners on the forfeited eftates. Upon Sir Richard's return to London he dedicates to Mr. Congreve Addison's comedy called The Drum mer, in which he takes occasion very smartly to retort upon Tickell, and clears himself of the imputa tion laid to his charge, namely that of valuing himfelf upon Mr. Addison's papers in The Spectator. It does not appear that Mr Tickell was in any refpect ungrateful to Mr. Addison, to whom he owed his promotion; on the contrary he embraced every opportunity to celebrate him, which he always performed with fo much zeal and earnestness that he seems to have retained the most lasting sense of his patron's favours. His verses on Rofamond are strikingly beautiful, and his Poem to the Earl of Warwick on the Death of Mr. Addison is extremely pathetick. About the 1713 Mr. Tickell published The Profpect of Peace, addreffed to his Excellency the Lord Privy Seal, which met with so favourable reception from the publick that six editions were speedily fold. Upon this poem Mr. Addison in The Spectator has bestowed many encomiums. The fentiments are na→ tural and obvious, but no way extraordinary. It is an affemblage of pretty notions poetically expreffed, but conducted with no kind of art, and altogether without a plan. The Royal Progress Mr. Tickell meant as a compliment to George I. on his arrival in the British do minions. This poem is mentioned in The Spectator in oppofition to fuch performances as are generally written in a fwelling ftyle, and in which the bombuft is mistaken for the sublime, |