Have you not read the Holy Writ

Juft publish'd by a reverend wit?*
That every actor, is a thing,
A Merry Andrew paper king;
A puppet made of rags and wood,
The lowest fon of earth, mere mud;
Mere public game, where'er you meet him,
And coblers as they please may treat him?
Slave, coxcomb, venal, and what not?
Ten thoufand names that I've forgat-
Then rifque not thus a precious life
In fuch a low, unnat'ral ftrife;
And fure to ftab him would be cruel;
I vote for arfenic in his gruel."

The chairman closes the debate, by affuring them that he has found out a more mortal weapon than poison or the sword.

Then from his bofom forth he drew
A crow-quill pen-" Behold, for you,
And your revenge, this inftrument!
From hell it came, to me 'twas fent:
Within is poison, sword, and all 1;
Its point a dagger dipt in gall.
Keen ling'ring pangs the foe fhall feel,
While clouds the hand that ftabs conceal.

* Supposed to be written by a Methodist divine.

With this, while living, I'll, diffect him
Create his errors, then detect them;
Swell tiny faults to monftrous fize,
Then point them out to pur-blind eyes.
Attended with fome noify cit,

Of ftrong belief, but puny wit,
I'll take my feat, be rude and loud,
That each remark may reach the croud;
At Lear will laugh, be hard as rocks,
And fit at Scrub like barbers blocks:
ba
When all is ftill, we'll roar like thunder
When all applaud, be mute, and wonder
In this I boaft uncommon merit;
I like, have prais'd his genius, fpirit:
His various pow'rs, I own, divert me;
"Tis, his fuccess alone has hurt me....! ›

A

1

Churchill drew his rough, but masterly pen, again Fitz-k; and, in fifty expreffive lines, defcribed one of the most odious characters that nature is capable of producing!

Mr. Fitz-k, whatever his feelings might be from the Fribbleriad, fmothered his refentment, till it burft forth in the riot which he raised on account of the playhoufe charges.

CHAP.

CHAP. XXXII.

•His ac

Author of Elvira-Some account of him→ His firft poetical production<quaintance with Mr. Pope and lord Bolingbroke-Tragedy of Euridice-Alfred, in conjunction with Mr. Thomfon-Anecdote of Thomson Tragedy of Muftapha Appointed to write the life of the duke of Marlborough with Mr. Glover-Alfred Revived The publisher of Bolingbroke's works Behaviour to a printer-Stratagem to get Elvira acted

-Success of it Mallet's religious principles-A remarkable ftory-His Death.

EFORE I take notice of the fuccefs

BEFO

which followed Elvira in 1763, the reader may poffibly defire to peruse some account of Mr. Mallet, the author, who had, long before that period, written several dramatic compofitions, which were acted at the fame theatre of Drury-lane.

This actor was, when very young, janitor of the High School of Edinburgh. His real name was Macgregor, a member of a Scotch clan, which had rendered themfelves fo notorious, as well as obnoxious, for acts of violence and robbery, that they were obliged, by an act of parliament, to change the name of Macgregor for another. Our author chofe that of Malloch; but after having ufed it fome time, and figned it to a dedication, he thought it founded fo unpolitely and was fo unharmonious, that he afterwards foftened it into Mallet. The first production of his mufe, and when he was very young, was a fweet and plaintive ballad called William and Margaret. Captain Thompson, the editor of Andrew Marvell's works, declares that he found this poetical nofegay among many other productions of the fame author in a folio MS. of his works, and with feveral poems published by Mr. Addison in the Spectator.

The English poetry, in Marvell's time, was certainly not arrived at that elegance

and

and harmony fo vifible in the fong of William and Margaret, and the hymus and verfions of pfalms in the Spectator; which latter bear evident marks of their being Mr. Addison's own compofition. Nor can I presume to rob Mr. Mallet of the merit of writing William and Margaret, on fo flender a proof as that of its being found in a volume of manufcript poems attributed to Mr. Marvell, a name which deferves to be revered by every fincere lover of his country. Mr. Mallet having diftinguished himself as a man of learning and capacity, was appointed private tutor to his grace the duke of Montrofe, and his brother, lord George Graham. Soon after, he went abroad with Mr. Craggs; and after he returned to England, he wrote his tragedy of Eurydice, which was acted at the theatre in Drurylane in 1731. Aaron Hill wrote the prologue and epilogue, and was enthusiastically warm in his praises of the play, though he found great fault with the acting of it. Eurydice is not written to the heart; the language is not original in many places, but borrowed from other plays; nor are the fituations