CHARACTERS. 
The plan being seen by Gray, it 
Suggested to him one of a similar 
kind, but considerably enlarged and 
modified ; he designed to ascertain 
the origin of rhymes, and specimens, 
not only of the Provencal poetry 
(to which, alone, Pope seems to 
have adverted) but of the Scaldic, 
British, and Saxon, were to have 
been given; as, from all the differ- 
ent sources united, English poetry 
had its original; but the magnitude 
of the task, joined to a knowledge 
of Warton’s similar design, induced 
Gray entirely to abandon it. War- 
ton seems to have modelled, from a 
similar work, in Italian,. entitled 
L’Istoria della volgar Poesia scritta 
da Gio. Mario Crescimbeni. 
The History of English Poetry, is 
the most solid basis of our author’s 
reputation. Asone advantage of his 
plan was, that it marked the progress 
of our language, it may be doubted 
whether he ought not to have com- 
menced his history at an earlier pe- 
riod. An enquiry into Saxon po- 
etry, would not. have been irrele- 
vant to his subject. It has been 
observed, that his work is so dry 
and oppressive, as to subdue the ea-~ 
gerness of his readers, but it may be 
answered, that a work, abounding 
in disquisition, and replete with 
quotations, can hardly look for ex- 
tensive popularity; but, being ne- 
cessary to the ‘main obje¢t, fixes the 
charge of dryness, rather on the 
subject than the author, who, con- 
scious of its difficulties, has endea- 
voured to relieve the weight of his 
subjeét by occasional digression, 
such as the rise of the mysteries, in 
the 2d volume ; and on Dante’s In- 
ferno, in the 3d. For his abilities 
as a historian, antiquary, and critic, 
I would refer to the charaéter of 
Chaucer, in vol. I. and of lord Sur- 
773 
rey, in vol. 3; to the dissertations 
prefixed to the work; and to the 
surveys of the revival of learning, 
and of the poetry of queen Kliza- 
beth’s age, which respectively close 
the 2d and 3d volumes. In 1777, 
Mr. Warton published an 8vo. vo- 
lume of his poems, consisting, prin- 
cipally, of unpublished pieces. 
In the muniment-house of Win- 
ton college, is a most curious roll of 
W. of Wykeham’s house-keeping 
expences, for the year 1394. It is 
100 feet long and four broad, and, 
according to Mr. Warton, a most 
valuable record: he made an ab- 
stract of it, which he intended to 
publish. In 1782 or 1783, he pub- 
lisHed a history of Kiddington. It 
is an admirable specimen of paro- 
chial history. Without neglecting 
the natural produétions and curio- 
sities of the country, he unites with 
them other topics of interesting en- 
quiry. The church and other re- 
mains of ancient architecture and 
sculpture ; the division of property, 
and the families among whom it was 
distributed ; the events and rude 
monuments which constitute the mi- 
litary history of the place, are, in 
their turn, noticed: on all which 
topics, but especially on the last, 
the particular information brought 
forward, is interwoven with some 
that is more general. In the same 
year, he engaged in the Chattertoni- 
an controversy, to which he had 
adverted in the 2d volume of his 
history, declaring himself of opinion, 
that the poems were spurious, and 
published a pamphlet, entitled ‘* An 
Enquiry into the Authenticity of the 
Poems attributed to Thomas Row- 
ley,” confining his enquiry to the 
internal evidence of the poems. The 
arguments evince great perspicuity 
and discernment, and seem decisive 
3D 3 against 
