CHARACTERS. 



647 



and the parallel in what has been, 

 is carried on with such force to 

 what shall be, that the future al- 

 most becomes present ; and we 

 wonder at the new power of those 

 truths, of which we never doubted 

 the reality and importance." 



Soon after the appearance of 

 Swift's Letters, our author com- 

 menced a translation of Fenelon's 

 Telemachus, which was published 

 in 1768, in one volume, ^to. No 

 person could have been selected 

 better calculated to do justice to 

 the epic romance of the amiable 

 archbishop of Cambray than 

 Hawkesworth. The harmonious 

 style, the glowing sentiment, the 

 elegant and classical imagery of 

 the original, were transfused with- 

 out any diminution of their wonted 

 lustre ; and the version may be 

 pronounced not only far superior 

 to any other which we possess of 

 Telemachus, but one of the most 

 spirited and valuable in our lan- 

 guage. 



The celebrity which Dr. Hawkes- 

 worth had now attained, as a lite- 

 rary character, was aided by the 

 friendship of Garrick, who recom- 

 mended our author to lord Sand- 

 wich ; the mean of procuring for 

 him one of the most honourable 

 and lucrative engagements that 

 has been recorded in the annals of 

 literature. 



The anxiety of the public to be 

 acquainted with the events which 

 had befallen the navigators of the 

 southern hemisphere, at the com- 

 mencement of the present reign, 

 was greatly increased by the re- 

 turn of lieutenant Cook from his 

 first voyage round the globe, in 

 May, 1771 ; and government, in 

 the following year, entrusted to 



Hawkesworth the task of gratify- 

 ing the general curiosity. 



A few attempts, in the mean 

 time, had been made, though with 

 little success, to anticipate the au- 

 thenticated narrative, which came 

 forth so early as 1773, under the 

 following title : " An Account of 

 the Voyages undertaken, by the 

 Order of his present Majesty, for 

 making Discoveries in the South- 

 ern Hemisphere, &c. Drawn up 

 from the Journals which were 

 kept by the several Commanders, 

 and from the Papers of Joseph 

 Banks, Esq. By John Hawkes- 

 worth, LL. D. Illustrated with 

 Cuts, and a great variety of Charts 

 and Maps relative to Countries 

 now first discovered, or hitherto 

 but imperfectly known." Quarto, 

 3 vols. 



In order that a work, which 

 might properly be termed na- 

 tional, should appear with every 

 requisite illustration, government 

 withheld no necessary expense. 

 Dr. Hawkesworth had the princely 

 remuneration of six thousand 

 pounds ; and the charts, engrav- 

 ings, and maps, were executed in 

 a very splendid, and, with a few 

 exceptions, in a very correct man- 

 ner. The first volume includes 

 the journals of Byron, Wallis, and 

 Carteret ; and the second and 

 third are occupied by the still 

 more interesting voyage of Cook. 



The merits and defects of 

 Hawkesworth, in the execution of 

 this work, are very prominent. 

 Of his fidelity, as to matter of 

 fact, there can be no doubt, since 

 the manuscript of each voyage 

 was submitted to the perusal of 

 the respective commanders, and 

 received their correction and ap- 



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