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As I happen to have by me a little ballad of his compofition, I 

 fhall here fubjoin it, and deprecate the feverity of critics with 

 regard to the words, by mentioning that it was written by a child 

 of nine years old n . Little Wefley had fcarcely caft his eyes over 

 it but he fat down to his harpfichord, and fung the following air, 

 which I conceive to have the true melody and fimplicity proper 

 for a ballad. In this compliance he ihewed his readinefs to oblige ; 

 and I may add, his condefcenfion, as he would have rather chofen 

 a harder talk mould have been impofed upon him, if any thing 

 could be difficult to his furprifmg verfatility of invention, adapt- 

 ing itfelf inftantaneoufly to every fpecies of compofition. 



n Mafter Thomas Percy (a nephew of the prefent dean of Carllile and 

 born Sept. 1 3th, 1768) who hath written the firil canto of an Epic Poem, 

 confiiling of more than 600 lines, the fubjedt, being the Jnvafion of Bri- 

 tain by Julius Qefar ; as alfo the firil acl: of a tragedy, founded upon a 

 Peruvian ftory. In both of thefe there are ilrong marks of a mofl early 

 genius for poetry, which he likewife recites admirably well upon the 

 firil ilool you may place him. I aiked this wonderful boy how many 

 books he intended to divide his Epic Poem into ; when he anfwered, that 

 he could not well bring all his matter into lefs than twenty-four. 



He was carried to the Mufeum at Leiceiler-houfe (being himfelf a 

 virtuofo) foon after which he expreifed his admiration of what he had 

 feen in fome verfes addreifed to Sir AJhton Lever, in which he noticed 

 moil kind of the natural productions in that moil capital collection. I 

 happen to recoiled: one of the lines, which may give fome idea of the 

 other parts of the poem : 



" Here crocodiles extend their fcaly length." 



I ihould rather fuppofe, that no other verfes are to be found upon the 

 fame fubjedt ; and therefore Mailer Percy, on this occafion, could not 

 have been affiiled by imitation. If it is wifhed to fee the whole poem, 

 the Gentleman's Magazine for June, 1779, p. 3 r 9, may be confulted ; 

 as alfo the fame compilation for a paftoral, written by him, at a ilill 

 earlier age. See that for April, 1778, p. 183. Both the fong here in- 

 ferted, and the verfes addreifed to Sir Aihton Lever, are printed as they 

 were hailily written. The pailoral indeed was corrected by Mailer Percy 

 himfelf, before it was publiihed in the Magazine ; for this early genius 

 hath, in fome inilances, given a patient revifal of his little labours. 



SONG, 



