1801. ] d 
Shakefpeare, Beaumont and Fletcher, 
and our late elegant Mafon. Though 
deftitute of incident fufficient to ‘* elevate 
and furprife”’ the torpid intellect of a mo- 
dern audience, its characters are exqui- 
fitely finifhed, and may, even now, be 
efteemed in high prefervation and keeping ; 
with fome {mall allowance for the change 
of coftume, they being the immutable per- 
fonifications of fome more prominent paf- 
fion of the mind. One piéture, in parti- 
cular, that of the Voluptuary, Acolaftus, 
is inimnitably coloured; and, perhaps, 
fuperior to the vaunted Sir Epicure Mam- 
mon of his great model. Dodfley has pre- 
ferved this play in his valuable colleétion. 
His paftoral comedy, Amyzias, abounding 
in many ftrokes of beautiful fimplicity, 
and unconitrained pathos—his Fealous 
Lovers, approaching ftill nigher to the 
regular refinement of our day; and his 
Arifiippus, or Fovial Philofopher, on which 
batis all our dramatic fatires are founded, 
are not fo weil known; but a minute ana- 
lyfis of their feparate merit would be te- 
dious to fome, impertinent to a few, and 
unfatisfactory to all. I therefore fhall 
not confine my(felf to a difquifition at 
once nugatory and infuficient; but after 
having indulged in a few curfory but 
ftriking obfervations, endeavour to place 
his whole fum of perfeétion in the cleareft 
and moft captivating point of view. 
To enumerate his minor produétions, 
er even to mark their varied excellence, 
though to myfelf no unpleafing tat, 
would to others, I fear, be too barren of 
amufement or information. From notic- 
ing a few ina hafty manner I cannot re- 
frain. Such are his elegy entitled, “ Iz 
Anguem qui Lycorin indormientem am- 
plexus eff, with its Englifh paraphrafe ; 
his ¢* Epithalamium ;”’ his ¢¢ Parley with 
his empty Purfe;’’ and, above all, his 
<* Paftoral Courtfhip;”’ which, for tender- 
nefs of thought, and luxuriance of ex- 
preflion, has, in my opinion, the mof 
confummate advantage over-any poem of 
the fame amatory ftrain in any language. 
It is profule in rich fentiment of the mot 
infinuating kind, and has been frequently 
copied without one grateful avowal. Of 
this affertion I fhall only produce one in- 
ftance; but one, indeed, very extraordi- 
nary, as it has efcaped the attention of a 
critical meltitude. The author of the 
beautiral iittle opera of Lowvein a Village, 
which (though on his part compofed of 
*‘fhreds and patches,” from other re- 
fourfes) will ever be a favourite with the 
flage, has been ftigmatifed as a plagiaritt ; 
but the identica] plagiarifin has not been 
2 
Account of Thomas Randolph, the Poet. 
a7 
diftin&tly proved. The primary concep- 
tion of fome charming ideas: introduced 
into the celebrated air of ** My Dolly was 
the faireft Thing !”’ in that opera, has been 
attributed to Charles Fohnfon, from whom 
nearly the entire plot was borrowed, 
though but a very fmall portion of the | 
dition. In faét, the fong in difpute pro- 
perly belonged to neither; as any perfon 
may perceive by comparing its general 
turn to thefe detached lines of RaNDoLPHe. 
Thou art my all; the {pring remains 
In the fair violets of thy vains ; 
And that it is afummer’s day 
Ripe cherries in thy lips difplay. 
And when fer Autumn I would feck, 
Tis in the Apples of thy cheek. 
But that which only moves my fmart 
Is to fee Winter in thy heart. 
The figurative fuperiority of thefe 
verfes is eafily diftinguifhed, for felony in 
the poetical, asin the moral world, always 
lurks under a cloud, and feldom enjoys 
any ill-attained acquifition in its original 
luftre, currency, or value. 
To comprefs the characteriftics of this 
furprifing young genius, of whom the 
world was deprived before he had gained 
the fixed date of maturity in mental ac~ 
complifhments, let me briefly diftinguifh 
hisipeculiar adornments. His phrafeology, 
concife but fluent, is feldom incumbered 
by that pedantry fo fafhionable in his 
age: it is a precious filk, tiffued, indeed, 
with every flower of learning, and diver- 
fified with all the rainbow-hues of imagi- 
nation, but not glaring with falfe tinfel, 
or ftiff with unwieldy ornament: his hu- 
mour is fportive and general, and, as fuch, 
even at this period, pleafing and unim- 
paired. _ It is recorded of him, as of our- 
immortal dramatift, which will appear 
problematic in the pupil of the laborious 
Ben, that he never made a blot, yet all 
is chafte, energetic, and correct. His 
imagery is always brilliant, always appro- 
priate ; no flights of extravagant phrenzy, 
yet no depreflions of intelleétual defpair ; 
what Michael Drayton, whofe Poly-olbion 
will ever render him venerable as a na- 
tional poet, faid of the difaftrous, but 
charming Marlow, may, with more juf- 
tice be applied to him ; for, certainly, if 
I may be fuffered to truft my own feelings, 
my favourite 
bath’d in the Thefpian fpringsy 
Had in him thofe brave tranflunary things 
That the firft poets had; his raptures were 
All ayre, and fire, which made his verfes 
cleere, 
For that fine madnes ftill he did retaine 
Which rightly fhould poffefie a poets braine. 
Qgqz Nor 
