DEAR SIR, WH No. XLI. FROM DR. JOSEPH WARTON. HILST I was searching our College Register in compliance with your request, we received that dreadful Blow of our poor Warden's death; with which I must own to you I was so struck and confounded, that it put all other thoughts quite out of my head. This was followed by some events very interesting to Us here; especially one, that was well worth attending to, which was the near prospect of having Dr. Lowth for our Warden. This he will explain to you. I mention these circumstances as having engrossed my attention, and having compelled me to do a thing which I entreat you to pardon, the neglecting to answer your very kind letter. You may depend on Master Massingberd's meeting with all the Tenderness and Care, it is in my power to bestow on Him; not only for his own sake, who appears by your account so well to deserve countenance and encouragement, but most certainly on account also of your warm recommendation. I have ever made it my business particularly to attend to Lads of that temper and turn, of which you describe him to be. As soon as I can again get access to our Registers I shall proceed in my search about the entrances you mention: and in the mean time inform you, that Dr. Burton assures me, the whole of Needs's Story* was a Trick, concerted to im *Note on Dr. Warton's letter No. 41. from Mr. Spence's papers. Dr. Burton thinks Needs' story an idle one. He was a loose, idle boy. His first account was, that K. Charles II. came to him with a pipe in his mouth, whilst he was at the Foricas, and told him, that the old chaplain, and the bishop of Winchester would die that year. He went afterwards on Midsummer eve into the chapel porch, and there fell asleep. Whilst he was there, Charles Coker pull'd off his gown and waistcoat, and walked by him in his shirt to frighten him. This waked him, and he said, he should die, because he found he had been asleep; for it was believed, pose on Dr. Fletcher. Needs was known to be drunk that night, and the Story was contrived to alarm his Masters with something Extraordinary, and by that means, turn off their attention to his fault. His character was that of a dissolute drunken boy; and Dr. Burton says, the very first Punch he ever tasted was of Needs's making in Sixth Chamber.-However the exact time in which he foretold He should die was in truth an extraordinary affair. He sat next to Burton (the Physician afterwards) in the Chapel when he sent for leave to go out—told Him then in the Chapel that he should die in a few Days, and that night named the precise Day, which happened accordingly. Mr. Lowth desires me to inclose a packet to you—I wish our excellent friend, Mr. Pitt's pieces had appeared in better Company, and in a more honourable Collection. Mr. Lowth tells me you had thoughts of spending a few Days with Him at Winchester; which would have given much pleasure to many persons here, but to none more, than, P. S. Mr. Lowth has just sent me word that his packet is not ready. that whoever on Midsummer-eve should fall asleep in the churchporch, would die that year. Some time afterwards he was taken ill at chapel; and told Simon Burton, who sat next to him, that he should die by that day sen-night, or within about that time. He had a fever, and was delirious; but afterwards came to himself, and asked what day of the week it was; the nurse told him Friday, tho' it was Wednesday, on purpose to deceive him. He said, it could not be Friday, for that he was sure he should die on Thursday, as he really did." I No. XLII. FROM MR. SPENCE TO DR. WARTON. DEAR SIR, Jany 19th, 1765. HAVE had the pleasure of passing these Christmas Holydays with my dear little friend Charles Massingberd; and am half sorry to part with him, tho' he is to bring this to you. He has talked so much of your goodness to him, that he has often given me a great deal of pleasure; and indeed I never doubted of his doing justice to my recommendation, when he first waited on you. I rejoice to see in him all his usual good nature which he then had, together with the polish and improvements acquired since he has been with you, he has been the delight of the whole family, and we shall all miss him exceedingly. I have been very busy for some time in preparing poor Mr. Holdsworth's notes and observations on Virgil, for the press; and they would have been printed in the summer that is coming on, had not I fortunately been promised a new set of his papers, from a relation of his at Dartmouth; which I hope to receive when I go from hence to London; where if you should be so good as to favour me with a line or two, they would find me, about a month's hence, at Lord Lincoln's in the Exchequer. I Will you give me leave to remind you of the queries I formerly beg'd answers to, and to repeat me in a postscript. suppose most of them may be answered by once tumbling over the College Register, and if any are difficult, I beg they may be looked on as not askt. I am ever, Dear Sir, Your obliged and affectionate humble servant, J. SPENCE. In what year, and on what day did Dr. Mews, Bishop of Winchester, die ? On what day or about what time did Mr. Carman, Chaplain of Winchester College, die ? What the ages of Burton Senior, Coke Senior, Norden, Rymes, and Edmunds, on the College Books? What the times of Edward Young, Edward Holdsworth, and William Harrison's entrance into the College, and leaving it? DOBSON'S VERSION OF POPE. HAVING found among Mr. Spence's papers a specimen of the translation of the Essay on Man into Latin verse by Dobson, mentioned at p. 135. I have subjoined it, to gratify the lover of modern Latin verse.-Ed. Dobson had acquired great reputation by his translation of Prior's Solomon, the first book of which he finished when he was a scholar at Winchester College. He had not at that time, as he told me, (for I knew him well), read Lucretius, which would have given a richness and force to his verses; the chief fault of which was a monotony, and want of variety of Virgilian verses. Mr. Pope wished him to translate the Essay on Man; which he began to do, but relinquished on account of the impossibility of imitating its brevity in another language.-Warton. Bowles's Pope, v. 274. Dobson spent some time at Pope's Villa while he was engaged on the Essay on Man, and when Dr. Johnson asked him what learning he found Pope to possess, he answered, more than I expected.-Life of Pope, 255. D 66 ESSAY ON MAN. EPISTLE I. v. 17, &c. Say first of God above, or Man below." IC age, sive hominem Ratio studiosa sequatur, Spectandum se præbet homo; nil panditur ultra. |