ing. I know not whether even the madness of Lear is wrought up, and expressed by so many little strictures of nature and genuine passion. Shall I say, is it pedantry to prefer and compare the madness of Orestes, in Euripides, to this of Clementina ?"?

"

The year after the publication of this work, Mr. Richardson became master of the Stationer's company. In 1760, he purchased a moiety of the patent of law-printer, and carried on that department of business in partnership with Mrs. Catherine Lintot. His country retirement was first at North-end, near Hammersmith, and afterwards at Parson's-green; and his house was generally filled with the company of his friends of both sexes; for he was extremely hospitable, and fond of the company of his friends. He died on the 4th of July, 1761, at the age of 72, and was buried in St. Bride's-church, London.

1

He was twice married; and by his first wife, Martha Wilde, who was the daughter of Mr. Allington Wilde, printer, in Clerkenwell, he had five sons and a daughter, who all died young. His second wife, who survived him more than twelve years, was Elizabeth sister of Mr. Leake, bookseller at Bath. By her he had a son, and five daughters. The son died young, but four of the daugh ters survived him; viz. Mary, married 1757, to Mr. Ditcher, an eminent surgeon at Bath; Martha, married in 1762, to Edward Bridgen, esq. fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies, and treasurer of the Society of Antiquaries; Anne, who did not mar ry; and Sarah, who married Mr. Crowther, surgeon, of Boswellcourt, London.

Mr. Duncombe, speaking of Mr. Richardson, says, "«To this great master of the heart," (this Shakespeare of romance, who in the words of the Rambler, taught the passions to move at the command of virtue'), "the Graces may be said to have unveiled nature; and while our language lasts, or taste and sensibility remain, the madness of Clementina in particular will be as much admired and felt, as that of Lear. And let it be remembered, that the virtues which Richardson drew, he copied from his own heart, the benevolence which he inculcated, he constantly practised in its fullest extent."

It is also said of him, that "besides his being a great genius, he was a truly good man in all respects; in his family, in commerces

VOL. IV.

in conversation, and in every instance of conduct. He was pious, virtuous, exemplary, benevolent, friendly, generous, and humanet to an uncommon degree; glad of every opportunity of doing good to his fellow creatures in distress, and relieving may without their knowledge. His chief delight was doing good. He was highly revered and beloved by his domestics, because of his happy terper and discreet conduct. He had great tenderness towards his wife, and children, and great condescension towards his servants."

Mr. Richardson's works have been translated into various foreign languages, and much admired by foreign writers of geat celebrity. Rousseau, in his letter to D'Alembert, says, "There never has been written, in any language, a romance equal to, or approaching to Clarissa.” Mons. Diderot, in his "Essay on Dramatic Poetry," speaking of Richardson, says, "How strong, how sensible, how pathetic, are his descriptions! his personages, though silent, are alive before me; and of those who speak, the actions are still more affecting than the words."

Authorities. New and General Biog. Dict. 8vo. edit. 1784. Nichol's Biog. and Literary Anecdotes of Mr. Bower. Works of Aaron Hill, vol. ii.

THE LIFE OF

HENRY FIELDING.

[A. D. 1707, to 1754.]

Turs celebrated writer was the son of Edmund Fielding, whe served in the wars under the duke of Marlborough, and arrived to the rank of lieutenant-general, about the latter end of the reign. of George I. or the beginning of George II. His mother was the daughter of judge Gould, the grandfather of the late sir Henry Gould, one of the barons of the exchequer. He was born at Sharphard-park, in Somersetshire, in 1707; and was the eldest

of four sisters and a brother. Sarah Fielding, his third sister, is well known to the literary world, by several elegant perform

ances.

His mother dying, lieutenant-general Fielding married a second time; and the issue of that marriage was, six sons, George, James, Charles, John, William, and Basil. Of these, sir John Fielding succeeded his half brother Henry, in the commission of the

peace for the countyof Middlesex, Surrey, Essex, and the city and Iberties of Westminster; and who by the improvements he made in our defective system of police, acquired great reputation, and the honor of being considered as the chief magistrate in those extensive juris dictions.

Henry Fielding received the first rudiments of his education t home, under the care of the reverend Mr. Oliver, of whom he has given a very humorous and striking portrait in Joseph Andrews, under the name of parson Trulliber.

From Mr. Oliver's care he was removed to Eton-school, where he became acquainted with the late lords Lyttelton and Holland, sir Charles Hanbury Williams, Mr. Winnington, and lord Chatham. When he left this great seminary, he was said to be uncommonly versed in the Greek and Latin classics; for both which he ever retained a strong admiration,

From Eton he was sent to Leyden, and there he studied the civilians for about two years; but remittances failing, at the age of 20, or thereabout, he returned from Leyden to London; where, though under age, he found himself his own master; from which source owed all the inconveniences that attended him throughout the remainder of his life. The brilliancy of his wit, the vivacity of his humour, and his high relish of social enjoyment, soon brought him into request with men of taste and litera ture, and with the voluptuous of all ranks. His finances were not equal to the frequent draughts made upon him by the extravagance which naturally followed. He was allowed indeed £200 a year by his father; but as he himself used to say, any body might pay it that would.

The fact was, general Fielding having married again, soon after. the death of our author's mother, had so large an increase of fa mily, and that too so quick, that he could not spare any consider

able disbursements for the maintenance of his eldest son. Of this truth Henry Fielding was sensible; and he was therefore, in whatever difficulties he might be involved, never wanting in filial piety; which his nearest relations agree, was a shining part of his cha

racter.

Disappointments indeed were observed to provoke him into occasional peevishness, and severity of animadversion; but his general temper was remarkably gay, and for the most part, overflowing with wit, mirth, and good humour.

Disagreeable impressions never coutinued long upon his mind; his imagination was fond of seizing every gay prospect; and in his worst adversities, filled him with sanguine hopes of a better situation. To obtain this, he flattered himself that he should find resources in his wit and invention; and accordingly, he com, menced a writer for the stage in the year 1727, being then about 20 years of age.

.

His first dramatic piece soon after adventured into the world, and was called, "Love in several Masques." It immediately succeeded the " Provoked Husband," a play, which for the continued space of twenty-eight nights, received as great and as just applauses as ever were bestowed on the English stage. Notwithstanding these obstacles, Fielding's play was favorably received.

His second play, "The Temple Beau," appeared the year af ter. From the year 1727, to the end of 1736, almost all his plays and farces were written, not above two or three having appeared since that time; so that he produced about eighteen theatrical performances, plays and farces included, before he was quite thirty years of age.

Though in the plan of his pieces, he is not always regular, yet he is often happy in his diction and style; and in every groupe that he has exhibited, there are to be seen particular delineations that will amply recompence the attention bestowed upon them. The comedy of “The Miser," which he has mostly taken from Moliere, has maintained its ground upon the stage ever since it was first performed; and has the value of à copy from a great painter, by an eminent hand.

The comedy of "Pasquin," hinted at by lord Chesterfield, in his speech, and some other piece, which being suppressed, he did not think proper to preserve even in manuscript, together with "The Historical Register;" which is full of severe satire on the great men of the time in high office, undoubtedly occasioned the act of parliament of which we have taken so much notice in lord Chesterfield's life, for subjecting all new plays to the inspection and licence of the lord-chamberlain.

and many

of

They were "The Lot

His farces were almost all of them very succesful; them are still acted every winter with approbation. generally the production of two or three mornings. tery;" "The Intriguing Chambermaid ;" and "The Virgin Unmasked;" besides the real entertainment they afford, had on their first appearance, this additional merit, that they served to make discoveries of that true comic genius which was then dawning forth in that celebrated actress, Mrs. Clive.

So early as when he was at Leyden, Mr. Fielding made some efforts towards a comedy, in the sketch of Don Quixote in England. When he left that place, and settled in London, a variety of characters attracted his notice, and of course served to strengthen his favorite inclination: the inconsistencies that flow from vanity, from affectation, from hypocricy, from pretended friendship, and in short, all the dissonant qualities which are often whimsically blended together by the follies of men, could not fail to strike a person who had so fine a sense of ridicule; and accordingly, we find he never seems so happy, as when he is developing a character made up of motley and repugnant properties.

To search out and describe objects of this kind seems to have been the favorite bent of his mind; and from his happy description of the manners, he must justly be pronounced an admirable comic genius in the largest acceptance of the phrase, implying hu mourous and pleasant imitation of men and manners, whether in the way of fabulous narration, or of dramatic composition.

:

In the former species of writing, lay the excellence of Mr. Fielding in dramatic imitation he must be allowed to fall short of the great masters in that art. What the ingenious Mr. Hurd observes of Ben Johnson, may be justly applied to Fielding: