lawgivers, and from henceforth, even as we devifed, thus did they.

After this, the whole book is turned on a fudden, from his own life, to a history of all the public tranfactions of Europe, compiled from the newspapers of thofe times. I could not comprehend the meaning of this, till I perceived at last (to my no fmall astonishment) that all the measures of the four last years of the Queen, together with the peace at Útretch, which have been usually attributed to the E------ of O-----, D. of O-----, Lords H------ and B-----, and other great men, do here most plainly appear to have been wholly owing to Robert Jenkins, Amos Turner, George Pilcocks, Thomas White, but above all to P. P.

The reader may be fure I was very inquifitive. after this extraordinary writer, whofe work I have here abstracted. I took a journey into the country on purpose, but could not find the leaft trace of him; till by accident I met an old clergyman, who faid he could not be pofitive, but thought it might be one Paul Philips, who had been dead about twelve years. And, upon inquiry, all he could learn of that perfon from the neighbourhood was, that he had been taken notice of for fwallowing loaches, and remembered by fome people by a black and white cur with one ear, that conftantly followed him.

In the church-yard I read this epitaph, said to be written by himself.

O reader, if that thou canst read,

Look down upon this stone;

Do all we can, Death is a man
That never fpareth none.

OF

OF THE

POET LAUREATE.

TH

NOVEMBER 19. 1729.

HE time of the election of a poet laureate being now at hand, it may be proper to give fome account of the rites and ceremonies anciently ufed at that folemnity, and only discontinued through the neglect and degeneracy of latter times. These we have extracted from an hiftorian of undoubted credit, a reverend bishop, the learned Paulus Jovius; and are the fame that were practifed under the pontificate of Leo X. the great reftorer of learning.

As we now fee an age and a court that, for the encouragement of poetry, rivals, if not exceeds, that of this famous Pope, we cannot but wish a restoration of all its honours to poefy; the rather, fince there are fo many parallel circumftances in the person who was then honoured with the laurel, and in him who (in all probability) is now to wear it.

I fhall translate my author exactly as I find it in the 82d chapter of his Elogia Vir. Doct. He begins with the character of the poet himself, who was the original and father of all laureates, and called Camillo. He was a plain country-man of Apulia, (whether a shepherd or thrasher is not material.) "This man," (fays Jovius), "excited

by

by the fame of the great encouragement given to poets at courts, and the high honour in which they were held, came to the city, bringing with him a ftrange kind of lyre in his hand, and at least some twenty thousand of verfes. All the wits and critics of the court flocked about him, delighted to fee a clown, with a ruddy, hale complexion, and in his own long hair, fo top-full of poetry; and at the first fight of him all agreed he was born to be poet laureate *. He had a moft hearty welcome in an island of the river Tiber, (an agreeable place not unlike our Richmond), where he was first made to eat and drink plentifully, and to repeat his verfes to every body. Then they adorned him with a new and elegant garland, compofed of vine-leaves, laurel, and brafica, (a fort of cabbage), fo compofed, fays my author, emblematically, Ut tam falfe quam lepide ejus temulentia, brafica remedio cobibenda, notaretur. He was then faluted by common confent with the title of archipoeta, or archpoet, in the style of thofe days, in ours, Poet Lau. reate. This honour the poor man received with the moft fenfible demonftrations of joy, his eyes drank with tears and gladness +. Next, the public acclamation was expreffed in a canticle, which is transmitted to us as follows:

Salve, brafficea virens corona,
Et lauro, archipoeta, pampinoque!
Dignus principis auribus Leonis.

* Apnius præpingui vultu alacer, et prolixe comatus, omnino dignus fefta laurea videretur.

Manantibus præ gaudio oculis.

All

-1

All hail, archpoet, without peer!
Vine, bay, or cabbage, fit to wear,
And worthy of the prince's ear.

From hence he was conducted in pomp to the Capi-
tol of Rome, mounted on an elephant, through the
fhouts of the populace, where the ceremony end-
ed." The hiftorian tells us further, "That, at his
introduction to Leo, he not only poured forth verfes
innumerable, like a torrent, but also sung them
with open mouth. Nor was he only once introdu-
ced, or on flated days, (like our laureates), but
made a companion to his master, and entertained as
one of the inftruments of his moft elegant pleasures.
When the prince was at table, the poet had his
place at the window. When the prince had half
eaten his meat *, he gave with his own hands the
reft to the poet. When the poet drank, it was
out of the prince's own flaggon, infomuch" (fays
the hiftorian)" that, through fo great and good
eating and drinking, he contracted a most terrible
gout. Sorry I am to relate what follows, but
that I cannot leave my reader's curiofity unfatis-
fied in the catastrophe of this extraordinary man.
To ufe my author's words, which are remarkable,
Mortuo Leone, profligatifque poetis, &c.
"When

Leo died, and poets were no more;" (for I would not understand profligatis literally, as if poets then were profligate); this unhappy laureate was forthwith reduced to return to his country, where, oppreffed with old age and want, he miferably perifhed in a common hofpital.

*Semefis opfoniis.

We

We fee from this fad conclufion, (which may be of example to the poets of our time), that it were happier to meet with no encouragement at all, to remain at the plough, or other lawful occupation, than to be elevated above their condition, and taken out of the common means of life, without a furer fupport than the temporary, or, at best, mortal favours of the great. It was doubtless for this confideration, that when the royal bounty was lately extended to a rural genius, care was taken to fettle it upon him for life. And it hath been the practic of our princes, never to remove from the ftation of poet laureate any man who hath once been chofen, though never fo much greater geniuses might arife in his time. A noble inftance how much the charity of our monarchs hath exceeded their love of fame.

To come now to the intent of this paper: We hare here the whole ancient ceremonial of the laureate. In the first place, the crown is to be mixed with vine-leaves, as the vine is the plant of Bacchus, and full as effential to the honour, as the butt of fack to the falary.

Secondly, The braffica muft be made ufe of as a qualifier of the former. It seems the cabbage was anciently accounted a remedy for drunkenness; a power the French now afcribe to the onion, and ftyle a foup made of it Soupe d'Yvrogne. I would recommend a large mixture of the braffica, if Mr Dennis be chofen; but if Mr Tibbald, it is not fo neceffary, unless the cabbage be fuppofed to fignify the fame thing with refpect to poets as to tailors, viz. fealing, I fhould judge it not amifs to add another plant of this garland, to wit, ivy; not

only