SECT. II.

Of bis Moral Character.

LL Mr. Blacklock's acquaintance agree in

AL fpeaking of his many virtues, in the highest

Itrain; of his humanity, and fweetnefs of temper; his patience, under all misfortunes; his induftry and application, in acquiring fo many embellishments of his mind; and of his retaining, after all these acquifitions, the greatest modefty and humility; together with the ftricteft love of virtue, and a mere primitive fimplicity of manners.

INDEED, the goodnefs of his heart is very vifible in the general colouring of his works; and breaks out, here and there, in almost every one of his particular poems. It is fo ftrong as even to get the better of that gloom, which is but too apt to attend the studious and the fedentary; and to shine through thofe very clouds that threaten the most to fupprefs and intercept it.

AMONG his particular virtues, one of the first to be admired is this cafe and contentedness of his mind, under fo many circumftances, any one almost of which might be thought capable of depreffing it. Confidering the meannefs of his birth; the lownefs of his fituation; the difagreeableness (at leaft, as he himself fpeaks of it) of his perfon; the narrownefs and difficulties of his fortune; and, above all, his fo early lofs of fight, and his incapacity from thence of any way relieving himself under all these burdens; it may be reckoned no

fmall

fmall degree of virtue in him, even not to be generally difpirited and complaining.d

EACH of these humiliating circumstances * he fpeaks of, in fome part or other of his poems;

I.

but

Suftain'd by labour, and obfcurely born. p. 100. 1. 38,

2.

A barren fortune, and a hopeless love.
Obfcure, deprefs'd, and fcorn'd.

3.

1

p. 96. 1. 96.

P.59.1. 80.

What tho' no native charms my perfon grace? p. 100, 1, 45, And in his ludicrous poem:

Straight is my perfon, but of little fize;

Lean are my cheeks, and hollow are my eyes: &c. p. 191.1. 14, And speaking of both these, and his blindness together, he fays, Hence oft the hand of ignorance and scorn,

To barb'rous mirth abandon'd, points me out
With idiot grin the fupercilious eye,

Oft from the noife and glare of profp'rous life,
On my obscurity diverts it's gaze

Exulting; and, with wanton pride elate,

Felicitates its own fuperior lot;

Inhuman Triumph!-

Hence the warm blush that paints ingenuous fhame,

By conscious want inspir'd; th' unpity'd pang

Of love, and friendship flighted.

4.

-Nor can these useless hands,

Untutor❜d in each life-fustaining art,

P. 157.

Nourish this wretched being; and supply

Frail nature's wants; that fhort ceffation know.

"P. 158.

5.

From these intrusive thoughts all pleasure flies,
And leaves my foul benighted, like my eyes,

P. 172.

And

but what he dwells upon with the most lasting caft of melancholy, is his lofs of fight; which, in one place

And in his melancholy poem; in a paffage which, though fo long, is poetical enough to deferve transcribing;

For, oh!—while others gaze on nature's face,

The verdant vale, the mountains, woods, and streams;
Or with delight ineffable furvey

The fun, bright image of his parent God:
The seasons, in majestic order, round

This vary'd globe revolving; young-ey'd spring,
Profufe of life and joy; fummer adorn'd

With keen effulgence, bright'ning heav'n and earth:
Autumn, replete with nature's various boon,

To blefs the toiling hind; and winter, grand

With rapid ftorms, convulfing nature's frame,
Whilft others view heav'n's all-involving arch,
Bright with unnumber'd worlds; and, loft in joy,
Fair order and utility behold:

Or unfatigu'd th' amazing chain pursue,
Which in one vaft all-comprehending whole
Unites th' immenfe ftupendous works of God;
Conjoining part with part, and thro' the frame
Diffufing facred harmony and joy :
To me, those fair viciffitudes are loft;

And grace and beauty blotted from my view.

The verdant vale, the mountains, woods, and ftreams,
One horrid blank appear; the young-ey'd spring,
Effulgent fummer, autumn deck'd in wealth
To blefs the toiling hind, and winter grand
With rapid forms, revolve in vain for me:
Nor the bright fun, nor all-embracing arch
Of heav'n, fhall e'er these wretched orbs behold.
O beauty, harmony! you fifter train

Of graces, you who in th' admiring eye

Of

place carries him on in a deploring ftile, for above fifty lines together. But, at the fame time, it ought to be confidered, that this is in a piece written foon after his father's death, and when his fpirits were particularly depreffed by an incident that * very nearly threatned his own life; from which he had but just escaped, with a great deal of difficulty; and with all the terrors of fo great a danger, and the dejection occafioned by them, just fresh upon his mind.

IT is in the fame melancholy Poem, that he expreffes his dread of falling into extreme want; in the underwritten very strong, and moving manner+:

Of God your charms display'd, ere yet tranfcrib'd
On nature's form your heavenly features fhone,
Why are you fnatch'd for ever from my fight?
Whilft, in your stead, a boundless waste expanse
Of undistinguish'd horror covers all.

Wide, o'er my profpect, rueful darkness breathes
Her inaufpicious vapour: in whose shade..
Fear, grief, and anguish, natives of her reign,
In focial fadness gloomy vigils keep.

With them I walk; with them still doom'd to share
Eternal blackness, without hopes of dawn. p. 155-157,

* See the beginning of his Soliloquy, p. 153.

+ Dejecting profpect!Soon the hapless hour May come perhaps, this moment it impends !—— Which drives me forth to penury and cold,

Naked, and beat by all the storms of heav'n;

Friendless, and guideless, to explore my way;

Till, on cold earth this poor unfhelter'd head in
Reclining, vainly from the ruthless blast wind)
Refpite I beg; and, in the shock, expire.

p.159.

THESE,

THESE, alas! are fears, that he has often had but too much reafon to entertain. However, his good fenfe and religion have enabled him to get the better of them, and of all his other calamities, in his calmer hours; and indeed, in this very poem (which is the most gloomy of any he has written), he feems to have a gleam of light fall in upon his mind; and recovers himself enough to express his hopes that the care of Providence, which has hitherto always protected him, will again interfere; and diffipate the clouds that were gathering over him.

* As yet my foul ne'er felt th' oppreffive weight
Of Indigence, unaided: fwift redress,
Beyond the daring flight of hope, approach'd;
And ev'ry wish of nature amply blefs'd:
Tho' o'er the future series of my fate

Ill omens seem to brood, and ftars malign
To blend their baleful fire; oft while the fun
Darts boundless glory thro' th' expanfe of heav'n
A gloom of congregated vapours rise,

Than night more dreadful in her blackest shroud,
And o'er the face of things incumbent hang
Portending tempeft: till the fource of day
Again afferts the empire of the sky;

And o'er the blotted fcene of nature throws
A keener fplendor. So perhaps that care,
Thro' all creation felt, but moft by man
(Which hears with kind regard the tender figh
Of modeft want), may diffipate my fears;

And bid my hours a happier flight affume. Poems, p. 161.

TOWARDS