reign; but the time came at last when he found kinder friends. At
the accession of King George he was made Poet-Laureate--I am afraid, by
the ejection of poor Nahum Tate, who (1716) died in the Mint, where he
was forced to seek shelter by extreme poverty. He was made likewise one
of the land-surveyors of the customs of the Port of London. The Prince
of Wales chose him Clerk of his Council; and the Lord Chancellor Parker,
as soon as he received the seals, appointed him, unasked, Secretary
of the Presentations. Such an accumulation of employments undoubtedly
produced a very considerable revenue.

Having already translated some parts of Lucan's "Pharsalia," which had
been published in the Miscellanies, and doubtless received many praises,
he undertook a version of the whole work, which he lived to finish,
but not to publish. It seems to have been printed under the care of
Dr. Welwood, who prefixed the author's life, in which is contained the
following character:--

"As to his person, it was graceful and well made; his face regular,
and of a manly beauty. As his soul was well lodged, so its rational and
animal faculties excelled in a high degree. He had a quick and fruitful
invention, a deep penetration, and a large compass of thought, with
singular dexterity and easiness in making his thoughts to be understood.
He was master of most parts of polite learning, especially the classical
authors, both Greek and Latin; understood the French, Italian, and
Spanish languages, and spoke the first fluently, and the other two
tolerably well. He had likewise read most of the Greek and Roman
histories in their original languages, and most that are wrote
in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. He had a good taste in
philosophy; and, having a firm impression of religion upon his mind, he
took great delight in divinity and ecclesiastical history, in both of
which he made great advances in the times he retired into the country,
which was frequent. He expressed on all occasions his full persuasion
of the truth of revealed religion; and, being a sincere member of the
Established Church himself, he pitied, but condemned not, those that
dissented from it. He abhorred the principles of persecuting men upon
the account of their opinions in religion; and, being strict in his
own, he took it not upon him to censure those of another persuasion.
His conversation was pleasant, witty, and learned, without the least
tincture of affectation or pedantr