fifty
pounds, and a gracious message from her Majesty, by the Lord North and
Guilford, to this effect: 'That her Majesty was highly pleased with the
verses; that she took particularly kind his lines there relating to the
king; that he had permission to write annually on the same subject; and
that he should yearly receive the like present, till something better
(which was her Majesty's intention) could be done for him.' After this
he was permitted to present one of his annual poems to her Majesty,
had the honour of kissing her hand, and met with the most gracious
reception.

"Yours, etc."

Such was the performance, and such its reception; a reception which,
though by no means unkind, was yet not in the highest degree generous.
To chain down the genius of a writer to an annual panegyric showed in
the queen too much desire of hearing her own praises, and a greater
regard to herself than to him on whom her bounty was conferred. It was
a kind of avaricious generosity, by which flattery was rather purchased
than genius rewarded.

Mrs. Oldfield had formerly given him the same allowance with much more
heroic intention: she had no other view than to enable him to prosecute
his studies, and to set himself above the want of assistance, and was
contented with doing good without stipulating for encomiums.

Mr. Savage, however, was not at liberty to make exceptions, but was
ravished with the favours which he had received, and probably yet
more with those which he was promised: he considered himself now as a
favourite of the queen, and did not doubt but a few annual poems would
establish him in some profitable employment. He therefore assumed the
title of "Volunteer Laureate," not without some reprehensions from
Cibber, who informed him that the title of "Laureate" was a mark of
honour conferred by the king, from whom all honour is derived, and
which, therefore, no man has a right to bestow upon himself; and added
that he might with equal propriety style himself a Volunteer Lord or
Volunteer Baronet. It cannot be denied that the remark was just; but
Savage did not think any title which was conferred upon Mr. Cibber so
honourable as that the usurpation of it could be imputed to him as an
instance of very exorbitant vanity, and therefore continued to write
under the same title, and received every year the same reward. He did
not appear to consider these encomiums as tests of his abilities, or as
anything more than annual hints t