o the queen of her promise, or acts of
ceremony, by the performance of which he was entitled to his pension,
and therefore did not labour them with great diligence, or print
more than fifty each year, except that for some of the last years he
regularly inserted them in The Gentleman's Magazine, by which they were
dispersed over the kingdom.

Of some of them he had himself so low an opinion that he intended to
omit them in the collection of poems for which he printed proposals, and
solicited subscriptions; nor can it seem strange that, being confined
to the same subject, he should be at some times indolent and at others
unsuccessful; that he should sometimes delay a disagreeable task till it
was too late to perform it well; or that he should sometimes repeat
the same sentiment on the same occasion, or at others be misled by an
attempt after novelty to forced conceptions and far-fetched images.
He wrote indeed with a double intention, which supplied him with some
variety; for his business was to praise the queen for the favours which
he had received, and to complain to her of the delay of those which
she had promised: in some of his pieces, therefore, gratitude is
predominant, and in some discontent; in some, he represents himself as
happy in her patronage; and, in others, as disconsolate to find himself
neglected. Her promise, like other promises made to this unfortunate
man, was never performed, though he took sufficient care that it should
not be forgotten. The publication of his "Volunteer Laureate" procured
him no other reward than a regular remittance of fifty pounds. He was
not so depressed by his disappointments as to neglect any opportunity
that was offered of advancing his interest. When the Princess Anne
was married, he wrote a poem upon her departure, only, as he declared,
"because it was expected from him," and he was not willing to bar his
own prospects by any appearance of neglect. He never mentioned any
advantage gained by this poem, or any regard that was paid to it; and
therefore it is likely that it was considered at Court as an act of
duty, to which he was obliged by his dependence, and which it was
therefore not necessary to reward by any new favour: or perhaps
the queen really intended his advancement, and therefore thought it
superfluous to lavish presents upon a man whom she intended to establish
for life.

About this time not only his hopes were in danger of being frustrated,
but his pension lik