Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Companion to the play-house, or, An historical account of all the dramatic writers (and their works) that have appeared in Great Britain and Ireland, from the commencement of our theatrical exhibitions, down to the present year 1764 > Volume 2

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carrying him off the Stsge of this
World before he could finiih any
of his Schemes. -He departed
this Life at Hol/aid Houfe, near
Kenfwglan, on the I'/th oi Jur.e,
3719, having then juft entered
5nto''his 48th Year, and left be-
hind him one only Daughter.
As a Writer we need fay little
of him, as the general Efteem
his Works were, ftiU are, and
ever muft, be held in, " pleads^
'' as Shakefpeare fays, iike Angeh
*< Trumpet totigud,^'' in their Be-
}ja]f. — As a Poet, his Caco in the
dramatic, and his Campaign in the
heroic Way, vt^iil ever maintain a
Place among the f.ril Rate Works
of either Kind.— Yet I cannot
help thinklag even ihefe excelled
by the Elegance, Accuracy, and
Elevation of his Profe J^Fvitingi j
among which his Papers in the
*TatUrs, SpeBators and Guardians
hold a foremoft Rank, and muft
continue the Objefts of Admira-
tion, fo long as the EngUJh Lan-
guage retains its Purity, or any
Authors who have written in it
continue to b.e read. — As z Man,
it is impoffible to fay too much,
and it v;ould even extend beyond
our prefcnt Limits to fay enough,
in his Praifcj as he was in every
Kefpeil truly valuable,— In private
life he was amiable, in public
Employment honourable ; a zea -
lous Patriot ; faithful to his
Friends and ftedfaft 10 his Prin-
ciples 5 and the noble Sentiments
which every where breathe thro'
his Cato, are no more thsn Ema-
3iations of that Love for his
Country, which was the conftant
Guide of all his Afcicns.— But
laft of all let us view him as a
Chrifiian, in which Light he will
appear flill more exalted than in
any other. — And to tiiis End no-
thing perhaps can niore effeftu-
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ally, lead us than the relating an
Anecdote concerning his Death,
in the Words of one of the bejl
Men as well as the hefi Writer*
now living, who, in a Pamphlet
written almoft entirely to intro-
duce this little Story, fpeaks of
him in the following Manner.
*' After a long and manly, but
** vain Struggle with his Difl:em-
*' per," fays he, *' he difmifled
*' his Phyficians, and with them
** all Hopes of Life : but with
*' his Hopes of Life he difmiffed
*' not his Concern for the Living,
" but fent for a Youth nearly
'* related, and finely accomplifh-
*' ed, but not above being the
•' better for good Impreflions
" from a dying Friend : he came j
** but Life now glimmering in
** the Socket, the dying Friend
*' was filent, — After a decent and
** proper Paufe, the Youth faid,
'* Dear Sir ! you fent for me : I
" bt/ie've, and I hope, that you
*' have fome Commands; I (hall hold
*' thejn moji f acred. — May diftant
'' Ages," proceeds this Author,
"^ not only hear, hut feel the Re-
(i ply ! — ^ — Forcibly grafping the
*' Youth's Hand, he foftly faid,
*' See in nvhat Peace a Ckn-ijiian
" can die. — He fpoke with Diffi-
" culty, and loon expired" — 1 lie
Pamphlet from which this is
quoted, is entitled, ConjcBurez on
original Compojiticn, and altho'
publiflied Anonymous, was writ-
ten by the great Dr. Ediuard
Toung, — Nor' can I with more
Propriety clofc my Cliarafter of
Mr. Ad,i:fon than with this very
Gentleman's Obfervations on the
juft-mentioned Anecdote, when,
after telling us that it is to this
Circumftance Mr. Tickcll refers,
wliere, in his Lines on this great
Man's Death he has thefe
Words,