The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume III.Cibber, Theophilus
General
The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume III.
Cibber, Theophilus
Poets, English -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Poets, Irish -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
Thou, who dost all my worldly thoughts employ,
Thou pleasing source of all my earthly joy:
Thou tenderest husband, and thou best of friends,
To thee, this first, this last adieu I send.
At length the conqueror death asserts his right,
And will forever veil me from thy sight.
He wooes me to him, with a chearful grace;
And not one terror clouds his meagre face.
He promises a lasting rest from pain;
And shews that all life's fleeting joys are vain.
Th' eternal scenes of Heaven he sets in view,
And tells me, that no other joys are true.
But love, fond love, would yet resist his power;
Would fain a-while defer the parting hour:
He brings the mourning image to my eyes,
And would obstruct my journey to the skies.
But say thou dearest, thou unwearied friend;
Say should'st thou grieve to see my sorrows end?
Thou know'st a painful pilgrimage I have past,
And should'st thou grieve, that rest is come at last;
Rather rejoice to see me shake off life,
And die as I have liv'd, thy faithful wife.
* * * * *
Mr. THOMAS BROWN.
This humorous poet was the son of a considerable Farmer of Shiffnall,
in Shropshire, and educated at Newport-school in that county, under the
reverend and learned Dr. Edwards, a gentleman who had the honour to
qualify many persons of distinction for the university. Under the
tuition of this master, he attained a knowledge of the Latin, Greek,
French, Italian, and Spanish languages, and his exercises were generally
so well performed, that the Dr. was filled with admiration of his parts.
From Newport school he removed to Christ's-Church College in Oxford, and
distinguished himself there for his easy attainments in literature; but
some little irregularities of his life would not suffer him to
continue long at the university. It is probable he became sick of that
discipline, which they who spend their life in the recluseness of a
college, are in some measure obliged to submit to. The father of Mr.
Brown, who intended to have him educated to some profession, was not
made acquainted with his design of quitting the university, and having
remitted him a sum of money, to be appropriated for the promotion of his
studies, his son thought proper to defeat his kind intentions. With this
money, our author plann'd a scheme of going to London, which he soon
after executed, not very advantageously.--'My first business, says he,
was to apply myself to those few friends I had there, who conjecturing
I had left the university, exclusive of my father's knowledge, gave but
slender encouragement to a young beginner. However, no whit daunted (my
first resolution still standing by me) I launched forth into the world,
committing myself to the mercy of fortune, and the uncertain temper of
the town. I soon acquired a new set of acquaintance; and began to have
a relish of what I had only tasted before by hearsay; and indeed, every
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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