The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-30
MIR. Thnckeray's Fourth Lecture.

The fourth of Mr.. Tbsckeray's series Of lectures
the Poets of Queen Anne's Reign" delivered by
him last evening the theme for this discourse being
Prior, Gay and Pope. The church crowded as on
any Of the previous evenings of the The
introduced 10 the attention Of his audience Mathew
Prior Of these famous and lucky wits OF Queen
Anne's reign, whom 1t beloved him not to pass over
He had described himself in OF his letters as seated
In little Dutch chsise starting from the Hague
Saturday night with Horace his left hand and his
frn his right going to spend his Sunday boozng
with his companions, bohbing for perch in a Dutch
csual, and noting down the charms of his idleness
Mathew Prior made Secretary of the Embassy to
the Hague He (he lecturer) believed it was at the
present time, dancing rather than singing which was
necessary for young English diplcmasts but in Prors
time different sccompls hment Led to court favor
However he got his promotion. Prior succeeded in his
Dutch service and said good things which proved his
sense and spiIit. On occasion, when sho vn
the apartment at Versailles, which was adorned
With paintings Of Louis the Fourteenth, he was
asked II his master had any such In his na
lace. The monuments Of my masters actions,n said
Prior are TO be seen where, except in his
house" Bravo, Mat The humble, virtuous son how
ever in the midst OF the great company with which
mixed always feared he would meet reveres and felt he
WAS like the esrthen pot sailing among the brass pts
and that IL must end in smash some day. lie was
afterwards implicated with number Of great friends
il the intrigus Tor the Pretnder's restoration hch
CLOSED Queen Apnes reign and he seized and put
into the and loose without house to
Nv to penny with which to bless himself with except
Lhe proceeds oil bis fellowship or ST. Johns College
bridge. His excellency accordingly went back into the
HIms OF his alma mater and wrote compli to
pesons Of honor when they came to visit that unver.
ey The best gift which foltune had given him his
equapmity, but there was something comical in his
downfall. sSift, who whatever may be said against
took a share Of evil fortuns-swift and some
other Of the ruined old tory party made subscription
Mathew Prior when Mathew without a shilipg thew
got together OF four thousand pounds which was
calamity doubled johnson quotes from spence legend
Il at Prior would after leaving an lustrious company
ain sol-
der and his wife in Long Acre; and his excellency's
Acre friende His sayings. his good his love, his
spicurtansms bear strong resemblance to Horace and
IL reading his works struck BY their
OF the Sabine farm but if Prior read studied
Horace old not Tom Moore study Prior. In the great
Society Of The wits john Gay deserves to be favote
and bsve good place. All his contemporaries were fond
OF him. his success Offended nobody he missed fortune
once or twice, he had great chance a. court
but court favor Tilted him; he got south sea
stock which at one time nearly made his fortune
but he was jilted again his friends, owever
were kind and nd of honest Gay In the portraits of
the literary WORTHLESS Of The last century Gays face is
The pessantes perhaps Of ALL he is not adorned with
Big wig OF night cap as the rest of them but he laughs
at you oyer his shoulder with sweet artles humor he
so kind gentle go ocular degh sfuly pleasant
n one time, and at another 80 ludcrou.ly wobegone
that the giants loved him swift portsd with him he
frtked around Pope and bsrked and capered without
offending that moet thin skinned Of poets ana Of men
We have Gay before lazy idle rather slovenly aud
forever saying and eating good things like little French
able We are now brought, said the lecturer to the
poets the equt of the English wits ard humorists If
the poet Of The Rape Of The Lock be not wit il the
author OF the Duncau be not humoIst who deserves
the name OF bunorist wit Besides that brilliant
genius for which We respect him. and for which Of
Il tiers admired him he has been the greatest artist of
English literature polished and refined, and thought and
took thoughts from other works to complete his
The lecturer briefly sketched Pope's early life ard com
nted his love writings. If any body here said he
should take fancy TO look at Popes correspondence let
them pass over that first part Of it. n which there is
tone OF not pleasant gslantry, and something which
makes distrust the pert little prurent bard Tnere
il very little indeed TO say about his loves and that little
net eoifying- He hsd passion for and wrote Lady
Mary Montague. but thss passion expguished by
box the some such rebuff 1t a feeble.
puny glimpse of love be mad and after Mr. Pope had sent
u his ositions to LSdy Mary he made rough
draft Of it and favored other lady friend h 1t;
and gentleman who writes TO two addresses and
up the okh a T6ohdIGe to another is not very
part Of Popes correspo ndence, / do not know any
Thing in the range Of literary yolumes more
delightful The lecturer gave q graphic sketch
ri Pope's exaltation and of the iealousies of
Pope to realiate in the Duncisd swift appauded aud
owed him aud peted him ard taught him mischief If
addison had loved BIN better Of the best characters
}he world ever knew would have been without flaw and
~ would not have the best Eate written; but he
ebo cd few equals could not bear and Pope was
pore than that Pope ard Addison "a not do wrong to
EkIke each other. When Bernadotte he heir TO
throne and saluted the Prince Royal of Sweden,
~ natural be and Napoleon should be enemies In
considering Pope's admirable ceerthe lecturer said in
conclusion we are forced TO d simiitGde drawn from
rtner gIestnes and to compare him with those who
achieved triumphs in actual think Of the works
pf young Pope 90 Of the actions OF oung BopaparIe
young Nelson- iu their common life you will find
Satiee and msanDetes great the vices and foies
Of the mesnst but 10 the presence Of the great
casion, the al soul flashes out and conquers
ceDden y In thrkug OF the splendor Of young Popes
victories Of his merits uuequsled his Il bail
and salute achieving genius and DO homage to the pen
OF the hero.