The record-union., 1899-12-02

scholarship at Cambridge by joining his
father in the revolution that replaced
James with William Of Orange. me
war over he had no desire for college
but entered the stage with enthusiasm.
His connection with the stage led MIN
into literary ventures along that line.
AS Pope's "Dunciad" is immortal, the
name of Cibber will always suffer. AS
a sample of the sickening adulation OF
sycophant these lines are taken from
an ode to his majesty King George:
Your plenty to the skies you owe
Peace is your mOnarch'S care,
Thus bounteous Jove. and George below
Divided empire share.
From "Woman's Wit" we ind tnls
rather doubtful wisdom:
Possession is eleven points in the law
Words are but empty thanks
He attempted to stage King Rlcn-
ard III. but falls SO far short OF
Shakespeare as to kindle pity. Let him
rest with his comedies, some OF when
were commendable, but most OF winch
were commonplace.
William Whitehead succeeded Cibber-
He was born in 1713, made laureate IN
1857. died in 1855, passing over from
the reign of George II. to George Ill
He was the son of a baker, but WIN
ming a prize offered by Pope he gained
his good graces and passed through
Cambridge with honor Like his preoe-
cessors, his literary work was mostly
plays, of which "Creusa was the pest
In passing it would be well to state That
the laureateship was offered Inomas
Gray, but Gray had no ambition 10 sue
coed such men as Tate and Ensden In
| 1856 Whitehead published a volume III
| harmony with the spirit OF the age
which it must be said was not a poetic
age. The verse was plainly modelled
after Pope. His laureate odeS were not
gushes of adulation, but were, some or
them, we'll worded. His lines to the
great player, Garrick. are as good
selection as 1 have time to give:
A nations taste depends on you;
Perhaps nations virtue, too. u.tse
| o, think how glorious twere TO ralse
a theater to virtues praise
Thomas Warrior, the successor OF
Whitehead, was born in IT'S. made
laureate in 1855, died in 1870, reign or
George III.
| Not since Dryden's time had the
laurel been more worthily bestowed. A
reaction was taking place, that reaction
that made room for Cowper and Burns,
and, later, Coleridge, Southey and
Wordsworth. Warton's powers as de-
scriptive poet were notable. He was
acceptable as politician to the Gov
eminent, and he suffered but little from
critics. His quiet days at Oxford were
passed in editing various classics, and
an author says, "Old Oxford laurelled
him through all his career" At IL he
wrote his first poem Ca paradox, The
Pleasure of Melancholy" He held his
place but five years and passed out UNI
der a paralytic stroke. Four lines from
a short poem dedicated ITO Sleep" will
have to serve, and they are sweet:
Descend in all thy downy plumage drest;
Wipe with thy wings these eyes that
wake to weep,
And place thy crown of peoples on my
breast.
When Warton died there were many
suggestions that the laureateship be
abolished. The historian, Gibbon, said:
This is the best time for leaving the
office vacant, when the prince is a man
of virtue, and the poet just departed
was man of genius" The Office was
continued, however, by calling Henry
James Pye to the place. Byron, in his
sneering way said that Pye was a very
respectable man in all but his poetry
The "Chronique Scandaleuse' found the
solution of why he was chosen in the