he fpeculated upon virtual reprefentation, tyrenny, taxation, &c. in favour of a government de facto, which, till a certain period, he is faid to have held to be de jure an ufurpation, we fhall not pofitively determine. This we know in common with the reft of mankind, that fuch fervices have not been without confiderable emolument; and that, on the other hand, the performance of them hath afforded to the author an opportu nity of affwaging his itch of defaming certain friends of public liberty, with whom he could have no quarrel, but on account of their political principles and attachments.

We could add fome remarkable inftances from the Life of Savage. The

em

embellishment of a character fo replete with infolence, ingratitude, and criminal diffipation, can hardly be ascribed to motives of greater purity than the fale of the copy, unless we fhould take into the account the delicacies of friendfhip, and the congenial talents of the man and his orator.

Savage was a poet, and in his biographer's opinion, a poet above mediocrity, and not inferior in the poetical fcale of Dr. Johnfon to fome of thofe whom he hath honoured with his prefatory narratives.

May we not then prefume, that the Doctor's Life of Savage will be added to thofe elogies of eminent bards which have been received by the public with

fo much applaufe, and read with fo

much avidity?

We would not anticipate the pleasure of his readers in obferving the Doctor's improvements in political wifdom fince the year 1744; we fhall only give one inftance of it, taken from pages 120, 121, 122, of the edition of Savage's Life that year, where there are fome juft, and indeed beautiful, contemplations, on the rife and fettlement of colonies, both in a poetical and political view.

Savage compofed a poem on the fubject, where, as the biographer informs us, he has laudably "afferted the natu"ral equality of mankind, and endea"voured to fupprefs that pride which "inclines

inclines men to imagine that right is "the confequence of power."

The benevolent Dr. Price himfelf could not have advanced a doctrine more unfavoury to the palate of Dr. Jonion's friends, nor needs it much fagacity to fhew how it appears in contraft with the change which experience bath made in the Doctor's opinions *. The Doctor, we prefume, found his account in both his opinions, and all fides ought to be fatiffied.

There is indeed one performance af cribed to the pen of the Doctor, where the proftitution is of fo fingular a nature, that it would be difficult to select an adequate motive for it out of the Life of Savage, p. 122.

moun

mountainous heap of conjectural caufes of human paffions or human caprice. We allude to the speech delivered by the late unhappy Dr. William Dodd, when he was about to hear the fentence of the law pronounced upon him, in confequence of an indictment for forgery.

The voice of the public has given the honour of manufacturing this fpeech to Dr. Johnfon; and the ftile and configuration of the fpeech itfelf confirm the imputation.

Dr. Dodd was a man of parts, a poet, and an orator. He can hardly be fuppofed to have fufpected that the powers

of his own rhetoric would be too feeble for fo critical an occafion. Prefence of

mind he could not want to compofe a

4

fpeech