THE LIFE OF GARTH.

SAMDEL

AMDEL GARTE was of a good family in Yorkshire; but the year and place of his birth are not certainly known.

From some school in his own county, he was fent to Peter-Houfe College in Cambridge, where he refided till he commenced Doctor of Phyfic, July 7. 1691.

He now repaired to London, where he refolved to fettle in the practice of his profeffion, and was examined before the College of Physicians 12th March 1691-2, and admitted a Fellow 26th June 1693.

He was foon fo much distinguished by his converfation and accomplishments, as to obtain very extensive practice, and had the favour and confidence of the Whigs, as Radcliffe had of the Tories.

In 1696, he acted a confpicuous part in the famous diffenfion in the College of Phyficians, conGerning the obfervance of an edict, paffed 28th July 1687, requiring all the Fellows, Candidates, and Licentiates to give gratuitous advice to the neighbouring poor.

He is always mentioned as a man of benevolence; and, on this occafion, he concurred with a majority of the College, in enforcing the obfervance of the edict. and in adopting a propofition for a subscription among the members, to accommodate the poor with medicines at prime coft, by preparing them in a proper difpenfatory for that purpose.

This work of charity having expofed him and the physicians with whom he acted to a malignant oppofition from fome members of the College, and the Society of Apothecaries, he refolved to expose their envy and refentment in a proper satire.

He was not long in executing his purpose with peculiar spirit and vivacity, in his admirable burlefque pocm, intituled The Difpenfary, which came out flugrante bello, and co-operating with the paffions and prejudices then prevalent, was univerfally and liberally applauded. It was on the fide of charity, against the intrigues of intereft; and of regular learning, againft licentious ufurpation of medical authority; and was therefore naturally favoured by those who read and can judge of poetry.

It was dedicated to Anthony Henley, Efq., and had commendatory verfes before it, by Charles Boyle, afterwards Earl of Orrery, Colonel Codrington, Thomas Cheek, Efq., and Colonel Blunt ; and bore three impreffions in a few months.

In 1697, he spoke the Harveian Oration, before the College in Warwick-Lane, " to the great fatisfaction of the auditors, and his own honour," as it is expressed in the register of the College. The applause with which it was received by the College, was confirmed by the public, who, is this inftance, teftified almost an equal admiration of the poet, who expofed, in the genteeleft fatire, the mean-fpirited intrigues of the false brethren of the Faculty, and of the orator, who ridi culed, with a just spirit and inimitable humour, the mischievous knavery of the multifarious claffes of quacks.

In the Harveian Oration, he introduced an animated apoftrophe to King William, « Ad te nunc coronidis loco convertimur Gulielme Augufte," &c., and an cloquent encomium on the bleffings of the Revolution.

On the death of Dryden, in 1701, he performed a memorable act of generofity and tenderness, in providing a fuitable interment to his fhamefully abandoned corpfe; which he caused to be brought to the College of Phyficians, proposed and encouraged a fubfcription for defraying the expence of a funeral, pronounced a proper oration over the great poet's remains, and afterwards attended the folemnity from Warwick Lane to Westminster Abbey.

For this one pious action, the memory of Garth will be regarded with everlasting honour and gratitude, by the admirers of the great father of genuine English poetry.

In 1702, he was elected one of the cenfors of the College of Physicians.

Being an active and zealous Whig, he was an original member of the Kit-Kat Club, established in 1703, which confifted of about thirty noblemen and gentlemen, diftinguished by a warm zeal for the fucceffion in the Houfe of Hanover.

It received its name from one Chriftopher Kat, a pastry-couk, near the tavern in King-Street, Westminster, where they met, who often ferved them with tarts, and other things in his way.

Old Jacob Tonfon, the bookfeller, was their fecretary; and the portraits of all the original members of the club, painted by Kneller, were long in the poffeffion of his family at Barn-elms, and are now the property of Richard Baker, Efq., and are at his houfe in Hill-Street, Berkley Square, London.

In concert with Halifax, and other members of the Club, who recommended loyalty and liberty, by the powerful influence of wit and pleasantry, Garth furnished extempore epigrams on the most celebrated Whig beauties, which were infcribed on their drinking glaffes.

He was familiarly known to all the great men of the Whig party, and enjoyed, with great moderation, the funshine of court-favour during Godolphin's administration, and attended the dif miffion of that minifter, in 1710, with a fhort poem, which is an unequivocal teftimony of his gratitude, and the steadiness and fincerity of his attachment.

There were fome to whom this teftimony of gratitude was difpleafing, and the poem was feverely criticised by Prior, in "The Examiner," a paper engaged in defence of the new miniftry, and fuccefsfully vindicated by Addison, in "The Whig-Examiner," who conferred additional honour ori the poet and the verses, by his admirable vindication.

In 1711, he wrote a dedication for an intended edition of Lucretius, to the Elector of Hanover, which is remarkable for.its elegant Latinity.

At the acceffion of that prince to the British throne, his merits were acknowledged and rewarded: He was knighted with the fword of Marlborough, and was made Physician in Ordinary to the King, and Physician-general to the Army.

In 1715, he published a poem, intituled Claremont, addreffed to the Earl of Clare, afterwards Duke of Newcastle, on his giving that name to his beautiful and magnificent villa, near Esher, in Surrey.

He then undertook an edition of Ovid's Metamorphofes, tranflated by feveral hands, to which he contributed a verfion of the fourteenth book, and prefixed a critical and recommendatory preface.

This was his laft work. His health now vifibly declined, which caufed a general concern. Granville, afterwards Lord Lanfdowne, though of a different party, teftified his fenfibility in ftrains worthy of Waller :

"Machaon fick in every face we find,

His danger is the danger of mankind," &c.

He died 18th January 1717-18, and was buried in the church of Harrow on the Hill, He left an only daughter, who was married to Colonel Boyle.

I

!

The perfonal character of Garth seems to have been very amiable. He was a good poet, a good physician, and an honeft man, and more than merely and paffively fo. His benevolence was as active as it was extenfive. His hand and heart went together; a circumstance more valuable than all the luftre that genius can confer. He communicated himself through a very wide extent of acquaintance; and though firm in a party, yet he imparted his kindness to those who were not suppofed to favour his principles. He buried Dryden. He was an early encourager of Pope.

In the conflict of parties, he was careffed by the first wits on either fide. He was at once the friend of Addifon and of Granville.

"The best natured of men," fays Pope, in one of his letters "Sir Samuel Garth, has left me in the truest concern for his lofs. His death was very heroical, and yet unaffected enough to have made a faint or a philofopher famous. But ill tongues, and worse hearts, have branded his last moments as wrongfully, as they did his life with irreligion. You must have heard many tales upon this subject: but if ever there was a good Chriftian, without knowing himself to be fo, it was Dr. Garth."

His poems were collected and printed by Tonfon, among " The Works of the Minor Poets," in 2 volumes, 12mo., 1749. The Dispensary and Claremont are generally known and admired, particularly the Dispensary, of which it is fufficient commendation to say, that it is only inferior in humour, discrimination of character, and poetical ardour, to the "Rape of the Lock." His Claremont is in the manner of Ovid, and has many of the beauties and defects of his favourite author. His Tranflations and petty pieces have nothing in them remarkable.

“His poetry,” says Dr. Johnson, “ has been praised at least equally to its merit. In the Difpenfary there is a ftrain of smooth and free verfification; but few lines are eminently elegant. The general design is perhaps open to criticism; but the composition can feldom be charged with inaccuracy or negligence. The author never flumbers in self-indulgence, his full vigour is always erected, scarce a line is left unfinished; nor is it easy to find an expreffion used by conftraint, or a thought imperfectly expreffed. It was remarked by Pope, that the Dispensary had been corrected in every edition, and that every change was an improvement. It appears, however, to want fomething of poetical ardour, and something of general delectation; and therefore, fince it has been no longer fupported by accidental and extrinfic popularity, it has been fcarcely able to fupport itself."

THE DISPENSARY,

A POEM,

IN SIX CANTOS.

“ —Hanc veniam petimufque damusque viciffim.”

ΤΟ

ANTHONY HENLEY, Esq.