Or with OVID,

Jamque opus exegi, quod nec Jovis Ira, nec Ignis,
Nec poterit ferrum, nec edax abolere Vetuftas.

The Author of this celebrated Poem was of this laft Compofition; for altho' he had not the happiness of an Academical Education, as fome affirm, it may be perceiv'd, throughout his whole Poem, that he had read much, and was very well accomplish'd in the most useful Parts of Human Learning.

RAPIN (in bis Reflections) Speaking of the neceffary Qualities belonging to a Poet, tells us, He must have a Genius extraordinary; great Natural Gifts; a Wit, just, fruitful, piercing, Solid and univerfal; an Understanding, clear and diftinct ; an Imagination, neat and pleasant; an Elevation of Soul, that depends not only on Art or Study, but is purely a Gift of Heaven, which must be sustain❜d by a lively Senfe and Vivacity; Judgment to confider wifely of Things, and Vivacity for the beautiful Expreffion of them, &c.

Now, how justly this Character is due to our Author, I leave to the Impartial Reader, and those of nicer judgments, who had the happiness to be more intimately acquainted with him.

The Reputation of this incomparable Poem is fo thoroughly eftablish'd in the World, that it would be fuperfluous, if not impertinent, to endeavour any Panegyric upon it. However, fince most men have a curiofity to have fome account of fuch Anonymous Authors, whofe Compofitions have been eminent for Wit or Learning; I have been defired to oblige them with fuch Informations, as I could receive from those who had the happiness to be acquainted with him, and alfo to rectify the Miftakes of the Oxford Antiquary, in his Athenæ Oxonienfes, concerning him.

THE

S

AUTHOR's

LIFE.

AMUEL BUTLER, the Author of this excellent Poem, was born in the Parish of Strensham, in the County of Worcester, and baptized there the 13th of February 1612. His Father, who was of the fame Name, was an honeft Country Farmer, who had fome fmall Eftate of his own, but rented a much greater of the Lord of the Manor where he liv'd. However, perceiveing in this Son an early Inclination to Learning, he made a fhift to have him educated in the FreeSchool at Worcester, under Mr. Henry Bright; where having paft the usual time, and being become an excellent School-Scholar, he went for fome little time to Cambridge, but was never matriculated into that University, his Father's Abilities not being fufficient to be at the charge of an Academical Education; fo that our Author return'd foon into his native Country, and became Clerk to one Mr. Jefferys of Earls-Croom, an eminent Juftice of the Peace for that County, with whom he liv'd fome years, in an easy and no contemptible service. Here, by the Indulgence of a Kind Master, he had fufficient leifure to apply himself to whatever Learning his Inclinations led him, which were chiefly Hiftory and Poetry; to which, for his Diverfión, he joined Mufick and Painting; and I have feen fome Pictures, faid to be of his Drawing, which remained in that Family; which I mention not for the Excellency of them, but to fatisfy the Reader of his early Inclinations to that noble Art; for which alfo he was afterwards

wards entirely belov'd by Mr. Samuel Cooper, one of the most Eminent Painters of his time.

He was, after this, recommended to that great Encourager of Learning, Elizabeth Countess of Kent, where he had not only the Opportunity to confult all manner of learned Books, but to converse also with that living Library of Learning, the great Mr. Selden. Our Author liv'd fome time alfo with Sir Samuel Luke, who was of an ancient Family in Bedfordfbire; but, to his Dishonour, an eminent Commander under the Ufurper Oliver Cromwell: and then it was, as I an inform'd, he compofed this Loyal Poem. For tho' Fate, more than Choice, feems to have placed him in the fervice of a Knight fo notorious, both in his Perfon and Politicks, yet by the Rule of Contraries, one may obferve throughout his whole Poem, that he was moft Orthodox, both in his Religion and Loyalty. And I am the more induced to believe he wrote it about that time, because he had then the opportunity to converse with thofe living Characters of Rebellion, Nonfenfe, and Hypocrify, which The fo lively and pathetically expofes throughout the whole Work.

After the Restoration of King Charles II. thofe who were at the Helm, minding Money more than Merit, our Author found those Verfes of Juvenal to be exactly verify'd in himself:

Haud facilè emergunt, quorum Virtutibus obftat
Res angufta Domi:

And being endued with that innate Modefty, which rarely finds Promotion in Princes Courts; he became Secretary to Richard Earl of Carbury, Lord Prefident of the Principality of Wales, who made him Steward of Ludlow-Caftle, when the Court there was reviv'd, About this time, he married one Mrs. Herbert, a Gentlewoman of a very good Family, but no

Widow, as our Oxford Antiquary has reported: She had a competent Fortune, but it was most of it unfortunately loft by being put out on ill Securities, fo that it was little advantage to him. He is reported by our Antiquary to have been Secretary to his Grace George Duke of Buckingham, when he was Chancellor to the University of Cambridge: but whether that be true or no, 'tis certain, the Duke had a great kindnefs for him, and was often a Benefactor to him. But no Man was a more generous Friend to him, than that Mecenas of all Learned and Witty Men, Charles Lord Buckhurst, the late Earl of Dorfet and Middlefex, who, being himself an excellent Poet, knew how to fet a juft value upon the Ingenious Performances of others, and has often taken care privately to relieve and fupply the Neceffities of thofe, whofe Modeftly would endeavour to conceal them: of which our Author was a fignal Inftance, as feveral others have been who are now living. In fine, the Integrity of his Life, the Acutenefs of his Wit, and Eafinefs of his Converfation, had rendered him most acceptable to all Men; yet he prudently avoided multiplicity of Acquaintance, and wifely chofe fuch only whom his difcerning Judgment could diftinguish, (as Mr. Cowley expreffeth it)

From the great Vulgar or the Small.

And having thus liv'd to a good old age, admir'd by all, though perfonally known to a few, he departed this Life in the Year 1680, and was buried at the Charge of his good Friend Mr. Lvil of the VOL. I. T—le,

a

C

a

"Mr. W. Longueville would fain have buried Butler in West"minfter Abbey; and fpoke in that view to fome of thofe Wealthy "Perfons, who had admired him so much in his life-time; offering 66 to pay his Part, but none of them would contribute. Upon which "Mr. Longueville buried him with the greatest privacy (but at the "fame time very decently) in Covent Garden Church-yard at his own expence; himself and feven or eight perfons more following "the Corps to the Grave." Hudibras's Life, Gen. Hift, Diet, vol. 6.

pag.

Tle, in the Yard belonging to the Church of St. Paul, Covent-Garden, at the Weft-End of the faid Yard, on the North-Side, under the Wall of the faid Church, and under that Wall which parts the Yard from the common Highway. And fince he has no Monument yet fet up for him, give me Leave to borrow his Epitaph from that of Michael Drayton the Poet, as the Author of Mr. Cowley's has partly done before me:

And tho' no Monument can claim

To be the Treasurer of thy Name;

This Work, which ne'er will die, fhall be
An everlasting Monument to thee.

The Characters of this Poem are for the moft part obvious, even to the meaneft Pretenders to Learning or History; nor can scarce any one be fo ignorant, as not to know, that the chief Defign thereof is a Satire against those Incendiaries of Church and State, who in the late Rebellion, under pretence of Religion, murder'd the beft of Kings, to introduce the worst of Governments; deftroy'd the best of Churches, that Hypocrify, Novelty, and Nonfenfe, might be predominant amongst us; and overthrew our wholefome Laws and Conftitutions, to make way for their Blessed Anarchy and Confufion, which at last ended in Tyranny. But fince, according to the Proverb, None are fo blind as they that will not fee; fo thofe who are not refolv'd to be invincibly ignorant, I refer, for their farther fatisfaction, to the Hiftories of Mr. Fowlis of Prefbytery, and Mr. Walker of Independency; but more especially to that incomparable Hiftory lately published, wrote by Edward Earl of Clarendon, which are fufficient to fatisfy any unbiafs'd Perfon, that his gene

ral

pag. 299. Marg. Note.) and I will beg leave to add, that the Burial Service was read over him, by the learned and Pious Dr. Patrick, (afterwards Lord Bishop of Ely) then Minister of the Parish.