"been of late walking round us, and "making breach upon breach upon us, "and has now carried away the head of "this body with a ftroke; fo that he, " whom you faw a week ago diftributing "the holy myfteries, is now laid in the duft. But he ftill lives in the many "excellent directions he has left us, both "how to live and how to die."

The Dean placed his fon upon the foundation at Winchester College, where he had himself been educated. At this school Edward Young remained till the election after his eighteenth birth-day, the period at which thofe upon the foundation are fuperannuated. Whether he did not betray his abilities early in life, or his masters had not fkill enough to discover in their pupil any marks of ge

nius for which he merited reward, or no

vacancy at Oxford afforded them an opportunity to beftow upon him the reward provided for merit by William of Wykeham; certain it is, that to an Oxford fellowship our Poet did not fucceed. By chance, or by choice, New College does not number among its Fellows him who wrote the Night Thoughts.

On the 13th of October, 1703, he was entered an Independent Member of New College, that he might live at little expence in the Warden's lodgings, who was a particular friend of his father, till he fhould be qualified to ftand for a fellowship at All-fouls. In a few months the warden of New College died. He then

5.

then removed to Corpus. The Prefident of this College, from regard alfo for his father, invited him thither, in order to leffen his academical expences. In 1708 he was nominated to a law fellowship at All-fouls by Archbishop Tennison, into whofe hands it came by devolution. -Such repeated patronage, while it juftifies Burnet's praife of the father, reflects credit on the conduct of the fon. The manner in which it was exerted seems to prove that the father did not leave behind him much wealth.

On the 23d of April 1714, Young took his degree of Batchelor of Civil Laws, and his Doctor's degree on the

10th of June 1719.

A 4

Soon

Soon after he was elected at All-fouls he discovered, it is faid, an inclination to take pupils. Whether he ever commenced tutor is not known. None has hitherto boafted to have received his academical inftruction from the author of the Night Thoughts. It is certain that his college was proud of him no less as a fcholar than as a poet; for, in 1716, when the foundation of the Codrington Library was laid, two years after he had taken his Batchelor's degree, he was appointed to fpeak the Latin oration, which is at least particular for being dedicated in English To the Ladies of the Codrington Family. To thefe he fays, that he was unavoidably flung into a fingularity, by being obliged to write an

epiftle

epiftle-dedicatory void of common-place, and fuch an one as was never published before by any author whatever;-that this practice abfolved them from any obligation of reading what was prefented to them; and that the bookseller approved of it, because it would make people ftare, was abfurd enough, and perfectly right." Of this oration there is no appearance in his own edition of his works; and prefixed to an edition

by Curll and Tonfon, in 1741, is a letter from Young to Curll (if Curll may be credited), dated December the 9th, 1739, wherein he fays he has not leifure to review what he formerly wrote, and adds, "I have not the Epistle to Lord

66

Lanfdowne. If you will take my ad

❝ vice,