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PHILIPS.

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F the birth or early part of the

life of AMBROSE PHILIPS I have not been able to find any account. His academical education he received at St. John's College in Cambridge, where he firft folicited the notice of the world by fome English verfes, in the Collection published by the University on the death of queen Mary.

From this time how he was employed, or in what station he paffed his life, is not yet difcovered. He must have pub

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lished his Paftorals before the year 1708, because they are evidently prior to those

of Pope.

He afterwards (1709) addreffed to the univerfal patron, the duke of Dorfet, a poetical Letter from Copenhagen, which was published in the Tatler, and is by Pope in one of his firft Letters mentioned with high praife, as the production of a man who could write very nobly.

Philips was a zealous Whig, and there

fore eafily found accefs to Addison and Steele; but his ardour feems not to have procured him any thing more than kind words; fince he was reduced to tranflate the Perfian Tales for Tonfon, for which he was afterwards reproached, with this addition of contempt, that he worked

for

for half-a-crown. The book is divided into many fections, for each of which if he received half-a-crown, his reward, as writers then were paid, was very li beral; but half-a-crown had a mean found.

He was employed in promoting the principles of his party, by epitomifing Hacket's Life of Archbishop Williams. The original book is written with fuch depravity of genius, fuch mixture of the fop and pedant, as has not often appeared. The Epitome is free enough from affectation, but has little fpirit of vigour.

In 1712 he brought upon the ftage The Diftreft Mother, almoft a tranflation of Racine's Andromaque. Such a work

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requires no uncommon powers; but the friends of Philips exerted every art to promote his interest. Before the appearance of the play a whole Spectator, none indeed of the beft, was devoted to its praife; while it yet continued to be acted, another Spectator was written, to tell what impreffion it made upon Sir Roger; and on the first night a felect audience, fay's Pope *, was called together to applaud it.

It was concluded with the most fuccessful Epilogue that was ever yet fpoken on the English theatre. The three first nights it was recited twice; and not only continued to be demanded through the run, as it is termed, of the * Spence.

play,

play, but whenever it is recalled to the stage, where by peculiar fortune, though a copy from the French, it yet keeps its place, the Epilogue is ftill expected, and is ftill spoken.

The propriety of Epilogues in general, and consequently of this, was queftioned by a correfpondent of the Spectator, whofe Letter was undoubtedly admitted for the fake of the Anfwer, which foon followed, written with much zeal and acrimony. The attack and the defence equally contributed to ftimulate curiofity and continue attention. It may be discovered in the defence, that Prior's Epilogue to Phædra had a little excited jealoufy; and fomething of Prior's plan

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