WORKS I N VERSE AND PROSE, WILLIAM SHENSTONE, Efq; Moft of which were never before printed. Cantando puerum memini me condere foles. VIRG. LONDON: Printed for R. and J. DODSLEY in Pall-mall. M DCC. LXIV. PREFA C E. A Great part of the poetical works of Mr. SHENSTONE, particularly his Elegies and Paftorals, are (as he himself expreffes it) "The exact transcripts of the fituation of his own mind;" and abound in frequent allusions to his own place, the beautiful scene of his retirement from the world. Exclufively therefore of our natural curiofity to be acquainted with the history of an author, whose works we peruse with pleasure, fome short account of Mr. SHENSTONE's personal character, and fituation in life, may not only be agreeable, but abfolutely neceffary, to the reader; as it is impoffible he should enter into the true fpirit of his writings, if he is entirely ignorant of those circumstances of his life, which fometimes fo greatly influenced his reflections. I could wish however that this task had been allotted to fome perfon capable of performing it in that masterly manner which the subject so well deferves. To confefs the truth, it was chiefly to prevent his remains from falling into the hands of any one ftill lefs qualified to do him justice, that I have unwillingly ventured to undertake the publication of them myself. Mr. SHENSTONE was the eldest son of a plain uneducated country gentleman in SHROP SHIRE, who farmed his own eftate. The father, fenfible of his fon's extraordinary capacity, refolved to give him a learned education, and sent him a commoner to PEMBROKE College in OXFORD, defigning him for the church: but tho' he had the most aweful notions of the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, he never could be perfuaded to enter into orders. Ir. his private opinions he adhered to no particular fect, and hated all religious difputes. But whatever were his own fentiments, he always fhewed great tenderness to thofe, who differed from him, Tenderness, indeed, in every fenfe of the word, was his peculiar characteristic; his friends, his domeftics, his poor neighbours, all daily experienced his benevolent turn of mind, Indeed, this virtue in him was often carried to fuch excess, that it fometimes bordered upon weak weakness: yet if he was convinced that any of those ranked amongst the number of his friends, had treated him ungenerously, he was not eafy reconciled. He used a maxim, however, on fuch occafions, which is worthy of being observed and imitated; "I never (faid he) will be a revengeful enemy; but I cannot, it is not in my nature, to be half a friend." He was in his temper quite unfufpicious; but if fufpicion was once awakened in him, it was not laid asleep again without difficulty. He was no œconomist; the generofity of his temper prevented him from paying a proper regard to the use of money: he exceeded therefore the bounds of his paternal fortune, which before he died was confiderably encumbered. But when one recollects the perfect paradise he had raised around him, the hospitality with which he lived, his great indulgence to his fervants, his charities to the indigent, and all done with an estate not more than three hundred pounds a year, one should rather be led to wonder that he left any thing behind him, than to blame his want of œconomy. He left however more than fufficient to pay all his debts; and by his will A 2 |