effects from the accufation, having fufficiently cleared his innocence, he thought any farther procedure would have the appearance of revenge, and therefore willingly dropped it.

He faw foon afterwards a process commenced in the fame court against himself, on an information in which he was accused of writing and publishing an obscene pamphlet.

It was always Mr. Savage's defire to be diftinguished; and, when any controverfy became popular, he never wanted fome reason for engaging in it with great ardour, and appearing at the head of the party which he had chofen. As he was never celebrated for his prudence, he had no fooner taken his fide, and informed himself of the chief topicks of the difpute, than he took all opportunities of afferting and propagating his principles, without much regard to his own intereft, or any other vifible defign than that of drawing upon himself the attention of mankind.

The difpute between the Bishop of London and the Chancellor is well known to have been for fome time the chief topic of political converfation; and therefore Mr. Savage, in purfuance of his character, endeavoured to become confpicuous among the controvertists with which every coffee-houfe was filled on that occafion. He was an indefatigable oppofer of all the claims of ecclefiaftical power, though he did not know on what g 2

what they were founded; and was therefore no friend to the Bishop of London. But he had another reason for appearing as a warm advocate for Dr. Rundle; for he was the friend of Mr. Fofter and Mr. Thomson, who were the friends of Mr. Savage.

Thus remote was his intereft in the question, which however, as he imagined, concerned him fo nearly, that it was not fufficient to harangue and difpute, but neceffary likewise to write upon it.

He therefore engaged with great ardour in a new Poem, called by him, THE PROGRESS OF A DIVINE; in which he conducts a profligate priest by all the gradations of wickednefs from a poor curacy in the country, to the highest preferments of the church, and defcribes with that humour which was natural to him, and that knowledge which was extended to all the diverfities of human life, his behaviour in every station; and infinuates, that this priest, thus accomplished, found at laft a patron in the Bishop of London.

When he was asked by one of his friends, on what pretence he could charge the Bishop with fuch an action, he had no more to fay, than that he had only inverted the accufation, and that he thought it reasonable to believe, that he, who obftructed the rife of a good man

without

without reason, would for bad reasons promote the exaltation of a villain.

The clergy were univerfally provoked by this fatire; and Savage, who, as was his conftant practice, had fet his name to his performance, was cenfured in THE WEEKLY MISCELLANY * with

* A fhort fatire was likewife published in the fame paper, in which were the following lines:

For cruel murder doom'd to hempen death,
Savage, by royal grace, prolong'd his breath.
Well might you think he spent his future years
In prayer, and fafting, and repentant tears.
-But, O vain hope!-the truly Savage cries,
"Priests, and their flavish doctrines, I defpife.
"Shall I

"Who, by free-thinking to free action fir'd,
"In midnight brawls a deathlefs name acquir'd,
"Now ftoop to learn of ecclefiaftic men?—
"No, arm'd with rhyme, at priefts I'll take my aim,
"Though prudence bids me murder but their fame."
WEEKLY MISCELLANY.

An anfwer was published in THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, written by an unknown hand, from which the following lines are felected:

Transform'd by thoughtless rage, and midnight wine,

From malice free, and pufh'd without defign;

In equal brawl if Savage lung'd a thruft,
And brought the youth a victim to the duft;
So ftrong the hand of accident appears,
The royal hand from guilt and vengeance clears.
Inftead of wafting "all thy future years,
"Savage, in prayer and vain repentant tears;"
g 3

Exert

with feverity, which he did not seem inclined to forget.

But a return of invective was not thought a fufficient punishment. The Court of King's Bench was therefore moved against him, and he was obliged to return an answer to a charge of obscenity. It was urged, in his defence, that obfcenity was criminal when it was intended to promote the practice of vice; but that Mr. Savage had only introduced obfcene ideas, with the view of expofing them to deteftation, and of amending the age, by fhewing the deformity of wickednefs. This plea was admitted; and Sir Philip Yorke, who then prefided in that court, difmiffed the information with encomiums upon

Exert thy pen to mend a vicious age,

To curb the prieft, and fink his high-church rage;
To thew what frauds the holy veftments hide,
The nefts of av'rice, luft, and pedant pride;
Then change the fcene, let merit brightly shine,
And round the patriot twift the wreath divine;
The heavenly guide deliver down to fame;
In well-tun'd lays tranfmit a Fofter's name;
Touch every paffion with harmonious art,
Exalt the genius, and correct the heart.
Thus future times fhall royal grace extol;
Thus polith'd lines thy prefent fame enrol.

But grant

-Malicioufly that Savage plung'd the steel,
And made the youth its thining vengeance feel;
My foul abhors the act, the man detefis,
But more the bigotry in priefly breasts.

GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, May 1735

the

the purity and excellence of Mr. Savage's writings.

The profecution, however, anfwered in fome measure the purpose of those by whom it was fet on foot; for Mr. Savage was fo far intimidated by it, that, when the edition of his poem was fold, he did not venture to reprint it; fo that it was in a fhort time forgotten, or forgotten by all but those whom it offended.

It is faid, that some endeavours were used to incense the Queen against him: but he found advocates to obviate at least part of their effect; for though he was never advanced, he still continued to receive his penfion.

This poem drew more infamy upon him than any incident of his life; and, as his conduct cannot be vindicated, it is proper to fecure his memory from reproach, by informing thofe whom he made his enemies, that he never intended to repeat the provocation; and that, though, whenever he thought he had any reafon to complain of the clergy, he used to threaten them with a new edition of THE PROGRESS OF A DIVINE, it was his calm and fettled refolution to fupprefs it for ever.

He once intended to have made a better reparation for the folly or injuftice with which he might be charged, by writing another poem, called, THE PROGRESS OF A FREETHINKER, whom he intended to lead through all the ftages