Then love not each who offers thee, But first take heed, and weigh with care, For those who friends too lightly choose, BATAVIAN ANTHOLOGY. POETICAL GENEALOGY. "IT is a curious and pleasant thing to consider, that a link of personal acquaintance can be traced up from the authors of our own times to those of Shakspeare's era, and to Shakspeare himself. Ovid, in recording, with fondness, his intimacy with Propertius and Horace, regrets that he had only seen Virgil. (Trist.' book 4, v. 51.) But still he thinks the sight of him worth remembering. And Pope, when a child, prevailed on some friends to take him to a coffee-house which Dryden frequented, merely to look at him; which he did, to his great satisfaction. Now, such of us as have shaken hands with a living poet, might be able, perhaps, to reckon up a series of connecting shakes to the very hand that wrote of Hamlet, and of Falstaff, and of Desdemona. "With some living poets, it is certain. There is Thomas Moore, for instance, who knew Sheridan. Sheridan knew Johnson, who was the friend of Savage, who knew Steele, who knew Pope. Pope was intimate with Congreve, and Congreve with Dryden. Dryden is Isaid to have visited Milton. Milton is said to have known Davenant, and to have been saved by him from the revenge of the restored Court, in return for having saved Davenant from the revenge of the Commonwealth. But if the link between Dryden and Milton, and Milton and Davenant, is somewhat apocryphal, or, rather, dependent on tradition, (for Richardson, the painter, tells us the latter from Pope, who had it from Betterton, the actor, one of Davenant's company,) it may be carried, at once, from Dryden to Davenant, with whom he was unquestionably intimate. Davenant then knew Hobbes, who knew Bacon, who knew Ben Jonson, who was intimate with Beaumont and Fletcher, Chapman, Donne, Drayton, Camden, Selden, Clarendon, Sydney, Raleigh, and, perhaps, all the great men of Elizabeth's and James's time, the greatest of them all un doubtedly. Thus we have a link of beamy hands' from our own times up to Shakspeare.* * "In this friendly genealogy we have omitted the numerous side-branches, or common friendships; but of those we shall give an account by and by. It may be mentioned, however, in order not to omit Spenser, that Davenant resided some time in the family of Sir Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke, the friend of Sir Philip Sydney. Spenser's intimacy with Sydney is mentioned by himself, in a letter, still extant, to Gabriel Harvey. "We will now give the authorities for our intellectual pedigree. Sheridan is mentioned in Boswell as being admitted to the celebrated club, of which Johnson, Goldsmith, and others, were members. He had then, if we remember, just written his School for Scandal,' which made him the more welcome. Of Johnson's friendship with Savage, (we cannot help begin * Were it not for the pleasure of noticing the intermediate links, and the delightful recollections which they awaken in our bosoms, the connection might, at once, be made between D'Avenant and Shakspeare, who was his god-father.-EDITOR. ning the sentence with his favourite leading preposition,) the well-known "Life" is an interesting and honourable, but melancholy, record. It is said, that, in the commencement of their friendship, they have sometimes wandered together about London for want of a lodging; -more likely for Savage's want of it, and Johnson's fear of offending him, by offering a share of his own. But we do not remember how this circumstance is related by Boswell. 66 6 Savage's intimacy with Steele is recorded in a pleasant anecdote, which he told Johnson. Sir Richard once desired him, with an air of the utmost importance,' says his biographer, 'to come very early to his house the next morning. Mr. Savage came as he had promised, found the chariot at the door, and Sir Richard waiting for him, and ready to go out. What was intended, and whither they where to go, Savage could not conjecture, and was not willing to enquire; but immediately seated himself with Sir Richard. The coachman was ordered to drive, and they hurried, with the utmost expedition, to Hyde-park Corner, where they stopped at a petty tavern, and retired to a private room. Sir Richard then informed him that he intended to publish a pamphlet, and that he had desired him to come thither that he might write for him. They soon sat down to the work. Sir Richard dictated, and Savage wrote, till the dinner that had been ordered was put upon the table. Savage was surprised at the meanness of the entertainment, and, after some hesitation, ventured to ask for wine; which Sir Richard, not without reluctance, ordered to be brought. They then finished their dinner, and proceeded in their pamphlet, which they concluded in the afternoon. "Mr. Savage then imagined that his task was over, and expected that Sir Richard would call for the reckoning, and return home; but his expectations deceived him, for Sir Richard told him, that he was without money, and that the pamphlet must be sold before the dinner could be paid for; and Savage was, therefore, obliged to go and offer their new production for sale for two guineas, which, with some difficulty, he obtained. Sir Richard then returned home, having retired that day only to avoid his creditors, and composed the pamphlet only to discharge his reckoning.' "Steele's acquaintance with Pope, who wrote |