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 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

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name.) He acts in those worldly affairs as a stranger, and bath his heart ever at home. He is active in trade, without disquiet, and careful without huny; yet neither ingulft in his pleasures, nor a seeker of business, but hath his hour for both. He thinks much, does what he says, and foresees what he may do before he pur- poses. In a word, Mr. Sharpe is a person of great honesty — very obliging in his conversation — and thrives so fast in his shop, that 'tis very likely vie may see him riding the great horse ; and what a charming figure will the gn^ve and majestic Sharpe make, when attended with sword and mace, surrounded with aldermen, bedeckt with jewels, and glittering with a gold chain !" The prediction of Dunton was in some degree verified. On Midsummer-day, 1713, Mr. Sharpe was elected sheriff of London ; and on the 30th of December he was knighted at Windsor by king George I. He married Rebecca, daughter

of Harvey ; and she was re-married, January

26, 1721, to Dr. A. Snape, rector of St. Mary-at- Hill; and died in 1731. — The Poi/ioy, recording the death of sir Joshua Sharpe, adds, " He was a gentleman of unsullied character in all respects." 1718. A work entitled Court det principaux flettees rivieres de V Europe, a small quarto of seventy-eight pages, which is said to have been composed and printed solely by Louis XIV. in the palace of the Tuilleries, was issued in this year. — See page 668, ante. 1718, Jan. 6. Critick, No. 1. 1718, Jan. 30. Heraditw Ridens, No. 1. 1718, Feb. 8. Observator, by Humphrey Med- licott.

1718, March 22. Weekly Packet, wntk the Price Courant.

1718, March 24. Freethinker, No. 1. By Ambrose PhilHps, who was aided in his design by some of the most respectable characters in the kingdom, by Dr. Boulter, archbishop of Armagh; by Dr. Pearce.-f bishop of Rochester; the right hon. Richard West, lord chancellor of Ireland ; the Rev. George Stubbs, the Rev. Gilbert Bur- •iiet, and the Rev. Henry Steevens. The object of these essays is, to correct the prejudices and mistakes which exist in religion, general politics, and literature; and consequently a large portion of the work is of a serious and argumentative kind. It was published twice a-week, and termi- nated with the one hundred and fifty-ninth paper, Sept. 28, 1719, forming 3 vols. 12mo. The second edition appeared in 1733.

1718, April 18. Freethinker Extraordinary, No. 1.

1718, July 26. Weekly Medley ; or, the Gen- tleman's Recreation, No. 1. 1718, August 6. Doctor, No. 1.

< AmbroK Phillips wu a dnmatlc and political writei, and pactoral poet. He died Jane 18, 1 7*9, aged 78 yean.

1 Zacbary Pearce, born in lOgo, was the son of a distil- ler.in High Holbom, London, and educated at Westminster snd Cambridge. In I7S(S he was promoted to the see of Rochester and deanery <d Westminster, and died June 19, \T!*- His critical abilities, and application to philosophical lesrning were great, and his works will be ever held in es- timation.

1718, Sept. 18. Whitehall Evening Posl,Jio.l.

1718, Nov. 5. Honest Gentleman, No. 1.

1718, Dec. 16. Edinburgh Evening Courant, published three times a-week, Monday, Tuesday, andjThursday. No. I. This paper purported to be " published by John Mossman, James M'Ewen, and William Brown, and sold at the shops of the said James M'Ewen and William Brown." It appears, however, from the council registers that it was to James M'Ewen, " stationer burgess," that the town council assigned the privilege of publishing the paper, " the said James being obliged before publication, to give ane copy of his print to the magistrates." It appears to have been the first Scots newspaper that adopted the system <if giving foreign news direct from the countries wherein they occurred, and indepen- dent of the London journals. It consisted of turee folio half sheets in double columns, and was sold at three halfpence. After Mr. M'Ewen, the pro- prietorship of the Courant fell into the hands of Robert Fleming, by whom and his executors it continued to be published until after the year 1780, when it was purchased by Mr. Ramsey. Thus, it appears, that the Edinburgh Evening Courant is the first newspaper in Edinburgh, or indeed in Scotland, which has existed to the present time.

1718. The Complete Art of Poetry, by Charles Gildon, in two volumes, 8vo. Mr. Gildon died January 14, 1724, and is said by Abel Boyer (in Political State, vol. xxvii. p. 102) " to have been a person of great literature, but a mean genius ; who, having attempted several kinds of writing, never gained much reputation in any." Among other treatises he wrote the English Art of Poetry, which he had practised himself very unsuccessfully in his dramatic performances. Mr. Gildon was born at Gillingham, in Dorset- shire, and educated at Douay, with a view of entering the Catholic priesthood. He wrote the Life of Betterton, the eminent tragedian, four tragedies, and one comedy, besides other works. He was rather severe in criticising the works of others ; and passing a severe censure on Pope's Rape of the Lock, obtained a niche in the Dunciad:

Ah, Dennis I Gildon, ah t what lU-staired rage Divides a friendship long confirmed by age ; Blockheads with reason wicked wits abhor ; But wit with wit is barbarous ciTH war.

1719, Jan. 28. Died, Sir Samuel Garth, physician general to the army, and physcian in ordinary to the king, George I. He was born in Yorkshire, and educated at Cambridge, where be took the degree of M.D., in 1691, and became a favourite physician among the whigs during the reign or William III. In 1697, he pub- lished a mock-heroic poem, entitled the Dis- pensary, referring to a dispute in the college of physicians, respecting the commencement of a charitable institution, in which the poet strongly advocated the cause of benevolence. At the accession of George I. he was knighted. Dr. Garth wrote a few other poems, chiefly upon occasional subjects.

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