Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/237

 A M H U R S T. zor and fcurrility [A], Soon after Mr. Amhurft quilted Oxford, he fecms to have fettled in London as a writer by profcflion. He publifhcd a volume of Mifcell.inies (principally written at the univerfity), on a variety of fubje&s ; partly originals, and partly paraphrafes, imitations, and tranflations ; ai.d confifting of tales, epigrams, cpiftles, love-verfes, elegies, and fatires. They begin with a beautiful paraphrafe on the Mo- rale account of the Creation, and end with a very humorous tale upon the difcovery of that ufcful utenfil, a bottle-fcrew. Mr. Amhurft was the author, likewife, of "An Epiftle to Sir John Biount, Bart." one of the directors of the South- Sea company in 1720 ; of*' the Britifli General, a Poem fa- cred to the memory of his Grace John Duke of Marlbo- rough ;" and of " Stiephon's Revenge, a fatire on the Ox- ford Toads." Our poet, who had a great enmity to the ex- orbitant demands and domineering fpirit of the high-church clergy, and who had early, at Oxford, difplayed his zeal asainft prieftly power, difcovered this particularly in a poem, intituled " The Convocation," in five cantos ; which is a kind of fatire againft all the writers who had oppofed Bilhop Hoadly, in the famous Bangorian Controverfy. He tranfla- ted, alfo, Mr. Addifon's " Refurredtion," and fome other of his Latin poems. But the principal literary undertaking of Mr. Amhurft was, his conducting " The Craftfman," which was carried on for a number of years with great fpirit and fuccefs, and was more read and attended to than any produc- tion of the kind which had hitherto been publ. filed in Eng- land. Ten or twelve thoufand were Iblu in a day ; and the effect which it had in raifing the indignation of the people, and in controlling the power of adminiftration, was very con- fiderable. This effe<St was not entirely, or chiefly, owing to the abilities cf Mr. Arnburit. He was ailifred by Lord Bo- [A] The whole title of t,he work is, vcrfity of Oxford, at public ail?, for '' Terr* Filiusj or, the fecret Hiflory fome perfon, who w:is called Tenr? Fi- " of the Univerfity of Oxford; in fe- lius, to moont the roftruui, and divert a ' vsral Eflayr. To which are added, large crowd of fpeiftators, vho fiockeil to 4 Remarks u* t on a late book, intitled, hear him from all parts, with a nn.-rry ' Univerfity Education," hv R. New- oration IQ the Fefcennine manner, inter-> ' ton, D. D. Principal of Hart Hall." fperfcJ with frcret hiftnry, raillery, and Vol. izmo. printed for R Franclilin, f^rcafm, as the occafions cf she times 1726. Amidfr all the malignity and fupplied him with mattrr. VooH, in fxaggeration with vvli'.ch the '1 errs Fi- his Athens, mentions feveral inilances lins abounr.ii, it contains fome cunYus of this cuftom ; and hence Mr. Amliurft anecdotes relative to the principles, took the title of hit work. It was ori- manners, andcondufl, of feveral mem- finally written in 17x1, in a periodical b- rs of the Univerfity, fo; a few years paper, which came out twice a week, and after the accellionof King George I. Jt coofifts of fifty numbers, had been an ancient cuftyrn in thi Uni- lingbrokc