Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/34

24 of ſo bright a mind, on the 21ſt of December, 1718, in the 29th year of his age. He was buried in the church of Friendſbury, near Rocheſter.

Mr. Needler’s life was influenced by the principles of ſincere, unaffected piety, and virtue.

On all occaſions (ſays Mr. Duncomb) ‘he was a ſtrenuous advocate for univerſal toleration and forbearance in matters of religion; rightly ſuppoſing that no ſervice can be acceptable to the ſupreme Being, unleſs it proceeds from the heart; and that force ſerves only to make hypocrites, but adds no new lights to the underſtanding. He was modell to a fault, entertaining the moſt humble opinion of his own performances; and was always ready to do juſtice to thoſe of others. His affection for his friends indeed ſometimes biaſſed his judgment, and led him to the commending their writings beyond their merit.’

In the volume of Mr. Needler’s works, are printed ſome familiar Letters, upon moral, and natural ſubjects. They are written with elegance and taſte; the heart of a good man may be traced in them all, and equally abound with pious notions, as good ſenſe, and ſolid reaſoning.—He ſeems to have been very much maſter of ſmooth verſification, his ſubjects are happily choſen, and there is a philoſophical air runs through all his writings; as an inſtance of this, we ſhall preſent our readers with a copy of his verſes addreſſed to Sir Richard Blackmore, on his Poem, intitled The Creation. Dreſs’d