And offers daily praise, and daily vows: 
  Phoebus, well-pleas’d, the sacrifice regards;
  And thus the grateful mother’s zeal rewards: 
  ’Beauty and wit, to all of Bristol’s line! 
  But each in some peculiar grace shall shine! 
  Or to excel in courts, and please the fair! 
  Or Conquest gain thro’ all the wat’ry war! 
  With harmony divine the ear to charm! 
  Or souls with more melodious numbers warm! 
  By wond’rous memory shall some excel
  In awful senates, and in speaking well! 
  To hold Astraea’s scales with equal hand,
  And call back justice to that happy land! 
  To teach mankind how best the gods to praise! 
  To fix their minds in truth’s unerring ways!

    ’Thus all her honours, Bristol’s sons shall wear,
  Whilst each his country’s good shall make his chiefest care!’

[Footnote A:  This is not designed as a parallel of the story, but the painting from a piece of Titian’s, at my lord Bristol’s.]

[Footnote B:  A sister of lord Bristol’s, who was a lady of most extraordinary beauty.]

* * * * *

HENRY NEEDLER,

This Poet was born at Harley in Surry, in the year 1690, and educated at a private school at Ryegate in the same county[A].  He was removed from thence in 1705, and in 1708 accepted a small place in a public office; where he continued the remainder of his days.

About this time contracting a friendship with a gentleman of a like taste, who furnished him with proper books, he applied himself at his intervals of leisure, to reading the dailies, and to the study of logic, metaphysics, and the mathematics, with which last he was peculiarly delighted.  And in a few years by the force of his own happy genius, and unwearied diligence, without the assistance of any master, he acquired a considerable knowledge of the most difficult branches of those useful and entertaining studies.

By so close an application, he contracted a violent pain in his head, which notwithstanding the best advice, daily encreased.  This, and other unfortunate circumstances concurring, so deeply affected him, who had besides in his constitution a strong tincture of melancholy, that he was at last brought under almost a total extinction of reason.  In this condition he fell into a fever; and as there were before scarce any hopes of him, it may be said to have happily put an end to the deplorable bondage 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 modest 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.’