The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume V. eBook

Theodore Watts-Dunton
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 370 pages of information about The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume V..

The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume V. eBook

Theodore Watts-Dunton
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 370 pages of information about The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume V..

In the month of May, 1749, he died in obscure lodgings near Shoe-Lane.  An old acquaintance of his endeavoured to collect money to defray the expences of his funeral, so that the scandal of being buried by the parish might be avoided.  But his endeavours were in vain, for the persons he sollicited, had been so troubled with applications during the life of this unhappy man, that they refused to contribute any thing towards his funeral.  The remains of this son of the muses were, with very little ceremony, hurried away by the parish officers, and thrown amongst common beggars; though with this distinction, that the service of the church was performed over his corpse.  Never was an exit more shocking, nor a life spent with less grace, than those of Mr. Boyse, and never were such distinguished abilities given to less purpose.  His genius was not confined to poetry only, he had a taste for painting, music and heraldry, with the latter of which he was very well acquainted.  His poetical pieces, if collected, would make six moderate volumes.  Many of them are featured in the Gentleman’s Magazine, marked with the letter Y. and Alceus.  Two volumes were published in London, but as they never had any great sale, it will be difficult to find them.

An ode of his in the manner of Spenser, entitled The Olive, was addressed to Sir Robert Walpole, which procured him a present of ten guineas.  He translated a poem from the High Dutch of Van Haren, in praise of peace, upon the conclusion of that made at Aix la Chapelle; but the poem which procured him the greatest reputation, was, that upon the Attributes of the Deity, of which we have already taken notice.  He was employed by Mr. Ogle to translate some of Chaucer’s Tales into modern English, which he performed with great spirit, and received at the rate of three pence a line for his trouble.  Mr. Ogle published a complete edition of that old poet’s Canterbury Tales Modernized; and Mr. Boyse’s name is put to such Tales as were done by him.  It had often been urged to Mr. Boyse to turn his thoughts towards the drama, as that was the most profitable kind of poetical writing, and as many a poet of inferior genius to him has raised large contributions on the public by the success of their plays.  But Boyse never seemed to relish this proposal, perhaps from a consciousness that he had not spirit to prosecute the arduous task of introducing it on the stage; or that he thought himself unequal to the task.

In the year 1743 Mr. Boyse published without his name, an Ode on the battle of Dettingen, entitled Albion’s Triumph; some Stanza’s of which we shall give as a specimen of Mr. Boyse’s poetry.

STANZA’s from ALBION’s Triumph.

XIII.

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The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume V. from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.