And would obstruct my journey to the skies. 
  But say thou dearest, thou unwearied friend;
  Say should’st thou grieve to see my sorrows end? 
  Thou know’st a painful pilgrimage I have past,
  And should’st thou grieve, that rest is come at last;
  Rather rejoice to see me shake off life,
  And die as I have liv’d, thy faithful wife.

* * * * *

Mr. Thomas Brown.

This humorous poet was the son of a considerable Farmer of Shiffnall, in Shropshire, and educated at Newport-school in that county, under the reverend and learned Dr. Edwards, a gentleman who had the honour to qualify many persons of distinction for the university.  Under the tuition of this master, he attained a knowledge of the Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and Spanish languages, and his exercises were generally so well performed, that the Dr. was filled with admiration of his parts.  From Newport school he removed to Christ’s-Church College in Oxford, and distinguished himself there for his easy attainments in literature; but some little irregularities of his life would not suffer him to continue long at the university.  It is probable he became sick of that discipline, which they who spend their life in the recluseness of a college, are in some measure obliged to submit to.  The father of Mr. Brown, who intended to have him educated to some profession, was not made acquainted with his design of quitting the university, and having remitted him a sum of money, to be appropriated for the promotion of his studies, his son thought proper to defeat his kind intentions.  With this money, our author plann’d a scheme of going to London, which he soon after executed, not very advantageously.—­’My first business, says he, was to apply myself to those few friends I had there, who conjecturing I had left the university, exclusive of my father’s knowledge, gave but slender encouragement to a young beginner.  However, no whit daunted (my first resolution still standing by me) I launched forth into the world, committing myself to the mercy of fortune, and the uncertain temper of the town.  I soon acquired a new set of acquaintance; and began to have a relish of what I had only tasted before by hearsay; and indeed, every thing served to convince me, I had changed for the better, except that my slender subsistance began to waste extremely; and ruminating upon the difficulty of obtaining a supply, I was then laid under the necessity of thinking what course to steer.  I knew how justly I had incurred the displeasure of an indulgent father, and how far I had put myself from retrieving his favour.  Amidst this serious contemplation!  I resolved to go through stitch with my enterprize, let what will come on’t:  However, that I might use discretion, to palliate an unforeseen event, I determined ’twere better to trust to the flexibility of a father’s temper, than to lay too great a stress upon the humanity of fortune, who would let a man