of editors of that century in which the names of Pope, Theobald, Rowe, Warburton, Garrick, Johnson, Capel, and Malone, are conspicuous. Adorned with a versatility of talents, he was eminent both by his pen and his pencil; with the one there was nothing he could not compose, and with the other nothing he could not imitate so closely, as to leave a doubt which was the original and which the copy. But his chief excellence lay in his critical knowledge of an author's text, and the best pattern of his great abilities is his edition of Shakspeare, in which he has left every competitor far behind him; and even Johnson, with his giant strides, could not walk by his side. Mr. Steevens had a happy memory, richly stored, was a very pleasant tête-à-tête companion, communicative of his knowledge, but jealous of other men's. subject of this tremendous note: and most sincerely do I wish I could draw the curtain' upon it, and say good night' with as much cheerfulness and satisfaction as Atterbury did upon the close of his professional labours.-But the latter moments of Steevens were moments of mental anguish. He grew not only irritable, but outrageous; and, in full possession of his faculties, he raved in a manner which could have been expected only from a creature bred up without notions of morality or religion. Neither complacency nor 'joyful hope' soothed his bed of death. His language was, too frequently, the language of imprecation; and his wishes and apprehensions such, as no rational Christian can think upon without agony of heart. Although I am not disposed to admit the whole of the testimony of the good woman who watched by his bed-side, and paid him, when dead, the last melancholy attentions of her office-although my prejudices (as they may be called) will not allow me to believe that the windows shook, and that strange noises and deep groans were heard at midnight in his room-yet no creature of common sense (and this woman possessed the quality in an eminent degree) could mistake oaths for prayers, or boisterous treatment for calm and gentle usage. If it be said-why draw his frailties from their drear abode?' the answer is obvious, and, I should hope, irrefragable. A duty, and a sacred one too, is due To THE LIVING. Past examples operate upon future ones: and posterity ought to know, in the instance of this accomplished scholar and literary antiquary, that neither the sharpest wit, nor the most delicate intellectual refinement, can, alone, afford a man' PEACE AT THE LAST. The vessel of human existence must be secured by other anchors than these, when the storm of Death approaches!" He He was a man of the greatest perseverance in every thing he undertook; often constant, but not always consistent, as he would sometimes break off his longest habits without any ostensible reason. He discontinued his daily visits at Mr. White's, the bookseller, after many years regular attendance, for no real cause; and left Mr. Stockdale, whom he took up on quitting Mr. White, all at once in the same eccentric and unaccountable manner, He never took a pinch of snuff after he lost his. box in St. Paul's Church-yard, though it had been the custom of his life, and he was much addicted to the practice, and in the habit of making his memorandums by bits of paper in his box. 1 His Library (which contained a valuable collection of Classics, and was particularly rich in dramatic and other poetry, and in the miscellaneous productions of the English press during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I. (was sold by auction (with the exception of the three curious articles before mentioned as bequeathed to Lord Spencer, Mr. Windham, and Mr. Reed,) in the month of May 1800, and produced the sum of 2700l. Six Plays sold for 1587. 4s.--Fuller's Worthies, full of MS notes by the late Mr. Oldys, Mr. Thoresby, and Mr. Steevens, 431-Rapin, 51 guineas -Purchas' Pilgrims, 22 guineas.-Beaver's Military Punishments, 137. 58. Tracts relative to Mary Toft, 14. 10s.-Dodsley's Old Plays, 12 vols. L. P. 12 guineas.-Nichols's Hogarth, with MS notes by Mr. S. 13-Ireland's Pamphlets, with Imitations of the old Deeds, &c. sold originally from Ireland, jun. to F. G. Waldron, for 18s. and purchased of him by Mr. S. for 2l. 28. 17 guineas.-Plot of two Plays prior to the time of Shakspeare on two pasteboards, 117.-Paradice of Dainty Devices, 211. 108. 6d. The second folio of Shakspeare, 18 guineas, and a copy of " Dido *,” 17 guineas. "This copy was given me by Mr. Reed. Such liberality in a Collector of old Plays is at least as rare as the rarest of our dramatic pieces. G. S." No. XIII. " No. XIII. ISAAC REED, ESQ. * This very eminent Collector of Books and able Commentator was born in the parish of St. Dunstan in the West, where his father passed unambitiously through life, in the useful occupation of a baker, and had the satisfaction of witnessing the son's literary attainments with that enthusiasm which frequentlyprevails in a strong uncultivated mind. He commenced his public life very reputably, as a solicitor and conveyancer; but for several years before his death had confined the practical part of his business to the last-mentioned branch of his profession §. Placed in a situation which, above all others, is frequently the road to riches and honour, Mr. Reed's principal ambition was, to acquire a fundamental knowledge of the jurisprudence of his Country; and thus far he was eminently successful. But the Law, however alluring its prospects, had not charms sufficient to engage his whole attention; he loved, he venerated, that admirable system, which, from the days of Alfred and Canute, from the bold usurping Norman to the present amiable Father of his People, has been regularly ameliorating'; but he detested the chicanery of which he was almost daily a witness in *I trust that I shall be excused in presenting this memoir of a worthy Friend in the words dictated from the heart at a period when, from an unfortunate accident, I was unable to read a line, or to hold a pen. I am aware that some Memoirs of Mr. Reed, drawn up by a gentleman who knew him well, were printed in the European Magazine for February 1808; from which a few corrections shall be taken in the way of Notes. + I understood, from himself, that his father resided there; but Isaac was born in Stewart-street, Old Artillery Ground. Being of a delicate constitution, his earliest years were passed at home with his parents; and he was afterwards placed at a school in Streatham. § He was articled as a Clerk to Messrs. Perrott and Hodgson, eminent Attorneys; and was afterwards an assistant to Mr. Hoskins, a respectable Barrister and Conveyancer; with whom he continued about a year, and then commenced practice in chambers in Gray's Inn, as a Conveyancer. He has been heard to say, "The practice of the Law was intolerable." many many of its professors. If ever there was a mind devoid of guile, it was Isaac Reed's; and an attempt to make "the worse appear the better cause" would have been with him a breach of moral obligation. Hence an extensive line of business was necessarily precluded; but he had the satisfaction of numbering among his clients many highlyvalued friends; and other avenues to Fame, if not to Fortune, were open to his capacious mind. His intimate knowledge of antient English Literature was unbounded. His own publications, though not very numerous, were all valuable; and he was more satisfied with being a faithful editor, than ambitious of being an original composer. In the year 1768, he collected into one volume, 12mo, "The Poetical Works of the Hon. Lady M[arly Wortley M[ontagu]e." His other publications were, Middleton's "Witch, a TragiCoomodie," a few copies only for his Friends, 1778; the Sixth Volume of Dr. Young's Works, 1778, 12mo; "Biographia Dramatica," 2 volumes, 8vo, 1782, founded upon " Baker's Companion to the Playhouse" the biographical department of this work is the result of diligent enquiry, and his strictures on the productions of the English Drama display sound judgment and correct taste *; an improved edition of Dodsley's Old Plays, with Notes, 12 vols. 8vo, 1780; Dodsley's Collection of Po ems, with Biographical Notes, 6 vols. 8vo, 1782; "The Repository: a select Collection of Fugitive Pieces of Wit and Humour, in Prose and Verse, by the most eminent Writers," 4 vols. 8vo, 1777 -1783; Pearch's Collection of Poems, with Biographical Notes, 4 volumes, 8vo, 1783 (which * Mr. Reed had occasionally interested himself in arranging and collecting materials for an improved edition; but, finding himself unequal to continue his exertions, the property of this work, before he had actually much enlarged it, was transferred to the London Booksellers; and on Mr. Reed's strongest recommendation, the completion of it was undertaken by Mr. Stephen Jones, in whose hands it will not fail to appear before the publick with every advantage. some some have ascribed to the late George Keate, esq.); "A complete Collection of the Cambridge Prize Poems, from their first Institution, in 1750, to the present Time," Svo, 1773; an edition of Johnson and Steevens's Shakspeare, 10 vols. 8vo, 1785, which he undertook at the request of Dr. Farmer and Mr. Steevens, the latter of whom resigning, for this time, the office of Editor; some short Lives of those English Poets who were added to Dr. Johnson's Collection, in 1790; the last and splendid Edition of Shakspeare, in 21 vols. 8vo, 1803, with his name prefixed; an effort which he with some difficulty was persuaded to make. So extremely averse indeed was he to appearing before the publick, that, when he was asked, as a matter of course, to add only his initials at the end of the prefátóry advertisement to the volume of Dr. Young, his answer was nearly in these words: "I solemnly declare, that I have such a thorough dread of putting my name to any publication whatever, that, if I were placed in the alternative either of so doing or of standing in the pillory, I believe I should prefer the latter*." He was a valuable con*This was written from memory. But the following Letter, which I have since found, confirms the fact. "DEAR SIR, "Staple-inn, [1778.] "Your note yesterday surprized me much, as I never had the least idea that it would be expected that my name should be to Young; and I was the more astonished, as you speak of the matter as one of perfect indifference. I declare I have such a horror of seeing my name as Author or Editor, that if I had the option of standing in the pillory, or in standing formally before the publick in either of those lights, I should find it difficult to determine which to choose. It is what I never did in Thy life, and what I neither can or will, let the consequence turn out as it may. As the agreement with the Bookseller was as to him under that idea, I think he ought not to be bound by it. I will readily refund the money, the first I ever received for any literary undertaking, at Christmas, and expect it will never be taken any notice of. The Work which I have taken the most pains about, I mean Dodsley's Plays, where I might expect some credit on the score of my industry, will not have my name to them; nor shall any thing else, if I ever undertake any thing more (which I think doubtful); for I heartily detest all the squabbles and paltry tricks which are used by authors against one another, and which no one who gives his name to the |