Men sometimes suffer by injudicious kindness; Philips became
ridiculous, without his own fault, by the absurd admiration of his
friends, who decorated him with honorary garlands, which the first
breath of contradiction blasted.

When upon the succession of the House of Hanover every Whig expected
to be happy, Philips seems to have obtained too little notice; he
caught few drops of the golden shower, though he did not omit what
flattery could perform. He was only made a commissioner of the
lottery (1717), and, what did not much elevate his character, a
justice of the peace.

The success of his first play must naturally dispose him to turn his
hopes towards the stage; he did not, however, soon commit himself to
the mercy of an audience, but contented himself with the fame
already acquired, till after nine years he produced (1722) The
Briton, a tragedy which, whatever was its reception, is now
neglected; though one of the scenes, between Vanoc the British
Prince and Valens the Roman General, is confessed to be written with
great dramatic skill, animated by spirit truly poetical. He had not
been idle though he had been silent, for he exhibited another
tragedy the same year on the story of Humphry, Duke of Gloucester.
This tragedy is only remembered by its title.

His happiest undertaking was (1711) of a paper called The
Freethinker, in conjunction with associates, of whom one was Dr.
Boulter, who, then only minister of a parish in Southwark, was of so
much consequence to the Government that he was made first Bishop of
Bristol, and afterwards Primate of Ireland, where his piety and his