palliate them, his gratitude would not suffer him to prolong the
memory or diffuse the censure.

In his "Wanderer" he has indeed taken an opportunity of mentioning
her; but celebrates her not for her virtue, but her beauty, an
excellence which none ever denied her: this is the only encomium
with which he has rewarded her liberality, and perhaps he has even
in this been too lavish of his praise. He seems to have thought
that never to mention his benefactress would have an appearance of
ingratitude, though to have dedicated any particular performance to
her memory would have only betrayed an officious partiality, and
that without exalting her character would have depressed his own.
He had sometimes, by the kindness of Mr. Wilks, the advantage of a
benefit, on which occasions he often received uncommon marks of
regard and compassion; and was once told by the Duke of Dorset that
it was just to consider him as an injured nobleman, and that in his
opinion the nobility ought to think themselves obliged, without
solicitation, to take every opportunity of supporting him by their
countenance and patronage. But he had generally the mortification
to hear that the whole interest of his mother was employed to
frustrate his applications, and that she never left any expedient
untried by which he might be cut off from the possibility of
supporting life. The same disposition she endeavoured to diffuse
among all those over whom nature or fortune gave her any influence,
and indeed succeeded too well in her design; but could not always
propagate her effrontery with her cruelty; for some of those whom
she incited against him were ashamed of their own conduct, and
boasted of that relief which they never gave him. In this censure I
do not indiscriminately involve all his relations; for he has
mentioned with gratitude the humanity of one lady, whose name I am