BLACKMORE, Sir RICHARD, was the son of Mr Robert Blackmore, attorney at law, and was born at Corsham, in Wiltshire, about the year 1650. He received the first elements of education in a country school ; removed to Westminster in the 13th year of his age ; and was sent to the university of Oxford in 1668, where he resided twelve or thirteen years with out much apparent improvement in literary acquisi tions. It is supposed, that, after leaving the univer sity, he was engaged a short time in the profession of a schoolmaster ; but it is better ascertained, that he travelled into Italy, and took the degree of doctor of medicine at the university of Padua. Having spent about a year and a half on the continent, during which period he visited France, Germany, and the Low Countries, be returned to London, 'where he commenced the practice of physic, and was chosen fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1687. Hia growing reputation in his profession, and his decided attachment to the principles of the revolution, recom mended him so strongly to the notice of King Wil liam, that, in 1697, he was chosen one of his majesty's physicians in ordinary, and received, about the same time, the honour of knighthood, accompanied with the gift of a gold chain and medal. A few years be fore this exaltation, he had commenced his literary career, by the publication of Prince Arthur, a heroic poem, which was so favourably received, that it pass ed through three editions in the space of two years. He published, in 1697, a similar poem, entitled, King Arthur; in 1700, A Paraphrase on the book of Job; and, in the same year, a poem entitled, A Satire upon JVit, which was intended as a censure upon the li centious tendency of many of the productions in his time ; in 1705, another heroic poem, entitled, Eliza; in 1712, a philosophical poem, the best of his produc tions, entitled, Creation ; in 1714, a volume under the title of The Lay Monastery, consisting of forty numbers, which had appeared periodically in the pre ceding year ; in 1716, Essays upon several Subjects, 2 vols. tivo. ; in 1718, A Collection of Poems, in one volume, 8vo. ; in 1721, The Redeemer, a poem ; in the same year, A new Version of the Psalms of Da vid, which was recommended, by an order of council, as proper to be used in the churches and chapels of England ; and a variety of other pieces, partly theo logical, but chiefly on medical subjects, such as the plague, small-pox, consumption, spleen, gout, rheu matism, king's evil, dropsy, tympany, jaundice, sttme, and diabetes. He died on the Sth of October 1729,
and manifested the most elevated piety during his last illness.
Few author's have been more severely satirised than Sir Richard Blackmore ; and his name has been too readily associated, upon the authority of his enemies, with the essence of absurdity and dulness. He must be admitted, indeed, to have been justly obnoxious td ridicule, on account of his tedious historical epic poems; to hive written too hastily and carelessly; to have been extremely negligent in correcting and polishing his compositions ; and to have, in many Instances, dts overed extraordinary deficiency in point of true taste ; but he was far from deserving that extreme contempt with which he has been treated, and was by no means destitute of ability, learning, or even of poetical genius. Some of his keenest opponents have acknowledged, that his poems possess a certain degree of merit, and deserve a considerable portion of applause ; and many eminent literary characters, Mr Duncombe, Mr Ad dison, Mr Locke, Mr Molyneux, and Or Watts, have spoken of his works, especially of his poem on Crea tion, in terms of high approbation. There is too good reason to believe, that it was his religion more than his dulness which excited much of the animosity which he sustained, and that he incurred such bitter attacks from his contemporaries chiefly by his cen'sure's of their immorality and profaneness. But, whatever be comes of his fame as an author, there can be no dis pute on the subject of his personal character. He was always a most zealous advocate for the iriteretts of religion and virtue ; was distinguished by the fer vent piety and moral excellency of his own life ; and, white his numerous enemits'were unable to attach the slightest moral stain to his memory, his acquaintances and friends have highly exiolled his private virtues. See Biog. Briton. Gen. Biog. Johnson's Lives of the Poets. Spectator, No. 339. Watt's Horce Ly rica, Preface. Locke's Works, vol. iii. p. 568. Dun -combe's Coll. 'of Letters, vol. i. p. 121. &c. (q)