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An Account of DoVEBRIDGE, in Derbyshire: With a beautiful PerSpective View of DOVEBRIDGE HALL, the Seat of the Right Honour able Sir Henry Cavendish, Baronet.

OVEBRIDGE, Doveridge, or Du- Henry Cavendish, baronet, a privy

written, is a village of Derbyshire, delightfully fituated on the banks of the river Dove, in the hundred of Appletree, about halfway between Sudbury and Uttoxeter. At the time of the Norman furvey, there was here a church, with a prieft. The 1 ving is a vicarage. The church is dedicated to St. Cuthbert, and was given by Henry, earl Ferrers, to the priory of Tutbury in Staffordshire. The duke of Devonshire is the patron: its value in the king's books is 121. 2s. Id. and the yearly tenths are 11. 4s. 2d. Dovebridge was held, at the time of the Norman conqueft, by Edwine, the ninth and laft earl of Mercia. But this nobleman having been betrayed and flain, it was given to the forefaid Henry earl Ferrers, whofe wife Berta, according to the fuperftition of that age, had founded the priory of Tetbury, and endowed it with the lands of confiderable value in Dovebridge. When this religious houfe was diffolved in the time of Edward the fixth, thefe lands were granted to fir William Cavendish, knight.

In the year 1695, the number of the inhabitants of Dovebridge amounted to five hundred and fix, as appears from poll-tax book. But, in the year 1783, this parish contained one hundred and forty-five feparate dwellings, and feven hundred and hfty inhabitants. Of this number were three hundred and feven heads of families, fifty two men fervants, and forty-five women fervants; one hundred and fifty-fix male, and one hundred and fixty-nine female children, and eleven boarders fo that population has increafed here two hundred and fortyfour perfons in the space of eightyeight years.

In this parish is Dovebridge Hall, the feat of the right honourable fir

the Irish parliament, who is fuppofed, by Mr. Filkington, to be defcended from an illegitimate branch of the family of Cavendish duke of Devonfhire. The fituation of this feat is excellent: it ftands upon a rifing ground, and commands a view of the town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, of the river Dove, the rich paftures which extend along its banks, and of a range of diftant hills on the oppofite fide of the valley. The houfe is modern and handfome. The foundations of it were laid on the 6th of July 1769.

In this parish alfo, in the liberty of Eaton Dovedale, is Eaton Hall, which was the refidence of fir Thomas Milward, knight, chief juftice of Chefter, who entertained king Charles the firft. This houfe is now in ruins. Over the door is placed the following infcription: V. T. placet Deo fc omnia funt, anno Domini 1576, Junii 12.

The river Dove, on which this village is fituated, is diftinguished by a great variety of the moit beautiful fcenery; particularly, by Dove Dale, which is juftly celebrated for its wild and fantaftic appearance, and is fituated about three miles from Anborne, and one from the road leading thence to Buxton. The fides of this valley are, almoft in every part, fteep and craggy. However, there is a tolerably good defcent into it, near a high hil, called Thorpe-cloud. When the traveller arrives at the bottom, he finds himfelf inclofed in a very narrow and deep dale. Raifing his eye up, he obferves, on the right hand, many craggy rocks, placed one above another to a vaft height, and on the left, a steep and almoft perpendicular afcent, finely covered with wood and herbage.

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MEMOIRS

MEMOIRS of the LIFE and WRITINGS of Mr. EDWARD FAIRFAX, a celebrated English Poet.

Among the new Lives in the fifth Vilume of the Biographia Britannica, we perceive with Pleajure, that of Mr. Edward Fairfax; a Poet, remarkable for the Eafe and Harmony of his Verfification, at a Period comperatives, rude, and when our English Poetry kad attained to a very funder Degree of Elegance and Refinement. It is written by Dr. Kippis.

EDW

DWARD FAIRFAX, an ingenious poet, who flourished in the reigns of queen Elifabeth and king James the first, was the fecond fon of fir Thomas Fairfax, of Denton, Yorkfhire, by Dorothy his wife, daughter of George Gale, of Afcham-Grange, efq. treasurer to the mint at York. In what year he was born is not related. The family from which he fprang was of a very military turn. His father had paffed his youth in the wars of Europe, and was with Charles duke of Bourbon, at the facking of Rome, in the year 1527. His engaging in this expedition is faid to have given fuch offence to fir William Fairfax, that he was difinherited. But this is a fact to the truth of which we can by no means give our affent. He might incur for a time the displeafure of his father; but it is certain that he fucceeded to the family eftate at Denton, and tranfmitted that eftate to his defcendants. It was in 1577, or, according to Douglas, in 1579, that he was knighted by queen Elifabeth. This was when he was far advanced in years. The poet's eldeft brother, Thomas, who in procefs of time became the first lord Fairfax of Cameron, received the honour of knighthood before Rouen in Normandy, in 1591, for his bravery and good behaviour in the army fent to the affiflance of Henry the fourth of France and he afterward signalized himfelf on many occafiors in Germany against the houfe of Au tria. A younger brother of Edward Fairfax, fir Charles, was a captain under fir Francis Vere, at the battle of Nieupott, fought in 1600; and in the famous three years fiege of

Otend, commanded all the English in that town, for fome time before it furrendered. Here he received a wound in his face, from the piece of a fkull of a marshal of France, killed near him by a cannon ball; and foon after he was himself flain. This event happened in 1604.

While his brothers were thus honourably employed abroad, Mr. Edward Fairfax devoted himself to a ftudious courfe of life. That he had the advantages of a very liberal education cannot be doubted, from his intellectual acquirements, and the diftinction which he foon obtained in the literary world. Indeed, his attainments were fuch, that he became qualified to fill any employment, either in church or ftate. But an invincible modefty, and the love of retirement, induced him to prefer the fhady groves and natural cafcades of Denton, and the Foreft of Knaresborough, to the employments and advantages of a public tation. Accordingly, having married, he fixed himself at Fuyistone, as a private gentleman. His time was not, however, inactively or ingloriously spent. This was apparent in his poetical exertions, and in feveral compofitions in profe, the manufcripts of which were left by him in the library of lord Fairfax, at Denton. The care and education of his children, for which he was fo well qualified, probably engaged fome part of his attention. We are informed, likewife, that he was very serviceable, in the fame way, to his brother lord Fairfax; beside which, he affisted him in the government of his family and the management of his affairs. The

confequence of this was, that all his lordship's children were bred scholars, and well principled in religion and virtue; that his houfe was famed for its hofpitality, and, at the fame time, his estate improved. What Mr. Edward Fairfax's principles were, appears from the character which he gives of himself, in his book on Dæmonology. For myfelf,' fays he, I am in religion neither a fantastic puritan nor a fuperftitious papift; but fo fettled in confcience, that I have the fure ground of God's word to warrant all I believe, and the commendable ordinances of our. English church to approve all I practife: in in which courfe I live a faithful Chriftian, and an obedient fubject, and fo teach my family.' In thefe principles he perfevered to the end of his days, which took place about the year 1632. He died at his own houfe, called Newhall, in the parish of Fuyiftone, between Denton and Knarefborough, and was buried in the fame parish. A marble ftone, with an infcription, was placed over his grave; but he deferved a monument near Godfrey of Boulogne, in the temple of Jerufalem.

Such are the few particulars that are related concerning the private life of Mr. Edward Fairfax. But it is as a poet that he is principally entitled to attention; for, in this respect, he is held in just reputation, and deferves to have his name tranfmitted with honour to pofterity. His prime work was his tranflation of Torquato, Taffo's heroic poem of Godfrey of Bologne' out of Italian into smooth and excellent English verfe. What adds to the merit of the work is, that it was his first essay in poetry, and executed when he was very young. On its appearance it was dedicated to queen Elifabeth. The book was highly commended by the best judges and wits of the age in which it was written, and their judgment has been fanctioned by

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the approbation of fucceeding critics.
King James valued it above all other
English poetry; and king Charles
used to divert himself with reading it
in the time of his confinement. All
who mention Fairfax, fays the writer
of Cibber's Lives of the Poets, do him
the juftice to allow that he was an ac-
compl fhed genius; but then, it is in
a way fo cool and indifferent, as fhews
that they had never read his works,
or were any way charmed with the
melody of his verfes. It was impoffi-
ble that Dryden could be fo blind to
his beauties. Accordingly, we find
him introducing Spencer and Fairfax
almoft on the level, as the leading
authors of their times; nay, tacitly
yielding the palm in point of harmony
to the laft; by afferting that Waller
confeffed that he owed the mufic of
his numbers to Fairfax's Godfrey of
Bologne. The truth is, this gen
tleman is, perhaps, the only writer
down to fir William Davenant, who
needs no apology to be made for him
on account of the age in which he
lived. His diction is fo pure, ele-
gant, and full of graces, and the turn
of his lines to perfectly melodious,
that one cannot read it without rap-
ture; and we can scarcely imagine
the original Italian has greatly the
advantage in either: nor is it very
probable that, while Fairfax can be
read, any author will attempt a new
tranflation of Taffo with fuccefs *.
Without difputing the general truth
of this eulogium, (which, however,
might fomewhat have been foftened)
it cannot fail to be observed, how
much the biographer has been mif-
taken in his concluding conjecture,
A new tranflation of Taffo has not
only been attempted, but executed,
by Mr. Hoole, with remarkable fuc-
cefs and with diftinguished excellence;
and indeed in fuch a manner, that, in
the opinion of Dr. Johnson, Fairfax's
work will perhaps not foon be re-
printed. Of Fairfax a periodical cri-

Cibber's Lives of the Poets, vol. I. page 223. 224.
Y y 2

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