WARTON (Joseph, D. D.) was born either towards the end of the year 1721, or in the beginning of the year 1722. He was the eldest son of Thomas Warton, B. D. who had been fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford; poetry professor from the year 1718 to 1728, and vicar of Basingstoke in Hampshire, and of Cobham in Surrey. Where the subject of this memoir was born we have not learned, though, were we to hazard a conjecture, we would say that it was in Oxford, as his father probably resided in that city during his professorship.
Our knowledge of the private history of Dr Warton is indeed extremely limited. We do not even know at what school, or in what college, he was educated; tho' it was probably at Winchester school, and certainly in some of the colleges in the university of Oxford. For many years, he was successively under and upper master of Winchester college; but resigned the last of these offices when he found the infirmities of age coming upon him; and was succeeded by Dr Goddard the present excellent master. He was likewise prebendary of the cathedral church of Winchester, and rector of Wickham in Hampshire, where he died, aged 78.
His publications are few, but valuable. A small collection of poems, without a name, was the first of them, and contained the Ode to Fancy, which has been so much and so deservedly admired. They were all of them afterwards printed in Dodsey's collection. He was also a considerable contributor to the Adventurer, published by Dr Hawkesworth; and all the papers which contain criticisms on Shakespeare were written by him and his brother Thomas Warton, the subject of the next article.
The first volume of his Essay on the Life and Writings of Pope was published, had passed through several editions, and an interval of between 20 and 30 years had elapsed, before he gave a second volume of that elegant and instructive work to the world. He had not only meditated, but had collected materials for a literary history of the age of Leo X.; and proposals were actually in circulation for a work of that kind; but it is probable that the duties of his station did not leave him the necessary leisure for an undertaking which required years of seclusion and independence. His last and late work, which he undertook for the booksellers at a very advanced age, was an edition of Pope's Works, that has not altogether satisfied the public expectation. He retained, with great propriety indeed, many of the notes of Warburton; but is severely reprehended by the author of the Pursuits of Literature for suppressing the name of that prelate on his title-page, or including it only, as subordinate to his own, in the general expression others.
Dr Warton was cheerful in his temper, convivial in his disposition, of an elegant taste and lively imagination, with a large portion of scholarship, and a very
Warton. general knowledge of the Belles Lettres of Europe; it may be presumed that Dr Warton possessed, beyond most men, the power of enlivening Classical Society. He was the intimate friend of Dr Johnson; was seen at the parties of Mrs Montague, as well as at the table of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and was an original member of the Literary Club. He possessed a liberal mind, a generous disposition, and a benevolent heart. He was not only admired for his talents and his knowledge, but was beloved for those qualities which are the best gifts of this imperfect state.