COTTON, Charles, a burlesque poet, was descended of a good family, and lived in the reign of Charles II. and James II. His most celebrated piece is Scarronides or Travellie of the first and fourth books of the Aneid. But though, from the title, one would be apt to imagine it an imitation of Scarron's famous Travellie of the same author, yet upon examination, it would be found greatly to excel not only that, but every other attempt of the same kind that hath been hitherto made in any language. He has also translated several of Lucian's dialogues, in the same manner, under the title of the Scoffer Scoff'd,—and written another poem of a more serious kind, entitled the Wonders of the Peak. The exact period of either Mr Cotton's birth or his death, is nowhere recorded; but it is probable the latter happened about the time of the revolution. Neither is it better known what his circumstances were with respect to fortune; they appear, however, to have been easy, if one may judge from the turn of his writings, which is such as seems scarcely possible for any one to indulge whose mind was not perfectly at ease. Yet there is one anecdote told of him, which seems to show that his vein of humour could not restrain itself on any consideration, viz. that in consequence of a single couplet in his Virgil Travellie, wherein he has made mention of a peculiar kind of ruff worn by a grandmother of his who lived in the Peak, he lost an estate of 4000. per annum; the old lady, whose humour and testy disposition he could by no means have been a stranger to, being never able to forgive the liberty he had taken with her; and having her fortune wholly at her disposal, although she had before made him her sole heir, altered her will, and gave it away to an absolute stranger.