RICHARD, who was in his lifetime honoured with the friendship of Cowley, and since his death by the praise of Mr Pope, who condescended both to read his poems, and to borrow from them, was the son of William Crashaw, an eminent divine, and educated at the Charter-house near London. He was then sent to Pembroke-hall in Cambridge, and was afterwards of Peter-house, where he was fellow; in both which colleges he was distinguished for his Latin and English poetry. Afterwards he was ejected from his fellowship, together with many others, for denying the covenant in the time of the rebellion; and he changed his religion, being by catholic artifices converted to the church of Rome; not converted, but rather, as Pope says, converted. He went to Paris, in hopes of recommending himself to some preferment there; but being a mere scholar, was incapable of executing the new plan he had formed. There he fell into great distress, which Cowley the poet hearing of in 1646, very kindly fought him out, gave him all the assistance he could, and at last got him recommended to Henrietta Maria queen of England, then residing at Paris. Obtaining from her letters of recommendation, he travelled into Italy; and by virtue of those letters became secretary to a cardinal at Rome, and at last one of the canons or chaplains of the rich church of Our Lady at Loretto, some miles distance from thence, where he died and was buried about 1650. Before he left England, he wrote certain poems, entitled "Steps to the Temple:" because (says Wood) he led his life in the temple of God, in St Mary's church, near to his college. There, as we learn from the preface to these poems, he lodged under Tertullian's roof of angels. There he made his nest more gladly than David's swallow near the house of God; while, like Craflaw a primitive saint; he offered more prayers in the night than others usually offer in the day. There he penned the said poems called "Steps to the Temple for Happy Souls to Climb to Heaven by." To the said Steps are joined other poems called, "The Delight of the Muses," wherein are several Latin poems, which though of a mere human mixture, yet they are sweet as they are innocent. He hath also written Carmen Deo Nostro, being hymns and other sacred poems, addressed to the countess of Denbigh. He was excellent in five languages besides his mother tongue, namely, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, and Spanish.