Joseph, an elegant poet and critic, was born in the year 1722, in the house of his maternal grandfather, Joseph Richardson, rector of Dunsford in Surrey. His father, Thomas Warton, B. D. fellow of Magdalen College, and professor of poetry at Oxford, and afterwards vicar of Basingstoke in Hampshire, and of Cobham in Surrey, was descended from an ancient and honourable family of Beverley in Yorkshire. The son was for a short time sent to New College school, but was chiefly educated by his father till he reached the age of fourteen, when he was admitted on the foundation of Winchester College. He was at this early period distinguished by his love of poetry, and one of his school-fellows was William Collins. In September 1740, being superannuated, he was removed from Winchester; and as no vacancy occurred in New College, he was entered of Oriel, when he prosecuted his studies with diligence and success. In 1744 he took the degree of A.B., and was ordained to his father's curacy at Basingstoke, and officiated in that church till February 1746. He next removed to Chelsea, and afterwards to Cobham.
His father died in the year 1745, leaving two sons and a daughter in circumstances far from affluent. Joseph, his elder son, published by subscription a volume of "Poems on several occasions by the Rev. Mr Thomas Warton, Bachelor of Divinity, late Vicar of Basingstoke in Hampshire, and some time Professor of Poetry in the University of Oxford." Lond. 1748, 8vo. This volume is closed by two poems on the death of the author, one by his daughter Jane, the other by the editor. He had previously published a small collection of his own, entitled "Odes on various subjects." Lond. 1746, 4to. In 1748 the duke of Bolton presented him to the rectory of Winslade; and although this provision was but scanty, he immediately married Miss Daman, a young lady to whom he had for some time been enthusiastically attached. In 1751 he accompanied the same nobleman on a tour to the south of France. For this arrangement, as Dr Wooll very coolly informs us, the duke had two motives, "the society of a man of learning and taste, and the accommodation of a protestant clergyman, who immediately on the death of the duchess, then in confirmed dropsy, could marry him to the lady with whom he lived, and who was universally known and distinguished by the name of Polly Peachum." This, it must be admitted, was a very miserable commission for any protestant clergyman to undertake, nor did Warton earn the wages of his iniquity; for some unexplained reason induced or compelled him to revisit England, before the duchess died; and when, on her demise, he solicited the duke's permission to return, he had the mortification to learn that the worthy pair had been joined in wedlock by the chaplain to the embassy at Turin.
Before this period, he had undertaken a translation of the Eclogues and Georgics of Virgil; and having associated with Pitt's translation of the Æneid, he added the original text, and accompanied the whole with his own notes. Lond. 1753, 4 vols. 8vo. The book is elegantly printed; but Dr Harwood remarks that the Latin text, especially in the Georgics, is extremely incorrect. A second edition followed in 1778. Warton added three essays, on pastoral, didactic, and epic poetry. This publication laid the foundation of his literary celebrity. Soon after its appearance, he was requested to assist Dr Hawkesworth in the Adventurer, which was commenced in 1752. The invitation was conveyed to him by Dr Johnson, who stated that the department destined for him was that of criticism. To this periodical work he contributed twenty-four papers, of which the greater part relate to critical subjects, and all of them are creditable to his talents and taste.
In 1754 he was instituted to the rectory of Tunworth; and in the following year he was elected second master of Winchester school. In 1756 Lord Lyttelton presented him with a chaplain's scarf. He now published the first volume of "An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Pope." Lond. 1756, 8vo. This is a very elegant and interesting mass of criticism. Of his claims to the higher characteristics of a poet, Warton has formed a more moderate estimate than many other critics; but after all that has been written on his side of the question, the lively fancy, sparkling wit, and finished terseness of Pope have lost none of their attractions. This work, which appeared without the author's name, is dedicated to Dr Young, a professed admirer of original composition. In 1759 the university of Oxford conferred upon him by diploma the degree of A.M. In May 1766 he became head-master of Winchester school. For this situation he possessed several qualifications. He was a man of polished manners; nor could his pupils fail to imbibe some portion of his refined taste and love of literature. He was not however without defects. Though an elegant scholar, he was not sufficiently able as a philologist. "He held verbal criticism cheap, and, as a natural consequence, frequently encountered insurmountable difficulties in Greek authors; while the expedients to which he resorted in order to conceal the fact were easy of detection, and excited much amusement among the elder boys... But Warton wanted other qualities essential to the headmaster of a public school. He was inconsistent in his plans, and deficient in moral courage; often conceding with respect to points of discipline upon which he ought to have been inflexible. These defects paved the way for what was afterwards called the Row, when the school was in such a state of rebellion that the interference of the magistrates was required, and upwards of thirty of the boys were expelled. Burgess had left the school before this catastrophe occurred, but he used to tell, among other proofs of the insubordination which prevailed even in his time, that a
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1 Wooll's Biographical Memoirs of the late Rev. Joseph Warton, D.D. p. 15. Lond. 1906, 4to. Warton was a very elegant, rather than a very profound scholar; and with his classical learning he united much knowledge of modern literature, Italian and French as well as English. On subjects of criticism, he was an agreeable and instructive writer. His poems, which are but few in number, appear in the collection of Mr Chalmers. He is a skilful versifier, and is not destitute of poetical fancy.