n ape of Infidelity."

By his wife Young had one son, Frederick. He does not seem to have been a
particularly well-behaved youth; indeed, his father for some time before
his death refused to see him, although he ultimately sent him his
forgiveness, and made him his heir. But no son of illustrious father has
ever had harder measure dealt him. It has been generally supposed that he
was the Lorenzo of the "Night Thoughts," a poem published when Frederick
was only eight years of age, and when he could scarcely have even thought
of committing those crimes of scepticism and reckless self-gratification
with which Young charges his imaginary or half-real hero.

The Poet's life, during the first ten years of his rectorship at Welwyn,
flowed on in an even tenor. He was regular in his conduct, happy in his
family, diligent in his pastoral duties, and easy in his fortune. His
preaching was popular and useful. His studies were principally connected
with his own profession, and yielded him a growing satisfaction. An
anonymous writer in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for 1782, who seems to
have been intimate with him, thus describes him:--"The dignity of a great
and good mind appeared in all his actions, and in all his words. He
conversed on religious subjects with the cheerfulness of virtue; his
piety was undebased by gloom or enthusiasm; he was regular in the
performance of all its duties, both in public and in private. In his
domestic character he was amiable as he was venerable in the Christian.
His politeness was such as I never saw equalled: it was invariable to his
superiors in rank; to his equals and to his inferiors it differed only in
degrees of elegance. I never heard him speak with roughness to the
meanest servant. In conversation upon lively subjects he had a brilliancy
of wit which was peculiar to himself; I know not how to describe it but
by saying that it was both heightened and softened by the amiable
qualities of his soul. I have seen him ill and in pain, yet the serenity
of his mind remained unruffled. I never heard a peevish expression fall
from his lips." Few of his brilliancies are preserved, since,
unfortunately, he had no Boswell attached to his heels. But one or two of
the sayings that have floated down to us are singularly characteristic.
On one very stormy night Young went out to his garden, and remained some
time. When he returned, one expressed wonder why he had stayed so long in
such an evening. "Oh," he repl