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DWARD CAVE was born at Newton in Warwickshire, Feb. 29, 1691. His father (Jofeph) was the younger fon of Mr. Edward Cave, of Cave's in the Hole, a lone houfe, on the Street-road in the fame county, which took its name from the occupier; but having concurred with his elder brother in cutting off the intail of a fmall hereditary eftate, by which act it was loft from the family, he was reduced to follow in Rugby the trade of a fhoemaker. He was a man of good reputation in his narrow circle, and remarkable for strength and rustick intrepidity. He lived to a great age, and was in his latter years fupported by his fon.

It was fortunate for Edward Cave, that, having a difpofition to literary attainments, he was not cut off by the poverty of his parents from opportunities of cultivating his faculties. The school of Rugby, in which he had, by the rules of its foundation, a right

*This life first appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1754, and is now printed from a copy revised by the author, at the request of Mr. Nichols, in 1781.

to be instructed, was then in high reputation, under the Rev. Mr. Holyock, to whofe care most of the neighbouring families, even of the highest rank, entrusted their fons. He had judgment to difcover, and, for fome time, generofity to encourage, the genius of young Cave; and was fo well pleafed with his quick progrefs in the school, that he declared his refolution to breed him for the univerfity, and recommended him as a fervitor to fome of his scholars of high rank. But profperity which depends upon the caprice of others is of fhort duration. Cave's fuperiority in literature exalted him to an invidious familiarity with boys who were far above him in rank and expectations; and, as in unequal affociations it always happens, whatever unlucky prank was played was imputed to Cave. When any mischief, great or fmall, was done, though perhaps others boasted of the stratagem when it was fuccessful, yet upon detection or miscarriage the fault was fure to fall upon poor Cave.

At last, his mistress by fome invifible means loft a favourite cock. Cave was, with little examination, ftigmatized as the thief or murderer; not because he was more apparently criminal than others, but because he was more easily reached by vindictive justice. From that time Mr. Holyock withdrew his kindness vifibly from him, and treated him with harshness, which the crime, in its utmost aggravation, could fcarcely deferve; and which furely he would have forborne, had he confidered how hardly the habitual influence of birth and fortune is refifted; and how frequently men, not wholly without fenfe of virtue, are betrayed to acts more atrocious than the robbery

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robbery of a hen-rooft, by a defire of pleasing their fuperiors.

Thofe reflections his mafter never made, or made. without effect; for under pretence that Cave obftructed the difcipline of the fchool, by felling clandeftine affistance, and fupplying exercises to idlers, he was oppreffed with unreasonable tasks, that there might be an opportunity of quarrelling with his failure; and when his diligence had furmounted them, no regard was paid to the performance. Cave bore this perfecution a while, and then left the school, and the hope of a literary education, to feek fome other means of gaining a livelihood.

He was first placed with a collector of the excife. He used to recount with fome pleasure a journey or two which he rode with him as his clerk, and relate the victories that he gained over the excifemen in grammatical difputations. But the infolence of his mistress, who employed him in fervile drudgery, quickly difgufted him, and he went up to London in queft of more fuitable employment.

He was recommended to a timber-merchant at the Bankfide, and while he was there on liking, is faid to have given hopes of great mercantile abilities; but this place he foon left, I know not for what reafon, and was bound apprentice to Mr. Collins, a printer of fome reputation, and deputy alderman.

This was a trade for which men were formerly qualified by a literary education, and which was pleafing to Cave, because it furnished fome employment for his fcholaftick attainments. Here, therefore, he refolved to fettle, though his mafter and mistress lived in perpetual difcord, and their house

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was therefore no comfortable habitation. From the inconveniencies of thefe domeftick tumults he was foon released, having in only two years attained fo much skill in his art, and gained fo much the confidence of his master, that he was fent without any fuperintendant to conduct a printing-office at Norwich, and publish a weekly paper. In this undertaking he met with fome oppofition, which produced a publick controverfy, and procured young Cave the reputation of a writer.

His mafter died before his apprenticeship was expired, and he was not able to bear the perverfeness of his mistress. He therefore quitted her house upon a ftipulated allowance, and married a young widow with whom he lived at Bow. When his apprenticeship was over, he worked as a journeyman at the printing-house of Mr. Barber, a man much dif tinguifhed, and, employed by the Tories, whofe principles had at that time fo much prevalence with Cave, that he was for fome years a writer in "Mift's Journal;" which, though he afterwards obtained by his wife's interest a small place in the Post-office, he for fome time continued. But as intereft is powerful, and converfation, however mean, in time perfuafive, he by degrees inclined to another party; in which, however, he was always moderate, though steady and determined.

When he was admitted into the Poft-office, he still continued, at his intervals of attendance, to exercise his trade, or to employ himself with fome typographical bufinefs. He corrected the "Gradus ad Parnaffum;" and was liberally rewarded by the company of Stationers. He wrote an "Account of

the Criminals," which had for fome time a confi, derable fale; and published many little pamphlets that accident brought into his hands, of which it would be very difficult to recover the memory. By the correspondence which his place in the Poft-office facilitated, he procured country news-papers, and fold their intelligence to a Journalist in London, for a guinea a week.

He was afterwards raised to the office of clerk of the franks, in which he acted with great spirit and firmness; and often stopped franks, which were given by members of parliament to their friends, because he thought fuch extenfion of a peculiar right illegal. This raised many complaints, and having ftopped, among others, a frank given to the old duchefs of Marlborough by Mr. Walter Plummer, he was cited before the house as for breach of privilege, and ac cused, I suppose very unjustly, of opening letters to detect them. He was treated with great harshness and feverity, but declining their questions by pleading his oath of fecrecy, was at laft difmiffed. And it must be recorded to his honour, that, when he was ejected from his office, he did not think himself discharged from his truft, but continued to refufe to his nearest friends information about the management of the office.

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By this conftancy of diligence and diverfification of employment, he in time collected a fum fufficient for the purchase of a fmall printing-office, and began the "Gentleman's Magazine," a periodical pamphlet, of which the scheme is known wherever the English language is spoken. To this undertaking he owed the affluence in which he paffed the last twenty years

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