The following Copy of verses by the revd. Joseph Sympson, to the memory of Miss Lidderdale, whose excellent character has been already noticed, will not it is hoped be deemed an improper conclusion to this article.

In vain Maria, we the healing Art
Implor’d his balmy succours to impart:
The healing Art, despairing of his power
That well he knew diminish’d every hour,
With mournful visage from thy couch withdrew,
While hence to bliss thy gentle Spirit flew.
And sure, meek Saint, the just decree of Heav’n
To thee no Indian Paradise has giv’n;
No verdant hill surrounded by the floods;
No flow’ry valley in the depth of woods;
Thou sought’st thy native place, the seats divine;
The native place of ev’ry soul like thine!
Had Angels on thy bosom fix’d their eyes
They ne’er had seen a faulty thought arise:
All there was guiltless as a Hermit’s dream,
All mild as is the Sun’s departing beam:
No wayward passions with malignant strife
Disturb’d the peaceful current of thy life:
The soft affections, loving and belov’d
Alone its surface tremulously mov’d.
To live as Virtue bids is fame most high;
The second praise is virtuously to die;
And both to thee are due—as on the bed
Of tedious pain thou long reclin’d thy head,
Calm resignation ever smoothed thy face,
And unto sickness lent a languid grace;
While Hope and Faith, fair sister Seraphs near,
Still whisp’ring holy comfort in thine ear,
With radiant finger pointed out the way
That leads the good to everlasting day.
Tho’ thou among the bright ethereal choir
Again behold’st thy much regretted Sire,
No perfect bliss thy tender heart can know,
Reflecting pensive on thy Mother’s woe;
For ah! thy piercing glance still sees her mourn
In pious melancholy o’er thy urn,
Yet let not this invade thy breast with care;
For Hope and Faith, the same seraphic pair
That brought to all thy sufferings sweet relief,
Have stay’d below to mitigate her grief:
Ev’n now they kindly check the rising sigh
And close the opening sluices of her eye,
Nor will they quit her till from sorrow free,
She joins in Heav’n thy sainted Sire and thee.

We may here further observe, that among the friends and correspondents of Dr. Lidderdale are found the names of Dr. Heberden, Dr. R. Taylor, and Sir John Pringle. Between him and the latter however there was a kind of relationship, by the marriage of a sister of his to Sir John’s brother, the issue of which marriage was the late admiral Pringle. Sir John used to correspond with the family long after the death of Dr. Lidderdale, and so we presume did also the admiral, as miss Lidderdale and he were so nearly related. But we are not sure that that lady and her mother received many favours or much assistance from that quarter.

Some additional papers relating to Dr. Hepburn’s royal pension having fallen into the author’s hands since that article was printed off, he begs leave to take some notice of them here, by way of postscript or supplement to that same article.—It was there observed that the doctor had obtained a royal pension by the interest and friendship of Mr. Pelham. After the death of that minister a fresh application for the continuance of the pension became necessary, and this application was made to the succeeding minister, the Duke of Newcastle, and through him to the sovereign. The following is a copy of the Letter from the doctor on that occasion, dated May 14. 1754.—

“My Lord,

The grateful remembrance of my happy success in applying to Mr. Pelham 4 years ago for his Majesty’s Bounty, soon determined me to address your Grace for its continuance, in whose congenial generous breast I was sure to find the same benevolent disposition. But lest the prolixity of the Narrative, by which it was proper to inform your Grace of the present state of your petitioner, should possibly put a stop to the timely inspection of the whole, I have thrown that apart, to be considered whenever your Grace shall think proper. Meantime confiding entirely in your Grace’s favour, I beg the honour of being admitted, My Lord,

Your Grace’s most obedient and truly faithful humble Servant

G. H.”

The Narrative, above alluded to, was as follows—

“My sight has been declining for seven or eight years past. But in the year 1750 (the 80th. of my age) I became almost quite blind, as I have now for two years past been altogether so. Having lost most of my business with my sight, and as the distribution of my small fortune among six daughters whilst I could see had left me but a poor pittance to subsist on, I implored Mr. Pelham’s assistance for his majesty’s Bounty, which he was pleased with great alacrity to undertake: and with what zeal and address he performed it does not obscurely appear from what he was pleased to tell me at Holkham (where I had the honour to thank him Viva Voce) viz. That he never knew his majesty grant a favour with more cheerfullness than he did this.—The Earl of Leicester has annually done me the honour to receive this royal Bounty from Mr. Pelham’s own hand; two noble securities for one hundred pounds.”

To the above Letter an answer, of which the following is a copy, was received from James West Esq. first Secretary of the Treasury, dated May 16. 1754.—

“Sir, I am directed by the Duke of Newcastle to acquaint you that his Grace has received your Letter, and that you may be assured his grace will be the means of the same royal bounty being continued to you as was in Mr. Pelham’s time.

I am, Sir, Your most humble Servant,

J. West.”

To this Letter an answer was returned in the following words (dated May 19. 1754)—