collected a prodigious number of pamphlets relating to the contests of whig and tory, the essence of which he incorporated in his work so as to make it a fund of curious information and opinions, of which more regular historians might afterwards avail themselves. Mr. Fox, in his late "Historical Work," pronounces him "an historian of great acuteness, as well as diligence, but who falls sometimes into the common error of judging too much from the event." Notwithstanding his importance with his party, who, we may suppose, provided for him while he was of service to them, his turn for the stage had not left him, and he was continually teazing Garrick (to whom he had been introduced by Doddington), to encourage him in his error. Garrick saw that he was not qualified to write for the stage, and was candid enough to tell him so. Davies also says that Garrick had so much friendship for him, that he prevailed upon the minister, Mr. Pelham, to settle a pension upon him. The editor of Doddington's "Diary" relates this in a different way. After some remarks on Doddington's selfish motives, he adds, "But all this "But all this may be strictly honourable within the verge of a court; and on this account, I could patiently hear his lordship recommend Mr. Ralph as a very honest man, and in the same pages inform us, that he was ready to be hired to any cause; that he actually put himself to auction to the two contending parties (the Bedford and Pelhams), and that, after several biddings, the honest Mr. Ralph was bought by the Pelhams." If, however, Garrick was in any way the means of closing this bargain, Ralph soon forgot the obligation, and in his "Case of Authors by profession," published in 1758, conveys many insinuations against Garrick, as a manager. Garrick was so irritated, that he never spoke to him afterwards, nor would go into any company where there was a chance of meeting him. The death of the prince of Wales was a severe blow to Ralph. In a letter to Doddington he thus states his situation-"My brain, such as it is, is my whole estate. I lost half a year's pension, when I went into the prince's service. I lost another 100%. about the same time by a bankrupt bookseller. His royal highness died in my debt 657. every farthing of which I had a thousand pressing occasions for; it is almost two years since that event. I did not alter my manner of living except in a few particulars thereon; J. because I was put in hope that friends would have been found to assist, if not provide for me, till I could again be useful; 2d, because I thought it for their credit, that I should not appear a ruined man, while they continued to honour me with their countenance; and 3dly, because I knew I should be provided for (if ever I was provided for at all) in exact conformity to the figure I lived in, which I cannot yet be humble enough to suppose is better than I have pretensions to, unless the pretensions of players, fiddlers, rope-dancers, &c. to a decent manner of living, should be thought better than mine," &c. On the death of George II. Ralph, according to Mr. Davies's account, attained the summit of his wishes: by the interest of the earl of Bute, a pension of 600l. per annum was bestowed upon him, but he did not live to receive above one half year's income. A fit of the gout proved fatal to him at his house at Chiswick, Jan. 24, 1762. He died almost in the arms of lord Elibank and sir Gilbert Elliot, from whom Mr. Davies had this information. His character may be gathered from the preceding particulars. He left a daughter, to whoin a pension of 150l. was granted in consequence of some papers found in her father's possession, which belonged to the prince of Wales, and contained a history of his life, said to be written by himself, under the title of "The History of Prince Titi.” The late Dr. Rose of Chiswick, who was Ralph's executor, gave up those papers to the earl of Bute, and the pension was granted to Miss Ralph, who died, however, about a month after her father. It has been thought, with much probability, that "The History of Prince Titi" was the composition of Ralph himself. Besides the above daughter, he left a son, if we may rely on the following paragraph in all the papers of May 22, 1770, erroneous certainly in other particulars: "Mr. Ralph, who died a few days since, was the son of that great historian. He enjoyed a pension of 150l. a year, which the late and present king settled on his father for writing the History of Scotland."I I Biog. Dram.-Gent. Mag. LXX. p. 421,-Doddington's Diary, 4th edit. See Index. Park's edition of Walpole's Royal and Noble Authors, vol. I. art. Frederick prince of Wales.-Davies's Life of Garrick, vol. 1, p. 224—241.— Bowles's edition of Pope.-Fox's Historical Work, p. 179. |