Stepney

From Samuel Johnson's Lives of the Poets series, published in 3 volumes between 1779 and 1781.

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George Stepney, descended from the Stepneys of Pendegrast, in Pembrokeshire, was born at Westminster, in 1663. Of his father's condition or fortune I have no account[88]. Having received the first part of his education at Westminster, where he passed six years in the college, he went, at nineteen, to Cambridge[p], where he continued a friendship begun at school with Mr. Montague, afterwards earl of Halifax. They came to London together, and are said to have been invited into publick life by the duke of Dorset[89].

His qualifications recommended him to many foreign employments, so that his time seems to have been spent in negotiations. In 1692, he was sent envoy to the elector of Brandenburgh; in 1693, to the imperial court; in 1694, to the elector of Saxony; in 1696, to the electors of Mentz and Cologne, and the congress at Frankfort; in 1698, a second time to Brandenburgh; in 1699, to the king of Poland; in 1701, again to the emperour; and, in 1706, to the States General. In 1697, he was made one of the commissioners of trade. His life was busy and not long. He died in 1707, and is buried in Westminster Abbey, with this epitaph, which Jacob transcribed:

H. S. E. GEORGIUS STEPNEIUS, armiger, Vir, Ob ingenii acumen, Literarum scientiam, Morum suavitatem, Rerum usum,

Virorum amplissimorum consuetudinem, Linguae, styli, ac vitae elegantiam, Praeclara officia cum Britanniae tum Europae praestita, Sua aetate multum celebratus, Apud posteros semper celebrandus; Plurimas legationes obijt Ea fide, diligentia, ac felicitate, Ut augustissimorum principum Gulielmi et Annae Spem in illo repositam Numquam fefellerit, Haud raro superaverit. Post longum honorum cursum Brevi temporis spatio confectum, Cum naturae parum, famae satis vixerat, Animam ad altiora aspirantem placide efflavit.

On the left hand,

G. S. Ex equestri familia Stepneiorum, De Pendegrast, in comitatu Pembrochiensi oriundus, Westmonasterii natus est, A. D. 1663, Electus in collegium Sancti Petri Westmonast. A. 1676, Sancti Trinitatis Cantab. 1682. Consiliariorum quibus Commercii Cura commissa est 1697. Chelseiae mortuus, et, comitante Magna procerum Frequentia, hue elatus, 1707.

It is reported that the juvenile compositions of Stepney "made grey authors blush." I know not whether his poems will appear such wonders to the present age. One cannot always easily find the reason for which the world has sometimes conspired to squander praise. It is not very unlikely that he wrote very early as well as he ever wrote; and the performances of youth have many favourers, because the authors yet lay no claim to publick honours, and are, therefore, not considered as rivals by the distributors of fame.

He apparently professed himself a poet, and added his name to those of the other wits in the version of