Tollet, Elizabeth

, an ingenious English poetess, was the daughter of George Toilet, esq. commissioner of the navy in the reigns of king William and queen Anne. She was born in 161H, and her father, observing her extraordinary genius, gave her so excellent an education that, besides great skill in music and drawing, she spoke fluently and correctly the Latin, Italian, and French languages; and well understood history, poetry, and the mathematics. These qualifications were dignified by an unfeigned piety, and the moral virtues, which she possessed and practised in an eminent degree. The former part of her life was spent in the Tower of London, where her father had a house; the latter at Stratford and Westham. She died on the 1st of February, 1754, aged sixty years, and was buried at the latter place. | In 1755, a volume of her poems was printed, some of the best of which may be seen in Mr. Nichols’s Collection.

She was honoured with the friendship of sir Isaac Newton, who was much pleased with some of her first essays. It has been observed, that a few of her poems have such a philosophical cast, and so great a depth of thought, that they will scarce be understood by common readers. Her Latin poems are also written in a truly classical taste. She would not suffer her works to appear till she herself was beyond the reach of envy or applause. They abound with sentiment and simplicity, and yet are far from being destitute of spirit and poetical ornament.

Her estate, which was a considerable one, she left to her youngest nephew. Her eldest nephew, Gkorge Toilet, of Betley, in Staffordshire, but formerly of Lincoln’s-inn, who was well known for his valuable notes on Shakspeare, died Oct. 21, 1779. “He was,” says Mr. Cole, " a fellow-commoner of King’s college, and my contemporary about 1745; ashy, reserved man, and of no genteel appearance or behaviour. ¹