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http://www.archive.org/details/britishplutarchc06lond
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THE
BRITISH PLUTARCH,
CONTAINING
THE LIVES
O F T H E
Moft Eminent Statesmen^ Patriots, Di- vines, Warriors, Philosophers, Poets, and Artists, of Great Britain and Ire- land, from the Acceffion of Henry VIIT. to the prefent Time. Including a Compendious View of the Hillory of England during that Period,
IN EIGHT VOLUMES.
VOL. VL( ■"
THE T H I R D E D I T 1 O N, ""^
Revifed, corrected, and conjiderably, , enlarged, by the Ac-d-i-Qn o^^NewXiVeWj'I
L O N .l^y-^ cWio' '''■■' Friated for CHARLES DILL Y, \\\ the Poultry. M D c C X CI . -7.
CONTENTS
O F T H E
SIXTH VOLUME*
THE Life of George Byng, Lord VifcoiintTor- rington — — page i^
The Life of John Campbell, Duke of Argyle and Greenwich — — — I^
The Life of Sir Robert VValpole, Earl of Orford
26 The Life of John Dalrymple, Earl of Stair 34 The Life of Henry Saint- John, Vifcount Boling-
The Life of Major General James Wolfe 94
The Life of Lord Anfon - 1 10
The Life of Philip Yorke, Earl of Hardv^ricke, Lord Chancellor of England — *— 122
The Life of Sir John Barnard, Knight — 127 Memoirs or Thom?.s Pelham Holies, Duke of Newcaftle, and of his RYo'the^' tbe^' ^4^"ight Ho- nourable Henry Pelham . — — 145 Memoirs of PhiHp Dormer Stailhoj^e, Earl of Chef- terfield «■ '-' 'l^'^- '""^ '^' — 174 Memoirs of George, Lcrii L'^ttdtoh- v ' — 196
SUP-
CONTENTS.
SUPPLEMENT.
Tiie Life of Dr. Samuel Clarke — page 209 The Life of Sir James Thornhill ■ 234 The Life of Alexander Pope — — 239 The Life of Dr. Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Pa- trick's, Dublin — — — 265 The Life of James Thomfon •— 283 The Life of Sir Hans Sioane, Bart. — 291
THE
THE
BRITISH PLUTARCH,
The life of
GEORGE BYNG,
Lord Viicoimt T O R Pv i N G T O N. (A. D. 1663, to 1733.)
GEORGE BYNG, a renowned naval oiTicer, ^ was delcended from an ancient faniily in the county of Flent. He was borii in the year 1663, and, at the age of fifteen, went to lea as a volunteer in the royal navy, in the f^r- vice of Charles IE having had the king's warrant given to him on the recommendation of the duke of York.
In 1 68 1, upon the invitation of genei?! Kirk,
governor of Tangier, he quitted the fea, and fer'fed
as a cadet in the grenadieis of that garrifon, till 011
Vol, VI. B a va-
2 GEORGEBYNG,
a vacancT, which quickly happened, the general, who was always his warm patron, made him an eniign in his own company, and foon after a lieu- tenant.
In 1684, after the demolition of Tangier, the carl of Dartmouth, general of the fea and land-forcea, appointed him lieutenant of the Orford ; from which time he kept conflantly to the fea-fervice ; but did not throw up his commiihon as a land-officer for feveral years after.
In the year 1685, ^^^ went lieutenant of his ma- jefly's (James II.) fhip Phoenix to the hall Indies ; where engaging and boarding a Ziganlan pirate, who maintained a defperate light, mofl of thofe who en- tered with him were flain, himfelf dangeroufly wounded, and the prize finking, he was taken up with fcarcely any remains of life 3 but, by degrees, he was perfectly recovered.
In the year 1688, being firfl lieutenant to Sir John All; by, in tlie fleet commanded by the carl of DarimoiJih, and fitted out to oppofe the defigns of the prince of Orange, he was in a particular manner entruiled and employed in the intrigues then carrying on among the mofl confiderablc offi« ccrs of the iieet, in favour of that prince ; and was the perfon commilTioncd by them to carry their fc- cret afTurances of obedience to his highnefs ; to whom he was piivalely introduced at Sherborne^ by admiral Rufiej. At his return to the fleet, the eaii of Dartmouth fcnt him, with captain Aylmcr nnd captain Flaftings, to carry a mclFage of fub- miffion to tlie prince at Windfor, who made him captain of the Conilant Warvvick, a fourth-rate man of war.
In 1690, he commanded the Hope, a third-rate; and was lecond to Sir George Rooke, in the en- gagement oft Beachy-heud.
Ill
LORD TORRINGTON. 3
In the years 1691, and 1692, he was captain of the lloval Oak, and ferved under admiral Rullel, commander in chief of the fleet. Nor were his me- rits concealed from that' great officer, for he diftin- guilhed him in a very remarkable manner, by pro- moting him to the rank of his firft captain.
In 1702, a war breaking out with France, hs accepted the command of the NalTau ; and was at the taking and burning the fleet at Vigo.
In the year 1703, he was made rear=admiral of the red by queen Anne ; and ferved in the Medi- terranean fleet, commanded by SirCloudefly Shovel, who detached him with a fquadron of five men of war to Algiers, where he renewed the peace with that government. In his return home, he was in great danger of being loll in the great ilorm which overtook him in the channel.
In 1704, he ferved in the grand fleet fent into the Mediterranean, under the command of Sic Cloudefly Shovel, in fearch of the French fleet ; and it was he who commanded the fquadron that attacked and cannonaded Gibraltar ; and. by land- ing the feamen, v/hofe valour was on this occaflon remarkably diilinguilhed, the place capitulated the third day. He was in tlie battle off Malaga, which followed foon after j and, for his behaviour in that action, her majeily conferred on him the honour of knighthood.
Towards tlie latter end of this year, the French having two ilrong fquadrons in the Soundings, be- fides great numbers of privateers, which greatly annoyed our trade, Sir George Byng failed the lat- ter end of January, 1705, from Plymouth, with a fquadron of twelve men of war, and a large fleet of merchantmen ; and, after feeing the latter fafely out of the channel, he divided his fquadron to fuch advautage, that he took twelve of their la rgelt pri- B 2 vatcer.%
4 G E O R G E B Y N G,
vateers, in about two months, together with the Thetis, a French man of war of forty guns, and feven merchant fhips, mod of them richly laden from the Weft-Indies. This remarkable fuccefs gave fuch a blow to the French privateers, that they rarely ventured into the channel during the re- mainder of the year.
The fame year, he was made vice- admiral of the blue ; and, upon the eleftion of a new parlia- .ment, w^as returned one of the burgelles for Ply- mouth ; which place he conftaiitly after reprefented in paili^nr.ent, till he was created a peer.
In the beginning of the year 1707, Sir George was ordered with a fquadron to Alicant, with ne- ceirarics for the army in Spain ; and accordingly failed on the 20th of March : but, on his arrival oiF Cape St. Vincent, he heard the melancholy news of the defeat of our army at the battle of Al- manza, under the command of the earl of Gal way, who lent to the admiral to acquaint him with the dilbefs he was in , and deiired, that whatever he had brought for the ufe of the army might be car- ried to Tortola in -Catalonia ; to ^^'hich place his lordihip intended to letreat; and that, if poffible, he would lave the fick and wounded men at Denia, (iandia, anrd Valei:icia ; where it was intended to embark every thing that could be gotten together.
7"his the admiral performed ; and having fent t^ie lick and vv'ounded to Tortola, and being foon after joined by Sir Cioudefly Shovel, from Lilh>on, they proceeded together to the coail of Italy, with a ticet of forty-three men of war, and fifty tranfports, to fecond prince Eugene and the duke of Savoy, in triie fiege of Toulon ; in which Sir George ferved in tlie fecond poll under Sir Cioudefly, and narrowly cfcaped fhipv/reck in his return home, when that , great officer was loll ; for the Royal Anne, in which
Sir
L O R D T O R R I N G T O N. <;
Sir George carried his flag, was within a fliip's length of the rocks on which Sir Cloudedy ftruck ; vet was providentially faved by his own and his officers prefence of mind, who, in a minute's time, fet the fhip's topfiiis, even when one of the rocks was under her main chains.
In the year 1708, he was made admiral of the. blue, and commanded the fquadron fitted out to oppofe the invaiion intended to be made in Scotland bv the Pretender, and a French army from Duil- kirk. This fquadron confiiled of twenty -four men of war, with which Sir George, and lord Durfley, failed from the Downs for the French coaft, on the 27th of February , and, having anchored in Grave- lin pits,' Sir <^jeorge went on board a fmall frigate, and failed within two miles of the Flemilh road, and there learned the number and il'ength of the enemy *s fhips.
On the admiral's anchoring before Gravelin, the French laid afide their embarkation ; but, upon exprefs orders from their court, were obliged to refume it; and, on the 6th of March, affually failed out of the port of Dunkirk; but, being taken fhort, by contrary winds, came to anchor on the 8th, and then continued their voyage. ^ Sir George had been obliged, at the time the French fleet failed, to come to an anchor under Dungenefs \ and, in his return to Dunkirk, was informed that the French fleet was failed, but whi- ther could not be known ; but he was perfuaded their deftination was for Scotland : whereupon it was refolved, in a council of war, to ptirfue the- enemv to the road of Edinburgh ; and, accordingiVy having flrll detached rear-admiral Barker, with a fmall fquadron, to convoy the troops to Oflend, the admiral profecuted his expedition v>^ith the refl of the fleet,
B ^ Oa
6 - G E O R G E B Y N G,
On the 13th of March, the French were difcc- vcrcd in the Tirth of Edinburgh ; where they made i^^iiials, but to no piirpofe, and then fleered a north - eafi coiirfe, as if thicy had intended to have gone to iSt. /.ndrew's. Sir George purfued them, and took tbe'.'raliroury, an Enghlh prize, thcji in their fer- vice, Vvith feveral perfons of quality on board ; many land and fea-officers in the French fervice, of very great diftinclion ; five companies of the regi- n^c-nt of Bern, and all the fliip's company, con- fifting of three hundred men.
After this, Sir George finding it impofiible to come up with the enemy, put into the portof Lehh,, \vhere he continued till advice was received of the rVench being returned to Dunkirk.
before the admiral left Leith-Road, the lord- provofl: and magiftrates of Edinburgh, to fhew their grateful fenfe of the important fervice he had done them, by thus drawing off the French before they had time to land their forces, and thereby preferving not only the city of Edinburgh, but even the whole kingdom, from the fatal effedls of a rebellion and invafion, refolved to prcfent him with the freedom of their city, by fending, in their name. Sir Patrick Johnfon, their late reprefentative in parliament, with an inflrument called a burgefs- ticket, inclofed in a gold box, having the arms of the city on the fide, and thefe words engraven on the cover :
*' The lord-provoft, bailiffs, and town-council of Edinburgh did prefent thefe letters to burgeoilc Sir George Byng, admiral of the blue, ingratitude to him for delivering this ifland from a foreign in- vaficn, and defeating the defigns of the PVench fleet at the mouth of the Firth of Edinburgh, th« 13th of March, 1708."
One would have imagined, that this remarkable fucccfs muil have fatisiied every body ; and that,
after
LORD TORRINGTON. 7
after defeating fo extraordinary a fcheme as tliis was then allowed to be, and reftori ng public credit, as it were, in an inflant, there fhould be an uni- verfal tribute of applaufe paid to the admiral by all ranks and degrees of people : but fo far was this from being the cafe, that Sir George Byng had fcarcely fet his foot in London, when it was whif- pered, that the parliament would enquire into his condud ; which notion had its rife from a very fooiith perfuafion, that, having once had fight of the enemy's fleet, he might, if he pleafed, hav« taken every (hip of them, as well as the Salifbury.
The truth was, that the French, having amufed the Jacobites in Scotland with a propofal of befieg- ing Edinburgh-caflle, Sir George Byng was par- ticularly inflru£led, by all means, to prevent that undertaking, by hindering the French from landing in the neighbourhood. This he effeflually did, and, by doing it, anfwered the purpofe of his ex- pedition.
But the fame malicious people, who firft propa- gated this flory, invented alio another ; namely, that Sir George was alfo hindered from taking the French fleet by his fhips being foul ; which actually produced an enquiry in thd houfe of commons ; find an addrefs to the queen, to dire£l, that an account might be laid before them of the number of, (hips that went on the expedition with Sir George Byng ; and when the fliips were cleaned: which at iail, however, ended in this refolution :
*' That the thanks of the houfe be given to the prince, for his great care in fo expeditiouily fetting forth fo great a number of ihips ; whereby the fleet •under Sir George Byng was enabled fo happily to prevent the intended invalion."
This was a very wife and well-concerted mea-
fure, lince it fully fatisfled the world of the falflty
Ba oY
G i: O R G E B Y N G,
of thcfe reports, and, at the fame time, gave great iarisfaftioii to the queen and her roval conlbrt, the prince of Denmark, who both conceived that his royal highnefs's chara£ler was atie£led, as lord-high- .idiiiiral.
About the middle of the fummer, a refohition wag taken to make a defcent on, or at leall to rla-n"", the coall of France, by way of retahatiou for the afriont fo lately offered us ; and Sir George Byng as admiral, and lord Durfley as vice admiral of the blue, were appointed to carry the fcheme into execution.
/iccordingly, Sn* George failed from Spithead on the ^.ydi of July, with the fleet and tranfpoits, having th.e troops on board, intended for a defcent, commanded by lieutenanr-gencral Earle ; and the next day came to an anchor off Deal, The 2Qth they flood over to the coafl of Picardy, as well to alarm as to amufe the enemy, and at the fame time to be ready for further orders. The ill of Auguft, the iiect failed again, and anchored the next day in the Bay of Boulogne, where they made a feint of landing their troops. On the 3d they ftood-in, pretty near the fhore, to obferve the condition of the enemy : and, on the 4th, they weighed again, but came to an anchor about noon in the Bay of Eilaples. Here a detachment of troops were landed ; but the projetft on fnore, which this defcent w^as to have fecondcd, being laid afide, an exprefs ar- rived from England ; on which the troops were re- cmbaiked.
In this manner they continued feveral davs on the coaft of France, creating the enemy inexpref- iible trouble; and indeed the true delign of it was only to dillurb the naval armaments on their coalls, and oblige the French court to march large bodies ©f men to proteft their maritime towns ; which i>e-
cefTarilv
LORD T O R R T N G T O N. 9
eeflarily occafioned a diminution of their army in Flanders.
The fame year Sir George had the honour of CGndu.£l!ng the queen of Portugal to Lifbon, where a commiilion was fent him, appointing him admi- ral of the white ; and her Portuguefe majefty prc- fented him with her pi£ture fct with diamonds to a very great value.
In the year 1709, he was commander in chief of the ueet Rationed in the Mediterranean; during which he attempted the relief of the city and caflle of Alicant -, and, at the fame time, meditated a de- iign upon Cadiz ; nor was it his fault that both did not fucceed ; for he did every thing that could be expected from him, in order to render thefe im- portant dciigns fuccefsful.
After his return from this expedition, in 1710,. he was appointed one of the commiiiioners for exe- cuting tlie office of lord- high-admiral ; in which poll he continued till fome time before the queen's death j when, not falling- in with the meafures of thofe times, he was removed ; but, on the accefTion ofGeorgeLhe was reftored to that employment; and, in the year 1715, on the breaking-out of the rebellion, appointed to command a fquadron in the Downs ; wnth v^hich he kept fuch a watchful eye oji the French coaiV, and feized fuch a great quan- tity of arms and ammunition (hipped there for the Pretender's fervice, that his majeliy, to reward his fervices, created him a baronet, prefeiited him with a ring of great value, and gave hun other marks of liis royal favour.
In the year-1717, he w^as fent with a fquadron into the }3altick, on difcovering that Charles XI f. had formed a defign of making a defcent upon Eng- land..
B 5 We,
10 GEORGE BYNG,
We are now to enter upon the moll remarkable {cene of a£lion our admiral was ever concerned in, and which he condudled with equal honour and reputation to himfclf and the Britilh flag. This was the famous expedition of the Britifh fleet ta Sicily in the year 1718, for the proteflion of the neutrality of Italy, and the defence of the emperor's pofleflions againll the invafion of the Spaniards, who had the year before furprized Sardinia, and had this year landed an army in Sicily.
He failed from Spithead about the middle of June 1718, with twenty fhips of the line of battle, two fire-ihips, two bomb veflels, an hofpital-fliip, and a ftore-fhip. This fquadron arrived on the ift of Auguft in the Bay of Naples, into which the fleet Handing with a gentle gale, drawn up in a line of battle, mofi: of them capital fl:iips, and three of Them carrying flags, aflbrded fuch a fpe(5tacle as had never been feen in thofe parts before. The whole city was in a tumult of joy and exultation ; the fhore was crowded with multitudes of fpcdlators ; and fuch an infinite number of boats came off, fome with proviflons and refrefhments, others out of cu- Tioflty and admiration, that the bay was covered "with them.
The viceroy, count Daun, being ill wiih the gout, and having fent his compliments to the ad- miral, he went on fliore, attended by the flag- officers and captains in their boats ; and was faluted at his landing by all the cannon round the city and cafllss ; and was condu(fted to the court through an infinite throng of people, with the greatell ac- ' clamations of joy, and all the honours and cere- monies ufuaily paid to a viceroy of that kingdom.
Here the admiral entered into a conference with count DcTun; from whom he learned, that the Spanilh army, confifting of 30.000 men, com- manded
LORD TORRINGTON. ii
manded by the marquis de Lede, had landed on the 2d of July in Sicily, and had foon made them- felves mailers of the city and caflles of Palermo, and of great part of the ifland ; that they had taken the town of Meflina, and were carrying on the fKge of the citadel, &c.
After the conference, the admiral was fplendidly entertained at dinner, and then lodged at the palace of the duke de Matalona, which had been magni- ficently fitted up for his reception.
The ne}it morning they had another conference, on the mcafures to] be taken in that conjuncture of affairs ; when it was agreed, that the viceroy fhould fend 2000 German foot, in tertans, to Meffina, to relieve the citadel and Fort St. Salvador, under the prote£lion of the Englilh fleet ; v^hich accordingly failed on the 6th of Auguft from Naples, and ar- rived on the 9th in fight of the Faro of MefTina.
Here the admiral, defirous of trying every me- thod of negociation, before he proceeded to the ex- tremity of his orders, difpatched his firft captain to MefTina, with a letter to the marquis de Lede, wherein, after acquainting him upon what account he was fent there, he propof'ed a ceflation of arms for two months, that their refpeflive courts might have time to conclude fuch refolutions as might reflore a lafling peace; but added, that, if he was not fo happy as to fucceed in this offer of his fer- vice, he fhould then be obliged to ufe all his force to prevent farther attempts to dirturb the dominions his maflcr ftood engaged to defend.
The general returned for anfwer, that he had no powers to treat -, and, confequently, could not agree to a fufpenfion of arms, but mufl follow his orders, which dired^.ed him to feize upon Sicily for his mailer the king of Spain.
B 6 Ac^
12 G E O R G E B Y N G,
i\ccordlng to the befl: accounts the admiral could- obtain, he was Jed to conceive, that the Spanilh £cct was failed from Malta, in order to avoid him ; End therefore, upon receiving the marquis's anfwer, he immediately weighed, with an intention to come with his fquadron before Mellina, in order to en- courage and fupport the garrifon in the citadel : but, as he il:ood about the point of the Faro of Meffina, he faw two Spanifh fcouts in the Faro ; and being informed at the fame tim.e, by a felucca,, which came from the Calabrian fhore, that they faw from the hills the Spanifli iieet lying-by, the admiral altered his defign, and fending aw-ay the German troops to Reggio, under the convoy of two men of war, he ftood through the Faro wirli his fquadron with all the fail he could, after their fcouts, imagining they would lead him to the fleet ; which accordingly they did ; for, before noon, he had a fair view of the whole, lying-by, and drawn into a line of battle ; the admiral foon after came ■up with them, and a general engagement enfued, in which the Spanifh fleet was totally demoliflied : fix of them endeavoured to efcape, by flanding-in for the fliore ; but Sir George fent a detachment nfter them, under the command of the gallant cap- tain George AValton, who took four of them, and "burned mofl of the fire-lhips, bomb-veifels, and Ihips laden with proviiions and ammunition, w^hich had retreated froni the main- iieet, under convoy of this fquadron.
Sir George, as foon as the whole fleet was joined, difpatched hiseldeftfon to England; who, aniving at Hampton-court in iifteen days, brought thither the agreeable confirmation of what public fame had before reported ; namely, tlie entire defeat of the. Spanifh licet J upon which the. king had written a. letter to the adaiirai, with his ov/u hand ; and h& 3 now
LORD TOR RING TON. 13
r^ow fent him a valuable prefent, together with plenipotentiary powers to negociate witli the princes and itaies of the empire, as occafipn Ihould icquire.
In the mean time, the admiral profecuted his af- fairs with great diligence ; procured the emperor's troops free accefs into the fortrelTes that were ftilj held out in Sicily ; brought their Sicilian gaUies from Malta ; and foon after received a letter from the emperor Charles VI. vvritten with his own hand, accompanied with a pidUire of his Imperial majeily, fet round with large diamonds, as a mark. of the fervices which had been rendered by his ex- cellency to the houfe of Aufrria.
Larly in the fpring oi 1719, the admiral re- turned to Naples, where he adjuiled every thing with the viceroy and the German general for the reduction of Sicily -, in which he a£ted with fuch zeal and fuccefs, that the Imperial army was tranfported into the illand, and fo well fupplied with all necelTaries from the fleet, that it miay be truly faid, the fuccefs of that expedition was as snuch owing to the Lnglifii admiral aS to the Ger- man general.
It was entirely owing to the admiml's advice, and to his afliilance and fupplies of cannon, pow- der, and bail, from his own ihips, that the Ger- mans re-took the city of jVleihna, in the fummer of the year 1719; after which the admiral landed a body of Englifli grenadiers, who foon m.ade them.- felves mailers of the tower of Faro ; bv which having opened a free paiTage for their fliips, he came to an anchor in Paradife-road, This was . a ftep of great confequence ; for the officers of the Spaniih men of war, which were in the Mole, perceiving this, defpairing of getting out to fea, ■unbent their fails, unrigged their lliips, and refolved to wait their fate with that of the citadel. Tliis
gave
14 G E O R G E B Y N G,
gave the admiral great fatisfa£lion, who now found himfelf at Hberty to employ his fhips in other fer- vice, which had for a long time been employed in blocking np that port.
But, while things were in this profperous fitua- tion, a difpute arofe among the allies about the difpolition of the Spanilh fhips, when, after the citadel was taken, they fliould fall of courfe into their hands. This difpute was happily ended by the admiral's propofing to ereft a battery, and de- stroy them, as they lay in the bafon ; wiiich was done accordingly, and thereby the ruin of Spain completed.
The admiral, in order to fucceed in the reduftlon of Sicily, and, at the fame time, to procure artil- lery for carrying on the flege of the citadel of Mef- fina, went over to Naples in Auguft ; and finding that the government was unable to furnifh the military ftorcs that were wanting, he generoufly granted the cannon out of the Britifh prizes ; and procured, upon his own credit, and at his own rifque, powder and other ammunition from Genoa ; and foon after went thither himfelf, in order to haften the embarkation of the troops intended for Sicily.
Our admiral was received with great honour and refpe6t at Genoa. At his arrival, the tow^n faluted his flag with twenty-one guns ; and the republic fent off fix deputies, three of the old, and three of the new nobility, to compliment him upon his arrival.
After a flay of about three weeks, he failed with all the tranfports to Sicily, and arrived before Mef- fma on the 8th of October ; which fo elevated the fpirits of the army, then belieging the citadel, that, upon the iirft fight of the fleet, they made a vigor- ous attack upon a half-moon, and carried it. 'i'he
ad-
LORD TOR RING TON. 15
admiral, repairing afhore to the general's quarters, was embraced by him, and all the general officers, with the moil tender marks of afFeftion and con- gratulation, the whole army being overjoyed to fee a man who brought them relief and fuccefs, and every advantage attending them.
In ten days after the admiral's arrival at Medina, the citadel iurrendered to the Germans : after which. Sir George reimbarked a great part of the army, and landed them upon another part of the ifland ;. by which means they diftrefled the enemy to fuch a degree, that the marquis de Lede, commander of the Spanilh forces, propofed to evacuate the ifland ; which the Germans were very defirous of agreeing to, and fent to Vienna for inflruitions : but the admiral protefted againfl: it, and declared, that the Spanifh troops fhould never be permitted to quit Sicily and return home till a general peace was concluded ; and fent hi's eldefl fon to Vienna with inllru6tions, if the Imperial court lillened to the propofal of the Spanifli general, to declare, that his father could never fuffcr any part of the Spanifh army to depart out of the ifland, till the king of Spain had acceded to the quadruple alliance, or till he received pofltive in{lru6lions from England for that purpofe. In this, Sir George certainlv a6ted as became a Britifh admiral ; who, after hav- ing done fo many fervices for the Imperialifts, miglit furely infifl: on their doing what was juft in refpedt to us, and holding the Spanifh troops in the uneafy iituation they now v/ere, till they gave ample fatis- fa(Stion to the court of London, as well as to that of Vienna.
i\fter this, the Spanifh general laid a fnare to
feparate the admiral from the Germans, by pro-
pofiig an agreement with him fcr a feparate cef-
5 falioa
i6 G E OR G E B Y N G,
falloii of hoftilities, but without effed. But foorr- after, when the Germans, with the affiftance of the admiral, had begun the fiege of Palermo, before which the Spaniards lay encamped,- and jufl as tho two armies were upon the point of engaging, a courier arrived in that lucky inftant from Spain, with full powers for the Spanilh genera] to treat a:id agree about the evacuation of Sicily and Sar- dinia, in confequence of the king of Spain's ac- ceding to the quadruple alliance : upon which, the two armies were drawn off; a fufpeniion of arms agreed on ; the Germans put into polielhon of Pa- lermo ; and the Spaniards embarked for Barcelona.
The admiral, after he had fettled all affairs in. Sicily, failed in Auguft, 1720, to Cagliari, in Sar- dinia ; where he aililled at the conferences of the minifters and generals' of the fevcral powers con- cerned ; wherein was regulated the manner of fur- rendering the illand by the Spanifh viceroy to the emperor, and the cellion of the ikrpe to the duke of Savoy; and, at the inftance of this prince,, the ad- miral did not depart till he had i?en the whole fully executed ; the Spanifh troops iajided in Spain ; and the duke of Savoy was put into quiet pofleliion of his new kingdom of bardinia, in exchange for Sicily, according to the quadruple alliance : in all which affairs the admiral arbitrated io equally between them, that even the king of Spain expreffed his en- tire fatisfaftion at his conducl, to the Britiib court : and his behaviour was, fo acceptable to the duke of Savoy, that his fincere acknowledgments to him were accompanied with his .picture fei: in diamonds.
Thus ended the war of Sicily, wherein the Bri- tlfh tJcct bore fo illuftrious a part, that the fate of the illand was wholly governed by its operations ; both agreeing, that the one could not have con- quered, nor the other have been fubdued, without'
iU
LORD TORRINGTON 17
it. Never was any fervice condu6led, in all its parts, with greater zeal, activity, and judgment ; nor was ever the Eritifh flag in fo high reputation and relpe^l in thofe diftant parts of Europe.
His majefty, king George I. who had named the admiral for that expedition, uled to fay to his miniftcrs, wlien tiiey applied for inftrudions to be fent him for his direff>.ion on certain important cc- cafions, that he would fend him none, for he knew liow to a<ft without any ; and, indeed, all the mea- furcs that he took abroad were \'o exaft and jufl, as to fquare with the councils and plan of policy at home.
After the performing fo many fignal fervices, the admiral departed from Italy, to attend his majefty to Hanover ; and the king, among many other gra- cious expreffions of favour and fatisfaflion, told him, that he had found out the fecret of obliging his enemies as well as his friends ; and that the court of Spain had mentioned, with great acknowledg- ments, his fair and friendly behaviour in the pro- vhion of tranfports, and other necelTaries, for the embarkation of their troops, and in prote£ting them from many vexatious oppreffions that had been at- tempted. No wonder that a man endowed with fuch talents, and fuch a difpohtion, left behind him in Italy, and other foreign part?, the charac- ter of a great foklier, an able ftatefman, and an ho n eft man.
During his majevly's ftay at Hanover, he began to reward the eminent ferviccs of Sir George Byng, by making him treafurer of the navy, and rear-ad- miral of Great-Britain ; and, ofi his return to Kng- _ land, one of his mofi honourable privy-, ouncil.
In the year 172 1, he was created a peer of Great- Britain, by the title of vifcount Torrington, and baron Byng, of Soudiiil, in Bedfordlhire : and, in
iS G E O R G E B Y N G, 6cc.
I72.5, he was made one of the Knights of the Bath', upon the revival of that order.
At his Jate majefty's acceihon to the throne, he was made firft commiffioner of the admiralty ; in which high flation he continued to his death, which happened at his houfe in the Admiralty, in June 1733. H^ ^^'^^ buried at Southill, in Bedfordi'hire.
During the time he prefided in tlie Admiralty, lie laboured in improving the naval power of this kingdom ; in procuring encouragement for feamen, who in him loft a true friend ; in promoting the fcheme for eftabHfliing a corporation for the relief of widows and children of commiffion and warrant officers in the royal navy ; and in every other fervics to his country that he was capable of.
He married, in 1692, iVIargaret, daughter of James Mafter, of Eaft-Landen, in Kent, Efq; by whom he had eleven fons and four daughters ; but only three of the former, and one of the latter, .furvived him,
*^.* Juthorltles, Biog. Britann. Campbell's Lives of the Admirals. Smoliet's Hill, of England*
The
( 19 )
The L I F E OF '^
JOHN GAMPBEL,
Dui4E OF APXiYLE AND GREENWICH. [A.D. 1678, toi743-]
JOHN CAMPBEL, an able, honefl politician, a fleady patriot, and a celebrated general, was born in the year 1678.
Fn early youth he difcovered a fohd, penetrating judgment, and ready wit ; but having, at the fame time, taken a refolution to enter into the military lervice, he did not fo aiiiduouily devote himfelf to his ftudies as he might otherwife have dowQ, though, before he was fifteen, lie had made a great progrefi in claHical learning, and fome branches of philo- fophy ; but, when he came to riper years, he re- trieved this deficiency, by reading the beft authors, which, joined to the knowledge of mankind he liad acquired by being early engaged in affairs of the greateft importance, enabled him to give that luftre to his natural genius, which diflinguilhed him as an orator and a man of learning, upon many remarkable occafions, in parliament.
In 1694, when not full feventeen years of age, king William gave him the command of a regiment*
His father, the iiril: duke of Argyle, dying in 1703, his grace was foon after fworn of his majefty's
privy-
20 J O H N C A M P F E L,
privy - council, appointed captain of the Scotck horfe-guards, and one of the extraordinary lords of kiT'ion of Scotland.
In 17O4, he was inftalled one of the knights of the Thiflle ; and, in 1705, he was mr.de a peer of England, by the title of baron of Chaiham, and earl of Greenwich.
At the battle of Ramillies, in 1706, he afled as. brigadier-general ; and, though but a voiing man, gave fignal proofs of his valour and conduft. He alfo commanded at the iiege of Cllend, as briga- dier-general ; and in the fame fration at that of Menin ; and was in the aftion of Oudenard, m I7c8. At the fiege of Ghent, in the fame year, he coinmanded as major general, and took pqlief- fion of the town.
In 1709, at the iiege of Tournay, which was- carried on by three attacks, he commanded one of them in quality of heutenant-general, to which rank he had been raifed a few months before. At the biocdy battle of Malpiaquet, the fame year, the duke of Argyle was ordered to difiodge the enemy from the wood of Sart, which he executed with great bravery and refolution, pierced through it, and gained a confiderahle poft ; but narrowly efcaped, leaving feveral mufquet-balls through his clothes, hat, and perriwig.
In 171 1, he was appointed ambalTador-extraor- dinary to king Charles 111. of Spain, and generalif- fimo of the Br tifh forces in that kingdom.
On the 8th of September, 1712, the ceflation of arms between Great Britain and France was no- tiried to the Imperial general ; upon which, the duke of Ar^yle failed with the EngliQi troops to Port Malion ; where, when he arrived, he caufed the emperor's colours to be taken down, and the liritilh to be hoiilcd on the feveral cailles of that
ifland j
TJUKE OF ARGYLE, 5fc. 21
ifland ; the governor, refufing to take an oath of fldehty to queen Anne, had leave to retire; but the reft of the magiftrates compHed.
After his grace's return to England, he d;d not remain long in the favour of the miniftry, for he heartily joined in oppoiing all fecret intrigues againft- the Proteftant fucceffion ; and, in 171 j, his grace made a motion in the houfe of lords, for diiTolving the union, occafioned by a malt- bill being brought into the houfe for Scotland ; which motion was carried in the negative, by four voices only ; and, in the fpring of the year 17 14, he was deprived of all the employments he held under the crown.
Upon the acceffion of George I. his grace was one of the nineteen members of the regency nomi- nated bv his majefty; and, on the king's arrival in England, he was immediately taken into favour at court, and made general and commander-in-chief of the king's forces in Scotland.
In confequence of this commiffion, his grace commanded the army vvhen the rebellion broke out in Scotland, in 1715; and having received his in- llruftions for fuppreiTing it, he went to Edinburgh, where he publiihed a proclamation for increafmg the forces ; from whence he marched to Leith, and fummoned the citadel, into wdiich brigadier M*Intol]i, one of the Pretender's generals, bad re- tired, to furrendef ; but,' upon M'intoih fending for anfwer, that he was determined to hold out, and neither to give nor take quarter, if they en- gaged, the duke, who could not carry the place for want of artillery, thought proper to retire, and re- turn to Edinburgh.
The particulars of this rebellion are fo well knowni, and fo fully related in *' Oldmixon's An- nals of George L" that it feems only neceflary, in this place, to mention that his grace, during the
whole
m J O H N C A M P B E L,
whole couiTe of it, exerted himfelf in the moft pre- per manner, againil the enemies of his majefty king George, and the Proteftant fucceflion ; and, after having put the army into winter-quarters, he returned to London, and arrived there in the month ofMarchj 1716, a^id was mofl gracioufly received by his maieily ; but, in a few months, to the fur- prize of all mankind-, he was turned out of all his places. But the prince of Wales, afterwards George II. was pleafed to exprefs an efleem for him, which continued many years, both while he was under the difpleafure of his maj-efty, and after the reconciliation.
It is in the duke's condus^l in parliament that we mull fearch for the reafon of his political difgrac^* We muft therefore review it with attention ; and it muft likewife be obferved, to his grace's honour, that he joined with thofe humane perfons who re- commended it to the miniftry in vain, to be more merciful to the delinquents, after the rebellion was fupprefied.
In June 17 15, when the famous fchifm-bill was brought into the houfe of lords, he oppofed it with great zeal and llrength of argument. In the de- bate on the mutiny-bill, he oppofed any extenfioii of the military power, and urged the neceffity of a rcdu£tion of the ftandiiig army, a Hep which was by no means agreeable to the court.
in the beginning of the year 17 19, his grace was again admitted into his majefly's favour, who was pleafed to appoint him lord-ftev/ard of his houfe- hold, and to create him duke of Greenwich.
In 1722, the duke of Argyle difiinguilhed him- felf in the houfe of lords in the very inteiefliiig de- bate on the bill for banifhing the famous Dr. Atter- bury, biihop of Rochefler j audit was chiefly ow- ing
DUKE OF ARGYLE, 5cc. 23
Ing to his grace's perfuafive eloquence that the bill paired.
In 1726, his grace was appointed colonel of the prince of Wales's regiment of horfe. But notwith- llanding thefe promotions, the duke, with patriotic zeal for his native country, warmly oppofed the ck- tenfion of the malt-tax this year to Scotland. , From this time we have no memoirs of any tran- fa6tions in the life of this great man deferving tpublic notice, till the year 1737, when a bill was brought into parliament for punilhing the lord-pro- a^oft of Edinburgh, for abolilhing the city-guard, and for depriving the corporation of feveral ancient privileges on account of the infarre£lion in 1736, when the mob broke into the prifon, and took out captain Porteus and hanged him. The duke of Ar- gyle oppofed this bill with great warmth, in the houfe of lords, as an aft of unjuft feverity : his grace's oppofition to this bill highly difpleafed the jiiinidry, but they did not think proper to fliew any public marks of refentment at that time.'
In 1739, when the convention with Spain was brought before the houfe, for their approbation, he fpoke with warmth againft it, and, in the fame fcfiion, his grace oppofed a vote of credit, as there was no fum limited in the mellage fent by his ma- jefty.
On the i(;th of April, 1740, the houfe took into coniideration the ftate of the army, upon which occation he made an eloquent fpeech; Vv'herein he {et forth, with great flirength of argument, the mifconduft of the minillry, fliewing a tender te- gard for the perfon of his fovereign, while he ex- erted an unfeigned zeal for the good of the com- munity. Sir Robert VValpole being exafperated at this Itep, his grace was foon after difmilTed from all liis employments.
Upon
^4 J O H N C A M P B E L,
Upon the eledlion of a new parliament, in 1741, on the apphcation of the city of Rdlnburgh^ anci ieveral corporations, who addrefled him in form at that time, he pointed out to them men of fteady, honeft, and loyal principles, and independent for- tunes ; and, where he had any intereft, he endea- voured to prevail with the eledors to choofe fucli men.
When the parliament was opened, the minifler found he had not influence to maintain his ground ; and a parliamentary enquiry into his condu6l being fet on foot, he was difcharged from his poft, and created a peer, with the title of earl of Orford.
His royal highnefs Frederick prince of Wales, and the duke of Argyle, had a principal fliare in the difgrace of Sir Robert,
The duke, in confequence of this change, be- came the darling of the people, and he feemed like- wife to be perfectly reilored to favour at court; for he was made mailer-general of the ordnance, co- lonel of his majeily's royal regiment of horle- guards, and field- marihal, and commander-in-chief of all the forces in South-Britain. But, in a few months, his grace perceiving that a change of men produced little or no change of meafures, he re- signed all his pofls, and from this time retired from public bufmeis, ever after courting privacy, and living in retirement.
The duke had been, for fome years, labouring under a paralytic diforder, which put a period to his life in the year 1743.
His grace married, when young, Mary, daughter of John Brown, Efq; and niece of Sir Charles Duncomb, lord mavor of London ; but file dying in 1708, without iffue, he married Jane, daughter of Thomas Warbuiton, of Winnington, in Che- Ihire, Efq; By her he had four daughters j tlie eldefl
of
DUKE 0F ARGYLE, &c. 25
of whom married the earl of Dalkeith, fon and heir apparent to the duke of Buccleugh ; and the fecond the earl of Strafford ; both in his hfe-time.
His grace was a tender father, and an indulgent mafter ; he was delicate in the choice of his friends, but, when chofen, very conftant to them ; he was flow of promifnig favours ; but, when promifed, the performance was fure ; though he often chofe ra« ther to purchafe preferment for his relations than to beg it.
He was naturally companionate to all mankind ; and, when he met with the man of merit in want, his bounty was very extenfive ; nor would he keep the man, he was either unable or unwilling to ferve, in fufpcnfe.
He preferved a dignity in his behaviour which was often miftaken for pride ; but he was naturally facetious amongft his feled friends.
A fuperb monument was erefted in Weflminller- abbey to his memory. Sir William Ferraor, while his grace vras living, having left 500I. to defray the expence of it, out of regard to the great merit of his grace, both as a general and a patiiot.
*^* Authorities, Biog. Britannica, Annals of Geo. I. and 11.
Vol. VL C The
[ 26 ]
The life of
SIR ROBERT W ALP OLE, EARL OF O R F O R D,
[A. D. 1674, to 1745-]
^T~^ HIS great flatefman, v.'hofe tranfa^lion?, JL while he was at the head of the treaiuiy, and governed the councils of Great-Biitain, make a confpicuous figure in the annals of George the Firfl and Second, was born in the year 1674, and was de- Icended from a family which had flouriihed in the countT of Norfolk, and had been reputed araongft thofe of chief note, ever fince the reign of Edward L
He was educated on the foundation at Eton fchool ; and from thence ele£ted to King's -College in Cambridge. He was iirll chofen to ferve in par- liament for King's Lynn, in Norfolk, in the year i-co; and he rcprefented that borough in feveral fucceeding parliaments.
In 1705, Mr. VValpole was appointed by her majefty queen Anne to be one of the council to liis royal highnefs prince George of Denmaik, lord- high-admirai of England, in the affairs of the ad- miralty.
In 1707, he was made fecretary at war ; and, in lyCQ, trcafurcr of tlic navy.
Upon
- E A R L o F O R F O R ». 27
Upon Dr. SacheverePs impeachment, he was chofen one of the managers of the houfe of com- mons to make good the articles againfl him ; and the managers had the thanks of the houfe of com- mons for their fervices.
On the change of. the miniflry, which happcjied in Auguil 17 10, he was removed from ail his polls, and was not reftored to any public employment under the crown during tlae remainder of the queen's reign.
His oppofition to the Tory adminiflration, and his attachment to the great duke of Marlborough, brought upon him a further difgrace in the fefhon of parliament in 171 1 ; for he w^as charged, by the commiffioners appointed by the houfe of commons to examine the public accounts, with having re- ceived the fum of five hundred guineas, and a note for 50c more, while he was fecrerary at war, as douceurs for granting two advantageous contrafts to ^ fupply forage for the cavalry quartered in Scotland, This the Tory party rcprefented as an heinous of- fence, and, having fecured a majority, they voted Mr. "Walpole guilty of a high breach of truft and notorious corruption, for which he was expelled the houfe, and committed to the T'ow^er.
But his known abilities, and iiis remarkable zeal for the fuccelhon of the Houfe of Hanover, which he had fo warmly aad fuccefsfully uflerted, brought -iiim into the fervice of his country again, foon after king George the Firft's accefiion to the throne; and accordingly he w^as made pavmafler to the guards andgarrifons at home, and to the forces abroad, in September, 1714, five days after the king's landing. And a new^ privy- council being appointed to meet on the ill of O^lober, 1715, he was i'worn-in, and took his place accordingly. On tlieicth of the- fame month, he was conftituted firil Jord-com- C 2 niiliJQ.iCi
i>8 SIR ROBERT WALPOLE,
mifnoner of the treafury, and chancellor cf the ex- chequer ; and, the fame year, chofen chairman to tlie committee of Tecrecy, appointed by the houfe of commons to enquire into the condufl of thofe evil minillers, who brought a reproach on the na- tion, by the unfuitable concluiion of a war which h.id been carried on, in the late reign, at fo vail an expence, and had been attended with luch unpa- ralleled fuccelTes.
Mr. Walpoletook an active part in this bufmefs., and, in the feffion of parliament of this year, he was made chairman of that committee of fecrecy, upon whofe report, the houfe ordered Mr. Prior and Air. Thomas Harley into cuftody, for the part they had taken in negotiating the peace. Ke like wife im- peached the famous lord Bolingbroke, w'ho, fore- feeing the florm, had fled to France.
in the month of April, 1717, his majefty fent a meifage to the houfe of commons, demanding an extraordinary fupply, the better to enable him to iecure his kingdoms againfl the defigns of Sweden. The mefTage was delivered ; and the fupply moved for by Mr. Stanhope, fecretary of Hate ; and it oc- caiioned a very warm debate, in which the friends of the cabinet were divided, and fome of the mi- iiifler*s immediate dependents voted againfl the mo- tion. Mr. Walpole himfelf remained lilent ; but finding it was carried by fo Imall a majority as four votes, and lord Townfliend being difmiiied from the poll of lord lieutenant of Ireland, for voting againfl this fupply in the upper houfe, Mr. Wal- pole, the very next day, waited on the king, and lefigned all his employments. His example was fol- lowed by the duke of Devonfhire, Mr. Pulteney, and all the principal Whigs in oflice. But, on the very day of his relignation, he brought into the houfe of comm.ons the hmo-'as Jinking-fund hill.
7 * On
E A R L o F O R F O R D, -9
On the 4 til of ]unQf i 720, a coalition of parties took place ; Mr. Walpole's friends, the duke of DevonOiire, lord Towiilend, Mr. Piilteney, and Mr. Methuen, were reftored to the royal favour; and he was once more made paymafter-general of all his majefty's forces, and on the fourth of May firft lord commiiiioner of the trealury, and chancellor of the exchequer.
His nirijefty declaring to his parliament, on the tvventy-lixth of May, 1723, that fome extraordi- nary affairs required his prefence abroad for the fummer, was pleafed to nominate Mr. VValpole one of the lords juftices for the adminiftration of the government; and he was, by his majeily's com- mand, fv/orn fale fecretary of llate during the ab- fence of the lord vifcount Townfhend, and the lord Carteret, who accompanied tiie king to Ha- nover.
In the month of May, 1725, the king revived the ancient and honourable military order of the Knights of the Bath, in honour to his fecond fon, prince William, duke of Cumberland, who was made the firft knight ; the duke of Montague was appointed grand mafter ; and among the knights were Mr. Robert Walpole and his eldeft fon lord Walpole. This gentleman had been created a peer by letters patent in 1723, and the reafons affigned for conferrmg this dignity are flated in the preamble to the patent, which contains the higheil enco- miums on the public charafler of Sir Robert, and the promifing genius of his fon. I'he whole num- ber of knights was 38, including the fovereign, by whom they were invefled with great folemnity 011 the 27th. And, on the 7th of June, the fame year, his majefty declared him one of the lords juilices for the adminiftration of affairs during his conti- nuance at Hanover.
C 3 On
^o SIR ROBERT WALPOLE,
On the 26th of May 1726, Sir Robert was ele£lcd Knight-Companion of the mofl noble Order of the Garter (with his grace the duke of Pvichmond), and inilahed at Windfor on the i6th of June followuig.
Such fignal honours, thus rapidly bellowed on himfelf and family, excited the envy of the am- bitious ; and the meafures of his adminiftration be- ing novel, bold, and not always very defenfible, the prefs teemed with inve£lives againft him. He ■was fliled the father of corruption, and a ftrong party was formed to difplacc him ; but, having fe- cured an interefl in the heir to the throne, all the defigns of his adverfaries proved abortive, by the fudden death of George I. in 1727 ; and they had the mortification to fee him enjoy a flill greater ple- nitude of power Icon after the accelTion of George IT. To examine the meafures of his long admini- ftration, as prime or rather fole miniller of Great Britain, with impartiality, conlidered in a political light, would be extremely difficult ; and, after all, it would be impofTible to give fatisfaflion, his pub- hck character appearing odious in the light of one party, while it has been as lavillily applauded by the other. On this accouFit, and becaufe fuch an 'inveftigation would likewife require the intro- duftion of a feries of national events fufficient of themielves to form a volume, we refer the curious reader to the hillories of thofe times.
Sir Robert Walpole continued to be prime mi- nifter till the year 1742, when the election for members for Weftminfler being carried againft the court by two voices, and that for Chippenham by one, he thought it high time to provide for his own fafcty, by retiring from a houfe in which even fo fmall a majority had it in their power at any time to impeach him. Accordingly, having been very roughly handled in the debate, he came out
of
E APvL o F OR F O Pv D. 31
of the lioufe, and Iii the lobby declarej he wouli never enter it again.
But what tiKed his refolution to throw up all his employments, was a ftep taken by tlie pri nc<^ of Wales, his prefent majefty's father, who, l)cin;;" at that time at variance with the king, made riic- removal of this minifter a preliminary article of reconciliation, to which his majefty acceded ; and Sir Robert, to avoid the difgrace of being difmided, refigned. The reconciliation took place imme- diately between the king and the prince ; but his • majefly, unwilling to let Sir Robert's enemies en- joy too great a triumph, called him up to the houfe of peers, by creating him baron of Houghton, (the feat of the family), vifcount Waipole^ and earl of Orford. However, the royal protedlion could not fcreen him from a parliamentary enquiry into his condu6l. In March, 1742, lord Limerick moved the houfe of commons, that a committer might be appointed to enquire into the conduit of affairs, at home and abroad, for the lail: twenty years (the fpace of time the late minifter had been at the helm) ; but this motion being tliought too ge- neral, both as to time and mattef, after a long de- bate, was rejected by a majority of only two voices. Not difcouraged by tills, difappqintment, the fame nobleman, a few days after, made another mo- tion : *' That a committee be appointed to enquire into the condu£l of H-obert earl of Orford, during the laft ten vears of his being hrfl lord-commiHioner of the treafury, and chancellor of the exchequer/' This motion was carried by a majority of fevcn ; and a committee of fecrecy, confiiiing of twenty- one members, was eleded by ballot.
On the 13th of April, lord Limerick reported
from the committee, that thev had been greatly
obflrucled in their proceedings by the obllinacy
C 4 of
32 SIR ROBERT W^I.VOLE,
of Nicholas Paxton, Efq; late foiicitor to tlie trea- sury ; of Gvvymi Vaughan, Efq; and of Mr. Scroop, fecretnry to the treafury, vvho rcfiifed to aiilwcr interrogatories put to them by xhc committee. Upon which, the houfe committed Paxton to New- gate ; and as this gentleman and his afioclates hsJ pleaded in their defence, that the lav\s of England did not compel any man to reveal matters tending to acciife themfeJves, hi order to obviate this dif- -ciilty, a bill of indemmity was paiTed for fuch perfons as fliouid, upon examination, make difco- venes concerning the difpohtion of public money, or oi?iCes, or any paymaent or agreem.ent in refpetSt thereof, or concerning other matters relating to the condn£l of Robert earl of Orford. This bill, after a long debate, was reje(^ed in the houfe of icrds ; and no man oppoied it more flrenuoufly than lord Carteret, the ' profelfed enemy of lord Orford. 1 his able flatefm.an corif^dered it as opening a door to the inferior fervants of the crown 10 accufe the fuperior oihccrs of flate upcn every change of the miniftry with impunity ; to which ihey might be tempted by the hopes of fecuring their places ui:ider a new adminiftraticn.
I'he frien.ds of the bill in the lower houfe com- plained of an obdrudtion of public juftice ; and they examined the Journals of the houfe of peers for precedents of fuch a refufai to concur w-ith the commons in an affair of national juilice. In a word, a great milunderilanding w^as created be- tween the two houl'es, which would have been carried to violent lengths, if the king had not pro- rogued the parliament, and thus faved his old fer^ vant ; for the cry of vengeance without doors ex- tended to his life, and it was openly declared, that nothing lef> than his head could be accepted as an atonement for his crimes.
la
EARLofORFORD. 33
In the next feffion of parliament, on the firft ot December, 1743, the motion was revived for ap- pointing a committee for the fame purpofes as that of the preceding year ; but it was' reje£led by a majority of 67 votes.
Thus ended an enquiry, whieh had thrown the nation into a general ferment; but which did httic more than bring to hght an offence, univerfally fufpe6ted or known to have been pra6tifed by moit prime miniilers, and Hkely to be continued as long as lb much unconilitutional power is vefled in any- one man. We mean, a mifapplication of more ©r lefs of the publick money, to the purpofes of fupporti ng that power, by bribes to needy, venal dependents.
When thic ftorm was over, the earl of Orford retired from public lire, his majefly having granted him a penfion of 4000I. per annum ; but he did not long enjoy his happy retreat ; for his unwearied attention to the bufinefs of his high Nation, for fuch a long courfe of years, had impaired his con- Hitution, which yielded to the infirmities of an ad- vanced age, and clofed the life of this famous ilatefman in the year i 745.
Diverfity of fentiments will always render his public charadler a doubtful one ; but all his con- temporaries agree in beftowing the highefl enco- miums on his private conduct.
He is reprefented to have been a tender parent, a kind mailer, a beneficent patron, a firm friend, and a moft agreeable companion.
Mr. Horace Walpole, his ion, has given the earl of Orford a place in his catalogue of Noble Au-i- thors ; bat it is proper to obierve, that his lord- Ihip's literary abilities feem to have been confined to the fphere of lite in which he moved : for all he is known to have written or publiflied arc political C 5 uadts.
34 JOHN DALRYMPLE,
trails, on temporary and local fubje^ls ; of wliick a liii is given in the laid catalogue, vol. II. and in the Supplement, or vol. XIL of the New Ge- Jieral Biographical Di£lionary. To which autho- rities, and the beft hiilorians of the time when lord Orford iiourifhed, we are indebted for thefe nieinoirs.
The life of
JOHN DALRYMPLE,
E A R L .0 F STAIR,
[ A.D. 1673, 101747.]
THIS celebrated general, and accomplifhcd llatefman, was the eldeil fon of John Dal- Tymple, Efq; created, for his fervices to king Wil- liam at the Revolution, firit vifcount, and after- wards earl, of Stair His mother was the lady Ehzabeth Dundafs, daughter to Sir John Dundafs, of Newlifton : he was born in the year 1673 * ^"^> even while an infant, difcovered an ardour for mi- litary glory. He very early muflered up a regiment of young boys of his own age, denominating them after his own name; and it was furprifing to ob- fcrve, in how fhort a time they were enabled to go through the feveral evolutions of the militery ex- ercife, while their alacrity, when under the eye of their young commander, gave a fure prelude of . I. that
E A R L o F S T A I R. 35
that fnperior greatncfs of foul which afterwards ap- peared in him, and procured him both the confi- dence of his fovereign, and the admiration of his country. Like another Cyrus, he difcouraged every thing thaf was daftardly and unbecoming in the young gentlemen of his own age ; and, with the utmoft addrefs, encouraged what was manly, be- coming, and virtuous, in them.
Scarcely was he arrived at the age of ten years, when he made the rnoft furprifing progrefs in the Greek and Latin tongues; and, being well ac- quainted with thefe, the French became eafy to him. He was trained up by a governor for fome years, and then put to the college of Edinburgh under a guardian, where he had run through the whole courle of his ftudies in that feminary at the four- teenth year of his age ; and was defigned by his father for the law ; but his paflion for the military life was unconquerable.
He left the college of Edinburgh in the year 1687, and went over to Holland, where he paiTed through the firft milirarv gradations under the eye of that dillinguilhed and augufl commander, king Wil- liam 111. then prince of Orange, who ilicwed him great refpe6l in the prefence of his general officers, and treated him with the tendernefs of an afTecTlion- ate father*
It was here that our young hero learned fortifi- cation and gunnery, in which he afterwards im- proved under the eye of the famous engineer Coe- horn; here likewife he laid the foundation of tliat free and difinterefted fpirit which he breathed' in every air, and pra6lifed in every clime, for the fcr- vice of his countrv ; and about this time he learned the French, Spanifh, German, ItaUan, and Dutch languages ; all of which he fpokc with great purity,
C 6 At
S5 JOHNDALRY M P L E,
At the time of the glorious Revolution, he came over to Scotland, and in fo particular a manner laid down the hardfhips of the Proteftants, as to draw companion from all who heard him ; ai^d, by a juft reprefentation of the dcfigns of the houfe of Bourbon, which at that time he could fhrewdly guefs at, he confirmed thole who were already en- gaged for the prince of Orange in the good opinion they had formed of his caufe, and prevailed upon others to embark in the fcheme. In a word, he performed the moft fubflantial fervices ; for, being with his father and grandfather at the convention of the States, he feconded their arguments with the mcft nervous eloquence ; and the deputies were charmed to fee fuch a noble tendernefs and unaf- fefted fympathy in a young man, whofe geilure and mien commanded admiration from all who heard him.
He was among the iirll to declare for kiiig Wil- liam ; and v/ent up, with his father, to London, to pay his homage to the deliverer of the nation ; by whom he was moil gracioufly received, and taken into his majefty's fervice. He attended the king to 'Ireland, continued with him as one of his life-guards during all his military excuiiions in that kingdom ; and a£led the mcil heroic part at that time that pofBbly could have been expedled from the mcft enterpriling ofiicer. He alfo accompanied his ma- jelly on his retu'"n to England, attended him while there, and accompanied him to Holland in the be- ginning of the year 1691.
King William was received at the Hague with the loudeil acclamations, not only by the States-C^e- nera], but by the populace ; and no perfon in his retinue v^^as more careifed than young Dalrymplc, v;hofe early zeal in the Proteftant caufe w*as not forgotten. Ambafladors from moll of tiie Germaa
courta
EARLofSTAIP. 37
courts arrived at the Hague foon after, to congratu- late the king on his fuccefs, and to enter into new engagements with him for fupporting the hbcrties of turope ; to which they w^ere animated bv the lively reprefentation, made bv his majcftv, of the critical junfture of affairs ; and came to a refolutioii of raifmg two hundred and twenty two thoufand men againft France, whereof twenty thoufand were to be raifed from the national Btitifli forces.
Upon this occafion it was that his majefiy con- ferred a colonel's commiflion upon Mr. Dalryraple; w'ith which he ferved under his great commander at the battle of Steenkirk, fought o\\ the 3d of An- guft, 1692; when the Eng'iilh bravery fiione with the brightcil lufire : for, though they could net force a camp fortified v/ith hedges, and lined by cannon advantageoufly pofted upon eminences, yet they cut off the iiower of the French troops, beiides fivc hundred officers, w-ho w^ere left dead on the field of battle.
No Britilh officer fignalized himfeif more in tins engagement tl.-an colonel Dalrymple. Fie feveral. times rallied his regiment when tlie ranks wxre broken by the cannon, and brought them back to the charge ; performed miracles of bravery with them ; and was inilrumental in faving many troops from being cut in pieces, as" he flopped the purfuit till tliev had time to rally and renew the attack.
From this time to the year 1702, wc have no memoirs of colonel L^ahvm.pie; but, in the campaign of that year, we find him taking a vigorous part in the expulfion of the French from the Spanifh Gel- dcrland, under the command of the great duke of Marlborough.
The duke now honoured colonel Dalrymple with his particular notice, having obferved his alacrity and refolution in the purfuit of the enemy, and that
to
38 JOHN DALRYMPLE,
to all the ardour of a brave young foldier he added the wifdom and conduct of an old, experienced officer; and though the duke, by a national preju- dice, was not very fond of encouraging Scotfmen, yet'his lingular merit overcame that obftacle, and his grace held him ever after in the higheft efteem.
The iirft efFe6f of the duke's friendfhip, was his promoting our hero to be colonel of the royal north Britifh dragoons ; and this regiment being ordered, on the 9th of March, 1703, to fupport a battery erected to delhoy the walls of Peer, a fmall town in the bifhoprick of Liege, held by the French, the new colonel Hood at the head of his regiment for feveral hours, while the troops were falling on each lide of him, witliout the leafl: alteration of countenance, or defiie to xetreat, notwithilanding a furious cannonade from that quarter of the towm.
Never w^as man more gencr* ^.s to the officers, or more popular among the foidiers, than he ; for he fo animated them by his example, by his motion, and voice, that, after having made a fufficient breach in the vraiis, he marched up, fword-in-hand ; was the firft to fcale the ladder, with a drawn fword in one hand, and a piftol in the other : he warded off the blow of a French grenadier, which was aimed at him, ffiot him dead on the fpot, and mounted the wall, almoft alone. The troops foon followed fo glorious an example, and crowded about their leader, then ex.'ofed to the fire, not only of the batteries, but of the fmall arms of the enemy, who, being driven from their pofts in confufion, communicated the confternation to their comrades, who quickly deierted the town.
I'he news of the taking Peer was carried quickly through the army, which refounded the praifes of colonel Dairy mple.
The
E A Pv L o F S T A I R. 39
The Tin daunted courage fliewn by his regiment upon this occalion threw a damp upon the French army ; and, though fecured by moraffes and en- trenchments, and luperior in numbers, they re- fufed to wait the coming- up of the allies, but filently decamped in the night; while the duke of Burgundy, afliamed of that inaflivity, which ended fo inglorioufly for him, repaired to Verfailles, leav- ing the command to marflial Boufflers, w^ho was only dextrous m commanding a flying camp, bom- barding a city, or feizing a pofr by furprize.
It would be an endlefs detail to follow this brave officer from town to town, and from a£tioa to a£lion, during the time that he ferved under the duke of Marlborough ; efpecially as an ac- count of the duke's campaigns has already been given in the life of that general. We fhail there- fore only obfervc, that colonel Dalrymple fignalized himfelf in the fame manner at the liege of Venloo, as he had done at Peer ; he was the firft to climb up the rampart, and force his way into the fort ; and no fooner was he on the wall, than he flew into the thickell ranks of the enemy, and by his intrepidity facilitated the furrender of the place.
At the alTault on the citadel of Venloo, when the fort of Chartreufe was taken by the allies, colonel Dalrymple gave frefh proofs of his intrepidity; and he had the happinefs to fave the life of the prince of Heffe Caflel, afterwards king of Sweden, who, in Vv'relluig the colours from a French officer, was upon the point of being cut down by the fabre of a grenadier, which Dalrymple obferving, inflantly Ihot the grenadier dead upon the fpot with a piilol.
The fuccefs of the Britifli arms in Flanders obliged Louis XIV. to fue for peace, after the campaign cf 1708 ; and the duke of Marlborough returned home in March, 1 709, when he took oc- calion
40 JOHNDALRYMPLE,
cafion to introdnce colonel Dalrymple to her ma» iefly, as an officer who had performed the ntoft iignal fervices in the campaigns in the Low Coun- tries ; and, as he foon after facceeded to the title of earl of Stair, by the death of his father, the queen, as a reward for his military conduft, and as a firil elTay of his political abilities, was pleafed to appoint him her ambalTador-extraordinary to Auguilus IL king of Poland, one of the allies. The negotiations for peace being broken oif, the earl of Stair left the court of Warfaw for a Ihort time, and joined the duke of Marlborough at the liege of Douav-, in Flanders, where he concerted with him the meafures proper to be taken by the king of Poland againil the Swedes.
During the time that he ftaid in the Britifh armv, a fpeciai commiffion arrived from England, to in- veil: him with the enligns of the ancient and ho- nourable Order of the Thiftle ; and the ceremony \vas accordingly performed by the duke of Marl^ borough, affiiled by the earls of Orrery and Ork- ney ; and foon after his lordfhip returned to War- faw, to profecute the bufmefs of his embalfy, which was to induce the king of Poland to enter into an ofFcnfive alliance with the kings of Denmark and Pruffia, againil: Charles XII. king of Sweden, the powerful ally of France.
The fuccefs of this negotiation was owing in a great meafure to the amiable qualities of the carl of Stair, by which he gained the entire confidence and efteem of the king of Poland, who entered heartily into all the meafures of the allies.
His Jordiliip remained four years at the Polifh court ; in which time he formed an intimate ac- quaintance with moll of the foreign ambaffadors, and framed to himfelf a clear idea of the interefts of the fcveral courts in the nortli. He is thought,
by
E A R L OF S T A I R. 41
by fome, to have been the iirll who, by means of the duke of, Marlborough, projefied the renun- ciation of Bremen and Verden, on the part of the kifig of Denmark, in favour of king George I. and as this v^as an additional jevvcl to his majefty's Ger- man dominions, fo it was afterwards the very mean.? by which Sweden was faved ; as one million of crowms were granted by king George I. to that kingdom, and a powerful fleet fent up the Baltic to llop the incuriions of the Ruffians, and to bring about a peace, which was afterwards adfually con- cluded.
He was called home in the year 1713, when he was ilripped of all his employments ; and, having lived very fplendidly at Warfaw, he contra£ted fome debts, which, at that time, lay heavy upon him. His plate and equipage were ready to be arrefled ; and perhaps would have been expofed to fale, if one Mr. Lawfon, who was a lieutenant in the Came- lonian regiment, had not generoufly lent him the fum of 1800I. and it is hard to fay, whether Mr. J.awfon's friendfliip, or the earl of Stair's grati- tude, ever after, w^as moft to be admired.
He now returned from court to his own efcate ; rlius following the fate of his patron, the dake of Marlborough, wdlo had been ferved in the fame manner about two years before.
But he did not remain long in retirement; for, vpon the acceffion of George 1. he was diftinguifhcd by that difcerning monarch as one of the ileady friends to his illuurious houfe, and as fuch he was received into favour ; and, upon the 28th of Oc- tober, 17 14, Vv^as appointed one of the lords of the- bed-chamber ; the next day he was .fworn one of the privy-council ; and, in November, w^as made commander-in-chief of all his majefty's forces ia Scotland.
The
42 JOHN D A L R Y M P L E,
The fcene now changed in favour of the duke of Marlborough, whofe friends v/ere, for the moft part, chofen to reprefent the counties and boroughs in the parhament that was f>jmmoned to meet on the 17th of March, 1715: and, in Scotland, the oppoiers of the former miniftry prevailed ; and the earl of Stair, though abfent, was elefled one of the iixteen peers to lit in the iiril feptennial parliament.
Ambafladors were now fent to the feveral courts of Europe, to notify the king's acceffion ; and, as the French court was both the moft fplendid, and her intrigues the moil dangerous, it was reqiiiiite to fix upon an ambalfador pofiefied of an enterpriiing genius, great fortitude, a pohte addrcfs, and deep penetration. The perfon thought of by the duke of Marlborough, and by the king himfelf, was lord Stair ; who, on his being introduced to liis royal mafter, was complimented on his prudent management in Poland, and intruded with difcre- tionary powers.
He Ctt out for Paris in January, 1715, and, in a few days after, entered that capital in lb fplendid a manner, that the other ambalTadors admired his magnificence ; but it was confidered by the proud old monarch as an infult offered to him in his own capital, that a petty prince, whom, only a few months before, he had entertained hopes of de's- priving of even his ele6loral title and dominions in Germany, fliould, upon his afcending a throne fo unexpededly, authorife his ambafTador to make a more fplendid appearance than the miniller of any potentate had ever done before at Paris.
He was not many days there before an opportu- nity offered of exercifing his political talents to ad- vantage, of confirming his royal mafter in the good opinion he had formed of him, and of increafing the fears of the fVench king, who had heard of
his
E A R L o ? S T A I R. 43
Ills chara£ler, and was cliaa;iincd at his conJuiSl in a very (hort time after he bad rclided at his court.
By the ninth article of the treaty of Utrecht it was exprefsiy flipulated, that the harbour of Dun- kirk (hould be filled up ; and that the dykes which form the canal and moles Ihould be deftroyed.
I'here had been a pretended execution of this article, but nothing like fulfilling of the treaty ; and the king had ordered a haven and canal to be made at Mardyke, which were much more capa- cious than thofe of Dunkirk itfelf. Mr. Prior, the former ambafiador, had complained of it, and in- filled that the treaty Ihould be fulfilled. An an- fwer. full of the mofl evafive arguments, had been given, which was far from being fatisfaftory, and, as the matter ftiU continued open, his excellency the earl of Stair laid a clear reprefentatlon of the cafe before the French miniftry ; in which he de- monfi-rated, that the works, according to the treaty, ought to be deftroyed by engineers, and not left to the waftings of time, or encroachments of the fea, which every thing was fubjetSt to. He fet forth, that it was inconfiflent, in the nature of things, to think that the haven was demolifhed, while an- other was built in its neighbourhood which might prove more detrimental to the commerce of the Britiih fubjedts than Dunkirk itfelf. He pointed out a way to carry off the back-waters, without overflowing the country, as they pretended, and that with little trouble or expence ; and then de- manded fuch an anfwer as might be fatisfadory to his royal mafter and his fubjecls, and prevent the bad effe£ls which might be the refult of a contrary condu6>.
To this it was given in reply, that all imaginable forwardnefs had been Ihewn, on the part of the Moll Chriitian king, exadlly to fulfill the ninth ar- ticle
44 J O II N D A L R Y M p L E,
tide of the treaty of Utrecht, till hindered by the EngliHi cominillaries themfelves ; that the canal, which he was obliged to open for preventing the fubmerfion of a vafr extent of countiy; and faving the lives of -its inhabitaiits, ought to give no um- brage to Great Britain, fmce his inclination was not to keep fleets there for difturbing the navigation and commerce of his neighbours ; and that he de- fired nothing more than that France and Great Britain fhould unite in the llrideft bands of cor* refpondence and friendfhip.
Tlius did the French court elude the force of the treaty, and openly pretend to live in harmony with the king of Great Britain, while they were aclually meditating an invalion in favour of the pretender to his crown.
But the earl of Stair was not to be deceived ; and, fufpeding the fecret defigns of the king, a fall- friend to the houfe of Stuart, he, with uncommoir addrefs and vigilance, got to the bottom of the fecret machinations of the French court ; and tranfmitted home fuch early and exad intelligence concerning the intended invafion, that the Pre- .tender's enterprize failed, and a great number of his abettors in England were taken, into cuftody ; by which means, the rebellion, adtuaiiy begun in his favour in Scotland, under the condu6t of the earl of Mar, was checked in time, and its final fup- prelfion facilitated.
Various {lories are told concerning the methods madeufe of by the earl of Stair to procure fuch im- portant fecret intelligence, mofl of them calculated to amufe the reader, by agreeable fictions, at the expence of hiftorical truth.
The real fa£t, as it ftands authenticated on re- cord, is, that the earl of Stair was mafter of the moft infinuating addrefs, and that he knew how to apply
a bribe
E A R L o F S T A 1 R. 45
•a bribe properly. By the influence of both, he -gained over an Enghfa Roman Catholic prieil, named Stricivland, who was one of the Pretender's chaplains, and his chief confidant. By means of this fpy, lord Stair knew every proje<^l: formed in the Pretender's coun/cil, andj from the fame quar- ter, he obtained a lift of the French officers who had engaged to accompany him to Scotland ; with an exa6l account of the quantity of arms, ammu- nition, and provifions, to be furnilhed by the French miniftry.
The crafty Louis XIV. little fufpe£led the depth of lord Stair's political intrigues, and therefore was thunder- itruck when he was informed that his Bri- tannic majefty, in his fpecch to his parliament, on the 20th of July, 17 15, had pofitively mentioned, that France was carrying on a plan to invade his dominions in favour of the pretender to his crown. He was at a lofs how to behave ; but, being inform- ed of the many exprefles difpatched by the earl of Stair, he fent for him, and told him pretty roundly that he was well apprifed of the contents of the frequent difpatches he fent to his court; and, at the fame time, he difguifed the matter fo far as to fay, *' This can be from no other motive, but to in- form your king of my bad ftate 'of health, which is far from being what you may wifh ; for, if you come to my palace to-morrow, you fliall fee me eat a fowl as heartily as ever 1 did in my life-time."
Next day, his lordfhip came to court, and faw the old king at dinner for the laft time he ever ap- peared in publick. The fickly monarch was very lan- guid, and bore in his vifage the evident marks of an approaching diifolution ; and, for fome time, feemed to loath all the delicacies of the table, till, cafling his eyes upon the earl of Stair, he affeded to appear in a much better flate of health than he
really
46 JOHN D A L R Y M P L E,
really was ; and therefore, as iF he had been a- wakened from feme deep reverie, he i iii mediately- put hiinfelf into an ereft poftuie, called up a la- boured vivacity into his countenance, and eat much more heartily than was bv any means advifeable ; repeating two or three times to the duke of Bourbon, then in waiting, " Methiiiks 1 eat very well for a man that is to die fo loon.'*
But this inroad upon that regularity of living, which he had for fome time obferved, agreed fo ill wnth him, that he never recovered this meal, but died in lefs than a fortnight after.
I'his event happened on the firft of September, w^hcn he left fuch advice to his great-grandfon, Louis XV. the late king, that, had it been fol- lowed, would have promoted his own happinefs, as well as that of the nations around him ; which was, not to imitate him in three things : viz. The paf- iion he had entertained for the enlargement and ag- grandizing of his dominions ; his attachment to pleafure ; and his excefhve and ufelefs cxpences, to the defolation of his fubje6ts.
The death of Louis XIV. whom the French hiftorians compare to Auguftus Ca?far, would have proved fatal to the Pretender's fcheme, if it had not been fecretly encouraged at home ; but an enquiry- being commenced againft the former miniftry, upon whom treafons and mifdemeanors were charged, their friends thought proper to divert the trial, by carving out work from another quarter. Among tliofe who iided with the late miniftry was John earl of Mar, a nobleman bred up in all the principles of the Revolution, to which he had hitherto firmly adhered. He was feeretary of ftate at the time of the Union, w^as one of the commiflioners for con- cluding it, and had continued m parliament, as a repreientative, till this very time ; nay, fo flrenu-
oufly
E A R L o F S T A I R. 47
oufly did he promote, and afterwards fupport it, that, when fpeaking of any thing which heinfiftcd could not be altered, his ufual phrafe w^as, *' You may as well diffoive the Union." This man was, however, very cunning and poUtic ; and fo much did he delight in afling the part of a ftatefman, that it was his ruling paflion. He had been intimate with the earl of Oxford (who was then in prifon), and was fuppofed to have been privy to all his le- crets, which, if once found out, muft prove fatal to hnnfelf; therefore, to deUver his friend from his captivity, he devifed the plan of railing a re- bellion ; and it was fufpefted that the earl of Ox- ford liberally furniHied him with money for flirring ■up the confuiion. Thefe two great politicians ealily forefaw that the infurre£tion could not produce any revolution favourable to the Pretender; aU they wanted by it v/as, to fcreen th-^mfelves from a par- liamentary enquiry.
The earl of Mar was at no lofs to tiud out en- gines, whom he could very ealily move by the fpiings of his political viev/s ; and, left he fhould be fuipe6led, becaufe, in this, he was ading con- trary to all his former principles, nay, and to his folemn proteftations of loyalty to king George, he- brought over fome young unexperienced noblemen, fuch as the earls Marilhal and Sirathmore, the marquis of Tullibardin and Huntley ; and meeting them privately at Braemar, he talked of the fcheme, and, by his infmuations, foon made an impreiTion ■upon their minds, which were ready to receive the firft that was offered.
Having got thefe noblemen to keep him in coun- tenance, he was aiTured of being joined by the fol- lowing confiderable clans, the Vl^Donalds of Slate, ofClanranald, Glengarv, Keppoch, and Glen- co ; by the Camerons, the M'Lcans, r^l'Grigors,
M'KinnonSj
43 J O H N D A L R Y M P L E,
IM'Kinnons, M'Pherfons, M'lntofhes, and many others ; and though he looked with as much dil- daiu on thefe tumultuous people as any man in Britain, yet he made ufe of them to anfwer his own and his patron's deligns. Thefe people im- mediately arofe, to dethrone a king whom they had addrefled but a few months before with the moft folemn proteflations of loyalty, and had allured of their attachment to his interefl ; and, gathering tirength as they advanced, they foon muftered up an army of ten thoufand men, Scots and Englifh included, to fupport the caufe of the Pretender, whofe flandard was fet up at Braemar, on the 6th of Sept. 1715 ; and he was proclaimed by the flyle of James Vlll. king of Scotland, England, and Ireland.
When the news of this rebellion arrived at court, the government immediately difpatched" the duke of Argyle, then lieutenant-general of the king's forces in Scotland, to fupprefs the rebellion. He quickly recruited the regiments which had been diminifhed by the king for the eafe of his people, and had gotten together an army of three thoufand three hundred and iifty regular forces, befides the Glaf- gow and other militia, by the 13th of November, when he attacked the rebels on Sheriff-muir, to pre- vent their crofTmg the Forth.
The flaughter on both iides in this battle was very great ; the left wing of each army was defeated ; and neither lide could properly claim the vi£lory ; nor could either keep the field ; the duke of Argyle being obliged to retire to Stirling, and the earl of Mar to Perth.
However, this check, joined to the fevere lofs which another body of the rebels hadfullainedatPref- ton but three days before, where 1500 were taken pri-
Ibners,
EARLoF STAIR. 49
foners by the generals Carpenter and Willis, put a flop to the rapid progreis of this rebellion.
Among the regiments who diilinguiflied tlicm- felves in the caule of their country at the battle of Sheriff-muir, was the earl of Stair's regiment of dragoons.
And while his troops were thus a£live in Scotland, the earl himfelf was not lefs fo in his political ca-» . pacity at Paris ; for, when thefe hoftile attempts were carrying on in Britain by the Pretender's par- ty, his iordlhip fhewed a proper and determined fpirit, by prefenting the following memorial to the regent :
" The underwritten earl of Stair, minifter of Great-Britain to his Moft Chriftian majefty, finds himfelf obliged to reprefent to his royal highnefs, the Duke of Orleans,* reg^ent of France, that, not- with-ftanding his royal highnefs has frequently af- fured the faid earl, that he would faithfully and punctually obferve the articles of peace made be- tween Great Britain and France at the treaty of Utrecht ; that he would not permit either arms, ammunition, officers, or foldiers, to be tranfported out of France for the fervice of the Pretender j^and although, in conformity to thefe intentions, his royal highnefs had even fent exprefs orders to all the ports and havens of the kingdom, it is certain, neverthelefs, that the feveral particulars before enu- merated ai'e every day tranfported from tlie.liar- bours of France, without the lead obfirudion what- foever from^thofe w^ho command in the faid ports on the part of his Moft Chriftian Majefty.
" The late duke of Ormond and the Pretender have been frequently on board certain veftels at St.^ Malo, which w^ere known to be loaden with am- ^Tjunition and arms for the Pretender's fervice; and this with fo little referve or circumibeciion, tlKit Vol. VI. D ' th:v
^o JOHN DALRYMPLE,
they were publickly attended and followed by a troop of Nugent's horfe, commanded by their proper of- ficers, all mounted in their regimental clothes and accoutrements ; and this without the leaft check from his Moft Chriilian Majefty's officers command- ing at St. Malo.
*^ The Pretender, not thinking it proper to ven- ture himfelfiofea at this junfture, took the road towards Normandy, in order to embark at Dun- kirk; and the late duke of Ormond, in the fame manner, declining to land in England, came back to N'l orlaix..
*' When the Pretender was gone to Scotland, attended by the above-mentioned troopers of Nu- gent's regiment, his royal higimefs was pleafed to promife the underwntten miniiler, that he would treat them as deferters, if ever they returned to France; and the marefchal d'Huxelles, at the fame time, afTured the faid earl, that he would hang them ail, without diilin»5l ion.
" Thefe foidicrs are now returned, and have jrined their regiment. Monfieur Belach and his company remain, to this very hour, at Morlaix, as alfo the arms and ammunition that he had with him for his intended expedition ; which being re- moved out of one (nip into another, in the harbour of Morlaix, the commanding officer there was fo far from confifcating the faid arms and ammunition, that he even refufed to fearch the veffiel, though he was defired fo to do by captain Campbell, com- n'lander of an Englilh ihip, which yet remains in that port.
" Within five v^^eeks paft, feveral vellels have failed from Dieppe and Havre de Grace, with arms and ammunition, officers and money, for the Pre- tender's fervice ; all which are actually arrived in Scotland ; and, to be more particular, there failed.
a velTel
E A R L o F S T A I R. 51
a velTel from Havre de Grace, on the i7tli of this month, in the face of an officer belonging to th: king of Great Britain ; who having reprefentecl to the marquis of Rouvray, that there lay, at that time, both in Havre de Grace and at Harfleur, at ieaft twenty officers, ready to follow the Pretender into Scotland, on board the faid veflei, and begged him to prevent their embarking, the marquis re- plied, that what he laid might be very true, but that he could not prevent their going on board, having no orders from court for that purpofe.
" 'I'he faid earl of Stair has alio frequently re- prefented, both to his royal highnefs the regent, and the marefchal d'Huxelles, that feverai generals, colonels, and other officers, then adually engaged in the fervice of France, were determined to go and join the rebels in Scotland. The faid earl went lb far as even to give the marefchal d'Huxelles a lift of the faid generals and other offi.cers, who, agreeably to the faid earl's reprefentation, are now actually at Boulogne, Calais, Dunkirk, and other places in that neighbourhood, ready to tranfport "themfelves with the firll opportunity into Scotland, from whence they have been hitherto detained by nothing but the exceffive cold of the feafon and contrary winds ; the commanding officers in the faid places openly avowing, that they have received no orders to prevent their embarkation.
*' The earl of Stair finds it his duty to reprcfcnt thefe fads to the duke regent, to the end that Ins royal highnefs m.ay himfelf determine, whether his orders have been executed with puniEluality ; aiid whether it may be thought in Great-Britain, ihat the treaty of Utrecht has been faithfully complied with on the part of France.
*' The aforefaid earl of Stair finds himfelf obliged
to acquaint his royal highnefs, that the late duke
O 2 ot
St J O H N D A L R Y M P L E,
of Ormond, and feveral others, who have confplred equally againft their king and country, did, with- in a few days, begin their journey towards Bour- dcaux and Bayonne ; and that they have got to- getiier, upon the coaft of Gafcony, a confiderable quantity of arms, ammunition, and fhips, with which the court of St. Germains boafts its intention to make a defcent in Ireland ; which, as the fame court flatters itfelf, will be fupported, not only with the money, but even with the troops, of France.
*' The earl of Stair, who has always laboured with the utmoft zeal to eflablifh a good and per- fect friendship between the kin§ his mafter and his royal highneis the duke regent, cannot help being much concerned to find himfelf reduced to make rcmonflrances upon points of fo ticklilh a nature, fo capable of deflroying the harmony that at prefcnt fuhfills betv.een the two nations, and of producing fuch difcontents as may be attended with the moil grievous confequences, if not immediately prevent ed by neceflary orders."
It, was not poffible to elude the force of this re- prefentation ; and, accordingly, his royal highneis law, that, to remove .all fufpicions, and preferve the friendfiiip of Great-Britain, to which he was llrongly inclined, he mufl be obliged to fpeak de- cifively ; agreeably to which, his anfvver was, *' 1 hat he would forbid the exportation of any Ttrras or ammunition out of the kingdom -, and, tiiat lie lliould fend fuch orders to all the ports in France as his Britannick majefly defired, together with proper iuftru£lions for the captains of fuch velTels as were bound for any part of Scotland."
1 he fuccefs of this negociation contributed greatly to the total fupprelTion of the rebellion ; for when the infurgents found themfeives deprived of
the
EARL o F S T A I R. 53,
the powerful fiiccours they had been promifeJ fVoni France, they began to dilperfe ; and the Pretender himfelf, receivuig advice at Perth of the adverfe difpolition of the regent, gave up his caufe for loll ; and lied from Perth, accompanied by his general, the earl of Mar, to Montrofe, where they em- barked for France.
No fooner did the news of ihis happy event reach the earl of Stair, than he repaired to the re- gent, and completely put an end to the Pretender's hopes, by prefenting the fubfequent memorial :
*' The earl of Stair, mlnifter of the king of Great-Britain to his Moll Chriftian Majefcy, has received exprefs orders from the king his mailer, to acquaint his royal highnefs the duke of Orleans, regent of France, with the flight of the Pretender, and the difperfion of the rebels in Scotland. His majeily is perfuaded this news will be very accept^ able to the duke regent, as well on account of the proximity of their blood, as in regard to the ftrift frindfliip which his majeily has io carefully cultivated v/ith his highnefs.
*' The treaty of Utrecht is fo recent, that the king was perfuaded his royal highnefs v/ould have- taken the neccilary raeafures to have prevented the Preteiider's letting his foot in France ;, but lince the faid Pretender has found means to return thi- ther, his majeily alTures himfelf, that, fo ibon as his royal highnefs fliall be made acquainted with it, he will take the neceffary meafures to oblige him to quit the kingdom.
*' The king of Great-Britain commands the earl of Stair to infiil, in the llrongeft manner, with his rOyal highnefs, that thofe perfons who Hand con- demned by the laws of England, who are declared rebels and traitors to their king and country, may D 3 not
54 JOHN DALRYMPLE,
not be permitted to remaia in France ; and that the chief abettors and authors of the late rcbeUion may be immediately obliged to leave the kingdom ; and that his royal highncfs will declare his rclo- Jution, not to penmit the laid rebels ever to return into FVance ; or that otiier perfons, who may here- after be condemned and declared rebels, (hall at any time be received, or find protection, in that kingdom,
'* His royal highnefs is too reafonable and too wife, not to fee ihe juftice and propriety of this demand. Great Britain can never repofe her felt in fafety and peace, vvhilft flie fees thofe perfons received and entertained in her neighbourhood, who have endeavoured, with open force, to bring on the ruin and total fubverlion of their country. Nor can France be perfeftly allured, that (i\c ihall not ojice again fee herfelf expofed to bear all the blame and refentment due to undertakings of fo mifchievous a nature.
** The king and people of Great Britain think themfelves fecure on the iide of France, by virtue of the folemn treaty of Utrecht, by which the Pretender is excluded fiom the dominions of his Mofl Chriftian Majeily ; and by w^hich France {lands obliged to give him no aiiiftance, either in fliips, arms, or ammunition ; in money, foldiers, or of- ficers ; no, nor either counfel or advice, either dire<ftly or indirectly. Yet the abovementioned rebels arrive ; they afk refuge and protection in France ! and are no fooner there, than, by the commodioufnefs of their fituation, and conveniency of the poll, they plot and contrive the blackeft and moll deteftable treafon againfl their country^ which, depending on the faith of the treaty of Utrecht, was unarmed and defencelefs. in defiance cf this treaty, they find means to bring the Preten- der
E A R L o F S T A I R. 5-5
tTer into France, and, by their intrigues, they far- ni(h him with ihips, arms, and ammunition ; offi- cers, foldiers, and money ; with which airiinnce the Pretender has adluaUy invaded (ireat Britain,. &nd brought infinite damages to the nation.
** His royal hlghnefs may imagine, tliat Great- Britain could not long endure the uneafmefs that nuift be derived from the neighbourhood of thofe rebels, ready to bring fire and iword into the heait of the kingdom, and to renew all the horrors that accompany rebellion
*' In this fituation Great-Britain would find herfelf obliged to be perpetually upon l^er i^uardi and would be fubje£l to continual dillurbances and apprehenfions ; a condition more vexatious than even open war to a nation equally anxioas for tiro prefervation of its laws and liberties, as dehious to live in peace with its neighbours.
" His royal highnefs may learn, from the una- nimous addrefs of both houfes of parliament to the king, what fenfe the nation entertains of this un- certain and violent fituation. The king has tlie hsp- pinefs of his fubjects too much at heart, not to enter warmly both into their opinions and intereil ^ and he flatters himfelf, that, upon this occafion, his royal highnefs will not refnfe him the jufl: proof he has defired of his fricndihip, and of his difpofi- tion to entertain a good underftanding between llie two nations.
*' For the fame reafoiis, the king of Great Bri- tain hopes his royal highnefs, the regent, wWl con- cur with his majeily to folicit the duke of Loraine m the moft effe61:ual manner, that the Pretender jnay not be permitted to return into his dominions,
" llie earl of Stair has alfo received ordtrs to
remind his royal highnefs ov the declaration he has
already made,' tliat fuch officers in the fervice of
D 4 France,
56 JOHN DALRYMPLE,
France, as followed the Pretender into Scotland, Ihall be cafhiered. Aiid the king is perjnaded, that ills royal highnefs will not permit fiich general offi- cers, colonels, and others, who may have followed ai]d aiT'ikd the Pretender in the late rebellion, ever to be employed afrefn in the ferviceof his MoftGhrif- tian Majefty : and, if any of the faid officers fliould liereafter return, or be already returned, into France, that his royal highnefs will caufe them to be punilh- ed, fo that their conduct may appear to have been as highly difpiealing to his royal highnefs and the government, as it is contrary to the treaty of Ut.echt.
" To prevent all miflakes in a bufinefs of fo im- portant and delicate a nature, the earl of Stair has orders to demand an anfwer ih writing to this me- morial, which he paffionately wilhes to be fuch as ir.ay contribute to re eftabiiOi a good intelligence between the two nations."
Thefc memorials juflly merited a place in the life ot this great man, not only from the happy con- iequences they produced, in preventing a war be- tween the two crowns ; but as they are the moft perfeft models of able negociation that can be pre- knted to unexperienced minifters. And it muft be cbferved, that the fuccefs of a difficult negocia- tion very often depends more on the Ibyle of a me- jr.orial, than on the mofl pofitive inflruclions from home, though the memorial muil be draw^n from them.
So refolute a declaration reduced the regent to ilie neceffity of declaring himfelf once for all. 1 here was no medium ; he muil either fatisfy Great Britain, by refufing the Pretender a retreat in "France, cr abfolutely break with a prince whofe friendfhip might be of fervice to him, for the fake of a gucft who w^as both unufeful to him and his friends, as
well
E A' R L o F S T A I R. 57
well as troublefome to thofe who protefted him. \i\ a word, fortune having aheady abjured the Preten^ der, it was no hard matter for the regent to do fo too; and, agreeably to this, by the advice or the abbot du Bois, he gave the earl of Stair a moQ ex> phcit and fatisfa£\ory anfwer, after having ac- quainted the Pretender with his refolution, who immediately retired to Avignon.
The expulfion of this prince from the dominions of France, and the publication of an edi£l, about the fame time, prohibiting the French fubjefts to trade in the South Sea, were tv/o points of fuch importance to Great Britain, that they juftly laid the foundation of that friendfliip and confidence which at this time fprung up between the tw^o na- tions. To balance the excluiion of the French from the South- Seas, the regent publifhed a decla- ration, permitting thera to trade to Africa.
A good underilanding was now eftablifhed be- tween the courts of Verfailles and Condon, highly agreeable to the latter, as it gave the new fovereigii an opportunity of infpefting and regulating the do- meilic adminiftration of government. And as- for the earl of Stair, his condu6l upon the occafioii gained him the efleem of the duke of Orleans, now declared regent during the whole minority of Louis XV. His lordQiip was likewife the- fubjeft of admiration among the French courtiers ; but- neither adulations nor civilities could put him off his guard, or relax his attention to the dignity and- intereft of his royal mailer, a proof of which is ex- hibited in the following remarkable anecdote.
One day the regent, attended with the moll
fplendid retinue, went in his coach to pay him a
viiit ; which his excellency being informed of,
prepared fox his reception. The coach halted at
D5 the
58 JOHN DALRYMPLE,
tlie gate ; and, when the earl of Stair defcended from his apartment, the regent rofe up, partly ahghted from his coach, fet one foot on the ground, and kept the other fixed on the ilep. His excel- lency, in the mean time, was advancing to the gate ; but, obferving the poflure the regent was in, he Hopped lliort ; then turned about, and walked three or four times backward and forward, and at lafcalked one of the attendants, *' whether his royal highnefs was come to vilit him as his Britannick jnajefty's ambailador, or as earl of Stair r" To which receiving no anfwxr, he added,
** If he comes to lee lord Stair, I fliall reckon it my greatefl honour to receive any one officer of the crown, much more the duke-regent, at the door of his coach ; but, if he comes to vifit the ambaf- fador of my auguft and royal mafter, I think I should be unworthy the trufl repofed in me, if I went further than I have done."
This being tokj to the regent, here-entered his coach, and afterwards caufed it to be notified to his excellency, that he was not defirous of feeing him at court ; and, for fome months, he adlually withdrew, till, hearing of the regent's fitting out a Hrong fquadron at Toulon, which the court of Britain could not look on with indifference, he wenc to court, but in fuch a manner as argutd a confummate policy, as well as an ardent zeal for the welfare of his country.
He fet out for Fontainbleau in a private-chaife ; and, being met by the chancellor d'Huxellcs, who v/as very pompoufly attended, he paid his compli- ments to his excellency in the moft elegant manner, and invited him to take a feat in his coach : but his lordfliip thanked him for his civility, and told him, that he wanted not coaches, but was at prcfent di- verting
EARL OF STAIR. 5^
verting himfelf as earl of Stair. He then parted from liim, and came to court ; but the guards knowing him, declared they h^d orders to refiifehimadiiiittance. *' Oh !" fays he, " though the Britifh ambafTador *' be debarred accefs, yet the lord Stair is not. '
On this he was allowed to enter ; and having paired the tirft guard, he hallened through th* others, and then immediately entered the prefence- chamber, where the king and the regent were, fur« rounded by a vail number of nobility, gentry, fo- reign ambaiTadors, and general officers.
No fooner did the regent obferve the earl of Stair, than he withdrew to an inner chamber, whi- ther he was followed by his lordlhip, the com.pany Handing aiide to let him pafs ; and, as he entered the room, he told him, that, if at prefent he de- nied him audience, perhaps in time he might be glad to have one in his turn. On this the regent and he converted two hours ; during which tnxie he informed him of his intrigues with the czar, with the king of Sweden, and v^ith cardinal Alberoni, prime-miniller of Spain, for bringing in the Pre- tender. His royal highnefs obferving, that nothing, though ever fo fecretly tranfacled, could be kept from fo piling an ambaflador, and that one half of the French nation were, through poverty, be- come fpies upon the other, he made a merit of dif-" covering the vrhole plan of the Spanifli miniflcr to lord Stair,
It was deeply laid, and is too carious and inte- jefting to be omitted : we Ihall therefore endeavour to give a concile account of it, that the reader may be made acquainted with the political hiftory of the firft years of the reign of George I. in which the earl of Stair was the principal agent.
Though Fhiiip V. grandton of the late king of
France, was, by the treaty of Utrecht, aiiowed to
D 6 rci^fi
6o JOHN DALRYMPLE,
eiga peaceably over the ruins of the Sp^iniil) mo- narchy, yet neither he nor his minil^ers being content with the treaty obtained, they endeavoured lo better themfelvcs by intrigues, and to procure by craft what by force of arms was impracticable. Cardinal Alberoni, the then Spanifh minifter, knew very well, that though the emperor, by the late treaty, w^as put in poiTellion of Sicily and Flanders, and lecured in his other vaft dominions, he was yet lb far drained of his treafure, by the laft war, as to have no great inclination to arupture : he judged the fame of the other powers engaged ; and thinking that Great Britain had obtained too adva^itageous terms at the laft general pacification, his aim w^as to give her a king, who would be apt to relinquilli every advantage an gratitude for the favours done him.
Eut as Spain was unable alone to accompiifh {o great a projedt, the cardinal thought of proper tools from aiiother quarter ; and thefe were Charles XII. of Sweden, with the czar of jMufcovy, whom he iiicefTantly laboured to reconcile. The former was eaiily brought into the fcheme, from a profpeft of regaining Bremen and Yerden, the invellment of which had been given to George I. by the emperor 5 and, by means of the czar, an equivalent for the Provinces he was obliged to cede to his Imperial majefcy';. and the czar Peter I. w^as again allured with the bait of having his daughter married to the imaginary monarch', and of having a beneticiai trade with Britain to the ports o£ his new^-conquered provinces. How^ever, it is not to be prefumed, tiiat either the Swedifli or the Ruiiian court would have entered fo readily iiuo the cardinal's fcheme, jf fonie Englifh and Scots gentlemen had not re- paired, after the rebellion, to their dominions ; more inflamed, after the defeats at Sherilf-muir and
Preflonj
EARLofSTAIR 6i
Prefton, than ever, with aa inclination for war ; and attributing their difafiers in thofe battles en- tirely to fatality. The reprefentations of thefe re- bels, and the gold of Peru remitted from Madrid, were very powerful arguments with the two enter- priling monarchs, whofe miniflers now met upon the overture of peace, and for bringing about the cardinal's projed.
Baron Goertz, the Swedifh minifterto the States- General, who was one of the ableft Hatefmen in Europe, had twice an interview with the czar at the Hague ; and having informed him that he had got coniiderable fums from the difafFe£led in Eng- land, for buying fliips and amniunition for invadino* Scotland, the Ruffian monarch was fo vvell pleafed, that he went in perfon to Paris, in the month of May, 1717 ; and, under pretext of vifiting the aca- demy, the arfenah, the chambers of rarities, and every thing that might excite the attention of the curious, he conferred with the regent upon the in- tended fcheme^ His royal highnefs, however, fe- cretly defirous of having a king fixed in Britain by French influence, feemed not quite fatisfied with it,^ either from an unwillingnefs to expend more trea- fure in favour of a fugitive, or becaufe he thought that the Spanilh gold, with the Ruffian and Swedifli arms, were fufficient to bring about the defign, without expofing France to a rupture v/ith England by his engaging in it.
The conference w^ich the czar, though very fe- cret, was, by the regent's fecretary, communicated to the Hritilh ambafTador. who direftly acquainted his court ; and luch a£live meafures were inftantly taken, as rendered the fcheme impracticable ; at the fame time, a letter from count Gyllenbourgh, the Swedifli envoy at London, to his brother Guf- tavus, then ambaflador in France, having fallen
into
6t JOHNDALRYMPLE,
into the earl of Stair's hands, he tranfmltted it to the Britifh miniftry, by whom count Gyllenbourgh was arrefted, and mod of his papers feized, in which were many letters from and to baron Goert. From thefe it appeared plainly, that an invalion was de- figned ; and, indeed, it might have taken place, had it not been for the feafjnable intelligence given by the earl of Stair.
But thefe were not the only attempts, in favour of the unhappy fugitive, that were defeated through his means. He likewife had a principal fhare in bringing about the quadruple alliance, offenlive and defenfive, between his Britannick majefty, the emperor, the Mod Chriilian king, and the States- General of the United Provinces ; by which the defigns of the court of A4adrid were totally de- feated.
However, the cardinal now openly received and entertained the Pretender at the court of Madrid ; and, in hopes of making a powerful diverfion in Hungary, he attacked the emperor, and fomented djflurbances in the Britilh dominions. Having like- wife formed a defign of feizing the ifland of Sicily, he htted out a fleet for that purpofe ; and, in July 1 718, this Spanilh armament took feveral conli- derable places in the ifland ; but, while they were buflly employed in attacking the citadel of Meflina, the Britifli fleet came to the aflifl:ance of the Sicilians, and, on the nth of Augufl:, attacked twenty-feven Spanifli Ihips of the line, off Cape Paflaro ; after an obflinate engagement, the Englifh took and funk moilofthem: and, foon after, the king of Sicily acceded to the quadruple alliance. This fl:unning blow fo much chagrined the court of Spain, that an order was iflued out for feizing upon all the Bri- tifli merchant-fhips and efFe£ls in that kingdom. His majefty Geor^^e 1. in return, granted letters of
marque
E A R L o F S T A I R. 63
marque and repriials to the Britifh fubje£ls agaiiift thofe of Spain on the 3d of October ; and, on the 17th, war was declared againft Spain.
The Spanifh court was, at this time, the moft intriguing in Europe ; for fne not only endeavoured to difturb the tranquillity of Britain, butlikewife of France ; for which purpofe the prince of Cellemare, her ambaflador at Paris, had entered into a confpi- racy with fome mutineers, to whom he gave pen- fions. The dcfign was, to take away the regent's life i to make an inroad into four provinces of the kingdom ; to gain over the French minii^ry to the Spanifh intereft ; and thus pave a way for uniting the whole, or at leaft the grealeft part, of the French dominions with thofe of the younger branch of the Houfe of Bourbon reigning in Spain : which fcheme might have taken place, and have rekindled the general war, if it had not been difcovered in the following extraordinary manner :
Two noblemen, who were intruded with a packet from the Spanifh ambafTador in France to cardi» nal Alberoni, containing a relation of the progrefs which he had made with fome noblemen for accom- plifliing the fcheme of his court, took a chaife, which broke down about two leagues from Paris. The poflilion, obferving them to take more care of their portmanteau than of themfelves (one of them faying he would rather lofe one hundred thoufand pifeoles than it), after driving them to the end of the firfl flage, he haflened to Paris, and gave imme- diate notice of what he had feen to the government. The council of regency being inflantly called, pro- per officers were immediately fent off, with orders to {lop them ; which they effeded at Poifliers, and not only arrefted their perfons, but fent their port- manteau to Paris 5 in which were found the plainef^ marks of a confpiracy. The fame night (the 28th
of
64 JOHN DALRYMPLE,
of November) feveral perfons of diftin£lion were feized and fent to the Baftile ; and the Spanifh am- baflador was commanded to leave the kingdom.
The abbe du Bois, fecretary of flate, wrote a circular letter the next day to the fevgral miniilers refiding at the French court, and particularly to the' earl of Stair, acquainting him with the motives which induced them to take this ftep with regard to the prince de Cellamere, by whofe letters it was plainly feen, that he was inciting the king's fub- je£ls to a revolution, and that he had formed a plan to deflroy the tranquillity of the kingdom ; and then concluded, in terms which both difco- vered his refped to the Britifh court, and a per- fonal elleem for her ambaflador.
Soon after this, a declaration of war was made by France againft Spain ; and though it was looked upon' rather as fiftitious than real, yet the burning; of fix new men of war upon the flocks at Port-- pafTage, and the taking of fome towns, put the matter of France's being in earneft beyond all pof- fibihty of doubt.
But no difappointments could check the reftlefs fpirit of the cardinal, who ftill fomented the tu* multuous paflions of the Britifh rebels : many of the moil conliderable had retired, partly by his in- vitation, and partly without any, into the domi- nions of his mailer. And the duke of Ormond, their chief, having received, notice to leave franco, upon an application made to the regent for that purpofe, Alberoni preffed him to repair to Madrid ; this invitation however was kept a perfect fecret ; but there were fome people about the duke of Ormond, who, being elate with the profpe^l of the expedition, thought proper to communicate the delign to their correfpondents at Paris ; and thefe having fhewn their letters to one M 'Donald,
a lieu-
E A R L o F S T A I R. 6^
a lieutenant- colonel in the Irifli brigades, he handed them about, till at laft they came to the ears of the Britilh ambalTador, who lent captain Gardiner ex- prefs, with an account, that the preparations of the Spaniards at Cadiz were certainly deligned againll England ; and that their fleets would put to fea the 7th or 8th of March, 17 18.
This piece of intelligence was communicated by the king to his parliament ; who alTured him of their utmoil: efforts to defeat fo extraordinary an attempt ; and every military preparation was made by land and at fea to oppofe the invaflon ; which might have proved very formidable, if the enemies of their country had not met with a check from another quarter.
The duke of Ormond, with 5000 land-forces on board, having provifion, ammunition, and every other neceffary, had embarked for the Weil of England; but meeting with a ftorm oft Cape Fi- nifterre, they were feparated. His grace, with moft oftheEngliih and Irifn officers, were obliged to put back to Cadiz ; while the earls of Mailhai and Seaforth, and the marquis of Tullibardin, purfued their voyage, and landed at Kintail, in the north of Scotland, on the 15th of April, with about 400 Spanifh troops. They were very uneafy to know the fate of the duke of Ormond, and deferred moving from thence till they fhould hear what was become of his grace ; but, before any certain accounts arrived of his difappointment, general Wightman was in full march to difperfe them, having with him two Swifs and three Dutch bat- talions, one hundred and twenty dragoons, and about three hundred and fifty foot-foldiers. He came up with them on the Pretender's birth-day, at the pafs of Glen(hiel ; where the M'Kenzies were Rationed on one fide, the marquis of TuUi-
bardin,
66 J O H N D A L R YM P L E,
bardin, with the laird ofM'Douall, upon the other; and the Spaniards intrenched in their front, making, in all, one thoufand fix hundred and fifty men. No fooner did they enter the pafs, than, to their aflo- nifnment, the rebels, who lay concealed among the heath, alarmed them with their iliot, and kiUed the colonel of a Dutch regiment upon the fpot, which difheartened the ibldiers much, tiiiamajor led them on, with fuch intrepidity, amidit the fire of the enemy, that he even played upon the flagelet before them. General Wightman obferving the matter, ordered fome haiid-grenadoes to be thrown in among them, which fired the heath, then very long, about their ears ; and one of the fplinters wounding Seafcrthin the v/riil, his clan carried him off, and at the fame time retired in the greatefl con- fufion. As the general was unacquainted with the country, he ordered captain Monro, of Culcairn, who was there with about eighty men of his bro- ther's vafTals, to purfue them ; which he did with a furprifing alacrity ; and knowing the fteeps, they mounted them, under cover of fome coehorns that were brought to bear upon the enemy, whom they purfued from one rock to another till that brave officer v/as wounded. The rebels placed in the right of the pafs having given way, thofe on the left made ofFfull-fpeed, defertingthe Spaniards, who now be- came an eafy conqueft ; for they were all made pri- foners of war without bloodlhed.
This was the lafl effort in favour of the old Pre- tender during tlie reign of George I. againft whom fo many plots and. confpiracies were formed, but were as often bafHed.
There fined policy of the earl of Stair was now become next to a proverb ; and the fplendour and hofpitality in which he lived at Paris endeared him
to
E A R L o F S T A I R. 67
to the lower ranks of people, to whom he was be- nevolent and charitable.
They likewife condantly kept in mind his moft magnificent entry into Paris, to congratulate their young monarch upon his acceflion to the throne, which far exceeded any thing of the kind, and had caufed the circulation of a great fum of money among the tradefmen. It was therefore with great regret that they received the news of his recall.
In fhort, his abihties had fuch an afcendant over the regent before he left France, that, being once publicly afked what part his royal highnefs would take in the troubles of the North, he anfwered, what the Britilh ambaffador pleafes.
But he had fo many occafions to maintain the dignity of his characler, and he was fo well in- clined to do this by all external a£ls of fplendour and magnificence, as well as by his political talents, that he greatly hurt his private fortune and incum- bered his eflate, which, with the debts he had con- traded by gaming, made him Iblicit his recall. Upon his return, the king declared himfelf fo well plcafed w^ith his conduct, that he would have created him a duke, if he had not been prevented by law. The deep fenfe which the king fhewed of his fide- lity was the greateft and mofl illuilrious eulogium of his virtues : the people echoed back the praifes of their fovereign, while the whole of his domi- nions refounded with applaufe at his condud ; fe- veral prints of him were publifiied, and every one took a pride to have his refemblance by them.
During the remainder of the reign of George I. he was one of the cabinet council ; and, on his late majefty's afcending the throne, he was received into the fame confidence.
In April, 1730, he was made lord-admiral of Scotland, which, with his other pods, he held till
April,
6^ JOHNDALR YM P L E,
-April, 1733, '^"^'^^^'^ hs f^^l ii^to difgrace at court,, upon the following occafion :
In the winter of the year 1732, a plan was brought into parliament for changing the duties on tobacco and wine, and bringing them under th(r Jaws of excife, in order to prevent frauds in the re- venue, of which thofe who had the management of the treafury loudly complained. This affair was difliked by the trading part of the nation, who made fo great an oppolition to it, that, in January 1733, ^^^^ tobacconifts of London, at a general meeting, agreed to aft in concert with the com- mittee appointed by the citizens, merchants, and traders of London, and, by all juft and lawful means, to oppofe any new excife, or extenlion of the excife-laws, under any pretence whatfoever : fe- veral corporations earnellly recommended the fame thing to their reprefentatives ; and, in February, the city of London laid their grievances before their four reprefentatives. Notwithflanding which, the fcheme was propofed, and the motion with regard to tobacco was made on the 14th of March, in a grand committee ; and, after a warm debate, the queftion was carried, by 266 againft 20-5 ; and on the 1 6th of March in the houfe, by 249 againft 189 ; and a bill was ordered to be brought in accordingly ; which being done upon the 4th of April, and read for the firft time, the fheriiFs, with feveral of the aldermen, common -council- men, eminent mer- chants and traders of the city, went in their coaches to Weftminfler-hall, petitioning to be heard by their counfe) againft the bill, which was appointed to be read a fecond time on the 10th of April; but their petition was rejefted, by 214 againft 197, Other petitions were alio brought in^ when Sir Robert Walpole moved, that the fecond reading of the bill might be put off for two months (a ufual
E A R L o F S T A I R. 69
mode of laying them afide) : this being agreed to, the fcheme dropped ; on which great rejoicings were made.
Among the number of thofe who oppofed it In the houfe of peers, was the earl of Stair, not, in- deed, from any diflike he had to the then prime-mi- nifter, but from a profped of the difmal confe- quences that might arife, from a people for whofe laws and hberties more martyrs have fufFered than for thofe of any other nation; and it being de- manded, by the late queen, why he did fo, his an- fwer was, *' that he wifhed her royal family better than to agree to fuch a proje£l." A little time after, he refigned all his places into his majefty's hands ; as did the lord Cobham, the duke of Bolton, the earl of Cheflerfield, the earl of Burlington, and many others.
In the nextfeffion, which was the laft of that par- liament, he voted with all the candour and integrity that became fo great a man, not regarding the fmiles or frowns of a court ; and when a motion was made in the houfe of l@rds, to petition his majefly to in- form them of the perfons that had adviled him to remove fo many eminent and truly brave men, he behaved with a moderation that became the great- nefs of his loul.
In June, 1734, he appeared at the general elec- tions in his native country ; and, as the party who had fided with Sir Robert Walpole in promoting the excife-lcheme had been at great pains to carry the elections of Scotland, he was the firft to enter a protell: againil: the niethod of their procedure ; VIZ. that the military, who by aft of parliament ought to be removed fomc miles from the place of eleftion, were, neverthelefs, under arms, at no^ further diftance than half a mile : the dukes of Hamilton, Queeniberry, Moiitrofe, and Roxburgh,
the
ro - J O H N D A L R Y M P L E,
the marquis of Tvveedale, and feveral other lords, who mentioned the very peers who were afterward* chofen, as thofe contained in the lift named by the minifter, and fent down by his agent, protefted likewife. And the matter might have been carried to a greater length, had not the late dnke of Argyle, during the heat of their debate, told the meeting, that he faw many ilrange faces in the room, and that he thought it ought to be cleared ; on which feveral ladies, who had come in, withdrew, and were follow^ed by the lords in the oppofite intereft : fo that the court-party, as it was called, entirely prevailed ; and the petition given into parliament, complaining of an undue eledion, was afterwards refufed.
About this time, his lordfliip took to a rural life, and fiudied agriculture on his eftate, which he un- derftood to fuch a degree, that he might be called the Virgil of the age ; he employed about two hun- dred workmen every day, and was as much ad- mired for his hufbandry at home, as he had been for his politenefs at the court of Verfailles.
During his retirement from court, he was vifited by the nobility from all quarters ; he correfponded with feveral generals abroad, and with fome of thofe noblemen in England who had refigned at the fame time with himfelf. He was facetious in con- verfation, and entertained his company with fuch xiifcourfes as ferved to inftru^l as well as to amufe. When fpcakingof the king of Poland, he attracted the admiration of all who heard him ; and he has frequently declared, that he preferred hunting the flag at Warfav/, to the gallantries and amufements of the court of Verfailles. His generofity was fuitable to the greatnefs of his foul, for never man beftowed his favours with a better grace. One day a phyfician came from Edinburgh to vifit him,
and
E A R L G F S T A I R. 71
and his lordfhip judging, that, if he offered him money, it might be rcfufed, contrived a way to make him a prefent : he went to his parlour, and wrote a line, which he gave to the do£lor to de- liver, at the fame time apologizing, in the mofl polite and amiable manner, for the liberty he took; the gentleman told him, that his lordfhip's com- mands were an honour to him, and with plcafur^ they fhould be obeyed. Upon his return to Edin- burgh, he inftantly repaired to the perfon for whom the letter was directed, and delivered it to him ; when, to his furprife, he was fhewn the contents of it, which were as follow :
*' Sir, ** Pay the bearer thirty guineas, which is but a *"' fmall compliment for his care of me ; and place *' the fame to the account of, Sir,
■*' Your verv humble fervant,
" Stair."
It would be almofl impoinble to reprefent the whole of his amiable and generous adlions. He was always a friend to the difcrefTcd ; and, when ifripped of all his employments, fupported the dig- nity of a nobleman, who had once been an orna- ment to the Britifh nation. But while he was en- couraging hulbandry, and doing good to mankind in a private lituation, a change in the miniflry was in agitation, which took place in 1741 ; and his prefence was required at court upon the following occafion :
The Britifh merchants had long complained, that letters of marque had been ilTued out from the Spanifh admiralty againfl the Britifh fliips, under pretence of fearching for contraband goods and paiTports ; numerous reprefentations were made 2 upon
72 JOHN D A L R Y M P L E,
upon this head at Madrid ; feveral conferences were held upon the fubje6l ; and at laft a convention was figned* on the 4th of January, 1739, in which Spain agreed to pay 95,000 L to compci^fate the lolTes fullained by the Britifli fubjeds. This affair might have been amicably terminated, had not the coals of dillention been blown up from another quarter. Spain muftered up a claim of 68,000 1. upon the African company concerned in the ne- groes, and refufed to pay the 95,000 1. till the 68,000 1. were deduced ; nay, fo high did they life in their demands, that Geraldino, the Spanifli ambaffador at London, declared, his mailer would as foon part with his eyes, as with his right of vifiting Ihips in the American feas. But perhaps things had not fo foon been carried to an extremity, if Geraldino had not informed his court of the divifion in parliament ; and that, by fome well- timed bribes, it was eafy to get a majority which might obtain fuch terms as they pleafed. This, with the bifhop of Rennes's declaration at Madrid, that the people of England were ripe for a revolu- tion, inflamed the Spaniards the more, which made them feize the Britifli fhips wherever they could find them. In confcquence of thefe frcfh infults, on the 23d of Odober 1739, war was declared againft Spain.
Admiral. Vernon, who had been fent to the Weft Indies to prote£l our trade, took Porto-Bello on the -2 2d of November, and received thirty thoufand piafters as a ranfom for not pillaging the town. On the ift of April 1740, he failed to Carthagena, whofe outworks he took, and then failed vi6torious up to the harbour of the town, and debarked the land-forces,^ under cover of the cannon from the iliips ; but a violent rain falling, which is mortal to our foldiers in thofe parts, and the ladders being
too
EARLoF STAIR. 73
too fhort, through an error in the mathematician who computed the height of the wall of fort St. Lazara, they were obliged to retire, after trying what bravery itfelf would do. Hence Spaiii role in her demands .1 and, being fecretly aflifled by the French, flie was the more a<flive in profecuting her mighty projcif^s.
About a year after the beginning of the war with Spain, an event happened, which, for eight years together, occafioned the moil melancholy Iccnes : the emperor Charles VI. died the 9th of Odiober 1740; on which day, his eldelt daughter, late emprefs-dowager, and mother to the prefent em- peror, was proclaimed ^ueen of Hungarv and Bo- hemia, and archduchefs ofAuftria. Her minifters at the feverai courts of Europe notified her accef- lion, and fupported the legality of what was done, from her claim, in confequence of the will of F^r- dinaiid 1. and of the deed of Charles VI. dated tlie 20th of June, 1722 ; wherein, with the unanimous voice of a general diet of the States of Hungary, then met at Prefburg, an atft was pafTed for fettling llie' fucceffion of that crown on the female line of the Houfe of Auilria, and their defcendants, in failure of male-hlue, according to the right of pri- mogeniture. The queen's title was acknowledged by feverai princes; but the elector of Bavaria rc- fufed, and claimed the crown for himfelf, found- ing his preteniions to the Auflrian fucceffion upon the fame w^ili of Ferdinand 1. and defcent from Charles V. as alfo, that he was mauled to the emperor Joleph's daugiiter. The troops of his deflorate niarched, in September, 1741, in foppoit of his claim, and were followed by 30,000 French forces, under pretence of fecuring the free elei5lion of an emperor, according to the treaty of Well- phalia, of which their king was the guarantee.
Vol. VI. K Om
74 JOHN D A LR YM P L E,
On the other hand, his Britannic majelly fup- ported the Pragmatic San£lion, and oppoled the eleflion of an emperor by the influence of the court of Verfailles ; and though her Hungarian majefly was attacked by the king of Prullia, who marched his troops, on the 14th of December, into Silefia, and, at the fame time, deprived of alfiftance from the Ruflians, between whom and the Swedes a war had been jufl: kindled ; yet, under all thefe diladvantages, was flie alhfted by the Britifh nation. During the winter of the year 174I, the armies were aftive abroad ; Lintz, and a few other ^places, v^were taken by the Auilrians, who gained fome ad- vantages in the field, and extended into Bavaria itfelf. At home, the parliament was taken up with examining into the merits of ele£lions ; many of which b^ing carried againll Sir Robert Walpoie, he reiigned his places into his niajefty's hands ; on which a total change enfued in the miniftry. A rcfolution was taken for fupporti ng the queen of Hungary, and refloiing the balance of power, which muft have been entirely deftroyed, if the treaty for divifiino: the dominions of the Houfe of Auftria had ficcjcded, according to the propofal of V'rance. in confequence of this refoluticn, three hundred thouiand pounds were voted to her Hungarian ma- jefty : and a coniiderable body of Britilh troops were fent to Flanders, the command of which, as alfo of the Hanoverians and Heffians, was given to the earl of Stair; who now began, like the fun, after fetting for a long night, to rife with the brighter luftre. In March, 1742, he was madefield- maiflial of his rnajefty's forces, and ambailador- extraordina y and plenipotentiary to the States- General.
Th.is fudden promotion, and reiloration to favour, gave iacisfaCLioii to every true Bnion ; and tl.e king
le-
E A R L o F S T A T R. ^ 75
received him with a tendcrnefs and afie6\ion wITicK convinced all prefeat, that his majelly v/as inchaed to remember the maxim of the wiieft of kings, viz, *' Not to forget his father's friends."
His lordlliip inflantly apphed iiimfelF to the ma- nagement of the im.portant buiinefs committed to him ; and, knowing that he had to deal with the ambafladori of Spain, France, and the new em- peror, he aiTiduoufly fiudied their memorials, and prepared rephes to them before he fet out for Hoi- land, where, on the loth of April, five days after his arrival, being condu£ted to a public audience of their High MightineiTes, he made them a very fpirited harangue, which had the defired effect, of engaging them in the queen's caufe.
'1 his memorial was followed by another, of the 18th of Auguil:, in wdiich the prelling initances of the queen of Hungary, for affiifance from his Bri- tannic majefly, againft a powerful Frencli army, were laid down, and the pitiful artifices of the Frer.ch dett£led. To mention every tranfa^lion of this confummate ftatefman would fvvell this article too much ; fuflice it then to lay, that the earl of St^ir at length brought about a general pacification, feem- ingly to tiie fatisfa^lion of all the parties concerned ; but not till after the famous battle of Dettingen, where he, for the laft tinie, diftinguifhed himfelf, h\ concert with king George Fi. as a general of uii- daunted bravery and intrepidity, to whom the glory of that day is chiefly afcribed. boon after tlhs action, he petitioned to refign, which being grants* ed, lie again returned to the pleafures of a counti v life; but, ever ready to ff rvehis king and countiy, upon the breaking out of the late rebellion, he re- })?.ircd to couit, and ofi'ered his fervice to fupprefs )t. which v»as gladly accepted ;-- and he accompanied the ^iikc of Cvimb^ibpJ 1:0 Kdinbnre'i, drivinq^ the
b 2 Pre-
76 J O H N D A L R Y M P L E, &o
Pretender and his rabble army before them. After the lupprefhon of this infurre6lion, he continued at ■court till the winter of the year 1746, when he re- paired to Scotland, finding himfelf in a languifh- ing condition, and unfit for buiinefs. By the help of his phylicians, he was preferved till about ten at night of the 7th of May, 1747, when he breathed cut a hfe which had been fpent in eminemt fervices to his country.
Thus died iield-inarfhal John earl of Stair, who was a nobleman of the rarell abilities ; equally fitted for the camp or the court ; and how hard is it to lay in wliich he excelled? '* A man of the ftri£left honour and veracity ; great, without pride ; hand- ibnie, without vanity ; juft, without rigour ; wife, without arrogance ; bountiful, without oftentation ; fupportiiig the higheft dignity with a decency, hu- manity, and moderation, only to be found among tbe great, being pofTeired of every talent that could make a man great in himfelf, ferviceable to his king, or an ornament to his country."
** The earl of Stair, as to his perfon, was a man aboui :fix feet high, exceedingly lirait and genteel in his body, which inclined to an agreeable flendernefs ^ he was, perhaps, one of the handfomefl men of his time, and remarkable, among the nobility, for his graceful n^ien and majeflic appearance. His com- plexion was fair, but rather comely than delicate ; his forehead was large and graceful, his nofe was Urait, and exquifitely proportioned to his face; his eyes were exa^llv fuited to his features, being of a blue colour, and full of fweetnefs. His amiable countenance, on which there was imprinted a na- tural fmile, could not fail to infpiie the fpeftators with a warmth or afi'e£\ion not to be accounted for. 1 hcfe endowmen i of body were but indications of 6 the
LORD BOLINGBROKE. 77
the beauties of the nobler part, and which he pof- fefTed in their higheft perfedion. So that he mighr be confidered as the favourite child of Nature, as weil as the brighteft ornament of his native country."'
'*^- Juthorities. Henderfon*s Life of the Ear? ©f Stair. Smoilet's HilL of England. Annals of George L and IL
The LIFE o?
n E N R Y S A I N T . J O H N,
VISCOUNT BOLINGBROKE.
[ A. D. 1672, to 1751. ]
THE celebrated lord BolingbroK]?, nliofe political wiitH)g«t and conduct as a flatefman have not been lefs the fubjet'l of cenfure, tLan his philolbphical works, was a defcendant of the lord- chief-juflice Saint- John. He was born at Battcrlea, in Surrey, in the year 1672 : and lils mother dying- young, he paiTed his infant years under the care of his grandmother, a flrift Prefbyterian, whofe fpi- ritual guide was the famous DiiTenting-Miniiltr, Daniel Burgefs.
At a pioper age he was fent to Eton-fcbcol, and from thence removed to Chriil- church-college in Oxford.
His native genius, and excellent underftanding,
were obferved and admired by his contemporaries
E 3 in
'■^ H E N Pv Y S A I N T - J O H >T,
in both tbcfe places ; but the love of pleafure had io much the afcendancy, as to hinder him from exerfijig his taJents for hterature in any particular ptrfonnance. His friends defigned him for public bufmers i and, when he left the univerlity, he was confidered as one who had the faireft opportunity of making a fliini ng figure in a6live life.
United with the graces of a handfome perfon, he b?d a m.ajiner and addrefs that were irrefillibly en- gaging ; a quick apprehenlion, great ftrength of iiicmory, a -pecuHar fubtilty in reafoning, and a niafterly elocution ; but, for fome years, aJl thcfe extraordinary endowments were employed in no- thing fo much as finifliing the charadler of a com- plete rake. He was in paiticular much addided to women, and apt to indulge liimfelf in late hours with all thofe excefles that ufually attend tliCra.
In the Year i/CO, he was married to tlie daughter a;id co-heirefs of Sir Henry "VVinchefcomb, of Eucklebury in Eerkfliire, Bart. This alliance was in alj refpecls fuitable to his birth and expectations ; and, the fame year, he made his firfl appearance in the houfe of commons, being eleded for the bo- rough of ^Vot?on-i)a(^et, in Wiltfniie, by famify- iiitereilj his father having ferved feveral times for t])e lame place : lb that Mr. St. John, who was now about twcnty-lix years of age, took his feat in the fenate with every polhble advantage.
He prefently chole his party, and joined himfelf to Robert Harley, tfq; w^ho, in this parliament, was chofen Speaker, for the firii: time ; and he made himfelf confpicuous before the end of the feihon.
Perfevering {leadily in the fame connexion, he gained fuch an authority and intiuence in the houfe, th^tt It was thought proper to reward his merit ;
and,
LORD BOLlNGBPvOKE, 79
and, April 10, 1704, he was appointed fecretary at war, and of the marines. As this poil created a conilant correfpondence with the duke of Marl- borough, he became perfetElly acquainted wn.th tlie worth of that great general, and zcaloufly pro- moted his intereft.
It is remarkable, that the greateil events of the war, fuch as the battles of Blenheim and Ramillies, and the fcveral glorious attempts made by the duke to Iborten the war by fome decilive a6lion, fell out wliilc Mr. St. John w^as fecretary at war.
VVjien Mr. Harley was removed from tlie feals, in 1707, Mr. St. John chofe to follow his fortune, and the next day refigned his employments in the adminiftration : he alfo followed his friend's ex- ample, and behaved, during the whole feilion of parliament, with great temper, fteadinefs, and de- cency. He was not returned in the parliament which was elefted in 1 70S ; but upon the diiTo- iution of it in 1710, Mr. Harlev being m.ade chan- cellor and under-treafurer of the exchequer, the important office of fecretary of {late was given to M\\ St. John ; and, about the fame time, he Vvrcte the famous letter to the Examiner.
Upon the calling of a new parliameiit, on tl]e 25th of November, in that year, he was chofcn knight of the fliire for the county of Berks, and alfo burgefs for Wotton-BalTet, and. made his elec- tion for the former.
This large accefflon of power placed him in a fphere of action that called forth ail his abihties : the Englifh annals produce not a more trying junc- ture ; and Mr. St, John appeared equal to every occaiion of trial.
He. fuftained almoft the v/hole weight of the dif- ficulties in negociating the peace of Utrecht; and,^ 111 July, 1712., he was created baron St. John of E 4 Lediard-
So HENRY SAINT-JOHN,
Lcdiard-Tiegoze, in Wiltfliire, and vifcount Bo- lingbrokc. Fie was alfo, the fame year, appointed Icrd-lieutenant of the county of Ef[Qx.
But thefe honours by no means gratifying his ambition, he formed a defign of taking the lead in public affairs from his old friend Mr. Harley, then earl of Oxford ; which proved, in the ilfue, unfor- tunate to them both
it mull be obferved, that Paul St. John, earl of Bolingbroke, a diflant relation, died on the 5th of 06lober preceding his creation. That by his dcceafe, though the barony of Bletflio devolved upon Sir Andrew St. John, Bart, yet the earldom became extin£l, and the honour was promifed to our author ; but his prefence in the houfe of com- mons being fo necefiary at that time, the lord- treafurer prevailed upon him to remain there during tjiar feflion, upon a promife that his rank lliould Iv: pr.iervcd to hira : but when he expected the old iitlo Jliould have been revived in his favour, which," cornidering his fervices, particularly in that feffion, lecmed reafonable enough, he was put off with this of vifcount; which he refented as an affront, and h'oked on it as fo intended by the treafurer, who iiad got an earldom for himlelf, being created earl ol Oxford.
L6rd Bolingbroke's own account of this tranf- a6tion is too entertaining to be omitted, efpecially as it juflifies, in fome meafure, his manoeuvres to fupplant his political patron.
** I contniued," fays he, " in the houfe of com- mons during that important feffion which preceded the peac^, and which, by the fpirit fhewn through the whole courfe of it, and the refolutions taken in it, rendered the conclufion of the treaties pra^^li- cable. After this, 1 was dragged into the houfe
of
LORD BOLTNGBROKE. Si
of lords in fuch a manner as to make my promo- tion a punifhraent, not a reward, being there left to defend the treaties alone.
" It would not have been hard, continues he,- to have forced the earl of Oxford to ufe me better. His good intentions began to be verv much doubted of; the truth is., no opinion of his iincerity had ever taken root in the party ; and, which was worfe perhaps for a man in his ftation, the opinion of his capacity began to fall apace. He was fo hard pufhed in the houfe of lords, in the beginning of 1712, that he had been forced, in the middle of the feflion, to perfuade the queen to make a promotion of twelve peers at once ; which was an unprecedented and in^ vidious meafure, to be excufed by nothing but the neceffity, and hardly by that. In the houfe of commons his credit was low, and my reputation very high. You know the nature of that afTembly •, they grow, like hounds, fond of the man who (liews them game, and by whofe halloo they are ufed to be encouraged. The thread of the ncgociations,. which could not {land flill a moment without going back, was in my hands : and before another man could have made himfelf mafter of the buii- nefs, much time would have been loft, and great inconveniences would have followed. Some, who oppofed the court foon after, began to waver then : and if I had not wanted the inclination, I fhould have wanted no help to do mifchief. I knew the way of quitting my employments, and of retiring from court when the feivice of my party required it; but 1 could not bring myfelf up to that reColu- tion, when the confequence of it mull have been the breaking my party, and the diftrefs of the pub- lic affairs. I thought my miftrefs treated me ill ; but the fenfe of that duty which 1 owed her cam.e in aid of other confiderationsj and prevailed over
E 5 IT y
§2 HENRY SAINT-JOHN,
niv refentment. Thcfe fcntiments, indeed, are {o much out of fafhion, that a man who avows then.^ is in danger of paffing for a bubble in the world: yet they were, in the coniun£iure I fpeak of, the true motives of mv condud ; and vou faw me eo on as chearfulJy in the troublefome and dangerous work alTigned me, as if I had been under the ut- moli fatisfa£iion. I began, indeed, in my heart to renounce the Iriendfhip, which till that time I had piefeived inviolable, for Oxford. 1 w^as not aware of all his treachery^, nor of the bafe and Jittle means which he employed then, and contin-ued to employ afterwards, to ruin me in the opinion of the qijeen, and every W'here eife. I faw, however, that he had no fricndfhip for any body ; and that with refpetSt to me, inllead of having the ability to render that merit, which 1 endeavoured to acquire, aircdditionai {Irength to himfelf, it became tlie ob- ]cS: of his -jealcrufy, and a reafon for undermining mc."
His icrdf!nip\s conduifl, during the four lafl: years of the reign of queen Anne, brought in queftion botii iiis religious and political principles : for, though educated among the dilfenters, and, as it has li;ice appeared, being attached to no fvfiem of religion whatever, he became a zealous high- churchman ; and was fecretly in the interefi: of the Pretender, though he openly profeiTed an inclina- tion to ferve the houfc of Hanover. Hence It is evident, that lie complieJ with the temper of the queen at that time, v;ith a view of being made prime miniiltr.
In 1 7 14, foon after the acccilion of George the f:rfl to the throne, the feals, as might well be ex- pe6led, were taken from him, aiKl all the papers in his of?ice fccured. Ho^vevc^, during the ihort
felTion
LORD BOLINGBROKE. 83
feffion of parliament at this junflure, he applied himfelf, with his ufnal iiiduftry and vigour, to keep up the fpirit of the friends to the late adminiftration, without omitting any proper occafion of teftilying his refpe£l and duty to his majefty ; in which fpirit he affiiled in fetthnig the civil Hft, and other necef- fary points. But foon after the meeting of the new parliament, finding tliat an impeachment of the late miniflry was refclved upon, he withdrew, and crolTed the water privately to France, the latter end of March, 1 7 15.
Upon his arrival at Paris, he received an invita- tion from the Pretender, then at Barr, to engage in his fervice; which he abfolutcly refufed, and made the bed application that his prefsnt circum- ftanccs- would adn^it, to prevent the profecution againil him in England being carried to extremities.
After a fliort flay at Pans, he retired into Dau- phine, where he continued till the beginning of July ; when, upon receiving intimation^, from fome of his party in England, of a projcfled revolution, he complied with a fecond invitation from the Pre- tender ; and accepting from Itim the feais of fecre- tary of flate at Commercy^ lie fet out with them for Paris; in which city he arrived the latter end of the fame month, in order to procure from tr.at court the necelTary fuccours for his new mafter's intend^'d invafion of Englaiid.
The vote for impeaching him of high-treafori had paifed the houfe of commons on the icth cf June preceding; and nx articles were fcnt up by them to the lords on the 6ih of Augufl following* and proclamations being iffued-for him to furrender, which he did not obey, he was attamced q^ higli^ treafon on the ia.-h of September the fame year.
The ailicks of impeachment againfl his lord-
{hip were carried into the honfc of commons b''
E 6 AiA
84 HENRY SAINT- JOHN,
Mr. Robert Walpole, and were in fiibllance as foLovvs :
Art. I. That whereas he had alTured the mlniilers of the States General, by order from her majefty in 171 1, that fhe would make no peace but in concert with them ; yet he fent Mr. Prior to France that fame year, with propofals of a treaty of peace with that monarch, without the confent of the allies.
Art. 2. That he advifed and promoted the mak- ing of a feparate treaty, or convention, with France, which was iigned in September.
Alt. 3. That he difclofed to Mr. Mefnager, the French minifter at London, this convention, which was the preliminary inftruflions to her Majefly's plenipotentiaries at Utrecht in 0£tober»
Art. 4. That her majefty's final infi:ru(5lions to her faid plenipotentiaries were difclofed by him to the abbot Guaitier, an emilTary of France.
Art. 5. That he difclofed to the French the manner how Tournay in Flanders might be gained by them..
Art. 6. That he advifed and promoted the yield- ing up of Spain and the Weft-Indies to the duke of Anjou, then an enemy to her majefty.
It muft -not be omitted, that Sir Jofeph Jekyl, •a gentleman of the moft unbiafled integrity, and great knowledge in the law, and a member of the fccret committee, obferved, that there was matter more than enough to prove the charge againft lord Bolingbroke, at the fame time that he declared his opinioii, that they had nothing fufficient to fupport the charge againft the earl of Oxford.
It is remarkable, that lord Bolingbroke's new engagements with the Pretender had the fame un- fortunate ifluci for the year i';i5 was fcarcely expired, when the feals and papers of his new iccrttary's office were demanded and given up,
which
LORD BOLINGBROKE. 85
which was foon followed by an accufation branched into feven articles, wherein he was impeached of treachery, incapacity, and negleft.
Thus difcarded abroad, he refolved to make his peace, if pofTible, at home ; and in a Ihort time, by that aftivity which was charafleriflic of his na- ture, and with which he conftantly profecuted all his defigns, he procured, through the mediation of the earl of Stair, then the Britifh ambaflador at the •French court, a promife of pardon, upon certain conditions, from his majefly king George I. who, on the 2d of July, 1716, created his father baron of Batterfea in the county of Surrey, and vifcount St. John ; but he himfelf was not reilored in blood, nor enabled to fucceed to his father's peerage.
An extraordinary variety of dillrefsful events had thrown him into a flate of reflection ; and this pro- duced, by way of relief, his *' Confolatio Philofo- phica," vvhich he wrote the fame year, under the title of *' Reflexion upon Exile.'* He had alfo this year wrote feveral letters in anfwer to the charge brought againft him by the Pretender and his adhe- rents ; and the following year he drew up a vindi- cation of his whole conduct with refpeft to the to- ries, in the form of a letter to Sir William Wynd- ham. He alfo took another method of fupporting his fpirits ; his firft lady being dead, he efpoufed, about this time, a lady of great merit, who was niece to the famous madam de Maintenon, and widow of the marquis de Villette, VAth whom he had a very large fortune, which was, however, encum^ bered by a long and troublefome law-fuit.
In the company and converfation of this lady he paffed his tirne in France, fometimes in the coun- try, and fometimes at the capital, till 1723 ; in which year, after the breaking up of the parliament, his majefly was pleafed to grant him a full and free
pardon.
66 HENRY SAINT-JOHN,
pardon. Upon the £rft notice of this favour, thc expedlation of which had been the governing prin- ciple of his pohtical conduct for feveral years, he returned to his native country.
It is obfervable, that Dr. Atterbury, the famous bifhop of Rochefter, who was banifhed at this very junfture, happening, on his being fet afhorc at Calais, to hear that lord Bolingbroke was there, on his return to England, made this remark, *' Then I am exchanged." And, from the following cir- cumf^ances, we may conclude the bifhop's conjec- ture was well founded.
Bolingbroke's leave to return home w^as granted immediately after the a£l for banifhing Atterbury had received the royal alTent ; and this leave was obtained at the prefhng inftance of lord Harcourt, who had fliewed great warmth in profecuting the bifliop. We are told alfo, that Sir Robert Wal- pole, who was obferved not to be particularly en- gaged againft the latter, oppofed the return of Bo- lingbroke very warmly in a fpeech at the council- board, when the motion for it was made by Har- court.
Two years afterwards, having obtained an a6t of parliament to reflore him to his family inhe- ritance, and enabling him likewife to pofTefs any purchalb he fhould make of any other real or per- Ibnai eflates in the kingdom, he pitched upon a feat of lord T^ankerville's, at Dawlev, near Ux- bridge, in Middlefex, where he fettled with his lady, and indulged the pleafure of gratifying his elegant talle, by improving it into a molt charm- ing villa, pidurefque of the prefent ilate of his for- tune ; and here he amuftd himfelf with rural em- ployments.
We have a fketch of his lordlhip's way of life
at this retreat, in a letter to Dr.' Swift by Mr. Pope,
4 who
LORD BOLINGBROKE, 87
who omits no opportunity of painting him in the mofl amiable colours. This letter is dated at Daw- ley, June 8, 1728, and begins thus:
** I now hold the pen for my lord Bolingbroke, ' vvlio is reading your letter between two hay- ' cocks ; but his attention is fomewhat diverted, ' by cafting his eyes on the clouds, not in admi- f ration of what you fay, but for fear of a fhower, 'He is pleafed with your placing him in the tri-
* umv irate between yourfelf and me ; though he ' fays, that he doubts he Ihali fare like Lepidus :
* while one of us runs away with all the power,
* like Auguilus ; and another with all the plea- '^ fure, like Anthony. It is upon a forefight of this> ' that hje has fitted up his farm; and you will ' agree, that this fcheme of retreat is not founded ' upon weak appearances. Upon his return from ' Bath, he finds all peccant humours are purged
* on of him ; and his great temperance and oeco- ' nomy arc i^o lignal, that the lirfl: is fit for my ' conftitution, and the latter would enable you •' to lay up fo much money, as to buy a bifhoprick ' in England. As to the return, of his health and ' vigour, were you here you might enquire of bis ' haymakers : but as to his temperance I can an- ' fwer, that for one whole day we had nothing for ' dinner but mutton -broth, beans and bacon, ' and a bain-door fowl. — Now his lordfhip is run ' after his cart, 1 have a moment left to myfelf to ' tell you, that I overheard him yeflerday agree ' with a painter, for 200 pounds, to paint his 'country hall with rakes, fpades, prongs, kc, ' and other ornaments, merely to countenance ^ his calling this place a farm."
Happy would it have been for his lordlliip if he could have remained content in this aeii.>hrful re- treat, and have verified a palTage in one of his let- ters
8« HENRY SAINT-JOHN,
ters to Swift. ** Neither my enemies nor my friends will find it an eafy matter to tranfplant me !" But the feeds of ambition were too deeply rooted in his conftit union ; he pined after a feat in the houfe of lords, and fome fliare in the adminiftration of go- vernment ; and being difappointed in thefe views, about the year 1726, he became a warm anti-mi- nifterial writer, and foon diftinguifhed himfelf by a multitude of pieces, written during the fhort re- mainder of that reign, and likewife for feveral years under the late, with great freedom and boldnefs, againft the meafures that were then purfued.
In the height of thefe political difputes, he found fome fpare hours for the meditations of Philofophy, and drew up feveral eflays upon mctaphyfical fub- je£ls. Having carried on his part of the fiege againft the minifler, Sir Robert Walpole, with in- imitable fpirit for ten years, he laid down his pen, upon a difagreement with his principal coadjutors ; and, in 1735, retired again to France, in a full refolution never more to engage in public bulinefs.
It has been obferved, that, in the profecution of this controverfy, our ftatefman found himfelf ob- liged, from the beginning, to recommend the earl of Oxford's old fcheme, a coahtion of parties (then called the Broad-bottom Scheme), the Tories being at this time out of any condition to aim at places and power, except as auxiliaries.
His lordfhip's own words moft clearly explain the circumftances under which he wrote, and which obliged him to lay afide his pen.
** The ftrange fituation 1 am in, and the me- lancholy fituation of public affairs, take up much of my time, and divide or even diflipate my thoughts 5 or, which is worfe, drag the mind down, by per- petual interruptions, from a philofophical tone or temper, to the drudgery cf private and public bufi-
nefs.
. LORD BOLINGBROKE. ^
nefs. The lafl lies neareft my heart. And, fincc I am once more engaged in the fervice of my coun- try, difarmed, gagg'd, and almoll bound as I am, I will not abandon it as long as the integrity and perleverance oi thole who are under none of thefe difadvantages, and with whom I now co-operate, make it reafonable for me to aft the fame part."
As foon as the line of oppofition was cut, he de- clared, that no fhidow of duty obliged him to go further; his new friends having deferted him, to go over to the miniilry.
Plato, he obferves, ceafed to a£l for the com* monwealth when he ceafed to perfuade : and Solon laid down his arms before the public magazines, when Piiiitratus grew tod throng to be oppofed any- longer with hopes of iuccefs.
His lordfliip followed thefe examples, bat not without cohering his utmofl: force to give a part- ing-blow to the minilter ; which of all his mafterly pieces is generally efleemed the beft«
He had now pafled the 6oth year of his age, and had gone through as great a variety of fcenes, both of pleafure and buiinefs, in active life, as any of his contemporaries. He had pulhed matters as far towards reinflating himfelf in the full poffeffion of his former honours, as the mere dint of talents and application could go ; and was at length expe- rimentally convinced, that the decree was ablb- Jutely irreverlible, and the doors of the cabinet finally fhut againft him.
If, in the decline of his life, he became lefs confpicuous, he became more amiable ; and he was far from fufFering the hours to Aide away unufe- fully.
He had not been long at his retreat near Fon- tainbleau, when he began a courfe of Letters on
the
9b HENRY S A I N T - J 0 H N,
the Study and Ufe of Hiflory, for the ufe of a young nobleman of diftinguifned worth and capa- city.
In the mean time it was obvious, that a perfon, offoa6live an ambition as he was tempered with, mud lie greatly open to ridicule, in afTuming a re- figned philofophical air of fludy and contemplation.
He faw it ; and, to obviate the ccnfure, he ad- drefled a Letter to lord Bathuril, upon the 'J 'rue Ufe of Retirement and Study ; in which he defends himfeif in fo maflerly a manner, that we cannot jefift the impuhe to give it a place, for the benefit of thofe who m.ay be iludying elegant ccmpolition.
*' To fet about acquiring the habits of medita- tion and fludy, late in life, is like getting into a go-cart with a grey beard, and learning to walk when vve have loft the ufe of our legs. In general, the foundation of a happy old age mufl be laid in youth ; and, in particular, he, who has not culti- vated his reaion young, will be utterly unable to improve it old. " Manent ingcnia fenibus, modo permaneant fludiuin & induftria."
*' Not only a love of lludy, and a defire of knowledge, muft have grown up with us, but fuch an induftrious application likewife, as requires the whole vigour of the mind to be exerted in the pur- fuit of truth, through long trains of ideas, and all thole dark recelTes, wherein man, not God, has hid it.
'* This love, and this deiire, I have felt all my life ; and I am not quite a ftranger to this indullry and application. There has been fomething ahvays ready to whifper in my ear, whilll: I ran the courfe of pleafure aiid bufinefs, " Solve fenefcentem mature lanus equum." f^)Ut my genius, unlike the daemon of Socrates, whifpered fo foftly, that very often I
heard
LORD BOLINGBROKE. 91
heard him not in the hurry of thofe pallioiis by which 1 was tranfported ; feme calaier hours there were, in them 1 liearkened to him ; reflexion had often its turn ; and the love of lludy, and the de- fire of knowledge, have never quite abandoned me. I am not therefore entirely unprepared for the life 1 will lead ; a5id it is not without reafon that I promife myfelf more fatisfa£lion in the latter part of it, than I ever knew in the former."
Upon the death of his father in 1742, his lord- ihip returned to England, and fe-ttled at Batterfea, the ancient feat of his family ; where he palled the remainder of his days in retirement ; refolving, fince he could not obtain his feat again in the houfe of peers, never more to meddle in public afFairs.
After the conclulion of the late inaufpicious war, in 1748, the meafures taken in the adminiflration feem not to have been repugnant to his notions of political prudence for that junfture ; and what thcfe were is feen, in part, in fome reflexions written by him in 1749, " On the Prefent State of the Nation, principally with regard to her Taxes and Debts, and on the Caufes and Confequences of them."
This undertaking was left iinfiniflied, nor did hefurvive it long. He had often wiflied to breathe his lalt at Batterfea ; an event which happened on the 15th of November, 17514 on the verge of four- fcore years of age.
His remains were interred, with thofe of his an- ceftors, in that church ; where there is a marble monument ere£led to his memory, with this infcrip^ uon :
Here lies
Henry St. Jo hn ;
In the reign of Queen Anne
Secretary of War, Secretary of State,
And Vifcount Boling broke.
Ill
92 HENRY SAINT-JOHNT^
la the days of King George I.
And king George JI.
Something more and better.
His attachment to Queen Anne
Expofed him to a long and fevere perfecution.
He bore it with firmnefs of mind.
The enemy of no national party,
The friend of no fadlion.^
Difllnguifhed under the cloud of a profcription,.
Which had not been entirely taken off,
By zeal to maintain the liberty
And to rellore the ancient profperity
Of Great Britain.
He furvived all his brothers ; fo that the eftatc' and honor defccnded to his nephew, the prefent lord vifcount Bolingbroke and St. John, whom he conflituted likewife the teframentary-heir : and as his lady died many years before him, fo the dis- putes in law about her fortune happening to be finally determined about the time of his deceafe, by that lucky event the nephew reaped the whole benefit of his uncle's kindnefs immediately.
His lordfhip left the care and advantage of bis manufcripts to Mr. Mallet, who publifhed three trafts, in one volume 8vo, in 1753, ^'^^^ four vo- lumes more the following yearj in which the truf- tee, it feems, confulted his own profit, more than his noble benefa6lor*s fame; as appears- from a pre- fentment of the grand jury of Weftminfter, made on the fixteenth of Odober the fame year, 1754, of thefe poilhumous works in four volumes, *' as tending, in the general fcope of feveral pieces therein contained, as well as many particular Ex- prellions which had been laid before them, to the Subverfion of Religion, Government, and Morality , and being alfo againll his majefly's peace."
Indeed,
LORD BOLINGBROKE. 93
Indeed, it is almoft needlefs to tell the world now, that, in refpe£l to his religion, he was un- doutedly a profefled Deifl ;. but ignorance and ma- lice carried the charge farther, and the theological dilfertations in his poilhumous works have been branded as atheiflical, without the leaft fhadow of reafon or evidence. In a word, with all his paf* lions, and with all his faults, he will perhaps, fays the writer of his life, *' be acknowledged, by pof- terity in general, as I think he is by the majority of the prefent age, to have been, in many refpefts, one ot the mofl extraordinary perfons who adorn- ed it."
*^* Authorities. Memoirs of the life of Lord Bolingbroke prefixed to his Works. Rapin's Hift, of England, vol. 24. 8yo. edit. Annals of Geo» I, vol. I. and 2.
The
[ 94 ]
The life of
Major -General JAMES WOLFE.
[A. D. 1726, to 1759.]
NO aeraofthe Britini hiflory exhibits brighter examples of miHtary glory, than that in which the immortal Wolfe flood forth to rival the greateil characters of antiquity. In his time, an animated love of their country, and an ardent zeal in its fer- vice, prevailed amongfl the land and fea officers, which communicated the influence of example to the private men, and, under Providence, produced fuch a feries of rapid and fignal fucceiTes as c:m fcarcely be paralleled in the annals of any nation.
The luflre they reflefted on the fovereign, oa the able miniller w^ho had the chief management of public affairs, and on the whole nation, is flill frefli in the memories of moft of our countrymen.
]\Iay limilar circumflances in future times call forth the exertions of equal wifdom in the cabinet, and of as iignal valour in the field, and on the ocean ! but till this happens, let us be permitted, without meaning to give offence to the powers in being, to recommend to the riiing generation an attentive perulal of the great events which dillin-
guiifh
GENERAL WOLFE. 9^
g-aifh the year 1759, in our hiflory, and the three following years ; when Great Britain, like the fabled phoenix, feemed to acquire new life and vi- gour from the allies of her beloved hero, and foared to the fummit of human grandeur.
We fhall now lay before our readers the few, but glorious, incidents of the fliort life of a gallant young officer, who had a principal fhare in forming the national glory of this a^ra.
James Wolfe was the fon of lieutenant general Edward Wolfe, an officer of diltinguifhed w^orth, who ferved under the duke of Marlborough, and was very a6five under general Wightman, in fup- preffing the rebellion of 1715, in Scotland. His renowned fon was born at Vv efterham, in the county of Kent, as it appears by his baptifmal regifter, bearing date the nth of January, yjib. It is to be lamented that we have no memoirs of his juve- nile years ; for in the firfl dawnings of reafon, men of fuperior genius often difcover unerring indi- cations of uncommon abiHties ; perhaps in his very fports and pailimes, we might have traced that amazing fortitude, indefatigable ailiduity, cool judg- ment and alacrity, for which he was afterwards lb juftly famed.
He mud have been educated for the army al- mofl: from his ijifancy, iince honourable mention is made of his perfonal bravery at the battle of La-feldt, in Auftrian-Fianders, fought in the year 1747, when he was only in the twentieth year of his age. We are not told what rank he held at that time ; but his ro^al highnefs, the late duke of Cumberland, the commander-in-chief, highly ex- tolled his behaviour, and took every opportunity to reward him by promotion. The gradations of his rife are not afcertained ; we are only informed, that, during the whole war, he continued improving
his
96 THE LIFE OF
his military talents, that he was prefent at every engagement, and never pailed undiflinguifhed. His promotion, therefore, muft have been as rapid as his merit was great, for we find him holding the rank of lieutenant-colonel of Kingfley's regiment foon after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748. In this flation, during the peace, he continually cultivated the art of war, and introduced the nioft exa6l difcipline and regular behaviour into his corps, without exercifing any feverity ; the love his foldiers bore him being manifefted in their readi- nefs to obey his orders.
In the year 1754, a frefh rupture with France feemed inevitable, from the evafive anfwers given by that court to the repeated remonftrances made by the Britifh ambaflador againft the depredations and encroachments made by their fubjefts at the back of the Britifh fettlements, along the banks of the river Ohio, in North America ; they even went fo far as to build forts within two hundred and twenty-five miles of Philadelphia. Hoililities com- menced on both fides, in confequence of this vio- . lation of the treaty of peace ; but war was not for- mally declared till 1756 ; and for a fhort time no- thing but difappointments and lofies attended flie Britifh arms, till Mr. Pitt, afterwards earl of Chatham, being firmly feated at the head of the adminiftration, gave one of the mofl ftriking proofs of his fuperior abilities for conducting an extenfive war, by feeking for and employing in the laud and fea-fervice men of the moft enterprifing and adlive genius, who had fignalixed themfelves, upon im- portant occafions, in a manner beyond what could be expected, either from their years or experience. Of this number was colonel Wolfe, who was raifed by the miniiler to the rank of brigadier-general, and fent out under major-general Amherll, uppn
the
GENERAL WOLFE. 97
the grand expedition againfl: Louifbourg, the capital of the iiland of Cape-Breton. At the fiege of this important place, he greatly raifed his military re- putation ; for he was the iirft general ofiicer who landed the left divifion of the army, amidft the flrong and continued fire of the enemy from their batteries on the Ihore ; and, notwithftanding an im- petuous furf, which overfet fome of the boats, he calmly gave orders to be rowed to the fliore, where he exhibited uncommon valour and activity, by making good his defcent, and maintaining his poft, till he had covered the debarkation of the middle and the right diviiions of the land-forces, commanded by brigadiers Whitmore and Lawrence. He then marched with a ftrong detachment round the north- eaft part of the harbour, and took pofleffion of the Light-houfe point, where he ereded feverai bat- teries againfl the fliips and the iflajid-fortification ; by which dextrous manoeuvre, the fuccefs of the whole enterprize was in a great mealVa-e fecured. The regular approaches to the town were now con- ducted by the engineers, under the immediate com- mand and infpedlicn of general Amherit ; but flill the indefatigable Wolfe, with his detached party, railed feverai batteries, wherever he found a proper iituation for annoying the enemy ; and thefe did great execution both within the tovv^n and upon the ihipping in the harbour. On the 27th day of July, 1758, LouifDourg furrendered ; and captain Am- herli:, brother to the general, was difpatched in a veflei to carry the joyful news to England ; he alio carried with him eleven pair of colours taken at the fiege, wliich were carried in great triumph from the palace at Kenfington to St. Paul's.
The principal ihare brigadier Wolfe was known to have had in this, important conquefl, induced Mr. Pitt to make choice of him to command a flill
Vol, VL F more
98 T H E L I F E O F
more capital expedition the eniuing campaign : with this view he was promoted to the rank of major- general.
The plan of operations for the campaign of 1759 in North-America was then concerted in the ca- binet ; and it was refolved that Wolfe, as foon as the feafon of the year would admit, fhould fail up the river St. Laurence, with a body of 80CO men, aided by a conliderable fquadron of Ihips from Eng- land, to undertake the fiege of Quebec ; that gene- ral Amherfl:, the commander-in-chief, fhould, with another army of about 12,000 men, reduce Ticon- deroga and Crown Point, crofs the lake Champ- lain, proceed along the river Richlieu to the banks of St. Laurence, and join general Wolfe in the liege of Quebec. General Amherfl, however, though he fucceeded in reducing Ticonderoga and Crown Point, afterwards found himfelf under a necelTity to fupport that part of the plan which had been en- trufted to brigadier Prideaux, who was to attack l^Niagaraj in which attempt he was killed by the burfiing of a cohorn, while he was vifiting the trenches. Upon receiving the news of this difafter, snd that the French had been reinforced, general Amherfl fent a large detachment from his army, under brigadier Gage, to join Sir William Johnfon, on whom the command devolved, aixi to fuftain the ficge. Niagara furrendered after a vi^torv gained over the French on the 24th of July, 1759 j and thus two parts in three of the plan of operations were happily executed ; but the time neceffarily em- ployed in thefe fervices made itimpoffible to com- ply with the general inflrudions to alhil Wolfe in the liege of Quebec.
The fleets from England dellined for that ex- pedition, under the commiand of the admirals Saunders and Holmes, arrived at Louilbourg in , 2 May,
GENERAL WOLFE. 99
May, and took 011 board the 8000 land-forces, Xvhofe operations at Quebec were to be condu£led by general Wolfe, as commander-in-chief, and under huii by the brigadiers, Monckton, Town- fhend, and Murray. Thus this arduous under- taking was entrufted, with refped to the land-fer- vice, to four young officers, in the flower of their age ; a very fingular inilance, not a fingle veteran having any principal command in the enterprize. The armament failed up the River St. Laurence without any interruption, and, about the latter end of June, the troops were landed in two divifions upon the ifle of Orleans, a little below Quebec.
General Wolfe, upon landing, publiihed a ma- nifefto, offering every protection and indulgeiice to the inhabitants, if they would remain neuter ; he reprefented to them, in the ftron^ieil: terms, the folly of refiilance, as the Engliili fleet were mailers of the river St. Laurence, ^o as to intercept all fuc- cours from Europe; and he informed them, that the cruelties exercifed by the French upon Eritifh fubjedls in America might juftify the moft fevere re- prifals ; but Britons had too much generolity to fol- low fuch examples. In a word, he offered to the Canadians the full enjoyment of their religion, and of their effeils, if they would behave peace- ably ; at the fame time, he cautioned them againft provoking him to adopt violent meafures, by any infults on their part.
This humane declaration, which, to the honour of general Wolfe, was penned in the moft per- fuaiive and pathetic ftyle, had no immediate effeft ; and it was not long before the influence of the priefts ftimulated them to join the fcalping parties of the Indians, and to fally from the woods upon fome unguarded ftragglcrs of the JJritilh army, whom they flaughtered with the moil inhuman F 2 cii>-
soQ THELIFEOF
circumflances of barbarity. Wolfe now wrote a polite remonftraiice to M. de Montcalm, the French general, deliring him to exert his authority over the French and the Indians, to prevent fuch enor-" mities, as being contrary to the rules of war ; other- wife he mull retaliate, by burning their villages and laying walle their plantations. In all probability the French general's authority was not fufFicient to carb the ferocity of thefe favages ; fo that general "Wolfe found it neceflary, in order to put a ftop to thefe outrages, to fufFer our people to retaliate upon Ibme of their nrifoners, which had the denred ef-
fea.
jM. de Montcalm, though fuperior in numbers to the Englhh, chofe to depend upon the natural frrength of the country, rather than run the rilk of a general engagement in the field* The city of Qiiebec was fkilfully fortified, defended by a nu- merous garrifon, and plentifully fupplied with pro- vifions and ammunition. Montcalm had reinforced the troops of the colony with fire regular battalions, formed of the choiceft citizens, arid had completely difcipliiied all the Canadians of the neighbourhood capable of bearing arms, with the ^feveral tri-bes of favages. With this army he had taken poll in a very advantageous fituation along the Ihore, every sccefTible part of his camp being deeply intrenched. To undertake the fiege of Qiiebec againfl fuch ad- vaiitsges and fuperior numbers, was a deviation from the eftablifhed r\::les of war ; but no profpc^t ofdangcr couid refii?.in the ardour of Wolfe, and at this time he entertained ftrong hopes of being -.Qined by general Anfiicrfl:.
'Vhc neceiTary -A'orks for the fecurity of the hof-
'oital, and of the ftoreson the ifland of Orleans, be-
:ng completed in July, the Britiih forces croflcd
I7e north channel in boats, and encamped on the
^ banks
G E N E R A L WOLFE, iof
banks of the river Montmcreacl, which fcparated tiieni from the Jeft divliicn of the enemy's camp. The general now wrote to Mr. Pitt, defcribing his fituation, and ailigning moil excellent reafons for the choite of his ground : amongit others, that there was a ford below the falls of Montmorenci, paiTable for fome hours at the ebb of the tide ; and he hoped,, by means of this palTage, to f.nd an op- portunity of engaging ^vlontcalm upon more advan- tageous terms than direftly to attack liis intrench- ments. •
Ja this pofition the Britifli army remained a con- fiderable time, expelling news every day from ge- neral Amherfc, ^nd conilaiitly employed in fome ^ enterprize againll the enemy, in order to facilitate the final atLack on Quebec. Brigadier Monckton, with one detachment, diflodged the French from Point Levi, on the fouth Hiore oppolite the city ; and colonel Carletonj with another, took poiTcilicn of the wcflern point of the ifland of Orleans ; belli thefe polls they fortified, and crc^cd batteries^ which played with fuch fucceis. that tliey greatly- damaged the upper, and almofl demo'ifhed the lower town. To balance thefe advantp.ges, cur troops met with frequent repulfes, and feme loffes in re- connoitring the fordabie parts of the river.
At length difpontions were made for attacking the enemy's intrenchments, in order to bring on a general engagement ; and, on the laft day of Jufy, it was refolved to ilorm a redoubt built ciofe to the water's edge, and within gun-lhot of the intrench- ments ; but, inflead of defending it, which muil have produced the efTedl Wolfe_expe£led, the French abandoned it; and thirteen companies of our gre- nadiers, animated by the confulion they obfervcd the French were thrown into from the hot fire kept up bv the Centurion, vvhile tlie troops were land- F 3 ing
102 THELIFEOF
ing from boats, on the ei^emy's fide of the river, inconfiderately lufhed on to the French intrcnch- ments, widiout waiting for the difenibarkation of the veil of the army ; this ill-timed impetuolity, and another accident of feme boats getting aground off Point Levi, difconcerted the whole plan ; for the grenadiers were repulfed, the French had time to re- cover from their furprife at this bold attempt, and intelligence was now received, from fome prifoi\ers taken by brigadier Murray ni a fuccefsful defcent at Chambaud, that general Amherft had taken Nia- gara and Crown Point, but was obliged to employ all his forces againft M. de Burlemaque, who was polled with a Urong corps at the J/Ie aux Noix,
Thus deprived of all hopes of reinforcement from that quarter, general Wolfe returned without mo- Ifiiation to his old camp on the other fide of the liver ; and here difappointment and fatigue threw him into a'fever and flux, which reduced him v^ry low. And in this unhappy Hate of mind and body, he difpatched an exprefs to England, with an account of his proceedings, but written in the ilyle of a defponding man, to which, perhaps, the fuccefs of the generals in other parts of America contributed : as he might think the fame good news would be ex- pelled from him by the public at home, who had been accuftomed to hear of nothing but his con- queils. Yet fuch w^as the perfpicuity and accuracy of his juftiflcation of his meafures, that the difpatch was received with applaufe, though the expedition had not been fuccefsful.
As foon as the general recovered a little llrength, he went on board the admiral ; and thefe two com- manders, with a proper armament, went up the ri- ver, paffed the town unmolelled, and reconnoitred it, in order to judge if an afiault was practicable. Their opinion concurred with that of the chief en- gineer :
G E N E R A L W O L F E. 105
glaeer : they all agreed > that fuch an attack could not be hazarded with any pro'fpe6l of mcccfs j and the next mealure taken was, to break up the camp at Montmorenci, as no noffibihty appeared of at- tacking the enemy above the town. A refolution was now formed to change the plan of operations ; and the three brigadiers advised the general to tranf- port the troops in the night, and land them within a league of Cape Diamond, below the town, in hopes of afcending the heights of Abraham, which rife abruptly with a deep afcent from the banks of the river, that they might gain polfeliion of the plain at the back of the city, on that lide but weakly for- tified.
The dangers and difficulties attending the exe- cution of this delign were fo very great, that none but fuch an enterpri'nig general, who was well af- fured of the aftc£i:ions of his troops, would have ventured to propofe it to them. The veterans of ancient Rome often mutinied rspon lefs hazardous undertakings ; but Wolte readily affsnted to the daring proje«St of his brave afTociates in the war, and animated his troops by leading them on in perfon, enfeebled as he was by his diftemper. The necef- fary preparations being made, and the time fixed for this moll ailonii'hing attempt, admiral Holmes, with a view of deceiving the ei^tmy, moved with his fqua- dron higher up the river than the old camp j and this had the defired efFe6t, for his motions were watched till night came on by a detachment of the French, who lined that part of the fhore, under the command of M. de Bouganville. But in the night, the admiral, purfuant to his inftru6lions, fell down the river to cover the landing of the troops. About one in the morning of the 12th of September, the firft embarkation, confiiling of four complete regi- meiits, the light infaatry, commanded by colonel
F 4 Howe,.
104 THELIFEOF
Howe, n detachment of Highlanders, and the Ame*- rican grenadiers, feii gently down the river in fiat- bottom -boats, under the conduct of the brigadiers Monckton and Pvlurray ; but general Wolfe accom- panied then?, and was among the firft - who landed ; no accident happened, except their over-fhooting . -the intended place of landing, owing to the rapidity of the tide.
As thefe troops landed, the boats were fent back for thefecond embarkation, which was fuperintendcd by brigadier Townihend. In the mean time, co- lonel Howe, with the light-infantry and the High- landers, afcended the v/oody precipices with admi- rable courage and a6^ivity ; and dillodgcd a captain's guard, who defended a fmall intrenched narrow- path, by which alone the other forces could reach the fummit. They then mounted without further nioleilation ; and general Wolfe drew them up ia order of battle as they arrived.
The marquis de Montcalm was thunderftruck at tlie inteliigence, that the Fnglifh had gained the Heights of Abraham ; and knowing the weaknefs of the citv on that fide, he was at no lofs to determine that a general engagement was unavoidable. Ad- vancing therefore with his whole force, in fuch or- der of battle as lliewed a defign to flank the Englifh forces on the left, brigadier Townfhend, with the regiment of Amherft, was fent to prevent it, by forming his corps en potejue, prefenting a double front to the enemy. 71ie t rench were moft advan- tageouily pofted, with bufhes and corn-fields in their front, lined v/ith 1500 of their befl markfmen, who began the action with an irregular galling fire ; and this they kept up till it proved fatal to many of our brave officers, fmgled out by them for deifruftion.
At about nine in the morning, the enemy advanced to the charge with great order and reiolution, but
their
GENERAL WOLFE. 105
their fire was Irregular and inefFe£lual. On the con- trary, the Britifh forces referved their fhot cntil the French had approached within forty yards of their hne : then they poured in a terrible difcharge, and continued the fire with the greateft adivity and fuccefs. The gallant general Wolfe was flationed on the right, at the head of Bfagg's reglnT^nt and the Louilh^ourg grenadiers, the pofl of honour, for here the attack was moft warm. As he flood daunt- lefs and confpicuous in the front of the line, he had been aimed at by the enemy's markfmen, and receiv- ed a fhot in the wrift ; but neither pain nor danger had any efFe£l to make him retire from his ftation. Having wrapped an handkerchief round his wriil, he continued giving his orders without emotion, and advanced at the head of the grenadiers, v/ith their bavonels fixed ; when another ball, moil probably from the fame markfman, pierced the breafl of this intrepid hero, who fell in the arms of vi6lory, juil as the enemy gave way, and at the very inftant when every fcparate regiment of the Britifh army feemed to exert itfelf for the honour of its own corps.
ThcAvoundcd general was carried off to a fmall ^iftance m the rear, where, roufed from fainting fits, in the agonies of death, by the loud cry of ibiy run! they)un! he with great eagernefs enquired, *' who run ?' and being told the P'rench, and that they were defeated, he added, in a faultering voice, *• then I thank God, I die contented !" and almod inilantly expired.
Much about the fame time, brigadier^ general Monckton, the fecond in command, was danger- oully wounded at the head of the regmient of Laf- celles ; and then the command devolved on briga- dier-general Townlhend, w^ho had the honour of completing the vidory.
F 5 The
ic6 T H E L I F E O F
The particulars of this glorious battle are foreign to the plan of this work ; and we Ihall therefore only fay, that never was a battle fought which did more honour to the officers, and even to the private men of both fides, than this. The highell enco- miums were beftowed on, and juftly merited by, the marquis de Montcalm, the French general, who w^as mortally wounded, and who diftinguifhed himfelf hi his laft moments by an affe6Vionate regard for his countrym.en, in writing a letter to general Townfhend, to recommend the French priloners *' to that generous humanity, by which the Britifli nation has been always diflinguifhed :" he died in Quebec a few days after the battle. His fecond in command was left wounded on the field, and was conveyed from thence on board an Englifli fhip, where he expired the next day.
The death of Montcalm, which was an irrepar- able lofs to France, in America, threw the Cana- dians into the utmoO; conilernation ; confufion prevailed in the councils held at Quebec ; and fee- ing themfelves invefled by the Britilh fleet, which, after the vi£lory, failed up in a difpofition to attack the lower town, while the upper fhould be alTai.lted "by general Townfhend, they gave up all for lofl, and fent out a flag of truce, with propofals of ca- pitulation, which were judicioufly accepted by general Townfhend and admiral Saunders, and ligned early the next morning; a m.eafure which does the greatefl honour to their judgment , for the place was not yet completely inverted, the enemy w^ere on the point of receiving a firong re- inforcement from Montreal \ and M. de Bougan- viile, at the head of 8co frefh men, with a convoy ef proviflons, was almoft at the gates of the town on the day of its furrender. A new army was like- wife aii'embling in the neighbourhood, with which
the
G E N- E R A L WOLFE. 107
the city continued to have a free communicatioa on one iide after the battle ; and the Britifh troops in a httle time, the feafon being far advanced, mult have been obhged to deli ft from their operations by the feverity of the weather, and even to have retired with their fleet before the approach of win- ter, when the river St. Laurence is conftantly frozen up.
It is difficult to defcribe the various emotions with which the people were affeded, when the news of this ailonifhing fuccefs in Canada arrived in England. The melancholy difpatch which ge- neral Wolfe had fent olf, after his difappointment at the fails of Montmorenci, owing to contrary w^inds, was not received, or at JeafI: not made known to the public, till two days before the joyful news of the viflory, and the furrender of Quebec, to which was tacked the mournfal fequel of the death of the Conqueror of Canada.
A mixture of pity and affliflion attended the na- tional triumph upon this occalion, and w^as flrongiy expreifed in the congratularory addreiles, prefented by all the corporate bodies and public focieties of the three kingdoms, to king George IL
A day of folemn thankfgiving was appointed, throughout all the dominions of Great Britain ; and, when the parliament aiTembled, Mr. Pitt, in the houfe of commons, with that energy of elo- quence peculiar to himfelf, when he was in the zenith of his glory, expatiated upon the fucceffes of the camoaign, and dwelt on the tranfcendent merit of the deceafed general in fuch a pathetic flrain, as not only drew tears from himfelf, but from moft who heard him : nor did he fail in pay- ing due honour to the courage and condut^t of the admirals, and the land officers, and to the brave rv F 6 qL
io8 T H E L I F E O F
of the foldiers, and the feamen, who afTifled in the conqueil of Quebec.
He then made a motion, to prefent an addrefs, deiiring his majefty to order a monument to be erefled in Weflminfler-abbey, to the memory of major-general Wolfe, to which the houle agreed ■unanimoully. At the fanie time, they pafied an- other refolution ; that the thanks of the houfe fnould be giving to the furviving generals and admirals, employed in the glorious and fucceisful expedition to Qi''.ebec.
Nothing now remained, but to give orders that all military honours fhould be paid to the remains of our illuilrious general, expe£led to arrive in Eng- land, for interment. The corpfe vv^as brought home in his majefty's fliip the Royal William, to Portf- niouth, and on Sunday, the 17th of November, it was landed in the followino; folemn order :
At eight o'clock in the morning, two lignal guns were fired, to give notice to the garrifon of the re- moval : the body was then lowered out of the fhip into a 12 oar barge, which was towed along by two 12 oar barges, and attended to the bottom of the point by 12 others, full manned, with officers, and feamen, who obfervcd a melancholy lilence during this awful proceffion : minute-gun$ were , fired from the (hips at Spithead, from the tim.e the body was taken from the (hip to its bemg landed at the point, which took up an hour. The regi- ment of invalids was ordered underarms before eight, and being joined by a company of the train of arti- jsry in the garrifon, marched from the parade to the bottom of the point, to receive the body. At a little after nine, it was landed, and put into a travelling iiearfe, attended by a mourning coach, both fentfrom Loiidon, and proceeded through the gairifon. The colours' on the fort WTre ilruck half
fiag
G E N E R A L W O L F £. 109
fi^g flaff : the bells were muffled, and tolled in fo- lemn concert with the dead march, which was beaten : minute-guns were fiied on the platform from the e4i trance of the corpfe to the whole length of the. proceiTion : the company of the train led the van, with their arms reverfed ; and the regiment of in- vahds followed the hearfe, their arms reverfed. They conducted the body to the land-port gates, where the train opened to the right and left, and the hearfe proceeded, tlirough the line they formed, on its way to London, Many thoufands of people were afTembled upon this cccafion, who behaved with the greatefb decency and decorum. On the 20th at night, the body was privately depofited in the family vault, in the church at Greenwich.
His private character was not Icfs exalted than his public, and equally exemplary to the Britifn offi- cers.
With an unufual livelinefs, almofi to impetuo- sity of temper, he was not fubjefl to paiFion . with the greateil independency of fpirit^ he w^as free from pride. Generous, almolt to proftuion ; he con- temned every little art for the acquilition of vvcaith, "whilft he fearched after obiefls for his charity and beneficence: the deferving foldier never w^ent un- rev/arded, and the needy inferior officers often tafted of his bounty. Conilant and difcerning in his at- tachm.ents ; manly and unreferved, yet gentle, kind, and conciliating in his manners ; he enjoyed 'a large- Ihareof the friendfhip, and almoil the univerfal good- Vvill of mankind ; and, to crown all, fincerity and candour, a true fenfe of honour, jultice, and,public liberty, feemed the inherent principles of his nature, and were the uniform rules of his coiiduft.
His untimely fate called forth the exertions of emulative genius amongil our artiils : it has been
the
fio T H E L I F E O F
the hidorical fubje£l of the fculptor, the painter, and the engraver, by which means the names of Wilton, Weft, and Woollet, will be tranfmitted to pofterity. with the afFe£ting {lory of the im- mortal Wolfe.
The life of
LORD ANSON,
[A, D. — , to 1762.]
GEORGE ANSON, whole fignal merit as a naval officer raifed him to the dignity of a peer of Great Britain, w^as the fecond and youngeft fon of "William Anfon, Efq; of Shuckborongh (who died in 1720) by Elizabeth, iifter to the countefs of Macclesfield, and aunt to the late earl.
We have no account of the exa£l time of his birth, nor yet of his infant years ; v/e only know that he very early devoted himfelf to the fea-fervice, and was made captain of the Weazel floop in 1722 ; and, the year following, of the Scarborough man of war. On the breaking-out of the Spanifli war. in 1740, he was recommended to his late majefty for the command of a fquadron deflined to annoy the enemy in the South Seas j and, by an unfre- quented
GEORGE, LORD ANSON, m
quented navigation, to attack them with vigour in their remotefl fettlements ; a delign which, had it not met with unaccountable delays, would have amply anfwered the intention, and might have given, perhaps, an irretrievable blow to the Spanifli American powder.
Mr. Anion failed from St. Helen's on the i8th of September 1740, in the Centurion, of iixty guns, with the Gloucefter and Severn, of fifty each, the Pearl of forty, the Wager ftorefhip, and the Tryal Hoop. His departure having been retarded fome months beyond the proper ieafon, he did not arrive in the latitude of Cape Horn till about the middle of the vernal equinox, and in fuch tempeftuous weather, that it was with much difficulty that his own fliip, with the Gloucefter and the floop, could double that dangerous cape ; and his ftrength was confiderably diminilhed, by the putting back of the Severn and Pearl, and the lofs of the Wager ftore- fnip. Yet notwithftanding this difappointment, and the havock that the fcurvy had made among the (hips that were left, he arrived at the fertile, though uninhabited ifland of Juan Fernandez.
Having, at this ifland, repaired his damages and refrefhed his men, with the above inconfiderable armament he kept, for eight months, the whole coaft of Peru and Mexico in continual alarm, made feveral prizes, took and plundered the town of Peyta, and, by his humane behaviour to his pri- foners, imprefled on their minds a lafting idea of BritiHi generoiity.
At length, with the Centurion only (the other two fhips having been condemned) he traverfed the vaft extent of the Pacific Ocean, a three months voyage ; in the courfe of which, his numbers were fp much' farther reduced by iicknefs, that it was
with
112 T H E L IF EOF
with the utmoft difHciilty he reached the ifland of Tiniaiij one of the. Ladrones ; a place which, from the following hixurious defcription thefe \'oyagers have given of it, feems truly to be a terreflrial pa- . radife.
*'• This iHand lies in the latitude of 15. 8. North, and longitude from Acapulco 114. 50. W. Its length is about twelve miles, and its breadth about half as much; it extending from the S. S. "VV. to the N.N. E.
** The foil is every where dry and healthy, and fomewhat fandy, which being lefs difpofed than other foils to. a rank and over- luxuriant vegetation, occaJioiis the meadows and the bottoms of the woods to be much neater and fmoother than is cuflomary jn hot climites. The land rifes, by an eafy flope, from the very beach, where he watered, to the middle of the ifland ; though the general courfe of its a fee nt is often interrupted and traverfed by gentle defcents and vallies ; and the inequalities, that are formed by the different combinations of thefe gradual fweliings of the ground, are mofl beautifully diverlified by large lawns, which arc covered w'ith a very fine hes-foil, intermixed with a variety of flowers, .and are fkirted by v/oods of tall ^nd well-fpread trees, mofl of them celebrated either for their afpe£l or their fruit.
** The turf of the lawns is quite cleaM and even, and the bottoms of the w^oods, in many places, clear of all bullies and underwoods ; and tlie v^oods them.felves nfually terminate on the lawns with a regular outline, net broken., nor confufed_ with llraggling trees, but appearing as uniform as if laid out by art. Hence arife a great variety of the moft elegant and entertaining profpeds, formed by the mixture of thefe woods and lawns, and their various
interfed^ions
GEOUGE, LORD ANSON. 113
interfeftions with each other, as they fpread them- ielves diitcreiitiy through the vallies, and over the Hopes and declivities with v^hich the place abounds.
''The fortunate animals too, w^hich, for the grcatefl part of the year, arc the fole lords of this, happy foil, partake, in fome nieafure, of the ro- mantic cad of the ifland, and are no fmall addition to its wonderful fcenery : for the cattle, of which it is not uncouiinon to fee herds of fome thoufaTids feeding together in a large meadow, are certainly the mofi: remarkable in the world , for they are all. of them milk-white, except their cars, which are generally black j and, though there are no inhabi- tants here, yet the clamour and frequent parading of domeftic poultry, which range the -woods in great numbers, perpetually excite the ideas of the neigh- bourhood of farms and villages, and greatly contri- bute to the beauty and chearfulnefs of the place,
** The cattle on the iflind we computed were at leail ten thoufand ; and we had no dilhculty in get- ting near them, as they were not fhyof us. Our firil method of killing ihem was fhooting them ; but at laft, when, by accidents, we w-ere obliged -to huiband our ammunition, our men ran them down with ealc. Their dei'h was extremely well tafted, and was believed by us to be much more ealily di- gefted than any we had ever met with.
*' The fowls too were exceedingly good, and were likewife run down with little trouble ; for they could fcarcely fly further tlfan an hundred yards, at a flight, and even that fatigued them fo much, that they could not readily life again ; fo that, aided by the open- nefs of woods, we could at all timics lurnilh our- felves with whatever number we wanted.
*' Befides the cattle'and poultry, we found here abundance of wijd hogs. Thefe were moll excellent food ; but, as they were a very fierce animal, we v/ere
obliged
114 T H E L I F E O F
obliged either to fhoot them, or to hunt them with large dogs, which vve found upon the place at our landing, and which belonged to a dttachment that was then upon the illand, amaffing provilions for the garrifon of Guam,
*' As thefe dogs had been purpbfely trained to the killing of the wild h(-gs, they follpv^-ed us very rea- dily and hunted for us : but, though they were a large bold breed, the hogs fought with fo much fury^ that they frequently deftroyeJ tliem ; fo that we by degrees loft the greatefl part of them.
** But this place was not only extremely grateful to us, frcm the plenty and excellency of its fre(h pro- vifions, but was as much, perhaps, to be admired for its fruits and vegetable productions, which were mofl fortunately adapted to the cure of the fea-fcur- vy, which had fo terribly reduced us ; for in the woods there were inconceivable quantities of cocoa nuts, with the cabbages growing on the fam^e tree. There were, belides, guavoes, limes, fweet and four oranges, and a kind of fruit peculiar to thefe iflands, called by the Indians, Rima, but by us the Bread-Fruit ; for it was conftantly eaten by us dur- ing our Hay upon the ifland, inftead of bread, and fo univerfally preferred to it, that no fhip's bread was expended during that whole interval.
*' It grew upon a tree which was fomewhat lofty, and which, towards the top, divides into large and fpreading branches. The leaves of this tree are of a remarkably deep green, are notched about the edges, and are generally from a foot to eighteen inches in length. The fruit itfeif grows indifferent^ ly on all parts of the branches; it is in fliape rather elliptical than round, is covered with a rough rind, and is ufually feven or eight inches long ; each of them grows fingly, and not in clufters.
'' This
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 115
" This fruic is fitteft to be ufed when it is full- grown, but is ftill green ; in which Itate its tafte lias fome ciftant refernblance to that of an artichoke- bottom, and its texture is not very different, for it is fjft and fpongy. As it ripens it grows fofier and ot a yellow Qolour, and then contrails a lufcious tafle, and an agreeable fmell, not unlike that of a ripe peach; but then it is eftcemed un whole fome, and is (aid to produce fluxes.
*' Belides the fruits already enumerated, there were many other vegetables extremely conducive to the cure of the makdy we had long laboured under; fuch as water-melons, dandelion, creeping purflain, mint, fcurvy-grafs, and forrel ; all which, together with the frefh meats of the place, we devoured with great eagernefs, prompted thereto by the ftrong incli- nation which nature never fails of exciting in fcor- butic diforders for thefe powerful Ipecifics.
*' It will eafily be conceived, from what already hath been faid, that our cheer upon this ifland was in fome degree luxurious ; but I have not yet recited all the varieties of provifion which we here indulged in. I4ideed, we thought it prudent totally to abllain from fi(h, the few we caught at our firft arrival having furfeited thofe who eat of them; but confidering how much we had been inured to that fpecies of food, we did not regard this circumflance as a difadvantage, efpecially as the defeat was fo amply fupplied by the beef, pork, and fowls, already mentioned, and by great quan- tities of wild fowl ; for I muft obferve, that near the centre of the ifland there were two conliJerable pieces of frefh water, which abounded with duck, teal, and curlew ; not to mention the whiflling- plover, which we found there in prodigious plenty,
" And now, perhaps, it may be wondered at, that an ifland, fo excellently furnifhed with the con- veniences
ii6 T H E LIFE OF
veniences of life, and fo well adapted, not only to the fubfiftcnce, but liicewile to the enjoyment of mankind, Oiould be entirely dciiitute of inhabitants, cfpeciaily as it is in the neiglibourhood of other iilands, which, in foine meaiure, depend upon this for fnpport,
'' 'io obv.'ate this difficulty, I mufl obferve^ that it is not fifty years fisice this ifland was depo- pulated. The Indians we had in our cuitody af- Ibred us, that formerly the thtee iflands of Tinian, Rota, and Guam, were a!l full of inhabitants ; and that Tinian alone contained thirty thoufand fouls: but ficknefs raging amongd thefe iflands, which deftioyed njultitudes of the people, the Spa- niards, to recruit their numbers at Guam, which were gieatly diminifhed by this mortality, ordered a.11 the inhabitants of Tinian thither, where, lan- guifhing for their former habitations, and their cuftcmary method of life, the greateft part cf them in a fev/ years died of grief, indeed, indi^pendtnt of that attachment, which all mankind have ever fhown for the places of their birth and bringing-u;-, it fhould feem, from what has been already faid, that there were few countries more worthy to be regretted than tirs of Tmian.
'* Thefe poor Indians might reafonably have ex- pe£led, at the great diftance from Spain where they were placed, to have efcaped the violence and cruelty of that haughty nation, fo fatal to a large propor- tion of the hu.T.an race : but it fcems their remote fituation could not protedl them from fharing in tlie common deftru£lion of the wellern world, all the advantage they received from, their diftar.ce be- ing only to pcrifh a century or two later.
'> Having mentioneJ the numerous conveniencies of this place, 1 muft now obfervc, that all thefe advaniages were greatly enhanced by tne healthinefs-
of
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. n^
©r its climate, by the almoft conflant breezes which prevail there, and by the frequent fliovvers vvliich fail, and which, though of a. very lliortand almoft momentaiy duration, are extremely grateful and refrefhing, and are, perhaps, one caufe ofthefalu- brity of the air, and of the extraordinary influence it was obferved to have upsn us, in increafing and invigorating aur appetites and digcftion. This was fo remarkable, that thofe among our officers, who were at all otiicr times fpare and temperate eaters, who befides, a flight breakfafi:, made but one moderate repafl: a day, were here, in appear- ance, transformed into gluttons; for, inilead of one reafonable fiern-meal, they were now fcarcelv latisfied with three, and each of them fo prodigious ia quantity, as would at another time have pro- duced a fever or a furfeit : and yet our digeftion fa well correfponded with the keennefs of our appetites, that we w^ere neither difordered- nor even loaded by this repletion ; for after having, according to the cuitorn of the ifland, made a lar^e beef-breakfaft, it w^as not long before we began to conlider the ap- proach of dinner as a very deiirable thb-ugh fome- vvhat tardy incident."
At the fou'h-weft end of this delightful ifland, the only fecure place for fhips of burthen to lie in, the Centurion anchored in twenty and twenty-two fathom water, oppoHte to a fandy bay, an-d about a mile and a half diflant fiom the fliore.
But here the commodore and mofl of his peo- ple were in great danger of being loil for ever, or of being imprifoned or mafTacred by the neighbour- ins; Spaniards, the Centurion beinsf driven from her anchors, one night, in a vie^ilent itorni, and, after nineteen days abfence, being brought back \^th difficulty, by the i^LW^ hands that were left on %oard.
It
ii8 THELIFEOF
It was the middle of the month of Oiflober, 1742, before the commodore was in a condition to put to fea again ; and on the 12th of November, after a great variety cf adventures, too numerous to be in- ferted here, he arrived at Macao, which is a Portu- gueie fettlement, fituated in an ifland at the entrance of the river of Canton, but entirely under the go- vernment of the Chinefe. Here Mr. Anfon fhewed bimlelf worthy of his command, by maintaining the honour of his fovereign and of the Britifh flag, in boldly refuflng to pay the port duties exadled by the emperor of China from all foreign ihips* He inlifled that no king's fhip ought to pay them ; and hiscoolnefs and intrepidity confounded the Chinefe, fo that the viceroy gave up the point ; and then having completely refitted the fhip (as was generally fuppofed for an European voyage), he fleered back asiar as the Philippine iflands, with a view of meet- ing the Acapulco fhip j a plan as wifely laid, as it was happily executed.
On the laft day of May, 1743, the Centurion ar- rived off cape tfpiritu Sa72to, on the iiland of Samal, in the direct tract by which the Manilla (hips return from Acapulco. On the 20th of June, one of the wiflied for fhips was defcricd ; fhe was called the Noflra Senhora de Cabadonga, (he luounted 40 guns' ; and the treafure in filver fpecie and ingots, with the other efre£ls on board, amounted to 313,000 1. ftcrling. The Centurion, though (he mounted 60 guns, had but 227 men on board ; and the Spaniard was full-manned. An engagement enfued, in which the bravery and fkill of the Englilli prevailed againft fuperiority of numbers : after having 67 men killed and 84 wounded, the commander of the galleon ftruck his colours, and furrendercd them himfelf in- to Coiumotiore Anfon's hands, who lofl only two men, and had only one lieutenant and 16 private
feamen
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 119
fearien woanded. He returned with his rich prize to Canton, where he put the treafure on board the Centurion, fold the Spanifli hulk, and fet Tail for England.
On his arrival at Spithead, in June 1744, after rear four years abfence, he found that the hand of Providence fcemed fiill to protedt him, having failed, in a fog, through the midft of a French fleet, then cruiling in tlie channel. In fliort, through the whole of this remarkable voyage, he experienced the truth of that faying of Teucer, which he after- wards chofe for his motLO, *' Nil eft delperandum.'* Soon after his return be was appointed rear ad- miral of the blue, and one of the lords of the admi- ralty. In April, 1745^ he was made rear-admiral of the white; andinju'y, 1746, vice admiral of the Kus, He was alfo chofen member of parliament for Heydon in Yorkfhire. That winter he command- ed the channel fqaadron ; and had not the duke d'Anvil'e's fleet, returning with difgrace from North America^ been accidentally apprized of his ftation, his long and tempeftuous cru le would then h ye been attended with his ufual fuccefs. However, iii the tnfuing (ummer, he was once more crowned with wealth and conqaeft. Bemg then on board the Prince George, of ninety guns, in company with rear-admiral Warren, and twelve iliips more, cruihng off cape Finiflerre, on the third of May^ i747» they intercepted a powerful fleet, bound from France to the Eaft artd VVtil Indies; and, after a fliarp engagement, in Vv^hich the French behaved with uncommon bravery, but were obliged to yield to fuperiority of numbers, ojr admirals took the whole fl'.rer, coniiiling of lix men of war, and four Eaft Indiamen. I'he fpeech of the French admiral, M. de la Jonquiere, on prefenting his fword to the conqueror, dcferves to be recorded ; '* Monfleur,
vous
120 T H E L I F E O F
VOU3 avez vaincu I'lnvincible, et la Gloire yous fuit," pointing to the two (hips i'o named.
For thefe repeated fervices, the late king reward- ed him with a peerage, en the 13th of June, by the title of lord Anfon, baron of Soberton in Hants. On the 15th of July, in the fame year, he was appoint- ed vice-admiral of the red ; and on the death of Sir John Norris, he was made vice-admiral of Eng- land.
In April 1748, his lordHiip married the honour- able MifsYorke (eldeft daughter of the Jate earl of Hardw^icke, then lord-high-chancellor) who died in 1760, without ifTue.
In May, 1748, he was appointed admiral of the bluej in which year he commanded the fq jadron that convoyed the late king to and from Holland ; and from this time as long as he lived he conftantly attended his -majefty on his going abroad, and on his return to England.
In June, 1751, his lordfliip was appointed firft lord of the adm.iraity ; in which pofl: he ccndnucd (with a very fliort intermiffion) till his death.
In 1752, he was appointed one of the lords juftices, during the abfence of the king, and again in 1754. That year, on the rupture with France, fo active and fpirited were his meafures, that a ficet, fuoerior to the enemy, was equipped and manned with amaz- ing expedition.
In 1758, being then admiral of the white, hav- ing hoified his flag on board the Royal GeorgCj of one hundred guns, he failed from Spithead on the ifl of June, with a formidable fleet. Sir Edward JHawke commanding under him ; and by cruizing continually before Breft, he covered the defcents that were made that iummer at St. Maloes, Cher- bourg, &c. After this, he was appointed admiral and «ommander in chief of his majefly's fleets.
The
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 121
The laft fervice his lordftiip performed at fea was the convoying to England our prefent queen ; for which parpoie he failed from Harwich in the Charlotte yatch, on the 7th of Auguft, 1761 j and that day month, after a long and tempeftuous voy- age, landed the princefs at the fame place.
At length, having been feme time in a languifli- ing ftate of health, he was advifed to the Bath-wa- ters, from which he was thought to have received great benefit on former occafions ; there he remain- ed during the winter of 1761, and part of the fpring of 1762 ; but finding himfelf greatly exhaufled, and unable to bear the fatigue of company, he retired to his feat at Moor-Park, in Hertford (hire, where he died fudienly on the 6th of June, upon his return from walking in his garden.
His lordiliip was remarkably diftlnguifhed for re- folution, perfeverance, and a calm, even temper, moft excellent qualifications for a commander-iji— chief. But at home, he lelTened his great reputa- tion by a foolifli attachment to gaming; and, having feen little of the po'ite world, he eafily became the dupe of (harpers in high life, who eafed him of a coniiderable fliare of his wealth ; and the ridicule which he incurred up^n thefe occafions, it is thought, af- fected his fpirits, and contributed not a little to bring on that decline which fhortened his days.
The account of lord Anfon's Voyage round the World is a work too well known to require more than barely to mention, that the iirft publication from journals, and other documents given by his lordiliip to the editor, whofe compilation he revifed before it went to prefs, was received with unufual avidity by the publick ; and no lefs than four large impreffions were fold within the year. It was like- wife tranllated into moll: of the modern languages;
Vol. VL G "and
122 P H I L I P y O R K E,
and it is at prcfent a proper companion to Hawkf- worth's and the other modern voyages to the fame quarter of the globe'.
The life of
PHILIP Y O R K E,
E A Px L OF H A R D W I C K E,
Lord Chancellor of England.
[A. D. 1691, to 1764.]
THIS able lawyer arid (latefman, who had the misfortune not to be fo well efteemed in the latcer as in the firft capacity, was born at London, in the year 1691. His family, we are told, held a genteel rank in life, but were not opulent : this is all the account we have of them.
Mr. \orke was 'defig'.ed for an a[torney,v and with that view ferved his clerkship with a very emi- nent gentleman of that proteffion ; but his genius not permiffirg him to reil consented with the mere drudgery of the law, he entered himfelf of the So- ciety of Linco'n's-Inn, and commenced barr fter. It is not afcertained ac what time he w^s called to the bar ; but ic is well known, that in a very few^ years, and while he was a very young man, he acquired very great reputation as a pleader ; and in the yeat 1720, his great meat raifed him to the cfhce of lolicitor-general to kmg George I. In 17235 he was promoted to that of attorney-general ; g . and
EARL OF H A R D W I C K E. 123
and In this ftation, v/hich confers a privilege of being the firfl: pleader in every caufe that officer is engaged in, he difplayed fuch amazing powers of eloquence, and fuch a mafterly knowledge of the laws of England, that he was pronounced to be one of the greareft lawyers that had appeared at the Enelifli bar in the prefent century. With fuch abilities, it is no wonder that his promotion fhould be rapid. In 1733, being then only in the 42d year of his age, he was conftituted chief juftice of the court of kings bench; and, in 1737, he attained the higheft honours ol the law, being n;ade lord-high- chancellor of England, and of courfe fpeakcr of the houfe of lords. At the fame tirrie, he was made a peer of the reahn, by the ti^le of Baron Hardwicke.
No man in the kingdom w^as fo clearly intitlcd to this dignity as Mr. Yorke, from his theoretical knowlege, and his exteniive pradice in the courts of law and equity; and therefore, his advancement was confidcred, by the gentlemen of the prof^,'fIion, ,as a great acquihtion to the court over which he was appointed to prelidc.
In this high llation, h*s afliduity, his fleady, evtn teiDper, his great fagacity, and his irrpartial adminiflraticn of juflice, were equally conspicuous and admired. The year 1746 . fv^rniihed him with a frefli opportunity of excrcifmg the powers of elo- quence. He was conftituted iord-high-ftevvard of England for the trial of the rebel lords j and his fpeech delivered xipon palling fentence againfc lord Lovat is reckoned one of the fineft fpecimens of modern oratory extant in the Eng'iili language. In 1749, he was ele£led high-iieward of the uni- verfity of Cambridge.
His lordfliip held the feals till the year 1756,
when he found himi'elf obliged to refign, u,>oii
G 2, ' Mr.
324 P H I L I P Y OR K E,
Mr. Pitt's coming into adminiOration, that able llaierman having full inte'lii^ence that the chan- cellor had too great an influence in the cabinet; and even his friends always confcll*ed, that he was but a weak politician, too ?pt to he fway^d by partial views and intertfls; efpecially in foliclt- ing great employments under the government for perfons but ill-qualified to execute them, to which he paid no regard, provided their promotion could in any refpedt, flrengthen his own interefl^, or ad- vance the fortune of his family. His lordfli p, be- fore he retired, obtained an accefTion of dignity, being created earl of Hardwicke in 1754. He had the fatisfacfion of feeino; all his children moft fuccefs- fully eftablifhed in life; and, in the year 1764, he paid the debt t.f nature, leaving the charccfftr of a moH eloquent fpe.ker, a miS. able lawyer, and a good moral man. On his death-ded he decUred, that he never wronged any man to increafe his fortune; r.or acquired a lingle acre of land which he could not in his Jaft n oments think upon with franquiliity. But the higheft eicomium on his great ^ibilities and inteority in the ft at of equity is, that though he held the feals near twenty years, during which tiine msny app(al> fr-m his decrees were c^^rried up to thr bir of the houfe of lords, not one of of t'nem w^s reverfed.
Ill his po'itical capacity, the earl of Hardwicke was u foituna e ^snd U!'p:^ular; hs eagernels to provide for his own family, to vhich he w^as fli- mulated by ihe felfifh difpofition of his lady, made him a continual ^etitic ner to the throne for par- tial favours, inftead of employing his interefl with the king for patriotic and benevoleiu puipofes. His late majcfly was fo fenfible of this, that a fliort time before he went out of office, having alked for Ibme place for one of his dillant relations, he gave
him
EARL OF HARDWICKE. 125
^im this fevere check : *' My lord, you have been a frequent folicitor ; but 1 have obferved, that it has always been for fome one of your family, or within the circle of ^our relations."
His political princiJes favou cd ariftocracy too much, and tended to the oppreifijn of the com- mons. On this ground he oppofed the militia-bill, reprefenting the great danger that might arife from putting arms into the hands of the people, and dif- ciplining them for war, by which they would be ripe for civil commotions ; and, upon fome favour- able occafion, when they thought themfelves in- jured by government, might attempt to eflablifh a democracy, on the fubverfion of monarchy and the houfe of peers. And when he found he could not prevent the bill paffin-r into a law, he introduced feveral cUufcs, which threw the eftablifhrnent more into the hands of the crown than it was intended by the framers of the bill ; yet, even with thefe amendment.-;, he continued to di (countenance it to the laft ; for, in his own county, he To contrived matters, that the militia was neither embodied, nor commuted for in money, notwithft^nding the alter- native claufe for that purpofe. With the fame views, he exerted his abilities and influence in the houfe of peers, to throw out a new habeas corpus a£l^, which had paffed through the lower houfe rifmlne c'.Jt'radlccnte^ and was framed to increafe and fecure this great privilege to the peopl", by preventing fo v>e lliameful evafions of the old a6l, which had been put in praflice by the inferior offictrs of cri- minal and civil juftice, aided by difhonett lawyers.
But of all the unpopular meafurcs adviied in the cabinet by this narrow-minded politician, none gave fo much difguft, or lelTened his reputarion (o much, as the marriage a£l : fome pruflential legii- laiions were indeed wanting, to prevent the lliam«- G 3 ful,
126 P H I L I P Y O R K E, Sec.
ful, clandeftlne marriages of minors; and a fliort bill for this purpofe was drawn up, ard laid before him by the judges; but to this he objefted, with- out the ler.fl fliadcw of reafon, probably becaufe it would wound the pride of the peers too much to obliye all perfon.s, v/ithout diflinflion, to be mar- ried publicly in parlfli-churches, that their mar- riages might be regiftered, and the more eafily nrovedo Inftead of which, he drew up another, i^llcd with claufes calculated to prevent all mar- nsges without confent, with a dt-fign, as it fliould feem, to perpetuatej as much as might b?, a fortune vv a family once made, by continuing from gene- ration to generation a vaft quantity of property, and lo facilitate at each descent the lumping of one great fum, or one great family, to another, by bargain and falc, in oppofition to the generous principles of equality and diffulive property, which free ftates have always encouraged.
Upon the whole, however, his great abilities as a lawyer, and the general tenour of his condu6^ and example, were very beneficial to fociety : we may therefore fafely pronounce him to have been an il- luflrious ornament to his country.
His lordftiip married Margaret, one of the daughters cf Charles Cocks, Efq; by whom lie had five fons. I. Philip the prefent earl of Hardwicke. 2. Charles Yorke, who enjoyed diilinguiflied repu- tation- at the bar as a counfellor and artorney- gtneral; he fuddenly accepted the feals, with the title of lord Morton, and as fuddenly died, two days after, univerfally lamented. 3. Sir Jofeph Yorke, formerly ambaiTador extraordinary to the States-Ge- neral, and iiiice treated lord Dover. 4. John Yorke, formerly member of pdrliament for Ryegate. 5. The right reverend James Yorke, bifliop of Ely. He had hkewife two daughters ; Elizabeth, married to
lord
SIR JOH>T BARNARD. 127
lord Anfon, fhe d ed in 1760, without ilT-je ; and Margaret, married to Sir John Heaihcote, baronet.
The life of
SIR JOHN BARNARD, Knt.
TH E many eminent public f-i^rvices performed by this patriotic citizen, for the benefit of the community at large, and of the inhabitants of the iirft commercial city in Europe in particular, have defervedly found a place in the annals of his country, and are preferved in this work, as an animating ex- ample to incite thofe who may rife to the fame ho- nours, conferred on them by the free voice of their fellow-citizens, t^ tread in his ileps, an4 to merit the exalted cbarader given of liim by contemporary hiflorians and biographers.
He was born at Reading, in Berkfhire, in the year 1685. ^^'^ parents, who were Quakers, put him to a fchcol at Wandfworth, in Surrey, which was folely appropriated to the education of perfonsof that profefiion. At this fchool he is-faid to have deri- ved very little advantage in point of claSical and polite literature ; but the great lofs which he hence fuf- tained, his native good fenfe, and love of knov^ledge, foon led h'uvi to fupply, as far as poffible, by carefully peruling Engliih tranflations of the beli Greek and Roman writers. liis father was a wine-merchant, and he was early brought up to the fame bujinefs, G 4 in
siB THE LIFE OF
m which he engaged very fuccefsfully on his own account. Before he was nineteen years of age he cj^iitted the foci:ty of the Quakers, and being bapti- zed by Dr. Compton, bilhop of London, in his chapel at Fulham, he continued a member of the eilabl'fhed church till his death. As he carried on h'.s bufinefs as a wine-merchant in the city of Lon- don, and greatly diftinguifhed himfelf among his fellow-citizens by his abilities, knowledge, and in- tegrity, in the year 1722 he was chofen one of trie reprcfentatives in parli-ment for the city of London j /and this important truft was confided to him in fcven fuccefTive parliaments, his name always appearing at the head of the candidates upon every gci.eral election ; and whatever oppofition others met with, none of any confcquence was attempted againft h m.
In 1725, our worthy citizen diflingu'fbed him- felf in the houfe of commons by cppofing a bill, in- titu.'ed ** A bill for regulating elcdions wiihin the ciry of Lcndon, and for prei'erving the peace, good order, and government, of the faid city." The grounds on which Sir John Barnard oppofed it were, that it made an alteration in the city-charter, by repealing a part of the ancient rights and privi- jetres contained therein, by which a bad precedent was eftahlidied for the crown to violate corporation- charters at pleafare; that it took away the rights of a great number of honeft citizens to vote at wardmote tledlions, who had enjoyed that privilege from time irrimemorial ; that it abridged the pri- vileges of the cotnmon-council ; and that it tranf- ferred too great a weight of authority and in- fluence from that aiTembly to tfie court of mayor and aldermen, thereby, in a great meafure, fubvert- ing the ancient ccniiitution of the city. Counfel were heard upon the petitions of the common-coun-
SIR. JOHN BARNARD. itg
cU, and offeveral citizens, at the bar of both houfes, againft this bill i and, in favour of if, upon the pe- titions of the court of mayor and aldermen and other citizens; and it met with a flrong tppoft, tion.
The particular claufes which in 'fafl infr ngel the charter, and, under the fanflion of law, ' rok': through the rules of equity, were, i. That no citi- zen fhould have a right of voting at wardmote elec- tions, unlefs he rented, or otherwife inhabited (as mafter) a houfe of ten pounds a year, though hs fliould pay all parifh taxes and dues: this was con* fidered as an uajurfifiahle hardfliip ; and it occafion- ed fuch turnukuous alfemblies of the poorer citizens reforting every day to Weftminfter, to know the event of the bill, and llich loud complaints, that the go- vernment thought proper to double the guards at St. James's and at Leicefter-houfe, and to take every neceflary precaution to preferve the peace. 2. That no act {hould pafs in common- council for the future (except what relates to the nomination of a few city- officers) without the aflenr of the major part of the court of mayor and aldermen prefent, in fuch com- mon council. The counfel for the bill infifted, that the mav'or and aldermen had anciently that right which this claufe eftabliilies ; but the proof of that right appeared fo remote and obfcure, that fevcral lords in the upper houfe protefted againft it; and becaufc on the oJier iide it appeared plainly, that, from the time the city was firft incorporated to that of bring- ing in this bill, fuch a claim has been very feldom made, and has never been acknowledged. They there- fore delired the opinion of the judges on the legality of infringing the charter and the ancient rights, cuf- toms, and privileges, enjoyed by the common citi- zens ; but this motion being put, it was carried in the negative, and the bill palfcd. Sir John Barnard G 5 received
J30 THELIFEOF
leceivecl the thanks of the court of common-conncil for the a£tive part he took in the oppolition to this a£ii and the moft obnoxious part of it, which grant- ed a negative power to the lord-mayor and aldermen^ was repealed in, 1746.
In the year 1727, he was chofen aldernjan of 3i)owgate-vvard, upon the death of John Crowley, Efq; who had enjoyed that honour only a few months. The following year, he prepared a bill for the better encouragement and rcgalation of lea- men in the merchants fervice, which he carried through the houfe with great credit to himfelf ; and it received the royal affent in iVIay, i 729 ; and in the fame feflion lie took an adlive part in the enquiry appointed 10 be made into the ftate bf the gaols of this kingdom ; which took its rife from the iniqui- tous and cruel condu(fl of Thomas BambriclgC) Efq; warden of the Fleet, who had put feveral debtors in irons, particularly Sir Robert Rich, baronet ; and had fuffered others, from venality, to efcape. When Eambridge and his agents were committed to New- gate, and the attori-icy-general was ordered to pro - iecute them, alderman Barnard took great pains, as a magiftrate, to procure information of the feve- ral abufes committed in the Fleet-prifon, to the op- prefHon of the unfortunate debtors ; and, by a pa- thetic reprefentaiion of the grievances they labour- ed under at that time, he was highly inftrumental -in procuring an immediate a£l of infohency, and in framing an act for the better regulating the Fleet- prifon, and more effectually preventing and punifh- ing arbitrary and illegal praftices on the part of the warden and his deputies. But our worthy alder- man did not confine his public fervices merely to domeftic occurrences ; his extenfive capacity took a wider fphere of a£lion ; and upon queflions of general policy, in which the honour or intereft of his country with refpedt to foreign tranfatSlions was
concerned.
SIR JOHN BARNARD, 131
concerned, he fhcwed hlmfelf to be a firm patriot, and an able polirician. Thus, in the year i7':50,- when a bill was brought into the houfe by tlie mi- niiler, to prohibit all his majefty's fubje£ls, and all perfons refidina; in tlie kingdom, from lending mo- ney to foreigners, he took the lead in the oppoli- tion to it. The bill was calculated to put a irop to the negotiation of a loan for the fervice of the em- peror of Germany, amounting to 400,000!. then in agitation on the Exchange of London. The alder- man had no objection to a bill particularly framed, by naminvr tlie emperor, and the exprefs purpofc of the a6t, to put an end to this negotiation; but he fhongly argued a'j,ainft a general prohibition of this kind, oS lavinfr a violent and detrimental reflraint on commerce, and ?.s tending to throw a very lucra- tive branch of trade folely into the hands of the Dutch., to the b.nefit of the bank of Amfterdam, and to the prejudice of the merchants, and the mo- nied interel^ of England. In fadi, if fome amend- ments had not been made to this bill, it would not have been fafe for any m.erchant to have advanced money to any -foreign corefpondent, upon any ex- tr?/)rclinary emergency, in the intercdurles of trade; and, as he juftly obferved, the exchequer would have been convcrced into a court of inquilicion ; for there v/as a claufe in it, empowering the attorney- general, by Engiifh bill in the court of exchequer, to extort diicovcry by exafting an oath from fufpe£t- ed perfons. The oppofition fo far fuccceded . that tbe bill was confideiably amended before it paffed ; and an explanation was given by the minillry, that his majeify did not mean to prevent his fubjefts from lending money to the king of Portugal, or any other prince in alliance with him, and that the only reafon for not nalning the emperor in the bill was, that by making it general he could have no G 6 fgundaticn
132 T H E L 1 F E O F
foundation to come to an open rupture with Eng- land on this account.
The next exertion of his patriotic attention to the faithful difcharge of his duty to his conftituents was in the cafe of the excife-^fcheme, brought into the houfe of commons by the minifter, Sir Robert Wal- pole, then at the head of the treafury, on the 14th of March, 1733, in a committee of the whole houfe, which had been appointed to confider of the moft proper methods for the fecurity and improvement of the duties and revenues already charged upon, and payable from, tobacco and wines. The minifter ex- patiated on the frauds that had been committed for many years by the fmugglers and fraudulent dealers in thefe articles, to the enriching themfelves at the cxpence of the public revenues. He faid, that the tobacco -planters in America were reduced almoft to dcfpair, by the many frauds that had been committed in that trade, by the heavy duties paid on impor- tation, and by the ill ufage of their favors and agents in England; he had therefore a fcheme to-propofe which would remedy thefe evils, increafe the public revenues to the amount of 2 or 300,000!, per an- num, and greatly benefit the fair trader. And, as the laws of the cuftoms had been found ineffectual for preventing the frauds complained of, he propofed, ** to add the laws of excife to the laws of the cuftoms, by repealing great part of the duty paid on impor- tation, and, in lieu thereof, laying an inland duty or excife of four pence per pound on the confumption, to be collected by the excife-cfEcers, and fubjecSed to the excife-lartvs." The firll regular lltp in this buiinefs was to move in the commitee a repeal of the importation-duties granted by feveral a6>s in the reigns of Charles 11. James II. and queen Anne. Micajah Perry, as fenioc alderman and one of the leprefcntaiivcs of t^e citv, opened the debate in
oppolition
SIR JOHN BARNARD. 133
opp^iiition to this motion ; he admitted that frauds had been committed in the tobacco trade, but not to the amount Hated by the miniiler : as to the LardThips of the tobacco planters, they had been put upoa coinpla'ning by letters fent to them from admini- flration for that purpofe; and they r,oN repented it. He obferved, thar, if this fcheme took elftcft, they would be in a much vvorfe c -ndition, for no man here would be concerned in the trade, whereas now the merchants of this kingdom fent fhips to receive the tobacco in America, and advanced the planters ready money, till it could be brought to market and fold. But if the new plan took place, To far from being an advantage to the fair trader or the honelt fa£lor, it would ruin bothj how then could it benefit the public revenues ?
Sir John Barnard took it up in a commercial and a political light, and faid, " Jt feemed to be the Jaft branch of liberty they had to contend for, that it took away their ancient birth-right, trials by juries, from all perfons concerned in this branch of trade. They had already iubje6led great numbers of the people of this nation to the arbitrary laws of excife, and this fcheme would ex^nd this fubjec- tion to To many more, that the fatal confeqwences were to be dreaded.
-** It had bten faid, his majefty was a wife and a good prince; but no argument could be drawn from thence, to iriduce them to furrender their liberties and privileges. Though his majefty fhould never make a bad ufe of it, his fuccflTors might. A flave that has the good fortune to meet with a humane maftcr, is neverthelefs a il-ive. Their liber- ties were (00 valuable, and were purchated at too high a price, to be fported with, or wantonly given up, to the beft of kings : he hoped iney had the fame value for their liberties as their anceftors had ;
if
134. THELIFEOF
if fo, tliey would certainly ufe all peaceable mean^ to preferve them ; and, if fucn {he u Id. prove ineffec- tual, he hoped there was no Englifhman but would ufe thofe methods their anceflors had done, and tranfmit diem to their pofterity in the fame glori- ous condition they found them, and not. facrifice the conilitution to the p!;or pretejice of fupprelling a few frauds in the coHefting the public revenues,- the whole amount of which appeared to be no more,. riccoi;ding to the confeffion of the commiffioners themfelves, than 40,000 1. per ann. which might he prevented without entering upon fuch dangerous me a fu res."
Though all the citv-members put a negattve i.po.i the motion, yet it was earned through the committee together with fevcral other refojutions, which were warmly debated for two days ; and upon the report being made to the houfe, allx the reiolutlons of the committee were agreed toj and upon the quefiion, for leave to bring in a bill ac- cordingly, the houfe divided, for the bil] 249, ngdinil: it 189. During the debate, the, people being alarmed, flocked to Weflminder in great multitudes, and filled all the avenues to the houfe of commons.
In all promifcuous aiTemblies of this fort, many of the populace, excited only by curiofity, will be found intermixed with citizens of reputation and property concerned in the bufmefs. This hap- pened to be the cafe upon the prefent occafion ; and feveral members, the known friends to the excife-fcheme, having been groilly infulted in going to, and returning from, the houfe. Sir Robert \\ alpole complained of it to the houfe. He faid, Thefe people v/ould not have crowded to their door, if they had not been inftjgated by others of higher, rank j that circuLu letters had been fent by the
beadles
SIR JOHN BARNARD. 135
bcaclles of the wards in the city, fumnioning t>^e citizens, alrnoll: at their peril, to come down tliat day (the 14th of March) to the houfe of commons; he had one of thofe letters in his pocket, figned by a deputy of a ward (looking at the lame time at Sir John BaHiard); and he concluded his fpeech with the following unguarded expreffions, which had Will nigh cod him his life :
" Gentlemen might call the multitude, now at their door, a modeft multitude. But whatever tem- per they were in when they came there, it might be very much .altered now : after haviiig waited fo long (till near 2 in the morning of the 15th;, it might be very eafy for fome defigning, feditious perfon to raife a tumult amongft them : he could not think it prudent or regular to ufe any methods for bringing fuch multitudes to that place on any pretence. Gen- tlemen might give them what name they thought fit: it might be faid they came thither as humble luppli- cants, but he knew whom the law called Sturdy Beggars. And thofe who brouglit them there could' not be certain they would not behave in the fame manner.''
Alderman Barnard then riling to fpeak, the friends of the minifler called loudly for the quertion ; but Sir John Cotton over-ruled it at length, by crying out, to order^ and appealing to tiie chairman of the committee, in a manner which ihews the efteem in which our patriot was held at this early ftage of his public life. '* Sir, 1 hope you will call gen- tlemen ^ to order. There is now a gentlem^an got up to fpeak, who fpeaks as well as any gentleman in the houfe, and who deferves attention as much as any gentleman that ever fpoke in this houfe,' Beiides, Sir, he is one of the reprefentatives of the greateft and richefl city in Europe ; a city which is greatly iritereiled in this debate 3 and' iherefore'
he
136 T H E L I F E O F
he muj} be heard." The committee being called fo order, Sir John Barnaro made the folio ,ving flinging reply to Sir Robert Walpole's infmuaiious thiown out againfl him :
'^ Sir, 1 l^now of no unfair or irregular methods made ufe of to bring people from the city to your doors; but any genckmen or merchants might law- fully defire thiir friends, by. letters or otherwife, to come down to the court of requefts, and Iblicit their friends and acquaintarce againfl any fcheme ^r pro- je<^ they thought prejudicial to them, lliis is the undoubted rigiit of the fubjeft, and whur has been pradliltd upon all occafion.s. The honourahle mem- ber talked of Sturdy Beggars (highwaymen or robbers) ; but I allure him, thofe I faw at the door deferve the name of Sturdy Beggars, as little as that honourable gentleman himfelf, or any gentle- man whatever. The city < 1 London was well apprifed of what we were to be upon this day ; where they had their information i 6.0 net know ; but I am fure they have a right notion of the fcheme, and are fo- generally, and fo zealouily bent agjinfl it, that, whatever methods might have been uied to call them thither, I am fure it would have been impolTible to have found any legal methods to have prevented their coming.'*
The rafh expreffion of Sir Roberfwas not readily forgotten, nor ever forgiven j and when the bill was brought in to be read a firft: time, on the 4th of Aprij, the crowd without doors was much greater than before: the mob were very near feizing him, and might have dene it, if V:r, Cunningham, a Scotch member, had not drawn his fword and kept them off, till Sir Robert had got into the avenue ta the houfc ! Some of the other members in office were Iikewife ill-treated; and, perhaps, this behaviour contributed not a little to form the inconfiderable
5 majority
SIR JOHN BARNARD. 137
majority by whom the firft reading of the bill was carried ; the numbers upon the divifion were 236 for i?, to 200 againft it.
No minifter would choofe to rifque his credit up- on 36 votes; and, by this time, petitions from the city of London, in their corporate capacity, and from feveral other cities, were brought to the bar of the houfe. Sir Robert, therefore, very prudently moved on the day appointed for the fecond reading, which was the nth, that it be put ofF till the 12th of June ; but the oppofition, now perceiving ihat they had carried their poin', contended for having it ab- fo'utely rejected : however, finding that tlie miniiler intended like wife to adjourn the committee for the further improvement and regulating of the revenues, into whicrj this fcheme had been iirft introduced, to a diftant day, they acquiefced in his motion ; and thus ended this dangerous projefl. The rejoicings made in the cities of London and Weftminfler, and in divers parts of the kingdom, were equal to any that had been known for the mod fignal vidories over a foreign enemy.
But notwiihfcanding the great, ju{}, and fuccefsful, oppoiition, that was made to this pernicious bii], an- other bill of the fame kind, equally uniuftifiable, and founded on principles equally unconititutional, was brought in, and palled into a law, in the year 1789, lander tlie adminiftration of Mr. Pitt, f tn to the great earl of Chatham, Some oppoiition was mide to it, but not fuch an oppofition a.« the bi!l def-rved. No rea', or pretended augmentation of the pubhc revenue can be a c mpei^fa^ion, for a£ls fo hoflile to tne fun- damental principles of the conftit -tion.
In 1734, Sir John Barnard brought into the houfe, and earned, the famous bill to prevent flock-jcbbing ; which put a (rop to the mofl iniquitous branch ;S of that fpecies of gaming.
In
138 T H E L I F E O F
In 1735, he alfo moved, in the houfe of commons, for leave to bring in a bill to limit the number af playhoufes, and to reftrain the licentioufnefs of players, which was now got to an amazing height, ftrolling companies performing:, without any licence, in all quarters of the town. For want of proper fup- port, it failed at this time; but the minifter himfclf fciW the expediency of the meafure two years after-^ wards, and brought in a bill upon a fimilar plan, but v;ith feme very improper claufes, which palled inta a law.
Upon the quarrel becoming public between the late king and his royal highnels Frederick prince of Wales, Sir John Barnard, though he did not m«k.c himfelf in ?.ny refpedt a party, by paying his court to the prince at Leicefter- houfe, which was deemed a high offence at St James's, yet thought proper to join ihofe members of the houfe of commons, who Were for fettling an annual income on the prmce, of 100,000 1. per annum, independent of the crown. Accordingly, he feconded Mr. PuUeney's motion for that purpofe, in the feffions of 17375 on this patri- otic principle ; that the heir apparent, or any other prince of the royal blood, ought not to be fo totally dependant on the king for his fubfiftence, that the dread of its being witli-held or kept in arrear fliould deter him from fpeaking his fentiracnts freely on the condu£l o^the kin-'s minifterr. The motion milcar- ried by the influence of the minifler, as did another of a moe public nature, made by Sir John Barnard in the fame feffion of parliament : " The houfe having refolved itfelf into a committee of the whole houfe^ "to confider of the riational vcbt, a Hate of Vhich had been dtliiered in on the i8th of March, when it atriounteo to 47,95^,9^8 1. 3s. 3|d. a debate arofe upon the intcrcft payable for this debt, and federal of the UTembecs concurring in opinion with Sir J.'hn^
that
SIR JOHN BARNARD. 139
that the intereft was too high, he moved, ^' that his majefty fhould be enabled to raife money, either by fale of annuities, br by borrowing, at an intereft not exceeding 3 per cent, a fum iuiiicient to re- deem the old fouth-fea annuities, y/hich bore 4 per cent, intereft; and that fuch of the annuitants as fhould be inclined to fubfcribe their refpedtive an- nuities fhould be preferred to all others."
Evidently calculated as it was for public utility, as later experience has demonftrated, it met with great oppofition from the treafury-bench ; but Sir John Barnard's arguments were fo unanfy/erabl<-, that it was referred to a committee to draw up a bill on the principles of the motion j accordingly, the committee Ut, reported iheir approbation of the mo- tion, and were ordered to 'bring in the bill, which was read a firft and fecond time; but, upon the mo- tion ibt^-committinp it, it was rejected by a minif- terial majority.
In the year 17.38, Sir John Barnard was lord mayor of London ; aad though he met with a fevere domeftic affli£tion in the death of his lady during his mayoralty, he attended to the duties of tiiis high ftaticn with unwearied afiiduity, and fupported the dignity of chief magiftrate with firmnefs, a£livity, and impartialty ; for which he received the thanks of the corporation.
The year 1740 produced fome diftrefiful events, which gave him an opportunity of demonilrating his seal for the honour and intereft of his county in her commercial concerns. After war had been declared againft Spain in 1739, the feas v/ere covered with privateers, failing under Spanifli co'ours, moft of which were French fhips, equipped with French fub- jeds, and in a perfidious manner lent to Spain, to enable the Spaniards to make more frequent captures at fca than they could otherwife liave done. The
trading.
140 THELIFEOF
trading part of the nation exclaimed loudly at the fufcefs of the^e privatees, which was imputed to the negligence of the ac^miral y, in not providing proper convo\ s for our nif rchant-fliips, fo that many of them were t..ken in the chops of the channel. As foon as the parliament mer, which was on the 15th of No~ vember, Sir John Barnard, in a debate upon an ad- drefs in anfwer to the king's fpeech, complained of the little care that had been taken, fince the com- mencement of hofli ities, to prote£l the traders of Great Britain, who, he affirmed, had been much greater fufferers by captures of their (hips than the Spanifn fubje£\s. This well-timed remonftrance in parliament had iis defired tfftS. ; the admiralty-board took the matter into conGderation, and a larger num- ber cf fnips cf war were Rationed in the Weft-Indies, and fent out on cruiling voyages to thofe parts which, were moft infefted by Spanilb privateers.
In the fame ftflion of paliament, Sir John Bar- nard fupported Mr. William Pulteney, Sir William W^/ndbam, and Mr. Lyttelton, in carrying the pen- fion-biil through the lower houfe ; it was a bill to exclude all penfloners of the crown from feats in the houfe of commons. When it came into the houfe of lords, it occalioned a long and paflTionate debate, and upon a divifion it was thrown out.
We have an undoubted right, from the general charafter of Sir John Barnard, to conlider the next public meafure to which he gave the fan6iion of his vote, and added the weight of his intereft, as founded in the fame zeal for his country, which animated him upon all cccafions ; and we muft therefore reckon in the number of his public fervices his joining with his friends in fupporiing the mo iod of Mr. Sandys, in the feflion of 1741, for an addrefs to his majefty, ** that he would be graciouliv pie ('ed to remove the right honourable Sir Robcit Wal-ole,
knight
SIR JOHN BARNARD. 141
knight of the mod noble order of the g.:rter firft commifTion-r of the tieafury, comp'roller and under trealurcF of the exchequer, and one of his maj fly*s moft honourable priw -council, fr-mi his majeity's pretence and cojncilsf -r ever."
Tiiis niorioij was ieconded by lord L'merick ; and the p inci.ai peri'^ns, who fuliain-d by the mod eloquent fpc-e- h.s. and pointed out with the grtareft energy and accuracy, the man^ err-'rs and mal-prac- tices of ajjninift/a.ion v/e(e Sir John Barnard, Mr. William Pi ', atrervvardsearl of Chatham, Mr. PuU teney, Sir John Hynde Coiron, and Mr. Gibibn.
The defence made bv Sir Robert Walpole is a mafter-piece of cool rt-aloning ^ and the deba e upon the moti m is one of the beft on record. It lafted till three in the morning, when above fixty of the coun- try gentlemen withdrew, who were thereupon called Jneakcrs \ and the queftion being put, it was lofl by a very great majority, 29O, to to6. But though it mifcarfied, tlie (peeches made by the gentlemen who fupported the motion had fuch an eiifct out of doors, that die charaiier of bir Robert Walp:>le was ruined in the opinion of the publick, and his authority from this day vifibly declined : and in the following fpring he accepted a peerage, and religned all his employ- iiKnts.
We have only to add, as a further proof of Sir John Barnard's public fpirit, integrity, and confti- tutional independency, as one of the rpre entarives of the capital city of Englan I, by the exam .le of whicli the reft are generally i flue..ced, that he was a fteady friend to triennial parl-aments ; and as often as the queflion for fhortenmg the duration of par- liaments came into debate, which happened frequent- ly while he Tat in the houfe, he fupported it with refolution and ftrong fo:ce of argument ; and though the repeal of the feptennial-biil could not be accom-
plifliedj
142 THE LIFE OF
pliflied, he had the happ'neiV to live in a time, when miniilers and their adherents gave decent attention^ in the houfe, to every propofition advanced or fup- ported by the reprefentatives of fo refpedable a body as the citizens of London ; and they had the fatif- fa^lion of hearing manly replies, and fometimes con- vincing arguments, againft their motions. Nay, Sir John Godlchall and Sir John Barnard were within 20 votes of carrying the repeal of leptennial parlia- ments in 1742.
Not fuch has been the fate of Mr. Sawbrido;e, formerly lord mayor of London, and one of the city members, who treading in the fteps of his great pre- decefibr, Sir John Barnard, in his parliamentary condu6V, has diftinguidied himielf by an unwearied attention to his duty, and by promoting the true interefi: of his country and of his conftituents upcn all occcifions. Being clearly of opinion, that {hoit and frequent pariiamsnts form a part of the fuperif r excellence of our conflitution, and the moil effe^lual barriers againft corruption, bribery, and the undue minifterial influence of the ciown ; he annually makes a motion, for fliortening the duration of par- liaments ; and he takes care to give previous notice Of his intention;' yet important as this fubjefl is in itfelf, aod jfill more fo from the refpecl due to the charader and fituation of the mover, it is generally received with a fneer, and no reply whatever is made to it; but the impenetrable miniikrial phalanx (like ''I'udcifh mutes, who, deftined to iirangle fome de- voted victim, wait in profound iilence for the impe- rial mandate of deflru£licn) range themfelves on each iide of the reigning political deity, and eagerly look for the queilion, which being put, they facrifice it in a confufed vociferation of their favourite mono- fy liable, xNO.
Wc
SIR JOHN BARNARD. 143
We (hall now take leave of Sir John Barnard as a member of parliament, and attend to his condu£l as a magiftrate. He was many years alderman of Dowgate-ward, but upon the death of Sir John Thoaipfon, in 1749, he removed, purfuant to an a£l of common-council, and took upon him the cuftody of Bridge-ward Without, always held by the fenior aldermauj who upon this removal takes tlie title of Father of the City. He was many years prelident of Chrift's hofpital, and a vigilant, a£live governor of Bethlehem and Bridewell hofpitals. At length, being oppreffed by the infirmities of age, and worn out with the fatigues of public bulinefs, in the year 1758, he defired leave to refign his gown ; and the fenfe of his great merit, as it is expreiTed by the vote of thanks of his fellow-citizens, is the beft en- comium on this iiluftrious patriot that can be given to the reader ; we have therefore thought proper to tranfcribe it from the records.
In the court of mayor and aldermen, upon a motion of Sir Robert Ladbroke, the thanks of the court of aldermen were given to Sir John Barnard, and expreifed in the following terms: ** It is una- nimouily agreed and ordered, that the thanks of this court be given to S:r John Barnard, knight, late one of the aldermen, and father of this city, for his con- ftant attendance and falutary counfeh in this court ; his wife, vigilant, .and impartial adminiftration of juftice ; his unwearied zeal for the honour, fafety, and profpeiity of his fellow-citizens; his inviolabie attachment to the lav/s and liberties of his country ; and for the nobe example he has fet of a l^ng and uninierrupted courfe of virtue in private as well as in public life."
At a court of common-council, it was likewife unanimoufly refolved, upon the motion of John Pater- fon, Efq; " That Sir John Barnard, knight, fo
144 T H E L I F E, kc.
juftly and emphatically fty'ed the Father of the City, having lately (to the great and lading regret of this coun ) thought proper to relign the t.ffice of alderman, the thanks of this court be given him, for having fo long a-d faithfully devoted himielf to the fervice of his fe!l< w-citizens ; for the honour and influence which thi« c ty has, upon many occafions, derived from rhe dignity of his characler, and the wifdom, fteadir.eis, and integrity, of his conduct ; f r his firm adheicnce to the conftitution hoth in church and fiate ; his noble (truggles lor liberty; and his dif- interedrd and invariable purfuit of the true glory and projperity ot his icing and country ; uninfluenced by power; unavved by clamour; and unbiiilTed by the prr-juoice of party."
No addition can be given to this perfeft character; we ha e therefore only to obferve, that, in order to perpetuate the memory of his iignal fervices to the city, a ftatue w^as voted by the fame courts, and ere6led in his life-time on the royal exchange, repre- fenting him in full length, in h'u rragilterial robes.
Thus crowned with honour, and full of years, he retired to his c©untry-feat at Clapham, where he died in the month of Auguil 1767.
*^* ^Authorities, Biog. Britannica. Mortimer's Hift. of Efigland, Vol. li'. Parliamentary Debates, NoorthoucK's Hillory of London.
MEMOIRS
( us )
MEMOIRS OF THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
Duke of NEWCASTLE, &c.
And of his Brother,
The Right Hon. HENRY PELHAM,
[ A. D. 1693, to 1768. ]
THE long and aflive part which the late duke of Newcaflle had in the adniiniftration of the public affairs of Great Britain, renders the few anec- dotes of his life, which we have been able to colle£l, of too much importance to be omitted.
His grace was the fon of Thomas Pelham, a peer of the realm, by the title of Baron Pelham of Loughton. He was born in the year 1693 ; and, in 17 1 1, he fucceeded to the title and large eftate of his uncle, John Holies, duke of Newcaftle upoa Tyne, who had made him his adopted heir ; and her majerty queen Anne, foon after, empowered him to take the furname and bear the arms of the family of Holies, purfuant to the lail: will of his uncle. From this time, therefore, his ftyje and title ran as we have given at it the head of thcfe memoirs.. But Hill he only fat as a baron in the houfe of peers, the title of Duke of Newcaftle upon
Vol. VL H Tvne
146 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
Tyne being only honorary. However, he was diilinguilhed as a young nobleman of an afpiring genius towards the clofe of the reign of queen Aniie, and his large eilate giving him an extenfivc intereft and influence, he was conlidered by the whig-party, at this early flage of life, as a powerful friend. The tory niiniftry, during the lafl four years of the queen's reign, having purfued mea- fures which tended to the fubverlion of the Protef- tant fucceflion in the houfe of Hanover, the duke openly avowed his principles, and his attachment to George I. with whom he had the honour to cor- refpond after the death of the ele<Elrefs Sophia, in 1 7 14, when it became necelTary for the court of Hanover to be apprized of all the motions of the Englilh miniftry, and to be well affured who were their real friends.
Upon the dcmife of the queen, the fame year, the duke of Newcaftle exerted himfelf in promoting a loyal zeal for the new revolution throughout Nottinghamfhire, where his influence was univer- fal, and having -fecured this county in the intereil of George I. he flew to London, and entered into an aflbciation with the principal noblemen and gentlemen of the whig party, who were coniidered by the new fovereign as his befl: friends. Accord- ingly, his majefty, on his arrival in England, took the reins of government out of the hands of the tories, and made a total change in the adminiftra- tion. The duke of Newcaflle, however, was too young to expefl any coniiderabie Ihare in the go- vernment, and the king, had fo many great men amongft the whigs to provide for, whofe political abilities had ftood the tell of many years experience^ that it w^as thought expedient at this time to re- ward his zeal in iupport of the houfe of Hanover, by new dignities and polls of emolument, rather I than
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, &c. 147
than by any office in the departments of public bu- linefs.
In the month of O^lober, 17 14, he was created vifcount Pelhani of Haughton in the county of Nottingham, with remainder to his brother Henry Pelham and his heirs male, and earl of Clare in the county of Suffolk ; and appointed lord lieutenant and cuftos rotulorum of the county of Nottingham. In November he was made cuiios rotulorum of Middlefex, and lord lieutenant of the faid county, and of the city of Weftrainfter, in December follow- ing. He was alfo conftituted fleward, warden, and keeper of the forell of Sherwood, and park of Fole* wood.
By this time, the difaffe(5led party, known by the name of Jacobites, who wiflied for the reftora- tion of the family of the Stuarts, and feemed deter- mined to run all hazards to accomplifii it, found it their intereil to unite with the dilcontented tories, who were ripe for any mifchief, to revenge the af- front and inconvenience of having been difmilTed from all employments of trull and emolument un- der the new government. This union formed a powerful oppoiition to all the meafures of the wbig- adminiftration. The prefs teemed with feditious pamphlets, the populace affembled in a tynuiltuous manner in many parts of the capital, and proceeded to a6ls of open violence ; breaking' the windows of the houfes of all perfons who dillinguiflied themfelves by efpoufing the caufe of governiilent, and pulling dovvn the meeting-houfes of the Pro- telfant diifenters, who had been the early and zea- lous fupporters of the Proteftant fucceffion. Mat- ters were carried fo far at' length, that the clergy in the intereil of the tories, and thence denomi- nated high-church -men, encouraged the people to commit thefe diforders by inflaniu/atory fermonst H % Even
148 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
Even the very guards were fplrited up to mutiny, on account of their cloathing being of an inferior quality to what was ufual, which arofe from the avarice of the agent. All this time the Jacobites kept up a correfpondence with the pretejider, and , gave him encouragement to attempt an invafion ; aifuring him that he might rely on the affiflance of the lories, who were determined at all erents to fubvert the prefent government. The intelligence of the pretender's deligns being conveyed to govern- ment in the manner related in the life of the earl of Stair, proper meafures were taken to fruflrate his. fcheme ; but the difaffe^led in all parts of the king- dom, buoyed up by falfe hopes, role in feveral parts of die kingdom in formidable mobs, and committed great depredation^, particularly on the property of diiTenters. As to the London mob it incfeafed daily, and went by the name of the Ormond mob. In this liLuation of affairs, government was obliged to a6t with great delicacy ; for employing the military to fapprefs thcfe rioters would have weakened the interell: of the houfe of Hanover, and have rendered adminiflration unpopular ; the miniftry, therefore, took a meafure which could not be juflified but un- der fuch particular circumftances Whig mobs were fecretiy encouraged ; and the duke of Newcaftle foon diftinguillied himfelf as the chief of a mob, called after him, which had more effect in driving the duke of Ormond out of the kingdom, and in checking the infolence of the tories, than the riot- aft, or any other interpofition of the civil power.
The king now judged it proper to give this"'a£live fupporter of his caufe frefh marks of his royal fa- vour, by creating him marquis and duke of New- caftle under Line, in November, 1715.
In April, 17 17, his grace was appointed lord- chamberlain of the houfhold, on the promotion of 3 the
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, kc. 149
the duke of Bolton to be lord- lieutenant of Ireland : and the following year he was ele£led one of the knights companions of the nioft noble order of the garter. Being now about the king's peribn, he had an opportunity of difplaymg his talents for ftate-afFairs ; and itwas not long before his-majefty put him to the teft, by confulting him as a cabinet- counfeilor, on the famous quadruple alliance be- tween the emperor, the king of Great Britain, the king of France, and the States GeneraL As his grace was confuited upon the terms of this negoti- ation, lie was appointed one of the commiffioners to fign the treaty, which was executed at White- hall on tlie 22d of July, 1718.
Ir 1719, his majefty went to Hanover, and the duke of Newcaftle was appointed one of the lords- jufllces, for the adminiilration of the government, during the king's abfence. He enjoyed the fame honour, upon iimilar occafions, at different times, in the abfence of George I. and of his late majefty.
The duke held the poll of lord-chamberlain till the month of April, 1724; when he reiigned it, Upon being appointed one of the principal fecreta- ries of ftate, upon a change in the miniftry.
His grace fucceeded the lord Carteret, who was made iord-lieutcnant of Ireland. At the fame time, the duke's brother, Mr. Henry Pelham, was ap- pointed fecretary at war ; and from this period we may confider the two brothers as flatefmen, whofe Ignited intereft and abilities paved the way for their attainment of that plenitude of power, which they enjoyed fome years after.
In 1726, his grace was chofen recorder of Not- tingham, an honour at that time done to the duke ; though, when he became firft lord of the treafury, his continuing to hold this office was a return of the compliment to the county.
H 3 The
150 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
The acceffioii of his late majefty ia 1727, made no ahsration in the cabinet, all the great officers of flate were continued ; and the fyileni of politicks cftablifhed by George I. was flri£lly adhered to for fome time. Sir Robert Walpole was indeed at the head of the treafury, but the fupreme direction of the public affairs, of fo p^otent an empire as that of Great Britain, was not yet ufurped by any iingle prefuming man. Lord vifcount Townfliend was coniidered as the chief manager of foreign concerns ; his great knowledge in treaties and negotiations, acquired on enibalfies to different courts, qualify- ing him for this department in preference to the dcike of Newcaftle, who, being the junior fecretary of fiate, we find very little notice taken of him in the annals of the hrft ten years of the reign of Geojge II. except that he and his brother con- llantly and firmly fupported Sir Robert Walpole, after he affumed the envied poll of prime, or rather lole, miniiler of Great Britain ; but when that flatefman's power began to decline, it was vifible to the courtiers, that the two brothers were taking nieafures to undermine, and to fucceed him. And ^^^ 1737? ^ ftfong proof of the increaling influence cf the duke's friends was given by his being elected high-ileward of the univerlity of Cambridge.
h\ the fejlioR of parliament in the year 17^9, the duke of Newcallie was entrufled with a bufi- nefs of great importance, becaufe it w^as likely to meet with a powerful oppofition. This was, to lay before the houfe of peers a fublidy-treaty with 'the king of Denmark, by which his majefty had agreed to pay the Danifh monarch 70,000!. per annum, on condition that he fhould furnifli Great Britain with a fuccour of 6000 men, at any time when they Hiould be required. His grace likewife undertook to deliver a meflage froiTi the king, deliring the
houfe
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, .5cc. 151
houfe would enable him to fulfil this engagement. This treaty, and the <iemand confequent to it, was violently attacked by the antiminifterial peers, and particularly by lord Carteret, then out of office, who was an able ftatefman, and an eloquent fpeaker ; but the duke of Newcaftle exerted himfeif upon this occalion, and fo forcibly pointed out the expediency of the meafure, the nation being upon the eve of a war with Spain, that the treaty was approved, after a long and aiiimated debate, by a confiderable ma- jority.
In the houfe of commons the treaty met with verv rough treatment from Sir William Wyndham and i\Ir. Pukeney, the leading members in the op- pofition, againll: Sir Robert Walpoie's adminiftra- .tion ; but Mr. Henry Peiham fupported it by plau- (ible arguments, well knowing that if a war Ihould enfue, and the reins of government fhould come into the hands of himfeif and his brother, they could not poffibly carry it on without fubiidiary treaties for foreign troops ; and the vote for the fupply being carried as much through the influence of Mr. Peiham as that of the minifter, the brothers were looked upon with a very favourable eye at court : and it was foretold, that, if any change took place in the miniftry, they v/ould certainly be placed at the head of affairs. However, upon the refignation of Sir Robert Walpole, in 1742, a mixed adminiftration was formed ; the earl of Wilming- ton was made firfl lord of the treafury ; and lord Carteret was appointed one of the principal fecreta- ries of ftate, and had the greateft fliare of power in his department ; fo that this vvas called the Carteret adminillration. A miniflry compofed of fome of the moil violent members in the late oppofition in both houfes, of a few friends of the difcar^ed pre • mier, and of others who were foriliing a new op- H 4 pofition.
152 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
position, in order to bring the Pelhams into power i an fhort, of a medley of whigs and tories, could not be expelled to a£t in concert, and therefore its dif- folution was foretold, almofl as foon as it was efta- blifhed.
The earl of Wilmington fucceeded Sir Robert as firil lord of the trealury ; and Mr. Sandys, his great opponent in the houfe of commons, filled his other office, being alfo appointed one of the trea- fury-board, and chancellor of the exchequer. The iirft meafure of the new minillry was to gratify the popular wilh, by fetting on foot an enquiry into the coik1ii61 of affairs for twenty years paft ; a mo- tion to appoint a committee for this purpofe was brought into the houfe of commons on the 9th of iVJarch by lord vifcount Limerick, and vvasfup- ported by Sir John St. Aubyn, Mr. William Pitt, and lord Percival. It was oppofed by Sir Charles Wager, A4r. Henry Pelham, and Mr. Henry Fox ; and, after a long debate, it was reje£led by a ma- jority of two. However, on the 23d, a motion, varying only in its form, but having the fame objed in view, was carried by a majority of feven voices ; and it was refolved, that a committee of fecrecy fliould be chofen by ballot, to enquire into the conduit of Robert carl of Orford, during tlie lall ten years of his being firil commiflioner of the treafury, and chaiicellor and under-treafurer of the cxcliequer.
But the oppofition given to thefe motions by Mr. Pelham in the lower houfe, and to limilar proceed- ings in the upper houfe by the duke of Newcaflfe, plainly demonilrated that there was no concord in the new cabinet ; and in the feflion of parliament of the following year, an oppolition was formed in both houfes, as formidable as that which had made the earl of Orford refign j the continuing
165OO0
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, &c. 153
i6,oco Hanoverians in the pay of Great Britain, to fight the battles of the queen of Hungary on the continent, was fiated to be a grofs impolition on the Britifh nation ; and the diilinguifhed talents for which fome of the gentlemen in the prefent mi- niilrv had been ahnofl idohzed while they were out of office, could not be difcerned iince they had the direiTtion of public affairs ; in facf, they had but few friends, and no great interell: cither in parlia- ment or out of doors, and they were defpiied for having changed their principles and party. The minifler, lord Carteret.. poiielTed great abilities as a fiatefman ; he exerted them wnth great fpirit in defence of the meafures adopted by government; and he found means to obtain the approbation of the houfe of lords to the juflly unpopular ftep of retaining the i6),oco Hanoverian troops in the fer- vice of Great Britain for the year 1743 ; the carry- ing of this point, of the repeal of the gin aft,, and obtaining a iicgative on two motions calculated to bring an odium on the miniflry for the Auftriaii alliance, injured them- their pofts during the fum- nier recefs of parliament, wiien lord Carteret ac- companred the king to the army in JManders ; and the vi£lory at Dettmgen, gained by his majeiiy in perlon, with his minifter by his fide, ieemed to promifc a triumphant return to parliameirt the en- iuing feffion. But the oppofitioii had been too bufy in lord Caiterets abfence : the anti-minifterial wri- ters had made an imprellion on the minds ot the people,, and had excited in them a fixed averfion to the chief perfons who managed the helm of govern- ment. To effeft this, many rumours were propa- gated ; the burthen of the taxes was flated ; the true interell: of the nation was faid to be facrificed to the aggrandifement of a foreign electorate; no pains v;ere fpared to increafe the national jealouly H5 of
J54 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
of the Hanoverians ; the refignation of the great earl of Stair, who was difguiled at the partiahty lliewn by the king to foreign generals, increafed the difcontent ; and lord Carteret mull have refigned at this period, fo great were the diflentions in par- liament and in the cabinet, if the unexpe6led news of an intended invalion by the pretender's eldefl fon had not called upon all parties to unite in the common defence of their fovereign, and of the na- tion.
In the mean time, theNewcaflle intereft had been greatly ilrengthened by the advancement of Henry Pelham to the head of the treafury, upon the death of the earl of Wilmington, in July, 1743, with which he likewife held the office of chancellor of the exchequer ; and, from this time, the whig party in adminiflration preponderated, and the tory inte- Teft, attached to lord Carteret, declined ; fo that to- wards the end of 1744, when the nation was fettled, and all alarms about the pretender were over, the projected invafion having mifcarried, lord Carteret threw up his poll, and the feals of his office were given to lord Harrington, who, being brought in by the Pelhams, a£led under them ; and now the admi- niflration of the brothers commenced, Mr. Henry Pelham being conlidered as prime minifler, and the duke of Newcaflie as the fecond perfon in power and office in the ftate.
The following year afforded the new adminiflra- tion an opportunity of acquiring great popularity, by the well-concerted a<ftive meafures taken to fupprefs the rebellion in Scotland ; a perfed har- mony prevailed in both houfes; there was no divi- iion upon any miniflierial bulinefs during the whole feffion of parliament ; and the vi£lory gained at Cul- loden by the duke of Cumberland in April, 1746, ilrengthened the public opinion of the new admi-
ruflratioa>
DUKE OF NE^VCASTLE, &c. 155
nifti-^tion, by whofe recommendation the duke had been appointed generahffimo of all the king's forces and commander in chief againfl the rebels. The fame entire approbation of the condu6l of the Pelhams appeared in the fiiccecding feffion of parlia- ment ; the moft afFedlionate addreiies were prefented to the throne, and the mofl liberal fnpplies granted for the fupport of the queen of Hungary againit France and the king of Pruilia. In a word, the nation feemed to congratulate itfelf on its efcape from the great danger of a revolution unfavourable to civil and religious liberty, which might have been efFefted if the reins of government had been in the hands of the tories.
Such was the happy lituation of affairs at home ; but the bad fuccefs of our military operations in FJanders in the campaign of 1747, particularly the defeat of the duke of Cumberland at the battle of Val, where the confederate army would have been cut to pieces, if it had not been for the iignal valour of" the late lord Ligonier, cail a gloom upon the afpeifl of foreign affairs, and gave a handle for op- polition at the next meeting of parliament, which was a new one; and it mult not be denied, that the brothers v^ere charged v/ith exerting undue influence at this general election, to procure the return of members in their intereil ; the oppolition therefore was but very feeble ; and the fuMidy. treaties w^ith the queen of Hungary, the em^prefs of Ruffia, the king of Sardinia, the ele£lors of Mentz and Bavaria, the prince of HefTe, and the duke of Wolfenj^uttle, were quietly voted,' though the king in his fpeech from the throne had mentioned, that a congrefs would fpeedily be opened at Aix laChapeller for the purpoie of a general pacification between all the belligerent powers.
H 6 The
156 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
The congrefs accordingly took place in March, 1748; and had to furmount a variety of difficul- ties and obflrudlions, which the jarring interefls of the contending parties had produced in the courfe of the negotiation ; but thefe being finally adjulled, the preliminary articles of peace were iigned on the 19th of April, and the definitive treaty on the 7th of October following.
But it was foon difcovered by the difcontented at home, that the Britifh' miniflers had been too precipitate in iigning, and they were charged with aiming rather at acquiring a reputation for addrefs and difpatch, than endeavouring to render their work firm and durable. It was found, that no provi- fion had been made by the treaty to fecure the right of the Britifh fubjeds to navigate in the American feas, Vv^ithout being fubje^l to fearch from the Spanifh guarda coftas : and the difgracefui meafure of fending tv/o Britifli noblemen to the court of France, to remain there as hoflages for the refti- tution of Cape Breton, threw the nation into fuch a ferment, that if the Pelhams had iiot made them- felves fecure by forming a powerful interefl gra- dually, before they took the lead in adminiflration, they muil have thrown up their pofts, as many of their predeceiTors had done, in order to put a {lop to the popular clamour which prevailed againil them without doors.
As to the poor hoflages, the earl of SulTex and lord Cathcart, they were infuited in every pradli- cable manner, and rendered fo defpicable in the eyes, not only of their own countrymen, but of the r rench fubjedls, that it is almoft a wonder they co'jld iurvive tiie mortifications they underwent.
The parliament met on the 2Qth of November ; and warm addrelTes of congratulation on the peace were piefcnted to the king ; but it was evident the
commons
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, &c. 157
commons were in a different difpolition with refpe£t to the miniiky, and by no means incHned to be {o pliant as in the former feilion. 7 he addrefs of thanks for the fpeech juflly met with a violent op- polition ; the meafure of concluding the peace, while the Ruffians were on their march to join the Auftrians, was loudly condemned ; for it was faid that we might have dictated the terms of the peace, and have obtained ^reat advantages for our allies, if this junftion of the two armies liad previully taken place. Intimations were likewifc thrown out, that an enquiry would be fet on foot as to the caufes which had rendered the events of tlie war fo little anfwerable to the prodigious expence incurred, and the known valour of the Britilh troops ; but thefe menaces produced no motion; and the addrefs Was carried in the end without a diviiion.
However, when the houfe proceeded to the eOi- mate of the fupply for the lervice of the year 1749, though a reduction had been made both of the land and lea forces upon the peace, they found that the funis abiblutely neceffary to make good the en- gagements of parliament to the king, for the fer- vices performed in the profecution of the war; for difcharging arrears, and making good deficiencies, would amount, in the whole, to B,ooo,oool. an amazing burthen upon the publick ; which gave occafion to the oppoiitioii to treat Mr. Pelham with great feveritv, as the author of all the debts and incumbrances with which the nation was loaded. Upon this occaiion, therefore, he die wed the ftrength ot his connections ; for the expediency of granting the above mentioned fupply was maintained with all the ftrength of argument, and powers of oratory, by thofe able fpeakcrs, Mr. Pitt, afterwards earl of Chatham, and Mr. Murray, the piefent lord Manl- nddi wliofc fpeeches contributed, in a great mea- fure,
158 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
fure, to turn the fcale, and prevent any divifion upon the queillon.
This flruggle being got over, and the people be- ginning to be more reconciled to the peace, the adminiftration w^as firmly rooted; and, in the coiirfe of the fummer, the brothers promoted a very po- pular meafure, which had in view the extenlion of our commerce, and was, in general, well received. This was the cultivation and improvement of the long-negledled fettlement of Nova Scotia; great encouragement v/as given to foldiers, lea men, and artificers, to embark for this colony ; and as it took off a great number of diforderly perfons in the army and navy, who generally take to a bad courfe of life after a peace, it was conlidered as a very po- litical, as well as a very beneficial regulation. The late earl of Halifax, then at the head of the board of trade and plantations} difcovered great abilities, and a thorough knowledge of the commercial in- terefls of his country upon this occafion ; and the a£live part he took in carrying the fcheme mto im- mediate execution was commemorated by giving his name to the firll town built by the new fettlers, w]io arrived fafe at Nova Scotia, and marked out the plan of Hahfax, in the month of July of this year.
Though the fettlement of this colony fwell>- ed the eftimate of the fupply for 1750, yet Mr. Pelham met with no oppofition in parliament, for he had now brought to maturity.a fcheme which had often been attempted, but had always mifcar- ried ; this was a redudion of the intereil on the national debt, without violating the faith of par- liament, or afFefting public credit. No opportu- nity could be more favourable than that in which he carried into execution this great finance-ope- ration.
A great
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, kc 159
A great number of individuals at home had amaiTed princely fortunes by the war ; and vail numbers of foreigners, during the troubles of Eu- rope, had kept their money locked up, not know- ing how to employ it to advantage with any degree of fecurity. Thefe all fhewed an eagerncfs to veil their property in the Engliih funds, and increafed the number of purchafers fo conliderably, that the Hocks rofe, and it appeared that in reality money came in fo fall from all quarters, that, the intereft of it upon the befc fecurity was little more than 3 per cent. Mr. Pelham judicioully availed himfelf of this crifis, and moved for leave to bring in a bill for reducing the intereil of the 4 per cent, annuities to 3I for {even years certain, and afterv/ards to 3 per cent. The miniller took uj>on himfelf the whole flrefs of the debate on this important fubjecl ; and he fo fully convinced the houfe of the public advan- tages to be derived from the meafure, that it was carried without much oppofition ; and the refolu- tions taken by the houfe thereupon were printed by- way of advertifement to the proprietprs of the 4 per cents, in the London Gazette of November the 2Qth, 1749. The few who refufed to fubfcribe \Vere paid off their principal and interefl out of the fi-nking fund ; and thus this great national faving was happily- efFe£led ; and an addition of near 600,000!. per annum was made, after 1750, to the produce of the linking fund.
In the m.onth of May, 1751, another public event took place, which does honour to the adminiftration of the brothers: this was the alteration of the Hyle; a fcheme projeded by the earl of Macclesfield, but which, from the felfifhnefs and prejudices of indi- viduals, could never have been carried into execu- tion, if the duke of Newcaftle and Mr. Pelham had not exerted the whole weight of their influence and
intereil:
i6o THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
intereft in its fnpport. The advantages to the trad- ing part of the ting's fubjedls, in their correfpond- encc with foreign merchants, was fe If- evident; but the landed gentlemen were at iirft appreheniive of difficulties with regard to the expiration of leafes, the payment of rents, &c. but the framers of the bill, having obviated every obje6lion of this nature, by the great perfpicuity of the provifions in the aft, it paffed with general approbation, and took place from the ill day of January, 1752, from which time, it was ena-fled, That that day fhould be deemed the firft of every enfuing year, throughout all his niajefty's dominions, and not the 25th of March, which had hitherto been confidered as the firll day of the year in the dates of moft covenants and con- trails, as well mercantile as others. By this new law it was alfo decreed, that eleven intermediate nominal days, between the fecond and fourteenth days of September, 1752, Hiouid for that time be omitted, fo that the day fucceeding the fecond fhould be denominated the fourteenth of that month. By this eftablilhment of the new ilile, the equinoxes and folftices will happen nearly on the fame nominal days on which they fell in the year 325, at the council of Nice.
The parliament rcfe ver)^ early this year, on ac- count of the king's defire to vilit his German domi- nions ; his majeily having a favourite obje£l in view, which w^as to carry the eleftion of the arch- duke Jofeph, the emperor's eldeft fon, to be king of the Romans. For this purpofe he let out for Hanover the latter end of March, and took the duke of Newcaftle with him, that he might be th« better enabled to concert the proper meafurcs for accomplilhing this bulinefs. An electoral diet was foon called for this purpofe by the ele£lor of Mentz, through the intluence of the courts of Vi- enna
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, &c. i6i cnna and Hanover ; but the king of PrufTia and the cleaor o^' Cologne exerted themfelves fo effeaually againft the archduke, that the eJeftion did not take place.
It is fuppofed to have been during tlie courfe of this negotkition, that feveral confiderable and wealthy foreign Jews got accefs to the duke of New- cailie, and propofed a general naturalization in Eng- land of their people : finding encouragement, they wrote to their friends in England, to folicit iMr. Pelham on this fubje^t ; and' as the moft affluent amongli the Engliih Jews were well known to the niinifler, from their fubfcribing conflantly and largely to the annual fchemes for raifing the fup- plies during the late war, they puihed the matter home, and had the addrcfs to get their defign f up- ported by petitions from the cloathmg counties, reprefenting the Jews as confiderable exporters of our woollen manufa£lures ; and recommending the propofed a£t ** to permit perfons profeffing the Jew- i(h religion to be naturalized by parliament," as a meafure that would make many rich foreign Jews come Qver to England with their efFe£^s ; and, agreeably to the experience of former ages, they would certainly employ them in commerce, by which means our fhipping would be increaled, as well as the demand for our native manufactures. The bill accordingly palTed both houles, and re- ceived the royal affent ; but fuch a popular clamour was raifed againft it, that it was repealed the follow- feffions.
In the life of lord-chancellor Hardwicke we have noticed the marriage-aft, which paiTed at the fame time as the Jew ad; and occafioned likewiie no Imill murmurings.
Though lord Hardwicke framed the bill, yet the principal promoter of ir, wholly in the view of pre- venting
i62 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
venting clandeftine marriages, was Mr. pelham, and that from a domeilic circumflance but little known, and therefore not mentioned in the annals of his time. At this, period pubhc breakfailings and balls in the mornings, at fundry houfes of en- tertainment in the environs of London, w^ere uni- verfcilly in vogue. The places moft frequented by perfons of diilin6lion were Ruckholt-houfe, in EfTex, and Putney bowling-green-houfe ; but as the company could not fail of being miicellaneous, where money was taken at the door, it fo hap- pened, that a fharper danced with the carl of Til- ney's filler at Ruckholt-houfe, engaged her affec- tions, and was on the point of being clandeftinely married to the lady, when fortunately his chara£ler was difcovered. Nearly the fame event happened io Mifs Peiham, fifler to Mr. Henry Pelham, and the duke of Nev^xafl:le ; this lady found an amiable partner at Putney bowling-green-houfe, v;ith whom Ihe frequently danced, and from thence an inti- macy commenced, which terminated in a declara- tion of love on the part of the young gentleman, which was fo favourably received by Mifs Pelham, that fhe invited him to her brother's houfe, where he made her feveral vifits, and had abfolutely gained her confent to marry him ; when a general officer accidentally paying her a'vifit one afternoon, while the gallant was there, diredly knew him to be Maclanc, the famous highwayman, who had rob- bed him twice on the highway : an explanation en- fued, the adventurer retired with great precipita- tion ; aiid the general, finding that his difcovery did not make that flrong impreffion upon Mifs Pelham's mind which might have been expe£led, flew to Mr. Pelham, and laid the whole matter be- fore him, which animated the minifler to promote the marriage-a6t, an adt as impolitic, as it is un- popular :
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, kc, 163
popular : had it been confined to the higher ranks or life, the inconveniencies of clandeftine marriages might have been provided againft, without laying fuch an injudicious reltraint on the marriages of the common people, which, in a commercial coun- try, ought to meet with all pollible encouragement from the iegiflature.
This was the lail public bufinefs, worthy our no- tice, in which Mr. Henry Pelham was concerned ; for no material tranfa£tion happened in the felTion of parliament opened on the 15th of Nov. 1753; and in the beginning of March, 1754, this abia flatefman died, fincerely lamented by his fovereign, and regretted by the nation, who readily foTgave his few errors, in confideration of his integrity, dilintereftednefs, and candour.
l^he duke of Newcaftle fucceeded his brother as iirft lord of the treafury, and oir Thomas Robinfon received the feals of the fecretary of (late held by his grace. The office of chancellor of the exche- quer was foon after conferred on Mr. Legge. Lord chief-jullice Lee dying likewife in the courfe of the fummer, Sir Dudley Rider was promoted to his vacant feat ; and Mr. Murray, now earl of Manf- field, was made attorney- general.
The French, this year, having increafed the en- croachments they had been gradually making on the Britifh fubje6ts in the back-fettlements of North America, and the court of Verfailles having given only evalive anfwers to the complaints made on that fubjecl, the duke of Newcaftle in council advifed vigorous meafures; in confequence of which, peremptory orders were fentto the Britifli governors, and to the commanders of our forces in thofe parts, to drive the French from their fettlements on the river Ohio. Thus the war of 1756 was com- menced on our part, by way of leprifais for hofti-
lities
164 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
lities committed by the French long before, in di- rect'violation of the treaty of peace ; but, contrary to that general candour and integrity, for which the Britiih nation has been remarkable in all her tranfa6lions with foreign powers, the cuftomary . formahty of declaring w'ar was unjuftifiably delayed ; and, in the autumn of 1755, when France leaft expe£led luch a bIow% a refoJution was taken in council to feize all French Ibips, wb.ether m^r- chant-med or men of war, and to bring them into the Britiih ports. The policy and fpirit of this mearure was highly applauded by the nation in ge- neral, the people being fired with refentment at the perfidious condu£l of the court of France, in autho- nfing hoftilities and encroachments in North Ame- rica ; bat ftiU it was an acl of piracy, highly un- becoming the dignity of this nation : while it was complaining of injufi:ice, it proceeded to counte- nance it, by being guilty of the fame treachery. The trading fubjefts of every country, by the law of nations, fliould be apprifed of an abfolute rup- ture between their refpe£live fovereigns, by an open declaration of war. It has been the cuflom of Europe, as well as the law of all civilized na- tions, till this bad precedent was made ; and though it deprived France of the means of manning their navy, and enriched our people, yet it can never be jufiified, nor can any advantages derived from it indemnify the nation for the future confequences of having given fach an example to the maritime Hates of Europe.
The court of Verfailles now perceived their error too late, and began to mediate a reconciliation, by applying to feveral neutral powers for that purpoie ; and they even carried on fuch an appearance of moderation, as to relcafe an Englifh frigate taken by one of their men of war, having on board Mr.
Lvttleton,
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, kc, 165
Lyttlcton, governor of Carolina, who was going to his government ; at the lame time, how^ever, they made every neceflary preparation for war, and lined their coaft oppofite England w^ith troops and tranfports, as if they meditated an invafion. The Britifh minillry, on their part, exerted themfelves v^Mth uncommon ardour and difpatch, fending fleets and armies to all our fettlements in Afia and Ame- rica, and forming alliances and fubiidiary treaties with the landgrave of Helle CalTel and the emprefs ofRuffia.
On the 13th of November the parliament met, when the treaty with HefTe Caftle for troops, irT- tended to be employed for the defence of Hanover, was warmly and julUy oppofed in the houfe of lords by the earl Temple and others, as involving the nation in a continental quarrel and expence for the defence of the king's dominions, not belonging to the crown of Great Britain ; but the treaty w^as, in the end, approved by a great majority. In the lower houfe Mr. Pitt and Mr. Legge oppofed the treaty with maflerly arguments ; and Sir Thomas Ro- binfon, on whom the miniflcr relied for its defence in that houfe, was laid to want abihty, and was indeed embarraffed, by being engaged in a bad caufe ; and therefore he was removed, though the motion for approving the treaty, by aji addrefs of thanks, was carried by a great majority.
Mr. Fox fucceeded Sir Thomas Robinfon : Mr. Pitt and Mr. Legge, difgufted at thefe foreign treaties, and the alteration in the miniftry, refign- ed ; and many of Mr. Fox's friends being intro- ^ duced into different departments of the government, this was called the new adminiftration, with Mr. Fox at their head. How^ever, the controuling di- re<fi:ion of public affairs, both at home and abroad, was pretty equally divided between the duke of
New-
1 56 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
Nev/caflle and Mr. Fox, to whom the lord-chan- cellor was occaiioiially joined as a coadjutor ; the reft of. the members of this adminiftratioii were merely oftsniible minifters. And now a fucceffion of mifmanagement, of blunders, and of misfor- tunes, difgraced the nation, and llirred \ip a ge- neral indignation againft the duke and Mr. Fox. Informations had been fent from general Blakeney to Mr. Fox, of the deiign of the Frf^nch to attack Minorca, fo early as the yth of February, 1756; and advilin^ the miniftry to fend him fuch afTiftance, as. might enable him to put that ifland in a proper ftate of defence with all fpeed. Thefe hints they totally dilregarded, being fo deftitute of good in- telligence from France, that they believed all the preparations of that court were defrined for the in- valion of Great Britain ; and, under colour of pro- te6ling the kingdom againft this idle projeft, they advifed his majefty to fend for a body of Heffian troops; and, i n a few days after, Mr. Fox moved the Houfe of Commons for an addrefs to the king, defiring his majefty to fend for twelve battalions of his eleftoral troops, which was carried, but not without great oppoiition ; and fuoh expedition was ufed, that, before the end of May, both the Hef- fians and the Hanoverians arrived, andTwere en- camped in different parts of England. The people, in general, were highly exafperated to fee Great Britain reduced to fuch diftrefs, as to be obliged to commit the cuftody of their lives and fortunes to foreign auxiliaries ; while a fcheme for raifing a national militia, brought into the houfe early in the feihon by Mr. Charles Townlhend, had been rejected. By this time, certain advice was received from France, that the Toulon fleet was deftined for Minorca; but the miniftry were ftill ignorant of its force. However, a fleet was prepared, and fee
fail
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, kc. 167
fail from Spithead on the 7th of April, under the command of admiral Byng, having on board a regiment of foot for Gibrakar, and reinforcements for the garrifon of Minorca : but, owing to con- trary winds and cahiis, his fleet did not arrive at Gibrakar till the 2d of May ; and there he was in- formed that the French had ahxady gained poffef- fion of all Minorca, except the caftle of St. Philip ; and that the Toulon fquadron confifted of 12 Ihips of the line, inftead of 8, which was all, it was faid by the minikry, they could polTibly put to lea ; and therefore they gave admiral Byng only 10. The event of his unfortunate expedition is too well known to require a recital ; we lliall therefore only obferve, that the lofs of Minorca was whojly im- puted, by the fenfible part of the nation, to the negleft of the minikry ; and the Jacrifice of the un- fortunate admiral, intended to appeafe the popular clamour, only ferved to increafe it.
Inftrudlions were fent by a great number of cor- porations to their reprefentatives, againk the next fekion of parliament, requiring them to promote a kri6l fcrutiny into the caufes of the mifcarriages of the war, and into the application of the large funis granted in the lak feffion ; they were likewife en- joined to bring in a bill for the ekablifhment of a regular militia, that the nation might not be indebt- ed for her fafety, on any extraordinary emiergency, to foreign mercenaries. It was impolhble to accom- plifh thefe defigns without a change of the minif- try ; and therefore addrefles, complaining of the mifmanagement of public- affairs, were promoted in all parts of the kingdom, and a great many were carried up to the throne ; and perfons of all ranks publicly expreking their wilhes to fee the direction of affairs in other hands, his majeky defired the duke of Newcakle to rekgn for the prefent, that he
might
i68 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
might be enabled to gratify the views of thofe per- fons in oppolition, who ofpered to take the reins of government, on condition only, that the friends they fhould nominate might be brought in with them : afluring his grace, at the fame time, that he fhould be re-inflated as foon as an opportunity fhould arife to propofe a coalition of parties. Agree- ably to this plan, the duke of Newcaflle retired ; and the duke of Devonfliire was appointed iirft lord of the treafury ; Mr. Legge was reftored to his for- mer pofl of chancellor of the exchequer, in the room of Sir George Lyttleton ; the earl TempJc was made firft lord of the admiralty, inllead of lord Anfon ; and Mr. Fox refigned the feals of fecretary of ftate to Mr. Pitt, the idol of the people, and that gentleman ilipulated for the removal of lord-chan- cellor Hardwicke, who, with a view of aggrandif- ing his family, had lately taken too great a fliare in the politicks of the cabinet.
The £vi\ object of the new miniftry was to advife the king to fend back the Hanoverian troops ; the next was, to form a plan for purfuing more vigorous meafures in the conduct of the war ; and the third, to carry the militia bill into a law, all which they efFedled between the month of November, 1756, when they came into power, and the month of January, 1757. An oppofition, however, was form- ed to this conftitutional a£l without doors; and though all parts of the kingdom had feot up ad- dreffes to the throne, and inftru£lions to the mem- bers of parliament to obtain a militia, while the German troops were in the kingdom ; yet a few difcontented men, amongft the late difcarded miniftry, foon ftirred up a diflike to this mili- tary fervice. amongft the lower and middling clafles of the people : the farmers were made to believe, that they would be deprived of their fervants, and
a report
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, &c. 169
a report was indiiftriouflv propagated, that the militia- men would be lent out of the kingdom, either to Ger- many, to fi^ht the battles of foreign princes, or to A- merica to defend thecolonies. Thelate chancellor and his adherents were ftrongly fufpefted to be the fo- menters of this difturbancc ; but, happily for the nation, thofe who had propofed this law had the refolution and ability to carry it into execution, in defiance of all oppofition. It muft, however, be con feiTed, that this a<5l was not framed as it ought to have been, and that the militia was placed by it too much in the pov;er of the crow-n.
But though the party againft adrainiftration could not prevail to prevent this popular aft, they had fuch influence in the council and the fenate, that, to the furprife of the whole nation, they found means to turn them out of office, in the midft of their arduous endeavours to reftore the honour and credit of the nation, to leilen the public ex- pence, by reducing tlie enormous falaries of the great officers, and bv abolilliing a number of ufelefs places. Accordingly the king demanded the feals of Mr. Pitt, in April; the next day Mr. Legge re- figned, and, with him, earl Temple. The office of chancellor of the exchequer was now put into the liands bf-lord Mansfield, pro tempore^ and the na- tion was in a general alarm. Mr. Pitt and Mr. Legge received addrefTes of thanks from the city of London, with their freedom in gold boxes, as an honorary reward for their integrity and v;ifdom during their fhort adminifiration ; and both the king and the new uiiniftryfaw the impofTibility of carrying on the war, in the prefent difpoiition of the people, without them.
With a noble zeal for the honour of his fove- reign, and the good of his country, lord Mansfield,
Vol. VL , I ^vitU
I70 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
with great diligence, endeavoured to reconcile the chiefs o{ the contending parties, and, by a general coalition, to fettle a permanent miniflry,^ not liabl-e to be harraiied by oppolition. His deiign took effefl, a comproraife was made, fome of each party- were taken into the public fervice, and the follow- ing arrangement gave univerfal fatisfa£lion.
The duke of Newcallle was reflored to his office ©f firll lord of the treafury ; Mr. Legge was re in- flated chancellor of the exchequer ; Mr. Pitt was appointed principal fecretary of itate for the fouthern provinces, and was confideied as the minifler ; lord Temple was made lord privy-feal, lord Anfon preiided again at the head of the admiralty ; and Mr. Fox was appointed paymafter-general ; Sir Robert Henley, of Mr. Fox's party, was made keeper of the great feal ; and the inferior offices of flate were equally diflributed amongfl the friends of the duke of Newcaftle, Mr. Pitt, aiKl Mr. Fox, the three political commanders in chief. This defirable event took place the latter end of June,
^757-
All animoiities now ceafed ; former miflakes were
buried in oblivion ; each department of adminiftra- tion exerted itfelf folely for the public good, which happy difpoliticn produced the moft glorious ef- fects ; and thus the duke of Newcallle had the un* fpcakable latisfa£lion to be reilored to adminiilra- tion, in time to fliare the honours and applaufe which were bellowed by a griteful people, on a ininsrtry whofe unanimity, vvifdom, and fpirit, joined to the valour of our forces by fea and land, railed this country to the highell pitch of human giory^ between this period and the year 1762 ; when a total change of the miniftry took place, tiirough the intiuence of the earl of Bute, who,
upon
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, &c. 171
upon Mr. Pitt's refignation in 1761, was made principal lecretary of Itate; and, from the moment he came into power, had refolved, under the pre- text of abohfhing the party-diftindions of whig and tory, abfurdly to procure the difmiffion from the royal fervice of the warmefl friends of the houfc of Hanover ; a meafure which produced the utmoft diftradion in all the departments of the Hate, by the removals it occafioned, rendered it impoffiblc to carry on the war with the fame vigour and fuc- cefs that had conflantly attended it during the ad- miniftration of Mr. Pitt, and occafioned a precipi- tated inglorious peace, inadequate, in moft refpedls, to the fuccclfes of the war, and the dignity of the crown. The new favourite artfully ramained in the trifling pofl of groom of the flole, from the ac- ceffion of his prefent raajefty in 1760, till he found an opportunity of putting in practice the old Ma- chiavelian maxim, " Divide and rule.'* P^or this purpofe he employed two years in fludying Mr. Pitt's charaiSler : and finding that the foible of that minilier was impetuolity of temper, he flrengthened his own interefl in the cabinet, and obtained a full determination againfl Mr. Pitt on the affair of de- claiing war againfl Spain in 1761, upon certain in- telligence he had received of the intentions of the court of Madrid to affift France. Mr. Pitt and Mr. Leggc both refigned upon this occafion, and then the only obdacle to the polTeflion of that ple- nitude of power the earl of Bute aimed at, was the duke of Newcaflle. By his early zeal in favour of the protellant fucceffion ; by his liberality in the public ufe he had made of a large fortune ; by a fucceiTion of great offices in the Hate, he had been enabled to confer on fome of the lirft families in the kingdom ; he had attached a powerful party to
I z his
172 THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES,
his intereft in the council, in parliament, and in the kingdom at large.- In a word, he was conlider- cd as the head of the whigs, and he was beloved by the people for his magnificence, affability, and per- fonal difintereflednefs. It was therefore a bold un- dertaking to attempt the overthrow of this old fer- vant, and faithful friend to the royal family : but ambition levels all obilru6lions.
During a great part of the lafl reign, the duke, his family, and friends, had enjoyed the coniidence €f the fovereign, and the chief direftion of public affairs. But his advanced age, and his lituation, had prevented his having any opportunity to cultivate a perfonal intereft with his prelent majefty. His con- tinuance at the head of the treafury, after the Accef- fion, was therefore extremely precarious, becaufe he did n©t poflefs the royal confidence ; and the perfon who had it, confidering that department as the chief feat of power, contrived to tire the patience of the duke, by repeated mortificat on?, till he was obliged to relign ; and lord Bute was appointed firft lord of the treafury, who foon cleared every de- -partment in the ftate of the friends of the duke of Newcaflle. His animofity, or want of political abi- lities, however, proved the bane of his own power ; and his fhort-lived adminiflration, which lalfed little more than a year, was marked with violence and injuftice. Even clerks in office, whofe falaries did not exceed 50I. per annum, were turned out of their employments, and left deilitute of all pro-^ vifion, without fo much as the fhadow of any charge againil them. This conduct, and the popular dif- approbation of the peace, forced him to retire from all public bufinefs towards the dole of the year 1763 } and the whigs faw themfelves under a necel- fity to revive the diftindion bctweea them and the 2 tones
DUKE GF NEWCASTLE, &c. 173
tories with as much heat as ever, lord Bute having intrpduccd and lupported in power many of the avowed enemies to the Hanover family, and to the i'roteftant fucceiTion in that iUuftrious houfe.
In the year 1765, when the Rockingham admi- niilrati )n was formed by the late duke of Cumber- land, his royal higbnefs ad vifed them to ftrengthen their interelt, by taking in the duke of Newcallle ; his grace was accordingly appointed lord privy-feal, which he refigned the following year to his old col- league in office, the earl of Chatham.
His grace now rcfolved to quit the court, and all public bufinefs ; upon which occalion his majefty offered him a penfion ; but, though he had greatly injured his private fortune, by devoting great part of an income of 50,000 1. per annum to the ellablifhment of George 1. he nobly refufed to difgrace his birth and charader, and fcorned to become a burthen either to the King, or to the na- tion, by taking a penfion. His grace pafTed the remainder of his days in retirement, enjoying the company of his numerous friends, and the fatisfac- tion of being confidered as the moft diiintereited patriot of the prefent age.
In the year 1768 his health began vilibly to decline, and he was foon thought to be in great danger ; as his end approached, his attention to his devotion was conftant and fervent, fuitable to that unfeigned piety for which he had been diilin- guifhed throughout life. On the 17th of Novem- ber, in the morning, he defired to receive the lacra- ment, which was adminiftered to him by the bifhop of Salifbury ; and in a few hours after he paid tiie debt of nature.
His grace dving without iffue, the title of duke of Newcaftle upon Tyne became extind i but that
1 3 °f
174 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
of Newcaftle under Line, conferred upon him in 17^6, with remainder in the female Une, devolved to the prefent duke, who married Mr. Henry Pei- ham's eldeil daughter.
MEMOIR S OF
PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
Earl of CHESTERFIELD. [A.D. 1694, to 1773.]
FEW characters, within the memory of the pre- fent gei)eration, have been more admired than that of the celebrated nobleman, of whom we are now to give concife memoirs. His lordfhip was defcended from a family of great antiquity, and his father married a daughter of the celebrated marquis of Halifax. He was the eldell of four fons, and born in London, on the aad of September, 1694. At the age of 18 he was fent to Cambridge, where he remained two years. By his lordfhip's own account in his writings, his knowledge about this time was chiefly confined to fcholaftic learn- ing, in which he had made a confiderable progrefs ; but in polite literatiare he efleemed hmifelf defici- ent.
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. 175
ent. ** When he talked bed, he quoted Horace; when he aimed at being facetious, he quoted Mar- tial : and when he had a mind to be a line gentle- man, he talked Ovid. He was convinced that none but the ancients had common fenfe, and that the claffics contained every thing that was either neceffary, ufeful, or ornamental." In the firft par- liament of George I. lord Stanhope, as he was now fly led, was eleded a burgefs for St. Germaine, in Cornwall, and in the next, for Leilwithiel in the fame county. He tells us, *' that he fpoke in par- liament the firll: month he was in it, and from the day he was elecled, to the day he fpoke, thought and dreamed of nothing but fpeaking."
By a few months refidence at tiie Hague, in the interval between his leaving the univerlity and the meeting of parliament, he had worn off the ruft of college pedantry. Frequenting the court, introduc- ing himfelf into the bell company, attentively iludying, and imitating the free, unafFe6led air, manners, and converfation of people of the firft dif- tinftion, and amongfl thefe, of fuch as were re- markable for their politenefs, were the means he made ufe of to familiarife himfelf to the great world. To a ftri)ng delire of pleaii ng, he added a fund of good-humour, and great vivacity. With thefe qua- lifications he entered the fenate-houfe ; and it was foon difcovered that he polTeffed talents to render him confpicuous ; for his eloquence was mafterly, his fentiments patriotic, and his addrcls peculiarly engaging.
On patriotic principles he efpoufed the caufe of George I. and flood foremoft in the ranks of thofe loyal fubje£ts, who tendered their lives and fortunes in fupport of his perfon and government againfl the defigns of the pretender and his adherents. Such conduct, and fuch talents, could not remain un- I 4 noticed
176 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
noticed by the court ; and the firft mark of royal favour conferred upon him fufficiently demonftrated that the king had a mofr favourable opinion of his abihties ; for he was made one of the lords of the bed-chamber to the prince of Wales, afterwards George II. In this flation he continued after a dif- agreement had arifen between the king and the prince in the year 1717 ; and, the prince retaining him in his fervice, after his royal highnefs had been forbidden the court, lord Stanhope did not receive any further token of the king's efteem till 1723, v.'hen lie was appointed captain of the yeomen of the guard. In 1726, he fucceedcd to the title and peerage of earl of Chefterf.eld, on the demife of ^is father, and, in the courfe of the follow^ing year, foon after the acceilion of George 11. he was fworn- . in one of his majefty's privy-council.
In the year 1728, bis lordOiip was appointed am- baffador extraordinary to the States General, which Ingh llaticn he fupported with the greateii: dignity; and, being vefted with plenipotentiary powers, he carried on, and accomplifhed, important negociations equally beneficial to his own country, and fatisfac- tory to the States General, who, during the two years he refided at their court, held him in the higliefl: eHeem, and manifefted their regard to his perfon, as well as his chara6ler, by every mark of re- fpeft and attention in their power.
Upon his return to England in 1730, he was elected a knight companion of the noble order of the garter, and appointed fteward of the houfehold ; and the fame year he went back to the Hague with his former charafler. The following winter, in confequence of fome mifreprefentation of his con- du(5l as lord {reward of the houfehold, foon after his return from the Hague, a mifunderftanding arofe
between
EARLoF CHESTERFIELD. 177
between his lordfliip and the king, which ended in his refignaticn of that office j and he retired to his x:ountry-reat in Derbyfliire. But when the parlia* ment fat, he conftantly attended his duty, and tliouc^h for the prefent he gave np all thoughts of further promotion at court, he did not enter into any party, FiOr oppofe the meafures of adminiftration, except when he was clearly convinced that they miliiated againft the honour and intereft of his country.
About the fame time, his lordfhip married lady Melofma dc Schuienbcrg, counteis of V/ahingham, the natural daughter of George I. by the dutchefs of Kendal and Mui.fier.
In the fefTion of parliament in 1733, ^^^ lordfhip diftinguiOied himfeif by the a6iive part he took ia all the important bufinefs of that intcreding period. In a warm debate, he oppofed the redufiion of the army: he f^rcnuouily oppofed the excife-bill ; he fupporjcd the motion for ordering the dire61ors of the fouth-fea company to deliver in an account of the difpofal of the forfeited eftates of the infamous- diredlors in 1720; and, upon the failure of another motion, to appoint a committee to examine into the management of the affairs of that company ever fince the year 1720, he drew up and entered a fpi- riled protclf, which was figned by feveral other lords.
In the fpring of the year 1734, the duke of Marl- borough brought a bill into the houfe of peers, to- prevent office: s of the army being deprived of their pommillions otherwife than by fentence of a court martial ; at the fame time, the duke moved for an addrefs to his majefty, to know who advifed him to dej[>rive the duke of Bolton and lord Cobham of theic regiments, for having voted in parliament againfl the meafures of the ip.inifjrv. Lord Chefterfield. warmly feconded the motion, and fupported the bill -^ I c but
178 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
but tliey were both rejected by a great majority. In the following feffion, he took the part of the fix Scotch noblemen who prefented a petition to the houfe of peers, complaining of an undue eledion of the fixteen peers to fit in parliament, and maintained their claim with uncommon fpirit.
In 1737, lord Chefterfield gave great difguft to the court, by a mafterly fpeech in favour of the mo- tion to addrefs his majeily to fettle 100,000 1. per annum on his royal highnefs Frederick prince of Wales ; and, upon its failure, he entered his protefl:.. But his mcjft remarkable fpeech in this feffion was againft the bill for fubje£\ing plays to the infpe£lion and licence of the lord chamberlain. Upon this oc- cafion his lordfhip difplayed all the powers of ora- tory, though without fuccefs. He juflly confidered it as a reflraiiit upon the liberty of the prefs, and a vio- lation of the riglits of the fubj-dJ. The composition of this fpeech has been highly extolled as the ilan- dard of a correal ftyle, and of maflerly eloquence ; for which reafon it has been copied into fuch me- moirs of his life as are extant, and v/e fhall allbinfert it.
It is necefiary to premife, that the bill was brought into the lower houfe by Sir Robert Walpole, who had gotten into his polTellion the manufcrlpt of a comedy defigned for the ftage, which was replete v^ich the bitiercfl farcafms upon adminiftration. The bill was calculated to prevent all perfonal fatire againft men in power for the future, and it was well contrived for the purpose, to fubjedl all new pieces to a, licence from an oBicer of the court, who, ex effjclcy mufl be in the intereft of the minifter. It pasTed the lower houfe by a majority of two to one; and in the upper hc-ufc, upon the motion for com- mitting it, after (peaking of the precipitancy with which the bill had palled the houfe of commons,
and
E A R L OF C H E S T E R F I E L D. 179
and of its being pufhed into an empty houfe of lords at the end of a feffion, his lordfhip thus pro- ceeds :
** I have gathered from common talk while this bill was moving in the lower houfe, that a play- was offered to the theatre in order to be exhibited, which if my account be right, was truly of a moft fcandalous and flagitious natute. What was the efft£l ? Why, the manager, to y, horn it was offered, not only refufed to acl it, but carried it to a certain p?rfon in the adminlftration, as a fare method to have it fupprefTed. Could this be the occafion of the bill ? Surely, no. The cauiion of the players could never occafion a law to reftrain tliem ; it is an argument in their favour, and a very material one, in my opinion, againft the bill. It is to me a proof, that the laws are not only fufficient to deter them from afting what they know would offend, but alfo to punilTi them in cafe ihey fhould do it.
** My lords, I mull own, I h^ve obferved of late a remarkable licentioufnefs on the flage. There were two plays afted laft winter (Pafquin and Charles I.) that one would have thought fhould have given the greatefl offence, and yet they were luifered without any cenfure whatever. In one of thefe plays, the author thought fit to reprefent reli- gion, phyfick, and the law, as inconliflent with common fenfe. The other was founded on a (lory, very unfit for theatrical entertainment at this time cf day ; a ilory fo recent in the minds of Englifh- men, and of (o folemu a nature, that it ought to be touched upon only in the pulpit. The flage may want regulation, the ftage may have it; and yet be kept within bounds, without a new law for that purpofe.
** Every unnecelfary reflraint on licentioufnefs
is a fetter upon the legs, is a fliackle on the hands,
I 6 of
i8o PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
of Liberty. One of the greareft bleffings we enjoy, one of the greattil bleffings a people can enjoy, is liberty, — but every good in this life has its alloy of evil. Licentiouinefs is the alloy of liberty ; it is an ebullition, an excrefcence ; it is a fpeck upon the eye of the political body, which I can never touch but with a gentle, with a trembling hand, left I deftioy the body, left I injure the eye upon which it is apt to appear. If the ftage becomes at any time licentious ; if a play appears to be a libel upon the government, or upon any particular man, the king's courts are open, the laws are fufhclent for punifliing the offender, and, in this cafe, the perfon injured has a lingular advantage; he can be under no difficulty to prove who is the publiflicr, and there can be no want of evidence to convidt him. But, my lords, fuppofe it true, that the laws now in being are not fufiicient for putting a check to, or preventing, the iicentioufnefs of the i^age ; fuppofe it abfoiutely necefiary fome new laws fliouid be made for that purpofe ; yet it muf?: be granted, that fuch a law ought to be maturely coniidered, and every claufe, every fentence, nay every word of it well weighed and examined, left, under fome of thofe methods prefunied or pre- tended to be neccilary for reftraining Iicentioufnefs, a power fhculd lie concealed, which might be af* tervvards made ufe offer giving a dangerous wound to liberty. JSuch a law ought not to be intrrduced at the clofe of a feftion ; nor ought we in the palling of fuch a law, to depart from any of the forms pre- fcribed by our anceftors for preventing deceit and furprife. There is fuch a conne£lion between Iicen- tioufnefs and Lberty, that it is not eafy to correal the one, without dangeroufly woundmg the other. It is extremely hard to diftinguifli the true limit be- tween them. Like a changeable iilk, we can cafily
fee
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. i8i
fee there are two different colours, but we, cannot ea- fily difcover where the one ends, or the other be(;ins. There can be no great and immediate danger fiom the licentioufnefs of the flage. I hope it will not be pretended, that our government may, before next winter, be overturned by fuch licentioufnefs, even though our ftage were at prefent under no fort of legal controul. Why then may we not delay, till next feffion, pafiing any law againft the licen- tioufnefs of the flage ? Neither our government can be altered, nor our conftitution overturned, by luch a delay ; but by pafTmg a law raflily and un- advi(edly, our conftituiion may at once be deftroyed and our government rendered arbitrary. Can we then put a fmall, a fliort-lived inconvenience, in the balance with perpetual flavery ? Can it be fuppofed, that a parliament of Great Britain will fomuch as rifk the latter, for the fake of avoid- ing the former ? Surely, my lords, this is not to be expe£ied, were the licentioufnefs of the ftage much greater than it is, were the infufficiency of our laws more obvious than can be pretended ; but when we complain of the licentioufnefs of the ftage, and of the infufficiency of our laws, I fear we have more reafon to complain of bad meafures in our polity, and a general decay of virtue and morality among the people. In public as well as private life, the only way to prevent being ridiculed, or cenfured, is to avoid all ridiculous or wicked mea- fures, and to purfue fuch only as are virtuous and worthy. The people never endeavour to ridicule thole they love and efteem, nor will they fufFer them to be ridiculed : if any one attempts it, the ridicule returns upon the author ; he makes him- felf only the objeft of public hatred and contempt. The adions or behaviour of a private man may pafs unobferved, and confequently unapplauded, uncenfured j but the anions of thofe in high ftations
can
i82 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE^
can neither pafs without notice, nor without cen- fure and applaufe ; and therefore an adminiftrationy without efteem, without authority among the people, let their power be never fo great, let their power be never fo arbitrary, will be ridiculed. The fevercfl edids, the moft terrible punifhments, cannot entirely prevent it.
" If any man therefore thinks he has been cen- furcd, if any man thinks he has been ridiculed, upoa any of our public theatres ; let him examine his amnions, he will find the caufe; let him alter his conduct, he will find a remedy. As no man is perfect, as no man is infallible, th-e greateft may err, the moft circumfpe(5t m.-y be guilty of fome piece of ridiculous behaviour. It is no licentiouf- nefs, it is an ufeful liberty always indulged the ftage in a free country, that fome great men may there meet with a juft reproof, which none of their friends will be free enough, or rather faithful enough to give them. When a man has the misfortune to incur the hatred or contempt of the people, when public meafures are defpifed, the audience wiil ap- ply what never was, what could not be defigned as a fatire on the prefent times. Nay, even though the people fliould not apply, thofe who are confci- ous of guilt, thole who arc confcious of the wick- ednefs or weaknefs of their own condudt, will take to themfelves what the author never defigned. A public thief is as apt to take the fatire, as he is apt to take the money, which was never defigned him. We have an inflance of this in the cafe of a famous comedian of the laft age ; a comedian who was not only a good poet, but an honeft man, and a quiet and good fubjecf. The famous Moliere, when he wrote his Tartuffe, which is certainly an excellent and a good moral comedy, did not defign to fatirize any great man of that age ; yet a great man in
France
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD, 183
France at that time took it to himfelf, and fancied the author had taken him as a model, for one of the principal, and one of the vvorft chara6lers in that comedy. By good luck, he was not the Jicenfcr; otherwife the kingdom of France had never had the pleafure, the happinefs I may fay, of feeing that play adted ; but when the players firft propofed to a£l it at Paris, he had intereft enough to get it for- bidden. Moliere, who knew himfelf innocent cf what was laid to his charge, complained to his patron the prince of Conti, that, as his play was dcfigned only to expofe hypocrify, and a falfe pretence of religion, it was very hard it fliould be forbidden being a6led, when at the fame time, they were fuf- fered to expofe religion itfelf every night, publicly, on the Italian ftage. To which the prince wittily anfwered, * It is true, Moliere, Harlequin ridicules
* heaven, and expofcs religion ; but you have done
* much worfe j vou have ridiculed the firfl minlAcr
* of religion.' Pvly lords, the proper bufineis of the flage, and that for which only it is ufcful, is to expofe thofe vices and follies, which the laws cannot lay hold of; and to recommend thofe beau- ties and virtues, which miniflers and courtiers fel- dom either imitate or reward ; but by laying it under a licence, and under an arbitrary couit-licence too, you will, in my opinion, entirely prevent its ufe ; for though I have the greateft efteem for that noble duke in whofe hands this power is at prefent defigned to fall ; though I have an entire confidence in his judgment and impartiality; yet J may fup- pofe, that a leaning towards the fafhions of a court is fometimes hard to be avoided. It may be vtry difficult to make one who is every day at court be- lieve that to be a vice or a folly, which he fees daily pra£lifed by thofe he loves and efteems. By cuftom, €ven deformity itfelf becomes familiar, and at laft
a^areeable.
i84 PHILIP DORMER STAxNHOPE,
agreeable. — To fuch a perfon, let his natural im- partiality be never fo great, that may appear to he a libel againft the court, which is on'y a moft jufb and a moft neceffary fatire upon the fafhionable vices and follies of the court. — Courtiers, my lords, are too polite to reprove one another; the only place where they can meet with any ju{l: reproof is a free, though not a licentious, ftage ; and as every fort of vice and folly, generally in all countries^ begins at court, and from thence fpreads tluough the country, by laying the ftage under an arbitrary court-licence, inftead of leaving it what it is, and always ought to be, a gentle fcourge for the vices- of great men and courtiers, you will make it a canal for propagating and conveying their vices and follies through the whole kingdom. From hence, my lords, I think it muft appear, that the bill now before us cannot fo properly be called a bill for re- ftraining the licentioufnefs, as it may be called a bill for reftraining the liberty of the ftage, and for reftraining it too in that branch which in all coun- tries has been the moft ufeful ; therefore, 1 muft look upon the bill as a moft dangerous incroach- ment upon liberty in general. Nay farthe;, my lords, it is not only an incroachment upon liberty, but it is likewife an incroachment upon property,
'* Wit, my lords, is a fort of property of thofe that have it, and too often the only property they have to depend on. It is indeed but a precarious dependance. Thank God ! we, my lords, have a dependance of another kind; we have a much lefs precarious fupport, and therefore cannot feel the inconveniences of the bill now before us; but it is our duty to encourage and protect wit, whofo- ever's property it may be. Tho:e g n^lemen who have any luch property are all 1 hope our friends : do not let us fubjedt them to any unneceffary or
arbitrary
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. 185
arbitrary reftraint, I muft own I cannot eafily agree to the laying any tax upon wit ; but by this bill it is to be heavily taxed, it is to be excifed j for, if this bill paffes, it cannot be retailed in a proper way without a permit ; and the lord chamberlain is to have the honour of being chief-gauger, fuper- vifor, comm ITioner, judge, and jury. But what is ilili more hard, though the poor author, the pro- prietor, I fliould fay, cannot perhaps dine till he has found out and agreed with a purchafer ; yet before he can propofe to feek for a purchafer, he muft patiently fubmit to have his goods rummaged at this new excife office, where they may be detained for fourteen days, and even then he may find them re- turned as prohibited goods, by which his chief and beft market will be for ever fhut aaainft him, and that without any caufe, without the leaft fhadow of reafon either from the laws of his country, or the laws of the ftage. Thefe hardfliips, this hazard, which every gentleman will be expofed to, who writes any thing for the ftage, muft certainly pre- vent every man of a generous and free fpirit from attempting any thing in that way ; and as the ftage has always been the proper channel for wit and hu- mour, therefore, my lords, vv^hen I fpeak againft this bill, I muft think I plead the caufe of wit, I plead the caufe of humour, 1 plead the caufe of the Britifti ftage, and of every gentleman of tafte in the king- dom. But it is not, my lords, for the fake of wit only ; even for the fake of his majefty's lord cham- berlain, I muft be againft this bill. The noble duke, who has now the honour to execut'^ that office, has, I am fure, as little an inclination to diioblige as any man ; but if this bill paffes, he muft difoblige, he may difoblige fome of his moft intimate friends. It is -impoffible to write a play, but fome of the charac- ters, or fome of the fatire, may be interpreted fo as to point at fome perfon or another, perhaps at lome
perfon
i86 PHILIP DORxMER STANHOPE,
pcrfon in an eminent ilation. When it comes to he *v6^ed, the people will make the application ; and the perfon againft whom the application is made will think himfelf injured, and will at leaft privately refent it. At prelent this refentment can be di'e£led only againft the author; but; when an author's play appeals with my lord chamberlain's paflport, every fuch refentment will be turned from the author, and pointed diredily againft the lord chamberlain, who by his ftamp made the piece current. What an unthankful oftice are we therefore by this bill to put upon his majefty's lord chan->berlain ! an office which can no way contribute to his honour or pro- fit, and yet fuch a one as muft neceflarily gain him a great deal of ill- will, and create him a number of enemies. The laft reafon I fliall trouble your lord- jTiips with, for my being againft the bill, is, that in my opinion, it will no way anfwer the end pro- pofed. I mean, the end openly propofed, and 1 am fure, the only end which your lordfhips propofed. To prevent the a£ling of a play which has any tendency to blafphemy, immorality, fedition, or private fcandal, can fignify nothing, un!efs you can Jikewife prevent its being printed and publiihed. On the contrary, if you prevent its being acled, and admit of its being printed and publiihed, you will propagate the mifchief, your prohibition will prove a bellows, which will blow up the fire you intend to extinguifh. This bill can therefore be of no ufe for preventing either the public or the pri- vate injury intended by fuch a play ; and confe- quently can be of no manner of ufe, unlefs it be de- ligned as a precedent, as a leading ftep towards ano^ ther, for fu'^je^ling the prefs likewile to a licenier: for fuch a wicked purpofe, it may indeed be of great ufe ; and, in that light, it may moft properly be called a ftep towards arbitrary power. Let u^
conlider,.
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. 187
confider, my lords, that arbitrary power has feldom or never been introduced into any country a: once ; it muft be introduced by How degrees, anJ as it were ftep by ftep, left the people lliould perceive its approach. The barriers and fences of the peo- ple's liberty muft be plucked up one by one, and fome plaufible pretences muft be found for removing or hood -winking, one after another, thofe fentries who are pofted by the conftitution of every free country, for warning the people of their danger. When thefe preparatory fteps are once made, the people may then, indeed, with regret, fee flavery and arbitrary power making long ftrides over their land, but it will then be too late to think of prevent- ing or avoiding the impending ruin. The ftage, ray lords, and the prefs, are two of our out-fentries ; if we remove them, if we hood-wink them, if we throw them into fetters, the enemy may furprize us. Therefore I muft look upon the bill now before us as a ftep, and a moft necelTary ftep too, for intro- ducing arbitrary power into this kingdom. It is a ftep fo neceflary, that, if any future ambitious king or guilty minifter, fhould form to himfclf fo wicked a defign, he will have reafon to thank us for having done fo much of the work to his hand ; but fuch thanks, or thanks from fuch a man, I am con- vinced every one of your lordfhips would blufh to receive, and fcorn to deferve.'' But lord Chefter- field's eloquence did not prevent the houfe of peers from palling this unconftitutional and pernicious bill.
In the enfuing feftlon of parliament, great com- plaint was made of the depredations committed by the Spaniards on the Britifti fubje^ls trading to South America. When this affair was before the houfe of lords, the earl of Chefterficld, with his ufual eloquence and patri^tifm, advifed the moft
i88 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
vigorous meafures to procure fatisfa£\ion fjom the court of Madrid ; and, confiderlng our navy as the natural flrength of the kingdom, he voted againft the propofed augmentation of the army. The dif- pute with Spain being fettled in 1739, by a con- vention, which his lordihip deemed dilhonourable and injurious to his country, he oppoi'ed the addrefs of thanks to the king, which the miniilry wanted to pufli through both houfes with precipitation ; and he was one of the forty peers who protefted againft it : in the lower houfe it met with a llronger mark of difapprobation, for it occafioned the fa- mous fecejfton ; that is to fay, a great number of the members, finding the majority determined at all events to pafs the addrefs, retired into the coun* try, and left the remaining bufinefs of the feflion to be tranfa£ted by the friends of adminiftration alone ; abfolutely refufing to give any further at- tendance till the next feflion.
In the winter of the fame year, it was difcovered that the patriotic party were in the right, for, ad- vantageous as the convention was to Spain, that court did not adhere to it ; and the miniftry found tbemfelves under a neceffiry to advife a declaration of war. This event brought the oppofition back to their duty in parliament, and now the earl of Chefterfield inveighed againft the mifcondu£t of adminiftration in their management of the outfet of the war ; and, in particular, for advifiiig his maj^-fty to fend a meffage for a iupply to ihe lower houfe alone.
In the fpring of the year 1740, and in the fame feffion, his lordfhip took the lead in a long and violent debate upon the revival of the penfion- bill ; a bill intended to exclude penfioners of the crown from feats in the houfe of commons ; but all the flrength of argument made ule of upon this occa-*
iionj
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. 189 fion, by the ableil men in the kingdom, in both houfes of parliament, proved inefFedual, the rni- niftry having fecured a majority to rejed the bill.
Upon the meeting of a new parliament, on the 4th of December, 1741, tvi^o different motions were made for addreifes to the king on his fpeech from the throne. The (jne, by the duke of Argyje, car- ried in it oblique reflexions on the miniftry for the tardy ineffeftual operations of the fleet againft Spain : this was feconded in a nervous fpeech by lord Chef- terfield ; but the other, propoled by the earl of Holdernelfe, was palfed by a majority of twenty- eight votes. In the fame feflion, he was a ftrong advocate for the bill to indemnify fuch perfons as fhould give evidence, in the courfe of the enquiry into the adminiftration of the difcarded minifler. Sir Robert Walpole, then earl of Orford.
On the 1 6th of November 1742, the king opened the felfion of parliament by a fpeech, acquainting the two houfes, that he had augmented the Britilh forces in the Low Countries with 16000 Hanove- rians. When this part of the fpeech came to be debated in the houfe of lords, upon the ufual motion for an addrefs of thanks, the earl of Chefterficld moved a previous queftion, for poflponing the ad- drefs of thanks ; and in the month of February fol-* lowing, upon a motion made fordifmifling the Hano- verian troops, he was very warm in its favour; and in the courfe of the debate, he let fail fome expreffions concerning the kings eleftoral dominions, which his majeily highly refented.
Towards the end of the fame month, the bill for repealing the heavy duties that had been laid on fpirituous liquors, and licences for retailing thofe liquors and for impoflng others at an eafy rate, (by fome writers falfely called the gin a6l, whereas it was a repeal of that aft) met with a
ftrong
i;o PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
Urong oppofition in the houfe of lords; but the miniflry found no other expedient for increafing the public revenues, but by facilitating the con- fumption of fpirituous liquors. Lord Chefter- field upon this occalion, to his ufual force of reafoning, added the poignancy of fatire, whichhe always had ready at command ; amongft other things he faid, that the miniftry fhould be celebrated as the authors of the drinking fund \ and there being ten bifhops in the houfe, who all divided againit the bill, his lordfhip, on their coming over to his fide of the houfe, wittily told them, he was afraid he had miftaken his place, not having had the honour of their company for many years.
Lord Cheilerfield continued in oppolition to the chief meafures of adminillration refpedting the war, but more particularly againll the employment of the Hanoverian forces, in the feflion of parliament which began on the ifl of December 1743 ; and in the month of April, 1744, when it was certain that an invalion by the pretender was in great for- wardnefs, the commons pafled a bill for iniii£ting the penalties of high-treafon upon thofe who Ihould maintain a correipondence w^ith the fons of the pretender. When this bill came into the houfe of peers, the lord-chancellor Hardwicke moved, that a clanfe Ihould be inferred for continuing the pe- nalty of treafon upon the poflerity of thofe who fhould be convicted of fuch correipondence : here lord Cheflerfield appeared to be the friend to hu- manity ; he argued againfl it in the mofl pathetic manner, expofed it as an unworthy, illiberal ex- pedient, repugnant to the precepts of religion, to the law of nations, and to the rules of common juflice ; and tending to involve the innocent with the guilty : the claufe however was inferted ; and being lent back to the lower houfe with this amend- c ment.
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. 195
ment, it was carried, after a long debate, in which Mr. Pitt, and fome other members who had coun- tenanced the original bil], voted againft it.
At the clofe of this year, upon a change in the miniftry, fome of lord'Cheflerfield's friends urged the king to lay afide all animofity, out of regard to his great abilities, which were now wanted for his majefty's fervice, in a flation which he had formerly filled with fo much honour. Accordingly, his ma- jelly was pleafed once more to nominate the earl, his ambaflador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the States General ; and he embarked for the Hague on the I ith of January, 1 745. The objeft of his negotia- tion was, to engage the Dutch to enter heartily into the war, and to furnifh their quota of troops and (hipping. The Abbe de la Ville, on the part of France, was to prevent the Dutch from Jillening to thefe propofals ; ccnfequently the two miniflers could not vifit, but meethig accidentally in com- pany, he delired a friend to introduce him to the Abbe, to whom he paid this polite compliment, *' Though we are national enemies, I flatter my- felf we may be perfonal friends :" by this engaging addrefs he eflabiifhed an eafy intercourfe between them, wherever they met. Having carried his point, he left the Hague, and arrived in London in May, bringing with him a letter from their High Mighti- nclTes to the king, in which they highly extolled the ambalTador ; and his majefty, being eady informed of the profpe£l of his fucceeding in this important aifair, had nominated him, in his abfcnce, lord lieutenant of Ireland, as a reward for this fervice.
Soon after his return home, it was thought expe- dient that he ihouldgo over to his new government, the court having received certain intelligence of tbc great preparations making on the coaft of France to invade either Great Britain or Ireland, His admi-
niflration
192 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
niftration in that country is to this hour a fubjed of grateful remembrance by the inhabitants ; and it gave fuch general fatisfaftion at that critical junc- ture, that moft of the counties and chief cities ex- ceeded the warmell expectations of the miniftry at home, by entering into voluntary alTociations for the fupport of his majefty's perfon and government, againft the deligns of the pretender. In April, 1746, he left Ireland, to the general regret of the whole nation having had the addrefs to make himfelf eq^ually efleemed by the Roman Catholics and the Proteftants.
On the 29th of 0£lober, this year, he fucceeded the earl of Harrington in the office of one of the principal fecretaries of ftate; and he held the feals till February, 1748, when his health being greatly im- paired, and his inclination for a private life gaining the afcendancy over the lures of ambition, he wait- ed on the king, and deined leave to relign ; his ma- jefty granted his requeil in thefe words : " I will not prefs you, my lord, to continue in an office you are tired of, but I mufl infiil on feeing you often, for you will ever live in my efteem." His lord- fhip then went to Bath, for the recovery of his health; and, on his return to town in the winter, he defcrib- ed the manner of life to which he intended to devote himfelf for the future, in the following lines, which he ordered to be affixed on the moil confpicuous part of his library :
Nunc veterum libris, nunc fomno & inertibus horls Ducere folicitae jucunda oblivia vitae.
Being feized with a deafnefs in the year 1752, which, to ufe his own words, ** cut him off from ,fociety, at an age when he had no pleafures but thofe left," he made his eyes fupply the defed of his ears
by
EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. 193
by amuling himfelf with his pen and his books; and at this time he contributed largely to the admired papers, intituled, *' The World," conduced and publifhed by Mr. Edward Moore and his literary af- fociates.
His lordfliip had no iffue by his lady, but he had a natural Ton by Madame du Bouchet, a P'^rencli lady, with whom he carried on a criminal inter- courfe for fome years, chiefly during his relidence at the Hague. This fon, whofe name was Philip Stanhope, as he grew up, became the chief object of his attention ; and one caufe of his lordlliip's re- iignation of all public employments was, that he might have the more leifure to correfpond with him while he was on his trav^els. He could not leave his real eflate to this youth, on account of his ille- gitimacy, and therefore he adhered to a plan of ilrift occonomy, in order to raife him a fortune.
The great pains he took to cultivate and improve his mind, and to form his manners, had not the deiired effect ; however, his lordfnip had intereft to procure him the honourable employment of Eri- tilTi reiident at the court of Drefden ; but all his labour and concern for this young gentleman be- came fruitlefs by his premature death in 1768. Lord CheilerfieM could not get over this fevere blow, but from this time grew feeble and languid : yet thofe flafhes of wit and humour, for which he has been celebrated by ail who knew him, at times broke forth from the clouds of melancholy in which he feemed enveloped. His old friend. Sir Thomas Robinfon, who was above fix feet high, teUing him one day, that if he did not go abroad and take excr- cife he w^ould die by inches ; the earl drolly replied, " If that muft be the cafe, then I am very glad I am not fo tall as you, Sir Thomas." Vol. VL K Abcut
194 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE,
About the latter end of the year 1772, his foil's widow was ordered to vifit him, and to bring with her his two grandfons. His lordfliip, upon this oc- cafion, Jaid afide his crutch, with w^iich he ufed to fupport himfelf, being then very lame, and at- tempted to advance to embrace the children ; but he was no longer able to ftand alone, and wou'd Iiave falien, if a fervant had not inflantly fuccoured him ; this alFsclcd him much, but prefently recoIle£ling himfelf, he faid, fmihng, — '' This is a frefh proof of my deckniion, I am not able to crawl w^ithout my three legs ; the lall: part of the Sphynx's riddle approaches, and 1 fhall foon end as I began., upon all fours."
His predi(9"ion was but too foon verified, for he loft the ufeof his limbs in a Ihort time after, but lie retained his fenfes almoft to the lall hour of his life. His lordlhip died on the 24th of March,
1773-
His lordfhip's character is almofl undefinable ;
he was certainly one of the greateil: wits of the prefent age ; but his flatterers have given him more reputation than anv one man ever acquired for this talent. In his political charader he was a patriot upon principle, yet the luft of power made him either lull afieep, or fometimes forget, thofe prin- ciples when in ofhce. His public excellence lay chiefly in being an able negociator. But his polite- nefs, affability, and knowledge of the human heart, made him univerfally admired, and gave him the key to the fecrets, as well as to the foibles, of both fexes. In lliort, his amiable accompliflnnents ren- dered him the mofi fit perfon upon earth for an am- bafiador or a viceroy. His talents for oratory ac- quired him the title of the Britifh Cicero; and his tafie for learning arid the polite arts, together with occafional hbcraiities to the profefTors, gained him
that
EARL OF CEIESTERFIELD. ,95
that of the Maecenas of this country. Rut when we have allowed that he was the accomnllflied cour- tier, the |>erfecl gentleman, and the able fenator, we could wilh to clofe the I'cene, for the remaining part of his charader does no honour to his memory. However, we are in duty bound to obferve, that this admired nobleman did not pay a p oper reo;ard to ihofe private obligations between man and man in fociety which are the bonds of its happinefs and tran- quiUity i his failure in thefe points of morality was confpicuous in his condu^in private life ; and his letters to his fon, which were publilhed by that gentleman's widow after his lordlhip's death, and have been read with avidity by almoft all ranks of people, are a ratification of his immoral principles and practices ; and his will, made at the clofe of his life, is a ftrong proof that his faculties had been for fome time on the decline : for it is inconliftent, partial, and pcevilh, containing but one claufc to diftinguifh it as the v/ork of a man of genius, which
is the following
*' Satiated with the pompous follies of iliis life, of which I have had an uncommon fhare, I would have no poflhumous ones difplayed at my funeral, and therefore dcnre to be buried in the next bury- ing-place to the place where 1 fball die." This order was punctually obeyed, for he was buried privately in the vault under ""outh Audley chape!, beint^ the nearefc burymg place to Ciiclkriield- houfe, vvliere he died.
*^.* Juth-r't}es, Dodiley's Annual RegiOcr, 1774. !:rapplement to the Univerfal M;i'.i;;i7.'.ne, 'Vol. LIV. Mortimer's Hid. of England, VoL 111.
K % J^i E-
[ 196 ]
MEMOIRS OF
GEORGE, Lord LYTTELTON.
[A. D. 1708, to 1773.]
THIS celebrated nobleman claimed defcent from one of the moft ancient families in this king- dom. His ancefiots had pofiefiions in the vale of Evefham, W^orceflerfliire, in the reign of Henry 111. particularly at South Lyttclton, from which place feme antiquarians have ailerted they took their name. There were two grants of land belonging to Evefliam-abbey, in the pofTeffion of the late learned Mr. Selden, to v;hich one John de Lyttel- ton was witnefs in the year 1160. The great judge Lyttelton, in the reign of Henry IV. was one of this family ; and from him defcended Sir Thomas Lyttelton, father of the late peer, who was ap- pointed a lord of the admiralty in the year 1727 ; which poft he refigncd, many years afterwards, on account of the bad llate of his health.
This gentleman married Chriflian, daughter of Sir Richard I'emple, lifter of the late lord vifcount Cobham, and maid of honour to queen Anne, by whom he had fix fons and lix daughters, the eldell of which v^'as George, afterwards created lord Lyttel- ton,
GEORGE, Lord LYTTELTON. 197
ton, vvho was born at Hagley, in Woiceflcnliirc, one of the mod beautiful rural retirements in this kingdom, in the year 1708.
He received the elements of his education ^at Eton fchool, where he fhewed an early inclination to poetry. His paftorals, and fome otlier light pieces, were originally written in that feminary of learning, from whence he was removed to the uni- verfity of Oxford, where he purfued his clailical ftudies- with uncommon avidity, and fketched the plan of his Periian letters, a work which afterwards procured him great reputation, not only from the elegance of the language in which they were com- pofed, but from the excellent obfervations they con- tained on the manners of mankind.
Ill the year 1728, he fet out on the tour of Eu- rope, and, on his arrival at Paris, accidentally be- came acquainted with the honourable Mr. Poyntz, then our minifler at the court of Verfailles, who was fo flruck with the extraordinary capacity of our young traveller, that he invited him to his houfe, and employed him in many political negociations, which he executed with great judgement and fide- lity.
The good opinion Mr. Poyntz entertained of Mr. Lyttelton's character and abilities, is teftified in a letter under his own hand to his father, in which he expreiles himielf as follows :
To Sir Thomas Lyttelton, Bart.
*' S I R,
'* 1 received your two kind letters, in which you are pleafed very much to over-value the fmall civi- lities it has lain in my power to fhew Mr. Lyttelton. I have more reafon to thank you, Sir, for giving . me fo convincing a mark of your regard, as to in- terrupt the courfc of his traveis on my account, K 3 which
19^ THE L I F E O F
which wJLl lay me iiiider a dou.l>:e obligation to- do ail I can towards making his flay agreeable and ufeful to himj though I Ihall ilill remain the greater gainer by tlie pleailire of his company, which no fervices of mine can fufficiently requite. He is now in the fame houfe with me, and, by that means, inore conilantlv under my eye than even at SoifTons; but I fl^iould be very unjuft to him, if 1 left you un- der the imagination, that his inchnations fiand in the jeail need of any fuch ungenerous reftraint : depend upon it, Sir, from the obfervation of one who would abhor to deceive a father in fo tender a, point, that he retains the fame virtuous and ftudious difpoiitions, which nature and your care planted in liim, only firengtliened and improved by age and experience ; fo that, I dare promlfe you, the bad examples of Paris, or any other place, will never have any other efFe6l upon him, but to confirm him in the right choice he has made. Under thefe happy circumiftances he can have little occafion for any other advice, but that of fulbining the cha- rader he has fo early got, and offupporting the hopes he has raifed. 1 wilh it were in my power to do him any part of the fervJce you fuppofe me capable of. I ihail not be wantinc^ to employ hiai as occafion oifers, and to afiifthim with my advice where it mav be necelfary, though your cares (which he ever mentions with the greatell; gratitude) have made this tafk very cafy. He cannot fail of making you and hirafelf happy, and of being a great orna- ment to our country, if, with that refined taile and delicacy of genius, Uq can but recall his mind, at a proper age, from the pleafures of learniiig, and pay fcenes of imagination, to the dull road and fa- * ti.zue of bufmefs. This I have fometimes taken the liberty t.^ hint to him, though his own good judg- ment made it very unueceilary. Though I have
only
GEORGE, Lord LYTTELTON. 199
only the happinefs of knowing you, Sir, by your reputation, and by this comnion objeft of our friendfliip and aff-ftion, your fon, I beg you will be perfuaded that i am, with the moil particular refpedt,
SIR, Your moft humble
and obedient fervant,
S. POYNTZ/'
Mr. Lyttelton's condu£l, while on his travels, was a leffon of inilruclion to the reft of his couii- trymen. Inftead of lounging away his hours at the cofFce-houfes frequented by the Englifh, and adopting the fafhionable follies and vices of France and Italy, his time was paff:;d alternately in his li-^ brary, and in the fociety of men of rank and lite- rature. In this early part of his life be wrote a poetical epiftle to Dr. Ayfcough, and another to Mr. rope, which lliew fingular taue and corre^- nefs.
After continuing a conliderable time at Paris with Mr. Poyntz, u^ho, to ufe his own words, be- haved like a fecond father to him, he proceeded IQ Lyons and Geneva, and from thence to Turin, where he was honoured with great marks of friend- fhip by his Sardinian majefty. He then viiited Milan, Venice, Genoa, and Rome, where he ap- plied himfelf clofely to the ftudy of the fine arts, and was, even in that celebrated metropolis, al- lowed to be a perfedl judge of painting, fcnlpture, and architecture.
During his continuance abroad, he conftantly correfponded with Sir Thomas, his father ; fevcral of his letters are yet remaining, and place his filial affection in a very diftinguilhed light. He foon after returned to his native country, and was elefted re- K 4 ' prefeiitativ«
200 T H E L I F E O F
prefentative for the borough of Ckehampton, in De* vonlhire, and behaved fo much to the fatisia(ftion of his conftitucnts, that tiiey ieveral times re-ele6l- ed him for the fame place, without putting him to the leaft expence.
About this period, he received great marks of friendlliip from P rederick prince of Wales, father of his prefent majeily ; and was, in the year 1737, appointed principal fecretary to his royal highnefs, and continued in the ftridtefl: intimacy with himtill the time of his death. His attention to pubhc bu- linefs did not, however, prevelit him from exer- ciling his poetical talent. A mofl amiable yaun=g lady, Mifs Fortefcue, infpircd him with a pafnoa which produced a num.ber of little pieces, remarka- ble for their tendcrnefs and elegance ; and he had a happy facility of ilriking out an extempore compli- iTient, which obtained him no fmall lliare of repu- tation. One evening being in company with lord Cobham and feveral of the nobility at Stowe, his lordlhip mentioned his defign of puttin.g up a bull of lady Suffolk in his beautiful gardens ; and, turn- ing to Mr. Lyttelton, faid, " George, you nmll furnifli me with a motto for it." '^ I will, my lord," anfwered Mr. Lyttelton, and dire£tly pro- duced the following couplet :
Her wit and beauty for a court were made, Eut truth and goodnefs fit her for a fhade.
When Mr. Pitt, the prefent earl of Chatham, I A\ his commiffion in the guards, in confequence of his fpirited behaviour in parhament, Mr. Lyttel- ton was in waiting at Leicefter-houfe ; and, on hear- ing the eircu2iiilances, immediately wrote thefe
lines :
Long
GEORGE^ Lord LYTTELTON. aot
Long had thy virtue mark'd thee out for fame, Far, far, fuperior to a cornet's name ; This generous VValpole faw, and griev'd to iind So mean a pofl difgrace that noble mind ; The fervile ftandard from thy freeborii hand He took, and bade thee lead the patriot band.
In the year 1742, he married Lucy, the daugh- ter of Hugh Fortefcue of F illeigh, in the county of Devon, Lfq; the lady above-mentioned, whofe ex- emplary conda^5t, and uniform practice of religion and virtue, ellabliflied his conjugal happinefs upon tbje molt folid bafis.
In J 744, he was appointed one of the lords com-- miirioners of the treafury, and during his continu- ance in that ftation conftantly exerted his in- fiacnce iiT rewarding merit and ability. He was the fiiend and patron of Henry Fielding, James Thomfon, author of The Seafons ; Mr. Mallet, Dr. Young, Mr, Hammond, Mr. Weil, Mr. Pope, an.d Voltaire. On the death of Thomfon, who left his affairs in a very embarraifed condition, Mr. Lvttelton took that poet's liOer under his protection. He revifed the tragedy of Corrolanus, which that wrifer liad not put the lail hand to, and brought it out at the Theatre-royal in Covent garden, with a prologue of his own- writing, in which he fo ait'edt* .uigly'lumenied the lofs of that delightful bard, that not only Mr. Quin, who fpoke the lines, but almoft the whole audience, fpontaneoufly burft into tears.
In the beginning of the year 1746, his felicity; was interrupted by the lofs oF his wife, who died in the 29th year of her age, leaving him one fon, I'ho- mas, the late lord Lyttelton, and a daughter, Lucy, who married lord vifcount Valentia. The re iiiaius of his amiable lady were depofitcd at Over- K 5, Arlcy,.
2C2 THELIFEOF
Ariey, in "VVorceilerlliire ; and an elegant monn- ment was erefled to her memory in the church. at Hagley, which contains the following infcription,- written by her hufoand ;
Made to engage all hearts, and charm all eyes ; 'I hough meek, magnanimous ; tho' witty, wife ; Polite, as ail her life in courts had been ;' Yet good, as ihe the world had never leen ; The noble fire of an exalted mind With gentleft female tendernefs combin'd. Her fpeech was the melodious voice of love, Her fong the warbling of the vernal grove ; Her eloquence w^as fweeter than her fong. Soft as her heart, and as her reafon flrong. Her form each beauty of her mind exprefs'd ; Her mind was virtue by the graces drefsM.
Befides thefe beautiful lines, Mr. L}ttelton wrote ji monody on the death of his lady, which will be remembered v;hile conjugal affedion and a tafte for poetry exift in this country.
His maflerly obfervations on the converiion and apoftiefbip of St. Paul were written at the delire of Gilbert Weft, Efq; in confequence of Mr. Lvttei- ton alferting, that, befide all the proofs of the Chriftian religion, which might be drawn from the prophecies of the Old Teftament, from the necelTary connection it has with the whole fyftem of the Jew- ilh religion, from the miracles of Chrift, and from the evidence given of his refurre<^ion by all the other apollles, he thought the converiion of St. Paul alone, duly coniideied, w^as of itfelf a demonftration luf- iicient to prove Chriflianity to be a divine revelation. Mr. Weft was ftruck with the thought, and alfured his friend, that fo compendious a proof would be ©f great ufe to convince thofe unbelievers, that will
not
GEORGE, Lord LYTTELTON. 203
not attend to a longer feries of arguments * and time lias fliewn he was not out in his conie6liire, as t!ic tract is efteemed one of the beil defences of Chrif- tianity which has hitherto been pubhlhed.
In 1754, he refigned his office of lord of the treafury, and was made cofferer to his majefty's houfhold, and fvvorn ot the privy-council : previous to which he married, a fecond time, Ehzabeth, daughter of field-marihal Sir Robert Rich, whofe indifcreet condu6; gave him great iineaiijiefs,* and frojji whom he w^as feparated by mutual confent, a few years after his marriage.
After filling the offices of chancellor and under- treafurer of the court of exchequer, he was, by let- ters patent, dated the 1 9th of November, 1 7 57, 31ft of George II. created a peer of Great Britain, by the ftyle and title of lord Lyttelton, baron of Frank- ley, in the county of-Worcefter.
His ipeeches in both houfes of parliament, upon fundry occaiions, exhibit flr-ong proofs of a genius fuperior to 'be generality of mankind, of found judgment, of incorruptible integrity, of great good- nefs of heart, and of mafierly elocution. But, above all, his oration in the houfe of commons oi-i tlie motion for the repeal of the Jew bill, in the feiTion of parliament of 1753, is fo perfe£i: a model of fine compoiition in our language, that it is inti- tled to a place in this work, on the Urong probabi- lity that it may prove of fingular utility to fome of our young readers.
" Mr. Speaker, *' I fee no occalion to enter at prefent intqtlie merits of the bill we pad the lall feffion for the naturalization of Jews; becaufe I am convinced, that, in the prefent temper of the nation, not a iingle foreign Jew will think it expedient to take K 6 any
ao4 THELIFEOF
any benefit of that a£l ; and therefore the repealing^ of it is giving up nothing. I affented to it laft year, in hopes it might induce fome wealthy Jews to come and fettle among us : in that hght 1 favv enough of utiHty in it, to make me inchne rather to approve than diflike it ; but that any man ahve could be zealous either for or againft it, I confefs I had no idea. What affe61s our religion is in- deed of the higheil and moft ferious importance. God forbid we Ihould ever be indifferent about that 1 but, 1 thought this had no more to do with rehgion, than any turnpike-act we paft in that ki- lion; and, after all the divinity that has been preached on the fubjeft, I think To ftill.
"Resolution and Steadiness are excellent qualities ; but it is the application of them upon which their value depends. A wife government, Mr. Speaker, will know where to yield, as well a^ where to refifi : and there is no furer mark of lit- tl-enefs of mind in an adminiftration, than obflinacy in trifles. Public wifdom, on fome occallons, muil give way to popular folly, efpecially in a free coun- try, where the humour of the people muft be con- fidered as attentively as the humour of a king m an abfolute m.onarchy. Under both forms of go. vernment, a prudent and honefl: miniflry vvill in- dulge a fmali folly, and will reliil: a great one. Not to vouchfafe now and then a kind indulgence to the former, would difcover an ignorance. of hu- man nature : not to reliit the latter at all time^, would be meannefs and fervility.
",Sir, 1 look on the bill we are at prefent de- bating, not as a facrifice made to popularity (for it facrifices nothing), but as a prudent regard to fome confequences ariiing from the nature of the dainouj raifed againfl the late d.£t for naturalizing
Jews^
GEORGE, Lord LYTTELTON. ^05
Jews, which feeai to require a particular confide- ration.
" It has been hitherto- the rare and envied fehcity of his majefty's reign, that hisfubjefts have enjoyed fuch a fettled tranquiJhty, fuch a freedom from angry reHgious difputes, as is not to be paralleled in any former times. The true Chriftian fpirit of mode- ration, of charity, of univerfal benevolence, has prevailed in the people, has prevailed in the clergy of all ranks and degrees, inilead of thbfe narrow principles, thofe bigotted prejudices, that furious, that implacable, that ignorant zeal, which had .often done fo much hurt to the church and the ilate. But from the ill underilood, infignificant, a£l of parliament you are now moved to repeal, occaiion has been taken to deprive us of this inef- timable advantage. It is a pretence to difturb the peace of the church, to infufe idle fears into the minds of the people, and make religion itfelf an en^i^ine of fedition. It behoves the piety,> as well as tiie wifdom, of parliament, to difappoint thofe en- deavours. Sir, the very worfi: mifch'ref that can be done to religion, is to pervert it to the purpofes of fa6lion. Heaven and hell are not more diftant, than the benevolent fpirit of the Gofpel, and the malignant fpirit of party. The moft impious wars ever made were thofe called holy wars. He who - hates another man for not being a Chriftian, is • himfelf not a Chriftian. Chriftianity, Sir, breathes love, and peace, and good- will to man. A temper conformable to the dictates of that holy religion has lately diftinguilhed thi^ nation ; and a glorious diftinftion it was But there is -latent, at all times, in the minds of the vulgar, a fpark of enthufiafm, which, if blown by the breath of a part}, may, even when it feems quite extinguiihed, be fuddcniy revived and raifed to. a liame. 1 he a(St of laft
felfion
hgS thelifeof
fefnoii for naturalizing Tews has very unexpe£ledly adminiltered fuel to hed that iiame. To what a heiglit it may rife, if it llioujd coiitinue much longer, one cannot eafdy tell; but take avviiy tiie fuel, and it will die of itfelf.
*' It is the misfortune of all the Roman Catholic couTitries, that there the church and the fiate, the civil power and the hierarchy^ have feparate inte- refts, and are continually at variance one with the other. It is our happinefs, that here they form but one fyftcm. While this harmony lafts, what- ever hurts tlie churchj hurts the ftate : v/hatever weakens the credit of the governois of the churchy takes aw^ay from the civil power a part of its ftrength, and fhakes the whole conilitution.
'• Sir, I truft and believe, that, by fpeedily paffing the bill, we ilial] file nee that obloquy, which has io unjuilly been caft upon our reverend prelates (Tome of the mofl refpe6lable that ever adorned our church), for the part they took in the aft which this repeals. And it greatly concerns the whole com- munity, that they fhould not lofe that refpeft, which is fo juftly due to them, by a popular cla- mour, kept up m oppoiition Co a rrxeafure of no im- portance in itfelf. But if the departing from that mcafure fliould not remove tlie prejudice fo malici- oufly raifed, I am certain that no furt.her flep you can take will be able to remove it'; and therefore I hope you will flop here. This appears to be a reafonable and fafe condefceniion, by which no- body will be hurt ; but all beyond this would be dangerous 'weaknefs in government. It might open a door to the wildeft enthufiafm, and to the moil mifchievous attacks of political difafFe£tion working upon that enthufiafm. ]f you encourage and au- thorife it to fall on the fynagogue, it will go from thence to the meeting- ho ufe, and, in the end,, to
the
GEORGE, Lord LYTTELTON. 207
the palace. But let us be careful to check its fur- ther pi-ogrefs. The more zealous we are to iV.p- port Chriltlanity, the more vigilant fhould we be in maintaining toleration. If we bring back pcr- fecution, we bring back the anti-chriftian fpirit of popery; and w4ien the Ipirit is here, the wjiole fyllem w^ill foon follow. Toleration is the baiis of all public quiet. It is a charaaer of freedom given to the mind, more valuable, f think, than that which fecures our perfons and ellates. Indeed, they are infeparabiy conneded together; for where the mind is not free, where .the confcience is en- thralled, there is no freedom. Spiritual tvranny puts on the galling chains ; but civil tyranny is caHed in to rivet and fix them. We fee it in'Spain, and many other countries ; we have formerly botli fecn and felt it in England. By the bleffmg of God we are now delivered from ail kinds of oppreliion. Let us take care that they may npver return."
This fpeech had its defired effedl ; the whole houfe Wvis ftruck with tiie force of his lordfhip's arguments, and the repeal of tlie naturaIization-a<5l took place without much oppoiition. One would have imagined, that fuch confpicuous abilities for the public fervice ihould have paved the way to the firft employments in the ftatc ; but without being able to account for it, we find his lordfliip, after he w^as called up to the houfe of peers, totally di- vefied of all public employment, and only exertiisg liimfelf upon particular occalions in his parliamen- tary capacity.
The laft fpeecli. which added to his great reputa- tion, as a moft able fenator and complete orator, was delivered in the feilion of 1763, upon a debate con- cerning the privileges of parliament, in which he fupported th^ dignity of the peerage with a depth of knowledge that furprized the oldcil peers prefcnt,
W'ho
208 T H E L I F E, Sec.
who could not but wonder at the information thcj received on the fubje£l of their rights and privileges from a peer of only fix years creation, when thofe who had fat in the houfe, fome twenty, fome thirty years, were not able to gi^ve fo good an account of them.
From about this period to that of his death, his lordfliip courted retirement ; and, in the enjoyment of a fele£l fociety of friends, he had an opportunity of exerciling thofe literary talents for which he was fo eminent : he now found leifure to correfpond- with many of his learned friends ; and to finilh his *^ Dialogues of the Dead," a mofl: mafterly per- formance, containing leflbns of the pureft morality,, conveyed in a ilyie and manner the beft calculated. at once to charm and inftrucl a mind virtuoufly. difpofed.
In the month of July,. 1773, this accompliffied nobleman was fuddenly feized with an intiammatioii, in his bowels, which turned to a^nortihcation, and in a few days deprived the v^^orld of one of its moft exalted chara£^ers. FJis lail: moments exhibited a= pleafing, though an affe^iing fcene : it was fuch as- tha exit of the great and good man' alone cm pre- fent ; unimpaired underfianding, unafref^ed great- nefs of mind, calm relignatioii, and humble, but- confident hopes in the mercy of God, graced ti"ie- dving accents of the Chriilian philofopher. He was. fucceeded in his title an-d eftate luy his only fon Thomas, the late lord Lvttelton. A compleat col- lection of ail his lordfhip's mifcelianeous works» have been publifhcd fince his- death in 3 volumes, Svo. by his nephew^ George Ayfcough, £fq. His- Hiftory of Henry the Second, which v/as publifhed in 4 volumes, 4-:^. and in 6 volumes^ Svo. -is a» \c\-y impartiaJ and. valuable work.
S U P^
[ 209 ]
SUPPLE M E N T. The life of
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE.
[A. D. 1675, to 1735.]
WE cannot open this Supplement, which is to contain the Hves of the moil eminent men in private life, with more edifying and enter- taining memoirs than thofe of a learned and confci- entious divine, w^hofe fentiments and conduft have been lately revived by forne living divines of the church of England ; who, like him, being unable to procure a long-defired reformation of the doc- trines and difciphne of the Church of England, have gone one ftep further, and have thrown up valua- ble benefices, that thev might be at liberty to fol- low the dictates of their own confciences, and to teach the people what they conceive to be the pure dotflrines of Chriflianitv.
The reverend Mr. Lindfey fet the example, and has not only eftabiillied a new congregation in Lon- don (in which he has fince obtained for his affo- ciate the reverend Dr. Difney), but has publilTied a reformed liturgy upon the plan of the great di- vine,, wliofe life we are now entering upon ; and, as^
a proof
2IO THELIFEOF
a proof of our prefent happy national difpofition, Mr. Liiidfey has not Cuifered under any of thole vexatious moleftations whicii the blind zeal of the bigoted prelacy and clergy threw in the way of Dr. Clarke. The fpirit of toleration which is the true f|urit of Chrifiianity, is the characteriffic of the prefent times ; and to the honour of our prefent bench of biihops be it recorded, that they do not give countenance to the very few intemperate clergy, whofe faife zeal urges them from the pulpit to attempt the revival of religious feuds, by inflam- matory dlfcourfes againft the prefent reformers of the Church of England.
Dr. Samuel Clarke was born in the city of Norwich in 1675, and educated in the free-fchool of that place, under the care of the reverend Mr. Burton.
He was the fon of Edward Clarke, Efq; alder- man of that city, and one of its leprcfentatives in parliament for feveral years : a gentleman of an excellent natural capacity, and of untainted reputa- tion for probity and virtue.
In 1691, Mr. Clarke fent his fon to Caiu^-col- lege, in Cambridge, to be under the tuition of Mr. (afterwards Sir John) Ellis. Here his great genius and abilities foon difcovered themfelves : and when he was little more than 21 years of age, he greatly contributed, both by his own example, and his ex- cellent tranflation of, and notes upon, Rohault's Phyfics, to the eftablidnnent of the Newtonian pliiiofophy.
This performance is to this day in ufe at our nniverlities, and the notes are given to pupils in philofophy as general guides in the purluit of their lludies m this fcience.
When
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. 211
^Vhen our divine came firfi: to the unlverfity, the ryftem of Des Cartes was the efrdnlifhed phiio- fophythcie; though, as bifhop Hoadly jalUy ob- ferves,^" it was no more than the invention of an ingenious and luxuriant faricy ; having no founda- tion in the reahty of things, nor any correfpondcr.cy to the certainty of fadls."
Mr. Elhs, Mr. Clarke's tutor, though a very learned man, was a zealot for this philcfophv, and, no doubt, gave his pupils the moft favourable im- preffions of what he had fo clofely embraced him- felf.
The grejt Sir Ifaac Newton had indeed then publilhed his Principia : but -this book was for the few, both the matter and manner of it phcing it out of the reach of the generahty even of learned readers, and ilrong prejudice, in favour of what had been received, working againft it. But neither the difficulty of the talk, nor the relpe£l he paid to the dire6lor of his ftudies, nor the warmth and prejudice of all around him, had any influence upon his mind.
Diiratisfied therefore with arbitrary hypothefes, he applied himfelf to the ftudy of what was real and fubflantial ; and in this ftudy he made fuch uncommon advances, that he w^as prefently mailer of the chief parts of the Newtonian philofophy ; and, to obtain his firi\ degree, be performed a public exercife in the fchools upon a queftion taken from thence ; which furprifed the whole audience, both Ibr the depth of knowledge, and clearncfs of exprci- fion, that appeared through the whole.
In the year 1697, Mr. Clarke accidentally be- came acquainted with the celebrated John Whillon, at a coffee- houfe at Norwich, who difcoveiing in converfation that he was a young man of extraor- dinary genius, and had made an uncommon pro-
grefs
212 T H E L I F E O F
grefs in t^e Newtonian phijofophv, at that time underftood only by a few of the mofl learned men in the kingdom, h.e commenced an intimacy with him. Mr. Clarke had jull: taken holy orders ; and Mr. Whifton was chaplain to 'Or. John Moore, bi- fhop of i^orwich, a prelate of great eminence for his piety and learning, and w-ho took delight in patronizing men of genius. Mr. Whiflon, being, charmed with the converfation of young Clarke^ upon his return to the palace, gave an account of it to the bilhop, W'ho thereupon defired him to invite alderman Clarke and his fon to dine with him ; and this iiuroduftion laid the foundation of Mr. Clarke's future eftabiiihment in the bifhop's family. For, the very -next year, on the promotion of Mr. Whiilon to the living of LoweflofF, in Suffolk, his lordfhip appointed Mr. Clarke to fucceed him as his domeflic chaplain. Our young divine novy found fufficient leifure to purfue his favourite lludy, which was divinity.
In 1699, he publifhed three pra6lical EfTays up- on Baptifm, Confirmation, and Repentance ; and an anonymous piece, intituled, Retie6lions on Part of a Book called Amyntor.
The late celebrated Dr. Benjamin Hoadly, bifliop of Winchefter, mentions thefe elTays, and the reflec- tions on -Amyntor, not to put them upon a level with the author's other perforpiances, but only as having upon them the plain marks of a Chriftian frame of mind, and as proofs of his knowledge in the v/ritings of the early ages of Chiiftianity, eveiA at his firli fetting out in the world.
The author of Amyntor, it is well known, was the famous Mr. Toland : and the propofitions main- tained therein, which Dr. Clarke thought moft to defer ve conlideration, are thefe three :
Fil^^
Ds.. SAMUEL CLARKE. 213
Firft, That the hooks afcribed to the difciplcs and companions of the apoflles, which are {lill extant, and at this time thought genuine, and of great au- thority, fuch as, the Epiille of Clemens to the Co- rinthians, theEpiftles of Ignatius, the EpillJe of Po- lycarp to the PhiUipians, the Pallor of Hernias, the r piftle of Barnabas, &c. are all very eaiily proved to be fpurious, and fraudulently impofed upon the credulous.
Secondly, That it is the eafieft tafk in the world to fhevv the ignorance and fuperflition of the writers of thefe books ; that Barnabas has many ridiculous paiTages ; and by faying that the apoiUes, before their converiion, were the greatefl finners in nature, we are robbed of an argument we draw from their integrity and limplicity againfl iniidels : that the Paftor of Hernias is the lilliell book in the world ; and that, Ignatius fays, the Virginity of Mary was a fecret to the devil ; which Dr. Clarke fuppofes Mr. Toland cites as a ridiculous faying.
Thirdly, That they who think thefe books ge- nuine ought to receive them into the canon of Scripture, £nce the reputed authors of them were companions and fellow-labourers of the apoflles, as well as St. Mark and St. Luke ; which is the only reafon (Mr. T. ever heard of) why thefe two evaa- geiifts are thought infpired.
Thefe are the principal affertions of the author of Amyntor; in oppolition to which, Dr. Clarke ad- vances'and maintains the three following propou- tions :
Firfl, That though we are not infallibly certain that the Epilile of Clemens, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Barnabas, with the Pallor of Her mas, are ge- nuine ; yet that they are generally believed to be fo, upon very great authority, and with very good rea- fon.
Secondly,
214 T H E L I F E O F ,
Secondly, that therefore, though they are not received as of the fame authority with the canonical books of the New Tellamenr, yet they ought to have a proportional veneration paid to them, both with reipefl to the authors, and to the writings 4:hem- felves.
Thirdly, That neither the behef of the genuine- nefs of thefe book^, nor the refpeft paid to them as fuch, does in the lead diminilb from the authority or the New feflament, or tend to make the number of the. canonical books uncertain or precarious.
In 1 70 1, Mr. Clarke pubhflied his paraphrafe on the Gofpel of St. Matthew ; which was food fol- lowed by thofe on St. Mark, i.uke, and John ; a workwirich is defervedly lield in the higheft elleem. His original defign *vas to iiave gone through the whole of the -New Teliament in the fame mallerly, plain, iimple manner, giving a jufl: reprefentation of what is recorded in the Gofpel, without entering into abftrafe, critical commentaries. We are to!d that he had adlaally begun his Paraphrafe upon the Ac^i of the Apoflles ; but fomething accidental interrupted the execution ; and it is now only to be lamented, that he did not afterwards refume and complete fo excellent a work ; which his friends often prelTed upon him, and to which lie would fometimes anfwer, that it was -made Icfs neceiiary by the labours of feveral worthy and learned per- fons, lince the publication of his work upon the Four Gofpels. However, his paraphrafe waiJ found to be fo generallv ufeful, that is was flrongfy re- commended by the moil eminent divines j and it has paiTed through four editions.
y\bout the year 1702, the bifhop gave Vlr. Clarke the rc£lorv of Drayton, near Norwich, and pro- cured for him a pariih in that city ; both together of very inconnderable value j and tlicfe he ferved
hmifeif,
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. 21- huViieU; ill the leafoa when the bifhop rcikWl nt Norwich. His preaching was, at firft, witliout notes ; and io continued till he became reaor of St. James's.
In the year 1704, he was appointed to preacli Mr. Boyle's Lefture ; and the Jubjea he choib was, ''.The Being and Attributes i:')f God ;" in which he fucceeded fo weU,' that he was appointed to preach the fame ledure the next vear ; when he chofe for his fubjea, " The Evidences of Natural and Revealed Kehgion."
His fermons on thefe fubjefts are thrown in cc5r)tinued difcourfes, and printed together, under the general title of, " A Difcourfe concerning the Being and Attributes of God, the Obligatio'ns of Natural Religion, and the Truth and Certainty of Chriilian Revelation ; in Anfvver to Mr. HobKcs, Spinoza, the Author of The Oracles of Reaton, and other Deniers of Natural and Revealed Reli- gion ; being fixteen Sermons, preached in the Ca- thedral Church of St. Paul, in the Years 1704 and 1 701;, at the Ledure founded by Robert Eoyle, ilq,"
Thefe fermons were printed In two diftin(fl: vo- lumes ; the iirit in 1705, and the fecond in 1706. Tdiey have been fince printed in one, and have palled through leveral editions. In the fourth and fifth editions were added feveral letters to Dr. Clarke from a gentleman in Gloucefterfnire (l)r. Jofeph Butler, afterwards biihop of Brillol) relat- ing to the Demonftration, he. with the doiTI-or's anfwers. In the fixth and feventli editions were added, '^ A Difcoiirfc coiicerning the Connt'dion of the Prophecies iii the Old TeAament, and theAp- plication of them to Chrifl; ;" and, " An Anlwcr 10 a leventh letter concerning the Argument ci oriot:/.'^ Mr. Ciark^ having endeavoured to ihew, that the
JBeing
2i5 THELIFEOF
Being of a God may be demonftrated by arguments a priori ; this led him into a controverfy with fome of the theological writers of his time.
The reputation, however, which Mr. Clarke acquired by his Demonftration of the Being and i\ttributes of God, could not be diminifhed by any thing that came from the pens of his antagonifts. And how far the work merited the approbation of all pious and learned men, may be colledled from the following chara6ier given of it by biihop Hoadly:
*' He has laid the foundations of true religion too deep and ftrong to be fhaken either by the fuperftition of fome, or the infidelity of others.— He chofe particularly to coniider the arguings of Spinoza and Hobbes. the mod plaulible patrons of the Syflem of I ate and Neceffity ; a fyftem which, bv deftrovinji, ail true freedom of a£iion in anv in- telligent being, rt the fame time deitroys all that can be ftyled virtue or praiie-worthy. This being a fubjeft into which all the fubtilties and quirks of metaphylics had entered, and throvv-n their ufuai obfcurity and intricacy, the difficulty lay in clear- ing away this rubbifh of confulion ; in introducing a language that couJd be underflood ; in cloathing the cleareil ideas m this plain and manly language ; and in concluding nothing but from fuch evidence as amounts to demoiifirativc. He began with fclf- evident propofiticns ; from them advanced to fuch as received their proof from the former; and in thefe took no ftep till be had fecured the way be- fore him. "1 hroughout the whole, no word is ufed but what is intelligible to all who are at all verfcd. in fuch fubjefts, and what exprefTes the clear idea in the mind of him who makes u!e of it. All is one regular building, eredled upon a"n immoveable
foun-
Dr. Samuel clarke. 217
foundation, and rifmg up, from one flage to an- other, with equal llrength and dignity."
^ About this time, Mr. W hifton informs us, he difcovered that Mr. Clarke had been looking into the primitive writers, and began to fulpe£t, that the Athanafian doflrine of the I'rinity was not the doc- trine of the early ages.
Whether Sir Ifaac Newton had given Mr. Clarke any intimations of that nature, or whether it arofe from enquiries of his own, Mr. Whillon, who gives us this account, cannot dire£lly inform us ; though he inclines to the latter. This only he remembers to have heard Mr. Clarke fay, " that he never read the Athanafian creed in his parilh at or near Norwich but once, and that was only by miftake, at a time when it was not appointed by the rubrick."
In 1706, his patron, bifnop Moore, by his in- terell, procured for him the reclory of St. Bennet, Paul's-wharf, in London.
The fame year, he publidied his letter to Mr. Dodwell, in anfwer to that author's Epillolary "Difcourfe concerning the immortality of the ^oul. The whole title is, *' A Letter to Mr. Dodwell ; ■ \vherein all the Arguments in his Epiftolary Dif- courfe againft the Immortality of the Soul are par- ticularly anfweredj and the Judgment of the Fathers concerning that Matter truly reprefented." Mr. Dodwell's book, againfl which this is levelled, is intituled, " An Epiftolary Difcourfe, proving from Scriptures, and the Firft Fathers, that the Soul is a Principle naturally mortal, but immortalized ac- tually by the Pleafure of God, to Punilhmcnt or to Reward, by its Union w^ith the Divine Baptifmai Spi- rit : wherein is proved, that none have the Fewer of giving this divine immortalizing Spirit fmce the Apoflles, but only the Bilhops."
Vol. VI. L The
218 T H E L I F E O F "
The mifcbievous tendcQcy'of this do£lriii e, ?.s was fupported by the great name of the author in the learned world, made it more neceilary that an anfwer lliould be given to what, from another hand, might perhaps have been received as a defigned ban- ter upon both Natural and Revealed Religion. Mr. Clarke was thought the mod proper perfon for this .work. *' And he did it (fays the bifhop of Win- chefler) in fo excellent a manner, both with regard to the philofophical part, and to the opinions of fome of the primitive writers, upon whom this doc- trine was fixed, that it gave univerfal fiitisfadtion." But this controverfy did not flop here. For Mr. An- thony Collins, coming in as a fecond to Mr. Dod- well, went much farther into the phiiofophy of the difpute, and indeed feemed to produce all that could plaufibly be faid againfl the immateriality of the foul, as well as the liberty of human aftions.
This opened a large iield of controverfy, into which Mr. Clarke entered, and wrote with fuch a fpirit of clearnefs and demonftration, as fliewed him greatly fuperior to his adverlaries, both in me- taphylical and natural knowledge.
Mr. Clarke's piece was foon followed by four de- fences of it, in four feveral letters to the author of a letter to the learned Mr. Henry Dodwell ; contain- ing fome remarks on a (pretended) demonflration of the immateriality and natural immortality of the foul, in Mr. Clarke's anfwer to his late Epiftolary Difcourfe, he.
The fame year likewife he tranflated Sir Ifaac Newton's Treatife of Optics into elegant Latin.
In the midll of his other labours, he found time alfo to fliew his regard to mathematical and phyfical iliudies. His exa£t knowledge and ikill in them, and his natural afFe6lion and capacity for thefe ftu- dieS; were not a little improved by the particular
friend-
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. jirj
fricndlliip of the incomparable Sir Ifaac Newton ; i.t whofe requelt, bifliop Hoadly tells us, he tra-if- iated that great man's l>eatife on Opticks, and fent it all over Europe in a plainer and lefs ambiguous ftylc than the Enghlh language will per^iiit. And here it may be proper to add, that, after tlie death of Sic liaac. Dr. Clarke vindicated his dodrine concern- Jng the proportion of velocity and force of bo- dies in motion, againft the objedlions of fome late mathematicians, in a (hort, plain, and mafterlv let- ter. Nor muft it be forgotten, that Sir Ifaac New- ton v^'as fo particularly pleafed with our author's verfion of his CJpticks, that he prefented him with the fum of five hundred pounds, or one hundied pounds for each child, the do£for having then five children.
He was now brought by his patron to court, p.nd recommended to the favour of queen Anne, who appointed him one of her chaplains in ordinary ; and foon after, in confideration of his great merit, and at the requsft of the biihop, prefented him to the redlory of St. James's, Weflminiter : from which time he left off his former way of preaching without r.otes, and made it his bufinefs to coinpofe, and write down, as accurate fermons as he could.
From the time of his taking polTeffion of this living, he relided conftantly in the redlory-houfe* Icidom leaving the place, unlefs for a few weeks in the long vacation, when the town was emptv ; and during the time of his bemg re6lor, belidcs the re- gular performance of all the other duties of his pro- fellion, he follou^ed the cuflom of his predcccllors, in readinglecfures upon the Church Catechiini. every Thurfday morning, for fome months in ihc vcar.
Upca his advancement to this benefice in 1 7O9, he took the degree of do£lor in divinity at Cam- bridge, and diftinguilhedhimfelf upoa that occafioix L 2 by
S.10 THE LIFE OF
by the performance of a remarkable public exercire, I'he queftions on which he difputed were thefe : L Nullum Fidei Chriftiana^ Dogma, in S. Scripturis traditum, ell re^lee Rationi dilTentaneum, i.e. '*No Article of Chriftian Faith, delivered in the Holy Scriptures, is contrary to right Reaibn." ]I. Sine A£lionum humanarum Libertate nulla poteft clle Religio, i. e. '* Without the Freedom of Human Actions there can be no Religion."
The doctor's Theiis was an elaborate difcourfe upon the fiifl of thefe two queflions. Dr.. James, then royal profefTor of divinity, a very learned and acute difputant, exerted himfelf more than ufual on this occalion ; and, after having fifted every part of Dr, Clarke's Theiis with theftri6left nicety, preff- ed him whh ali the force of fyllogifm in its various forms. To the former our refpondent made an ex- tempore reply, in a continued difcourfe for near half an hour ; in which, without any hefitation either for thoughts or language, he took off the force of all that the profeflbr had laid, in fuch a man- r.er that many of the auditors declared themfelves aftonifhed, and owned that, if they had not been within fight of him, they Ihould have fappofed he had read every word of his reply out of a paper.
After this, in the courfe of the fyllogifcical dlf- putation, he guarded fo well againfl: the arts, which the profelfor was mafter of in perfection ; replied fo readily to the greateil difficulties fuch an obje6lor could propofe ; and preifed him fo clofe and hard with clear and intelligent anfwers ; that perhaps never was fuch a conflid heard in the fchools ; nor any difputation kept up v/ith fuch fpirit, and ended with equal honour to the refpondent. The profeflbr, who was a man of humour as well as learniu^, faid to him aloud, towards the end of the difputation, FrGl?g me exacui/li, or (as otliers think) excrculfti :
which
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. 221
wlii^^i was looked upon as a very high coin})lln)cnt, ill his humourous way of fpeaking. And the kanicd members of the univerfity, who had with pleafurc attended to every part of the difputation, went away dilcourfing to one another of the unurual entertain- ment they Imd had in the fchools ; and particu.'-rly admiring, that, after an abfence of fo many years, and a long cosirie of buiinefs of quite another nature, they heard him now^ handling the fubjedis he under- took imfuch a mafterly manner, as if this fort of aca- demical exercife Iwd been his conf^ant employment ; and witli fuch a fluency and purity of exprellion, as if he had been accuftomed to no other language m converfation but Latin. Mr. Whillon teUs us, in the words of an unknown admirer of Dr. Clarke, who was prefent at this famous ad, that '* every creature was v/rapt up into filcnceandaftoniflmient, and thought the performance truly admirable."
In the year 17 10, Dr. Clarke publilhed a beau- tiful edition of Csefar^s Commentaiies ; which is intituled, C. Julii Ca^faris qui^ extant, accuratiilune Gum libris editis et MSS. optimis collata, recognita, €t corre6ta : accefferunt annotationes Samuclis Clarke, S. T. P. Item indices locorum, rerumque et verborum, utiliffimae. It was printed in 17 12, in folio ; and afterwards, in 172.0, in 8vo. It was dedicated to the great duke of Marlborough, at a time when his unparalleled victories and luccelTcs had railed his glory to the higheft pitch abroad, and leffened his intereft and favour at home.
In the publication of this book. Dr. Clarke took particular care of the punftuation, or a proper dif- tribution of each fentence into its conftiiuent mem- bers ; an exaftnefs too much negleded by learned men, though abfolutely neceflary for preferving the perfpicuitv, and even the beauty of an authors lan- guage. In the annotations he fcle^lcd what ap- L 3 peaicd
1^^ T H E L I F E O F '
peared the beft and moft judicious in other editors, with fonie correftions and emendations of his owii interfperfed.
He acknowledges himielf very particularly ob- liged to the learned Dr. Richard Bentlev, for the life of a manufcript in the king's library ; to the reverend Dr. Robert Cannon, for fome various readings, tranfcribed from the Mufa^uiii of Jfaac Voffius, but different from thofe v/hichare inferted. in the Amfterdam edition of Csfar, with the notes of Dionyfius Voffius ;. and, laftly, to Dr. johri Moore, bifhop of Ely, for a manufcript, ufed by Dr. Davis in his edition of Ccefar, and by him called the Norwich Manufcript, bilhop Moore be- ing then bifliop of Norwich.
Mr. Addifon takes notice of Dr. Clarke's folio edition of Csfar's Commentaries in the following words :
" The new edition which is given us of Caifar's Commentaries has already been taken notice of in foreign gazettes, and is a work that does honour to the Engliih prefs. It is no wonder that an edition fhould be very correift, which has paiTed through the hands of one of the moft accurate, learned, an4 judicious writers this age has produced. The beauty of the paper, of the character, and of the feveral cuts with which this noble work is illuflrated, makes it the finell book that I have ever feen ; and is a true inflance of the EnghQi genius, which, though it does not come the firft into any art, ge- nerally carries it to greater heights than any other country in the" world."
Soon after this. Dr. Clarke became engaged in a warm controverfy, occalioned by the publication, of his Scripture Do6trine of the Trinity ; of which r.otice was taken, and complaint made, by the Lower Haufe of Convocation, in 1714; but the .. - affair
Dr. SAM U},L CLARKE. .223
affair foon enc'ed, npoii the members of the tipper hoLife declaiing thcmlelvcs lalisfied with the expla- nations, dehvercd in to them by the author, upon the fubje£l of the complaint.
II1US ended this troubicfome affair ; the mofi: authentic account of which we have in a piece iii- tituled, *' An Apology for Dr. Clarke ; contain- ing, An Account of the late Proceedings in Con- vocation upon his Writings concerning the Tri- nity. London, 17 14, in 8vo."
His Scripture Do£trine of the Trinity was firfc publillied in 8vo. in 17 12; and afterwards there was a fecond edition, with fome alterations, in 1716. The whole title is, *' The Scripture Doftrine of the Trinity ; wherein every Text in the New Tefta- ment, relating to that Doctrine, is diftindtly confi- dered : and the Divinity of our Bleffed Saviour, according to the Scriptures, proved, and explained.'*
^* The fubje£l of this book," the author tells us, *' is a dodrine no way *ffe£ting the particular con- Hitution, order, or external government of the church ; but, in general, of great importance in religion ; a matter not to be treated of flightly and carelefsly, as it were by accident only, or after the manner of luperficial controverfies about words, or of particular occalional queilions concerning ambi- guous texts ; but which ought, when difcourfed upon at ail, to be examined thoroughly on all lides, by a ferious ftudy of the whole Scripture, and by taking care that 'the explication be confident with itfelf in every part."
It is divided into three parts. The firft is, '* A Colleaion and Explication of all the Texts in the New Teftament, relating to the Dodlrine of the Trinity." In the fecond part, the foregoing Doc- trine is fet forth at large, and explained in particu- lar and diftina Ptopolitions. And, in the third, L 4 ^^^
224 T H E L I F E O F
the principal PalTages in tlie Liturgy of the Church of England, relating to the Dodlrine of the Trinity, are coniidered.
The bilhop of Winchef.er, before mentioned, applauds our author's method of proceeding, in forming his own fentiments upon fo important a point, which fhould be a rule for every rational Chrif^ian.
** He knew, and all men agreed, that it was a matter of mere revelation ; he did not therefore re- tire into his clofet, and fet himfelf to invent and form a plaufible hypothefis, which might iit eafily upon his mind ; he had not recourfe to abrtratt and metaphyfical reafonings, to cover or patronize any fyftem he might have embraced before ; "but, as a Chrillian, he laid open the New Teftament before him. He fearched out every text, in which mention was made of the three Perfons, or of any one of them. He accurately examined the mean- ing of the words ufed about every one of them ; and by the beft rules of grammar and critique, and by his fkiil in language, he endeavoured to fix plainly what was declared about every perfon, and what was not.
*' 1 am far from taking upon me," adds the bi- lhop, *' to determine, in fo difficult a queflion, be- tween Dr. Clarke, and thofe who made replies to him. The debate foon grew very warm, and, ia a little time, feemed to reft principally upon him, and one particular adverfary [Dr. Waterland, head of Magdalen-college, Cambridge], very fkilful in the management of a debate, and very learned and well verfed in the writings of the ancient fathers.
*' This 1 hope I may be allowed to fay, that every Chriftian divine and layman ought to pay his thanks to Dr Clarke for the method into which he Ijrought this difpute j and for that coliediou of the
texts
Dr. SAMUEL CLA-RXE. 225
texts of the New Tevtament, by which, nt lall, it muftbe decided, on which lide foever the truth may- be fuppofed to He.
*' And let me add this one word more, that, iince men of fuch thought, and fuch learning, have fliewn the world, in their own example, how widely the mofl honefl: enquirers after truth may differ upon fuch fubjedls, this, methinks, Ihould a little abate our mutual cenfures, and a little take off from our pofitivenefs about the neceffity of explaining, in this or that one determinate fenfe, the ancient paflages relating to points of fo fublinic a nature."
His lordihip concludes what he had to fay upon this fubjeft, with alTuring us, that, " from the time of Dr. Clarke^s publilhing this book, to the day of his death, he faund no reafon, as far as he was able to judge, to alter the notions which he had there profeiTed, concerning the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, towards any of thofe fchemes, which fecmed to him to derogate from the honour of the Father on one fide, or from that of the Son and Spirit on the other.
*' This," adds the bilhop, " I thought proper ]uft to mention, as what all his friends know to be truth "
Some time before the publication, a meffige was fent him from the lord Godolphin, and others of queen Anne's miniiiers, importing, that the affairs of the publick were with difhculty then kept m the hands of thofe who were at all for liberty ; that it was therefore an unfeafonable time for the publi- cation of a book which would make a great nolfe and dilhnbance ; and they therefore dciired him to forbear till a f.t'er opportunity wo^ld offer itlelK
To this meffage Dr. Clarke paid no regard, but went on according to the didates of his conlcjcnce.
226 T H E L I F E O F
with the publication of his book. Since Dr. Clarke's death, a third edition of this book has been printed, with very great additions, left, under the author's own hand, ready-prepared for the prefs.
It gave occafion to a great number of books and pamphlets on the fubjeft, written by himfelf and others, too tedious to enumerate, but which may be found in a pamphlet intituled, " An Account of all the confiderable Books and Pamphlets that have been written on either Side in the Controverfy con-* cerning the Trinity iince the Year 1712 ; in which is alfo contained an Account of the Pamphlets writ- ten this lafl Year on either Side by the Diffenters to the end of the Year 17 19. London, 1720, in 8vo."
In 1 7 15 and 17 16, Dr. Clarke had a difputewith the celebrated Mr. Leibnitz relating to the prin- ciples of Natural Philofophy and Religion; and a colledlicn of the papers Vvhich palTed between them was pubiiflied in 17 17.
. To this colledicn are added. Letters to Dr» Clarke concerning Liberty and Necelhty, from a gentleman (Richard Bulkley, Efq.), of the Univer- iity ofCairbridge; with the Doctor's Anfvvers to them; alfo ren^iarks upon a book, intituled,. '* A Philolbphical Enquiry concerning Human Liberty (by Anthony Ceihns, Efq.).'* This book is in- scribed to her late majefty queen Caroline (then princefs of Wales), who was pleafed to have the controverfy pafs through her hands, and was the witnefs and judge of every Hep of it. And Dr. Clarke ufed often to fpeak with admiration of the queen's fagacity and judgment in the feveral parts of the difpute.
It related chiefly to the important and difficult- points of liberty and necellity ; points in v*?hich Dr. Clarke ahvays excelled, and ihev/ed a fuperiorit^
ta
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. 227
to all his opponents, whenever they came Into pri- vate diicouife, or public debate.
Mr. V/hiflon obrer\'es, " thai Leibnitz was preiTed fo hard by Dr. Clarke, from matter of fa»^, known laws of motion, and the difcoveries of Sir Ifaac Newton, who heartily affifted the do£lor, that he was forced to have recourfe to metaphyiical fubtilties, and to a pre-eftabliflied harmony of things in his own imagination, which he ftyles a fuperior reafon, till it vvas foon feen that Leibnitz's fuperior reafon ferved to little elfe, but to confirm the great fuperiority of experience and mathematicks above all fuch metaphyiical fubtilties whatfoever. And I confefs," adds Mr. Whifton, " I look upon thefe letters of Dr. Clarke as among the mod ufe- ful of liis performances in natural philofophy."
in 1718, a controverfy arofe concerning the pri- mitive doxologies, occafioned by an alteration made by Dr. Clarke in thofe of the Singing Pfalms.
This he did in certain feled hymns and pfalms, reprinted that year, for the ufe of St. James's parilh. The alterations were thefe :
To God, through Chriil, his only Son, Immortal Glory be, kc. And,
To God, through Chrifl:, his Son, our Lord, All Glory be therefore, &c.
A confiderable number of thefe (clcdi pfalms and hymns having been difperfed by the vSociety for promoting Chriflian knowledge, before the alte- ration of the doxologies was taken notice of, Dr. Clarke was charged with a defgn of impofmg upon the Society ; whereas, in truth, the edition of thera had been prepared by him for the ufe of his own parilli only, before the Society had any thoughts of purchaling any of the copies. However, the bilhofj L 6 ot
228 THELIFEOF
of London thought proper to publilh ** A Letter to the Incumbents of all Churches and Chapels in his Dioccfe, concerning their not ufing any new Forms of Doxolegy, dated December 26, 17 18.'* This letter was anhiiadverted upon by Mr. Whifton, in his Letter of 7 hanks to the Right Reverend the Lord Bifliop of London, for his late Letter to his Clergy againil the Ufe of new Forms of Doxology, &c. dated January 17, 1719; and in a pamphlet, intituled, *• An humble Apology for St. Paul, and the other Apoftles ; or, a Vindication of them and their Doxologies from the Charge of Herefy. By Cornelius Paets. London, 1719."
Soon after came out an ironical piece, intituled, •* A Defence of the Biihop of London, in Anfwer to Mr. Whillon's Letter of Thanks ; addreffed to the Archbrfhop of Canterbury. To which is added, A Vindication of Dr. Sacheverell's Jate Endeavour to turn Mr. Vvhiflon out of his Church." Mr. Whifton's Letter of Thanks occaiioncd hkewife the two following pieces, viz. ** The Lord.Bilhop of London's Letter to his Clergy vindicated, Sec, By a Believer; London, 17 19." And, " A Sea- fonable Review of Mr. Whifton's Account of Pri- mitive Doxologies, &:c. Bv a Prei'byter of the Diocefe of London (fuppofed to be Dr. William Berriman), London, 1719." To the latter Mr. Whifton replied in a Second Letter to the Bifhop of London, &c. dated March 1 1, 17 19. And the author of the Seaionable Review, &:c. anfwered him in a Second Review, &c. As to Dr. Clarke's condud in this affair, Mr. Whiilon efteems it *♦ one of the moH: Chriftian attempts towards lome- what of reformation, upon the primitive foot, that he ever ventured upon." But he adds, that '' the pifiiop of Loudon, in the way of modern authority,
was
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. 9.2<y
was quite too hard for Dr. Clarke, in the wav oF primitive Chriftianity."
About this time he was prefented by Mr. T cch- mere, chancellor of the durchv of LancaOcr, to the maflerfliip of Wigftan hofpiral in Lciccrtcr.
In 1724, he publifhcd, in oftavo, icvcntccn fcr- mons on feveral occafions, eleven of wiiich were never before printed. In 1727, upon the dcatli of Sir Ifaac Newton, he was offered the place of niaf- ter of the Mint, which he thought proper to refiifc.
Upon the offer of this place, he advifcd with his friends, and particularly with Mr, Eiulvn and Mr. Whifton, who were both heartily againlt it, as what he did not want, as what was entirely remote from his profeffion, a^id would hinder the fucccl^ of his minifiry. To which Mr. Whi'lon added, as his principal reafon againft it, that fuch refufal would ihew that he was in carnell: in religion. Dr. Clarke was himfelf of the fame opinion, and could never reconcile himfelf to this fecular preferment. And it is taken notice of to the honour of Mrs. Clarke, that Ihe never fct her heart upon the ad- vantages that this place would produce to her fa- mily, but left the doftor at full liberty to nfft as his conicience aiid inclination iliould dire^ft him. Mr. Whifton, who particular Iv mentions this nifair, in- forms us, that Vlr. Conduit, who fucceeded, gave a thoufand pounds to vacate a place among the king's writers, which was given to one ot JJr. Clarke s fons.
In J 728 ^vas publiflied, '* A Letter from Dr. Clarke to Mr. Benjamin Hoadly, concerning ']"h2 Proportion of Velocity and Force in Bodies in Motion." The beginning of the year 1729, he publiihed at London in quarto, the twelve firft books of Homer's Iliad. This edition was dedicated
to
2SO T H E L 1 F E O F
to the duke of Cumberland. The Latin verfioa is almoft entirely new, and annotations are added ^t the bottom of the pages. Homer, the bifnop ofWinchefler tells us, was Dr. Clarke's admired, author, even to a degree of fomethijig like enthu- iiafm hardly natural to his temper ; and that in this he went a little bevond ,,the bounds of Horace's judgment, and was fo unwiUing to allow his favou- rite poet ever to nod, that he has taken remarkable pains to find out, and give a reafon for, every paf- fage, word, and tittle, that could- create any fuipi- cion.
" The translation," adds his lordfhip, *' with bis corrections, may now be ityled accurate ; and his notes, as far as they go, are indeed a treafury of c;rammaticai and critical knowiedfre."
I'he twelve laft books of the Iliad were publiined, in 1732, in quarto, by our author's fon, Mr. Sa- niuai Clarke, who informs us, in the preface, that his father had finiihed the annotations to the three nrft of thofe books, and as far as the 3C9th vQrfQ of the fourth ; and had reviled the text and verlion as far as 510 of the fame book. A fecoiid edition of the whole Vvas publKhed in 1735, in two volumes,. o£lavo.
This was the lad year of this great and learned man's lite : lor lie was taken fuddenly ill on the iith of .vlay, and died on the 17th.
The day on which he v/as taken ill, he went out in the m^orning, to preach before the judges at -ber- ieant's-inn ; and there was feized with a pain ifi liis lide, which made it impoilible for him to per- form the oiTice he was called to, and became quickly fo violent, that he was obliged to be carried home. He V. ent to bed, and thoughr himfelf fo much bet- ter in the aUernoon, that he would not fuffer him-
ferf
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. 231
felf to be blooded; agalnil which remedy he had en- tertained ilrong prejudices. But the pain return- ing very violently about two the next niornuig, made the advice and affiflance of a very able phy- iician abfolutely neceflary ; who, after twice bleed- ing him, and other applications, thought him, as he alio thought himfelf, to be out of all danger; and fo continued to think till the Saturday morn- ing following, when, to the- inexprelfible furprize of all about him, the pain removed from his fide to his head, and, after a very Ihort co.mpIaint, took away his fenles, fo as they never returned any more. He continued breathing till between feven and ei^^ht in the evening of that day, and then expired.
He married Katherine, the only daugJiter of the reverend Mr. Lockwood, re6lor of Little Maifing- ham, in Norfolk, by whom he had feven. children ; tv/o of them died before him, and one a k\^j weeks after him. Since his death, have been publiflied, from his original manufcripts, by his brotjier, Dr. John Clarke, dean of Sarum, *' An Expofition on the Church Catechifm f ' and ten volumes of fcr- mons.
The Expoiition contains thofe lc£lures he read, every Thurfday morning, for fome months in the year, at St. James's church. In the latter part of his life he revifed them with great care, and left them completely prepared for the prels. '1 lie tiril edition of them was in 17-9.
This performance of Dr. Clarke's was imme- diately aniinatflverted upon by a very- learned di\ine (Dr. Waterland, head of Magdalen-colUge, Cam- bridge), under the title of, *' Remarks upon Dr. Clarke^s Expofition of the Church Catechifm." This produced '' An Anfwcr to the Remarks upon Dr. Clarke's Expofition of the Chuich Catechifm* \ By Dr. hvk-es, dean of Burien),"
' The
232 THELIFEOF
The author of the Remarks replied in a piece, intituled, " The Nature, Obligation, and Efficacy, of the Chriftian Sacraments, confide red ; in reply to a pamphlet, intituled, AnAnfwer, bcc. As alio the comparative Value of Moral and Politive Du- ties diltin£lly flated and cleared." The Anfvverer rejoined, in "A Defence of the Anfwer, he, wherein the Difference between Moral and Politive Duties is fully ftated ; being a Reply to, &c." This occa- sioned a Supplement to the Treatife, intituled, '* An Anfwer, &c. wherein the Nature and Value of Po- litive Inftitutions is more particularly examined, and Objeftions anfwered. By the fame author." Then followed the Anfwerer's Reply, intituled, ** IT.e true Foundations of Natural and Revealed Religion aiTerted ; being a Reply to the Supplement, &:c." which beiiig animadverted upon by the Re- marker, in the Poftfcript to his Second Part of Scripture vindicated, produced *' An Anfwer to the Poilfciipt, kc. wherein is fhewn, that, if Reafoii be not a fufhcient C^uide in Matters of Religion, the Bulk of Mankind, for a thouiand Years, had no fufficient Guide at all in Matters of Religion."
The particulars of Dr. Clarke's chara(fter, with which we fhall ciofe our account of this learned and confcientious divine, are concifelv drawn by the mafterly hand of Dr. Hare, bifhop of Winchef- ter, author of '* Difficulties and Difcouragements which attend the Study of the Scripture, in the M'ay of Private Judgment.** What he fays, in re- fpedl to the charafter of our author, is as follows :
** IDr. Clarke is a man who has all the good qualities that can meet together to recommend him. He is pofTefTed of all the parts of learning that are valuable in a clergyman, in a degree that few poffefs any lingle one. He has joined, to a good ikiil ill the three learned languages, a great compafs
of
Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE. 233
of the bed philoiophy and matlicmaticks, as appears by his Latin works ; and his EngUfh ones arc i'uch a proof of his own piety, and of his knowledge in divinity, and have done (o much iervicc to religion, as would make any other man, that was not under tlie fufpicioii of herefy, fecure of the friendfhip and eileem of all good churchmen, efpccially of the clergy : and to all this piety and learning, and the good ufe tJiat has been made of it, is added, a tem- per happy beyond expreilion ; a fweet, eafy, mo- deli, inoffeniive, obliging behaviour, adorn all his actions ; and no paffion, vanity, infjlence, or of- tentation, appear either in what he writes or fays ; and yet thefe faults are often incident to the bell of men, 'm the freedom of converfation, and in the writing againfl impertinent and unreafonable adver- faries, efpecially fuch as ilrike at the foundation of virttie and religion.
'* This is the learning, this the temper, of tlic man, whofe ftudy of the Scriptures has betrayed hin:i into a fuipicioii of fome heretical opinions."
The
The life of -
Sir JAMES TIIORNHILL-
[A. D. 1676, to 1732.]
TO one of thofe Incidental clrcumflance^ pro- duced by tlie viciffitudes of human affairs, Englajid itands indebted for the noble produilions of this great mailer in the art of hiftory-painting. .He was the fon of a gentleman, claiming defcent fi om an ancient family in Doifetlhire, and was born there in the year 1676. His father enjoyed a competent landed eflate, but, by ili-m^nageraent and diliipation, he involved himfelf in fiich diffi- culties, that he was obliged to fell it. This fitua- tion of their domeftic aifairs obliged the fon to think of applying himfelf to fonie profeffion, by which he might be enabled to fupport himfelf in a. manner fuitable to his birth, and to the expetflations he had formed before his father's misfortunes.
An early tafie for drawing fuggefted to him the idea of iludying the polite art of painting; and in this view he went to London, where he was pro- tected and encouraged in his delign by that emi- nent phyfician Dr. Sydenham.
At this period there were no very famous mailers in England i Sydenham was therefore obliged to place
his
Sir JAMES TFIOllNKILL. 235
his nephew under the dlreftion of a painter offo httle eminence, th^.t not even the merit of having had fuch a pupil as Thornhill could preferve his name irom oblivion. The genius of'our young artirt fup- phed the defe£ls of his inffruiTtor ; being left to his own tafte, judgment, and application, the force of his imagination was called forth by this very circum- lUnce ; and his induflry keeping pace with his in- genuity, he made a rapid progrefs, and gradually role to the higheli reputation.
His generous patron, as foon as he found him capable to form a judgment of the works of the great mafters of the Flemifh and Italian fchools, enabled him to travel throuvih Holland and Flan- ders ; from the latter he palled into France, where he bought feveral good pii5\ures ; amongit others, a Holy Virgin, by Annibal Caracci, and the hiitory of Tancred, by Pouffin. Unfortunately he did not purfue his travels ; and, great as his merit was, the beft judges are of opinion, that, had he fludied at Rom.e and at Venice only a fhort tim.e, he would have acquired greatcr.correftnefs at the one, and a moreexa£l knowledge of the perfedion of colouring at the ether, than he poffeiTed ; and his works v/ould, in that cafe, it is thought, have been fupe- rior to the iirll painters amongft the moderns.
As it was, he excelled in hiftorical and allego- rical compoiitions, and in portrait, perfpe£live, and architecture ; he had a fertile invention, hefketched his deiigns with great eafe and fpirit, and he exe- cuted them with a free and firm pencil.
His merit in his own country was unrivalled, and it. foon attracted the attention of the patrons of the fine arts, who were indeed but few in number, in his time ; but they were fuch as thought no re- wards too great for excellence Hke his. Qiieeri
Anne
236 T H E L 1 F E O F
Anne fet the exninple, by appointing him to he {late-painter, and employing him to paint the hif- tory of St. Pan!, in tlie dome of St. Paul's cathe- dral ; it is executed in a n;oble and benutilvii tafle, on eight pannels, in tT\o colours, relieved with gold. He afiervvards executed feveral other public works, particularly at Hampton-conrt-palace, where he painted an apartment, m which the queen and her confort, prince George of Denm.arky are re- picfented in allegorical figures on the cieling ; and bv contemporary writers the portraits are i'aid to be the moft firiking refemblances of the royal pair : the fame fubje£t is executed in another tafte on the wall. The other paintings in that palace were done by Antonio Verrio, a Neapohtan,
Thefe great works having eftablilhed his reputa- tion, he foon acquired a fortune fufficient to enable him to re-purchafe the family-eftate j and both wealth and honours were the fruits of his happy genius. He was chofen knight of the fliire for Dorfeifhire, and in that capacity fate feveral years in Parliament. The queen likewife conferred upoa him the honour of knighthood.
The lafl: great undertaking of a public nature, and which is efteemed his mafter-piece, was the paintings in the refedory and faloon of Greenwich- hofpital ; a work, which, at this time, is the daily fubje6l of admiration to the numerous viiitors of this magnificent building, and which, on that ac- count, merits a particular defcription.
The paflage to this refeftory is through a vefti- bule, where Sir James has reprefented, on the cu- pola, the four winds ; and on the walls are boys,, fupporting pannels, with infcriptions of the names- of the henefaOors to the hofpital. From thence, you afcend by a flight of ileps to the refectory,
which
Sir JAMES THORNHILL. 237 which is a very lofty noble gallery, in the middle of which king VVilJiani and queen Mary arc rcprc- fented allegorically in a fitting poflurc, attended hy the emblems ef Love, and the Virtues, who iupport the fcepter : the monarch appears to be giving pence to Europe. The twelve ligns of the zodiac fur- round the great oval in which he is painted ; the four feafons of the year are fcen above ; and Apollo, in the chariot of the fun, drawn by four horfes, making his tour through the zodiac. The painter has reprefented the four elements in the angles ; and coloifal figures fupport the balull'rade, where the portraits of thofe able mathematicians, l\clio Brahe, Copernicus and Newton, who coniider- ably improved the art of navigation, are iincly painted.
The cieling is all by his own hand ; but he em- ployed a Polander to aiTifl. him in painting the walls, which are adorned with reprefentations of the Vir- tues, expreifivc of the delign of the inftitution ; fuch as Liberality, Hofpitality, and Charity. The faloon is not {o beautiful as the cieling ; you afcend to it by feverai Heps. The cieling reprefents queen Anne and prince George of Denmark, furrounded by the heroic Virtues ; Neptune and his train are offering their marine prefents, and the Four Quar- ters of the World are in different attitudes admiring them.
King George I. is painted, on the wall facing the entry to the faloon, fitting, with all his family round h'im. On the left you have the landing of king William, and on the right of George I. both at Greenwich. All the paintings were executed trom defigns made by Sir James ; but it is to^ be lamented, that they were not all fmifhcd by him ; for the iacorr^dlnefs of his afliftant is inflantly to
be
SS T H E L I F E, &c.
be difcerned by connoifleurs, who alfo complaiiii tliat the figures are too much crowded : upon the whole, however, this and his other works are fuch proofs of fuperior excellence in his art, that they do honour to nis country, and will tranlmit his name to future generations.
Sir James Ihornhill enjoyed the honour and emoluments of hiftory-painter to the court under George I. and a few years after the acceflion of George 11. but, taking part in the political difputes of the times, he was difmiffed from this poll in 1731. This undeferved difgrace, it is faid, fat heavy at his heart, and contributed to hallen his death, which happened in 1732, at the place of his nativity, after a year's illnefs.
In his perfon and difpofition, Sir James Thorn- hill was equally happy ; and his engaging manners, joined with integrity and fobriety, gained him the efl:eem of all w^ho knew him. In fine, he had all the virtues of a good man, without thofe vices and foibles we but too frequently meet Vv'ith in the cha- radlers of eminent artiils.
*;^.-- Authorities. General Eiog. Didionary, Pllk- ington's Didionary of the Painters.
The
I 239 3
The life of ALEXANDER POPE.
[A.D. 3688, to 1744.]
TH^S excellent poet was defcended from a good family, and born on the 8th of June, ib88, In London. We are indebted,, for a further account of Mr. Pope's family, to the fatires that were made upon him ; in anfwer to which, he thought proper to publifli the following fhort genealogy :
That Alexander Pope, his father, was of a gen- tleman's family in Oxfordfhire ; the head of w^iicli was the earl of Downe, in Ireland, w^hofe fole heirefs married the earl of Lindfey. His mother was Edltha, the daughter of William Turner, Efq; of York : llie had three brothers ; one of whom was killed ; another died in the ferviceof king Charles 1. and the eldeft following his fortune, and becoming a general officer in Spam, left her what eftate re- mained after the iequeftrations and forfeitures of her family, which, as well as that of her hui'band, was of the Romifli religion.
He was taught to read very early by an aunt, and he learned to write, without any ailiflance, by copy- ing printed books ; which he executed with great neatnefs and exaanefs. At eighty year* of age he was put under the tuition of one Taverner, a PopiHi 3 , pncfc,
240 T H E L I F E O F
priefl, who taught him the rudiments of the LRtia and Greek tongues. He imbibed theie elements of claffical learning with the greateft facihty, and, on iirft Iceing the poets, difcovered at once both the peculiar bent of his inchnation, and the exceiiencj of his genius.
About this time, accidentally meeting with Ogilby's tranflatiou of Homer, he was fo much flruck with the force of the flory, that, notwith- ftanding the deadneis and infipidity of the verfi- fication, Ogilby became a favourite book, llie Ovid of blandys telf next in his way ; and it is faid, that the raptures thefe tranflations gave him were fo Itrong, that he fpoke of them with plea- fure all his \\k after.
From his private tutor he was fent to a PopiHi feminary at Twyford, near Winchefter ; whence iie was removed to a fchool at Hyde-park-corner,
He w'as now about ten years of age, and, being carried fonietimes to the play-houfe, the light of theatrical reprefentations put him upon turning the chief events of Homer into a kmd of play, made up of a number of fpeeches from Ogilby's tranflation, connefted by verfes of his own. He peifuaded the upper boys to a£l this piece. The mailer's gardener reprefented the character of Ajax ; and the a£lors were dreiTed after the prints of ins favourite Ogilby ; which indeed make far the beil: part of that book, being deligned and engraved by artifts of repute.
In the mean time, he was fo unfortunate as to lofe, under his two laft maRers, what he had ac- quired by the £rlV. In this condition, at twelve years of age, he retired with his parents to Binfield, in Windfor-foreft, where his father had provided a convenient little houfe, not far from Oakingham, in 7 Berkfhire j
A L E X A N D E R P O P E. 241
Berkfhire ; and, at his firft coming, it is faid, was put under another priefl for a few months, but with as little fuccefs as before ; fo that he refolved to become his own mafter. This country retreat, how- ever, fuited his melancholy and refleftive temper ; and it was about this time that he wrote his Ode on Solitude, which appears to be the firft fruits of his poetical genius.
It was here too that he fird perufed the writings of Waller, Spenfer, and Dryden ; but, on the firil light of Dryden, he abandoned the reft, having now found an author whofe caft was extremely conge- nial with his own. After he met with this favou- rite's works, he was never eafy till he had ken the author ; and, for thatpurpofe, he procured a friend to brhig him to a coffee-houfe where Dryden was, only that he might be blefled with the fight of that great poet
This could not have been long before Mr. Dry- den's death, which happened in 1701 ; fo that Mr. Pope was never known to him, a misfortune whicli he laments in the following pathetic words :
*' Virgllium tantum vidi."
He never mentioned him afterwards without 3 kind of rapturous veneration. Thus, for inftance, having run over the names of his great friends and encouragers, he concludes with the perfon whom he efteemed above all the reft, in the folio vving dif- tich :
And St. John's felf, great Dryden's friend before, With open arms received one poet more.
"His works therefore be ftudied with equal plci-
lure and attention j he placed them before his eyes
Vol. VI. M as
242 THE LIFE OF
as a model : in fliort, he copied not only his har- monious verfifxcation, but the very turns of his pe- riods : and hence it was, that he became enabled to give to En glifh rhyme all the harmony of which it is capable.
Binfield being near Eaflhamilead, where Sir WiU Jiam Trumbull then refided, our young genius was introduced to the acquaintance of that gentleman, who, being ftruck with admiration at his extraor- dinary genius, and plcafed with his good fenj^e, as well as the decency and regularity of his manners, gave him great encouragement, and prefently ad- mitted him to a fliare of his friend fliip.
In tlie mean time, young Pope was not wanting to himfelf in improving his talents for poetry : at fourteen years old he had conr.pofed feveral elegant pieces; at fifteen, be had acquired Tome conliderable knowledge in the two learned languages : to which he foon after added French and Italian.
It is a comm.on obfervation, that feme feeds of vanity and felf-conceit are nec^fi'ary ingredients in the compofition of a poet ; accordingly, our author was not without a proper (hare o» thefe qualities, and now thought himfelf capable of undertaking an epic poem. In that fpirit, he fet about writing his Alcander this year ; and the performance, as mioht be expe£led, was a glaring proof of his child- ifhVolly. However, he had either fenfe or modefry enough, or both, to keep it inhisffudyj and in his riper years fpoke of it with a franknefs and in- genuity that more than atones for the foiwardnels of his attempt
<' I conreiS>" fays he, ** there was a time when I was in love with myfelf ; and my firfl productions were the children of felf-love upon innocence. I had made an epic poem and panegyricks upon all the princes i and I thought myfelf the greatell
genjui
ALEXANDER P O P E. 243
genius tliut ever was. I csnnot but regret thefe dc- Hghtful vifions of my childhood, which, like the fine colours we fee when our eyes are fliut, are va- niQied for ever."
In the following year, 1704, he entered upon a tafk more fuited to his age. This was his Paf- torals, which brought him into the acquaintance of Ibme of the mod eminent wits of that time. He communicated thefe firft to Mr Wyclierley, who was highly pleafed with them, and fent a copy ti Mr. Walfhj author of feveral ingenious pieces, both in profe and verfe.
This introduced him to the acquaintance of that gentleman, who proved a very hncere friend to him ; and having immediately difcerned that our port's chief talent lay not fo much in ftriking out new thoughts of his own, as in improving thofe which he borrowed from the ancients, and an eafy verfification, told him, among other things, that there was one way left open for him to excel his pre- d ceilors, and that was corre£lnefs ; obferving, that though we had feveral great poets, yet none of them were correal : he therefore advifsd him to make that h s fludy.
The advice was not lofl : Mr. Pope received it very gratefully, and obfeived it very diligently, as -appears by the fubfequent letters in this corre- fpondence ; and no doubt the diiVingui filing har- mony of his numbers was in a great meafare owing to it.
This year, 1704, he wrote ahb the firft part of his '' Windfor-Foreft:," though the whole was not publiflied till 17 10, with a dedication to lord Lanl- downe, whom he mentions as one of his earlicft acquaintance; and befides, thofe rdieidy named, he adds, Bolingbroke, Congr.ve, Garth, Swift, Atterbury, Talbot, Somers, and Sheffield, as per- M 2 Tons
244 THELIFEOF
fons with whom he was not only convcrfant, but beloved, at fixteen or feventeen years of a^e ; an early period for fuch acquaintance.
The circumftance of our author's writing the firft part of this poem fo early as 1704, furniflies no bad apology for the general fault charged upon it ; few images, it is faid, are introduced, which are not equally applicable to any place whatioever.
No part of our bard's life is n^^ore interefting than that of his conduct in cultivating friendfliips, efpecially with his brother poets. At the age of eighteen, he was grown fo high in the efteem of Wychcrley, that he thought him cspable of cor- recting his poems (which had been damned), fo as they might appear again in print. Pope complied with the requeft, and executed it with equal free- dom and judgment. But the faults proved too many for the author of them to be told of 5 he was old, became jealous, and conftrued his young editor's ingenuity and plain-dealing into want of refpedt. Not only the defign of publifhing was dropped, but all corr f|,ondence with the corredor fufpended.
This ungenerous treatment was refented by Pope i and though Wycherley was prevailed with afterwards, by ihe mediation of a common friend, to refume the correfpondence, yet this went no farther than bare complaifance. However, fome time aftej Mr. Wycherley's death, his poems being republiftied by feme mercenary hand in 1728, our author, the following year, printed feveral letters that had paflcd between them, in vindication of Mr. Wycherley's reputation as a poet, againft fome mifconfiru^ions prefixed to that edition.
Mr. Pcpe's conduiSh, throughout this whole try- ing afi'air, was greatly above his years ; but, young as he was, his talents were now beginning to ripea into full maturity. This appeared confpicuoully
in
ALEXANDER POPE. 245
in his ** Elfay on Criticifm ;" which, though written io early as 1708, yet placed him in the firft rank of poets. It is indeed efteemed a mafter-piece in its kind, and dilcovered the pecuhar turn of his genius. He was not Vet twenty years old, fo that every body ftood amazed to find fuch a knowledi^eof the world, fuch a maturity of judgment, and fuch a penetra- tion into human nature, as are there difplaved ; in- fomuch that it became a fubjeft for the criticks to difplay their profoundefl fkill in accounting for it. The greatefl geniufes in painting,^ as well as poetry, were generally obferved not to have produced any of their mailer-pieces before the age of thirty, or thereabouts ; and that Mr. Pope's genius ripened earlier was owing, it is faid, to a happy conjunc- ture of concurring circumftances. He was fortu- nately fecured from falling into the debaucheries of women and wine (the too frequent bane of hopeful youth) by the weaknefs and delicacy of his con- ftitution, and the bad ftare of his health. The (en* fual vices were too violent for fo tender a frame ; he never fell into intemperance or difP.pation, which is of the greatefl confequcnce in preferving each fa- culty of the mind in due vigour. Even his mif- fliapen figure is alleged to have been of ufe to hini as a writer. *
It is an obfervation of Lord Bacon, that whofo- ever hath any thing fixed in his perfon tjiat induces contempt, hath alfo a perpetual fpur within to rclcuc and deliver himfelf from it. Hence it has beea thought not improbable, that our poet might be ani- mated bv this circumilanee to double his dihgencc, to make'himfelf diflinguiihed by the reaitudc ot his underflanding and beautiful turn of mind, as much as he was by the deformity of his body.
It was another circumilanee, equally propitious
to the {ludies of Pope, in this early part of his hie,
M 3 ^^'^^
246 T H E L I F E O F
that he inherited a fortune that was a decent com- petency, and iufFicient to fupply the irnall expences which, both by conflitutlon and reficiSlion, he re- quired.
But even the merit of the ** ElTay on Criticlfm" was furpaffed by his *' Rape of the Lock." The former indeed excelled in the did aft ic flyle, for which he was pecuhariy formed ; a clear head and itrong lenfe being his chara£teriitical quahties : his chief force lay in the underftanding, rather than in the imagination : but it is the creative power of the lafl, tiiat conftitutes the proper chara6teriitic of poetry ; and therefore it is in the '* Rape of tli€ Lock" that Pope principally appears a poet; fince in this performance he has dilpiayed more imagi- nation than in all his other w^orks put together.
The poem took its birth from an incidental quar- rel that happened between two noble families, that of Lord Petre, and Mrs. Fermor, both of our au- thor's acquaintance, and of the fame religion. His lordfhip, in a party of pleafure, ventured to cut off a favourite lock of the lady's hair. This, though done in the way of gallantry, was feriouHy relent- ed, as being indeed a real injury. Hence there pre- fently grew mutual animolities, which being fecn with concern by a common friend to all, that fiiend requeited Pope to try the pov/er of his Mtile on the occafion ; intimating, that a proper piece of ridicule was the likelieft means to extinguiih the riihig flame. Pope readily complied with this friendlv propofal, and, the juncture requiring dif^ patch, his tirll defign was completed in lefs than a fortn"ght ; which being fent to the lady had more than the propofed efteiSl. Pleafed to the highefc degree with the delicacy of the compliment paid to her, ihe fiifi communicated copies of it to her ac- quaintance, and then prevailed with our author to
ALEXANDER POPE. 247
print it: which he did, though not without the caution of conceahng his name to lo hallv a ilvctch. But the univerial applauie which the Iketch met with put him upon enriching it with the macliincry of the Sylphs ; and in that new drefs the two cantos extended to five came out the following year, 1712, accompanied by a letter to Mrs. Fermor, to whom he afterwards addrefled another, which is eileemed far fuperior to any of Voiture ; and it is here given to our readers, as afpecimea of our poet's epiftolary ityle :
** To Mrs. Arabella Fermor, after her marriage. *' Madam,
<« You are fenfible, by this time, how much the tendernefs of one man of merit is to be preferred to the addreffes of a thoufand ; and by this time the gentleman you have made choice of is fenfible, how great is the joy of having all thofe charms and good qualities, which have pleafed fo many, now applied to pleafe one only. It was but jull, that the fame virtues which gave you reputation fliould give you happinefs -, and I can wilh you no greater than 'that vou may reap it to as high a degree as fo much good-nature muil give it to your hufband.
** It may be expeiled, perhaps, that one who has the title of being a wit fhould fay fomethin^ more polite upon this occafion ; but I am really more a well-wilher to your felicity, than a celebrarer of your beauty. BelTdes, you are now a married woman, and 'in a fair way to be a great many better things than a fine lady ; iuch as, an excel- lent wife, a faithful friend, a tender parent, and, at laft, as the confequence of them all, a iaint iil heaven. You ought now to hear nothing but that which is all that you ever defired to hear, whatever others have fpoken to you, I mean truth ; acid it is M 4 ^^^^
a48 THELIFEOF
with the -utmoft that I affure you, no friend you have can more rejoice in any good that befalls you, is more feniibly delighted with the profpedt of your future happinefs, or more unfeignedly defires a long contiuance of it.
*' I hope you will think it but jufl:, that a man, who will certainly be fpoken of as your admirer after he is dead, may have the happinefs, while he is living, to be eileemed
*' Your, &c.''
This letter is fometimes annexed to the poem, and not injudicionlly, as it renders the entertain- ment complete, in the happy marriage of the he- roine.
This year he alio publiflied his ** Temple of Fame ;'* having, according to his ufual caution, kept it two years in his frudy.
It likewife appears from one of his letters, that he had now begun to tranflate Homer's Iliad, an(i made a good progrefs in it ; and, in 17 13, he cir- culated propcfals for publifhing that tranilation by fubfcription.
He had been preflcd to this undertaking fome years before by fome of his friends, and was now greatly encouraged in the delign by others. His religious principles difqualified him from receiving any folid teilimony of his merit, in the ufual way, of a place at court. Common prudence therefore prompted him to make the beft advantage he could of the reputation he had obtained by his poetic taiep.ts, and to try to raife an independent fortune by it. The fuccefs exceeded his moft fanguine ex- peftations ; he acquired a confiderable fortune, by a fubfcription fo large, that it does honour to the kingdom. As he was attentive to every means that might render his tranflatioii more perfect, he
took
A L E X A N D E R P O P E. 249
took a journey, a little before the death of queen Anne, to Oxford, to confult fome books in the Bodleian and other libraries in that university j and the firil: part of his tranflation was publiflicd ihc following year.
This gave great fatisfa^lion ; fo that his finances were now put in fuch a fiourifliing ftate, that he refolved to place himfelf nearer his friends in the capital. Ill that view, the fmali eftate at Binfield being fold, he purchafed a houfe at Twickenham, whither he removed with his father and mother before the expiration of the year 1715. He calli this one of the grand seras of his days ; and the tafte he difplayed in improving the feat became the obje£l of admiration.
While he Vvras employed In this delightful work, he could not forbear doubling the pleafiire he took in it, by communicating it to his friends.
*' Tiie young ladies,'* fays he, in a letter to •Mr. Blount, '* may be alTured, that I make no- thing new in my gardens, without wiihing to fee them print their fairy fleps in every corner of them. I have put the laft hand to my w^orks of tliis kind, in happily finilhing the fubterraneous way" (from his houfe to his garden, under the high road which feparated them) ** and grotto. I there round a fpring of the clcareft water, ^which falls in a per- petual rill, that echos through the cavern day and night. From the river T hames you fee through my arch, up a w^alk of the w^ildcrnefs, to a kind of open temple, wholly compofed of fliells, in the ruftic manner ; and from that dilLmce, under the temple you look down through a iloplng arcade of trees, and fee fails on the river fuddenly appearing and vanifhing as through a perfpeftive glafs. When you ihut the door of this grotto, it becomes on the Infiant, from a luminous room, a caniira cbfcura^ M 5 OQ
250 THELIFEOF
on the wall of which all the objefts of the river, hills, woods, and boats, are forming a moving pic- ture in their viiible radiations ; and, when you have a mind to light it up, it affords you a very different fcene. It is flnifhed with f]:ielis, interfperfed with pieces of looking-glafs in angular forms ; and in the cieling is a ftar of the fame materials ; at, which, twhen a lamp of an orbicular figure, of thin alabaf- er, is hung in the middle, a thoufand pointed rays glitter, and are reiie6led over the place. There are <^onne£led to this grotto, by a narrow^er paflage, two porches, one towards the river, of fmooth iiones, full of light and open ; the other towards the garden, fhadowed with trees, and rough with ihelis, flints, and iron ores. The bottom is paved with fimplc pebble, as is alfo the acljcining walk up the wiidernefs to the temple, in the natur?! tafle, agreeing not ill with the little dripping murmur and the r.quatic idea of the whole place. It wants nothing to complete it but a good ilatue, with an infcription like that beauteous pi£lurefque one which you know I am fo fond of,
Hujus nympha loci, facri cuflodia fontis,
Dormio, dum blandae fentio murmur aqua? :
Parce meura, quifquis tangis cava marmora, fom- num Rumpere; feu bibas, live lavere, tace.
Nymph of the grot, thcfe facred fprings I keep, And to the murmur of thefe waters fleep. Ah ! fpare my flumbers, gently tread the cave, And drink in fiicnce, or in filence lave.
*' You'll think I have been very poetical in this defcriptioni but it is pretty nearly the truth."
This
ALEXANDER POPE. 25^
This letter was written in 1725: he afterward^ wrote a poem upon it in a peculiar caft and kind * and Dr. Warburton informs us, that the improv- ing this grotto was the favourite amufemeut oFhis declining years ; fo that, not long before his death, by enlarging and incrufting it about with a vaft number of ores and minerals of the richefl and rarefl kinds, he had made it one of the mofl elegant and romantic retirements that is any where to be feen.
*' And," adds that writer, «' the beauty of his poetic genius, in the difpoiition and ornaments of ihofe romantic materials, appeared to as much ad- vantage as in any of his beft-contrived poems."
His father fuivived his removal to Twickenham only two years, dying fuddenly, after a very healthy life, at the age of feventy-five. He was buried at Twickenham, where his fon ereded a handfome monument to his memory, with an infcripiioii, ce- lebrating his innocence, probity, and piety. As he was a Roman Catholick, he could not purchafc, nor put his money to intereft on real fecurity ; and, as he adhered to the intereft of king James, he made it a point of confcience not to lend it to the new government ; fo that, though he was worth near twenty thoufand pounds when he left off bu- fmefs at the revolution ; yet afterwards, from the fame principles, living upon the flock, he left our poet to the management of fo narrow a fortune, that any one falfe ftep would have been fatal.
The old gentleman had fometimes recommended to our author, in his earlicft years, the ftudv of phy- iick, as the beft means of repairing that wafte of pro- perty which, from his own principles, was rendered unavoidable. But this muft have gone no farther than a limple propofal, fince we are aflured by the fon, that he broke no duty, nor difobeycd cither M 6 parent,
2^2 T H E L I F £ O F
parent, in following the profefTion of a poet ; and his father had the fatisfa6lion of living Jong enouoh to fee him in a fure way of making a genteel for- tune by it.
In fa6l, v/ant of a due attention to this necefTary point was not of the number of Pope's foibles ; on the contrary, we find him. taking all opportunities to pufh it to the utmoft. In this difpofition, not fatisficd with the golden tide that was continually flowing in from his tranflation, he publiihed, in 17 1 7, a cblle6lion of all the poetical pieces he had written before ; in which, regard to his fortune had undeniably a confiderable fhare. With the fame view, he gave a new edition of Shakefpeare ; which, being publillied in 1721, difcovered that be had confulted his interefr in the undertaking more than his fame.
The Iliad being finifhed, he engaged for a con- siderable fum to undertake the OdyfTey ; and that work being compieated in 172^, the following year was employed, in concert with his afTociates, dean Swift and Dr. Arbuthnot, in printing feveral vo- lumes of mifcellanies.
About this time he narrowdy efcaped lofing his life as he was returning home in a friend's chariot; which, on paffing a bridge, happened to be over- turned, and thrown with the horfes into the river. The giaffes w^ere up, and he not able to break them; fo that he was in immediate danger of drowning, when the poftillion, who had juft recovered himfelf, came to his relief, broke the glafs which was up- permoft, took him out, and carried him to the bank: but a fragment of the broken glafs cut one of his hands fo defperately, that he loft the uie of two of his f.ngers.
He had now fecured to himfelf a comfortable competency, and a Hate of eafe and independence :
his
A L E X A N D E R P O P E. 253
his next care was to fecure his hterary fame from nil future attacks, by filencing his envious rivals ; and having accomphlhed this in liis admirable poem intituled " TheDunciad," that fatire came out in the year 1727, in 4to.
He fomewhere obferves, that the life of an au- thor is a ftate of warfare ; and he has, in this at- tack, or, rather, feries of attacks, fhewed himfelf a complete general in the art of this kind of war. Our poet Hated, that he had borne the infults of his enemies full ten years before he hazarded a general battle ; he was all that while climbing the hills ef ParnalTus : during which he could not forbear fomc flight ikirmiflics; and. the fuccefs ofthcfewasof ufe, in Ihewing him his fuperior ftrcngth, and thereby adding confidence to his courage, but he was now feated fafely on the fummit : belides, he had obtained what, in his own opinion, is the hap- piefl end of life, the love of valuable men; and the next felicity, he declares, was to get rid of fools and fcoundrels ; to which end, after having, by fe- veral afFeded marches and counter«marchcs, brought the v/hole army of them into his power, he fud- deniy fell upon them with a pen as irrcliliible as the fword of Michael the Archangel, and made an abfolutely univerfal flaughter of them, fuffering not a lingle foul to efcape his fury.
The poem cautioufly made its firft appearance, as a maikcd-battery, in Ireland ; nor, indeed, was the triumph completed without the aiTiftance of our author's undoubted fecond, dean Swift, who, hav- ing furniHied it with feme exquilitely wrought ma- terials, a pompous edition was printed at London in 1728.
This edition was prefented to the king and queen by Sir Robert Walpole, who probably at this time offered to procure Mv, Pope a peniion ; which he
refilled
254 T H E L I F E O F
refufed with the fame fplritas he had formerly done an offer of the fame kind made him by lord Hah- fax ; which fpirit of our -author in dechning this offer of Sir Robert's fecms to be expreffed in a Jet- ter of his, about this time, to his friend dean Swift.
" I was once before," fays he, ** difpJeafed at yon for complaining to Mr, of my not hav- ing a pcniion ; I am fo again, at your naming it to a certain lord. 1 have given proof, in the courfe of my life, from the time wiien Iwas in the friend- ship of lord Bohrgbroke and Mr. Craggs, even to this time, when 1 am civilly treated by Sir Robert Walpole, that I never thought myfeif fo warm in any party's caufe as to deferve tiieir m.cney, and therefore would nev^r have accepted it. I defire you to take oft any impreffions which that dialogue may have left upon his lordfhip's mind, as if I had any thoughts of being beholden to him, or any other, in that way."
One of the proofs here intimated, was the refufal he had given, many years before, to an offer of the fame kind by lord Halifax ; as appears by a letter to that lord as early as the year 1714; where he writes in thefe terms :
<' My Lord, ** I am obliged to you, both for the favours yo\i have done me, and for thofe you intend me. I difrrufl neither your will, nor your mem.ory, when it is to do good ; and, if ever 1 become troublefome or folicitous, it mufl not be out of expectation, but out of gratitude. It is, indeed, a high llrain of generofity in you, to think of making me eafy all my life, only becaufe 1 have been fo happy as to divert you a tew hours ; but, if I may have leave to add, it is becaufe you think me no enemy to my native country, there will appear a better reafon ;
for
ALEXANDER POPE. 255
for T mufl of confeqiieiicc be very much, as I fm. Cerely am,
'' Yours, cS:c."
It is alfo well known, that Mr. Craggs, In 17 10, gave him a fubfcription for one hundred pounds in the fouth-fea fund, of which he made no manner of ufe.
As thefe offers muft be underftood to be made in the view of taking him off from his attachments to his friends, liis refufal of them are fo many ii- lulfrious proofs of his iieadineis in that point. Vet he declares, in a ietter to Dr. Swift, that he had perfonal obhgations, which he would ever prciervc, to men of different fides.
In 1729, our poet, with equal prudence and piety, purchafed an annuity of one hundred pounds for his own and his mother's hfe.
The fame year, by the advice of lord Boling- broke, he turned his pen to fubjefts of morality; and accordingly we find him, with the aliiftafice of that friend, at work this year upon his " Ellay on Man.'' llie following extract of a ietter to dean Swift difcovers the reafon of his ioidlhip's advice.
*' Bid him [Pope] talk to you of the work lie is about, 1 hope iq good earnefl ; it is a line one, and will be in his hands an original. His fole complaint is, that he finds it too eafy in the execution. This liatters his laziuefs. ft flatters my judgment, who always thought, that, univerial as his talents are, this is eminently and peculiarly his, above all the writers I know, living or dead ; I do not ex- cept Horace."
Pope tells the dean, in the next letter, v.hat this work was :
" The work he [Bolingbroke] fpcaks of witli fuch abundant partiality, is a fyllem of Ethic-, in the Horatian way."
In
256 THELIFEOF
In another Jetter, written probably in the en- trance of the following year, we fee the general aim which, at leaft, he wifhed might be attributed to this work.
*' 1 am juft now writing, or rather planning, a book, to bring mankind to look upon this life with comfort and pleafure ; and put morality in good humour."
This fubje(5l was exactly fuited to his genius ; he found the performance eafy to a degree that furpriz- ed himfelf ; and he thereupon employed his leifure hours in purfuing the fame deiign in his Ethic tpif- tles, which came out feparateiy in the courfe of the two following years. But a great clamour was raifed againfl the fourth of thefe Epiilles, addrelTed to lord Bohngbroke, upon Tafte : and the 'character of Ti- mon in it gave great offence. The defcription was too plain not to be known who was pointed at ; and the late duke of Chandos,^it is faid, wrote to our author in fach a manner as made him kn- fibie that he oudit to have confined himfelf to a
o
fidlitious chara£ter.
Mr. Pope, we are told, began to wifli he had not carried the matter lb far ; but there was no re- ceding ; all he could do was to palliate the buli- nefs ; and this was done in a letter by Mr. Cleland, to Mr. Gay, in December, 1731. But this letter was not fatisfaftory, nor yet orie he wrote to tlie duke, profeiiing his innocence.
All this while he had the pleafure to fee the epif- tle fell fo rapidly, that it went through the prefs a third time very loon. Thereupon, in high fpirits, he publilhcd a letter to lord Burlington, the March following ; wherein, having taken notice of the cla- mour which, he f?.ys, through malice and miflake flill continued, he expreffes his refentment of this ufage, difavows any deiign againll the duke, makes
him
ALEXANDER POPE. 257
him feveral high comphments, and then proceeds thus : ^
'' Certainly the writer deferved more candour, even in thole who know him not, than to promote a report, which, in regard to that noble perlbn, was impertinent; in regard to me, villainous.
" I have taken,'' continues he, *' an opportunity of the third edition, to declare his belief not only of my innocence, but ot their malianitv ; of the tormer of which my heart is as confc^ous', as 1 fear iome of theirs mult' be of the latter : his humanity teels a concern for the injury done to me, while his greatnefs of mind can bear with indificrcnce the infult offered to himleif/'
After this, he concludes with threatening to make ufe of real names, not fidtitious ones, m his enluing works ; and how far he carried that me- nace into execution will prefently be ken ; for the €omp.laints which were made againft this epiftle by fome fecret enemies put him upon writing fatires, in which-' he ventured to attack the charafters of fome perfons of high rank ; and the affront was relented in fuch a manner, as provoked him to let loole the whole fury of his fatirical rage againft them, which was poured forth in profe and verfe.
In the firil fatire of the fecond book of Horace, he had defcribed lord Hervey and lady Mary Wort- ly Montague lb cbaraderiftically under the names of lord Fanny and Sappho, that thele two noble perfonages did not only take up the fame weapons againft the aggreffor, but uled all their intcrell among the nobility, and even with the king and queen, to hurt him.
This laft injury was what Pope complained of mofl; and, for that reafon, the letter which he wrote in anfwer to it was ihewn to her majcfty as foon as it was hnilhed,
2 After
258 T H E L 1 F E O F
After this he continued writing fatires till tlie year 1739, when he entertained fome thoughts 0/ undertaking an epic poem; which, however, proved abortive. He has told us, in the epilogue, the realbn of his laying down his pen on fatirical fubje£ts ; and he gave the true one for laying dowai his moral eflays long before to Dr. Swift.
*' I am," fays he, " almoft at the end of my morals, as I have been long ago of my wit ; my fyllem is a fhort one, and my circle narrow. Ima- gination has no limits; that is a fphere in which you may move on to eternity : but where one is con- fined to truth, or, to fpeak more like a human crea- tures, to the appearances of truth, we foon find the fhortnefs of our tether."
In the interim, feveral of his familiar letters having ilole into the v/orld without his privity, he publilhed a genuine colleftion of them in 1737. The furreptitious edition is faid to have been ob- tained in the following manner. Pope held a cor- reTpondence with Mr. Cromwell, whofe miilrefs itole fome of our poet*s letters to that gentleman, and fold them to Edmund Curl, the noted piratical bookfeller, who making ufe of tbcfe as incitements, by ihcwing them to gentlemen with whom Pope likewife correfponded, they thought it was doing him no injury to communicate other letters to Curl, not knowing how he came by the lirft.
It w^as about this time that the ill ftate of Pope'S' - health having frequently drawn him to Bath, he could not long remain unknown to Mr. Alien, who reiided near that place, and was fo much pieafed with the letters of our poet, as to feek an opportu- nity of forming a friendfhip with their author; the rcfuk of which was, his acquaintance with Mr, Warburton, afterwards bifhop of Gloucefter, who tells us, hchadjbefore the commencement of this inti-
macv,
ALEXANDER POP K. 059
iracy, written his Commentary upon the Art of Criticiim, as alfo on tlie Elfay on Man.
One complaint agalnll that eliay was its obfcu- Vity : which our author had been told ot" hv his iriend dean Swift.
But this was comparatively a fmall fault; the author w^as alio charged with 'having laid a plan of dcifm i and a Trench tranflution by the Abbe Kefncl having appeared at Paris in 17^8, Mr. Croufaz, a (jcrman profeiTor, animadverted upon this fvftcm cf ethics, which he reprefented as nothing clfe but a lyflem of fatalifm. It was againfl this objeclor that Mr. Warburton firfl entered the lifts in defence of Pope, in thefe Commentaries ; and Mr. Pope, in a letter to him on this occafion, acknowledges the obfcurity of his piece.
" You have," fays he, " made my fydem as clear as I ought to have done, and could not ; you underlland me as well as I do myfelf, but you ex- prefs me better than I exprefs myfelf." And, in a tubfequent letter, upon tire fame iubje£l, he goes ilill further : '* You underftand my work," fays he, '' better than 1 do myfelf."
Mr. Warburton's Commentary being thus ap- proved, the EiTay on Man was re-pubh(hed therewith in 1740. But it appears, from thofe acknowledg- ments of Mr, Pope, as iflord Bolin^ljrokft, who con- fciPedly furnilhed the matter of the efiay, had put more into our author's head than iie was able per- kSiiy to comprehend. This edition, with the Comment, was tranflated into French, by a gen- tleman belonging to Monf Cromby, an ambaffa- dor. Mr. Pope defired his friend Warburton to pro- cure a good tranllation of the Eflay on Man into Latin profe, which was begun by a gentleman of Cambridge ; but a fpecimen. which was lent to our
author
26o THE LIFE OF
author not hanpeiiing to pleafe him, that defigns proved abortive.
It was alfo at the inflance of Mr, Warburton, that our author added a fourth book to the Dun- ciad ; which was printed fcparately in the year 1742.
About the time that Pope acquainted his laft- mentioned friend with his delign to add this book to the three former of the Dunciad, they went to- gether to Oxford, where Mr. Pope had the com- pliment made to him of an offer of a do£tor*s degree inlaw; which he choofing to wave, w^ent farther weft to vifit fome friends, leaving his fellow tra- veller in the univerfity, who ftaying there a day longer to vifit his friend Dr. John Conybeare, dean of Chriifchurch, received a melllige that day from the vice chancellor, by a perfon of eminence in the iiniverfity, with the like compliment, to know if a doftor's degree in divinity would be acceptable to him/ Ihis offer was received in a very different manner from the former to Mr. Pope. But it proved to be a mere compliment, the makers of it beiiig, as it feems, miftaken in imagining, that one frien.d w^ould not choofe to be honoured with a degree Vvnth- out the other ; fo that, when the congregation met for the purpofe, the grace pafTed in the negative.
This affront vvas warmly refented by Mr. W^ar- burton : but he had fuflicient amends made to him for it by Dr. Thomas Herring, archbifhop of Can- terbury, who conferred that degree upon him not long after.
In the courfe of the following year, the whole J)oem of the Dunciad came out together, as a fpe- cimen of a more correal edition of his works, which he had then refolved to give to the public k : and he made fome progrefs in that delign, but did not live to compieat it.
He
ALEXANDER POPE. 261
He had all his life been fubjcfl to an habitual head-ach, and that complaint, which w^s hercdilarv, his mother having been always fubie^t to it, was now greatly increafed by a droply in liis brcal>, un- der which he expired on the thirtieth otMay, 1744, in the hfty-fixth year of his age.
His body was depofited, purfuant to his owu requeft, in the fame vault with thole of his parents, to whofe memory he had erefled a monument, with an infcription written by himfelf. It is as follows, but in capital chara6lers :
D. O. M.
Alexandro Pope, viro innocuo, probo, pio,
Qui vixit an. 75. ob. 1717.
Et Editha; conjugi, inculpabili, picntifliinop,
Qiiae vixit annos 93. ob. 1733.
Parentibus bene merentibus
Filius fecit.
Et fibi. Obiit an. 1744. a^tatis 56.
This lafl line was added after his death, in con- formity to his will ; the reft was done on the death of his parents.
Not long before his death, he made his will : in which he conftituted Mils Blount his teftamen- tary-heir during her life ; and, among other lega- cies, he bequeathed to Dr. Warburton the proper- ty of fach of his works already printed as he had written, or fhould write, Commentaries upon, and had not been otherwife diipofed of, or alienated ; with this condition, that they were pubhlhcd with- out future alterations.
After he had made his will, he wrote this legatee a letter ; in which, having informed him ot his legacy, he fays, ^^ ^ ^^^^
262 T H E L I F E O F
'* I own the late encroachments upon my con- flitution make me willing to lee the end of all fur- ther care about me, or my Works. 1 would reft for the one, in a full refignation of my being to be difpofed of by the Father of all Mercies ; and, for the other, though, indeed, a trifle, yet a trifle may be fome example, I would commit them to the can- dour of a fenlible and refie£ling judge, rather than to the malice of every fliort-fighted and malevolent critick, or inadvertent and cenforious reader ; and no head can fet them in fo clear a light, or fo well turn their befl fide to the day, as your own.'*
In difcharge of this truft, that gentleman gave a comipleat edition, in 1751, of all Mr. Pope's works, executed in fuch a manner as, he was perfuaded, would have been to the author's fatisfa£lion.
The elegance of this edition is very commenda- ble ; and it is not to be doubted, but that the au- thor's defign, as to the collection, is faithfully ob- ferved, as far as it could be done. How" far the editor's privilege in writing notes extended, is only known to himfelf. Several, inferted in the firll edi- tion, W'Cre left out in the fecond ; but flill feveral were retained, which contain fevere, not to fay ill- natured, refieClions upon the author's dearefl friends*. Thefe have not efcaped deferved cenfure.
It is faid, that allowing the remarks to be juft^ yet the infefting them in his w^orks muft either be an injury to his will, or leave his moral character indefenfible. One of ihefe gives room to fufpedl this laft to be the cafe, with regard to thefe friends.
In the 84th letter of the gth volume, Mr. Popeex- prefles himiclt to that old friend, dean Swift, thus :
" You alk m.e if 1 have got any fupply of new friends to make up for them that are gone ; I think that impoflible : but as, when the continual wafh- ing of a river takes away our flowers and plants, it
throws
A L E X A N D E R P o P E. 16^
throws weeds and fedges in their room ; fo the courle of time brings us fomething, as it deprives us of a great deal, and, inllead of leaving us what we cultivated, and expeftedto flouriai and adorn us, gives us only what is of Ibme Httle ufe by accident! Thus I have acquired — But I had my heart harden- ed, and blunt lo new imprelTions. /\dica. I can lay no more, [ ktl fo much."
To the word room, we fee the following note :
" There are fome ftrokes in this letter, which can no otherwife be accounted for than by the au- thor's extreme compailion and tendernefs of heart, too much aftcifled by the complaints of a peevifh old man, labouring and impatient under his infirmities, and too intent on the friendly oifice of mollifying them.'*
The editor, we fee, attributes thefe exprefHons of the author's iove to an extremity of compallion, that is to weaknefs ; but it is a very pardonable one, as long as we don't know them to be inconfonant to fome other warm expreffions of affection to any of his new friends, which may well be fuppofed to be the cafe at the time of his writing this letter, that is, before he knew Dr. Warburton, or wrote *hofe ktters to him that are printed in this volume ; wherein, if the exprellions are lincere, it cannot be denied that our author had changed his heart a little, fince the time of his writing the letter here cited to dean Swift. Be that as it will ; lord Orrery- very jullly difliked the continual complimenting turn of thefe letters ; and thofe that have been fmce added by Dr. Warburton could give him no rea- fon to hke them better on that account.
Mr. Pope's quarrel with CoUey Gibber, which occalioned feveral indecent altercations between them from the prefs ; and lord Bolingbroke's charge of treachery, brought againft him in an advertife- inent prefixed to a'tradl publifhed by the noble lord
5 ^"
a64 T H E L I F E O F
in 1749; we have oftiitted, as tedious, nninflrnc- tive, and involved in controverfy ; but the reader who vvifhes to know more of the perfon, character, and writings, of tliis excellent poet, v^ill find ample fatisfav^ioii in perilling an admirable efTay on this fubje<Sf, by the learned JJr. Warton, in two volumes, 8vo and aifo in the ife oi Pope by the late Owen RufRiead, r fq. Our limits neceffarily oblige us to be concife in drawing charafters ; and, as we can- not lind a more elegant model in the prefent inftance than that of lord Orrery, iiiferted in his Memoirs of the Life and Writings of dean :^wift, we fliall make no apology for concluding in his lordfhip's words : ** If we r.i-iy judge of him by his works, his chief aim was to he efteemed a man of virtue. His letters are writtei^ in that ftyle ; his lail volumes are all of the noral kind ; he has avoided triiies, and co'ifequently has efcaped a rock which has proved very injuricus to Dr. Swift's reputation. He has given his imagination full fcope, and yet has pre-* ferved a perpetual guard upon his condu6f . The conftitution of his body and mind might really in- cline him to the habits of caution and referve. The treatment which he met with afterwards, from an innumerable tribe of adverfaries, confirmed this habit, and made him flower than the dean in pro- nouncing his judgment upon perfons and things. His profe writings are hrtle iefs harmonious than his verfe ; and his voice, in common converfation, was fo naturally muiical, that i remember honefl: Tom Southern ufed to call him, the Little Nightin- gale, His manners were cafy, delicate, and en- gaging ; and he treated his friends with a polirenefs that charmed, and a generolity that was much to his honour. Every gueil was made happy within his doorjs, pleafure dwelt under his roof, and elegance preHded at his table.'*
The
[ 265 ]
The life of
Dr. JONATHAN SWIFT,
Dean of St. P a T r i c k's, Dublin, [A. D. 1667, to 1745.]
JONATHAN SWIFT, one of the mofl fm^ gular chara£lers of the age, was the fon of Mr. Jonathan Swift, an attorney, by Mrs. Abigail Erick, and was born at DubUn in 1667. ^^^ ^^~ ther died while his mother was pregnant of him, and left her in diftrefled circumflances, having for her whole fupport only an annuity of 20I. per annum. Grief, and a bad ftate of health, prevented his mother from fuckling him; and when he was about a year old, the nurfe, to whole care he had been committed, being obliged to crofs the fca to vilit a lick relation at Whitehaven, in England, her affe£tion for the child was fo flrong, that, un- able to refolve to part with him, flie conveyed him on fhip-board without the knowledge of his mother or relations, and kept him with her during her rcfi- dence three years at that place.
From this circumftance many of his friends imagined him to be a native of England ; and others fuppofed him to be the natural fon of Sir Williani Temple. Neither of thele iuggeftions can be true ; for although, in his angry moods, when he was
Vol. VI. N provoked
266 THELIFEOF
provoked at the ingratitude of the Irifh, he was frequently heard to fay, *' I am not of this vile ** country; I am an Englifhman ;" yet, in his cooler hours, he never denied his country : on the contrary, he frequently mentioned, and pointed out, the houfe v^diere he was born. The other fuggellion, concerning the illegitimacy of his birth, is very falfe. Sir William Temple was employed as 'a minifter abroad from the year 1665 ^^ the year 1670 ; fo tha,t Dr. Swift's mother, who never crolTed the fea, except from England to Ireland, was out of all pof- libiiity of a perfonal cqrrefpondence with Sir Wil- liam Temple till fome years after-her fon's birth.
The care of Swift's education was kindly under- takenby Mr. Godwin Swift, his uncle, a very emi- nent attorney at Dublin, who likewife took his mo- ther and his iifter under his proteftion ; and thus became a guardian to the family.** When his ne- phew was fix years of age, he fent him to fchool at Kilkenny, and about eight years afterwards he en- tered him a fludent of Trinity-college in Dublin ; where Swift lived in perfect regularity, and in an entire obedience to the ftatutes : but the morofenefs of his temper often rendered him unacceptable to his companions ; fo that he was little regarded, and lefs beloved : nor were the academical exerciles agreeable to his genius.
He held loglck and metaphvficks in the utmoll contempt; and he fcarcelv attended at all to matiie- maticks and natural philofophy, unleis to turn them into ridicule.
The ftudies which he chiefly followed were hii- torv and poetry, in which he made a great pro2.refs ; but to other branches of fcience he had given fo very little application, that when he appeared as a candidate for tlie degree of bachelor of arts, after having fludied four years, he was fet afide, on ac- count
D E A N S W I F T. 26;
count of iiifufficiency ; and at laft he ol.talncd liij admiliion fpeciall gratir\ a phrafc whicli, n\ that univerfity, carries with it the utmoft marks of re- proach. Swift was fired with indignation at the treatment he had received in Ireland, and therefore refolved to purfue his ftudies at Oxford. However, that he might be admitted ad eundem, he was ohlij^cd to carry with him a tefiimonial of his degree. Ihc GxprcHion /pedal i gratia is fo pecuhar to the univer- fity of Dubhn, that, when Mr. Swift exhibited iii? teflimoniai at Oxford, the members of the Englilh univerfity concluded, that the words fpeciali gratia mufi: fignify a degree conferred in reward of extra- ordinary diligence and learning. He was immedi- ately admitted ad eundem^ and entered himfclf of Hart-hall, now Hartford-college, where he con- flantly refided (fome vifits to his mother at Leiccf- ter, and to Sir William Temple at Moore-park, excepted) till he took his degree of maflcr of arts, which was in the year 1691. And, in order to re- cover his loll time, he now fludied eight hours daily, for feven years.
in the year i588, his uncle, Mr. Godwin Swift, had fallen into a kind of lethargy, which deprived him by degrees of his fpeech and memory, and rendered him totally incapable of being of the Icall fervice to his family.
But, in this diftrelTed fituation, Sir William Temple (vv^hofe lady was related to ^wift^s mother) moHgeneroufly Itepped in to his aififtance, and, from this time, avowedly fupportcd his education at the univerfity of Oxford. Sir William Temple's friendfliip was afterwards unjuflly conllrucd to pro- ceed from a confcioufncfs that he was his real father.
It ought not to be here omitted, that another of
his father's brothers, iVir. William Swift, aili'.lcd
N 2 Inni
26S T H E L I F E O F
him when at Oxford by repeated a(5^s of friendfhip and atFe£lion.
Swift, as foon as he had quitted the univerfity of Oxford, lived with Sir William Temple, as his iiiend and domeflic companion. When he had been about two years with Sir William, he con- trailed a verv long and dangerous illnefs, by eating an immoderate quantity of fruit. To this furfeit he has often been heard to afcribe that giddinefs in his head, which, with intermiffions fometimes of a longer and fometimes of a lliorter continuance., purl'ued him to the end of his life.
In compliance with the advice of phyiicians^ when he was fufficiently recovered to travel, he went to Ireland, to try the effefts of his native air ; but, finding the greateft benefit arofe from the exer- cifc of travelling, he followed his own inclination.; he foon returned into England, and was again re- ceived dn a moft affedionate manner by Sir Wil- liam Temple., who was then fettled at Shene, where he was often vifited by king William.
Here Swift had frequent converfations w^ith that -prince, in fome of which the king offered to make him a captain of horfe : which offer, in fpienetie difpofitions, he always feemed forry to have re- fufed ; but at that time he had refolved within his own mind to take orders ; and during his whole life his j-efolutions, when once fixed, were ever after immoveable.
About this time he affiled Sir William Temple in reviling his works. He likewife corrected and improved his own '' Tale of a Tub,'* a Iketch of which he had drawn up while he was a ftudent at Trinity-college, Dublin. Sir William's con- verfation naturally turned upon political lubje£ls ; and Swift improved the frequent opportunities he had of accquiring from tliis able Hatefman a com- 7 petent
Dean S W I F T. z^
petent knowledge of public affairs. But, at length, he fufpe^tcd that Sir William neglected to provide for him, merely that he might keep him in hi> fa- mily ; and he refented this fo warmly, that a (juar- rel enfued, and they parted in the year i'^)()^\ and he went to Ireland, where he took orders.
Sir William, however, notwithftanding the dif- ferences between them, recommended hmi in the ilrongcil terms to lord Capel, then lord-deputy ,- who gave him a prebend, of which the income Vv'as about lool. a year. Swift foon grew wcarv of his preferment: it was not fufnciently conhdcr- able, and w^as at fo great a diftance from tlvj me- tropolis, that it abfolutely deprived him of that converfation and fociety in which he delighted.
Ke had been ufed to very difrerent fcenes \n England, and had naturally an averiion to folitudc and retirement. He was glad therefore to refign his prebend in favour of a friend, and to return to Shene, to Sir Wilham Temple, who was fo much pleafed with his return, which he confidered as an a6t of kindnefs to him in the clofe ot life, that a fincere reconciliation took place i and they lived together in perfect harmony till the death of Sir William. By his will he left him a confideralilc legacy in money, and the care, trui\, and emolu- ment, of publiihing his pofihumous works.
During Swift's refidence Vvith Sir Wilham Tem- ple, he became intimately acquainted with^ Mils Johnfon, who v.^as the daughter of Sir Williain Temple's fleward, and who was afferwards fo dif- tinguifhed, and fo much celebrated, in Swift's works by the name of Stella.
Soon after the death of Sir William, Swift came
to London, and took the earlieil opportunity of
tranfmitting a memorial to king William, under
the claim of a promife made by his majefty to Sir
^ N 3 ^ViN
270 T H E L I F E O F
William Temple, *' that Mr. Swift fnould have the ** fiift vacancy that happened among the prebends ** of Weftminfler or Canterbury." The memorial had no effeft ; and, indeed, Swift himfelf after- wards declared, that he believed the king never re- ceived it.
After a long and fruitlefs attendance at White- hall, Mr. Swift reln£tantjy gave up all thoughts of a fettlement in England.
Another fenfible mortification likewife determined him to quit this kingdom : he had dedicated Sir William Temple's works to the king, which dedi- cation was neglected ; nor did his m.ajefty take the lead notice of him after Sir William's death.
He therefore complied with an invitation from the earl of Berkeley, appointed one of the lords juf- tices in Ireland, to attend him as his chaplain and private fecretary. Lord Berkeley landed at Water- ford, and Mr. Swift a£led as fecretary during the whole journey to Dublin. But one Bulb, another of lord Berkeley's attendants, had by this timeinfi- nuated himfelf into the earl's favour, and by his whifperings, wdiich were, perhaps, too attentively liflened to, had perfuaded his iordlhip, that the pofl of fecretary was improper for a clergyman, to whom only church-preferments could be fuitable or ad- vantageous. After fome flight apology, owing to this felf-interefled fuggellion, Mr. Swift was divefted of his office, which was given to Bu(h.
This treatment was thought injurious, and Swift cxprelTed his fenfibihty of it in a fbort, but fati- rical, copy of verfes, intituled, *' The Difcovery." However, during the government of the earls of Berkeley and Galw^ay, who were jointly lords juf- tices of Ireland, two livings, Laracor and P.ath- beggan, were bellowed upon Mr. Swift. Both thefe redories together wei% worth about two hundred
and
D E A N S W I F T. o.'^l
and fixty pounds a year, and were the only chiirch- preferments he enjoyed till he was appointed dcaii of St. Patrick's, in the year 1713.
After Mr. Swift had taken pollcHion of his livings, he went to refide at Laracor, and gave puMic no- tice to his paiidiioncrs, that he would read })ravcrs once every Wednefday and Friday. Upon ilic fub- fequent Wednefday the bell was rung, and the reclor attended in his deik ; when, after having fat fonic time, and finding the congregation to confill only of himfejf and his clerk Roger, Ive began with great compofure and gravity, but with a turn peculiar to himfelf, *' Dearly beloved Roger, the Scripture *' moveth you and me in fundry places," and pro- ceeded regularly through the whole fervicc. 'Fhis trifling circumflance is only mentioned to, fhcw, that he could not refill a vein of humour whenever he had an opportunity of exerting it.
During his motlier's life, who refided at Lciccf- ter, he fcarcely ever failed paying her an annual vifit. But his manner of travelling was as finguhr as any other of his a<^ions. He often went in a waggon, but more frequently walked from Holyhead to Leiceftcr, London, or any other part of England. He gene- rally chofe to dine with waggoners, oftlers, _ &c. and ufed to lodge in houfes where he found written over the door, '' Lodgings for a penny ;" but he ulu- ally bribed the maid with fixpence for a feparate bed and clean llieets. He delighted in fcenes of low lite ; and the vulgar dialed was not only a fund of hu- mour for him, but in all probability acceptable to his nature ; otherwife, how are the many filthy ideas and indelicate expreffions that are found through- out his works to be accounted for ?
In the year 1701, Swift took his dolor's ^,cgTcc\ and towards the latter end of that year king William
died. ^
N 4 On
2^72 T H E L I F E O F
On th€ accefiicn of queen Anne, Dr. Swift came to England. It cannot be denied, that the chief minifters of that queen, whether diftinguiihed under the titles of whigs or tories, of high-chuich or of ]ow-church, were, from the beginning to the end of her reign, encouragers of learning, and patrons cf learned men.
The wits of that aera ^jv-ere numerous and emi- nent. Amidfl the crowd, yet fuperior to the reft, appeared Dr. Swift. In a mixture of thofe two jar- ring parties, called whig and tory, confifted the firft miniilry of queen Anne ; but the greater fliare of the adminiflration was committed to the whigs, who foon ingrofled the whole.
The queen, whofe heart was naturally inclined towards the tories, remained an unwilling prifoner feveral years to the whigs, till Air. Harley at length took her majefty out of their hands, and, during the remainder of her hfe, furrounded her with a fet of tories, under the condudl of the duke of Crmond, and himfelf.
Dr. Swift was known to the great men of each denomination ; it is certain that he was bred up, and educated with whigs, at lead with fuch as may be found ranged under that title. His motives for quitting whiggifm for toryifm appear throughout his works.
He had commenced political author in 1 701, when he publiflied a Difcourie on the Contefls and DiiTentions between the Nobles and Commons in Athens and Rome, with the Confequences they had^ upon both States : this was written in defence of king William and his miniflers, againft the vio- lent proceedings in the houfe of commons.
But, from this time to the year 1708, -lord Orrery informs us, he did not write any political pamphlet. From this year to 17 10, he worked hard to under- mine
Dean S W IF T.
J
mine the whigs, and to open a way for tlic tories to come into power. His intimacy with lord Ox- ford commenced, as may he deduced from his works, in Odober, 1710. In a poem written in 1 7 13, he fays,
*Tis (let me fee) three years and more (0£lober next will make it four) Since Harley bid me iirft attend, And chofe me for an humble friend
And again, in another poem written in the fame year,
Aly lord w^ould carry on the jell,
And down to Windfor take his gueft.
Swift much admires the place and air,
And longs to be a canon there.
A canon ! that's a place too mean :
No, do£lor, you Ihali be a dean.
By this lafl quotation, and by numberlefs otlier inflances in his works, it feems undeniable, that a fettlement in England was the conllant objcd of Dr. Swift's ambition ; fo that his promotion to a deanery in Ireland was rather a difappointment than a reward, as appears by many exprellions in his letters to Mr. Gay and Mr. Pope.
The bufinefs which firft introduced him to Mr. Harley, was a commiffion fent to him by the pri- mate of Ireland, to folicit the queen to releafe the clergy of that kingdom from the twentieth-penny and firft-fruits. As foon as he received the primate's jnflrudions, he refolved to wait on Mr. Harley ; but, before the firft interview, he took care to ^ct himfelf reprefented as a perfon w^io had been ill- ufed by the lail miniib-y, becaufe he would not. go fuch lengths as they would have had him. The N 5 new
274 T H E L I F E O F
new mlnifter received him with open arms, foon after accomplillTed his buiinef?, bade him come often to fee him privately, and told him, that he mull bring him to the knowledge of Mr. St. John (lord Eolingbroke.) Swift prefently became acquainted with the reft of the mi niftry, who appear to have courted and careiTed him w^ith uncommon affiduity.
From this aera, to the death of queen Anne, we £nd him fighting on the fide of the minifters, and raaintaining their caufe in pamphlets, poems^, and weekly papers. But, notwithftanding his fervices t(5 the miniflry, he remained without preferment till the year 1713, when he was made dean of St. Patrick's. In point of power and revenue, fuch a <3eanery might appear no inconfiderable promotion ; but to an ambitious mind, whofe perpetual aim was a fettlement in England, a dignity in any other kingdom mufl appear only an honourable and pro- fitable bani(hment.
There is great reafon to imagine, that the temper of Swift might occafion his Englifh friends to wifh him happily and properly promoted at a diilance. His fpirit was ever untra£lable, the motions of his genius irregular. He alTumed more the airs of a pa- tron than a friend^ He affe£ted rather to dictate than advife ; and was elated with the appearance of en- joying minifterial confidence.
Reflexions of this kind will account for' his mining an Englifh bif["\oprick, a difappointment which he imagined he owed to a joint application made againft him to the queen by Dr. Sharp, then archbifhop of York, and by a lady of the higheft lank and character.
Archbifliop Sharp, according to Dr. Swift's ac- count', had reprefented him to the queen as a perfon who was not a Chriftian ; the great lady, the dutchefs ofSomerfet^ had fupported the afper*
fion ^
D E A X S W I F T. 275
iion ; and the queen, upon fuch affuranccs, had given away the bilhoprick contrary to her firfl inten- tions. Swift kept himfeh" indeed withia Ibme tole- rable bounds when he fpoke of the queen ; but his indignation knew no hmits when he mentioned the archbilhop or the dutchefs.
Dr. Swift had little reafon to rejoice in the land where his lot had fallen : for, upon his arrival in Ireland, to take polTeffion of his deanery, he found the violence of party reigning in that kingdom to the higheft degree. The common people were taught to look upon him as a Jacobite ; and they proceeded fo far in their deteftation, as to throw Itones at him as he paiTed through the ftreets.
I'he chapter of St. Patrick's, like the reft of the kingdom, received him with great reluctance. They thwarted him in every particular he propofed. He was avoided as a peftiience, oppofed as an inva- der, and marked out a# an enemy to his country. Such was his firfl: reception as dean of St. Patrick s. Fewer talcnts/and lefs iirmnefs, mull: have yielded to fuch violent oppoiition. But fo flrange are the revolutions of this world, that dean Swift, who was then the deteftation of the Irilh rabble, lived to govern them with an abfolute fway.
The dean's lirft llep was to reduce to reaion and obedience his reverend brethren of the chapter of St. Patrick's, in w^hich he fucceeded fo well, and fo fpeedily, that, in a fliort time after his arrival, not one member of that body offered to contradift him, even in trifles. On the contrary, they held him iii the highefl; veneration.
Dr. Swift made no longer ftay in Ireland, in the
year 17 13, than was requifite to eftablifh himfclt
a dean, and to pafs through certain cuftoms, and
formalities, or to ufe his own words,
N 6
S76 THELIFEOF
■ Through all vexations, Patents, inflalments, abjurations, Firfl-fruits, and tenths, and chapter- treats, Dues, payments, fees, demands, and cheats.
During the time of thefe ceremonies, he kept a conflant correfpondence with his friends in Eng- land : all of whom were eminent either in birth, Hation, or abilities.
In the beginning of the year 17 14, Dr. Swift returned to England. He found his great friends at the helm much difunited among themfelves. He faw the queen declining in her health, and dif- treffed in her lituation. The part which he had to aft upon this occalion was not fo difficult as it was difagreeable: he exerted all his fkill to reunite the minifters.
As foon as Swift found his endeavours fruitlefs, he retired to a friend's houfe in Berklhire, where he remained till the queen's death, an event which fixed the period of his views in England, and made him return as fail as poiTible to his deanery in Ireland, opprefled with grief and difcontent.
From the year 17 14, till the year 1720, his fpl- rit of politics and patriotifm was kept clofely con- fined within his ovvn breaft. His attendance upon the public fervice of the church was regular and uninterrupted : and indeed regularity was peculiar to him in all his a£tions, even in the mofl trifling,
ilis works, from the year 17 14 to the year 1720, are few in number, and of fmall importance: Poems to Stella, and Trifles to Dr. Sheridan, fill up a great part of that period.
Eut during this interval, lord Orrery fuppofes, he employed his time in writing *' Gulliver's Tra- vels." His mind was likewife fully occupied by an aflfeding private incident.
la
Dean S V/ I F T. 277
In 1 7 13, he h?A formed an intimacy with a young lady in London, to whom he became a kind of preceptor; her real name was Vanhomrlgh; and Ihe was the daughter of a Dutch merchant, uho fettled and died at Dublin. This lady was a great admirer of reading, and had a taflc for poetry ; tliis increafed her regard for Swift, till it grew to affec- tion ; and fhe made him an offer of marriage, which he refufed, and, upon 'this occaiion, he wrote his little poem of Cadenus and Vaneffa. TJie ycuiig lady from this time was called VanelTa ; and, her mother dying in 17 14, flie and her fifter followed the dean to Ireland, where he frequently vifited them, and he kept up a literary conefpondence with Vaneffa ; but, after his marriage with Stella in 1 7 16, his vifits were lefs frequent, and Va- neffa now again prefTed him to marry her ; but he rallied her, and flill avoided a pofitive denial. i\t lall he found himfelf obliged to write to her a letter, which is fuppofed to have contained the fatal fecret of his marriage with Mrs. Johnfon ; for the unhappy lady did notfurvive it many weeks ; but fhe w^as fufiiciently compofed to cancel a will fhe had made in favour of the dean, and to leave her whole fortune to her executors, Dr. Berkeley, the celebrated bifliop of Cloyne, and Mr. Marfhall, a counfellor at law.
In the year 1720, he began to reafTume the cha- raclerofa political writer. A fmall pamphlet, in defence of the Irilh manufaaories, was fuppoled to be his firfteiTay, in Ireland, in that kind of writ- ing : and to that pamphlet he owed the turn of the popukr tide in his favour.
The pamphlet recommended the univcrlal ufc of the IrilTi manufadtures within the kingdom. Some iittle pieces of poetry to the fame purpofe were no lefs acceptable and engaging ; nor was the dean's
aitacii-
273 T H E L I F E O F
attachment to the true interefl: of Ireland any longer doubted. His patriolifm was as manifell as his wit ; he was looked upon with pleafure, and refpected as he paired through the ftreets ; and had attained to fo high a degree of popularity, as to become the arbitrator in difputes among liis neighbours.
But the popular afFe£tion which the dean had hitherto acquired may be faid not to have been uni- verfal till the publication o^ the D rapier's Letters, in 1724, which made all ranks and profeffions uni- verfarin his applaufe.
7'hefe letters were occafioned by a patent having been obtained, by one William Wood, to coin j8o,co61. of halfpence for the ufe of hi .'and. The dean, in the chara£ter of a draper, wrote a fcrics of letters to the people, urging them not to receive this money ; and Wood, though powerfully fup- ported, was compelled to withdraw his patent, and his money was totally fuppreiied.
Never was any name beftowed with more uni- verfal approbation than the name of the Drapier was beftowed upon, the dean, who had no fooner affumed it than he became the idol of Ireland, even to a degree of devotion ; and bumpers were poured forth to the Drapier, as large and as frequent as to the glorious and immortal memory of king William III. Acclamations and vows for his profperity at- tended him wherever he went, and his portrait was painted in every iheet in Dublin,
The dean was confulted in all points relating to domellic policy in general, and to the trade of Ireland in particular -, but he was more immedi- ately looked on as the legifiator of the weavers, who frequently came to him in a body to leceive his ad- vice in fettling tiie rates of their manufaciures, and the wages cyf their journeymen.
When
D E A N S W I F T. -79
When eleftions were depending for the city of Dublin, n-iany oi the companies rcfufcd to declare themfelves till they had confulted his fcntimcnis and inclinations.
•In 1727 died his beloved Stella, in the 44th year of her age, regretted by the dcim with luch excefs of forrow as only the keenell fenfibility could feel, and the moil: excellent chara^fter excite.
The fingiilar conduft of this unaccountable hu- mourift, it is thought, threw her into a decline, and fnortened her days. After fixteen years intimacy he married her ; but he never cohabited with her, and was as cautious as ever not to be fccn in her company without a third perfon.
After the death of Stella, his life became very re- tired, and the aufterity of his temper incrcafcd : his public days for receiving company were difconti- nued ; and he even fliunned the fociety of Irs mod intimate friends.
We have now conduv^ed the dean through the moft interefting circumfiances of his lite to the fa- tal period wherein he was utterly deprived of his reafon, a lofs which he often feemed to forcfcc", and prophetically lamented to his friends. The total deprivation of his lenfcs came upon him by degrees.
In the year 1736 he was feized witli a violent fit of giddinefs : he was at that time writing a fati- rical poem, called, 1 he Legion Club ; but he found the effe£ts of his giddinefs ib dreadful, that he left the poem unfinilhed, and never afterwards attempt- ed a compofition of any length, either in verfe or profe : however, his converfation llill remained the fame, lively and fevere ; but his memory giadually grew Vv'orfe and worfe, and, as that dccrcalcd, he grew every day more fretfal and impatient.
From the year 1739, to tlic year 1744., his paf- fions grew fo violent and ungovfnu Wc, his luenio-
ry
28d T H E L I F E O F
ry became fo decayed, and his reafon (o depraved, that the utmoft precautions were taken to prevent' all flrangers from approaching him : for till then he had not appeared totally incapable of converia- tion.
Early in the year 1742, the fmall remains of his ■underftanding became entirely confufed, and the violence of his rage increafed abfolutely to a degree of madnefs.
In the month of Odober his left eye fwelled to the lize of a hen's egg, and feveral large boils broke out on his body ; the extreme pain of which kept him awake near a month, and during one week it was with difficulty that five perfons re- trained him, by mere force, from pulling out his^ own eyes. Upon the fubfiding of thefe tumours, he knew thofe about him ; and appeared fo far to have recovered his underftanding and temper, that there were hopes he might once more enjoy fociety, Thefe hopes, however, were but of fhort duration ; for, a few days afterwards, he funk into a ftate of total infenfibility, llept much, and could not, without great difficulty, be prevailed on to walk acrofs the room.. This was the efrefl of another cifeafe ; his brain was loaded with water. After he had continued filent a whole year, in a ftate of idiotifm, his houfekeeper w^ent into his room on the 30th of November, 1743, and told him it was liis birth-day, and that bonfires and illuminations were preparing to celebrate it as ufual : to which he immediately replied, *' It is all folly, they had better let it alone.*'
Some other inflances of fhort intervals of fen- libility and reafon, after his madnefs ended in a flupor, feem to prove, that his dilbrder, whatever it was, had not deflroyed, but only fufpended, his intelle(5taal powers. In 1744 he now and then
called
Dean SWIFT. c?i
cnilcd hi' fervant by name; a:ul once attempting to fpeak to him, but not being ahje to expicls liis meaning, he fhewed figns of gicat unealincfs, and at Jail laid, " 1 am a fool." Once after this, hh fervant taking awav his watch, he faid, " bring it here ;'* and as the fame fervant was breaking a large coal, he faid, "that is a Hone, you block- head :" theie were th.e Jaft words he pronounced : he now remained a miferabic fpcftacJc of human weaknefs till the month ofOaobcr, 1745, when, every power of nature being exhaufled, lie funk into the arms of death, without thofe apparent Uruggles and agonies which are the eiTcrts of re- maining flrength.
Dr. Swift was often heard to lament the ftate of childhood and idiotifm, to which fon:ie of the great- eft men of the nation were reduced before their death. He mentioned, as examples within his own time, the duke of Marlborough and lord Somers : ^nd, when he cited thefe melancholy inllances, it was always with a heavy figh, and with great ap- parent uneafinefs, as if he felt an impulfc of what was to happen to him before he died.
He left his whole fortune, which was about i2,oool. fomc few legacies excepted, to the build- ing of an liofpital for idiots and lunatics.
His works have been often printed, and in va- rious forms. Some very good memoirs ot his life have likewife appeared, particularly in the earl of Orrery's Remarks on his Life and Writings; in Dr. Delany's Obfcrvations on his Writings; in Mrs. Pilkington's Memoirs ; and in the late Dr. Hawkefworth's Life of the Dean, prefixed to h.^ elegant editions of his works, which were pubhfhcj in 1754, in 6 vols. 4to. and in 12 vols. 8vo. Mr. Sheridan alfo publilhed an edition of his works, with a life of him, in 1784. Some additional vo- lumes
282 THE LIFE, &c.
lumes of his wpiks liave alfo been publlfhed by Deane Svvifr, Eili; and Mr. Nichols. The bell edi- tion of his works is in 14 volumes 410. and there is alfo an edition in 25 volumes, large 8vo. and in 27 volumes, fmall 8vo. 1 hefe are the principal authorities from whence we have fele£ted our au- count of this extraordinary man.
It would be fuperfluous to delineate a charadler {o eafy to be tiaced in every part of his works; which merit the attention of men of genius and taite, and will afford them rational amufement, though they fhould find nothing to oblige them to frudy his compofitions.
His remains were interred with great funeral pomp, with refpe£l to the numerous attendants, confifting of the weavers, and a vaft concourfe of other maaufa£tiirers and tradefraen, who eagerly prelTed to pay this lail duty to their patron.
They were depofited in the great aifle of the ca- thedral of St. Patrick, Dublin, under a black mar- ble ftone, upon which was infcribed the following Latin epitaph, written by himfelf, which marks as much as any thing, the fingular humour of the man.
Hie depofitum eft corpus
J O N A T HAN S W^ I F T, S. T. P.
Hujus ecclefiae cathedralis decani,
Ubi fasva indignatio ulterius cor lacerare nequit,
Abi, viator, & imitare,
Si poteris,
Strenuum pro virili hbertatis vihdicatorem.
Obiitj &c. 6cc.
The
r 283 ]
The life of
JAMES THOMSON.
[A. D, 1700, to 174B.]
THIS excellent poet was the fon of a divine of the church of Scotland, and was born at Ednam, in the [hire of Roxburgh, in the year 1700. He gave early proofs of a genius for poetry, which broke forth in his firit puerile compofitions : the rudiments of fcholaftic education he received at Jedburgh, from whence he was fent to the univer- fity of Edinburgh. In the fecond year of his ad- miilion, his fludies were greatly interrupted by the death of his father; but his mother, foon after this event, removed with her family, which was very numerous, to Edinburgh, where ihe lived in a frugal manner till this her favourite fon had not only finifhed his academical ftudies, but began to be diilinguilhed and patronized as a youth polfefTed of an extraordinary poetic vein. The lludy of poetry was become pretty general about this time in Scotland ; but a jull tafte, and true criticifm, were yet wanting : they paid more regard to rigid rules and forms than to a lively imagination and genuine iire. Thomfoii faw this, and therefore
turned
28.4 T H E L I F E O F
turned bis thoughts to fettling in London, in which refohuion he was confirmed foon after by the following incident ;
The divinity-chair at Edinburgh was filled at this time by profefTor Hamilton, who prefcribed to our young poet, for the fubjefl of an cxercife, a pfalm, in which the power and majefty of God are celebrated. Of this pfarim he gave a paraphrafs and illuflration, as the nature of the tafk required, but in a fl-yle fo highly poetical, that, w^hen he delivered it, his auditors were ftruck with ailoniOi- ment. The profeiTor made him a polite compli- ment upon the performance, but at the fame tune- added,, with a fmiile, that, if he thought of being, ufeful in the miniflry, he muft keep a (irifter rein, upon his imagination, and exprefs himfelf in lan- guage more intelligible to an ordinary congregation. Thomfon concluded from this, that his expectations from the ftudy of divinity m.ight be very- precsrious^ as he forefawthe im.poiiibility of retraining, a lively imagination ; and therefore he declined entering- into the church, to- which an invitation he re- ceived from a lady of rank in London, a friend of his mother, not a little contributed. Elated at this offer,, he readily accepted it, and prepared for his journey.
The patronage of this lady, however, extended no further than to a general introduction to her acquaintance; but it furnifhed him w-ith an apcH- logy for the imprudence of leaving his native coun- try, his family, and his friends, to truft to for- tuitous events for a decent fubfil^ence, his fund for immediate fupport being very fmall.
It appears that Mr. Thomfon's merit did not lie^ long concealed at London; for he foon found a zealous friend in Mr. Forbes, afterwards lord pre- sident of the court of feflion in -Scotland ; this gen- tleman
JAMES T H O M S O N. ^85
tleman recommended him in the ilrongcll terms to his intimate acquaintance, and in particular to Mr. Aikman, whofe premature death Thoml'on has, •with great affe^lion, commemorated in a copy of verfcs written on that occaiion. Thus cncouiagcd, he ventured to publifli the Fii-ft of his Scafons, intituled, *' Winter," in March, 1726, which was read with univcrfal approbation; and from this time his acquaintance was much courted by men of tafte. Dr. Rundle, bilbop of Derry, now be- came his intimate friend and patron, exciting him- felf upon every occafion to eiiablifli his charaflcr as a poet ; and at length he introduced him to his great friend the lord chancellor Talljot, whofe fon Mr. Thomfon afterwards acccompanied as travel- ling tutor. His afFe<5^ion and gratitude to Dr. Run- dle are finely expreiTed in his poem to the memory of lord Tabot.
The favourable reception given by the publick to his Winter, joined to the high expeftations ithad raifed, that he would compkat the plan, by giving the other Seafons, induced him to ftudy with great affiduity, and to be particularly careful that they Ihould rather excel than fall fliort of this fpecimcii -of his talents for paftoral poetry. Accordingly, Ins -Summer was publilhed in 1727; Si*RiNG^ in 1728; and Autumn, in a quarto edition ot his works, in 1730.
But thefe poems did not entirely take up his time, for though we have been obliged, in order to men- tion the Seafons as a perfed work, to carry the rca- ■der on to the year 1730, it will be ncccdary to go back to the year 1727, to trace the regular progrcis of his other productions. In that year he publilhed •his poem to the memory of Sir Ifaac Newton, then lately deceafed : and the Britilh merchants at this time complaimng loudly of the interruption of their
com-
286 T H E L I F E O F
commerce in South America by the Spaniards, Mr. Thomfon, infpired with patriotic zeal, pubhfhed an excellent poem, intituled, *' Britannia," with a view to roufe the vengeance of the nation againft the invaders of their commercial rights. His judi- ci6us friends, now fenfible of the force of his genius, which they judged to be capable of executing any fpecies of poetry whatever, advifed him to turn his thoughts to the drama, obferving, that, if he fuc- ceeded in this walk, it would be the readiefl road to fame and fortune. Accordingly, he wrote the tragedy of Sophonisba, which was a£led with great applaufe in 1729.
Being called upon foon after to make the tour of Europe with the honourable Mr. Charles Talbot, his poetical fludies were interrupted for a confide- rable time ; but even his travels furnilhed him with rich materials for gratifying his favourite pafTion ou his return home. For having viiited mofl: of the courts, and capital cities of Europe, in the courfe of his travels, he made the m.oft judicious obfer- vations on their government, laws, manners, and culloms, which he wrought with admirable Ikili into a poem on Liberty, divided into five parts, with the more general title of " Ancient and mo- dern Italy compared ; Greece, Rome, Britain, and the Profpe^t.'* While he was compofing the firft part of this mailerly poem, he received a fevere fhock by the death of his noble friend and fellow- traveller, Mr. Talbot; and this affliction mofi: pro- bably brought on a much greater iofs to Mr. 7 hom- fon and to the publick, which v/as the death of the lord chancellor, juilly flyled, the Great Lord Talbot, of whom this concife, and amiable charaftcris given: *' When his merit, and the unanimous fufirage of his coiincry, induced his fovereign to reward him with the great feal, his univerlal affability, his ea-
finefs
JAMES T H O M S O N. 0S7
finefs of accefs, his liumanity to the didrcfil-d, his impartial adminiftration of jullice, and his qrcat difpatch of bufinefs, engaged the afFev^Hou and ve- neration of all who approached him. By coullaiuly delivering his reafons for every decree he made, the court of chancery became an inftruftive fchool of equity ; and his decifions were generally attended with fuch convidion to the parties, agninft whole •interefl they were given, that their acquicfcence ufually prevented the expenceand trouble of appeals. As no fervile expedient raifed him to power, his countrymen knew he would make ufeofnoneto fupport himfelf in it. His private life was the mir- rour of every virtue; his piety was exalted, rational, and unaffe£led. In his converfation was united the utmofl freedom of debate, with the higheft good- breeding, and the vivacity of mirth with primitive limplicity of manners."
Such was the noble patron by whofe death Mr. Thomfon faw himfelf reduced from a genteel com- petency to a ftate of precarious dependence ; the chancellor having made him his fecretary of briefs, a place of little duty or attendance, fuited to his retired way of living, and affording an income fuf- iicient for his moderate demands. This place fell with his patron , yet his genius was not dcprcffed, nor his temper hurt by this reverfc of fortune. He refumed his natural vivacity after he Jiad paid the tribute of grief to the memory of his deceaied benc- fador ; and the profits arifing from the fale of his works, together with the liberality of new patrons, enabled him to continue his uuial mode of living, which, though fmiple, was focial and elegant. In 1738, his tragedy of Agamemnov was aC)cd, and met with fuch a favourable reception, tint it pro- duced him a conllderable fum. His friend, Mr.
Oiiin, was likcwife very kind to him.
Bu
£88 T H E L I F E O F
But Ills chief dependence, after the death of Jord Talbot, was on the prote6tion and bounty of his Toyai highnefs Frederick prince of Wales, who, upon the recommendation of the late lord Lyttelton, fettled on our poet a genteel penlion, and always received him very gracioufly. It fo happened, how- ever, that the patronage of his royal highnefs was, in one inftance, prejudicial to Mr, Thomfon, owing to the quarrel fubhfting between the prince and the king, when Mr. Thomfon's Tragedy of Edward and Eleanora was ready for the llage. The re- fufal of a licerice to this piece was confldered as an intended affront to the prince ; and there is great reafon to believe this to be true, becaufe there is not a finglc paffage ia the play which could render it exceptionable.
His next dramatic performance was the Mafque of Alfred, in which he was aififted by the late David Mallet, who w^as his ufeful friend upon many occafions : it was compofed by command of the prince of Wales, for the entertainment of his fele6t friends in the fummer at Kew ; and it was af- terwards brought upon the flage, v/hen it met with great fuccefs.
in the year 1745, hisTAKCRED and Sigismun- DA was performed, and the ufual applaufe was de- fervedly bellowed on this affefting tragedy. He now iinilhed his Castle of Indolence, an allegorical poem in two cantos, a performance highly elleemed by the critical judges of the poetic art : this was the lail workhe lived to publifh; his Tragedy of Cor 10- LANUs being only prepared for the ftage, w'hen a violent fever deprived his country, at a premature age, of a moil worthy man, and an excellent poet. His death happened on the 27th of Auguft, 1748. His executors were the lord Lyttelton, and Mr. Mitchd, by whofe interefl his orphan tragedy of
Cor I-
JAMES THOMSON. 289
CoRioLANUs was brought upon the flage : from the profits of which, and trom the fa!e of his manu- fcripts, aad other effeds, all demands were duly fa- tisfied, and a handfome fum of money was remitted to his fillers in Scotland. His remains were depoiitcd in the parilh church of Richmond, under a p!aiii flone, without any infcription.
Mr. Thomfon himfeif acknowledges, in his Works, that his perlbn was not the moft promifing : he was, indeed, rather robuft than graceful, and his countenance was not the moftpleafing: his worft appearance was, when he was feen walking alone, in a penfive mood ; but when his friends accofted him, and entered into converfation, he would in- flantly afifume a more amiable afpe6l, his features appearing to more advantage. He had improved his tafte in poetry upon the beft originals, ancient and modern. What he borrows from the ancients, he gives us in an avowed faithful paraphrafc, op tranflation, as may be obferved in a few paiTagcs in his Seafons, taken from Virgil; and in-that beautiful pidure from the elder Pliny, where the courfe and gradual increafe of the Nile are figured by the ftages of a man's life. The autumn was his favourite time for poetical compofition ; and the deep filence of the night, the time he commonly chofe for fuch fludies ; fo that he would often be . heard walking in his fludy till near morning, humming over what he was to correft and writs out the next day. The amufements of his Icilurc hours were civil and natural hiftory, voyages, and the beft relations of travellers ; and, had his fituation favoured it, he would certainly have excelled tn gardening, agriculture, and every rural impvovc- raent and exercife. ^
Although he performed on no niUrument, he
was paffionately fond of mufick, and would fomc-
VoL. VI, O times
-290 T H E L I F E, kc.
times lifieii a full hour at his window to the night- ingales iii Richmond-gardens. Nor was his taite leis exquiilte in the arts of painting, fculpture, and archite£lure : in his travels he had feen all the moil celebrated monuments of antiquity, and the beft productions of modern art ; and had ftudied them fo minutely, and with fo true a judgment, that, in fome of his defcriptions in the poem of Liberty, we have the mafrer-pieces mentioned placed in a ftronger light, perhaps, than if we faw them. As for the more diltinguifhing qualities of his mind and heart, they are better reprefented in his writings than they can be by the pen of any biographer. I'here his love of mankind, of his country, and friends ; his devotion to the Supreme Being, founded on the moft elevated and juft con- ceptions of his operations and providence; fhine out in every page. So unbounded was his tender- nefs of heart, that it took in even the brute crea- tion. He was extremely affectionate to his fellow- mortals : it is not indeed known, that, through his whole lire, be gave any one perfon pain bv his v/ritings, or any part of his conduct. He took no part in any literary difputes, and therefore was re- fpeftcd and unmolefted, even by rival candidates for poetic fame. Thefe amiable virtues, this di- vine tenr^'cr of mind, did not fail of their due re- ward ; the beft and the greatefi men of his time honoured him with- their friendfnip and protection; the applaufe of the^publick attended all his produc- tions ; hi^ fri-nds ioved him with an enthufiaflic ar- dour, and iincerely lamented his death, at an age, when the greateft expectations were rationally form- ed, that they might enjov his fociety, and the enter- taining productions of his pen, for many years.
The works of this poet, particularly *' The SeafonSj" have been frequently reprinted j and in
the
Sir HANS SLOANE. 5,^1
the year 1762 two editions of all his works, with ]lf^ Tf^^A^^''. ^'"^ ^^-^^Proveinents, wcr; puh- hfhed by Mr Patnck Murdoch, who has p.ctixcd an account or his hfe and writings : one of tlicfc editions IS in 2 vols. 4to. the other in 4 vols. 8 vo and to them we ftand indebted for the chief incU dents in thefe memoirs.
The life of
Sir HANS SLOANE, Bart.
[A. D. 1660, to 1752.]
THE greateft difcoveries and improvements in the medical art, and in natural pliilofophv, have been made in the prefent century ; to which our countrymen have largely contributed. In plii- lofophv, our Newton and Boyle hold the iirf} rank : the palm in phyfick mud: be given to Bocrhaave, tlie celebrated Dutch p!iyiician ; but Sloane and Mead defervedly lay claim to the lecond degree of honour in tliis ufeiul profefhon. To the firlt, the nation llands moll confidcrabiy indebted ; an. I a* the recjuilitc variety; a.nd limits of ojr work, ob- lige us to give a preference, having determined in favour of his life, we beo; leave to refer the curJou> for that of Dr. Mead to an excellent pcrfbnnmcc, O 2. mil-
292 T 11 E L I F E O F
intituled, ** Authentic Memoirs of the Life of Richard Mead, M. D. 8vo. 1755."
Sir Hans SJoane was defcended from a family of feme antiquity in Scotland, a branch of which, daring the troubles in queen Mary's reign, fettled at Kiliileagh, in the North of Ireland, where he was born in the year 1660. We are told, that the iirft davvnings of his genius difcover^d a i\rong propenfity to refearches into the curioiities and fe- crets of nature ; and this diredled his parents to put him upon a mode of education adapted to this dif- polition. Natural hiftcry, and, by an eafy tran- lition, the medical art, became his favourite fludies, r;nd loon determined him to make choice of the latter, as a profellion for hfe. With a view of acquiring improvement in everv clals of fcience coiuiecied v/iih the itudy or practice of the medi- cal art, he repaired to London, that general aca- demy of knowledge, where he attended all the public lc£lures on anatomy andphyfick; commenced pupil to Stafforth, a celebrated chemift, and Itudied botany at the very fmall phyfical garden, at that time belonging to the company of apothecaries, at Cheifea ; but we are not informed who had then the m^anagement of it.
His attachment to natural hifiory, and experi- mental phiiofbphy, procured him the notice, and gained him the efteem and friendihip, of Mr. Boyle, and of Mr. Ray, the mofl eminent naturalift of his tim.e. Thefe gentlemen beftowed great attention on Sloane, taking every opportunity to improve his natural abilities, by cultivating his underlland- ing ; and, in return, he communicated to them many curious and ufeful difcoveries and obferva- tions which he made in the courfe of his iludie^. After about four years paffed in this manner at London, he was advifed to travel hi puifuit of a more extenlive field of knowledge.
Ths
Sir HANS S L O A N E. 293
The principal profeflbrs of anatomy, of mcdi' cine, and of botany, at Paris, at this time, were men of the firil eminence ; he therefore determined to viiit that univerfity, and to relidc ibme time in that famous city. There he frequented the public hofpitals ; the botanical Icdures of Tourncfort ; the anatomical of Du Verney ; and became ac- quainted with the firil phyficlans of the court. From Paris he went to Montpellicr, warmly re- commended hy Tournefort to M. dc Chirac, chancellor and profeiTorof medicine to that uni- verfity, who received him with great refpe^l, and introduced him to all the learned men of the pro- vince. Amongft thefe.was the ingenious Mr. Mag- nol, who made botany his chief rtudy : this gtn* tleman took great pains to make Mr. Sloanc ac- quainted with the various fpontaneous produdioni of .^-ature, which are almoil innumerable in that happy climate ; and he taught him how to clafs them m their proper order. He fpent a whole year with VJr. Ma^nol in this agreeable and ufcful em-, ployment ; after wiiich, b.e travelled through Lan- guedoc, continuing the fame purfuits.
x'^bout the latter end of the year 1684, he ar- rived at Loi.idon, with a relblution to Icttlc, and to pra.^life as a ph-lician. in this defign he was greatly encouraged by the celebrated Dr. Sydenbam, who generouily took our young phyllcian into his own houfe, introduced him to pra-flicc, and re- commended him in all companies-. Ho'v very dif- ferent this from the cond'fc^ of t .j genci-ality, who oopofe and circumvent each other as much as pof- fible 1
His friend, Mr. Ray, to whom he had tranf-
mitced a great variety of feeds and pla-i^s loon a.ter
his return home, propofed him as a member to the
Royal Society ; and he^was accepted in a dillin-
O3 z^lihcd
294 T H E LIFE OF
guiflied manner by that learned body. Mr. Ray like wife gave defer iptions of fuch plants as he had fent him, with proper acknowledgments, in his JrLijior'ia tlantarum. He was eie£led a fellow of the Royal College of phyficians the following year ; and his reputation was now fo well eflabiirhed, that he mud have come into very great prac9. ice, bur, his ruling pailion getting the better of all pecuniary confiderations, he liftened to a propofal made to him by the duke of Albemarle, juft appointed governor of Jamaica, to go over with him in quality of his phylician. No diffuafions had any effeft ; he made a joke of the reprefentation made to him of the un- healthinefs of the climate, and thought no facrificc too great for his favourite purfuit. Jn Jamaica lie refided fifteen months ; and during this fhort time he made fuch a large colle61ion of plants as a man of lefs ingenuity and indufiry would have been fome years in finding out. Mr. Ray, upon his return, expreiTed his aftonifhment,. having no conception that fuch a variety could be met with in all Alia.
Dr. Sloane now applied himfelf very affiduoufly to his profeffion, and became fo eminent, that, upon the firft vacancy, he was chofen phylician to Chrift's-hofpital ; and we are now to mention a circumflance which is almoft as uncommon as his great abilities : he applied the whole falary annexed to this appointment to the relief of thofe who were the grcateft objefts of compalhon in the hof- pital, being determined rot to derive any emolu- ment from the humane duty of refcoring health to the poor.
In the year 1693, he was elected fccretary to the Royal Society ; and he immediately revived the publication of " The Philofophical Tranfadions," which had been omitted for fome time : he conti- nued to be the editor of theic volumes till the year 1712 ; and he greatly enriched the colJedion, from I the
Sir H AN S S LO AN r:. 29 j
the time he took the management of it, with papers written by himfelf.
All this time he had been makin;:^ a collc<f\Ioti of uncommon, iinguiar, extraordinarv, and I'carcc productions of Nature and Art; of fucli he liaj formed a confiderable cabinet, well worthy the infpeftion of the learned. His ingenuity and iii- durtry in formiiig this repofitory attracted the atten- tion of the curious who vifited it, and, amongft others, of William Courtcn, Efq; a gentleman of fortune, who had employed the grcatcft part of his income, and of his time, in the f^uiie purkrt. Plcafed to find in Dr. Sloanc a mind congenial to his own, he thour^ht he could not take a better nutliod of tranfmitting his name to pollerity, and of being allured that his own valuable colleilion w^ould be carefully preferved, than bv bequeathing it to the do£lor, whofe cabinec, with this addition, became one of the lirft in Europe. His great merit was now univerfally acknowledged, and fcemed to demand fome confpicuous honours, that i^night Ihew to fo- reigners, as well as to his own countrymen, that he^Nvas confidered as the firft man in his profelfion, and as an ornament to his country, for his great learning and ik^li in natural hillory.
Accordingly, about the year 17 20, he wiis ere. ted a baronet by George J. to whom he had been ap- pointed hrft phvfician, fome time before: he w;us likewife eleaed prefident of the colle2:e of phyfi- cians; and, upon tiie death of Sir llaac N'ewton, in 1727. he facceeded that great philofophcr in the prefidential-chair of the Royal Society.
His great reputation acquired him the clKcm and correfpondence of learned foreigners in all parts ot Eurooe. and he was made a member ot ihu> Koval Academv at Paris. From this time, to thc^Ncar 1740, SiV Hans Sloane and Dr. iMead were the only '^ phyii-
2^6 THE LIFE OF
phyficians in vogue amongfi all ranks of people ; and it is I'uppofed that thev made from 5 to 70OCL per annum of their pra£iice. It is aUb very re- markable, that they were both introduced to. bulinefs by the moft eminent men of their profeifion, when they were in the decliEie of life; Sloane by Syden- ham ; arnd Mead by Radciiffe.
In I749> Sir Hans, loaded with years as with Iicnours, retired to Chelfea, to enjoy, in peaceful retirement, the remains of a well-fpent life. Here he continued to receive the viiits of people of dif- tinclion, and of all learned foreigners ; a day w^as likevvife fet apart for admitting them to fee his coHedion of curiolities ; and the friendly office of lliewing them, with tl.e neceffary explanations, was undetaken by the late Dr. Cromwell Morti- mer, then fecretary to the Royal Society : another day in the week was employed in adminiilering ad- vice and medicines to t. e poor, to whom he was a moft liberal benefaftor.
Sir Hans Sloane was always more or lefs fubjecl to a daiigcrous diforder, Ipittnig of blood ; he was iirft feized with it at fixteen years of age, and was confined by it near three years ; yet, by fobriety, temperance, and an occafional ufe of the bark, he fo far conquered this radical infirmity, that he protra»5led life far beyond its ufual duration : and, after an illnefs of three days, he expired, almoft without a pang, in January, 1752, in the ninety-liril year of his age.
In his pcribn he was tall and well-proportioned ; in his manners eafy and engaging ; and in his con- vcrfation fprightly and agveeabie. Any propofal whatever, having the public good for its obje<ft, was fure to meet with his zealous encouragement : but hiis chief regard was extended to the poor. He was a governcr of almofl every hofpital in and near Lon- don,,
S 1 R H A N S S L O A N E. 297
<Joii, and a liberal benefaftor to thein, both in his life-time, and by his will. He drew up the plan of a difpenfary, for fapplying the poor with medicines at prime-coft ; which the college of phyficians, in fome meafure, carried into execution, by ordering the company of apothecaries to retail medicines at their hall; but, if we are rightly informed, this in- ftitution is now greatly abufed, every private che- mift felling medicines cheaper than they can be h?A at the apothecaries halL Yet Sir Hans SloariS was a great benefactor to this very company, for he made them a prefent of their botanical garden at Chelfea; in the centre of which tliey have indeed eiedled a llatue to his memory, admirably well exe- cuted by the Jate eminent Mr. Ryfl^rack. Hepro« moted the eftablilhment of the colony of Georgia ia 1732 ; and he aiiifted captain Coram in obtaining the charter and fubfcriptions for the Foundling Hof- pital in 1739 ; helikewife formed the plan for bring- ing up the children with refpeft -to diet, and the care of their health.
Sir Hans Sloane was the firft introducer of the ufe of the Jefuits-bark in England ; he brought it into univerfal pratfice not only as a remedy in fevers, but likewife ni moil nervous diforders, in violent haemorrhages, and in mortifications. His efficacious recipe for difeaies of the eyes, and his remedy for the bite of a mad dog, are medicines in eilabliihed ufe, having been generally fiiccefsful.
it now remains, that we ihxMiId give fome account of the BritifliMufeum, which will lie a lafting mo- nument of the reputation of this great man, though we can by no means allow him the honourable title of being the fjunder. It is true, the pubhck are greatly indebted to his tafte, judgment, and ;-:'1iduity, for having formed fuch a repoiitory of natural pro- dudions and other curiof-ues as were deemed ufe-
ful
#
298 T H E L I F E O F
fill to illuflratc a great variety of fabje6\:s, and to afiiil ftudents and pupils in almofl: every branch of arts and fcience ; if no fuch valuable coile^lion had fuhlided, government would not have had a proper hafib for improving on fuch an excellent plan, by adding other collections to Sir Hans Sloane's, and making one grand mufeum of the whole for the benef t of tlie nation. But it Ihouid be remembered, that part ot Sir Hans's collection was a free gift to him from a private gentleman, who, if he could have lived to have feen a national mufaeum eftabiifhed, mofl probablv would have bequeathed his curiolities to the publick.
By Sir Hans's Jaft will he directed, that his va- luable mufceum. together with his library, confifl- ijig of upwards of 50,000 volumes, and 3,560 ma- iniicripts, Ihouid be cfFereci to the parliament for the ufe of the pubhck, en paying the fum of 20,00ol. to his heirs : but if the parliament fhould not choofe to purchafe them, then, on the fame conditions, they were to be offered to the Academies of Sciences of Peterfburgh, Paris, and Madrid, fuccciiively ; and, if all thefe fhould refule thera, the executors were to fell them in fuch manner as they fhould think expedient. For the honour of the nation parliament agreed to the terms ; butconfider- ing this collection, though valuable, as not fufiici- ently extenfive for a national mulsum, an aCf wa^ made for railing a funa of money by lottery, not only to piirchale this, but other valuable collections, and to cilablifh proper officers, with competent fa- laries, to take care of the w^iole, and to exhibit it, under proper refiriCtions, without further tee or reward.
/iccordingly all that valuable colleClion of ma- nufciipts, denominated the Haileian, from its collector and proprietor, Robert Hariey,. carl of
0}iford,
S I R H A N S S L O A N E. 299
Oxford, was purchafed of his daughter, thcduchcfs of Portland, for io,oool. To thefe were added the famous Cottoniaii Library, which we have noticed in the hfe of Sir Robert Cotton, vol. III. and the King's or Royal Library, Montague-houfe was likewife purchafed for the purpofe of preferving them all entire under one roof. The inftitntion was intituled, with great propriety, The British Mu- S7EUM ; and the great officers of flate for the time being, together with the biHiop of London, and the prehdents of the Royal Society, and the College of Phylicians, and fome others, were made perpetual truftees : they have a power to add to the mufjeuni by purchafes ; and the parhament, within thefe few years, have granted a fum for that purpofe.
Sir HansSloane only publifhed one work, which is in the higheil repute; *' The Natural Hiflory of Jamaica,'* 2 vols, folio.
The End of V O L. VL
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