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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
print
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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