to introduce him into bufinefs, and (if I may use that expreffion) to do the honours of his parts-but their own ftrength was fully fufficient. His conftitution rufufed him the ufual plesfures, and his genius forbid him the idle diffipations of youth, for fo early as at the age of fixteen he was the martyr of an hereditary gout. He therefore employed the leifure, which that tedious and painful diftemper either procured or allowed him, in acquiring a great fund of premature and ufeful knowledge.* Thus by the unaccountable relation of caufes and effects, what feemed the great. eft misfortune of his life was perhaps the principal caufe of its fplendour. His private life was ftained by no vice, nor fullied by any meannefs. All his fentiments were liberal and elevated. His ruling pafion was an unbounded ambition, which, when fupported by great abilities, and crowned with great fuccefs, make what the world calls a Great Man. He was haughty, imperious, impatient of contradiction, and over. bearing qualities which too often accompany, but always clog, great ones. He had manners and addrefs, but one might difcern through them too great a confcioufnefs of his own fuperior talents. He was a moft agreeable and lively companion in focial life, and had fuch a verfatility of wit, that he would adapt it to all forts of converfation. He had alfo a most happy turn to poetry; but he feldom indulged, and seldom avowed it. He came young into parliament, and upon that great theatre he foon equalled the oldeft and the ableft actors. His eloquence was of every kind, and he excelled in the argumentative, as well as in the declamatory way. But his invectives were terrible, and uttered with fuch energy of diction, and fuch dignity of action and countenance, that he intimidated thofe who were the moft willing and the beft able to encounter him. Their arms fell out of their hands, and they fhrunk under the afcendant which his genius gained over their's. || In that affembly, where public good is fo much talked of, and private intereft fingly purfued, he fet out with acting the patriot, and performed that part fo ably, that Notwithstanding what is here faid by the noble author, it is well known that Pitt, when a boy at Eton, was the pride and boast of the fchool: Dean Bland, the mafter, valued himself upon having fo bright a scholar: the old man thewed him to his friends, and to every body, as a prodigy. It is faid that Sir R. Walpole fcarce heard the found of his voice in the house of commons, but he was alarmed and thunderstruck; he told his friends that he would be glad, at any rate, to muzzle that terrible cornet of horse. The minifter would have promoted his rife in the army, provided he would have given up his feat in parliament. Hume Campbell and Lord Mansfield. Demofthenes was his great model in fpeaking; and we are told that he tranflated fome of his orations, by way of exercife, feveral times over. But though he was delighted with the manner of this orator, who united a wonderful power of expreffion to the most forcible method of reafening, yet he was equally mafter of the pleafing, diffuse, and paffionate ftyle of the Ron.an orator. he he was adopted by the public as their chief, or rather their only unfufpected, champion. The weight of his popularity, and his univerfally acknowledged abilities, obtruded him upon King George the Second, to whom he was perfonally obnoxious. He was made fecretary of ftate. In this difficult and delicate fituation, which one would have thought muft have reduced either the patriot, or the minifter, to a decifive option, he managed with fuch ability, that while he ferved the king more effectually in his most unwarrantable electoral views, than any former minifter, however willing, had dared to do, he ftill preferved all his credit and popularity with the public, whom he affured and convinced, that the protection and defence of Hanover with an army of feventy-five thousand Britify pay, was the only penible was method of fecuring our poffeffions or acquifitions in North America So much eafier is it to deceive than to undeceive mankind. His own difinterefted nefs, and even contempt of money, fmoothed his way to power, and prevented or filenced a great share of that envy which commonly attends it. Moft men think that they have an equal natural right to riches, and equal abilities to make a proper ufe of them, but not very many of them have the impudence to think themfelves qualified for power. Upon the whole, he will make a great and fhining figure in the annals of this country: notwithftanding the blot which his acceptance of three thousand pounds per annum penfion for three lives, upon his voluntary refignation of the feals in the first year of the prefent king, muft make in his character, efpecially as to the difinterefted part of it. However, it must be acknowlegded, that he had thofe qualities which none but a Great Man can have, with a mixture of fome of thofe failings, which are the com mon lot of wretched and imperfect human nature. The following Character appears to have been drawn in the Year 1759, nineteen Years after Lord Scarborough's Death. It is more finished than any of those which we have already exhibited, and furnishes convincing proof of the noble Author's Difcernment and Obferva tion. LORD SCARBOROUGH. drawing the character of Lord I Scarborough, I will be frialy upon my guard againft the partia lity of that intimate and unreferved friendship, in which we lived for more than twenty years; to which friendship, as well as to the public notoriety of it, I owe much more than my pride will let my gratitude own. If this may be fufpected to have biaffed my judgment, it muft at the fame time be allowed to have informed it; for the most secret movements of his foul, were, without difguife, communicated to me only. However, I will rather lower than heighten the colouring; I will mark the fhades, and draw a credible rather than an exac likeness. He had a very good person, ra. ther above the middle fize; a hand fome face, and, when he was chearful, the most engaging countenance imaginable; when grave, which he was ofteneft, the most refpectable one: he had in the highest degres the air, manners, and addret a man of quality; politeness with eafe, and dignity without pride Bred in camps and courts, it cannot be fuppofed, he was untainted with the fashionable vices of thofe warm climates; but, if I may be allowed the expreffion, he dignified them, instead of their degrading him into any mean or indecent action. He had a good degree of claffical, and a great one of modern knowledge, with a juft, and at the fame time a delicate taste. In his common expences he was liberal within bounds, but in his harities and bounties, he had none. I have known them put him to fome prefent inconveniencies. He was a strong, but not an eloquent or florid speaker in parliament. He spoke fo unaffectedly the honeft dictates of his heart, that truth and virtue, which never want, and feldom wear ornaments, feemed only to borrow his voice. This gave fuch an aftonishing weight to all he said, that he more than once carried an unwilling majority after him. Such is the authority of an unfufpected virtue, that it would fometimes fhame vice into decency at least. He was not only offered but preffed to accept the poft of fecretary of state, but he conftantly refufed it. I once tried to perfuade him to accept it; but he told me that both the natural warmth and melancholy of his temper made him unfit for it, and that moreover he knew very well that in those ministerial employments the course of business made it neceffary to do many hard things, and fome unjust ones, which could only be authorized the jefuitical cafuiftry of the directic: of the intention: a doctrine which he said he could not poffibly adopt. Whether he was the first that ever made that objection I cannot affirm, but I fufpect that he will be the last. He was a true conftitutional and yet practical patriot; a fincere lover, and a zealous afferter of the natural, civil and religious rights of his country. But he would not quarrel with the crown for a few ftretches of the prerogative; nor with the people for fome unwary ebullitions of liberty; nor with any one for difference of opinion in fpeculative points. He confidered the conftitution in the aggregate, and only watched that no one part of it should preponderate too much, His moral character was fo pure, that, if one may fay of that imperfect creature man, what a cele brated hiftorian fays of Scipio, nil non laudandum aut dixit, aut fecit, aut fenfit, I fincerely think (I had almoft faid I know) one might fay it with great truth of him, one fingle inftance excepted, which fhall be mentioned. He joined to the nobleft and ftricteft principles of honour and generofity, the tendereft fentiments of benevolence and com paffion; and he was naturally warm; he could not even hear of an injuftice or a baseness without a fudden indignation; nor of the misfortunes or miseries of a fellowcreature, without melting into foftnefs, and endeavouring to relieve them. This part of his character was fo univerfally known, that our best C 3 and and most fatyrical English poet. pany too much, and was too often Lays, When I confefs there is who feels for fame, alone, giving way to a train of gloomy reflections. His conftitution, which was never robuft, broke rapidly at the And melts to goodness, Scarb'rough latter end of his life. He had two need I name? He had not the leaft pride of birth and rank; that common narrow notion of little minds, that wretched mistaken fuccedaneum of merit: but he was jealous to anxiety of his character, as all men are who deferve a good one. And fuch was his diffidence upon that fubject, that he never could be perfuaded that mankind really thought of him as they did. For furely never man had a higher reputation, and never man enjoyed a more univerfal efteem; even knaves refpected him, and fools thought they loved him. If he had any enemies (for I proteft I never knew one) they could only be fuch as were weary of always hearing of Ariftides the Juft. He was too fubject to fudden gufts of paffion, but they never hurried him into any illiberal or indecent expreffion or action; fo invincibly habitual to him were good nature and good manners. But if ever any word happened to fall from him in warmth, which upon fubfequent reflection he himfelf thought too ftrong, he was never eafy till he had made more than fufficient atonement for it. He had a moft unfortunate, I will call it a moft fatal kind of melancholy in his nature, which often made him both absent and filent in company, but never morole or four. At other times he was a chearful and agreeable companion; but, confcious, that he was not always fo, he avoided com fevere ftrokes of apoplexy or pally, which confiderably affected his body and his mind. I defire that this may not be looked upon as a full and finished character, writ for the fake of writ ing it; but as my folemn depofit of the truth to the beft of my knowledge. I owed this fmall tribute of justice, fuch as it is, to the memory of the best man I ever knew, and of the dearest friend Į ever had. [The act of violence which this noble lord committed on himfelf, in 1740, is thus related by the editor:] "The morning of the day on which he accomplished this refolution, he paid a long vifit to Lord Chesterfield, and opened himself to him with great earnestnefs on many fubjects. As he appeared fomewhat difcompofed, his friend preffed him to stay and dine with him, which he refufed, but tenderly embraced him at parting. It happened in the courfe of the converfation, that fomething was spoken of which related to Sir Wm. Temple's negociations, when the two friends not agreeing about the circumftances, Lord Chesterfield, whofe memory was at all times remarkably good, referred Ld. S. to the page of Sir W.'s memoirs, where the matter was mentioned. After his lordship's death the book was found open at that very page, feveral other books being piled about him, with the pistol in his mouth. Thus he feems, in his laft laft moments, to have been fill attentive to his triend, and defirous that he should know he was fo. This fatal catastrophe was univerfally lamented, tenderly cenfured, and entirely excused by those who confidered the unaccountable effect's of natural evils upon the human mind But what muft Lord Chefterfield's fituation have been upon his being informed of this unfortunate event? His excellent lady does not, even now, without the greatest emotion, fpeak of the manner in which his lordship, on her return home at night, acquainted her with his lofs of that amiable nobleman; she ever after lamented that he did not detain him at his houfe, faying, he might perhaps have been faved, if he had not been left to himself that day. EARL CHESTERFIELD. THE HE character of Lord Chefterfield is generally well underfood. It is agreed on all hands that he was a difcreet Clodius; a fober duke of Wharton-born with inferior abilities to thofe which diftinguished that unfortunate nobleman, but with the fame paffion for univerfal admiration, he was mafter of more prudence and dif cretion. He formed himself very early to make a diftinguished figure in the ftate. Impelled by his ruling paffion, he applied himself affiduously to ftudies which might render him an accomplished fpeaker, an able negotiator, a counsellor in the cabinet-to fum up all, one equal to any civil employment. There cannot be a doubt that he aimed at acquiring the office of prime mi nifter; or at least the power of appointing the perfon whom he approved to that poft. But the fuperior abilities of Walpole difappointed his ambition. His fituation was flattering:When young, he was placed about the perfon of George the Second, when Prince of Wales; he did not reflect, that thofe who are in the moft elevated ftation have no idea of friendship independent of a most implicit, not to fay abject, refignation to their will. His marriage with the Dutchefs of Kendal's niece, fo far from advancing his intereft àt court, occafioned a liti gation between him and his fovereign. He understood what is called the balance of Europe, or the feveral interefts and claims of its princes, perfectly. This fcience, with his polished addrefs, qualified him to be one of the ableit negotiators of his time. He made himself acquainted with the characters of all the great men in the feveral courts of Europe; he knew their intrigues, their attachments, and their foibles; and was enabled from thence to counteract all their political machinations. I am perfuaded that his being fent on his first embaffy to Holland, was rather an honourable exile than a mark of favour; he would in all probability have been troublefome at home. Walpole did not envy him the honour of fining among the Dutch, and eclipfing a French envoy by his fuperior adroitnefs. As a fpeaker, he is justly celebrated for a certain accuracy, as well as brilliancy, of style; for pointed wit, gay humour, and fportive facetioufiefs. However, |