might most safely trust a charge so precious and im

portant.

After the establishment of their late majesties upon the throne, there was room again at court for men of my Lord's character. he had a part in the councils of those princes, a great share in their friendship; and all the marks of distinction, with which a good government could reward a patriot. he was made chamberlain of their majesties houf. hold; a place which he fo eminently adorned by the grace of his perfon, and the fineness of his breeding, and the knowledge and practice of what was decent and magnificent; that he could only be rivalled in these qualifications by one great man,who has fince held the same staff.

The last honours he received from his fovereign, (and indeed they were the greatest which a subject could receive) were, that he was made knight of the garter, and constituted one of the regents of the kingdom, during his majesty's abfence. but his health, about that time, fenfibly declining; and the public affairs not threatned by any imminent danger; he left the business to those who delighted more in the state of it; and appeared only fometimes at council, to fhew his refpect to the commiffion : giving as much leifure as he could to the relief of those pains, with which it pleased God to afflict him; and indulging the reflections of a mind, that had looked thro' the world with too piercing an eye,and was grown weary of the prospect. upon the whole, it may very justly be faid of this great man, with

regard to the public, that thro' the course of his life, he acted like an able pilot in a long voyage; contented to fit quiet in the cabin, when the winds were allayed, and the waters smooth; but vigilant and ready to resume the helm,when the ftorm arose, i and the fea grew tumultuous.

I ask your pardon, My Lord, if I look yet a little more nearly into the late Lord DORSET's character: if I examine it not without fome intention of finding fault; and (which is an odd way of making a panegyric) fet his blemishes and imperfections in open view.

The fire of his youth carried him to some exceffes: but they were accompanied with a most lively invention, and true humour. the little violences. and easy mistakes of a night too gayly spent, (and) that too in the beginning of life) were always fet right the next day, with great humanity, and ample retribution. his faults brought their excufe with them, and his very failings had their beauties. fo much sweetness accompanied what he said, and fo great generofity what he did; that people were always prepoffeffed in his favour: and it was in fact true, what the late Earl of ROCHESTER faid in jeft, to King CHARLES; that he did not know how it was, but my Lord DORSET might do any thing, yet was never to blame.

He was naturally very fubject to paffion; but the fhort guft was foon over, and ferved only to set off the charms of his temper, when more compofed. that very paffion broke out with a force of wit,

which made even anger agreeable: while it lafted, he faid and forgot a thousand things, which other men would have been glad to have studied and wrote: but the impetuofity was corrected upon a moment's reflection; and the measure altered with fuch grace and delicacy, that you could scarce perceive where the key was changed.

He was very sharp in his reflections; but never in the wrong place. his darts were fure to wound; but they were fure too to hit none,but those whose

follies gave him very fair aim. and when he allowed no quarter; he had certainly been provoked by more than common error: by men's tedious and circumftantial recitals of their affairs; or by their multiply'd questions about his own: by extreme.. ignorance and impertinence; or the mixture of thefe, an ill-judg'd and never-ceafing civility: or laftly, by the two things which were his utter averfion; the infinuation of a flatterer, and the whifper of a tale-bearer.

If therefore we fet the piece in its worst position; if its faults be most exposed; the fhades will still appear very finely join'd with their lights; and every imperfection will be diminished by the luftre of fome neighbouring virtue, but if we turn the great drawings and wonderful colourings to their true light; the whole must appear beautiful, noble, admirable.

He poffeffed all those virtues in the highest degree, upon which the pleasure of fociety, and the happiness of life depend: and he exercised them

as

with the greatest decency, and best manners. good nature is faid, by a great * author, to belong more particularly to the ENGLISH, than any other nation; it may again be faid, that it belonged more particularly to the late Earl of DORSET, than to any other ENGLISHMAN.

A kind husband he was, without fondness: and an indulgent father, without partiality. fo extraordinary good a master, that this quality ought indeed to have been number'd among his defects: for he was often ferved worse than became his station; from his unwillingness to affume an authority too fevere. and, during those little tranfports of paffion, to which I just now faid he was fubject; I have known his fervants get into his way, that they might make a merit of it immediately after: for he that had the good fortune to be chid, was fure of being rewarded for it.

His table was one of the laft, that gave us an example of the old houfe-keeping of an ENGLISH nobleman. A freedom reigned at it, which made every one of his guests think himself at home and an abundance, which fhewed that the master's hofpitality extended to many more, than those who had the honour to fit at table with him.

In his dealings with others; his care and exactness, that every man should have his due, was fuch, that you would think he had never *Sprat. Hift. of the Royal Society.

B

feen a court: the politenefs and civility with which this juftice was adminiftred, would convince you he never had lived out of one.

He was fo ftrict an obferver of his word, that no confideration whatever could make him break it; yet fo cautious, left the merit of his act should arife from that obligation only; that he ufually did the greatest favours, without making any previous promife. fo inviolable was he in his friendship, and fo kind to the character of thofe, whom he had once honoured with a more intimate acquaintance; that nothing less than a demonftration of fome essential fault, could make him break with them and then too, his good nature did not confent to it, without the greatest reluctance and difficulty. let me give one inftance of this amongst many. when, as lord chamberlain, he was obliged to take the King's penfion from Mr. DRYDEN, who had long before put himself out of a poffibility of receiving any favour from the court: my Lord allowed him an equivalent, out of his own estate. however difpleased with the conduct of his old acquaintance, he relieved his neceffities ; and while he gave him his assistance in private; in public, he extenuated and pitied his

error.

The foundation indeed of thefe excellent qualities, and the perfection of my Lord DOR SET'S character, was that unbounded charity which ran through the whole tenour of his life; and fat as vifibly predominant over the other faculties of his