and is Inimitable. His Love-Verfes have a Mixture of Delicacy and Strength: they convey the Wit of PETRONIUS in the Softness of TIBULLUS. His Satyr indeed is so severely Pointed, that in it He appears, what His Great Friend the Earl of ROCHESTER (that other Prodigy of the Age) says He was;

The best good Man, with the worst-natur'd Mufe.

Yet even here, That Character may justly be Applied to Him, which PERSIUS gives of the best Writer in this Kind, that ever lived:

Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico

Tangit, & admiffus circum præcordia ludit.

And the Gentleman had always fo much the better of the Satyrist, that the Perfons touched did not know where to fix their Resentments; and were forced to appear rather Afhamed than Angry. Yet fo far was this great Author from Valuing himself upon His Works, that He cared not what became of them, though every body else did. There are many Things of His not Extant in Writing, which however are always repeated: like the Verses and Sayings of the Ancient DRUIDS, they retain an Univerfal Veneration; tho' they are preferved only by Memory.

As it is often seen, that those Men who are leaft Qualified for Business, love it moft; my Lord DORSET'S Character was, that He certainly understood it, but did not care for it.

Coming very Young to the Poffeffion of two Plentiful Estates, and in an Age when Pleasure was more in Fashion than Bufinefs; He turned his Parts rather to

Books and Converfation, than to Politicks, and what more immediately related to the Public. But whenever the Safety of His Countrey demanded His Affiftance, He readily entred into the most Active Parts of Life; and underwent the greatest Dangers, with a Constancy of Mind, which fhewed, that He had not only read the Rules of Philosophy, but understood the Practice of them.

In the firft Dutch War He went a Voluntier under the Duke of YORK: His Behavior, during That Campaigne, was fuch, as diftinguish'd the SACKVILLE defcended from that HILDEBRAND of the Name, who was one of the greatest Captains that came into ENGLAND with the Conqueror. But His making a Song the Night before the Engagement (and it was one of the prettiest that ever was made) carries with it fo fedate a Prefence of Mind, and fuch an unusual Gallantry, that it deferves as much to be Recorded, as ALEXANDER's jefting with his Soldiers, before he paffed the GRANICUS: OF WILLIAM the Firft of ORANGE, giving Order over Night for a Battel, and defiring to be called in the Morning, left He should happen to Sleep too long.

From hence, during the remaining Part of King CHARLES's Reign, He continued to Live in Honorable Leifure. He was of the Bed-chamber to the King; and Poffeffed not only His Mafter's Favor, but (in a great Degree) His Familiarity; never leaving the Court, but when He was fent to That of FRANCE, on fome fhort Commiffions and Embaffies of Compliment: as if the King defigned to fhow the FRENCH, (who would be thought the Politeft Nation) that one of the Fineft Gentlemen in EUROPE was His Subject; and that We had

a

a Prince who understood His Worth fo well, as not to fuffer Him to be long out of His Presence.

The fucceeding Reign neither relifh'd my Lord's Wit, nor approved His Maxims: fo He retired altogether from Court. But as the irretrievable Miftakes of That unhappy Government, went on to Threaten the Nation with something more Terrible than a Dutch War: He thought it became Him to refume the Courage of His Youth, and once more to Engage Himself in defending the Liberty of His Countrey. He entred into the Prince of ORANGE'S Intereft; and carried on His Part of That great Enterprise here in LONDON, and under the Eye of the Court; with the fame Refolution, as His Friend and Fellow-Patriot the late Duke of DEVONSHIRE did in open Arms at NOTTINGHAM; 'till the Dangers of those Times increafed to Extremity; and juft Apprehenfions arose for the Safety of the Princefs, our present Glorious Queen: then the Earl of DORSET was thought the propereft Guide of Her neceffary Flight, and the Perfon under whofe Courage and Direction the Nation might most safely Trust a Charge fo Precious and Important.

After the Establishment of Their late Majefties upon the Throne, there was Room again at Court for Men of my Lord's Character. He had a Part in the Councils of thofe Princes; a great Share in their Friendfhip; and all the Marks of Diftinction, with which a good Government could reward a Patriot. He was made Chamberlain of their Majefties Houfhold; a Place which He fo eminently Adorn'd, by the Grace of His Perfon, the Fineness of His Breeding, and the Knowledge and Practice of what was Decent and Magnificent: that He could

only

only be Rivalled in these Qualifications by one great Man, who has fince held the fame Staff.

The last Honors He received from His Soveraign, (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 Absence. But his Health, about that time, sensibly 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 fhow his Respect 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 Reflexions of a Mind, that had looked thro' the World with too piercing an Eye, and was grown weary of the Profpect. 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 refume the Helm, when the Storm arofe, and the Sea 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 some Intention of finding Fault; and (which is an odd way of making a Panegyric) set his Blemishes and Imperfections in open View.

The Fire of His Youth carried Him to fome Exceffes: but they were accompanied with a most lively Invention, and true Humour. The little Violences and eafie Mistakes of a Night too gayly spent, (and That too in the

Beginning of Life) were always set Right, the next Day, with great Humanity, and ample Retribution. His Faults brought their Excufe with them, and his very Failings had their Beauties. So much Sweetness accompanied what He said, and fo great Generofity what He did; that People were always prepoffefs'd in his Favor: and it was in Fact true, what the late Earl of ROCHESTER said, 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 subject to Paffion; but the fhort Guft was foon over, and ferved only to set off the Charms of his Temper, when more Compos'd. 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 Meafure 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 whofe 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 Queftions about his own: by extreme Ignorance and Impertinence; or the mixture of these, an ill-judg'd and neverceafing Civility: or laftly, by the two Things which were his utter Averfion; the Infinuation of a Flatterer, and the Whisper of a Tale-bearer.