his companion, and therefore folicited to be removed to Cambridge, without waiting for the advantages of another year.

It feems indeed time to wifh for a removal; for he was already a school-boy of one-and-twenty.

His relation, Dr. Montague, was then mafter of the college in which he was placed a fellow-commoner, and took him under his particular care. Here he commenced an acquaintance with the great Newton, which continued through his life, and was at last attefted by a legacy.

In 1685, his verses on the death of king Charles made fuch an impreffion on the earl of Dorfet, that he was invited to town, and introduced by that univerfal patron to the other wits. In 1687, he joined with Prior in the City Mouse and the Country Mouse, a burlefque of Dryden's Hind and Panther. He figned the invitation to the Prince of Orange, and fat in the convention. He about the fame time married the countess dowager of Manchester, and in tended to have taken orders; but afterwards altering his purpofe, he purchased for 1 500l. the place of one of the clerks of the council.

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After he had written his epiftle on the victory of the Boyne, his patron Dorfet introduced him to king William, with this expreffion: "Sir, I have brought "a Moufe to wait on your Majefty." To which the king is faid to have replied, "You do well to put "me in the way of making a Man of him;" and ordered him a penfion of five hundred pounds. This ftory, however current, feems to have been made after the event. The king's answer implies a greater acquaintance with our proverbial and fa

miliar diction than king William could poffibly have attained.

In 1691, being member of the house of commons, he argued warmly in favour of a law to grant the affiftance of counfel in trials for high-treafon; and, in the midst of his fpeech falling into fome confufion, was for a while filent; but, recovering himself, observed, "how reasonable it was to allow "counsel to men called as criminals before a court "of justice, when it appeared how much the pre"fence of that affembly could difconcert one of their "own body *."

After this he rofe faft into honours and employments, being made one of the commiffioners of the treasury, and called to the privy-council. In 1694, he became chancellor of the exchequer; and the next year engaged in the great attempt of the recoinage, which was in two years happily completed. In 1696, he projected the general fund, and raised the credit of the exchequer; and, after enquiry concerning a grant of irifh crown-lands, it was determined by a vote of the commons, that Charles Montague, efquire, had deferved bis Majesty's favour. In 1698, being advanced to the first commiffion of the treafury, he was appointed one of the regency in the king's abfence the next year he was made auditor of the exchequer, and the year after created baron Halifax. He was, however, impeached by the commons; but the articles were difmiffed by the lords.

This anecdote is related by Mr, Walpole, in his Catalogue of Royal and Noble Authors, of the Earl of Shaftesbury, author of the Characterifticks. R.

At

At the acceffion of Queen Anne he was difmiffed from the council; and in the first parliament of her reign was again attacked by the Commons, and again escaped by the protection of the Lords. In 1704, he wrote an answer to Bromley's fpeech against occafional conformity. He headed the Enquiry into the danger of the Church. In 1706, he proposed and negociated the Union with Scotland; and when the elector of Hanover received the garter, after the act had paffed for fecuring the Proteftant Succeffion, he was appointed to carry the enfigns of the order to the electoral court. He fat as one of the judges of Sacheverell; but voted for a mild fentence. Being now no longer in favour, he contrived to obtain a writ for fummoning the electoral prince to parliament as duke of Cambridge.

At the queen's death he was appointed one of the regents; and at the acceffion of George the First was made earl of Halifax, knight of the garter, and first commiffioner of the treasury, with a grant to his nephew of the reverfion of the auditorship of the exchequer. More was not to be had, and this he kept but a little while; for, on the 19th of May, 1715, he died of an inflammation of his lungs.

Of him, who from a poet became a patron of poets, it will be readily believed that the works would not miss of celebration. Addison began to praife him early, and was followed or accompanied by other poets; perhaps by almost all, except Swift and Pope, who forbore to flatter him in his life, and after

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after his death fpoke of him, Swift with flight cenfure, and Pope in the character Bufo with acrimonious contempt.

He was, as Pope fays, "fed with dedications;" for Tickell affirms that no dedication was unrewarded. To charge all unmerited praise with the guilt of flattery, and to fuppofe that the encomiaft always knows and feels the falsehoods of his affertions, is furely to discover great ignorance of human nature and human life. In determinations depending not on rules, but on experience and comparison, judgement is always in fome degree fubject to affection. Very near to admiration is the wish to admire.

Every man willingly gives value to the praise which he receives, and confiders the fentence paffed in his favour as the fentence of difcernment. We admire in a friend that understanding that felected us for confidence; we admire more, in a patron, that judgement which, inftead of scattering bounty indifcriminately, directed it to us; and, if the patron be an author, those performances which gratitude forbids us to blame, affectation will eafily dif pofe us to exalt.

To these prejudices, hardly culpable, interest adds a power always operating, though not always, because not willingly, perceived. The modefty of praise wears gradually away; and perhaps the pride of patronage may be in time fo increased, that modest praife will no longer please.

Many

Many a blandishment was practifed upon Halifax, which he would never have known, had he no other attractions than thofe of his poetry, of which a fhort time has withered the beauties. It would now be esteemed no honour, by a contributor to the monthly bundles of verses, to be told, that, in ftrains either familiar or folemn, he fings like Montague.

PARNELL.