"I hope to find an innocent entertainment in so doeing, which is the ultimate pleasure of this life; ffor without innocence no enjoyments are satisfactorie; but a sting and uneasinesse attends them; and is so much a part of their constitution, that no criminall pleasure in the world is either perfect or lasting."

Immediately on the king's death, lord Lonsdale acted the part of a good and loyal subject, and attended the proclamation of James at Appleby, Cockermouth, and Penrith. How must his noble spirit have been shocked, on learning, that within less than a month after his declaration of protecting the established church, he went publickly to mass. When parliament was called, sir John attended in his place, and heard the king repeat his assurances of protection to the church.

These protestations made him so popular, that the people not only prevented their sovereign's expectations, but his wishes, in their grants to him. Some, however, were sagacious enough to foresee danger, and the first alarm was excited by

destroying the ancient mode of elections in boroughs, and compelling them to accept charters, which vested the right of election in particular individuals. Among the rest, sir John Lowther took the matter up in parliament, but it was evaded by some manœuvre of the court, and never again resumed.

The next effort of the court party was to make words treason, under the specious pretence of preserving the king's person. By the activity and acuteness of sir John, and some of his friends, certain provisos were introduced in the bill, which so mutilated its power, that it came to nothing.

The next matter of moment, introduced in the memoir, is the landing of Argyle, in Scotland, and the rebellion of Monmouth, and it is here that we feel ourselves, in a peculiar manner, indebted to this historical document.

It has ever been a matter of controversy, nor does Mr. Fox at all clear up the perplexity, whether the mean and dastardly behaviour of lord Gray, the friend and confidential adviser of Monmouth, was the result of treachery or cowardice. We think that, after perusing this memoir, little doubt can remain but that it was the basest treachery.— We cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of making an extract from this part of the work.

"Att this time Argile landed in Scotland, and in pursuance of an agreement made betwixt them in Holland, the duke of Monmouth att Lime, in Dorcettshire. Argile came better provided into a countrie supposed to be more disaffected, himself reckoned a man of parts and experi ence, and yet he did nothing that ever threatned danger. But the duke of Monmouth, contrarie to all men's expectations, spun out the businesse into length; and tho' esteemed a man no way fformidable either for parts or experience, yett with 83 men and 200 guinneas, he brought things to that passe, that the successe was much doubted by manie; ffor within a verie few days his armnie was increased to seven

or eight thousand men; nay, some said to above ten thousand. But whether his own single ffollie, or the councill of those that were supposed to betray him, added to it, was the cause of his proclaiming himself king, was doubtfull. But this was certain, that severall thousands quitted him within three days after. He had, however, so good an armie left, and managed his businesse so cautiouslie, that he marched towards Bristol, and at Kainsham Bridge, a place not ffar from thence, in some skir mishes he was thought not to have the worst of it. But finding Bristol possessed by the King's fforces, he returned back again, and entered Bridgewater, whilst the King's fforces under the command of my Ld Ffeversham lay encamped upon Sedge Moor, some three miles from the town, covered with a ditch. The Duke, in hopes to surprise them, issued out in the night, and was so ffar prosperous as to misse coll. Oglethorp, who was gone to the very town of Bridgewater to gain intelligence. And the King's hors being quartered att a little village a quarter of a mile of where my lord Ffeversham was also, were said not to be in all the readinesse that was necessarie. But however the hors under the conduct of my lord Gray did so little, running away att the verie first, that there was no great want of the kings hors to oppose them. The ffoot, indeed, ffought better, and two ffeild peeces they had did some execution. But the hors being gone, the matter was grown desperate, and herein the duke of Monmouth lost much of his reputation ffor courage; for instead of dieing in the ffeild as was expected, he left his men fighting, and endeavoured to escape in companie with my lord Gray, but was within two days taken among some bushes hid, with a pockett ffull of peas, which he was fforced to gether ffor ffood. He was brought up to London, dined at Chivinche's lodgings, where he saw the king, and both there and by letters asked for pardon. What arguments he had to hope it would be granted, were not certain. Within ffower days he was executed upon Tower Hill, suffering flower if not ffive blows of the axe, of which, tho' he seemed ffearfull ffrom my lord Russell's case, who had done so before, he died other ways with great constancie. My lord Gray's conduct in all this businesse gave the censorious world leav to say that he betrayed him, and that he triumphed in the revenge ffor private injuries received in his familie: ffor besides the failure of the hors under bis conduct, he, after their being taken, seemed rather pleased than ffearfull; his

talk was of hounds and hunting, and when the duke att Mr. Chivinche's complained of a cold he had gott, he in a scoff told him his uncle had a cure to be applied in a ffew days. This conduct, added to his fformer escape out of the hands of a messenger in a hackney coach, made the world almost assured of what they suspected; and I have been informed that one major Holmes discerned the thing so plainlie, that he told the duke three days before the battle att Sedgemore, that my lord Gray was certainlie either a coward or a knave; that, if he would give him leav, he would secure him, without which he despaired of successe. The duke mode answer that t'was then too late. The courage of this major was remarkable: he had his arm broke in the battle, was brought up to London, had his life offered him by the king, if he would promise to live quietlie, and endeavour no disturbance. His answer was, that his principles had ever been republicarian, as thinking that form of government best for this nation; that he was still of that mind; that he was now an old man, and his life as little worth asking as t'was worth his majestie's giveing; and t'was indifferent to him whether his majestie pardoned him or not. He was therefore sent into the countrie and hanged, whilst my lord Gray had his pardon, and became an evidence against severall Besides those that were killed in the ffeild there were about seven hundred sentenced to death and executed, insomuch that all the high ways of that countrie were no longer to be travelled, whilst the horrour of so many quarters of men, and the offensive stench of them lasted; of which Dr. Ken, the bishop of that diocesse, writ a most patheticall letter to his majestie; Sr Geo. Geoffrey, then chief justice and now lord chancellor, being the principal judge sent into that countrie to trie them." p. 9.

This rebellion gave a pretence for raising an army of eleven or twelve thousand men, which every summer were encamped on Hounslow heath, "to the astonishment of the people of England, who had not so much as in historie heard of anie such thing in time of peace." To make bad worse, the army was filled with popish officers, upon which the parliament remonstrated. The king was offended and dissolved them. The infatuation of James progressively increased. Roman catholicks were put into all offices. Three questions

were proposed as tests to representatives in parliament, which, with the manly answers of sir John Lowther, we subjoin.

"1. Whether, if you be chosen a member of parliament ffor this countie or anie burrough thereof, will you be ffor taking away the penall laws and test?

"2. Whether will you give your vote and interest ffor such as will be for taking away the penal laws and test?

3. Whether will you support the King's, declaration by liveing peaceablie with men of all perswasions, as a good Christian ought to doe?

"These questions were brought into this countrie by my Ld Preston, Lord Lieutenant for these two counties. And the gentlemen were summoned to meet him at Penreth. A day or two before the time appointed, Sr Daniell Ffleming came hither, and desired to know my opinion about an answer to them. I showed him my thoughts, wch he was pleased to approve, and my answer was so universallie liked, that, excepting by two or three att most, it was given verbatim by all the gentle men that did not complie with the questions, wch were about 17 or 18. It was to this effect:

"1. If I be chosen a member of parliamt ffor this countie or any burrough thereof, I think myself obliged to refer my opinion concerning the taking away the penall

laws and tests to the reasons that shall arise from the debate of the hous.

"2. If I give my vote to anie to serv in parliament it shall be to such honest and loyall gentlemen as I think wil ffaithfullie serv the king and the established govern

ment.

"3. I will live peaceablie with men of all perswasions, as a good Christian ought to doe." P. 16.

Next succeeded the ecclesiastical commission, and the contemptible and offensive proceeding at Magdalen college, Oxford. These are sufficiently known. The publick entrance of the pope's nuncio was the next cause of offence, and the progress of the king into the west and elsewhere, where he took care to let the people know his design to call a parfiament, in order to have the penal laws and tests removed. The imprisonment and trial of the Bishops is the next subject detailed in the meVOL. III.

2 R

moir, with some anecdotes, and, in particular, that of the duke of Devonshire and colonel Culpeper, p. 33, new at least to us. This brings us to September 1688.

The memoir at this period gives neral condition and circumstances of a very interesting detail of the gethe other powers of Europe. First, describing the disastrous events which befel the emperour; the oppression of the protestants in France, by the revocation of the edict of Nantz; and the horrible and bloody war which was carried on, with the view of exterminating all of that persuasion. What was the consequence? The trade of France was ruined, and the prospect of tranquillity to its sovereign more precarious than ever, The description of this tyrannical act of the king of France is given in the memoir with peculiar force and animation. At this juncture James appears to have been conscious of his folly and his danger, for he restored the city's charter; revoked his proceedings against the bishop of London, and Magdalen college, to the great offence of those who had taken part with the measures of the

court.

The memoir next proceeds to describe the efforts of the king to put himself in a situation of defence. Endeavours were made to raise troops: the bishops were invited to give their advice how "to amend and set to right what the councils, he had taken, had disordered." The corporations in different parts of England, which had been deprived of their ancient privileges, had them restored. The lords spiritual and temporal were summoned to hear from the king, the assurance that the prince of Wales was his real son, and not a supposititious child. The people, nevertheless, began to demonstrate great unquietness, and proceeded to destroy some popish chapels. Then follow some observations of the writer, upon the terrible earthquakes, which, at that period,

had taken place at Lima, in Italy, and other places. We now come to the revolution, which fact must be related by the author himself.

Att last, after the almost frustrated expectations of the protestants, and the apprehensions of the court as it were removed by the assurance, that the prince of Orange, after having sett sail from the Briel, was beaten back by storms, wherein he had lost two men of war, near a thousand hors, besides other great damage sustained; his fleet, refitted and numerous, was discovered under ffull sail the 3d of November, ffrom Dover; and the day ffollowing came into Torbay, the day of the prince's birth, the day of his marriage, and the day that begun the greatest and most extraordinarie revolution that hath been seen in anie age. The next day, which was also the anniversarie ffor the happie discoverie of the gun powder treason plott, he landed his armie, consisting, according to the printed list, of 3660 hors, and of 10692 ffoot, and were transported in 560 shipps accommodated ffor that purpose, and convoyed by 65 men of war and 10 ffireshipps.

"Before I proceed in this relation, I cannot fforbear remarking, how wonderfullie this thing succeeded in opposition to so many visible and apparent accidents, anie one whereof, had they happened, the whole design must, most certainly, have miscarried.

"Every body knew how much the king of Ffrance was concerned in the preservation and support of our King, he being the onely allie in all the world he could depend upon, whose interests were intirelie united to his. How sensible he was of this was plain by the warm memorialls of the count D'Avoux, his embassador in Holland, who owned the strictnesse of the alliance in such terms, as gave a suspicion here in England of danger, equal to anie one thing that had been done. Every bodie knew with how great wisdome that king had governed his kingdome for many years; and yett in this affair, one wiser than he, infatuated his councills, and made him put himself out of a possibilitie of preventing what he would have hindered, no doubt, with the hazzard of his crown; ffor if, instead of his carrieing his arms into the palatinate and towards Cologn, as he did, he had sent but ten thousand men towards Fflanders, he had utterlie rendered uselesse all the preparations; ffor the states would never, to be sure, have haz zarded their own securitie by sending away their troops.

"Or had he, who never used to be sparing of his treasure where it was necessarie, att this time laid out 100,000% amongst the principall leading men of Amsterdam, he might easilie have obstructed the whole design; ffor without the concurrence of that whole cittie, it could never have been effected.

"But after all, had not my Ld Dartmouth taken up his station in a place, where, as the wind stood, it was impossible ffor him to stir, till the prince's fleet were gone so ffar, that he could not overtake them, there is no question but he would have destroyed a great many of them, if not the whole fleet; he having 43 men of war, besides ffireshipps, of the best shipps we had, and perfectlie well manned and equipped: whereas the Dutch shipps were crazie and old shipps, and much inferior to them in strength.

"To these escaped dangers, that of the season and ill weather usuall in that month, was not inconsiderable: and lastlie, to attempt the conquest of a nation, att that time of the year, was a thing almost unheard of.

"But when he was landed, 'tis easie to apprehend what was like to followe.

"The clergie were dissatisfied, and thought themselves ruined, ffrom the instances off the bishops off the ecclesiasticall commission, and the case of Magdelene colledge. The justices off peace, lord lievtenants, deputie lievte. nants, officers off the revenue, and off the state, were all displaced, that had not, in fformal terms, complied with what was desired, and soe were in despair. The corporations were no lesse dissatisfied, by having their charters taken ffrom them, and suffering under strange and severe regulations. The poor were inraged, by the severe exaction of the chimney upon the paupers, directlie contrarie to the intention and practice of that lawe. The soldiers were jealous and angrie, att the ffavour and partialitie showed to Papists and Irishmen, as appeared in the case of coll. Beaumont, Pack, and others; soe that there seemed to be an industrie exercised by the king's councill, to disoblige all sorts and ranks of men in the kingdome; which was the deeplier resented, becaus the nation had never made such zealous efforts to oblige anie prince as this, att the beginning of his reign.

"They had settled with great speed a revenue off 2,100,000l. a year, and more, in these perticulars. The customes were above 600,000l. the excise 600,000. the chimney-money, 230,000l. as raised at last, the post office 55,000l. the small branches as first ffruits, ffe ffarms, alienation office,

&c. 30,000l. and the dutie on tobacco and sugars, 50,000l. They overlooked the taking the customes without authoritie of lawe. They gave upon the tobacco and sugars threepence, when Sr Dudley North, the commissioner off the customes, and manager ffor the King in the hous of commons, asked but three halfpence. They would propose no new laws to be made ffor the securitie off religion, thoe the King had openlie declared himself off the church of Rome, because they would showe him that they relied upon his word. They broke all the fforms off parliament to dispatch the supplies demanded; ffor in the same day the motion was made for a supplie, the hous considered the motion, voted the summe in the committee, reported that vote, and agreed to it, and ordered a bill to be brought in, which steps

have always required each a distinct day; and verie often thoe in times of war, considerable intervalls of time betwixt each off them; and they past a bill of attainder against the D. off Monmouth (without examining witnesses) in one day." p. 60.

The mental qualities by which this interesting memoir is distinguished, are great sagacity of discernment, unshaken principles of patriotism, and a noble and generous integrity. It is a curious and valuable morsel of history, and great thanks are due to the noble lord

who has thus kindly communicated it to the publick.

EVEN the most general sketch of a powerful and original genius, from the hand of admiring, yet judicious friendship, cannot fail to supply a variety of agreeable observations. But we must include Mr. Hayley in the complaint which we have had such frequent occasion to level against modern biographers, that they weaken the effect of their narrations by describing too much and relating too little; by exhibiting, in desultory terms, their own views of intellectual habits and moral characters, instead of recording such acts and sayings of the party concerned, as might enable the reader to draw his own inferences on the subject. Not that we require, in every instance, the minute fidelity of Boswell in delineating Johnson. Few, indeed, are the minds which could endure so close an inspection, and fewer still would reward us for the trouble of making it. But, wherever a character is to be portrayed, the writer falls far short of his undertaking, if he omits to mark the great peculiarities of the individual, not

only in temper but in opinion: in the education which formed his mind, and the accidents which imparted its bias: in the habits which either imperceptibly grew on him and overpowered his resolution, or in those which he laboured to acquire as the means of attaining ex cellence in his art or profession: and, above all, in the judgment which he pronounced on every important topick to which his attention was seriously devoted.

Yet Mr. Hayley prides himself on the precision of his statements, and on the sacrifices which he sometimes has made of the feelings of friendship to the interests of truth. Here we have a still stronger objection, since he appears to us to have dwelt much more on the unhappy infirmities of his friend, than on his great and acknowledged powers. It was, indeed, his painful duty, in writing the life of Romney, to describe him as subject to that nervous malady, the extreme sensibility to trifles, which long obscured his happiness, and, finally, clouded his reason. But,