wooded, and of courfe will afford them an opportunity of playing hound and hare with more art. O'Gara has made me a prefent of a dial, which I intend to erect in the fpring. Oh the wit of man, that can even turn a fhadow into ufe, and teach it to point out the fleeting hours, as unfubftantial as itself! But, Paulo majora Canamus. I once read in an old Irish poem, that when Jupiter made man, he gave him his choice either of wings or imagination; he accepted the latter, which fhews that our first fabulous father had fome brains. Let me rife on this divine plume then, and for once caft a glance into futurity. What do I fee? Why I fee my worthy friend, arrayed in a flowing robe; I hear his voice raised in the cause of innocence and diftrefs; the widow and the orphan blefs his name, and the wily villain, hunted down through all the mazes of law. Once more Aftrea revifits the earth; I fee him raised to the feat of judgment, his ermine as pure as his native fnow; the golden fcales even balanced in his hands, and the fword of juftice tempered in the tears of mercy.-The afcent to this eminence is difficult, but Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis. I know you will be glad to hear that Tom and I are on good terms. You are right, he drinks whiskey as often as he can get it-Ore rotundo, and fometimes "Warm from the ftill, and faithful to its fires,” too, which is worst of all. Your account of London, I believe, is very juft. All great cities from Rome down are the finks of vice, and the graves of genius. I admire the idea of your public charities. One of the three impoffibilities amongst the ancients was Eripere Jovi fulmen, and amongst the Chriftians Eripere Deo fulmen ire, but Charity is the emanation of Heaven! As to Mifs Woffington, I can collect very little of her. She was born in Dublin, read her recantation in the parish church of Lurgan, near Virginy, in the county of Cavan, before the Reverend Mr. Sterling, who was a great mufician. Mr. Fleming did write fome verfes on that occafion, but it is not easy to procure them, for you know he's a great mana Juílice of Peace, and one of the Grand Jury. They began thus, I think:———— And now the Sun, revolving to the west, I can recollect no more, and I don't know that thefe are correct. There is an anecdote told of her, and I believe there is very little doubt of the truth of it. Mr. having spent fome time in Paris, foon after his return happened to dine at Mr. Gore's, where Mils W. captivated the company with her fprightly wit and eafy manners; our Parifian hero paid fuch attention to the glafs, that the cloth was fcarce removed when the table and chairs exhibited the effects of it, as well as those that were present, particularly Mifs W. who, as fhe happened to be formed of the common mould, was reminded of it, to which the only answered, " Sir, I expected all this, I obferved for fome time paft the yellow clay breaking through the plaifter of Paris." He is marown. He of the most As to Mr. Brooke, I believe I can collect you many particulars relative to him.-His father was a clergyman of the Church of England. ried to a Mifs Mears, a relation of his has lately built a houfe at Longfield, one defert fpots in the county of Meath. thufiaft in agriculture, and has fpent his patrimony in draining lakes, to very little advantage. He has He is an en had many children, but Heaven was fo indulgent as to call them out of this life juft as they began to taste the miseries of it. Doctor Sheridan is well, and defires to be remembered to you. I hope that you will write as You can't conceive what pleafure often as you can. it will afford me to correfpond with you. I am, my good Sir, Your's most truly, M. SMITH. [Thefe letters are taken from copies.] Notwithstanding the multiplicity of bufinefs that naturally devolved on Mr. Burke, as private fecretary to Mr. Hamilton, he had the happy art of arranging his affairs in fuch a manner as to devote some moments to the cultivation of literature. He used to pass two evenings every week in converfation with Doctor Thomas Wilfon, fenior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and Doctor Blundell, the friends of humanity and letters. The former offered to join with Mr. Burke in a tranflation of Livy, but the latter preferred reading the fententious Tacitus to the prince of Roman hiftorians, and it appears from many parts of his maxims, &c. that he ftudied this writer with unwearied attention. Doctor Wilfon was confidered as a wit, but it feldom rose above a pun. Mr. Burke happened to meet him one evening in a fhort coat, the Doctor immediately obferving that his friend did not know him in that guife, exclaimed, The Doctor paffing one day through a ftreet, chanced to efpy a perfon advancing on the fame fide with whom he did not wifh to fpeak at that time, in confequence of which he croffed to the other fide, where he ran his head almoft against another with whom he did not wish to speak at any time, on which he repeated, Incidit in Scyllam Que vult vitare Charybdin. Notwithstanding the rays of regal favour fhone fo confpicuoufly through the Earl of Halifax, that it may be faid preferment was in his nod, and notwithftanding the profpects in this refpect that opened on every fide to Mr. Burke, yet he preferved great equanimity of mind, and did not in the least affect the infalence of office. He correfponded with his friends in every line as ufual, and received fuch as vifited him with great affection. His character, at this time, was drawn by a lady in the following lines: "With judgment witty, eloquent with fenfe, "Polite with cafe, and free without offence." This I had from a gentleman, who, to use his own expreffion, was very well acquainted with Single Speech Hamilton, and Double Speech Burke. Mr. Hamilton entertained fo high an opinion of the talents and integrity of Mr. Burke, that he procured him a penfion of three hundred a year on the Irish establishment. On their return to England, they lived on terms of the greateft intimacy, till the Protegé, began to think that his patron did not exert all the influence he ftill poffeffed to usher him into life; feveral letters paffed between them on this fubject, which ended in the diffolution of their political friendfhip, and in order to leffen the debt of gratitude, Mr. Burke refigned his penfion, which was transferred to Captain Jephfon, author of the tragedy of Braganza, &c. As Mr. Burke had now entered on the arduous ftudy of politics, he was determined not to relinquish the purfuit, in hopes that fome favourable opportunity would prefent itfelf, which, if taken at the tide, might lead on to fortune and preferment. The weakness and ill-timed meafures of the cabinet, with refpect to the American colonies, threatened the downfal of the administration; it lafted, however, much longer than was expected; at length it was obliged to give way. Accordingly, on the 13th of April, 1765, the Marquis of Rockingham, William Dowdefwell, Efq; Lord John Cavendish, Thomas Townfhend, Efq; and George Onflow, Efq; were appointed Lords of the Treasury; Mr. Dowdefwell Chancellor of the Exchequer; the Duke of Grafton and General Conway, Secretaries of State. The Marquis felt himself in want of a private Secretary; Mr. Burke was recommended to fill that confidential fituation by Mr. Fitzherbert, the father of the prefent Lord St. Helens. Mr. Burke, in a fhort time, rendered himself so useful, that he was brought into parliament for the borough of Wendover, through the intereft of Lord Verney. As the Marquis knew that fortune had only hitherto fmiled on Mr. Burke deceitfully, he lent him £20,000 on his bond, as the most delicate mode of conferring fuch a favour. Mr. Burke immediately purchased his elegant feat near Beaconsfield with. this fum, as an occafional retreat from the "uneafy feat of high defires," or the conflict of paffions, and happy would it have been for the world, perhaps, if he had thrown himself into the arms of phylofophy, and spent the reft of his days in the cultivation of thofe arts which elevate and embellifh human nature. But our young ftatefman had tafted of power, and preferred the noife and intrigue of party to lettered eafe and retirement in his enchanting Tufculum. Mr. Burke may be now confidered as a fair public character, and therefore when the "Hiftory of the Man," to ufe Lord Bolingbroke's expreffion, is alfo the "Hiftory of the State," great judgment is required in felecting, and ability in compofing, to produce a full, uniform, and compacted piece. I do not afpire to fuch qualifications, nor does it fall C |