fervedly accounted the firft framer of chronological abridgements; in which, without ftopping at detached facts, he attends only to those which form a chain of events that perfect or alter the government and character of a nation, and traces only the fprings which exalt or humble a nation, extending or contracting the fpace it occupies in the world. His work has had the fortune of thofe literary phænomena, where novelty and merit united excite minds eager after glory, and fire the ardour of young writers to prefs after a guide whom few can overtake. The first edition of the work, the refult of 40 years reading, appeared in 1744, under the aufpices of the chancellor Dagueffeau, with the modeft title of "An Effay." The fuccefs it met with surprised the author. He made continual improvements in it, and it has gone through nine editions, and been tranflated into Italian, English, and German, and even into Chinese. As the best writers are not fecure from criticism, and are indeed the only ones that deferve it, the author read to the Academy of Belles Lettres a defence of his abridgement.

All the ages and events of the French monarchy being prefent to his mind, and his imagination and memory being a vast theatre whereon he beheld the different movements and parts of the actors in the feveral revolutions, he determined to give a fpecimen of what past in his own mind, and to reduce into the form of a regular drama, one of the periods of French hiftory, the reign of Francis II. which, though happy only by being fhort, appeared to him one of the most important by its confequences, and most easy to be confined within a dramatic compafs. His friend the chancellor highly approved the plan, and wifhed it to be printed. It accordingly went through five editions; the harmony of dates and facts is exactly observed in it, and the paffions interefted without offence to hiftoric truth.

In 1755, Henault was chofen an honorary member of the Academy of Belles Lettres, having been before elected into the academies of Nanci, Berlin, and Stockholm. The queen also appointed him fuperintendant of her house. His natural fprightliness relieved her from the ferious attendance on his private morning lectures. The company of perfons moft diftinguished by their wit and birth, a table more celebrated for the choice of the guests than its delicacies, the little comedies fuggefted by wit, and executed by reflection, united at his houfe all the pleasures of an agreeable and innocent life. All the members of this ingenious fociety contributed to render it pleafing, and the prefident was not inferior to any. He compofed three delightful comedies: "La Petite Maifon," "Le Jaloux de Soi-meme," and "Le Reveil d'Epimenide." The fubject of the last was the Cretan philofopher, who is pretended to have flept 27 years. He is introduced fancying that he had flept but one night, and astonished VOL. VIII.

at

at the change in the age of all around him: he mistakes his miftrefs for his mother; but, difcovering his mistake, offers to marry her, which fhe refufes, though he ftill continues to love her. The queen was particularly pleafed with this piece. She ordered the prefident to restore the philofopher's mistress to her former youth: he introduced Hebe, and this epifode produced an agreeable entertainment.

He was now in fuch favour with her majefty, that, on the place of fuperintendant becoming vacant by the death of M. Bernard de Conbert, master of requefts, and the fum he had paid for it being loft to his family, Henault folicited it in favour of feveral perfons, till at laft the queen bestowed it on himself, and confented that he fhould divide the profits with his predeceffor's widow. On the queen's death he held the fame place under the dauphinefs.

A delicate conftitution made him liable to much illness, which, however, did not interrupt the ferenity of his mind. He made feveral journies to the waters of Plombieres: in one of these he vifited the depofed king Stanislaus at Luneville; and in another accompanied his friend the marquis de Pauliny, ambassador to Switzerland.

In 1763 Henault drew near his end. One morning, after a quiet night, he felt an oppreffion, which the faculty pronounced a fuffocating cough. His confeffor being fent to him, he formed his refolution without alarm. He mentioned afterwards, that he recollected having then faid to himself, "What do I regret?" and called to mind that faying of madame de Sevigne, "I leave here only dying creatures.' He received the facraments. It was believed the next night would be his laft; but by noon the next day he was out of danger. "Now," faid he, "I know what death is. It will not be new to me any more " He never forgot it during the following feven years of his life, which, like all the reft, were gentle and calm. Full of gratitude for the favours of Providence, refigned to its decrees, offering to the author of his being a pure and fincere devotion; he felt his infirmities without complaining, and perceived a gradual decay with unabated firmnefs. He died Dec. 24, 1771, in his 86th year. He married, in 1714, a daughter of M. le Bas de Montargis, keeper of the royal treasure, &c. who died in 1728, without leaving any iffue. He treated as his own children, thofe of his fifter, who had married, in 1713, the count de Jonfac, and by him had three fons and two daughters. The two younger fons were killed, one at Bruffels, the other at Lafelt, both at the head of the regiments of which they were colonels; the eldeft long furvived, and was lieutenant-general and governor of Collioure and Port Vendre in Rouffillon. The elder daughter married M. le Veneur,

count

count de Tillieres, and died in 1757; the fecond married the marquis d'Aubeterre, ambaffador to Vienna, Madrid, and Rome.

HENLEY (ANTHONY), [A], was the fon of fir Robert Henley, of the Grange in Hampshire, defcended from the Henleys of Henley in Somerfetfhire; of whom fir Andrew Henley was created a baronet in 1660. This fir Andrew had a fon of the fame name, famous for his frolics and profufion. His feat, called Bramesley, near Hartley-row, in the county of Southampton, was very large and magnificent. He had a great estate in that and the other western counties, which was reduced by him to a very small one, or to nothing. Sir Robert Henley of the Grange, his uncle, was a man of good fenfe and oeconomy. He held the master's place of the King's-bench court, on the pleas fide, many years; and by the profits of it, and good management, left his fon, Anthony Henley, of the Grange, of whom we now treat, poffeffed of a very fine fortune, above 3000l. a year, part of which arofe from the ground-rents of Lincoln's-innfields.

Anthony Henley was bred at Oxford, where he diftinguished himself by an early relish for polite learning. He made a great proficiency in the ftudy of the claffics, and particularly the ancient poets, by which he formed a good tafte for poetry, and practifed it with fuccefs. Upon his coming to London, he was prefently received into the friendship and familiarity of perfons of the first rank, for quality and wit, particularly the earls of Dorfet and Sunderland. The latter had especially a great efteen and affection for him; and as every one knew what a fecret influ ence he had on affairs in king William's court, it was thought ftrange that Mr. Henley, who had a genius for any thing great, as well as any thing gay, did not rife in the state, where he would have fhone as a politician, no less than he did at Will's and Tom's as a Wit. But the Mufes and pleasure had engaged him. He had fomething of the character of Tibullus, and, except his extravagance, was poffeffed of all his other qualities; his indolence, his gallantry, his wit, his humanity, his generofity, his learning, his tafte for letters. There was hardly a contemporary author, who did not experience his bounty. They foon found him out, and attacked him with their dedications; which, though he knew how to value as they deferved, were always received as well as the addreffers could with; and his returns were made fo handsomely, that the manner was as grate ful as the prefent,

There was, for a long time, a ftri&t friendship between Mr. Henley and Richard Norton of Southwick in Hampshire, efq. who was often chofen to reprefent that county. This gentle

[A] Memoirs of Illuftrious Perfons, 1712, p. 531.

man had the fame paffion for the Mufes; and the fimilarity there was in their pleafures and ftudies, made that friendship the more firm and affectionate. They both lived to a good age before they married, and perhaps the breach that happened between them was one reafon of their entering both into the state of matrimony much about the fame time. Mr. Henley married Mary youngest daughter and co-heirefs of the hon. Peregrine Bertie, fifter to the countefs Pawlet, with whom he had 30,000l. fortune, and by her he left feveral children. Of thefe Anthony, the eldeft, died in 1745; and Robert, the fecond fon, was created baron Henley and lord keeper of the great feal in 1760; became lord chancellor in 1761; and earl of Northington in 1764.

On becoming a hufband and a father, Mr. Henley relinquifhed his gay mode of life, and confented to be chosen a mem ber of parliament for Andover in 1698; after which he was conftantly the reprefentative for either Weymouth, or Melcombe Regis, in the county of Dorfet. He was always a zealous affertor of liberty in the houfe of commons, and on all other occafions conftant to that courfe which has furnished Britain with fo many patriots; the greatest inftance of which was, his moving in the house for an addrefs to her majefty, that the would be graciously pleased to give Mr. Benjamin Hoadly fome dignity in the church, for ftrenuoufly afferting and vindicating the principles of that revolution which is the foundation of our prefent establishment in church and state. This made him odious to all the Jacobites, Nonjurors, and fome others; and fome impotent endeavours were used to have him laid afide in the queen's laft parliament; but he carried his election both at his corporation, and afterwards in the house of commons.

Mr. Henley wrote feveral compofitions, though he did not put his name to them; and very frequently affifted the writers of the "Tatler" and " Medley [B]." No man wrote with more wit and more gaiety. He affected a low fimplicity in his writings, and in particular was extremely happy in touching the manners and paffions of parents and children, mafters and fervants, peafants and tradefmen, ufing their expreffions fo naturally and aptly, that he has very frequently difguifed by it both his merit and character.

His moft darling diverfion was mufic, of which he was entirely master; his opinion was the standard of tafte; and after the Italian mufic was introduced, no opera could be fure of applaufe, till it had received his approbation, He was fuch an admirer of Purcell's mufic, and the English manner, that he did

[B] No. XXXI, of "The Medley," in particular was his; and feveral ‹‹ Tatlers," both in the four Talumes of Steele, and in Harrifon's fitch volume.

not

not immediately relish the Italian; but his good judgment foon threw off that partiality, and he was at last much attached to it.. Whether he compofed himself, we know not; but he sung with art, and played on feveral inftruments with judgment. He wrote feveral poems for mufic, and almoft finished the opera of "Alexander" fet by Purcell. As Mr. Henley's tafte inclined him to mufic, that of his friend Mr. Norton was led to the drama. He had a theatre at Southwick, where Betterton, Booth, Mills, Wilks, Mrs. Barry, Mrs. Bracegirdle, Mrs. Oldfield, and all the first players, were entertained for two or three months in the vacation, and acted comedies and tragedies, in which the owner of the houfe had frequently a part. Thefe reprefentations were given with complete decorations, mufic, &c. and were eagerly attended by company, from the distance of many miles. Garth in his preface to the Difpenfary, has highly praifed Henley, who was his friend; and his death, which happened in 1711, was very generally lamented.

HENLEY (JOHN), better known by the appellation of "Ora tor Henley," has furnished the world [c] with memorials of himfelf, which are in fome refpects worth preferving. He was born at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Aug. 3, 1792. His father, the rev. Simon Henley, and his grand-father, by his mother's fide (John Dowel, M. A.) were both vicars of that parifh. His grand-father by his father's fide, John Henley, M. A, was likewife a clergyman, rector of Salmonby and Thetford in Lincolnshire. He was educated among the Diffenters, and conformed at the restoration. Henley was bred up firt in the free-school of Melton, under Mr. Daffy, a diligent and expert grammarian. From this fchool he was removed to that of Okeham in Rutland, under Mr. Wright, eminent for his knowledge of the Latin, Greek and Hebrew languages.

He was hence removed, about the age of 17, to St. John's-college in Cambridge; where, on his examination by Dr. Gower then mafter, Dr. Lambert, Dr. Edmundfon, and others, he was, he tells us, particularly approved, While an undergraduate at St. John's, he wrote a letter to the "Spectator," dated from that college, Feb. 3, 1712, figned Peter de Quir, abounding with quaintness and local wit. He began here to be uneafy; he was more inclined to difpute than to affent to any points of doctrine, and fancied himself able to reform the whole fyftem of academical education.

After he had commenced bachelor of arts, he was firft defired by the truflees of the school in Melton to affift in, and then to take the direction of, that school; which he increased and raised from a declining to a flourishing condition. He established here,

[c] In the "Oratory Tranfactions," No. I. under the fictitious name of Welftedę. D 3

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