On the ninth of April, this year, the caftle of Dublin was burnt; but the indefatigable care of the lord-deputy faved the magazine, and confequently the city from being buried in its ruins. The duke's lofs in furniture, &c. was very confiderable.

The king's affairs being fo well established in England, that there was not any neceflity for his grace's abfence from his government, after two years ftay at court, having, in June, received orders for his return, fet out for Ireland; but his departure was, by the death of his duchefs, retarded till Auguft.

No fooner had he left London, but he was attacked on fome fuggeftions from colonel Talbot; who made fuch a report to the king, that a general reformation in the council, magiftracy, and army of Ireland, was determined; and his grace, on the fifth of September, had a hint from Sir Robert Southwell of his removal. In October, the king intimated his pleasure on this head, and of lord Rochefter's fucceeding to his poft.

On the fixth of February king Charles died; and the duke, four days after being fent for, left Dublin to proceed to England, having first caused king James to be proclaimed; and, as ordered, lain down his character which was a treatment he had little reafon to expect, and an indignity the late king would not have put upon him.

He fet out for England, and on the road met the news of his regiment of horse being VOL. VII.

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given

given to colonel Talbot; but, notwithftanding thefe affronts from court, he was, when near London, met by numbers of coaches, and received at his house by a multitude and loud acclamations. He was continued lordfteward of the houffold, and at the coronation again carried the crown.

The lord Clarendon fucceeded to the lieute→ nancy of Ireland; but, after a year, was recalled to make way for colonel Talbot, created earl of Tyrconnel, who made great changes both in the civil and military; and the duke loft his regiment of foot; though he kept his regiment of horfe, which he had purchased fifty years before; and this was the only military employment he held,

In February, 1686, the duke retired for fome weeks to Cornbury, in Oxfordshire, a feat of lord Clarendon's lent him; and, in Auguft, attended his majefty in his progrefs as far as Bristol. He after this withstood the first inftance of his majefty's exercifing a difpenfing power; and, when the king felt his pulfe on the defign of abolishing the penal laws, he found him unalterably fteady in his averfion to what he forefaw would be contrary to his majefty's intereft, though it might flatter the king's inclinations.

The duke being laid up with the gout at Badminton, had the honour of two vifits from the king, in going from Bath to Chester, and at his return. He permitted his grace to retire, and difpenfed with his attendance at

court,

court, as lord-steward; from which he would not remove him. His grace removed from Badminton, and hired a feat in Dorfetfhire called Kingfton-hall, where he died on the twenty-firft of July; and, on the fourth of Auguft, his corpfe was depofited in Westminfter-abbey.

What has been already faid of this great man, renders a character of him needless.

I

THE LIFE OF

JOHN WILMOT.

T is an obfervation founded on experience, that the poets have, of all other men, been -most addicted to the gratifications of appetite, and have purfued pleasure with more unwearied application than men of other characters. In this refpect they are indeed unhappy, and have ever been more fubject to pity than envy. A violent love of pleasure, if it does not deftroy, yet, in a great measure, enervates all all other good qualities with which a man may be endowed: and, as no men have ever enjoyed higher parts from nature than the poets, fo few, from this unhappy attachment to pleafure, have effected fo little good by thofe amazing powers. Of the truth of this obfervation, the nobleman, whofe Memoirs we are now to prefent to the reader, is a strong and indelible inftance; for few ever had more ability, and more frequent opportunities, for promoting the interefts of fociety; and none ever proftituted the gifts of Heaven to a more inglorious purpose.

Lord Rochester was not more remarkable for the fuperiority of his parts, than the extraordinary

Ordinary debauchery of his life; and, with his diffipation of pleasure, he fuffered fometimes malevolent principles to govern him and was equally odious for malice and envy, as for the boundlefs gratifications of his appetites.

:

This is, no doubt, the character of his lord, fhip, confirmed by all who have transmitted any account of him; but, if his life was fu-. premely wicked, his death was exemplary pious: before he approached to the conclufion of his days, he faw the follies of his former pleasures; he lived to repent with the feverest contrition; and charity obliges all men to believe, that he was as fincere in his protefta tions of penitence, as he had been before in libertine indulgence. The apparent forrow he felt, arifing from the ftings and compunetions of confcience, entitle him to the reader's compaflion, and has determined us to reprefent his errors with all imaginable tendernefs;. which, as it is agreeable to every benevolent man, fo his lordhip has a right to this indulgence, fince he obliterated his faults by his penitence, and became fo confpicuous an evidence on the fide of virtue, by his important declarations against the charms of wice,

Lord Rochester was fon of the gallant Henry lord Wilmot, who engaged with great zeal in the fervice of king Charles I. during the civilwars; and was fo much in favour with Charles II. that he entrusted his person to him, after the unfortunate battle of Worcester; which

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traft.