ordinary debauchery of his life; and, with hisdiffipation of pleafure, 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 lords 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 pleafures; he lived to repent with the feverest contrition; and charity obliges all men to be lieve, 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 lordihip 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 perfon to him, after the unfortunate battle of Worcester; which truft.

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berlain to the queen, Don Francifco de Melo, the Portuguese ambaffador, who was alfo her chamberlain, being difplaced on a complaint of the bishop of London for licensing popish books.

The prince of Orange fending over M. Bentick to England, recommended him by letter to the earl of Offory, and to his father, to affift him in propofing the match with the lady Mary; but thefe noblemen advised him to apply to the earl of Danby, then lord-treafurer, left he should oppofe it if moved by any other. The affair fucceeded, and the prince had leave to come over at the end of the campaign.

In February following, the earl of Offory ...went into Holland, to enter upon the command of general of the king of Great-Britain's fubjects in the pay of the states. It was in the campaign of that year, and at the conclufion of the war, that the memorable battle of Mons was fought, in which the famous marshal of Luxemburgh was forced to retreat, and the earl of Offory gained fo much glory. The ftates of Holland, the duke of VillaHarman, governor of the Low-Countries, and the king of Spain himself, in a letter under his own hand, acknowledged the great fervices he had performed in the campaign.

In April, 1678, he was restored to the privy-council, of which the earl of Shaftfbury was made prefident, and was foon after

defigned

defigned to be governor of Tangiers, then befieged by the Moors: but, as he was prepareing to go there with a confiderable brigade, he died, in the forty-fixth year of his age, to the general regret of this nation.

co

CONTINUATION

Of the LIFE of the

DUKE OF ORMOND.

Ε

WE left the marquis of Ormond at the

time of king Charles's reftoration. On fuch an event as his majefty's trusty servants could not but meet the rewards due to the merit of Tuch a long feries of adverfity, with which, fupported by their loyalty, they had long ftruggled; the marquis was fworn a member of the privy--council, made lordfteward of the houfhold, lord lieutenant of Somersetshire; high-fteward of Westminster, Kingston, and Bristol; and restored to his dignity of chancellor of the univerfity of Dublin; and there he reftored all fuch fellows as had been ejected for their loyalty.

His majefty gave back to him the county of Tipperary, together with the fame privil ges and regalities which his family had, for fome centuries, enjoyed with the other. He was, after this, created earl of Brecknock, and baron of Lanthony, in England; and, by that parliament, reftored to his whole eftate."

The marquis, foon after the restoration, found means to do a confiderable and accepta

ble

ble fervice to the English families in Ireland, by preventing the infertion of fome claufes in the act of indemnity, which must have proved their ruin.

The king, in confideration of the marquis's fervices, made him very liberal grants; and, as his royal father had, in 1642, conveyed to the marquis, all the right, title, and intereft, which the crown had, or might have, to the lands forfeited by the rebellion of the vaffals of the faid marquis; of which grant had the marquis taken the benefit, it had been an immenfe improvement of his eftate. The king's letters patent, which put him into the reft of his eftate, make honourable mention of his loyal and eminent fervices.

The preffage of wine, a perquifite belong ing to the marquis and his family, as butler of Ireland, having been, during the ufurpa tion, charged with an impoft, the king or dered it to be taken off.

On the thirteenth of February, 1661, the marquis was joined with the duke of Albermarle, and others, to determine the claims ufually entered at coronations, preparations being at that time making for the king's. On the thirtieth of March, he was made duke of Ormond; and, about that time, being created lord-high-fteward of England, he affifted in that capacity at the coronation, on the twenty-third of April, and carried St. Edward's

crown.