ftrefs to the King, whom the abondoned for the poffeffion of Rochefter's heart, which the found to her experience, it was not in her power long to hold. The earl, who was foon cloyed with the poffeffion of any one woman, tho' the fairest in the world, forfook her. The lady after the firft indignation of her paffion fubfided, grew as indifferent, and confidered upon the proper means of retrieving the King's affections. The occafion was luckily given her one morning while fhe was dreffing: the faw the King coming by, the hurried down with her hair difheveled, threw herself at his feet, implored his pardon, and vowed conftancy for the future. The King, overcome with the well-diffembled agonies of this beauty, raised her up, took her in his arms, and protested no man could fee her, and not love her he waited on her to her lodging, and there compleated the reconciliation. This eafy behaviour of the King, had,' with many other inftances of the fame kind, determined my lord Hallifax to affert, "That "the love of King Charles II, lay as much 66 as any man's in the lower regions; that he 66 was indifferent as to their conftancy, and only "valued them for the fenfual pleasure they could "yield." Lord Rochester's frolics in the character of a mountebank are well known, and the fpeech which he made upon the occafion of his first turning itinerant doctor, has been often printed; there is in it a true spirit of fatire, and a keenness of lampoon, which is very much in the character of his lordship, who had certainly an original turn for invective and fatirical compofition. We shall give the following fhort extract from this celebrated fpeech, in which his lordship's wit appears pretty confpicuous. "If ་་ "If I appear (fays Alexander Bendo) to any "one like a counterfeit, even for the fake of that chiefly ought I to be conftrued a true man, "who is the counterfeit's example, his original, " and that which he employs his industry and pains to imitate and copy. Is it therefore my "fault if the cheat, by his wit and endeavours, "makes himself fo like me, that confequently I "cannot avoid refembling him? Confider, pray, "the valiant and the coward, the wealthy mer"chant and the bankrupt; the politician and the fool; they are the fame in many things, " and differ but in one alone. The valiant man holds up his hand, looks confidently round a"bout him, wears a fword, courts a lord's wife, "and owns it; fo does the coward. One only "point of honour, and that's courage, which (like "falfe metal, one only trial can discover) makes "the diftinction. The bankrupt walks the ex"change, buys bargains, draws bills, and ac་ cepts them with the richest, whilft paper and "credit are current coin; that which makes the "difference is real cafh, a great defect indeed, " and yet but one, and that the laft found out, "and till till then the leaft perceived.- -Now "for the politician; he is a grave, diliberating, "clofe, prying man: Pray are there not grave, "deliberating, clofe, prying fools? If therefore "the difference betwixt all these (tho' infinite in "effect) be fo nice in all appearance, will you "yet expect it fhould be otherwife between the falfe phyfician, aftrologer, &c. and the true? "The firft calls himself learned doctor, fends "forth his bills, gives phyfic and council, "tells, and foretells; the other is bound to do juft as much. It is only your experience muft "diftinguish betwixt them, to which I willingly fubmit myself.” When When lord Rochester was restored again to the favour of King Charles II, he continued the fame extravagant purfuits of pleasure, and would even ufe freedoms with that Prince, whom he had before fo much offended; for his fatire knew no bounds, his invention was lively, and his execution fharp. He is fuppofed to have contrived with one of Charles's miftrefs's the following ftratagem to cure that monarch of the nocturnal rambles to which he addicted himself. He agreed to go out one night with him to vifit a celebrated house of intrigue, where he told his Majefty the finest women in England were to be found. The King made no fcruple to affume his ufual disguise and accompany him, and while he was engaged with one of the ladies of pleasure, being before inftructed by Rochefter how to behave, the pick'a his pocket of all his money and watch, which the king did not immediately mifs. Neither the people of the houfe, nor the girl herself was made acquainted with the quality of their vifiter, nor had the leaft fufpicion who he was. When the intrigue was ended, the King enquired for Rochefter, but was told he had quitted the house, without taking leave: But into what embaraffment was he thrown when upon fearching his pockets, in order to discharge the reckoning, he found his money gone; he was then reduced to ask the favour of the Jezebel to give him credit till to-morrow, as the gentleman who came in with him had not returned, who was to have pay'd for both. The confequence of this request was, he was abused, and laughed at; and the old woman told him, that he had often been ferved fuch dirty tricks, and would not permit him to ftir till the reckoning was paid, and then called one of her bullies to take care of him. In this VOL. II. No, 10. ridiculous ridiculous diftrefs ftood the British monarch; the prifoner of a bawd, and the life upon whom the nation's hopes were fixed, put in the power of a ruffian. After many altercations the King at laft propofed, that the fhould accept a ring which he then took off his finger, in pledge for her money, which he likewife refused, and told him, that as he was no judge of the value of the ring, fhe did not chufe to accept fuch pledges. The King then defired that a Jeweller might be called to give his opinion of the value of it, but he was answered, that the expedient was impracticable, as no jeweller could then be fuppoled to be out of bed. After much entreaty his Majefty at laft prevailed upon the fellow, to knock up a jeweller and fhew him the ring, which as foon as he had infpected, he stood amazed, and enquired, with eyes fixed upon the fellow, who he had got in his houfe? to which he anfwered, a black-looking ugly fon of a w who had no money in his pocket, and was obliged to pawn his ring. The ring, fays the jeweller, is fo immenfely rich, that but one man in the nation could afford to wear it; and that one is the King. The jeweller being astonished at this accident, went out with the bully, in order to be fully fatisfied of fo extraordinary an affair; and as foon as he entered the room, he fell on his knees, and with the utmost refpect prefented the ring to his Majefty. The old Jezebel and the bully finding the extraordinary quality of their gueft, were now confounded, and afked pardon moft fubmiffively on their knees. The King in the best natured manner forgave them, and laughing, asked them, whether the ring would not bear another bottle. Thus ended this adventure, in which the King learned how dangerous it was to risk his perfon in night frolics; and could not but feverely reprove Rochefter for acting fach a part towards him; however he fincerely refolved never again to be guilty of the like indifcretion. Thefe are the most material of the adventures, and libertine courfes of the lord Rochester, which hiftorians and biographers have tranfmitted to posterity; we shall now confider him as an author. He feems to have been too strongly tinctured with that vice which belongs more to literary people, than to any other profeffion under the fun, viz. envy. That lord Rochester was envious, and jealous of the reputation of other men of eminence, appears abundantly clear from his behaviour to Dryden, which could proceed from no other principle; as his malice towards him had never difcovered itself till the tragedies of that great poet met with fuch general applause, and his poems were univerfally efteemed. Such was the inveteracy he fhewed to Mr. Dryden, that he fet up John Crown, an obfcure man, in oppofition to him, and recommended him to the King to compofe a mafque for the court, which was really the bufinefs of the poet laureat; but when Crown's Conqueft of Jerufalem met with as extravagant fuccefs as Dryden's Almanzor's, his lordship then withdrew his favour from Crown, as if he would be ftill in contradiction to the public. His malice to Dryden is faid to have still further difcovered itself, in hiring ruffians to cudgel him for a fatire he was fuppofed to be the author of, which was at once malicious, cowardly, and cruel : But of this we fhall give a fuller account in the life of Mr. Dryden. Mr. Wolfely, in his preface to Valentinian, a tragedy, altered by lord Rochefter from Fletcher, has given a character of his lordship and his writings, by no means confiftent with that idea, 0 2 which |