cular Obligations, lays his Claim to your Lordship's Patronage upon the fame Account. I must confefs, my Lord, had not I alrea dy receiv'd great Inftances of your Favour, I fhould have been afraid of fub mitting a Work of this Nature to your Perufal. You are fo throughly acquainted with the Characters of Men, and all the Parts of human Life, that it is impoffible for the leaft Mifrepresentation of them them to escape your Notice. It is Your Lordfhip's particular Distinction that You are Mafter of the whole Compafs of Business, and have fignalized Your Self in all the different Scenes of it. We admire fome for the Dignity, others for the Popularity of their Behaviour; fome for their Clearness of Judgment, others for their Happiness of Expreffion; fome for the laying of Schemes, and others others for the putting of them in Execution: It is Your Lordship only who enjoys these feveral Talents united, and that too in as great Perfection as others poffefs them fingly. your Enemies acknowledge this great Extent in your Lordship's CharaAter, at the fame time that they use their utmost Industry and Invention to derogate from it. But it is for Your Honour that those who are now Your Enemies Enemies were always fo. You have acted in fo much Consistency with Your Self, and promoted the Intereft of your Country in fo uniform a Manner, that even thosewho would mifrepresent your Generous Designs for the Publick Good, cannot but approve the Steadiness and Intrepidity with which You pursue them. It is a moft fenfible Pleasure to me that I have this Opportunity of profeffing my felf |