that prevailed, were to him the fame. It was a rule with him, always to fide with the predominant party; and the fame motives, which induced him to defend the Royal Caufe, when uppermoft, naturally carried him to pay his court to the Ufurper, when that was depreft. If ever he joined in communion with the established church, as, according to his own principles, it was for mere worldly motives, fo we may prefume, without breach of charity, that, had the wild reveries of Mahomet been in fashion, (fome of which are little lefs extravagant than his own) he would have made no fcruple of joining with the votaries of that Impoftor, efpecially if it were unfafe to do otherwife. This cenfure cannot be thought too fevere, by those who are acquainted with his ftrange notions concerning the human foul, which fome modern Deifts have taken fuch advantage of, and neceffarily imply that it perifhes with the body. of mind as this, it can be no fhould have been a coward, thoughts of Death, which, puts an end to our exiftence. In fhort, whatever he had valuable in him, either as an Orator, Poet, Hiftorian, or Philofopher, (in all which branches of literature he has given us fome fine fpecimens, and for the latter of which he is highly celebrated by Cowley) it can fcarce be doubted, that one of the Earl's difcernment, who knew fo well how to make a right eftimate of things, made a proper advantage of it. But as to his tutor's political and religious notions, they never made the leaft impreffion on the noble pupil, whofe foul was too elevated and generous to confult his own perfonal fafety, when the Conftitution was in danger. The Earl, in fine, was totally the reverfe of Hobbs, that is, always ready to engage in a good caufe, whether triumphant or fuffering, and regardlefs even of

With fuch a turn wonder, that Hobbs and tremble at the according to him,

life itself, when it came in competition with his duty.

The Earl furvived his tutor five years, departing this life at his feat at Roehampton, in Surry, on the 23d of November, 1684, and was interred with his noble ancestors at Derby, having maintained to the laft moment the fame invariable character, which he had fuftained with fo much dignity, in every period of life.

To attempt drawing up this noble Lord's character, in the ufual manner of Biographers, will be wholly fuperfluous. Suffice it therefore juft to intimate, that Mr. Hobbs's prayer, at the clofe of the Dedication, from which we have quoted fome fine paffages in the preceding Life, was fully answered, to wit, That God would please to give him virtues fuitable to the fair dwelling he had prepared for them. "He was, fays Kennet, a true English Peer, honour"ed by his Prince, and beloved by the People, be"caufe fteady in maintaining the juft Prerogative of "the one, and the legal Liberties of the other. Many perfons, now living, agree in this remembrance of "him, that he was a man of as much confcience "and honour, religion, prudence, and goodness, as they ever knew in the world.

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"His tenderness and good-nature to friends and "relations was very exemplary.-He was virtuous "in his whole life, and prudent in all his affairs: "He improved his large inheritance, and took care "to let it defcend entire to his pofterity." Even Envy itself muft own, that the Doctor, in drawing this picture, which so much resembles the life, was not a mere panegyrift; and Hobbs himself, tho' fo greatly mistaken in other refpects, must here be allowed to have fpoken the truth, when he told the Earl, in his earlieft youth, that he perceived the feeds of his father's virtues already fpringing up in him.

He married the Lady Elizabeth, fecond daughter of William Earl of Salisbury, by whom he had iffue, 1. William, his eldest son and heir. 2 Charles, who died unmarried about the year 1670, buried at Derby; and one daughter, Anne, first married to Charles Lord Rich, only fon to Charles Earl of Warwick; and afterwards to John Lord Burghley, afterwards Earl of Exeter; the travelled with her husband twice to Rome, and attended him at his death in his laft return near Paris: She died in June 1703, in St. Martin's in the Fields, London, and was buried near her husband in a new vault within the church of St. Martin's in Stamford, under an elegant monument, brought, among other exquifite works, from Rome.

THE

LIFE of CHRISTIAN, Countess Dowager of DEVONSHIRE,

Wife of the second and Mother of the third Earl.

TH

HIS Lady was defcended from the Bruces, a very antient and illuftrious house both in England and Scotland, which originally traced its pedigree from Robert and David, both Kings of the latter; one of the fifters of whom married into the Royal House of Stuart. She was born on Christmas-day, and for this reafon had the name of Chriftian, an appellation, which her many pious and charitable actions afterwards fully fhewed was not merely nominal. She was naturally of a sweet difpofition, and by her address, prudence, and œconomy, may be properly ftyled the restorer and preferver of her family.

We have already mentioned by what means her marriage with the Earl was brought about, and how many children fhe had by him, as well as the entangled condition her fon's affairs were left in at the death of his father, which caused her, during his minority, to use her utmost endeavours to restore them to their former condition.

Her late Lord, for want of ufing that domeftic œconomy which too often great men are apt to neglect, had by that means contracted several large debts, and confequently afterwards his estates became involved in many law-fuits, infomuch that it has been averred, there were depending at one time no less than thirty; these matters took up all her attention.

However, tho' her late husband's debts were large, yet, out of the income of her jointure, which was

5000l.

5000l. a year, and other effects belonging to her deceafed Lord, fhe by her prudent management at laft put an end to all the law-fuits; in the doing which he acted with fuch prudence and refolution in the different Courts where they were depending, that it gained her great esteem and refpect from the Judges, who spoke of her as a mirror of a woman. His Majefty, one day, jeftingly faid to her, Madam, You have all my fudges at your difpofal. Another matter which contributed to the accomplishment of what this Lady had much at heart, was the cutting off fome entails then fubfifting upon certain eftates, which fhe obtained, being at that time looked upon as a fingular favour. In fhort, after fome years care and management fhe had the pleafure of feeing all her Lord's debts difcharged, and his eftate clear from incumbrances, in which condition fhe delivered them up to her fon. The writer of her Life and the Hiftorians of the times, reprefent her as a finished pattern of all female perfection, both intellectual and acquired.

The Countess having thus far fucceeded, had now an opportunity of living again in a manner fuitable to her dignity, had it not been for the Civil War, in the courfe of which fhe contributed to affift the Royalifts; but when fhe found that the King had been worsted in feveral engagements, and was no longer able to keep the field, fhe, like a woman' of fenie, applied herfelf to ferve the Royal caufe with the fame zeal, only with more caution and fecrecy.

Thus fhe acted in refpect to the Earl of Effex, who, by the force of her arguments, was convinced, a little before his death, of the wrong ftep he had taken, and, had he lived a little longer, intended to have declared for the King.

Whilft the Countefs refided at Latimers, one of the family feats, the King was then a prifoner