that court, and a bestirring nimse if against their practices, was the prevailing passion of his whole life. Few men had the art of concealing and governing passion more than he had; yet few men had stronger passions, which were seldom felt but by inferior servants, to whom he usually made such recompenses for any sudden or indecent vents he might give his anger, that they were glad at every time that it broke upon them. He was too easy to the faults of those about him, when they did not lie in his own way, or cross any of his designs; and he was so apt to think that his ministers might grow insolent, if they should find that they had much credit with him, that he seemed to have made it a maxim to let them often feel how little power they had even in small matters. His favourites had a more entire power, but he accustomed them only to inform him of things, but to be sparing in offering advice, except when it was asked. It was not easy to account for the reasons of the favour that he shewed, in the highest instances, to two persons beyond all others, the Earls of Portland and Albemarle, they being in all respects men not only of different, but of opposite characters. Secrecy and fidelity were the only qualities in which it could be said that they did in any sort agree. I have now run through the chief branches of his character. I had occasion to know him well, having observed him very carefully in a course of sixteen years. I had a large measure of his favour, and a free access to him all the while, though not at all times to the same degree. The freedom that I used with him was not always acceptable: but he saw that I served him faithfully; so after some intervals of coldness, he always returned to a good measure of confidence in me. I was, in many great instances, inuch obliged by him; but that was not my chief bias to him; I considered him as a person raised up by God to resist the power of France, and the progress of tyranny and persecution. The series of the five Princes of Orange that was now ended in him, was the noblest succession of heroes that we find in any history. And the thirty years, from the year 1672 to his death, in which he acted so great a part, carry in them so many amazing steps of a glorious and distinguishing Providence, that, in the words of David, he may be called The man of God's right hand, whom he made strong for himself. After all the abatements that may be allowed for his errors and faults, he ought still to be reckoned among the greatest princes that our history, or indeed that any other, can afford. He died in a critical time for his own glory, since he had formed a great alliance, and had projected the whole scheme of the war; so that if it succeeds, a great part of the honour of it will be ascribed to him and if otherwise, it will be said he was the soul of the alliance, that did both animate and knit it together, and that it was natural for that body to die and fall asunder, when he who gave it life was withdrawn. Upon his death, some moved for a magnificent funeral; but it seemed not decent to run into unnecessary expense, when we were entering upon a war that must be maintained at a vast charge. So a private funeral was resolved on. But for the honour of his memory, a noble monument and an equestrian statue were ordered. Some years must show whether these things were really intended, or if they were only spoke of to excuse the privacy of his funeral, which was scarce decent, so far was it from being magnificent.

COUNT GRAMMONT.

In 1713 appeared a semi-historical work, relating to the court of Charles II-the 'Mémoires du Comte de Grammont,' translated into English in 1714, and still a popular English work. The best edition is that of 1811, which has copious notes, some of which are said to have been contributed by Sir Walter Scott. The author, ANTHONY HAMILTON (1646-1720), was related by birth to the noble Scotch family of Hamilton, and to the Irish ducal family of Ormond. His sis ter married Count Grammont, who arrived in England from France in 1662, and was one of the most briliant and accomplished adven turers at Whitehall, the court of Paphos.' In his old age it appears, the count dictated his memoirs to his brother-in-law, and the scandalous chronicle is allowed to be a truthful narrative. It exhibits the king and court in dishabille-and something more.

ARTHUR WILSON-SIR ANTHONY WELDON-SIR RICHARD BAKER.

Some inferior historians, annalists, and antiquaries, may here be noticed. They may be considered as the pioneers or camp-attendants of the regular acknowledged historians.

ARTHUR WILSON (1596-1652) was secretary to Robert, Earl of Essex, the Parliamentary general in the Civil Wars; and afterwards became steward to the Earl of Warwick. He left in manuscript a work, on The Life and Reign of King James I, which was published in 1653. A comedy of his, entitled 'The Inconstant Lady,' was printed at Oxford, edited by Dr. Bliss, in 1814 Arthur Wilson's work on the reign of James I. is termed by Heylin a most famous pasquil.'

A more unfavourable picture of the same period is given in the Court and Character of King James, Written and Taken by Sir A. W. being an Eye and Ear Witness,' 1650. The writer, SIR ANTHONY WELDON, had been Clerk of the Kitchen to the king, and accompanied him to Scotland in 1617, but, writing a depreciatory account of Scotland, he was dismissed from office. He revenged himself by drawing up this sketch of the court and its monarch, in which a graphic, though overcharged description of James-his personal appearance, habits, oddities, &c.-is presented.

After

SIR RICHARD BAKER (1558–1645) was author of a 'Chronicle' long popular in England, particularly among country gentlemen. Aldison makes it the favourite book of Sir Roger de Coverley. Baker was knighted by James I. in 1603, and in 1620 became high shriff for Oxfordshire, in which he possessed considerable property. wards, having imprudently engaged for the payment of debts contracted by his wife's family, he became insolvent, and spent several years in the Fleet Prison, where he died in 1645. While in durance, he wrote Meditations and Disquisitions' on portions of Scripture, translated Balzac's Letters' and Malvezzi's' Discourses on Tacitus,' and composed two pieces in defence of the theatre. His principal work, however, was that already referred to, entitled A Chronicle of the Kings of England, from the Time of the Romans' Government unto the Death of King James.' This work, which appeared in 164!, 'the author complacently declares to be collected with so great care and diligence, that if all other of our chronicles were lost, this only would be sufficient to inform posterity of all passages memorable or worthy to be known.' Notwithstanding such high pretensions, the 'Chronicle' was afterwar is proved by Thomas Blount, in Animadversions' published in 1672, to contain many gross errors. The style of Baker, which is superior to his matter, is described in a letter written to him by his former college-friend, Sir Henry Wotton, as 'full of sweet raptures and of researching conceits; nothing borrowed, nothing vulgar, and yet all flowing from you, I know not how, with a certain equal facility.'

DUGDALE-ANTHONY A WOOD-ASHMOLE.

SIR WILLIAM DUGDALE (1605-1686) was highly distinguished for his knowledge of heraldry and antiquities. His work, entitled 'The Baronage of England,' is esteemed as without a rival in its own department; and his 'Antiquities of Warwickshire Illustrated' (1656) has been placed in the foremost rank of county histories. He published also a History of St. Paul's Cathedral;' and three volumes of a great work, entitled Monasticon Anglicanum' (1655–1673), intended to embrace the history of the monastic and other religious foundations which existed in England before the Reformation. Besides several other publications, Dugdale left a large collection of manuscripts, which are now to be found in the Bodleian Library at Oxford and at the Heralds' College.-ANTHONY A Wood (1632-1695), a native of Oxford, was attached to similar pursuits. He published, in 1691, a well-known work, entitled 'Athena Oxonienses,' being an account of the lives and writings of almost all the eminent authors educated at Oxford, and many of those educated at the university of Cambridge. Wood appears to have been a diligent and careful collector, though frequently misled by narrow-minded prejudices and hastily formed opinions. He compiled also a work on the History and Antiquities of the University of Oxford, which was published only in Latin, the translation into that language being made by Dr. Fell, bishop of Oxford.-ELIAS ASHMOLE (1617-1692), a famous antiquary and virtuoso, was a friend of Sir William Dugdale, whose daughter he married. In the earlier part of his life he was addicted to astrology and alchemy, but afterwards devoted his attention more exclusively to antiquities, heraldry, and the collection of coins and other rarities. His most celebrated work, entitled 'The Institution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter,' was published in 1672. A collection of relics, books, and manuscripts, which he presented to the university of Oxford, constituted the foundation of the Ashinolean Museum.

AUBREY-RYMER.

JOHN AUBREY (1626-1700) studied at Oxford, and, while there, aided in the collection of materials for Dugdale's' Monasticon Anglicanum;' at a later period, he furnished valuable assistance to Anthony & Wood. His only published work is a collection of popu lar superstitions relative to dreams, portents, ghosts, witchcraft, &c., under the title of Miscellanies.' His manuscripts, of which many are preserved in the Ashmolean Museum and the library of the Royal Society, prove his researches to have been very extensive, and have furnished much useful information to later antiquaries. Aubrey has been too harshly censured by Gifford as a credulous fool; yet it must be admitted that his power of discrimination was small. His 'Letters,' consisting chiefly of biographical facts, communicated to Authony & Wood, were published in three volumes in 1813.

THOMAS RYMER (circa 1638-1713), appointed royal historiographer in 1692, published the Fœdera,' a most valuable collection of public treaties and compacts, filling fifteen folio volumes, to which ROBERT SANDERSON (1660-1741) made a continuation, extending the work to twenty volumes (1701-1735). Rymer began his career as a dramatist and critic, but nothing can be worse in taste or judgment than his remarks on Shakspeare and other poets. I have thought,' he says, our poetry of the last age as rude as our architecture,' and he speaks of that "Paradise Lost" of Milton's, which some are pleased to call a poem !'

·

THEOLOGIANS.

BISHOP ANDREWS.

In 1631, by his majesty's special commandment,' were published 'Ninety-six sermons by DR. LANCELOT ANDREWS or ANDREWES (1555-1626), bishop of Winchester, and a privy-councillor-a prelate who had the singular good fortune to enjoy the favour of three successive sovereigns, and whose death was mourned by the youthful muse of Milton. Andrews was the most learned divine of his day, excepting Usher, and was styledStella Prædicantium '-the star of preachers. When the Jesuit Bellarmin attacked King James's treatise on the Rights of Kings,' the duty of defending the royal author devolved on Andrews, who acquitted himself so much to the satisfaction of James, that he appointed him to the see of Chichester, and made him his almoner. As a prelate, Andrews was in favour of the high-church doctrines and ceremonial, of which Laud became the representative, but he was more noted for his learning, his wit, charity, and munificence* His sermons are deformed by pedantry and conceit, but display a lively fancy and power of ingenious exposition and illustration. In patristic theology, or knowledge of the carly Fathers of the church, Andrews was unrivalled in his day. The following extracts shew his peculiar style:

Angels and Men.

1. What are angels? Surely they are spirits, immortal spirits. For their nature or substance. spirits; for their quality or property, glorious; for their place or abode, heavenly; for their durance or continuance, immortal.

And what is the seed of Abraham, but as Abraham himself? And what is Abra

* Bacon quotes some of the lively sayings of Andrews, and Walker relates the following anecdote of the popular prelate. Dr. Neile, bishop of Durham, and Andrews were standing behind the king's chair at dinner, wheu Jaines suddenly turned to them and said: My lords. cannot I take my subjects' money when I want it, without all this formality in parliament? Neile replied: God forbid, sir, but you should; you are the breath of our nostrils. The king then addressed Andrews: 'Well, my lord and what say you? Sir. replied Andrews, I have no skill to judge of parliamentary cases. The king answered: No puts-off. my lord: answer me presently. Then, sir,' said he, 'I think it lawful for you to take my brother Neile's money, for he offers it.'

E. L. v. ii.-12

ham? Let him answer himself; I am dust and ashes. What is the seed of Abraham? Let one answer in the persons of all the rest; dicens putredini, &c. saying to rottenness, thou art my mother, and to the worms, ye are my brethren. They are spirits; now what are we, what is the seed of Abraham 2 Flesh. And what is the very harvest of this seed of flesh? What but corruption, and rottenness, and worms.

There is the substance of our bodies.

2. They glorious spirits; we vile bodies (bear with it. it is the Holy Ghost's own term, who shall change our vile bodies). And not only base and vile, but filthy and unclean; ex immundo conceptum semine, conceived of unclean seed: there is the metal. And the mould is no better, the womb wherein we were conceived, vile, base, filthy, and unclean. There is our quality.

3. They heavenly spirits, angels of heaven: that is, their place of abode is in heaven above, ours is here below in the dust; inter pulices, et culices, tineas, araneas, et vermes; our place is here among fleas and flies, moths, and spiders, and crawling worms. There is our place of dwelling,

4. They are immortal spirits; that is their durance. Our time is proclaimed in the prophet, flesh, all flesh is grass, and the glory of it as the flowers of the field (from April to June). The scythe cometh; nay, the wind but bloweth, and we are gone, withering sooner than the grass, which is short: nay, fading sooner than the flower of the grass, which is much shorter: nay, saith Job, rubbed in pieces more easily than any moth.

This we are to them if you lay us together; and if you weigh us upon the balance, we are altogether lighter than vanity itself; there is our weight. And if you value us, man is but a thing of nought: there is our worth. Hoc is omnis homo; this is Abraham. and this is Abraham's seed: and who would stand to compare these with angels? Verily, there is no comparison; they are incomparably far better than the best of us,

Do Good.

I see there is a strange hatred and a bitter gainsaying everywhere stirred up against unpreaching prelates (us you term them) and pastors that feed themselves only: and they are well worthy. If I might see the same hatred begun among yourselves, I would think it sincere. But that I cannot see. For that which a slothful divine is in things spiritual, that is a rich man for himself and nobody else in things carnal: and they are not pointed at. Be sure you have your harvest, as well as ours, and that a great harvest. Lift up your eyes, and see the streets round about you; the harvest is verily great, and the labourers few. Let us pray (both) that the Lord would thrust out labourers into both these harvests: that the treasures of knowledge being opened, they may have the bread of eternal life; and the treasures of well-doing being opened, they may have the bread of this life; and so they may want neither.

ARCHBISHOP USHER.

JAMES USHER or USSHER, the celebrated archbishop of Armagh, was born in Dublin, January 4, 1580 (o.s.), son to one of the clerks in Chancery. He would have devoted himself to law, had not the death of his father, whose wishes pointed to that profession, allowed him to follow his own inclination for theology. He succeeded to his father's estate, but, wishing to devote himself uninterruptedly to study, gave it up to his brother, reserving for himself only a sufficiency for his maintenance at college and the purchase of books. In 1606 he visited England, and became intimate with Camden and Sir Robert Cotton, to the former of whom he communicated some valuable particulars about the ancient state of Ireland and the history of Dublin: these were afterwards inserted by Camden in his 'Britannia.' For thirteen years subsequently to 1607, Usher filled the chair of Divinity in the university of Dublin, in performing the