and the affability of his behaviour, the favourite of Pope, Swift, Ad. difon, and all the beaux efprits. The former being one dey in company at Lord Cobham's with a great number of people of diftinction, who were scribbling rhimes on their glaffes, was defired by Lord Chefterfield to oblige them with a distich extempore. Favour me with your diamond, my lord, faid the poet, and immediately after wrote the following elegant compliment on his glafs :

Accept a miracle instead of wit-See two bad lines by Stanhope's

pencil writ.

Even the foreign minifters, and other illuftrious ftrangers, allowed that he was a perfect master of the beauties of the French and Italian languages, and had an uncommon knowledge of poetry, ftatuary, architecture, and the fine arts.

A copy of verses on the royal family was handed about at that time which gave great offence to the king, who having declared he was certain it was written by Lord Chesterfield, the latter fent his majefty an epiftle in verfe, in which he denied the charge, and with equal wit and feverity told that monarch how he would have expreffed himself upon the subject. As the fatyrift, however, in thefe lines did not get the better of the gentleman, the king, not knowing where to fix his refentment, grew rather ashamed than angry, and it in fome degree contributed to heal the breach between them.

Being feized with a deafnefs in the year 1752, which cut him off (as he fays) from society, at an age when he had no pleasures but those

left," and for which all remedies were ineffectual, from that time he led a retired and private life; and, being fecluded from mixed companies, made his eyes fupply the defects of his ears, by amusing himself with his books and his pen; in particular, engaging largely, as a volunteer, in the periodical work called The World, published in 1753. by Mr. Moore, where his lordfhip's papers are moft diftinguishably excellent. The late earl of Corke, a genius of the fame rank, in a letter from Blackheath in 1760, fays, "Our neighbourhood, tho' lordly, is good. Lord Chesterfield, except deafnefs, is ftill Lord Chesterfield. He speaks and writes with all the Stanhope fire. Lady Chesterfield is goodnefs itfelf, &c."

His lordship had no iffue by his lady, but he had a fon by Madame du Bouchet, (a French lady) whofe education and fettlement in life engroffed his whole attention, and to whom he wrote the letters lately publifhed. He could not leave his estate to this promifing youth, as he was not legitimate; he therefore endeavoured to raise him a fortune by prudent economy, and replenish his mind with the fruits of that experience which he had gleaned in the world.

Young Stanhope, however, did not live to be much benefited by his father's frugality; nor did his inftructions turn to fo much account as might have been expected: but, perhaps a few years more might have brought them to maturity. From the death of his fon, Lord Chesterfield was almost entirely denied to the world, feldom appearing in public, and affociating only with a few friends.

We shall only add, that his lordfhip died March 24, 1773, and was fucceeded in his titles and eftates by Philip Stanhope, Efq; fon of his kinfman Arthur Stanhope, Efq; deceased; lineally defcended from the first Earl of Chesterfield. His lordship's character, in which, for wit and abilities, and especially for elocution or oratory, he had few equals, requires a pen or a tongue like his own. An Apelles only can draw an Alexander. His friend Pope has celebrated him, together with the late Lord Bath:

"How can I Pulteney, Chester

field forget, While Roman spirit charms, or Attic wit!"

If his morals had been as unexceptionable, he would indeed have been the wonder of his age. His propenfity to gaming, and, if we may fo fay, his cullibility, were most notorious: these, and fome other youthful vices, he frankly confeffes in his letters, at the fame time that he feems unconfcious of many other failures in moral duty, particularly of the baseness of seduction and adultery, which even the licentioufnefs of France cannot excufe a father's teaching and inculcating to his fon. Though Lord Chesterfield feldom exerted his poetical talent but in epigrams and ballads, the few that are known to be his are evidently by the hand of a

"Verfes written in a lady's Sherlock on Death," &c We cannot conclude, without wishing that his lordship had made his will earlier in life, as then he would probably have avoided fome glaring inconfiftencies, which age and infirmities only can excufe in a man of his talents and good-nature. Such are, 1. His forbidding his heir to go into Italy, though he had thought an Italian education" of the utmost confequence to his fon; and his committing the abfolute care of this heir's education" to a nobleman who is known to have a predilection for that country, and generally refides there. 2. His leaving the mother of his late natural fon but

500l. 3. His ftyling his fervants his "unfortunate friends, his equals by nature," &c. and then leaving them two years wages only; and to two, whom he calls" old and faithful," who had spent their lives in his fervice, not more than 50 guineas each. 4. His not fo much as mentioning his excellent lady, whofe character ought to have given him a much better opinion of the whole fex.

He was buried privately (as he defired) in the vault under Audleychapel, being the next buryingplace to Chesterfield-house.

Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late George Lord Lyttelton.

HE family of this accomplish

guished in this kingdom for many centuries past. His ancestors had poffeffions in the vale of Evesham, in the reign of Henry III. particularly at South-Lyttelton, from which place fome antiquarians have afferted they took their name. There

were

were two grants of land belonging to Evesham abbey, in the poffeffion of the late learned Mr. Seldon, to which one John de Lyttelton was witnefs, in the year 1160. The great Judge Lyttelton, in the reign of Henry IV. was one of this family, and from him defcended Sir Thomas Lyttelton, father of the late peer, who was appointed a lord of the admiralty in the year 1727; which poft he refigned many years afterwards, on account of the bad ftate of his health.

This gentleman married Chriftian, daughter to Sir Richard Temple, fifter of the late Lord Viscount Cobham, and maid of honour to Queen Anne, by whom he had fix fons and fix daughters, the eldest of which was George, afterwards created Lord Lyttelton, who was born at Hagley in Worcestershire, one of the most beautiful rural retirements in this kingdom, in the year 1708.

He received the elements of his education at Eton-fchool, where he fhewed an early inclination to poetry. His paftorals and fome other light pieces were originally written in that feminary of learning, from whence he was removed to the Univerfity of Oxford, where he purfued his claffical ftudies with uncommon avidity, and sketched the plan of his Perfian Letters, a work which afterwards procured him great reputation, not only from the elegance of the language in which they were compofed, but from the excellent obfervations they contained on the manners of mankind.

In the year 1728 he fet out on the tour of Europe, and on his arrival at Paris, accidentally became acquainted with the Honourable Mr. Poyntz, then our minifter at the court of Versailles, who was fo

ftruck with the extraordinary capacity of our young traveller, that he invited him to his houfe, and employed him in many political negociations, which he executed with great judgment and fidelity.

The good opinion Mr. Poyntz entertained of Mr. Lyttelton's character and abilities is teftified in a letter under his own hand to his father, in which he expreffes him. felf as follows:

To Sir Thomas Lyttelton, Bart.

SIR,

I received your two kind letters, in which you are pleafed very much to over-value the fmall civilities it has lain in my power to fhew Mr. Lyttelton. I have more reason to thank you, Sir, for giving me fo convincing a mark of your regard, as to interrupt the courfe of his travels on my account, which will lay me under a double obligation to do all I can towards making his ftay agreeable and useful to him; though

hall ftill remain the greater gainer by the pleasure of his company, which no fervices of mine can fufficiently requite. He is now in the fame houfe with me, and by that means, more conftantly under my eye than even at Soiffons; but I fhould be very unjust to him, if I left you under the imagination, that his inclinations ftand in the leaft need of any fuch ungenerous reftraint: Depend upon it, Sir, from the obfervation of one who would abhor to deceive a father in fo tender a point, that he retains the fame virtuous and ftudious difpofitions, which nature and your care planted in him, only strengthened and improved by age and experience; fo that, I dare promise

you,

were two grants of land belonging to Evesham abbey, in the poffeffion of the late learned Mr. Seldon, to which one John de Lyttelton was witnefs, in the year 1160. The great Judge Lyttelton, in the reign of Henry IV. was one of this family, and from him defcended Sir Thomas Lyttelton, father of the late peer, who was appointed a lord of the admiralty in the year 1727; which post he refigned many years afterwards, on account of the bad ftate of his health.

This gentleman married Chriftian, daughter to Sir Richard Temple, fifter of the late Lord Viscount Cobham, and maid of honour to Queen Anne, by whom he had fix fons and fix daughters, the eldest of which was George, afterwards created Lord Lyttelton, who was born at Hagley in Worcestershire, one of the most beautiful rural retirements in this kingdom, in the year 1708. He received the elements of his education at Eton-fchool, where he fhewed an early inclination to poetry. His paftorals and fome other light pieces were originally written in that feminary of learning, from whence he was removed to the Univerfity of Oxford, where he purfued his claffical ftudies with uncommon avidity, and sketched the plan of his Perfian Letters, a work which afterwards procured him great reputation, not only from the elegance of the language in which they were compofed, but from the excellent obfervations they contained on the manners of mankind.

In the year 1728 he fet out on the tour of Europe, and on his arrival at Paris, accidentally became acquainted with the Honourable Mr. Poyntz, then our minifter at the court of Versailles, who was fo

I received your two kind letters, in which you are pleafed very much to over-value the fmall civilities it has lain in my power to fhew Mr. Lyttelton. I have more reafon to thank you, Sir, for giving me fo convincing a mark of your regard, as to interrupt the course of his travels on my account, which will lay me under a double obligation to do all I can towards making his stay agreeable and useful to him; though I fhall ftill remain the greater gainer by the pleasure of his company, which no fervices of mine can fufficiently requite. He is now in the fame houfe with me, and by that means, more conftantly under my eye than even at Soiffons; but [ fhould be very unjust to him, if I left you under the imagination, that his inclinations ftand in the leaft need of any fuch ungenerous reftraint: Depend upon it, Sir, from the obfervation of one who would abhor to deceive a father in fo tender a point, that he retains the fame virtuous and ftudious difpofitions, which nature and your care planted in him, only ftrengthened and improved by age and experience; fo that, I dare promise