About the fame time, he married the Countess Dowager of Manchester, and intended to have taken orders; but afterwards altering his purpose, he purchased, for 1500 l., the place of one of the

clerks of the council.

In 1690, he wrote An Epifile to the Earl of Dorfet, occafioned by bis Majefty's Victory in Ireland, which has received from Addison, in his "Account of the greatest English Poets," at least its full proportion of praise :

"The noble Montague remains unnam'd

For wit, for honour, and for judgment fam'd;

To Dorfet he directs his artful Muse,

In numbers fuch as Dorfet's felf might use,

How negligently raceful he unreins

His verfe, and writes in loofe familiar ftrains!

How Naffau's godlike acts adorn his lines,

And all the hero in full glory fhines!

We fee his army fet in full array,

And Boyne's dy'd waves run purple to the sea."

in 1691, he distinguished himself by his fpeeches in parliament, in favour of a law, to grant the affiftance of counsel in trials of high treafon. In the midst of one of his fpeeches, falling into fome confufion, he could not for a while go on ; but having recovered himfelf, took occafion, from his very furprise, " to enforce the neceffity of allowing counfel to prifoners, who were to appear before their judges, fince he, who was not only innocent and unaccused, but one of their own men bers, was fo difconcerted, when he was to speak before that wife and illuftrious Assembly." The fame year, he was appointed one of the Commiffioners of the Treasury, and foon after (worn of the Privy Council.

In 1694, he was made Chancellor of the Exchequer; and the next year, he engaged in the great attempt of the recoinage of filver, which, by his great prudence and indefatigable industry, was in two years happily completed.

In 1696, he projected the general fund, and propofed the iffuing of Exchequer bills, to supply the fcarcity of money, which has fince been adopted, to the great benefit of the nation.

In 1698, after inquiry concerning a grant of Irish Crown-lands, the Houfe of Commons voted, That Charles Montague, Efq., Chancellor of the Exchequer, for his good fervices to the Government, did den ferve his Majefy's favour.

The fame year, he was advanced to the first commiffion of the Treasury, and appointed one of the Lords Juflices of England, in the King's abfence. The next year, he was made auditor of the Exchequer; and, the year after, advanced to the dignity of baron Halifax, in the county of

York.

He was, however, impeached by the Commons, for advising his Majefty to fign the Partisan Treaty; but the articles were difmiffed by the Lords.

At the acceffion of Queen Anne, he was difmiffed from the council; and, in the firft parliament of her reign, was again attacked by the Commons, and again efcaped by the protection of the

Lords.

In 1704, he wrote an answer to Bromley's fpeech against occasional conformity, which had great influence in ftrengthening the Whig intereft on the fucceeding elections.

On the removal of Nottingham and the Tories, he was recalled to his former feat in the couneil, and attended the Queen from Newmarket to Cambridge, where, by her Majesty's special grace, he was created Doctor of Laws.

In 1705, he moved the famous queflion, Whether the Church of England was in danger under ber Mojfly'. administration? which was carried in the negative, by a great majority.

In 1706, he propofed and negotiated the treaty of Union between the two kingdoms, as a felid foundation of peace and happiness in both countries; and moved the bill for the naturalization of the Barf of Hanover, and for the better fecurity of the fucceffion of the crown in the Proteftant line.

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After the act had paffed, he was appointed to carry the enfigns of the Order of the Garter to the Elector of Hanover, by whom he was received with extraordinary marks of diftinction and honour.

On his return to England, he was graciously received by the Queen, and continued in her favour till the change of the miniftry in 1710, in confequence of the memorable trial of Dr. Sacheverel, at which he fat as a judge, and voted for a mild fentence.

Being no longer in favour, he acted vigorously in support of the Queen's parliamentary right; and, in oppofition to the addreffes in vindication of her bereditary title, published Seasonable Questions concerning a new Parliament; and contrived to obtain a writ for fummoning the Electoral Prince to parliament, as Duke of Cambridge.

At the Queen's death, he was appointed one of the regency; and, at the acceffion of George the First, was made Earl of Halifax, and Viscount Sunbury, Knight of the Garter, First Commissioner of the Treasury, with a grant to his nephew of the reverfion of the auditorfhip of the Exchequer, and Lord Lieutenant of the county of Surrey.

He died of an inflammation of his lungs, on the 19th of May 1715, in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and was buried in Weftminster abbey.

Leaving no iffue by his lady, whom he survived feveral years, his title of baron, and his estates, devolved on his nephew, George Montague, Efq. of Horton; except his manor of Apfcourt, which he left to Mrs. Barton, niece of Sir Ifaac Newton, with a legacy of 5000l., as a token of his affection

and efteem for her perfon, and as a small recompence for the pleasure and happiness he bad in her conversation. Though Halifax ranks high as a patriot and a statesman, it is not to his patriotism, nor his influence in the state, but to his rank among the English poets, that he derives a claim to attention in this collection.

Confidered as a poet, he belongs to an inferior class: he ranks with Stepney and Walsh, with whom he is affociated in "The Works of the Minor Pocts;" but makes a lefs confiderable figure than Dorset, or even than Sedley and Hopkins, who do not appear in his company, though they, as well as Oldham, have as just a claim to admiffion as several names which appear in it, and were originally selected by the compiler of these narratives, from "the mob of gentlemen who wrote "with ease," for this collection; and have been rejected only, because they could not be properly received, in confequence of fome arrangement relative to the fize of the publication.

His poems confift chiefly of academical exercises, and of verses written on public occafions. Among the former, his Latin compositions seem to deserve the preference, though they are inferior to fimilar compositions by Smith, Prior, and Stepney. Among the latter, his Verfes on the Battle of the Boyne is his most celebrated performance: though it merits not all the praise it has received, it has fome descriptive and interefting paffages, which deferve commendation. The Man of Honour is vigorously written, and contains fome pointed fentences, and ftriking delineations of character. The Verfes written on the Toafting-Glaffes of the Kit-Kat Club cannot be eafily exceeded: they are genteel, sprightly, and elegant. His other pieces have alfo their brighter paffages: but, in general, there is a languor in his verses, which Lems to indicate a propensity to poetry, rather than a power of excelling in it.

The works of him, who was not only a poet and a scholar, but the general patron of poets and men of letters, could not miss of more than due celebration. Addison, whose judgment was probably influenced by affection, or gratitude, began to praise him early, and was followed or accompanied by almost all the contemporary writers of verfe, except Swift, his political opponent, and Pope; who forbore to praise him during his life, and after his death fpoke of him, the one with flight cenfure, and the other, in the character of Bufo, with fatirical feverity.

Proud as Apollo on his forked hill,

Sat full-blown Bufo, puff'd by every quill;
Fed with foft dedication all day long,
Horace and he went hand in hand in song.

"All the bright images," fays Steele, in addreffing to his lordship the 4th volume of the Tatier, "which the wits of paft ages have left behind them in their writings, the nobleft plans which the greatest statesmen have laid down for the administration of affairs, are equally the familiar objects of your knowledge. But what is peculiar to your lordship, above all the illustrious perfonages that have appeared in any age, is, that wit and learning have, from your example, fallen into a Your patronage has produced those arts, which before shunned the commerce of the world, into the fervice of life, and it is to you we owe that the man of wit has turned himself to be a man of business. Your own ftudies have been diverted from being the brightest ornament, to the brightest use to mankind; and the capacities that would have rendered you the greatest poet of your age, have, to the advantage of Great Britain, been employed in pursuits which have made you the most able and unbiaffed patriot."

new era.

"He refted not," fays Tickell," in a barren admiration of the polite arts, wherein he him. felf was fo great à master, but was acted by that humanity they naturally inspire; which gave rise to many excellent writers, who have caft a light upon the age in which he lived, and will diftin. guish it to pofterity. It is well known that very few celebrated pieces have been published fr feveral years, but what were either promoted by his encouragement, or fupported by his appro bation, or recompenfed by his bounty. The caufe of liberty will receive, no small advantage in future times, when it shall be observed that the Earl of Halifax was one of the patriots who were at the head of it; and that most of those who were eminent in the feveral parts of polite or useful learning, were, by his influence and example, engaged in the same interest."

His character, as given by Dr. Johnson, fhews the prejudices of our great poetical biographer, against a Whig patron of literature, who is enumerated among the most eminent poets, yet i defpifed.

"Many a blandifhment was practifed upon Halifax, which he would never have known had he had no other attractions than those of his poetry, of which a fhort time has withered the beau ties. It would now be efteemed no honour, by a contributer to the monthly bundles of verses, to be told, that, in ftrains either familiar or folemn, he fings like Montague."

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In Thames, the Ocean's darling, England's pride, This glorious pomp our fpirits cheers; from hence

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