THE

LONDON REVIEW,

FOR APRIL, 1777.

Mifcellaneous Works of the late Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield: confifling of Letters to his Friends, never before printed, and various other Articles. To which are prefixed, Memoirs of his Life, tending to illuftrate the Civil, Literary, and Political, Hiftory of his Time. By M. Maty, M.D. late Principal Librarian of the British Museum, and Secretary to the Royal Society. In Two Volumes, 4to. 21. 2s. Dilly,

(Continued from Page'178.)`

To the very ample extracts, we gave in last month's Review, from Dr. Maty's memoirs of our late noble author, we fübjoined the Notes, intended to illuftrate them. Thofe notes, however, are printed feparately, in the work, at the end of the memoirs: a method of printing, in our opinion, by no means calculated for the convenience of the reader; whose eye is hence too often called off from the page, and his attention too much diverted from the text, to perufe it with fatisfaction. In the prefent cafe, alfo, the writer hath fo far betrayed his own want of attention as to reprint feveral parts of the text in the notes, without any appearance of neceffity or propriety. It is to be hoped that in a future edition thefe errours will be corrected; as it remains to be wished that the writer of the memoirs had not confined himself fo much to mere common-place reflection, in fpeaking of men and characters, that afforded fo much room for the difplay of original fentiment. How trite and flat, for inftance, is the following reflection on the circum

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ftances of Mr. Gay. "By the fuccefs of his fables and the Beggar's Opera, that Poet was enriched as much as a poet commonly can, or perhaps ought to be enriched."-But why cannot, or ought not, a poet to be enriched as well as a writer of profe? Was Pope, or is Voltaire, a worfe poet for being opulent? What neceffary concatenation of caufes is there between poverty and poetry? Surely none but what exists in the filly ideas, entertained by the vulgar; the affociation of which fhould not certainly be adopted by a philofopher.

The mifcetianeous pieces, contained in these volumes are political effays and letters extracted from Fog's Journal, Coinmon: Senfe, Old England, or the Conftitutional Journal, periodical papers that were published between the years 1735 and 1743 and moral and humourous effays published in the World, a paper carried on by Mr. Moore, author of the Foundling, and Fables for the Female Sex. A fpeech on the licenfing bill; an admirable oration, in which his Lordfhip difplayed his oratorial talents in defence of the liberty of the prefs. Two fpeeches on the gin act paffed in 1743. The first volume concluding with occafional letters and effays, among which is the following well-drawn portrait; which we apprehend to have never been before exhibited in public,

On Lord Chesterfield's firft becoming a correfpondent to this paper, was given an inftance of the truth of the fatirical reflection, of the poet, on noble authors..

But if a Lord once own the happy lines,

How the wit brightens! How the ftile refines!

Dr. Maty tells us, "This paper was fet on foot by Mr. Moore, the ingenious author of the Fables for the Female Sex, and of the tragedy of the Gamefter. He foon met with affiftance from numerous correfpondents, and as he informs us in the dedication of one of his volumes to Soame Jenyns, efq; (who was himself one of the writers in it, the World became the only fashionable vehicle, in which men of rank and genius chose to convey their fentiments to the public. Lord Chesterfield was one of thefe; but, as he fent his firft paper to the publifher without any notice from whence it came, it underwent but a flight infpection, and was very near being excluded on account of its length. This neglect would have ftopt any future communications; but fortunately lord Lyttleton happening to call at Mr. Dodiley's, this paper was fhewn to him, He immediately knew the hand, and ftill more the manner of writing, of the noble author. Mr. Moore being informed of this difcovery, read the manufcript more attentively, difcerned its beauties, and thought proper not only to publish it directly, but to introduce it with an apology for the delay, and a compliment to the author."-Query how far this circumftance juftifies the farcalm, thrown out by a certain envious critic, viz that Lord Chesterfield was a wit among Lords, and a Lord among avits. Rev.

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The Character of RICHARD, Earl of Scarborough, August 29, 1759*. "In drawing the character of lord Scarborough, I will be ftrictly upon my guard against the partiality of that intimate and unreservedl friendship, in which we lived for more than twenty years; to which friendship, as well as the public notoriety of it, I owe much more than my pride will let my gratitude own. If this may be fufpected to have biaffed my judgment, it must at the fame time, be allowed to have informed it; for the most fecret movements of his foul were, without difguife, communicated to me only. However, I will rather. lower than heighten the colouring; I will mark the fhades, and draw a credible rather than an exact likeness.

"He had a very good perfon, rather above the middle fize; a handfome face, and when he was chearful, the most engaging countenance imaginable; when grave, which he was ofteneft, the most refpectable one. He had in the highest degree the air, manners and addrefs of a man of quality, politenefs with cafe, and dignity without pride.

"Bred in camps and courts, it cannot be fuppofed that he was untainted with the fashionable vices of thefe warm climates; but (if I may be allowed the expreffion) he dignified them, inftead of their degrading him into any mean or indecent action. He had a good degree or claffical, and a great one of modern, knowledge; with a juft, and, at the fame time, a delicate tatte.

"In his common expences he was liberal within bounds; but in his charities and bounties he had none. I have known them put him to fome present inconveniencies.

"He was a ftrong, but not an eloquent or florid fpeaker in parlia ment. He spoke fo unaffectedly the honeft dictates of his heart, that truth and virtue, which never want, and feldom wear, ornaments, feemed only to borrow his voice. This gave fuch an astonishing weight to all he faid, that he more than once carried an unwilling majority after him. Such is the authority of unfufpected virtue, that it will sometimes fhame vice into decency at least.

"He was not only offered, but preffed to accept, the post of fecre tary of state; but he conftantly refufed it. I once tried to perfuade him to accept it; but he told me, that both the natural warmth and melan choly of his temper made him unfit for it; and that moreover he knew very well that, in thofe minifterial employments, the courfe of business made it neceffary to do many hard things, and fome unjust ones, which could not be authorised by the jefuitical cafuiftry of the direction of the intention; a doctrine which he faid he could not poffibly adopt. Whether he was the first that ever made that objection, I cannot affirm; but I fufpect that he will be the laft.

"He was a true conftitutional, and yet practicable patriot; a fincere lover and a zealous affertor of the natural, the civil, and the religious rights of his country. But he would not quarrel with the crown, for

I received this piece from lady Chesterfield. Indeed it wants no marks of authenticity. The noble author's mind and heart are painted in it in the livelieft manner; and he who can read it without sharing his feelings, muft have a foul very different from his.

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fome flight stretches of the prerogative; nor with the people, for fome unwary ebullitions of liberty; nor with any one, for a difference of opinion in fpeculative points. He confidered the conftitution in the aggregate, and only watched that no one part of it should preponderate too much,

"His moral character was fo pure, that if one may fay of that imperfect creature man, what a celebrated hiftorian fays of Scipio, nil non laudandum aut dixit, aut fecit, aut fenfit, I fincerely think, (I had almost said I know) one might fay it with great truth of him, one fingle inftance excepted, which fhall be mentioned.

"He joined to the nobleft and ftrictest principles of honour and generofity the tenderest sentiments of benevolence and compaffion; and as he was naturally warm, he could not even hear of an injuftice or a baseness, without a fudden indignation, nor of the misfortunes or miferies of a fellow creature, without melting into foftness, and endeavouring to relieve them. This part of his character was fo univerfally known, that our best and most fatyrical English poet fays;

When I confefs, there is who feels for fame,

And melts to goodness, Scarb'rough need I name?

"He had not the least pride of birth and rank, that common narrow notion of little minds, that wretched mistaken fuccedaneum of merit; but he was jealous to anxiety of his character, as all men are who deferve à good one. And fuch was his diffidence upon that fubject, that he never could be perfuaded that mankind really thought of him as they did. For furely never man had a higher reputation, and never man enjoyed a more univerfal esteem. Even knaves respected him; and fools thought they loved him. If he had any enemies (for I proteft I never knew one), they could only be fuch as were weary of always hearing Ariftides the Juit.

"He was too fubject to sudden gufts of paffion, but they never hurried him into illiberal or indecent expreffion or action; fo invincibly habitual to him were good-nature and good-manners. But, if ever any word happened to fall from him in wrath, which upon fubfequent reflection he himself thought too strong, he was never eafy till he had made more than a fufficient atonement for it.

"He had a moft unfortunate, I will call it a moft fatal kind of melancholy in his nature, which often made him both absent and filent in company, but never morofe or four. At other times he was a chearful and agreeable companion; but, confcious that he was not always fo, he avoided company too much, and was too often alone, giving way to a train of gloomy reflexions.

"His constitution, which was never robuft, broke rapidly at the latter end of his life. He had two fevere strokes of apoplexy or palfy, which confiderably affected his body and his mind.

"I defire that this may not be looked upon as a full and finished cha racter, writ for the fake of writing it; but as my folemn depofit of the truth to the best of my knowledge. I owed this fmall tribute of justice, fuch as it is, to the memory of the best man I ever knew, and of the dearest friend I ever had."

The

The fecond volume of thefe Mifcellanies contains Lord Chefterfield's letters to and from his friends, on various fubjects and occafions; the first bearing date in the year 1712, when the writer was a student at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and the laft in the year 1771, not long before his lordship's decease.They are diftributed into claffes or books: the first containing letters written in French and tranflated into English. From these we shall felect, for the entertainment of our readers, the tranflation of two letters from the celebrated Crebillon the younger, with his lordship's answer.

From Mr. CREBILLON to Lord CHESTERFIELD,

"My Lord,

Paris, February 23, 1742.

"I never read a word of yours, but what lays me under fresh obligation, and increases, if poffible, the lively gratitude I owe for your favours. I have felt, more than I could exprefs, all that you have been pleafed to do for me.

"I am not ignorant that it was in the midst of circumstances which were of importance to England, and which must have given you full employment, that you have condescended to think of my book, and to be anxious for my fituation. I will not pretend to thank you for your generous concern; all I could fay, my lord, would fall too far fhort of what you do, and of what I feel. I fhould not be ashamed of not fpeaking elegantly, but I fhould be fo, to find that I could not exprefs, as ftrongly as I ought, the fentiments of refpect I have for your lordhip. Permit me to use the word gratitude; be the benefactor's rank what it will, it cannot offend him. When the fentiment it exprefies is a true one, I think it may be admitted, and it can only displease when it is a mere compliment.

"A propos, my lord, I owe you one if our accounts are true, but I think I ought to congratulate England, and not you †. Permit me then to beg that you will take care of your health. It will be doing a great fervice to your country, if you preferve your own life; but this is a truth we know better than you, and I am very much afraid that all your friends together will not be able to convince you of it.

"At latt, my lord, the Sopha is come out; and methinks it seems to take, but not without oppofition. Though all our women think like Phenima, there is not one but is offended at the character of Zulica. The fevereft criticifin falls upon this ftory, Nobody can conceive there can be a man in the world fo little acquainted with

Son to the French poet of that name, and author of fome witty and fas tyrical novels. The manners of the age, and especially of the French nations, have been no where fo ftrongly marked as in the writings of this aus thor. He profeffes that his object was to expofe vice, and to mend both the mind and the heart of his countrymen. It may be fo: but virtue muft blush that her advocate fhould have indulged in images and deferiptions likely to inflame rather than extinguifh paffions.

The report of lord Chesterfield being appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland.

women,