portraits. His pencil, true, light and eafy, reprefented nature in all her charms. He left a fon and a nephew, who fupported the reputation which he had acquired.

DESTOUCHES (ANDRE'), a french mufician, was born at Paris in 1672. He accompanied father Tachard to Siam, with a refolution of entering into the fociety of jefuits upon his return; but he changed his purpofe, and became a foldier. It was in this line of life that he discovered his talents for mufic; and he quitted foldiery, that he might devote himself entirely to it. He foon gained a vaft reputation by his opera of Iffé, which the king relifhed fo highly, as to prefent the compofer with 200 louis d'ors; graciously adding, that no mufic fince Lulli had pleafed him fo much as his. It is fomewhat fingular that Deftouches, when he made this charming piece, knew nothing of compofition: but, instead of art, he had genius, and (what is ufually the concomitant of genius) a very strong paffion for his object. After producing the Iffé, he made himself a mafter of rules; but it is faid, that they damped his genius, and that none of his compofitions afterwards equalled the Ifle. He died in 1749, fuperintendant of the royal band, and infpector-general of the royal academy of music, with a pension of 4000 livres.

DESTOUCHES (PHILIP NERICAUT), a french dramatic writer, was born at Tours in 1680, and educated at Paris. His first destination was to the army; but he quitted this fervice, to attach himself to the marquis de Puyfieux, ambaffador of France with the Helvetic body. It was in Swifferland that his talent for theatrical productions firft difplayed itself; and his Curieux Impertinent was exhibited there with applause. His dramatic productions made him known to the regent, who fent him to London in 1717, to affift, in his political capacity, at the negotiations then on foot. He spent feven years thus in London, married there, and returned to his country; where the dramatift and negotiator were well received. The regent had a juft fenfe of his fervices, and promised him great things; but, dying foon after, left Deftouches the meagre comfort of reflecting how well he should have been provided for if the regent had lived. Having loft his patron, he retired to Fortoifeau near Melun, as the propereft fituation to make him forget the caprices of fortune. He purchased the place; and, cultivating agriculture, philofophy, and the mufes, there abode as long as he lived. Cardinal Fleury would fain have drawn him out of it, and fent him ambaffador to Petersburg; but Deftouches would not ftir: he chose rather to attend his lands and his woods, and to correct with his pen the manners of his own countrymen, than to go and converse with the boyards of Ruffia. He died in 1754, leaving a daughter and a fon: the latter, by order

order of Lewis XV. publifhed at the Louvre an edition of his father's works, in 4 vols. 4to. Deftouches had not the gaiety of Regnard, nor the ftrong warm colouring of Moliere; but he is always polite, tender, and natural.

DEVEREUX (ROBERT), earl of Effex, is memorable for having been a great favourite, and an unhappy victim to the arts of his enemies and his own ambition, in the reign of queen Elizabeth. He was fon of Walter the firft earl of Effex, and born Nov. 10, 1567, at Netherwood, his father's feat in Herefordshire. His father dying when he was only in his 10th year, recommended him to the protection of William Cecil lord Burleigh, whom he appointed his guardian. Two years after, he was fent to the univerfity of Cambridge by this lord, who placed him in Trinity-college, under the care of Dr. Whitgift, then master of it, and afterwards archbishop of Canterbury. He was educated there with much ftrictnefs, and applied himself to learning with great diligence; though it is faid that, in his tender years, there did not appear any pregnant figns of that extraordinary genius which fhone forth in him afterwards. In 1582, having taken the degree of M. A. he foon after left Cambridge, and retired to his own houfe at Lampfie in South-Wales, where he spent fome time; and became fo enamoured of his rural retreat, that he was with difficulty prevailed on to quit it. His first appearance at court, at least as a candidate for royal favour, was in his 17th year; and he brought thither a fine perfon, an agreeable behaviour, and an affability which procured him many friends. By degrees he fo far overcame the reluctance he fhewed to using the affiftance of the earl of Leicester, who had been his father's enemy, that in 1585 he accompanied him to Holland, where we find him next year in the field, with the title of general of the horse. In this quality he gave the higheft proofs of perfonal courage in the battle of Zutphen, fought in 1586; and, on his return to England, was made, the year after, master of the horse in the room of lord Leicester promoted. In 1588, he continued to rife, and indeed almost reached the fummit of his fortune; for, when her majesty thought fit to affemble an army at Tilbury, for the defence of the kingdom, in cafe the Spaniards fhould land, fhe gave the command of it, under herself, to the earl of Leicester, and created the earl of Effex general of the horfe. From this time he was confidered as the favourite declared; and if there was any mark yet wanting to fix the people's opinion in that refpect, it was fhewn by the queen's conferring on him the honour of the garter.

We need not wonder, that fo quick an elevation, and to fo great an height, fhould affect fo young a man as the earl of Effex; who fhewed from henceforward a very high fpirit, and often behaved petulantly enough to the queen herself, who yet VOL. V.

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did not love to be controuled by her fubjects. His eagerness about this time to difpute her favour with fir Charles Blunt, afterwards lord Montjoy and earl of Devonshire, coft him fome blood; for fir Charles, thinking himself affronted by the earl, challenged him, and, after a fhort difpute, wounded him in the knee. The queen, fo far from being displeased with it, is faid to have fworn a good round oath, that it was fit fomebody fhould take him down, otherwife there would be no ruling him. However, the reconciled the rivals; who, to their honour, continued good friends as long as they lived. In 1589, fir John Norris and fir Francis Drake having undertaken an expedition for reftoring don Antonio to the crown of Portugal, the earl of Effex, willing to fhare the glory, followed the fleet and army to Spain; which difpleafing the queen very highly, as it was done without her confent or knowledge, fhe fent him the following letter: "Effex, your fudden and undutiful departure from our prefence and your place of attendance, you may easily conceive how offenfive it is and ought to be unto us. Our great favours," bestowed upon you without deferts, have drawn you thus to neglect and forget your duty; for other conftruction we cannot make of thefe your ftrange actions. Not meaning therefore to tolerate this your disordered part, we gave directions to fome of our privy-council, to let you know our exprefs pleasure for your immediate repair hither, which you have not performed as your duty doth bind you, increafing thereby greatly your former of fence and undutiful behaviour in departing in fuch fort without our privity, having fo fpecial office of attendance and charge near our perfon. We do therefore charge and command you forth- I with, upon the receipt of thefe our letters, all excufes and delays fet apart, to make your prefent and immediate repair unto us, to understand our farther pleasure. Whereof fee you fail not, as you will be loth to incur our indignation, and will anfwer for the contrary at your uttermoft peril. The 15th of April 1589."

At his return, however, he foon recovered her majefty's good graces which he again hazarded by a private match with Frances, only daughter of fir Francis Walfingham, and widow of fir Philip Sidney. This her majefty apprehended to be deroga tory to the honour of the houfe of Effex; and, though for the prefent this business was paffed by, yet it is thought that it was not fo foon forgot. In 1591, he went abroad, at the head of fome forces, to affift Henry IV. of France; which expedition was afterwards repeated, but with little or no fuccefs. In 1592-3, we find him prefent in the parliament at Wettminster; about which time the queen made him one of her privy-council. He met however in this and the fucceeding years with various caufes of chagrin, partly from the loftinefs of his own temper, but chiefly from the artifices of thofe who envied his great credit

with the queen, and were defirous to reduce his power within bounds. Thus a dangerous and treafonable book, written abroad by Parfons, a jefuit, and published under the name of Doleman, with a view of creating diffenfion in England about the fucceffion to the crown, was dedicated to him, on purpose to make him odious, and create him trouble; and it had its effect. But what chiefly foured his fpirit, was his perceiving plainly, that though he could in moft fuits prevail for himself, yet he was able to do little or nothing for his friends. This appeared remarkably in the cafe of fir Francis Bacon, which the earl bore with much impatience; and, refolved that his friend fhould not go unserved, gave him of his own a fmall estate in land. There are indeed few circumstances in the life of this noble perfon, that do greater honour to his memory, than the refpect he fhewed to men of parts and learning. It was this difpofition of mind which induced him to bury the immortal Spenfer at his own expence. It was this that, in the latter part of his life, engaged him to take the learned fir Henry Wotton, and the ingenious Mr. Cuffe, into his fervice: as, in his earlier days he had engaged the incomparable brothers, Anthony and Francis Bacon, to fhare his fortunes and his cares.

But to go on: Whatever difadvantages the earl might labour under from intrigues at court, the queen had commonly recourse to his affiftance in all dangers and difficulties, and placed him at the head of her fleets and armies, preferably to any other perfon. His enemies, on the other hand, were contriving and exerting all they could against him. They infinuated to the queen, that, confidering his popularity, it would not be at all expedient for her service to receive fuch as he recommended to civil employments; and they carried this fo far, as even to make his approbation a fufficient objection to men whom they had encouraged and recommended themfelves. In 1598, a warm difpute arofe in the council, between the old and wife lord-treasurer Burleigh and the earl of Effex, about continuing the war with Spain. The earl was for it, the treasurer against it; who at length grew into a great heat, and told the earl that he feemed intent upon nothing but blood and flaughter. The earl explained himself, and faid, that the blood and flaughter of the queen's enemies might be very lawfully his intention; that he was not against a folid, but a fpecious and precarious peace; that the Spaniards were a fubtle and ambitious people, who had contrived to do England more mischief in the time of peace, than of war, &c. The treasurer at last drew out a Prayer-book, in which he shewed Effex this expreflion: "Men of blood fhall not live out half their days." As the earl knew that methods would be used to prejudice him with the people of England, fuch especially as got their living by trade, or thought themfelves oppreffed by taxes

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levied for the fupport of the war, he refolved to vindicate his proceedings, and for that purpofe drew up in writing his own arguments, which he addreffed to his dear friend Anthony Bacon. This apology ftole into the world not long after it was written; and the queen, it is faid, was exceedingly offended at it. The title of it runs thus: "To Mr. Anthony Bacon, an apologie of the earle of Effexe, against those which falfelie and maliciouflie take him to be the only hindrance of the peace and quiet of his countrie." This was reprinted in 1729, under the title of "the earl of Effex's vindication of the war with Spain," in 8vo.

About this time died the treafurer Burleigh, which was a great misfortune to the earl of Effex; for that lord having fhewn a tenderness for the ear!'s perfon, and a concern for his fortunes, had many a time ftood between him and harm. But now, his guardian being gone, his enemies acted without any restraint, crofled whatever he propofed, ftopped the rife of every man he loved, and treated all his projects with an air of contempt. He fucceeded lord Burleigh as chancellor of the university of Cambridge; and, going down, was there entertained with great magnificence. This is reckoned one of the laft inftances of this great man's felicity, who was now advanced too high to fit at eafe; and thofe who longed for his honours and employments, very clofely applied themfelves to bring about his fall. The first great fhock he received, in regard to the queen's favour, arofe from a warm difpute between her majefty and himself, about the choice of fome fit and able perfon to fuperintend the affairs of Ireland. The affair is related by Camden, who tells us, that nobody was prefent but the lord admiral, fir Robert Cecil, fecretary; and Windebanke, clerk of the feal. The queen looked upon fir William Knolls, uncle to Effex, as the moft proper perfon for that charge: Eflex contended, that fir George Carew was a much fitter man for it. When the queen could not be perfuaded to approve his choice, he fo far forgot himself and his duty, as to turn his back upon her in a contemptuous manner; which infolence her majefty not being able to bear, gave him a box on the ear, and bid him go and be hanged. He immediately clapped his hand on his fword, and the lord admiral ftepping in between, he fwore a great oath, declaring that he neither could nor would put up an affront of that nature; that he would not have taken it at the hands of Henry VIII. and in a great paffion immediately withdrew from court. Jord keeper advifed him to apply himfelf to the queen for pardon. He fent the lord keeper his anfwer in a long and paffionate letter, which his friends afterwards unadvifedly communicated: wherein he appealed from the queen to God Almighty, in exprelious fomething to this purpofe: "That there was no tem

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