on, and confequently the ftrongest, got a Decree in Madam de la Prefident's Favour, by which the enjoy'd a large feparate Allowance, and ftill continued to refide without Disturbance at the Chevalier's Villa. At length the old Husband was fo obliging to die, and leave her the World to her felf. But here both your Divinities be pleased to remark how the Chevalier approv'd himself that wonderful Man of Honour! for after feventeen Years Amour, and (as it was cenfured by the Malicious) Poffeffion, he married Olinda; no longer in her Youth! never handfome! amorous! termagant! jealous! revengeful! and fo little Mistress of her Paffions, or fo defective of the Art of concealing them, that they had often made her, (with all her distinguishing Wit,) both the Object of his Pity and Contempt.

Some Perfons there are, who never hear of any Action that founds extraordinary, but their Ill-nature makes them look into the Spring of that Action. Hence they tell you, that the Chevalier durft not but have marry'd Olinda if he meant to live! for fhe had often threaten'd to fhoot or ftrangle him with her own Hand, if ever he refused or delay'd to repair her Honour fhould For tune be fo obliging to put it in his Power! They bring his exceffive Debauch as to Wine for Proof, that his Ardors were con fiderably abated, towards a Lady older than himself, fometime before the Prefident's!

Death,

Death, and his perpetual Habitude of being every Day, and almoft half, fometime all the Night, at a Cabaret a League diftant, where he feem'd beholding to any Company that would wear away the Time with him in drinking Bumpers. But above all, their Accufation was ftrengthned by this not unfufpicious Circumftance, that after the Wedding-Night they never came into the fame Bed, tho' all the Day they remain'd in tolerable good Correfpondence. Is not this prodigiously unaccountable? If you believe the Report of the World, and that of their own Servants, they never refted apart whilst it was unlawful for them to meet; and now 'tis blameable for them to part they never meet! though my Lady with no ill Innuendo of her former Innocence, was one Day lamenting to thofe that fpoke to her of an Heir, that Monfieur le President had liv'd a little too long. Her Daughter will be a vast Heirefs, if the Chevalier, (whom the illnatur'd World concludes to be her Father,) leave her, as 'tis believed he will, all his Eftate. She already enjoys a very good one as fhe is Heir to the Prefident. The Chevalier is exceffively fond of her, and divides himself between fome of her Company, a little of her Mother's, a great deal of Wine, and a Pretenfion to much Politicks; in which he is very bufy, very hearty, and very confiderable in his Country, and ferves here to ftrengthen the Party upon all

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Occafions of Debate, by his according Voice in the Divan.

Pray your Ladyfhips be pleased to stretch your radiant Eyes with a more than ordinary regard to those two renown'd Politicians that ftop at the Door in deep Conference with each other. They have had a fuccessful Miniftry. Time was when their young Ambition durft not caft away an improbable Wish of being Masters of the tenth Part of what they are now in Poffeffion of. Then all they purfu'd was to be applauded for Men of Genius in the Airy Region of Parnaffus; they both wrote, and both with Succefs. Nor can there be better Judges of Writing: And as an everlasting Monument of their Praise be it recorded, that they have not been afraid to applaud and reward the Performances of others; free from that Emulation which has ftung even fome of the great Emperors of old, who would be thought Poets. They have in their two Perfons more confpicuously encouraged and raised the Ingenious, than has the whole Race of the Atalantick Nobility befide. True, they have had a larger Power than moft, and have more diftinguifh'd it. Have they enrich'd themselves fuddenly and furprizingly? 'Tis meritorious in one refpect, because they do Good with it to others: Both have had the lucky Circumftance of finding it to be for their Interest ftill to remain of the Party they first fix'd

in. The Methods they have took to raise their Fortune, gives us but little Hopes that they would have perfever'd in any Principle that fhould but once appear to be contrary to their Intereft: But fince no fuch Change has arriv'd, let us charitably applaud them, as Men remaining true to their firft Profeffions; a Vertue rarely found in a Statesman.

One there was, once upon a time at the Head of the Atalantick State, who though long fince dead, his Crimes can never die. An Original! an immortal Villain! of him alone we ought to make an Exception to the general Rule, Of the Departed Speak not ill. His Vices fhould be recorded on Monumental Marble, or ever-enduring Brafs, that no Time, no Age, may be able to deface the horrible Remembrance! who fubmitted an infinite natural Capacity, and vaft Strength of Parts, to the inglorious, villainous Practice, of firft feducing his Prince, and then betraying and punishing him for it. A Prince, who lov'd and embraced him, implicitly purfuing all the Measures of his pernicious, traiterous Counfels, becaufe they were his, A Villain! for the fake of Villany! Falfe and foolish in his Falfeness! a private Penfioner to three Monarchs of different Interefts, at the fame time betraying them to each other; and yet an Impairer of his own large paternal Eftate, and by means unknown and unaccountable. What

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What did all thy Treafons avail, inglorious Statefman? What the Beauty of thy fubtle Parts? Whom hadft thou to boaft of ruining? A weak, a fhort-fighted credulous Prince, that trufted thee! a Prince! full of this generous Maxim, That it is a much leffer Shame to be deceived by, than 'tis to diftruft a Friend. What Reward hadft thou for thy Treachery? Didft thou ever dare to wear those Honours to which thy Ingratitude afpired? Or could thy Treafons raife thee higher than thou wert before? Haft thou not contracted fo univerfal an Odium, (even to thofe that rejoiced at the Effects thy Villanies had produced) that like an obfcene Bird of Night thou durft never after publickly appear? a Cloud of conscious Guilt hung hovering oe'r thy thoughtful Brow, felf-convicted! felf-punished! Live eternally here above, in the infamous Memory of thy confummate Mifchief. Below! like another Prometheus, may thy rank perpetual-Liver grow with never-ceafing Supplies, to gorge immortal Vulturs, till all Mankind, warn'd by thee, grow good and honeft, because they will find it their Intereft to be unlike thee!

This Digreffion (for which I humbly beg Pardon of your Excellencies) hath given my Pair of Poetical Statesmen time to feparate. The nearest to us was ever an implicit Servant to the dark Commands of his Mafter. No Encomium can reach the Me