whether the king of England's palace had any fuch decorations; The monuments of my Mafter's actions, faid he, are to be feen everywhere but in his own boufe. The pictures of Le Brun are not only in themselves fufficiently oftentatious, but were explained by infcriptions fo arrogant, that Boileau and Racine thought it neceffary to make them more fimple.

He was in the following year at Loo with the king; from whom, after a long audience," he carried orders to England, and upon his arrival became under-fecretary of state in the earl of Jerfey's office; a poft which he did not retain long, becaufe Jerfey was removed; but he was foon made commiffioner of Trade.

This year (1700) produced one of his longeft and moft fplendid compofitions, the Carmen Seculare, in which he exhaufts all his powers of celebration. I mean not to accufe him of flattery; he probably thought all that he writ, and retained as much veracity as can be properly exacted from a poet profeffedly encomiaftic. King William fupplied copious materials for either verse or profe,

His whole life had been action, and none ever denied him the refplendent qualities of steady refolution and perfonal courage. He was really in Prior's mind what he represents him in his verses; he confidered him as a hero, and was accustomed to fay, that he praifed others in compliance with the fashion, but that in celebrating king William he followed his inclination. To Prior gratitude would dictate praise, which reafon would not refufe.

Among the advantages to arife from the future years of William's reign, he mentions Societies for ufeful Arts, and among them

Some that with care true eloquence shall teach, And to just idioms fix our doubtful speech; That from our writers diftant realms may know The thanks we to our monarch owe,

And choo's profefs our tongue through every land,

That has invok'd his aid, or blefs'd his hand.

Tickell, in his Profpect of Peace, has the fame hope of a new academy:

In happy chains our daring language bound,
Shall sport no more in arbitrary found.

Whether the fimilitude of those paffages which exhibit the fame thought on the fame occafion proceeded from accident or imitation, is not eafy to determine. Tickell might have been impressed with his expectation by Swift's Propofal for afcertaining the English Language, then lately published.

In the parliament that met in 1701, he was chofen representative of East Grinstead. Perhaps it was about this time that he changed his party; for he voted for the impeachment of those lords who had perfuaded the king to the Partition-treaty, a treaty in which he had himself been minifterially employed.

A great part of queen Anne's reign was a time of war, in which there was little employment for negotiators, and Prior had therefore leisure to make or to polish verfes. When the battle of Blenheim called forth all the verse-men, Prior, among the reft, took care to fhew his delight in the increafing honour of his country by an Epistle to Boileau.

He published, foon afterwards, a volume of poems, with the encomiaftic character of his deceased

deceased patron the duke of Dorfet: it began with the College Exercise, and ended with the Nut-brown Maid.

The battle of Ramillies soon afterwards (in 1706) excited him to another effort of poetry. On this occafion he had fewer or lefs formidable rivals; and it would be not eafy to name any other compofition produced by that event which is now remembered.

Every thing has its day. Through the reigns of William and Anne no profperous event paffed undignified by poetry. In the laft war, when France was difgraced and overpowered in every quarter of the globe, when Spain, coming to her affiftance, only fhared her calamities, and the name of an Englishman was reverenced through Europe, no poet was heard amidst the general acclamation; the fame of our counsellors and heroes was intrufted to the Gazetteer.

The nation in time grew weary of the war, and the queen grew weary of her minifters. The war was burdenfome, and the ministers were infolent. Harley and his friends

friends began to hope that they might, by driving the Whigs from court and from power, gratify at once the queen and the people. There was now a call for writers, who might convey intelligence of past abuses, and fhew the wafte of public money, the unreafonable Conduct of the Allies, the avarice of generals, the tyranny of minions, and the general danger of approaching ruin.

For this purpose a paper called the Examiner was periodically published, written, as it happened, by any wit of the party, and fometimes as is faid by Mrs. Manley. Some are owned by Swift; and one, in ridicule of Garth's verfes to Godolphin upon the loss of his place, was written by Prior, and answered by Addison, who appears to have known the author either by conjecture or intelli-gence.

The Tories, who were now in power, were in hafte to end the war; and Prior, being recalled (1710) to his former employment of making treaties, was fent (July 1711) privately to Paris with propofitions of peace, He was remembered at the French court;

and,