He was foon after made a gentleman of the bedchamber, and fent on fhort embaffies to France. In 1674, the eftate of his uncle James Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, came to him by its owner's death, and the title was conferred on him the year after. In. 1677, he became, by the death of his father, Earl of Dorset, and inherited the eftate of his family. In 1684, having buried his firft wife, of the family of Bagot, who left him no child, he married a daughter of the Earl of Northampton, celebrated both for beauty and understanding. He received fome favourable notice from King. James; but foon found it neceffary to oppose the violence of his innovations, and with fome other lords appeared in Weftminster-hall to countenance the bishops at their trial. As enormities grew every day lefs fupportable, he found it neceffary to concur in the Revolution. He was one of thofe lords who fat every day in council to preserve the publick peace, after the King's departure; and, what is not the moft illuftrious action of his life, was employed to conduct the Princefs Anne to Nottingham with a guard, fuch as might alarm the populace, as they paffed, with falfe apprehenfions of her danger. Whatever end may be defigned, there is always fomething defpicable in a trick He became, as may be eafily fuppofed, a favourite of King William, who, the day after his acceffion, made him lord chamberlain of the household, and gave him afterwards the garter. He happened to be among those that were toffed with the King in an open boat fixteen hours, in very rough and cold VOL. I. weather, U weather, on the coaft of Holland. His health afterwards declined; and on January 19, 1705-6, he died at Bath. He was a man whofe elegance and judgement were univerfally confeffed, and whose bounty to the learned and witty was generally known. To the indulgent affection of the publick, Lord Rochefter bore ample teftimony in this remark: I know not how it is, but Lord Buckhurst may do what he will, yet is never in the wrong. If fuch a man attempted poetry, we cannot wonder that his works were praised. Dryden, whom, if Prior tells truth, he diftinguished by his beneficence, and who lavished his blandifhments on those who are not known to have fo well deserved them, undertaking to produce authors of our own country fuperior to thofe of antiquity, fays, I would inftance your Lordfhip in fatire, and Shakspeare in tragedy. Would it be imagined that, of this rival to antiquity, all the fatires were little perfonal invectives, and that his longeft compofition was a fong of eleven ftanzas? The blame, however, of this exaggerated praise falls on the encomiaft, not upon the author; whose performances are, what they pretend to be, the effufions of a man of wit; gay, vigorous, and airy. His verfes to Howard fhew great fertility of mind; and his Dorinda has been imitated by Pope. STEP STEP NE Y. GEORGE STEPNEY, defcended from the Stepneys of Pendigraft in Pembrokeshire, was born at Westminster in 1663. Of his father's condition or fortune I have no account. Having received the first part of his education at Westminster, where he paffed fix years in the College, he went at nineteen to Cambridge, where he continued a friendship begun at fchool with Mr. Montague, afterwards Earl of Halifax. They came to London together, and are faid to have been invited into publick life by the Duke of Dorfet. His qualifications recommended him to many foreign employments, fo that his time feems to have been spent in negociations. In 1692 he was fent envoy to the Elector of Brandenburgh: in 1693, to the Imperial Court; in 1694, to the Elector of Saxony; in 1696, to the Electors of Mentz and Cologne, and the Congrefs at Francfort; in 1698, a fecond time to Brandenburgh; in 1699, to the King of Poland; in 1701, again to the Emperor; and in 1706, * He was entered of Trinity College, and took his Master's degree in 1689. H. to the States General. In 1697 he was made one of the commiffioners of trade. His life was bufy, and not long. He died in 1707; and is buried in Westminster Abbey, with this epitaph, which Jacob transcribed: H. S. E. GEORGIUS STEPNEIUS, Armiger, Ob Ingenii acumen, Morum Suavitatem, Virorum Ampliffimorum Confuetudinem, Spem in illo repofitam On the Left hand, G. S. Ex Equeftri Familia Stepneiorum, Weftmonafterii natus eft, A. D. 1663. Electus Electus in Collegium Sancti Petri Weftmonaft. A. 1676. Frequentia, huc elatus, 1707. It is reported that the juvenile compofitions of Stepney made grey authors blush. I know not whether his poems will appear fuch wonders to the prefent age. One cannot always eafily find the reafon for which the world has fometimes confpired to fquander praife. It is not very unlikely that he wrote very early as well as he ever wrote; and the performances of youth have many favourers, because the authors yet lay no claim to publick honours, and are therefore not confidered as rivals by the diftributors of fame. He apparently profeffed himself a poet, and added his name to thofe of the other wits in the verfion of Juvenal; but he is a very licentious translator, and does not recompenfe his neglect of the author by beauties of his own. In his original poems, now and then, a happy line may perhaps be found, and now and then a fhort compofition may give pleasure. But there is, in the whole, little either of the grace of wit, or the vigour of nature. |