caufe Jersey 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 verfe or profe. His whole life had been action, and none ever denied him the refplendent qualities of fteady refolution and perfonal courage. He was really in Prior's mind what he reprefents 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 praife, which reason would not refuse. Among the advantages to arife from the future years of William's reign, he mentions a Society for ufeful Arts, and among them. Some that with care true cloquence shall teach, And schools profefs our tongue through every land, Tickell, in his Profpect of Peace, has the fame hope of a new academy: In happy chains our daring language bound, Whether the fimilitude of thofe paffages which exhibit the fame thought on the fame occafion proceeded from accident or imitation, is not easy to determine. Tickell might have been impreffed with his expectation by Swift's Propofal for afcertaining the English Language, then lately pub. lifhed. In the parliament that met in 1701, he was chofen reprefentative of East Grinstead. Perhaps it was about this time that he changed his party; for he voted for the impeachment of thofe lords who had perfuaded the king to the Partition-treaty, a treaty in which he had himfelf 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 verfemen, Prior, among the reft, took care to fhew his delight in the increafing honour of his country by an Epiftle to Boileau. He published, foon afterwards, a volume of poems, with the encomiaftic character of his deceafed patron the duke of Dorset: it began with the College Exercife, and ended with the Nutbrown Maid. The battle of Ramillies foon 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 easy 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 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 amidft 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 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 waste 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 lofs of his place, was written by Prior, and anfwered by Addifon, who appears to have known the author either by conjecture or intelligence. 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 returning in about a month, brought with him the Abbé Gaultier, and M. Mefnager, B 4 nager, a minifter from France, invefted with full powers. This tranfaction not being avowed, Mackay, the master of the Dover packet-boat, either zealously or officioufly, feized Prior and his affociates at Canterbury. It is eafily fuppofed that they were foon released. The negociation was begun at Prior's houfe, where the Queen's minifters met Mefnager (September 20, 1711) and entered privately upon the great bufinefs. The importance of Prior appears from the mention made of him by St. John in his letter to the Queen. "My Lord Treasurer moved, and all my Lords "" were of the fame opinion, that Mr. Prior fhould "be added to thofe who are empowered to fign; "the reafon for which is, because he having per"fonally treated with Monfieur de Torcy, is the "best witnefs we can produce of the sense in which "the general preliminary engagements are entered into befides which, as he is the best versed in "matters of trade of all your majefty's fervants, "who have been trufted in this fecret, if you shall "think fit to employ him in the future treaty of "commerce, it will be of confequence that he has "been a party concerned in concluding that con"vention, which must be the rule of this treaty." The affembly of this important night was in fome degree clandeftine, the defign of treating not being. yet openly declared, and, when the Whigs returned to power, was aggravated to a charge of high treafon; though, as Prior remarks in his imperfect anfwer to the report of the Committee of Secrecy, no treaty ever was made without private interviews and preliminary difcuflions. My My business is not the hiftory of the peace, but the life of Prior. The conferences began at Utrecht on the first of January (1711-12), and the English plenipotentiaries arrived on the fifteenth. The minifters of the different potentates conferred and conferred; but the peace advanced fo flowly, that speedier methods were found neceffary; and Bolingbroke was fent to Paris to adjuft differences with lefs formality; Prior either accompanied him or followed him; and after his departure had the appointments and authority of an ambaffador, though no public character. By fome miftake of the Queen's orders the court of France had been difgufted; and Bolingbroke fays in his letter, "Dear Mat, hide the nakednefs: "of thy country, and give the beft turn thy fertile "brain will furnifh thee with to the blunders of "thy countrymen, who are not much better poli-"ticians than the French are poets."" Soon after, the duke of Shrewsbury went on a formal embaffy to Paris. It is related by Boyer, that the intention was to have joined Prior in the commiffion, but that Shrewsbury refufed to be affociated with a man fo meanly born. Prior therefore continued to act without a title till the duke returned next year to England, and then he affumed the ftyle and dignity of ambaffador. But, while he continued in appearance a private man, he was treated with confidence by Lewis, who fent him with a letter to the Queen, written in favour of the elector of Bavaria. "I fhall ex pect," fays he, "with impatience, the return "of Mr. Prior, whofe conduct is very agreeable to "me." And while the duke of Shrewsbury was ftill at Paris, Bolingbroke wrote to Prior thus: "Monfreur B.5 |