in which prince Rupert and the duke of Albemarle failed, with the command of the fleet; but by contrariety of winds they were reftrained from action. His zeal for the king's fervice was recompenfed by the command of one of the independent troops of horse, then raised to protect the coaft.

Next year he received a fummons to Parliament, which, as he was then but eighteen years old, the earl of Northumberland cenfured as at least indecent, and his objection was allowed. He had a quarrel with the earl of Rochefter, which he has perhaps too oftentatiously related, as Rochefter's furviving fifter, the lady Sandwich, is faid to have told him with very fharp reproaches.

When another Dutch war (1672) broke out, he went again a volunteer in the ship which the celebrated lord Offory commanded; and there made, as he relates, two curious remarks:

"I have obferved two things, which I dare affirm, "though not generally believed. One was, that the "wind of a cannon bullet, though flying never so "near, is incapable of doing the leaft harm; and ❝indeed, were it otherwise, no man above deck "would escape. The other was, that a great fhot

66

may be fometimes avoided, even as it flies, by "changing one's ground a little; for, when the "wind fometimes blew away the fmoke, it was fo "clear a fun-fhiny day, that we could eafily perceive "the bullets (that were half-fpent) fall into the wa❝ter, and from thence bound up again among us, "which gives fufficient time for making a step or two 66 on any fide; though, in fo fwift a motion, 'tis hard to judge well in what line the bullet comes,

L 3

"which,

"which, if miftaken, may by removing coft a man "his life, inftead of faving it."

His behaviour was fo favourably reprefented by lord Offory, that he was advanced to the command of the Catharine, the best fecond-rate fhip in the

navy.

He afterwards raifed a regiment of foot, and commanded it as colonel. The land-forces were fent afhore by prince Rupert: and he lived in the camp very familiarly with Schomberg. He was then appointed colonel of the old Holland regiment, together with his own, and had the promise of a garter, which he obtained in his twenty-fifth year. He was likewife made gentleman of the bed-chamber. He afterwards went into the French fervice, to learn the art of war under Turenne, but ftaid only a short time. Being by the duke of Monmouth oppofed in his pretenfions to the first troop of horfe- guards, he, in return, made Monmouth fufpected by the duke of York. He was not long after, when the unlucky Monmouth fell into difgrace, recompenfed with the lieutenancy of Yorkshire, and the government of Hull.

Thus rapidly did he make his way both to military and civil honours and employments; yet, busy as he was, he did not neglect his ftudies, but at least cultivated poetry; in which he must have been early confidered as uncommonly skilful, if it be true which is reported, that, when he was not yet twenty years old, his recommendation advanced Dryden to the Jaurel,

The Moors having befieged Tangier, he was fent (1680) with two thoufand men to its relief. A

strange

ftrange ftory is. told of the danger to which he was intentionally exposed in a leaky fhip, to gratify fome refentful jealousy of the king, whose health he therefore would never permit at his table till he faw himfelf in a fafer place. His voyage was profperoufly performed in three weeks; and the Moors without a conteft retired before him.

In this voyage he compofed The Vifion; a licentious poem, fuch as was fashionable in those times, with little power of invention or propriety of fentiment.

At his return he found the king kind, who perhaps had never been angry; and he continued a wit and a courtier as before.

At the fucceffion of king James, to whom he was intimately known, and by whom he thought himself beloved, he naturally expected ftill brighter funfhine; but all know how foon that reign began to gather clouds. His expectations were not disappointed ; he was immediately admitted into the privycouncil, and made lord chamberlain. He accepted a place in the high commiffion, without knowledge, as he declared after the Revolution, of its illegality. Having few religious scruples, he attended the king to mafs, and kneeled with the reft; but had no difpofition to receive the Romish Faith, or to force it upon others; for when the priests, encouraged by his appearances of compliance, attempted to convert him, he told them, as Burnet has recorded, that he was willing to receive instruction, and that he had taken much pains to believe in God who had made the world and all men in it; but that he should not be easily perfuaded that man was quits, and made God again A pointed

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A pointed sentence is bestowed by fucceffive tranf, miffion to the laft whom it will fit; this censure of tranfubftantiation, whatever be its value, was uttered long ago by Anne Afkew, one of the first sufferers for the Proteftant Religion, who, in the time of Henry VIII. was tortured in the Tower; concerning which there is reafon to wonder that it was not known to the Hiftorian of the Reformation.

In the Revolution he acquiefced, though he did not promote it. There was once a defign of affociating him in the invitation of the prince of Orange; but the earl of Shrewsbury difcouraged the attempt, by declaring that Mulgrave would never concur. This king William afterwards told him; and asked what he would have done if the proposal had been made: "Sir," faid he, "I would have discovered it "to the king whom I then ferved." To which king William replied, "I cannot blame you."

Finding king James irremediably excluded, he -voted for the conjunctive fovereignty, upon thi principle, that he thought the title of the prince and his confort equal, and it would please the prince their protector to have a fhare in the fovereignty. This vote gratified king William; yet, either by the king's diftruft, or his own difcontent, he lived fome years without employment, He looked on the king with malevolence, and, if his verfes or his profe may be credited, with contempt. He was, notwithstanding this averfion or indifference, made marquis of Normanby (1694), but ftill oppofed the court on fome important queftions; yet at laft he was received into the cabinet council, with a penfion of three thousand pounds.

At

At the acceffion of queen Anne, whom he is faid to have courted when they were both young, he was highly favoured. Before her coronation (1702) fhe made him lord privy feal, and foon after lord lieutenant of the North riding of Yorkshire. He was then named commiffioner for treating with the Scots about the Union; and was made next year, firft, duke of Normanby, and then of Buckinghamshire, there being fufpected to be fomewhere a latent claim to the title of Buckingham.

Soon after, becoming jealous of the duke of Marlborough, he refigned the privy-feal, and joined the difcontented Tories in a motion, extremely offenfive to the Queen, for inviting the princefs Sophia to England. The Queen courted him back with an offer no lefs than that of the chancellorship; which he refufed. He now retired from bufiness, and built that house in the Park which is now the Queen's, upon ground granted by the Crown.

When the miniftry was changed (1710), he was made lord chamberlain of the houfhold, and concurred in all tranfactions of that time, except that he endeavoured to protect the Catalans. After the Queen's death, he became a conftant opponent of the court; and, having no publick business, is supposed to have amufed himself by writing his two tragedies. He died February 24, 1720-21.

He was thrice married; by his two firft wives he had no children; by his third, who was the daughter of king James by the countefs of Dorchefter, and the widow of the earl of Anglesey, he had, befides other children that died early, a fon born in 1716, who died in 1735, and put an end to the line of Shef