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less have been of great service to him; nor is it easy, in their joint exploits, accurately to distinguish the precise share of praise due to each. It is remarkable that the King of Prussia, in his poem on the Art of War' (whether from envy and dislike of the English nation, or from under-rating their General) never mentions the Duke of Marlborough.

His moral character was that of a man of the world, who made interest his chief guide. His connexion with the Whigs was, probably, no more than an interested association; and, if Macpherson may be credited, he maintained a correspondence with Lord Bolingbroke, with a view to recover his power through favour of a part of Queen Anne's Tory ministry. That avarice, for which he was more notorious than even for ambition, could scarcely fail to warp him from the path of real patriotism: yet there is no reason to suppose, that during the height of his influence he ever sacrificed to it the interests of his country.* After this free display of his de

* Even his avarice might, perhaps, correctly be referred to his Duchess, to whom Swift says he owed both his greatness and fall.' No woman was ever less formed for a court, yet her Sovereign was but the second person in it. Of a disposition totally the reverse of that of Queen Anne, she had the art to put her royal mistress at the head of a party, and thus made her the vehicle of her sentiments and the minister of her covetousness. Few European princes could, from their own revenues, command such sums as this lady, during the last thirty five years of her life, possessed. Conscious, at length, that she had incurred the contempt of the nation, she employed Hooke, the historian of Rome, at the price of 5000l. to write her Defence; which was published, in 1742, under the title of An Account of the Conduct of the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough from her first coming to court to the year 1710. In a Letter from herself to my Lord. Interesting from the ease and elegance of it's stile,

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fects, it would be unjust to suppress the brief but expressive eulogy bestowed upon him by his political enemy, the celebrated Earl of Peterborough: "He was so great a man, that I have forgotten his faults."

it's anecdotes, and it's original communications, this Volume gave rise to considerable controversy; while from the pride and prejudice displayed in it, and more particularly the malignity with which it treats the memories of William and Mary, it added very little to the respectability of it's subject. "It is seldom (observes Lord Orford, in his Royal and Noble Authors') the public receives information on princes and favourites from the fountainhead: flattery, or invective, is apt to pervert the relations of others. It is from their own pens alone, whenever they are so gracious (like the lady in question) as to have a passion for fame and approbation,' that we learn exactly how trifling and foolish and ridiculous their views and actions were, and how often the mischief they did proceeded from the most inadequate

causes."

When Pope's character of ' Atossa,' which was meant for herself, was read to her as a portrait of the Duchess of Buckingham, she quickly exclaimed, "I cannot be so imposed upon; Ι see, plainly enough, for whom they are designed:" and abused Pope for the attack, though she subsequently courted his friendship.

Such was her violence of temper that, during her husband's last illness, when Dr. Mead left his chamber, she followed him down stairs, swore at him bitterly for his advice, and was about to tear off his periwig. Bishop Hoadly was present at this indecent scene. Rendered peevish by disappointed ambition, immense wealth, and increasing years, "she hated courts (says Lord Hailes) over which she had no influence, and became at length the most ferocious animal that is suffered to go loose-a violent party-woman. In the latter part of her life, she became bed-ridden. Paper, pens, and ink were placed by her side, and she occasionally wrote down her recollections on loose papers, from which Lord Hailes published a selection in 12mo. in 1788, entitled The Opinions of Sarah Duchess of Marlborough.' These Mr. Park properly characterises, as the effusions of caprice and arrogance.' She died October 18, 1744.

His Grace left four daughters, who married into the best families of the kingdom. Henrietta the eldest married Francis Earl of Godolphin, on the decease of her father became Duchess of Marlborough, and died in 1733 without male issue: Anne married Charles Earl of Sunderland, from whom are descended the present Duke of Marlborough and Earl Spencer: Elizabeth married Scroop, Duke of Bridgewater, and died in 1714; and Mary married John Duke of Montagu, by whom she had Isabella (the wife, successively, of William Duke of Manchester, and Edward Earl Beaulieu) and Mary, the wife of George Earl of Cardigan, subsequently Duke of Montagu, whose daughter, the Duchess of Montagu, died without male issue in 1775.

191

SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN.*

[1632-1723.]

THIS eminent architect was the only son of Dr. Christopher Wren, Rector of East Knoyle in Wiltshire and Dean of Windsor, and brother of Matthew Wren Bishop of Ely, where his son was born on the twentieth of October, 1632. The latter part of his early education he received under the celebrated Dr. Busby, at Westminster School; whence he was sent to Oxford, and admitted a gentleman commoner at Wadham College, at the age of fourteen. In the year preceding, he had given an extraordinary specimen of his genius by inventing an astronomical instrument, which he dedicated to his father in a copy of elegant Latin verses, together with an exercise 'De Ortu Fluminum:' about the same time, likewise, he contrived a curious pneumatic machine. The progress, which he made in mathematical knowledge during the first two years of his academical residence, is recorded by Mr. Oughtred as extraordinary. His uncommon abilities excited the admiration of Dr. Wilkins, then Warden of Wadham College, and

* AUTHORITIES, Ward's Lives of the Gresham Professors, General Biographical Dictionary, British Biography, and Critical View of the Public Buildings in London and Westminster.

of Dr. Seth Ward Savilian Professor of Astronomy. By the former of these distinguished scholars he was introduced to the notice and favour of Charles, the Elector Palatine, to whom he presented several mechanical instruments of his own invention.

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In 1647, he became acquainted with Sir Charles Scarborough, at whose request he understook the translation of Oughtred's Geometrical Dialling' into Latin; and the same year, likewise, he drew up a new system of Spherical Trigonometry. He took the degree of B. A. in 1650; and in 1651, he published a short algebraical tract, relating to the Julian Period. He was elected a Fellow of All Souls College in the beginning of November, 1653, and after graduating as B. A. became one of the first members of the Philosophical Society at Oxford; at whose assemblies in Wadham College, he exhibited many ingenious experiments and mechanical inventions.

In 1657, he was elected Professor of Astronomy in Gresham College; where his lectures were attended by many eminent characters. One subject of them was the telescope, to the improvement of which he had greatly contributed. In 1658, he solved the problem proposed by Pascal, under the feigned name of Jean de Montfert, to all the English mathematicians; and transmitted another in return to the mathematicians of France (formerly proposed by Kepler, and at that time answered by Wren) of which they never gave any solution.

In February 1661, he was chosen Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, in the room of Dr. Seth Ward; upon which he resigned his Gresham Professorship: and, in the September following, he was created LLD.

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