to roufe the young gentlemen's genius, and prompt them, in return, to dedicate to him, we fhall not prefume to say; but we find, from former inftances, that it is his Lordship's custom to addrefs himself only to his children *.

This dedication, if we may fo call it, is decorated with a curious head-piece, reprefenting, as we prefume, the family coat of arms, fupported by emblematical devices. On one fide ftands a pen and ink, with a harp reclining against a number of volumes, fcattered with ftudied negligence; and amidst the group, the laurel rears its triumphant branches: on the other fide, we behold fpears, fhields, helmets, and fwords, with the spreading oak rifing amidst thofe warlike trophies. Thefe infignia, we imagine, are to denote, that the loyal family of the Boyles has been renowned for poets, philofophers, and warriors; and-that they have fhone alike in arts and arms. Perhaps, however, fuch emblematical pomp might, in a Writer of inferior rank, be deemed vanity and affectation; but out of respect to his Lordship, we forbear to give it a name.

The preface enfues, in the next place; and in a very long fentence, which crawls to a full-point, fupported by copulative upon copulative, difclofes to us the reafon of publifhing these memoirs. An honourable Author †,' fays the noble Writer,

who in a juft piece of criticifm has exhibited fo spirited a manner of writing, that he has given wit even to a dictionary, AND vivacity to a catalogue of names, AND has placed our royal and noble English Writers in a more learned and eminent light than they have ever appeared before, having mentioned the Earl of Monmouth's memoirs as a manufcript fit to be made public; in concurrence with his judgment, AND from a defire to exhibit a new picture of Queen Elizabeth and King James the Firft, the following memoirs are fent into the world, with fuch explanat ry notes to the obfcure and remarkable paffages, as may poffibly render thofe paffages more intelligible and effica cious than they would otherwife have been.'

We are forry to differ from the honourable Author, with whofe judgment the noble Writer profeffes his concurrence; but in our humble opinion, the publication of thele memoirs might have been fpared: fince, except the Memorialift's journey to the King of Scots, with which Hiftory had before acquainted us,

His Lordship's tranflation of Pliny's letters, is addreffed to his fon Charles, Lord Boyle; and his Memoirs of Dean Swift, to his o.her fon, Hamilton. The noble Writer, in this refpect, follows the example of the modest Tully, who addreffes his Offices to his fon Marcus.

Horatio Walpole, youngest fon of Sir Robert Walpole, Knight of the Garter, afterwards Eari of Orford.

they

they contain little more than a detail of his domeftic tranfactions, together with an account of his fkirmishes with the Scotch borderers. As to the defire of exhibiting a new picture of Queen Elizabeth, and King James the Firft, we are fo unhappy as not to perceive any alteration which these memoirs have made in a fingle feature of thofe portraits. With regard to the explanatory notes, with which his Lordfhip has honoured this publication, we must take the liberty of declaring our fentiments concerning them, in the words of Dr. Young.

Learn'd Commentators each dark paffage fhun,

And hold their farthing candle to the fun .

In this preface, his Lordship takes an opportunity, on the authority of there memoirs, to controvert a paffage in English hiftory, with fuch a peremptory air of decifion, as nothing but the cleareft demonftration can warrant.

It is certain,' fays he, that Queen Elizabeth could not bear the thoughts of a fucceffor. The fpeeches made for her on her death-bed, are all forged. Echard, Rapin, and a long ftring of hiftorians, make her fay faintly, (fo faintly, indeed, that it could not poffibly be heard) "I WILL THAT A KING SUCCEED ME, AND WHO SHOULD THAT BE, BUT MY NEAREST KINSMAN, THE KING OF SCOTS?" A different account of this matter will be found in the following memoirs. She was fpeechlefs, and almoft expiring, when the chief counfellors of ftate were called into her bed-chamber. As foon as they were perfectly convinced, that she could not utter an articulate word, and fcarce could hear or underfland one, they named the King of Scots to her, a liberty they dared not to have taken if the had been able to fpeak. She put her hand to her head, which was probably at that time in agonizing pain. The Lords, who interpreted her figns juft as they pleased, were immediately convinced, that the motion of her hand to her head, was a declaration of James VI. as her fucceffor. What was this but the unanimous interpretations of perfons who were adoring the rifing fun?'

Let us now confider the account which the Memorialift himfelf has given of the Queen's exit, and then we fhall be able to judge how far the inferences which the noble Writer has drawn, are warranted by the premises.

For instance-The noble Writer has given us a note to acquaint us where the town of Berwick flands: But when we read of certain men called Greenes, we had no note to explain who these strange people were. A note here was the more neceflary, as thefe Greenes were, as we apprehend, a race of Beings to whom the Memorialift him(elf gave birth.

• On

On Wednesday the 23d of March,' fays the Memorialist, fhe (the Queen) grew fpeechlefs. That afternoone, by fignes, the called for her councill, and by putting her hand to her head, when the King of Scottes was named to fucceed her, they all knew hee was the man the desired should reigne after her.

About fix at night he made fignes for the Archbishop and her chaplains to come to her, at which time I went in with them and fate upon my knees full of teares to fee that heavy fight. Her Majeftie lay upon her backe, with one hand in the bed, and the other without. The Bifhop kneeled downe by her, and examined her firft of her faith, and the fo punctually answered all his feveral questions, by lifting up her eyes, and holding up her hand, as it was a comfort to all the beholders. Then the good man told her plainly what fhe was, and what she was to come to; and though he had been long a great Queene here upon earth, yet shortly she was to yield an account of her stewardship to the King of Kings. After this he began to pray, and all that were by did anfwer him. After he had continued long in prayer, till the old man's knees were weary, hee bleffed her, and meant to rife and leave her. The Queene made a figne with her hand. My fifter Scroope knowing her meaning, told the Bishop the Queene defired hee would pray ftill. He did fo for a long halfe hour after, and then thought to leave her. The fecond time fhe made figne to have him continue in prayer. He did fo for halfe an houre more, with carneft cryes to God for. her foule's health, which he uttered with that fervency of fpirit, as the Queene to all our fight much rejoiced thereat, and gave teftimony to us all of her Chriftian and comfortable end. By this time it grew late, and every one departed, all but her women that attended her.'

By comparing this laft extract with the foregoing reflections of his Lordship, there does not, in our judgment, appear to be any foundation for the noble Writer's conclufions. Not to infift wholly on the probability that the Queen might have the power of utterance, though the Memorialift might be too diftant to hear her fpeak in her languid ftate, we fhall firft obferve how greatly his Lordship has inadvertently mifreprefented, and ftrained the memoirs to make them favour the conftruction he has harflily adopted.

The noble Author fays, The Queen was fpcechlefs, and almoft expiring, when the chief counfellors were called into her bedchamber;' that as foon as they were perfectly convinced that she could not utter an articulate word, and could fearce hear or understand one, they named the King of Scots to her.'

But

But the Memorialift fays no fuch thing. On the contrary, he is fo far from afferting that fhe could fcarce hear, or underfland, that he reprefents her as perfectly fenfible. He tells us, that on the afternoon of the 23d of March, the herself, by figns, called for her council. He tells us further, that at fix at night, of the fame afternoon, fhe made figns for the Archbishop and her chaplains to come to her. That fhe punctually answered all the Bishop's queftions, by lifting up her eyes, and holding up her hand. That when the Bishop ceafed praying, fhe made a fign for him to continue. That when he defifted again, she repeated the fign; and that the feemed to rejoice greatly at the fervency with which he prayed.

It is true, he fays, that he grew fpeechlefs on the 23d of March, and that he was thought to intimate her approbation of the King of Scots for her fucceffor, by putting her hand to her head. But this, and the other frequent figns the Memorialist takes notice of, do not prove her have to been abfolutely speechless. They who have had the misfortune to attend perfons in an expiring state, know, that through extream feebleness and languor they often chufe to exprefs themselves by figns, when they have not totally lost the power of utterance: and after long filence, upon fome very urgent occafion, they will make an effort of nature, and exprefs themselves in words, though they cannot raise their voice fo as to be heard at any distance.

There is, however, a farther objection to the noble Writer's reflections. In his note on this paffage he says, The fign here mentioned is a true and indifputable fact, otherwise it would not have been inferted by the plain, fincere, and ingenuous Author of these memoirs, who was prefent at the time the fign was made.'

With all due deference to his Lordship, it does not appear that the Memorialift was prefent at that time. He tells us, indeed, that at fix at night, of that afternoon, when the Queen called for her council, he went in with the Archbishop and her chaplains; but he no where pretends to fay, that he was prefent in the afternoon, when the fign was made to the council on their naming the King of Scots. Through the whole of this inquiry, therefore, his Lordship feems to have been more ambitious to place this paffage in a new light, than ftudious to con fider it in a just one.

But the vivacity of the noble Author's fpirit, often prevails over that correct judgment which every public Writer should be master of. He is too lively to endure the feverity of reflection, and therefore is apt to follow the firft impulfe of thought, or to take his obfervations upon truft. Thus, fpeaking of the

Marches,

Marches, he fays,- The Marches were fo denominated, because the inhabitants being in a perpetual state of variance and hoftility, were always ready to MARCH, either to annoy the enemy, or to defend themselves.'

Upon whofe authority his Lordfhip refts this definition, we are not concerned to enquire. What, except fimilitude of found, could lead to fuch a puerile explanation, we are at a lofs to conjecture. Had the noble Writer gone farther for a definition, he would have found that marches come from the German word march, which fignifies bounds or limits; or, according to fome, from the French marque, which fignifies a fign, as being the notorious divifion of two countries or territories.

We shall not dwell any longer on this Preface, but proceed to the memoirs, where the Memorialift tells us, that he went into Scotland with Mr. Secretary Walfingham, who was fent thither Embaffador from her Majefty to the King of Scots. In a note upon this paffage, the noble Writer obferves, that Walfingham was fent to give advice to James VI. A remarkable embaffy,' says he, in which the fubtle Walfingham effectually difcovered the temper and difpofition of that King.'

*

But if we may believe the ingenious Author of the Hiftory of Scotland, that fubtle minister did not fo effectually discover the King's difpofition. James, as the Hiftorian oblerves, having talents rather fhining than folid, made a figure in converíation, and by that means deceived Walfingham; who made a much more favourable report of his character, than it deferved.

The prefent Memorialift acquaints us, that he loft the Queen's favour by marrying a lady of fmall fortune. He gives us an account of a family fuit, in which he was fuccefsful; and then relates the manner of his coming to court again, wherein there are fome circumstances which may serve to shew the fpirit of those times.

Having ended my businesse I meant to retourne to Carleil againe. My father wrote to mee from Windfor that the Queene meant to have a great triumph there, on her coronation day, and that there was great preperation making for the courfe of the field and tourney +. Hee gave mee notice of the Queen's

Dr. Robertfon. See our account of his truly valuable work, in the laft and prefent month's Review.

Plays, maks, triumphs, and tournaments, which the Author calls TOURNEYS, were fmall branches of thofe many spreading allurements which Elizabeth made use of to draw to herleif the affections and the admiration of her subjects. She appeared at them with dignity, eafe, grace, and affability."

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