The Bishop hath given a variety of curious and entertaining particulars relating to Lord Bath, founded on his own perfonal acquaintance with that great ftatefman, to whom he was first chaplain, after his exaltation to the peerage. The following is a very well drawn sketch of his Lordship's character.

He was truly a great, and wife, and what is more, a good man; and of all men he was the belt and easiest to be with, and to live with, at all times, and on all occafions. An inferior naturally appears before a man of his uncommon parts and talents with fome degree of awe and diffidence; but fo familiar and engaging was his addrefs, that you could not be with him half an hour but you felt yourfelf entirely at your eafe, your apprehenfions leffened, and your respect increased. Whether he was in a leffer or a larger circle, in converfation with a few, or in a mixed company, he was equally excellent in both; and was univerfally allowed, by the moft judicious of both fexes, to be one of the most, if not the most agreeable, entertaining, and inftructive companions of his time. He did not, like Lord Boling. broke, overwhelm you with difccurfe, though excellent, and engross the whole to himself, but invited and encouraged every one to bear his part, toffed the ball that it might be returned again, and delighted not fo much in difplaying his own powers, as in calling forth the exertions of others. He did not, like Lord Chetterfield, affect quaint conceits, and lay traps and baits to introduce witty fayings and flories, which he had prepared before hand, but gained admiration by not feeking it; his wit, all natural and eafy, arifing from fomething then faid or done, and the more pleafing, because fudden and unexpected. He was not only a most inftructive and agreeable companion, but was alto a molt eminent and able fpeaker in parlia ment; and not only a mett excellent fpeaker, but alfo a very fine writer, of which there are abundant proofs in the Craftsman, and other papers and pamphlets. His own papers in the Craftsman were marked with the letter C. Thofe marked with C. A. were written by him ard Amherst jointly, or by Amherst from his dictation. Lord Belin broke's were distinguished by the letter O.

But though he oppofed and purfued Sir Robert Walpole, both in the Houte and out of it, by foeaking and by writing, yet he was not moved thereto by any perfonal enality or envy. He liked the man, but cifiked his meafores, and really thought that he was a molt dangerous miniter. He admired his parts and abilities, and particularly his great fill and knowledge in affairs of the finances, wherein he declared, that he fhould not have been able to have contended with him, if he had not been affitted by fo good a fecond as Sir John Barnard. So far was he from bearing malice or refentment, that he sometimes would take a pleature in relating flories to his credit and honcur; and the following may ferve as a fpecimen : When Steele was to be expelled the House of Commons, Mr. Walpole and Mr. Pulteney were commifened to go to him and Addifon by the noblemen and gentlemen of the Kit Kat Club, with their pofitive order and determination, that Steele fhould not make his cwn fpeech, but Addifon fhould make it for him, and he should recite it from the other's writing, without any infertion or addition of

his own. Mr. Addison thought this an hard injunction, and said, that he must be like a fchool-boy, and defire the gentlemen to give him a little fenfe. Mr Walpole faid, that it was impoffible to speak a fpeech off-band and in cool blood; but being preffed, he faid he would try, and immediately spoke a very good fpeech of what he thought proper for Steele to fay on the occafion; and the next day in the Houfe made another speech as good, or better, on the fame fubject, but so totally different from the former, that there was fcarce a fingle argument or thought the fame; which particulars are mentioned as illustrious proofs of his uncommon eloquence.'

The following anecdote, relating to Mr. Whifton, deferves to be recorded, as an inftance of primitive plainnels of speech, and integrity of heart, feldom found in courts.

Whilton was a penfioner to Queen Caroline, who fometimes admitted him to the honour of he converfation, and paid the penfion with her own hands. One day fhe faid to him, Mr. Whifton, I underftand you are a free fpeaker, and honeftly tell people of their faults; no one is without faults, and I wish you would tell me of mine; and the preffed him to do fo. He was fill upon the referve, and the preffed him the more. Well, faid he, fince your Majefty infifts upon it, I must obey you. There are abundance of people who ) come out of the country every fpring to London, and they all naturally defire to fee the King and Queen, and have not any opportunity of feeing your Majefties fo conveniently as at the chapel-royal; but thefe country-folks who are not used to fuch things, when they fee your Majefty talking with the King, almost all the time of divine fervice, are perfectly aftonished, and depart with range impreffions into their respective countries, and make their reports there (let me I tell you) not at all to your Majefty's honour. I am forry for it, answered the Queen; I believe there may be too much truth in what you fay: but pray, Mr. Whifton, tell me of another fault. No, Madam, faid he, let me fee you mend of this, before I tell you of another.'

The above anecdote was related by Sir Thomas Clarke, Master of the Rolls, who (as Bifhop Newton informs us) always profeffed a high veneration for his namefake Dr. Clarke, and was not an enemy to Mr. Whifton; then feeing the one a very great, and the other a very honeft and well-meaning

man.'

The following relation conveys an exact idea of the good Bishop's political fyftem:

When Mr. Grenville was removed from the helm in July 1765, the Bishop of Bristol loft a very good friend at court, and (what was infinitely worse) the king and the nation loft a moft faithful and able minifter. And what followed upon it? The repeal of the Stamp Act-the facrifice of the honour and authority of Great Britin, and all the fubfequent troubles in North America. The Bihop was always a friend to government, feldom oppofed the meafares of the miniftry, and never carried his oppofition fo far as to become a proteller but upon this occafion: but forefeeing then, and fering fince, the train of growing evils, he would not upon any ac

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count but have had his name appear against a proceeding fo difgraceful to his king, and fo deftructive to his country. Mr. Gren ville was not only an able minifter, but was likewife a religious good man, and regularly attended the fervice of the church every Sunday morning, even while he was in the highest offices; and whatever the world may pretend to the contrary, it is an infallible axiom that the belt men, cæteris paribus. will always make the beft minifters. Let Lord Clarendon, and Mr. Grenville, and Lord North be cited as witneffes.'

Some of our readers will fmile at the above citation; and others perhaps will not be reftrained from bursting into a loud laugh!-fo various are the opinions of mankind about the merit of attending the fervice of the church every Sunday morningat least the merit of it in the first lord of the treasury. It may be an outward and vifible fign-but not of a wife or a good fatefman ;-nor can devotion palliate thofe errors in government, which, beginning in ambition, lead to carnage, and end in difgrace.-To Cæfar we appeal.

The following teftimony to the worthy character of the prefent metropolitan is very amiable, and deferves notice :

When Dr. Cornwallis was a young man at the university, he had the misfortune of a paralytic ftroke on the right fide, from which he has never recovered the full ufe of his right hand, and is obliged to write with his left: but notwithstanding this, he hath bitherto enjoyed uncommon good health, and never fails in his attendance upon the multifarious bufinefs of his ftation. He hath greatly improved Lambeth Houfe, he keeps a hofpitable and elegant table, has not a grain of pride in his compofition, is easy of accefs, receives every one with affability and good nature, is courteous, obliging, condefcending, and as a proof of it, he has not often been made the fubject of cenfure even in this cenforious age.'

It is entertaining to read the Bishop's fentiments of Lord Mansfield and the late Earl of Chatham:

He always regarded Lord Mansfield as the best and ableft fpeaker that ever he had heard in parliament. Lord Chatham was indeed a great genius, and poffefied extraordinary powers, quick conceptions, ready elocution, great command of language, a melodious voice, a piercing eye, a fpeaking countenance, an authoritative air and manner, and was as great an actor as an orator.— What was faid of the famous orator Pericles, that he lightened and thundered and confounded Greece, was in fome meafure applicable to him; and during the time of his fuccessful administration, he had the moft abfolute and uncontrouled fway that perhaps any member ever had in the House of Commons. With all thofe excellencies he was not without his defects. His language was fometimes too figurative and pompous, his fpeeches were feldom well connected, often defultory, and rambling from one thing to another, fo that though you were ftruck here and there with noble fentiments, and happy expreffions, yet you could not weil remember, nor give a clear account of the whole together. With affected modefly he was apt to be too confident and overbearing in debate: fometimes defcended

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defcended to personal invectives, and would firft command, that he might more effectually abufe; would ever have the laft word, and, right or wrong, ftill prefer ved (in his own phrafe) an unembarrassed countenance. He spoke more to your paffions than your reafon, more to those below the bar and above the throne, than to the House itfelf; and when that kind of audience was excluded, he funk and loft most of his weight and authority.-Lord Mansfield was happy in most of the fame perfections, with few of the fame failings and imperfections. His language was more natural and easy; his fpeeches were more in a continued chain of reafoning, and fometimes with regular divifions, fo that you easily accompanied him, and clearly comprehended the whole from the beginning to the end. What he faid, as well as his manner of faying it, was more modeft and decent, lefs prefuming and dictatorial: he never defcended to perfonal altercations, difdained to reply even to reflections caft upon himself, and in all things preferved his own dignity, and that of the House of Peers. He addreffed himself more to your reason than to your paffions: he never courted popular applaufe fo much as the approbation of the wife and good: he did not wish to take you by ftorm or furprife, but fought to prevail only by the force of reafon and argument. He had always an immediate intuition into the merits of every caufe or question that came before him, and comprehending it clearly himself, could readily explain it to others: perfuafion flowed from his lips, conviction was wrought in all unprejudiced minds, and for many years the House of Peers paid greater deference to his authority than to that of any man living.'

The Bishop's fentiments of his great friend the late Bishop of Gloucefter are, in our opinion, equally liberal and juft.They may be added with great propriety to the very fatisfactory account of that illuftrious prelate, given in our Review for Nov. 1782, from Nichols's Biographical Anecdotes of Mr. Bowyer:

Bishop Warburton was in a great measure loft to the world and his friends, fome years before his death, by the decay of his intellectual faculties, the body preffing down the mind that mused upon many things, which hath been the cafe with many a great genius as well as himself. For he was indeed a great genius, of the most extensive reading, of the most retentive memory, of the most copious invention, of the liveliest imagination, of the fharpest discernment, of the quickest wit, and of the readiest and happiest application of his immenfe knowledge to the prefent fubject and occafion. He was fuch a univerfal reader, that be took delight even in romances, and there is fcarce one of any note, ancient or modern, which he had not read. He faid himself, that he had learned Spanish, to have the pleasure of reading Don Quixotte in the original, He was excellent and admirable, both as a companion and as a friend. As a companion, he did not dwell upon little trivial matters, but disclosed a nicer vein of conversation, was lively and entertaining, was inftruttive and improving, abounded with pleasant ftories and curious anecdotes: but fometimes took the difcourfe too mach to himself, if any thing can be faid to be too much of fuch

an inexhaustible fund of wit and learning. As a friend he was in genuous and communicative, would answer any questions, would refolve any doubts, delivered his fentiments upon all subjects freely and without referve, laid open his very heart; and the character which he was pleafed to give Mr. Pope, of being the foul of friendhip, was more juftly applicable to him, and more properly his own. The fame warmth of temper which animated his friendship, fharpened likewife his refentment: but even to his enemies, if he was cafily provoked, he was as eafily reconciled, especially after the leaft acknowledgment and fubmiffion; fo that his friend truly applied to him the faying,

Irafci facilis, tamen ut placabilis effet.

He was rather a tall, robust, large boned man, of a frame that feemed to require a good fupply of provifions to fupport it but he was fenfible, if he had lived as other people do, he must have used a good deal of exercise; and if he had, it would have interrupted the courfe of his fludies, to which he was fo devoted as to deny himself any other indulgence; and fo became a fingular example, not only of temperance, but even of abftinence in eating and drinking; and yet his fpirits were not lowered or exhaufted, but were rather raifed and encreased by his low living. . . . His capital work, the Divine Legation of Mofes, is left unfinished, to the lofs and regret of all who have any regard for religion and learning. It is indeed a loss much to be lamented, whatever was the cause, whether he was difgufted at the ill reception which was given to the work by feveral of the clergy, for whofe afe and fervice it was principally intended, or whether he was diverted from it by the numerous controverfies, wherein he was engaged in the defence of it. But he thould have cared for none of those things, and should have proceeded directly and steadily to the end. The viper might have faltened upon his hand, but, like St. Paul, he should have fhaken off the beaft into the fire, and, like him too, would certainly have felt no harm.'

Bifhop Newton informs us, that fome books were pub Tifhed in 1781, which employed fome of his leifure hours in his rural retreat (viz. Kew Green), and during his illness."— The following is his opinion of the refpective merits of those which engaged the most general attention of the public; how just that opinion is we leave to the decision of our readers.

Mr. Gibbon's Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, he lead throughour, but it by no means anfwered bis expecta❤ tions: for he found it rather a prolix and tedious performance, his manner uninterefting, and his file affected: his teftimonies not to be depended upon, and his frequent fcoffs at religion offensive to every fober mind... The Bishop's reading the whole was a greater compliment to the work than was paid to it by two of the most eminent of his brethren for their learning and itation. The one entered upon it, but was foon wearied, and laid it afide in difguft. The other returned it upon the bookfeller's hands; and it is faid that Mr. Gibbon himfelt happened unluckily to be in the shop at the fame time.--Dr. Johníon's Lives of the Poets afforded more amufement,