LIFE

O F

SIR ROBERT WALPOL E.

HE commencement of the Adminiftration of Sir Robert

THE

Walpole, having been judged a proper period for beginning the Beauties of the British Senate, it may naturally be expected that the work fhould be preceded by fome account of his life.

Sir Robert Walpole, whofe political history forms as important an æra as any to be met with in the annals of the British empire, was born on the 6th of September, 1674, at Houghton, in Norfolk, and appears to have been educated on the foundation of Eton School. He was elected to King's College, in Cambridge, and admitted in the year 1681; but fucceeding to the family estate by the death of his elder brother, he refigned his Fellowship.

This great political character firft took his feat in the House of Commons in the year 1700, for King's Lynn, which Borough he reprefented in feveral fucceeding Parliaments; and in the year 1705 he had the honour of being nominated one of the Council to Prince George of Denmark, Lord High Admiral of England. In 1707 he was appointed Secretary at War, and in 1709 was made Treasurer to the Navy. In the year following, however, upon a change of the Ministry, he was removed from all his pofts, and continued out of office during the whole of the Queen's reign.

In the year 1711, he was voted by the Houfe of Commons guilty of an high breach of truft, and notorious corruption in

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his office of Secretary at War; and it was refolved, that he fhould be committed to the Tower, and expelled the House. Upon a cool and difpaffionate review of this affair, it has not been thought that there was fufficient proof to justify the severity used towards him; and, perhaps, his attachment to the Marlborough Ministry, and his great influence in the House, owing to his popular eloquence, were the true caufes of his cenfure and imprisonment, as they had been before of his advancement. All the Whigs, however, on this occasion, confidered him as a kind of martyr in their cause.

He was re-elected for the borough of Lynn, and though the House declared his election void, yet they perfifted in the choice. On the death of the Queen a revolution of politics took place, and the Whig Party prevailed both at Court and in the Senate, and in a few days Sir Robert Walpole was appointed Receiver and Paymaster General of all the Guards and Garrisons, and likewise a Privy Counsellor. These promotions, it is probable, he owed to his having recommended himself to the House of Hanover, by his zeal for its cause, when the Commons confidered the ftate of the nation with regard to the Proteftant fucceffion, and the affurance he procured of the House to the new King, upon its Addrefs of condolence and congratulation, "That the Commons would make good all Parliamentary funds.”

On the opening of a new Parliament, a Committee of Secrefy was chofen, to enquire into the conduct of the late Miniftry, of which Sir Robert Walpole was the Chairman; and, by his management, articles of impeachment were read against the Earl of Oxford, Lord Bolingbroke, the Duke of Ormond, and the Earl of Strafford. The eminent service he was thought to have done the Crown and the nation, by the vigorous profecution of thofe Minifters, who were deemed the chief inftruments of the Peace, was foon rewarded by the extraordinary promotions of Firft Commiffioner of the Treasury, and Chancellor and Under Treasurer of the Exchequer.

In two years time, a misunderstanding appeared amongst his Majesty's fervants, and it became evident, that the interest of Secretary Stanhope and his adherents, began to outweigh that of the Exchequer, and that Sir Robert Walpole's power was visibly on the decline. King George had purchased of the King of Denmark the duchies of Bremen and Verden, which his Danish Majesty had gained by conqueft from Charles XII. of Sweden. The Swedish Hero, enraged to see his dominions publicly fet to fale, conceived a refentment against the purchafer, and formed a design to gratify his revenge on the electorate of Hanover. Upon a meffage, fent to the House of Commons by the King, Secretary Stanhope moved for a supply, to enable his Majefty to concert fuch measures with foreign Princes and States, as might prevent any change or apprehenfions from the defigns of Sweden for the future. This occafioned a warm debate, in which it is to be remarked, that Walpole kept a profound filence. The Country-party insisted, that such a proceeding was contrary to the Act of Settlement. They infinuated, that the peace of the empire was only a pretence, but that the fecurity of the new acquifitions was the real object of this unprecedented fupply; and they took occafion to obferve too, that his Majefty's own Minifters feemed to be divided. But Walpole thought proper on this furmise to speak in favour of the supply, which was carried by a majority of four voices only.

In a day or two he refigned all his places to the King. Various have been the motives faid to have induced Sir Robert Walpole to take this ftep. If the true caufe, however, of his defection from the Court had been his disapprobation of the measures then pursuing, his conduct must be acknowledged to have been, in this instance, truly noble and praise-worthy. But they who confider the intrigues of party, and that he spoke in favour of those measures, will find little room to suppose, that his refignation proceeded from any attachment to liberty or love of his country. He refigned, moft probably, with a view of being reftored with greater power; and the number of his friends,

who

who accompanied him in his refignation, prove it to have been, or at least to have very much the appearance, of its having been a mere factious movement.

On the day of his refignation he brought in the Sinking Fund Bill, which he prefented as a country Gentleman, and which, he faid, he hoped would not fare the worfe for having two fathers, and that his fucceffor (Mr. Stanhope) would bring it to perfection. His being called the father of a project, which hath fince been employed so often to other purposes than were at first declared, gave his enemies frequent opportunities for fatire and ridicule; and it hath been farcaftically obferved, that the father of this fund appeared in a very bad light, when viewed in the capacity of a nurse.

In the course of the debates on this Bill, a very sharp contest took place between Walpole and Stanhope. On some fevere reflections thrown upon him, the former loft his ufual ferenity of temper, and replied with great warmth and impetuofity. The acrimony on both fides produced very unbecoming expreffions, the betraying of private converfation, and the revealing a piece of fecret history, viz. "The fcandalous practice of felling places and reverfions," which occafioned a Member to say on the occafion" I am forry to see these two great men fall foul of one "another: however, in my opinion, we must still look on "them as patriots and fathers of their country: and since they "have by mifchance difcovered their nakedness, we ought, ac"cording to the cuftom, to cover it, by turning our backs << upon it."

Sir Robert Walpole, in the next Seffion of Parliament, oppofed the Miniftry in every thing, and even exceeded Wyndham or Shippen in patriotifm. Upon a motion in the House for continuing the army, he made a fpeech of above an hour long, and pointed out the danger of a standing army in a free country, with all the powers of eloquence. Early in 1720, the rigour of the Patriot began to foften, and the complaisance of the Courtier to appear, and he was again appointed Paymafter

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of the Forces, and feveral of his friends were found foon after in the lift of promotions. No doubt now remained of his entire converfion to Court measures; for before the end of the year, we find him pleading as ftrongly for the forces required by the War-office, as he had before declared against them, even though at this time the fame pretences for keeping them on foot did not exist.

He was foon after again appointed First Lord of the Treafury, and Chancellor of the Exchequer; and when the King went abroad in 1723, he was nominated one of the Lords Juftices for the Adminiftration of Government, and was fworn. fole Secretary of State. About this time he received another diftinguished mark of the Royal favour; his eldeft fon, then on his travels, being created a Peer, by the title of Baron Walpole, of Walpole. In 1725 he was made Knight of the Bath, and the year after Knight of the Garter.

Sir Robert Walpole, however, refigned all his places on the 18th of February, in the year 1741, after having been First Lord of the Treasury, and Under Treasurer of the Exchequer, ever fince the 4th of April, 1721, a courfe of nearly twenty years. He had fucceeded the Earl of Sunderland in the former fituation, and Mr. Aiflabie in the latter. Three days after his refignation, his Majefty was pleased to create him Earl of Orford, Viscount Walpole, and Baron of Houghton, and to allow him a pension of 4000l. though upon his removal, and the alterations made in the Miniftry, there were public rejoicings in London and Westminster; but pofterity will be the best Judges of the advantages the nation derived from the change.

The measures of his Adminiftration, during the long time he remained prime, or rather fole Minifter, have been often canvaffed with all the feverity of critical inquiry. It is difficult to difcern the truth through the exaggerations and mifreprefentations of party; and it must be left to the impartial Historian to fet it in a proper light. The Reader need not be informed, that he was long called "The Father of Corruption," though, perhaps,

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