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In 1674, the eftate of his uncle James Cranfield, earl of Middlefex, came to him by its owner's death, and the title was conferred on him the year after. In 1677, he became, by the death of his father earl of Dorfet, and inherited the estate of his family.

In 1684, having buried his first wife, of the family of Bagot, who left him no child, he married a daughter of the earl of Northampton, celebrated both for beauty and understanding.

He received fome favourable notice from king James; but foon found it neceffary to oppose the violence of his innovations, and with fome other lords appeared in Westminfter-hall to countenance the bishops at their trial.

As enormities grew every day less fupportable, he found it neceffary to concur in the Revolution. He was one of thofe lords who fat every day in council to preserve the publick peace, after the king's departure; and, what is not the most illuftrious action of his life, was employed to conduct the princess Anne to Nottingham with a guard, fuch as might alarm the populace, as they paffed, with false appre henfions of her danger. Whatever end may be defigned, there is always fomething defpicable in a trick.

He became, as may be eafily fuppofed, a favourite of king William, who, the day after his acceffion, made him lord chamberlain of the household, and gave him afterwards the garter. He happened to be among thofe that were toffed with the king in an open boat fixteen hours, in very rough cold weather, on

the

the coaft of Holland.

His health afterwards

declined; and on Jan. 19, 1705-6, he died at Bath.

He was a man whofe elegance and judgement were univerfally confeffed, and whofe bounty to the learned and witty was generally known. To the indulgent affection of the publick, lord Rochester bore ample testimony in this remark: I know not how it is, but lord Buckhurft may do what he will, yet is never in the wrong.

If fuch a man attempted poetry, we cannot wonder that his works were praifed. Dryden, whom, if Prior tells truth, he diftinguished by his beneficence, and who lavished his blandifhments on those who are not known to have fo well deserved them, undertaking to produce authors of our own country fuperior to those of antiquity, fays, I would instance your lordship in fatire, and Shakespeare in tragedy. Would it be imagined that, of this rival to antiquity, all the fatires were little personal invectives, and that his longest compofition was a fong of eleven ftanzas?

The blame, however, of this exaggerated praise falls on the encomiaft, not upon the author; whofe performances are, what they pretend to be, the effufions of a man of wit ; gay, vigorous, and airy. His verfes to Howard fhew great fertility of mind, and his Dorinda has been imitated by Pope.

HALIFAX.

HALIFAX.

THE life of the earl of Halifax was pro

perly that of an artful and active statesman, employed in balancing parties, contriving expedients, and combating oppofition, and expofed to the viciffitudes of advancement and degradation: but in this collection poetical merit is the claim to attention; and the account which is here to be expected may properly be proportioned not to his influence in the ftate, but to his rank among the writers of verse.

Charles Montague was born April 16, 1661, at Horton in Northamptonshire, the son of Mr. George Montague, a younger fon of the earl of Manchester. He was educated first in the country, and then removed to Westminster; where in 1677 he was chofen a king's scholar, and recommended himself to Busby by his felicity in extemporary epigrams. He contract, ed a very intimate friendship with Mr. Stepney; and in 1682, when Stepney was elected to Cambridge, the election of Montague being not to proceed till the year following, he was afraid left by being placed at Oxford he might be feparated from his companion, and therefore folicited to be removed to Cambridge, without waiting for the advantages of another year.

It seems indeed time to wifh for a removal; for he was already a fchool-boy of one and twenty.

His relation Dr. Montague was then mafter of the college in which he was placed a fellow-commoner, and took him under his particular care. Here he commenced an acquaintance with the great Newton, which continued through his life, and was at last attested by a legacy.

In 1685, his verfes on the death of king Charles made fuch impreffion on the earl of Dorset, that he was invited to town, and introduced by that univerfal patron to the other wits. In 1687, he joined with Prior in the City Moufe and Country Moufe, a burlesque of Dryden's Hind and Panther. He signed the invitation to the Prince of Orange, and fat in the convention. He about the fame time married the countess dowager of Manchester, and intended to have taken orders: but afterwards altering his purpose, he purchased for 1500l, the place of one of the clerks of the council.

After he had written his epiftle on the victory of the Boyne, his patron Dorset introduced him to king William with this expreffion: Sir, I have brought a Moufe to wait on your Majefty. To which the king is faid to have replied, You do well to put me in the way of making a Man of him; and ordered him a pension of five hundred pounds. This ftory, however current, feems to have been made after the event. The king's anfwer implies a greater acquaintance with our proverbial and familiar diction than king William could poffibly have attained.

In 1691, being member in the house of commons, he argued warmly in favour of a law to grant the affistance of counfel in trials for high treafon and in the midst of his fpeech falling into fome confufion was for a while filent; but, recovering himself, obferved, "how reafonable "it was to allow counsel to men called as cri"minals before a court of juftice, when it appeared how much the prefence of that affembly could difconcert one of their own body."

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After this he rose fast into honours and employments, being made one of the commiffioners of the treasury, and called to the privy council. In 1694, he became chancellor of the Exchequer; and the next year engaged in the great attempt of the recoinage, which was in two years happily completed. In 1696, he projected the general fund, and raised the credit of the Exchequer; and, after enquiry concerning a grant of Irish crown-lands, it was determined by a vote of the commons, that Charles Montague efquire had deferved his Majefty's favour. In 1698, being advanced to the firft commiffion of the treasury, he was appointed one of the regency in the king's ablence: the next year he was made auditor of the Exchequer; and the year after created baron Halifax. He was however impeached by the commons; but the articles were difmiffed by the lords.

At the acceffion of queen Anne he was difmiffed from the council; and in the first parliament of her reign was again attacked by the commons, and again efcaped by the protection of the lords. In 1704, he wrote an answer to Bromley's

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