when he and Mr. Burke parted. His powerful understanding grew like a forest oak, not by cultivation but by neglect.

"Mr. Pitt was a plant of an inferior order, though marvellous in its kind: a smooth bark, with the deciduous pomp and decoration of a rich foliage, and blossoms and flowers which drop off of themselves, leaving the tree naked at last, to be judged of by its fruits. He, indeed, as I suspect, had been educated more than enough, until there was nothing natural or spontaneous left in him. He was too polished and accurate in the minor embellishments of his art, to be a great artist in any thing. He could have painted the boat, and the fish, and the broken nets, but not the two fishermen.

Unques exprimet & molles imitabitur ære capillos. On one occasion only he was sublime; but never in my hearing pathetic. He knew his audience, and with or without eloquence, how to summon their generous passions to his applause.

"The human eye soon grows weary of an unbounded plain, and sooner, I believe, than of any limited portion of space, whatever its dimensions may be, There is a calm delight, a dolcé riposo, in viewing the smooth-shaven verdure of a bowling-green as long as it is near. You must learn from repetition that those properties are inseparable from the idea of a flat surface, and that flat and tiresome are synonymous. The works of Nature, which command admiration at once, and never lose it, are compounded of grand inequalities."

Historical Questions, exhibited in the Morning Chronicle, in January, 1818.

These questions, since republished in the form of a pamphlet, are chiefly directed against "legitimacy;" and may be considered as the last work from the author's pen. In reply to "Who was the father of James I.?" the answer is certainly or apparently not Henry Darnley, "as all the conclusion to be derived from circumstances which cannot lie, lead directly and powerfully to David Rizzio. It is hardly to be believed," adds he, "that even the savages of those barbarous times (1567) would have murdered that man in the presence

of the queen, enceinte as she was, had they suspected him of nothing but being a favourite fiddler or ballad-singer."

The Masque de fer, in the second historical question, is said to be the eldest son of Anne of Austria, with whom her husband did not cohabit for twenty years, and, consequently, the brother of Louis XIV., who was produced long after. In the third, Henrietta-Maria, widow of Charles I., is termed "a canting Carmelite," who, with all her affliction for the loss of her martyred spouse, supplied his place as soon as she could by the Earl of St. Alban's, "by whom she was directed and governed in all things." The Chancellor, Lord Clarendon, is accused as the original projector of the fate of Dunkirk; and his sincerity is much questioned, as to his outcries against his daughter for marrying the Duke of York, after~ wards James II.

In the fourth historical question, David Hume is severely handled. In the fifth, great doubts are expressed as to the legitimacy of Louis XV. The sixth contains some delicate remarks relative to Mademoiselle Tremouille, afterwards consort of George I.

Some curious particulars relative to the Ex-king of Sweden are noticed in the seventh; and it is asked at the same time if legitimacy be the only or main title to succession, on what principle was Bernadotte constituted one of the legal sovereigns of Europe?" The author of the Gowrie conspiracy is the subject of the next enquiry; in the succeeding one Charles I., in the case of Felton, is said to have had the animus tortor, sufficient to qualify him for a grand inquisitor of Toledo, and would have gladly introduced the rack and all its attendants into England, if he could.

"It is well known, that Thomas Wentworth, (afterwards Earl of Strafford,) before he basely sold himself, and his name and all his descendants to Charles, was deemed and called by the court a fierce and furious democrat. Now does any one who bears the name of Wentworth, wish to have it proved, that he is legitimately descended from that selon? On delicate ques

tions, tastes may differ. For my part, I would rather be known for the spurious issue of a highwayman, ditch-delivered of a drab." The tenth historical question commences by an account of two celebrated women in the court of George I. " one of these was created Duchess of Kendal, and the other Countess of Darlington, to reward their merits in their respective departments, and to encourage the surrender of prudery, in younger and handsomer subjects." The former of these ladies is said to have received eleven thousand guineas from Bolingbroke, for the recovery of his estate; and the profits of Wood's patent "for deluging Ireland with bad halfpence," appertained also to Her Grace, who obtained several thousand pounds by way of indemnification when it was recalled.

The twelfth and last, respects the widow of Henry V., who married a Welch gentleman, called Owen Tudor, "with empty pockets, a personal appearance that indicated a powerful constitution, and as proud as Cadwallader with all his supporters. For taking this liberty with the king's widow, he was afterwards hanged. Out of this Owen and his French wife came a son, and out of him came Henry VII. By what right, title, or pretence of inheritance, legitimate succession, or even consanguinity, he held and transmitted the crown of England to his successors, is still a question to be settled by every man for himself, not by evidence, for there is none in his favour; but by conjecture, by argument, by party prejudice, or mere inclination."

Sir Philip Francis possessed a highly cultivated taste, and exhibited a strong relish for the fine arts. For the Italian painters and their works, he entertained no ordinary esteem: every thing appertaining to the great masters was deemed sacred in his eyes. We never recollect to have seen him in such a rage, as on hearing of the hard fate of the Cartoons; when he learned that they had been cut and shortened, in order to fit the pannels of a palace, he declared with indignation, " that the person who had advised such a sacrilege deserved to be crucified !" He rejoiced greatly, that the Elgin marbles had been bought by government and were intended to be kept here.

While treating on this subject, he observed as follows: "Now I confess that my temper is so impatient, and my judgment so infirm, that I could not endure to listen to a money debate, whether England shall keep and preserve the sublime remains of Phidias, and of all the wonderful artists of his time, as if it were about a tax upon lobsters, or the toll of a turnpike." He also entered into a learned dissertation, to prove that there were admirable statues in Athens, as well as temples, before the erection of the Parthenon.

In private life, Sir Philip was extremely pleasant, agreeable and gallant with the fair sex; gay with the young, he was at the same time sententious and didactic with the old. As he advanced in years, he became anxious, above all things, to avoid garrulity, the usual concomitant of age, and indeed was himself too impatient to listen to the tedious details, and long and tiresome stories of others.

Extremely accomplished, he was greatly addicted to music, he was also familiar with the two modern languages in greatest repute in our times, which he quoted frequently and appositely, Italian and French. In respect to the learned tongues, he was highly gifted, for his Greek and his Latin did honour to St. Paul's School, where he was educated.

The writer of this article, was honoured with a last visit from Sir Philip Francis, on the 23d of December, 1817. His frame was then evidently shattered, and disease had begun to prey on his vitals; but at times, he rallied, and seemed to forget that he was on the very brink of the grave. The original malady, for which he had submitted to an operation, proceeded from the prostate gland, and to this cause he attributed the constant irritation, and occasional pains, with which he was tormented.

The conversation was miscellaneous, and proved highly interesting, for care was taken that he should both lead and select the subjects. Of these Junius, that fertile theme for investigation, occupied a distinguished rank. He ridiculed the idea of his being the author; he had already writwould write no more

ten on that subject until he was tired,

"If man

letters, - answer no more questions relative to it. kind are so obstinate as not to believe what I have already said, I am not fool enough to humble myself any more with denials, I have done."

We next talked of the news of the day; he was astonished at the times in which he lived. Hone had displayed great talents in his defence, - had beaten both judge and counsel → three different trials for three different counts of the same libel,

this was intolerable. There was a general diffusion of knowledge, -every body wrote, and wrote well now-a-days; - he had read Wooller's productions; - Cobbet was able, but hurt his cause by his violence.

a

Great events produced great men, as well as energetic and singular characters. Mr. Fox was a truly great man, master-spirit ; — he possessed uncommon powers of debate, but attributed too much effect to this talent, and, in the end, was miserably deceived and disappointed. Mr. Burke also, was a truly great man, the opposition refreshed themselves with his conversation, as if it had been a fountain of living water whence they drew their supplies; he was a poor creature in parliament, unless agitated by some great object; yet he was always in earnest, or soon became so, the noble animal knew his defect," and lashed his sides with his tail, until he animated himself into a passion, he was then glorious." The extremity of personal distress made him go over to the enemy, and he carried two great whig noblemen, bound hand and foot into their camp, although they were not in want, like himself; — his great crime was the abuse of the party he had left, and, above all, his conduct to Mr. Fox:- notwithstanding this, he (Sir Philip) had always preserved his private friendship, although he differed entirely in respect to public affairs. His regard for Mr. Fox's character remained unaltered and unalterable, notwithstanding some mortifying circumstances; — he had sat near twenty years in parliament, and spent 16,000l. in the cause, from which he had never flinched. — He had, indeed, been most heartily invited to join the seceders, yet he had stuck to Charles Fox, who was pledged