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Vol. IX.
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C H A- R L E S I.

333

to the society of all the polite and elegant, had’ e n a f.enjoyed himself in every pleasure, which a fine tvi.genius, a generous disposition , and an opulent *«4l5.fortune could afford. Called into public life,he stood foremost in all attacks on the high pre-rogatives of the crown ; and displayed that mas-culine eloquence, and undaunted love of liberty,which, from his intimate acquaintance with thesublime spirits of antiquity, he had greedily im-, bibed. When civil convulsions proceeded to ex-tremities, and it became requisite for him tochuse his side ; he tempered the ardor of hiszeal, and embraced the defence of those limitedpowers , which remained to monarchy, andwhich he deemed necessary for the support of theEnglish constitution. Still anxious, however,for his country, he seems to have dreaded thetoo prosperous success of his own party as muchas of the enemy ; and , among his intimate friends,often after a deep silence, and frequent sighs, hewould, with a fad accent, re-iterate the word,

Peace. In excuse for the too free exposing ofhis person, which seemed unsuitable in a secre-tary of state, he alledged, that it became him tobe more active than other men in all hazardousenterprises, lest his impatience for peace mightbear the imputation of cowardice or pusillanimity.

From the commencement of the war, his naturabchearfulness and vivacity became clouded; andeven his usual attention to dress, required byhis birth and station , gave way to a negligence,

>vhich \y a s easily observable, On the morning