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Earl s/Rochestir,

Civility become almost as natural, his Conversation waseasy and obliging.

He had a strange Vivacity of Thought, and Vigourof Expression : His Wit had a Subtilty and Sublimityboth, that were scarce imitable. His Style was clearand strong : When he used Figures, they were verylively, and yet far enough out of the common Road,He had made himself Master of the ancient and modernWit, and of the modern French and Italian , as well asthe Englijh. He loved to talk and write of SpeculativeMatters s and did it with so fine a Thread, that eventhose who hated the Subjects that his Fancy ran upon,yet could not but be charmed with his Way of treatingthem. Boileau among the French , and Cowitramong the Englijh Wits, were those he admired most.Sometimes other Men’s Thoughts mixed with his Com-posures ; but that flowed rather from the Impressionsthey made on him when he read them, by which theycame to return upon him as his own Thoughts, thanthat he servilely copied from any : For sew Men everhad a bolder Height of Fancy, more steadily governedby Judgment, than he had. No Wonder a young Manso made, and so improved, was very acceptable in aCourt.

He laid out his Wit very freely in Libels and Satire,in which he had a peculiar Talent of mixing his Witwith his Malice, and fitting both with such apt Words*that Men were tempted to be pleased with them. Fromthence his Composures came to be easily known ; for fewhad such a Way of tempering these together as he had :So that when any Thing extraordinary that Way cameout, as a Qhild is fathered sometimes by its Resem-blance, so was it laid at his Door, as its Parent andAuthor, C 2 He