DORSET.

F the Earl of Dorfet the character has been

drawn fo largely and fo elegantly by Prior, to whom he was familiarly known, that nothing can be added by a casual hand; and, as its author is fo ge. nerally read, it would be useless officiousness to transcribe it.

CHARLES SACKVILLE was born January 24, 1637. Having been educated under a private tutor, he travelled into Italy, and returned a little before the Restoration. He was chofen into the firft parliament that was called, for East Grinstead in Suffex, and foon became a favourite of Charles the Second; but undertook no publick employment, being too eager of the riotous and licentious pleasures which young men of high rank, who afpired to be thought Wits, at that time imagined themselves intitled to indulge.

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One of these frolicks has, by the induftry of Wood, come down to pofterity. Sackville, who was then Lord Buckhurst, with Sir Charles Sedley and Sir Thomas Ogle, got drunk at the Cock in

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Bow-street by Covent-garden, and, going into the balcony, expofed themselves to the populace in very indecent poftures. At laft, as they grew warmer, Sedley ftood forth naked, and harangued the populace in fuch profane language, that the publick indignation was awakened; the crowd attempted to force the door, and, being repulfed, drove in the performers with ftones, and broke the windows of the house.

For this misdemeanour they were indicted, and Sedley was fined five hundred pounds: what was the fentence of the others is not known. Sedley employed Killigrew and another to procure a remiffion from the King; but (mark the friendship of the diffolute !) they begged the fine for themselves, and exacted it to the laft groat.

In 1665, Lord Buckhurft attended the Duke of York as a volunteer in the Dutch war; and was in the battle of June 3, when eighteen great Dutch fhips were taken, fourteen others were deftroyed, and Opdam the admiral, who engaged the Duke, was blown up befide him, with all his crew.

On the day before the battle, he is faid to have compofed the celebrated fong, To all you Ladies now at land, with equal tranquillity of mind and promptitude of wit. Seldom any fplendid story is wholly true. I have heard from the late Earl of Orrery,' who was likely to have good hereditary intelligence, that Lord Buckhurst had been a week employed upon it, and only retouched or finished it on the memorable evening. But even this, whatever it may fubtract from his facility, leaves him his courage.

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He was soon after made a gentleman of the bedchamber, and fent on fhort embaffies to France.

In 1674, the estate of his uncle James Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, 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 Dorset, 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 oppofe the violence of his innovations, and with fome other lords appeared in Westminster-hall to countenance the bishops at their trial.

As enormities grew every day lefs 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 moft 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 falfe apprehenfions 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 those that were toffed with the King in an open boat fixteen hours, in very rough and cold VOL. IX.

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weather, on the coaft of Holland. His health afterwards declined; and on January 19, 1705-6, he died at Bath.

He was a man whose 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 Rochefter bore ample testimony in this remark: I know not how it is, but Lord Buckhurst 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 thofe of antiquity, fays, I would inftance your Lordfhip in fatire, and Shakspeare in tragedy. Would it be imagined that, of this rival to antiquity, all the fatires were little perfonal 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; whose 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.

STEP

STEPNEY.

GEO

EORGE STEPNEY, defcended from the Stepneys of Pendigraft in Pembrokeshire, was born at Westminster in 1663. Of his father's condition or fortune we have no account. Having received the first part of his education at Westminster, where he paffed fix years in the College, he went at nineteen to Cambridge *, where he continued a friendship begun at school with Mr. Montague, afterwards Earl of Halifax. They came to London together, and are faid to have been invited into publick life by the Duke of Dorfet.

His qualifications recommended him to many foreign employments, fo that his time feems to have been spent in negociations. In 1692 he was fent envoy to the Elector of Brandenburgh; in 1693 to the Imperial Court; in 1694 to the Elector of Saxony; in 1696 to the Electors of Mentz and Cologne, and the Congress at Francfort; in 1698 a fecond time to Brandenburgh; in 1699 to the King of Poland; in 1701 again to the Emperor; and in 1706

* He was entered of Trinity College, and took his Master's degree in 1689. H.