STANHOPE. 



ef the perfons concerned in the peace of Utrecht. Upon 

 this occafion he maiiifclled a juvenile violence, which pro- 

 duced an intimation from the oppofite fidi", that advantage 

 would be taken of his being under the lawful age for fitting 

 in parliament. Upon this hint he immediately quitted the 

 houle, and fet oft for Paris. On his return, he was fonic- 

 times the defender and (ometimes the opponent of minillerial 

 meafures ; but his talents, at this time, do not appear to 

 have made much imprefiion on the houfe or the country. 

 In reward, however, for his fupport of a motion for the 

 augmentation of the army, he was, in 1723, made captain 

 of the yeomen of the guards ; and it was a proof of his dif- 

 intereltednefs, that when adviled by his prcdeccflor, lord 

 Townfend, to make the polt more profitable than he had 

 done, by the fale of fubordinate places, he replied, " 1 ra- 

 ther wifh, in this inllance, to follow your lordfhip's example 

 than your advice." He was difmiffed from this office in 

 1725 ; and in the following year, on the death of his father, 

 with whom he had never been on terms of cordiality, he 

 entered the houfe of lords, and joined the oppofitioii. To 

 this aflembly his talents were better adapted than to the 

 houfe of commons. His eloquence, the fruits of much 

 ftudy, was lefs charafterized by force and compafs than by 

 elegance and perfpicuity, and efpecially by good taite, and 

 a vein of delicate irony, which, while it fometimes infl:ftcd 

 fevere llrokes, never pafied the limits of decency and pro- 

 priety. " It was that of a man, who, in the union of wit 

 and good fenfe with politenefs, had not a competitor." 

 Thefe qualities were matured by the advantage of a familiar 

 acquaintance with almoil all the eminent wits and writers of 

 his time ; many of whom had been the ornaments of the 

 preceding age of literature, while others were dellined to 

 become thofe of a later period. He knew how to appre- 

 ciate genius and talents, and was the friend of Pope, and 

 received him in almolt all his feledl parties at Twickenham, 

 where he met the firll nobility in allbciation with the mod 

 dillinguiihed votaries of the mufes. 



Soon after the acccflion of George II. lord Chellcrficld 

 was nominated ambaffador at the Hague. Scarcely was any 

 man ever better adapted tlian his lordlhip to fill a diplomatic 

 fituation, as well on account ot his natural acutcnefs, and of 

 his conciliating manners, as his tamiharity with the modes 

 and ulagcs of general fociety. He was, however, at this 

 time but little acquainted with public bufinef , ; but pof- 

 fefling the laudable ambition ot rendering himfelf fully maf- 

 ter of whatever he undertook, he fpared no pains to acquire 

 the knowledge for the poll in which he was placed, and 

 which at that time was a very important one ; the Hague 

 being, in fatt, the centre of the principal political negocia- 

 tions carrying on throughout Europe. In the year 1730 

 he was appointed high Reward of the houfehold, and he was, 

 at the fame time, decorated with the order of the garter. 

 He now returned to Holland, and was inllrumcntal in form- 

 ing an important treaty between the courts of I>ondon and 

 Vienna, and the States-general. In 1732 he obtained his 

 recall ; and on his return, he fupported the plans of the 

 prime minillcr, though there does not appear to have been 

 any cordiality between them ; and when fir Robert Walpole 

 introduced his famous excifc mcafure, the earl fpokc againll 

 liim with all his force, and thereby gave (o much offence 

 that he was deprived of his offices, and he again joined the 

 party in oppofition. He married, in 1733, '^"^ countefs of 

 Walfingham, nxce or probably daughter to the duchefs of 

 Kendal, who had been millreis to George I. She was a 

 lady of great merit and accomplifliments, and by her pru- 

 dance contributed very much to retrieve the deranged allairs 

 of her lord. The noble earl did not negledt to pay his 



Vol. XXXIII. 



court to the prince of Wales, who attached himfelf to the 

 oppofers of his father's government. Of his oratorical ex- 

 ertions, none was more generally admired than his fpcech 

 kgainft the bill for granting to the lord chamberlain the 

 power of licenfing dramatic performances. In 1741, his 

 health being much impaired, he was advifed to make the 

 tour of the continent. In his way to the Spa, he faw, at 

 Bruficls, Voltaire, with whom he had contrafted a friend- 

 fhip in England. At Spa his reputation, and the urbanity 

 of his manners, drew upon him much flattering notice from 

 perions of dillinction ; and the manner in which he fpoke of 

 the rifing Frederick of Pruffia to the envoy of that monarch, 

 j.rocurcd for him a prefling invitation to the court of Berlin, 

 which he would gladly have accepted, had he not been pre- 

 vented by other engagements. A fhort (lay at Paris intro- 

 duced him to the molt dillinguilhed of both fexes for rank 

 and talents in that capital, where he was equally gratified 

 and admired. 



His Itay in the fouth of France was Shortened by the ftate 

 of political affairs at home. The attempts of France to 

 ruin the houfe of Aullria were threatening deftruftion to 

 what was denominated the balance of power in Europe; 

 and the mifcarriages of the Euglifh minifters in their poli- 

 tical meafures fpread difcontent through the nation. This 

 at length produced the fall of that ftatefman, who had fo 

 long ruled the public councils ; and a new adminillration 

 was formed, in which lord Chefterfield had no place. This 

 omiffion was probably owing, in great part, to the perfonal 

 diflike of the king, who could not forget the fevere things 

 he had laid with refpeft to the royal partiality to the in- 

 terefts of Hanover, and the facrifices made of the interefts 

 of Great Britain to thofe of the electorate. He took an 

 aftive and mod decided part in oppofition to the meafures 

 of the miniilry, and was laid to be particularly happy in his 

 fpeech againll the gin-licence bill, and againfl that for con. 

 tinning attainders upon the poilerity of perfons convifted of 

 high treafon. This lall bill was introduced in confequence 

 of the profpeft of a new rebellion, promoted by France, 

 and which foon after took place. This event produced a 

 change \n the miniflry, and lord Chcilerfield was fent out as 

 amballador to the United Provinces ; a ilation which he had 

 before occupied with much reputation. He cfledted the 

 purpofe for which he was fent, viz. that of engaging the 

 Dutch to concur in earnell in the war againll France ; and 

 returned in 1745, at the time of the breaking out of the 

 rebellion in Scotland. He was immediately nominated to 

 the high (lation of lord lieutenant of_ Ireland ; an office of 

 great importance at this period, when there was caufe of 

 appreheniion from the prevalence of the Roman Catholic re- 

 ligion in that illand. He fet off for his government in the 

 end of Augull, taking with him a fecrelary, who had not 

 enjoyed any advantage from experience, and to whom he 

 faid in a tone of decifion, " Sir, you will receive the emolu- 

 meiits of your place, but I will do the bufinefs myfelf, 

 being determined to have no firll minillcr." In a fimilar 

 fpirit he openly declared, that if any one, during his Hay 

 in Ireland, Ihould make a fucceftful application for a 

 place in the king's gift through any channel but Ku own, 

 he would immediately throw up the lieutenancy. With 

 thefe refolutions he began his adminillration ; and by vigour 

 on the one hand, and conciliation on the other, by lliiA 

 integrity, and a frank undifgnifed fyllem of policy, lie kept 

 every thing quiet in that kingdom, while the filler illand 

 was over-run with terror and commotion. Inllead of 

 abridging the Catholics of their religious liberty, he fa- 

 voured and augmented it ; wifely judging, that the more 

 openly they fhcwed themfelvc* in attendance at their own 

 5 A places 



