BUR 
be difplaycd on the great political theatre. ITe returned to 
England, and (till occafionally wrote political effiys in pe¬ 
riodical works. The Public Advertifer was then the paper 
in which men of literature'and genius moll frequently con¬ 
tributed their efforts. Burke’s writings in that journal 
attracted the notice of tite marquis of Rockingham, who 
remarked their uncommon ability, and foon.fought the ac¬ 
quaintance of the author., He wq.s introduced to the mar¬ 
quis by Mr.-Fitzherbert, father of lord Sf. Helen’s. 'T It is 
may be confidered as a*grand epoch in the life of Burke, 
as from it commenced his political career. Of his full in¬ 
troduction to the marquis, he himfelf gives the particulars 
in his fpeech. “ In the year 1765 (he lays), being in a 
very private ftulion, far from any line of bufinefs, and not 
having the honour of a feat in this hotife, it was my for¬ 
tune, by the intervention of a common friend, to become 
connected with a very noble perfon, then at the head of 
the treafury department. It was indeed a lituation ot lit¬ 
tle rank and no confequence, fui,table to the mediocrity of 
my talents and pretentions ; but a lituation near enough to 
enable me to fee, as well as others, what was going on ; 
and 1 did fee in that noble perfon fuch found principles, 
inch an enlargement of mind, fuch clear and fagacious 
fenfe, and fuch unfhaken fortitude, as have bound me, as 
well as others much better, by an inviolable attachment to 
him from that time forward.” The marquis offered to 
make Burke his own fecretary, which he accepted. Mr. 
Hamilton was engaged with the oppofite party, and claim¬ 
ed the affiftance of Burke as his early friend. Various ac¬ 
counts have been given of the reparation of thefe two gen¬ 
tlemen. Some have imputed it to a difference in political 
fentiments, others to a private quarrel ; but by far the 
greater number contend, that the aptitude with which 
Mr. Burke deferted his old connexions, formed that (hade 
in his political character, which pourtrayed the inconftancy 
of his mind. On this fubjeX his biographer remarks, that 
he ought not to have (looped to be the objeX of patron¬ 
age. “ Like lus friend Johnfon, he (hould have depended 
entirely on his ow n extraordinary powers. He would have 
been able uniformly to aX as his own genius prompted 
him, inftead of employing his talents in giving currency 
to the doXrines of others. In this part of their conduX, 
Johnfonand Hume, the only two literary charaXers of the 
age who can be compared to Burke, ailed more worthy 
of the fuperior abilities with which they were bleffed by 
nature. They attached themfelves to no grandees : they 
did not degrade the native dignity of genius, by becoming 
retainers, to the adventitious dignity of rank, johnfon, in 
his, garret, the abode of independence, was fuperior to 
Burke in his villa,'the fee of a party. The former earned 
his fubfi(fence by his labour, the latter received his by do-, 
native. Johnfon was independent,—Burke dependent.” 
During the Rockingham ad mini ft ration, Burke was re¬ 
turned-member in parliament for Wendover in Bticking- 
hamfhire, a borough under the patronage of lord Vernl'v,' 
between whom and Burke a dole intimacy had been form¬ 
ed. On his entrance into parliament, he employed his 1 
time moft induftriouily in qualifying himfelf fora fplendtH' 
and tifefill difeharge of. his new duty. He applied to every 
iburce of know ledge which might by pollibility be ufefiil 
to him ; he did not negleX even the writings of the far¬ 
thers, and the fubtlety of the fcliool divines. From this 
fountain, probably, did Mr. Burke draw the deep venera¬ 
tion- which-he afterwards felt for the very errors of anti¬ 
quity ; and that zeal for old eftablifhments by which this 
latter year's were lb (irongly marked. His induftry even 
defceitded to the perufal of precedents and records ; art’d 
lie condefcended to improve himfelf in eloquertce at the 
Robin-Hood fociety, where he is (aid to have derived ve¬ 
ry important advantages from his contefts with a baker I 
Gf the language of his fpeeches he was remarkably care¬ 
ful; he-always attentively revifed, and frequently re¬ 
wrote, them : nor was lie lefs ftttdious of excellence in 
the management of his voice and his aXiori. Mr. Burke 
stow, came in pofledion Of his ple’afant villa at Rbaconsfield, 
which he ptirchafed for 23,00b!. ten tboufand pounds of 
which had been advanced by the marquis of Rockingham, 
and 5000I. lent on mortgage by Dr. Saunders of Spring- 
gardens; how tite remaining 8000I. were procured, does 
not appear. It'bas been Laid, that the whole fum was ad¬ 
vanced by the marquis on Mr. Burke’s limple bond, never 
intended to be reclaimed. 
Burke, though thus patronifed and elevated in his pe¬ 
cuniary affairs, ftill continued his habits of induftry. (Jrt- 
accuftomed to d i (Ti p at ion-, he direXed to reading and’eon- 
verjation thofe hours which were not employed in parlia¬ 
mentary duty, in exercife, or in the difeharge of neceffary 
bulinefs. We ape informed that he generally read with a 
pen in his hand, to make notes, though he had a memory 
wonderfully tenacious. Much of his leifure was (pent at 
tite houfe of his friend Sir Jofluta Reynolds, who deemed 
him the bell judge of piXures that he ever knew. The 
amufement in which lie-moft delighted was the theatre; 
for lie did not, like Johnforr; contemn fcenical perform¬ 
ances. Part of the'Yecefs he fpent at Beaconsfield, where 
his tafte dil'played itfelf in various improvements of its 
natural beauties ; and he bellowed much attention on fann¬ 
ing. The whole of his eftate would let at abotit 600I. a- 
year: three-fourths of it he cultivated himfelf; and, as a 
farmer, he was the moft fuccefsful of the neighbourhood, 
without any unit filial expence; yet in his circumftances he 
was always embarraffed. He liked a cheerful glafs, but 
never drank to excefs. During dinner, his beverage was 
water, and afterwards generally claret or fome light wine, 
of which he leldom exceeded a bottle. His converfation, 
indeed, was always fo animated, that wine could add no¬ 
thing to it. He was not a very profound admirer of the 
nobility, as poffefling any great fliare of talents and virtue. 
Speaking of the debaucheries in high life, and their con- 
fequences, he faid, “It is no wonder the iffueof the mar¬ 
riage-bed fhonld be puny and degenerate, when children 
are formed out of the rinfing of bottles.” He was liberal' 
to the common mendicants ; and ufed to attribute inatten¬ 
tion to their requefts rather to the love of money than 
to the profeffed policy of difeouraging beggars. He had 
always been an early rifer, and' often difpatclied bulinefs 
before Come of his political friends had recovered from 
the effeXs of the laft night’s intemperance. Part of the 
fummer was frequently devoted to re-vifiting his native" 
country, and fometi tries he would make excurfions in the 
flage-coaclV to different parts of England. His general 
knowledge of the phyfical and moral hiftory of the places 
through-which he palled on thofe occafions, as w.ell’as his 
fund of anecdote, made him a moft agreeable companion. 
In the fummer of 1772 he vilited the continent, and there 
fir ft faw the fair Marie Antoinette, whole beatify -and ac- 
complifhments (truck his imagination fo forcibly, that, afi- 
ter the lapfe of twenty-three years, the hriprellTon was yet 
deep, and produXive of the well-known exuberant eulo- 
giums. It was during this vifit that he made thofe obfer- 
vations on the tendency of the philofophy then cultivated 
in France, which he difclofed in his ‘ RefleXions ;’ where 
he attributes to this philofophy the fubfequent fall of the 
religious and political eftablifhments ol that kingdom. 
With forne of the prime fages of that country, Mr. Burke 
was engaged in a difeuffion on the merit of Beattie’s -Eflay 
on Truth ; and we are informed that he appears- to have 
been as partial to Beattie as againft Hume. 
How much the religious feepticifm and political theories 
of thefe men impreifed the mind of Burke, we learn from 
a fpeech he made-in the next fellion of parliament; of 
which, though a regular report of it was not taken, yet 
a copy is ftill extant-; the fu mm ary is thus given by the 
editors of his pofth'timous works: ‘ He pointed out the 
confpiracy of atheifm to the watchful jealoufy- of govern^ 
hient. He profeffed he was not over fond of calling rn the 
aid of the fecular arm to fupprefs doXrines and opinions; 
but, if ever it was to be railed, it (hould be againft thofe 
enemies of their kind who would take from us the nobleit 
prerogative of our nature, that of being a religious an> 
mal-l 
