142 
Extracts from the Portfolio of a Man qf Letters, [Sept. 
tliat it was a tertian postponed. An¬ 
other, which was Sir David, he declared, 
that now, God be thank’c, her Majesty 
Tvo'^* certainly be wellj and, when lie was 
asked the reason, he told them she was 
grown deafe, and that was a sign the 
bark had taken place, and at tliat time 
she iiaa taken but two doses, and never 
look one afterwards. Shad well was 
asked hovv the Queen did, and he said 
she would do very well, but the pulsvas 
dicre, w'hich puzzled all the maids of 
honour. All her physicians keep close 
to her, which makes the stocks fall, tfnd 
they will never rise as long as they stay 
there. I find both Colebatch and Wood¬ 
ward are in town still. I wish the rest 
were with them. If I hear any thing in 
particular, 1 will acquaint you with it. 
I wish you a happy Xmass & a happy 
new year, &: many, & that her Majesty 
may be restored to a perfect health. 
For the perfect accomplishm^' of all 
these, are the sincere wishes of him 
who is, 
Sir, 
Your most obliged and most obedient 
humble servant, 
John Radcliffe. 
In a letter from Mr. Ford to Dean 
Swift, it Is said, (after giving an account of 
the Queen’s illness) Radcliffe was sent for 
to Carshalton, about noon, by order of coun¬ 
cil, but said he had taken physic and could 
not come. In all probability he had sav'ed 
her life, for, I am told, the late Lord Gowtr 
had been otten in the same condition with 
the gout in his head, and Radcliffe kept him 
alive many years after.” In the account of 
Dr. Radcliffe, in the Biographia Britannica, 
they say that the Dr.’s name was not once 
mentioned, either by the Queen or any Lord 
of the council, only that Lady Masham sent 
to him without their knowledge two hours be¬ 
fore the Queen’s death, and they insert a 
letter written by the Dr. to one of his 
friends, which, as well as the above, will 
prove that the Doctor always maintained the 
contrary, tbo’ a motion was made in the 
House that he might be censured for not at¬ 
tending her Majesty. The Doctor, however, 
by this supposed refusal, became so much the 
object of public resentment, that he was ap¬ 
prehensive of being assassinated, as appears 
from a letter to Dr. Mead, in which he 
says, ‘‘I shall not be from home, as 1 have 
received several letters which threaten me 
with being pulled to pieces, if ever I come 
to London.” 
The Doctor only survived the Queen three 
months j the dread of the populace and the 
want of company in the country village 
in which he lived and dared not to leave, 
shortened his life. He was just 64 years 
old. 
Ei't7'acfs from the Portfolio of a Man of Letters, 
QUALIFICATIONS FOR A POST UNDER 
GOVERNMENT. 
GREAT place at court, (sayeth 
that right learned antiquary, John 
Selden), strangely qualifietli the man who 
holds it: John Reed, groom of the cham¬ 
ber to my Lord of Kent, was in the 
r ght. Noye, the attorney-general, being 
eicfid, some were saying, “how will the 
king do for a fit man to succeed him.^” 
Wliy any man,’' sayeth John Reed, 
may execute the place.” “ I warrant,” 
fcc.vs my lord, “ thou thinkest t/iou under- 
siandest enough to perform it.” “ Let 
tiie king make me attorney-general,” 
rnioth Jehu, “ and 1 would fain see that 
man who durst say, there is tiny thing 
ti hich I do vol understand 
During the administration of the late 
},.ord North, Mr. Charles Fox once de¬ 
claiming on the manner m which persons 
v'.tre chosen for their different offices in 
rlie administration of this country, said, 
that “Unquestionably Great Britain 
might boast of men with abilities of every 
description, men, who were in a superior 
degree qualified for every department in 
the state! but,” added he, “ the noble 
lord in the blue ribband lias the peculiar 
felicity of placing them in situations where 
their peculiar acquirements are totally 
useless. What I mean, may be in a 
degree exemplified by my repeating part 
of a conversation I had a few days ago 
with a foreigner of high rank, who men¬ 
tioning several English gentlemen he find 
known in France, asked me after Mr, 
Fullarton; “ With this young geiuleman,” 
added he, “ I fiequentiy transacted busi¬ 
ness during tlie time he was confidential 
secretary to Lord Stormont, during tiiat 
noble lord’s embassy to the court at 
Paris; and the peculiar attention, ad¬ 
dress, and ability, he there displayed, led 
me to think lie would soon obtain a high 
diplomatic situation. I suppose Mr. 
Fullarton is by this time a Charge des 
Affaires, 2 lx\ 6 . in tlie way to being an am¬ 
bassador him>elf.” Mr. Fullarton, ro- 
piied I; ^Ir. Fullarton 1 Sir, he is in the 
army / 
