1797] 
Jent mafter, a warm friend ; unaddiéted 
to the pernicious habits of gaming, that 
have fo long difgraced the chiefs of one 
party, and the bacchanalian intemperance 
that forms but the leaft criminal charge 
againft the leaders of the other, he long 
continued to exhibit a rare inftance of 
domeftic virtue amidft a profligate age. 
The character of /Ef{chines was tar-_ 
nifhed by the acceptance of a pretent: 
from the Macedonian prince, whofe ty-, 
ranny had hitherto been the fubjeét of 
his declamation ; the penfion of Edmund 
Burke has no lefs been the theme of ob- 
loquy and reproach. Indeed, how is it 
flible to behold an orator, at one time 
boafting of his independence, and at 
another, fubmitting to receive a gratifi- 
cation from a ruined country, without 
experiencing the fame fentiment felt by 
every virtuous mind, on contemplating 
Demofthenes now vaunting that all the 
gold of Macedonia could not tempt him, 
and now greedily receiving the golden 
cup, prefented by the detefted hand of 
Harpalus, the treafurer of Alexander 3 
Friendfhip will, and ought to ereét 
attars to his memory; but he muft be 
acknowledged to have been rancorous 
and vindiétive, in refpect to his enemies. 
While lord George Gordon was fuffer- 
ing under the horrors of an imprifon- 
ment, that ended but with his life, and 
which, in point of legality, might have’ 
been queftioned in better days, he. ridi- 
culed his religious opinions, triumphed 
over his misfortunes, and coldly advifed 
him “to confult his Talmud.’ His 
perfonal hatred to Mr. Haftings was’ as in- 
jurious to him, as the vehemence again 
Clodius proved to Cicero. With fuch 
grofs impolicy — perhaps injuftice, was 
this impeachment conduéted, that the 
modern Verres. Who had at firft excited 
the indignation of the whole nation, was 
finally perfecuted into popularity! Nei- 
ther will it be readily forgotten, that, 
at the time his thunders were pointed. 
at the head of an Afiatic delinguen:— 
while he fmote a governorgencral of 
Bengal with one hand, he fupported a 
clerk im office with the other, and thus 
sétually fheltered a delinquent, who had 
fhared in the fpoil of ‘« unaccounted mil- 
lions,” beneath the fhield of his autho- 
rity. : 
But if his enmities were bitter, his 
attachments were ardent and fincere. 
He was rqady to fupport by his counfels, 
to uphold: by his countenance, and to 
back, by his folicitations, every man 
whofe interefts he efpoufed. He poffeff- 
ed a tafte for the fine arts, and was dif- 
Original Anecdotes—Rt. Hon. Edmund Burke. 
pofed; on all occafions, to become their 
proteétor : to his honour be it recorded, 
that he fent Barry, the painter, to Italy, 
and maintained him there at his own ex- 
ence. ; 
- The laft moments of his life were 
worthy of a man of letters and a philofo- 
pher. A little before his death, he is 
reputed to have liftened to fome effays 
compofed by one of the! pureft and moft 
elegant of our Englifh ‘writers, who, like 
himfelf, had united the charatters of a 
ftatef(man and an author *. After tranf- 
mitting many kind meflages to abfent. 
friends, and converfing with feveral then 
prefent, on the awful fituation of his 
country, he, gave fome directions, in 
contemplation of his approaching end, 
and then funk into diffolution. 
To the talents of Mr. Burky, all une 
prejudiced men muft affent.. His early 
writings will long continue to fafcinate, 
and to inftruét +; bus when we confider 
thofe of a more recent date, it may be 
queftionable, if any man of his time 
has proved more hoftile to the interefis, 
the liberties, and the glory of his coun- 
try. At one period, he appeared like a 
hbenignant far in the political firmament, 
diffufing a cheerful light, and a genial. 
warmth around him; at another, he 
exhibited the appearance of a fhining, 
but portentous meteor, clothed in ter- 
rors, fcattering death atid defolation 
abroad, and foreboding ruin and deftruc- 
tion to {urrounding nations. 
The following eulogium, prefixed by 
Dr. Parr to’ the Preface, to Bellende- 
nus, may be gratifying to fuch of his 
friends as. are not i pofleffion of the 
original : 
EDMUNDO BURKE, 
Yire,.tum ob do€trinam multiplicem & exe 
guifitam, 
Tum ob celeres illos ingenii motus, 
Qui & ad excogitandum acuti, etad explicandum 
Ornandumgue uberes funt, 
\ Eximio ac preclaro : 
Optime de littcris, qud5 folas €2@ omnjurmt =~ 
: temporum 
Omniumgue locorum expertus vidit 5 
Optime de fenatu, Cujus periclitantis — 
Ipfe Decus & Columen fuit : 
Optime de patria, in Cives 
Sui amantiffimos eheu ! ingrata, 
Nunquam non promertito, 
Librum huncce ea, qua parett, obfervantia. 
1D PAG ARIE 2 
A.E. A.O. 


* Addifon. 
+ A State Paper, in a former part of this _ 
Number, is one of the moit cloquent fpecimens 
of his talents.. 
With 
as 



