1802.] Memoirs of the late Mojt Noble Francis Duke of Bedford. 453 
Say, didft thou warp the fibre woof ? 
Or mould the fentient brain ? 
Thy fingers ftretch the living nerve ? 
Or fill the purple vein? 
Didft thou then bid the bounding heart 
Its endlefs toil begin? 
Or clothe in flefh the hard’ning bone, 
Or weave the filken skin? 
Who bids the babe, to catch the breeze, 
Expand its panting breaft; 
And with impatient hands, untaught, 
The milky rill arreft > 
Or who with unextinguifh’d love 
The mother’s bofom warms, 
Along the rugged paths of life 
To bearit in her arms? 
A God! a God! the wide earth fhouts, 
A God! the heavens reply 5 
He moulded in his palm the world, 
And hung it in the iky. 
Let us make man !—With beauty clad, 
And health in every vein; 
And, reafon thron’d upon his brow, 
Step’d forth majeftic man. 
Around he turns his wond’ring eyes, 
All Nature’s works furveys ; 
Admires the earth! the fkies! himfelf! 
And tries his tongue in praife. 
Ye hills and vales! ye meads and woods 
Bright fun, and glittering ftars { 
Fair creatures, tell me, if ye can, 
From whence, and what I am ?* 
What parent power, all great and good, 
Do thefe around me own 3 
Tell me, Creation, tell me how 
T’ adore the vait Unknown! 
Litchfield, May 5, 1802. 
* According to the MS. copy. 
MEMOIRS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 
oe SR 
MEMOIRS OF THE LATE MOST NOBLE 
FRANCIS DUKE OF BEDFORD. 
N endeavouring to prefent our readers 
with a fketch of the life and character 
of thistruly illuftrious nobleman, it is not 
neceflary to enter into the minutenels of 
private detail, nor to outrage decorum, as 
is too commonly done, by examining with 
an impertinent curiofity the little ar- 
rangements of domeftic economy. The 
Duke was in the beft fenfe of the word a 
public man; trom his rank, his talents, 
his puriuits, his whole lite was before the 
public, and it is ia this light only that we 
mean to view it. 
His father never arrived at the rank of 
Duke, but died Marquis of Taviltock in 
the year 1767, in confequence of a fall 
from his horfe. He had married the 
daughter of the late Earl of Albemarle, 
who {furvived him not long, and by whom 
he left three fons, the late Duke, and 
Lord John and Lord William Ruffell. 
The late Francis Duke of Bedtord was 
born on the 23d of July,1765 ; and uponthe 
death of his grandtather, in 1771, he fuc- 
ceeded to the title and fortunes of his 
family. If weare rightly informed, his 
Grace’ received the firft rudiments of his 
education at Loughborough Houfe, a {e- 
minary at that time much in fafhion asa 
preparatory fchool. From this place he 
was removed at an early period to Welt- 
minfter School, where, by the blow of a 
cricket-ball he became fubject to an inve- 
terate hernia, which proved the ultimate 
caufe of his premature death, 
It is not underftood however that his 
Grace was a very deep proficient in the 
claffics, and we believe he confidered his 
own education as having been neglected s 
but this was amply compenfated by the 
uncommon vigour of his mind, and his 
application to wfeful ftudies in his maturer 
years. Under the circumftances in which 
his Grace was placed, high in rank, and 
the heir of one of the moft ample fortunes 
in this kingdom, we cannot be furprifed 
if he indulged in early life in fome of thofe 
amufements which are too commonly the 
fole occupation of young men of fafhion. 
Among thefe, the turf feems to have en= 
gaged his early and moft earnef attentions 
it was indeed the favourite purfuit of his 
grandfather. His Grace however feems 
to have addicted himfelf to this fport rather 
from a predilection for the noble animal 
which is the objec of it, than trom the 
mere love of gambling. While he conti- 
nued attached to this fport, he acquired 
an accurate and minute knowledge of the 
nature and qualities of the horfe ; and per- 
haps from this paffion might have origin- 
ated that laudable and fpirited emulation, 
which he afterwards evinced for improving 
the breed of cattle. ‘ 
Such a mind hewever as that of the 
Duke could not kong be confined to the 
narrow icience of a juckey, or the [ports 
of the courfe. His atiention was foon 
direéted to a more important and patriotie 
object, to the general improvement of 
agriculture, and the encouragement of 
every art fubfervient to that truly meritoe 
rious icience. 
3N2 The 
