his pains and fervice. If I have tampered any thing with him, why did he not difcover it to fave his life?' With this anfwer the queen faid she was fatisfied. She prayed him not to be angry that fhe had fpoken fo freely what the had heard reported, and that he would give no more credit to thofe that flandered her, than fhe did to fuch as accufed him. Spies, the faid, were men of doubtful and lit tle credit, who make fhew of one thing and fpeak another; and defired him, that he would not in the leaft believe that ever he had confented to the queen's deftruc tion.' Soon after, Sir Francis was made Chancellor of the duchy of Lancafter. About this time, when preparations were making in Spain for invading and conquering Eng. land, Sir Francis, by a refined piece of policy, defeated for a whole year together the measures Spain had taken for fitting out their Armada; of which we have this particular account. The vaft preparations that were making for a confiderable time in Spain, kept all Europe in fufpenfe, and it was not certain against whom they were defigned; though it was the general opinion, they were to fubdue the Netherlands all at once; which Spain was fenfible could not be done without a greater force by fea, as well as by land, than had been hitherto employed for that fervice. Queen Elizabeth thought fit to be upon her guard, and had fome jealoufies that he might be aimed at; but how to find it out, was the difficulty, which at length Walfingham overcame. He had intelligence from Madrid, that King Philip had told his council, he had dispatched an exprefs to Rome, with a letter writ with his own hand to the Pope, acquainting him with the true defign of his preparations, and asking his bleffing upon it; which for fome reafons he would not yet difclose to them, till the return of the courier. The fecret being thus lodged with the Pope, Walfingham, by the means of a Venetian priest retained at Rome as his fpy, got a copy of the original letter, which was ftolen out of the pope's cabinet by a gentleman of the bedchamber, who took the keys out of the pope's pocket while he slept. Upon this intelligence, Sir Fran. cis Walfingham found a way to retard the Spanish invafion for a whole year, by getting the Spanish bills protefted at Genoa, which fhould have fupplied them with money to carry on their preparations. After this great event, we hear very little of our wife minifter, only that, in 1589, he entertained Queen Elizabeth at his house at Barn-Elms. Probably he was now worn out with age, as well as with infirmities, occafioned by his too intenfe application in the fervice of his country. Befides his other dignities and employments, we find that he was a knight of the garter, and recorder of the burgh of Colchester. He died April 6, 1590; and, after all the fervices he had performed for his queen and country, he gave a remarkable proof at his death how far he had preferred the public intereft to his own; for he died fo poor, that his friends were obliged to bury him privately in the night, for fear his body fhould be arrested for debt: A fault which few statesmen fince his time have been guilty of! as Dr. Welwood obferves. He was a perfon of great prudence and induftry; a moft steady afferter of the Reformed religion; a ftudious and temperate man; fo public-fpirited, that he spent his eftate to ferve the kingdom; fo faithful, that he bestowed his years on his queen ; fo learned, that he provided a library for King's college. Finally, he equalled all the ftatefmen former ages difcourfe of, is a pattern to all, and hardly hath been equalled by any. By his lady, who was of the family of St. Barbe, he left only one daughter, that was married thrice; firft, to Sir Philip Sidney; fecondly, to Robert Devereux, Earl of Effex; and, thirdly, to Richard Bourk, Earl of Clanrickard, in Ireland. By the firft fhe had one daughter married to Roger Earl of Rutland; by the fecond, a fon and two daughters; and by the laft, a fon and a daughter. There is afcribed to Sir Francis Walfingham a book, intitled, Arcana Aulica, or Walfingham's Manual of prudential maxims, for the flatefman and courtier, printed feveral times; but it may juftly be queftioned whether it was of his own compofition. had his birth about 1640. After the first rudiments of his education, he was fent for further improvement, about the age of fifteen, to France, and refided fome years in the western parts of that kingdom, upon the banks of the Charante, where he recommended himself to the notice of Madam de Montaufier, celebrated in Voiture's Letters, and one of the most accomplished ladies of the French court; with whofe politenefs he was fo much captivated, that he refolved to change his religion, and enter into the church of Rome. In this faith he returned home, a little before the restoration of King Charles II. and became a gentle man commoner of Queen's college, Oxford. He was entered into the public library under the title of " Philofophiæ ftudiofus," in July, 1660; but as he was never matriculated, fo he left the univerfity without taking any degree, and going to London, he entered himself in the Middle Temple, defigning for the law; but making his firft appearance in town when wit and gaiety were the favourite diftinctions, he foon quitted that dry ftudy, and turned his thoughts upon fubjects more agreeable to his genius, as well as to the taste of the age. His circumftances enabled him to enjoy the pleasures of the delightful court of King Charles, and his excellent Some curious particulars of the life of talents procured him the particuMr. Wycherley, the Poet. 7ILLIAM Wycherley, a dif lar favour of that monarch. Plays. being then the vogue, he applied. his genius to the writing of come WILLIAM aamir- dies, and produced his Love in ed comic poet, was the eldest fon of Daniel Wycherly, Efq; of Cleve, in Shropshire, where he a Wood, or Saint James's Park, in 1672. This brought him into the acquaintance of the celebrated wits wits of both court and town; among the reft, Villiers duke of Buckingham conceived the higheft efteem for him +, and, as master of horfe to the king, not only made bim one of his equerries, but, as colonel of a regiment, procured, him the commiffion of a captain lieutenant of his own company; refigning to him at the fame time his own pay as captain, with many other advantages. King Charles likewife fhewed him fignal marks of his favour, and once gave him a proof of his esteem, which, perhaps, never any fovereign prince before * Among others he became acquainted with the dutchess of Cleveland; the manner of which is thus related by Mr. Dennis: As Mr. Wycherley was going through Pall-Mall in his way towards St. James's in his chariot, he met the dutchess in hers, who thrufting her body half out of the chariot, cried out aloud to him, "You Wycherley, you are a fon of a whore," at the fame time laughing aloud and heartily. Mr. Wycherley was very much furprised at this; yet not fo much but that he foon apprehended it was spoke with allufion to the latter end of a fong in St. James's Park; 27 66 "When parents are flaves, "Their brats cannot be any other'; "Great wits and great brains have always "A punk to their mother." As, during Mr. Wycherley's furprise, the chariots drove different ways, they were foon at a confiderable diftance; when Mr. Wycherley, recovering from his furprise, ordered his coachman to drive back, and overtake the lady. As foon as he got over-against her, he said to her, "Madam, you have been pleased to bestow a title on me, which generally belongs to the fortunate; will your ladyhip be at the play to-night;" "Well," replied the, "what if I am there;" "Why then," anfwered he, "I will be there to wait on your Ladyship, though 1 disappoint a fine woman who has made me an affignation." "So," fays the, ་ you are fure to disappoint a fine woman who has favoured you, for one that has not. Yes,” replied he, "if fhe who has not favoured me, is the finer woman of the two; but he that will be conftant to your Ladyship, till he can find a finer woman, is fure to die your captive." The lady blufhed, and bade her coachman drive away. As fhe was then in all her bloom, and the most celebrated beauty that was then in England, or perhaps that has been in England fince, fhe was touched with the gallantry of that compliment. In fhort, fh ewas that night in the first row of the king's box in Drury-lane, and Mr. Wycherley in the pit under her, where he entertained her during the whole play. And this was the beginning of a correfpondence between these two persons, which afterwards made a great noife in the town. † The incident that procured him that nobleman's favour, is somewhat extraordinary. His grace was paffionately in love with the dutchess of Cleveland, and had long folicited her without any fuccefs; whether the relation between them fhocked her, for fhe was his coufin german, or whether the apprehended that af intrigue with a perfon of his rank and character, a perfon upon whom the eyes of all men were fixed, muft of neceffity in a little time come to the king's ears: whatever was the caufe, the refufed to admit of his vifits fo long, that, at last, indignation, rage, and disdain, took place of love, and he refolved to ruin her. Τα before had given to an author, who was only a private gentleman. Mr. Wycherley happened to fall fick at his lodgings in Bow-ftreet, Covent-garden; during which ficknefs, the king did him the honour to vifit him. Finding his body extremely weakened, and his fpirits miferably fhattered, he commanded him, as foon as he should be able to take a journey, to go to the fouth of France, believing that the air of Montpelier would contribute to restore him as much as any thing; and affured him at the fame time, "That as foon as he was capable of taking the journey, he would order him 500l. to defray the charges of it." Mr. Wycherley accordingly went to France, and having spent the winter there, returned to England in the fpring, entirely restored to his former vigour both of body and of mind. The king fhortly after told him, that he had a fon, who fhould be educated like the son of a king, and that he could not chufe a more proper man for his governor, than Mr. Wycherley; for which fervice 1500l. per annum should be settled upon him, for the payment of which he fhould have an affignment upon three feveral offices; and when that fervice was over, he would take care to provide for him, But Mr. Wycherley, fuch is the uncertain ftate of all human affairs, loft the favour of the king and of the courtiers. We are told, that immediately after he had received the gracious offers above mention ed from the king, he went down to Tunbridge, either to take the benefit of thofe waters, or the di verfions of the place; when walking one day upon the Wells walk with his friend Mr. Fairbeard, of Gray's-Inn, juft as he came up to the bookseller's fhop, the countess of Drogheda, a young widow, rich, noble, and beautiful, came to the book feller, and inquired for The Plain Dealer. "Madam,' १ To this end he had her fo narrowly watched by his fpies, that he foon came to the knowledge of those whom he had reason to believe his rivals; and after he knew them, he never failed to name them aloud, in order to expose the lady to all those who frequented her, and among others, he used to name Mr. Wycher ley. As foon as it came to the knowledge of the latter, who had all his expectations from the court, he apprehended the confequence of fuch a report, if it should reach the king's ears. He applied himself to Wilmot earl of Rochester, and to Sir Charles Sedley, intreating them to remonstrate to the duke the mischief he was about to do to one that had not the honour to be known to him, and who never offended him. Upon their opening the matter to the duke, he cried out immediately, that he did not blame Wycherley, he only accufed his coufin." "Aye, but," they replied, “by rendering him fuspected of such an intrigue, you are about to injure a man, with whofe converfation you would be pleafed above all things." Upon this occafion they faid fo much of the thining quali ties of Mr. Wycherley, and the charms of his converfation, that the duke, who was as much in love with wit, as he was with his kinfwoman, was impatient till he was brought to fup with him, which was in two or three nights. After fupper, Mr. Wycherley, who was then in the height of his vigour both of body and mind, thought himself obliged to exert his utmost, and the duke was charm ed to that degree, that he cried out in a transport, and with an oath, " coufin is in the right of it ;" and from that very moment made a friend of a man whom he believed his happy rival, Vol. IX. F My faid faid Mr. Fairbeard, "fince you are for the Plain Dealer, there he is for you;" pushing Mr. Wycherley towards her. "Yes," fays Mr. Wycherley, "this lady can bear plain-dealing, for the appears to be fo accomplished, that what would be compliment faid to others, spoke to her would be plain dealing." "No, truly, Sir," said the counters, "I am not without my faults, any more than the reft of my fex; and yet notwithstanding I love plain-dealing, and am never more fond of it, than when it tells me of them." "Then, Madam," " fays Mr. Fairbeard," you and the Plain Dealer feem defigned by heaven for each other." In fhort, Mr. Wycherley walked with the countess upon the walks, waited upon her home, vifited her daily at her lodgings while the continued at Tunbridge, and at her apartments in Hatton Garden after, The went to London, where in a little time he got her confent to marry her; which he did by his father's command, without acquainting the king, upon an apprehenfion that the lady having a great independent fortune, the acquainting the king with the intended marriage, might be the likelieft way to prevent it. But this match, fo promifing in appearance . both to his fortunes and his happiness, was neither more nor less than the actual ruin of both *. His lady, indeed, who did not furvive this match many years, fettled her whole eftate upon him; but his title being difputed after her death, the expence of the law and other incumbrances so far reduced him, that, not being able to fatisfy the importunity of his creditors, he was flung into prifon : there he languished for the fpace of feven years, nor was he releafed, till King James going to see The Plain Dealer acted, was fo charmed with the entertainment, that he gave immediate orders for the payment of his debts, adding to that grace a penfion of zool. per annum while his Majefty continued in England. But the bounty of that prince had not the defired effect, Mr. Wycherley being afhamed to give the earl of Mulgrave, whom the king had fent to demand it, a full account of his debts. He laboured under the weight of thefe difficulties, till his father died, and then too the estate that defcended to him was left under very uneafy limitations, fince, being only a tenant for life, he could not raife any money for the payment of his debts. However, he took a method of doing it that was in his power, though few fuf As foon as the news of it came to court, it was looked upon as an affront to the king, and a contempt of his Majesty's orders; and Mr. Wycherley's conduct after marriage, made this to be refented more heinously; for fel dom or never coming near the court, he was thought downright ungrateful. But the true caufe of his abfence was not known, and the court was at that time too much alarmed, and too much difquieted, to inquire into it. In short, the lady was jealous of him to diftraction; jealous of him to that degree, that fhe could not endure he should be a moment out of her fight. Their lodgings were in Bow-ftreet, Covent-garden, oppofite the Cock-tavern, whither if he at any time went with his friends, he was obliged to leave the windows that open, his lady might fee there was no woman in company, or she would have been in a downright raving condition.. pected |