and his conduct whilft on his travels, was a leffon to his countrymen; instead of adopting the fashionable vices of France and Italy, his time was passed alternately in his library, and in the fociety of men of rank and literature. When he returned, he obtained a feat in parliament; and was afterwards made fecretary to the prince of Wales.

In the year 1741, he married Mifs Lucy Fortescue, of Devonshire, by whom he had a fon and two daughters. This lady, by her exemplary conduct, and uniform practice of religion and virtue, established his conjugal happinefs on a folid bafis.

In 1744, he was appointed one of the lords commiffioners of the treasury, and during his continuance in that station, conftantly exerted his influence in rewarding merit and ability. In the beginning of the year 1746, his felicity was interrupted by the lofs of his amiable wife, who died in the 29th year of her age. He erected an elegant monument to her memory, at the church at Hagley, which contains the following infcription written by himfelf.

"Made to engage all hearts, and charm all eyes; Though meek, magnanimous; though witty, wife; "Polite, as all her life in courts had been; "Yet good, as fhe the world had never feen; "The noble fire of an exalted mind, "With gentleft female tenderness combin'd; "Her fpeech was the melodious voice of love "Her fong, the warbling of the vernal grove; "Her eloquence was fweeter than her fong, "Soft as her heart, and as her reafon frong; "Her form each beauty of her mind express'd; "Her mind was virtue by the graces drefs'd."

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In 1751, the father of Lyttleton died, from whom he inherited a baronet's title, with a large eftate. He ftill continued his exertions in parliament, and was made, 1754, cofferer and privy counfellor; this place he exchanged the next year for the great office of chancellor of the exchequer. In 1757, he was created a peer of Great Britain, by the title of Lord Lyttleton.

This nobleman published a number of Poems, Dialogues of the Dead, and an Hiftory of Henry the Second, which was elaborated by the researches and deliberations of twenty years.

In the pride of juvenile confidence, with the help of corrupt converfation, he had entertained doubts of the truth of chriftianity; but after he was made one of the lords of the treasury, he applied himself seriously to examine the arguments for divine revelation, and his ftudies. being honeft ended in conviction. He found that relig ion was true, and what he had learned, he endeavoured to teach, 1747, by "Obfervations on the Converfion and Apostleship of St. Paul." This work was written at the defire of Gilbert Weft, Efq. in confequence of Lord Lyttleton's afferting that, " befides all the proofs of the christian religion, which might be drawn from the prophecies of the Old Teftament, from the neceffary connexion it hath with the whole fyftem of the Jewish religion, from the miracles of Chrift, from the evidence given of his refurrection, by all the other apoftles, he thought the converfion of St. Paul alone, duly confidered, was of itself a demonftration of the truth of chriftianity." Mr. West was ftruck with the thought, and affured his friend, “that fo compendious a proof would be of great ufe to convince

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thofe unbelievers that will not attend to a longer series of arguments." Time has fhewn that he was right in his conjectures, as this tract is efteemed one of the best defences of the chriftian religion which has been published; to which infidelity has never been able to fabricate a specious answer.

Sir Thomas Lyttleton of Hagley, the author's father, had the happiness of feeing this book, and expreffed his pleasure in the following admirable letter.

"I have read your religious treatise with infinite pleasure and fatisfaction. The ftyle is fine and clear; the arguments clofe, cogent, and irrefiftible. May the King of kings, whofe glorious cause you have so well defended, reward your pious labours, and grant that I may be found worthy, through the merits of Jefus Chrift, to be an eye witness of that happiness, which I doubt not he will bountifully bestow upon you. In the mean time, I fhall never ceafe glorifying God, for having endowed you with fuch useful talents, and given me fo good a fon.

"Your affectionate father, THOMAS LYTTLETON."

Of the death of Lord Lyttleton, a very affecting and inftructive account has been given by his phyfician, Dr. Johnson, of Kidderminster. "On Saturday morning the fymptoms of his lordship's diforder, which for a week paft had alarmed us, put on a fatal appearance, and he believed himself to be a dying man. From this time he fuffered from reftlefsnefs rather than pain; and though his nerves were apparently much fluttered, his mental faculties never feemed ftronger when he was thoroughly awake. Though he wished his approaching diffolution not to be lingering, he waited for it with refignation. On Sunday his lord

ship fent for me, and faid he felt a great hurry, and defired to have a little converfation with me, in order to divert it. He then proceeded to open the fountain of that heart, whence goodness had fo long flowed, as from a copious spring. Doctor, faid he, you shall be my confeffor. When I first fat out in the world I had friends, who endeavoured to shake my belief in the chriftian religion. I faw the difficulties which ftaggered me; but I kept my mind open to conviction. The evidences of the doctrines of christianity, studied with attention, made me a most firm and perfuaded believer of the chriftian religion. I have made it the rule of my life, and it is the ground of my future hopes. I have erred and finned, but have repented, and never indulged any vicious habit. In politics and public life, I have made the public good the rule of my conduct. I never gave counfels which I did not at the time think the beft. I have feen, that I was fometimes in the wrong, but I did not err defignedly. 1 have endeavoured in private life to do all the good in my power. I never for a moment could indulge malicious, or unjust defigns upon any perfon what foever. At another time he faid, I must leave my foul in the fame state it was in before this illness; I find this a very inconvenient time for folicitude about any thing. On the morning, when the fymptoms of death came on him he said, I thall die, but it will not be your fault. When lord and lady Valentia came to fee his lordship, he gave them his folemn benediction, and faid, "be good, be virtuous, my lord, you must come to this: thus he continued, giving his dying benedictions to all around him. On Monday morning a lucid interval gave fome small hopes, but thofe vanished

in the evening, and he continued dying, but with very little uneafinefs, till Tuesday morning, Auguft 22d, when between feven and eight o'clock, he expired, almost with

His lordship was buried at Hagley; the following infcription is cut out on the fide of his lady's monument.

"This unadorned ftone was placed here by particular defire, and exprefs directions of the late right honourable George, Lord Lyttleton, who died, Auguft 22d, 1773, aged 64." Johnfon's Lives of the Poets.

DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON.

SAMUEL JOHNSON, an eminent English writer, was born at Litchfield, September 7, 1709, where his father was a reputable bookfeller. His mother was a woman of great piety and understanding, who early inftilled the principles of religion into the mind of her fon. He exhibited ftrong marks of genius in the free school in Litchfield, where he received the chief part of his education, and at a school in Worcestershire, where he passed a year. Some of his exercises have been accidentally preserved, and well juftify the expectations which determined a father, not opulent, to confine him in the paths of literature. After paffing fome time at home in voluntary and defultory ftudy, he was entered as a commoner at Pembroke college, Oxford, in 1728. Oppreffed by pecuniary difficulties, he was obliged to make an interrupted and a short refidence at the university, and finally gave it up as impracticable, in the autumn of 1731; after having ftrug