and he employed Mallet, another friend of Pope, to tell the tale to the public, with all its aggravations." The "tale" in question, which appeared in the form of a preface to a revised edition of "The Patriot King," would be looked upon but as a piece of mere impertinence, had it issued unauthorized from the hireling pen of Mallet; but having been unquestionably permitted by, if it did not originate in, Bolingbroke, we cannot regard it as other than a most unjustifiable act. In the work in question, Mallet more than once speaks contemptuously of Pope as "this man;" and yet that this miserable tirade obtained the approval of Bolingbroke, and received more than one tinge of bitterness from his pen, is proved by the original manuscript draught, in the British Museum, where frequent alterations occur in the hand-writing of the latter.

There are two circumstances to which Bolingbroke's vindictiveness has been attributed, and in neither instance are they very creditable to him as a philosopher. It seems, in the first place, that in the copies which Pope had caused to be printed of "The Patriot King," there were discovered several amendments and omissions, which were little likely to be acceptable to Bolingbroke as an author. The remaining cause of offence, was the circumstance of Pope having preferred Warburton to be his executor, and the editor of his works; Warburton, as is well known, being regarded by Bolingbroke with invincible detestation. Such are the circumstances, which, as far

as Bolingbroke is concerned, were the occasion of this memorable quarrel-circumstances, which, if they throw suspicion on the character and motives of Pope, must be admitted to be at least equally discreditable to Bolingbroke. But it is time to revert to his history as a statesman, and to the stirring events in which he was so conspicuous an actor.

After the successful termination of the treaty of Utrecht, Bolingbroke had sufficient leisure to attend to what was passing at home, and to engage in private animosities and selfish intrigues. The friendship which had existed between Harley and himself had gradually subsided into coolness, and latterly had passed from coolness into absolute dislike. Whatever may have been the secret history of their first dissensions, it was unquestionably the fact, that Bolingbroke was envious of the exalted position of Harley, and that Harley was morbidly jealous of the abilities of Bolingbroke. To this unfortunate disagreement, not only their own personal interests, but those of their royal mistress, and the safety of their mutual friends, were in the end miserably and shamefully sacrificed.

Bolingbroke's account of his feelings at this period; his hatred of his colleague, his estimate of his own services, and his defence of his political conduct; may be gleaned from his epistolary correspondence. The circumstance which appears to have principally rankled in his mind, was the Queen's refusal-of course, at the instiga

tion of Harley-to confer on him the Order of the Garter; the denial which he met with being rendered the more unpalatable, in consequence of there being vacant, at the time, as many as six ribands, one of which Harley chose to confer upon himself. After twelve years' laborious service, and after the talent he had displayed in conducting the treaty of Utrecht, as well as in leading the House of Commons, he had certainly some right to expect the gratitude both of his sovereign and his colleagues. The Queen, indeed, had rewarded him with a peerage; but the honour, after all, was an empty one. His elevation, inasmuch as it removed him from his proper sphere, the House of Commons, is usually alluded to by him rather as a degradation than as a reward.

In a letter addressed to the Earl of Strafford, dated 23rd July, 1712, Bolingbroke thus eloquently describes his feelings "I am to thank you, my lord, for the very kind part which you took in the honour her Majesty was very lately pleased to confer on me. It would ill become the friendship I profess to you, if I did not naturally own what passes in my soul upon this subject, and confess to you, what I will do to no one else, that my promotion was a mortification to me. In the House of Commons, I may say that I was at the head of business; and I must have continued so, whether I had been in court or out of court. There was, therefore, nothing to flatter my ambition in removing me from thence, but giving me

the title which had been many years in my family, and which reverted to the crown, about a year ago, by the death of the last of the elder house. To make me a peer was no great compliment, when so many others were forced to be made to gain a strength in Parliament; and since the Queen wanted me below stairs in the last session, she could do no less than make me a viscount, or I must have come in the rear of several whom I was not born to follow. Thus far there seems to be nothing done for my sake, or as a mark of favour to me in particular; and yet, farther her Majesty would not go without a force which never shall be used by me. I own to you that I felt more indignation than ever in my life I had done; and the only consideration which kept me from running to extremities was that which should have inclined somebody to use me better. I knew that any appearance of breach between myself and the Lord Treasurer would give our common enemies spirit; and that, if I declined serving at this conjuncture, the home part of the business would, at least for some time, proceed but lamely."

Bolingbroke, in his celebrated letter to Sir William Wyndham, refers, in no less eloquent language, to the unworthy treatment which he had experienced at the hands of his early friend. After haughtily recapitulating the services which

* The earldom of Bolingbroke had recently become extinct by the decease of Paulet St. John, the third Earl, who died unmarried, 17th October, 1711.

he had performed for his party, and showing how much the success, which had attended their measures, was the result of his personal exertions, he proceeds: "I was dragged into the House of Lords in such a manner as to make my promotion a punishment, not a reward, and was there left to defend the treaties almost alone. It would not have been hard to have forced the Earl of Oxford to use me better. His good intentions began to be very much doubted of. The truth is, no opinion of his sincerity had ever taken root in the party; and (which was worse, perhaps, for a man in his station) the opinion of his capacity began to fall apace. In the House of Commons his credit was low, and my reputation very high. You know the nature of that assembly; they grow, like hounds, fond of the man who shows them game, and by whose halloo they are used to be encouraged. The thread of the negotiations, which could not stand still a moment without going back, was in my hands; and before another man could have made himself master of the business, much time would have been lost, and great inconveniences would have followed. Some, who opposed the court soon after, began to waver then; and if I had not wanted the inclination, I should have wanted no help to do mischief. I knew the way of quitting my employments, and of retiring from court, when the service of my party required; but I could not bring myself up to that resolution when the consequence of it