Caroline, a woman of strong sense and observation, regarded him with singular partiality. With her, at least, it was his object to please; and, consequently, whether it was from the value which she set on his advice in the cabinet, or admiration of his conversational powers, we find her extending her confidence and friendship to him to the last. It is not alone to the unmasculine delicacy of Lord Hervey's appearance, nor to the womanish tone of his voice, that we are to trace the character for effeminacy which he obtained among his contemporaries, for he himself seems to have courted it by an affected and almost finical nicety in his habits and tastes. On one occasion, when asked at dinner whether he would have some beef, he answered, with apparent seriousness,-"Beef! don't you know that I never eat beef, nor horse, nor any of those things." Neither his effeminacy, however, his affectation, nor his constitutional infirmities, appear to have undermined his credit with the fair sex. He bore off the beautiful Mary Lepel from a host of rivals; and the Princess Caroline, daughter of George the Second, is known to have conceived so romantic a passion for him, that, at his death, she became the prey of a settled melancholy, which only terminated with her blameless career. During the latter part of the administration of Sir Robert Walpole, Lord Hervey appears to have been regarded as the ministerial leader in the House of Lords. However, when the star of Sir Robert began to decline in the political horizon; when the falling minister could no longer command overwhelming majorities in the House of Commons, nor the shouts of the populace in the streets, Lord Hervey seems to have been among the first to forsake the fortunes of his benefactor and friend. On the 7th of January, 1742, exactly five weeks before Sir Robert resigned, we find Horace Walpole writing to Sir Horace Mann,-"I forgot to tell you, that upon losing the first question, Lord Hervey kept away for a week on our carrying the next great one, he wrote to Sir Robert, how much he desired to see him; 'not upon any business, but Lord Hervey longs to see Sir Robert Walpole." And in the same letter, he writes,-" Lord Hervey, is too ill to go to operas; yet, with a coffin-face, is as full of his dirty politics as ever. He will not be well enough to go to the house till the majority is certain somewhere, but lives shut up with my Lord Chesterfield and Mr. Pulteney, a triumvirate who hate one another more than any body they could proscribe, had they the power. I dropped in at my Lord Hervey's the other night, knowing my lady had company: it was soon after our defeats. My Lord, who has always professed particularly to me, turned his back on me, and retired for an hour into a whisper with young Hammond,* at the end of the room. Not being at all amazed at one whose *James Hammond, the poet: he died in less than six months from the date of Walpole's letter. heart I knew so well, I stayed on to see more of this behaviour; indeed, to use myself to it. At last he came up to me, and begged this music, which I gave him, and would often again, to see how many times I shall be ill and well with him within this month." Lord Hervey survived the date of this letter only eighteen months. His constitution had never been strong, and, probably, the excitement produced by passing events and the loss of his appointment of Privy Seal, served to hasten his end. He lingered in a wretched state of health, till the 8th of August, 1743, when he expired in the fortyseventh year of his age. 383 MARY LEPEL, LADY HERVEY. Daughter of General Lepel.-Born in 1700.-Appointed at an early age Maid of Honour to the Princess of Wales, afterwards Queen Caroline, and Mistress of the Robes, on the Princess's accession. Miss Lepel's extraordinary beauty. and accomplishments.-Extracts from the Suffolk Correspondence.-Pope's admiration of the young beauty.-His moonlight walk with her in the gardens at Hampton Court, and letter on the subject. His poetical address to Miss Howe.-Compliments by Gay and Voltaire to Miss Lepel.-Lord Chesterfield's praises of her manners and accomplishments.--Lively verses addressed to her by Lords Chesterfield and Bath.— Her marriage in 1720 to Lord Hervey.-Extract from Lady Montagu's Letters.-Quarrel with Lady Hervey.—Singular particulars respecting its origin. - Lady Hervey's French tastes and partialities. Her education of her children.-Her irreligious feelings, and repeated attacks of illness. Churchill's eulogium on her youngest daughter, Lady Caroline.-Lady Hervey's death in 1768.-Posthumous publication of her Letters.-Their character. - MARY LEPEL, so celebrated at the Court of the first George for her beauty and wit, was a daughter of Brigadier-general Nicholas Lepel. She was born on the 26th of September, 1700; and at an early age was named one of the Maids of Honour to Queen Caroline, then Princess of Wales, to whom, on her accession to the throne, she was appointed Mistress of the Robes. Were we to place credit in half the encomiums which have been heaped on Lady Hervey by her contemporaries, a more gifted or more charming person can scarcely be conceived. Those who knew her best, describe her as possessing, in an eminent degree, that peculiar fascination of manner, which an union of perfect high-breeding and good humour can alone confer: they speak of her, moreover, as on all occasions tempering her extraordinary vivacity with discretion and strong sense; and as uniting all the graceful accomplishments of a woman of fashion, with the qualifications requisite to confer happiness on social life. In point of beauty and good humour, her charming friend, Miss Bellenden was the only one of her contemporaries who could compete with her; while, as regards her wit and general powers of pleasing, even Horace Walpole, difficult as he is to please, awards her unqualified praise, and Gay, Pope, and Voltaire grow equally warm in describing the idol of the day. Even her friends, when they have occasion to find some slight fault with her, involuntarily mingle praise with their complaints. Mrs. Bradshaw writes to Mrs. Howard, on the 21st of August, 1720,-"I met Madam Lepel coming into town last night: she is a pretty thing, though she never comes to see me, for which, tell her, I will use her like a dog in the winter." And |