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often, and that he is too often disposed to treat serious subjects with unbecoming levity. If he was not an infidel, he was at least a sneerer; and while in one place he almost predicts the revolution in France, and in another execrates the atrocities with which it was accompanied, he seems unconscious that his own principles were not very remote from those which precipitated the destruction of the throne and the altar.

Mr. Walpole valued highly his talent for letter-writing, and many have regarded him as the best letter-writer of his day. If they had said the most lively, or the most witty, they would have been nearer the truth. But whatever the particular merit of his correspondence, it has since proved fatal to his personal character in a very important feature. Letter-writing seems to have been with him a species of patronage, of grace and favour conferred upon his literary contemporaries, on whom he bestowed no other favours. Whatever else he might disappoint them in, they were sure to receive a letter full of praise, and Mr. Walpole's praise was once thought of considerable importance. But since his printed correspondence has been compared with many hundred letters now extant that never were intended for the press, the evidence of his insincerity, of his extreme vanity, and duplicity towards those whom he most lavishly flattered, is too full and clear to admit of any hesitation in pronouncing that these degrading meannesses belonged to him in no common degree. One very gross instance of his treacherous correspondence may be seen in Stewart's Life of Dr. Robertson; but more, and perhaps fuller, proofs exist in his correspondence with the late Rev. William Cole of Milton, nowin the British Museum.

Lord Orford's intellectual defects, says a critic of great candour and ability, were those of education, and temper and habit, and not those of nature. His rank, and his father's indulgences, made him a coxcomb: nature made him, in my opinion, a genius of no ordinary kind. The author of "The Castle of Otranto" possessed invention, and pathos, and eloquence, which, if instigated by some slight exertion, might have blazed to a degree, of which common critics have no conception."

1

1 Park's edition of the Royal and Noble Authors.-Gent, Mag. vol. LXVII. Preface to his Works.- Cole's MSS. in Brit. Mus. &c.-D'Israeli's Calamities of Authors; a severe, but masterly sketch.-British Essayists. Preface to the "World."

WALSH (PETER), an Irish catholic of great learning and liberality, was born at Moortown, in the county of Kildare, in the early part of the seventeenth century. He was a friar of the Franciscan order, and was professor of divinity at Louvain, where he probably was educated. Returning to Ireland, he went to Kilkenny at the time the pope's nuncio was there, but was not of his party. Оп the contrary, he made many endeavours to persuade the Irish Roman catholics to the same loyal sentiments as he himself held; and after the restoration of Charles II. when he was procurator of the Romish clergy of Ireland, he persuaded many of them to subscribe a recognition or remonstrance, not only of their loyalty to the king, but of their disclaiming the pope's supremacy in temporals. This drew upon him the resentment of many of his brethren, and particularly of the court of Rome. Such hopes, however, were entertained of this important change in the sentiments of the Irish catholics, that in 1666 the court thought proper to permit their clergy to meet openly in synod at Dublin, in order, as was expected, to authorize the above remonstrance by a general act of the whole body. But this assembly broke up without coming to any decision, and the duke of Ormond, then lord lieutenant, considered it necessary to proceed against those who refused to give any security for their allegiance. But when, in 1670, lord Berkeley succeeded him, by some secret orders or intrigues of the popishly-affected party in England, Walsh, and those who had signed the remonstrance, were so persecuted as to be obliged to leave the country. Walsh came to London, and by the interest of the duke of Ormond, got an annuity of 100%. for life. He had lived on terms of intimacy with the duke for nearly forty years, and had never touched much on the subject of religion until the reign of James II. when he made some overtures to gain the duke over to popery; but desisted when he found his arguments had no effect. Dodwell took some pains, although in vain, to convert Walsh, hoping, that as they had cast him out of the communion of the church of Rome, he might be persuaded to embrace that of the church of England. Walsh died in September 1687, and was buried in St. Dunstan's in the West.

Burnet says of him: "He was the honestest and learnedest man I ever knew among them, and was indeed, in all points of controversy, almost wholly a protestant. But he had

senses of his own, by which he excused his adhering to the church of Rome, and maintained, that with these be could continue in the communion of that church without sin, &c. He was an honest and able man, much practised in intrigues, and knew well the methods of the Jesuits and other missionaries."

He wrote various controversial pamphlets, chiefly in vindication of his conduct as to the above remonstrance; and a history of it, under the title of "The History, &c. of the Loyal Formulary, or Irish Remonstrance, in 1661," 1674, folio. He wrote also "A Prospect of the State of Ireland from the year of the world 1756 to the year of Christ 1652," Lond. 1682, 8vo; but this he brought down. no farther than 1172, his style and tedious digressions not being relished. '

WALSH (WILLIAM), an English critic and poet, was the son of Joseph Walsh of Abberley in Worcestershire, esq. and born about 1663, for the precise time does not appear. According to Pope, his birth happened in 1659; but Wood places it four years later. He became a gentleman-commoner of Wadham-college in Oxford in 1678, but left the university without a degree, and pursued his studies in London and at home. That he studied, in whatever place, is apparent from the effect; for he became, in Dryden's opinion, "the best critic in the nation." He was not, however, merely a critic or a scholar. He was likewise a man of fashion, and, as Dennis remarks, ostentatiously splendid in his dress. He was likewise a member of parliament and a courtier, knight of the shire for his native county in several parliaments, in another the representative of Richmond in Yorkshire, and gentleman of the horse to queen Anne under the duke of Somerset. Some of his verses shew him to have been a zealous friend to the Revolution; but his political ardour did not abate his reverence or kindness for Dryden, to whom, Dr. Johnson says, he gave a Dissertation on Virgil's Pastorals; but this was certainly written by Dr. Chetwood, as appears by one of Dryden's letters. In 1705 he began to correspond with Pope, in whom he discovered very early the power of poetry, and advised him to study correctness, which the poets of his time, he said, all neglected. Their letters are written upon the pastoral comedy of the Ita

1 Harris's Ware.-Burnet's Own Times.-Brokesby's Life of Dodwell.

lians, and those pastorals which Pope was then preparing to publish. The kindnesses which are first experienced are seldom forgotten. Pope always retained a grateful memory of Walsh's notice, and mentioned him in one of his latter pieces among those that had encouraged his juvenile studies.

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Granville the polite,

"And knowing Walsh, would tell me I could write."

In his "Essay on Criticism," he had given him more splendid praise, and, in the opinion of his learned commentator, sacrificed a little of his judgment to his gratitude. He died in 1708, aged forty-six years. He is known more by his familiarity with greater men than by anything done or written by himself. His works are not numerous, nor of great merit. In 1691, he published, with a preface written by his friend and advocate Dryden, "A Dialogue concerning Women, being a Defence of the Sex," in 8vo; and, the year after, "Letters and Poems, amorous and gallant," published in what is called "Dryden's Miscellany." These were republished among the "Works of the Minor Poets," printed in 1749, with other performances, consisting chiefly of elegies, epitaphs, odes, and songs, in which he discovers more elegance than vigour, and seldom rises higher than to be pretty.1

WALSINGHAM (Sir FRANCIS), an eminent statesman in the reign of queen Elizabeth, of an ancient family in Norfolk, was the third and youngest son of William Walsingham of Scadbury, in the parish of Chislehurst, in Kent, by Joyce, daughter of Edmund Denny, of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. He was born at Chislehurst in 1536. He spent some time at King's-college in Cambridge, but, to complete his education, travelled into foreign countries, where he acquired various languages and great accomplishments. These soon recommended him to be agent to sir William Cecil, lord Burleigh; and under his direction he came to be employed in the most important affairs of state. His first engagement was as ambassador in France during the civil wars in that kingdom. In August 1570, he was sent a second time there in the same capacity, to treat of a marriage between queen Elizabeth and the duke of Alençon, with other matters; and continued until April

1 Cibber's Lives.-Johnson's Poets-Bowles's edition of Pope's Works. See Index. Malone's Dryden, vol. I. 323. IV. 53, 563.-Spence's Anecdotes, MS.

1573 at the court of France, where he acquitted himself with great capacity and fidelity, sparing neither pains nor money to promote the queen's interest, who, however, did not support him with much liberality. It was even with great difficulty that he could procure such supplies as were. necessary for the support of his dignified station. In a letter from him (Harleian MSS. No. 260), to the earl of Leicester, dated Paris, March 9, 1570, he earnestly solicits for some allowance on account of the great dearth in France; desiring lord Leicester to use his interest in his behalf, that he might not be so overburthened with the care how to live, as to be hindered from properly attending to the business for which he was sent thither. Five days after he wrote a letter to lord Burleigh, which gives a curious account of the distresses to which Elizabeth's representative was reduced by her singular parsimony. "Your lordship knoweth necessity hath no law, and therefore I hope that my present request, grounded on necessity, will weigh accordingly. And surely if necessity forced me not hereto, I would forbear to do it for many respects. I do not doubt, after my lord of Buckhurst's return, but you shall understand, as well by himself, as by others of his train, the extremity of dearth that presently reigneth here; which is such as her majesty's allowance doth not, by 57. in the week, defray my ordinary charges of household. And yet neither my diet is like to any of my predecessors, nor yet the number of my horses so many as they hereto fore have kept. I assure your lordship, of 8007. I brought in my purse into this country, I have not left in money and provision much above 300l.; far contrary to the account I made, who thought to have had always 500l, beforehand to have made my provisions, thinking by good husbandry somewhat to have relieved my disability otherwise," &c, In another letter, dated June 22, 1572, he again solicits. lord Burleigh for an augmentation of his allowance, alledging, that otherwise he should not be able to hold out: but notwithstanding this and other solicitations, there is much reason to believe that the queen kept him in considerable difficulties.

His negociations and dispatches during the above embassy were collected by sir Dudley Digges, and published in 1655, folio, with this title, "The complete Ambassador; or, two Treatises of the intended Marriage of queen Elizabeth, of glorious memory; comprised in Letters of

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