His Diary is said to have been in the possession of one Mr. Ryley in 1693; and his lordship is supposed to have digested Whitelock's Memoirs.

[The letter written by his lordship to sir P. Pett (see p. 313) is here annexed:

"From my Tusculanum, Totteridge, July 18.

1683.

"Sir Peter Pett,

"I obeyed your commands in giving the great sir George Ent a taste of my villa fare: I hope you seasoned it with your wonted good discourse. I envy you nothing of your happiness, but that I had not a part in it; for I delight in nothing more than such company, from whom I ever part the better and the wiser. I acknowledge the favour in the two sheets you sent me, which were so far from satisfying me, that they served but to whet my appetite to desire that you would, after so long an expectation given, ultimam manum ponere to that work, wherein you do pingere æternitati; and from which it is pitty the publick should be withheld longer.

"I remember, after Cicero's incomparable parts and learning had advanced him in Rome to the highest honours and offices of that famous commonwealth, that by Cæsar's usurpations upon the publick, there was no longer place either in the senate or hall of justice

6 Biogr. p. 157, marg. note.

for the Romanum eloquium he had made so much his study; and wherein he had before Cæsar himself shewed how much he excelled; he betook himself wholy to the common consolation of wise men in distress, the use and practice of philosophy; and therein, with an industry and stile answerable to the diviness of the purpose, undertook for the benefit of all ages, the most religious and sacred part of philosophy, the nature of the Godhead; wherein, amidst a cloud of various and opposite errours, and the thick darkness of

benighted ignorance, he acquitted himself to admiration; insomuch, that I may account him, as some great authors have done, the divine philosopher as well as Seneca.

"And if I had reason to doubt what his opinion might be concerning a Deity, or whether his works evince not the true Deity and religion, yet I am sure they tend strongly to the overthrowing, the false: which the very worshippers of those ignoti Dei were so sensible of, that they conspired the destruction of this work of his; insomuch, that in the reign of Dioclesian, that great bigott (as I may call him) of the heathenish idolatry, and the enemy of the Christian religion, these three books de naturâ Deorum, and his other two, of divination, were publickly burnt, in company with the writings of the Christians, A. C. 302; as most famous chronologers and others have recorded. In particular, Arnobius sharply (though then no Christian) inveighs against the burners of these books of Cicero, in these words, viz. 'But before all others, Tully the most eloquent of the Romans not fearing the imputation of impiety, with great in

genuity, freeedom, and exactness, shews what his 'thoughts were; and yet (saith he) I hear of some ' that are much transported against these books of his, and give out that the senate ought to decree the abolishing of them, as bringing countenance to the Christian religion, and impairing the authority of · antiquity rather (said he) if you believe you have 'ought certain to deliver, as to your deities; con'vince Cicero of error, confute and explode his evil 'doctrine. For to destroy writings, or go about to 'hinder the common reading of them, is not to defend the gods; but to be afraid of the testimony of truth.' Thus far Arnobius: and I could not leave Cicero and his books in a more illustrious place than amidst these bright flames, wherein the divine writings were consumed. For what greater honour than for him to be joyned with Christ, in the same cause and punishment? I should not have so far advanced the pattern of Cicero in a Christian kingdom, but that we are so far degenerated from the primitive ones, that Tullye's morality, if not divinity, goes beyond us. When the age is receptive of better examples (though you need them not) I should willingly insinuate them to others.

"You see, I give a beginning to our intercourse, wherein you were not wont to flinch: and when you write to Bugden, pray let the learned and good bishop know, I am as much his as ever, though the whole body of Papists seem now to be confuting his before judged irrefragable book; and bring in the Protestants by head and shoulders; to what he evinced, were

their maxims and practice; so that now mutato nomine, de nobis fabula narratur. But the God of truth, in the thing wherein they deal proudly and falsely,. will shew himself above them. To him I commit you, and in him I am your affectionate friend and servant,

" ANGLESEY."

Bishop Burnet gave the following harsh report of this nobleman:

"Annesley, advanced to be earl of Anglesey, had much more knowledge than the earl of Shaftesbury, and was very learned, chiefly in the law. He had the faculty of speaking indefatigably upon every subject; but he spoke ungracefully, and did not know that he was not good at raillery; for he was always attempting it. He understood our government well, and had examined far into the original of our constitution. He was capable of great application, and was a man of a grave deportment; but stuck at nothing, and was ashamed of nothing. He was neither loved nor trusted by any man on any side; and he seemed to have no regard to common decencies, but sold every thing that was in his power, and sold himself so often, that at last the price fell so low, that he grew useless." 3 Wood had previously told us, " he was a person very subtil, cunning, and reserved in the managing and transacting his affairs, of more than ordinary parts, and one who had the command of a very smooth, sharp, and keen pen: he was also

3 Hist. of the Reign of Charles II. vol.i. p. 134.

much conversant in books," &c.*; and left behind him a choice library, which was sold by auction after his decease. Dr. Kippis observes, that both Wood and Burnet have been too severe in their censures ; though still we search in vain for a perfect consistency in the earl of Anglesey's character; or, he might have safely added, in that of any man.] 5

"Surely we

Sir E. Brydges' remarks, on this observation, may find comparative consistency; at least, more than in lord Anglesey. The sketch of his character (he adds) by the earl of Oxford, has been called very severe; but it is drawn with a masterly hand, and it may be suspected, in true colours.”