quered till you were placed at the head of armies, the Confederates feemed contented to fhew France that he could not overcome Europe; but it entered not into the heart of man, that the rest of Europe could conquer France. When I have faid this, my Lord, there arife in my soul so many instances of your having been the miniftering angel in the caufe of Liberty, that my heart flags, as if it expected the lafh of Slavery, when the fword is taken out of his hand who defended me and all men from it. Believe me, Immortal Sir, you have a flighter lofs in this change of your condition than any other man in England. Your actions have exalted you to be the chief of your species; and a continued chain of fucceffes, refulting from wife counfels, have denominated you the first of mankind in the age which was bleffed with your birth. Enjoy what it is not in the power of fate itself to take from you, the memory of your past actions. Paft actions make up prefent glory. It is in the power of mortals to be thankless to you for doing them; but it is not in their power to take from you that you have done them. It is in the power of man to make your services ineffectual in confequences to your country; but it is not in their power to make them inglorious to yourself. Be not therefore you concerned; but let us lament, who may fuffer by your removal. Your glory is aug mented mented by comparison of your merit to the reward it meets with: but the honour of your country It is as impoffible to do you difhonour, as to recall yesterday; your character is indelible in the book of fame: and though, after a few turbulent years, it will be faid of us, the rest of mankind, "they were ;" it will be to the end of timę faid, "Marlborough is." My Lord, you are poffeffed of all the English glory of the whole age in which you live; and all who shall be tranfmitted to posterity, must pass down only memorable, as they have exerted themselves in concert with you, or against you, with endless honour as your friends, infamy as your enemies. The brightest circumftance that can be related of the Queen herself will be, it was fhe for whom Marlborough conquered. Since it is thus, my Lord, if even the glorious edifice which your country decreed fhould be erected to perpetuate your memory, ftand unfinished, let it ftand fo a monument of the inftability of human affairs. Your glory is not changed because the rest of mankind are changeable. It is not your fault that other generals have received a greater reward for efcaping your va lour, than you have for making them fly be fore it. Had it pleased God that we had loft you by your mortality, the greatest man next to you would would have had the mitigation of his inferior defert, that the fame age could not produce fuch another: but how will he do to avert the eyes of all mankind, upon all exigencies, from looking towards you yet living? My noble Lord, be convinced that you cannot be disgraced; that your ftand in human life is immutable; that your glory is as impaffive as the fame of him who died a thousand years ago. Whence is it that we thus love you, that we thus honour you? It is from the very qualities which lay you open to the affaults of your enemies. That fweet complacency, that admirable fpirit, which is fo tempered for the arts of common life, makes us lofe our wonder in love. Is that amiable man, with that eafy gefture, that gentle, befeeching mien, the man terrible in battle, the scourge of tyrants? My Lord Marlborough, do not think there are not men who can fee your feveral accomplishments, your excellencies, that expose you to the poffibility of being ill-treated. We understand you too well not to fee, and to thank you, that you come home, as if you had never heard the acclamations of the univerfe; that your modefty and refignation have made your tranfcendent, your heroic, your god-like virtue, capable of being blended in fociety with other men. And, my Lord, do you think we can let that virtue be dangerous to you, which only makes your other Y qualities qualities not dangerous to us? Accept, O familiar, O amiable, O glorious man, the thanks of every generous, every honeft man, in GreatBritain. Go on in your easy mien of life, be contented we see you, we admire you, we love you the more. While you are, what you cannot cease to be, that mild virtue is your armour; the fhameless ruffian that should attempt to fully it, would find his force against it as deteftable as the ftrength of a ravisher in the violation of chastity, the teftimonies of a perjured man confronting truth, or clamour drowning the voice of innocence. I am, my Lord, your grateful fellow-fubject, and faithful friend, SCOTO-BRITANNUS* I LETTER CCCC+. MY LORD, [1711-12]. SHOULD not act the part of an impartial Spectator, if I dedicated the following papers to one who is not of the most confummate and most acknowledged merit. *Should it be faid, this is a name which Steele was not likely to have adopted; let it be remembered, that he published the letter as his own in his "Political Writings." + Prefixed to the first volume of "The Spectator." This diftinguished Lawyer was born at Worcester in 1652. He was first taken notice of at the trial of the Seven Bishops, for whom he was one of the counfel. See p. 324. None None but a perfon of a finished character can be the proper patron of a work, which endeavours to cultivate and polish human life, by promoting virtue and knowledge, and by re commending whatsoever may be either useful or ornamental to fociety. I know that the homage I now pay you is offering a kind of violence to one who is as folicitous to fhun applause, as he is affiduous to deferve it. But, my Lord, this is perhaps the only particular in which your prudence will be always difappointed. While juftice, candour, equanimity, a zeal for the good of your country, and the most perfuafive eloquence in bringing over others to it, are valuable diftinctions; you are not to expect that the publick will fo far comply with your inclinations, as to forbear celebrating fuch extraordinary qualities. It is in vain that you have endeavoured to conceal your share of merit in the many national fervices which you have effected. Do what you will, the present age will be talking of your virtues, though posterity alone will do them justice *. Other men pass through oppofitions and contending interefts in the ways of ambition; but your great abilities have been invited to power, and importuned to accept of advancement. Nor Mr. Walpole, for one, has done them juftice, in his "Ca "talogue of Royal and Noble Authors." |