the Erfe are very numerous; and as they are much interlined and corrected in his own hand-writing, it is plain that he viewed them with peculiar fondness. He often declared to an intimate friend, that thofe old ftories and fictions, with their wild luxuriance, tended more to enrich his fancy than all the finished productions of modern times.---But we must now turn to matters of more serious and more important investigation.

In July 1765, the king, having resolved to dismiss the earl of BUTE's fucceffors from office, requested the duke of CUMBERLAND to treat with the leading members of the oppofition. The offers made to them by his royal highness, though declined by Mr. PITT and lord TEMPLE, were accepted by the marquis of ROCKINGHAM, the duke of NEWCASTLE, and their friends. The marquis was appointed first lord of the treasury, and the duke obtained the privy feal, a place of eafe well fuited to his years, and yet of honour and confidence, of which his grace had ever been extremely ambitious. While the arrangements were making out, he expreffed to a few confidential friends the utmost anxiety to carry his favorite point; and having left them in his drawingroom to wait the iffue of the negotiation, he quickly returned, and dancing round them with childish levity and transport, he cried out, "I've got the feals!!!"---" I've got the seals!!!"--General CONWAY, who the year before had been difmiffed the service for voting against the court in the debate on general warrants, and the duke of GRAFTON, were made fecretaries of ftate. The marquis of ROCKINGHAM being then in want of a private fecretary, Mr. FITZHERBERT, father to the prefent lord ST. HELENS, took Mr. BURKE by the hand, and introduced him to the marquis as not only well qualified for fuch an appointment, but eminently deferving his lordship's confidence and esteem.

The

The vacancy was immediately filled up; and Mr. BURKE was foon after chofen a reprefentative for the borough of Wendover, through the interest of lord VERNEY. The marquis, on being made acquainted with his ftraitened circumftances, lent him twenty-three thousand pounds on his bond, either from a motive of delicacy to leffen the preffure of fo weighty a gift on a grateful mind, or, in conformity to the maxims of political caution, with a view of keeping a powerful check on the poffible baseness or desertion of a man whom he had not yet fufficiently tried.

Fortune seemed now inclined to make Mr. BURKE ample atonement for her past caprice, and for the state of painful suspense in which she had long kept him. The uncommon liberality of the marquis enabled him to fatisfy fome troublesome creditors, and to purchase the elegant feat near Beaconsfield, at the fight of which Dr. JOHNSON very aptly made ufe of the words of ME

LIBUS,

Non equidem invides-miror magis!

"I envy not your fortune-but admire!"

Mr. BURKE had also an opportunity of ferving those whom he held most dear. His brother RICHARD was appointed collector of Grenada; and his intimate friend and relation, Mr. WILLIAM BURKE, was made under-fecretary to general CONWAY, and was brought into parliament as member for Bedwin in Wiltshire.

In addition to thefe gratifications, the afpiring orator and statefman was now placed on that confpicuous theatre, which gave full scope to the display of all his powers, and which had been for many years the fond object of his warmeft wishes. Even the weight and magnitude of the concerns of government at that juncture, under which a man of inferior ability must have funk,

only

only afforded Mr. BURKE a grander opportunity of shewing the vigor of his mind, and the fertility of his refources. The stampact had lately thrown America into a flame. Every day brought alarming intelligence of the determined opposition of the people to that impolitic and arbitrary measure. The effects of their refiftance were quickly felt by the mother country. Her manufactures were at a stand: the principal fources of her commerce were cut off: great numbers of men were thrown out of employment; while provifions became extravagantly dear; and public credit received a dreadful shock by the total stoppage of remittances from the colonies.

Such circumftances must have rendered the fituation of the new ministry very critical. Surrounded with difficulties,―many of them young in office,—and without having had sufficient time to fecure the confidence of either the fovereign or the people, they had to decide upon a question of the utmost delicacy and magnitude; and they forefaw, that, whatever line they might refolve to pursue, they fhould meet with a formidable oppofition. They knew that the framers and fupporters of the stamp-act, who certainly formed a very numerous party, would strenuously exert themselves in the vindication of their own measures, and would infift on the policy and neccffity of quelling, at the very outfet, the daring refiftance of the colonists to the legislative authority of Great Britain. They were also aware that Mr. PITT and his adherents would carry the contrary doctrine to a pitch of almost enthusiastic extravagance, and would contend for the abfolute furrender or difavowal of the right of taxing the AmeriIn a private conference on the subject between the marquis of ROCKINGHAM and his fecretary, Mr. BURKE gave it as his opinion, "that it was fafeft for the miniftry to chuse a

middle course between these oppofite extremes, and neither to precipitate affairs with the colonists by the rashness of their councils, nor to facrifice the dignity of the crown or nation by irresolution or weakness." The marquis concurred in this opinion, and requested Mr. BURKE to draw up, before the meeting of parliament, a plan in conformity to those general principles.

But no fooner were the intentions of the new ministry explained in the cabinet than intrigues for difmiffing them were entered into by the trained bands of the court, and their invisible director the earl of BUTE, who was compared by the late king of Pruffia to one of those evil fpirits fo frequently talked of, but never seen; and who, from the dark retreat of conscious guilt and skulking cowardice, regulated all the springs that put the state machine in motion. There is some reason to suspect, that CHARLES TOWNSHEND, who afterwards became chancellor of the Exchequer, was acquainted with thofe cabals; for being one day afked what he thought of the new miniftry, he replied, "a luteftring administration-it may laft the fummer out, but it will never do for winter." In his figurative calculation of time he was, however, mistaken. The marquis firmly maintained his ground both summer and winter, the honest broadcloth of whiggifm being proof against the burning influence of the one, and the tempestuous fury of the other. BUTE and his agents were obliged to defer a little longer the execution of their malignant purposes. · Parliament met on the 17th of December, in order to iffue writs for the vacancies which had been made by the change of the ministry; and then adjourned to the 14th of January 1766, for the dispatch of business. In the fpeech from the throne the American affairs were pointed out to both houfes as the principal object of their deliberations. The ufual motion for an addrefs

gave

gave rife to a warm debate, chiefly occafioned by fome digreffiveremarks on the stamp-act, and fome cenfures on the ministry for not having given earlier notice to parliament of the difturbances in America. It was in this debate that Mr. BURKE made his first fpeech, which afforded fo brilliant a fpecimen of his oratorical powers, that Mr. PITT complimented him upon it in very flattering terms. But though Mr. PITT was liberal of his applaufe to the eloquent fupporter of the new miniftry, he was very fparing of his confidence in them. "Pardon me, gentlemen," faid he, bowing to those who were feated on the treasury bench, "confidence is a plant of flow growth in an aged bofom: youth is the feason of credulity: by comparing events with each other, reafoning from effects to caufes, methinks I plainly discover the traces of an over-ruling influence." The fecretary of state's reply did him honour, "An over-ruling influence," faid Mr. CONWAY," "has been hinted at. I fee nothing of it. I feel nothing of it. I difclaim it for myself, and (as far as my difcernment can reach) for all the rest of his majesty's minifters." It is, indeed, unfortunate, that groundless jealousy, that any motives of selfish ambition, or fome small fhades of difference in political opinions, prevented Mr. PITT from cordially uniting with "men of fair character," to counteract and deftroy that baneful influence,. of which he was fo juftly apprehenfive, but to which also, most fatally for this country, he himself became afterwards a victim.

In conformity to Mr. BURKE's opinion and advice, the ftampact was repealed, and a declaratory bill was paffed to confirm and ascertain the power of the legiflature of Great Britain over her colonies, in all cafes whatsoever, and without any distinction in regard to taxation. The adviser of these measures made no inconfiderable figure in the numberlefs debates to which they