a great veneration for their beards, and it is not yet much above a century fince thefe have fallen into obloquy and difufe even in this country; they are, however, ftill retained by the ferfs in Ruffia and Poland, and by the boors in Norway.

In our own ifland, the upper lips and chins of the northern barons in the train of the Conqueror, exhibited a finall portion of beard, and the Saxo-Britons, who opposed them, had theirs ftill better ornamented. After the introduction of linen, which was but little known in this country before the Conqueft, beards feem to have disappeared by degrees, as if comporting only with the frowzy covering of a flannel shirt. We ftill, however, find veftiges of them even in more modern periods. That of James I. appears to have been broad and bushy. During the civil wars, Charles I. is both painted and defcribed as wearing a narrowpointed beard appended to the lower part of his chin, and mustachios on the upper lip; the great Algernon Sydney, in the plate engraved by Bafire, from a drawing of Cipriani, prefixed to the Hollis' edition of his works, feems to have worn mustachios* only; but most of the republicans of that day actually nurfed their beards in proportion as they polled their heads.

Both the French and Auftrians appear of late to have confidered whiskers as an appendage to the military drefs, and from the inroads they have lately made in this country, on the human face, it bids fair

The celebrated Sir William Temple, who flourished at a later period, is painted by Sir Peter Lely with whkers.

L

to be foon nearly as much thaded by them as it was formerly by the beards.

Thefe preliminary remarks will not appear totally misplaced, perhaps, to fuch as are acquainted with the perfon of the noble lord whofe memoirs are here offered to the public, as his beard forms one of the moft confpicuous traits of his perfon; and he is the only peer, and, perhaps, the only gentleman of either Great Britain or Ireland, who is thus diftinguished.

MATTHEW ROBINSON, Baron Rokeby of the kingdom of Ireland, and alfo a baronet, is defcended from a very old and refpectable family, being a branch of the Robinsons of Struan, in Scotland, whence his anceftors emigrated about one hundred and fifty years fince, and fettled in Kent; they foon after acquired fome lands in the north riding of Yorkshire, which came to them by an intermarriage with the heiress of Robert Walters, of Cundall, in the latter end of the laft century.

Sir Septimus Robinfon, Knt. father of the prefent peer, was gentleman ufher to George II. He gave his fon, Matthew, a moft excellent education, but it was, perhaps, never fufpected by the old courtier that he would become one of the most sturdy patriots of his age, a "Whig," according to the real meaning of the word, and as fuch an afferter of the true principles of English liberty, which called in William III. and placed the prefent illuftrious family on the throne. After a good foundation of claffical learning, he fent him to Cambridge, where he remained for feveral

years;

years; and he appears to have made confiderable progrefs in his ftudies; for he procured a fellowship there, which he retains to this day.

1

In 1754, he fucceeded, on the death of his father, to his eftate in East Kent, and appears to have lived at his manfion there, with all the cafy affluence, hofpitality and splendour, that characterised the English gentry of that day, when a land-tax at about two fhillings in the pound, and a trifling malt-tax, conftituted their only burdens. During the winter, part of his time was spent in the capital; and in the fummer feafon, he was accustomed to pafs away a month or two at Sandgate-cafile, where he enjoyed a charming profpect of the coaft of France; while fea-bathing, to which he was much addicted, was to be had there in great perfection.

In confequence of his vicinity to Canterbury, and a family connexion with that place*, he had many opportunities of cultivating an intimacy with the principal inhabitants. Being a man of engaging manners, fhrewd fenfe, and independent fortune, they determined to nominate him their reprefentative, on the firft vacancy. He was accordingly brought into parliament by them, and he faithfully difcharged all the important duties annexed to that fituation, for a long feries of years.

We find Mr. Robinfon, during the whole of the

This, until of late, was carefully kept up; his brother, Charles, who had been originally bred to the fea, but afterwards became a lawyer, having been fucceffively Recorder, and one of the members for that city..

American

American war, one of the most strenuous oppugners of a measure pregnant with gigantic mischief, and which, by the enormous increase of our national debt, generated oppreffive taxes, and became the parent of incalculable misfortunes to ourselves and our pofte. rity. Not content with oppofing Lord North with his voice in the fenate, he entered the lifts against him with his pen, and published a pamphlet, pregnant with found fenfe, manly argument, and liberal fentiment. In fine, it was then looked upon as one of the most able productions of that day; and it ftruck the author of this narrative, who borrowed it, fome years fince, from one of his relatives, as a kind of political prophecy, of the calamities which actually arofe out of a fyftem of taxation without reprefentation, and coercion without power.

He lived long enough to fee all his predictions verified. Our legions either withered away in a diftant country, or, if victorious, they only retained in subjection fuch portions of territory as were covered with foldiery, or immediately adjoined the spot on which they encamped; all elfe was hoftile. Conqueft itself became precarious, and defeat was inevitably attended with the endless variety of evils incident to disaster in an enemy's country. At length Burgoyne was captured at Saratoga; France declared herself in favour of the infurgent colonies; Holland and Spain became her enemies; Cornwallis, who has fince fought under better aufpices, in India and Ireland, laid down his arms to Rochambeau and Washington; and a bleeding and exhaufted empire was obliged to

accede

accede to the humiliating, but neceffary preliminary of American independence.

The escape of all the authors of that difaftrous conflict from punishment, and the fpeedy refloration of one of them to power*, difgufied many good men of that day; and it required, indeed, but little forefight to prefage the many evils with which impunity was connected. Mr. Robinfon appears to have entertained thefe, or fimilar fentiments, and to have retired from the fcene with a degree of virtuous indignation highly appropriate and becoming.

What contributed to this, perhaps, was his bodily infirmities. From his youth he had been fubject to many fevere fits of illness, and, in addition to these, his hearing and his fight were confiderably affected. In this ftate of body and mind, he deemed it highly improper for him any longer to occupy a feat in parliament, as he could not either difcharge his duties with fidelity to his conftituents, or fatisfaction to himfelf. Impreffed with this fentiment, he addreffed a letter to the inhabitants of Canterbury, in which he took an affectionate leave of them, and is faid to have mentioned to one of the principal citizens (perhaps the late Alderman Barham), " that they ought to choose "a younger and more vigorous man, as a fucceffor; "one who had eyes to fee, cars to hear, and lungs "to oppofe, the tricks of future ministers!"

From this period his hiftory becomes that of a pri-' vate gentleman. He refided conftantly at Mountmorris, and lived equally without oftentation, and

* Lord North, in confequence of the memorable coalition!

without