But was detected in the bare-fac'd cheat,
And lost at once her friendship and estate;

but conscious of the danger she might run of discovery, she made over her estate to the famous Mr. Pulteney (afterwards Earl of Bath), and left the deed in his custody. What was her astonishment, when on her return she re-demanded the instrument-It was mislaid-He could not find it-He never could find it! The Duchess grew clamorous. At last his friend Lord Mansfield told him plainly, he could never show his face unless he satisfied the Duchess. Lord Bath did then sign a release to her of her estate. The transaction was recorded in print by Sir Charles Hanbury Williams in a amphlet that had great vogue, called a congratulatory letter, with many other anecdotes of the same personage, and was not less acute than Sir Charles's odes on the same hero. The Duchess dying not long after Sir Robert's entrance into the House of Lords, Lord Oxford, one of her executors, told him there, that the Duchess had struck Lord Bath out of her will, and made him, Sir Robert, one of her trustees in his room. "Then," said Sir Robert laughing, "I see, my lord, that I have got Lord Bath's place before he has got mine." Sir Robert had artfully prevented the last. Before he quitted the King, he persuaded his Majesty to insist as a preliminary to the change, that Mr. Pulteney should go into the House of Peers, his great credit lying in the other house; and I remember my father's action when he returned from court and told me what he had done-"I have turned the key of the closet on him❞— making that motion with his hand. Pulteney had jumped at the proffered earldom, but saw his error when too late; and was so enraged at his own oversight, that, when he

He saw his error, and devoutly swore

To keep my ways, and never wander more.

went to take the oaths in the House of Lords, he dashed his patent on the floor, and vowed he would never take it up— But he had kissed the King's hand for it, and it was too late to recede.

But though Madam of Buckingham could not effect a coronation to her will, she indulged her pompous mind with such puppet-shows as were appropriate to her rank. She had made a funeral for her husband as splendid as that of the great Marlborough: she renewed that pageant for her only son, a weak lad who died under age; and for herself; and prepared and decorated waxen dolls of him and of herself to be exhibited in glass-cases in Westminster-abbey. It was for the procession at her son's burial that she wrote to old Sarah of Marlborough to borrow the triumphal car that had transported the corpse of the Duke. "It carried my Lord Marlborough,” replied the other, "and shall never be used for any body else." "I have consulted the undertaker," replied the Buckingham, "and he tells me I may have a finer for twenty pounds."

One of the last acts of Buckingham's life was marrying a grandson she had to a daughter of Lord Hervey. That intriguing man, sore, as I have said, at his disgrace, cast his eyes every where to revenge or exalt himself. Professions or recantations of any principles cost him nothing: at least the consecrated day which was appointed for his first interview with the Duchess made it presumed, that to obtain her wealth, with her grandson for his daughter, he must have sworn fealty to the House of Stuart. It was on the. martyrdom of her grandfather: she received him in the

When old Lord Bradford died, besides his store
Of wealth, he left a bastard and a whore ;*
To these his chattels, jewels, goods, and plate,
He gave to these bequeath'd his vast estate.
The bastard prov'd a fool, and by the way,
In Dalilah the whole reversion lay;

Here the quick-sighted Pult'ney fix'd his aim, And in such words as these bespoke the dame: "When first at our departed friend's we met,

'(The hour with pleasure I remember yet),

"In ev'ry word a care to please you show'd, "And nat❜ral grace from ev'ry motion flow'd. "To your dear lord you paid such just regard, "And such disinterested care appear'd :

great drawing-room of Buckingham-house seated in a chair of state in deep mourning, attended by her women in like weeds, in memory of the royal martyr —W.

* Mrs. Smith had been Lord Bath's mistress, as well as Lord Bradford's, and was afterwards so to Alexander Small, the surgeon, with whom Lord Bath associated in the management of Mrs. Smith; she left her estate to the Earl in case her son, Mr. Newport, should have no issue, and £30,000 to Small.-W.

"No fulsome fondness and no teasing love,

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By which all hypocrites their passion prove; "But all so open, honest, I was charm'd,

"And quickly found my breast with friendship warm'd;

"And sure by sympathy we must agree, "You hate all interested views, like me. "Permit me friendship's sacred knot to tie "So fast, that nought may loose it till we die : "Your name and character shall be my care;

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Against the world your champion I'll appear;

Support your virtue, and its foes run down,

Nay, justify your usage of your son;

"Him* I'll secure; he ne'er shall see your face, "Nor propagate his disobedient race :

* Lord Bath persuaded Mrs. Smith to send her son abroad with a governor of his recommendation, a man of very bad character; with this man Mr. Newport quarrelled on the road to Turin, and ran away from; the governor, instead of pursuing his pupil, went on to Rome. Mr. Newport, already disordered in his senses, as several of his father's family had been, wandered about France for a year before he found his way to England, where soon after his arrival, he gave himself several wounds, and was put under the

I'll pass a bill for that, I'll make new laws, "Or alter old ones, to advance your cause;

"And since the prudish world won't care t' ap

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pear,

go with

Or go

you in public anywhere,

Because you ne'er were bound in nuptial bands, "And no old drunken parson join'd your hands, "Be that my consort's care, who, I may say,

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Pursues my gen'rous undesigning way :

"She'll carry you t' assemblies, to the play, "To drawing-rooms by night, to park by day; "She shall attend you to your country seat; "With her you may do any thing but eat; "For now our house is alt'ring, we're not able "To entertain our friends, and keep a table: "She for the waters to the Bath 's gone down, "And I'm at little Jeffreys's* in town;

care of Small the surgeon. One of the first acts of Lord Bath's power on the fall of Sir Robert Walpole, was, to procure an Act of Parliament for preventing lunatics from marrying.-W.

John Jeffreys, Secretary of the Treasury.-W.