28

the Hiftory of Lorenzo de Medicis. This work was begun about the year 1790. It may be prefumed that it has now paffed through the ordeal of criticifm: more than two years have The literary elapfed fince its publication.

world have had time to recover from the dazzle of furprize and the buz of ignorant applaufe, raifed by the leaders of literary fashion, is ftill. The fentence of fober judgment confirms the verdict which was pronounced according to the dictates of firft impreffions. The liberal acumen of Parr has affayed the Life of Lorenzo, and has found it fterling gold. Its dignity and grace have fhielded its author from the mercilefs tomahawk of the writer of the Pursuits of Literature; and we may fairly prefume that its rank is fixed among the moft fplendid ornaments of English literature.

The admiration with which the public have been affected by the perufal of this work will, no doubt, be encreased by a knowledge of the circumftances in which it was compofed. At the time when it was projected, Mr. R. lived at the distance of two miles from Liverpool, whi ther he was obliged daily to repair to attend to the bufinefs of his office. The dry and tedious details of law occupied his attention during the whole of the morning and afternoon; his evenings alone he was able to dedicate to study;

and it will be eafily conceived, that a gentleman, furrounded by a numerous family, and whose company was courted by his friends, must have experienced, even at these hours, a variety of interruptions. No public library provided him with materials. The rare books which he had occafion to confult, he was obliged to procure in London at a confiderable expence. But in the midft of all thefe difficulties the work grew. under his hands. In order that it might be printed under his own, infpection, he established an excellent prefs, in the town of Liverpool, and fubmitted to the dif gufting toil of correcting the proofs. The Hiftory of Lorenzo de Medicis was at length published early in the year 1796.

Soon after the publication of his hiftory, Mr. R. relinquished the profeffion of an attorney, and entered himself at Gray's Inn, with a view of acting as a barrister.

He took advantage of the leifure which the relinquishment of business afforded him, to enter upon the study of the Greek language; in which, according to the report of his intimate. friends, he has made confiderable progrefs.

The public have, with concordant voice, called upon Mr. R. for the life of Leo X.; and Lord Holland and Lord Bristol have, with great liberality, offered their affiftance in procuring from Italy, and other parts of the continent,

whatever

whatever documents he might think it neceffary to confult in the execution of fo grand a defign. The lovers of polite literature will be glad to hear that Mr. R. has actually began this expected work; but fuch is the troubled ftate of Europe, that he is debarred, at prefent, from the use of materials which might be collected abroad.

In the course of his conduct, Mr. R. has uniformly maintained a character of fimplicity, fincerity, and benevolence. He acts uprightly without effort. Ill-fated genius cannot plead his history as a precedent for irregularity of life; nor will his example fanction the herd of men of abilities, who deem their talents a licence to live in idleness, and prey upon the public. His refources are in his own exertions. He is, in every sense of the word, an independent man. Long may he enjoy the bleffings which are the meed of virtue.

M.N.

THE EARL OF LIVERPOOL.

THE rife of this nobleman must be allowed to have been rapid; and if we are to believe his enemies, it is unexampled in our annals, fince the time of the Spenfers. This, however. is not strictly true, for it might be easy to point out

many

31

many others who have been fully as fortunate in the course of the prefent reign, and attained equal honours with perhaps inferior pretenfions.

On his being ennobled, it was obferved, with more rancour than truth, that his family dif graced the peerage; whereas the truth is, that on the score of birth, his pretenfions are fuperior to many of those with whom he affociates, either in the fenate, or at the council board. His ancestors have been fettled more than a century at Walcot, nearl Charlbury, in Oxfordshire. His grandfather, Sir Robert Jenkinfon, married a wealthy heiress at Bromley, in Kent; and his father, who was a colonel in the army, refided at South Lawn Lodge, in Whichwood Foreft.

Charles Jenkinson received the first rudiments of his education at the grammar fchool of Burford, two miles diftant from his father's houfe; and many persons are ftill living in that neighbourhood, who addrefs him as their old fchoolfellow. He was afterwards placed on the foundation in the Charter House, and seems to have been fo well fatisfied with the inftitution, that he educated his eldest fon, the prefent Lord Hawkefbury, there. From this eminent fe minary he was removed to Oxford, where he first imbibed, perhaps, his political fentiments, and was entered a member of the Univerfity College.

lege. There he took two degrees, that of B.A. and A.M. and feems to have made himself first known by fome verfes on the much-lamented death of the Prince of Wales, the father to his prefent Majesty.

In 1753, he removed from Oxford, without obtaining, and perhaps without foliciting, a fellowship; and in 1753, published his first profe tract, entitled, "A Difcourfe on the Conduct of the Government of Great Britain, with refpect to Neutral Nations during the Prefent War." He afterwards wrote feveral other pamphlets; and one in particular, on the benefit refulting from a militia, or armed national force, independent of a standing army. This abounds with many manly and patriotic fentiments, and has been lately quoted against himself in the House of Peers: on that occafion his lordship did not deny that he was the author, but contented himself with apologifing for his errors, on account of his extreme youth.

To the former of these productions, his rife in life has been falfely attributed; it was allowed by every one to be an able performance; but like many others of the fame kind, it might have lain in the warehouse of his bookseller, and he himself remained for ever in obfcurity, had it not been for the intervention of a gentleman of the fame county, with whom he luckily became acquainted.