tinued obfequious to the court though the rest of Charles's reign.

At the acceffion of King James (in 1685) he was chofen for parliament, being then fourfcore, at Saltash in Cornwall; and wrote a Prefage of the Downfall of the Turkish Empire, which he presented to the King on his birthday. It is remarked, by his commentator Fenton, that in reading Taffo he had early imbibed a veneration for the heroes of the Holy War, and a zealous enmity to the Turks, which never left him. James, however, having foon after begun what he thought a holy war at home, made hafte to put all moleftation of the Turks out of his power.

James treated him with kindness and familiarity, of which inftances are given by the writer of his Life. One day, taking him into the closet, the King afked him how he liked one of the pictures: "My 66 eyes,' "faid Waller, "are dim, and I do not know it." The king faid, it was the princefs of Orange.. "She "is," faid Waller, "like the greatest woman in the "world." The King afked who was that? and was anfwered, Queen Elizabeth. "I wonder," said the King, you fhould think fo; but I must confefs the "had a wife council." "And, Sir," faid Waller, "did you ever know a fool chufe a wife one?" Such is the ftory, which I once heard of fome other man. Pointed axioms, and acute replies, fly loofe about the world, and are affigned fucceffively to thofe whom it may be the fashion to celebrate.

When the King knew that he was about to marry his daughter to Dr. Birch, a clergyman, he ordered a French gentleman to tell him, that "the King won"dered he could think of marrying his daughter to a falling

4

falling church." "The King," fays Waller, does

me great honour, in taking notice of my domestick "affairs; but I have lived long enough to ob "serve that this falling church has got a trick of rif❝ing again."

He took notice to his friends of the King's conduct; and said, that “he would be left like a whale upon "the ftrand." Whether he was privy to any of the tranfactions which ended in the Revolution, is not known. His heir joined the prince of Orange.

Having now attained an age beyond which the laws of nature feldom fuffer life to be extended, otherwife than by a future ftate, he seems to have turned his mind upon preparation for the decifive hour, and therefore confecrated his poetry to devotion. It is pleafing to discover that his piety was without weakness; that his intellectual powers continued vigorous; and that the lines which he compofed when he, for age, could neither read nor write, are not inferior to the effufions of his youth.

Towards the decline of life, he bought a fmall houfe, with a little land, at Colfhill; and faid," he should "be glad to die, like the ftag, where he was roused." This, however, did not happen. When he was at Beaconsfield, he found his legs grow tumid: he went to Windfor, where Sir Charles Scarborough then attended the King, and requested him, as both a friend and phyfician, to tell him, what that fwelling meant. Sir," anfwered Scarborough, " your blood will run no longer." Waller repeated fome lines of Virgil, and went home to die.

As the disease increased upon him, he compofed himself for his departure; and calling upon Dr, Birch

to

part

to give him the holy facrament, he defired his children to take it with him, and made an earnest declaration of his faith in Chriftianity. It now appeared, what of his converfation with the great could be remembered with delight. He related, that being prefent when the duke of Buckingham talked profanely before King Charles, he faid to him, " My Lord, I "am a great deal older than your grace, and have, I "believe, heard more arguments for atheism than ever your grace did; but I have lived long enough to fee "there is nothing in them; and fo, I hope, your grace will."

He died October 21, 1687, and was buried at Beaconsfield, with a monument erected by his fon's executors, for which Rymer wrote the infcription, and which I hope is now refçued from dilapi dation.

He left feveral children by his fecond wife; of whom, his daughter was married to Dr. Birch. Benjamin, the eldest fon, was difinherited, and fent to New Jerfey, as wanting common understanding. Edmund, the fecond fon, inherited the estate, and reprefented Agmondefham in parliament, but at last turned Quaker. William, the third fon, was a merchant in London. Stephen, the fourth, was an eminent Doctor of Laws, and one of the Commiffioners for the Union. There is faid to have been a fifth, of whom no account has defcended.

The character of Waller, both moral and intellectual, has been drawn by Clarendon, to whom he was familiarly known, with nicety, which certainly none to whom he was not known can prefume to emulate.

It is therefore inferted here, with fuch remarks as others have fupplied; after which, nothing remains but a critical examination of his poetry.

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"Edmund Waller," fays Clarendon, "was born. "to a very fair eftate, by the parfimony, or frugality, "of a wife father and mother: and he thought it fo "commendable an advantage, that he refolved to improve it with his utmost care, upon which in his "nature he was too much intent; and, in order to that, he was fo much referved and retired, that he was scarce ever heard of, till by his addrefs and dexterity he had gotten a very rich wife in the city, "against all the recommendation and countenance and "authority of the Court, which was thoroughly en66 gaged on the behalf of Mr. Crofts; and which used to be fuccessful in that age, against any oppofition. "He had the good fortune to have an alliance and friendship with Dr. Morley, who had affifted and in"ftructed him in the reading many good books, to "which his natural parts and promptitude inclined "him, especially the poets; and at the age when "other men used to give over writing verfes (for he "was near thirty years when he firft engaged himself "in that exercise; at leaft, that he was known to do

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fo), he surprised the town with two or three pieces "of that kind; as if a tenth Mufe had been newly "born to cherish drooping poetry. The Doctor at

that time brought him into that company, which "was most celebrated for good converfation; where "he was received and efteemed, with great applause "and refpect. He was a very pleafant difcourfer, in "earneft and in jeft, and therefore very grateful to all

"kind of company, where he was not the lefs "esteemed for being very rich.

"He had been even nurfed in parliaments, where "he fat when he was very young; and fo, when they "were refumed again (after a long intermiffion), he "appeared in thofe affemblies with great advantage; having a graceful way of speaking, and by thinking "much on feveral arguments (which his temper and "complexion, that had much of melancholic, inclined

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him to), he feemed often to speak upon the fudden, "when the occafion had only adminiftred the oppor"tunity of faying what he had thoroughly confidered, "which gave a great luftre to all he faid; which yet "was rather of delight than weight. There needs no "more be faid to extol the excellence and power of "his wit, and pleasantness of his converfation, than "that it was of magnitude enough to cover a world "of very great faults; that is, fo to cover them, that "they were not taken notice of to his reproach; viz. a "narrownefs in his nature to the lowest degree; an abjectnefs and want of courage to fupport him in any virtuous undertaking; an infinuation and fer"vile flattery to the height, the vainest and most im"perious nature could be contented with; that it pre"ferved and won his life from thofe who moft refolved "to take it, and in an occafion in which he ought to "have been ambitious to have loft it; and then pre"ferved him again, from the reproach, and contempt "that was due to him, for fo preferving it, and for "vindicating it at fuch a price; that it had power "to reconcile him to thofe, whom he had most of"fended and provoked; and continued to his age "with that rare felicity, that his company was accep❝ table,