Genealogical Account of STANHOPE, Earl STANHOPE. PHILIP the first earl of Chefterfield, marrying to his fecond wife Anne, daughter to Sir John Packington of Weftwood in the county of Worcester, knt. had an only for, Alexander, who was gentlemanufher to king Charles the Ild's queen, was several years envoy-extraordinary to the king of Spain in the reign of king William I. and afterwards was his envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the ftates-general, and was continued in the fame character by queen Anne, but died Sept. 20, 1707. He married Catherine, daughter to Arnold Burghill of Thingehillparva in Herefordshire, Efq; and had five fons and one daughter, Mary, who was maid of honour to queen Anne, and married Charles, the first vifcount Fane in Ireland. The fons were, 1. James; 2. Alexander, who died at fea in his father's life time; 3. Philip, captain of the Milford man of war, was killed the 28th of Sept. 1708, in attacking the caftle of St. Philip in Minorca, he bearing a part with his brother in the land-fervice on fhore; 4. Edward, colonel of a regiment of foot, who lost his life at the fiege of Cardoua in Spain, December 23, 1711; 5. William, born at Madrid in 1691, died an infant. (1ft E.) James, the eldeft, in the reign of queen Anne, was general of her armies in Spain, and pleni. potentiary to king Charles III. whilst he was refident in that king. dom. In Sept. 1708, he took the island of Minorca, the fort of St. Philip's being furrendered to him the 29th of that month, which conAugust, 1766. tinued to be part of the poffeffions 3. George, born December 28, 1717, was lieutenant-colonel of a regiment of foot, and behaved with great gallantry at the battle of Falkirk and Culloden, but died unmarried; 4. James, 5. Lady Jane, twins, born after the death of their father; and their mother died the 24th of February 1722-3; and the faid James April 21, 1730; and (2d E.) Philip the eldeft, fucceeded his father, and is now earl Stanhope. His lordship married in July 1745, Mifs Grizell Hamilton, daughter of John lord Binny, and fifter to Thomas the prefent earl of Haddington, by whom he had iffue Philip, who died at Geneva, June6, 1763, and Charles, now viscount Mahon. Arms and Creft.] The fame as the earl of Chesterfield; a crescent for difference. Supporters.] On the dexter-fide, a talbot, ermine. On the finifter, a wolf, or, ducally crowned, azure; each charged on the shoulder with a crefcent, azure. Motio. A Deo & Rege. Chief Seats.] At Chevening in the county of Kent; and Doverstreet, London. To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. and SUPERSTITION Contrafted. A VISION. RELIGION GENTLEMEN, I Had lately a very remarkable dream, which made fo ftrong an impreffion on me, that I remember it every word; and if you are not better employed, you may read the relation of it as follows: Methought I was in the midst of a very entertaining fet of company, and extremely delighted in attending to a lively converfation; when, on a fudden, I perceived one of the moft fhocking figures imagination can frame, advancing towards me. She was dreffed in black, her skin was contracted into a thousand wrinkles, her eyes deep funk in her head, and her complexion pale and livid as the countenance of death. Her looks were filled with terror and unrelenting feverity, and her hands armed with whips and fcorpions. As foon as he came near, with a horrid frown, and a voice that chilled my very blood, the bade me follow her. I obeyed; and the led me through rugged paths, befet with briars and thorns, into a deep folitary valley. Wherever the paffed, the fading verdure withered beneath her steps; her peftilential breath infected the air with malignant vapours, obfcured the luftre of the fun, and involved the fair face of heaven in univerfal gloom. Difmal howlings refounded through the foreft; from every baleful tree the night-raven uttered his dreadful note, and the profpect was filled with defolation and horror. In the midst of this tremendous fcene, my execrable guide addreffed me in the following manner : "Retire with me, O rafh unthinking mortal! from the vain allurements of a deceitful world, and learn that pleasure was not defigned the portion of human life. Man was born to mourn, and to be wretched: this is the condition of all below the ftars; and whoever endeavours endeavours to oppofe it, acts in contradiction to the will of Heaven, Fly then from the fatal inchantments of youth and focial delight, and here confecrate thy folitary hours to lamentation and woe. Mifery is the duty of all fublunary beings; and every enjoyment is an offence to the Deity; who is to be worshipped only by the mortification of every sense of pleasure, and the everlasting exercise of fighs and tears." This melancholy picture of life quite funk my fpirits, and feemed to annihilate every principle of joy within me. I threw myfelf beneath a blasted yew, where the winds blew cold and difinal round my head, and dreadful apprehenfions chilled my heart. Here I refolved to lie till the hand of death, which I impatiently invoked, fhould put an end to the miferies of a life fo deplorably wretched. In this fad fituation I fpied on one hand of me a deep muddy river, whofe heavy waves rolled on in flow fullen murmurs. Here I determined to plunge; and was just upon the brink, when I found myself fuddenly drawn back. I turned about, and was surprised by the fight of the lovelieft object I had ever beheld. The most engaging charms of youth and beauty appeared in all her form; effulgent glories fparkled in her eyes, and their awful fplendors were foftened by the gentleft looks of compassion and peace. At her approach, the frightful spectre who had before tormented me, vanished away, and with her all the horrors the had caufed. The gloomy clouds brightened into chearful funshine, the groves recovered their verdure, and the whole region look ed gay and blooming as the garden of Eden. I was quite transported at this unexpected change, and reviving pleasure began to glad my thoughts; when, with a look of inexpreffible sweetness, my beauteous deliverer thus uttered her divine inftructions. "My name is Religion. I am the offspring of Truth and Love, and the parent of Benevolence, Hope, and Joy. That monfter from whofe power I have freed you, is called Superftition: fhe is the child of Difcontent, and her followers are Fear and Sorrow. Thus different as we are, he has often the infolence to affume my name and character, and feduces unhappy mortals to think us the fame, till fhe, at length, drives them to the borders of defpair, that dreadful abyfs into which you are just going to fink. "Look round, and furvey the various beauties of this globe, which Heaven has deftined for the feat of human race; and confider whether a world thus exquifitely framed, could be meant for the abode of mifery and pain. For what end has the lavish hand of Providence diffufed fuch innumerable objects of delight, but that all might rejoice in the privilege of exiftence, and be filled with gratitude to the beneficent author of it? Thus to enjoy the bleffings he has fent, is virtue and obedience; and to reject them merely as means of pleasure, is pitiable ignorance, or abfurd perverfeness. Infinite Goodness is the fource of created existence. The proper tendency of every rational being, from the highest order of raptured feraphs, to the meanest rank of men, is, to life inceffantly Fff 2 froma from lower degrees of happiness to higher. They have each faculties affigned them for various orders of delights." "What! (cried I) is this the language of Religion ? Does the lead her votaries through flowery paths, and bid them pafs an unlaborious life? Where are the painful toils of virtue, the mortifications of penitents, the felf-denying exercifes of faints and heroes ?" "The true enjoyments of a reafonable being (answered the mildly) do not confist in unbounded indulgence, or luxurious eafe; in the tumult of paffions, the languor of indolence, or the flutter of light amufements. Yielding to immoral pleasure corrupts the mind; living to animal and trifling ones, debafes it; both in their degrees difqualify it for its genuine good, and confign it over to wretch edness. Whoever would be really happy, must make the diligent and regular exercife of his fuperior powers his chief attention; adoring the perfections of his Maker, expreffing good-will to his fellowcreatures, and cultivating inward rectitude. To his lower faculties he muft allow fuch gratifications as will, by refreshing him, invigorate his nobier purfuits. In the regions inhabited by angelic natures, unmingled felicity for ever blooms; joy flows there with a perpetual and abundant ftream, nor needs there any mound to check its couife. Beings confcious of a frame of mind originally difeafed, as all the human race has caufe to be, must ufe the regimen of a ftri&ter self government. Whoever has been guilty of voluntary exceffes, muft patiently fubmit both to the pain ful workings of nature, and needful feverities of medicine, in order to his cure. Still is he intitled to a moderate share of whatever alleviating accommodations this fair manfion of his merciful parent affords, confiftent with his recovery. And, in proportion as his recovery advances, the livelieft joy will spring from his fecret fenfe of an amended and improving heart. So far from the horrors of defpair is the condi. tion even of the guilty.-Shudder, poor mortal, at the thought of the gulph into which thou wast just now going to plunge. "While the most faulty have every encouragement to amend, the more innocent foul will be fupported with ftill fweeter confolations under all its experience of human infirmities, fupported by the gladdening affurances, that every fincere endeavour to outgrow them, fhall be affifted, accepted, and rewarded. To fuch a one the lowlieft felf-abafement is but a deep-laid foundation for the most elevated hopes; fince they who faithfully examine and acknowledge what they are, fhall be enabled under my conduct, to become what they defire. The Chriftian and the hero are infeparable; and to the afpirings of unaffuming truft and filial confidence, are fet no bounds. To him who is animated with a view of obtaining approbation from the Sovereign of the universe, no difficulty is unfurmountable. Secure in this pursuit of every needful aid, his conflict with the fevereft pains and, trials, is little more than the vigorous exercifes of a mind in health. His patient dependence on that Providence which looks through all eternity, his filent refignation, |