his Royal Highness became King of Sardinia, he desired more than one illustrious English traveller to tell Lord Charlemont, that if he returned to Turin, he would find Victor Amadeus unchanged, except in station. He made excursions to Sienna, Lucca, and other places, with Lord Bruce, the present Earl of Aylesbury; a nobleman to whom, during his life, he was invariably attached, and ever spoke of with the most affectionate regard. Whilst at Verona, the Marchese Scipione Maffei, so deservedly mentioned by Lady Wortley Montague, as “ having the happiness of giving his countrymen a taste of polite pleasure, and shewing the youth how to pass their time agreeably without debauchery," dis tinguished Lord Charlemont by every kind attention. The Marquis was then far advanced in life, and died soon after. He gave his Lordship a copy of the celebrated tragedy of Merope; and rot only at the literary society which met in the Maffei Palace, but in alatost every erudite assembly, in the great towns of Italy, Lord Charlemont held a principal seat. Of some of them he was not only solicited, but even courted to become a member.

"Next to Athens, Rome was the object of his travels; he continued there almost two years, and was one of the earliest examples amongst the English, of keeping house for himself, and bis friends, whilst in that metropolis. Murphy was of great assistance to him; he not only superintended the whole business of house-keeping, but read or walked with him a considerable part of the morning. Murphy went out prepared, not only by general, but particular reading, for their almost daily investigation of antiquities; and the Cicerone who attended

them, told Lord Charlemont that, where history was to be consulted, he learned as much as his Lordship could, from Murphy. Lord Charlemont went in the evening, like other young men, to concerts and converzationes. Murphy seldom attended on such occasions; he was engaged with his books, or the company of some quiet literary friend. But from his long residence at Rome, and unremitted intercourse with Lord Charlemont, he was at last much noticed; his learning, his simple manners, his character altogether, procured him real esteem, and it was suggested to him that, if he went abroad, he would be well received; but he would not venture into splendid company.

"Lord Charlemont was a kind benefactor to several young artists then at Rome. Sir William Chambers, whose fortune, at that time, was very limited, and his friends or acquaintance not many, he particularly distinguished, and was of signal service to him. It is proper also to state, that Sir William, to the last, preserved the utmost gratitude and affection towards his Lordship. He patronised Parker, and two or three painters, whose names I do not distinctly remember. Piranesi he endeavoured to encourage; but that eminent artist was self-willed, and often violent in his temper. He took something amiss of Lord Charlemont (what, I know not, nor is it now of any consequence); but, after he had dedicated three or four of his prints to his Lordship, he struck the name out, and inserted that of the two Adams's. Not content with that, he published an abusive letter to Lord Charlemont; some copies were sold, and dispersed, before any one had heard of the quarrel; but several persons in authority at Rome

were

were extremely angry with Piranesi, when they read his pamphlet; and he would have been treated with some severity, had not Lord Charlemont's usual good nature interfered. Piranesi made an apology, the pamphlet was suppressed at Rome, and the belligerent parties were again on amicable terms.

"To mention the various persons of rank and estimation at Rome, to whom Lord Charlemont was well known, would be to give the names of the most respectable of the Roman or Neapolitan nobility. Some may be touched on-Cardinal Albani, Cardinal Passionei, who was librarian of the Vatican, an eminently learned man, and, like Lord Charlemont, a great collector of books and manuscripts. He was also a politician, and often engaged in affairs of state, as nuncio or plenipotentiary. Lord Charlemont visited him sometimes at Frescati, where he had a variety of rooms, or cells, as he called them, in which he lodged some of his particular friends, and distinguished them by the name of saints. Those saints were of both sexes, whose rank, and agreeable estimable qualities, not their years, or severity of manners, entitled them to the honor of canonization. Whether Lord Charlemont's name was enrolled in their calendar I cannot say, but he was much valued by his Eininence, who, at that time, was far advanced in'life.

but, indeed, admiration of him. T■ his honor also be it recorded, that the friendships, thus early established, never gave way, but survived all the tempests and shocks of political differences, which the best connexions are too often exposed to, and become, in consequence, disjoined, or are no more heard of. With some his attachments encountered no such hazard, for the same harmony reigned in their political, as private sentiments. The Lords Cavendish might be adduced as instances of this; and the Marquis of Rockingham was as dear to him at London, in 1782, as he had been at Rome in 1751.

"By one very eminent, and very accomplished man, Lord Charlemont was much noticed whilst in Italy; and, through the course of a long life, most cordially esteemed and regarded. This was the French am. bassador at Rome, the Duc de Nivernois. I shall have occasion to mention him more particularly in the progress of these memoirs. Lord Charlemont, at first, considered him merely as an elegant gentleman, and one who carried the fashion, and the bel air of Paris, to the utmost extremity. But a nearer connection soon developed in him considerable erudition, a refined taste, soundness of judgment, and, far better than all, an excellent heart. Towards the end of autumn, and the close of 1753, Lord Charlemont was confined at Rome, by a long and very severe indisposition, during which the Duke paid him several visits, and soothed mony a weary hour by the amenity and agreeableness of his conversation. That amiable, and, perhaps, that best of all the Pontitis, Benedict the Fourteenth, may be said to have been the mutual friend of both. With the ambassador his intercourse

intercourse was necessarily far more frequent than with Lord Charlemont; but, to the latter, he not only paid all the civility and attention that could be expected from an old Pope to a gay young Lord, but even regarded him, as his knowledge of Lord Charlemont increased, with a kindness and benevolence that was almost parental. On the part of his Lordship, no one could carry every sentiment of respect and gratitude farther than he did to the venerable good man: and, when the Duc de Choiseul (who succeeded Monsieur de Nivernois in the embassy at Rome), under the pretence of asserting some wretched prerogative of his station, bebaved towards the Pope in a manner peculiarly offen-. sive, no one was more indignant than Lord Charlemont when he heard it. He had not long bid adieu to Rome, at the time the interview, or rather interviews, alluded to took place; and it has been suggested, that this was probably the original cause of his diske to Monsieur de Choiseul, whose taleurs he greatly admired, but whose name he could scarcely bear the mention of. Of the virtues, amiableness, and agreeable good sense of Madame de Choiseul, he had indeed the most exalted opinion.

"Lord Charlemont, on quitting Rome, revisited Turin, and continued between that city and Florence from the beginning of March to the end of July, 1754. He visited Spain, but what parts of that kingdom does not appear, except Barcelona, from which place he obtained a passport, to go with his faithful Achates, Murphy, to France. The passport was granted by the Marquis de las Minas, and contains an enumeration of that nobleman's titles, and places of honour or trust,

almost equal in length to that of the Last Duke of Ormonde's.

46

The reader shall not be detained by any account of the amphitheatre, or the Maison Quarrée, at Nismes, which Lord Charlemont, of course, visited whilst in the south of France. Exquisite as his taste was for the noble remains of Roman, and still more, Grecian architecture, he was of the same opinion with that person who said, that a truly eminent man was more an object of refined and liberal curiosity, then the most renowned edifice. It chanced that, during his residence in that part of France, an opportunity was afforded him of giving this sentiment entire scope. But as he has himself expatiated fully on the. subject, the reader, no doubt, will be more pleased to attend to him, thau to his Biographer.

"Of all the enjoyments of which the human mind is susceptible, I know of none that is more universally delightful, than the pleasure of travelling; an when we search into the cause of this delight, the gratification of curiosity, that passion with which, for the most salutary purposes, almost every man is plentifully endued, immediately occurs as a motive, fully adequate to account for all our feelings upon this occasion. Yet is there another motive, which, indeed, is known to mix itself in almost all our pursuits, and which, in this also, must, I think, be allowed to have a considerable share. The motive I mean is

vanity; the pride of doing what others have not been able to do; of seeing what others have not seen, of being able to relate the perils we have passed, and the wonders we have beheld, contributes not a little to give an edge to our curiosity, and to prompt us to endure every hard

ship, to dare every danger. If this be true, it must necessarily follow, that every object affords pleasure to a traveller in proportion as he esteems it adapted to procure him the delight of future narration, and the respect of those to whom he shall narrate; and surely there is nothing in the power of travel to procure us, which more eminently conduces to this desired purpose, than the acquaintance of such men as are renowned for their virtue, and for their abilities. As the productions of the Divinity must infinitely transcend all the works of human skill, surely a great and virtuous man, the noblest work of God, must ever be the first object of curiosity; and an intimate ac

quaintance with such a man must more essentially flatter our pride, than all the other wonders which travelling can afford. Whether all travellers think in this matter as I do, I cannot tell; but this I know, that my vanity is infinitely less flattered by my having viewed the pyramids of Egypt, than by my having had the honor of an intimacy with President Montesquieu;-and for this reason, as well as because every anecdote which relates to a person of his eminence is always acceptable, I shall recount the manner in which I became acquainted with him, and whatever circumstances, be they ever so trivial, 1 can recolleet concerning him, during the time of our acquaintance.”

"TH

HE celebrated David Hume, whose character is so deservedly high in the literary world, and whose works, both as a philosopher and as an historian, are so wonderfully replete with genius and entertainment, was, when I was at Turin, Secretary to Sir John Sinclair, plenipotentiary from the court of Great Britain to his Sardinian majesty. He had then lately published those philosophical essays, which have done so much mischief to mankind, by contributing to loosen the sacred bonds by which alone man can be restrained from rushing to his own destruction, and which are so intimately necessary to our nature, that a propensity to be bound by them was apparently instilled

into the human mind by the allwise Creator, as a balance against those passions which, though perhaps ne cessary as incitements to actvity, must, without such controul, inevitably have hurried us to our ruin. The world, however, unconscious of its danger, had greedily swallowed the bait; the essays were received with applause, read with delight, and their admired author was already, by public opinion, placed at the head of the dangerous school of sceptic philosophy.

"With this extraordinary man I was intimately acquainted. He had kindly distinguished me from among a number of young men, who were then at the academy; and appeared so warmly attached to me, that it

was