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THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

THE

SPECTATOR.

A

NEW EDITION,

IN EIGHT VOLUMES;

WITH

ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES.

TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED

THE LIVES OF THE AUTHORS.

BY ROBERT BISSET, A. M.

AUT SIMUL ET JUCUNDA ET IDONEA DICERE VITÆ.
Hor. de Art. Poet.

VOL. V.

LONDON.

AND

PRINTED FOR G. ROBERTSON, NO. 221, PICCADILLY; J. CUTHELL
NO. 24, MIDDLE-ROW, HOLBORN; AND MESSRS. BELL
BRADEFUTE, EDINBURGH.

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TO THE

EARL OF WHARTON.*

MY LORD,

1712-13.

THE Author of the Spectator having prefixed before each of his volumes the name of some great person to whom he has particular obligations, lays his claim to your Lordship's patronage upon the same account.

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* THOMAS WHARTON was appointed by King WILLIAM Comptroller of the Household, Justice in Eyre South of Trent, and Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire; created Viscount WINCHENDON and Earl of WHARTON, Dec. 23, 1706; appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in 1709. He took Mr. ADDISON with him as his Secretary. Adhering to the Whig interest, he lost his employment-strenuously opposed the machinations of OXFORD and BOLINGBROKE. On the accession of King GEORGE, he was made Lord Privy Seal, Sept. 24, 1714; and Dec. 24, Marquis of WHARTON and MALMESBURY, in England; and Earl of RATHFARNHAM, and Marquis CATHER LOUGH, in Ireland. He died April 12, 1715, in the 76th year of his age. He was suc ceeded by his son PHILIP, whom King GEORGE I. in 1718 created Duke of WHARTON, purely in consideration of the merits of his noble father, as appears from the patent of his creation,

must confess, my Lord, had not I already received great instances of your favour, I should have been afraid of submitting a work of this nature to your perusal. You are so thoroughly acquainted with the characters of men, and all the parts of human life, that it is impossible for the least misrepresentation of them to escape your notice. It is your Lordship's particular distinction that you are master of the whole compass of business, and have signialized yourself in all the different scenes of it. We admire some for the dignity, others for the popularity of their behaviour; some for their clearness of judgment, others for their happiness of expression; some for the laying of schemes, and others for the putting of them in execution. It is your Lordship only who enjoys these several talents united, and that too in as great perfection as others possess them singly. Your enemies acknowledge this great extent in your Lordship's character, at the same time that they use their utmost industry and invention to derogate from it. But it is for your honour that those who are now your enemies were always so. You have acted in so much consistency with yourself, and promoted the interests of your country in so uniform a manner, that even those who would misrepresent your generous designs for the public

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which mentions King WILLIAM's obligations to Lord WHARTON for his constant and vigorcas defence of the public liberty, and the Protestant religion ;" and states, "how vigorously he supported the interest of King GEORGE, by the weight of his counsels, the force of his wit, and the firmness of his mind, when his said Majesty's title to the succession to this realm was in danger." An eminent historian says, "he had as many friends as the constitution, and that only its enemies were his; that he made no merit of his zeal for his country; and that he expended above 80,cool. for its service."

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