There are many of the minor poems of Lyttelton, which I pass by without comment, but his Epigram -

"None without hope ere loved the brightest fair,

But love can hope when reason would despair,"

has secured itself a place in English literature. Towards the close of the year (1734), Lady Suffolk, George the Second's mistress, the patroness of opposition, debaters, wits, and poets-of Pope, Gay, and Swift-finding her influence lost, withdrew from court. In 1732, Lyttelton had written, with more elegance than truth, these lines for her bust, set up in a wood at Stowe:

"Her wit and beauty for a court were made;

Her truth and goodness fit her for a shade."

The retreat of Lady Suffolk at this time from the scene of active politics, had the effect of greatly disheartening the opposition.

In November, 1734, Lyttelton wrote from London to his father an account of the rumoured preliminaries of peace between the Emperor, France, and Sardinia, to which Spain, he thought, would afterwards become a party. These preliminaries were not signed till 1736, and in 1738 became the Third Treaty of

refresh her own seeds, and they are deposited between them both in the bosom of a cloud as a common receptacle, that they may cool his flames and yet descend to make her fruitful-so does the proprieties of a wife to be disposed of by her lord, yet all are for her provisions, it being a part of his need to refresh and supply hers; and it serves the interests of both, while it serves the necessities of either."

Vienna, seating Carlos on the independent throne of the Two Sicilies, giving to France Lorraine, and to the Emperor Parma, Placentia, and the Milanese.

In this letter he observes, that the proffered mediation of the English and Dutch had been peremptorily rejected. "However," he adds, "we must satisfy ourselves, and rejoice that a peace is got, whoever made it, for nothing was so dangerous to the ministry as a continuance of a war, which they could neither have well engaged in nor kept out of, had it lasted a little longer." Yet there is no doubt that at this time the writer was leagued with the opposition, and therefore the rejoicing must have been on his father's behalf, from whose office he appears to have dated the letter.

CHAPTER III.

1735-1737.

[Hagley MSS.-Parliamentary History, vol. ix. - Doddington's Diary; and authorities referred to in former Chapter.]

THE new Parliament met in January, 1735, when it was discovered that though the minority had increased, the majority was still compact and overwhelming. The opposition seeing the star of Walpole, notwithstanding all their efforts, so manifestly in the ascendant, though they vigorously attacked the address, and carried some members for contested elections against the Government, became disheartened for a season. Some of their motions were indeed permitted by Walpole to pass unopposed; but there were few important debates, and none directly pointed against the minister.

Pulteney was dejected. Bolingbroke betook himself to his villa of Chanteloup in Touraine, writing, in classical phrase, to Wyndham, "he who remains on the stage after his part is over, deserves to be hissed off. I thought it my duty not to decline the service of my party, till the party itself either succeeded, or despaired of success." His disappointment at the result

of the elections, the retirement of Lady Suffolk, the dislike which Pulteney and the sections of discontented Whigs bore to him, the stings which Walpole's speech had left in the minds of his hearers against him, and, perhaps, the publication at this time of his former correspondence with the Pretender, conspired to produce the sudden disappearance of this political

meteor.

In April, George Lyttelton was returned to Parliament for the first time, as the colleague of his brotherin-law, Thomas Pitt, for Okehampton in Devonshire, vice Mr. Northmore, deceased: a borough which he continued to represent from this time till his elevation to the House of Peers. His father, Sir Thomas Lyttelton, who had represented Worcestershire in Parliament, from 1714 to 1734, fell a victim at this election to the unpopularity of the Excise measure, and to the combined strength of his enemies in the county, backed by an ally out of the county, whose aid they could scarcely have counted upon. Never did the old Duchess of Marlborough write a more characteristic letter than the following to Dr. Sandby, a Prebendary of Worcester.

"Tunbridge Wells, August 26, 1733. "SIR,-You may very well wonder at this address, from one that has not only receiv'd justice, but great civility and some favour, when I have had occasion to apply to you and the Chapter in my affairs; and yet have never had any opportunity of expressing myself, as I wish always to do when I am oblig'd. I am

sensible, likewise, that what I am going to write may seem impertinent: because my simple sex are not allowed to be judges in such matters. However, I venture to trouble you with this, having been desir'd by one, that I am sure is perfectly honest, to make what interest I can for votes in the choice of the next Parliament, tho' it won't be this twelve-month.

And

I own, I wondered to see so much application as there is, so long before the time; but I am told, 'tis absolutely necessary, because people are very busy about it, that I am sure design no good to the publick. And I say this, from being an eye-witness for many years of what has pass'd. And after the pains which has been taken to prevent looking into frauds, to refuse the publick an account of things, which they have a right to be satisfy'd in, and to raise such vast sums of money for troops that cou'd be of no use to England, if the money had really been paid, as pretended, upon a nation already so overloaded with debt, every man that is capable of reflection must see that we have nothing left to preserve our valuable liberties, but the choice of a wise and honest Parliament. And before I come to the chief reason of my writing to you, I will beg leave to tell you what I have done myself, and what I will ever do upon such occasions. Having a very great estate in my own power, I have writ to all my tenants and people that I have influence over, to desire that they would not engage to promise any body their votes, till 'tis seen what members will offer. And then I shall desire of them to give all my interest to such as have the best characters, and the best