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to his parish church, leaving only a centinel to watch the fires at home, and mount guard upon the spits. His deportment in the House of Prayer was exemplary, and more in character of times past than of time present. He had a way of standing up in sermon time, for the purpose of reviewing the congregation and awing the idlers into decorum, that never failed to remind me of Sir Roger de Coverley at church. Sometimes,

when he has been struck with passages in the discourse, which he wished to point out to the audience as rules for moral practice worthy to be noticed, he would mark his approbation of them, with such cheering nods and signals of assent to the preacher, as were often more than my muscles could withstand.

"He had nursed up with no small care and cost, in each of his parish churches, a corps of rustic psalm-singers, to whose performances he paid the greatest attention, rising up, and with his eyes directed to the singing gallery, marking time, which was not always rigidly adhered to; and once, when his ear, which was very correct, had been tortured by a tone most glaringly discordant, he set his mark upon the culprit by calling out to him by name, and loudly saying, "Out of tune, Tom Baker!' Now this faulty musician, Tom Baker, happened to be his Lordship's butcher; but then in order to set names and trades

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upon a par, Tom Butcher was his Lordship's baker; which, I observed to him, was much such a reconcilement of cross partners, as my illustrious friend George Faulkner hit upon when in his Dublin Journal he printed, Erratum in our last-For his Grace the Duchess of Dorset, read, Her Grace the Duke of Dorset.' I relate these little anecdotes of a man, whose character had nothing little in it, that I may shew him to my readers in his private scenes, and be as far as I am able the intimate and true transcriber of his heart.

"It was in the year 1785, whilst I was at Stoneland, that those symptoms first appeared, which gradually disclosed such evidences of debility, as could not be concealed, and shewed to demonstration that the hand of death was even then upon him. He had prepared himself with an opinion deliberately formed upon the matter of the Irish propositions, and when that great question was appointed to come on for discussion in the House of Lords, he thought himself bound in honour and duty to attend in his place. He then for the first time confessed himself to be unfit for the attempt, and plainly declared he believed it would be his death. He paused for a few moments, as if in hesitation how to decide, and the air of his countenance was impressed with melancholy; we were standing

under the great spreading tree that shelters the back entrance to the house; the day was hot ; he had dismounted heavily from his horse; we were alone, and it was plain that exercise, though gentle, had increased his languor; hè was oppressed both in body and spirit; he did not attempt to disguise it, for he could no longer counterfeit; he sat down upon the bench at the tree-foot, and composing his countenance, as if he wished to have forced a smile upon it, had his suffering given him leave, I know,' said he, as well as you can tell me, what you think of me just now, and that you are convinced if I go to town, upon this Irish business, I go to death; but I also know you are at heart not against my undertaking it, for I have one convincing proof ever present to me, how much more you consult my honour than my safety; and after all, what do I sacrifice, if, with the sentence of inevitable death in my hand, I only lop off a few restless hours, and in the execution of my duty meet the stroke? In one word, I tell you I shall go, we will not have another syllable upon the subject; don't advise it, lest you should repent of it when it has killed me; and do not oppose it, because it would not be your true opinion, and if it were, I would not follow it.'

my

"It was on that same day after dinner, as I

well remember, the evening being most serene and lovely, we seated ourselves in the chairs that were placed out on the garden grass-plot, which looks towards Crowbery and the forest. Our conversation led us to the affair of Minden; my friend most evidently courted the discussion; I told him I had diligently attended the whole process of the trial, and that I had detailed it to Mr. Doddington; I had consequently a pretty correct remembrance of the leading circumstances as they came out upon the evidence. But I observed to him that it was not upon the questions and proceedings agitated at that court, that I could perfect my opinion of the case; there must be probably a chain of leading causes, which, though they could not make a part of his defence in public court, might, if developed, throw such lights on the respective conduct of the parties, as would have led to conclusions different to those which stood upon the record. To this he answered that my remark was just; there were certain circumstances antecedent to the action, that should be taken into consideration, and there were certain forbearances posterior to the trial, that should be accounted for. The time was come, when he could have no temptation to disguise and violate the truth, and a much more awful trial was now close at hand, when he must suffer for it if he did. He would

talk plainly, temperately, and briefly to me, as his manner was, provided I would promise him to deal sincerely, and not spare to press him on such points as required explanation. This being premised, he entered upon a detail, which unless I could give as taken down from his lips, without the variation of a word, so sacred do I hold the reputation of the dead intrusted to me, and the feelings of the living whom any error of mind might wound, that I shall forbear to speak of it except in general

terms.

"He appeared to me throughout the whole discourse, like a man who had perfectly dismissed his passions; his colour never changed, his features never indicated embarrassment, his voice was never elevated, and being relieved at times, with my questions and remarks, he appeared to speak without pain, and in the event his mind seemed lightened with the discharge.

"When I compare what he said to me in his last moments, not two hours before he expired, with what he stated at this conference, if I did not from my heart, and upon the most solemn conviction of my reason and understanding, solemnly acquit that injured man, now gone to his account, of the opprobrious and false imputations deposed against him at his trial, I must

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