neral; and. I further request that it be printed in the plain and undifguifed manner in which I have written it, without alteration or embellishment. I hope the whole is written in the true fincere fpirit of a perfon awakened by a miracle of mercy, unto a deep fenfe of his folly, guilt, and danger, and is defirous, above all things, to give God the whole glory of fo gracious a change, and to fhew the various fteps by which his divine Providence brought it about. The whole of the account contains 14 pages of preface, and about 93 more of the faid relation, written in my own hand with a proper title, and will be found in the deep drawer on the right-hand of my white cabinet. However, if the obfcurity I have lived in, during fuch a series of years, should make it needless to revive a thing in all likelihood fo long fince forgot, I cannot but with that fo much of it was published in fome weekly paper, as might inform the world, efpecially those who have still by them the above-mentioned fabulous

account of the island of Formofa, &c. that I have long fince owned, both in conversation and

in print, that it was no other than a mere forgery of my own devifeing, a fcandalous impofition on the public, and fuch as I think myself bound to beg God and the world pardon for writing, and have been long fince, as I am to this day, and dhall be as long as I live, heartily forry for, and afhamed of.

These I do hereby folemnly declare and teftify to be my laft will and teftament, and in witnefs thereof have thereto fet my name, on the 23d day of April, in the year

character, and far lefs to the ambitious views his father had of difpofing of him in fuch a marriage, as would have been a confiderable addition to the fortune and gran deur of his illuftrious family.

However difappointed the earl of Wharton might be in his fon's marrying beneath his quality, yet that amiable lady, who became his daughter-in-law, deferved infinitely more felicity than fhe met with by an alliance with his family; and the young lord was not fo unhappy through any mifconduct of hers, as by the death of his father, which this precipitate marriage is thought to have haftened. The duke being fo early freed from paternal restraints, plunged himself into thofe numberless exceffes, which became at laft fatal to him; and he proved, as Pope expreffes it,

A tyrant to the wife his heart approv'd,

A rebel to the very king he lov'd.

The young lord, in the begin ning of the year 1716, indulged his defire of travelling, and finishing his education abroad; and as he was defigned to be inftructed in the strictest Whig principles, Geneva was judged a proper place for his refidence. He took the rout of Holland, and vifited feveral courts of Germany, that of Hanover in particular.

The marquis being arrived at Geneva, he conceived fo great a difguft to the dogmatical precepts of his governor, that he fell upon a fcheme of avoiding thefe intolerable incumbrances, left him at Geneva, and fet out poft for Lyons,

His lordship somewhere or other had picked up a bear's cub, of which he was very fond, and carried it about with him. But when he was determined to abandon his tutor, he left the cub behind him, with the following addrefs to him:

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Being no longer able to bear with your ill ufage, I think proper to be gone from you; however, that you may not want company, I have left you the bear, as the most fuitable companion in the world, that could be picked out for you.”

When the marquis was at Lyons, he took a very ftrange step, little expected from him. He wrote a letter to the chevalier de St. George, then refiding at Avignon, to whom he prefented a very fine stone-horse. Upon receiving this prefent, the chevalier fent a man of quality to the marquis, who carried him privately to his court, where he was received with the greatest marks of efteem, and had the title of duke of Northumberland conferred upon him.

He remained there, however, but one day, and then returned poft to Lyons, from whence he fet out for Paris. He likewise made a vifit to the queen dowager of England, confort to king James II. then refiding at St. Germains, to whom he paid his court, purfuing the fame rash measures as at Avignon.

During his ftay at Paris, his winning addrefs, and aftonishing parts, gained him the esteem and admiration of all the British fubjects of both parties, who happened to be there. The earl of Stair, then the English ambassador there,

notwithstanding all the reports to the marquis's difadvantage, thought proper to fhew fome refpect to the reprefentative of fo great a family.

His excellency never failed to lay hold of every opportunity to give fome admonitions, which were not always agreeable to the vivacity of his temper, and fometimes provoked him to great indifcretions. Once in particular the ambaffador extolling the merit and noble behaviour of the marquis's father, added, that he hoped he would follow fo illuftrious an example of fidelity to his prince, and love to his country: upon which the marquis immediately answered, that he thanked his excellency for his good advice; and as his excellency had also a worthy and deferving father, he hoped he would likewife copy fo bright an original, and tread in his steps.

This was a fevere farcafm, as the ambaffador's father had betrayed his master in a manner that was quite fhameful.

Before he left France an English gentleman expoftulating with him, for fwerving fo much from the principles of his father, and his whole family; his lordship answered, that he had pawned his principles to Gordon, the pretender's banker, for a confiderable fum, and till he could repay him, he must be a Jacobite; but when that was done, he would again return to the Whigs.

About the latter end of December, 1716, the marquis arrived in England, where he did not remain long till he fet out for Ireland, in which kingdom, on account of his extraordinary qualities, he had the honour done him of being admit

He diftinguished himself on this occafion as a violent partizan for the miniftry; and acted in all other refpects, as well in his private as public capacity, with the warmest zeal for the government.

In confequence of this zeal, fhewn at a time when they stood much in need of men of abilities, and fo little expected from the young marquis, the king, who was no ftranger to the most refined rules of policy, created him a duke.

As foon as the duke of Wharton came of age, he was introduced to the houfe of lords in England, with the like blaze of reputation. A little before the death of lord Stanhope, his grace again changed fides, oppofed the court, and endeavoured to defeat the schemes of the miniftry.

He appeared one of the most forward and vigorous, in the defence of the bishop of Rochester, and in oppofing the bill for inflicting pains and penalties on that prelate.

Notwithstanding his aftonishing activity in oppofition to the court, he was not yet fatisfied that he had done enough: he printed his thoughts therefore twice a week, in a paper called, The True Briton, several thousands of which being difperfed weekly, the duke was pleased to find the whole kingdom giving attention to him, and admiring him as an author, though fome did not at all approve of his reafoning.

The duke's boundless profufion 'had by this fo burthened his eftate, that a decree of chancery took hold

of

of it, and vefted it in the hands of truftees, for the payment of his debts, but not without making a provifion of 1200l. per annum for his fubfiftence.

This not being fufficient to fupport his title with suitable dignity at home, he refolved to go abroad till his eftate fhould be clear. But in this the world was deceived; for he went to Vienna, to execute a private commiffion, not in favour of the English ministry; nor did he ever shine to greater advantage as to his perfonal character, than at the Imperial court.

From Vienna his grace made a tour to Spain, where his arrival alarmed the English minifter fo much, that two expreffes were fent from Madrid to London, upon an apprehenfion that his grace was received there in the character of an ambassador; upon which the duke received a fummons under the privy-feal to return home.

His behaviour on this occafion was a fufficient indication, that he never defigned to return to England whilft affairs remained in the fame ftate.

This he often declared, from his going abroad the fecond time, which no doubt was the occafion of his treating that folemn order with fo much indignity, and endeavouring to inflame the Spanish court, not only against the perfon who delivered the warrant, but also againft the court of Great Britain itself, for exercifing an act of power, as he was pleased to call it, within the jurifdiction of his catholic majefty. After this he acted openly in the service of the pretender, and appeared at his court, where he was received with the greatest marks of favour. VOL. VI.

While his grace was thus employed abroad, his duchefs, who had been neglected by him, died in England, April 14, 1726, and left no iffue behind her. Soon after this, the duke fell violently in love with M. Oberne, then one of the maids, of honour to the queen of Spain. She was daughter of an Irish colonel in that fervice, who being dead, her mother lived upon a penfion the king allowed her; fo that this lady's fortune confifted chiefly in her perfonal accomplishments.

Many arguments were used by their friends on both fides, to diffuade them from the marriage. The queen of Spain, when the duke afked her confent, reprefented to him in the moft lively terms, that the confequence of the match would be mifery to them both, and absolutely refused her confent.

Having now no hopes of obtaining her, he fell into a deep melancholy, which brought on a lingering fever, of which he languished till he was almoft ready to drop into the ground. This circumftance reached her majefty's ear; fhe was moved with his diftrefs, and fent him word to endeavour the recovery of his health, and as foon as he was able to appear abroad, the would speak to him in a more favourable manner than at their last interview.

The duke, upon receiving this news, imagined it the best way to take advantage of the kind difpofition her majefty was then in, and fummoning to his affiftance his little remaining ftrength, threw himself at her majefty's feet, and begged of her either to give him M. Oberne, or order him not to live.

The queen confented, but told him he would foon repent it; and the young lady being dazzled with the fplendor of a ducal title, and befides having a real value for her lover, they were foon united by an indiffoluble bond.

After the folemnization of his marriage, he paffed fome time at Rome, where he accepted of a blue garter, affected to appear with the title of duke of Northumberland, and for a while enjoyed the confidence of the exiled prince.

Bnt as he could not always keep himself within the bounds of Italian gravity, and having no employment to amufe his active temper, he foon ran into his ufual exceffes; which giving offence, it was thought proper for him to remove from that city for the prefent, left he fhould at last fall into actual difgrace.

Accordingly the duke quitted Rome, and went by fea to Barcelona, and then refolved upon a new fcene of life, which few expected he would ever engage in. He wrote a letter to the king of Spain, acquainting him that he would affift at the fiege of Gibraltar as a volunteer. The king thanked him for the honour, and accepted his fervice. But he foon grew weary of this, and fet his heart on Rome.

In confequence of this refolution, he wrote a letter to the chevalier de St. George, full of refpect and fubmiffion, expreffing a defire of vifiting his court; but the chevalier returned for anfwer, that he thought it more advisable for his grace to draw near England.

The duke feemed refolved to follow his advice, and accordingly fet out for France in company with

his duchefs, and attended by twe or three fervants arrived at Paris, in May, 1728. Here he made little stay, but proceeded to Rouen, in his way, as fome imagined, for England; but he ftopped, and took up his refidence at Rouen, without reflecting the leaft on the business that brought him to France.

He was fo far from making any conceffion to the government, in order to make his peace, that he did not give himself the leaft trouble about his perfonal eftate, or any other concern in England.

The duke had about 600 l. in his poffeffion when he arrived at Rouen, where more of his fervants joined him from Spain. A bill of indictment was about this time preferred against him in England, for high treafon.

The chevalier foon after fent him 2,0col. for his fupport, of which he was no fooner in poffef fion, than he fquandered it away in a course of extravagance. A a long journey did not very well fuit with his grace's finances, he went for Orleans, thence fell down the river Loyre, to Nantz, in Brita tany, and there he ftopt fome time, till he got a remittance from Paris, which was fquandered almoft as foon as received.

At Nantz fome of his ragged fervants rejoined him, and from thence he took fhipping with them for Bilboa, as if he had been carrying recruits to the Spanish regiments. From Bilboa he wrote a humorous letter to a friend at Paris, fuch as his fancy, not his circumftances dictated, giving a whimfical account of his voyage, and his manner of paffing his time. The queen of Spain took the duchess to attend her person.

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