the Portuguese wars. The remainder of the story carries with it an air of fiction; but there is the most unqueftionable evidence of its truth. Flem ing, having diftinguished himself in his military career, returned, covered with glory, to the banks of his native ftream. Immediately on his arrival, he repaired to the tomb of his faithful mistress, cast himself upon it, and died. He lies buried befide her. The ftone which covers him has on it engraved his fword and a pilgrim's crofs, with an infcription nearly defaced, but where it is ftill poffible to read, Hic jacet Adam Fleming. The authenticity can be establish ed by the teftimony of original papers in the poffeffion of Sir William Maxwell, Bart. of Springkell, near Annan, on whofe eftate the ruins of Kirkconnel church are fituate. The ftory of Adam Fleming and Ellen Irvine has given rife to fome of the most beautiful effufions of the Scottish mufe. One of them, not to trespass too long on your patience, is fubjoined to this memoir. The fpeaker is Adam Fleming. Mr Ritfon has judiciously given it a place in his collection of Scottish tragic Ballads, but gives it without any account of its author, or the occafion on which it was compofed. 1 hope I do not pay an ill compliment to its fuperior merit by contrafting it with the "meaner beauties" of modern composition. In a poem called "William and Ellen," 1796, the historical facts are properly stated. It appears from this detail, 1. That Ellen was not the daugh. ter of the Scottish chieftain, but his vaffal. "The worm nowtaftes that rofy mouth 2. That the name of her lover was Where glow'd, fhort time, the fmiles of not William, but Adam. 3. That the father of Ellen did not attempt to influence her affec. tions. I youth: And in my heart's dear home Her fnowy bofom loves to lie. hear, I hear, the welcome cryI come, my love, I come. "O, life, "O, life, begone! thy irksome scene "Take, take me to thy lowly fide, Of my loft youth thou only bride, O, take me to thy tomb! I hear, I hear, the welcome foundYes, life can flee at forrow's wound. I come, I come, I come." ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF THE EARL OF ORFORD. THIS Nobleman, better known in the republic of letters by the name of Horace Walpole, was the youngest of three fons of the cele brated Minister of this country, Sir Robert Walpole, knight of the Gar per, afterwards Lord Orford, by his first wife, Catharine, daughter of Robert Shorter, of Bybrook, Kent, Efq. to whofe memory this her fon erected, in Henry VII.'s chapel at Westminster, a monument of filial piety and elegance of compofition, a beautiful figure of a Vestal, in white marble, on a pedestal of the fame, with the following infcription : To the memory of Catharine Lady Walpole, eldeft daughter of Robert Shorter, Efq. of Bybrook, in Kent, and first wife of Sir Robert Walpole, her youngest fon, though without bigotry to any fect; and was without prejudice to any party though the wife of a Minifter, whofe power the esteemed but when the could employ it to benefit the miferable, or to reward the meritorious. She loved a private life, though born to shine in public; and was an ornament to courts, untainted by them. She died April 20, 1737. in mezzotinto by Simon, after Dahl, the There are two portraits of this Lady, one other prefixed to her fon's defcription of the Houghton picture. Mr Walpole was born 1716; was fome time at Eton fchool, and afterwards at Cambridge. At Eton he formed an intimate acquaintance with the celebrated poet Gray; and they went together on the tour of Europe, in the years 1739, 1740, and 1741. Unhappily they had a difpute in the course of their travels which produced a feparation. Mr Walpole was able to make a fplendid figure during the remainder of his destined courfe; but poor Gray, after the feparation, was obliged to obferve a very fevere economy. "This difference arose from the difference of their tempers; the latter being, from his earliest years, curious, penfive, and philofophical; the former, gay, lively, and inconfiderate. This, therefore, occafioned their feparation at Reggio. Mr Gray went before him to Venice; and staying there till he could find means of returning to England, he made the best of his way home, repaffing the Alps, and following almost the fame route, through France, *Bybrook is in Kennington parish, and was purchafed by Sir John Shorter, appointed Lord Mayor of London by James II. though neither fheriff nor freeman, 1688, in which year he died, and was fucceeded by his fon John, father of Lady Walpole. Her fifter married Francis Lord Conway; and of her three brothers, John, the eldeft, who fucceeded his father, and was a commiffioner of the ftamp duties, on recovering from illness, renounced the errors of popery, which he had lately embraced, Sept. 12, 1731; another brother died Nov. 19, 1734. LI Ed. Mag. April 1797. France, which he had before gone the first was "A Catalogue of Royal to Italy. In juftice to the memory of fo refpectable a friend, Mr Walpole (fays Mr Mason, Life of Gray, 4to. p. 41.) enjoins me to charge him with the chief blame in their quarrel, confeffing that more attention, complaifance, and deference, to a warm friendship, and fuperior judgment and prudence, might have prevented a rupture that gave much uneafinefs to them both, and a lafting concern to the furvivor; though in the year 1744, a reconciliation was effected between them by a lady who wifhed well to both parties." This event took place after their return to England; but the wound in their friendship left a fear that never was totally effaced. Mr Walpole was nominated to represent the city of Norwich, when his father vifited it, July 3, 1733; and attended the Pr. of Orange to England in that year. He was chofen member for Collington, in Cornwall, in the parliament which met June 25, 1741; was a fecond time in parliament, as reprefentative for Caftle-Rifing, in Norfolk, in 1747; and for King's Lynn, in 1754 and 1761; and, at the expiration of that parliament, he finally retired from the ftage of politics, and confined himself wholly to literary pursuits. He held, to his death, the office of usher of his Majefty's exchequer, comptroller of the pipe, and clerk of the eftreats. Upon the death of his nephew, George, third Earl of Orford, 1791, he fucceeded to the title and eftates. Among the numerous publications which iffued from his prefs, established at Strawberry-hill, 1757, under the conduct of Mr Thos. Kirkgate, (who, after having largely contributed to the extenfion of his Lordfhip's fame by the honourable support of his prefs for 40 years, is placed, we are forry to obferve, in his patron's will, on the footing of a menial servant, by a legacy of ONLY 100l.) and Noble Authors, 1758," two volumes, 12mo, 300 copies, in which he has fhewn much industry and ju❤ dicious criticifm; and of which a fecond edition, corrected and enlarged, was published by Mr Dodfley, in 1759, by his permiffion, for general fale. In 1786, a poftfcript was printed at Strawberry-hill; and, we underftand, large additions are left in MS. for this Catalogue; the princi pal articles of which are, one of Lord Chesterfield, and one other of Lord Edgcumbe, known by the name of Dick Edgcumbe, which are, perhaps, better written than any other two in the whole work; the latter is com. pofed particularly con amore; and, though it reprefents the fubject of it full of defect and irregular propenfity, yet these are so tempered with extenuating circumstances and pardonable offences, as to leave, upon the whole, an amiable impreffion of the character. Some trivial“ Remarks" on this Catalogue were publifhed in 1759. "Edes Walpolianæ; or, A Defcription of the Pictures at Houghton-hall, Norfolk, 1752," 4to. This valuable collection he lived to fee transferred to Ruffia, to fatisfy the creditors of his predeceffor, but not till after the greater part had had juftice done to them in engravings by various artilts, under the truly li beral patronage of Mr Alderman Boydell. His "Hiftoric Doubts refpecting the Character, Conduct, and Perfon, of Richard III. 1768," is a work of ingenuity, argument, and knowledge; but was, in a great measure, derived from Buck's Hiftory of that Monarch. "Some Remarks" on this work, by Mr Robert Masters, rector of Landbeach, Cambridgeshire, in Archæologia,' with more petulance than argument, provoked Mr Walpole to withdraw himself from the Society of Antiquaries, of which he had Mr Fred. Will. Guydickens alio published "An anfwer" to it, or an attempt to confute him from his own arguments, 1768, 4to. under the initials F. W. G. of the Middle Temple. Dr Milles, Dean of Exeter, had alfo offered fome arguments against them, from a Wardrobe ac had been elected a member in 1753. néral a permis qui lui fut adrené, & dont il avoit voulu voir un exemplaire. Si M. M. le C. G. lit te texte Angloife, il y trouvera beaucoup des chofes agréables; mais, s'il ne lit que le François, il eft fuplié de fe fouvenir que le traducteur n'avoit garde de lui en propofer la lecture," & qu'en lui envoyant fa chétive traduction, il ne fait que lui donner un preuve de fon attachment. Dimanche, 18 Xbre, 1785." count. The "Anecdotes of Painting in England, with fome Account of the principal Artifts, with incidental Notes on other Arts, collected by the late Mr George Vertue, and now digefted and published from his original MSS," were published in 3 vols. the two first in 1762, the third in 1763, 600 copies; and a fecond edition of them, 1765, for William Bathoe, all at Strawberry hill; where appeared, 1771, a fourth, to which was added "The Hiftory of the modern Tafte in Gardening." In 1763 appeared "A Catalogue of Engravers who have been born or refided in England; digefted, by Mr Horace Walpole, from the MSS. of Mr Geo. Vertue to which is added, an Account of the Life and Works of the latter" in which the world is much indebted to him for many particulars relating to the genius, the works, and the life, of the inimitable Hogarth; and, in 1782, a third edition was printed in 5 vols. by Mr Dodfley; and a fourth, by the fame bookfeller, 1786, in the fame fize and number of volumes. The Effay on Gardening was tranflated into French by the late Duc de Nivernois, and printed, with the tranflation, at Strawberryhill, 1785, in 4to. A copy of this tranflation, late belonging to Mr B. White, has the following prefenta tion written in it: "Voila la petite ouvrage que M. le Comtrolleur-Gé One of the firft effufions of Mr Walpole's prefs, not the work of its noble owner, was a fplendid edition of Mr Gray's poems, 1757, fol, with elegant and original defigns by Mr Richard Bentley, eldest fon of the celebrated Dr B*. Gray's two first odes were originally printed here, 1757. In 1759 was printed at Strawberry-hill an handsome edition, in 4to. of "Lucan's Pharfalia," 300 copies, with notes on the first four books by Dr Bentley, under the direction of Mr Cumberland, who poffeffes the Doctor's claffical books, with his marginal notes; the rest of the notes are by Grotius, "Life of Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury, written by himself, 1764," 4to. 200 copies; reprinted by Dodfley, 1770, 4to. "Mémoires du Comte de Grammont, par Monfieur le Comte Antoine Hamilton: nouvelle Edition, augmentée des Notes & des Eclairciffements néceffaire par M. Hor. Walpole, 1771," 4to. Of this work only 100 copies were printed several years before; and this edition was confiderably improved with notes. fuch as an Englishman only could have fupplied, illuftrating the characters that figure in this Atalantis, or amorous hiftory of the diffolute court of L12 Charles *Author of feveral publications, and fome pieces of much wit and humour; among which, his tragedy of Philodamus" was illuftrated with a commentary by Mr Gray, who efteemed it one of the moft capital pieces in the English language, and published by Dodley, 1767. Charles II; with portraits of the author and his hero and heroine. There was an edition of these Mémoires in 8vo. 1761; but a more fplendid edition in English, with notes, and 72 original portraits of the characters, foreign and domeftic, mentioned herein, by Mr Harding, 1795, 4to. His leffer publications were, Paul Hentzner's journey into England in 1589, 1757, 220 copies, being that part of his "Itinerarium Galliæ, Germaniæ," &c. printed at Breflaw, 1617, 4to, and Nuremberg, 1629, 8vo, relating to this country. Lord Whitworth's account of Ruffia, 1758, 12mo, 700 copies. Fugitive Pieces, 12mo, 1758, 200 copies. Parallel between Magliabecchi and Hill, by Mr Spence, 1758, 12mo, 700 copies. Cornelie veftale, tragédie, par M. le préfident Henault, 1768, 12mo, 200 copies; 150 fent to Paris. Copies of leven original letters from Edward VI. to Barnaby Fitz Patrick, 1771, 4to,200 copies. Mifcellaneous Antiquities; or a Collection of curious papers, either republished from scarce tracts, or now first printed from original MSS, 1772, 4to, in numbers, to be continued occafionally, of which only two were printed*, 500 copies. Verfes by Mr Fitz Patrick and Mr Fox, 1775, 4to. The Somnambule; or The Sleepwalker, a comedy, tranflated by Lady Craven, 1778. Poems by Anna Chambers Countels Temple, 1764 †, 4to 100 copies. Hoyland's poems, 12me, 1769, 300 copies. Lines for the monument of Rose, a favourite spaniel. W. Jones's Mufe recalled, an ode, occafioned by the nuptials of [George John] Lord Viscount Althorpe [now Lord Spencer] and Mifs Lavinia Bingham, daughter of Lord Lucan, 1781. Play-bill," High Life below Stairs," and "The Romp," with the fongs in "High Life below Stairs," at the revived theatre at Hinchinbrook, 1786, fol. Prologue and Epilogue, by Generals Conway and Burgoyne, to the play of "The Way to Keep Him," performed at Richmond-house, 17 May, 1787, before their Majesties and the Princeffes, with the dramatis perfonæ, 1787, fol. Bishop Bonner's Ghoft, a poem, by Mifs Hannah More, 1789, 4to. Tranflation from Dante, Canto XXXIII. 4to. The only dramatic work from his pen was "The Myfterious Mother, a Tragedy, 12o, never intended for performance or publication, printed at his own private prefs at Strawberry-hill, 1768, and of which only 50 copies were circulated among his friends t. The story is founded on a fubject too horrid for the ftage; but it is well worthy of perufal in the closet, as it paints the horrors of guilt, and exhibits a confiderable knowledge of the human heart, fupported by much poetic vigour. "The Caftle of Otranto," a romance, by this author, infcribed to the late Earl of Hertford, 1766, 12mo. produced an agreeable exercife of the feverer paffions; but, as the archetype of all that miferable trafh * No I. contained an account of tournaments, from Segar's "Honour Military and Civil, London, 1602;" No II. Life of Sir Thomas Wyatt, fon, with his defence after his indictment and trial, copied by Mr Gray from the British Museum. These numbers were aped by Mr Ives in two numbers the following year, infcribed to Mr W.; which, it is not unlikely, checked the other defign. She was daughter of Thomas Chambers, of Hanworth, Efq.; married to the laft Earl, Richard, 1737; and died 1777. It was pirated at Dublin, 1791, 12mo. |