CHAP. with tolerable intelligence in that language, IV. must be admitted to be a rare and uncommon talent.

1666.

It was the great abilities he displayed as a man of business in the Irish parliament, (for however excellent his compofitions are, there are no proofs of his being an eloquent speaker either in the Irish or the British. fenate,) that recommended him to the patronage of the duke of Ormond; and it was the peculiar eulogium of that illuftrious nobleman, to have felected two fuch characters as fir Robert Southwell and fir William Temple for foreign embaffies, which were then filled in a very different manner from what we have lately feen; witness the cotemporary designations of those great characters to Holland and to Portugal, (of which

the name of the fecond Catherine, has diftinguished this extraordinary man by her favour and protection, and seemed defirous to have induced him to fettle in Ruffia, as one whose knowledge and ability, whenever or wherever they shall be displayed, must be a signal and valuable acquifition to any country.

countries

1

IV.

countries both of them have written the CHAP. beft accounts*,) of lord Hollis at Paris, and of Mr. Godolphin, afterwards lord treafurer, in Spain.

His friendship with the duke of Ormond was uniform and conftant through all the changes of fortune. "I confefs," fays fir William Temple in his first letter to his Grace, "I am extremely pleased with any

teftimony of your favour and recollection "of me, which I must account to be the "beft, as I must ever confider them as the "firft of my good fortunes; nor shall I be "ever fo much pleased with any lucky hit "that may happen to me in public employ

ments, from any other refpect, than from "fome occafion to teftify the gratitude and "refentment of kindness fhewn to me, when "I was idle and unknown.'

To dwell upon a character and upon a career which was fo brilliant and fo well

* Sir Robert Southwell's Hiftory of the Revolutions of Portugal to the year 1667.

M 4

known

1666.

CHAP. known would be fuperfluous, though fome IV. enlargement upon fuch a fubject is almoft

1656.

unavoidable.

After his fuccefs in his firft commiffion to Van Galen, the warlike bishop of Munfter, in one thousand fix hundred and fixty-five; after his good fortune in his first embassy, his address in negociating the triple alliance, where the first principles of the Dutch conftitution were fuperfeded by the representation of an over-ruling neceffity, which had remained inviolate fince the union of Utrecht; after the joy with which he was received by the Dutch deputies upon his fecond embaffy, who told him that his appearance among them at that time was like that of the fwallow in fpring, the certain harbinger and fure forerunner of fair weather; after the brilliant teftimony of his merit from De Wit and from the States; after all those fhining qualities and uncommon fucceffes; we cannot help lamenting his fate in his laft embaffy, and how much he was traversed by Du Crofs, a wretched

IV.

1666.

minion, who was difpatched from the CHAP. dutchefs of Portsmouth's bed-chamber, when the fecond Charles became the miferable penfioner of Lewis the fourteenth, and was induced to abandon his allies in the treaty of Nimeguen.

As no ambaffador ever kept up the port and dignity of his character * better than fir William Temple, it is still more to the dif

grace

Of the state with which fir William Temple travelled as ambafador to the congrefs of Nimeguen, the following account of his paffing the Pont Volant there, will be found very curious and fatisfactory. Vol. ii. page 342. Oct. Ed.

"The river of Nimeguen is very rapid in the midst "of the ftream which lies near the town, and spreads very broad upon the other fide to the Betuwe, being "upon flat grounds: the first part of it is paffed by a "very large ferry-boat, which held at once my two "coaches and fix horfes, one waggon, and my trunks, "and eight faddle horses, and would have received many This boat is of a contrivance fo fingular as "well as fo commodious, that I have much wondered never to have seen it practised in any other place; "for the force of the ftream drives the boat across the

"more.

"" river

CHAP.

IV.

1666.

grace of that court, that the arrears of his appointments were never discharged, and that he was no gainer, perhaps a lofer, by his embaffies.

It was his maxim, that the surest rule of deception in an ambaffador was to speak

ટ

"river without the leaft pains of the men, being kept "to its course by a strong cable extended from one "fide to the other, and faftened to a pulley fet up for " that purpose in the boat; fo that no ftrefs of wea"ther hinders this paffage, and the harder the stream "runs, the fooner it is made. Where the river grows "fhallow and the current flack, on the Betuwe fide, it "is fupplied by a bridge of planks for about two hun"dred paces, which are ill kept, many loofe or "fhaking, and no defence on the fides. When my "coaches were upon this bridge, the cannon of the "town began to fire, and fo continued all the while I " was upon the river; which was a piece of civility "well understood: but my horses were fo unruly with "that noise and the clatter of the planks, that they "were much likelier to have carried me into the river "than into the boat: but when, with the help of my "fervants on foot that led them, we got in there, we

were as fafe as in a house, and got well away to the "town, where I landed at fir Lionel Jenkins' house, "and ftaid there till late in the evening to avoid any "vifits or ceremonies that night."

the