formed fome idea of the porofity of gold, for fuppofing the denfity and weight of gold to be to that of glafs as twenty to three, the porofity of glafs to that of gold must be in the like propor tion; fo that the pores of gold may be confidently affirmed to take up an equal, I had almoft faid, an infinitely greater space than the real substance of the metal. Memoirs of Edward Somerfet, Marquis of Worcester. Illuftrated with an elegant Copper-plate, engraved by Grignion, from a Defign of Mr. Wale, ont of the Royal Academy. : THE HE approbation of Sovereigns is not lefs precarious than that of the people. A favourite is not only in a troublesome fituation from the enemies to the court, but he is likewife in equal danger from the fickleness of the monarch. The fmiles of royalty are not fo much the rewards of merit as fervility and he, who is obliged to execute all the commands of his mafter, is fure to feel the vengeance of the people, if his measures are either defpotic, or unfuccefsful. Hence it is, that few Minifters, who were high in royal favour, have died natural deaths. The English maxim, That the King can do no wrong, has been generally interpreted fo, as to take off the odium of any unpopular measure from the King, and lay it on the fhoulder of the Minifter. The inftrument has fuffered for what it could not but perform, and the real caufe has efcaped, excepting in one inftance, unblamed and unhurt. He that will carry on fuch measures, as he knows to be wrong, is in fome degree refponfible for them, be his employer who he will. For tho' obedience to Sovereigns is a duty, the intereft of a community fhould always be preferred to those of an individual; and there is a time when difobedience becomes a virtue. The Revolution was founded upon this principle, and all the civil and religious liberties we now enjoy were owing to the magnanimity of thofe, who were inftrumental to procure fuch a noble innovation. When a Nobleman fhall appear fo pliant as not to oppofe, or to promote the defigns of an arbitrary monarch, we know that his pay must be confiderable, and that while he is furthering the private intereft of his mafter, at the expence of the public, he has his own interest likewise in view-and at the expence of the public likewife. Nothing can be refused to him, who would decline nothing to promote the designs of defpotifin. That this is fomewhat more than mere conjecture, will appear from a retrofpect of the life of Edward Somerfet, Marquis of Worcester. His character is the most doubtful of any that appears in the pages of hiftory. During his father's life-time he was trufted, loved, and defpifed, by Charles the First, by whom he was made Earl of Glamorgan. The ftrong attachment which his family had fhewn to that unhappy monarch, induced him to admit him into his confidence, and pour forth the greatest fecrets into his bofom.. He employed him therefore to treat with the Irish rebels, and bring them over to the intereft of the King. For this purpose he went over to Ireland, where he treated with the Pope's Nuncio, and granted him terms which were not confiftent with the interests of proteftantifm. Not fatisfied with this ftretch of power, he went over to France, and concluded a treaty with the papifts, intending to eftablish popery in Ireland upon the abolition and utter extirpation of proteftantifm. This negociation coming to the ears of the English Ministers in France, they imprifoned Glamorgan, and fent his letters unto the King. But the perfon who was intrufted with them, being apprehenfive that they would be intercepted, threw them overboard; and by that means they fell into the hands of Fairfax, the General of the Parliament's army, who read them at the head of his troops, and published their contents wherever he went. The obloquy with which the character of Charles was blackened by this means was Memoirs of Edward Somerfet, Marquis of Worcester: -, was too great to be obliterated-and the affairs of that monarch grew more and more desperate every day after this accident. Though it was pretended that Glamorgan had exceeded his commiffion, yet as the King never could be perfuaded to bring him to juftice, this charge feems to want confirmation. The grant which the King gave him in the year 1644, fhews how firmly rivetted he was in his favour. As it is too remarkable to be paffed by without notice, we have tranfcribed it for the benefit of the reader. "Charles, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, &c. Defender of the Faith, &c. To our right trufty and well-beloved coufin Edward Somerset, alias Plantagenet, Baron Beaufort of Caldecote, Grifmond, Chipflow, Ragland and Gower, Earl of Glamorgan, fon and heir apparent of Henry Earl and Marquis of Worcester, greeting Having had good and long experience of your prowefs, prudence, and fidelity, do make choice, and by thefe prefents nominate and appoint you, our right trufty and well-beloved Coufin Edward Somerset, &c, to be our Generaliffimo of three armies, English, Irish and foreign, and Admiral of a fleet at fea, with power to recommend your Lieutenant-General for our approbation, leaving all other officers to your own election and nomination, and, accordingly, to receive their commiflion from you willing and commanding them, and every of them, you to obey as their General; and you to receive immediate orders from ourself only. And left, thro' diftance of place, we may be mifinformed, we will and command you to reply unto us, if any of our orders fhould thwart or hinder any of your defigns for our fervice. And there being neceffary great fums of money to the carrying on fo chargeable an employment, which we have not to furnish you withal, we do, by thefe, empower you to contract with any of our loving fubjects of England, Ireland and dominion of Wales, for wardfhips, cultoms, woods, or any our rights and prerogatives. We, by thefe, obliging ourfelves, our heirs and fucceffors, to confirm and make good the fame ac cordingly. And for perfons of generofity, for whom titles of honour are moft defirable, we have entrusted you with feveral patents under our great feal of England, from a Marquis to a Baronet, which we give you full power and authority to date, and difpofe of, without knowing our further pleasure; fo great is our trust and confidence in you, as that whatsoever you contract for, or promife, we will make good the fame accordingly, from the date of this our commiffion forwards, which, for the better fatisfaction, we give you leave to give them, or any of them, copies thereof, attefted under your hand and feal of arms. And for your own encouragement, and in token of our gratitude, we give and allow you henceforward fuch fees, titles, preheminencies, and privileges, as do and may belong to your place and command abovementioned, with promise of our dear daughter Elizabeth to your fon Plantagenet in marriage, with three hundred thousand pounds in dower in portion, moft part whereof we acknowledge fpent and difburfed by your father and you in our fervice, and the title of Duke of Somerset, to you and your heirs male for ever; and from henceforward to give the garter to your arms, and at your pleasure to put on the George and blue ribbon. And for your great honour, and in teftimony of our reality, we have, with our own hand, affixed our great feal of England unto thefe our commiffion and letters, making them patents. Witness ourself at Oxford, the first day of April, in the twentieth year of our reign, and in the year of our Lord 1644. This patent recals to our mind the fpeech of Trinculo in Shakespeare's Tempeft, "You fhall be King, and I will be Viceroy over you." It was after the Reftoration of Charles the Second thought to be of fo dangerous a kind, that the Houfe of Peers took it into their confideration; and the Mar quis voluntarily refigned it. A refignation of a patent of fuch confequence, without compulfion or application, may appear very extraordinary; but the Marquis might probably make a virtue of neceflity; he might choose to refign that with a good grace grace, which he was certain the Houfe would not permit him to keep. The duplicity of his conduct, which he was confcious of, might be another inducement for this facrifice-for, courtier like, he flung his weight always into the heavieft fcale. We have feen already, that to oblige the King, he undertook the fupport of popery. But when his Majefty was in diftrefs, he then joined the Independants and Prefbyterians, and offered them his fervices, OXFORD MAGAZINE. For the FOR longing to the chapel, had in charge, to watch thefe candles that they might inform his majesty what time of day or night it was. The fcarcity of glafs put him upon another contrivance, which was the fcraping of clear horn for making tranfparent leaves; and these were put in wooden frames, to keep the wind from the candles, and thus preventing any irregularity in the calculation of time. Thus lamps had, for their inventor, one of the most glorious monarchs that ever fwayed the British fceptre. For the OXFORD MAGAZINE. A London gentleman, who had been a very free liver, finding the fymptoms of approaching death increafing on him, and being urged on all hands to make his will, as, befides a good eftate, he had great fums in the stocks, he complied. Having no near relations, nor any fo fparingly dealt with by fortune, as to intitle them to his benevolent remembrance, a perfon who was particularly urgent with him to fettle his affairs, promifed himself that he fhould certainly come in for fomething. They two, indeed, had always been intimate cronies and brother rakes. The will was made, figned, fealed, and delivered; but the eftate and money bequeathed among perfons with whom the teftator was thought to have little or no connection. His old acquaintance, not tled at this disappointment, was afhamed to tell him, and fomething harthly, that his long friendship, he thought, deferved a better return; but the answer he received was this: "You have no cause of complaint. You are now fuch a ftranger to me, that I scarce have any knowledge of you. The circumftances which formed our acquaintance and intimacy, are quite vanished: and what were they but heat of blood, libertinifm, and the impulfe of pleasures; things which now are all palled away with me. I have divided my whole for tune among those whom the prefent difpofition of my heart connects me; at leaft it makes me efteem their virtues; and thofe, whom I could wish to be like, I confider as my friends and relations." An |