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ferior to him in merit; and created fuch a jealousy in the breast of his former patron, the Earl of Leicester, that he fet up, in oppofition to him, his nephew, the young Earl of Effex, And Sir Henry Wotton informs us, that Tarleton, the most celebrated actor of that age, was forbid the Royal pre fence for prefuming to reflect upon Ralegh's power and influence with the Queen.

He was in the Parliament which determined the fate of the Queen of Scots; and was one of the Committee, appointed to confult upon the amendment of fome things, to which the Clergy were required to be fworn, and for confidering the proper means to procure a learned Miniftry: the Queen having in her speech, at the clofe of the last feffion, reminded the Bishops of fome faults and negligences, for which, if they did not amend, fhe threatened to depofe them.

The year 1587 begun profperoufly with him alfo, being by her Majefty's favour advanced to the poft of Captain of her guard, which he held with all his former commiffions and places. But the news from Virginia fome "what allayed thefe pleafures: for in the first place he heard, that the natives had cut off the fifteen planters, left at Roanok last year; and that his two fhips of provifions, &c. difpatched for the fubfiftance of a new colony of 150 men, fent thither in the beginning of this year, and arrived at Hattaras on the twenty-third of July, were rifled and difabled by two ftrong men of war of Rochelle, 50 leagues N. E. of Madera, and obliged to put back for England.

In November, 1587, his abilities as an Officer both by fea and land, recommended him to be one of the Council of war, appointed to confider of the most effectual methods for the fecurity of the nation, against the intended Spanish invafion. In which capacity, he gave a fignal proof of his great judgment, by the fcheme he drew up for that purpose. And to thew that he would not confine him

felf to the mere office of giving advice," he no fooner faw the neceffity, than he exerted himself in action in every circumftance, which could contribute to the fafety of his country. He raised and difciplined the Militia in Cornwall; and having done the best of his, fervices by land, he joined the fleet in July, 1588, with a fquadron of volunteers, compofed of Nobles and Gentlemen; and had a confiderable fhare in the feveral engagements with, and, at laft, in the total destruction of the Spanish invincible Armada. For which lie was foon rewarded, by being admitted Gentleman of her Majefty's Privy chamber; and by fome additional advantages granted to his Wine-office.

His employments at Court, and his other posts took up fo much of his time and thoughts; and the loffes he had met with, in the fettling of his new colony in Virginia, amounting to upwards of 40,000l. determined him to make an affignment of his right, title, and intereft therein, to certain Gentlemen and Merchants of London, referving only to himself the fifth part of all gold and filver ore: which he accordingly executed on the seventh of March, 1588-9; at the fame time' contributing 1007, towards their prefent expences; and promifing his advice and intereft, on all occafions.

He was ordered with Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norris, to accom-' pany Don Antonio, King of Portugal, in that expedition, which Queen Elifabeth enabled that Prince to make in the beginning of the year 1589, to recover his dominions from Philip II, King of Spain. In the courfe of which, he took a great number of large fhips, belonging to the Hanstowns, laden with Spanish goods, provifions and ammunition, intended for a new invafion of England: and his conduct throughout the whole was fo highly fatisfactory to her Majesty, that the honoured him, as well as the other Commanders, with a gold chain. Nor muft it be forgot, that touching upon the coaft of Ireland, in his way LI

home

home, he met with Spencer the poet, brought him out of obfcurity, prefented that admirable writer to Queen Elifabeth, and afterwards encouraged him in the publication of his Fairy Queen; Ralegh himfelf having an excellent genius, as well as tafte, for poetry; of which he gave fome fpecimens, celebrated by a judicious writer upon that art, as early as the year 1589.

Ralegh's next project was to man out a ftrong fleet against the Spaniards in the Wefi-Indies, and particularly at Panama, with a defign of meeting the plate-fleet. He, on this occafion, laid out great fums of money, of his own and his friends; and his fcheme was fo well approved of by the Queen, that he, to his thirteen fhips well manned, armed, and provided with all neceflaries, added two of her own men of war. But being firft windbound, and afterwards driven on the coat of Spain by a ftorm, he, at cape Fineftre, knowing the feafon was too far advanced to proceed to Panama, divided his fleet into two parts, committing one fquadron to Sir John Burgh, with orders to proceed to the Azores, and to cruize there for the Caracks from the East-Indies: and the other to Sir Martin Frabisher, with directions to lie off the fouth cape, to keep in and terrify the Spaniards on their own coaft; which fhewed his admirable judgment: for the Spaniards, alarmed at the appearance of Frobifer's fquadron on their coaft, collected their whole naval power to defend their fouthern provinces; and by that means permitted the Caracks to fall an eafy prey to Sir John Burgh, who, on the third of August, 1592, made himself mafter of the Madre de Dios, of 1600 tons, goo whereof were merchandize.

In the latter end of this year, he again fat in Parliament, where he exerted himself with all the abilities of an accomplished speaker, and declared ftrongly for an open war against Spain. For which, and his affiftance in frameing the proclamation against the Popifh feminaries abroad, the Jefuit Parfons libelled him with the character of an atheist; and though his works are a fufficient and convincing proof to the contrary, we find his enemies at home, not able to attack him fairly, induftrioufly propagated that vile afperfion, and made ufe of it to corrupt his jury, upon his trial at Winchefter, in 1603. But another conjecture for fixing fuch a flander upon fo ftrenuous an affertor of a God and Providence, is founded upon his folliciting and obtaining of the Crown, in the year 1594, fome church-lands, viz. the manor of Sherborne in Dorfetfhire, alienated from the fee of Salisbury, upon the election of Dr. John Cold-well to that Bishoprick: which was not unufual, nor accounted a prophane method of rewarding fuch as had done confiderable fervice to the State.

But, in this zenith of his Sovereign's esteem, Sir Walter, being discovered to have an amorous intrigue with Mrs, Elifabeth Throckmorton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton the Ambaffador, and Maid of honour, incurred her Majefty's high difpleasure; and, though he afterwards married that Lady, the Queen put him under arreft for feveral months; and could never be perfuaded to admit him to her Royal prefence, till his return from the difcovery of the rich and extenfive Empire of Guiana, in the fouth of America, of which you will be more particularly informed in our next.

The great Efteem, that Men of the best Learning have had for the Writings of Rochefaucault, is fufficient to authorize the inferting the following felt Pallages.

Moral Maxims and Reflections.

Elf-love is the greateft flatterer in

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the world.

When a man hath travelled never fo far, and difcovered never fo much

in the world of felf-love; yet ftill the Terra Incognita will take up a confiderable part of the map.

The continuance of our paffions is no more in our own power, than the term of our life.

Paffion very often makes the wifeft men fools, and very often too infpires the greatest fools with wit.

There is in the paffions fuch a conftant tendency to private intereft and injuftice, that it is dangerous to be guided by them; and, indeed, we fhould not dare to truft them, even then when they appear most fair and reasonable...

The heart of man ever finds a conftant fucceffion of paffions, infomuch, that the destroying and pulling down of one proves generally to be nothing elfe, but the production and the setting up of another.

After all the care men can take to conceal their paffions, and put them off under the drefs of piety and honour, the difguife is too thin, and will be fure to difcover all at one time or other.

Men are not only apt to forget the kindneffes and injuries that have been done them, but which is a great deal more, they hate the perfons that have obliged them, and lay afide their refentments against thofe that have used them ill. The trouble of returning favours, and revenging of wrongs, is a flavery, it seems, which they can very hardly fubmit to.

No body is fo weak, but he is ftrong enough to bear the misfortunes that he does not feel.

Philofophy finds it an eafy matter to vanquish paft and future evils, but the prefent are commonly too hard for it.

When great men fink under the length of their misfortunes, this difcovers that it was not the greatnefs of their foul, but of their ambition, that kept up their fpirits fo long, and that, fetting afide abundance of vanity, he roes are juft like common men.

It requires more virtue to bear a good fortune than ill.

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Death and the fun are two things not to be looked upon with a steady

eye.

There is fomething to be faid for jealoufy, because this only defigns the prefervation of fome good, which we either have, or think we have a right to; but envy is a raging madness that cannot be fatisfied with the good of others.

If we had no defects of our own, we should not take half so much fatiffaction in obferving thofe of other peo'ple.

Jealoufy is bred in doubts; when thofe doubts change into certainties, then the paffion either ceafes, or turns abfolute madness.

It looks like an indulgence of nature to give us pride; that after she had taken fuch wife care to fit the organs of the body for our happiness and convenience, we might be delivered from the trouble of knowing our own imperfections.

Intereft makes fome people blind, and others quick-fighted.

They that ufe to employ their minds too much upon trifles, commonly make themselves incapable of any thing that is ferious or great.

The whimsicalnefs of our own humour is a thousand times more fickle and unaccountable, than what we blame fo much in fortune.

The fondnefs or indifference that the philofophers exprefled for life, was purely a tang of the love of themfelves, which will no more bear reafoning upon, than the relifh of the palate, or the choice of colours.

All the gifts of fortune are just as our own humour is pleased to rate them.

Happiness does not confift in the things themselves, but in the relish we have of them; and a man hath attained to it when he enjoys what he loves and defires himself, and not what other people think lovely and defireable.

Though nature be never fo liberal, yet can fhe not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too ☀. L12

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600 16438 7 500 13698 12

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and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected.

Mens happiness and mifery depends altogether as much upon their own humour, as it does upon fortune.

The common way to do one's bufinefs, and rife in the world, is to use all poffible means of perfuading people that one's business is done already.

An Intereft Table for Days at any Rate.

Mill. L. S.

I 24 900

67

D. Cpts. Thouf. L. S. D. Cpts. Hund. L. S. D. Cpts. 8 88 900 24 13 900 24657 10 800 21917 16 1289 700 19178 I

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Multiply the Principle by the Rate, and by the number of days; and take the sums in the t.ble, which answer to the laft product.

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The BRITISH MUSE:

CONTAINING

Original POEMS, SONGS, DANCES, &c.

JOCKY and JENNY. A New SONG,
A Dialogue fung by Mr. Lowe and Mifs Falkner.

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Jocky. Among the young lillies, my Jenny, I've ftray'd, Pinks, daifies, and woodbines, I bring to my maid; Here's thyme sweetly fmelling, and lavender gay,

A pofy to form for my Queen of the May.

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