extafy, during which he acted a thousand extravagancies, which it was well for him the attendants did not observe. Perhaps it was well for the fervant that he did not enter while the paroxifm prevailed had this been the cafe, he might have met with the fate of Lychas, whom Hercules in his frenzy deftroyed. Before the cloth was laid for fupper, he was calm enough to conceal the diforder of his mind: To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN, THOUGH I fincerely hope, and pray, with every honeft Briton, that the prefent melancholy and heart-felt anxiety, which, fo grievously afflicts us, on hearing the fad news, (dreadful news to our country !) of the refignation of our great and worthy deliverer, who has so long prefided at the helm of affairs with unprecedented honour, may be entirely removed by his re-acceptance of the feals, before your Number is published; yet the following sketch of the character of a great minister, that is, of what makes a great minister, written in the year 1758, will be found fo applicable to the present juncture, that I make no doubt the Public will be glad to read it. Octob. 8. 1761. The Portrait of a Great Minister. A Great minifter will not only have honeft intentions of mind, but wifdom to plan, and courage to execute. He will regard the interefts of the prince and people, as infeparably and invariably united. He will, to the utmost of his power, abolish minifterial influence on parliaments, and difcourage parliamentary influence among the great. He will endeavour to deftroy partydiftinctions; and to unite all men in the fupport of the common and national welfare. In confequence of this, he will be hated by all the corrupt part of the kingdom, high and low; because their expectations of advantage can only arise from thofe diftinctions, and that inAuence which he labours to abolish. The honest and unprejudiced part of the nation will adore him for the contrary reafon. He will be remarkable, rather for his knowledge in the great principles of wif I am, &c. T. C. dom and virtue, than in the oblique ways and mysteries of selfish cunning. HE MAY BE DISPLACED ONCE, OR MORE THAN ONCE, BY THE POWER OF FACTION; BUT THE UNITED VOICE OF AN UNCORRUPT PEOPLE WILL RESTORE HIM TO THE FAVOUR OF THE SOVEREIGN, ESPECIALLY IN A TIME OF DANGER. AND THE OFTENER HE IS CUT DOWN BY CORRUPT POWER, THE DEEPER ROOT HE WILL TAKE IN THE AFFECTIONS OF THE PRINCE AND PEOPLE, ARD RISE AND FLOURISH WITH RENEWED VIGOUR. His private life will be confiftent with his public conduct; he will not adopt, but fcorn, the degenerate manners of the times. Above luxury and parade, he will be modest and temperate; and his contempt of wealth will be as fignal as his contempt of luxury. He will be diftinguished by his regard to religion, honour, and his country. He will not defpife, but honour, the people, and liften to their united voice. If his meafures are not always clear to the people in their means, they will be always fo in their ends. In this he will imitate a great queen, or her great minifter, whose policy was deep, and the means the employed were often very fecret; but the ends to which this policy and these means were directed, were never equivocal. As a natural and happy confequence of this conduct, fhould he happen either to err in a defign, or fail in its execution, an uncorrupt people will still confide in him. They will continue to repofe in his general wisdom and integrity; will regard him as a kind of watchful father; yet though wife, not infallible. He will look forward, rather than to what is paft; and be more zealous to felect and reward thofe who may do well, than to profecute thofe whom, in his own opinion, he may think delinquents. His principles and conduct, as they will be hated by vile, fo they will be derided by narrow, minds, which cannot enlarge their conceptions beyond the beaten track of present practice. Prince Maurice was ridiculed in his first attempts, for those very expedients by which he drove the Spaniards out of his country. If his little or no influence in parliament be objected to him, he will answer as Henry the Great of France did, with regard to Rochelle, I do all I defire to do there, in doing nothing but what I ought.' particular occafion for the present, but out of providence for the future: to make the eftate of the people still more and more happy, after the manner of the legiflators in ancient and heroical times.' Above all, he will ftudy to restore and fecure upright manners and principles, knowing thefe to be the very frength and vitals of every state. As by all these means he will put the natural and internal fprings of government into action, fo he will keep up that action in its full vigour, by employing ability and merit: and hence, men of genius, capacity, and virtue, will of course fill the most important and public stations, in every department. TO FULFIL THIS GREAT PURPOSE, HE WILL SEARCH FOR MEN, CAPABLE OF SERVING THE PUBLIC, WITHOUT REGARD TO WEALTH, FAMILY, PARLIAMENTARY INTEREST, OR CON NECTION. He will defpife thofe idle claims of priority of rank, or feniority in ftation, when they are unfupported by services performed in that rank and ftation. He will fearch for those, where-ever they are to be found, whofe active spirits and fuperior capacity promife advantage to the public. He will not abuse this power indulged to him, of fuperfeding fuperior rank, by preferring his own favourites. If he finds the appearance of abilities and worth among the friends or dependents of his enemies, he will truft them with the execution of his most important defigns, on the fuccefs of which even his own character may depend. HAVING NO MOTIVE, BUT THE WELFARE OF HIS COUNTRY; IF HE CANNOT ACCOMPLISH that BY SUCK MEASURES AS HIS HEART APPROVES, HE WILL NOT STRUGGLE FOR A CONTINUANCE IN POWER, BUT BRAVE. LY AND PEACEABLY RESIGN. A man must be blind who does not perceive Mr. P in every line of the above character. If he has already appeared fo great under a restrained power, what might not Great-Britain expect, if he had been actually prime minister, and in poffeffion of as much power as fome of his predecessors ? THE THE LIFE OF CARDINAL POLE, [Concluded.] THE Romih religion being restoring in England with great expedition, under the direction of Queen Mary, the Pope, at the inftance of her majefty, appointed cardinal Pole legate to this kingdom, as the fittest instrument to complete the reduction of it to the obedience of the papal fee. In the mean while, among others who were at this time proposed to the queen as a husband, was the cardinal. It is needless to mention, that a difpenfation from the Pope is only neceffary when one of the clergy is difpofed to quit his habit, and enter into the ftate of matrimony. In this cafe, there were many reafons to induce queen Mary to make choice of cardinal Pole before any other. His confanguinity to the blood royal; his high character for virtue and generofity; the great regard paid him by the Catholic church; the queen's affection for the countefs of Salisbury, his mother, who had once been her governefs; the violent animofity to which he had been expofed on account of his attachment to the Romish communion ; all these confiderations had a powerful influence on Mary. But the cardinal was now in the decline of life; and having contracted habits of study and retirement, he was represented as unqualified for the bustle of a court, and the hurry of bufinefs. The queen therefore dropt all views of this alliance: but, as the entertained a great regard for his wisdom and virtue, the ftill proposed to reap the benefit of his advice in the administration of her government. No fooner did Charles V. emperor of Germany, and king of Spain, hear of the death of Edward VI. and the acceffion of his coufin Mary to the crown of England, than he formed the fcheme of acquiring that kingdom to his family, by a marriage between her and his fon Philip. The emperor, therefore, immediately sent over an agent to fignify his intentions to Mary, who, pleased with the support of so powerful an alliance, and glad to unite herself more closely with her mother's family, 1553 to which he was ever ftrongly attached, readily embraced the propofal. In the mean time, Pole fet out on his journey to England as legate from his Holiness Pope Julius III. The emperor not clearly fatisfied but that the queen might yet change her refolution, as he knew the had once entertained thoughts of the cardinal for her husband, was extremely alarmed at the news of his being to arrive fo foon in England; and as he was fen. fible, that Pole was averfe to the queen's alliance with his fon, and had fent oppofite advice to her majefty, which the emperor imagined to proceed from his defire of efpoufing Mary himself, Charles determined to interpofe, and prevent his arrival, till the marriage fhould be celebrated between the queen and Philip. He, therefore, procured Dandini, the Pope's legate at his court to fend letters to cardinal Pole, to put off his journey. These the cardinal received at the monastery of Magazune, and tranfmitted them to his Holiness, who, being incenfed at his Imperial majesty's affuming fo much power, was fo angry with Dandini, that he recalled him from Spain, and transferred his legatine power to Pole, the bufinefs of which was very confiderable, it being to negotiate a peace between the emperor and France. Thus honoured with a double legation, he fet forwards to Trent; and on his arrival there, dispatched letters to both the courts concerned, with an account of his new office, and continued his journey. But Charles finding cunning of no effect, recurred to force; and fent abfolute orders to Mendoza, to forbid him proceeding in his dominions, unless he would retire to Liege, and remain there until he received further orders from him. This express met the cardinal on the road near Dillinghen, a town on the Danube, now the ufual refidence of the bishop of Augsbourg, its fovereign, to which he returned, and there was forced to remain. Meeting in this place with the emperor's confessor, he fet him upon folliciting his master not to flop Catharine of Arragon, wife to Henry VIII. and mother of Mary, was the halffter of Joanna queen of Caftile, mother to Charles V. confequently, Catharine war aunt to the emperor, and he first coufin to the queen. October, 1761. Tet his his journey; at the fame time he wrote to his Holiness, and acquainted him 'with this freth affront. Charles wrote to Mary in the most earnest manner, and ufed fuch arguments as perfuaded her to approve of what he had done, and to confent to the detention of the cardinal. There were ftrongly reinforced by bishop Gardiner, who forefecing that this legate would step between him and the archbishopric of Canterbury, and in all probability destroy his influence at court, reprefented to the queen, that Pole would ruin her intentions in favour of the Roman Catholic religion, by his unfeafonable zeal. Satisfied with thefe reafons, and being defirous to forward her marriage as much as he could, the queen immediately fent letters confirming the emperor's orders; and to keep the car dinal in good humour, tranfmitted him the two acts lately paffed, for the juification of her mother's marriage, and for bringing back all things to the ftate they were in at her father's death, defining him likewife to fend her a lift of fuch perfons as fhould be made bishops. The cardinal being now fatisfied that the true caufe of this delay was to prevent his arrival in England, before the queen's marriage to Philip fhould be completed, was not a little nettled at it, and wrote a letter to her majefty, wherein he said, he knew this ftop to his journey came chiefly from the emperor, who was for purfuing fuch particular courfes now, as himfelf had followed in the interim, being refolved to have the ftate fettled before The meddled with religion. That he had spoke with the Emperor's confeffor about it, and had convinced him of the impropriety of fuch courfes, and fet him to work on his mafter. He alfo told the queen, he was afraid carnal pleafures might govern her too much, and that she might thereby fall from her fimplicity in Chrift, wherein the had hitherto lived: he encouraged her therefore to put on a Spirit of wisdom, and courage, and truft in God who had preferved her fo long. He afsured her that he had wrote to mitigate the Pope and cardinals, who, there was room enough to think, would refent his being stopped, which he had told them was done only to wait till his attainder was taken off; and, to make a fhew of going forward, he had fent his houshold ftuff to Flanders. With regard to the two acts, he found fault that no mention was made in the first of the Pope's bulls, by the authority of which only it could be a lawful marriage; and he did not like, that in the other act, the worship of God and the facraments were to be as they were in her father's reign; for then the people were yet in a state of schifm; that the Pope's interdict ftill lay on the nation, and till that were taken off, none could, without fin, either administer or receive them. He confeffed he knew none of either houfe fit to propofe the matter of rejecting the fupremacy, and therefore he thought it beft for herself to go to the parliament, having before-hand acquainted fome few, both of the fpirituality and temporality with her defign, and tell the houfe fhe was touched with the fchifm, and defired a legate to come over from the apoftolic fee, to treat about it; and fhould thereupon propofe the reverfing of his attainder. And as fome might apprehend thraldom from the papacy, the might give them affurance fhe would fee all things fo well fecured, that there should no danger come to the nation from it; and he affured them that he, for his part, would take as much care of that as any of all the temporality could defire. This letter did not in the leaft forward his journey, for it was determined he thould be kept at a distance, till the queen's marriage with Philip fhould be completed, which at prefent met with great oppofition in England. Therefore, by way of diverfion, the cardinal applied himself to the bufinefs of his other legation, the mediating a peace between the empire and France *. In obedience to the Pope's Bishop Burnet fays, that this fecond legation was contrived by the Pope in conert, with, and at the defire of the emperor; but all other authors tell us it was done byhis Holiness, in revenge for the affront put upon himself in the perfon of his legate, as is related above. And this feems most probable: for it does not appear, but that the cardinal would have executed his legation to England first, and he accordingly fet out for that purpose, but was detained by force from proceeding in it appointment, appointment, he went to Paris on this errand; and the bufinefs being agreeable to his natural difpofition, he laboured in it very seriously for fome time, till finding no profpect of fuccefs, he returned to his former refidence in a monaftery near Bruffels, where he had refided before his journey to France. The queen of England's nuptials with Philip of Spain being at length celebrated, her majefty immediately fent the lords Paget and Haftings, to conduct her coufin into England. After having been detained a month at Calais by contrary winds, he crossed the water, and arriving 1554 at Dover, went thence by land to Gravefend, where he was met by the bishop of Ely, and the earl of Salisbury, who prefented him with the repeal of the act of his attainder, that had paffed the day before. He then repaired on board a yacht, which carrying at her head the cross, the enfign of his legation, conveyed him to Whitehall, where he was received by their majefties king Philip and queen Mary, with the utmost veneration; and after receiving the highest honour and respect, was conducted to the archbishop's palace at Lambeth, the deftined place of his refidence, which had been sumptuously fitted up by the queen for the purpose, archbishop Cranmer being at this time in prifon, attainted of high treafon, and the archbishopric fequestered. All things being prepared, the legate fent a meffage to the parliament, to reconcile themselves and the kingdom to the apoftolic fee, from which they had been. fo long and fo unhappily feparated. This meffage was taken in good part; and both houfes voted an addrefs to Philip and Mary, acknowledging that they had been guilty of a moft horrible defection from the true church; profeffing a fincere repentance for their past trangreffions, declaring their refolution to repeal all laws enacted in prejudice of the church of Rome; and praying their majefties, that fince they were happily uninfected with that criminal fchifm, they would intercede with the Holy Father, for their abfolution and forgive-, nefs. Their requeft was easily granted. The whole parliament being affembled before their majefties in the house of peers, the cardinal repaired thither, and declared the fubject of his legation, which was to bring them back, he said, like fo many He ftrayed fheep, into the fold of Chrift. removed from both all ecclefiaftical cen- The Pope's authority being thus reftored in England, the cardinal two days afterwards made his public entry through, London, with all the folemnities of a legate, the crofs being now first carried be fore him, which could not be done till the papal authority had been restored by law. He was well fenfible that the court of Rome kept an extreme jealous eye upon him, and therefore he determined to be on his guard, and to give room for no fufpicions, that he favoured the refor mation, as many of his enemies had objected that against him from his moderate principles. Though his humane fentiments were the fame, yet he chofe to carry himself in quite a different manner; he expreffed a deteftation of the reformers, and would correfpond or converse with none of them, except with Cecil, afterwards fecretary of state, with whom alone, it is said, he did sometimes privately difcourfe. He ufed great reserve to every body, fpoke little, and put on an Italian temper as well as behaviour; making Priuli and Ormaneto two Italians whom he brought with him, his only con fidants. |
