desist not from commanding me, till I flag in my obedience and endeavours to serve my king and country :

"For certainly you'l find me breathless first t' expire, Before my hands grow weary, or my legs do tire.

"Yet abstracting from any interest of my own, but as a fellow-subject and compatriot will I ever labour in the vineyard, most heartily and readily obeying the least summons from you; by putting faithfully in execution, what your judgments shall think fit to pitch upon amongst this Century of Experiences; perhaps dearly purchased by me, but now frankly and gratis offered to you.

"Vouchsafe therefore to dispose freely of me, and whatever lieth in my power to perform : first, in order to his majesty's service; secondly, for the good and advantage of the kingdom; thirdly, to all your satisfactions, for particular profit and pleasure to your individual selves; professing that in all and each of the three respects I will ever demean myself as it best be

comes,

"My lords and gentlemen,

"Your most passionately-bent fellow-subject in his majesty's service, compatriot for the publick good and advantage, and a most humble servant to all and every of you.

"WORCESTER."]

GEORGE MONCK,

DUKE OF ALBEMARLE.

THIS memorable man, who raised himself by his personal merit within reach of a crown, which he had the prudence or the virtue to wave; whose being able to place it on the head of the heir is imputed to astonishing art or secrecy, when in reality he only furnished a hand to the heart of the nation; and who, after the greatest services that a subject could perform, either wanted the sense, or had the sense to distinguish himself no farther (for perhaps he was singularly fortunate in always embracing the moment of propriety 2); this man was an author; a light in which he is by no means known; and yet in which he did not want merit. After his death was published by authority, a treatise in his own profession, which he composed while a prisoner in the Tower: it is called,

"Observations upon military and political Affairs; written by the most honourable George Duke of Albemarle," &c. 3

[Hence, he is considered by sir E. Brydges, as "the creature of adventitious circumstances."]

' [Published by authority; and described by the dedicator to have been written five-and-twenty years before, and sent

A small folio, Lond. 1671. Besides a dedication to Charles the second, signed John Heath, the editor; it contains thirty chapters of martial rules, interspersed with political observations, and is in reality a kind of military grammar. Of the science I am no judge : the remarks are short, sensible, and pointed. Armour was not yet in disuse: he tells his young gallants, "that men wear not arms. because they are afraid of danger, but because they would not fear it." I mention this to show his manner. He gives an odd reason for the use of pikes, preferable to swords: "that if you arm your men with the latter, half the swords you have in your army amongst the common men, will, upon the first march, be broken with cutting of boughs.

994

We have besides,

"The Speech of General Moncke in the House of Commons, concerning the Settling

from the author, then prisoner in the Tower, to viscount Lisle, in whose hands it had been faithfully preserved, as a true picture of the author drawn by himself, and by whose favour it was consigned to the editorial care of John Heath.]

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