carried into his garden in a chair: he fainted away twice there. He fell, about twelve, into a violent pang, which made his limbs all shake, and his teeth chatter; and for some time he lay cold as death. His wound was dressed (which is done constantly four times a day), and he grew gay, and sat at dinner with ten people. After this he was again in torment for a quarter of an hour; and as soon as the pang was over, was carried again into the garden to the workmen, talked again of his history, and declaimed with great spirit against the meanness of the present great men and ininisters, and the decay of the public spirit and honour. It is impossible to conceive how much his heart is above his condition: he is dying every other hour, and obstinate to do whatever he has a mind to. He has concerted no measures beforehand for his journey, but to get a yacht in which he will set sail, but no place fixed on to reside at, nor has determined what place to land at, or provided any accommodation for his going on land. He talks of getting towards Lyons, but undoubtedly he never can travel but to the sea shore. I pity the poor woman, who is to share in all he suffers, and who can in no one thing persuade him to spare himself. I think he must be lost in this attempt, and attempt it be will.

"He has with him, day after day, not only all his relations, but every creature of the town of Southampton that pleases. He lies on his couch, and receives them, though he says little. When his pains come, he desires them to walk out, but invites them to stay and dine or sup, &c. Sir Wilfred Lawson and his Lady, Mrs. Mordaunt and Colonel Mordaunt, are here: tomorrow come Mr. Poyntz, &c. for two days only, and they all go away together. He says he will go at the month's end if he is alive. I believe I shall get home on Wednesday night. I hope Lady Suffolk will not go sooner for Stowe, and, if not, I'll go with her willingly. Nothing can be more affecting and melancholy to me than what I see here: yet he takes my visit so kindly, that I should have lost one great pleasure, had I not come. I have nothing more to say, as I have nothing in my mind but this present object, which indeed is extraordinary. This man was never born to die like other men, any more than to live like them." a

"He was," says Lord Orford, "one of those men of careless and negligent grace, who scatter a thousand bon-mots, and idle verses, which we painful compilers gather and hoard, till the

⚫ From supplementary volume of Pope's works, 1807, 8vo. p. 395.

owners stare to find themselves authors. Such was this Lord: of an advantageous figure and enterprizing spirit; as gallant as Amadis, and as brave, but a little more expeditious in his journies; for he is said "to have seen more Kings, and more postillions, than any man in Europe." His enmity to the Duke of Marlborough, and his friendship with Pope, will preserve his name, when his genius, too romantic to have laid a solid foundation for fame, and his politics, too disinterested for his age and country, shall be equally forgotten. He was a man, as his poet said, "who would neither live nor die like other mortals." Yet even particularities were becoming in him, as he had a natural ease, that immediately adopted, and saved them from the air of affectation." b

Henry, his younger son, was a member of the house of commons for Brackley in 1695. He was brought up in the sea service, and, like his noble father, distinguished himself by his gallant behaviour. In 1706 he was captain of the Resolution man of war; and the Earl his father sailing from Barcelona, on March 14th, O. S. 1706-7, with the King of Spain's envoy to the Duke of Savoy, in order to land at Genoa, having also two light frigates with them, they fell in, on the 19th, with six French men of war, whereof two were of eighty, two of seventy, one of sixtyeight, and the other of fifty-eight guns, which chased them. Whereupon his Lordship, with the Spanish envoy, quitted the Resolution, went on board the Enterprize frigate, and, by favour of the night, escaped into Leghorn, as did the other frigate. The enemy continuing chasing the Resolution, one of their ships came about ten at night within gun-shot of her, but did not begin to fire till about six the next morning, by which time the rest of the enemy's ships, being all clean, and newly come out of Toulon, came up with the Resolution. Then began a sharp fight, which captain Mordaunt maintained with great bravery and conduct till half an hour after three in the afternoon, when finding no possibility of getting clear of the enemy, and his ship being much shattered, he ran her on shore. The enemy still pursued her, and continually fired on her; but finding, by the captain's returning the fire, that he would not quit his ship, they sent out their boats to burn her; but those were soon beat off. On the 21st in the morning, one of the enemy's ships of eighty guns came very near her, with design to batter her; but she being full of water,

and the powder wet, it was resolved to burn her, rather than she should fall into the enemy's hands; accordingly by eleven in the morning, that part of her which lay above the water was consumed, and the captain with his ship's company got safe on shore, with what was most valuable on board her. He was wounded in the thigh, during the engagement, by a cannon-ball, but not dangerously. He died of the small-pox, unmarried, on February 24th, 1709-10, being then member of parliament for Malmsbury in Wilts, as he had been the two preceding parliaments.

His eldest brother JOHN Lord Mordaunt, taking early to arms, likewise eminently distinguished himself. He was colonel of the grenadiers in the first regiment of foot-guards, at the famous battle of Hochstet, or Blenheim, Aug. 13th, 1704, N. S. and then lost his left arm in the service of his country. He was afterwards colonel of the royal regiment of Scotch fuzileers, and was a member of the house of commons for Chippenham, in the parliaments summoned 1700, 1701, 1702, in part of that called in 1705, and in that summoned in 1708. He died of the small-pox, on April 6th, 1710, and was buried at Turvey, leaving issue by the Lady Frances his wife (second daughter to Charles Powlett, Duke of Bolton) who died on July 30th, 1715, two sons.

First, Charles, who succeeded his grandfather, and also his grand uncle, Sir Peter Fraser of Dotes.

And Second, John, appointed a lieutenant-colonel in the army, October 4th, 1745, who, in October 1735, married Mary, sister to Scroop Lord Viscount Howe, and widow of Thomas Earl of Pembroke, and was twice chosen one of the knights for Nottinghamshire, and was member for Christ Church, in the parliament summoned in 1754. His Lady deceased at her house at Parson'sgreen, September 12th, 1749; and he secondly married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Hamilton, Esq. but died without issue, July 1st, 1767.

CHARLES, FOURTH EARL OF PETERBOROUGH, was one of the assistants to the Duke of Somerset, chief mourner at the funeral of Frederick Prince of Wales, April 13th, 1751. He married, first, Mary, daughter of John Cox, of London, Esq. and by her, who died November 18th, 1755, he had issue two daughters;

Lady Frances, born in April 1736, married the Rev. Samuel Bulkeley, D.D. of Hatfield in Hertfordshire, prebendary of Bristol, and rector of Henton, Northamptonshire: she died in October 1798.

And Lady Mary Anastasia Grace, born June 5th, 1738.

His Lordship by his second Lady, Robiniana, daughter of colonel .... Brown, who died December 6th, 1794, had two

sons;

First, Charles Henry, present Earl.

And second, Poulet, born 1759, who died young.

His Lordship died August 1st, 1779, and was succeeded by his son CHARLES HENRY, present and FIFTH EARL OF PETerBOROUGH, born May 11th, 1758, who is unmarried.

Titles. Charles Henry Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough and Monmouth, Viscount Avalon, Baron Mordaunt of Turvey, and Baron Mordaunt of Ryegate.

Creations. Baron Mordaunt of Turvey, in com. Bedford, by writ of summons, May 4th, 1532, 24 Hen VIII.; Earl of Peterborough, in com. Northampton, by letters patent, March 9th, 1627-8, 3 Car. I.; Baron Mordaunt of Ryegate, in com. Surry, and Viscount Mordaunt of Avalon, in com. Somerset, July 10th, 1659, 11 Car. II.; and Earl of the county of Monmouth, April 9th, 1689; 1 William and Mary.

Arms. Argent, a chevron between three estoils of six points, Sable.

Crest. In an Earl's coronet, Or, the bust of a Moorish Prince, habited in cloth of gold, all proper, and wreathed about the temples, Argent.

Supporters. Two eagles, Argent, armed and membered,

Sable.

Motto. Nec placida contenta quiete est.
Chief Seat. At Dantsey, in Wiltshire.

THIS family has been one of the most ancient, most wide-spread, and most illustrious in the English Peerage; and the House of Stamford are derived from the most illustrious branch of it; and yet from the strange manner in which books of peerage have hitherto been compiled, this title has formed one of the shortest articles of the former editions of this work. My limits will only allow me to give a brief epitome of the history of this numerous and eminent race.

The first of this family who appears in our public records is HENRY DE GREY, to whom King Richard I. in the sixth year of his reign gave the manor of Turroc in Essex; which grant King John confirmed, and by his public charter vouchsafed to him a special privilege; viz. to hunt the hare and fox in any lands belonging to the crown, except the King's own demesne lands. He had also in 1 Hen. III. a grant of the manor of Grimston, com. Nottingham (part of the possessions of Robert Bardolf,) for his support in the King's service. And having afterwards married Isolda, niece and coheir to this Robert in 9 Hen. III. shared in the inheritance of all his lands. By this Isolda, he had issue six

sons.

First, Richard, whose principal seat was at CODNOVRE in com. Derb.

Second, John, progenitor to the house of Wilton; and also to the Earls and Dukes of Kent; the Dukes of Suffolk; and the present Earl of Stamford.

Third, William of Landford in com. Notts, and Sandiacre, in com. Derb.