"induftry, and judgment. He must have had a won "derful understanding in the natures and humours * of men, and as great a dexterity in applying them, "who from a private and obfcure birth, (though of "a good family) without interest or estate, alliance "or friendship, could raise himself to such a height, “and compound and knead such opposite and con"tradictory tempers, humours, and interests, into a "confiftence that contributed to his own designs, and "to their own destruction, whilst himself grew in"fenfibly powerful enough to cut off thofe by whom "he had climbed, in the inftant that they projected. "to demolish their own building. What was faid of "Cinna may very justly be faid of him, Aufum eum,

quæ nemo auderet bonus; perfeciffe, quæ à nullo nifi fortiffimo perfici poffent." he attempted thofe things which "no good man durft have ventured on, and achieved thofe in which none but a valiant and great man could have fucceeded." Without doubt no man "with more wickednefs ever attempted any thing, "or brought to pafs what he defired more wickedly, "more in the face and contempt of religon and mo"ral honefly: yet wickedness, great as his, could "never have accomplished thofe defigns without the "affiftance of a great fpirit, and admirable circum"spection and sagacity, and a most magnanimous "refolution." Earl of Clarendon's Hiftory, Book xv.

Of the invafion and defeat of the Turks, p. 139. THE fiege of Vienna, which occafioned the writing this poem, began about the middle of July 1683, (in the feventy-eighth year of Mr. Waller's age) and was carried on with great fury by an army of an hundred thousand Turks, under the conduct of the Grand Vifier; but he was compelled to raife it on the 10th of the following September, by that heroick prince, John Sobieski, king of Poland, at whofe arrival the Infidels made fuch a precipitate flight, that they left behind them their field-equipage and the standard of the Ottoman empire, with an hundred and eighty pieces of cannon. Upon this defeat the commotions grew fo violent among the Janizaries, that the Sultan was obliged to commute for his own fafety with the death of his great favourite CaraMuftapha, the Grand Vifier, who was ftrangled at Belgrade on the 25th of Decem ber 1683. He had attained to the highest dignities and command that a fubject is capable of enjoying in that government,by the interest of the Sultanefs-mother Valida, to whom, for many years, he had been a gallant; but not long before this fatal campaign he had fallen paffionately in love with Bafch-Lari, the Sultan's fifter, which fo irritated the forfaken Valida, that fhe made ufe of the neceffities of the state to be revenged for his inconftancy, and prevailed with her

fon,the Emperour Mahomet,to send for his head; to which he is faid to have affented with the greatest raluctance.

Of her Royal Highness,mother to the Prince of Orange, Sc. p. 144.

MARY Princefs of Orange was the eldest daughter of K. Charles I. born at St James's, anno Dom. 1637, and contracted, in the tenth year of her age, to William, only fon of Frederick Henry Prince of Orange. She was a lady whofe piety and incomparable goodnefs of nature were not confined to a fruitless compaffion of the calamities of her family, but rendered her active in promoting their interests, and bountiful to their friends when they wanted her fupport and protection. After nineteen years abfence the returned to her native country, to partake in the general joy at her brother's restoration. Soon after her arrival the House of Commons presented her Highness with IC,Ccc which, though it might in fome measure evidence their own duty and affection, was but a poor equivalent for only one article of her bounty, she having, for many years, appropriated one half of her annual revenue to the support of the Duke of Gloucefter, that he might not be influenced to change his religion,by accepting a penfion from the Catholick princes; but her foul was too noble either to balance be

nefits herself, or to fuffer others to reduce them to a ftrict computation. After she had paffed about three months in England, she died of the fmall-pox, and was interred in Henry VII.'s chapel, December 31, anno Dom. 166, ætat fuæ 29. At the time of his writing this poem, Mr. Walier appears to have been in the fifty-fifth year of his age.

Upon ber Majefy's new buildings at Somerfet-boufe.p.145. THE queen-mother, Henrietta Maria, returned with a defign to pass the remainder of her life in England, anno Dom. 1662, when Mr. Waller was in the fiftyfeventh year of his age. Upon fettling at Somersethouse she beautified the old palace, and, I think, added all thofe buildings that front to the river. Mr. Cowley has an excellent copy of verfes on this occafion.

Upon the Earl of Rofcommon's tranflation of Horace,p.151. WENTWORTH DILLON, Earl of Rofcommon, was born in Ireland, whilft the government of that kingdom was committed to the care of the great Earl of Strafford, to whom the Countess of Rofcommon (defcended from the Boyntons of Bramston, in the county of York) was nearly related; and when he was baptized, the Lord Lieutenant gave him the furname

of his own family. In that kingdom he passed the first years of his infancy, but his father having been converted by Archbishop Usher from the communion of the Church of Rome, the Earl of Strafford, appre hending that his family would be exposed to the most furious effects of religious revenge, at the beginning of the Irish rebellion, fent for his godfon into Eng land, and placed him at his own feat in Yorkshire, under the tuition of Dr. Hall, a person of eminent learning and piety. By him he was inftructed in Latin; and, without learning the common rules of grammar, which he could never retain in his memory, he attained to write in that language with claffical elegance and propriety, and with fo much ease, that he chofe it to correfpond with thofe friends who had learning fufficient to support the commerce. When the cloud began to gather over England, and the Earl of Strafford was fingled out for a prey to popular fury, by the advice of the Lord Primate Usher he was fent to complete his education at Caen in Normandy, under the care and direction of the famous Bochartus. After fome years he travelled to Rome, where he grew familiar with the most valuable remains of Antiquity,applying himself particularly to theknowledge of medals, which he gained in perfection, and Spoke Italian with fo much grace and fluency, that he was frequently mistaken there for a native. Soon after the restoration he returned to England, where