The Oxford Magazine; For OCTOBER, 1769. Memoirs of the Life of William, Lord Ruffel, Father to the prefent Duke of Bedford. (With a Copper-Plate annexed, engraved by GRIGNION.) W VIRG "THY GRANDSON, the heir of fuch "mighty hopes, more chearfully to "emulate and follow the example of "his illuftrious father, they entailed "this high dignity upon the earl, and "his pofterity." The curious reader may be defirous to know what Lord William Ruffel had done to merit fo great an encomium. It would be too concife to answer, that he died in defence of his country, at a time when the conftitution was in danger, and tyranny and popery had fixed their standards in the royal palace. His life was an ornament to his age, and his death an irretrievable loss, and a reproach to his country. Sequiturque patrem non paffibus æquis. HEN the Roman dictator firft vifited the tomb of Alexander the Great, he was infpired with the emulation of an hero. The patents of the nobility fhould have the fame effect upon their defcendants. These patents fhow that their ancestors were endued with heroic virtues : if they tranfcribe them, they rival them in reputation, and are the worthy defcendants of fuch illuftrious progenitors: if they degenerate from the virtues of their anceftors, their fathers glories, instead of rendering them illustrious, make their depravity the more notorious and the more deteftable. I was led into this train of thought on perusing the patent of the first Duke of Bedford: it is worthy of the perufal of every one; and for fear the present Duke fhould have forgotten it, I fhall here hold it up to his eyes. It fets forth, that the firft Duke" was father to the Lord Ruffel, "the ornament of his age, whofe great " merits it was not enough to tranfmit "by history to pofterity; but they "were willing to record them in their "royal patent to remain in the family, "as a monument confecrated to his "confummate virtue, whofe name "could never be forgot, fo long as ἐσ men preferved any esteem for fanc"tity of manners, greatness of mind, " and a LOVE to their COUNTRY, "conftant even to DEATH. Therefore "to folace his father for fo great a ❝lofs, to celebrate the memory of fo “noble a son, and to excite his wOR VOL. III. Like most of his ancestors, Lord William always diftinguished himself as an intrepid champion in the cause of liberty, and was not to be feduced by promifes, or intimidated by dangers. It is not the defign of the prefent effay to give a detail of all his Lordship's public tranfactions; but to produce only fuch as are moft faitable to the complexion of the prefent times; and most likely to illuftrate the conduct of his noble defcendant. After the Restoration, his Lordship was elected Member for the county of Bedford, and was made one of the Privy-Council. As long as he could be of fervice to his country he attended the board; but when he found that the preservation of his dignity, and the difcharge of his duty to the nation were incompatible, he did as a modern pa e triot triot has done, he went, in company with Lord Cavendish and Sir Henry Capel, to his Majesty, and begged leave to refign; and the King readily granted him his permiffion. The measures of government were highly alarming to the liberties as well as the religion of the people. The laws were either not executed, or evaded. The money which was granted for public ufes, was appropriated to the King's private exigencies. An army was railed under the pretence of a war with France only to enable the King to carry those measures by force, which he could not do by parliamentary intereft; for that still remained an impregnable bulwark; though the King had ftrained every nerve of power, and put in practice every expedient of feduction to weaken or pervert it. The King himfelf was a penfioner to France; and received his penfion for furrendering up a place which was of the utmost confequence to the maritime intereft of his own kingdom. His minifters were ready to run all lengths to eftablifh his measures, and law and religion were distorted to render him victorious. His father had been strongly fufpected of favouring popery, but he did it in fo open a manner, that his favouring that religion would not admit of the very fhadow of a doubt. His brother was a declared papift, and was his prefumptive heir to the crown. To please him, the established religion was exposed to contempt. But the partizans of a popish heir were not contented with contemning, they determined to extirpate: and the facred perfon of the King was to be affaffinated to pave the way for a more eafy and more accelerated victory over the laws of the kingdom. This gloomy fcene rendered the nation thoughtful, and thought was at last matured into refolution. The laws had been trampled upon, malefactors were refcued from the fentences of the jury, and every thing was put into practice which' could either alienate or exafperate the minds of the people. As the patriots found that most of their diftreffes were owing to the countenance given to the popish party, they determined to divert the danger which threatened the naon, by removing the first principle of motion. They were incited to attempt this, by difcovering that the papists had refolved to involve the city in a fecond conflagration; and during the confufion occafioned by fuch a catastrophe were to be joined with a body of forces from France to raise an infurrection. The commons took the alarm, and paffed a vote for the banishing of all papists from London and Weftminfter; adding, that the Duke of York being a papift, the hopes of his coming fuch to the crown had given the greatest encouragement to the prefent confpiracies and defigns of the papists against the King and the proteftant religion. The Lord Ruffel, who had diftinguished himself as a champion of the liberties and religion of his country, nobly offered to carry up this vote to the houfe of lords. Though this was a bold ftep, it was only a prelude for what was to follow. In consequence of this vote, a bill was brought in to exclude the Duke of York from the throne, and was carried by a majority of feventy-nine; the yeas being 207, and the noes 128. The Lords Ruffel and Capel expatiated upon all the meafures which the administration had adopted contrary to the constitution. They imputed them folely to the counfels of the papifts; and dwelt upon the dangers which threatened the kingdom in the perfon of a popish fucceffor. The Lord Ruffel made the motion, and Sir Henry Capel feconded it: and when it was fent up to the house of lords it was carried up by Lord Ruffel, attended by Lord Cavendish, Sir Henry Capel, and by almoft the whole house of commons. The house of Lords rejected. the bill, by a majority of 63 to 30. This was a great difappointment to Lord Ruffel and the rest of his party; but much more to him who ventured to prefent a bill of indictment against the Duke to the grand jury as a popish recufant. The nation were much discontented at the disappointment of their hopes. After returning fuch members as they could confide in, they delivered them inftructions for refuming the affair of the exclufion. The city of London took the lead; and most of the other corporations followed her example. Memoirs of the Life of William Lord Ruffel, &c. 123 In the course of the debates, an expe- vengeance. Though his Lordship had dient was propofed to fave the King's been advertised of his danger, he was honour, and compromife the matter fo confcious of his innocence, that he between him and the people. But the fuffered himself to be apprehended, Lord Ruffel and his friends would ad- though it was in his power to have made mit of no compofition; they remained his efcape. He begged indeed to have immoveab e for abfolute exclufion of his trial poftponed for one day, to give the Duke; and the court party, in a his witneffes an opportunity of being fit of def air, prevailed on the King prefent; but his motion was over-ruled. to diffolve the parliament. For the Stuart family were never guilty of the virtue of using an enemy with generofity. He defired next, that his trial might be deferred only to the afternoon; but even this favour was denied him. The witneffes who depofed against him were men of the moft infamous characters, and swore against him only to fave their own lives. The court lawyers took all advantages they could, and aggravated every thing which made against him. His defence was but fhort, but fufficient to prove the improbability of the crime laid to his charge. And this was strengthened by the evidence of the Duke of Somerfet, the Earl of Anglefey, Mr. Edward Howard, Lord Cavendish, Lord Clifford, Dr. Tillotson, Dr. Burnet, Dr. Cox, Dr. Fitzwilliams, Meffrs. Luton, Gore and Spencer, who teftified largely as to his character. The jury however brought him in guilty; though, if the charge had been proved, it amounted to no more than mifprifion of treason. But, as it was fupported only by one evidence, and he was condemned for words fpoken in his hearing, which could not be construed treason without a perverfion of the whole code of laws : His fentence was therefore juftly confidered as the most crying act of injustice that had ever been perpetrated. The popish party began now to triumph; the fhafts of calumny were difcharged ag inft every one on the proteftant fide; the oppofition was ftiginatifed with rebellion; and the attempt to fet afide the Duke f York was reprefented as an infringement of the conftitution. The lawyers, as well as the clergy, expatiated on the doctrine of divine right, and paffive obedience. Dr. Gower, the worthy Vice-chancellor of Cambridge, diftinguished himself very much on this occafion; and in an addrefs from the univerfity fays, "We believe and maintain, that our Kings derive not their titles from the people, but from God; that to him only they are accountable; that it belongs not to fubjects either to create or cenfure, but to honour and obey their fovereign; who comes to be fo by a fundamental hereditary right of fucceffion, which no religion, no law, no fault, no forfeiture, can alter or diminish." We fhall fpare the univerfity of Oxford a blush, by fuppreffing the words of her addrefs which were ftill more fervile. The clergy and lawyers together damped the fpirits of the people fo much, that they fuppreffed even the fighs of liberty; and crouched under a burthen which they wanted nothing but fpirit to enable them to fhake off. In this state of things, the Lord Ruffel had frequent meetings with his friends to concert measures for warding the blow, which threatened the vitals of the conftitution. But an unpopular government, which is full of jealoufies, found means of branding these patriotic meetings as a confpiracy; and the parties were apprehended. The Lord Ruffel, against whom the court was highly irritated, for the part he had taken with respect to the bill for exclufion, was determined that he hould feel the whole weight of their After his condemnation great interest was made in his favour. His father, the Earl of Bedford, offered the Duchefs of Portsmouth one hundred thousand pounds to procure his pardon. Lord Ruffel's lady, daughter to the Earl of Southampton, threw herself at the King's feet, in a flood of tears, and pleaded the merits of her father, in behalf of her husband. But all was in vain; he anfwered her application for a refpite only for fix weeks, with an answer that must have added torture to her diftress; and founded his reply upon a falfity. Q 2 The The magnanimity which had attended the Lord Ruffel during his public life, did not leave him amidst the horrors of a prifon. He had before dared the indignation of defpotic power, and was prepared to meet the univerfal tyrant with equal intrepidity. His intimate friend, Lord Cavendish, perfuaded him to make his efcape, by changing apparel with him, and remaining a prifoner in his room * ; and the Duke of Monmouth fent him a meffage, propofing to furrender himself, if he thought that would be a means of procuring his fafety. But Lord Ruffel generously declined both thefe expedients; from a. refolution neither to endanger the fafety of his friend, or caft a blot upon the reputation of his own innocence, by confenting to the propofal. an hero. The parting between him and his lady was fuch as befpake her to be as great an heroine, as her husband was She fo far overcame the foftnefs of her fex, that fhe bid him adieu without fhedding a tear. When fhe was gone, his Lordship cried out, Now the bitterness of death is paft. By the expreffion he verified the obfervation, that the nobler paffions concenter together in the fame heart, and that where one of them is to be found, the others cannot be wanting. His ferenity, tho' his fate was before his eyes, fhewed him to be as much above fear, in that tremendous hour, as his life had evinced him to have been above corruption. On the day before his death, he bled at the nofe; and greatly obferved to Dr. Burnet, who attended him, I fhall not now let blood to divert this diftemper; that will be done to-morrow." Still great, ftill confiftent to the laft, juft before he was conducted to the fcaffold, he wound up his watch, and faid, with a fmile, "Now I have done with time, and muft think folely of eternity." The remarks which Socrates made previous to his death, were not more pertinent, were not half fo fublime. The fcaffold was erected in Lincoln's Inn-Fields, that the triumph of the court might be rendered the more confpicuous. by his being conveyed quite through the city. But their triumph was like that of Cæfar's over Cato, it caufed the agonies of forrow, instead of the fhouts of joy. Even the populace wept as he paffed along. To prevent any disturbance from fo moving a fpectacle, his Lordship was attended to the place of execution by ten companies of the King's guards, and a troop of horse. Apprehenfive of being interrupted he ipake but little on the scaffold, and prefented a paper to the Sheriffs, in which he profeffed himself a member of the church of England, and wifhed that all would unite against the common enemy, and that churchmen would be lefs fevere, and diffenters lefs fcrupulous. He prayed heartily for the King. He owned he had been in earnest with refpect to the exclufion, and to that he imputed his fufferings. But he forgave all concerned in them, and charged his friends to think of no revenge. As to the fentence paffed upon him, he thought it a very hard one, which could be but mifprision of treafon; and that he therefore was innocent of the crime he ftood condemned for, He wifhed the rage of hot men, and the partiality of juries, might be stopped with his blood, which he fhould offer up with fo much the more joy, if he thought he fhould be the laft that was to fuffer in fuch a way. Killing by forms of law, he faid, was the worf fort of murder. When he was prepared by Dr. Tillotfon, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, he laid his head upon the block, without the leaft change of countenance, and it was fevered from his body at two ftrokes. Though he fell a victim to the vengeance of a popifh adminiftration, and was facrificed for attempting to ftem the torrent of arbitrary power, he fell not in vain. His principles were adopted by the chief inftruments of the Revolution; and the parliament itself, as a teftimony of his merits and innocence, pailed an act for annulling his attainder. The King was fuppofed to be inclinable to mercy, but, according to his cwn words, was forced to confent to his death, to avoid a rupture with the Duke of York his brother. Yet however it is very remarkable, that the very perfon who was fo infatiably cruel, lived to afk affiftance from the father, and was anfwered by him with a deep figh, * This circumftance is reprefented by the copper-plate annexed. Expedients for putting an End to national Grievances. "I had a fon, who could have ferved your Majefty." If there be any defcendants from fuch illuftrious ancestors, let us afk them, if they are equally zealous for the rights of their countrymen? If they would refign a place at the council, if they found the measures of the adminiftration inconfiftent with the liberties of the people? If they are ready to part with their lives to leave their country 125 free? If they cannot answer these queftions in the affirmative, they then exalt the reproach which the poet made the Romans into a prophetic defcription of themselves; tas parentum, pejor avis, tulit Nos nequiores, mox daturos Progeniem vitiofiorem. The text is in Horace; but where is the comment? J. Coll. Oxon. O&. 17. **The CENSOR, No. II. in our next. * TH For the OXFORD MAGAZINE. Expedients for putting an End to national Grievances. You rub the fore When you should bring the Plaifter. HE measures purfued, either by the tribe of patriots, or the members of administration, inftead of clofing the wounds of the conftitution, only tend to irritate and inflame them. While neither party will give way, neither party can fucceed and until one fide fhall be forced to yield, our bleeding country muft languish under her fufferings. To remove the heads of each party by fome violent death, would be a very quick, but, at the fame time, a very dangerous expedient; but in dangerous cafes, dangerous expedients are fometimes falutary. Yet I am not for recommending cruelty on either fide; there have been too many inftances of that kind already. Suppofing we should turn the tables, and fubject the members of the adminiftration to thofe punishments in which they have involved their enemies? This could not be deemed too fevere by them; because it is purfuing the meatures they have long purfued themfelves. It could not be deemed rigorous by their advocates, because it has not been in their power to exculpate them from the charges which have been brought against them by their opponents. Nor will it carry with it the leaft idea of outrage in the minds of their adverfaries, because they have long laboured under the fame oppreffions themfelves; and it muft give them great fatisfaction to find that they have the leaft degree of confcious integrity to comfort and fupport them. They are both infpired with no other principle but the good of the nation; and if the fame quantity of sufferng be maintained in fubjecting the pre Shakespeare's Tempeft. fent oppreffors to the power of the oppreffed, the quantity of national welfare muft be the fame likewife. In order to illuftrate what I have fuggefted, I fhall begin with the lowest order of ministerial tools, and conclude with the primum mobile. Suppofing then as Maclaughlan has been fcreened from the power of the law, he might by fome fecretary's letter be ordered to be thot by Allen's father as a deferter: there might be fome colour of law in this proceeding, as fhooting is the general punishment for defertion; and it is a more genteel death than that which is caufed by the hands of the common hangman. Suppofing Mr. Justice Capel fhould be impelled to write 45 upon the back of that man's coat, who wrote 45 upon his, he will then be fenfible that the enormity of fuch an action is not very great, from the eafe of his own confcience; for where a confcioufnefs of guilt is, the mind cannot but be uneasy: and at the fame time he will have the fatisfaction to find, that the punishment fuffered by the jocular delinquent, is inconfiftent with all the dictates of humanity. But what muft we do with Balfe and M'Quirk? Why give them to the Company of Surgeons, to be diffected by the Committee who faved them. They would have been their property had they not refufed to accept of them from too great compaifance to the M- -y; and as they have not made a formal refignation of their right, they are their property ftill. The felf-elected Colonel Luttrell comes next on the ftage. While he keeps his feat the national murmurs will be kept alive: |