WH/LIAM AND NAEY.

175

of the ignorant and malicious he opposed, as was his wont,nothing but immutable gravity and the silence of profounddisdain. But few minds had received from nature a temperso firm as his; and still fewer had undergone so long and sorigorous a discipline. The reproaches which had no powerto shake his fortitude, tried from childhood upwards by bothextremes of fortune, inflicted a deadly wound on a less resoluteheart.

While all the coffeehouses were unanimously resolving thata fleet and army ought to have been long before sent to Dublin,and wondering how so renowned a politician as his Majestycould have been duped by Hamilton and Tyrconnel, a gentle-man -went down to the Temple Stairs, called a boat, and desiredto be pulled to Greenwich. He took the cover of a letter fromhis pocket, scratched a few lines with a pencil, and laid thepaper on the seat with some silver for his fare. As the boatpassed under the dark central arch of London Bridge, he spranginto the water and disappeared. It was found that he hadwritten these words: “My folly in undertaking what I could

not execute hath done the King great prejudice which cannotbe stopped — No easier way for me than this — May hisundertakings prosper — May he have a blessing.” There wasno signature; but the body was soon found, and proved to bethat of John Temple. He was young and highly accomplished:he was heir to an honourable name; he was united to an amiablewoman: he was possessed of an ample fortune; and he had inprospect the greatest honours of the state. It does not appearthat the public had been at all aware to what an extent hewas answerable for the policy which had brought so muchobloquy on the government. The King, stern as he was, hadfar too great a heart to treat an error as a crime. He had justappointed the unfortunate young man Secretary at War; andthe commission was actually preparing. It is not improbable

CHAP.

XII.

16S9.