DORSET.
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f the earl of Dorset the character has been drawn so largely and soelegantly by Prior, to whom he was familiarly known, that nothing can beadded by a casual hand; and, as its author is so generally read, it wouldbe useless officiousness to transcribe it. Charles Sackville was born January 24, 1637. Having been educated under aprivate tutor, he travelled into Italy, and returned a little before therestoration. He was chosen into the first parliament that was called, forEast Grimstead, in Sussex, and soon became a favourite of Charles thesecond; but undertook no publick employment, being too eager of theriotous and licentious pleasures, which young men of high rank, whoaspired to be thought wits, at that time imagined themselves entitled toindulge. One of these frolicks has, by the industry of Wood, come down toposterity. Sackville, who was then lord Buckhurst, with sir CharlesSedley and sir Thomas Ogle, got drunk at the Cock in Bow street, byCovent garden, and, going into the balcony, exposed themselves to thepopulace in very indecent postures. At last, as they grew warmer, Sedleystood forth naked and harangued the populace in such profane language,that the publick indignation was awakened: the crowd attempted to forcethe door, and, being repulsed, drove in the performers with stones, andbroke the windows of the house. For this misdemeanour they were indicted, and Sedley was fined fivehundred pounds: what was the sentence of the others is not known. Sedleyemployed Killigrew and another to procure a remission from the king;but (mark the friendship of the dissolute!) they begged the fine forthemselves, and exacted it to the last groat. In 1665, lord Buckhurstattended the duke of York, as a volunteer in the Dutch war; and wasin the battle of June 3, when eighteen great Dutch ships were taken,fourteen others were destroyed, and Opdam, the admiral, who engaged theduke, was blown up beside him, with all his crew. On the day before the battle, he is said to have composed the celebratedsong, "To all you ladies now at land," with equal tranquillity of mindand promptitude of wit. Seldom any splendid story is wholly true. Ihave heard from the late earl of Orrery, who was likely to have goodhereditary intelligence, that lord Buckhurst had been a week employedupon it, and only retouched or finished it on the memorable evening. Buteven this, whatever it may subtract from his facility, leaves him hiscourage. He was soon after made a gentleman of the bedchamber, and sent on shortembassies to France. In 1674, the estate of his uncle, James Cranfield, earl of Middlesex,came to him by its owner's death, and the title was conferred on himthe year after. In 1677, he became, by the death of his father, earl ofDorset, and inherited the estate of his family. In 1684, having buried his first wife, of the family of Bagot, wholeft him no child, he married a daughter of the earl of Northampton,celebrated both for beauty and understanding. He received some favourable notice from king James; but soon found itnecessary to oppose the violence of his innovations, and with some otherlords appeared in Westminster hall to countenance the bishops at theirtrial. As enormities grew every day less supportable, he found it necessary toconcur in the revolution. He was one of those lords who sat every day incouncil to preserve the publick peace, after the king's departure; and,what is not the most illustrious action of his life, was employed toconduct the princess Anne to Nottingham with a guard, such as might alarmthe populace, as they passed, with false apprehensions of her danger.Whatever end may be designed, there is always something despicable in atrick. He became, as may be easily supposed, a favourite of king William, who,the day after his accession, made him lord chamberlain of the household,and gave him afterwards the garter. He happened to be among those thatwere tossed with the king in an open boat sixteen hours, in very roughand cold weather, on the coast of Holland. His health afterwardsdeclined; and, on Jan. 19, 1705-6, he died at Bath. He was a man whose elegance and judgment were universally confessed,and whose bounty to the learned and witty was generally known. To theindulgent affection of the publick, lord Rochester bore ample testimonyin this remark: "I know not how it is, but lord Buckhurst may do what hewill, yet is never in the wrong." If such a man attempted poetry, we cannot wonder that his works werepraised. Dryden, whom, if Prior tells truth, he distinguished by hisbeneficence, and who lavished his blandishments on those who are notknown to have so well deserved them, undertaking to produce authors ofour own country superiour to those of antiquity, says, "I would instanceyour lordship in satire, and Shakespeare in tragedy." Would it beimagined that, of this rival to antiquity, all the satires were littlepersonal invectives, and that his longest composition was a song ofeleven stanzas? The blame, however, of this exaggerated praise falls on the encomiast,not upon the author; whose performances are, what they pretend to be, theeffusions of a man of wit; gay, vigorous, and airy. His verses to Howardshow great fertility of mind; and his Dorinda has been imitated by Pope.
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