A Genealogical Account of SPENCER, Duke of MARLBOROUGH.

before the French king and the pope's legate, as umpires; and was one of the three barops pitched upon to be always in attendance upon the king. Another rupture enfuing between the crown and the barons, he again took arms against Henry, and was flain valiantly fighting in the battle of Evesham. His fon and grandfon, of the fame name, were those powerful and unfortunate noblemen who fuffered on a fcaffold in the reign of Edward II. as favourites and evil counfellors of that unfortunate prince. The elder was earl of Winchefter, and had distinguished himself in the wars of Wales, France, Flanders, and Scotland, as well as in divers embaflies. He was condemned unheard, and executed in the ninetieth year of his age, in prefence of his fon the earl of Gloucefter, who underwent the fame fate for his attachment to Edward. His greatgrandfon, Thomas, was created earl of Gloucefter by Richard II. and obtained revocation of the judgment of exile which had paffed against his ancestor.

This nobleman was poffeffed of fifty-nine lordships, twenty-eight thousand sheep, one thousand oxen, twelve hundred kine, with their calves; forty mares, with their colts of two years; one hundred and fixty draught horfes, two thousand hogs, three thousand bullocks, forty tons of wine, fix hundred carcafes of bacon, four core carcafes of Martinmass beef, six hundred muttons, and ten tons of cyder, in his larder; of armour, plate, jewels, and ready money, to the amount of ten thousand pounds; thirty-fix facks of wool, and a library of books.

This great earl married Con

ftance, daughter of Edmund of Langley, duke of York, fon to Edward III. by whom he had a fon called Richard, who died a minor, and a daughter, Ifabel, who was married fucceffively first to Richard Beauchamp, lord Bergavenny, earl of Worcester; and fecondly to Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, by whom fhe had Henry, duke of Warwick, who died without iffue male.

The prefent family of Spencer is lineally defcended from Geoffry, brother to Hugh, fon of the first Thurftan. His fon John-Adam Defpencer was knighted in the reign of Henry III. His grandfon John was fquire of the body to king Henry V. whom he attended in his war-· like expeditions. William, a lineal defcendant of this John, was knighted in the reign of Henry VIII. poffeffed an ample fortune in the counties of Warwick and Northampton, and lived with great hofpitality alternately at his houfes of Althorp and Wormleighton. His grandfon, of the fame name, was knighted by queen Elizabeth in the year of the Spanish invafion; and his only fon, Sir Robert, was ennobled by king James I. who created him baron Spencer of Wormleighton; and afterwards fent him as ambaffador, with the habit and enfigns of the Garter, to Frederick duke of Wirtemberg. Being a nobleman of great wealth, fpirit, and understanding, he foon became a diftinguifhed member in the house of peers, and was always employed as a principal perfon in difcuffing affairs of importance. In the debates that arofe concerning the prerogative, he oppofed the court-intereft with equal ability and perfeverance. One day

while he deduced his arguments my; but ferved as a volunteer, and fignalized his courage on every occafion. At laft he was flain in the battle of Newbury, in the twentythird year of his age; being, without all queftion, one of the beft accomplished, moft virtuous, gallant, and liberal noblemen of the age in which he lived. His only fon Robert, earl of Sunderland, inherited his father's understanding, and foon raised himself to a confpicuous point of view among his fellow-fubjects. After having been employed in several embaffies, in which he ac quitted himself with great honour, he was fworn of the privy-council; and conducted himself with such address, that he acted as prime minifter to Charles II. and his brother, who fucceeded him; and even made his party good with king William, who declared him chamberlain of his houfhold, and advised with him in all affairs of importance. certainly poffeffed all the powers of infinuation; could accommodate himself to all times, and all circumftances, and was juftly confidered as one of the ableft politicians in Europe. He very wifely refigned his employments, and retired to his feat of Althorp, where he peaceably breathed his last in the year 1702. By his lady, Anne Digby, youngest daughter of the earl of Briftol, he had three fons, and three daughters. Robert, lord Spencer, died at Paris: Henry, the third fon, died in the cradle: but he was fucceeded in honour and eftate by his fecond fon, Charles earl of Sunderland; who, during his father's life, had reprefented boroughs in five feveral parliaments, and married the lady Arabella Cavendish, youngest daughter of Henry duke of Newcastle; by

from the practice of former times, Arundel, earl-marshal of England, a warm stickler for the prerogative, endeavoured to difconcert him by the following farcafm: "My lord, when these things were doing, your ancestors were keeping fheep." To which he replied, without hesitation, "When my ancestors were keeping fheep, as you fay, your anceftors were plotting treafon." This repartee was productive of violent heats in the house of peers. At length the earl of Arundel was fent to the Tower, as having been the aggreffor; but was discharged, upon offering to make an acknowledgment. He was fucceeded by his fon William, lord Spencer, who inherited the virtues of his father, and died in the forty-fifth year of his age, leaving his eftate and honours to his eldest son Henry, born of his lady Penelope, eldest daughter of Henry Wriothefly, earl of Southhampton. This young nobleman efponfed the lady Dorothy Sydney, daughter of Robert earl of Leicester, before he was of age. This was the lady celebrated by Waller under the name of Sachariffa. She and her husband were both highly accomplished, and very amiable in their difpofitions. Lord Spencer at firft joined the oppofitton in parliament; but finding the views of his confederates were fuch as neither law nor confcience could warrant, he renounced their affociation, and followed his fovereign king Charles to York. He afterwards attended him to Northampton and Oxford, where he was raised to the dignity of earl of Sunderland, by letters patent, dated June 8, 1643. He refused to accept of any command in the ar

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whom,

whom, however, he had no male iffue. He afterwards efpoufed the lady Anne Churchill, fecond daughter and coheir of the great John duke of Marlborough.

Confidering his natural and acquired talents, which were very extraordinary, this alliance, and his connexion with the treasurer, the earl of Godolphin, could not fail to raise him to the most important of fices of the state. He was appointed her majesty's envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary, to make the compliments of condolance on the death of the emperor Leopold, and of congratulation to his fon and fucceffor the emperor Jofeph; and to endeavour, by the queen's mediation, to compofe the differences between his Imperial majefty and his Hungarian fubjects. This embaffy he performed with equal ability and fuccefs. He was careffed at the Imperial court, where he received, as a prefent, the emperor's picture, adorned with diamonds. From Vienna, he accompanied his fatherin-law the duke of Marlborough to the courts of Berlin and Hanover, where he met with a moft diftinguished reception from the late king of Pruffia, and the elector of Hanover, who afterwards afcended the throne of England.

In the year 1707 he was appoint. ed one of the commiflioners for treating of an union with Scotland; fworn of her majefty's privy-council, and nominated one of her principal fecretaries of ftate: but when the whig-intereft declined at court, he was removed from this employment. However, immediately after the acceffion of George I. the earl of Sun

In

derland was fworn of the new privy-
council, and appointed lord lieute-
nant of Ireland: but his bad state
of health not permitting him to visit
that kingdom, he refigned the of-
fice, was conftituted lord privy-feal,
and, in the fequel, vice-treasurer of
Ireland. He afterwards attended
the king at Hanover; and, on his
return, was appointed one of the
principal fecretaries of state.
the year 1718 he was declared lord
prefident of the privy-council; next
year appointed firft commiffioner of
the treasury, and, upon his refign-
ing the place of prefident, his ma-
jefty conftituted him groom of the
ftole, and first gentleman of his bed-
chamber. He was now known to
be the first in the king's favour and
confidence. He acted as one of
the juftices in his majesty's abfence,
and was inftalled knight of the
Garter in the year 1720. He con-
tinued at the head of public affairs,
which he managed with integrity
and ability, till the day of his death,
which happened in the year 1722.
He was a nobleman of an engaging
character, with a good capacity well
cultivated, a lover of the arts, and
a patron of genius. By his fecond
lady he had four fons, of whom the
eldeft, Robert lord Spencer, died in
his infancy. He was fucceeded by
Robert, his fecond fon, earl of Sun-
derland, who died unmarried, at
Paris, in the twenty-eighth year of
his age. Then the title devolved to
the third fon, Charles earl of Sun-
derland; who, by the death of Wil-
liam marquis of Blandford, only fon
and heir of Francis earl of Godol-
phin and his wife Henrietta, dutchefs
of Marlborough, fucceeded to that

*The honours of John duke of Marlborough were, in the year 1706, limited by at of parliament to his daughters, and the heirs male of their bodies fucceffively.

title in the year 1731, as alfo to an auxiliaries in the army of prince

COMPENDIOUS HISTORY OF FRANCE. [Continued.]