He was foon after made a gentleman of the bedchamber, and fent on fhort embaffies to France. In 1674, the estate of his uncle James Cranfield, Earl of Middlefex, came to him by its owner's death, and the title was conferred on him the year after. In 1677, he became, by the death of his father, Earl of Dorset, and inherited the eftate of his family. In 1684, having buried his firft wife, of the fa mily of Bagot, who left him no child, he married a daughter of the Earl of Northampton, celebrated both for beauty and understanding. He received fome favourable notice from King James; but foon found it neceffary to oppose the violence of his innovations, and with fome other lords appeared in Westminster-hall to countenance the bishops at their trial. As enormities grew every day less supportable, he found it neceffary to concur in the Revolution. He was one of those lords who fat every day in council to preserve the publick peace, after the King's departure; and, what is not the moft illuftrious action. of his life, was employed to conduct the Princess Anne to Nottingham with a guard, fuch as might alarm the populace, as they paffed, with falfe apprehenfions of her danger. Whatever end may be defigned, there is always fomething despicable in a trick. He became, as may be easily supposed, a favourite of King William, who, the day after his acceffion, made him lord chamberlain of the houthold, and gave him afterwards the garter. He happened to be among those that were toffed with the King in an open boat fixteen hours, in very rough and cold VOL. LX. weather, U weather, on the coaft of Holland. His health afterwards declined; and on January 19, 1705-6, he died at Bath. He was a man whofe elegance and judgement were univerfally confeffed, and whose bounty to the learned and witty was generally known. To the indulgent affection of the publick, Lord Rochester bore ample testimony in this remark: I know not how it is, but Lord Buckhurst may do what he will, yet is never in the wrong. If fuch a man attempted poetry, we cannot wonder that his works were praised. Dryden, whom, if Prior tells truth, he diftinguished by his beneficence, and who lavished his blandishments on those who are not known to have fo well deserved them, undertaking to produce authors of our own country fuperior to those of antiquity, fays, I would instance your LordShip in fatire, and Shakspeare in tragedy. Would it be imagined that, of this rival to antiquity, all the fatires were little perfonal invectives, and that his longeft compofition was a fong of eleven ftanzas? The blame, however, of this exaggerated praise falls on the encomiaft, not upon the author; whose performances are, what they pretend to be, the effu fions of a man of wit; gay, vigorous, and airy. His verfes to Howard fhew great fertility of mind; and his Dorinda has been imitated by Pope. STEP STEPNEY. GEORGE STEPNEY, defcended from the Stepneys of Pendigraft in Pembrokeshire, was born at Westminster in 1663. Of his father's condition or fortune I have no account *. Having received the firft part of his education at Westminster, where he paffed fix years in the College, he went at nineteen to Cambridge, where he continued a friendship begun at school with Mr. Montague, afterwards Earl of Halifax. They came to London together, and are faid to have been invited into publick life by the Duke of Dorfet. His qualifications recommended him to many foreign employments, fo that his time feems to have been spent in negociations. In 1692 he was fent envoy to the Elector of Brandenburgh in 1693, to the Imperial Court; in 1694, to the Elector of Saxony; in 1696, to the Electors of Mentz and Cologne, and the Congrefs at Francfort; in 1698, a fecond * It has been conjectured that our poet was either fon or grandfon of Charles third fon of Sir John Stepney, the first Baronet of that family. See Granger's Hiftory, vol. II. p. 396. edit. 8vo. 1775. Mr. Cole fays, the poet's father was a grocer. Cole's MSS. in Brit. Mus. C. He was entered of Trinity College, and took his Mafter's degree in 1689. H. time to Brandenburgh; in 1699, to the King of Poland; in 1701, again to the emperor; and in 1706, to the States General. In 1697 he was made one of the commiffioners of trade. His life was bufy, and not long. He died in 1707; and is buried in Weft minster Abbey, with this epitaph, which Jacob tran fcribed: H. S. E. GEORGIUS STEPNEIUS, Armiger, Vir Ob Ingenii acumen, Rerum Ufum, Virorum Ampliffimorum Confuetudinem, Linguæ, Styli, ac Vitæ Elegantiam, Præclara Officia cum Britanniæ tum Europæ præftita, Suâ ætate multum celebratus, Apud pofteros femper celebrandus'; Plurimas Legationes obiit Eâ Fide, Diligentiâ, ac Felicitate, Ut Auguftiffimorum Principum Gulielmi & Annæ Spem in illo repofitam Haud rarò fuperaverit. Poft longum honorum Curfum Brevi Temporis Spatio confectum, On the Left hand, G. S. Ex Equeftri Familiâ Stepneiorum, De Pendegrast, in Comitatu Pembro Pembrochienfi oriundus, Sancti Petri Weftmonaft. A. 1676. Frequentiâ, huc elatus, 1707. It is reported that the juvenile compofitions of Stepney made grey authors blush. I know not whether his poems will appear fuch wonders to the present age. One cannot always eafily find the reafon for which the world has fometimes confpired to fquander praife. It is not very unlikely that he wrote very early as well as he ever wrote; and the performances of youth have many favourers, because the authors yet lay no claim to publick honours, and are therefore not confidered as rivals by the diftributors of fame. He apparently profeffed himself a poet, and added his name to thofe of the other wits in the version of Juvenal; but he is a very licentious tranflator, and does not recompenfe his neglect of the author by beauties of his own. In his original poems, now and then, a happy line may perhaps be found, and now and then a fhort compofition may give pleasure. But there is, in the whole, little either of the grace of wit, or the vigour of nature. |