ance of its duties. He reprobated with warmth, Chapter 23. the conduct of the duke of Wharton, lord North 1722 to 1723." and Grey, and others, who had facrificed their religion with a view to obtain the Pretender's favour; he even quarrelled with the duke of Berwick, who proposed giving a Catholic preceptor to the young duke of Buckingham, and ufed his influence over the duchefs, to place none but Proteftant's about the perfon of her fon.

A fhort time before his death, Atterbury was His papers de alarmed, left his papers fhould fall into the hands pofited in the Scots College. of government, and that their contents fhould endanger fome of his correfpondents. Several of the moft fecret he deftroyed, and with a view to fecure the remainder, he applied to the English embaffador, lord Waldegrave, to affix his feal on them, that they might be delivered to his executors*. But lord Waldegrave declined this delicate exertion of his diplomatic privilege, alledging that Atterbury was not intitled to the rights of a Britifh fubject. His motives for this refufal were derived from an unwillingness to place himself in the embarraffing fituation of receiving orders from his own court, to deliver up the confidential depofit of an exile. Atterbury then applied to the French government, but fome difficulties arifing, he withdrew his folicitation, and died before he had made an effectual arrangement. On his death, John Sample, a fpy in the pay of government, who lived in habits of intimacy with the

Correfpondence, Period III. Article Atterbury.

bishop,

Period III. bishop, endeavoured to obtain poffeffion of the 1720 to 1727: papers, for the oftenfible purpose of fending them to the Pretender; but the friends of the deceased interpofed; the papers were fent to the Scots College, and the feal of office affixed. Morice, his fon-in-law and executor, obtained all thofe which related to family affairs, and the remainder were left in the college. On his return to England, his papers were feized, and Morice was examined before the privy counfel. Several of these documents, with the marks of office, are preferved among the Orford papers; they contain part of the correspondence between the bishop and his fon-in-law, feveral mifcellaneous articles in Atterbury's hand-writing, and fome letters from William Shippen, relating to the character of Hampden, in Clarendon's Hiftory, which Oldmixon accufed Atterbury, bishop Smalridge and Dr. Aldrich, of having interpolated, to which accufation the bifhop published a fatisfactory answer *. From these papers a selection of the most curious articles is given in the Correfpondence.

Buried in

Abbey.

t

The bishop's body was conveyed to England, Westminster for the purpose of being interred in Westminster Abbey. On its way the hearse was stopped, and his coffin opened, which occafioned a great outcry against the minifters, as if their vengeance continued to pursue him even after death; but it soon appeared that this indignity proceeded from the cuftom-house officers, who had information that a

The bishop's Vindication is printed in Atterbury's Epiftolary Correfpondence, by Nichols, vol. 3.

confiderable

confiderable quantity of brocades, and other pro- Chapter 23. hibited goods, was concealed in the coffin. This 1722 to 1723. fearch being effected, the hearfe was fuffered to proceed without moleftation, and the body, after fome difficulty, was buried in Weftminster Abbey,

Soon after the fufpenfion of the habeas corpus Tax on Roact, Walpole introduced a bill for raifing f. 100,000," nan Catholics, Nov. 23. by laying a tax on the eftates of Papists, which was afterwards extended to all Non-jurors. The liberal fpirit of the prefent age, condemns a meafure which tended to increase the difaffection of a large body of fubjects, and which the arguments advanced by the minifter in its favour were calculated only to palliate, but could not justify, For on being urged by several members, and particularly by Qnflow, who declared his abhorrence of perfecuting any fet of men becaufe of their religious opinions, Walpole reprefented "the great dangers incurred by this nation fince the reformation, from the conftant endeavours of Papifts to fubvert our happy constitution and the Proteftant religion, by the moft cruel, violent, and unjuftifiable methods; that he would not take upon him to charge any particular perfon among them, with being concerned in this horrid confpiracy: That it was notorious that many of them had been engaged in the Prefton rebellion, and fome were executed for it; and the prefent plot was contrived at Rome, and countenanced in popifh countries; that many of the Papifts were not only wellwishers to it, but had contributed large fums for fo nefarious

VOL. I.

X

Period III. nefarious a purpose, and therefore he thought it 1720 to 1727. but reasonable they fhould bear an extraordinary fhare of the expences to which they had fubjected the nation *. Whatever opinions may be formed of this measure, according to the ftrict rules of theoretical juftice, the policy was unqueftionable. This inftance of rigour effectually difcouraged the Papifts from continuing their attempts against the government, and operated as a constant check on the turbulent fpirit of the Nonjurors.

June 10.

Walpole declines a peer

age.

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH:

1723-1724.

Walpole's Son made a Peer-Character, Views, and Intrigues of Car teret.-Struggle in the Cabinet for Pre-eminence.-Conteft for continuing or removing Sir Luke Schaub.-Mifica of Horace Walpole to Paris.-Death of the Duke of Orleans.-Successful Efforts of Townfbend and Walpole.-Schaub recalled, Horace Walpole nominated Embaffador. Change in the miniftry; Carteret appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.-Unanimity in Parliament.-Walpole made Knight of the Bath and Garter.

IN

--

N this year the king rewarded the fervices of Walpole, by creating his fon a peer. Hitherto it had been cuftomary for those who were intrusted with the chief direction of affairs, to be placed in the house of lords; and the fame diftinction had been offered by the king to him; but confcious that his talents were beft calculated for the house

* Chandler.

of

ed a baron,

of commons, and that his confequence would foon Chapter 24. decline if he was called to the upper houfe, he 1723 to 1724. waved the dignity for himfelf, but accepted it for his fon, who was created baron Walpole, of Walpole, in the county of Norfolk. The patent takes His fon creatnotice of this circumftance in a manner highly honourable to the minifter: "Our most beloved and moft faithful counsellor, Robert Walpole, first commiffioner of the treasury, with the affistance of other select perfons, and chancellor of our exchequer, having highly recommended himself to our royal favour, by his many fervices to us, to our house, and to his own country, we did not think him unworthy to be advanced to the rank of the peers of this realm; but though he rather chufes to merit the higheft titles than to wear them, we have however thought fit, in order to ennoble his family, to confer on the fon the honour due to the father, and to raise to the peerage Robert Walpole, junior, efquire, &c *.

The deaths of Stanhope and Sunderland feemed to remove all obftacles to the power of Townfhend and Walpole, who now became the great leaders of the Whigs, and being ftrictly united both in blood and intereft, concentered in themselves the favour of the crown, and the confidence of their party. Yet notwithstanding these aufpicious ap pearances, their authority was by no means eftablished on a firm foundation; for befides the oppofition, they had to ftruggle against lord Carte,