fore they have practised the
world, and essayed their own virtue."

At length, after a vast variety of intrigues, which threw the public
life of those days into the most contemptible point of view, the King
being made virtually a cipher, while the families of the Hertfords,
Buckinghams, and Rockinghams trafficked the high offices of state as
children would barter toys; an administration was tardily formed.
Walpole, who seemed to take a sort of _dilettante_ pleasure in
constructing those intrigues, and making himself wretched at their
failure, while nobody suffered him to take advantage of their success;
now gave himself a holiday, and went to relax in Paris for six
weeks--his relaxation consisting of gossip amongst the literary ladies
of the capital. During his absence an event happened which, though it
did not break up the ministry, yet must have had considerable effect
in its influence on the House of Commons. This was the death of the
celebrated Charles Townshend, on the 4th of September 1767, in the
forty-second year of his age. The cause of his death was a neglected
fever; if even this did not arise from his carelessness of health, and
those habits which, if not amounting to intemperance, were certainly
trespasses on his constitution. Walpole speaks of him with continual
admiration of his genius, and continual contempt of his principles. He
also thinks, that he had arrived at his highest fame, or, in his
peculiar phrase, "that his genius could have received no accession of
brightness, while his faults only promised multiplication." Walpole,
with no pretence to rival, probably envied this singular personage;
for, whenever he begins by panegyric, he uniformly ends with a sting.
One of the Notes gives an extract on Sir George Colebrook's Memoirs,
which perhaps places his faculties in a more favourable point of view
than the high-coloured eulogium of Burke, or the polished insinuations
of Walpole. Sir George tells us, that Townshend's object was to be
prime minister, and that he would doubtless have attained that object
had he lived to see the Duke of Grafton's resignation. Lord North
succeeded him as chancellor of the exchequer, and Townshend would
evidently have preceded _him_ as prime minister. "As a private man,
his friends were used to say, that they should not see his like again.
Though they were often the butts of his wit, they always returned to
his company with fresh delight, which they would not have done had