The sun., 1901-07-28

matic nguro which Mr.. Walter Siohel has
| undertaken In Boiin nobroks and His Times
U,ongmans) The volume now issued car
| ries us through the first half OF the subjects
| life. ending with his exile and attsinder after
| the death OF Queen Anne In i7i4. In an
other volume the author viii depict the thirty
s,S concluding years OF Bolingbroke's career.
An immense amount OF research must have
preceded the composition OF this narrative.
which Is not only biography but history OF
| the peroid In which the subjects lot was
| cast. From whichever point OF view 1t bs
| considered. whether historical or biogra-
phicai. the book OF which the flrst INSTALL
ment B now before US will be welcomed on
the soore both Of substance and OF literary
| form. Mr.. Sichsl Ia no ndiscrimina te eulo-
! sist; he has sought to do this subject Justice.
but he has not extenuated errors OF juidg-
ment or waverings OF principle. lie must
| be held to have succeeded in securing a re-
hearing OF a case which. in the eyes OF most
historians Of the first half OF the eighteenth
| century has been deemed rss adj gdicdh.
No conspicuous parsonage In England sannals
provoked more praise and more blame on
the part OF his contemporaries than did
Henry st John, Visoount Bolingbroke. but
on the whole. tho drift OF opinion on the part
VI posN-ilNS IhS stb ht'nubD hkdlHst uHu
How strikingy diverse we're the judy
ments pronounced upon him during mis- life
time Ia pointed out in the first chapter Of
this volume Sir Robert walpole. who
loathed him. called him a "perjured villain
Walpole's fnnikin son. Horace. denounced
him as that mastor hand at sedltion- Lady
Mary Wortey Montagu. who abomina ted
Tory. branded him "A vile man." Mrs
Delaney. who as n child had been petted
and treated by him. admired but repro ba ted
him as glrl Addison. who had tasted his
salt. complacently misauoted that cankered
Bolingbroke After his death Or. johnson.
who pilfered his Patriot King" opinions,
stigmatized him as "a scoundrel and coward
because he was q thelst Though he excused
and belauded Gibbon) and vented his right
eous wrath over his last breath: BLACK as
the whirlwtnd Of the North. St Johns fell
genius issued forth" Burke. who borrowed
not only his style Of oratory. but. as Mr. Siohel
promises TO prove in his second volume, his
thoughts and even his words. disclaimed
him as "tinsel" Macaulay. who was also
deeply indebted TO Bolinebroke's style, fol-
lowed suit with the epithet OF brilliant
knave. introduced al a balance in the archi-
tectursl antithesis OF q sentence Thack-
cray inaccurately protrayed him toastins
the Protector over his CUP. Carlyle dis
misses him with "Pericles- Boiling broke" and
MS hcquefed orass from MS own day
TO this he mas been regarded in many quarter
as the Joseph Surface OF English history.
On the other hand, Pope, who adored,
adapted and ultimately betrayed him. called
him an angel. In his later letters to Swift
he again terms him more than mortal,
and in another place protests that. whatever
happens Bollnsbroke Will still remain the
greatest man in the world" Swift was never
woary In his praises long after the political
intrlSuos which had associated them had
fiickered out, and at period when the en-
deavors OF their coterie to transplant the
brilliant politician from France to England
had proved inefectual swift named his
very horse Bolingbroke. In 1893 he oa!is
Bolingbroke and Pope the two best friends
he ever had Writing to Bolingbroke in
1875 Swift said: You never deceived me-
even when you were great Minister 81
state; and yet love you still more for con-
descending to write to me when You have
the honor 10 be an exile Lord Chesterfield,
his political opponent. termed Bolinsbroke's
penetration almost intuition" and con-
fesscd that TIL he read The PHTiot King"
he dld not Know All the extent and powers
OF the English language. or his memory
'hesterheld observes Tint 1T is his pocket
money ana ne never mas occasion 70 draw
upon a book Tor any sum" Chesterfield
pays Uibut" 70 Bohngbrokes noble and
generous sentiments ana admits that If
his conduct In the former part OF his life had
been equal 10 all MS natural ana acquired
'aiehS' ne "oulu JUSty nave merited the
utie OF al-hcconphShed, LORD Peter
borough renamed MS devotee. and Dr.
hrpu'hnot IoVel MN to the last "lndham.
baIhurst ana Marchnont never ceased to
iee' anu cypress LOT MN IN anecuonate
SUMMATION homage ahu iriehushlp nov
cred arouhu MN iohs aiter the worid had
Iorso',rh 'o rear oI ha'' oesuh 70 outh'e MIN.
hls1aeh Teorg"n'zhloh OF iorylsm ana
reNiVn' o' 'hc ihpcriai 'uca cohiessedly
spr'hSS from MS d''"'h''en' 10 ~ 'onh
m'hconSVu'I anu rcSp'en"enl genius DIS
rae" hltHS'H once S"'o 'na' 'corse omythe'
aI'erWaru LOT" otTahsioru' was bouhs-
o'ohe hhe"I SncceeS"r' out our authof |
'hnlhS 'ha' no a'''hlNe student OF 'he WORKS
OF boIhsDroko anu OF bl3raeh opinions
can falI 10 houoe the profound lhnuehce
OF the iorher on the la''"r' blsraehs views
OF the hriush CONSTITUTION are derived from
hnhnSor"ke ana s'eeped IN the era OF Anne