firft Entrance into the Houfe of Peers, his parliamentary Conduct was uniformly upright and noble. He kept equally clear from the two Extremes of factious Petulance and fervile Dependance; never wantonly thwarting Administration, from Motives of Party-Zeal, or private Pique, or perfonal Attachment, or a Paffion for Popularity; nor yet going every Length with every Minifter, from Views of Intereft or Ambition. He admired and loved the Conftitution of his Country, and wished to preferve it unaltered and unimpaired. So long as a due Regard to this was maintained, he thought it his Duty to fupport the Meafures of Government. But whenever they were evidently inconfiftent with the public Welfare, he opposed them with Freedom and Firmnefs. Yet his Oppofition was always tempered with the utmoft Fidelity, Refpect, and Decency, to the excellent Prince upon Throne; and the moft candid Allowances for the unavoidable Errors and Infirmities even of the very beft Minifters, and the peculiarly difficult Situation of thofe who govern a free and high-fpirited People. He feldom spoke in Parliament, except where the Interefts of Religion and Virtue feemed to require it; but whenever

the

whenever he did, he fpoke with Propriety and Strength, and was heard with Attention and Deference. Though he never attached himfelf blindly to any one Set of Men, yet his chief political Connections were with the late Duke of NEWCASTLE, and Lord Chancellor HARDWICKE. To thefe he principally owed his Advancement, and he had the good Fortune to live long enough to fhew his Gratitude to them or their Defcendants, particularly to the former of them: with whofe Solicitations though he did not always think it neceffary to comply, when that Nobleman was at the Head of Affairs; yet when he was out of Power, the Archbishop readily embraced every Opportunity of obliging him; and gave him

fo

many folid and undeniable Proofs of Friendship, that the Duke always spoke of his Grace's Behaviour to him in the ftrongeft Terms of Approbation, and made particular Mention of it to fome of his Friends but a very short Time before his own Death.

During more than ten Tears that Dr. SECKER enjoyed the See of Canterbury, he refided constantly at his archiepifcopal House at Lambeth; as being not orly most commodiously fituated for his own Studies and Employments, but for all thofe who on various

Occafions were continually obliged to have Recourfe to him. Thefe Reasons weighed with him fo much, that no Confideration, not even that of Health itself, could ever prevail upon him to quit that Place for any Length of Time. A few Months before his Death indeed, the dreadful Pains he felt had compelled him to think of trying the Bath Waters; but that Defign was ftopt by the fatal Accident which put an End to his Life.

His Grace had been for many Years fubject to the Gout, which in the latter Part of his Life returned with more Frequency and Violence, and did not go off in a regular Manner, but left the Parts affected for a long Time very weak, and was fucceeded by Pains in different Parts of the Body. About a Year and a half before he died, after a Fit of the Gout, he was attacked with a Pain in the Arm near the Shoulder, which having continued about a Twelvemonth, a fimilar Pain feized the upper and outer Part of the oppofite Thigh, and the Arm foon became eafier. This was much more grievous than the former, as it quickly difabled him from walking, and kept him in almost continual Torment, except when he was in a reclined Pofition. During this Time he had two or three Fits

of

of the Gout; but neither the Gout nor Medicines alleviated thefe Pains, which, with the Want of Exercise, brought him into a general bad Habit of Body.

On Saturday the 30th of July, 1768, he was feized, as he fat at Dinner, with a Sicknefs at his Stomach. He recovered himself before Night, but the next Evening, whilst his Physicians were attending, and his Servants raising him on his Couch, he suddenly cried out that his Thigh-bone was broken. The Shock was fo violent, that the Servants perceived the Couch to fhake under him, and the Pain fo acute and unexpected, that it overcame the Firmness he fo remarkably poffeffed. He lay for fome Time in great Agonies, but when the Surgeons arrived, and discovered with Certainty that the Bone was broken, he was perfectly refigned, and never afterwards asked a Question about the Event. A Fever foon enfued. On Tuesday he became lethargic, and continued fo till about Five o'Clock on Wednesday Afternoon, when he expired with great Calmness, in the 75th Year of his Age.

On Examination, the Thigh-bone was found to be carious about four Inches in Length, and at nearly the fame Distance from its Head, The Difeafe took its Rife from

the internal Part of the Bone, and had so intirely deftroyed its Subftance, that Nothing remained at the Part where it was broken but a Portion of its outward Integument. And even this had many Perforations, one of which was large enough to admit two Fingers, and was filled with a fungous Subftance arifing from within the Bone. There was no Appearance of Matter about the Caries, and the furrounding Parts were in a found State. It was apparent, that the Torture which his Grace underwent during the gradual Corrofion of this Bone, must have been inexpreffibly great. Out of Tenderness to his Family he feldom made any Complaints to them, but to his Phyficians he frequently declared his Pains were fo excruciating, that unless fome Relief could be procured, he thought it would be impoffible for human Nature to fupport them long. Yet he bore them for upwards of fix Months with aftonishing Patience and Fortitude; fat up generally the greater Part of the Day, admitted his particular Friends to fee him, mixed with his Family at the usual Hours, fometimes with his ufual Chearfulness; and, except fome very flight Defects of Memory, retained all his Faculties and Senfes in their full Vigour till within a few Days of his Death.

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