"What conquests now will Britain boast,
Or where display her banners?
Alas! in Granby she has lost
True courage and good Manners."
His popularity is shown by the frequent occurrence of his portrait as a sign-board for public-houses, even of late years; a fact which at once testifies in favour of his personal qualities, and indicates the low state of our military fame during the latter half of the last century.]
"Memorials of English Affairs," &c.—Can you inform me who was the author of a folio volume entitled—
"Memorials of the English Affairs; or an Historical Account of what passed from the beginning of the Reign of King Charles I. to King Charles II. his happy 'Restauration;' containing the Public Transactions, Civil and Military, together with the Private Consultations and Secrets of the Cabinet. London: printed for Nathanael Conder, at the Sign of the Peacock in the Poultry, near the Church, MDCLXXXII."
I have never seen any other copy than the one in my possession.
L. R.
[This work is by Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke. The edition of 1682, possessed by our correspondent, was published by Arthur, Earl of Anglesea, who took considerable liberties with the manuscript. The best edition, containing the passages cancelled by the Earl, is that of 1732, fol. "This work," says Bishop Warburton, "that has been so much cried up, is a meagre diary, wrote by a poor-spirited, self-interested, and self-conceited lawyer of eminence, but full of facts." At p. 378. (edit. 1682) occurs the following entry:—"From the council of state, Cromwell and his son Ireton went home with Whitelocke to supper, where they were very cheerful, and seemed extremely well-pleased; they discoursed together till twelve o'clock at night, and told many wonderful observations of God's providence in the affairs of the war, and in the business of the army's coming to London, and seizing the members of the house, in all which were miraculous passages." To this sentence in the copy now before us, some sturdy royalist has added the following MS. note:—"Whitelocke reports this of himself, as being well pleased with it; and the success of their villany they accounted God's providence!">[