picious jests (when any of them savour of truth) leave a bitterness in the minds of those which are touched. And, albeit, I have already pointed at this inclusively; yet I think it necessary to leave it to thee as a special caution, Because I have seen many so prone to quip and gird, as they would rather leese their friend than their jest. And if perchance their boiling brain yield a quaint scoff, they will travail to be delivered of it as a woman with child. These nimble fancies are but the froth of wit.

His remaining works are,

5. "A Meditation on the Death of his Lady;" printed by Mr. Ballard, in his Memoirs of British Ladies.

6. He was also supposed to be the author of a pamphlet, in defence of the punishments inflicted on the Roman Catholics, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, intitled, "The Execution of Justice in England for maintenance of Public and Christian Peace against certain Stirrers of Sedition, and Adherents to the Traitors and Enemies of the Realm, without any Persecution of them for Questions of Religion, as is falsely reported," &c. London, 1583. Second edition.

/

7. Other political pieces have been also attributed to him, particularly the celebrated libel, intitled, " Leicester's Commonwealth." But there is no proof that the reference of this last piece to him is correct.

8. A great number of lord Burleigh's Letters are still extant in various places. Thirtythree are printed in Peck's Desiderata Curiosa; three in Howard's Collections; and many

others in Forbes's, Haynes's, and Murdin's State Papers. Haynes's Collection, published in 1740, extends from the year 1542 to 1570; Murdin's, which appeared in 1759, from 1571 to 1596; both of which collections throw great light on the transactions of the period to which they relate, Particularly, the whole course of the proceedings relative to Mary queen of Scots are fully laid open, Dr. Birch, in his Memoirs of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, has also given extracts from seve ral letters of lord Burleigh, which are among the original papers of Mr. Anthony Bacon. In the Nuga Antiquæ is likewise a Letter of Advice, written by his lordship, in 1578, ta Mr. Harrington (afterwards sir John Harrington) then a student at the university of Cambridge. In the earl of Hardwicke's Miscellaneous State-Papers, besides a number of letters addressed to Cecil, there are seven of his own writing. Moreover, his unpublished papers are still numerous; and are to be found in the British Museum, in the libraries of the earls of Salisbury, Hardwicke, and of the mar quis of Landsdown.

The character given of this eminent statesman by Hume seems to be unexceptionable, and is warranted by the preceding extract, "Lord Burleigh, (says he,) died in an advanced age; and by a rare fortune, was equally regretted by his sovereign and the people. He had risen gradually from small beginnings, by the mere force of merit; and though his authority was never entirely absolute, or un controled with the queen, he was still, during the course of nearly forty years, regarded as her minister. None of her other inclinations or affections could ever overcome her confidence in so useful a counsellor; and as he had had the generosity or good sense to pay assi duous court to her, during her sister's reign, when it was dangerous to appear her friend, she thought herself bound in gratitude, when she mounted the throne, to persevere in her attachments to him. He seems not to have possessed any shining talents of address, eloquence, or imagination; and was chiefly distinguished by solidity of understanding, probity of manners, and indefatigable application to business: virtues, which if they do not always enable a man to rise to high stations, do certainly qualify him best for filling them. Of all the queen's ministers he was the only one who left a considerable fortune to his posterity; a fortune not acquired by rapine or oppression, but gained by the regular profits of his offices, and preserved by frugality."

STOW.

1

JOHN STOW, historian and antiquarian, son of Thomas Stow, of St. Michael's, Cornhill, London, was born about the year 1525. At the out-set in life, he was a taylor, the profession of his father. He early manifested great curiosity relative to history, and particularly the history of England, the study of which he prosecuted to the almost total neglect of his business.

About the year 1560, he conceived the design of composing his "Annals;" and that he might proceed with the less interruption, he abandoned his trade, and employed himself entirely in the collection of materials. For this purpose, he perused all the writers, whether printed or MS. from whom any thing could be gleaned; and searched into records,