Bolton. In the September of that year he went into France, through all the ftrong places in Flanders and Brabant, and all the confiderable towns. in Holland, and then went to Hanover, from whence he returned with his Majefty's retinue the November following. But the fatal: year of the South-Sea, 1720, ruined our author entirely, for he loft above 20,000l. in it; however he was very active on that occafion, and made many fpeeches at the general courts of the South-Sea Company in Merchant-Taylors Hall, and one in particular, which was afterwards printed both in French and English, and run to a third edition. And in 1721 he publifhed a pámphlet with fuccefs, called, A Letter to a Friend in the Country, occafioned by a Report that there is a Defign ftill forming by the late Directors of the South-Sea Company, teir Agents and Affociates, to iifue the Receipts of the 3d and 4th Subfcriptions at 1000 1. per Cent. and to extort about to Millions more from the miferable Peo-> ple of Great Britain; with feme Obfervations on the prefent State of Affairs both at Home and Abroad. In the fame year he publifhed A Letter to Mr. Law upon his Arrival in Great Bri tain, which run through feven editions very foon. Not long afterwards the duke of Portland, whofe fortune had been likewife deftroyed by the SouthSea, was appointed governor of Jamaica, upon which he immediately told Mr. Budgell he fhould go with him as his fecretary, and fhould always live in the fame manner with himself, and that he would contrive every method of making the employment profitable and agreeable to him but his grace did not know how obnoxious our author had rendered himself; for within a few days after this offer's taking air, he was acquainted in form by a fecretary of ftate, that if he thought of Mr. Budgell, the government would appoint another governor in his room. B 5. After T . After being deprived of this laft refource, he tried to get into the next parliament at feveral places, and spent near 5000 l. in unfuccefsful attempts, which compleated his ruin. And from this period he began to behave and live in a very different manner from what he had ever done before; wrote libellous pamphlets against Sir Robert Walpole and the miniftry; and did many unjuft things with refpect to his relations; being distracted in his own private fortune, as, indeed, he was judged to be, in his fenfes; torturing his invention to find out ways of fubfifting and eluding his ill-ftars, his pride: at the fame time working him up to the highest pitches of refentment and indignation against all courts and courtiers. His younger brother, the fellow of New-College, who had more weight with him than any body, had been a clerk under him in Ireland, and continued ftill in the office, and who bad fair for rifing in it, died in the year 1723, and after that our author feemed to pay no regard to any perfon. Mr. William Budgell was a man of very good fenfe, extremely fteady in his conduct, and an adept in all calculations and mathematical questions; and had befides great goodnature and eafinefs of temper. Our author as I before obferved, perplexed. his private affairs from this time as much as poffible, and engaged in numberless law-fuits, which brought him into diftreffes that attended him to the end of his life. In 1727 Mr. Budgell had a roool. given him by the late Sarah, duchefs dowager of Marlborough, to whofe husband (the famous duke of Marlborough). he was a relation by his mother's fide, with a view to his getting into parliament. She knew he had a talent for fpeaking in public, and that he was ac quainted with bufinefs, and would probably run any lengths against the miniftry. However this fcheme failed, for he could never get chofen. In the year 1730 and about that time, he closed in with the writers against the administration, and wrote many papers in the Craftsman. He likewise published a pamphlet, intitled, A Letter to the Craftsman, from E. Budgell, Efq; occafioned by his late prefenting an humble complaint against the right honourable Sir Robert Walpole, with a Poftfcript. This ran to a ninth edition. Near the fame time too he wrote a Letter to Cleomenes King of Sparta, from E. Budgell, Efq; being an Anfwer Paragraph by Paragraph to his Spartan Majefty's Royal Epiftle, published fome time fince in the Daily Courant, with fome Account of the Manners and Government of the Antient Greeks and Romans, and Political Reflections thereon. And not long. after there came out A State of one of the Author's Cafes before the House of Lords, which is generally printed with the Letter to Cleomenes: He likewife published on the fame occafion a pamphlet, which, he calls Liberty and Property, by E. Budgell, Efq; wherein he complains of the feizure and lofs of many valuable papers, and particularly a collection of Letters from Mr. Addifon, lord Hallifax, Sir Richard Steele, and other people, which he defigned to publish; and foon after he printed a fequeb or fecond part, under the fame title. The fame year he also published his Poem upon his Majesty's Journey to Cambridge and New-market, and dedicated it to the Queen. Another of his performances is a poetical piece, intitled A Letter to his Excellency Ulrick D'Ypres, and C, in Anfwer to his excellency's two Epiftles in the DailyCourant, with a Word or Two to Mr. Osborn the Hyp Doctor, and C Thefe feveral performances were very well received by the public. In the year 1733 he began a weekly pamphlet (in the nature of a Magazine, though more judici-ously compofed) called The Bee, which he continue ed for about 100 Numbers, that bind into eight Volumes B 6. Volumes Octavo, but at laft by quarrelling with his bookfellers, and filling his pamphlet with things entirely relating to himself, he was obliged to drop it. During the progrefs of this work, Dr. Tindall's death happened, by whofe will Mr. Budgell had 2000 1. left him; and the world being furprised at fuch a gift, immediately imputed it to his making the will himself. This produced a paper-war between him and Mr. Tindall, the continuator of Rapin, by which Mr. Budgell's character confiderably fuffered; and this occafioned his Bee's being turned into a meer vindication of himself. It is thought he had fome hand in publishing Dr. Tindall's Chriftianity as old as the Creation; and he often talked of another additional volume on the fame subject, but never published it. However he ufed to enquire very frequently after Dr. Conybear's health (who had been employed by her late majefty to answer the firft, and had been rewarded with the deanery of Chrift-Church for his pains) faying he hoped Mr. Dean would live a little while longer, that he might have the pleasure of making him a bishop, for he intended very foon to publish the other volume of Tindall, which would do the business. Mr. Budgell promised likewife a volume of several curious pieces of Tindall's, that had been committed to his charge, with the life of the doctor; but never fulfilled his promife *. During the publication of the Bee a smart pamphlet came out, called A Short Hiftory of Prime Minifters, which was generally believed to be written by our author; and in the fame year he published A Letter to the Merchants and Tradefmen of London and Bristol, upon their late glorious behaviour against the Excife Law. After the extinction of the Bee, our author became fo involved with law-fuits, and fo incapable of living in the manner he wished and affected to * Vide Bee, Vol. II. page 105. do, do, that he was reduced to a very unhappy fituation. He got himself call'd to the bar, and attended for fome time in the courts of law; but finding it was too late to begin that profeffion, and too difficult for a man not regularly trained to it, to get into bufinefs, he foon quitted it. And at laft, after being caft in feveral of his own fuits, and being diftreffed to the utmost, he determined to make away with himself. He had always thought very loosely of revelation, and latterly became an avowed deift; which, added to his pride, greatly difpofed him to this refolution. Accordingly within a few days after the lofs of his great caufe, and his eftates being decreed for the fatisfaction of his creditors, in the year 1736 he took boat at Somerset-Stairs (after filling his pockets with ftones upon the beach) ordered the waterman to fhoot the bridge, and whilst the boat was going under it threw himself over-board. Several days before he had been vifibly diftrated in his mind, and almoft mad, which makes fuch an action the lefs wonderful. He was never married, but left one natural daugh. ter behind him, who afterwards took his name, and was lately an actress at Drury-Lane. It has been faid, Mr. Budgell was of opinion, that when life becomes uneafy to fupport, and is overwhelmed with clouds, and forrows, that a man has a natural right to take it away, as it is better -not to live, than live in pain. The morning before he carried his notion of felf-murder into execution, he endeavoured to perfuade his daughter to accɔmpany him, which the very wifely refufed. His argument to induce her was; life is not worth the holding. Upon Mr. Budgell's beauroe was found a flip of paper; in which were written these words. What Cato did, and Addifon approv'd*, Alluding to Cato's destroying himself. |