LETTER from the KING of POLAND, on leaving WARSAW, to the BRITISH ENVOY at WARSAW, S. GARDINER, Efq.

“Grodno, Jan. 26. "THE part you have atted near my perfon, which is verging towards the grave, and no hope being left me of ever feeing you again, there remains for me at least one important concern: from the very bottom of my foul to bid you eternal farewel ! To the laft moment of my life I fhall bear you in my heart; and I hope we hall meet again in a place where honeft minds and righ teous fouls will be united for ever. All that belongs to the etiquette of Courts has been fo much deranged by my unfortunate fate, that probably neither I nor you will be able to obferve its ufual forms. But my hart hall ever remain true. I love and revere your King and your nation. You will be fo good as to inform them of it. Ever fhall it remain a certain truth, that I with you to preferve your affection for your friend. Unable to converfe with you myself, my picture must fupply its place."

WOBURN

The ANSWER.

"SIRE, "THE letter which your Majefty did me the honour to write to me on the 18th inft. from Grodno, and which I received yesterday, has moved me even to tears; and I fill feel the inward fenfations it has caufed, and which it is impoffible for me to utter. 1 return your Majesty infinite thanks for the prefent you have fent me. Sire, 1 fet a double value upon it; because, on the one hand, it comes from your Majefty's own hands, and, on the other, because it fo much resembles you. However, Sire, I did not need any thing to recall you to my me

mory.

the

"The image of your Majefty, excellence of your character, your par ticular kindness to me, and your mif fortunes, Sire, are fo deeply engraved in my heart, that they will never be effaced from it. I with that juft Heaven may, in future, give your Majesty a deftiny worthy of your virtues, and that it may re-establish in your mind the tranquillity which is neceffary after fo many ftorms? My prayers, Sire, are always for the welfare of your Majefty; and I humbly intreat you to think now and then of a perfon who will always preferve the fentiments of the most profound reverence and the moft perfect esteem towards you.

"May it moreover please you, Sire, to accept of the affurance of the real attachment with which I have the honour to be, Sire, your Majefty's,

GARDINER, "Envoy Extraordinary and Minif ter Plenipotentiary from His "Britannic Majesty.

ABBEY.

THIS Seat of the Duke of Bedford

is fituated at a little distance from

the Town of Woburn, on the fpot where formerly stood the Abbey founded in 1145 by Hugh de Bolebec, a nobleman of great property in the neighbourhood, who was advised to it by the Abbot of Fountains. The houfe ftands in a very pleasant park, well wooded, but defective in water; the feveral pieces being too much divided, and the dains too confpicuous. The prefent houfe was built by the late Duke, excepting a paltry grotto by Inigo Jones (which fhews that his tafte

was fuperior to fuch childish perform. ances), and the great ftables, which were part of the antient cloifters, and ftill preferve their pillars and vaulted roof. The offices are alfo the work of the late Duke, and form two magnifi cent but plain buildings at a small dif tance from the manfion. The colle&tion of paintings is of great value. In the year 1766, Feb. 13, a dreadful fhower of frozen rain broke off above a thou fand loads of timber from the trees in tion through many other places.. the park, and fpread the like devastas

View of WOOBURN FARM belonging to his Grace the DUKE of BEDFORD

As long as religion and learning maintain confideration and respect at Aberdeen or Glafgow, thofe cities will feel a juft and laudable pride in re. collecting the name and merits of Bishop Elphinston.

John Elphinston defcended from a noble family + in Germany, and Margaret Douglas, daughter of the Laird of Drumlanrig, were the parents of WILLIAM ELPHINSTON, who was born at Glasgow in 1431. He received his education in his native city. His first acquifitions were in claffical learning and theology. At the age of twenty-five he entered into the Church, and becaine immediately minifter of the parish of St. Michael in Glasgow. Conceiving an inclination to the ftudy of the civil and canon law, he was advised by a refpectable relative to go to the Univer. fity of Paris, which had long been celebrated for the cultivation of that branch of literature. No churchman in that age, who was ambitious of rifing to great ecclefiaftical preferments, or of obtaining confequence in the ftate, could expect to fucceed without a competent knowledge of the inftitutes of the civil and canon law. Although the "Regiam Majeftatem," the first authentic body of Scottish laws, had great authority in the courts of that kingdom from the reign of David II. in which they were compiled; the civil law determined a vast number of cafes in Elphinston's time. Though ftudied at prefent in moft of the Universities of Europe, inafmuch as it comprizes the principles of natural equity, and is founded in good fenfe, it has for fome time been perhaps nowhere admitted without being confiderably changed, or qualified; partly by a mixture of feu

dal laws, or with general or particular cuftoms, and is at prefent, in most free ftates, fuperfeded by pofitive ftatutes and ordinances, and only allowed an influence in fome particular courts of justice. Before the Reformation, which was not established till many years after the deceafe of Elphinston, that body of ecclefiaftical conftitutions forming the canon law, and which is derived from the apoftles, the primitive fathers, the popes of Rome, and from general councils, continued decifive in all matters re lative to the Church. The ecclefiafti cal laws of our own and other coun tries in Europe, are ftill frequently grounded upon its maxims, refer often to its authority, and in particular cafes adopt its decifions. If this digreffion hath not been fufficiently relative to our purpose to need no apology, I fall but lengthen it by making one, and therefore I return immediately to my fubject.

Mr. Elphinston had refided four years upon his cure at Glafgow, when he quitted it, in order to profecute his fcheme of ftudy in the University of Paris. Such was the proficiency he made there, that in the space of three years, he was advanced to the profefforship of civil and canon law at Paris; and afterwards at Orleans. He was reputed fo profound in thefe branches, that the Parliament of Paris often confulted him in cafes of intricacy.

Having spent nine years in France, and fix of them in a confpicuous and honourable fituation, he was urged by his patron, the Bishop of Glafgow, to return to his country and his friends.

The poft of official of Glasgow was

conferred upon him foon after his arrival in Scotland, and a valuable revenue was at that time annexed to it. James III. then upon the throne of that kingdom, being made acquainted with his prudence and ability in the discharge of that office, defired to fee him at Edinburgh. By the king's patronage he was foon promoted; being made official. of Saint Andrew's, and one of the Lords of the privy council.

Some mifunderstanding having arifen between the king of Scotland and Louis XI. of France, Mr. Elphinfton was fent to Paris, in a joint commiffion with the Earl of Buchan and the Bishop of Dunkeld, to answer the matter of complaint brought forward on the part of the French. After fome difcuffion the differences between the two courts were compofed. The fuccefs of this commiffion was fo much attributed to the wisdom and eloquence of Elphinston, that, immediately upon his return, he was advanced to the bifhoprick of Rofs; and in the fame year tranflated to the fee of Aberdeen.

Richard III. having murdered his two nephews, whofe protector he had been chofen, afcended the throne of England in 1483. Reflecting on how flippery a foundation it ftocd in the blood of his near relatives, and well verfed in the lore of worldly wifdom, he naturally recurred to thofe means, by which it might beft be fixed and confolidated. None appeared more plaufible than the alliance of a neighbouring monarch: he therefore propofed to enter into negociation for that purpose with James III.

Although this king held the bloody ambition of Richard in the utmoft deteftation, yet when he confidered, that his own throne frequently tottered amidst the factions of a difaffected nobility, and that the advantages of a treaty, wifely conducted, would be at Jeaft reciprocal, he confented to form a commillion of dikinguished perfons, to meet one not lefs refpectable on the part of Richard, at Nettingham. A. morg the most able of the Scottish An

baffadors was the Bishop of Aberdeen. The communication of these minifters continued for fome time; many debates arofe on the terms to be ftipulated; but at length, by the skill and addrefs of our prelate, an alliance between the two nations was concluded for three years, on the 29th day of September 1484.

To give more ftrength and confiftency to this political friendship, Richard foon after propofed a connection of marriage betwixt his niece +, Ann de la Pole, daughter of the Duke of Suffolk, and the Ďake of Rothesay, heir apparent to the crown of Scotland. King James, without difficulty, acceded to this offer, and the Bishop of Aberdeen returned to Nottingham with the other Lords appointed in that commiffion; where all preliminaries being fettled, and the requifite inftru. ments figned, this young lady was filed Princefs of Rothefay; but the field of Bofworth in 145 terminated the career of Richard III. and "this world, as Shakespeare fays, being left no longer for him to buftle in," the marriage was never confummated. Shortly after this, our able' prelate, according to fome accounts, fucceeded the Earl of Argyle in the Chancellorship of the kingdom. Bifhop Leslie fays, his poft in the civil department was that of Lord Privy Seal. Having no documents at command to determine this point, I muft leave it as I found it; but not without venturing a conjecture, that he might perhaps, in fucceffion, have filled both thefe important offices. Be that as it may, the king repofed the greateft confidence in his integrity and abilities, and in purfuance of his counfel, at the expiration of the treaty of alliance with England, affembled his parliament in 1487. Itinerary judges were now conftituted to make the circuit of the whole realm, to restrain oppreffors, and to execute juftice on malefactors. State criminals under accufation were no longer allowed, when cited to appear on their defence, to come furrounded by numerous bands of friends and dependents. Six proc

tors

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