neither justified him in the eyes of his friends nor of his opponents. It cannot be supposed that Lord Spencer was allured to follow this example by any particular attachment either to the person or principles of the ExChancellor of the Exchequer : it must therefore be considered as a mere point of honour on the part of his lordship, his delicacy not permitting him to remain in office after those with whom he condcscended to act had thought proper to abandon the management of public affairs. Since this period he has spent his time partly at Wimbledon Park, and partly in a journey to Wales, whence he has lately returned with his son. It may be now necessary to consider Earl Spencer in another point of view. He devotes much of his time to literary avocations; and it was considered not only as a relaxation, but even as the highest gratification, to his lordship, after dispatching the multifarious business incident to his late important office, to dedicate as much of his leisure as possible to reading. But this is not all; for he may be considered not only as an amateur but an author, having evinced a prevalent taste for compiling bibliographical notices, and displayed much critical acumen in exhibiting not only the various readings, but the particular emendations, of the best editions of the ancient Greck, Latin, and Italian classics. In addition to this, be it remembered to his praise, that, like the members of the illustrious house of MEDICIS, he takes great delight in permitting his books to to be exhibited to learned men, both foreigners and English, and is at all times disposed to converse in the most familiar manner when he happens to meet with them. His lordship possesses two libraries, each of them valuable in its kind. His most numerous collection is kept at his house at Wimbledon; in town, the more rare and valuable articles only are preserved. Men, not conversant with matters of this kind, will be astonished at the sums expended by this nobleman; and those despicable muck-worms, who calculate the value of wealth by its produce alone, will not only affect wonder but indignation when they learn his munificence. Lord S. lately gave Edwards, of Pall Mall, the sum of one hundred and twentynine guineas for an original copy of Dante, printed in the year 1472, notwithstanding he possessed several other copies of a different date and impression. The late Mr. Payne, of the Mews Gate, so cclebrated for his acuteness in matters of this sort, is said to have offered his lordship no less than 13,000l. for his collection, consisting of only a few hundred volumes of original editions of Italian classics. His libraries, however, are less remarkable for their size than for the costly articles they contain, and they have been estimated, by the bookseller alluded to above, to be worth 25,000l. when appraised at a gentleman's price. Mr. Sotheby, in his poem called "The Battle of the Nile," has addressed the following complimentary lines, with which we shall conclude this article, to the subject of the present memoir : TO "TO EARL SPENCER, "FIRST LORD COMMISSIONER OF THE ADMIRALTY, &C. "SPENCER! were mine the pow'r, by lofty lays, "I, to bold notes, that swell the song of praise, Thy chaplet richly grac'd with classic flowers. "Yet Britain claims thy care:-yet firmly guide "Her fleets, to conquest born on every tide"So shall fair Peace, with glory in her train, "Woo thee to Althorp's tranquil haunts again, "And Victory's naval crown adorn the Muses' bow'rs!" THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD ALVANLEY, OF ALVANLEY, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COMMON PLEAS, &c. THE profession of the law naturally leads to wealth, and at the same time opens an avenue to all that is most honourable in the state. Men of great talents soon attain eminence by it; and even those who possess moderate endowments, provided they exhibit but industry and application, are sure of acquiring, if not any high degree of eminence, at least all that can gratify ambition or solace avarice. It was formerly imagined by our wise forefathers that they were priest-ridden, and at the Reformation they adopted the necessary measures to abate the nuisance. What What priests were formerly, lawyers are becoming now; they hover over us at our birth and at our death; we cannot receive or assign an inch of land without their intervention; we cannot enter into any contract without their presence; and so complex have our fiscal regulations become of late, that it is almost necessary to apply to one of them before we can with propriety affix our signature to a simple receipt. This by many will be considered as a nuisance also; however, we wish not to abate but to regulate it. Lord Alvanley, better known perhaps as Sir R. Pepper Arden, is the son of a man of considerable fortune, and was born in Yorkshire, where he is said. to have received the early part of his education. His elder brother, who is still alive, inherited the bulk of the family estates in Cheshire and Yorkshire, where he possesses two fine seats, and, being addicted to a country life, comes but seldom to town. As he remains a bachelor, it is extremely probable that his extensive possessions will revert to the family of the subject of these memoirs. Richard being a younger brother, it was determined, according to the received opinions of the times, to give him an education and a profession that would enable him to create a fortune for himself. He was accordingly entered of Trinity College, Cambridge, where, to adopt the language of a contemporary, "his convivial talents have left behind them an impression infinitely more durable in aca demic tablets, than more useful and valuable accomplishments. The True Blue Club was accustomed to consider him as its chief ornament and first support. Præsidium et dulce decus. "The last revision of the restrictions, which this old and respectable society thought proper to place upon her fellows, were principally made under the direction of Mr. Arden, who, while he was forming statutes for binding so confined a circle, probably had little thoughts that he would afterwards be engaged in framing laws for a mighty empire. Perhaps too, (it is illiberally added) it were safer had he and his friends contented themselves to see his abilities exerted in a sphere where they were so early and happily distinguished." Whether Mr. Arden took an academic degree or not, we do not possess the means of ascertaining; but it is most probable that he did so on many accounts, more especially as it tended to abridge the probationary period allotted to him in his future vocation. Certain it is, that he came to town early in life, entered himself of the Middle Temple, and, like all other students, eat his way to the bar. Like most young men, too, his progress at first was not very considerable, and what little practice he obtained was confined to the Court of Chancery. There, however, he never procu ed any great eminence as a pleader, and his business as a draftsman was on the whole inconsiderable. It was not long, however, before Mr. A. took a step that proved highly beneficial, not only to his private |