English author, descended from a very ancient family, derived from Rollo the first duke of Normandy. At eleven years of age he was sent to Trinity College in Cambridge, where he remained five years: but at the age of thirteen was admitted to the degree of master of arts; having, before he was twelve, spoken a copy of verses of his own composition to the duchess of York at his college, when she paid a visit to the University of Cambridge. In 1696, his comedy called the She-gallants was acted at the theatre-royal in Lincoln’s-inn-fields, as his tragedy called Heroic Love was in the year 1698. In 1702 he translated into English the second Olynthian of Demosthenes. He was member for the county of Cornwall in the parliament which met in 1710; was afterwards secretary of war, comptroller of the household, then treasurer, and sworn one of the privy council. The year following he was created Baron Lansdowne. On the accession of King George I. in 1714, he was removed from his treasurer’s place; and the next year entered his protest against the bills for attainting Lord Bolingbroke and the duke of Ormond. He entered deeply into the scheme for raising an insurrection in the west of England; and being seized as a suspected person, was committed to the Tower, where he continued two years. In 1719, he made a speech in the house of lord, against the bill to prevent occasional conformity. In 1722, he withdrew to France, and continued abroad almost ten years. At his return in 1732, he published a fine edition of his works in 2 vols. quarto. He died in 1735, leaving no male issue. See also “To Mira,” “Song: ‘The happiest mortals once were we’”; Literary Criticism.
