Warwick, Sir Philip

, a political writer and historian of the seventeenth century, was by birth a gentleman, descended from the Warwicks of Warthwykes of Warwicke in Cumberland, and bearing the same arms: “Vert, 3 lions rampant Argent.” His grandfather, Thomas Warwick, is (in the visitation of Kent, by sir Edward Bysche, in 1667), styled of Hereford, but whom he married is not mentioned. His father, Thomas Warwick, was very eminent for his skill in the theory of music, having composed a song of forty parts, for forty several persons, each of them to have his part entire from the other. He was a commissioner for granting dispensations for converting arable land into pasture, and was some time organist of | Westminster-abbey and the Chapel-royal. He married Elizabeth daughter and co-heir of John Somerville, of Somerville Aston le Warwick; by whom he had issue: one son, Philip, our author, and two daughters; Arabella, married to Henry Clerke, esq. and afterwards married to Christopher Turnor, of the Middle Temple, esq. barrister at law, who, at the Restoration, was knighted, and made a baron of the exchequer.

Sir Philip Warwick was born in the parish of St. Margaret’s, Westminster, in the year 1608. He was educated at Eton-school, and afterwards travelled into France, and was some time at Geneva, where he studied under the famous Diodati. When he returned from abroad, he became secretary to the lord treasurer Juxon; and a clerk of the signet. He was diplomated bachelor of law at Oxford April llth, 1638, and in 1640 was elected burgess for Radnor in Wales, and was one of the fifty-six who gave negative to the bill of attainder against the earl of Strafford. Disapproving afterwards of the conduct of parliament, he went to the king at Oxford, and was for this desertion (by a vote of the House, Feb. 5, 1643), disabled from sitting there. Whilst at Oxford, he lodged in University-college, and his counsel was much relied upon by the king. In 1643, he was sent to the earl of Newcastle in the north, to persuade him to march southerly, which he could not be prevailed to comply with, “designing (as sir Peter Warwick perceived) to be the man who should turn the scale, and to be a self-subsisting and distinct army wherever he was.” In 1646, he was one of the king’s commissioners to treat with the parliament for the surrender of Oxford; and in the following year he attended the king to the Isle of Wight in the capacity of secretary; and there desiring, with some others, a leave of absence to look after their respective affairs, he took leave of the king, and never saw him more. Besides being engaged in these important commissions, he took up arms in the royal cause; one time serving under captain Turberville, who lost his life near Newark, at another in what was called the Troop of Show, consisting of noblemen, gentlemen, and their attendants, in all about 500 horse, whose property taken together was reckoned at 100,000l. per annum, and who, by his majesty’s permission, (they, being his guards,) had the honour of being engaged in the first charge at the battle of Edgehill. | He was busily engaged in private conferences with the chief promoters of the Restoration; but this he does not relate “to creep into a little share in bringing back the king,” as he attributed that event to more than earthly wisdom, in the first parliament called by Charles II. he was returned burgess for his native city of Westminster, and about that time received the honour of knighthood, and was restored to his place of clerk of the signet. He was likewise employed by the virtuous earl of Southampton as secretary to the treasury, in which office he acquitted himself with such abilities and integrity as did honour to them both, and in which post he continued till the death of that earl in 1667. The loss which the public sustained in his retirement from business is handsomely acknowledged in one of sir William Temple’s letters to our author.

He married, about the year 1638, Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Button of Mash, Yorkshire, by whom he had an only son Philip. Towards the end of Charles the First’s reign he purchased the seat called Frognal, in the parish of Chiselhurst, in Kent, now or lately the seat of lord viscount Sidney; and about the year 1647, he married, to his second wife, dame Joan, widow of sir William Botteler, bart. who was killed in the battle at Cropredy-bridge, and daughter of sir Henry Fanshaw, of More-park, a near kinswoman to General Fairfax.

Sir Peter Warwick died January 15th, 1682-3, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. His only child, Philip (who married Elizabeth, second daughter and co-heiress of John lord Freskville, of Stavely-le-Derby, by whom he had no issue, died at Newmarket the 26th of March following, as he was returning post from Sweden (where he was envoy) to take his last farewell of his father. She was afterwards fourth wife of John earl of Holdernesse.

By will, proved April 5, 1683, sir Peter Warwick left to the parish of Chiselhurst 100l. to be placed out at interest for apprenticing a boy in the sea-service. To his native parish of St. Margaret, Westminster, the like sum for the same purpose and towards the building of St. Paul’s church lOO/.; to sir Charles Cotterill the little seal of his old master king Charles.

Dr. Smith, the learned editor of sir Peter Warwick’s “Discourse of Government,” says, “That the author was a gentleman of sincere piety, of strict morals, of a great | and vast understanding, and of a very solid judgment; and that, after his retiring into the country, he addicted himself to reading, study, and meditation; and, being very assiduous in his contemplations, he wrote a great deal on various subjects, his genius not being confined to any one particular study and learning.” What we have, however, of his in print is, “A Discourse of Government, as examined by reason, scripture, and the law of the land, written in 1678,” and published by Dr. Thomas Smith in 1694, with a preface, which, being displeasing to the then administration, was suffered to remain but in very few copies *. His principal work was, Memoirs of the Reign of King Charles I. with a Continuation to the Restoration;“adorned with a head of the author after Lely, engraved by White, and taken at a later period of his life than that which appeared in the” Gentleman’s Magazine“for Sept. 1790. The Memoirs were published in 1701, 8vo; and to which is not unfrequently added his” Discourse on Government,“before mentioned. This History, with several others of the time of Charles I. have this peculiar merit, that the authors of them were both actors and sufferers in the interesting scenes which they describe. Our author is justly allowed to be exceeded by none of them in candour and integrity. There is likewise ascribed to our author” A Letter to Mr. Lenthal, shewing that Peace is better than War,“small 8vo, of 10 pages, published anonymously, 1646; and in the British Museum some recommendatory letters from him in favour of Mr. Colfins the mathematician which are published in Birch’s” ’History of the Royal Society;“and in the Life of Collins, in the newedition of the” Biographia Britannica." ¹