in gardening. See Engrafting.

Vol. III. Part II. risk. He was afterwards made under-secretary to Mr Addison, chief secretary to the lords justices of Ireland, and deputy-clerk of the council. Soon after, he was chosen member of the Irish parliament; and in 1717, Mr Addison, having become principal secretary of state in England, procured him the place of accountant and comptroller general of the revenue in Ireland. But the next year, the duke of Bolton being appointed lord-lieutenant, Mr Budgell wrote a lampoon against Mr Webster, his secretary, in which his Grace himself was not spared; and upon all occasions treated that gentleman with the utmost contempt. This imprudent step was the primary cause of his ruin: for the Duke of Bolton, in support of his secretary, got him removed from the post of accountant-general; upon which, returning to England, he, contrary to the advice of Mr Addison, published his case in a pamphlet, intitled, "A letter to the lord * * *," from Eustace Budgell, Esq; accountant-general," &c.

Mr Addison had now resigned the seals, and was retired into the country for the sake of his health: Mr Budgell had also lost several other powerful friends, who had been taken off by death; particularly the lord Halifax and the earl of Sunderland: he, however, made several attempts to succeed at court, but was constantly kept down by the duke of Bolton. In the year 1720 he lost 20,000l. by the South-sea scheme, and afterwards spent 5000l. more in unsuccessful attempts to get into Parliament. This completed his ruin. He at length employed himself in writing pamphlets against the ministry, and wrote many papers in the Craftsman. In 1733, he began a weekly pamphlet, called The Bee; which he continued for above 100 numbers, printed in eight volumes 8vo. During the progress of this work, Dr Tindal's death happened, by whose will Mr Budgell had 2000l. left him; and the world being surprized at such a gift from a man entirely unrelated to him, to the exclusion of the next heir, a nephew, and the continuator of Rain's history of England, immediately imputed it to his making the will himself. Thus the satyrish;

Let Budgell charge low Grub-street on my quill, And write whate'er he pleases, except my will.

It was thought he had some hand in publishing Dr Tindal's Christianity as old as the creation; for he often talked of another additional volume on the same subject, but never published it. After the cessation of the Bee, Mr Budgell became so involved in law-suits, that he was reduced to a very unhappy situation. He got himself called to the bar, and attended for some time in the courts of law; but finding himself unable to make any progress, and being directed to the utmost, he determined at length to make away with himself. Accordingly, in the year 1736, he took a boat at Somerset-Quays, after filling his pockets with stones; ordered the waterman to shoot the bridge; and, while the boat was going under, threw himself into the river. He had several days before been visibly distracted in his mind. Upon his bureau was found a slip of paper, on which were these words:

What Cato did, and Addison approved, Cannot be wrong.

Besides the above works, he wrote a Translation of

Theophrastus's Characters. He was never married; but left one natural daughter, who afterwards assumed his name, and became an actress in Drury lane.