MONK, GEORGE, duke of Albemarle, was the son of sir Thomas Monk of Potheridgc, in Devonshire, and was born at his father's residence, Dec. 6, 1608. lie spent some of his earlier years in the service of Holland, returned to England when about the age of 30. and served in the king's army against the Scots in 1639, attaining the rank of lieut. col. On the breaking out of the Trish rebellion, in 1692, he was appointed col. of lord Lei cester's troops, sent to crush it. When the civil war began, these troops were recalled. and Monk was imprisoned on account of being supposed to favor the cause of the parlia ment, but was soon after released. In 1604 ho was defeated and taken prisoner by Fairfax, and imprisoned in the Tower, from which he was liberated, after two years, on his swear ing the Covenant. Clarendon hints that he sold himself for money. Ile was now intrusted with the command in the n. of Ireland. Cromwell had a high opinion of his military talents, and made him hiS lieutgen. and commandant of artillery; and the service which he rendered at the battle of Dunbar was so great, that lie was intrusted with the chief command in Scotland. In 1633, he was joined with admiral Blake in an expedition against the Dutch, and with Ids division of the fleet, consisting of 100 ships, defeated admiral Van Tromp off Nieuwpoort, and fought another battle with hint off Katwijk, in which the victory was doubtful, but Vau Tromp lost his life. In April 1654, Cromwell sent hint to Scotland as governor, in which difficult office he conducted himself with vigor, moderation, and equity. Even the highlands, those immemorial " sanctuaries of plunder," as Guizot calls them, were reduced to order. His principal residence was Dal keith, where he spent his leisure hours in gardening, of which lie was very fond. When, after death, he saw everything in confusion, and felt his own position peril ous, lie crossed the English border, Jan. 1, 1660, with 6,000 men, united his troops with
those which Fairfax had collected for Charles II., and entered London unopposed, although us yet he kept his views profoundly secret. His powers of dissimulation and reticence were immense. Everybody felt that the decision lay with "Old George," as his soldiers used to call him; every party courted him; he was even offered the protec torate; but while lie offended nobody, he declined to connect himself with any of the sectaries, and waited patiently the course of events. His own wish (though it did not proceed from any very high-minded motive) was to bring back the Stuarts; and before long, he saw that the nation in general was thoroughly with hint. On the 21st of Feb. he called together the remaining members of the parliament which had been violently driven out 12 years before, and Charles II. was presently recalled. Monk was now made duke of Albemarle, loaded with honors, and intrusted with the highest offices' in the state. But he soon retired from political affairs. In 1665, when the plague ravaged London, and every one fled that could, " Old George," as governor of the city, bravely stuck to his post, and did what he could to allay the terror and confusion Next year, he was employed as second in command of the fleet sent tinder the duke of York against the Dutch; and was defeated by Von Ruyter in a sea-fight off Dunkirk, but soon after gained a bloody victory over him off North Foreland. He died Jau. 3, 1670. Guizot describes him as a " man capable of great things, though lie had no greatness of soul." See Guizot's Monk, Chute .de la Republique, Skinner's Life of Monk, Hallam's Constitu tional History, and Macaulay's History of England.