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Inscribed in graphite, lower right: "Vol.6.P.328"; inscribed in pen and brown ink, verso, upper center: "Sr. William Temple was desended from a younger, | branch of a family of that name [Seated] at Temple [...] | in Leicestershire. This grandfather was secretary to the | [unfortunate] earl of [Essex] favorite of Queen Elizabeth. | and his father was Sr Jon. Temple Master of the Rolls in Ireland | he was as [much] above the common level of politicians as he | was above the [head] of authors, he displayed his great | abilities in several [important] treaties & negotiations, the | most [considerable] of which was the [bringing] to a happy | conclusion, the famous] triple league [betwixed] England | Sweden & Holland. This alliance tho the most [prudant] | step ever taken by Charles the second, was soon defeated by | the Ca[...] a set of men who were as much a disgrace | the their [country] as Sr.Wm.Temple was an honor to it. | He was strongly solicitated to go over to Holland in | order to break that league which had had a little before | concluded but he was too much a patriot to yeald to | any solicitations of that kind & chose rather to retire | into the country, where he was much better employed | in writing his excellent Observations on the | United Provinces & other elegant works.

Lettered, lower left: "P.Lely pinx."; lettered, lower right: "G.Vertue sculp."; lettered, lower center: "Dominus Gulielmus Temple Eques Baronettus | Sermi. et Potmi. Mag. Brittanniae Regis ad Ords. Faedti. Belgy Legatus | Extrs. et apud Tractatus pacis tam Aquis grani quam Neomagi Legat | Medials. Ejustem Sermi. Regis a Secretioribus Consilius. 1679."