whether it was a love of singularity, an asperity of manners, or a consciousness of superior talents r which he did not disguise. However this might be, the behaviour
“To erase these unfavourable impressions which the mind has conceived of Abelard, we must view him in distress, smarting from oppression and unprovoked malevolence. There was in his character something which irritated opposition, whether it was a love of singularity, an asperity of manners, or a consciousness of superior talents r which he did not disguise. However this might be, the behaviour of his enemies was always harsh, and sometimes cruel; and him we pity. He now became a religious, a benevolent, and a virtuous man; and thousands reaped benefit from his instructions, as they were tutored by his example. The close of his unhappy life was to the eye of the Christian spectator its most brilliant period. In his death he was the great and good man, the philosopher and the Christian.”
e life of this doctor; Zamakhsehari, Korderi, Marghinani, Deinouri, Sobahazmouni, are of that number r and some of them have even found his name in the Old Testament,
, or Aboanifa, surnamed Alfqqman, was
the son of Thabet, and born at Cousa, in
the year of the Hegira 80, and of the vulgar sera 700. He
is the most famous of all the doctors of the orthodox musSuimans, concerning the matters of their law; for he held
the first place among the four chiefs of particular sects,
who may be followed implicitly in their decisions on points
of right. He was not, however, in high estimation during
his life, as the calif Almanzor had him put into prison
at Bagdat, for refusing to subscribe to the opinion of absolute and determinate predestination, which the mussulmans
term cad ha: but Abu-Joseph, sovereign Judge, and a sort
of chancellor of the empire under the calif Hadi, brought
his doctrine into such reputation, that, in order to be a
good mussulman, it was necessary to be a Hanifite. Nevertheless he died in the prison of Bagdat; and it was not
till 335 years after his death that Melikshah, sultan of the
race of the Seljuk dynasty, caused to be built for him in
the same city a noble mausoleum, to which he added a
college particularly for those who made profession of his
sect. This was in the year 485 of the Hegira, of the
vulgar sera 1092. Several of the most illustrious authors
among the Mohammedans have written, in a style of commendation, the life of this doctor; Zamakhsehari, Korderi,
Marghinani, Deinouri, Sobahazmouni, are of that number r
and some of them have even found his name in the Old
Testament, and assert that he was foretold in the sacred
writings, as well as their prophet. All the historians agree
that he excelled not only in the knowledge, but also in the
practice of the mussuhnau law: for he led a life of great
austerity, entirely detached from the manners of the world;
which has caused him to be considered as the first chief
and iman of the law by all the orthodox, and he is only
rejected by the Shiites, or followers of Ali. The author of
Rabialabrar relates the opinion of this doctor concerning
the authority of tradition in these terms: “As to what
regards the things we have received from God and from
his prophet, we respect them with perfect submission: as
to what is come down to us from the companions or contemporaries of the prophet, we select the best of it; but
as to what the other doctors who succeeded them have left
us, we look upon it as coming from persons who were men
like us.
” Houssain-Vaez, expounding that verse of the
chapter of Amram, where God says he has prepared Paradise for those who restrain their anger, and pardon such as
have trespassed against them, relates a fact of Abou-Hanifah that deserves to be noted. That doctor, having
received a blow on the face, said to him who had the audacity to strike him “I might return you injury for injury;
hut I will not do it. 1 might carry my complaint to the
calif; but 1 will not complain. I might at least lay before
God in my prayers the outrage you have done me; but I
will not. Lastly, I might, at the day of judgment, require
God to avenge it; but, far from doing so, if that terrible
day were to arrive this moment, and my intercession might
avail, I would not enter into Paradise, except in your
company.
”
s and Aulus Gellius, but these have not been printed. His letters were published at Hanau, 1606, 8vo r by his brother Christian, under the title of “Epistolarum centuria
, a young man of great erudition, whom Baillet has enrolled among his “Enfans celebres,
” and who would have proved one of the ablest critics
of his time, had he enjoyed a longer life, was born at
Wistock, in the march of Brandenburgh, in 1567. In his
seventeenth year he composed some poetical pieces in
Latin, which are not very highly esteemed. In 1589, he
went to Helmstadt to pursue his studies, and there published some of his poems, which were reprinted after his
death, at Leibnitz, in 1605, with those of Janus Lernutius and Janus Gulielmus. They are also inserted in the
first volume of the “Delicise Poetarum Germanorum;
”
and several of his pieces are in the second volume of Caspar Dornavius’ “Amphitheatrum sapientiae Socraticae Jocoseriue,
” Hanau, Animadversiones in Quintum
Curtium,
” 8vo; which have been adopted in the Francfort
edition of that author, 1597, and Snakenburg’s edition,
Leyden, 1724, 4to. His sudden death, May 25, 1595,
at the age of 28, put a stop to his useful labours. At that
time his observations on Plautus were in the press, and
were published the following year at Francfort, 8vo, and
again in 1607; and they are inserted in J. Gruter’s
“Lampas Critica.
” They conferred upon him a wellearned reptitation; and Barthius and Lipsius, with others,
bore testimony to his growing merit as a critic. His remarks on the Ancient Panegyrics and on Tacitus were
published in 1607, and the former were added to J. Gruter’s edition, Francfort, 1607, 12mo. They are, likewise,
examined and compared with those of other scholars, in
the fine edition of the Panegyrics published at Utrecht by
Arntzenius, in 1790, 4to. His notes on Tacitus are in
the edition of that author printed at Paris, 1608, fol.
(where he is by mistake called Acidalus); in that of Gronovius, Amsterdam, 1635, 4to, and 1673, 2 vols. 8vo.
We also owe to Acidalius, some notes on Ausonius, given
in Tollius’ edition of that author, Amsterdam, 1671, 8vo.
and notes on Quintilian’s dialogue de Oratoribus, added
to Gronovius’ edition of Tacitus, Utrecht, 1721, 4to. It
appears by his letters, that he had written observations on
Apuleius and Aulus Gellius, but these have not been
printed. His letters were published at Hanau, 1606, 8vo r
by his brother Christian, under the title of “Epistolarum
centuria una, cui accessemnt apologetica ad clariss. virum
Jac. Monavium, et Oratio de vera carminis elegiaci natura
et constitutione.
” In the preface, his brother vindicates
his character against the misrepresentations circulated in
consequence of his embracing the Roman Catholic religion, particularly with regard to the manner of his death.
Spme asserted that he became suddenly mad, and others
that he laid violent hands on himself. It appears, however, that he died of a fever, brought on by excess i&f
study. It still remains to be noticed, that he is said to
have been the author of a pamphlet, published in 1595,
entitled, “Mulieres non esse homines,
” “Women are not
men; i. e. not thinking and reasonable beings;
” but he
had no other hand in this work than in conveying it to his
bookseller, who was prosecuted for publishing it. It was,
in fact, a satire on the Socinian mode of interpreting the
Scriptures; and a French translation of it appeared in
1744, 12mo.
“Orationem encomiasticam in restitutione Buceri et Fagii,” printed in “Hist. Buceri,” Argentor. 1562 r 8vo.
1. “Orationem encomiasticam in restitutione Buceri et
Fagii,
” printed in “Hist. Buceri,
” Argentor.
bellishing ancient mansions: and, in 1773, they first began to publish “The Works in Architecture of R. and J. Adam,” in numbers, four of which appeared before 1776,
In 1762, he was appointed architect to their majesties.
In 1764, he published the result of his researches at Spalatro, in one volume large folio: it was entitled, “Ruins of
the Palace of the Emperor Dioclesian, at Spalatro, in Dalmatia.
” It is enriched with seventy-one plates, executed
in the most masterly manner. He had at this time been
elected a member of the Royal and Antiquary Societies.
In 1768, he resigned his office of architect to their majesties, it being incompatible with a seat in parliament, and
he being this year elected representative for the county of
Kinross. By this time, in conjunction with his brother
James Adam, he had been much employed by the nobility
and gentry, both in constructing many noble modern edifices, and in embellishing ancient mansions: and, in 1773,
they first began to publish “The Works in Architecture
of R. and J. Adam,
” in numbers, four of which appeared
before
In a collection of letters published some years ago, there are several from Dr. William Aglionby, F. R. S. dated from 1685 to 1691, principally written from different
, an eminent divine of a very ancient family in Cumberland (whose name was de Aguilon, corruptly Aglionby), the son of Edward Aglionby, esq. and
Elizabeth Musgrave of Crookdayke, was admitted a student
of Queen’s College, Oxford, in 1583. Being elected fellow, he went into orders, and became an eloquent and
learned preacher. Afterwards he travelled abroad, and
was introduced to the acquaintance of the famous cardinal
Bellarmin. On his return he was made chaplain in ordinary to Queen Elizabeth, and in 1600 took the degree of
D. D. About that time he obtained the rectory of Islip,
near Oxford, and in 1601 was elected principal of St. Edmund’s hall. He was likewise chaplain in ordinary to
king James I. and, according to Wood, had a considerable
share in the translation of the New Testament ordered by
the king in 1604. The Biog. Brit, says, that Wood mentions no authority for this assertion; but Wood, in his
Annals, gives his name among the other Oxford divines
who were to translate the Gospels, Acts, and Apocalypse.
Dr. Aglionby died at Islip, Feb. 6, 1609-10, aged fortythree, and was buried in the chancel of the parish church.
He was eminent for his learning, deeply read in the Fathers,
and a distinguished critic in the languages. His son
George Aglionby was eighth dean of Canterbury, byappointment of Charles I. but was never installed, nor
reaped any advantage by it, as the parliament had then
(1642) seized on the profits of those capitular bodies,
which were within the power of their arms, and he survived his nomination but a few months, dying at Oxford
Nov. 1643, aged forty. From this family probably descended William Aglionby, a gentleman of polite learning, who was envoy from Queen Anne to the Swiss Cantons, and author of a book entitled “Painting illustrated,
in three dialogues, with the lives of the most eminent
painters from Cimabue to Raphael,
” Lond. He has abundance
of wit, and understands most of the languages well knows
how to tell a story to the best advantage; but has an affected manner of conversation is thin, splenetic, and tawny
complexioned, turned of sixty years old;
” to which Swift
added in manuscript, “He had been a Papist.
” In a collection of letters published some years ago, there are several from Dr. William Aglionby, F. R. S. dated from 1685
to 1691, principally written from different parts of the
continent, and probably by the same person, who is styled
Doctor in Swift’s Works.
ely into English by that eminent judge of mathematical learning, the late rev. John Colson, M. A. F. R. S. and Lucasian professor of mathematics in the university
, an Italian
lady of great learning, was born at Milan, March 16, 1718.
Her inclinations from her earliest youth led her to the
study of science, and at an age when young persons of her
sex attend only to frivolous pursuits, she had made such
astonishing progress in mathematics, that when in 1750
her father, professor in the university at Bologna, was unable to continue his lectures from infirm health, she obtained permission from the pope, Benedict XIV. to fill his
chair. Before this, at the early age of nineteen, she had
supported one hundred and ninety-one theses, which were
published, in 1738, under the title “Propositiones Philosophicæ.” She was also mistress of Latin, Greek, Hebrew,
French, German, and Spanish. At length she gave up her
studies, and went into the monastery of the Blue Nuns, at
Milan, where she died Jan. 9, 1799. In 1740 she published a discourse tending to prove “that the study of the
liberal arts is not incompatible with the understandings of
women,
” This she had written when scarcely nine years
old. Her “Instituzioni analitiche,
” Traites elementaires du Calcul
differentiel et du Calcul integral,
”
ain, 1516; and at Cologne in 1539, along with his “Abridgement of Ancient History,” under the title “ R. Agricolffi lucubrationes,” 2 vols. 4to. Erasmus gives a very
, one of the most learned
men of the fifteenth century, was born in 1442, in the village of Bafflon, or Bafteln, near Groningen, in Friseland.
Melchior Adam says, his parents were of one of the most
considerable families in Friseland; but Ubo Emmius, in his
history of that country, represents him as of mean extraction; and Bayle, who appears to have examined the matter
with his usual precision, inclines to the latter opinion. He
was, however, sent to school, where he made an uncommon
progress, and had scarcely taken his degree of M. A. at
Louvain, when he was offered a professorship, which he
did not accept, as it would have prevented his travelling
for farther improvement, a course usually taken by the
learned men of those times. He went from Louvain to
Paris, and from thence to Italy, residing two years at Ferrara, where he learned Greek and taught Latin, and disputed in prose and verse with Guarinus and the Strozzas,
and where the duke honoured him with particular attention. He read lectures likewise on philosophy in this city,
and his auditors were so well pleased as to wish he had
been an Italian. At his return to his own country, he had
the offer of many considerable employments; and at last
accepted of a post at Groningen, and attended the court
of Maximilian I. for six months, upon the affairs of that city.
After this, which the gratitude of his masters did not render
a very profitable employment, he resumed his travels for
many years, in the course of which he refused the presidentship of a college at Antwerp, and fixed at length in the
Palatinate, influenced by the persuasions of the bishop of
Worms, whom he had instructed in the Greek language.
He came to reside here in 1482, and passed the rest of his
life, sometimes at Heidelberg, and sometimes at Worms.
The Elector Palatine was pleased to hear him discourse
concerning antiquity, and desired him to compose an
“Abridgement of Ancient History,
” which he performed
with great accuracy. He also read public lectures at
Worms; but his auditors being more accustomed to the
subleties of logic than to polite literature, he was not so
popular as he deserved. About the fortieth year of his age,
he began to study divinity; and having no hope to succeed
in it without a knowledge of Hebrew, he applied himself
to that language, in which he had made considerable pro-gress, when he was seized with an illness, which put an
end. to his life and labours, on the 28th of October, 1485.
He died in a very devout manner, and was buried in the
church of the minor friars at Heidelberg. He is thought
to have inclined a little to the principles of the reformers.
He was accomplished in music and poetry, although he
used these talents only for his amusement. There are but
two works of his extant: “De Inventione Dialectica,
”
printed at Louvain, Abridgement of Ancient History,
” under the
title “R. Agricolffi lucubrationes,
” 2 vols. 4to. Erasmus
gives a very exalted character of his learning and abilities;
and by some of his admirers he was compared to Virgil in
verse, and to Politian in prose.
glish divines; and that he wrote a letter to the bishop of Liege, “de miserabili statu et calamitate r'egni Anglise, fervente schismate,” which is printed in the “Gesta
Of his works, besides those already mentioned, there
are extant, 1. “A defence of the lawful power and authority of the Priesthood to remit Sins,
” with two other
tracts on Confession and Indulgences, Louvain, 1567, 8vo.
?. “De Sacramentis in genere, de sacramento Eucharistice,
et de Missae Sacrificio, libri tres,
” Antwerp, A true, sincere, and modest defence of English Catholics,
” without place, Execution of Justice in England,
”
written by lord Burleigh, the original of which, Strype says,
is yet preserved. It is esteemed the best of Alan’s works.
4. “An apology and true declaration of the institution
and endeavours of the two English colleges, the one in
Home, the other now resident in Rheims, against certain
sinister insinuations given up against the same,
” Mons,
Apparatus
Sac.
” says, that he translated the English Bible printed at
Rheims, in conjunction with Gregory Martin and Richard
Bristow, two English divines; and that he wrote a letter to
the bishop of Liege, “de miserabili statu et calamitate
r'egni Anglise, fervente schismate,
” which is printed in the
“Gesta Episcoporum Leodiensium,
” vol. III. p. 588. Le
Long, who also mentions his translation of the Bible, adds,
that he was employed by pope Gregory XIV. in reforming
the Vulgate.
h three other Mss. published with some remarks by John Fortescue Aland, of the Inner Temple, esq. F. R. S.” Lond. 1714: reprinted, 1719. 2. “Reports of Select Cases
The juridical writings of sir John Fortescue Aland are:
1. “The Difference between an absolute and limited
Monarchy, as it more particularly regards the English constitution; being a treatise written by sir John Fortescue,
knight, lord chief justice, and lord high chancellor of
England, under king Henry VI. faithfully transcribed
from the ms copy in the Bodleian library, and collated
with three other Mss. published with some remarks by
John Fortescue Aland, of the Inner Temple, esq. F. R. S.
”
Lond. 1714: reprinted, 1719. 2. “Reports of Select
Cases in all the courts of Westminster hall, tempore William the Third and queen Anne; also the opinion of all
the judges of England relating to the grandest prerogative
of the royal family, and some observations relating to the
prerogatives of a queen-consort,
” London,
The cardinal w r as now in his seventy-seventh year, and. in all probability
The cardinal w r as now in his seventy-seventh year, and.
in all probability expected to close his life in the full enjoyment of his. splendid and unrivalled collections, when
the French took possession of Rome. The depredations
they committed in the Vatican and other public places of
Rome, and the violences offered by them to the most eminent persons in that metropolis, may be easily accounted
for from their characteristic rapacity, and the hatred which
they then professed for religion under any shape. But
the outrages which they practised on the family of Albani
had such a Jjase and spiteful motive, as to brand them
with eternal infamy. Owing to the successive marriages
of the two last princesses of Carrara and of Modena, the
family of Albani was a relative to the imperial house of
Austria; and the French thought that the distress and humiliation, of the one would be communicated to the other.
The estates were confiscated, the magnificent and elegant
palace, within the precincts of Rome, was, sacked, and
the unrivalled villa was plundered and destroyed. “This
palace,
” says Mr. Duppa, “which is not yet razed to the
ground, nor its villa made an absolute heath, now remains (1798) a melancholy monument of the Vandalism
of the eighteenth century. Every statue, every bust,
every column, every chimney-piece, every piece of
marble that served for ornament or use, was torn from its
situation, and was either sent to Paris, or became the
perquisite of certain agents employed by the Directory to see
that there might be nothing wanting to the entire completion of its ruin: even the shrubs in the garden were
rooted up, and sold.
”
he gods to grant the king a lawful successor. “What, you scoundrel do you then take me for a bastard r” says Alexander; and threw a cup that instant at his head. Philip,
At fifteen years of age, Alexander was delivered to the
tuition of Aristotle. He discovered very early a mighty
spirit, and symptoms of that vast and immoderate ambition
which was afterwards to make him the scourge of mankind
and the pest of the world. One day, when it was told
him that Philip had gained a battle, instead of rejoicing,
he looked much chagrined, and said, that “if his father
went on at this rate, there would be nothing left for him
to do.
” Upon Philip’s shewing some wonder, that Alexander did not engage in the Olympic games, “Give me,
”
said the youth, “kings for my antagonists, and I will present myself at once.
” The taming and managing of the
famous Bucephalus is always mentioned among the exploits
of his early age. This remarkable horse was brought from
Thessaly, and purchased at a very great price; but upon
trial he was found so wild and vicious, that neither Philip
nor any of his courtiers could mount or manage him; and
he was upon the point of being sent back as useless, when
Alexander, expressing his grief that so noble a creature
should be rejected, merely because nobody had the dexterity to manage him, was at length permitted to try what
he could do. Alexander, we are told, had perceived, that
the frolicksome spirit and wildness of Bucephalus proceeded solely from the fright which the animal had taken
at his own shadow: turning his head, therefore, directly to
the sun, and gently approaching him with address and
skill, he threw himself upon him; and though Philip at
first was extremely distressed and alarmed for his son, yet
when he saw him safe, and perfectly master of his steed, he
received him with tears of joy, saying, “O, my son thou
must seek elsewhere a kingdom, for Macedonia cannot
contain thee.
” One more instance of this very high spirit
may suffice. When Philip had repudiated Olympias for
infidelity to his bed, the young prince felt a most lively
resentment on the occasion; yet, being invited by his father to the nuptials with his new uife, he did not refuse
to go. In the midst of the entertainment, Attalus, a favourite of Philip, had the imprudence to say, that the
Macedonians must implore the gods to grant the king a
lawful successor. “What, you scoundrel do you then
take me for a bastard r
” says Alexander; and threw a cup
that instant at his head. Philip, intoxicated with wine,
and believing his son to be the author of the quarrel, rushed
violently towards him with his sword; but, slipping with
his foot, fell prostrate upon the floor; upon which Alexander said insultingly, “See, Macedonians, wnat a general you have for the conquest of Asia, who cannot take
a single step without falling;
” for Philip had just before
been named for this expedition in a common assembly of
the Greeks, and was preparing for it, when he was murdered by Pausanius at a feast.
Under the emperor Septimus Severus he was appointed public professor of the Aristotelian philosopln r, but whether at Athens or Alexandria is uncertain. In his works
, one of the most celebrated followers of Aristotle, flourished about the year 200.
He was so called from Aphrodisea, a town in Caria, where
he was born. He penetrated, with such success, into the
meaning of the most profound speculations of his master,
that he was not only respected by his contemporaries as an
excellent preceptor, but was followed by subsequent Aristotelians among the Greeks, Latins, and Arabians, as the
best interpreter of Aristotle. On account of the number
and value of his commentaries, he was called, by way of
distinction, “The Commentator.
” Under the emperor Septimus Severus he was appointed public professor of the
Aristotelian philosopln r, but whether at Athens or Alexandria is uncertain. In his works he supports the doctrine
of Divine Providence; upon this head he leaned towards
Platonism, but on most other subjects adhered strictly to
Aristotle. In his book concerning the soul, he maintains
that it is not a distinct substance by itself, but the form of
an organized body.
only with an axe, Jacob Polotshanin with nothing but a sword, and both killed a multitude of the ene r my. Sava rushed into the enemy’s camp, destroyed the tent of
, grand duke of Russia, and a saint of the Russian church, is so often mentioned on account of the order of knighthood instituted to his honour by Peter the Great, and yet is so little known out of Russia, that an article may well be allowed him here. He was born in 1218, and seems to have been a man of strong character, of personal courage, and bodily strength. The almost incessant wars in which his father Yaroslauf was engaged with Tshingis khan and the neighbouring horcles of Mongoies, inspired him early in life with a passion for conquest. Probably too an unhappy conceit entertained by the princes of those times and those countries, might have contributed somewhat to prepare Alexander for the part of the hero he. afterwards performed. This was the custom of conferring on young princes particular provinces as apanages or viceroyalties. Yaroslauf had in 1227 changed his residence at Novgorod for that of Pereyaslaf, leaving in the former place his two eldest sons, Feodor and Alexander, as his representative, under the guidance of two experienced boyars. However small the share that a boy of ten years old, as Alexander then was, could take in the government; yet it must have been of advantage to him to be thus initiated in a situation preparatory to the exercise of that power he was one day to enjoy in his own right. Five years afterwards Feodor died; and now Alexander was alone viceroy of Novgorod he was not an apanaged prince till 1239, when his father took possession of Vladimir. He now married a princess of the province of Polotzk, and the first care of his government was to secure the country against the attacks of the Tshudes (among whom are particularly to be understood the Esthonians), who were partly turbulent subjects, and partly piratical neighbours of the principality of Novgorod. To this end he built a line of forts along the river Shelonia, which falls into the Ilmenlake. But a more imminent danger soon furnished him with an opportunity of performing far greater service to his nation. Incited by the oppressions exercised by the Tartars on southern Russia, the northern borderers formed a league to subdue Novgorod; and thought it necessary to begin their enterprise the sooner, as, from the accounts they had received by one of their chiefs, who had gained a personal knowledge of Alexander at Novgorod, the young prince would shortly be too powerful for them. The warlike king of Denmark, Valdemar II. at that time possessed a considerable portion of Esthonia, together with Reval, which he had lately built . He had long been in alliance with the Teutonic knights of Livonia, which he renewed in 1233; ift which treaty they agreed upon a combined expedition against the Russians. This was accordingly undertaken in 1239. A very considerable fleet came to land on the banks of the Neva, while the Swedes were coming down from Ladoga to attack them by land. An embassy was sent to Alexander, commanding him immediately to submit, or to stake his fortunes on a decisive battle. He made choice of the latter. Too near the enemy, and too distant from his father, he had no hope of any foreign succour, and his army was extremely weak. In the presence of his people he solemnly implored the assistance of heaven, was certified of it by the formal benediction of the archbishop; and thus raised the efficacy of the only support he had, the courage of his soldiers. Having their strength increased by the persuasion that the hosts of heaven were on theic'side, they went to battle, and began the attack. This was at six in the morning. The two armies were closely engaged during the whole day, and the slaughter continued till night put an end to the contest. The field was covered with the bodies of the slain. Three ship-loads of them were sunk in the sea, and the rest were thrown together in pits. On the side of the Novgorodians only 20 men were killed, say the chronicles; perhaps by an error of the writers, perhaps in the meaning that only the principal citizens of Novgorod are reckoned. But most likely this statement is one of those poeac extravagancies which are not to be mistaken in perusing the Russian accounts of this battle. In the ancient history of all nations a certain lively colouring is used in describing the decisive transactions of early times; a natural consequence of the intimate concern the chronologer takes in the successes of his conntry, and the enthusiasm with which he wishes to represent it as a nation of heroes. Thus the old historians mention six mighty warriors, who, by some signal act in this battle, have handed down their names to the latest posterity. It is impossible not to imagine we are perusing a fragment of romance, when we read, that Gavriela Alexiri pursued a king’s son on horseback into a ship, fell into the sea, came back unhurt, and slew a general and two bishops. Sbislauf was armed only with an axe, Jacob Polotshanin with nothing but a sword, and both killed a multitude of the ene r my. Sava rushed into the enemy’s camp, destroyed the tent of the general, &c. Alexander, our heroic saint, is also indebted to this poetical colouring (perhaps to a vulgar ballad) for his canonization and his fame. He sprung like a lion upon the leader of the hostile troops, and cleft his face in two with a stroke of his sword. This personage, according to the Russian annalists, was no less a man than the king of the northern regions himself. And this act it was that procured our Alexander the surname of Nevskoi, i.e. the conqueror on the banks of the Neva. Peter the Great took a politic advantage of the enthusiasm of the nation, for this Alexander, in order to procure a religious interest for his new city of Petersburg. On the spat where, according to the common opinion, the holy hero had earned the glorious name of Nevskoi, he caused the foundations of a monastery to be laid in 1712, to which he afterwards, in 1723, caused the bones of the great duke to be brought. Peter gave orders that the relics of the saints of Volodimer should be brought to Petersburg (a distance of 700 miles) attended by great solemnities. Between 300 and 400 priests accompanied the procession. On their arrival, the emperor himself, with all his court, went out to meet them; and the coffin, inclosed in a case of copper strongly gilt, was deposited in the monastery with great ceremony. This monastery of St. Alexander Nevskoi is about five versts from the castle at Petersburg, in an agreeable situation on the bank of the Neva. It has gradually been enlarged by the several sovereigns since the emperor Peter; and the present empress has built a magnificent church within its walls, and a sumptuous mausoleum for herself and her descendants. The shrine of the saint is of massy silver, of great value, but both the workmanship and the inscription in a bad taste. The order of knighthood of St. Alexander Nevskoi was properly instituted by Peter the Great in 1722; but he died before he had appointed the knights. This was done by Catherine I. in June 1725. The number of the knights are at present about 135, among whom are one or more crowned heads.
rista ejusdein ecclesiao de Anglico in Latinum transtulit: in hoc tractatulo dantur carta3 Saxonicsc R. R. Adelstani, Eadwardi Confessoris, et Willelmi, quas fecerunt
, Alvredus, or Aluredus, an ancient English historian, was born at Beverley in Yorkshire, and received his education at Cambridge. He returned afterwards to the place of his nativity, where he became a secular priest, one of the canons, and treasurer to the church of
St. John, at Beverley. Tanner, in a note, informs us, that
he travelled for improvement through France and Italy,
and that at Rome he became domestic chaplain to cardinal
Othoboni. According to Bale and Pits, he flourished under
king Stephen, and continued his annals to the year 1136.
Vossius is supposed to come nearer the truth, who tells us
that he flourished in the reign of Henry I. and died in 1126,
in which same year ended his annals. His history, however, agrees with none of these authors, and it seems probable from thence that he died in 1128 or 1129. He intended at first no more than an abridgment of the history
of the ancient Britons; but a desire of pursuing the thread
of his story led him to add the Saxon, and then the Norman history, and at length he brought it down to his own
times. This epitome of our history from Brutus to Henry I.
is esteemed a valuable performance; it is written in Latin,
in a concise and elegant style, with great perspicuity, and
a strict attention to dates and authorities: the author has
been not improperly styled our English Florus, his plan
and execution very much resembling that of the Roman
historian. It is somewhat surprising that Leland has not
given him a place amongst the British writers: the reason
seems to have been that Leland, through a mistake, considers him only as the author of an abridgment of Geoffrey
of Mou mouth’s history but most of the ancient writers
having placed Geoffrey’s history later in point of time than
that of Alredus, we have reason to conclude that Alredus
composed his compendium before he ever saw the history
of Geoffrey, We have also the authority of John Withamsted, an ancient writer of the fifteenth century, who,
speaking of our author, says, that he wrote a chronicle of
what happened from the settlement of Brutus to the time
of the Normans, in which he also treated of the cities anciently founded in this kingdom, and mentioned the names
by which London, Canterbury, and York were called in old
times, when the Britons inhabited them; and this testimony agrees with the book, as we now have it. Some other
pieces have been ascribed to Alredus; but this history,
and that of St. John of Beverley, seem to have been all that
he wrote. This last performance was never printed, but it
is to be found in the Cotton library; though not set down
in the catalogues, as being contained in a volume of tracts:
it is entitled “Libertates ecclesias S. Johannis de Beverlik, cum privilegiis apostolicis et episcopahbus, quas magister Alueredus sacrista ejusdein ecclesiao de Anglico in
Latinum transtulit: in hoc tractatulo dantur carta3 Saxonicsc
R. R. Adelstani, Eadwardi Confessoris, et Willelmi, quas
fecerunt eidem ccclesiae, sed imperito exscriptore mendose
scriptas. The liberties of the church of St. John of Beverley, with the privileges granted by the apostolic see,
or by bishops, translated out of Saxon into Latin, by master
Alured, sacrist of the said church. In this treatise are
contained the Saxon charters of the kings Adelstan, Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror, granted
by them to this church; but, through want of skill in the
transcriber, full of mistakes.
” Mr. Hearne published an
edition of Alredus’s annals of the British History, at Oxford, in 1716, with a preface of his own. This was taken,
from a manuscript belonging to Thomas Rawlinson, esq.
which Hearne says is the only one he ever saw.
of index to the ten volumes of English portraits, which had been collected by Mr. John Nickolls, F. R. and A. Ss. of Ware in Hertfordshire, in four volumes folio,
Besides his great work, Mr. Ames printed a “Catalogue
vf English Printers, from 1471 to 1700,
” 4to, intended to
accompany the proposals for the former; “An Index to
lord Pembroke’s Coins;
” “A Catalogue of English heads,
or an account of about 2000 prints, describing what is peculiar on each, as the name, title, or office of the person,
the habit, posture, age, or time when done, the name of
the painter, graver, scraper, &c. and some remarkable particulars relating to their lives,
” Parentalia, or Memoirs of the family of Wren,
”
in several essays. To which are added, Remarks upon a late book, entitled, University Education, by R. Newton, D. D. principal of Hart Hall,” 2 vols. 12mo, printed
, an English political and miscellaneous writer, was born at Marden in Kent, but in
what year is uncertain, although by a passage in his Terras
Filius, it would appear to be about 1706. Under the
tuition of his grandfather, a clergyman, he received his
grammatical education at Merchant-Taylor’s school in,
London; and thence was removed to St. John’s college,
Oxford, whence he was expelled on a charge of libertinism,
irregularity, and his insulting 1 behaviour towards the president of the college. From his own account of the matter,
in the dedication of his poems to Dr. Delaune, president
of St. John’s, and in his “Teme Filius,
” we may collect
that he wished to have it understood, that he was solely
persecuted for the liberality of his sentiments, and his attachment to the cause of the Revolution and of the Hanover-succession. Whatever were the causes of his expulsion,
ius resentment, on the account of it, although violent, was
impotent. He made it his business to satirize the learning
and discipline of the university of Oxford, and to libel
the characters of its principal members. This he did in a
poem published in 1724, called “Oculus Britanniae,
” and
in his “Terrae Filius,
” a work in which is displayed a considerable portion of wit, intermixed with intemperate satire. The full title of the work is, “Terrae Filius; or the
secret history of the university of Oxford; in several essays. To which are added, Remarks upon a late book,
entitled, University Education, by R. Newton, D. D. principal of Hart Hall,
” 2 vols. 12mo, printed for R. Francklin, 1726. Amidst all the malignity and exaggeration with
which the Terrae Filius abounds, it contains some curious
anecdotes relative to the principles, manners, and conduct
of several members of the university, for a few years after the
accession of king George I.; but they are to be read with
caution. It had been an ancient custom in the university of
Oxford, at public acts, for some person, who was called
Terrae Filius, to mount the rostrum, and divert a large
crowd of spectators, who flocked to hear him from all parts,
with a merry oration in the fescennine manner, interspersed with secret history, raillery, and sarcasm, as the
occasions of the times supplied him with matter. Wood,
in his Athenae, mentions several instances of this custom;
and hence Mr. Amhurst took the title of his work. It was
originally written in 1721, in a periodical paper, which
came out twice a week, and consists of fifty numbers.
other curious papers, at the sale of Mr. Anstis’s library of Mss. in 1768, by Thomas Astle, esq. F. R. and A. S. Besides these he left five large folio volumes on
, a learned heraldic writer, was of a
Cornish family, seated at St. Neot’s, being son of John
Anstis of that place, esq. by Mary, daughter and coheir
of George Smith. He was born September 28th or 29th,
1669, admitted at Exeter College in Oxford in 1685, and
three years afterwards entered of the Middle Temple. As
a gentleman of good fortune, he became well known in
his county, and the borough of St. Germain returned him
one of their members in the first parliament called by
queen Anne. Opposing what was called the Whig interest,
he distinguished himself by his voting against the bill for
occasional conformity: for which his name appeared amongst
the “Tackers
” in the prints of that time. He was appointed in I have a certain information it
would be ended forthwith, if the lord treasurer would honour
me by speaking to her majesty at this time, which, in behalf of the duke of Norfolk, I most earnestly desire, and
humbly beg your lordship’s assistance therein. If it be
delayed for some days, I shall then be back as far as the
delivery of my petition. I am obliged to attend this morning at the exchequer, about the tin affair, and thereby
prevented from waiting upon your lordship.
” If it does
relate to the reversionary patent, it is evident that he long
wished, and with difficulty obtained it. In the last parliament of Anne he was returned a member for Dunheved, or
Launceston, and he sat in the first parliament of George I.
He fell under the suspicion of government, as favouring
a design to restore the Stuarts, was imprisoned, and at
this critical time Garter’s place became vacant, by the
death of the venerable sir Henry St. George. He immediately claimed the office, but his grant was disregarded;
and, October 26,1715, sir John Vanbrugh, Clarenceux,
had the appointment. Unawed by power, fearless of danger, and confident in innocence, he first freed himself
from all criminality in having conspired against the succession of the illustrious house of Brunswick, and then prosecuted his claim to the office of garter, pleading the right
of the late queen to give him the place. It was argued,
that in a contest about the right of nomination in the reign
of Charles II. the sovereign gave it up, only retaining the
confirmation of the earl marshal’s choice: Mr. Anstis
urged, that Charles only waved his claim. The matter
came to a hearing April 4, 1717, and the competitors
claimed under their different grants; but the controversy
did not end until April 20, 1718, when the right being
acknowledged to be in Mr. Anstis, he was created Garter.
He had, for some time previous to this decision in his
favour, resided in the college, and by degrees gained the
good opinion and favour of the government. He even
obtained a patent under the great seal, giving the office
of garter to him, and his son John Anstis junior, esq. and
to the survivor of them: this passed June 8, 1727, only
two days before the death of George I. He died at his
seat, at Mortlake in Surrey, on Sunday, March 4, 1744-5,
and was buried the 23d of that month, in a vault in the
parish church of Dulo in Cornwall. In him, it is said, were
joined the learning of Camden and the industry, without the
inaccuracy, of sir William Dugdale. He was certainly a most
indefatigable and able officer at arms; and though he lived
to the age of seventy-six, yet there is room to wonder at
the extent of his productions, especially as he was a person
of great consequence, and busied with many avocations
out of the college. In 1706, he published a “Letter concerning the honour of Earl Marshal,
” 8vo. “The form
of the Installation of the Garter
” The
Register of the most noble Order of the Garter, usually
called the Black-Book, with a specimen of the Lives of
the Knights Companions,
” Observations introductory to an historical Essay on the Knighthood
of the Bath,
” Aspilogia,
” a discourse on seals in England, with beautiful
draughts, nearly fit for publication, from which Mr. Drake
read an abstract to the Society in 1735-6, and two folip
volumes of Sepulchral Monuments, Stone Circles, Crosses,
and Castles, in the three kingdoms, from which there are
extracts in the Archa?ologia, vol. XIII. were purchased,
with many other curious papers, at the sale of Mr. Anstis’s
library of Mss. in 1768, by Thomas Astle, esq. F. R. and
A. S. Besides these he left five large folio volumes on the
“Office, &c. of Garter King at Arms, of Heralds and
Pursuivants, in this and other kingdoms, both royal, princely, and such as belonged to our nobility,
” now in the pos
session of George Nayler, esq. York herald, and genealogist of the Order of the Bath, &c. “Memoirs of the
Families of Talbot, Carew, Granvile, and Courtney.
” “The
Antiquities of Cornwall.
” “Collections, relative to the
parish of Coliton, in Devonshire,
” respecting the tithes,
owing to a dispute which his son, the Rev. George Anstis,
the vicar, then had with the parishioners, in the court of
exchequer in 1742. The late Dr. Ducarel possessed it.
“Collections relative, to All Souls’ college, in Oxford.
”
These were very considerable, and purchased by the colllege. Sixty-four pages of his Latin Answer to “the Case
of Founders’ Kinsmen,
” were printed in 4to, with many
coats of arms. His “Curia Militaris, or treatise on the
Court of Chivalry, in three books:
” it is supposed that no
more than the preface and contents were ever published.
Mr. Reed had those parts; the whole, however, was
printed in 1702, 8vo; probably only for private friends.
Mr. Prior mentions this Garter in an epigram:
copi, et quorundam ejusgestorum ordine, anno mortuali, nee non de S. Priccio successore, Epistola ad R. P. Ant. Pagium,” Paris, 1693, 8vo. Antelmi and father Pagi
Of Antelmi’s other works, the titles may suffice: 1. “De
sanctse maxima: Virginis Callidiani in Forojuliensi dicecesi
cultu et patria, Epistola ad V.*C1. Danielem Papebrochium.
” This letter is published in the Antwerp edition of
the Acta Sanctorum, 16th of May. 2. “De translatione
corporis S. Auxilii, Epistola ad V. Cl. Ludovicum Thomassin um de Mazauge.
” The bishop of Grassc, who mentions this letter, does not tell us when it was printed. 3. “De
^tate S. Martini Turonensis Episcopi, et quorundam ejusgestorum ordine, anno mortuali, nee non de S. Priccio
successore, Epistola ad R. P. Ant. Pagium,
” Paris, Assertio pro unico S. Eucherio Lugdunensi
Episcopo. Opus posthumum. Accedit Concilium Regiense sub Rostagno Metrop. Aquensi anni 1285, nunc
primo prodit integrum et notis illustratum opera Car. Antelmi designati Episc. Grassens. Praepos. Foroj.
” Paris,
ion afterwards printed at Glasgow, which is more correct; but the best is that published by the rev. R. Graves, 1792, 8vo. Of the learned Gataker’s two editions, Cambridge,
In the year 170 Antoninus made vast preparations against
the Gennans, and carried on the war with great vigour.
During this war, in the year 174, a very extraordinary
event is said to have happened, which, according to Dion
Cassius, was as follows: Antoninus’s army being blocked up
by the Quadi in a very disadvantageous place, where there
was no possibility of procuring water; and in this situation,
being worn out with, fatigue and wounds, oppressed With
heat and thirst, and incapable of retiring or engaging the
enemy, instantly the sky was covered with clouds, and
there fell a vast quantity of rain. The Roman army were
about to quench their thirst, when the enemy came upon
them with such fury, that they must certainly have been
defeated, had it not been for a shower of hail, accompanied
with a storm of thunder and lightning, which fell upon the
enemy, without the least annoyance to the Romans, who
by this means gained the victory. In the year 175 Antoninus made a treaty with several nations of Germany.
Soon after, Aviclius Cassius, governor of Syria, revolted
from the emperor: this insurrection, however, was suppressed by the death of Cassius, who was killed by a centurion named Anthony. Antoninus behaved with great
lenity towards those who had been engaged for Cassius;
he would not put to death, nor imprison, nor even sit in
judgment himself upon any of the senators engaged in this
revolt; but he referred them to the senate, fixing a day for
their appearance, as if it had been only a civil affair. He
wrote also to the senate, desiring them to act with indulgence rather than severity; not to shed the blood of any
senator or noble, or of any other person whatsoever, but to
allow this honour to his reign, that even under the misfortune
of a rebellion, none had lost their lives, except in the first
heat of the tumult: “And I wish,
” said he, “that I could
even recal to life many of those who have been killed; for
revenge in a prince hardly ever pleases, since, even when
just, it is considered too severe.
” In the year 176 Antoninus visited Syria and Egypt; the kings of those countries,
and ambassadors also from Parthia, came to visit him. He
staid several days at Smyrna, and after he had settled the
affairs of the east, went to Athens, on which city he conferred several honours, and appointed public professors
there. From thence he returned to Rome with his son
Commodus, whom he chose consul for the year following,
though he was then but sixteen years of age, having obtained a dispensation for that purpose. On the 27th of
Sept. the same year, he gave him the title of imperator;
and on the 23d of Dec. he entered Rome in triumph, with
Commodus, on account of the victories gained over the
Germans. Dion Cassius tells us that he remitted all the
debts which were due to himself and the public treasury
during forty-six years, from the time that Adrian had
granted the same favour, and burnt all the writings relating
to those debts. He applied himself likewise to correct
many enormities, and introduced several excellent regulations. He moderated the expences laid out on gladiators;
nor would he suffer them to fight but with swords which
were blunted like foils, so that their skill might be shewn
without any danger of their lives. He endeavoured to clear
up many obscurities in the laws, and mitigated, by new
decrees, the severity of the old laws. He was the first, according to Capitolinus (Vit. Anton, cap. xxvii.) who
appointed the names of all the children, born of Roman,
citizens, to be registered within thirty days after their
birth; and this gave him occasion to establish public registers in the provinces. He renewed the law made by
Nerva, that no suit should be carried on against the dead,
but within five years after their decease. He made a decree, that all the senators should have at least a fourth part
of their estate in Italy. Capitolinus gives an account of
several other regulations which he established. In the
year 171 he left Rome with his son Commodus, in order to
go against the Marcomanni, and other barbarous nations;
and the year following gained a considerable victory over
them: he would, in all probability, have entirely subdued
them in a very short time, had he not been taken with an.
illness, which carried him off on the 17th of March 180,
in the fifty-ninth year of his age, and nineteenth of his
reign. The whole empire regretted the loss of so valuable
a prince, and paid the greatest regard to his memory; he
was ranked amongst the gods, and every person almost
had a statue of him in their houses. His book of “Meditations
” has been much admired. It is written in Greek,
and consists of twelve books; there have been several editions of it in Greek and Latin, two of which were printed before the year 1635, when the learned Meric Casaubon, prebendary of Canterbury, published a second edition of his
translation of this work into English, dedicated to Laud,
archbishop of Canterbury. It was also translated, in a very
inelegant style, by Jeremy Collier. There was an edition
afterwards printed at Glasgow, which is more correct; but
the best is that published by the rev. R. Graves, 1792, 8vo.
Of the learned Gataker’s two editions, Cambridge, 1652,
4to, Gr. and Lat. and London, 1697, the former is preferred. It is perhaps unnecessary to remark, that the
valuable “Itinerary,
” called Antoninus’s, does not belong
to this, or any emperor of the name.
mnasmata, partim a Rodolpho Agricola, partim a Joanne-Maria Catanaeo latinitate donata, cum scholiis R. Lorichii.”
, of Antioch, a celebrated rhetorician
and sophist, who lived in the third century, wrote in Greek
a treatise on rhetoric which has descended to us, and some
other works. His rhetoric has been translated into Latin.
The best edition was printed by the Elzivirs at Amsterdam,
1645, 12mo, under the title “Aphthonii Progymnasmata,
partim a Rodolpho Agricola, partim a Joanne-Maria Catanaeo latinitate donata, cum scholiis R. Lorichii.
”
at court, and for whomie had already a very high esteem. In September followig, he embarked with sir R. Morysine for Germany, wherehe remained three years, during
The master of St. John’s college at this time, Nicholas
Medcalf, was a great encourager of learning, and his tutor,
Mr. Hugh Fitzherbert, had not only much knowledge, but
also a graceful and insinuating method of imparting it to his
pupils. To a genius naturally prone to learning, Mr. Ascham
added a spirit of emulation, which induced him to study so
hard, that, while a mere boy, he made a great progress in polite learning, and became exceedingly distinguished amongst
the most eminent wits in the university. He took his degree of B. A. on the twenty-eighth of February, 1534,
when eighteen years* of age; and on the twenty-third of
March following, was elected fellow of his college by the
interest of the master, though Mr. Ascham’s propensity to
the reformed religion had made it difficult for Dr. Medcalf,
who, according to Ascham' s account, was a man of uncommon liberality, to carry his good intention into act. These
honours served only to excite him to still greater vigilance
in his studies, particularly in that of the Greek tongue,
wherein he attained an excellency peculiar to himself, and
read therein, both publicly for the university, and privately
in his college, with universal applause. At the commencement held after the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, in
1536, he was inaugurated M. A. being then twenty-one
years old. By this time many of his pupils came to be
taken notice of for their extraordinary proficiency, and
William Grindall, one of them, at the recommendation of
Mr. Ascham, was chosen by sir John Cheke, to be tutor to
the lady Elizabeth. As he did not accept this honour
himself, he probably was delighted with an academical life,
and was not very desirous of changing it for one at court.
His affection for his friends, though it filled him with a
deep concern for their interests, and a tender regard for
their persons, yet could not induce him to give up his
understanding, especially in points of learning. For this
reason he did not assent to the new pronunciation of the
Greek, which his intimate friend, sir John Cheke, laboured, by his authority, to introduce throughout the
university; yet when he had thoroughly examined, he
came over to his opinion, and defended the new pronunciation with that zeal and vivacity which gave a peculiar
liveliness to all his writings. In July 1542, he supplicated
the university of Oxford to be incorporated M. A. but it &
doubtful whether this was granted. To divert him after
the fatigue of severer studies, he addicted himself to archcry, which innocent amusement drew upon him the censure
of some persons, against whose opinion he wrote a small
treatise, entitled “Toxophilus,
” published in Schoolmaster,
” which he lived to finish, but not to publish. His
application to study rendered him infirm throughout his
whole life, and at last he became so weak, that he was unable to read in the evenings or at night; to make amends
for which, he rose very early in the morning. The year
before his death he was seized with a hectic, which brought
him very low and then, contrary to his former custom,
relapsing into night-studies, in order to complete a Latin
poem with which he designed to present the queen on the
new year, he, on the 23d of December 1568, was attacked
by an aguish ‘distemper, which threatened him with immediate death. He was visited in his last sickness by Dr.
Alexander Nowell, dean of St. ’Paul’s, and Graves, vicar
of St. Sepulchre’s, who found him perfectly calm and
chearful, in which disposition he continued to the 30th of
the same month, when he expired. On the 4th of January
following, he was interred according to his own directions,
in the most private manner, in St. Sepulchre’s church, his
funeral sermon being preached by the before-mentioned
Dr. Nowell. He was universally lamented, and even the
queen herself not only shewed great concern, but was also
pleased to say, that phg had rather have lost ten thousand
pounds than her tutor Ascham. His only failing was too
great a propensity to dice and cock-fighting, which the
learned bishop Nicolson would persuade us to be an unfounded calumny; but as it is mentioned by Camden, as
well as some other contemporary writers, it seems impossible to deny it. It is certain that he died in very indifferent circumstances, as may appear from the address of his
widow to sir William Cecil, in her dedication of his
“Schoolmaster,
” wherein she says expressly, that Mr.
Ascham left her a poor widow with many orphans; and Dr.
Grant, in his dedication of Ascham’s letters to queen Elizabeth, pathetically recommends to her his pupil, Giles
Ascham, the son of our author, representing, that be had
lost his father, who should have taken care of his education, and that he was left poor and without friends. Besides
this son he had two others, Dudley and Sturmur, of whom
we know little. Lord Burleigh took Giles Ascham under
his protection, by whose interest he was recommended to
a scholarship of St. John’s, and afterwards by the queen’s
mandate, to a fellowship of Trinity college in Cambridge,
and was celebrated, as well as his father, for his admirable
Latin style in epistolary writings.
f languages, was reprinted by Day, 1571 by Jeffes, 1589; and by Upton, 1711. 4. “Apologia doct. viri R. A. pro coena Dominica contra Missuin et ejus prestigias in
“Whether,
” says Dr. Johnson, “Ascham was poor by
his own fault, or the fault of others, cannot now be decided
but it is certain that many have been rich with less merit.
His philological learning would have gained him honour in
any country; and among us it may justly call for that reverence which all nations owe to those who first rouse
them from ignorance, and kindle among- them the light of
literature.
”
The only works he published were, 1. “Toxophilus
the school of Shooting, in two books,
” London, 4to, A Report and Discourse, written by Roger Ascham, of the affairs and state of
Germany, and the emperor Charles his court, duryng certain yeares, while the said Roger was there. At London,
printed by John Daye, dwelling over Aldersgate. Cum
gratia et privilegio regite majestatis per decennium
” without a date. This treatise is written in the form of a letter,
addressed to John Astley, in answer to one of his which is
prefixed he was a domestic of the lady Elizabeth, and his
letter bears date the 19th of. October 1552. The answer
must have be^n written the same year, since there is no
mention therein of king Edward’s death, which happened
the year following. In this work he describes the dispositions and interests of the German princes, like a man inquisitive and judicious, and recounts many particularities
which are lost in the mass of general history, in a style
which, to the ears of that age, was undoubtedly mellifluous,
and which is now a very valuable specimen of genuine
English. After his death were printed, 3. “The Schoolmaster or, a plain and perfite way of teaching children to
understand, write, and speak the Latin tongue; but especially purposed for the private bringing up of youth in
gentlemen and noblemen’s houses; and commodious also
for all such as have forgot the Latin tongue, and would by
themselves, without a schole-master, in short time, and with.
small paines, recover a sufficient habilitie to understand,
write, and speake Latin, by Roger Ascham, aim. 1570. At
London, printed by John Daye, dwelling over Aldersgate;
”
inscribed by Margaret his widow to sir William Cecil,
principal secretary of state. The design originated, as we
are informed in the preface, in a conversation on education, which took place at secretary Cecil’s apartments in
Windsor castle, during the plague in 1563. This work.
which contains the best advice ever given for the study of
languages, was reprinted by Day, 1571 by Jeffes, 1589;
and by Upton, 1711. 4. “Apologia doct. viri R. A. pro
coena Dominica contra Missuin et ejus prestigias in academia olim Cantabrigiensi exercitationis gratia inchoata.
Cui accesserunt themata quaedam Theologica, debita disputandi ratione in Collegio D. Joan, pronunciata. Expositionis item antiquoe in epistola Divi Pauli ad Titam et
Philemonem, ex diversis sanctorum Patrum Grsece scriptis
commentariis ab CEcumenio collectse, et a R. A. Latine
versa?.
” Lond. by Coldock,
Boyer, of Coventry, in Warwickshire, woollen-draper. He was born May 23, 1617, and during his early r education in grammar, was taught music, in which he made such
, an eminent philosopher, chemist,
and antiquary, of the seventeenth century, and founder
of the noble museum at Oxford, which still bears his name,
was the only son of Mr. Simon Ashmole, of the city of
Litchfield, in Staffordshire, sadler, by Anne, the daughter of
Mr. Anthony Boyer, of Coventry, in Warwickshire, woollen-draper. He was born May 23, 1617, and during his
early r education in grammar, was taught music, in which
he made such proficiency as to become a chorister in the
cathedral at Litchfield. When he had attained the age of
sixteen he was taken into the family of James Paget, esq.
a baron of the exchequer, who had married his mother’s
sister, and as his father died in 1634, leaving little provision for him, he continued for some years in the Paget
family, during which time he made considerable progress
in the law, and spent his leisure hours in perfecting himself in music and other polite accomplishments. In March
1638, he married Eleanor, daughter of Mr. Peter Manwaring, of Smallwood, in the county Palatine of Chester,
and in Michaelmas term the same year, became a solicitor
in Chancery. On February 11, 1641, he was sworn an
attorney of the court of common pleas, and on December
5th, in the same year, his wife died suddenly, of whom
he has left us a very natural and affectionate memorial.
The rebellion coming on, he retired from London, being
always a zealous and steady loyalist, and on May 9, 1645,
became one of the gentlemen of the ordnance in the garrison at Oxford, whence he removed to Worcester, where
he was commissioner, receiver, and register of the excise,
and soon after captain in the lord Ashley’s regiment, and
comptroller of the ordnance. In the midst of all this business he entered himself of Brazen-Nose college, in Oxford, and applied himself vigorously to the sciences, but
especially natural philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy;
and his intimate acquaintance with Mr. (afterwards sir George) Wharton, seduced him into the absurd mysteries
of astrology, which was in those days in great credit. In
the month of July, 1646, he lost his mother, who had
always been a kind parent to him, and for whom he had a
very pious regard. On October 16th, the same year, be
was elected a brother of the ancient and honourable society
of Free and Accepted Masons, which he looked upon as a
high honour, and has therefore given us a particular account of the lodge established at Warrington in Lancashire and in some of his manuscripts, there are very
valuable collections relating to the history of the free
masons. The king’s affairs being now grown desperate,
Mr. Ashmole withdrew himself, after the surrender of the
garrison of Worcester, into Cheshire, where he continued
till the end of October, and then came up to London,
where he became acquainted with Mr. (afterwards sir Jonas)
Moore, William Lilly, and John Booker, esteemed the
greatest astrologers in 'the world, by whom he was caressed, instructed, and received into their fraternity, which
then made a very considerable figure, as appeared by the
great resort of persons of distinction to their annual feast,
of which Mr. Ashmole was afterwards elected steward. Jn
1647 he retired to Englefield, in Berkshire, where he pursued his studies very closely, and having so fair an opportunity, and the advantage of some very able masters,
he cultivated the science of botany. Here, as appears
from his own remarks, he enjoyed in privacy the sweetest
moments of his life, the sensation of which perhaps was
quickened, by his just idea of the melancholy state of the
times. It was in this retreat that he became acquainted
with Mary, sole daughter of sir William Forster, of Aldermarston, in the county of Berks, bart. who was first married to sir Edward Stafford, then to one Mr. Hamlyn, and
lastly to sir Thomas Mainwaring, knt recorder of Reading,
and one of the masters in chancery and an attachment
took place but Mr. Humphrey Stafford, her second son,
had such a dislike to the measure, that when Mr. Ashmole
happened to be very ill, he broke into his chamber, and if
not prevented, would have murdered him. In the latter
end of 1648, lady Mainwaring conveyed to him her estate
at Bradfield, which was soon after sequestered on account
of Mr. Ashmole’s loyalty but the interest he had with
William Lilly, and some others of that party, enabled him
to get that sequestration taken off. On the sixteenth of
November, 1649, he married lady Mainwaring, and settled
in London, where his house became the receptacle of the
most learned and ingenious persons that flourished at that
time. It was by their conversation, that Mr. Ashmole,
who hud been more fortunate in worldly affairs than most
scholars are, and who had been always a curious collector
of manuscripts, was induced to publish a treatise written
by Dr. Arthur Dee, relating to the Philosopher’s stone,
together with another tract on the same subject, by an unknown author. These accordingly appeared in the year
following but Mr. Ashmole was so cautious, or rather
modest, as to publish them by a fictitious name. He at
the same time addressed himself to a work of greater consequence, a complete collection of the works of such English chemists, as had till then remained in ms. which cost
him a great deal of labour, and for the embellishment of
which he spared no expence, causing the cuts that were
necessary, to be engraved at his own house in Black-Friars,
by Mr. Vaughan, who was then the most eminent artist in
that department in England. He imbibed this affection for
chemistry from his intimate acquaintance with Mr. William
Backhouse, of Swallowfield in the county of Berks, who
was reputed an adept, and whom, from his free communication of chemical secrets, Mr. Ashmole was wont to call
father, agreeably to the custom which had long prevailed
among the lovers of that art, improperly, however, called
chemistry for it really was the old superstition of alchemy. He likewise employed a part of his time in acquiring the art of engraving seuls, casting in sand, and
the mystery of a working goldsmith. But all this time,
his great work of publishing the ancient English writers in
chemistry went on and finding that a competent knowlege of the Hebrew was absolutely necessary for understanding and explaining such authors as had written on the
Hermetic science, he had recourse to rabbi Solomon Frank,
by whom he was taught the rudiments of Hebrew, which
he found very useful to him in his studies. At length,
towards the close of the year 1652, his “Theatrum Chymicum Britannicum
” appeared, which gained him great reputation in the learned world, as it shewed him to be a
man of a most studious disposition, indefatigable application, and of wonderful accuracy in his compositions. It
served also to extend his acquaintance considerably, and
among others the celebrated Mr. Seiden took notice of him
in the year 1653, encouraged his studies, and lived in
great friendship with him to the day of his death. He was
likewise very intimate with Mr. Oughtred, the mathematician, and with Dr. Wharton, a physician of great
racter and experience. His marriage with lady -Main-waring, however, involved him in abundance of law-suits
with other people, and at last produced a dispute between
themselves, which came to a hearing on October 8, 1657,
in the court of chancery, where serjeant Maynard having
observed, that in eight hundred sheets of depositions taken
on the part of the lady, there was not so much as a bad
word proved against Mr. Ashrnole, her bill was dismissed,
and she delivered back to her husband. He had now for
some time addicted himself to the study of antiquity and
records, which recommended him to the intimate acquaintance of Mr. (afterwards sir William) Dugdale, whom about
this time he attended in his survey of the Fens, and was
very useful to him in 'that excellent undertaking. Mr.
Ashmole himself soon after took the pains to trace the
Roman road, which in Antoninus’s Itinerary is called Bennevanna, from Weeden to Litchfield, of which he gave
Mr. Dugdale an account, in a letter addressed to him upon
that subject. It is very probable, that after his studies
had thus taken a new turn, he lost somewhat of his relish
for chemistry, since he discontinued the Theatrum Chemicum, which, according to his first design, was to have consisted of several volumes yet he still retained such a remembrance of it, as induced him to part civilly with the
sons of art, by publishing a treatise in prose on the philosopher’s stone, to which he prefixed an admirable preface, in which he wishes to apologize for taking leave of
these fooleries. In the spring of the year 1658, our author began to collect materials for his history of the order
of the garter, which he afterwards lived to finish, and
thereby rendered both the order and himself immortal,
the just reward of the prodigious pains he took in searching
records in the Tower, and elsewhere, comparing them with
each other, and obtaining such lights as were requisite to
render so perplexed a subject clear, and to reduce all the
circumstances of such a vast body of history into their proper order. In September following he made a journey to
Oxford, where he was extremely well received, and where
he undertook to make a full and distinct description of the
coins given to the public library by archbishop Laud, which
was of great use to him in the works which he afterwards
composed. He had lodged and boarded sometimes at a house
in South Lambeth, kept by Mr. John Tradescant, whose
father and himself hud been physic-gardeners there for
many years, and had collected avast number of curiosities,
which, after mature deliberation, Mr. Tradescant and his
wife determined to bestow on Mr. Ashmole, and accordingly sealed and delivered a deed of gift for that purpose,
on December 16, 1659. On the restoration of king Charles
II. Mr. Ashmole was Dearly introduced into the presence
and favour of his majesty, and on June 18, 1660, which was
the second time he had the honour of discoursing with the
king, he graciously bestowed upon him the place of Windsor herald. A few days after, he was appointed by the king
to make a description of his medals, and had them delivered into his hands, and king Henry VHIth’s closet assigned
for his use, being also allowed his diet at court. On August 21st, in the same year, he presented the three books
which he had published, to his majesty, who, as he both
loved and understood chemistry, received them very graciously. On September 3, he had a warrant signed for the
office of commissioner of the excise, in consequence of a
letter written by his majesty’s express command, to the
earl of Southampton, then lord high-treasurer, by Mr. Se^
cretary Morris. About this time, a commission was granted
to him as incidental to the care of the king’s medals, to
examine the famous, or rather infamous, Hugh Peters,
about the contents of the royal library which had fallen
into his hands, and which was very carefully and punctually
executed, but to very little purpose. On November 2d,
he was called to the bar in Middle-Temple hall, and January 15, 1661, he was admitted a fellow of the Royal Society. On February 9th following, the king signed a warrant for constituting him secretary of Surinam in the West
Indies. In the beginning of the year 1662, he was appointed one of the commissioners for recovering the king’s
goods, and about the same time he sent a set of services
and anthems to the cathedral church of Litchfield, in memory of his having been once a chorister there, and he
gave afterwards twenty pounds towards repairing the cathedral. On June 27, 1664, the White Office was opened,
of which he was appointed a commissioner. On Feb. 17,
1665, sir Edward By she sealed his deputation for visiting Berkshire, which visitation he began on the llth
of March following, and on June 9, 1668, he was appointed by the lords commissioners of the treasury, accomptant-general, and country accomptant in the excise.
His second wife, lady Main waring, dying, April 1, in the
same year, he soon after married Mrs. Elizabeth Dugdale,
daughter to his good friend sir William Dugdale, kht. garter king at arms, in Lincoln’s-inn chapel, on Novembers.
The university of Oxford, in consideration of the many
favours they had received from Mr. Ashmole, created him
doctor of physic by diploma, July 19, 1669, which was
presented to him on the 3d of November following, by
Dr. Yates, principal of Brazen-Nose college, in the name
of the university. He was now courted and esteemed by
the greatest people in the kingdom, both in point of title
and merit, who frequently did him the honour to visit him
at his chambers in the Temple, and whenever he went his
summer progress, he had the same respect paid him in the
country, especially at his 'native town of Litchfield, to which
when he came, he was splendidly entertained by the corporation. On May 8, 1672, he presented his laborious
work on the most noble order of the garter, to his most
gracious master king Charles II. who not only received it
with great civility and kindness, but soon after granted to
our author, as a mark of his approbation of the work, and
of his personal esteem for him, a privy seal for 400 pounds
out of the custom of paper. This was his greatest undertaking, and had he published nothing else, would have
preserved his memory, as it certainly is in its kind one of
the most valuable books in our language. On January
29, 1675, he resigned his office of Windsor herald, which
by his procurement, was bestowed on his brother Dugdale,
It was with great reluctancy that the earl marshal parted
with him, and it was not long after, that he bestowed on
him the character of being the best officer in his office. On
the death of sir Edward Walker, garter king at arms, Feb_
20, 1677, the king and the duke of Norfolk, as earl marshal, contested the right of disposing of his place, on which
Mr. Ashmole was consulted, who declared in favour of the
king, but with so much prudence and discretion as not to
give any umbrage to the earl marshal. He afterwards himself refused this high office, which was conferred on his
father-in-law sir -William Dugdale, for whom he employed
his utmost interest. About the close of 1677, a proposal
was made to Mr. Ashmole to become a candidate for the
city of Litchfield, but finding himself poorly supported by
the very persons who would have encouraged him to stand,
he withdrew his pretensions. On the 26th of January,
1679, about ten in the morning, a fire began in the Middle
Temple, in the next chambers to Mr. Aslimole’s,- by which
he lost a library he had been collecting thirty-three years;
but his Mss. escaped, by their being at his house in South
Lambeth. He likewise lost a collection of 9000 coins,
ancient and modern but his more valuable collection of
gold medals were likewise preserved by being at Lambeth
his vast repository of seals, charters, and other antiquities
and curiosities, perished also in the flames. In 1683, the
university of Oxford having finished a noble repository
near the theatre, Mr. Ashmole sent thither that great collection of rarities which he had received from the Tradescants before-mentioned, together with such additions as he
had made to them; and to this valuable benefaction he
afterwards added that of his Mss. and library, which still
remain a monument of his generous love to learning in
general, and to the university of Oxford in particular. In
the beginning of the year 1685, he was invited by the magistrates, and by the dean of Litchfield, to represent that
corporation in parliament but upon king James’s intimating to him, by the lord Dartmouth, that he would take it
kindly if he would resign his interest to Mr. Levvson, he instantly complied.
tremely bright and clear his skies are warm his touch is free and firm his figures and animals are w r ell drawn, and judiciously disposed and his pictures justly
, a Flemish painter, was born at Antwerp in 1610, and was a disciple of Esaias Vandervelde, and under the guidance of so able a master, he became an excellent painter of landscape. His companions nicknamed him Crabbetje, from a crooked turn in his fingers and his hand, which caused him to hold his pallet with some degree of awkwardness. And yet, by the lightness, freedom, and spirit of his touch, it could not be supposed that his hand had the smallest imperfection. He was one of the first Flemish painters who adopted the clean and bright manner of landscape painting. He studied after nature in the country about Rome, improving his taste by the delightful situations of towns, villas, antiquities, figures, and animals, which he sketched upon paper, to make a proper use of them in his designs. In the style of his landscape he chose particularly to imitate Claude Lorraine but in other parts of his painting he seemed fond of making Bamboccio his model. He enriched his landscapes with the vestiges of noble buildings, and the views of such seats as he observed to be beautiful, by their situation or construction. His colouring is extremely bright and clear his skies are warm his touch is free and firm his figures and animals are w r ell drawn, and judiciously disposed and his pictures justly merit the approbation which they have always received.
n an opinion so contrary to that which you entertained of that book all the former part of your life r” The bishop replied, “We have not time to talk of these things,
The following anecdote was first communicated to the
public by the late Dr. Maty, on the credit of lord Chesterfield: “I went,
” said lord Chesterfield, “to Mr. Pope,
one morning, at Twickenham, and found a large folio
Bible, with gilt clasps, lying before him upon his table
and, as I knew his way of thinking upon that book, I asked
him jocosely, if he was going to write an answer to it It
is a present, said he, or rather a legacy, from my old
friend the bishop of Rochester. I went to take my leave
of him yesterday in the Tower, where I saw this Bible
upon his table. After the first compliments, the bishop
said to me,
” My friend Pope, considering your infirmities, and my age and exile, it is not likely that we should
ever meet again and therefore I give you this legacy to
remember me by it. Take it home with you, and let me
advise you to abide by it.“” Does your lordship abide
by it yourself“” I do.“If you do, my lord, it is but
lately. May I beg to know what new light or arguments
have prevailed with you now, to entertain an opinion so
contrary to that which you entertained of that book all the
former part of your life r
” The bishop replied, “We
have not time to talk of these things, but take home the
book; I will abide by it, and I recommend you to do so
too, and so God bless you.
” It has been justly remarked^
that whatever were the bishop’s faults, we do not recollect
any thing that indicates a disbelief or a doubt of the truth
of Christianity. His actions and writings rather display
him in the light of a zealous supporter of religion than in
that of an infidel. His sermons on the miraculous propagation of the Gospel, and on a standing revelation’s being
the best means of conviction, not to mention others of his
discourses, are important evidences of his attachment to
the Christian religion. It is observable, that he generally
treats unbelievers with contempt, as an ignorant, superficial, and conceited set of men, which he vyould scarcely
have done had he been of the same sentiments for,
though a man may conceal, or deny, or even persecute the
opinions which he himself holds, it is not very likely that
he should appear to despise the retainers of them. With
respect to the above anecdote related by Dr. Maty, the late
Mr. Badcock, from a zeal to vindicate the bishop’s character, as if it were insinuated that he had once been an
unbeliever, wrote a letter in which he endeavoured to deny
the authenticity of the anecdote but, in our opinion, without arriving at that conclusion.
, F. R. S. an eminent mathematician, was born in 1746, and admitted
, F. R. S. an eminent mathematician, was born in 1746, and admitted of Westminster
school in 1759, from whence he was elected to Trinity
college, Cambridge, in 1765, where he took his bachelor’s
degree in 1769 and his master’s in 1772. He was for some
time a tutor, and for many years a fellow of that college,
and read to the whole university lectures upon several
branches of experimental philosophy, part of which he
published under the title of “An Analysis of a course of
Lectures on the principles of Natural Philosophy, read in
the university of Cambridge, by G. A. &c.
” .
The right hon. Wm. Pitt having been one of his auditors,
was induced to form a more intimate acquaintance with
him; and discovering that his talents might be eminently
useful in the public service, bestowed upon him, in 1784,
the place of patent searcher of the customs, London, that
he might be enabled to devote a larger portion of his time
to financial calculations, in which Mr. Pitt employed him,
not more to his own satisfaction than to the advantage of
the revenue. He continued in this employment under
that eminent statesman, until his declining health rendered
him incapable of intense application. In 1784, he also
published
” A treatise on the rectilinear Motion and Rotation of Bodies, with a description of original Experiments
relative to the subject," 8vo. He contributed several papers to the Philosophical Transactions, and was honoured,
on one occasion, with the Copleian medal. He died at
his house in Westminster, July 1807, and was interred in
St. Margaret’s church, justly esteemed by a numerous list
of friends, and by the friends of science.
ity, and furnished Anthony Wood with a considerable part of the materials for his two large works. W r ood, however, in his own life, does not speak very respectfully
, an eminent English antiquary, descended from an ancient family in Wiltshire, was born at
Easton-Piers in that county, Nov. 3, 1625 or 1626. He
received the first rudiments of his education in the grammar-school at Malmesbury, under Mr. Robert Latimer;
who had also been preceptor to the famous Thomas
Hobbes, with whom Mr. Aubrey commenced an early friendship, which lasted as long as Mr. Hobbes lived. In 1642,
Mr. Aubrey was entered a gentleman-commoner of Trinity
college at Oxford, where he pursued his studies with great
diligence, making the history and antiquities of England
his peculiar object. About this time the famous “Monasticon Anglicanum
” was talked of in the university, to
which Mr. Aubrey contributed considerable assistance, and
procured, at his own expence, a curious draught of the
remains of Osney abbey near Oxford, which were entirely
destroyed in the civil wars. This was afterwards engraved
by Hollar, and inserted in the Mouasticon with an inscription by Aubrey. In 1646 he was admitted of the Middle
Temple, but the death of his father hindered him from
pursuing the law. He succeeded to several estates in the
counties of Wilts, Surrey, Hereford, Brecknock, and Monmouth, but they were involved in many law-suits. These
suits, together with other misfortunes, by degrees consumed all his estates, and forced him to lead a more active
life than he was otherwise inclined to. He did not, however, break off his acquaintance with the learned at Oxford or at London, but kept up a close correspondence
with the lovers of antiquity and natural philosophy in the
university, and furnished Anthony Wood with a considerable part of the materials for his two large works. W r ood,
however, in his own life, does not speak very respectfully
of his assistant. He calls him a pretender to antiquities,
and after giving an account of the origin of their acquaintance, of the gay appearance which Aubrey made at Oxford, and of his subsequent poverty, Wood adds, “He
was a shiftless person, roving and magotie-headed, and
sometimes little better than erased. And being exceedingly credulous, would stuff his many letters sent to A. W.
with folliries and mis-informations, which sometimes would
guide him into the paths of error.
”
ec. 24, 1598, aged about eighty years. “He wrote” Roma, poema,“Paris, 1555, 4to. 2.” Venetia, poema- r Venice, 1583, 4to. 3. “Partenope,” Paris, 1585. These three
, president in the election, or
court of assessors of Orleans, was a learned lawyer, and
esteemed an excellent Latin poet in the sixteenth century.
He studied at Bologna under Alciat, and on his return to
France, wrote the greater part of his poems. The elogium
on Venice induced that republic to bestow upon him the
order of St. Mark, with the chain of gold of the order.
Henry III. of France also granted him letters of nobility,
and permitted him to add to his arms two fleur-de-lis of
gold. Notwithstanding these honours, he continued to
act as assessor at Orleans for the space of fifty years. He
died Dec. 24, 1598, aged about eighty years. “He wrote
” Roma, poema,“Paris, 1555, 4to. 2.
” Venetia, poema- r
Venice, Partenope,
” Paris,
pastoral eclogues, entitled” A Wife not ready made, but bespoken" the dedication of which is signed R. A. and the second edition was published in 1653, 8vo.
, master in chancery, was educated
in Trinity hall, Cambridge, where in 1614 he commenced
LL. D. It was his usual practice to relax himself after his
severer studies with poetry. Besides his “Divine and
Moral Speculations
” in verse, London, Susanna, or the Arraignment of the two Elders,”
inverse, Lond. 1622, 8vo. Mr. Wood starts a question
whether he was author of
” Britannia Antiqua illustrata,“published under the name of Aylett Sammes, but said to
be written by his uncle. Certain it is that the nominal
author was unequal to it, though much learning and labour have been spent on it to very little purpose. The
Censura Literaria attributes to Dr. Aylett four pastoral
eclogues, entitled
” A Wife not ready made, but bespoken" the dedication of which is signed R. A. and the
second edition was published in 1653, 8vo.
, bart. V.P.A.S. and F. R.S. of Framfield in Sussex, was descended from a Saxon family,
, bart. V.P.A.S. and F.R.S.
of Framfield in Sussex, was descended from a Saxon family, anciently seated at Bocton Alof near Wye, in the
county of Kent, in the reign of Henry III. who removed to
Hornchurch, in the county of Essex, in that of Henry IV.
and to Sudbury in that of Edward IV. Sir William Ayloffe
of Great Braxtead, in the county of Essex, was knighted
by James I. May 1, 1603, and created a baronet, Nov. 25,
1612; and from his eldest son by his third wife, the late
baronet was the fourth in descent, and fifth in title. His
father Joseph, a barrister, who married a daughter of Bryan Ayliffe, an eminent merchant of London, and died in
1717, and his grandfather, were both of Gray’s Inn. He
was born about 1703, received the early part of his education at Westminster school, admitted of Lincoln’s Inn
1724, and in the same year was entered a gentleman-commoner at St. John’s college, Oxford, which college he
quitted about 1728; elected F.A.S. Feb. 10, 1731-2, one
of the first council under their charter, 1751
vice-president, 17; and F.R.S. June 3, 1731. He prevailed on
Mr. Kirby, painter in Ipswich, to make drawings of a great
number of monuments and buildings in Suffolk, of which
twelve were engraved, with a description, 1748, and others
remain unpublished. He had at that time an intention to
write a history of the county, and had drawn up proposals
for that purpose but, being disappointed of the materials
which he had reason to expect for so laborious a work, they
were never published. On the building of Westminsterbridge he was appointed secretary to the commissioners,
1737 and on the establishment of the Paper-office on the
respectable footing it at present is, by the removal of the
state-papers from the old gate at Whitehall to new apartments at the Treasury, he was nominated the first in the
commission for the care and preservation of them. In 1747
he circulated “Proposals for printing by subscription, Encyclopaedia; or, a rational Dictionary of Arts, Sciences,
and Trade. By several eminent hands. Methodized, digested, and now publishing at Paris, by M. Diderot, fellow
of the Imperial and Royal Academies of Paris and St. Petersburgh and, as to the mathematical part, by M. d'Alembert, member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris
and Berlin, aud F. R. S. Translated from the French, with
additions and improvements;
” in which was to be included
a great variety of new articles, tending to explain and illustrate the antiquities, history ecclesiastical, civil, and military, laws, customs, manufactures, commerce, curiosities, &c.
of Great Britain and Ireland by sir Joseph Ayloffe, bart.
F. R. S. and of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and
author of “The Universal Librarian.
” Of this work a
prospectus was published, in one large sheet, dated Dec.
14, 1751 and the first number of the work itself, June 11,
1752. This nuftiber being badly received by the public,
the further prosecution of the business seems to have been
dropped. See some account of it in the Gentleman’s Mag.
1752, p. 46. It was proposed to have been finished by
Christmas 1756, in ten quarto volumes, price nine guineas,
the last two to contain upwards of six hundred plates. In
1772 he published, in 4to, “Calendars of the Ancient
Charters, &c. and of the Welsh and Scottish Rolls now remaining in the Tower ofLondon, &c.
” (which was begun to be printed by the late Rev. Mr. Morant), and in the introduction gives a most judicious and exact account-of our
public records. He drew up the account of the ehapel of
London-bridge, of which an engraving was published by
Vertue, 1748, and again by the Society of Antiquaries,
1777. His historical description of the interview between
Henry VIII. and Francis I. on the Champ de Drap d'Or,
from an original painting at Windsor, and his account of
the paintings of the same age at Cowdray, were inserted in
the third volume of the Archaeologia, and printed separately, to accompany engravings of two of these pictures by
the Society of Antiquaries, 1775. His account of the body
of Edward I. as it appeared on opening his tomb, 1774, was
printed in the same volume, p. 376. Having been educated, as has been observed, at Westminster, he acquired
an early affection for that venerable cathedral and his intimate acquaintance witfi every part of it displayed itself in
his accurate description of five monuments in the choir,
engraved in 1779 by the same society; who must reckon,
among the many obligations which they owe to his zeal and
attention to their interests, the last exertions of his life to
put their affairs on the most respectable and advantageous
footing, on their removal to their new apartments in Somerset Place. He superintended the new edition of Leland’s Collectanea, in 9 vols. 8vo, 1770, and also of the
Liber Niger Scaccarii, in 2 vols. 8vo, 1771, to each of
which he added a valuable appendix to the latter the
charters of Kingston-on-Thames, of which his father was
recorder. He also revised through the press a new edition
of Hearne’s “Curious Discourses,
” Registrum Roffense,
” published by Mr.
Thorpe in A Collection of
Debates in Parliament before the Restoration, from Mss.
by sir Joseph Ayloffe, bart.
” which is supposed never to
have appeared. In January 1734, he married Mrs. Margaret Railton (daughter and heiress of Thomas Railton, esq. of Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland, and relict of Thomas Railton, esq. who died in the commission of the peace for the city of Westminster, Sept. 4, 1732) and by
this lady he had one son of his own name, who died of the
small-pox, at Trinity hall, Cambridge, at the age of twentyone, Dec. 19, 1756. Sir Joseph died at his house at Kennington-lane, Lambeth, April 19, 1781, aged seventy-two;
and was buried in a vault in Henclon church, with his father
and his only son. His extensive knowledge of our national
antiquities and municipal rights, and the agreeable manner
in which he communicated it to his friends and tjie public,
made him sincerely regretted hy all who had the pleasure
of his acquaintance. Such of his Mss. as had not been
claimed by his friends, were sold by auction, February 27,
1782.
ructions he received in this art were from Albert Van Everdingen, but he acquired his principal know r Jedge by frequenting the painting-rooms of different great masters,
, a very celebrated Dutch painter, was born in 1631, in the city of Embden his father was secretary of state, and his grandfather had held a post in administration. The first sixteen years of his life were employed in studies suitable to the intentions of his family, which were to breed him up to commerce, and for that purpose he was sent to Amsterdam, where it would appear he first caught an inclination for painting. The earliest instructions he received in this art were from Albert Van Everdingen, but he acquired his principal know r Jedge by frequenting the painting-rooms of different great masters, and observing their various methods of touching and colouring. One of these masters was IJenry Dubbels, whose knowledge of his art was very extensive, and who was very communicative of what he knew. From him Backhuysen obtained more real benefit, than from all the painters of his time, and he had not availed himself long of such an instructor before he became the subject of general admiration, so that even his drawings were sought after, and one of his earliest performances was sold for one hundred florins. It was observed of him, that while he was painting, he would not suffer even his most intimate friends to have access to him, lest his fancy might be disturbed, and the ideas he had formed in his mind might be interrupted. He studied nature attentively in all her forms in gales, calms, storms, clouds, rocks, skies, lights and shadows and he expressed every subject with so sweet a pencil, and such transparence and lustre, as placed him above all the artists of his time in that style, except the younger Vandervelde. It was a frequent custom with Backhuysen whenever he could procure resolute mariners, to go out to sea in a storm, in order to store his mind with grand images, directly copied from nature, of such scenes as would have filled any other head and heart with terror and dismay and the moment he landed, he always impatiently ran to his palette, to secure those incidents of which the traces might, by delay, be obliterated. He perfectly understood ttie management of the chiaro-scuro, and strictly observed the truth of perspective. His works may be easily distinguished by an observant eye, from the freedom and neatness of his touch, from the clearness and natural agitation or quiescence of the water, from a peculiar tint in his clouds and skies, and also from the exact proportions of his ships, and the gracefulness of their positions.
rt of his “Instauration,” that it sometimes bears that title. Bishop Andrews and sir Thomas Bodley w r ere two of the persons whose advice he solicited on this occasion,
In the mean time he gave evidence of the steady prosecution of his studies by publishing, in 1605, the first specimen of his great work, in his book “Of the Advancement of Learning,
” a performance of much value even in
its detached state. He continued, however, his diligence
in parliament, and among other topics, endeavoured to
second the views the king had entertained of an union between England and Scotland but his efforts for the crown
were more successful in Westminster-hall than in that assembly. About this time he married Alice, daughter of
Benedict Barnham, esq. alderman of London, a lady who
brought him an ample fortune, but by whom he never had
any children. In 1607, he succeeded in his application
for the solicitorship, on a vacancy, and with that his practice encreased most extensively, there being few causes of
importance in which he was not concerned. He assured
the king, before he obtained this employment, that it
would give him such an increase of capacity, though not
of zeal, to serve his majesty, that what he had done in
times past should seem as nothing, in comparison with the
services he should render for the future and in this respect he is said to have kept his word, for in the session
of parliament hold in the year in which he was made solicitor, he ran through a great variety of business, and that
of a nature which required a man not only of great abilities but of great policy, and of equal reputation. He was,
in the first place, employed by the house of commons to
represent to the king the grievances under which the nation laboured and though the paper relating to them was
couched in terms not very agreeable to the king’s temper,
sir Francis, by his accompanying address, so abated their
harshness as to perform this difficult commission with universal applause. He was likewise employed by the house
at a conference with the lords, to persuade them to join
in an application to the crown, for the taking away the ancient tenures, and allowing a certain and competent revenue in lieu of them and in his speech on this occasion, sir
Francis Bacon set the affair in so clear a light, as excited
that spirit, which at length procured the dissolution of the
court of Wards, a point of the highest consequence to the
Jiberties of this kingdom. He likewise satisfied the house
at a time when they were much out of temper at the manner in which the king’s messages were conveyed to them
and procured their acquiescence in the supplies by a
well-timed speech, which must have convinced the king
of what importance his services were likely to prove.
Amidst all these political and professional engagements,
he found leisure to digest the plan of the second part of
his great work, which he transmitted to some judicious
friends for their opinion. This piece was entitled “Cogitata et Visa,
” and contained the ground-work or plan of
his “Novum Organum,
” so essential a part of his “Instauration,
” that it sometimes bears that title. Bishop
Andrews and sir Thomas Bodley w r ere two of the persons
whose advice he solicited on this occasion, and their answers are printed in his works, where we have likewise a
small discourse in English, under the Latin title of “Filum Labyrinthi,
” which was the original draught of the
“Cogitata et Visa.
” While availing himself of the opinions of his learned contemporaries, he published in 1610,
his celebrated treatise “Of the Wisdom of the Ancients,
”
a work which received and has ever retained the justest applause. It is not easy to say which is most conspicuous in
this, his diligence in procuring the materials, or his judgment in disposing of them.
is the author shews the analysis or method, by which he found this rule which, in the opinion of Dr. R. Plot (who was then secretary to the royal society) is so good,
, an eminent mathematician in the
seventeenth century, the son of James Baker of Ikon in
Somersetshire, steward to the family of the Strangways of
Dorsetshire, was born at Ikon about the year 1625, and
entered in Magdalen-hall, Oxon, in the beginning of the
year 1640. In April 1645, he was elected scholar of Wadham college and did some little servicb to king Charles I.
within the garrison of Oxford. He was admitted bachelor
of arts, April 10, 1647, but left the university without completing that degree by determination. Afterwards he became vicar of Bishop’s-Nymmet in Devonshire, where he
lived many years in studious retirement, applying chiefly
to the study of the mathematics, in which he made very
great progress. But in his obscure neighbourhood, he was
neither known, nor sufficiently valued for his skill in that
useful branch of knowledge, till he published his famous
book. A little before his death, the members of the royal
society sent him some mathematical queries to which he
returned so satisfactory an answer, that they gave him a
medal with an inscription full of honour and respect. He
died at Bishop’s-Nymmet aforementioned, on the 5th of
June 1690, and was buried in his own church. His book
was entitled “The Geometrical Key, or the Gate of Equations unlocked, or a new Discovery of the construction of
all Equations, howsoever affected, not exceeding the fourth
degree, viz. of Linears, Quadratics, Cubics, Biquadratics,
and the rinding of all their roots, as well false as true, without the use of Mesolahe, Trisection of Angles, without
Reduction, Depression, or any other previous Preparations
of Equations, by a Circle, and any (and that one only)
Farabole, &c.
” London, 1684, 4to, in Latin and English.
In the Philosophical Transactions, it is observed, that the
author, in order to free us of the trouble of preparing the
equation by taking away the second term, shews us how to
construct all affected equations, not exceeding the fourth
power, by the intersection of a circle and parabola, without omission or change of any terms. And a circle and a
parabola being the most simple, it follows, that the way
which our author has chosen is the best. In the book (to render it intelligible even to those who have read no conies), the author shews, how a parabola arises from the
section of a cone, then bow to describe it in piano, and
from that construction demonstrates, that the squares of
the ordinates are one to another, as the correspondent
sagitta or intercepted diameters then he shews, that if a
line be inscribed in a parabola perpendicular to any diameter, a rectangle made of the segments of the inscript,
will be equal to a rectangle rr.ade of the intercepted diameter and parameter of the axis. From this last propriety
our author deduces the universality of his central rule for
the solution of ai! 2 biquadratic and cubic equations, however
affected or varied in terms or signs. After the synthesis
the author shews the analysis or method, by which he found
this rule which, in the opinion of Dr. R. Plot (who was then secretary to the royal society) is so good, that nothing can be expected more easy, simple, or universal.
eek, ib. 1721, 12mo. 8. “Les actes de S. Barlaam,” from the Greek, ib. 1720, 12mo. 9. < Sentimens du R. P. Baltus, sur le traite de la foiblesse de l'esprit humain.“These
, a learned French Jesuit,
was born at Metz, June 3, 1667, and received into the
society of Jesuits, at Nancy, in Nov. 1682. In 1700,
when he took the four vows, he was professor of Hebrew
in the college of Strasburgh, and before that, when much
younger, he taught the lower classes at Dijon, and gave
essons on rhetoric at Pont-a-Mousson. In his youth he
studied Greek and Latin with ardour, and afterwards applied with equal zeal to Hebrew and Christian antiquities,
until his continued study had injured his health. With a
view of restoring it by travelling, he was sent from Strasburgh to Dijon, where he had the care of the public library. In 1717 he was called to Rome, and for some
time was censor of the press but the air of Rome disagreeing with him, he returned to France, where he was
successively rector of the Jesuits colleges at Dijon, at
Pont-a-Mousson, and other places. His last employment
was that of librarian, at Rheims, where he died, March 9,
1743. He was in very high esteem among his brethren,
and acquired considerable reputation by his works, which
are, 1. “Oraison funebre de M. Pierre Creagh,
” archbishop
of Dublin, Strasburgh, Reponse a l'histoire
des Onicles de M. de Fontenelle,
” Strasburgh, Suite de la Reponse, &c.
” Strasburgh, Defense ties Ss. Peres accuses de Platonisme,
” Paris,
1711, 4to. Dupin has given a good analysis of this
learned work in the second volume of his ecclesiastical
authors of the eighteenth century. 5. “Jugement des
Ss. Peres sur la morale de la philosophic paienne,
” Strasburgh, 1719, 4to. 6. “Reflexions spirituelles et sentimens de piete ciu II. P. Charles de Lorraine,
” a trans^
hition from the Italian, Dijon, 1720, 12 mo. 7. “La Vie
de Sainte Fabronie,
” from the Greek, ib. Les actes de S. Barlaam,
” from the Greek, ib. These remarks on M.
Huet’s work were addressed to the abbe Olivet, and were
printed in the literary and historical memoirs of father
Molets. 10. ct La religion Chretienne, prouvee par l‘accomplisserncnt des propheties de l’ancien et du nonveau
Testament, suivant la methode des Ss. Peres,
” Paris,
1728, 4to. 11. “Defense des propheties de la religion
Chretienne,
” Paris,
this university. It is certain, however, that he was admitted master of arts in his twentieth year, r and soon after returned to his classical studies, which he cultivated
, a learned and voluminous writer, was born Sept. 28, 1488, at Barland, a village of
Zealand, from which he took his name. His father sent
him to Ghent at the age of eleven, where he studied the
classics under Peter Scot, a man eminently skilled in the
ancient orators and poets, who, discovering his pupil’s promising talents, and that he excelled all his schoolfellows,
bestowed particular care in cultivating his mind. At the
expiration of four years, he went, in compliance with his
father’s wish* to Loitvaine, an university which Barland allows to be very celebrated* but where, he says, he passed
his time, without much acquisition of knowledge, and had
nearly forgot what he had learned at Ghent. Representations of this kind, from young men, are generally to be
suspected. Barland does not inform us how he was employed during the four years he passed at this university.
It is certain, however, that he was admitted master of arts
in his twentieth year, r and soon after returned to his classical studies, which he cultivated with such success, that he
was enabled to teach and for more than nine years had a
very flourishing school. According to Andreas Valerius,
he taught Latin in the college of the three languages,
called Busleiden, at Louvaine. In 1518 he went into England, but soon after, we find him at Afflinghem, superintending the studies of one of his Lonvaine pupils. In 152G
he was invited to the professorship of rhetoric at Louvaine,
which he continued to hold until his death in 1542. In
1603, a collection of some of his works was published at
Cologne, under the title of “Historica,
” all of which had
been published separately, except a letter to one of his
friends, in which he gives an account of his early studies.
Besides these, he published, 1. “In omnes Erasmi Adagiorum chiliados epitome,
” Colon. Historica narratio Papiensis obsidionis anni 1525,
” printed in
the second volume of Schardius’s German writers. 3. “Dialogi ad profligandam e scholis barbariem,
” the best edition
of which is that of De Litteratis urbis Roma
principibus opusculum. Elysii Calentii oppido quam elegantes epistolse, a Barlando recognitas et argumentis auctae. Menandri dicta eximia, adnotationibus illustrata,
”
Louvaine, Epistola de ratione studii.
”
6. “Commentarii in Terentii comedias,
” added to the
Paris editions of Terence, Enarrationes in quatuor libros Eneidos
Virgilianse,
” Antwerp,
h of the said month, on the north side of the chancel belonging to that church, near the body of Dr. R. Sanderson, some time bishop of Lincoln, and, according to his
, a very learned divine and bishop
in the seventeenth century, was born at Langhill, in the
parish of Orton, in Westmorland, in 1607; being the son
<*f Mr. Richard Barlow, descended from the ancient family
of Barlow-moore in Lancashire. He had his first education at the free-school at Appleby, in his own country.
From thence being removed, in the sixteenth year of his
age, to Queen’s college in Oxford, he took his degrees in
arts, that of master being completed the 27th of June,
1633, and the same year was chosen fellow of his college.
In 1635, he was appointed metaphysic-reader in the university; and his lectures being much approved of, were
published in 1637 for the use of the scholars. When
the garrison of Oxford surrendered to the parliament
in 1646, he submitted to the persons then in power and
by tb-^ interest of colonel Thomas Kelsey, deputy governor of that garrison, or more likely by that of Selden or
Dr. Owen, preserved his fellowship, notwithstanding the
parliamentary visitation, of which he gave a ludicrous account, in a pamphlet entitled “Pegasus.
” In The case of a Toleration in matters of religion,' 7 addressed to the famous Rob. Boyle, esq. in which
that subject fs handled with great candour. In 1661, he was
appointed archdeacon of Oxford, in the room of Dr. Barten Holiday, deceased but he was not installed till June 13,
1664, owing to a contest between him and Dr. Thomas
Lamplugh about thut dignity, which, after having lasted
some time, was at length decided in favour of Dr. Barlow, at the assizes held at Oxford, March 1, 1663-4. Being eminent for his skill in the civil and canon law, he was
often applied to as a casuist, to resolve cases of conscience,
about marriage, &c. And on one of these occasions, in
1671, he wrote
” Mr. Cottington’s case of Divorce,“in
which is discussed the validity of his marriage with a lady
whose former husband was living and some years after,
another case of marriage, inserted in his
” Genuine remains.“Upon the death of Dr. W. Fuller, bishop of
Lincoln, which happened April 22, 1675, he obtained, the
same day, a grant of that bishopric, at the recommendation of some of the nobility, and chiefly through the interest of the two secretaries of state, Henry Coventry, esq.
and sir Joseph Williamson, both some time of his college,
and the first formerly his pupil. The 27th of June following, he was consecrated at Ely-house chapel. Archbishop
Sheldon opposed his promotion, though the reasons of it
are not assigned. After his advancement to this see,
bishop Barlow wrote several curious things. They were
generally short, and most of them by way of letter. The
most considerable are these: In 1676,
” The original of
Sine Cures >“concerning
” Pensions paid out of Churchlivings“and a” Survey of the numbers of Papists within
the province of Canterbury
” in 1679, “A letter concerning the Canon Law, allowing the whipping of heretics.
”
But he was most distinguished by his writings against
popery the chief of which were, “Popery, or the principles and positions approved by the Church of Rome, &c.
are very dangerous to all,
” and “A discourse concerning
the Laws ecclesiastical and civil, made against heretics by
popes, emperors, and kings, provincial and general councils, approved by the Church of Rome,
” evidently levelled
against the duke of York. He expressed his zeal against
the papists, not only in writing, but in action. For when,
in 1678, after the discovery of the popish plot, a bill was
brought into parliament, requiring all members of either
house, and all such as might come into the king’s court, or
presence, to take a test against popery our bishop appeared for that bill in the house of lords, and spoke in favour of it. Notwithstanding which we are told, that after
king James II.'s accession to the throne, bishop Barlow
took all opportunities to express his affection, or submission, to him for he sent up an address of thanks to him,
for his first declaration for liberty of conscience, signed by
six hundred of his clergy. He wrote reasons for reading
that king’s second declaration for liberty of conscience
he caused it to be read in his diocese , nay, he was
prevailed upon to assert and vindicate the regal power of dispensing with penal laws, in an elaborate tract, with numerous quotations from canonists, civilians, and divines.
And yet, after the revolution, he was one of those bishops
who readily voted that king James had abdicated his kingdoms. He took the oaths to his successors and no bishop
was more ready than he, to fill the places of such clergymen as refused to take the oaths to king William and queen
Mary. There was nothing in this, however, inconsistent
in one who held his sentiments *in favour of toleration. It
is more doubtful that he was entirely addicted to the Aristotelian philosophy, and a declared enemy to the improvements made by the royal society, and to what he called in
general the new philoso'phy. He was, however, a rigid
Calvinist, and the school divinity was that which he most
admired but when his attachment to Calvin’s notions engaged him in a public opposition to some of Mr. Bull’s
works, he declined a public disputation on the subject.
He has also been blamed for never appearing in his cathedral, nor visiting his diocese in person, but residing constantly at his manor of Bugden but against this he appears to have vindicated himself. His enemies are willing
to allow that he was a good casuist, a man of very exten^
sive learning, an universal lover and favourer of learned
me if, of what country or denomination soever, and a great
master of the whole controversy between the Protestants
and Papists. He died at Bugden, October 8, 1691, in the
eighty-fifth year of his age; and was buried the llth of
the said month, on the north side of the chancel belonging to
that church, near the body of Dr. R. Sanderson, some time
bishop of Lincoln, and, according to his own desire, in the
grave of Dr. William Barlow, formerly bishop of the same
see to whose memory, as well as his own, is erected a
monument, with an inscription which he composed himself
a few days before his death. He bequeathed to the
Bodleian library, all such books of his own, as were not in that
noble collection at the time of his death and the remainder he gave to Queen’s college in Oxford, on which the
society erected, in 1694, a noble pile of buildings, on the
west side of their college, to receive them. All his manuscripts, of his own composition, he left to his two domestic
chaplains, William Otfley and Henry Brougham, prebendaries of Lincoln, with a particular desire that they
would not make any of them public after his decease.
Besides the works already mentioned, he wrote against
popery, 1.'“Confutation of the infallibility of the church
of Rome,
” written in 167S. 2. “A letter to J. Evelyn,
esq. concerning invocation of Saints, and adoration of the
Cross,
” London, The Gun-powder Treason, with a discourse of the manner of its discovery, &c.
” printed at first
in A preface
touching that horrid conspiracy, dated Feb. 1, 1678-9.
”
4. “Brutum Fulmen, or the bull of pope Pius Sextus
against queen Elizabeth,
” Whether the
pope be Antichrist, &c.
” 6. “A few plain reasons why
a Protestant of the church of England should not turn
Roman catholic,
” Pietas in Patrem, or a few tears upon
the lamented death of his most dear and loving Father
Richard Barlow, late of Langhill in Westmorland, who
died December 29, 1636,
” Oxford, A
letter to Mr. John Goodwin, concerning Universal Redemption, by J. Christ,
” For toleration of the Jews,
”
3655. 10. “A letter to Mr. John Tombes in defence of
Anabaptism, inserted in one of Tombes’s books.
” 11. “A
tract to prove that true grace doth not lie so much in the
degree, as in the nature.
” This also is inserted in a book,
entitled Sincerity and Hypocrisy, &c. written by William
Sheppard, esq. 12. “The Rights of the Bishops to judge
in capital eases in parliament cleared, &c.
” Lond. A letter (to his clergy) for the putting in execution the Laws against
Dissenters, written in concurrence to that which was drawn
up by the justices of the peace of the county of Bedford,
at the quarter-sessions held at Ampthill for the said county,
Jan. 14, 1684.
” After his decease, sir Peter Pett
lisbed in Several miscellaneous and weighty
cases of conscience, learnedly and judiciously resolved by
the right rev. father in God, Dr. T ho. Barlow, late lord
bishop of Lincoln.
” Sir Peter published also in The genuine Remains of that learned
prelate, Dr. Thomas Barlow, late lord bishop of Lincoln,
containing divers discourses, theological, philosophical,
historical, &c. in letters to several persons of honour and
quality.
” But these two volumes being published without
the knowledge or consent of the bishop’s two chaplains
above-mentioned, to whom he had left all his manuscripts,
with orders that they should not be published, they severely
Reflected upon the publisher, for the unwarrantable liberty
he had taken.
the princes of Germany. He was sent several times to those courts and among other negociations, he w r as the first who was employed in the project of the marriage
, professor of divinity, and chaplain to Henry VIII. king of England, was sent to Germany by his master in 1535, where he held a conference
with the protestant divines upon the affair of the divorce
after that he had several audiences of the elector of Saxony, and joined with the English ambassadors, who proposed to this elector an alliance against the pope, and desired that Henry VIII. might be associated in the league
of Smalcalde. He gave them hopes of a reformation in
England but in fact, they had no other design than to
obtain their doctors approbation of the divorce of their
master, and a political alliance, in order to find the emperor more employment, who threatened to revenge the
injury upon king Henry for divorcing his aunt. They carried away with them the opinion of the divines of Witternberg which was not entirely favourable to them but they
suppressed the conclusion, wjien they shewed it to the
king. Barnes’s conduct however pleased the king, and
induced him to employ him in carrying on a correspondence with the princes of Germany. He was sent several
times to those courts and among other negociations, he
w r as the first who was employed in the project of the marriage with Anne of Cleves. He was a zealous Lutheran,
which he did not conceal in his sermons for in Lent in
1540 he confuted the sermon, which bishop Gardiner had
preached against Luther’s doctrine. He took the same
text as Gardiner had done, and taught a doctrine absolutely contrary to what this prelate had laid down concerning
justification nay he even attacked the bishop personally,
and jested upon the name of Gardiner. Gardiner’s friends
complained to the king of this, who ordered 'Barnes to
give him satisfaction, to sign certain articles, and to make
a formal recantation in the pulpit. All this was done, but
in such a manner, that there was a complaint, that in one
part of his sermon he artfully maintained what he had retracted in the other. Upon these complaints he was sent
to the Tower by the king’s command, which he never
came out of but to suffer death in the midst of the flames
for he was condemned* as an heretic by the parliament,
without being permitted to make his defence. He declared his belief a little before his death he rejected justification by works, invocation of saints, &c. and desired
that the king would undertake a thorough reformation.
His freedom of speech had for a long time before exposed
him to trouble. While Wolsey was in favour, he preached
so vehemently at Cambridge against the luxury of prelates,
that every body saw immediately that he designed it
against the cardinal. Upon that account he was carried to
London, where by the solicitations of Gardiner and Fox,
he was rescued from that prosecution, having agreed to
abjure some articles which were proposed to him. Afterwards he was again committed to prison upon some newaccusations and then it was generally believed that he
would be burnt, but he escaped, and went over into Germany, where he applied himself entirely to the study of
the bible and divinity in which he made so great a progress, that he was very much esteemed by the doctors and
princes. When the king of Denmark sent ambassadors to
England, he desired Barnes to accompany them, or even
to be one of them. We have at least two books written
by Barnes, one, the “Articles of his Faith,
” published in
Latin, with a preface by Pomeranus, and again in Dutch
in 1531. The other is his “Lives of the Popes,
” from
St. Peter to Alexander II. published, with a preface by
Luther, at Wirtemberg, 1536, and afterwards at Leyden,
1615; together with Bale’s Lives of the Popes. Luther
also published an account of his martyrdom.
he did not go down into the hold, and leave the defence of the ship to those, to whom it did belong r” He replied, “It concerned no man more than myself: I would
Several good anecdotes are told of Barrow, as well of
his great integrity, as of his wit, and bold intrepid spirit
and strength of body. His early attachment to fighting
when a boy is some indication of the latter; to which may
be added the two following anecdotes: in his voyage between Leghorn and Smyrna, already noticed, the ship was
attacked by an Algerine pirate, which after a stout resistance they compelled to sheer off, Barrow keeping his post
at the gun assigned him to the last. And when Dr. Pope
in their conversation asked him, “Why he did not go
down into the hold, and leave the defence of the ship to
those, to whom it did belong r
” He replied, “It concerned no man more than myself: I would rather have lost
my life, than to have fallen into the hands of those merciless infidels.
”
, a clergyman and poet, was born at lilandford in Dorsetshire, and educated at Winchester- r school, from whence he removed to New college, Oxford, where
, a clergyman and poet, was born at lilandford in Dorsetshire, and educated at Winchester-r school, from whence he removed to New college, Oxford, where he was chosen perpetual fellow in 1588, and two vcars after took the degree of B. A. but indulging too much his passion for satire, he was expelled the college for a libel. Not long after, he was made chaplain to Thomas, earl of Suifolk, lord treasurer of England, through whose interest he became vicar of Bere Regis, and rector of Aimer in his native county, having some time before taken the degree of M. A. He was a person of great natural endowments, a celebrated poet, and in his latter years an excellent preacher. His conversation was witty and facetious, which made his company be courted by all ingenious men. He was thrice married, as appears from one of his epigrams. Towards the latter end of his life, being disordered in his senses, and brought into debt, he was confined in the prison of All-Hallows parish in Dorchester, where dying in a very obscure and mean condition, he was buried in the church-yard belonging to that parish, April the 19th, 1618.
ended the lectures of Peter Sthael, a chymist and rosicrucian, who had been invited to Oxford by Mr. R. Boyle, and was afterwards operator to the royal society about
, a distinguished wit, and Latin
poet, was descended of an ancient family, and was born at
Howthorpe, a small hamlet in Northamptonshire, in the parish of Thedingworth, near Market-Harborough in Leicestershire, in 1620. He received the first part of his education at the free-school in Coventry, where his father
seems to have resided in the latter part of his life. His
mother was Elizabeth Villiers, daughter and coheir of Edward Villiers, esq. of the same place. They had issue
thirteen sons, and four daughters. Six of the sons lost
their lives in the service of king Charles I. during the grand
rebellion: the rest, besides one who died young, were
Ralph (of whom we now treat), Villiers, Edward, Moses,
Henry, and Benjamin, father of the late earl Bathurst, the
subject of the preceding article. At Coventry school our
author made so quick a progress in the classics, that at the
age of fourteen he was sent to Oxford, and entered October 10, 1634, in Gloucester hall, now Worcester college;
but was removed in a few days to Trinity college, and probably placed under the immediate tuition of his grandfather Dr. Kettel, then president, in whose lodging he
resided (still known by the name of Kettel-hall), and at
whose table he had his diet, for two years. He was elected
scholar of the house, June 5., 1637, and having taken the
degree of A. B. January 27th following, he was appointed
fellow June 4, 1640. He commenced A. M.April 17, 1641,
and on March 2, 1644, conformably to the statutes of his
college, he was ordained priest by Robert Skinner, bishop
of Oxford, and read some theological lectures in the college hall in 1649. These, which he called “Diatribae
theologicEc, philosophies, et philological,
” are said to discover a spirit of theological research, and an extensive
knowledge of the writings of the most learned divines. He
likewise kept his exercise for the degree of B. D. but did
not take it. The confusion of the times promising little
support or encouragement to the ministerial function, like
his friend, the famous Dr. Willis, he applied himself to
the study of physic, and accumulated the degrees in that
faculty, June 21, 1654. Before this time he had sufficiently recommended himself in his new profession, and
had not been long engaged in it, when he was employed
as physician to the sick and wounded of the navy, which
office he executed with equal diligence and dexterity, to
the full satisfaction of the sea-commanders, and the commissioners of the admiralty. We find him soon after settled at Oxford, and practising physic in concert with his
friend Dr. Willis, with whom he regularly attended Abingdon market every Monday. He likewise cultivated every
branch of philosophical knowledge: he attended the lectures of Peter Sthael, a chymist and rosicrucian, who had
been invited to Oxford by Mr. R. Boyle, and was afterwards operator to the royal society about 1662. About the
same time he had also a share in the foundation of that society; and when it was established, he was elected fellow,
and admitted August 19, 1663. While this society was at
Gresham college in London, a branch of it was continued
at Oxford, and the original society books of this Oxford
department are still preserved there in the Ashmolean Museum, where their assemblies were held. Their latter Oxford meetings were subject to regulations made among
themselves; according to which Dr. Bathurst was elected
president April 23, 1688, having been before nominated
one of the members for drawing up articles, February
29, 1683-4. Nor was he less admired as a classical scholar;
at the university a.cts, in the collections of Oxford verses,
and on every public occasion, when the ingenious were
invited to a rival display of their abilities, he appears to
have been one of the principal and most popular performers. Upon the publication of Hobbes’s treatise of “Human Nature,
” &c. Splendid Shilling
” was a piece of solemn ridicule suited to his
taste. Among his harmless whims, he delighted to surprize the scholars, when walking in the grove at unseasonable hours; on which occasions he frequently carried a
whip in his hand, an instrument of academical correction,
then not entirely laid aside. But this he practised, on account of the pleasure he took in giving so odd an alarm,
rather than from any principle of reproving, or intention
of applying an illiberal punishment. In Latin poetry, Ovid
was his favourite classic. One of his pupils having asked
him what book among all others he chose to recommend
he answered, “Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
” The pupil, in
consequence of this advice, having carefully perused the
Metamorphoses, desired to be informed what other proper
book it wouldbe necessary to read after Ovid, and Dr.
Bathurst advised him to read “Ovid’s Metamorphoses
” a
second time. He had so mean an opinion of his performances in divinity, that in his will he enjoins his executors
entirely to suppress all his papers relating to that subject,
and not to permit them to be perused by any, excepting
a very few such friends as were likely to read them with
candour. We are told, however, that on Sunday, March
20, 1680, he preached before the house of commons at St.
Mary’s, the university church, and gave much satisfaction.
His manner was nearly that of Dr. South, but with more
elegance and felicity of allusion. His Life, written by
Mr. Thomas Warton, is perhaps one of the most correct
of that author’s performances, and contains Dr. Bathurst’s
miscellaneous works, which, though they have great merit
in their particular way, and may be read with much pleasure, are not written in such a taste as entitles them to
imitation. This is acknowledged by Mr. Warton. “His
Latin orations,
” says that ingenious Biographer, “are wonderful specimens of wit and antithesis, which were the delight of his age. They want upon the whole the purity
and simplicity of Tully’s eloquence, but even exceed the
sententious smartness of Seneca, and the surprising turns
of Pliny. They are perpetually spirited, and discover an
uncommon quickness of thought. His manner is concise
and abrupt, but yet perspicuous and easy. His allusions
are delicate, and his observations sensible and animated.
His sentiments of congratulation or indignation are equally
forcible: his compliments are most elegantly turned, and
his satire is most ingeniously severe. These compositions
are extremely agreeable to read, but in the present improwriiient of classical taste, not so proper to be imitated.
They are moreover entertaining, as a picture of the times,
and a history of the state of academical literature. This
smartness does not desert our author even on philosophical
subjects.
” Among Dr. Bathurst’s Oratiuncuhe, his address to the convocation, about forming the barbers of Oxford into a company, is a most admirable specimen of his
humour, and of that facetious invention, with which few
vice-chancellors would have ventured to enforce and
eiiliven such a subject. We doubt, indeed, whether a parallel to this exquisite piece of humour can be found. With
regard to the doctor’s Latin poetry, though his hexameters
have an admirable facility, an harmonious versification,
much terseness and happiness of expression, and a certain
original air, they will be thought, nevertheless, too pointed
and ingenious by the lovers of Virgil’s simple beauties.
The two poems which he hath left in iambics make it to
be wished tiiat he had written more in that measure. “That
pregnant brevity,
” says Mr. Warton, “/which constitutes
the dignity and energy of the iambic, seems to have been
his talent.
” Dr. Bathurst’s English poetry has that roughness of versification which was, in a great degree, the fault
of the times.
that he might ask him, how they had forfeited that blessing, and unto whom that forfeiture was made r” Upon this question Cromwell became angry, and told him, “There
In 1640, he was invited to be minister at Kidderminster,
which he accepted; and had been here two years when the
civil war broke out. He was a favourer of the parliament,
which exposed him to some inconveniences, and obliged
him to retire to Gloucester; but being strongly solicited,
he returned to Kidderminster. However, not finding himself safe in this place, he again quitted it, and took up his
residence at Coventry, where he lived in perfect quiet,
preaching once every Sunday to the garrison, and once to
the town’s people, and contending warmly against the
Anabaptists. After Naseby fight, he was appointed chaplain to colonel Whalley’s regiment, and was present at
several sieges, but was never in any engagement, although
a story was afterwards raised that he had killed a man in
cool blood, and robbed him of a medal. This was first
told by Dr. Boreman of Trinity college, Cambridge, and
became very current until Mr. Baxter refuted it in his
“Catholic Communion,
” Now I beseech you, brethren, by
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the
same thing, and that there be no divisions amongst you,
but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind
and in the same judgment.
” He levelled his discourse
against the divisions and distractions of the church. A
while after Cromwell sent to speak with him: when he began a long and serious speech to him of God’s providence
in the change of the government, and how God had owned
it, and what great things had been done at home and
abroad in the peace with Spain and Holland. Mr. Baxter told him, “It was too great condescension to acquaint
him so fully with all these matters, which were above him:
but that the honest people of the land took their ancient
monarchy to be a blessing, and not an evil; and humbly
craved his patience, that he might ask him, how they had
forfeited that blessing, and unto whom that forfeiture was
made r
” Upon this question Cromwell became angry,
and told him, “There was no forfeiture, but God had
changed it as pleased him;
” and then he reviled the parliament, which thwarted him, and especially by name
four or five members, Mr. Baxter’s particular acquaintances, whom he presumed to defend against the protec
tor’s passion. A few days after he sent for him again,
under pretence of asking him his opinion about liberty of
conscience; at which time also he made a long tedious
speech, which took up so much time, that Mr. Baxter desired to offer his sentiments in writing, which he did, but
says, he questions whether Cromwell read them.
particular psalms, by Mrs. Beale: whom, in his preface, he calls “an absolutely complete gentlewoman r” He says farther, “I have hardly obtained leave to honour this
, a portrait-painter in the reign of Charles
II. was daughter of Mr. Cradock, minister of Walton upon
Thames, but was born in Suffolk in 1632. She was assiduous in copying the works of sir Peter Lely and Vandyke. She painted? in oil, water-colours, and crayons;
and had much business. The author of the essay towards
an English school of Painters, annexed to De Piles’s art
of Painting, says, that “she was little inferior to any of
her contemporaries, either for colouring, strength, force,
or life; insomuch that sir Peter was greatly taken with her
performances, as he would often acknowledge. She worked
with a wonderful body of colours, and was exceedingly industrious.
” She was greatly respected and encouraged
by many of the most eminent among the clergy of that
time; she took the portraits of Tillotson, Stillingfleet,
Patrick, Wilkins, &c. some of which are still remaining
at the earl of Ilchester’s, at Melbury, in Dorsetshire. In
the manuscripts of Mr. Oldys, she is celebrated for her
poetry as well as for her painting; and is styled “that
masculine poet, as well as painter, the incomparable Mrs.
Beale.
” In Dr. S. Woodford’s translation of the Psalms,
are two or three versions of particular psalms, by Mrs.
Beale: whom, in his preface, he calls “an absolutely
complete gentlewoman r
” He says farther, “I have hardly
obtained leave to honour this volume of mine with two or
three versions, long since done by the truly virtuous Mrs.
Mary Beale; among whose least accomplishments it is,
that she has made painting and poetry, which in the fancies
of others had only before a kind of likeness, in her own to
be really the same. The reader, I hope, will pardon this
public acknowledgement, which I make to so deserving a
person.
” She died Dec. 28, 1697, in her 66th year.
She had two sons, who both exercised the art of painting
some little time; one of them afterwards studied physic under
Dr. Sydenham, and practised at Coventry, where he and
his father died. There is an engraving, by Chambers,
from a painting by herself, of Mrs. Beale, in Walpole’s
Anecdotes of Painting in England.
putrid fever, which brought his life in imminent danger, and from which he did not recover till afte. r a confinement of eight months; and even then it left him subject
, a very eminent
physician, was born in 1682 at Bononia. He received the
first rudiments of education among the Jesuits. He then
proceeded to the study of philosophy, in which he made
great progress; but cultivated that branch of it particularly which consists in the contemplation and investigation
of nature. Having gone through a course of philosophy
and mathematics, he applied himself to medicine. Being
appointed teacher of natural philosophy at an academy in
Bononia, in consequence of his ardent pursuits in
philosophy, his fellow citizens conferred on him the office of
public professor. His first step in this chair was the interpretation of the Dialectics. He kept his house open
to students, who found there a kind 6*f philosophical society. Here it was his practice to deliver his sentiments
on the different branches of science, or to explain such
metaphysical subjects as had been treated of by Descartes, Malebranche, Leibnitz, and others of the moderns.
Among the frequenters of this little Society we find the
names of John Baptist Morgagni, Eustathius Manfred, and
Victorius Franciscus Stancarius, who, in concurrence with
Beccaria, succeeded in shaking oil the old scholastic yoke,
and formed themselves into an academy, adopting a new
and more useful method of reasoning. In this institution
it was thought fit to elect twelve of their body, who were
called ordinarii, to read the several lectures In natural history, chemistry, anatomy, medicine, physics, and mathematics, in which partition the illustration of natural
history fell to the share of Beccaria; who gave such satisfaction, that it was difficult to determine which was most
admired, his diligence or his ingenuity. In 1712 he was
called to give lectures in medicine, in which he acquired
so great a reputation, that he found it scarcely practicable
to answer the desires of the incredible number of those
who applied to him for instruction. At the beginning of
the year 1718, while entirely occupied in this station, and
in collecting numberless anatomical subjects to exhibit
and to explain to his auditors, he was attacked by a putrid
fever, which brought his life in imminent danger, and
from which he did not recover till afte.r a confinement of
eight months; and even then it left him subject to intermitting attacks, and a violent pain in his side. But the
vigour of his mind triumphed over the weakness of his
body. Having undertaken to demonstrate and explain his
anatomical preparations, he would not desist; and went
on patiently instructing the students that frequented his
house. On the death of Antonio Maria Valsalva, who was
president of the institution, Beccaria, already vice-president, was unanimously chosen by the academicians to succeed him, in which post he did the academy much signal
service; and to this day it adheres to the rules prescribed
by Beccaria. He now practised as well as taught the art
of medicine, and in this he acquired an unbounded fame;
for it was not confined to his owa countrymen, but was
spread throughout Europe. He communicated to the
royal society of London several barometrical and meteorological observations; with others on the ignis fatuus,
and on the spots that appear in stones, and in acknowledgement he was chosen a member of that learned body
in 1728. He confesses thai in his constitution he was not
without some igneous sparks, which were easily kindled
into anger and other vehement emotions; yet he was resolved to evince by example what he had constantly taught,
that the medicine of the mind is more to be studied than
that of the body; and that they are truly wise and happy
who have learnt to heal their distorted and bad affections.
He had brought himself to such an equal temper of mind,
that but a few hours before his death he wanted to mark
the heights of the barometer and thermometer, which was
his usual practice three times every day. Thus, after
many and various labours, died this learned and ingenious
man, the 30th of Jan. 1766, and was buried in the church
of St. Maria ad Baracanum, where an inscription is carved
en his monument. He published the following works:
1. “Lettere al cavaliere Tommaso Derham, intorno la
nieteora chiamata fuoco fatuo. Edita primum in societatis
Lond. transact.
” Dissertatio mctheorologicamedica, in qua ae'ris temperies et morbi Bononizegrassantes annis 1729, et sequent! describuntur.
” 3. “Pa re re
intorno al taglio delia macchiadi Viareggio,
” Lucca, De longis jejuniis dissertatio.
” Patavii, De quamplurimis phosphoris nunc primum detectis commentarius,
” Bononia?,“1744, 4to. 6.
” De
quamplurim. &c. commentarius alter.“7.
” De motu
intestino corporum fluidorum.“8.
” De medicatis Recobarii aquis.“9.
” De lacte.“10.
” Epistolrc tres
mediciP ad Franciscum lloncalium Parolinum,“Brixiir,
1747, fol. 11.
” Scriptura medico-legalis," 1749; and
some others. He left behind him several manuscripts.
rgest of our British histories, of which the bishop of Carlisle has given us the following account: “ R. Holinshed published it in English, but was not the translator
,
an elegant Scottish writer of the sixteenth century, was
descended from an ancient and very honourable family in
that kingdom, where his father, Mr. Thomas Bellenden of
Auchiiioul, was director to the chancery in 1540, and clerk
of accounts in 1541. It does not appear when our author
was born, or where educated but from his writings (frequently intermixed with words of Gallic derivation) it was
probably in France. In his youth he served in the court,
and was in great favour with king James V. as himself informs us, which he might very probahly owe to his fine vein
in poetry, that prince being a great admirer, and a proficient in poetical studies. Having this interest with his
prince, he attained extraordinary preferment in the church,
being made canon of Ross, and archdeacon of Murray, to
which last dignity perhaps he opened his passage, by
taking the degree of doctor of divinity at the Sorbonne.
He likewise obtained his father’s employment of clerk of
accounts, which was very considerable, in the minority of
the king before mentioned; but he was afterwards turned
out by the struggle of factions, in the same reign. We have
no direct authority to prove that he had any share in the
education of king James V. but from some passages in his
poems, and from his addressing many of them to that king,
he appears to have been in some measure particularly attached to his person; and from one of them, we may infer
that he had an interest beyond that of bare duty, in forming a right disposition, and giving wholesome instructions
to that prince. But the work which has transmitted his
name to posterity, is his translation of Hector Boethius,
or, as his countrymen call him, Hector Boeis’s History,
from the Latin into the Scottish tongue, which he performedat the command of his royal master admirably, but
with a good deal of freedom, departing often from his
author, although generally for the sake of truth, and sometimes also adding circumstances, which perhaps might not
be known to Hector Boece. This version, as he called it,
was very well received both in Scotland and England. It
does not appear either from his own writings or otherwise,
how he came to lose his office of clerk of accounts; but he
certainly recovered it in the succeeding reign, was likewise made one of the lords of session; and had credit then
at court, perhaps from his zeal in respect to his religion,
for he was a very warm and inflexible Romanist, and laboured assiduously, in conjunction with Dr. Laing, to impede the progress of the reformation. It may with great
probability be conjectured, that the disputes into which he
plunged himself on this subject, made him so uneasy, that
he chose to quit his native country, that he might reside in
a place, where that disposition, instead of being an hindrance, would infallibly recommend him. This (as it is supposed) carried him to Rome, where, as Dempster tells
us, he died in 1550. He was unquestionably a man of
great parts, and one of the finest poets his country had to
boast, and notwithstanding the obsolete language of his
works, they are not slightly imbued with that enthusiasm
which is the very soul of poesy. His great work appeared
in folio at Edinburgh, in 1536, entitled “The History and
Chronicles of Scotland, compilit and newly correctit and
amendit be the reverend and noble clerk Mr. Hector Boeis,
chanon of Aberdene, translated lately be Mr. John Bellenden, archdene of Murray, and chanon of Rosse, at command of James the Fyfte, king of Scottis, imprintet in
Edinburgh be Thomas Davidson, dwelling fornens the
Fryere-Wynde.
” This translation, as has been observed,
was very far from being close, our author taking to himself the liberty of augmenting and amending the history he
published as he thought proper. He, likewise, distinguished
it into chapters as well as books, which was the only distinction employed by Boethius; which plainly proves, that it
was this translation, and not the original, that Richard
Grafton made use of in penning his chronicle, which Buchanan could scarcely avoid knowing, though he never
misses any opportunity of accusing Grafton, as if he had
corrupted and falsified this author, in order to serve his
own purposes and abuse the people of Scotland; 1 which,
however, is a groundless charge. Our author’s work was
afterwards taken into the largest of our British histories, of
which the bishop of Carlisle has given us the following account: “R. Holinshed published it in English, but was
not the translator of it himself: his friend began the work
and had gone a good way in it, but did not, it seems, live
to finish it. In this there are several large interpolations
and additions out of Major, Lesley, and Buchanan, by
Fr. Thinne, who is also the chief author of the whole story
after the death of king James the First, and the only penman of it from 1571 to 1586. Towards the latter end,
this learned antiquary occasionally intermixes catalogues
of the chancellors, archbishops, and writers of that kingdom.
”
jus Csesareum,” Venice, 1584, fol. All these works were highly esteemed for learning, and are now of r;ire occurrence. His adding the name of Mantua to his own on
, in Latin Marcus Mantua Benavidius,
an eminent lawyer, the son of John Peter Benavidio, a physician, was born at Padua, in 1489. He
excelled in the study of polite literature and the civil and
canon law, which last he taught for sixty years at Padua,
with distinguished approbation. During this honourable
career, he was often solicited to leave his situation for
higher preferment, particularly by the university of Bologna, the king of Portugal, the pope, and other sovereigns, but he preferred living in his own country, where
he received and deserved so much respect. He was three
times honoured by the title of chevalier, by the emperor
Charles V. in 1545, by Ferdinand 1. in 1561, and by pope
Pius IV. in 1564. He died March 28, 1582, in the ninety-third year of his age. His principal works are: 1. “Dialogus de concilio,
” Venice, Epitome illustriumjurisconsultorum,
” Padua,
Illustrium jurisconsultorum
imagines,
” Rome, Observationes legales,
” Venice, Polymatbise Libri duodecim,
” Venice, Collectanea super jus Csesareum,
” Venice, Observationes legales,
” is said to have been in compliment to
his father, who was a native or' that city.
in a frame suitable to it, he gave to the public library at Oxford. 8. “Oxonii Encomium,” Oxon. 1672 r in four sheets folio, mostly in Latin verse. 9. “Oxonii Elogia,”
Among his poetical pieces Wood mentions the following,
1. “Sphinx Theologica, seu Musica Templi, ubi discordia
concurs,
” Camb. Honorifica armorurii
cessatio, sive pacis et fidei associatio,
” Feb. 11, 1643, 8vo.
3. “Theophila, or Love-Sacrifice,
” a divine poem, Lond.
A summary
of Divine Wisdom,
” London, A glance at
the glories of Sacred Friendship,
” London, De Sacra Amicitia,
” printed with the former in Latin verse and prose.
7. “Threnothriambeuticon, or Latin poems on king Charles
II.'s Restoration,
” London, 1660, printed on a side of a
large sheet of paper. A few were printed on white satin,
one copy of which, in a frame suitable to it, he gave to the
public library at Oxford. 8. “Oxonii Encomium,
” Oxon.
Oxonii Elogia,
” Oxon. Oxonii Elegia
” II. “Academicis Serenitas
” III. “Academicis Temperantia
” IV. “Studiosis
Cautela,
” and some other pieces. 10. “Magia Caelestis,
”
Oxon. Echo veridica joco-seria,
”
Oxon. Truth’s touch-stone,
” consisting of an hundred distichs, printed on one side of a long sheet of paper,
and dedicated to his niece Mrs. Phiiippa Blount. 13. “Annotations for the better confirming the several truths in the
said poem;
” uncertain when printed. 14. Mr. Bendlowes
wrote a “Mantissa
” to Richard 'Fenn’s “Panegyricon Inaugurale,
” entitled, “De celeberrima et florentiss. Trinobantiados Augustoe Civ. Praetori, reg. senatui populoque,
”
Lond. Turmae Equestris in Com. Essex. Prsefectus.
” These
writings, according to Wood, acquired Mr. Bendlowes the
name of a Divine Author, but we fear the value of that character is considerably suok; although we cannot agree with
Pope, that “Bendlowes, propitious to blockheads, bows,
”
nor with his commentator Warburton, that “Bendlowes
was famous for his own bad poetry, and for patronising bad
poets.
” In his “Theophila
” there are many uncommon
and excellent thoughts, but it must be allowed that his metaphors are often strained and far-fetched, and he sometimes loses himself in mystic divinity. Granger, who
thinks his Latin verses better than his English, quotes a
passage from his prayer in “Theophila,
” which has been
deservedly admired for piety and sense.
of Quakerism; or a plain proof of the falsehood of what the principal Quaker writers (especially Mr. R. Barclay, in his Apology and other works) do teach concerning
, an eminent divine in the
eighteenth century, was born at Salisbury, May 7, 1673,
and educated in the free-school there; where he made so
great a progress in learning, that he was sent to St. John’s
college, Cambridge, in the beginning of 1688, before he
was full fifteen years of age. He regularly took the degrees of bachelor and master of arts; the latter in 1694,
when but twenty-one years old; and was chosen fellow of
his college. In 1695, he wrote a copy of Hebrew verses
on the death of queen Mary, printed in the collection of
poems of the university of Cambridge upon that occasion.
The first of his publications was “An answer to the dissenters pleas for Separation, or an abridgment of the London cases; wherein the substance of those books is digested into one short and plain discourse,
” Lond. A confutation of Popery, in three parts,
”
Canibr. 8vo. About the same time, he was engaged in
a controversy with some dissenters, which produced
the following book of his, “A discourse of Schism
shewing, 1 What is meant by schism. 2. That schism is
a damnable sin. 3. That there is a schism between the
established church of England and the dissenters. 4. That
this schism is to be charged on the dissenters’ side. 5. That
the modern pretences of toleration, agreement in fundamentals, &c. will m;t excuse the dissenters from being
guilty of schism. Written by way of letter to three
dissenting ministers in Essex, viz. Mr. Gilson and Mr. Gledhili ol Colchester, and Mr. Shepherd of Brain tree. To
which is annexed, an answer to a book entitled
” Thomas
against Bennet, or the Protestant dissenters vindicated from
the charge of schism,“Cambr. 1702, 8vo. This book
being animadverted upon by Mr. Shepherd, our author
published
” A defence of the discourse of Schism; in
answer to those objections which Mr. Shepherd has made in
his three sermons of Separation, &c.“Cambr. 1703, 8vo.
And, towards the end of the same year,
” An answer to
Mr. Shepherd’s considerations on the defence of the discourse of Scnism,“Cambr. 8vo. As also a treatise entitled
” Devotions, viz. Confessions, Petitions, Intercessions, and
Thanksgivings, for every day in the week and also before,
at, and after, the Sacrament with occasional prayers for
all persons whatsoever,“8vo. In 1705, he published
” A
confutation of Quakerism; or a plain proof of the falsehood of what the principal Quaker writers (especially Mr. R. Barclay, in his Apology and other works) do
teach concerning the necessity of immediate revelation
in order to a saving Christian faith, &c.“Cambr. 8vo.
In 1707 he caused to be printed in a small pamphlet,
12mo,
” A discourse on the necessity of being baptized
with Water and receiving the Lord’s Supper, taken out of
the confutation of Quakerism,“Cambr. For the sake of
those who wanted either money to purchase, or time to peruse, the Confutation of Quakerism, the year following he
published
” A brief history of -the joint use of precomposed set forms of Prayer,“Cambr. 8vo. The same year
he published likewise
” A discourse of joint Prayer,“Cambr. 8vo. Towards the end of the same year he published
” A paraphrase with annotations upon the book of
Common Prayer, wherein the text is explained, objections
are answered, and advice is humbly offered, both to the
clergy and the laity, for promoting true devotion in the use
of it,“Lond. 8vo. The next thing he printed was
” Charity Schools recommended, in a sermon preached in St.
James’s church in Colchester, on Sunday, March 26, 1710,“8vo. The same year he wrote
” A letter to Mr. B. Robinson, occasioned by iiis * Review of the case of Liturgies,
and their imposition';“and
” A second letter to Mr. B.
Robinson, &c. on the same subject,“Lond. 1710, 8vo. In
17 11 he published
” The rights of the Clergy of the Christian church; or, a discourse shewing that God has given and
appropriated to the clergy, authority to ordain, baptize,
preach, preside in church-prayer, and consecrate the Lord’s
supper. Wherein also the pretended divine right of the
laity to elect either the persons to be ordained, or their own
particular pastors, is examined and disproved,“London,
1711, 8vo. He had begun a second part of this work, but
it was never published, in which he intended to shew, that
the clergy are, under Christ, the sole spiritual governors of
the Christian church, and that God has given and appropriated to them authority to enact laws, determine controversies, inflict censures, and absolve from them. The pre^tended divine institution of lay elders was also disproved,
and the succession of the present clergy of the established
church vindicated. And to this was annexed a
” Discourse
of the Independency of the Church on the State, with an
account of the sense of our English laws, and the judgment
of archbishop Cranmer touching that point.“About this
time he took the degree of D. D. In 1714 he published
<c Directions for studying, I. A general system or body of
divinity; II. The thirty-nine articles of religion. To which
is added St. Jerom’s epistle to Nepotianus,
” London, 8vo.
The year following was published his “Essay on the thirty-nine articles of Religion, agreed on in 1562, and revised
in 1571, wherein (the text being first exhibited in Latin and English, and the minutest variations of eighteen the most ancient and authentic copies carefully noted) an account is given of the proceedings of convocation in framing
and settling the text of the articles, the controverted clause
of the twentieth article is demonstrated to be genuine, and
the case of subscription to the articles is considered in point
of law, history, and conscience; with a prefatory epistle to
Anthony Collins, esq. wherein the egregious falsehoods and
calumnies of the author of ‘Priestcraft in perfection’ are
exposed,
” London, The Non juror’s separation
from the public assemblies of the church of England examined, and proved to be schismatical upon their own
principles,
” London, 8vo. And “The case of the Reformed Episcopal Churches in Great Poland and Polish
Prussia, considered in a sermon preached on Sunday, November 18, 1716, at St. Lawrence-Jewry, London, in the
morning, and St. Olave’s, Southwark, in the afternoon,
”
London, 8vo. Soon after, he was presented by the dean
and chapter of St. Paul’s, to the vicarage of St. Giles’s,
Cripplegate, London, which afforded him a plentiful income of nearly five hundred pounds a-year. But he had
little quiet enjoyment of it; for, endeavouring to recover
some dues that unquestionably belonged to that church,
he was obliged to engage in tedious law-suits, which, hesides the immense charges they were attended withal, gave
him a great deal of vexation and uneasiness, and very much
embittered his spirits; however, he recovered a hundred
and fifty pounds a-year to that living. After he was settled
in it, in 1717, he married Mrs. Elizabeth Hunt of Salisbury,
a gentlewoman of great merit, and by her he had three
daughters. The same year he published “A Spital sermon preached before the lord mayor, aldermen. &c. of
London, in St. Bridget’s church, on April 24, 1717,
” London, 8vo; and in A discourse of the ever-blessed
Trinity in Unity, with an examination of Dr. Clarke’s Scripture doctrine of the Trinity,
” London, 8vo. But, from this
time, the care of his large parish, and other affairs, so engrossed his thoughts, that he had no time to undertake any
new work, except an Hebrew grammar, which was published at London in 1726, 8vo, a,ud is reckoned one of the
best of the kind. He mentions, indeed, in one of his books
written about 1716, that he had then “several tasks
” in
his hands, “which would find him full employment for
many years;
” but whatever they might be, none of them
were ever finished or made public. He died of an apoplexy at London, October 9th, 1728, aged fifty-live years,
five months, and two days, and was buried in his own
church.
ed. 11.” De Vita et Moribus Johannis Burtoni, S. T. P. Etonensis. Epistola Edvardi Bentham, S. T. P. R. ad reverendum admodum Robertum Lowth, S. T. P. Episcopum O
Till within the last half-year of his life, in which he declined very fast, Dr. Bentham was scarcely ever out of
order; and he was never prevented from discharging his
duty, excepting by weakness that occasionally attacked
his eyes, and which had been brought on by too free an
use of them when he was young. That part of his last illness which confined him, was only from the 23d of July to
the first of August. Even death itself found him engaged
in the same laborious application which he had always
directed to the glory of the supreme being, and the benefit
of mankind; and it was not till he was absolutely forbidden
by his physicians, that he gave over a particular cotrrse cf
reading, that had been undertaken by him with a view of
making remarks on Mr. Gibbon’s Roman History. Thus
he died in the faithful discharge of the duties of religion.
That serenity of mind and meekness of disposition, which
he had manifested on every former occasion, shone forth
in a more especial manner in his latter moments; and,
together with the consciousness of a whole life spent in the
divine service, exhibited a scene of true Christian triumph.
After a few days illness, in which he suffered a considerable degree of pain without repining, a quiet sigh put a
period to his temporal existence, on the first of August
1776, when he had entered into the 69th year of his age.
His remains were deposited in the west end of the great
aile in the cathedral of Christ-church, Oxford. Dr. Bentham resided, the principal part of the year, so regularly
at Oxford, that he never missed a term from his matriculation to his death. In the summer he generally made a
tour of some part of the kingdom with his family; and,
for the last thirty years of his life, seldom failed in carrying
them to meet all his brothers and sisters at Ely, amongst
whom the greatest harmony and affection ever prevailed.
Dr. Bentham married Elizabeth, second daughter of Thomas Bates, esq. of Alton, in Hampshire, by whom he had
three children, two of whom, with his widow, survived him,
but she died in 1790, and his son, Thomas, rector of
Swanton Newarsh, in Norfolk, died in 1803. Dr. Bentharn’s publications were as follows: 1. “The connection
between Irreligion and Immorality; a Sermon preached at
St. Mary’s in Oxford, at the assizes, March the 1st,
1743-4,
” An Introduction to Moral Philosophy,
” A Letter to a young gentleman,
”
A Letter to a fellow of a college; beingthe
sequel of a Letter to a young gentleman of Oxford,
” Advice to a young man of rank upon coming to the
university.
” 6. “A Sermon preached before the honourable House of Commons, at St. Margaret’s Westminster, on
Tuesday, January 30, 1749-50,
” Reflections on Logic,
” 3vo; a second edition came out in 1755.
Our author having been charged, in the Biographia Britannica, under the article Locke, with a design of excluding
from the schools that great man’s Essay on the Human Understanding, he subjoined, in 1760, a short, but satisfactory, vindication of himself, to the remaining copies of the
Reflections. 8. "8vo. The second edition, with additions,
appeared in 1768. The impression is beautiful, and the
notes and observations shew Dr. Bentham’s great acquaintance with classic antiquity, and the Greek language. 9.
” De Studiis Theologicts Proelectio,“1764. 10.
” Reflections upon the study of Divinity. To which are subjoined,
heads of acourse of Lectures,“1771, 8vo. This tract contains many judicious observations; and the heads of a
course of Lectures exhibit, perhaps, as complete a plan of
theological studies as was ever delivered. 11.
” De Vita
et Moribus Johannis Burtoni, S. T. P. Etonensis. Epistola
Edvardi Bentham, S. T. P. R. ad reverendum admodum
Robertum Lowth, S. T. P. Episcopum Oxoniensem.“12.
” A Sermon preached in the parish church of Christ Church,
London, on Thursday, April the 30th, 1772: being the
time of the yearly meeting of the children educated in the
charity-schools in and about the cities of London and Westminster,“4to. 13.
” An introduction to Logic, scholastic
and rational,“1773, 8vo. The Specimen Logicoe Ciceronianse annexed, displays Cicero’s close attention to the
study of logic, and our author’s intimate knowledge of Cicero. 14.
” De Tumultibus Americanis deque eorum concitatoribus seniljs meditatio." This was occasioned by
some members of parliament having censured the university of Oxford for addressing the king in favour of the
American war. Dr. Bentham, like many other wise and
good men, did not imagine that the contest would turn
out to be so formidable as it afterwards appeared. He takes
occasion, in the course of the pamphlet, to pay a high
compliment to his friend Dr. Tucker.
nds a quarto volume, magnificently printed, of inedited letters of Dr. Bentley, &c. under the title “ R. Bentleii et doctorum virorum Epistolac, partim mutua?. Accedit
Before Mr. Cumberland’s death, he disposed of about
sixty volumes of Greek and Latin classics belonging to
Dr. Bentley, enriched with the doctor’s manuscript notes.
These are now in the British museum, and it is no secret
that the very learned papers in the “Observer
” on the
Greek poets, published by Mr. Cumberland as his own,
were taken from his grandfather’s Mss. Some original
letters by Le Clerc and Dr. Bentley, between whom,
was a serious quarrel respecting Le Clerc’s “
Menandri et Philemonis Reliquiae,
” were purchased at Dr.
Askew' s sale by the university of Cambridge, and printed
in the ninth volume of Mr. Maty’s review. In 1807, the
rev. Dr. Charles Burney presented to his learned friends a
quarto volume, magnificently printed, of inedited letters
of Dr. Bentley, &c. under the title “R. Bentleii et doctorum virorum Epistolac, partim mutua?. Accedit Richard!
Dawesii ad Joannem Tayloruui epistola singularis.
” Grsevius is Dr. Bentley’s principal correspondent in this interesting volume, which does so much honour to the munificent spirit of its editor, himself tali studio facillimc
princeps,
s,“Lond. 1713, 8vo 1719, 1725. 7.” Q. Horatius Flaccus ex recensione, et cum notis et emendationibus R. Bentleii,“Camb, 1711, 4to; Amst. 1713 and 1728, 8vo Leipsic,
We shall now attempt a catalogue of Dr. Bentley’s
works, not hitherto noticed, and of the principal of those
published respecting his controversies, as far as the latter
can be ascertained. His first publication, as already noticed, was his epistle to Dr. Mill, under the title: 1. “Johannis Antiocheni Cognomento Malaise Historia Chronica
e Mss. Cod. Bibliothecre Bodleianae, nunc primum edita,
cum interp. et notis Edm. Chilmeadi et triplice indice rerum, autorum et vocum barbarum. Prsemittitur dissertatio
de autore, per Humfredum Hodium, S. T. B. Coll. Wadhami Socium. Accedit Epistola Richardi Bentleii ad CI.
V. Jo. Millium, S. T. P. cum indice scriptorum, qui ibi
emendantur,
” Oxonii, 1691, 8vo. 2. His “Sermons at
Boyle’s Lectures,
” Dissertation upon the Epistles of Themistocles, Socrates, Euripides, Phalaris, and the Fables of
Æsop,
” at the end of the second edition of Wotton’s
“Reflections on ancient and modern learning.
” This occasioned Mr. Boyle’s work, “Dr. Bentley’s Dissertation
on the Epistles of Phalaris and the Fables of Æsop
examined, 1698; usually known by the title of
” Boyle
Against Bentley.“Dr. fientley then published, 4.
” Dr.
Bentley’s answer to the above,“commonly known by the
name of
” Bentley against Boyle,“a curious piece, interspersed with a great deal of true wit and humour. This
was for some time a scarce book; but it was reprinted in
1777, by Bowyer and Nichols, with the advantage of
several valuable notes and observations, either collected
from, or communicated by, bishops Warburton and Lowth,
Mr. Upton, Mr. W. Clarke, Mr. Markland, Dr. Salter, Dr.
Owen, and Mr. Toup. These were the several pieces
which appeared in this great dispute, excepting some few
that were published against the doctor, hardly any of which
are now known, except
” A short review of the controversy between Mr. Boyle and Dr. Bentley,“1701, 8vo.;
and previous to that,
” A short account of Dr. Bentley’s
humanity and justice to those authors who have written
before him, with an honest vindication of Thomas Stanley,
esq. and his notes on Callimachus. To which are added
some other observations on that poet, in a letter to the
honourable Charles Boyle, esq. with a Postscript, in relation to Dr. Bentley’s late book against him. To which is
added an Appendix, by the bookseller, wherein the doctor’s misrepresentations of all the matters of fact, wherein
he is concerned, in his late book about Phalaris’s Epistles,
are modestly considered, with a letter from the honourable
Charles Boyle on that subject,“Lond. 1699, 8vo. 5.
” Annotationes, in Callimachum ultra, Of this
an edition was published in 1741, 8vo. 6.
” Remarks
upon a late discourse on Free-thinking (by Collins) in two
parts, by Phileleutherus Lipsiensis,“Lond. 1713, 8vo
1719, 1725. 7.
” Q. Horatius Flaccus ex recensione, et
cum notis et emendationibus R. Bentleii,“Camb, 1711,
4to; Amst. 1713 and 1728, 8vo Leipsic, 1763, 2 vols.
8.
” Proposals for printing a new edition of the Greek
Testament,“Lond. 1721, 4to. Of the pamphlets pro and
con respecting his disputes with his college and with the university, a very correct catalogue may be seen in Gough’s
” British Topography."
a dispute between him and Fritsch, he went to Amsterdam, where his intimate knowledge of Greek recom- r mended him to the superintendance of Wetstein’s edition of Homer,
, was born at Hermanstadt, the
capital cf Transylvania, about 16SO, and leaving his country in pursuit of employment, engaged with Fritsch, the
opulent and spirited bookseller of Leipsic, as corrector of
the press, but his turbulent and unsocial character having
occasioned a dispute between him and Fritsch, he went to
Amsterdam, where his intimate knowledge of Greek recom-r
mended him to the superintendance of Wetstein’s edition
of Homer, 1702, 2 vols. 12mo, and the magnificent edition
of the Onomasticon of Pollux, 2 vols. fol. 1706. Bergler
afterwards went to Hamburgh, where he assisted Fabric! us
in his Bibl. Grceca, and his edition of Sextus Ernpiricus,
Leipsic, 1718, folio. Returning then to Leipsic, he transcribed an ancient scholiast on Homer, published a new edition of Alciphron, with excellent notes, 1715, 8vo, dnd
made some progress in an edition of Herodotus, in a new
translation of Herodian, more literal than that of Politian,
and in an edition of Aristophanes, which was published by
the younger Burmann in 1760, 2 vols. 4to. Amidst all
these employments, he contributed several excellent papers
to the Leipsic “Acta Eruditorum.
” It is to him likewise
that we owe the Latin translation of the four books of Genesius on the Byzantine history, which is inserted in vol.
XXIII. of that collection, published at Venice in 1733, but
is not in the fine Louvre edition. For Fritsch, to whom he
seems to have been reconciled, he translated a Greek work
of Alexander Maurocordato, hospodar of Walachia, which
was published, with the original text, under the title “Liber de officiis,
” Leipsic, Evangelical Demonstration,
” hitherto
undiscovered, and sent a copy of them to Fabricius, by
whom they were printed in his “Delectus argumentorum,
”
Hamburgh,
ranche, probably gave birth to his disbelief of the existence of matter.” Whatever influenre the oth^ r causes here assigned might have had, we have the authority of
In 1710 appeared “The Principles of human knowledge;
” and, in Dialogues between Hylas and
Philonous
” but to them the same praise has not been
given, and to this day their real tendency is a disputed
point. The object of both pieces is to prove that the commonly received notion of the existence of matter is false
that sensible material objects, as they are called, are not
external to the mind, but exist in it, and are nothing more
than impressions made upon it by the immediate act of
God, according to certain rules termed laws of nature,
from which, in the ordinary course of his government, he
never deviates and that the steady adherence of the Supreme Spirit to these rules is what constitutes the reality
of things to his creatures. These works are declared to.
Lave been written in opposition to sceptics and atheists
and the author’s inquiry is into the chief cause of error
and difficulty in the sciences, with the grounds of scepticism, atheism, and irreligion which cause and grounds
are found to be the doctrines of the existence of matter.
He seems persuaded that men never could have been deluded into a false opinion of the existence of matter, if
they had not fancied themselves invested with a power of
abstracting substance from the qualities under which it is
perceived and hence, as the general foundation of his
argument, he is led to combat and explode a doctrine
maintained by Locke and others, of there being a power
in the mind of abstracting general ideas. Mr. Hume says,
that these works “form the best lessons of scepticism,
which are to be found either among the ancient or modern
philosophers, Bayle not excepted.
” Dr. Beattie also considers them as having a sceptical tendency. He adds, that
if Berkeley’s argument be conclusive, it proves that to b
false which every man must necessarily believe, every moment of his life, to be true, and that to be true which no
man since the foundation of the world was ever capable of
believing for a single moment. Berkeley’s doctrine attacks
the most incontestable dictates of common sense, and pretends to demonstrate that the clearest principles of human
conviction, and those which have determined the judgment
of men in all ages, and by which the judgment of all reasonable men must be determined, are certainly fallacious.
It may just be observed, that Berkeley had not reached
his 27th year when he published this singular system. The
author of his life in the Biog. Brit, asserts that “the airy
visions of romances, to the reading of which he was much
addicted, disgust at the books of metaphysics then received
in the university, and that inquisitive attention to the
operations of the mind which about this time was excited
by the writings of Locke and Malebranche, probably gave
birth to his disbelief of the existence of matter.
” Whatever influenre the oth^r causes here assigned might have
had, we have the authority of his relict, Mrs. Berkeley,
that he had a very great dislike to romances, and indeed
it would be difficult to discover in any of these volumes
of absurd fiction the grounds of such a work as Berkeley’s.
In 1712 he published three sermons in favour of passive
obedience and non-resistance, which underwent at least
three editions, and afterwards had nearly done him sonic
injury in. his fortune. They caused him to be represented
as ajlacobite, and stood in his way with the house of Hanover, till Mr. Molineux, above-mentioned, took off the
impression, and first made him known to queen Caroline,
whose secretary, when princess, Mr. -Molineux had been.
Acuteness of parts and beauty of imagination were so conspicuous in his writings, that his reputation was now established, and his company courted even where his opinions
did not find admission. Men of opposite parties concurred
in recommending him sir Richard Steele, for instance,
and Dr. Swift. For the former he wrote several papers in
the Guardian, and at his house became acquainted with
Pope, with whom he afterwards lived in friendship. It is
said he had a guinea and a dinner with Steele for every
paper he wrote in the Guardian. Swift recommended him
to the celebrated earl of Peterborough, who being appointed
ambassador to the king of Sicily and the Italian states,
took Berkeley with him as chaplain and secretary in November 1713. He returned to England with this nobleman in August 1714, and towards the close of the year
had a fever, which gave occasion to Dr. Arbuthnot to indulge a little pleasantry on Berkeley’s system. “Poor
philosopher Berkeley,
” says he to his friend Swift, “has
now the idea of health, which was very hard to produce in
him; for he had an idea of a strange fever on him so strong,
that it was very hard to destroy it by introducing a contrary one.
”
nry Aldrich, Oxon. 1692, 8vo. 14. He translated into Latin, the letters of the Samaritans, which Dr. R. Huntington procured them to write to their brethren, the Jews
In 1683, he went again to Leyden, to be present at the
sale of Nicholas Heinsius’s library; where he purchased,
at a great price, several of the classical authors, thut had
been either collated with manuscripts, or illustrated with
the original notes of Joseph Scaliger, Bonaventure Vulcanius, the two Heinsiuses, and other celebrated critics.
Here he renewed his acquaintance with several persons of
eminent learning, particularly Gruevius, Spanheim, Triglandius, Gronovius, Perizonius, Ryckius, Gallaeus, Rulaeus, and especially Nicholas Witsen, burgomaster of Amsterdam, who presented him with a Coptic dictionary,
brought from Egypt by Theodore Petraeus of Holsatia;
and afterwards transmitted to him in 1686, the Coptic and
Ethiopic types made of iron, for the use of the printingpress at Oxford. With such civilities he was so much
pleased, and especially with the opportunities he had of
making improvements in Oriental learning, that he would
have settled at Leyden, if he could have been chosen professor of the Oriental languages in that university, but not
being able to compass this, he returned to Oxford. He
began now to be tired of astronomy, and his health declining, he was desirous to resign but no other preferment
offering, he was obliged to hold his professorship some
years longer than he intended; in 1684 he took his degree of D. D. and in 1691, being presented to the rectory
of Brightwell in Berkshire, he quitted his professorship,
and was succeeded by David Gregory, professor of mathematics at Edinburgh. In 1692, he was employed in drawing up a catalogue of the manuscripts in Great Britain and
Ireland, which was published at Oxford 1697, fol. Dr.
Bernard’s share in this undertaking was the drawing up a
most useful and complete alphabetical Index to which he
prefixed this title, “Librorum manuscriptorum Magnae
Britanniae et Hibernise, atque externarum aliquot Bibliothecarum Index secundum alphabetum Edwardus Bernardus construxit Oxonii.
” In this Index he mentions a
great number of valuable Greek manuscripts, which are to
be found in several foreign libraries, as well as our own.
Towards the latter end of his life, he was much afflicted
with the stone, yet, notwithstanding this and other infirmities, he took a third voyage to Holland, to attend the
sale of Golius’s manuscripts. After six or seven weeks absence, he returned to London, and from thence to Oxford.
There he fell into a languishing consumption, which put
an end to his life, Jan. 12, 1696, before he was quite
fifty-nine years of age. Four days after, he was interred
in St. John’s chapel, where a monument of white marble
was soon erected for him by his widow, to whom he had
been married only three years. In the middle of it there
is the form of an Heart carved, circumscribed with these
words, according to his own direction a little before he
died, Habemus Cor Bernard!: and underneath
E. B. S. T. P. Obiit Jan. 12, 1696. The same is also repeated on a small square marble, under which he was
buried. As to this learned man’s character, Dr. Smith,
who knew him well, gives him a very great one. “He
was (says he) of a mild disposition, averse to wrangling
and disputes and if by chance or otherwise he happened
to be present where contests ran high, he would deliver
his opinion with great candour and modesty, and in few
words, but entirely to the purpose. He was a candid
judge of other men’s performances; not too censorious
even on trifling books, if they contained nothing contrary
to good manners, virtue, or religion and to those which
displayed wit, learning, or good sense, none gave more
ready and more ample praise. Though he was a true son
of the Church of England, yet he judged favourably and
charitably of dissenters of all denominations. His piety
and prudence never suffered him to be hurried away by an
immoderate zeal, in declaiming against the errors of others.
His piety was sincere and unaffected, and his devotions
both in public and private very regular and exemplary.
Of his great and extensive learning, the works he published, and the manuscripts he has left, are a sufficient evidence.
” This character is supported by the concurring
evidence of all his learned contemporaries. The works
he published were 1. “Tables of the longitudes and latitudes of the fixed Stars.
” 2. “The Obliquity of the Ecliptic from the observations of the ancients, in Latin.
”
3. “A Latin letter to Mr. John Flamsteed, containing observations on the Eclipse of the Sun, July 2, 1684, at
Oxford.
” All these are in the Philosophical Transactions,
4, “A treatise of the ancient Weights and Measures,
”
printed first at the end of Dr. Edward Pocock’s Commentary on Hosea, Oxford, 1685, fol. and afterwards reprinted
in Latin, with very great additions and alterations, under
this title, “De mensuris & ponderibus antiquis, libri tres,
”
Oxon. Private Devotions, with a brief
explication of the Ten Commandments,
” Oxford, Orbis eruditi Literatura a charactere Samaritico deducta
” printed at Oxford from a copper-plate,
on one side of a broad sheet of paper: containing at one
view, the different forms of letters used by the Phoenicians,
Samaritans, Jews, Syrians, Arabs, Persians, Brachmans,
and other Indian philosophers, Malabarians, Greeks,
Cophts, Russians, Sclavonians, Ethiopians, Francs, Saxons,
Goths, &c. all collected from ancient inscriptions, coins,
and manuscripts together with the abbreviations used by
the Greeks, physicians, mathematicians, and chymists.
7. “Etymologicum Britannicum, or derivations of the
British and English words from the Russian, Sclavonian,
Persian, and Armenian languages printed at the end of
Dr. Hickes’s Grammatica Anglo- Saxonica & Moeso-Gotthica,
” Oxon. Misnoe pars prima, ordinis primi Zeraim tituli
septem,
” Oxon. Chronologiae Samaritanae
Synopsis,
” in two tables the first containing the most
famous epochas, and remarkable events, from the beginning of the world the second a catalogue of the Samaritan High Priests from Aaron, published in the “Acta Eruditqrum Lipsiensia,
” April Notse in fragmentum
Seguierianum Stephani Byzantini
” in the library of monsieur Seguier, chancellor of France part of which, relating
to Dodone, were published by Gronovius, at the end' of
his “Exercitationes de Dodone,
” Leyden, Adnotationes in Epistolam S. Barnabce,
” published in bishop
Fell’s edition of that author, Oxon. 1685, 8vo. 12. “Short
notes, in Greek and Latin, upon Cotelerius’s edition of
the Apostolical Fathers, printed in the Amsterdam edition
of them. 13.
” Veterum testimonia de Versione LXXII
interpretum," printed at the end of Aristeae Historia LXXII
interpretum, published by Pr. Henry Aldrich, Oxon.
1692, 8vo. 14. He translated into Latin, the letters of
the Samaritans, which Dr. R. Huntington procured them
to write to their brethren, the Jews in England, in
1673|while he was at Sichem. Dr. Smith having obtained a
copy of this translation, gave it to the learned Job LudoL
fus, when he was in England, who published it in the collection of Samaritan Epistles, written to himself and other
learned men. Besides these works, he also assisted several
learned men in their editions of books, and collated manuscripts for them and left behind him in manuscript many
books of his own composition, with very large collections
which, together with the books enriched in the margin
with the notes of the most learned men, and collected by
him in France and Holland, were purchased by the curators of the Bodleian library, for the sum of two hundred
pounds. They likewise bought a considerable number of
curious and valuable books out of his library, which were
wanting in the Bodleian, for which they paid one hundred
and forty pounds. The rest of his books were sold by
auction, all men of letters striving to purchase those which
had any observations of Dr. Bernard’s own hand.
course of sermons at Mr. Boyle’s lecture, preached in 1730, 1731, and 1732, and published in 2 vols r 1733, 8vo. The author, in this work, states the evidence of
, a pious and learned English
divine, was born in London, September 24, 1688. His
father, John Berriman, was an apothecary in Bishopsgatestreet; and his grandfather, the reverend Mr. Berriman,
was rector of Bedington, in the county of Surrey. His
grammatical education he received partly at Banbury, in
Oxfordshire, and partly at Merchant-taylors’ school, London. At seventeen years of age he was entered a commoner at Oriel college, in Oxford, where he prosecuted
his studies with great assiduity and success, acquiring a
critical skill in the Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic, and
Syriac. In the interpretation of the Scriptures, he did not
attend to that momentary light which fancy and imagination seemed to flash upon them, but endeavoured to explain
them by the rules of grammar, criticism, logic, and the
analogy of faith. The articles of doctrine and discipline
which he drew from the sacred writings, he traced through
the primitive church, and confirmed by the evidence of
the fathers, and the decisions of the more generally received councils. On the 2d of June, 1711, Mr. Berriman
was admitted to the degree of master of arts. After he
left the university, he officiated, for some time, as curate
and lecturer of Allhallows in Thames-street, and lecturer
of St. Michael’s, Queenhithe. The first occasion of his
appearing in print arose from the Trinitarian controversy.
He published, in 1719, “A seasonable review of Mr. Whiston’s account of Primitive Doxologies,
” which was followed,
in the same year, by “A second review.
” These pieces
recommended him so effectually to the notice of Dr. Robinson, bishop of London, that in 1720, he was appointed
his lordship’s domestic chaplain and so well satisfied was
that prelate with Mr. Berriman’s integrity, abilities, and
application, that he consulted and entrusted him in most
of his spiritual and secular concerns. As a further proof
of his approbation, the bishop collated him, in April 1722,
to the living of St. Andrew-Undershaft. On the 25th of
June, in the same year, he accumulated, at Oxford, the
degrees of bachelor and doctor in divinity. In 1723, Dr,
Berriman lost his patron, the bishop of London, who, in
testimony of his regard to his chaplain, bequeathed him
the fifth part of his large and valuable library. In consequence of the evidence our learned divine had already
given of his zeal and ability in defending the commonlyreceived doctrine of the Trinity, he was appointed to preach
lady Moyer’s lecture, in 1723 and 1724. The eight sermons he had delivered on the occasion, were published in
1725, under the title of “An historical account of the
Trinitarian Controvery.
” This work, in the opinion of
Dr. Godolphin, provost of Eton college, merited a much
greater reward than lady Moyer’s donation. Accordingly,
he soon found an opportunity of conferring such a reward
upon Dr. Berriman, by inviting him, without solicitation,
to accept of a fellowship in his college. Our author was
elected fellow in 1727, and from that time he chiefly resided at Eton in the Summer, and at his parsonage-house
in the Winter. His election into the college at Eton was a
benefit and ornament to that society. He was a faithful
steward in their secular affairs, was strictly observant of
their local statutes, and was a benefactor to the college, in
his will. While the doctor’s learned productions obtained
for him the esteem and friendship of several able and valuable men, and, among the rest, of Dr. Waterland, it is
not, at the same time, surprising, that they should excite
antagonists. One of these, who then appeared without a
name, and who at first treated our author with decency
and respect, was Dr. Conyers Middleton but afterwards,
when Dr. Middleton published his Introductory Discourse
to the Inquiry into the miraculous powers of the Christian
church, and the Inquiry itself, he chose to speak of
Dr. Berriman with no small degree of severity and contempt. In answer to the attacks made upon him, our divine printed in 1731, “A defence of some passages in
the Historical Account.
” In Brief
remarks on Mr. Chandler’s introduction to the history of
the Inquisition,
” which was followed by “A review of the
Remarks. His next publication was his course of sermons
at Mr. Boyle’s lecture, preached in 1730, 1731, and 1732,
and published in 2 vols r 1733, 8vo. The author, in this
work, states the evidence of our religion from the Old
Testament; vindicates the Christian interpretation of the
ancient prophecies; and points out the historical chain
and connection of these prophecies. In the preface, he
asserts the authority of Moses, as an inspired historian and
law-giver, against his old antagonist Dr. Middleton who,
in a letter to Dr. Waterland, had disputed the literal account of the fall, and had expressed himself with his usual
scepticism concerning the divine origin of the Mosaic institution, as well as the divine inspiration of its founder.
Besides the writings we have mentioned, Dr. Berrimaii
printed a number of occasional sermons, and, among the
rest, one on the Sunday before his induction to his living
of St. Andrew Undershaft, and another on Family Religion.
He departed this life at his house in London, on the 5th
of February, 1749-50, in the 62d year of his age. His
funeral sermon was preached by the rev. Glocester Ridley,
LL. B. containing many of the particulars here noticed.
Such was Dr. Berriman’s integrity, that no ill usage could
provoke him, no friendship seduce him, no ambition tempt
him, no interest buy him, to do a wrong, or violate his conscience. When a certain right reverend prelate, unsolicited, and in pure respect to his distinguished merit,
offered him a valuable prebend in his cathedral church of
Lincoln, the doctor gratefully acknowledged the generosity
of the offer, but conscientiously declined it, as he was
bound from accepting of it by the statutes of his college.
The greatest difficulty of obtaining a dispensation was from
himself. In the year of his decease, forty of his sermons
were published, in two volumes, 8vo, by his brother, John
Berriman, M. A. rector of St. Alban’s, Wood-street, under
the title of
” Christian doctrines and duties explained and
recommended." In 1763, nineteen sermons appeared in
one volume, under the same title. With respect to Dr.
Berriman’s practical discourses, it is allowed that they are
grave, weighty, and useful and well fitted to promote
pious and virtuous dispositions, but belong to a class which
have never been eminently popular.
ade great proficiency in ancient and modern languages, and acquired much fame as a teacher of humani r y, philosophy, and divinity in the various colleges of his order.
, a learned Jesuit, was born at Tarascon in Provence, Feb. 24, 1622. Possessed of a remarkable memory, he made great proficiency in ancient and
modern languages, and acquired much fame as a teacher
of humani r y, philosophy, and divinity in the various colleges of his order. He also engaged in public disputations
at Lyons, with the clergy of Geneva and Grenoble, but
was dismissed from the Jesuits by order of Louis XIV. for
having bad the weakness or curiosity to consult a prophetess who made a noise among the credulous at Paris.
He then entered among the Benedictines, and died at their
college at Otilx, in 1692. He published, 1. “Traite de
la presence reelle.
” 2. “Traite historique de la charge de
grand aumomer de France,
” a very curious work. 3. “TraiUi
sur la chapelle cles dues de Bourgogne.
” He wrote also
several other pieces on the Tuetonic order, the abbey of
Cluni, the rights of the king to Avignon and Venaissin, the
East Indies, the Italian language, and chronology some
of which still remain in manuscript; and various Latin,
French, Italian, and Provencal pieces of poetry. His correspondence with men of learning both in France and foreign countries was very extensive.
46, 4to, and in Latin by Doni d'Attichi, afterwards bishop of Autun, 1649, 8vo, and lastly by Carrac- r cioli, Paris, 1764, 12 mo.
St. Francis de Sales, Caesar de Bus, cardinal Bentivoglio, &c. were among his friends and the admirers of his virtues. An edition of his controversial and spiritual works, published in 1644, 2 vols. folio, was reprinted in 1647, 1 vol. folio, by father Bourgoing, third general of the oratory. His life was written in French, by the abbé Cerisi, Paris, 1646, 4to, and in Latin by Doni d'Attichi, afterwards bishop of Autun, 1649, 8vo, and lastly by Carrac-r cioli, Paris, 1764, 12 mo.
t to methodize. 1. “Synopsis rerum ab orbe condito gestarum, usque ad Ferdinandi imperium,” Franeker r 1698, 8vo. 2. “Synopsis doctriiwe politico.” 3. “Historia imperil
, an eminent
lawyer, and law-professor at Ingolstadt, was born at
Tubingen in 1577, and was professor of law in 1635, when he
turned Roman catholic, and left his place to become counsellor at the court of Austria, whence he went to Ingolstadt,
and died there Sept. 15, 1638. At this juncture the pope
was about to have offered him a professor’s chair at Bologna, with a pension of four thousand ducats. He was
the author of a great many works on subjects of law and
history, all which shew that he had accumulated a greater
stock of learning than he had time or judgment to methodize. 1. “Synopsis rerum ab orbe condito gestarum,
usque ad Ferdinandi imperium,
” Franeker r Synopsis doctriiwe politico.
” 3. “Historia imperil
Constantinopolitani et Turcici.
” 4. “Series et succinqta
narratio rerum a regibus Hierosolymarum, Neapoleos et
Siciliae gestarum.
” 5. “Dissertationes philologies,
” Monumenta typographical' 6.
” Prodromus vindiciarum ecclesiast. Wirtenbergicarum,“1636,
4to. 7.
” Documenta rediviva monasteriorum Wirtemb.“Tubing. 1636, 4to. These two works, although surreptitiously printed at Vienna in 1723 and 1726, fol. are uncommonly rare, as they were suppressed along with the
following articles. 8.
” Virginum sacrarum monumenta,
&c.“9.
” Documenta concernentia ecclesiam collegiatarn Stuttgardiensem.“10.
” Documenta ecclesise Backhenang.“These last five, which the Germans enumerate
among their rarest bibliographical curiosities, are all in 4to,
and printed at Tubingen, 1636. Saxius mentions a work
omitted in the above list, and probably Besold’s first production,
” Discussiones quaestionum aliquot de usuris et
annuis reditibus," Tubing. 1598, 4to.
ch had been dug, one of his thighs received such a serious injury, that he was lame for the remainde’ r of his iif and although he found some relief at the baths of
On his return to Rome in the month of June, 1713, he resumed his astronomical and antiquarian pursuits. When in France he conceived the idea of tracing a meridian line through Italy, from sea to sea, in imitation of that of Cassini through the middle of France. He accordingly began his operations, and pursued the object at his own expence, ‘ for eight years, but other plans and employments occurring, he never completed the design. The papal favours, however, were still conferred on him, purely as a man of science. Innocent XIII. the successor of Clement XI. appointed him referendary of the pontifical signatures, and domestic prelate, and in the council held at Home in 1725, he filled the office of first historiographer. Next year, his love for antiquities was highly gratified, although at the same time checked by an accident which had serious consequences. Tnere was discovered near Rome on the Appian way, a magnificent marble subterraneous building of three large halls, whose walls consisted of a great number of little cells like those of our modern pidgeon -houses. Most of these cells contained, each, four cinerary urns, accompanied with inscriptions of the name and office of the person whose ashes they contained, who were all slaves or freed-men and women of the household of Augustus, especially that of Livk. There were also in this place some exquisite specimens of mosaic ornaments. Biauchini’s joy on this discovery may be easily appreciated by genuine antiquaries; but one unfortunate day, while he was examining one of the chambers or halls, and preparing to make a drawing, the ground on which he stood gave way, and although his fall was broken by some earth which had been dug, one of his thighs received such a serious injury, that he was lame for the remainde’r of his iif and although he found some relief at the baths of Vignona near Sienna, where he went the following year, his health was never completely re-established.
so far as to draw up a paper under the title “An Answer to the Question, Why are you not a Socinian r” but this, although now added to his works, was not published
“Mr. Blackburne had his objections to the liturgy and
articles of the church of England, as well as Mr. Lindsey,
and in some instances to the same passages, but differed
widely from him on some particular points, which, he
thought, as stated by Mr. Lindsey and his friends, could
receive no countenance from scripture, unless by a licentiousness of interpretation that could not be justified. But
Dr. Priestley and some of his friends having carried the
obligation to secede from the church of England farther
than Mr. Blackburne thought was either sufficiently candid, charitable, or modest, and had thereby given countenance to the reproach, thrown upon many moderate and
worthy men, by hot and violent conformists, for continuing to minister in the church, while they disapproved many
things in her doctrine and discipline, he thought it expedient, in justice to himself and others of the same sentiments, to give some check to the crude censures that
had been passed upon them. And, accordingly, intending
to publish ' Four Discourses’ delivered to the clergy of
the archdeaconry of Cleveland, in the years 1767, 1769,
1771, and 1773, he took that opportunity to explain himself on this subject in a preface, as well on behalf of the
seceders, as of those whose Christian principles admitted
of their remaining in the church without offering violence
to their consciences.
” Of Dr. Priestley’s conduct he
speaks yet more decidedly in a letter dated Jan. 4, 177O,
to a dissenting minister, “I cannot think the dissenters
will be universally pleased with Dr. Priestley’s account of
their principles, not to mention that some degree of mercy
seemed to be due to us, who have shown our benevolence
to all protestant dissenters, and have occasionally asserted
their rights of conscience with the utmost freedom. But
no, it seems nothing will do but absolute migration from
our present stations, in agreement with our supposed convictions though, perhaps, it might puzzle Dr. Priestley
to find us another church, in which all of us would be at
our ease, &c.
” On the secession of Dr. Disney from the
church, a circumstance which appears to have given him
great uneasiness, he went so far as to draw up a paper under the title “An Answer to the Question, Why are you
not a Socinian r
” but this, although now added to his
works, was not published in his life-time, from motives of
delicacy. He had been suspected, from his relationship
and intimacy with Mr. Lindsey and Dr. Disney, of holding
the same sentiments with them, and his object in the above
paper was to vindicate his character in that respect. Still,
as it did not appear in his life-time, it could not answer
that purpose, and although we are now told that some time
before his death, he explicitly asserted to his relation, the
Rev. Mr. Comber, his belief in the divinity of Christ, the
suspicions of the public had undoubtedly some foundation
in the silence which in all his writings he preserved respecting a point of so much importance.
When considerably advanced in years, he formed the
design of writing the life of Luther and had made some
collections for the purpose, hut was diverted from it by
being engaged to draw up a work of far less general interest, the Memoirs of Mr. Thomas Hollis. In 1787, he
performed his thirty-eighth visitation in Cleveland, after
which he was taken ill at the house of his friend the Rev.
William Comber, but reached home a few weeks before
his death, which took place Aug. 7, 1787, in his eightythird year. Mr. Blackburne left a widow (who died Aug. 20, 1799), and four children, Jane, married to the Rev.
Dr. Disney the Rev. Francis Blackburne, vicar of Brignal, near Greta-bridge, Yorkshire Sarab, married to the
Rev. John Hall, vicar of Chew Magna, and rector of Dundry in Somersetshire and William Blackburne, M. D. of
Cavendish square, London.
of so eminent a scholar and benefactor. In 1781, a portrait was presented to the picture-gallery, by R. Woodeson, D. C. L. professor; T. Milles, B. C. L.; T. Plumer,
For this excellent memoir of Judge Blackstone, we are
indebted to the Preface prefixed to his “Reports,
”
n noticed that this work was partly projected by him. In January 1755, Dr. John Blair was elected F. R. S. and in 1761, F. A. S. In 1756 he published a second edition
, was educated at Edinburgh, and was,
as already noticed, related to Dr. Hugh Blair. He came
to London in company with Andrew Henderson, a voluminous writer, who, in his title-pages styled himself A. M.
and for some years kept a bookseller’s shop in Westminster-hall. Henderson’s first employment was that of an
usher at a school in Hedge-lane, in which he was succeeded by his friend Blair, who, in 1754, obliged' the
world with a valuable publication under the title of “The
chronology and history of the world, from the creation to
the year of Christ 1753. Illustrated in fifty-six tables; of
which four are introductory, and contain the centuries
prior to the first olympiad; and each of the remaining
fifty-two contain in one expanded view fifty years, or half
a century. By the rev. John Blair, LL. D.
” This volume, which is dedicated to lord chancellor Hardwicke,
was published by subscription, on account of the great
expence of the plates, for which the author apologized in
his preface, where he acknowledged great obligations to
the earl of Bath, and announced some chronological dissertations, in which he proposed to illustrate the disputed
points, to explain the prevailing systems of chronology,
and to establish the authorities upon which some of the
particular seras depend. In Dr. Hugh Blair’s life, it has
been noticed that this work was partly projected by him.
In January 1755, Dr. John Blair was elected F. R. S. and
in 1761, F. A. S. In 1756 he published a second edition
of his Chronological Tables. In Sept. 1757, he was appointed chaplain to the princess dowager of Wales, and
mathematical tutor to the duke of York; and, on Dr.
Townshend’s promotion to the deanry of Norwich, the services of Dr. Blair were rewarded, March 10, 1761, with
a prebendal stall at Westminster. The vicarage of Hinckley happening to fall vacant six days after, by the death
of Dr. Moires, Dr. Blair was presented to it by the dean
and chapter of Westminster and in August that year he
obtained a dispensation to hold with it the rectory of Burton Goggles, in Lincolnshire. In September 1763, he
attended his royal pupil the duke of York in a tour to the
continent; had the satisfaction of visiting Lisbon, Gibraltar, Minorca, most of the principal cities in Italy, and
several parts of France and returned with the duke in
August 1764. In 1768 he published an improved edition
of his Chronological Tables, which he dedicated to the
princess of Wales, who had expressed her early approbation of the former edition. To the edition were annexed fourteen maps of ancient and modern geography,
for illustrating the tables of chronology and history. To
which is prefixed a dissertation on the progress of geography. In March 1771 he was presented by the dean
and chapter of Westminster to the vicarage of St. Bride’s,
in the city of London which made it necessary for him
to resign Hinckley, where he had never resided for any
length of time. On the death of Mr. Sims, in April 1776,
he resigned St. Bride’s, and was presented to the rectorjr
of St. John the Evangelist in Westminster and in June
that year obtained a dispensation to hold the rectory of St.
John with that of Horton, near Colebrooke, Bucks. His
brother, captain Blair *, falling gloriously in the service
of his country in the memorable sea-fight of April 12, 1782,
the shock accelerated the doctor’s death. He had at the
same time the influenza in a severe degree, which put a
period to his life June 24, 1782. His library was sold by
auction December 1113, 1781; and a course of his
“Lectures on the canons of the Old Testament,
” has since
appeared.
y discussed the question, “whether England was most honoured in. his birth, or Portugal in his death r” On the same occasion various pieces both in Latin and Portuguese
, a Theatine, was born at
London of French parents, Dec. 4, 1638, and became celebrated for his acquirements both in sacred and profane
learning. Having gone to Portugal, he learned the language of that country in six months, and preached several
times before the king and queen. He was also admitted
into the academy, and appointed to an office in the inquisition. His biographers tell us that when in England he
had been chaplain or preacher to Henrietta Maria queen to
Charles I. forgetting that he could not be ten years old
when that unhappy princess was expatriated. He died at
Lisbon, Feb. 13, 1734, in the ninety-fifth year of his age.
On the 28th of the same month his eloge was pronounced
in the academy, and two learned doctors gravely discussed
the question, “whether England was most honoured in.
his birth, or Portugal in his death r
” On the same occasion
various pieces both in Latin and Portuguese were recited
to his memory. His works, which must justify this high
panegyric, are, 1. “A Vocabulary or Dictionary, Portuguese and Latin,
” Coimbra, Oraculum utriusque Testament!, musseum Bluteavianum.
”
3. “A List of all Dictionaries, Portuguese, Castilian, Italian, French, and Latin,
” with the dates, &c. Lisbon, Primicias Evangelicas,
”
ent of queen Elizabeth’s affairs in the United Provinces. As some of the facts the letters relate to r are too minute to require a particular discussion in this place,
In Dr. Birch’s Memoirs of the reign of queen Elizabeth, there are extracts of several letters written by sir Thomas Bodley to the earl of Essex, the lord treasurer Burghley, sir Robert Cecil, and Mr. Anthony Bacon, chiefly during sir Thomas’s residence in Holland. From these, therefore, and from other passages in that work, we shall select a few particulars, which may serve to render the account of his life somewhat more complete. In 1583, when Mr. Stafford (afterwards sir Edward Stafford) was appointed ambassador to France, it was said that Mr. Bodley was to go with him as chief secretary but no evidence appears of his having actually served the ambassador in that capacity. The letters we have mentioned exhibit a farther proof of the fidelity and diligence with which he discharged his duty, in the management of queen Elizabeth’s affairs in the United Provinces. As some of the facts the letters relate to r are too minute to require a particular discussion in this place, it may be sufficient to refer generally to Dr. Birch’s Memoirs. One principal business of Mr. Bodley in Holland, was to obtain satisfaction from the States General, for certain sums of money due from them to the queen, for the expence she had been at, in assisting and supporting their republic and though he conducted himself in this negociation with his usual ability, and, in general, gave high satisfaction to her majesty, yet he once greatly displeased her, by returning to England, in order to lay before her, a secret proposition, from some leading members of the States, relative to the payments demanded.
indigena,” Leipsic, 1750, 8vo. 2. “Definitiones plantarum Ludwigianas auctas et emendatas edidit G. R. Boehmer,” ibid. 1760, which forms a new and improved edition
, an eminent professor of
botany and anatomy in the university of Wittetnberg, who
was born in 1723, and died in 1803, was the disciple of
Ludwig, and the author of a great many treatises on every
branch of botanical science, much admired for original
thoughts, perspicuity of method, and extensive knowledge. The principal of these were, 1. “Flora Lipsiae
indigena,
” Leipsic, Definitiones plantarum Ludwigianas auctas et emendatas edidit G. R.
Boehmer,
” ibid. Bibliotheca
scriptorum historic naturalis, oeconomisc, aliarumque artium ac scientiarum ad illam pertmentium, realis systematica,
” ibid. 9 vols. 8vo, a very valuable bibliographical
work, with references to the literary journals, &c. 4. “A
history of plants used in arts and manufactures,
” ibid.
metaphysics, and ethics he likewise attended the learned Jacob Gronovius on Greek and Latin authors, R kius on Latin classics, rhetoric, chronology, and geography,
, an illustrious physician and
professor at Leyden, born Dec. 31, 1668, at Voorhoot, a
small village in Holland, about two miles from that city.
His father intended him for divinity, and with this view
initiated him in letters himself. About the twelfth year of
his age, he was afflicted with an ulcer in his left thigh,
which seemed to baffle the art of surgery, and occasioned
such excessive pain, as much interrupted his studies for
some time; but at length, by fomenting it with salt and
wine, he effected a cure himself, and thereupon conceived
his first thoughts of studying physic. In 1682, he was
sent to the public school at Leyden, and at the expiration
of the year got into the sixth and highest class, whence it
is customary, after six months, to be removed to the university. At this juncture his father died, who left a wife
and nine children, with a slender provision of whom Herman, though hut sixteen, was the eldest. Upon his admission into the university, he was particularly noticed by
a friend of his father, Mr. Trigland, one of the professors
of divinity, who procured him the patronage of Mr. Daniel
Van Alphen, burgomaster of Leyden and by the advice
of these gentlemen he attended Senguerd’s lectures on
logic, the use of the globes, natural philosophy, metaphysics, and ethics he likewise attended the learned Jacob Gronovius on Greek and Latin authors, R kius on
Latin classics, rhetoric, chronology, and geography, and
Trigland and Scaafe on the Hebrew and Chaldee languages, in order to understand the sacred writings in
their originals. In 1687, he applied to mathematics,
and found the study so entertaining, that, after having gone
through geometry and trigonometry, he proceeded to algebra, under Voider, in 1689. This year he gave a specimen of his learning in an academic oration, proving,
“That the doctrine of Epicurus concerning the chief good
was well understood by Cicero
” and for this received the
golden medal, which usually accompanies the merit of such
probationary exercise. In 1690 he took a degree in philosophy. In his thesis on this occasion, with great strength
of argument, he confuted the systems of Epicurus, Hobbes,
and Spinosa. After having laid a solid foundation in all
other parts of learning, he proceeded to divinity under
the professors Trigland and Spanheim the first of whom
gave lectures on Hebrew antiquities, the second on ecclesiastical history.
cular that of Des Cartes, the idol of the times. This drew upon him the outrageous invectives of Mr. R. Andala, a Cartesian, professor of divinity and philosophy at
His progress in physic hitherto was without any assistance from lectures, except those mentioned in anatomy,
and a few by professor Drelincourt on the theory; nor had
he yet any thoughts of declining the priesthood: amidst
mathematical, philosophical, anatomical, chemical and medical researches, he still earnestly pursued divinity. He
went to the university of Harderwick in Guelderland, and
in July 1693 was created there M. D. Upon his return to
Leyden, he still persisted in his design of engaging in the
ministry, but found an invincible obstruction to his intention. In a passage-boat where he happened to be, some
discourse was accidentally started about the doctrine of
Spinosa, as subversive of all religion and one of the passengers, who exerted himself most, opposing to this philosopher’s pretended mathematical demonstrations only the
loud invective of a blind zeal, Boerhaave asked him calmly,
“Whether he had ever read the works of the author he
decried
” The orator was at once struck dumb, and fired
with silent resentment. Another passenger whispered the
person next him, to learn Boerhaave’s name, and took it
down in his pocket-book; and as soon as he arrived at
Leyden, gave it out every where, that Boerhaave was become a Spinosist. Boerhaave, finding that such prejudices
gained ground, thought it imprudent to risque the refusal
of a licence for the pulpit, when he had so fair a prospect
of rising by physic. He now therefore applied wholly to
physic, and joined practice with reading. In 1701, he
took the office of lecturer upon the institutes of physic
and delivered an oration the 18th of May, the subject of
which was a recommendation of the study of Hippocrates:
apprehending that, either through indolence or arrogance,
this founder of physic had been shamefully neglected by
those whose authority was likely to have too great weight
with the students of medicine. He officiated as a professor,
with the title of lecturer only, till 1709, when the professorship of medicine and botany was conferred on him:
his inaugural oration was upon the simplicity of true medical science, wherein, exploding the fallacies and ostentation of alchemistical and metaphysical writers, he reinstates
medicine on the ancient foundation of observation and experiments. In a few years he enriched the physic-garden
with such a number of plants, that it was found necessary
to enlarge it to twice its original extent. In 1714, he arrived to the highest dignity in the university, the rectorship; and, at its expiration, delivered an oration on the
method of obtaining certainty in physics. Here, having
asserted our ignorance of the first principles of things, and
that all our knowledge of their qualities is derived from
experiments, he was thence led to reprehend many systems
of the philosophers, and in particular that of Des Cartes,
the idol of the times. This drew upon him the outrageous
invectives of Mr. R. Andala, a Cartesian, professor of divinity and philosophy at Franeker, who sounded the alarm,
that the church was in danger; and that the introduction
of scepticism, and even Spinosism, must be the
consequence of undermining the Cartesian system by such a
professed ignorance of the principles of things his virulence was carried to such a degree, that the governors of
the university thought themselves in honour obliged (notwithstanding Boernaave’s remonstrances to the contrary) to
insist upon his retracting his aspersions. He accordingly
made a recantation, with offers of further satisfaction to
which Boerhaave generously replied, that the most agreeable satisfaction he could receive was, that so eminent a
divine should have no more trouble on his account. In
1728, he was elected of the academy of sciences at Paris;
and, in 1730, of the royal society of London. In 1718,
he succeeded Le Mort in the professorship of chemistry
and made an oration on this subject, “That chemistry was
capable of clearing itself from its own errors.
” August
An imposthumation of
the lungs, which has daily increased for these last three
months, almost suffocates me upon the least motion if it
should continue to increase without breaking, I must sink
under it; if it should break, the event is still' dubious
happen what may, why should I be concerned since it
cannot be but according to the will of the Supreme Being,
what else should 1 desire God be praised In th mean
time, I am not wanting in the use of the most approved
remedies, in order to mitigate the disease, by promoting
maturation, but am no ways anxious about the success of
them I have lived to upwards of sixty-eight years, and
always cheerful.
” Finding also unusual pulsations of the
artery in the right side of the neck, and intermissions of
the pulse, he concluded there were polypous concretions
between the heart and lungs, with a dilatation of the vessels. Sept. 8, 1738, he wrote his case to Dr. Mortimer,
secretary of the royal society and for some days there
were flattering hopes of his recovery but they soon vanished, and he died the 23d, aged almost seventy.
trade of Great Britain, in a letter to the reverend Charles Lyttelton, LL. D. dean of Exeter, and F. R. S.” This work, which was printed likewise at Oxford, and appeared
When Mr. Borlase was fixed at Ludgvan, which was a
retired, but delightful situation, he soon recommended
himself as a pastor, a gentleman, and a man of learning.
The duties of his profession he discharged with the most
rigid punctuality and exemplary dignity. He was esteemed
and respected by the principal gentry of Cornwall, and
lived on the most friendly and social terms with those of
his neighbourhood. In the pursuit of general knowledge
he was active and vigorous; and his mind being of an inquisitive turn, he could not survey with inattention or
indifference the peculiar objects which his situation pointed
to his view. There were in the parish of Ludgvan rich
copper works, belonging to the late earl of Godolphin.
These abounded with mineral and metallic fossils, which
Mr. Borlase collected from time to time; and his collection increasing by degrees, he was encouraged to study
at large the natural history of his native county. While
he was engaged in this design, he could not avoid being
struck with the numerous m'onuments of remote antiquity
that are to be met with in several parts of Cornwall; and
which had hitherto been passed over with far less examination than they deserved. Enlarging, therefore, his plan,
he determined to gain as accurate an acquaintance as possible with the Druid learning, and with the religion and
customs of the ancient Britons, before their conversion to
Christianity. To this undertaking he was encouraged by
several gentlemen of his neighbourhood, who were men of
literature and lovers of British antiquities; and particularly by sir John St. Aubyn, ancestor of the present baronet of that family, and the late rev. Edward Collins,
vicar of St. Earth. In the year 1748, Mr. Borlase, happening to attend the ordination of his eldest son at Exeter,
commenced an acquaintance with the Rev. Dr. Charles
Lyttelton, late bishop of Carlisle, then come to be installed into the deanry, and the Rev. Dr. Milles, the late
dean, two eminent antiquaries, who, in succession, have
so ably presided over the society of antiquaries in London.
Our author’s correspondence with these gentlemen was a
great encouragement to the prosecution of his studies; and
he has acknowledged his obligations to them, in several
parts of his works. In 1750, being at London, he was
admitted a fellow of the royal society, into which he had
been chosen the year before, after having communicated
an ingenious Essay on the Cornish Crystals. Mr. Borlase
having completed, in 1753, his manuscript of the Antiof Cornwall, carried it to Oxford, where he finished
the whole impression, in folio, in the February following.
A second edition of it, in the same form, was published
at London, in 1769. Our author’s next publication was,
“Observations on the ancient and present state of the
Islands of Scilly, and their importance to the trade of
Great Britain, in a letter to the reverend Charles Lyttelton, LL. D. dean of Exeter, and F. R. S.
” This work,
which was printed likewise at Oxford, and appeared in
1756, in quarto, was an extension of a paper that had
been read before the royal society, on the 8th of February
1753, entitled, “An Account of the great Alterations
which the Islands of Scilly have undergone, since the time
of the ancients, who mention them, as to their number,
extent, and position.
” It was at the request of Dr. Lyttelton, that this account was enlarged into a distinct
treatise. In 1757, Mr. Borlase again employed the Oxford press, in printing his “Natural History of Cornwall,
” for which he had been many years making collections, and which was published in April 1758. After this,
he sent a variety of fossils, and remains of antiquity, which
he 'had described in his works, to be placed in the Ashmolean museum; and to the same repository he continued
to send every thing curious which fell into his hands.
For these benefactions he received the thanks of the university, in a letter from the vice-chancellor, dated November 18, 1758; and in March, 1766, that learned body conferred on him the degree of doctor of laws, by diploma,
the highest academical honour.
the 28th of August, 1791. His treatise on Amalgamation was translated into English, and published by R. E. Raspe, Lond. 1791, 4to, and his travels through the Bannat
What raised the baron more justly high in the public
opinion, was his knowledge of mineralogy, and his successful experiments in metallurgy, and principally in the progress of amalgamation. The use of quick-silver in extracting the noble metals from their ores, was not a discovery
of the baron’s, nor of the century in which he lived; yet
he extended so far its application in metallurgy as to form
a brilliant epoch in this most important art. After he had
at great expence made many private experiments, and was
convinced of the utility of his method, he laid before the
emperor an account of his discovery, who gave orders that
a decisive experiment on a large quantity of ore should be
made at Schemnitz, in Hungary, in the presence of Charpentier from Saxony, Ferber from Russia, Elhujar from
Spain, Poda, and other celebrated chemists, which met
with universal approbation, and established the utility of
his discovery. In 1786, Born published, at the desire of
the emperor, his treatise on Amalgamation; and in the following year, a farther account of it was published by his
friend Ferber. As a considerable saving in wood, time,
and labour, attended his process, the emperor gave orders
that it should be employed in the Hungarian mines; and
as a recompence to the inventor, a third of the sum that
should be saved by adopting his method was granted to
him for ten years, and for ten years more the interest of
that sum. Such, however, was the hospitality of Born,
and his readiness to admit and entertain all travellers, and
to patronize distressed talents of every kind, that his expences exceeded his income, and he was at last reduced to
a state of insolvency. Amidst all his bodily infirmities and
pecuniary embarrassments, and notwithstanding the variety
of his official avocations, he was indefatigable in his literary
pursuits; and in 1790, he published in two volumes, a
“Catalogue methodique raisonné,
” of Miss Raab’s collection of fossils, which is regarded as a classical work on that
subject. He employed himself also in bleaching wax by a
new chemical process, and in boiling salt with half the
wood commonly used for that purpose. Whilst he was engaged in writing the “Fasti Leopoldini,
” or a history of
the reign of Leopold II. in classical Latin, and a work on
Mineralogy, his disease rapidly advanced, and being attended with violent spasms, terminated his life on the 28th
of August, 1791. His treatise on Amalgamation was translated into English, and published by R. E. Raspe, Lond.
1791, 4to, and his travels through the Bannat of Temeswar,
&c. were published in 1787.
into him along with the first principles of geometry, and had made such an impression upon his mind, r r to regulate and adorn his moral conduct. On his death-bed
In his earlier years, Mr. Bouguer had lived in a state of
seclusion from general intercourse with the world, and he
had thus acquired a cast of temper, which marked his character in more advanced life. Although he was universally
acknowledged to possess superior talents, and to be distinguished by an assiduity and zeal, no less successful than
indefatigable, in various departments of useful science, he
indulged a degree of suspicion and jealousy, with regard
to his reputation, which disgusted some of those with whom
he was under a necessity of associating, and which disquieted his own mind. Fully sensible of the importance
and utility of his own performances, he was apt to consider others, who were engaged in similar pursuits, as competitors with himself, and to grudge them the reputation
which they justly acquired, from an apprehension that his
own credit would be thus diminished. Hence arose his
disputes with La Condamine, one of the companions of his
voyage, and associate in his labours in America; and the
mortification he experienced from the public suffrage that
seemed to have been bestowed on that academician. His
character in other respects was distinguished for modesty
and simplicity. The truths of religion were instilled into
him along with the first principles of geometry, and had
made such an impression upon his mind, r r to regulate and
adorn his moral conduct. On his death-bed he cherished
the same views which had thus guided him through life,
and he closed his career with philosophical fortitude, and
with a piety and resignation truly Christian. In the year
1784, a very singular book was published at Paris, entitled “Relation de la conversion et de mort de Bouguer,
” by P. La Berthonie. His piety naturally offended
Lalande, who, in noticing this book, ascribes his piety to
fear; this was a common opinion with the French deists,
and had very pernicious influence on the minds of their
disciples. Laiande, however, if our information be not
incorrect, lived to experience the fear he once ridiculed.
g through mountains, directing and changing tie courses of rivers, and in breaking up and turning ov< r the strata of the earth, he saw a multitude of different substances,
, one of the earliest
French infidels, who assumed the name of philosophers
was born at Paris in 1722, and died therein 1759, aged
only thirty -seven. During his education, he is said to
have come out of the college of Beauvais almost as ignorant
as he went in; hut, struggling hard against his inaptitude
to study, he at length overcame it. At seventeen years of
age he began to apply himself to mathematics and architecture; and,n three or lour years made such progress
as to be usefrl to the baron of Thiers, whom he accompanied to thearmy in quality of engineer. Afterwards he
had the supervision of the highways and bridges, and executed severa public works in Champagne, Burgundy, and
Lorrain. Ii cutting through mountains, directing and
changing tie courses of rivers, and in breaking up and
turning ov<r the strata of the earth, he saw a multitude of
different substances, which (he thought) evinced the great
antiquity of it, and a long series of revolutions which it
must hav undergone. From the revolutions in the globe,
he passei to the changes that must have happened in the
manner?of men, in societies, in governments, in religion
and fomed many conjectures upon all these. To be farther saisfied, he wanted to know what, in the history of
ages, lad been said upon these particulars; and, that he
might be informed from the fountain-head, he learned
first latin, and then Greek. Not yet content, he plunged
into clebrew, Syriac, Chaldaic, and Arabic and from
these studies accumulated a vast mass of singular and paradoxical opinions which he conveyed to the public in the
followng works: 1. “Traite du Despotisme Oriental,
” 2
vols. 2mo, 2. “L'antiquite devoile, par ses usages,
” 3
vols. 12mo. This was posthumous. 3. Another work, entitle! “Le Christianisme demasqu6,
” 8vo, is attributed
to Hm, but it is not certain that he was the author of it.
4. le furnished to the Encyclopedic the articles Deluge,
C-rvde, and Societe. 5. A dissertation on Elisha and
Eioch. 6. He left behind him in ms. a dictionary, which
my be regarded as a concordance in antient and modern
Jjnguages. Voltaire, the baron D'Holbach, and other disgminators of infidelity, made much use of Boulanger’s
works, and more of his name, which, it is supposed, they
prefixed to some of their own compositions. Barruel gives
some reason for thinking that Boulanger retracted his
opinions before his death. His name, however, still remained of consequence to the party; and as late as 1791,
an edition of his works, entitled the Philosophical
Library, was published at the philosophic press in Swisserland.
Lord Berners is now principally known r his translation of “Froissart’s Chronicle,” which he mdertook
Lord Berners is now principally known r his translation of “Froissart’s Chronicle,
” which he mdertook by
command of the king, and was published by 'inson, 1523
1525, 2 vols. fol. It is unnecessary to add h w much this
translation has been superseded by that of Thmas Johnes,
esq. which lately issued from the Hafod pre>, and has
passed through two editions since 1803. Ofers of lord
Berners’s works were a whimsical medley of ranslations
from the French, Italian, and Spanish novels, hich seem
to have been the mode then, as they were afterv.rds in the
reign of Charles II. These were, “The Life f Sir Arthur, an Armorican Knight
” “The famousesploits of
sir Hugh of Bourdeaux
” “Marcus Aureliui
” and the
“Castle of Love.
” He also composed a bo: “Of the
duties of the inhabitants of Calais,
” and a comfy entitled
“Ite in Vineam.
” Of all these an ample account may be
seen in our authorities.
or restraining the excessive abuse of papa'rovisions, but deserved most highly of the learned world, r being the principal instrument in introducing the no 2 art of
, archbishop of Canterbury in the successi^eio-ns of
Henry VI. Edward IV. Edward V. Richard III. tf Henry
VII. was son of William Bourchier earl of Ewe in Normandy, and the countess of Stafford, and brother of Henry
earl of Essex, and, consequently, related to the preceding
lord Berners. He had his education in Neville’s-inn at
Oxford, and was chancellor of that university three ears
viz. from 1433 to 1437. His first dignity in the church
was that of dean of the collegiate church of St. Martin’s in
London; from which, in 1433, he was advanced, by pope
Eugenius IV. to the see of Worcester but his consecration
was deferred to May 15, 1436, by reason (as is supposed)
of a defect in age. He had not sat a full year, before he
was elected by the monks of Ely bishop of that see, and
confirmed by the pope: but, the king refusing his consent,
Bourchier did not dare to comply with the election,' for
fear of incurriig the censure of the laws, which forbad,
under very sevtfe penalties, the receiving the pope’s bull
without the khg’s leave. Nevertheless, seven or eight
years after, the see of Ely still continuing vacant, and the
king consenting, he was translated thither, the 20th of
December 1443. The author of the “Historia Eliensis
”
speaks very disadvantageously of him, as an oppressor,
and neglectfi of his duty during his residence on that see,
which was ten years twenty-three weeks and five days. At
last he was elected archbishop of Canterbury, in the
room of John Kemp, the 23d of April 1454. This election
was the irre remarkable, as the monks were left entirely to trir liberty of choice, without any interposition
either frc the crown or the papal chair. On the contrary, pof Nicolas Vth’s concurrence being readily obtained, t> archbishop was installed with great solemnity.
In the m^th of December following, he received the red
hat from vome, being created cardinal-priest of St. Cyriacus in Ttemis, but Bentham thinks this was not till 1464,
The next ear, he was made lord high chancellor of England, but‘esigned that office in October the year following. So’ after his advancement to the see of Canterbury,
he be^aia visitation in Kent, and made several regulations fothe government of his diocese. He likewise
publish* 3 - constitution for restraining the excessive abuse
of papa'rovisions, but deserved most highly of the learned
world, r being the principal instrument in introducing
the no 2 art of printing into England. Wood’s account^
althou not quite correct, is worth transcribing. Bourchier being informed that the inventor, Tossan^ alias
John -ithenberg, had set up a press at Harlem, was extremely desirous that the English might be made masters
of s^ 6116 ^ ^ an art. To this purpose he persuaded
fcino Henry VI. to dispatch one Robert Tournour, belong to the wardrobe, privately to Harlem. This man,
f ur ed with a thousand marks, of which the archbishop
suried three hundred, embarked for Holland, and, to
disise the matter, went in company with one Caxton, a,
nnhant of London, pretending himself to be of the same
profession. Thus concealing his name and his business, he
went first to Amsterdam, then to Leyden, and at last settled
at Harlem where having spent a -great deal of time and
money, he sent to the king for a fresh supply, giving his
Highness to understand, that he had almost compassed the
enterprize. In short, he persuaded Frederic Corselli, one
of the compositors, to carry off a set of letters, and embark
with him in the night for London. When they arrived, the
archbishop, thinking Oxford a more convenient place for
printing than London, sent Corselli down thither. And,
lest he should slip away before he had discovered the whole
secret, a guard was set upon the press. And thus the mystery of printing appeared ten years sooner in the university
of Oxford than at any other place in Europe, Harlem and
Mentz excepted. Not long after, there were presses set up
at Westminster, St. Alhan’s, Worcester, and other monasteries of note. After this manner printing was introduced
into England, by the care of archbishop Bourchier, in the
year of Christ 1464, and the third of king Edward IV."
whom he was ghostly father; certain it is, that in the year 1726 he was removed from Macerata to Pe- r rugia, and from thence made his escape into England, where he
Having thus been confirmed in the order of the Jesuits,
and arrived at the age of almost forty years, it was reasonable to suppose that Mr. Bower would have passed through
life with no other changes than such as are usual with persons of the same order; but this uniformity of life was not
destined to be his lot. To whatever cause it is to be ascribed whether, according to his own account, to his disgust at the enormities committed by the inquisition, in
which he performed the office of counsellor; or, as his enemies assert, to his indulgence of his passions, particularly
with a nun to whom he was ghostly father; certain it is,
that in the year 1726 he was removed from Macerata to Pe-r
rugia, and from thence made his escape into England, where
he arrived at the latter end of June or July, after various
adventures, which it now becomes our duty to communicate
to the reader, and which we shall do in his own wards
premising, however, that the truth of the narrative has
been impeached in several very material circumstances.
Having determined to put into execution his design of
quitting the inquisition and bidding for ever adieu to
Italy, he proceeds: “To execute that design with seme
safety, I purposed to beg leave of the inquisitor to visit the
” Virgin of Loretto, but thirteen miles distant, and to pass
a week there; but in the mean time to make the best of
my way to the country of the Grisons, the nearest country
to Macerata, out of the reach of the inquisition. Having
therefore, after many conflicts with myself, asked leave to
visit the neighbouring sanctuary, and obtained it, 1 set out
on horseback the very next morning, leaving, as I purposed
to keep the horse, his full value with the owner. I took
the road to Loretto, but turned out of it at a small distance
from llecanati, after a most violent struggle with myself,
the attempt appearing to me, at that juncture, quite desperate and impracticable; anvl the dreadful doom reserved
for me, should I miscarry, presenting itself to my mind in
the strongest light. But the reflection that I had it in my
p.ower to avoid being taken alive, and a persuasion that a
man in my situation might lawfully avoid it, when every
other means failed him, at the expence of his life, revived
my staygered resolution and all my fears ceasing at once,
1 steered my course, leaving Loretto behind me, to Calvi
in the dukedom of Urbino, and from thence through the
Romania into the Boionese, keeping the by-roads, and at
a good distance from the cities of Fano, Pisaro, Rimini,
Forlu Faenza, and Imola, through which the high road
passed. Thus I advanced very slowly, travelling, generally
speaking, in very bad roads, and often in places where
there was no road at all, to avoid not only the cities and
jtowns, but even the- villages. In the mean time I^eldom
had any other support than some coarse provisions, and a
very small quantity even of them, that the poor shepherds,
the countrymen, or wood cleavers, I met in those unfrequented by-places, could spare me. My horse fared not
much better than myself; but in choosing my sleepingplace I consulted his convenience as much as my own;
passing the night where I found most shelter for myself,
and most grass for him. In Italy there are very few solitary farm-houses or cottages, the country people there all
living together in villages; and I thought it far safer to lie
where I could be any way sheltered, than to venture into
any of them. Thus I spent seventeen days before I got out
of the Ecclesiastical State; and I very narrowly escaped
being taken or murdered on the very borders of that state.
It happened thus:
rned out of the road as soon as the countryman was out of sight; and that night I passed with a good r natured shepherd in his cottage, who supplied me with sheep’s
"Having rested a few days at Chiaveuna, I resumed my journey quite refreshed, continuing it through the country of the Grisons, and the two small cantons of Ury and Underwald to the canton of Lucern, There I missed my way, as I was quite unacquainted with the country, and discovering a city at a distance, was advancing to it, but very slowly, as I knew not where I was; when a countryman whom I met informed me that the city before me was Lucern. Upon that intelligence, I turned out of the road as soon as the countryman was out of sight; and that night I passed with a good r natured shepherd in his cottage, who supplied me with sheep’s milk, and my horse with plenty of grass. I set out very early next morning, making the best of my way westward, as I knew that Bern lay west of Lucern. But after a few miles the country proved very mountainous; and having travelled the whole day over mountains, I was overtaken amongst them by night. As I was looking out for a place where I might shelter myself during the night against the snow and rain, for it both snowed and rained, I perceived a light at a distance; and, making towards it, got into a kind of footpath, but so narrow and rugged that I was obliged to lead my horse and feel my way with one foot, having no light to direct me, before I durst move the other. Thus wita much difficulty I reached the place where the light was, a poor little cottage; and, knocking at the door, was asked by a man within who I was, and what I wanted. I answered that I was a stranger, and had lost my way. ‘Lost your way!’ replied the man; ‘there is no way here to lose.’ I then asked him in what canton I was; and upon his answering that I was in the canton of Bern, ‘I thank God,’ I cried out, transported with joy, ‘that I am.’ The good man answered, ‘And so do I.’ I then told him who I was, and that I was going to Bern, but had quite lost myself by keeping out of all the high roads to avoid falling into the hands of those who sought my destruction. He thereupon opened the door, received and entertained me with all the hospitality his poverty would admit of, regaled me with sour-krout and some new-laid eggs, the only provisions he had, and clean straw with a kind of rug for my bed, he having no other for himself and his wife. The good woman expressed as much satisfaction and good-nature in her countenance as her husband, and said many kind things in the Swiss language, which her husband interpreted for me in the Italian; for that language he well understood, and spoke so as to be understood, having learnt it as he told me in his youth while servant in a public-house on the borders of Italy, where both languages are spoken. I never passed a more comfortable night; and no sooner did I begin to stir in the morning, than the good man and his wife came both to know how I rested, and wishing they had been able to accommodate me better, obliged me to breakfast on two eggs, which Providence, they said, had supplied them with for that purpose. I then took leave of the wife, who, with her eves lifted up to heaven, seemed most sincerely to wish me a good journey. As for the husband, he would by all means attend me to the high road leading to Bern; which road, he said, was but two miles distant from that place. But he insisted on my first going back with him to see the way I had come the night before, the only way, he said, I could have possibly come from the neighbouring canton of Lucern. I saw it, and shuddered at the danger I had escaped; for I found that I had walked and led my horse a good way along a very narrow path on the brink of a dreadful precipice. The man made so many pious and pertinent remarks on the occasion, as both charmed and surprised me. I no less admired his disinterestedness than his piety: for, upon our parting, after he had attended me till I was out of all danger of losing my way, I could by no means prevail upon him to accept of any reward for his trouble. He had the satisfaction, he said, of having relieved me in the greatest distress, which was in itself a sufficient reward, and he cared for no other.
rned Dr. Taylor, chancellor of Lincoln, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Powell, Dr. Wilkins, Mr. Maittaire, Messrs. R. and S. Gale, Mr. Browne Willis, Mr. Spelman, Mr. Morant, Dr.
Mr. Bowyer had always been subject to a bilious colic;
and during the last ten years of his life, he was afflicted
with the palsy and the stone. But, notwithstanding these
infirmities, he preserved, in general, a remarkable cheerfulness of disposition; and received great satisfaction from
the conversation of a few literary friends, by whom he continued to be visited. The faculties of his mind, though
somewhat impaired, were strong enough to support the labour of almost incessant reading, which had ever been his
principal amusement; and he regularly corrected the
learned works, and especially the Greek books, which came
from his press. This he did till within a very few weeks of
his death; which happened on the 18th of November,
1777, when he had nearly completed his 78th year. The
publications of Mr. Bowyer are an incontrovertible evidence
of his abilities and learning; to which may be added that
he was honoured with the friendship and patronage of many
of the most distinguished ornaments of his age. We already have had occasion to mention the earls of Macclesfield and Marchmont, Dr. Wotton, Mr. Pope, Mr. Chishull,
Mr. Clarke, Mr. Markland, bishop Warburton, the right
honourable Arthur Onslow, Mr. Hollis, Dr. Salter, Mr,
De Missy, Dr. Owen, and Dr. Heberden. To these, among
other respectable names, might be added those of archbishop Seeker, bishop Kennett, bishop Tanner, bishop Sherlock, bishop Hoadly, bishop Lyttelton, bishop Pearce, bishop Lowth, bishop Barrington, bishop Hurd, bishop
Percy, lord Lyttelton, lord Sandys, dean Prideaux, doctors
Robert and John Freind, dean Freind, dean Milles, the very
learned Dr. Taylor, chancellor of Lincoln, Dr. Barnard, Dr.
Powell, Dr. Wilkins, Mr. Maittaire, Messrs. R. and S.
Gale, Mr. Browne Willis, Mr. Spelman, Mr. Morant, Dr.
Ducarel, Dr. Pegge, Mr. Garrick, and most of the distinguished scholars and antiquaries of his time. His connec^
tion with the late eminent and excellent Richard Gough,
esq. so well known by his acquaintance with British topography and antiquities, is apparent from his last will;
where his obligations to Dr. Jenkin, dean Stanhope, and
Mr. Nelson, are acknowledged. The late excellent Dr.
Robert Clayton, bishop of Clogher, so highly esteemed his
friendship, that he not only honoured him by a regular
epistolary intercourse, but presented him with the copy-right
of all his valuable writings. Mr. Bowyer stood unrivalled,
for more than half a century, as a learned printer; and
some of the most masterly productions of this kingdom have
undoubtedly appeared from his press. To his literary and
professional abilities, he added an excellent moral character.
His regard to religion was displayed in his publications, and
in the course of his life and studies; and he was particularly
distinguished by his inflexible probity, and an uncommon
alacrity in assisting the necessitous. His liberality in relieving every species of distress, and his endeavours to conceal
his benefactions, reflect great honour on his memory.
Though he was naturally fond of retirement, and seldom
entered into company, excepting with men of letters, he
was, perhaps, excelled by few in the talent of justly discriminating the real characters of mankind. He judged of the
persons he saw by a sort of intuition; and his judgments
were generally right. From a consciousness of literary superiority, he did not always pay that particular attention tQ
the booksellers which was expedient in the way of his business. Too proud to solicit the favours in that way which he
believed to be his due, he was often disappointed in his expectations. On the other hand, he' frequently experienced
friendships in cases where he had much less reason to have
hoped for them so that, agreeably to his own expression,
“in what he had received, and what he had fyeen denied,
he thankfully acknowledged the will of Heaven.
” The two
great objects of Mr. Bowyer’s view, in the decline of his
life, were to repay the benefactions his father had met
with, and to be himself a benefactor to the meritorious of
his own profession. These purposes are fully displayed in
his last will: for which reason, and because it illustrates
the turn of his mind in other respects, we shall insert it at
large. After a liberal provision for his son, among other
legacies are these “I likewise give to my son all my plate;
except the small silver cup which was given to my father
(after his loss by fire) by Mrs. James, and which I give to
the Company of Stationers in London, hoping they will
preserve it as a memorial. Having committed my body to
the earth, I would testify my duty and gratitude to my few
relations and numerous benefactors after my father’s loss by
fire. I give and bequeath to my cousin Scott, lately of
Westminster, brewer, and to his sister, fifty pounds each.
I give and bequeath to my relations Mr. Thomas Linley and
his wife one thousand pounds four per cent, consolidated annuities, to be transferred to them, or to the survivor of them;
and which I hope they will take care to settle, at their
deaths, for the benefit of their son and daughter. I give
to the two sons and one daughter of the late reverend Mr.
Maurice of Gothenburgh iuSweden, who married the only
daughter of Mr. Richard Williamson, bookseller (in return for her father’s friendship to mine), one thousand pounds
four per cent, consolidated annuities, to be divided equally
between them. Among my father’s numerous benefactors,
there is not, that I can hear of, one alive: to several of
them I made an acknowledgement. But one respectable
body I am still indebted to, the University of Cambridge;
to whom I give, or rather restore, the sum of fifty pounds,
in return for the donation of forty pounds made to my father
at the motion of the learned and pious master of Saint John’s
college, doctor Robert Jenkin: to a nephew of his I have
already given another fifty pounds, as appears by his receipt
of the thirty-first of May, one thousand seven hundred and
seventy. The benefactions which my father received from
Oxford I can only repay with gratiiude; as he received
them, not from the university as a body, but from particular members. I give thirty pounds to the dean and chapter
of Canterbury, in gratitude for the kindness of the worthy
doctor Stanhope (sometime dean of Canterbury) to my father; the remembrance of which amongst the proprietors of
his works I have long out-lived, as I have experienced by not
being employed to print them: the like I might say of the
works of Mr. Nelson, another respectable friend and patron of
my father’s, and of many others. I give to doctor William
Heberden my little cabinet of coins, with H ickes’s Thesau rus,
Tristan, and the odd volume, Spanheim’s Numismata, Harduin’s Opera Selecta, in folio, Nummi Populorum et Urbium, in quarto, and any other of my books he chooses to
accept: to the reverend doctor Henry Owen, such of my
Hebrew books and critical books on the New Testament,
as he pleases to take: to Richard Gough, esq. in like manner, my books on topographical subjects: to Mr. John
Nichols, all books that relate to Cicero, Livy, and the Roman
history, particularly the * Cenotaphia' of Noris and Pighius, my grammars and dictionaries, with Swift’s and
Pope’s works: to my son, whatever books (not described above) he thinks proper to take. And now I hope I may
be allowed to leave somewhat for the benefit of printing.
To this end, I give to the master and keepers or wardens
and commonalty of the mystery or art of a stationer of the
city of London, such a sum of money as will purchase two
thousand pounds three per cent, reduced Bank annuities,
upon trust, to pay the dividends and yearly produce thereof,
to be divided for ever equally amongst three printers, compositors or pressmen, to be elected from time to time by
the master, wardens, and assistants, of the said company,
and who at the time of such election shall be sixty-three
years old or upwards, for their respective lives, to be paid
half-yearly; hoping that such as sha.ll be most deserving
will be preferred. And whereas I have herein before given
to my son the sum of three thousand pounds four per cent,
consolidated annuities, in case he marries with the consent
of my executors: Now, I do hereby give and bequeath the
dividends and interest of that sum, till such marriage take
place, to the said company of stationers to be divided
equally between six other printers, compositors or pressmen, as aforesaid, in manner as aforesaid; and, if my said
son shall die unmarried, or married without such consent as
aforesaid, then I give and bequeath the said capital sum of
three thousand pounds to the company of stationers, the
dividends and yearly produce thereof to be divided for ever
equally amongst six other such old printers, compositors or
pressmen, for their respective lives, to be qualified, chosen,
and paid in manner as aforesaid. It has long been to me
matter of concern, that such numbers are put apprentices
as compositors without any share of school-learning, who
ought to have the greatest: in hopes of remedying this,
I give and bequeath to the said company of stationers such
a sum of money as will purchase one thousand pounds three
per cent, reduced bank annuities, for the use of one journeyman compositor, such as shall hereafter be described; with
this special trust, that the master, wardens, and assistants,
shall pay the dividends and produce thereof half-yearly to
such compositor: the said master, wardens, and assistants
of the said company, shall nominate for this purpose a compositor who is a man of good life and conversation, who shall
usually frequent some place of public worship every Sunday unless prevented by sickness, and shall not have worked
on a newspaper or magazine for four years at least before
such nomination, nor shall ever afterwards whilst he holds
this annuity, which may be for life, if he continues a journeyman; he shall be able to read and construe Latin, and at
least to read Greek fluently with accents; f which he shall
bring a testimonial from the rector of St. Martin’s Ludgate
for the time being: I could wish that he shall have been
brought up piously and virtuously, if it be possible, at Merchant Taylors, or some other public school, from seven
years of age till he is full seventeen, and then to serve seven years faithfully as a compositor, and work seven years
more as a journeyman, as I would not have this annuity bestowed on any one under thirty -one years of age: if after
he is chosen he should behave ill, let him be turned out,
and another be chosen in his stead. And whereas it may
be many years before a compositor may be found that shall
exactly answer the above description, and it may at some
times happen that such a one cannot be found; I would
have the dividends in the mean time applied to such person
as the master, wardens, and assistants, shall think approaches
nearest to what I have described. And whereas the above
trusts will occasion some trouble: I give to the said company, in case they think proper to accept the trusts, two
hundred and fifty pounds.
” It is almost superfluous to add,
that the trust was accepted, and is properly executed.
against them. Lord Boyd, astonished at this sudden blow, betook himself to arms; but, finding it im- r possible to stem the torrent, made his escape into England;
, a nobleman of Scotland, of whose early years we have no account, began to make a figure in public life towards the end of the reign of James II. of Scotland. Being a man of great penetration and sound judgment, courteous and affable, he acquired the esteem and confidence of all ranks of people, as well as of his prince, who created him a baron by the title of lord Boyd, of Kilmarnock. In 1459, he was, with several other noblemen, sent to Newcastle, with the character of plenipotentiary, to prolong the truce with England, which had just fhen expired. On the death of James II. who was killed at the siege of Roxburgh, lord Boyd was made justiciary, and one of the lords of the regency, in whose hands the administration was lodged during the minority of the young king. His lordship had a younger brother who had received the honour of knighthood, sir Alexander Boyd of Duncow, a man in great credit with the king, whom he was appointed to teach the rudiments of military discipline; and between them, the two brothers found means to engross most of the places and preferments about the court. Sir Alexander began to instil into the young king, then twelve years old, that he was now capable of governing without the help of guardians and tutors, and that he might free himself from their restraint. This advice was readily listened to, and the king resolved to take upon himself the government, which, however, was no other than transferring the whole power, from the other regents, to the Boyds. The king was at this time at Linlithgow, and it was necessary to remove him to Edinburgh, to take upon him the regal government, which the Boyds effected, partly by force, and partly by stratagem. Haying got the king- to Edinburgh, lord Boyd began to provide for his own safety, and to avert the danger which, threatened him and his friends, for what they had done in the face of an act of parliament; and accordingly prevailed upon the king to call a parliament at Edinburgh, in October 1466; in which lord Boyd fell down upon his knees before the throne, where the king sat, and in an elaborate harangue, complained of the hard construction put upon the king’s removal from Linlithgow, and how ill this was interpreted by his enemies, who threatened that the advisers of that affair should one day suffer punishment; humbly beseeching his majesty to declare his own sense and pleasure thereupon, and that if he conceived any illwill or disgust against him for that journey, that he would openly declare it. The king, after advising a little with the lords, made answer, that the lord Boyd was not his adviser, but rather his companion in that journey; and therefore that he was more worthy of a reward for his courtesy, than of punishment for his obsequiousness or compliance therein; and this he was willing to declare in a public decree of the estates, and in the same decree provision should be made, that this matter should never be prejudicial to the lord Boyd or his companions. His lordship then desired, that this decree might be registered in the acts of the assembly, and confirmed by letters patent under the great seal, which was also complied with. At the same time also the king, by advice of his council, gave him letters patent, whereby he was constituted sole regent, and had the safety of the king, his brothers, sisters, towns, castles, and all the jurisdiction over his subjects, committed to him, till the king himself arrived to the age of twenty-one years. And the nobles then present solemnly promised to be assistant to the lord Boyd, and also to his brother, in all their public actions, and that they would be liable to punishment, if they did not carefully, and with faithfulness, perform what they then promised, to which stipulation the king also subscribed. Lord Boyd next contrived to be made Jord great chamberlain, and after this had the boldness to procure the lady Mary Stewart, the late king’s eldest daughter, in marriage for his son sir Thomas Boyd, notwithstanding the care and precaution of the parliament. The lord Boyd’s son was a most accomplished gentleman, and this match and near alliance to the crown, added to his own distinguished merit, raised him to a nearer place in the affection as well as confidence of his sovereign, by whom he was soon after created earl of Arran, and was now himself considered as the fountain from whence all honours and preferments must flow. The lord chamberlain, by this great accession of honour to his family, seemed to have arrived at the highest pinnacle of power and grandeur; but what seemed to establish his power, proved the very means of its overthrow. About this time, a marriage having been concluded, by ambassadors sent into Denmark for that purpose, between the young king of Scotland, and Margaret, a daughter of the king of Denmark, the earl of Arran was selected to go over to Denmark, to espouse the Danish princess in the king his brother-in-law’s name, and to conduct her to Scotland. The earl of Arran, judging all things safe at home, willingly accepted this honour; and, in the beginning of the autumn of 1469, set sail for Denmark with a proper convoy, and a noble train of friends and followers. This was, however, a fatal step, for the lord chamberlain, the earl’s father, being now much absent from the court in the necessary discharge of his office, as well as through age and infirmities, which was the case also of his brother sir Alexander Boyd; the earl of Arran had no sooner set out on his embassy, than every endeavour was tried to alienate the king’s affection from the Boyds. Every public miscarriage was laid at their door; and the Kennedies, their ancient enemies, industriously spread abroad reports, to inflame the people likewise against them. They represented to the king, that the lord Boyd had abused his power during his majesty’s minority; that his matching his son, the earl of Arran, with the princess Mary, was staining the royal blood of Scotland, was an indignity to the crown, and the prelude to the execution of a plot they had contrived of usurping even the sovereignty itself; for they represented the lord chamberlain as an ambitious, aspiring man, guilty of the highest offences, and capable of contriving and executing the worst of villanies: with what justice, history does not inform us. Buchanan only says the Boyds were the occasion of the king’s degeneracy into all manner of licentiousness, by their indulgence of his pleasures. The king, however, young, weak, credulous, and wavering, and naturally prone to jealousy, began to be alarmed, and was prevailed on to sacrifice, not only the earl of Arran, but all his family, to the resentment of their enemies, notwithstanding their ancestors’ great services to the crown, and in spite of the ties of blood which united them so closely. At the request of the adverse faction, the king summoned a parliament to meet at Edinburgh, the 20th of November, 1469, before which lord Boyd, the earl of Arran, though in Denmark, and sir Alexander Boyd of Duncow, were summoned to appear, to give an account of their administration, and answer such charges as should be exhibited against them. Lord Boyd, astonished at this sudden blow, betook himself to arms; but, finding it im-r possible to stem the torrent, made his escape into England; but his brother, sir Alexander, being then sick, and trusting to his own integrity, was brought before the parliament, where he, the lord Boyd, and his son the earl of Arran, were indicted of high-treason, for having laid hands on the king, and carried him, against an act of parliament, and contrary to the king’s own will, from Linlithgow to Edinburgh, in 1466. Sir Alexander alleged in his defence, that they had not only obtained the king’s pardon for that'offence in a public convention, but it was even declared a good service by a subsequent act of parliament; but no regard was had to this, because it was obtained by the Boyds when in power, and masters of the king’s person: and the crime being proved against them, they were found guilty by a jury of lords and barons; and sir Alexander Boyd, being present, was condemned to lose his head on the Castle-hill of Edinburgh, which sentence was executed accordingly. The lord Boyd would have undergone the same fate, if he had not inade his escape into England, where, however, he did not long survive his great reverse of fortune, dying at Alnwick in 1470. The earl of Arran, though absent upon public business, was declared a public enemy, without being granted a hearing, or allowed the privilege of defending himself, and his estates confiscated. Things were in this situation, when he arrived from Denmark, with the espoused queen, in the Frith of Forth. Before he landed he received intelligence of the wreck and ruin of his family, and resolved to retire into Denmark; and without staying to attend the ceremonial of the queen’s landing, he took the opportunity of one of those Danish ships which convoyed the queen, and were under his command, and embarking his lady, set sail for Denmark, where he met with a reception suitable to his high birth. From thence he travelled through Germany into France, and went to pay a visit to Charles duke of Burgundy, who received him most graciously, and being then at war with his rebellious subjects, the unfortunate lord offered him his service, which the duke readily accepted, and finding him to be a brave and wise man, he honoured and supported him and his lady, in a manner becoming their rank. But the king their brother, not yet satisfied with the miseries of their family, wrote over to Flanders to recal his sister home; and fearing she would not be induced to leave him, he caused others to write to her, and give her hopes that his anger towards her husband might be appeased, and that if she would come over and plead for him in person, there was no doubt but she might prevail with her brother to restore him again to his favour. The countess of Arran, flattered with these hopes, returned, and was no sooner arrived in Scotland, than the king urged her to a divorce from her husband, cruelly detained her from going back to him, and caused public citations, attested by witnesses, to be fixed up at Kilmarnock, the seat of the Boyds, wherein Thomas earl of Arran was commanded to appear in sixty days, which he not doing, his marriage with the king’s sister was declared null and void, and a divorce made (according to Buchanan), the earl still absent and unheard; and the lady Mary was compelled, by the king, to marry James lord Hamilton, a man much inferior to her former husband both in point of birth and fortune. This transaction was in 1474; and the earl of Arran, now in the last stage of his miseries, and borne down with the heavy load of his misfortunes, soon al'ter, died at Antwerp, and was honourably interred there. The character of him and of his father is variously represented. That they were ambitious, and regardless of the means of gratifying that ambition, cannot well be denied, nor are we permitted to censure with great asperity their enemies who effected their ruin by similar measures and with similar motives. Their fall undoubtedly holds out an useful lesson, but the experience of others, especially of examples in history, seldom checks the progress of that ambition that has once commenced in success.
a letter from a friend, with a copy of verses inclosed, exhorting him to dispel his grief by poetry r and to shew that Bath could inspire, as well as Tunbridge;.
When the earl of Orrery was committed prisoner to the Tower on account of Layer’s plot, such was the filial piety of his son, that he earnestly entreated to be shut up with his noble father; but this indulgence was thought too considerable to be granted. Not long after he had completed the twenty-first year of his age, he married, on the 9th of May 1728, lady Harriet Hamilton, the third and youngest daughter of George earl of Orkney. Though this marriage had the entire approbation of lord Orrery, it unfortunately happened that a dissension arose between the two earls, which placed the young couple in a very delicate and difficult situation; but lord Boyle maintained at the same time the tenderest affection for his wife, and the highest attachment to his father. The earl of Orrery, however, was too much irritated by the family quarrel, to see at first his son’s conduct in a proper point of light, although his excellent understanding could not fail in the end to get the better of his prejudices, when a reconciliation took place, and the little coldness which had subsisted between them served but the more to endear them to each other. The earl of Orrery was now so much pleased with lord Boyle, that he could scarcely be easy without him; and when in town, they were seldom asunder. It is to be lamented, that this happiness was rendered very transient by the unexpected death of lord Orrery and that the stroke was embittered by circumstance peculiarly painful and affecting to his noble son and successor. The father, whilst under the impression of his dissension with the earl of Orkney, had made a will, by which he had bequeathed to Christ-church, Oxford, his valuable library, consisting of above ten thousand volumes, together with a very fine collection of mathematical instruments. The only exceptions in favour of lord Boyle were the Journals of the House of Peers, and such books as related to the English history and constitution. The earl of Orrery left, besides, though he was greatly in debt, several considerable legacies to persons nowise related to him. Upon his reconciliation with his son, he determined to alter his will, and had even sent for his lawyer with that view, when the suddenness of his decease prevented the execution of his just and reasonable design. The young lord Orrery, with a true filial piety and generosity, instead of suffering his father’s effects to be sold, took his debts upon himself, and fulfilled the bequests, by paying the legacies, and sending the books and mathematical instruments within the limited time to Christ-church. The loss, however, of a parent, thus aggravated and embittered, left a deep impression upon his mind, and was succeeded by a fit of illness which endangered his life, and obliged him to repair to Bath. Whilst he was in that city, he received a letter from a friend, with a copy of verses inclosed, exhorting him to dispel his grief by poetry r and to shew that Bath could inspire, as well as Tunbridge;. from which place he had written some humorous verses the year before. To this letter his lordship returned the following answer:
as presented by the university of Oxford to the honorary degree of D. C. L.; and he was, likewise, F. R. S. Lord Boyle, in 1746, being settled at Oxford, and Mr. Boyle
In October 1733, lord Orrery returned to England, and
having now no attachment to London, he disposed of his
house in Downing-street, Westminster, as likewise of his
seat at Britwell, near Windsor, and retired to his seat at
Marston, in Somersetshire. As this place had been much
neglected by his ancestors, and was little more than a shell
of a large old house, he amused himself in building offices,
in fitting out and furnishing apartments, and laying out
gardens and other plantations. Study and retirement
being his principal pleasures, he took care to supply the
loss he had sustained from his father’s will, by furnishing
his library anew with the best authors. In the summer of
1734, probably in his way to France, where he sometimes
went, he visited the tomb of his ancestors, Roger Boyle,
esq, and Joan his wife, in Preston church, near Feversham.
This monument, when the title of earl of Cork devolved
upon him, he intended to have repaired, if his life had been
prolonged. In the middle of the year 1735, we find him
again in Ireland. On the 31st of October, in the same
year, an amiable relation, and a most promising youth,
Edmund duke of Buckingham, died at Rome, upon which
melancholy event, lord Orrery paid a just tribute to the
memory of the young nobleman, in an elegiac poem. It
was printed in 1736, and is one of the most pleasing specimens which our author has afforded of his poetical abilities. In the winter of 1735-6, the duke of Dorset being
then lord lieutenant of Ireland, the eail of Orrery neglected no opportunity of endeavouring to render his administration easy. If Dr. Swift is to be credited, Ireland
was about that time in a wretched condition. As a proof
of it, the dean asserted in a letter to Mr. Pope, that lord
Orrery had 3000l. a year in the neighbourhood of Cork,
and that more than three years rent was unpaid. In
April 1737, his lordship, who was then at Cork, earnestly
pressed Dr. Swift to accompany him to England; but the
doctor, who never saw Marston, did not accept the invitation. Lord Orrery took over with him to Mr. Pope all
the letters of that great poet to Swift, which the dean had
preserved or could find, which were not more in number
than twenty-five. About this time, our noble author,
that his sons might be educated under his own eye, and
also have the benefit of attending Westminster-school,
took a small house in Duke-street, Westminster. On the
30th of June, 1738, the earl of Orrery, after having been
six years a widower, married, in Ireland, Mrs. Margaret
Hamilton, only daughter and heiress of John Hamilton,
esq. of Caledon, in the county of Tyrone, grand-daughter
of Dr. Dopping, bishop of Meath, and niece of Dr. Dopping, bishop of Ossory. Swift, in a letter to Miss Hamilton, on her intended nuptials, after pretending a prior
claim, as she had made so many advances to him, and
confessed “herself to be nobody’s goddess but his,
” archly
waves it, and politely “permits lord Orrery to make himself the happiest man in the world; as I know not,
”
he adds, “any lady in this kingdom of so good sense or
so many accomplishments.
” He gives a great character
of her, likewise, in his last printed letter to Mr. Pope.
In this lady, the earl of Orrery, with gratitude to Heaven,
acknowledged that the loss of his former countess was repaired. In 1739 he published a new edition, 2 vols. 8vo,
of the dramatic works of his great-grandfather. Though
these volumes cannot be particularly valuable, they are
now become exceedingly scarce. In 1741 he published
separately, in folio, “The first Ode of the first book of
Horace imitated, and inscribed to the earl of Chesterfield;
”
and “Pyrrha, an imitation of the fifth Ode of the first
book of Horace.
” In the preface to the last, lord Orrery
characterises Dacier’s and Sanadon’s translations, and
makes some observations on Horace, which shew that he
entered with taste and spirit into the peculiar excellencies
of that poet. In 1742 he published in one volume, folio,
the “State Letters
” of his great-grandfather, the first
earl; to which were prefixed Morrice’s memoirs of that
eminent statesman. On the 25th of August, 1743, his lordship was presented by the university of Oxford to the
honorary degree of D. C. L.; and he was, likewise, F.R. S.
Lord Boyle, in 1746, being settled at Oxford, and Mr.
Boyle in the college at Westminster, their father quitted
London, and fixed his residence at Caledon, in Ireland.
During one of his occasional visits to England, after the
publication of the second volume of the Biographia Britannica, he thanked Dr. Campbell, “in the name of all the
Boyles, for the honour he had done to them, and to his
own judgment, by placing the family in such a light as to
give a spirit of emulation to those who were hereafter to
inherit the title.
” Lord Orrery resided in Ireland, with
very little intermission, from 1746 to 1750; happy in that
domestic tranquillity, that studious retirement and inactivity, from which, as he himself expressed it, he was
scarcely ever drawn, but with the utmost reluctance.
“Whenever,
” as he observed in a private letter, “we step
out of domestic life in search of felicity, we come back
again disappointed, tired, and chagrined. One day passed
under our own roof, with our friends and our family, is
worth a thousand in any other place. The noise and
bustle, or, as they are foolishly called, the diversions of
life, are despicable and tasteless, when once we have experienced the real delight of a fire-side.
” These sentiments, which do so much honour to the rectitude of his
lordship’s understanding, and the goodness of his heart,
reflect, at the same time, a just reproach on the absurd and
criminal dissipation that prevails for the most part among
persons of rank and fortune. During the earl of Orrery’s
residence in Ireland, he employed his leisure in laying out
gardens and plantations at Caledon, and in improving and
adorning its fine situation. On his return to Marston, he
continued his alterations and improvements in the house
and gardens at that place, many of the plans for which
were designed by lord Boyle, who had a taste for architecture. In the mean while, the amusement of our noble
author’s winter evenings was his translation of “The Letters of Pliny the Younger, with observations on each letter,
and an Essay on Pliny’s life, addressed to Charles lord
Boyle.
” The essay is dated Leicester-fields, January 27,
1750-1; and, together with the translation, was published
at London, in the following April, in 2 vols. 4to. This
work met with so good a reception from the public, that
three editions of it in octavo have since been printed. In
the summer of the same year, lord Orrery addressed
to his second son Hamilton a series of letters, containing
“Remarks on the Life and Writings of Dr. Swift, dean of
St. Patrick’s, Dublin.
” This work gave rise to many strictures and censures on his lordship for having professed
himself Swift’s friend while he was exposing his weaknesses. Subsequent inquiries into Swift’s character have
proved that the portrait he drew was not unfaithful. To
this, however, we shall have occasion to recur in our account of Swift.
ted sometime after his decease, by his friend the editor, Roger Flynt, who had likewise been of Bene r t college. He died either in 1665 or 1667, March 10. He was
, a learned clergyman of the seventeenth century, and nephew to the dean of Canterbury,
hereafter mentioned, was of a good family in Kent, and
was educated at Eton school, from which he was admitted
a scholar of Corpus Christi college, Cambridge, in May
1620. Here he took the degree of A. B. in 1623, of A. M.
1627, and was elected fellow in 1651. He proceeded
B. D. and was appointed one of the university preachers in
1634; and in 1640, was presented to the rectory of Mautboy in Norfolk, upon the death of Mr. Thomas D'Engayne;
but before he left college, he gave to its library a fine set
of Binnius’s Councils. His patron was William Paston,
esq. his friend and contemporary at college, to whose sou
sir Robert Paston, bart. of Oxnead in that county, a volume
of his “Sermons,
” Lond. Sermons,
” informs us that it
was with difficulty he obtained leave of the dying author to
make them public, and obtained it only upon condition that
he should say nothing of him. He has, however, given a
short, but excellent character of him.
, D. D. Savilian professor of astronomy in Oxford, F. R. S. and member of the academies of sciences and belles-lettres
, D. D. Savilian professor of astronomy in Oxford, F. R. S. and member of the academies of sciences and belles-lettres of Paris, Berlin, Petersburgh, and Bologna, was born at Shireborn in Gloucestershire in 1692, and educated at Northleach in the same county. Thence he was admitted a commoner of Balliol-college in Oxford, March 15, 1710: where he took the degree of B. A. Oct. 14, 1714, and of M. A. Jan. 21, 1716. He was ordained deacon and priest in 1719, and instituted the same year to the vicarage of Bridstow in Herefordshire. He never had any other preferment in the church, except the small rectory or sinecure of Landewy Welfry, in the county of Pembroke, and diocese of St. David: and his institution to this bears date the Jst of March 1719. It is presumed that the bishop of Hereford, to whom he was chaplain, was his patron to the vicarage; and Mr. Molyneux, who was then secretary to the prince of Wales, procfcred him the sinecure.
for any preferment in the church. Upon this, the question arose, “Are we not ministers of the gospel r” To which his grace answered, That is not the question; at least,
Upon the restoration of the church and monarchy, he
returned to England, and was from the first designed for
higher promotion. Most people imagined it would be the
archbishopric of York; but at last he was appointed archbishop of Armagh, to which he was translated upon the
18th of January, 1660-1. The same year he visited his
diocese, where he found great disorder; some having committed horrible outrages; and many imbibed very strong
prejudices, both against his person and the doctrine and
discipline of the church; but, by argument, persuasion,
and long suffering, he gained upon them even beyond his
own expectation. His biographer affords one instance of
his prudence, in turning the edge of the most popular objection of that time against conformity. When the benefices were called over at the visitation, several appeared,
and exhibited only such titles as they had received from
the late powers. He told them, “they were no legal titles,
but in regard he heard well of them, he was willing to make
them such to them by institution and induction;
” which
they thankfully accepted of. But when he desired to see
their letters of orders, some had no other but their certificates of ordination by some presbyterian classes, which,
he told them, did not qualify them for any preferment in
the church. Upon this, the question arose, “Are we not
ministers of the gospel r
” To which his grace answered,
That is not the question; at least, he desired for peace
sake, that might not be the question for that time. “I
dispute not,
” said he, “the value of your ordination, nor
those acts you have exercised by virtue of it; what you
are, or might be here when there was no law, or in other
churches abroad. But we are now to consider ourselves as a
national church limited by law, which among other things
takes chief care to prescribe about ordination: and I do
not know how you could recover the means of the church,
if any should refuse to pay you your tithes, if you are not
ordained as the law of this church requireth; and I am
desirous that she may have your labours, and you such
portions of her revenue, as shall be allotted you in a legal
and assured way.
” By this means he gained such as were
of the moderate kind, and wished to be useful. As he was
by his station president of the convocation, which met upon
the 8th of May, 166 1, so was he also chosen speaker of the
house of lords, in the parliament which met at the same
time: and so great a value had both houses for him, that
they appointed committees to examine what was upon record in their books concerning him and the earl of
Strafford, and ordered the scandalous charges against them to
be torn out, which was accordingly done. In this parliament many advantages were procured, and more designed,
for the church, in which he was very industrious. About
this time he had a violent sickness, being a second fit of
the palsy, which was very near putting an end to his life;
but he recovered. A little before his death, he visited his
diocese; and having provided for the repair of his cathedral, and other affairs suitable to his pastoral office, he returned to Dublin about the middle of May 1663. The latter end of June, he was seized with a third fit of the palsy;
of which he soon died, being then 70 years old. At this
time he had a trial for some part of his temporal estate at
Omagh, with sir Audley Mervyn, depending in the court
of claims; and there, at the time of hearing, the third fit
of the palsy so affected him, that he sunk in the court, was
carried out senseless, and never recovered. The cause,
however, was determined in his favour.
, esq. F. R. S. and F. S. A. and a trustee of the British Museum, was a
, esq. F. R. S. and F. S. A. and a trustee of the British Museum, was a Swede by family, born about the year 172u, and brought up to trade, which he carried on so successfully as to fill the honourable office of Director of the Bank for many years; and having inherited the accumulated fortune of his uncle, Mr. Spicker, he indulged his favourite pursuits in literature and the fine arts. He had a mind strongly tinctured with the love of literature, and a heart which was always most gratified in employing his great fortune in acts of beneficence, and in forming those collections which administer to the researches of literary men. Atnong his principal curiosities was the magnificent chair in which the first emperors of Germany used to be crowned; which being taken by Gustavus Adolphus in his wars, and carried into Sweden, was brought over from thence, and purchased by Mr. Brander; and afterwards sold to lord Folkestone, on his going to Christchurch. It contained all the Roman history, from its beginning to the emperors, wrought in polished iron. In 1766 he removed from London to Westminster, and afterwards into Hampshire, where he purchased the site of the old priory at Christ- church, in removing the ruins of which several curious discoveries were made, some of which are inserted in the Archaeologia, vol. IV. Having completed his villa and gardens in this beautiful spot, commanding an extensive view of the British channel, and the Isle of Wight, he married Jan. 1780, Elizabeth, widow of John, Lloyd, vice-admiral of the blue, daughter of Gulston of Widdial, Hertfordshire and spent the greatest part of the year in the society of his friends and neighbours of the adjacent counties, and of others who visited him from London. In the winter of 1786, he had just completed the purchase of a capital house in St. Alban’s street, when he was unexpectedly seized with a strangury, which carried him off, Jan. 21, 1787.
vered in the same extempore manner all the subjects in Pliny’s thirty-seven books of natural historj r without omitting any one circumstance worthy of notice. Whatever
, of a noble family of Florence, in the fifteenth century, was surnamed Lippus, on
account of the loss of his sight, which did not, however,
prevent his becoming a scholar of much reputation, and
an orator, musician, and poet. His fame procured him
an invitation from Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary,
to teach oratory, which he accepted, and taught at the
university of fiada. After returning to Florence, he took
the habit of the friars of St. Augustin, was made priest
some time after, and preached to numerous auditories.
He died of the plague at Rome, in 1497. Wonders are
told of his powers of extempore versification, and he is
classed among the first of the improvisator!. As to his
preaching, Bosso says that those who heard him might
fancy they listened to a Plato, an Aristotle, and a Theopfcrastus; he is yet more extravagant in noticing his extempore effusions. The circumstance, says he, which
placed him above all other poets, is, that the verses they
compose with so much labour, he composed and sang impromptu, displaying all the perfections of memory, style,
and genius. At Verona, on one occasion, before a numerous assemblage of persons of rank, he took up his lyre,
and handled every subject proposed in verse of every measure, and being asked to exert his improvisitation on the
illustrious men of Verona, without a moment’s consideration
or hesitation, he sang the praises, in beautiful poetry, of
Catullus, Cornelius Nepos, and Pliny the elder; nay, he
delivered in the same extempore manner all the subjects
in Pliny’s thirty-seven books of natural historj r without
omitting any one circumstance worthy of notice. Whatever credit may be given to these prodigies, his works
prove him to have been a man of real learning. The principal of these are: 1. “Libri duo paradoxorum Chris tianorum,
” Basil, Dialogus de humanae vitae conditione
et toleranda corporis aegritudine,
” Basil, De ratione scribendi Epistolas,
”
Basil, de laudibus musicae.
” Julius Niger mentions also some
works of his on the laws commentaries on St. Paul’s
epistles, and the Bible histories, in heroic verse, but,
whether printed, does not appear.
and for the completion of which he made farther provision by his will. His arms, crest, and device ( R. B.) are exhibited on the cieling of the chapel at Windsor in
, was second son of sir Richard
Bray, one of the privy council to king Henry VI. who lies
buried in the north aile of Worcester cathedral, in which
county sir Reginald was born. One of this family (which were lords of Braie, or Bray, in Normandy) came with
William the Conqueror into England, where they flourished
in the counties of Northampton and Warwick; but Edmond, the father of sir Richard, is styled of Eton Bray, in
the county of Bedford, which county they had represented
in parliament in 18 Ed. I. and 6 Ed. II. In 1 Rich. III.
this Reginald had a general pardon granted to him, probably on account of his having taken part with Henry VI.
to whose cause he had a personal as well as hereditary
attachment being receiver- general to sir Henry Stafford,
who married Margaret, countess of Richmond, mother to
the earl of Richmond, afterward king Henry VII. and
continued in her service after the death of sir Henry, and
was put in trust for her dowry, on her marriage to Thomas,
earl of Derby. When the duke of Buckingham had concerted with Morton, bishop of Ely (then his prisoner at Brecknock in Wales), the marriage of the earl of Richmond with the princess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward I V. and the earl’s advancement to the throne, the
bishop recommended sir Reginald for the transaction of
the affair with the countess, telling the duke he had an old
friend with her, a man sober, secret, and well-witted,
called Reginald Bray, whose prudent policy he had known
to have compassed matters of great importance; and accordingly wrote to him in Lancashire, where he then was
with the countess, to come to Brecknock with all speed. He
readily obeyed the summons, entered heartily into the
design, and was very active in carrying it on; and soon
engaged sir Giles Daubeney (afterwards lord Daubeney),
sir John Ciieney, Richard GuiUbrd, esq. and many other
gentlemen of note, to take part with Henry. After the
success at Bosworth, he gradually rose into great favour
with the king, who eminently distinguished and liberally
rewarded his services. His attachment to that prince was
sincere and uriremitted; and such were his ptudence and
abilities, that he never forfeited the confidence he had
acquired, during an attendance of seventeen years on the
most suspicious monarch of his time. He was made a
knight banneret, probably at the battle of Bosworth; a
knight of the bath at the king’s coronation, and afterwards
a kni“ht of the garter. In the first year of the kind’s reign
he had a grant of the constableship of the castle of Oakham in Rutlandshire, and was appointed joint chie‘ justice,
with the lord Fitzwalter, of all the forests south of Trent,
and chosen of the privy council. After this he was appointed high-treasurer, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, and nigh steward of the university of Oxford. At
the queen’s coronation, the ducliess of Norfolk, &c. sat at
one side-table at the other, lady Ferrars, v>f Chartley,
lady Bray, &c. At the christening of prince Arthur, sir
Reginald bore a rich salt of gold which was given by the
earl of Derby. He was amongst the knights bannerets
when Henry, the king’s second son, was created duke of
York in 1494. In the 7th year of the king, he by indenture covenanted to serve him in his wars beyond sea a
whole year, with twelve men, himself accompted, each
having his custrell and page, twenty-four demy lances,
seventy-seven archers on horseback, two hundred and
thirty-one archers, and bil’.es on foot twenty-four. In the
10th year he had a grant for life of the Isle of Wight,
castle of Carisbrook, and the manors of Swainston, Brixton,
Thorley, and Welow, in that isle, at th^ rent of 308l. 6s. 8rf.
Camden mentions the grant of the Isle of Wight at the
rent of 300 marks. In June 1497 he was at the battle of
Blackheath, when the lord Audley, having joined the
Cornish rebels, was taken prisoner; on whose execution
and attainder, his manor of Shire Vachery and Crap ley in
Surry, with a large estate there, was given to sir Reginald.
He received many other marks of the king’s bounty and
favour, and died 5th August 1503, possessed of a very
great estate; notwithstanding which, and his activity as
a minister, under a monarch whose love of, money was the
cause of great and just complaints amongst the people,
historians call him the father of his country, a sage and
grave person, a fervent lover of jusuce, and one who
would often admonish the king when he did any thing contrary to justice or equity. That he should do this, and
the king still continue his favour, is an ample proof of the
sense which his sovereign entertained of his services and
abilities. He appears to have taken great delight in architecture, and to have had no small skill in it, as he had
a principal concern and direction in building Henry Vllth’s
chapel in Westminster-abbey, and in the finishing and
bringing to perfection the chapel of St. George at Windsor, to which he was a liberal benefactor in his life-time,
and for the completion of which he made farther provision
by his will. His arms, crest, and device (R. B.) are exhibited on the cieling of the chapel at Windsor in many
places; and in the middle of the south aile is a spacious
chapel erected by him, and still called by his name, in
which also, by his own particular direction, he was interred, though his executors neglected to erect a tomb for
him, as he desired. Perhaps they thought his merit would
be the most lasting monument. It is supposed that he
is buried under the stone which covers Dr. Waterland;
for, on opening the vault for that gentleman, who died in
1740, a leaden coffin, of ancient form and make, was
found, which by other appearances also was judged to be
that of sir Reginald, and was, by order of the dean, immediately arcned over with great decency. He was of
great devotion, according to the piety of the times, and a
bountiful friend, in his life-time, to many churches. In
one of the letters of the dean and chapter of Westminster, John, abbot of Newminster in Northumberland, addresses him as founder of the monastery of Pipwell (in Northamptonshire); but this must be on account of some
donations, as that house was founded by William Boutevileyr in 1143. In 1494, being then high steward of Oxford, he gave 40 marks to repair the church of St. Mary’s,
in a window of which were the figures of him and his wife
kneeling, their coats of arms on their backs, remaining in
1584. The dean and chapter of Lincoln, in recompence
for his services to them, receive him and my lady his wife
to be brother and sister of their chapter, and to be partakers of all suffrages, prayers, masses, fastings, almsdeeds, and other good deeds, whatever they be, done in
the said church, both in their lives and after their deceases. The prior of the cathedral church of Durham
receives him in like manner. In a south window of the
priory church of Great Malvern in Worcestershire, were
the portraits of Henry VII. Elizabeth his queen, prince
Arthur, sir Reginald Bray, John Savage, and Thomas
LoveJ), esquires, with their coats of arms on their armour,
and the following words underneath:
” Orate pro bono
statu nobilissimi et excellentissimi Regis Henrici Septimi
et Elizabeths Reginse, ac Domini Arthuri Principis filii
eorundem, nee not) praedilectissimae consortis suoe, ac suorum trium militum." The portraits of the king and sir
Reginald remained in 1774, and are engraved in Mr.
Strutt’s View of the Arms and Habits of the English, vol. II,
plate 60. The others have been broken and destroyed.
He had no issue, and his elder brother John having only
one daughter, married to sir William Sandes, afterwards
lord Sandes of the Vine, he left the bulk of his fortune to
Edmund, eldest son of his younger brother John (for he had two brothers of that name). This Edmund was summoned to parliament in 1530, as baron of Eaton Bray;
but his son John lord Bray dying without issue in 1557,
the estate was divided amongst six daughters of Edmund.
Sir Reginald left very considerable estates to Edward and
Reginald, younger brothers of Edmund. From Edward
the manor of Shire Vachery and Cranley, above mentioned,
has descended to the rev. George Bray, who was owner in
1778. Reginald settled at Barrington in Gloucestershire,
where the male line of that branch became extinct about
sixty years ago.
r the propagation of Christianity in those parts, together with proposals for the promoting the same r to induce such of the clergy of this kingdom, as are persons
, D.D. an eminent learned and pious divine
of the seventeenth century, was born at Marton in Shropshire, in 1656, where his parents were persons of good reputation. His infancy discovering promising parts, he was
early sent to the school at Oswestry, in the same county,
and his close application to school-learning, determining
his parents to dedicate him to religion and learning, he
was entered of Hart-hall, Oxford. Here he soon made a
considerable proficiency in divinity, as well as other studies
necessary for the profession for which he was intended:
but, labouring under the common disadvantages of a narrow fortune, his circumstances not permitting a longer
residence at Oxford, he left the university soon after he
had commenced bachelor of arts. Much about this time
he entered into holy orders; and the first duty he had
was that of a parish near Bridgenorth in Shropshire, his
native county, from which curacy he soon removed into
Warwickshire, officiating as chaplain in sir Thomas Price’s
family, of Park-hall, and had the donative of Lac Marsin
given him by sir Thomas, which proved very advantageous; for living now in the neighbourhood of Coieshill, his
exemplary behaviour, and distinguished diligence in his
calling, introduced him into the acquaintance of Mr.
Kettlewell, sir Charles Holt, and the lord Simon Digby.
One incident which contributed to establish his character
at this juncture, was his preaching the assize sermon at
Warwick, on which occasion Mr. Bray, though but young,
acquitted himself to the satisfaction of the whole audience,
particularly the lord Digby, who was afterwards pleased to
honour him with many proofs of his friendship and esteem,
recommending him to the worthy and honourable patronage
of his brother, the fifth lord Digby, who some time after
gave him the vicarage of Over-Whitacre in the same
county, since augmented, by his patron’s uncommon generosity, with the great tithes. In 1690, the rectory of
Sheldon being vacant, by Mr. Digby Bull’s refusing to take
the oaths at the revolution, his lordship presented Mr. Bray
to it; which preferment he held till about a quarter of a
year before his death, when he resigned it by reason of his
advanced age, and the known worth and abilities of his
appointed successor, the Rev. Mr. Carpenter. Dec. 12,
1693, he took his master of arts degree in Hart-hall, Oxford. In this parish of Sheldon he composed his “Catechetical Lectures,
” a work which met with general approbation and encouragement, and produced to him the sum of
700l. This publication, which drew him out of his rural privacy to London, determined Dr. Compton, bishop of London, to pitch upon him as a proper person to model the
infant church of Maryland, and establish it upon a solid
foundation. Accordingly, in April 1696, he proposed
to Mr. Bray to go, on the terms of having the judicial office
of commissary, valued, as was represented to him, at four
hundred pounds per annum, conferred upon him, for his
support in that service. Mr. Bray, disregarding his own
interest, and the great profit which would have arisen from
finishing his course of lectures on the plan he had formed,
soon determined, in his own mind, that there might be a
greater field for doing good in the Plantations, than by his
labours here, and no longer demurred to the proposal, than
to inquire into the state of the country, and inform himself
what was most wanting to excite good ministers to embark
in that design, as well as enable them most effectually to
promote it. With this view he laid before the bishops the
following considerations: That none but the poorer sort
of clergy could be persuaded to leave their friends, and
change their native country for one so remote; that such
persons could not be able sufficiently to supply themselveswith books; that without such a competent provision of
books, they could not answer the design of their mission;
that a library would be the best encouragement to studious and sober men to undertake the service; and that, as
the great inducement to himself to go, would be to do the
most good of which he could be capable, he therefore
purposed, that if they thought fit to encourage and assist
htm in providing parochial libraries for the ministers, he
would then accept of the commissary’s office in Maryland.
This proposal for parochial libraries being well approved
of by the bishops, and due encouragement being promised
in the prosecution of the design, both by their lordships
and others, he set himself with all possible application to
provide missionaries, and to furnish them with libraries,
intending, as soon as he should have sent both, to follow
after himself. But, upon his accepting of this employment
of commissary of Maryland, it fell to his share to solicit at
home whatever other matters related to that church, more
particularly to the settlement and establishment thereof,
which he laboured to promote with unwearied diligence,
and spared neither expence or trouble. But, above all,
it was his greatest care, to endeavour to send over to Maryland, and the other colonies, pious men, of exemplary
lives and conversations, and to furnish those whom he had
a hand in sending, with good libraries of necessary and
useful bdbks, to render them capable of answering the ends
of their mission, and instructing the people in all things
ecessary to their salvation. The sense of the clergy and
inhabitants, with respect to these'important services, was
testified by the solemn letters of thanks, returned him
from the assemblies of Maryland, from the vestries of Boston and Baintrie in New England, from Newfoundland,
Rhode Island, New York, Philadelphia, North Carolina,
Bermudas, and by the acknowledgments of the royal
African company, on account of those procured for their
factories. About the same time it was, that the secretary
of Maryland, sir Thomas Lawrence, with Mr. Bray, waited on the then princess of Denmark, in behalf of that province, humbly to request her gracious acceptance of the
governor’s and country’s dutiful respects, in having denominated the metropolis of the province, then but lately
built, from her royal highness’s name, Annapolis: and Mr.
Bray being soon after favoured with a noble benefaction
from the same royal hand, towards his libraries in America,
he dedicated the first library in those parts, fixed at Annapolis, and which had books of the choicest kind belonging to it, to the value of four hundred pounds, to her memory, by the title of the Annapolitan Library, which words
were inscribed on the several books. Another design was
also set on foot, much about the same time, by Dr. Bray,
to raise lending libraries in every deanery throughout England and Wales, out of which the neighbouring clergy
might borrow the books they had occasion for, and where
they might consult upon matters relating to their function,
and to learning. Upon this, many lending libraries were
founded in several parts of the kingdom, besides above a
hundred and fifty parochial ones in Great Britain and the
plantations, from ten to fifty pounds value, those in South
Britain being afterwards secured to posterity, by an act of
parliament passed for that purpose in 1708. Soon after,
upon the repeated instances of the governor and some of
the country, Mr. Bray was at the charge of taking the degree of doctor of divinity, which, though it might be of
some use, as procuring a certain degree of respect,
did then but ill comport with his circumstances. He
took his degrees of bachelor of divinity, and doctor, together, by accumulation, not of Hart hall where he was
entered, but of Magdalen college, Dec. 17, 1696. Soon
after, the better to promote his main design of libraries,
and to give the missionaries directions in prosecuting their
theological studies, he published two books, one entitled,
“Bibiiothee* Paroctnalis or, a Scheme of such
Theological and other heads, as seem requisite to be perused, or
occasionally consulted by the reverend Clergy, together
with a catalogue of books, which may be profitably read on
each of those points,
” &c. The other, “Apostolic Charity, its nature and excellency considered, in a discourse
upon Daniel xii. 3. preached at St. Paul’s, at the ordination of some Protestant Missionaries to be sent into the
plantations. To which is prefixed, a general view of the
English colonies in America, in order to show what provision is wanting for the propagation of Christianity in those
parts, together with proposals for the promoting the same r
to induce such of the clergy of this kingdom, as are persons of sobriety and abilities, to accept of a mission.
”
During this interval, viz. in the year The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
in foreign parts,
” was laid before the society, and read
the ninth of June following. He received no advantage all
this time from his commissary’s place in Maryland; neither
was any allowance made him at home, or preferment give
him, to support the charge of living altogether in town, to
solicit the establishment and endowment of the church of
Maryland, and to provide missionaries for that and all the
colonies on the Continent; which, excepting Virginia, lay
upon him; all the benefactions that were received being to
be laid out to raise them libraries, which also he did faster
than money came in to answer the charge. This being observed by some of his friends, they endeavoured to persuade
him to lay his design of going abroad aside, and take two
good preferments that were then offered him at home, of
as good or better value than what was proposed to him in
Maryland, viz. that of sub-almoner, and the donative of
Aldgate, in the city of London. But he declined all offers
that were inconsistent with his going to Maryland, as soon
as it should become proper for him to take that voyage.
By the year 1699, having waited upwards of two years for
the return of the act of religion from Maryland, with such
amendments as would render it without exception at the
court of England; and it being presumed by his superiors,
that it would be requisite the doctor should now hasten
over, as well to encourage the passing of that act in their
assemblies, as to promote other matters for the service of
religion there, it was signified to him from them that
they would have him take the opportunity of the first
ship; and indeed, the doctor having, by this time, tried
all ways he could think of, and done all he was able
to do here, to serve those parts, and according to
proposal having provided Maryland, as also many other
colonies, with a competent number of missionaries, and
furnished them with good libraries, to be fixed in the
places where they were sent, to remain there for ever, he
was himself eager to follow, and did so accordingly, even,
in the winter, though he had no allowance made him towards his charge of the voyage, and the service he was to
do; but was forced to dispose of his own small effects, and
raise money on credit to support him. With this poor encouragement, and thus, on his own provision, he took the
voyage, December 16, 1699, and set sail from the Downs
the twentieth of the same month; but was driven back into
Plymouth-sound on Christmas-eve, and remained in harbour almost all the holydays, where his time was not unusefully spent, in the recovery of a tolerable library there
out of dust and rubbish, which was also indebted to him for
a benefaction of books and where he left a proposal for
taking in subscriptions to make it a sea- port library, for the
use of missionaries and sea-chaplains, as well as others.
After an extremely tedious and dangerous passage, the
doctor arrived at Maryland the twelfth of March, where he
applied himself immediately to repair the breach made in
the settlement of the parochial clergy; in order to which
he consulted, in the first place, the governor, whom he
found ready to concur in all proper methods for the re-establishment of their maintenance. Before the next assembly, which was to be in May following, he sent to all
the clergy on the western shore, who only could come together in that season, to learn from them the disposition of
the people, and to advise with them what was proper to be
done, in order to dispose the members of the assembly to
re-enact their law next meeting. Soon after he had dismissed their clergy, he made his parochial visitation, as
far as it was possible for him at that season; in which, he
met with very singular respect from persons of the best
condition in the country, which the doctor turned to the
advantage of that poor church. During the sessions of the
assembly, and whilst the re-establishment of the church
was depending, he preachod very proper and seasonable
sermons, with a tendency to incline the country to the establishment of the church and clergy; all which were so
well received, that he had the thanks of the assembly, by
messages from the house. The doctor was providentially
on such good term* with the assembly, that they ordered
the attorney-general to advise with him in drawing up the
bill; and that he himself might be the better advised in
that case, he sent for the most experienced clergy within
reach, to suggest to him, what they found would be of
advantage to them and the church, to be inserted in, or
left out of it; by which means the constitution of that
church had much the advantage of any in America. It may
not be amiss to observe in this place, that as well during the
general court or assize, which preceded the assembly, and
lasted thirteen days, as during the sessions of the assembly
itself, he was under a necessity of entertaining the gentlemen of the province, who universally visited him; a charge,
however, which he thought requisite as circumstances then
were, that he might strengthen his interest in them, the
better to promote the establishment of the clergy’s maintenance. The bill being prepared, passed with a nemiilt
contradicente; but it was on all hands declared and confessed, that it was very providential that Dr. Bray came
into the country at that juncture. Soon after the assembly
was up, the commissary cited the whole clergy of the province to a general visitation at Annapolis, to be held May
22, 1700. At the close of this visitation, the clergy taking
into consideration, that the opposition of the Quakers
against the establishment of that church would in all probability continue, so as to get the law for its establishment
so lately re-enacted, annulled again at home, they entered
into debates, whether it would not be of consequence to
the preservation and final settlement of that church, that
the doctor should be requested to go home with the law,
and to solicit the royal assent. It had been before voted,
at the passing the bill in the house of burgesses, that he
should be desired to request his grace of Canterbury, and
the bishop of London, to favour that good law, by obtaining his majesty’s royal assent to it with all convenient
speed; and the members who gave him an account of passing their vote, told him withal, that it was the general opinion of the house, that he could be most serviceable by
waiting personally on their lordships, rather, than by letters, in which he conld not crowd all that might be
necessary to be represented concerning the then state of the
church, and the necessity, at that time, of their utmost patronage: and it was in debate, whether this should not be
the desire of the assembly; but it was thought too unreasonable a request from them, who were sensible of the
great danger and fatigue he had already been at in the service of that province, as they had a few days before acknowledged by a message of thanks from that house. Such
were the sentiments of the members of the assembly, as to
the necessity of his coming home to solicit the establishment of that church; and the clergy meeting at their visitation, some weeks after, represented to him, as the earnest desire of the more sensible persons throughout the
country, as well as of the assembly-men, that he should go
over with the law for England; being aware that its opponents would make the utmost efforts against the establishment of that church, by false representations at home of
the numbers and riches of their party, and by insinuating,
that to impose upon them an established maintenance for
the clergy, would be prejudicial to the interest of the province, by obliging so many wealthy traders to remove from
thence, the falsity of which, or any other suggestions, they
thought him best able to make appear, by the information
he had gained from this visitation, There were also many
other advantages to the church in those parts, which they
proposed by his coming home at that time, upon the consideration of all which he took his voyage soon after. He
was no sooner arrived in England, but he found their apprehensions in Maryland'not ill grounded; but the objections raised against the plan, Dr. Bray refuted, by a printed
memorial, representing truly the state of the church of Maryland, to the full satisfaction of all to whom it was communicated. The quakers’ opposition to the establishment
now depending, was carried by united councils and contributions; but the doctor refuted their specious objections
by unanswerable reasons, and placed the affair in such an
advantageous light, that his majesty decided, without any
appearance of hesitation, in the church’s favour, and gave
the royal assent in these remarkable words: “Have the
Quakers the benefit of a toleration? let the established
church have an established maintenance.
” This chargeable and laborious undertaking having swallowed up the doctor’s own small fortune, lord Weymouth generously presented him with a bill of 300l. for his own private use, a,
large portion of which the doctor devoted to the advancement of his farther designs. Though he was vested with
the character of commissary, yet no share of the revenue
proposed was annexed to it; and his generosity even induced him to throw in two sums of fifty pounds each, that
were presented to himself in Maryland, towards defraying
the charges of their libraries and law. After the return of
Dr. Bray from thence in 1701, he published his “Circular
Letters to the Clergy of Maryland,
” a memorial, representing the present state of religion on the continent of
North America, and the acts of his visitation held at Annapolis; for which he had the thanks of the society above
mentioned. Not only the bishop of London approved entirely of all these transactions, but also the archbishop of
Canterbury declared, that he was well satisfied with the
reasons of Dr. Bray’s return from the West Indies, and
added, that his mission thither would be of the greatest
consequence imaginable to the establishment of religion in
those parts. In 1706, he had the donative of St. Botolph
without Aldgate offered him again, which he then accepted
of, worth about 150l. per annum. In the year 1712, the
doctor printed his “Martyrology; or, Papal Usurpation,
”
in folio. That nothing might be wanting to enrich and
adorn the work, he established a correspondence with
learned foreigners of the first distinction, and called in the
assistance of the most eminent hands. This work consists
of some choice and learned treatises of celebrated authors,
which were grown very scarce, ranged and digested into as
regular an history as the nature of the subject would admit.
He proposed to compile a second volume, and had, at no
small expence and pains, furnished himself with materials
for it; but he was afterwards obliged to lay the prosecution,
of his design aside, and bequeathed by will his valuable
collection of Martyrological Memoirs, both printed and
manuscript, to Sion college. He was, indeed, so great a
master of the history of popery, that few authors could be
presumed able, with equal accuracy and learning, to trace
the origin and growth of those exorbitant claims which are
made by the see of Rome. He was happily formed by nature both for the active and for the retired life. Charity
to the souls of other men, was wrought up to the highest
pitch in his own: every reflection on the dark and forlorn
condition of the Indians and negroes, excited in his bosoin the most generous emotions of pity and concern. His
voyage to Holland, to solicit king William’s protection and
encouragement to his good designs, and the proofs he gave
of a public spirit and disinterested zeal, in such a series of
generous undertakings, obtained him the esteem of M.
d‘Allone of the Hague, a gentleman not more celebrated
for his penetration and address in state affairs, than for a
pious disposition of mind. An epistolary correspondence
commenced very early between him and the doctor upon
this subject; the result of which was, that M. d’Allone
gave in his life-time a sum to be applied to the conversion
of negroes, desiring the doctor to accept the management
and disposal of it. But that a standing provision might be
inade for this purpose, M. d'Allone bequeathed by will a
certain sum, viz. 900 pounds, out of his English estate, to
Dr. Bray and his associates, towards erecting a capital fund
or stock, for converting the negroes in the British plantations. This was in the year 1723, much about which
time Dr. Bray had an extremely dangerous fit of illness,
so that his life and recovery were despaired of. In the year
1726, he was employed in composing and printing his
“Directorium Missionarium,
” his “Primordia Bibliothecaria,
” and some other tracts of the like kind. About this
time he also wrote a short account of Mr. Rawlet, the author of “The Christian Monitor;
” and reprinted the Life of
Mr. Gilpin. Some of these were calculated for the use of
the mission; and in one he has endeavoured to shew, that
civilizing the Indians must be the first step in any successful attempt for their conversion. In his “Primordia Bibliothecaria,
” we have several schemes of parochial libraries, and a method laid down to proceed by a gradual progression, from a collection not much exceeding one pound
in value, to one of a hundred. His attention to other good
works occasioned no discontinuance of this design, the success of which was so much the object of his desires; and
accordingly benefactions came in so fast, that he had business enough upon his hands to form the libraries, desired.
As trie furnishing the parochial clergy with the means of instruction, would be an effectual method to promote Christian knowledge, so another expedient, manifestly subservient to the same end, would be, he thought, to imprint on
the minds of those who are designed for the ministry, previously to their admission, a just sense of its various duties,
and their great importance. With a view to this, he reprinted the “Ecclesiastes of Erasmus.
” In the year
m there, truly represented and refuted,” reprinted 1688. At the end of which is, “A brief account of R. F. his Missale Vindicaturo, or vindication of the Roman mass,”
, a learned divine of the seventeenth century, was born in the Isle of Jersey, in the reign
of king James I. and probably educated in grammar-learning in that place. From thence he went and studied logic
and philosophy in the Protestant university of Saumur,
where he took the degree of master of arts, on September
12, 1634. Coming to Oxford, he was, October 12, 1638,
incorporated M. A. as he stood at Saumur. About this
time king Charles I. having through archbishop Laud’s
persuasion founded three fellowships in the colleges of
Pembroke, Exeter, and Jesus, for the islands of Jersey
and Guernsey, alternately, Mr. Brevint was nominated
the first fellow at Jesus-college upon this foundation, in
1638. Here he continued till he was ejected from his fellowship by the parliament- visitors, for refusing to take the
solemn league and covenant, and withdrew to his native
country, but upon the reduction of that place by the parliament’s forces, he fled into France, and became minister
of a Protestant congregation in Normandy. Not long
after, he had the honour of being made chaplain to the
viscount de Turenne, afterwards marshal of France, whose
lady was one of the most pious women of her time. Whilst
he was in that station, he was one of the persons “employed about the great design then in hand, of reconciling
the Protestant and Popish religions; which gave him an access into, and made him acquainted with every corner of that
church,
” as he says himself. At the restoration of king
Charles II. he returned to England, and was presented by
that prince (wjio had known him abroad) to the tenth prebend in the church of Durham, vacant by the promotion of
Dr. J. Cosin to that see, and was installed March 15, 1660-61.
By bishop Cosiu, who had been his fellow-sufferer, he was
also collated to a living in the diocese of Durham. On the
27th of February, 1661-62, he took his degree of D. D. at
Oxford. Having during his exile seen Popery in its native
deformity, and observed all the mean and dishonest arts
that are used to support it, he in 1672 published “Missale Romanum; or, the depth and mystery of the Roman
Mass laid open and explained, for the use of both reformed
and unreformed Christians,
” and the next year, “The
Christian Sacramenc and Sacrifice, by way of discourse,
meditation, and prayer, upon the nature, parts, and blessings of the holy communipn,
” reprinted on the recommendation of Dr. Waterland, in 1739. And in 1674,
“Saul and Samuel at Endor, or the new waies of salvation
and service, which usually tempt men to Rome, and detain them there, truly represented and refuted,
” reprinted
A brief account of R. F.
his Missale Vindicaturo, or vindication of the Roman mass,
”
being an answer to “The depth and mystery of the Roman
Mass,
” above-mentioned. The learning and other eminent
qualifications of the author having recommended him to the
esteem of the world, and to the favour of his sovereign, he
was promoted to the deanery of Lincoln, and was installed
January 3, 1681-82, and had the prebend of WeltonPayns-hall annexed thereto, January 7th following. He
died May 5, 1695, and was buried in the cathedral church
of Lincoln, behind the high altar; where, on a gravestone, is an inscription to his memory. He was a person
of extensive reading, especially in the controversy between
the Protestants and Papists; zealous for the church of
England; and for his life and learning, truly praise-worthy.
Besides the above works, he published in Latin: 1. “Ecclesiae primitives Sacramentum & Sacrificium, a pontificiis
corruptelis, & exinde natis controversiis liberum,
” written at the desire of the princesses of Turenne and Bouillon.
2. “Eucharistiae Christianse prsesentia realis, & pontificia
ficta, luculentissimis non testimoniis modo, sed etiam fundamentis, quibus fere tota S. S. Patrum Theologia nititur,
hsec explosa, ilia suffulta & asserta.
” 3. “Pro Serenissima Principe Weimariensi ad Theses Jenenses accurata
Responsio.
” 4. “Ducentue plus minus Praelectiones in
Matthaei xxv capita, et aliorum Evangelistarum locos
passim parallelos.
” He also translated into Frenck
“The judgment of the university of Oxford concerning
the solemn League and Covenant.
”
st de Sanitate restituenda, Medicinre pars altera,“1589,' 8vo, which were reprinted in 1598, in ICto r and” An Abridgment of Fox’s Acts and Monuments," 1589, 4to.
, a physician and divine of eminence of the sixteenth century, took his degree of doctor
in medicine at Cambridge, and, as we learn from Wood,
he was made rector of Methley, in Yorkshire, in 1591.
He appears by his writings to have had a good share of
practice, and to have been well versed in the doctrines of
the early Greek writers. The work by which he is principally known is his “Treatise of Melancholy,
” containing the causes thereof, and reasons of the strange effects
it worketh in our minds, with the physical cure, and spiritual consolation for such as have thereto adjoined an
afflicted conscience,“London, 1586, 12mo. He excuses
his writing this treatise, contrary to his usual custom, ia
the English language, from its being a practical work,
and to be read-by persons out of the pale of physic. It
was also done, he observes, by the Greek and Roman
writers. He entertained, however, very lofty ideas of
the dignity of the medical character.
” No one,“he says,.
” sho'uid touch so holy a thing that hath not passed the
whole discipline of liberal sciences, and washed himself
pure and clean in the waters of wisdome and understanding.“The cure of melancholy, in his opinion, depends
on bleeding, by purges and vomits. He had before, viz.
in 1583, published
” De Dyscrasia Corporis Humani,“London, 8vo. He was also author of
” Hygieine, sen de
Sanitate tuenda, Medicinae Pars prirna,“1588, -8vo.
” Therajjeutica, hoc est de Sanitate restituenda, Medicinre pars
altera,“1589,' 8vo, which were reprinted in 1598, in ICto r
and
” An Abridgment of Fox’s Acts and Monuments," 1589,
4to. He died in 1615.
ty-one demands, to be proposed by catholics to heretics,” London, 1592, 4to. 4. “Veritates Aurese S. R. Ecclesiae,” 1616. 5. “Tabula in summam theologicam S. Thomse
, an eminent Roman catholic
priest and writer in the reign of queen Elizabeth, was born
at Worcester, in 1538. In 1555 he was entered of Exeter
college, Oxford, according to Pits, which Wood doubts;
but he took his degree of B. A. in I 559, and M. A. in 1562,
at which last time he was a member of Christ church. He
and the celebrated Campian were so esteemed for their
talents, as to be selected to entertain queen Elizabeth with
a public disputation in 1566. Bristow was afterwards, in
July 1567, made a fellow of Exeter college, by the interest
of sir William Petre, who had founded some fellowships in
that college, and who would have promoted him further,
had he not laid himself open to the suspicion of holding
popish tenets; and this appeared more plainly by his quitting the university on carvlinal Alan’s invitation. He went
then to Doway, and after prosecuting his theological studies in that academy, was admitted to his doctor’s degree
in 1579, and, says his biographer, was Alan’s “right hand
upon all occasions.
” He was made prefect of studies,
lectured on the scriptures, and in the absence of Alan acted
as regent of the college. His intense studies, however,
injured a constitution originally very weak, and after a
journey to Spa, which had very little effect, he was recommended to try his native air. On his return to England,
he resided for a very short time with a Mr. Bellamy, a gentleman of fortune, at Harrow on the Hill, where he died
Oct. 18, 1581. The popish historians concur in expressing the loss their cause suffered by his death, he being
teemed “an Alan in prudence, a Stapleton in acuteness, a
Campian in eloquence, a Wright in theology, and a Martin in languages.
” He wrote, 1. “Dr. Bristow’s motives,
”
Antwerp, A Reply to William Fulk (his ablest antagonist), in defence of
Dr. Allen (Alan’s) articles, and book of purgatory,
” Louvain, Fifty-one demands, to be proposed
by catholics to heretics,
” London, Veritates Aurese S. R. Ecclesiae,
” Tabula in summam theologicam S. Thomse Aquinatis,
” An Apology in defence of Alan and himself,
” and
notes upon the Rheims Testament.
bus Gallis, Duce Exercitus Ludovico Borbonio Contio, transivit hie Danubium Ulysses Maximilianus, S. R. I. Comes de Brown, Locumtenens Campi Marashallusj Die 5 Junii,
, a celebrated general of the eighteenth century, was the son of Ulysses, baron
de Brown, colonel of a regiment of cuirassiers in the service of the emperors Leopold and Joseph, created in
1716, by the emperor Charles VI. a count of the holy Roman empire, his younger brother George receiving the
like dignity at the same time, who was general of foot,
counsellor of war, and a colonel of a regiment of infantry,
under Charles -VI. They were of an ancient and noble
family in Ireland. The subject of the present memoir
was born at Basle, Oct. 24, 1705-. After having passed
through the lessons of a school at Limerick in Ireland, he
was called to Hungary at ten years of age, by count
George de Brown, his uncle, and was present at the famous siege of Belgrade in 1717; about the close of the
year 1723, he became captain in his uncle’s regiment, and
then lieutenant-colonel in 1725. He went to the island of
Corsica in 1730, with a battalion of his regiment, and contributed greatly to the capture of Callansana, where he
received a wound of some consequence in his thigh. He
was appointed chamberlain to the emperor in 1732, and
colonel in 1734. He distinguished himself in the war of,
Italy, especially in the battles of Parma and Guastalla,
and burnt, in presence of the French army, the bridge
which the marechal de Noailles had thrown across the
Adige. Being appointed general in 1736, he favoured,
the year following, the retreat of the army, by a judicious
manoeuvre, and saved all the baggage at the memorable
day of Banjaluca in Bosnia, Aug. 3, 1737. This signal
piece of service procured him a second regiment of infantry, vacant by the death of count Francis de Wallis. On
his return to Vienna in 1739, the emperor Charles VI.
raised him to the dignity of general-neld-marechal-lieute.^
nanr, and gave him a seat in the Aulic council of war.
After the death of that prince, the king of Prussia having
entered Silesia, count de Brown, with but a small body oi
troops, disputed with him every foot of ground for the
space of two months. He commanded in 1741 the infantry of the right wing of the Austrian army at the battle of
Molvitz; and, though wounded, made a handsome retreat.
He then went into Bavaria, where he commanded the van
of the same army, made himself master of Deckendorf, an4
took much of the enemy’s baggage, and forced the French
to quit the banks of the Danube, which the Austrian army
afterwards passed in perfect safety; in commemoration of
which, a marble pillar was erected on the spot, with the
following inscription: “Theresise Austriacae Augustse Duce
Exercitus Carolo Alexandro Lotharingico, septemdecirn
superatis hostilibus VilHs, captoque Deckendorfio, renitentibus undis, resistentibus Gallis, Duce Exercitus Ludovico Borbonio Contio, transivit hie Danubium Ulysses
Maximilianus, S. R. I. Comes de Brown, Locumtenens
Campi Marashallusj Die 5 Junii, A. D. 1743.
” The queen
of Hungary sent him the s^me year to Worms, in quality
of her plenipotentiary to the king of Great Britain: where
he put the finishing Hand to the/ treaty of alliance between the courts of Vienna, London, and Turin, and she
declared him her actual privy counsellor at her coronation
qf Bohemia. The count de Brown, in 1744, followed
prince Lobkovitz jnto Italy, took the city of Veletri the
4th of August, notwithstanding the great superiority of the
enemy in numbers, penetrated into their camp, defeated
several regiments, and took a great many prisoners. Being
recalled to Bavaria, he performed several military exploits,
and returned to Italy in 1746. He drove the Spaniards
out of the Milanese; and, having joined the army of the
prince de Lichtenstein, he commanded the left wing of
the Austrian troops at the battle of Placentia, the 15th of
June 1746; and routed the right wing of the enemy’s
army, commanded by the marechal de Maillebois. After
this famous battle, the gaining of which was due to him, he
commanded in chief the army ordered against the Genoese,
made himself master of the pass of la Bochetta, though
defended by 4000 men, and took possession of the city of
Genoa. Count Brown then went to join the troops of the
king of Sardinia, and, in conjunction with him, took Montalbano and the territory of Nice. He passed the Var the
30th of November, in opposition to the French troops,
entered Provence, and captured the isles of Saint-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat. He had nearly made himself
master of all Provence, when the revolution at Genoa and
the army of the marechal de Belleisle obliged him to make
that fine retreat which acquired him the admiration of all
good judges of. military tactics. He employed the rest of
the year 1747 in defending the states of the house of
Austria in Italy. The empress-queen of Hungary, in reward of his signal campaigns in Italy, made him governor
of Transylvania in 1749. In 1752 he had the government
of the city of Prague, with the general command of the
troops of that kingdom; and the king of Poland, elector
of Saxony, honoured him in 1755 with the order of the
white eagle. The king of Prussia having invaded Saxony
in 1756, and attacked Bohemia, count Brown marched
against him; he repulsed that prince at the battle of Lobositz the 1st of October, although he had but 26,800
men, and the king of Prussia was at the head of at least
40,000. Within a week after this engagement, he undertook that celebrated march into Saxony, for delivering the
Saxon troops shut up between Pirna and Konigstein:
an action worthy of the greatest general whether ancient or
modern. He afterwards obliged the Prussians to retreat
from Bohemia; for which service he obtained the collar
of the golden fleece, with which he was honoured by
the empress March 6, 1757. Shortly after this count
Brown went into Bohemia, where he raised troops with the
utmost expedition, in order to make head against the king
of Prussia, who had entered it afresh at the head of his
whole army. On May 6th was fought the famous battle of
Potshernitz, or of Prague, when count Brown was dangerously wounded. Obliged to retire to Prague, he there
died of his wounds, the 26th of June 1757, at the age of
52. The count was not only a great general, he was an
equally able negotiator, and well skilled in politics. He
married, Aug. 15, 1726, Maria Philippina countess of Mar
tinitz, of an illustrious and ancient family in Bohemia, by
whom he had two sons. The life of this excellent commander was published in two separate volumes, one in
German, the other in French, printed at Prague in 1757.
d as any at court.” He was married, and left a son and a daughter; the former, Dr. Thomas Browne, F. R. S. and of the royal college of physicians, died in JiJy 17
, an eminent physician, son of sir
Thomas Browne, hereafter mentioned, was born about
1642. He was instructed in grammar learning at the
school of Norwich, and in 1665 took the degree of bachelor of physic at Cambridge. Removing afterwards to Mertori college, Oxford, he was admitted there to the same
degree in 1666, and the next year created doctor. In
1668, he visited part of Germany, and the year following
made a wider excursion into Austria, Hungary, and Thessaly, where the Turkish sultan then kept his court at Larissa. He afterwards passed through Italy. Upon his return, he practised physic in London; was made physician
first to Charl-es II. and afterwards in 1682 to St. Bartholomew’s hospital. About the same time he joined his name
to those of many other eminent men, in a translation of
Plutarch’s Lives. He was first censor, then elect, and treasurer of the college of physicians; of which in 1705 he
was chosen president, and held this office till his death,
which happened in August 1708, after a very short illness,
at his seat at Northfleet, near Greenhithe in Kent. He
was acquainted with Hebrew, was a critic in Greek, and
no man of his age wrote better Latin. German, Italian,
French, &c. he spoke and wrote with as much ease as his
mother tongue. Physic was his business, and to the promotion thereof all his other acquisitions were referred.
Botany, pharmacy, and chemistry, he knew and practised.
King Charles said of him, that “he was as learned as any
of the college, and as well-bred as any at court.
” He was
married, and left a son and a daughter; the former, Dr.
Thomas Browne, F. R. S. and of the royal college of physicians, died in JiJy 17 Jo. The daughter married Owen
Brigstock, of Lechdenny, in the county of Carmarthen,
esq. to whom the public is indebted for part of the posthumous works of sir Thomas Browne.
, esq. F. R. S. and a very ingenious and elegant poet of the last century,
, esq. F. R. S. and a very ingenious and elegant poet of the last century, was born at Burton-upon-Trent, January 21, 1705-6; and was the son of the rev. William Browne, minister of that parish, where he chiefly resided, vicar of Winge, in Buckinghamshire, and a prebendary of Litchfield, which last preferment was given him by the excellent bishop Hough. He was possessed, also, of a small paternal inheritance, which he greatly increased by his marriage with Anne, daughter of Isaac Hawkins, esq. all whose estate, at length, came to his only grandson and heir-at-law, the subject of this article. Our author received his grammatical education, first at Litchfield, and then at Westminster, where he was much distinguished for the brilliancy of his parts^ and the steadiness of his application. The uncommon rapidity with which he passed through the several forms or classes of Westminster school, attracted the notice, and soon brought him under the direction of the head master, Dr. Freind, with whom he was a peculiar favourite. Mr. Browne stayed above a year in the sixth, or head form, with a view of confirming and improving his taste for classical learning and composition, under so polite and able a scholar. When he was little more than sixteen years of age, he was removed to Trinity-college, Cambridge, of which college his father had been fellow. He remained at the university till he had taken his degree of M. A. and though during his residence there he continued his taste for classical literature, which through his whole life was his principal object and pursuit, he did not omit the peculiar studies of the place, but applied himself with vigour and success to all the branches of mathematical science, and the principles of the Newtonian philosophy. When in May 1724, king George the First established at both universities, a foundation for the study of modern history and languages, with the design of qualifying young men for employments at court, and foreign embassies, Mr. Browne was among the earliest of those who were selected to be scholars upon this foundation. On the death of that prince, he wrote an university copy of verses, which was the first of his poems that had been printed, and was much admired. About the year 1727, Mr. Browne, who had been always intended for the bar, settled at Lincoln’s-inn. Here he prosecuted, for several years, with great attention, the study of the law, and acquired in it a considerable degree of professional knowledge, though he never arrived to any eminence in the practice of it, and entirely gave it up long before his death. He was the less solicitous about the practice of his profession, and it was of the less consequence to him, as he was possessed of a fortune adequate to his desires; which, by preserving the happy mean between extravagance and avarice, he neither diminished nor increased.
sed by some of the most eminent and ingenious men of the age, by archbishop Herring, Dr. E. Barnard, R. O. Cambridge, Mr. Upton, bishop Hoadly, bishop Green, Mr. Harris,
In 1754 Mr. Browne published what may be called his.
great work, his Latin poem “I}e Aiumi Immortalitate^
in two books, the reception of which was such as its merit
deserved. It immediately excited the applause of the most
polite scholars, and has been praised by some of the most
eminent and ingenious men of the age, by archbishop
Herring, Dr. E. Barnard, R. O. Cambridge, Mr. Upton,
bishop Hoadly, bishop Green, Mr. Harris, Dr. Beattie,
&c. &c. Its popularity was so great, that several English
translations of it appeared in a little time. The first was
by Mr. Hay, author of an
” Essay on Deformity,“and
other pieces; and the second in blank verse, by Dr. Richard Grey, a learned clergyman, well known by his
” Memoria Technica,“and his publications in scripture criticism. A third translation was published without a name,
but with a laboured preface, containing some quotations
from sir John Davies’s
” Nosce Teipsum,“which were
supposed to be analogous to certain passages in Mr. Browne.
All these versions made their appearance in the course of
a few months; and there was afterwards printed, by an
unknown hand, a translation of the first book. Some years
after Mr. Browne’s death, the
” De Animi Immortalitate“was again translated by the rev. Mr. Crawley, a clergyman
in Huntingdonshire, and more recently Dr. John Lettice
published a translation in blank verse, with a commentary
and annotations, 1795, 8vo. A close and literal version,
of it in prose was inserted by Mr. Highmore the painter
in his publication which appeared in 1766, entitled
” Essays moral, religious, and miscellaneous," But the best
translation is that by Soame Jenyns, esq. printed in his
Miscellanies, and since published in Mr. Browne’s poems.
These testimonies and attentions paid to our ingenious
author’s principal production, are striking evidences of the
high sense which was justly entertained of its merit. Not
to mention the usefulness and importance of the subject,
every man of taste must feel that the poem is admirable
for its perspicuity, precision, and order; and that it unites
the philosophical learning and elegance of Cicero, with
the numbers, and much of the poetry, of Lucretius and
Virgil. Mr. Browne intended to have added a third book.
In these three books he proposed to carry natural religion
as far as it would go, and in so doing, to lay the true
foundation of Christianity, of which he was a firm believer.
But he went no farther than to leave a fragment of the
third book, enough to make us lament that he did not
complete the whole.
vations will we trust not be lost to the public, as he sent before his death to sir Joseph Banks, P. R. S. “A catalogue of the plants growing in the Sugar Islands,
At this time he also collected materials, and made the
necessary observations (being a very good mathematician and astronomer) for a new map of Jamaica, which he published in London, in August 1755, engraved by Dr. Bayly,
on two sheets, by which the doctor cleared four hundred
guineas. Soon after this (March 1756) he published his
“Civil and Natural History of Jamaica,
” in folio, ornamented with forty-nine engravings of natural history, a
whole sheet map of the island, and another of the harbour
of Port-Royal, Kingston-town, &c. Of this work there
were but two hundred and fifty copies printed by subscription, at the very low price of one guinea, but a few were
sold at two pounds two shillings in sheets by the printer.
Most unfortunately all the copper-plates, as well as the
original drawings, were consumed by the great fire in
Cornhill, November 7, 1765. This alone prevented in his
life-time a second edition of that work, for which he made
considerable preparations, by many additional plants, and
a few corrections in his several voyages to these islands,
for he was six different times in the West Indies; in one
of those trips he lived above twelve months in the island
of Antigua: however, these observations will we trust not
be lost to the public, as he sent before his death to sir Joseph Banks, P. R. S. “A catalogue of the plants growing
in the Sugar Islands, &c. classed and described according
to the Linnaean system,
” in 4to, containing about eighty
pages. In Exshaw’s Gentleman’s and London Magazine
for June 1774, he published “A catalogue of the birds of
Ireland,
” and in Exshaw’s August Magazine following,
“A catalogue of its fish.
” In Flora Hibernica,
” a work every botanist will allow to
be much wanting.
defendente. Auctore D. Gulielmo Browne, equite aurato, M. D. utriusque et medicorum et physicorum S. R. S. 175, 4to. This little volume (which was dated “Ex area dicta
, a physician of the last century, and a man of a singular and whimsical cast of mind,
was born in 1692, and in 1707 was entered of Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he took the degrees, B. A. 1710,
M, A. 1714, and M. D. 1721, and soon after settled at
Lynn, in Norfolk, where he published v Dr. Gregory’s
“Elements of catoptrics and dioptrics,
” translated from
the Latin original, to which he added: 1. A method for
finding the ibcrof all specula, as well as lenses universally; as also magnifying or lessening a given object by a
given speculum, or lens> in any assigned proportion.
2. A solution of those problems which Dr. Gregory has
left undemonstrated. 3. A particular account of microscopes and telescopes, from Mr. Huygens; with the discoveries made by catoptrics and dioptrics. By an epigram,
many of which he provoked, he appears to have been the
champion of the fair sex at Lynn, in 1748. On one
occasion, a pamphlet having been written against him, he nailed
it up against his house-door. Having acquired a competency
by his profession, he removed to Queen-square, Ormondstreet, London, where he resided till his death, which
happened March 10, 1774, at the age of 82. A great
number of lively essays, both in prose and verse, the production of his pen, were printed and circulated among his
friends. Among these were: 1. “Ode in imitation of
Horace,
” ode 3, lib. iii. addressed to the right hon. sir
Robert Walpole, on ceasing to be minister, Feb. 6, 1741;
designed, he says, as a just panegyric on a great minister,
the glorious revolution, protestant succession, and principles of liberty. To which was added the original ode,
“defended in commentariolo.
” It was inscribed to George
carl of Orford, as an acknowledgement of the favours conferred by his lordship as well as by his father and grandfather. On the first institution of the militia, our author
was appointed one of the earl’s deputy-lieutenants, and
was named in his lordship’s first commission of the peace.
2. Opuscula varia utriusque linguae, medicinam; medicorum collegium; literas, utrasque academias; empiricos,
eorum cultores; solicitatorem, prsestigiatorem; poeticen,
criticen; patronum, patriam; religionem, libertatem,
spectantia. Cum praefatione eorum editionem defendente.
Auctore D. Gulielmo Browne, equite aurato, M. D. utriusque et medicorum et physicorum S. R. S. 175, 4to.
This little volume (which was dated “Ex area dicta reginali, MDCCLXV. in nonas Januarias, ipso Ciceronis et auctoris natali
”) contained, I. Oratio Harveiana, in theatro
collegii medicorum Londinensis habita, 1751. II. A vindication of the college of physicians, in reply to solicitorgeneral Murray, 1753. III. Ode in imitation of Horace,
Ode I. addressed to the duke of Montague. With a new
interpretation, in commentariolo, 1765. IV. The Ode,
above-mentioned, to sir Robert Walpole. Some time before, sir William had published odes in imitation of Horace; addressed to sir John Dolben, to sir John Turner,
to doctor Askew, and to Robert lord Walpole. 3. Appendix altera ad opuscula; oratiuncula, collegii medicorum
Londinensis cathedrae vatedicens. In comitiis, postridie
jdivi Michaelis, MDCCLXXVII. ad collegii administrationem
renovandam designatis; machinaque incendiis extinguendis
apta contra permissos rebelies munitis; habita a D. GuBrowne, equite aurato, praeside? “1768? 4to, This
farewell oration contains so many curious particulars of sir
William’s life, that the reader will not be displeased to see
some extracts from it, and with his own spelling.
” The
manly age and inclination, with conformable studies, I diligently applied to the practice of physic in the country;
where, as that age adviseth, I sought riches and friendships.
But afterwards, being satiated witn friends, whom truth, not
flattery, had procured; satiated with riches, which Galen,
not fortune, had presented; I resorted immediately to this
college: where, in further obedience to the same adviser,
I might totally addict myself to the service of honour.
Conducted by your favour, instead of my own merit, I
have been advanced, through various degrees of honour,
a most delightful climax indeed, even to the very highest
of all which the whole profession of physic hath to confer.
In this chair, therefore, twice received from the elects,
shewing their favour to himself, he confesseth much more
than to the college, your præsident
simum, jucundissimum, scripta. Adjecta versione Anglica. A. D. Gulielmo Browne, E. A. O. M. L. P. S. R. S. IV. De Wilkesio, et libertate. Ad doctorem Thomarn Wilson,
On a controversy for a raker in the parish where he lived
in London, carried on so warmly as to open taverns for
men, and coffee-house breakfasts for ladies, he exerted
himself greatly; wondering a man bred at two universities
should be so little regarded. (He had been expelled one, and therefore taken degrees at another.) A parishioner
answered: “he had a calf that sucked two cows, and a prodigious great one it was.
” He used to frequent the annual
ball at the ladies’ boarding-school, Queen-square, merely
as a neighbour, a good-natured man, and fond of the company of sprightly young folks. A dignitary of the church
being there one day to see his daughter dance, and finding
this upright figure stationed there, told him he believed he
was Hermippus redivivus, who lived anhelitu puellarum. At
the age of eighty, on St. Luke’s day, 1771, he came to BaU
son’s coffee-house in hisjaced coat and band, and fringed
white gloves, to shew himself to Mr. Crosby, then lord-mayor.
A gentleman present observing that he looked very well,
he replied, “he had neither wife nor debts.
” He next
published, “Fragmentum I. Hawkins completum,
” Appendix ad Opuscula;
” six Odes, A Proposal on our Coin, to remedy all present, and prevent all
future disorders. To which are prefixed, preceding proposals of sir John Barnard, and of William Shirley, esq.
on the same subject. With remarks,
” To the most revered memory of the right honourable
Arthur Onslow, speaker of the house of commons during
thirty-three years; for ability, judgement, eloquence, integrity, impartiality, never to be forgotten or excelled;
who sitting in the gallery, on a committee of the house, the
day of publishing this proposal, and seeing the author
there, sent to speak with him, by the chaplain; and, after
applauding his performance, desired a frequent correspondence, and honoured him with particular respect, all
the rest of his life, this was, with most profound veneration, inscribed.
” 10. A New-Y.ear’s Gift. A problem,
and demonstration on the XXXIX Articles,“1772, 4to.
” This problem and demonstration,“he informs us,
” though
now first published, on account of the present controversy concerning these articles, owe their birth to my
being called upon to subscribe them, at an early period of
life. For in my soph’s year, 1711, being a student at
Peter-house, in the university of Cambridge, just nineteen years of age, and having performed all my exercises
in the schools (and also a first opponency extraordinary to an ingenious pupil of his, afterwards Dr. Barnard, prebendary of Norwich) on mathematical qusestions, at the
particular request of Mr. proctor Laughton, of Clare-hall,
who drew me into it by a promise of the senior optime of
the year), I was then first informed that subscribing these
articles was a necessary step to taking my degree of B. A.
as well as all other degrees. I had considered long before at school, and on my admission in 1707, that the universal profession of religion must much more concern me
through life, to provide for rny happiness hereafter, than
the particular profession of physic, which I proposed to
pursue, to provide for my more convenient existence
here: and therefore had selected out of the library left by
my father (who had himself been a regular physician, educated under the tuition of sir J. Ellis, M. D. afterwards master of Caius college), Chiilingworth’s Religion of a
Protestant; the whole famous Protestant and Popish controversy; Commentaries on Scripture; and such other books
as suited my purpose. I particularly pitched upon three for
perpetual pocket-companions; Bleau’s Greek Testament;
Hippocratis Aphoristica, and Elzevir Horace; expecting
from the first to draw divinity, from the second physic,
and from the last good sense and vivacity. Here I cannot
forbear recollecting my partiality for St. Luke, because
he was a physician; by the particular pleasure I took in
perceiving the superior purity of his Greek, over that of
the other Evangelists. But I did not then know, what I
was afterwards taught by Dr. Freind’s learned History of
Physic, that this purity was owing to his being a physician,
and consequently conversant with our Greek fathers of
physic. Being thus fortified, I thought myself as well
prepared for an encounter with these articles, as so young
a person could reasonably be expected. I therefore determined to read them over as carefully and critically as I
could; and upon this, met with so many difficulties, utterly irreconcileable by me to the divine original, that I
almost despaired of ever being able to subscribe them.
But, not to be totally discouraged, I resolved to re-consider them with redoubled diligence; and then at last had
the pleasure to discover, in article VI. and XX. what appeared to my best private judgement and understanding
a clear solution of all the difficulties, and an absolute
defeazance of that exceptionable authority, which inconsistently with scripture they seem to assume. I subscribe
my name to whatever I offer to the public, that I may be
answerable for its being my sincere sentiment: ever open,
however, to conviction, by superior reason and argument.
Edinburgh, comprised in 3 vols. 8vo, was published in 1781; to which a 9th volume was added in 1786 r containing a translation of a supplementary volume of Buffon,
After the completion of his history of quadrupeds in
1767, Buffon was interrupted in the progress of his labours
by a severe and tedious indisposition; and therefore the
two first volumes of his “History of Birds
” did not appear
till Natural History,
” by Mr.
Smellie of Edinburgh, comprised in 3 vols. 8vo, was published in 1781; to which a 9th volume was added in 1786 r
containing a translation of a supplementary volume of
Buffon, consisting chiefly of curious and interesting
facts with regard to the history of the earth. The translator has omitted the anatomical dissections and mensurations of M. D‘Aubenton, which greatly enhanced the bulk,
as well as the price of the original, and which the author
himself had omitted in the last Paris edition of his performance. There are likewise some other omissions, which
are not very important, ’respecting the method of studying
natural history, methodical distributions, and the mode of
describing animals. These omissions have been amply
compensated by the translator’s addition of short distinctive
descriptions to each species of quadrupeds, of the figures
of several new animals, and of the synonyms, as well as
the generic and specific characters given by Linnæus,
Klein, Brisson, and other naturalists, together with occasional notes. Buffon’s “History of Birds,
” in 9 vols. 8vo,
with notes and additions, translated by Mr. Leslie, was
also published in 1793.
f other authors, &c.” London, 1657, 8vo, but what he is best known by is his “Reports of Cases in B. R. regn. Jac. 1. & Car. I.” which were first published in 1657,
, a lawyer of some note during the usurpation, was the second son of Edward Buistrode of Hughley or Hedgley, near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, and was born in 1588. 'In 1603 he became a
commoner of St. John’s college, Oxford, but left it without
a degree, and removed to the Inner Temple, London,
where he studied law, under the patronage of sir James
Whitlock, whose learning Bulstrode celebrates in high
terms. After being called to the bar, he was in 8 Car. I.
Lent-reader, and taking part with the presbyterians in the
rebellion, was promoted to be one of the justices of North
Wales in 1649, by the interest of his nephew the celebrated Bulstrocle Whitlock. He was also an itinerant
justice, particularly at Warwick in 1653, in which county
he had an estate at Astley. He died at the Inner Temple,
of which he was a bencher, in April 1659, and was buried
in the Temple church. He published “A Golden Chain,
or Miscellany of divers sentences of the sacred scriptures,
and of other authors, &c.
” London, Reports of Cases in B. R.
regn. Jac. 1. & Car. I.
” which were first published in
ublished, entitled “The Isle of Man, or the legal proceedings in Man-shire against Sin,” by the rev. R. Bernard, from which Bunyan was “supposed” to have taken the
Mr. Granger’s opinion of the probable advancement he
might have made in poetry, has been opposed by the late
Dr. Kippis in the Biographia Britaunica. but in a manner
which evinces that the learned doctor was a very incompetent judge. He says Bunyan “had the invention, but
not the other natural qualifications which are necessary to
constitute a great poet.
” Now, we believe it is the universal opinion of all critics, since criticism was known, that
invention is the first qualification of a poet, and the only
one which can be called natural, all others depending upon
the state of refinement and education in the age the poet
happens to live. Hence it is that our early poets are in
general so exceedingly deficient in the graces of harmony,
and that many of our modern poets have little else. With
respect to Patrick’s Pilgrim, mentioned above, it is necessary to observe that (besides its being doubtful which was first published, Bunyan’s or Patrick’s) the question is
not, whether Bunyan might not have been preceded by
authors who have attempted something like the Pilgrim’s
Progress: far less is it necessary to inquire, whether he
be entitled to the merit of being the first who endeavoured
to convey religious instruction in allegory. It is sufficient
praise that when his work appeared, all others which resembled it, or seemed to resemble it, became forgotten;
and the palm of the highest merit was assigned to him by
universal consent. It was, therefore, to little purpose that
a small volume was lately published, entitled “The Isle of
Man, or the legal proceedings in Man-shire against Sin,
”
by the rev. R. Bernard, from which Bunyan was “supposed
” to have taken the idea of his Pilgrim. Bunyan’s
work so far transcends that and every similar attempt, that he
would have been very much to blame (allowing, what cannot be proved, that he took the idea from Bernard) had he
not adopted a plan which he was qualified to execute with
such superior ability.
e were other persons of great name on the same side; such as the late right honourable W. Dowdeswell- r-the gravity of whose deportment, whose practical knowledge of
The session of 1768 opened with a perturbed prospect. The distresses occasioned by the high price of provisions, the restraining act relative to the East India company, the nullum tempus bill, and other matters, afforded great room for discussion, in which Mr. Burke took a part which not only shewed the powers of his eloquence, but the great resources of his information. He was soon considered as the head of the Rockingham party in the house of commons; and his great assiduity in preparing business for discussion, joined to his powers for speaking and writing, fully qualified him for this character. It is true, there were other persons of great name on the same side; such as the late right honourable W. Dowdeswell-r-the gravity of whose deportment, whose practical knowledge of business, and great integrity of character, made him always well hearJt and respected; Mr. Dunning (late lord Ashburtoh), whose legal knowledge and powers of elocution will be long remembered; and colonel Barre, whose political observation, and pointed replies, were always formidable to administration. But, notwithstanding the acknowleged merit of these gentlemen and others, Burke stood foremost for uniting the powers of fancy with the details of political information. In his speeches there was something for every mind to be gratified, which we have often seen occasionally exemplified even by those who disliked his general politics.
te correspondence with Mr. Henry Woodfall, the printer of the Public Advertiser, and with Mr. Wilkes r it is as impossible to attribute them to Burke, as it is at
The parliament being dissolved in 1768, Mr. Burke was
re-elected for Wendover. The opposition to the duke of
Graf ton’s administration consisted of two parties, that of
the marquis of Rockingham, and that of Mr. Grenville, but
these two parties had nothing in common except their dislike of the ministry. This appeared very strikingly in a
pamphlet written by Mr. Grenville, entitled “The present
state of the Nation,
” which was answered by Burke, in
“Observations on the present state of the Nation.
” One
of the first subjects which occupied the attention of the
new parliament was the expulsion of Wilkes for various
libels, and the question, whether, after being so expelled,
he was eligible to sit in the same parliament. Burke, on
this occasion, endeavoured to prove that nothing but an
act of the legislature can disqualify any person from sitting
in parliament who is legally chosen, by a majority of electors, to fill a vacant seat. It is well known that his friend
Dr. Johnson maintained a contrary doctrine in his “False
Alarm;
” but in this as well as other occasions during the
American war, difference of opinion did not prevent a cordial intercourse between two men whose conversation during their whole lives was the admiration and ornament of
every literary society. The question itself can hardly be
said to have ever received a complete decision. All that
followed was the expulsion of Wilkes during the present
parliament, and the rescinding of that decision in a future
parliament, without argument or inquiry, in order to gratify those constituents who soon after rejected Wilkes with
unanimous contempt.
The proceedings on this question gave rise to the celebrated letters signed Junius, which appeared in the Public Advertiser, and had been preceded by many other
anti-ministerial letters by the same writer, under other
signatures. They were at that time, and have often since
been attributed to Mr. Burke, and we confess we once,
and indeed for many years, were strongly of this opinion,
but after the recent publication of these celebrated Letters, with Junius’s private correspondence with Mr. Henry
Woodfall, the printer of the Public Advertiser, and with
Mr. Wilkes r it is as impossible to attribute them to Burke,
as it is at present to discover any other gentleman to whom
they may, from any reasonable grounds, be ascribed. It
may be added too, that in a confidential conversation with
Dr. Johnson, he spontaneously denied them, which, as the
doctor very prpperly remarks, is more decisive proof than
if he had denied them on being asked the question.
rain of his conversation, and in the habits of his life. His notions of the origin of language, arts r and sciences, are much akin to those of the Epicureans, of which
His character is thus given by one of his successors on the bench, lord Woodhouselee. Lord Monboddo " was a man of great worth, honour, and moral rectitude, but of much singularity of opinions and character, which appeared both in the doctrines contained in his writings, in the strain of his conversation, and in the habits of his life. His notions of the origin of language, arts r and sciences, are much akin to those of the Epicureans, of which Lucretius has given an ample detail in his fifth book ‘De rerurn Natura,’ and which Horace has abridged in the third of his satires:
, born in 1701, was made master of the crown-office in 1724, and was elected F. R. S. 1737, F. A. S. 1751. On the death of Mr. West in 1772, he
, born in 1701, was made master of the crown-office in 1724, and was elected F. R. S.
1737, F. A. S. 1751. On the death of Mr. West in 1772,
he was prevailed on to fill the president’s chair at the royal
society till the anniversary election, when he resigned it
to sir John Pringle; and Aug. 10, 1773, when the society
presented an address to his majesty, he received the honour of knighthood. He retained his mastership of the
'crown-office till his death, Nov. 5, 1782. An elegant
whole-length portrait of sir James Burrow was engraved,
after Devis, by Basire, in 1780. During the memorable
presidency of the great earl of Mansfield, sir James seems
to have been the first reporter of law cases. From a series
of many years’ attendance on the court of king’s bench
officially, and from a constant habit and attention to accuracy in preserving notes of the business in that court, and
being further assisted by the records which passed through
his hands in the cpurse of his office, he was particularly
enabled to give a collection of the Cases from 26 George II.
to 12 George III. in which generally the arguments of the
counsel as well as those of the court, are related in a very
full and accurate manner, and in a method adapted to give
a regular view of the actual progress of the cause as it occurred in court, which of course led the reporter into a
more diffuse and circumstantial detail of the arguments
than has in general been thought necessary by other reporters, but which appears to have been considered by the
author as essential to an exact report of tfhe case, as well as
conducive to the improvement of the student. These reports have therefore been considered as a work of the first
necessity in the library of a modern lawyer. They have
passed through four editions, the last of which was printed
with “additional notes and references in 1790, 5 vols. royal
8vo. He also published a separate collection of his
” Reports of the Decisions of the Court of King’s Bench, upon
Settlement cases, from the year 1732 to 1776,“having
during the whole of that period uniformly attended that
court, and made it a part of his employment to record the
proceedings of it; and in this part of his labours he had
the satisfaction of being greatly instrumental in promoting
the knowledge of this much litigated branch of the law,
and his work seems to have had the effect of lessening the
number of appeals to the court of king’s bench. These
decisions have been twice printed, first in 4to, 1768, 1772,
and 1776, to which were subjoined a few thoughts on
pointing (published separately in 1769 and 1772), and secondly in 1786, with marginal notes and references. It is
said that he intended to have published his reports of the
cases decided in the court of king’s bench, during the
time of the three chief justices immediately preceding lord
Mansfield, and that the manuscripts of such cases were in
the hands of Robert Burrow, esq. his nephew, lately deceased. Sir James also published, without his name, a
few
” Anecdotes and observations relating to Oliver Cromwell and his family, serving to rectify several errors
concerning him, published by Nicol. Comnenus Papadopoli,
in his “Historia gymnasii Patavini,
”
ditas in Pentalogia.” The publication. of the five select tragedies which constitute the “Pentalogia r” first begun, but interrupted by the death of Mr. Joseph Bingham,
Dr. Burton had some peculiarities of character, which
wit or envy were accustomed to magnify; even his style,
which is rather precise and pedantic, has been considered
as peculiar, and called the Burtonian style; but his acknowledged virtues and talents were such as to entitle him to
the serious regard of the majority of his contemporaries^
His works, some of which we have already noticed, consist
of two volumes of occasional “Sermons,
” Opuscula Miscellanea Theologica,
” and his
“Opuscula Miscellanea Metrico-prosaica.
” Of these a
very elegant poem, entitled “Sacerdos Parrecialis Rusticus,
” has been recently (The Parish Priest, a poem,
”
4to. One of the most useful of Dr. Burton’s separate publications appeared in 1744, entitled “The Genuineness of
Lord Clarendon’s History of the Rebellion printed at Oxford vindicated;
” in which he clearly and fully refutes the
slander that bad been advanced by Oldmixon, in his Critical History of England. In 1758, appeared the doctor’s
“Dissertatio et Notae criticae spectantes ad Tragoedias
quasdam Graecas editas in Pentalogia.
” The publication.
of the five select tragedies which constitute the “Pentalogia r
” first begun, but interrupted by the death of Mr.
Joseph Bingham, one of his pupils, took place in 1758,
with a preface, dissertations, index, and additional notes,
and has lately been reprinted at the university press. In
1766, he published a discourse, entitled “Papists and
Pharisees compared; or, Papists the corrupters of Christianity;
” occasioned by Philips’s Life of cardinal Pole.
About the same time, he delivered at Oxford a set of sermons, still in manuscript, the design of which was to refute the articles of the council of Trent.
, M.D. and F. R. S. and F. S.A. an eminent antiquary, of whom our accounts are
, M.D. and F. R. S. and F. S.A. an
eminent antiquary, of whom our accounts are very scanty,
was born at Rjppon in Yorkshire 1697, and educated hi
Christ church college in Oxford for some time, but took
his degree in some foreign university; and on his settling
at York, became very eminent in his profession. In 1745
it is said that he proposed joining himself to the pretender,
then at Manchester; but that his friends had interest sufficient to dissuade him from a measure which must have terminated in his ruin. His conduct, therefore, appears to
have unjustly exposed him to censure, if his own account
may be relied on, to this purpose, that “going out of
York, with leave of the mayor, &c. to take care of his estates, on the approach of the rebels, he was taken by
them, and in consequence of that was apprehended Dec. 3,
1745, and detained till March 25, 1746—7.
” This is explained in “British liberty endangered, demonstrated by
the following narrative, wherein is proved from facts, that
J. B. has hitherto been a better friend to the English constitution, in church and state, than his persecutors. Humbly dedicated to the most reverend and worthy the archbishop of Canterbury, late of York (Herring). With a
proper preface, by John Burton, of York, M. D.
” London,
3 749. There was afterwards published “An account of
what passed between Mr. George Thomson of York, and
doctor John Burton of that city, physician and manmidwife, at Mr. sheriff Jubb’s entertainment, and the consequences thereon, by Mr. George Thomson,
” London,
A Treatise on the Non-naturals, in which the
great influence they have on human bodies is set forth, and
mechanically accounted for. To which is subjoined, a
short Essay on the Chin-Cough, with a new method of
treating that obstinate distemper,
” York, 1738, 8vo. In
the title of this work, he calls himself “M. B. Cant, and
M. D. Rhem.
” by which it would appear that his bachelor’s
was a Lambeth degree, and that he graduated as doctor at
Rheims. In 1751, he published “An Essay towards a
complete new system of Midwifery,
” 8vo, and in A Letter to William Smellie, M. D. containing critical
and practical remarks upon his Treatise on the theory and
practice of Midwifery,
” 8vo. But the work by which he is
principally known, and for which he was employed in
making collections during his latter years, was, his “Monasticon Eboracense; and the Ecclesiastical History of Yorkshire, &c.
” the first volume of which was published in
1639, which is absolutely necessary for understanding the Rabbins, being more extensive than that of R. David of Pomis, printed at Venice in 1587. He wrote also a
, the first of a learned family, was
born at Camen, in Westphalia, in 1564, and became an
eminent Calvinist divine, and professor of the Hebrew and
Chaldaic languages at Basil, a situation which he filled
with great reputation until his death, in 1629. During
his Hebrew studies, he availed himself of the assistance
of the ablest Jews, and from them acquired a fondness for
rabbinical learning. The first of his works was his great
dictionary, entitled “Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmudicum
et Rabbinicum,
” printed at Basil in Treasury of the Hebrew Grammar,
” 2 vols. 8vo. He
also printed a great Hebrew Bible at Basil, in 1618, 4 vols.
fol. with the Rabbins, the Chaldaic paraphrases, and the
Massora, after the manner of the great Bible of Venice;
but father Simon thinks it incorrect. To this Bible is
commonly added the Tiberias of the same author, which
is a commentary upon the Massora; where he explains at
large what the Rabbins think of it, and expounds in Latin
the terms of the Massora, which are very difficult. He
follows rabbi Elias the Levite, in his exposition of those
terms. He has also published “Synagoga Judaica,
” Bibliotheca of the Rabbins, a curious
work; but there have been since his time a great many
discoveries made in that part of learning. They who have a
mind to write Hebrew, may make use of the collection of
Hebrew letters, which he has published under the title of
” Institutio Epistolaris Hebraica,“1629, 8vo. He compiled also,
” Concordantia3 Hebraicse," published by his
son in 1632.
whom he imbibed the leading traits of that style of engraving which he afterwards adopted as his own r under the latter he engraved a large plate of a storm after
, an eminent landscape engraver,
was born in 1742, and educated under an uncle, who engraved heraldry on plate; but young Byrne having succeeded in a landscape after Wilson, which obtained a premium from the society for the encouragement of arts, it
was regarded as the precursor of talent of a superior order,
and he was sent to Paris, at that time the chief seminary in
Europe for the study of engraving. There he studied successively under Aliamet and Wille: from the former of
whom he imbibed the leading traits of that style of engraving which he afterwards adopted as his own r under the
latter he engraved a large plate of a storm after Vernet;
but the manual dexterity of Wille was alien to his mind,
and probably contributed not rnuch to his improvement,
although he alw r ays spoke of Wille’s instructions with respect. When he returned to England, the success of
Woollett, as a landscape engraver, had set the fashion in
that department of the art; but Byrne, disdaining to copy
what he did not feel, or perhaps scorning the infiuence of
fashion in art, preserved the independence of his style;
and continued to study, and to recommend to his pupils*,
nature, Vivares, and the best examples of the French
school. His larger performances are after Zuccarelli and
Both: but his principal works (containing probably his best engraving) are the “Antiquities of Great Britain,
” after
Hearne; a set of “Views of the Lakes,
” after Farringdon;
and Smith’s “Scenery of Italy.
” His chief excellence
consisting in his aerial perspective, and the general effect
of his chiaroscuro, he was more agreeably and more beneficially employed, in finishing than in etching, and hence
he generally worked in conjunction with his pupils, who
were in his later years his own sons and daughters. His
manners were unassuming; his professional industry
unremitting; and his moral character exemplary. This ingenious artist died at his house in Great Titchfield street,
Sept. 24, 1805.
ror, who allowed him to build a factory for the Portuguese, and although die zamorin behaved treache r rously afterwards, Cabral, by chastising his insolence, finally
, another skilful navigator. the son of Ferdinand Cabral, a Portuguese nobleman, was appointed commander of the second fleet which the king of Portugal sent to the Indies in 1500. After sailing for a month, he was driven by a storm on an unknown coast, to which he gave the name of Saint Croix, but which is better known since by that of Brazil, and is at present the seat of the Portuguese monarchy. Cabral took possession of this country on April 24, 1500. He then sailed for Sofala in AtVica, where he arrived with only seven out of thirteen ship* with which he left Portugal and having then proceeded to Calecut, he entered into a treaty with the zamorin or emperor, who allowed him to build a factory for the Portuguese, and although die zamorin behaved treache r rously afterwards, Cabral, by chastising his insolence, finally atchieved his purpose. He entered into a similar treaty with the prince of Cananpr, and in 1501 returned to Portugal with his fleet richly laden. Of his future life we have no account, but he wrote a detail of his voyage, which liamusio translated into Italian, and published with some others at Venice.
vols. fol. London, 1732, by Sam.D'Oyly, M. A. vicar of St. Nicholas, Rochester, and John Colson, F. R. S. vicar of Chalk, in Kent, a work elegantly printed and embellished
, a learned Benedictine of the
college of St. Vanncs, was born at Mesnil-la-Horgue, near
Commercy, Feb. 26, 1672, and was first educated in the
priory of Breuii. In 1687 he went to study at the
university of Pont-a-Mousson, where he was taught a course of
rhetoric. On leaving this class, he entered among the
Benedictines in the abbey of St. Mansuy, in the fauxbourg
of Toul, Oct. 17, 1688, and mad,e profession in the same
place Oct. 23, 1689. He began his philosophical course
in the abbey of fcfe. Evre, and completed that and his theological studies in the abbey of St. Munster. At his leisure
hours he studied the Hebrew language with great attention
and success, and likewise improved his knowledge of the
Greek. In 1696 he was sent with some of his companions
to the abbey of Moyenmoutier, where they studied the
Holy Scriptures under P. D. Hyacinthe Alliot. Two years
aftef, in 1698, Calmet was appointed to teach philosophy
and theology to the young religious of that monastery, an
employment which he filled until 1704, when he was sent,
with the rank of sub-prior, to the abbey of Munster. There
he was at the head of an academy of eight or ten religious,
with whom he pursued his biblical studies, and having,
while at Moyenmoutier written commentaries and dissertations, on various parts of the Bible, he here retouched and
improved these, although without any other design, at this
time, than his own instruction. During a visit, however,
at Paris, in 1706, he was advised by the abbe Duguet, to
whom he had been recommended by Mabillon, to publish
his commentaries in French, and the first volume accordingly appeared in 1707. In 1715 he became prior of Lay,
and in 1718 the chapter-general appointed bim abb 6 of
St. Leopold, of Nancy, and the year following he was
made visitor of the congregation. In 1728 he was chosen
abbe* of Senones, on which occasion he resigned his priory
of Lay. When pope Benedict XIII. confirmed his election, the cardinals proposed to his holiness that Calmet
should also have the title of bishop in partibus infiddium,
with power to exercise the episcopal functions in those
parts of the province which are exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary; but this Calmet refused, and wrote
on the subject to Rome. The pope in Sept. 1729, addressed a brief to him, accepting of his excuses, and some
time after sent him a present of his works, in 3 vols. fol.
Calmet took possession of the abbey of Senones, January
3, 1729, and continued his studies, and increased the library and museum belonging to the abbey with several
valuable purchases, particularly of the medals of the deceased M. de Corberon, secretary of slate, and of the
natural curiosities of M, Voile. Here be died Oct. 25, 1757,
respected by all ranks, Roman catholics and Protestants,
for his learning and candour, and by his more particular
friends and those of his own order, for his amiable temper
and personal virtues. His learning, indeed, was most extensive, as the greater part of his long life was devoted to
study, but amidst such vast accumulation of materials, we
are not surprized that he was sometimes deficient in selection, and appears rather as a collector of facts, than as
an original thinker. His principal works are, 1. “Commentaire litteral sur tous les livres de l'Aneten et da Nouyeau Testament,
” Dissertations and Prefaces
” belonging to his commentary,
published separately with nineteen new Dissertations,
Paris, 1720, 2 vols. 4to. 3. “Histoire de PAncien et du
Nouveau Testament,
” intended as an introduction to Fleury’s “Ecclesiastical History,
” 2 and 4 vols. 4to; and 5 and
7 vols. 12mo. 4. “Dictionnaire historique, critique, et
chronologique de la Bible.
” Paris, Histoire ecclesiasiique et civile de la Lorraine,
” 3 vols.
fol. reprinted 1745, in 5 vols. fol. 6. “Bibliotheque des
Ecrivains de Lorraine,
” fol, Histoire
universelle sacrée et profane,
” 15 vols. 4to. This Calmet did not
live to finish, and in other respects it is not his best work.
7. “Dissertations sur les apparitions des Anges, des Demons,
et des Esprits, et sur les Revenans et Vampires de Hongrie,
”
Paris, 1754, 2 vols. 4to. 10.
” De la Poesie et Musique des anciens Hebreux," Amst. 1723, 8vo. His conjectures on this subject, Dr. Burney thinks, are perhaps as
probable as those of any one of the numerous authors who
have exercised their skill in expounding and defining what
some have long since thought involved in Cimmerian darkness. Calmet also left a vast number of manuscripts, or
rather manuscript collections, as it had long been his practice to copy, or employ others to copy, whatever he found
curious in books. In 1733, he deposited in the royal
library, a correct transcript of the Vedam, a work which
the natives of Hiudostan attribute to their legislator Brama,
who received it, according to their tradition, from God
himself. This copy came into Calmet' s possession by means
of a bramin who had been converted by the Jesuit missionaries. Calmet’s life was written by Dom Fange, his
nephew and successor in the abbey of Senones, and published in 8vo. It was afterwards translated into Italian by
Benedetto Passionei, and published at Rome in 1770.
d it of the crown of England in common soccage> as of the manor of Windsor; paying yearly, on Easter r l uesday, two Indian arrows of those parts at the castle of
While he was secretary of state, he had obtained a patent for him and his heirs to be absolute lord and proprietor (with the royalties of a count-palatine) of the province of Avalon in Newfoundland. This name he gave it from Avalon in Somersetshire, whereon Glastonbury stands, the first-fruits of Christianity in Britain, as the other was in that part of America. He laid out 2500l. in advancing this new plantation, and built a handsome house in Ferryland. After the death of king James he went twice to Newfoundland. When M. de PArade, with three French men of war, had reduced the English fishermen there to great extremity, lord Baltimore, with two ships manned at his own expence, drove away the French, taking sixty of them prisoners, and relieved the English; but still finding his plantation very much exposed to the insults of the French, he at last determined to abandon it. He then went to Virginia; and having viewed the neighbouring country, returned to England, and obtained from Charles I. (who had as great a regard for him as James had) a patent to him and his heirs for Maryland on the north of Virginia. He died at London, April 15, 1632, before the grant was made out; but his son Cecil Calvert, lord Baltimore, who had been at Virginia, took it out in his own name, and the patent bears date June 20, 1632. He was to hold it of the crown of England in common soccage> as of the manor of Windsor; paying yearly, on Easter r l uesday, two Indian arrows of those parts at the castle of Windsor, and the fifth part of the gold and silver ore that should be found therein. King Charles himself gave that province the name of Maryland, in honour of his queen Henrietta Maria. The first colony sent thither consisted of about 200 people, Roman catholics, the chief of whom were gentlemen of good families. The Baltimore family were in danger of losing their property on account of their religion, by the act which requires all Roman catholic heirs to profess the protestant religion, on pain of being deprived of their estates: but this was prevented by their professing the protesunt religion.
subordination; and maintained, that the province of the civil magistrate extended only to its protec- r tion and outward accommodation. In order to facilitate an union
The character of Calvin, like that of Luther, and the other more eminent reformers, has been grossly calumniated by the adherents of popery, but the testimonies in its favour are too numerous to permit us for a moment to doubt that he was not only one of the greatest, but one of the best men of his time, and the deduction which necessarily must be made from this praise, with respect to his conduct towards Servetus and others, must at the same time in candour be referred to the age in which he lived, and in which the principles of toleration were not understood . On the other hand his uncommon talents have been acknowledged not only by the most eminent persons of his age, but by all who have studied his works, or have traced the vast and overpowering influence he possessed in every country in Europe, where the work of reformation was carrying on. Every society, every church, every district, every nation that had in any degree adopted the principles of the reformers, were glad to consult and correspond with Calvin on the steps they were to pursue. The court of England in particular, Edward VI. queen Elizabeth, archbishop Cranmer, and the leading prelates and reformers here, expressed their high respect for him, and frequently asked and followed his advice. In France perhaps he was yet more consulted, and at Geneva he was an ecclesiastical dictator, whose doctrines and discipline became the regular church establishment, and were afterwards adopted and still remain in full force in Scotland. Calvinism was also extensively propagated in Germany, the United Provinces, and England. In France it was abolished, as well as every other species of protestantism, by the revocation of the edict >f Nantz in 1685. During the reign of Edward VI. it entered much into the writings of the eminent divines of that period; in queen Elizabeth’s time, although many of her' divines were of the same sentiments, it was discouraged as far as it showed itself in a dislike of the ceremonies, habits, &c. of the church. In the early part of Charles Ts time it was yet more discouraged, Arminiamsm being the favourite system of Laud; but during the interregnum it revived in an uncommon degree, and was perhaps the persuasion of the majority of the divines of that period, all others having been silenced and thrown out of their livings by the power of parliament. How far it now exists in the church of England, in her articles and homilies, has recently been the subject of a very long and perhaps undecided controversy, into which it is not our intention to enter, nor could we, indeed, make the attempt within any moderate compass. One excellent effect of this controversy has been to inform those of the real principles of Calvinism, who have frequently used that word to express a something which they did not understand. Perhaps it would be well if the word itself were less used, and the thing signified referred to the decision of more than human authority. It may be added, however, that the distinguishing theological tenets of Calvinism, as the term is now generally applied, respect the doctrines of Predestination, or particular Election and Reprobation, original Sin, particular Redemption, effectual, or, as some have called it, irresistible Grace in Regeneration, Justification by faith, Perseverance, and the Trinity. Besides the doctrinal part of Calvin’s system, which, so far as it differs from that of other reformers of the same period, principally regarded the absolute decree of God, whereby the future and eternal condition of the human race was determined out of mere sovereign pleasure and free-will; it extended likewise to the discipline and government of the Christian church, the nature of the Eucharist, and the qualification of those who were entitled to the participation of it. Calvin considered every church as a separate and independent body, invested with the power of legislation for itself. He proposed that it should be governed by presbyteries and synods, composed of clergy and laity, without bishops, or any clerical subordination; and maintained, that the province of the civil magistrate extended only to its protec-r tion and outward accommodation. In order to facilitate an union with the Lutheran church, he acknowledged a Vol. VIII. H renl, though spiritual, presence of Christ in the Eucharist; that true Christians were united to the man Christ in this ordinance; and that divine grace was conferred upon them, and sealed to them, in the celebration of it: and he confined the privilege of communion to pious and regenerate believers. In France the Calvinists are distinguished by the name of Huguenots; and, among the common people, by that of Parpaillots. In Germany they are confounded with the Lutherans, under the general title Protestants; only sometimes distinguished by the name Reformed.
ndies by Vasco de Gama the poem is conducted according to the epic plan: both the subject and the in r cidents are magnificent, but the machinery is perfectly extravagant.
Camoens wrote a variety of poetical compositions, some
of which have been lately very elegantly translated into
English by lord viscount Strangford, who has also prefixed
a life of the author, from which we have extracted some
remarks. According to the researches his lordship has
made into the character of Camoens, he appears to have
possessed a lofty and independent spirit, with a disposition to gallantry which may probably have involved him in
difficulties. His genius, however, appears principally io
the “Lusiad,
” the subject of which is the first discovery of
the East Indies by Vasco de Gama the poem is conducted
according to the epic plan: both the subject and the in r
cidents are magnificent, but the machinery is perfectly
extravagant. Not only, says Blair, is it formed of a singular mixture of Christian ideas and pagan mythology,
tout it is so conducted, that the pagan gods appear to be
the true deities, and Christ and the blessed Virgin, to be
subordinate agents. One great scope of the Portuguese
expedition, our author informs us, is to propagate the
Christian faith, and to extirpate Mahometanism. In this
religious undertaking, the great protector of the Portuguese is Venus, and their great adversary is Bacchus,
whose displeasure is excited by Vasco’s attempting to rival
his tame in the Indies. Councils of the gods are held, in
which Jupiter is introduced, as foretelling the downfall of
Mahometanism, and the propagation of the gospel Vasco,
in a great distress from a storm, prays most seriously to
God; implores the aid of Christ and the Virgin; and begs
for such assistance as was given to the Israelites, when they
were passing through the Red Sea; and to the apostle
Paul, when he was in hazard of shipwreck. In return to
this prayer, Venus appears, who, discerning the storm to
be the work of Bacchus, complains to Jupiter, and procures the winds to be calmed. Such strange and preposterous machinery, shews how much authors have been
misled by the absurd opinion, that there could be no epic
poetry without the gods of Homer. Towards the end of
the work, indeed, the author gives us an awkward salvo for
his whole mythology: making the goddess Thetis inform
Vasco, that she, and the rest of the heathen deities, are no
more than names to describe the operations of Providence.
There is, however, says the same judicious critic, some
fine machinery of a different kind in the Lusiad. The genius of the river Ganges, appearing to Emanuel king of
Portugal, in a dream, inviting that prince to discover his
secret springs, and acquainting him that he was the destined monarch for whom the treasures of the East were
reserved, is a happy idea. But the noblest conception of
this sort is in the fifth canto, where Vasco is recounting to
the king of Melinda all the wonders which he met with in
his navigation. He tells him, that when the fleet arrived
at the Cape of Good Hope, which never before had been
doubled by any navigator, there appeared to them on a
sudden, a huge and monstrous phantom rising out of the
sea, in the midst of tempests and thunders, with a head
that reached the clouds, and a countenance that filled them
with terror. This was the genius, or guardian, of that
hitherto unknown ocean. It spoke to them with a voice
like thunder: menaced them for invading those seas which
he had so long possessed undisturbed, and for daring to
explore those secrets of the deep, which never had been
revealed to the eye of mortals; required them to proceed
no farther: if they should proceed, foretold all the successive calamities that were to befall them: and then, with
a mighty noise, disappeared. This is one of the most solemn and striking pieces of machinery that ever was employed, and is sufficient to show that Camoens is a poet,
though of an irregular, yet of a bold and lofty imagination.
The critical student will find a more severe censure of Canioens in Rapin, Dryden, and Voltaire. But the Lusiad
lias generally been considered as a poem of very superior
merit, and has been often reprinted and translated into
several languages, once into French, twice into Italian,
four times into Spanish; and lately, with uncommon excellence, into English, by Mr. Mickle; but it had beea
translated in the 17th century by sir Richard Fanshaw.
Mickle’s translation will be considered in his life. It was
translated into Latin by Thomas de Faria, bishop of Targa
in Africa; who, concealing his name, and saying nothing
of its being a translation, made some believe that the Lusiadas was originally in Latin. Large commentaries have
been written upon the Lusiadas; the most considerable of
which are those of Emanuel Faria de Sousa, in 2 vols. folio,
Madrid, 1639. These commentaries were followed the
year after with the publication of another volume in folio,
written to defend them; besides eight volumes of observations upon the miscellaneous poems of Camoens, which
this commentator left behind him in manuscript.
nologia universalis.” 4. te Conferences in the Tower,“published by the English divines, 1583, 4to. 5 r” Nar ratio de Divortio,“Antwerp, 1631. 6.” Orationes,“ibid.
All parties allow him to have been a most extraordinary:
man; of admirable parts, an eloquent orator, a subtile
philosopher and skilful disputant, an exact preacher both
in Latin and English, and a man of good temper and address. Besides the works already mentioned, he wrote,
1. “Nine Articles directed to the lords of the privy-council,
” The History of Ireland,
” noticed above,
published by sir James Ware, Dublin, 1633, fol. The
original ms. is in the British Museum. 3. “Chronologia
universalis.
” 4. te Conferences in the Tower,“published
by the English divines, 1583, 4to. 5 r
” Nar ratio de Divortio,“Antwerp, 1631. 6.
” Orationes,“ibid. 1631.
7.
” Epistoke variee,“ibid. 1631. 8.
” De Imitatione
Rhetorica," ibid. 1631. His life, written by Paul Bombino, a Jesuit, is very scarce the best edition is that of
Mantua, 1620, 8vo.
im in the Farnese gallery; and so earnestly that he could not avoid complying with his request. He w r ent to Rome; corrected several things in that gallery; painted
While Hannibal Caracci worked at Home, Lewis was courted from all parts of Lombardy, especially by the clergy, to make pictures in their churches; and we may judge of his capacity and facility, by the great number of pictures he made, and by the preference that was given him to other painters. In the midst of these employments, Hannibal solicited him to come and assist him in the Farnese gallery; and so earnestly that he could not avoid complying with his request. He w r ent to Rome; corrected several things in that gallery; painted a figure or two himself, and then returned to Bologna, where he died, 1619, aged 63.
rlisle, professor of Arabic in the university of Cambridge, chaplain to the bishop of Durham, and F. R. S. E. was born at Carlisle in 1759, where his father was a
, B. D. vicar of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, chancellor of Carlisle, professor of Arabic in the university of Cambridge, chaplain to the bishop of Durham, and F. R. S. E. was born at Carlisle in 1759, where his father was a physician, and after receiving his early education at the grammar-school of his native city, was in 1775 entered of Christ’s-col'ege, Cambridge, whence after two years he removed to Queen’s, took his bachelor’s degree in 1779, and was elected a fellow. Besides an industrious and successful application to the usual branches of study, he entefed upon that of the Arabic language with unusual avidity, availing himself of a very fine collection of Arabic writings in the university library, and assisted by David Zamio, who, Mr. Carlyle informs us, was born at Bagdad, and resided with him some time at Cambridge. Mr. Carlyle, after taking his master’s degree in 1783, left college, married, and obtained some church preferment in his native city. In 1793 he took his degree of B. D. and succeeded Dr. Paley (by resignation) in the chancellorship of Carlisle. In 1794 he was elected Arabic professor in the university of Cambridge.
glish edition of Thuanus. The collection was in such forwardness in 1724, that he consulted Dr. Mead r at that time the great patron of literary undertakings, on the
In 1712 be made the tour of Europe with a nobleman,
and on his return entered into orders, and was appointed
render of the Abbey-church at Bath; where he preached
a sermon on Jan. 30, 171 J-, in which he took occasion to
vindicate Charles I. from aspersions cast upon his memory
with regard to the Irish rebellion. This drew Mr. Carte
into a controversy with Mr. (afterwards the celebrated Dr.)
Chandler, and gave rise to our historian’s first publication,
entitled “The Irish Massacre sot in a clear light,
” &c.
which is inserted in lord Sotners’s Tracts. ‘ Upon the accession of George I. Mr. Carte’s principles not permitting
him to take the oaths to the new government, he assumed a
lay-habit, and at one time assisted the celebrated Jeremiah
Collier, who preached to a non’} tiring congregation in a
house in Broad-street, London, and on a Sunday he used
to put on his gown and cassock, and perform divine service
in his own family. What particular concern he had in the
rebellion of 1715 does not appear; but that he had some
degree of guilt in this respect, or, at least, that he was
strongly suspected of it by administration, is evident, from
the king’s troops having orders to discover and apprehend
him. He had the good fortune to elude their search, by
concealing himself at Coleshili, Warwickshire, in the house
of Mr. Badger, then curate of that town. Mr. Carte himself officiated for a time as curate of the same place;
after which, he was some time secretary to bishop Atterbury. This connexion threw him into fresh difficulties:
so deeply was he thought to he engaged in the conspiracy
ascribed to that eminent prelate, that a charge of high
treason was brought against him; and a proclamation was
issued, Aug. 13, 1722, offering a reward of 1000l. for
seizing his person. He was again successful in making his
escape, and fled into France, where he resided several
years, under the borrowed name of Philips. Whilst Mr.
Carte continued in that country, he was introduced to the
principal men of learning and family, and gained access to
the most eminent libraries, public and private, by which
means he was enabled to collect large materials for illustrating an English edition of Thuanus. The collection was
in such forwardness in 1724, that he consulted Dr. Mead r
at that time the great patron of literary undertakings, on the
mode of publication. The doctor, who perceived that the
plan might he rendered more extensively useful, obtained
Mr. Carte’s materials at a very considerable price, and engaged Mr. Buckley in the noble edition completed in 17^3,
in 7 vols. fol. Mr. Carte would probably himself have
been the principal editor, if he had not been an exile
at the time the undertaking commenced, but we find that
the Latin address to Dr. Mead, prefixed to that work, and
dated from the Inner-temple, Jan. 1733, is signed Thomas
Carte. Whilst this grand work was carrying on, queen
Caroline, whose regard to men of letters is well known,
received such favourable impressions of Mr. Carte, that
she obtained permission for his returning to England in
security; which he did some time between the years 1728
and 1730. He had not long been restored to his own country
before he engaged in one of the most important of his
works, “The history of the life of James duke of Ormonde,
from his birth, in 1610, to his death, in 1688,
” 3 vols. fol.
The third volume, which was published first, came out in
1735, and the first and second volumes in 1736. From a
letter of Mr. Carte’s to Dr. Swift, dated Aug. 11, 1736, it
appears, that in writing the life of the duke of Ormonde,
he had availed himself of some instructions which he had
derived from the dean . In the same letter he mentions
his design of composing a general history of England and
finds great fault, not only with Rapin, but with Ilymer’s
Fcedera; but his accusations of that noble collection are in
several respects erroneous and groundless.
Anne, relating to the vesting in authors the right of copies, for the encouragement of learning, by R. H.” about 1737. Mr. Carte wrote, also, a paper (the ms. of
Besides the works mentioned, he was the author of the
following publications: 1. “A collection of original letters
and papers, concerning the affairs of England, from 1641
to 1660,
” The History of the Revolutions of Portugal, from the foundation of that kingdom
to the year 1567, with letters of sir Robert Southwell,
during his embassy there, to the duke of Ormonde; giving
a particular account of the deposing don Alphonso, and
placing don Pedro on the throne,
” A full
Answer to the Letter from a bystander,
” a pamphlet, A full and clear vindication of the full answer
to a Letter from a bystander,
” ditto, Catalogue des rolles Gascons, Normans, et
Francois, conserves dans les archives de la Tour de Londres;
tire* d‘apres celui du Garde* desdites archives; & contenant
la precis & le sommaire de tous les titres qui s’y trouvent
concernant la Guienne, la Normandie, & les autres provinces de la France, sujettes autres fois auX rois d’Angleterre, &c.
” Paris, A preface to a translation, by Mrs. Thompson, of the
history of the memorable and extraordinary calamities of
Margaret of Anjou, queen of England, &c. by the chevalier
Michael Baudier,
” London, Advice of
a Mother to her son and daughter,
” translated from the
French of the marchioness de Lambert. This has gone
through several editions. 8. “Farther reasons, addressed
to parliament, for rendering more effectual an act of queen
Anne, relating to the vesting in authors the right of copies,
for the encouragement of learning, by R. H.
” about The case of the royal martyr considered with candour,
” in 2 vols. 8vo, the author of which acknowledges
his obligations to Mr. Carte. It was written by the rev.
J. Boswell, M. A. a clergyman and a schoolmaster, at
Taunton, in Somersetshire, and the author of a “Method
of Study, or a useful library,
” printed in Remarks on the Free and Candid Disquisitions,
”
which appeared in
stration, was continued in this high post till his decease. When his majesty went to Hanover, in 17- r >2, earl Granville was appointed one of the lords justices of
We now come to a part of lord Carteret’s life, including
nearly twelve years, from 1730 to 1742, during which he
engaged in the grand opposition, that was carried on so
long, and with so much pertinacity, against sir Robert
Walpole. In this opposition he took a very distinguished
part, and was one of its ablest and most spirited leaders.
There was scarcely any motion or question on which his
eloquence was not displayed. His powers of oratory are
allowed to have been eminently great; and it is highly
probable, that they were invigorated and increased by
that superior ardour which naturally accompanies an attack
upon the measures of government. In the session of parliament, 1730-1, he supported the bill against pensioners
being permitted to sit in that house; and the motion for
discharging the twelve thousand Hessian forces in the pay
of Great Britain. In the subsequent session, which opened
on the 13th of January, 1731-2, besides speaking in
favour of the pension bill, lord Carteret exerted his whole
ability against the passing of the act for reviving the salt
duty. This tax he asserted to be grievous, pernicious,
and insupportable; oppressive to the lower part of the
people; and dangerous to public liberty, by the numerous
dependents it would create upon the crown. In the next
year, the grand objects that engaged the attention of the
minority were, the motion for the reduction of the land
forces; the produce of the forfeited estates of the SouthSea directors in 1720; and the bill for granting eightythousand pounds for the princess-royal’s marriage settlement, and a sum out of the sinking fund; on which occasions lord Carteret displayed his usual energy and eloquence. In the session which began on the 17th of January, 1733-4, his lordship made the motion for an address
to the king, to know who had advised the removal of the
duke of Bolton and lord Cobham from their regiments;
and took the lead in the memorable debate which arose
upon that question, and an, active part in the other matters that were agitated in this and the following sessions.
It is observable that, about this time, Dr. Swift had some
doubts concerning lord Carteret’s steadiness in the cause
of opposition, yet, in the session>f parliament which
opened on the 1st of February, 1736-7, his lordship distinguished himself greatly in the several question-s concerning the riots at Edinburgh, and the affair of captain
Porteus; and he was the mover, in the house of peers,
for the settlement of an hundred thousand pounds a year,
out of the civil list, upon the prince of Wales; a matter
which excited a very long and violent debate. He exercised the same vigour with regard to all the motions and
questions of that busy session; and it is evident, from the
records of the times, that he was the prime leader of opposition in the upper house. This character was preserved
by lord Carteret in the parliament which met on the 15th
of November, 1739; and in the following session, when
the minority exerted their whole strength to overturn the
administration, he made the motion in the house of peers,
Feb. 13, 1740-1, to address his majesty, that he would
graciously be pleased to remove sir Robert Walpole from
his presence and councils for ever, and prefaced his proposal with the longest, as well as the ablest speech that, he
ever appears to have delivered. A year after, when
views of opposition were attained, so far as related to the
displacing of sir Robert Walpole, lord Carteret, Feb. 12>
1741-42, was appointed one of his majesty’s principal secretaries of state, and then began to change his parliamentary language, opposing the motion for the commitment of the pension -bill, and the bill to indemnify
evidences against Robert earl of Orford, not consistently,
although with some reason. In September 1742, he was
sent to the States General, to concert measures with them,
for the maintenance of the liberties of the United Provinces, and the benefit of the common cause and soon
after his return, he opposed the motion for discharging the
Hanoverian troops in British pay and distinguished himself in favour of the bill for retailing spirituous liquors. In
1743 he waited upon his majesty at Hanover, and attended
him through the whole interesting campaign of that year;
and the king placed the greatest confidence in his counsels,
to which he was the more entitled, as he was eminently
^killed in foreign affairs. On the death of his mother,
upon the 18th of October, 1744, he succeeded to the titles
of viscount Carteret and earl Granville, and, a few weeks
after, resigned the seals as secretary of state, unable to
oppose the patriotic party, whom he had suddenly forsaken, and the duke of Newcastle and his brother, Mr.
Pelham, who formed analliance with them against him.
George II. however, with reluctance parted with a minister who had gained his personal affection by his great
knowledge of the affairs of Europe, by his enterprizing
genius, and, above all, by his ready compliance with the
king’s favourite views. In the beginning of 1746, his
lordship made an effort to retrieve his influence in the cabinet, but the duke of Newcastle and Mr. Pelham, who
knew his aspiring disposition, refused to admit him into
administration, yet mismanaged their intrigues so much,
that at first they were themselves obliged to resign, and
earl Granvilie was appointed secretary of state, and resumed the reins of administration, in February 1745-6:
finding, however, that he could not counteract the accumulated opposition that preponderated against him, he resigned the seals four days after they had' been put into his
hands. Still lord Granville’s political antagonists were not
able to prevent his receiving,. personal marks of royal favour. On the 22d of June, 1749J he was elected at Kensington, one of the knights companions of the most noble
order of the garter, and next year was again brought into
the ministry, in connection with the very men by whom
he had been so long and so warmly opposed. He was
then constituted president of the council, and notwithstanding the various revolutions of administration, was continued in this high post till his decease. When his majesty went to Hanover, in 17- r >2, earl Granville was appointed
one of the lords justices of the kingdom and he was in
the commissions for opening and concluding the session of
parliament, which began on the 31st of May, 1754, and
ended on the 5th of June following. The Ifist time in
which he spoke in the house of peers, was in opposition to
the third reading of the militia-bill, on the 24th of May,
1756, but not with his usual effect. When, in October
1761, Mr. Pitt proposed in council, an immediate declaration of war with Spain, and urged the measure with his
usual energy, threatening a resignation, if his advice should
not be adopted; lord Granville is said to have replied to
him in terms both pointed and personal. Mr. Wood, in
the preface to his “Essay on the original Genius and
Writings of Homer,
” informs us, that “being directed to
wait upon his lordship, a few days before he died, with
the preliminary articles of the treaty of Paris, he found
him so languid, that he proposed postponing his business
for another time; but earl Granville insisted that he should
stay, saying, it could not prolong his life to neglect his
duty; and repeating a passage out of Sarpedon’s speech
in Homer, he dwelled with particular emphasis on one of
the lines which recalled to his mind the distinguishing part
he had taken in public affairs.
” After a pause he desired
to hear the treaty read and gave it the approbation of a
“dying statesman (his own words) on the most glorious
war, and most honourable peace, this nation ever saw.
”
In other respects, lord Granville so much retained his vivacity to the close of his life, as to be able to break out
into sallies of wit and humour. He died Jan. 2, 1763, in.
the seventy-third year of his age. He was twice married;
first at Long-Leat, on the 17th of October, 1710, to
Frances, only daughter of sir Robert Worsley, bart.; and
secondly, on the 14th of April, 1744, to lady Sophia,
daughter of Thomas earl of Pomfret. By his former wife
he had three sons and five daughters; by the latter, only
one daughter.
Lord Granville’s character has been drawn as follows,
by the late earl of Chesterfield: “Lord Granville had
great parts, and a most uncommon share of learning for a
man of quality. He was one of the best speakers in the
house of lords, both in the declamatory and the argumentative way. He had a wonderful quickness and precision
in seizing the stress of a question, which no art, no sophistry, could disguise in him. In business he was bold,
enterprizing, and overbearing. He had been bred up in
high monarchical, that is, tyrannical principles of government, which his ardent and impetuous temper made him
think were the only rational and practicable ones. He
would have been a great first minister in France, little inferior, perhaps, to Richelieu; in this government, which is
yet free, he would have been a dangerous one, little less
so, perhaps, than lord Strafford. He was neither ill-natured nor vindictive, and had a great contempt for money.
His ideas were all above it. In social life he was an agreeable, good-humoured, and instructive companion; a great
but entertaining talker. He degraded himself by the vice
of drinking, which, together with a great stock of Greek
and Latin, he brought away with him from Oxford, and
retained and practised ever afterwards. By his own industry, he had made himself master of all the modern languages, and had acquired a great knowledge of the law.
His political knowledge of the interest of princes and of
commerce was extensive, and his notions were just and
great. His character may be summed up, in nice precision, quick decision, and unbounded presumption.
”
pursued it with that indefatigable industry, that it will not be believed in how short a time he was r master of it, and accurately react all the Greek historians.
in foul linen.“Being dissuaded by his should be out of it ere night.' 7
genuity and honour, of the most exemplary manners, and
singular good nature, and of the most unblemished integrity; of that inimitable sweetness and delight in conversation, of so flowing and obliging a humanity and goodness
to mankind, and of that primitive simplicity and integrity
of life, as was scarce ever equalled. His familiarity and
friendship, for the most part, was with men of the most
eminent and sublime parts, and of untouched reputation
in point of integrity. He was a great cherisher of wit and
ianc}', and good parts, in any man; and, if he found them
clouded with poverty or want, a most liberal and bountiful
patron towards them, even above his fortune. As he was
of a most incomparable gentleness, application, and even
submission, to good and worthy, and entire men, so he
was naturally (which could not but be more evident in his place of secretary of state, which subjected him- to another conversation and intermixture than his own election would have done) adversus malos injucundus, unpleasant to bad
men; and was so ill a dissembler of his dislike and disinclination to ill men, that it was not possible for such not to
discern it. There was once in the house of commons such
a declared acceptation of the good service an eminent
member had done to them, and, as they said, to the whole
kingdom, that it was moved, he being present,
” That the
speaker might, in the name of the whole house, give him,
thanks; and then, that every member might, as a testimony of his particular acknowledgement, stir or move his
hat towards him:“the which (though not ordered) when
very many did, the lord Falkland, who believed the service
itself not to be of that moment, and that an honourable
and generous person could not have stooped to it for any
recompense, instead of moving his hat, stretched both his
arms out, and clasped his hands together upon the crown
of his hat, and held it close down to his head, that all men
might see how odious that flattery was to him, and the
very approbation of the person, though at that time most
popular. He was constant and pertinacious in whatsoever
he resolved to do, and not to be wearied by any pains that
were necessary to that end. And therefore having once
resolved not to see London, which he loved above all
places, till he had perfectly learned the Greek tongue, he
went to his own house in the country, and pursued it with
that indefatigable industry, that it will not be believed in
how short a time he was r master of it, and accurately react
all the Greek historians. He had a courage of the most
clear and keen temper, and so far from fear, that he
seemed not without some appetite of danger; and therefore, upon any occasion of action, he always engaged his
person in those troops which he thought, by the forwardness of the commanders, to be most like to he farthest engaged; and in all such encounters he had about him an
extraordinary cheerfulness, without at all affecting the execution that usually attended them; in which he took no
delight, but took pains to prevent it, where it was not by
resistance made necessary. At Edge-hill, when the enemy
was routed, he was like to have incurred great peril, by
interposing to save those who had thrown away their arms,
and against whom, it may be, others were more fierce for
their having thrown them away: so that a man might
think he came into the field, chiefly out of curiosity to see
the face of danger, and charity to prevent the shedding of
blood. Yet in his natural inclination, he acknowledged
he was addicted to the profession of a soldier. Many attempts were made upon him, by the instigation of his mother (who was a lady of another persuasion in religion, and of a most masculine understanding, allayed with the passion and infirmities of her own sex) to pervert him in his
piety to the church of England, and to reconcile him to
that of Rome; which they prosecuted with the more confidence, because he declined no opportunity or occasion of
conference with those of that religion, whether priests or
laics; diligently studied the controversies, and, as was
observed before, exactly read all, or the choicest of the
Greek and Latin fathers; and having a memory so stupendous, that he remembered, on all occasions, whatsoever
he read. He was so great an enemy to that passion and
uncharitableness which he saw produced by difference of
opinion in matters of religion, that in all those disputations
with priests and others of the Roman church, he affected
to manifest all possible civility to their persons, and estimation of their parts but this charity towards them was
much lessened, and any correspondence with them quite
declined, when by sinister arts they had corrupted his two
younger brothers, being both children, and stolen them
from his house, and transported them beyond seas, and
perverted his sisters: upon which occasion he wrote two
large discourses against the principal positions of that religion, with that sharpness of wit and full weight of reason,
that the church, says lord Clarendon, is deprived of great
jewels in the concealment of them, and that they are not
published to the world. As to his person he was little, and
of no great strength: his hair was blackish, and somewhat
flaggy; and his eye black and lively. His body was buried in the church of Great Tew. His usual saying was,
” I pity unlearned gentlemen in a rainy day."
was communicated to the academy in 1702. He made also a visit to England in 1696, where he was made r a member of the royal society. In 1712 he succeeded his father
After some education in his father’s house he was sent to study philosophy at the Mazarine college, where the celebrated Varignon was then professor of mathematics; from whose assistance young Cassini profited so well, that at fifteen years of age he supported a mathematical thesis with great honour. At the age of seventeen he was admitted a member of the academy of sciences; and the same year he accompanied his father in his journey to Italy, where he assisted him in the verification of the meridian at Bologna, and other measurement* On his return he made other similar operations in a journey into Holland, where he discovered some errors in the measure of the earth by Snell, the result of which was communicated to the academy in 1702. He made also a visit to England in 1696, where he was made r a member of the royal society. In 1712 he succeeded his father as astronomer royal at the observatory. In 17 17 he gave to the academy his researches on the distance of the fixed stars, in which he shewed that the whole annual orbit, of near 200 million of miles diameter, is but as a point in comparison of that distance. The same year he communicated also his discoveries concerning the inclination of the orbits of the satellites in general, and especially of those of Saturn’s satellites and ring. In 1723 he undertook to determine the cause of the moon’s libration, by which she shews sometimes a little towards one side, and sometimes a little on the other, of that half which is commonly behind or hid from our view.
nged her once more into the extremity of indigence; and her country being now become the seat of vv.- r between Sweden and Russia, she went to seek an asylum at Marienburg.
, a country girl of the name of Martha, which she changed for Catherine when she embraced the Greek religion, and came to be empress of Russia, was born in 1688, of very indigent parents, who lived at Ringen, a small village not far from Dorpat, on the lake Vitcherve, in Livonia. While yet only three years old, she lost her father, who left her with no other support than what an infirm and sickly mother could afford her; whose labour was barely sufficient to procure them a scanty maintenance. She was handsome, of a good figure, and gave intimations of a quick understanding. Her mother had taught hereto read, and an old Lutheran clergyman, of the name of Gluck, instructed her in the principles of that persuasion. Scarcely had she attained her fifteenth year, when she lost her mother. The good pastor took her home to him, and employed her in attending his children. Catherine availed herself of the lessons in music and dancing that were given them by their masters; but the death of her benefactor, which happened not long after her reception into his family, plunged her once more into the extremity of indigence; and her country being now become the seat of vv.-r between Sweden and Russia, she went to seek an asylum at Marienburg. In 1701 she espoused a dragoon of the Swedish garrison of that fortress. If we are to believe some authors, the very day that these two lovers had fixed on for plighting their faith at the altar, Marienburg was besieged by the Russians; the lover, who was on duty, was obliged to march with his troop to repel the attack, and perished in the action, before the marriage was consummated. Marienburg was at last carried by assault; when general Bauer, seeing Catherine among the prisoners, a'nd being smitten with her youth and beauty, took her to his house, where she superintended his domestic affairs, and was supposed to be his mistress. Soon afterwards she was removed into the family of prince Menzicof, who was no less struck with the attractions of the fair captive: with him she lived till 1704, when, in the seventeenth year of her age, she became the mistress of Peter the Great, and won so much upon his affections, that he espoused her on the 29th of May, 1711. The ceremony was secretly performed at Yaverhof, in Poland, in the presence of general Bruce; and on the 20th of February, 1712, it was publicly solemnized with great pomp at Petersburg; on which occasion she received the diadem and the sceptre from the hands of her husband. After the death of that prince, in 1725, she was proclaimed sovereign empress of all the Russias. In this high station she shewed herself not unworthy of reigning, by endeavouring to complete some of the grand designs which the tzar had begun. The first thing she did on her accession to the imperial dignity, was to cause all the gibbets to be taken down, and all the implements of torture to be destroyed. She instituted a new order of knighthood, in honour of St. Alexander Nefski; and performed some other actions that bespoke a greatness of mind not to be expected from her, although some of these have been rather exaggerated. She attended Peter the Great in his expeditions, and rendered him essential services in the unfortunate affair of Pruth; it was she who advised the tzar to tempt the vizir by presents; which succeeded beyond expectation. It cannot, however, be dissembled, that she had an attachment which excited the jealousy of the tzar. The favoured object was a chamberlain of the court, originally from France, named mons. de la Croix. The tzar Peter caused him to be decapitated, under pretence of some treasonable correspondence; after which he had his head stuck on a pike, and placed in one of the public places of Petersburg. In order that his empress might contemplate at leisure the view of the mangled carcase of her lover, he drove her across this place in all directions, and even conducted her to the foot of the scaffold. Catherine had address or firmness enough to restrain her tears. This princess has been suspected of not being favourably disposed towards the tzarevitsh Alexius, who died under the displeasure of his father. As the eldest born, and sprung from the first marriage, he excluded from the succession the children of Catherine: this is perhaps the sole foundation on which that reproach has been built.
talled canon of Windsor, upon the death of Mr. John Rosewell; about which time, as Mr. Wood tells us r he became rector of Hasely, in Oxfordshire; but that seems to
, a very learned divine, was born at
Pickwell, in Leicestershire, of which parish his father was
rector, Dec. 30, 1637. On the 9th of May, 1653, he was
admitted into St. JohnVcollege, in Cambridge, where he
took the degree of B. A. in 1656, and that of M. A. in 1660.
In August 1662, he was admitted to the vicarage of Islington, in Middlesex-, and some time after became chaplain
in ordinary to king Charles 11. He took the degree of
D. D. in 1672, and on the 16th of September, 1679, was
collated by the archbishop of Canterbury to the rectory of
Allhallows the Great, in Thames-street, London. In July
1681, he was incorporated D. D. at Oxford, and in
November 1684, he was installed canon of Windsor, upon
the death of Mr. John Rosewell; about which time, as
Mr. Wood tells us r he became rector of Hasely, in Oxfordshire; but that seems to be a mistake, as the rectory
of Hasely is annexed to the deanery of Windsor. He
resigned his rectory of Allhallows in 1689, and the vicarage of Islington in 1691; but on the 19th of November
before, namely, in 1690, he was admitted to the vicarage
of Isleworth, in Middlesex, which being a quiet and retired place, probably suited best his most studious temper.
He published: 1. “Primitive Christianity; or the Religion of the ancient Christians in the first ages of the Gospel,
” London, Tabulae Ecclesiastics,
” tables of the ecclesiastical
writers, Lond. Antiquitates Apostolicae:
or the history of the lives, acts, and martyrdoms of the
holy apostles of our Saviour, and the two evangelists, St.
Mark and St. Luke. To which is added an introductory
Discourse concerning the three great dispensations of the
church, Patriarchal, Mosaical, and Evangelical. Being a
continuation of `Antiquitates Christianas,' or the Life and
Death of Holy Jesus,
” written by Jeremy Taylor, afterward bishop of Down and Connor, Lond. 1676, fol. 4.
“Apostolici, or the History of the lives, acts, deaths, and
martyrdomsof those who were contemporaries with or
immediately succeeded the Apostles as also of the
most eminent of the primitive fathers for the first three
hundred years. To which is added, a Chronology of the
three first ages of the Church,
” Lond. A
Sermon preached before the right honourable the lordmayor, aldermen, and citizens of London, at St. Mary-leBuw, on the fifth of November, M.DC.LXXX.
” London,
1680, 4to. 6. “A Dissertation concerning the Government of the Ancient Church, by bishops, metropolitans,
and patriarchs. More particularly concerning the ancient
power and jurisdiction of the bishops of Rome, and the
encroachments of that upon other sees, especially the see
of Constantinople;
” Lond. Ecclesiastic!,
or the History of the lives, acts, deaths, and writings of
the most eminent Fathers of the Church that flourished in
the fourth century. Wherein, among other things, an
account is given of the rise, growth, and progress of
Arianism, and all other sects of that age descending from
it. Together with an Introduction, containing an historical account of the state of Paganism under the first
Christian emperor,
” Lond. 1682, fol. 8. “A Sermon
preached before the king at Whitehall, on Sunday, January 18, 1684-5, on Psalm iv. 7. Publisheo 1 by his majesties special command,
” Lond. Chartopbylax Ecclesiasticus,
” Lond. Tabulae Ecclesiastics,
” above-mentioned, and a kind of abridgment of the “Historia Literaria,
” and contams a short account of most of the ecclesiastical writers from the birth of Christ to 1517. 1O.
“Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Historia Literaria i. e. A
Literary History of Ecclesiastical Writers, in two parts,
”
fol. the first printed at Lond. A Serious Exhortation, with some important advices
relating to the late cases about Conformity, recommended
to the present dissenters from the Church of England.
” It
is the twenty-second in the “London Cases.
” This very
learned person died at Windsor, on the 4th of August,
1713, and was buried in Islington church, where a monument was erected to his memory. He was an excellent
pud universal scholar, an elegant and polite writer, and a
florid and very eloquent preacher. He was thoroughly
acquainted with the history and constitution of the Christian church. His works, particularly his Lives of the
apostles, Lives of the fathers, and Primitive Christianity,
evince his great knowledge of antiquity, and are justly esteemed the best books written upon those important subjects. Yet the “Historia Literaria
” is perhaps the work
on which his fume will now be thought principally to depend. This very useful work was reprinted at Geneva, in
1705 and 1720, but the best edition is that printed at the
Clarendon press, by subscription, in 2 vols. fol, 1740—
1743, which contains the author’s last corrections and additions, and additions by other hands. What share Mr.
Henry Wharton had in this work will be noticed in our life
of that writer. From a manuscript letter of Cave’s in our
possession, it appears that he had much reason to complain
of Wharton. During the last twelve years of his life Cave
had repeatedly revised this history, and made alterations
and additions equal to one third part of the work, all which
were carefully incorporated in the new edition. The copy
thus improved, he left in the hands of his executors, the
lord chief justice Reeve, and the rev. Dr. Jones, canon of
Windsor, but they both dying soon after the work went
to press, Dr. Daniel Waterland undertook the care of it.
The venerable Dr. Watson, bishop of Llandaff, observes,
that “Casimiri Oudini Commentarius de Scriptoribus Ecclesix, &c.
” Leipsic, Historia Literaria,
” and other works of
the same kind.
Armine of Orton in Huntingdonshire; and his old patron sir Roger Townscncl, just before his death in r presented him to the living of \V ivcnhoc in Essex. Alter he
, a puritan clergyman of the church
of England, exiled for his loyalty during the rebellion, was
born at Rainham in Norfolk in 1605, of parents who were
not in circumstances to give him an education suited to his
capacity and their wishes, but were so much respected as
to procure the patronage of sir Roger Townsend, knt. who
not only sent him to school, but took the pains to assist
him in his tasks, particularly in the Greek. By the same
interest he was sent to Cambridge, and entered of Queen’s
college, and made a distinguished figure, not only in the
usual studies preparatory to the ministry, but in that of the
languages, acquiring an uncommon acquaintance with the
oriental languages, the Saxon, high and low Dutch, and
the Italian, French, and Spanish. His religious principles
he imbibed from Drs. Preston and Sibbs, and Mr. Herbert
Palmer, puritans of great reputation at that time. After
taking orders, he resided for four years in the house of sir
William Armine of Orton in Huntingdonshire; and his old
patron sir Roger Townscncl, just before his death in r
presented him to the living of \V ivcnhoc in Essex. Alter
he had been on this living about seven years, a violent and
long continued tit of ague rendered it necessary to try
a change of air, and in compliance with the advice of his
physicians, he removed to London, where, by the interest
of sir Ilai bottle Grirnston, he was promoted to the valuable
rectory of St. Bartholomew, Exchange. He had not been
here above five years when Charles I. was put to death. A
few weeks after, Mr. Gawton was called upon to preach
before the lord mayor and aldermen of London, at Mercers’
chapel, when he delivered himself in such plain terms
against the hypocrisy of the predominant powers, that he
was first sent for to Westminster, and then committed to the
Gatehouse. This served only to raise his character among
the loyal presbyterians, who, when Charles II. had thoughts
of entering England, and asserting his right, intrusted him,
with Mr. Christopher Love, and some other worthy persons,
with the money raised by them for his majesty’s service,
for which Mr. Love was imprisoned, and afterwards executed. Mr. Cawton then betook himself to a voluntary
exile, and retiring to Rotterdam, became minister of the
English church there, and died Ang. 7, 1659. His son,
th.e subject of our next article, took care to preserve a just
account of his merits and sufferings by writing “The Life
nnd Death of that holy and reverend man of God Mr.
Thomas Cawton, some time minister of St. Bartholomew,
”
&c. To which is added, his father’s Sermon, entitled
“God’s Rule for a godly Life, from Philippians i. 27.
”
which is the sermon for the preaching of which he was imprisoned, London, 1662, 8vo. This account is an artless
picture of a man who did great honour to his profession,
and was a pattern of virtue in every social relation. His
life is important in another respect, as proving that the
ambition of civil power was as much the cause of the trpu-f
bles of that time, as any want of liberty of conscience in
matters of religion. Cawton knew how to unite the puritan with the loyalist. His biographer informs us that when
he first received the sacrament, he ever afterwards expressed the profoundest reverence, and the most elevated
devotion at that solemnity.
s. Ou his return to England, he went to Oxford, and was entered of Merton college, for the sake of M, r. Samuel Clark, famous for his thorough knowledge of the oriental
, son of the above, was born at
Wivenhoe, about the year 1637, his father being then
minister of the place. The first rudiments of learning he
received from his father, whom he attended in his banishment, and lived with him several years in Holland, where
he studied the oriental languages under Mr. Robert Sheringham, at Rotterdam, with equal diligence and success.
About the year 1656, he was sent to the university of
Utrecht, where he distinguished himself by his extraordinary skill in the oriental languages, in such a manner as
did honour to his country. On the 14th of December,
1657, he maintained a thesis in relation to the Syriac version of the New Testament, and printed his discourse, as
he did some time after another dissertation on the usefulness of the Hebrew language in the study of theoretic philosophy, Utrecht, 1637, 4to; which treatises sufficiently
shew both the extent of his learning, and the solidity of his
judgment. When he left Utrecht, the celebrated professor.
Leusden subscribed an ample testimonial in his favour, and
expresses a great regard for his person, as well as his talents.
Ou his return to England, he went to Oxford, and was
entered of Merton college, for the sake of M,r. Samuel
Clark, famous for his thorough knowledge of the oriental
languages. Our author shewed his loyalty by writing a
copy of Hebrew verses on his majesty’s restoration, having
been pretty early in the year 1660, admitted to the degree
of bachelor of arts, at which time professor Leusden’s certificate was read publicly. In 1661, he was ordained by
the bishop of Oxford; and in 1662, he published the
“Life of his Father.
” In all probability he might have
obtained very considerable preferment, if his principles
had not led him to nonconformity. When he retired from
the university, he was taken into the family of sir Anthony
Irbj a of Lincolnshire, where b officiated for some years
as chaplain; but the air of that country disagreeing with
him, and the family going down thither on account of the
plague in 1665, he was obliged to quit it, and lived afterwards with the lady Armin till about the year 1670, when
he gathered a congregation of dissenters in the city of
Westminster, to whom be preached with some interruption
from the severities of the government, for about seven
years, tiil falling into a bad state of health, he died of 4
gradual decay, April 10, 1677, being then about forty years
of age. He was buried in the New church in. Tothil-street
Westminster, at which time his friend and fellow-collegian,
Mr. Henry Hurst, preached his funeral sermon; as did also
>lr. Nath. Vincent in another place. He was a man whose
learning rendered him admired, and his virtues beloved by
all parties. Anthony Wood, speaking of the praises bestowed upon him by Mr. Hurst in his discourse, t>ives them
also his sanction; “they were,
” he -ays, “deservedly
spoken.
” His congregation followed the advice he gave
them on his death-bed; for he told them that he knew
none so proper to be his successor, as a certain Northamptonshire minister, who wrote against Dr. Sherlock, Mr.
Vincent Alsop, whom they accordingly chose. The
changes of religious opinion in this congregation may be
estimated by those who are acquainted with the character
of Mr. Alsop’s successors, Dr. Calamy, Mr. Samuel Say,
Dr. Obadiah Hughes, and the late Dr. Kippis. The only
publication of Mr. Cawton’s, besides those mentioned, was
a single sermon entitled “Balaam’s Wish,
” London,
d the only daughter of Richard Clifford, esq. by whom he had nine children. In 1668 he was chosen F. R. S. and in 1669 attended Charles earl of Carlisle, sent to Stockholm
was descended from an
ancient family, and born at Odington in Gloucestershire,
1616. He was educated at Gloucester; became a commoner of St. Edmund-hall in Oxford in 1634; took both
his degrees in arts; and was afterwards appointed rhetoric
reader. During the civil war in England, he made the
tour of Europe. In 1658 he married the only daughter
of Richard Clifford, esq. by whom he had nine children.
In 1668 he was chosen F. R. S. and in 1669 attended
Charles earl of Carlisle, sent to Stockholm with the order
of the garter to the king of Sweden, as his secretary. In
1670 the degree of LL. D. was conferred on him at Cambridge, and two years after he was incorporated in the
same at Oxford. He was appointed to be tutor to Henry
duke of Grafton, one of the natural sons of Charles II.
about 1679; and was afterwards appointed to instruct
prince George of Denmark in the English tongue. He
died at Chelsea in 1703, and was buried in a vault in the
church-yard of that parish; where a monument was soon
after erected to his memory, by Walter Harris, M. D. with
a Latin inscription, which informs us, among other things,
that Dr. Chamberlayne was so desirous of doing service to
all, and even to posterity, that he ordered some of the
books he had written to be covered with wax, and buried
with him; which have been since destroyed by the damp.
The six books vanity or dotage thus consigned to the grave,
are, 1. “The present war paralleled; or a brief relation of
the five years’ civil wars of Henry III. king of England,
with the event and issue of that unnatural war, and by what
course the kingdom was then settled again; extracted out
of the most authentic historians and records,
” 1647. It
was reprinted in 1660, under this title, “The late war
paralleled, or a brief relation,
” &c. 2. “England’s wants;
or several proposals probably beneficial for England, offered to the consideration of both houses of parliament,
”
The Converted Presbyterian; or the church
of England justified in some practices,
” &c. Anglix Notitia or the Present State of England with
divers reflections upon the ancient state thereof,
” An academy or college, wherein young
ladies or gentlewomen may, at a very moderate expence,
be educated in the true protestant religion, and in all virtuous qualities that may adorn that sex, &c.
” A Dialogue between an Englishman and a Dutchman,
concerning the last Dutch war,‘ ’ 1672. He translated out
of Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, into English, 1.
” The
rise and fall of count Olivarez the favourite of Spain.“2.
” The unparalleled imposture of Mich, de Molina, executed at Madrid,“1641. 3.
” The right and title of the
present king of Portugal, don John the IVth." These
three translations were printed at London, 1653.
h event, and connecting the several dissertations together,” 1723, folio. He likewise was elected F. R. S. in 1702, and communicated three pieces, inserted in the
, son to the preceding, was
admitted into Trinity college, Oxford, 1685; but it does
not appear that he took any degree. He continued his
father’s “Angliae Notitia,
” or “Present State,
” as long
as he lived, and it was continued after his death until 1755,
which, we believe, is the last edition. He translated, 1.
from French and Spanish, “The manner of making Tea,
Coffee, and Chocolate, London,
” A Treasure of Health,
” London,
The Arguments of the books
and chapters of the Old and New Testament, with practical observations written originally in French, by the rev.
Mr. Ostervald, professor of divinity, and one of the ministers of the church at Neufchatel in Swisserland, and by
him presented to the society for promoting Christian
knowledge,
” Lond. The Lives of
the French Philosophers, translated from the French of M.
de Fontenelle, republished since in 1721, under the title
of
” Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris,
epitomized, with t[ie lives of the late members of that society,“8vo. 5.
” The Religious Philosopher; or, the
right use of contemplating the works of the Creator, &c.
translated from the original Dutch of Dr. Nieuwentyt,“Lond. 1713, &c. 3 vols. 8vo, reprinted several times since
in 8vo, and once in 4to. 6.
” The History of the Reformation in and about the Low Countries, translated from the
Dutch of Gerrard Brandt,“Lond. 1721, &c. 4 vols. fol.
7.
” The Lord’s Prayer in Dissertations historical, critical, theological, and moral, on the most memorable events of the
Old and New Testaments; wherein the spirit of the sacred
writings is shewn, their authority confirmed, and the sentiments of the primitive fathers, as well as the modern,
critics, with regard to the difficult passages therein, considered and compared; vol. I. comprising the events related
in the Books of Moses to which are added, chronological
tables, fixing the date of each event, and connecting the
several dissertations together,
” one Chamberlayne, secretary to the
reformers, and to the committee for propagating religion
in the Indies.
” There are some of tylr. Chamberlayne’s
letters in bishop Nicolson’s “Epistolary Correspondence
”
lately published. The bishop wrote a preface to Mr. Chamberlayne’s “Lord’s Prayer in 100 Languages.
”
Chambers acquired by his execution of this undertaking, procured him the honour of being elected F. R. S. Nov. 6, 1729. In less than ten years’ time, a second edition
, author of the scientific dictionary which goes under his name, was born at Kendal
in the county of Westmorland, the youngest of three brothers. His parents were dissenters of the presbyterian
persuasion; and not quakers, as has been reported; and
their occupation was that of farming. He was sent early
to Kendal school, where he received a good classical education. But his father, who had already placed his eldest
son at Oxford, and could not afford the same expence a
second time, determined to bring up Ephraim to trade.
He was accordingly, at a proper age, sent to London, and
spent some time in the shop of a mechanic in that city;
but, having an aversion to the business, he tried another, to
which he was equally averse, and was at last put apprentice to Mr. Senex the globe-maker, a business which is
connected with literature, and especially with astronomy
and geography. It was during Mr. Chambers’s residence
with this skilful mechanic, that he contracted that taste
for science and learning which accompanied him through
life, and directed all his pursuits, and in which his master
very liberally encouraged him. It was even at this time
that he formed the design of his grand work, the “Cyclopaedia;
” and some of the first articles of it were written behind the counter. Having conceived the idea of so great
an undertaking, he justly concluded that the execution of
it would not consist with the avocations of trade; and,
therefore, he quitted Mr. Senex, and took chambers at
Gray’s-inn, where he chiefly resided during the rest of his
days. The first edition of the “Cyclopædia,
” which was
the result of many years intense application, appeared in.
1728, in 2 vols. folio. It was published by subscription,
the price being 4l. 4s.; and the list of subscribers was very
numerous. The dedication, to the king, is dated Oct. 15,
1727. The reputation that Mr. Chambers acquired by his
execution of this undertaking, procured him the honour of
being elected F. R. S. Nov. 6, 1729. In less than ten
years’ time, a second edition became necessary; which
accordingly was printed, with corrections and additions,
in 1738. It having been intended, at first, to give a new
work instead of a new edition, Mr. Chambers had prepared
a considerable part of the copy with that view, and more
than twenty sheets were actually printed off. The purpose
of the proprietors, according to this plan, was to have
published a volume in the winter of 1737, and to have
proceeded annually in supplying an additional volume, till
the whole was completed. But from this design they were
diverted, by the alarm they took at an act then agitated in
parliament, in which a clause was contained, obliging the
publishers of all improved editions of books to print the
improvements separately. The bill, which carried in it
the appearance of equity, but which, perhaps, might have
created greater obstructions to the cause of literature than
a transient view of it could suggest, passed the house of
commons, but was rejected in the house of lords. In an
advertisement prefixed to the second edition of the “Cyclopaedia,
” Mr. Chambers endeavoured to obviate the complaints of such readers as might have been led to expect
(from a paper of his published some time before) a newwork, instead of a new edition. So favourable was the
public reception of the second edition of Chambers’s dictionary, that a third was called for in the very next year,
1739; a fourth two years afterwards, in 1741; and a fifth
in 1746. This rapid sale of so large and expensive a work,
is not easily to be paralleled in the history of literature:
and must be considered, not only as a striking testimony
of the general estimation in which it is held, but likewise
as a strong proof of its real utility and merit.
w of Morgan’s “Moral Philosopher.” He was engaged likewise, in conjunction with Mr. John Marty n, F. R. S. and professor of botany at Cambridge, in preparing for the
Although the “Cyclopædia
” was the grand business of
Mr. Chambers’s life, and may be regarded as almost the
sole foundation of his fame, his attention was not wholly
confined to this undertaking. He was concerned in a
periodical publication entitled “The Literary Magazine,
”
which was begun in Moral Philosopher.
” He was engaged likewise, in conjunction with Mr. John Marty n,
F. R. S. and professor of botany at Cambridge, in preparing for the press a translation and abridgment of the
“Philosophical history and memoirs of the royal academy
of sciences at Paris or an abridgment of all the papers
relating to natural philosophy which have been published
by the members of that illustrious society.
” This undertaking, when completed, was comprised in five volumes,
8vo, which did not appear till 1742, some time after our
author’s decease, when they were published in the joint
names of Mr. Martyn and Mr. Chambers. Mr. Marty n, in
a subsequent publication, passed a severe censure upon the
share which his fellow-labourer had in the abridgment of
the Parisian papers; which, indeed, he appears to have
executed in a very slovenly manner, and to have been unacquainted with the French terms in natural history. The
only work besides, that we find ascribed to Mr. Chambers,
is a translation of the “Jesuit’s Perspective,
” from the
French; which was printed in 4to, and has gone through
several editions. How indefatigable he was in his literary
and scientific collections, is manifest from a circumstance
which used to be related by Mr. Airey, who was so well
known to many persons by the vivacity of his temper and
conversation, and his bold avowal of the principles of infidelity. This gentleman, in the very early part of his life,
was five years (from 1728 to 1733) amanuensis to Mr. Chambers; and, during that time, copied nearly 20 folio volumes, so large as to comprehend materials, if they had
been published, for printing 30 volumes in the same size.
Mr. Chambers however acknowledged, that if they were
printed, they would neither be sold nor read. His close
and unremitting attention to his studies at length impaired
his health, and obliged him occasionally to take a lodging
at Canonbury-house, Islington. This not having greatly
contributed to his recovery, he made an excursion to the
south of France, of which he left an account in ms. but
did not reap that benefit from the journey which he had
himself hoped and his friends wished. Returning to England in the autumn of 1739, he died at Canonbury-house,
and was buried at Westminster; where the following inscription, written by himself, is placed on the north side of
the cloisters of the abbey:
Ephraim Chambers, R. S. S.
fectual efforts for accomplishing their plan, the business devolved on the rev. Dr. Abraham Rees, F. R. S. who derived from the favour of the public, and the singularly
We have already mentioned that the “Cyclopædia
”
came to a fifth edition in Cyclopædia
” gave rise to a variety of similar publications; of many of which it may be truly said, that most
of the articles which compose them, are extracted verbatim, or at least with very few alterations and additions,
from this dictionary; and that they manifest very little
labour of research, or of compilation. One defect seems
to have been common to them all, with hardly any exception; and that is, that they do not furnish the reader witli
references to the sources from which their materials are
derived, and the authorities upon which they depend. This
charge was alleged by the editors of the French Encyclopedic, with some justice, but at the same time with unwarrantable acrimony, against Mr. Chambers. The editors
of that work, while they pass high encomiums on Mr.
Chambers’s Cyclopædia, blend with them censures that are
unfounded. They say, e. g. that the “merited honours it
has received would, perhaps, never have been produced
at all, if, before it appeared in English, we had not had in
our own tongue those works, from which Chambers has
drawn without measure, and without selection, the greatest
part* of the articles of which his dictionary is composed.
This being the case, what must Frenchmen think of a mere
translation of that work? It must excite the indignation of
the learned, and give just offence to the public, to whom,
under a new and pompous title, nothing is presented but
riches of which they have a long time been in possession?
”
They add, however, after appropriate and justly deserved
commendation; “We agree with him, that the plan and
the design of his dictionary are excellent, and that, if it
were executed to a certain degree of perfection, it would
alone contribute more to the progress of true science, than
one half of the books that are known.
” However, what
their vanity has led them to assert, viz. that the greatest
part of Chambers’s Cyclopædia is compiled from French
authors, is not true. When Mr. Chambers engaged in his
great undertaking, he extended his researches for materials to
a variety of publications, foreign and domestic, and in the
mathematical articles he was peculiarly indebted to Wolfius: and it cannot be questioned, that he availed himself
no less of the excellent writers of his native land than those
of France. As to the imperfections of which they complain, they were in a great measure removed, as science
advanced, by subsequent improvements; nor could the
work, in its last state, be considered as the production of
a single person. Nevertheless it cannot be conceived,
that any scientific dictionary, comprised in four volumes,
should attain to the full standard of human wishes and
human imagination. The proprietors, duly sensible of
this circumstance, and of the rapid progress of literature
and science in the period that has elapsed since the publication of Chambers’ s “Cyclopædia,
” have undertaken a
work on a much larger scale, which, with the encouragement already received and further reasonably expected,
will, it is hoped, preclude most of the objections urged
against the former dictionary. Of this a very considerable
proportion has already been published, and the editor bids
fair to accomplish what was once thought impossible. The
learned Mr. Bowyer once conceived an extensive idea of
improving Chambers’s Cyclopædia, on which his correspondent Mr. Clarke observes, “Your project of improving
and correcting Chambers is a very good one; but alas! who
can execute it? You should have as many undertakers as
professions; nay, perhaps as many antiquaries as there are
different branches of ancient learning.
” This, in fact,
which appeared to Mr. Clarke so impracticable, has been
accomplished under Dr. Rees’s management, by combining
the talents of, gentlemen who have made the various
sciences, arts, &c. their peculiar study. Of the contemporary Cyclopædias, or Encyclopaedias, it may be sufficient to notice in this place, that printed at Edinburgh
under the title of “Encyclopaedia Britannica,
” the plan
of which is different from that of Dr. Rees, but which has
been uncommonly successful, a third edition (in twenty vols. 4to) being now in the press; and one begun by Dr.
Brewster on a lesser scale, seems to be edited with care and
accuracy.
two universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He had likewise the honour of being afterwards elected F. R. and A. Ss. the former in 1754. On the death of George II. in
His writings having procured him a high reputation for
learning and abilities, he might easily have obtained the
degree of D. D. and offers of that kind were made him;
but for some time he declined the acceptance of a diploma,
and, as he once said in the pleasantness of con versation, “because so many blockheads had been made doctors.
” However, upon making a visit to Scotland, in company with his
friend the earl of Finlater and Seafield, he with great propriety accepted of this honour, which was conferred upon
him without solicitation, and with every mark of respect, by
the two universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He had
likewise the honour of being afterwards elected F. R. and
A. Ss. the former in 1754. On the death of George II.
in 1760, Dr. Chandler published a sermon on that event,
in which he compared that prince to king David. This
gave rise to a pamphlet, which was printed in 1761, entitled “The History of the Man after God’s own Heart
”
in which the author ventured to exhibit king David as an
example of perfidy, lust, and cruelty, fit only to be
ranked with a Nero or a Caligula; and complained of the
insult that had been offered to the memory of the late
British monarch, by Dr. Chandler’s parallel between him
and the king of Israel. This attack occasioned Dr.
Chandler to publish, in the following year, “A Review of
the History of the Man after God’s own Heart;
” in which
the falsehoods and misrepresentations of the historian are
exposed and corrected. He also prepared for the press a
more elaborate work, which was afterwards published in
2 vols. 8vo, under the following title: “A Critical History of the Life of David; in which the principal events
are ranged in order of time; the chief objections of Mr.
Bayle, and others, against the character of this prince,
and the scripture account of him, and the occurrences of
his reign, are examined and refuted; and the psalms which
refer to him explained.
” As this was the last, it was,
likewise, one of the best of Dr. Chandler’s productions.
The greatest part of this work was printed off at the time
of our author’s death, which happened May &> 1766, aged
seventy-three. During the last year of his life, he was
visited with frequent returns of a very painful disorder,
which he endured with great resignation and Christian fortitude. He was interred in the burying-ground at Bunhill-fields, on the 16th of the month; and his funeral was
very honourably attended by ministers and other gentlemen. He expressly desired, by his last will, that no delineation of his character might be given in his funeral
sermon, which was preached by Dr. Amory. He had
several children; two sons and a daughter who died before
him, and three daughters who survived him. His library
was sold the same year.
, under the title of” Ionian Antiquities, published with permission of the society of Dilletanti. By R. Chandler, M. A. F. S. A. N. Revett, architect, and W. Pars,
These gentlemen embarked June 9, 1764, on board a ship
bound for Constantinople; and were landed at the Dardanelles on the 25th of August. Having visited the Sigean
promontory, the ruins of Troas, with the islands of Tenedos
and Scio they arrived at Smyrna on the 11th of September,
and from that city, as their head-quarters, they made several excursions. In August 1765, they arrived at Athens
where they staid till June 1766“; visiting Marathon, Eleasis,
Salamis, Megara, and other places in the neighbourhood.
Leaving Athens, they proceeded by the little island of
Calauna, to Traszene, Epidaurus,Argos, and Corinth.
Thence they visited Delphi, Patrae, Elis, and Zante and
on the 31st of August they set sail for Bristol, and arrived
in England November 2, following. The result of this
tour was published in 1769, under the title of
” Ionian
Antiquities, published with permission of the society of
Dilletanti. By R. Chandler, M. A. F. S. A. N. Revett,
architect, and W. Pars, painter.' 7 Imp. fol. a volume which
while it did honour to the society, amply justified the expectations formed of the talents employed.
the rev. Mr. Burridge, with whom he had lodged for several years, among many other books, &c. a copy r of Langbaine’s “Lives, &c.” in which he (Mr. Oldys) had written
As a writer, he has not rendered himself very conspicuous, excepting in some appeals to the public, written
in a fantastical style, on peculiar circumstances of his own
distressed life. He altered for the stage three pieces of
other authors, and produced one of his own, viz. 1.
“Henry VI.
” a tragedy from Shakspeare. 2. “The
Lover,
” a comedy. 3. “Pattie and Peggy,
” a ballad
opera. 4. An alteration of Shakspeare’s “Romeo and
Juliet.
” His name has also appeared to a series of “The
Lives of the Poets,
” 5 vols.,12mo, with which some have
said he had no concern. Two accounts, however, have
lately been published, which we shall endeavour to incorporate, as they do not difl'er in any material point, and
indeed the one may be considered as a sequel to the other.
The first is taken from a note written by Dr. Caider for
the edition of the Tatler printed in 1786, 6 vols. 12mo.
By this we learn that Mr. Oldys, on his departure from
London, in 1724, to reside in Yorkshire, left in the care of
the rev. Mr. Burridge, with whom he had lodged for several
years, among many other books, &c. a copy r of Langbaine’s “Lives, &c.
” in which he (Mr. Oldys) had written
notes and references for further information. Returning
to London in 1730, Mr. Oldys discovered that his books
were dispersed, and that Mr. Thomas Coxeter had bought
this copy of Langbaine, and would not even permit Mr,
Oldys to transcribe his notes from it into another copy of
Langbaine, in which he likewise wrote annotations. This
last annotated copy, at an auction of Oldys’s books, Dr,
Birch purchased for a guinea, and left it by will, with his
other books, to the British Museum. Mr. T. Coxeter,
who died in April 1747, had added his own notes to those
of Mr. Oldys, in the first copy of Langbaine above-mentioned, which, at the auction of Mr. Coxeter' s books, was
bought by Theophilus Cibber. On the strength of it, the
compilation called “The Lives of the Poets
” was undertaken.
99, 4 vols. fol. of great rarity and price 2. By Paul Manutius, Venice, 1540 4to 10 vols. 8vo; 3. By R, Stephens, Paris, 1543, 8 vols. 8vo 4. By Lambinus, Paris, 1566,
As a philosopher, he rather related the opinions of others than advanced any new doctrines of his own conceptions. He attached himself chiefly to the Academic sect, but did not neglect to inform himself of the doctrines of other sects, and discovered much learning and ingenuity in refuting their dogmas. He was an admirer of the doctrine of the stoics concerning natural equity and civil law, and adopted their ideas concerning morals, although not with servility. The sect to which he was most averse was the Epicurean, but upon the whole, from the general cast of his writings, the Academic sect was best suited to his natural disposition. Through all his philosophical works, he paints in lively colours, and with all the graces of fine writing, the opinions of philosophers; and relates, in the diffuse manner of an orator, the arguments on each side of the question in dispute; but we seldom find him diligently examining the exact weight of evidence in the scale of reason, carefully deducing accurate conclusions from certain principles, or exhibiting a series of arguments in a close and systematic arrangement. On the contrary, we frequently hear him declaiming eloquently, instead of reasoning conclusively, and meet with unequivocal proofs, that he was better qualified to dispute on either side with the Academics, than to decide upon the question with the Dogmatists, and therefore appears rather to have been a warm admirer and an elegant memorialist of philosophy, than himself to have merited a place in the first order of philosophers. The editions of Cicero’s works, in whole, or in parts, are far too numerous to be specified in this place. We may, however, notice among the most curious or valuable: 1. his whole works, first edition, by Minutianus, Milan, 1498—1499, 4 vols. fol. of great rarity and price 2. By Paul Manutius, Venice, 1540 4to 10 vols. 8vo; 3. By R, Stephens, Paris, 1543, 8 vols. 8vo 4. By Lambinus, Paris, 1566, 2 vols. fol.; 5. Elzivir, Leyden, 1642, 10 vols. 8vo; 6. Gronovius, 11 vols. 12mo, and 4 vols. 4to; 7. Verburgius, Amst. 1724, 2 voLs. fol.; 4 vols. 4to; 8. Ernest, Leipsic, 1774, 8 vols. 8vo 9. Olivet, Paris, 1740, 9 vols. 4to; Geneva, 1758, 9 vols. and Oxford, 1783, 10 vols. 4to; 10. Foulis, Glasgow, 1749, 20 vols. 12mo; 11. Lallemande, Paris, 1768, 12 vols. 12mo. For his separate pieces we must refer to Dibdin and Clarke. Most of his productions have been translated into various languages, and several into English, by Melmoth, Guthrie, Jones, and others. Melmoth, as well as Middleton, has written a life of Cicero, both with some degree of partiality, but with great ability.
ons on the possibility of and Attributes: being a Vindication of Eternal Creation: in reply to Mr. 3) r. Claike’s Demonstration of the John Clarke’s third Defence,
and Attributes of God: in answer to a Eternity, as also the Self-Existence,
Postscript, &c. By the author of the necessary Existence, and Unity of the
first Defence,“London, 1732, in 8vo. DivineNature, by Edmund Law,M. A.
”
The same year was published a pam- the other entitled, “An Examination
pbk-t, entitled,
” Dr. Clarke’s notion of Dr. Clarke’s notion of Space, by Joof Space examined ia vindication of seph Clarke, M. A.“Mr. John Clarke;
the translation of archbishop King’s author of the two Defences of Dr.
' Origin of Evil:V being an answer to Clarke’s Demonstration, having pubtwo late pamphlets entitled, A Defence, lished a third, Mr. Joseph Clarke pub&c.
” Mr. John Jackson published a lished “A farther Examination of Dr.
piece, entitled,
” The Existence and Clarke’s notions of Space, with some
Unity of God, proved from his Nature considerations on the possibility of
and Attributes: being a Vindication of Eternal Creation: in reply to Mr.
3)r. Claike’s Demonstration of the John Clarke’s third Defence, &c. To
lleing and Attributes of God,“London, which are added, some remarks oa
1734, in 8vo. The same year appeared Mr. Jackson’s exceptions to Dr. Clarke’s
two pamphlets, printed at Cambridge notions of Space examined in his Exone entitled,
” An Enquiry into the v istence and Unity,“&c,
ideas x of Space, Time, Immensity, and
remarks on a pretended demonstration of the immateriality
and natural immortality of the soul, in Mr. Clarke’s answer
to his late epistolary discourse, &c. They were afterwards all printed together; and the answer to Toland’s
Amyntor added to them. In the midst of all these labours
he found time to shew his regard to mathematical and
physical studies, which were not a little improved by the
friendship of sir Isaac Newton, at whose request he translated his
” Optics" into Latin in 1706. With this version sir Isaac was so highly pleased, that he presented him
with the sum of 500l. or 100l. for each child, Clarke having
then five children.
In 1728 was published, “A Letter from Dr. Clarke to Mr. Benjamin Hoadly, F. R. S. occasioned by the controversy relating to the proportion
In 1728 was published, “A Letter from Dr. Clarke to
Mr. Benjamin Hoadly, F. R. S. occasioned by the controversy relating to the proportion of velocity and force in
bodies in motion,
” and printed in the Philosophical Transactions, No. 401; and in 1729, he published the twelve
first books of “Homer’s Iliad,
” in 4to, and dedicated to
the duke of Cumberland. The Latin version is almost entirely new; and annotations are added to the bottom of
the pages. Homer, bishop Hoadly tells us, was Clarke’s
admired author, even to a degree of something like enthusiasm, hardly natural to his temper; and that in this he
went a little beyond the bounds of Horace’s judgment, and
was so unwilling to allow the favourite poet ever to nod,
that he has taken remarkable pains to find out and give a
reason for every passage, word, and tittle, that could create
any suspicion. It has however so long and so justly been
the popular edition of Homer, that it would be unnecessary
to expatiate on its merits in this place. Whiston informs
us, that he had begun this work in his younger years; and
that “the notes were rather transcribed than made new.
”
The twelve last books of the Iliad were published in 1732,
in 4to, by our author’s son, Samuel Clarke; who informs
us in the preface, that his father had finished the annotations to the three first of those books, and as far as the
359th verse of the fourth; and had revised the text and
version as far as verse 510th of the same book.
life for the last edition of the Biographia Britannica. A sister of theirs, Elizabeth, married Mr. W r illiam II iff, of Hinckley, from whom are descended a respectable
One of the poet’s brothers, William, was rector of Oldbury and Quat, near Bridgnorth in Shropshire, and dying 1666, left a son, who was grandfather of the rev. William Cleiveland, M. A. late rector of All-saints parish in Worcester, who died in 1794; and four daughters, whereof the youngest was grandmother of Dr. Percy, the late bishop of Dromore in Ireland, who wrote the poet’s life for the last edition of the Biographia Britannica. A sister of theirs, Elizabeth, married Mr. W r illiam II iff, of Hinckley, from whom are descended a respectable family, to which by marriage is allied the Historian of Leicestershire, in whose collection of Poems are many written by his ancestor, and many curious anecdotes of the author.
Our countryman, Benjamin Robins, F. R. S. in his “New Principles of Gunnery,” acknowledges the superior
Our countryman, Benjamin Robins, F. R. S. in his “New
Principles of Gunnery,
” acknowledges the superior merit
of Cohorn, who was undoubtedly, he says, the ablest fortifier that the world had ever seen, and yet had much
trouble in introducing his system, and was vexatiously opposed by the old engineers, who affected to consider him
as a self-conceited pretender.
esty’s privy-council. In 1615 the king deliberating upon the choice of a lord- chancellor, when that r-ost should become vacant, by the death or resignation of Egerton
In May 1603, he was knighted by king James; and the
same year managed the trial of sir W. Raleigh, at Winchester, whither the term was adjourned, on account of
the plague being at London; but he lessened himself
greatly in the opinion of the world, by his treatment of
that unfortunate gentleman; as he employed a coarse and
scurrilous language against him hardly to be paralleled.
The resentment of the public was so great upon this occasion, that as has been generally believed, Shakspeare, in
his comedy of the “Twelfth Night,' 7 hints at this strange
behaviour of sir Edward Coke at Raleigh’s trial. He was
likewise reproached with this indecent behaviour in a letter
which sir Francis Bacon wrote to him after his own fall;
wherein we have the following passage:
” As your pleadings
were wont to insult our misery, and inveigh literally
against the person, so are you still careless in this point
to praise and disgrace upon slight grounds, and that suddenly; so that your reproofs or commendations are for the
most part neglected and contemned, when the censure of
a judge, coming slow, but sure, should be a brand to the
guilty, and a crown to the virtuous. You will jest at any
man in public, without any respect to the person’s dignity,
or your own. This disgraces your gravity more than it
can advance the opinion of your wit; and so do all your
actions, which we see you do directly with a touch of vainglory. You make the laws too much lean to your opinion;
whereby you shew yourself to be a legal tyrant, &c.“January 27, 1606, at the trial of the gun-powder conspirators, and March 28 following, at the trial of the Jesuit
Garnet, he made two very elaborate speeches, which were
soon after published in a book entitled
” A true and perfect relation of the whole Proceedings against the late most
barbarous traitors, Garnet, a Jesuit, and his confederates,
&c.“1606, 4to. Cecil earl of Salisbury, observed in his
speech upon the latter trial,
” that the evidence had been
so well distributed and opened by the attorney-general,
that he had never heard such a mass of matter better contracted, nor made more intelligible to the jury.“This
appears to have been really true; so true, that many to
this day esteem this last speech, especially, his masterpiece.
It was probably in reward for this service, that he was
appointee! lord chief justice of the common-pleas the same
year. The motto he gave upon his rings, when he was
called to the degree of serjeant, in order to qualify him for
this promotion, was,
” Lex est tutissima cassis;“that is,
” The law is the safest helmet.“Oct. 25, 1613, he was
made lord chief justice of the kingVbench; and in Nov.
was sworn of his majesty’s privy-council. In 1615 the
king deliberating upon the choice of a lord- chancellor,
when that r-ost should become vacant, by the death or resignation of Egerton lord Ellesmere, sir Francis Bacon
wrote to his majesty a letter upon that subject, wherein
he lias the following passage, relating to the lord chiefjustice:
”If you take my lord Coke, this will follow: First,
your majesty shall put an over-ruling nature into an overruling place, which may breed an extreme. Next, you
shall blunt his industries in matter of finances, which
seemeth to aim at another place. And lastly, popular men
are no sure mounters for your majesty’s saddle." The
disputes and animosities between these two great men are
well known. They seem to have been personal; and they
lasted to the end of their lives. Coke was jealous of Bacon’s reputation in many parts of knowledge; by whom,
again, he was envied for the high reputation he had acquired in one; each aiming to be admired particularly in
that in which the other excelled. Coke was the greatest
lawyer of his time, but could be nothing more. If Bacon
was not so, we can ascribe, it only to his aiming at a more
exalted character; not being able, or at least not willing,
to confine the universality of his genius within one inferior
province of learning.
icence. He was a lover of learning, though not a man of learning himself, and liberally conferred do r nations and pensions upon scholars in other countries, while
This great minister died of the stone, Sept. 6, 1683, in his 65th year, leaving behind him six sons and three daughters. He was of a middle stature, his mien low and dejected, his air gloomy, and his aspect stern. He slept little, and was extremely temperate. Though naturally sour and morose, tie knew how to act the lover, and had mistresses. He was of a slow conception, but spoke judiciously of every thing after he had once comprehended it. He understood business perfectly well, and he pursued it with unwearied application. This enabled him to fill the most important places with high reputation and credit^ while his influence diffused itself' through every part of the government. He restored the finances, the navy, the commerce of France; and he erected those various works of art, which have ever since been monuments of his taste and magnificence. He was a lover of learning, though not a man of learning himself, and liberally conferred do r nations and pensions upon scholars in other countries, while he established and protected academies in his own. He invited into France painters, statuaries, mathematicians, and eminent artists of all kinds, thus giving new life to the sciences. Upon the whole, he was a wise, active, generous-spirited minister; ever attentive to the interests of his master, the happiness of the people, the progress of arts and manufactures, and to every thing that could advance the credit and interest of his- country, while his failings were such as could not injure him in the opinion of his age and country.
It did not fall to his lot to have any share in the subse- r quent battle of the Nile, nor had he the good fortune to be
It did not fall to his lot to have any share in the subse-r quent battle of the Nile, nor had he the good fortune to be placed in a station where any further opportunity was afforded to display his talents during the remainder of the war. He continued in the command of the Excellent, under the flag of lord St. Vincent, till January 1799, when his ship was paid off: and on the 14th of February, in the same year, on the promotion of flag officers, he was raised to the rank of rear-admiral of the white; and on the 12th of May following, hoisted his flag on board the Triumph, one of the ships under the command of lord Bridport on the Channel station. In the month of June 1800 he shifted his flag to the Barfleur, on the same station; and in 1801 was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the red, in which ship, and upon the same service, he continued to the end of the war, without any opportunity of doing more than effectually blockading the enemy’s fleet in their own ports, while they were proudly vaunting of their preparations for invading us: a service not less important to the honour, the interest, and the security of the nation, than those more brilliant achievements which dazzle the public eye. On the re-commencement of hostilities, however, admiral Collingwood was again called into service, and on the promotion of admirals on the 23d of April, 1804, was made vice-admiral of the blue, and resumed his former station off Brest. The close blockade which admiral Cornwallis kept up requiring a constant succession of ships, the vice-admiral shifted his flag from ship to ship as occasion required, by which he was always upon his station in a ship fit for service, without the necessity of quitting his station, and returning to port for victualling or repairs. But from this station he was called in May 1805, to a more active service, having been detached with a reinforcement of ships to the blockading fleet at Ferrol And Cadiz. Perhaps it would be difficult to fix upon a period, or a part of the character of lord Collingwood, which called for powers of a more peculiar kind, o-r displayed his talents to more advantage, than the period and the service in which he was now employed. Left with only four ships of the line, to keep in nearly four tjmes the number, it seems almost impossible so to have divided his little force as to deceive the enemy, and effect the object of his service; but this he certainly accomplished. With two of his ships close in as usual to watch the motions of the enemy, and make signals to the other two, which were so disposed, and at a distance from one another, as to repeat those signals from one to the other, and again to other ships that were supposed to receive and answer them, he continued to delude the enemy, and led them to conclude that these were only part of a larger force that was not in sight, and thus he not only secured his own ships, but effected an important service to his country, by preventing the execution of any plan that the enemy might have had in contemplation.
iberty of Westminster. The same year he published “A philosophical inquiry concerning Human Liberty: r ' which was reprinted with some corrections in 1717. Dr. Samuel
While this book was circulating in England, and all
parties were exerting their zeal, either by writing or
preaching against it, the author is said to have received
great civilities abroad. From Holland he went to Flanders, and intended to have visited Paris; but the death
of a near relation obliged him to return to London, where
he arrived Oct. 18, 1713, greatly disappointed in not
having seen France, Italy, &c. In 1715 he retired into
the county of Essex, and acted as a justice of the peace
and deputy-lieutenant for the same county, as he had done
before in the county of Middlesex and liberty of Westminster. The same year he published “A philosophical inquiry concerning Human Liberty: r ' which was reprinted
with some corrections in 1717. Dr. Samuel Clarke wrote
remarks upon this inquiry, which are subjoined to the
colJection of papers between him and Leibnitz; but Collins
did not publish any reply on this subject, because, as we
are told, though he did not think the doctor had the advantage orer him in the dispute, yet, as he had represented his opinions as dangerous in their consequences,
and improper to be insisted on, Collins affected to say that,
after such an insinuation, he could not proceed in the dispute upon equal terms: The inquiry was translated into
French by the rev. Mr. D. and printed in the first volume
of Des Maizeaux’s
” Recueilde diverses pieces sur la philosophic, la religion naturelle, &c. par M. Leibnitz, Clarke,
Newton, &c." published at Amsterdam 1720, 2 vols. 12mo.
In 1718 he was chosen treasurer for the county of Essex,
to the great joy, it is said, of several tradesmen and others,
who had large sums of money due to them from the said
county; but could not get it paid them, it having been
embezzled or spent by their former treasurer. We are
told that he supported the poorest of them with his own
private cash, and promised interest to others till it could
be raised to pay them: and that in 1722 all the debts were
by his integrity, care, and management discharged.
the same, a firm friendship had early been established between, them. Peter Collinson was elected F. R. S. Dec. 12, 1728 and perhaps was one of the most diligent and
, was an ingenious botanist, whose family is of ancient standing in the north. Peter and James were the great grandsons of Peter Collinson, who lived on his paternal estate called Hugal-Hall, or Height of Hugal, near Windermere Lake, in the parish of Stavely, about ten miles from Kendal in Westmoreland. Peter, who vvus born Jan. 14, 1693-4, whilst a youth, discovered his attachment to natural history. He began early to make a collection of dried specimens of plants; had access to the best gardens at that time in the neighbourhood of London; and became early acquainted with the most eminent naturalists of his time; the doctors Derham, Woodward, Dale, Lloyd, and Sloane, were amongst his friends. Among the great variety of articles which form, that superb collection, now (by the wise disposition of sir Hans Sloane and the munificence of parliament) the British Museum, small was the number of those with whose history Collinson was not well acquainted, he being one of those few who visited sir Hans at all times familiarly; their inclinations and pursuits in respect to natural history being the same, a firm friendship had early been established between, them. Peter Collinson was elected F. R. S. Dec. 12, 1728 and perhaps was one of the most diligent and useful members, not only in supplying them with many curious observations, but in promoting and preserving a most extensive correspondence with learned and ingenious foreigners, in all countries, and on every useful subject. Besides his attention to natural history, he minuted every striking hint that occurred either in reading or conversation; and from this source he derived much information, as there were very few men of learning and ingenuity, who were not of his acquaintance at home; and most foreigners of eminence in natural history, or in arts and sciences, were recommended to his notice and friendship. His diligence and economy of time was such, that though he never appeared to be in a hurry, he maintained an extensive correspondence with great punctuality; acquainting the learned and ingenious in distant parts of the globe, with the discoveries and improvements in natural history in this country, and receiving the like information from the most eminent persons in almost every other. His correspondence with the ingenious Cadwallader Golden, esq, of NewYork, and the celebrated Dr. Franklin of Philadelphia, furnish instances of the benefit resulting from his attention to all improvements. The latter of these gentlemen communicated his first essays on electricity to Collinson, in a series of letters, which were then published, and have been reprinted in a late edition of the doctor’s works. Perhaps, at the present period, the account procured of the management of sheep in Spain, published in the Gentleman’s Magazine for May and June 1764, may not be considered among the least of the benefits accruing from his extensive and inquisitive correspondence. His conversation, cheerful and usefully entertaining, rendered his acquaintance much desired by those who had a relish for natural history, or were studious in cultivating rural improvements; and secured him the intimate friendship of some of the most eminent personages in this kingdom, as distinguished by their taste in planting and horticulture, as by their rank and dignity. He was the first who introduced the great variety of trees and shrubs, which are now the principal ornaments of every garden; and it was owing to his indefatigable industry, that so many persons of the first distinction are now enabled to behold groves transplanted from the Western continent flourishing so luxuriantly in their several domains, as if they were already become indigenous to Britain. He had some correspondents in almost every nation in Europe; some in Asia, and even at Pekin, who all transmitted to him the most valuable seeds they could collect, in return for the treasures of America. Linnæus, during his residence in England, contraded an intimate friendship with Mr. Collinson, which was reciprocally increased by a multitude of good offices, and continued to the last. Besides his attachment to natural history, he was very conversant in the antiquities of our own country, having been elected F. S. A. April 7, 1737; and he supplied the society with many curious articles of intelligence, and observations respecting both our own and other countries. In the midst of all these engagements, he was a mercer by trade, and lived at the Red Lion, in Gracechurch-street. His person was rather short than tall; he had a pleasing and social aspect; of a temper open and communicative, capable of feeling for distress, and ready to relieve and sympathize. Excepting some attacks of the gout, he enjoyed, in general, perfect health and great equality of spirits, and had arrived at his 75th year; when, being on a visit to lord Petre, for whom he had a singular regard, he was seized with a total suppression of urine, which, baffling every attempt to relieve it, proved fatal Aug. 11, 1768. Mr. Collinson left behind him many materials for the improvement of natural history; and the present refined taste of horticulture may in some respects be attributed to his industry and abilities. He married, in 1724, Mary, the daughter of Michael Russell, esq. of Mill Hill, with whom he lived very happily till her death, in 1753. He left issue a son, named Michael, who resided at Mill Hill, and died Aug. 11, 1795, whose son is still living; and a daughter, Mary, married to the late John Cator, esq. of Beckenham, in Kent. Both his children inherited much of the taste and amiable disposition of their father.
murmurs. At last, however, the sailors lost all patience; and the admiral was obliged to promise so r lemnly, that in case land was not discovered in three days,
After this disaster he went to Lisbon, where he married a daughter of Bartholomew Perestrello, one of the captains employed by Prince Henry in his early navigations, and who had discovered and planted the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, and by getting possession of his journals and charts, Columbus was seized with an irresistible desire of visiting unknown countries. He first made a voyage to Madeira; and continued during several years to trade with that island, the Canaries, Azores, the settlements in Guinea, and all the other places which the Portuguese had discovered on the continent of Africa. By these means he soon became one of the most skilful navigators in Europe. At this time the great object of discovery was a passage by sea to the East Indies, which was at last accomplished by the Portuguese, by doubling the Cape of Good Hope. The danger and tediousness of the passage, however, induced Columbus to consider whether a shorter and more direct passage to these regions might not be found out; and at length he became convinced that, by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, directly towards the West, new countries, which probably formed a part of the vast continent of India, must infallibly be discovered. In 1474, he communicated his ideas on this subject to one Paul, a physician in Florence, a man eminent for his knowledge in cosmography, who suggested several facts in confirmation of the plan, and warmly encouraged Columbus to persevere in an undertaking so laudable, and which must redound so much to the honour of his country and the benefit of Europe. Columbus, fully satisfied of the truth of his system, was impatient to set out on a voyage of discovery, and to secure the patronage of some of the considerable powers of Europe, capable of undertaking such an enterprize. He applied first to the republic of Genoa; afterwards to the courts of Portugal, Spain, and England, successively, but met with a variety of mortifying interruptions. At last his project was so far countenanced by Ferdinand of Spain and queen Isabella, that our adventurer set sail with three small ships, the whole expence of which did not exceed 4000l. During his voyage he met with many difficulties from the mutinous and timid disposition of his men. He was the first who observed the variation of the compass, which threw the sailors into the utmost terror. For this phenomenon Columbus was obliged to invent a reason, which, though it did not satisfy himself, yet served to dispel their fears, or silence their murmurs. At last, however, the sailors lost all patience; and the admiral was obliged to promise so r lemnly, that in case land was not discovered in three days, he should return to Europe. That very night, however, the island of San Salvador was discovered, and the sailors were then as extravagant in the praise of Columbus as they had before been insolent in reviling and threatening him. They threw themselves at his feet, implored his pardon, and pronounced him to be a person inspired by heaven with more than human sagacity and fortitude, in order to accomplish a design so far beyond the ideas and conception of all former ages. Having visited several of the West India islands, and settled a colony in Hispaniola, he again set sail for Spain; and after escaping great dangers from violent tempests, arrived at the port of Palos on the 15th of March 1493.
transmitted to the academy at Berlin. The subject discussed was, “Est il permis de tromper le peuple r” (Ought the people to be deceived?) This question, we presume,
The political labours of Condorcet entirely occupied the
last years of his existence. Among them were, his work,
“Sur les assemblies provinciales,
” and his “Reflexions
sur le commerce des bk-s,
” two of the most harmless.
In The
Wealth of Nations,
” with notes by Condorcet, who, however, had but little concern with it, and on this and other
occasions he was not unwilling to sell his name to the
booksellers to give a reputation to works with which he
had no concern. Chapelier and Peissonel announced a
periodical collection, entitled “Bibliotheque de I'liomme
Public, &c.
” (The statesman’s library, or the analysis of the best political works.) This indeed was one way of
enabling the deputies of the assembly to learn what it was
important for them, to become acquainted with; it was supposed that the name of Condorcet might be useful on this
occasion also, and it was accordingly made use of. The
work itself contained one of his compositions which had
been transmitted to the academy at Berlin. The subject
discussed was, “Est il permis de tromper le peuple r
”
(Ought the people to be deceived?) This question, we
presume, must have always been decided in the affirmative by such politicians as Condorcet, since what amounts
to the same effect) almost all his writings tended to pave
the way for a revolution in which the people were completely deceived. He was afterwards a member of the
popular clubs at Paris, particularly that of the jacobins,
celebrated for democratic violence, where he was a frequent but by no means a powerful speaker. He was chosen a representative for the metropolis, when the constituent assembly was dissolved, and joined himself to the
Brissotine party, which finally fell the just victims to that
revolutionary spirit which they had excited. Condorcet at
this period was the person selected to draw up a plan for
public instruction, which he comprehended in two memoirs,
and which it is acknowledged were too abstract for general
use. He was the author of a Manifesto addressed from the
French people to the powers of Europe, on the approach
of war; and of a letter to Louis XVI. as president of the
assembly, which was dictated in terms destitute of that
respect and consideration to which the first magistrate of a
great people has, as such, a just claim. He even attempted to justify the insults offered to the sovereign by the
lowest, the most illiterate, and most brutal part of a delirious populace. On the trial of the king, his conduct was
equivocal and unmanly; he had declared that he ought
not to be arraigned, yet he had i^t courage to defend h\s
opinion, or justify those sentiments which he had deliberately formed in the closet.
fucius: “I attend diligently to you every time you speak; and I have often heard you say, that a son r who does not by his virtue support thfe glory of his ancestors,
, or Con-Fu-Tsee, the celebrated Chinese
philosopher, was born in the kingdom of Lou, which is at
present the province of Chan Long, in the 2 1 st year of the
reign of Ling van, the 23d emperor of the race of Tcheou,
551 years B. C. He was contemporary with Pythagoras,
and a little before Socrates. He was but three years old
when he lost his father Tcho leang he, who had enjoyed
the highest offices of the kingdom of Long; but left no
other inheritance to his son, except the honour of descending from Ti ye, the 27th emperor of the second race of
the Chang. His mother, whose name wasChing, and who
sprung originally from the illustrious family of the Yen,
lived twenty-one years after the death of her husband,
Confucius did not grow in knowledge by degrees, as children ordinarily do, but seemed to arrive at reason and the
perfect use of his faculties almost from his infancy. Taking no delight in amusements proper for his age, he had
a grave and serious deportment, which gained him respect,
and was joined with an appearance of unexampled artd
exalted piety. He honoured his relations; he endeavoured
in all things to imitate his grandfather, who was then alive
in China, and a most holy man: and it was observable,
that he never ate any thing but he prostrated himself upon
the ground, and offered it first to the supreme Lord of
heaven. One day, while he was a child, he heard his
grandfather fetch, a deep sigh; and going up to him with
many bowings and much reverence, “May I presume,
”
says he, “without losing the respect I owe you, to inquire
into the occasion of your grief? perhaps you fear that
your posterity should degenerate from your virtue, and
dishonour you by their vices.
” “What put this thought
into your head,
” says Coum-tse to him, “and where have
you learnt to speak after this manner?
” “From yourself,
”
replied Confucius: “I attend diligently to you every time
you speak; and I have often heard you say, that a son r
who does not by his virtue support thfe glory of his ancestors, does not deserve to bear their name.
” After his
grandfather’s death he applied himself to Tcem-se, a celebrated doctor of his time; and, under the direction of
so great a master, soon made a surprising progress in antiquity, which he considered as the source from whence
all genuine knowledge was to be drawn. This love for the
ancients very nearly cost him his life when he was not
more than sixteen years of age. Falling into discourse
one day about the Chinese books with a person of high
quality, who thought them obscure, and not worth the
pains of searching into, “The books you despise,
” says
Confucius, “are full of profound knowledge, which is not
to be attained but by the wise and learned: and the
people would think cheaply of them, could they comprehend them of themselves. This subordination of spirits,
by which the ignorant are dependent upon the knowing,
is very useful, and even necessary in society. Were all
families equally rich and equally powerful, there could not
subsist any form of government; but there would happen a
yet stranger disorder, if mankind were all equally knowing,
viz. every one would be for governing, and none would
think themselves obliged to obey. Some time ago,
” added
Confucius, “an ordinary fellow made the same observation to me about the books as you have done, and from
such a one indeed nothing better could be expected:
but I wonder that you, a doctor, should thus be found
speaking like one of the lowest of the people.
” This rebuke had indeed the good effect of silencing the mandarin,
and bringing him to a better opinion of the learning of his
country; yet vexed him so at the same time, as it came
from almost a boy, that he would have revenged it by
violence, if he had not been prevented.
seli, of Corregio, is more involved in given by A. R. Mengs, in his ' Meobscurity than the life of Apelles. Whe-
seli, of Corregio, is more involved in given by A. R. Mengs, in his ' Meobscurity than the life of Apelles. Whe- morie concernente la Vita di Corregio,"
upon telling his majesty, that he had met him in his travels, the king replied, “Is that fool living r” Our traveller was equally hurt at another time, when, upon
This strange man, it is evident, had an insatiable desire
to view distant and unknown parts of the world, which has
never been reckoned a symptom of folly: nor indeed would
Coryate have been so much despised if he had not unluckily fallen into the hands of wits, who, by way of diverting themselves, imposed on his weakness and extreme
vanity, and nothing vexed him more than to have this vanity
checked. Thus when one Steel, a merchant, and servant
to the East-India company, came to sir Thomas Roe, the
English ambassador at Mandoa, where the mogul then
resided, he told Coryate, that he had been in England
since he saw him, and that king James had inquired about
him; and that upon telling his majesty, that he had met
him in his travels, the king replied, “Is that fool living r
”
Our traveller was equally hurt at another time, when, upon
his departure from Mandoa, sir Thomas Roe gave him a
letter, and in that a bill to receive 10l. at Aleppo. The
letter was directed to Mr. Chapman, consul there at that
time and the passage which concerned Coryate was this
“Mr. Chapman, when you shall hand these letters, I desire
you to receive the bearer of them, Mr. Thomas Coryate,
with courtesie, for you shall find him a very honest poor
wretch,
” &c. This expression troubled Coryate extremely,
and therefore it was altered to his mind. He was very
jealous of his reputation abroad; for he gave out, that
there were great expectances in England of the large accounts he should give of his travels after his return home.
00l.; towards the new building of a chapel at Emanuel college in Cambridge, 50l.; to the children of r. John Hayward, late prebendary of Lichfield, as a stimony of
He died, Jan. 15, 1672, of a pectoral dropsy, in his
78th year, after having been much afflicted with the stone
for some time before; and his body was conveyed from his
house in Westminster to Bishop’s Aukland, where it was
buried in the chapel belonging to the palace, under a tomb
of black marble, with a plain inscription prepared by the
bishop in his life-time. Besides the son already mentioned, he had four daughters. By his will he bequeathed
considerable sums of money to charitable purposes: to be
distributed among the poor in several places, a sum
amounting to near 400l.; towards rebuilding St. Paul’s
cathedral, when it should be raised five yards from the
ground, 1001.; to the cathedral at Norwich, whereof the
one half to be bestowed on a marble tablet, with an inscription in memory of Dr. John Overall, some time bishop
there, whose chaplain he had been, the rest for providing
some useful ornaments for the altar, 40l.; towards repairing the south and north side of Peter-house chapel in Cambridge, suitable to the east and west sides, already by
him perfected, 200l.; towards the new building of a chapel
at Emanuel college in Cambridge, 50l.; to the children of
r. John Hayward, late prebendary of Lichfield, as a
stimony of his gratitude to their deceased father, who in
his younger years placed him with his uncle bishop Overall, 20l. each; to some of his domestic servants 100 marks,
to some 50l. and to the rest half a year’s wages, over and
above their last quarter’s pay. In his will also, he made
a large and open declaration of his faith, and was particularly explicit and emphatical in vindicating himself from
the imputation of popery: “I do profess,
” says he, “with
holy observation, and from my very heart, that I am now,
and ever have been from my youth, altogether free and
averse from the corruptions, and impertinent, new-fangled,
or papistical superstitions and doctrines, long since introduced, contrary to the holy scripture, and the rules and
customs of the ancient fathers.
” In the third volume of
the Clarendon State Papers, lately published, we find a
letter, written, in 1658, to the lord chancellor Hyde, by
Dr. Cosin, which affords a farther proof that, notwithstanding his superstition and his fondness for the pomp of external worship, he was steadily attached to the protestant
religion. In this letter, speaking of the queen dowager
Henrietta and lord Jermyn, he says, “They hold it for a
mortal sin to give one penny towards the maintenance of
such heretics as Dr. Cosin is.
” The accusation of popery,
however, answered the purposes of his persecutors, and
his minute attention to the decorations and repairs of
churches and cathedrals afforded some ground of suspicion
even with those of more honest and candid minds.
for ever enslave them and their posterities. Mr. St. John shewed the book to the earl of Bedford, o. r a copy of it; and so it passed from hand to hand, in the year
“Amongst other books,
” says he, “which Mr. Richard
James lent out, one Mr. St. John, of Lincoln’s-inn, a
young studious gentleman, borrowed of him, for money,
a dangerous pamphlet that was in a written hand, by which
a course was laid down, how the kings of England might
oppress the liberties of their subjects, and for ever enslave
them and their posterities. Mr. St. John shewed the book
to the earl of Bedford, o.r a copy of it; and so it passed
from hand to hand, in the year 1629, till at last it was lent
to sir Robert Cotton himself, who set a young fellow he
then kept in his house to transcribe it; which plainly
proves, that sir Robert knew not himself that the written
tract itself had originally come out of his own library.
This untrusty fellow, imitating, it seems, the said James,
took one copy secretly for himself, when he wrote another
for sir Robert; and out of his own transcript sold away
several copies, till at last one of them came into Wentworth’s hands, of the North, now lord deputy, of Ireland.
He acquainted the lords and others of the privy-council
with it. They sent for the said young fellow, and examining him where he had the written book, he confessed sir
Robert Cotton delivered it to him. Whereupon in the
beginning of November, in the same year 1629, sir Robert was examined, and so were divers others, one after
the other as it had been delivered from hand to hand, till
at last Mr. St. John himself was apprehended, and, being
conceived to be the author of the book, was committed
close prisoner to the Tower. Being in danger to have
been questioned for his life about it, upon examination
upon oath, he made a clear, full, and punctual declaration that he had received the same manuscript pamphlet of
that wretched mercenary fellow James*, who by this means
proveed the wretched instrument of shortening the life of
sir Robert Cotton; for he was presently thereupon sued
in the star-chamber, his library locked up from his use,
and two or more of the guards set to watch his house continually. When I went several times to visit and comfort
him in the year 1630, he would tell me, ‘ they had broken
his heart, that had locked up his library from him.’ I
easily guessed the reason, because his honour and esteem
were much impaired by this fatal accident; and his house,
that was formerly frequented by great and honourable personages, as by learned men of all sorts, remained now
upon the matter desolate and empty. I understood from
himself and others, that Dr. Neile and Dr. Laud, two prelates that had been stigmatized in the first session of parliament in 1628, were his sore enemies. He was so outworn, within a few months, with anguish and grief, as his
face, which had been formerly ruddy and well coloured,
(such as the picture I have of him shews), was wholly
changed into a grim blackish paleness, near to the resemblance and hue of a dead visage. I, at one time, advised
him to look into himself, and seriously consider, why God
had sent this chastisement upon him; which, it is possible,
he did; for I heard from Mr. Richard Holdesworth, a great
and learned divine, that was with him in his last sickness,
a little before he died, that he was exceedingly penitent,
and was much confirmed in the faithful expectation of a
better life.
”
writings, and wrote against Mabillon’s antagonist, father Germon$ a Jesuit, “Vindicise ms. codicum a R. P. Barth. Germon impugnatorum, cum appendice in qua S. Hilarii
, a learned Benedictine of the
congregation of St. Maure, was born at Compiegne in
1654, and died at Paris October 18, 1721, in the abbey of
St. Germain des Pres, of which he was dean. He employed much of his time, as was the case with other learned
men of his order, in preparing editions of the fathers. In
1693, he published an edition of St. Hilary, folio, and in
1706 undertook the defence of Mabillon on the subject of
establishing rules for distinguishing genuine from fictitious
writings, and wrote against Mabillon’s antagonist, father
Germon$ a Jesuit, “Vindicise ms. codicum a R. P. Barth.
Germon impugnatorum, cum appendice in qua S. Hilarii
quidam loci ab anonymo (the abbe Faydit) obscurati et depravati illustrantur et explicantur.
” In 1715 he published
“Vindiciae veterum codicum confirmatae,
” against another
work of the same Germon’s, “De veteribus hrcreticis ecclesiasticorum codicum corruptoribus.
” He also assisted
in the Benedictine edition of St. Augustin’s works, and
published “The Letters of the Popes,
” at Paris, folio, with
a preface and notes,
rks are very numerous: 1. “Decas Thesium Theologicarum,” 1704, 4to. 2. “Constitutiones de primitivis R. Mosis F. Maimonis, &c. cum versione et notis philologicis,”
, a learned protestant
divine, was born at Elcau, Feb. 14, 1678, and was first
instructed in classical learning by his father, who was a
pastor of the reformed church, and who intended him for
the medical profession, but by the advice of his brother,
professor of the oriental languages at Zurich, he studied
divinity, after the death of his father, in 1693, and was
admitted into the ministry in 1699. The same year he accompanied his brother to Herborn, where the latter had
been appointed professor of divinity, and pursued his
studies in that place for two years, under the ablest professors. He then removed to Leyden, and having made
great progress in Hebrew antiquities, he published there,
in 1702, his “Seven Dissertations on the Hilcoth Biccurim.
” His brother dying at Zurich the same year, he
was unanimously chosen to succeed him as Hebrew professor, and on Sept. 18, he opened his lectures with a discourse “de philologis a reformatione in schola Tigurina
claris.
” In 1705 he was appointed to teach sacred and
profane history, and the year following succeeded to the
Hebrew professorship in the superior college. In 1725 he
succeeded John James Lavater, the elder, as professor of
theology, and after some other preferments, the duties of
which appear to have affected his health, he died July 14,
1737. His works are very numerous: 1. “Decas Thesium
Theologicarum,
” Constitutiones de primitivis R. Mosis F. Maimonis, &c. cum versione et notis
philologicis,
” Leyden, De Summa pryedicationis apostolicae, quod Jesus sit Christus,
” De genuina indole fidei Jesum ceu Christum recipientis,
” two parts, Dissertationes Theolog. VII. de benedictione Mosis in tribum
Levi enunciata,
” 1725, 1736, 4to. 6. “Positiones theolog. ex pastorali instructione sancti Pauli ad Titum data,
”
Demonstratio quibus in rebus S'erae religionis prsestantia ponenda sit,
” 172H. 8. “De nonnullis
Antichrist! characteribus,
” Meditatio sacra in verba S. Pauli,
quee beatitudinem in Domino morientium veram ac certam
demonstrat,
” Zurich,
however, afterwards translated and published in 1675, by a writer whose initials only are known, T. R. Of modern critics, Mr. Headley and Mr. Ellis have selected
In 1785, the late Mr. Peregrine Phillips published a
selection from Crashaw’s poems, with an address in which
he attacks Pope, for having availed himself of the beauties
of Crashaw, while he endeavoured to injure his fame.
Against this accusation, Mr. Hayley has amply vindicated
Pope. That he has horrowed from him is undeniable,
and not unacknowledged by himself, but that it should be
his intention to injure the fame of a writer whose writings
were unknown, unless to poetical antiquaries, and that in
a confidential letter to a friend whom he advised to read
the poems as well as his opinion of them, is an absurdity
scarcely worthy of refutation. Pope enumerates among
Crashaw’s best pieces, the paraphrase on Psalm xxiii. the
verses on Lessius, Epitaph on Mr. Ashton, Wishes to his
supposed Mistress, and the Dies Irae. Dr. Warton recommends the translation from Moschus, and another from Catullus, and amply acknowledges the obligations of Pope
and Roscommon to Crashaw. Mr. Hayley, after specifying some of Pope’s imitations of our author, conjectures
that the elegies on St. Alexis suggested to him the idea of
his Eloisa; but, adds he, “if Pope borrowed any thing
from Crashaw in this article, it was only as the sun borrows
from the earth, when drawing from thence a mere vapour,
he makes it the delight of every eye, by giving it all the
tender and gorgeous colouring of heaven.
” Some of
Crashaw’s translations are esteemed superior to his original
poetry, and that of the “Sospetto d' Herod e,
” from Marino, is executed with Milton ic grace and spirit. It has
been regretted that he translated only the first book of a
poem by which Milton condescended to profit in his immortal Epic. The whole was, however, afterwards translated and published in 1675, by a writer whose initials only
are known, T. R. Of modern critics, Mr. Headley and
Mr. Ellis have selected recommendatory specimens from
Crashaw. In Mr. Headley’s opinion, “he has originality
in many parts, and as a translator is entitled to the highest
applause.
” Mr. Ellis, with his accustomed judgment and
moderation, pronounces that “his translations have considerable merit, but that his original poetry is full of conceit. His Latin poems were first printed in 1634, and
have been much admired, though liable to the same objections as his English.
”
and procured an ai the instant the old poet was kissing honourable decree in his favour, netting hc- r hand, the king entered the room, forth, that works of genius
* The creditors of Crebillon would ceived him uncommonly well, being
have stopped the profits of this tragedy; struck with his venerable and interestbut the spirited old bard appealed to ing figure; but she was in bed, and
the king in council, and procured an ai the instant the old poet was kissing
honourable decree in his favour, netting hc-r hand, the king entered the room,
forth, that works of genius should not “Alas! ruadame!
” exclaimed Crebi4be deemed effects that weie capable of Ion, “the king has surprised us: 1 am
being seized. Warton’s Essay on undone.
” This exclamation, fro:n the
Pope. inouth of an old man of eighty, dif In order to remove Voltaire from verted Louis XV. exceedingly. The
n Titus, under the name of William Allen, published with this title, “Killing no Murder:” in which w r as shewn so plainly, that one who had violated all laws, could
The loss he sustained in the discovery of Manning,
whom king Charles caused to be shot for corresponding
with Thurloe, was most effectually repaired by a person of
superior character, who was chancellor Hyde’s great correspondent, and supposed to be one of the most active and
determined royalists in England. Though the war with
Spain under Blake’s management had brought two millions
of money into the protector’s coffer, he still felt some
wants, which he judged nothing but a parliament could
supply; and having concerted more effectual methods, as
he conceived, for bending them to his will, than had been
practised before the last, he fixed the meeting of that
assembly Sept. 19, 1656. It met accordingly; but with a
guard posted at the door of the house, who suffered none
to enter till they had taken the oaths prepared for them,
by which many were excluded. The parliament, however,
chose a speaker; passed an act for disannulling the king’s
title, another for the security of his highness’s person, and
several money bills: for all which the protector gave them
his most gracious thanks. About the close of this year a
new plot was either discovered or invented, for which one
Miles Sindercombe was condemned; but he disappointed
the protector, by poisoning himself the night before he
was to be executed. In the spring of 1657 it plainly appeared what the protector aimed at, by the pains he had
taken with the parliament; for now a kind of legislative
settlement of the government was upon the carpet, under
the title of “The humble Petition and Advice ;
” in which
there was a blank for the supreme governor’s title, and a
clause prepared to countenance the establishing something
like peers, under the name of the other house. At
length the whole came to light; for one alderman Pack, a
forward, time-serving, money-getting fellow, deep in all
the jobs of the government, moved that the first blank
might l)e filled with the word King. This was violently
opposed by the army-members; but at length, after various debates, carried, as well as the clause empowering him.
to make something like lords; and in this form the petition
was presented to his highness, who desired some time to
consider before he gave his answer. The protector would
have been glad to have had the kingship forced upon him,
but that he found some of his best friends and nearest relations averse to it; who carried their opposition so far, as
to promote a petition from the army to the parliament
against it. This determined Cromwell to refuse that
honour which he had been so long seeking; and, therefore,
May 8, 1657, he told them in the banqueting-house, that
he could not with a good conscience accept the government under the title of king. The parliament then thought
proper to fill up the blank with his former title of protector;
and his highness himself, that all the pains he had taken
might not absolutely be thrown away, resolved upon a new
inauguration, which was accordingly performed June 26,
1657, in Westminster-hall, with all the pomp and solemnity of a coronation. After this, the house of commons
adjourned to Jan. 20th following, in order to give the protector time to regulate all things according to the new system; with a view to which he summoned his two sons, and
others, to take their seats in the other house. This year
he was extremely disconcerted with a small treatise, which
captain Titus, under the name of William Allen, published
with this title, “Killing no Murder:
” in which w r as shewn
so plainly, that one who had violated all laws, could derive
protection from no law, that Oliver thenceforward believed himself in continual danger. But his attempt to apprehend the true author failed of success.
collected and published in a separate pamphlet in 1795. In 1797, the year in which he was elected F. R. S. he published an account of appearances in the ovaria of
, an eminent surgeon and
anatomist, was born in 1745 at Edinburgh, where his father was examiner in the Excise-office, and had him christened William Cumberland in compliment to the hero of
Culloden, but the latter name our anatomist seldom used.
The earlier part of his life was spent in Scotland, and at
the age of fourteen he went to the university of Edinburgh,
with a view of studying divinity. Feeling, however, a
strong propensity for anatomy and physic, he studied those
sciences, with great assiduity, for eight years at the university of Glasgow. In 1771 he came to London, and by
the recommendation of Dr. D. Pitcairn he became librarian
to the late Dr. Hunter, who had applied to the professors
of Glasgow for a young man of talents to succeed Mr.
Hewson; and this connection was the principal means of
raising Mr. Cruikshank to that conspicuous situation which he
afterwards so well merited. During the life of Dr. Hunter,
Mr. Cruikshank became successively his pupil, anatomical
assistant, and partner in anatomy; and on the death of
that celebrated man, Mr. Cruikshank and Dr. Baillie received an address from a large proportion of Dr. Hunter’s
students, full of affection and esteem; which induced them
to continue in Windmill-street the superintendance of that
anatomical school which has produced so many excellent
scholars. Mr. Cruikshank, besides supporting with great
reputation his share in this undertaking, made himself
known to the world by some excellent publications, which
have insured to him a high character as a perfect anatomist,
and a very acute and ingenious physiologist. In 1780 he
published his principal work, the “Anatomy of the Absorbent Vessels in the Human Body,
” in which he not
only demonstrated, in the clearest manner, the structure
and situation of these vessels, but collected, under one
point of view, and enriched with many valuable observations, all that was known concerning this important system
in the human body. Besides this work, the merit of which
has been fully acknowledged by translations into foreign
languages, he wrote a paper, which was presented to the
royal society several years ago, entitled, “Experiments
on the Nerves of Living Animals,
” in which is shewn the
important fact of the regeneration of nerves, after portions
of them have been cut out; illustrated by actual experiments on animals. This paper was read before the society,
but not then printed, owing, as was said, to the interference of the late sir John Pringle, who conceived that it
controverted some of the opinions of Haller, his intimate
friend. It appeared, however, in the Society’s Transactions for 1794. In 1779 he made several experiments on
the subject of “Insensible Perspiration,
” which were added
to the first editions of his work on the “Absorbent Vessels;
” and were collected and published in a separate pamphlet in 1795. In 1797, the year in which he was elected
F. R. S. he published an account of appearances in the
ovaria of rabbits, in different stages of pregnancy; but
his fame rests upon, and is best supported by, his “Anatomy of the Absorbents,
” which continues to be considered
as the most correct and valuable work on the subject now
extant.
me year likewise appeared his treatise entitled “The Union of Christ and the Church, in a shadow, by R. C.” printed at London, in 4to.
, a learned English divine and
philosopher, was son of Dr. Ralph Cudworth, and born
at Alley, in Somersetshire, of which place his father
was rector. His mother was of the family of Machell, and
had been nurse to prince Henry, eldest son of James I.
His father dying when he was only seven yeaVs of age,
and his mother marrying again, his education was superintended by his father-in-law, Dr. Stoughton, who was
very attentive to the promising genius of his scholar. In
1630, he was admitted pensioner of Emanuel college,
Cambridge; of which, after taking the degrees of B. A.
and M. A. he was chosen fellow, and became an eminent
tutor. Among his pupils, who were numerous, was Mr.
William Temple, afterwards the celebrated baronet, statesman, and writer. About 1641 he was presented to the
rectory of North Cadbury, in Somersetshire. In 1642 he
published “A discourse concerning the true notion of the
Lord’s Supper,
” printed at London, in 4to, with only the
initial letters of his name. In this he contends that the
Lord’s supper is not a sacrifice, but a feast upon a sacrifice; and endeavours to demonstrate, that “the Lord’s
supper in the Christian church, in reference to the true
sacrifice of Christ, is a parallel to the feasts upon sacrifices, both in the Jewish religion and heathenish superstition.
” Bochart, Spencer, Selden, and other eminent
writers, quote this discourse with great commendations,
but his opinions have been controverted by the majority
of divines. The same year likewise appeared his treatise
entitled “The Union of Christ and the Church, in a
shadow, by R. C.
” printed at London, in 4to.
he presentation of his brother-in-law, the late Henry Vernon, esq.; and in March 1775 was elected F. R. S. His admirable History of the Parish of Hawsted (of which
, an accomplished antiquary, descended from a family seated in Suffolk early in the fifteenth
century, and at Hawsted in that county in 1656, of which
latter place he has himself been the historian, was born in
1733; educated at Catherine-hall, Cambridge, of which society he was afterwards fellow; and obtained the first senior
bachelor’s dissertation prize in 1758. In April 1762 he was
presented to the rectory of Hawsted, in Suffolk, by his
father, who died in 1774; as did his mother in 1784. In
March 1774, he became F. S. A.; in December that year
he was instituted to the vicarage of Great Thurlow, in the
same county, on the presentation of his brother-in-law,
the late Henry Vernon, esq.; and in March 1775 was
elected F. R. S. His admirable History of the Parish of
Hawsted (of which he was lord and patron), and Hardwick
House, a perfect model for every work of the same nature,
was originally published as the twenty-third number of the
“Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica,
” and has in the
present year (
, an eminent hydrographer, F. R. S. and F. S. A. was born July 24, 1737, at New Hailes, near
, an eminent hydrographer, F. R. S. and F. S. A. was born July 24, 1737, at New Hailes, near Edinburgh, the seat of his fattier sir James Dalrymple, bait, of Hailes. His mother, lady Christian, daughter of the earl of Haddington, a very amiable and accomplished woman, bore sixteen children, all of whom Alexander, who was the seventh son, survived. He was educated at the school of Haddington, under Mr. David Young; but as he left school before he was fourteen years of age, and never was at the university, his scholastic endowments were very limited. At school he had the credit of being a good scholar; and, after he left school, his eldest hrother was wont to make him translate, off hand, some of the odes of Horace; so that he was, for his years, a tolerable proficient in Latin: but going abroad, entirely his own master, before he was sixteen years of age, he neglected his Latin; and, as he says, never found so much use for it as to induce him to take any pains to recover it.
, M. A. F. R. S. Edin. Greek professor in the university of Edinburgh, keeper
, M. A. F. R. S. Edin. Greek
professor in the university of Edinburgh, keeper of the
university library, &c. was born in 1750, in the parish of
Rathos near Edinburgh, and was educated partly at the
parish school, but principally at Edinburgh, where his
learning and moral conduct induced the late earl of
Lautierdale to appoint him tutor to his eldest son, lord
Maitland, the present earl. With this young nobleman, he
attended a course of the lectures of the celebrated professor
Millar at Glasgow, and afterwards accompanied his lordship to Paris. On his return from the continent, Mr. Dalzcll, at the recommendation of the late earl of Landerdale,
was appointed to the professorship of Greek at Edinburgh,
an office which he rilled for many years with the highest
reputation and advantage to the university. He has thfe
credit indeed of reviving a taste for that language, which
from various causes, had been disused at Edinburgh, or
studied very superficially. To enable his pupils to prosecute this accomplishment with the more effect, and imbibe
a taste for what was elegant in the language, he compiled
and printed, at a great expence, a series of collections out
of the Greek authors, including all those passages which
he wished to explain in the course of his teaching. These
were printed in several 8vo volumes, under the titles of
“Collectanea Minora,
” and “Collectanea Majora.
” He
added to each volume short notes in Latin, explanatory of
the difficult places, and the text was printed with great
accuracy. The notes, which are in elegant Latin, are admirable for brevity, perspicuity, and judgment. He at
the same time composed and read to the students a series
of lectures on the language and antiquities, the philosophy
and history, the literature, eloquence, poetry, and fine arts
of the Greeks. By these means he became eminently successful in disseminating a taste for classical literature in the
university, nor was he less happy in the art of engaging
the affections and fixing the attention of his pupils on the
objects which he considered as the fundamentals of all
genuine scholarship.
ere printed in 1723, 12mo, xvith a dedication to Congreve, who encouraged the publication. He was F. R. S. and an able mathematician. In the dispute concerning elliptical
, esq. of the Middle Temple, a barrister at law, afterwards master in chancery, and at the
time of his death, Jan. 8, 1763, accomptaiit-general of
that court, is noticeable as having translated the “Memoirs
of cardinal de Retz,
” which were printed in A Vindication of the New
Calendar Tables, and Rules annexed to the Act for regulating the commencement of the year,
” &c.
r of several works: 1. “Paraphrastiea expositio articulorum confessionis Anglicae:” this book was, w r e know not why, much censured by the Jesuits, who would fain
, a learned Englishman,
was born at Coventry, in Warwickshire, about 1598, and
educated in grammar-learning at a school in that city.
He was sent to Merton-college in Oxford at fifteen years
of age; where, spending two years, he, upon an invitation from some Romish priest, afterwards went to Doway.
He remained there for some time; and then going to
Ypres, he entered into the order of Franciscans among the
Dutch there, in 1617. After several removals from place
to place, he became a missionary into England, where he
went by the name of Franciscus a Sancta Clara; and at
length was made one of the chaplains to Henrietta Maria,
the royal consort of Charles I. Here he exerted himself
to promote the cause of popery, by gaining disciples,
raising money among the English catholics to carry on
public matters abroad, and by writing books for the advancement of his religion and order. He was very eminent
for his uncommon learning, being excellently versed in
school-divinity, in fathers and councils, in philosophers,
and in ecclesiastical and profane histories. He was, Wood
tells us, a person of very free discourse, while his fellowlabourer in the same vineyard, Hugh Cressey, was reserved; of a lively and quick aspect, while Cressey was
clouded and melancholy: all which accomplishments made
him agreeable to protestants as well as papists. Archbishop Laud, it seems, had some knowledge of this person; for, in the seventh article of his impeachment, it is
said, that “the said archbishop, for the advancement of
popery and superstition within this realm, hath wittingly
and willingly received, harboured, and relieved divers
popish priests and Jesuits, namely, one called Sancta
Clara, alias Davenport, a dangerous person and Franciscan friar, who hath written a popish and seditious book,
entitled, ‘ Dens, Natura, Gratia,’ &c. wherein the thirtynine articles of the church of England, established by act
of parliament, are much traduced and scandalized: that
the said archbishop had divers conferences with him, while
he was writing the said book,
” &c. To which article, the
archbishop made this answer: “I never saw that Franciscan friar, Sancta Clara, in my life, to the utmost of my
memory, above four times or five at most. He was first
brought to me by Dr. Lindsell: but 1 did fear, that he
would never expound the articles so, that the church of
England might have cause to thank him for it. He never
came to me after, till he was almost ready to print another
book, to prove that episcopacy was authorised in the church
by divine right; and this was after these unhappy stirs began. His desire was, to have this book printed here; but
at his several addresses to me for this, I still gave him this
answer: That I did not like the way which the church of
Rome went concerning episcopacy; that I would never
consent, that any such book from the pen of a Romanist
should be printed here; that the bishops of England are
very well able to defend their own cause and calling, without any help from Rome, and would do so when they saw
cause: and this is all the conference I ever had with him.
”
Davenport at this time absconded, and spent most of those
years of trouble in obscurity, sometimes beyond the seas,
sometimes at London, sometimes in the country, and
sometimes at Oxford. After the restoration of Charles II.
when the marriage was celebrated between him and Catherine of Portugal, Sancta Clara became one of her chaplains; and was for the third time chosen provincial of his
order for England, where he died May 31, 1680, and was
buried in the church-yard belonging to the Savoy. It was
his desire, many years before his death, to retire to Oxford to die, purposely that his bones might be laid in St.
Ebb’s churcb, to which the mansion of the Franciscans or
grey-friars sometime joined, and in which several of the
brethren were anciently interred, particularly those of his
old friend John Day, a learned friar of his order, who was
there buried in 165;s. He was the author of several works:
1. “Paraphrastiea expositio articulorum confessionis Anglicae:
” this book was, w r e know not why, much censured
by the Jesuits, who would fain have had it burnt; but
beino-soon after licensed at Rome, all farther rumour about
it stopped. 2. “Deus, Natura, Gratia sive, tractatus de
praedestinatione, de mentis,
” &c. this book was dedicated
to Charles I. and Prynne contends, that the whole scope of
it, as well as the paraphrastical exposition of the articles,
reprinted at the end of it in 1635, was to reconcile the
king, the church, and the articles of our religion, to the
church of Rome. He published also a great number of
other works, which are not now of consequence enough to
be mentioned.
, a Welsh clergyman, was born in Tre' r-Abbot, in Whiteford parish, Flintshire. Of his personal history
, a Welsh clergyman, was born in
Tre'r-Abbot, in Whiteford parish, Flintshire. Of his personal history little is known, except that he was a good
scholar, very conversant in the literary history of his country, and very unfortunate in attempting to turn his knowlege to advantage. He was a vehement foe to Popery,
Arianism, and Socinianism, and of the most fervent loyalty.
to George I. and the Hanoverian succession. Owing to
some disgust, he quitted his native place, and probably his
profession when he came to London, as he subscribes himself “counsellor-at-law;
” and in one of his volumes has a
long digression on law and law-writers. Here he commenced author in the humblest form, not content with
dedicating to the great, but hawking his books in person
from door to door, where he was often repulsed with rudeness, and seldom appears to have been treated with kindness or liberality. How long he carried on this unprosperous business, or when he died, we have not been able
to discover. Mr. D'Israeli, who has taken much pains to
rescue his name from oblivion, suspects that his mind became disordered from poverty and disappointment. He
appears to have courted the Muses, who certainly were
not very favourable to his addresses. The most curious of
his works consist of some volumes under the general title
of “Athenæ Britannicæ,
” 8vo, the greatest
part (says Baker, the antiquary) borrowed from modern
historians, but containing some things more uncommon,
and not easily to be met with.
” The first of these volumes, printed in In
this he styles himself
” a gentleman of the inns of, court.“The others are entitled
” Athenæ Britannicæ, or a Critical
History of the Oxford and Cambridge Writers and Writings, &c. by M. D.“London, 1716, 8vo. They are all of
so great rarity, that Dr. Farmer never saw but one volume,
the first, nor Baker but three, which were sent to him as a
great curiosity by the earl of Oxford, and are now deposited in St. John’s college, Cambridge. In the British
Museum there are seven. From the
” Icon Libellorum,"
the only volume we have had an opportunity of perusing
attentively, the author appears to have been well acquainted
with English authors, their works and editions, and to have
occasionally looked into the works of foreign bibliographers.
, a French Jesuit, of some fame, was born at Auxerre October 21, 1648, and aftt- r performing his noviciate, became a member of the society of
, a French Jesuit, of some
fame, was born at Auxerre October 21, 1648, and aftt-r
performing his noviciate, became a member of the society
of Jesuits at Nancy in 1683. After preaching with much
success for some time, his health obliged him to desist,
and he was chosen companion or assistant of the provincial.
He was afterwards elected rector of the college of Strasburgh, and promoted to be provincial of Champagne.
He would have been advanced to another ecclesiastical government, had not Louis XIV. requested that he might
continue in the college of Strasburgh, more effectually to
establish some regulations which he had begun when-first
appointed rector. In 1700 the king appointed him confessor to Philip V. of Spain, and he remained in high favour with that prince until the courtiers, grown jealous of
his power, prevailed upon the king to send him from the
court in 1706. He was, however, recalled again in 1716,
and being reinstated in his office, gained a still greater
ascendancy over the mind of Philip V. This prince, when
disgusted with his throne, and wishing to abdicate it, confided his design to Daubenton, who is said to have betrayed
the secret to the duke of Orleans, which conduct terminated in his disgrace a second time, but the manner of
it is variously represented by historians. He died, however, in 1723. His character is doubtful, some main.aining that he was a man of intrigue, and others that he made
no improper use of his talents or influence. His works
consist chiefly of funeral orations, and a life of St. Francis
Regis, Paris, 1716, 4to, which was translated and published in English, Lond. 1738, 8vo, a work full of absurd
miracles. He published likewise a more enlarged account
of the merits of this saint, entitled “Scripta varia in causa
beatificationis et canonrzationis J. F. Regis,
” Rome,
inter infideles atlanticos. Volumen magnum libris distinctum qtiatuor: quorum primus ad serenissimam r.ostram potentissimamque reginam Elizabetham inscribiiur; secundus
The books which Dee printed and published are, 1.
“Propaedumata aphoristica; de prsestantiorib.ua quibustlam naturae virtutibus aphorismi,
” Lond. Monas hieroglyphica ad regem Romanorum Maxirnilianum,
” Antwerp, Epistola ad eximium ducis
Urbini mathematicum, Fredericum Commandinum, praefixa libello Machometi Bagdedini de superficierum divi^ionibus, edita opera Devi et ejusdem Commandini Urbinatis,
” Pisauri,!The British Monarchy, otherwise called the Petty Navy Royal,
” Preface Mathematical to the
English Euclid, published by sir Henry Billingsley, knt.
”
where he says many more arts are wholly invented by
name, definition, property, and use, than either the Grecian or Roman mathematicians have left to our knowledge,
1570. 6. “Divers and many Annotations and Inventions
dispersed and added after the tenth book of the English
Euclid,
” Epistola prseiixa ephemeridibus Joannis Feldi a 1557, cui rationem declaraverat ephemericles
conscribendi.
” 8. “Parallaticee com mentation is praxeosque nucleus quidam,
” Lond. The great
volume of famous and rich discoveries, wherein also is the
history of king Solomon every three years, his Ophirian
voyage, the originals of presbyter Joannes, and of the first
great charn and his successors for many years following.
The description of divers wonderful isles in the northern,
Scythian, Tartarian, and the other most northern seas,
and near under the north pole, by record written 1200
years since, with divers other rarities,
” The
British complement of the perfect art of Navigation. A
great volume. In which are contained our queen Elizabeth
her tables gubernautic for navigation by the paradoxal
compass, invented by him anno 1.557, and navigation by great
circles, and for longitudes and latitudes, and the variation
of the compass, finding most easily and speedily, yea, if
need be, in one minute of time, and sometimes without
sight of sun, moon, or stars, with many other new and
needful inventions gubernautic,
” 1576. 3. “De modo
evangelii Jesu Christ! publicandi, propagandi, stabiliendique, inter infideles atlanticos. Volumen magnum libris
distinctum qtiatuor: quorum primus ad serenissimam r.ostram potentissimamque reginam Elizabetham inscribiiur;
secundus ad summos privati sutc sacra: majestatis consilii
senatores; tertius ad Hispaniarum regem Philippum quartus ad pontificem Romanum,
” Speculum unitatis, sive, apologia pro fratre llogerio Bacone Anglo; in
quo docetur nihil ilium per daemoniorum fecisse auxilia,
sed pbilosopbum fuisse maximum naturaliterque, et modis
homini Christiano licitis maximas fecisse res, quas indoctum solet vulgus in dtemoniorum referre facinora, ' 1557.
5.
” De nubium, soils, lunse, ac reliquorum planetarum,
imo, ipsius stelliferi cceli, ab intimo ternc centro distantiis,
mutuisque intervallis, et eorundem omnium magnitudine,
liber anofeutTixo;, ad Edvardum Sextum, Anglisc regem,“1551. 6.
” The philosophical and poetical original occasions of the configurations and names of the heavenly Asterisms written at the request of the honble. lady, lady Jane,
duchess of Northumberland,“1553. 7.
” De hominis corpore, spiritu, et anima: sive, microcosmicum totius naturalis philosophise compendium.“8.
” De unico mago
et triplice Herode, eoque antichristiano,“1570. 9.
” Reipublicae Britannicoe synopsis,“in English, 1562. 10.
” Cabbalæ Hebraicæ compendiosa tabella,“1562. 11.
” De itinere subterraneo,“, lib. 2. 1560. 12.
” Trochilica
inventa," lib. 2. 1553, &c. &c.
ving an impediment in his speech, which for a long time would not suffer him to pronounce the letter R. He had likewise a weak voice, a short breath, and a very uncouth
Although the regard that has been paid to the memory of Demosthenes has chiefly been on account of his eloquence, he was likewise a very able statesman, and a patriot; and, from the accounts we have of the embassies and expeditions, the treaties and alliances, and other various negotiations in which he was employed, together with the zeal and integrity with which he acted in them, we may conclude that he excelled as much in those capacities, as in that of an orator; though it must be confessed that his eloquence was the foundation of his advancement in other respects. But though he arrived to such perfection in this arc, he set out under great disadvantages; having an impediment in his speech, which for a long time would not suffer him to pronounce the letter R. He had likewise a weak voice, a short breath, and a very uncouth and ungracious manner, yet by dint of resolution and infinite pains, he overcame all these defects. He accustomed himself to climb up steep and craggy places to facilitate his breathing, and strengthen his voice; he declaimed with pebbles in his mouth, to remedy the imperfection in his speech; he placed a looking-glass before him, to correct the awkwardness of his gesture; and he learned of the best players the proper graces of action and pronunciation, which he thought of so much consequence, that he made the whole art of oratory in a manner to consist of them. But whatever stress he laid upon tt;e exterior part of speaking, he was also very careiul about the matter and the style, the latter of which he formed upon the model of Thucydides, whose history, for that purpose, he transcribed eight several times. He was so intent upon his study, that he would often retire into a cave of the earth, and shave half his head, so that he could not with decency appear abroad till his hair was grown again. He also accustomed himself to harangue at the seashore, where the agitation of the waves formed to him an idea of the commotions in a popular assembly, and served to prepare and fortify him against them. From this strict discipline, which he imposed upon himself, he became an instance how far parts and application may go towards perfection in any profession, notwithstanding the strongest natural impediments.
athematics and experimental philosophy; in which he became so eminent, that in 1702 he was chosen F. R. S. He proved one of the most useful and industrious members
, an excellent philosopher and
divine, was born at Stoughton near Worcester, Nov. 26,
1657; and educated in grammar-learning at Ulockley in.
that county. In May 1675 he was admitted of Trinity
college, Oxford and when he took his degree of B. A.
was already distinguished for his learning and exemplary
character. He was ordained deacon by Compton bishop
of London, in May 1681; priest by Ward bishop of Salisbury, in July 1682; and was the same month presented to
the vicarage of Wargrave in Berkshire. August 1689, he
was presented to the valuable rectory of Upminster in
Essex: which living, lying at a moderate distance from
London, afforded him an opportunity of conversing and
corresponding with the most eminent philosophers of the
nation. Here in a retirement suitable to his contemplative and philosophical temper, he applied himself with
great eagerness to the study of nature, and to mathematics
and experimental philosophy; in which he became so
eminent, that in 1702 he was chosen F. R. S. He proved
one of the most useful and industrious members of this
society, frequently publishing in the Philosophical Transactions curious observations and valuable pieces, as may
be seen by their Index. In his younger years he published
separately, “The artificial Clock-maker; or, a treatise of
watch and clock-work, shewing to the meanest capacities
the art of calculating numbers to all sorts of movements;
the way to alter clock-work; to make chimes, and set
them to musical notes; and to calculate and correct the
motion of pendulums. Also numbers for divers movements: with the ancient and modern history of clockwork; and many instruments, tables, and other matters,
never before published in any other book.
” The fourth
edition of this book, with large emendations, was published in 1734, 12mo. In 1711 and 1712 he preached “Sixteen Sermons
” at Boyle’s lectures; which, with suitable
alterations in the form, and notes, he published in 1713
under the title “Physico-theology; or, a demonstration of
the beine: and attributes of God from his works of creation,
” 8vo. In pursuance of the same design, he published,
in 1714, “Astro-theology or, a demonstrationof the being and attributes of God from a survey of the heavens,
”
illustrated with copper-plates, 8vo. These works, the
former especially, have been highly and justly valued,
translated into French and several other languages, and
have undergone several editions. In 1716 he was made a
canon of Windsor, being at that time chaplain to the prince
of Wales; and in 1730 received the degree of D. D. from
the university of Oxford by diploma, on account of his
learning, and the services he had done to religion by his
culture of natural knowledge “Ob libros,
” as the terms
of the diploma run, “ab ipso editos, quibus physicam &
mathesin auctiorem reddidit, & ad religionem veramque
fidem exornandam revocavit.
” When Eleazer Albin published his natural history of birds and English insects, in
4 vols. 4to, with many beautiful cut?, it was accompanied
with very curious notes and observations by our learned
author. He also revised the “Miscellanea Curiosa,
” published in three volumes, Christo-theology or, a demonstration of the divine authority of the Christian religion, being the substance of a
sermon preached at Bath, Nov. 2, 1729, and published at
the earnest request of the auditory, 1730,
” 8vo. The last
work of his own composition was “A Defence of the
Churches right in Leasehold Estates. In answer to a book
called ‘An Inquiry into the customary estates and TenantRights of those who hold lands of the Church and other
Foundations,’ published under the name of Everard Fleetwood, esq.
” Philosophical Experiments and observations of the late eminent
Dr. Robert Hooke, and other eminent virtuosos in his
time, 1726,
” 8vo; and he communicated to the royal society several pieces, which he received from his learned
correspondents.
alents and situation were frequent subjects of discourse. The force of his genius was universally ac- r knowledged; and from many who interested themselves in his behalf,
He now came to London, and soon dissipated his money
and other supplies which lord Moira generously contributed, in the same low vices he had practised in Ireland,
until he was arrested, and sent to the Fleet prison. From
this situation lord Moira released him, with a threat, however, tp withdraw his protection, unless he amended his
conduct: but all admonition was in vain. Dermody could
feel his disappointments for the moment, but there does
not appear to have been a corner in his heart for repentance. His resources being now exhausted, he took shelter
in a garret in Stratton-street, Westminster, where he represents himself as “stabbed by the murd'rous arts of
men,
” although he had found a kind friend in every man
to whom he was known, and had mocked the liberality of
every friend he found. His biographer, Mr. Raymond,
relieved him on this occasion, and assisted him in the publication of a volume of poems. “The zeal,
” says that
gentleman) “of the few friends who were now acquainted
with his distresses, soon procured him a number of advocates. His story became extensively known; and among
the arbiters of wit, and the admirers of poetical compositions, his talents and situation were frequent subjects of
discourse. The force of his genius was universally ac-r
knowledged; and from many who interested themselves in
his behalf, he reaped more solid advantages than praise
and admiration. But neither poverty, experience, nor the
contempt of the world, had yet taught him prudence: he
had no sooner excited their compassion, and profited by
their generosity, than he neglected their advice.
” He
thus went on from one scene of low depravity to another,
until his constitution was undermined; and at length,
wasted with disease, the consequence of habitual intemperance, he died at an obscure hovel near Sydenham, July
15, 1802, in the twenty-eighth year of his age.
n of letters, continually employed in composing or editing literary works. In 1720 he was elected F. R. S. and from his numerous letters in the British Museum, appears
, a
fellow of the royal society of London, was born in
Auvergne, in France, in 1666, and was the son of a protestant clergyman. He came over in his youth to England,
and appears to have led the life of a man of letters, continually employed in composing or editing literary works.
In 1720 he was elected F. R. S. and from his numerous
letters in the British Museum, appears to have carried on
a very extensive correspondence with the learned men of
his time, especially St. Evremont and Bayle. He died at
London in June 1745. Bayle he assisted with many articles
and remarks for his Dictionary, and published his “Letters
” at Amsterdam, Nouvelles Lettres de Pierre
Bayle,
” Hague, Recueii
de diverses pieces sur la philosophic, la religion naturelle,
l'histoire, les mathematiques, &c.
” by Leibnitz, Clarke,
Newton, and others; Amst. 2 vols. 12mo. He appears
likewise to have been the editor of the “Scaligerana,
Thuana, Perroniana, Pithoeana, et Colomesiana,
” Amst.
Bibliotlieque Raisonnæ
” and “The Republic of Letters.
”
He was a frank sincere man, without fraud or artifice, unless his silence might be thought so. Sir W r illiam Temple, who was well acquainted with his character, speaks
Thus fell this zealous patron of the glory and liberty
of his native country, in his 47th year; the greatest genius
of his time, and the ablest politician in war as well as peace.
He was a frank sincere man, without fraud or artifice,
unless his silence might be thought so. Sir W r illiam
Temple, who was well acquainted with his character,
speaks of him, on various occasions, with the utmost esteem, and with the highest testimonies of praise and admiration. He observes, that when he was at the head of
the government, h differed nothing in his manner of living
from an ordinary citizen. When he made visits, he
was attended only by a single footman; and on common
occasions he was frequently seen in the streets without any
servant at all. His office, for the first ten years, brought
him in little more than 300l. and in the latter part of his
life not above 700l. per annum. He refused a gift of
10,000l. from the States, because he thought it a bad precedent in the government. His fortune was much inferior
to what, in our times, we see commonly raised by an underclerk in a high office. With great reason, therefore, sir
William Temple, speaking of his death, observes, that he
“deserved another fate, and a better return from his
country, after eighteen years spent in their ministry,
without any care of his entertainments or ease, and little
of his fortune. A man of unwearied industry, inflexible
constancy, sound, clear, and deep understanding, and untainted integrity; so that, whenever he was blinded, it
was by the passion he had for that which he esteemed the
good and interest of his state. This testimony is justly
due to him from all that were well acquainted with him;
and is the more willingly paid, since there can be as little
interest to flatter, as honour to reproach the dead.
” Hume,
with equal truth, describes him as “a minister equally eminent for greatness of mind, for capacity, and for integrity.
Though moderate in his private deportment, he knew how
to adopt in his public councils that magnanimity winch
suits the minister of a great state. It was ever his maxim,
that no independent government should yield to another
any evident point of reason or equity; and that all such
concessions, so far from preventing war, served no other
purpose than to provoke fresh claims and insults.
”
nd that these accounts are in some measure confirmed by a paper delivered to Richard Waller, esq. F. R. S. by Mr. Baker, who was the English consul at Tripoli, Nov.
After some stay at Paris, he spent the summer of 1656
at Toulouse, where he conversed with several learned and
ingenious men, to whom he communicated, not only mathematical, physical, and philosophical discoveries of his
own, but also any matters of this nature he received from.
his friends in different parts of Europe. Among these was
a relation he had obtained of a city in Barbary under the
king of Tripoli, which was said to be turned into stone in
a very few hours by a petrifying vapour out of the earth;
that is, men, beasts, trees, houses, utensils, and the like,
remaining all in the same posture as when alive. He had
this account from Fitton, an Englishman residing in Flo
rence as library-keeper to the grand duke of Tuscany; and
Fitton from the grand duke, who a little before had written
to the pasha of Tripoli to know the truth. Sir Keuelm
sent it to a friend in England; and it was at length inserted in the “Mercurius Politicus.
” This drew a very
severe censure upon our author from the famous Henry
Stubbes, who called him, on that account, “The Pliny of
his age for lying.
” It has, however, been offered, in his
vindication, that accounts have been given of such a city
by modern writers; and that these accounts are in some
measure confirmed by a paper delivered to Richard Waller, esq. F. R. S. by Mr. Baker, who was the English consul at Tripoli, Nov. 12, 1713. This paper is to be found
in the “Philosophical Observations and Experiments of Dr.
Robert Hooke,
” published by Derham in About forty days journey S. E. from
Tripoli, and about seven days from the nearest sea-coast,
there is a place called Ougila, in which there are found
the bodies of men, women, and children, beasts and plants,
all petrified of hard stone, like marble.
” And we are afterwards told, in the course of the relation, that “the
figure of a man petrified was conveyed to Leghorn, and
from thence to England; and that it was carried to secretary Thurloe.
”
eman coming up, disarmed another; and the third secured himself by flight. This generous assistant w r as a disbanded officer, of a good family and fair reputation,
Soon after the restoration, he returned to England,*
where he was graciously received by Charles II. and made
captain of the band of pensioners. In the gaieties of that
age, he was tempted to indulge a violent passion for
gaming; by which he frequently hazarded his life in duels,
and exceeded the bounds of a moderate fortune. A
dispute with the lord privy seal, about part of his estate,
obliging him to revisit his native country, he resigned his
post in the English court; and, soon after his arrival at
Dublin, the duke of Ormond appointed him to be captain
of the guards. Mrs. Catharine Phillips, in a letter to sir
Charles Cotterel, Dublin, Oct. 19, 1662, styles him “a
very ingenious person, of excellent natural parts, and certainly the most hopeful young nobleman in Ireland.
” However, he still retained the same fatal affection for gaming;
and, this engaging him in adventures, he was near being
assassinated one night by three ruffians, who attacked him
in the dark; but defended himself with so much resolution, that he dispatched one of them, while a gentleman
coming up, disarmed another; and the third secured himself by flight. This generous assistant w r as a disbanded
officer, of a good family and fair reputation, but whose
circumstances were such, that he wanted even cloaths to
appear decently at the castle. Lord Roscommon, on this
occasion, presenting him to the duke of Ormond, obtained
his grace’s leave to resign to him his post of captain of the
guards: which for about three years the gentleman enjoyed; and upon his death the duke returned the commission to his generous benefactor.
terwards to prosecute his studies at Leyden, he was maintained at the expence of the landgrave of He^ r Cusstl. He afterwards travelled over some parts of Germany and
, professor of the law of nature and nations, and of history, at Francfort on the Oder, and a member of the royal society of Berlin, was born March 13, 1677, at Rottenburgh, in Hesse. His father was rector of that place, and became afterwards minister and dean. His son was at first educated under his care, which he amply repaid by a proficiency far beyond his years. In his seventeenth year he went to Marpurg, and studied under Otto, the celebrated orientalist, and Tilemann, professor of divinity, with whom he lodged, and who afterwards procured him the appointment of tutor to the two young barons of Morrien. Dithmar executed this office with general satisfaction, and when he went afterwards to prosecute his studies at Leyden, he was maintained at the expence of the landgrave of He^r Cusstl. He afterwards travelled over some parts of Germany and Holland, as tutor to the son of M. the great president Dancklemann. The learned Perizonius, with whom he became acquainted at Leyden, and who had a great esteem for him, procured him the offer of a professorship at Leyden, with a liberal salary but Dithmar thought himself obliged first to return M. Dancklemann’s sun to his father, who was so sensible of the value of his services, as to procure him a settlement at Francfort on the Oder. Here he was appointed professor of history, then of the law of nature and nations, and lastly, gave lectures on statistics and finance. He had been before this admitted a member of the royal society of Berlin, and was created a counsellor of the order of St. John. His situation at Francfort was in all respects so agreeable, that he refused many offers to remove, and in 1715 again declined a very honourable opportunity of settling at Leyden. He died at Francfort March 13, 1737, after a short illness; and with the reputation of one of the most learned men of his time.
s Life of Johnson. Dodsley’s, Pcareh’s, and NiclioU's Poems. Bowles’s edition of Pope’s Works, Louoj^ r’s Common-place li^ok, vol. 1. Cose’s Life of purity of his own
index. Faulkner’s Hist, of Fulham. Park’s Royal and Noble Authors. Cumberland’s Life. Some account of his uncle, Knight’s Life ofColet. Hawkins’s
Life of Johnson. Dodsley’s, Pcareh’s, and NiclioU's Poems. Bowles’s edition
of Pope’s Works, Louoj^r’s Common-place li^ok, vol. 1. Cose’s Life of
purity of his own character in the following terms: “It is
no more fit for a judge to decline to give an account of his
doings than for a Christian of his faith. God knoweth I
have endeavoured always to keep a good conscience; for
a troubled one who can bear? I have now sat in this court
fifteen years, and I should know something. Surely, if I
had gone in a mill so long, dust would cleave to my clothes.
I am old, and have one foot in the grave; therefore I will
look to the better part as near as 1 can. But omnia haberc
in memoria, et in nullo errarc, divinum potius est quain
human um.
” He died Sept. 13, 1628, in the seventy-third
year of his age, and was buried in the ambulatory before
the door of the library, formerly called Lady Mary’s Chapel, in the cathedral church of Exeter. Within that
library is a very sumptuous monument erected to his memory, containing his figure and that of his wife, cut in
alabaster, under a stately arch supported by marble pillars.
This learned judge, by his happy education, accompanied
with excellent natural parts and unremitted industry, became so general a scholar, that it was said of him, that it
was difficult to determine whether he were the better
artist, divine, civil or common lawyer. Among his other
studies, he was a great lover of antiquities, and attained
to such an eminence of knowledge and skill in that department of literature, that he was regarded as one of the
ablest members of the famous society of antiquaries, which
may be said to have begun in 1571, but which more particularly flourished from 1590 to 1614. Rewrote, I. “The
Lawyer’s Light; or, due direction for the study of the
Law,
” London, A complete Parson, or a
description of advowsons and church livings, delivered in
several readings, in an inn of chancery called the New
Inn,
” printed The History
of the ancient and modern estate of the principality of
Wales, duchy of Cornwall, and earldom of Chester,
” The English Lawyer, a treatise describing a method for the managing of the Laws of this Land, and expressing the best qualities requisite in the student, practiser, judges, &c.
” London, Opinion
touching the antiquity, power, order, state, manner, persons, and proceedings, of the High Courts of Parliament
in England,
” London, A Treatise of
particular Estates,
” London, The Ground and Maxims of the Law.
” 7. “A
true representation of forepassed Parliaments to the view
of the present times and posterity.
” This still remains in
manuscript. Sir John Doddridge also enlarged a book
called “The Magazine of Honour,
” London, The Law of Nobility and Peerage,
” Lond. 16S7,
1658, 8vo. In the Collection of curious Discourses, written by eminent antiquaries, are two dissertations by our
judge; one of which is on the dimensions of the land of
England, and the other on the office and duty of heralds
in this country. Mr. Bridgman, in his “Legal Bibliography,
” informs us that many valuable works have been
attributed to sir John Doddridge, which in their title-pages
have borne the names of others. He mentions particularly
Sheppard’s “Law of Common Assurances touching Deeds
in general,
” and “Wentworth’s office and dutie of Executors;
” both which are said to have been written by
Doddridge.
ut, but wished he would extend the plan to the accustomed number of five acts. Dodsley acted with su r iicient caution in keeping his piece rather more than “ni:ie
In the same year, Dodsley produced his tragedy of
“Cleone,
” at Covent-garden theatre. This is said to have
been rejected by Garrick with some degree of contempt,
principally because there was not a character in it adapted
to the display of his talents; and when it was performed
for the first time at the rival theatre, he endeavoured to
diminish its attraction by appearing the same night in a
new character at Drury-lane. The efforts of jealousy are
sometimes so ridiculous, as to make it difficult to be believed that they are seriously intended. But notwithstanding this malicious opposition, Cleone was played with
great success for numv nights, although the company at
Covent- garden, with the exception of Mrs. Bellamy, were
in no reputation as tragedians. How powerfully the author
has contrived to excite the passions of terror and pity, was
lately seen, when this tragedy was revived by Mrs. Siddons.
Its effect was so painful, and indignation at the villainy of
Glanville and Ragozin approached so near to abhorrence,
that the play could not be endured. There are, indeed,
in this piece, many highly-wrought scenes, and the madness of Cleone deserves to rank ^mong the most pathetic
attempts to convey an idea of the ruins of an amiable and
innocent mind. For Garrick’s opinion we can have little
respect, and perhaps he was not sincere in Diving it. The
prologue to Cleone was written by MehnoUi, and the
epilogue by Shenstone. Dodsley omitted about thirty lines
of the latter, and substituted twelve or fourteen of his own,
but restored the epilogue as originally written, in the
fourth edition, at which it arrived in less than a year.
Such was the avidity of the public, occasioned probably in
a great measure by the opposition given to the performance of the play, that two thousand copies were sold on
the first day of publication. Pope, when very young, had
attempted a tragedy on the same subject, which he afterwards burnt, as he informed Dodsley, when the latter sent
him his Cleone, in its first state, requesting his advice.
Pope encouraged him to bring it out, but wished he would
extend the plan to the accustomed number of five acts.
Dodsley acted with su r iicient caution in keeping his piece
rather more than “ni:ie years,
” and then submitted it to
lord Chesterfield and other friends, who encouraged him to
offer it to the sta^e, and supported it when produced.
Dr. Johnson was likewise among those who praised its
pathetic effect, and declared that “if Otway had written
it, no other of his pieces would have been remembered.
”
Dodsley, to whom this was told, said very justly, that “it
was too much.
”
thal most popularly explain the sinfulness and mischief of schism.” This, being animadverted upon by R. Baxter, was vindicated, in 1681, by Mr. Dodwell, in “A Reply
Mr. Dodwell came the same year to England, and resjded at Oxford for the sake of the public library. Thence
he returned to his native country, and in 1672 published,
at Dublin, in 8vo, a posthumous treatise of his late learned
tutor John Steam, M. D. to which he put a preface of his
own. He entitled this book, “De Obstinatione: Opus
posthumum Pietatem Chrisdano-Stoicam scholastico more
suadens:
” and his own preface, “prolegomena Apologetica, de usu Dogmatum Philosophicorum,
” &c. in which
he apologizes for his tutor; who, by quoting so often and
setting a high value upon the writings and maxims of
the heathen philosophers, might seem to depreciate the
Holy Scriptures. Mr. Dodwell therefore premises first,
that the author’s design in that work is only to recommend
moral duties, and enforce the practice of them by the authority of the ancient philosophers; and that he does not
meddle with the great mysteries of Christianity, which are
discoverable only by divine revelation. His second work
was, “Two letters of advice. 1. For the Susception of
Holy Orders. 2. For Studies Theological, especially such
as are rational.
” To the second edition of which, in
1681, was added, “A Discourse concerning the Phoenician History of Sanchoniathon,
” in which he considers
Philo-Byblius as the author of that history. In 1673, he
wrote a preface, without his name, to “An introduction
to a Devout Life,
” by Francis de Sales, the last bishop
and prince of Geneva; which was published at Dublin, in
English, this same year, in 12mo. He came over again
to England in 1674, and settled in London; where he became acquainted with several learned men; particularly,
in 1675, with Dr. William Lloyd, afterwards successively
bishop of St. Asaph, Litchfield and Coventry, and Worcester . With that eminent divine he contracted so great
a friendship and intimacy, that he attended him to Holland,
when he was appointed chaplain to the princess of Orange.
He was also with him at Salisbury, when he kept his residence there as canon of that church; and spent afterwards
a good deal of time with him at St. Asaph. In 1675 he published “Some Considerations of present Concernment;
how far the Romanists may be trusted by princes of another persuasion,
” in 8vo, levelled against the persons concerned in the Irish remonstrance, which occasioned a kind
of schism among the Irish Roman catholics. The year
following he published “Two short Discourses against the
Romanists. 1. An Account of the fundamental Principle
of Popery, and of the insufficiency of the proofs which
they have for it. 2. An Answer to six Queries proposed
to a gentlewoman of the Church of England, by an emissary of the Church of Rome,
” 12mo, but reprinted in
A new preface relating to the bishop of
Meaux, and other modern complainers of misrepresentation.
” In Separation of
Churches from episcopal government, as practised by the
present non-conformists, proved schismatical, from such
principles as are least controverted, and do withal most
popularly explain the sinfulness and mischief of schism.
”
This, being animadverted upon by R. Baxter, was vindicated, in 1681, by Mr. Dodwell, in “A Reply to Mr.
Baxter’s pretended confutation of a book, entitled,
Sepafration of Churches,
” &c. To which were added, “Three
Letters to Mr. Baxter, written in 1673, concerning the
Possibility of Discipline under a Diocesan Government,
”
&c. 8vo. In Dissertations on St. Cyprian,
” composed at the reqviest of Dr. Fell, bishop of Oxford, when he was about to publish his edition of that
father. They were printed in the same size, but reprinted
at Oxford in 1684, 8vo, under the title “Dissertationes
Cyprianse.
” The eleventh dissertation, in which he endeavours to lessen the number of the early Christian martyrs, brought upon him the censure of bishop Burnet, and
not altogether unjustly. The year following, he published
“A Discovirse concerning the One Altar, and the One
Priesthood, insisted on by the ancients in the disputes
against Schism ,
” Lond. 8vo. In 1684, a dissertation of
his on a passage of Lactantius, was inserted in the new
edition of that author at Oxford, by Thomas Spark, in
8vo. His treatise “Of the Priesthood of Laicks,
” appeared in De jure Laicorum,
” &c. It was written in answer to a book published
by William Baxter, the antiquary, and entitled “AntiDodwellism, being two curious tracts formerly written by
H. Grotius, concerning a solution of the question, whether
the eucharist may be administered in the absence of, or
want of pastors.
” About the same time he was preparing
for the press the posthumous works of the learned Dr. John
Pearson, bishop of Chester, Lond. 1688, 4to. He published also,“Dissertations on Irenseus,
” A cautionary discourse of Schism, with a
particular regard to the case of the bishops, who are suspended for refusing to take the new oath,
” London, 8vo.
And when those bishops were actually deprived, and others
put in their sees, he joined the former, looking upon the
new bishops, and their adherents, as schismatics. He
wrote likewise “A Vindication of the deprived Bishops:
”
and “A Defence of the same,
” Unreasonableness of Separation,
” &c.
After having lost his professorship, he continued for some
time in Oxford, and then retired to Cookham, a village
near Maidenhead, about an equal distance between Oxford and London; and therefore convenient to maintain a
correspondence in each place, and to consult friends and
books, as he should have occasion. While he lived there,
he became acquainted with Mr. Francis Cherry of Shottesbrooke, a person of great learning and virtue, for the sake
of whose conversation he removed to Shottesbrooke, where
he chiefly spent the remainder of his days. In 1692, he
published his Camdenian lectures read at Oxford; and, in
1694, “An Invitation to Gentlemen to acquaint themselves
with ancient History
” being a preface to Degory Whear’s
“Method of reading history,
” translated into English by
Mr. Bohun. About this time having lost one or more of
the Dodwells, his kinsmen, whom he designed for his
heirs, he married on the 24th of June, 1694, in the 52d
year of his age, a person, in whose father’s house at Cookham he had boarded several times, and by her had ten
children . In 1696 he drew up the annals of Thucydides
and Xenophon, to accompany the editions of those two
authors by Dr. John Hudson and Mr. Edward Wells. Having likewise compiled the annals of Velleius Paterculus,
and of Quintilian, and Statius, he published them altogether in 1698, in one volume, 8vo. About the same time
he wrote an account of tUe lesser Geographers, published
by Dr. Hudson; and “A Treatise concerning the lawfulness of instrumental music in holy offices:
” occasioned by
an organ being set up at Tiverton in 1696: with some other
things on chronology, inserted in “Grabe’s Spicilegium.
”
In Canon of the New Testament,
” &c.
concerning Mr. Toland’s disingenuous treatment of him.
The year following appeared “A Discourse [of his] concerning the obligation to marry within the true communion, following from their style of being called a Holy
Seed;
” and “An Apology for the philosophical writings
of Cicero,
” against the objections of Mr. Petit; prefixed
to Tally’s five books De Finibus, or, of Moral Ends, translated into English by Samuel Parker, gent, as also the
annals of Thucydides and Xenophon, Oxoa. 4to. In 1703
he published “A Letter concerning the Immortality of the
Soul, against Mr. Henry Layton’s Hypothesis,
” 4to and,
“A Letter to Dr. Tillotson about Schism,
” 8vo, written
in Chronology
of DionX'Sius Halicarnasseus,
” in the Oxford edition of
that historian by Dr. Hudson, folio; his “Two Dissertations on the age of Phalaris and Pythagoras,
” occasioned
by the dispute between Bentley and Boyle; and his “Admonition to Foreigners, concerning the late Schism in
England.
” This, which was written in Latin, regarded
the deprivation of the nonjuring bishops. When the bill
for preventing occasional conformity was depending in
parliament, he wrote a treatise, entitled, “Occasional
Communion fundamentally destructive of the discipline of
the primitive catholic Church, and contrary to the doctrine of the latest Scriptures concerning Church Communion;
” London, A Case in View considered in a
Discourse, proving that (in case our present invalidly deprived fathers shall leave all their sees vacant, either by death or resignation) we shall not then be obliged to keep
up our separation from those bishops, who are as yet involved in the guilt of the present unhappy schism,
” Lond.
1705, 8vo. Some time after, he published “A farther
prospect of the Case in View, in answer to some new objections not then considered,
” Lond. An Epistolary Discourse, proving, from the scriptures and the first fathers,
that the soul is a principle naturally mortal; but immortalized actually by the pleasure of God, to punishment, or
to reward, by its union with the divine baptismal spirit.
Wherein is proved, that none have the power of giving
this divine immortalizing spirit, since the apostles, but
only the bishops,
” Lond. that
Sacerdotal Absolution is necessary for the Remission of
Sins, even of those who are truly penitent.
” This discourse being attacked by several persons, particularly Chishull, Clarke, Norris, and Mills afterwards bishop of Waterford, our author endeavoured to vindicate himself in the
three following pieces: 1. “A Preliminary Defence of the
Epistolary Discourse, concerning the distinction between
Soul and Spirit: in two parts. I. Against the charge of
favouring Impiety. II. Against the charge of favouring
Heresy,
” Lond. 1707, 8vo. 2. “The Scripture account
of the Eternal Rewards or Punishments of all that hear of
the Gospel, without an immortality necessarily resulting
from the nature of the souls themselves that are concerned in those rewards or punishments. Shewing particularly, I. How much of this account was discovered by the
best philosophers. II. How far the accounts of those philosophers were corrected, and improved, by the Hellenistical Jews, assisted by the Revelations of the Old
Testament. III. How far the discoveries fore-mentioned were
improved by the revelations of the Gospel. Wherein the
testimonies also of S. Irenaens and Tertullian are occasionally considered,
” Lond. 1708, 8vo. And, 3. “An
Explication of a famous passage in the Dialogue of S.
Justin Martyr with Tryphon, concerning the immortality
of human souls. With an Appendix, consisting of a letter to the rev. Mr. John Norris, of Bemerton; and an expostulation relating to the late insults of Mr. Clarke and
Mr. Chishull,
” Lond. The case in view
now in fact. Proving, that the continuance of a separate
communion, without substitutes in any of the late invalidlydeprived sees, since the death of William late lord bishop
of Norwich, is schismatical. With an Appendix, proving,
that our late invalidly-deprived fathers had no right to substitute successors, who might legitimate the separation,
after that the schism had been concluded by the decease
of the last survivor of those same fathers,
” Lond.
In the beginning of 1761, Mr. Dollond was elected F. R. S. and appointed optician to his majesty, but did not live
In the beginning of 1761, Mr. Dollond was elected F. R. S. and appointed optician to his majesty, but did not live to enjoy these honours long; for on Nov. 30, in the same year, as he was reading a new publication of M. Clairaut, on the theory of the moon, and on which he had been intently engaged for several hours, he was seized with apoplexy, which rendered him immediately speechless, and occasioned his death in a few hours afterwards. His family, at his death, consisted of three daughters and two sons, Peter and John, who, possessing their father’s abilities, carried on the optical business in partnership, until the death of John, when it was continued, and still flourishes, under the management of Mr. Peter Dollond, well known as an able philosopher and artist, and Mr. George Huggins, his nephew, who, upon the king’s permission, has taken the name of Dollond.
the judgment to three bishops of Gaul, Maternus of Cologne, Reticius of Autun, and Marinus of Arles, r conjointly with the pope Miltiades. These prelates, in a council
, bishop of Casae Nigrae in Numidia, is regarded by some as the author of the sect of the Donatists, which took its rise in the year 311, from the following circumstance. Cecilianus having been chosen to succeed Mensurius in the episcopal chair of Carthage, the election was contested by a powerful party, headed by a lady named Lucilla, and two priests, Brotus and Celestius, who had themselves been candidates for the disputed see. They caused Majorinus to be elected, under pretence that the ordination of Cecilianus was null, as having, according to them, been performed by Felix, bishop of Aptonga, whom they accused of being a traditor; that is, of having delivered to the pagans the sacred books and vessels during the persecution, and was therefore unfit to bestow consecration. The African bishops were divided, and Donatus headed the partisans of Majorinus. In the mean time, the affair being brought before the emperor, he referred the judgment to three bishops of Gaul, Maternus of Cologne, Reticius of Autun, and Marinus of Arles, r conjointly with the pope Miltiades. These prelates, in a council held at Rome in 313, composed of fifteen Italian bishops, in which Cecilianus and Donatus appeared, each with ten bishops of their party, decided in favour of Cecilianus; but the division soon being renewed, the Donatists were again condemned by the council of Aries in 3)4; and lastly by an edict of Constantine, of the month of November 316. Donatus, who was returned to Africa, there received the sentence of deposition and of excommunication pronounced against him by pope Miltiades.
ceeded in divinity, and became doctor in that faculty. During his abode at Louvaine, he attacked Jew r ell and Nowell, who replied to him in the most satisfactory
a popish divine, who acquired
some celebrity from the characters of Jewell, and Nowell,
against whom he wrote, was born at Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire, and educated by the care of his uncle Thomas
Dorman, of Amersham in Buckinghamshire. He was afterwards educated by Richard Reeve, a very celebrated
schoolmaster at Berkhamstead, whence he went to Winchester school, and afterwards to New College, Oxford,
where he was admitted probationer-fellow. From this
college, however, he removed to All Souls, of which he
was elected fellow in 1554. He appears at this time to
have been popishly affected, but afterwards avowed his
principles by quitting his fellowship and country, and
retiring first to Antwerp, and afterwards to Louvaine,
where he resumed his studies. He had taken his degrees
in law at Oxford, but now proceeded in divinity, and
became doctor in that faculty. During his abode at Louvaine, he attacked Jew r ell and Nowell, who replied to him
in the most satisfactory manner. In 1569, he was invited
to the English college at Doway, where he taught for some
time, and afterwards was beneficed at Tournay, in which
city he died either in 1572, or 1577. His works, of which
a particular account, with the answers, may be seen in
Mr. Archdeacon Churton’s excellent “Life of Nowell,
”
are, 1. “A proof of certain articles in Religion denied by
Mr. Jewell,
” Antwerp, A Request to Mr.
Jewell, that he keep his Promise, made by solemn protestation in his late sermon had at Paul’s Cross,
” London,
A Disproof of Mr. Alexander Nowell'a
Reproof,
” Antwerp,
ther’s work, if the plates could have been recovered. Mr. Drake was elected F. S. A. in 1735, and F. R. S. in 1736. From this latter society, for whatever reason,
, a surgeon at York, and an eminent
antiquary, was much esteemed by Dr. Mead, Mr. Folkes,
the two Mr. Gales, and all the principal members of the
Royal and Antiquarian Societies. He published, in 1736,
“Eboracum or the History and Antiquities of the City of
York,
” a splendid folio. A copy of it with large manuscript additions was in the hands of his son, the late rev.
William Drake, vicar of Isleworth, who died in 1801, and
was himself an able antiquary, as appears by his articles in
the Archseologia, and would have republisbed his father’s
work, if the plates could have been recovered. Mr. Drake
was elected F. S. A. in 1735, and F. R. S. in 1736. From
this latter society, for whatever reason, he withdrew in
1769, and died the following year. Mr. Cole, who has
a few memorandums concerning him, informs us that when
the oaths to government were tendered to him in 1745, he
refused to take them. He describes him as a middle-aged
man (in 1749) tall and thin, a surgeon of good skill, but
whose pursuits as an antiquary had made him negligent of
his profession. Mr. Cole also says, that Mr. Drake and
Csesar Ward, the printer at York, were the authors of the
“Parliamentary or Constitutional History of England,
”
printed in twenty-four volumes,
e of physicians. In 1696 he took the degree of doctor in that faculty; and was soon after elected F. R. S. and a fellow of the college of physicians. But whether his
, a celebrated political writer and physician, was born at Cambridge in 1667; and at the age of
seventeen admitted a member of that university, where he
soon distinguished himself by his uncommon parts and ingenuity. Some time before the revolution, he took the
degree of B. A. and after that of M. A. bur, going to London in 1693, and discovering an inclinutioji for the study
of physic, he was encouraged in the pursuit of it by sir
Thomas Millington, and the most eminent members of the
college of physicians. In 1696 he took the degree of doctor in that faculty; and was soon after elected F. R. S. and
a fellow of the college of physicians. But whether his own
inclination led him, or whether he did it purely to supply
the defects of a fortune, which was not sufficient to enable
him to keep a proper equipage as a physician in town, he
applied himself to writing for the booksellers. In 1697 he
was concerned in the publication of a pamphlet, entitled
“Commendatory verses upon the author of prince Arthur
and king Arthur.
” In The
History of the last Parliament, begun at Westminster
Feb. 10, in the twelfth year of king William, A. D. 1700.
”
This created him some trouble; for the house of lords,
thinking it reflected too severely on the memory of king
Williau), summoned the author before" them in May 1702,
and ordered him to be prosecuted by the attorney-general;
who brought him to a trial, at which he was acquitted the
year following.
ued at the bar of that court, April 30 when, upon a flaw in the information (the simple change of an r for a t, or nor for not) the trial was adjourned, and in November
In 1704, being dissatisfied with the rejection of the bill
to prevent occasional conformity, and with the disgrace of
some of his friends who were sticklers for it, he wrote, in
concert with Mr. Poley, member of parliament for Ipswich,
“The Memorial of the Church of England humbly offered to the consideration of all true lovers of our Church
and Constitution,
” 8vo. The treasurer Godolphin, and
the other great officers of the crown in the whig interest,
severely reflected on in this work, were so highly offended,
that they represented it to the queen as an insult upon
her honour, and an intimation that the church was in danger under her administration. Accordingly her majesty
took notice-of it in her speech to the ensuing parliament,
Oct. 27, 1705; and was addressed by both houses upon
that occasion. Soon after, the queen, at the petition of
the house of commons, issued a proclamation for discovering the author of the “Memorial;
” but no discovery
could be made. The parliament was not the only body
that shewed their resentment to this book; for the grand
jury of the city of London having presented it at the sessions, as a false, scandalous, and traitorous libel, it wa*s
immediately burnt in the sight of the court then sitting,
and afterwards before the Royal Exchange, by the hands
of the common hangman. But though Drake then escaped,
yet as he was very much suspected of being the author of
that book, and had rendered himself obnoxious upon other
accounts to persons then in power, occasions were sought
to ruin him if possible; and a newspaper he was publishing at that time under the title of “Mercurius Politicus,
”
afforded his enemies the pretence they wanted. For,
taking exception at some passages in it, they prosecuted
him in the queen’s-bench in 1706. His case was argued
at the bar of that court, April 30 when, upon a flaw in
the information (the simple change of an r for a t, or nor for not) the trial was adjourned, and in November following the doctor was acquitted but the government brought
a writ of error. The severity of this prosecution, joined
to repeated disappointments and ill-usage from some of
his party, is supposed to have flung him into a fever, of
which he died at Westminster, March 2, 1707, not without
violent exclamations against the rigour of his prosecutors.
tences. It appears too, that he was then anxious to know, “what kind of strange creatures poets were r” and desired his tutor of all things, that if possible “he would
, an English poet, was born at
HarshuU, in the parish of Atherston, in the county of
Warwick, in 1563. His family was ancient, and originally
descended from the town of Drayton in Leicestershire,
which gave name to his progenitors, as a learned antiquary
of his acquaintance has recorded; but his parents removing into Warwickshire, our poet was born there. When
he was but ten years of age, he seems to have been page
to some person of honour, as we collect from his own
words: and, for his learning at that time, it appears evidently in the same place, that he could then construe his
Cato, and some other little collection of sentences. It appears too, that he was then anxious to know, “what kind
of strange creatures poets were r
” and desired his tutor of
all things, that if possible “he would make him a poet.
”
He was some time a student in the university of Oxford:
though we do not find that he took any degree there.
In 1588, he seems, from his own description of the
Spanish invasion, to have been a spectator at Dover of its
defeat; and might possibly be engaged in some military
post or employment there, as we find mention of his being
well spoken of by the gentlemen of the army. He took
delight very early, as we have seen, in the study of poetry;
and was eminent for his poetical efforts, nine or ten years
before the death of queen Elizabeth, if not sooaer. In
1593 he published a collection of pastorals, under the
title of “Idea: the Shepherd’s Garland, fashioned in nine
eclogues; with Rowland’s sacrifice to the nine Muses,
”
4to, dedicated to Mr. Robert Dudley. This “Shepherd’s
Garland
” is the same with what was afterwards reprinted
with emendations by our author in 1619, folio, under the
title of “Pastorals,
” containing eclogues; with the “Man
in the Moon;
” but the folio edition of Drayton’s works,
printed in 1748, though the title-page professes to give
them all, does not contain this part of them. Soon after
he published his “Barons’ Wars,
” and “England’s heroical Epistles;
” his “Downfalls of Robert of Normandy,
Matilda and Gaveston;
” which were all written before
near countryman and old acquaintance,
” adds further of him, that, “though those
transalpines account us tramontani, rude, and barbarous,
holding our brains so frozen, dull, and barren, that they
can afford no inventions or conceits, yet may he compare
either with their old Dante, Petrarch, or Boccace, or
their neoteric Marinella, Pignatello, or Stigliano. But
why,
” says Burton, “sould I go about to commend him,
whom his own works and worthiness have sufficiently extolled to the world?
”
n he sent them a Latin letter drawn up by his friend the late rev. Philip Morant. He was admitted F. R. S. Feb. 18, 1762; became an honorary fellow of the Society
Though disappointed in his wishes of entering into holy orders, he became intimately connected with the church He was elected commissary or official of the peculiar and exempt jurisdiction of the collegiate church or free chapel of St. Katharine, near the Tower of London, 1753; was appointed commissary and official of the city and diocese of Canterbury, by archbishop Herring, in December, 1758; and of the subdeanries of South Mailing, Pagham, and Terring, in Sussex, by archbishop Seeker, on the death of Dr. Dennis Clarke, in 1776. He was elected F. A. S. Sept. 22, 1737, and was one of the first fellows of the society nominated by the president and council on its incorporation 1755. He was also elected Aug. 29, 1760, member of the Society of Antiquaries at Cortona; on which occasion he sent them a Latin letter drawn up by his friend the late rev. Philip Morant. He was admitted F. R. S. Feb. 18, 1762; became an honorary fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Cassel, by diploma, dated in November, 1778; and of that of Edinburgh in 1781. In 1755, he solicited the place of sub-librarian at the Museum, in the room of Mr. Empsom; but it was pre-engaged.
ch, and Archiepiscopal Palace of Croydon, in the county of Surrey, from its foundation to 1783,” 4to r originally drawn up by him in 1754, at the request of archbishop
Of all the honours Dr. Ducarel enjoyed, none gave him
greater satisfaction than the commissariate of St. Katharine’s, a place to which he has done due honour in “The
History of the Koyal Hospital and Collegiate church of St.
Katharine, near the Tower of London, from its foundation,
in 1273, to the present time, 1782,
” 4to, with seventeen
plates. This history was originally compiled by the doctor
for the use of her present majesty, to whom a copy of it
was presented in ms. a short time after her accession to the
patronage of this collegiate church, the only ecclesiastical
preferment in the gift of the queen consort of England.
On a thorough repair of this curious old church in 1778,
an empty vault was discovered in the chance.1, of a size
that would hold two coffins, and no more. This spot the
doctor claimed in virtue of his office; and has often pointed
out to his friends, as a resting-place for his ashes and those
of his lady; and the remains of both have been actually
there deposited. Two additional plates to the history of
St. Katharine’s, representing the curious grotesque carvings
under the old stalls there, were engraved a little before
his death, at his particular request, and were given to the
public in 1790, with a short appendix to that history, in,
the “Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica, No. LII.
” In
1783, he published, as No. XII. of Bibliotheca Topograpica Britannica, “Some account of the Town, Church,
and Archiepiscopal Palace of Croydon, in the county of
Surrey, from its foundation to 1783,
” 4to r originally drawn
up by him in Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica, No. XXVII,
” “The History and Antiquities of
the Archiepiscopal Palace of Lambeth, from its foundation
to the present time, 1785, 4to,
” which was dedicated, by
permission, to archbishop Moore; and, in 1786, he contributed largely to “The History and Antiquities of the
parish of Lambeth, in the county of Surrey; including
biographical anecdotes of several eminent persons; compiled from original records, and other authentic sources of
information.
” Some additions to this history were also, in
the archiepiscopal register at Lambeth, from A. D. 1312, to A. D. 163G, extracted by Dr. Ducarel, F. R. and A. Ss. Lambeth librarian, &c. with a complete index, A.
Dr. Ducarel’s great researches into antiquities occasioned his assistance to be courted on many publications,
particularly that of Dr. Burton’s “Monasticon Eboracense.
” He also was a candidate for the employment of
arranging Mr. Bridges’s Northamptonshire papers, with the
late rev. Peter Whalley, and with the late rev. Mr. Buckler,
of All-souls college. A catalogue of the Mss. was sent
him; and the general sense of the committee was in favour
of Mr. Buckler; but at the meeting, on the ballot, Mr.
Whalley had live votes, Mr. Buckler four, and Dr. Ducarel
three, out of the thirteen who attended. He had drawn
up also, an account of Doctors-commons, and, as an appendix to it, complete lists of the different chancellors of
the several dioceses of this kingdom, as high as the registers
go, in folio, which were so nearly ready for publication,
that he repeatedly promised them with that express intention to Mr. Nichols, who, at the doctor’s request, caused
complete indexes to be made to both. The materials for
both these were among his collections in Mr. Cough’s
library. Another work which he intended for Mr. Nichols’s
press, and for which an index was in like manner made,
was “Testamenta Lambethana; being a complete list of
all the wills and testaments recorded in the archiepiscopal
register at Lambeth, from A. D. 1312, to A. D. 163G, extracted by Dr. Ducarel, F. R. and A. Ss. Lambeth librarian, &c. with a complete index, A. D. 1779.
”
e, inscribed, “Carmen gratulatorinm in nuptias Caroli It. Aug. cum Henrietta Maria rilia Henrici IV. R. Fr.” The visionary blessings that were to arise from this union
He had a son, Mark Duncan, who is mentioned by
biographers under the name of Cerisantes. Bayle gives
a long desultory account of him. His life appears to have
been strangely checquered, through a spirit impatient of
rest, with a variety of literary, civil, and military pursuits.
Moreri has inserted in his dictionary, from the fictitious
memoirs said to be written by the duke of Guise, some
calumnies against Cerisantes, which are refuted in a satisfactory manner by Bayle. Several detached pieces of Cerisantes’s poetry are to be seen in printed miscellaneous
collections. Among these is a remarkable one, inscribed,
“Carmen gratulatorinm in nuptias Caroli It. Aug. cum
Henrietta Maria rilia Henrici IV. R. Fr.
” The visionary
blessings that were to arise from this union to all the world,
particularly to his native country, and that of his progenitor, (by their becoming the joint arbiters of that perpetual peace in Europe, which it was the project of Henry to establish, and which he has beautifully painted in the most lively colouring), only shew that a good poet may be
a bad prophet. He is said to have died in 1648.
“Histoire de ce qui s’est passe” pour establissement d'une Regence en Angleterre. Par M. L. D. Ne D. R. D. L. Ge. Be.“1789, 8vo; in which he adopted the sentiments
Before he quitted Turin, Mr. M'Kenzie’s interest with
the duke of Northumberland, then lord lieutenant of Ireland, procured him the promise of a deanery in that
kingdom, which he declined accepting; but soon after received
from the same noble patron a presentation to the rectory
of Elsdon in Northumberland, then worth 800l. a year;
which induced him, in 1766, to return to England, where
he received a present of 1000l. from the king, and was
highly delighted with the reception he met with at Northumberland-house. In 1768 he performed an extensive
tour through the continent with lord Algernon Percy, the
duke of Northumberland’s son. In the course of this tour,
some conversation at Genoa with the marchioness of Babbi,
gave rise to a work which Mr. Dutens afterwards published
at Rome under the title of “The Tocsin,
” and afterwards
at Paris, under the title of “Appel au bons sens.
” After
this tour was finished, he resided for some time at Paris,
where he published several works, and lived in a perpetual round of splendid amusements. In 1776 he returned
to London, and lived much with the Northumberland
family, and with his early patron Mr. M'Kenzie, until
lord Montstuart was appointed envoy-extraordinary to the
court of Turin, whom he accompanied as his friend, but
without any official situation, except that when lord
Montstuart was called to England upon private business,
he again acted for a short time as charge des affaires.
After this, according to his memoirs, his time was divided
for many years between a residence in London, and occasional tours to the continent, with the political affairs of
which he seems always anxious to keep up an intimate acquaintance. At length the death of his first friend and
patron placed him in easy if not opulent circumstances, as
that gentleman left him executor and residuary legatee
with his two nephews, lord Bute and the primate of Ireland. The value of this legacy has been estimated at
15,000l. which enabled Mr. Dutens to pass the remainder of
his life in literary retirement and social intercourse, for
which he was admirably qualified, not only by an extensive knowledge, but by manners easy and accommodating.
In the complimentary strain of a courtier few men exceeded
him, although his profuse liberality in this article was
sometimes thought to lessen its value. He died at his
house in Mount-street, Grosvenor-square, May 23, 1812,
in his eighty-third year. Not many days before his death,
he called, in a coach, on many persons of eminence with
whom he had corresponded, for the sole purpose of returning the letters he had received from them.
His publications, not already noticed were, 1 “Explications des quelques Medailles de peuple, de villes, et des
rois Grecques et Pheniciennes,
” Itineraire des Routes les plus frequentées;
ou Journal d‘un Voyage aux Villes principales de l’Europe,
”
often reprinted. 4. “Histoire de ce qui s’est passe
” pour
establissement d'une Regence en Angleterre. Par M.
L. D. Ne D. R. D. L. Ge. Be.“1789, 8vo; in which he
adopted the sentiments of Mr. Pitt’s administration on the
important question of the regency, which, he says, lost
him the favour of a great personage. 5.
” Recherches sur
le terns le plus recule de l'usage des Voutes chez les
Anciens,“1795. He wrote also the French text of the
second volume of the Marlborough gems, a task for which
he was well qualified, as he was an excellent classical antiquary and medallist. In 1771 he translated
” The manner of securing all sorts of brick buildings from fire,“&c.
from the French of count d'Espie. His last publication, in
1805, was his own history, in
” Memoires d'un Voyageur,"
&c. of which we have availed ourselves in this sketch but,
although this work may often amuse the reader, and add something to the knowledge of human nature, it will not perhaps
create an unmixed regard for the character of the writer.
se what he was doing. “Studying geography,” said he. “And do you understand any thing of the subject r” “Most assuredly I never trouble myself about things I do not
Seated one day at the foot of a tree, absorbed in his
reflections, and surrounded by maps of geography, which
he examined with the most eager attention, a gentleman
suddenly approached him, and asked with an air of surprise what he was doing. “Studying geography,
” said
he. “And do you understand any thing of the subject r
”
“Most assuredly I never trouble myself about things
I do not understand.
” “And what place are you now
seeking for?
” “I am trying to find the most direct way
to Quebec.
” “For what purpose?
” “That I might go
there, and continue my studies in the university of that
town.
” < But why need you go for this purpose to the
end of the world? There are universities nearer home,
superior to that of Quebec; and if it will afTord you any
pleasure, I will point them out to you." At this moment
they were joined by a large retinue belonging to the young
princes of Lorraine, who were hunting in the forest with
count Vidampiere and baron Pfutschner, their governors.
A variety of questions were put to Duval, which he answered with equal precision and good sense, and without
being out of countenance. In consequence of this interview, Leopold, duke of Lorraine, took him under his protection, and when he was brought to the court at Luneville,
the duke received him in the midst of a numerous assembly,
whom this singular event had collected. He answered
every question that was put to him, without being confused,
notwithstanding the novelty of the scene to him, and the
important part he had to act; and the duke committed the
care of his establishment at the college of Pont-a-Mousson
to baron Pfutschner. Here his natural taste for study,
added to his desire of answering the expectations of his
illustrious patron, made him redouble his zeal. History,
geography, and antiquities, were the studies he preferred,
and in which his new guides were peculiarly qualified to
assist him. He lived two years in this house; and the
improvement he made was so great, that duke Leopold,
as a recompense, and to give him an opportunity of still
further progress, permitted him in 1718 to make a journey
to Paris in his suite. On his return the next year the duke
appointed him his librarian, and conferred on him the office of professor of history in the academy of Luneville.
“The Grounds and Occasions of the Contempt of the Clergy and Religion enquired into. In a letter to R. L.” This piece had a very rapid sale, and passed through many
, master of Catharine-hall, in the
university of Cambridge, and author of several ingenious
works, was descended from a good family in the county of
Suffolk, and born about 1636. Having been carefully
instructed in grammar and classical literature, he was sent
to Catharine-hall, in the university of Cambridge, where
he was admitted on the 10th of May, 1653. He took the
degree of B. A. in 1656, was elected fellow of his college 1
in 1658, and in 1660 became M. A. We meet with no
farther particulars about him till 1670, when he published,
but without his name, “The Grounds and Occasions of the
Contempt of the Clergy and Religion enquired into. In a
letter to R. L.
” This piece had a very rapid sale, and
passed through many editions. It was attacked by an
anonymous writer the following year, in “An Answer to a
Letter of Enquiry into the Grounds,
” &c. and by Barnabas Oley, and several others; particularly the famous Dr.
John Owen, in a preface to some sermons of W. Bridge.
Eachard replied to the first of his answerers in apiece
entitled “Some Observations upon the Answer to an Enquiry into the Grounds and Occasions of the Contempt of
the Clergy: with some additions. In a second letter to
R. L.
” In Mr. Hobbes’s State of
Nature considered: in a dialogue between Philautus and
Timothy. To which are added, five letters from the author of The Grounds and Occasions of the
” Contempt of
the Clergy.“In these letters he animadverted, with his
usual facetiousness, on several of the answerers of his first
performance. He soon after published some farther remarks on the writings of Hobbes, in
” A second Dialogue
between Philautus and Timothy." On the death of Dr.
John Lightfoot, in 1675, Mr. Eachard was chosen in his
room master. of Catharine-hall; and in the year following
he was created D. D. by royal mandamus. It does not
appear that he produced any literary works after being
raised to this station; but it is said that he executed the
trust reposed in him, of master of his college, with the
utmost care and fidelity, and to the general satisfaction of
the whole university. He was extremely desirous to have
rebuilt the greatest part, if not the whole, of Catharine-hall,
which had fallen ipto decay: but he died before he could
accomplish any part of that design, except the master’s
lodge. He contributed, however, largely towards rebuilding the whole; and was very assiduous in procuring donations for it from his learned or wealthy friends. He died
on the 7th of July, 1697, and was interred in the chapel
of Catharine-hall, with an elegant Latin inscription, said
to have been more recently added by the late Dr.
Farmer.
er. Mr. Baker, of St. John’s college, Cambridge, in a blank leaf of his copy of Kachard’s “Letter to R. L.” observes, that he went to St. Mary’s with great expectation
Though Dr. Eachard’s works abound with wit and humour, he is said to have failed remarkably when he attempted to write in a serious manner. Mr. Baker, of St.
John’s college, Cambridge, in a blank leaf of his copy of
Kachard’s “Letter to R. L.
” observes, that he went to St.
Mary’s with great expectation to hear him preach, but was
never more disappointed. And dean Swift says, “I have
known men happy enough at ridicule, who, upon grave
subjects, were perfectly stupid; of which Dr. Eachard, of
Cambridge, who writ `The Contempt of the Clergy,' was
a great instance.
” It is remarked by Mr. Granger, and
Dr. Warton, that the works of Dr. Eachard had been
evidently studied by Swift. Dr. Eachard’s wit, however,
was applied to the best of purposes; for although some
parts of his “Grounds of the Contempt, &c.
” may be
mistaken, he cannot be too highly praised for turning the
philosophy of Hobbes into contempt.
sms of misery, he was scarcely known to utter a single complaint. Having completed his eightieth ye?. r, and become emaciated with age and sickness, he died on the
After the last publication of his “Gleanings,
” being
arrived at his seventieth year, he found that his sight
began to fail him, and that his hand lost its steadiness. He
continued, however, some years afterward in his office of
librarian; but finding his infirmities to increase, he retired
in 1769 from public employment, to a small house which
be had purchased at Plaistow: previously to which he disposed of all the copies, as well as plates, of his works to
the late Mr. Robson, bookseller in New Bond-street, who
published the Linnaean Index, his papers from the Philosophical Transactions, with the plates relative to these
subjects all new engraved, in 1776, in a proper size to
bind with his other vorks, the whole of which he assigned
to Mr. Robson solely, and addressed a letter to the public
upon the occasion, dated May 1, 1709. His collection of
drawings, amounting to upwards of nine hundred, had
before been purchased by the earl of Bute. The conversation of a few select friends, and the perusal of a few
choice books, w,ere his amusement in the evening of his
life, and he occasionally made excursions to some of the
principal cities in England. During his residence at Plaistow, however, he delineated some scarce animals, which
were afterwards engraved. His latter years were much
embittered by a cancerous complaint which deprived him
of the sight of one of his eyes, and by the stone, to which
he had been subject at different periods of his life. It
was nevertheless remarked, that in the severest paroxysms
of misery, he was scarcely known to utter a single complaint. Having completed his eightieth ye?.r, and become
emaciated with age and sickness, he died on the 23d of
July, 1773, and was Interred in the church-yard of WestHam, his native parish, where his executors erected a
stone with a plain inscription, to perpetuate his talents as
an artist and zoologist. Dying a bachelor, he left his fortune to two sisters, who did not long survive him.
, F. R. S. an eminent naturalist, is thought to have been born in London,
, F. R. S. an eminent naturalist, is thought
to have been born in London, about 1710, but of his early
life and occupations no certain information has been obtained, except that he was engaged in mercantile pursuits.
He imbibed a taste for natural history, probably when
young, made collections of natural curiosities, and by attentive observation and depth of thought soon rose superior to the merit of a mere collector. It is to him we owe
the discovery of the animal nature of corals and corallines,
which is justly said to form an epocha in natural science.
The first collection he made of these new-discovered animals, after being presented to, and examined by the royal
society, was deposited in the British museum, where it
till remains. His mind was originally turned to the subject by a collection of corallines sent him from Anglesey,
which he arranged upon paper so as to form a kind of
natural landscape. But although the opinion he formed of
their being animals was confirmed by some members of the
royal society, as soon as he had explained his reasons, he
determined to make farther observations, and enlarge his
knowledge of corallines on the spot. For this purpose he
went, in August 1752, to the isle of Sheppy, accompanied
by Mr. Brooking, a painter, and the observations which he
made still further confirmed him in his opinions. In 1754,
he prevailed on Ehret, the celebrated botanist and artist,
to accompany him to Brighthelmstone, where they made
drawings, and formed a collection of zoophites. In 1755,
he published the result of all his investigations, under the
title of an “Essay to wards a Natural History of Corallines,
”
4to, one of the most accurate books ever published, whether we consider the plates, the descriptions, or the observations which demonstrate the animal nature of the
zoophites. His opinions on this subject were opposed by
Job Easier, a Dutch physician and naturalist, who published various dissertations in the Philosophical Transactions in order to prove that corallines were of a vegetable
nature. But his arguments were victoriously refuted by
Ellis, whose opinions on the subject were almost immediately assented to by naturalists in general, and have
been further confirmed by every subsequent examination
of the subject.
. at Aix-la-Chapelle.” The second part was given to the world in 1765, under the title of “Tracts on r the Liberty, spiritual and temporal, of Subjects in England.”
The few publications of our author, which appeared in
his life-time, were a sufficient evidence of his general
learning and abilities; but the great proof of his talents
was not displayed till after his death. In 1763, was published, in quarto, the first part of “Tracts on the Liberty,
spiritual and temporal, of Protestants in England. Addressed to J. N. esq. at Aix-la-Chapelle.
” The second
part was given to the world in Tracts on r the Liberty, spiritual and temporal, of Subjects in England.
” These two parts together form one
great and elaborate work, which had been the principal
object of the bishop’s life. The greatest part of the papers
which were left by him, as we are informed by the editors,
had been transcribed and fitted for the press; but the diffidence that often attends men of the most extensive understanding, prevented him from coining to a resolution of publishing them, though often solicited by his friends who had
seen them, and by others of his acquaintance, who were
so fully satisfied of his rare abilities, and knowledge of our
civil and ecclesiastical constitution, as to believe no man
of his time had better considered that subject, or was more
capable of shewing it in a good light. The first volume,
besides the plea for the sacramental test, consists of seven
tracts, the titles of which are as follow: “I. Of the right
of private judgment in all matters of religion. II. Of the
liberty of publicly worshipping God, III. On the liberty,
as to matters ecclesiastical, when a religion is publicly
established. IV. On the liberty recovered to the people
of England, by suppressing the authority formerly exercised over this realm by the Bishop of Rome. V. An answer to the objections to the ill use which, it is alleged,
has been made of the liberty we have gained, by having
broken with the see of Rome. VI. The nature of Supremacy, in matters ecclesiastical, vested in the crown. VII.
The claim of some English Protestants to greater liberty
than they now enjoy.
” Though Dr. Ellys, in these tracts,
vindicates the establishment of the church from the objections of the protestant dissenters, his principal concern,
is with the Church of Rome, the tenets of which he very
particularly examines and confutes. The subject was
deemed highly important at the time in which he wrote.
There was then an apprehension of danger from popery;
and this sentiment he has expressed in his introduction to
J. N. esq. “The increase,
” says he, “of the Romish interest in Europe has been so great for these last hundred
years, and is so likely to go farther, that it certainly is very
necessary that the people of this nation should be acquainted
at least with the chief arguments against that religion.
Of these, therefore, you will here find some account; not
a large one indeed, because none but things of the greatest
moment have been selected; yet such a one as will, I hope,
clearly shew that our ancestors were indispensably obliged
to leave the communion of the church of Rome, and that
we are as strictly bound to continue that separation as long
as the terms of her communion remain what they are.
”
His biographer adds, that, should the controversy between,
the Roman catholics and the church of England be revived,
excellent materials for conducting it may be found in
bishop Ellys’s performance. Besides, there can be no
period in which a protestant should be a stranger to the
grounds of his profession, and in which it will not be extremely proper that literary men in general, and divines in.
particular, should have a good acquaintance with the
subject.
, Bale, 1556, and Francfort, 1578, folio. 4. “Oratio de Bello Turcis inferendo et historia de his qu; r a Venetis tentata snnt, Persis ac Tartaris contra Turcos inovendis,”
All his works, of which the following is a correct list,
are held in much esteem I “Attila,
” or, “De Gestis
Attilae,
” without date, but probably Trevisa, Historia de rege Uladislao, seu clade Varnensi,
” Augsburgh, De rebus ab Uladislao
Hungarian ct Polonire rege gestis ad Casimiruin V. libri
tres,
” Cracow, 15S2, 4to. He added, however, a very
interesting life of Esperiente, which was reprinted at
Cracow, 1584, 4to. Paul Jovius preferred this work of
Esperiente to any history since the days of Tacitus. It is
also printed, with the history of Poland, by Martin Cromer, 1589, and in Bonfidius’s collection. 3. “De clade
Varnensi epistola,
” inserted in the second volume of the
“Chronicon Turcicum
” by Louicerus, Bale, Oratio de Bello Turcis inferendo et historia de his qu;r a Venetis tentata snnt, Persis
ac Tartaris contra Turcos inovendis,
” Haguenau,
e was afterwards sainted. He retired with his sons Salonius and Veranius into the solitude of Lerins r after having distributed a part of his property among the poor,
, archbishop of Lyons, of the fifth century, was of an illustrious family, and so reputed for his
piety that he was afterwards sainted. He retired with his
sons Salonius and Veranius into the solitude of Lerins r
after having distributed a part of his property among the
poor, and divided the other part between his daughters.
After some time he quitted the isle of LeVins, where the
fame of his virtues brought him much applause, and went
over to that of Le'ro, at present called St. Marguerite. Itwas not till after repeated solicitations that he was prevailed
upon to leave this desert for the see of Lyons, which dignity he accepted about the year 434. In this capacity he
assisted at the first council of Orange in the year 441,
where he acquired much reputation for his judicious
speeches. He died about the year 454. History has not
handed down to us the events of his episcopate: but Claudian Mamertius informs us, that Eucherius frequently held
conferences at Lyons, in which he gave proofs of his learning and judgment, that he often preached, and always with
success, and that he was accounted the greatest prelate of
his age. He wrote several books in the ascetic taste of the
times. 1. “In praise of the desert,
” addressed to St.
Hilary; in which, it must be owned, he paints that of
Lerins in very pleasing colours, and the style is in general
elegant. 2. A tract “On the contempt of the world;.
”
translated into French by Arnaud d'Andilly, as well as the
former, 1672, 12mo. They are both in the form of letters;
the latter addressed to his kinsman Valerian. 3. “On spiritual formularies;
” for the use of Veranius, one of his
sons, 4. “The history of St. Maurice aud the Martyrs of
the Thebaic legion.
” All these are in the Bibliotheca
Patrum. His two sons, Salonius and Veranius, were bishops even during the life-time of their father.
most permanent; and in the same catalogue, number it with rhetoric, geometry, logic, astronomy, yea, r grammar itself, because there is in these arts, say they, more
As considerable light is thrown on the history and merits
of Mr. Evelyn from the account given of his works, little
apology need be made for the length of the article, taken
principally from the Biographia Britannica. These were,
1. His treatise “Of Liberty and Servitude,
” A Character of England, as it
was lately presented in a letter to a nobleman of France,
with reflections upon Callus Castratus,
” The State of France,
” London, An Essay on the First Book of Titus Lucretius
Carus, de renim natura, interpreted, and made into English verse, by J. Evelyn, esq.
” London, Never
was book so abominably misused by printer; never copy
so negligently surveied by one who undertooke to looke
over the proofe-sheetes with all exactnesse and care, naqely
Dr. Triplet, well knowne for his abiilitie, and who pretended,
to oblige me in Hiv absence, and so readily offer'd himselfe. This good yet I received by it, that publishing it
vaiiu-ly, its ill succese at the printer’s discouraged me with
troubling the world with the rest.
” 5. “The French Gardener, instructing how to cultivate all sorts of fruit-trees
and herbs for the garden, together with directions to dry
and conserve them in their natural,
” &c. Lond. The English Vineyard vindicated, by John Rose,
gardener to his majesty king Charles II. with a' tract of the
making and ordering of wines in France.
” The third edition
of this French Gardener, which came out in 1676, was illustrated with sculptures. 6. “The golden book of St.
Oh ry sos torn, concerning the Education of Children.
” Lond.
An Apology for the Royal Party, c.
” The late News or Message from
Brussels unmasked,
” Instructions concerning the erecting of a Library, written by Gabriel Naude
”, published in
English, with some improvements,“Lond. 1661, 8vo. ll.
” Fumifugium or the inconveniences of the air and the
smoke of London dissipated together with some remedies
humbly proposed,“London, 1661, 4to, in five sheets, addressed to the king and parliament, and published by hisma
jesty’s express command. Of this there was a late edition
in 1772. 12.
” Tyrannies or the Mode in a discourse of
sumptuary laws“Lond. 1661, 8vo. 13.
” Sculptnra; or
the history a-id art of Chalcography and Engraving in Copper, with an ample enumeration of the most renowned
masters and their works; to which is annexed, a new manner of engraving, or mezzo-tinto,. communicated by his
highness prince Rupert to the author of this treatise,“Lond. 1662, 8vo. In the dedication to Mr. Robert Boyle,
dated: at Sayes-court, April 5th, 1662, he observes, that
he wrote this treatise at the reiterated instance of that
gentleman. The first chapter treats of sculpture, howderived and distinguished, with the styles and instruments
belonging to it. The second, of the original of sculpture
in general. la this chapter our author observes, that
letters, and consequently sculpture, were lon.g before the
flood, Suidas ascribing both letters and all the rest of
the sciences to Adam. After the flood, as he supposes,
there were but few who make any considerable question,
that it might not be propagated by Noah to his posterity, though some admit of none before Moses. The
third chapter treats of the reputation and progress of
sculpture among the Greeks and Romans down to the
middle ages, with a discussion of some pretensions to
the invention of copper cuts and their impressions. The
fourth, of the invention and progress of chalcography in particular, together with an ample enumeration of the most renowned masters and their works. The fifth, of drawing and
design previous to the art of chalcography, and of the use
of pictures in order to theeducation of children. In this
chapter, our author, in honour of the art upon which he
writes, discourses thus:
” It was in the former chapter
that we made rehearsal of the most renowned gravers and
their works, not that we had no more to add to that number, but because we would not mingle these illustrious
names and qualities there, which we purposely reserved for
the crown of this discourse. We did, therefore, forbear
to mention what his highness prince Rupert’s own hands
have contributed to the dignity of that art, performing
things in graving, of which some enrich our collection,
comparable to the greatest masters; such a spirit and address there appears in all that he touches, and especially
in that of the mezzotinto, of which we shall speak hereafter more at large, having first enumerated those incomparable gravings of that his new and inimitable style, in
both the great and little decollations of St. John the Baptist, the soldier holding a spear and leaning his hand on a
shield, the two Mary Magdalens, the old man’s head, that
of Titian, &c. after the same Titian, Georgion, and others.
We have also seen a plate etched by the present French
king, and other great persons; the right honourable the
earl of Sandwich, sometimes, as we are told, diverting
himself with the burine, and herein imitating those ancient
and renowned heroes, whose names are loud in the trumpet
of fame for their skill and particular affection to these arts.
For such of old were Lucius Manilius, and Fabius, noble
Romans, Pacuvius, the tragic poet, nephew to Ennius.
Socrates, the wisest of men, and Plato himself, Metrodorus and Pyrrhus the philosopher, did both desigii and
paint and so did Valentinian, Adrian, and Severus, emperors so as the great Paulus ^milius esteemed it of
such high importance, that he would needs have his son to
be instructed in it, as in one of the most worthy and excellent accomplishments belonging to a prince. For the
art of graving, Quintilian likewise celebrates Euphranor,
a polite and rarely endowed person; and Pliny, in that
chapter where he treats of the same art, observes that there
was never any one famous in it, but who was by birth or education a gentleman. Therefore he and Galen in their recension of the liberal arts, mention that of graving in particular,
amongst the most permanent; and in the same catalogue,
number it with rhetoric, geometry, logic, astronomy, yea, r
grammar itself, because there is in these arts, say they,
more of fancy and invention, than strength of hand, more
of the spirit than of the body. Hence Aristotle informs
us, that the Grecians did universally institute their children
in the art of painting and drawing, for an oeconomique
reason there signified, as well as to produce proportions in
the mind. Varro makes it part of the ladies 1 education,
that they might have the better skill in the works of
embroidery, &c. and for this cause is his daughter Martia
celebrated among those of her fair sex. We have already
mentioned the learned Anna Schurman; but the princess
Louisa has done wonders of this kind, and is famous
throughout Europe for the many pieces which enrich our
cabinets, examples sufficient to vindicate its dignity, and
the value that has been set upon it, since both emperors,
kings, and philosophers, the great and the wise, have not
disdained to cultivate and cherish this honourable quality
of old, so nobly reputed, that amongst the Greeks a slave
might not be taught it. How passionately does Pereskius,
that admirable and universal genius, deplore his want of
dexterity in this art Baptista Alberti, Aldus Pomponius,
Guaricus Durer, and Rubens, were politely learned and
knowing men, and it is hardly to be imagined of how great
use and conducible a competent address in this art of
drawing and designing is to the several advantages which
occur, and especially to the more noble mathematical
sciences, as we have already instanced in the lunary works
of Hevelius, and are no less obliged to celebrate some of
ur own countrymen famous for their dexterity in this incomparable art. Such was that Blagrave, who himself cut
those diagrams in his Mathematical Jewel; and such at
present is that rare and early prodigy of universal science,
Dr. Chr. Wren, our worthy and accomplished friend.
For, if the study of eloquence and rhetoric were cultivated
by the greatest geniuses and heroic persons which the
world has produced, and that, by the suffrage of the most
knowing, to be a perfect orator a man ought to be universally instructed, a quality so becoming and useful should
never be neglected.“In the sixth chapter he discourses
of the new way of engraving or mezzotinto, invented and
communicated by prince Rupert and he therein observes,
” that his highness did indulge him the liberty of publishing the whole manner and address of this new way of
engraving; but when I had well considered it, says he (so much having been already expressed, which may suffice to give the hint to all ingenious persons how it is to be performed), I did not think it necessary that an art so curious, and as yet so little vulgar, and which indeed does
not succeed where the workman is not an accomplished
designer, and has a competent talent in painting likewise,
was to be prostituted at so cheap a rate as the more naked
describing of it here would too soon have exposed it to.
Upon these considerations then, it is, that vvg leave it thus
enigmatical; and yet that this may appear no disingenuous
rhodomontade in me, or invidious excuse, I profess myself to be always most ready sub sigillo, and by his highness’s permission, to gratify any curious and worthy person with as full and perfect a demonstration of the entire
art as my talent and address will reach to, if what I am
now preparing to be reserved in the archives of the royal
society concerning it be not sufficiently instructive.“There
came, however, into the hands of the communicative and
learned Richard Micldleton Massey, M. D. and F. 11. S. the
original manuscript, written by Mr. Evelyn, and designed
for the royal society, entitled
” Prince Rupert’s new way
of engraving, communicated by his highness to Mr. Evelyn;“in the margin of which is this note:
” This I prepared to be registered in the royal society, but I have not
yet given it in, so as it still continues a secret.“In this
manuscript he first describes the two instruments employed
in this new manner of engraving, viz. the hatcher and the
style, and then proceeds to explain the method of using
them. He concludes with the following words:
” This
invention, or new manner of chalcography, was the result
of chance, and improved by a German soldier, who,
espying some scrape on the barrel of his musket, and being
of an ingenious spirit, refined upon it, till it produced the
effects you have seen, and which indeed is, for the delicacy thereof, much superior to anyinvention extant of
this art, for the imitation of those masterly drawings, and,
as the Italians call it, that morhidezza expressed in the best
of their designs. I have had the honour to be the first of
the English to whom it has been yet communicated, and
by a special indulgence of his highness, who with his own
hands was pleased to direct me with permission to publish
it to the world; but I have esteemed it a thing so curious,
that I thought it would be to profane it, before I had first
offered it to this illustrious society. There is another way
of engraving, by rowelling a plate with an instrument
made like that which our scriveners and clerks use to direct
their rulers by on parchment, only the points are thicker
set into the rowel. And when the plate is sufficiently
freckled with the frequent reciprocation of it, upon the
polished surface, so as to render the ground dark enough,
it is to be abated with the style, and treated as we have already described. Of this sort I have seen a head of the
queen Christina, graved, if I mistake not, as big as the
life, but not comparable to the mezzotinto of prince Rupert, so deservedly celebrated by J. Evelyn."
his anecdotes and opinions among the “Ana.” His reputation has sunk considerably among his own coun- r trymen, nor has there been any edition of his works printed
The works of St. Evremond consist of a variety of essays
and letters, containing many ingenious and acute remarks
on polite literature, and on life and manners, but very unequally written, together with some insipid poems, and
several dramatic pieces. He possessed a considerable degree of wit and humour, and great knowledge of the world.
He appears to have had a very intimate acquaintance with
Roman literature; but acknowledged that he did not understand the Greek language. His works in French have
passed through many editions, and been printed in different sizes. One edition is in two volumes, 4to,and some
of the editions are in seven volumes, 12mo. An English
translation of 'some of his works was published in two volumes, in 1700, 8vo; and a translation of some other of
his pieces in 1705, in one volume, 8vo, under the title of
“The posthumous Works of M. de St. Evremond, containing variety of elegant essays, letters, poems, and other
miscellaneous pieces on several curious subjects.
” Another translation, in two volumes, 8vo, was published by Mr.
Des Maizeaux, in 1714, with a dedication to lord Halifax.
But the best edition was published by the same editor, with
the life of the author prefixed, in 1728, in three volumes,
8vo. This translation, however, does not cqntain our
author’s poems, nor his dramatic pieces. There is also a
collection of his anecdotes and opinions among the “Ana.
”
His reputation has sunk considerably among his own coun-r
trymen, nor has there been any edition of his works printed
in Franco for more than half a century. They consider
none of his writings as worthy of perusal, except what he
wrote on the genius of the Greeks and Romans, on
manners, on the peace of the Pyrenees, on the duke of LongueviHe, and the conversation of the marshal Hocquincourt
with father Canaye. In his comedies they find neither wit
nor interest, and assert that his verses have more vivacity
than genuine poetry; but they bestow higher praise on his
prose, and except only to his frequent affectation of antithesis and point. La Harpe, in a well-written character
of his works, ascribes his reputation more to fashion and
artful management, than to real merit. As to his personal
character, enough has been said in the preceding sketch
to exhibit its most striking features, those of the wit, the
courtier, and the voluptuary.
on the origin, progress, and actual state of literature, entitled “Lettera del sig. abate Eximeno al R. P. M. Fr. Tommaso Maria Memachi sopra Popinione del sig. abate
Eximeno also wrote an apology for the abbé Andre’s
work on the origin, progress, and actual state of literature,
entitled “Lettera del sig. abate Eximeno al R. P. M. Fr.
Tommaso Maria Memachi sopra Popinione del sig. abate
Andres, intorno alia litteratura ecclesiastica de' secoli barbari,
” Mantua,
rsiones,“Neapol. 1686, 4tp. This work is an answer to James Gronovius’ s” Responsio ad Cavillationes R. Fabretti,“printed at Leyden, 1685. Fabretti had given, occasion
He was the author of the following works 1 <c De Aquis
& Aquae-ductibus Veteris Romae Dissertationes tres,“Romae, 1680, 4to. This book may serve to illustrate Frontinus, who has treated of the aqueducts of Rome, as they
were in his time under the emperor Trajan. It is inserted
in the fourth volume of Graevius’s
” Thesaurus Antiquitatum Romanarum.“. 2.
” De Columna Trajana Syntagma.
Accesseruntexplicatio Veteris Tabellae Anaglyphae Homeri
Iliadem, atque ex Stesichoro, Arctino, et Lesche Ilii excidium continentis, et emissarii lacus Fucini descriptio,“Romae, 1683, folio. 3.
” Jasithei ad Grunnovium Apologema, in ej usque Titivilitia, sive de Tito Livio somnia,
animadversiones,“Neapol. 1686, 4tp. This work is an
answer to James Gronovius’ s
” Responsio ad Cavillationes
R. Fabretti,“printed at Leyden, 1685. Fabretti had given,
occasion to this dispute, by censuring, in his book
” De
Aquae-ductibus,“some corrections of Gronovius; and thus
had drawn upon himself an adversary, who treated him witk
very little ceremony. Fabretti replied to him here, under
the name Jasitheus, and treated him with equal coarseness.
Gronovius called him Faber fiusticus, which he retorted by
styling his antagonist Grunnovius. 4.
” Inscriptionum Antiquaruni, quae in aedibus paternis asservantur, explicatio et
additamentum,“Romae, 1699, folio. Fabretti had an admirable talent in decyphering the most difficult inscriptions, and discovered a method of making something out
of those which seemed entirely disfigured through age, and
the letters of which were effaced in such a manner as not
to be discernible. He cleaned the surface of the stone,
without touching those places where the letters had been,
engraven. He then laid upon it a piece of thick paper well
moistened, and pressed it with a spunge, or wooden pin
covered with linen; by which means the paper entered
into the cavity of the letters, and, taking up the dust there,
Discovered the traces of the letters. M. Baudelot, in his
book
” De FUtilitc* des Voyages,“informs us of a secret
very like this, in order to read upon medals those letters
which are difficult to be deciphered. 5.
” A Letter to the
abb Nicaise,“containing an inscription remarkable for
the elegance of its style, inserted in the
” Journal des Seavans“of Dec. 1691. He left unfinished
” Latium vetus
illustratum." Fabretti discovers in his writings a lively
genius, a clear and easy conception, and a great deal of
learning.