, a learned uivine and translator, the son of a citizen of Dublin,
, a learned uivine and translator,
the son of a citizen of Dublin, was born in that city in 1722.
The first rudiments of classical education he received at
the seuool kept by the celebrated Dr. Sheridan, whose talents and success in forming excellent scholars, were then
well known. In 17^7 he entered a pensioner in Trinity
college; and in 1741 was elected a scholar commenced
bachelor of arts in 1742, and was a candidate for a fellowship in 1745, in which he failed at this time, but succeeded
the following year by the unanimous voice of the electors,
On bein^ thus placed in a state of independence, he did
not resign himself to ease and indolence, but was conspicuous for the same ardent love of knowledge which appeared in the commencement of his studies, and was predominant throughout his whole life. In 1748 he entered
into holy orders, and from a deep sense of the importance
of his profession, drew up a discourse “On the helps and
impediments to the acquisition of knowledge in religious
and moral subjects,
” wtiich was much admired at that time,
but no copy is now to be found In 1754, in conjunction
with Dr. John Stokes, he published, at the desire of the
university, an edition of the “Orations of Demosthenes,
”
with a Latin version and notes, which we do not find mentioned by any of our classical bibliographers, except Harwood, who says it is in 2 vols. 12mo. In 1760 Dr. Leiand
published the first volume of his English “Translation of
Demosthenes,
” 4to, with notes critical and historical; the
second volume of which appeared in 1761, and the third in
1770. This raised his reputation very high as a classical
scholar and critic, and public expectation was farther gratified in 1758 by his “History of the Life and Reign of
Philip king of Macedon, the father of Alexander,
” 2 vols.
4to. His attention to the orations of Demosthenes and
Æschmes, and to Grecian politics, eminently qualified
him for treating the life of Philip with copiousness and accuracy. After this he proceeded with translations of Æschines, and the other orations of Demosthenes. In 1762,
he is supposed to have written, although he never formally
avowed it, the ingenious historical romance of “Longsword, earl or Salisbury.
”