f Scotland, who long kept an academy for the education of young men for the ministry among the class called Seceders in that country, was born in 1722, in a village called
, a clergyman of the church of Scotland, who long kept an academy for the education of
young men for the ministry among the class called Seceders in that country, was born in 1722, in a village
called Kerpoo, in the county of Perth. His parents died
when he was very young, leaving him almost destitute,
but by some means he contrived to obtain books, if not
regular education, and by dint of perseverance acquired a
considerable knowledge of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew,
with which last he was critically conversant. He could
also read and translate the French, Italian, German, Arabic, Persian, Syriac, and Ethiopic, but his favourite studies were divinity, and history both ecclesiastical and
civil. His principles being Calvinistic, his reading was
much confined to writers of that stamp, but he appears to
have studied every controversy in which the church has
been involved, with much attention. At what time he was
ordained, does not appear, but his extensive* learning
pointed him out to the associate synod, or synod of seceders, as a fit person to be their professor of divinity,
and train up young men, who had had a previous education, for the office of the ministry within their pale. His
residence was at Haddington, where he was preacher to a
numerous congregation of the seceders. At one time he
received a pressing invitation from the Dutch church in
the province of New York, to be their tutor in divinity,
which he declined. He died June 19, 1787. His principal works are, 1. An edition of the Bible, called “The
Self-interpreting Bible,
” from its marginal references,
which are far more copious than in any other edition, London, 1791, 2 vols. 4to, and since reprinted. 2. “Dictionary
of the Bible, on the plan of Calmet, but principally adapted
to common readers; often reprinted, 2 vols. 8vo. 3.
” Ex->
plication of Scripture Metaphors,“' 12mo. 4.
” History of
the Seceders,“eighth edition, 1802, 12mo. 5.
” The
Christian Student and Pastor,“1781, an abridgment of the
Lives of Pious Men. 6.
” Letters on the Government of
the Christian Church.“7.
” General History of the
Church,“1771, 2 vols. 12mo, a very useful compendium
of church history, partly on the plan of Mosheim, or
perhaps rather of Lampe. After his death appeared a volume entitled
” Select Hemains," with some account of
his life.
, M. D. author of what has been called the Brunonian system in medicine, was born in the parish of
, M. D. author of what has been called
the Brunonian system in medicine, was born in the parish
of Buncle, in the county of Berwick, in the year 1735, of
parents in a mean situation in life, but, in common with
the children of other villagers in Scotland, he received his
education at a grammar-school. As his mind was much
above the rank he was born in, his progress in literature
was proportionably superior to the rest of his school-fellows. He there imbibed a taste for letters, so that when
he was afterwards put apprentice to a weaver, instead of
attending to Ms business, his whole mind was bent on procuring books, which he read with great eagerness. Finding this disposition could not be conquered, his father
took him from the loom, and sent him to the
grammarschool at Dunse, where, under the tuition of Mr. Cruickshanks, he made such progress that he was soon regarded
as a prodigy. He read all the Latin classics with the
greatest facility, and was oo mean proficient in the knowledge of the Greek language. “His habits,
” we are told,
“were sober, he was of a religious turn, and was so
strongly attached to the sect of Seceders, or Whigs as tlrey
are called in Scotland, in which he had been bred, that he
would have thought his salvation hazarded, if he had attended the meetings of the established church. He aspired
to be a preacher of a purer religion.
” An accident, however, disgusted him with this society, before he was of art
age to be chosen a pastor, for which it appears he was intended. Having been prevailed on by some of his schoolfellows to attend divine service at the parish church of
Dunse, he was summoned before the session of the seceding congregation to answer for this offence; but his
high spirit not brooking to make an apology, to avoid the
censures of his brethren, and the ignominy of being expelled their community, he abdicated his principles, and
professed himself a member of the established church.
As his talents for literature were well known, he was
taken, at the age of twenty, to the house of a gentleman
in the neighbourhood of Dunse, as tutor to his son. Here
he did not long reside, but went the same year, 1755, to
Edinburgh, where he applied to the study of divinity, in
which he proceeded so far as to deliver, in the public hall,
a discourse upon a prescribed portion of scripture, the
usual step preliminary to ordination. But here his theological studies appear to have ended, and he suddenly left
Edinburgh, returned to Dunse, and officiated as an usher
in the school where he had been educated. He now exhibited himself as a free-liver and free-thinker, his discourse and manners being equally licentious and irregular,
which accounts for his dereliction of the study of theology.
At Dunse he continued about a year. During this time,
a vacancy happening in one of the classes in the high
school at Edinburgh, Brown appeared as a candidate, but
was not successful. Soon after he was applied to by a
student in medicine, at Edinburgh, to put his inaugural
thesis into, Latin. This he performed in so superior a
manner, that it gained him great reputation; it opened to
him a path which he had not probably before thought of,
for turning his erudition to profit. On the strength of the
character procured him by this performance, he returned
to 'Edinburgh, and determined to apply to the study of
medicine. “He had now,
” he said, “discovered his
strength, and was ambitious of riding in his carriage as a
physician.
” At the opening of the session he addressed
Latin letters to each of the professors, who readily gave
him tickets of admission to their lectures, which he attended
diligently for several years; in the interim, teaching Latin
to such of the pupils as applied, and assisting them in,
writing their theses, or turning them into Latin. The
price, when he composed the thesis, was ten guineas;
when he translated their compositions into Latin, five. If
he had been now prudent, or had not indulged in the most
destructive excesses, he might, it is probable, in a few
years, have attained the eminence he promised himself;
but he marred all by his intemperance. In no long time
after this, his constitution, which had been hardy and robust, became debilitated, and he had the face and appearance of a worn-out debauchee. His bad habits had not,
however, prevented his getting the friendship or assistance
of Dr. Cullen, who, desirous of availing himself of his
talents, employed him as a tutor to his sons, and made
use of him as an assistant in his lectures; Brown repeating
to his pupils in the evening, the lecture they had heard in
the morning, and explaining to them such parts as were
abstruse and difficult. In 1765 he married, and took a
house, which was soon filled with boarders; but, continuing his improvident course, he became a bankrupt at the
nd of three or four years. He now became a candidate
for one of the medical chairs, but failed; and as he attributed his missing this promotion to Dr. Cullen, he very unadvisedly broke off his connection with him, and became the
declared enemy to him and his system; which he had always
before strenuously defended. This probably determined him
to form a new system of medicine, doubtless meaning to annihilate that of his former patron. As he had read but few
medical books, and was but little versed in practice, his
theory must have been rather the result of contemplation
than of experience. That in forming it, he was influenced
by his attachment to spirituous liquors, seems probable
from internal evidence, and from the effects he attributed
to them of diminishing the number as well as the severity
of the fits of the gout, under which he suffered. He always
found them more severe and frequent, he says,
he lived abstemiously. One of his pupils informed Br;
Beddoes, “that he was used, before he began to read his
lecture, to take fifty drops of laudanum in a glass of
whisky; repeating the dose four or five times during the
lecture. Between the effects of these stimulants, and
voluntary exertions, he soon waxed warm, and by degrees
his imagination was exalted into phrenzy.
” His intention
seems to have been to simplify medicine, and to render
the knowledge of it easily attainable, without the labour
of studying other authors. All general or universal diseases were therefore reduced by him to two great families
or classes, the sthenic and the asthenic; the former depending upon excess, the latter upon deficiency of exciting power. The former were to be removed by debilitating, the latter by stimulant medicines, of which the
most valuable and powerful are wine, brandy, and opium.
As asthenic diseases are more numerous y and occur much
more frequently than those from an opposite cause, his
opportunities of calling in the aid of these powerful stimuli
were proportionately numerous. “Spasmodic and convulsive disorders, and even hemorrhages,
” he says, “were
found to proceed from debility; and wine, and brandy,
which had been thought hurtful in these diseases, he found
the most powerful of all remedies in removing them.
”
When he had completed his plan, 'he published his theory
or system, under the title of “Elementa Medicinse,
” from
his preface to which the preceding quotations have been
principally taken. Though he had been eleven or twelve
years at Edinburgh, he had not taken his degree of doctor;
and as he was now at variance with all the medical professors, not thinking it prudent to offer himself there, he
went to St. Andrew’s, where he was readily admitted to
that honour. He now commenced public teacher of medicine, making his “Elementa
” his text book; and convinced, as it seems, of the soundness of his doctrine, he
exultingly demands (preface to a new edition of the translation of his “Elementa,
” by Dr. Beddoes), whether the
medical art, hitherto conjectural, incoherent, and in the
great body of its doctrines false, was not at last reduced to
a science of demonstration, which might be called the
science of life? His method in giving his lectures was, first
to translate the text book, sentence by sentence, and then
to expatiate upon the passage. The novelty of the docfeine procured him at first a pretty numerous class of pupilsj
but as he was irregular in his attendance, and his habits
of drinking increased upon him, they were soon. reduced
in number, and he became so involved in his circumstances, that it became necessary for him to quit Edinburgh; he therefore came to London in the autumn of the
year 1786. Here, for a time, he was received with favour, but his irregularities in living increasing upon him,
he came to his lodgings, in the evening of the 8th of October, in 1788, intoxicated, and taking, as it was his
custom, a large dose of laudanum, he died in the course
of the night, before he had entered on his career of lecturing, for which he was making preparations. He had
the preceding year published “Observations on the Old
Systems of Physic,
” as a prelude to the introduction of his
own; but it was little noticed. His opinions have, however, ' met with patrons in Germany and Italy, as well as
in this country, and several volumes have been Written on
the subject of them; but they are now pretty generally,
and deservedly, abandoned.
, an eminent horticulturist, and, from a word often employed by him in laying out gardens, called Capability Brown , was born at Kirkharle, in Northumberland,
, an eminent horticulturist, and, from a word often employed by him in laying out gardens, called Capability Brown , was born at Kirkharle, in Northumberland, Aug. 1715. Of his education we have no account, but he came early in life to the metropolis, and was employed by lord Cobham in improving the grounds at Stowe; and afterwards at Richmond, Blenheim, Luton, Wimbledon, Nuneham, &c. where he improved ornamental gardening in a very high degree, and approached more nearly to nature than his predecessors. In these operations he frequently discovered a very highly cultivated taste, and may be said to have led the fashion in horticulture for nearly half a century. He associated also with familiarity with many of his noble and opulent employers, and realized a handsome fortune. In 1770 he served the office of high sheriff for the counties of Huntingdon and Cambridge. He died suddenly in Hertfordstreet, May-fair, Feb. 6, 1783, being at that time head gardener to his majesty, at Hampton-court.
a character for zeal and sanctity, he then began to infect his own countrymen; for which purpose he called in the assistance of one Richard Harrison, a country schoolmaster,
, an English divine of the sixteenth
and beginning of the seventeenth century, from whom the
sect of the Brownists derived its name, was descended of
an ancient and worshipful family, says Fuller, (one whereof founded a fair hospital in Stamford), and was nearly allied
to the lord-treasurer Cecil. He was the son of Anthony
Brown, of Tol thorp, in Rutlandshire, esq. (though born at Northampton, according to Mr. Collier), and grandson
of Francis Brown, whom king Henry VIII. in the eighteenth year of his reign, privileged by charter to wear
Jiis cap in the presence of himself, his heirs, or any of his
nobles, and not to uncover but at his own pleasure;
which charter was confirmed by act of parliament. Robert
Brown studied divinity at Cambridge, in Corpus Christi
college, and was afterwards a schoolmaster in Southwark. He was soon discovered by Dr. Still, master of
Trinity-college, to have somewhat extraordinary in him
that would prove a great disturbance to the church. Brown
soon verified what the doctor foretold, for he not only jm^
bibed Cartwright’s opinions, but resolved to refine upon
his scheme, and to produce something more perfect of his
own. Accordingly, about the year 1580, he began to inveigh openly against the discipline and ceremonies of the
church of England, and soon shewed that he intended to
go much farther than Cartwright had ever done. In his
discourses the church government was antichristian; her
sacraments clogged with superstition; the liturgy had a
mixture of Popery and Paganism in it; and the mission of
the clergy was no better than that of Baal’s priests in the
Old Testament. He first preached at Norwich, in 1581,
where the Dutch having a numerous congregation, many
of them inclined to Ahabaptism; and, therefore, being the
more disposed to entertain any new resembling opinion,
he made his first essay upon them; and having made some
progress, and raised a character for zeal and sanctity, he
then began to infect his own countrymen; for which purpose he called in the assistance of one Richard Harrison, a
country schoolmaster, and they formed churches out of
both nations, but mostly of the English. He instructed
his audience that the church of England was no true
church; that there was little of Christ’s institution in the
public ministrations, and that all good Christians were
obliged to separate from those impure assemblies; that
their only way was to join him and his disciples, among
whom all was pure and unexceptionable, evidently inspired by the Spirit of God, and refined from all alloy and
prophanation. These discourses prevailed on the audience; and his disciples, now called Brownists, formed a
society, and made a total defection from the church, refusing to join any congregation in any public office of
worship. Brown being convened before Dr. Freake, bishop
of Norwich, and other ecclesiastical commissioners, he
maintained his schism, to justify which he had also written
a book, and behaved rudely to the court, on which he was
committed to the custody of the sheriff of Norwich; but
his relation, the lord treasurer Burghley, imputing his
error and obstinacy to zeal, rather than malice, interceded
to have him charitably persuaded out of his opinions, and
released. To this end he wrote a letter to the bishop of
Norwich, which procured his enlargement. After this,
hisjordship ordered Brown up to London, and recommended him to archbishop Whitgift for his instruction and
counsel, in order to his amendment; but Brown left the
kingdom, and settled at Middleburgh in Zealand, where
he and his followers obtained leave of the states to form a
church according to their own model, which was drawn in
a book published by Brown at Middleburgh in 1582, and
called “A treatise of Reformation, without staying for any
man.
” How long he remained at Middleburgh, is not
precisely known; but he was in England in 1585, when
he was cited to appear before archbishop Whitgift, to
answer to certain matters contained in a book published by
him, but what this was, we are not informed. The archbishop, however, by force of reasoning, brought Brown
at last to a tolerable compliance with the church of England; and having dismissed him, the lord treasurer Burgh.Jey sent him to his father in the country, with a letter to
recommend him to his favour and countenance, but from
another letter of the lord treasurer’s, we learn that Brown’s
errors had sunk so deep as not to be so easily rooted out as
was imagined; and that he soon relapsed into his former opinions, and shewed himself so incorrigible, that his good old
father resolved to own him for his son no longer than his son
owned the church of England for his mother; and Brown
chusing rather to part with his aged sire than his new schism,
he was discharged the family. When gentleness was found
ineffectual, severity was next practised; and Brown, after
wandering up and down, and enduring great hardships, at
length went to live at Northampton, where, industriously
labouring to promote his sect, Lindsell, bishop of Peterborough, sent him a citation to come before him, which Brown
refused to obey; for which contempt he was excommunicated. This proved the means of his reformation; for he was
so deeply affected with the solemnity of this censure, that
he made his submission, moved for absolution, and received
it; and from that time continued in the communion of the
church, though it was not in his power to close the chasrn^
or heal the wound he had made in it. It was towards the
year 1590 that Brown renounced his principles of separation, antl was soon after preferred to the rectory of
Achurch, near Thrapston in Northamptonshire. Fuller
does not believe that Brown ever formally recanted his
opinions, either by word or writing, as to the main points
of his doctrine; but that his promise of a general compliance with the church of England, improved by the countenance of his patron and kinsman, the earl of Exeter, prevailed upon the archbishop, and procured this extraordinary favour for him. He adds, that Brown allowed a
salary for one to discharge his cure; and though he opposed his parishioners in judgment, yet agreed in taking
their tithes. He was a man of good parts and some learning, but was imperious and uncontroulable; and so far
from the Sabbatarian strictness afterwards espoused by
some of his followers, that he led an idle and dissolute life.
In a word, says Fuller, he had a wife with whom he never
lived, and a church in which he never preached, though
he received the profits thereof: and as all the other scenes
of his life were stonny and turbulent, so was his end: for
the constable of his parish requiring, somewhat roughly,
the payment of certain rates, his passion moved him to
blows, of which the constable complaining to justice St.
John, he rather inclined to pity than punish him but
Brown behaved with so much insolence, that he was sent
to Northampton gaol on a feather-bed in a cart, being
very infirm, and aged above eighty years, where he soon
after sickened and died, anno 1630, after boasting, “That
he had been committed to thirty-two prisons, in some of
which he could not see his hand at noon-day.
” He was
buried in his church of Achurch in Northamptonshire.
, 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
, 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.D. provost of Queen’s-college, Oxford, was born at a place called the Tongue, in Watermillock, Cumberland, in 1700, and was baptised
, D.D. provost of Queen’s-college, Oxford, was born at a place called the Tongue, in Watermillock, Cumberland, in 1700, and was baptised Dec. 19, of that year. His father, George Browne, was a reputable yeoman, who was enabled to give his son a classical education at Barton school, and afterwards sent him to Queen’s-college, where he was admitted a member March 22, 1716-17. Here his good behaviour and rapid progress in knowledge, procured him many friends that were of great service to him. In due time he was elected taberdar upon the foundation; and having gone through that office with honour, he took the degree of M. A. Nov. 4th, 1724, and was chosen one of the chaplains of the college. In 1726 he published, from the university press, a most beautiful edition of cardinal Barberini’s Latin poems, with notes and a life of the author, (who was afterwards pope Urban VIII.) and a dedication to his friend Edward Hassel, esq. of Dalemain* his friend and patron. In April 1731, he was elected fellow, and became an eminent tutor, having several young noblemen of the first rank intrusted to his care. In this useful and important station he continued many years, exercising strict discipline, and assiduously studying to promote the prosperity of the college. He took the degree of D. D. July 9, 1743, and was presented by the provost and society to the rectory of Bramshot, in Hampshire, May 1, 1746, The university also conferred upon him the professorship of natural philosophy in 1747, which he held till his death. At his living at Bramshot, he resided more than ten years, during which time he was collated to the chancellorship of Hereford, and was made a canon-residentiary by the right rev. lord James Beauclerk, bishop of that diocese, who had formerly been his pupil.
In 1754 Mr. Browne published what may be called his. great work, his Latin poem “I}e Aiumi Immortalitate^ in
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.
stinguished himself by his, poetical talents, and when only twenty years of age, published a tragedy called “Polidus,” and a farce called “All-bedevilled,” which were played
, vicar of Olney in Buckinghamshire, and chaplain of Morden college, was born in 1703,
and was originally a pen-cutter. Early in life he distinguished himself by his, poetical talents, and when only
twenty years of age, published a tragedy called “Polidus,
”
and a farce called “All-bedevilled,
” which were played
together at a private theatre in St. Alban’s-street, neither
of much merit. He became afterwards a frequent contributor to the Gentleman’s Magazine, and carried off several
of the prizes which Cave, the printer and proprietor of that
Magazine, then offered for the best compositions. When,
Cave published a translation of Du Halde’s China, he inscribed the different plates to his friends, and one to
“Moses Browne,
” with which familiar designation Browne
thought proper to be offended, and Cave, to pacify him,
directed the engraver to introduce Mr. with a caret under
the line. In 1729, he published his “Piscatory Eclogues,
”
without his name, which were reprinted in Poems on various subjects,
” 8vo, and again in an extended form, with notes, in 1773. For along time,
however, even after his abilities were known, he remained in
poverty, and in 1745, when it appears he had a wife and
seven children, we find him applying to Dr. Birch for the
situation of messenger, or door-keeper, to the royal society.
In 1750, he published an edition of Walton and Cotton’s
Angler, with a preface, notes, and some valuable additions,
which was republished in 1759 and 1772, and in the former year drew him into a controversy with sir John Hawkins, who happened to be then publishing an improved
edition of the same work. From his poems, as well as
from the scattered observations in the “Angler,
” he appears to have been always of a religious turn; and in 1752
published in verse, a series of devout contemplations, entitled “Sunday Thoughts,
” which went through a second
edition in The Nativity and Humiliation of Jesus
Christ, practically considered.
” In Percy Lodge,
” a seat of the
duke and duchess of Somerset, written by command of
their late graces, in 1749. In what year he was presented
to the vicarage of Sutton, in Lincolnshire, we are not informed; but in 1763, he was elected to the chaplainship of
Morden college in Kent, and some time after appointed the
late rev. John Newton for his curate at Olney. In 1765 he
published a sermon “preached to the Society for the
Reformation of Manners,
” and a few years after, a “Visitation Sermon,
” delivered at Stony Stratford. Besides
these, Mr. Browne is said to have published one or two political tracts; and in 1772, a translation of a work of John
Liborius Zimmerman, entitled “The Excellency of the
knowledge of Jesus Christ,
” London, 12mo. He died at
Morden college, Sept. 13, 1787, aged eighty-four. His
wife died in 1783. Mr. Browne was a man of some learning and piety, but as a poet, we fear he cannot be allowed
to rank higher than among versifiers.
The reputation of Browne encouraged some low writer to publish, under his name, a book called “Nature’s cabinet unlocked,” translated, according to Wood,
The reputation of Browne encouraged some low writer
to publish, under his name, a book called “Nature’s cabinet unlocked,
” translated, according to Wood, from the
physics of Magirus, but Browne advertised against it. In
1658, the discovery of some ancient urns in Norfolk gave
him occasion to write “Hydriotaphia, Urn -burial, or a
discourse of Sepulchral Urns,
” 8vo, in which he treats
with his usual learning, on the funeral rites of the ancient
nations; exhibits their various treatment of the dead; and
examines the substances found in these Norfolk urns.
There is, perhaps, none -of his works which better exemplifies his reading or memory. To this treatise was
added “The Garden of Cyrus, or the Quincunxial lozenge, or net-work plantation of the ancients, artificially,
naturally, mystically considered.
” This is a more fanciful
performance than the other, but still it exhibits the fancy
of a man of learning. Besides these, he left some papers
prepared for the press, of which two collections have been
published, the first by Dr. Thomas Tennison, afterwards
archbishop of Canterbury, in 1684, 8vo, entitled, “A
Collection of Miscellaneous Tracts,
” and these, with what
had been published in his life-time, were printed in one
vol. fol. in 1686. In 1690 his son, Dr. Edward Browne,
of whom we have already spoken, published a single tract,
entitled “A Letter to a friend upon occasion of the death
of his intimate friend,
” 8vo. The second collection was
of the “Posthumous Works,
” edited in
ing seen all he wanted of me, he desired to see something more of the seat, and particularly what he called the monument, by which I understood him to mean the Prior’s
“When you see Dr. Heberden, pray communicate to him.
an unexpected honour I have lately received. The other
day, word was brought me from below, that one sir William Browne sent up his name, and should be glad to kiss
my hand. I judged it to be the famous physician, whom
I had never seen, nor had the honour to know. When I
came down into the drawing-room, I was accosted by a
little, round, well-fed gentleman, with a large muff in
one hand, a small Horace, open, in the other, and a
spying-glass dangling in a black ribbon at his button.
After the first salutation, he informed me that his visit was
indeed to me; but principally, and in. the first place, to
Prior-Park, which had so inviting a prospect from below;
and he did riot doubt but, on examination, it would sufficiently repay the trouble he had given himself of coming
up to it on foot. We then took our chairs; and the first
thing he did or said, was to propose a doubt to me concerning a passage in Horace, which all this time he had
still open in his hand. Before I could answer, he gave me
the solution of this long-misunderstood passage; and, in
support of his explanation, had the charity to repeat his
own paraphrase of it in English verse, just come hot, as
he said, from the brain. When this and chocolate were
over, having seen all he wanted of me, he desired to see
something more of the seat, and particularly what he called
the monument, by which I understood him to mean the
Prior’s tower. Accordingly, I ordered a servant to attend
him thither, and when he had satisfied his curiosity, either
to let him out from the Park above, into the Down, or
from the garden below into the road. Which he chose, I
never asked; and so this honourable visit ended. Hereby
you will understand that the design of all this was to be
admired. And indeed he had my admiration to the full;
but for nothing so much, as for his being able at past eighty
to perform this expedition on foot, in no good weather,
and with all the alacrity of a boy, both in body and mind.
”
This portrait is correct in every thing but the age, sir
William being only then (1767) seventy-five.
lished, 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
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.
nd domestic circle, but also to the then president of the royal society, sir John Pringle; who, when called upon to bestow upon Dr. Priestley the gold medal for his paper
, an eminent physician, a
native of Cumberland, was born in 1711, and educated in
medical science at Leyden, under Albinus, Euler, and
Boerhaave. Having taken his medical degree in 1737, he
returned to his native country, and settled at Whitehaven,
where his practice became very extensive. About twenty
years before his death, he retired to Ormathwaite, where
he died, Jan. 7, 1800, in his eighty-ninth year, regretted
as a man of amiable and endearing virtues, and a most
skilful physician. His principal publications were, 1. His
inaugural thesis, “De Praxi medica ineunda,
” Leyden,
A treatise on the art of making common
Salt,
” Lond. An enquiry concerning the mineral elastic spirit contained in the water of Spa in Germany,
” printed in the Philosophical Transactions, vol. LV.
4. A treatise, “On the means of preventing the communication of pestilent contagion.
” A trip to the Spas of
Germany suggested to him the idea of analizing the properties of the Pyrmont springs, and of some others, and
led him into that train of nice and deep disquisition, which
terminated in the de-elementizing one of our elements,
and fixing its invisible fluid form into a palpable and visible
substance. All this he effected by producing the various
combinations of gases and vapours which constitute atmospheric air, and separating into many forms this long-supposed one and indivisible, whilst he solidified its fluid essence into a hard substance. That Dr. Brownrigg was the
legitimate father of these discoveries was not only known at
the time to his intimate and domestic circle, but also to the
then president of the royal society, sir John Pringle; who,
when called upon to bestow upon Dr. Priestley the gold
medal for his paper of “Discoveries of the Nature and
Properties of Air,
” thus observes, “And it is no disparagement to the learned Dr. Priestley, that the vein of these
discoveries was hit upon, and its course successfully followed up, some years ago, by my very learned, very penetrating, very industrious, but too modest friend, Dr.
Brownrigg.
” To habits, indeed, of too much diffidence,
and to too nice a scrupulosity of taste, the world has to attribute the fewness of his publications. One of his literary
projects was a general history of the county of Cumberland, but it does not appear that he had made much progress. He assisted Mr. West, however, in his entertaining.“Tour to the Lakes,
” forming the plan of that popular work.
, called Old Brueghel, to distinguish him from his son, was the first
, called Old
Brueghel, to distinguish him from his son, was the first
of a family of eminent artists. He was born at Brueghel,
a village near Breda, in 1510, and acquired the first principles of his art from Peter Cock, or Koeck-van-Aelst,
whose daughter he married. He afterwards travelled in
France and Italy; studied nature, amidst the mountains of
Tyrol, and the scenery of the Alps; and availed himself
of the works of the greatest masters in Italy. On his return from Italy, he resided for some time at Antwerp, and
from thence he removed to Brussels. Whilst he was employed by the magistrates of this city, in taking views of
the canal which fails into the Scheldt, he sickened, and
died in 1570; after having caused to be burned in his
presence, all his licentious and satirical designs. He
chiefly excelled in landscapes, and droll subjects, re
sembling those of Jerom Bosche; and he was particularly
fond of representing the marches of armies, robberies,
skirmishes, sports, dances, weddings, and drunken quarrels; and in order to acquire greater skill and accuracy in
this kind of representations, he often assumed the habit of
a peasant, and joined the meaner boors at their feasts and.
amusements. His figures were correct, and their
draperies well chosen; the heads and hands were touched
with spirit; and his expression, though not elegant, was
true. Sir Joshua Reynolds says, that “he was totally ignorant of all the mechanical art of making a picture;
” hut
there is in his “Slaughter of the Innocents
” (which sir Joshua saw in his travels), a great quantity of thinking, a
representation of variety of distress, enough for twenty
modern pictures. His principal performance is in the
emperor’s collection at Vienna, which is the “Representation of the building of the tower of Babel, by Nimrod.
” Several of his paintings are in the cabinets of the
emperor and elector palatine, and dispersed through various parts of Europe. For his amusement he engraved
some few landscapes and grotesque subjects.
, the younger, and sometimes Called " Hellish Brueghel 17 froni the nature of his subjects, was
, the younger, and sometimes Called " Hellish Brueghel 17 froni the nature of his subjects, was the son of the preceding artist, born at Brussels, and became the disciple of Gelles Coningsloo. His compositions rather excite disgust than satisfaction; and his human figures, though freely pencilled, and not ill coloured, are not much more elegant than those of the infernal kind. In his historical subjects he generally introduced witches and devils; such as Orpheus charming Pluto and Proserpine to procure the deliverance of Eurydice, surrounded with horrible forms and appearances; Saul and the Witchof Endor; or St. Anthony’s temptations. He is also enumerated by Strutt among the engravers. He died 1642.
Warton, was a metrical paraphrase of a French book, written by Robert Grosthead, bishop of Lincoln, called “Manuel Pecche” (Manuel des Péchés), being a treatise on the
, or Robert Mannyng, the first
English poet who occurs in the fourteenth century, was
born probably before 1270, as he was received into the
order of black canons at Brunne, about 1288. Malton
appears to have been his birth-place, but what Malton is
doubtful. He was, as far as can be discovered, merely a
translator. His first work, says Warton, was a metrical
paraphrase of a French book, written by Robert Grosthead,
bishop of Lincoln, called “Manuel Pecche
” (Manuel des Péchés), being a treatise on the decalogue, and on the
seven deadly sins, which are illustrated with many legendary stories. It was never printed, but is preserved in the
Bodleian library, Mss. No. 415, and in the Harleian Mss.
No. 1701. His second and more important work is a metrical chronicle of England, in two parts, the former of
which (from Æneas to the death of Cadwallader) is translated from Wace’s “Brut d'Angleterre,
” and the latter
(from Cadwallader to the end of the reign of Edward I.)
from a French chronicle written by Peter de Langtoft, an
Augustine canon of Bridlington in Yorkshire, who is supposed to have died in the reign of Edward II. and was
therefore contemporary with his translator. Hearne has
edited Robert de Brunne, but has suppressed the whole of
his translation from Wace, excepting the prologue, and a
few extracts which he found necessary to illustrate his
glossary. Mr. Ellis, to whom we are indebted for this article, has given some specimens of de Brunne’s work.
of the volume belong to another St. Bruno, first a monk of Soieria in the diocese of Ast, and hence called Astiensis. He distinguished himself at the council of Rome in
After St. Bruno had governed this infant society for six
years, he was invited to Rome by pope Urban II. who had
formerly been his scholar at Rheims, and now received him
with every mark of respect and confidence, and pressed him
to accept the archbishopric of Reggio. This however he
declined, and the pope consented that he should withdraw
into some wilderness on the mountains of Calabria. Bruno
found a convenient solitude in the diocese of Squiiiaci,
where he settled in 1090, with some new disciples, until
his death, Oct. 6. 1101. There are only two letters of his
remaining, one to Raoul le Verd, and the other to his
monks, which are printed in a folio volume, entitled “S.
Brunonis Qpera et Vita,
”
, founder of the sect, if it may be so called, of the Petrobrussians, in the twelfth century, appears to have
, founder of the sect, if it may be so called, of the Petrobrussians, in the twelfth century, appears to have propagated his doctrines chiefly in Languedoc and Provence, and after a laborious ministry of twenty years, during which he had collected a great number of followers, was burnt at St. Gilles in 1130, by the populace instigated by the popish clergy. His chief tenets were, that no persons ought to be baptised unless adults; that it was an idle superstition to build churches, as God will accept sincere worship wherever it is offered, and that such churches as had been erected were to be destroyed; with all crucifixes or instruments of superstition; that the real body and blood of Christ were not exhibited in the eucharist, but were represented only by figures and symbols, and that the oblations, prayers, &c. of the living were of, no use to the dead.
o have principally formed his taste from them. He worked almost entirely with the graver, and seldom called in the assistance of the point. He acquired a neat, free style
, an eminent engraver, was born in 1528, at Leige, but resided chiefly at Francfort, where he carried on a considerable commerce in prints. It does not appear to what master he owed his instructions in the art, but the works of Sebast Beham were certainly of great service to him. He copied many of the plates engraved by that artist, and seems to have principally formed his taste from them. He worked almost entirely with the graver, and seldom called in the assistance of the point. He acquired a neat, free style of engraving, well adapted to small subjects in which many figures were to be represented, as funeral parades, processions, &c. which he executed in a charming manner. He also drew very correctly. His heads, in general, are spirited and expressive, and the other extremities of his figures well-marked. His backgrounds, though frequently very slight, are touched with a masterly hand. He died, as his sons inform us (in the third part of Boissard’s collection of portraits), March 27, 1598. The two first parts of that collection were engraved by De Brye, assisted by his sons, who afterwards continued it.
1548, was sent for to Augsburg to sign that agreement betwixt the Protestants and Papists, which was called the Interim. His warm opposition to this project exposed him
, an eminent German reformer, was
born in 1491, at Schelestadt, a town of Alsace. At the
age of seven he took the religious habit in the order of St.
Dominic, and with the leave of the prior of his convent,
went to -Heidelberg to learn logic and philosophy. Having
applied himself afterwards to divinity, he made it his endeavour to acquire a thorough knowledge of the Greek
and Hebrew. About this time some of Erasmus’s pieces
came abroad, which he read with great avidity, and
meeting afterwards with certain tracts of Luther, and
comparing the doctrine there delivered with the sacred scriptures, he began to entertain doubts concerning several
things in the popish religion. His uncommon learning
and his eloquence, which was assisted by a strong and
musical voice, and his free censure of the vices of the
times, recommended him to Frederick elector palatine,
who made him one of his chaplains. After some conferences with Luther, at Heidelberg, in 1521, he adopted
most of his religious notions, particularly those with regard to justification. However, in 1532, he gave the
preference to the sentiments of Zuinglius, but used his
utmost endeavours to re-unite the two parties, who both
opposed the Romish religion. He is looked upon as one
of the first authors of the reformation at Strasburg, where
he taught divinity for twenty years, and was one of the
ministers of the town. He assisted at many conferences
concerning religion; and in 1548, was sent for to Augsburg to sign that agreement betwixt the Protestants and
Papists, which was called the Interim. His warm opposition to this project exposed him to many difficulties and
harships; the news of which reaching England, where his
fame had already arrived, Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, g av e him an invitation to come over, which he
readily accepted. In 1549 an handsome apartment was
assigned him in the university of Cambridge, and a salary
to teach theology. King Edward VI. had the greatest regard for him; being told that he was very sensible of the
cold of this climate, and suffered much for want of a German stove, he sent him an hundred crowns to purchase one.
He died of a complication of disorders, in 1551, and was
buried at Cambridge, in St. Mary’s church, with great funeral pomp. Five years after, in the reign of queen Mary,
his body was dug up and publicly burnt, and his tomb demolished; but it was afterwards set up again by order of
queen Elizabeth. He married a nun, by whom he had
thirteen children. This woman dying of the plague, he
married another, and, according to some, upon her death,
he took a third wife. His character is thus given by Burnet:
“Martin Bucer was a very learned, judicious, pious, and
moderate person. Perhaps he was inferior to none of all
the reformers for learning; but for zeal, for true piety,
and a most tender care of preserving unity among the foreign churches, Melancthon and he, without any injury
done to the rest, may be ranked apart by themselves. He
was much opposed by the Popish party at Cambridge;
who, though they complied with the law, and so kept their
places, yet, either in the way of argument, as if it had
been for dispute’s sake, or in such points as were not determined, set themselves much to lessen his esteem. Nor
was he furnished naturally with that quickness that is necessary for a disputant, from which they studied to draw
advantages; and therefore Peter Martyr wrote to him to
avoid all public disputes.
” His writings were in Latin
and in German? and so numerous, that it is computed they
would form eight or nine folio volumes. His anxiety to
reconcile the Lutherans and Zuinglians led him to use
many general and perhaps ambiguous expressions in his
writings. He seems to have thought Luther’s notion of
the sacrament too strong, and that of Zuinglius too weak.
Verheiclen in Latin, and Lupton in English, have given a
list of his works, but without size or dates.
a part, to the number of fortysix persons, left Irvine. The Buchanites (for so they were immediately called) went through Mauchlin, Cumnock old and new, halted three days
, the foundress of a set of modern fanatics, and the daughter of John Simpson, the keeper of an inn at Fitmy-Can, the half-way house between Banff and Portsoy, in the north of Scotland, was born in 1738; and, when she had completed her one-andtwentieth year, was sent to Glasgow, where she entered into the service of Mr. Martin, one of the principal proprietors of the Delft-work there. In this situation she had remained but a short time, when she accepted proposals of marriage from Robert Buchan, one of the workmen in the service of the same Mr. Martin. For some years, Robert and Elspeth Buchan lived happily together, having many children, whom they educated in a manner suitable to their station in life. At the time of her marriage, Mrs. Buchan was of the episcopal persuasion, but the husband being a burgher-seceder, she adopted his principles, and entered into communion with that sect. She had always been a constant reader of the scriptures; and taking a number of passages in a strictly literal sense, she changed her opinions about the year 1776, became the promulgator of many singular doctrines, and soon brought over to her notions Mr. Hugh Whyte, a dissenting minister at Irvine, and connected with Mr. Bell in Glasgow, and Mr. Bain in Edinburgh; and who, upon Mr. Whyte’s abdication of his charge, settled Mr. Robertson in his place at Irvine. She went on continually making new converts till April 1790, at which time the populace in Irvine rose, assembled round Mr. Whyte’s house, and broke all the windows; when Mrs. Buchan and the whole of her converts, of whom the above-mentioned were a part, to the number of fortysix persons, left Irvine. The Buchanites (for so they were immediately called) went through Mauchlin, Cumnock old and new, halted three days at Kirconnel, passed through Sanquhar and Thornhill, and then settled at a farm-house, the out-houses of which they had all along possessed, paying for them, as well as for whatever they wanted.
s shortly going to a place where there were few kings.” We are also told, that when he was dying, he called for his servant, whose name was Young, and asked him how much
During his residence in England, he wrote some encomiastic verses in honour of queen Elizabeth, and several
English ladies of rank, from whom he received presents.
He appears to have been very ready to receive favours of
that kind; and, like Erasmus, not to have been at all
backward in making his, wants known, or taking proper
measures to procure occasional benefactions from the great.
In 1571 he published his “Detectio Marise Reginae,
” in
which he very severely arraigned the conduct and character of queen Mary, and expressly charged her with
being concerned in the murder of her husband lord
Darnly. At the beginning of 1570, his pupil, the earl
of Murray, regent of Scotland, was assassinated, which,
Mackenzie says, “was a heavy stroke to him, for he loved
him as his own life.
” He continued, however, to be in
favour with some of those who were invested with power
in Scotland; for, after the death of the earl of Murray, he
was appointed one of the lords of the council, and lord
privy seal. It appears also that he had a pension of one
hundred pounds a year, settled on him by queen Elizabeth. In 1579 he published his famous treatise “De Jure
Regni apud Scotos;
” which he dedicated to king James.
In History of Scotland,
” in twenty books, on which he had chiefiy employed the last twelve or thirteen years of his life. He
died at Edinburgh the same year, on the 5th of December,
in the seventy-sixth year of his age. Towards the close of
his life, he had sometimes resided at Stirling. Ife is said,
that when he was upon his death-bed, he was informed
that the king was highly incensed against him for writing
his book “De Jure Regni,
” and his “History of Scotland;
” to which he replied, that “he was not much conterned about that; for he was shortly going to a place
where there were few kings.
” We are also told, that when
he was dying, he called for his servant, whose name was
Young, and asked him how much money he had of his;
and finding that it was not sufficient to defray the expences
of his burial, he commanded him to distribute it amongst
the poor. His servant thereupon asked him: “Who then
would be at'the charge of burying him?
” Buchanan replied, “That he was very indifferent about that; for if
he were once dead, if they would not bury him, they
might let him lie where he was, or throw his corpse where
they pleased.
” Accordingly, he was buried at the expence of the city of Edinburgh. Archbishop Spotswood
says of Buchanan, that “in his old age he applied himself
to write the Scots History, which he renewed with such
judgment and eloquence, as no country can shew a better:
only in this he is justly blamed, that he sided with the
factions of the time, and to justify the proceedings of the
noblemen against the queen, he went so far in depressing
the royal authority of princes, and allowing their controulment by subjects; his bitterness also in writing of the
queen, and of the times, all wise men have disliked; but
otherwise no man hath merited better of his country for
learning, nor thereby did bring to it more glory. He was
buried in the common burial-place, though worthy to have
been laid in marble, and to have had some statue erected
to his memory; but such pompous monuments in his life
he was wont to scorn and despise, esteeming it a greater
credit, as it was said of the Roman Cato, to have it asked,
Why doth he lack a statue? than to have had one, though
never so glorious, erected.
”
nwillingness in the court to entertain it, lest it should administer to the introduction of what was called heresy. Charles VIII. was the first who invited him to court,
, or Bude’ (William), an eminent scholar
and critic, the descendant of an ancient and illustrious
family in France, lord of Marli-la-ville, king’s counsellor,
and master of requests, was born at Paris in 1467. He
was the second son of John Budé, lord of Yere and Villiers,
secretary to the king, and one of the grand officers of the
French chancery. In his infancy he was provided with
masters; but such was the low state of Parisian education
at that time, that when sent to the university of Orleans to
study law, he remained there for three years, without
making any progress, for want of a proper knowledge of
the Latin language. Accordingly, on his return home, his
parents had the mortification to discover that he was as
ignorant as when he went, disgusted with study of any
kind, and obstinately bent to pass his time amidst the
gaieties and pleasures of youth, a coarse which his fortune
enabled him to pursue. But after he had indulged this
humour for some time, an ardent passion for study seized
him, and became irresistible. He immediately disposed
of his horses, dogs, &c. with which he followed the chace,
applied himself to study, and in a short time made very
considerable progress, although he had no masters, nor
either instruction or example in his new pursuit. He became, in particular, an excellent Latin scholar, and although
his style is not so pure or polished as that of those who
formed themselves in early life on the best models, it is
far from being deficient in fluency or elegance. His knowledge of the Greek was so great that John de Lascaris, the
most learned Grecian of his time, declared that Budé might
be compared with the first orators of ancient Athens. This
language is perhaps complimentary, but it cannot be denied that his knowledge of Greek was very extraordinary,
considering how little help he derived from instructions.
He, indeed, employed at a large salary, one Hermonymus,
but soon found that he was very superficial, and had acquired the reputation of a Greek scholar merely from
knowing a little more than the French literati, who at that
time knew nothing. Hence Budé used to call himself
ανἶομαθης & οψιμαϑης
i. e. self-taught and late taught. The work
by which he gained most reputation, and published under
the title “De Asse,
” was one of the tirst efforts to clear up
the difficulties relating to the coins and measures of the
ancients; and although an Italian, Leonardus Portius, pretended to claim some of his discoveries, Budé vindicated
his right to them with spirit and success. Previously to
this he had printed a translation of some pieces of Plutarch,
and “Notes upon the Pandects.
” His fame having
reached the court, he was invited to it, but was at first
rather reluctant. He appears to have been one of those
who foresaw the advantages of a diffusion of learning, and
at the same time perceived an unwillingness in the court
to entertain it, lest it should administer to the introduction
of what was called heresy. Charles VIII. was the first
who invited him to court, but died soon after: his successor Louis XII. employed him twice on embassies to
Italy, and made him his secretary. This favour continued
in the reign of Francis I. who sent for Budé to court when
it was held at Arches at the interview of that monarch with
Henry VIII. the king of England. From this time Francis
paid him much attention, appointed him his librarian, and
master of the requests, while the Parisians elected him
provost of the merchants. This political influence he employed in promoting the interests of literature, and suggested to Francis I. the design of establishing professorships for languages and the sciences at Paris. The excessive heats of the year 1540 obliging the king to take a
journey to the coast of Normandy, Budé accompanied his
majesty, but unfortunately was seized with a fever, which
carried him off Aug. 23/1540, at Paris. His funeral was
private, and at night, by his own desire. This circumstance created a suspicion that he died in the reformed religion; but of this there is ho direct proof, and although
he occasionally made free with the court of Rome and the
corruptions of the clergy in his works, yet in them likewise he wrote with equal asperity of the reformers. Erasmus called him porttntum Gallic, the prodigy of France.
There was a close connection between these two great
men. “Their letters/' says the late Dr. Jortin,
” though
full of compliments and civilities, are also full of little
bickerings and contests: which shew that their friendship
was not entirely free from some small degree of jealousy
and envy; especially on the side of Budé, who yet in
other respects was an excellent person." It is not easy
to determine on which side the jealousy lay; perhaps it
was on both. Budé might envy Erasmus for his superior
taste and wit, as well as his more extensive learning; and
perhaps Erasmus might envy Budé for a superior knowledge of the Greek tongue, which was generally ascribed
to him.
o, about the same time, many other pieces of a political nature. In 1733, he began a weekly pamphlet called “The Bee,” which he continued for about a hundred numbers, making
Mr. Budgell’s great and noble friend lord Halifax, to
whom in 1713 he had dedicated a translation of “Theophrastus’s Characters,
” was dead, and lord Orrery, who
held him in the highest esteem, had it not in his power to
serve him. Addison had indeed got a promise from lord
Sunderland, that, as soon as the present clamour was a
little abated, he would do something for him; but that
gentleman’s death, happening in 1719, put an end to all
hopes of succeeding at court: where he continued,
nevertheless, to make several attempts, but was constantly kept
down by the weight of the duke of Bolton. One case
seems peculiarly hard. The duke of Portland, who was
appointed governor of Jamaica, made Budgell his secretary, who was about to sail, when a secretary of state was
sent to the duke, to acquaint him “that he might take
any man in England for his secretary, excepting Mr.
Budgell, but that he must not take him
” In 1720, the
fatal year of the South Sea, he was almost ruined, having
lost abdve 20,000l. in it. He tried afterwards to get into
parliament at several places, and spent 3000l. more in
unsuccessful attempts, which completed his ruin. And
from this period he began to behave and live in a different
manner from what he had done before; wrote libellous
pamphlets against sir Robert Walpole and the ministry,
and did many unjust things in regard to his relations, being
distracted in his own private fortune, as indeed he waa
judged to be in his senses. In 1727 he had 1000l. given
him by the duchess of Marlborough, to whose husband,
the famous duke, he was related by his mother’s side, with
a view to his getting into parliament. She knew that he
had a talent for speaking in public, that he was acquainted
with business, and would probably run any lengths against
the ministry. But this scheme failed, for he could never
get chosen. In 1730 he joined the band of writers against
the administration, and published many papers in the
“Craftsman.
” He published also, about the same time,
many other pieces of a political nature. In 1733, he began a weekly pamphlet called “The Bee,
” which he continued for about a hundred numbers, making seven or
eight volumes, 8vo. During the progress of this work,
which was entirely filled with his own disputes and concerns, and exhibited many proofs of a mind deranged by
oppression, or debased by desperate efforts to retrieve his
character, Dr. Tindal died, by whose will Mr. Budgell
had 2000l. left him; and the world being surprised at such
a gift from a man entirely unrelated to him, to the exclusion of the next heir, a nephew, and the continuator
of Rapin’s History of England, immediately imputed! it
to his making the will himself. Thus the satirist:
te letters, and regulate his domestic concerns. At six he retired to his study, which was a pavilion called the Tower of St. Louis, about a furlong from the house, at the
, the
most eminent French naturalist of the eighteenth century,
the son of a counsellor of the parliament of Dijon, was
born at Moytbard in Burgundy, September the 7th, 1707.
Having manifested an early inclination to the sciences, he
gave up the profession of the law, for which his father had
designed him. The science which seems to have engaged
his earliest attachment was astronomy; with a view to
which he applied with such ardour to the study of
geometry, that be always carried in his pocket the elements of
Euclid. At the age of twenty he travelled into Italy, and
in the course of his tour he directed his attention to the
phenomena of nature more than to the productions of art:
and at this early period he was also ambitious of acquiring
the art of writing with ease and elegance. In 1728 he
succeeded to the estate of his mother, estimated at about
12,000l. a year; which by rendering his circumstances affluent and independent, enabled him to indulge his taste
in those scientific researches and literary pursuits, to which
his future life was devoted. Having concluded his travels,
at the age of twenty-five, with a journey to England, he
afterwards resided partly at Paris, where, in 1739, he was
appointed superintend ant of the royal garden and cabinet,
and partly on his estate at Montbard. Although he was
fond of society, and a complete sensualist, he was indefatigable in his application, and is said to have employed
fourteen hours every day in study; he would sometimes
return from the suppers at Paris at two in the morning,
when he was young, and order a boy to call him at five;
and if he lingered in bed, to drag him out on the floor.
At this early hour it was his custom, at Montbard, to dress,
powder, dictate letters, and regulate his domestic concerns.
At six he retired to his study, which was a pavilion called
the Tower of St. Louis, about a furlong from the house, at
the extremity of the garden, and which was accommodated
only with an ordinary wooden desk and an armed chair.
Within this was another sanctuary, denominated by prince
Henry of Prussia “the Cradle of Natural History,
” in
which he was accustomed to compose, and into which
no one was suffered to intrude. At nine his breakfast,
which consisted of two glasses of wine and a bit of bread,
was brought to his study; and after breakfast he wrote for
about two hours, and then returned to his house. At dinner he indulged himself in all the gaieties and trifles which
occurred at table, and in that freedom of conversation,
which obliged the ladies, when any of character were his
guests, to withdraw. When dinner was finished, he paid
little attention either to his family or guests; but having
slept about an hour in his room, he took a solitary walk,
and then he would either converse with his friends or sit at
his desk, examining papers that were submitted to his
judgment. This kind of life he passed for fifty years; and
to one who. expressed his astonishment at his great
reputation, he replied, “Have not I spent fifty years at my
clesk?
” At nine he retired to bed. In this course he prolonged his life, notwithstanding his excessive indulgences
with women, and his excruciating sufferings occasioned by
the gravel and stone, which he bore with singular fortitude
and patience, to his 81st year; and retained his senses till
within a few hours of his dissolution, which happened on
the 16th of April, 1788. His body was embalmed, and
presented first at St. Medard’s church, and afterwards conveyed to Mont-bard, where he had given orders in his will
to be interred in the same vault with his wife. His funeral
was attended by a great concourse of academicians, and
persons of rank, and literary distinction; and a crowd of at
least 20,000 spectators assembled in the streets through
which the hearse was to pass. When his body was opened,
57 stones were found in his bladder, some of which were as
large as a small bean: and of these 37 were crystallized in
a triangular form, weighing altogether two ounces and six
drams. All his other parts were perfectly sound; his brain
was found to be larger than the ordinary size; and it was
the opinion of the gentlemen of the faculty who examined
the body, that the operation of the lithotomy might have
been performed without the least danger; but to this mode
of relief M. Buffon had invincible objections. He left one
son, who fell a victim to the atrocities under Robespierre.
This son had erected a monument to his father in the gardens of Montbard; which consisted of a simple column,
with this inscription:
, one of the German reformers, sometimes, from his native country, called Pomeranus, was born at Julin, or Wollin, near Stetin, in Pomerania,
, one of
the German reformers, sometimes, from his native country,
called Pomeranus, was born at Julin, or Wollin, near
Stetin, in Pomerania, June 24, 1485, and his parents being of some rank in the state were enabled to give him a
very liberal education. He was sent early to the university of Grypswald, where he employed his time so assiduously in classical learning, that, at the age of twenty, he
taught school at Treptow, and raised that school to a very
high degree of reputation. The first impressions he
appears to have received of the necessity of a reformation
was from a tract of Erasmus: this induced him to look
with more attention into the sacred volume, and he proceeded to instruct others by lecturing in his school on various parts of the Old and New Testament. As a preacher
he likewise became very popular, and chiefly on account
of his learning, in which he exceeded many of his contemporaries. His knowledge extending also to history and
antiquities, prince Bogislaus engaged him to write a “History of Pomerania,
” furnishing him with money, books,
and records, and this was completed in two years, but it
was long unpublished, the prince reserving it in manuscript, for the use of himself and his court. It appeared
at last in 1727, 4to. He was still, however, attached to
the religious principles in which he had been brought up,
until in 1521 Luther’s treatise on the Babylonish captivity
was published. Even when he began first to read this, he
declared the author to be “the most pestilent heretic that
ever infested the church of Christ;
” but after a more attentive perusal, he candidly recanted this unfavourable
opinion, in the following strong terms, “The whole
world is blind, and this man alone sees the truth.
” It is
probable that he had communicated this discovery to his
brethren, for we find that the abbot, two aged pastors of
the church, and some other of the friars, began to be convinced of the errors of popery about the same time. Bugenhagius now avowed the principles of the reformation sa
openly, that he found it necessary to leave Treptow, and
being desirous of an interview with Luther, went to Wittemberg, where he was chosen pastor of the reformed
^church. Here he constantly taught the doctrines of the
reformation, both by preaching and writing, for thirty-six
years. He always opposed the violent and seditious practices of Carlostadt, and lived on the most friendly terms
with Luther and Melancthon. At first he thought Luther
had been too.violent in his answer to Henry VIII. of England, but he changed his opinion, and declared that the
author had treated that monarch with too much lenity.
went to New England in 1635, and carrying with him some planters, they settled at a place which they called Concord, and where they succeeded better than Mr. Bulkley did,
, an English divine, wa<s born at
Woodhill, in Bedfordshire, 1582, and educated at St.
John’s college, Cambridge, where he obtained a fellowship.
He had an estate left to him by his father, whom he succeeded in the living of Woodhill. Here he remained for
twenty-one years, until he was silenced for non-conformity
by archbishop Laud. On this he converted his estate into
money, and went to New England in 1635, and carrying
with him some planters, they settled at a place which they
called Concord, and where they succeeded better than
Mr. Bulkley did, who sunk his property in improvements.
He died there March 9, 1658—9. His only publication
was entitled “The Gospel Covenant opened,
”
o premeditated forms; and that, if he had not made the sign of the cross, the badge of popery, as he called it, nobody could have formed the least objection to his excellent
A little occurrence, soon after his coining to this living,
contributed greatly to establish his reputation as a preacher.
One Sunday, when he had begun his sermon, as he was
turning over his Bible to explain some texts of scripUm
which he had quoted, his notes, which were wrote on
several small pieces of paper, flew out of his Bible into the
middle of the church: many of the congregation fell into
laughter, concluding that their young preacher would be
non-plussed for want of materials; but some of the more
sober and better-natured sort, gathered up the scattered
notes, and carried them to him in the pulpit. Mr. Bull
took them; and perceiving that most of the audience,
consisting chiefly of sea-faring persons, were rather inclined to triumph over him under that surprize, he clapped
them into his book again, and shut it, and then, without
referring any more to them, went on with the subject he
had begun. Another time, while he was preaching, a
quaker came into the church, and in the middle of the
sermon, cried out “George, come down, thou art a false
prophet, and a hireling;
” whereupon the parishioners, who
loved their minister exceedingly, fell upon the poor quaker
with such fury, as obliged Mr. Bull to come down out of
the pulpit to quiet them, and to save him from the effects
of their resentment; after which he went up again, and
finished his sermon. The prevailing spirit of those times
would not admit of the public and regular use of the book
of common-prayer; but Mr. Bull formed all his public
devotions out of the book of common prayer, and was
commended as a person who prayed by the spirit, by many
who condemned the common-prayer as a beggarly element
and carnal performance. A particular instance of. this
v happened to him upon his being sent for to baptize the
child of a dissenter in his parish. Upon this occasion, he
made use of the office of baptism as prescribed by the
church of England, which he had got entirely by heart,
and which he went through with so much readiness, gravity, and devotion, that the whole company were extremely affected. After the ceremony, the father of the
child returned him a great many thanks, intimating at the
same time, with how much greater edification those
prayed, who entirely depended upon the spirit of God for
his assistance in their extempore effusions, than they did
who tied themselves up to premeditated forms; and that,
if he had not made the sign of the cross, the badge of
popery, as he called it, nobody could have formed the
least objection to his excellent prayers. Upon which Mr.
Bull shewed him the office of baptism in the liturgy,
wherein was contained every prayer he had used on that
occasion; which, with other arguments offered by Mr.
Bull in favour of the common prayer, wrought so
effectually upon the good old man, and his whole family, that
from that time they became constant attendants on the
public service of the church.
a common -law draughtsman, was immediate, and immense. His practice also at the bar, to which he was called by the honourable society of the Middle Temple in Easter Term,
, bart. a judge of the court of king’s-bench and common-pleas, the son of James Buller, esq. member of parliament for the county of Cornwall, by Jane, his second wife, one of the daughters of Allen earl Bathurst, was born in 1745, and educated at a private school in the west of England. After this he removed ta London, and was admitted of the Inner Temple, Feb. 1763, and became a pupil of sir William Ashurst, who was at that time a very eminent spe'cial-pleader, but whom, it has been thought, he excelled. He was always ranked among the most eminent of the profession in this branch, and his business, as a common -law draughtsman, was immediate, and immense. His practice also at the bar, to which he was called by the honourable society of the Middle Temple in Easter Term, 1772, was at first considerable, and in a very short period, became equal to that of almost any of his brethren. Devoting himself entirely to it, he never came into parliament. On Nov. 24, 1777, he was appointed king’s-counsel, and on the 27th of the same month, second judge of the Chester circuit. In Easter term, May 6, 1778, by the patronage of lord Mansfield, who had a high opinion of his talents, he was made a judge of the king’s-bench, in the room of sir Richard Aston. During the indisposition of lord Mansfield, for the last three or four years that he held the office of chief justice, sir Francis Buller executed almost all the business at the sittings ap nisi prius, with great ability, and lord Mansfield left him 2000l. in his will, which, it is said, Mr. justice Buller declined receiving of his lordship, when offered as a compensation for his trouble. On the resignation of lord Mansfield, his expectations were directed to the succession to the high office so long and ably filled by that venerable lawyer, but, for various reasons, sir Lloyd Kenyon was preferred. In 1794, in consequence of his declining state of health, which rendered him unequal to the laborious duties of that court, he was, on the death of judge Gould, removed to the court of common-pleas, but his health still continuing to decay, he was about to have obtained his majesty’s leave to resign, when he died suddenly, at his house in Bedford-square, June 4, 1800, and was interred in a vault in St. Andrew’s burying-ground. He was created a baronet in 1789, and was succeeded in titles and estate by his son sir F. Buller Yarde, which last name he took for an estate. Sir Francis Buller was allowed to be ably and deeply versed in the law, and was certainly more distinguished for substantial than showy talents. His eloquence at the bar was seldom admired, but his addresses from the bench were perspicuous, dignified, and logical. He possessed great quickness of perception, saw the consequences of a fact, and the drift of an argument at its first opening, and could immediately reply to an unforeseen objection, but was on some occasions thought rather hasty. He seldom, however, formed his opinions without due ^consideration, and was particularly tenacious of what he had thus considered.
answer more exactly to the orbits of the planets, which were most eccentric, and introduced what is called by Street, in his “Caroline Tables,” the Variation: for these
, a celebrated
astronomer and scholar, was born of protestant parents, at
Houdun in France, September the 28th, 1605; and having finished his studies in philosophy at Paris, and in civil
law at Poictiers, he applied to mathematics, theology, sacred and profane history, and civil law, with such assiduity, that he became eminent in each of these departments, and acquired the reputation of an universal genius.
As he had travelled for his improvement into Italy, Germany, Poland, and the Levant, he formed an extensive
acquaintance with men of letters, and maintained a correspondence with the most distinguished persons of his
time. Although he had been educated a protestant, he
changed his profession at the age of 27 years, and became
a catholic priest. His life was prolonged to his 89th year;
and having retired to the abbey of St. Victor at Paris in
1689, he died there November the 25th, 1694. Besides
his pieces concerning ecclesiastical rights, which excited
attention, and the history of Ducas, printed at the Louvre,
in 1649, in the original Greek, with a Latin version and
notes, he was the author of several other works, chiefly
mathematical and philosophical. His “Treatise on the
Nature of Light
” was published in Philolaus, sive de vero Systema Mundi,
” or his
true system of the world, according to Philolaus, an ancient philosopher and astronomer, in the same year, and
republished in 1645, under the title of “Astronomia Philolaica,
” grounded upon the hypothesis of the earth’s motion, and the elliptical orbit described by the planet’s motion about a cone. To which he added tables entitled
“Tabulæ Philolaicæ:
” a work which Riccioli says ought
to be attentively read by all students of astronomy. He
considered the hypothesis, or approximation of bishop
Ward, and found it not to agree with the planet Mars;
and shewed in his defence of the Philolaic astronomy
against the bishop, that from four observations made by
Tycho on the planet Mars, that planet in the first and third
quarters of the mean anomaly, was more forward than it
ought to be according to Ward’s hypothesis; but in the 2d
and 4th quadrant of the same, the planet was not so far
advanced as that hypothesis required. He therefore set
about a correction of the bishop’s hypothesis, and made it
to answer more exactly to the orbits of the planets, which
were most eccentric, and introduced what is called by
Street, in his “Caroline Tables,
” the Variation: for these
tables were calculated from this correction of Bullialdus,
and exceeded all in exactness that went before. This correction is, in the judgment of Dr. Gregory, a very happy
one, if it be not set above its due place; and be accounted
no more than a correction of an approximation to the true
system: For by this means we are enabled to gather the
coequate anomaly a priori and directly from the mean, and
the observations are well enough answered at the same
time; which, in Mercator’s opinion, no one had effected
before. It is remarkable that the ellipsis which he has
chosen for a planet’s motion, is such a one as, if cut out of
a cone, will have the axis of the cone passing through one
of its foci, viz. that next the aphelion.
spent a year in his father’s house, wholly employing himself in his studies. The year after, he was called by the abbot of La Chapelle, a Cistercian abbey near Zurich,
, one of the reformers, was born,
at Bremgarten, “a village near Zurich, in Switzerland,
July 18, 1504. At the age of twelve he was sent by his
father to Emmeric, to be instructed in grammar-learning,
and here he remained three years, during which his father,
to make him feel for the distresses of others, and be more
frugal and modest in his dress, and temperate in his diet,
withdrew that money with which he was wont to supply
him; so that Bullinger was forced, according to the custom of those times, to subsist on the alms he got by singing from door to door. While here, he was strongly inclined to enter among the Carthusians, but was dissuaded
from it by an elder brother. At fifteen years of age he
was sent to Cologn, where he studied logic, and commenced
B. A. at sixteen years old. He afterwards betook himself
to the study of divinity and canon law, and to the reading
of the fathers, and conceived such a dislike to the schooldivines, as in 1520, to write some dialogues against them;
and about the same time he began to see the errors of the
church of Rome, from which, however, he did not immediately separate. In 1522, he commenced M. A. and returning home, he spent a year in his father’s house, wholly
employing himself in his studies. The year after, he was
called by the abbot of La Chapelle, a Cistercian abbey
near Zurich, to teach in that place, which he did with great
reputation for four years, and was very instrumental in
causing the reformation of Zuinglius to be received. It is
very remarkable that while thus teaching and changing the
sentiments of the Cistercians in this place, it does not appear that he was a clergyman in the communion of the see
of Rome, nor that he had any share in the monastic
observances of the house. Zuinglius, assisted by Oecolampadius and Bucer, had established the reformed doctrines
at Zurich in 1523; and in 1527, Bullinger attended the
lectures of Zuinglius in that city, for some months, renewed his acquaintance with Greek, and began the study
of Hebrew. He preached also publicly by a licence from
the synod, and accompanied Zuinglius at the famous disputation held at Bern in 1528. The year following, he
was called to be minister of the protestant church, in his
native place at Bremgarten, and married a wife, who
brought him six sons and five daughters, and died in 1564.
He met with great opposition from the papists and anabaptists in his parish, but disputed publicly, and wrote several
books against them. The victory gained by the Romish
cantons over the protestants in a battle fought 1531, forced
him, together with his father, brother, and colleague, to
fly to Zurich, where he was chosen pastor in the room of
Zninglius, slain in the late battle. He was also employed
in several ecclesiastical negociations, with a view to reconcile the Zuiuglians and Lutherans, and to reply to the,
harsh censures which were published by Luther against the
doctrine of the Swiss churches respecting the sacrament.
In 1549, he concurred with Calvin in drawing up a formulary, expressing the conformity of belief which subsisted
between the churches of Zurich and Geneva, and intended
on the part of Calvin, for obviating any suspicions that he
inclined to the opinion of Luther with respect to the sacra,
ment. He greatly assisted the English divines who fled
into Switzerland from the persecution raised in England
by queen Mary, and ably confuted the pope’s bull excommunicating queen Elizabeth. The magistrates of Zurich,
by his persuasion, erected a new college in 1538. He
also prevailed with them to erect, in a place that had formerly been a nunnery, a new school, in which fifteen
youths were trained up under an able master, and supplied
with food, raiment, and other necessaries. In 1549, he
by his influence hindered the Swiss from renewing their
league with Henry It. of France; representing to them,
that it was neither just nor lawful for a man to suffer himself to be hired to shed another man’s blood, from whom
himself had never received any injury. In 1551 he wrote
a book, the purport of which was to shew, that the council
of Trent had no other design than to oppress the professors
of sound religion; and, therefore, that the cantons should
pay no regard to the invitations of the pope, which solicited their sending deputies to that council. In 1561 he
commenced a controversy with Brentius concerning the
ubiquity of the body of Christ, zealously maintained by
Brentius, and as vehemently opposed by Bullinger, which
Continued till his death, on the 17th of September, 1575.
His funeral oration was pronounced by John Stukius, and
his life was written by Josias Simler (who had married one of his daughters), and was published at Zurich in 1575,
4to, with Stukius’s oration, and the poetical tributes of
many eminent men of his time. Bullinger' s printed works
are very numerous, doctrinal, practical, and controversial,
but no collection has ever been made of them. His high
reputation in England, during the progress of the reformation, occasioned the following to be either translated into
English, or published here: 1.
” A hundred Sermons
upon the Apocalypse,“1561, 4to. 2.
” Bullae papisticae
contra reginam Elizabetham, refutatio,“1571, 4to. 3.
” The Judgment of Bullinger, declaring it to be lawful for the ministers of the church of England to wear the
apparel prescribed by the laws, &c.“Eng. and Lat. 1566,
8vo. 4.
” Twenty-six Sermons on Jeremiah,“1583. 5.
” An epistle on the Mass, with one of Calvin’s,“1548, 8vo.
6.
” A treatise or sermon, concerning Magistrates and
Obedience of Subjects, also concerning the affairs of War,“1549, 8vo. 7,
” Tragedies of Tyrants, exercised upon
the church of God from the birth of Christ unto this present year 1572,“translated by Tho. Twine, 1575, 8vo. 8.
” Exhortation to the ministers of God’s Word, &c.“1575,
8vo. 9.
” Two Sermons on the end of the World,“1596,
8vo. 10.
” Questions of religion cast abroad in Helvetia
by the adversaries of the same, and answered by M. H. Bullinger of Zurich, reduced into seventeen common places,“1572, 8vo. 11.
” Common places of Christian Religion,“1572 and 158J, 8vo. 12.
” Bullinger’s Decades, in Latin,“1586. 13.
” The Summe of the Four Evangelists,“1582,
8vo. 14.
” The Sum or Substance pf St. Paul’s Epistle to
the Thessalonians,“1538, 8vo. 15.
” Three Dialogues
between the seditious Libertine or rebel Anabaptist, and
the true obedient Christian,“1551, 8vo. 16.
” Fifty godly
and learned Sermons, divided into five decades, containing the chief and principal points of Christian religion," a
very thick 4to vol. 1577, particularly described by Ames.
This book was held in high estimation in the reign of queen
Elizabeth. In 1586, archbishop Whitgift, in full convocation, procured an order to be made that every clergyman of
a certain standing should procure a copy of them, read one
of the sermons contained in them every week, and make
notes of the principal matters.
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
, 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
of his death is mentioned in a panegyric upon him, inserted in 1715, in the ninth volume, or what is called the spurious volume of the Spectator, and if he died much before
, eldest son of the preceding, was educated at Pembroke-hall, Cambridge, whence he went to London, and after studying law became a barrister; but being of very different principles from his father, joined the forces of his unhappy sovereign Charles I. and was quarter-master general until the forces were disbanded at Truro. At the restoration, he was sent to reside as agent at Brussels, and on his return in 1675, Charles II. knighted and made him resident, and James II. made him his envoy. Disapproving of the revolution, he adhered to the abdicated monarch, and accompanied him to St. Germains, where he remained twenty-two years. We know not if this be meant as the period of his life, but he is said to have died aged 101, which brings him to the year 1782, contrary to all probability, or even fact, for his great age at the time of his death is mentioned in a panegyric upon him, inserted in 1715, in the ninth volume, or what is called the spurious volume of the Spectator, and if he died much before 1715, he could not have attained the vast age attributed to him, consistently with the dates of his father’s age.
, descended from an ancient family in Yorkshire, was born at a house called the Vache, near Chalfont St. Giles’s, in Buckinghamshire, in
, descended from an ancient family in Yorkshire, was born at a house called the Vache,
near Chalfont St. Giles’s, in Buckinghamshire, in 1540,
and when sixteen years old was sent to Oxford, and having
taken his bachelor’s degree, was elected probationer fellow of Magdalen college. He was at this time distinguished for his knowledge of logic and philosophy, and
soon after went to Staple’s Inn, and then to Gray’s Inn,
where he spent about two years in the study of the law,
which profession his father wished him to follow. His own
inclination, however, was for the study of divinity, which
displeased his father so much, that, to use his own words,
he “cast him off,
” although a man of piety himself, and
one that had fled for his religion in queen Mary’s days.
He returned accordingly to Oxford, and took his master’s
degree in 1564. In, the year following he was elected fellow of Merton college, an irregular act of the society,
which, however, Wood says was absolutely necessary, as
there was no person then in Merton college able to preach
any public sermon in the college turn; and not only there,
but throughout the university at large, there was a great
scarcity of theologists. In 1570 he was admitted to the
reading of the sentences, and about the same time became
chaplain to 'archbishop Grindall, who gave him a prebend
in that church, and the rectory of Bolton-Percy about six
miles distant. This rectory he held twenty-five years, and
then resigned it, but retained his prebend. In 1570 we
also find that he was subdean of York, which he resigned
in 1579. In 1585 he was collated, being then B. D. to a
prebend in Carlisle, and had likewise, although we know
not at what period, a prebend in St. Paul’s. It appears
that he preached and catechised very frequently, both in
Oxford and in many other places, travelling over a considerable part of the kingdom, and preaching wherever
there appeared a want of clergy. This zeal, his being a
Calvinist, and his preaching extempore, brought him under the imputation of being too forward and meddling,
against which he vindicated himself in “A Defence of his
labours in the work of the Ministry,
” written Jan. 20, 1602,
but circulated only in manuscript. He died at Cawood in
Yorkshire, Feb. 26 (on his monument, but 27 in archbishop Matthews’s ms diary) 1617, and was buried in
York cathedral. He published, 1. “The Sum of Christian
Religion,
” Lond. Abridgment of Calvin’s Institutions,
” from May’s translation, ibid. Sceptre of Judah,
” &c. ibid. The
Coronation of King David, &c.
” 4to, The Corner Stone, or a form of teaching Jesus Christ
out of the Scriptures,
” ibid.
uropean languages, scarce a year has passed, since its first appearance, in which the public has not called for a new edition. For many years, however, this work was confined
Of all his works, the “Pilgrim’s Progress
” has attained
the greatest popularity, and greater than any other human
composition. It w.as remarked by the learned Dr. Samuel
Johnson, that the Pilgrim’s Progress has had the best evidence of its merit, namely, the general and continued
Approbation of mankind. No work of human composition
can certainly be compared with it in universality and extent of popularity. Besides having been translated into
several European languages, scarce a year has passed, since
its first appearance, in which the public has not called for
a new edition. For many years, however, this work was
confined to the serious part of the world for whom it was
intended, and was seldom noticed by others but as the
production of an illiterate man, calculated only to please
illiterate people: an objection which, if it had been just,
could not be said to militate very strongly against its merit.
However necessary learning may be to guard the outworks
of Christianity against the attacks of infidels, pure and
undefiled religion requires so little literature to inculcate
it in the case of others, or to receive it ourselves, that we
find it had no hand in the first promulgation of the gospel,
nor much in the various means that have been taken to
perpetuate it. But Banyan’s want of education is the
highest praise that can be given. Such a defect exhibits
the originality of his genius in the strongest light: and
since more attention has been paid by men of critical taste
to his “Pilgrim’s Progress,
” he has been admitted into
a higher rank among English writers, and it seems universally acknowledged that nothing was wanting to advance him yet higher but the advantages of education, or
of an intimacy with the best writers in his own language.
ticism 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
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.
Tranquillity being restored in Italy, Michel Angelo was again called upon by the duke of Urbino, to complete the monument of Julius
Tranquillity being restored in Italy, Michel Angelo was again called upon by the duke of Urbino, to complete the monument of Julius II, agreeable to the last design, and was again interrupted by the pope, who wished to employ him at Florence, and Afterwards ordered him to paint the two end walls of the Sistine chapel. Our artist being unable openly to oppose the will of the pope, procrastinated the work as much as possible, and while he was engaged in making a cartoon for the chapel, secretly employed as much of his time as circumstances would allow, in forwarding the monument to Julius II. But this was again interrupted by the next pope, Paul III. although at length, after much riegociation, and after changing the design three times, he was permitted to complete, his task, which was placed, not in St. Peter’s, as originally intended, but in the church of S. Pietro, in Vincoli.
istine chapel, in the Vatican, Antonio de San Gallo built another by the order of Paul III. which is called after its founder the Paoline chapel, and the pope being solicitous
Near to the Sistine chapel, in the Vatican, Antonio de San Gallo built another by the order of Paul III. which is called after its founder the Paoline chapel, and the pope being solicitous to render it more honourable to his name, desired Michel Angelo would paint the walls in fresco. Although he now began to feel he was an old man, he undertook the commission, and on the sides opposite to each other painted two large pictures, representing the martyrdom of St. Peter, and the conversion of St. Paul. These pictures, he said, cost him great fatigue, and in their progress declared himself sorry to find fresco painting was not an employment for his years; he therefore petitioned his holiness that Perino del Vaga might finish the ceiling from his designs, which was to have been decorated with painting and stucco ornaments; but this part of the work was not afterwards carried into execution. The pope often consulted Michel Angelo as an architect, although Antonio de San Gallo was the architect df St. Peter’s church, and promoted to that situation by his interest when cardinal Farnese, and now employed in his private concerns. The Farnese palace in Rome was designed by San Gallo, and the building advanced by him during his life; yet Michel Angelo constructed the bold projecting cornice that surrounds the top, in conjunction with him, at the express desire of the pope. He also consulted Michel Angelo in fortifying the Borgo, and made designs for that purpose; but the discussion of this subject proved the cause of some enmity between these two rivals in the pope’s esteem. In 1546 San Gallo died, and Michel Angelo was called upon to fill his situation as architect of St. Peter’s: he at first declined that honour, but his holiness laid his commands upon him, which admitted neither of apology nor excuse; however he accepted the appointment upon those conditions, that he would receive no salary, and that it should be so expressed in the patent, as he undertook the office purely from devotional feelings; and that, as hitherto the various persons employed in all the subordinate situations had only considered their own interest to the extreme prejudice of the undertaking, he should be empowered to discharge them, and appoint others in their sjead; and lastly, that he should be permitted to make whatever alterations he chose in San Gallo’s design, or entirely supply its place with what he might consider more simple, or in a better style. To these conditions his holiness acceded, and the patent was made out accordingly: vi
at Florence, and again with great solemnity finally deposited in the vault by the side of the altar, called the Altare de Cavalcanti.
After this discussion, the time left to Michel Angelo for
the enjoyment of his uncontrolled authority was short,
for in the month of February 1563, he was attacked by a
slow fever, which exhibited symptoms of his approaching
death, and he desired Daniello da Volterra to write to his
nephew Leonardo Buonarroti to come to Rome; his fever,
however, increased, and his nephew not arriving, in the
presence of his physician and others who were in his house,
whom he ordered into his bed-room, he made this short
nuncupative will: “My soul I resign to God, my body to
the earth, and my worldly possessions to my nearest of
kin;
” then admonished his attendants: “In your passage
through this life, remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ,
”
and soon after delivering this charge, he died, Feb. 17,
1563, aged eighty-eight years, eleven months, and fifteen
days, which yet was not the life of his father, who attained
the age of ninety-two. Three days after his death, his
remains were deposited with great funeral pomp in the
church of S. Apostoli, in Rome, but afterwards, at the
request of the Florentine academy, were removed to the
church of Santa Croce at Florence, and again with great
solemnity finally deposited in the vault by the side of the
altar, called the Altare de Cavalcanti.
g which a new place of worship was built by them in Carey-street, and when much injured, or as it is called, gutted, by Dr. Sacheverell’s mob, was repaired at the expence
He continued as a pastor over this congregation for thirty
years, during which a new place of worship was built by
them in Carey-street, and when much injured, or as it is
called, gutted, by Dr. Sacheverell’s mob, was repaired at
the expence of government. He died January 1712-13,
in the sixty-eighth year of his age, and was buried in St.
Clement Danes, Strand. It has escaped the notice of his
biographers, that the celebrated lord Bolingbroke* was
once his pupil, and the world has perhaps to regret that
his lordship did not learn what Daniel Burgess might have
taught him, for Daniel, with all his oddities, which made
him for so many years the butt of Swift, Steele, and the
other wits of the time, was a man of real piety. Unfortunately, like his successor Bradbury, he had a very considerable portion of wit, which he could not restrain, and
where he thought an argument might be unsuccessful, he
tried a pun. One of his biographers has furnished us with
two instances that may illustrate the general character of
his preaching. When treating on “the robe of righteousness,
” he said, “If any of you would have a good and
cheap suit, you will go to Monmouth-street; if you want
a stiit for life, you will go to the court of chancery; but if
you wish for a suit that will last to eternity, you must go
to the Lord Jesus Christ, and put on his robe of righteousness.
” In the reign of king William, he assigned a new
motive for the people of God who were the descendants of
Jacob, being called Israelites; namely, because God did
not choose that his people should be called Jacobites! His
works were numerous, but principally single sermons,
preached on funeral and ether occasions, and pious tracts.
One of his sermons is entitled “The Golden Snuffers,
”
and was the first sermon preached to the societies for the
reformation of manners. It is a fair specimen of Daniel’s
method and style, being replete with forced puns and
quaint sayings, and consequently, in our opinion, better
adapted to amusement than edification.
ipts which he left behind him, he wrote, in 1753 and 1754, some letters in the General Evening Post, called “The Free Enquirer;” and in 1770, a number of papers entitled
Mr. Burgh having, for many years, led a very laborious
life, and having acquired also a competem, though not a
large fortune (for his mind was always far raised above pecuniary views), he determined to retire trona business.
In embracing this resolution, it was by no means his intention to be unemployed. What he had particularly in
contemplation was, to complete his “Political Disquisitions,
” for which he had, during ten years, been collecting suitable materials. Upon quitting his school at Newrngton-greenj which was in 1771, he settled in a house at
Colebrooke-row, Islington, where he continued till his
decease. He had not been long in his new situation before
he became convinced (of what was only suspected before)
that he had a stone in his bladder. Witn this dreadful
malady he was deeply afflicted the four latter years of his
life; and for the two last of these years his pain was exquisite. Nevertheless, to the astonishment of all who
were witnesses of the misery he endured, he went on with
his “Political Disquisitions.
” The two first volumes were
published in Political Disquisitions: or, an enquiry into public errors, defects, and abuses. Illustrated by, and established upon, facts and remarks extracted from a variety
of authors ancient and modern. Calculated to draw the
timely attention of government and people to a due consideration of the necessity and the means of reforming
those errors, defects, and abuses; of restoring the constitution, and saving the state.
” The first volume relates to
government in general, and to parliament in particular;
the second treats of places and pensions, the taxation of
the colonies, and the army; and the third considers manners. It was our author’s intention to have extended his
Disquisitions to some other subjects, if he had not been
prevented by the violence of his disease, the tortures of
which he bore with uncommon patience and resignation,
and from which he was happily released, on the 26th of
August, 1775, in the sixty-first year of his age. Besides
the publications already mentioned, and a variety of manuscripts which he left behind him, he wrote, in 1753 and
1754, some letters in the General Evening Post, called
“The Free Enquirer;
” and in The Constitutionalist,
” in the Gazetteer; which
were intended to recommend annual parliaments, adequate
representation, and a place bill. About the same time he
also published another periodical paper in the Gazetteer,
under the title of “The Colonist’s Advocate;
” which was
written against the measures of government with respect
to the colonies. He printed likewise for the sole use of
his pupils, “Directions, prudential, moral, religious, and
scientific;
” which were pirated by a bookseller, and sold
under the title of “Youth’s friendly Monitor.
”
d a good taste. His memory unfolded itself very early, and he soon became distinguished as (what was called) the best capper of verses in the school; but as this phrase
Mr. Burke’s biographers are not agreed as to his birthplace. Some say he was born in the city of Dublin; others, in a little town in the county of Cork; but all are agreed in the date, Jan. 1, 1730. His father was an attorney of considerable practice, who had married into the ancient and respectable family of the Nagles, and besides the results of his practice, possessed a small estate of 150l. or 200l. a year. Edmund was his second son, and at a veryearly age, was sent to Balytore school; a seminary in the North of Ireland, well known for having furnished the bar and the pulpit of Ireland with many eminent characters. This school has been kept by quakers for near a century; and the son of Mr. Abraham Shackleton, to whom Mr. Burke was a pupil, has been for these many years past the head-master. It has been creditable to both parties (viz. the present preceptor and the quondam pupil of his father), that the strictest friendship has always subsisted between them; not only by a constant correspondence, but by occasional visits. At this school young Burke soon distinguished himself by an ardent attachment to study, a prompt command of words, and a good taste. His memory unfolded itself very early, and he soon became distinguished as (what was called) the best capper of verses in the school; but as this phrase is not so generally known in England as in Ireland, it may be necessary to explain it: What is called capping of verses is repeating any one line out of the classics, and following it up by another, beginning with the same letter with which the former line ended; for instance,
two boys, which begat an emulation for reading above the ordinary line of duty, and at the same time called out and strengthened the powers of memory. Burke not only took
This was carried on, in the way of literary contest, between two boys, which begat an emulation for reading above the ordinary line of duty, and at the same time called out and strengthened the powers of memory. Burke not only took the lead in this, but in all general exercises: he was considered as the first Greek and Latin scholar; to these he added the study of poetry and belles lettres; and, before he left the school, produced a play in three acts, founded on some incidents in the early part of the history of England, of which little is now remembered, unless that Alfred formed the principal character, and that this part contained many sublime sentiments on liberty.
d an odour in the house as the stamp act had the session before.” Other revenue acts following this, called out the force and variety of his talents; and the house began
An administration, of which he had this opinion, was
not likely to proceed uncensured; particularly, when his
favourite repealing act “began to be in as bad an odour
in the house as the stamp act had the session before.
”
Other revenue acts following this, called out the force and
variety of his talents; and the house began to perceive,
that to whatever side this young statesman threw in his
weight, it must add consideration and respect to his party.
t the same time he supported a motion for the relief of dissenters, and in the course of his speech* called the toleration which they enjoyed by connivance “a temporary
In 1772, he took a trip to France, and while he remained
in that country his literary and political eminence made
him courted by all the anti-monarchical and infidel philosophers of the time. That he saw in the religious scepticism and political theories of Voltaire, Helvetius, Rousseau, and D'Alembert, even at that period, the probable
overthrow of religion and government, is not surprising,
for these consequences were foreseen, about the same time,
by a man of much less discernment, and of no religion, the
late Horace Walpole, lord Orford, Burke, however, was
so impressed with the subject, that on his return he could
not avoid introducing his sentiments in the house of commons, and pointing out the conspiracy of atheism to the
watchful jealousy of government. He professed he was
not over-fond of calling in the aid of the secular arm to
suppress doctrines and opinions; but if ever it were to be
raised, it should be against those enemies of their kind
who would take from us the noblest prerogative of our nature, that of being a religious animal. About the same
time he supported a motion for the relief of dissenters, and
in the course of his speech* called the toleration which they
enjoyed by connivance “a temporary relaxation of
slavery,
” a sort of liberty “not calculated for the meridian
of England.
”
e of commons, which after some ineffectual struggles on the part of Mr. Pitt, terminated in what was called the coalition administration, composed of the duke of Portland
By this change Mr. Burke fell once more into the ranks
of opposition, and continued in that situation until after
the general peace of 1783, when Mr. Fox, joining his parliamentary interest with that of lord North, gained a majority in the house of commons, which after some ineffectual struggles on the part of Mr. Pitt, terminated in what
was called the coalition administration, composed of the
duke of Portland first lord of the treasury, lord John Cavendish chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Burke, as before,
paymaster of the forces, and Mr. Fox and lord North joint
secretaries of state. As this union of political interest was
the most unpopular measure adopted in the present reign,
and that which it has, above all others, been found most
difficult to reconcile with purity and consistency of principle, it may be necessary to state what has been offered
in apology, at least as far as Mr. Burke is concerned. It
is well known to those in the least, conversant in the politics which immediately preceded this period, how uniformly
lord North was upbraided for his conduct throughout the
whole course of the American war: every thing that could
attach to a bad ministry was laid to his charge, except
perhaps the solitary exception of corruption in his own
person, which was not much, while he was continually
accused of being the mover of a mass of corruption in
others; and as Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke were the two leading champions of the house of commons, in their several
speeches will be found invectives of such a nature, as to
men judging of others in the ordinary habits of life, perhaps would be thought insurmountable barriers to their
coalition. But we are told, that forming an administration
upon a broad bottom of political interest is quite a different
thing from contracting a private friendship; in the former
many things are to be conceded, in regard to times and
circumstances, and the opinions of others; in the latter
the question of right and wrong lies in a narrower compass,
and is more readily judged of by the parties and their
friends. Mr. Burke, therefore, may say, “that in his
several attacks on lord North, he considered him as a
principal promoter and encourager of the American war, a
war which he held destructive of the interests and constitutional rights of this country. As a minister, therefore,
he reprobated his conduct; but the American contest being over, and other measures about to be pursued, which,
in his opinion, might heal the bruises of this war, he
coalesced with him as a man, who (benefiting himself by his former mistakes) might still render important services
to his country.
”
which the opinions of the world are still divided. We allude to his interference, for such it may be called, with the conduct and progress of the French revolution. Many
The next and last sera of his history is, perhaps, the
most important of all, as it is that concerning which the
opinions of the world are still divided. We allude to his
interference, for such it may be called, with the conduct
and progress of the French revolution. Many of his friends
in parliament, as well as numbers of wise and good men
out of it, augured from the meeting of the states-general
of France, great benefit to that nation, of which the government was considered as despotic and oppressive; and
some were sanguine enough to predict a new and happy
order of things to all the nations connected with France,
when its government should become more free. These sentiments, we can well remember, were not only general, but
perhaps universal, although they might not always proceed from the same sources. There were some who loved
liberty, and would hail its dawn in any country. There
were others who hated the French government as the perpetual enemy of Great Britain. Mr. Burke saw nothing
in the proceedings of the French which was favourable
either to liberty or peace. He was well acquainted with
the genius of the French people, and with the principles
of those philosophers, as they called themselves, by whom
a total revolution in church and state had long been projected; and from the commencement of their career in
the constituent assembly, when they established, as the
foundation of all legal government, the metaphysical doctrine of the “rights of man,
” he predicted that torrent of
anarchy and infidelity which they have since attempted to
pour over all Europe. Mr. Fox, and some of the other
leading men in opposition, considered this as a vain fear,
and a coolness took place between them and Mr. Burke,
although they continued for some time to act together in
parliament. In the mean time he published his celebrated
“Reflections on the French Revolution,
” the instantaneous
effect of which was to reduce the nation, hitherto unanimous or indifferent on the subject, to two distinct parties,
the one admiring the glorious prospects arising from the
French revolution, the other dreading its consequences
to this nation in particular, and to the world at large.
Many able writers of the former class took up their pens
on this occasion, in what were called “answers
” to Mr.
Burke, and some of them were certainly written with great
ability. The controversy was long and obstinate, and cannot be said to have terminated until the commencement of
the war in 1793, when the changes of government and
practice in France rendered most of the points discussed
with Mr. Burke no longer of immediate importance.
France, as he had predicted, was plunged into barbarous
and atrocious anarchy, and the friends of her projected
liberty, dearly as they clung to the idea, were obliged to
confess themselves disappointed in every hope, while Mr.
Burke’s predictions were erroneous in one only, namely,
that France was now blotted out of the map of Europe.
After some members of his own party had called Mr. Burke to order, Mr. Fox, after declaring his conviction
After some members of his own party had called Mr.
Burke to order, Mr. Fox, after declaring his conviction
that the British Gonstitution, though defective in theory,
was in practice excellently adapted to this country, repeated his praises of the French revolution; he thought
it, on the whole, one of the most glorious events in the
history of mankind; and proceeded to express his dissent
from Mr. Burke’s opinions on the subject, as inconsistent
with just views of the inherent rights of mankind. These,
besides, were, he said, inconsistent with Mr. Burke’s former principles. Mr. Burke, in reply, said: “Mr. Fox
has treated me with harshness and malignity; after having
harassed with his light troops in the skirmishes of order,
he brought the heavy artillery of his own great abilities to
bear on me.
” He maintained that the French constitution
and general system were replete with anarchy, impiety,
vice, and misery; that the discussion of a new polity for a
province that had been under the French, and was now
under the English government, was a proper opportunity
of comparing the French and British constitutions. He
denied the charge of inconsistency; his opinions on government, he insisted, had been the same during all his
political life. He said, Mr. Fox and he had often differed,
and that there had been no loss of friendship between
them; but there is something in the “cursed French revolution
” which envenoms every thing. On this Mr. Fox
whispered: “There is no loss of friendship between us.
”
Mr. Burke, with great warmth, answered: “There is! I
know the price of my conduct; our friendship is at an
end.
” Mr. Fox was very greatly agitated by this renunciation of friendship, and made many concessions; but in
the course of his speech still maintained that Mr. Burke
had formerly held very different principles. It would be
difficult, says one of his biographers, to determine with
certainty, whether constitutional irritability or public principle was the chief cause of Mr. Burke’s sacrifice of that
friendship which he had so long cherished, and of which
the talents and qualities of its object rendered him so
worthy. It would perhaps be as difficult to prove that
uch a sacrifice was necessary, and we fear that his reconciliation with lord North and his quarrel with Mr. Fox
must, even by the most favourable of his panegyrists, be
placed among the inconsistencies of this otherwise truly
eminent character. From this time, Messrs. Burke and
Fox remained at complete variance, nor have we ever
heard that any personal interview took place afterwards
between them.
his table, arrangements, &c. &c. and so little affected with the follies and dissipations of what is called” the higher classes," that he was totally ignorant of them;
As a writer he is still higher; and judging of him from
his earliest to his latest productions, he must be considered as one of those prodigies which are sometimes given
to the world to be admired, but cannot be imitated; he
possessed all kinds of styles, and gave them to the head
and heart in a most exquisite manner: pathos, taste, argument, experience, sublimity, were all the ready colours
of his palette, ani from his pencil they derived their
brightest dyes. He was one of the few whose writings
broke the fascinating links of party, and compelled all to
admire the brilliancy of his pen. He was a firm professor
of the Christian religion, and exercised its principles in
its duties; wisely considering, “That whatever disunites
man from God, disunites man from man.' 7 He looked
within himself for the regulation of his conduct, which was
exemplary in all the relations of life; he was warm in his
affections, simple in his manners, plain in his table, arrangements, &c. &c. and so little affected with the follies
and dissipations of what is called
” the higher classes,"
that he was totally ignorant of them; so that this great
man, with all his talents, would be mere lumber in a modern drawing-room; not but that he excelled in all the refinements as well as strength of conversation, and could at
times badinage with great skill and natural ease; but what
are these to a people where cards and dice constitute their
business; and fashionable phrases, and fashionable vices,
their conversation?
on the revenues of the Romans; and for his skill in Greek learning, and in ancient coins, by a tract called “Jupiter Fulgurator,” and after his return from Paris, he published
He had already extended to distant parts his reputation
for knowledge of ancient history, by a treatise “De Vectigalibus populi Romani,
” on the revenues of the Romans;
and for his skill in Greek learning, and in ancient coins,
by a tract called “Jupiter Fulgurator,
” and after his
return from Paris, he published “Phsedrus,
” first with the
notes of various commentators, and afterwards with his
own. He printed also many poems, and made many orations upon different subjects, and procured an impression
of the epistles of Gudius and Sanavius. While he was
thus employed, the professorships of history, eloquence,
and the Greek language, became vacant at Leyden, by the
death of Perizonius, which Burman’s reputation incited
the curators of the university to offer him upon very liberal
terms, which, after some demur, he accepted, and on entering on his office, in 1715, pronounced an oration upon
the duty and office of a professor of polite literature, “De
publici humanioris discipline professoris proprio officio et
munere.
” He was twice rector of the university, and discharged that important office with ability. Indeed, by his
conduct in every station he gained so much esteem, that
when the professorship of history of the United Provinces
became vacant, it was conferred on him, as an addition to
his honours and revenues which he might justly claim;
and afterwards, as a proof of the continuance of their regard, they made him chief librarian, an office which was
the more acceptable to him, as it united his business with
his pleasure, and gave him an opportunity at the same
time of superintending the library, and carrying on his
studies.
, called the second, or the younger, was son to Francis Burman and nephew
, called the second, or the younger,
was son to Francis Burman and nephew to the first Francis
Burman, whose life* we have given above, and was celebrated for philosophical knowledge. He was born at Amsterdam in 1713, and educated principally by his uncle,
He rose to the offices of professor of history and eloquence
atFraneker; and in 1742 removed to Amsterdam, where
he died June 24, 1778, of an apoplexy. A year before, he
had resigned his professorship, and had retired to a country
house between Leyden and the Hague. He published
editions, 1. of “Aristophanes,
” properly Bergler^s edition,
but under the care of Burman, Leyden, 1760, 2 vols. 4to,
2. “Claudian,
” Amst. Anthologia,
” of
the Latin poets, Amst. Propertius,
”
Utrecht, Poematum Libri Quatuor,
” Leyden,
m, and was, at the same time, so remarkable for his strict and exemplary life, that he was generally called a Puritan. But when he saw, that instead of reforming abuses
, the celebrated bishop of Salisbury, was born at Edinburgh, Sept. 18, 1643. His father was the younger brother of an ancient family in the county of Aberdeen, and was bred to the civil law, which he studied for seven years in France. His excessive modesty so far depressed his abilities, that he never made a shining figure at the bar, though he was universally esteemed to be a man of judgment and knowledge in his profession. He was remarkably generous in his practice, never taking a fee from the poor, nor from a clergyman, when he sued in the right of his church; and bestowing great part of his profits in acts of charity and friendship. In 1637, when the troubles in Scotland were breaking out, he was so disgusted at the conduct of the governing bishops there, whom he censured with great freedom, and was, at the same time, so remarkable for his strict and exemplary life, that he was generally called a Puritan. But when he saw, that instead of reforming abuses in the episcopal order, the order itself was struck at, he adhered to it with great zeal and constancy, as he did to the rights of the crown, not once complying with that party which afterwards prevailed in both nations. For though he agreed with Barclay and Grotius (with the latter of whom he had been intimately acquainted) as to their notions of resistance where the laws are broken through by a limited sovereign, yet he did not think that was then the case in Scotland. He married the sister of the famous sir Archibald Johnstoun, called lord Warristoun; who, during the civil wars, was at the head of the presbyterian party, and so zealously attached to that interest, that neither friendship nor alliance could dispose him to shew favour to those who refused the solemn Jeague and covenant. Our author’s father, persisting in this refusal, was obliged, at three several times, to quit the kingdom; and, when his return was afterwards connived at, as his principles would not permit him to renew the practice of the law, much less to accept the preferments in it offered him by Oliver Cromwell, he retired to his own estate in the country, where he lived till the restoration, when he was made one of the lords of the session by the title of lord Cramond. His wife, our author’s mother, was very eminent for her piety and virtue, and a warm zealot for the presbyterian discipline, in which way she had been very strictly educated.
uired of him, how much would again set him up in his trade: the man named the sum, and he as readily called to his servant to pay it him: “Sir,” said he, “it is all we
About six months after he returned to Scotland, where
he declined accepting the living of Saltoun, offered him
by sir Robert Fletcher of that place, resolving to travel for
some time on the continent, in 1664, he went over into
Holland; where, after he had seen what was remarkable
in the Seven Provinces, he resided for some time at Amsterdam, and afterwards at Paris. At Amsterdam, by the
help of a learned Rabbi, he increased his knowledge in
the Hebrew language, and likewise x became acquainted
with the leading men of the different persuasions tolerated
in that country: among each of whom, he used frequently
to declare, he had met with men of such real piety and
virtue, that he contracted a strong principle of universal
charity. At Paris he conversed with the two famous
ministers of Charenton, Dailie and Morus. His stay in
France was the longer, on account of the great kindness
with which he was treated by the lord Holies, then ambassador at the French court. Towards the end of the
year he returned to Scotland, passing through Londo/rr,
where he was introduced, by the president sir Robert
Murray, to be a member of the royal society. In 1665,
he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Edinburgh, and
presented by sir Robert Fletcher to the living of Saitoun,
which had been kept vacant during his absence. He soon
gained the affections of his whole parish, not excepting the
presbyterians, though he was the only clergyman in Scotland that made use of the prayers in the liturgy of the
church of England. During the five years he remained at
Saitoun, he preached twice every Sunday, and once on
one of the week-days; he catechized three times a-week,
so as to examine every parishioner, old or young, three
times in the compass of a year: he went round the parish
from house to house, instructing, reproving, or comforting
them, as occasion required: the sick he visited twice a
day: he administered the sacrament four times a year, and
personally instructed all such as gave notice of their intention to receive it. All that remained above his own necessary subsistence (in which he was very frugal), he gave
away in charity. A particular instance of his generosity
is thus related: one of his parishioners had been in execution for debt, and applied to our author for some small
relief; who inquired of him, how much would again set
him up in his trade: the man named the sum, and he as
readily called to his servant to pay it him: “Sir,” said he,
“it is all we have in the house.” “Well,” said Mr. Burnet, “pay it this poor man: you do not know the pleasure
there is in making a man glad.” This may be a proper
place to mention our author’s practice of preaching extempore, in which he attained an ease chiefly by allotting many
hours of the day to meditation upon all sorts of subjects,
and by accustoming himself, at those times, to speak his
thoughts aloud, studying always to render his expressions
correct. His biographer gives us here two remarkable
instances of his preaching without book. In 1691, when
the sees, vacant by the deprivation of the nonjuring
bishops, were filled up, bishop Williams was appointed to
preach one of the consecration -sermons at Bow-church;
but, being detained by some accident, the archbishop of
Canterbury desired our author, then bishop of Sarum, to
supply his place; which he readily did, to the general satisfaction of all present. In 1705, he was appointed to preach
the thanksgiving-sermon before the queen at St. Paul’s; and
as it was the only discourse he had ever written before-hand,
it was the only time that he ever made a pause in preaching, which on that occasion lasted above a minute. The
same year, he drew up a memorial of the abuses of the
Scotch bishops, which exposed him to the resentments of
that order: upon which, resolving to confine himself to
study, and the duties of his function, he practised such a
retired and abstemious course, as greatly impaired his
health. About 1668, the government of Scotland being in
the hands of moderate men, of whom the principal was sir
Robert Murray, he was frequently consulted by them; and
it was through his advice that some of the more moderate
presbyterians were put into the vacant churches; a step
which he himself has since condemned as indiscreet. In
1669, he was made professor of divinity at Glasgow; in
which station he executed the following plan of study.
On Mondays, he made each of the students, in their turn,
explain a head of divinity in Latin, and propound such
theses from it as he was to defend against the rest of the
scholars; and this exercise concluded with our professor’s
decision of the point in a Latin oration. On Tuesdays, he
gave them a prelection in the same language, in which he
proposed, in the course of eight years, to have gone
through a complete system of divinity. On Wednesdays,
he read them a lecture, for above an hour, by way of a
critical commentary on St. Matthew’s Gospel;' which he
finished before he quitted the chair. On Thursdays, the
exercise was alternate; one Thursday, he expounded a
Hebrew Psalm, comparing it with the Septuagint, the
Vulgar, and the English version; and the next Thursday,
he explained some portion of the ritual and constitution
of the primitive church, making the apostolical canons his
text, and reducing every article of practice under the head
of one or other of those canons. On Fridays, he made
each of his scholars, in course, preach a short sermon upon
some text he assigned; and, when it was ended, he observed upon any thing that was defective or amiss in the
handling of the subject. This was the labour of the mornings: in the evenings, after prayer, he every day read
some parcel of scripture, on which he made a short
discourse; and, when that was over, he examined into
the progress of their several studies. Ail this he performed
during the whole time the schools were open; and, in
order to acquit himself with credit, he was obliged to study
hard from four till ten in the morning; the rest of the day
being of necessity allotted, either to the care of his pupils,
or to hearing the complaints of the clergy, who, rinding he
had an interest with men of power, were not sparing in
their applications to him. In this situation he continued
four years and a half, exposed, through his principles of
moderation, to the censure both of the episcopal and presbyterian parties. The same year he published his “Modest and free Conference between a Conformist and a Nonconformist.
” About this time he was entrusted, by the
duchess of Hamilton, with the perusal and arrangement
of all the papers relating to her father’s and uncle’s
ministry; which induced him to compile “Memoirs of the
Dukes of Hamilton,
” and occasioned his being invited to
London, to receive farther information, concerning the
transactions of those times, by the earl of Lauderdale; between whom and the duke of Hamilton he brought about
a reconciliation. During his stay in London, he was offered a Scotch bishopric, which he refused. Soon after
his return to Glasgow, he married the lady Margaret Kennedy, daughter of the earl of Cassilis. In 1672, he published his “Vindication of the Authority, Constitution, and
Laws, of the Church and State of Scotland,
” against the
principles of Buchanan and others; which was thought, at
that juncture, such a public service, that he was again
courted to accept of a bishopric, with a promise of the
next vacant archbishopric, but he persisted in his refusal
of that dignity. In 1673, he took another journey to
London; where, at the express nomination of the king,
after hearing him preach, he was sworn one of his majesty’s
chaplains in ordinary. He became likewise in high favour
with his majesty and the duke of York . At his return to
Edinburgh, finding the animosities between the dukes of
Hamilton and Lauderdale revived, he retired to his station
at Glasgow; but was obliged the next year to return to
court, to justify himself against the accusations of the duke
of Lauderdale, who had represented him as the cause and
instrument of all the opposition the measures of the court
had met with in the Scotch parliament. Thus he lost the
favour of the court; and, to avoid putting himself into the
hands of his enemies, he resigned the professor’s chair at
Glasgow, and resolved to settle in London, being now
about thirty years of age. Soon after, he was offered the
living of St. Giles’s Cripplegate, which he declined accepting, because he heard that it was intended for Dr.
Fowler, afterwards bishop of Gloucester. In 1675, our
author, at the recommendation of lord Holies, and notwithstanding the interposition of the court against him, was
appointed preacher at the Rolls chapel by sir Harbottle
Grimstone, master of the Rolls. The same year he was
examined before the house of commons in relation to the
duke of Lauderdale, whose conduct the parliament was
then inquiring into. He was soon after chosen lecturer of
St. Clement’s, and became a very popular preacher. In
1676, he published his “Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton;
” and the same year, “An account of a Conference
between himself, Dr. Stillingfleet, and Coleman.
” About
this time, the apprehensions of popery increasing daily, he
undertook to write the “History of the Reformation of the
Church of England.
” The rise and progress of this his
greatest and 'most useful work, is an object of too great
curiosity to require any apology on account of its length.
His own account of it is as follows: “Some time after I
had printed the ‘ Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton,’
which were favourably received, the reading of these got
me the acquaintance and friendship of sir William Jones,
then attorney-general. My way of writing history pleased
him; and so he pressed me to undertake the History of
England. But Sanders’s book, that was then translated
into French, and cried up much in France, made all my
friends press me to answer it, by writing the History of
the Reformation. So now all my thoughts were turned
that way. I laid out for manuscripts, and searched into
all offices. I got for some days into the Cotton Library.
But duke Lauderdale hearing of my design, and apprehending it might succeed in my hands, got Dolben, bishop
of Rochester, to divert sir John Cotton from suffering me
to search into his library. He told him, I was a great
enemy to the prerogative, to which Cotton was devoted,
even to slavery. So he said, I would certainly make an ill
use of all 1 had found. This wrought so much on him,
that I was no more admitted, till my first volume was published. And then, when he saw how I had composed it,
he gave me free access to it.
” The first volume of this
work lay near a year after it was finished, for the perusal
and correction of friends; so that it was not published tiii
the year 1679, when the affair of the popish plot was in
agitation. This book procured our author an honour never
before or since paid to any writer: he had the thanks of
both houses of parliament, with a desire that he would
prosecute the undertaking, and complete that valuable
work. Accordingly, in less than two years after, he
printed the second volume, which met with the same general approbation as the first: and such was his readiness
in composing, that he wrote the historical part in the
compass of six weeks, after all his materials were laid in
order. The third volume, containing a supplement to the
two former, was published in 1714. “The defects of
Peter Heylyn’s
” History of the Reformation,“as bishop
Kicolson observes,
” are abundantly supplied in our
author’s more complete history. He gives a punctual account of all the affairs of the reformation, from its beginning in the reign of Henry VIII. to its final establishment
under queen Elizabeth, A. D. 1559. And the whole is
penned in a masculine style, such as becomes an historian,
and is the property of this author in all his writings. The
collection of records^ which he gives at the end of each
volume, are good vouchers of the truth of what he delivers
in the body of the history, and are much more perfect than
could reasonably be expected, after the pains taken, in
queen Mary’s days, to suppress every thing that carried
the marks of the reformation upon it.“Our author’s performance met with a very favourable, reception abroad, and
was translated into most of the European languages; and
even the keenest of his enemies, Henry Wharton, allows it
to have
” a reputation firmly and deservedly established.“The most eminent of the French writers who have attacked
it, M. Varillas and M. Le Grand, have received satisfactory
replies from -the author himself. At home it was attacked
by Mr. S. Lowth, who censured the account Dr. Burnet
had given of some of archbishop Cranmer’s opinions, asserting that both our historian and Dr. Stillingfleet had imposed upon the world in that particular, and had
” unfaithfully joined together“in their endeavours to lessen
episcopal ordination. Our author replied to Mr. Lowth,
in some
” letters. in answer“to his book. The next assailant was Henry Wharton, who, under the name of Anthony
Harrner, published
” A specimen of some Errors and
Defects in the History of the Reformation,“1693, 8vo, a
performance of no great candour; to which, however, our
historian vouchsafed a short answer, in a
” Letter to the
Bishop of Lichfield.“A third attack on this History was
made by Dr. Hickes in
” Discourses on Dr. Burnet and
Dr. Tillotson;“in which the whole charge amounts to no
more than this, that,
” in a matter of no great consequence,
there was too little care had in copying or examining a
letter writ in a very bad hand,“and that there was some
probability that Dr. Burnet
” was mistaken in one of his
conjectures.“Our author answered this piece, in a
” Vindication“of his History. The two first parts were translated into French by M. de Rosemond, and into Latin by
Melchior Mittelhorzer. There is likewise a Dutch translation of it. In 1682, our author published
” An abridgment of his History of the Reformation," in 8vo, in which
he tells us, he had wholly waved every thing that belonged
to the records, and the proof of what he relates, or to the
confutation of the falsehoods that run through the popish
historians; all which is to be found in the History at large.
And therefore, in this abridgment, he says, every thing is
to be taken upon trust; and those who desire a fuller satisfaction, are referred to the volumes he had before published.
n honest Man, especially with relation to public Affairs.” Another of Mr. Burnet’s tracts, which was called “Truth, if you can find it; or a Character of the present Ministry
, the third and youngest son of the
bishop, had an education equally advantageous with that
of his two elder brothers. When he had acquired a sufficient preparation of grammatical learning, he was sent
to the university of Oxford, where he becam^a commoner
of Merton-college. After this, he studied two years at
Leyden, from whence he seems to have made a tour
through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Having chosen
the profession of the law, he was entered at the Temple,
where he appears to have contracted wildness of disposition,
and irregularity of conduct. To this part of his character
there are frequent allusions in the satirical publications of
the times; and particularly in Dr. Arbuthnol’s notes and
memorandums of the six days preceding the death of a
right reverend prelate. Mr. Thomas Burnet was even
suspected of being one of the Mohocks mentioned in the
Spectator, whose extravagant and cruel exploits made
much noise, and excited no small degree of terror at that
period. Swift, in one of his letters to Stella, has the following passage: “Young Davenant was telling us, how
he was set upon by the Mohocks, and how they ran his
chair through with a sword. It is not safe being in the
streets at night. The bishop of Salisbury’s son is said
to be of the gang. They are all whigs. A great lady
sent to me, to speak to her father, and to lord treasurer,
to have a care of them, and to be careful likewise of myself; for she heard they had malicious intentions against
the ministry and their friends. I know not whether there
be any thing in this, though others are of the sante opinion.
” The report concerning Mr. Burnet might be
groundless; but it is certain that his time was not wholly
spent in dissipation; for, being warmly devoted to the
cause of the whigs, he commenced political writer against
the administration of the four last years of queen Anne.
No less than seven pamphlets of this kind, though without
his name, were written by him, in 1712 and 1713. His
first was entitled “A Letter to the People, to be left for
them at the Booksellers; with a word or two of the Bandbox Plot.
” This small tract is drawn up in short paragraphs, after the manner of Mr. Asgill; but not in ridicule
of that author, who is spoken of in terms of high commendation. Another piece of Mr. Burnet’s was: “Our
Ancestors as wise as we, or ancient Precedents for modern
Facts, in answer to a Letter from a noble Lord;
” which
was followed by “The History of Ingratitude, or a second
Part of ancient Precedents for modern Facts,
” wherein
many instances are related, chiefly from the Greek and
Roman histories, of the ungrateful treatment to which the
most eminent public characters have been exposed; and
the whole is applied to the case of the duke of Marlborough. A subsequent publication, that had likewise a reference to the conduct of the ministry towards the same
great general, and which was dedicated to him, was entitled “The true Character of an honest Man, especially
with relation to public Affairs.
” Another of Mr. Burnet’s
tracts, which was called “Truth, if you can find it; or a
Character of the present Ministry and Parliament,
” was
entirely of an ironical nature, and sometimes the irony
is well supported. But our author’s principal political
pamphlet, during the period we are speaking of, was, “A
certain Information of a certain Discourse, that happened
at a certain Gentleman’s House, in a certain County:
written by a certain Person then present; to a certain
Friend now at London; from whence you may collect the
great Certainty of the Account.
” This is a dialogue in
defence of the principles and conduct of the whigs; and
it gave such offence to queen Anne’s Tory ministry, that
on account of it, Mr. Burnet was taken into custody in
January 1712—13. He wrote, also, “Some new Proofs
by which it appears that the Pretender is truly James the
Third;
” in which, from the information, we suppose, of
his father, he gives the same account, in substance, of the
Pretender’s birth, that was afterwards published in the
bishop’s History of his own Time. What Mr. Burnet endeavours to make out is, that three supposititious children
Vol. VII. C c
were introduced; and consequently, that the “Pretender
was James the Third;
” or, to put it more plainly, “the
third pretended James.
” Whilst our young author, notwithstanding his literary application and engagements, still
continued his wild courses, it is related, that his father
one day seeing him uncommonly grave, asked what he
was meditating. “A greater work,
” replied the son,
“than your lordship’s History of the Reformation.
”
“What is that, Tom?
” “My own reformation, my
lord.
” “I shall be heartily glad to see it,
” said the bishop, “but almost despair of it.
” This, however, was
happily accomplished, though, perhaps, not during the
life of the good prelate, and Mr. Burnejt became not only
one of the best lawyers of his time, but a very respectable
character. After the accession of king George the First,
he wrote a letter to the earl of Halifax, on “the Necessity
of impeaching the late Ministry,
” in which he urges the
point with great zeal and warmth, and shews the utmost
dislike of treating with any degree of lenity, a set of men
whose conduct, in his opinion, deserved the severest punishment. He insists upon it, that the makers of the treaty
of Utrecht ought to answer for their treasons with their
heads. The letter to the earl of Halifax, which appeared
with Mr. Burnet’s name, was followed by an anonymous
treatise, entitled “A second Tale of a Tub; or the
History of Robert Powel the Puppet-Showman.
” This
work, which is a satire on the earl of Oxford and his ministry, and is far from being destitute of wit and humour, hath
never had the good fortune (nor, indeed, did it deserve it,) of being read and admired like the original “Tale of
a Tub.
” The author himself, in the latter part of his life,
wished it to be forgotten; for we are well informed that
he sought much for it, and purchased such copies as he
could meet with, at a considerable price. Soon after his
father’s death, he published “A Character of the right
reverend father in God, Gilbert lord bishop of Sarum;
with a true copy of his last Will and Testament.
” In ridicule of this publication, was printed in Hudibrastic
verse, and with a very small portion of merit, “A certain
dutiful Son’s Lamentation for the Death of a certain right
reverend; with the certain Particulars of certain Sums and
Goods that are bequeathed him, which he will most certainly
part with in a ctrtain time.
” In Homerides;
” which exposed
him to the lash of Mr. Pope, and occasioned that great poet
to give him a place, though not with remarkable severity,
in the Dunciad. He was likewise concerned in a weekly
paper, called “The Grumbler.
” He was, however, soon,
taken from these literary occupations, by being appointed
his majesty’s consul at Lisbon, where he continued several years. Whilst he was in this situation, he had a
dispute with lord Tyrawley, the ambassador, in which the
merchants sided with Mr. Burnet. During the continuance
of the dispute, the consul took an odd method of affronting-'
his antagonist. Employing the same taylor, and having
learned what dress his lordship intended to wear on a birthday, Mr. Burnet provided the same dress as liveries for
his servants, and appeared himself in a plain suit. It is
said, that in consequence of this quarrel (though how truly, may, perhaps, be doubted), the ambassador and
consul were both recalled. Upon Mr. Burnet’s return to
his country, he resumed the profession of the law. In
1723, he published, with a few explanatory notes, the
first volume of his father’s “History of his own Time;
”
and, in Reflections historical and political.
” When Mr.
Burnet gave to the public, in of whom I
take this opportunity to say with pleasure, and which your
lordship, I am sure, will allow me to say with truth, that
for his knowledge of the world, and his able judgment of
things, he was equalled by few, and excelled by none of
his contemporaries.
” The following clause in our learned
judge’s will was the subject of conversation after his decease, and was inserted in the monthly collections, as
being somewhat extraordinary. “I think it proper in this
solemn act to declare, that as I have lived, so I trust I
shall die, in the true faith of Christ as taught in the
Scriptures; but not as taught or practised in any one visible church that I know of; though I think the church of
England is as little stuffed with the inventions of men as
any of them; and the church of Rome is so full of them,
as to have destroyed all that is lovely in the Christian
religion.
” This clause gave occasion to the publication
of a serious and sensible pamphlet, entitled: “The true
Church of Christ, which, and where to be found, according to the Opinion of the late judge Burnet; with
an Introduction concerning divine worship, and a caution
to gospel preachers; in which are contained, the Reasons
for that Declaration in his last Will and Testament.
” A
judgment may be formed of his abilities in his profession,
from his argument in the case of Ryal and Rowls. In
1777 were published in 4to, “Verses written on several
occasions, between the years 1712 and 1721.
” These
were the poetical productions of Mr. Burnet in his youth,
of whom it is said by the editor, that he was connected in
friendship and intimacy with those wits, which will for
ever signalise the beginning of the present century; and
that himself shone with no inconsiderable lustre amidst the
constellation of geniuses which then so illustriously adorned
the British hemisphere.
ct of life. Monboddo delighted in the refinements, the subtleties, the abstractions, and what may be called the affectations of literature; and in comparison with these,
The vacations of the court of session afforded him leisure to retire every year, in spring and in autumn, to the country; and he used then to dress in a style of simplicity, as if he had been only a plain farmer, and to live among the people upon his estate, with all the kind familiarity and attention of an aged father among his grown-up children. It was there he had the pleasure of receiving Dr. Samuel Johnson, when upon his well-known tour through the islands of Scotland. Johnson admired nothing in literatureso much as the display of a keen discrimination of human character, a just apprehension of the principles of moral action, and that vigorous common-sense, which is the most happily applicable to the ordinary conduct of life. Monboddo delighted in the refinements, the subtleties, the abstractions, and what may be called the affectations of literature; and in comparison with these, despised the grossness of modern taste and of common affairs. Johnson thought learning and science to be little valuable, except so far as they could be made subservient to the purposes of living usefully and happily with the world on its own terms. Monboddo’s favourite science taught him to look down with contempt upon all sublunary, and especially upon all modern things; and to fit tife to literature and philosophy, not literature and philosophy to life.
’s grandson and heir-apparent. These honourable connections introduced him into what may properly be called the world: in which he afterwards confirmed the reputation he
, a most ingenious and learned
writer, was born at Croft, in Yorkshire, about the year
1635. His first education was at the free-school of North-Alverton, in that county, from whence he was removed in
June 1651, to Clare-hall in Cambridge, where he had
Dr. Tillotson for his tutor. Dr. Cud worth was at that time
master of Clare-hall, but removed from it to the mastership
of Christ’s college, in 1654; and thither our author followed him. Under his patronage he was chosen fellow in
1657, commenced M. A. in 1658, and became senior
proctor of the university in 1661; but it is uncertain how
long after ward she continued his residence there. He was
afterwards governor to the young earl of Wiltshire, son of
the marquis of Winchester, with whom he travelled abroad ^
and gave such satisfaction, that, soon after his return to
England, he was invited and prevailed on by the first duke
of Ormond, to travel in the same capacity with the young
earl of Ossory, his grace’s grandson and heir-apparent.
These honourable connections introduced him into what
may properly be called the world: in which he afterwards
confirmed the reputation he already had for talents ad
learning, by the publication of his “Telluris theoria sacra,
orbis nostri originem & mutationes generales, quas olim
subiit et subiturus est, complectens.
” This Sacred Theory
of the Earth was originally published in Latin, in 2 vols.
4to, the two first books concerning the deluge, and paradise, 1681; the two last, concerning the burning of the
world, and the new heavens and new earth, in 1689. The
uncommon approbation this work met with, and the particular encouragement of Charles II. who relished its
beauties, induced the author to translate it into English.
Of this translation he published the two first books in 1684,
folio, with an elegant dedication to the king; and the two
last in 1689, with a no less elegant dedication to queen
Mary. “The English edition,
” he tells us, “is the same in
substance with the Latin, though, he confesses, not so
properly a translation, as a new composition upon the
same ground, there being several additional chapters in it,
and several new moulded.
”
shed; and after the usual forms were gone through, he was appointed exciseman, or, as it is vulgarly called, ganger, of the district in which he lived. It soon appeared,
It has already been noticed, that Burns very fondly
cherished those notions of independence, and those feelings of an independent spirit that are dear to the young
and ingenuous, and were, perhaps, not less so to him, because so often sung by the greatest of our poets. But he
had not matured these notions by reflection; and he was
now to learn, that a little knowledge of the world will
overturn many such airy fabrics. If we may form any
judgment, however, from his correspondence, his expectations were not very extravagant, since he expected only
that some of his illustrious patrons would have placed him,
on whom they had bestowed the honours of genius, in a
situation where his exertions might have been uninterrupted by the fatigues of labour, and the calls of want.
Disappointed in this, be now formed a design of applying
for the office of exciseman, as a kind of resource in case
his expectations from the farm should be baffled. By the
interest of one of his friends, this object was accomplished;
and after the usual forms were gone through, he was appointed exciseman, or, as it is vulgarly called, ganger, of
the district in which he lived. It soon appeared, as might
naturally have been expected, that the duties of this office
were incompatible with his previous employment. “His
farm,
” says Dr. Currie, “was, in a great measure, abandoned to his servants, while he betook himself to the duties
of his new appointment. He might still, indeed, be seen
in the spring, directing his plough, a labour in which he
excelled, or with a white sheet, containing his seed-corn,
slung across his shoulders, striding with measured steps
along his turned-up furrows, and scattering the grain in
the earth. But his farm no longer occupied the principal
part of his care or his thoughts. It was not at Ellisland
that he was now in general to be found: Mounted on
horse-back, this high: minded poet was pursuing the defaulters of the revenue among the hills and vales of Nithsdale, his roving eye wandering over the charms of nature,
and muttering his wayward fancies as he moved along.
”
. Burton, instead of answering, appealed to the king: but a special high-commission court, which was called soon after at Doctors’ Commons, suspended him, in his absence,
In April 1625, he presented a letter to king Charles,
remonstrating against Dr. Neile and Dr. Laud, his majesty’s continual attendants, as popishly affected; and for
this was forbidden the court. Soon after he was presented
to the rectory of -St, Matthew’s, in Friday-street, London.
In Dec. 1636, he was summoned to appear before Dr.
Duck, one of the commissioners for causes ecclesiastical,
who tendered to him the oaths ex officio, to answer to certain articles brought against him, for what he had advanced
in two sermons preached in his own church on the preceding 5th of November . Burton, instead of answering,
appealed to the king: but a special high-commission court,
which was called soon after at Doctors’ Commons, suspended him, in his absence, from both his office and benefice; on which he thought fit to abscond, but published his
two sermons under the title of “For God and the King;
”
together with an apology justifying his appeal. February 1,
a serjeant at arms, with other officers, by virtue of a warrant from the star-chamber, broke open his doors, seized
his papers, and took him into custody. Next day, he was,
by an order of the privy-council, committed to the Fleet
prison; from which place he dated one epistle to his majesty, another to the judges, and a third to the “truehearted nobility.
” March 1!, he was proceeded against
in the star-chamber, for writing and publishing seditious,
schismatical, and libellous books, against the hierarchy of
the church, and to the scandal of the government. To
this information he (and Bastwick and Prynne who were indicted with him) prepared answers . In the end of
May 1637, a person came to the Fleet to examine Burton
upon his answer; but hearing that the greatest part of
it had been expunged, he refused to be examined, unless his answer might be admitted as it was put in, or he
permitted to put in a new answer. June 2, it was ordered
by the court, that if he would not answer to interrogatories
framed upon his answer, he would be proceeded against
pro confesso. Accordingly, June 14, Burton, and the two
others, being brought to the bar, the information was read;
and no legal answer having been put in in time, nor filed
on record, the court began for this contempt to proceed
to sentence. The defendants cried out for justice, that
their answers might be read, and that they might not be
condemned unheard, but because their answers were not
filed on record, the court proceeded to pass sentence:
which was, that Burton, Prynne, and Bastwick pay a fine
of 50OO/. each, and that Burton in particular be deprived
of his ecclesiastical benefice, degraded from his ministerial
function and degrees in the university, be set on the pillory, have both his ears cut off there, confined to perpetual
close imprisonment in Lancaster-castle, debarred the access
of his wife or any other except his keeper, and denied the
use of pen, ink, and paper: all which, except the fine
and the solitary part of the confinement, was executed accordingly, and the cutting off his ears with circumstances
of great cruelty, they being pared so close, that the
temporal artery was cut. During his twelve weeks imprisonment in the common gaol at Lancaster, great crowds
pitying his misfortunes resorted to him, and some of his
papers being dispersed in London, he was removed, by an
order of council, to Cornet-castle in the isle of Guernsey,
October 1637, where he was shut up almost three years;
till in November 1640, the house of, commons, upon his
wife’s petition, complaining of the severity of his sentence,
ordered that he should be brought to the parliament in
safe custody. Burton, on his arrival at London, presented
a petition to the house of commons, setting forth his sufferings, and there was now a house of commons willing
enough to listen to more trifling complaints. In consequence of this, the house resolved that the sentence
against him was illegal, and ought to be reversed; that he
be freed from the fine of 5000l. and from imprisonment,
and restored to his degrees in the university, orders in the
ministry, and to his ecclesiastical benefice in Friday-street,
London; also have recompense for his imprisonment, and
for the loss of his ears, which they fixed at six thousand
pounds; but owing to the ensuing confusions in the kingdom, he never received that sum. He was, however, restored to his living of St. Matthew’s, after which he declared himself an Independent, and complied with all the
alterations that ensued; but, according to Wood, when
he saw to what extravagant lengths the parliament went,
he grew more moderate, and afterwards fell out with his
fellow-sufferers Prynne and Bastwick, and with Mr. Edmund Calamy. He died Jan. 7, 1648. Besides the tracts
mentioned above, he wrote several others, which are
thus enumerated. 1. “A Censure of Simony,
” Loud.
A Plea to an Appeal, traversed Dialoguewise,
” Lond. The baiting of the Pope’s Bull,
”
Lond. A Tryal of private Devotions, or a Dyal
for the Hours of Prayer,
” Lond. Israel’s Fast;
or, Meditations on the 7th Chapter of Joshua,
” Lond.
Seven Vials, or an Exposition on the loth and
16th Chapters of the Revelations,
” Lond. Babel no Bethel; i. e. The Church of Rome no true visible
Church of Christ, being an Answer to Hugh Cholmeley’s
Challenge, and Robert Butterfield’s Maschil.
” 8. “Truth’s
Triumph over Trent, or the great Gulph between Sion
and Babylon,
” Lond. The Law and the Gospel reconciled against the Antinomians,
” Lond. Christian’s Bulwark, or the Doctrine of Justification,
” Lond. Exceptions against a passage in Dr. Jackson’s Treatise of the Divine Essence and
Attributes.
” 12. “The sounding of the two last Trumpets; or, Meditations on the 9th, 10th, and llth Chapters
of the Revelations,
” Lond. The Protestation protested, or a short Remonstrance, shewing what
is principally required of all those that have or do take the
last Parliamentary Protestation,
” London, Relation of Mr. Chillingworth.
” 15. “A Narration
of his own Life,
” Lond. A Vindication
of Independent Churches, in answer to Mr. Prynne’s two
books of Church-Government, and of Independency,
”
Lond. Parliament’s Power for Laws in
Religion,
” Vindiciae Veritatis: Truth
vindicated against Calumny: In a brief Answer to Dr.
Bastwick’s two late books, entitled, Independency not
God’s Ordinance,
” Lond. Truth shut
out of Doors; or, A brief Narrative of the Occasion and
Manner of Proceeding of Aldermanbury Parish, in shutting their Church-Door against him,
” Lond. Conformity’s Deformity, in a Dialogue between
Conformity and Conscience,
” Lond.
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
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.
, “Elogium Famæ inserviens Jacci Etonensis, sive Gigantis; or, The Praises of Jack of Eton, commonly called Jack the Giant; collected into English metre, after the manner
Dr. Burton is understood to have been the author, under
the name of “Phileleutherus Londinensis,
” of “Remarks
on Dr. King’s Speech before the University of Oxford, at
the Dedication of Dr. Radcliff’s Library, on the 13th of
April, 1749.
” This produced from Dr. King, “Elogium
Famæ inserviens Jacci Etonensis, sive Gigantis; or, The
Praises of Jack of Eton, commonly called Jack the Giant;
collected into English metre, after the manner of Thomas
Sternhold, John Hopkins, John Burton, and others. To
which is added, a dissertation on the Burtonian style. By
a Master of Arts.
” Dr. Burton’s Life was written in Latin
by Dr. Edward Bentham, his relation, and canon of Christ
church, under the title “De Vita et moribus Johannis Burtoni,
”
e beholden to him:“but for nearly a century, the perusal of it was confined to those readers who are called” The Curious;“and within our memory it was usually rejected
“Burton upon Melancholy,
” says archbp. Herring (Letters, but for nearly a
century, the perusal of it was confined to those readers
who are called
” The Curious;“and within our memory
it was usually rejected from the catalogues of eminent
booksellers, as a work fitter for the stalls. Of late years,
however, its reputation has revived in an uncommon degree, partly by incidental notices of it by Dr. Johnson,
Messrs. Steevens and Malone, and the other annotators of
Shakspeare, and partly by the attention paid to it by Dr.
Ferriar of Manchester, who, in his
” Illustrations of Sterne,“has ingeniously pointed out how much that writer owes to
Burton. Mr. T. Warton, in his History of Poetry, had also
frequently referred to the
” Anatomy." All this not only
raised the price of the old editions, but encouraged the
publication of a new one in 1800, which sold rapidly; yet
Burton is a writer so much above the common level, that
we suspect that, even now, he has acquired more purchasers than readers.
okseller of that period, who is supposed to have composed them. In the Bodleian Catalogue, Burton is called “alias Nat Crouch,” of whom Dunton says, “I. think I have given
was a name placed in the titlepages of a numerous set of popular volumes printed about
the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth
century, and sold by Nath. Crouch, a bookseller of that
period, who is supposed to have composed them. In the
Bodleian Catalogue, Burton is called “alias Nat Crouch,
”
of whom Dunton says, “I. think I have given you the very
soul of his character, when I have told you that his talent
lies at * Collections.' He has melted down the best of
our English histories into Twelve-penny-Books, which
are filled with Wonders, Rarities, and Curiosities, for
you must know his title-pages are a little swelling.
” Of
his brother Samuel Crouch, Dunton speaks more favourably: “He is just and punctual in all his dealings; never
speaks ill of any man; has a swinging soul of his own;
would part with all he has to serve a friend; and that’s
enough for one bookseller.
” These Burton’s books were
formerly confined to the perusal of the lowest classes of
readers, and were long called chapmen’s books, and sold
only by the petty booksellers, and at fairs, &c. But of
late years they have become a favourite object with collectors, and their price has risen accordingly; and more completely to gratify the trifling taste of the age, some of them
have been reprinted in a pompous and expensive manner.
Being, therefore, from whatever cause, the subjects of modern attention, we shall subjoin a list of them, for which
we are indebted to Mr. Malone. 1. “Historical Rarities
in London and Westminster,
” Wars in England, Scotland, and Ireland,
” Wonderful prodigies of Judgment and Mercy,
” Strange and
prodigious religious Customs and Manners of sundry Nations,
” English Empire in America,
” Surprising Miracles of Nature and Art,
” Admirable Curiosities of Nature,
”
History of Scotland,
” 1685. 9.
” Two Journies to Jerusalem,“1685.
10.
” Nine Worthies of the World,“1687. 11.
” Winter’s Evening’s Entertainments,“1687. 12.
” The English
Hero, or the Life of Sir Francis Drake,“1687. 13.
” Memorable Accidents, and unheard-of Transactions,“1693.
14.
” History of the House of Orange,“1693. 15. Martyrs in flames,
” 1695. 16. “Curiosities of England,
” History of Oliver Cromwell,
” Unparalleled Varieties,
” Unfortunate Court Favourites of England,
” History of the Lives
of English Divines,
” Ingenious Riddles.
”
22. “Unhappy Princesses, or the history of Anne Boleyn,
and Lady Jane Grey,
” Esop’s Fables in prose
and verse,
” History of Virginia,
” English acquisitions in Guinea and the East Indies,
”
1728. 27.
” General History of Earthquakes,“1736.
8.
” The English Heroine, or the Life and Adventures of
Mrs. Christian Davis, commonly called Mother Ross.“29.
” Youth’s Divine Pastime."
ffering much in the civil wars April 6, 1645, and was buried in the parish church thereto belonging, called Hanbury. He left several notes, collections of arms and monuments,
, author of the “History of Leicestershire,
” and eldest son of Ralph Burton, esq. of
Lindley in Leicestershire, was born August 24, 1575, educated
at the school of Nuneaton in Warwickshire, and while
there distinguished himself by no common taste and skill in
Latin poetry. He was admitted of Brazen-nose college,
Oxford, 1591, and of the Inner Temple May 20, 1593,
B. A. June 22, 1594, and was afterwards a barrister and
reporter in the court of common pleas. But “his natural
genius,
” says Wood, “leading him to the studies of heraldry, genealogies, and antiquities, he became excellent
in those obscure and intricate matters; and, look upon him
as a gentleman, was accounted by all that knew him to be
the best of-his time for those studies, as may appear by his
description of Leicestershire.
” The author himself says, he
began his History of Leicestershire in 1597, not many ): ears
after his coming into the Inner Temple. In 1602 he corrected Saxton’s map of that county, with the addition of
eighty towns. His weak constitution riot permitting him
to follow his business, he retired into the country; and his
great work, the “Description of Leicestershire,
” was published in folio, he has undertaken to remove an eclipse from the sun without art or astronomical
dimension, to give light to the county of Leicester, whose
beauty has long been shadowed and obscured;
” and in his
preface declares himself one of those who hold that “gloria
totius res est vanissima mundi;
” and that he was unfit and
unfurnished for so great a business: “unfit,
” to use his
own words, “for that myself was bound for another study,
which is jealous, and will admit no partner; for that all
time and parts of time, that could possibly be employed
therein, were not sufficient to be dispensed thereon, by
reason of the difficulty of getting, and multiplicity of kinds
of learning therein. Yet if a partner might be assigned or
admitted thereto, there is no study or learning so fit or
necessary for a lawyer, as the study of antiquities.
” He
was assisted in this undertaking by his kinsmen John Beaumont of Gracedieu, esq. and Augustus Vincent, rougecroix; but the church notes were taken by himself. He
drew up the corollary of Leland’s life, prefixed to the
“Collectanea,
” with his favourite device, the sun recovering from an eclipse, and motto “Rilucera,
” dated Faledi
Antiquitates de Dadling-ton, manerio com. Leic, sive exemplificatio scriptorum,
cartarum veterum, inquisitionum, rotulorum curiarum, recordorum, et evidentium probantium antiquitates dicti
manerii de Dadlingtori, et hsereditatem de Burton in dicto
manerio de Dadlington, quoe mine sunt penes me Will'mum
Burton de Lindley com. Leic. modernum dominum dicti
manerii de Dadlington. Lahore et studio mei Will 1 mi
Burton de Lindley, apprenticii legum Angliae, et socii
Interioris Templi Londini; nuper habitatitis apud Falde
com. Staff, nunc apud Lindley, 25 Aug. 1625, set, 50.
”
He died at Falde, after suffering much in the civil wars
April 6, 1645, and was buried in the parish church thereto
belonging, called Hanbury. He left several notes, collections of arms and monuments, genealogies, and other
matters of antiquity, which he had gathered from divers
churches and gentlemen’s houses. Derby collections are
mentioned in Gascoigne’s notes, p. 53, probably by himself. In Osborne’s Catalogue, 1757, was “Vincent on
Brooke,
” with ms notes by William Burton, probably not
more than those on Cornwall, which Dr. Rawlinson had.
He was one of sir Robert Cotton’s particular friends, and
had the honour to instruct sir William Dugdale. He was
acquainted with Somner; and Michael Drayton, esq. was
his near countryman and acquaintance, being descended
from the Draytons of Drayton, or Fenny Drayton, near
Lindley. He married, 1607, Jane, daughter of Humphry
Adderley, of Wedington, Warwickshire; by whom he had
one son, Cassibelan, born 1609, heir of his virtues as well
as his other fortunes, who, having a poetical turn, translated Martial into English, which was published 1658. He
consumed the best part of his paternal estate, and died
Feb. 28, 1681, having some years before given most, if
not all, his father’s collections to Mr. Walter Chetwynd, to
be used by him in writing the antiquities of Staffordshire.
Several printed copies of Burton’s Leicestershire, with ms
notes by different persons, are existing in various collections *. “The reputation of Burton’s book,
” as Mr.
Gough justly observes, “arises from its being written early,
and preceded only by Lambarde’s Kent 1576, Carew’s Cornwall 1602, and Norden’s Surveys; and it is in comparison
only of these, and not of Dugdale’s more copious work,
that we are to understand the praises so freely bestowed
on it, and because nobody has treated the subject more remotely and accurately; for Dugdale, says Burton, as well
as Lambarde and Carevv, performed briefly. The present
volume, though a folio of above 300 pages, if the unnecessary digressions were struck out, and the pedigrees reduced
into less compass, would shrink into a small work. The
typographical errors, especially in the Latin, are so numerous, and the style, according to the manner of that time,
so loose, that the meaning is often doubtful. The description is in alphabetical order, and consists chiefly of pedigrees and moot-cases.
” The author, sensible of its defect,
greatly enlarged and enriched it with the addition of Roman, Saxon, and other antiquities, as appears from his letter
to sir Robert Cotton, dated Lindley, June 9, 1627, still extant among Cotton’s correspondences, in his library, Jul.
C. iii. This book, thus augmented, was, with other Mss.
by the same author, in the possession of Mr. Walter Chetwynd, of Ingestry, in Staffordshire, whom Camden in
Staffordshire calls “venerandae antiquitatis cultor maximus;
” and afterwards came to, or was borrowed by, Mr.
Charles King, tutor to Mr. Chetwynd, in whose hands
Brokesby mentions it, and says Mr. Chetwynd made considerable additions to it. He died in 1693. Lord Chetwynd
lent it to sir Thomas Cave, in whose hands Mr. Ashby saw
it in 1763 f. It is continued to 1642. It is not necessary to
say more of a work now so totally eclipsed, and rendered
useless, by the more elaborate, accurate, and satisfactory
“History of Leicestershire
” lately published by Mr.
Nichols, to which we may refer for many curious particu* These are particularized in the History of Hinckley, p. 131. A new edition
of the Description of Leicestershire was absurdly printed in 1777, without the
least improvement.
lars of Burton’s life, and especially an account by himself
in the form of a diary.
cured him many disciples, he formed them into a society, whose principal duty was to teach what they called the Christian doctrine. He was appointed general of this society
, founder of the society of the priests,
or fathers, of the Christian doctrine, was born of a noble
family at Cavaillon, Feb. 3, 1544. He at first cultivated
poetry, and gave himself up to a life of pleasure, but afterwards reformed, lived in a most exemplary manner,
went into holy orders, and travelled from place to place,
confessing and catechising. His zeal having procured him
many disciples, he formed them into a society, whose principal duty was to teach what they called the Christian
doctrine. He was appointed general of this society in 1598,
the institution having been first approved by pope Clement VIII. in
the preceding year. That which goes by the
same name in Italy was founded by Mark Cusani, a Milanese knight, and was established by the approbation and
authority of Pius V. and Gregory XIII. Caesar de Bus had
also some concern in establishing the Ursulines of France.
He lost his sight about fourteen years before his death,
which happened at Avignon, April 15, 1607. He left only
a book of instructions, drawn up for his society, called
“Instructions familieres sur les quatre parties de la Doctrine Chretienne,
”
, numbered among the celebrated poets of the university. He afterwards became a brother of the order called Bonhoms, and after studying some time among the friars of St.
, first bishop of Bristol, was born in 1490,
and became a student at the university of Oxford aboiU
1513, and five years after took the degree of B. A.
being then, Wood says, numbered among the celebrated
poets of the university. He afterwards became a brother
of the order called Bonhoms, and after studying some
time among the friars of St. Austin (now Wadham college)
he was elected provincial of his order at Edington in Wiltshire, and canon residentiary of Sarum. In that station he
lived many years, till at length king Henry VIII. being informed of his great knowledge in divinity and physic,
made him his chaplain, and advanced him to the newly
erected see of Bristol, to which he was consecrated June
25, 1542, at Hampton. Pits very erroneously says he
was made bishop of Bristol by Edward VI. partly with a
design to draw him from the ancient religion, and partly
because they could not find among the reformers any other
person of sufficient erudition. This author, however, allows that he denied the true faith by taking a wife, whom,
as an excuse, Pits turns into a concubine. In consequence of this connection he was, on the accession of
queen Mary, deprived of his dignity, and spent the remainder of his life in a private station at Bristol, where he
died in 1558. He was buried on the north side of the
choir of the cathedral, and a monument was afterwards
erected to his memory; his wife was also buried here in
1553. Pits, and after him a congenial lover of popery,
the late Mr. Cole, says, that he dismissed her of his own
accord; but that is improbable, as there could be no necessity for such dismission till queen Mary’s accession,
which happened in July 1553, and the bishop’s wife died
in October following.
Dr. Bush wrote, 1. “An exhortation to Margaret Burges, wife to John Burges, clothier, of Kingswuod, in the
county of Wilts,
” London, printed in the reign of Edward VI. 2. “Notes on the Psalms,
” London, Treatise in praise of the Crosse.
” 4. “Answer to
certain queries concerning the abuses of the Mass,
” in
Burnet’s History of the -Reformation, Records, No. 25.
5. “Dialogues between Christ and the Virgin Mary.
”
6. “Treatise of salves and curing remedies,
” 8vo. printed
by Redman, no date. 7. “A little Treatise in English,
called the Extirpation of Ignorancy, &c.
” in verse, printed
by Pinson, without date, 4to, and dedicated to the lady
Mary. 8. “Carmina diversa.
”
ich in 1636, he exhibited to king Charles 1. and his queen, who gave orders that the place should be called after her, Henrietta. Here likewise he entertained the royal
, a man once of considerable eminence for his philosophical pursuits, was born about 1594,
of a good family at Cleve Prior, in Worcestershire, and
was educated at Oxford, as Wood thinks, in Baliol college. He was afterwards taken into the service of sir
Francis Bacon, who, when lord chancellor, made him
seal-bearer, and in other respects patronized him liberally.
He afterwards travelled, directing his attention chiefly to
mineralogy, some curious experiments in which he made
at Enston in Oxfordshire, where he constructed a curious
cistern, erected a banquetting house, &c. which in 1636,
he exhibited to king Charles 1. and his queen, who gave
orders that the place should be called after her, Henrietta.
Here likewise he entertained the royal visitors with a kind
of mask, poetical addresses, &c. which were afterwards
published under the title of “The several Speeches and
Songs at the presentment of the Rock at Enston, to the
queen’s most excellent majesty,
” Oxon. A just and true remonstrance of his Majesty’s Mines Royal in Wales,
” Lond. Extract, or Abstract of the lord chancellor Bacon’s Philosophical Theory of Mineral Prosecutions,
” Lond.
perty to found three professorships at Louvain for Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, which composed what was called the Collegium Trilingue. Erasmus says this institution gave
, a native of Arlon in Luxemburgh, in the sixteenth century, owed his success in life to his brother Francis, who died archbishop of Besangon in 1500. By his interest he became master of requests, a member of the sovereign council of Mechlin, and held several ecclesiastical benefices. His genius and learning recommended him to the friendship and correspondence of many of the learned men of his time, particularly Erasmus and sir Thomas More. He was employed in embassies to pope Julius II. Francis I. of France, and Henry VIII. of England; and in 1517, he was sent into Spain by Charles V. but falling sick at Bourdeaux, he died August 26 of that year. He left a considerable property to found three professorships at Louvain for Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, which composed what was called the Collegium Trilingue. Erasmus says this institution gave much disgust to the illiterate members of the church there, who, he adds, were vexed that three tongues should be in request. Several verses, speeches, and epistles written by Buslidius, were found after his death, but the only piece published is a letter prefixed to sir Thomas More’s Utopia.
lished also an abridgment of the History of France, and another, in Latin, of the universal history, called “Floscoli Historiarum,” which he afterwards translated into
, a French Jesuit, was born in
1607, either at Villa Franca in Beaujolais, or at Lyons,
and became a very frequent and admired writer, although
little of his fame has reached modern times. He died in
1678. His French poetry is now forgot, but his Latin
poetry published at Lyons in 1675, 8vo, still has some admirers; and in his “Scanderbeg,
” an epic poem, and
his “Rhea,
” are some animated passages. He published
also an abridgment of the History of France, and another,
in Latin, of the universal history, called “Floscoli Historiarum,
” which he afterwards translated into French, under
the title “Parterre historique,
” Lyons, Memoires
de Ville Tranche en Beaujolais,
”
with the whigs, and in opposition to lord Bute, were, 1. “An Answer to the Cocoa-Tree (a pamphlet so called), from a Whig,” 1762. 2. “A consultation on the subject of a
Dr. Butler published some occasional sermons and
charges, nearly the whole of which he collected and republished in 1801, under the title of “Select Sermons:
to which are added, Two Charges to the Clergy of the
Diocese,
” 8vo, and styles them “posthumous,
” nor did
he survive the publication above a year. He assigns as a
motive for preparing this volume for the press, that “being permitted to survive his capacity of paying due attention to clerical duty as a preacher, he became weary at
last of being totally useless.
” Of his political tracts it may,
perhaps, be difficult to procure a list, as they were published without his name. Some of those hi defence of lord
North’s measures are said to have appeared under the name
Vindtx. If Almon may be credited, his first publications,
while connected with the whigs, and in opposition to lord
Bute, were, 1. “An Answer to the Cocoa-Tree (a pamphlet so called), from a Whig,
” A consultation on
the subject of a Standing Army, held at the King’s Arms
tavern, on the 28th of February, 1763.
” 3. “Serious
Considerations on the Measures of the present
Administration,
” i. e. the administration of lord Bute. 4. “Account
of the Character of the right hon. Henry Bilson Legge.
”
He must, however, have changed his sentiments when he
afterwards supported the measures of lord North’s administration: yet we find his name among the list of persons
suspected to have written Junius’s Letters, for which there
seems, in his case, very little foundation.
very disagreeable to his father, who endeavoured to divert him from his purpose; and with that view called in the assistance of some eminent presbyterian divines; but
, a prelate of the most distinguished
character and abilities, was born at Wantage in Berkshire,
in 1692. His father, Mr. Thomas Butler, who was a reputable shopkeeper in that town, observing in his son
Joseph an excellent genius and inclination for learning,
determined to educate him for the ministry, among the
protestant dissenters of the presbyterian denomination.
For this purpose, after he had gone through a proper
course of grammatical literature, at the free grammarschool of his native place, under the care of the rev. Mr.
Philip Barton, a clergyman of the church of England,
he was sent to a dissenting academy, then kept at Gloucester, but which was soon afterwards removed to Tewkesbury, the principal tutor of which was Mr. Jones, a man of
uncommon abilities and knowledge. At Tewkesbury, Mr.
Butler made an extraordinary progress in the study of divinity; of which he gave a remarkable proof in the letters
addressed by him, whilst he resided at Tewkesbury, to
Dr. Samuel Clarke, laying before him the doubts that
had arisen in his mind concerning the conclusiveness of
some arguments in the doctor’s “Demonstration of the
Being and Attributes of God.
” The first of these letters
was dated November the 4th, 1713; and the sagacity and
depth of thought displayed in it immediately excited Dr.
Clarke’s particular notice. This condescension encouraged Mr. Butler to address the doctor again upon the
same subject, which, ^likewise, was answered by him; and
the correspondence being carried on in three other letters,
the whole was annexed to the celebrated treatise before
mentioned, and the collection has been retained in all the
subsequent editions of that work. The management of
this correspondence was entrusted by Mr. Butler to his
friend and fellow-pupil Mr. Seeker, who, in order to
conceal the affair, undertook to convey the letters to the
post-office at Gloucester, and to bring back Dr. Clarke’s
answers. When Mr. Butler’s name was discovered to the
doctor, the candour, modesty, and good sense with which
he had written, immediately procured him his friendship.
Our young student was not, however, during his continuance at Tewkesbury, solely employed in metaphysical
speculations and inquiries. Another subject of his serious
consideration was, the propriety of his becoming a dissenting minister. Accordingly, he entered into an examination of the principles of non-conformity; the result of
which was, such a dissatisfaction with them, as determined
him to conform to the established church. This intention
was at first very disagreeable to his father, who endeavoured to divert him from his purpose; and with that view
called in the assistance of some eminent presbyterian divines; but finding his son’s resolution to be fixed, heat
length suffered him to be removed to Oxford, where he
was admitted a commoner of Oriel college, on the 17th of
March, 1714. At what time he took orders is uncertain,
but it must have been soon after his admission at Oxford,
if it be true, as is asserted, that he sometimes assisted Mr.
Edward Talbot in the divine service, at his living of Hendred near Wantage. With this gentleman, who was the.
second son of Dr. William Talbot, successively bishop of
Oxford, Salisbury, and Durham, Mr. Butler formed an
intimate friendship at Oriel college, which laid the foundation of all his subsequent preferments, and procured for
him a very honourable situation when he was only twentysix years of age. In 1718, at the recommendation of Mr.
Talbot and Dr. Clarke, he was appointed by sir Joseph
Jekyll to be preacher at the Rolls. This was three years
before he had taken any degree at the university, where
he did not go out bachelor of law till the 10th of June,
1721, which, however, was as soon as that degree could
statutably be conferred upon him. Mr. Butler continued
at the Rolls till 1726, in the beginning of which year he
published, in one volume 8vo, “Fifteen Sermons preached
at that Chapel.
” In the mean time, by the patronage of
Dr. Talbot, bishop of Durham, to whose notice he had
been recommended (together with Mr. Benson and Mr. Seeker) by Mr. Edward Talbot on his death-bed, our author had been presented first to the rectory of Haughton,
near Darlington, in 1722, and afterwards to that of Stanhope in the same diocese, in 1725, At Haughton there
was a necessity for rebuilding a great part of the parsonagehouse, and Mr. Butler had neither money nor talents for
that work. Mr. Seeker, therefore, who had always the
interest of his friends at heart, and had acquired a very
considerable influence with bishop Talbot, persuaded that
prelate to give Mr. Butler, in exchange for Haughton,
the rectory of Stanhope, which was not only free from any
such incumbrance, but was likewise of much superior
value, being indeed one of the richest parsonages in England. Whilst our author continued preacher at the Rolls
chapel, he divided his time between his duty in town and
country; but when he quitted the Rolls, he resided, during seven years, wholly at Stanhope, in the conscientious
discharge of every obligation appertaining to a good parish
priest. This retirement, however^ was too solitary for his
disposition, which had in it a natural cast of gloominess:
and though his recluse hours were by no means lost either
to private improvement or public utility, yet he felt at
times very painfully the want of that select society of
friends to which he had been accustomed, and which could
inspire him with the greatest chearfulness. Mr. Seeker,
therefore, who knew this, was extremely anxious to draw
him out into a more active and conspicuous scene, and
omitted no opportunity of expressing this desire to such as
he thought capable of promoting it. Having himself been,
appointed king’s chaplain in 1732, he took occasion, in a
conversation which he had the honour of holding with
queen Caroline, to mention to her his friend Mr. Butler.
The queen said she thought he had been dead. Mr.
Seeker assured her he was not. Yet her majesty afterwards asked archbishop Blackburne if he was not dead?
His answer was, “No, madam, but he is buried.
” Mr.
Seeker, continuing his purpose of endeavouring to bring
his friend out of his retirement, found means, upon Mr.
Charles Talbot' s being made lord chancellor, to have Mr.
Butler recommended to him for his chaplain. His lordship accepted and sent for him; and this promotion calling
him to town, he took Oxford in his way, and was admitted
there to the degree of doctor of law, on the 8th of December, 1733. The lord chancellor, who gave him also a
prebend in the church of Rochester, had consented that
he should reside at his parish of Stanhope one half of the
year.
d that rich benefice. Besides our prelate’s unremitted attention to his peculiar obligations, he was called on to preach several discourses on public occasions, which were
Dr. Butler being thus brought back into the world, his
merit and talents soon introduced him to particular notice,
and paved the way for his rising to those high dignities
which he afterwards enjoyed. In 1736, he was appointed
clerk of the closet to queen Caroline; and, in the same
year, he presented to her majesty a copy of his celebrated
treatise, entitled “The Analogy of Religion, natural and
revealed, to the constitution and course of Nature.
” His
attendance upon his royal mistress, by her especial command, was from seven to nine in the evening every day;
and though this was interrupted by her death in 1737, yet
he had been so effectually recommended by her, as well
as by the late lord chancellor Talbot, to his majesty’s favour, that, in the next year, he was raised to the highest
order of the church, by a nomination to the bishopric of
Bristol; to which see he was consecrated on the 3d of
December, 1738. King George II. not being satisfied with
this proof of his regard to Dr. Butler, promoted him, in
1740, to the deanry of St. Paul’s London; into which he
was installed on the 24th of May in that year, and finding
the demands of this dignity to be incompatible with his
parish duty at Stanhope, he immediately resigned that
rich benefice. Besides our prelate’s unremitted attention
to his peculiar obligations, he was called on to preach several discourses on public occasions, which were afterwards
separately printed, and have since been annexed to the
later editions of the Sermons at the Rolls chapel. In 1746,
upon the death of Dr. Egerton, bishop of Hereford, Dr. But>
ler was made clerk of the closet to the king; and in 1750, he
received another distinguished mark of his majesty’s favour,
by being translated to the see of Durham on the 16th of October in that year, upon the decease of Dr. Edward
Chandler. Our prelate, being thus appointed to preside
over a diocese with which he had long been connected,
delivered his first, and indeed his last charge to his clergy,
at his primary visitation in 1751. The principal subject
of it was, “External Religion.
” The bishop having observed, with deep concern, the great and growing neglect
of serious piety in the kingdom, insisted strongly on the
usefulness of outward forms and institutions, in fixing and
preserving a sense of devotion and duty in the minds of
men. In doing this, he was thought by several persons to
speak too favourably of pagan and popish ceremonies, and
to countenance, in a certain degree, the cause of superstition. 'Under that apprehension, an able and spirited
writer, who was understood to be a clergyman of the
church of England, published in 1752, a pamphlet, entitled “A serious inquiry into the use and importance of
External Religion: occasioned by some passages in the
right reverend the lord bishop of Durham’s Charge to the
Clergy of that diocese; humbly addressed to his lordship.
” Many persons, however, and, we believe, the greater
part of the clergy of the diocese, did not think our prelate’s
charge so exceptionable as it appeared to this author.
The charge, which was first printed at Durham, was afterwards annexed to Dr. Butler’s other works, by Dr. Halifax.
By his promotion to the see of Durham, our worthy bishop
was furnished with ample means of exerting the virtue of
charity, the exercise of which was his highest delight. But
this gratification he did not long enjoy. He had been but
a short time seated in his new bishopric, when his health
began visibly to decline; and having been complimented,
during his indisposition, upon account of his great resignation to the divine will, he is said to have expressed some
regret, that he should be taken from the present world so
soon after he had been rendered capable of becoming
much more useful in it. In his last illness, he was carried
to Bristol, to try the waters of that place; but, these proving ineffectual, he removed to Bath, where, being past
recovery, he died on the 16th of June, 1752. His corpse
was conveyed to Bristol, and interred in the cathedral
there, where a monument, with an inscription, is erected
to his memory. On the greatness of bishop Butler’s intellectual character we need not enlarge; for his profound
knowledge, and the prodigious strength of his mind, are
amply displayed in his incomparable writings. His piety
was of the most serious and fervent, and perhaps somewhat
of the ascetic kind. His benevolence was warm, generous,
and diffusive. Whilst he was bishop of Bristol, he expended, in repairing and improving the episcopal palace,
four thousand pounds, which is said to have been more
than the whole revenues of the bishopric amounted to,
during his continuance in that see. Indeed he used to say
that the deanery of St. Paul’s paid for it. Besides his
private benefactions, he was a contributor to the' Infirmary
at Bristol, and a subscriber to three of the Hospitals at
London. He was, likewise, a principal promoter, though
not the first founder, of the Infirmary at Newcastle, in
Northumberland. lu supporting the hospitality and
dignity of the rich and powerful diocese of Durham, he was
desirous of imitating the spirit of his patron, bishop Talbot. In this spirit, he set apart three clays every week for
the reception and entertainment of the principal gentry of
the country. Nor were even the clergy who had the
poorest benefices neglected by him. He not only occasionally invited them to dine with him, but condescended
to visit them at their respective parishes. By his will, he
left five hundred pounds to the society for propagating the
gospel in foreign parts, and some legacies to his friends
and domestics. His executor was his chaplain, the rev.
Dr. Nathaniel Forster, a divine of distinguished literature,
who was especially charged to destroy all his manuscript
sermons, letters, and papers. Bishop Butler was never
married. The bishop’s disposition, which had in it a natural ca’st of gloominess, was supposed to give a tincture
to his devotion. As a proof of this, and that he had even
acquired somewhat of a superstitious turn of mind, it was
alleged, that he had put a. cross in his chapel at Bristol.
The cross was a plain piece of marble inlaid. This circumstance, together with the offence which some persons had
taken at his charge delivered at Durham, might possibly
give rise to a calumny, that, almost fifteen years after his
death, was advanced concerning him, in an obscure and
anonymous pamphlet, entitled “The Root of Protestant
Errors examined.
” It was there said, that our prelate died
in the communion of the church of Rome. Of this absurd
and groundless charge, we shall take no other notice, than
to transcribe what the worthy and learned Dr. Porteus has
written concerning it, in his Life of Archbishop Seeker.
“This strange slander, founded on the weakest pretences
and most trivial circumstances that can be imagined, no
one was better qualified to confute than the archbishop;
as well from his long and intimate knowledge of bishop
Butler, as from the information given him at the time by
those who attended his lordship in his last illness, and
were with him when he died. Accordingly, by an article
in a newspaper, signed Misopseudes, his grace challenged
the author of that pamphlet to produce his authority for
what he had advanced; and in a second article defended
the bishop against him; and in a third (all with the same signature) confuted another writer, who, under the name
of ‘A real Protestant,’ still maintained that ridiculous
calumy. His antagonists were effectually subdued, and
his superiority to them was publicly acknowledged by a
sensible and candid man, who signed himself, and who
really was ‘A dissenting Minister.’ Surely, it is a very
unwise piece of policy, in those who profess themselves
enemies to popery, to take so much pains to bring the
most respectable names within its pale; and to give it the
merit of having gained over those who were the brightest
ornaments and firmest supports of the protestant cause.
”
ered that his father was owner of a house and a little land, worth about eight pounds, a year, still called Butler’s tenement. Wood had his information from his brother,
, a poet of a very singular cast, was
born at Strensham in Worcestershire, and baptized Feb.
8, 1612. His father’s condition is variously represented.
Wood mentions him as competently wealthy; but the
author of the short account of Butler, prefixed to Hudibras,
who, Dr. Johnson erroneously says, was Mr. Longueville,
asserts he was an honest farmer with some small estates
who made a shift to educate his son at the grammar-school
of Worcester, under Mr. Henry Bright, from whose care
he removed for a short time to Cambridge; but, for want
of money, was never made a member of any college. Wood
leaves us rather doubtful whether he went to Cambridge of
Oxford; but at last makes him pass six or seven years at
Cambridge, without knowing in what hall or college: yet
it can hardly be imagined that he lived so long in either
university, but as belonging to one house or another; and
it is still less likely that he could have so long inhabited a
place of learning with so little distinction as to leave his
residence uncertain. Dr. Nash has discovered that his
father was owner of a house and a little land, worth about
eight pounds, a year, still called Butler’s tenement. Wood
had his information from his brother, whose narrative placed
him at Cambridge, in opposition to that of his neighbours,
which sent him to Oxford. The brother’s seems the best
authority, till, by confessing his inability to tell his hall
or college, he gives reason to suspect that he was resolved
to bestow on him an academical education, but durst not
name a college, for fear of detection. Having, however,
discovered an early inclination for learning, his father
placed him at the free-school of Worcester; whence he
was sent, according to the above report, for some time to
Cambridge. He afterwards returned to his native country,
and became clerk to one Mr. Jefferys of Earl’s Croomb, an
eminent justice of the peace for that county, with whom
he lived some years in an easy and reputable station. Here
he found sufficient leisure to apply himself to whatsoever
learning his inclinations led him; which was chiefly history and poetry; adding to these, for his diversion, music
and painting. He was afterwards recommended to that
great encourager of learning, Elizabeth countess of Kent;
in whose house he had not only the opportunity of consulting all kinds of books, but of conversing with Mr. Seldeo,
who often employed him to write letters beyond sea, and
translate for him. He lived some time also with sir Samuel
Luke, a gentleman of an ancient family in Bedfordshire,
and a famous commander under Oliver Cromwell. Whilst
he resided in this gentleman’s family, it is generally supposed that he planned, if he did not write, the celebrated
Hudibras; under which character it is thought he intended
to ridicule that knight. After the restoration of Charles II.
he was made secretary to Richard earl of Carbury, lord
president of the principality of Wales, who appointed him.
steward of Ludlow-castle, when the Court was revived there.
In this part of his life, he married Mrs. Herbert, a gentlewoman of a good family; and lived, says Wbod^ upon her
fortune, having studied the common law, but never practised it. A fortune she had, says his biographer, but it
was lost by bad securities. In 1663 was published the first
part, containing three cantos, of the poem of “Hudibras,
”
which, as Prior relates, was made known at court by the
taste and influence of the earl of Dorset, and when known,
it was necessarily admired: the king quoted, the courtiers
studied, and the whole party of the royalists applauded it.
Every eye watched for the golden shower which was to fall
upon the author, who certainly was not without his share
in the general expectation. In 1664 the second part appeared; the curiosity of the nation was rekindled, and the
writer was again praised and elated. But praise was his
whole reward. Clarendon, says Wood, gave him reason
to hope for “places and employments of value and credit;”
but no such advantages did he ever obtain. It is reported,
that the king once gave him 300 guineas; but of this temporary bounty we find no proof. Wood relates that he was
secretary to Villiers duke of Buckingham, when he was
chancellor of Cambridge: this is doubted by the other
writer, who yet allows the duke to have been his frequent
benefactor. That both these accounts are false there is
reason to suspect, from a story told by Pack, in his account
of the life ef Wycherley, and from some verses which Mr.
Thyer has published in the author’s Remains. “Mr. Wycherley,” says Pack, “had always laid hold of any opportunity which offered of representing to the duke of Buckingham how well Mr. Butler had deserved of the royal
family, by writing his inimitable Hudibras; and that it
was a reproach to the court, that a person of his loyalty
and wit should suffer in obscurity, and under the wants he
did. The duke always seemed to hearken to him with
attention enough; and, after some time, undertook to recommend his pretensions to his majesty. Mr. Wycherley,
in Jiopes to keep him steady to his word, obtained of his
grace to name a day, when he might introduce that modest and unfortunate poet to his new patron. At last an
appointment was made, and the place of meeting was
agreed to be the Roebuck. Mr. Butler and his friend attended accordingly: the duke joined them; but, as the
devil would have it, the door of the room where they sat
was open, and his grace, who had seated himself near it,
observing a pimp of his acquaintance (the creature too was a knight) trip by with a brace of ladies, immediately quitted his engagement, to follow another kind of business, at
which he was more ready than in doing good offices to
men of desert; though no one was better qualified than
he, both in regard to his fortune and understanding, to
protect them; and, from that time to the day of his death,
poor Butler never found the least effect of his promise!”
Such is the story. The verses are written with a degree
of acrimony, such as neglect and disappointment might
naturally excite; and such as it would be hard to imagine
Butler capable of expressing against a man who had any
claim to his gratitude. Notwithstanding this discouragement and neglect, he still prosecuted his design; and in.
1678 published the third part, which still leaves the poem
imperfect and abrupt. How much more he originally intended, or with what events the action was to be concluded,
it is vain to conjecture. Nor can it be thought strange
that he should stop here, however unexpectedly. To write
without reward is sufficiently unpleasing. He had now arrived at an age when he might think it proper to be in
jest no longer, and perhaps his health might now begin to
fail. He died Sept. 25, 1680; and Mr. Longueville, having unsuccessfully solicited a subscription for his internment in Westminster abbey, buried him at his own cost
in the chureb-yard of Covent Garden. Dr. Simon Patrick
read the service. About sixty years afterwards, Mr. Barber, a printer, lord mayor of London, bestowed on him a
monument in Westminster abbey.
ed to Kensington just as he arrived in town. He was however introduced to the royal society, whom he called the volk of the siety court. He was likewise taken to see the
His perpetual application to figures prevented him from making the smallest acquisition in any other branch of knowledge; for, beyond mere calculation, his ideas were as confined, perhaps, as those of a boy at ten years of age in the same class of life. The only objects of Jedediah’s curiosity, next to figures, were the king and royal family; and his desire to see them was so strong, that in the beginning of spring, 1754, he walked up to London for that purpose, but was obliged to return disappointed, as his majesty had removed to Kensington just as he arrived in town. He was however introduced to the royal society, whom he called the volk of the siety court. He was likewise taken to see the tragedy of Richard III. at Drury-lane, and it was expected that the novelty of every thing in this place, together with the splendour of the surrounding objects, would have fixed him in astonishment, or that his passions would in some degree have been roused by the action of the performers, even if he did not fully comprehend the dialogue. Instead of this, during the dances his attention was engaged in reckoning the number of steps. After a fine piece of music, he declared that the innumerable sounds produced by the instruments perplexed him beyond measure, but he counted the words uttered by Mr. Garrick in the whole course of the entertainment, and affirmed that in this he had perfectly succeeded. He lived to about seventy years of age, but the exact time of his death we cannot learn. He was married, and had several children.
and, on his return to England, one of his most honourable privy-council; and on Sept 19, 1721 he was called to the peerage by the title of baron Byng, of Southill, in the
During the summer of 1705, he commanded in chief a squadron in the channel, and blocked up the French fleet in Brest, with a much inferior strength. In 1706, king Charles of Spain, the late emperor, being closely beseiged in Barcelona, by sea and land, by the duke of Anjou, and the place reduced to great extremity, and our fleet in the Mediterranean being too weak to relieve it, sir George Byng was appointed to command a strong squadron fitting out in England; in the hastening of which service, he used such diligence and activity, and joined our fleet with such unexpected dispatch, that the saving of that city was entirely owing to it. He assisted at the other enterprizes of that campaign, and commanded the ships detached for the reduction of Carthagena and Alicant, which he accomplished. In 1707 he served in the second post under Sir Cloudesley Shovel, at the seige of Toulon: and the year following was made admiral of the blue, and commanded the squadron which was fitted out to oppose the invasion designed against Scotland by the pretender with a French army from Dunkirk; which he fortunately prevented, by arriving off the Frith of Edinburgh before their troops could land, and obliged them to betake themselves to flight. On his return from this expedition, he was offered by the queen the place of one of the prince of Denmark’s council in the admiralty, which he then declined. He continued to command all that summer in the channel, and upon the marriage of the queen of Portugal, had the honour of conducting her majesty to Lisbon, where a commission was sent to him to be admiral of the white. In 1709 he commanded in chief her majesty’s fleet in the Mediterranean; and, after his return to England, was made one of the commissioners of the admiralty, and continued so till some time before the queen’s death; when, not falling in with the measures of the court, he was removed, but upon the accession of George I. he was restored to that station. In 1715, upon the breaking out of the rebellion which was at first secretly supported with arms "and warlike stores from France, he was appointed to command a squadron, with which he kept such a watchful eye along the French coast, by examining ships even in their ports, and obtaining orders from the court of France to put on shore at Havre de Grace great quantities of arms and ammunition shipped there for the pretender’s service; that, in reward for his services, the king on Nov. 15, 1715, created him a baronet, and gave him a ring of great value, and other marks of his royal favour. In 1717, upon the discovery of some secret practices of the ministers of Sweden against this kingdom, he was sent with a squadron into the Baltic, and prevented the Swedes appearing at sea. In 1718 he was made admiral and commander in chief of the fleet, and being sent with a squadron into the Mediterranean for the protection of Italy, according to the obligation England was under by treaty, against the invasion of the Spaniards, who had the year before surprized Sardinia, and had this year landed an army in Sicily, he gave a total defeat to their fleet near Messina: for which action he was honoured with a letter from the king, written with his own hand, and received congratulatory letters from the emperor and the king of Sardinia; and was further honoured by his imperial majesty with his picture set in diamonds. He remained for some time in these seas, for composing and adjusting the differences between the several powers concerned, being vested with the character of plenipotentiary to all the princes of Italy; and that year and the next he supported the German arms in their expedition to Sicily; and enabled them, by his assistance, to subdue the greatest part of that island. After performing so many signal services, he attended his majesty, by his command, at Hanover, who made him rear-admiral of England, and treasurer of the navy, and, on his return to England, one of his most honourable privy-council; and on Sept 19, 1721 he was called to the peerage by the title of baron Byng, of Southill, in the county of Bedford, and viscount Torrington, in Devonshire; and 1725 was made one of the knights of the bath on the revival of that order. In 1727, his late majesty, on his accession to the crown, placed him at the head of his naval affairs, as first lord of the admiralty, in which station he died, Jan. 17, 1732-3; and was interred at Southill, in Bedfordshire. Lord Torrington married, in 1691, Mary, daughter of James Master, of East Langdon, in the county of Kent, esq. by whom (who died in 1756) he had eleven sons and four daughters. His fourth son, was the unfortunate John Byng, admiral of the blue, who was condemned by the sentence, of a court-martial in 1757, and shot at Portsmouth March 14th of that year, for a breach of the twelfth article of war. From the best accounts published on this affair, it may be concluded that he was a sacrifice to popular clamour artfully directed to the wrong object.
totum Totexnikon Linguae Sanctae, ad amussim delineator,” Ox. 1637. 3. “Lingua eruditorum,” usually called his Hebrew Grammar, Ox. 1638, 8vo, and reprinted. 4. “Manipulus
, an able linguist, was a native of Poland, who came to Oxford when somewhat advanced in life, was matriculated, and read a Hebrew
lecture for many years in the hall of Christ Church, and
before the rebellion in 1642 instructed many scholars in
that language. Even after being disturbed by the revolutionary confusions, he published some works for the use of
his pupils. After leaving Oxford he went to Cambridge,
and thence to London, and Wood thinks, returned to Oxford. About 1664 he retired into Cornwall, and practised
physic, but the time of his death has not been ascertained.
He wrote, 1. “Lethargy of the Soul, &c.
” Tabula directoria: in qua totum Totexnikon Linguae Sanctae, ad amussim delineator,
” Ox. 1637. 3. “Lingua eruditorum,
” usually called his Hebrew Grammar, Ox.
Manipulus messis magnae,
sive Grammat exemplaris,
” Lond. Clavis
Linguæ Sanctæ,
” Camb. Lyra prophetica Davidis regis: sive Analysis Critico-Practica Psal morum,
” Lond
iscovery was made on the four and twentieth of June, about five o'clock in the morning. This land he called Prima Vistu. (or First Seen), because it was that part of which
John Cabot, attended by his son Sebastian, set sail with
this fleet in the spring of the year 1497. They sailed
happily on their north west course, till the 24th of June,
jn the same year, about five in the morning, when they
discovered the island of Baccalnos, now much better known
by the name of Newfoundland. The very day on which
they made this important discovery, is known by a large?
map, drawn by Sebastian Cabor, and cut by Clement
Adams, which hung in the privy gallery at Whitehall;
whereon was this inscription, under the author’s picture
“Eftigics Seb. Caboti, Angli, Filii Jo. Caboti, Venetian!,
'IMilitis Aurati, &c.
” and on this map was likewise the following account of the discovery, the original of which was
in Latin: “In the year of our Lord 1497, John Cabot,
a Venetian, and his son Sebastian, with an English fleet,
set out from Bristol, and discovered that island which no
man before had attempted. This discovery was made on
the four and twentieth of June, about five o'clock in the
morning. This land he called Prima Vistu. (or First Seen),
because it was that part of which they had the first sight
from the sea. The island, which lies out before the land,
he called the island of St. John, probably because it was
discovered on the festival of St. John the Baptist. The
inhabitants of this island wore beasts’ skins, and esteemed
them as the finest garments.
” To this Purchas adds, “In
their wars they used bows, arrows, pikes, darts, wooden
clubs, and slings. They found the soil barren in some
places, and yielding little fruit; but it was full of white
bears and stags, far larger than those of Europe. It yielded
plenty of fish, and those of the larger kind, as seals and
salmon. They found soles there above a yard in length,
and great abundance of that kind of fish which the savages
called baccalaos. They also observed there partridges, as
likewise hawks and eagles; but what was remarkable in
them, they were all as black as ravens.
”
owever, up the river of Plate; and about thirty leagues above the mouth he found an island, which he called St. Gabriel, about a league in compass, dnd half a league from
It was this disappointment which is supposed to have induced Sebastian Cabot to leave England, and go over into Spain. There he was treated with great respect, and appointed pilot-major, or chief pilot of Spain; and by his office entrusted with the reviewing of all projects for discovery; which at that period were numerous and important. His great capacity and reputation as a navigator, induced many opulent merchants to treat with him, in 1524, about a voyage to be undertaken at their expence by the new-found passage of Magellan to the Moluccos; and Cabot accordingly agreed to engage in the voyage. He set sail from Cadiz, with four ships, about the beginning of April 1525, first to the Canaries, then to the Cape Verd islands, and from thence to Cape St. Augustine, and the island of Patos, or Geese; and near Bahia de Todos los Santos, or the bay of All Saints, he met a French ship. When he came to the island just mentioned, he was in great want of provisions; but the Indians treated him with much kindness, and supplied him with provisions for all his ships. This he returned by an act of base ingratitude, carrying off with him by force four sons of the principal persons of the island. He then proceeded to the river of Plate, having left ashore, on a desert island, Martin Mendez, his vice-admiral, captain Francis do Rojas, and Michael de Rojas, because they censured his conduct. He was now prevented from prosecuting his original design of going to the Spice Islands, both by a scarcity of provisions, and a mutiny among his men. He sailed, however, up the river of Plate; and about thirty leagues above the mouth he found an island, which he called St. Gabriel, about a league in compass, dnd half a league from the continent towards Brazil. There he anchored; and, rowing with the boats three leagues higher, discovered a river he called San Salvador, or St. Saviour, very deep, and a safe harbour for the ships on the same side; whither he brought up his vessels, and unloaded them, because there was not much water at the mouth of the river. Having built a fort, and left some men in it, he determined to proceed up that river with boats, and a flat-bottomed caravel, in order to make discoveries; for he thought his voyage might thereby be rendered beneficial, though he did not pass through the Straits to the Spice Islands. When he had advanced thirty leagues, he came to a river called Zarcarana; the inhabitants in the neighbourhood of which he found to be intelligent, and not unfriendly; and here he erected another fort, calling it Santi Spiritus, i. e. of the Holy Ghost, and his followers by another name, viz. Cabot’s Fort. He then discovered the shores of the river Parana, where he found several islands and rivers, and at length came to the river Paraguay, in the neighbourhood of which he found people tilling the ground; a circumstance which had not occurred to him before in that part of the world. But here the natives opposed him with so much vigour, that he advanced no farther, though he had killed many of the Indians; but they slew twenty-five of his Spaniards, and took three of them, who went out to gather palmetos.
ferred on Mr. Cadogan, unsolicited, in the following manner. Lord Bathurst, who was then chancellor, called at lord Cadogan’s house in Privy Gardens, and desired to see
, grand nephew of the preceding, and second son of Charles Sloan Cadogan, third baron, and first earl Cadogan of the new creation (1800), was born Jan. 22, 1751, at his father’s house in Bruton-street, and was educated at Westminster-school, whence he was removed to Christ church college, Oxford, where he took the degree of B. A. At this university, he distinguished himself by obtaining several prizes for classical learning, and by a diligent application to the study of the holy scriptures. In 1774, the vicarage of St. Giles’s, Reading, became vacant, by the death of the rev. William Talbot, a very popular preacher of Calvinistic principles, and was conferred on Mr. Cadogan, unsolicited, in the following manner. Lord Bathurst, who was then chancellor, called at lord Cadogan’s house in Privy Gardens, and desired to see him. Lord Cadogan was not at home; and the servants, seeing lord Bathurst plainly dressed, admitted him no farther than the hall, on the table of which he wrote a note, requesting lord Cadogan to accept the vicarage of St. Giles’s for his son. The offer of so valuable a preferment, and so near to the family seat at Caversham, was peculiarly acceptable to lord Cadogan: but his son not being in priest’s orders, it was held by sequestration till he was ordained priest in 1775. Soon after, he was presented by lord Cadogan to the rectory of Chelsea, but as he could not hold two livings without being a master of arts, that degree was conferred upon him by archbishop Cornwallis and in the following year, being then of sufficient standing in the university, he was regularly admitted to the same degree of Oxford.
, or, as some have called him, Lucius Cælius Arianus, an ancient physician, and the only
, or, as some have called him,
Lucius Cælius Arianus, an ancient physician, and the only
one of the sect of the methodists of whom we have any
remains, is supposed to have been a native of Sicca, a
town of Numidia, in Africa. This we learn from the elder
Pliny; and we might almost have collected it, without any
information at all, from his style, which is very barbarous,
and much resembling that of the African writers. It is
half Greek, half Latin, harsh, and difficult; yet strong,
masculine, and his works are valuable for the matter they
contain. He is frequently very acute and smart, especially
where he exposes the errors of other physicians and always nervous. What age Cælius Aurelianus flourished in
we cannot determine, there being so profound a silence
about it amongst the ancients; but it is very probable that
he lived before Galen, since it is not conceivable that he
should mention, as he does, all the physicians before him,
great as well as small, and yet not make the least mention
of Galen. Le Clerc places him in the fifth century. He
was not only a careful imitator of Soranus, but also a
strenuous advocate for him. He had read over very
diligently the ancient physicians of all the sects and we are
obliged to him for the knowledge of many dogmas, which
are not to he found but in his books “De celeribus et
tardis passionibus.
” The best edition of these books is
that published at Amsterdam, 1722, in 4to. He wrote, as
he himself tells us, several other works; but they are all
perished. This, however, which has escaped the ruins of
time and barbarism, is highly valued, as being the only
monument of the Medicina methodica which is extant. He
is allowed by all to be judicious in the history and description of diseases
, a celebrated artist, called Paul Veronese, the great master of what is called the ornamental
, a celebrated artist, called Paul Veronese, the great master of what is called the ornamental style, was born at Verona in 1530, and was the disciple of Antonio adile. When young, in concurrence with Batista del Moro, Domenico Brusasorci, and Paol Farinato, he painted at the summons of cardinal Ercole Gonzaga, in the cathedral of Mantua, and left no doubt of his superiority in the. contest. He then went to Venice, and with the procurator Grimani to Rome, where, from the frescos of M. Angelo and Raffael, he acquired the idea of that breadth which distinguishes him in all his allegorical and mythologic pictures; and though the simplicity inseparable from real grandeur vras not a principle to be courted by him who aimed at captivating the debauched Venetian eye, he gave proofs, that, if he did not adopt, he had a sense for its beauties. The Apotheosis of Venice in the ducal palace, in magnificence of combination, loftiness, splendor, variety, offers in one picture the principles and the elemental beauties of his style. It was, however, less to this work, than to his Cene, or convivial compositions, that Paolo owed his celebrity. He painted four at Venice, for four refectories of convents, all of enormous dimensions and equal copiousness of invention. The first, with the Nuptials of Cana, once in the refectory of*St. Giorgio Maggiore, now in the Louvre, and known by numerous copies, is thirty palms long, comprizes 130 figures, with a number of distinguished portraits; and yet was painted, says Lanzi, for no more than ninety ducats. The second, better preserved, was painted for the convent of S. Giovanni and Paolo, and represents the call of St. Matthew; it is chiefly praised for the character of the heads, which Ricci copied for his studies at an advanced age. The third, at St. Sebastian, is the Feast of Simon, which is likewise the subject of the fourth, painted for the refectory o/ the Servi, but sent to Lewis XIV. and placed at Versailles. This, perhaps, is the master-piece of the four, though placed in an unfavourable light, and greatly injured by neglect, and the dampness of the place.
l, Magdalen at the feet of Christ, travestied into Venetian patriarchs, belles, or nobles, were only called upon to lend their names, and by their authority to palliate
No painter ever was hurried along by a greater torrent of commissions, and no painter ever exerted himself with greater equality of execution. Light grounds and virgin tints have contributed to preserve the freshness of his pictures: the family of Darius presented to Alexander, in the Pisani palace at Venice, and the S. Giorgio, once at Verona, now in the Louvre, have, without the smallest loss of the bloom that tones them, received from time that mellowness, that sober hue, which time alone can give. More fixed in a system, and consequently nearer to manner than Titian, with less purity and delicacy; greyer, not so warm, so sanguine, or so juicy as Tintoretto, Paolo excels both in fascinating breadth of bland and lucid demi-tints; and in his convivial scenes, though thronged with pomp, gorgeous attire, and endless ornament, never once forgets that they were admitted to shew and not to eclipse the actors. The actors were not, indeed, those of the historian, no more than the costume that of the times, or the ornaments and architecture those of the country. The ostentation of ornamental painting is not to be arraigned at the tribunal of serious history. The humble guests of Cana, the publican forsaking his till, Magdalen at the feet of Christ, travestied into Venetian patriarchs, belles, or nobles, were only called upon to lend their names, and by their authority to palliate or flatter the reigning taste or vice of a debauched and opulent public.
choose to be, were it in his power, after Raphael and Corregio, named Paul Veronese, whom he always called his Paolino. He died of a fever at Venice in 1588, and had a
This great artist was highly esteemed by all the principal men of his time; and so much admired by the great masters, as well his contemporaries as those who succeeded him, that Titian himself used to say, he was the ornament of his profession. And Guido Reni being asked, which of the masters his predecessors he would choose to be, were it in his power, after Raphael and Corregio, named Paul Veronese, whom he always called his Paolino. He died of a fever at Venice in 1588, and had a tomb and a statue of brass erected in the church of St. Sebastian.
lical chamber, under the title of “Compendium of the Life and Actions of Giuseppe Balsamo, otherwise called count Cagliostro, extracted from the documents of the process
It is impossible by any means to contract the numberless
tricks and stratagems of this grand impostor, in almost
every part of Europe, within the limits prescribed to the
articles of this work. His astonishing ingenuity in every
species of fiction and deceit, exceeds all that has been recorded in the annals of ancient or modern roguery, insomuch that he was held for a real prodigy by every one to
whose ears his fame had reached. His impostures in each
of the places he visited would fill a considerable volume;
and we must content ourselves with adding, that, for some
enormities committed at Rome, he was thrown into the
castle of St. Angelo, where he died towards the latter end
of 1794; referring such readers as would wish to know
more of him to the Italian original, published at Rome by
the apostolical chamber, under the title of “Compendium
of the Life and Actions of Giuseppe Balsamo, otherwise
called count Cagliostro, extracted from the documents of
the process carried on against him at Rome in the year
1790,
” &c.
made from the original as literally as can be, because there are only these originals, which can be called the pure word of God; and because in translations, which are
Sixtus Senensis tells us, that he was a most subtle logician, an admirable philosopher, and an incomparable
divine. He wrote commentaries upon Aristotle’s philosophy, and upon Thomas Aquinas’ s theology; the latter,
however, by no means calculated to give us a favourable
idea of his logic, or his perspicuity, He gave a literal
translation of all the books of the Old and New Testaments
from the originals, excepting Solomon’s Song and the Pro-'
phets, which he had begun, but did not live to proceed far
in; and the Revelations of St. John, which he designedly
omitted, saying, that to explain them, it was necessary for
a man to be endued, not with parts and learning, but with
the spirit of prophecy. Father Simon’s account of him,
as a translator of the Bible, is critical and historical: “Cardinal Cajetan,
” says he, “was very fond of translations of
the Bible purely literal; being persuaded, that the Scripture could not be translated too literally, it being the word
of God, to which it is expressly forbid either to add or
diminish any thing. This cardinal, in his preface to the
Psalms, largely explains the method he observed in his
translation of that book; and he affirms, that although heknew nothing of the Hebrew, yet he had translated part of
the Bible word for word from it. For this purpose he
made use of two persons, who understood the language
well, the one a Jew, the other a Christian, whom he desired to translate the Hebrew words exactly according to
the letter and grammar, although their translation might
appear to make no sense at all. I own, says he, that my
interpreters were often saying to me, this Hebrew diction
Is literally so; but then the sense will not be clear unless
it is changed so: to whom I, when I heard all the different
significations, constantly replied, Never trouble yourselves
about the sense, if it does not appear to you; because
is not your business to expound, but to interpret: do you
interpret it exactly as it lies, and leave to the expositors
the care of making sense of it.
” Cardinal Pullavicini, who
looked upon this as too bold, says, that Cajetan, “who
has succeeded to the admiration of the whole world in his
other works, got no reputation by what he did upon the
Bible, because he followed the prejudices of those who
stuck close to the Hebrew grammar.
” But father Simon
is of opinion that he “may in some measure be justified:
for he did not, says he, pretend to condemn the ancient
Latin translator, or the other translators of the Bible; but
would only have translations of the Bible to be made from
the original as literally as can be, because there are only
these originals, which can be called the pure word of God;
and because in translations, which are not literal, there are
always some things which do not thoroughly express the
original.
” These “Commentaries on the Holy Scriptures,
”
if they deserve the name, were published at Lyons in 5
vols. fol. 1639.
arded with the satisfaction he wished for; having determined a distance of 410,814 feet from a place called Klip-Fontyn to the Cape, by means of a base of 38,802 feet,
Having gone through a seven years series of astronomical observations in his own observatory in the Mazarjne college, he formed the project of going to observe the southern stars at the Cape of Good Hope. This expedition being countenanced by the court, he set out in 1750, and in the space of two years he observed there the places of about ten thousand stars in the southern hemisphere that are not visible in our latitudes, as well as many other important elements, viz. the parallaxes of the sun, moon, and some of the planets, the obliquity of the ecliptic, the refractions, &c. Having thus executed the purpose of his voyage, and no present opportunity offering for his return, he thought of employing the vacant time in another arduous attempt; no less than that of taking the measure of the earth, as he had already done that of the heavens. This indeed had been, done before by different sets of learned men both in Europe and America; some determining the quantity of a degree at the equator, and others at the arctic circle: but it had not as yet been decided whether in the southern parallels of latitude the same dimensions obtained as in the northern. His labours were rewarded with the satisfaction he wished for; having determined a distance of 410,814 feet from a place called Klip-Fontyn to the Cape, by means of a base of 38,802 feet, three times actually measured: whence he discovered a new secret of nature, namely, that the radii of the parallels in south latitude are not the same length as those of the corresponding parallels in north latitude. About the 23d degree of south latitude he found a degree on the meridian to contain 342,222 Paris feet. The court of Versailles also sent him an order to go and fix the situation of the Isles of France and of Bourbon. While at the Cape too he observed a wonderful effect of the atmosphere in some states of it although the sky at the Cape be generally pure and serene, yet when the south-east wind blows, which is pretty often, it is attended with some strange and even terrible effects: the stars look larger, and seem to dance; the moon has an undulating tremor; and thr planets have a sort of beard like comets.
im off from the party in which he was engaged. In 1640 he was concerned in writing that famous book, called Smectymnuus, which himself says, gave the first deadly blow
, an eminent nonconformist divine in the seventeenth century, was the sou of a citizen of London, and born there in February 1600. July 4, 1616, he was admitted of Pembroke-hall 5 in the university of Cambridge. In 1619, he took, the degree of bachelor of arts and in 1632, that of bachelor of divinity. He shewed himself very early no friend, to the Arminian party, which was the reason that he could not obtain a fellowship in that society, even when he seemed to be entitled to it from his standing, as well as from his learning and unblemished character. At last, however, he so far conquered all prejudices, that he was elected Tanquam Socius of that hall, which entitled him to wear the cap, and take pupils, but he had no share in the government of the house. Dr. Felton, the pious and learned bishop of Ely, had so great a regard to his diligence in study, and unaffected zeal for religion, that he made him his chaplain, and paid him, during his residence in his family, uncommon marks of respect. His lordship gave him likewise, as a farther mark of his favour, the vicarage of St. Mary’s in Swaffham- Prior, in Cambridgeshire, in which capacity he did much good, though he diid not reside on his cure by reason of its small distance from the episcopal place. But after the death of the bishop in 1626, Mr. Calamy being chosen one of- th$; lecturers of St. Edmund’s-Bury, in Suffolk, he resigned his vicarage, and applied himself wholly to the discharge of his function at Bury. He continued there ten years, and, as some writers say, was during the greatest part of that time a strict conformist. Others, and indeed himself, say the contrary. The truth seems to be, that he was unwilling to oppose ceremonies, or to create a disturbance in the church about them, so long as this might, in, his opinion, be avoided with a safe conscience; but when bishop Wren’s articles, and the reading of the book of sports, came to be insisted on, he thought himself obliged to alter his conduct, and not only avoid conforming for the future, but also to apologize publicly for his former behaviour. He caine now to be considered as an active nonconformist, and being in great favour with the earl of Essex, he presented him to the living of Rochford in Essex, a rectory of considerable value, and yet it proved a fatal present to Mr. Calamy; for, removing from one of the best and wholesomest airs in England, that of St. Edmund’sbury, into the hundreds of Essex, he contracted such an illness as broke his constitution, and left behind it a dizziness in his head, which he complained of as long as he Jived. Upon the death of Dr. Stoughton, he was chosen minister of St. Mary Aldermanbury, which brought him tip to London, 1639. The controversy concerning churchgovernment was tlu n at its greatest height, in which Mr. Calainy had a very large share. In the month of July 1639, he was incorporated of the university of Oxford, which, however, did not take him off from the party in which he was engaged. In 1640 he was concerned in writing that famous book, called Smectymnuus, which himself says, gave the first deadly blow to episcopacy, and therefore we find frequent references to it in all the defences and apologies for nonconformity which have been since published. In 1641 he was appointed by the house of lords a member of the sub-committee for religion, which consisted of very eminent divines, whose conduct, however, has been differently censured. He made a great figure in the assembly of divines, though he is not mentioned in Fuller’s catalogue, and distinguised himself both by his learning and moderation. He likewise preached several times before the house of commons, for which his memory has been very severely treated. He was at the same time one of the Cornhill lecturers, and no man had a greater interest in the city of London, in consequence of his ministerial abilities. He preached constantly in his own parish church for twenty years to a numerous audience, composed of the most eminent citizens, and even persons of great quality. He steadily and strenuously opposed the sectaries, and gave many pregnant instances of his dislike to those violences which were committed afterwards, on the king’s being brought from the Isle of Wight, He opposed the beheading of his sovereign king Charles I. with constancy ^ncl courage. Under the usurpation of Cromwell he was passive, and lived as privately as he could; yet he gave no reason to suspect that he was at all a well-wisher to that government. When the times afforded a favourable opportunity, he neglected not promoting the return of king Charles II. and actually preached before the house of commons on the day they voted that great question, which, however, has not hindered some from suggesting their suspicions of his loyally. After this step was taken, he, Mr. Ash, and other eminent divines were sent over to compliment the king in Holland, by whom they were extremely well received. When his majesty was restored, Mr. Calainy retained still a considerable share in his favour, and in June 1660, was appointed one of his chaplains in ordinary, and was offered the bishopric, of Coventry and Litchfield, which he refused. When the convocation came to be chosen, he and Mr. Baxter were elected, May 2, 1661, for London; but the bishop of that diocese having the power of chusing two out of four, or four out of six, elected within a certain circuit, Dr. Sheldon, who was then bishop, was so kind as to excuse both of them; which, perhaps, was owing to the share they had in the Savoy conference. After the miscarrying of that design, Mr. Calamy made use of all his interest to procure the passing of an act agreeable to the king’s declaration at Breda: but when this was frustrated, and the act of uniformity passed, he took a resolution of submitting to ejection, and accordingly preached his farewel sermon at Aldermanbury, August 17, 1662. He made, however, a last effort three days afterwards, by presenting a petition to his majesty to continue in the exercise of his ministerial office. This petition was signed by many of the London clergy, and Dr. Man ton and Dr. Bates assisted at the presenting it, when Mr; Calamy made a long and moving speech; but neither it nor the petition had any good effect, though the king expressed himself in favour of toleration. He remained, however, in his parish, and came constantly to church, though another was in the pulpit, which proved an occasion of much t;rouble to him for on December 28, 1662, the expected preacher not coming in time, some of the principal persons in the parish prevailed upon Mr. Calamy to supply his place, which, with some importunity, he did; but delivered himself with such freedom, that he was soon after, by the lord mayor’s warrant, committed to Newgate for his sermon. But the case itself being thought hard, and some doubt arising how far the commitment was legal, his majesty in a few days discharged him. He lived to see London in ashes, the sight of which broke his heart. He was driven through the ruins in a coach to Enfield, and was so shocked at the dismal appearance, that he could never wear off the impression, but kept his chamber ever after, and died October 29, 1666, within two naonths after this accident happened. He was, though a very learned man, yet a plain and practical preacher, and one who was not afraid to speak his sentiments freely of and to the greatest; men . He was twice married. By his first wife he had a son and daughter; and by his second seven children, some of whom we shall have occasion to mention in succeeding articles.
the consent of parliament, yet the king thought fit to cause it to be laid aside; and not long after called a general assembly at St. Andrew’s. Soon after, the parliament
, a famous divine of the
church of Scotland, and a distinguished writer in behalf
of the presbyterians, was descended of a good family in
that kingdom, and born in 1575. Being early designed
for the ministry, he applied with great diligence to the
study of the scriptures in their original tongues, the works
of the fathers, the councils, and the best writers of church
history. He was settled, about 1604, at Crailing, not far
from Jedburgh, in the south of Scotland. James VI. of
that country, and the first of Great Britain, being desirous
of bringing the church of Scotland to a near conformity
with that of England, laboured earnestly to restore the
episcopal authority, and enlarge the powers of the bishops
in that kingdom; but this design was very warmly opposed
by many of the ministers, and particularly by David Calderwood, who, when James Law, bishop of Orkney, came
to visit the presbyteries of the Merse and Teviotdale, declined his jurisdiction, by a paper under his hand, dated
May 5, 1603. The king, however, having its success
much at heart, sent the earl of Dunbar, then high-treasurer of Scotland, Dr. Abbot, afterwards archbishop of
Canterbury, and two other divines, into that kingdom,
with instructions to employ every method to persuade both
the clergy and the laity, of his majesty’s sincere desire to
promote the good of the church, and of his zeal for the
Protestant religion, in which they succeeded. Calderwood, however, did not assist at the general assembly held at
Glasgow, June 8, 1610, in which lord Dunbar presided as
commissioner; and it appears from his writings, that he
looked upon every thing transacted in it as null and void.
Exceptions were also taken by him and his party, against
a great part of the proceedings of another general assembly >
held with much solemnity at Aberdeen, Aug. 13, 1616.
In May following, king James went to Scotland, and in
June held a parliament at Edinburgh; at the same time
the clergy met in one of the churches, to hear and advise with the bishops; which kind of assembly, it seems,
was contrived in imitation of the English convocation. Mr.
Calderwood was present at it, but declared publicly that
he did not take any such meetings to resemble a convocation; and being opposed by Dr. Whitford and Dr. Hamilton, who were friends to the bishops, he took his leave
of them in these words: “It is absurd to see men sitting
in silks and satins, and to cry poverty in the kirk, when
purity is departing.
” The parliament proceeded mean
while in the dispatch of business; and Calderwood, with
several other ministers, being informed that a bill was depending to empower the king, with advice of the archbishops, bishops, and such a number of the ministry as his
majesty should think proper, to consider and conclude, as
to matters decent for the external policy of the church,
not repugnant to the word of God; and that such conclusions should have the strength and power of ecclesiastical
laws: against this they protested for four reasons: 1. Because their church was so perfect, that, instead of needing
reformation, it might be a pattern to others. 2. General
assemblies, as now established by law, and which ought
always to continue, might by this means be overthrown.
3. Because it might be a means of creating schism, and
disturb the tranquillity of the church. 4. Because they
had received assurances, that no attempts should be made
to bring them to a conformity with the church of England.
They desired, therefore, that for these and other reasons,
all thoughts of passing any such law may be laid aside; but
in case this be not done, they protest, for themselves and
their brethren who shall adhere to them, that they can
yield no obedience to this law when it shall be enacted,
because it is destructive of the liberty of the church; and
therefore shall submit to such penalties, and think
themselves obliged to undergo such punishments, as may be
inflicted for disobeying that law. This protest was signed
by Archibald Simpson, on behalf of the members, who subscribed another separate roll, which he kept for his justification. It was delivered to Peter Hewet, who had a seat
in parliament, in order to be presented; and another copy
remained in Simpson’s hands, to be presented in case of
any accident happening to the other. The affair making
a great noise, Dr. Spotswood, archbishop of St. Andrew’s,
asked a sight of the protest from Hewet, one day at court
and, upon some dispute between them, it was torn. The
other copy was actually presented by Simpson to the
clerk register, who refused to read it before the states in
parliament. However, the protest, though not read, had
its effect; for although the bill before-mentioned, or, as
the Scottish phrase is, the article, had the consent of parliament, yet the king thought fit to cause it to be laid
aside; and not long after called a general assembly at St.
Andrew’s. Soon after, the parliament was dissolved, and
Simpson was summoned before the high commission court,
where the roll of names which he had kept for his justification, was demanded from him; and upon his declaring
that he had given it to Harrison, who had since delivered
it to Calderwood, he was sent prisoner to the castle of
Edinburgh; and Calderwood was summoned to appear before the high commission court at St. Andrew’s, on the 8th
of July following, to exhibit the said protest, and to answer for his mutinous and seditious behaviour.
in person, and soon after Hewet and Simpson were deprived and imprisoned. After this, Calderwood was called upon, and refusing to comply with what the king in person required
July 12, the king came to that city in person, and soon
after Hewet and Simpson were deprived and imprisoned.
After this, Calderwood was called upon, and refusing to
comply with what the king in person required of him,
James, after haranguing at some length on his disobedience, committed him to prison; and afterwards the/
privy-council, according to the power exercised by them
at that time, directed him to banish himself out of the
king’s dominions before Michaelmas following, and not to
return without licence; and upon giving security for this
purpose, he was discharged out of prison, and suffered to
return to his parish, but forbid to preach. Having applied
to the king for a prorogation of his sentence without success, because he would neither acknowledge his offence,
nor promise conformity for the future, he retired to Holland in 1619, where his publications were securely
multiplied, and diffused through Scotland, particularly one
entitled “The Perth Assembly,
” which was condemned
by the council. In Altare Damascenum, seu ecclesiae Anolicanse politia, ecclesiae Scoticanae obtrusa a formalista quodam delineata, illustrata, et examinata,
” The writer of
the preface prefixed to Calderwood’s “True history of
the church of Scotland
” telis us, that “the author of this
very learned and celebrate 1 treatise (which is an answer to Lin wood’s ‘ Description of the Policy of the church of England’) doth irrefragably and unanswerably demonstrate
the iniquity of designing and endeavouring to model and
conform the divinely simple worship, discipline, and government of the church of Scotland to the pattern of the
pompously prelatic and ceremonious church of England;
under some conviction whereof it seems king James himself
was, though implacably displeased with it, when, being
after the reading of it somewhat pensive, and being asked
the reason by an English prelate standing by and observing
it, he told him he had seen and read such a book; whereupon the prelate telling his majesty not to suffer that to
trouble him, for they would answer it he replied, not
without some passion, < What would you answer, man
There is nothing here but scripture, reason, and the fathers’.
” This work was in fact an enlargement, in Latin, of
one which he wrote in English, and published in 1621,
under the title of “The Altar of Damascus,
” and which is
uncommonly rare. It concludes with noticing a rumour
spread by bishop Spotswood, that Mr. Calderwood had
turned Brownist, which rumour it denies in strong language,
and with the following intemperate and unbecoming threat:
“If either Spotswood, or his supposed author, persist in
their calumny after this declaration, 1 shall try if there be
any blood in their foreheads.
” Calderwood having in Altare Damascenum,
” with a design, as Calderwood believed, to have
dispatched him: but Calderwood had privately returned
into his own country, where he remained for several years.
Scot gave out that the king furnished him with the matter
for the pretended recantation, and that he only put it in
order.
does not say what they were. He mentions a book written by Horatio Moro, a Florentine physician, and called “The Tables of Surgery, briefly comprehending the whole art
, or Chaldwell, an English physician, was born in Staffordshire about 1513, and was admitted into Brazen-nose college in Oxford, of which he
was in due season elected fellow. In 1539 he took his
degree of M. A. and became one of the senior students of
Christ Church in 1547, which was a little after its last
foundation by king Henry VIII. Afterwards he studied
physic and took the degrees in that faculty, and became
so highly esteemed for his learning and skill, that he was
examined, approved, admitted into, and elected censor
of, the college of physicians at London in the same day.
Six weeks after, he was chosen one of the elects of the said
college, and in 1570 made president of it. Wood tells
us, that he wrote several pieces upon subjects relating to
his profession; but does not say what they were. He mentions a book written by Horatio Moro, a Florentine physician, and called “The Tables of Surgery, briefly comprehending the whole art and practice thereof;
” which
Caldwall translated into English, and published at London
in 1585. We learn from Camden, that Caldwall founded
a chirurgical lecture in the college of physicians, and endowed it with a handsome salary. He died in 1585, and
was buried at the church of St. Bennet near Paul’s wharf.
n published, is a very curious “Account of the extraordinary escape of James Stewart, esq. (commonly called Athenian Stewart) from being put to death by some Turks, in
, a literary gentleman of Ireland, was the son of Charles Caldwell, esq. an eminent solicitor, and was born in Dublin, 1732. He received part
of his education in one of the universities in Scotland, from
whence he removed to London; and after a residence of
about five years at the Temple, returned to Dublin, where
he was admitted to the bar in 1760; but his father being
possessed of a good estate, fully adequate to his son’s wishes,
he never paid much attention to the profession of the law,
and for several years before his death had entirely quitted
it. His studious disposition, and taste for the tine arts,
always afforded him sufficient employment, and he was a
liberal patron of those who excelled in any of the various
branches of art. He had studied architecture with particular attention; and about the year 1770, published, anonymously, some very judicious “Observations on the public buildings of Dublin,
” and on some edifices, which at
that time were about to be erected in that city at the expence of the state. The only other known production of
his pen that has been published, is a very curious “Account of the extraordinary escape of James Stewart, esq.
(commonly called Athenian Stewart) from being put to
death by some Turks, in whose company he happened to
be travelling;
” the substance of which had been communicated to Mr. Caldwell by the late Dr. Percy, bishop of
Dromore, as related to his lordship by Stewart himself.
Of this narrative, of which only a small number was printed
at London in 1304, for the use of the author’s friends, it
is believed not more than a dozen copies were distributed
in this country. Mr. Cald well’s love of literature naturally
led him to collect an ample library, which was particularly
rich in natural history. His manners were gentle and
pleasing, and his benevolence, various knowledge, and cultivated taste, endeared him to a very numerous circle of
friends. He died at the house of his nephew, major-general Cockburn, near Bray in the county of Wicklow, July
2, 1808, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.
, called IL Cremonese, an eminent artist of Ferrara, where he was born
, called IL Cremonese, an eminent artist of Ferrara, where he was born about 1600, studied and imitated, beyond all others, the tones of Titian, and carried the illusion to such a degree, that his half-figures, bacchanals, and small histories, entered the best galleries of Rome and Bologna as originals: nor is he easily discovered by the best eye or taste, but from the admission of some more modern conceit, or carelessness of execution. That he possessed talents superior to what mere mimickry can confer, is evident from his St. Mark, in the church of S. Benedetto at Ferrara, a majestic, correct, expressive figure, girt by a profusion of volumes, whose picturesque arrangement and truth of touch procured him the name of the Book-Painter (Pittor da' Libri). Immediately after the execution of this work, some say that he disappeared, and was heard of no more: whilst others, with less probability of conjecture, extend the date of his death to 1660.
fferent churches in one profession of religion, he was a principal promoter of that system which was called syncretism. The controversy which was thus occasioned, subsisted
, an eminent Lutheran divine, was born at Medelbui, in Holstein, Dec. 14, 1586. His father, who was also a minister, intended him for the same profession, and sent him to study at Helmstadt, Jena, and Giessen, and most of the protestant schools of Germany. He travelled also with Matthias Overbeck, a rich Lutheran, who resided in Holland, and conceiving a high opinion of Calixtus, became his liberal patron, as he had been to Herman Conringius and many others. After travelling also in France and England, Calixtus returned to Germany, and was appointed professor of theology at Helmstadt in 1614, and there he died, March 18, 1656, after a long theological warfare, both with his brethren and the Roman catholic, excited by his endeavours to effect a comprehension between the Roman and the Lutheran and Calvinist churches. According to Mosheim, Calixtus was the first person that reduced theology into a regular system, and gave it a truly scientific and philosophical form. As he had imbibed the spirit of the Aristotelian school, he arranged the substance of Christianity according to the method of the Stagirite; and divided the whole science of divinity into three parts, viz. the end, the subject, and the means. He was also the first who separated the objects of faith from the duties of morality, and exhibited the latter under the form of an independent science. These innovations rendered him the object of much censure and opposition. In his attempt to reunite the several bodies of Christians, and to comprehend " the different churches in one profession of religion, he was a principal promoter of that system which was called syncretism. The controversy which was thus occasioned, subsisted long after his death; and though he seemed, in his efforts for comprehension, to give advantage to the Romish church, no one attacked its tyranny and corruption with greater vigour. Mosheim has entered largely into his system and the consequence of it, but it appears to us to be in some parts inconsistent; and experience has shewn that all plans of comprehension are impracticable, without such sacrifices as the respective parties either cannot or will not make. His writings, which are extremely numerous, on various subjects of controversy, are enumerated by Freher, but without the necessary appendages of size, dates, &c.
r the pains he had taken with him, Callimachus was provoked to revenge himself in an invective poem, called Ibis; which, it is known? furnished Ovid with a pattern and
, an ancient Greek poet, was born at
Cyrene, a town in Africa, and flourished under the Ptolemies Philadelphus and Euergetes; Berenice, queen of
the latter, having consecrated her locks in the temple of
Venus, ad a flattering astronomer having translated them
from thence into a constellation in the heavens, gave occasion to the fine elegy of this poet, which we have now
only in the Latin of Catullus. He may be placed, therefore, about 280 B. C. His common name Battiades has
made the grammarians usually assign one Battus for his
father; but perhaps he may as well derive that name from
king Battus, the founder of Cyrene, from whose line, as
Strabo assures us, he declared himself to be descended. But
whoever was his father, the poet has paid all his duties
and obligations to him in a most delicate epitaph, which
we find in the Anthologia; and which shews that Martial
had good reason to assign him, as he has done, the crown
among the Grecian writers of the epigram. He was educated under Hermocrates, the grammarian; and before
he was recommended to the favour of the kings of Egypt,
he taught a school at Alexandria; and had the honour of
educating Apollonius, the author of the Argonautics. But
Apollonius making an ungrateful return to his master for
the pains he had taken with him, Callimachus was provoked
to revenge himself in an invective poem, called Ibis;
which, it is known? furnished Ovid with a pattern and title
for a satire of the same nature. Suidas relates, that Callimachus wrote above 800 pieces; of which we have now
remaining only a few hymns and epigrams, Quintilian is
very justifiable in having asserted, that Callimachus was
the first of all the elegiac poets. He has the credit of having first spoken the proverbial saying, “a great book is a
great evil,
” which critics have been fonder of repeating
than authors.
f several criminals;” The Miseries of War;“” The great Pair of Florence;“The little Fair,” otherwise called “The Players at Benti,” one of the scarcest of Callot’s prints;“”
This artist engraved in several styles; the first of which
was an imitation of his master Canta Gallina. He afterwards worked altogether with the graver; but without
success. His next style was the mixture of the point and
the graver, with coarse broad hatchings in the shadows.
But his best manner, is that which appears to have been
executed with the greatest freedom, by which he has- expressed, as we may say, with a single stroke, variety of
character, and correctness of design. He is said to have
been the first who used hard varnish in etching, which has
been found much superior to that which was before adopted.
The fertility of invention, and the vast variety, found in
the works of this excellent artist, are astonishing. It could
Jiarclly have been supposed possible to combine so great a
number of figures together as he has done, and to vary the
attitudes, without forced contrast, so that all of them, whether single figures or groupes, may be easily distinguished
from each other, even in the masses of shadow; more
especially when it is considered that they are often exceedingly minute. On a cursory view of some of his most
admired pieces, the whole appears confused, and without
harmony; but a careful examination discovers the richness,
the beauty, the taste, and the judgment which are bestowed on the disposition of the figures, the management
of the groupes, and the variety and propriety of the attitudes. The works of this master are very numerous and
various. In representation of all the varieties of human
life, from beggars and peasants to knights and nobles, he
excelled; characterising all with the nicest touches of nature. Of his subjects, many are of the most painful and
shocking kind, such as public executions, the miseries of
war, and the like; many are grotesque and fanciful, and
exhibit a strong imagination. Among his most admired
prints, Strutt enumerates: “The Murder of the InnocentSjJ' of which that engraved at Florence is most rare;
a fine impression of it being found with difficulty;
” The
Marriage of Cana in Galilee,“from Paolo Veronese;
” The
Passion of Christ,“the first impressions of which are very
scarce
” St. John in the island of Palma;“” The Temptation of St. Anthony;“”The Punishments,“exhibiting
the execution of several criminals;
” The Miseries of
War;“” The great Pair of Florence;“The little Fair,
”
otherwise called “The Players at Benti,
” one of the
scarcest of Callot’s prints;“” The Tilting, or the New
Street at Nancy;“The Garden of Nancy;
” “View of
the Pont Neuf;
” “View of the Louvre;
” and “Four
Landscapes.
”
of Flanders, the duties of which he performed with distinguished ability for six years. He was then called as rapporteur to the king’s council, to report to his majesty
, an eminent but unfortunate French minister, was born at Douay in 1734. His father was president of the parliament of Flanders, and descended from a noble family, originally of Tournay, and well known in the history of that city, which makes honourable mention of his ancestors in the remotest times. Having finished his studies at the university of Paris with extraordinary success, young Calonne was appointed, in histwenty-third year, advocate or solicitor- general of the superior council of Artois and before he had attained the age of twenty -five, was promoted to the office of procurator-general of the parliament of Flanders, the duties of which he performed with distinguished ability for six years. He was then called as rapporteur to the king’s council, to report to his majesty the most momentous affairs of administration, of which arduous and laborious task he acquitted himself in a manner that evinced his profound knowledge of the government, constitution, history, and jurisprudence of France, and established his reputation as a writer of no less perspicuity and judgment, than elegance and energy of diction.
ding system proposed by Calixtus (see Calixtus), and the partizans of the respective combatants were called Calixtins and Calovians. This dispute, conducted with much
, a celebrated Lutheran divine,
and one of the ablest opponents of the Socinians of his
time, was born Aug. 16, 1612, at Morungen in the duchy
of Brunswick, where his father was a man of some consequence. Having finished his studies, and especially distinguished himself by his knowledge in oriental languages,
he came to Rostock, where, in 1637, he took his doctor’s
degree in divinity, and some time after was made professor
of that faculty. He was very rigid in adhering to the Lutheran tenets, and the firmness he displayed in a controversy with John Bergius, a protestant divine, on the
subject of the Lord’s supper, occasioned his being appointed
visitor of the churches and schools of the circle of Samlande
in Prussia, and counsellor in the court of justice. In 1643
he was invited to Dantzic, and made rector of the college.
He carried on several controversies, especially with Martin
Statins, a Lutheran deacon, with Henry Nicolai, professor
of philosophy, and with John Cæsar, a protestant minister
of Dantzic. In 1650 he was appointed professor of divinity
at Wittemberg, and became one of the warmest opponents
of the comprehending system proposed by Calixtus (see Calixtus), and the partizans of the respective combatants
were called Calixtins and Calovians. This dispute, conducted with much intemperance on both sides, lasted until
his death, Feb. 20, 1686. His principal works, exclusive
of those he wrote against Bergius, Nicolai, and Calixtus,
were, 1. “Metaphysica divina, etaliascriptaphilosopbica.
”
2. “Criticus sacer Biblicus.
” 3. “Socinianismus profligatus.
” 4. “Systema locorum theologicorum.
” 5. “Conlideratio Arminianismi.
” 6. “Biblia iilustrata,
” a German
Bible with Luther’s notes. His “Historia Syncretistica,
”
first published in
design and models of taste. In the palace Pallavicini‘al Zerbino they represented the story commonly called the Continence of Scipio, and a variety of naked figures, which,
, an artist, remarkable for longevity as well as skill, a native of Genoa, was a son of Agostino Calvi, one of the most tolerable painters and reformers of the old style, and was with Pantaleo Calvi, his eldest brother, among the first pupils, of Perino del Vaga. Pantaleo was content to ^end his assistance and his name to Lazzaro, without pretending to share the praise due to his numerous ornamental works at Genova, Monaco, and Napoli; among which, none excels the facade of the palace Doria (now Spinola) with prisoners in various attitudes, and stories in colour and chiaroscuro, considered as a school of design and models of taste. In the palace Pallavicini‘al Zerbino they represented the story commonly called the Continence of Scipio, and a variety of naked figures, which, in the opinion of Mengs himself, might be adjudged to Penno. Whether or not he assisted them with his hand,* as he had with his cartoons, is matter of doubt: certain it is, that Lazzaro, giddy with self-conceit, fell into excesses unknown to other artists, if we except Corenzio. At the least appearance of rival merit, jealousy and avidity prompU ed him to have recourse to the blackest arts. Of Giacomo Bargone he rid himself by poison, and’ others he depressed by the clamour of hired ruffians. Such were his cabals when he painted the Birth of John the Baptist in the chapel Centurioni, in concurrence with Andrea Semini and Luca Cambiaso, which, though one of his best works and most in the style of his master, fell short of the powers of Luca, to whom prince Doria gave the preference in the ample commission of the frescos for the church of S. Matteo. This so enraged Calvi that he turned sailor, and touched no brush for twenty years: he returned at last to the art, and continued in practice to his eighty-fifth year, but with diminished powers: his works of that period are cold, laboured, and bear the stamp of age. The death of Pantaleo still farther depressed him, and the only remaining mark of his vigour was to have protracted life to one hundred and five years. He died at that very uncommon age in 1606, or 1607, leaving only a daughter, whom he had married to an opulent gentleman. Whatever his talents, we see nothing but what is -atrocious in his personal character.
s he applied to the Greek tongue, under the direction of professor Wolmar. His father’s death having called him back to Noyon, he staid there a short time, and then went
, one of the chief reformers of the
church, was born at Noyon in Picardy, July 10, 1509. He
was instructed in grammar at Paris under Maturinus Corderius, to whom he afterwards dedicated his Commentary
on the first epistle of the Thessalonians, and studied philosophy in the college of Montaigu under a Spanish professor. His father, uho discovered many marks of hitf
early piety, particularly in his reprehensions of the vices of
his companions, designed him for the church, and got him
presented, May 21, 1521, to the chapel of Notre Dame
de la Gesine, in the church of Noyon. In 1527 he was
presented to the rectory of Marteville, which he exchanged
in 1529 fortlie rectory of Pont I‘Eveque near Noyon. His
father afterwards changed his resolution, and would have
him study law; to which Calvin, who, by reading the
scriptures, had conceived a dislike to the superstitions of
popery, readily consented, and resigned the chapel of Gesine and the rectory of Pont l’Eveque in 1534. He had
never, it must here be observed, been in priest’s orders, and
belonged to the church only by having received the tonsure.
He was sent to study the law first under Peter de l'Etoile
(Petrus Stella) at Orleans, and afterwards under Andrew
Alciat at Bourges, and while he made a great progress in
that science, he improved no less in the knowledge of divinity by his private studies. At Bourges he applied to the
Greek tongue, under the direction of professor Wolmar.
His father’s death having called him back to Noyon, he
staid there a short time, and then went to Paris, where he
wrote a commentary on Seneca’s treatise “De dementia,
”
being at this time about twenty- four years of age. Having
put his name in Latin to this piece, he laid aside his surname Cauvin, for that of Calvin, styling himself in the
title-page “Lucius Calvinus civis Romanus.
” He soon
made himself known at Paris to such as had privately embraced the reformation, and by frequent intercourse with
them became more confirmed in his principles. A speech
of Nicholas Cop, rector of the university of Paris, of which
Calvin furnished the materials, having greatly displeased
the Sorbonne and the parliament, gave rise to a persecu^
tion against the protestants; and Calvin, who narrowly escaped being taken in the college of Forteret, was forced to
retire to Xaintonge, after having had the honour to be introduced to the queen of Navarre, who allayed this first storm
raised against the protestants. Calvin returned to Paris in
1534. This year the reformed met with severe treatment,
which determined him to leave France, after publishing a
treatise against those who believe that departed souls are
in a kind of sleep. He retired to Basil, where he studied
Hebrew; at this time he published his “Institutions of the
Christian Religion,
” a work well adapted to spread his fame,
though he himself was desirous of living in obscurity. It
is dedicated to the French king, Francis I. This prince
being solicitous, according to Beza, to gain the friendship
of the Protestants in Germany, and knowing that they
were highly incensed by the cruel persecutions which their
brethren suffered in France, he, by advice of William de
Bellay, represented to them that he had only punished
certain enthusiasts, who substituted their own imaginations
in the place of God’s word, and despised the civil magistrate. Calvin, stung with indignation at this wicked evasion, wrote this work as an apology for the Protestants who
were burnt for their religion in France. The dedication to
Francis I. is one of the three that have been highly admired: that of Thuanus to his history, and Casaubon’s to
Polybius, are the two others. But this treatise, when first
published in 1555, was only a sketch of a larger work.
The complete editions, both in Latin and in French, with
the author’s last additions and corrections, did not appear
till 1558. After the publication of this work, Calvin went
to Italy to pay a visit to the duchess of Ferrara, a lady of
eminent piety, by whom he was very kindly received.
Prom Italy he came back to France, and having settled his
private affairs, he purposed to go to Strasbourg, or Basil,
in company with his sole surviving brother Antony Calvin;
but as the roads were not safe on account of the war, except through the duke of Savoy’s territories, he chose that
road. “This was a particular direction of Providence,
”
says Bayle; “it was his destiny that he should settle at
Geneva, and when he was wholly intent on going farther,
he found himself detained by an order from heaven, if I
may so speak.
” William Farel, a man of a warm enthusiastic temper, who had in vain used many entreaties to
prevail with Calvin to be his fellow-labourer in that part of
the Lord’s vineyard, at last solemnly declared to him, in
the name of God, that if he would not stay, the curse of
God would attend him wherever he went, as seeking himself and not Christ. Calvin therefore was obliged to
comply with the choice which the consistory and magistrates of Geneva made of him, with the consent of the,
people, to be one of their ministers, and professor of divinity. It was his own wish to undertake only this last
office, but he was gbliged to take both upon him in August
1536. The year following he made all the people declare,
upon oath, their assent to a confession of faith, which contained a renunciation of Popery: and because this reformation in doctrine did not put an entire stop to the immoralities that prevailed at Geneva, nor banish that spirit of
faction which had set the principal families at variance,
Calvin, in concert with his colleagues, declared that they
could not celebrate the sacrament whilst they kept up their
animosities, and trampled on the discipline of the church.
He also intimated, that he could not submit to the regulation which the synod of the canton of Berne had lately
made *. On this, the syndics of Geneva summoned an assembly of the people; and it was ordered that Calvin,
Farel, and another minister, should leave the town in two
days, for refusing to administer the sacrament. Calvin'
retired to Strasbourg, and established a French church in
that city, of which he was the first minister; he was also
appointed to be professor of divinity there* During his
stay at Strasbourg, he continued to give many marks of
his affection for the church of Geneva; as appears, amongst
other things, by the answer which he wrote in 1539, to the
beautiful but artful letter of cardinal Sadolet, bishop of
Carpentras, inviting the people of Geneva to return into
the bosom of the Romish church. Two years after, the
divines of Strasbourg being very desirous that he should
assist at the diet which the emperor had appointed to be
held at Worms and at Ratisbon, for accommodating religious differences, he went thither with Bucer, and had a
conference with Melancthon. In the mean time the people
of Geneva (the syndics who promoted his banishment being now some of them executed, and others forced to fly their country for their crimes), entreated him so earnestly to
return to them, that at last he consented. He arrived at
Geneva, Sept. 13, 1541, to the great satisfaction both of
the people and the magistrates; and the first measure ha
adopted after his arrival, was to establish a form of church,
discipline, and a consistorial jurisdiction, invested with,
the power of inflicting censures and canonical punishments,
articular Election and Reprobation, original Sin, particular Redemption, effectual, or, as some have called it, irresistible Grace in Regeneration, Justification by faith,
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.
often reprinted. Of his musical talents, he has left ample proofs to posterity in his short treatise called “Μελοποια, sive Melodiæ condendæ ratio, quam vulgò musicam poeticam
, a learned German chronologist,
the son of a Lutheran peasant, was born at Gorschleben,
a village of Thuringia, in 1556. Being very poor in his
youth, he got his livelihood by his skill in music, which
he learned very early, and was so liberally encouraged at
Magdeburgh, that he was enabled to study for some time
at the university of Helmstadt, where he made great progress in the learned languages, and in chronology and
astronomy. He died at Leipsic, where he held the office
of chantor, in 1615. His “Opus Chronologicum
” appeared first in Elenchus calendarii a papa Gregorio XIII.
comprobati;
” or, a “Confutation of the calendar, approved and established by pope Gregory XI 11.
” Vossius
tells us, that he not only attempts in this work to shew the
errors of the Gregorian calendar, but offers also a new and
more concise, as well as truer method of reforming the calendar. He was the author also of “Enodatio duarum
questionum, viz. circa annum Nativitatis et Tempus Ministerii Christi,
” Ertbrd, Chronology
”
was often reprinted. Of his musical talents, he has left
ample proofs to posterity in his short treatise called
“Μελοποια, sive Melodiæ condendæ ratio, quam vulgò
musicam poeticam vocant, ex veris fundamentis extracta
et explicata,
” 1592. This ingenious tract contains, though
but a small duodecimo volume, all that was known at the
time concerning harmonics and practical music; as he has
compressed into his little book the science of most of the
best writers on the subject; to which he has added short
compositions of his own, to illustrate their doctrines and
precepts. With respect to composition, he not only gives
examples of concords and discords, and their use in combination, but little canons and fugues of almost every kind
then known. He composed, in 1615, the 150th psalm in
twelve parts, for three choirs, as an Epithalamium on the
nuptials of his friend Casper Ankelman, a merchant of
Hamburgh, and published it in folio at Leipsic the same
year. Several of his hymns and motets appear in a collection of Lutheran church music, published at Leipsic, 1618,
in eight volumes 4to, under the following title: “Florilegium portens CXV. selectissimas Cantiones, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
voc. prsBstantissimorum Auctorum.
” Some of these which
Dr. Burney had the curiosity to score, have the laws of
harmony and fugue preserved inviolate.
da of events as they happened,- which have been printed at the end of his epistles by Dr. Smith, and called “Apparatus annalium regis Jacobi I.” These are called by Wood
From this time he seems to have lived in retirement at
Chiselhurst, declining the solicitations of his friend Saville,
to make his house at Eton his own, and to have amused
himself with entering memoranda of events as they happened,- which have been printed at the end of his epistles
by Dr. Smith, and called “Apparatus annalium regis Jacobi I.
” These are called by Wood “A skeleton of a history of James I. or bare touches to put the author in mind
of greater matters,
” or rather memoranda for private use.
He adds, bishop Hacket stole, and Dugdale borrowed and
transcribed them, as did sir Henry St. George, Clarencieux,
both incorrectly. The original is in Trinity college, Cambridge, and Dr. Smith printed these and parts of an English Diary.
In 1525, when there was an insurrection among the common people through all Germany, commonly called the war of the peasants, Camerarius went into Prussia, but he
In 1525, when there was an insurrection among the common people through all Germany, commonly called the war of the peasants, Camerarius went into Prussia, but he returned very soon, and was made professor of the belies lettres in an university which the senate of Nuremberg had just founded under the direction and superintendency of Melancthon. In 1526, when the diet of Spires was held, Albert earl of Mansfelt was appointed ambassador to Charles V. of Spain, and Camerarius to attend him as his Latin interpreter; but this embassy being suspended, Camerarius went no farther than Sslirigen, whence he returned home, and was married the year after to Anne Truchses, a lady of an ancient and noble family, with whom he lived forty-six years very happily, and had four daughters and five sons by her, who all did honour to their family. In 1530, the Senate of Nuremberg sent him with some other persons to the diet of Augsburgh, and four years after offered him the place of secretary; but, preferring the ease and freedom of a studious life to all advantages of a pecuniary nature, he refused it. In 1538, Ulric prince of Wittemberg sent him to Tubingen, to restore the discipline and credit of that university and in 1541, Henry, duke of Saxony, and afterwards Maurice his son, invited him to Leipsic, to direct and assist in founding an university there.
, a very celebrated Portuguese poet, and from his much-admired poem the “Lusiadas,” called the Virgil of Portugal, was descended from an illustrious, and
, a very celebrated
Portuguese poet, and from his much-admired poem the
“Lusiadas,
” called the Virgil of Portugal, was descended
from an illustrious, and originally, Spanish family, and was
born at Lisbon about the year 1524. His father Simon
Vaz de Camoens is said to have perished by shipwreck in
the year which gave being to his son, although this is somewhat doubtful. It appears, however, that our poet was
sent to the university of Coimbra, and maintained there
by his surviving parent. On his arrival in Lisbon, he became enamoured of Donna Catarina de Ataide, whom he
addressed with all the romantic ardour of youth and poetry,
but according to the prescribed reserve, or prudery of the
age, obtained no higher mark of her favour, after many
months of adoration, than one of the silken fillets which,
encircled her head. His impatience, however, hurried him
into some breaches of decorum, while pursuing his coy
mistress, who was one of the queen’s ladies, and her parents took this opportunity to terminate an intercourse
which worldly considerations rendered, on her part, of the
highest imprudence. This interference produced its usual
effect. Camoens was banished the court, and on the
morning of his departure, Catarina confessed to him the
secret of her long-concealed affection. Thus comforted, he
removed to Santarem, the place of his banishment, but is
said to have speedily returned to Lisbon, where he was
again detected, and again sent into exile.
rinted at Leipsic in 1707, and in 1734. Campano was at one time a corrector of the press to Udalric, called Gallus, the first printer of Rome, and wrote prefaces to Livy,
, an Italian poet and prelate, was born in 1427 at Cavelli, a village of Campania, of parents so obscure that he bore no name but that of his country, and was employed in his early years as a shepherd, in which situation an ecclesiastic discovering some promise of talents in him, sent him to Naples, where he studied under Laurentius Valla. He went afterwards to Perugia, where he rose to be professor of eloquence, and filled that chair with so much reputation, that when, in 1459, pope Pius II. happened to pass through Perugia in his way to the council of Mantua, he bestowed his patronage on him, and made him bishop of Crotona, and secondly of Teramo. Enjoying the same favour under pope Paul II. this pontiff sent him to the congress of Ratisbon, which assembled for the purpose of consulting on a league of the Christian princes against the Turks. Sixtus IV. who had been one of his scholars at Perugia, made him successively governor of Todi, of Foligno, and of Citta di Castello; but the pope having thought proper to besiege this last named city, because the inhabitants made some scruple about receiving his troops, Campano, touched with the hardships they were likely to suffer, wrote to the pope with so much freedom and spirit as to enrage his holiness, and provoke him to deprive him of his government, and banish him from the ecclesiastical states. Campano on this went to Naples, but not rinding the reception he expected, he retired to his bishopric at Teramo, where he died July 15, 1477, of chagrin and disappointment. His works, which were first printed at Rome in 1495, fol. consist of several treatises on moral philosophy, discourses, and funeral orations, and nine books of letters, in which there is some curious information with respect both to the political and literary history of his times. This volume contains likewise, the life of pope Pius II. and of Braccio of Perugia, a famous military character, and lastly, of eight book of elegies and epigrams, some of which are rather of too licentious a nature to accord with the gravity of his profession. These, or part of them, were reprinted at Leipsic in 1707, and in 1734. Campano was at one time a corrector of the press to Udalric, called Gallus, the first printer of Rome, and wrote prefaces to Livy, Justin, Plutarch, and some other of the works which issued from that press.
s gone through six editions, and fully deserved this encouragement. The next great undertaking which called for the exertion of our author’s abilities and learning, was
When the late Mr. Dodsley formed the design of “The
Preceptor,
” which appeared in Present
state of Europe;
” a work which had been originally begun
in Museum,
” a very valuable periodical performance, printed for Dodsley. There is no production
of our author’s that has met with a better reception. It
has gone through six editions, and fully deserved this encouragement. The next great undertaking which called
for the exertion of our author’s abilities and learning, was
“The modern Universal History.
” This extensive work
was published irom time to time in detached parts, till it
amounted to 16 vols. tol. and a 2d edition of it in 8vo,
began to make its appearance in 1759. The parts of it
written by Campbell, were the histories of the Portuguese,
Dutch, Spanish, French, Swedish, Danish, and Ostend
settlements in the East Indies; and the histories of the
kingdoms of Spain, Portugal, Algarve, Navarre, and that
of France, foin Clovis to 1656. As our author had thus
distinguished himself in the literary world, the degree of
LL. D. was very properly and honourably conferred upon
him, June 18, 1754, by the university of Glasgow. With
regard to his smaller publications, there are several, Dr.
Kippis apprehends, that have eluded his most diligent inquiry; but the following account, we believe, is tolerably
accurate: In early life, he wrote: 1. “A Discourse on
Providence,
” 8vo, the third edition of which was printed
in The Case of the Opposition impartially stated,
” 8vo. Mr. Reed had a copy
of this pamphlet, with various corrections and additions in
Dr. Campbell’s own hand, evidently written with a view to
a second impression. He published in 1746, 3. “The
Sentiments of a Dutch patriot; being the speech of Mr.
V. H***n, in an august assembly, on the present state
of affairs, and the resolution necessary at this juncture to
be taken for the safety of the republic,
” 8vo. The history
of this little tract, the design of which was to expose the
temporising policy of the states of Holland, is somewhat
amusing. His amanuensis, when he was going to write
the pamphlet, having disappointed him, he requested, after
tea in the afternoon, that Mrs. Campbell, when she had
ordered a good fire to be made, would retire to bed as
soon as possible, with the servants; and, at the same time,
leave him four ounces of coffee. This was done, and he
wrote till 12 o‘clock at night, when, finding his spirits flag,
he took two ounces. With this assistance he went on till
six in the morning, when again beginning to grow weary,
he drauk the remainder of the coffee. Hence he was enabled to proceed with fresh vigour till nine or ten o’clock
in the morning, when he finished the pamphlet, which had
a great run, and was productive of considerable profit.
Mr. Campbell having succeeded so well in a performance
hastily written, expected much greater success from
another work, about which he had taken extraordinary pains,
and which had cost him a long time in composing. But
when it came to be published, it scarcely paid the expence
of advertising. Some years afterwards, a book in French
was brought to him that had been translated from the German; and he was asked whether a translation of it into
English would not be likely to be acceptable. Upon examining it, he found that it was his own neglected work,
which had made its way into Germany, and had there been
translated and published, without any acknowledgement
of the obligation due to the original writer. But it is rather singular that his biographers have not told us what
work this was.
order into Germany. He lived for some time in Brune, and then at Vienna where he composed a tragedy, called “Nectar and Ambrosia,” which was acted before the emperor with
, an ingenious Roman catholic
writer, was born in London in 1540, and educated at
Christ’s hospital. Being a boy of great parts, he was selected while at school, to make an oration before queen
Mary at her accession to the crown; and from thence
elected scholar of St. John’s college in Oxford by Thomas
White, the founder of it, in 1553. He took his degrees
of B. and M. A. regularly, and afterwards went into orders.
In 1566, when queen Elizabeth was entertained at Oxford, he made an oration before her, and also kept an act
in St. Mary’s church, with very great applause from that
learned queen. In 1568, he went into Ireland, where he
wrote a history of that country in two books; but being
then discovered to have embraced the popish religion, and
to labour for proselytes, he was seized and detained for
some time. He escaped soon after into England; but in
1571 transported himself into the Low Countries, and settled in the English college of Jesuits at Doway, where he
openly renounced the protestant religion, and had the degree of B. D. conferred upon him. From thence he went
to Rome, where he was admitted into the society of Jesuits in 1573; and afterwards sent by the general of his
order into Germany. He lived for some time in Brune,
and then at Vienna where he composed a tragedy, called
“Nectar and Ambrosia,
” which was acted before the emperor with great applause. Soon after he settled at Prague
in Bohemia, and taught rhetoric and philosophy for about
six years in a college of Jesuits, which had been newly
erected there. At length being called to Rome, he was
sent by the command of pope Gregory XIII. into England,
where he arrived in June 1580. Here he performed all
the offices of a zealous provincial, and was diligent in propagating his religion by all the arts of conversation and
Writing. He seems to have challenged the English clergy
to a disputation, by a piece entitled “Rationes decem oblati certaminis in causa fidei, redditse academicis Angliae,
”
which was printed at a private press in Edmund Campian, a most pernicious Jesuit.
” Afterwards, having been
found guilty of high treason in adhering to the bishop of
Rome, the queen’s enemy, and in coming to England todisturb the peace and quiet of the realm, he was hanged
and quartered, with other Romish priests, at Tyburn, December 1, 1581.
, or Cambiaso, called Luchetto, an eminent Genoese painter, was born at Oneglia, near
, or Cambiaso, called Luchetto, an eminent Genoese painter, was born at Oneglia, near Genoa, in 1527, and became a most expeditious painter, working with both his hands, by which unusual power he executed more designs, and finished more great works with his own pencil in a much shorter time than most other artists could do with several assistants. It is mentioned as a memorable circumstance in his life, that at the age of seventeen he was employed in painting the front of a house in fresco; but whilst he was commencing his work, some Florentine painters who were actually engaged, conceived him to be a mere grinder of colours, and when he took up his pallet and pencils they wished to have prevented his proceeding with it, lest he should spoil the work, but after a few strokes of his pencil they were convinced of their mistake, and respected his singular abilities. Of Cangiagi, it is remarked, that he practised three different modes of painting at three different periods of his life. His first manner was gigantic and unnatural, which he corrected in consequence of the remonstrances of his friend Alessi, the celebrated architect, for his best style, in forming which he consulted nature with attention, and digested his thoughts in sketches, before he began to paint. His third manner was distinguished by a more rapid execution, to which he recurred in order to make more ample provision for his wife and family, and had a great deal of the mannerist. His works at Genoa are very numerous, and he was employed by the king of Spain to adorn part of the Escurial.
, by some called Marbres, an English Franciscan monk, and an able Aristotelian
, by some called Marbres, an
English Franciscan monk, and an able Aristotelian of the fourteenth century, studied some time at
Oxford, from which he removed to Paris, where he became a pupil of Duns Scotus, whom, says Pits, he long
attended, and always imitated. He returned afterwards to
Oxford, and there taught theology to the time of his death,
which, according to Dupin, happened about the year 1340.
Dupin also says that he was a doctor of divinity of Paris.
He was particularly learned in the Aristotelian philosophy,
and in civil and canon-law. In Lincoln college library,
Oxford, is one of his manuscripts, to which are prefixed
many verses in honour of him, and in one of them he is
styled “Alter Aristoteles.
” His published works are, 1.
“In Aristotelis Physica, Lib. VIII.' 7 printed at St. Alban’s
in 1481, 8vo, and reprinted at Venice 1431, 1492, and
1505. 2.
” Lecturae magistrales; Lib. I. Questiones disputatae, Lib. I. Qusestiones dialectices, Lib. I." printed
with the former at Venice, 1492 and 1516.
, a painter and engraver, called often from his native place Da Pesaro, was born in 1612, and
, a painter and engraver, called
often from his native place Da Pesaro, was born in 1612,
and was a pupil of Pandolfi. After proving himself, by
the picture of St. Peter at Fano, less an imitator of Guido
than his equal, he entered his school at Bologna more as a
rival than as a pupil: the humility which he had affected
at his entrance, soon dissolved in a proud display of his
powers; and the modest student became the supercilious
censor of his companions, and of the master himself. From
the general disgust, which the insolence of this conduct
had excited, Cantarini fled to Rome, and for some time
studied Raffaello and the antiques. When he returned to
Bologna, where he taught, and from thence to the court
of Mantua, his powers seemed to smooth the road to new
success; but fear of those whom he had provoked by
arrogance or invective, with the mortification of having
failed in the portrait of the duke, impaired his health and
drove him to Verona, where he died in 1648, in his thirtysixth year, not without suspicion of having being poisoned
by a painter of Mantua, whom he had reviled. Cantarini
is not equal to Guido, because the most perfect imitator of
a style cannot be called equal to its inventor: but the original beauties which he added, of conception and execution, raise him above all the pupils of that school. If his
ideas have less dignity, they are, perhaps, more graceful
than those of Guido: if he has less compass of knowledge,
he has more accuracy, and no rival in the finish of the
extremities. The heads of his saints have been called prodigies of beauty and expression. Sir Robert Strange had
a picture of Cantarini’s, “Our Saviour standing on the
Globe, attended by Cherubims,
” which, he says, is nothing inferior to Guido, inimitably coloured; the composition extremely agreeable, and the whole apparently
painted with great facility. Cantarini etched with great
spirit. Strutt enumerates some of his works in this manner.
ding at Pitchcomb, near Stroud, where he had an estate. In the commencement of the rebellion, he was called to be one of the assembly of divines, but did not accept the
, son of Christopher Capel, an alderman of Gloucester, was born 1586 in that city, and
after being educated there in grammar, became a commoner of Aiban hall, Oxford, in 1601, and soon after was
elected demy of Magdalen-college. In 160.9 he was made
perpetual fellow, being then M. A. the highest degree
which he took at the university. While there, Wood says,
“his eminence was great, and he was resorted to by noted
men, especially of the Calvinist persuasion,
” and was tutor
to several young men who afterwards rose to high reputation, particularly Accepted Frewen, archbishop of York,
Will. Pemble, &c. He left college on obtaining the rectory of Eastington in Gloucestershire, and became highly
popular as a plain and practical preacher, and a man of
exemplary life and conversation. In 1633, when the Book
of Sports on the Lord’s day was ordered to be read in all
churches, he refused, and resigned his rectory. He then
obtained licence from the bishop of Gloucester to practise
physic, which he did with much success for some years,
residing at Pitchcomb, near Stroud, where he had an
estate. In the commencement of the rebellion, he was
called to be one of the assembly of divines, but did not
accept the offer. Wood thinks he was restored to his benefice at this time, or had another conferred upon him,
which we believe was Pitchcomb, where he died Sept. 21,
1656, and was buried in the church there. Clarke informs
us that for some time he attended the court of James I.
until the death of sir Thomas Overbury, who was his particular friend. His principal works are, 1. “Temptations,
their nature, danger, and cure, &c.
” Lond. Apology
” against some exceptions, Remains, being an useful Appendix to the former,
”
Tentamen medicum de variolis,
” and some other tracts.
Besides the works already mentioned, Mr. Capell was the editor of a volume <pf ancient poems called “Prolusions;” and the alteration of Anthony and Cleopatra, as
Besides the works already mentioned, Mr. Capell was
the editor of a volume <pf ancient poems called “Prolusions;
” and the alteration of Anthony and Cleopatra, as
acted at Drury-lane in 1758. He died Jan. 24, 1781.
so very extraordinary, to follow the inferior profession of a graver.” Augustine had a natural son, called Antonio, who was brought up a painter under his uncle Hannibal;
The fame of the Caracci reaching Rome, the cardinal
Farnese sent for Hannibal thither, to paint the gallery of
his palace. Hannibal was the more willing to go, because
he had a great desire to see Raphael’s works, with the antique statues and bas-reliefs. The gusto which he took
there from the ancient sculpture, made him change his
Bolognian manner for one more learned, but less natural
in the design and in the colouring. Augustine followed
Hannibal, to assist him in his undertaking of the Farnese
gallery; but the brothers not rightly agreeing, the cardinal sent Augustine to the court of the duke of Parma,
in whose service he died in 1602, being only forty-five
years of age. His most celebrated piece of painting is
that of the Communion of St. Jerom, in Bologna: “a
piece,
” says a connoisseur, “so complete in all its parts,
that it was much to be lamented the excellent author
should withdraw himself from the practice of an art, in
which his abilities were so very extraordinary, to follow
the inferior profession of a graver.
” Augustine had a natural son, called Antonio, who was brought up a painter
under his uncle Hannibal; and who applied himself with
so much success to the study of all the capital pieces in
Home, that it is thought he would have surpassed even
Hannibal himself, if he had lived hut he died at the age
of thirty- five, in 1618.
, often called Hobertus de Licio, from Leze“or Lecce”, where he was born in
, often
called Hobertus de Licio, from Leze“or Lecce
”, where
he was born in 1425, descended probably from the illustriou; family of Caraccioli, and became one of the most celebrated preachers of his time. Having an early inclination to the church, he entered the order of the Franciscans,
but finding their discipline too rigid, he removed to the
Conventuals, and according to Erasmus, lived with more
iVi-eJoin. He was. however, distinguished for talents, and
occupied some honourable offices, and was appointed professor oi divinity. His particular bias was to preaching,
which he cultivated with such success, as to incline all his
brethren to imitate one who, throughout all Italy, was
bailed as a second St. Paul. He displayed his pulpit eloquence not only in the principal cities of Italy, Assisa,
Florence, Venice, Ferrara, Naples, &c. but before the
popes, and is said to have censured the vices and luxury
of the Roman court with great boldness and some quaint
humour. This, however, appears not to have given serious offence, as he was employed by the popes, as well as
by the king of Naples, in several negotiations of importance, and was made successively bishop of Aquino, of
Lecce*, and of Aquila. After more than fifty years’ exercise of his talent as a preacher, he died at his native place
May 6, 14-y 5. Of his sermons eight volumes have been often
printed. 1. “Sermones de adventu,
” Venice, De Quadragesima,
” Cologne, De
Quadragesima, seu Quadragesimale perutilissimum de Pcenitentia,
” Venice, De Tempore, &c. Sanctorum,
” Naples, De Solemnitatibus totius
anni,
” Venice, De Christo,
” &c. Venice,
De timorejudiciorum Dei,
” Naples, De amore divinorum officiorum,
” ibid. Roberti de Licio Sermones,
” Leyden,
n 1770, is esteemed more authentic. There was another Caraccioli in this country some years ago, who called himself Charles Caraccioli, gent, and published a confused jumble
, Marquis, was a native of Paris, where he was born in 1723, and having embraced the military life, became a colonel in the Polish
service. Having quitted that, he travelled in Italy, and
afterwards returned to his own country, where he passed a
considerable part of his time in writing and publishing, and
where he died May 29, 1803. His works, which are rather numerous than valuable, are of the moral or historic
kind. Of the first, we have, 1. “Charactere de l'Amitié,
”
2. “Conversation avec Soi- meme.
” 3. “Jouissance de
Soi-meme.
” 4. “Le Veritable Mentor,
” &c. &c. and of
the historic or biographical kind, are the lives of cardinal
de Berulle, Benedict XIV. Clement XIV. madame de
Maintenon, &c. these are each comprized in a duodecimo
volume, a quantity and form for which he appears to have
had a predilection. Above twenty other works are enumerated in the Diet. Hist, of which the only one worthy of
notice is “Ganganelli’s Letters,
” which were translated
into English some years ago, and had considerable success
in raising the opinions of the public in favour of that pontiff; but it is now generally acknowledged that they were
the composition of Caraccioli. His life of Ganganeili,
which was translated into English in 1770, is esteemed
more authentic. There was another Caraccioli in this
country some years ago, who called himself Charles Caraccioli, gent, and published a confused jumble under the
title of a Life of Lord Clive, and, if we mistake not, some
novels.
eading, without the study of his art, she was his only assistant and guide. He was therefore usually called “The naturalist;” a name given likewise to all the painters
When Annibal Caracci came to Rome, Caravagio was
so forcibly struck with his colouring, that, in spite of his
vanity, he exclaimed, “God be thanked, at last I have
found one painter in my life-time!
” Caravagio used to
say of his works, that the merit of every stroke of the pencil he made belonged to nature, and not to him. Without genius, without reading, without the study of his art,
she was his only assistant and guide. He was therefore
usually called “The naturalist;
” a name given likewise to
all the painters who, like him, adhered slavishly to nature.
s our Lady of Loretto, with two Pilgrims, in the church of St. Augustine. What Shakspeare would have called “a dying ray,” imbrowns rather than illuminates the silent scenery,
Rome possesses few pictures of this great master. There
yet remains at the Spada palace, in half figures, a St.
Anna with the Virgin by her side, busied in female work:
vulgarity discriminates their features; both are dressed in
the vulgar Roman dress. Another picture, an altar-piece
of entire figures, is our Lady of Loretto, with two Pilgrims,
in the church of St. Augustine. What Shakspeare would
have called “a dying ray,
” imbrowns rather than illuminates the silent scenery, and consecrates the whole. In
the palace of the Borghesi there was the Supper at Emaus;
a S. Sebastian in theCampidoglio; and in the Pamphili collection, Hagar with Ishmael dying, and a Fruit-girl. But the
master-piece of all his works, the Intombing of Christ,
formerly in the Chiesa Nuova, before which the rival altarpieces of Baroccio, Guido, and Rubens, with all their
bloom, their suavity, and colour, remained unobserved;
this work, the knot of Caravagio’s powers, is now transported to the Louvre.
n, and his father who was a lawyer by profession, at Milan, and a man well skilled in what were then called secret arts, instructed him very early in the mysteries of numbers,
, an Italian physician, mathematician, and philosopher, was born at Pa via,
Sept. 24, 1501. It appears that his father and mother
were not married, and the latter, a woman of violent passions, endeavoured to destroy him by procuring abortion.
He was, however, safely born, and his father who was a
lawyer by profession, at Milan, and a man well skilled in
what were then called secret arts, instructed him very early
in the mysteries of numbers, and the precepts of astrology,
He taught him also the elements of geometry, and was
desirous to have engaged him in the study of jurisprudence. But his own inclination being rather to medicine
and mathematics, at the age of twenty he went to the university of Pavia, where, two years after, he explained
Euclid. He then went to Padua, and, in 1524, was admitted to the degree of master of arts, and in the following year to that of doctor in medicine. In 1529, he returned to Milan, where although he obtained little fame as
a physician, he was appointed professor of mathematics,
for which he was better qualified; and in 1539, he became
one of the medical college in Milan. Here he attempted
to reform the medical practice by publishing his two first
works, “De malo recentiorurn medicorum medendi usu,
”
Venice, Contradicentium Medicorum libri
duo,
” Lyons,
, called also Cigoli and Civolt, an eminent painter, was born in 1559,
, called also Cigoli and Civolt, an eminent painter, was born in 1559, at the castle of Cigoli, in Tuscany, and became the scholar of Santi di Titi, but after travelling into Lombardy, studied the works of the first masters, and particularly Correggio. He had some taste, also, for poetry and music, but soon became exclusively attached to his particular art. He was employed by the grand duke in the palace Pitti, and afterwards at Rome and Florence exhibited some excellent specimens of his genius. He gave a new style to the Florentine school; but to say that perhaps he was superior to all his contemporaries, that he approached nearer than any other the style of Correggio, are expressions of Baldinucci, which none will believe who has seen the imitations of that master by Baroccio, the Caracci, or Schidone. Cardi, to judge from his pictures as they are now, availed himself with success of Correggio’s chiaroscuro, joined it to learning in design, and set it off by judicious perspective and a far livelier colour than that of the Tuscan school; but his pictures do not exhibit that contrast of tints, that impasto, that splendour, that graceful air, those bold fore-shortenings, which constitute the character of the. heads of Lombard art. In short, he was the inventor of an original but not a steady style; that which he adopted at Rome differs from his former one. If the general tone of his colour be Lembardesque, his draperies resemble those of Paolo Veronese, and sometimes he approaches the depth of Guercino.
aw in the inns of court, and then set out on his travels. On his return to his native country he was called to the bar, and after some time was appointed secretary to sir
, brother to Richard, hereafter mentioned, and second son of Thomas Carew, esq. and Elizabeth his wife, was probably born at his father’s seat at East Anthony, but in what particular year we are not able to ascertain. He was educated in the university of Oxford, after which he studied law in the inns of court, and then set out on his travels. On his return to his native country he was called to the bar, and after some time was appointed secretary to sir Christopher Hatton, lord chancellor of England, by the especial recommendation of queen Elizabeth, who gave him a pro thonotary ship in the chancery, and conferred upon him the honour of knighthood. In 1597, being then a master in chancery, he was sent ambassador to the king of Poland. In the next rei.gn, he was one of the commissioners for treating with the Scotch concerning an union between the two kingdoms; after which he was appointed ambassador to the court of France, where he continued from the latter end of the year 1605 till 1609. During his residence in that country, he was regarded by the French ministers as being too partial to the Spanish interest, but probably ttoeir disgust to him might arise from his not being very tractable in some points of his negotiation, and particularly in the demand of the debts due to the king his master. Whatever might be, his political principles, it is certain, that he sought the conversation of men of letters; and formed an intimacy with Thuanus, to whom he communicated an account of the transactions in Poland, whilst he was employed there, which was of great service to that admirable author in drawing up the 12lst book of his History. After sir George Caret’s return from France, he was advanced to the post of master of the court of wards, which honourable situation he did not long live to enjoy; for it appears from a letter written by Thuanus to Camden, in the spring of the year 1613, that he was then lately deceased. In this letter, Thuanus laments his death as a great misfortune to himself; for he considered sir George’s friendship not only as a personal honour, but as very useful in his work, and especially in removing the calumnies and misrepresentations which might be raised of him in the court of England. Sir George Carew married Thomasine, daughter of sir Francis Godolphin, great grandfather of the lord treasurer Godolphin, and had by her two sons and three daughters. Francis, the elder son, was created knight of the bath at the coronation of king Charles the First, and Attended the earl of Denbigh in the expedition for the relief of ilochelle, where he acquired great reputation by his courage and conduct; but, being seized with a fit of sickness in his voyage homeward, he died in the Isle of Wight, on the 4th of June, 1628, at the age of twenty-seven.
“In Lloyd’s Worthies, Carew is likewise called ‘elaborate and accurate.’ However the fact might be, the internal
“In Lloyd’s Worthies, Carew is likewise called ‘elaborate and accurate.’ However the fact might be, the internal evidence of his poems says no such thing. Hume
has properly remarked, that Waller’s pieces ‘aspire not to
the sublime, still less to the pathetic.’ Carew, in his
beautiful masque, has given us instances of the former;
and, in his Epitaph on Lady Mary Villiers, eminently of
the latter.
”
” had considerable success. In 1720 he published a small collection of “Poems;” and in 1722, a farce called “Hanging and Marriage.” In 1732 he published six “Cantatas,”
Though Carey had but little skill in music, he had a
prolific invention, and very early in his life distinguished
himself by the composition of songs, being the author both
of the words and music. One of these, beginning “Of all
the girls that are so smart,
” and since its late revival, known
by the name of “Sally in our alley,
” he set to an air so
very pleasant and original, as still to retain its popular character. Addison praised it for the poetry, and Genii niani
for the tune. In 1715 he produced two farces, one of
which, “The Contrivances,
” had considerable success. In
Poems;
” and in
Hanging and Marriage.
” In Cantatas,
” written and composed by
himself; and about the same time composed several songs
for the “Provoked Husband
” and other modern comedies.
In Namby
Pamby,
” in ridicule of Ambrose Phillips’s lines on the infant daughter of lord Carteret. Carey’s talent lay in broad,
burlesque humour; and in ridicule of the bombast of modern tragedies, he produced his “Chrononhotonthologos,*'
in 1734, which will always be in season, as long as extravagance and bombast are encouraged on the stage. He
also wrote a farce called the
” Honest Yorkshireman,“which was very successful: two interludes,
” Nancy,“and
46 Thomas and Sally,
” and two serious operas, “Amelia,
”
set to music by John Frederic Lampe, and “Teraminta,
”
by John Christopher Smith, Handel’s disciple, friend, and
successor, in superintending the performance of oratorios. The year 1737 was rendered memorable at Coventgarden theatre by the success of the burlesque opera of the
“Dragon of Wantley,
” written by Carey, and set by
Lampe, “after the Italian manner.
” This excellent piece
of humour had run twenty-two nights, when it was stopped,
with all other public amusements, by the death of her majesty queen Caroline, November 20, but was resumed
again on the opening of the theatres in January following,
and supported as many representations as the Beggar’s
Opera had done, ten years before. And if Gay’s original
intention in writing his musicaldrama was to ridicule the
opera, the execution of his plan was not so happy as that
of Carey; in which the mock heroic, tuneful monster, recitative, splendid habits, and style of music, all conspired toremind the audience of what they had seen and heard at the lyric
theatre, more effectually than the most vulgar street tunes
could do; and much more innocently than the tricks and
transactions of abandoned thieves and prostitutes. Lampe’s
music to this farcical drama, was not only excellent fifty
years ago, but is still modern and in good taste. In 1738,
“Margery, or the Dragoness,
” a sequel to the “Dragon
of Wantley,
” written with equal humour, and as well set
by Lampe, came out; but had the fate of all sequels.
When the novelty of a subject is faded away, and the
characters have been developed, it is difficult to revive the
curiosity of the public about persons and things of which
opinions are already formed. The “Dragoness
” appeared
but few nights, and was never revived.
e was not much genuine poetry, or cultivated music. These he performed from town to town, in what he called 4t Lectures.” He wrote also from 1766 to 1792, several farces,
, son of the above, inherited
a considerable portion of his father’s taste and spirit, and
much of his misfortunes. He was intended for a printer,
but his “stage-struck mind' 7 led him to the theatres, in
which he had little success, yet enough to give him a wandering unsettled disposition. For forty years, he employed himself in composing and singing a vast number of
popular songs, chiefly of the patriotic kind, in which there
was not much genuine poetry, or cultivated music. These
he performed from town to town, in what he called 4t Lectures.
” He wrote also from 1766 to 1792, several farces,
a list of which may be seen in the Biographia Dramatica,
and by the performance of which he earned temporary
supplies. Like his father, he excluded every thing indecent or immoral from his compositions. Besides these
dramatic pieces, he wrote, 1. “Analects in prose and
verse,
” A Lecture on Mimickry,
” a
talent in which he excelled, A Rural Ramble,
”
gh not well suited to the humour of the time, were acceptable at court, and immediately after he was called up to the house of peers by the style and title of Baron Carleton
In December 1625, soon after his return to England, he was appointed vice chamberlain of his majesty’s household, and at the same time was joined with earl Holland in an embassy to France, respecting the restitution of the ships, which had been lent to Louis XIII. and were employed against the Rochellers; to obtain a peace for the French protestants agreeably to former edicts, and to obtain the French accession to the treaty of the Hague. Although all these objects were not attained in the fullest intention, yet the ambassadors were thought entitled to commendation for their firm and prudent management of the various conferences. On their return in March 1625-6, they found the parliament sitting, and the nation inflamed to the highest degree at the mismanagement of public affairs. At this crisis, sir Dudley Carleton, who represented Hastings in Sussex, endeavoured to mitigate the violence of the commons in their impeachment of the duke of Buckingham; but his arguments, although not well suited to the humour of the time, were acceptable at court, and immediately after he was called up to the house of peers by the style and title of Baron Carleton of Imbercourt in the county of Surrey: and his next employment was more fully adapted to his talents. This was an embassy-extraordinary to France to justify the sending away of the queen of England’s French servants, which he managed with his usual skill.
by means of the senses, we infer appearances of truth, or probabilities. These impressions Carneades called phantasies, or images. He maintained, that they do not always
It was the doctrine of the new academy, that the senses, the understanding, and the imagination, frequently deceive us, and therefore cannot be infallible judges of truth; but that, from the impressions which we perceive to be produced on the mind, by means of the senses, we infer appearances of truth, or probabilities. These impressions Carneades called phantasies, or images. He maintained, that they do not always correspond to the real nature of things, and that there is no infallible method of determining when they are true or false, and consequently that they afford no certain criterion of truth. Nevertheless, with respect to the conduct of life, and the pursuit of happiness, Carneades held, that probable appearances are a sufficient guide, because it is unreasonable not to allow some degree of credit to those witnesses who commonly give a true report. Probabilities he divided into three classes; simple, uncontradicted, and confirmed by accurate examination. The lowest degree of probability takes place, where the mind, in -the casual occurrence of any single image, perceives in it nothing contrary to truth and nature; the second degree of probability arises, when contemplating any object in connection with all the circumstances associated with it, we discover no appearance of inconsistency, or incongruity, to lead us to suspect that our senses have given a false report; as, when we conclude, from comparing the image of any individual man with our remembrance of that man, that he is the person we supposed him to be. The highest degree of probability is produced, when, after an accurate examination of every circumstance which might be supposed to create uncertainty, we are able to discover no fallacy in the report of our senses. The judgments arising from this operation of the mind are, according to the doctrine of the new academy, not science, but opinion, which is all the knowledge that the human mind is capable of attaining. Carneades, as Cicero has related at large, strenuously opposed the doctrine of the Stoics concerning the gods, and was likewise desirous of refuting their doctrine concerning fate. On this subject, he assumed on the ground of experience, the existence of a self-determining power in man, and hence inferred that all things did not happen, as the stoics maintained, in a necessary series of causes and effects, and consequently, that it is impossible for the gods to predict events dependent on the will of man. As" the foundation of morals, he taught, that the ultimate end of life is the enjoyment of those things, towards which we are directed by the principles of nature. Such, according to Brucker, is the general idea which the ancients have left us concerning the doctrine of Carneades: but after all, it must be owned, that his real tenets are not certainly known. Even his immediate successor, Clitomachus, confessed that he was never able to discover them.
e shops of the lowest mechanics, and consulted them about the meaning of the scriptures. He would be called no longer by the appellation of Doctor, or any other honourable
Thus far Carolostadt appears in a light which was acceptable at least to the friends of the reformation; but about 1521, when Luther was in retirement, he betrayed a violence of temper which has been equally censured by catholics and protestants. Not content with promoting in a legal and quiet way the auspicious beginnings of reformation which had already appeared at Wittemberg, in the gradual omission and rejection of the private mass and other popish superstitions, he headed a multitude of unthinking impetuous youths, inflamed their minds by popular harangues, and led them on to actions the most extravagant and indefensible. They entered the great church of All Saints, broke in pieces the crucifixes and other images, and threw down the altars. He also went so far as to assert that human learning was useless, if not injurious to a student of the scriptures; frequented the shops of the lowest mechanics, and consulted them about the meaning of the scriptures. He would be called no longer by the appellation of Doctor, or any other honourable title, but employed himself in rustic occupations, and maintained that thinking persons stood in no need of learning, and had better labour with their hands. In consequence of such example and conversation, the young academics of Wittemberg left the university, and ceased to pursue their studies, and even the schools of the boys were deserted. Such was his pride at the same time, that he avowed to Melancthon that he wished to be as great and as much thought of as Luther.
general design of establishing his innocence. Luther immediately published Carolostadt’s letter, and called on the magistrates and on the people to give him a fair hearing.
Carolostadt now wandered from place to place through the higher Germany, and at length made a pause at Rotenburgh, where, as usual, he soon raised tumults, and incited the people to pull down the statues and paintings. When the seditious faction of the peasants, with Munzer their ringleader, was effectually suppressed, he became in the greatest difficulties, and even in danger of his life from his supposed connection with these enthusiastic rebels, and he narrowly escaped, through being let down by the wall of the town in a basket. Thus reduced to the last extremities, he and his wife incessantly intreatedboth the elector and Luther that they might be allowed to return into their own country. He said, he could clear himself of having had any concern in the rebellion; and if not, he would cheerfully undergo any punishment that could be inflicted upon him. With this view he wrote a little tract, in which he takes much pains to justify himself from the charge of sedition: and he sent a letter likewise to Luther, in which he earnestly begs his assistance in the publishing of the tract, as well as in the more general design of establishing his innocence. Luther immediately published Carolostadt’s letter, and called on the magistrates and on the people to give him a fair hearing. In this he succeeded; and Carolostadt was recalled about -the autumn of 1525, and then made a public recantation of what he had advanced on the sacrament, a condescension which did not procure a complete reconciliation between him and the other reformers, and indeed affords but a sorry proof of his consistency. We find Carolostadt, after this, at Zurich and at Basil, where he was appointed pastor and professor of divinity, and where he died with the warmest effusions of piety and resignation, ijec. 25, 1541, or 1543. He was a man of considerable learning, hut his usefulness both as a reformer and writer was perpetually obstructed by the turbulence of his temper, and his misguided zeal in endeavouring to promote that by violence which the other reformers projected only through the medium of reason and argument. That he should be censured by Moreri, Bossuet, and other Roman catholic writers, is not surprising, for he afforded too much ground of accusation; but it is more inexcusable in Mosheim, Beausobre, and some other ecclesiastical historians, to throw the blame of his banishment and restless life on Luther, and highly absurd to insinuate that the latter was jealous of his fame. The comparative merits of the conduct of Luther and Carolostadt throughout their whole connection, have been examined with great candour and perspicuity by Milner. One singularity in Carolostadt’s character still remains to be noticed, namely, that he was the first protestant divine who took a wife. His works were numerous, but are now fallen into oblivion. His followers, who for some time retained the name of Carolostadtians, were also denominated Sacramentarians and agree in most things with the Zuinglians.
gh the presse into the publicke) first to restore it by correcting the following errata.“His comedy, called” The pragmatical Jesuit,“came out after the Restoration. The
He published the following sermons: 1. “The perfect
Law of God, being a sermon and no sermon, preached
and yet not preached,
” Astrology proved
harmless, useful, pious; on Gen. i. 14. 'And let them be
for signs’,
” Lond. 1657, 4to; dedicated to Elias Ashmole.
At the end of the epistle dedicatory is Richard Carpenter’s
picture, with a face looking towards him, out of the mouth
of which issues a serpent, and out of the serpent’s mouth
fire. Underneath are written these words: “Ricardus
Carpenterus porcello cuidam Gerasenorum, scilicet in omnia præcipiti, fluctibusque devoto, eidem porco loquaci
pariter et minaci mendacique indicit silentium, et obmutescit.
” 3. “Rome in her fruits,
” preached the 1st of
November 1662, near the Standard in Cheapside; in ansuer to a pamphlet entitled Reasons why the Roman Catholics should not be persecuted,“Lond. 1663, 4to, on
Matth. vii. 16. There is extant by the same author, a treatise entitled
” Experience, History, and Divinity, in five
books,“Lond. 16'I2, 8vo, dedicated to the parliament then,
sitting; with his picture before it. This book was republished in 1648, under the title of
” The Downfall of Antichrist.“It contains several particulars of his personal
history, and exposes many of the practices of the Romish
missionaries, but the style, as in all his works, is quaint
and extravagant. Granger thinks he must have studied the
Spanish romances to produce the following beauty, prefixed to the list of errata:
” I humbly desire all cleanhearted and right-spirited people, who shall readc this
book (which because the prosse was oppressed, seems to have been suppressed, when it was by little and little impressed; but now at least hath pressed through the presse into the publicke) first to restore it by correcting the following errata.“His comedy, called
” The pragmatical
Jesuit,“came out after the Restoration. The picture before it represents him in.a very genteel lay-habit; whereas
that before his
” Experience," &c. exhibits him in the dress
of a formal clergyman, with a mortified countenance. Mr.
Langbainc speaks with some commendation of this play.
, an artist who from the place of his nativity was called Pontormo, had great natural ingenuity, and was in his earliest
, an artist who from the place of his nativity was called Pontormo, had great natural ingenuity, and was in his earliest works admired by Raphael and Michel Angelo. He had had a few lessons from Lionardo da Vinci; after him from Albertinelli made some progress under Pier di Cosimo; and finished by entering the school of Andrea del Sarto, whose jealousy and ungenerous treatment, from a scholar, soon turned him into a rival. With such talents he became the victim of inconstancy, roaming from style to style. The Certosa of Florence exhibits specimens of the three different manners commonly ascribed to him. The first is correct in design, vigorous in colour, and approaches the style of Andrea del Sarto. The second, with good drawing combines a languid tone, and became the model of Bronzino and the subsequent epoch. The third is a downright imitation of Albert Durer, aod at present can only be found in some histories from the Passion in the cloister of that monastery, which are neither more nor less than copies from the prints of Albert. To these, perhaps, a fourth manner might be added, if the frescos of the General Deluge and Universal Judgment, on which he spent eleven years in S. Lorenzo, and his last work, had not been whitewashed, with the tacit acquiescence of all contemporary artists. In this labour he strove to emulate Michel Angelo, and to exemplify, like him, anatomic skill, which was then becoming the favourite pursuit of Florentine art. He died in 1558, aged sixty-five.
rious conferences with the heads of that party, which terminated in his being privy to what has been called the “Rye-house plot.” Accordingly, he was committed to close
, a political character of considerable fame in Scotland, was the descendant of an ancient family, and born in 1649 at Cathcart in Glasgow.
He was educated in divinity and philosophy at Edinburgh
and Utrecht, to which his father sent him that he might
avoid the political contests which disturbed the reign of
Charles II. but he had a zeal which prompted him to interfere in what regarded his country, although removed
from it, and he must have given some proofs of a talent
for political affairs at a very early period. When England
was alarmed about the popish succession, Carstares was
introduced to the pensionary Fagel, and afterwards to the
prince of Orange, and entrusted with his designs relating
to British affairs. During his residence in Holland, his
principles both in religion and politics, were strongly confirmed; and upon his return to his native country he entered with zeal into the counsels and schemes of those noblemen and gentlemen who opposed the tyrannical measures of government; and although about this time he took
orders in the Scotch church, his mind seemed to have acquired such a decided bias towards towards politics, that
he determined to revisit Holland. On his way thither he
passed through London, and was employed by Argyle, and
the other Scots patriots, in treating with the English, who
were for excluding the duke of York from succession to the
crown. Towards the close of 1682, he held various conferences with the heads of that party, which terminated in
his being privy to what has been called the “Rye-house
plot.
” Accordingly, he was committed to close custody
in the Gate-house, Westminster. After several examinations before the privy council, he was sent for trial to Scotland; and as he refused to give any information respecting
the authors of the exclusion scheme, he was put to the
torture, which he endured with invincible firmness, but
yielded to milder methods of a more insidious nature, and
when a pardon was proposed, with an assurance that no
advantage should be taken of his answers as evidence
against any person, he consented to answer their interrogatories. The privy-council immediately caused to be
printed a paper, entitled, “Mr. Carstares’s Confession,
”
which contained, as he said, a false and mutilated account
of the whole transaction; and in direct violation of their
promise, they produced this evidence in open court against
one of his most intimate friends. This treachery and its conquences very deeply affected him; but as soon as he was
cleared, he obtained permission to retire to Holland, towards the close of 1684, or the beginning of 1685, where
he was kindly received by the prince of Orange, who appointed him one of his chaplains, caused him to be elected
minister of the English protestant congregation at Leyden;
and when the prince determined to transport an army to
England, Carstares accompanied him as his chaplain, and
continued about his person till the settlement of the crown.
During the whole of this reign he was the chief agent between the church of Scotland and the court, and contributed by his influence with the king to the establishment
of presbytery in Scotland, to which his majesty was disinclined, and to a degree of coalescence or accommodation
on the part of the presbyterian clergy with the episcopalians. When an act was passed in 1693, by the Scots
parliament, obliging all officers, civil and ecclesiastical, to
take an oath of allegiance, and also to sign an assurance
(as it was called) declaring William to be king dejure, as
well as de facto, the ministers refused to sign the declaration,
and appealed to the privy council, who recommended to
the king to enforce the obligation. Accordingly, measures were adopted for this purpose; and the body of the
clergy applied to Carstares, requesting his interference in
their favour. The king persisted in his resolution; orders
were renewed in peremptory terms, and dispatches were
actually delivered to the messenger to be forwarded next
morning. In these critical circumstances Carstares hastened to the messenger at night, demanded the dispatches,
which had been delivered to him in the king’s name, and
instantly repaired to Kensington, where he found his
majesty gone to bed. Having obtained admission into his
chamber, he gently waked him, fell on his knees, and asked
pardon for the intrusion, and the daring act of disobedience of which he had been guilty. The king at first
expressed his displeasure; but when Carstares further
stated the case, his majesty caused the dispatches to be
thrown into the fire, and directed him to send such instructions to the royal commissioners of the general assembly as he thought most conducive to the public good.
In consequence of this seasonable interposition, the oath
and assurance were dispensed with on the part of the
clergy. By this timely service Carstares acquired the
confidence of the presbyterian party to such a degree, and
so successfully cultivated the friendship of the earl of Portland, and other men of influence about the court, that he
was regarded in the management of Scotch affairs, as a kind
of viceroy for Scotland, though he possessed no public
character. All applications passed through his hands, all
employments, honours, and offices of state, were left to his
disposal; and without public responsibility, he engrossed
the secret direction of public affairs. Few Scotchmen obtained access to the king, unless through his intervention;
and in his correspondence with every department, says a
late historian, it is curious to remark how the haughty nobility condescended to stoop and truckle to a presbyterianx
clergyman, whom their predecessors in office had tortured
and deceived. His moderation, secrecy, and a prudence
apparently disinterested, recommended him to king William, who once said of him, in the presence of several of
his courtiers, “that he had long known Mr. Carstares;
that he knew him well, and knew him to be an honest man
”
He is represented on the other hand, as a cunning, subtle,
insinuating priest, whose dissimulation was impenetrable;
an useful friend when sincere; but, from an air of smiling
sincerity, a dangerous enemy.
a useful library,” printed in 1738, in 8vo, a work of no distinguished merit; and of two pamphlets, called “Remarks on the Free and Candid Disquisitions,” which appeared
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
t Kew. Afterwards, when the princess of Wales occupied lord Keith’s house in the Isle of Thanet, she called on Mrs. Carter at her house at Deal and the duke of Cumberland,
In 1782 an event occurred, which once more disturbed the uniformity of Mrs. Carter’s life: she had been under great obligations to sir William Pulteney, who very liberally settled on her an annuity of 150l. a year, which it had been expected by her friends that lord Bath would have done. She therefore complied with his wishes to accompany his daughter to Paris, though she was now in her sixty-fifth year. She was only absent sixteen days, of which one week was spent at Paris. Mrs. Carter was not insensible to the fatigues and inconveniencies of her journey, but her sense of them yielded to her friendship. At home, however, she was able to enjoy summer tours, which doubtless contributed to her health and amusement. In 1791, she had the honour, by the queen’s express desire, of being introduced to her majesty at lord Cremorne’s house at Chelsea, an incident which naturally reminds us of a similar honour paid to her friends, Dr. Johnson at Buckingham-house, and Dr. Beattie at Kew. Afterwards, when the princess of Wales occupied lord Keith’s house in the Isle of Thanet, she called on Mrs. Carter at her house at Deal and the duke of Cumberland, when attending his regiment at Deal, also paid her a visit. Such was her reputation many years after she had ceased to attract public notice as an author, and when the common mass of readers scarcely knew whether such a person existed.
the coronation of the king, he had the honour of being almoner for the day. In the first parliament called by Charles II. in May, 1661, sir George Carteret was elected
, a loyalist in the time of
Charles f. of uncommon firmness and bravery, the descendant of an ancient family, originally from Normandy,
but afterwards settled at Guernsey and Jersey, was born
at Jersey in 1599, his father Ilelier Carteret, esq. being
at that time deputy governor of the island. He entered
early into the sea service, and had acquired the character
of an experienced officer, when king Charles I. ascended
the throne. This circumstance recommending him to the
notice and esteem of the duke of Buckingham, he was
appointed, in 1626, joint governor of Jersey, with Henry,
afterwards lord Jermyn and, in 1C '6 9, he obtained a grant
of the office and place of comptroller of all his Majesty’s
ships. At the commencement of the civil war, when the
parliament resolved to send out the earl of Warwick as
admiral of the fleet, they also resolved, that captain Carteret should be vice-ad miral. But he, thinking that he
ought not to accept the command without knowing the
royal pleasure, addressed himself to the king for direction,
who ordered him to decline the employment; and captain,
Batten, surveyor-general, was substituted in his place.
His Majesty was probably mistaken in this advice; for, if
captain Carteret had accepted of the charge, he might
probably have prevented the greater part of the fleet from
engaging in the cause of the parliament. Captain Carteret, however, likewise quitted the post of comptroller, and
retired, with his family, to the island of Jersey, the inhabitants of which were confirmed by him in their adherence
to the king; and desirous of more active service, he transported himself into Cornwall, with the purpose of raising a
troop of horse. When he arrived in that country, finding
there was a great want of powder, he went into France to
procure that and other necessary supplies; and was so successful, that, through the remainder of the war, the Cornish army was never destitute of ammunition. This was so
important and seasonable a service, that the king acknowledged it by particular approbation; and by conferring
upon him, at Oxford, the honour of knighthood, which
was speedily followed by his being advanced, on the 9th
of May 1645, to the dignity, of a baronet. Returning the
same year into Jersey, he found that several of the inhabitants had been induced to embrace the cause of the parliament, on which account he threw some of them into
confinement. This was so alarming and offensive to the
members at Westminster, that an order was made, that if,
for the future, he should put to death any of the island
whom he should take prisoners, for every one so slain,
three of the king’s men should be hung up. From the
words here used, it seems implied that sir George Carteret
had actually executed some one or more of the people of
Jersey who had appeared for the Parliament; a step highly
injudicious, whence, in all the subsequent propositions for
peace with the king, sir George was excepted from pardon.
When the prince of Wales, and many persons of distinction with him, came into Jersey in 1646, and brought with
them very little for their subsistence, they were all chear
fully entertained, and at a large expence, by sir George
Carteret who, being sensible how much it behoved him
to take care for supplies, equipped about half a score small
frigates and privateers, which soon struck a terror through
the whole channel, and made a number of captures. Upon
the prince’s leaving the island, at the positive command of
the queen, several of the council chose to stay with sir
George; au<=! the chancellor of the exchequer (afterwards earl of Clarendon) resided with him above two years.
After the death of the king, sir George Carteret, though
the republican party was completely triumphant, and
though Charles II. was at the Hague in a very destitute condition, immediately proclaimed him at Jersey, with all
his titles. Some months afterwards his Majesty determined
to pay a second visit to the island of Jersey, and arrived
in the latter end of September 1649, accompanied by his
brother the duke of York, with several of the nobility.
Here they were supplied by sir George with all necessaries.
The king, when prince of Wales, had procured his father’s
leave for making sir George Carteret his vice-chamberlain,
and he now appointed him treasurer of his navy; which however, at this time, chiefly consisted of the privateers that sir
George hue! provided, and of the men of war with prince Rupert. Charles II. staid in the island till the latter end of March
1650, when he embarked for Holland, in order to be more
commodiously situated for treating with the Scots, who had
invited him into that kingdom. This defiance of sir George
Carteret in harbouring the king, and taking many of their
trading vessels, enraged the republicans so much, that they
determined to exert every nerve for the reduction of Jersey.
A formidable armament being prepared, it put to sea in
October 1651, under the command of admiral Blake, and
major-general Holmes, to the last of whom the charge of
the forces for the descent was committed. In this crisis,
sir George Carteret prevented the landing of the republican army as long as possible; and when that was effected,
and the remaining forts of the island were taken, he retired
into Elizabeth castle, resolving to hold it out to the last extremity. The king being safely arrived in France, after the,
fatal battle of Worcester, sir George informed him of the
state of the garrison, but the king not being able to assist
him, he advised sir George Carteret, rather to accept of a
reasonable composition, than, by too obstinate a defence,
to bring himself and the loyal gentlemen who were with
him into danger of being made prisoners of war. Sir
George was ambitious that Elizabeth castle should be the
last of the king’s garrisons (as was in fact the case) which
should yield to the prevailing powers. He determined,
therefore, to conceal his majesty’s permission to treat, that
the knowledge of it might not renew the cry for a surrender. But, at length, provisions growing scarce, the
number of defenders lessening daily by death and desertion, and there being no possibility of supplies or recruits,
Elizabeth castle was surrendered in the? latter end of December, and sir George went first to St. Maloes, and
afterwards travelled through several parts of Europe. To
facilitate his reception at the different courts and places he
might be disposed to visit, he obtained from his royal
master a very honourable and remarkable certificate of recommendation. In 1657, sir George had given such offence
to Oliver Cromwell, by some hostile design or attempt
against the English vessels trading to the French ports,
that, by the Protector’s interest with cardinal Mazarine, he
was committed prisoner to the Bastile from which he was,
after some time, released by the intercession of his friends,
upon condition of his quitting France. In 1659, however,
we find him at Rheims, from whence, he repaired to the
king at Brussels, and followed him to Breda. Upon his
majesty’s being restored to his kingdoms, sir George Carteret rode, with him in his triumphant entry into the city of
London, on the 2<nh of May 1660, and next day he was
declared vice-chamberlain of the hoiishold, an-d sworn of
the privy council. He was also constituted treasurer of
the navy; and at the coronation of the king, he had the
honour of being almoner for the day. In the first parliament called by Charles II. in May, 1661, sir George Carteret
was elected representative for the corporation of Portsmouth; and it appears, that he was au active member of
the house. When the duke of York, 1673, resigned the
office of high admiral of England, sir George was constituted one of the commissioners of the admiralty; and“in
1676, he was appointed one of the lords of the committee
of trade. He was also vice-treasurer of Ireland, and
treasurer of the military forces there. At length, in consequence of his merit and services, the king determined
to raise him to the dignity of a peerage; but before the
design could be accomplished, he departed this life, on the
14th of January, 1679, being nearly eighty years of age.
On the 11th of February following, a royal warrant was
issued, in which it is recited,
” That whereas sir George
Carteret died before his patent for his barony was sued out,
liis Majesty authorizes Elizabeth, his widow, and her
youngest children, James Carteret, Caroline, wife of sir
Thomas S<:ot, kut. and Louisa, wife of sir Robert Atkins,
knt. to enjoy their precedency and pre-eminency, as if the
said sir George Carterei hail actually been created a baron."
Sir George’s rldest son, by his jady Elizabeth, who was his
cousin-gr nnan, being the daughter of sir PhiUp Carteret,
was ijained Philip after his grandfather. This gentleman
eminently distinguished himself in the civil wars, and was
khighted by Charles II on his arrival in Jersey. After the
king’s restoration, sir Philip Carteret married Jemima,
daughter of Edward Montague, the first earl of Sandwich,
and perished with that illustrious nobleman, in the great
sea-fight with the Dutch, in Solbay, on the 28th of May,
1672. Sir Philip determined, whilst many others left the
ship, to share the fate of his father-in-law. His eldest son
George was the first lord Carteret, and father to the subject
of the following article.
act for laying an extraordinary tax upon papists. On the 26th of May, 1723, when the king’s affairs called him abroad, his lordship was appointed one of the lords justices
, earl Granville, one of the most distinguished orators and statesmen of the last century, was born on the 22d of April, 1690. His father was George lord Carteret, baron Carteret, of Hawnes in the county of Bedford, having been so created on the 19th of October 1681, when he was only fifteen years of age and his mother was lady Grace, youngest daughter of John earl of Bath. He succeeded his father when only in his fifth year. He was educated at Westminster school, from which he was removed to Christ-church Oxford in both which places he made such extraordinary improvements, that he became one of the most learned young noblemen of his time; and he retained to the last his knowledge and love of literature. Dr. Swift humorously asserts, that he carried away from Oxford, with a singularity scarcely to be justified, more Greek, Latin, and philosophy, than properly became a person of his rank; indeed, much more of each, than most of those who are forced to live by their learning will be at the unnecessary pains to load their heads with. Being thus accomplished, lord Carteret was qualified to make an early figure in life. As soon as he was introduced into the house of peers, which was on the 25th of May, 1711, he distinguished himself by his ardent zeal for the protestant succession, which procured him the eariy notice of king George 1. by whom he was appointed, in 1714, one of the lords of the bed-chamber in 1715, bailiff of the island of Jersey and in 1716, lord lieutenant and custis rotulorum of the county of Devon which last office he held till August 1721, when he resigned it in favour of Hugh lord Clinton. His mother also, lady Grace, was created viscountess Carteret and countess Grai>ville, by letters patent, bearing date on the first of January, 1714-15, with limitation of these honours to her son John lord Carteret. His lordship, though still young, became, from the ea.ly part of king George the First’s reign, an eminent speaker in the house of peers. The first instance of the display of his eloquence, was in the famous debate on the bill for lengthening the duration of Parliaments, in which he supported the duke of Devonshire’s motion for the repeal of the triennial act. On the 18th of February, 17 t 7- 18, he spoke in behalf of the bill for punishing mutiny and desertion; and in the session of parliament which met on the llth of November following, he moved, for the address of thanks to the king, to congratulate his majesty on the seasonable success of his naval forces; and to assume him, that the house would support him in the pursuit of those prudent and necessary measures he had taken to secure the trade and quiet of his dominions, and the tranquillity of Europe. In Jan. 1718-19 he was appointed ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the queen of Sweden, with whom his first business was to, remove the difficulties which the British subjects had met with* Jo their commerce in the Baltic, and to procure satisfaction for the losses they had sustained; and in both he completely succeeded. On the 6th of November, 1719, lord Carteret first took upon him the character of ambassador extraordinary ana plenipotentiary; at which time, in a private audience, he offered his royal master’s mediation t<v make peace between Sweden and Denmark, and between Sweden and the Czar; both of which were readily accepted by the queen. A peace between Sweden, Prussia, and Hanover, having been concluded by lord Carteret, it was proclaimed at Stockholm on the 9th of March, 1719-L'O. This was the prelude to a reconciliation between Sweden and Denmark, which he also effected, and the treaty was signed July 3, 1720. In August his lordship was appointed, together with earl Stanhope and sir Robert Siutcm, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary at the congress of Cambray but whether he acted in this capacity does not appear. From Denmark, however, he arrived in England Dec. 5, and a few weeks after took a share in the debates on the state of the national credit, occasioned by the unfortunate and iniquitous effects of the South-Sea scheme, maintaining that the estates of the criminals, whether directors or not directors, ought to be confiscated. Whilst this affair was in agitation, he was appointed ambassador extraordinary to the court of France, and was on the point of setting out, when the death of secretary Craggs induced his majesty to appoint lord Carteret his successor, May 4, 1721, and next day he was admitted into office, and sworn of his majesty’s most honourable privy council. Whilst lord Carteret was secretary of state, he not only discharged the general duties of his employment to the satisfaction of his royal master, but ably defended in parliament the measures of administration. This he did in the debate concerning Mr. Law, the famous projector of the Mississippi scheme, whose arrival in England, in 1721, by the connivance, as it was thought, and even under the sanction of the ministry, excited no small degree of disgust; and he also took a part on the side of government, in th debate on the navy debt, and with regard to the various other motions and bills of the session. In the new parliament, which met on the llth of October, 1722, his lordship, on occasion of Layer’s plot, spoke in favour of suspending the habeas corpus act for one year; acquainted the house with the bishop of Rochester’s, lord NortU and Grey’s, and the earl of Orrery’s commitment to the Tower; and defended the motion for the imprisonment of the duke of Norfolk. In all the debates concerning this conspiracy, and particularly with regard to Atterbury, lord Carteret vindicated the proceedings of the tectart; as he did, likewise, in the case of the act for laying an extraordinary tax upon papists. On the 26th of May, 1723, when the king’s affairs called him abroad, his lordship was appointed one of the lords justices of the kingdom; but notwithstanding this, he went to Hanover, in conjunction with lord Townshend, the other secretary; and both these noblemen, in their return to England, had several conferences at the Hague, with the principal persons of the Dutch administration, on subjects of importance. In the session of parliament, January, 1723-4, lord Carteret, in the debate on the mutiny bill, supported the necessity of eighteen thousand men being kept up, as the number of land- forces, in opposition to lord Trevor, who had moved that the four thousand additional men, who had been raised the year before, should be discontinued., Not many days after this debate, several alterations took place at court. Lord Carteret quitted the office of secretary of state, in which he was succeeded by the duke of Newcastle; and on the same day, being the third of April, 1724, he was constituted lord -lieutenant of Ireland, and in October arrived at Dublin, where he was received with the usual solemnity. The Irish were at that time in a great ferment about the patent for Wood’s halfpence, which makes so signal a figure in the life and writings of Dr. Swift. One of the first things done by the lord-lieutenant was to publish a proclamation, offering a reward of three hundred pounds for a discovery of the author of the Drapier’s Letters. When he was asked, by Dr. Swift, howhe could concur in the prosecution of a poor honest fellow, who had been guilty of no other crime than that of writing three or four letters for the good of his country, his excellency replied, in the words of Virgil,
the little distinctions of party. He maintained a good correspondence with several of those who were called or reputed tories, and occasionally distributed a few preferments,
His lordship, however, kept on good terms with Swift,
and obliged him by conferring preferment on Dr. Sheridan,
and others of his friends. Even in the Drapier’s Letters,
the dean expressed a very high opinion of the lord- lieutenant. Besides revoking Wood’s patent, lord Carteret’s
administration was, in other respects, very acceptable and
beneficial to the Irish. He discharged the duties of his
high station, in general, with wisdom and fidelity, and the
people were happy under his government. After the close
of the session in March, 1725-6, his lordship having constituted lords justices during his absence, embarked for
England, where he arrived in May, 1726, and received
his majesty’s approbation of his prudent conduct. On the
24th of January, 1726-7, lord Carteret ably defended
the king’s speech, which had been warmly animadverted
upon by the opposition. On the 31st of May, 1727, he
was appointed one of the chief justices during his majesty’s
absence, and upon the decease of George I. who died
suddenly at Osnabrug, in his way to Hanover, on the
llth of June, 1727, lord Carteret was one of the old
privy council who assembled at Leicester house, where the
new king was proclaimed. This was on the 14th of June,
and the same day he was sworn of his majesty’s privy
council. On the 29th of July following, he was again appointed lord lieutenant and chief governor of the kingdom
of Ireland, and having arrived there, the parliament was
opened, by his excellency, Nov. 28, and the session continued till the 6th of May, 1728, when he gave the royal
assent to twenty public acts, and concluded with a speech,
expressive of his high regard for the welfare of the kingdom. After this, he embarked for England, but in 1729,
returned again to Ireland, and held another session of parliament, which began on the 23d of September, and
on the 15th of April, 1730. His lordship’s second
vicegerency over the Irish nation was as popular, if not
more so, as the first. His polite and sociable manners
were highly acceptable to all ranks of people. What particularly recommended him was, his being above the little
distinctions of party. He maintained a good correspondence with several of those who were called or reputed
tories, and occasionally distributed a few preferments, of
no great significance, in that line. This having excited
the complaint of some of the bigotted whigs, gave occasion to a facetious and sensible tract of Dr. Swift’s, entitled, “A Vindication of his excellency John lord Carteret,
from the charge of favouring none but Tories, Highchurch-men, and Jacobites.
” With Dr. Swift the lordlieutenant appears to have maintained a strict friendship;
and he was solicitous to act agreeably to the dean’s views
of the interest of the kingdom. In one of his letters,
written to the dean some years afterwards, he thus expresses himself; “When people ask me how I governed
Ireland? I say, that I pleased Dr. Swift.
” The preferments which his excellency bestowed, at the instance of
the dean of St. Patrick’s, were conferred on learned and
worthy men, who did not disgrace their recommender;
and whatever may be thought of the pride, petulance, and
peculiarities of Swift} it cannot rationally be denied, that
he was sincerely devoted to the welfare of the Irish nation.
His lordship, having continued the usual time allotted to
his high office, quitted it in 1730, and was succeeded by
the duke of Dorset.
a good family at Pistoia in Tuscany, Feb. 4, 1467. He was at first educated at a college in Pistoia called “la Sapienza de' Forteguerri,” from a cardinal of that name
, whose proper name
was Forteguerra, an eminent Italian scholar, was born of
a good family at Pistoia in Tuscany, Feb. 4, 1467. He
was at first educated at a college in Pistoia called “la
Sapienza de' Forteguerri,
” from a cardinal of that name who
founded it for the benefit of twelve students, three of whom
should he of the family of Forteguerra. He studied afterwards at Rome and Florence, where Politian was his Greek
preceptor. In 1500, the senate of Venice appointed him
to teach Greek in that city, and his reputation for knowledge of that language was most extensive. He was afterwards invited to Rome by pope Julius II. who appointed
him preceptor to his nephew, the cardinal Galeotto and
Leo X. is said to have chosen him in the same capacity for
his cousin Julius de Medici; but whatever benefits might
have accrued from this or other instances of Leo’s favour,
were prevented by Carteromachus’s death, Oct. 1G, 1513.
He is indebted for his literary reputation rather to the numerous commendations of his contemporaries and friends
than to his own writings, many of which are said to have
been dispersed at his death, and usurped by others into
whose hands they had fallen. Among those which remain
is his “Oratio de laudibus literarum Graecarum,
” Venice,
Thesaurus Linguae Grasctf.
” Several epigrams of his also are
extant in Greek and Latin in the publications of the times.
During his residence at Venice, he frequently acted as
corrector of the Ahline press, and had a considerable hand
in the edition of Ptolomy’s Geography printed at Rome in
1507, folio.
r to bishop Parkhurst, recommending a reformation of church discipline. This work contained what was called the “platform of a church;” the manner of electing ministers;
Very severe measures had now been adopted for several
years against the puritans; on whose behalf a piece was
published, intituled, “An admonition to the parliament;
”
to which were annexed, A letter from Beza to the earl of
Leicester, and another from Gualter to bishop Parkhurst,
recommending a reformation of church discipline. This
work contained what was called the “platform of a
church;
” the manner of electing ministers; their several
duties; and arguments to prove their equality in government. It also attacked the hierarchy, and the proceedings
of the bishops, with much severity of language. The admonition was concluded with a petition to the two houses,
that a discipline more consonant to the word of God, and
agreeing with the foreign reformed churches, might be established by law. Mr. Field and Mr. Wilcox, authors of the
admonition, and who attempted to present it to parliament,
were committed to Newgate on the second of October
1572. Notwithstanding which, Mr. Cartwright, after his
return to England,“wrote
” a second admonition to the
parliament,“with an humble petition to the two houses,
for relief against the subscription required by the ecclesiastical commissioners. The same year Dr. Whitgift published
an answer to the admonition: to which Mr. Cartwright
published a reply in 1573; and aboat this time a proclamation was issued for apprehending him. In 1574 Dr.
Whitgift published, in folio,
” A defence of the answer to
the admonition, against the reply of T. C.“In 1575
Mr. Cartwright published a second reply to Dr. Whitgift;
and in 1577 appeared,
” the rest of the second reply of
Thomas Cartwright, against master Doctor Whitgift’s
answer, touching the church discipline.“This seems to have
been printed in Scotland; and it is certain, that before its
publication Mr. Cartwright had found it necessary to leave
the kingdom, whilst his opponent was raised to the bishopric
of Worcester. Mr. Cartwright continued abroad about
five years, during which time he officiated as a minister to
some of the English factories. About the year 1580
James VI. king of Scotland, having a high opinion of his
learning and abilities, sent to him, and offered him a professorship in the university of St. Andrew’s; but this he
'thought proper to decline. Upon his return to England,
officers w.e re sent to apprehend him, as a promoter of sedition,
and he was thrown into prison. He probably obtained his li* berty through the interest of the lord treasurer Burleigh, and
the earl of Leicester, by both of whom he was favoured: and
the latter conferred upon him the mastership of the hospital
which he had founded in Warwick. In 1583 he was earnestly persuaded, by several learned protestant divines, to
write against the Rhemish translation of the New Testament.
He was likewise encouraged in this design by the earl of
Leicester and sir Francis Walsingham: and the latter sent
him a hundred pounds towards the expences of the work.
He accordingly engaged in it; but after some time received
a mandate from archbishop Whitgift, prohibiting him from
prosecuting the work any farther. Though he was much
discouraged by this, he nearly completed the performance;
but it was not published till many years after his death in
1618, fol. under the title
” A Confutation of the Rhemish
Translation, Glosses, and Annotations on the New Testament.“It is said, that queen Elizabeth sent to Beza,
requesting him to undertake a work of this kind; but he
declined it, declaring that Cartwright was much more capable of the task than himself. Notwithstanding the high
estimation in which he was held, and his many admirers,
in the year 1585 he was again committed to prison by
Dr. Aylmer, bfshop of London; and that prelate gave some
offence to the queen by making use of her majesty’s name
on the occasion. When he obtained his liberty is not
mentioned: but we find that in 1590, when he was at
Warwick, he received a citation to appear in the starchamber, together with Edmund Snape, and some other
puritan ministers, being charged with setting up a new
discipline, and a new form of worship, and subscribing
their names to stand to it. This was interpreted an
opposition and disobedience to the established laws. Mr. Cartwright was also called upon to take the oath ex officio; but
this he refused, and was committed to the Fleet. In May
1591 ije was sent for by bishop Ay liner to appear before
him, and some others of the ecclesiastical commissioners,
at that prelate’s house. He had no previous notice given
him, to prevent any concourse of his adherents upon the
occasion. The bishop threw out some reproaches against
him, and again required him to take the oath ex officio.
The attorney general did the same, and represented to him
” how dangerous a thing it was that men should, upon the
conceits of their own heads, and yet under colour of conscience, refuse the things that had been received for laws
for a long time.“Mr. Cartwright assigned sundry reasons
for refusing to take the oath; and afterwards desired to be
permitted to vindicate himself from some reflections that
had been thrown out against him by the bishop and the
attorney general. But to this bishop Aylmer would not
consent, alleging,
” that he had no leisure to hear his
answer,“but that he might defend himself from the public
charges that he had brought against him, by a private letter
to his lordship. With this Mr. Cartwright was obliged to
be contented, and was immediately after again committed
to the Fleet. In August 1591 he wrote a letter to lady
Russel, stating some of the grievances under which he
laboured, and soliciting her interest with lord Burleigh to
procure him better treatment. The same year king James
wrote a letter to queen Elizabeth, requesting her majesty
to shew favour to Mr. Cartwright and his brethren, on account of their great learning and faithful labours in the
gospel. But he did not obtain his liberty till about the
middle of the year 1592, when he was restored to his
hospital at Warwick, and was again permitted to preach:
but his health appears to have been much impaired by his
long confinement and close application to study. He died
on the 27th of December 1603, in the 68th year of his age,
having preached a sermon ou mortality but two days before.
He was buried in the hospital at Warwick. He was pious,
learned, and laborious; an acute disputant, and an admired
preacher; of a disinterested disposition, generous and
charitable, and particularly liberal to poor scholars. It is
much to be regretted that such a man should have incurred
the censure of the superiors either in church or state; but
inuovations like those he proposed, and adhered to with
obstinacy, could not be tolerated in the case of a church
establishment so recently formed, and which required every
effort bf its supporters to maintain it. How far, therefore,
the reflections which have been cast on a the prelates who
prosecuted him are just, may be safely left to the consideration of the reader. There is reason also to think,
that before his death Cartwright himself thought differently
of his past conduct. Sir Henry Yelverton, in his epistle to
the reader, prefixed to bishop Moreton’s
” Episcopacy justified,“says that the last words of Thomas Cartwright, on his
death-bed, were, that he sorely lamented the unnecessary
troubles he had caused in the church, by the schism, of
which he had been the great fomenter; and that be wished
he was to begin his life again, that he might testify to the
world the dislike he had of his former ways In tnis opinion, says sir Henry, he died; and it appears certain, that
he abated something of the warmth of his spirit towards
the close of his days. When he had obtained his pardon,
of the queen, which, as sir George Paule asserts, was at
the instance of aichbishop Whitgilt, Cartwright, in his
letters of acknowledgment to that prelate, vouchsafed to
stile him a
” Right Reverend Fatner in God, and his Lord
the Archbishop’s Grace of Canterbury.“This title of
Grace he often yielded to Whitgift in the course of their
correspondence. Nay, the archbishop was heard to say,
that if Mr. Cartwright had not so far engaged himself as
he did in the beginning, he verily thought tnat he would,
in his letter time, have been drawn to conformity: for
when he was freed from his troubles, he often repaired to
the archbishop, who used him kindly, and was contented
to tolerate his preaching at Warwick for several years,
upon his promise that he would not impugn the laws, orders,
and government of the church of England, but persuade
and procure, as much as he could, both publicly and privately, the estimation and peace of the same. With these
terms he complied; notwithstanding which, when queen
Elizabeth understood that he preached again, though in
the temperate manner which had been prescribed, she
would not permit him to do it any longer without subscription; and was not a little displeased with the archbishop,
for his having connived at his so doing. Sir George Paule
farther adds, that, by the benevolence and bounty of his
followers, Mr Cartwright was said to have died rich. Besides the pieces already mentioned, Mr. Cartwright was
author of the following works: 1.
” Commentaria practica
in totam historiam evangelicam, ex quatuor evangelistis
harmonice concinnatam,“1630, 4to. An elegant edition
of this was printed at Amsterdam, by Lewis Elzevir, in
1647, under the following title:
” Harmonia evangelica
commentario analytico, metaphrastico, practice, illustrata,“&c. 2.
” Commentarii succincti & dilucidi in proverbia
Salomonis,“Amst. 1638, 4to. 3.
” Metaphrasis & homiliae in librum Salomonis qui inscribitur Ecclesiastes,“Amst. 1647, 4to. 4.
” A Directory of Church Government,“1644, 4to. 5.
” A Body of Divinity," Lond. 1616,
4to.
short time, dying on December 23, 1643, in the thirty-second year of his age, of a malignant fever, called the camp disease, which then prevailed at Oxford. He was honourably
, an English poet of the
seventeenth century, was born at Northway near Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, Sept. 1611. His father, after
spending a good estate, was reduced to keep an inn at
Cirencester; at the free-school of which town his son was
educated under Mr. William Topp. Being chosen a king’s
scholar, he was removed to Westminster school, under
Dr. Osbaldiston, and thence elected a student of Christ
church, Oxford, in 1628. After pursuing his studies, with
the reputation of an extraordinary scholar and genius,
he took his master’s degree in 1635, and in 1638 went
into holy orders, becoming “a most florid and seraphical
preacher in the university.
” One sermon only of his is in
print, from which we are not able to form a very high
notion of his eloquence; but whdn Mr. Abraham Wright,
of St. John’s, Oxford, compiled that scarce little book,
entitled “Five Sermons in five several styles, or ways of
Preaching,
” it appears that Dr. Maine and Mr. Cartwright
were of consequence enough to be admitted as specimens
of university preaching. The others are bishop Andrews’,
bishop Hall’s, the presbyterian and independent “ways
of preaching.
”
In 1642, bishop Duppa, with whom he lived in the
strictest intimacy, bestowed on him the place of succentur
of the church of Salisbury. In the same year he was one
of the council of war or delegacy, appointed by the university of Oxford, for providing for the troops sent by the
king- to protect the colleges. His zeal in this office occasioned his being imprisoned by the parliamentary forces
when they arrived at Oxford, but he was bailed soon after.
In 1643, he was chosen junior proctor of the university,
and was also reader in metaphysics. “The exposition of
them,
” says Wood, “was never better performed than by
him and his predecessor Thomas Barlow, of Queen’s college.
” Lloyd asserts that he studied at the rate of sixteen
hours a day. From such diligence and talents much might
have been expected, but he survived the last- mentioned
appointments a very short time, dying on December 23,
1643, in the thirty-second year of his age, of a malignant
fever, called the camp disease, which then prevailed at
Oxford. He was honourably interred towards the upper
end of the south aile of the cathedral of Christ church.
ing before the battle, he called for a no call to it, and being no military
ing before the battle, he called for a no call to it, and being no military
on of Protestants;” and he wrote some verses on the death of Ben Jonson, published in the collection called “Jonsonus Virbius.” Some other verses are mentioned by Mr. Park,
Lord Falkland wrote, 1. “A Speech on ill Counsellors
about the king.
” 2. “Speech against the Lord Keeper
Finch and the Judges.
” 3. “A Speech against the Bishops,
Feb. 9, 1640.
” 4. “A draught of a speech concerning
Episcopacy,
” found among his papers, printed at Oxford
A Discourse on the Infallibility of the Church
of Rome,
” Letter to a young gentleman lately entered into holy
orders,
” informs us, that lord Falkland, in some of his
writings, when he doubted whether a word were perfectly
intelligible, used to consult one of his lady’s chambermaids, and by her judgment was guided whether to receive
or reject it. 6. “A View of some exceptions made against
the preceding discourse,
” A Letter to F. M.
anno 1636,
” printed at the end of Charles Gataker’s (his chaplain’s) “Answer to five captious questions, propounded
by a factor for the Papacy,
” &c. A Letter to Dr. Beale, master of St. John’s College, Cambridge.
”
From bishop Barlow’s Remains, p. Religion of Protestants;
”
and he wrote some verses on the death of Ben Jonson,
published in the collection called “Jonsonus Virbius.
”
Some other verses are mentioned by Mr. Park, but they
cannot be allowed much praise.
less persecutions from the Spaniards; and, though he escaped with his life, might properly enough be called a martyr to the liberty of the Indians. After refusing several
, a Spaniard, and the illustrious bishop of Chiapa, was born at Seville in 1474;
and, at the age of nineteen, attended his father, who went
with Christopher Columbus to the Indies in 1493. Upon
his return he became an ecclesiastic, and a curate in the
isle of Cuba; but quitted his cure and his country -in order
to devote himself to the service of the Indians, who were
then enslaved to the most ridiculous superstitions, as well
as the most barbarous tyranny. The Spanish governors
had long since made Christianity detested by their unheardof cruelties, and the Indians trembled at the very name of
Christian. This humane and pious missionary resolved to
cross the seas, and to lay their cries and their miseries at
the feet of Charles V. The affair was discussed in council;
and the representations of Casas so sensibly affected the
emperor, that he made ordinances, as severe to the persecutors as favourable to the persecuted. But these ordinances were never executed the Spanish governors, or
rather tyrants, continued to plunder and murder; and
they had a doctor, one Sepulveda, who undertook even to
justify these outrages by human and divine laws, and by
the examples of the Israelites who conquered the people
of Canaan. This horrible book was printed at Rome, but
proscribed in Spain; and Casas, now become bishop of
Chiapa, refuted this apology for tyranny and murder. His
treatise, entitled, “The Destruction of the Indians,
” and
translated into most European languages, is full of details
which shock humanity. Soto, the emperor’s confessor,
was appointed arbiter of the difference between Casas, a
bishop worthy of the first ages of the church, and Sepulveda, a doctor and advocate for principles which would
not have been adopted by an heathen: and the result of
all this was laid before Charles V. who, however, had too
many affairs upon his hands to pay a due attention to it;
and the governors continued to tyrannize as usual. Casas
employed above fifty years in America, labouring with
incessant zeal, that the Indians might be treated with
mildness, equity, and humanity: but, instead of succeeding, he drew upon himself endless persecutions from the
Spaniards; and, though he escaped with his life, might
properly enough be called a martyr to the liberty of the
Indians. After refusing several bishoprics in America, he
was constrained to accept that of Chiapa in 1544. He reided there till 1551, when the infirm state of his health
obliged him to return to his native country; and he died
at Madrid in 156G, aged ninety-two. Besides his “Destruction of the Indians,
” and other pieces on the same
subject, there is a very curious Latin work of his upon
this question “Whether kings or princes can in conscience, by any right, or by virtue of any title, alienate
citizens and subjects from their natural allegiance, and
subject them to a new and foreign jurisdiction?
” Ail his
writings shew a solid judgment, and profound learning and
piety.
The sufferings that come from God, ought not to be called afflic tions
ged fortyfive, was president of the college of Stade, and one of the first of those writers who were called Scriptural philosophers. They supposed all philosophy to be
, a German divine, who flourished in
the sixteenth century, and died Aug. 1, 1607, aged fortyfive, was president of the college of Stade, and one of
the first of those writers who were called Scriptural philosophers. They supposed all philosophy to be derived from
divine revelation, and despairing of being able to arrive at
any true knowledge of nature, by the light of reason, had
recourse to the sacred oracles, and particularly to the
Mosaic history of the creation, and endeavoured upon this
foundation to raise a new structure of philosophy. Gasman
was also dissatisfied with the unprofitable subtleties of the
Aristotelian philosophy, and determined, in the study of nature, rather to rely upon the decision of the sacred writings,
than upon the doctrine of the ancient heathen philosophers.
Even in his explanation of scripture he refused to call in
the assistance of philosophical rules of interpretation. In
a work entitled “Cosmopceia,
” on the formation of the
world, he derives his physical doctrine from the scriptures;
ard in his “Modesta Assertio Philosophise et Christianas
et Verae,
” he professes to write Christian institutes of
grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, &c. Henry Alsted,
Dr. Dickinson, and Dr. Burnett, &c. are also ranked among
scriptural philosophers.
, called Nicoletto, a Venetian, artist, was born at Venice in 1659, and
, called Nicoletto, a Venetian, artist, was born at Venice in 1659, and was the eldest son, and disciple of John Francis Cassana, a Genoese, who had been taught the art of painting by Bernardino Strozzi, and under his direction became an eminent portraiupainter; and the grand duke of Tuscany invited him to his court, where he painted the portraits of that prince and the princess Violante his consort. Of the historical subjects painted by this master while he resided at Florence, perhaps the most considerable was the Conspiracy of Catiline it consisted of nine figures as large as life, down to the knees; and the two principal figures were represented, as with one hand joined in the presence of their companions, and in their other hand holding a cup of blood. Nicoletto was invited to England, with strong assurances of a generous reception; and on his arrival, painted the portrait of queen Anne, in which he succeeded so happily, that the queen distinguished him by many marks of favour and of honour; but he had not the happiness to enjoy his good fortune for any length of time, dying in London, universally regretted, in the year 1713. He had a younger brother, G. Augustine Cassana, who, though a good portrait- painter, preferred the representation of animals and various fruits his pictures of that class are frequent in the collections of Italy, and sometimes ascribed to Castiglione. He had a sister, Maria Vittoria Cassana, who painted images of devotion for private amateurs, and died at Venice in the beginning of the last century.
, a man of eminence in many respects, and called by way of distinction “the senator,” was born at Squillace,
, a man of eminence in many respects, and called by way of distinction
“the senator,
” was born at Squillace, in Calabria, about
the year 4i>7. He had as liberal an education as the
growing barbarism of his times afforded; and soon recommended himself by his eloquence, his learning, and his
wisdom, to Theodoric king of the Goths in Italy. Theodoric first made him governor of Sicily; and when he had
Sufficiently proved his abilities and prudence in the administration of that province, admitted him afterwards to
his cabinet-councils, and appointed him to be his secretary. After this he had all the places and honours at his
command, which Theodoric had to bestow; and, having
passed through all the employments of the government,
was raised to the consulate, which he administered alone,
in the year 514. He was continued in the same degree of
confidence and favour by Athalaric, who succeeded Theodoric, about the year 524; but afterwards, in the year 537,
being discarded from all his offices by king Vitiges, he renounced a secular life, and retired into a monastery of his
own founding in the extreme parts of Calabria. Here he
led the life of a man of letters, a philosopher, and a Christian. He entertained himself with forming and improving
several curious pieces of mechanism, such as sun-dials,
water clocks, perpetual lamps, &c. He collected a very
noble and curious library, which he enlarged and improved
by several books of his own composing. About the year
556, he wrote two books “De Divinis Lectionibus;
” and
afterwards a book “De Orthographia,
” in the preface to
which he tells us, that he was then in his ninety-third year.
There are extant of his twelve books of letters, ten of
which he wrote as secretary of state, in the name of kings
Theodoric and Athalaric, and two in his own. He composed also twelve books “De rebus gestis Gothorum,
”
which are only extant in the abridgment of Jornandes;
though it has been surmised that a manuscript of Cassiodorus is still remaining in some of the libraries in France.
He wrote also a commentary upon the Psalms, and several
other pieces, theological and critical. Father Simon has
?poken of him thus “There is no need,
” says he, “of
examining Cassiodorus’s Commentaries on the Psalms,
which is almost but an abridgment of St. Augustin’s Commentaries, as he owns in his preface. But besides these
commentaries, we have an excellent treatise of this author’s, entitled < De institutione ad Divinas Lectiones,'
which shews, that he understood the criticism of the scriptures, and that he had marked out what were the best
things of this nature in the ancient doctors of the church.
In the same book Cassiodorus gives many useful rules for
the criticism of the scriptures; and he takes particular
notice of those fathers who have made commentaries upon
the Bible, &c.
” It seems generally agreed that he was
in all views a very extraordinary man; and we think that
those have done him no more than justice, who have considered him as a star, which shone out amidst the darkness
of a barbarous age. When he died we cannot precisely
determine, but most writers seem to be of opinion this
happened in the year 575. His works have been collected
and printed several times; the best edition is that of Rohan, 1679, 2 vols. fol. with the notes and dissertations of
John Garret, a Benedictine monk. In 1721, Signer
Scipio Maffei published a work of Cassiodorus, which had
long been missing; and in the following year the same was
published at London, by Mr. Samuel Chandler, entitled
“Complexions, or short Commentaries upon the Epistles,
the Acts, and the Revelation,
” which Dr. Lardner has
enumerated among the testimonies to the credibility of the
gospel history.
, an eminent historical painter, was born at a small village called Castagno, belonging to Tuscany, in 1409, and being deprived
, an eminent historical painter, was born at a small village called Castagno, belonging to Tuscany, in 1409, and being deprived of his parents when young, was employed by his uncle to attend the herds of cattle in the fields. His singular talents, which were first manifested in surprising efforts to imitate an ordinary painter, whom he accidentally observed at work, became the common topic of discourse in Florence, and excited the curiosity of Bernardetto de Medici, who perceiving that he had promising talents, placed him under the tuition of the best masters at that time in Florence. Andrea, assiduously improving his advantages, became particularly eminent in design, and found full employment. At first he painted only in distemper and fresco, with a manner of colouring that was not very agreeable, being rather hard and dry; but at length he learned the secret of painting in oil from Domenico Venetiano, who had derived his knowledge of it from Antonella da Messina. He was the first of the Florentine artists who painted in oil but envying the merit of Domenico, from whom he obtained the secret, and whose works were more admired than his own, he determined, with the basest ingratitude, to assassinate his friend and benefactor. At this time Domenico and Andrea lived together, and were partners in business. Insensible, however, of every obligation, and combining treachery with ingratitude, he way -laid Domenico in the corner of a street, and stabbed him with such secrecy, that he escaped unobserved and unsuspected to Jiis own house, where he sat down with apparent composure to work; soon after Domenico was conveyed thither to die in the arms of his assassin. The real author of this atrocious act was never discovered, till Andrea, through remorse of conscience, disclosed it on his death-bed, in 1480. Andrea finished several considerable works at Florence, by which he gained great wealth and reputation; but as soon as his complicated villainy became public, his memory was afterwards held in the utmost detestation. The most noted of his works is in the hall of justice at Florence, and represents the execution of the conspirators against the house of Medici.
odore Beza, from whom he differed concerning predestination and the punishment of heretics, and they called him a papist, which appears to have been an unreasonable accusation,
, was born in 1515, in Dauphmy, according to some authors, but according to others in Savoy. Spon and Leti mention Chatillon as the place of his birth; of his early life we have little information. We are told that Calvin conceived such an esteem and friendship for him, during the stay he made at Strasbourg in 154-0 and 1541, that he lodged him for some days at his house, and procured him a regent’s place in the college of Geneva. Castalio, after continuing in this office near three years, was forced to quit it in 1544, on account of some peculiar opinions which he held concerning Solomon’s song and Christ’s descent into hell. He retired to Basil, where he was made Greek professor, and died in that place, Dec. 29, 1563, in extreme poverty. He incurred the displeasure of Calvin and Theodore Beza, from whom he differed concerning predestination and the punishment of heretics, and they called him a papist, which appears to have been an unreasonable accusation, although it is certain he did not embrace the opinions of the reformers on many points. Beza is accused of having said that he had translated the Bible into Latin at the instigation of the devil. Another story is his stealing wood, which is thus related: when rivers overflow, they frequently carry down several pieces of wood, which any body may lawfully get and keep for his own use. Castalio, who was very poor, and had a wife and eight children, got with a harping-iron some wood floating upon the Rhine. When Calvin and Beza heard of it, they proclaimed every where that he had stolen some wood belonging to his neighbour.
, an eminent artist, the companion of Luca Cambiaso, is commonly called il Bergamasco, in contradistinction of Gio. Bat. Castelli a
, an eminent artist, the companion of Luca Cambiaso, is commonly
called il Bergamasco, in contradistinction of Gio. Bat.
Castelli a Genoese, scholar of Cambiaso, and -the most
celebrated miniature-painter of his time. This, born at
Bergamo in 1500, and conducted to Genoa by Aurelio
Buso of Crema, a scholar of Polidoro, was at his sudden
departure left by him in that city. In this forlorn state,
he found a Maecenas in the Pallavicini family, who assisted
him, sent him to Rome, and received in him at his return
an architect, sculptor, and painter not inferior to Cambiaso. At Rome, Palomino numbers him with the scholars of Michael Angelo. Whatever master he may have
had, his technic principles were those of Luca; which is
evident on comparison in the church of S. Matteo, where
they painted together. We discover the style of Raffaello verging already to practice, but not so mannered as
that which prevailed at Rome under Gregory and Sixtus.
We recognize in Cambiaso a greater genius and more elegance of design, in Castello more diligence, deeper knowledge, a better colour, a colour nearer allied to the Venetian than the Roman school. It may however be supposed^
that in such fraternal harmony each assisted the other, even
in those places where they acted as competitors, where
each claimed his work, and distinguished it by his name.
Thus at the Nunziata di Portoria, Luca on the panneis
represented the final doom of the blessed and the rejected
in the last judgment; whilst G. Batista on the ceiling, expressed the judge in an angelic circle, receiving the elect.
His attitude and semblance speak the celestial welcome
with greater energy than the adjoined capitals of the words,
“Venite Benedicti.
” It is a picture studied in all its
parts, of a vivacity, a composition, and expression, which
give to the pannels of Luca, the air of a work done by a
man half asleep. Frequently he painted alone; such are
the S. Jerome surrounded by monks frightened at a lion,
in S. Francesco di Castello, and the crowning of St, Sebastian after martyrdom, in his own church, a picture as rich
in composition as studied in execution, and superior to all
praise. That a man of such powers should have been so
little known in Italy, rouses equal indignation and pity,
unless we suppose that his numerous works in fresco at
Genoa prevented him from painting for galleries.
, called Grechktto, an admired artist, was born at Genoa, in 161h, and
, called Grechktto, an admired artist, was born at Genoa, in 161h, and in that city was at Hrst a disciple of Battisca Pagi, and afterwards studied in the academy of Joan Andrea de Ferrara; but his principal improvement was derived from the instructions of Vandyck, who at that time came to reside in Genoa. He formed to himself a very grand manner of design in every branch of his art, and succeeded equally well in all; in sacred and profane history, landscape, cattle, and portrait; executing every one of them with an equal degree of truth, freedom, and spirit. But, although his genius was so universal, his predominant turn was to rural scenes and pastoral subjects, markets, and animals, in which he had no superior. He had great readiness of invention, a bold and noble tint of colouring, and abundance of nature in all his compositions. His drawing is elegant, and generally correct, his touch judicious, and his pencil free and firm. And still to add to his accomplishments, he had a thorough knowledge of the chiaroscuro, which he very happily applied through all his works. In a chapel of St. Luke’s church at Genoa, is an excellent picture by this master. The composition and design are good, the heads of the figures extremely fine, the draperies well chosen and judiciously cast, the animals lively and correct; and the manner through the whole is grand, and yet delicate; though it must be observed, that the colouring is a little too red. In the Palazzo Brignole* is a grand composition, the figures being eighteen or twenty inches high, which is admirably finished, though perhaps a little too dark. And at the Palazzo Caregha, in the same city, is an historical picture of Rachel concealing the Teraphim from Luba*i, in which the figures and animals are exceedingly fine.
, one of the most eminent lawyers of the fifteenth century, was so called from Castro his native place. He taught law at Florence, Bologna,
, one of the most eminent lawyers
of the fifteenth century, was so called from Castro his native place. He taught law at Florence, Bologna, Sienna,
and JPadua, with such high reputation, that it was commonly said of him, “Si Bartolus non esset, esset Paulus.
”
He died in a very advanced age,
d queen to appear before it. They both presented themselves, and the king answered to his name, when called; but the queen, instead of answering to her’s, threw herself
, Queen Of England, and first consort of Henry VIII. was the fourth daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, king and queen of Castile and Arragon. She was born in 1485. In the sixteenth year of her age, Nov. 14, 1501, she was married to Arthur, prince of Wales, son of Henry VII. who died a few months after. The king, either from political reasons, or, as some think, because he was unwilling to restore Catherine’s dowry, which was 200,000 ducats, obliged his second son Henry, whom he created prince of Wales, and who was then in his twelfth year, to be contracted to the infanta. The prince resisted this injunction to the utmost of his power; but the king was invincible, and the espousals were at length, by means of the pope’s dispensation, contracted between the parties. Immediately after the accession of Henry VIII. to the crown, in 1509, the king began to deliberate on his former engagements, to which he had many objections, but his privy council, though contrary to the opinion of the primate, gave him their advice for celebrating the marriage. Even the prejudices of the people were averse to an union betwixt such near relations as Henry and his brother’s widow; and the late king is thought to have had an intention to avail himself of a proper opportunity of annulling the contract. In 1527 several circumstances occurred which combined to excite scruples in the king’s mind concerning the lawfulness of his marriage, but probably the chief were what arose from his own passions. The queen was six years older than the king; and the decay of her beauty, together with particular infn-mities and diseases, had contributed, notwithstanding her blameless character and deportment, to render her person unacceptable to him. Though she had borne him several children, they all died in early infancy, except one daughter, Mary; and it was apprehended, that if doubts of Mary’s legitimacy concurred with the weakness of her sex, the king of Scots, the next heir, would advance his pretensions, and might throw the kingdom into confusion. But most of all, Anne Boleyn had acquired an entire ascendant over his affections, and he was now determined on a divorce, and upon consulting them, all the prelates of England, except Fisher, bishop of Rochester, unanimously declared that they deemed his marriage unlawful. In this they were supported by cardinal Wolsey, who had political purposes to answer in breaking off the match with Catherine, although he was no friend to Anne Boleyn. Accordingly Henry determined to apply to the pope, Clement VII. for a divorce, who, though at first disposed to favour Henry’s application, and had actually concerted measures for its successful issue, was overawed by the interference of the emperor, Charles V. Catherine’s nephew; and when the negociation was protracted to such a length as to tire Henry’s patience, the pope, importuned by the English ministers, put into their hands a commission to Wolsey, as legate, in conjunction with the archbishop of Canterbury, or any other English prelate, to examine the validity of the king’s marriage, and of the late pope’s dispensation. He also granted them a provisional dispensation for the king’s marriage with any other person; and promised to issue a decretal bull, annulling the marriage with Catherine; but he enjoined secrecy, and conjured them not to publish these papers, or to make any farther use of them, till his afflxirs with regard to the emperor were in such a train as to secure his liberty and independence. After considerable hesitation and delay, the legates, Campeggio and Wolsey, to whom the pope had granted a new commission for the trial of the king’s marriage, opened their court in London, May 31, 1529, and cited the king and queen to appear before it. They both presented themselves, and the king answered to his name, when called; but the queen, instead of answering to her’s, threw herself at the king’s feet, and appealed to his justice, declaring that she would not submit her cause to be tried by the members of a court who depended on her enemies; and making the king a low reverence, she departed, and never would again appear in that court.
, he refused it with reproaches on him that offered it. Being pressed to take another glass, when he called for milk, a French valet-de-chamhre, who was greatly attached
Peter’s conduct, on the other hand, was mere infatuation.
He permitted his mistress the countess Woronzoff to have
the most complete ascendancy over him, and this woman
had the hardihood to claim the performance of a promise
which he had made when grand duke, to marry her, place
her, in the room of Catherine, on the throne, and bastardize his son Paul, whose place he was to supply by
adopting prince Ivan, who had been dethroned by the empress Elizabeth. Whatever ground he might have for
expecting success to this wild project, he had not the sense
to conceal it; and his mistress openly made her boast of it.
Such indiscretion was, no doubt, in favour of Catherine^
but still the part she had to play required all her skill. It
was no less than a plot to counteract that of her husband,
and dethrone him. The minute details of this would extend too far in a sketch like the present; her conspirators
were numerous, secret, and well prepared, and by their
means she, who had been confined at Peterhof by her husband, was enabled to enter Petersburgh July 9, 1762,
where she was received as empress, and where, while the
enthusiasm was fresh in the minds of her troops and subjects, she was crowned in the church of Kazan, by the
archbishop of Novogorod, who proclaimed her with a loud
voice, sovereign of all the Russias, by the title of Catherine II. and declared at the same time the young grand
duke, Paul Petrovitch, her successor. But of all this
Peter III. had yet no suspicion. Such was his security,
that he set out, after having received some intimations of
the conspiracy, from Oranienbaum in a calash with his
mistress, his favourites, and the women of his court, for
Peterhof; but in the way, Gudovitch, the general aidede-camp, met one of the chamberlains of the empress, by
whom he was informed of her escape from Peterhof; and
upon his communicating the intelligence to Peter, he
turned pale, and appeared much agitated. On his arrival
at Peterhof, his agitation and confusion increased, when
he found that the empress had actually left the palace,
and he soon received the certain tidings of the revolution
that had been accomplished; and the chancellor Worouzof
offered his services to hasten to Petersburgh, engaging to
bring the empress back. The chancellor, on entering the
palace, found Catherine surrounded by a multitude of
people in the act of doing homage; and forgetting his
duty, he took the oath with the rest. He was permitted,
however, at his earnest request, to return to his house,
under the guard of some trusty officers; and thus secured
himself from the vindictive spirit of the partisans of Catherine, and from the suspicions of the czar. After the departure of the chancellor, Peter became a prey to the most
distressing anxieties, and he every instant received some
fresh intelligence of the progress of the revolution, but
knew not what steps to pursue. Although his Holstein
guards were firmly attached to him, and the veteran marshal Munich offered to risk every thing for his service, he
remained hesitating and undetermined; and after some
fruitless attempts, he found it absolutely necessary to submit unconditionally to her will, in consequence of which
he was compelled to sign a most humiliating act of abdication, in which he declared his conviction of his inability
to govern the empire, either as a sovereign, or in any other
capacity, and his sense of the distress in which his continuance at the head of affairs would inevitably involve it,
and in the evening an officer with a strong escort came
and conveyed him prisoner to Ropscha, a small imperial
palace, at the distance of about 20 versts from Peterhof.
He now sent a message to Catherine, requesting, that he
might retain in his service the negro who had been attached
to him, and who amused him with his singularities, together with a dog, of which he was fond, his violin, a Bible,
and a few romances; assuring her, that, disgusted at the
wickedness of mankind, he would henceforward devote
himself to a philosophical life. Not one of these requests
was granted. After he had been at Ropscha six days without the knowledge of any persons besides the chiefs of the
conspirators, and the soldiers by whom he was guarded,
Alexius Orlof, accompanied by Teplof, came to him with
the news of his speedy deliverance, and asked permission
to dine with him. While the officer amused the czar with
some trifling discourse, his chief rilled the wine-glasses,
which are usually brought in the northern countries before
dinner, and poured a poisonous mixture into that which
he intended for the prince. The czar, without distrust,
swallowed the potion; on which he was seized with the
most excruciating pains; and on his being offered a second glass, on pretence of its giving him relief, he refused
it with reproaches on him that offered it. Being pressed
to take another glass, when he called for milk, a French
valet-de-chamhre, who was greatly attached to him, ran
in; and throwing himself into his arms, he said in a faint
tone of \oice, “It was not enough, then, to prevent me
from reigning in Sweden, and to deprive me of the crown
of Russia! I must also be put to death.
” The valet-dechamhre interceded in his behalf; but the two miscreant
forced him out of the room, and continued their ill treatment of him. In the midst of the tumult, the younger of
the princes Baratinsky, who commanded the guard, entered; Orlof, who in a struggle had thrown down the emperor, was pressing upon his breast with both his knees,
and firmly griping his throat with his hand. In this situation the two other assassins threw a napkin with a running knot round his neck, and put an end to his life by
suffocation, July 17th, just one week after the revolution;
and it was announced to the nation, that Peter had died
of an haemorrhoidal colic. When Catherine received the
news of Peter’s death, she appeared at court, whither she
was going, with a tranquil air; and afterwards shut herself
up with Orlof, Panin, Rasumofsky, and others who had
been concerned in her counterplot, and resolved to inform
the senate and people next day of the death of the emperor. On this occasion she did not forget her part, but
rose from her seat with her eyes full of tears, and for some
days exhibited all the marks of profound grief. The best
part of her conduct was, that she showed no resentment to
the adherents of Peter, and even pardoned the countess
Woronzoff.
thout a war, the sovereignty of the Crimea, of the isle of Taman, and a great part of the Kuban, she called the former of these countries Taurida, and the other Caucasus.
In the following year, 1783, she augmented the splendour of her court, by instituting the new order of St.
Wolodimir, or Vladimir, and this year, having acquired,
without a war, the sovereignty of the Crimea, of the isle
of Taman, and a great part of the Kuban, she called the
former of these countries Taurida, and the other Caucasus.
Thus Catherine gained a point of much importance towards
the main object of her ambition, i. e. the destruction of
the Turkish empire in Europe; in the view of which she
had named the grand duke’s second son Constantine, and
had put him into the hands of Greek nurses, that he might
be thoroughly acquainted with the language of his future
subjects. Instigated by Potemkin, the empress formed a
design in 1787 of being splendidly crowned in her new
dominions “queen of Taurida;
” but the expence being
objected to by some of her courtiers, she contented herself
with making a grand progress through them. At her new
city of Cherson, she had a second interview with the emperor Joseph. She then traversed the Crimea, and returned to Moscow, having left traces in her progress of her
munificence and condescension. This ostentatious tour
was probably one cause of the new rupture with the Turkish court, in which the emperor of Germany engaged as
ally to Russia, and the king of Sweden as ally to the Porte.
The latter prevented the empress from sending a fleet into
the Mediterranean; and even endangered Petersburgh itself
by a sudden incursion into Finland. The danger, however,
was averted by the empress’s own vigorous exertions, by
the desertion of some of Gustavus’s troops, who would not
fight against the Russians, and by an attack of Sweden, on
the part of the prince of Denmark, who proceeded as far
as Gottenburgh. The Turkish army, though superior to
that of the empress, could not resist the efforts of the
Russian generals. Potemkin at the head of a numerous
army, and a large train of artillery, laid siege to Otchakof,
and it was at length taken by storm, with the loss of 25,000
Turks and 12,000 Russians, but the issue of the war was
upon the whole unfavourable, and all parties consented to
the peace signed in 1792, by which the Dniester was declared to be in future the limit of the two empires. Mr.
Pitt at this time had a strong desire to compel Russia to
restore Otchakof to the Turks, but not being supported by
the nation, this point was conceded. When the French
revolution took place, the empress finding Prussia and
Austria engaged in opposing it by force of arms, turned
her attention to Poland, marched an army thither, overturned the new constitution the Poles had formed, and
finally broke the spirit of the Poles by the dreadful massacre made on the inhabitants of the suburbs of Warsaw by
her general Suvarof: a new division took place of this illfated country, between Russia, Austria, and Prussia, and
afforded precedents for other divisions which the two latter
powers little suspected.
, on account of his cautiousness and judgment, was, by the soldiers under his command, significantly called Pere la Pensee, “Father Thought,” a sirname which he appears
, one of the ablest generals under Louis XIV. the son of the dean of the counsellors of
parliament, was born at Paris, Sept. 1, 1637, and began
his career at the bar; but having lost a cause that had
justice on its side, he renounced the profession for that of
arms. He first served in the cavalry, where he never
omitted an opportunity of distinguishing himself. In 1667,
in the presence of Louis XIV. at the attack on the counterscarpe of Lisle, he performed an action so honourable
both to his judgment and his courage, that it procured
him a lieutenantcy in the regiment of guards. Gradually
rising to the first dignities in the army, he signalized himself at Maestricht, at Besangon, at Senef, at Cambray, at
Valenciennes, at St. Omer’s, at Ghent, and at Ypres.
The great Comic“set a proper value on his merit, and
wrote to him, after the hattle of Senef, where Catinat had
been wounded:
” No one takes a greater interest in your
wound than I do; there are so few men like you, that in
losing you our loss would be too great.' 7 Having attained
to the rank of lieutenant-general, in 1688, he beat the
duke of Savoy at Staffarde and at the Marsaille, made himself master of all Savoy and a part of Piedmont; marched
from Italy to Flanders, besieged and took the fortress of
Ath in 1697. He had been marechal of France from 1693,
and the king, reading the list of the marechals in his cabinet, exclaimed, on coming to his name: “Here valour has
met with its deserts!
” The war breaking out again in
If Villeroi has the command,
” said Eugene, “I shall beat him; if
Vendome be appointed, we shall have a stout struggle; if
it be Catinat, 1 shall be beaten.
” The bad state of the
army, the want of money for its subsistence, the little harmony there was between him and the duke of Savoy,
whose sincerity he suspected, prevented him from fulfilling
the prediction of prince Eugene. He was wounded in the
atfair of Chiari, and forced to retreat as far as behind the
Oglio. This retreat, occasioned by the prohibition he had
received from the court to oppose the passage of prince
Eugene, was the source of his subsequent mistakes and misfortunes. Catinat, notwithstanding his victories and his
negociations, was obliged to serve under Villeroi; and the
last disciple of Turenne and Conde was no longer allowed
to act but as second in command.' He bore this injustice
like a man superior to fortune. “I strive to forget my
misfortunes,
” he says in a letter to one of his friends,
“that my mind may be more at ease in executing the
orders of the marechal de Villeroi.
” In 1705 the king
named him to be a chevalier; but he refused the honour
intended him. His family testifying their displeasure at
this procedure, “Well, then,
” said he to his relations,
“strike me out of your genealogy
” He increased as little
as possible the crowd of courtiers. Louis XIV. once asking him why he was never seen at Marli; and whether it
was some business that prevented his coming? “None at
all,
” returned the marechal; “but the court is very numerous, and I keep away in order to let others have room
to pay their respects to you.
” He died at his estate of St.
Gratian, Feb. 25, 1712, at the age of 74, with the same
sedateness of mind that had accompanied him through life.
Numberless anecdotes are related of him, which shew that
this calmness of temper never forsook him. After an ineffectual attack at the unfortunate affair of Chiari, rallying
his troops, an officer said to him: “Whither would you
have us to go? to death?
” “It is true,
” replied Catinat,
“death is before us; but shame is behind.
” He had
qualities yet more estimable than bravery. He was humane and modest. The part of his labours most interesting
to humanity, was a regular correspondence with marechal
Vauban, on the administration of the revenues of the various countries which they had visited during their military
expeditions. They did not seek for means of increasing
the revenues of their sovereign beyond measure; but they
endeavoured to find the most equitable repartition of the
taxes, and the cheapest way of collecting them. Catinat,
on account of his cautiousness and judgment, was, by the
soldiers under his command, significantly called Pere la
Pensee, “Father Thought,
” a sirname which he appears
to have deserved in his peaceable retreat, not less than in
his military expeditions.
, commonly called Cato Minor, or Cato of Utica, was great-grandson of Cato the
, commonly called Cato Minor,
or Cato of Utica, was great-grandson of Cato the censor.
It is said, that from his infancy he discovered an inflexibility of mind, and a disposition to go through whatever he
undertook, even though the task was ill-suited to his
strength. He was rough towards those that flattered him,
and quite intractable when threatened; was rarely seen to
laugh, or even to smile; was not easily provoked to anger, but, if once incensed, hard to be pacified. Sylla, having had a friendship for the father of Cato, sent often for
him and his brother, and talked familiarly with them. Cato,
who was then about fourteen years of age, seeing the heads
of great men brought there, and observing the sighs of
those that were present, asked his preceptor, “Why does
no body kill this man?
” “Because,
” said the other, “he
is more feared than he is hated.
” The boy replied, “Why
then did you not give me a sword when you brought me
hither, that I might have stabbed him, and freed my country
from this slavery?
”
d formed with regard to himself has furnished Addison with the story of his interesting tragic poem, called Cato, which has particularly familiarized the history of Cato
On one occasion, to keep out a very bad man, he was a candidate for the tribunate. He afterwards laboured to bring about an agreement between Cæsar and Pompey, but seeing it in vain, he sided with the latter. When Pompey was slain, he fled to Utica, and being pursued by Cæsar, he advised his friends to leave him, and throw themselves on Cæsar’s mercy. They complied, and his son only, and a young man, Statilius, who was remarkable for his hatred of Cæsar, remained with him. The execution of the purpose which Cato had formed with regard to himself has furnished Addison with the story of his interesting tragic poem, called Cato, which has particularly familiarized the history of Cato to English readers. Notwithstanding the interference of his friends, and particularly of his son, who by every method endeavoured to dissuade him from the resolution he had taken to dispatch himself rather than fall into Cæsar’s hands, he committed suicide in the fortyeighth year of his age, after some deliberation, and after twice reading Plato’s dialogue on the immortality of the soul an instance which has been imitated since in too many cases of political disappointment, and in the absence of all moral and religious principle. But, as Brucker has observed, it should be remembered, that the situation of Cato, in concurrence with his stoical principles, strongly impelled him to the fatal deed; and that whatever censure he may deserve on this account, he supported, through his whole life, a character of inflexible integrity and uncorrupted public spirit. Whilst he lived, he held up before his fellow-citizens a pattern of manly virtue; and when he died, he taught the conquerors of the world that the noble mind can never be subdued.
lordship for the tuition of the prince, which was at first so universally approved, began now to be called in question by those who meant very soon to call every thing
, baron Ogle, viscount Mansfield, earl, marquis, and duke of Newcastle, one of the most accomplished persons, as well as one of the most able generals and most distinguished patriots of the age, was son of sir Charles Cavendish, youngest son of sir William Cavendish, and younger brother of the first earl of Devonshire, by Catherine, daughter of Cuthbert lord Ogle. He was born in 1592, and discovering great capacity in his infancy, his father had him educated with such success, that he early acquired a large stock of solid learning, to which he added the graces of politeness. This soon made him be taken notice of at the court of James I. where he was quickly distinguished by the king’s favour; and in 1610, was made knight of the bath, at the creation of Henry prince of Wales. In 1617, his father died, by which he came to the possession of a very large estate and having a great interest at court, he was by letters- patent, dated November 3, 1620, raised to the dignity of a peer of the realm, by the style and title of baron Ogle and viscount Mansfield; and having no less credit with Charles I. than with his father king James, was in* the third year of the reign of that prince advanced to the higher title of earl of Newcastle upon Tyne, and at the same time he was created baron Cavendish of Bolesover. Our genealogists and antiquaries give us but a very obscure account of these honours, or at least, of the barony of Ogle, to which, in the inscription upon his own and his grandmother the countess of Shrewsbury’s tomb, he is said to have succeeded in right of his mother. His attendance on the court, though it procured him honour, brought him very early into difficulties; and there is some reason to believe that he was not much liked by the great duke of Buckingham, who perhaps was apprehensive of the large share he had in his master’s favour. However, he did not suffer, even by that powerful favourite’s displeasure, but remained in full credit with his master; which was notwithstanding so far from being beneficial to him, that the services expected from him, and his constant waiting upon the king, plunged him very deeply in debt, though he had a large estate, of which we find him complaining heavily in his letters to his firm and steady friend the lord viscount Wentworth, afterwards earl of Strafford. But th&e difficulties never in the least discouraged him from doing his duty, or from testifying his zeal and loyalty, when the king’s service required it. In 1638, when it was thought requisite to take the prince of Wales, afterwards Charles II. from the nursery, the king made choice of the earl of Newcastle, as the person in his kingdom most fit to have the tuition of his heir-apparent and accordingly declared him governor to the prince. In the spring of 1639, the first troubles in Scotland broke out, which induced the king to assemble an army in the north; soon after which, he went down thither to put himself at the head of it; and in his way, was most splendidly entertained by the earl of Newcastle, at his noble seat at Welbeck, as he had been some years before when he went into that kingdom to be crowned; which though in itself a very trivial matter, yet such was the magnificence of this noble peer, that from the circumstances attending them, both these entertainments have found a place in general histories. But this was not the only manner in which he expressed his warm affection for his master. Such expeditions require great expences, and the king’s treasury was but indifferently provided, for the supply of which, the earl contributed ten thousand pounds, and also raised a troop of horse, consisting of about two hundred knights and gentlemen, who served at their own charge; and this was honoured with the title of the Prince’s troop. These services, however, rather heightened than lessened that envy borne to him by some great persons about the court, and the choice that had been made of his lordship for the tuition of the prince, which was at first so universally approved, began now to be called in question by those who meant very soon to call every thing in question. On this the earl desired to resign his office, which he did; and in June 1640, it was given to the marquis of Hertford. As his lordship took this step from the knowledge he had of the ill-will borne him by the chief persons amongst the disaffected, so he thought he could not take a better method to avoid the effects of their resentment, than to retire into the country; which accordingly. he did, and remained there quietly till he received his majesty’s orders to visit Hull; and though these came at twelve o'clock at night, his lordship went immediately thither, though forty miles distant, and entered the place with only two or three servants, early the next morning. He cffered his majesty to have secured for him that important fortress, and all the magazines that were there: but instead of receiving such a command as he expected, his majesty sent him instructions to obey whatever directions were sent him by the parliament; upon the heels of which, came their order for him to attend the service of the house; which he accordingly did, when a design was formed to have attacked him, but his general character was so good, that this scheme did not succeed. He now again retired into the country, but soon after, upon the king’s coming to York, his lordship was sent for thither; and in June 1642, his majesty gave him directions to take upon him the care of the town of Newcastle, and the command of the four adjacent counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Durham. These orders were easily issued, but they were not so easily to be carried into execution; for at this time, the king had not either money, forces, or ammunition; and yet there never was more apparent necessity, for at that juncture his majesty had not a single port open in his dominions; and if either the order had been delayed a few days, or had been^ sent to any other person, the design had certainly miscarried. But, as soon as he received his majesty’s commands, he repaired immediately to the place, and by his own interest there secured it: he raised also a troop of one hundred and twenty horse, and a good regiment; of foot, which secured him from any sudden attempts. Soon after, the queen, who was retired out of the kingdom, sent a supply of arms and ammunition, which being designed for the troops under the king’s command, the earl took care they should be speedily and safely conducted to his majesty under the escdVt of his only troop, which his majesty kept, to the great prejudice of his own affairs in the nor x th. The parliament, in the mean time, had not forgotten the earl’s behaviour towards them, but as a mark of their resentment excepted him by name; which was so far from discouraging, that it put his lordship upon a more decided part: and having well considered his own influence in those parts, he offered to raise an army in the north for his majesty’s service. On this the king gave him a commission, constituting him general of all the forces raised north of Trent; and likewise general and commander in chief of such as might be raised in the counties of Lincoln, Nottingham, Lancaster, Chester, Leicester, Rutland, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex; with power to confer the honour of knighthood, coin money, and to print and set forth such declarations as should seem, to him expedient; of all which extensive powers, though freely conferred, and without reserve, his lordship made a very sparing use. But with respect to the more material point of raising men, his lordship prosecuted it with such diligence, that in less than three months he had an army of eight thousand horse, foot, and dragoons, with which be marched directly into Yorkshire; and his forces having defeated the enemy at Fierce-bridge, his lordship advanced to York, where sir Thomas Glen ham, the governor, presented him with the keys, and the earl of Cumberland and many of the nobility resorted thither to compliment and to assist his lordship. He did not long remain there; but, having placed a good garrison in the city, marched on towards Tadcaster, where the parliament forces were very advantageously posted. The design which the earl had formed, not only for reducing that 'place, hut for making the troops that were there prisoners, tailed, through the want of diligence in some of his officers; hut notwithstanding this, his lordship attacked the place so vigorously, that the enemy thought fit to retire, and leave him in possession of the hest part of Yorkshire. This advantage he improved to the utmost, hy estahiishing garrisons in proper places, particularly at Newark upon Trent, by which the greatest part of Nottinghamshire, and some part of Lincolnshire, were kept in obedience. In the beginning of 1643, his lordship gave orders for a great convoy of ammunition to be removed from Newcastle to York, under the escort of a body of horse, commanded by lieutenantgeneral King, a Scotch officer, whom his majesty had lately created lord Ethyn. The parliament forces attempted to intercept this convoy at Y arum-bridge, but were beaten on the 1st of February with a great loss. Soon after this, her majesty landing at Burlington, the earl drew his forces that way to cover her journey to York, where she safely arrived on the 7th of March, and having pressing occasions for money, his lordship presented her with three thousand pounds, and furnished an escort of fifteen hundred men, under the command of lord Percy, to conduct a supply of arms and ammunition to the king at Oxford, where he kept them for his own service. Not long after, sir Hugh Cholmondley and captain Brown Bushel were prevailed upon to return to their duty, and give up the important port and castle of Scarborough. This was followed by the routing Ferdinando lord Fairfax on Seacroft, or as some call it Bramham-moor, by lord George Goring, then general of the horse under the earl, when about eight hundred of the enemy were taken prisoners; and this again made way for another victory gained on Tankersly-moor. In the month of April, the earl marched to reduce Rotherham, which he took by storm, and soon after Sheffield; but in the mean time, lord Goring and sir Francis Mackworth were surprised, on the 2 1st of May, at Wakefield, where the former and most of his men were made prisoners, which was a great prejudice to the service. In the same month her majesty went from York to Pomfret under the escort of the earPs forces; and from thence she continued Jier journey tp Oxford, with a body of seven thousand horse, foot, and dragoons, detached for that service by the earl; and those forces, likewise, the king kept about him. In the month of June the earl reduced Howly-house by storm; and on the 30th gained a complete victory over Ferdinando lord Fairfax, though much superior to him in numbers, on Adderton- heath, near Bradford, where the enemy had seven hundred men killed, and three thousand taken prisoners; and on the 2d of July following Bradford surrendered. The earl advanced next into Lincolnshire, where he took Gainsborough and Lincoln; but was then recalled by the pressing solicitations of the gentlemen of Yorkshire into that country, wherq Beverley surrendered to him on the 28th of August, and in the next month, his lordship was prevailed on to besiege Hull, the only place of consequence then held for the parliament in those parts. Notwithstanding these important successes obtained by an army raised, and in a great measure kept up by his lordship’s personal influence and expence, there have not been wanting censures upon his conduct; of which, however, his majesty had so just a sense, that by letters-patent dated the 27th of October, he advanced him to the dignity of marquis of Newcastle; and in the preamble of his patent all his services are mentioned with suitable encomiums. That winter the earl marched into Derbyshire, and from thence to his own house at Welbeck in Nottinghamshire, where he received the news of the Scots intending to enter England, which brought him back into Yorkshire, from whence he sent sir Thomas Glenham to Newcastle, and himself for some time successfully opposed the Scots in the bishopric of Durham: but, the forces he left behind under the command of lord Bellasis at Selby being routed, the marquis found himself obliged to retire, in order, if possible, to preserve York; and this he did with so much military prudence, that he arrived there safely in the month of April 1644, and retaining his infantry and artillery in that city, sent his horse to quarter in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire, for the sake of subsistence. The city was very soon blocked up by three armies, who quickly commenced a regular siege, and were once very near taking the place by storm; and at last, having lain before it three months, brought the garrison into great distress for want of provision; and if the marquis had not very early had recourse to a short allowance, had infallibly reduced it by famine. For though sir Charles Lucas, who commanded the marquis’s horse, importuned the king for relief, yet it was the latter end of June before his majesty could send a sufficient body, under the command of prince Rupert, to join sir Charles Lucas, and attempt the forcing the enemy to raise the siege; which, however, upon their approach, they did, remaining on the west side of the Owse with all their forces, while the king’s army advanced on the east side of the same river. By this quick and vigorous march, prince Rupert had done his business; but, as is very well observed by a most judicious historian of these times, he would needs overdo it; and not content with the honour of raising the siege of York by a confederate army much superior to his own, he was bent upon having the honour to beat that army also; and this brought on the fatal battle of Hessom, or, as it is more generally called, Marston-moor, which was fought July 2, 1644, against the consent of the marquis of Newcastle, who, seeing the king’s affairs totally undone thereby, made the best of his way to Scarborough, and from thence, with a few of the principal officers of his army, took shipping for Hamburgh. After staying about six months at Hamburgh, he went by sea to Amsterdam, and from thence made a journey to Paris, where he continued for some time; and where, notwithstanuing the vast estate he had when the civil war broke out, his circumstances were now so bad, that himself and his young wife were reduced to the pawning their cloaths for a dinner. He removed afterwards to Antwerp, that he might be nearer his own country; and there, though under very great difficulties, he resided for several years; while the parliament in the mean time levied prodigious sums upon his estate, insomuch that the computation of what he lost by the disorders of those times, though none of the particulars "can be disproved, amount in the whole to a sum that is almost incredible. It has been computed at 733,579l. All these hardships and misfortunes never broke his spirit in the least, which his biographer somewhat fondly says was chiefly owing to his great foresight; for as he plainly perceived after the battle of Marston-moor, that the affairs of Charles I. were irrecoverably undone, so he discerned through the thickest clouds of Charles lid’s adversity, that he would be infallibly restored: and as he had predicted Hie civil war to the father before it began, so he gave the strongest assurance to the son of his being called home, by addressing to him a treatise upon Government and the Interests of Great Britain with respect to the other powers of Europe; which he wrote at a time when the hopes of those about his majesty scarcely rose so high as the marquis’s expectations. During this long exile of eighteen years, in which he suffered so many and so oreat hardships, this worthy nobleman wanted not some consolations that were particularly such to one of his high and generous spirit. He was, notwithstanding his low and distressed circumstances, treated with the highest respect, and with the most extraordinary marks of distinction, by the persons entrusted with the government of the countries where he resided. He received the high compliment of having the keys of the cities he passed through in the Spanish dominions offered him: he was visited by don John of Austria, and by several princes of Germany. But what comforted him most was the company very frequently of his royal master, who, in the midst of his sufferings, bestowed upon him the most noble order of the garter. On his return to England at the restoration, he was received with all the respect due to his unshaken fidelity and important services was constituted chief justice in Eyre of the counties north of Trent, and, by letters- patent dated the 16th of March 1664, was advanced to the dignity of earl of Ogle, and duke of Newcastle. He spent the remainder of his life, for the most part, in a country retirement, and in reading and writing, in which he took singular pleasure. He also employed a great part of his time in repairing the injuries which his fortune had received, and at length departed this life December 25, 1676, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. His grace was twice married, but had issue only by his first lady. His body lies interred, with that of his duchess, under a most noble monument at the entrance into Westminster-abbey, with an inscription suitable to his merits. His titles descended to his son Henry, earl of Ogle, who was the last heir male of this family, and died July 26, 1691, in whom the title of Newcastle, in the line of Cavendish, became extinguished, but his daughters married into some of the noblest families of this kingdom.
y early to pneumatic chemistry, he ascertained, in 1760y the extreme levity of in flammable air, now called hydrogen gas. On this discovery many curious experiments, and
, son of lord Charles Cavendish (who was brother to the third duke of Devonshire), and the lady Anne Grey, third daughter of Henry duke of Kent, was born at Nice, whither his mother had gone for her health, on Oct. 10, 1731, and after an education befitting his rank, partly at Newcombe’s school at Hackney, and partly at Cambridge, devoted his life to scientific pursuits, and became one of the most eminent chemists and natural philosophers of the age. He had studied and rendered himself particularly conversant with every part of sir Isaac Newton’s philosophy, the principles of which he applied near forty years ago to an investigation of the Jaws on which the phenomena of electricity depend. Pursuing the same science on the occasion of Mr. Walsh’s experiments with the torpedo, he gave a satisfactory explanation of'the remarkable powers of the electrical fishes; pointing out that distinction between common and animal electricity, which has since been amply confirmed by the discoveries in galvanism. Having turned his attention very early to pneumatic chemistry, he ascertained, in 1760y the extreme levity of in flammable air, now called hydrogen gas. On this discovery many curious experiments, and particularly that of aerial navigation, have been founded. In the same paths of science, he made the important discovery of the composition of water by union of two airs; and that laid the foundation of the modern system of chemistry, which rests principally on this fact, and that of the decomposition of water, announced soon afterwards by Mons. Lavoisier.
h was, that he had a very extraordinary sympathy with the heavens, especially with the sun, which he called his star; and which had very remarkable effects both upon his
None of his works did him more honour in his day, than
that which he entitled “La cour sainte,
” or “The holy court,
”
a moral work, illustrated by stories well known once to the
readers of old folios in this country. It has been often reprinted and translated into Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portugueze, German, and English. He published several other
books, both in Latin and French particularly, 1. “De Kloquentia sacra et humana,
” Klectorum Symbolorum et Parabolarum historicarum Syntagmata,
” Disputes
sur les quatre livres des Hois, touchant l'Education des
Princes,
” fol. 4. “Tragedise Sacra,
” Apologie pour les Religieux de la Compagnie de Jesus,
” La Vie neutre des Filles devotes,
” &c. 1G44-.
7. “Symbolica ^gyptiorum Sapientia,
” Christian Diary
” was printed in English, Father,
you have here an attendant, who, if I am not mistaken,
will become in time one of the greatest ornaments in your
society.
”
d 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,
, 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.
chapel, which is sometimes given to a printing room, is derived from this circumstance; but what is called a chapel, in a printing-office, is not a building, but a convocation
There is no account whatever of the typographical labours of Caxton from the year 1471 to 1474; although it is
extremely probable that a curious and active mind like his,
just engaged in the exercise of a newly-discovered and important art, would have turned its attention to a variety of
objects for publication. Of the exact period of his return
to his native country no information has yet been obtained,
and what Oldys and Lewis have advanced on this subject
amounts to mere conjecture: still less credit is to be given
to the fabricated story of Henry VI. paving sent a person
to Holland who brought si way Frederick Corsellis, a vorkxnan, and that Caxton had a hand in this seduction. All
that is certainly known is, that previously to the year
1477, Caxton, after printing there the three works nentioncd, had quitted the Low Countries, and taken up his
residence in the vicinity of Westminster-abbey, vhen
Thomas Milling, bishop of Hereford, held the abbctship
of St. Peter’s in commendam; and he had no doubt brought
over with him all the necessary implements and materials
of his trade. The particular spot where Caxton first sxercised his business, if we may credit Stowe, was an old
chapel about the entrance of the abbey, and Oldys, somewhat whimsically, concludes that the name of chapel, which
is sometimes given to a printing room, is derived from this
circumstance; but what is called a chapel, in a printing-office, is not a building, but a convocation of journeymenprinters, to inquire into and punish certain faults in each
other. Where the place occurs in any of Caxton’s publications, Westminster is mentioned generally, but the
greater number of the productions of his press specify only
the. date of their execution. According to Bagford, Caxton’s ofHce was afterwards removed into King-street, but
whereabouts is not known; and we have yet to regret, as of
more importance, that the precise period of his first essay
in the art of printing is a matter of conjecture. Mr, Dibdin
has summed up the evidence with precision and judgment;
and to his valuahle work we must refer the reader, as well
as for a chronological detail of the works which issued from
the Caxton press. Exclusive of the labours attached to
the working of Caxton’s press, as a new art, he contrived,
though “well stricken in years,
” to translate no fewer
than 5000 closely printed folio pages; and, as Oldys expivsses it, “kept preparing copy for the press to the very
last.
” From the evidence of Wynkyn de Worde, in the
colophon of his edition of the “Vitas Patrum,
” translated
out of French into English by William Caxton, of Westminster, late dead,
” and that he finished it “at the last
day of his life.
” He might have chosen this work as his
final literary effort, from a consideration, according to
Oldys, that “from the examples of quiet and solemn retirement therein set forth, it might farther serve to wean
his mind from all worldly attachments, exalt it above the
solicitudes of this life, and inure him to that repose and
tranquillity with which he seems to have designed it.
”
the houses of York and Lancaster; and that the education of youth, and the encouragement of what is called the belles lettres, were confined within the narrowest boundaries.
It will be difficult, however, to give Caxton praise for the general strength and soundness of his judgment; not so much from the selection of such pieces as he has printed (for these were published in conformity with the prevailing studies of the day), as from the promptitude and prodigality of his praises towards objects not always deserving of commendation. Nor can we admire him for his unqualified belief of all the marvellous stones recorded in Godfrey of Boulogne; although the admiration with which he speaks of, and his uniform attachment to, this kind of composition, may dispose us to forgive him for the plenitude of his faith. In a word, if Caxton does not enjoy the intellectual reputation of an Aldus, a Stephens, a Turnebus, a Plantin, or a Bowyer, it must be remembered with what a slender stock of materials, and in what an uncivilized period, he commenced his career; that our land was then yet moist with the blood that had flowed in the civil wars of the houses of York and Lancaster; and that the education of youth, and the encouragement of what is called the belles lettres, were confined within the narrowest boundaries. The most illustrious patrons of which our printer could boast, were the earl Rivers and the earl of Worcester; but even the rank and accomplishment of these noblemen, especially of the latter, were insufficient to protect them from insult, persecution, and a premature end.
is merit with an ensigncy in the gendarmerie. In 1711 he commanded a regiment of dragoons, which was called by his own name; and he signalized himself at the head of it
The count was only twelve years of age when his father died at Brussels, in Nov. 1704. After finishing his exercises, he entered into the corps of the Mousquetaires; and in his first campaign in 1709, he distinguished himself by his valour in such a manner, that Louis XIV. commended him in the presence of all the court; and rewarded his merit with an ensigncy in the gendarmerie. In 1711 he commanded a regiment of dragoons, which was called by his own name; and he signalized himself at the head of it in Catalonia. lu 1713, he was at the siege of Fribourg, where he was exposed to imminent danger in the bloody attack of the covered way. Had he been disposed to enter into the views of his family, the favour of madame de Maintenon, and his own personal merit, could not fail to have raised him to the highest honours; but the peace of Rastade left him in a state of inactivity ill-suited to his natural temper.
st her will, in a design of quitting the court for a few days, for the purpose of taking physic, she called him “a froward old fool.” He fell also under her majesty’s displeasure
The queen’s regard to lord Burleigh, though sincere and
permanent, was occasionally intermixed with no small degree of petulance and ill humour. He was severely reproached by her in 1594, on account of the state of affairs
in Ireland; and, on another occasion, when he persisted,
against her will, in a design of quitting the court for a few
days, for the purpose of taking physic, she called him
“a froward old fool.
” He fell also under her majesty’s
displeasure because he disagreed with her in opinion concerning an affair which related to the earl of Essex. Having supported the earl’s claim, in opposition to the queen,
her indignation was so much excited against the treasurer, that she treated him as a miscreant and a coward.
Lord Burleigh being in the latter part of his life much
subject to the gout, sir John Harrington observes, in a
letter to his lordship, that he did not invite the stay of
such a guest by rich wines, or strong spices. It is probable that the frequent return of this disorder, in conjunction with the weight of business, and the general infirmities of age, contributed to the peevishness into which he
was sometimes betrayed. In a conversation which he had
with Mons. de Fouquerolles, an agent from Henry the
Fourth, king of France, he lost himself so much, as to
yeflect in the grossest terms upon that monarch. This
was, indeed, an astonishing act of imprudence, in a man
of his years and experience; and affords a striking instance
of the errors and inadvertencies to which the wisest and
best persons are liable. When the lord treasurer died,
queen Elizabeth was so much affected with the event, that
she took it very grievously, shed tears, and separated herself, for a time, from all company.
n defence of the punishments inflicted on the Roman catholics in the reign of queen Elizabeth: it is called “The Execution of Justice in England, for maintenance of public
Besides these lesser failings of this great man, he has
been accused of illiberality to the poet Spenser, which
perhaps may be attributed to his dislike of Leicester, under
whose patronage Spenser had come forward, but perhaps
more to his want of relish for poetry. On the other hand,
our historians are generally agreed in their praises of his
high character. Smollett only has endeavoured to lessen
it, but as this is coupled with a disregard for historical
truth, the attempt is entitled to little regard, and the advocates for Mary queen of Scots cannot be supposed to
forgive the share he had in her fate. Lord Orford has
given lord Burleigh a place among his “Royal and Noble
Authors,
” but at the same time justly observes, that he is one
of those great names, better known in the annals of his country than in those of the republic of letters. Besides lord
Burleigh’s answer to a Latin libel published abroad, which
he entitled “Slanders and Lies,
” and “A Meditation of
the State of England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
”
lord Orford mentions “La Complainte de PAme pecheresse,
” in French verse, extant in the king’s library; “Car
mina duo Latina in Obitum Margaretae Nevillee, Reginoe
Catherine a Cubiculis;
” “Carmen Latinum in Memoriain
Tho. Challoneri Equitis aurati, prsefixum ejusdem Libro de
restaurata Republica;
” “A Preface to Queen Catherine
Parr’s Lamentation of a Sinner.
” When sir William Cecil
accompanied the duke of Somerset on his expedition to
Scotland, he furnished materials for an account of that
war, which was published by William Patten, under the
title of “Diarium Expeditions Scoticae,
” London, The first paper or memorial of sir William Cecil \
anno primo Eliz.
” This, which is only a paper of memorandums, is printed in Somers’s tracts, from a manuscript
in the Cotton library. “A Speech in Parliament, 1592.
”
This was first published by Strype in his Annals, and has
since been inserted in the Parliamentary History. “Lord
Burleigh’s Precepts, or directions for the well-ordering and
carriage of a man’s life,
” A Meditation on the
Death of his Lady.
” Mr. Ballard, in his Memoirs of British Ladies, has printed this Meditation from an original
formerly in the possession of James West, esq. but now in
the British Museum. Lord Burleigh was supposed to be
the author of a thin pamphlet, in defence of the punishments inflicted on the Roman catholics in the reign of
queen Elizabeth: it is called “The Execution of Justice
in England, for maintenance of public and Christian peace,
against certain stirrers of sedition, and adherents to the
traitors and enemies of the realm, without any persecution
of them for questions of religion, as it is falsely reported,
&c.
” London, Leicester’s Commonwealth,
” It was asserted, that
the hints, at least, were furnished by him for that
composition. But no proof has been given of this assertion,
and it was not founded on any degree of probability. His
lordship drew up also a number of pedigrees, some of
which are preserved in the archbishop of Canterbury’s
library at Lambeth. These contain the genealogies of the
kings of England, from William the Conqueror to Edward
the Fourth; of queen Anne Boleyn; and of several princely
houses in Germany.
ded her, knowing there were in it some letters from his correspondents, with great presence of mind, called immediately for a knife toopen it, that a delay might not create
In 1597 he was constituted cbancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. In February 1597-8 he went to France with Mr. Herbert and sir Thomas Wylkes, to endeavour to divert Henry IV. from the treaty at Vervins; and in May 1599, succeeded his father in the office of master of the court of wards, for which he resigned a better place, that of chancellor of the duchy, being so restrained in the court of wards, by new orders, that he was, as he expressed it, a ward himself. He succeeded his father likewise in the post of principal minister of state, and from that time public affairs seem to have been entirely under his direction. During the last years of his queen, he supported her declining age with such vigour and prudence as at once enabled her to assist her allies the States General, when they were ingloriously abandoned by France, and to defeat a dangerous rebellion in Ireland, which was cherished by powerful assistance from Spain. But though he was a faithful servant to his mistress, yet he kept a secret correspondence with her successor king James, in which he was once in great danger of being discovered by the queen. As her majesty was taking the air upon Blackheath, near her palace at Greenwich, a post riding by, she inquired from whence it came; and being told from Scotland, she stopped her coach to receive the packet. Sir Robert Cecil, who attended her, knowing there were in it some letters from his correspondents, with great presence of mind, called immediately for a knife toopen it, that a delay might not create suspicion. When he came to cut it open, he told the queen that it looked and smelt very ill, and therefore was proper to be opened and aired before she saw what it contained; to which her majesty consented, having an extreme aversion to bad smells. Upon her decease he was the first who publicly read her will, and proclaimed king James; and his former services to that prince, or the interest of sir George Hume, afterwards earl of Dunbar, so effectually recommended him to his majesty, that he took him into the highest degree of favour, and continued him in his office of principal minister; and though in that reign public affairs were not carried on with the same spirit as in the last, the fault cannot justly be charged on this minister, but on the king, whose timid temper induced him to have peace with all the world, and especially with Spain at any rate. But though sir Robert Cecil was far from approving, in his heart, the measures taken for obtaining that inglorious peace, yet he so far ingratiated himself with his sovereign that he was raised to greater honours; being on May 13, 1603, created baron of Essenden, in Rutlandshire; on the 20th of August, 1604, viscount Cranborne, in Dorsetshire (the first of that degree who bore a coronet), and on May 4, 1605, earl of Salisbury.
Severus, about 231. The body of St. Cecilia was found by pope Pascal I. in the cemetery of a church called by her name, which occurs as early as the sixth century; and
, the reputed patroness of music, was a Roman virgin of distinguished birth, who lived in the second century. She was eminent for her piety, and had vowed virginity, but contrary to her inclinations-, was espoused by her parents to a heathen nobleman of the name of Valerian, whom she is said to have kept from her bed, by informing him that she had an angel appointed to protect her, and she engaged that Valerian should see this angel, in case he would prepare himself for such a favour by becoming a Christian. Valerian consented, saw the angel, abstained from Cecilia as a wife, and was converted along with his brother Tiburtius. Valerian and Tiburtius suffered martyrdom, and Cecilia was honoured with the same death some days after. These martyrdoms are variously placed under M. Aurelius, between 176 and 180, and under Alexander Severus, about 231. The body of St. Cecilia was found by pope Pascal I. in the cemetery of a church called by her name, which occurs as early as the sixth century; and her body and her husband’s, found in the same place, were translated in 821 to a monastery founded by pope Pascal in honour of the martyrs Tiburtius and Maximus, near the church of St. Cecilia in Rome, usually called in Trastevere, to distinguish it from two others dedicated to the sama saint.
saint, has placed in her hands a column of organ pipes, or rather the front of a portable instrument called the regals, which in Roman catholic times used to be carried
Musical and other historians have not been able to assign any better reason for honouring St. Cecilia as the patroness of music, than what may be found in her “Acts,
”
which still exist in Surius, but are now considered as of no
authority. Yet as they were credited in more credulous
times, painters fixed upon organs as the appropriate emblem of this saint; musicians chose her for their patroness,
and poets have described her as the in ven tress of the organ, and as charming angels to leave their celestial spheres,
in order to listen to her harmony. The earliest notice of
her as the tutelar saint of music seems to have been in the
works of the great painters of the Italian school; some representing her as performing on the harp, and others on
the organ. Raphael, in his celebrated portrait of the saint,
has placed in her hands a column of organ pipes, or rather
the front of a portable instrument called the regals, which
in Roman catholic times used to be carried by one person
and played by another in processions. But of the celebration of her birth-day by assemblies of musicians, we have
been able to discover no instance earlier than the latter end
of the seventeenth century, when there was a rage among
the votaries of music for celebrating the birth-day of this
saint, November 22, not only in London, but in all the
considerable cities and provincial towns in the kingdom,
where music was cultivated. Dryden’s Ode to St. Cecilia
has led Mr. Malone into a prolix and probably very accurate history of this saint, and into a chronological account
of all the great Cecilian festivals held in London from 1683
to 1740, with a list of all the odes written expressly for
the celebration of St. Cecilia, by whom written, and by
whom set to music.
ew and morai philosophy at Weissenfels, in which office he continued for seven years. In 1673 he was called to Weimar, to be rector of the college there, which, at the
, an eminent critic and geographer, was born 1638, at Smalcalde, a little town in Franconia, where his father was minister. His mother, Mary Zehners, was daughter of the famous divine, Joachim Zehners. He came of a family in which learning seems to have been hereditary. When three years old, he had the misfortune to lose his father, but his mother took care of his education. He began his studies in the college of Smalcalde, and at eighteen was removed to Jena, to finish his studies in that university. During a residence of three years in this place, he applied to classical learning under Bosius, to philosophy under Bechman, to the Oriental languages under Frischmuth, and to mathematics under Weigelius. In 1659 he quitted Jena to go to Giessen, to study divinity under Peter Haberkorn. He afterwards returned to Jena, and took a doctor’s degree there in 1666. The year following he was made professor of Hebrew and morai philosophy at Weissenfels, in which office he continued for seven years. In 1673 he was called to Weimar, to be rector of the college there, which, at the end of three years, he exchanged for a similar rank at Zeits. After two years stay here, the college of Mersbourg was offered to him, which he accepted. His learning, his abilities, and his diligence, soon rendered this college famous, and drew a great number of students; and the place was so agreeable to him, that he determined to end his days there; but Providence disposed of him otherwise. For the king of Prussia, having founded an university at Halle in 1693, prevailed upon him to be professor of eloquence and history in it, and here he composed a great part of his works. His great application shortened his days, and hastened on the infirmities of old age. He was a long time afflicted with the stone, but never could be persuaded to seek assistance from medicine. He died, 1707, in his sixty-ninth year.
, a Latin poet, called also Protucius and Meissel, was born at Sweinfurt near Wetrtzburg
, a Latin poet, called also Protucius and Meissel, was born at Sweinfurt near Wetrtzburg
in 1459, and died at Vienna in 1508, after having gained
the poetic laurel. He has left, 1. “Odes,
” Strasburg,
Epigrams,
” and a poem on the manners
of the Germans, An historical account
of the city of Nuremberg,
” Strasburg,
earlier pieces were published under the name of Carrol. Her first attempt was in tragedy, in a play called “The Perjured Husband,” which was performed at Drurylane Theatre
It was at this period of her life that she commenced dramatic author; to which she was probably in some degree
induced by the narrowness of her circumstances. Some of
her earlier pieces were published under the name of Carrol. Her first attempt was in tragedy, in a play called
“The Perjured Husband,
” which was performed at
Drurylane Theatre in The Beau’s Duel, or a
Soldier for the Ladies, a comedy;
” and “Love’s Contrivances,
” which is chiefly a translation from Moliere; and
the following year another comedy, entitled “The Stolen
Heiress, or the Salamanca Doctor outwitted.
” In The Gamester
” was acted at Lincoln’sinn-fields, which met with considerable success, and has
since been revived at Drury-lane. The plot of this piece
“was chiefly borrowed from a French comedy, called
” Le
Dissipateur." The Prologue was written by Mr. Rowe.
of grammar; but when the examiners understood that he had given superior proofs of learning, they re- called him, pleaded that they were obliged to certain forms in their
, whose family name was Teyng,
which he exchanged for Ceratinus, from xsfag, horn, an
allusion to Horn or Hoorn in Holland, was born there in
the beginning of the sixteenth century. It appears from
Erasmus’s letters, that he thought Ceratinus one of the
most profound scholars in Greek and Latin which the age
afforded; yet, when he came to be ordained priest at
Utrecht, he was rejected for ignorance of the rules of
grammar; but when the examiners understood that he had
given superior proofs of learning, they re-called him,
pleaded that they were obliged to certain forms in their
examination, and granted him letters of ordination. On
the recommendation of Erasmus, George, elector of Saxony, appointed him to succeed Mosellanus in his professorship at Leipsic; and on this occasion Erasmus declared
that he was worth, in point of learning, ten such as Mosellanus. He was also offered the Greek professorship in
the college of three languages at Louvain. At Leipsic he
did not meet with the reception he deserved, owing to its
being suspected that he had imbibed Lutheran principles.
He died at Louvain April 10, 1530, in the flower of his
age. His works were, A very elegant translation of
Chrysostom’s “Treatise concerning the Priesthood
” an
improved edition of the “Graeco- Latin Lexicon,
” printed
by Froben, in De Sono Graecarum Literarum,
” printed in Sylloge Scriptorum,
” or collection of commentators on
the pronunciation of the Greek, Leyden, 1736.
, an eminent painter, called M. A. DI Battague, from his excellence in painting battles,
, an eminent painter, called M. A. DI Battague, from his excellence in painting battles, and Bambocciate, from his turn for painting markets, fairs, &c. was born at Rome in 1600, or 1602. His father, a jeweller, perceiving his disposition to the art, placed him with James d'As6, a Flemish painter, then in credit at Rome; after three years study with him, he went to the school of P. P. Cortonese, whom he quitted to become the disciple and imitator of Bamboccio. He surpassed all his fellow-students in taste, and had a manner of painting peculiar to himself. His chearful temper appeared in his pictures, in which ridicule was strongly represented. The facility of his pencil was such, that on the recital of a battle, a shipwreck, or any uncommon figure, he could express it* directly on his canvas. His colouring was vigorous, and his touch light. He never made designs or sketches, but only re-touched his pictures until he hud brought them to all the perfection of which he was capable. Such was his reputation that he could hardly supply the commissions he received, and he became so rich that the cares of wealth began to perplex him. He on one occasion took all his wealth to a retired place in order to bury it, but when he arrived, was so alarmed lest it should be found, that he brought it back, with much trouble, and having been two nights and a day without sleep or sustenance, this, it is said, injured his health, and brought on a violent fever which proved fatal in 1660. His personal character is highly praised. Mr. Fuseli says, that he differs from Bamboccio in the character and physiognomy of his figures; instead of Dutch or Flemish mobs, he painted those of Italy. Both artists have strongand vivid tints; Bamboccio is superior to him in landscape, and he excelis Bamboccio in the spirit of his figures. One of his most copious works is in the palace Spada at Rome, in which he has represented an arrny df fanatic Lazzaroni, who shout applause to Masaniello.
ery, although six other places, Seville, Madrid, Esquivias, Toledo, Lucena, and Alcazar de San Juan, called him their son, and each had their advocates to support their
, the author
of Don Quixote, was born at Alcala de Henares in 1547.
He was the son of Rodrigo de Cervantes and Donna Leonora de Cortinas, and baptised Sunday, Oct. 9 of that
year, as appears from the parish register of Santa Maria la
Mayor in Alcala. Several concurring testimonies furnished
the clue for this discovery, although six other places, Seville, Madrid, Esquivias, Toledo, Lucena, and Alcazar
de San Juan, called him their son, and each had their advocates to support their claims, in which respect his fame
resembles that of Homer’s. His parents designed him for
the profession of letters, and although he had at home the
opportunity of instruction in the university, he studied
Latin in Madrid. He afterwards resided there in 1568,
but two years afterwards we find him at Rome in the service of cardinal Aquaviva in the capacity of chamberlain.
Some time after this, pope Pius V. Philip IL of Spain, and
the republic of Venice, united in a league, which was concluded May 29, 1571, against Selim the grand Turk.
Cervantes, not satisfied with an idle court life, desirous of
military renown, determined to commence soldier. Marco
Antonio Colonna being appointed general of the pope’s
galleys, Cervantes went with him, and was present in the
famous battle of Lepanto, where he was so wounded in his
left hand by a gun-shot as totally to lose the use of it; but
he thought this such an honour, that he afterwards declared
he would rather have been present in this glorious enterprise, than to be whole in his limbs, and not to have
there at all.
Colonna returned to Rome in the end of 1572, and it is
probable that Cervantes was with him,; as he tells us that
for some years he followed his conquering banners. He
was ordered to join his regiment at Naples, notwithstanding
his being maimed. In his “Viage del Parnaso,
” he tells
us that he walked its streets more than a year: and in the
copy of his ransom, it appears that he was there a long
time. Don J. A. Pellicer supposes that in this city he employed his leisure hours in cultivating his knowledge of the
Italian tongue, and in reading of its good writers, with
whom he appears conversant in his works. As he was going from Naples to Spain on board the galley of the Sun,
Sept. 26, 1575, he had the misfortune to fall into the hands
of the Moors, who carried him captive to Algiers. The
several hardships he underwent in his five years’ captivity
are noticed by a contemporary writer: and though the
events mentioned in the story of “The Captive,
” in the
first part of Don Quixote, cannot strictly be applied to
himself, yet they could hardly have been so feelingly described but by one who had been a spectator of such treatment as he relates. Several extraordinary and dangerous
attempts were made by him and his companions to obtain
their liberty, which was effected at last by the regular way
of ransom, which took place Sept. 19, 1580. The price
was 500 escudos; towards which his mother, a widow, contributed 250 ducats, and his sister 50.
out the affront that he had received in the strongest terms possible, and was very earnest to be re- called; but the queen his mistress contented herself with letting him
, a gallant soldier, an able
statesman, and a very learned writer in the sixteenth century, was descended from a good family in Wales, and
born at London about 1515. His quick parts discovered
themselves even in his infancy; so that his family, to promote that passionate desire of knowledge for whidh he was
so early distinguished, sent him to the university of Cambridge, where he remained some years, and obtained great
credit, as well by the pregnancy of his wit as his constant
and diligent application, but especially by his happy turn
for Latin poetry, in which he exceeded most of his contemporaries. Upon his removing from college he came
up to court, and being there recommended to the esteem
and friendship of the greatest men about it, he was soon
sent abroad into Germany with sir Henry Knevet, as the
custom was in the reign of Henry VIII. when young men
of great hopes were frequently employed in the service of
ambassadors, that they might at once improve and polish
themselves by travel, and gain some experience in business. He was so well received at the court of the emperor
Charles V. and so highly pleased with the noble and generous spirit of that great monarch, that he attended him in
his journies, and in his wars, particularly in that fatal expedition against Algiers, which cost the lives of so many
brave men, and was very near cutting short the thread of
Mr. Chaloner’s; for in the great tempest by which the
emperor’s fleet was shattered on the coast of Barbary in
1541, the vessel, on board of which he was, suffered shipwreck, and Mr. Chaloner having quite wearied and exhausted himself by swimming in the dark, at length beat
his head against a cable, of which laying hold with his
teeth, he was providentially drawn up into the ship to which
it belonged. He returned soon after into England, and as
a reward of his learning and services, was promoted to the
office of first clerk of the council, which he held during
the remainder of that reign. In the beginning of the next
he came into great favour with the duke of Somerset,
whom he attended into Scotland, and was in the battle of
Mussleburgh, where he distinguished himself so remarkably in the presence of the duke, that he conferred upon
him the honour of knighthood Sept. 28, 1547, and after
his return to court, the duchess of Somerset presented
him with a rich jewel. The first cloud that darkened his
patron’s fortune, proved fatal to sir Thomas Chaloner’s
pretensions; for being a man of a warm and open temper,
and conceiving the obligation he was under to the duke as
a tie that hindered his making court to his adversary, a
stop was put to his preferment, and a vigilant eye kept
upon his actions. But his loyalty to his prince, and his
exact discharge of his duty, secured him from any farther
danger, so that he had leisure to apply himself to his
studies, and to cultivate his acquaintance with the worthiest
men of that court, particularly sir John Cheke, sir Anthony Coke, sir Thomas Smith, and especially sir William
Cecil, with whom he always lived in the strictest intimacy.
Under the reign of queen Mary he passed his time, though
safely, yet very unpleasantly; for being a zealous protestant, he could not practise any part of that complaisance
which procured some of his friends an easier life. He
interested himself deeply in the affair of sir John Cheke,
and did him all the service he was able, both before and
after his confinement. This had like to have brought sir
Thomas himself into trouble, if the civilities he had shewn
in king Edward’s reign, to some of those who had the
greatest power under queen Mary, had not moved them,
from a principle of gratitude, to protect him. Indeed, it
appears from his writings, that as he was not only sincere,
but happy in his friendships, and as he was never wanting
to his friends when he had power, he never felt the want
of them when he had it not, and, which he esteemed the
greatest blessing of his life, he lived to return those kindnesses to some who had been useful to him in that dangerous season. Upon the accession of Elizabeth, he appeared at court with his former lustre; and it must afford
us a very high opinion of his character as well as his capacity, that he was the first ambassador named by that wise
princess, and that also to the first prince in Europe, Ferdinand I. emperor of Germany. In this negociation, which
was of equal importance and delicacy, he acquitted himself with great reputation, securing the confidence of the
emperor and his ministers, and preventing the popish
powers from associating against Elizabeth, before she
was well settled on the throne, all which she very
gratefully acknowledged. After his return from this embassy, he was very soon thought of for another, which was
that of Spain; and though it is certain the queen could
not give a stronger proof than this of her confidence in
his abilities, yet he was very far from thinking that it was
any mark of her kindness, more especially considering the
terms upon which she then stood with king Philip, and
the usage his predecessor, Chamberlain, had met with at
that court. But he knew the queen would be obeyed,
and therefore undertook the business with the best grace
he could, and embarked for Spain in 1561. On his first
arrival he met with some of the treatment which he dreaded.
This was the searching of all his trunks and cabinets, of
which he complained loudly, as equally injurious to himself as a gentleman, and to his character as a public minister. His complaints, however, were fruitless; for at that
time there is great probability that his Catholic majesty
was not over desirous of having an English minister, and
more especially one of sir Thomas’s disposition, at his
court, and therefore gave him no satisfaction. Upon this
sir Thomas Chaloner wrote home, set out the affront that
he had received in the strongest terms possible, and was
very earnest to be re-called; but the queen his mistress
contented herself with letting him know, that it was the
duty of every person who bore a public character, to bear
with patience what happened to them, provided no personal indignity was offered to the prince from whom they
came. Yet, notwithstanding this seeming indifference on
her part, the searching sir Thomas Chaloner’s trunks was,
many years afterwards, put into that public charge which
the queen exhibited against his Catholic majesty, of injuries done to her before she intermeddled with the affairs of
the Low Countries. Sir Thomas, however, kept up his
spirit, and shewed the Spanish ministers, and even that
haughty monarch himself, that the queen could not have
entrusted her affairs in better hands than his. There were
some persons of very good families in England, who, for
the sake of their religion, and no doubt out of regard to
the interest to which they had devoted themselves, desired
to have leave from queen Elizabeth to reside in the Low
Countries or elsewhere, and king Philip and his ministers
made it a point to support their suit. Upon this, when a
conference was held with sir Thomas Chaloner, he answered very roundly, that the thing in itself was of very
little importance, since it was no great matter where the
persons who made this request spent the remainder of their
days; but that considering the rank and condition of the
princes interested in this business, it was neither fit for the
one to ask, nor for the other to grant; and it appeared
that he spoke the sense of his court, for queen Elizabeth
would never listen to the proposal. In other respects he
was not unacceptable to the principal persons of the
Spanish court, who could not help admiring his talents as
a minister, his bravery as a soldier, with which in former
times they were well acquainted, his general learning and
admirable skill in Latin poetry, of which he gave them
many proofs during his stay in their country. It was here,
at a time when, as himself says in the preface, he spent
the winter in a stove, and the summer in a barn, that he
composed his great work of “The right ordering of the
English republic.
” But though this employment might in
some measure alleviate his chagrin, yet he fell into a very
grievous fit of sickness, which brought him so low that his
physicians despaired of his life. In this condition he
addressed his sovereign in an elegy after the manner of
Ovid, setting forth his earnest desire to quit Spain and
return to his native country, before care and sickness
forced him upon a longer journey. The queen granted
his petition, and having named Dr. Man his successor in
his negociation, at length gave him leave to return home
from an embassy, in which he had so long sacrificed his
private quiet to the public conveniency. He accordingly
returned to London in the latter end of 1564, and published
the first five books of his large work before-mentioned,
which he dedicated to his good friend sir William Cecil;
but the remaining five books were probably not published.
in his life-time. He resided in a fair large house of his
own building in Clerkenwell-close, over-against the decayed nunnery; and Weever has preserved from oblivion
an elegant fancy of his, which was penciled on the frontispiece of his dwelling. He died Oct. 7, 1565, and was
buried in the cathedral church of St. Paul with great funeral
solemnity, sir William Cecil, then principal secretary of
state, assisting as chief mourner, who also honoured his
memory with some Latin verses, in which he observes,
that the most lively imagination, the most solid judgment,
the quickest parts, and the most unblemished probity,
which are commonly the lot of different men, and when so
dispersed frequently create great characters, were, which
very rarely happens, all united in sir Thomas Chaloner,
justly therefore reputed one of the greatest men of his
time. He also encouraged Dr. William Malim, formerly
fellow of King’s college in Cambridge, and then master of
St. Paul’s school, to collect and publish a correct edition
of our author’s poetical works; which he accordingly did,
and addressed it in an epistle from St. Paul’s school, dated
August 1, 1579, to lord Burleigh. Sir Thomas Chaloner
married Ethelreda, daughter of Edward Frodsham of EJton,
in the county palatine of Chester, esq. by whom he had
issue his only son Thomas, the subject of the next article.
This lady, not long after sir Thomas’s decease, married
sir * * * Brockett, notwithstanding which the lord Burleigh continued his kindness to her, out of respect to that
friendship which he had for her first husband. Sir Thomas’s epitaph was written by one of the best Latin poets of
that age, Dr. Walter Haddon, master of requests to queen
Elizabeth.
ing the acts of parliament of that kingdom by authority in 1566, which, from the type, were commonly called the “Black Acts.” Not long after this he was appointed one of
, a Scotch historian, priest, and lawyer, was born in the shire of Ross
about the year 1530, and educated in the university of
Aberdeen. From thence he went to France and Italy,
and continued some time, particularly at Bologna, where
in 1556 he was a pupil of Marianus Sozenus. After his
return to Scotland he was appointed by queen Mary, parson of Suddy, and chancellor of Ross. He was soon after
employed in digesting the laws of Scotland, and was principally concerned in publishing the acts of parliament of
that kingdom by authority in 1566, which, from the type,
were commonly called the “Black Acts.
” Not long after
this he was appointed one of the lords of session, by the
title of lord Ormond, and continued attached to the queen
until the decline of her power, when he and her other adherents were obliged to go abroad. He then went into
Spain, and to France, in both which countries he was
kindly received by their respective sovereigns, Philip and
Charles IX. to which last in 1572 he presented his “Abridgment of the History of Scotland, France, and Ireland.
” He
died at Paris in Histoire abrege de tous les Roys c'e France, Angleterre, et
Escosse.
” 2. “La recherche des singularitez plus remarkables concernant le estat d'Ecosse.
” 3. “Discours
de la legitime succession des femmes aux possessions de
leurs parens, et du government des princesses aux empires
et royaumes.
” Machenzie gives a full analysis of all these,
but bishop Nicolson has not so high an opinion of the
soundness of the author’s principles. Dempster and others
highly extol his learning and character.
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,
, 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.
ngs. His mode of life was reserved, for he kept little company, and no table. An intimate friend who called on him one morning, was asked by him to stay and dine. “And
His personal character had many peculiarities. What
we record with most regret is that his religious sentiments
leaned to infidelity, although it has been said in excuse
that he avoided propagating his opinions, and certainly did
not introduce them in his writings. His mode of life
was reserved, for he kept little company, and no table. An
intimate friend who called on him one morning, was asked
by him to stay and dine. “And what will you give me,
Ephraim?
” said the gentleman, “I dare engage you have
nothing for dinner;
” to which Mr. Chambers calmly replied, “Yes, I have a fritter; and if you‘ll stay with me,
I’ll have two.
” Yet, though thus inattentive to himself, he
was very generous to the poor. He was likewise sufficiently
conscious of his defects in social qualities, and when urged
to marry that he might then have a person to look after
him, which his health required, he replied somewhat hastily, “What! shall 1 make a woman miserable, to contribute to my own ease? For miserable she must be the moment she gives her hand to so unsocial a being as myself.
”
forcibly struck with the wretched situation of the great hospital of Paris (the Hotel Dieu, as it is called), where the dead, the dying, and the living, are very often
, was
born at Paris in 1717, and destined to supply his father’s
place in the parliament of that city as a judge, as well as
that of his uncle in the same situation. He made choice
of the one of them that would give him the least trouble, and
afford him the most leisure for his benevolent projects.
Medicine was his favourite study. This he practised on
the poor only, with such an ardour and activity of mind,
that the hours which many persons give to sleep, he bestowed upon the assistance of the sick. To make himself
more useful to them, he had learned to bleed, which operation he performed with all the dexterity of the most experienced surgeon. His disposition to do good appeared so
early that when he was a boy, he used to give to the poor
the money which other boys spent in general in an idle and
unprofitable manner. He was once very much in love with a
young lady of great beauty and accomplishment; but
imagining that she would not make him a suitable assistant
in his attendance upon the poor, he gave over all thoughts
of marriage; not very wisely, perhaps, sacrificing to the
extreme delicacy of one woman only his attachment to
that sex, in whose tenderness of disposition, and in whose
instinctive quickness of feeling, he would have found tluufc
reciprocation of benevolence he was anxious to procure.
He was so forcibly struck with the wretched situation of
the great hospital of Paris (the Hotel Dieu, as it is called),
where the dead, the dying, and the living, are very often
crowded together in the same bed (five persons at a time occasionally occupying the same bed), that he wrote a
plan of reform for that hospital, which he shewed in manuscript to the famous John James Rousseau, requesting
him to correct it for him. “What correction,
” replied
Rousseau, “can a work want, that one cannot read without shuddering at the horrid pictures it represents? What
is the end of writing if it be not to touch and interest the
passions?
” M. de Chamousset was occasionally the author
of many benevolent and useful schemes; such as the establishment of the penny post at Paris; the bringing good
water to that city; a plan for a house of association, by
which any man, for a small sum of money deposited, may
be taken care of when he is sick; and many others; not
forgetting one for the abolition of begging, which is to
be found in “Lesvues d'uncitoyen.
” M. de Chamousset
was now so well known as a man of active and useful benevolence, that M. de Choiseul (when he was in the war department) made him, in 1761, intendant-general of the
military hospitals of France, the king, Louis XV. telling
him, “that he had never, since he came to the throne,
made out an appointment so agreeable to himself;
” and
added, “I am sure I can never make any one that will be
of such service to my troops.
” The pains he took in this
employment were incredible. His attention to his situation was so great, and conducted with such good sense
and understanding, that the marshal de Soubise, on visiting
one of the great military hospitals at Dusseldorf, under
the care of M. de Chamousset, said, “This is the first time
I have been so happy as to go round an hospital without
hearing any complaints.
” Another marshal of France told
his wife: “Were I sick,
” said he, “I would be taken to
the hospital of which M. de Chamousset has the management.
” M. de Chamousset was one day saying to the
minister, that he would bring into a court of justice the
peculation and rapine of a particular person. “God forbid you should!
” answered the minister, “you run a risk
of not dying in your bed.
” “I had rather,
” replied he,
“die in any manner you please, than live to see my country devoured by scoundrels.
”
imself in the settling of a new commercial company at Canada. This company, established in 1628, was called the company of associates, and the cardinal de Richelieu put
, born in Saintonge, was
sent by Henry IV. on a voyage to the newly-discovered
continent of America, in quality of captain of a man of
war. In this expedition he signalized himself not less by
his courage than his prudence, and may be considered as
the founder of New France. It was he who caused the
town of Quebec to be built; he was the first governor of
that colony, and greatly exerted himself in the settling of
a new commercial company at Canada. This company,
established in 1628, was called the company of associates,
and the cardinal de Richelieu put himself at their head.
He published: “Voyages de la Nouvelle France, dite
Canada,
”
18. “Many occasional sermons.” Dr. Chandler also wrote about fifty papers in the weekly publication called “The Old Whig, or Consistent Protestant.” In 1768, 4 vols. of
Dr. Chandler’s other works were: 1. “Reflections on
the Conduct of the Modern Deists, in their late writings
against Christianity,
” A Vindication of the
Antiquity and Authority of Daniel’s Prophecies,
” History of the Inquisition,
” A large
introduction, concerning the rise and progress of persecution, and the real and pretended causes of it.
” This
was attacked by Dr. Berriman, in a pamphlet entitled
“Brief Remarks on Mr. Chandler’s Introduction to the
History of the Inquisition.
” Our author published, in the
form of a letter, an answer to these “Remarks,
” which
engaged Dr. Berriman to write “A Review of his Remarks,
” to which Mr. Chandler replied in “A second
Letter to William Berriman, D. D. &c. in which his Review of his Hemarks on the Introduction to the History of
the Inquisition is considered, and the Characters of St.
Athanasius, and Martyr Laud, are farther stated and supported.
” This publication was soon followed by another,
entitled “A Vindication of a passage of the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of London, in his second Pastoral
Letter, against the misrepresentations of William Berriman, D. D. in a Letter to his Lordship;
” and here the
controversy ended. 4. “The Dispute better adjusted
about the proper time of applying for a repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts,
” &c.“1732, 8vo. 5.
” A Paraphrase and critical Commentary on the prophecy of Joel,“1735, 4to. This was part of a commentary on the whole
of the prophets, which he did not live to finish. 6.
” The
History of Persecution,“1736, 8vo. 7.
” A Vindication
of the History of the Old Testament,“in answer to Morgan’s
” Moral Philosopher,“1741, 8vo. 8.
” A Defence
of the Prime Ministry and Character of Joseph,“1742, 8vo.
9.
” The Witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
re-examined, and their Testimony proved consistent,“1744, 8vo. 10.
” The Case of Subscription to explanatory articles of faith, &c. calmly considered,“1748, 8vo.
11.
” A Letter to the rev. Mr. John Guyse, occasioned by
his two sermojis on Acts ix. 20. in which the scripture notion of preaching Christ is stated and defended, and Mr.
Guyse’s charges against his brethren are considered and
proved groundless,“1729, 8vo. 12.
” A second Letter
to the rev. Mr. John Guyse, in which Mr. Guyse’s latitude
and restrictive ways of preaching Christ are proved to be
entirely the same; the notion of preaching Christ is farther cleared and defended; the charge alledged against
'him of defaming his brethren is maintained and supported;
and his solemn arts in controversy are considered and exposed,“1730, 8vo. 13.
” A Letter to the right hon. the
Lord Mayor; occasioned by his lordship’s nomination of
five persons, disqualified by act of parliament, as fit and
proper persons to serve the office^ of Sheriffs, in which the
nature and design of the corporation act is impartially considered and stated,“1738, 8vo. 14.
” An Account of
the Conferences held in Nicholas-lane, Feb. 13, 1734,
between two Romish priests and some protestant divines;
with some remarks on a pamphlet entitled The Conferences, c. truly stated/ 7 1735, 8vo. 15. “Cassiodori
Senatoris Complexiones in Epistolas, Acta Apostolorum,
& Apocalypsin, e vetustissimis Canonicorum Veronensium
membranis nuper erutee. Editio altera ad Florentinam
fideliter expressa, opera & cura Samuelis Chandleri,
”
A short and plain Catechism, being
an explanation of the Creed, Ten Commandments, and
the Lord’s Prayer, by way of question and answer,
” Great Britain’s Memorial against the Pretender and Popery; to which is annexed, the method of
dragooning the French protestants after the revocation of
the edict of Nantes,
” Many occasional sermons.
”
Dr. Chandler also wrote about fifty papers in the weekly
publication called “The Old Whig, or Consistent Protestant.
” In A Paraphrase and Notes
on the Epistles of St. Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians,
with doctrinal and practical Observations; together with
a critical and practical Commentary on the two Epistles of
St. Paul to the Thessalonians.
” In this there are some
valuable criticisms, but all are not entitled to that praise.
Dr. Chandler also left in his interleaved Bible, a large
number of critical notes, chiefly in Latin, and which were
intended to be published; but the design has not yet been
executed, and the four gentlemen to whom they were intrusted, Dr. Kippis, Mr. Farmer, Dr. Price, and Dr. Savage, are all dead, nor have we heard in what manner they
disposed of the copy.
His next publication arose from his connection with the Dilletanti, a society so called, composed originally (in 1734) of some gentlemen who had travelled
His next publication arose from his connection with the Dilletanti, a society so called, composed originally (in 1734) of some gentlemen who had travelled in Italy, and were desirous of encouraging at home a taste for those objects which had contributed so much to their entertainment abroad. On a report of the state of this society’s finances in 1764, it appeared that they were in possession of a considerable sum above what their current services required. Various schemes were proposed for applying part of this money to some purpose which might promote taste, and do honour to the society; and after some consideration it was resolved, that persons properly qualified should be sent, with sufficient appointments, to certain parts of the east, to collect information relative to the former state of those countries, and particularly to procure exact descriptions of the ruins of such monuments of antiquity as are yet to be seen in those parts. Three persons were accordingly selected for this undertaking; Mr. Chandler was appointed to execute the classical part of the plan; the province of architecture was assigned to Mr. Revett; and the choice of a proper person for taking views and copying bas-reliefs, fell upon Mr. Pars, a young painter of promising talents.
rdinal Richelieu, and other pieces of poetry; and at length distinguished himself by his heroic poem called “La Pucelle,” or “France delivree.” Chapelain was thought to
, a celebrated French poet, was
born at Paris Dec. 4, 1595, and having been educated
under Frederic Morel, Nicholas Bourbon, and other eminent masters, became tutor to the children of the marquis
de la Trousse, grand marshal of France, and afterwards
steward to this nobleman. During an abode of seventeen
years in this family, he translated “Guzman d'Alfarache,
”
from the Spanish, and directed his particular attention to
poetry. He wrote odes, sonnets, the last words of cardinal
Richelieu, and other pieces of poetry; and at length distinguished himself by his heroic poem called “La Pucelle,
”
or “France delivree.
” Chapelain was thought to have
succeeded to the reputation of Malherbe, and after his
death was reckoned the prince of the French poets. Gassendi, who was his friend, has considered him in this light;
and says, that “the French muses have found some comfort and reparation for the loss they have sustained by the
death of Malherbe, in the person of Chapelain, who has
now taken the place of the defunct, and is become the
arbiter of the French language and poetry.
” Sorbiere has
not scrupled to say, that Chapelain “reached even Virgil
himself in heroic poetry;
” and adds, that “he was a man of
great erudition as well as modesty.
” He possessed this
glorious reputation for thirty years; and, perhaps, might
have possessed it now, if he had suppressed the “Pucelle:
”
but the publication of this poem in
and I,” says Menage, “had been at variance a long time with Chapelain; but, in a fit of humility, he called upon me and insisted that we should go and offer a reconciliation
Chapelain died at Paris, Feb. 22, 1674, aged seventynine. He was of the king’s counsellors; very rich, and
had some amiable qualities, but was covetous. “Pelisson
and I,
” says Menage, “had been at variance a long time
with Chapelain; but, in a fit of humility, he called upon
me and insisted that we should go and offer a reconciliation
to him, for that it was his intention,
” as much as possible,
to live in peace with all men.“We went, and I protest I
saw the very same billets of wood in the chimney which I
had observed there twelve years before. He had 50,Ooo
crowns in ready cash by him; and his supreme delight was
to have his strong box opened and the bags taken out,
that he might contemplate his treasure. In this manner
were his bags about him when he died; which gave occasion to a certain academician to say,
” there is our friend
Chapelain just dead, like a miller among his bags.“He
had no occasion therefore to accept of cardinal Richelieu’s
offer. Being at the height of his reputation, Richelieu,
who was fond of being thought a wit as well as a statesman,
and was going to publish something which he would have
pass for an excellent performance, could not devise a better expedient than prefixing Chapelain’s name to it.
” Chapelain,“says he,
” lend me your name on this occasion, and I will lend you my purse on any other.“The
learned Huet endeavoured to vindicate his great poem,
but could not succeed against the repeated attacks of
Boileau, Racine, and Fontaine. Chapelain, however, was
a man of learning, and a good critic, and he has found an
able defender in the abbe cT Olivet, in his History of the
French Academy, It was at the desire of Malherbe and
Vaugelas that Chapelain wrote the famous preface to the
” Adone“of Marino; and it was he who corrected the
very first poetical composition of Racine, his
” Ode to the
Queen," who introduced Racine to Colbert, and procured
him a pension, for which Racine repaid him by joining
the wits in decrying his poem.
, a celebrated French poet, called Chapelle from the place of his nativity, a village between Paris
, a celebrated
French poet, called Chapelle from the place of his nativity,
a village between Paris and St. Denys, was born in 1621.
He was the natural son of Francis Lullier, a man of considerable rank and fortune, who was extremely tender of
him, and gave him a liberal education. He had the celebrated Gassendi for his master in philosophy; but he distinguished himself chiefly by his poetical attempts. There
was an uncommon ease in all he wrote; and he was excellent in composing with double rhymes. We are obliged
to him for that ingenious work in verse and prose, called
“Voyage de Bachaumont,
” which he wrote in conjunction with Bachaumont. Many of the most shining parts
in Moliere’s comedies it is but reasonable to ascribe to
him: for Moliere consulted him upon all occasions, and
paid the highest deference to his taste and judgment. He
was intimately acquainted with all the wits of his time, and
with many persons of quality, who used to seek his company: and we learn from one of his own letters to the
marquis of Chilly, that he had no small share in the favour
of the king, and enjoyed, probably from court, an annuity
of 8000 livres. He is said to have been a very pleasant,
but withal a very voluptuous man. Among other stories
in the Biographia Gallica, we are told that Boileau met
him one day; and as he had a great value for Chapelle,
ventured to tell him, in a very friendly manner, that “his
inordinate love of the bottle would certainly hurt him.
”
Chapelle seemed very seriously affected; but this meeting
happening unluckily by a tavern, “Come,
” says he, “let
us turn in here, and I promise to attend with patience to
all that you shall say.
” Boileau led the way, in hopes
of converting him, but both preacher and hearer became
so intoxicated that they were obliged to be sent home in
separate coaches. Chapelle died in 1686, and his poetical
works and “Voyage
” were reprinted with additions at the
Hague in
stress philosophy, and his amorous zodiac:” to which he added, a translation of a poem into English, called “The amorous contention of Phillis and Flora,” written in Latin
, a dramatic poet, and translator
of Homer, was born in 1557, as generally supposed, in
Kent, but we have no account at what school he was educated: he was, however, sent to the university when he
was about seventeen years of age, and spent about two
years at Trinity college, Oxford, where he paid little attention to logic or philosophy, but was eminently distinguished for his knowledge in the Greek and Roman classics. About the year 1576 he quitted the university, and
repaired to the metropolis, where he commenced a friendship with Shakspeare, Spenser, Daniel, Marlow, and other
celebrated wits. In 1595 he published, in 4to, a poem
entitled “Ovid’s Banquet of Sauce, a coronet for his
mistress philosophy, and his amorous zodiac:
” to which
he added, a translation of a poem into English, called
“The amorous contention of Phillis and Flora,
” written in
Latin by a friar in The Shield of Achilles,' 7 from Homer; and soon
after, in the same year, a translation of seven books of the
Iliad, in 4to. In 1600, fifteen books were printed in a
thin folio; and lastly, without date, an entire translation
of the Iliad, in folio, under the following title:
” The
Iliads of Homer, Prince of Poets. Never before in any
language truly translated. With a comment upon some
of his chief places: done according to the Greek by
George Chapman. At London, printed by Nathaniel
Butter."
to the earl of Nottingham, lord high admiral. The following year he published another comedy in 4to, called “Humorous Day’s Mirth,” which was acted by the earl of Nottingham’s
In 1598 he produced a comedy entitled “The Blind
Beggar of Alexandria, most pleasantly discoursing his various humours in disguised shapes, full of conceit and
pleasure,
” 4to, but not divided either into acts or scenes,
and dedicated to the earl of Nottingham, lord high admiral. The following year he published another comedy
in 4to, called “Humorous Day’s Mirth,
” which was acted
by the earl of Nottingham’s servants. He is said to have
been much countenanced and encouraged by sir Thomas
Walsingham, who, as Wood informs us, had a son of the
same name, “whom Chapman loved from his birth.
”
Henry, prince of Wales, and Carr, earl of Somerset, also
patronized him; but the former dying, and the latter being disgraced, Chapman’s hopes of preferment by their
means were frustrated. His interest at court was likewise
probably lessened by the umbrage taken by king James at
some reflections cast on the Scotch nation in a comedy _
called “Eastward Hoe,
” written by Chapman, in conjunction with Ben Jonson and John Marston. He is supposed, however, to have had some place at court, either
under king James, or his queen Anne.
In 1605 he published a comedy in 4to, called “All Fools,” the plot of which is founded on Terence’s Heau
In 1605 he published a comedy in 4to, called “All
Fools,
” the plot of which is founded on Terence’s Heautontiniorumenos, and which was performed at Black Friars.
Jacob says that “it was accounted an excellent play in
those days, and was acted before king James.
” The following year he produced two other comedies one called
“The Gentleman Usher,
” and the other “Monsieur
D'Olive.
” They were both printed in quarto it is uncertain whether the first was ever performed but the latter
was often acted with success at Black Friars. In 1607 he
published in 4to, “Bussy d'Amboise, a Tragedy,
” which
was often exhibited at St. Paul’s in the reign of James I.
ad after the Restoration was revived with success. The
same year he published in 4to, “Caesar and Pompey, a
lloman Tragedy, declaring their wars, out of whose events
is evicted this proposition, Only a just man is a free man.
”
The following year he produced “The Conspiracy and
Tragedy of Charles, duke of Biron, marshal of France,
”
4to, performed at Black Friars, in two parts. In May-day,
” which is styled a witty
comedy, and which was acted at Black Friars; and in 1612
another comedy, called “The Widow’s Tears;
” acted
both at Black and White Friars. It has been observed,
that “some parts of this play are very fine, and the incidents affecting and interesting:
” but the catastrophe is
thought exceptionable.
scarcely eight years of age when he was styled a philosopher, and Chappe at that age might have been called a mathematician. An irresistible impulse, and singular disposition,
, an eminent French astronomer, was born at Mauriac, a town in Upper Auvergne, on the 23d of May, 1728, of John Chappe, lord of the barony of Auteroche, and Magdalen de la Farge, daughter of Peter de la Farge, lord of larPierre. From his birth he enjoyed the valuable advantage of not being under the necessity of struggling, like many men of genius, with adversity and penury. The distinguished rank which his parents held in their province, added to their wealth and opulence, enabled them to bestow upon their son an excellent education, the foundation of which was laid at Mauriac, where he began his studies. Having made considerable progress here, he went afterwards to finish them at the college de Louis le Grand. M. Chappe, from his earliest infancy, shewed a surprising turn for drawing and the mathematics. Descartes was scarcely eight years of age when he was styled a philosopher, and Chappe at that age might have been called a mathematician. An irresistible impulse, and singular disposition, as if innate, led him to draw plans and make calculations; but these pursuits, quite forojgn to the studies in which he was then engaged, occupied no part of that time which was allotted for them. He applied to the former only at those moments which the regulations. of the college suffered him to call his own.
the Dutch, in his book entitled “L'Esprit de M. Arnauld,” Chapuzeau answered him in 1691, by a work called “Defense du Sieur Samuel Chapuzeau contre l'Esprit de M. Arnauld.”
, a protestant writer, born at
Geneva, whose family were originally of Poitiers, was
preceptor to William III. king of England; afterwards governor of the pages to George duke of Brunswick Lunen
burg, which post he held till his death, August 31, 1701,
at Zell. Three days before his death he wrote a sonnet, in
which he complains of being old, blind, and poor. He
collected and printed “Tavernier’s Voyages,
” L'Esprit de M. Arnauld,
”
Chapuzeau answered him in Defense du Sieur Samuel Chapuzeau contre l'Esprit de M.
Arnauld.
” He wrote, besides, “Eloge de la Ville de
Lyons,
” 4to. Une Relation de Savoye; l‘Europe vivante, ou relation nouveile, historique, politique, et de tous
les Etats, tels qu’ils etoient en 1666,“Paris, 1667, 4to.
He also published
” Traite de la maniere de Pre'cher, suivi
de quatre Sermons prononcées a Cassel.“Chapuzeau
tried every kind of writing, even comedies, the greatest part
of which have been collected under the title of
” La Muse
enjouee, ou le Theatre Comique.“In 1694 he published
the plan of an
” Historical, Geographical, and Philological
Dictionary," on which he employed many years, but it
was not finished at his death. He complains, however,
of Moreri having availed himself of his manuscripts, but
does not inform us where he found them.
hout any notice given, but even vented her spleen against him in public, by a little dramatic farce, called “The Art of Management;” and though Fleetwood forgave that injury,
She then applied to the stage, apparently from inclination as well as necessity; and opened with the little part
of Mademoiselle in the “Provoked Wife,
” in which she
met with all the success she could expect. From this she
rose in her second and third attempts to the capital characters of Alicia in “Jane Shore,
” and Andromache in the
“Distressed Mother;
” in which, notwithstanding the remembrance of Mrs. Porter and Mrs. Oldfield, she met with
great indulgence from the audience; and being remarkable
for reading well, was suffered upon sudden emergencies to
read characters of no less importance than those of Cleopatra and queen Elizabeth. She was after this engaged at
a good salary and sufficient supply of very considerable
parts, at the Haymarket, and after that at Drury-lane. She
now seemed well settled, and likely to have made no inglorious figure in theatrical life; but that ungovernable
impetuosity of passions, which ran through all her actions,
induced her to quarrel with Fleetwood, the then manager;
whom she not only left on a sudden without any notice
given, but even vented her spleen against him in public,
by a little dramatic farce, called “The Art of Management;
” and though Fleetwood forgave that injury, and
restored her to her former station, yet she acknowledges
that she afterwards very ungratefully left him a second
time, without any blame on his part.
e: to furnish gout to him, success must lie beyond the bounds of probability." Doubtless he might be called the Quixote of the north. He carried, as his historian says,
Thus perished Charles and all his projects: for he was
meditating designs which would have changed the face of
Europe. The tzar was uniting with him to re-establish
Stanislaus, and dethrone Augustus. He was about to furnish ships to drive the house of Hanover from the throne of
England, and replace the pretender in it; and land-forces
at the same time to attack George I. in his states of Hanover, and especially in Bremen and Verden, which he had
taken from Charles. “Charles XII.
” says Montesquieu,
ic was not Alexander, but he would have been Alexander’s
best soldier.“Heriaut observes,
” that Charles in his projects had no relish for the probable: to furnish gout to him,
success must lie beyond the bounds of probability." Doubtless he might be called the Quixote of the north. He carried, as his historian says, all the virtues of the hero to an
excess, which made them as dangerous and pernicious as
the opposite vices. His firmness was obstinacy, his liberality profusion, his courage rashness, his severity cruelty:
he was in his last years less a king than a tyrant, and more
a soldier than an hero. The projects of Alexander, whom
he affected to imitate, were not only wise, but wisely executed; whereas Charles, knowing nothing but arms, never
regulated any of his movements by policy, according to the
exigencies of the conjuncture, but suffered himself to be
borne along by a brutal courage, which often led him into
difficulties, and at length occasioned his death. He was
a singular man, rather than a great man.
bread, which was very black and mouldy, and which yet was the only provision the troops had. Charles called for a piece of it, and calmly ate it up; saying, “that it was
Though Charles lived hardily himself, a soldier did not
fear to remonstrate to him against some bread, which was
very black and mouldy, and which yet was the only provision the troops had. Charles called for a piece of it, and
calmly ate it up; saying, “that it was indeed not good,
but that it might be eaten.
” From the danger he was in
in Poland, when he beat the Saxon troops in 1702, a
comedy was exhibited at Marienburg, where the combat
was represented to the disadvantage of the Swedes, “Oh,
”
says Charles, hearing of it, “J am far from envying them
in this pleasure. Let them beat me upon the theatres as
long as they will, provided I do but beat them in the field.
”
ra exutus, sive de causis, signis, et sanatione Lithiaseos,” Leyden, 1650, 8vo. This book is usually called De Lithiasi Diatriba. 2. “The darkness of Atheism discovered
, a very learned physician,
and voluminous writer, the son of the rev. Walter Charleton, M. A. some time vicar of Ilminster, and afterwards
rector of Shepton Mallet, in the county of Somerset,
was born at Shepton Mallet, February 2, 1619, and was
first educated by his father, a man of extensive capacity,
though but indifferently furnished with the goods of fortune. He was afterwards sent to Oxford, and entered of
Magdalen Hall in Lent term 1635, where he became the
pupil of the famous Dr. John Wilkins, afterwards bishop
of Chester, under whom he made great progress in logic
and philosophy, and was noted for assiduous application
and extensive capacity, which encouraged him to aim at
the accomplishments of an universal scholar. But as his
circumstances confined him to some particular profession,
he made choice of physic, and in a short time made as
great a progress in that as he had done in his former studies.
On the breaking out of the civil war, which brought the
king to Oxford, Mr. Charleton, by the favour of the king,
had the degree of doctor of physic conferred upon him in
February 1642, and was soon after made one of the physicians in ordinary to his majesty. These honours made
him be considered as a rising character, and exposed him
to that envy and resentment which he could never entirely
conquer. Upon the declension of the royal cause, he came
up to London, was admitted of the college of physicians,
acquired considerable practice, and lived in much esteem
with the ablest and most learned men of the profession;
such as sir Francis Prujean, sir George Ent, Dr. William
Harvey, and others. In the space of ten years before the
Restoration, he wrote and published several very ingenious
and learned treatises, as well on physical as other subjects,
by which he gained great reputation abroad as well as at
home; and though they are now less regarded than perhaps they deserve, yet they were then received with almost universal approbation. He became, as Wood tells
us, physician in ordinary to king Charles II. while in exile,
which honour he retained after the king’s return; and,
upon the founding of the royal society, was chosen one of
the first members. Among other patrons and friends were
William Cavendish, duke of Newcastle, whose life Dr.
Cliarleton translated into Latin in a very clear and elegant
style, and the celebrated Hobbes, but this intimacy, with:
his avowed respect for the Epicurean philosophy, drew
some suspicions upon him in regard to his religion, notwithstanding the pains he had taken to distinguish between
the religious and philosophical opinions of Epicurus in his
own writings against infidelity. Few circumstances seem
to have drawn more censure on him than his venturing to
differ in opinion from the celebrated Inigo Jones respecting
Stonehenge, which Jones attributed to the Romans, and
asserted to be a temple dedicated by them to the god Coelus, or Coelum; Dr. Charleton referred this antiquity to
later and more barbarous times, and transmitted Jones’s
book, which was not published till after its author’s death,
to Olaus Wormius, who wrote him several letters, tending
to fortify him in his own sentiment, by proving that this
work ought rather to be attributed to his countrymen the
Danes. With this assistance Dr. Charleton drew up a
treatise, offering many strong arguments to shew, that this
could not be a Roman temple, and several plausible reasons why it ought rather to be considered as a Danish monument; but his book, though learned, and enriched with
a great variety of curious observations, was but indifferently
received, and but coldly defended by his friends. Jones’s
son-in-law answered it with intemperate warmth, and many
liberties were taken by others with Dr. Charleton’s character, although sir William Dugdale and some other eminent antiquaries owned themselves to be of our author’s
opinion; but it is now supposed that both are wrong.
Notwithstanding this clamour, Dr. Charleton’s fame was
advanced by his anatomical prelections in the college
theatre, in the spring of 1683, and his satisfactory defence
of the immortal Harvey’s claim to the discovery of the
circulation of the blood, against the pretence that was set
up in favour of father Paul. In 1689 he was chosen president of the college of physicians, in which office he continued to the year 1691. A little after this, his circumstances becoming narrow, he found it necessary to seek a
retreat in the island of Jersey; but the causes of this are not
explained, nor have we been able to discover how long he
continued in Jersey, or whether he returned afterwards to
London. All that is known with certainty is, that he died
in the latter end of 1707, and in the eighty-eighth year
of his age. He appears from his writings to have been a
man of extensive learning, a lover of the constitution in
church and state, and so much a lover of his country as to
refuse a professor’s chair in the university of Padua. In
his junior years he dedicated much of his time to the study
of philosophy and polite literature, was as well read in
the Greek and Roman authors as any man of his time, and
he was taught very early by his excellent tutor, bishop
Wilkins, to digest his knowledge so as to command it readily
when occasion required. In every branch of his own
profession he has left testimonies of his diligence and his
capacity; and whoever considers the plainness and perspicuity of his language, the pains he has taken to collect
and produce the opinions of the old physicians, in order
to compare them with the moderns, the just remarks with
which these collections and comparisons are attended, the
succinctness with which all this is dispatched, and the
great accuracy of that method in which his books are
written, will readily agree that he was equal to most of his
contemporaries. As an antiquary, he had taken much pains
in perusing our ancient historians, and in observing their
excellencies as well as their defects. But, above all, he
was studious of connecting the sciences with each other,
and thereby rendering them severally more perfect; in
which, if he did not absolutely succeed himself, he had at
least the satisfaction of opening the way to others, of showing the true road to perfection, and pointing out the
means of applying and making those discoveries useful,
which have followed in succeeding times. There is also
good reason to believe, that though we have few or none
of his writings extant that were composed during the last
twenty years of his life, yet he was not idle during that
space, but committed many things to paper, as materials
at least for other works that he designed. There is now a
large collection of his ms papers and letters on subjects of
philosophy and natural history in the British Museum.
(Ayscough’s Catalogue.) His printed works are, 1 . “Spiritus
Gorgonicus vi sua saxipara exutus, sive de causis, signis,
et sanatione Lithiaseos,
” Leyden, The darkness
of Atheism discovered by the light of nature, a physicotheological treatise,
” London, The Ephesian and Cimmerian Matrons, two remarkable examples of
the power of Love and Wit/ 7 London, 1653 and 1658, 8vo.
4.
” Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charletoniana: or a
fabric of natural science erected upon the most ancient
hypothesis of atoms,“London, 1654, in fol. 5.
” The Immortality of the human Soul demonstrated by reasons natural,“London, 1657, 4to. 6.
” Oeconomia Animalis novis Anatomicorum inventis, indeque desumptis modernorum Medicorum Hypothesibus Physicis superstructa et
mechanice explicata,“London, 1658, 12mo; Amsterdam,
1659, 12mo; Leyden, 1678, 12mO; Hague, 1681, 12mo.
It is likewise added to the last edition of
” Gulielmi Cole
de secretione animali cogitata.“7.
” Natural history of
nutrition, life, and voluntary motion, containing all the
new discoveries of anatomists,“&c. London, 1658, 4to.
8.
” Exercitationes Physico-Anatomicse de Oeconomia Animali,“London, 1659, 8vo printed afterwards several
times abroad. 9.
” Exercitationes Pathologicæ, in quibus
morborum pene omnium natura, generatio, et causae ex
novis Anatomicorum inventis sedulo inquiruntur,“London,
160, and 1661, 4to. 10.
” Character of his most sacred
Majesty Charles II. King of Great Britain, France, and
Ireland,“London, 1660, one sheet, 4to. 11.
” Disquisitiones duae Anatomico-Physica? altera Anatome pueri de
ccelo tacti, altera de Proprietatibus Cerebri humani,“London, 1664, 8vo. 12.
” Chorea Gigantum, or the most
famous antiquity of Great Britain, vulgarly called Stonehenge, standing on Salisbury Plain, restored to the Danes,“London, 1663, 4to. 13.
” Onomasticon Zoicon, plerorumque animalium differentias et nomina propria pluribus
linguis exponens. Cui accedunt Mantissa Anatomice, et
quiedam de variis Fossilium generibus,“London, 1668 and
1671, 4to; Oxon. 1677, fol. 14.
” Two Philosophical
Discourses the first concerning the different wits of men
the second concerning the mystery of Vintners, or a discourse of the various sicknesses of wines, and their respective remedies at this day commonly used, &c. London, 1663, 1675, 1692, 8vo. 15. “De Scorbuto Liber
singularis. Cui accessit Epiphonema in Medicastros,
”
London, Natural
History of the Passions,
” London, Enquiries into Humane Nature, in six Anatomy-prelections in
the new theatre of the royal college of physicians in London,
” London, Oratio Anniversaria habita in Theatro inclyti Collegii Medicorum Londinensis 5to
Augusti 1680, in commemorationem Beneficiorum a
Doctore Harvey aliisque præstitorum,
” London, 1680, 4to.
19. “The harmony of natural and positive Divine Laws,
”
London, Three Anatomic Lectures concerning, l.The motion of the blood through the veins and
arteries. 2. The organic structure of the heart. 3. The
efficient cause of the heart’s pulsation. Read in the 19th,
20th, and 21st day of March 1682, in the anatomic theatre
of his majesty’s royal college of Physicians in London,
”
London, Inquisitio Physlca de causis
Catameniorum, et Uteri Rheumatismo, in quo probatur
sanguinem in animali fermentescere nunquam,
” London,
Gulielmi Ducis Novicastrensis vita,
”
London, A Ternary of Paradoxes, of the
magnetic cure of wounds, nativity of tartar in wine, and
image of God in man,
” London, The
errors of physicians concerning Defluxions called Deliramenta Catarrhi,
” London, Epicurus his Morals,
” London, The Life
of Marcellus,
” translated from Plutarch, and printed in the
second volume of “Plutarch’s Lives translated from the
Greek by several hands,
” London,
ristoliensis. Such a memoir, at so critical a time, naturally excited attention; and Farley, who was called upon to give up the author, after touch inquiry, discovered
In the beginning of October 1768, the completion of
the new bridge at Bristol suggested to him a fit opportunity for playing off the first of his public deceptions.
This was an account of the ceremonies on opening the old
bridge, said to be taken from an ancient manuscript, a
copy of which he sent to Farley’s Bristol Journal, in a short
letter signed Dunhelmus Bristoliensis. Such a memoir, at
so critical a time, naturally excited attention; and Farley,
who was called upon to give up the author, after touch
inquiry, discovered that Chatterton had sent it. Chatterton was consequently interrogated, probably without much
ceremony, where he had obtained it. And here his unhappy disposition shewed itself in a manner highly affecting in one so young, for he had not yet reached his sixteenth year, and according to all that can be gathered, had
not been corrupted either by precept or example. “To
the threats,
” we are told, “of those who treated him
(agreeably to his appearance) as a child, he returned nothing but haughtiness, and a refusal to give any account.
By milder usage he was somewhat softened, and appeared
inclined to give all the information in his power.
”
kind of muniment room, in which were deposited six v or seven chests, one of which in particular was called Mr. Canynge’s cofre: this chest, it is said, was secured by
“Over the north porch of St. Mary Redcliffe church,
which was founded, or at least rebuilt, by Mr. W. Canynge
(an eminent merchant of Bristol, in the fifteenth century, and in the reign of Edward the Fourth), there is a kind of
muniment room, in which were deposited six v or seven
chests, one of which in particular was called Mr. Canynge’s
cofre: this chest, it is said, was secured by six keys,- two
of which were entrusted to the minister and procurator of
the church, two to the mayor, and one to each of the
church-wardens. In process of time, however, the six
keys appear to have been lost: and about the year 1727, a
notion prevailed that some title deeds, and other vyrjtings
of value, wtrje contained in Mr. Ciniynge’s cofre. In
consequence of this opinion an order of vestry was made, that
the chest should be opened under the inspection of an
attorney; and that those writings which appeared of consequence should be removed to the south porch of the
church. The locks were therefore forced, and not only
the principal chest, but the others, which were also supposed to contain writings, were all broken open. The
deeds immediately relating to the church were removed,
and the other manuscripts were left exposed as of no value.
Considerable depredations had, from time to time, been
committed upon them by different persons: but the most
insatiate of these plunderers was the father of Chatterton.
His uncle being sexton of St. Mary Redcliffe gave him
free access to the church. He carried off, from time to
time, parcels of the parchments, and one time alone, with
the assistance of his boys, is known to have filled a large
basket with them. They were deposited in a cupboard in
the school and employed for different purposes, such as the
covering of copy-books, &c. in particular, Mr. Gibbs, the
minister of the parish, having presented the boys with
twenty Bibles, Mr. Chatterton, in order to preserve these
books from being damaged, covered them with some of
the parchments. At his death, the widow being under a
necessity of removing, carried the remainder of them to
her own habitation. Of the discovery of their value by the
younger Chatterton, the account of Mr. Smith, a very
intimate acquaintance, which he gave to Dr. Glynn of
Cambridge, is too interesting to be omitted. When young
Chatterton was first articled to Mr. Lambert, he used frequently to come home to his mother, by way of a short
visit. There one day his eye was caught by one of these
parchments, which had been converted into a thread-paper.
He found not only the writing to be very old, the characters very different from common characters, but that the
subject therein treated was different from common subjects.
Being naturally of an inquisitive and curious turn, he was
very much struck with their appearance, and, as might be
expected, began to question his mother what those threadpapers were, how she got them, and whence they came.
Upon further inquiry, he was led to a full discovery of all
the parchments which remained; the bulk of them consisted of poetical and other compositions, by Mr. Canynge,
and a particular friend of his, Thomas Rowley, whom
Chatterton at first called a monk, and afterwards a secular
priest of the fifteenth century. Such, at least, appears to
be the account which. Chatterton thought proper to give,
and which he wished to be believed. It is, indeed, confirmed by the testimony of his mother and sister. Mrs.
Chatterton informed a friend of the dean of Exeter (Dr. Milles), that on her removal from Pyle-street, she emptied
the cupboard of its contents, partly into a large long deal
box, where her husband used to keep his clothes, and
partly into a square oak box of a smaller size; carrying
both with their contents to her lodgings, where, according
to her account, they continued neglected and undisturbed
till her son first discovered their value; who having examined their contents, told his mother ‘ that he had found
a treasure, and was so glad nothing could be like it.’ That
he then removed all these parchments out of the large long
deal box in which his father used to keep his clothes, into
the square oak box: that he was perpetually ransacking
every corner of the house for more parchments; and from
time to time, carried away those he had already found by
pockets full. That one day happening to see Clarke’s
History of the Bible covered with one of those parchments,
he swore a great oath, and stripping the book, put the
cover into his pocket, and carried it away; at the same
time stripping a common little Bible, but finding no writing upon the cover, replaced it again very leisurely. Upon
being informed of the manner in which his father had procured the parchments, he went himself to the place, and
picked up four more.
”
d, chiefly satires against the members and friends of administration. In March 1770, he wrote a poem called “Kew Gardens,” part of which only has been published, but enough
His first literary attempts by which he was to realize the
dreams of presumption, were of the political kind, chiefly
satires against the members and friends of administration.
In March 1770, he wrote a poem called “Kew Gardens,
”
part of which only has been published, but enough to show
that he had been supplied by some patriotic preceptor with
the floating scandal of the day against the princess dowager,
lord Bute, and other statesmen. It is highly improbable
that a boy who had spent the greater part of his time since
he left school, in fabricating or deciphering the -poetry,
heraldry, and topography of the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries, should on a sudden become well acquainted
with the intrigues of political men and their families. In
all this, his materials must have been supplied by some
persons who lived by propagating the calumnies of personal
and political history, and who would rejoice in the dauntless spirit of their new associate. Another poem, of the
same description, was entitled “The Whore of Babylon.
”
Of both these there are specimens in his works, but it
does not appear that the whole of them were printed.
When public attention was at length called to Chattertori’s history, his admirers took every step to excite
When public attention was at length called to Chattertori’s history, his admirers took every step to excite compassion in his favour. It became the fashion to repeat that
he was starved by an insensible age, or suffered, by the
neglect of patrons, to perish in want of the common necessaries of life. But of this there is no satisfactory evidence. On the contrary, he appears to have been fully
employed by his literary friends almost up to the day of
his death, and from one of them he solicited money a very
little before that catastrophe, and received it with an assurance that he should have more if he wanted it. This
benefactor was the late Mr. Hamilton senior, the proprietor of the Critical Review, a man of well-known liberality, both of mind and purse. One who knew him
well, when in London, and who wrote under the inspection
of Mr. Hamilton in the Critical Review, gives it as a probable conjecture, that “he wished to seal his secret with
his death. He knew that he and Rowley were suspected
to be the same; his London friends spoke of it with little
scruple, and he neither confessed nor denied it. He
might fear somewhat from himself; might dread the effects
of increasing obligations, and be struck with horror at the
thought of a public detection. He sometimes seemed
wild, abstracted, and incoherent; at others he had a
Settled gloominess in his countenance, the sure presage of
his fatal resolution. In short, this was the very temperament and constitution from which we should, in similar circumstances, expect the same event. He was one of those
irregular meteors which astonish the universe for a moment,
and then, disappear for ever.
” This is at least plausible;
but the immediate cause of his death must perhaps yet remain a mystery. He had written so recently to his Bristol
friends (about a month before), without a syllable indicating discontent or despair, that it was wholly unexpected
on their part; but suicide, at one time or other, his biographers have proved, was his fixed purpose, and the
execution of it was probably to depend on his disappointment in whatever wild or impracticable scheme he might
meditate. He got enough in London by his literary labours, to supply the decent necessaries of life, but his
dreams of affluence were over, and had probably left that
frightful void in his mind at which despair and disappointed
pride entered.
hat “when Wickliff was guardian or warden of Canterbury college, he had to his pupil the famous poet called Jeffry Chaucer (father of Thomas Chaucer, of Ewelme in Oxfordshire,
His biographers have provided him with education both at Oxford and Cambridge, a circumstance which we know occurred in the history of other scholars of that period, and is not therefore improbable. But in his “Court of Love,” which was composed when he was about eighteen, he speaks of himself under the name of” Philogenet, of Cambridge, clerk.” Mr. Tyrwhitt, while he does not think this a decisive proof that he was really educated at Cambridge, is willing to admit it as a strong argument that he was not educated at Oxford. Wood, in his Annals (vol. I. book I. 484.) gives a report, or rather tradition, that “when Wickliff was guardian or warden of Canterbury college, he had to his pupil the famous poet called Jeffry Chaucer (father of Thomas Chaucer, of Ewelme in Oxfordshire, esq.) who following the steps of his master, reflected much upon the corruptions of the clergy.” This is something like evidence if it could be depended on; at least it is preferable to the conjecture of Leland, who supposes Chaucer to have been educated at Oxford, merely because he had before supposed that he was born either in Oxfordshire or Berkshire. Those who contend for Cambridge as the place of his education, fix upon Solere’s hall, which he has described in his story of the Miller of Trompington; but Solere’s hall is merely a corruption of Soler hall, i.e. a hall with an open gallery, or solere window. The advocates for Oxford are inclined to place him in Merton college, because his contemporaries Strode and Occleve were of that college. It is equally a matter of conjecture that he was first educated at Cambridge, and afterwards at Oxford. Wherever he studied, we have sufficient proofs of his capacity and proficiency. He appears to have acquired a very great proportion of the learning of his age, and became a master of its philosophy, poetry, and such languages as formed the intercourse between men of learning. Leland says he was “acutus Dialecticus, dulcis Rhetor, lepidus Poeta, gravis Philosophus, ingeniosus Mathematicus, denique sanctus Theologus.” It is equally probable that he courted the muses in those early days, in which he is said to have been encouraged by Gower, although there are some grounds for supposing that his acquaintance with Gower was of a later date.
s former notions, that in 1384, he exerted his utmost interest in favour of John Comberton, commonly called John of Northampton, when about to be re-chosen mayor of London.
It appears from the historians of Richard II. that the duke of Lancaster, about the third or fourth year of that monarch’s reign, began to decline in political influence, if not in popularity, owing to the encouragement he had given to the celebrated reformer Wickliffe, whom he supported against the clergy, to whose power in state affairs he had long looked with a jealous eye. Chaucer’s works show evidently that he concurred with the duke in his opinion of the clergy, and have procured him to be ranked among the few who paved the way for the reformation. Yet when the insurrection of Wat Tyler was imputed to the principles of the Wicklevites, the duke, it is said, withdrew his countenance from them, and disclaimed their tenets. Chaucer is likewise reported to have altered his sentiments, but the fact, in neither case, is satisfactorily confirmed. The duke of Lancaster condemned the doctrines of those followers of Wickliff only, who had excited public disturbances; and Chaucer was so far from abandoning his former notions, that in 1384, he exerted his utmost interest in favour of John Comberton, commonly called John of Northampton, when about to be re-chosen mayor of London. Comberton was a reformer on WicklifFs principles, and so obnoxious on that account to the clergy, that they stirred up a commotion on his re-election, which the king was obliged to quell by force. The consequence was, that some lives were lost, Comberton was imprisoned, and strict search was made after Chaucer, who contrived to escape first to Hainault, then to France, and finally to Zealand. The date of his flight has not been ascertained, but it was no doubt upon this occasion that he lost his place in the customs.
Tyrwhitt remarks that the tradition which Evelyn notices in his Sylva, of an oak in Dunnington park called Chaucer’s oak, may be sufficiently accounted for, without supposing
But the king’s favour did not end with the offices just mentioned. In the seventeenth year of his reign, 1394, he granted to Chaucer a new annuity of twenty pounds; in 1398, his protection for two years; and in 1399, a pipe of wine annually. From the succeeding sovereign Henry IV. he obtained, in the year last mentioned, a confirmation of his two grants of 20l. and of the pipe of wine, and at the same time an additional grant of an annuity of forty marks. Notwithstanding this dependent state of his affairs, some of his biographers represent him as possessed of Dunnington castle in Berkshire, which he must have purchased at the time he received the above annuity of twenty pounds; for up to that date (1394) it was in the possession of sir Richard Abberbury. Mr. Tyrwhitt remarks that the tradition which Evelyn notices in his Sylva, of an oak in Dunnington park called Chaucer’s oak, may be sufficiently accounted for, without supposing that it was planted by Chaucer himself, as the castle was undoubtedly in the hands of Thomas Chaucer for many years. During his retirement in 1391, he wrote his learned treatise on the Astrolabe, for the use of his son Lewis, who was then ten years old; and this is the only circumstance respecting his family which we have on his own or any authority that deserves credit. Leland, Bale, and Wood place this son under the tuition of his father’s friend Nicholas Strode (whom, however, they call Ralph) of Merton college, Oxford; but if Wood could trace Strode no farther than the year 1370, it is impossible he could have been the tutor of Chaucer’s son in 1391.
not been decidedly ascertained. The improvement he introduced in language and versification has been called in question, not only by modern but by ancient critics. The
Although Chaucer has been generally hailed as the founder of English poetry and literature, the extent of the obligations which English poetry and literature owe to him has not been decidedly ascertained. The improvement he introduced in language and versification has been called in question, not only by modern but by ancient critics. The chief faults attributed to him, are the mixture of French in all his works, and his ignorance of the laws of versification. With respect to the mixture of French words and phrases in Chaucer’s writings, it must be observed that the French language was prevalent in this country several centuries before his time. Even previously to the conquest, the Normans had made it a fashion to speak French in the English court, and from thence it would naturally be adopted by the people; but after the conquest this became the case in a much greater proportion. It was a matter of policy in the conqueror to introduce his own language, and it would soon become a matter of interest in the people to acquire it. We uniformly find that where new settlers appear, even without the superiority of conquerors, the aborigines find it convenient to learn their language. The history of king William’s conquest and policy shows that his language must soon extend over a kingdom which he had parcelled out among his chiefs as the reward of their valour and attachment. One step which he took must above all others have contributed to naturalize the French language. He supplied all vacancies in the ecclesiastical establishment with Norman clergy; and if, with all this influence, the French language did not universally prevail, it must at least have interfered in a very considerable degree with the use of the native tongue. At schools, French and Latin were taught together in the reign of Edward III. and it was usual to make the scholars construe their Latin lessons into French, a practice which must have greatly retarded the progress of the native tongue towards refinement. Some check, indeed, appears to have been given to this in the reign of the same sovereign; but the proceedings in parliament and the statutes continued to be promulgated in French for a far longer period.