peculiar mark, in every picture he painted by which the works of this master are always indisputably known. He died in 1550.
, a painter of history and landscape, was born at Bovine, near Dinant, in 1480. He acquired his skill in the art merely by the strength of his natural genius, assisted by a diligent study and observation of the works of Patenier, without having any other instructor: and at last rendered himself very eminent, particularly by his landscapes. His best performances were bought up by the emperor Rodolph, and they are still preserved at Vienna. His style of composition in historical subjects resembled the style of the Flemish artists of that age, and exhibited a great number of figures finished with extreme neatness. But he crowded several subjects into one design; as in his picture of the disciples at Emmaus, he represented not only that incident, but in different groupes disposed in the back ground, he represented likewise the different parts of the passion of our Saviour. And yet, notwithstanding the impropriety of that manner of composing, his pictures were so delicately pencilled and finished, and his landscapes in particular so agreeably invented, so full of variety, and well executed, that even in Italy his works were in great request, and were distinguished there by the appellation of the owl-pictures for he fixed an owl, as his peculiar mark, in every picture he painted by which the works of this master are always indisputably known. He died in 1550.
, was an artist of whose life we have very few particulars, till he was known at Rome, in the year 1716, being at that time painter to count
, was an artist of whose life
we have very few particulars, till he was known at Rome,
in the year 1716, being at that time painter to count Martinetz and his reputation, as a good painter of portrait in
miniature, was well established in Italy. By the solicitation of Overbeke, he was induced to go to Amsterdam,
and in that city was employed to paint small portraits for
bracelets, rings, and snuff-boxes and although they were
painted in water-colours, yet the colouring was as lively
and as natural as if they had been painted in oil. However, as he found his sight much impaired by the minuteness of his work, he discontinued water-colour painting,
and attempted the use of oil, with a reasonable degree of
success. After he had resided for some years in the Low
Countries, he went to England, and set up a new method
of printing mezzotinto plates in colours so as to imitate
the pictures of which they were copies. In this manner
he executed in England several large plates, from pictures
of the greatest masters, and disposed of the prints by lottery. But those who obtained the prizes (Mr. Strutt says)
appear not to have held them in any very great estimation.
“The prints,
” he adds, “certainly possess some merit,
exclusive of their novelty; but, in general, the colours
are flat and dirty the effect is neither striking nor judiciously managed and the drawing is frequently very incorrect, especially in the extremities of his figures.
” Mr.
Pilkington speaks of them with greater approbation “The
artist,
” he says, “imitated his models with so much skill,
such exact resemblance, such correctness of outline, such
similarity of colour and expression, that at first they
amazed every beholder who viewed them at a proper distance and many of those prints are still extant, which
are much esteemed by persons of good taste.
” And Mr.
Wai pole observes, that some heads, coloured progressively,
according to their several gradations, bear witness to the
success and beauty of his invention. He had another
merit to the public, with which few inventors begin; for
he communicated his secret in a thin quarto, entitled
“Coloritto, or the harmony of colouring in painting reduced to mechanical practice, under easy precepts and
infallible rules.
” His method was performed by several
mezzotinto plates for one piece, each expressing different shades and parts of the piece in different colours.
He was not, however, it is said, the original inventor of
that manner of managing colours, but took it from Lastman and others, who, with, much greater regularity of
morals, equal capacities, and more discreet conduct, had
before undertaken it without success. Le Blond, whose
head was continually full of schemes, next set on foot a
project for copying the cartoons of Raphael in tapestry,
and made drawings from the pictures for that purpose.
Houses were built and looms erected at the Mulberry
Ground at Chelsea but the expences being too great,
or the contributions not equal to the first expectations, the
scheme was suddenly defeated, and Le Blond disappeared,
to the no small dissatisfaction of those who were engaged
with him. From hence he went to Paris, where, Basan
informs us, he was in the year 1737; and in that city he
died, 1740, in an hospital. Le Blond was also author
of a treatise, in French, on ideal beauty. It was published
in 1732, and has since been translated into English.
.” This was an answer to several of the catholic writers, especially to the bishop of Lucon, so well known afterwards under the title of cardinal Richelieu. From this
, a protestant minister, celebrated for his knowledge in ecclesiastical and civil
history, was born at Chalons in Champagne, 1591. He
was admitted minister at a synod of the isle of France in
1614. A few years afterwards he began to write in
defence of protestantism, for in 1619 he published a treatise
entitled “Modeste declaration de la sincerite et verite des
Eglises Reformees de France.
” This was an answer to several of the catholic writers, especially to the bishop of
Lucon, so well known afterwards under the title of cardinal Richelieu. From this time he was considered as a
person of great hopes. He was secretary more than twenty
times in the synods of the isle of France, and was deputed
four times successively to the national synods. That of
Castres employed him to write in defence of the Protestants. The national synod of Charenton appointed him
honorary professor in 1645, with a handsome salary, which
had never been granted to any professor before. He wrote
several pieces; but what gained him most favour amongst
the Protestants are, his “Explications on the Eucharist
”
his work entitled “De la primaute d'Eglise
” his “Treatise of the Sybils
” and his piece “De episcopis et presbyteris.
” Some of his party, however, were dissatisfied
with him for engaging in disputes relating to civil history;
and particularly offended at the book he published to
shew that what is related about pope Joan is a ridiculous
fable.
, generally known by the appellation of colonel Blood, was a disbanded officer
, generally known by the appellation
of colonel Blood, was a disbanded officer of Oliver Cromwell’s army, famous for his daring crimes and his good fortune. He was first distinguished by engaging in a conspiracy to surprise the castle of Dublin, which was defeated
by the vigilance of the duke of Ormond; and some of his
accomplices were executed. Escaping to England, he meditated revenge against Ormond and actually seized him
one night in his coach in St. James’s-street, where he might
have finished his purpose if he had not studied refinements
in his vengeance. He bound him on horseback behind one
of his associates, resolving to- hang him at Tyburn, with a
paper pinned to his breast but when they got into the
fields, the duke, in his efforts for liberty, threw himself
and the assassin, to whom he was fastened, to the ground
and while they were struggling in the mire, he was rescued
by his servants; but the authors of this attempt were not
then discovered. A little after, in 1671, Blood formed a
design of carrying off the crown and regalia from the tower;
a design, to which he was prompted, as well by the surprising boldness of the enterprize, as by the views of profit. He was very near succeeding. He had bound and
wounded Edwards, the keeper of the jewel-office, and had
got out of the tower with his prey but was overtaken and
seized, with some of his associates. One of them was
known to have been concerned in the attempt upon Ormond and Blood was immediately concluded to be the
ringleader. When questioned, he frankly avowed the enterprize but refused to discover his accomplices. “The
fear of death (he said) should never induce him either to
deny a guilt or betray a friend.
” All these extraordinary
circumstances made him the general subject of conversation and the king was moved with an idle curiosity to see
and speak with a person so noted for his courage and
his crimes. Blood might now esteem himself secure of
pardon and he wanted not address to improve the opportunity. He told Charles, that he had been engaged with
others, in a design to kill him with a carabine above Battersea, where his majesty often went to bathe that the cause
of this resolution was the severity exercised over the consciences of the godly, in restraining the liberty of their religious assemblies: that when he had taken his stand among
the reeds, full of these bloody resolutions, he found his
heart checked with an awe of majesty; and he not only relented himself, but diverted his associates from their purpose: that he had long ago brought himself to an entire indifference about life, which he now gave for lost; yet he
could not forbear warning the king of the danger which
might attend his execution; that his associates had bound
themselves, by the strictest oaths, to revenge the death of
any of their confederacy; and that no precaution nor power
could secure any one from the effects of their desperate resolutions. Whether these considerations excited fear or
admiration in the king, they confirmed his resolution of
granting a pardon to Blood and what is yet more extraordinary? Charles carried his kindness so far as to grant him
an estate of 500l. a-year. He also showed him great countenance and while old Edwards, who had been wounded,
in defending the crown and regalia, was neglected, this
man, who deserved only to be stared at and detested as a
monster, became a kind of favourite. Blood enjoyed his
pension about ten years, till, being charged with fixing an
imputation of a scandalous nature on the duke of Buckingham, he was thrown into prison, where he died August
24, 1680.
s, an air of sedition at least, if not of treason. In 1680, he printed that work which made him most known to the world, “The Life of Apollonius Tyaneus,” which was soon
, younger son of sir Henry Blount,
and brother to sir Thomas Pope Blount hereafter mentioned,
an eminent writer in the last century, was born at his
grandfather’s seat at Upper Holloway, in the county of
Middlesex, April 27, 1654. He was endowed by nature
with a great capacity, and with a strong propensity to
learning; which excellent qualities were properly cultivated
by the assiduous care of his father, and under so able an
instructor, he quickly acquired an extraordinary skill in
the arts and sciences, without any thing of that pedantry,
which is too frequently the consequence of young men’s
application to study in the common course. His pregnant
parts and polite behaviour brought him early into the
world, so that his father, who was a true judge of men,
thought fit, when he was about eighteen, to marry him to
Eleanora, daughter of sir Timothy Tyrrel, of Shotover in
the county of Oxford, and gave him a very handsome estate, having always respected him as a friend, as well as
loved him with the affection of a father. The year after
his marriage, he wrote a little treatise, which he published
without his name, in defence of Dryden, whose “Conquest of Granada
” was attacked by Richard Leigh, a player.
In Anima
Mnndi,
” in which it is said, and with great probability,
that he had the assistance of his father. It had been long
before handed about in manuscript among the acquaintance
of its author, with several passages in it much stronger than
in that which was transmitted to the press, and licensed by
sir Roger L'Estrange. This, however, did not hinder its
giving great offence, insomuch that complaint was made to
Dr. Compton, then Lord Bishop of London, who, upon
perusal, signified that he expected it should be suppressed,
and intimating, that he would thereupon rest satisfied. But
afterwards, when the Bishop was out of town, an opportunity was taken by some zealous person to burn the book,
which however has been reprinted since. The same year
he published a broad sheet under the title of “Mr.
Hobbes’s last Words and dying Legacy.
” It was extracted
from the “Leviathan,
” and was intended to weaken and
expose his doctrine yet he could be no very warm antagonist, since there is still extant a letter of his to Mr.
Hobbes, wherein he professes himself a great admirer of his
parts, and one who would readily receive his instructions. He
afterwards gave a strong testimony in favour of liberty, in
a pamphlet on the Popish Plot, and the fearof a Popish
successor, entitled, “An Appeal from the country to the
city for the preservation of his majesty’s person, liberty,
property, and the Protestant religion.
” This treatise is
subscribed Junius Brutus, and is the strongest invective
against Popery and Papists that was published even in that
age, when almost all the wit of the nation was pointed that
way. There are in it likewise such express recommendations of the Duke of Monmouth, as might well hinder the
author from owning it, and give it, in the eyes of the lawyers of those times, an air of sedition at least, if not of
treason. In 1680, he printed that work which made
him most known to the world, “The Life of Apollonius
Tyaneus,
” which was soon after suppressed, and only a
few copies sent abroad. It was held to be the most dangerous attempt, that had been ever made against revealed
religion in this country, and was justly thought so, as
bringing to the eye of every English reader a multitude of
facts and reasonings, plausible in themselves, and of the
fallacy of which, none but men of parts and learning can
be proper judges. For this reason it is still much in esteem
with the Deists, and the few copies that came abroad contributed to raise its reputation, by placing it in the lists of
those that are extremely rare. In the same year he published his “Diana of the Ephesians,
” which, as the author
foresaw, raised a new clamour, many suggesting that, under colour of exposing superstition, he struck at all Revelation, and while he avowed only a contempt of the Heathen, seemed to intimate no great affection for the Christian priesthood. The wit, learning, and zeal of our author, had, by this time, raised him to be the chief of his
sect; and he took a great deal of pains to propagate and
defend his opinions in his discourses and familiar letters,
as well as by his books, but he had the usual inconsistency
of the infidel, and we find him owning, in a letter to Dr. Sydenham, that in point of practice, Deism was less satisfactory than the Christian scheme. The noise his former
pieces had made, induced him to conceal, industriously,
his being the author of a book, entitled, “Religio Laici,
”
published in Janus Scientiarum or an Introduction to Geography,
Chronology, Government, History, philosophy, and all
genteel sorts of Learning,
” London, 8vo. He concurred
heartily in the Revolution, and seems to have had very honest intentions of punishing those who were king James’s
evil counsellors, after the government was re-settled, by
declaring the prince and princess of Orange king and
queen. He gave another strong testimony of his sincere
attachment to his principles, and inviolable love to freedom, by a nervous defence of the liberty of the press
wherein he shews that all restraints on it can have no other
tendency than to establish superstition and tyranny, by
abasing the spirits of mankind, and injuring the human understanding. This little piece, therefore, has been always
esteemed one of the best he ever wrote; and has furnished
their strongest arguments to many succeeding writers. The
warmth of Mr. Blount’s temper, his great affection for king
William, and his earnest desire to see certain favourite projects brought about, led him to write a pamphlet, in which,
he asserted king William and queen Mary to be conquerors, which was not well relished by the house of commons. The title of this very singular and remarkable
piece at large, runs thus: “King William and queen
Mary conquerors; or, a discourse endeavouring to prove
that their majesties have on their side, against the late
king, the principal reasons that make conquest a good
title; shewing also how this is consistent with that declaration of parliament, king James abdicated the government, &c. Written with an especial regard to such as
have hitherto refused the oath, and yet allow of the title
of conquest, when consequent to a just war,
”
n of the Turks, and other people under that empire. By sir Henry Blount, knight.” This book made him known to the world, and so much noticed, that shortly after, king
, father to the preceding, and
a considerable writer in the last century, was descended
from a very ancient and honourable family, and born December 15, 1602, at his father, sir Thomas Pope Blount’s,
seat at Tittenhanger, in Hertfordshire. He received the
first tincture of letters in the free-school of St. Alban’s,
where he manifested an unusual quickness of parts, and
having qualified himself for the university, was removed
to Trinity-college, in Oxford, and entered a gentleman
commoner there in 1616, before he was full fourteen years
of age. Some years he spent in that learned society, with
great reputation and universal respect, not so much on
account of his family, by which he was nearly related to
the founder, sir Thomas Pope, as from his personal merit.
For in his youth he was of a cheerful disposition, a sprightly
wit, an easy address, and frank and entertaining in conversation, charmed all who were of his acquaintance, and
was justly esteemed as promising a genius as any in the
university. In the year 1618 he took the degree of B.A.
and soon after left Oxford for Gray’s-inn, where for some
time he applied himself to the study of the law, and set
out on his travels in the spring of the year 1634, being
then lately become of age. He made first the tour of France,
part of Spain and Italy, and then passing to Venice, he
there contracted an acquaintance with a Janizary, with
whom he resolved to pass into the Turkish dominions.
With this view he embarked on the 7th of May, 1634, on
board a Venetian galley, in which he sailed to Spalatro,
and thence continued his journey by land to Constantinople. There he was very kindly received by sir Peter
Wich, then our ambassador at the Port. His stay at Constantinople was short, because, having an earnest desire
to see Grand Cairo, and meeting with a sudden opportunity, he readily embraced it, and after a peregrination of
near two years, returned safely into England, where, in
1636, he printed an account of his travels, London, 1636,
4to, which soon after came to a second edition, and in
1638 to a third, in the same size. It was then printed in
12mo, and reached many editions the title of the eighth
runs thus “A Voyage into the Levant, being a brief relation of a Journey lately performed from England by the
way of Venice, into Dalmatia, Sclavonia, Bosnia, Hungary, Macedonia, Thessaly, Thrace, Rhodes, and Egypt,
unto Grand Cairo; with particular observations concerning
the modern condition of the Turks, and other people under
that empire. By sir Henry Blount, knight.
” This book
made him known to the world, and so much noticed, that
shortly after, king Charles I. who desired to fill his court
with men of parts, appointed him one of the band of pensioners, then composed of gentlemen of the first families
in the kingdom. In 1638, his father, sir Thomas Pope
Blount, died, and left him the ancient seat of Blount’s
hall, in Staffordshire, and a very considerable fortune.
On the 21st of March in the succeeding year, the king
conferred on him the honour of knighthood. At the first
breaking out of the civil war, he, following the example
of the elder branches of his illustrious family, who were
eminently loyal, attended the king at York, at Oxford,
and other places, was present at the battle of Edgehill,
and had there (according to a tradition in the family) the
honour of taking care of the young princes. Afterwards
he quitted his majesty’s service, and returned to London,
where he was questioned for his adhering to the king
but he being now grown a very wary and dexterous
speaker, so well excused himself, by alleging his duty on
account of his post, that he escaped all censure, and was
thenceforward well received. It appears, however, that
he had not the courage to be faithful, or that Ije had seriously repented his loyalty to the king, for he complied
with the usurping government so implicitly, that in 1651
he was named on a committee of twenty persons, for inspecting the practice of the law, and remedying its abuses.
He declared himself very warmly against tithes, and
would willingly have reduced the income of parish ministers to one hundred pounds a year. A man of this opinion
must have been very acceptable at that time. His next appearance, however, was more to his credit. He sat with Dr.
Hichard Zouch, Dr. William Clarke, Dr. William Turner, civilians, and with several other eminent persons in the court
of king’s (then called the upper) bench, in Westminster
hall, on the 5th of July, 1654, by virtue of a commission
from Oliver Cromwell, for trying Don Pantalion Saa,
brother to the Portuguese ambassador, for murder, of
which, being found guilty, he was, much to the honour
of the justice of this nation, by sentence of that court, adjudged to suffer death, and was executed accordingly,
Jn, the same year, by the death of his elder brother Thomas Pope Blount, esq. the estate of Tittenhanger descended to him. His great reputation for general knowledge and uncommon sagacity was the reason that his
name was inserted in the list of twenty-one commissioners
appointed, November 1, 1655, to consider of the trade and
navigation of the commonwealth, and how it might be best
encouraged and promoted, in which station he did his
country eminent service. But whatever his compliances
with the forms of government set up between 1650 and
1660, he was received into favour and confidence on the
ling’s restoration, and appointed high sheriff of the county
of Hertford, in 1661. He lived after that as an English
gentleman, satisfied with the honours he had acquired, and
the large estate he possessed, and having passed upwards
uf twenty years in this independent state, be died on the
9th of October, 1682, when he wanted but four months of
four-score, and was two days afterwards interred in the
vault of his family, at Ridge in Hertfordshire. As to what
appears from his writings, he seems to have had strong
parts, a lively imagination, and, in consequence of these,
some very singular opinions. His style was manly, flowing,
and less affected than could be expected, considering the
times in, and the subjects on, which he wrote. A Latin
fragment, published by his son, in his “Oracles of Reason,
” better explains his sentiments than all the rest of his
works, and demonstrates that he was a man of an irregular
way of thinking.
at Geneva, 1694, 4to, and 1710, 4to. This compilation, a work of great erudition and labour, is well known to the critic and the literary historian, but cannot be compared,
His “Censura Celebrium Authorum
” was first printed
at London, Jugement des Savans,
”
Baillet reporting the opinions of others in his own words,
but Blount transcribes them literally, which adds considerably to their value. His “Essays,
” which were published Natural History, containing many, not common observations, extracted out of the best modern authors,
” was
published Remarks on Poetry,
”
he was concerned in it, does not appear. Wood seems to insinuate that he was only alarmed, as he was known to be a zealous Roman catholic. He was, however, a man of general
, a miscellaneous writer of the seventeenth century, was born 1618, at Bardsley in Worcestershire, the son of Myles Blount, of Orleton in Herefordshire, who was the fifth son of Roger Blount of Monkland in the same county. He appears to have supplied
the want of an university education by diligent application,
and after studying the classics, entered himself of the
Inner Temple, and was in due course admitted to the bar.
Being, however, a Roman catholic, he never pleaded, but
after some time resided mostly at Orleton. A sedentary
life having much impaired his health, and the popish plot
breaking out in 1678, he was so hurried from place to
place, that the fatigue brought on a palsy, of which he died
at Orleton, Dec. 26, 1679. Whether by this mention of
the popish plot, his biographer means that he was concerned in it, does not appear. Wood seems to insinuate
that he was only alarmed, as he was known to be a zealous
Roman catholic. He was, however, a man of general
knowledge, and an industrious and useful writer. His
works are, 1. “The Academy of Eloquence, or complete
English rhetoric,
” Glossographia, or a Dictionary of hard words,
” Lond.
The Lamps of the Law, and the Lights of the Gospel,
” ibid. Boscobel; or the history of
his majesty’s escape after the battle of Worcester,
” ibid.
Claustrum regale reseratum,
” or the king’s concealment at Trent in Somersetshire, published by Mrs.
Anne Windham of Trent,” ibid. 1681. Both these now
are among the scarce and high-priced curiosities of the
seventeenth century. Extracts are given from them in
the Addenda to lord Clarendon’s History. 6. “The Catholic Almanac for 1661-2-3, &c.
” 7. “Booker rebuked;
or animadversions on Booker’s Almanac.
” 8. “A Law
Dictionary,
” ibid. 1671, fol. reprinted with additions. 9.
“Animadversions on sir Richard Baker’s Chronicle,
” Oxf.
A World of Errors, discovered in Mr.
Edmund Philips’s World of Words,
” London, Fragmenta Antiquitatis. Ancient tenures of land,
and jocular customs of some manors,
” ibid. Animadversions on Blome’s Britannia,
” not
published. 13. “The art of making Devises, treating of Hieroglyphics, Symbols, &c.
” a translation from the
French, A catalogue of the Catholics,
who lost their lives in the king’s cause, during the civil
war,
” printed at the end of lord Castlemain’s “Catholic
Apology.
” 15. “A Chronicle of England,
” left imperfect, and a history of Herefordshire, a ms. left with his
heirs, but which was probably lost, or has escaped the researches of Mr. Gough. 16. “A pedigree of the Blounts,
”
printed in Peacham’s “Complete Gentleman,
” edit.
s,” a poetical epistle, to him in 1713. A descendant of this family, Tillemant Bobart, is still well known to all who wish for civil treatment and a safe carriage on the
, a German horticulturist, who came
to England about the middle of the seventeenth century,
was appointed first superintendant of the physic-garden at
Oxford, founded in 1632 by Henry earl of Danby. Some
writers call him doctor, and some professor of botany, but
he was neither, nor was there any professor, properly so
called, before Dillenius. The “Catalogus -Plantarum
”
in this garden, published at Oxford in on rejoicing days
old Bobart used to have his beard tagged with silver.
” He
left two sons, Jacob and Tillemant, who were both employed in the physi-garden. Jacob, who seems to have
been a man of some learning, published the second volume
of Morison’s “Oxford history of Plants,
” several fine copies of verses
were wrote on so rare a subject.
” Bobart afterwards
owned the cheat but it was preserved for some years, as
a master-piece of art. Dr. Pulteney thinks Bobart was
alive in 1704; but he appears to have lived considerably
longer, as Dr. Abel Evans dedicated “Vertumnus,
” a
poetical epistle, to him in
ration for Dante not permitting him to aspire to the first, and the sonnets of Petrarch were not yet known. It is to his honour, however, that as soon us he saw the latter,
The predominant passion of Boccaccio, in youth, was
the love of pleasure tempered by that of study; as he advanced in age, study became his sole delight. He had no
ambition either for rank or fortune. The public employments confided to him came unasked, and when he could
lay them down, he did so. He was equally averse to any
domestic employments which were likely to take up much
of his time, and would accept of no private tutorships,
which so often eventually promote a man’s interest. His
character was frank and open, but not without a degree of
pride, which, however, particularly when he was in low
circumstances, kept him from mean compliances. With
respect to his talents, it is eviuent that he had always made
a false estimate of them he had the fullest confidence in
his poetical powers, yet nothing he wrote in verse rises
above mediocrity, and many of his prose Italian writings
desefve no higher praise. He is superior and inimitable
only in his tales, on which he did not pride himself, nor indeed set any value. He fell into the same error with his
master Petrarch in supposing that his serious Latin works
would be the source of his fame, which he owes entirely
to his Tales, as Petrarch owes his to his love-verses. All
his Latin writings are crude and hasty. * In them, says Paul
Cortesius, “he labours with thought, and struggles to give
it utterance but his sentiments find no adequate vehicle,
and the lustre of his native talents is obscured by the depraved taste of the times.
” In his youth, he was flattered
as having obtained the second place in poetry, his
admiration for Dante not permitting him to aspire to the
first, and the sonnets of Petrarch were not yet known. It
is to his honour, however, that as soon us he saw the latter,
he threw into the fire the greater part of his lyric compositions, sonnets, canzoni, &e. and seems to have determined
to apply himself entirely to the perfection of Italian prose,
in which it must be confessed he has succeeded admirably.
As a recent event has rendered some of Boccaccio’s
writings an object, of research among collectors, we shall
enter somewhat more fully than is usual into a detail of
their editions. Among his Latin works, we have, 1. “De
genealogia Deorum lib. XV. De montium, sylvarum, lucuum, fluviorum, stagnorum, et marium nominibus, liber.
”
These two were first printed together in folio without date,
but supposed to be at Venice, and. anterior to 1472, in
which year appeared the second edition, at Venice, with
that date. The third was published at the same place in
1473, and followed by others at Reggio, Vincenza, Venice, Paris, and Basle, which last, in 1532, is accompanied with notes and supplements. This account of the genealogy of the Gods, or the heathen mythology, must have
been the fruit of immense reading, and as no information
on the subject existed then, a high value was placed on it,
although it has been since superseded by more recent and
accurate works. He has been very unjustly accused of
quoting authors no where else to be found, as if he had invented their names, but it is surely more reasonable to
think they might be known in his days, although their memory has since perished, or that he might have been himself deceived. This same work, translated into Italian by
Joseph Betussi, has gone through twelve or thirteen edi-.
tions, the first, of Venice, 1547, 4to. There are -also
two French translations, the first anonymous, Paris, 1498,
fol. and 1531, also in fol. the second by Claude Wittard,
Paris, 1578, 8vo. The lesser book, or Dictionary of the
names of mountains, forests, &c. was also translated into
Italian by Niccolo Liburnio, and printed in 4to. without
date or place, but there is a second edition at Florence,
1598, 8vo. 2. “De casibus Virorum et Foeminarum illustrium libri IX.
” Paris, 1535, 1544, fol. and at Vincenza
the same year translated into Italian by Betussi, Venice,
1545, 8vo, and often reprinted. But there must have been
an edition long previous to the oldest of these, as we find it
translated into English in 1494, by John Lydgate, monk of
Edmundsbury, at the commandment of Humphrey duke of
Gloucester, under the title of “John Boccace of the Fall
of Princes and Princesses .
” It has likewise been translated and often reprinted in French, Spanish, and German. The first of the Spanish translations is dated Seville,
1495, and the first of the French was printed at Bruges in
1476, folio, then at Paris, 1483, at Lyons the same
year, and again at Paris in 1494, 1515, folio, and 1578,
8vo. 3. “De claris Mulieribus.
” The first edition of this
is without place or date, in the black letter the second is
that of Ulm, 1473, fol. followed by those of Louvain and
Berne from 1484 to 1539. Of this work the Italians have
two translations, one by Vincent Bagli, a Florentine, Venice, 1506, 4to; the other by Betussi, who prefixed a life
of Boccaccio, Venice, 1545, and 1547, 8vo. The first
edition of the Spanish translation is dated Seville, 1528,
fol. That of the German translation is dated Augsburgh,
1471, and was followed by one at Ulm, 1473, 4to. The
French have two translations, the oldest 1493, fol. 4.
“Eclogae,
” sixteen in number, and printed with those of
Virgil, Calphurnius, &c. Florence, 1504, 8vo. They are
also inserted in the “Bucolicorum auctorcs,
” Basil, La Teseide,
” the
first attempt at an epic in Italian, and written in the ottava
rima, or heroic verse, of which Boccaccio is considered as
the inventor; printed at Ferrara, 1475, fol. Venice, 1528,
4to, and translated into French, 1597, 12mo. 6. “Amorosa visione,
” Milan, II Filastrato,
” a poetical romance in heroic verse, the hero of
which is young Troilus, the son of Priam, and the subject,
his amours with Chryseis, whom the poet does not make
the daughter of Chryses, but of Calchas. Of this there are
four editions Bologna, 1498, 4to, Milan, 1499, 4to, Venice 1501 and 1528, 4to. 8. “Nimfale Fiesolano.
” It is
thought that in this poem Boccaccio has concealed, under
the disguise of a pastoral fiction, an amorous adventure
which happened in his time in the environs of Florence.
The first edition is in 4to. without place or date; the second is of Venice 1477, and was followed by many others
at Venice and Florence, and one recently of Paris, 1778,
12mo. It was translated into French by Anthony Guercin
du Crest, and printed at Lyons, 1556, 16mo. 9. “Rime,
”
or miscellaneous poems. We have noticed that he burned
the greater part of his minor poems, but those which were
dispersed in manuscript in various hands, have been often
collected, and the publication of them announced. M.
Baldelli, who has since, in 1806, published a good life of
Boccaccio, collected all of these poems he could find, and
printed them at Leghorn, 1802, 8vo.
n without date that can be supposed of that period. In England it is certain that no such edition is known but the French bibliographers seem to be of a different opinion.
In order to appreciate these editions, it is necessary to advert to the fate of this extraordinary work in the press. For
about a century, it was circulated in manuscript, and liberties of every kind were taken at every transcription. At length
it was printed for the first time, as has been supposed, in 1470,
and run through various editions to the end of the fifteenth,
and for more than sixty years of the sixteenth century.
During this period it was prohibited by the popqs Paul IV.
and Pius IV. who were in this respect more scrupulous than
their twenty-five or twenty-six predecessors in the papal
chair. Two grand dukes of Tuscany, Cosmo I. and
Francis I. applied one after the other to two other popes,
Pius V. and Gregory XIII. in consequence of which the
academicians were employed to reform the Decameron
important corrections were made, and many passages suppressed, and in this state various editions were permitted
to be printed. But with respect to the ancient editions,
it is now necessary to observe that there are two opinions,
which we shall state, without attempting to reconcile. We
have already noticed that the first edition has been supposed to have been printed in 1470, without a date but
on the other hand, it is contended that the edition of 1471,
by Valdarfer, is not only the first with a date (which those who maintain the existence of the edition of 1470 are disposed to allow), but that in fact there was no previous
edition. Those who are of this latter opinion very naturally ask their antagonists to produce the edition of
1470, or an edition without date that can be supposed of
that period. In England it is certain that no such edition
is known but the French bibliographers seem to be of a
different opinion. Ginguene 1 to whom we are indebted
for the greater part of this life of Boccaccio, who has written the literary history of Italy, and is considered in
France, we apprehend justly, as their first critic and
bibliographer in Italian literature this writer speaks of
the first edition without a date in the following terms
“Elle est sans date et sans nom de lieu ni d'imprimeur,
in-fol. en caracteres inegaux et mal formes.
” (Hist. Litt. d'ltalie, vol. III. p. 129). It remains, therefore, for the
reader to determine whether this is the language of a man
who has seen the book, and describes what he has seen;
and if this be decided in the affirmative, the existence of
the edition is proved, as far as his authority goes. But
it must be confessed Ginguene goes no fa ther. He says
nothing of any library which possesses this treasure, nor
of its supposed value but when he comes to speak of
Valdarfer’s edition of 1471, he informs us that it- has been
valued by bibliomaniacs (bibliomanes) at 3000 francs, or
125l. And this brings us to notice the copy of this edition
recently sold from the duke of Roxburgh’s library, to the
marquis of Blandford, for the immense (and with respect to the value of books, the unprecedented) sum of Two
Thousand Two Hundred And Sixty Pounds. In the catalogue of this library, it is stated that “no other perfect
copy is yet known to exist, after all the fruitless researches
of more than three hundred years;
” but, notwithstanding
this, we find that the French bibliographers set a value on
the edition, as if copies, however rare, were still occasionally to be found. We cannot suppose that the French
booksellers or collectors would fix a price-current on an
article which had not been seen, for three hundred years,
still less that our authority is speaking of imperfect copies,
the value of which can only be estimated by the quantum
of imperfection. It remains also to be noticed that the
French bibliographers speak precisely with the same familiarity of the Junti edition of Florence, 1527, 4to, which
they value at 600 francs, or 25l. and which sold at the
Roxburgh sale for 29 1. no great advance upon the French
price. They certainly speak both of this edition, and of
the 1471, as of rare occurrence, but by no means hint
that the latter is of that extreme rarity imputed to it in
this country .
of considerable learning, was born at Brunswick, Jan. 16, 1730, and died Dec. 13, 1793. He was long known for his controversial writings against the free-masons, but
, a bookseller at Hamburgh, and a man of considerable learning, was born at Brunswick, Jan. 16, 1730, and died Dec. 13, 1793. He was long known for his controversial writings against the free-masons, but perhaps was more esteemed by his countrymen for his translations into German of various foreign popular works. Among these were Marmontel’s Incas and Montaigne’s Essays; and of the English series, Fielding’s Tom Jones, Sterne’s Sentimental Journey, and Tristram Shandy, and Goldsmith’s Vicar of Wakefield.
s certainly not of the most favourable kind. It may be said, that although toleration was a word not known in his time, he appears to have cherished some liberal notions
In 1576 he was chosen deputy to the states-general of
Blois, by the tiers-etat of Vermandois, and ably contended
for the rights of the people, and particularly opposed
those who would have all the king’s subjects constrained
to profess the Catholic religion, which we can easily suppose effectually prevented the king from being reconciled
to him. He after this appears to have resided at Laon,
where, in 1589, he persuaded that city to declare for the
league, and at the same time wrote to the president Brisson, a letter severely reflecting on Henry III. but this fault
he afterwards repaired by securing the allegiance of Laon
to Henry IV. He died of the plague at Laon, in 1596,
leaving a character more dubious than that of any man in
his time, and the light thrown upon it in his works is
certainly not of the most favourable kind. It may be said,
that although toleration was a word not known in his time,
he appears to have cherished some liberal notions on the
subject, but, as to religious principles, he had so little
steadiness, that he was by turns accounted, perhaps not
always justly, a Protestant, Papist, Deist, Sorcerer, Jew,
and Atheist; D'Aguessau, however, pronounces him a
worthy magistrate, a learned author, and a good citizen.
His first work was a commentary on Oppian’s “Cynogeticon,
” Paris, Methodus ad facilem Historiarum cognitionem,
” Paris, The Republic,
” a
work equally immethodical with the other, and abounding
in digressions and irrelevant matter, yet, for the time, an
extraordinary collection of facts and reflections on political government. It was soon translated into other languages, and was read with much interest in an age when
the principles of government were seldom discussed in
books. When in England with the duke of Alenc,on, we
are told that he found the English had made a Latin translation of it, bad enough, but, bad as it was, the subject
of lectures at London and Cambridge. Bodin reports
thus far himself; but that “it became a classic at Cambridge
” has been supplied by his biographers, who were
probably not aware that lectures on political government
were then no part of Cambridge education, and if his book
was explained and commented on there or at London, it
must have been by individuals. In this work he introduces
the influence of climate on the principles of government;
and as Montesquieu has done the same, La Harpe, the
French critic, terms Bodin’s book the “germ of the Spirit
of Laws,
” but this notion is far more ancient than either,
and not indeed of much consequence, whether old or new.
The first edition of these “Livres de la Republique
” was
printed at Paris, Juris Universi Distributio,
” were printed in to which was annexed
” A refutation of the book, de Lamiis,“of John Wier,
physician to the duke of Cleves, who had undertaken to
prove that the stories of witchcraft and sorcery have chiefly
arisen from imposture or delusions of fancy. The literary
character of Bodin, who defended this kind of superstition,
incurred reproach, and he himself was suspected of being
a magician. A work written by him, but never printed, and
entitled
” Heptaplomeron, sive de abditis rerum sublimium
arcanis,“is said to have been an attack upon religion, and
designed to invalidate the authority of revelation. By the
seeming advantages which he gave in this work to the
Jewish religion, he was suspected of being a convert to it;
but it is more probable that he was a sceptic with regard
to religion, and alike indifferent to all modes of faith. A
little while before his death he published a Latin treatise,
entitled
” Theatrum Universae Naturae," in which he professes to pursue the causes and effects of things to their
principles.
ies, she would not only revoke her succours from thence with all expedition, but make her grievances known by some public declaration, whereby the world mi^ht take notice
4 In a letter written to the queen on the 14th of May,
1595, just after his return, he inclosed the substance of
their overture, and alleged the reasons of his own coming
over in person, to be the winning of time, the clearing of
doubts, and the framing of the overture fully to her majesty’s satisfaction. Nevertheless, the queen continued so
exasperated with the proposal brought by him, that on the
24th of May, he wrote to Mr. Anthony Bacon, that he had
not stirred abroad for ten days past, nor knew when he
should, since he saw so little hope of better usage at
court “where,
” says he, “I hear for my comfort, that
the queen on Monday last did wish I had been hanged.
” And if withal I might have leave, that I should be discharged, I would say, Benedetto si el Giorno, el Mese, &
'lAnno." However, at length, Mr. Bodley was sent back
to the Hague, with new instructions, to demand of the
States a. hundred thousand pounds in ready money, and to
protest, that if they would not now determine to return
her majesty such an answer, as she might find they had
some feeling of her manifold deserts and present necessities, she would not only revoke her succours from thence
with all expedition, but make her grievances known by
some public declaration, whereby the world mi^ht take
notice of their want of conscience in their dealing. But
not being able to bring the States to a compliance with
the terms insisted upon, he was, at last, commanded to
effect the very same project, which he had before carried
to England, and for which he had endured so much bitterness and grief; and in conclusion he brought them to
these terms: that they would consent to a discharge of the
auxiliary entertainments, which would ease her majesty of
at least forty thousand pounds a year, upon condition
that her intention might be known two months before to
make an annual presentation of twenty thousand pounds,
to be paid every time by public legation on her majesty’s
birth-day; but not to be continued beyond her reign: to
assist her majesty, if there should be occasion, with their
shipping and other sea provisions, and to come to no accord or pacification with the Spaniard, unless with her
consent; and to discharge the sum of four hundred thousand pounds in four years, but payable only to her majesty’s
person.
in the city of Exeter, about the year 1546. After a suitable education, though in what school is not known, he was sent to Christ-church-college in Oxford, where he took
, a younger brother of sir Thonas Bodley, and, as already noticed, a benefactor to his library, was born in the city of Exeter, about the year 1546. After a suitable education, though in what school is not known, he was sent to Christ-church-college in Oxford, where he took the degrees of bachelor and master of arts. From thence he removed into his native country, where his merit became so conspicuous, that he was made one of the canons, residentiary of Exeter cathedral, and rector of Shobroke, about seven miles from that city, near Crediton. He was chief mourner at his brother’s funeral and, March 30, 1613, was created doctor in divinity, as a member of Christ-church. He died April the 19th, 1615, in the seventieth year of his age, and was interred in St. Peter’s cathedral in Exeter, near the choir, under a flat marble stone, with an epitaph. As to his character we are told, that for his pious zeal, and continual labour in the faithful discharge of the duties of his function, he cannot be over-praised, and that he was of an hospitable disposition, very charitable, and pious. In his will, he bequeathed to the mayor and chamber of Exeter, four hundred pounds in money, to purchase twenty pounds a year in lands, towards the maintenance of a preacher in that city. There is nothing of his writing extant, except an. elegy on the death of the famous bishop Jewel, inserted in Humphrey’s life of that prelate. Dr. John Prideaux, regius professor of divinity and rector of Exeter college, dedicated an act sermon to him, and acknowledges himself indebted to him for some preferment. Prideaux entered Exeter college as a poor servitor, and probably was then indebted to Dr. Bodley for his advancement.
rector-general, and overseer of the fortifications of that kingdom, but the time of his death is not known. He wrote “Observations concerning the fortresses of Ireland,
, youngest brother to sir Thomas
Bodley, was, in all probability, born at Exeter, as well as
his brothers. He was bred up a scholar, and spent some
time in Merton-college in Oxford; but preferring a military to a studious life, he served in the Low-countries,
which was then the theatre of war, and behaved so well,
that he was advanced to the degree of a captain. In 1598,
he was sent into Ireland, with several old companies of
English out of the Netherlands, amounting in all to above
a thousand men, of which he was second captain. There
he signalized himself by his valour and conduct and was,
at the taking of the isle of Loghrorcan at the attack of
Castle-Ny park and at the siege of Kinsale, in 1601,
where he was overseer of the trenches, as he was also at
the sieges of Baltimore, Berchahaven, and Castlehaven,
for which, and other services, he was knighted by the
lord deputy Chichester. He was living in Ireland in the
year 1613, when he was director-general, and overseer of
the fortifications of that kingdom, but the time of his death
is not known. He wrote “Observations concerning the
fortresses of Ireland, and the British colonies of Ulster,
”
a ms. once in the library of sir James Ware, an'd afterwards in that of Henry lord Clarendon, and “A Jocular
Description of a Journey taken by him to Lecale in Ulster,
in 1602,
” also in manuscript.
his study, he saw thousands of thousands of lights rising round about him. But our author is better known among ou-rselves, where he has hundreds of admirers and no wonder,
A great number of persons have been inveigled by the visions of this fanatic; among others the famous Quirinus Kahlman in Germany, who says, that he had learned more, being alone in his study, from Boehmen, than he could have learned from all the wise men of that age together: and that we may not be in the dark as to what sort of knowledge this was, he acquaints us, that amidst an infinite number of visions it happened, that being snatched out of his study, he saw thousands of thousands of lights rising round about him. But our author is better known among ou-rselves, where he has hundreds of admirers and no wonder, since, as Dr. Henry More observes, the sect of the Quakers have borrowed a great many of their doctrines from our Teutonic philosopher of whom we shall venture to say, from a perusal of some of his writings, that he possessed the grand arcanum of mysterizing plain truths by an inextricably oenigmatical expression. He has still many disciples in England and we are sorry to add, met with a warm advocate and industrious disciple in the late pious Mr. William Law, who employed many years in preparing an edition and translation of Bcehmen’s works, and which were published after his decease in 2 vols. 4to, to which two others were afterwards added. The titles of these writings will be perhaps sufficient, without entering farther into their merits, or that of their author. 1. Aurora, or the rising of the sun, 1612. 2. Of the three principles, together with an appendix of the threefold life of man, 1619. 3. Of the threefold life of man, 1620. 4. An answer to the forty questions of the soul, propounded by Dr. Walter, &c. ibid. 5. Three books; the first, of the incarnation of Jesus Christ; the second, of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ; the third, of the tree of faith, ibid. 6. Of six parts, ibid. 7. Of the heavenly and earthly mysterium, ibid. 8. Of the last times, to P. K. ibid. 9. De signatura rerum, or the signature of all things, 1621. 10. A consolatory book of the four complexions, ibid. 11. An apology to Balthazar Tilken, in two parts, ibid. 12. A consideration upon Esaias Steefel’s book, ibid. 13. Of true repentance, 1622. 14. Of true resignation, ibid. 15. Of regeneration, ibid. 16. Of predestination and election of God; at the end of which is a treatise, entitled, 17. A short compendium of repentance, 1623. 18. The mysterium magnum upon Genesis, ibid. 19. A table of the principles, or key of his writings, to G. F. and J. H. 20. Of the supersensual life, ibid. LM. Of the two testaments of Christ, viz. baptism and the supper of the Lord, ibid. 22. A dialogue between the enlightened and unenlightened soul, ibid. 23. An apology upon the book of true repentance, directed against a pasquil of the principal minister of Gorlitz, called Gregory Rickter, ibid. 24. An epitome of the mysterium magnum, ibid. 25. A table of the divine manifestation, or an exposition of the threefold world, to J. S. V. S. and A. V. F. ibid. The following are without date. 26. Of the errors of the sects of Ezekiel Meths, to A. P. A. or an apology to Esaias Steefel. 27. Of the last judgment. 28. Certain letters to diverse persons, written at diverse times, with certain keys for some hidden words. Besides these our author left unfinished, 29. A little book of divine contemplation. 30. A book of one hundred and seventy-seven theosophic questions. 3 1 The holy weeks, or the prayerbook.
le, 1748 64, 3 vols. 8vo. Boerner was once possessed of a ms. of part of the New Testament, which is known by the name of the Codex Boerneriamis. It is noted G. in the
, professor of theology at Leipsic, was born at Dresden, Nov. 6, 1685,
studied at Leipsic and Wittemberg, and travelled afterwards
in Holland and England. He died at Leipsic, Nov. 19,
17.53. He was a man of great learning, which he employed principally on subjects of biblical criticism and ecclesiastical history. His principal works are: 1. “De
exulibus Grcecis iisdemque litterarum in Italia instauratoribus,
” Leipsic, De
ortu atque progressu Philosophise moralis,
” ibid. De Socrate, singular! boni ethici exemplo,
” ib. De Lutheri actis anno 1520,
” ibid. De actis Lutheri anno 1531,
” ibid. Institutiones theologiae symbolicse,
” ib. Dissertationes sacrae,
” ibid. Bibliotheca
Sacra,
” at Antwerp, 2 vols. 8vo, with corrections and additions. He had two sons, Christian Frederic, and Frederic, who were both physicians. The latter, who died
in 1761, published the “Lives and writings of eminent
physicians and naturalists,
” in German, Wolfenbuttle,
second. It was afterwards reprinted at Venice, 1504, 1515, and 1517, 8vo. But Boiardo is principally known by his epic romance of “Orlando Innamorato,” of which the celebrated
, count of Scandiano, an
Italian poet, was born at the castle of Scandiano, near
Reggio in Lombardy, about the year 1434. He studied at
the university of Ferrara, and remained in that city the
greater part of his life, attached to the ducal court. He
was particularly in great favour with the duke Borso and
Hercules I. his successor. He accompanied Borso in a
journey to Rome in 1471, and the year following was selected by Hercules to escort to Ferrara, Eleonora of Aragon, his future duchess. In 1481 he was appointed governor of Reggio, and was also captain-general of Modena.
He died at Reggio, Dec. 20, 1494. He was one of the
most learned and accomplished men of his time, a very
distinguished Greek and Latin scholar, and at a time when
Italian poetry was in credit, one of those poets who added
to the reputation of his age and country. He translated
Herodotus from the Greek into Italian, and Apuleius from
the Latin. He wrote also Latin poetry, as his “Carmen
Bucolicum,
” eight eclogues in hexameters, dedicated to
duke Hercules I. Reggio, 1500, 4 to Venice, 1528; and
in Italian, “Sonetti e Canzoni,
” Reggio, Timon,
” taken from a dialogue of Lucian, which
may be accounted the first comedy written in Italian. The
first edition of it, according to Tiraboschi, was that printed
at Scandiano, 1500, 4to. The one, without a date, in
8vo, he thinks was the second. It was afterwards reprinted
at Venice, 1504, 1515, and 1517, 8vo. But Boiardo is
principally known by his epic romance of “Orlando Innamorato,
” of which the celebrated poem of Ariosto is not
only an imitation, but a continuation. Of this work, he did
not live to complete the third book, nor is it probable that
any part of it had the advantage of his last corrections, yet
it is justly regarded as exhibiting, upon the whole, a
warmth of imagination, and a vivacity of colouring, which
rendered it highly interesting: nor is it, perhaps, without
reason, that the simplicity of the original has occasioned
it to be preferred to the same work, as altered or reformed
by Francesco Berni (See Brrni). The “Orlando Innamorato
” was first printed at Scandiano, about the year
He is well known by a number of works in a peculiar style, some of which were
He is well known by a number of works in a peculiar style,
some of which were not remarkable for decency; but these
he wrote in Latin, “lest the bishops,
” he said, “should
condemn them.
” He was not more a friend to the Jesuits
than his brother; and he described them as “men who
lengthened the creed, and shortened the commandments.
”
As dean of the chapter of Sens, he was appointed to
harangue the celebrated prince of Conde, when he 'passed
through the city. This great commander took particular
pleasure on these occasions in disconcerting his panegyrists; but the doctor, perceiving his intention, counterfeited great confusion, and addressed him in the following
manner: “Your highness will not be surprised, I trust,
at seeing me tremble in your presence at the head of a
company of peaceful priests; I should tremble still more,
if I was at the head of 30,000 soldiers.
” He manifested a
contempt of fanaticism, as well as of decorum, by his
“Historia Flagellantium, &c.
” or, an account of the extravagant, and often indecent, practice of discipline by
flagellation, in the popish church. It was translated
into French; and not many years ago (viz. 1777, 4to. and again in 1782, 8vo.) by M. de Lolme, into English. In
his treatise “De antiquo jure presbyterorum in regimine
ecclesiastico,
” he endeavours to shew, that in the primitive times the priests participated with the bishops in the
government of the church. He was also the author of several other publications, displaying much curious learning
and a satirical turn, which are now consigned to oblivion.
panegyrical ode upon him, which would certainly be a bad one. “Now,” added this friend, “when it is known that your grace has rewarded a paltry piece with six thousand
, of the French
academy, to the establishment whereof he contributed
greatly, abbot of Chatilly-sur-Seine, was born at Caen in
1592, and died in 1662. He was remarkably brilliant in
conversation, but with his natural and borrowed powers,
often repeating scraps from many of the tales of Boccace, of Beroald, and especially the “Moyen de parvenir
”
of the Jatter. His imagination, fostered early by the
writings of all the facetious authors, furnished him with the
means of amusing and of exciting laughter. Citois, first
physician to the cardinal de Richelieu, used to say to that
minister, when he was indisposed, “Monseigneur, all our
drugs are of no avail, unless you mix with them a dram of
Boisrobert.
” The cardinal for a long time was never
happy without his company and jokes, and employed him
as his buffoon. When Boisrobert fell into disgrace with
the cardinal, he had recourse to Citois, who put at the
bottom of his paper to the cardinal, as if it had been a prescription, Recipe Boisrobert. This jest had its effect,
by causing him to be recalled. Boisrobert published,
1. Divers poems; the first part 1647, 4to, and the second
1659, 8vo. 2. Letters in the collection of Faret; 8vo.
3. Tragedies, comedies, and tales, which bear the name
of his brother Antoine le Metel, sieur d'Ouville. 4. “Histoire Indienne d‘Anaxandre et d’Orasie;
” Nouvelles heroiques,
” Now,
” added this friend, “when it is known that your
grace has rewarded a paltry piece with six thousand crowns,
every one will applaud your generosity, and will be anxious
to know what you would have given for a good poem.
”
It is most to his honour, however, that he contributed to
the establishment of the French academy, and always employed his interest with cardinal Richelieu in behalf of men
of merit.
eft except those which he had transported to Metz, where he himself head retired; but as it was well known that he intended to publish a large collection of antiquities,
, a famous French antiquary,
was born at Besangon, 1528, and published several collections, which tend to illustrate the Roman antiquities, on
which he had bestowed great attention, having drawn plans
of all the ancient monuments in Italy, and visited all the
antiquities of the isles of Corfu, Cephalonia, and Zante.
He went also to the Morea, and would have proceeded to
Syria, had he not been prevented by a dangerous fever,
which seized him at Methone. Upon his return to his own
country, he was appointed tutor to the sons of Anthony de
Vienne, baron de Clervaut, with whom he travelled into
Germany and Italy. He had left at Montbeliard his antiquities, which he had been collecting with so much pains;
and had the misfortune to lose them all when the people
of Lorraine ravaged Franche Comte“. He had now none
left except those which he had transported to Metz, where
he himself head retired; but as it was well known that he
intended to publish a large collection of antiquities, there
were sent to him from all parts many sketches and draughts
of old monuments, by which means he was enabled to favour the public with his work, entitled,
” De Romano?
urbis topographia et antiquitate.“It consists of four volumes in folio, which are enriched with several prints, by
Theodore de Bry and his sons, 1597 1602. He published also the lives of many famous persons, with their
portraits, entitled,
” Theatrum vitoe humanx,“divided into
four parts, in 4to: the first printed at Francfort, 1597;
the second and third in 1598; and the fourth in 1599.
His treatise,
” De divinatione et magicis praestigiis,“was
not printed till after his death, which happened at Metz,
Oct. 30, 1602. There have been two editions of it: one
at Hainan in 1611, 4to; another at Oppenheim in 1625,
folio. He wrote also a book of
” Emblems,“with de Bry’s
engravings, Francfort, 1595, 4to;
” Parnassus Biceps,“ibid, 1627, fol. a very rare book; and
” Habitus variarum
orbis gentium,“1581, fol. with plates. He published also
some
” Poemata, Epigramrnata, &c." 1574, 16mo; but
these are not so much esteemed as his other performances.
His adventure in a garden of cardinal Carpi at Rome,
shews him a genuine antiquary. This garden was full of
ancient marbles, and situated on the Mons Quirinalis.
Boissard went thither one day with his friends, and immediately parted from them, let them return home, and concealed himself in some of the alleys. He employed the
rest of the day in copying inscriptions and drawing the
monuments; and as the garden gates were shut, he staid
there all night. The next morning, the cardinal, finding
him at this work, could not imagine how a stranger should
get into his garden at an unseasonable hour; but when he
knew the reason of Boissard’s staying there all night, he
ordered him a good breakfast, and gave him leave to
copy and draw whatsoever he should think curious in his
palace.
on the exploits that passed under his own observation. Boivin died very old, but at what time is not known. His History, continued by Cl. Malinger, appeared in 1630, 2
, baron of Villars, bailif of Gex,
in which office he was living in 1618, maitre d'hotel to
queen dowager Louisa of France, was also secretary to the
marechal de Bnssac, and accompanied him into Piedmont
under Henry II. We have by him, “L‘Histoire des Guerres
de Piemont, depuis 1550 jusqu’en 1561;
” Paris,
een sworn by the lady Wingfield at her death, which determined the king; but the particulars are not known. It is reported likewise, that when the king held a tournament
, second wife of king
Henry VIII. was born in 1507. She was daughter of sir
Thomas Bolen, afterwards earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde,
by Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk. When she was but seven years of age, she was carried
over to France with the king’s sister Mary, who was married to Lewis XII. And though, upon the B'rench king’s
death, the queen dowager returned to England, yet Anne
Bolen was so highly esteemed at the court of France, that
Claude, the wife of Francis I. retained her in her service
for some years; and after her death in 1524, the duchess
of Alenzon, the king’s sister, kept her in her court during
her stay in that kingdom. It is probable, that she returned
from thence with her father, from his embassy in 1527; and
was soon preferred to the place of maid of honour to the
queen. She continued without the least imputation upon
her character, till her unfortunate fall gave occasion to
some malicious writers to defame her in all the parts of it.
Upon her coming to the English court, the lord Percy,
eldest son of the earl of Northumberland, being then a
domestic of cardinal Wolsey, made his addressee to her,
and proceeded so far, as to engage himself to marry her;
and her consent shews, that she had then no aspirings to
the crown. But the cardinal, upon some private reasons,
using threats and other methods, with great difficulty put
an end to that nobleman’s design. It was prohably about
1528, that the king began to shew some favour to her,
which caused many to believe, that the whole process with
regard to his divorce from queen Catherine was moved by
the unseen springs of that secret passion. But it is not reasonable to imagine, that the engagement of the king’s affec
tion to any other person gave the rise to that affair; for so
sagacious a courtier as Wolsey would have infallibly discovered it, and not have projected a marriage with the
French king’s sister, as he did not long before, if he had
seen his master prepossessed. The supposition is much
more reasonable, that his majesty, conceiving himself in a
manner discharged of his former marriage, gave a full
liberty to his affections, which began to settle upon Mrs.
Bolen; who, in September 1532, was created marchioness
of Pembroke, in order that she might be raised by degrees
to the height for which she was designed; and on the 25th
of January following was married to the king, the office
being performed by; Rowland Lee, afterwards bishop of
Coventry and Lichfield, with great privacy, though in the
presence of her uncle the duke of Norfolk, her father,
mother, and brother. On the 1st of June, 1533, she was
crowned queen of England with such pomp and solemnity,
as was answerable to the magnificence of his majesty’s
temper; and every one admired her conduct, who had so
long managed the spirit of a king so violent, as neither to
surfeit him with too much fondness, nor to provoke with too
much reserve. Her being so soon with child gave hopes of
a numerous issue; and those, who loved the reformation,
entertained the greatest hopes from her protection, as they
knew she favoured them. On the 13th or 14th of September following, she brought forth a daughter, christened
Elizabeth, afterwards the renowned queen of England,
Cranmer, archbishop of Canterb ry, being her god-father.
But the year 1536 proved fatal to her majesty; and her
ruin was in all probability occasioned by those who began
to be distinguished by the name of the Romish party. For
the king now proceeding both at home and abroad in the
point of reformation, they found that the interest which
the queen had in him was the grand support of that cause.
She had risen, not only in his esteem, but likewise in that
of the nation in general; for in the last nine months of
her life, she gave above fourteen thousand pounds to the
poor, and was engaged in several noble and public designs.
But these virtues could not secure her against the artifices
of a bigoted party, which received an additional force
from several other circumstances, that contributed to her
destruction. Soon after queen Catharine’s death in Jan.
1535-6, she was brought to bed of a dead son, which was
believed to have made a bad impression on the king’s mind;
and as he had concluded from the death of his sons by
his former queen, that the marriage was displeasing to
God, so he might upon this misfortune begin to have the
same opinion of his marriage with queen Anne. It was
also considered by some courtiers, that now queen Catharine was dead, his majesty might marry another wife, and
be fully reconciled with the pope and the emperor, and
the issue by any other marriage would never be questioned;
whereas, while queen Anne lived, the ground of the controversy still remained, and her marriage being accounted
null from the beginning, would never be allowed by the
court of Rome, or any of that party. With these reasons
of state the king’s own passions too much concurred; for
he now entertained a secret love for the lady Jane Seymour, who had all the charms of youth and beauty, and
an humour tempered between the gravity of queen Catharine, and the gaiety of queen Anne. Her majesty therefore perceiving the alienation of the king’s heart, used all
possible arts to recover that affection, the decay of which
she was sensible of; but the success was quite contrary to
what she designed. For he saw her no more with those
eyes which she had formerly captivated; but gave way to
jealousy, and ascribed her caresses to some other criminal
passion, of which he began to suspect her. Her chearful
temper indeed was not always limited within the bounds of
exact decency and discretion; and her brother the lord
Rochford’s wife, a woman of no virtue, being jealous of
her husband and her, possessed the king with her own apprehensions. Henry Norris, groom of the stole, William
Brereton, and sir Francis W'eston, who were of the king’s
privy chamber, and Mark Smeton, a musician, were by
the queen’s enemies thought too officious about her; and
something was pretended to have been sworn by the lady
Wingfield at her death, which determined the king; but
the particulars are not known. It is reported likewise,
that when the king held a tournament at Greenwich on the
1st of May, 1536, he was displeased at the queen for
letting her handkerchief fall to one, who was supposed a
favourite, and who wiped his face with it. Whatever the
case was, the king returned suddenly from Greenwich to
Whitehall, and immediately ordered her to be confined to
her chamber, and her brother, with the four persons abovementioned, to be committed to the Tower, and herself to
be sent after them the day following. On the river some
privy counsellors came to examine her, but she made deep
protestations of her innocence; and as she landed at the
Tower, she fell down on her knees, and prayed Heaven
so to assist her, as she was free from the crimes laid to
her charge.“The confusion she was in soon raised a storm
of vapours within her; sometimes she laughejj, and at
other times wept excessively. She was also devout and
light by turns; one while she stood upon her vindication,
and at other times confessed some indiscretions, which
upon recollection she denied. All about her took advantage from any word, that fell from her, and sent it immediately to court. The duke of Norfolk and others, who
came to examine her, the better to make discoveries, told
her, that Morris and Smeton had accused her; which,
though false, had this effect on her, that it induced her to
own some slight acts of indiscretion, which, though no ways
essential, totally alienated the king from her. Yet whether even these small acknowledgments were real truths,
or the effects of imagination and hysterical emotions, is
very uncertain. On the 12th of May, Morris, Brereton,
Weston, and Smeton, were tried in Westminster-hall.
Smeton is said by Dr. Burnet to have confessed the fact;
but the lord Herbert’s silence in this matter imports him to
have been of a different opinion; to which may be added,
that Cromwell’s letter to the king takes notice, that only
some circumstances were confessed by Smeton. However,
they were all four found guilty, and executed on the 17th
of May. On the 15th of which month, the queen, and her
brother the lord Rochford, were tried by their peers in
the Tower, and condemned to die. Yet all this did not
satisfy the enraged king, who resolved likewise to illegitimate his daughter Elizabeth; and, in order to that, to annul his marriage with the queen, upon pretence of a precontract between her and the lord Percy, now earl of Northumberland, who solemnly denied it; though the queen
was prevailed upon to acknowledge, that there were some
just and lawful impediments against her marriage with the
king; and upon this a sentence of divorce was pronounced
by the archbishop, and afterwards confirmed in the convocation and parliament. On the 19th of May, she was
brought to a scaffold within the Tower, where she was
prevailed upon, out of regard to her daughter, to make no
reflections on the hardships she had sustained, nor to say
any thing touching the grounds on which sentence passed
against her; only she desired, that
” all would judge the
best." Her head being severed from her body, they were
both put into an ordinary chest, and buried in the chapel
in the Tower.
ome acquainted with the celebrated Whiston; and partly, as it is said, by his recommendation, became known to sir Joseph Jekyll, master of the rolls, by whom he was appointed
Being chosen senior fellow of Dulwich college, he went
to reside there, March 10, 1722, where he remained three
years, and resigned his fellowship May 1, 1725. About
this time he removed to Kensington, living upon a small
fortune he possessed; and here he appears to have become
acquainted with the celebrated Whiston; and partly, as it
is said, by his recommendation, became known to sir Joseph Jekyll, master of the rolls, by whom he was appointed his domestic chaplain, and, in 1729, preacher at
the Rolls, on the resignation of Dr. Butler, afterwards
bishop of Durham. This connection introduced him to
the patronage of lord Hardwicke, by whose means, in 1734,
he was promoted to the deanery of Carlisle, and, in 1738,
to the vicarage of St. Mary’s Reading. He had his degree
of doctor of civil law from the archbishop of Canterbury,
Jan. 13, 1734, and went to reside at Carlisle in 1736. Both
these preferments, the only ones he ever received, he held
until the time of his death. He was an excellent parishpriest, and a good preacher, charitable to the poor, and
having from his own valetudinary state acquired some knowledge of physic, he kindly assisted them by advice and
medicine. He was greatly beloved by his parishioners,
and deservedly; for he performed every part of his duty
in a truly exemplary manner. On Easter Tuesday in 173y
he preached one of the spital sermons at St. Bride’s, Fleet'
street, which was afterwards printed in 4to, but we do
not find that he aspired to the character of an author,
though so well qualified for it, until late in life. His first
performance was entitled “A Letter to a lady on Cardplaying on the Lord’s day, 8vo, 1748; setting forth in a
lively and forcible manner the many evils attending the
practice of gaming on Sundays, and of an immoderate attachment to that fatal pursuit at any time. In 1750 appeared
” The Employment of Time, three essays,“8vo,
dedicated to lord Hardwicke; the most popular of our
author’s performances, and, on its original publication,
generally ascribed to Gilbert West. In this work two distinguished and exemplary female characters are supposed
to be those of lady Anson and lady Heathcote, lord Hardwicke' s daughters. The next year, 1751, produced
” The
Deity’s delay in punishing the guilty considered on the
principles of reason,“8vo; and in 1755,
” An answer to
the question, Where are your arguments against what you
call lewdness, if you can make no use of the Bible?“8vo.
Continuing to combat the prevailing vices of the times, he
published in 1757,
” A Letter to an officer of the army
on Travelling on Sundays,“8vo; and, in the same year,
” The Ghost of Ernest, great grandfather of her royal
highness the princess dowager of Wales, with some account of his life,“8vo. Each of the above performances
contains good sense, learning, philanthropy, and religion,
and each of them is calculated for the advantage of society.
The last work which Dr. Bolton gave the public was not
the least valuable. It was entitled
” Letters and Tracts on
the Choice of Company, and other subjects,“1761, 8vo.
This he dedicated to his early patron, lord Hardwicke, to
whom he had inscribed The Employment of Time, and
who at this period was no longer chancellor. In his address
to this nobleman he says,
” An address to your lordship on
this occasion in the usual style would as ill suit your inclinations as it doth my age and profession. We are both of
us on the confines of eternity, and should therefore alike
make truth our care, that truth which, duly influencing our
practice, will be the security of our eternal happiness.
Distinguished by my obligations to your lordship, I
would be so by my acknowledgments of them: I would not
be thought to have only then owned them when they might
have been augmented. Whatever testimony I gave of
respect to you when in the highest civil office under your
prince, I would express the same when you have resigned
it; and shew as strong an attachment to lord Hardwicke as
I ever did to the lord chancellor. Receive, therefore,
a tribute of thanks, the last which I am ever likely in this
manner to pay. But I am hastening to my grave, with a
prospect which must be highly pleasing to me, unless divested of all just regard to those who survive me."
d bel esprit, and a good philosopher for the age he lived in. The pastoral poem for which he is best known is entitled “Filli di Sciro,” and was printed first at Ferrara,
, was born December 25,
1563, at Urbino, of one of the most ancient and noble
families in the city of Ancona, and was sent into France
at the age of fifteen, to be educated suitably to his birth
and the customs of that time. Bonarelli was but nineteen
when he was offered a philosophical professorship of the
Sorbonne, in the college of Calvi; but, his father having
sent for him home, he was satisfied with having merited
that honour, and declined accepting it. He attached himself, for some time, to cardinal Frederick Borromeo (nephew of St. Charles Borromeo) who had a regard for men
of letters, and who founded the famous Ambrosian library
at Milan. He went afterwards to Modena, to which place
his father had removed. After his death, the duke Alphonso, knowing the merit of Bonarelli, employed him in
several important embassies, and the success of these negociations proved how well they had been carried on.
Bonarelli went to Rome with the hope of recovering the
marquisate of Orciano, of which his father had been deprived; but an attack of the gout obliged him to stop at
Fano, where he died January 8, 1608, aged forty-five,
with the character of an able politician, a distinguished
bel esprit, and a good philosopher for the age he lived in.
The pastoral poem for which he is best known is entitled
“Filli di Sciro,
” and was printed first at Ferrara, Discorsi in difesa del doppio amore della sua
Celia,
” but this was rather ingenious than conclusive. We
have likewise some academical discourses of his.
sometimes Bolognese, from the place of his birth, flourished in the sixteenth century, and is better known as an engraver than as a painter. He is supposed, but without
, called sometimes Bolognese,
from the place of his birth, flourished in the sixteenth century, and is better known as an engraver than as a painter.
He is supposed, but without sufficient authority, to have
been a scholar of Sabbatini. Some remaining oil-pictures
of his, on canvas, which are, in general, weak, and of different styles, make it probable, says Lanzi, that he resolved to be a painter when he had passed youth. There
is, however, in the church of St. Stephano, in Bologna,
a Purgatory of his, which has great beauties, and is suspected to have been done with the assistance of Sabbatini.
As an engraver, he worked from the pictures of Raphael,
Julio Romano, and other great masters; and occasionally
from his own designs. Mr. Strutt’s opinion is, that excepting one or two subjects, in which he called in the
assistance of the point (the use of which, however, he never well understood), his plates are executed chiefly with
the graver, in a manner though much varied from that of
his tutor, Marc Antonio Raimondi, yet evidently founded
upon it, although neither so firm, clear, or masterly. His
drawing is often heavy, and the extremities of his figures
frequently neglected; the folds of his draperies are seldom
well expressed, and the back grounds to his prints, especially his landscapes, are extremely flat and stiff. However,
with all these faults (which are not always equally conspicuous), his best prints possess an uncommon share of
merit; and though not equal to those of his master, are
deservedly held in no small degree of estimation by the
greatest collectors. Bonasone has lately found an ingenious and able advocate in George Cumberland, esq. who,
in 1793, published “Some Anecdotes
” of his life, with a
catalogue of his engravings, &c.
lar of the sixteenth century, was born at Gorzano in the Brescian territory, but in what year is not known. He was three years secretary to cardinal Bari at Rome; but
, an elegant Italian scholar of the
sixteenth century, was born at Gorzano in the Brescian
territory, but in what year is not known. He was three
years secretary to cardinal Bari at Rome; but lost the
fruits of his services by the death of his master. He then
served cardinal Glinucci in the same capacity; but long
sickness made him incapable of that employment. When
he was recovered, he found himself so disgusted with the
court, that he resolved to seek his fortune by other means.
He continued a good while in the kingdom of Naples, then
went to Padua, and to Genoa; where he read public lectures on Aristotle’s politics. He was ordered to read some
likewise upon his rhetoric, which he did with great success to a numerous auditory. His reputation increasing
daily, the republic of Genoa made him their historiographer, and assigned him a handsome pension for that
office. He now applied himself laboriously to compose
the annals of that state, and published the five first books;
but by speaking too freely and satirically of some families,
he created himself enemies who resolved to ruin him, by a
prosecution for an unnatural crime, and being convicted,
he was condemned to be first beheaded, and then burnt,
or as some say, sentence of burning was changed into that
of beheading. Some have attributed this prosecution to
the freedom of his pen; but the generality of writers have
agreed that Bonfadio was guilty, yet are of opinion, that
he had never been accused, if he had not given offence by
something else. He was executed in 1560. Upon the
day of his execution he wrote a note to John Baptist Grimaldi, to testify his gratitude to the persons who had endeavoured to serve him, and recommended to them his
nephew Bonfadio, who is perhaps the Peter Bonfadio,
author of some verses extant in the “Gareggiamento poetico del confuso accademico ordito,
” a collection of verses,
divided into eight parts, and printed at Venice in 1611.
The first five books of Bonfadio’s history of Genoa were
printed at Padua, 1586, 4to, under the title “I. Bonfadii
annales Genuensium ab anno 1528, ubi desinit Folieta, ad
annum 1550,
” and was in Lettere famigliari, &c.
” 8vo, dedicated to
pope Benedict XIV. with a life of the unfortunate author,
and a curious Latin poem by Paul Manutius, in honour of
those persons who used their interest to save Bonfadio
from punishment.
, count, known in the latter part of his life by the name of Osman Bashaw,
, count, known in the latter part of his life by the name of Osman Bashaw, descended from a family related to the blood royal of France, was born in 1672, and entered himself at the age of sixteen, in the service of that crown, and married the daughter of marshal de Biron. He made the campaign in Flanders in 1690, but soon after left the French army, and entered into the Imperial service under prince Eugene, who honoured him with an intimate friendship. The intrigues of the marquis de Prie, his inveterate enemy, ruined his credit however at the court of Vienna, and caused him to be banished the empire. He then offered his service to the republic of Venice, and to Russia; which being de^ clined, his next tender was to the grand Signior, who gladly received him: it was stipulated that he should have a body of 30,000 men at his disposal; that a government should be conferred on him, with the rank of bashaw of three tails; a salary of 10,000 aspers a day, equal to 45,000 livres a year; and that in case of a war, he should be commander in chief. The first expedition he engaged in after his arrival at Constantinople, was to quell an insurrection in Arabia Petraea, which he happily effected; and at his return, had large offers made him by Kouli Khan, which he did not choose to accept. Some time after, he commanded the Turkish army against the emperor, over whose forces he gained a victory on the banks of the Danube. But success does not always protect a person against disgrace; for Bonneval, notwithstanding his service, was first imprisoned, and then banished to the island of Chio. The sultan, however, continued his friend; and the evening before his departure made him bashaw general of the Archipelago, which, with his former appointment of beglerbeg of Arabia, rendered him one of the most powerful persons in the Ottoman empire. In this island, he found a retirement agreeable to his wishes, but did not long enjoy it, being sent for back, and made topigi or master of the ordnance, a post of great honour and profit. He died in this employment, aged 75, in 1747; and wrote the memoirs of his own life, which were published in London in 1755, 2 vols. 12 mo, and give but an indifferent idea of his personal character.
, an ancient prelate of the fourth century, is known in church history as the heretical bishop of Naissus in Dacia,
, an ancient prelate of the fourth century, is known in church history as the heretical bishop of Naissus in Dacia, though some authors say of Sardica, the metropolis of that province. In the year 391 he was accused of crimes against the canons of the chnrch and the law of God, and was reported for heresy at the council of Capua, which met the latter end of that year. The particulars of his crimes cannot now be known, but his heresy may be gathered from St. Augustin and St. Ambrose. He had, before, been condemned by Damasus, bishop of Rome, who died A. D. 384. The council of Capua committed the hearing of his cause to the bishops of Mecodon, his neighhours, under their metropolitan Anysius, bishop of Thessalonica. The bishops assembled, agreeably to the order of the council, and Bonosus appeared before them; after examination, they were so well convinced of the truth of the charge, that they immediately suspended him from all episcopal functions; at the same time writing a letter to Syricius bishop of Rome, declaring their abhorrence of the detestable error, that the virgin Mary should have other children than Christ. Bonosus died A. D. 410; but his doctrine did not die with him, being maintained by some 200 years after his death. Pope Gregory makes mention of the Bonosians in the latter end of the sixth century.
et; but they have been analysed by the industry of some physicians, and the ingredients are now well known. He wrote some commentaries on Hippocrates, but published no
, professor in medicine at the university of Leyden in the latter part of the sixteenth century, was a man of profound erudition, and critically versed in the Greek language. He was born at Ryswick, a small village of Guelderland, and died at Leyden, Sept. 15, 1599, sixty-three years old. Bontius is the inventor of a composition of pills, which, from his name, are called Pilulæ tartareæ Bontii. The Dutch for a long time kept this composition a secret; but they have been analysed by the industry of some physicians, and the ingredients are now well known. He wrote some commentaries on Hippocrates, but published no part of them. He left two sons, both eminent in the medical art, James and Reyner.
rocured him as much credit with people at first sight, as he had with those to whom he had been long known. He was kind to all the players whose circumstances were indifferent,
Besides his professional merit, Booth was a man of letters, and an author in more languages than one. He had
a taste for poetry, which discovered itself when he was
very young, in translations from several Odes of Horace;
and in his riper years, he wrote several songs and other
original poems, which were very far from injuring his reputation. He was also the author of a mask or dramatic
entertainment called “Dido and JEneas,
” that was very
well received upon the stage; but his best performance
was a Latin inscription to the memory of a celebrated
actor, Mr. William Smith, one of the greatest men of his
profession, and of whom Mr. Booth always spoke in raptures. This short elogy has much strength, beauty, and
elegance. In his private life he had many virtues, and
few of the failings so common to his profession. He had
no envy in his composition, but readily approved, and as
readily rewarded, merit, as it was in his power. He was
something rough in his manner, and a little hasty in his
temper, but very open and free to speak his sentiments,
which he always did with an air of sincerity, that procured
him as much credit with people at first sight, as he had
with those to whom he had been long known. He was
kind to all the players whose circumstances were indifferent,
and took care not to make them uneasy, either in point of
salary or of usage. He was no great speaker in company,
but when he did, it was in a grave lofty way, not unlike
his pronunciation on the stage. He had a great veneration for his parents while they were living, and was also
very useful to his brother and sister after their decease.
Booth was twice married; first in 1704, to Miss Frances
Barkham, daughter of sir William Barkham, of Norfolk,
bart. who died in 1710, without issue; and secondly, to
Mrs. Santlowe, an actress, who. survived him forty years,
and in 1772, erected a monument to his memory in Westminster abbey. In 1737 she married Mr. Goodyer,a
gentleman of fortune in Essex.
Churchill. Jefferies, then lord chancellor, was appointed lord high steward on the occasion. He was known to be a personal enemy of lord Delamer, who had arraigned in
After the parliament was broken up, lord Delamer was brought to his trial, before a select number of the peers, on the 14th of January, 1685-6. The peers who tried him were, the dukes of Norfolk, Somerset, Beaufort, and Grafton the earls of Rochester, Sunderland, Mulgrave, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Huntingdon, Pembroke, Bridgwater, Peterborough, Scarsdale, Craven, Feversham, Berkeley, Nottingham, and Plymouth; the viscounts Falconberg and Newport; and the lords Ferrers, Cromwell, Maynard, Dartmouth, Godolphin, and Churchill. Jefferies, then lord chancellor, was appointed lord high steward on the occasion. He was known to be a personal enemy of lord Delamer, who had arraigned in parliament the conduct of Jefferies as chief justice of Chester. Lord Delamer, after the indictment against him was read, objected against the jurisdiction of the court; alleging, that he ought not to be tried by a select number of the peers, but by the whole body of the house of peers in parliament, because the parliament was then only under a prorogation, and not dissolved. But his plea was overruled. In Jefferies’s charge to the peers, previous to the opening of the evidence against lord Delamer, he threw out some hints relative to the share his lordship had in promoting the bill of exclusion, and introduced an eulogium on the conduct of king James the Second. The only positive evidence against lord Delamer was one Thomas Saxon, a man of a very bad character, and who in the course of the trial was proved to be perjured. Jefferies maintained, that there was no necessity, in point of law, that there should be two positive witnesses to convict a man of treason; and that where there was only one positive witness, additional circumstances might supply the place of a second. Lord Delamer made a very able defence; and by the lords who were appointed to try him he was unanimously acquitted.
inted out its defects, and in a great measure removed them by a circle of his own invention in 1777, known by the name of the “Circle of Borda,” but still it was not without
As a naval officer, however, Borda acquired little fame,
and being captured by the English, though after a very
brave resistance, he determined to devote the remainder of
his days to science and philosophy. During his voyage
along with Pingre in 1771, Borda found by experience
that Hadley’s quadrant was susceptible of great improvement. The celebrated Tobias Mayer had already endeavoured to remove its imperfections, but the merit of this
Borda’s biographer has transferred to him, declaring that
Mayer’s idea was never carried into effect, which is completely false; one of Mayer’s circles was made for Admiral
Campbell by Bird; and Mayer had himself used an instrument for measuring terrestrial angles upon the repeating
principle, which is described in “Commentaries of the
Royal Society of Gottingen
” for Circle of Borda,
” but
still it was not without its numerous imperfections, and it
was reserved to our ingenious countryman Troughton to
bring to perfection one of the happiest inventions that was
ever made.
each of which is a wooden cut, representing a man in the habit of some particular country. His well known satire on the Englishman, who, to express the inconstancy and
, or as he styles himself in Latin, Andreas Perforatus, was a very singular
character, and the reputation he acquired among his contemporaries must be considered in a great measure as a
proof of the ignorance and credulity of the times. He was
born at Pevensey in Sussex about 1500, and was educated
at Oxford; but before he had taken a degree, entered
among the Carthusians in or near London. He afterwards
left them, and studied physic at Oxford; and then travelled over most parts of Europe and Africa. On his return he settled at Winchester, where he practised physic
with considerable reputation, and in this capacity he is said
to have served Henry VIII. In 1541 and 1542 he was at
Montpellier, where he probably took the degree of doctor,
in which he was soon after incorporated at Oxford. He
lived then for some time at Pevensey, and afterwards returned to Winchester, still observing all the austerities of
the order to which he formerly belonged; though he has
been accused of many irregularities. It is certain that his
character was very odd and whimsical, as appears from the
books he wrote; yet he is said to have been a man of great wit
and learning, and an “especial physician.
” That he was not
of consequence eminent enough to rank with the first of his
profession, may be inferred from his dying insolvent in the
Fleet, April 1549. Bale intimates that he hastened his end
by poison on the discovery of his keeping a brothel for his
brother bachelors. His works are very various in their
subjects; one of the most considerable is intituled, “A
book of the introduction of knowledge,
” black letter, imprinted by William Coplande, without date. He there professes to teach all languages, the customs and fashions of
all countries, and the value of every species of coin. This
is a motley piece, partly in verse and partly in prose; and
is divided into thirty-nine chapters, before each of which is
a wooden cut, representing a man in the habit of some particular country. His well known satire on the Englishman,
who, to express the inconstancy and mutability of his
fashions, is drawn naked with a cloth and a pair of sheers in
his hand, is borrowed from the Venetians, who characterised
the French in that manner. Before the 7th chapter is the
effigies of the author, under a canopy, with a gown, a laurel on his head, and a book before him. The title of this
chapter shews how the author dwelt in Scotland and other
islands, and went through and round about Christendom.
An edition of this singular work was printed in London in
1542. His “Breviary of Health,
” which is a very trifling,
coarse, and weak performance, was published in 1.547, and
is supposed by Fuller to be the first medical piece written
in English. As a specimen of the style, take what follows,
which is the beginning of the Prologue, addressed to physicians: “Egregious doctors and maisters of the eximious
and arcane science of physicke, of your urbanity exasperate
not yourselves against me for making this little volume.
”
This work, with a second part called the “Extravagants,
”
was reprinted in 4to, Compendyouse Regimente, or Dietary of
Healthe made in Mounte Pyllor,
” an edition of which was
printed several years after his death, in 1562. A famous
jest book called the “Merrye tales of the madmen of Gotham;
” “The historye of the miller of Abingdon and the
Cambridge scholars,
” the same with that related by
Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales; a book of “Prognostics,
”
and another of Urines, &c. It is said that the phrase
“Merry Andrew
” is derived from him.
them in a variety of diseases. He lived to an advanced age, but the precise time of his death is not known.
a French physician of considerable eminence, was born at Iseste, in Beam, in 1693. After being initiated in the study of medicine by his father, he went to Montpellier, where he was admitted doctor in that faculty in 1719. Invited, in 1723, to Pan, the capital of the province, he acquired so much reputation, as to be appointed physician to the military hospital at Bareges, and inspector of the mineral waters there. To the waters he paid great attention, and in 1750, he published a small treatise, shewing the effects he had experienced from them in a variety of diseases. He lived to an advanced age, but the precise time of his death is not known.
uncil of Trent, and performed this curious task for the edition of Florence, 1573, 8vo. But the best known of his works, and which did him the most honour, is that entitled,
, was born at Florence in 1515
of a noble family, and became a Benedictine monk in 1531.
He was one of the persons appointed to correct the
Decameron of Boccace, by order of the council of Trent, and
performed this curious task for the edition of Florence,
1573, 8vo. But the best known of his works, and which
did him the most honour, is that entitled, “Discovsi di
M. Vincenzo Borghini,
” printed at Florence Riposo della Pittura, e della Scukura,
” published at
Florence in
died lamented and pitied by every worthy man of his profession. As an engraver, he is probably best known to many of our readers, for his engravings of the Bible histories,
, a painter and engraver, was
born at Rome, in 1630, and learned design from Giulio
Borgianni his brother; but improved himself by studying
the capital performances of the ancient and modern artists,
which he was enabled to contemplate every day in his native city. Having had an offer from a nobleman, of travelling with him in a tour through Europe, he willingly accepted it, from a desire of being acquainted with the different customs and manners of different nations. But his
progress was stopped by his falling in love with a young
woman in Spain, to whom he was afterwards married; and
finding his circumstances reduced to a narrow compass, he
applied himself to his profession with double diligence, to
procure a comfortable support. His endeavours were soon
successful; and he was happy enough to find many friends,
admirers, and employers, and was accounted one of the
best painters in Spain. After the death of his wife, having then no attachment to that country, he returned to
Rome, and painted some historical subjects larger than
life; but the figures being above his accustomed size,
shewed a want of correctness in several of the, members,
which made his pictures not quite acceptable to the refined taste of the Roman school. He was, however, engaged in some great works for the chapels and convents,
and also to paint portraits, by which he acquired honour,
and lived in affluence. He died in 1681, of a broken
heart, in consequence of the ill treatment he received,
through the envy and villainy of one Celio, a painter, who
proved a most malicious competitor, and to whom he had
been often preferred, by the best judges of painting at
Rome; but he died lamented and pitied by every worthy
man of his profession.
As an engraver, he is probably best known to many of
our readers, for his engravings of the Bible histories,
which were painted by Raphael in the Vatican, commonly
called “Raphael’s Bible,
” small plates, length-ways,
dated a dead Christ,
” a small square
plate, the figure greatly foreshortened, and behind appear the two Mary’s and St. John, who is kissing one of
the hands of our Saviour. His etchings are, in general,
in a bold, free manner, and more finished than usual, when
considered as the works of a painter, but in some the
drawing is not correct.
ing metals. But either from infatuation, or a desire of victory, he cites several manuscripts, since known to be spurious, as genuine, and some written since the time
Borrichius died rich, and made a most liberal use of his money. After satisfying his relations (who were all collateral, as he had no family) with bequests to the amount of fifty thousand crowns, he left twenty-six thousand crowns to found
a college for poor students, consisting of a house, completely furnished for sixteen students, with library, chemical laboratory, garden, &c. to be called the Medicean
college. His principal medical productions consist of observations published in the Acta Haffniensia, and other
similar collections, and of the letters sent by him while on
his travels, to F. Bartholine, under whom he had been
educated. The letters are the most valuable of those published by Bartholine in his “Epistolas Medicse;
” but the
works by which he acquired his principal celebrity, were
“De ortu et progressu Chemise,
” published in Hermetis Ægyptiorum et Chemicorum sapientia,
ab H. Conringio vindicata,
” Conspectus prcestantiorum
scriptorum linguæ Latinæ;
” Cogitationes de
variis linguae Latinas cetatibus,
” Analecta
philologica, et judicium de lexicis Latinis Graecisque,
”
on this subject. Mr. Boston died May 20, 1732. His works in practical divinity, which are still well known and popular in Scotland, were collected in a large fol. volume
, a popular and learned Scotch divine, was born in the town of Dunse, March 17, 1676,
and educated at the grammar school of that place, where
he was taught the elements of Latin, Greek, rhetoric, and
arithmetic. In 1692, he went to the university of Edinburgh, where he went through the usual courses for three
years, and entered on the study of divinity. In 1695, he
returned home with ample testimonials of his diligence and
good character. Next year he taught school at Glencairn
for a short time, and then was appointed tutor to a young
gentleman of family at Edinburgh, where he continued the
study of divinity, until he accompanied his pupil into the
country. In 1699, after the usual trials before the presbytery, he was licenced to preach the gospel, as a probationer
for the ministry, agreeably to the forms of the church of
Scotland, and in September of that year was ordained to the
Jiving of Simprin, one of the smallest in Scotland. In the
following year he married Katherine Brown, whom he describes as a woman possessed of many valuable qualifications. In May 1707, he exchanged the living of Simprin
for that of Etterick, on which he remained until his death.
About this time he began to improve his knowledge in the
Hebrew, having before only read the Psalter, but 1771
was, according to his own account, “the happy year
wherein he was first master (possessor) of a Hebrew Bible,
and began the study of it;
” and some day, which he forgot, in Oct Cross’s Taghmical Art.
” More than half
his cares and anxieties alter this related to the Hebrew accents. About this time, he was one of the clergy of
Scotland, who refused taking the oath of abjuration, and in
dread of the penalty, made over his little property to one of
his sons, and another person, but it does not appear that
the penalty was ever levied. Returning in 1715 to the
study of the “Taghmical Art,
” after incredible pains, he
found that he could make nothing of it; but still persevering, he became persuaded that the accents are the key
to the true version of the Hebrew text, and the intrinsic
light which illuminates it. Compared to this, as to him,
the digging in the mines of Peru was but a trifle. From
this time he began to write, as leisure permitted, a work
on the accents, accompanying his labours with constant
prayer, particularly that he might be instructed in the secrets of double accentuation, which he had not been able to
comprehend. All this zeal and industry at length produced
an “Essay on the Hebrew accentuation,
” which he exhibited
in manuscript to some learned friends, who gave him various
degrees of encouragement, but he often met with delays
and evasions which occasioned great uneasiness to the good
man. It being supposed that there were few persons in
Great Britain very much interested in the Hebrew accents,
he was advised to translate it into Latin that it might circulate among the learned on the continent. Accordingly he
began his translation, and as a help to his style, he mentions the following expedient, which perhaps others have
made use of on similar occasions. “As I went on, I read
something of Cicero, in my leisure hours, for the language, and noted in a book some terms and phraser, taken
from him and others: particularly out of Calepin’s dictionary, which Providence had in the year 1724 laid to my
hand, when 1 knew not for what use it was designed, and
to this collection 1 had frequent recourse, while I wrote
that book: and found it to be of good use to me. I had
formerly, upon occasion of appearing in print, done the
same as to the English tongue: by which means my style,
that I had been careless of before, was now somewhat refined.
” This work, which he pursued with uncommon enthusiasm, and which was to prove the antiquity and divine
authority of the Hebrew accents, was occasionally interrupted by his public services, and the publication of some
of his practical works, particularly “The Fourfold State,
”
in Thomæ Boston ecclesiæ Atricensis apud Scotos pastoris,
Tractatus Stigmologicus Hebraeo-Biblicus,
” dedicated to
sir Richard Ellys, who had been very friendly to Boston in
the prosecution of his studies on this subject. Mr. Boston
died May 20, 1732. His works in practical divinity, which
are still well known and popular in Scotland, were collected
in a large fol. volume in 1768, and since that time others,
particularly his “Body of Divinity,
” 3 vols. 8vo. 1773, have
been published from his Mss. but this last mentioned work
is eked out by extracts from other authors witnout acknowledgment, a disingenuous artifice of which the author never
would have been guilty. The most remarkable of his
posthumous pieces is the “Memoirs of his Lite, Time, and
Writings,
” written by himself, a closely printed octavo
volume, 1776. This is in the form of a diary, tedious and
minute beyond all precedent, but evincing a wonderful
simplicity of heart, ignorance of the world, and a mind
continually harrassed by conscientious scruples about the
merest trifles; much of it, however, may be interesting to
curious inquirers, as exhibiting characteristics of the manners and sentiments of the Scotch clergy of the seventeenth
and part of the eighteenth century.
the surgeon, and the apothecary, in their attendance upon the sick. But the work by which he is most known, and which produced an important revolution in the practice
, an eminent physician of Piedmont, who flourished about the middle of the 16th century, was a disciple of Fallopius, and took his degree of
doctor in medicine at Padua. It appears by his writings,
that he was a diligent observer, and enjoyed a considerable share of practice. He was in succession physician and
aulic counsellor to Charles IX. Henry II. of France, and
to William prince of Orange. He was also skilled in the
practice of surgery, and published, “De curandis vulneribus sclopetorum,
” Venet. Commentarioli duo, alter
de medici, alter de aegvoti, munere,
” Lion. De curatione per sanguinis missione, de
incidendae venae, cutis scarificandae, et hirudinum arrigendarum modo,
” Antw. Opera Omnia,
” in
y of troops to protect the passage of the royal family; but this design failed from reasons now well known, and which he has faithfully detailed in his memoirs: and the
, a French nobleman, and
officer of bravery and honour, was a native of Auvergne,
and a relative of the marquis La Fayette. After having
served in the dragoons, he became colonel of the regiment
of Vexin infantry. Having attained the rank of majorgeneral, the king appointed him governor-general of the
Windward islands. In 1778 he took possession of Dominica, St. Eustatk, and soon after St. Christopher’s, Nevis,
and Montserrat. His conduct while in that command was
allowed by the English commanders to be honourable and
disinterested. On his return, he was made lieutenantgeneral. On the breaking out of the revolution in 1789,
finding that he commanded in the three bishoprics, he
brought back to its duty the revolted garrison of Metz, and
on that occasion saved the life of M. de Pont, intendant of
the province. He afterwards caused Francois de Neufchateau, and two other electors, arrested by order of the
king’s attorney, to be set at liberty. On the 5th of September the same year, the national assembly was informed
by one of its members, Gregoire, that M. de Bouille had
not administered the civic oath individually, and a decree
was passed obliging him to do so. In 1790, he was commissioned to bring under subjection the garrison of Nancy,
which had risen against its chiefs; accordingly he advanced
upon the town with four thousand men, and succeeded in
this enterprize, in which he shewed much bravery, and
which at first gained him great praises from the national
assembly, and afterwards as many reproaches. Being
chosen by the unfortunate Louis XVI. to facilitate his
escape from Paris in June 1791, he marched at the head
of a body of troops to protect the passage of the royal
family; but this design failed from reasons now well known,
and which he has faithfully detailed in his memoirs: and
the marquis himself had some difficulty in making his escape. From Luxembourg he wrote his memorable letter
to the assembly, threatening, that if a hair of the king’s
head were touched, he would not leave one stone upon
another in Paris. This served only to irritate the revolutionists, who decreed that he should be tried for contumacy;
but he was fortunately out of their reach. From Vienna
whither he had at first gone, he passed to the court of
Sweden, where he was favourably received by Gustavus III.
but after his death, M. de BoniHe“found it necessary to
retire to England, where he passed the remainder of his
days in security, and much esteemed for his fidelity to his
sovereign. He died in London Nov. 14, 1800. In 1797
he published in English,
” Memoirs relating to the French
Revolution," 8vo; one of those works of which future historians may avail themselves in appreciating the characters
and events connected with that important period of French
history.
ty of the ancient nobility, from which he descended. M. Boulainvilliers left some other works in ms. known to the learned, who have, with great reason, been astonished
, comte de St. Saire,
where he was born October 21, 1658, of a noble and ancient family, was educated at Juilli, by the rithers of the
oratory, and gave proofs of genius and abilities from his
childhood. His chief study was history, which he afterwards cultivated assiduously. He died January 23, 1722,
at Paris, having been twice married, and left only daughters. He was author of a History of the Arabians, and
Mahomet, 12mo, “Memoires sur l'ancien Governement de
France; ou 14 lettres sur les anciens Parlemens de
France,
” 3 vols. 12mo; “Histoire de France jusqu'a
Charles VIII.
” 3 vols. 12mo; and “l'Etatde la Fiance,
”
6 vols. 12mo, in the Dutch edition, and eight in the edition of Trevoux, “Memoire presente a M. le due d‘Orleans, sur l’Administration des Finances,
” 2 vols. 12mo
“Histoire de la Pairie de France,
” 12mo “Dissertations
sur la Noblesse de France,
” 12mo. Ah his writings on
the French history have been collected in 3 vols. fol. They
Sire riot written (says M. de Montesquieu) with all the free-.
dom and simplicity of the ancient nobility, from which he
descended. M. Boulainvilliers left some other works in
ms. known to the learned, who have, with great reason,
been astonished to find, that he expresses in them his
doubts of the most incontestable dogmas of religion, while
he blindly gives credit to the reveries of juticial astrology
an inconsistency common to many other infjdels. Mosheim
informs us that Boulainvilliers was such an admirer of the
pernicious opinions of Spinosa, that he formed the design
of expounding and illustrating it, as is done wth respect to
the doctrines of the gospel in books of piety, accommodated to ordinary capacities. This design he attually executed, but in such a manner as to set the atheim and impiety of Spinosa in a clearer light than they hid ever appeared before. The work was published by lenglet du
Fresnoy, who, that it might be bought with avdity, and
read without suspicion, called it a Refutation of theErrors of
Spinosa, artfully adding some separate pieces, to which this
title may, in some measure, he thought applicabk. The
whole title runs, “Refutation des Erreurs de Beioit de
Spinosa, par M. de Fenelon, archeveque de Cambay, par
le Pere Lauri Benedictin, et par M. Le Comte de Bulainvilliers, avec la Vie de Spinosa, ecrite par Jean COerus,
minister de l‘Eglise Lutherienne de la Haye, augnsntée
de beaucoup de particularites tirees d’une vie manucrite
de ce philosophe, fait par un de ses amis,
” (Luczs, the atheistical physician), Brussels,
n his health would permit him he was constant in his attendance at the council-table, and it is well known what weight and dignity he gave to the debates of that board.
* Dr. Welsted, a physician, was also The primate maintained a son of the
of this golden election, and when he doctor’s, as a commoner, at Hart-halt
became poor in the latter part of his in Oxford; and would effectually have
life, the archbishop, though he was no provided for him, if the young gentlerelation, gave him, at the least, two man had not died before he had taken
hundred pounds a year, till his death, a degree. Dr. Welsted was one of the
Nor did his grace’s kindness to the editors of the Oxford Pindar, and
doctor’s family end with his decease-, esteemed an excellent Greek scholar.
and some time after he was preferred to the same honour
by Dr. Thomas Tenison, archbishop of Canterbury. In
these stations he was under a necessity of appearing often
at court, where his merit obtained him the patronage of
Charles Spencer, earl of Sunderland, principal secretary
of state, by whose interest he was advanced to the rectory
of St. Olave in Southwark, and to the archdeaconry of
Surrey. The parish of St. Olave was very populous, and
for the most part poor, and required such a liberal and vigilant pastor as Dr. Boulter, who relieved their wants,
and gave them instruction, correction, and reproof. When
king George I. passed over to Hanover in 1719, Dr. Boulter was recommended to attend him in quality of his chaplain, and also was appointed tutor to prince Frederic, to
instruct him in the English tongue; and for that purpose
drew up for his use “A set of Instructions.
” This so recommended him to the king, that during his abode at
Hanover, the bishopric of Bristol, and deanery of Christchurch, Oxford, becoming vacant, the king granted to
him that see and deanery, and he was consecrated bishop
of Bristol, on the fifteenth of November, 1719. In this
last station he was more than ordinarily assiduous in the
visitation of his diocese, and the discharge of his pastoral
duty; and during one of these visitations, he received a
letter by a messenger from the secretary of state, acquainting him, that his majesty had nominated him to the archbishopric of Armagh, and primacy of Ireland, then vacant
by the death of Dr. Thomas Lindsay, on the 13th of July,
1724-, and desiring him to repair to London as soon as
possible, to kiss the king’s hand for his promotion. After
some, consultation on this affair, to which he felt great repugnance, he sent an answer by the messenger, refusing
the honour the king intended him, and requesting the secretary to use his good offices with his majesty, in making
his excuse, but the messenger was dispatched back to him.
by the secretary, with the king’s absolute commands that
he should accept of the post, to which he submitted,
though not without some reluctance, and soon after addressed himself to his journey to court. Ireland was at
that juncture not a little inflamed, by the copper-coin
project of one Wood, and it was thought by the king and
ministry, that the judgment, moderation, and wisdom of
the bishop of Bristol would tend much to allay the ferment.
He arrived in Ireland on the third of November, 1724,
had no sooner passed patent for the primacy, than he
appeared at all the public boards, and gave a weight and
vigour to them; and, in every respect, was indefatigable
in promoting the real happiness of the people. Among
his other wise measures, in seasons of great scarcity in,
Ireland, he was more than once instrumental in averting a
pestilence and famine, which threatened the nation. When
the scheme was set on foot for making a navigation, by a
canal to be drawn from Lough -Neagh to Newry, not only
for bringing coal to Dublin, but to carry on more effectually an inland trade in the several counties of the north
of Ireland, he greatlv encouraged and promoted the design, not only with his counsel but his purse. Drogheda
is a large and populous town within the diocese of Armagh,
and his grace finding that the ecclesiastical appointments
were not sufficient to support two clergymen there, and
the cure over-burthensome for one effectually to discharge,
he allotted out of his own pocket a maintenance for a second curate, whom he obliged to give public service every
Sunday in the afternoon, and prayers twice every day.
He had great compassion for the poor clergy of his diocese, who were disabled from giving their children a proper education, and maintained several of the sons of
such in the university, in order to qualify them for future
preferment, He erected four houses at Drogheda for the
reception of clergymen’s widows, and purchased an estate
for the endowment of them, after the model of primate
Marsh’s charity; which he enlarged in one particular: for
as the estate he purchased for the maintenance of the
widows, amounted to twenty-four pounds a year more than
he had set apart for that use, he appointed that the surplus
should be a fund for setting out the children of such,
widows apprentices, or otherwise to be disposed of for the
benefit of such children, as his trustees should think proper.
He also by his will directed, which has since been performed, that four houses should be built for clergymen’s
widows at Armagh, and endowed with fifty pounds a year.
During his life, he contracted for the building of a stately
market-house at Armagh, which was finished by his executors, at upwards of eight hundred pounds expence. He
was a benefactor also to Dr. Stevens’s hospital in the city
of Dublin, erected for the maintenance and cure of the
poor. His charities for augmenting small livings, and
buying of glebes, amounted to upwards of thirty thousand
pourids, besides what he devised by his will for the like
purposes in England. Though the plan of the incorporated society for promoting English protestant working
schools, cannot be imputed to primate Boulter, yet he
was the chief instrument in forwarding the undertaking,
which he lived to see carried into execution with consider,
able success. His private charities were not less munificent, but so secretly conducted, that it is impossible to
give any particular account of them: it is affirmed by
those who were in trust about him, that he never suffered
an object to leave his house unsupplied, and he often sent
them away with considerable sums, according to the judgment he made of their merits and necessities. With respect
to his political virtues, and the arts of government, when
his health would permit him he was constant in his attendance at the council-table, and it is well known what weight
and dignity he gave to the debates of that board. As he
always studied the true interest of Ireland, so he judged,
that the diminishing the value of the gold coin would be a
means of increasing silver in the country, a thing very
much wanted in order to effect which, he supported a
scheme at the council- table, which raised the clamours of
unthinking people, although experience soon demonstrated
its wisdom. He was thirteen times one of the lords justices,
or chief governors of Ireland; which office he administered
oftener than any other chief governor on record. He embarked for England June 2, 1742, and after two days illness died at his house in St. James’s place, Sept. 27, and
was buried in Westminster-abbey, where a stately monument has been erected to his memory. His deportment
was grave, his aspect venerable, and his temper meek and
humble. He was always open and easy of access both to
rich and poor. He was steady to the principles of liberty,
both in religion and politics. His learning was universal,
yet more in substance than shew; nor would his modesty
permit him to make any ostentation of it. He always preserved such an equal temper of mind that hardly any thing
could ruffle, and amidst obloquy and opposition, steadily
maintained a resolution of serving his country, embraced
every thing proposed for the good of it, though by persons
remarkable for their opposition to him: and when the most
public-spirited schemes were introduced by him, and did
not meet with the reception they deserved, he never took
offence, but was glad when any part of his advice for the
public good was pursued, and was always willing to drop
some points, that he might not lose all; often saying,
“he would do all the good to Ireland he could, though
they did not suffer him to do all he would.
” His life was
mostly spent in action, and therefore it is not to be expected that he should have left many remains of his learning behind him nor do we know of any thing he bath
written, excepting a few Charges to his clergy at his visitations, which are grave, solid, and instructive, and eleven
Occasional Sermons, printed separately. In 1769, however,
were published, at Oxford, in two volumes 8vo, “Letters
written by his excellency Hugh Boulter, D. D. lord primate of all Ireland, &c. to several ministers of state in
England, and some others. Containing an account of the
most interesting transactions which passed in Ireland from
1724 to 1738.
” The originals, which are deposited in the
library of Christ church, in Oxford, were collected by
Ambrose Philips, esq. who was secretary to his grace, and
lived in his house during that space of time in which they
bear date. They are entirely letters of business, and are
all of them in Dr. Boulter’s hand-writing, excepting some
few, which are fair copies by his secretary. The editor
justly remarks, that these letters, which could not be intended for publication, have been fortunately preserved,
as they contain the most authentic history of Ireland, for
the period in which they were written: “a period,
” he
adds, “which will ever do honour to his grace’s memory,
and to those most excellent princes George the first and
second, who had the wisdom to place confidence in so
worthy, so able, and so successful a minister; a minister
who had the rare and peculiar felicity of growing still
more and more into the favour both of the king and of the
people, until the very last day of his life,
” It is much to
be regretted that in some of his measures, he was opposed
by dean Swift, particularly in that of diminishing the gold
coin, as it is probable that they both were actuated by an
earnest desire of serving the country. In one affair, that
of Wood’s halfpence, they appear to have coincided, and
in that they both happened to encourage a public clamour
which had little solid foundation. The writer of archbishop'
Boulter’s Life in the Biog. Brit, seems to doubt whether
he assisted Ambrose Philips in the paper called the
“Freethinker;
” but of this we apprehend there can be no
doubt. It was published while he held the living of St.
Olave’s.
ath has been covered with plenty and population; and these works, which in their infancy were little known and attended to, now cover several acres, give employment to
In a national view, Mr. Boulton’s undertakings have been highly valuable and important. By collecting around him artists of various descriptions, rival talents have been called forth; and, by successive competition, have been multiplied to an extent highly beneficial to the public. A barren heath has been covered with plenty and population; and these works, which in their infancy were little known and attended to, now cover several acres, give employment to more than six hundred persons, and are indubitably the first of their kind in Europe. No expence has been spared to render these works uniform and handsome in architecture, as well as neat and commodious. The same liberal spirit and taste have been displayed on the adjoining gardens and pleasure grounds, which at the same time that they form an agreeable separation from the proprietor’s residence, render Soho a much admired scene of picturesque beauty. As his great and expanded mind formed and brought to perfection the wonderful works thus briefly described, so he felt no greater felicity, than that of diffusing happiness to all around him. Mr. Boulton was not only a fellow of the royal societies of London and Edinburgh, but likewise of that which bears the title of the free and ceconomical at St. Petersburg, and many other foreigrt institutions of the highest celebrity in Europe. He died in his eighty-first year, at Soho, August 17, 1809, regretted as an illustrious contributor to the wealth and fame of his country, and a man of amiable and generous character. He was succeeded in estate and talents by his only son, the present proprietor of Soho, in conjunction with his partners.
Lord Berners is now principally known r his translation of “Froissart’s Chronicle,” which he mdertook
Lord Berners is now principally known r his translation of “Froissart’s Chronicle,
” which he mdertook by
command of the king, and was published by 'inson, 1523
1525, 2 vols. fol. It is unnecessary to add h w much this
translation has been superseded by that of Thmas Johnes,
esq. which lately issued from the Hafod pre>, and has
passed through two editions since 1803. Ofers of lord
Berners’s works were a whimsical medley of ranslations
from the French, Italian, and Spanish novels, hich seem
to have been the mode then, as they were afterv.rds in the
reign of Charles II. These were, “The Life f Sir Arthur, an Armorican Knight
” “The famousesploits of
sir Hugh of Bourdeaux
” “Marcus Aureliui
” and the
“Castle of Love.
” He also composed a bo: “Of the
duties of the inhabitants of Calais,
” and a comfy entitled
“Ite in Vineam.
” Of all these an ample account may be
seen in our authorities.
, better known by the name of Brantôme, of which he was abbot, added to that
, better known by the name of Brantôme, of which he was abbot, added to that title those of lord and baron of Richemont, chevalier, gentleman of the chamber to the kings Charles IX. and Henry III. and chamberlain to the duke of Alençon. He had the design of being created a knight of Maltha in a voyage he made to that isle during the time of the siege in 1565. He returned to France, where he was fed with vain expectations; but he received no other reward (as he tells us himself) than being welcomed by the kings his masters, great lords, princes, sovereigns, queens, princesses, &c. He died July 5, 1614, at the age of 87. His memoirs were printed in ten volumes, 12mo, viz. four of the French commanders; two of foreign commanders two of women of gallantry one of illustrious ladies; and one of duels. There is another edition of the Hague, 1741, 15 vols. 12mo, on account of the supplement, which makes five, and also a Paris edition 1787, 8 vols. 8vo. These memoirs may be of some use, if read cautiously, by those who would know the private history of Charles IX. of Henry III. and of Henry IV. Here the man is more represented than the prince. The pleasure of seeing these kings in their peculiarities in private life, added to the simplicity of Brantome’s style, renders the reading of his memoirs extremely agreeable. But some of his anecdotes are grossly indecent, and many of them fictions.
took up the resolution of enjoying the sweets of privacy. He died at Paris in 1663. He left memoirs, known under the name of Montresor, 2 vols. 12mo, which are curious,
, grand-nephew of the former, comte de Montresor., attached to Gaston of Orleans, both while he was in favour, and when he had lost it, was several times deprived of his liberty for serving that prince. Disgusted with the tumult and the Artifices of the court, he took up the resolution of enjoying the sweets of privacy. He died at Paris in 1663. He left memoirs, known under the name of Montresor, 2 vols. 12mo, which are curious, as containing many particulars of the history of his time. Montresor makes no scruple of relating the projects he formed against the life of cardinal Richelieu.
them, sold them to the regent duke of Orleans; and they afterwards made part of the fine collection known in this country by the name of the Orleans Collection.
, a very celebrated French painter, was born at Montpellier in 1616. His father, who was a glass-painter, gave him the first instructions in his art. When only seven years old, one of his uncles brought him to Paris, and placed him with a very indifferent painter, whose defects, however, were supplied by young Bourdon’s natural genius. Returning to Bourdeaux at the age of fourteen, he painted the cieling of a neighbouring chateau, and then went to Toulouse. Finding here no employment, he went into the army; but his captain, a man of some taste, judging that he would one day excel in his profession as an artist, gave him his discharge. He was eighteen when he went to Italy, and became acquainted with Claude Lorrain, whose manner, as well as that of Saccbi, Caravagio, and Bamboccio, he imitated with great success. After a residence of three years here, he happened to have a difference with a painter, who threatened to inform against him as a Calvinist, and Bourdon immediately set out for Venice, and thence to France. At the age of twenty-seven he painted his famous Crucifixion of St. Peter for the church of Notre Dame at Paris, which could not fail to raise his reputation. Du Guernier, a miniature painter, much employed at court, and whose sister he married, assisted him with his advice, and procured him work. But the civil wars interrupting the progress of the fine arts, in 1652 he went to Sweden, where queen Christina appointed him her first painter. While employed on many works for her, chiefly portraits, she mentioned to him one day some pictures which the king her father had found when he took Prague; these had till now remained unpacked, and she desired Bourdon to examine them. Bourdon reported favourably of them, particularly of some by Corregio, on which the queen requested he would accept them as a present from her. Bourdon, with corresponding liberality and disinterestedness, represented that they were some of the finest paintings in Europe, and that her majesty ought never to part with them, as a fit collection for a crowned head. The queen accordingly kept them, and took them with her to Rome when she abdicated the throne. After her death, the heirs of Don Livio Odeschalchi, who had purchased them, sold them to the regent duke of Orleans; and they afterwards made part of the fine collection known in this country by the name of the Orleans Collection.
end, that his only ambition was to discover a place where the collection might be kept together, and known in perpetuum, not as his, but as the Desenfans Collection. By
, knight of the Polish order of Merit, and an artist of distinguished reputation, was the descendant of a considerable family in Switzerland, but was born in London in 1756. His early destination was the army, under the patronage of lord Heathfield, who was his father’s - friend but having been instructedwhi|p a child in the rudiments of painting, by a foreigner of inconsiderable merit as a horse-painter, he became so attached to the study, as soon to relinquish the military profession, and devote himself wholly to the pencil. For this purpose he was placed under the tuition of Loutherbourg, and having, from his connexions and acquaintance, access to many of the most distinguished collections, he soon acquired considerable reputation by his landscapes and sea-pieces. In 1776, he travelled through Italy, France, and Holland, where his correct knowledge of the language of each country, added to the politeness of his address, and the pleasures of his conversation, procured him an introduction to the best society, and most valuable repositories of the arts on the continent. At his return to England, he exhibited several specimens of his studies at the royal academy, which obtained him reputation and patronage. In 1791 he was appointed painter to the king of Poland, whose brother, the prince primate, had been much pleased with his performances during his residence in this country; and at the same time he received the honour of knighthood of the order of Merit, which was afterwards confirmed by his present majesty, who, in 1794, appointed him landscapepainter to the king. Previous to this he had, in 1792, been elected a member of the royal academy. Some time before his death, by the will of the late Noel Desenfans, esq. an eminent picture-dealer, he became possessed of sufficient property to render a laborious application to his profession no longer necessary, and from that time he lived in the circle of his friends, highly respected for his talents and agreeable manners. He died Jan. 8, 1811, at his house in Portland- street, bequeathing his fine collection of pictures, and his fortune, to Dirlwich college. According to the terms of his will, he leaves the whole of these pictures, besides 10,000l. to keep them in due preservation, and 2,000/ for the purpose of repairing the gallery ki the college for their reception. He also bequeathed legacies of lOOOl. each to the master of the college, and to the chaplain and the fellows of the college are to be the residuary legatees, and are to possess, for its advantage, all the rest of his property, of every denomination. Most part of this will, however, does not take effect until after the death of Mrs. Desenfans, the widow of his benefactor; and after that event he directs that the body of the late Noel Desenfans, which is now deposited in a sarcophagus within a mausoleum in a chapel, attached to his late house in Charlotte-street, Portland-place, shall be removed, together with his own body (which has, by his desire, been deposited in the same mausoleum), and entombed in a sarcophagus, to be "placed in the chapel of Dulwich college. So singular a will, with respect at least to the place chosen for this collection, excited much surprise. The following circumstances, however, which have been communicated by an intimate friend of the testator, may in some measure account for it. After sir Francis became possessed of the Desenfans collection, by the owner’s friendly will in his favour, he wished to purchase the fee simple of his fine house in Charlotte-street, enlarge it, and endow it as a perpetual repository for the collection, easily accessible to the public, and particularly to students as a school of art; but unluckily, his landlord, a nobleman lately deceased, refused his consent, although he afterwards expressed an inclination to grant it, when too late. Sir Francis then conceived the design of hequeathing the collection to the British Museum, but did not execute it, from a fear that the pictures might not be kept entire and unmixed, he being told that it was in the power of the trustees to dispose of what might appear superfluous or inferior. Such was his respect for his deceased friend, that his only ambition was to discover a place where the collection might be kept together, and known in perpetuum, not as his, but as the Desenfans Collection. By whom Dulwich college, an hospital for poor men and women, remote from the residence of artists and men of taste, was suggested, we know not. It was a place sir Francis had probably never before seen; but, having once visited it, and been informed that his terms might be complied with there, without risk of alteration, he disposed of his property as we have related.
n Holstein, and went to Hamburgh in 1676, as a place of more security; but her arrival was no sooner known, than they endeavoured to seize her. On this she lay hid for
But stopping in her way at several places of Holstein,
where she dismissed some disciples (who followed her, she found, for the sake of interest) she plied her pen, which
was so prolific that she found it convenient to provide herself with a press, where she printed her books in French,
Dutch, and German. Among others she answered all her
adversaries, in a piece entitled, “The testimony of truth,
”
in which she handled the ecclesiastics in a severe manner.
In these controversial pieces she" demonstrated her want of
the first fundamental of all religion both natural and revealed, humility. Two Lutheran ministers raised the
alarm against her by some books, in which they declared,
that people had been beheaded and burnt for opinions
more supportable than hers. The Labbadists also wrote
against her, and her press was prohibited. In this distress
she retired to Hensberg in 1673, but was discovered, and
treated so ill by the people under the character of a sorceress, that she was very happy in getting secretly away.
Afterwards, being driven from city to city, she was at length
forced to abandon Holstein, and went to Hamburgh in
1676, as a place of more security; but her arrival was no
sooner known, than they endeavoured to seize her. On
this she lay hid for some days, and then went to East Friesland, where she got protection from the baron of Latzbourg, and was made governess of an hospital.
y believe what we see.“2. A collection of letters on subjects of respect, obligation, and gallantry; known under the name of” Lettres a Babet;“now forgotten. 3.” Lettres
, a French dramatic writer
and satirist, was born in 1638, at Mussi-l'évêque in Burgundy. He was not brought up at school, and could only
speak the rude provincial dialect of his country, when he
came to Paris in 1651, yet, by the perusal of good books,
with his good memory, he was soon able to converse and
to write elegantly in French. Having composed, by order of Louis XIV. a book of no great merit, entitled “Of
the proper study of sovereigns,
” Merry Muse;
” but it was again suppressed. He
afterwards got into favour once more, and was made receiver of the excise at Montlugon, where he died of a violent colic, aged 63, Sept. 5, 1701. He wrote several
theatrical pieces, and other works. The chief of them
are, “Æsop in the city,
” and “Æsop at court;
” which
long remained to the stage. These two pieces and the
following are an agreeable satire on the ridiculous manners
or the several ages and conditions of life. His verse in
general is harmonious, but his style sometimes negligent,
yet in general easy and suitable to the subject. 2. The
“Mercure galante,
” or “La comedie sans titre,
” in which
he ingeniously ridicules the rage for getting a place in the
Mercure galaut. 3. “La satyre des satyres,
” in one act.
Boiltau’s satirical notice of Boursault, to avenge Moliere,
with whom he had had a difference, gave occasion to this
piece, which Boileau had interest enough and meanness
enough to prevent being played. The satirist being some
years afterwards at the baths of Bourbon, Boursault, at that
time receiver of the excise at Montluc/>n, repaired thither
on purpose to offer him his purse and his services. At this
act of generosity Boileau was much affected; and they
immediately engaged in a mutual friendship, of which
Boursault was highly deserving by the gentleness of his
manners, and the cheerfulness of his disposition. He behaved with less tolerance, however, towards his other censors; and was able sometimes to chastise them with effect.
A cabal having prevented the success of the first representation of “Æsop in the city,
” the author added to it a
fable of the dog and the ox, applying the moral of it to
the pit; which so effectually silenced the cabal, that the
piece had a run of forty-three nights without interruption.
Thomas Cornell le had a sincere regard for Boursault, whom
he used to call his son, and insisted on his applying to be
admitted a member of the academy. Boursault desired to
be excused on account of his ignorance, adding with his
usual simplicity, “What would the academy do with an
ignorant and illiterate (ignare & non Lettre) member, who
knows neither Latin nor Greek?
” “We are not talking
(returned Corneille) of a Greek or Latin academy, but of
a French academy; and who understands French better
than you?
” There are likewise by him, 1. Some romances, “The marquis de Chavigny,
” “The prince de
Conde
” which are written with spirit “Artemisia and
Polyanthus and,
” We should only believe what we see.“2. A collection of letters on subjects of respect, obligation,
and gallantry; known under the name of
” Lettres a Babet;“now forgotten. 3.
” Lettres nouvelles,“with fables, tales, epigrams, remarks, bon-mots, &c. 3 vols. 12mo,
several times reprinted, though mostly written in a loose
and inelegant style: a miscellany, which was very popular when ii first came out; but is much less at present, as
the tales and bon-mots which Boursault has collected, or
put into verse, are found in many other books. His fables
have neither the simplicity of those of La Fontaine, nor
the elegant precision of Phaedrus. There is an edition of
the
” Theatre de Boursault," in 3 vols. 1746, 12mo.
myself guilty of the blackest ingratitude if I had not observed it, being sensible that, had it been known at Rome that either the rector or general had been accessary
"Upon the receipt of the general’s kind letter, the rector was of opinion, that I should repair by all means, and without loss of time, to England, not only as the safest asylum I could fly to in my present situation, but as a place where I should soon recover my native language, and be usefully employed, as soon as I recovered it, either there or in Scotland. I readily closed with the rector’s opinion, being very uneasy in my mind, as my old doubts in point of religion daily gained ground, and new ones aroseupon my reading, which was my only employment, :the books of controversy I found in the library of the college. The place being thus agreed on, and it being at the same time settled between the rector and me that I should set out the very next morning, I solemnly promised, at his request and desire, to take no notice, after my arrival in England, of his having been any ways privy to my flight, or of the general’s letter to him. This promise I have faithfully and honourably observed; and I should have thought myself guilty of the blackest ingratitude if I had not observed it, being sensible that, had it been known at Rome that either the rector or general had been accessary to my flight, the inquisition would have resented it severely on both. For though a Jesuit in France or in Germany is out of the reach of the inquisition, the general is not; and the high tribunal not only have it in their power to punish the general himself, who resides constantly at Rome, but may oblige hiuri to inflict what punishment they please on any of the order obnoxious to them.
With this nobleman he continued several years on terms of the greatest intimacy; and was by him made known to all his lordship’s connections, and particularly to the family
By Dr. Aspinwall’s means he was introduced to all that gentleman’s friends and acquaintance; and among others to Dr. Goodman (physician to king George the first), who procured him to be recommended to lord Aylmer, who wanted a person to assist him in reading the classics. With this nobleman he continued several years on terms of the greatest intimacy; and was by him made known to all his lordship’s connections, and particularly to the family of lord Lyttelton, who afterwards became his warm, steady, and to the last, when deserted by almost every other person, his unalterable friend.
r various signatures, a frequent contributor to the Gentleman’s Magazine, but as a divine he was not known to the public. He died Oct. 26, 1788.
, an ingenious scholar, who, from his
Attachment to Spanish literature, was usually called by his
friends Don Bowle, was a descendant from Dr. John Bowle,
bishop of Rochester in the early part of the seventeenth
century. He was born in 1725, and educated at Oriel
college, Oxford, where he took his master’s degree in
1750, and having entered into holy orders, was presented
to the vicarage of Idmiston, Wiltshire. In 1776 he was
elected F. S. A. He was a man of great erudition, and
muca respected for his various researches in antiquity,
and varios other lucubrations in obscure literature. He
had the honour or being one of the first detectors of Lauder’s forgeries, and according to Dr. Douglas’s account,
had the juste-st claim to be considered as the original detector o! thai unprincipled impostor. In 1765, he was
editor of “Miscellaneous pieces of ancient English Poesie,
”
containing Shakspeare’s “King John,
” and some of the satires of Marston. To a very accurate and extensive fund
of classical learning, he had added a comprehensive knowledge of most of the modern languages, particularly of the
Spanish, Italian, and French; and in the course of his
reading contracted a fondness for Cervantes’ admirable
romance, which could scarcely be said to be kept within
reasonable bounds. Don Quixote himself did not sally
forth with more enthusiasm than Mr. Bowie, when in 1777
he published “A Letter to the rev. Dr. Percy, concerning
a new and classical edition of Historia del valoroso CavaU
lero Don Quixote de la Mancha, to be illustrated by
annotations and extracts from the historians, poets, and romances of Spain and Italy, and other writers ancient and
modern, with a glossary and indexes, in which are occasionally interspersed some reflections on the learning and
genius of the author, with a map of Spain adapted to the
history, and to every translation of it,
” 4to. He gave also
an outline of the life of Cervantes in the Gent. Mag. for
1731, and circulated proposals to print the work hy subscription at three guineas each copy. It appeared accordingly in 1781, in six quarto volumes, the first four consisting of the text, the fifth of the annotations, and the sixth
is wholly occupied by the index, but the work did not
answer his expectations. The literary journals were either
silent or spoke slightingly of his labours; and the public
sentiment seemed to be that annotations on Cervantes were
not quite so necessary as on Shakspeare. He appears,
however, to have taken some pains to introduce them to
the public in a favourable light. In 1784 (Gent. Mag. LIV. p. 565) we find him lamenting certain “unfair practices respecting the admission of an account of the work
into two periodical publications to which he had some
reason to think he was entitled.
” He adds, that the perpetrators of these practices were “a false friend, and
another, whose encomium he should regard as an affront
and real slander the one as fond of the grossest flattery,
as the other ready to give it, and both alike wholesale
dealers in abuse and detraction.
” Nor was this all; in
1785 he published “Remarks on the extraordinary conduct of the Knight of the Ten Stars and his Italian Squire,
to the editor of Don Quixote. In a letter to I. S. D. D.
”
8vo. This produced an answer from the “Italian Squire,
”
Baretti, not of the most gentleman-like kind, entitled
“Tolondron. Speeches to John Bowie, about his edition of
Don Quixote,
” 8vo, Le Roman de
la Rose;
” on parish registers; and on cards. He was also,
under various signatures, a frequent contributor to the
Gentleman’s Magazine, but as a divine he was not known
to the public. He died Oct. 26, 1788.
placed, for grammatical education, under the care of Mr. Ambrose Bonwicke, a non-juring clergyman of known piety and learning, who then lived at Headley, near Leatherhead
, the most learned English printer
of whom we have any account, was born in Dogwelt-court,
White Fryars, London, on the 19th of December, 1699. His
father, whose name was also William, was of distinguished
eminence in the same profession; and his maternal grandfather (Thomas Dawks) was employed in printing the celebrated Polyglott Bible of bishop Walton. At a proper
age, he was placed, for grammatical education, under the
care of Mr. Ambrose Bonwicke, a non-juring clergyman of
known piety and learning, who then lived at Headley, near
Leatherhead in Surrey. Here Mr. Bowyer made such advances in literature as reflected the highest credit both on
himself and his preceptor; for whose memory, to his latest
years, he entertained the sincerest respect; and to whose
family he always remained an useful friend. The attachment, indeed, was mutual; and the following instance of
the good school-master’s benevolence made an indelible
impression on the mind of his pupil. On the 30th of
January, 1712-13, the whole property of the elder Mr.
Bowyer was destroyed by a dreadful fire; on which occasion, Mr. Bonwicke, with great generosity, and no less
delicacy (endeavouring to conceal its being his own act of kindness), took upon him, for one year, the expences of
his scholar’s board and education. In June 1716, young
Mr. Bowyer was admitted as a sizar at St. John’s college,
Cambridge, of which Dr. Robert Jenkin was at that time
master. The doctor had been a benefactor to the elder
Mr. Bowyer in the season of his calamity; and the son, at
the distance of sixty years, had the happiness of returning
the favour to a relation of the worthy master, in a manner
by which the person obliged was totally ignorant to whom
he was indebted for the present he received, Mr. Bowyer
continued at Cambridge under the tuition, first, of Dr. Anstey, and afterwards of the rev. Dr. John Nevvcome, till
June 1722, during which time he obtained Roper’s exhibition, and wrote, in 1719, what he called “Epistola pro
Sodalitio a rev. viro F. Roper mihi legato;
” but it does not
appear that he took his degree of bachelor of arts. Notwithstanding an habitual shyness of disposition, which
was unfavourable to him at his first appearance, the
regularity of his conduct, and his application to study, procured him the esteem of many very respectable members
of the university. Here it was that he formed an intimacy
with Mr. Markland and Mr. Clarke, two learned friends
with whom he maintained a regular correspondence
through life and their letters contain a treasure of polite literature and sound criticism. On the death of Mr.
Bonwicke, his grateful scholar had an opportunity of requiting, in some measure, the obligations he had received,
by officiating, for a time, in the capacity of a schoolmaster, for the benefit of the family; but before this, he
had entered into the printing business, together with his
father, in June 1722; and one of the first bucks which received the benefit of his correction, was the complete edition of Selden by Dr. David Wilkins, in three volumes,
folio. This edition was begun in 1722, and finished in
1726; and Mr. Bowyer’s great attention to it appeared in
his drawing up an epitome of Selden “de Synedriis,
” as
he read the proof-sheets, and tue several memoranda
from “The privileges of the Baronage
” and “Judicature
in Parliament,
” &c. which are now printed in his “Miscellaneous Tracts.
” In A View of a Book, entitled, * Reliquiae Baxtevianae.' In a Letter to a Friend;
” a single sheet, 8vo.
Very few copies were printed; and, having never been
published, it is seldom found with the Glossary; but it was
reprinted in the “Miscellaneous Tracts.
” Dr. Wotton and
Mr. Clarke were highly pleased with this first public proof
given by Mr. Bowyer of his literary abilities. On the 20th
of December, 1727, he lost an affectionate mother, upon
which occasion he received a letter of pious consolation,
from Mr. Chishull, the learned editor of the “Antiquitates
Asiaticae.
”
ro’s Head: under which was inscribed, “M, T, Cicero, A Quo Primordia Preli,” in allusion to the well- known early editions of Tally’s Offices. Having printed this year
In 1744, Mr. Bowyer is supposed to have written a small
pamphlet on the present state of Europe, taken principally
from Pufendorff. In 1746, he projected, what during his
whole life he had in view, a regular edition of Cicero’s
Letters, in a chronological order, on a plan which it is to
be lamented that he did not complete; as an uniform series
thus properly arranged would have formed a real history of
Tully’s life, and those which cannot be dated might be
thrown to the end without any inconvenience. In the same
year he published “The Life of the Emperor Julian,
”
translated from the French of M. Bleterie, and improve^
with twelve pages of curious notes, and a genealogical
table. The notes were not entirely Mr. Bowyer’s, but
were drawn up, in part, by Mr. Clarke and other learned
men. The translation, by Miss Anne Williams (Dr. Johnson’s inmate), and the two sisters of the name of
Wilkinson, was made under Mr. Bowyr’s immediate inspection.
In this year also, he printed, and is supposed to have assisted in thp composition of, “A Dissertation, in which the
objections of a late pampinet (by bishop Ross) to the writings of the anci nits, after the mariner of Mr. Maryland,
are clearly answered: those passages in Tuily corrected,
on which some of the objections are founded; with
Amendments of a few pieces of criticism in Mr. Maryland’s
Epistola Critica,
” 8vo. On the 2d of August, 1747, Mr.
Bowyer entered a second time into the matrimonial state,
with a most benevolent and worthy woman, Mrs. Elizabeth
Bill, by whom he had no children. In 1750, he had the
honour of sharing, with Dr. Burton, in the invectives most
liberally bestowed by Dr. King, in his “Elogium Famse
inserviens Jacci Etouensis, sive Gigantis: or, the Praises
of Jack of Eaton, commonly called Jack the Giant.
” Dr.
King’s abuse was probably owing to his having heard that
our learned printer had hinted, in conversation, his doubts
concerning the doctor’s Latiriity. Mr. Bowyer drew up
strictures in his own defence, which he intended to insert
at the conclusion of a preface to Montesquieu’s Reflections, &c.; but, in consequence ol Mr. Clarke’s advice, they
were omitted. In the same year, a prefatory critical dissertation, and some valuable notes, were annexed, by our
author, to Kuster’s Treatise “De vero usu Verborum
Mediorum;
” a new edition of which work, with further
improvements, appeared in 1773. He wrote, likewise,
about the same time, a Latin preface to Leedes’s “Veteres
Poeta? citati, &c.
” Being soon after employed to print an
edition of colonel Bladen’s translation of Cæsar’s Commentaries, that work received considerable improvements from.
Mr. Bowyer’s hands, and the addition of such notes in it
as are signed Typogr. In the subsequent editions of this
work, though printed by another person, and in our author’s life-time, the same signature, contrary to decorum,
and even justice, was still retained. In 1751, he wrote a
long preface to Montesquieu’s “Reflections on the Rise
and Fall of the Rouian Empire;
” translated the Dialogue
between Sylla and Socrates; made several corrections to
the work from the Baron’s “Spirit of Laws,
” and improved
it with his own notes. A new edition, with many; new
notes, was printed in 1759. He gave likewise to the
public, in 1751, with a preface, the first translation that
was made of Rousseau’s paradoxical oration on the effects
of the arts and sciences, which gained the prize at the academy of Dijon, in 1750; and which first announced that
singular genius to the attention and admiration of Europe.
On the publication of the third edition of lord Orrery’s
“Remarks on the Life and Writings of Dr. Swift,
” in Two Letters from Dr. Bentley in the shades below, to
lord Orrery in a land of thick darkness.
” The notes
signed B, in the ninth quarto volume of Swift’s works, are
extracted from these Letters, which are reprinted at large
in his “Tracts.
” In Vindication of the Histories of the Old and New Testament, in answer to the Objections of Lord Bolingbroke,
”
Mr. Bowyer drew up an analysis of the same, with an intention of sending it to the Gentleman’s Magazine: it is now
printed in Mr. Nichols’s “Anecdotes.
” In Remarks on a Speech made in Common Council,
on the Bill for permitting persons professing the Jewish Religion to be naturalized, so far as Prophecies are supposed
to be affected by it.
” The design of this sensible little tract,
which was written with spirit, and well received by those
who were superior to narrow prejudices, was to shew, that
whatever political reasons might be alleged against the
Bill, Christianity would in no degree be prejudiced by
the indulgence proposed to be gVanted to the Jews. In
the same year, some of Mr. Bowyer’s notes were annexed
to bishop Clayton’s translation of “A Journal from Grand
Cairo to Mount Sinai, and back again.
” In Commentary on the Book of Wisdom,
” and enriched it with the remarks of Mr. Markland.
Upon the death of Mr. Richardson, in 1761, Mr. Bowyer,
through the patronage of the late earl of Macclesfield, was
appointed printer to the Royal Society; and, under the
friendship of five successive presidents, had the satisfaction
of continuing in that employment till his death. In the
same year (1761), appeared “Verses on the Coronation
of their late majesties, king George the Second and queen
Caroline, October 4, 1727, spoken by the Scholars of
Westminster school (some of them now the ornaments of the Nation) on January 15th following, being the Day of
the Inauguration of Queen Elizabeth, their foundress
with a Translation of all the Latin copies The whole
placed in order of the transactions of that important day.
Adorned with the Coronation Medals pf the Royal Pair,
and a bust of our present king. To which is subjoined
the Ceremonial of the august Procession, very proper to
be compared with the approaching one; and a Catalogue
of the Coronation Medals of the Kings and Queens of England.
” The original part of this pamphlet, in which a great
deal of humour is displayed, was entirely Mr. Bowyer' s:
the Latin verses were translated partly by him, but principally by Mr. Nichols. Our learned printer’s next publication was of a more serious and weighty nature, an excellent edition of the Greek Testament, in two volumes,
1763, 12mo, under the following title: “Novum Testamentum Greecum, ad Fidem GrascorUm solum Codicum
Mss. nunc primum expressum, adstipulante Joanne Jacobo Wetstenio, juxta Sectiones Jo. Albert! Bengelii divisum; et nova Interpunctione saepius illustratum. Accessere in altero Volumine Emendationes conjecturales virorum doctorum undecunque collectse.
” This sold with
great rapidity; though Mr. Bowyer, in his advertisements
of it in the public papers, was pleased to add, that it
boasted neither elegance of type nor paper, but trusted to
other merits. The conjectural emendations are a very
valuable addition to the Greek Testament, and were extremely well received by the learned. In a letter of thanks,
from the president and fellows of Harvard college, in Cambridge, New-England, to Mr. Bowyer, in 1767, for several benefactions of his to that college, they express themselves as follows: “It is a particular pleasure to us to
mention your very curious edition of the Greek Testament, in two volumes, with critical notes, and many happy
conjectures, especially as to the punctuation, an affair of
the utmost importance as to ascertaining the sense. This
work, though small in bulk, we esteem as a rich treasure
of sacred learning, and of more intrinsic value than many
large volumes of the commentators.
” A second edition of
the Conjectures on the New Testament, with very considerable enlargements, was separately published, in one
volume, 8vo, in 1772, a third in 4to, 1782, and a fourth
from the interleaved -copy of Dr. Owen, which he bequeathed to the honourable and right reverend Dr. Shute
Barrington, bishop of Durham, is just published (1812).
Bishop Wavbnrton having censured apassage in the first edition, Mr. Bowyer sent him a copy of the second, with a conciliatory letter. In 1765, at the request of Thomas Hollis,
esq. our learned printer wrote a short Latin preface to Dr.
Wallis’s “Grammatica Linguae Anglicanse.
” A larger English preface, which was written by him, and intended for
that work, is printed in his “Tracts.
” Some copies of this
book were sent by him to the rev. Edward Clarke, when,
chaplain to the earl of Bristol at Madrid, to be given to the
Spanish literati. Towards the latter end of the same year,
in consequence of overtures from a few respectable friends
at Cambridge, Mr. Bowyer had some inclination to have
undertaken the management of the University press, by
purchasing a lease of its exclusive privileges. He went,
accordingly, to Cambridge for this purpose; but the treaty
proved fruitless, and he did not much regret the disappointment. In the beginning of 1766, by engaging in a partnership with Mr. Nichols, he was again enabled to withdraw, in some degree, from that close application, which
had begun to be prejudicial to his health. His new associate had been trained by him to the profession, and had
assisted him several years in the management of business. He was very happy in this connection; and it is unnecessary to add how successfully Mr. Nichols has trod in
the steps of his worthy and learned friend and partner. In,
that year (1766) Mr. Bowyer wrote an excellent Latin preface to “Joannis Harduini, Jesuitae, ad Censuram Scriptorum veterum Prolegomena; juxta Autographum.
” In
this preface he gives an account of the nature of the work,
and of the manner in which it had been preserved. Mr. De
Missy’s remarks on the celebrated Jesuit’s extraordinary production were published about the same time, in a letter to
Mr. Bowyer, written in Latin. In 1767, he was appointed
to print the Journals of the House of Lords, and the Rolls
of Parliament. The noble peer to whom he was indebted
for this appointment, and his gratitude to whom is testified
in the inscription which he left behind him, to be placed in
Stationers Hall, was the earl of Marchmont. Mr. Bowyer
was now compelled, from the want of sufficient room, to
exchange White Fryars for Red Lion-passage; and it was
not without reluctance that he quitted a residence to which
he had been accustomed from his infancy. His new printing-house was opened with the sign of his favourite Cicero’s
Head: under which was inscribed, “M, T, Cicero, A Quo
Primordia Preli,
” in allusion to the well-known early editions of Tally’s Offices. Having printed this year Mr.
Clarke’s excellent and learned work on “The Connexion
of the Roman, Saxon, and English Coins,
” he wrote some
notes upon it, which are interspersed throughout the volume with those of the author. Part of the dissertation on
the Roman Sesterce was, likewise, Mr. Bowyer’s production; and the index, which is an uncommonly good one,
and on which he did not a little pride himself, was drawn up
entirely by him. On the 14th of January, 177 J, he lost
his second wife, who died at the age of seventy. His old
friend, Mr. Clarke, who had administered consolation to
him, on a similar occasion, nearly forty years before, again
addressed him with tenderness on this event. In the Philosophical Transactions for 1771, was printed a very ingenious “Enquiry intothe value of the antient Greek and Roman Money,
” by the late Matthew Raper, esq. The opinions advanced by this respectable gentleman, on these
subjects, not coinciding with those of Mr. Bowyer, he
printed a small pamphlet, entitled, “Remarks, occasioned
by a late Dissertation on the Greek and Roman Money.
” The pamphlet was intended as an appendix
to Mr. Clarke’s Treatise on Coins. The opinions of many
excellent writers in Germany and France having been ably
controverted in that elaborate work, Mr. Bowyer transmitted
a copy of it to the French king’s library, and inscribed his
little appendix,
uaries of his time. His connec^ tion with the late eminent and excellent Richard Gough, esq. so well known by his acquaintance with British topography and antiquities,
Mr. Bowyer had always been subject to a bilious colic;
and during the last ten years of his life, he was afflicted
with the palsy and the stone. But, notwithstanding these
infirmities, he preserved, in general, a remarkable cheerfulness of disposition; and received great satisfaction from
the conversation of a few literary friends, by whom he continued to be visited. The faculties of his mind, though
somewhat impaired, were strong enough to support the labour of almost incessant reading, which had ever been his
principal amusement; and he regularly corrected the
learned works, and especially the Greek books, which came
from his press. This he did till within a very few weeks of
his death; which happened on the 18th of November,
1777, when he had nearly completed his 78th year. The
publications of Mr. Bowyer are an incontrovertible evidence
of his abilities and learning; to which may be added that
he was honoured with the friendship and patronage of many
of the most distinguished ornaments of his age. We already have had occasion to mention the earls of Macclesfield and Marchmont, Dr. Wotton, Mr. Pope, Mr. Chishull,
Mr. Clarke, Mr. Markland, bishop Warburton, the right
honourable Arthur Onslow, Mr. Hollis, Dr. Salter, Mr,
De Missy, Dr. Owen, and Dr. Heberden. To these, among
other respectable names, might be added those of archbishop Seeker, bishop Kennett, bishop Tanner, bishop Sherlock, bishop Hoadly, bishop Lyttelton, bishop Pearce, bishop Lowth, bishop Barrington, bishop Hurd, bishop
Percy, lord Lyttelton, lord Sandys, dean Prideaux, doctors
Robert and John Freind, dean Freind, dean Milles, the very
learned Dr. Taylor, chancellor of Lincoln, Dr. Barnard, Dr.
Powell, Dr. Wilkins, Mr. Maittaire, Messrs. R. and S.
Gale, Mr. Browne Willis, Mr. Spelman, Mr. Morant, Dr.
Ducarel, Dr. Pegge, Mr. Garrick, and most of the distinguished scholars and antiquaries of his time. His connec^
tion with the late eminent and excellent Richard Gough,
esq. so well known by his acquaintance with British topography and antiquities, is apparent from his last will;
where his obligations to Dr. Jenkin, dean Stanhope, and
Mr. Nelson, are acknowledged. The late excellent Dr.
Robert Clayton, bishop of Clogher, so highly esteemed his
friendship, that he not only honoured him by a regular
epistolary intercourse, but presented him with the copy-right
of all his valuable writings. Mr. Bowyer stood unrivalled,
for more than half a century, as a learned printer; and
some of the most masterly productions of this kingdom have
undoubtedly appeared from his press. To his literary and
professional abilities, he added an excellent moral character.
His regard to religion was displayed in his publications, and
in the course of his life and studies; and he was particularly
distinguished by his inflexible probity, and an uncommon
alacrity in assisting the necessitous. His liberality in relieving every species of distress, and his endeavours to conceal
his benefactions, reflect great honour on his memory.
Though he was naturally fond of retirement, and seldom
entered into company, excepting with men of letters, he
was, perhaps, excelled by few in the talent of justly discriminating the real characters of mankind. He judged of the
persons he saw by a sort of intuition; and his judgments
were generally right. From a consciousness of literary superiority, he did not always pay that particular attention tQ
the booksellers which was expedient in the way of his business. Too proud to solicit the favours in that way which he
believed to be his due, he was often disappointed in his expectations. On the other hand, he' frequently experienced
friendships in cases where he had much less reason to have
hoped for them so that, agreeably to his own expression,
“in what he had received, and what he had fyeen denied,
he thankfully acknowledged the will of Heaven.
” The two
great objects of Mr. Bowyer’s view, in the decline of his
life, were to repay the benefactions his father had met
with, and to be himself a benefactor to the meritorious of
his own profession. These purposes are fully displayed in
his last will: for which reason, and because it illustrates
the turn of his mind in other respects, we shall insert it at
large. After a liberal provision for his son, among other
legacies are these “I likewise give to my son all my plate;
except the small silver cup which was given to my father
(after his loss by fire) by Mrs. James, and which I give to
the Company of Stationers in London, hoping they will
preserve it as a memorial. Having committed my body to
the earth, I would testify my duty and gratitude to my few
relations and numerous benefactors after my father’s loss by
fire. I give and bequeath to my cousin Scott, lately of
Westminster, brewer, and to his sister, fifty pounds each.
I give and bequeath to my relations Mr. Thomas Linley and
his wife one thousand pounds four per cent, consolidated annuities, to be transferred to them, or to the survivor of them;
and which I hope they will take care to settle, at their
deaths, for the benefit of their son and daughter. I give
to the two sons and one daughter of the late reverend Mr.
Maurice of Gothenburgh iuSweden, who married the only
daughter of Mr. Richard Williamson, bookseller (in return for her father’s friendship to mine), one thousand pounds
four per cent, consolidated annuities, to be divided equally
between them. Among my father’s numerous benefactors,
there is not, that I can hear of, one alive: to several of
them I made an acknowledgement. But one respectable
body I am still indebted to, the University of Cambridge;
to whom I give, or rather restore, the sum of fifty pounds,
in return for the donation of forty pounds made to my father
at the motion of the learned and pious master of Saint John’s
college, doctor Robert Jenkin: to a nephew of his I have
already given another fifty pounds, as appears by his receipt
of the thirty-first of May, one thousand seven hundred and
seventy. The benefactions which my father received from
Oxford I can only repay with gratiiude; as he received
them, not from the university as a body, but from particular members. I give thirty pounds to the dean and chapter
of Canterbury, in gratitude for the kindness of the worthy
doctor Stanhope (sometime dean of Canterbury) to my father; the remembrance of which amongst the proprietors of
his works I have long out-lived, as I have experienced by not
being employed to print them: the like I might say of the
works of Mr. Nelson, another respectable friend and patron of
my father’s, and of many others. I give to doctor William
Heberden my little cabinet of coins, with H ickes’s Thesau rus,
Tristan, and the odd volume, Spanheim’s Numismata, Harduin’s Opera Selecta, in folio, Nummi Populorum et Urbium, in quarto, and any other of my books he chooses to
accept: to the reverend doctor Henry Owen, such of my
Hebrew books and critical books on the New Testament,
as he pleases to take: to Richard Gough, esq. in like manner, my books on topographical subjects: to Mr. John
Nichols, all books that relate to Cicero, Livy, and the Roman
history, particularly the * Cenotaphia' of Noris and Pighius, my grammars and dictionaries, with Swift’s and
Pope’s works: to my son, whatever books (not described above) he thinks proper to take. And now I hope I may
be allowed to leave somewhat for the benefit of printing.
To this end, I give to the master and keepers or wardens
and commonalty of the mystery or art of a stationer of the
city of London, such a sum of money as will purchase two
thousand pounds three per cent, reduced Bank annuities,
upon trust, to pay the dividends and yearly produce thereof,
to be divided for ever equally amongst three printers, compositors or pressmen, to be elected from time to time by
the master, wardens, and assistants, of the said company,
and who at the time of such election shall be sixty-three
years old or upwards, for their respective lives, to be paid
half-yearly; hoping that such as sha.ll be most deserving
will be preferred. And whereas I have herein before given
to my son the sum of three thousand pounds four per cent,
consolidated annuities, in case he marries with the consent
of my executors: Now, I do hereby give and bequeath the
dividends and interest of that sum, till such marriage take
place, to the said company of stationers to be divided
equally between six other printers, compositors or pressmen, as aforesaid, in manner as aforesaid; and, if my said
son shall die unmarried, or married without such consent as
aforesaid, then I give and bequeath the said capital sum of
three thousand pounds to the company of stationers, the
dividends and yearly produce thereof to be divided for ever
equally amongst six other such old printers, compositors or
pressmen, for their respective lives, to be qualified, chosen,
and paid in manner as aforesaid. It has long been to me
matter of concern, that such numbers are put apprentices
as compositors without any share of school-learning, who
ought to have the greatest: in hopes of remedying this,
I give and bequeath to the said company of stationers such
a sum of money as will purchase one thousand pounds three
per cent, reduced bank annuities, for the use of one journeyman compositor, such as shall hereafter be described; with
this special trust, that the master, wardens, and assistants,
shall pay the dividends and produce thereof half-yearly to
such compositor: the said master, wardens, and assistants
of the said company, shall nominate for this purpose a compositor who is a man of good life and conversation, who shall
usually frequent some place of public worship every Sunday unless prevented by sickness, and shall not have worked
on a newspaper or magazine for four years at least before
such nomination, nor shall ever afterwards whilst he holds
this annuity, which may be for life, if he continues a journeyman; he shall be able to read and construe Latin, and at
least to read Greek fluently with accents; f which he shall
bring a testimonial from the rector of St. Martin’s Ludgate
for the time being: I could wish that he shall have been
brought up piously and virtuously, if it be possible, at Merchant Taylors, or some other public school, from seven
years of age till he is full seventeen, and then to serve seven years faithfully as a compositor, and work seven years
more as a journeyman, as I would not have this annuity bestowed on any one under thirty -one years of age: if after
he is chosen he should behave ill, let him be turned out,
and another be chosen in his stead. And whereas it may
be many years before a compositor may be found that shall
exactly answer the above description, and it may at some
times happen that such a one cannot be found; I would
have the dividends in the mean time applied to such person
as the master, wardens, and assistants, shall think approaches
nearest to what I have described. And whereas the above
trusts will occasion some trouble: I give to the said company, in case they think proper to accept the trusts, two
hundred and fifty pounds.
” It is almost superfluous to add,
that the trust was accepted, and is properly executed.
nt, nor should we be content with this brief acknowledgment, but from a motive of delicacy, it being known to our readers that the author to whom we are so much indebted
Early in 1778, Mr. Nichols printed twenty copies of
some short “Biographical Memoirs of Mr. Bowyer,
” an octavo pamphlet of fifty-two pages, which were given in presents to his friends, and reprinted in the Gent. Mag. vol.
XLVIII. These memoirs, although interesting in themselves, were not sufficient to grat:fy the friends and contemporaries of Mr. Bowyer, who foresaw that, with continued
industry and research, Mr. Nichols might erect a more sumptuous monument to the memory of his learned predecessor.
Accordingly from many valuable materials in his possession,
and the aid of some literary friends, he produced in 1782,
in a handsome quarto volume, closely printed, “Biographical and Literary Anecdotes of William Bowyer, Printer,
F. S. A. and of many of his learned friends, containing au
incidental view of the progress and advancement of
literature in this kingdom from the beginning of the present century to the end of the year 1777.
” The importance of this
work was soon acknowledged by men of learning and curiosity. It contained memoirs of several hundreds of eminent
scholars who had been unnoticed or imperfectly notice;! in
biographical compilations, and opened so many new and rich
sources of information and inquiry, that the author was further urged to extend his labours, and improve upon his own
plan so as to include a larger portion of literary history.
With this view, during the intervals he could spare from an
extensive business, and the publication of many useful
works, among which his elaborate ‘ History of Leicestershire’
stands prominent, amidst too his indefatigable attention to
the affairs of the corporation of London, of which he was
for many years a distinguished member, he was enabled in
the present year to publish a new edition of his Memoirs of
Bowyer, under the title of “Literary Anecdotes of the
Eighteenth Century; comprizing Biographical Memoirs
of William Bowyer,
” &c. extended to six copious and
closely printed volumes in octavo, illustrated by a series of engraved portraits. Of this work the editor of
this Dictionary, or of any compilation of the kind, cannot
speak without gratitude. It will appear, indeed, by our
references, that our obligations are numerous and important, nor should we be content with this brief acknowledgment, but from a motive of delicacy, it being known to
our readers that the author to whom we are so much indebted
is at the same time the medium of conveying our praises to
the public. We cannot help adding, however, that where
we refer to Mr. Nichols’s “Anecdotes,
” we wish it to be understood that it is for the purpose of more ample information
than we have usually extracted, and that no book has perhaps
ever been published in this or any country by which literary curiosity is so much excited, or so pleasingly gratified.
original views, came over to London, where, under the patronage of Mr. Richard Burke, he soon became known both in the literary and fashionable world. A propensity to
, a writer who
would scarcely have deserved notice, if he had not been
obtruded on the public as the author of Junius’s Letters,
was the second son of Alexander Macauley, esq. of the
county of Antrim, in Ireland. He was born in 1746; was
educated at Trinity college, Dublin; and was designed
for the bar; but, instead of prosecuting his original views,
came over to London, where, under the patronage of Mr.
Richard Burke, he soon became known both in the literary
and fashionable world. A propensity to extravagance had
already reduced him to considerable embarrassments,
when, in 1777, he married a lady of good fortune; but
this relief was only temporary; for the same expensive
habits still continued, and at length obliged him to accompany lord Macartney to Madras, in the capacity of a
second secretary. He remained there after his lordship’s
return, and died in 1791, having for some years previously
to his death, held the lucrative office of master attendant,
with little advantage to his circumstances. He wrote in
Ireland, a political periodical paper, called “The Freeholder,
” in Whig,
” published in Almon’s newspaper,
the London Courant, in 1780. In I?y4, he also wrote a
few periodical essays called “The Indian Observer,
” published at Madras. These were reprinted in an 8vo volume,
in 1798, by thejate Mr. Laurence Dundas Campbell, with
a view to establish an assertion which Almon first made,
if we mistake not, purporting that Mr. Boyd was the author of Junius; but unfortunately the reader has “the
bane and antidote
” both before htm in this volume, and
few attempts of the kind can be conceived more injudicious than a comparison between the styles of Boyd and Junius. Boyd wrote after Junius, and, like most political
writers, aims at his style; and the only conclusion which
his friends have arrived at amounts tu this absurdity, that
an imitator must be an original writer; and even this in the
case of Mr. Boyd is peculiarly unfortunate, for his imitations are among the most feeble that have been ever attempted. Mr. Campbell returned to the charge, however,
in 1800, with a publication of “The miscellaneous works
of Hugh Boyd, the author of the Letters of Junius: with
an account of his Life and Writings,
” 2 vols. 8vo.
d went to the university of Orleans, where that science was taught by J. Robertas, a man principally known for having dared to become the rival of Cujacius. But he soon
Boyd, observing that young persons of quality, and even military men, were wont to attend academical lectures at Paris, resumed his studies. The teachers to whom he attached himself were, J. Marius d'Amboise, professor of philosophy; J. Passerat, professor of eloquence, not only a scholar, but a wit also, and a poet; and Gilb. Franc. Genebrand, professor of the Hebrew language, who afterwards by his zeal for the French league, tarnished the reputation that he had gained by his literary abilities. Guillonius also is mentioned amongst the professors under whom Boyd studied. He next resolved to apply himself to the civil law, and went to the university of Orleans, where that science was taught by J. Robertas, a man principally known for having dared to become the rival of Cujacius. But he soon quitted Orleans, and went to the university of Bourges. Cujacius, who taught the civil law there, received him with kindness, and possibly, not with the less kindness because his new scholar had quitted Orleans and professor Robertus. It was said that Boyd obtained the friendship of Cujacius, by writing some verses in the obsolete Latin language. Perhaps that learned man liked those verses best which approached nearest to the standard of the Twelve Tables.
oeta, ad Cornelium Varum Florentinum.“” Poemata varia.“” Epistolae.“But of these, the only works now known are his” Epistolae Heroidum,“and his” Hymni.“These are inserted
Boyd, at length, returned into Scotland, where he soon
after died, of a slow fever, in April 1601, at Pinkill,
his father’s seat, in the 38th or 39th year of his age; and
was buried with his ancestors in the church of Dalie or
Darlie. Among the manuscripts which he left behind him,
the following were in sir Robert Sibbald’s possession:
“In Institutiones Imperatoris Commenta,
” L‘Estat du Royaume d’Escosse a present,
” foj. “
Politicus, ad Joannem Metellanum, cancellariutn Scotiae.
”
w Scriptum de Jurisconsulto, ad Franciscum Balduinum.“”Poeta, ad Cornelium Varum Florentinum.“” Poemata
varia.“” Epistolae.“But of these, the only works now
known are his
” Epistolae Heroidum,“and his
” Hymni.“These are inserted in the
” Delitiae Poetarum Scotorum,“Amst. 1637, in two volumes 12mo; and a great character
has been given of them by several authors. His biographer questions whether any of the ancients have excelled
him in elegiac poetry, and is positive that none of the
Latins have equalled his hymns. Olaus Borrichius, an
eminent critic, in his
” Dissertationes Academic de Poetis,“says,
” In Marco Alexandra Bodio, Scoto, redivivum
spectamus Nasonem; ea est in ejusdem Epistolis Heroidum, lux, candor, dexteritas." The same critic speaks as
highly of Boyd’s Hymns, but modern taste will not coincide with these praises. Boyd undoubtedly was a man of
genius and elegant accomplishments, yet we learn this
rather from his history than his writings.
y the highest prize, became the property of Mr. Tassie, of Leicester-square, nephew to the late well- known imitator of ancient cameos and intaglios, and by him the pictures
The act of parliament being passed to sanction this lottery, the worthy alderman had the gratification of living to see every ticket sold. We are, at first sight, inclined to lament that he did not live to see the prizes drawn, and the whole terminated. But for him to have witnessed his gallery transferred to other hands, hesides a number of pictures, for the painting of which he had paid immense sums, scattered like the Sybili’s leaves, might possibly have given him many a heart-rending pang. It may be sufficient in this place to notice that the gallery of paintings, in one lot, and consequently the highest prize, became the property of Mr. Tassie, of Leicester-square, nephew to the late well-known imitator of ancient cameos and intaglios, and by him the pictures were afterwards sold by auction.
e of the drama. His Judith had a transient success. The epigram it produced from Racine is generally known. “Je pleure, helas! pour ce pauvre Holopherne, si mechamment
, of the French academy, was born
at Alby in 1618. He came young to Paris, where he cultivated his talent for eloquence; but, having preached with
little success, he quitted the pulpit for the stage, which he
had been declaiming against, and now devoted himself to
it for life, always satisfied with himself, but seldom with
the public. Born with an imagination which submitted to
no restraint, he made choice of subjects strangely complicated, and equivocal heroes who had no character whatever. Aiming always at the sublime, where the simplicity
of nature was required, he fell into a strain of bombast,
unintelligible perhaps to himself. He is the author of
two-and-twenty dramatic pieces, full of fustian, and
conducted without any knowledge of the drama. His Judith
had a transient success. The epigram it produced from
Racine is generally known. “Je pleure, helas! pour ce
pauvre Holopherne, si mechamment mis a mort par Judith.
”
This piece, applauded during a whole Lent, was hissed off
the stage in the Easter holidays. Champmeslee, asking
the reason of the fickleness of the pit, was answered, that
the hissers had been at Versailles at the sermons of the
abbe Boileau, who had ridiculed him. Boyer, at length
disheartened by this constant run of ill-success, brought
out his tragedy of Agamemnon under a borrowed name,
andRacine, his grand tormentor, applauded the piece.
Boyer could not refrain from crying out in the pit, “It is
however Boyer’s, in spite of Mons. de Racine;
” but this
transport cost him dear, for his tragedy was hissed at the
next performance. He died at Paris, July 22, 1698, aged
eighty.
and married his daughters into the best families of that country. He outlived most of those who had known the meanness of his beginning; but he delighted to remember
He affected not places and titles of honour until he was
well able to maintain them, for he was in the 37th year of
his age when knighted, and in his 50th when made A
baron. He made large purchases, but not till he was able
to improve them; and he grew rich on estates which had
ruined their former possessors. He increased his wealth,
not by hoarding, but by spending; for he built and walled
several towns at his own cost, but in places so well situated,
that they were soon filled with inhabitants, and quickly repaid the money he had laid out, with interest, which he as
readily laid out again. Hence, in the space of forty years,
he acquired to himself what in some countries would have
been esteemed a noble principality; and as they came to
years of discretion, he bestowed estates upon his sons,
and married his daughters into the best families of that
country. He outlived most of those who had known the
meanness of his beginning; but he delighted to remember
it himself, and even took pains to preserve the memory of
it to posterity in the motto which he always used, and
which he caused to be placed upon his tomb, viz. “God’s
providence is my inheritance.
”
imself, and his own houses and gardens. He spent great sums in contributing to public works, and was known to choose that the expence should fall on himself, rather than
, third earl of Burlington and fourth earl of Cork, another branch of the illustrious family of Boyle, was born on the 25th of April, 1695; and was married on the 21st of March, 1720-1, to the lady Dorothy Savile, the eldest of the two daughters and co-heirs of William Savile, marquis of Halifax. By this lady he had three daughters, the youngest of whom, Charlotte, alone survived him. She was married to the duke of Devonshire, and was mother to the late duke, and grandmother to the present. On the 18th of June, 1730, the earl of Burlington was installed one of the knights’ companions of the most noble order of the garter; and in June 1731, he was constituted captain of the band of gentlemen pensioners. In 1732, being at the city of York, the lord mayor, aldermen, and corporation, sent a deputation to return their thanks to him for the favour he had done them in building their assembly-room, and for his other benefactions to the city, and to beg his acceptance of the freedom of it; which was, accordingly, presented to him in a gold box. In 1733, he resigned his place of captain of the band of pensioners. After this he lived retired, employing himself in adorning his gardens at Chiswick, and in constructing several pieces of architecture. Never, says lord Orford, were protection and great wealth more generously and more judiciously diffused than by this great person, who had every quality of a genius and artist, except envy. Though his own designs were more chaste and classic than Kent’s, he entertained him in his house till his death, and was more studious to extend his friend’s fame than his own. Nor was his munificence confined to himself, and his own houses and gardens. He spent great sums in contributing to public works, and was known to choose that the expence should fall on himself, rather than that his country should be deprived of some beautiful edifices. His enthusiasm for the works of Inigo Jones was so active, that he repaired the church of Covent-garden, because it was the production of that great master, and purchased a gate-way of his at Beaufort-garden in Chelsea, and transported the identical stones to Chiswick with religious attachment. With the same zeal for pure architecture, he assisted Kent in publishing the designs for Whitehall, and gave a beautiful edition of the antique baths from the drawings of Palladio, whose papers he procured with great cost. Besides his works on his own estate at Lanesborough in Yorkshire, he new fronted his house in Piccadilly, built by his father^ and added the grand colonnade within the court. It is recorded that his father being asked, why he built his house so far out of town? replied, because he was determined to have no building beyond him. This is now in the heart of that part of the town. Our nobility formerly wished for town-houses, and not for town-neighbourhoods, but the latter being now obtruded upon them is probably the cause of their paying so little attention to the keep of their London-palaces. Bedford-house has been levelled to the ground some years, and Burlington-house is likewise said to be doomed to destruction.
Lord Burlington’s house at Chiswick, the idea of which was borrowed from a well- known villa of Palladio, is a model of taste, though not without faults.
Lord Burlington’s house at Chiswick, the idea of which
was borrowed from a well-known villa of Palladio, is a
model of taste, though not without faults. Other works
designed by lord Burlington were, the dormitory at Westminster-school, the assembly-room at York, lord Harrington’s at Petersham (afterwards lord Camelford’s), except
the octagon buildings at each end, which were added by
Shepherd; the duke of Richmond’s house at Whitehall,
and general Wade’s in Cork-street. Both these last were
ill-contrived and inconvenient; but the latter has so beautiful a front, that lord Chesterfield said, “as the general
could not live in it to his ease, he had better take a house
over against it, and look at it.
”, Pope dedicated to him his
Epistle IV. and addressed to him his incomparable letter oa
a Journey to Oxford with Lintot. He is also to be noticed with honour as the first patron of bishop Berkeley,
whom he loved for his taste in architecture. He died
December 1753, and by his death the title of Earl of Burlington became extinct. His lady, Dorothy Saville, had no
less attachment to the arts than her lord. She drew in
crayons, and succeeded admirably in likenesses, but working with too much rapidity, did not do justice to her
genius.
was a member of the house of commons; and it was allowed by very good judges, that he was never once known to say an imprudent thing in a public debate, or to hurt the
, Lord Carleton, and lord president of
the council in the reign of king George I. was descended
from Richard Boyle, first earl of Cork in Ireland, and was
third son of Charles lord Clifford of Lanesborough in the
county of York, by Jane, youngest daughter of William
Seymour, duke of Somerset. Being elected a member of
the house of commons, he scon distinguished himself to
such advantage, that in March 1700-1, he was appointed
chancellor and nnder-treasurer of the exchequer by king
William, and was admitted into a high degree of favour and
confidence with that prince. He continued in that post
till the 11th of February, 1707-8, when he was made one
of the principal secretaries of state, in the room of Robert
Harley, esq. and was consequently one of the ministry
when the reputation of England was carried to so great
an height, and when the queen obtained so many successes
in defence of the common cause of Europe. In this station he took all occasions of shewing his regard for men of
genius and learning; and soon after the battle of Blenheim, was employed by the lord treasurer Godolphin, at
the solicitation of the lord Halifax, to go to Mr. Addison,
and desire him to write some piece, which might transmit
the memory of that glorious victory to posterity. Mr. Addison, who was at that time but indifferently lodged, was
surprised with this visit from a person of Mr. Boyle’s rank
and station; who, after having acquainted him with his
business, added, that the lord treasurer, to encourage him
to enter upon this subject, had already made him one of
the commissioners of the appeals; but entreated him to
look upon that post only as an earnest of something more
considerable. In short, Mr. Boyle said so many obliging
things, and in so graceful a manner, as gave Mr. Addison
the utmost spirit and encouragement to begin that poem,
which he entitled “The Campaign;
” soon after the publication of which, he was, according to Mr. Boyle’s promise, preferred to a considerable post. In 1710, Mr.
Boyle was one of the managers at the trial of Dr. Sacheverell; but upon the general change of the ministry, not
long after, was dismissed from the post of secretary of state;
in which he was succeeded by Henry St. John, esq. afterwards lord viscount Bolingbroke. “I never,
” says Swift,
“remember such bold steps taken by a court; I am almost shocked at it, though I did not care if they were all
hanged.
” Upon the accession of his late majesty king
George I. in 1714, he was created a baron of this kingdom,
by the title of baron Carleton of Carleton, in the county
of York, and was soon after made lord president of the
council, in which post he continued till his death, which
happened on Sunday the 14th of March, 1724-5, at his
house in Pall-mall, now the residence of his royal highness the Prince Regent.
Mr. Budgell tells us, that he was endowed with great
prudence and a winning address; and that his long experience in public affairs had given him a thorough knowledge in business. He spoke frequently while he was a
member of the house of commons; and it was allowed by
very good judges, that he was never once known to say
an imprudent thing in a public debate, or to hurt the
cause which he engaged in; a circumstance peculiar to
himself above most other speakers in so public an assembly.
The author of the “Spectator,
” in the dedication to him
of the third volume of that work, observes likewise, that
there was no person, whose merit was more universally
acknowledged by all parties, and who had made himself
more friends and fewer enemies: that his great abilities
and unquestioned integrity in those high employments
which he had passed through, would not have been able
to have raised this general approbation, had they not been
accompanied with that moderation in a high fortune, and
that affability of manners, which were so conspicuous
through all parts of his life: that his aversion to any ostentatious arts of setting to show those great services which
he had done the public, contributed likewise not a little to
that universal acknowledgment which was paid him by his
country: and that he was equally remarkable for the great
figure which he made in the senate, as for that elegance
and politeness, which appeared in his more retired conversation. Davis, in his characters published under the
name of Mackay, says of him, “He is a good companion
in conversation; agreeable among the ladies; serves the
queen very assiduously in council; makes a considerable
figure in the house of commons; by his prudent administration obliges every body in the exchequer; and in time
may prove a great man.
” To this Swift added in his copy
of the book, “had some very scurvy qualities, particularly
avarice.
”
His merit becoming known to James I. he was appointed one of the first fellows of Ch
His merit becoming known to James I. he was appointed one of the first fellows of Chelsea-college; but that scheme, as we have had occasion to remark in the preceding article, never having been carried into execution, his title was only nominal. Of this college we shall give some account in the life of Dr. Sutclifte the founder. In 1618, Dr. Boys was collated by archbishop Abbot to the rectory of Great Mongeham, adjoining also to his benefice of Bettishanger, and resigned the vicarage of Tilmanstone. On the death of Mr. Fotherby, king James promoted him to the deanry of Canterbury, to which he was admitted May 3, 1619; but this preferment he did not enjoy long, dying suddenly in his study Sept. 26, 1625, aged fifty-four.
Daniel Williams, in Dublin; and had afterwards for his coadjutor the rev. Mr. Thomas Emlyn, so well known for his writings and his sufferings. This connection subsisted
a protestant dissenting minister, was
born at Leeds in Yorkshire, in January, 1659-60. After
early instruction under the care of his parents, he received
the first part of his education for the ministry at the private
academy of the rev. Mr. Frankland, near Kendal, in Westmoreland, and completed it under the tuition of the rev.
Mr. Edward Veal, who kept a private academy at Stepney,
near London. Having continued in these seminaries five
years, and availed himself of the opportunities which he
enjoyed in the latter situation of attending on the preaching
of many able divines, both conformists and non-conformists,
he entered on the exercise of his ministry about the year
1680. In 1683, finding that he could not discharge the
duties of his function in England without molestation, he
accepted an invitation to be joint pastor with Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Daniel Williams, in Dublin; and had afterwards
for his coadjutor the rev. Mr. Thomas Emlyn, so well known
for his writings and his sufferings. This connection subsisted for more than ten years with mutual friendship and
uninterrupted harmony; but it was at length dissolved in
consequence of Mr. Emlyn’s sentiments concerning the
doctrine of the Trinity. On this occasion the zeal of Mr.
Boyse for the orthodox led him to take some steps that were
thought injurious to his former colleague, and inconsistent
with the friendship that had subsisted between them;
though he disapproved the prosecution which Mr. Emlyn
suffered, and behaved towards him with a greater degree of
kindness than any of the other dissenting ministers of Dublin. The latter years of Mr. Boyse^s life were embittered
by bodily disorders and straitened circumstances. His
funeral sermon was preached in December, 1728; but the
precise time of his death is not known. He was considered
as a pious, learned, and useful divine; assiduous in the exercise of his ministry, and in his conduct generally esteemed. He had a principal concern in promoting the act
of toleration in Ireland. His works were published in 1728,
in 2 vols. fol. The first contains 71 sermons, 6 dissertations on the doctrine of justification, and a paraphrase on
those passages of the New Testament which chiefly relate to
that doctrine. One of his sermons, originally printed separately, on “the Office of a Christian Bishop,
” was ordered to be burnt by the Irish parliament in Nov. 1711.
The second volume contains several pieces, of which the
principal is a“Vindication of the true Deity of our blessed
Saviour,
” in answer to Mr. Emlyn’s “Humble inquiry into
the Scripture account of Jesus Christ, &c.
” As Mr.
Boyse’s answer was published at the time when Mr. Emlyn
was under prosecution for his sentiments, his conduct did
not escape censure from the friends of Emlyn, who did not
think it candid, liberal, or ingenuous.
not easy to find. Such was Boyse’s unsocial turn and aversion to decent company, that his person was known only among the lower orders, and Lord Stormont’ s generous intention
His father died in the year 1728, and his whole property
having been exhausted in the support of his son, the latter
repaired in 1730 to Edinburgh, where his poetical genius
raised him many friends and some patrons of considerable
eminence, particularly the lords Stair, Tweedale, and
Stormont; and there is some reason to think that he was
occasionally entertained at their houses. In 1731, he published a volume of poems, to which was subjoined a
translation of the Tablature of Cebes, and a Letter upon Liberty
which had been before published in the Dublin Journal.
This volume, which was addressed to the countess of Eglinton, a lady of great accomplishments, procured him
much reputation. He also wrote an elegy on the viscountess
Stormont, entitled, “The Tears of the Muses/‘ in compliment to her ladyship’s taste as a patroness of poets.
Lord Stormont was so much pleased with this mark of respect to the memory of his lady, that he ordered a handsome present to be made to the author, whom, however, it
was not easy to find. Such was Boyse’s unsocial turn and
aversion to decent company, that his person was known
only among the lower orders, and Lord Stormont’ s generous intention would have been frustrated, if his agent had
not put an advertisement into the papers desiring the author
of
” The Tears of the Muses“to call upon him. By means
of lady Eglinton and lord Stormont, Boyse became known
to the duchess of Gordon, who likewise was a person of literary taste, and cultivated the correspondence of some of
the most eminent poets of her time. She was so desirous
to raise Boyse above necessity, that she employed her interest in procuring the promise of a place for him; and
accordingly gave him a letter, which he was next day to
deliver to one of the commissioners of the customs at Edinburgh.
” But it unluckily happened that he was then some
miles distant from the city, and the morning on which he
was to have ridden to town with her grace’s letter, proved
to be rainy. This trivial circumstance was sufficient to discourage Boyse, who was never accustomed to look beyond
the present moment: he declined going to town on account
of the rainy weather; and while he let slip the opportunity, the place was bestowed upon another, which the commissioner declared he kept for some time vacant, in expectation of seeing a person recommended by the duchess of
Gordon."
which he used to relate himself, has been doubted by those who lived near enough to the time to have known the fact. But whatever advantage he derived from the recommendations
While any prospect, however, remained of a more advantageous lot, he could still depend on the friends who first noticed him, and he had no sooner communicated his design of going to England, than the duchess of Gordon gave him a recommendatory letter to Mr. Pope, and obtained another for him to sir Peter King, then lord chancellor. Lord Stormont also recommended him to his brother, the solicitor general, afterwards the celebrated lord Mansfield. On his arrival in London, in 1737, he waited on Pope, but, as he happened to be from home, he never repeated the visit. By the lord chancellor he is said to have been received with kindness, and to have occasionally been admitted to his lordship’s table; so sordid were his habits, however, and such his aversion to polite company, that this latter part of his historv, which he used to relate himself, has been doubted by those who lived near enough to the time to have known the fact. But whatever advantage he derived from the recommendations he brought from Scotland, it does not appear that it made any alteration in his habits. In London he was soon reduced to indigence, from which he attempted no means of extricating himself, but by writing complimentary poems, or mendicant letters, except that he frequently applied for assistance to some of the more eminent dissenters, from whom he received many benefactions, in consequence of the respect which they paid to the memory of his father. But such supplies were soon dissipated in the lowest gratifications, and his friends were at length tired of exerting their bounty that was so useless to the object of it. The author of his life in Gibber’s work informs us, that often, when he had received half a guinea, in consequence of a supplicating letter, he would go into a tavern, order a supper to be prepared, drink of the richest wines, and spend all the money that had been just given him in charity, without having any one to participate and regale with him, and while his wife and child were starving at home.
About the year 1738 he published a second volume of poems, but with what success is not known and, as he did not put his name to this volume, his biographer
About the year 1738 he published a second volume of
poems, but with what success is not known and, as he did
not put his name to this volume, his biographer has not
been able to find any mention of it. In the year J 740 he
was reduced to the lowest state of poverty, having no clothes
left in which he could appear abroad; and what bare subsistence he procured was by writing occasional poems for
the magazines. Of the disposition of his apparel, Mr. Nichols received from Dr. Johnson, who knew him well, the
following account. He used to pawn what he had of this
sort, and it was no sooner redeemed by his friends, than,
pawned again. On one occasion Dr. Johnson collected a
sum of money for this purpose, and in two days the clothes
were pawned again. In this state he remained in bed, with
no other covering than a blanket, with two holes, through
which he passed his arms when he sat up to write. The author of his life in Gibber, adds, that when his distresses
were so pressing as to induce him to dispose of his shirt, he
used to cut some white paper in slips, which he tied round
his wrists, and in the same manner supplied his neck. In
this plight he frequently appeared abroad, while his other
apparel was scarcely sufficient for the purposes of decency.
While in this wretched state, he published “The Deity,
”
a poem , which was highly praised by some of the best
critics of the age. Among those whose praise was of considerable value, Hervey introduced the mention of it in his
Meditations, “as a beautiful and instructive poem;
” and
Fielding, in his Tom Jones, after extracting a few lines,
adds that they are taken from “a very noble poem called
the Deity, published about nine years ago (1749), and long
since buried in oblivion; a proof that good books no more
than good men, do always survive the bad.
” These encomiums tended to revive the poem, of which a third edition
was published in 1752; and it has since been reprinted in
various collections . An account of the Deity was sent to
the Gentleman’s Magazine, and, although not inserted,
was probably the means of Boyse’s introduction to Mr.
Cave, from whom he obtained some supplies for writing
and translating in that jourual between the years 1741 and
1743. Cave’s practice was to pay by the hundred lines,
which after a while he wanted poor Boyse to make what is
called the long hundred. His usual signature for his poems
was Y. or Alcæus. When in a spunging-house in Grocer’salley, in the Poultry, he wrote the following letter to Cave,
which was communicated by the late Mr. Astle to the editor of the Biographia Britannica.
etter dated Nov. 5, after acknowledging Dr. Birch’s kindness to him, and urging him to make his case known to others, he gives the following account of himself:
By a letter to Dr. Birch, dated Oct. 23, 1742, it appears that he had, among many similar projects, an intention of publishing a translation of Voltaire’s poetical works, and sent to the Doctor a specimen of three of his Ethic epistles. On the next day, he sent another letter supplicating assistance, and assuring Dr. Birch that his distress was not in any way the effect of his own misconduct! In a letter dated Nov. 5, after acknowledging Dr. Birch’s kindness to him, and urging him to make his case known to others, he gives the following account of himself:
"I am, Sir, the only son of Mr. Boyse of Dublin, a man whose character and writings are well known. My father died in 1728 in very involved circumstances, so that
"I am, Sir, the only son of Mr. Boyse of Dublin, a man whose character and writings are well known. My father died in 1728 in very involved circumstances, so that I had nothing left to trust to, but a liberal education. In 1730 I removed to Edinburgh, where I published a Collection of Poems with a translation of the Tablature of Cebes. After some years stay there, and many disappointments, I came in 1737 to London, where I have done several essays in the literary way [chiefly poetry) with but slender encouragement. Mr. Cave, for whose magazine I have done many things, and at whose desire I removed to this neighbourhood (St. John’s-court, Clerkenwell,) has not used me so kindly as the sense he expressed of my services gave me reason to expect. Learning, however it may be a consolation under affliction, is no security against the common calamities of life. I think myself capable of business in the literary way, but by my late necessities am unhappily reduced to an incapacity of going abroad to seek it. I have reason to believe, could I wait on lord Halifax (which a small matter would enable me to do) I should receive some gratuity for my dedication, so as to make me easy. This is all the hope I have left to save me from the ruin that seems to threaten me if I continue longer in the condition I am in: and as I should be willing most gratefully to repay any assistance I might receive out of my lord’s bounty, so I should ever retain a deep impression of the obligation. I humbly beg you will forgive this liberty, and believe me, with the greatest gratitude and esteem,
uthority. The work, however, considered as a compilation of recent and consequently very imperfectly- known events, is said to possess considerable merit. In a letter,
In 1743, he published without his name, an ode on the
battle of Dettingen, entitled “Albion’s Triumph,
” a fragment of which is printed in the last edition of the Poets.
In 1745 we find him at Reading, where he was employed
by the late Mr. David Henry in compiling a work, published in 1747, in two volumes octavo, under the title of
“An historical Review of the Transactions of Europe,
from the commencement of the war with Spain in 1739 to
the insurrection in Scotland in 1745; with the proceedings
in parliament, and the most remarkable domestic occurrences during that period. To which is added, An impartial History of the late Rebellion, interspersed with characters and memoirs, and illustrated with notes.
” To this
he affixed his name, witli the addition of M. A. a degree
which it is probable he assumed without authority. The
work, however, considered as a compilation of recent and
consequently very imperfectly-known events, is said to
possess considerable merit. In a letter, published by Mr.
Nichols, we have some information relative to it, and to
the present state of his mind and situation. “My salary
is wretchedly small (half a guinea a week) both for writing
the history and correcting the press; but I bless God I
enjoy a greater degree of health than I have known for
many years, and a serene melancholy, which I prefer to
the most poignant sensations of pleasure I ever knew. All
I sigh for is a settlement, with some degree of independence, for my last stage of life, that I may have the comfort
of my poor dear girl to be near me, and close my eyes.
I should be glad to know if you have seen my history, from
which you must not expect great things, as I have been
over-persuaded to put my name to a composure, for which
we ought to have had at least more time and better materials, and from which I have neither profit nor reputation
to expect. I am now beginning * The History of the
Rebellion,‘ a very difficult and invidious task. All the
accounts I have yet seen are either defective, confused,
or heavy. I think myself, from my long residence in Scotland, not unqualified for the attempt, but I apprehend it
is premature; and, by waiting a year or two, better materials would offer. Some account, I think, will probably
be published abroad, and give us light into many things
we are now at a loss to account for. I am about a translation (at my leisure hours) of an invaluable French work,
entitled * L’Histoire Universelle,' by the late M. Bossuet,
bishop of Meaux, and preceptor to the dauphin, eldest
son of Lewis XIV. I propose only to give his dissertations
on the ancient empires, viz. the Egyptian, Assyrian, Grecian, and Roman, which he has described with surprising
conciseness, and with equal judgment and beauty. I design to inscribe it to the right honourable Mr. Lyttelton,
one of the lords of the treasury, one of the most amiable
men I have ever known, and to whose uncommon goodness, if you knew my obligations, you would esteem him
as much as he deserves.
”
feited the respect due to genius, and could expect to be rewarded only by those to whom he was least known. We are told that he wrote all his poems with ease and even
As a poet, his reputation has been chiefly fixed on the
production entitled “Deity,
” which, although irregular
and monotonous, contains many striking proofs of poetical
genius. The effort indicates no small elevation of mind,
even while we must allow that success is beyond all human
power. His other pieces may be regarded as curiosities,
as the productions of a man who never enjoyed the undisturbed exercise of his powers, who wrote in circumstances
of peculiar distress, heightened by the consciousness that
he could obtain only temporary relief, that he had forfeited
the respect due to genius, and could expect to be rewarded only by those to whom he was least known. We
are told that he wrote all his poems with ease and even
rapidity. That many of his lines are incorrect will not,
therefore, excite surprize, especially when we consider
that he wrote for immediate relief, and not for fame, and
that when one piece had produced him a benefaction, he
generally dismissed it from his mind, and began another,
about which he had no other care than that it might answer
the same purpose.
, an Italian poet of some celebrity, known by the name of Bracciolini Dell’ Api, a surname given him by
, an Italian poet of some celebrity, known by the name of Bracciolini Dell’ Api, a
surname given him by the pope, was born at Pistoia, in
Tuscany, 1566, and was fellow-student with Maffei Barberini, whose love of poetry and polite literature resembled
his own, and increased their friendship. When Barberini
was afterwards appointed nuncio in France, under the
pontificate of Clement VIII. he engaged Bracciolini as his
secretary, who accepted the office in hopes that his patron
might become a cardinal, and serve his interest more essentially, for Bracciolini was not free from the unpoetical
failing of avarice; but this event not taking place so soon
as he expected, he retired to Pistoia, where he composed
a part of his works. Barberini, however, being not only
made cardinal, but also pope in 1622, under the title of
Urban VIII. Bracciolini waited upon him with a poem of
congratulation, amounting to twenty-three books, which
the pope liked so well, that he ordered him to adopt the
surname Dell' Api, and to add to his arms three bees,
which are the arms of the Barberini family. He gave him
at the same time more substantial rewards, and placed him
as secretary under his brother, cardinal Antonio Barberini.
After the death of Urban VIII. in 1644, Bracciolini again
retired to Pistoia, where he died the following year. He
wrote a great number of poems of every species, epics, tragedies, comedies, pastorals, lyrics, satires, and burlesque
verses. Of these, the only ones worthy of notice, seem to
be: 1. “La Croce Racquistata,
” a heroic poem in fifteen
cantos, Paris, Lo Scherno degli
Dei,
” a mock-heroic, in ridicule of the heathen mythology, Florence, 1618, 4to, a better edition in 1625, 4to.
This poem has given him some title to the invention of the
mock-heroic, because in the preface it is asserted that the
“Lo Scherno
” although printed some years after Tassoni’s
“La Secchia Rapita,
” was written many years sooner. It
is, however, a poem of considerable merit in that style.
bar; and, in 1244, was by king Henry III. made one of the judges itinerant. At present he is chiefly known by his learned work, “Delegibus et consuetudinibus Angliae,”
, a celebrated English lawyer
in the thirteenth century, was, according to Mr. Prince,
born in Devonshire; and studied at Oxford, where he took
the degree of LL. D. Applying himself afterwards to the
study of the laws of England, he rose to great eminence at
the bar; and, in 1244, was by king Henry III. made one
of the judges itinerant. At present he is chiefly known by
his learned work, “Delegibus et consuetudinibus Angliae,
”
the first printed edition of it was in Anciennes Loix des Francois.
” After this,
the admirers of Bracton will not apprehend much from this
determined enemy to his reputation as an English lawyer.
ems to have formed an aera in his history, as he used to “bless God that from that hour he had never known the fear of man.” He soon after left the academy, and was taken
, a facetious preacher among
the dissenters, whose oddities are still traditionary, was
born in 1677, at Wakefield, in Yorkshire. His father
belonged to a dissenting meeting at Alverthorp, near that
town, of which Mr. Peter Naylor, an ejected minister, was
pastor. Under his care, and at the free-school at Leeds,
he received the first rudiments of learning. He was afterwards sent to an academy kept by Mr. Jollie, at Attercliffe. He began to preach at the early age of eighteen,
about the year 1696, when his juvenile figure procured
him some rebuffs, which he soon disregarded, and convinced his hearers that he was a boy only in appearance.
His conquest over these remarks at this time seems to have
formed an aera in his history, as he used to “bless God
that from that hour he had never known the fear of man.
”
He soon after left the academy, and was taken into the
family of Mr. Whitaker, who, according to his biographer,
checked his ardour, at least so far that he preached but
seldom. In 1697 he went to Beverley, where he continued
two years, and then became assistant to Dr. Gilpin, at
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and remained there three years,
with almost unbounded popularity. He then removed to
Stepney, near London, and in 1707 was chosen pastor of
a meeting in Fetter-lane, vacant by the death of Mr. Benoni Rowe. After preaching here to a crowded congregation for twenty years, a quarrel took place; about what, his
biographer does not inform us; but Mr. Bradbury was immediately invited to succeed the noted Daniel Burgess, in
the meeting at New-court, Carey-street, and in less than
a fortnight exchanged his former for his latter pulpit,
carrying with him such of his Fetter-lane hearers as adhered to him in the late contest. Here he succeeded
Daniel Burgess as a wit as well as a divine, and his biographer gravely informs us, that “this pulpit a se*cond
time presented a phenomenon as rare as it is beneficial,
wit consecrated to the service of serious and eternal truth.
”
Of this wit, however, Mr. N. Neal, in a letter to Dr.
Doddridge, (1749,) gives a different opinion. “I have
seen Mr. Bradbury’s sermons, just published, the nonsense and buffoonery of which would make one laugh, if
his impious insults over the pious dead did not make one
tremble.
” After entertaining the public by this species
of comic preaching for thirty-two years, he died at Warwick-court, Gray’s-inn, Sept. 9, 1759, aged eighty-two.
Of his character it is said, that “had he possessed as much
judgment as quickness of wit, and as much temper as zeal,
he would have been a man of much greater consideration.
His usefulness was much abated after the Sailers’ -hall
synod, for though he was warm on the orthodox side, his
ill-conducted zeal did much mischief.
” Among his other
differences of opinion from his brethren, he made it his
business in the pulpit to lampoon and satirize the hymns
and psalms of Dr. Watts. It is said, indeed, that whentever he gave out one of the former, it was prefaced with
“Let us sing one of Watts’s whims.
” Among the numerous anecdotes of Tom Bradbury, as he was familiarly
called, we shall give only the following, which contains
some characteristic features. “Tom generally gave audience at supper-time, and the ceremony was thus conducted. On a little table lay two pocket bibles, one of
which was taken up by Bradbury, and the other by his
daughter, and each having read a portion, one of the visiting ministers was desired to pray: they then adjourned
to supper; after which, Tom entertained the company
with ‘ The roast beef of old England,’ which, it is said,
he sung better than any man in England.
” His printed
works amply justify the character usually given of him,
that with much zeal he was totally destitute of judgment,
and regardless of the dignity of his sacred calling, dwelling
perpetually on political topics, and enforcing them in a
strain of ridicule totally unfit for the place in which he
stood. These works consist of “Fifty-four Sermons,
”
brought thither till nine o'clock, and then came under a stronger guard of halberdeers than was ever known on the like occasion. As he came out of Newgate, he gave his
For some time after the death of Edward VI. Bradford
continued his public services; but a man of such zeal
against popery could not be long safe, and the method
that was taken to bring him to the stake is one of the most
tyrannical measures of Mary’s reign. It is thus related by
his biographers: On the 13th of August, in the first year
of queen’s Mary’s reign, Gilbert Bourne, then preacher at
Paul’s Cross, but not then bishop of Bath as Fox mistakes,
he not being elected to that see before the beginning of
the next year, made a seditious sermon at the said cross;
wherein he so much traduced the late king, and harangued
so intolerably in favour of popery, that the auditory were
ready to pull him out of the pulpit. Neither could the
reverence of the place, nor the presence of the bishop of
London, nor the authority of the lord mayor, restrain their
rage. Bourne, seeing himself in this peril, and his life
particularly aimed at by a drawn dagger that was hurled at
him in the pulpit, which narrowly missed him, turned
about, and perceiving Bradford behind him, he earnestly
begged him to come forwards and pacify the people.
Bradford was no sooner in his room, and recommended
peace and concord to them, than with a joyful shout at the
sight of him, they cried out, ‘ Bradford, Bradford, God
save thy life, Bradford!’ and then, with profound attention to his discourse, heard him enlarge upon peaceful and
Christian obedience; which when he had finished, the
tumultuous people, for the most part, dispersed; but,
among the rest who persisted, there was a certain gentleman, with his two servants, who, coming up the pulpitstairs, rushed against the door, demanding entrance upon
Bourne; Bradford resisted him, till he had secretly given
Bourne warning, by his servant, to escape; who, flying to
the mayor, once again escaped death. Yet conceiving the
danger not fully over, Bourne beseeched Bradford not to
leave him till he was got to some place of security; in
which Bradford again obliged him, and went at his back,
shadowing him from the people with his gown, while the
mayor and sheriffs, on each side, led him into the nearest
house, which was Paul’s school; and so was he a third
time delivered from the fury of the populace. It is added
that one of the mob, most inveterate against Bourne, exclaimed, ‘ Ah! Bradford, Bradford, dost thou save his
life who will not spare thine? Go, I give thee his life;
but were it not for thy sake, I would thrust him through
with my sword.’ The same Sunday, in the afternoon,
Bradford preached at Bow church in Cheapside, and
sharply rebuked the people for their outrageous behaviour.
Three days after this humane interposition, Aug. 16, he
was summoned by the council and bishops to the Tower of
London, where the queen then was, and charged with sedition, and preaching heresy; and notwithstanding the defence he made, was committed to prison in the Tower,
where he lay for a year and a half. This forbearance is
the more remarkable, because, when in the Tower, or
other prisons, by his discourses, exhortations, and especially by his letters, he did nearly, if not quite as much
service to the protestant cause, as when he was at large.
In his letters, he evinced a spirit of inflexible constancy in
his principles, a primitive and apostolic zeal for the propagation of truth, and a sincere abhorrence of the delusions
of the church of Rome; and strengthened the minds of the
adherents of the reformation to such a degree that his enemies at last determined to cut him off. In 1554, he was
removed to the court of king’s bench, Southvvark, and on
Jan. 22, examined before Gardiner, bishop of Winchester
and chancellor, Bonner bishop of London, and others. For
this and his other examinations we refer to Fox. After
it was over, he was sent back to the same prison under
stricter restraint than before, especially as to the exercise
of his pen: but the sweetness of his comportment towards
his keepers so won upon them, that it defeated the severity
of his enemies’ commands in that particular; and his arguments, thus discharged out of prison, did their cause more
hurt, than all the terror of their tyrannical treatment did
it good. A week after, on the 29th, he was brought before
them in the church of St. Mary Overies to his second examination, and next day to a third, in all which he acknowledged and adhered to his principles with undaunted constancy, and answered every thing offered in the shape of
argument with authority from the scriptures, and every reproach with meekness. He was now condemned to die,
but he lay after this in the Poultry counter for five months,
visited constantly by some of the popish bishops, their
chaplains or priests, so desirous were they to gain over a
champion of his consequence. We are told that both
while he lay in the king’s bench, and in the counter, he
preached twice a-day, unless sickness hindered him. The
Sacrament was often‘ ministered; and, through his keeper’s
indulgence, there was such a resort of pious people to
him, that his chamber was usually almost filled with them.
He made but one short meal a-day, and allowed himself
but four hours rest at night. His gentle nature was ever
relenting at the thoughts of his infirmities, and fears of
being betrayed into inconstancy; and his behaviour was
so affecting to all about him, that it won even many papists
to wish for the preservation of his life. His very mien and
aspect begat veneration; being tall and spare, or somewhat macerated in his body; of a faint sanguine complexion, with an auburn beard; and his eyes, through the
intenseness of his pious contemplations, were often so solemnly settled, that the tears would silently gather in them,
till he could not restrain them from overflowing their banks,
and creating a sympathy in the eyes of his beholders. The
portions of his time he did not spend in prayer or preaching, he allotted to the visitation of his fellow-prisoners;
exhorting the sick to patience, and distributing his money
to the poor, and to some who had been the most violent
opposers of his doctrines; nor did he leave the felons
themselves without the best relief they were capable of
receiving, under the distresses they had brought upon
themselves, which excited them to the most hearty and
sincere repentance. On the last day of June 1555, he
was carried to Newgate, attended by a vast multitude of
people, who, because they had heard he was to suffer by
break of day, that the fewer spectators might be witnesses
of his death, either stayed in Smithfield all night, or
returned in greater numbers thither by four o’clock the
next morning, the 1st of July; but Bradford was not
brought thither till nine o'clock, and then came under a
stronger guard of halberdeers than was ever known on the
like occasion. As he came out of Newgate, he gave his
velvet cap and his handkerchief to an old friend, with
whom he had a little private talk. Such was the inveteracy
of his enemies, that his brother-in-law, Roger Beswick,
for only taking leave of him, had his head broke, till the
blood ran down his shoulders, by the sheriff Woodrofe.
When he came to Smithfield, and in his company a Yorkshire youth, who was an apprentice in London, named
John Lyefe, and to be burnt at the same stake with him,
for maintaining the like faith in the sacrament, and denying that priests had any authority to exact auricular confession, Bradford went boldly up to the stake, laid him
down flat on his face on one side of it, and the said young
man, John Lyefe, went and laid himself on the other;
where they had not prayed-to themselves above the space
of a minute, before the sheriff bid Bradford arise, and
make an end; for the press of the people was very great.
When they were on their feet, Bradford took up a faggot
and kissed it, and did the like to the stake. When he
pulled off his clothes, he desired they might be given to
his servant; which was granted. Then, at the stake,
holding up his hands and his face to Heaven, he said
aloud, “O England, England, repent thee of thy sins!
Beware of idolatry, beware of antichrists, lest they deceive
you.
” Here the sheriff ordered his hands to be tied; and
one of the fire-rakers told him, if he had no better learning than that, he had best hold his peace. Then Bradford
forgiving, and asking forgiveness of, all the world, turned
his head about, comforted the stripling at the same stake
behind him, and embracing the flaming reeds that were
near him, was heard among his last words to say, “Strait
is the way, and narrow is the gate,
” &c.
dewy Welfry, and henceforward devoted his time and studies to his beloved science; nor was he sooner known, than distinguished by the friendship of lord Macclesfield,
On the death of John Keill, M. D. he was chosen Savilian professor of astronomy in Oxford, Oct. 31, 1721. On this promotion, so agreeable to his taste, he resigned the living of Bridstow, and also the sinecure of Landewy Welfry, and henceforward devoted his time and studies to his beloved science; nor was he sooner known, than distinguished by the friendship of lord Macclesfield, sir Isaac Newton, his colleague in the Savilian professorship, Dr. Halley, and other great mathematicians, astronomers, and patrons of science. In the course of his observations, which were innumerable, he discovered and settled the laws of the alterations of the fixed stars, from the progressive motion of light, combined with the earth’s annual motion about the sun, and the nutation of the earth’s axis, arising from the unequal attraction of the sun and moon on the different parts of the earth. The former of -these effects is called the aberration of the fixed stars, the theory of which he published in 1727; and the latter the nutation of the earth’s axis, the theory of which appeared in 1737: so that in the space of about 10 years, he communicated to the world two of the finest discoveries in modern astronomy; which will for ever make a memorable epoch in the history of that science. In 1730, he succeeded Mr. Whiteside, as lecture-reader of astronomy and experimental philosophy in Oxford: which was a considerable emolument to himself, and which he held till within a year or two of his death, when the ill state of his health made it necessary to resign it. At the decease of Dr. Halley, he was appointed astronomical observator at the royal observatory at Greenwich, February 3, 174-1-2. From letters found amongst his papers, it appears that Dr. Halley was very desirous that our astronomer should succeed him; and in one letter, when he found himself declining, he desires his leave to make interest for him: but he owed this new acquisition chiefly to the friendship of lord Macclesfield, the late president of the royal society. Upoa this promotion he was honoured with the degree of doctor of divinity, by diploma from Oxford.
provide new ones. This enabled him to furnish it with the noblest and most accurate apparatus in the known world, suited to the 'dignity of the nation and the royal donor:
In 1747, he published his Letter to the earl of Macclesfield, concerning an apparent motion observed in some of
the fixed stars; on account of which he obtained the annual gold prize-medal from the royal society. It was in
consequence of the royal society’s annual visit to the observatory at Greenwich, during which he represented to
them the necessity of repairing the old instruments, &c.
that in 1748 George II. by his sign manual, directed to
the commissioners and principal officers of his navy, ordered the payment of 1000 to James Bradley, D. D. his
astronomer, and keeper of the royal observatory, in order
to repair the old instruments in the said observatory, and
to provide new ones. This enabled him to furnish it with
the noblest and most accurate apparatus in the known
world, suited to the 'dignity of the nation and the royal
donor: in the executive part of this useful work, those
eminent artists, Mr. George Graham and Mr. Bird, deserve
honourable mention, who contributed much towards the
perfection of those instruments, which enabled Dr. Bradley to leave behind him the greatest number of the most
accurate observations that were perhaps ever made by any
one man. Nor was this the last instance by which his late
majesty distinguished his royal astronomer; for, upon his
refusing to accept the living of Greenwich from a conscientious scruple, “that the duty of a pastor was incompatible with his other studies and necessary engagements,
”
his majesty granted him an annuity or yearly pension of
250l. during pleasure in consideration (as the sign manual, dated Feb. 15, 1752, expresses it) of his great skill and
knowledge in the several branches of astronomy, and other
parts of the mathematics, which have proved so useful to
the trade and navigation of this kingdom. This pension
was continued to the demise of the late, and renewed by
the present king. The same year he was chosen one of
the council of the royal society.
anical knowledge, although his general conduct was little entitled to respect. He first made himself known to the public by two papers printed in the Philosophical Transactions:
, a popular and very voluminous
writer on gardening and agriculture in the last century, was
one of the first who treated these subjects in a philosophical
manner, and certainly possessed considerable botanical
knowledge, although his general conduct was little entitled
to respect. He first made himself known to the public by
two papers printed in the Philosophical Transactions: one
on the motion of the sap in vegetables, the other on the
quick growth of mouldiness in melons. He became a
fellow of the royal society, and was chosen, Nov. 10, 1724,
professor of botany at Cambridge, but in a manner which
reflects little credit on him. His election was procured by
a pretended verbal recommendation from Dr. Sherrard to
Dr. Bentley, and pompous assurances that he would procure the university a public botanic garden by his own private purse and personal interest. The vanity of his promises was soon discovered, as well as his almost total ignorance of the learned languages; and as he neglected to
read lectures, the university made no difficulty in permitting Dr. Martyn to do it. Mr. Bradley, however, read a
course of lectures on the Materia Medica in 1729 at the
Bull inn, which he published next year at London, 8vo,
and of which the reader may see a humorous criticism in the
Grub-street Journal, No. 11* In 1731, his conduct became so scandalous, that it was in agitation to dismiss him.
from his professorship, but he died soon after, Nov. 5,
1732. He was the author of several publications, chiefly
on gardening and agriculture, consisting of two folio volumes, four quarto, and nearly twenty in octavo, which are
enumerated in Mr. Nichols’s Life of Bowyer. His “New
Improvement of Planting and Gardening, both philosophical and practical,
” Gentleman’s and Gardener’s Kalendar.
” His “Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature,
” General Treatise of Husbandry
and Gardening,
” 1726, 2 vols. 8vo; and of his “Practical
Discourses concerning the four elements, as they relate to
the growth of plants,
” Dictiona-ium Botanicum,
” Historia plantarum Suceuientarum,
”
day’s journey: for he no sooner came into the house where he intended to refresh himself, but he was known and called by his name by the hostess. "While the bishop was
From Hamburgh he went to Brussels, where he continued for the most part till 1648, with sir Henry de Vic, the king’s president; constantly preaching every Sunday, and frequently administering the sacrament. In that year he returned to Ireland; from whence, after having undergone several difficulties, he narrowly escaped in a little bark: all the while he was there, his life was in continual danger. At Limerick he was threatened with death, if he did not suddenly depart the town. At Portumnagh, indeed, he afterwards enjoyed more freedom, and an allowance of the church service, umler the protection of the marquis of Clanrickard: but, at the revolt of Cork, he had a very narrow deliverance; which deliverance, however, troubled Cromwell so, that he declared he would have given a good sum of money for that Irish Canterburv, as he called him. His escape from Ireland is accounted wonderful: for the vessel he was in was closely chased hy two of the parliament frigates, and when they were come so near, that all hopes of escape vanished, on a sudden the wind sunk into a perfect calm, by which it happened wonderfully that his ship got off, while the frigates were unable to proceed at all. During this second time of being abroad, he had many disputes about religion with the learned of all nations, sometimes occasionally, at other times by appointment and formal challenge; and wrote several things in defence of the church of England. He likewise purposed to draw a parallel between the liturgy of the church of England, and the public forms of the protestant churches abroad; and with this view he designed to travel about. But he met with a very unexpected interruption in his first day’s journey: for he no sooner came into the house where he intended to refresh himself, but he was known and called by his name by the hostess. "While the bishop was wondering at his being discovered, she revealed the secret by shewing him his picture, and assured him there were several of them upon the road, that, being known by them, he might be seized; and that her husband, among others, had power to that purpose, which he would certainly make use of if he found him. The bishop saw evidently he was a condemned man, being already hanged in effigy; an'd therefore, making use of this intelligence, prudently withdrew into safer quarters.
, abbe d'Aulnay, who was born in the comtat Venaissin, and died April 11, 1758, is known by several works in physics and astronomy. The abundance of
, abbe
d'Aulnay, who was born in the comtat Venaissin, and died
April 11, 1758, is known by several works in physics and
astronomy. The abundance of words, the frequent
repetitions, the great number of insignificant ideas perceived
in his writings, have disgusted many readers; though they
contain much excellent matter. The principal are, 1.
“Letters on cosmography,
” Modern
system of cosmography and general physics,
” Explication of the flux and reflux of the sea,
” Cosmographical ephemerides,
” History or police of the kingdom of Gala,
”
curious fossil-shells, collected pat of the cliffs between Christ-church and Lymington, very few are known to be natives of our own, or indeed of any of the European shores;
To Mr. Brander, the British Museum is indebted for a
capital collection of fossils found in the cliffs about Christchurch and the coast of Hampshire; which were published at
his expence, in a thin quarto volume, entitled “Fossilia
Hantohiensia collecta, et in Museo Britannico deposita, a
Gustavo Brander,
” The Forme of Cury
” was printed for private use, with
notes by the rev. Dr. Pegge, for whose fine portrait, by
Basire, we are likewise indebted to Mr. Brander’s munificence. It yet remains to be noticed that he was one of
the first supporters of the society for the encouragement of
arts.
other of the Virgin Mary, and some controversial works against the reformed churches; but he is best known by his magnificent work, “Civitates orbis terrarum in aes incisse
, in Latin Braunius, Bruinus, or Brunus, was
archdeacon of Dortmund, and dean of Notre
Dame at Cologne, and flourished about the beginning of
the seventeenth century. He wrote a “Latin oration
against the Fornicating Priests,
” Civitates orbis terrarum
in aes incisse et excusce, et descriptione topographica, morali, politica, illustrate,
” 6 vols. large fol. with five coloured plates by Hohenberg and Hoeft'nagel, 1572, &c.
reprinted in 5 vols. 1612. He died in 1622.
nd with her, a man sober, secret, and well-witted, called Reginald Bray, whose prudent policy he had known to have compassed matters of great importance; and accordingly
, was second son of sir Richard
Bray, one of the privy council to king Henry VI. who lies
buried in the north aile of Worcester cathedral, in which
county sir Reginald was born. One of this family (which were lords of Braie, or Bray, in Normandy) came with
William the Conqueror into England, where they flourished
in the counties of Northampton and Warwick; but Edmond, the father of sir Richard, is styled of Eton Bray, in
the county of Bedford, which county they had represented
in parliament in 18 Ed. I. and 6 Ed. II. In 1 Rich. III.
this Reginald had a general pardon granted to him, probably on account of his having taken part with Henry VI.
to whose cause he had a personal as well as hereditary
attachment being receiver- general to sir Henry Stafford,
who married Margaret, countess of Richmond, mother to
the earl of Richmond, afterward king Henry VII. and
continued in her service after the death of sir Henry, and
was put in trust for her dowry, on her marriage to Thomas,
earl of Derby. When the duke of Buckingham had concerted with Morton, bishop of Ely (then his prisoner at Brecknock in Wales), the marriage of the earl of Richmond with the princess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward I V. and the earl’s advancement to the throne, the
bishop recommended sir Reginald for the transaction of
the affair with the countess, telling the duke he had an old
friend with her, a man sober, secret, and well-witted,
called Reginald Bray, whose prudent policy he had known
to have compassed matters of great importance; and accordingly wrote to him in Lancashire, where he then was
with the countess, to come to Brecknock with all speed. He
readily obeyed the summons, entered heartily into the
design, and was very active in carrying it on; and soon
engaged sir Giles Daubeney (afterwards lord Daubeney),
sir John Ciieney, Richard GuiUbrd, esq. and many other
gentlemen of note, to take part with Henry. After the
success at Bosworth, he gradually rose into great favour
with the king, who eminently distinguished and liberally
rewarded his services. His attachment to that prince was
sincere and uriremitted; and such were his ptudence and
abilities, that he never forfeited the confidence he had
acquired, during an attendance of seventeen years on the
most suspicious monarch of his time. He was made a
knight banneret, probably at the battle of Bosworth; a
knight of the bath at the king’s coronation, and afterwards
a kni“ht of the garter. In the first year of the kind’s reign
he had a grant of the constableship of the castle of Oakham in Rutlandshire, and was appointed joint chie‘ justice,
with the lord Fitzwalter, of all the forests south of Trent,
and chosen of the privy council. After this he was appointed high-treasurer, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, and nigh steward of the university of Oxford. At
the queen’s coronation, the ducliess of Norfolk, &c. sat at
one side-table at the other, lady Ferrars, v>f Chartley,
lady Bray, &c. At the christening of prince Arthur, sir
Reginald bore a rich salt of gold which was given by the
earl of Derby. He was amongst the knights bannerets
when Henry, the king’s second son, was created duke of
York in 1494. In the 7th year of the king, he by indenture covenanted to serve him in his wars beyond sea a
whole year, with twelve men, himself accompted, each
having his custrell and page, twenty-four demy lances,
seventy-seven archers on horseback, two hundred and
thirty-one archers, and bil’.es on foot twenty-four. In the
10th year he had a grant for life of the Isle of Wight,
castle of Carisbrook, and the manors of Swainston, Brixton,
Thorley, and Welow, in that isle, at th^ rent of 308l. 6s. 8rf.
Camden mentions the grant of the Isle of Wight at the
rent of 300 marks. In June 1497 he was at the battle of
Blackheath, when the lord Audley, having joined the
Cornish rebels, was taken prisoner; on whose execution
and attainder, his manor of Shire Vachery and Crap ley in
Surry, with a large estate there, was given to sir Reginald.
He received many other marks of the king’s bounty and
favour, and died 5th August 1503, possessed of a very
great estate; notwithstanding which, and his activity as
a minister, under a monarch whose love of, money was the
cause of great and just complaints amongst the people,
historians call him the father of his country, a sage and
grave person, a fervent lover of jusuce, and one who
would often admonish the king when he did any thing contrary to justice or equity. That he should do this, and
the king still continue his favour, is an ample proof of the
sense which his sovereign entertained of his services and
abilities. He appears to have taken great delight in architecture, and to have had no small skill in it, as he had
a principal concern and direction in building Henry Vllth’s
chapel in Westminster-abbey, and in the finishing and
bringing to perfection the chapel of St. George at Windsor, to which he was a liberal benefactor in his life-time,
and for the completion of which he made farther provision
by his will. His arms, crest, and device (R. B.) are exhibited on the cieling of the chapel at Windsor in many
places; and in the middle of the south aile is a spacious
chapel erected by him, and still called by his name, in
which also, by his own particular direction, he was interred, though his executors neglected to erect a tomb for
him, as he desired. Perhaps they thought his merit would
be the most lasting monument. It is supposed that he
is buried under the stone which covers Dr. Waterland;
for, on opening the vault for that gentleman, who died in
1740, a leaden coffin, of ancient form and make, was
found, which by other appearances also was judged to be
that of sir Reginald, and was, by order of the dean, immediately arcned over with great decency. He was of
great devotion, according to the piety of the times, and a
bountiful friend, in his life-time, to many churches. In
one of the letters of the dean and chapter of Westminster, John, abbot of Newminster in Northumberland, addresses him as founder of the monastery of Pipwell (in Northamptonshire); but this must be on account of some
donations, as that house was founded by William Boutevileyr in 1143. In 1494, being then high steward of Oxford, he gave 40 marks to repair the church of St. Mary’s,
in a window of which were the figures of him and his wife
kneeling, their coats of arms on their backs, remaining in
1584. The dean and chapter of Lincoln, in recompence
for his services to them, receive him and my lady his wife
to be brother and sister of their chapter, and to be partakers of all suffrages, prayers, masses, fastings, almsdeeds, and other good deeds, whatever they be, done in
the said church, both in their lives and after their deceases. The prior of the cathedral church of Durham
receives him in like manner. In a south window of the
priory church of Great Malvern in Worcestershire, were
the portraits of Henry VII. Elizabeth his queen, prince
Arthur, sir Reginald Bray, John Savage, and Thomas
LoveJ), esquires, with their coats of arms on their armour,
and the following words underneath:
” Orate pro bono
statu nobilissimi et excellentissimi Regis Henrici Septimi
et Elizabeths Reginse, ac Domini Arthuri Principis filii
eorundem, nee not) praedilectissimae consortis suoe, ac suorum trium militum." The portraits of the king and sir
Reginald remained in 1774, and are engraved in Mr.
Strutt’s View of the Arms and Habits of the English, vol. II,
plate 60. The others have been broken and destroyed.
He had no issue, and his elder brother John having only
one daughter, married to sir William Sandes, afterwards
lord Sandes of the Vine, he left the bulk of his fortune to
Edmund, eldest son of his younger brother John (for he had two brothers of that name). This Edmund was summoned to parliament in 1530, as baron of Eaton Bray;
but his son John lord Bray dying without issue in 1557,
the estate was divided amongst six daughters of Edmund.
Sir Reginald left very considerable estates to Edward and
Reginald, younger brothers of Edmund. From Edward
the manor of Shire Vachery and Cranley, above mentioned,
has descended to the rev. George Bray, who was owner in
1778. Reginald settled at Barrington in Gloucestershire,
where the male line of that branch became extinct about
sixty years ago.
out a quarter of a year before his death, when he resigned it by reason of his advanced age, and the known worth and abilities of his appointed successor, the Rev. Mr.
, D.D. an eminent learned and pious divine
of the seventeenth century, was born at Marton in Shropshire, in 1656, where his parents were persons of good reputation. His infancy discovering promising parts, he was
early sent to the school at Oswestry, in the same county,
and his close application to school-learning, determining
his parents to dedicate him to religion and learning, he
was entered of Hart-hall, Oxford. Here he soon made a
considerable proficiency in divinity, as well as other studies
necessary for the profession for which he was intended:
but, labouring under the common disadvantages of a narrow fortune, his circumstances not permitting a longer
residence at Oxford, he left the university soon after he
had commenced bachelor of arts. Much about this time
he entered into holy orders; and the first duty he had
was that of a parish near Bridgenorth in Shropshire, his
native county, from which curacy he soon removed into
Warwickshire, officiating as chaplain in sir Thomas Price’s
family, of Park-hall, and had the donative of Lac Marsin
given him by sir Thomas, which proved very advantageous; for living now in the neighbourhood of Coieshill, his
exemplary behaviour, and distinguished diligence in his
calling, introduced him into the acquaintance of Mr.
Kettlewell, sir Charles Holt, and the lord Simon Digby.
One incident which contributed to establish his character
at this juncture, was his preaching the assize sermon at
Warwick, on which occasion Mr. Bray, though but young,
acquitted himself to the satisfaction of the whole audience,
particularly the lord Digby, who was afterwards pleased to
honour him with many proofs of his friendship and esteem,
recommending him to the worthy and honourable patronage
of his brother, the fifth lord Digby, who some time after
gave him the vicarage of Over-Whitacre in the same
county, since augmented, by his patron’s uncommon generosity, with the great tithes. In 1690, the rectory of
Sheldon being vacant, by Mr. Digby Bull’s refusing to take
the oaths at the revolution, his lordship presented Mr. Bray
to it; which preferment he held till about a quarter of a
year before his death, when he resigned it by reason of his
advanced age, and the known worth and abilities of his
appointed successor, the Rev. Mr. Carpenter. Dec. 12,
1693, he took his master of arts degree in Hart-hall, Oxford. In this parish of Sheldon he composed his “Catechetical Lectures,
” a work which met with general approbation and encouragement, and produced to him the sum of
700l. This publication, which drew him out of his rural privacy to London, determined Dr. Compton, bishop of London, to pitch upon him as a proper person to model the
infant church of Maryland, and establish it upon a solid
foundation. Accordingly, in April 1696, he proposed
to Mr. Bray to go, on the terms of having the judicial office
of commissary, valued, as was represented to him, at four
hundred pounds per annum, conferred upon him, for his
support in that service. Mr. Bray, disregarding his own
interest, and the great profit which would have arisen from
finishing his course of lectures on the plan he had formed,
soon determined, in his own mind, that there might be a
greater field for doing good in the Plantations, than by his
labours here, and no longer demurred to the proposal, than
to inquire into the state of the country, and inform himself
what was most wanting to excite good ministers to embark
in that design, as well as enable them most effectually to
promote it. With this view he laid before the bishops the
following considerations: That none but the poorer sort
of clergy could be persuaded to leave their friends, and
change their native country for one so remote; that such
persons could not be able sufficiently to supply themselveswith books; that without such a competent provision of
books, they could not answer the design of their mission;
that a library would be the best encouragement to studious and sober men to undertake the service; and that, as
the great inducement to himself to go, would be to do the
most good of which he could be capable, he therefore
purposed, that if they thought fit to encourage and assist
htm in providing parochial libraries for the ministers, he
would then accept of the commissary’s office in Maryland.
This proposal for parochial libraries being well approved
of by the bishops, and due encouragement being promised
in the prosecution of the design, both by their lordships
and others, he set himself with all possible application to
provide missionaries, and to furnish them with libraries,
intending, as soon as he should have sent both, to follow
after himself. But, upon his accepting of this employment
of commissary of Maryland, it fell to his share to solicit at
home whatever other matters related to that church, more
particularly to the settlement and establishment thereof,
which he laboured to promote with unwearied diligence,
and spared neither expence or trouble. But, above all,
it was his greatest care, to endeavour to send over to Maryland, and the other colonies, pious men, of exemplary
lives and conversations, and to furnish those whom he had
a hand in sending, with good libraries of necessary and
useful bdbks, to render them capable of answering the ends
of their mission, and instructing the people in all things
ecessary to their salvation. The sense of the clergy and
inhabitants, with respect to these'important services, was
testified by the solemn letters of thanks, returned him
from the assemblies of Maryland, from the vestries of Boston and Baintrie in New England, from Newfoundland,
Rhode Island, New York, Philadelphia, North Carolina,
Bermudas, and by the acknowledgments of the royal
African company, on account of those procured for their
factories. About the same time it was, that the secretary
of Maryland, sir Thomas Lawrence, with Mr. Bray, waited on the then princess of Denmark, in behalf of that province, humbly to request her gracious acceptance of the
governor’s and country’s dutiful respects, in having denominated the metropolis of the province, then but lately
built, from her royal highness’s name, Annapolis: and Mr.
Bray being soon after favoured with a noble benefaction
from the same royal hand, towards his libraries in America,
he dedicated the first library in those parts, fixed at Annapolis, and which had books of the choicest kind belonging to it, to the value of four hundred pounds, to her memory, by the title of the Annapolitan Library, which words
were inscribed on the several books. Another design was
also set on foot, much about the same time, by Dr. Bray,
to raise lending libraries in every deanery throughout England and Wales, out of which the neighbouring clergy
might borrow the books they had occasion for, and where
they might consult upon matters relating to their function,
and to learning. Upon this, many lending libraries were
founded in several parts of the kingdom, besides above a
hundred and fifty parochial ones in Great Britain and the
plantations, from ten to fifty pounds value, those in South
Britain being afterwards secured to posterity, by an act of
parliament passed for that purpose in 1708. Soon after,
upon the repeated instances of the governor and some of
the country, Mr. Bray was at the charge of taking the degree of doctor of divinity, which, though it might be of
some use, as procuring a certain degree of respect,
did then but ill comport with his circumstances. He
took his degrees of bachelor of divinity, and doctor, together, by accumulation, not of Hart hall where he was
entered, but of Magdalen college, Dec. 17, 1696. Soon
after, the better to promote his main design of libraries,
and to give the missionaries directions in prosecuting their
theological studies, he published two books, one entitled,
“Bibiiothee* Paroctnalis or, a Scheme of such
Theological and other heads, as seem requisite to be perused, or
occasionally consulted by the reverend Clergy, together
with a catalogue of books, which may be profitably read on
each of those points,
” &c. The other, “Apostolic Charity, its nature and excellency considered, in a discourse
upon Daniel xii. 3. preached at St. Paul’s, at the ordination of some Protestant Missionaries to be sent into the
plantations. To which is prefixed, a general view of the
English colonies in America, in order to show what provision is wanting for the propagation of Christianity in those
parts, together with proposals for the promoting the same r
to induce such of the clergy of this kingdom, as are persons of sobriety and abilities, to accept of a mission.
”
During this interval, viz. in the year The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
in foreign parts,
” was laid before the society, and read
the ninth of June following. He received no advantage all
this time from his commissary’s place in Maryland; neither
was any allowance made him at home, or preferment give
him, to support the charge of living altogether in town, to
solicit the establishment and endowment of the church of
Maryland, and to provide missionaries for that and all the
colonies on the Continent; which, excepting Virginia, lay
upon him; all the benefactions that were received being to
be laid out to raise them libraries, which also he did faster
than money came in to answer the charge. This being observed by some of his friends, they endeavoured to persuade
him to lay his design of going abroad aside, and take two
good preferments that were then offered him at home, of
as good or better value than what was proposed to him in
Maryland, viz. that of sub-almoner, and the donative of
Aldgate, in the city of London. But he declined all offers
that were inconsistent with his going to Maryland, as soon
as it should become proper for him to take that voyage.
By the year 1699, having waited upwards of two years for
the return of the act of religion from Maryland, with such
amendments as would render it without exception at the
court of England; and it being presumed by his superiors,
that it would be requisite the doctor should now hasten
over, as well to encourage the passing of that act in their
assemblies, as to promote other matters for the service of
religion there, it was signified to him from them that
they would have him take the opportunity of the first
ship; and indeed, the doctor having, by this time, tried
all ways he could think of, and done all he was able
to do here, to serve those parts, and according to
proposal having provided Maryland, as also many other
colonies, with a competent number of missionaries, and
furnished them with good libraries, to be fixed in the
places where they were sent, to remain there for ever, he
was himself eager to follow, and did so accordingly, even,
in the winter, though he had no allowance made him towards his charge of the voyage, and the service he was to
do; but was forced to dispose of his own small effects, and
raise money on credit to support him. With this poor encouragement, and thus, on his own provision, he took the
voyage, December 16, 1699, and set sail from the Downs
the twentieth of the same month; but was driven back into
Plymouth-sound on Christmas-eve, and remained in harbour almost all the holydays, where his time was not unusefully spent, in the recovery of a tolerable library there
out of dust and rubbish, which was also indebted to him for
a benefaction of books and where he left a proposal for
taking in subscriptions to make it a sea- port library, for the
use of missionaries and sea-chaplains, as well as others.
After an extremely tedious and dangerous passage, the
doctor arrived at Maryland the twelfth of March, where he
applied himself immediately to repair the breach made in
the settlement of the parochial clergy; in order to which
he consulted, in the first place, the governor, whom he
found ready to concur in all proper methods for the re-establishment of their maintenance. Before the next assembly, which was to be in May following, he sent to all
the clergy on the western shore, who only could come together in that season, to learn from them the disposition of
the people, and to advise with them what was proper to be
done, in order to dispose the members of the assembly to
re-enact their law next meeting. Soon after he had dismissed their clergy, he made his parochial visitation, as
far as it was possible for him at that season; in which, he
met with very singular respect from persons of the best
condition in the country, which the doctor turned to the
advantage of that poor church. During the sessions of the
assembly, and whilst the re-establishment of the church
was depending, he preachod very proper and seasonable
sermons, with a tendency to incline the country to the establishment of the church and clergy; all which were so
well received, that he had the thanks of the assembly, by
messages from the house. The doctor was providentially
on such good term* with the assembly, that they ordered
the attorney-general to advise with him in drawing up the
bill; and that he himself might be the better advised in
that case, he sent for the most experienced clergy within
reach, to suggest to him, what they found would be of
advantage to them and the church, to be inserted in, or
left out of it; by which means the constitution of that
church had much the advantage of any in America. It may
not be amiss to observe in this place, that as well during the
general court or assize, which preceded the assembly, and
lasted thirteen days, as during the sessions of the assembly
itself, he was under a necessity of entertaining the gentlemen of the province, who universally visited him; a charge,
however, which he thought requisite as circumstances then
were, that he might strengthen his interest in them, the
better to promote the establishment of the clergy’s maintenance. The bill being prepared, passed with a nemiilt
contradicente; but it was on all hands declared and confessed, that it was very providential that Dr. Bray came
into the country at that juncture. Soon after the assembly
was up, the commissary cited the whole clergy of the province to a general visitation at Annapolis, to be held May
22, 1700. At the close of this visitation, the clergy taking
into consideration, that the opposition of the Quakers
against the establishment of that church would in all probability continue, so as to get the law for its establishment
so lately re-enacted, annulled again at home, they entered
into debates, whether it would not be of consequence to
the preservation and final settlement of that church, that
the doctor should be requested to go home with the law,
and to solicit the royal assent. It had been before voted,
at the passing the bill in the house of burgesses, that he
should be desired to request his grace of Canterbury, and
the bishop of London, to favour that good law, by obtaining his majesty’s royal assent to it with all convenient
speed; and the members who gave him an account of passing their vote, told him withal, that it was the general opinion of the house, that he could be most serviceable by
waiting personally on their lordships, rather, than by letters, in which he conld not crowd all that might be
necessary to be represented concerning the then state of the
church, and the necessity, at that time, of their utmost patronage: and it was in debate, whether this should not be
the desire of the assembly; but it was thought too unreasonable a request from them, who were sensible of the
great danger and fatigue he had already been at in the service of that province, as they had a few days before acknowledged by a message of thanks from that house. Such
were the sentiments of the members of the assembly, as to
the necessity of his coming home to solicit the establishment of that church; and the clergy meeting at their visitation, some weeks after, represented to him, as the earnest desire of the more sensible persons throughout the
country, as well as of the assembly-men, that he should go
over with the law for England; being aware that its opponents would make the utmost efforts against the establishment of that church, by false representations at home of
the numbers and riches of their party, and by insinuating,
that to impose upon them an established maintenance for
the clergy, would be prejudicial to the interest of the province, by obliging so many wealthy traders to remove from
thence, the falsity of which, or any other suggestions, they
thought him best able to make appear, by the information
he had gained from this visitation, There were also many
other advantages to the church in those parts, which they
proposed by his coming home at that time, upon the consideration of all which he took his voyage soon after. He
was no sooner arrived in England, but he found their apprehensions in Maryland'not ill grounded; but the objections raised against the plan, Dr. Bray refuted, by a printed
memorial, representing truly the state of the church of Maryland, to the full satisfaction of all to whom it was communicated. The quakers’ opposition to the establishment
now depending, was carried by united councils and contributions; but the doctor refuted their specious objections
by unanswerable reasons, and placed the affair in such an
advantageous light, that his majesty decided, without any
appearance of hesitation, in the church’s favour, and gave
the royal assent in these remarkable words: “Have the
Quakers the benefit of a toleration? let the established
church have an established maintenance.
” This chargeable and laborious undertaking having swallowed up the doctor’s own small fortune, lord Weymouth generously presented him with a bill of 300l. for his own private use, a,
large portion of which the doctor devoted to the advancement of his farther designs. Though he was vested with
the character of commissary, yet no share of the revenue
proposed was annexed to it; and his generosity even induced him to throw in two sums of fifty pounds each, that
were presented to himself in Maryland, towards defraying
the charges of their libraries and law. After the return of
Dr. Bray from thence in 1701, he published his “Circular
Letters to the Clergy of Maryland,
” a memorial, representing the present state of religion on the continent of
North America, and the acts of his visitation held at Annapolis; for which he had the thanks of the society above
mentioned. Not only the bishop of London approved entirely of all these transactions, but also the archbishop of
Canterbury declared, that he was well satisfied with the
reasons of Dr. Bray’s return from the West Indies, and
added, that his mission thither would be of the greatest
consequence imaginable to the establishment of religion in
those parts. In 1706, he had the donative of St. Botolph
without Aldgate offered him again, which he then accepted
of, worth about 150l. per annum. In the year 1712, the
doctor printed his “Martyrology; or, Papal Usurpation,
”
in folio. That nothing might be wanting to enrich and
adorn the work, he established a correspondence with
learned foreigners of the first distinction, and called in the
assistance of the most eminent hands. This work consists
of some choice and learned treatises of celebrated authors,
which were grown very scarce, ranged and digested into as
regular an history as the nature of the subject would admit.
He proposed to compile a second volume, and had, at no
small expence and pains, furnished himself with materials
for it; but he was afterwards obliged to lay the prosecution,
of his design aside, and bequeathed by will his valuable
collection of Martyrological Memoirs, both printed and
manuscript, to Sion college. He was, indeed, so great a
master of the history of popery, that few authors could be
presumed able, with equal accuracy and learning, to trace
the origin and growth of those exorbitant claims which are
made by the see of Rome. He was happily formed by nature both for the active and for the retired life. Charity
to the souls of other men, was wrought up to the highest
pitch in his own: every reflection on the dark and forlorn
condition of the Indians and negroes, excited in his bosoin the most generous emotions of pity and concern. His
voyage to Holland, to solicit king William’s protection and
encouragement to his good designs, and the proofs he gave
of a public spirit and disinterested zeal, in such a series of
generous undertakings, obtained him the esteem of M.
d‘Allone of the Hague, a gentleman not more celebrated
for his penetration and address in state affairs, than for a
pious disposition of mind. An epistolary correspondence
commenced very early between him and the doctor upon
this subject; the result of which was, that M. d’Allone
gave in his life-time a sum to be applied to the conversion
of negroes, desiring the doctor to accept the management
and disposal of it. But that a standing provision might be
inade for this purpose, M. d'Allone bequeathed by will a
certain sum, viz. 900 pounds, out of his English estate, to
Dr. Bray and his associates, towards erecting a capital fund
or stock, for converting the negroes in the British plantations. This was in the year 1723, much about which
time Dr. Bray had an extremely dangerous fit of illness,
so that his life and recovery were despaired of. In the year
1726, he was employed in composing and printing his
“Directorium Missionarium,
” his “Primordia Bibliothecaria,
” and some other tracts of the like kind. About this
time he also wrote a short account of Mr. Rawlet, the author of “The Christian Monitor;
” and reprinted the Life of
Mr. Gilpin. Some of these were calculated for the use of
the mission; and in one he has endeavoured to shew, that
civilizing the Indians must be the first step in any successful attempt for their conversion. In his “Primordia Bibliothecaria,
” we have several schemes of parochial libraries, and a method laid down to proceed by a gradual progression, from a collection not much exceeding one pound
in value, to one of a hundred. His attention to other good
works occasioned no discontinuance of this design, the success of which was so much the object of his desires; and
accordingly benefactions came in so fast, that he had business enough upon his hands to form the libraries, desired.
As trie furnishing the parochial clergy with the means of instruction, would be an effectual method to promote Christian knowledge, so another expedient, manifestly subservient to the same end, would be, he thought, to imprint on
the minds of those who are designed for the ministry, previously to their admission, a just sense of its various duties,
and their great importance. With a view to this, he reprinted the “Ecclesiastes of Erasmus.
” In the year
rs of Spenser and sir Philip Sidney,” flourished in the reign of queen Elizabeth, but very little is known of his personal history. Sir Egerton Brydges produces very probable
, “a writer,
” says Phillips, “of
pastorals, sonnets, canzons and madrigals, in which kind of
writing he keeps company with several other contemporary emulators of Spenser and sir Philip Sidney,
” flourished in the reign of queen Elizabeth, but very little is
known of his personal history. Sir Egerton Brydges produces very probable evidence that he was of a Staffordshire
family. He was a writer, says Dr. Percy, of some fame in
the above reign, and published an interlude entitled “An
Old Man’s Lesson, and a Young Man’s Love,
” 4to, and
many other little pieces in prose and verse, the titles of
which may be seen in Winstanley, Ames’s Typography,
and Osborn’s Harleian Catalogue. He is mentioned with
great respect by Meres in his second part of Wit’s Commonwealth, 1598, p. 283, and is alluded to in Beaumont and
Fletcher’s Scornful Lady, act 2, and again in Wit without
money, act 3, The ballad of Phillida and Corydon, reprinted by Percy, is a delicious little poem; and if we
may judge from this and other specimens given in our
references, his poetical powers were distinguished by a
simplicity at once easy and elegant.
e restoration of king Charles II. he returned to England, and was presented by that prince (wjio had known him abroad) to the tenth prebend in the church of Durham, vacant
, a learned divine of the seventeenth century, was born in the Isle of Jersey, in the reign
of king James I. and probably educated in grammar-learning in that place. From thence he went and studied logic
and philosophy in the Protestant university of Saumur,
where he took the degree of master of arts, on September
12, 1634. Coming to Oxford, he was, October 12, 1638,
incorporated M. A. as he stood at Saumur. About this
time king Charles I. having through archbishop Laud’s
persuasion founded three fellowships in the colleges of
Pembroke, Exeter, and Jesus, for the islands of Jersey
and Guernsey, alternately, Mr. Brevint was nominated
the first fellow at Jesus-college upon this foundation, in
1638. Here he continued till he was ejected from his fellowship by the parliament- visitors, for refusing to take the
solemn league and covenant, and withdrew to his native
country, but upon the reduction of that place by the parliament’s forces, he fled into France, and became minister
of a Protestant congregation in Normandy. Not long
after, he had the honour of being made chaplain to the
viscount de Turenne, afterwards marshal of France, whose
lady was one of the most pious women of her time. Whilst
he was in that station, he was one of the persons “employed about the great design then in hand, of reconciling
the Protestant and Popish religions; which gave him an access into, and made him acquainted with every corner of that
church,
” as he says himself. At the restoration of king
Charles II. he returned to England, and was presented by
that prince (wjio had known him abroad) to the tenth prebend in the church of Durham, vacant by the promotion of
Dr. J. Cosin to that see, and was installed March 15, 1660-61.
By bishop Cosiu, who had been his fellow-sufferer, he was
also collated to a living in the diocese of Durham. On the
27th of February, 1661-62, he took his degree of D. D. at
Oxford. Having during his exile seen Popery in its native
deformity, and observed all the mean and dishonest arts
that are used to support it, he in 1672 published “Missale Romanum; or, the depth and mystery of the Roman
Mass laid open and explained, for the use of both reformed
and unreformed Christians,
” and the next year, “The
Christian Sacramenc and Sacrifice, by way of discourse,
meditation, and prayer, upon the nature, parts, and blessings of the holy communipn,
” reprinted on the recommendation of Dr. Waterland, in 1739. And in 1674,
“Saul and Samuel at Endor, or the new waies of salvation
and service, which usually tempt men to Rome, and detain them there, truly represented and refuted,
” reprinted
A brief account of R. F.
his Missale Vindicaturo, or vindication of the Roman mass,
”
being an answer to “The depth and mystery of the Roman
Mass,
” above-mentioned. The learning and other eminent
qualifications of the author having recommended him to the
esteem of the world, and to the favour of his sovereign, he
was promoted to the deanery of Lincoln, and was installed
January 3, 1681-82, and had the prebend of WeltonPayns-hall annexed thereto, January 7th following. He
died May 5, 1695, and was buried in the cathedral church
of Lincoln, behind the high altar; where, on a gravestone, is an inscription to his memory. He was a person
of extensive reading, especially in the controversy between
the Protestants and Papists; zealous for the church of
England; and for his life and learning, truly praise-worthy.
Besides the above works, he published in Latin: 1. “Ecclesiae primitives Sacramentum & Sacrificium, a pontificiis
corruptelis, & exinde natis controversiis liberum,
” written at the desire of the princesses of Turenne and Bouillon.
2. “Eucharistiae Christianse prsesentia realis, & pontificia
ficta, luculentissimis non testimoniis modo, sed etiam fundamentis, quibus fere tota S. S. Patrum Theologia nititur,
hsec explosa, ilia suffulta & asserta.
” 3. “Pro Serenissima Principe Weimariensi ad Theses Jenenses accurata
Responsio.
” 4. “Ducentue plus minus Praelectiones in
Matthaei xxv capita, et aliorum Evangelistarum locos
passim parallelos.
” He also translated into Frenck
“The judgment of the university of Oxford concerning
the solemn League and Covenant.
”
account of his son sir Orlando, may be seen in the Biog. Brit. vol. VI. p. 3740. The lord-keeper is known as a law writer, by his “Conveyances, being select precedents
, a lawyer of considerable eminence, was the son of Dr. John Bridgeman, bishop
of Chester, and educated to the profession of the law, in
which, as he disapproved of the usurpation, he made no
figure until the restoration, when on May 13, 1660, he was
called to be a serjeant by the king’s special writ, and on
June 1, was advanced to be lord chief baron of the exchequer, from which, Oct. 22, he was removed to be lord chief
justice of the common pleas. While he presided in this’
court, his reputation was at its height for equity and moderation. In 1667, when the great seal was taken from
lord Clarendon, the king delivered it, August 13, to sir
Orlando, with the title of Keeper. After this, his good
name began to decline: he was timid and irresolute, and
his timidity still increased with his years: nor was his
judgment equal to all the difficulties of his office. His
Jady, a woman of cunning and intrigue, was too apt to interfere in chancery suits; and his sons, who practised under him, did not bear the fairest characters. He was desirous of an union with Scotland, and a comprehepsion
with the dissenters: but was against tolerating the papists.
He is said to have been removed from his office for refusing
to affix the seal to the king’s declaration for liberty of conscience, Nov. 17, 1672. The time of his death we have
not been able to ascertain, but a singular account of his
son sir Orlando, may be seen in the Biog. Brit. vol. VI.
p. 3740. The lord-keeper is known as a law writer, by his
“Conveyances, being select precedents of deeds and instruments concerning the most considerable estates in
England,
”
ve been well versed in the doctrines of the early Greek writers. The work by which he is principally known is his “Treatise of Melancholy,” containing the causes thereof,
, a physician and divine of eminence of the sixteenth century, took his degree of doctor
in medicine at Cambridge, and, as we learn from Wood,
he was made rector of Methley, in Yorkshire, in 1591.
He appears by his writings to have had a good share of
practice, and to have been well versed in the doctrines of
the early Greek writers. The work by which he is principally known is his “Treatise of Melancholy,
” containing the causes thereof, and reasons of the strange effects
it worketh in our minds, with the physical cure, and spiritual consolation for such as have thereto adjoined an
afflicted conscience,“London, 1586, 12mo. He excuses
his writing this treatise, contrary to his usual custom, ia
the English language, from its being a practical work,
and to be read-by persons out of the pale of physic. It
was also done, he observes, by the Greek and Roman
writers. He entertained, however, very lofty ideas of
the dignity of the medical character.
” No one,“he says,.
” sho'uid touch so holy a thing that hath not passed the
whole discipline of liberal sciences, and washed himself
pure and clean in the waters of wisdome and understanding.“The cure of melancholy, in his opinion, depends
on bleeding, by purges and vomits. He had before, viz.
in 1583, published
” De Dyscrasia Corporis Humani,“London, 8vo. He was also author of
” Hygieine, sen de
Sanitate tuenda, Medicinae Pars prirna,“1588, -8vo.
” Therajjeutica, hoc est de Sanitate restituenda, Medicinre pars
altera,“1589,' 8vo, which were reprinted in 1598, in ICto r
and
” An Abridgment of Fox’s Acts and Monuments," 1589,
4to. He died in 1615.
d, as could scarcely, it was thought, be completed by the labour of ages: and, above all, it was not known from what source so large a supply of water could be drawn,
His grace the late duke of Bridgevvater had, at Worsley, about seven miles from Manchester, a large estate, rich with mines of coal, which had hitherto lain useless in the bowels of the earth, because the expence of carriage by ]and was too great to find a market for consumption. The duke, wishing. to work these mines, perceived the necessity of a canal from Worsley to Manchester; upon which occasion, Mr. Brindley, who was now become famous in the country, was consulted. Having surveyed the ground, he declared the scheme to be practicable. In consequence of this, an act was obtained, in 1758 and 1759, for enabling his grace to cut a canal from Worsley to Salford, near Manchester, and to carry the same to or near Hollin Ferry, in the county of Lancaster. It being, however, afterwards discovered, that the navigation would be more beneficial, b*th to the duke of Bridgewater and the public, if carried over the river Irwell, near Barton bridge, to Manchester, his grace applied again to parliament, and procured an act, which enabled him to vary the course of his canal agreeably to this new plan, and likewise to extend a side branch to Longford bridge in Stretford. Mr. Brindley, in the mean time, had begun these great undertakings, being the first of the kind ever attempted, in England, with navigable subterraneous tunnels aird elevated aqueducts. The principle laid down at the commencement of this business reflects much honour on the noble undertaker, as well as upon his engineer. It was resolved that the canal should be perfect in its kind, and that, in order to preserve the level of the water, it should be free from the usual obstructions of locks. But, in accomplishing this end, many difficulties occurred, which were deemed unsurmountable. It was necessary that the canal should be carried over rivers, and many large and deep vallies, where it was evident that such stupendous mounds of earth must be raised, as could scarcely, it was thought, be completed by the labour of ages: and, above all, it was not known from what source so large a supply of water could be drawn, as, even upon this improved plan, would be requisite for the navigation. But Mr. Brindley, with a strength of mind peculiar to himself, and being possessed of the confidence of his great patron, who spared no expence to accomplish his favourite design, conquered all the embarrassments thrown in his way, not only from the nature of the undertaking itself, but by the passions and prejudices of interested individuals: and the admirable machines he contrived, and the methods he took, to facilitate the progress of the work, brought on such a rapid execution of it, that the world began to wonder how it could have been esteemed so difficult. Thus ready are men to find out pretences for lessening the merit of others, and for hiding, if possible, from themselves, the unpleasant idea of their own inferiority.
hilst he was in search of the necessary expedients, he generally retired to his bed; and he has been known to lie there one, two, or three days, till he had attained the
When "any extraordinary difficulty occurred to Mr. Brindley, in the execution of his works, having little or no assistance from books, or the labours of other men, his resources lay within himself. In order, therefore, to be quiet and uninterrupted, whilst he was in search of the necessary expedients, he generally retired to his bed; and he has been known to lie there one, two, or three days, till he had attained the object in view. He then would get up, and execute his design without any drawing or model. Indeed, it never was his custom to make either, unless he was obliged to do it to satisfy his employers. His memory was so remarkable, that he has often declared that he could remember, and execute, all the parts of the most complex machine, provided he had time, in his survey of it, to settle in his mind the several departments, and their relations to each other. His method of calculating the powers of any machine invented by him, was peculiar to himself. He worked the question for some time in his head, and then put down the results in figures. After this, taking it up again in that stage, he worked it farther in his mind, for a certain time, and set down the results as before. In the same way he still proceeded, making use of figures only at stated periods of the question. Yet the ultimate result was generally true, though the road he travelled in search of it was unknown to all but himself;. and, perhaps, it would not have been in his power to have shewn it to another.
. 22, 1665. He wrote several treatises enumerated by Calamy, none of which, we believe, are now much known. He had a son, Robert, who was ejected from the university,
, a non-conformist divine, was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire, in 1600. His father was also a divine of the puritan kind, and master of the school at Ashby. The noted astrologer William Lilly, was at his school in 1613. His mother was sister to bishop Hall. After being educated by his father, he was admitted of Emanuel college, Cambridge, at the age of thirteen and a half. Having resided there three or four years, he attended his uncle Hall, then dean of Worcester, as his amanuensis, to the synod of Dort, and after his return, resumed his studies at Cambridge, and being elected schoJar of the house, resided there until he took his degrees. When ordained he preached first at Preston, near Chelmsford, then at Somerieyton in Suffolk, and lastly was called to Yarmouth, on the election of the township, but his principles being objected to by Dr. Harsnet, bishop of Norwich, he could only preach on the week days at a country village adjoining, whither the people of Yarmouth followed him, until the township applied to the king for his licence for Mr. Brinsley to preach in Yarmouth. This being granted by his majesty, he remained there until the restoration, when he was ejected with his numerous brethren, who refused the terms of conformity. Although a man of moderate sentiments, he appears to have been inflexible in the points which divided so large a tody of clergymen from the church, and is said to have refused considerable preferment to induce him to remain in it. He is praised by his biographer for piety, and extensive learning in theology. He died Jan. 22, 1665. He wrote several treatises enumerated by Calamy, none of which, we believe, are now much known. He had a son, Robert, who was ejected from the university, and afterwards studied and took his degree of M. D. at Leyden, and practised at Yarmouth.
, a very singular personage, known by the name of the Musical Small-coal Man, was born at or near
, a very singular personage, known
by the name of the Musical Small-coal Man, was born at
or near Hignam Ferrers, in Northamptonshire, about the
middle of the seventeenth century, and went from thence
to London, where he bound himself apprentice to a smallcoal man. He served seven years, and returned to Northamptonshire, his master giving him a sum of money not
to set up: but, after this money was spent, he returned again
to London, and set up the trade of small-coal, which he
continued to the end of his life. Some time after he had
been settled in business here, he became acquainted with
Dr. Garaniere, his neighbour, an eminent chemist, who,
admitting him into his laboratory, Tom, with the doctor’s
consent, and his own observation, soon became a notable
chemist; contrived and built himself a moving laboratory,
in which, according to Hearne, “he performed with little
expence and trouble such things as had never been done
before.
” Besides his great skill in chemistry, he became
a practical, and, as was thought, a theoretical musician.
Tradition only informs us that he was very fond of music,
and taat he was able to perform on the viol da gamba at
his own concerts, which he at first established gratis in his
miserable house, which was an old mean building, the
ground-floor of which was a repository for his small-coal;
over this was his concert-room, long, low, and narrow, to
which there was no other ascent than by a pair of stairs on
the outside, so perpendicular and narrow, as scarcely to
be mounted without crawling.
of was frequented by assemblies of the fair and the gay; and his fondness for music caused him to be known by many dilettanti and professors, who formed themselves into
About the commencement of the last century, a passion prevailed among several persons of distinction, of collecting old books and Mss.; and it was their Saturday’s amusement during winter, to ramble through various quarters of the town in pursuit of these treasures. The earls of Oxford, Pembroke, Sunderland, and Winchelsea, and the duke of Devonshire, were of this party, and Mr. Bagford and other collectors assisted them in their researches. Britton appears to have been employed by them; and, as he was a very inodest, decent, and unpresuming man, he was a sharer in their conversation, when they met after their morning’s walk, at a bookseller’s shop in Ave-Maria lane, Britton used to pitch his coal-sack on 'a bulk at the door, and, dressed in his b ue frock, to step in and spend an hour with the company. But it was not only by a few literary lords that his acquaintance was cultivated; his humble roof was frequented by assemblies of the fair and the gay; and his fondness for music caused him to be known by many dilettanti and professors, who formed themselves into aciub at his house, where capital pieces were played by some of the first professional artists, and other practitioners; and here Duboprg, when a child, played, standing upon a joint-stool, the Hrst solo that he ever executed in public.
s manners were naturally mild and conciliating, his knowledge well-founded, and his talents somewhat known as an author, he soon became acquainted with the leading men
On returning home he began practice in Broad-street,
London; and diligence, integrity, and œconomy, soon enabled him to surmount the difficulties which a young physician has to encounter, while his father assisted him with
150l. a year, a liberal allowance at that time. In 1746,
he published “An Essay concerning the mortality of the
horned cattle:
” and in April,
, an English clergyman, was a native of Shropshire, but where educated is not known. In the beginning of king James II.'s reign he was curate of
, an English clergyman, was a native
of Shropshire, but where educated is not known. In the
beginning of king James II.'s reign he was curate of St.
Giles’s in the Fields, London, but afterwards turned Roman catholic, and was employed as a corrector of the press
in the king’s printing-house, which afforded him a comfortable subsistence. When obliged to quit that, after the
revolution, he undertook a boarding-school for the instruction of young gentlemen, some of whom being the sons of
opulent persons, this employment proved very beneficial.
His biographer informs us that Pope, the celebrated poet,
was one of his pupils. He afterwards travelled abroad with
some young gentlemen, as tutor, but retired at last to his
own country, where he died Jan. 10, 1717. He published
only a translation of the “Catechism of the Council of
Trent,
” Lnhd.
on him in a novel published in 1777, entitled the “Excursion,” in 2 vols. 12mo. It is not certainly known whether this rejected tragedy is or is not the same as was afterwards
In 1763 she published a novel, entitled, “The History
of Lady Julia Mandeville,
” concerning the plan of which
there were various opinions, though of the execution there
seems to have been but one. It was read with much
avidity and general approbation. It has been often, however, wished that the catastrophe had been less melancholy; and of the propriety of this opinion the authoress
herself is said to have been satisfied, but did not choose to
make the alteration. In the same year she published
“Letters from Juliet lady Catesby to her friend lady Henrietta Campley,
” translated from the French, 12mo. She
soon afterwards went to Canada with her husband, who
was chaplain to the garrison at Quebec; and there saw
those romantic scenes so admirably painted in her next
work, entitled, “The History of Emily Montagu,
” Memoirs of
the Marquis of St. Forlaix,
” in 4 vols. 12mo. On her return to England accident brought her acquainted with Mrs.
Yates, and an intimacy was formed between them which
lasted as long as that lady lived; and when she died, Mrs.
Brooke did honour to her memory by a eulogium printed
in the Gentleman’s Magazine. If we are not mistaken,
Mrs. Brooke had with Mrs. Yates fora time some share in
the opera-house. She certainly had some share of the
libellous abuse which the management of that theatre during the above period gave birth to. We have already
seen that her first play had been refused by Mr. Garrick.
After the lapse of several years she was willing once -more
to try her fortune at the theatre, and probably relying on
the influence of Mrs. Yates to obtain its representation,
produced a tragedy which had not the good fortune to
please the manager. He therefore rejected it; and by
that means excited the resentment of the authoress so
much that she took a severe revenge on him in a novel
published in 1777, entitled the “Excursion,
” in 2 vols.
12mo. It is not certainly known whether this rejected
tragedy is or is not the same as was afterwards acted at
Covent-garden. If it was, it will furnish no impeachment
of Mr. Garrick’s judgment. It ought, however, <to be
added, that our authoress, as is said, thought her invective too severe; lamented and retracted it. In 1771 she
translated “Elements of the History of England, from
the invasion of the Romans to the reign of George II.
from the abbe Millot,
” in 4 vols. 12mo. In January 1781,
the “Siege of Sinope,
” a tragedy, was acted at Coventgarden. This piece added but little to her reputation,
though the principal characters were well supported by
Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Yates. It went nine nights, but
never became popular; it wanted energy, and had not
much originality; there was little to disapprove, but nothing to admire. Her next and most popular performance
was “Rosina,
” acted at Covent-garden in December Marian,
” acted
he law, and also less injurious to his health.” Why he did not comply with this advice cannot now be known; but, before this time, he appears to have been of a religious
During his residence in Ireland, he kept up a literary
correspondence with his London friends, but all their letters were consumed by an accidental fire. Two from Pope,
we are told, are particularly to be lamented, as in one of
these he professed himself in heart a protestant, but apologized for not publicly conforming, by alleging that it
would render the eve of his mother’s life unhappy. Pope’s
filial affection is the most amiable feature in his character;
but this story of his declining to conform because it would
give uneasiness to his mother, falls to the ground when,
the reader is told that his mother had been dead six: or
seven years before Brooke went to Ireland. In another
letter, he is said, with more appearance of truth, to have
advised Brooke to take orders, “as being a profession
better suited to his principles, his disposition, and his genius, than that of the law, and also less injurious to his
health.
” Why he did not comply with this advice cannot
now be known; but, before this time, he appears to have
been of a religious turn, although it is not easy to reconcile his principles, which were those of the strictest kind,
with his continual ambition to shine as a dramatic writer.
For some years after his arrival in Ireland, little is known of his life, except that lord Chesterfield, when viceroy, conferred
For some years after his arrival in Ireland, little is
known of his life, except that lord Chesterfield, when viceroy, conferred upon him the office of barrack-master. His
pen, however, was not idle. In 1741, he contributed to
Ogle’s version of Chaucer, “Constantia, or the Man of
Law’s Tale;
” and in Earl of Westmoreland
” was performed
on the Dublin stage; but the editor of the Biographia
Dramatica informs us that it was first acted at Dublin in
1741, under the title of the “Betrayer of his Country,
”
and again in Injured Honour.
” Its
fame, however, was confined to Ireland, nor was it known
in England until the publication of his poetical works in
1778. A more important publication was his “Farmer’s
Letters,
” written in
moving to London, he taught school in Fleet-street, and preached there. The time of his death is not known. He published, 1. “Breviate of Lilly’s Latin Grammar, &c.” London,
, born in
1612, the son of George Brooksbank of Halifax, was entered a batler in Brazen-nose college, in Michaelmas term
1632, took a degree in arts, went into orders, and had a
curacy. At length removing to London, he taught school
in Fleet-street, and preached there. The time of his
death is not known. He published, 1. “Breviate of Lilly’s
Latin Grammar, &c.
” London, The welltuned Organ; or an exercitation, wherein this question is
fully and largely discussed, Whether or no instrumental
and organical music be lawful in holy public assemblies?
Affirmatur,
” ibid. Rebels tried and cast,
in three Sermons,
” ibid.
obtained a small exhibition. At his college he lived for some time in the same chamber with the well- known Ford, by whom Dr. Johnson heard him described as a contracted
was born in Cheshire, as is said, of very mean parents. Of the place of his birth, or the first part of his life, we have not been able to gain any intelligence. He was educated upon the foundation at Eton, and was captain of the school a whole year, without any vacancy, by which he might have obtained a scholarship at King’s college. Being by this delay, such as is said to have happened very rarely, superannuated, he was sent to St. John’s college by the contributions of his friends, where he obtained a small exhibition. At his college he lived for some time in the same chamber with the well-known Ford, by whom Dr. Johnson heard him described as a contracted scholar and a mere versifier, unacquainted with life, and unskilful in conversation. His addiction to metre was then such, that his companions familiarly called him Poet. When he had opportunities of mingling with mankind, he cleared himself, as Ford likewise owned, from great part of his scholastic rust.
nto prose, in conjunction with Ozell and Oldisworth. How their several parts were distributed is not known. This is the translation of which Ozell boasted as superior,
He appeared early in the world as a translator of the
Iliads into prose, in conjunction with Ozell and Oldisworth. How their several parts were distributed is not
known. This is the translation of which Ozell boasted as
superior, in Toland’s opinion, to that of Pope: it has long
since vanished, and is now in no danger from the critics.
He was introduced to Mr. Pope, who was then visiting sir
John Cotton at Madingley, near Cambridge, and gained
so much of his esteem, that he was employed to make extracts from Eustathius for the notes to the translation of
the Iliad; and in the volumes of poetry published by
Lintot, commonly called Pope’s Miscellanies, many of his
early pieces were inserted. Pope and Broome were to be
yet more closely connected. When the success of the
Iliad gave encouragement to a version of the Odyssey,
Pope, weary of the toil, called Fenton and Broome to his
assistance; and, taking only half the work upon himself,
divided the other half between his partners, giving four
books to Fenton, and eight to Broome. Fenton’s books
are enumerated in Dr. Johnson’s Life of him. To the lot
of Brooine fell the 2d, 6th, 8th, llth, 12th, 16th, 18th,
and 23d; together with the burthen of writing all the
notes. The price at which Pope purchased this assistance was three hundred pounds paid to Fenton, and five
hundred to Broome, with as many copies as he wanted for
his friends, which amounted to one hundred more. The
payment made to Fenton is known only by hearsay;
Broome’s is very distinctly told by Pope, in the notes to
the Dunciad. It is evident that, according to Pope’s own
estimate, Broome was unkindly treated. If four books
could merit three hundred pounds, eight, and all the
notes, equivalent at least to four, had certainly a right to
more than six. Broome probably considered himself as
injured, and there was for some time more than coldness
between him and his employer. He always spoke of Pope
as too much a lover of money, and Pope pursued him with
avowed hostility, for he not only named him disrespectfully
in the “Dunciad,
” but quoted him more than once in the
Bathos, as a proficient in the Art of Sinking; and in his
enumeration of the different kinds of poets distinguished
for the profound, he reckons Broome among “the parrots
who repeat another’s words in such a hoarse odd tone as
makes them seem their own.
” It has been said that they
were afterwards reconciled; but we are afraid their peace
was without friendship. He afterwards published a Miscellany of poems, and never rose to very high dignity in
the church. He was some time rector of Sturston in Suffolk, where he married a wealthy widow; and afterwards,
when the king visited Cambridge, 1728, became LL, D.
He was, 1733, presented by the crown to the rectory of
Pulham in Norfolk, which he held with Oakley Magna
in Suffolk, given him by the lord Cornwallis, to whom he
was chaplain, and who added the vicarage of Eye in Suffolk; he then resigned Pulham, and retained the other
two. Towards the close of his life he grew again poetical,
and amused himself with translating odes of Anacreon,
which he published in the Gentleman’s Magazine, under
the name of Chester. He died at Bath, Nov. 16, 1745,
and was buried in the abbey church.
, better known under the name of Farinello, was born the 24th of January, 1705,
, better known under the name of
Farinello, was born the 24th of January, 1705, at Andria,
in the kingdom of Naples, of a family noble, though poor.
From the patent of his knighthood of the order of Calatrava, it appears that he was indebted for the lasting agreeableness of his voice, not to a voluntary mutilation from
the thirst of gain, but that he was obliged to undergo the
cruel operation on account of a dangerous hurt he received
in his youth, by a fall from a horse. He owed the first
rudiments of the singing art to his father Salvatore Brosco,
and his farther formation to the famous Porpora. At, that
time there flourished at Naples three wealthy brothers of
the name of Farina, whose family is now extinct. These
persons vouchsafed him their distinguished patronage, and
bestowed on him the name of Farinello. For some time
his fame was confined to the convivial concerts of his patrons, till it happened that the count of Schrautenbach,
nephew of the then viceroy, came to Naples. To celebrate his arrival, -the viceroy and his familiar friend Antonio Caracciolo, prince della Torella, caused the opera
of “Angelica and Medoro
” to be represented, in which
Metastasio and Farinello plucked the first laurels of their
immortal fame.
for the court of Spain, whither he was invited through the solicitations of queen Elizabeth, vho had known his excellence at Parma. Her design was, by the ravishing notes
In the year 1737, when he had reached the summit of
fame, he appeared for the last time on the stage at London;
from whence he departed for the court of Spain, whither
he was invited through the solicitations of queen Elizabeth,
vho had known his excellence at Parma. Her design was,
by the ravishing notes of this great master, to wean her
spouse king Philip V. from his passion for the chace, to
which his strength was no longer adequate. On his way
to Madrid, he had the honour to give a specimen of his
talents before the French king at Paris; and we are told
by Riccoboni, that all the audience were so astonished at
hearing him, that the French, who otherwise detested the
Italian music, began from that time to waver in their notions. He had scarcely set his foot in Madrid, but the
king hastened to hear him; and was so much taken with
the agreeableness of his song, that he immediately settled
on him, by a royal edict, a salary equal to what he had
received in England, together with an exemption from all
public taxes, as a person destined to his familiar converse;
and granted him, besides, the court equipages and livery,
free of all expence. He could not pass a day without him;
not only on account of his vocal abilities, but more on account of the agreeable talents he possessed for conversation. He spoke French and Italian elegantly, had some
knowledge of the English and German, and in a short time
learnt the Castilian. By his courtesy and discretion he
gained the affection of every one. In his converse he was
sincere to an uncommon degree, even towards the royal
personages who honoured him with their intimacy; and it
was jchiefly this that induced the monarch to set so high
a value on him. His first words, when he waked in the
morning, were regularly these: “Let Farinello be told
that I expect him this evening at the usual hour.
” Towards midnight Farinello appeared, and was -never dismissed till break of day, when he betook himself to rest,
in the apartments assigned him in the palace, though he
had likewise a house in the city. To the king he never
sung more than two or three pieces; and, what will seem
almost incredible, they were every evening the same.
Excepting when the king was to go to the holy sacrament
on the following day, Farinello was never at liberty to get
a whole night’s sleep.
iendship, at the same time with Caesar and Pompey.” The enmity between Rousseau and Voltaire is well known.
, of France, was born at Lyons
in 1671. He was at first a Jesuit, but afterwards an advocate, a member of the academy of Lyons, and librarian
of the public library there. In 1716, he published the
works of Boileau, in 2 vols. 4to, with historical illustrations: and, after that, the works of Regnier. He reformed the text of both these authors from the errors of
the preceding editions, and seasoned his notes with many
useful and curious anecdotes of men and things. His only
fault, the fault of almost all commentators, is, that he did
not use the collections he had made with sufficient sobriety
and judgment; and has inserted many things, no ways necessary to illustrate his authors, and some that are even
frivolous. He wrote also “L'Histoire abrege*e de la ville
de Lyon,
” with elegance and precision, resembled Atticus. who kept terms, and
even cultivated friendship, at the same time with Caesar
and Pompey.
” The enmity between Rousseau and Voltaire is well known.
that nobleman’s chaplains. Soon after, he was chosen reader to the Temple, by which means he became known to bishop Sherlock, then master of it, who conceived so high
, a learned divine, and one of the original writers of the Biographia Britannica, was born at London, July 5, 1704, in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn; of which parish his father was minister. At an early age he was sent to Eton-school, where he soon distinguished himself by the acuteness of his genius and the studiousness of his disposition. Being superannuated on this foundation, he removed, about 1722, to the university of Cambridge; and, for the sake of a scholarship, entered himself of Gonville and Caius college. Here two of the principal objects of his attention were, the acquisition of the knowledge of the modern languages, and the study of the mathematics under the famous professor Sanderson. May 28, 1727, Mr. Broughton, after taking the degree of B. A. was admitted to deacon’s orders. In the succeeding year, Sept. 22, he was ordained priest, and proceeded to the degree of M. A. At this time he removed from the university to the curacy of Offley in Hertfordshire. In 1739, he was instituted to the rectory of Stepington, otherwise Stibmgton, in the county of Huntingdon, on the presentation of John duke of Bedford, and was appointed one of that nobleman’s chaplains. Soon after, he was chosen reader to the Temple, by which means he became known to bishop Sherlock, then master of it, who conceived so high an opinion of our author’s merit, that, in 1744, this eminent prelate presented Mr. Broughton to the valuable vicarage of Bedminster, near Bristol, together with the chapels of St. Mary Redcliff, St. Thomas, and Abbot’s Leigh, annexed. Some short time after, he was collated, by the same patron, to the prebend of Bedminster and Redcliff, in the cathedral of Salisbury. Upon receiving this preferment, he removed from London to Bristol, where he married the daughter of Thomas Harris, clerk of that city, by whom he had seven children, six of whom survived him. He resided on his living till his death, which happened Dec. 21, 1774, in the 71st year of his age. He was interred in the church of St. Mary RedclifF.
cape a second time, and went to Amsterdam, where he had the happiness to find that his name was well known, and that his works bore a great price. A picture dealer with
, a celebrated painter, according to some, was born at Oudenarde, in Flanders, or according to others, at Haerlem, in Holland, in 1608. His parents were of the poorer sort. His mother sold to the country people bonnets and handkerchiefs, on which Adrian, when almost in infancy, used to paint flowers and birds, and while thus employed, was discovered by Francis Hals, an eminent artist, who, charmed with the ease and taste he displayed in his art, proposed to take him as an apprentice, and Brouwer did not long hesitate about accepting such an dffer. His master soon discovered his superior talents, and separated him from his companions, that he might profit the better by him, locked him up in a garret, and compelled him to work, while he nearly starved him, but some pieces he painted by stealth, which probably irritated his jailor to be more watchful of him. By the advice, however, of Adrian Van Ostade, one of his companions, he contrived to make his escape, and took refuge in a church. There, almost naked, and not knowing where to go, he was recognised by some person, who brought him back to his master, and by means of a suit of clothes and some caresses, effected a temporary reconciliation; but being again subjected to the same mercenary and tyrannical usage, he made his escape a second time, and went to Amsterdam, where he had the happiness to find that his name was well known, and that his works bore a great price. A picture dealer with whom he lodged, gave him an hundred ducatoons for a painting representing gamesters, admirably executed, which Brouwer, who had never possessed so much money, spent in a tavern in the course of ten days. He then returned to his employer, and when asked what he had done with his money, answered that he had got rid of it, that he might be more at leisure; and this unfortunate propensity to alternate work and extravagance marked the whole of his future life, and involved him in many ridiculous adventures and embarrassments unworthy of a man of genius. As soon as ‘he had finished any piece, he offered it for sale; and if it did not produce a stipulated price, he burnt it, and began another with greater care. Possessing a vein of low humour, and engaging, both sober and drunk, in many droll adventures, he removed from Amsterdam to Antwerp, where he was arrested as a spy, and committed to prison. This circumstance introduced him to an acquaintance with the duke d’Aremberg, who, having observed his genius, by some slight sketches drawn with black lead while in custody, requested Rubens to furnish him with materials for painting. Brouwer chose for his subject a groupe of soldiers playing at cards in a corner of the prison; and when the picture was finished, the duke himself was astonished, and Rubens, when he saw it, offered for it the sum of 600 guilders. The duke, however, retained it, and gave the painter a much larger sum. Upon this, Rubens procured his release, and received him into his house; but, uninfluenced by gratitude to his benefactor, he stole away, and returned to the scenes of low debauch, to which he had been formerly accustomed. Being reduced to the necessity of flying from justice, he took refuge in France; and, having wandered through several towns, he was at length constrained by indigence to return to Antwerp, where he was taken ill, and obliged to seek relief in an hospital; and in this asylum of self-procured poverty and distress he died in his 32d year. Rubens lamented his death, and procured for him an honourable interment in the church of the Carmelites.
ntinued near four years. During this time, he travelled in state to the camp of Nadir Shah, commonly known by the name of Kouli Khan, with a letter which had been transmitted
, an English traveller and scholar, the
son of James Brown, M. D. (who died Nov. 24, 1733), was
born at Kelso, in the shire or Roxburgh, in Scotland, May
23, 1709, and was educated under Dr. Freind at Westminster school, where he made great proficiency in the Latin
and Greek classics. In the latter end of 1722, he went
with his father to Constantinople, and having a great aptitude for the learning of languages, acquired a competent
knowledge of the Turkish, vulgar Greek, and Italian; and
on his return home in 1725, made himself master of the
Spanish tongue. About the year 1732, he first started the
idea of a very useful book in the mercantile world, although
not deserving a place in any literary class, “The Directory,
”
or list of principal traders in London; and having taken
some pains to lay the foundation of it, he gave it to the
late Mr. Henry Kent, printer in Finch-lane, Cornhill, who
continued it from year to year, and acquired an estate by it.
In 1741, Mr. Brown entered into an agreement with
twenty-four of the principal merchants of London, members of the Russia Company, as their chief agent or factor,
for the purpose of carrying on a trade, through Russia, to
and from Persia, and he sailed for Riga Sept. 29. Thence
he passed through Russia, down the Volga to Astracan, and
sailed along the Caspian sea to Reshd in Persia, where he
established a factory, in which he continued near four years.
During this time, he travelled in state to the camp of
Nadir Shah, commonly known by the name of Kouli Khan,
with a letter which had been transmitted to him from the
late George II. to that monarch. While he resided in this
country, he applied himself much to the study of that language, and made such proficiency in it that, after his return home, he compiled a very copious “Persian Dictionary and Grammar,
” with many curious specimens of
their writing, which is yet in manuscript. But not being
satisfied with the conduct of some of the merchants in London, and being sensible of the dangers that the factory was
constantly exposed to from the unsettled and tyrannical
nature of the government of Persia, he resigned his charge
to the gentlemen who were appointed to succeed him, returned to London Dec. 25, 1746, and lived to be the last
survivor of all the persons concerned in the establishment
of that trade, having outlived his old friend Mr. Jonas
Hanway above two years. In May 1787, he was visited
with a slight paralytic stroke, all the alarming effects of
which very speedily vanished, and he retained his wonted
health and chearfulness till within four 1 days of his death;
when a second and more severe stroke proved fatal Nov.
30, 1788. He died at his house at Stoke Newington,
where he had been an inhabitant since 1734, and was succeeded by his worthy son James Brown, esq. F. S. A. now
of St. Alban’s. Mr. Lysons informs us that the elder Mr.
Brown published also a translation of two “Orations of
Isocrates
” without his name. He was a man of the strictest
integrity, unaffected, piety, and exalted, but unostentatious benevolence; of an even, placid, chearful temper,
which he maintained to the last, and which contributed to
lengthen his days. Few men were ever more generally
esteemed in life, or more respectfully spoken of after death
by all who knew him.
Mr. Brown was not only known as an exquisite drafts.man, he was also a good philosopher,
Mr. Brown was not only known as an exquisite drafts.man, he was also a good philosopher, a sound scholar, and
endowed with a just and refined taste in all the liberal and
polite arts, and a man of consummate worth and integrity.
Soon after his death his “Letters on the Poetry and Music
of the Italian Opera,
” 12mo, were published. They were
originally written to his friend lord Monboddo, who wished
to have Mr. Brown’s opinion on those subjects, which have
so intimate a connection with his work on the Origin and
Progress of Language; and who was so pleased with the
style and observations contained in them, that he wrote
an introduction, which was published with them, in one
volume, 12mo, 1789, for the benefit of his widow. The
letters, written with great elegance and perspicuity, are
certainly the production of a strong and fervid mind, acquainted with the subject; and must be useful to most of
the frequenters of the Italian opera, by enabling them to
understand the reasons on which the pleasure they receive
at that musical performance is founded, a knowledge in
which they are generally very deficient. Not being written
for publication, they have that spirit and simplicity which
every man of genius diffuses through any subject which he
communicates in confidence, and which he is but too apt
to refine away when he sits down to compose a work for
the public. Lord Monboddo, in the fourth volume of the
Origin and Progress of Language, speaking of Mr. Brown,
says, “The account that I have given of the Italian language is taken from one who resided above ten years in
Italy; and who, besides understanding the language perfectly, is more learned in the Italian arts of painting,
sculpture, music, and poetry, than any man I ever met
with. His natural good taste he has improved by the study
of the monuments of ancient art, to be seen at Rome and
Florence; and as beauty in all the arts is pretty much the
same, consisting of grandeur and simplicity, variety, decorum, and a suitableness to the subject, I think he is a
good judge of language, and of writing, as well as of
painting, sculpture, and music.
” A very well-written character in Latin, by an advocate of Edinburgh, is appended
to the Letters. Mr. Brown left behind him several very
highly-finished portraits in pencil, and many very exquisite sketches in pencil and in pen and ink, which he had
taken of persons and of places in Italy; particularly a book
of studies of heads, taken from the life, an inestimable
treasure to any history painter, as a common-place book
for his pictures, the heads it contained being all of them
Italian ones, of great expression, or of high character.
He was so enraptured with his art, and so assiduous in the
pursuit of it, that he suffered no countenance of beauty,
grace, dignity, or expression, to pass him unnoticed; and
to be enabled to possess merely a sketch for himself, of
any subject that struck his fancy, he would make a present
of a high-finished drawing to the person who permitted his
head to be taken by him. The characteristics of his hancl
were delicacy, correctness, and taste, as the drawings he
made from many of Mr. Townley’s best statues very plainly
evince. Of his mind, the leading features were acuteness,
liberality, and sensibility, joined to a character firm, vigorous, and energetic. The last efforts of this ingenious
artist were employed in making two very exquisite drawings, the one from Mr. Townley’s celebrated bust of Homer, the other from a fine original bust of Pope, supposed
to have been the work of Rysbrac. From these drawings
two very beautiful engravings have been made by Mr. Bartolozzi and his pupil Mr. Bovi. After some stay in London, his health, which had never been robust, yielded to
extraordinary application, and he was forced to try a seavoyage, and return on a visit to Edinburgh, to settle his
father’s affairs, who was then dead, having been some time
before in a state of imbecility. On the passage from
London to Leith, he was somehow neglected as he lay
sick on his hammock, and was on the point of death
when he arrived at Leith. With much difficulty he was
brought up to Edinburgh, and laid in the bed of his friend
Runciman, the artist, who had died not long before in the
same place. Here he died, Sept. 5, 1787. His portrait
with Runciman, disputing about a passage in Shakspeare’s
Tempest, is in the gallery at Dryburgh abbey. This was
the joint production of Brown and Runciman before the
death of the latter in 1784.
s, 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
, 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.
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
, 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.
in 1544, namely, St. Michael’s, St. John’s, and St. Michan’s, from which time it has generally been known by the name of Christ-church. King Edward VI. having caused
, the first bishop that embraced
and promoted the Reformation in Ireland, was originally
an Austin friar of London. He received his academical
education in the house of his order, near Halywell, in
Oxford, and becoming eminent for his learning and other
good qualities, was made provincial of the Austin monks
in England. In 1523 he supplicated the university for the
degree of B. D. but it does not appear that he was then
admitted. He took afterwards the degree of D. D. in some
university beyond sea, and was incorporated in the same
degree at Oxford, in 1534, and soon after at Cambridge.
Before that time, having read some of Luther’s writings,
he took a liking to his doctrine; and, among other things,
was wont to inculcate into the people, “That they should
make their applications solely to Christ, and not to the
Virgin Mary, or the saints.
” King Henry VIII. being informed of this, took him into his favour, and promoted
him to the archbishopric of Dublin, to which he was consecrated March 19, 1534-5, by Cranmer, archbishop of
Canterbury, assisted by the bishops of Rochester and Salisbury. A few months after his arrival in Ireland, the
lord privy-seal, Cromwell, signified to him that his majesty having renounced the Papal supremacy in England,
it was his highness’ s pleasure that his subjects of Ireland
should obey his commands in that respect as in England,
and nominated him one of the commissioners for the execution thereof. On November 28, 1535, he acquainted
the lord Cromwell with his success; telling him that he
had “endeavoured, almost to the danger and hazard of
his life, to procure the nobility and gentry of the Irish
nation to due obedience, in owning the king their supreme
head, as-well spiritual as temporal.
” In the parliament
which met at Dublin, May l, 1536, he was very instrumental in having the Act for the king’s supremacy over
the church of Ireland passed; but he met with many obstacles in the execution of it; and the court of Rome used
every effort to prevent any alterations in Ireland with regard
to religious matters; for this purpose the pope sent over a
bull of excommunication against all such as had ownedj or
should own, the king’s supremacy within that kingdom, and
the form of an oath of obedience to be taken to his holiness,
at confessions. Endeavours were even used to raise a rebellion there; for one Thady é Birne, a Franciscan friar,
being seized by archbishop Browne’s order, letters were
found about him, from the pope and cardinals to O'Neal;
in which, after commending his own and his father’s faithfulness to the church of Rome, he was exhorted “for the
glory of the mother church, the honour of St. Peter, and
his own security, to suppress heresie, and his holiness’s
enemies.
” And the council of cardinals thought fit to encourage his country, as a sacred island, being certain
while mother church had a son of worth as himself, and
those that should succour him and join therein, she would
never fall, but have more or less a holding in Britain in
spite of fate. In pursuance of this letter, O'Neal began
to declare himself the champion of Popery; and having
entered into a confederacy with others, they jointly invaded the Pale, and committed several ravages, but were
soon after quelled. About the time that king Henry VIII.
began to suppress the monasteries in England and Ireland,
archbishop Browne completed his design of removing all
superstitious reliques and images out of the two cathedrals
of St. Patrick’s and the Holy Trinity, in Dublin, and out
of the rest of the churches within his diocese, and in their
room placed the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten
Commandments in gold letters. And in 1541, the king
having converted the priory of the Holy Trinity into a
cathedral church, consisting of a dean and chapter, our
archbishop founded three prebends in the same in 1544,
namely, St. Michael’s, St. John’s, and St. Michan’s, from
which time it has generally been known by the name of
Christ-church. King Edward VI. having caused the Liturgy to be published in English, sent an order to sir Anthony St. Leger, governor of Ireland, dated February 6,
1550-1, to notify to all the clergy of that kingdom, that
they should use this book in all their churches, and the
Bible in the vulgar tongue. When sir Anthony imparted
this order to the clergy (on the 1st of March), it was vehemently opposed by the Popish party, especially by
George Dowdall, primate of Armagh, but archbishop
Browne received it with the utmost satisfaction; and on
Easter-day following the Liturgy was read, for the first time
within Ireland, in Christ -church, Dublin, in presence of the
mayor and bailiffs of that city, the lord deputy St. Leger,
archbishop Browne, &c. On this occasion the archbishop
preached a sermon against keeping the Scriptures in the
Latin tongue, and the worship of images, which is printed
at the end of his life, and is the only part of his writings
extant, except the letters mentioned above . But Dowdall, in consequence of his violent and unseasonable opposition to the king’s order, was deprived of the title of
primate of all Ireland, which, by letters patent bearing
date the 20th of October, 1551, was conferred on archbishop Browne, and his successors in the see of Dublin
for ever. However, he did not long enjoy this dignity,
for he was deprived both of it and his archbishopric in
1*554, the first of queen Mary I. under pretence that he
was married, but in truth because he had zealously promoted the Reformation; and archbishop Dowdall, who had
lived in exile during part of the reign of king Edward VI.
recovered the title of primate, and also the archbishopric
of Armagh, which had been given to Hugh Goodacre.
While archbishop Browne enjoyed the see of Dublin, the
cathedral of St. Patrick’s was suppressed for about the
space of eight years; but queen Mary restored it to its
ancient dignity, towards the end of the year 1554. The
exact time of archbishop Browne’s death is not recorded;
only we are told that he died about the year 1556. He
was a man, says Usher, of a cheerful countenance; meek
and peaceable: in his acts and deeds plain and downright;
of good parts, and very stirring in what he judged to be
for the interest of religion, or the service of his king; merciful and compassionate to the poor and miserable; and
adorned with every good and valuable qualification.
ity,“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
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.
ain 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
, 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.
otii;” this he printed at the Hague, 1646, 8vo, under the name of Simplicius Virinus, and it was not known to be his until after his death, when the discovery was made
, a clergyman of the church of
England in the seventeenth century, was born in the
county of Middlesex in 1604, was elected student of Christ
church in 1620, and took the degrees in arts, that of master being completed in 1627. In 1636, he served the office of proctor, and the year after was made domestic
chaplain to archbishop Laud, and bachelor of divinity.
Soon after he became rector of St. Mary, Aldermary,
London, canon of Windsor in 1639, and rector of Oddington
in Oxfordshire. On the breaking out of the rebellion, he
was ejected from his church in London by the ruling party,
and retired to his majesty, to whom he was chaplain,
at Oxford, and in 1642 was created D. D. having then
only the profits of Oddington to maintain him. He appears afterwards to have been stripped even of this, and
went to the continent, where he was for some time chaplain to Mary, princess of Orange. After the restoration,
he was admitted again to his former preferments, but does
not appear to have had any other reward for his losses and
sufferings. He died at Windsor Dec. 6, 1673, and was
buried on the outside of St. George’s chapel, where Dr.
Isaac Vossius, his executor, erected a monument to his
memory, with an inscription celebrating his learning, eloquence, critical talents, and knowledge of antiquities.
Besides a sermon preached before the university in 1633,
he published, “A Key to the King’s Cabinet; or animadversions upon the three printed speeches of Mr. L'isle,
Mr. Tate, and Mr. Browne, members of the house of
commons, spoken at a common hall in London, July 1645,
detecting the malice and falsehood of their blasphemous observations upon the king and queen’s letters,
” Oxford,
De posthumo
Grotii;
” this he printed at the Hague, Dissertatio de Therapeutis
Philonis adversus Henricum Valesium,
” Loud. Tomus alter et idem; or the
History of the life and reign of that famous princess Elizabeth, &c.
” London, Concio ad Clerum,
” delivered for his divinity
bachelor’s degree in the revenues of
the clergy,
” which even at that period were threatened.
Jan. 31, 1626-27, being the first person of eminence graduated from Broadgate-hall, when endowed and known as Pembroke-college. After taking his master’s degree, he turned
, an eminent physician and
antiquary, was born in London, in the parish of St.
Michael, Cheapside, Oct. 19, 1605. His father was a
merchant, of an ancient family at Upton in Cheshire. He lost
his father very early, and was defrauded by one of his
guardians, by whom, however, or by his mother, who soon
after his father’s death married sir Thomas Dutton, he was
placed at Winchester school. In 1623 he was removed
from Winchester to Oxford, and entered a gentlemancommoner of Broadgate-hall. Here he was admitted to his
bachelor’s degree, Jan. 31, 1626-27, being the first person
of eminence graduated from Broadgate-hall, when endowed and known as Pembroke-college. After taking his
master’s degree, he turned his studies to physic, and practised it for some time in Oxfordshire, but soon afterwards,
either induced by curiosity, or invited by promises, he
quitted his settlement, and accompanied his father-in-law,
who had some employment in Ireland, in a visitation of
the forts and castles, which the state of Ireland then made
necessary. From Ireland he passed into France and Italy;
made some stay at Montpelier and Padua, which were then
the celebrated schools of physic; and, returning home
through Holland, procured himself to be created M. D. at
Leyden, but when he began these travels, or when he
concluded them, there is no certain account. It is, however, supposed that he returned to London in 1634, and
that the following year he wrote his celebrated treatise,
the “Religio Medici,
” which he declares himself never
to have intended for the press, having composed it only
for his own exercise and entertainment. He had, however, communicated it to his friends, and by some means
a copy was given to a printer in 1642, and was no sooner
published than it excited the attention of the public by
the novelty of paradoxes, the dignity of sentiment, the
quick succession of images, the multitude of abstruse allusions, the subtlety of disquisition, and the strength of
language.
uch a manner, according to Wood, that he was enabled to purchase an estate. Little more, however, is known of his history, nor is the exact time of his death ascertained.
After leaving the university with, lord Caernarvon, hefound a liberal patron in William earl of Pembroke, of
whom likewise we have a most elaborate character in Clarendon, some part of which reflects honour on our poet.“He was a great lover of his country, and of the religion
and justice, which he believed could only support it: and
his friendships were only it ith men of those principles. And
as his conversation was most with men of the most pregnant
parts and understanding; so towards any such, who needed
support, or encouragement, though unknown, if fairly recommended to him, he was very liberal.
” This nobleman,
who had a respect for Browne probably founded on the
circumstances intimated in the above character, took him
into his family, and employed him in such a manner, according to Wood, that he was enabled to purchase an estate. Little more, however, is known of his history, nor
is the exact time of his death ascertained. Wood finds
that one of both his names, of Ottery St. Mary in Devonshire, died in the winter of 1645, but knows not whether
this be the same. He hints at his person in these words,
“as he had a little body, so a great mind;
” a high character from this biographer who had no indulgence for poetical failings.
ery high obligation on posterity. Collections of poetry are of very ancient date, but very little is known with certainty of the lives of English poets, and that little,
Prince informs us, that “as he had honoured his country
with his sweet and elegant Pastorals, 90 it was expected, and
he also entreated, a little farther to grace it by his drawing
out the line of his poetic ancestors, beginning in Joseph
Iscanus, and ending in himself: a noble design, if it
had been effected.
” Josephus Iscanus was Joseph of
Exeter, who flourished in the thirteenth century, and
wrote two epic poems in Latin heroics. Had Browne
begun much later, he would have conferred a very high
obligation on posterity. Collections of poetry are of very
ancient date, but very little is known with certainty of the
lives of English poets, and that little, must now be recovered with great difficulty.
We shall subjoin a well- known epigram by sir William Browne, which the critics have pronounced
We shall subjoin a well-known epigram by sir William Browne, which the critics have pronounced to be a good one:
life, and of that unsuspected integrity, that he was a complete pattern to all. Dr. Gauden, who had known him above thirty years, declares that he never heard of any
, bishop of
Exeter, was born at Ipswich in Suffolk, in 1592. His father, who was a merchant of that place, dying when he
was but a few weeks old, his mother took due care of his
education, in which he made a very considerable progress.
At the age of fourteen, he was sent to Pembroke-hall in
Cambridge, of which he successively became scholar and
fellow; and there he distinguished himself by his facetious
and inoffensive wit, his eloquence, and his great skill and
knowledge in philosophy, history, poetry, &c. He took
his master’s degree in 1617, B. D. in 1621, and D. D. in
1626. He was appointed prevaricator when James I.
visited the university, and discharged that employment to
the universal aUmiration of the whole audience. His first
preferments were, the rectory of Barley in Hertfordshire,
and a prebend of Ely in 1621, to both which he was collated by Dr. Nicholas Felton, bishop of Ely. July 15, 1628,
he was incorporated doctor of divinity at Oxford. On the
2 1st of September, 16-29, he was collated to the prebend
of Tachbrook, in the cathedral church of Lichfield, which
he quitted September 19, 1631, when he was admitted to
the archdeaconry of Coventry. He was likewise master of
Catherine-hall in Cambridge, and proved a great benefit
and ornament both to that college and the whole university. In 1637, 1638, 1643, and 1644, he executed the
office of vice-chancellor, to the universal satisfaction of all
people, and to his own great credit. In 1641, he was
presented to the eleventh stall or prebend in the church of
Durham, by Dr. Thomas Morton, bishop of that diocese,
to whom he was chaplain. Upon the translation of Dr.
Joseph Hall to the bishopric of Norwich, Dr. Brown rig was
nominated to succeed him in the see of Exeter, in 1641.
Accordingly he was elected March 3 1, 1642; confirmed
May 14; consecrated the day following; and installed the
1st of June. But the troubles that soon after followed,
did not permit him long to enjoy that dignity. Before the
beginning of them, he was much esteemed, and highly
commended, by his relation John Pym, and others of the
presbyterian stamp: but they forsook him, only because
he was a bishop; and suffered him to be deprived of his
revenues, so that he was almost reduced to want. Nay,
once he was assaulted, and like to have been stoned by the
rabble, his episcopal character being his only crime. About
1645, he was deprived of his mastership of Catherine-hall>
on account of a sermon preached by him before the university, on the king’s inauguration, at some passages of
which, offence was taken by the parliament party; and
neither his piety, gravity, or learning, were sufficient to
preserve him in his station. Being thus robbed of all, he
retired to the house of Thomas Rich, of Sunning, esq. in
Berkshire, by whom he was generously entertained: and
there, and sometimes at London, at Highgate, and St.
Edmundsbury, spent several years. During this time, he
had the courage to advise Oliver Cromwell to restore king
Charles II. to his just rights, but yet he suffered in his
reputation, as not being zealous enough for the church.
About a year before his decease, he was invited to be a
preacher at the Temple, in London, with a handsome allowance; and accordingly he went and settled there, in
good lodgings furnished for him. But his old distemper,
the stone, coming upon him with greater violence than
usual, and being attended with the dropsy and the infirmities of age, they all together put an end to his life, on
the 7th of December, 1659: he was buried the 17th following in the Temple church, where there is an epitaph
over him. He was once married, but never had a child.
Though he was very elaborate and exact in his compositions, and completely wrote his sermons, yet he could not
be persuaded to print any thing in his life-time. Bishop
Brownrig, as to his person, was tall and comely. The
majesty of his presence was so allayed with meekness, candour, and humility, that no man was farther from any
thing morose or supercilious. He had a great deal of wit,
as well as wisdom; and was an excellent scholar, an admirable orator, an acute disputant, a pathetic preacher,
and a prudent governor, full of judgment, courage, constancy, and impartiality. He was, likewise, a person of
that soundness of judgment, of that conspicuity for an unspotted life, and of that unsuspected integrity, that he was
a complete pattern to all. Dr. Gauden, who had known
him above thirty years, declares that he never heard of any
thinor said or done by him, which a wise and good man
would have wished unsaid or undone. Some other parts
of Dr. Gauden’s character of him may be supposed to proceed from the, warmth of friendship. Echard says of him,
that “he was a great man for the Anti-Arminian cause (for he was a rigid Calvinist), yet a mighty champion for the
liturgy and ordination by bishops: and his death was highly
lamented by men of all parties.' 7 Baxter, Neal, and other
writers of the nonconformist party, are no less warm in his
praises. He was one of those excellent men with whom
archbishop Tillotson cultivated an acquaintance at his first
coming to London, and by whose preaching and example
he formed himself. After his death some of his sermons
were published, under the title
” Forty Sermons, &c."
1662, fol. and reprinted with the addition of twenty-five,
making a second volume, 1674, fol. His style is rather
better than that of many of his contemporaries.
nto 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
, 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.
booksellers, and employed their presses in printing the greater part of his works, of which the most known and the most in request, is the, whole Bible translated into
, a laborious Italian writer, was
born at Florence towards the conclusion of the fifteenth
century. Having meddled in 1522 in the plot formed by
some Florentine citizens against cardinal Julius de Medicis,
afterwards pope Ciement VII. he was obliged to expatriate
himself, and withdrew into France. The Medici being
driven out of Florence in 1527, this revolution brought
him back to his country, where the liberty with which he
chose to speak against the monks and priests, raised a
suspicion of his being attached to the opinions of Luther.
He was put into prison, and would not have escaped an
ignominious death but for the kind offices of his friends;
who procured a mitigation of his punishment to an exile of
two years. He then retired to Venice with his brothers,
who were printers and booksellers, and employed their
presses in printing the greater part of his works, of which
the most known and the most in request, is the, whole Bible
translated into Italian, with annotations and remarks, which
was put by the papists in the number of heretical books of
the first class; but the protestants held it in such high
esteem that it passed through several editions. The most
ample and the most scarce is that of Venice, 1546 and
1548, 3 vols. folio. Brucioli pretends to have made his
translation from the Hebrew text: but the truth is, that,
being but moderately versed in that language, he made
use of the Latin version of Pagnini. His other works are,
1. Italian translations of the natural history of Pliny, and
several pieces of Aristotle and Cicero. 2. Editions of Petrarch and Bocace, with notes. 3. “Dialogues,
” Venice,
, known, from his favourite dress, by the name of Velvet Brueghel, or
, known, from his favourite dress,
by the name of Velvet Brueghel, or Feuweeler, was the
son of Peter Brueghel the old, and consequently brother
to the preceding. He was born at Brussels, in 1560, and
was instructed, probably by his father, and by other artists;
but, whoever were his instructors, he acquired an eminence in every art of painting; in colouring, in design,
and in pencilling, far superior to that of his father, and of
all his contemporaries in his style. He began with painting
flowers and fruit, which he executed with admirable skill;
and then proceeded to landscapes, sea-ports, and markets,
in which he introduced a number of small figures, surprisingly exact and correctly drawn. At Cologne, where
he resided for some time, he gained an extraordinary reputation; and his pictures were well known and admired
in Italy, in which country he spent some time. He died,
according to the most probable accounts, in 1625. That
the industry of this artist must have been singular, sufficiently appears from the number and variety of his pictures,
and the exquisite neatness and delicacy of their execution.
It has been lamented, however, by connoisseurs, that his
distances are overcharged with a bluish tinge. Brueghel
often decorated the pictures of his friends with small
figures, thus greatly enhancing their value; he was employed in painting flowers, fruits, animals, and landscape
scenery, in the pieces of history-paintings; and in this
way Rubens made occasional use of his pencil. He sometimes joined this master in larger works, which have been
much admired; and particularly in a “Vertumnus and
Pomona,
” a picture three feet high and four broad, highly
commended by Houbraken, and sold at Amsterdam for
above 2SOl. sterling; and “a Terrestrial Paradise,
” painted
for Charles I. king of England. In the gallery of the
archiepiscopal palace at Milan, there is an admirable
landscape of Brueghel, representing a desert, in which
Giovanna Battista Crespi painted the figure of St. Jerom;
and among a great number preserved in the Ambrosian library in that city, there is an oval picture of the Virgin,
painted by Rubens, which is encompassed by a garland of
flowers admirably executed by Brueghel. Most considerable cabinets possess specimens of the art of this master.
Some small engravings of landscapes, &c. are also ascribed
to Brueghel.
o, in France and Holland. This useful work, not now in such high reputation as formerly, is yet well known in this country by the translation published by Mrs. Charlotte
, a celebrated French writer, was
born at Rouen, Aug. 26, 1688, and commenced his noviciate among the Jesuits of Paris, Sept. 8, 1704. In 1706,
he began his philosophical course in the royal college, and
in 1708 was sent to Caen to complete his studies that he
might take orders. Some of his pieces are dated from
that city in 1710 and 1712, and one from Bourges in 1719.
He appears indeed to have passed several years in the
country, where he taught rhetoric. In 1713, he returned
to Paris to study theology, and in 1722 he was again at
Paris, where he took the vows in the society of Jesuits,
and was intrusted with the education of the prince of Talmont. About the same time he assisted in the “Memoirs
of the Arts and Sciences,
” and continued his labours in
that journal until History of the Gallican church,
” of which six volumes
had been published by fathers Longueval and Fontenay.
In 1725, he was appointed professor of mathematics, and
filled that chair for six years with much reputation. It was
probably in this situation that he read his lecture, on the
“use of mathematical knowledge in polite literature,
”
now printed in the second volume of his works, nor did his
various public employments prevent his publishing many
other works, which were well received by the public. In
1722 he published, but without his name, his “Morale
Chretienne,
” Paris, a small volume, of which four editions
were soon bought up. In 1723, he also published the first
of his three letters, entitled “Examen du poema (de M. Racine) sur la grace,
” 8vo, and in La vie de
Timperatrice Eleonore,
” taken from that by father Ceva;
the same year, “Abreg des vertus de soeur Jeanne Silenie
de la Motte des Goutes,
” Moulins, 12mo; and a new edition of father Mourgues “Traite de la Poesie Francoise,
”
with many additions, 12mo. But the work which contributed most to his reputation was his “Greek Theatre,
”
entitled “Theatre des Grecs, contenant des traductions
ct analyses des tragedies Grecques, des discours et des remarques concernant la theatre Grec, &c.
” Brumoy,
” says Dr. Warton, “has displayed the excellencies of the Greek tragedy in a judicious and comprehensive manner. His
jtranslations are faithful and elegant; and the analysis of
those plays, which on account of some circumstances in
ancient manners would shock the readers of this age, and
would not therefore bear an entire version, is perspicuous
and full. Of all the French critics, he and the judicious
Fenelon have had the justice to confess, or perhaps the
penetration to perceive, in what instances Corneille and
Racine have falsified and modernized the characters, and
overloaded with unnecessary intrigues the simple plots of
the ancients.
”
, known also by the name of Desmarettes, a learned Frenchman, who died
, known also by the name of Desmarettes, a learned Frenchman, who died at Orleans in 1731, advanced in age, was author or editor of many pieces of ecclesiastical history, lives of the saints, &c. but deserves notice chiefly for being the editor of an excellent edition of Lactantius, collated with valuable mamiscripts, and enriched with learned notes, which was published in 1748, 2 vols. 4to, by Lenglet du Fresnoy.
cture, and under his control this branch of the art attained a degree of perfection which it had not known from the time of the ancients. Brunelieschi died in 1446, greatly
, an
eminent Italian architect, was born at Florence in 1377.
His father was a notary, and his sou for some time was
apprenticed to a goldsmith, but afterwards discovered a
turn for geometry, in which he was instructed by Paul
Toscanelli. A journey which he happened to take to
Rome gave him a taste for architecture, which he hftproved by the study of the edifices in that city, and had a
very early opportunity of trying his skill. A dome was
wanted for the church of St. Maria del Fiore at Florence;
the ablest architects had been requested to send in their
plans, and that of Brunelleschi was adopted, and carried
into execution with an effect which astonished Michael
Angelo himself. He was next employed by Cosmo the
Great in building the abbey of Fesoli, and was afterwards
solicited for the plan of a palace for Cosmo. Brunelleschi
accordingly gave in a design of great magnificence, but
Cosmo thought proper to prefer one more suited to the
prudent economy which was then necessary for him, and
Brunelleschi was so irritated that he destroyed his design.
Brunelleschi afterwards built the Pitti palace, in part, and
the church of St. Lorenzo in Florence almost entirely. He
also gave some designs in military architecture. He is
said to have been the first who attempted to restore the
Grecian orders of architecture, and under his control this
branch of the art attained a degree of perfection which it
had not known from the time of the ancients. Brunelieschi
died in 1446, greatly lamented, and was interred with
sumptuous funeral honours, and Cosmo erected a monument to his memory. He is said to have employed his
leisure hours in cultivating Italian poetry, and some of his
burlesque verses have been printed along with those of
Burchieiio: there is a separate poem, “Geta e Birna,
”
ascribed to him and to Domenico dal Prato, Venice, 1516,
8vo, but this seems doubtful. It is more certain that he
wrote architectural descriptions of all his works, some of
which are, or lately were, in Cosmo’s palace at Florence,
now the residence of the noble family of Riccardi.
sometimes given to prudence and economy. His friendships were lasting and sincere, and he was never known to resent ill-usage with much asperity, unless in the case of
Leonardo Bruni was not only one of the most learned
men of his age, but one of the most amiable in character
and manners, nor was his fame confined to Italy. The
learned of France and Spain travelled to Florence to have
the honour of seeing him, and it is said that a Spaniard
who was ordered by the king to pay him a visit, knelt
down in his presence, and could with difficulty be
persuaded to quit that humble and admiring posture. These
honours, however, excited no pride in Leonardo, The
only failing of which he has been accused is that of avarice;
but, as one of his biographers remarks, that name is sometimes given to prudence and economy. His friendships
were lasting and sincere, and he was never known to resent ill-usage with much asperity, unless in the case of
Niccolo Niccoli, who appears to have given him sufficient
provocation. The case, indeed, on the part of Niccoli
appears abundantly ridiculous; a termagant mistress whom
he kept had been publicly disgraced; and Niccoli expected
that his friends should condole with him on the occasion.
Leonardo staid away, for which Niccoli reproached him,
and when Leonardo offered him such advice as morality as
well as friendship dictated, irritated Leonardo by his
reiterated reproaches and insultinrg language. The consequence was a satire Leonardo wrote, a manuscript copy
of which is in the catalogue, although not now in the library, of New college, Oxford. The title of it was “Leonardi Florentini oratio in nebulonem maledicum.
” It appears by Menus’ s catalogue of his works to be in the Laurentian library. Poggio, however, at last succeeded in
reconciling the parties.
o, after two years residence in Wittenburg, left that place, and took refuge in Helmstadt, where the known liberality of the duke of Brunswick encouraged him to hope for
, an Italian writer to whom atheism
has been generally, but unjustly, imputed, was born atNola
in the kingdom of Naples, about the middle of the sixteenth century. His talents are said to have been considerable, but this is hardly discoverable from his works: he
early, however, set up for an inquirer and innovator, and
very naturally found many things in the philosophy and
theology then taught in Italy, which he could not comprehend. Being fond of retirement and study, he entered
into a monastery of Dominicans, but the freedom of his
opinions, and particularly of his censures on the irregularities of the fraternity, rendered it soon necessary to
leave his order and his country. In 1582, he withdrew to
Geneva, where his heretical opinions gave offence to Calvin and Beza, and he was soon obliged to provide for his
safety by flight. After a short stay at Lyons he came to
Paris, and his innovating spirit recommended him to the
notice of multitudes, who at this time declared open hostilities against the authority of Aristotle. In a public disputation, held in the royal academy, in 1586, he defended,
three days successively, certain propositions concerning
nature and the world, which, together with brief heads of
the arguments, he afterwards published in Saxony, under
the title of “Acrotismus,
” or “Reasons of the physical
articles proposed against the Peripatetics at Paris.
” The
contempt with which Bruno, in the course of these debates,
treated Aristotle, exposed him to the resentment of the academic professors, who were zealous advocates for the old system; and he found it expedientto leave thekingdom of France.
According to some writers, he now visited England, in the
train of the French ambassador Castelneau, wherehe was hospitably received by sir Philip Sydney and sir Fulke Gre.ville,
and was introduced to queen Elizabeth. But though it is
certain from his writings that he was in England, he probably made this visit in some other part of his life, and we
should suppose before this, in 1583 or 1584. For, about
the middle of the same year in which he was at Paris, we
find him, at Wittenburg, a zealous adherent of Luther.
In this city he met with a liberal reception, and full permission to propagate his doctrines: but the severity with
which he inveighed against Aristotle, the latitude of his
opinions in religion as well as philosophy, and the contempt
with which he treated the masters of the public schools,
excited new jealousies; and complaints were lodged
against him before the senate of the university. To escape
the disgrace which threatened him, Bruno, after two years
residence in Wittenburg, left that place, and took refuge
in Helmstadt, where the known liberality of the duke of
Brunswick encouraged him to hope for a secure asylum.
But either through the restlessness of his disposition, or
through unexpected opposition, he went next year to
Francfort, to superintend an edition of his works, but before it was completed was obliged again, probably from
fear of persecution, to quit that city. His next residence
was at Padua; where the boldness with which h.e taught
his new doctrines, and inveighed against the court of
Rome, caused him to be apprehended and brought before
the inquisition at Venice. There he was tried, and convicted of his errors. Forty days being allowed him to deliberate, he promised to retract them, and as at the expiration of that term, he still maintained his errors, he obtained
a further respite for forty days. At last, it appearing that
he imposed upon the pope in order to prolong his life, sentence was finally passed upon him on the 9th of February
1600. He made no offer to retract during the week that
was allowed him afterwards for that purpose, but underwent his punishment on the 17th, by being burnt at a stake.
The following is a list of his works, which are in general but little known, as he printed them at his own expence, principally for distribution
The following is a list of his works, which are in general
but little known, as he printed them at his own expence,
principally for distribution among his friends. 1, “Considerazioni sopra le cose della grandezza dei Romani,
trad, del Montesquieu,
” Berlin, Reflessioni critiche sopra ii carattere e le gesta d'Alessandro
Magno,
” Milan, Heureusement,
” a comedy of Rochon de Chabannes, Brunswick, Regulus,
”
Potsdam, Discours sur les Grand
Hommes,
” Berlin, Ariane a Naxos.
” 7. “The
Thoughts of a Cosmopolite on Air Balloons,
” in German,
Hamburgh, A Discourse on taking the
oath, Oct. 2, 1786,
” in German, Berlin, Instructions for his regiment, &c.
” in German, ibid. The military history of
prince Frederic Augustus of Brunswick-Lunebourg, &c.
”
in German, Oels,
Bryant had long outlived his contemporaries, few particulars, except what we have just related, are known of his early life and habits. He appears, even while connected
As Mr. Bryant had long outlived his contemporaries, few particulars, except what we have just related, are known of his early life and habits. He appears, even while connected with the late duke of Marlborough, whose family remained his kind patrons during the whole of his life, to have devoted himself to study, and to that particular branch which respects the ancient history of nations. Whatever his fortune might be, he appears to have been satisfied if it supplied the means of extending his studies in retirement, and we do not find that he ever inclined to pursue any of the learned professions. One of his contemporaries, the late rev. William Cole of Milton, informs us, in his ms Athenae Cantab, (in Brit. Mus.) that he had twice refused the mastership of the Charter-house, which one time was actually granted to him by a majority of the governors; and notice of his nomination was sent to him by Mr. Hetherington, a gentleman who afterwards left him his executor and 3,000l. as a legacy; but at what time these offers were made, Mr. Cole has not specified. It is certain, however, that he early formed his plan of life, a long life spent entirely in literary pursuits, and persevered in it with uncommon assiduity and steadiness, consecrating his talents to the best purposes of learning and religion.
for with most of them he had been upon terms of much intimacy for some years; and they were men well known to the world by their learned works .”
In 1543, he quitted Bourdeaux, on account of the pestilence being there; and about this time seems to have had
some share in the education of Michael de Montaigne, the
celebrated author of the Essays. In 1544, he went to
Paris, where he taught the second class of the college of
Bourbon, as Turnebus did the first, and Ivluretus the third;
and it appears that in some part of this year he was afflicted
with the gout. In 1547, he went into Portugal with his
friend Andrew Govea, who had received orders from the
king his master to return home, and bring with him a certain number of learned men, qualified to teach the Aristotelian philosophy, and polite literature, in the university
which he had lately established at Coimbra. He says, that
he^the more readily agreed to go to Portugal, because that
“all Europe besides was either actually engaged in foreign
or domestic wars, or upon the point of being so; and that
this corner of the world appeared to him the most likely to
be free from tumults and disturbances. Besides which,
his companions in that journey were such, that they seemed
rather his familiar friends than strangers, or foreigners;
for with most of them he had been upon terms of much intimacy for some years; and they were men well known to
the world by their learned works .
”
ceive 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
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.
”
ng of the kind before, were also written by Mr. Budgell near this time; all which, together with the known affection of Addison for him, raised his character so much as
, esq. a very ingenious but unfortunate writer, was born at St. Thomas, near Exeter,
about 1685, and educated at Christ-church, Oxford. His
father, Gilbert Budgell, D. D. descended of an ancient
family in Devonshire; his mother, Mary, was only
daughter of Dr. William Gulston, bishop of Bristol, whose
sister Jane married dean Addison, and was mother to the
famous Addison. After some years stay in the university,
Mr. Budgell went to London, and was entered of the Inner Temple, in order to study law, for which his father
always intended him; but his inclinations led him more to
study polite literature, and keep company with the genteelest persons in town. During his stay at the Temple,
he contracted a strict intimacy and friendship with Addison, who was first cousin to his mother; and when Addison was appointed secretary to lord Wharton,
lord-lieutenant of Ireland, he offered to make his friend Eustace one of the clerks of his office, which Mr. Budgell
readily accepted. This was in April 1710, when he was
about twenty-five years of age. He had by this time read
the classics, the most reputed historian^ and the best
French, English, and Italian writers, and became concerned with Steele and Addison, not in writing the Tatler,
as has been asserted, but the Spectator, which was begun
in 1711. Ail the papers marked with an X were written
by him, and the whole eighth volume is attributed to Addison and himself, without the assistance of Steele. Several little epigrams and songs, which have a good deal of
wit in them, together with the epilogue to the “Distressed
Mother,
” which had a greater run than any thing of the
kind before, were also written by Mr. Budgell near this
time; all which, together with the known affection of Addison for him, raised his character so much as to give him
considerable consequence in the literary and political
world. Upon the laying down of the Spectator, the
Guardian was set up; and to this work our author contributed, along with Addison and Steele. In the preface it
is said, that those papers marked with an asterisk were
written by Mr. Budgell.
ber of lay-impropriations, which he considered as a species of sacrilege, and insinuated that he had known instances of its being punished by the secret curse which hangs
Whilst he remained minister of this parish, the providence of God wonderfully interposed for the preservation
of his life; for his lodgings being near a powder-mill, Mr.
Morgan, a gentleman of the parish, represented to him.
the danger of his situation, and at the same time invited
him to his own house. Mr. Bull, at first, modestly declined the offer, but after some importunity accepted it;
and, not many days after his removal to Mr. Morgan’s, the
mill was blown up, and his apartment with it. In this part
of his life he took a journey once a year to Oxford, where
he stayed about two months, to enjoy the benefit of the
public libraries. In his way to and from Oxford, he always
paid a visit to sir William Masters, of Cirencester, by
which means he contracted an intimacy with Mr. Alexander pregory, the minister of the place, and after some
time married Bridget, one of his daughters, on the 20th
of May, 1658. The same year he was presented by the
lady Pool, to the rectory of Suddington St. Mary, near
Cirencester, in Gloucestershire. The next year, 1659,
he was made privy to the design of a general insurrection in favour of king Charles II. and several gentlemen
of that neighbourhood who were in the secret, chose
his house at Suddington for one of the places of their
meeting. Upon the restoration, Mr. Bull frequently
preached for his father-in-law, Mr. Gregory, at Cirencester, where there was a large and populous congregation; and his sermons gave such general satisfaction,
that, upon a vacancy, the people were very solicitous to
have procured for him the presentation; but the largeness
of the parish, and the great duty attending it, deterred
him Trom consenting to the endeavours they were making
for that purpose. In 1662, he was presented by the lord
high-chancellor, the earl of Clarendon, to the vicarage of
Suddington St. Peter, which lay contiguous to Suddington
St. Mary, at the request of his diocesan Dr. Nicholson,
bishop of Gloucester, both livings not exceeding 100l. a
year. When Mr. Bull came first to the rectory of Suddington, he began to be more open in the use of the liturgy of the church of England, though it was not yet
restored by the return of the king; for, being desired to
marry a couple, he performed the ceremony, on a Sunday
morning, in the face of the whole congregation, according
to the form prescribed by the book of common -prayer.
He took the same method in governing these parishes, as
in that of St. George’s, and with the same success; applying himself with great diligence to the discharge of his
pastoral functions, and setting the people an admirable
example in the government and œconomy of his own
family. During his residence here, he had an opportunity of confirming two ladies of quality in the protestant
communion, who were reduced to a wavering state of mind
by the arts and subtleties of the Romish missionaries. The
only dissenters he had in his parish were quakers; whose
extravagances often gave him no small uneasiness. In
this part of his life, Mr. Bull prosecuted his studies with
great application, and composed most of his works during
the twenty-seven years that he was rector of Suddington.
Several tracts, indeed, which cost him much pains, are entirely lost, through his own neglect in preserving them;
particularly a treatise on the posture used by the ancient
Christians in receiving the Eucharist; a letter to Dr. Pearson concerning the genuineness of St. Ignatius’ s epistles; a
long one to Mr. Glanvil, formerly minister of Bath, concerning the eternity of future punishments; and another,
on the subject of popery, to a person of very great quality.
In 1669, he published his Apostolical Harmony, with a
view to settle the peace of the church, upon a point of the
utmost importance to all its members; and he dedicated it
to Dn William Nicholson, bishop of Gloucester. This
performance was greatly disliked, at first, by many of the
clergy, and others, on account of the author’s departing
therein from the private opinions of some doctors of the
church, and his manner of reconciling the two apostles St.
Paul and St. James, as to the doctrine of justification. It
was particularly opposed by Dr. Morley, bishop of
WinChester; Dr. Barlow, Margaret-professor of divinity at Oxford; Mr. Charles Gataker, a presbyterian divine; Mr. Joseph Truman, a non-conformist minister; Dr. Tully, principal of St. Edmund’s-hall; Mr. John Tombes, a famous
anabaptist preacher; Dr. Lewis Du Moulin, an independent; and by M. De Marets, a French writer, who tells
us, “that the author, though a professed priest of the
church of England, was more addicted to the papists, remonstrants, and Socinians, than to the orthodox party.
”
Towards the end of 1675, Mr. Bull published his “Examen Censuræ,
” &c. in answer to Mr. Gataker, and his
“Apologia pro Harmonia,
” &c. in reply to Dr. Tully. Mr.
Bull’s notion on this subject was “That good works, which
proceed from faith, and are conjoined with faith, are a
necessary condition required from us by God, to the end
that by the new and evangelical covenant, obtained by
and sealed in the blood of Christ the Mediator of it, we
may be justified according to his free and unmerited
grace.
” In this doctrine, and throughout the whole book,
Mr. Bull absolutely excludes all pretensions to merit on
the part of men; but the work nevertheless excited the
jealousy of many able divines both in the church and
among the dissenters, as appears from the above list.
About three years after, he was promoted by the earl of
Nottingham, then lord chancellor, to a prebend in the
church of Gloucester, in which he was installed the 9th of
October, 1678. In 1680, he finished his “Defence of
the Nicene Faith,
” of which he had given a hint five years
before in his Apology. This performance, which is levelled
against the Arians and Socinians on one hand, and the
Tritheists and Sabellians on the other, was received with
universal applause, and its fame spread into foreign countries, where it was highly esteemed by the best judges of
antiquity, though of different persuasions. Five years after
its publication, the author was presented, by Philip Sheppard, esq. to the rectory of Avening in Gloucestershire, a
very large parish, and worth two hundred pounds per annum. The people of this parish, being many of them
very dissolute and immoral, and many more disaffected to
the church of England, gave him for some time great trouble and uneasiness; but, by his prudent conduct and diligent discharge of his duty, he at last got the better of their
prejudices, and converted their dislike iuto the most cordial love and affection towards him. He had not been
long at Avening, before he was promoted, by archbishop
Sancroft, to the archdeaconry of Landaff, in which he was
installed the 20th of June, 1686. He was invited soon
after to Oxford, where the degree of doctor in divinity
was conferred upon him by that university, without the
payment of the usual fees, in consideration of the great
and eminent services he had done the church. During the
reign of James II. the doctor preached very warmly against
popery, with which the nation was then threatened. Some
time after the revolution, he was put into the commission
of the peace, and continued in it, with some little interruption, till he was made a bishop. In 1694, whilst he
continued rector of Avening, he published his “Judicium
Ecclesia? Catholicse, &c.
” in defence of the “Anathema,
”
as his former book had been of the Faith, decreed by the
first council of Nice. The last treatise which Dr. Bull
wrote, was his “Primitive Apostolical Tradition,
” &c.
against Daniel Zwicker, a Prussian. All Dr. Bull’s Latin
works, which he had published by himself at different times,
were collected together, and printed in 1703, in one volume in folio, under the care and inspection of Dr. John
Ernest Grabe, the author’s age and infirmities disabling
him from undertaking this edition. The ingenious editor
illustrated the work with many learned annotations, and
ushered it into the world with an excellent preface. Dr,
Bull was in the seventy-first year of his age, when he was
acquainted with her majesty’s gracious intention of conferring on him the bishopric of St. David’s; which promotion he at first declined, on account of his ill state of health
and advanced years; but, by the importunity of his friends,
and strong solicitations from the governors o*f the church,
he was at last prevailed upon to accept it, and was accordingly consecrated in Lambeth-chapel, the 29th of April,
1705. Two years after, he lost his eldest son, Mr. George
Bull, who died of the small-pox the 11th of May, 1707, in,
the thirty-seventh year of his age. Our prelate took his
seat in the house of lords in that memorable session, when
the bill passed for the union of the two kingdoms, and
spoke in a debate which happened upon that occasion, in
favour of the church of England. About July after his
consecration, he went into his diocese, and was received
with all imaginable demonstrations of respect by the gentry and clergy. The episcopal palace at Aberguilly being
much out of repair, he chose the town of Brecknock for
the place of his residence; but was obliged, about half a
year before his death, to remove from thence to Abermarless, for the benefit of a freer air. He resided constantly in his diocese, and carefully discharged all the episcopal functions. Though bishop Bull was a great admirer
of our ecclesiastical constitution, yet he would often lament the distressed state of the church of England, chiefly
owing to the decay of ancient discipline, and the great
number of lay-impropriations, which he considered as a
species of sacrilege, and insinuated that he had known instances of its being punished by the secret curse which
hangs over sacrilegious persons. Some time before his
last sickness, he entertained thoughts of addressing a circular letter to all his clergy; and, after his death, there was
found among his papers one drawn up to that purpose. He
had greatly impaired his health, by too intense and unseasonable an application to his studies, and, on the 27th of
September, 1709, was taken with a violent fit of coughing,
which brought on a spitting of blood. About the beginning of February following, he was seized with a distemper, supposed to be an ulcer, or what they call the inward
piles; of which he died the 17th of the same month, and
was buried, about a week after his death, at Brecknock/
leaving behind him but two children out of eleven.
he 20th, the same year, he resigned his professorship of Gresham-college; but for what reason is not known. In 1613 he again left England, induced, probably, by the declining
, a celebrated musician, and doctor in
that faculty, was descended from a family of that name in
Somersetshire, and born about the year 1563. Having
discovered an excellent natural genius for music, he was
educated in that science, when very young, under Mr.
William Blitheman, an eminent master, and organist of
the chapel to queen Elizabeth. On the 9th of July 1586
he was admitted bachelor of music at Oxford, having exercised that art fourteen years; and, we are told, he would
have proceeded in that university “had he not met with
clowns and rigid puritans there, that could not endure
church-music.
” Some time after, he was created doctor
of music at Cambridge; but in what year is uncertain,
there being a deficiency in the register. In 1591 he was
appointed organist of the Queen’s chapel, in the room of
Mr. Blitheman, deceased; and on the 7th of July, the
year following, he was incorporated doctor of music at
Oxford. He was greatly admired for his fine hand on the
organ, as well as for his compositions; several of which
have been long since published in musical collections,
besides a large number in manuscript, that made a part of
the curious and valuable collection of music lately reposited
in the library of Dr. Pepusch. Upon the establishment of
Gresham-college, Dr. Bull was chosen the first professor
of music there, about the beginning of March 1596,
through the recommendation of queen Elizabeth; and not
being able to speak in Latin, he was permitted to deliver
his lectures altogether in English; which practice, so far
as appears, has been ever since continued, though the
professors of that science have often been men of learning.
In 1601, his health being impaired, so that he was unable to perform the duty of his place, he went to travel,
having obtained leave to substitute, as his deputy, Mr.
Thomas Birde, son pf Mr. William Birde, one of the gentlemen of her majesty’s chapel. He continued abroad
above a year. After the death of queen Elizabeth, our
professor became chief organist to king James I. and December the 20th, the same year, he resigned his professorship of Gresham-college; but for what reason is not
known. In 1613 he again left England, induced, probably, by the declining reputation of church-music, which
at this time had not that regard paid to it, tfrat had been
formerly. He went directly into the Netherlands, where,
about Michaelmas, the same year, he was received into the
service of 'the archduke; and Mr. Wood says he died at
Hamburgh, or (as others, who remember him, have said)
at Lubeck. His picture is yet preserved in the musicschool at Oxford, among other famous professors of that
science, which hang round the room.
s letters to Erasmus, it appears that he was an able Grecian at a time when that language was little known. In 1513, in conjunction with Mr. Walden, he read a mathematical
, a man of learning in the beginning of the sixteenth century, and the friend of Erasmus,
who corresponded with him by the name of Bovillus, was
a native of Berkshire, according to Fuller. He was educated at Queen’s college, Cambridge, where he took his
bachelor’s degree in 1504, and his master’s in 1507, and
was chosen fellow in the last mentioned year. He commenced D. D. in 1520, and was vice-chancellor in 1524—5.
He was esteemed a man of abilities, and chosen by cardinal
Wolsey to answer Luther. The cardinal also made him
his chaplain, but we do not find that he raised him to any
higher dignity, yet the oration he spoke in favour of the
cardinal, now printed in Fiddes’s life of that great churchman, seems to have merited a higher reward. By his letters to Erasmus, it appears that he was an able Grecian at
a time when that language was little known. In 1513, in
conjunction with Mr. Walden, he read a mathematical lecture, and had a salary from the university for it. He was
also one of the twelve preachers sent out by that university in 1515. The biographers of Erasmus profess their
ignorance of the time of his death. Tanner fixes it in
1526, but Dodd says he was living in 1530. He wrote,
1. “De Captivitate Babylonica contra Lutherum.
” 2.
“Epistolse et Orationes.
” 3. “De Serpentibus siticulosis,
” a translation from the Greek of Lucian, printed at
Cambridge, 1521, 4to. 4. “Oratio coram Archiepiscopo
Eboracensi,
” ibid.
entences of the sacred scriptures, and of other authors, &c.” London, 1657, 8vo, but what he is best known by is his “Reports of Cases in B. R. regn. Jac. 1. & Car. I.”
, 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
print and ms. What he calls the language of the hand, or the art of speaking by the fingers, is yet known in every boardingichool and nursery, where, however, the more
, of the seventeenth century, was author of several books of the language of the hand, of physiognomy, and of instructions to the deaf and dumb, intended, as he expresses it, “to bring those who are so born
to hear the sound of words with their eyes, and thence to
learn to speak with their tongues.
” This is explained in
his “Chirologia, or the natural Language of the Hand,
&c.
” Pathomyotomia,
” or a dissection of the significative muscles of the
affections of the mind, 1649, 12mo. The most curious of
his works is his “Anthropo-metamorphosis; Man transformed, or the artificial changeling;
”
itute 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
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.
mitted to his holiness when he came on business, set off from Rome for Florence. As soon as this was known, couriers were dispatched after him, but, as he had got beyond
The work was begun, but before it had proceeded far, Michel Angelo met with some affront from the servants of the papal palace, who were jealous of his favour with the pope, and not being admitted to his holiness when he came on business, set off from Rome for Florence. As soon as this was known, couriers were dispatched after him, but, as he had got beyond the pope’s territories, they could not use force, and only obtained of Michel Angelo a letter to the pope explaining the cause of his departure. But after some time, and the intercession of friends, Michel Angelo consented to return to Rome, where, to his great disappointment, he found that the pope had changed his mind, and instead of completing the monument, had determined to decorate with pictures the ceilings and walls of the Sistine chapel, in honour of the memory of his uncle Sixtus IV. The walls of this chapel were already ornamented with historical paintings by various masters, but these were now to be effaced, and the entire chapel to be painted by Michel Angelo, so as to correspond in its parts, and make one uniform whole. Michel Angelo was diffident of his powers in fresco-painting, and recommended Raffaello, but the pope was peremptory, and our artist obliged to yield. He accordingly prepared the cartoons, and endeavoured to engage persons experienced in frescopainting, but being disappointed in the first specimen of their abilities, he determined himself to try how far he could overcome the difficulties which made it necessary for him to seek their aid, and succeeded in painting the ceiling to the astonishment and admiration even of his enemies. For the description of this stupendous monument of human genius, we must refer to our authority, but the circumstance not the least remarkable, was, that the whole was completed in twenty months, and on AllSaints-Day, 1512, the chapel was opened, and the pope officiated at high mass to a crowded and admiring audience. Michel Angelo next applied himself to make designs for other pictures for the sides of the chapel, to complete the original plan: but on Feb. 21, 1513, the pope died, and to ^Michel Angelo his loss was not supplied. The old paintings still remain on the walls of this chapel.
lf so clearly and fully as the nature of the subject required. Of perspective he knew as much as was known in the age in which he lived; but this branch of knowledge was
In the early part of life, he not only applied himself to sculpture and painting, but to every branch of knowledge connected in any way with those arts, and gave himself up so much to application, that he in a great degree withdrew from society. From this disposition he became habituated to solitude, and, happy in his pursuits, he was more contented to be alone than in company, by which he obtained the character of being a proud and an odd man. When his mind was matured, he attached himself to men of learning and judgment, and in the number of his most intimate friends were ranked the highest dignitaries in the church, and the most eminent literary characters of his time. Among the authors he studied and delighted in most, were Dante and Pttrarch; of these it is saidhe could nearly repeat all their poems, and many of his sonnets (now reprinted in his life by Mr. Duppa) shew how much he desired to imitate the poet of Vaucluse. He also studied with equal attention the sacred writings of the Old and New Testament. His acquirements in anatomy are manifest throughout his works, and he often proposed to publish a treatise upon that subject for the use of painters and sculptors; principally to shew what muscles were brought into action in the various motions of the human body, and was only prevented, from fearing lest he should not be able to express himself so clearly and fully as the nature of the subject required. Of perspective he knew as much as was known in the age in which he lived; but this branch of knowledge was not then reduced to a science, nor governed by mathematical principles.
Michel Angelo was never married, and whether he was at any time on the point of being so, is not known: that he was a man of domestic habits is certain, and he possessed
Michel Angelo was never married, and whether he was at any time on the point of being so, is not known: that he was a man of domestic habits is certain, and he possessed ardent and affectionate feelings. Although love is the principal subject which pervades his poetry, and Petrarch the sole object of his imitation, no mention is made of his Laura, his Stella, or Eliza: her name is concealed if she had any; but the prevalency in his day of consolidating all personal feeling into Platonism, and a species of unintelligible metaphysics, may probably have given birth to most of his sonnets.
, an Italian poet, was better known under this name than by that of Dominico, which was his true
, an Italian poet, was better known under this name than by that of Dominico, which was his true one. Authors differ concerning his country and the time of his birth. The opinion most followed is that he was born at Florence about 1380. As to the epocha of his death, it seems more certain: he died at Rome in 1448. This poet was a barber at Florence, and his shop the common rendezvous of all the literati of that town. His poems, which mostly consist of sonnets, and often very freely written, are of the comic and burlesque species; but so truly original, that some poets who came after him have endeavoured to imitate him by composing verses alia Burcbiellesca. They are however full of obscurities and aenigmas. Some writers have taken the pains to make comments on them, and, among others, le Doni; but the commentary is scarcely less obscure than the text. Burchiello nevertheless holds a distinguished place among the Italian poets of the satirical class. He may be censurable for not having had sufficient respect for good manners; but the licence of this poetical barber was much in the general taste of the times. The best editions of his poems are those of Florence, 1552 and 1568, 3vo. His sonnets were printed for the first time at Venice, 1475, 4to.
, an eminent bookseller at Paris, is well known to the learned throughout Europe for the able assistance he
, an eminent bookseller at
Paris, is well known to the learned throughout Europe for
the able assistance he has afforded to the study of bibliography. Of his personal history very little is related by
his countrymen, unless that he was a man of high character
in trade; and, as appears from his works, more intimately
acquainted with the history of books and editions than perhaps any man of his time in any country. He died July
15, 1782. He first published his “Museum Typographicum,
” Paris, Bibliographic Instructive,
” Essay upon Bibliography.
” The merits of this work are universally acknowledged. The abbe Rive having attacked this work with
considerable asperity, De Bure replied in “Appel aux Savans,
” Reponse a une Critique de la
Bibliographic Instructive,
”
, a German poet of considerable celebrity in his own country, and known in this by several translations of one of his terrific tales,
, a German poet of
considerable celebrity in his own country, and known in
this by several translations of one of his terrific tales, was
born in 1748, at Wolmerswende, in the principality of Halberstadt. His father was a Lutheran minister, and appears
to have given him a pious domestic education; but to school
or university studies young Burger had an insuperable
aversion, and much of his life was consumed in idleness
and dissipation, varied by some occasional starts of industry, which produced his poetical miscellanies, principally ballads, that soon became very popular from the
simplicity of the composition. In the choice of his subjects, likewise, which were legendary tales and traditions,
wild, terrific, and grossly improbable, he had the felicity
to hit the taste of his countrymen. His attention was also
directed to Shakspeare and our old English ballads, and
he translated many of the latter into German with considerable effect. His chief employment, or that from which he
derived most emolument, was in writing for the German
Almanack of the Muses, and afterwards the German Musaeum. In 1787 he lectured on the critical philosophy of
Kant, and in 1789 was appointed professor of belles-lettres
in the university of Gottingen. He married three wives,
the second the sister of the first, and the third a lady who
courted him in poetry, but from whom, after three years
cohabitation, he obtained a divorce. Her misconduct is
said to have contributed to shorten his days. He died in
June 1794. His works were collected and published by
Reinhard, in 1798—99, 4 vols. 8vo, with a life, in which
there is little of personal history that can be read with
pleasure. Immorality seems to have accompanied him the
greater part of his course, but he was undoubtedly a man
of genius, although seldom under the controul of judgment. His celebrated ballad of “Leonora
” was translated
into English in
d 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
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,
mere matter of form, inviting all candidates for the professorship to a competition, although it was known that a successor was already fixed upon. If this be the fact,
According to some accounts, he went from Dublin, where there was little prospect of a settlement adequate to his talents and wishes, to London, where he entered himself as a student in the Middle Temple. According to other accounts, however, he was by design or accident at Glasgow, where he became a candidate for the professorship of logic, then vacant, but whether the application was made too late, or that the university was unwilling to receive a stranger, certain it is thai he was unsuccessful. One account says, that he was passing the old college gate, when a label affixed to it struck his eye, which had teen pasted up as -a mere matter of form, inviting all candidates for the professorship to a competition, although it was known that a successor was already fixed upon. If this be the fact, Mr. Burke’s mistake must have been very soon rectified, without his having the mortification of a disappointment after trial.
s moments of his public life, every care vanished when he entered his own house.” Mr. Burke' s first known publication, although not immediately known, was his very happy
It is certain, however, that about 1753 he came to London, and entered himself, as already noticed, as a student
of the Middle Temple, where he is said to have studied,
as in every other situation, with unremitting diligence.
Many of his habits and conversations were long remembered at the Grecian coffee-house (then the great rendezvous of the students of the Middle Temple), and they
were such as were highly creditable to his morals and his
talents. With the former, indeed, we should not know
jhow to reconcile a connection imputed to him at this time
with Mrs. Woffington, the actress, if we gave credit to the
report; but it is not very likely, that one in Mr. Burke’s
narrow circumstances would have been admitted to more
than a slight acquaintance with a lady of that description.
Though by the death of his elder brother, he was to have
succeeded to a very comfortable patrimony, yet as his.
father was living, and had other children, it could not be
supposed that his allowance was very ample. This urged
him to draw upon his genius for the deficiency of fortune,
and we are told that he became a frequent contributor to
the periodical publications. His first publication is said to
have been a poem, which did not succeed. There is no
certain information, however, concerning these early productions, unless that he found it necessary to apply with
so much assiduity as to injure his health. A dangerous
illness ensued, and he resorted for medical advice to Dr.
Nugent, a physician whose skill in his profession was
equalled only by the benevolence of his heart. He was,
if we are not mistaken, a countryman of Burke’s, a Roman
catholic, and at one time an author by profession. This
benevolent friend, considering that the noise and various
disturbances incidental to chambers, must retard the recovery of his patient, furnished him with apartments in
his own house, where the attention of every member of
the family contributed more than medicine to the recovery
of his health. It was during this period that the amiable
manners of miss Nugent, the doctor’s daughter, made a
deep impression on the heart of Burke; and as she could
not be insensible to such merit as his, they felt for each,
other a mutual attachment, and were married soon after
his recovery. With this lady he appears to have enjoyed
uninterrupted felicity. He often declared to his intimate
friends, “That, in all the anxious moments of his public
life, every care vanished when he entered his own house.
”
Mr. Burke' s first known publication, although not immediately known, was his very happy imitation of Bolingbroke, entitled “A Vindication of Natural Society,
” The critics knew the turn of his
periods; his style; his phrases; and above all, the matchless dexterity of his nietaphysical pen: and amongst these,
nobody distinguished himself more than the lately departed
veteran of the stage, Charles Macklin; who, with the
pamphlet in his hand, used frequently to exclaim at the
Grecian coffee-house (where he gave a kind of literary law to the young Templars at that time),
” Oh! sir, this must
be Harry Bolingbroke: I know him by his cloven foot."
But much of this account is mere assumption. Macklin,
and such readers as Macklin, might be deceived; but no
man was deceived whose opinion deserved attention. The
public critics certainly immediately discovered the imitation, and one at least of them was not very well pleased
with it. We are told, indeed, that lord Chesterfield and
bishop Warburton were at first deceived; but this proves
only the exactness of the imitation; a more attentive perusal discovered the writer’s real intention.
The celebrity of such works soon made Mr. Burke known to the literati; amongst whom were the late George lord Lyttelton,
The celebrity of such works soon made Mr. Burke known to the literati; amongst whom were the late George lord Lyttelton, the right honourable William Gerard Hamilton, the late Dr. Markham, archbishop of York, Dr. Johnson, sir Joshua Reynolds, and many other eminent characters, who were proud to patronize a young man of such good private character, and such very distinguished talents. It was in consequence of these connections that we soon after find Mr. Burke in the suite of the earl of Halifax, appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, October 1761. Here, by his talents, as well as by his convivial and agreeable manners, he made himself not only useful at the castle, but renewed and formed several valuable acquaintances.
ng in parliament who is legally chosen, by a majority of electors, to fill a vacant seat. It is well known that his friend Dr. Johnson maintained a contrary doctrine in
The parliament being dissolved in 1768, Mr. Burke was
re-elected for Wendover. The opposition to the duke of
Graf ton’s administration consisted of two parties, that of
the marquis of Rockingham, and that of Mr. Grenville, but
these two parties had nothing in common except their dislike of the ministry. This appeared very strikingly in a
pamphlet written by Mr. Grenville, entitled “The present
state of the Nation,
” which was answered by Burke, in
“Observations on the present state of the Nation.
” One
of the first subjects which occupied the attention of the
new parliament was the expulsion of Wilkes for various
libels, and the question, whether, after being so expelled,
he was eligible to sit in the same parliament. Burke, on
this occasion, endeavoured to prove that nothing but an
act of the legislature can disqualify any person from sitting
in parliament who is legally chosen, by a majority of electors, to fill a vacant seat. It is well known that his friend
Dr. Johnson maintained a contrary doctrine in his “False
Alarm;
” but in this as well as other occasions during the
American war, difference of opinion did not prevent a cordial intercourse between two men whose conversation during their whole lives was the admiration and ornament of
every literary society. The question itself can hardly be
said to have ever received a complete decision. All that
followed was the expulsion of Wilkes during the present
parliament, and the rescinding of that decision in a future
parliament, without argument or inquiry, in order to gratify those constituents who soon after rejected Wilkes with
unanimous contempt.
The proceedings on this question gave rise to the celebrated letters signed Junius, which appeared in the Public Advertiser, and had been preceded by many other
anti-ministerial letters by the same writer, under other
signatures. They were at that time, and have often since
been attributed to Mr. Burke, and we confess we once,
and indeed for many years, were strongly of this opinion,
but after the recent publication of these celebrated Letters, with Junius’s private correspondence with Mr. Henry
Woodfall, the printer of the Public Advertiser, and with
Mr. Wilkes r it is as impossible to attribute them to Burke,
as it is at present to discover any other gentleman to whom
they may, from any reasonable grounds, be ascribed. It
may be added too, that in a confidential conversation with
Dr. Johnson, he spontaneously denied them, which, as the
doctor very prpperly remarks, is more decisive proof than
if he had denied them on being asked the question.
ristol, wishing, at that critical season, to be represented by some gentleman of tried abilities and known commercial knowledge, had put him up in nomination as one of
In 1774, a dissolution of parliament took place, and Mr.
Burke was returned one of the members for Malton; when,
just as he was sitting down to dinner with his constituents
after the election, an express arrived from Bristol (consisting of a deputation of some merchants), informing him,
that a considerable body of the citizens of Bristol, wishing,
at that critical season, to be represented by some gentleman of tried abilities and known commercial knowledge,
had put him up in nomination as one of their candidates;
and that they had set off express to apprise him of that
event, Mr. Burke, after acknowledging this high honour,
and thanking the gentlemen for their zeal and assiduity in
his favour, returned into the room where his Malton constituents were about sitting down to dinner, and told them
the nature of tohe express he had just received, and re-quested their advice how to act. He observed, “That as
they had done him the honour of thinking him worthy to
be their member, he would, if it was their wish, endeavour
to support that station with gratitude and integrity; but
if they thought the general cause on which they were all
embarked could be better assisted by his representing the
city of Bristol, he was equally at their order.
” They immediately decided for Bristol; when, after taking a short
repast with them, he threw himself into a post-chaise, and
without ever taking rest on the road, arrived in that city
on Thursday the 13th of October, being the sixth day of
the poll.
ary 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
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.
”
sighted, indicated none of those great traits of mind by his countenance which he was otherwise well known to possess. The best print of him is from a half-length by sir
Edmund Burke in his person was about five feet ten inches high, erect, and well formed; with a countenance rather soft and open; and except by an occasional bend of his brow, caused by his being near-sighted, indicated none of those great traits of mind by his countenance which he was otherwise well known to possess. The best print of him is from a half-length by sir Joshua Reynolds, painted when Mr. Burke was in the meridian of life.
onvincing the earl’s judgment, and leading him to a sincere repentance, became the subject of a well- known and interesting narrative which he published in 1680, entitled
Although our author at this time had no parochial cure,
he did not refuse his attendance to any sick person who
desired it, and was sent for, amongst others, to one wha
had been engaged in a criminal amour with Wilmot, earl
of Rochester. The manner he treated her, during her
illness, gave that lord a great curiosity of being acquainted
with him, and for a whole winter, in a conversation of at
least one evening in a week, Burnet went over all those
topics with him, upon which sceptics, and men of loose
morals, are wont to attack the Christian religion. The
effect of these conferences, in convincing the earl’s judgment, and leading him to a sincere repentance, became
the subject of a well-known and interesting narrative which
he published in 1680, entitled “An Account of the Life
and Death of the Earl of Rochester.
” This work has
lately been reprinted more than once, perhaps owing to
the character Dr. Johnson gave of it in his Life of Rochester: he there pronounces it a book “which the critic
ought to read for its elegance, the philosopher for its arguments, and the saint for its piety.
”
s family, he thought he might be justified in establishing a fee and perquisite which had never been known in the province before. At New York, all vessels took from the
, eldest son of the preceding, was
educated privately at first, and when perfected in the
learned languages, was removed to the university of Cambridge, where he was admitted a gentleman commoner of
Trinity college. In 1706 he was sent with his two younger
brothers abroad, to finish his studies at Leyden; from
whence he appears to have made a tour through Germany,
Switzerland, and Italy. By his own choice he was bred
to the law; but it is uncertain whether he practised at the
bar. In 1720 he was one of the unhappy persons who
suffered greatly in the infatuation of the South-Sea scheme.
He had, however, a place in the revenue, of twelve hundred pounds a year; but, being desirous of retrieving his
fortune, he quitted that post, and was appointed governor
of New York and the Jerseys. In this station his conduct
in general was very acceptable to those colonies, and approved of in England. After the accession of king George
the Second, in order to provide for a gentleman who was
understood to be in particular esteem with his majesty,
Mr. Burnet was removed from the governments of New
York and the Jerseys to those of the Massachusets and
New Hampshire. This change was highly disagreeable,
and he considered it as a great hardship to be obliged to
part with posts that were very profitable, for such. as would
afford him, at best, only a decent support; and to leave
an easy administration for one which he foresaw would be
extremely troublesome. Of this he complained to his
friends, and it had a visible effect upon his spirits. On the
13th of July, 1728, he arrived at Boston, and was received
with unusual pomp. Having been instructed from England to insist on a fixed salary’s being settled upon him as
governor, he adhered to his instructions with such unabated
vigour and perseverance, as involved him in the warmest
disputes with the general assembly of the province. A
large detail of these contests may be seen in Mr. Hutchinson’s History of Massachusets’ Bay, from which Mr. Burnet’s abilities, firmness, and spirit will appear in a striking
light. Being deprived of his salary, by refusing to receive
it in the mode proposed by the assembly, and having by
that means been driven to such straits as obliged him to
apply to the assistance of his friends for the support of his
family, he thought he might be justified in establishing a
fee and perquisite which had never been known in the
province before. At New York, all vessels took from the
governor a pass, or permission for sailing out of the harbour, which, though it had no foundation in law, was submitted to without complaint. The same disposition did
not prevail in the inhabitants of Boston. The fee which
Mr. Burnet imposed on the ships, for their passes, being
complained of to the king and council as illegal and oppressive, it was immediately disapproved. In all other
respects his administration was unexceptionable, but this
controversy with the general assembly made a great impression upon his mind. In the latter end of August, 1729,
he was seized, at Boston, with a fever, which carried him
off on the 7th of September, and the assembly ordered
him a very honourable funeral at the public expence.
Though he had been steady and inflexible in his adherence
to his instructions, he discovered nothing of a grasping
avaricious temper. His superior talents, and free and
easy manner of communicating his sentiments, rendered
him the delight of men of sense and learning; and his
right of precedence in all companies, facilitated his natural
disposition to take a great lead in conversation. His own
account of his genius was, that it was late before it budded;
and that, until he was nearly twenty years of age, his father despaired of his ever making any figure in life. This,
perhaps, might proceed from the exact discipline of the
bishop’s family, not calculated alike for every temper. To
long and frequent religious services at home in his youth,
Mr. Burnet would sometimes pleasantly attribute his indisposition to a scrupulous attendance on public worship.
Mr. Burnet' s first lady was a daughter of Dr. George Stanhope, dean of Canterbury, and was a woman equally distinguished for her beauty, wit, good-humour, singing, and
various accomplishments. Her sense will appear from the
following anecdote: When she was dying, being worn
out with a long and painful sickness, as they rubbed her
temples with Hungary water, in her last faintings, she
begged them not to do it, for “that it would make her
hair gray.
” Mr. William Burnet was the author of a tract
entitled “A View of Scripture Prophecy.
”
wn-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
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.
guage of those who admit the Athanasian doctrine of the Trinity. This curious tract is now so little known, as not to have been noticed in any of the late Trinitarian
, D. D. rector of West Kington,
Wiltshire, and prebendary of Sarum, was educated in
New-college, Oxford, where he became M. A. and on the
8th of July, 1720, he accumulated the degrees of B. D.
and D.D. for which he went out grand compounder. His
four principal works are, an “Answer to Tindal’s Christianity as old as the Creation,
” a “Treatise on Scripture
Politics,
” a course of Sermons preached at Mr. Boyle’s
Lecture,“and an
” Essay on the Trinity,“in which last
performance he endeavours, with great ingenuity and
plausibility, to unite the rationality claimed by the Unitarians, with the orthodox language of those who admit the
Athanasian doctrine of the Trinity. This curious tract
is now so little known, as not to have been noticed in any
of the late Trinitarian controversies, excepting in a pamphlet entitled
” Orthodoxy and Chanty united." Dr.
Burnet died in May 1750.
e duke of Ormond; and soon after commenced LL. D. At what time he entered into orders is not exactly known; but it is plain that he was a clergyman at his election to
On May 19, 1685, he was made master of the Charterhouse, by the interest of the duke of Ormond; and soon
after commenced LL. D. At what time he entered into
orders is not exactly known; but it is plain that he was a
clergyman at his election to this mastership, from the objection then made against him by some of the bishops who
were governors, namely, “that he generally appeared in
a lay-habit,
” which was over-ruled by his patron the duke
of Ormond, by asserting in his favour, that he had no
living or other ecclesiastical preferment; and that his life
and conversation were in all respects suitable to the clerical character. In the latter end of 1686, Dr. Burnet’s
integrity, prudence, and resolution, were fully tried in
his new station, upon the following occasion: one Andrew
Popham, a Roman Catholic, came to the Charter-house,
with a letter from king James to the governors, requiring
them to choose and admit him the said Andrew Popham a
pensioner thereof, “without tendering any oath or oaths
unto him, or requiring of him any subscription, recognition, or other act or acts, in conformity to the doctrine
and discipline of the church of England as the same is now
established; and notwithstanding any statute, order, or
constitution, of or in the said hospital; with which, says
his majesty, we are graciously disposed to dispense in his
behalf.
” On the meeting of the governors, the king’s
letter was read, and the lord chancellor Jefferies moved,
that without any debate they should proceed to vote whether Andrew Popham should be admitted a pensioner of
the hospital, according to the king’s letter. The master,
Dr. Burnet, as the junior, was to vote first, but he told
the governors, that he thought it was his duty to acquaint
their lordships with the state and constitution of that hospital; and, though this was opposed by some, yet, after
a little debate, he proceeded to observe, that to admit a
pensioner into the hospital without his taking the oaths of
allegiance and supremacy, was not only contrary to the
constitution of the ho&pital, but to an express act of parliament for the better establishment thereof. One of the
governors asked what this was to the purpose? The duke
of Ormond replied, that he thought it much to the purpose; for an act of parliament was not so slight a thing as
not to deserve a consideration. After some other discourse, the question was put, whether Popham should be
admitted? and passed in the negative. A second letter
from the king was afterwards sent; to which the governors,
in a letter addressed to his majesty, humbly replied, and
gave their reasons why they could not admit Andrew Popham as a pensioner of the hospital. This not satisfying
king James, he ordered chancellor Jefferies to find out a
way how he might compel their submission, and the master
was particularly threatened to be summoned before the ecclesiastical commissioners. But his subsequent quarrels
with the universities, and the commotions which followed,
prevented any farther proceeding on the part of the king.
This was the first stand made against the dispensing power
of that reign, by any society in England, and was of great
importance to the public, A relation of the Charter-house
proceedings upon this occasion was published by Dr. Burnet in 1689.
After the revolution, he was introduced to court by his
tutor and friend, archbishop Tillotson, and was made
chaplain to the king, and soon after, clerk of the closet.
He was now considered as in the high road to great preferment, and had certainly a fine prospect before him; when
he ruined all by some unadvised strokes of his pen. In
1692 he published “Archæologiæ philosophiæ; sive doctrina antiqua de rerum originibus,
” 4to, with a dedication
to king William, whose character he diws with great
strength of genius and art, and in that beautiful style
which was peculiar to himself. But neither the high rank
and authority of his patron, nor the elegance and learning
displayed throughout the work, could protect the author
from the clamours raised against him for allegorizing in a
very indelicate manner the scripture account of the fall of
Adam and Eve. In consequence of which, as appears
from a Latin letter written by himself to Walters, a bookseller at Amsterdam, dated Sept. 14, 1694, he desires to
have the most offensive parts omitted in the future editions
of that work. He had expressed himself to the same purpose, some time before the date of this letter, in a Latin
epistle, “Ad virum clarissimum circa nuper editum de
Archæologiis Philosophicis libellum;
” where he says, that
he cheerfully wished that any passages which have given
offence to the pious and wise, and particularly the dialogue
between Eve and the Serpent, may be expunged. The
person to whom this letter is addressed, and also a second
afterwards upon the same subject, was generally understood to be archbishop Tillotson. Both the letters are
subjoined to the second edition of “Archæologiæ philosophicæ,
” printed in
applause was past, lived and died more unhappily than would probably have been the case had he never known what it was to be caressed and admired.
The character of Burns will still be incomplete, without some notice of his abilities as a prose-writer; for of these we have ample proofs in his familiar correspondence. That his letters were never intended for the public eye, that many of them are mutilated, and that some, perhaps, might have been suppressed, are deductions which do not affect their merit as the effusions of a very uncommon mind, enriched with knowledge far beyond what could have been reasonably expected in his situation. He appears to have cultivated English prose with care, and certainly wrote it with a sprightly fluency. His turns of expression are various and surprizing, and, when treating the most common topics, his sentiments are singular and animated. His letters, however, would have attained a higher portion of graceful expression, and would have been more generally pleasing, had they not been too frequently the faithful transcripts of a disappointed mind, gloomily bent on one set of indignant and querulous reflections. But with this, and another exception which might be made to these letters, from a frequent imitation of the discursive manner of Sterne, they must ever be considered as decided proofs of genius. They contain many admirable specimens of critical acumen, and many flights of humour, and observations on life and manners, which fully justify our belief that, had he cultivated his prose talents only, he might have risen to very high distinction in epistolary or essay writing. Upon the whole, Burns was a man who undoubtedly possessed great abilities with great failings. The former he received from nature, he prized them highly, and he improved them; the latter were exaggerated by circumstances less within his controul, and by disappointments which, trusting to the most liberal encouragement ever offered to genius, he could not have foreseen. They may yet serve to guard ambitious and ardent minds from similar irregularities and wanderings, and to explain why such a man, after the first burst of popular applause was past, lived and died more unhappily than would probably have been the case had he never known what it was to be caressed and admired.
his Treatise on the theory and practice of Midwifery,” 8vo. But the work by which he is principally known, and for which he was employed in making collections during
, M.D. and F. R. S. and F. S.A. an
eminent antiquary, of whom our accounts are very scanty,
was born at Rjppon in Yorkshire 1697, and educated hi
Christ church college in Oxford for some time, but took
his degree in some foreign university; and on his settling
at York, became very eminent in his profession. In 1745
it is said that he proposed joining himself to the pretender,
then at Manchester; but that his friends had interest sufficient to dissuade him from a measure which must have terminated in his ruin. His conduct, therefore, appears to
have unjustly exposed him to censure, if his own account
may be relied on, to this purpose, that “going out of
York, with leave of the mayor, &c. to take care of his estates, on the approach of the rebels, he was taken by
them, and in consequence of that was apprehended Dec. 3,
1745, and detained till March 25, 1746—7.
” This is explained in “British liberty endangered, demonstrated by
the following narrative, wherein is proved from facts, that
J. B. has hitherto been a better friend to the English constitution, in church and state, than his persecutors. Humbly dedicated to the most reverend and worthy the archbishop of Canterbury, late of York (Herring). With a
proper preface, by John Burton, of York, M. D.
” London,
3 749. There was afterwards published “An account of
what passed between Mr. George Thomson of York, and
doctor John Burton of that city, physician and manmidwife, at Mr. sheriff Jubb’s entertainment, and the consequences thereon, by Mr. George Thomson,
” London,
A Treatise on the Non-naturals, in which the
great influence they have on human bodies is set forth, and
mechanically accounted for. To which is subjoined, a
short Essay on the Chin-Cough, with a new method of
treating that obstinate distemper,
” York, 1738, 8vo. In
the title of this work, he calls himself “M. B. Cant, and
M. D. Rhem.
” by which it would appear that his bachelor’s
was a Lambeth degree, and that he graduated as doctor at
Rheims. In 1751, he published “An Essay towards a
complete new system of Midwifery,
” 8vo, and in A Letter to William Smellie, M. D. containing critical
and practical remarks upon his Treatise on the theory and
practice of Midwifery,
” 8vo. But the work by which he is
principally known, and for which he was employed in
making collections during his latter years, was, his “Monasticon Eboracense; and the Ecclesiastical History of Yorkshire, &c.
” the first volume of which was published in
his moral character, he was a man of great integrity, plain-dealing, and chanty. He was principally known as the author of a very celebrated and popular work, entitled
, author of the “Anatomy of Melancholy,
” the younger brother of William Burton, the
antiquary, the subject of the next article but one, was born
at Lindley, Feb. 8, 1576, and had his grammatical education
at Sutton-Colfield; after which, in 1593, he was admitted
a commoner of Brazen-nose college, and elected a student
of Christ church, in 1599, under the tuition (though only for form’s sake) of Dr. John Bancroft, afterwards bishop of
Oxford. He took the degree of B. D. in 16 14, and was
in that year admitted to the reading of the sentences. In
1616, the dean and chapter of Christ church presented
him to the Vicarage of St. Thomas in Oxford, in which
parish he always gave the sacrament in wafers; and George
lord Berkeley bestowed upon him the rectory of Segrave
in Leicestershire. Both these preferments he held till his
decease, which happened at Christ church, January 25,
1639—4O. He was a curious calculator of nativities, and
among others, of his own; and the time of his death answering exactly to his own predictions, it was whispered in the
college, that (to use Anthony Wood’s language), rather
than there should be any mistake in the calculation, he
sent up his soul to heaven through a slip about his neck; but
for this insinuation there appears little foundation. He was
a general scholar and severe student, of a melancholy yet
humourous disposition, and appears to have been a man of
extensive learning, which his memory enabled him to produce upon every subject. In his moral character, he was a
man of great integrity, plain-dealing, and chanty. He
was principally known as the author of a very celebrated
and popular work, entitled “The Anatomy of Melancholy,
”
published first in quarto, and which afterwards went through
several editions in folio, so that the bookseller acquired an
estate by it. This book was compiled by our learned writer
with a view of relieving his own melancholy; but it encreased to such a degree, that nothing could divert him
but going to the bridge foot, and hearing the ribaldry of
the bargemen, which seldom failed to throw him into a
violent fit of laughter. In the intervals of his vapours, he
was one of the most facetious companions in the university.
The “Anatomy of Melancholy
” is for the greater part a
cento, though a very ingenious one. The quotations,
which abound in every page, are pertinent; but if the
author had made freer use of his invention, and less of his
common -place book, his work, perhaps, would have been
more valuable. However, he generally avoids the affected
language, and ridiculous metaphors, which were common
in that age. On Mr. Burton’s monument in Christ church
is his bust, with his nativity, and this description by himself, put up by his brother: “Faucis notus, paucioribus
ignotus, hie jacet Democritusjunior, cui vitam dedit et mortem Melancholia. Obiit viii. Id. Jan. A. C. MDCXXXIX.
”
He left behind him a choice collection of books, many of
which he bequeathed to the Bodleian library, and that of
Brazen-nose college. He left also a hundred pounds, for
a fund to purchase five pounds’ worth of books, every year,
for the library of Christ church.
er mint. When the parliament army reached Wales, he was obliged to make his escape with other men of known loyalty. Aubrey informs us that about the time Cromwell was
, 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.
he 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
, 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.
with an inquiry into the life of Butler, containing, however, few particulars that are not generally known.
In these particulars we have chiefly followed the account drawn up by Dr. Johnson for his edition of the English Poets, and must refer to the same for that eminent critic’s masterly dissertation on the merit of Butler as a poet. In 1744, Dr. Grey published an edition of Hudibras, 2 vols. 8vo, with plates by Hogarth, and notes illustrative of those passages and allusions which, from the lapse of time, were becoming obscure. This long remained the standard edition, until in 1794, Dr. Nash, the historian of Worcestershire, published a new edition in 2 vols. 4to, and one of notes, abridged, improved, and corrected from Dr. Grey’s edition; with an inquiry into the life of Butler, containing, however, few particulars that are not generally known.
bishop of Clonfert and Kilialoe, in Ireland, and was the mother of Richard Cumberland, esq. the well- known dramatic writer. It has been asserted, but without any foundation,
His inclination to poetry appeared very early, but was
imparted principally to his friends and fellow-students.
The first production which brought him into general notice,
was probably written in his twenty-third year. At this
time the beautiful pastoral of “Colin and Phebe
” appeared
in the eighth volume of the Spectator; and was, as it continues to be, universally admired. The Phebe of this pastoral was Joanna, daughter of the celebrated Dr. Bentley,
master of Trinity college: this young and very amiable
lady was afterwards married to Dr. Dennison Cumberland,
bishop of Clonfert and Kilialoe, in Ireland, and was the mother of Richard Cumberland, esq. the well-known dramatic
writer. It has been asserted, but without any foundation,
that Byrom paid his addresses to Miss Bentley. His object
was rather to recommend himself to the attention of her
father, who was an admirer of the Spectators, and liLely to
notice a poem of so much merit, coming, as he would soon
be told, from one of his college. Byrom had before this
sent two ingenious papers on the subject of dreaming to
the Spectator; and these specimens of promising talent
introduced him to the particular notice of Dr. Bentley,
by whose interest he was chosen fellow of his college, and
soon after admitted to the degree of master of arts.
Amidst this honourable progress, he does not appear to
have thought of any profession, and as he declined going
into the church, the statutes of the college required that
he should vacate his fellowship. Perhaps the state of his
health created this irresolution, for we find that in 1716
it became necessary for him to visit Montpelier upon that
account; and his fellowship being lost, he returned no
more to the university.
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
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.
”
e duke of Somerset, then lord protector, who received him into great favour, and by whom he was made known to king Edward VI. That young prince, who was very solicitous
Cabot’s ship lay, about the beginning of 1527. Directing his course towards the river Parana, he arrived at the fort built by Cabot and about one hundred and ten leagues from this fort he found Cabot himself, in the port of St. Anne, After a short stay there, they returned together to the fort of the Holy Ghost, from whence they sent messengers into Spain. Those who were dispatched by Cabot were Francis Calderon and George Barlow, who gave a very favourable account of the fine countries bordering on the river La Plata, shewing how large a tract of land he had not only discovered, but subdued; and producing gold, silver, and other valuable commodities, as evidences in favour of their commander’s conduct. They then demanded on his behalf, that a supply should be sent of provisions, ammunition, goods proper to carry on a tra'de, and a competent recruit of seamen and soldiers. But the merchants, by whom Cabot’s squadron was fitted out, would not agree to these requisitions, rather choosing to resign their rights to the crown of Castile. The king then took the whole upon himself; but was so dilatory in his preparations, that Cabot, who had been five years employed in this expedition, being quite tired out, determined to return home; which he accordingly did, embarking the remainder of his men and all his effects onboard the largest of his ships, and leaving the rest behind him. He arrived at the Spanish court, where he gave an account of his expedition, in the spring of 1531. But he was not well received: for he had created himself enemies by the rigour with which he had treated his Spanish mutineers; and he had also disappointed the expectations of his owners by not prosecuting his voyage to the Moluccos. Notwithstanding these unfavourable circumstances, he found means to keep his place, and continued in the service of Spain many years after, till at length he resolved to return again to England. What were his particular inducements to this we meet with no certain account, but it was probably about the latter end of the reign of king Henry VIII. that Cabot returned to England, where he resided at Bristol. In the beginning of the following reign he was introduced to the duke of Somerset, then lord protector, who received him into great favour, and by whom he was made known to king Edward VI. That young prince, who was very solicitous to acquire knowledge, and who had much more skill in maritime affairs than could have been expected from his years, took great pleasure in the conversation of Cabot, to whom a pension was granted, by letters patent, dated January 6, 1549, of 166l. 13s. 4rf. a year: and, according to Hakluyt, this annuity was allowed him as grand pilot of England. From this time he continued highly in the king’s favour, and was consulted upon all affairs relative to trade, and particularly in the great case of the merchants of the Steel-yard in 1551.
driven by a storm on an unknown coast, to which he gave the name of Saint Croix, but which is better known since by that of Brazil, and is at present the seat of the Portuguese
, another skilful navigator. the son of Ferdinand Cabral, a Portuguese nobleman, was appointed commander of the second fleet which the king of Portugal sent to the Indies in 1500. After sailing for a month, he was driven by a storm on an unknown coast, to which he gave the name of Saint Croix, but which is better known since by that of Brazil, and is at present the seat of the Portuguese monarchy. Cabral took possession of this country on April 24, 1500. He then sailed for Sofala in AtVica, where he arrived with only seven out of thirteen ship* with which he left Portugal and having then proceeded to Calecut, he entered into a treaty with the zamorin or emperor, who allowed him to build a factory for the Portuguese, and although die zamorin behaved treache r rously afterwards, Cabral, by chastising his insolence, finally atchieved his purpose. He entered into a similar treaty with the prince of Cananpr, and in 1501 returned to Portugal with his fleet richly laden. Of his future life we have no account, but he wrote a detail of his voyage, which liamusio translated into Italian, and published with some others at Venice.
following instance of his uncommon charity “A gentleman once borrowing his coach (which was as well known to poor people as any hospital in England) was so rendezvouzed
, a learned civilian, was born near
Tottenham, in Middlesex, in 1557. His father was Cæsar
Adelmar, physician to queen Mary and queen Elizabeth
lineally descended from Adelmar count of Genoa, and admiral of France, in the year 806, in the reign of Charles
the Great. This Cæsar Adelmar’s mother was daughter to
the duke de Cesarini, from whom he had the name of
Cæsar which name Mary I. queen of England, ordered
to be continued to his posterity and his father was Peter
Maria Dalmarius, of the city of Trevigio in Italy, LL. D.
sprung from those of his name living at Cividad del Friuli.
Julius, who is the subject of this article, had his education in
the university of Oxford, where he took the degree of B. A.
May 17, 1575, as a member of Magdalen hall. Afterwards
he went and studied in the university of Paris where, in
the beginning of 1581, he was created D. C. L. and had
letters testimonial for it, under the seal of that university,
dated the 22d of April, 1531. He was admitted to the
same degree at Oxford, March the 5th, 1583; and also
became doctor of the canon law. In the reign of queen Elizabeth, he was master of requests, judge of the high court
of admiralty, and master of St. Catherine’s hospital near
the Tower. On the 22d of January, 1595, he was present
at the confirmation of Richard Vaughan, bishop of Bangor,
in the church of St. Mary-le-Bow, London. Upon kingJames’s accession to the throne, having before distinguished
himself by his merit and abilities, he was knighted by that
prince, at Greenwich, May 20, 1603. He was also constituted chancellor and under- treasurer of the exchequer
and on the 5th of July, 1607, sworn of his majesty’s privy
council. January 16th, in the eighth of king James I. he
obtained a reversionary grant of the office of master of the
rolls after sir Edward Phillips, knight; who, departing this
life September 11, 1614, was succeeded accordingly by
sir Julius, on the 1st of October following; and then he
resigned his place of chancellor of the exchequer. In
1613 he was one of the commissioners, or delegates employed in the business of the divorce between the earl of
Essex and his countess; and gave sentence for that divorce.
About the same time, he built a chapel at his house, <on
the north side of the Strand, in London, which was consecrated, May 8, 1614. As he had been privy-counsellor
to king James I. so was he also to his son king Charles I.;
and appears to have been custos rotulorum of the county
of Hertford. We are likewise informed by one author,
that he was chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. After
having thus passed through many honourable employments,
and continued in particular, master of the rolls for above
twenty years, he departed this life April 28, 1636, in the
seventy-ninth year of his age. He lies buried in the church
of Great St. Helen’s within Bishopgate, London, under
a fair, but uncommon monument, designed by himself;
being in form of a deed, and made to resemble a ruffled
parchment, in allusion to his office as master of the rolls.
With regard to his character, he was a man of great gravity and integrity, and remarkable for his extensive bounty
and charity to all persons of worth, or that were in want:
so that he might seem to be almoner-general of the nation.
Fuller gives the following instance of his uncommon charity
“A gentleman once borrowing his coach (which was as well known to poor people as any hospital in England)
was so rendezvouzed about with beggars in London, that
it cost him all the money in his purse to satisfy their importunity, so that he might have hired twenty coaches on
the same terms.
” He entertained for some time in hisr
house the most illustrious Francis lord Bacon, viscount
St. Alban’s. He made his grants to all persons double
kindnesses by expedition, and cloathed (as one expresses it) his very denials in such robes of courtship, that it was
not obviously discernible, whether the request or denial
were most decent. He had also this peculiar to himself,
that he was very cautious of promises, lest falling to an
incapacity of performance he might forfeit his reputation,
and multiply his certain enemies, by hisoiesign of creating
uncertain friends. Besides, he observed a sure principle
of rising, namely, that great persons esteem better of such
they have done great courtesies to, than those they have
received great civilities from; looking upon this as their
disparagement, the other as their glory.
st, 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,
, 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.
, and was such a lover of obscurity and retirement, that though he was a very able preacher, and was known to have done much good in the space of three and twenty years
, eldest son of the preceding, was born at St. Edmund’s-Bury, in Suffolk, about the year 1635. In h,is junior years he was carefully instructed by his father, and when he had acquired a sufficient fund of learning, he was transferred to the university of Cambridge, where he was entered of Sidney college, March 28, 1651. He took the degree of bachelor of arts in 1654-5. Then be removed to Pembroke-hall, where he took the degree of master of arts in 1658. He became afterwards fellow of that colleg e; and on April 20, 1659, was presented to the living of Moreton in Essex, which he held till he was removed by f;he act of uniformity in 1G62. After his ejectment he ret ired to London, and kept a meeting privately in his house in Aldermanbury. When Charles II. published his declarati< >n for indulgence, he set up a public meeting in Curriers-hall, near Cripplegate. But when the dissenters were again persecuted, he had recourse to his former methodl and though he was very assiduous in his duty, yet he escaped imprisonment, notwithstanding warrants were frequently out against him but he had the misfortune, with several other of his brethren, to fall under a crown-office prosecution, which put him to a great deal of trouble and expence. As he was a person of much learning and unaffected piety, so he was very careful to avoid whatever might draw upon him the imputation of party. In the earlier part of life he declined taking the covenant, and through the whole course of it shewed a spirit of moderation and charity agreeable to his calling. He was, though a nonconformist, a man of very free notions, and one who never pretended to confine the church of Christ within the bounds of any particular sect. He had a great contempt for the goods of this world, and was such a lover of obscurity and retirement, that though he was a very able preacher, and was known to have done much good in the space of three and twenty years that he exercised the ministry in London, yet he would never be prevailed on to appear in print, but satisfied himself with the consciousness of having performed his duty. Having thus led a private and peaceable, though not a quiet life, he exchanged it for a better in the month of May 1685, being taken off by a consumption. He left behind him a son and four daughters.
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
, 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.
ith 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
, 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.
under Remigio Canta Gailina, a skilful painter and engraver. Afterwards he got to Rome, where he was known by a merchant of Nancy, and sent immediately home to his parents.
, a famous engraver, son of John. Callot, herald of arms in Lorrain, was descended from an ancient and noble family, and born at Nancy in 1593. He cherished almost from hig infancy a taste and spirit for the belles lettres, as well as for the fine arts. When he was only twelve years old he set off for Rome, without the knowledge of his parents, in order to see the many curiositjes there he had heard so much talk of; but his money failing, he joined himself to a party of Bohemians, who were going into Italy, and went with them to Florence. There he was taken under the protection of an officer of the great duke, who placed him to learn designing under Remigio Canta Gailina, a skilful painter and engraver. Afterwards he got to Rome, where he was known by a merchant of Nancy, and sent immediately home to his parents. When he was about 14 years of age he left home again, and directed his course towards Rome but being discovered by his elder*- brother, who was at Turin about business, he was brought buck a second time to Nancy. His passion, however, for seeing Rome being still ardent and irresistible, his father at length gave him leave to go in the train of a gentleman whom the duke of Lorrain sent to the pope.
4 vols. fol. This work, which is a valuable treasure of sacred history and criticism, was soon made known to the English public by a translation, in 3 vols. fol. London,
, a learned Benedictine of the
college of St. Vanncs, was born at Mesnil-la-Horgue, near
Commercy, Feb. 26, 1672, and was first educated in the
priory of Breuii. In 1687 he went to study at the
university of Pont-a-Mousson, where he was taught a course of
rhetoric. On leaving this class, he entered among the
Benedictines in the abbey of St. Mansuy, in the fauxbourg
of Toul, Oct. 17, 1688, and mad,e profession in the same
place Oct. 23, 1689. He began his philosophical course
in the abbey of fcfe. Evre, and completed that and his theological studies in the abbey of St. Munster. At his leisure
hours he studied the Hebrew language with great attention
and success, and likewise improved his knowledge of the
Greek. In 1696 he was sent with some of his companions
to the abbey of Moyenmoutier, where they studied the
Holy Scriptures under P. D. Hyacinthe Alliot. Two years
aftef, in 1698, Calmet was appointed to teach philosophy
and theology to the young religious of that monastery, an
employment which he filled until 1704, when he was sent,
with the rank of sub-prior, to the abbey of Munster. There
he was at the head of an academy of eight or ten religious,
with whom he pursued his biblical studies, and having,
while at Moyenmoutier written commentaries and dissertations, on various parts of the Bible, he here retouched and
improved these, although without any other design, at this
time, than his own instruction. During a visit, however,
at Paris, in 1706, he was advised by the abbe Duguet, to
whom he had been recommended by Mabillon, to publish
his commentaries in French, and the first volume accordingly appeared in 1707. In 1715 he became prior of Lay,
and in 1718 the chapter-general appointed bim abb 6 of
St. Leopold, of Nancy, and the year following he was
made visitor of the congregation. In 1728 he was chosen
abbe* of Senones, on which occasion he resigned his priory
of Lay. When pope Benedict XIII. confirmed his election, the cardinals proposed to his holiness that Calmet
should also have the title of bishop in partibus infiddium,
with power to exercise the episcopal functions in those
parts of the province which are exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary; but this Calmet refused, and wrote
on the subject to Rome. The pope in Sept. 1729, addressed a brief to him, accepting of his excuses, and some
time after sent him a present of his works, in 3 vols. fol.
Calmet took possession of the abbey of Senones, January
3, 1729, and continued his studies, and increased the library and museum belonging to the abbey with several
valuable purchases, particularly of the medals of the deceased M. de Corberon, secretary of slate, and of the
natural curiosities of M, Voile. Here be died Oct. 25, 1757,
respected by all ranks, Roman catholics and Protestants,
for his learning and candour, and by his more particular
friends and those of his own order, for his amiable temper
and personal virtues. His learning, indeed, was most extensive, as the greater part of his long life was devoted to
study, but amidst such vast accumulation of materials, we
are not surprized that he was sometimes deficient in selection, and appears rather as a collector of facts, than as
an original thinker. His principal works are, 1. “Commentaire litteral sur tous les livres de l'Aneten et da Nouyeau Testament,
” Dissertations and Prefaces
” belonging to his commentary,
published separately with nineteen new Dissertations,
Paris, 1720, 2 vols. 4to. 3. “Histoire de PAncien et du
Nouveau Testament,
” intended as an introduction to Fleury’s “Ecclesiastical History,
” 2 and 4 vols. 4to; and 5 and
7 vols. 12mo. 4. “Dictionnaire historique, critique, et
chronologique de la Bible.
” Paris, Histoire ecclesiasiique et civile de la Lorraine,
” 3 vols.
fol. reprinted 1745, in 5 vols. fol. 6. “Bibliotheque des
Ecrivains de Lorraine,
” fol, Histoire
universelle sacrée et profane,
” 15 vols. 4to. This Calmet did not
live to finish, and in other respects it is not his best work.
7. “Dissertations sur les apparitions des Anges, des Demons,
et des Esprits, et sur les Revenans et Vampires de Hongrie,
”
Paris, 1754, 2 vols. 4to. 10.
” De la Poesie et Musique des anciens Hebreux," Amst. 1723, 8vo. His conjectures on this subject, Dr. Burney thinks, are perhaps as
probable as those of any one of the numerous authors who
have exercised their skill in expounding and defining what
some have long since thought involved in Cimmerian darkness. Calmet also left a vast number of manuscripts, or
rather manuscript collections, as it had long been his practice to copy, or employ others to copy, whatever he found
curious in books. In 1733, he deposited in the royal
library, a correct transcript of the Vedam, a work which
the natives of Hiudostan attribute to their legislator Brama,
who received it, according to their tradition, from God
himself. This copy came into Calmet' s possession by means
of a bramin who had been converted by the Jesuit missionaries. Calmet’s life was written by Dom Fange, his
nephew and successor in the abbey of Senones, and published in 8vo. It was afterwards translated into Italian by
Benedetto Passionei, and published at Rome in 1770.
nt 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
, 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.
n Latin, French, and English, prose and verse, of very little merit. A copy, the only one said to be known in this country , was sold at Mr. Isaac Reed’s sale, who likewise
, Lord Baltimore, a descendant of the preceding, and eldest son of Charles, the sixth
lord, was born in 1731, and succeeded to the title on the
death of his father in 1751, and also to the proprietorship
of Maryland. After returning from his travels he married
lady Diana Egerton, youngest daughter of the duke of
Bridgwater. In 1768 he was indicted at the Kingston assizes for a rape, but acquitted. He went soon after to
reside on the continent, and died at Naples, Sept. 14, 1771,
without issue by marriage, leaving his fortune to his sister,
Mrs. Eden. In 1767, he published “A Tour to the East
in the years 1763 and 1764, with remarks on the city of
'Constantinople and the Turks. Also select pieces of Oriental wit, poetry, and wisdom,
” Lond. Gaudia Poetica, Latina, Anglica,
et Gallica, Lingua composita, anuo 1769. Augustse Litteris Spathianis, 1770.
” It is dedicated, in Latin, to LinIkeiis, and consists of various pieces in Latin, French, and
English, prose and verse, of very little merit. A copy,
the only one said to be known in this country , was sold
at Mr. Isaac Reed’s sale, who likewise had another performance of his lordship’s, equally rare, and valued only
for its rarity, entitled “Coelestes et Inferi,
” Venetiis,
t 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,
, 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,
t 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
, 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.
The same year in which he commenced his establishment at Twickenham, he became known to the public as the 'author of “The Seribleriad,” which was
The same year in which he commenced his establishment
at Twickenham, he became known to the public as the
'author of “The Seribleriad,
” which was published in The Dialogue between a member of parliament and his servant,
” in Intruder,
” in The Fakeer,
” in The
World,
” to which he contributed twenty-one papers,
which are unquestionably among the best in that collection.
Lord Chesterfield, who knew and respected him, drew the
following character in one of his own excellent papers
“Cantabrigitis drinks nothing but water, and rides more
miles in a year than the keenest sportsman the former
keeps his head clear, the latter his body in health it is
not from himself that he runs, but to his acquaintance, a
synonimous term for his friends. Internally safe, he seeks
po sanctuary from himself, no intoxication for his mind.
His penetration makes him discover and divert himself with
the follies of mankind, which his wit enables him to expose
with the truest ridicule, though always without personal
offence. Cheerful abroad because happy at home, and
thus happy because virtuous.
”
"It is well known, that among the many painful and humiliating effects that attend
"It is well known, that among the many painful and humiliating effects that attend the decline of life, and follow from a partial decay of the mental powers, we have often to lament the change it produces in the heart and affections; but from every consequence of this sort my father was most happily exempt. This I allow myself to say upon the authority of the medical gentleman * of considerable eminence, by whose skill and friendly attentions he was assisted, through the 'progressive stages of his slow decline; and who has repeatedly assured me, that, in the whole course of his extensive practice, he had never seen a similar instance of equanimity and undeviating sweetness of temper.
ue of fame, had yet none of the worst perils of authorship to encounter. As a writer 1 he was better known to the world, but he could not have been more highly respected
Of his literary character his Son has formed a just estimate, when he says that he is to be regarded rather as an elegant than a profound scholar. Yet, where he chose to apply, his knowledge was far from being superficial, and if he had not at an early period of life indulged the prospect of filling the station of a retired country gentleman, it is probable that he might have made a distinguished figure in any of the learned professions. It is certain that the ablest works on every subject have been produced, with very few exceptions, by men who have been scholars by profession, to whom reputation was necessary as well as ornamental, and who could not expect to rise but in proportion to the abilities they discovered. Mr. Cambridge, without being insensible to the value of fame, had yet none of the worst perils of authorship to encounter. As a writer 1 he was better known to the world, but he could not have been more highly respected by his friends.
him. He was also soon after introduced to Erasnrus, and his uncommon abilities and industry made him known to all the eminent men of his time.
, one of the most learned writers of his age, was born at Bamberg April 12, 1500. The ancient family name was Leibhard, but it was afterwards changed into that of Cammermeister, in Latin Camerarius, or Chamberlain, from one of his ancestors having held that office at court. He was sent to a school at Leipsic when he was 13 years of age, and soon distinguished himself by his application to Greek and Latin authors, which he read without ceasing. When Leipsic, on one occasion, was in a tumult, Camerarius shewed no concern about any thing but an Aldus’s Herodotus, which he carried under his arm; and which indeed to a scholar at that time was of some consequence, when printing was in its infancy, and Greek books not easily procured. It is yet more to his praise that his Greek professor, when obliged to be absent, entrusted him to read his lectures, although at that time he was but sixteen years old. In 1517 he studied philosophy under Moseilanus; and this was the year, when the indulgences were preached, which gave occasion to the reformation. Camerarius was at St. Paul’s church in Leipsic with Heltus, who was his master in Greek and Latin literature, when these indulgences were exposed from the pulpit; but Heltus was so offended with the impudence of the Dominican who obtruded them, that he went out of the church in the middle of the sermon, and ordered Camerarius to follow him. When he had staid at Leipsic five years, he went to Erford; and three years after to Wittemberg, where Luther and Melancthon were maintaining and propagating the reformation. He knew Melancthon before lived afterwards in the utmost intimacy with him and, after Melancthon' s death, wrote a very copious and accurate life of him. He was also soon after introduced to Erasnrus, and his uncommon abilities and industry made him known to all the eminent men of his time.
of the higher mathematics, and acquired a name among the learned. He made himself more particularly known to the academy of sciences in 1727 by his memoir upon the subject
, a celebrated
French mathematician, examiner of the royal schools of
Artillery and engineers, secretary and professor of the royal
academy of architecture, honorary member of that of the
marine, and fellow of the royal society of London, was,
born at Cressy en Brie, Aqgust 25, 1699. His early ingenuity in mechanics and his own intreaties induced his.
parents to send him to study at a college in Paris, at ten,
years of age; where in the space of two years his progress
was so great, that he was able to give lessons in mathematics, and thus to defray his own expences at the college
without any farther charge to his parents. By the assist^
ance of the celebrated Varignon, young Camus soon ran
through the course of the higher mathematics, and acquired
a name among the learned. He made himself more particularly known to the academy of sciences in 1727 by his memoir upon the subject of the prize which they had proposed
for that year, viz. “To determine the most advantageous
way of masting ships;
” in consequence of which he was
named that year adjoint mechanician to the academy; and
in 1730 he was appointed professor of architecture. In less
than three years after, he was honoured with the secretaryship of the same; and the 18th of April 1733, he obtained
the degree of associate in the academy, where he distinguished himself by his memoirs upon living forces, or bodies in motion acted upon by forces, on the figure of the
teeth of wheels and pinions, on pump work, and severa^
other ingenious memoirs.
s of the veins, which were afterwards more completely described by Vesalius. The work by which he is known, of which only four complete copies are said to be in existence,
, one of the restorers and
improvers of anatomy, was born at Ferrara, in Italy, in
1515, where he acquired so much reputation for his skill in
medicine, that he was invited to Rome by pope Julius III.
who made him archiator, and his principal physician. On
the death of the pope he returned to Ferrara, and pursued
his anatomical researches. He first discovered the valves of
the veins, which were afterwards more completely described
by Vesalius. The work by which he is known, of which
only four complete copies are said to be in existence, is
“Musculorum humani corporis picturata dissectio,
” 4to,
printed, Haller thinks, in
vet in “Opera Canonica Canisii,” Louvain, 1649, 4to, Cologne, 1662. But the work by which he is best known is his 3. “Antiqute lectiones,” 1601—1603, 7 vols. 4to, reprinted
, or De Hondt, the nephew of
Peter Canisius, first provincial of the Jesuits in Germany,
who died in 1597, was born at Nimeguen, and became not
only a celebrated lawyer, but a general scholar of great
reputation, particularly in ecclesiastical antiquities. After
studying at the university of Louvain, he was appointed
professor of canon law in that of Ingolstadt, which situation he retained until his death in 1610. His professional
writings were principally, 1. “Summa juris Canonici.
”
2. “Commentarium in regulas juris.
” 3. “Praelectiones
academicae,
” &c. all collected and republished by Andrew
Bouvet in “Opera Canonica Canisii,
” Louvain, Antiqute lectiones,
” Thesaurus monumentorum ecclesiasticorum &
historicorum,
” &c. Amsterdam,
as a leader of the English Brownists at Amsterdam, whither he fled on the restoration; but little is known of his personal history. His employ in England before his flight
, was a leader of the English Brownists at Amsterdam, whither he fled on the restoration; but little is known of his personal history. His employ in England before his flight seems to have been no other than compiling the weekly news, yet he found time sufficient to collate many passages of Scripture, from whence he drew his notes, which he placed in the margin of his Bible; the first edit, printed in 8vo, at Amsterdam, in 1664, is the rarest, but the best, perhaps, is that of Edinburgh, 1727, 8vo. In the preface he mentions a larger work, to be soon published, but it does not seem to have ever been printed. It was his opinion that the original text of scripture in Hebrew and Greek should be translated, as much as possible, word for word, as Ainsworth did the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and Canticles, which were all printed together in 1639, folio. Canne succeeded Ainsworth as preacher to the congregation of Brownists at Amsterdam.
t of inquiry, and having discovered that Cano had been jealous of this Italian, and also that he was known to be attached to another woman, they acquitted the fugitive
, a Spanish artist, and styled the Michel Angelo of Spain, because he excelled in painting,
sculpture, and architecture, was born in the city of Grenada in 1600, where his father, an eminent architect, educated him in his own profession, and when his instructions
in this branch were completed, he applied himself to the
study of sculpture, and made an uncommon progress in a
very short time. He next went to Seville, and for eight
months studied under Pacheco, and afterwards under Juan
del Castillo, in whose academy he executed many noble
paintings for the public edifices in Seville, and at the same
time gave some specimens of his excellence in statuary,
which were highly admired, particularly a “Madonna and
Child,
” in the great church of Nebriga, and two colossal
figures of San Pedro and San Pablo. Count Olivarez was
the means of his coming to Madrid, where he was made
first royal architect, king’s painter, and preceptor to the
prince, don Balthazar Carlos of Austria. Here, as architect, he projected several additional works to the palaces,
some public gates to the city, and a triumphal arch erected
on the entrance of Mariana, second queen to Philip IV.
As a painter, he executed many celebrated compositions
in the churches and palaces of Madrid.
While in the height of his fame an event happened which
involved him in much trouhle. Returning home one evening, he discovered his wife murdered, his house robbed,
while an Italian journeyman, on whom the suspicion naturally fell, had escaped. The criminal judges held a
court of inquiry, and having discovered that Cano had been
jealous of this Italian, and also that he was known to be
attached to another woman, they acquitted the fugitive
gallant, and condemned the husband. On this he fled to
Valencia, and being discovered there, took refuge in a
Carthusian convent about three leagues from that city,
where he seemed for a time determined upon taking the
order, but afterwards was so imprudent as to return to
Madrid, where he was apprehended, and ordered to be
put to the torture, which he suffered without uttering 3r
single word. On this the king received him again into favour, and as Cano saw there was no absolute safety but
within the pale of the church, he solicited the king with
that view, and was named residentiary of Grenada. The
chapter objected to his nomination, but were obliged to
submit, and their church profited by the appointment,
many sculptures and paintings being of his donation. The
last years of his life he spent in acts of devotion and charity. When he had no money to bestow in alms, which
was frequently the case, he would call for paper, and give
a beggar a drawing, directing him where to carry it for
sale. To the Jews he bore an implacable antipathy. On
his death-bed he would not receive the sacraments from a
priest who attended him, because he had administered
them to the converted Jews; and from another he would
not accept the crucifix presented to him in his last moments, telling him it was so bungling a piece of work that
he could not endure the sight of it. In this manner died
Alonso Cano, at the age of seventy-six, in 1676; a circumstance, says his biographer, which shows that his ruling
passion for the arts accompanied him in the article of death,
superseding even religion itself in those moments when
the great interests of salvation naturally must be supposed to
occupy the mind to the exclusion of every other idea.
istles of. Horace, he gave them of his own, satires, odes, and fables. He made several foreign works known to them; as, 1. The Plurality of worlds. 2. The Persian letters.
, son of the above, was born
in 1710. The most skilled at Petersburg in mathematics,
physics, history, morality, and polite literature, were employed to continue those lectures, which his father had begun to give him. The academy of Petersburg opened
their gates to him, and the ministry initiated him into
affairs of state. Successively ambassador to London and
Paris, he was equally admired as a minister and man of
letters. On his return to Russia, he conducted himself
with most consummate wisdom and prudence, during the
different revolutions which agitated that country. This accomplished person died in 1744. The Russians before him
had nothing in verse but some barbarous songs: he was the
first who introduced any civilized poetry among them.
Besides a translation of Anacreon and the epistles of. Horace, he gave them of his own, satires, odes, and fables.
He made several foreign works known to them; as, 1. The
Plurality of worlds. 2. The Persian letters. 3. The dialogues of Algarotti upon light, &c. aqd he printed
“Concordance to the Psalms
” in the Russian language.
The abbe* de Guasco, who translated his Satires, has written his life.
taly, and visited the several universities of those countries; Bononia particularly, where he became known to the famous Carolus Sigonius, to whom he afterwards dedicated
, an eminent linguist and philologer, was born at Utrecht of an ancient and reputable
family in 1542; and educated in the belles lettres under
the inspection of his parents, till he was 12 years of age.
He was then sent to Cornelius Valerius at Lou vain, with
whom he continued four years; and gave surprising proofs
of his progress in Greek and Latin literature, by writing
letters in those languages, by translations, and by drawing
up some dramatic pieces. Having an uncommon taste for
the Greek, he removed in 1559 from Lou vain to Paris, for
the sake of learning that language more perfectly from
John Auratus, under whom he studied till 1562, and then
was obliged to leave France on account of the civil wars.
He travelled next into Germany and Italy, and visited the
several universities of those countries; Bononia particularly, where he became known to the famous Carolus
Sigonius, to whom he afterwards dedicated his eight books
“Novarum Lectionum.
” Venice he had a great desire to
see, not only for the beauty and magnificence of the place,
but for the opportunity he should have of purchasing manuscripts; which the Greeks brought in great abundance
from their own country, and there exposed to sale: and
from Venice he purposed to go to Rome. But, not being
able to bear the heat of those regions, he dropped the
pursuit of his journey, and returned through Germany to
l^ouvain, where in about eight years’ time excessive study
brought on a lingering consumption, of which he died in
1*75, when he was only in his 33d year. Thuanus says,
that he deserved to be reckoned among the most learned
men of his age; and that he would certainly have done
great things, if he had not died so very immaturely. He
understood six languages, besides that of his native country, viz. the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Italian, and
German.
of the sun, -his place in the ecliptic, and some other particulars. When this was finished, and made known to his father, he permitted it to be placed against the front
, an ingenious natural philosopher, was born at Stroud, in Gloucestershire, July 31, 1713; and was placed, when young, under the care of a Mr. Davis, of the same place, a very able mathematician, with whom, before he attained the age of nine years, he had gone through both vulgar and decimal arithmetic. He then proceeded to the mathematics, and particularly to algebra and astronomy, wherein he made a considerable progress, when his father took him from school, and put him to learn his own business, that of a broad-cloth weaver, but this circumstance did not damp his zeal for the acquisition of knowledge. All his leisure time was devoted to the assiduous^cultivation of astronomical science; and, by the help of the Caroline tables, annexed to Wing’s astronomy, he computed eclipses of the moon and other phsenomena. His acquaintance with that science he applied, likewise, to the constructing of several kinds of dials. But the studies of our young philosopher being frequently pursued to very late hours, his father, fearing that they would injure his health, forbade him the use of a cmidle in his chamber, any longer than for the purpose of going to bed, and would himself often see that his injunction was obeye<l. The son’s thirst of knowledge was, however, so great, that it made him attempt to evade the prohibition, and to find means of secreting his light till the family had retired to rest; when he rose to prosecute undisturbed his favourite pursuits. It was during this prohibition, and at these hours, that he computed, and cut upon stone, with no better an instrument than a common knife, the lines of a large upright sun-dial; on which, besides the hour of the day, were shewn the rising of the sun, -his place in the ecliptic, and some other particulars. When this was finished, and made known to his father, he permitted it to be placed against the front of his house, where it excited the admiration of several gentlemen in the neighbourhood, and introduced young Mr. Canton to their acquaintance, which was followed by the offer of the use of their libraries. In the library of one of these gentlemen, he found Martin’s Philosophical Grammar, which was the first bodk that gave him a taste for natural philosophy. In the possession of another gentleman, a few miles from Stroud, he first saw a pair of globes; an object that afforded him uncommon pleasure, from the great ease with which he could solve those problems he had hitherto been accustomed to compute. The dial was beautified a few years ago, at the expence of the gentlemen at Stroud; several of whom had been his school-fellows, and who continued still to regard it as a very distinguished performance. Among other persons with whom he became acquainted in early life, was the late reverend and ingenious Dr. Henry Miles of Tooting, a learned member of the royal society, and of approved eminence in natural knowledge. This gentleman, perceiving that Mr. Canton possessed abilities too promising to be confined within ^the narrow limits of a country town, prevailed on his father to permit him to come to London. Accordingly he arrived at the metropolis March 4, 1737, and resided with Dr. Miles, at Tooting (who, it may here be noticed, bequeathed to him all his philosophical instruments), till the 6th of May following; when he articled himself, for the term of five years, as a clerk to Mr. Samuel Watkins, master of the academy in Spitalsquare. In this situation, his ingenuity, diligence, and good conduct were so conspicuous, that, on the expiration of his clerkship, in the month of May 1742, he was taken into partnership with Mr. Watkins for three years; which gentleman he afterwards succeeded in Spital-square, and there continued during his whole life. On December 25, 1744, he married Penelope, the eldest daughter of Mr. Thomas Colbrooke, and niece to James Colbrooke, esq. banker in London.
, a gentleman well known by his indefatigable attention to the works of Shakspeare, was
, a gentleman well known by his
indefatigable attention to the works of Shakspeare, was
born at Troston, near Bury, Suffolk, June 11, 1713, and
received his education at the school of St. Edmund’s Bury.
In the dedication of his edition of Shakspeare, in 1768, to
the duke of Grafton, he observes, that “his father and the
grandfather of his grace were friends, and to the patronage
of the deceased nobleman he owed the leisure which enabled him to bestow the attention of twenty years on that
work.
” The office which his grace bestowed on Mr. Capell was that of deputy inspector of the plays, to which a
salary is annexed of 200l. a year. So early as the year
1745, as Capell himself informs us, shocked at the licentiousness of Hanmer’s plan, he first projected an edition of
Shakspeare, of the strictest accuracy, to be collated and
published, in due time, “ex fide codicum.
” He immediately proceeded to collect and compare the oldest and
scarcest copies; noting the original excellencies and defects of the rarest quartos, and distinguishing the improvements or variations of the first, second, and third folios.
But while all this mass of profound criticism was tempering
in the forge, he appeared at last a self-armed Aristarchus,
almost as lawless as any of his predecessors, vindicating
his claim to public notice by his established reputation, the
authoritative air of his notes, and the shrewd observations,
as well as majesty, of his preface. His edition, however,
was the effort of a poet, rather than of a critic; and Mr.
Capell lay fortified and secure in his strong holds, entrenched in the black letter. Three years after (to use his own language) he “set out his own edition, in ten volumes, small octavo, with an introduction,
” 1768, printed
at the expence of the principal booksellers of London, who
gave him 300l. for his labours. There is not, among the
various publications of the present literary aera, a more
singular composition than that “Introduction.
” In style
and manner it is more obsolete, and antique, than the age
of which it treats. It is lord Herbert of Cherbury walking
the new pavement in all the trappings of romance; but,
like lord Herbert, it displays many valuable qualities accompanying this air of extravagance, much sound sense,
and appropriate erudition. It has since been added to the
prolegomena of Johnson and Steevens’s edition. In the
title-page of this work was also announced, “Whereunto
will be added, in some other volumes, notes, critical and
explanatory, and a body of various readings entire.
” The
introduction likewise declared, that these “notes and various readings
” would be accompanied with another work,
disclosing the sources from which Shakspeare “drew the
greater part of his knowledge in mythological and classical
matters, his fable, his history, and even the seeming peculiarities of his language to which,
” says Mr. Capell,
“we have given for title, The School of Shakspeare.
” Nothing surely could be more properly conceived than such
designs, nor have we ever met with any thing better
grounded on the subject of “the learning of Shakspeare
”
than what may be found in the. long note to this part of
Mr. Capell’s introduction. It is more solid than even the
popular essay on this topic. Such were the meditated
achievements of the critical knight-errant, Edward Capell.
But, alas! art is long, and life is short. Three-andtvventy years had elapsed, in collection, collation, compilation, and transcription, between the conception and production of his projected edition: and it then came, like
human births, naked into the world, without notes or commentary, save the critical matter dispersed through the
introduction, and a brief account of the origin of the fables
of the several plays, and a table of the different editions.
Cenain quaintnesses of style, and peculiarities of printing
and punctuation, attended the whole of this publication.
The outline, however, was correct. The critic, with unremitting toil, proceeded in his undertaking. But while
he was diving into the classics of Caxton, and working his
way under ground, like the river Mole, in order to emerge
with all his glories; while he was looking forward to his
triumphs; certain other active spirits went to work upon
his plan, and, digging out the promised treasures, laid
them prematurely before the public, defeating the effect
of our critic’s discoveries by anticipation. Steevens, Malone, Farmer, Percy, Reed, and a whole host of literary
ferrets, burrowed into every hole and corner of the warren
of modern antiquity, and overran all the country, whose
map had been delineated by Edward Capell. Such a contingency nearly staggered the steady and unshaken perseverance of our critic, at the very eve of the completion
of his labours, and, as his editor informs us for, alas! at
the end of near forty years, the publication was posthumous, and the critic himself no more! we say then, as
his editor relates, he was almost determined to lay the
work wholly aside. He persevered, however (as we learn from the rev. editor, Mr. Collins), by the encouragement
of some noble and worthy persons: and to such their Cih
couragement, and his perseverance, the public was, in
1783, indebted for three large volumes in 4to, under the
title of “Notes and various readings of Shakspeare; together with the School of Shakspeare, or extracts from
divers English books, that were in print in the author’s
time; evidently shewing from whence his several fables
were taken, and some parcel of his dialogue. Also
farther extracts, which contribute to a due understanding
of his writings, or give a light to the history of his life, or
to the dramatic history of his time.
”
oeval with the language, and were always in use among the Jews: the second, that the points were not known to the Jews before their dispersion from Jerusalem, but invented
, an eminent French
protestant and learned divine, was born at Sedan, a town
in Champagne, about 1579. He was professor of divinity
and of the Oriental languages in the university of Saumur;
and so very deeply skilled in the Hebrew, that our learned
bishop Hall calls him “magnum Hebraizantium oraculurn
in Gallia,
” the great oracle of all that studied Hebrew in
France. He was the author of some very learned works;
but is now chiefly memorable for the controversy he had
with the younger Buxtorf concerning the antiquity of the
Hebrew points. Two opinions have prevailed concerning
the true date and origin of these points both of which
have been very warmly espoused. The first is, that the
points are coeval with the language, and were always in
use among the Jews: the second, that the points were not
known to the Jews before their dispersion from Jerusalem,
but invented afterwards by modern rabbis to prevent the
language, which was every day decaying, from being utterly lost; viz. that they were invented by the Masoreth
Jews of Tiberias, about 600 years after Christ . This
opinion of their late invention was taken up by Capellus,
who defended it in a very excellent and learned treatise
entitled “Arcanum punctuationis revelatum,
” &c. which
work, after being refused a licence in France and at Geneva, was printed in Holland, and caused a great clamour
among the protestants, as if it had a tendency to hurt their
cause. It is, however, certain, that Luther, Calvin, Zuinglius, and others, had espoused the same notion as well as
the Scaligers, Casaubons, Erpenius, Salmasius, Grotius,
and the Heinsii; and therefore it could not be said, that
Capellus introduced any novelty, but only more solidly
established an opinion, which had been approved of by the
most learned and judicious protestants. The true reason,
perhaps, why the German protestants in general so warmly
opposed Capellus’s opinion, was, that they had been accustomed to follow that of the two Buxtorfs, whom they
considered as oracles in Hebrew learning. Buxtorf the
father had written a little treatise in defence of the antiquity of the points; and as Buxtorfs credit was justly
great among them, they chose rather to rely upon his authority than to examine his arguments, in so abstruse an
inquiry. Buxtorf the son wrote against Capellus, and
maintained his father’s opinion. Capellus, however, has
been generally supposed to have put the matter beyond
any father dispute; on which account his scholars Bochart,
Grotius, Spanheim, Vossius, Daille, and almost all the
learned in Hebrew since, have very readily acceded to
his opinion.
oese advocate, who lived in the seventeenth century, and acquired much fame as a lawyer, is now only known as a historian. His Italian history comprehends the transactions
, a Genoese advocate, who lived in the seventeenth century, and acquired much fame as a lawyer, is now only known as a historian. His Italian history comprehends the transactions that occurred in Italy during his own time, which he has related with clearness, and with sagacity traced to their causes; maintaining at the same time, as he says, a perfect impartiality between the powers of France and Spain, that were concerned in them. The two first parts of this history were published by Capriata in his life-time, from 1613 to 1644; and the third part, extending to 1660, was published by his son after his death. The whole was translated into English by Henry earftrfTVloninoutb, and published Lond. 1663, fol.
holas Carew, to which he ascribes his majesty’s displeasure, and sir Nicholas’s death. The monarch’s known caprice, his hatred of the papists, to whom sir Nicholas was
, of the Carews of Beddington, in
Surrey, was the son of sir Richard Carew, knight banneret,
and Magdalen, daughter of sir Robert Oxenbridge. At an
early age he was introduced to the court of king Henry
VIII. where he soon became a favourite, and was made
one of the gentlemen of the privy chamber. Having been
employed upon some public business in France, he became, as many other young men have been, so enamoured
of French fashions and amusements, that, when he returned to his own country, he was continually makino- invidious comparisons to the- disadvantage of the English
court. His majesty, who was too much of a Briton not to
be disgusted at this behaviour, removed him from his person, and sentenced him to an honourable banishment, appointing him governor of Ruysbank in Picardy; to which
government he was forthwith commanded to repair, much
against his inclination. This little offence^ however, was
soon passed over, and we find him again employed by the
king, and for several years his constant companion, and a
partaker with him in all the justs, tournaments, masques,
and other diversions of the same kind, with wh'rch that reign
abounded, and which are described very much at large in
Hall’s Chronicle: and as a more substantial mark of his
favour, the king appointed him master of the horse, an
office of great honour, being reckoned the third in rank
about the king’s household, and afterwards created him
knight of the garter* His promotion may probably be attributed in some measure to the interest of Anne Bullen,
to whom he was related through their common ancestor,
lord Hoo. His good fortune was not of long continuance;
for in 1539 he engaged in a conspiracy, as we are told by
our historians, with the marquis of Exeter, the lord Montacute, and sir Edward Neville; the object of which was
to set cardinal Pole upon the throne. The accuser was sir
Geffrey Poole, lord Montacute’s brother; the trial was
summary, and the conspirators were all executed. Sir Nicholas Carew was beheaded on Tower-hill, March 3, 1539,
when he made, says Holinshed, “a godly confession, both
of his fault and superstitious faith.
” Fuller mentions a
tradition of a quarrel which happened at bowls between
the kipg and sir Nicholas Carew, to which he ascribes his
majesty’s displeasure, and sir Nicholas’s death. The monarch’s known caprice, his hatred of the papists, to whom
sir Nicholas was zealously attached, the absurdity of the
plot, and the improbability of its success, might incline us
to hearken to Fuller’s story, if sir Nicholas alone had suffered; but as he had so many partners in his punishment,
with whom it is not pretended that the king had any quarrel, it will be more safe, perhaps, to rely upon the account
given by our annalists. Sir Nicholas Carew was buried in
the church of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, in the same tomb
with Thomas lord Darcy, and others of his family.