, another son of the above Sylvester, was born at Rome, where he was promoted
, another son of the above
Sylvester, was born at Rome, where he was promoted to
be secretary of the briefs after the death of Poggio in 1568.
He died in the prime of life. He was the author of a translation of “Diogenes Laertius,
” which was published at
Rome in
, son of the above Henry, was born at Heidelberg the 27th of September
, son of the above Henry, was born
at Heidelberg the 27th of September 1618, at which time
his father was deputy at the synod of Dort. He went
through his studies at Groningen with great success; and
being desirous to acquire knowledge in the Oriental languages, removed to Embden in 1638, to improve himself
under the rabbi Gamprecht Ben Abraham. He came over
to England in 1640, where he became acquainted with
many persons of the greatest note; he preached here, and
was ordained a priest of the church of England by Dr.
Prideaux, bishop of Worcester. He had once resolved to
pass his life in England, but afterwards accepted the Hebrew professorship at Groningen, offered him upon the
death of Goraarus. He entered upon this office the 13th
of January 1643, the very day that Samuel des Marets was
installed in the professorship of divinity, which had been
held by the same Gomarus. Alting was admitted doctor
of philosophy the 21st of October 1645, preacher to the
academy in 1647, and doctor and professor of divinity in
1667. He had visited Heidelberg in 1662, where he received many marks of esteem from the elector Palatine,
Charles Lewis, who often solicited him to accept of the
professorship of divinity, but he declined this offer. In a
little time a misunderstanding arose betwixt him and Samuel des Marets, his colleague, owing to a difference in
their method of teaching, and in many points in their principles. Alting kept to the scriptures, without meddling
with scholastic divinity: the first lectures which he read at
his house upon the catechism, drew such vast crowds of
hearers, that, for want of room in his own chamber, he was
obliged to make use of the university hall. His colleague
was accustomed to the method and logical distinctions of
the schoolmen; had been a long time in great esteem, had
published several books, and to a sprightly genius had added
a good stock of learning; the students who were of that
country adhered to him, as the surest way to obtain church
preferment, for the parishes were generally supplied with
such as had studied according to his method. This was
sufficient to raise and keep up a misunderstanding betwixt
the two professors. Alting had great obstacles to surmount:
a majority df voices and the authority of age were on his
adversary’s side. Des Marets gave out that Alting was an
innovator, and one who endeavoured to root up the boundaries which our wise forefathers had made between truth
and falsehood; he accordingly became his accuser, and
charged him with one-and-thirty erroneous propositions.
The curators of the university, without acquainting the
parties, sent the information and the answers to the divines
of Leyden, desiring their opinion. The judgment they
gave is remarkable: Alting was acquitted of all heresy, but
his imprudence was blamed in broaching new hypotheses;
on the other hand, Des Marets was censured for acting
contrary to the laws of charity and moderation. The latter
would not submit to this judgment, nor accept of the silence which was proposed. He insisted on the cause being
heard before the consistories, the classes, and the synods;
but the heads would not consent to this, forbidding all
writings, either for or against the judgment of the divines
of Leyden; and thus the work of Des Marets, entitled
“Audi et alteram partem,
” was suppressed. This contest
excited much attention, and might have been attended with
bad consequences, when Des Marets was called to Leyden,
but he died at Groningen before he could take possession of
that employment. There was a kind of reconciliation effected
betwixt him and Alting before his death: a clergyman of
Groningen, seeing Des Marets past all hopes of recovery,
proposed it to him; and having his consent, made the same
proposal to Alting, who answered, that the silence he had
observed, notwithstanding the clamours and writings of his
adversary, shewed his peaceable disposition; that he was
ready to come to an agreement upon reasonable terms, but
that he required satisfaction for the injurious reports disseminated against his honour and reputation; and that he
could not conceive how any one should desire his friendship, whilst he thought him such a man as he had represented him to be. The person, who acted as mediator,
some time after returned, with another clergyman, to Alting, and obtained from him a formulary of the satisfaction
he desired. This formulary was not liked by Des Marets,
who drew up another, but this did not please Alting: at
last, however, after some alterations, the reconciliation was
effected; the parties only retracted the personal injuries,
and as to the accusations in point of doctrine, the accuser
left them to the judgment of the church. Alting, however,
thought he had reason to complain, even after he was delivered from so formidable an adversary. His complaint
was occasioned by the last edition of Des Marets’s system,
in which he was very ill treated: he said, his adversary
should have left no monuments of the quarrel; and that
his reconciliation had not been sincere, since he had not
suppressed such an injurious book. The clergy were continually murmuring against what they called innovations;
but the secular power wisely calmed those storms, which
the convocations and synods would have raised,
threatening to interdict those who should revive what had obtained
the name of the Maresio-Altingian controversy. Alting
enjoyed but little health the last three years of his life;
and being at length seized with a violent fever, was carried
off in nine days, at Groningen, August 20, 1679. His
works, which consist of dissertations on various points of
Hebrew and Oriental antiquities; commentaries on many
of the books of the Bible; a Syro-Chaldaic Grammar; a
treatise on Hebrew punctuation, &c. &c. were collected in
5 vols. fol. and published by Balthasar Boeker, Amst. 1687,
with a life by the same editor.
, son of the above, was born at Metz, July 29, 1659: he began his
, son of the above, was born at
Metz, July 29, 1659: he began his studies in that city,
and went to Hanau for the prosecution of them. He afterwards applied himself to the civil law at Marpurg, Geneva,
and Paris, in the last of which cities he was admitted an
advocate. Upon his return to Metz, in 1679, he followed
the bar, where he began to raise himself a considerable
reputation. After the revocation of the edict of Nantes in
1685, the protestants of Metz deputed him to court, in
order to represent that they ought not to be comprehended in this revocation. But all that he could obtain
was, that this city should be treated with more lenity and
favour. He followed his father to Berlin, where the elector of Brandenbourg appointed him judge and director of
the French in that city. In 1695, that prince gave him,
new marks of his confidence and favour, by sending him to
Swisserland in order to negociate some affairs of importance. The marquis of Baden Dourlach, who was then at
Basil, having had an opportunity of seeing him, entertained
so great an esteem for him, that he chose him for his
counsellor, and desired the elector of Brandenbourg to
give Ancillon leave that he should serve him for some time.
Our author did not return to Berlin till the end of the
year 1699, and was then appointed inspector of all the
courts of justice which the French had in Prussia, and
counsellor of the embassy. The elector, being crowned
king of Prussia, made him likewise his historiographer and
superintendant of the French school, which had been
founded at Berlin, according to the scheme which he had
formed. He died in that city the 5th of July, 1715, being
fifty-six years of age. His works are, 1. “L‘Irrevocabilité de l’Edit de Nantes prouvé par les principes du droit
& de la politique,
” Amsterdam, Reflexions politiques, par lesquelles on fait voir que la persecution des reformez est contre les veritable interets de
la France,
” Cologne, Nouveaux Interets des
Princes.
” 3. “La France interessée a rétablir l'Edit de
Nantes,
” Amsterdam, Histoire de
l'Etablissement des François Refugiez dans les Etats de
son altesse electorate de Brandebourg,
” Berlin, Melange Critique,
” mentioned
before in his father’s article. 6. “Dissertation sur
l‘usage de mettre la premiere pierre au fondement des
edifices publics, addressée au prince electoral de Brandebourg, à l’occasion de la premiere pierre, qu‘il a posée lul
même au fondement du temple qu’on construit pour les
François Refugiez dans le quartier de Berlin nommé Friderichstadt,
” Berlin, Le dernier triomphe de Frederic Guillaume
le Grand, electeur de Brandebourg, ou discours sur la
Statue Equestre érigée sur le Pont Neuf du Berlin,
” Berlin, Histoire de la vie de Soliman II.
empereur des Turcs,
” Rotterdam, 1706, 8vo; a work not
very correct, but the preliminary matter is valuable, and
contains, among other particulars, some curious information respecting Thuanus, taken from the “Bibliotheque
Politique Heraldique Choisie,
” 1705, 8vo. 9. “Traité
des Eunuques, par C. Dollincan,
” Memoires concernant les vies
et les ouvrages de plusieurs modernes celebres dans la
Republique des Lettres,
” Amst. Histoire de la vie de M. Ltscheid,
” Berlin,
, son of the above, to whose practice he succeeded, made a handsome
, son of the above, to whose practice he succeeded, made a handsome living by the sale of
his father’s medicine called Aurum potabile. He was also
author of “Lucas redivivus, or The gospel physician,
prescribing (by way of meditation) divine physic to prevent
diseases not yet entered upon the soul, and to cure those
maladies which have already seized upon the spirit,
”
, son of the above, was born at the Hague in 1673, learned the art
, son of the above, was born at the Hague in 1673, learned the art of painting from his father, and became very early an artist of distinction. In 1693 he came to England, and painted several excellent portraits for the nobility, particularly one of the duke of Gloucester. He was much solicited to remain in England, but had predetermined to visit Rome, where, and at Florence, his talents procured him great fame, and much money, the latter of which he had not the prudence to keep. His pictures are excellently handled, and he approached near to the merit of his father in portraits, and in other branches of the art he probably would have far surpassed him, if he had appropriated more of his time to his studies, and had not died at so early a period of life. He only reached his twenty- seventh year.
, D. D. son of the above, was born at his father’s residence at Cox-close,
, D. D. son of the above, was born at his father’s residence at Cox-close, near Ravensworth castle, Sept. 27, 1716, and was admitted of St. John’s college, Cambridge, about 1732. He proceeded B.A. 1737, M. A. 1741, and S.T.P. 1758, In 1746, he was presented by his father to the North mediety or rectory of North Stoke, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, which was probably the first preferment he had, and which he vacated in 1771, on being presented to the vicarage of Alton in Hampshire. By the interest of bishop Hoadly, he obtained a prebend at Winchester, 1757, became archdeacon of Salisbury in 1759, and afterwards archdeacon of Winchester. We have his own authority in his life of his father, as given in the Biog. Britannica, that he owed all his preferments to bishop Hoadly, from whose latitudinarian principles, however, he appears to have departed more widely than his father.
, son of the above, an eminent mathematician and divine, in the sixteenth
, son of the above, an eminent mathematician and divine, in the sixteenth century, was born in Pembrokeshire. In 1560 he was entered commoner of Baliol college in Oxford; and in 1564, having taken a degree in arts, he left the university, and went to sea; but in what capacity is uncertain however, he thence acquired considerable knowledge in the art of navigation, as his writings afterwards shewed. About the year 1573, he entered into orders, and became prebendary of Winchester, and rector of Easton, near that city. In 1588 he was made prebendary of Lichneld, which he exchanged for the office of treasurer of that church. He afterwards was appointed chaplain to prince Henry, eldest son of king James the first and in 1614, archdeacon of Salisbury. Barlowe was remarkable, especially for having been the first writer on the nature and properties pf the loadstone, twenty years before Gilbert published his book on that subject. He was the first who made the inclinatory instrument transparent, and to be used with a glass on both sides. It was he also who suspended it in a compass-box, where, with two ounces weight, it was made fit for use at sea. He also found out the difference between iron and steel, and their tempers for magnetical uses. He likewise discovered the proper way of touching magnetical needles and of piecing and cementing of loadstones and also why a loadstone, being double-capped, must take up so great a weight.
, eldest son of the above, was born in 1610, and became minister of Bayeux,
, eldest son of the above, was
born in 1610, and became minister of Bayeux, and was
called to suffer persecution in his old age, being thrown
into the prison at Havre de Grace, when he was seventyfive years of age. On the revocation of the edict of Nantz
he was set at liberty, and took refuge in Holland, where
he probably passed the remainder of his clays in quiet. He
died at Zutphen in 1691. His son, Samuel Basnage de
Flotmanvllle, succeeded him in his congregation at Bayeux, but was forced to leave France in 1685, and retire to
Zutphen, with the reputation of being one of the ablest of
the French reformed clergy. He wrote “Exercitations on
Baronius,
” beginning where Casaubon left off; but changing his purpose, he turned his work into the shape of Ecclesiastical Annals, published in 1706, under the title of
' Annales politico-ecclesiastici," 3 vols. fol. and coming
down to the reign of Phocas. This work is, undoubtedly,
useful, but has been superseded by that of James Basnage,
of whom we are soon to speak. Anthony died in 1721.
, son of the above, born in Herefordshire, in 1595, entered of Exeter
, son of the above, born in Herefordshire, in 1595, entered of Exeter college in 1611, and became fellow the year following. His tutor was Dr. Prideaux. After completing his master’s degree, he went
into orders, and had some church preferment from his father. He was afterwards one of his majesty’s chaplains,
and guardian of Christ’s hospital in Ruthyn. He published “The Angel Guardian,
” a collection of sermons, London,
, son of the above, was born in 1710. The most skilled at Petersburg
, 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.
, son of the above, inherited a considerable portion of his father’s
, son of the above, inherited
a considerable portion of his father’s taste and spirit, and
much of his misfortunes. He was intended for a printer,
but his “stage-struck mind' 7 led him to the theatres, in
which he had little success, yet enough to give him a wandering unsettled disposition. For forty years, he employed himself in composing and singing a vast number of
popular songs, chiefly of the patriotic kind, in which there
was not much genuine poetry, or cultivated music. These
he performed from town to town, in what he called 4t Lectures.
” He wrote also from 1766 to 1792, several farces,
a list of which may be seen in the Biographia Dramatica,
and by the performance of which he earned temporary
supplies. Like his father, he excluded every thing indecent or immoral from his compositions. Besides these
dramatic pieces, he wrote, 1. “Analects in prose and
verse,
” A Lecture on Mimickry,
” a
talent in which he excelled, A Rural Ramble,
”
, son of the above, was born at Wivenhoe, about the year 1637, his
, son of the above, was born at
Wivenhoe, about the year 1637, his father being then
minister of the place. The first rudiments of learning he
received from his father, whom he attended in his banishment, and lived with him several years in Holland, where
he studied the oriental languages under Mr. Robert Sheringham, at Rotterdam, with equal diligence and success.
About the year 1656, he was sent to the university of
Utrecht, where he distinguished himself by his extraordinary skill in the oriental languages, in such a manner as
did honour to his country. On the 14th of December,
1657, he maintained a thesis in relation to the Syriac version of the New Testament, and printed his discourse, as
he did some time after another dissertation on the usefulness of the Hebrew language in the study of theoretic philosophy, Utrecht, 1637, 4to; which treatises sufficiently
shew both the extent of his learning, and the solidity of his
judgment. When he left Utrecht, the celebrated professor.
Leusden subscribed an ample testimonial in his favour, and
expresses a great regard for his person, as well as his talents.
Ou his return to England, he went to Oxford, and was
entered of Merton college, for the sake of M,r. Samuel
Clark, famous for his thorough knowledge of the oriental
languages. Our author shewed his loyalty by writing a
copy of Hebrew verses on his majesty’s restoration, having
been pretty early in the year 1660, admitted to the degree
of bachelor of arts, at which time professor Leusden’s certificate was read publicly. In 1661, he was ordained by
the bishop of Oxford; and in 1662, he published the
“Life of his Father.
” In all probability he might have
obtained very considerable preferment, if his principles
had not led him to nonconformity. When he retired from
the university, he was taken into the family of sir Anthony
Irbj a of Lincolnshire, where b officiated for some years
as chaplain; but the air of that country disagreeing with
him, and the family going down thither on account of the
plague in 1665, he was obliged to quit it, and lived afterwards with the lady Armin till about the year 1670, when
he gathered a congregation of dissenters in the city of
Westminster, to whom be preached with some interruption
from the severities of the government, for about seven
years, tiil falling into a bad state of health, he died of 4
gradual decay, April 10, 1677, being then about forty years
of age. He was buried in the New church in. Tothil-street
Westminster, at which time his friend and fellow-collegian,
Mr. Henry Hurst, preached his funeral sermon; as did also
>lr. Nath. Vincent in another place. He was a man whose
learning rendered him admired, and his virtues beloved by
all parties. Anthony Wood, speaking of the praises bestowed upon him by Mr. Hurst in his discourse, t>ives them
also his sanction; “they were,
” he -ays, “deservedly
spoken.
” His congregation followed the advice he gave
them on his death-bed; for he told them that he knew
none so proper to be his successor, as a certain Northamptonshire minister, who wrote against Dr. Sherlock, Mr.
Vincent Alsop, whom they accordingly chose. The
changes of religious opinion in this congregation may be
estimated by those who are acquainted with the character
of Mr. Alsop’s successors, Dr. Calamy, Mr. Samuel Say,
Dr. Obadiah Hughes, and the late Dr. Kippis. The only
publication of Mr. Cawton’s, besides those mentioned, was
a single sermon entitled “Balaam’s Wish,
” London,
, son of the above, was born in 1703, and about 1716 sent to Winchester
, son of the above, was born in 1703, and about 1716 sent to Winchester school; from which, like his father, he passed almost directly to the stage, on which the power his father possessed as a manager, enabled him to come forward with considerable advantages, and, by his merit, he soon attained a share of the public favour. His manner of acting was in the same walk of characters which his father had supported, although, owing to some natural defects, he did not attain equal excellence. His person was far from pleasing, and the features of his face rather disgusting. His voice had the shrill treble, but not the musical harmony of his father’s. Yet still an apparent good understanding and quickness of parts, a perfect knowledge of what he ought to express, together with a confident vivacity in his manner, well adapted to the characters he was to represent, would have ensured his success, had his 'private conduct been less imprudent or immoral. But a total want of œconomy led him into errors, the consequences of which it was almost impossible he should ever be able to retrieve. A fondness for indulgences, which a moderate income could not afford, induced him to submit to obligations, which it had the appearance of meanness to accept; and his life was one continued series of distress, extravagance, and perplexity, till the winter, 1757, when he was engaged by Sheridan to go over to Dublin. On this expedition Cibber embarked at Park Gate, on board the Dublin Trader, some time in October; but the high winds, which are frequent tjien in St. George’s Channel, and which are fatal to many vessels in their passage from this kingdom to Ireland, proved particularly so to this. The vessel was driven on the coast of Scotland, where it was cast away; and Cibber lost his life. A few of the passengers escaped in a boat, but the ship was so entirely lost, that scarcely any vestiges of it remained, excepting a box of books and papers, which were known to be Cibber’s, and which were cast up on the western coast of Scotland.
, son of the above, was born in the prison of the Bass, June 22, 1680,
, son of the above, was
born in the prison of the Bass, June 22, 1680, and in 1701
took his degree of M. A. in the university of Edinburgh.
lu 1703 he was ordained minister of Portmoak in the
county of Fife, where he discharged the pastoral duty
with great integrity till 1731, when he was made choice of
to be one of the ministers of Stirling. In April 1732, being
chosen moderator of the synod of Perth and Stirling, it
was his turn to preach at the opening of that synod at
Perth, and in his sermon he took occasion to censure some
late proceedings of the general assembly of the church of
Scotland, respecting patronage; and this brought on a
prosecution against him, which was conducted with so
little judgment or moderation on the part of the assembly,
as eventually to occasion a schism in the church of great
extent. This is usually known by the name of the secession, and its adherents by that of Seceders, now a very
numerous body in Scotland, for whose history we may refer
to a very impartial and well-written account under the
article Seceders, in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, or to
a tract, where their history is more minutely detailed,
entitled “An historical account of the rise and progress
of the Secession,
” by John Brown, minister of the gospel
at Hadclington. Mr. Erskine, however, experienced by
this no falling off in his popularity, being still beloved by
his hearers, and esteemed even by those who were his professed enemies, A meeting was built for him at Stirling,
where he officiated to a very numerous congregation, and
where he died, June 2, 1754. As a gentleman and a
scholar, few ever equalled him; and, although but in low
circumstances, his charity was unbounded. Four volumes
of his sermons were printed at Glasgow in 8vo, 1762, and
a fifth volume at Edinburgh, 1765, under the patronage
of the late duchess of Northumberland, in whose family
one of his sons lived as a gardener.
, son of the above, was born at Dundee, in 1725, and brought up a
, son of the above, was born at Dundee,
in 1725, and brought up a surgeon, in which capacity he
went several voyages to the West Indies, but not liking
his profession, he accepted the command of a merchant’s
ship belonging to London, and engaged in the trade to
the Brazils. Being a man of considerable abilities, he
published in 1 vtol. 4to, “A Decription of Teneriffe, with
the Manners and Customs of the Portuguese who are
settled there.
” In
, son of the above, was born in 1685, and rose to be a practitioner
, son of the above, was
born in 1685, and rose to be a practitioner of eminence.
He was first physician to the queen, counsellor of state,
and greatly esteemed by the town as well as court. He
was, like his father, inspector-general of the military hospitals. He was a member of the academy of sciences at
Paris, of the royal society in London, and of the academies
of Berlin, Florence, and Bologna. He cured Louis XV.
of a dangerous disorder, which attacked him at the age of
seven years, and obtained afterwards the entire confidence
of the queen also. Whenever he attended as a physician,
he was regarded as a friend, such was the goodness and
benevolence of his character. He was particularly attentive to the poor. He died July 17, 1755. He was the author
of, 1 “Idee Generale de J'economie animale, 1722,
” 8vo.
2. “Principia Physico-Medica, in tyronum Medicinae gratiam conscripta,
” 2 vols. 8vo. This latter work, though
drawn up for pupils, may yet be serviceable to masters.
He also published some papers in the Memoirs of the academy of sciences for 1718, 1719, and 1721.
verted Jew, but father Simon has proved that he neither was a Jew, nor of Jewish extraction, but the son of the above John Judah, or de Juda, who, according to the custom
, one of the reformers, son of John Judah, a German priest, was born in 1482, in Alsace. Some
authors have reported that he was a converted Jew, but
father Simon has proved that he neither was a Jew, nor of
Jewish extraction, but the son of the above John Judah, or
de Juda, who, according to the custom of those times, kept
a concubine, by whom he had this Leo. He was educated at Slestadt, and thence in 1502, was sent to Basil to
pursue his academical studies. Here he had for a fellowstudent, the afterwards much celebrated Zuinglius; and
from him, who had at a very early age been shocked at
the superstitious practices of the church of Rome, he received such impressions, as disposed him to embrace the
reformed religion. Having obtained his degree of M. A.
in 1512, he was appointed minister of a Swiss church, to
the duties of which he applied himself with indefatigable
zeal, preaching boldly in defence of the protestant religion. At length he was appointed by the magistrates and
ecclesiastical assembly of Zurich, pastor of the church of
St. Peter in that city, and became very celebrated as an
advocate, as well from the press as the pulpit, of the reformed religion, for about eighteen years. At the desire
of his brethren, he undertook a translation, from the Hebrew into Latin, of the whole Old Testament; but the magnitude of the work, and the closeness with which he applied to it, impaired his health; and before he had completed it, he fell a sacrifice to his labours, June 9, 1542,
when he was about sixty years of age. The translation was
finished by other hands, and was printed at Zurich in 1543,
and two years afterwards it was reprinted at Paris by Robert
Stephens, accompanying the Vulgate version, in adjoining
columns, but without the name of the author of the new
version. Judah was likewise the author of “Annotations
upon Genesis and Exodus,
” in which he was assisted by
Xuinglius, and upon the four gospels, and the greater part
of the epistles. He also composed a larger and smaller
catechism, and translated some of Zuinglius’s works into
Latin. The Spanish divines, notwithstanding the severity
of the Inquisition, did not hesitate to reprint the Latin
Bible of Leo Judah, with the notes ascribed to Vatabius,
though some of them were from the pen of Calvin. Some
particulars of Judah and of this translation, not generally
known, may be found in a book written by a divine of
Zurich, and printed in that city in 1616, entitled “Vindicise pro Bibliorum translatione Tigurina.
”
Hugh, of whom we now speak, the third earl, was the third son of the above-mentioned Alexander, and twin-brother of Mr. Hume
Hugh, of whom we now speak, the third earl, was the third son of the above-mentioned Alexander, and twin-brother of Mr. Hume Campbell, who was in the first practice at the English bar, but retired from it on being appointed lord register of Scotland. The subject of our present article having finished his studies in the learned languages, in which at an early period of his life he was a most distinguished scholar, he was sent to Utrecht to complete his education. Here, under the instruction of one of the most eminent civilians of modern times, he succeeded in the attainment of a knowledge of the civil law to an extent seldom acquired, even by those who were to follow it as a profession; and at the same time became master of several modern languages, which he read and wrote with great facility.
, son of the above, by his second wife, was born in 1710. Of his early
, son of the above, by his second wife, was born in 1710. Of his early history little is
known. He probably received a liberal education, although
we do not find that he studied at either university. He
was bred to the law, as appears by his being appointed a
commissioner of bankrupts in 1756, by sir John Eardley
Wilmot, at that time one of the commissioners of the great
seal, and an excellent discerner and rewarder of merit.
The greater part of Mr. Melmoth’s life, however, was
spent in retirement from public business, partly at Shrewsbury, and partly at Bath, where he was no less distinguished
for integrity of conduct, than for polite manners and elegant taste. He first appeared as a writer about 1742, in
a volume of “Letters
” under the name of Fitzosborne,
which have been much admired for the elegance of their
language, and their just and liberal remarks on various topics, moral and literary. In 174-7 he published “A Translation of the Letters of Pliny,
” in 2 vols. 8vo, which was
regarded as one of the best versions of a Latin author that
had appeared in our language. In 1753, he gave a translation of the “Letters of Cicero to several of his Friends,
with Remarks,
” in 3 vols. He had previously to this, write
ten an answer to Mr. Bryant’s attack, in his Treatise on
the Truth of the Christian Religion, on his remarks on
Trajan’s Persecution of the Christians in Bithynia, which
made a note to his translation of Pliny’s Letters. He was
the translator likewise of Cicero’s treatises “De Amicitia
”
and “De Senectute,
” which were published in The Pursuits of Literature
”
says, “Mr. Melmoth is a happy example of the mild influence of learning on a cultivated mind; I mean that
learning which is declared to be the aliment of youth, and
the delight and consolation of declining years. Who would
not envy this fortunate old man, his most finished translation and comment on Tully’s Cato? Or rather, who would
not rejoice in the refined and mellowed pleasure of so accomplished a gentleman, and so liberal a scholar
” Dr.
Warton, in a note on Pope’s works, mentions his translation
of Pliny as “one of the few that are better than the original.
” Birch, in his Life of Tillotson, had made nearly the
satae remark, which was the more liberal in Birch, as Melmoth had taken' great liberties with the style of Tillotson.
To Mr. Melmoth’s other works we may add a few poetical
efforts, one in Dodsley’s Poems (vol. I. p. 216, edit. 1782),
entitled “Of active and retired life;
” and three in
Pearch’s poems (vol. II.) “The Transformation of Lycou
and Euphormius;
” a Tale,“in p. 149; and Epistle to
Sappho.
”
, son of the above, was born at Chester in July 1689, and educated
, son of the above, was born at
Chester in July 1689, and educated with great care by
his father, according to the plan laid down by Locke upon
that subject. When his father died, he was committed to
the care of his uncle Dr. Thomas Molyneux, an excellent
scholar and physician at Dublin, and also an intimate friend
of Mr. Locke;“who executed his trust so well, that Mr.
Molyneux became afterwards a most polite and accomplished gentleman, and was made secretary to his late majesty George II. when he was prince of Wales. Astronomy
and optics being his favourite study, as they had been his
father’s, he projected many schemes for the advancement
of them, and was particularly employed, in the years 1723,
1724, and 1725, in perfecting the method of making telescopes; one of which, of his own making, he had presented
to John V. king of Portugal. In the midst of these thoughts,
being appointed a commissioner of the admiralty, he became so engaged in public affairs, that he had not leisure
to pursue these inquiries any farther; and gave his papers,
to Dr. Robert Smith, professor of astronomy at Cambridge,
whom he invited to make use of his house and apparatus of
instruments, in order to finish what he had left imperfect. Mr. Molyneux dying soon after, in the flower of his
age, Dr. Smith lost the opportunity; yet, supplying
what was wanting from Mr. Huygens and others, he published the whole in his
” Complete Treatise of Optics."