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Should we admit all that glitters in the preceding paragraph, as folid, fterling truth,-to which, however, we do not find ourfelves wholly inclined,-yet it will not fuffice to determine the question, with refpect to the claim of biography to the preference of mankind; fince, as even the fame writer acknowledges, in the fame paper,He who writes the life of another*, is either his friend or his enemy, and wishes either to exalt his praise, or aggravate his infamy; many temptations to falfehood will occur in the difguife of paffions, too fpecious to fear much refiftance. Love of virtue will animate panegyric, and hatred of wickednefs embitter cenfure. The zeal of gratitude, the ardor of patriotism, fondness for an opinion, or fidelity to a party, may easily overpower the vigilance of a mind habitually well-difpofed, and prevail over unaffifted and unfriended veracity.'

As to the man who writes of himself, what deviations from the direct line of truth will not the love of felf, and love of fame, lead him into! What impartiality of decifion can we expect from him who fits in judgment on his own caufe! What excufes will he not find to palliate his mifconduct, and how fpeciously will he explain away every adverse fact, in apologizing for his errors !

But leaving this point of precedency to be fettled by those who may think it of importance enough to merit their attention, let.us proceed to the publication which hath given rife to the foregoing curfory observations.

In the 28th volume of our Review, in giving an account of the New and General Biographical Dictionary,' we recommended the chronological method to the compilers of biographical fyftems, and enumerated the many advantages which would give it a manifeft fuperiority over the alphabetical form, if properly executed. The Author of the work before us hath fo far purfued our plan, as to prefer this method to that of a dictionary; justly obferving that the lives of perfons who were cotemporaries with each other, are beft read together, as one frequently throws light on another;'-and with regard to the advantage claimed by the alphabetical order, from the facility of turning, at pleasure, to any particular life, that circumftance is eafily fupplied, as it is in the British Biography, by proper indexes.

As our Author's defign is confined to the celebration of those illustrious persons whofe names do honour to this country, or

* Which is the cafe with the greater number of biographical writers; for, comparatively few are they who calmly and voluntarily fit down to review their own lives, for the admonition of pofterity.

to

to our fifter-ifland, he is particulary folicitous to fet forth the advantages of his plan.

It is perhaps, fays he, no national partiality to affert, that no country has produced a greater number of men, diftinguished by elevated genius, or exalted virtue, than Great Britain and Ireland. A perufal, therefore, of the lives of fuch excellent and illuftrious men, muft have a natural tendency to excite in us a generous emulation, and to animate us to the most worthy and laudable purfuits. The ftatefman may be excited to afpire after a greater degree of political knowledge, and to investigate the means of promoting in the best manner the interefts of the state, over which he is appointed to prefide, by the examples of a WALSINGHAM and a BURLEIGH. The divine, the lawyer, and the phyfician, may all be excited to aim at excellence in their feveral profeffions by the examples of a BARROW and a TILLOTSON a COKE, a HALE, and a HOLT; a HARVEY, a SYDENHAM, and a MEAD. The feaman and the foldier may be animated to the purfuit of military honours, by the heroic actions of a BLAKE and a MARLBOROUGH; and the difinterested patriot, who feels for the honour and the interest of his country, and who is a zealous advocate for liberty, and the common rights of mankind, may be animated by the noble examples of a HAMPDEN, a RUSSEL, a MARVEL, and a SYDNEY. And the man of letters and philofophical inquiry may be incited to afpire after literary and feientific eminence, by the immortal labours of a MILTON, a BACON, a BOYLE, a NEWTON, and a LOCKE.

But it is not eminence in arms, in arts, or in science only, that we may be taught to aspire after, in the perufal of the lives of the moft eminent of our countrymen. It may also ftimulate us to aim at the acquifition of what is of still more value and importance, and at the same time universally attainable, Moral Excellence. It is not in the power of every man to be a great fatefman, general, or philosopher; but every man may cultivate and practise temperance, integrity, benevolence, and humanity. He who cannot enter into any competition with those who have distinguished themselves by their wit, their eloquence, or their learning, may at least learn to imitate their virtues. And even the lives of bad men, fuch whose eminence of station or abilities have rendered their actions fufficiently important to be properly introduced in a work of this kind, may be read with confiderable advantage. The deformity of vice, as well as the beauty of virtue, is best exhibited in real characters; a juft reprefentation of which muft have a natural tendency to excite in us a love and esteem for the one, and an hatred and contempt of the other. We cannot read the lives of BONNER, of GARDINER, or of JEFFE

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RIES, without feeling a juft deteftation of bigotry, religious perfecution, injuftice, and cruelty.'

The materials for a work of this kind are obvious and ample: the General Dictionary, in ten volumes, folio; the Biogra phia Britannica, in feven folios; the New General Biographical Dictionary, in twelve vols. 8vo. Befide which, the Author affures us, that he hath had recourse to fome hundred volumes of fingle lives, and historical and biographical collections; befide occafionally making ufe of manufcripts, particularly those in the British Museum, when he could meet with any that were adapted to his purpose.'

*

From the fimilarity of this defign with that of former biographical collections, thofe who are acquainted with the arts of authorship, particularly in the compilation-branch, and in the mode of periodical publication, may be apt to fufpect that the lives in this work are little more than a mere abridgment of those in the Biographia Britannica; but, fo far as we could spare time for comparison, this does not seem to be the case. Our Author has, in general, exercised his natural right of thinking and speaking for himself; in confequence of which, where the materials used in common, both by him and by his predeceffors, are drawn from the fame fource, we frequently find the accounts to be circumftantially different; facts are exhibited in different lights; and many mistakes of former writers are corrected. There is, moreover, one merit affumed by the Author, as peculiar to this work, and which we are, indeed, convinced, that none of our more voluminous productions in the fame branch of literature can boast, viz. that being wholly compiled by one perfon, it will therefore probably be found to have an uniformity of fentiment, with regard to perfons and things, the want of which hath been complained of, in fome preceding works of the kind.".

The point of time at which this performance commences, is the age in which the celebrated Wickliffe happily paved the way for the Proteftant reformation: the life of this great founder of our religious liberties ftands first in the collection. We are, however, fomewhat furprized that the Author did not ftep a little farther back, and begin with that, illuftrious ornament of Britain, Friar ROGER BACON; who is juftly to be re

*The prefent work has been published in monthly numbers, as well as in diftinct volumes. It is feveral years fince the first volume appeared; the fecond was printed in 1766, and the third in 1767. It is now advanced as far as the fixth; and we are given to underftand that the undertaking will be compleated in two more ;confidered as the work of one perfon only, great labour, as well as time, must have been employed in, this compilement.

garded

garded as the father of fcience in this country; and whofe ge nius was scarce equalled, even by that of his great namefake the Lord Verulam. He might have availed himself of a very judicious compendium of the life of this wonderful man, in a work entitled, The Library, written by a fociety of learned and ingenious men, whofe labours were too good for the age in which they appeared *.

A very fhort extract from this work may fuffice for a fpeci men of the Author's manner, and mode of thinking; viz. his character of Archbishop Laud.

"He was, undoubtedly, a man of confiderable learning and abilities; but was, notwithstanding, in many respects, extremely weak and fuperftitious . He was also of a very

warm,

This work was published, monthly, in the years 1761 and 1762; and was discontinued for want of fale, at a time when many thoufands of the moft worthlefs magazines were, like Coryat's Crudities, eagerly gobbled up by the tastelefs public.

+ The very ingenious Author of the Rambler, in his poem, entitled, "The Vanity of Human Wishes," has the following lines: "Nor deem, when learning her laft prize beftows The glitt'ring eminence exempt from woes; See when the vulgar 'fcape, defpis'd or aw'd, Rebellion's vengeful talons feize on LAUD. From meaner minds, though smaller fines content The plunder'd palace, or fequefter'd rent; Mark'd out by dangerous parts he meets the fhock, And fatal learning leads him to the block : Around his tomb let art and genius weep,

But hear his death, ye blockheads, hear and fleep."

We have the highest efteem for the talents, the writings, and the character of Dr. Johnfon. But we are notwithstanding of opinion, that in these lines he has not imputed the death of Laud to the real caufes. It is on the contrary very evident, as we apprehend, that it was the activity of that Prelate in promoting arbitrary measures of government, his abfurd zeal for trifling ceremonies, his violent and unjuft proceedings in the ftar chamber, and high commiffion courts, and other particulars of this kind, which brought him to the block; and that it is not by any means his genius or his learning, to which his untimely end can with propriety be attributed.'

Of this his DIARY affords very pregnant inftances, fome of which we shall felect for the entertainment of the reader. He was particularly attentive to his dreams, many of which he hath recorded with great care and exactness. The following paffages are taken from the edition of his Diary, published by Hen. Wharton, in 1695. "1623. Dec. 14. Sunday night, I did dream that the Lord Keeper was dead; that I paffed by one of his men, that was about a monument for him that I heard him fay, his lower lip was infinitely

M 3

fwelled

warm, hafty, and paffionate temper, and of a difpofition fomewhat vindictive; but, in other refpects, his private life appears

to

fwelled and fallen, and he rotten already. This dream did trouble

me.

"1625. July 3. Sunday, in my fleep his Majefty King James appeared to me. I faw him only paffing by fwiftly. He was of a pleasant and ferene countenance. In paffing he faw me, beckoned to me, fmiled, and was immediately withdrawn from my fight.

"Aug. 21. That night, in my fleep, it feemed to me, that the Duke of Buckingham came into bed to me; where he behaved himfelf with great kindness towards me, after that reft, wherewith wearied perfons are wont to folace themselves. Many alfo feemed to me to enter the chamber, who faw this.

"Not long before, I dreamed that I faw the Dutchess of Buckingham, that excellent Lady, at first very much perplexed about her hufband, but afterwards cheerful, and rejoicing, that he was freed from the fear of abortion, fo that in due time the might be again a mother.

"Sept. 4. Sunday. The night following I was very much troubled in my dreams. My imagination ran altogether upon the Duke of Buckingham, his fervants, and family. All fecmed to be out of order that the Dutchefs was ill, called for her maids, and took her bed. God grant better things.

"Sept. 26. Sunday. That night I dreamed of the marriage of I know not whom at Oxford. All that were prefent, were cloathed with flourishing green garments, I knew none of them but Thomas Flaxnye. Immediately after, without any intermiffion of fleep (that I know of) I thought I faw the Bishop of Worcester, his head and fhoulders covered with linen. He advised and invited me kindly, to dwell with them, marking out a place, where the Court of the Marches of Wales was then held. But not flaying for my answer, he fubjoined, that he knew I could not live fo meanly, &c.

That

"1626. Aug. 25. Friday. Two Robin-red-breafts flew together through the door into my ftudy, as if one purfued the other. fudden motion almost startled me. I was then preparing a fermon on Ephef. iv. 30, and studying.

“Jan. 5. Epiphany Eve, and Friday. In the night I dreamed, that my mother, long fince dead, food by my bed, and drawing afide the clothes a little, looked pleafantly upon me; and that I was glad to fee her with fo merry an afpect. She then thewed to me a certain old man, long fince deceafed; whom, while alive, I both knew and loved. He feemed to lie upon the ground; merry enough, but with a wrinkled countenance. His name was Grove. While I prepared to falute him, I awoke.

1639. Feb. 12. Tuesday night. I dreamed that K. C. was to be married to a Minister's widow; and that I was called upon to do it. No fervice-book could be found; and in my own book, which I had, I could not find the order for marriage.

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