the notes, or at the conclufion of the memoir. The narrative is in general fhort, clear, eafy and natural; nor will the attention of the Reader be frequently fatigued with uninteresting circumstances, minute criticifms, or tedious digreffions. It is only in fome of the more important lives, that the memoir is extended to any great length; the variety of the materials in fuch inftances would naturally lead to it; but the importance of them generally makes us ample amends. As to the fources from whence our compilers have derived their materials, they have themselves informed us in their preface; "In the execution "of this plan we have not had recourfe merely to dictionaries, "nor contented ourselves with fupplying the defects of one "dictionary from another, and cutting off the redundancies of "all, but we have collected from every performance in every "language that had any relation to our defign. For the lives "of authors we have had recourse to their works; and for the "lives of others, to the best memoirs that are extant con"cerning them," The particular authorities on which any facts are fupported, and the writers from whom any quotations are made, are generally inferted in the margin,

Upon the whole, the public have now before them a very useful Biographical Dictionary, reduced within as fmall a compass, and propofed at as easy an expence, as, confidering the extent and univerfality of it, can reasonably be expected. It is well calculated to promote the progrefs of useful knowlege: the man of learning may read many articles of it with pleasure; to the young student it may be very advantageous; and to those ufeful focieties, commonly known by the title of Book Clubs, or Circulating Libraries, we cannot help recommending it as a very proper and entertaining fet of books.

But before we conclude this article, we muft take the liberty to throw out a hint or two, for the propriety of which we could not only refer to the publication now before us, but would fubmit them to the confideration of thofe, who may hereafter have the direction of a new edition of this, or any other work of the fame kind.

We cannot conceive how it hath happened, that in all the Biographical Dictionaries we have any knowlege of, the Alphabetical order fhould always be observed in the arrangement of the Lives: a more unnatural one can hardly be imagined. It jumbles time and things, and perfons and events, together, in the strangest manner, with fcarce any one advantage whatfoever arifing from it; as indeed what advantage can be expected from fuch confufion? For the firft page or two we are entertained with the Rabbinical History of daren the Jewish high-prieft; from him Rev. Jan. 1763. D

we

we make a long transition to Archbishop Abbot; and after parting with the grave Bifhop, we are brought back a few centuries to the pretty ftory of Abelard and Heloifa; it fometimes creates fuch an odd ridiculous kind of confufion, that one can hardly avoid finiling at it. The only advantage that can recommend the order of the Alphabet, is the eafy method it affords of turning to any particular life we want; which would be done with equal eafe and convenience by a fimple index referring to the page and volume; and even where this method is ufed, an index is generally thought neceffary to inform the reader whether the life he wants be in the collection or not.

The arrangement we would beg leave to recommend is a Chronological one; difpofing the lives according to the order of time in which they arofe after each other. This is a natural order, would be pleafing to every reader, and would be attended with many fingular advantages. A General Biographical Dictionary from the earlieft accounts of time, would then contain a moft agreeable and diftinct reprefentation of the progrefs of Knowlege; it would be, if we may be allowed the expreffion, the natural Hiftory of Knowlege and the Arts, not only in a particular country, but the great world in general. In the very early ages it might be fufficient to divide time into longer periods, as is done in our beft Chronological Tables, when the number of remarkable perfons is fewer, as well as the events worthy to be preferved. As we come lower down, as materials increafe, and knowlege and the arts advance, the century then feems to be the proper divifion, and every remarkable perfon fhould appear in his proper century. Upon fuch a plan as this it would be eafy to see what advance any art or fcience had made at a particular time: who were a man's predeceffors in the fame art or profeffion; and what advantage he enjoyed from them. It would likewife exhibit all a man's contemporaries at one view; and we fhould be at once entertained with the particular hiftory of each, the friendships that fubfifted, the fchemes formed, and the common tranfactions which paffed among them.It is farther fubmitted whether it would not be an improvement upon this plan, not only to difpofe the lives in their proper centuries, but to collect together all who have excelled in the fame art or profeffion, and lived at the fame time, as Hiftorians, Phyficians, Philofophers, Divines, Poets, Painters, all in their proper claffes. Upon fuch an arrangement as this, how highly fhould we be delighted with a group of characters that would pass in review before us, in the period, for inftance, from fixteen to feventeen hundred? Amongst the Hiftorians, we fhould have CLARENDON, BURNET, ROLLIN, RAPIN, VERTor; amongst the Physicians, SYDENHAM, BOERHAAVÉ,

FRIEND,

FRIEND, SLOANE; amongst the Philofophers, DES CARTES,
BOYLE, CASSINI, NEWTON, FLAMSTEAD, HALLEY; at the
head of the Divines and Moralifts, LOCKE, SHAFTSBURY,
WOLLASTON, LE CLERC, Dr. SAM. CLARKE, LEIENITZ;
and in the clafs of Poets, MILTON, COWLEY, DRYDEN,
CORNEILLE, MOLIERE, RACINE, with PRIOR, ADDISON,
SWIFT, POPE, and many other celebrated names, who were
the admiration and ornament of that illuftrious age.

It is much to be defired, and fhould always be an object of
attention to those who are employed in writing the lives of
eminent perfons, or in compiling, materials from the works of
others, to felect fuch of their actions, as are moft characteristical
of their genius and difpofition. A trifling, and feemingly in-
confiderable action; an expreffion; a word in a man's unguard-
ed moments, undifguifed, at home, or at eafe amongst his inti-
mate friends, perhaps fometimes conveys a more perfect idea
of his genius and character, than many of the greatest and most
important actions of his life. The happy ufe which PLUTARCH,
that Prince of Biographers, hath made of thefe circumftances,
and how agreeably he hath worked them up into the body of
his Lives, is known to every one; and could not but fuggeft
this remark to us. And if thefe inferior indications of a man's
temper and character ought not to be omitted; much lefs the
greater and more important. It was therefore matter of won-
der to us, that in fuch remarkable lives as thofe of CALVIN and
Archbishop LAUD, two of the most notorious inftances of their
conduct, and which, above all others fhew us the true fpirit
and temper of the men, are not fo much as mentioned, Had
we written the life of JOHN CALVIN, we fhould most certainly
have held up the horrid ftory of his burning SERVETUS, with all
its cruel circumftances, before the whole world, as the true
index of that Reformer's character. Or had we drawn up the
memoirs of WILLIAM LAUD, we fhould not have forgot his
inhuman and execrable treatment of the learned Dr, ALEX
ANDER LEIGHTON; who for writing his Appeal to Parliament,
againft the oppreffions of the Prelates of that time, in the Spiri
tual Court and Star Chamber, was, at the inftigation of LAUD,
committed to the Fleet Prifon for life; fentenced to pay a fine
of ten thousand pound; to be degraded from his miniftry; to be
fet on the pillory at Westminster, while the court was fittings
and whipped; after that to be fet upon the pillory again, and
have one of his cars cut off, one fide of his nose flit, and be

The Compilers have indeed mentioned this, under the article Servetus, but not with fuch expreffion of indignation, as fo violent an act of perfecution deferves.

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branded

branded in his face with S. S. as a Sower of Sedition; a few days after to be pilloried again in Cheapfide, there to be whipped, have the other fide of his nofe flit, his other ear cut off, and then to be shut up in close Prifon, for the remainder of his life. There furely ought not to be a Biographical Dictionary in any language under heaven, with the name of Laud, without this story in it; and with this addition, "that when this pious, merciful, and truly chriftian Archbishop heard this horrible sentence "was pronounced, he pulled off his cap, and gave God thanks for it."

There is another thing we will add by way of hint, to future adventurers in a work of this kind, that they would be careful to preferve an uniform confiftency throughout, with respect to their fentiments of things in general: it has an odd appearance to fee perfons in fome places, fpeaking of men and things, like friends to the public liberties of mankind; and upon other occafions expreffing themfelves dubiously, using equivocal terms, or parhaps laying artificial colou:s upon the characters of thofe who have acted in oppofition to them. Where a work of this nature is conducted by many hands, of unequal abilities, perhaps of different and oppofite fentiments, and the materials of which the whole is to be made up, are of a heterogeneous kind, it is very poflible that fuch articles as Milton, Locke, and Middleton, and Laud, Bolingbrook, and Atterbury, may not perfectly correfpond with each other. So difagreeable a circumftance as this, and in a work upon the whole valuable and refpectable, fhould by all means be prevented; and which we think might easily be done by the whole finally paffing through one hand, with authority to correct irregularities of this kind.

A good Biographical Dictionary hath neither improperly nor inelegantly been reprefented as a TEMPLE OF HONOUR, facred to the piety, learning, valour, public-fpirit, loyalty, and every other glorious virtue of our ancestors; and ready alfo for the reception of the WORTHIES of our OWN TIME, and the HEROES of POSTERITY. To celebrate the virtues of good men, who have been the ornaments of human nature, and the public bleffings of mankind; and to contribute a part to hand down their illuftrious names with honour to future ages, is furely one of the moft delightful fervices in which an ingenuous mind can poffibly be employed and it is a fervice as highly ufeful as it is delightful. But as there have been men illuftrious for their worth and virtue; do have there been EMINENTLY BAD MEN, the difgrace of human nature, and the plagues and curfes of mankind, for whom there fhould be fome provifion, to perpetuate and im

Vid. Preface to the Biographia Britannica.

mortalize

mortalize their infamy, and to render them and their vices the objects of lafting deteftation to future times. This is indeed a lefs pleasing, but it is a neceflary task. And amongst these, in the foremost rank of shame, should stand all thofe who have been the enemies of the juft and natural liberties of mankind; the favourers of tyrants and tyranny; and the advocates for perfecution and violence. Thefe have been ever the greateit enemies of the human species; they are the deftroyers of men, not merely of the lives and fortunes, but of the freedom, the dignity, and the fpirit of men; and fhould, in every history that is intended to perpetuate the memory of mankind and their transactions, be mentioned with every juft and manly expreffion of indignation. The faithful Biographer, whofe pen ought ever to be confecrated to Liberty and Virtue, should be in an efpecial manner careful strongly to mark fuch characters, and to give them the full proportion of infamy they deserve. Were this univerfally the cafe, it might be fome reftraint upon a baughty Ecclefiaftic, -or ambitious Minister, in the fullness of their power, to remember, that a time would come, when men might dare, without offence, or the fear of punishment, to delineate their true characters, and to tranfmit them to pofterity, as the enemies of God, and goodness; and odious in the eyes of all wife and good men.

Having thus ventured to throw out a few strictures upon this occafion, we shall now prefent our Readers with the life of Dr. Whichcote, from the eleventh volume of this work, as a speci men of the manner in which the whole is executed.

"WHICHCOTE (BENJAMIN) an English divine of great name, was defcended of an antient and good family in the county of Salop; and was the fixth fon of Chriftopher Whichcote, Efq; at Whichcote Hall in the parish of Stoke, where he was born the 11th of March 1609. He was admitted of Emmanuel college, Cambridge, in 1626, and took the degrees in arts; a batchelor's in 1629, mafter's in 1633. The fame year, 1633, he was elected fellow of the college, and became a most excellent tutor; many of his pupils, as Wallis, Smith, Worthington, Cradock, &c. becoming afterwards men of great figure themfelves. In 1636, he was ordained both deacon and prieft at Buckden by Williams bishop of Lincoln; and foon after fet up an afternoon-lecture on Sundays in Trinity church at Cambridge, which, archbishop Tillotfon fays, he ferved near twenty years. He was also appointed, one of the univerfity preachers; and, in 1643, was prefented by the mafter and fellows of his college to the living of North-Cadbury in Somerfetfhire. This vacated. his fellowship; and upon this, it is prefumed, he married, and

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