esquire, who was his next kinsman, after his uncles, by his mother.

Great care was taken of his education; and his guardian intended to breed him to be a divine: and, being inclined to the way of those then called puritans, put him to some schools that were taught by those of that party; and, in 1626, in the seventeenth year of his age, sent him to Magdalen-hall in Oxford, where Obadiah Sedgwick* was his tutor. He was an extraordinary proficient at school, and, for some time, at Oxford; but the stage-players coming thither, he was so much corrupted by seeing many plays, that he almost wholly forsook his studies. By this, he, not only, lost much time, but found, that his head came to be thereby filled with vain images of things, that they were at best unprofitable, if not hurtful to him: and, being, afterwards, sensible of the mischief of this, he resolved, upon his coming to London, where, he knew, the opportunities of such sights would be more frequent and inviting, never to see a play again; to which [resolution,] he constantly adhered.‡

* A violent non-conformist; born at Marlborough, Wiltshire, 1600. He was first of Queen's college, subsequently of Magdalen-hall, Oxford; and died at his birth-place in 1658.

+ This assertion has been positively denied, by Mr. Stephens, the publisher of the Contemplations.' There seems, however, to be abundant internal evidence, that Burnet was not under a mistake.

A similar fact is related, of the celebrated Brindley, the civil engineer. He was once prevailed upon, to go to a play. Never before having been present at such an entertainment, it had a powerful effect; and he complained, that, for several days, it so deranged his ideas, as to render him quite unfit for business. He determined, therefore, that he would never, on any account, visit the theatre again.

The common-place, unphilosophical observations of Mr. Gough, (which may be seen in the Biographia Britannica,) are altogether unworthy of notice. Mr. Brindley may have been somewhat too abstracted: but, assuredly,

The corruption of a young man's mind in one particular, generally draws on a great many more after it; so, he, being now taken off from following his studies, and from the gravity of his deportment, that was formerly eminent in him, far beyond his years, set himself to many of the vanities incident to youth; but still preserved his purity, and a

the right cure for such a mind as his, could never have been afforded by vulgar diversions.

We learn, from the interesting memoir of Felix Neff (1832), that, even in childhood, his chosen recreations were those long rambles which he was allowed to take, in the splendid mountain scenery of his native Switzerland. No amusement which the town of Geneva could afford, was, in his view, comparable with his own quiet, but invigorating pursuits, in the pure air of a delightful country, by the side of the stream, the torrent, or the lake. When twelve years old, a companion asked him to go along with him, to some favourite theatrical exhibition: on declining, he was asked, 'Do you think you will not be entertained?'..' Perhaps,' was the reply, sage beyond his years, 'perhaps, I should be entertained too much.'

A curious diversion, and consequent unsettlement, of mind, with the means employed for its counteraction, are instructively recorded by Mr. Boyle, in the sketch of his own early life: ..

Here, [at Eton,] to divert his melancholy, [owing to an aguish indisposition,] they made him read the adventures of Amadis de Gaule, and other fabulous entertaining stories; which much more prejudiced him, by unsettling his thoughts, than they could have advantaged him, had they effected his recovery: for, meeting in him with a restless fancy, then made more susceptible of any impressions, by an unemployed pensiveness, they accustomed his thoughts to such a habitude of roving, that he has scarce ever been their master since.

'Long time after, he did, in a considerable measure, fix his volatile fancy, and restrain his thoughts, by the use of those expedients he thought likeliest to fetter, or, at least, to curb, the roving wildness of his wandering thoughts. Amongst all which, the most effectual way he found to be, the extraction of the square and cube roots, and especially those more laborious operations of algebra, which both accustom, and necessitate, the mind to attention, by so entirely exacting the whole man, that the smallest distraction, or heedlessness, constrains us to renew our trouble, and re-begin the operation.'-Life of the hon. Robert Boyle: by Birch. Works, i. xvii. Edit. 1772.

It cannot be reasonably doubted, that this remedy was suggested to the philosopher, by the sagacious counsel of his great predecessor: . .

'If a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics: for, in demonstration, if a man's wit be carried away never so little, he must begin

great probity of mind. He loved fine clothes, and delighted much in company; and, being of a strong, robust body, he was a great master at all those exercises, that required much strength. He also learned to fence, and handled his weapons; in which he became so expert, that he worsted many of the masters of those arts: but, as he was exercising himself in them, an instance appeared that showed a good judgment, and gave some hopes of better things. One of his masters told him, he could teach him no more; for he was now better at his own trade than himself was. This Mr. Hale looked on as flattery: so, to make the master discover himself, he promised him the house he lived in, (for he was his tenant,) if he could hit him a blow on the head; and bade him do his best, for he would be as good as his word. So, after a little engagement, his master, being really superior to him, hit him on the head; and he performed his promise, for he gave him the house freely; and was not unwilling, at that rate, to learn, so early, to distinguish flattery from plain and simple truth.

He now was so taken up with martial matters, that, instead of going on in his design of being a scholar or a divine, he resolved to be a soldier: and, his tutor Sedgwick going into the Low-countries, chaplain to the renowned lord Vere*, he resolved to go along with him, and to trail a pike in the prince of Orange's army. But a happy stop was put to this

Horatio, lord Vere, died 1635; grandson of John Vere, earl of Oxford, who was born, 1554: died, 1608. Queen Elizabeth was used to say this great man, that she held him to be the worthiest captain of her .e.'

resolution, which might have proved so fatal to himself, and have deprived the age of the great example he gave, and the useful services he afterwards did his country. He was engaged in a suit of law, with sir William Whitmore, who laid claim to some part of his estate; and his guardian being a man of a retired temper, and not made for business, he was forced to leave the university, after he had been three years in it, and go to London to solicit his own business. Being recommended to serjeant Glanvil for his counsellor, and he, observing in him a clear apprehension of things, and a solid judgment, and a great fitness for the study of the law, . . took pains upon him to persuade him to forsake his thoughts of being a soldier, and to apply himself to the study of the law and this had so good an effect on him, that, on the 8th of November, 1629, when he was past the twentieth year of his age, he was admitted into Lincoln's Inn: and, being then deeply sensible how much time he had lost, and that idle and vain things had over-run, and almost corrupted his mind, he resolved to redeem the time he had lost; and followed his studies, with a diligence that could scarcely be believed, if the signal effects of it did not gain it credit. He studied, for many years, at the rate of sixteen hours a day:† he threw aside

:

* Sir John Glanvil (of whom bp. Burnet presently will record an interesting anecdote) was younger son of John Glanvil, of Tavistock, in Devonshire, one of the justices of the common pleas. He was not made a serjeant at law, till the year 1639.; nor knighted, till the year 1641., being then one of the king's serjeants. He died 1661.

'He said, that he had studied sixteen hours a day, for the first two years that he came to the inns of court; but almost brought himself to his grave, though he were of a very strong constitution; and afterwards reduced him self to eight hours. But, that he would not advise any body to do so much;

all fine clothes, and betook himself to a plain fashion, which he continued to use, in many points, to his dying day.

But, since the honour of reclaiming him from the idleness of his former course of life, is due to the memory of that eminent lawyer serjeant Glanvil,.. and, since my design in writing, is, to propose a pattern of heroic virtue to the world,.. I shall mention one passage of the serjeant, which ought never to be forgotten. His father had a fair estate, which he intended to settle on his elder brother: but he, being a vicious young man, and there appearing no hopes of his recovery, he settled it on him, that was his second son. Upon his death, his eldest son, finding, that what he had before looked on as the threatenings of an angry father, was now but too certain, became melancholy; and that, by degrees, wrought so great a change on him, that, what his father could not prevail in while he

that, he thought, six hours a day, with attention and constancy, was sufficient. That a man must use his body, as he would his horse and his stomach; not tire him at once, but rise with an appetite.' Thirlwall's Appendix : from a MS. in the possession of the late Bennet Langton, Esq., in the handwriting of his great-grandfather, who studied under the direction of sir Matthew Hale. It seems of consequence, to correct, from such competent authority, the unqualified, and, as it would appear, excessive statement of the text.

Many are the labourers,' says Mr. Southey, (and it is the most sober and industrious upon whom the labour falls,) who, by task-work, or by working, what are called, days and quarters, prepare for themselves a premature old age. And many are the youths, who, while they are studying for university honours, rise early and sit up late, have recourse to art, for the purpose of keeping their jaded faculties wakeful, and irretrievably injure their health for ever, if this intemperance of study cost them not their lives.-Colloquies, on the Progress and Prospects of Society, i. 336.

Let thy recreation be manly, moderate, seasonable, lawful: if thy life be sedentary, more tending to the exercise of the body; if active, more to the refreshing of thy mind. The use of recreation is to strengthen thy labour, and sweeten thy rest. Quarles. Enchir. ii. 80.