1 Whether Browne has been numbered among the contemners of religion, by the fury of its friends, or the artifice of its enemies, it is no difficult task to replace him among the moft zealous profeffors of Chriftianity. He may, perhaps, in the ardour of his imagination, have hazarded an expreffion, which a mind intent upon faults may interpret into herefy, if confidered apart from the rest of his difcourfe; but a phrafe is not to be oppofed to volumes: there is fcarcely a writer to be found, whofe profeffion was not divinity, that has fo frequently teftified his belief of the facred writings, has appealed to them with fuch unlimited fubmiffion, or mentioned them with fuch invaried reverence.

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It is, indeed, fomewhat wonderful, that he should be placed without the pale of Chriftianity, who declares, that he affumes the honourable style of a Chriftian," not because it is "the religion of his country," but becaufe having in his riper years and confirmed judgment feen and examined all, he finds himself obliged, by the principles of grace, and the law of "his own reafon, to embrace no other name but this:" who, to specify his perfuafion yet more, tells us, that "he is of the Reformed religion; of the fame belief "our Saviour taught, the apoftles diffeminated, the "fathers authorized, and the martyrs confirmed:" who, though "paradoxical in philofophy, loves in divinity "to keep the beaten road; and pleases himself that he "has no taint of herefy, fchifm, or error:" to whom, "where the Scripture is filent, the Church is a text; "where that fpeaks, 'tis but a comment;" and who ufes not "the dictates of his own reafon, but where "there is a joint filence of both: who bleffes himself, that he lived not in the days of miracles, when faith

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"had

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"had been thruft upon him; but enjoys that greater "bleffing, pronounced to all that believe and saw not.” He cannot furely be charged with a defect of faith, who believes that our Saviour was dead, and buried, "and rose again, and defires to fee him in his glory:" and who affirms, that "this is not much to believe;" that we have reafon to owe this faith unto hif

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tory;" and that "they only had the advantage of a "bold and noble faith, who lived before his coming "and upon obfcure prophecies and myftical types, "could raise a belief." Nor can contempt of the pofitive and ritual parts of religion be imputed to him, who doubts, whether a good man would refufe a poifoned eucharift; and "who would violate his own "arm, rather than a church."

The opinions of every man must be learned from himself: concerning his practice, it is fafeft to truft the evidence of others. Where thefe teftimonies concur, no higher degree of hiftorical certainty can be obtained; and they apparently concur to prove, that Browne was. a zealous adherent to the faith of Christ, that he lived in obedience to his laws, and died in confidence of his mercy.

ASCHAM.

OGER ASCHAM was born in the year 1515, at Kirby Wiske (or Kirby Wicke), a village near Northallerton in Yorkshire, of a family above the vulgar. His father John Afcham was houfe-fteward in the family of Scroop; and in that age, when the different orders of men were at a greater diftance from each other, and the manners of gentlemen were regularly formed by menial fervices in great houses, lived with a very confpicuous reputation. Margaret Afcham, his wife, is faid to have been allied to many confiderable families, but her maiden name is not recorded. She had three fons, of whom Roger was the youngest, and fome daughters; but who can hope, that of any progeny more than one fhall deferve to be mentioned? They lived married fixty-feven years, and at last died together almoft on the fame hour of the fame day.

Roger having paffed his firft years under the care of his parents, was adopted into the family of Antony *First printed before his Works in 4to.

Wingfield,

Wingfield, who maintained him, and committed his education, with that of his own fons, to the care of one Bond, a domeftic tutor. He very early difcovered an unusual fondness for literature by an eager perufal of English books; and having paffed happily. through the scholaftick rudiments, was put, in 1530, by his patron Wingfield, to St. John's college in Cambridge.

Afcham entered Cambridge at a time when the last great revolution of the intellectual world was filling every academical mind with ardour or anxiety. The deftruction of the Conftantinopolitan empire had driven the Greeks with their language into the interior parts of Europe, the art of printing had made the books eafily attainable, and Greek now began to be taught in England. The doctrines of Luther had already filled all the nations of the Romish communion with controverfy and diffention. New ftudies of literature, and new tenets of religion, found employment for all who were defirous of truth, or ambitious of fame. Learning was at that time profecuted with that eagerness and perfeverance which in this age of indifference and diffipation it is not eafy to conceive. To teach or to learn, was at once the business and the pleasure of the academical life; and an emulation of study was raised by Cheke and Smith, to which even the prefent age perhaps owes many advantages, without remembering or knowing its benefactors.

Afchain foon refolved to unite himself to thofe who were enlarging the bounds of knowledge, and, immediately upon his admiffion into the college, applied himfelf to the ftudy of Greek. Those who were zealous for the new learning, were often no great friends

to

to the old religion; and Afcham, as he became a Grecian, became a Proteftant. The Reformation was not yet begun, difaffection to Popery was confidered as a crime juftly punished by exclufion from favour and preferment, and was not yet openly profeffed, though fuperftition was gradually lofing its hold upon the publick. The study of Greek was reputable enough, and Afcham purfued it with diligence and fuccefs equally confpicuous. He thought a language might be most easily learned by teaching it; and when he had obtained fome proficiency in Greek, read lectures, while he was yet a boy, to other boys who were defirous of inftruction. His industry was much encouraged by Pember, a man of great eminence at that time, though I know not that he has left any monuments behind him, but what the gratitude of his friends and scholars has bestowed. He was one of the great encouragers of Greek learning, and particularly applauded Afcham's lectures, affuring him in a letter, of which Graunt has preferved an extract, that he would gain more knowledge by explaining one of Afop's fables to a boy, than by hearing one of Homer's poems explained by another.

Afcham took his bachelor's degree in 1534, February 18, in the eighteenth year of his age; a time of life at which it is more common now to enter the universities than to take degrees, but which, according to the modes of education then in use, had nothing of remarkable prematurity. On the 23d of March following, he was chofen fellow of the college; which election he confidered as a fecond birth. Dr. Metcalf the master of the college, a man, as Afcham tells us, "meanly learned himself, but no mean encourager of

"learning