compaffed fea and land to make one profelyte;" or, to adopt a comparison that will better harmonize with the ideas of thefe cenforious furmizers, to have "gone about, like roaring lions, feeking whom they might devour." "It is not improbable (but of this I have no particular recollection) that the example of fuch refpectable characters, occupied in the fearch and profeffion of religious truth, might apply fpurs to the willing courfer. "In connexion with the publications then current, their ex. ample certainly excited among the Undergraduates a variety of converfation and debate upon the controverted points in theology; but their influence over my mind went no further. I foon found the trath to lie upon the furface; and was perfuaded that a fingle ye of any acutenefs, purged from thofe films of habitual acquiefcence, which are fuperinduced by the operations of timidity, or the fuggeftions of prudence, could never be a very long time in making the difcovery. My conftitutional franknefs and in trepidity would then inftantly impel me to the practical profeffion of it t." Vol. I. p. 113. The infolence of this, "foon finding that the truth lay on the furface," when that which he fancied to be truth_contradicted the majority of fagacious men in all ages of Chrif tianity, is truly characteristic of the writer. One of his reafons for publishing, early in life, his particular opinions en theology is thus expreffed. Vol. I. p. 287. "I had refolutely determined in that ingenuous feafon of life, when my conviction was fresh and ftrong upon my mind, yet uncorrupted by "the world and the things of the world t," to write an indelible teftimony against myself to leave no pal·liation for apoftacy, no refuge from the reproach and infamy of mankind-should I ever make an offering of my integrity at the 1 Peter v. 8. +"Haud cuivis promptum eft murmurque humilefque fufurros Tollere de templis, et aperto vivere voto." 1 John ii. 15. PERSIUS, Sat. 2. v. 6. Joshua xxiv. 22. "Patiar non moleftè, judices, eam vitam quæ mihi fuâ fponte antea jucunda fuerit nunc jam meâ lege, et conditione, neceffariam quoque futuram.” CICERO in Verr. III. 2. W. "I willingly confent that the plan of life, which was before, on its own account, the moft delightful to me, fhall henceforth alfo be rendered neceffary, by the law and obligation which I fix upon myself." fhrine of Mammon, or, to gratify a patron, bow down in Rin man's temple." Vol. I. p. 237* But was it impoffible for juvenile conclufions to be er roneous? Who does not fee, that by this method he pre, cluded himself from correcting his notions, however falle they might be; and enflaved himself to these idols of his own mind, beyond all poffibility of return? With respect to those who adhered to the established doctrines of religion, though he does once profefs to allow and be perfuaded, "that many dignified clergymen are perfectly honeft in profeffing the doctrines of the church *;" yet he adds," but it is an infult to the common fenfe of mankind in every age, to call them unprejudiced and proper witneffes:" because, he means, of the fuppe ed bias of their intereft. But he is not often fo candid even as this. His favourite phrase for the eftablished church is, "the great Goddess Diana, whom all Afa worlhippeth;" meaning to imply that the attachment of its members to the church is as mercenary, as that of the filverfmiths of Ephefus, who made fhrines for Diana. These memoirs, with many fuch violences interfperfed, -and many attacks upon private perfons, are continued to the author's thirty-fixth year; but, fince their first publication, they have been enlarged by feveral infertions and many notes. The remainder of the firft volume is occupied by Letters, chiefly to Mr. (fince Doctor) Gregory, in which we do not fee much that deferves remark. The fecond volume, which continues the account of Mr. Wakefield's Life to its termination, we owe to the care of two particular friends, Mr. John Towill Rutt, and Mr. Arnold Wainewright. That it is partial, coming from fuch a quarter, cannot be deemed any great reproach; and the authors may be praised, in general, for abftaining from all harfhnefs of language. But though, fuaviter in modo, their remarks are certainly meant to be fortiter in re; and no opportunities are loft of infinuating cenfure on Mr. Pitt's admi niftration, and on many other things, which the majority of this not very foolish nation admires; but thefe exclufive friends to truth and freedom hold in abhorrence. Mr. Wakefield died September 9, 1801, in the 46th year of his age, from the confequences, not immediately of his imprifonment, but + Vol. I. p. 295. OF the EPHESIANS.” * Vol. I. p. 280. So alfo, "their tutelary Göddefs DIANA apparently apparently of his own imprudence, in rufhing into a violent courfe of exercise after fo long inactivity, in very hot wea→ ther, contrary to his own previous conviction of what would be proper and fafe in fuch circumstances. The highest honours which his memory receives in this publication, are derived from the eloquent encomiums of Dr. Parr; whofe judgment however appears to have been biaffed in fome degree by his benevolence. His teftimony is given, firft in a letter to one of the editors, immediately after the death of Mr. W. and again in two letters, exprefsly on his literary character, fubjoined in the appendix †. In the first of thefe letters is the following paragraph. "In diligence, doubtlefs, he furpaffed any fcholar with whom it is my lot to have been perfonally acquainted, and, though his writings now and then carry with them fome marks of extreme irritability, he was adorned, or, I fhould rather fay, he was dif tinguished, by one excellence, which every wife man will admire and every good man will with at leaft to emulate. That excellence was, in truth, a very rare one; for it confifted in the complete exemption of his foul from all the fecret throbs, all the perfidious machinations, and all the mischievous meanneffes of envy." Vol. II. p. 324. Though we believe him to have been, in general, too felffufficient to be envious, we are inclined to think that the following paffage in his "memoirs" rather contradicts the too unqualified ftatement. Speaking of a club to which he belonged, he says, "The rest of our affociates, except poor Mounfey, who is mouldering into duft, in the "land where all things are forgot ten,” and where even mitred heads themselves will foon be bowed down, undistinguished from their fellows; the rest of our affoci * Vol. II. P. 321. + Vol. II. p. 437. 451. A fhort copy of verfes applicable to this fentiment, has been floating in my memory ever fince my childhood. Whether they are trite or no, and who is their author, I cannot recollect; but, they are beautiful, comfortable, and admonifhing; and fhall be quoted here: "I dreamt, that buried in my fellow clay, Close by a common beggar's fide I lay : And as fo mean an object fhockt my pride, Thus, like a corpfe of confequence, I cried: 'Scoundrel! be gone; and henceforth touch me not; More manners learn and at a distance rot.' How, fcoundrel!' with a haughtier tone cried he; W. Whose lines thefe are we have known, but do not now recall to mind, they are in most editions of Joe Miller-Rev. U U BRIT, GRIT, VOL, xxvi, d9c, 1805 ates, ates, I fay, are comfortably raised on the funny hill of dignity and wealth, and look down, from their warm ftations, on the vulgar crowd below them, labouring up the steep; and, among the tribe of mifcellaneous adventurers, on me alfo, once their equal in dig. nity and rank, though now fhewing to their diftant view not "groffer than a beetle." Vol. I. p. 137. It is true that this is followed by a recollection of himself, in which fuch thoughts are fuppreffed; but furely the ferment of envy was at work, when the former fentence was written. The extravagance of Mr. W.'s vanity is amply prov. ed by his hafty, and in many points ridiculous Diatribe, against fuch a man as Profeffor Porfon; the eminence of whofe talents and acquirements he knew and acknowledged. Yet fuch a man he dared to attack, in an extemporaneous effufion of a few hours; avowedly for no better reafon than his not having noticed, in his edition of the Hecuba, any of the observations on Euripides, which W. had hazarded in fome of his publications. At the end of the fame production he alludes to a fimilar omiffion of another fcholar; whofe friendship he had in fa renounced, in the moft infulting terms, merely because he had not acknowledged an obligation, where really none had been conferred. Nor can we think that Mr. Wakefield, with all his dif interestedness, was exempt from a fecret hope, (though perhaps not fully detected by himself) that, if our prefent conftitution in Church and State could be overthrown, he might rife to eminence and emolument by the change. Certain it is that in 1796 and 1797, when he first began to figure as a political writer, his mind was fully poffeffed with the perfuafion that the whole prefent fabric of Church and State was going to wreck and destruction; fince in the close of the very letter above alluded to, he concluded with thanking God "that these things were coming to a fpeedy conclufion in this country." This perhaps may be excufed, as arifing from the unavoidable. infirmities of human nature. Be it fo, but let him not be fuppofed to be exempt from them, when in fact he was not. Dr. Parr's firft Letter on his Literary Character is chiefly calculated to apologize for fome of his moft glaring faults; as, 1. His afperity of language, 2. His imperfection of latinity. 3. His erroneous and rafh (critical) opinions. 4. For his deficiency in regular and fyftematical ftudy. Thefe apologies are made, as might be expected, with much acmenefs of remark, and great general utility, from being full of learned illuftration; and the conclufion is as candid, and as favourable as as poffible. The fecond Letter contains only an additional illuftration of the propriety of good manners among scholars, from the Silva Philologica of Le Clerc. In juftice both to Dr. Parr, and the fubject of his remarks, we will infert the conclufion now mentioned. "In thus endeavouring to account for the imperfections of Mr. Wakefield's writings, I would not be understood to depreciate their real, great, and folid merit. Many who, like myself, difcern thofe imperfections, are far below Mr. Wakefield, not only in industry, but in acutenefs; not only in extent, but, perhaps, in accuracy of knowledge; not only in the contributions which they have made or endeavoured to make, to our general stock of knowledge; but in their capacity to make them fo largely or fo fuccefsfully. "While, therefore, we ftate what Mr. Wakefield has not done, let us bear in mind what he actually did; and when we enumerate the caufes, which might have enabled him to do better, let us remember the obstacles with which he had to contend, when he did fo well." Vol. II. p. 449. Though we think that fome degree of partiality dictated the words real, great, and folid, we will not attempt to contend with fo confummate a judge; but will only remark, that if Mr. W. had the imperfections which even fo good a friend is obliged to allow, and labours to palliate, he ought not to be propofed quite fo much for a subject of admiration, as he is by his partial biographers. The moft favourable conclufion we can form, by adding what these volumes contain *, to what we know by other means, is, that if he had been regularly educated, and if his mind could ever have been difciplined to fobriety of judgment, G. W. had materials within him to have made a great man. ART. VII. A Dictionary of Painters, from the Revival of the Art to the prefent Period: by the Rev. M. Pilkington, A. M. A New Edition, with confiderable Alterations, Additions, an Appendix, and an Index. By Henry Fufeli, R. A. 4to. pp. 711. 21. 2s. Johnfon, Faulder, &c. &c. I805. THE HE firft edition of this dictionary was publifhed in 1770, and its reception was not very favourable. Although Some things in the Appendix might as well have been omitted; particularly a moit virulent and ill-written Satire, in imitation of the firft Satire of Juvenal. |