Mr. Locke himself has taken, and ftrenuously contended for.

My intelligent Reader will eafily foresee, that in the Profecution of this Subject, the next Attempt fhould be to enquire what are the Inftincts peculiar to Man, that distinguish him from the other known Animals who fhare this Earth with him; whether, amongst the human Inftincts, there be any that form fixed and univerfally-felt Fountain-heads of Religion and Duty; and if it appears that we really have fuch, then it is evidently of the greateft Importance to point them out, and to examine what they plainly infer, and what they teach us concerning the End and Destination of Man.

HE Life of a Scholar feldom abounds with

T Adventure. His Fame is acquired in Soli

tude. And the Hiftorian who only views him at a Distance, must be content with a dry Detail of Actions by which he is fcarce diftinguifhed from the Reft of Mankind. But we are fond of talking of thofe who have given us Pleasure, not that we have any Thing important to fay, but because the Subject is pleafing.

Thomas Parnel, D. D. was defcended from an ancient Family, that had for fome Centuries been fettled at Congleton in Cheshire. His Father, Thomas Parnell, who had been attached to the Commonwealth Party, upon the Restoration went over to Ireland; thither he carried a large Perfonal Fortune, which he laid out in Lands in that Kingdom. The Eftates he purchased there, as alfo that of which he was poffeffed in Cheshire, defcended to our Poet, who was his eldest Son, and still remain in the Family.

Thus

Thus Want, which has compelled many of our greatest Men into the Service of the Mufes, had no Influence upon Parnell; he was a Poet by Incli

nation.

He was born in Dublin, in the Year 1679, and received the first Rudiments of his Education at the

School of Doctor Jones in that City. Surprifing Things are told us of the Greatness of his Memory at that early Period, as of his being able to repeat by Heart forty Lines of any Book at the first Reading; of his getting the third Book of the Iliad in one Night's Time, which was given in order to confine him for fome Days. Thefe Stories, which are told of almost every celebrated Wit, may perhaps be true. But for my own Part, I never found any of those Prodigies of Parts, although I have known enow that were defirous, among the Ignorant of being thought so.

There is one Presumption, however, of the early Maturity of his Understanding. He was admitted a Member of the College of Dublin at the Age of Thirteen, which is much fooner than ufual, as at that Univerfity they are a great Deal stricter in their Examination for Entrance, than either at Oxford or Cambridge. His Progress through the College Course of Study was probably marked with but little Splendour; his Imagination might have been too warm to relish the cold Logic of Burgerfdicius, or the dreary Subtleties of Smiglefius; but it is certain, that as a claffical Scholar, few could equal him. His own Compofitions fhew this, and the Difference which the most eminent Men of his Time paid him. upon that Head, put it beyond a Doubt. He took the Degree of Mafter of Arts the ninth of July, 1700; and in the fame Year, he was ordai ed a Deacon, by William, Bishop of Derry, having a Difpenfation from the Primate, as being under twenty-three Years of Age. He was admitted into Prieft's

4

Prieft's Orders about three Years after, by Archbishop of Dublin, and on the Ninth of ary, 1705, he was collated by Sir George A thop of Clogher, to the Archdeaconry of About that time alfo he married Miss Anne M a young Lady of great Merit and Beauty, by he had two Sons, who died young, Daughter, who is ftill living. His Wife die Time before him, d her Death is faid t made fo great an Impreffion on his Spirits, ferved to haften his own. On the thirtyMay, 1716, he was prefented, by his Frien Patron Archbishop King; to the Vicarage of F a Benefice worth about four hundred Pounds a in the Diocese of Dublin, but he lived to enj Preferment a very fhort Time. He died at Che July, 1717, on his Way to Ireland, and was in Trinity Church in that Town, without any nument to mark the Place of his Interment. died without Male Iffue, his Eftate devolved only Nephew, Sir John Parnell, Baronet, Father was younger Brother to the Archdeacon one of the Justices of the King's Bench in Irela

Such is the very unpoetical Detail of the Lif Poet. Some Dates, and fome few Facts 1 more interesting than those that make the C ments of a Country Tomb-ftone, are all that main of one, whofe Labours now begin to e univerfal Curiofity. A Poet, while living, is fel an Object fufficiently great to attract much A tion; his real Merits are known but to a few, thefe are generally sparing in their Praises. W his Fame is increased by Time, it is then too lat inveftigate the Peculiarities of his Difpofition; Dews of the Morning are paft, and we va try to continue the Chace by the meridian Sp dour.

TH

by Willian ith of Febre ge Albe, Bi.

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, and one fe died fome aid to have irits, that it

irty-first of Friend and of Finglas, inds a Year, to enjoy his t Chefter, in was buried

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e Life of a

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There

There is fcarce any Man but might be made the Subject of a very interefting and amufing History, if the Writer, besides a thorough Acquaintance with the Character he draws, were able to make those nice Distinctions which feparate it from all others. The strongest Minds have ufually the moft ftriking Peculiarities, and would confequently afford the richest Materials: but in the prefent Inftance, from not knowing Doctor Parnell, his Peculiarities are gone to the Grave with him, and we are obliged to take his Character from fuch as knew but little of him; or who, perhaps, could have given very little Information if they had known more.

Parnell, by what I have been able to collect from my Father and Uncle, who knew him, was the moft capable Man in the World to make the Happiness of those he converfed with, and the least able to fecure his own. He wanted that Evenness of Difpofition which bears Difappointment with Phlegm, and Joy with Indifference. He was ever very much elated or depreffed; and his whole Life spent in Agony or Rapture. But the Turbulence of thefe Pafhons only affected himself, and never thofe about him: he knew the Ridicule of his own Character, and very effectually raised the Mirth of his Companions, as well at his Vexations as at his Triumphs.

How much his Company was defired, appears from the Extenfiveness of his Connexions, and the Number of his Friends. Even before he made any Figure in the literary World, his Friendship was fought by Persons of every Rank and Party. The Wits at that Time differed a good deal from those who are most eminent for their Understanding at prefent. It would now be thought a very indifferent Sign of a Writer's good Senfe to difclaim his private Friends for happening to be of a different Party in Politics; but it was then otherwife, the Whig Wits held the Tory Wits in great Contempt, and these retal