judgment upon hiftorians and the writers of epiftles. The only apology which he makes for the frequency of his digreffions is, that they were purpofely done for the fooner filling up of the fheet; his bargain with the bookfeller being at fo much per sheet; and that he worked as much for his daily fupport, as for the acquifition of glory. It was Cardanus who revived, in latter times all the fecret philofophy of the Cabala and Cabalifts, which filled the world with fpirits; a likeness to whom he afferted we might attain by purifying ourfelves with philofophy. He chofe for himself, however, notwithstanding fuch reveries, thi fine device, tempus mea poffeffio, tempus, meus ager, "time is my fole pof"feffion, and the only fund I have " to improve." Anecdotes of Nicholas Ferrar, extracted from his Life by Bishop Turner. N ICHOLAS Ferrar was born in London, on the first day of February, 1591, being the third fon of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, a rich Eaft-India merchant, and Mary his wife. Young Nicholas was more remarkable, from his childhood, for a ftudious difpofition, than for a robust constitution. At fix years of age, he discovered a genius for hiftory, particularly for that of the Bible, of which he made himfelf mafter in two or three years, and could repeat the Pfalms without book. The English Chronicle and Book of Martyrs often made him forget the times of meals and fleep. At the age of eight, he was placed under the care of Mr. Brooks, a clergyman, who had retired from London, to a houfe near Newbury. in Berkshire. Here Nicholas diftinguifhed himfelf by his affiduity and retentive memory. At thirteen, being thought fit for the univerfity, he was placed at Clare-hall, in Cambridge, under the tuition of Dr. Auftin Linfell, afterwards raifed to the fee of Peterborough. At college, fays the writer of his life, his chamber might always be known by the laft candle put out at night, and the firft lighted in the morning. The fedentary life which Nicholas led, joined to his tender habit of body, made his phyfician, Dr. Butler, judge it neceffary for him to travel and as he had an opportunity of joining the train of the princess Elizabeth, who had married Frederic, Count Palatine, and was to pafs through Holland, he embraced it. Dr. Scott, mafter of Clare-hall, having prefented him to the princefs, he attended her highnefs to Amfterdam: but, not intending to go to the P latinate, he took his leave of her highnefs, who difmiffed him gracioufly. Paffing on to Leiptic, he defigned to fix for fome time in the univerfity there, and applying to the ableft mafters, was taught the grounds of all the liberal arts, and the method of artificial memory: but the number of vifitants, who were drawn by the reputation he acquired, robbing him of his privacy and retirement, he withdrew to a neighbouring village, where he remained a confiderable time. Being now mafter of most of the modern modern languages, he left Germany, to purfue his travels, and, coming to the frontiers of Italy, he was compelled to perform quarantine, having paffed through fome places, where the plague was fufpected to rage; and, it being in the time of Lent, he spent this feafon of fequeftration on a mountain covered with wild thyme and rofemary. From this mountain, after obferving a faft all the day, he came down at night to his only meal of oil and fish; and this he conftantly repeated, till the time of his quarantine expired. In his paffage over the Alps, his guide being a little way before him, an afs, with a long piece of timber acrofs her back, came fuddenly out from the fide of a hill, and running down upon him, where the road was extremely narrow, muft have thrown him down a precipice, where he must have inftantly perished, had not the afs fallen, juft as the came up with him, by which accident, the timber fwaying, made room for him to get be-, hind the afs, and thereby preferved his life. A providential efcape, which he never forgot. At Padua, he applied himself to the study of phyfic, with fuch fuccefs, that he owed his recovery from an illnefs he was attacked with there, to the proficiency he had made in that science. Apprehending fome danger from an information the jefuits had received of him, he profecuted his journey from Padua to Rome on foot, and from that city to Marfeilles, where a fever again feized him; but, contrary to the expectation of his phyfician, he reco. vered. Embarking here in a fmallEnglifh veffel bound for Spain, he was in danger of falling into the hands of a Turkish pirate, who gave them chace; but, a richer booty prefenting, they efcaped. At Madrid, he received intelligence, by an unexpected way, that his family was involved in great diftreffes. This immediately turned his thoughts homewards, and, inftead of paffing through France, as he had purpofed, he refolved to take the first opportunity of failing from St. Sebaftian's: to which place he walked from Madrid, his finances being very low, owing to a difappointment of fome bills he expected to be remitted him there. After waiting fome time at St. Sebaftian's for a wind, he embarked, and, in a few days landed at Dover, after an abfence of above five years, his conftitution being much strengthened. The affairs of his family anfwered the defcription he had received, but he found means to extricate them out of their troubles; in remembrance of which, they ever afterwards fet apart the last day of every month, for a day of thanksgiving, ufing a form of devotion compofed by Nicholas. In 1624, he was chofen a member of the Houfe of Commons, through the interest of some of the lords of the Virginia company, and was very active against the Lord-Treasurer Cranfield. In 1625, the plague raging in London, he conveyed his mother and the family, to her daughter Collet's houfe, at Bourn, near Cambridge, continuing himself in London to fettle their affairs, in order order to profecute a defign they had The plague having ceafed, they went to London, to take a last fare wel of their friends in the city, and Nicholas, after a fortnight fpent in watching, prayer, and fafting, was ordained by Dr. Laud, in King Henry the Seventh's chapel, at Westminster-Abbey. On its being known that he was in deacon's orders, his friends, who had any good church-preferment in their gift, importuned him to accept it; but, declining all offers of this kind, he haftened to Gedding, and there begun that ftrict courfe of living and difcipline, in which he continued to his death, contriving to fill up all his time, except the little he allowed to fleep and meals, with religious exercises. Adove-house they converted into a school, and provided for three mafters, where not only the children of the family, but thofe of other parishes, were taught writing, grammar, arithmetic, and mufic. The diverfions allowed the children were running, vaulting, and shooting with bows. The young women, in number nine or ten, were always clad alike, in habits of black ftuff; and the time which was not employed in the fervice of the church, or family prayers, was dedicated to the poor of the neighbouring villages, to whom they were furgeons, apothecaries, and physicians, when any applied for their affiftance. They alfo fometimes employed themfelves in diftilling cordial waters, or working furniture for their little church, and eafing their grandmother in the care of the family. They were all early rifers, being up at five in winter, and four in fummer; and, on Sundays, the spaces between the church-hours, were filled up in repeating the pfalms, or reading, or attending to the prayers, which were repeated hourly, the organ in the great chamber playing to this hymn: So angels fing, and fo fing we, And unto men his favour show. The whole family, with the schoolmafters, went in proceffion to church, all clad in black gowns, and Nicholas in his hood and furplice, when having thrice performed fervice, they went to Steeple-Gedding, an adjoining village, to hear prayers in the afternoon. The rules of the family were never violated on account of vifitors; if fuch did not chufe to join them, they might withdraw. In the great parlour a tablet was affixed to the wall, on which was infcribed I. H. S. MARY FERRAR, Widow, Mother of this family, aged about eighty years, bids adieu to all fears and hopes of this world, and only defires to ferve God. Nicholas introduced into his family the primitive difcipline of watching, for which they had different oratories for each fex; they kept watch by turns, two together, beginning at nine at night, and continuing till one in the morning, at which hour Nicholas conftantly rofe. During their watch, they repeated a number of pfalms, kneeling all the while, or fung to the organ, which was fet in a low ftop, that it might not difturb the houfe. Nicholas frequently fpent whole nights in the church, or lay on the floor, wrapt in a rough fhag gown; and yet, fays Dr. Turner, he was remarkable for the chearfulness of his difpofition and coun tenance. As they kept an hofpitable table, many gentlemen and clergy, travelling the northern road, were drawn by their fame to Gedding. Bishop Williams, their neighbour, at Bugden, fometimes was their vi. fitor; and, at their invitation, held a confirmation at Gedding, on which occafion they procured the chorifters of Peterborough. King Charles I. upon his march into the north, fpent fome time at Gedding, in looking over their Harmonies on the Bible, one of which he defired for his own ufe. He alfo accepted from them fome other books, which were bound by the females, and at parting, requefted their prayers. The year of Nicholas's death is not mentioned, which happened on a Monday, the 5th of November, about one in the morning, his conftant time of rifing. At the beginning of his illness, which lafted but three days, he was perfuaded he should not recover, taking a fo-lemn leave of his relations. He defired his brother would measure feven feet from the weft end of the church, and at that distance, let his grave be dug, and that he would fee fee all his books of novels and plays immediately burnt upon that fpot. He expired in a kind of extafy, afluring his nieces, and the clergymen who were with him, he had feen a heavenly entertainment. Bishop Turner, in his notes for a preface, fays fome things in this life were rather to be admired than imitated. To this, no doubt, the reader has heartily fubfcribed. A Portrait of Julius Cæfar, by philofopher*. and Milton were born poets. For if nature had made him a citizen of Sybaris, he would have been the moft voluptuous of men. If in our days, he had been born in Penfylvania, he would have been the most inoffenfive of quakers, and would not have disturbed the tranquillity of the new world. The moderation with which he conducted himself after his victories, has been highly extolled; but in this he fhewed his penetration, a not the goodness of his heart. Is it not obvious, that the difplay of certain virtues is neceffary to put in motion the political machine? F, after the lapfe of eighteen publifhed without offence, a philofopher might, in the following terms, cenfure Cæfar without calumniating him, and applaud him without exciting his blufhes. Cæfar had one predominant paffion: it was the love of glory; and he paffed forty years of his life in feeking opportunities to fofter and encourage it. His foul, entirely abforbed in ambition, did not open itfelf to other impulfes. He cultivated letters, but he did not love them with enthufiafm, because he had not leifure to become the first orator of Rome. He corrupted the one half of the Roman ladies, but his heart had no concern in the fiery ardours of his fenfes. In the arms of Cleopatra, hethought of Pompey; and this fingular man, who difdained to have a partner in the empire of the world, would have blushed to have been for one inftant the flave of a woman. • We must not imagine, that Cæfar was born a warriour, as Sophocles the appearance of clemency, if he inclined, that Rome fhould forgive him his victories. But what greatnefs of mind is there, in a generofity, which follows on the ufurpas tion of fupreme power? Nature, while it marked Cæfar with a fublime character, gave him alfo that fpirit of perfeverance, which renders it ufeful. He had no fooner begun to reflect, than he admired Sylla, hated him, and yet wifhed to imitate him. At the age of fifteen, he formed the project of being Dictator. It was thus, that the President Montefquieu conceived, in his early youth, the idea of the Spirit of Laws. Physical qualities, as well as moral caufes, contributed to give ftrength to his character. Nature, which had made him for command, had given him an air of dignity. Pe had acquired that foft and infinuating eloquence, which is perfeetly fuited to feduce vulgar minds, and had a powerful influence on the This portrait is tranflated from the Melanges Philofophiques of M Ophelor de la a work just published at Paris. Panfe, moft |