it in folio were completed in 1740. The fixth volume was finished in 1742, and the feventh in 1744 A fecond edition of it, in octavo, began to be publithed in 1747, and was carried on monthly, with uncommon fuccefs, till the whole was concluded in twenty volumes. For what parts of it the republic of letters was more immediately indebted to Mr. Campbell it is not in our power to determine, excepting that he is understood to have been the writer of the Cofmonogy, which affords a distinguished proof of his extenfive acquaintance with the fyftems of the ancient philofophers. Whilt our author was employed in this capital work, he found leifure to entertain the world with other productions. In 1739 he published "The Travels and Adventures of Edward Brown, Efq." a book that was fo well received as to call for another edition. In the fame year appeared his "Memoirs of the Bafhaw Duke de Ripperda," which were reprinted with improvements in 1740. Thefe memoirs were followed in 1741 by the "Concife Hiftory of Spanish America," a fecond edition of which, if we recollect aright, came out in 1756. In 1742 he was the author of

A Letter to a Friend in the Country, on the publication of Thurloe's State Papers;" giving an account of their difcovery, importance, and utility. The fame year was diftinguished by the appearance of the first and fecond volumes of his "Lives of the English Admirals, and other eminent British Seamen.' The two remaining volumes were completed in 1744; and the whole not long after was tranflated into German. This, we believe, was the firft of Mr. Campbell's works to which he prefixed his name; and, indeed, he had no reafon to be afhamed of fo doing, for it is a performance of great and acknowledged merit. The good reception it met with was evinced in its paffing through three editions in his own life-time; and a fourth hath lately been given to the public, under the infpection of Dr. Berkenhout. When our author had finished the third edition, which is more correct and complete than the former ones, he thus

wrote to his ingenious and worthy friend, the Reverend Mr. Hall: "I am certain the Lives of the Admirals coft me a great deal of trouble; and I can with great veracity affirm, that they contain nothing but my real fentiments, arifing from as ftrict an enquiry into the matters which they relate as was in my power." In 1743 he published a very curious and enter taining pamphlet, called "Hermippes revived;" a fecond edition of which, much improved and enlarged, came out in 1749, under the following tik "Hermippus Redivivus: or, the Stage) Triumph over old Age and the Gr Wherein a Method is laid down fe, prolonging the Life and Vigour of M Including a Commentary upon an cient Infcription, in which this gr Secret is revealed; fupported by merous Authorities. The whole int fperfed with a great Variety of reas able and well attested Relations." T extraordinary tract had its origin in foreign publication; but it was wrong up to perfection by the additional genuity and learning of Mr. Camp and was founded on the following fcription, faid to be preferved Reinetius's Supplement to Gruter.

ESCULAPIO ET SANITATI L. CLODIUS HERMIPPUS QUI VIXIT ANNOS CXV. DIES V PUELLARUM ANHELITU, QUOD ETIAM POST MORTE EJUS NON PARUM MIRANTUR PHYSIC JAM POSTERI SIC VITAM DUCKTA

From the circumftance here me tioned, which is reprefented as havi been the means of prolonging the of Hermippus to fo great an age, author raifes an hypothefis, and fuppor it in an admirable ftrain of grave irony concerning the falutary nature of breath of young perfons, efpecial girls and young women. Befides this, he digreffes largely concerning the be metic philofophers, and their univer medicine; and relates a variety of fo ries concerning them, which are excel lently calculated, not only to amufe his readers, but almost to deceive thofe who are not fufficiently aware of his intention, and whofe judgments a not matured. The writer of this ar

ticle well remembers, that, having read the " Hermippus Redivivas" in his 5 youth, fuch an impreffion was made by it upon his imagination, that though his understanding was not convinced, or his belief engaged, by the reafonings and facts contained in it, he feemed for two or three days to be in a kind of Fairy-land. Dr. Mackenzie, a phyfician at Worcester, and the author of a Treatife on Health, is faid to have viewed Mr. Campbell's book in a ferious light; and to have been fo far influenced by it, that he went and lived fome time at a female boarding-fchool, for the benefit of receiving the falutary effects arifing from the breath of the young ladies. Mr. Thicknelle, in a late performance, hath gravely adopted the fyftem of the "Hermippus Redivivus." It had been afferted that Monf. Bayle alone poffeffed the faculty of treating at large upon a difficult fubject, without difcovering to which fide his own fentiments leaned, and that his acquaintance with uncommon books extended farther than that of any other man. The Hermippus was an effay to fhew that fuch a mode of writing, and fuch a fpecies of literature, were not I confined to Monf. Bayle. This, as our author himself long afterwards informed Mr. Hall, was the true key to the book. In 1756 a tranflation of it into Italian was published at Leghorn; in the introductory preface to which high commendations are bestowed upon the Hermippus Redivivus.

The smaller pieces written by Mr. Campbell were only an occafional amufement to him, and never interrupted the courfe of the great works in which he was engaged. In 1744 he gave to the public, in two volumes folio, his Voyages and Travels, on Dr. Harris's plan, being a very diftinguished improvement of that gentleman's col'lection, which had appeared in 1705. So well was this publication of our author received, that a new edition was foon called for, which came out in numbers, and was finished in 1749. The work contains all the circumnavigators, from the time of Columbus to Lord Anfon; a complete Hiftory of the Eaft-Indies; hiftorical Details of the

feveral Attempts made for the Dif covery of the North-east and Northweft Paffages; the Commercial Hiftory of Corea and Japan; the Rutlian Dif coveries by Land and Sea; a distinct Account of the Spanish, Portuguese, British, French, Dutch, and Danish Settlements in America; with other Pieces not to be found in any former Collection. The whole was conducted with eminent fkill and judgment, and the preface is acknowledged to be a mafter-piece of compofition and in- ́ formation. The time and care employed by Mr. Campbell in this important undertaking did not prevent his engaging in another great work, with regard to which we have reafon to record his learned labours with particular pleafure. The work we mean is the Biographia Britannica, which began to be published in weekly numbers in 1745, and the first volume of which was completed in 1746, as was the fecond in 1748. By one of thofe revolutions to which the beft defigns are fubject, the public attention to the Biographia feemed to flag, when about two volumes had been printed: but this attention was foon revived by the very high encomium that was paffed upon it by Mr. Gilbert Weft, at the close of his poem on Education; from which time the undertaking was carried on with increafing reputation and fuccefs. We need not fay, that its reputation and fuccefs were greatly owing to our author. It is no difparagement to the abilities and learning of his coadjutators to affert, that his articles conftitute the prime merit of the four volumes through which they extend. He was not fatisfied with giving a cold narration of the perfonal circumstances relative to the eminent men whofe lives he drew up, but was ambitious of entering into fuch a copious and critical difcuffion of their actions or writings as fhould render the Biographia Britannica a moft valuable repofitory of hiftorical and literary knowledge. This end he has admirably accomplished, and herein hath left an excellent example to his fucceffors. We have formerly mentioned that he received the thanks of John, the fifth Earl of Orrery,

"in the name of all the Boyles, for the honour he had done to them, and to his own judgment, by placing the family in fuch a light as to give a fpirit of emulation to thofe who were hereafter to inherit the title." The ingenious Mr. Walpole, fpeaking of the Campbells, Earls of Argyle, adds, "It is totally unneceffary for me to enter into their characters, that task having been fo fully performed by one who wears the honour of their name, and who, it is no compliment to fay, is one of the ableft and most beautiful writers of this country." The like encomium might be extended to many other articles, feveral of which are fo uniformly complete, and fo highly finished, that it is difficult to afcertain where the preference ought to be given. Were we, however, to felect any fingle life from the reft, we should fay, that the account of Roger Bacon alone would be fufficient to procure for our author no fmall degree of reputation. One thing by which he is peculiarly diftinguifhed, is the candour difplayed by him with refpect to thofe perfons from whom he moft differed in religious and political opinions. After he had written the lives of the Calamies, he was waited upon by the Reverend Mr. Edmund Calamy, to thank him for thefe articles, and efpecially for the juftice done to his great grandfather, the firft divine of that family. Mr. Calamy was even furprised to find that Mr. Campbell was a member of the church of England; and ftill more fo, when he learned that our biographer had undertaken the articles of Mr. Baxter and Dr. Conant, on purpofe to prevent their falling into hands that might not equal ly be difpofed to pay the teftimony due to their refpeftive merits. Indeed, our author has been charged with an excess of candour in fome of the accounts given in the Biographia. But if, in a few inftances, there fhould appear to be any ground for this charge, it ought to be remembered, that his error never proceeded from any intention to flatter or deceive, but from the amiable benevolence of his heart, and from his readiness to difcern, and to acknow. ledge the talents and the worthinefs of

men who were of the most oppofite principles and parties. It ought alfo to be remembered, that his candour was not unfrequently the refult of fu perior knowledge; and that it led him into difquifitions which tended to throw new lights on characters and actions.

When the late Mr. Robert Dodiley formed the design of that useful book, "The Preceptor," which appeared in 1748, Mr. Campbell was one of the ingenious gentlemen applied to t affift in the undertaking; and the pars written by him were the Introductie: to Chronology, and the Difcourfe : ' Trade and Commerce, both of which difplayed an extenfive fund of know. ledge upon thefe fubjects. In 150 he published the first separate edition his

66

Prefent State of Europe;" awer which had been originally begun 1746, in the “Museum," a very luable periodical performance, print for Mr. Dodfley. There is no p duction of our author's that h met with a better reception. It ha gone through fix editions, and fu hath it deferved this encouragement for it is not eafy to find a book which in fuch a moderate compafs, contains much historical and political inform tion. The perfpicuity, the good fe and the fagacity with which it is wr ten will ever command attention admiration, even though some of N Campbell's conjectures and reafoning concerning the future views and i terefts of the European powers thos happen to be overturned by the la furprizing revolutions in the politics the world. In fuch high eftimation was "The prefent State of Europe held abroad, that the Count de Giles one of the most amiable young noblemen of his time, and only fon to the Marshal Duke de Belleifle, learned Eng lifh, when at Copenhagen, in order t be able to read it. The next great undertaking which called for the exe tion of our author's abilities and lear ing, was "The Modern Universal History." This extenfive work wa publifhed from time to time in detach ed parts, till it amounted to fixtees volumes folio; and a fecond edition of