office of the famous Salkeld. But his inclination leading him to prefer a mi. litary life, he entered into the French fervice, and was prefent at the fiege of Philipfburgh, where the Marthal Duc de Berwick was killed. He was afterwards honoured with the Crofs of St. Louis.

"Having fpoken, in company with Voltaire, and other wits of the time, at Paris, of the English Poem of Hudibras, and tranflated fome fmall portions of that inimitable work almost extempore, he was induced to attempt a verhion of the whole, which he published with the following title:

"Hudibras Poëme, Efcrit dans le Tems des Troubles d'Angleterre ; et Traduit en Vers François, avec des Remarques et des Figures.-A Londres, 1757.

"With what fuccefs he achieved a task of fuch extreme difficulty, may be conjectured from the following extract, notwithstanding its brevity.

An old dull fot, who told the clock For many years at Bridewell Dock, At Westminster and Hicks's Hall, And Hiccius Doctius play'd in all; Wherein all governments and times H' had been both friend and foe to crimes,

And us'd two equal ways of gaining, By hind'ring Juttice, or maintaining :'

Un vieux fot, qui comploit les heures
Conftamment près de ces demeures
Où font logés fripons et gùeux.
A Westminster et d'autres Lieux,
Ou la juftice fe debite,

Il etoit partout émérite.
Là, fous chaque Gouvernement
I'l alloit indifferemment
Poursuivre, ou defendre le crime,
Et par cette double maxime,
Il gagnoit a Solliciter

Juftice, comme a l'empecher.'

"The following infcription, under an engraving from a miniature portrait, in the poffeffion of his nephew, will fupply the debts wanted to complete this thort account.

HUET, 1630-1721, BISHOP OF Av

RANCHES.

SUCH was the early and extreme paf.

fion of this excellent and very learned Prelate for study, that (to ule his own expreffion) he had fcarcely efcaped from the arms of his nurse, before he began to envy all whom he faw with a book in their hands.

He accompanied Bochart to Sweden, who had been invited to that Court by Queen Chriftina. At Stockholm, Huet found a manufcript copy of Origenes, which he tranfcribed, and afterwards published with notes.

It was he who formed the plan of thofe numerous editions of claffics which were undertaken by order of Louis the XIVth, for the inftruction of his fon, the Dauphin.

So devoted was this Prelate to study, and so conftantly engaged in his library

brarian to the Archduke Albert, Governor of the Netherlands, misled by the title, inferted it in a litt of religious books, which he had orders to collect, conceiving that it was fome theological work upon the duties of a Paftor or Parish Prieft.

· SCIOPPIUS, 1576—1649.

The annals of literature have feldom prefented a more difgraceful conteft than that of Scioppius with the younger Scaliger. The pride and arrogance of Scaliger are well known. He had written a history of his family, which, by his account, was defcended from the ancient Sovereigns of Verona. Scioppius, who was his determined enemy, published a refutation, in which he denied the pretenfions of Scalier, who, in his turn, wrote a moft fevere reply, which he entitled "The Life and Parentage of Gafpar Scioppius." According to him, the father of Scioppius had been fucceffively a grave-digger, a printer's devil, a soldier, and, finally, a brewer. The mother was reprefented as a woman of the molt abandoned character, and his fifter as then publicly leading the life of a courtezan. One would fuppofe, fo fevere a calumny would have filenced Scioppius; but it only infpired him with a greater defire of revenge. He likewife collected all the infamous reports which had circulated to the prejudice of Scaliger. He inferted them in fuch numbers, that the whole formed a very thick volume, and was fuppofed to be the most bitter philippic ever published. And here the controverfy ended.

Scioppius was a good Latinift, and bad begun to distinguish himself fo early, that he has been placed by Baillet, in the "Catalogue des Enfans célé bres." But afterwards his infolence

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and pride become infufferable. Among others, he attacked James the Ift of England in an infamous libel, entitled "Corona Regia ;" which has been faltely attributed to Erycius Puteanus. His Majetty contented himfelf with ordering his Ambaffador to have the Author horfewhipped in the ftreets of Madrid, whither he had fied. By this time he had made himself fo many enemies, that it was with great difficulty he found a refuge at Padua, where he died miferably, at the ad. vanced age of 74.

BOCCACIO, 1313-1375%

This entertaining writer is an eminent instance of the inutility of parents' compelling their children to purfue one line of life, when their genius and bent of inclination ftrongly urge them in favour of another. Boccacio's father was a merchant, and in fifted on his fon's following the fame profethion. But one day being at the place where the remains of Virgil were fuppofed to be interred, after lamenting that he had thrown away fo many years on an employment fo odious to him, he fwore to apply himfelf, for the future, only to poetry and the belles

lettres.

He was the friend and pupil of Petrarch; but in poetry fell far short of his matter. His most celebrated work

is the "Decamerone."

difcovered early a violent propensity to REGNIER, 1573-1613, fatire. This he exercifed fo indifcriminately upon thofe of his friends and relations who had offended him, that his father was often under the neceffity of punishing him.

He led a most debauched life, and had ruined his conftitution long before his death, which happened when he was only forty years of age. The epitaph he compofed for himself is well known.

In his fatires he refembles Juvenal in the (trength and energy of fome of his lines, and furpafles the Latin Poet in the groffnefs of his allufions; which made Boileau obferve, that his poetry favoured of the places he was known to frequent.

BOUHOURS, 1628—1702.

When this celebrated Grammarian

published his firft work, "Les Entretiens d'Arifte et d'Eugène," it was faid of him, "qu'il ne lui manquait pour écrire parfaitement, que de favoir penfer" alluding to the pompous ftile which prevails throughout the book, though it is not otherwife remarkable either for depth of learning or folidity of reafoning.

Among other works, he published, "Lives of St. Ignace and St. Francois Xavier," in which he was unlucky enough to compare the one to Cæfar,

and the other to Alexander.

SEPULSEDA,

SEPULVEDA, 1491—1572, Profeffor of Theology and Hiftoriographer to the Emperor Charles the Vth,

is known for his remarkable controverly with Las-Cafas, the virtuous Apoitle of the Indians. He was hold enough to publish a treatife, in which he affirmed, that the Spaniards were juftified in their cruelties to that unhappy race, by the laws of God and man-and yet this inftigator of blood and carnage died quietly in his bed, at the advanced age of eighty-two; while his mild competitor was perfecuted in his life time, and died in obfcurity. There are fome letters in Latin by Sepulveda, which are faid to be curious.

DE LA SERRE, 1600-1665, is better known from the ridicule which Boileau has thrown on him than by his works, This wretched fcribbler, however, had the art of difpoing of his lucubrations to great advantage, while he published in feparate volumes; but when his vanity induced him to collect the whole in one edition, not a purchafer could be found. He had once the curiofity to attend the

lectures of a miferable declaimer of the

name of Richefource, in the Rue Dau. phine. When he had heard him out, he ran up to him with his arms extended, and exclaimed with rapture, "Ah, Sir! it is very true I have pub lished a great deal of nonfenfe within the last twenty years; but you have now faid more in one hour than I ever wrote in the whole courfe of my life!"

SERVETUS, 1509-1553.

The catastrophe of this unhappy man is a proof that the Proteftants have had their religious perfecutors as well as to the liberal fpirit of modern times, the Catholics. It appears wonderful

that Calvin fhould have influence enough to condemn Servet to death, merely because he differed with him in fome few theological points. It is true, Servet, in his controverfial writings, was harsh, indecent, and extravagant in his expreffions; but Calvin, like Luther, was the overbearing tyrant of his party, and in the violence of his zeal he became cruel and fanguinary, The writings of Servet having been condemned at Geneva, are become extremely fcarce. 8th Jan. 1802.

SIR,

I HAD entertained hopes of feeing fome account of the late Rev. Dr. Chelfum, in compliance with the request of your correfpondent W. B. in your Magazine for laft November, and fhould be very glad to communicate the defired information, if it lay in my power; but though I had the pleafure of being in fome measure acquainted with the Doctor, I am by no means qualified to be his biographer: however, I can let your correfpondent right in one particular refpecting the fociety of which he fuppofes Dr. Chelfum was an active member, which was not at Oxford, as W. B. imagines, but at Droxford, Hants, of which place the Doctor was Rector. The papers found amongit his private writings were memoranda made by him at our meetings, which

VOL. XLI. JAN, 1802.

were holden monthly for auditing accounts, and for ordering new publica. tions, it being a Reading Society; and the Doctor was our Prefident.

The Editor of the Gentleman's Magazine announces for next month, amongst many other articles in the Index Indicatorius, "An Account of the Life, Studies, &c. of Dr. Chelfum," to whofe name your correspondent very justly adds the epithet worthy; and I find particular pleasure in thus publickly paying my tribute of esteem to departed worth, by affuring you, that I knew him to be a very orthodox and truly pious divine.

in life may be produced in the charac. ter of Eufonius, who had obtained a fortune by his industry, and enjoyed domestic happinefs with his family, for Eufonius had a favourite daughter. His fortune he placed to the account of his good management, and the health of his child, and the accomplishments the poffelfed, to the regimen he had establihed for her, and the education he had beltowed; Providence was not acknowledged through the courfe of fuch happy events. But in the raid of profperity and joy, the daughter of Eufonius fuddenly fickened and died. "Ah!" cried the difco folate father, "although I have never acknowledged the power of the Almighty to blefs and preferve his creatures, I am compelled to acknowledge his power to destroy.

But though every min, even in the con non occurrences of life, my easily trace the hand of a Divine Providence, yet none are fo capable of judging of its wonders and effects as he who has feen it difplayed in the hour of inninent danger or diftrefs, and who has, perhaps, been himself the object of prefervation, when no visible relief was at hand, and when every hope was gone by. But Providence can find herfelf a way.

The following remarkable fact, which happened above nineteen years ago in North America, will difplay the power of Providence to preferve, even under circumstances the moit defperate and forlorn, and poffeffes all the character

of a miracle: it is the narrative of

THE BOAT-WRECK.

It was in the year 1783, in the inhofpitable clime of Nova Scotia, that a party was fent one day from a frigate then lying in Halifax Harbour to a fmall fpot fituated at its entrance, called Partridge Island, for the purpose of obtaining wood and water for the fhip. It was the morning of Christmas Day; and though the cold was extremely fevere, yet the fun illumined the icy thores with its enlivening rays.

Alcander was one of the party fent in the cutter on this piece of fervice; which having completed, they fet off, with the long boat in tow. For a while they rowed cheerfully for the fhip; but a quarter of an hour had fcarcely elapfed, before the feud, the fure prognoitic of a storm, was feen at a diftance; the clouds began to gather; the gale blew from the bafon above

the harbour; and the fea began to run high; while the fnow was fwept in icy currents before the wind. The crew continued, however, to row with uncealing perfeverance; till at last, feeing the impoffibility of reaching the fhip with the long boat, they cut it atrift, and pulled away in the cutter with fresh fpirits. But the gale had now increafed confiderably; and the tide had fet against them. The whole day was fpent in ftrenuous endeavours to gain the thip; till incessant labour begin to be fucceeded by the ftupor of defpair. The cutting cold had now benumbed every faculty; fuch of the crew as wore their long hair tied found it frozen to their jackets; their eyelathes became encrufted with froft and fnow; and their feet were without any fenfe of feeling. It was now that the accumulating waves came rolling on, till huge mountains of fea raised the boat on their fearful heights, and then, breaking at once, difcharged it, as it were with fcorn, into the valley of wa ters beneath. On each of thefe feas, Death appeared to ride in his triumphal chariot with the Demon of the Storm. Happily, the Officer who was with Alcander, a veteran feaman, watched their approach with calmnefs, judgment, and fortitude; and, when he beheld the tremendous fea rolling on its foam. ing waves, dexterously prefented the boat's head to meet their fury, while in their retirings and abfence he enCouraged the almoft exhausted crew to pull with all their strength for the nearest fhore. A marine who rowed the bow oar laid it down in the agony of defpair, but was made to renew his exertions by the intrepid helmfinan. A freth danger now pre. fented itself as they approached the land; the breakers appeared under their lee, and they found themselves clofe to the moft rocky part of the fhore: the wreck of the boat was inevitable; the awful moment arrived; the truck; and another fea carried her forward with fuch rapidity upon the rocks, that her frame was instantaneoutly hook to pieces, and the planks feparated, which, with the thwarts and oars, drifted upon the tops of the billows.

The exhaufted crew, frozen in every limb, wounded by the harp points of the rocks, and up to their necks in water, were fcarcely able to reach the thore. The youth Alcander, who was E 2

the