tracts from them as he chose; and it is fcarcely to be doubted, that from this fource the feveral lives have been in a great measure compiled. We have compared them with care. That published by Mr. Nichols is a striking resemblance to the outlines of the prefent work, and contains fome extracts from it. The Life in the Biographia is a more diftant likeness, and probably has been taken from other fources; yet it is also probable, fram one or two circumftances, that the author was acquainted with this Life, or the extracts taken from it by Mr. Gough. We ought to add, that though they were tranfcribed without leave, it was not without acknowledgment; and those who used them may not have been acquainted with the circumftances in which they were procured.

It will be a task of little profit, and lefs entertainment, to give an abstract of the Life. The great work which Mr. Baker published was, Reflections upon Learning. In it, we do not now hesitate to fay, that the form is more valuable than the matter. Even in the dawn of fcience, he certainly had a very imperfect acquaintance with the more important branches of it. It was long ago remarked, that he speaks flightly of Bacon, and has not once mentioned Locke. In its prefent more advanced state, his arguments will be of lefs weight. We need fcarcely add, that his object was to fhew the infufficiency of learning in feveral particulars, in order to evince the ufefulness, and even the neceffity of Revelation. The end was undoubtedly valuable; but the means were not happily chofen, or dexterously managed. A little conteft, which was occafioned by a paffage in this work, feems not to have added to Mr. Baker's character; yet for this many excufes may be made. Le Clerc had cenfured fome of Erafmus's errors in geography, which Baker here defended. In his Preface, he fpoke flightingly of Le Clerc, but the latter expoftulated with him fhortly, though with fome acrimony, on the ftate of the difpute, with little particular notice of his incivility.We fhall beg leave to infert our author's account of this fubject, remarking only, that the attack from Baker was the imputation of a fallacious quotation; and an observation, that Le Clerc did not deferve to be treated either with decency or refpect. The fcurrility,' on the contrary, is contained in the Index to the fourth edition of the Ars Critica: pro folitâ fuâ audaciâ,'' produntque hominem qui nihil penfi, habet quid dicat,' are the only paffages which deserve that title... Perhaps the attack is indefenfible, and the reply too virulent,

A late ingenious writer, however, being of a different opinion, hath paffed the following cenfure upon this work. Baker," fays he, "in his Reflections upon Learning, de

fended

fended Erafmus, and attacked Le Clerc with a virulence which one would not have expected from a man who, as I remember, was accounted a candid, genteel, and polite perfon. But party zeal guided his pen: tantum religio potuit.-Le Clerc gave him a fhort answer, in the Index to the fourth edition of Ars Critica, under the word Erafmus."

A perfon of Dr. Jortin's candour fhould, methinks, have. compared Erafmus's words with thofe of Mr. Baker, before he paffed fo difagreeable a cenfure upon the latter. More efpecially, as Mr. Baker was known to have been a man of the ftrictest veracity, whilft that of Monf. Le Clerc has been called in question more than once, although he lays fo much strefs upon it in his short, but fcurrilous anfwer. And if I could be furprized at any thing he either did or faid, it would be that in the edition of Erafmus's works, published by him at Lyons, in 1705; he has printed Erafmus's comment on the twentyeighth chapter of the Acts of the Apoftles, verbatim with that of Bafil, in 1535, without taking the leaft notice of its being printed otherwife in the edition he mentions, and from which he takes the liberty of cenfuring Erafmus for his want of geography.

Dr. Jortin has likewise been pleased to obferve, that "Mr. Baker hath one chapter upon metaphyfics, in which he hath made no mention of Locke. Just as if a man should write the lives of the Greek and Latin poets, and truly omit Homer and Virgil! And further, that in chap. xvi. he had taken notice there was little or nothing left for the fagacity and induftry of modern critics; whereby he fhewed he was no critic himself, and not at all acquainted with the true ftate of claffical books, and particularly of Greek authors." There are several other like fhafts, occafionally lanced at Mr. Baker, in his Life of Erafmus, which is profeffedly formed upon the plan of Le Clerc, the writer's guide and mafter. May not then his own words be retorted upon him? But party zeal guided his pen : tantum fuadere religio potuit.'

This volume, which we may be allowed to fay is extended farther than the fubject feems to have required, contains letters from different authors of credit, and men whose rank in literature confer the highest luftre on their correfpondent. We might readily admit thefe teftimonies in their proper place; but it would have been better to have confeffed the poverty of the materials, than to have affumed the femblance of riches. The fubjects of Mr. Baker's manufcript collections are of more confequence, efpecially fince the greater part of them are depofited in the British Mufeum. As he has published fo little, his character must be taken from the memorials of private friendship, rather than from his works. But, in this cafe, the heart generally exceeds, and accumulates virtues with an injudicious profufion. Yet this amiable error has its advantages; and, if it fails in the refemblance, amply com

7

penfates

penfates for the mistake, by raising a bright ornament, which future ages may look up to with admiration, and emulate with fuccefs. With this allowance, we shall extract some parts of the character of Mr. Baker from the present work.

'He was, I am informed, by one who knew him well, of an eafy and polite addrefs, infomuch that he might have been thought to have been educated in a court, had not his fincerity been fuch, that it might reasonably be judged he never faw one, and of confequence avoided all the inconveniences of fuch a kind of life.

His converfation was lively and yet grave, chearful and yet ferious fomething inftructive and agreeable was ever dropping from his lips; but nothing trifling or cenforious was ever known to proceed from thence.

As his ftudies were employed both in divinity and humanity, and he withal made Chriftianity his conftant practice, that which had taken firm poffeffion of his heart, occafionally flowed from his mouth; and as every one was fatisfied of his invincible integrity, the ufeful hints, fuggefted in common converfation, had a fuitable influence upon their minds: infomuch, that every one who had the pleasure of his company, must be highly fatisfied with the man, and go out of it a better man himself.

And when he formerly appeared in the pulpit, the fentiments of an honeft heart, recommended by good fenfe, learning, and a graceful addrefs, could not fail of having a proper effect upon every candid and unprejudiced hearer.

As to his literature, the compilers of the Biograph. Britan, in their Preface, thus fpeak of him, after mentioning Wood's Athan. Oxon. &c. It was once hoped we should have feen the like attention fhewn towards the learned men educated at Cambridge, and had the work been executed, as it was at first defigned, by the late reverend and excellent Mr. Baker, it must have been a masterly performance, fince, with all the care and induftry of Wood, he had a fine genius, and wrote a moft correct ftyle; equally removed from the ftarched fetnefs of a fententious writer, and from that luxuriancy that produces long and languid periods. But befides all thefe, he had ftill greater qualities, such as calmness of mind, candour of heart, and a moft unfufpected integrity. We may juftly therefore regret the lofs of fuch a work, from fuch a man. P. xi.

His life was in every refpect irreproachable, his converfation entertaining and improving, his manner extremely agreeable, his countenance pleafing and venerable! and whenever he vouchfafed to speak upon any fubject within the compafs of his knowlege (and he never went out of it) it was sure to lofe no advantage thereby. With fo many excellent qualifications and advantages, there were no fhades in his character, but what tended rather to add greater beauty to the whole. Some who ftudied politics more than cafuiftry, might poffibly call the exactnefs of his judgment in queftion, in respect to

his frong attachments to the party he had made choice of; but even that must raise our idea of his inflexible goodness and integrity.

He published not many books himfelf indeed, yet those he did publifh, fhew a mafterly hand, and are truly valuable. But his principal labour was bestowed in doing honour to his country, by fearching out its most valuable antiquities; in which he made fuch a progrefs, and fo much excelled, that many learned men, who were well able to judge of his abilities, willingly offered him that tribute of praise, fo juftly

due to his merit.

By his great knowlege in English hiftory and antiquities, he was enabled to enlighten the darkest and most obscure paffages in both, as hath appeared from many parts of the foregoing Memoirs. But nothing could better manifeft his great reading, extenfive knowlege, and accurate judgment, than the large and curious obfervations he made upon those books he vouchfafed to read with attention, and which are by that means become truly valuable. And fuch are thofe more especially bequeathed by will to the univerfity, and private friends, all noted with his own hand. A collection, extracted from which, by a perfon of judgment, might probably be of great ufe to the public, and it is hoped will fome time or other be accordingly made. Thefe, with the large MS. collections he left behind him, (a catalogue of which, copied in part from Dr. Middleton's, will be hereunto annexed) fhew what great things may be accomplished by a perfon of induftry and application, during a long life, and how every portion of his time may be employed in ufeful enquiries.'

After reciting fome particular acts of charity, our author proceeds in the following manner.

A man thus humane, courteous, and beneficent, ever difpofed to live in harmony and unanimity with others, cannot well be fuppofed to have many enemies, fince it must have been difficult for them to have found any occcafion of quarrel, and therefore he was the most likely man living to enjoy peace and quiet, whilft others were embroiled; yet when others broke their words with, or attempted to deceive him, he could not help fhewing fome degree of refentment. So remarkably punctual was he to his word and promife, that he was not a little hurt at the want of it in others. His hours of repofe and refreshment were fo regular, and his attachment to his ftudies fuch (all the refidue of his time being fo employed) that any interruptions therein were very difpleafing. No man paid a greater regard to real merit, whenever he became acquainted with it, but he was not given to flatter those whose pride taught them to form high conceits of their fuperior abilities, and fo were difpofed to look upon that as a neglect, which was never intended as fuch; to whom an omiffion in a punctilio of respect, is a high provocation, and a crime fcarcely

fcarcely to be forgiven. Perfons of this character he induftrioufly avoided, and therefore it is not to be wondered at, they fhould be diffatisfied with him.'

The Appendix contains feveral things of little value, except fo far as they relate to Mr. Baker. There are feveral fpecimens of his poetry, which is not in any respect remarkable, but for its strength and energy. On the whole, he was certainly an able and respectable man; we may be allowed to repeat, that he would have deserved more of our applaufe, if his talents had been more actively employed in the service of mankind.

A Phyfical Inquiry into the Caufe and Cure of Fevers. By Garret Huffey, M. D. 800. 65. Robinson.

IN general people write as they think, and act as they write;

fo that it is rare to find a man wrong in theory and right in practice.' In this point we very fully agree with our author, and we are glad to mention it, because we do not very frequently coincide. About one third of the prefent volume contains fome preliminary pathological difcuffions, which we cannot more concifely characterize, than by faying that they are a part of the fyftem of Boerhaave, with the appendage of fome of the modern discoveries on air, which deftroy its confiftency, without adding to its value. The great foundation. of the theory, is the fucceffive orders of veffels, and the error loci from the increased impetus.

Dr. Huffey treats largely on the inflammatory fever, without mentioning, except by occafional hints, any local affection; but the best practitioners are now, we believe, agreed, that they are very feldom feparate. After a fecond perufal, we began to fufpect that our author probably had in view the mixed fever, which is really the disease of nature, while the other is the abftra&t idea of the fpeculatift. But this the fludent, or the curfory reader, will perhaps not eafily perceive; especially when he fees another chapter with the title of Compound Fever. If this be really his object, and otherwife het contends with a fhadow, the large and repeated bleedings are highly dangerous and reprehenfible. When the nature of the fever is doubtful, one bleeding, he thinks, can do no harm, when it is not copious. A more fatal opinion was, we be lieve, never hinted at: Dr. Huffey feems not to be aware, that the most dangerous putrid fevers, the gangrenous fore throat, and other horrid difeafes, attack the healthy and ftrong with inflammatory fymptoms. In these cafes, the stab of a dagger is not more fatal than the wound of the lancet.