-Ego nec ftudium fine divite vend,

Nec rude quid profit video ingenium: alterius fic Altera pofcit opem res, & conjurat amice.

He was endowed by Nature with all those excellent and neceffary qualifications which are previous to the accomplishment of a great man. His memory was large and tenacious, yet by a curious felicity chiefly fufceptible of the finest impreffions, it received from the best authors he read, which it always preferved in their primitive strength and amiable order.

He had a quickness of apprehenfion, and vivacity of understanding, which easily took in and furmounted the most subtle and knotty parts of mathematicks and metaphyficks. His wit was prompt and flowing, yet folid and piercing; his tafte delicate, his head clear, and his way of expreffing his thoughts perfpicuous and engaging. I fhall fay nothing of his perfon, which yet was fo well turned, that no neglect of himself in his dress could render it difagreeable; infomuch that the fair fex, who obferved and efteemed him, at once commended and reproved him by the name of the bandfome floven. An eager but generous and noble emulation grew up with him; which (as it were a rational fort of inftinct) pushed him upon striving to excel in every art and fcience that could make him a credit to his college, and that college the ornament of the most learned and polite univerfity; and it was his happiness to have feveral contemporaries and fellow ftudents, who exercised and excited this virtue in themselves and others, thereby becoming

becoming fo deservedly in favour with this age, and fo good a proof of its nice difcernment. His judgement, naturally good, foon ripened into an exquifite finenefs and distinguishing fagacity, which as it was active and busy, fo it was vigorous and manly, keeping even paces with a rich and ftrong imagination, always upon the wing, and never tired with aspiring. Hence it was, that, though he writ as young as Cowley, he had no puerilities; and his earlieft productions were fo far from having any thing in them mean and trifling, that, like the junior compofitions of Mr. Stepney, they may make grey authors blush. There are many of his first effays in oratory, in epigram, elegy, and epique, ftill handed about the university in manufcript, which fhew a mafterly hand; and, though maimed and injured by frequent transcribing, make their way into our moft celebrated mifcellanies, where they fhine with uncommon luftre. Befides thofe verfes in the Oxford books, which he could not help fetting his name to, several of his compofitions came abroad under other names, which his own fingular modefty, and faithful filence, ftrove in vain to conceal. The Encœnia and publick Collections of the Univerfity upon State Subjects were never in fuch esteem, either for elegy or congratulation, as when he contributed moft largely to them; and it was natural for thofe who knew his peculiar way of writing to turn to his fhare in the work, as by far the moft relishing part of the entertainment. As his parts were extraordinary, fo he well knew how to improve them; and not only to polish the diamond, but enchase it in the moft folid

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and durable metal. Though he was an academick the greatest part of his life, yet he contracted no fournefs of temper, no spice of pedantry, no itch of difputation, or obftinate contention for the old or new philosophy, no affuming way of dictating to others, which are faults (though excufable) which some are infenfibly led into, who are constrained to dwell long within the walls of a private college. His conversation was pleasant and instructive; and what Horace faid of Plotius, Varius, and Virgil, might juftly be applied to him:

Nil ego contulerim jucundo fanus Amico.
Sat. v. 1. 1.

As correct a writer as he was in his most elaborate pieces, he read the works of others with candor, and referved his greatest severity for his own compofitions; being readier to cherish and advance, than damp or deprefs a rifing genius, and as patient of being excelled himself (if any could excel him) as industrious to excel others.

"Twere to be wished he had confined himself to a particular profeffion, who was capable of furpaffing in any; but in this, his want of application was in a great measure owing to his want of due encouragement.

He paffed through the exercises of the college and univerfity with unusual applause; and though he often fuffered his friends to call him off from his retirements, and to lengthen out those jovial avocations, yet his return to his ftudies was fo much the more paffionate,

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and his attention upon those refined pleafures of reading and thinking fo vehement (to which his facetious and unbended intervals bore no proportion) that the habit grew upon him, and the feries of meditation and reflection being kept up whole weeks together, he could better fort his ideas, and take in the fundry parts of a science at one view, without interruption or confufion. Some indeed of his acquaintance, who were pleased to diftinguish between the wit and the fcholar, extolled him altogether on the account of the first of thefe titles; but others, who knew him better, could not forbear doing him juftice as a prodigy in both kinds. He had fignalized himself in the schools, as a philofopher and polemick of extenfive knowledge and deep penetration; and went through all the courfes with a wife regard to the dignity and importance of each science. I remember him in the Divinity-fchool refponding and difputing with a perfpicuous energy, a ready exactnefs, and commanding force of argument, when Dr. Jane worthily prefided in the chair; whofe condefcending and difinterested commendation of him, gave him fuch a reputation as filenced the envious malice of his enemies, who durft not contradict the approbation of fo profound a master in theology. None of those felf-fufficient creatures, who have either trifled with philofophy by attempting to ridicule it, or have encumbered it with novel terms, and burdenfome explanations, understood its real weight and purity half fo well as Mr. Smith. He was too difcerning to allow of the character of unprofitable, rugged,

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and abftrufe, which fome fuperficial fciolifts (so very smooth and polite as to admit of no impreffion), either out of an unthinking indolence, or an ill-grounded prejudice, had affixed to this fort of ftudies. He knew the thorny terms of philofophy ferved well to fence-in the true doctrines of religion; and looked upon school-divinity as upon a rough but well-wrought armour, which might at once adorn and defend the Christian hero, and equip him for the combat.

Mr. Smith had a long and perfect intimacy with all the Greek and Latin Clafficks; with whom he had carefully compared whatever was worth perufing in the French, Spanish, and Italian (to which languages he was no ftranger), and in all the celebrated writers of his own country. But then, according to the curious obfervation of the late earl of Shaftsbury, he kept the poet in awe by regular criticifm, and, as it were, married the two arts for their mutual fupport and improvement. There was not a tract of credit, upon that fubject, which he had not diligently examined, from Ariftotle down to Hedelin and Boffû; fo that, having each rule conftantly before him, he could carry the art through every poem, and at once point out the graces and deformities. By this means he seemed to read with a design to correct, as well as imitate.

Being thus prepared, he could not but taste every little delicacy that was fet before him; though it was impoffible for him at the fame time to be fed and nourished with any thing but what was substantial and lasting. He confidered the antients and moderns not as parties

or