into which he might be in danger of running, either by attaching too much felf-approbation to his perfon and parts, or indulging in the infignificant fuperciliousness fo often obferved in young men of high patronage. Poffibly the acute Doctor had feen in young HERBERT an indication of these errors; indeed Mr. Walton (from whom these memoirs are taken) allows the excrefcency to have existed, but difcriminating Nevil detected it, and it fhould feem effectually removed it. He was made Minor Fellow 1609, Bachelor of Arts 1611. Major Fellow of the College 1615, and in that year was alfo made Master of Arts, being then in the 22d year of his age. Mr. HERBERT was now well known, and a vacancy happening in the Oratorship he was, 1619, chofen Orator for the Univerfity, in which place he continued eight years, discharging it with ability unsurpassed by any of his predeceffors or fucceffors, for, in addition to the fweetest urbanity of temper, and elegance of manners, he was bleft by nature with a fine fancy, and a piercing though civil wit, which were all ornamented by his acquired learning, and fet forth to the greatest advantage by the winning graces of eloquence. The writer of the Life of Mr. Herbert (peaks highly of his fitness for the employment of Orator by "the notable occafion" offered him through "King James's fending to the University of Cambridge his book called Bafilicon Doran; and their Orator was to acknowledge this great honour, and return their gratitude to his Majefty for fuch a condefcenfion; at the close of which letter he writ, Quid Vaticanum Bodleianumq; objiciis, hofpes? Unicus eft nobis Bibliotheca Liber. This letter was writ in fuch excellent Latin, was fo full of conceits, and all the expreffions were fo fuited to the genius of the King, that he inquired the Orator's name, and then asked William Earl of Pembroke if he knew him? whose answer was, "That he knew him very well; and that he was his kinfman, but he loved him more for his learning and virtue, than for that he was of his name and family." At which anfwer the King fmiled, and asked the Earl leave, "that he might love him too; for he took him to be the Jewel of that University." This quotation from our biographical predeceffor we chose to give as a fample of the tafte of that archpedant James, and of the false genius which, under the pedandic regimen of that Solomon, had ufurped the place of wit, fenfe, learning, and even religion itself, through all orders of the community. We make this obfervation out of refpect to the memory of HERBERT, requesting equally the admirers of taste to recollect the fchool in which HERBERT was formed, and the lovers of found divinity not to forget that as the Prefbyterian Monarch had the ftrongest penchant for the Papal Hiararchy, fo the Religion of the times was abfurdly mixed with parade and nonsense. Soon after Mr. HERBERT's letter, "full of conceits," had "the great honor" of James's approbation, a countryman of the Monarch's, Mr. Andrew Melvin, having returned red-hot from Geneva, gave our author many opportunities to attempt to ward off the fhafts, with which Melvin's wit attacked the ceremonies, &c. of the Church of England, of which James, a true apoftate, was outrageously enamoured, as were likewife all the clergy. "This Mr. Melvin was a man of learning, and was the master of a great wit; a wit full of knots and clenches; a wit fharp and fatirical; exceeded, I think, by none of that nation, but their Buchanan. At Mr. Melvin's return hither, he writ and scattered in Latin many pieces of his wit againft our altars, our prayers, and our public worship of God; in which Mr. Herbert took himself to be fo much concerned, that as faft as Melvin writ and fcattered them, Mr. Herbert writ and scattered answers, and reflections of the fame sharpnefs upon him and them; I think to the fatisfaction of all unengaged perfons." Melvin was after this thrown into the Tower, but the verfes of his antagonist were judged by Dr. Dupont, Dean of Peterborough, not undeferving a more than ephemeral existence: he collected and printed them, as an honorable memorial to his friend Mr. HERBERT, and the cause he undertook. James was fond of hunting, and frequently came into the neighbourhood of Cambridge to pursue his favourite sport. This produced feveral royal vifits to the University, at each of which Mr. HERBERT, in his capacity of Orator, offered him the applaufes and gratulations of the body he reprefented. This introduced him not only to the notice, but likewife the favor of the King, and he had foon an order to attend the Court at Royston, where, after a difcourfe with him, his Majeft y declared to his kinfman the Earl of Pembroke, "That he found the Orator's learning and wisdom were much above his age or wit." The year after the King was attended to Cambridge by the great Bacon, Lord Verulam, and the learned Bishop Andrews, both of whom commenced an intimate friendship with the Orator, and fuch was the opinion Lord Bacon had of his judgment, that he ufually defired his approbation be-fore he would fend any of his works to the prefs, and paid him the compliment of dedicating to him, as the beft judge of Divine Poetry, his English Version of fome of the Pfalms. And the Bishop had foon an opportunity of expreffing the high opinion he entertained of his friend, for a goodnatured debate having taken place between Mr. HERBERT and himself on fome Theological doctrines, the former foon after fent him fome excellent aphorifms in a letter written in Greek, which was fo remarkable for the language and matter, that the Bishop ever after carried it in his bofom, and took no fmall pleasure in exhibiting it among the circles of his learned friends. Mr. HERBERT knew what value to put upon a free intercourfe with the wife and learned. Among his friends ranked Dr. Donne, and Sir Henry Wotton. The former a little time before his death, prefented to each of his intimate friends a feal with the figure engraved on it of Chrift crucified, on an Anchor, allufive to an expreffion he often ufed, Crux mihi anchora. At Mr. HERBERT's death, these verfes were found wrapt up with that feal given him by the Doctor, When my dear Friend could write no more, He gave this Seal, and fo gave o'er. When winds and waves rife highest, I am fure, This Anchor keeps my Faith, that me secure. But about this time he would probably have made fhipwreck of his faith, notwithftanding the confidence expreffed, had not divine Providence kept him in port, for he made frequent effays to launch into the world, in the most treacherous bottom. His two preceding Orators were Sir Robert Nanton and Sir Francis Nether fel. The former had been made Secretary of State, and the latter Secretary to the Queen of Bohemia. Mr. HERBERT therefore made himself master of the Italian, Spanifh and French tongues, and trudged after the Court, "feldom looking towards Cambridge unless the King was there, and then he never failed." "Though he fought the Secretaryfhip, all he could however obtain from James was a finecure of 120l. per annum.”~~ Perhaps to a perfon of Mr. HERBERT's literary and polifhed mind, this gift was ideally inhanced by having been once held by the great Sir Philip Sidney, a small token of regard from his Royal Mistress Elizabeth. Mr. HERBERT wifhed to quit the University altogether, for added to a strong inclination to improve himself by travelling, he had a delicate habit inclined to Fever and Confumption, which feemed to render it neceffary for him to relax in his ftudies; but his mother, perhaps fearing the probable danger that might follow the indulging the bias of his natural difpofition, interpofed her authority, which to him was facred, and would by no means allow him to leave Cambridge. His pious reflections on this event give us a charming, trait of his character. How he attributes with gratitude this circumftance to the gracious Providence of Gon, may be feen in the copy of verfes entitled Affliction. WHEREAS my birth and spirit rather took I was entangled in a world of strife, Yet, for I threat'ned oft the fiege to raise, I took the sweetened pill, till I came where Yet, left perchance I should too happy be Turning my purge to food, thou throweft me Thus doth thy power cross-bias me, not making None of my books will fhew: I read, and figh, and wish I were a tree, To fruit or fhade; at least, fome bird would truft |