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have as a critic and a philologer. I have there observed, that Homer was not the inventor of the fabulous histories of the gods; he had those stories, and also the doctrine of a future state, from old traditions. Many notions of the Pagans, which came from tradition, are considered by Parrow, Serm. VIII. vol. II. in which sermon the existence of God is proved from universal consent. See also Bible. Chois. I. 356. and Bibl. Univ. IV 433."

In 1758 came out his "Life of Erasmus," in one volume, 4to and in 1760, another volume quarto, containing "Remarks upon the Works of Erasmus," and an "Appendix of Extracts from Erasmus, and other Writers," In the preface to the former volume, he says, that " Le Clerc, while he published the works of Erasmus at Leyden, drew up his life in French, collected principally from his Letters, and inserted it into the "Bibliotheque Choisee; that as this life was favorably received by the public, he had taken it as a ground work to build upon; and had translated it, not superstitiously and closely but with much freedom, and with more attention to things than to words; but that he had made continual additions, not only with relation to the history of those days, but to the life of Erasmus; especially where Le Clerc grew more remiss, either wearied with the task, or called off from these to other labours." After mentioning a few other matters to his readers, he turns his discourse to his Friends; "recommending himself to their favor, whilst he is with them, and his name, when he is gone hence; and intreating them in a wish, that he may pass the evening of a studious and unambitious life, in an humble but not a slothful obscurity; and never forfeit the kind continuance of their accustomed approbation."

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But whatever he or his friends might wish, he was to live hereafter neither so studiously, nor so obscurely, as his imagination had figured out to him; more public scenes, than any he had yet been engaged in, still awaited him. For Dr. Hayter, bishop of London, with whom, by the way, he had always been upon intimate terms, dying in 1762; and Dr. Osbaldeston, who was also his friend, succeeding to that see; he was made domestic chap. lain to this bishop in March, admitted into a Prebend of St. Paul's the same month, and in October presented to the living of Ken," sington, whither he went to reside soon after.

VOL. IV.

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In 1764, he was appointed archdeacon of London, and might have had the rectory of St. James's, Westminster; but chose ra ther to continue at Kensington, that being a situation he much liked, and better adapted to his then advanced age. Here he lived, occupied (when his pastoral functions permitted) amongst his books, and enjoying himself with his usual serenity, till the 27th of August, 1770, when being seized with a disorder in his breast and lungs, he grew continually worse, notwithstanding all assistance; and without undergoing much pain in the course of his illness, or losing his understanding in the least, died the 5th of September, in the 72d year of his age. He was buried in the new church-yard at Kensington, as he had directed; and had a flaț stone laid over him, with this inscription, dictated by himself;

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He left a widow and two children: Rogers Jortin, of Lincoln's inn, in the profession of the law: and Martha, married to the rev. Samuel Darby, late fellow of Jesus college in Cambridge, and now rector of Whatfield, in buffolk.

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Besides his principal works, which have already been mentioned, and his Sermons and Charges, there are some things of a smaller kind as "Remarks upon Spencer's Poem," 1734, 8vo. at the end of which are some Remarks upon Milton; "Remarks on L. Annæus Seneca, printed in the "Present State of the Republic of Letters, for August, 1734; a "Sermon preached at the Consecration of Pearce, bishop of Bangor, in 1747;" a few remarks on Tillotson's Sermons, given to his friend Dr. Birch, and printed in the appendix to Birch's life of that prelate, in 1752; "Letter to Avison, concerning the Music of the Ancients, subjoined to a second edition of Avison's Essay on Musical Expressions in 1753; and a few Remarks on Philip's Life of cardinal Pole, printed in an appendix to Neve's Animadversions upon that history, 1766.

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Besides great integrity, great humanity, and other qualities which make men amiable, as well as useful, this learned and excellent person was of a very pleasant and facetious turn, as his writings abundantly shew. He had nevertheless great sensibility, and could express himself with great warmth, and even some degree of indignation, when he thought the occasion warranted him so to do. For instance, he had a great respect and fondness for critical learn ing, which he so much cultivated; and though he knew and allowed it to have been disgraced by the manners of certain proud fastidious, and insolent critics, such as Scaliger, Salmasius, Scioppius, &c. yet he thought the restoration of letters, and the civilization of Europe, so much indebted to it, that he could ill-bear to see it contemptuously treated: and to this may be imputed the, little satirical strokes, which sometimes occur in his works, against those that did so contempuously treat it.

For the motto of his life of Erasmus, he chose some words of Erasmus himself: "Illud certe præsagio, de meis lucubrationibus, qualescunque sunt, candidius judicaturam posteritatem, tametsi nec de meo seculo queri possum."

He would sometimes complain, and doubtless with good reason, of the low estimation into which learning was fallen; and though it discountenanced and discouraged, indirectly at least, when ignorant and worthless persons were advanced to high stations and great preferments, while men of merit and abilities were overlooked and neglected. Nevertheless, he laid no undue stress upon such sta tions and preferments, but entertained just notions concerning what must ever constitute the chief good and happiness of man, and is himself believed to have made the most of them.

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"Where," says he, in his "Adversaria," "where is happiness to be found? where is her dwelling place? Not where we seek her, and where we expect to find her. Happiness is a modest recluse, who seldom shews her lovely face in the polite, or in the Busy world. She is the sister and companion of religious wisdom. Among the vanities and evils which Solomon beheld under the sun, one is an access of temporal fortunes, to the detriment of the possessor; whence it appears, that such prosperity is a dangerous thing, and that few persons have a head strong enough, and an heart good enough, to bear it. A sudden rise from a low station,

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as it sometimes shews to advantage the virtuous and amiable quali ties which could not exert themselves before, so it more frequentlyTM calls forth and exposes to view those spots of the soul, which lay lurking in secret, cramped by penury, and veied with dissumula tion. An honest and sensible man is placed in a middle station, in circumstances rather scanty than abounding. He hath all the necessaries, but none of the superfluities of life, and these necessaries he acquires by his prudence, his studies, and his industry. If he seeks to better his income, it is by such methods as hurt neither his conscience nor his constitution. He hath friends and} acquaintances of his own rank; he receives good offices from them, and he returns the same as he hath his occupations, he hath his diversions also and partakes of the simple, frugal, obvious, innocent, and cheerful amusements of life. By a sudden turn of things he grows great in the church, or in the state. Now his fortune is made; and he says to himself, the days of scarcity are past, the days of plenty are come, and happiness is come along with" them. Mistaken man! it is no such thing: he never more enjoys one happy day, compared with those which once shone upon him. He discards his old companions, or treats them with cold, distant, and proud civility. Friendship, free and open conversation, rational inquiry, sincerity, contentment, and the plain unadulterated pleasures of life, are no more!-they departed from him along with his poverty! New connections, new prospects, new desires, and new cares, take place and engross so much of his time, and his thoughts, that he neither improves his heart nor his understanding. He lives ambitious and restless, and he dies rich !"

In 1772, seven volumes of Dr. Jortin's sermons, which are extremely valuable, were published in Svo. At the end of the se venth volume, are four excellent charges, which were delivered to the clergy of the archdeaconry of London. In 1790, were pub-` lished, in two volumes, 8vo. "Tracts, Philological, Critical and Miscellaneous, by the late rev. John Jortin, D. D. archdeacon of London, rector of St. Dunstan in the East, aud vicar of Kensington." This collection, which was published by his son, Mr. Rogers Jortin, consists of pieces, some of which had been before published separately, and others which were then first printed from

the author's manuscripts. In this collection, in which are pieces: of considerable merit, are some strictures on the articles, subscrip tions, tests, &c. Among those is the following passage: "There are propositions contained in the Liturgy and Articles, which no man of common sesne among us believes. No one believes, that all the members of the Greek church are damned, because they? admit not the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son: yet the athannsian creed, according to the usual and obvious sense of the words, teacheth this."

The following just character of Dr. Jortin has been given by the ingenious Mr. Knox:

A review of the life of the late Dr. Jortin, cannot but suggest the most pleasing reflections. As a poet, a divine, a philosopher, and a man, he served the cause of religion, learning, and morality.* There are indeed many writers whose reputation is more diffused› among the vulgar and illiterate, but few will be found whose names. stand higher than Dr. Jortin's in the esteem of the judicious. His Latin poetry is classically elegant. His discourses and disa srtations, sensible, ingenious, and argumentative. His remarks on ecclesiastical history, interesting and impartial. His Sermons, replete with sound sense and rational morality, expressed in a style, simple, pure, and attic.

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Simplicity of style is a grace which, though it may not captivate at first sight, is sure in the end to give permament satisfaction. It does not excite admiration, but it raises esteem. It does not warm to rapture, but it sooths to complacency. Unskilful writers seldom aim at this excellence. They imagine, that what is natural and common cannot be beautiful. Every thing in their composi tions must be strained, every thing affected: but Dr. Jortin had studied the ancients, and perhaps formed himself on the model of Xenophon. He wrote on subjects of morality; and morality is founded on reason; and reason is always cool and dispassionate. A florid declamation, embellished with rhetorical figures, and ani mated with pathetic description, may indeed amuse the fancy, and raise a transient emotion in the heart; but rational discourse alone can convince the understanding, and reform the conduct:

The first efforts of genius have commonly been in poetry. URrestrained by the. frigidity of argument, and the confinement :<£

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