from passing the time idly in the country, having started here the main subject of his "Principia." Shortly after, he returned to Cambridge; and in 1667, was chosen fellow of his college, and took the degree of M. A. His thoughts were now engaged upon his newly projected reflecting telescope, of which he made a small instrument with an object-metal spherically concave. It was but a rude essay, chiefly defective in the want of a good polish for the metal. This therefore he set himself to find out, when Dr. Barrow resigning the mathematical chair at Cambridge to him, Nov. 1669; the business of that post interrupted for a while, his attention to the telescope: however, as his thoughts had been for some time chiefly employed upon optics, he made his discoveries in that science the subject of his lectures, for the three first years after he was appointed mathematical professor: he had not finished them when he was appointed a fellow of the Royal Society, January 1671, and having now brought his " Theory of Light and Colours," to a great degree of perfection, he communicated it to that society first, to have their judgment upon it; and it was afterwards published in their "Transactions" of Feb. 19, 1672. This publication occasioned a dispute upon the truth of it, which gave him so much uneasiness, that he resolved to-publish nothing further for a while upon the subject; and in that resolution laid up his "Optical Lectures," notwithstanding he had prepared them for the press; and the "Analysis by Infinite Series," which he designed to subjoin thereto, unhappily for the world, underwent the same fate, and for the same reason. In this temper he resumed his telescope; and observing that there was no absolute necessity for the parabolic figure of the glasses, since, if metals could be ground truly spherical, they would be able to bear as great apertures as men could give a polish to, he completed another instrument of the same kind. This answering the purpose so well, as, though

only half a foot in length, to shew the planet Jupiter distinctly round, and also his four satelites, and Venus horned, he sent it to the Royal Society at their request, together with a description of it, with further particulars; and it was published in the "Philosophical Transactions" for March 1672. About midsummer 1687, this interesting work appeared in 4to. under the title of "Philosophiæ Naturalis Prin cipia Mathematica," containing in the third book, the cometic astronomy, which had been lately discovered by him, and now made its first appearance in the world. In 1696 he was made warden of the mint, in which employment he did very signal service to the nation. Three years after he was promoted to be master of that office. Upon this promotion he appointed Mr. Whiston, then master of arts of Clare Hall, his deputy in the mathematical professorship at Cambridge, giving him the full profits of the place. In 1703, our author was chosen president of the Royal Society, in which chair he sat for twenty-five years, till the day of his death; and he had been chosen a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, in 1699, as soon as the new regulation was made for admitting foreigners into that society.

Ever since the first discovery of the heterogeneous mixture of light, and the production of colours arising thence, he had employed a good part of his time in bringing the experiment, upon which the theory is founded, to a degree of exactness that might satisfy himself. The truth is, "this seems to have been his favorite invention; thirty years he had spent in this arduous task, before he published it in 1704. This same year and in the same book with his optics, he published, for the first time, his method of fluxions. In 1705, the honor of knighthood was conferred upon him by Queen Ann, in consideration of his great merit.

As the celebrated Leibnitz was privy counsellor of justice to the Elector of Hanover, so when that prince

was raised to the British throne, Sir Isaac came more under the notice of the court; and it was for the immediate satisfaction of George I. that he was prevailed with to put the last hand to the dispute that had arisen about the invention of fluxions. At the solicitation of Caroline, princess of Wales, afterwards queen-consort to George II. Sir Isaac drew up an abstract of his chronology; a copy of which was, at her request communicated, about 1718, to Signior Conti, a Venetian nobleman, then in England,. upon a promise to keep it secret. Notwithstanding this promise, this Venetian was no sooner got across the water into France, than he dispersed copies of it, procured an antiquary to translate it into French, and moreover, to write a confutation of it. This being printed at Paris in 1725, was delivered as a present from the bookseller that printed it to our author, in order to obtain, as was said, his consent to the publication; but, though he expressly denied such consent, yet the whole was published the same year. Hereupon Sir Isaac found it necessary to publish a defence of himself, which was inserted in the " Philosophical Transactions." Thus, he who had so much all his life long been studious to avoid disputes, was unavoidably all his life time, in a manner, involved in disputes; which was evidently the effect of his superior merit. In 1726, March 20th, he died in his 85th year, and was interred near the entrance into the choir of Westminster Abbey, on the left hand, where a stately monument is erected to his memory, with an inscription upon it drawn up with the most consummate elegance.

OSTERWALD, (JOHN FREDERICK) a celebrated Protestant clergyman, born at Newfchatel in 1663, of an ancient family, and became a pastor in 1699. His talents, virtues and zeal to form disciples and establish discipline, made him a perfect model for ProVOL. III. No. 23. Z z

testant ministers. He was the author of some excellent works for the purpose, and many treatises upon piety and morality. He died in 1747; he had a son, pastor of the English church at Bazil, who maintained with honor the reputation of his father; and published a piece much esteemed by the reformed, call ed "Les Devoirs des Communians."

OTWAY, (THOMAS) an eminent dramatic writer, was the son of a clergyman of Woolbeding in Sussex, and born, March 1651. He had his education first at Winchester school, and then at Christ Church College in Oxford, where he was entered a commoner in 1669; but leaving the university without any degree, he went to London, and, applying himself to the theatres, both wrote and acted in plays for a support. After some time he obtained a cornets commission in a new raised regiment destined for Flanders. He accordingly went thither with the rest of the forces in 1677; but not being cut out for a soldier, returned the following year in very indigent circumstances, so that he was obliged to take up his pen again for a sustenance. He now continued writing plays and poems. Having been compelled by his necessities to contract debts and haunted, as is supposed, by the terrors of the law, he retired to a public house on Tower Hill, where he died of want, April 14, 1685. It is universally agreed, that he excells in touching the tender passions in tragedy, of which his "Orphan," and " Venice Preserved," contain the strongest specimens. His dramatic pieces are ten in number, besides which, he made some translations, and wrote several miscellaneous poems.

OVIDIUS, (PUBLIUS NASO) one of the finest poets of the Augustan age, was the son of a Roman

knight, and born at Sulmo, a town in the county of the Peligni. He was born in the year of Rome 710, that memorable year, when the consuls Hirtius and Pansa were slain in the battle of Mutina against Anthony. From his youth, his inclinations lay towards poetry; which, however, upon his father's entreaties, he forsook and studied the law, forming himself to the bar. He studied eloquence under eminent masters, and was made one of the triumviri, who were magistrates of great authority. Augustus heaped upon him honors, but upon the death of his elder brother, by which he came to an easy fortune, he bid adieu to law and the bar, and devoted himself entirely to the muses. Ovid lived mostly at Rome near the capitol. He married young, and had three wives, two of which he soon repudiated after marriage: his last wife Serilla, who remained inviolably faithful to him even after he was banished, he tenderly loved and has frequently celebrated her beauty and virtue. Our poet by some indiscretion in his conduct, incurred the displeasure of Augustus, and by him was banished at fifty years of age to Tomi, a town in Pontus, situated on the black sea. was banished for writing loose verses, and corrupting the Roman youth; but it is agreed on all hands, and is in effect owned by himself, that this was rather the pretence than real cause of his exile. He wrote things of various kinds, particularly "Heroic Epistles," and, "Fasti." "Fasti." Likewise a poem "De Piscibus," and some other things which are lost. There was also a tragedy of his composing, called "Medea, much commended and admired by the ancients, as an excellent piece. His last work before his banishment, was the "Metamorphosis," which is, in many respects his finest, although it did not recive his last hand. His " Art of Love," is finely written, but very dangerous to youth. He wrote an infinite num ber of verses in his exile, of which remain his "Tristium," and "Epistles," which last is esteemed his most refined production.

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