prefer to reserve the character for the conclusion, and to make it a condensed inference from the facts, not a motive for at tending to them. The parentage is proposed for the third topic, and for the fourth the birth and infancy; a fifth and somewhat tedious section is allotted to childhood: but perhaps men are too inattentive to the early indications and permanent impressions of bent to which this age is liable. Adolescence is the sixth period, and usually forms the manners, which may be traced to the way in which it is passed. It is justly observed that our companions at this era have more influence than our tutors; and that to keep the company and copy the usages of the better sort of those who are engaged in our own line of pursuit is a more eligible rule of conduct, than to realize the theoretical regularity of parental and preceptive system. Adolescence is often too much repressed in England, so as to give the manners an unpleasant reserve, and an inconvenient degree of false shame. Youth, the author's seventh period, (he is a great subdivider,) is commonly indulged at college with a liberal independence, but with a dangerous leisure. The eighth section, concerning Manhood, naturally includes in every life the principal facts. A table of common-places occurs, inviting the biographer to concentrate his attention on the ruling passion of the man, and the leading purpose of his being. The ninth and last epoch is to include the old age and the decease. An excessive value is attached by the author to death-bed particulars, which usually exhibit a mind lowered by disease below its natural rank. Mr. Stanfield returns in the next chapter to the important topic of Character. There are certain general classes, which might be denominated after the more prominent delineations of novelists or dramatists, and to which almost every individual could be referred. Nature has but a limited company of actors, and produces her variety by shifting the parts. Messalina appears again as Margaret of Valois, but she had appeared a hundred times in other inferior lines. The soul of Virgil may be discerned in Racine, and that of Tasso in Rousseau, but how often these souls had animated men not destined to authorship! The Romans deified Antoninus and Faustina; the French led to the scaffold a very similar couple in Louis the Sixteenth and Marie Antoinette. Pythagoras imagined that a given number of human souls were perpetually transmigrating into new bodies, and repeating the exhibition of their original tendencies. Considered as an allegory, this theory well deserves admission in psychology. The third chapter is allotted to Professional Biography. Cibber's Apology is highly praised; and Gibbon's sketch of his own own Memoirs. The concluding chapter gives a summary of the preceding parts, and recommends the study of biography, generally, as conducive to morality, prudence, and wisdom, and particularly, as revealing the art of success in the line of our own destination. It is of value as a mine of knowlege, and as a rule of conduct. The Goths fancied that the souls of the illustrious dead were transmuted into flame; and that tombfires ascended from the graves of heroes, which became stars in the firmament. Such a transmutation the eminent really undergo by the record of their lives: thenceforth, like the lamps in cities, they blaze in the eyes of men, and guide the steps of each successive passenger along the nobler paths of human life. - One defect strikes us as prominent in this dissertation, viz. that the author lays down his rules without reserve or qualification; as if some specific form of representation constituted the idea of a perfect biography, and ought on every occasion to be adopted; whereas the same life should be differently written according to its purpose. If the editor of a literary dictionary employs a writer to compose the life of Julius Cæsar, the biographer is especially to dwell on his literary merit, to appretiate his Commentaries critically, to lament the loss of his work on analogy in language, to inquire whether one of the tragedies in Seneca's anthology was really translated by him from the Greek, and to detail his reformation of the calendar: -- but, if employed about the same task by the editor of a military dic tionary, the writer is preferably to describe Cæsar's apprenticeship in Bithynia, his exploits in Spain, and his skilful conquest of Gaul, though sullied by the plunder of Saguntum. His illegal passage of the Rubicon, his ubiquity during the war with Pompey, his decisive victory at Pharsalia, the critical accidents at Alexandria, and at last the hemming in of Cato, would now constitute the chosen objects of attention, because these are to military men the useful points of contemplation. If, however, a separate and complete life of this eminent individual were to be undertaken, his intellectual and his practical greatness would both be brought forwards; and it would be proper to inquire in what degree his licentious moral habits promoted or impeded his ascent in the world. Marital jealousy raised up important enemies to Cæsar. He fell at Cicero's instigation; and the hand of Brutus was the most respectable which practically joined in the conspiracy. As Mr. Stanfield has bestowed so much labour on ascertaining the theory of the biographic art, we could wish to see him. reducing it to practice. Why should he not undertake a dictionary of the British geographers, using the word in its enlarged sense, sense, so as to comprehend all the explorers of the surface of the world; those who conduct voyages of discovery, those who travel inland, and those who engage in stationary topography? A vast mass of British merit has been employed in making the world known to its inhabitants; and the employment extends with commerce, with empire, and with science. By separating into one biographicon this peculiar class of lives, a philanthropic emulation would be excited, a debt of social gratitude would be discharged, a trophy to patriotism would be erected, and an instructive knowlege of the present state of nations and the gradual concatenation of intercourse would be diffused. Literature should rear altars to the missionaries of human civilization. ART. III. Letters written by eminent Persons in the 17th and 18th Centuries. To which are added, Hearne's Journeys to Reading, and to Whaddon-hall, the Seat of Browne Willis, Esq. and Lives of eminent Men, by John Aubrey, Esq. The whole now first published from the Originals in the Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum, with Biographical and Literary Illustrations. 3 Vols 8vo. pp. 300. in each. 11. 11s. 6d. Boards. Longman and Co. 1813. TASTE for personal archaiology, (if we may use the term,) for inspecting the coffins of long-buried eminence, and for recovering from the mould of oblivion their hoarded tokens or their keep-sakes of friendship, should be revived at the beginning of every century, in order that men may look round for the deficiencies or the suppressions of cotemporary intelligence, and complete, while documents remain, the biographical memorials of the illustrious. Many interesting and characteristic anecdotes, which circulate in conversation, may not be recorded immediately, because they involve some personality that is offensive to the living: but, after the lapse of a generation, such motives for reticency usually expire. It must be acknowleged, however, that the memory of the celebrated rather loses than gains by this scrutinizing industry. No inconvenience arises from promulgating immediately the good deeds, or the panegyrical speeches, of deceased rank:-it is the scandalous anecdote, or the satirical saying, which it was found expedient to keep back. He who peeps behind a curtain will discover what the curtain was drawn to conceal, and will usually perceive at best the spoils of the slattern, and perhaps the wrapper of the libertine.. * Care, however, has been taken, in the selection before us, to omit that which was too gross (p. iv.) for publications Still, if something of depretiation be incurred, much of definition is acquired, by these posthumous investigations. A man's knowlege is often over-rated by his one chief book: but in correspondence he betrays his ignorance of other topics; and a circumscription of his acquirement is thus obtained. Genius and intellect, on the contrary, display themselves unfettered in private letters; they have their decorations to fling, and their inferences to draw, about little as well as about great matters. Knowlege, again, is versatile in its hoards. One age values the cabinet which is filled with specimens of classical, and another venerates that which is occupied by black-letter, erudition. The mass of critical readers, the audience of appeal, is somctimes in a cue to turn over volumes of poetry, sometimes those of theology, and sometimes those of history. The taste of every age includes little things among its toys, or objects of curiosity but every generation alters its selection of little things about which it is to be interested. Hence the correspondence of men of erudition decays in interest with the lapse of time, and sounds like learned trifling: whereas the corre spondence of men of talents retains all its original attraction. The present work consists of three volumes of literary reliques, transcribed from the principal manuscript-treasures of the University of Oxford. In the first volume are contained one hundred and ten priváte letters from Hickes, Wallis, Creech, Arburthnot, Gale, Carte, and other eminent men who flourished about the period of the Revolution. Some light is thrown on James the Second's visit to Oxford, respecting which we lately spoke in noticing the life of Bishop Hough; (Rev. for October 1812.) but, in general, the correspondence is disappointingly uninteresting and provokingly uninstructive. The table of contents induces us to read here and to read there, and at length to cut open almost every leaf; and at the end of the task we regret a frivolous loss of time, and an inane lack of amusement. That we may not wholly decide for our readers, we will extract the hundredth letter, p.270.: • Dr. TURNER to Dr. CHARLETT. On the learned Taylor of Norwich. Good Master, Norwich, March 4. 1914. • It was very pleasing to me to read in your last letter of that regard paid to the merit and industry of Mr. Hearne by the majority of the University in their choice of him to be Superior Beadle of Law and Architypographus. Which places he will be a credit to, and they will afford him brave encouragement, and a good deal of time for his studies. I don't doubt but Dr. Hudson has long since been supplied with a Janitor for the Library, or else the Dean and I should have ventured to have recommended from hence a person who is a surprising instance instance of the power of application to books. A taylor * of this town of about 30 years of age, who has within seven years mastered seven languages, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldea, Syriac, Arabic, and Persic. Mr. Professor Ockley being here since Christmas has examined him, and given him an ample testimonial in writing of his skill in the Oriental languages. Our Dean also thinks him very extraordinary. But he is very poor, and his landlord lately seized a Polyglot Bible (which he had made shift to purchase) for rent. But there is care taken to clear his debts; and if a way could be thought of to make him useful, I believe we could get a subscription towards part of his maintenance.” In the second volume, are contained fifty-two letters from the Bodleian Library and eight from the Ashmolean Museum. These last are mostly of older date, but are again very dull, and include fewer eminent names than those in the first volume. The most curious of them is the CLIXth, from T. Carte to G. Ballard, on the death of Henry VI. Under the inspection of an editor of taste, the entire collection of letters would have been included in a single volume, and have formed a separate work; to which might have been attached, as an appendix, the journies of Hearne to Whaddon-hall, to Reading, and to Silchester. This is the Thomas Hearne on whom Swift wrote the well-known lively epigram. The more valuable part of this publication begins at p. 200. of the second volume, and consists of a series of short biographies drawn up by John Aubrey. They awaken many anecdotes of celebrated men which have hitherto slumbered. We exhibit as a specimen the life of Bacon. Sir FRANCIS BACON, Kt. Baron of Verulam, Viscount of St. Alban's, and Lord High Chancellor of England. In his Lordship's prosperity, Sr. Fulke Grevil, Lord Brooke, was his great friend and acquaintance, but when he was in disgrace and want, he was so unworthy as to forbid his butler to let him have any more small beer, which he had often sent for, his stomach being nice, and the small beere of Grayes Inne not liking his pallet. This has donne his memorie more dishonour than Sr. Ph. Sydney's friendship engraven on his monument hath donne him honour. His name was Henry Wild. See some account of him in the Gent. Mag. for March 1755. The Memoir of his Life is very dèficient in point of dates; but it appears that he went to Oxford, and on the recommendation of Dr. Prideaux, Dean of Norwich, was employed in the Bodleian Library, in translating, or making extracta from, the Oriental MSS. He removed from Oxford to London, about the year 1720, and lived there under the patronage of Dr. Mead. In 1734, was published his translation from the Arabic of Mahomet's Journey to Heaven," a posthumous work, and the only one of his that was ever printed.' • Richard |