all his ftudies his way was not to leave off his defi till he brought it to effect; only in the Arabic langua he made an effay for a little while, and then defer it. In the fame place having alfo writ, Labore et c ftantia, he adds, Bona fi conjungantur humilitati et fubr niftrent charitati. With thefe fpeculations the largen of his mind could join poetry, to which he was alwa addicted, and very much valued that part thereof whi confifts of description; but the hyperboles of fome mode poets he as much flighted: for our plays, he was enemy to them, as a principal caufe of the debauchery thefe times; (the other caufes he thought to be French education and the ill examples of great perfons for fatires, he writ none; his wit was pure and peaceable When Dr. Duport refigned the chair of Greek Profeffo he recommended this his pupil for his fucceffor, who ju tified his Tutor's opinion by an excellent performance the probation exercise; but being thought inclined to A minianism, he obtained it not: however, he always ad knowledged the favour which Dr. Whichcote fhewed hi on that, as on all occafions. The partiality of others again him in that affair fome thought might help forward hi defire to fee foreign countries. I make no doubt, bu that he, who in leffer occurrences did very judiciously confider all circumstances, had on good grounds made thi refolution, and wish we now knew them; for the reafon and counfels of action would take off from the drynef of this narration, and more strongly recommend him to imitation. To provide for his voyage, ann. Dom. 1654, he fold his books, and went first into France: at Paris he found his father attending the English Court, and out of his fmall viaticum made him a seasonable present. He gave his College an account of his voyage thither, which wil be found among his Poems; and fome farther obferva tions in a letter, which will fhew his piercing judgment in political affairs, when he applied his thoughts that way. After fome months he went to Italy, and made a stay at Florence; where he had the favour, and neglected not the advantage, to peruse many books in the Great Duke's library, and ten thousand of his medals, and discourse thereon with Mr. Fitton, the fame of whofe extraordinary abilities in that fort of learning had caused the Duke to invite him to the charge of that great treasury of antiquity. Florence was too dear a place for him to remain in long his defire was to vifit Rome, rather than : any other place; but the plague then raging there, he took ship at Livorn, (Nov. 1657,) for Smyrna, where he made himself moft welcome to Conful Bretton, and the merchants; and fo at Constantinople, to Sir Thomas Bendish, the English Ambaffador, and Sir Jonathan Daws, from whose civility he received many favours; and there ever after continued between them an intimate friendship. As he could presently learn to play at all games, so he could accommodate his difcourfe to all capacities, that it fhould be grateful and profitable; he could argue a point without arrogance or paffion to convince the learned, and could talk pleasantly to the entertainment of easier minds, yet ftill maintaining his own character, which had fome fuch authority as is infinuated in these words of Cicero to Atticus, (Ep. xx. l. 14.) Non te Bruti noftri vulticulus ab ifta oratione deterret? At Conftantinople, the fee of St. Chryfoftom, he read over all the works of that Father, whom he much preferred before any of the others, and remained in Turkey above a year. Returning thence to Venice, as soon as he was landed the ship took fire, and with all the goods was burnt, but none of the people had any harm. He came thence home through Germany and Holland; and fome part of these travels and obfervations are also related in his Poems. The term of time was now fomewhat past, before which all Fellows of Trinity College are by the oath obliged to take upon them priestly orders, or quit the College he had no reft in his mind, till he got himself ordained, notwithstanding the times were then very unfettled, the Church of England at a very low ebb, and circumstances much altered from what they were when he took the oath, wherewith others fatisfied themselves in the neglect of orders. When the Church and State flourished upon the King's restoration, his friends expected great things for him who had fuffered and deferved fo much: yet nothing came; fo that he was fenfible enough to say, (which he has not left among his Poems,) Te magis optavit rediturum, Carole, nemo, 1660, he was without a competitor chofen to the Greek Profefforship in Cambridge; of which I can only say, that fome friend (to himself I mean) thought fit to borrow, and never to restore thofe Lectures. July 16, 1662, he was chosen to the Geometry Lecture at Gresham College, vacant by the death of Mr. Laurence Rook. Dr. Wilkins, who, while Trinity College had the happiness of his mastership, thoroughly observed and much esteemed him, and was always zealous to promote worthy men and generous designs, did interpofe vigorously for his affistance, well knowing that few others could fill the place of fuch a predeceffor; he not only discharged the duty incumbent on him, but supplied the absence of his learned colleague Dr. Pope, Aftronomy Profeffor; and among other of his Lectures were divers of the Projections of the Sphere; which he lent out alfo, and many other papers we hear no more of. He fo well anfwered all expectation, and performed what Dr. Wilkins had undertaken for him, that when (1663) Mr. Lucas founded a Mathematic Lecture at Cambridge, the fame good and conftant friend recommended him to the executors, Mr. Raworth and Mr. Buck, who very readily conferred on him that employment: and the better to fecure the end of fo noble and useful a foundation, he took care that himself and fucceffors fhould be bound to leave yearly to the University ten written Lectures; and those of his which have been, and others yet to be printed, will best give an account how well he acquitted himself of that service. But after that learned piece Geometrica Lectiones had been some while in the world, he had heard only of two perfons that had read it through; these two were Monfieur Slufius of Liege, and Mr. Gregory of Scotland, two that might be reckoned instead of thousands: yet the little relish that fuch things met with did help to loofen him from these fpeculations, and the more engage his inclination to the study of morality and divinity, which had always been so predominant, that when he commented on Archimedes, he could not forbear to prefer and admire much more Suarez for his book De Legibus: and before his Apollonius I find written this divine ejaculation: Ὁ Θεὸς γεωμετρεῖ. Tu autem, Domine, quantus es geometra? quum enim hæc fcientia nullos terminos habeat; cum in fempiternum novorum theorematum inventioni locus relinquatur, etiam penes humanum ingenium, tu uno hæc omnia intuitu perspecta habes, abfque catena confequentiarum, abfque tædio demonfirationum. Ad cætera pene nihil facere poteft intellectus nofter; et tanquam brutorum phantafa videtur non nifi incerta quædam fomniare, unde in iis quot funt homines tot exiftunt fere fententiæ: in his confpiratur ab omnibus, in his humanum ingenium se posse aliquid, imo ingens aliquid et mirificum vifum eft, ut nihil magis mirum, quod enim in cæteris pene ineptum in hoc efficax, fedulum, profperum, &c. Te igitur vel ex hac re amare gaudeo, te fufpicor, atque illum diem defiderare fufpiriis fortibus, in quo purgata mente et claro oculo non hæc folum omnia abfque hac fucceffiva et laboriofa imaginandi cura, verum multo plura et majora ex tua bonitate et immenfiffima fanctiffimaque benignitate confpicere et fcire concedetur, &c. The laft kindness and honour he did to his mathematic chair was to refign it (166) to fo worthy a friend and fucceffor as Mr. Ifaac Newton, fixing his refolution to apply himself entirely to divinity; and he took a course very convenient for his public perfon as a preacher, and his private as a Chriftian; for thofe fubjects which he thought most important to be confidered for his own use, he caft into the method of fermons for the benefit of others, and herein was fo exact, as to write fome of them four or five times over. And now he was only a Fellow of Trinity College, till my Lord Bishop of St. Asaph gave him a small finecure in Wales, and the Right Reverend Seth, Lord Bishop of Salisbury, (who very much valued his converfation,) a prebend in his Church; the advantages of both which he bestowed in a way of charity, and parted with them as foon as he was made Master of his College, (1672,) he and his relations being by that time out of a neceffitous condition: the patent for his masterfhip being fo drawn for him as it had been for fome others, with permiffion to marry, he caused to be altered, thinking it not agreeable with the statutes, from which he defired no difpenfation. He had hitherto poffeffed but a scanty estate, which yet was made easy to him by a contented mind, and not made a trouble by envy at more plentiful fortunes: he could in patience poffefs his foul when he had little elfe; and now |