to all in employment under him. His charities were a principal article of his expence. He gave an hundred pounds at a time for the augmentation of fmall livings: he bestowed conftant penfions on poor clergymen and their widows, on ftudents for their education at the univerfities, and on induftrious but unfortunate families: he contributed frequent fums towards the repairs or building of churches and parfonage-houses, to all public collections, to the fupport of charity schools (one of which for fifty children at Salisbury was wholly maintained by him) and to the putting out apprentices to trades. Nor were his alms confined to one nation, fect, or party; but want and merit in the object, were the only measures of his liberality. He looked upon himself, with regard to his epifcopal revenue, as a meer trustee for the church, bound to expend the whole in a decent maintainance of his ftation, and in ads of hofpitality and in charity; and he had fo faithfully balanced this account, that, at his death, no more of the income of his bifhopric remained to his family than was barely fufficient to pay his debts.

Lord Halifax, fpeaking of the bishop, fays, * Dr, Burnet is, like all men who are above the ordinary level, feldom fpoke of in a mean; he muft either be railed at, or admired. He has a swiftnefs of imagination that no other comes up to; and, as our nature hardly allows us to have enough of any thing, without hav

Sing too much, he cannot at all times fo hold in his thoughts, but that at fome time they may run away with him: as it is hard for a veffel, that is brim-full, when in motion, not to run over; and therefore the variety of matter that he ever carries about him, may throw out more than an unkind critic would allow of. His first thoughts may fometimes require more digeftion, not from a defect in his judgment, but from the abundance of his fancy, which furnishes too fast for him. His friends love him too well to fee fmall faults; or, if they do, think that his greater talents give him a privilege of ftraying from the ftrict rules of caution, and exempt him from the ordinary rules of cenfure. He produces so fast, that what is well in his writings calls for admiration, and what is incorrect deferves an ex-. cufe he may, in fome things, require grains; of allowance, which thofe only can deny him who are unknown or unjust to him. He is not quicker in difcerning other mens falt, than he is in forgiving them; fo ready, or rather glad to ackdowledge his own, that from blemishes they become ornaments. All the repeated provocations of his indecent adverfaries, hath had no other effect, than the seting his good in fo much a better light, fince his anger never yet went farther to pity them. That heat, which, in most other men, raises sharpness and fatire, in him glows into warmth for his friends, and compaffion for those in

want

want and mifery. As dull men have quick eyes, in difcerning the smaller faults of those that nature has made fuperior to them, they do not mifs one blot he makes; and, be ing beholden only to their barrennefs for their difcretion, they fall upon the errors which arise out of his abundance; and, by a mistake into which their malice betrays them, they think, that, by finding a mote in his eye, they hide the beams that are in their own. His quicknefs makes writing fo eafy to him, that his fpirits are neither wafted nor fowered by it: the foil is not forced; every thing grows and brings forth without pangs; which diftinguishes as much what he does, from that which smells of the lamp, as a good palate will difcern between fruit, which comes from a rich mould, and that which taftes of the uncleanly pains that have been bestowed upon it. He makes many enemies by fetting an ill-natured example of living which they are not inclined to follow. His indifference for preferment; his contempt, not only of fplendor, but of all unneceffary plenty; his degrading himself into the lowest and most painful duties of his calling; are fuch unprelatical qualities, that, let him be never fo orthodox in other things, in these he must be a diffenter. Virtues of fuch a ftamp are so many herefies, in the opinion of thofe divines, who have foftened the primitive injunctions, fo as to make them fuit better with the frailty of mankind. No wonder

then

then if they are angry, fince it is in their own defence; or that, from a principle of felf-prefervation, they should endeavour to fupprefs a man whose parts are a fhame, and whofe life is a scandal, to them."

The copy from which this is printed, in the Bishop's Life, was taken from one given to the bishop, in the marquis of Halifax's own handwriting.

THE LIFE OF

GEORGE GRANVILLE.

G

EORGE GRANVILLE, created, by queen Anne, baron Lanfdowne, of Biddeford, in the county of Devon, was an eloquent fpeaker, an elegant writer, an admirable poet, and, in a word, one of the most accomplished noblemen this nation hath produced.

It is a misfortune that a perfon fo able has not left us any memoirs of his own, who, with fo much candour and fpirit has rescued from calumny the characters of other great men. The materials for this article are, for this reafon, in proportion to the worth of it, very fcanty; and all that we are able to do, towards rendering juftice to his memory, and gratify. ing, in fome meafure, the expectation of the reader, is to range them in the best manner we are able; and to borrow from his own excellent writings all the lights we can.

He was the fon of the honourable Mr. Ber. nard Greenvile, or Granville, who, in regard to the merit of his illuftrious father Sir Bevil, had, by a special warrant from king Charles the fecond, the rank given him of an earl's younger fon; and who added to the luftre

of