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1830.]

Bp. Monk's Life of Dr. Bentley.

treaty of pacification with Miller and the Seniors, the former of whom basely betrayed the interests of his constituents. Yet two of the most influential of that body, Dr. Colbatch and another, still pressed the consideration of the state of Trinity College on the Bishop of Ely, who refused to interfere. Bentley, however, still continued his despotic proceedings, and aimed at drawing all power to himself, and conferring all College offices or livings at his own will; though he was occasionally resisted with success.

Attempts were now made (but in vain) by application to the Court of King's Bench, to deprive Bentley of his Professorship. The demands made on Bentley's time by the duties of his new office, and the extraordinary course of events which ensued, will account for his suspending the great undertaking of his Greek Testament; though he still kept it in view, and had much valuable assistance from Wetstein, and Dr. Walker of Trinity, as also the learned Benedictines of St. Maur, who have immortalized their Society by so many splendid and, useful Ecclesiasti cal publications. The Proposals, how ever, for his Greek Testament were at length sent forth; but being drawn up with much haste and precipitation, some weak points were laid open, of which advantage was taken by Middleton, who made a furious attack on the Pros pectus, written in the most captious and malignant spirit, and particularly disgraceful to him, since he must have written against his own private convictions and knowledge, out of hatred to Bentley. The Professor retorted, but in so violent and abusive spirit, as could only injure his cause, and disgrace his cha racter, as holding the most dignified permanent office in the University. This drew forth from Middleton yet bitterer animadversions on the proposals, in which (observes Dr. Monk) "he shows himself a perfect controversialist, and though every sentence is influenced by hatred of his antagonist, he veils his spirit with the dress of learning and argument. Every thing is disposed in the most lucid order; there is a beautiful style, acute reasoning, extensive learning, and all the accomplishments of a controversialist; but in vain do we look for the candour of a fair adversary, whose object is the establishment of truth." It is, how GENT. MAG. September, 1830.

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ever, continues Dr. M., only one of the vnlgar errors respecting Bentley's history to suppose that he gave up his edition of the New Testament in consequence of Middleton's attacks. It was, he shows, from other causes, and especially the refusal of the government to grant permission to import the paper duty-free; and he gave it up from the same causes which influenced him to abandon the Third part of his Remarks on Free-thinking.

Middleton, however, had no great reason to exult, since being prosecuted for a libel on Bentley in his last work, and being found guilty, he was obliged to beg pardon of the Professor, and pay the costs of suit. Our Critic was now attacked in his Horace by Cunningham, who had sent forth a rival Edition. But whatever may be the ability displayed in his remarks on Bentley's emendations and notes, he owes the preservation of his name to the transcendent reputation of him whose fame he so laboured to disparage. In 1722 Bentley, at the request of Dr. Mead, made a complete revision of the Theriaca of Nicander for Dr. Mead. The volume found its way into the British Museum, and the emendations were transcribed and published in the Museum Criticum in 1814. Our Professor now applied to the Court of King's Bench to procure restoration to his degrees, and after having, by consummate. dexterity, vanquished at law his great adversaries, Middleton, and Colbatch, the leader of the malcontents at Trinity, he carried forward his cause against the University for having unjustly degraded him. The Judges declared their opinions against the University, and a peremptory mandamus was issued to restore Bentley to his degrees, which was (however unpalatable to his adversaries) publicly performed by the University. Dr. Middleton now renewed his action for the re

covery of the four guineas, and succeeded; a small consolation for the sacrifices and losses he had encountered to ruin his enemy. Even Dr. Bentley, though successful, and throwing on his adversaries the greater part of the costs, found that his expenses in these continual suits had so much exhausted his finances as to diminish the gratification of his triumph. An offer was now made him of the Bishopric of Bristol, which however he declined; and on being asked what it was he expected,

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CLASSICAL LITERATURE.

he answered," something which should render it unnecessary for him to seek a change."

Our Critic now sent forth his elaborate Dissertation on the Metres of Terence, together with an Edition of that writer, and also one of Phædrus; on which Dr. Monk has some judicious remarks, in illustration of the origin and progress of the controversy of Bentley with Bp. Hare on the metres of Terence. With an ardour seldom found even in the young, our veteran Critic now applied himself to an Edition of Lucan's Pharsalia. His Notes, however, from the proposed Edition clashing with two other rival ones then preparing by Cortius and Oudendorp, did not see the light till fourteen years after his death, when they were printed at the Strawberry Hill Press.

Our illustrious Aristarchus so retained the vis vivida animi, that he now, at 65, proposed to give new editions of Manilius and Homer (the former of which was some years after published) and had not yet abandoned his design to edit the Greek Testament. As to the affairs of Trinity College, all the Master's wishes and projects were now carried without obstruction; though some of them were objectionable, and savoured of oppression and selfishness: insomuch that in 1727 fresh attempts were made to procure a visitation of Trinity College, and the Bp. of Ely was prevailed on to undertake the visi tation, if it should be found that he had the proper jurisdiction. In 1720 George II. visited the University, and was entertained by Dr. Bentley at Trinity Lodge. In consequence of his fatigue on this occasion, the Doctor was attacked with a dangerous illness; but medical skill, or the goodness of his constitution, soon recovered him. Meanwhile the scheme for ejecting the Master was still carried forward. But Bentley anticipated his prosecutors by a Petition to his Majesty. The prosecutors drew up counter petitions, and the Bishop sent one to have the rights of his See examined, and cited Bentley to appear before him. The Master applied to the King's Bench for a prohibition. And now (in 1730) Bentley had an offer of the Deanery of Lincoln, which he refused, as think ing it not an equivalent for the sacrifice of his Academical emoluments. In the year 1731 the Court pronounced that the Bishop of Ely was general

[Sept.

Visitor of the College, and thus the Master was thrown upon his resources to avert so imminent a danger. He sent a petition to the King, and brought his cause before the Privy Council. While awaiting for its determination, he engaged in the only unsuccessful of all his literary undertakings, his Edition of Milton's Paradise Lost. He was indeed in many respects unqualified for the work, which proved a total failure, and did more to sink his reputation than any of his preceding works had done to raise it. Still, as Dr. Monk truly observes, "the work contains many just and sensible remarks, and many acute pieces of criticism; and we cannot but often admit the justness of his strictures, and even the Poet himself might have profited by many of the hints." In 1732 the case between Dr. Bentley and the Bp. of Ely was carried before the House of Lords, which reversed the judgment of the Court of King's Bench, and, after a subsequent consideration of the case in another Session, the Bishop received his Writ of permission to act as Judge in the affairs of Trinity College, and held his first Court at Ely House, in June 1733. Dr. Bentley was then cited to appear in person, but he only attended by Proctor. In ten days after, the Master sent in his Defensive Plea, in which the charges were ingeniously evaded, and the transactions placed in quite another light, though the defence is certainly not satisfactory. The evidence for the prosecution and that for the defence were each taken at great length. And now, on the 27th April, 1734, the Court being assembled to deliver a final judgment upon the cause, the Bishop formally pronounced Dr. Bentley guilty of the charges laid against him, and sentenced him to be deprived of the Mastership of Trinity College. Undaunted even at this, Dr. B. determined to take his stand behind the last entrenchment, and resist the execution of the sentence. Finding that the sentence would not be valid till put in execution by the Vice-Master, he first prevailed upon the then ViceMaster to suspend the execution till he had taken legal advice how to proceed, and then contrived to induce him to resign, and procured another to be appointed who was firmly in the Master's interest, and utterly refusing to carry the sentence into execution, set the Bishop at defiance; who, as a Dissolution of

1830.]

Bp. Monk's Life of Dr. Bentley.

Parliament had just taken place, could not apply to the House of Lords for support. A compromise was now effected between Bentley and his prosecutors; and when at length a mandamus was procured by the Bishop to enable him to enforce the execution of the sentence, he died before he had been able to use it; and thus finally terminated the long struggles to procure Bentley's expulsion. In warding off all these various attacks, Bentley showed more dexterity and ability, than strict regard to rectitude or the proprieties of his dignified station; and though always successful in his suits at law, yet he expended upon them such large sums as prevented him from laying up for his family what would have raised them to competency, if not opulence. The College, too, of whose funds he had, in the maintenance of these suits, generally contrived to avail himself, was brought to extreme distress. His College broils, however, were now over, and a few calm years of green old age remained, which were rendered as little irksome as advanced years and increasing infirmities permitted, by the kind assiduities of his domestic circle, and the devoted attachment of a faithful band of friends who had never deserted his fortunes when in their most desperate state. A considerable period of his declining years was occupied in preparing a new Edition of Homer's Iliad. The principal object of which

was

to reform the versification, of which the harmony was spoiled by open vowels and other metrical defects. This restoration was to be effected by the aid of MSS. and quotations, and especially by the introduction of the Eolic Digamma, an instructive account of which is given by Dr. Monk. Bentley was the first to discover its use by Homer, and was by its use enabled to femove innumerable hiatuses, and to restore the true orthography of many words. But, alas! our Aristarchus was prevented by a paralytic stroke from accomplishing his design, after having written Notes only on the six first books of the Iliad. These were, by the liberality of Trinity College, placed in the hands of Professor Heyne, and formed a great ornament to his valuable edition. The latter years of Bent ley were somewhat embittered by the gross and unmanly attacks of Pope and his party, whose hostility to Bentley

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had been undeviating and unappeasable, and who thought they had now chosen the time to kick the worn-out Lion of

Criticism. For the enmity of Pope some excuse may be found; but none for that of Warburton, who could not be unaware of Bentley's extraordinary merits. But mark the event-even-handed Justice ordained that he should himself be as rudely attacked, in a far greater decay of his faculties, and when he could make no resistance, by the caustic pen of the Author of the Decline and Fall.

And now our narrative has reached its last stage, and we have only to record that the Prince of Critics departed this life, after a short but severe attack of pleurisy, which terminated fatally for want of bleeding (though the pas tient had himself suggested that it ought to be resorted to), in the 81st year of his age, July 14th, 1742. He died by no means wealthy, the most valuable bequest being that of his Library and MSS., which came partly into the hands of Trinity College, and partly into those of the British Museum. Of his domestic life many interesting anecdotes are collected by our indefatigable Biographer, which will be peculi arly interesting to academical readers.

As to the personal character of Bentley, it was, we must confess, a somewhat mixed one. It is humiliating to lettered pride, but not unedifying, to reflect how imperfect an effect his unrivalled learning had in regulating his passions, humanizing his manners, and raising him above the temptations of pride, vanity, and selfishness. It must, however, be admitted, that there is nothing in the nature of profoundly learned and Critical studies peculiarly adverse to amiableness of personal cha racter; and that, as in the cases of not a few illustrious individuals of our own age and country, profound learn. ing does not necessarily produce arrogance, vanity, dogmatism, and supercilious contempt of others; but is consistent with the highest urbanity and courtesy, the cultivation of all moral virtues, and the acquirement of all Christian graces. That Bentley, how ever, possessed many amiable qualities cannot be doubted; for how else could he have attached to himself so many devoted friends? He was indeed too fond of money, but, though frugal, he was never penurious,-though he was passionate, he was not vindictive, still less implacable. To us, indeed, it appears

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CLASSICAL LIterature,

that Bentley was, in the discharge of his Academical offices, "more sinned against than sinning." His intentions at entering on the Mastership of Trinity were, no doubt, perfectly pure, and his exertions to raise the reputation of his College, were at all times strenuous. As to his errors, they generally arose from circumstances which bore too hard on human frailty. He found the College, from the misconduct of his predecessors and the Seniors, in a very sinking state. He was selected for the purpose of raising it, to restore discipline, good morals, and learning, a task almost too arduous for any powers, and especially of one who was sure to be pursued with ill will, as educated in the rival College of St. John's. And Bentley, unfortunately (who in the words of Phædrus, "quidquid volebat valdè volebat,") carried forward his plans with more ardour than discretion. As to the Senior Fellows, his statutable counsellors in the government of the College, they were almost entirely persons alike unqualified and indisposed to second his exertions in raising the College, being themselves notoriously deficient in the qualities which the Master wished to instil into the Junior Members and Undergraduates. Not only these, but other persons in the rest of the University, nay, even his brother Heads and Professors, could not endure his immeasurable superiority to them; especially as he did not invidiam placare, by carrying his faculties meekly; nay, he sometimes permitted his caustic wit to be exercised at their cost, in a manner little agreeable to discretion or the decorum of his dignified station. As to the despotic temper charged upon him-with such persons as were his statutable counsellors, how could he carry into effect the plans he had adopted for the improvement of the College, otherwise than by assuming the character of Autocrat? And although we are not disposed to go so far with our late revered friend Dr. S. Parr, as to maintain that in the College quarrel, "Bentley was eminently right and the College infamously wrong," yet far more blame must be imputed to the latter than to the former. Indeed, in his adversaries, both in and out of College, we find scarcely any one redeeming good quality,-we envy, hatred, malice, and all un

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[Sept.

charitableness," a perverse doggedness, and almost Satanic malignity, very like that of the man in the Fable, who was content to lose one eye that he might inflict on the object of his envy and hatred the loss of both. If, too, we perceive too much of stratagem in the means by which he obtained the Regius Professorship, as well as carried some other designs, we are to remember that he only employed against his bitter and irreconcilable enemies the same weapons with which they were constantly seeking his utter ruin, thinking it proper, in the words of Thucydides, λμ axпpúxτy, προτερῆσας, καὶ προεπιβουλεύειν μᾶλλον ἡ ἀντεπιβελεύειν.

But to turn from the subject of this Biography to the work itself, we

cannot but commend the skilful manner in which the valuable materials, collected by long-continued diligence, have been worked up. And although we could have wished, for the popularity of the work, that the College disputes had been narrated with less prolixity, yet considerable circumstantiality of detail was, in a work such as this professes to be, unavoidable. On the style, which is neat and perspicuous, we are at issue with some of our brother critics, who object to it on the score of occasional obsoleteness and inelegance. The examples which they adduce of the former are not obsolete expressions, but idiomatical ones. Now it has been most truly observed by the Aristarchus of our own time, (to whom this Biography is dedicated,) that "idioms are the nerves of a language," and he has in his own practice most effectively employed the good old idiomatical English which too many writers and critics now seem bent on extirpating. As to the latter charge, the expressions in question are chiefly colloquialisms, which in so simple and unaffected a style as that of this Biography, may well be tolerated. Upon the whole, we are enabled to speak in the highest terms of the work before us; and pronounce it to be one of the most faithful and interesting Biographies we have seen. It unites in an eminent degree the qualities of being instructive and amusing; and, we doubt not, will become, if not suddenly, yet permanently a favourite with the public.

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In conclusion, we thank the learned Prelate for this important addition

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