them." This extraordinary intimation from fo refpectable an authority, I am happy to call out into public notice. It forms. a very important addition to the hiftory of our original beafts, It completes particularly the accounts which have been formerly given by myself of our boars and moofe-deers, the latter of which are either contending ftill with incredulity for their very exist. ence, or have this exiftence thrown back (as here it is by Lady Moira) into the morning twilight of antiquity, into a "remote period," beyond the reach of all "written tradition." They are now fhewn to have existed among us, and to have been uni. verfally known to exist, even within a couple of centuries from our own times." P. 294.

On reconfidering this extract, we are rather difpofed to think, that the recital of the names of the Wild Swine and the Wild Elk, among other animals, in an A&t of Parliament of Henry VIII. (merely in a claufe of exception) does not furnish quite inconteftible proof of their exiftence in the reign of Henry. Had we leifure, we could quote fimilar recitals, to which little or no meaning can be affixed. We fhould be cautious in turning the ordinary phrafeology or forms of law, into hiftorical recognitions. The author thus concludes the volume.

"I have thus laid open the whole hiftory of St. Neot, have hown who he was, have explained why and whence he came into Cornwall, and afcertained what befel him or his afterward. By all this I have endeavoured to do juftice to a Saxon Saint, whofe fettlement in our country seems so strange at the first view, whofe reputation is fo confiderable among us even at present, but whofe real history was little understood, even by ourselves or our Saxon neighbours. And I have equally endeavoured as I proceeded, to catch every call that judgment would allow, for occafional migrations from a local fubject, to turn afide into the open ground of general history, and to fettle doubts of moment, or to correct errors of importance, in the annals of the nation at large.” P. 314.

Such is the laft production of our much regretted friend, which we fhall not further appreciate here; as we haften to our promifed retrofpect of this diftinguifhed character. To the work indeed immediately before us, (after having traced the impreffions of his youth, of his maturer age, and of "the years that tend towards the grave") we must return, as with its hiftory is involved that of the closing days of its author. Yet fhall we return with "no unpleafing melancholy;" fince we fhall be able to contemplate (what could not be feen even in a Johnfon) the energies of genius, learning,

and

and religion, lively, warm, and vigorous, almoft in the laft moments of life.

John Whitaker was born at Manchester, probably in the year 1735. For, in the register of baptifms at the collegiate parish church of Chrift, in that place, we find he was baptized on the 11th of May in that year. Before he was ten years of age he was entered a fcholar of the Free-Gram mar-School in Manchester.

In 1752, be was "made exhibitioner to Oxford, at ten pounds per annum." He was elected fcholar of Corpus. Chrifti College 2d of March, 1753; and fellow, 21ft of January, 1763.

In 1759, February 27, he was admitted M. A.; and in 1767, July 1, he proceeded B. D.

It appears that he was a young man" of great peculiari ties." He affociated with very few; it was fuppofed from the narrowness of his circumftances. He regularly kept the faft of Lent, and that of every Friday throughout the year, till fupper time; when he ufed to draw attention from all who were at table with him, by eating double or treble commons. He was, from the beginning to the end of his time in College, a very hard ftudent. But thefe peculiarities were manifeft proofs of an independent mind, of a confcious fuperiority over others. The character, however, of his mind was foon decided in literary compofition.

In 1771, Mr. Whitaker published the first volume of his Hiftory of Manchester," in quarto; a work which, for acutenefs of research, bold imagination, original fentiment, and correct information, has fcarcely its parallel in the literature of any country. Nor does its compofition lefs merit our applaufe; whether we have refpect to the arrangement of the materials, the ftyle, or the language. In fome paffages there is much elegance; in others a magnificence of thought, a force of expreffion, a glow of diction, truly aftonishing. The introduction of Chriftianity into this ifland, in particular, is described (we had almost faid) as with the pen of infpiration. With regard to the general fubject of the Manchefter, Mr. W. was the firft writer who could fo light up the region of antiquarian research as to diffipate its obfcurity, even to the eyes of ordinary spectators and his Manchester is perhaps the only book in which the truth of our island history has been elucidated by

Entrance at the Free-Grammar-School, 1745, Jan. 7, John, fon of James Whitaker, inn-keeper.

the

the hand of a mafter. It is rather fingular that this work was in the order of merit, as well as time, the first of Mr. Whitaker's publications. In proportion as he advanced in life, his imagination feems, by a strange inverfion of what is characteristic of our nature, to have gained an afcendancy over his judgment; and we fhall perceive more of fancy and paffon, of conjecture and hypothefis, in fome of his fubfequent productions, than of juft opinion, or deliberate invefligation. Mr. Whitaker's" Genuine Hiftory of the Britons afferted," an octavo volume, publifhed in 1772, may be accepted as a fequel to the Manchefter." I contains a complete refutation of " the unhappy Macpherfon," whofe " Introduction to the Hiftory of Great Britain and Ireland," is full of palpable mistakes and mifrepresen

tations.

In 1773 we find Mr. W. the morning preacher of Berkeley chapel, London; to which office he had been appointed in November, by a Mr. Hughes; but in lefs than two months he was removed from that fituation. This gave occafion to "The Cafe between Mr. W. and Mr. Hughes, relative to the Morning Preachership of Berkeley Chapel;" in which Mr. W. declares himself " unalterably determined to carry the matter into Weftminster-Hall." But the fervour of his refentment threw him off his guard; and he expreffed himfelf fo indifcretely, that his Cafe was confidered as a libel by the Court of King's Bench. During his refidence in London, he had an opportunity of converfing with feve ral of our most celebrated writers; among whom were the author of The Rambler, and the hiftorian of the Roman Empire.

It does not appear, indeed, that Johnson was much attached to Whitaker. Both ftrong in underftanding, equally tenacious of opinion, and equally impaffioned in converfation, it is not probable that they fhould amicably coalefce on all occafions. In the Oflianic controverfy they were decidedly hoftile. With Gibbon Mr. W. was well acquainted; and the MS, of the first volume of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," was fubmitted to Mr. Whitaker's infpection. But what was his furprife, when, as he read the fame volume in print, that chapter which has been fo obnoxious to the Chriftian world, was then firft introduced to his notice! That chapter Gibbon had fupprefled in the MS. over-awed by Mr. Whitaker's high character, and afraid of his cenfure. And, in fact, that the Deift fhould have fhrunk from his indignant eye, may well be conceived, when we fee his Chriftian principle and his

manly

manly fpirit uniting in the rejection of a living of confiderable value, which was at this time offered him by an Unitarian patron! He fpurned at the temptation, and pitied the feducer! Of his integrity, however, fome recompence was now at hand; and in the year 1777*, he fucceeded, as fellow of Corpus Chrifti College, to the rectory of RuanLanyhorne, one of the moft valuable livings in the gift of that College; and into Cornwall he went, to refide upon his rectory.

There, it might have been expected, that retirement and leifure would greatly favour the pursuits of literature. But Ruan-Lanyhorne was, for feveral years, no tranquil feat of the Mufes. That pleasant feclufion was now the scene of conteft. This was a conteft, however, abfolutely unavoidable. Mr. W. had propofed a tithe compofition, by no means unreasonable; which his parishioners refufed to pay. But Mr. W. was fteady to his purpose. A rupture be tween the parties en ued; the tithes were demanded in kind; difputes arofe upon difputes; animofities were kindled; and litigations took place. That Mr. W. was finally victorious, afforded pleasure to the friends of the rector, and to the friends of juftice and truth: yet it was long before harmony was reftored to Ruan-Lany horne.

That his literary fchemes had been fo early interrupted, was the fubject of general regret. But the confcientious paftor looked with a deeper concern to the fpiritual welfare of his parishioners. He faw, with forrow, their averfion from his preaching, their indifference to his inftruction, their repugnance to his authority: and "he laboured more abundantly;", till, after a few years, he had the fatisfaction to perceive a vifible alteration in the behaviour of the principal parishioners: and a mutual good understanding was eftablished between the paftor and his flock. His cordial, his familiar manner, indeed, was always pleafing to thofe whom prejudice had not armed against him: and, in proportion as they became acquainted with his kind difpofition, the tranfitorinefs of his refentments; and, after injuries, his promptnefs to forgive, and anxious wifh to be forgiven; they endeavoured more and more to cultivate his friendship, and at length loved and revered him as their father. Nothing can more fully difplay the warmth of his affections, his zeal as a minifter of Chrift, or his impaffioned ftyle of

* July 16, on the death of Mr. Henchman.

eloquence,

eloquence, than thofe " Sermons" which he published in 1783, after having preached them to his parishioners, we doubt not, with a voice and manner calculated to penetrate the confcience, and ftrike conviction into the foul; to awaken the tears of penitence, and to clevate the hopes of the Chriftian to the abodes of immortality. That he should have publifhed fo little in the line of his profeffion, is perhaps to be regretted. His "Origin of Arianifm," however, is a large volume. It is a controverfial tract, full of erudition and ingenious argumentation. We have read no other work of Mr. W. in divinity, except "The Real Origin of Government," (expanded into a confiderable treatise, from a fermon which he had preached before Bishop Buller, at his Lordship's primary vifitation), and "The Introduction to Flindell's Bible." This has been much admired as a masterly piece of eloquence.

"

In the mean time the Antiquary was not at reft. His "Mary, Queen of Scots," published in 1787, in three octavo volumes; his Course of Hannibal over the Alps;" his "Ancient Cathedral of Cornwall;" and his " Supplement to Polwhele's Antiquities of Cornwall;" furnish good evidence of an imagination continually occupied in purfuits, which kindled up its brightest flame; though not always of that judgment, difcretion, or candour, which (if human characters had been ever perfect) we fhould have expected from a Whitaker. But not even here were his antiquarian ftores exhaufted. "The Life of St. Neot," "The Hiftory of Oxford," and "The Hiftory of London," were works all at once projected, and no fooner projected than executed in imagination, and more than half executed in reality.

In criticism, (where writing anonymously he would probably have written with the lefs reftraint) we find him for the most part candid and good-natured, not fparing of cenfure, yet lavifh of applaufe; and affording us, in numerous inftances, the most agreeable proofs of genuine benevolence. Even in the inftance of Gibbon, where he has been thought fevere beyond all former example, we have a large mixture of fweet with the bitter. It was his critique on Gibbon which contributed principally to the reputation of the " English Review;" in which Mr. W. was the author of many valu

* Whitaker's review of Gibbon's Hiftory, (Vols. IV. V. VI.) originally appeared in "the English Review." It was published feparately by Murray, in 1791. Svo.

able