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 most 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 purfuits of literature. But Ruan-Lanyhorne was, for feveral years, no tranquil feat of the Mufes. That pleafant feclufion was now the fcene of conteft. This was a conteft, however, abfolutely unavoidable. Mr. W. had propofed a tithe compofition, by no means unreafonable; which his parishioners refufed to pay. But Mr. W. was fleady to his purpofe. A rupture be tween the parties enfued; 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-Lanyhorne.

their

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, 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 prin cipal parishioners: and a mutual good understanding was eftablished between the paftor and his flock. His cordial, his familiar manner, indeed, was always pleafing to those 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 with to be forgiven; they endeavoured more and more to cultivate his friendship, and at length loved and revered him as their father.

No

thing can more fully difplay the warmth of his affections, his zeal as a minister 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 elevate the hopes of the Chriftian to the abodes of immortality. That he thould have published fo little in the line of his profeffion, is perhaps to be regretted. His "Origin of Arianife," however, is a large volume. It is a controverfial tract, full of erudi tion 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 mafterly piece of eloquence.

"

In the mean time the Antiquary was not at reft. His Mary, Queen of Scots," publifhed in 1787, in three octavo volumes; his Courfe of Hannibal ever 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 lavish 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. 8vo.

able

able articles. To his pen alfo, "The British Critic," and "The Antijacobin Review," were indebted for various pieces

of criticism.

But the ftrength of his principles is no where more apparent than in those articles where he comes forward armed with the panoply of truth, in defence of our civil and ecclefiaftical conftitution. It was there he ftruck his adverfaries with confternation; and we behold the hot of Jacobins hrinking away from before his face, and creeping into their caverns of darknefs.-But we are here betrayed into expreffons perhaps too violent for plain profe.-This reminds us of another part of our friend's literary character: we mean his poetical genius. That he contributed fome fine pieces. of poetry to "The Cornwall and Devon Poets," is well known. Thefe were publifhed in two fmall octavo vohimes and the editor is faid to poffefs a fufficient quantity of good verfe, by Mr. Whitaker, to fill forty or fifty pages of a third volume, once in contemplation.

We have thus, with rapid glances, reviewed the productions of our old and valued friend; and hailed him in the deveral departments of the HISTORIAN, the THEOLOGIST, the CRITIC, the POLITICIAN, the ANTIQUARY, and the POET. Verfatility like Whitaker's is, in truth, of rare occurrence. But flill more rare is the fplendour of original genins, exhibited in walks fo various. Not that Mr. W. was equally happy in them all. His characteristic qualities as a writer, were acute difcernment, a velocity of ideas which acquired new force in compofition, with a power of combining images in a manner peculiarly ftriking, and of throwing on every topic of difcuffion the ftrongest illuftration. With little fcruple, therefore, we hazard an opinion, that though his chief excellence was recognized in antiquarian refearch, he would have rifen to fome diftinction as a poet, had he cultivated in early youth the favour of the Mufes. Be this as it may, there are none who will deem us extravagant in pronouncing, that Mr. W. was a great literary character. That he was good, as well as great,

Of the British Critic he was the regular coadjutor in antiquarian and other lore, from the beginning of 1797, to the very end of 1801; when a refufal to admit his opinions on the fubject of Offian, caufed a feparation between him and the conductors of that work, though by no means any irritation or quarrel. We faw him in his laft vifit to London, with great fatisfaction and increase of regard,

would

would fufficiently appear in the recollection of any period of his life; whether we faw him abandoning preferment from principle, and heard him "reasoning of righteousness and judgment to come," until a Gibbon trembled; or whether, among his parishioners, we witneffed his unaffected earneftnefs of preaching, his humility in converfing with the pooreft cottagers, his fincerity in affifting them with advice, his tenderness in offering them confolation, and his charity in relieving their difireffes. It is true, to the fame warmth of temper, together with a fenfe of good intentions, we must attribute an irritability at times deftructive of focial comfort; and an impetuoufnefs that brooked not oppofition, and bore down all before it. This precipitation was in part alfo to be traced to his ignorance of the world; to his fimplicity in believing others like himfelf-precifely what they feemed to be; and, on the detection of his error, his anger at diffimulation or hypocrify. But his general good humour, his hofpitality, and his convivial pleafantry, were furely enough to atone for thofe fudden burfts of paffion, thofe flashes, which betrayed his human frailty, but ftill argued genius. And they who knew how "fearfully and wonderfully he was made," could bear from a Whitaker what they would certainly have refented in another. We fhould add, that in his family Mr. W. was uniformly regular: nor did he fuffer, at any time, his literary cares to trench on his domeftic duties.

Such was the Hiftorian of Manchefter, and the rector of Ruan-Lanyhorne; of whofe public and private life we have endeavoured to draw a faithful sketch: and we should now clofe up all, in marking the approaches to "the inevitable hour," at which this life was terminated, but for: the literary fchemes ftill formed in that mind of high intelligence, and fill prepared for execution.

"

Not many months before his death, the writer of this article heard him fpeak of " Notes on Shakspeare," and "Illuftrations of the Bible." But he wished to finifh las Oxford," his London," and his "St. Neot," (already mentioned as projected publications) before he refumed his Shakespeare," on which he had occafionally written notes; and, to lay afide his Shakcfpeare, before he took up his "Bible." To the Bible, he meant, at laft to withdraw himfelf from all other ftudies: it was "the Holy of Holies," into which he longed to enter.

66

All this he intended to do: and all this, if a few years had been added to his life, he would probably have done.

66

With a view to the last three antiquarian works, (but chiefly to the London,") he determined to travel to the metropolis and thither he travelled, with all the ardour of youthful fpirits. But even for his athletic frame, he had a mind of too reftlefs an activity. Amidft his indefatigable refearches into the antiquities of the city, his friends detected the firft fymptoms of bodily decay. His journey to London, his vaft exertions there in procuring information, his energetic and various converfation with literary characters, brought on a debility which he little regarded, till it alarmed him in a ftroke of paralyfis. From this ftroke, not long after his return into Cornwall, he recovered fo far as to be able to purfue (though not many hours in a day) his accustomed ftudies: and it was the Life of St. Neot that chiefly occupied his attention. Of the actual publication of this, which was in the prefs at the time of his death, a very good account may be feen in a preface prefixed to the vo lume, by Mr. Stockdale, and containing two letters of Mr. Whitaker's, in the laft of which he fill writes with confidence as to his further plans. Alas, never to be completed!

During this last year, his decline was gradual; nor, melancholy as it was, could a Chriftian contemplate it without a lively mixture of pleafure; fince, when he became fenfible of his approaching diffolution, he was uniformly fupported by the cheerfulness of refignation, and the ftrength of faith. His were in truth the refignation and the cheerfulnefs which became a primitive difciple of that Jefus in whofe mercies he repofed, and to whofe mediation alone he looked with confidence. His end, we are affured, was fuch as could not but give comfort to thofe who viewed it; particularly when (on October 30, 1808), in the awful hour which gave him a nearer affurance of approaching happinefs, at peace with himfelf, his fellow-creatures, and his God, he fauk as into quiet flumber, without a fruggle or a pang; and, with a fimile on his countenance, expired.

ART.