the celebrated ballad entitled 'Hosier's Ghost,' which was written with a view to rouse the nation, or rather the ministry, who seemed to be the only parties opposed to the general feeling, to a war with Spain. Of his dramatic pieces, entitled 'Boadicea' and 'Medea,' little can be said either in the form of praise or censure. His 'Memoirs,' to which we have already adverted, are written with great impartiality, and contain some curious notices of the motives and intrigues of the principal actors on the political stage in England, from the resignation of Sir Robert Walpole to the establishment of Lord Chatham's second administration.

Thomas Leland.

BORN A. D. 1722.-DIED A.D. 1785.

DR THOMAS LELAND, the well-known translator of Demosthenes, was born in Dublin, and educated at the university in that city. He entered Trinity college in 1737, and was elected a fellow in 1746. In 1748 he took orders.

His first literary production was an edition of the orations of Demosthenes, with a Latin version and notes, which was published in 1754. The first volume of his English translation of the great Greek orator appeared in 1756; the second, in 1761; and the third in 1770. This work raised him to a high rank amongst the scholars of his day. The style is elegant, and the translation, on the whole, correct; although it would require a man of considerably greater powers than Dr Leland, and a more extensive command of all the resources of language, to furnish any thing like an adequate version of those matchless harangues that once "fulmin'd over Greece" with such a potent and resistless energy, and held the most refined and fastidious audience the world ever saw spell-bound and mute with astonishment at the superhuman eloquence of the orator.

The translation of Demosthenes probably suggested Dr Leland's next great work, The History of the Life and Reign of Philip, King of Macedon.' This, too, is an able and erudite performance.

In 1763 Dr Leland was appointed professor of oratory in Trinity college. Soon after this he got into controversy with the redoubtable Warburton, who had chosen, in his celebrated Doctrine of Grace,' to assert that eloquence was not any real quality, but only a fantastical and arbitrary abuse of language; and that the writers of the New Testament used a barbarous style in writing Greek, being masters of the words only, and not of the idioms, of that language. Against these two propositions Dr Leland read several lectures in his chair of oratory, the substance of which he published in 1764. Hurd answered on the part of Warburton and Leland replied.

In 1773 Dr Leland published a History of Ireland, from the invasion of Henry II.,' in three volumes 4to. This is by no means a work of original research, and is of little value, therefore, to the student of Irish history; but it is written in a pleasing style, and forms a good popular work on the subject.

In addition to the works we have mentioned, Dr Leland published

some sermons which were much admired, and after his death, three volumes of pulpit-discourses from his pen were given to the public. He died in 1785.

William Strahan.

BORN A. D. 1715.-DIED A. D. 1785.

THIS eminent printer was a Scotsman by birth, and educated in Scotland. He went as a journeyman-printer to London, while yet a very young man, and by his industry and attention to business gradually rose in the world, until he obtained a share of the patent of king's printer, and became one of the leading publishers in the metropolis. In 1775 he was elected one of the members for Malmesbury, with Charles James Fox for his colleague. He steadily adhered to the liberal party, but lost his seat on the dissolution in 1784, and did not again enter parliament. He died in July 1785.

William Whitehead.

BORN A. D. 1715.-DIED A. D. 1785.

WILLIAM WHITEHEAD, one of our minor poets, was born at Cambridge, and received the rudiments of education at a private school in that city. At the age of fourteen he procured admission to Winchester school, through the interest of Lord Montfort. At this latter seminary, Whitehead bore the character of a quiet pensive boy, fond of reading, and a great scribbler of English verses. In 1735 he was entered of Clare-hall, Cambridge, where he gained the acquaintance and esteem of such men as Powell, Balguy, Ogden, and Hurd.

His first successful poetical production was an imitation of Pope's preceptive style, in a poem On the danger of Writing in Verse.' His next publication, the tale of Atys and Adrastus,' was still more successful; but the best of his didactic pieces is his Essay on Ridicule,' first published in 1743. In 1750 he published a tragedy, entitled, "The Roman Father,' which still retains its place on the stage, and must therefore be pronounced a successful effort, although we suspect few of our readers ever heard of it. A second effort in this line, entitled 'Creusa,' was less successful, although Mason, the biographer of Whitehead, gives it the preference over 'The Roman Father.'

In 1754, Whitehead accompanied the son of his patron, Lord Jersey, and another young nobleman, to the continent. During this tour he wrote several elegies and odes, which Mason thinks have been unduly neglected by the public. On the death of Cibber, and the refusal of Gray to accept the laureateship, that office was bestowed on Whitehead, whose genius was by no means outraged by its mechanical demands on his powers. He made a good and patient laureate, annually producing his quantum of verse, and occasionally stumbling upon a poetical sentiment or expression; but the dangerous wreath drew down

upon him all the acrimonious abuse and stinging satire of Churchill, who took a particular pleasure in ridiculing Whitehead.

In 1762, he produced The School for Lovers,' a comedy, which was unsuccessful, and a humorous poem, entitled, Charge to the Poets.' A farce, entitled, The Trip to Scotland,' produced in 1770, met with a much better reception than the comedy. His last publication was a piece, entitled, 'The Goat's Beard,' a satire on some of the reigning vices of the day, which was answered by Churchill, in his Ass's Ears, a Fable.'

Whitehead died in 1785. He was a man of cultivated taste and amiable disposition, but possessed of no original talent or inventive genius as a poet.

Gilbert Stuart.

BORN A. D. 1742.-DIED A. D. 1786.

His father was

THIS miscellaneous writer was a native of Scotland. professor of humanity in the university of Edinburgh, and a man of considerable taste and acquirements. Young Stuart was originally designed for the legal profession; but the study of jurisprudence did not suit his taste and habits. He applied himself early and vigorously, however, to the study of history and the general principles of legislation, and obtained the diploma of LL.D. from the university of Edinburgh, for an essay which he published in his twenty-second year, entitled, 'An Historical Dissertation concerning the Antiquity of the British Constitution.' Some years afterwards he published a work, entitled,” 'A View of Society in Europe, in its progress from rudeness to refinement; or, Inquiries concerning the History of Law, Government, and Manners.' This is an able work, and contains some profound reflections, mixed up, however, with many crude and uninformed speculations.

The professorship of civil law in the university of Edinburgh becoming vacant, Dr Stuart was induced to apply for it, but was unsuccessful, and removed soon after to London, where he became one of the principal contributors to the Monthly Review from the year 1768 to 1773. He then returned to Edinburgh, where he started a new magazine and review, which was carried on for three years. Dr Stuart was also the author of 'Observations concerning the Public Law and Constitutional History of Scotland,' published in Edinburgh in 1779; The History of the Establishment of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland,' published in London in 1780; and The History of Scotland, from the establishment of the Reformation to the death of Queen Mary.' In this last work he labours earnestly and ingeniously to vindicate the character of Mary. All these works exhibit great ability, but were much too hastily compiled to take a permanent rank in our historical literature.

Dr Stuart died in 1786. He was a man of strong passions, and disgraced himself by the relentless malevolence with which he endeavoured to write down a brother-historian, Dr Henry.

Thomas Tyrwhitt.

BORN A. D. 1730.-DIED A. D. 1786.

THIS accomplished scholar and critic was the son of the Rev. Dr Robert Tyrwhitt, a canon-residentiary of St Paul's. He was educated at Eton, and Queen's college, Oxford. In 1755 he was elected to a fellowship of Merton's, which he retained until 1762, when he received the appointment of clerk to the house of commons in the room of Mr Dyson, deceased. He had, previously to receiving this appointment, resided some time in the Temple, and applied himself to the study of law.

Towards the close of the year 1765 he was appointed under-secretary at war, by the influence of his friend and patron, Lord Barrington. His constitution, however, proved inadequate to the toils of office, and in 1768 he laid down his employments, and retired into private life. His publications previous to this event consisted of some poetical pieces and translations; 'Observations and Conjectures on some passages in Shakspeare; and the Proceedings and Debates in the House of Commons, in 1620 and 1621,' edited from the original MS. in the library of Queen's college, Oxford.

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After his retirement, Mr Tyrwhitt gave himself entirely up to letters, and made many valuable contributions to classical literature. His first publication in this department was some fragments of Plutarch from an Harleian MS. In 1776 he published a Latin dissertation on the fables commonly attributed to Æsop, in which he endeavoured, with much critical acumen and great industry, to trace these fables to another ancient writer of the name of Babrius, of whom some fragments are preserved in Suidas. Besides these, and several other pieces of acute and accurate criticism, Mr Tyrwhitt edited an admirable edition of 'The Canterbury Tales,' to which we have referred in our notice of Chaucer. He had collected materials for a new edition of the 'Poetics' of Aristotle, which were given to the public after his death by Messrs Burgess and Randolph.

Tyrwhitt died on the 15th of August, 1786. He was one of the most accomplished of our English critics. To a profound acquaintance with the ancient classics, he added an intimate knowledge of the literature of modern times, and of his own country in particular. He was a rigorous, but a candid and generous critic; his censure never partook of rudeness, nor his erudition of pedantry.

Soame Jenyns.

BORN A. D. 1703.-DIED A. D. 1787.

THIS amiable man and ingenious writer was the son of Sir Roger Jenyns, one of the Jenyns's of Churchill in Somersetshire. His mother was the daughter of Sir Peter Soame of Hayden in Essex. He studied at Cambridge, but left the university without a degree, in conse

quence probably of his marriage, which took place when he was very young. He was unfortunate in this connection, and was ultimately obliged to enforce a separation from his wife.

He first appeared as an author in a lively jeu d'esprit, entitled 'The Art of Dancing,' which was anonymously published in 1730. He afterwards contributed several pieces to Dodsley's collection, and also wrote some occasional papers in the political journals of the day.

After his father's death he was chosen one of the representatives for the county of Cambridge at the general election in 1742, and held a seat in parliament from this period till the year 1780. He seldom spoke in the house, and indeed seems to have had no great genius for general politics, although, as a member of the board of trade, he devoted much of his attention to the commercial interests of his country.

In 1757 he published his celebrated Free Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil.' The subject was totally beyond his powers; but the world is indebted to him for having given occasion to Johnson's exquisite critical essay on the same subject, which appeared in the form of a review of the Free Inquiry,' in the Literary Magazine. In 1761 Mr Jenyns collected his different pieces, and gave them to the public in two volumes, 12mo.

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In 1776 he published A View of the Internal Evidence of the Christian Religion,' which gave rise to much controversy. Some maintaining that the writer was an insidious enemy to the cause he professed to plead; while others, with equal warmth, defended the sincerity of the author. Dr Johnson has characterised this work as 66 a pretty book; not very theological indeed." It is still, however, very highly regarded by many, and is usually inserted in the collection of tracts on the Evidences, although it cannot be regarded as a complete and logical view of the internal argument. The truth is, Jenyns was by no means very clear in his perceptions on any subject; he is an elegant but not an exact writer; and an ingenious, but not an accurate thinker. His 'Disquisitions,' published in his 78th year, afford ample evidence of the justness of these remarks: abounding as they do in paradoxical statements, and exceedingly crude ideas in metaphysics, theology, and political science.

In private life Mr Jenyns was one of the most amiable and exemplary of men. He died on the 13th of December, 1787.

Thomas Gainsborough.

BORN A. D. 1727.-died A. D. 1788.

THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH was born at Sudbury in Suffolk, in the year 1727. He early evinced a taste for drawing at ten he sketched tolerably well, at twelve he was a proficient in the art in the estimation of his parents and school-companions. Allan Cunningham says, a beautiful wood of four miles extent is still shown in the neighbourhood of Gainsborough's birth-place, "whose ancient trees, winding glades, and sunny nooks, inspired him while he was but a schoolboy with the love of art. Scenes are pointed out where he used to sit and fill his