صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

profeffed Difputants, who being wholly taken up with the defire of coming off with the victory, fortify themselves behind the ambiguity of a word, to give their adverfaries the more trouble. And whenever he had to deal with this fort of folks, if he did not beforehand take a ftrong refolution of keeping his temper, he quickly fell into a paffion. And in general, it must be own'd, he was naturally somewhat cholerick. But his anger never lafted long. If he retained any resentment, it was against himfelf for having given way to fo ridiculous a paffion, which, as he used to fay, may do a great deal of harm, but never yet did the leaft good. He often wou'd blame himself for this weakness. Upon which occafion I remember, that two or three weeks before his death, as he was fitting in a garden, taking the air in a bright fun-fhine, whofe warmth afforded him a great deal of pleasure, which he improved as much as poffible, by caufing his chair to be drawn more and more towards the fun as it went down i we happened to speak of HoRACE, I know not on what occafion, and having repeated to him thefe verfes, where that Poet fays of himself, that he was

[ocr errors]

Solibus aptum 3

Irafci celerem, tamen ut placabilis effem:

b

❝ that

"that he loved the warmth of the fun, and "that tho' he was naturally cholerick, his an

ger was easily appealed": Mr. Lo CKE replied, that if he durft presume to compare himfelf with HORACE in any thing, he thought he was perfectly like him in those two refpects. But that you may be the lefs furpriz'd at his modesty upon this occafion, I must at the same time inform you, that he looked upon HoRACE to be one of the wifeft and happiest Romans, that lived in the age of AUGUSTUS, by means of the care he took to preserve himfelf clear of ambition and avarice, to keep his defires within bounds; and to cultivate the friendship of the greateft men of thofe times, without living in their dependance.

[ocr errors]

Mr. LOCKE alfo difliked thofe Authors that labour only to deftroy, without establishing any thing themselves. "A Building, faid he, dif "pleases them. They find great faults in it; "let them demolish it and welcome, provided "they endeavour to raise another in its place, "if it be poffible.

He advised, that whenever we have meditated any thing new, we fhou'd throw it as foon as poffible upon paper, in order to be the better able to judge of it by seeing it all together; because the mind of man is not capable of retaining clearly a long chain of consequences, and of feeing without confufion the relation of

a great

a great number of different Ideas. Befides it often happens, that what we had moft admired, when confidered in the grofs and in a perplex'd manner, appears to be utterly inconfiftent and unfupportable, when we fee every part of it diftinctly.

Mr. LOCKE also thought it neceffary, always to communicate ones thoughts to fome Friend, especially if one proposed to offer them to the public: and this was what he constantly obferved himself. He cou'd hardly conceive, how a Being of fo limited a capacity as Man, and fo fubject to error; cou'd have the confi dence to neglect this precaution.

Never man employ'd his time better than Mr. LOCKE, as appears by the Works he published himself, and perhaps in time we may fee new proofs of it. He fpent the last fourteen or fifteen years of his life at Oates, a country feat of Sir FRANCIS MASHAM's, about five and twenty miles from London, in the County of Effex. I cannot but take pleasure in imagining to my felf, that this place, fo well known to fo many perfons of merit, whom I have seen come thither from fo many parts of England to visit Mr. LOCKE; will be famous to pofterity for the long abode that great man made there. Be that as it may, it was there that enjoying fometimes the converfation of his friends, and always the company of my Lady b2 MASHAMS

MASHAM, for whom Mr. LOCKE had long conceived a very particular efteem and friendfhip (in fpite of all that Lady's merit, this is all the elogium the fhall have of me now) he tafted fweets which were interrupted by nothing but the ill ftate of a weakly and delicate conftit tution. During this agreeable retirement, he applied himself efpecially to the study of the Holy Scripture, and employed the last years of his life in hardly any thing elfe. He was never weary of admiring the great views of that fas cred Book, and the just relation of all its parts £ be every day made discoveries in it, that gave him fresh cause of admiration. It is strongly reported in England, that thofe difcoveries will ba communicated to the Public. If fol the whole world, I am confident, will have a full proof of what was obferved by all that were near Mr. LOCKE to the laft part of his life, I mean, that his Mind never fuffered the leaft decay, tho' his Body grew every day visibly weaker and weaker,

I

His ftrength began to fail him more remark ably than ever, at the entrance of the last fummer; a season which in former years had always restored him fome degrees of strength, Then, he forefaw that his end was very near, He often spoke of it hingelf, but always with great compofure, tho' he omitted none of the precautions, which his fkill in Phyfic taught

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

him,

him, to prolong his life. At length, his legs began to fwell; and that fwelling encreasing every day, his ftrength diminished very visibly. He then faw how short a time he had left to live, and prepared to quit this world, with a deep fense of all the bleffings which God had granted him, which he took delight in numbering up to his friends, and full of a fincere refignation to his will, and of firm hopes in his promifes, built upon the word of JESUS CHRIST, fent into the world to bring to light Life and Immortality, by his Gofpel,

[ocr errors]

At length his ftrength failed him to fuch a degree, that the 26th of october 1704, two days before his Death, going to see him in his clofet, I found him on his knees, but unable to rife again without affiftance.

(.

The next day, tho' he was not worse, he wou'd continue a-bed. All that day, he had a greater difficulty of refpiration than ever, and about five of the clock in the evening, he fell into a fweat, accompanied with an extreme weakness, that made us fear for his life. He was of opinion himself that he was not far from his laft moment. Then he defired to be remem bred at evening Prayers: thereupon my Lady MASHAM told him, that if he wou'd, the whole Family fhou'd come and pray by him in his chamber. He answered he fhou'd be very glad to have it fo, if it wou'd not give too

much

« السابقةمتابعة »