Mater of the Requests, in a month after knighted him, and appointed him one of his Privy Council.

In the year 1520, the Treafurer of the Exchequer dying, the King, without any folicitation, conferred that office on Sir Thomas More: who, within three years after this was elected Speaker of the Houfe of Commons.

In defcribing his behaviour in this arduous office, our Author has given us an high idea of his manly fpirit, as well as prudence and difcretion; all which, indeed, were abfolutely neceffary to his fafety, and the maintenance of his honour, now that he was entered into fo close a connection with a turbulent and tyrannical King, and looked on as a Rival by the haughty and defigning Cardinal Wolfey.

In the year 1528, Sir Thomas was appointed Chancellor of the Dutchy of Lancafter; and admitted into the highest degree of favour, and even to great familiarity with the King; but befides his natural temper which was far from afpiring, he too well difcerned his Majefty's precarious difpofition, and interested views in his attachment to him, to be any way elated with this honour, or to put any great confidence in it.

Upon the Fall of Cardinal Wolfey, Sir Thomas was made Lord Chancellor. Our Author thinks there is no foundation for fuppofing, with certain Hiftorians, that the King gave him 'the Great Seal, in hopes of procuring his approbation of the Divorce of Queen Catherine, and of his fecond marriage with Ann Bologne: he rather confiders this laft acquifition as a reward for his eminent fervices, particularly his acquitting himself with fo much honour and dexterity, on his Embally to Cambray, in order to mediate a peace between the Emperor, the King of England, and the King of France.

When Sir Thomas was invefted with the office of Lord Chancellor, he was conducted through Weftminster-Hall, to his place in the Court of Chancery, between the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk; where, having been complimented by the former in the higheft ftrains, on his high preferment, and his rare and excellent endowments, after he had recollected himself, as well as the time and place would give him leave, he made a fenfible, modeft, and becoming antwer. In this he appears to have had elocution equal to thole great and generous fentiments which it always grated. As the fpecimen cannot but be very entertaining to our Readers, we fhall here prefent them with our Author's extract from it.

After many expreffions,' fays he, of his own unworthi• nefs, of his unwillingness to be a Courtier, of his gratitude • and

and dutifulnefs to the King, and, above all, of his averfion to this high office, which was a weight unsuitable to his weak• nefs, a burthen and not a glory, a care and not a dignitypromifing, however, to do the beft he fhould be able-He • looked round towards the feat, and proceeded thus.-" But "when I look upon this feat, when I think how great, and "what kind of perfonages have poffeffed this place before me, "when I call to mind who he was that fat in it last of all, a "man of what fingular wifdom, of what known experience, "what a favourable and profperous fortune he had for a great "fpace of time, and how at the last he had a moft grievous

fail, and died inglorious; I have cause enough, by my pre"deceffor's example, to think Honour but flippery, and this "dignity not fo grateful to me as it may feem to others. For it ❝is a hard matter to follow with like paces or praises a man of

fuch admirable wit, prudence, fplendour, and authority; to "whom I m.y feem but as the lighting of a candle when the "fun is down. Then the fudden and unexpected fall of fo

great a man as he was, doth terribly put me in mind, that "this honour ought not to please me too much, nor the luftre "of this glittering feat dazzle my eyes. Wherefore I ascend "it as a place full of labour and danger, void of all folid and "true honour, which the higher it is, fo much greater fall I "am to fear; as well in refpect of the nature of the thing it"felf, as becaufe I am warned by this late fearful example. "This therefore fhall be always fresh in my mind, this will I "have still before my eyes, that this ftate will be honourable, "famous, and full of glory to me, if I fhall with care and di

ligence, fidelity and wildom, endeavour to do my duty; "and if I fhall perfuade myself that the enjoying thereof may "chance to be but short and uncertain: the one of thefe my "labour ought to perform; the other my predeceffor's example

may easily teach me. All which being fo, you will readily "perceive what great pleasure I take in this high dignity, or in "the praifes of this most noble Duke.".

• Moreover, in conclufion, he declared to this effect;

"That as he had been charged in the King's name, to do "equal juftice to the people, without corruption or affection, "fo he charged them now again in his turn, that if at any "time, or in any circumftances, they faw him digrefs from his "duty in that honourable office, fo as they would difcharge

even their own duty to God, and their fidelity to the King, "that they should not fail to inform his Majefty; who might "otherwife have juft occafion to charge his fault to their ac"count.".

If we confider that this fpeech was made extempore, upon the most difficult of all fubjects, a man's felf, above two hundred years ago, in thefe very words, we fhall allow, that Sir • Thomas More was not reputed eloquent without reafon.'

This may serve to fhew what entertainment the public is likely to receive from the perufal of the Life of fo eminent Perfonage, drawn up in an agreeable and inftructive manner; we fhall not therefore any longer detain our Readers, than only to aflure them, that the History from this period, in which the Hero of it is arrived to the highest poft in the kingdom which a layman can poffefs, is by far the moft interefting and affecting part. It is impoffible not to admire his abilities and amazing talents, and not to reverence his juftice and integrity, while we review his conduct in the discharge of this great office. His retirement from the fame fhews a greatnefs of mind, equal to any thing that was pretended by the ancient Philofophers in such cafes; he not being able to defray the necessary expences of his private family when he had divefted himself of this employment. What follows, his perfecution from a King whom he had faithfully ferved, and most confcienciously advised; his trial and imprifonment, the tender fcene of his laft interview with his favourite daughter, and his compofed exit, or rather difmiffion from the world, is not to be read without a mixture of reverence and compaffion for the venerable Sufferer, and of indignation against his perfecutors.

As for the Hiftory of Utopia, which is added to the above work, and which has stood the test of several ages as a mafterpiece of wit and fancy, it would be needless to say any thing of the original performance itself; we fhall therefore only give our Readers Doctor Warner's Advertisement relating to the prefent edition of it in English.

"The Reader ought to be told, that as Bifhop Burnet had publifhed a tranflation of the Utopia of Sir Thomas More, I • apprehend it would be deemed prefumption and arrogance in me, if I should attempt to give it the world in better language, or more agreeable to the original. Befides, the firft thoughts of republishing this work, were fuggefted to me by his fon, the late learned Judge; who was defirous that I should do 'juftice to the Bishop's performance, because he thought it had ⚫ not been done in former edition. any

As that translation, however, was published above seventy years ago, I have prefumed to make a few flight alterations in the turn of expreffion, and in fingle words, in order to make it more modern; but fuch as fhew no defect or error in the Bishop as a Tranflator, or need any apology from me as an • Editor.

• Editor. The Reader may be affured, that this is a true and • correct edition of his Lordship's work, cleared of all thote

imperfections which had before difgraced it. The Notes ⚫ which he will find subjoined in it, are my own: and they are fuch as I thought were proper, either to explain and illuftrate the Author's meaning, or to make this little piece of one of ⚫ our celebrated ancient Writers, more inftrutive and entertaining to the present age; efpecially as it has had an unjust, 6 tho' no uncommon fate, to be more known and admired all over the world, than it is here at home.

It is very uncertain in what year he wrote this imaginary 'ftate of a Commonwealth. According to the account which he gives himself in the Introduction, it could not be earlier than his Embafly into Flanders, which, I believe, by the ac'count of fome of our Hiftorians, was in the year 1516. It is probable, however, from many circumftances, that it was ' wrote about that time; before he was much employed in the • King's service, and whilst he was Under-Sheriff of London.

For tho' he had courage and integrity enough for the boldest ⚫ undertakings, as we have feen in the foregoing pages, yet he would fcarcely have ventured to indulge his imagination fo freely about Government, when he was not called to it by any duty, under a Prince fo haughty and impatient of any re• ftraint as Henry VIII. if he had been admitted at that time • into his familiarity.

There is no doubt, I think, to be made, but that all his ⚫ own notions of Government were recommended under this ingenious fiction of a Commonwealth: and if in fome in⚫ftances of his conduct afterwards, he feemed evidently to ⚫ counteract them, it may be fuppofed that he had feen reason "to change his fentiments, upon further knowlege, and more experience of men and things. These inftances, however, I apprehend, will be found to be very few; and the diffusion of property which is the ground-work of his plan, if we may judge from his fuperlative contempt of riches all thro' his life, which in these days will be thought, perhaps, to be either folly ' or phrenzy, was not one of the things which he afterwards difapproved. But I will no longer detain the Reader from the work itfelf, unless it be to befpeak a candid interpretation of it, on account of the age in which it was written, foon after ⚫ the Refurrection of Letters in the English nation.'

Remarks on Mr. Douglas's Treatife on the Hydrocele. 8vo. 2S. Marks.

TH

HE profeffed defign of this performance, as may be collected from the Author's own words, is an attempt to vindicate those whofe known merit and eminence, place them beyond the neceffity of a vindication, in order to make Mr. Douglas, and those who are prepoffeffed in his favour, fenfible of any unjuft cenfures upon men whofe names will ever be regarded with honour.'

But befides the laudable defign of vindicating those who stand in no need of a vindication, we may fuppofe our young Champion (for fuch his production fpeaks him) modeftly intended alfo to display his literary prowefs, by taking the Gentlemen who are occafionally mentioned in Mr. Douglas's treatise, under his protection.

In the profecution of this work,' fays he, I fhall examine the Author's Remarks, Corollaries, and Quotations, in the order he has delivered them;' but whether he may be properly qualified for this tafk, is greatly to be doubted, as we find him relting his arguments on errors which men of reading could hardly fall into; fuch as Celfus being pofterior to Galen, Haller's defcription of a true Membrane, &c. He likewife very obvi oufly mistakes affertions for arguments, and objections for refutations. Yet it must be allowed, that a few of his Remarks are ingenious, and fome of his objections plausible; although it will appear, on examination, that even these are grounded rather on little inaccuracies of expreffion, than any fault or inconfiftency in Mr. Douglas's meaning. But we fhall defer any quotation from this performance, till we come to the next artic where we fhall fee the Critic's Remarks, with Mr. Douglas's Antwers fubjoined, from whence a clearer notion of the points in debate may be formed.

I.

An Anfwer to the Remarks on a Treatife upon the Hydrocele. By John Douglas, Surgeon. 8vo. 6d. Wilkie.

this Reply to the preceding Remarks, Mr. Douglas particularly confiders the feveral allegations brought against him by his Adverfary; and endeavours to convict him, both of want of knowlege, and of candour.-How far he may have fucceeded in this, we fhall fubmit to the determination of the Chirur