that fubject, like all thofe of our author's adverfaries, are neglected and buried in oblivion; but his own will live for ever. In 1695 Mr. LOCKE was appointed one of the commiffioners of trade and plantations, a place worth 1000l. per annum. The duties of this post he discharged with much care and diligence, and with univerfal approbation. He continued in it till the year 1700, when, upon the increase of his afthmatic diforder, he was forced to refign it. He acquainted no perfon with his defign of leaving that place, till he had given up his commiffion into the king's own hand. The king was very unwilling to dismiss him, and told our author, that he would be well pleafed with his continuance in that office, though he fhould give little or no attendance; for that he did not defire him to stay in town one day to the hurt of his health. But Mr. LOCKE told the king, that he could not in confcience hold a place to which fuch a falary was annexed, without discharging the duties of it; and therefore he begged leave to refign it. King William had a great efteem for our author, and would fometimes fend for him to difcourfe on public affairs, and to know his fentiments of things. Mr. LOCKE once told the king very plainly, that if the univerfities were not reformed, and other principles taught there, than had been formerly inculcated, they would either deftroy him, or fome of his fucceffors, or both. He had a great knowledge of the world, and was prudent without cunning, eafy, affable, and condefcending without any mean complaifance. If there was any thing he could not bear, it was ill manners, and a rude behaviour. This was ever ungrateful to him, unless when he perceived that it proceeded from ignorance; but when it was the effect of pride, ill-nature, or brutality, he detefted it. He looked on civility not only as a duty of humanity, but of Chriftianity; and he thought that it ought to be more preffed and urged upon men than it commonly is. He recommended on this occafion a treatife in the moral Effays, written by the gentlemen of Port Royal, "concerning the means of preferving peace among men," and was a great admirer of Dr. Whichcote's fermons on the fubject. He was exact to his word, and religiously performed whatever he promised. He was very fcrupulous of giving recommendations of perfons whom he did not well know, and would by no means commend those whom he thought not to deserve it. If he was told that his recommendation had not produced the effect expected, he would fay, "the reason of that was because he never deceived any perfon by saying more than he knew; that he never paffed his word for any but fuch as he believed would answer the character he gave of them; and that if he should do otherwife, his recommendations would be worth nothing." He was naturally very active, and employed himself as much as his health would permit. Sometimes he diverted himself with working in the garden, which he well understood. He loved walking, but not being able to walk much, through the diforder of his lungs, he ufed to ride out after dinner; and when he could not bear a horse, he went in a chaife. He always. chofe thofe to have company with him, though it were but a child, for he took pleafure in talking with children of a good education *. His bad health was a disturbance to none but himself; and any perfon might be with him without any other concern than that of feeing him fuffer. He did not differ from others in his diet, but only in that his ufual drink was nothing but water; and he thought that was the means, under God, of lengthening his life. To this he alfo thought the prefervation of his fight was in a great measure owing, for he could read by candle-light all forts of books to the laft, if they were not of a very fmall print, without the ufe of fpectacles. He had no other diftemper but his afthma, except a deafnefs for about fix months, which he lamented in a letter to one of his friends, telling him, *he thought it better to be blind than deaf, as it deprived him of all con verfation.' The laft fourteen or fifteen years of his life, he spent chiefly at Oates, feldom coming to town; and during this agreeable retirement, he applied himfelf to the study of the fcriptures. In 1704 our author's ftrength began to fail more than ever in the beginning of the fummer; a feafon which for feveral years had restored him fome degrees of strength. His weaknefs made him apprehend his death was near. He often spoke of it himself, but always with great compofure, though he omitted none of the precautions which his fkill in medicine could fuggeft, in order to prolong his life. At length his legs began to fwell; and that fwelling encreafing every day, his ftrength diminished vifibly. He then fawhow fhort a time he had to live, and prepared to quit this world, with a deep fenfe of the manifold bleffings of God to him, which he took delight in recounting to his friends, and full of a fincere refignation to the divine will, and of firm hopes in his promifes of a future life. For fome weeks, as he was not able to walk, he was carried about the house in a chair. The day before his death, lady Mafham being alone with him, and fitting by his bed, he exhorted her, to regard this world only as a ftate of preparation for a better; and added, that he had lived long enough, and thanked God for having paffed his life fo happily, but that this life appeared to him a mere vanity. He had no fleep that night, but refolved to try to rife next morning, as he did. He was carried into his ftudy, and placed in an easy chair, where he flept a confiderable while at different times. Seeming to be a little refreshed, he would be dreffed as he used to be. He then defired lady Mafham, who was reading the pfalms low, while he was dreffing, to read aloud: fhe did fo, and he appeared very attentive, till the approach of death preventing him, he defired her to break off, and a few minutes after expired, on October 28, 1704, in the feventy-third year of his age. He was inter red in the church-yard of High Lever, in Effex, and the following infcription, placed against the church-wall, was written by himself : "SISTE VIATOR, Hic juxta fitus eft Joannes Locke. Si qualis fuerit rogas, mediocritate fua contentum fe vixiffe refpondet. Literis innutritus, eoufque profecit, ut veritati unice litaret. Hoc ex fcriptis illius difce; quæ, quod de "co reliquum eft, majori fide tibi exhibebunt, quam epitaphii fufpecta elogia. "Virtutes fi quas habuit, minores fane quam fibi laudi, tibi in exemplum proponeret. Vitia una fepeliantur. Morum exemplum fi Morum exemplum fi quæras, in evangelio habes; vitiorum utinam nufquam: mortalitatis, certe, quod profit, hic et ubique." 44 Natum An. Dni. 1632, Aug. 29 ̊. Mortuum 1704, Oct. 28°. Brevi et ipfa peritura. Thus died this great and most excellent philofopher, who, after he had bestowed many years in matters of fcience and fpeculation, happily turned his thoughts to the ftudy of the fcriptures, which he carefully examined with the fame liberty he had ufed in the ftudy of the other fciences. There is no occafion to attempt a panegyric on our author. His writings are now well known, and valued, and will last as long as the English language. Some account of thefe has been given in the Editor's Preface, and a farther defcription of them occurs in Des Maizeaux's Dedication, towards the end of our last volume. His Character, by P. Cofte, is likewife delivered at large in the fame place, and need not be repeated here, as it inadvertently was in the last edition. An Effay concerning Human Understanding. In four Books. A Letter to the Right reverend, Edward, Lord Bishop of Worcester; concerning some Mr. LOCKE'S Reply to the Bishop of Worcester's Answer to his Letter. Mr. LOCKE's Reply to the Bishop of Worcester's Answer to his Second Letter. [Defence of Mr. LOCKE's opinion concerning Perfonal Identity.] VOLUME II Some Confiderations of the Confequences of lowering the Intereft, and raising the Further Obfervations concerning railing the Value of Money. Wherein Mr. Lowndes's Two Treatifes of Government. In the former, the falfe principles and foundation of A Third Letter for Toleration: to the Author of the Third Letter concerning A fourth Letter for Toleration. VOLUME III The Reasonableness of Chriftianity, as delivered in the Scriptures. A Vindication of The Reasonableness of Chriftianity, from Mr. Edwards's Reflections. A Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity. A Paraphrafe and Notes on the Epiftles of St. Paul to the Galatians, I and II Corin- VOLUME IV Some Thoughts concerning Education. Of the Conduct of the Understanding. An Examination of P. Malebranche's Opinion of seeing all things in God. A Difcourfe of Miracles. Memoirs relating to the Life of Anthony, first Earl of Shaftesbury. A new Method of a Common-Place-Book; written originally in French, and tranf Some familiar Letters between Mr. LOCKE, and several of his Friends. [The Dedication prefixed to " A Collection of feveral Pieces of Mr. 10HN LOCKE, [The Character of Mr. LOCKE, by Mr. Peter Cofte: with a Letter relating to that, The fundamental Conftitutions of Carolina. A Letter from a person of Quality to his Friend in the Country; giving an Account: Remarks upon fome of Mr. Norris's Books, wherein he afferts P. Malebranche's Elements of Natural Philofophy. Some Thoughts concerning Reading and Study for a Gentleman.. A Letter to Mr. Oldenburg, Secretary to the Royal Society. Letters to Anthony Collins, Efq. A Letter to the Reverend Richard King. A Letter to *** on Dr. Pococke: Letters to the Reverend Richard King. Rules of a Society, which met once a week, for their improvement in ufeful Know. Letter to Mrs. Cockburn. Letter to Mr. Bold. Letter to Mr. Clarke. Letter from Lord Shaftesbury to Bp. Fell. Letter from Sir Peter King to the third Earl of Shaftesbury. Obfervations upon the growth and culture of Vines and Olives: the production of Silk: AN |