which may be added the more recent editions of Janus, Combe, Wakefield, Hunter, and Mitscherlichius. '

HORBERY (MATTHEW), a learned English divine, was born at Haxay in Lincolnshire, in 1707. His father was vicar of Haxay, but both he and his wife died when their son was very young. The provision made for him was 400l. which barely defrayed the expence of his education, first at Epworth, and then at Gainsborough. He was then entered of Lincoln college, Oxford, where he obtained a small exhibition, but afterwards was elected to a fellowship of Magdalen, which extricated him from many difficulties, his poor inheritance having been long before expended. He took his master's degree at Lincoln previous to this, in 1733, and when admitted into orders preached before the university with great approbation; and becoming known as a young man of much learning and personal merit, Dr. Smallbroke, bishop of Lichfield, who had appointed him his chaplain, collated him successively to the vicarage of Eccleshall, and the curacy of Gnosall, to which were afterwards added a canonry of Lichfield and the vicarage of Hanbury, on which last promotion he resigned Gnosall. The whole, however, of these preferments, even with the addition of his fellowship, were scarcely equal to his expences, for he had very little notion of accounts, or care about worldly things. He was afterwards promoted by his college to the rectory of Stanlake, and then quitted Eccleshall, preferring Stanlake from its retired situation, where he might indulge his favourite propensity to reading and meditation, and have easy access to his beloved Oxford. He took his degree of B. D. in 1743, and that of D. D. in 1745, and died at Stanlake, Jan. 22, 1773.

In early life he was a coadjutor of Dr. Waterland in his celebrated controversy on the Trinity; and wrote, in 1735, "Animadversions upon a late Pamphlet, entitled 'Christian Liberty asserted,' &c." The author of this pamphlet was John Jackson, whom he charges with having misre presented bishops Pearson and Bull, and particularly Dr. Waterland, with whom he had then no personal acquaint ance. About this time bishop Hoadly made some adyances to him, to which he paid no attention, as he greatly

1 Horatii Opera.-Crusius's Lives of the Poets.-Life prefixed to Boscawen's translation.-Brit. Critic, vol. III.—Saxii Onomast.

disapproved his notions. By desire he published three occasional sermons, but his principal work was his treatise on the "Eternity of Hell Torments," which appeared in 1744, and was written at the solicitation of bishop Smallbroke. After his death a volume of his "Sermons" was published by his wife's nephew.

Dr. Horbery bore the character of an amiable and excellent man, as well as of an able and sound divine, who walked, as his biographer says, steadily through those profound depths of theology, in which men of inferior powers and attainments are lost: but such was his uncommon modesty and invincible diffidence, that nothing could draw him out into public life. On the death of Dr. Jenner, president of Magdalen college, he resisted the solicitation of a majority of the fellows to become a candidate, and Dr. Horne, who was elected, paid him the compliment to say that he would never have presented himself if Dr. Horbery would have come forward. His library, consisting of 2000 volumes, in the best preservation, was sold for the small sum of 1201.; but such was his reputation as a preacher, that two hundred of his MS sermons, in the rough state in which he first composed them, were disposed of for six hundred guineas.1

HORNE, JOHN VAN. See HOORNE.

HORNE (GEORGE), the late amiable and exemplary bishop of Norwich, was born Nov. 1, 1730, at Otham, near Maidstone, in Kent, where his father, the rev. Samuel Horne, was rector. Of four sons and three daughters he was the second son; and his education was commenced at home under the instruction of his father. At thirteen, baving made a good proficiency, he was sent to school at Maidstone, under the rev. Deodatus. Bye, a man of good principles; and at little more than fifteen, being elected to a Maidstone.scholarship at University college, Oxford, he went there to reside. He was so much approved at his college, that about the time when he took his bachelor's degree, which was Oct. 27, 1749, in consequence of a strong recommendation from that place, he was elected to a Kentish fellowship at Magdalen. On June 1, 1752, he took his master's degree, and on Trinity Sunday, in the year following, he was ordained by the bishop of Oxford, and soon after preached his first sermon for his friend and

Gent, Mag. vol. LXIX. and LXXVI.

biographer, Mr. Jones, at Finedon, in Northamptonshire. A short time after he preached in London with such success, that a person, eminent himself for the same talent, pronounced him, without exception, the best preacher in England.

At the early age of nineteen, Mr. Horne had imbibed a very favourable opinion of the sentiments of Mr. Hutchinson; which he afterwards adopted and disseminated without disguise. Supported by the learning and zeal of his friends, Mr. Watson of University college, Dr. Hodges, provost of Oriel, and Dr. Patten, of Corpus, he ably vindicated his principles against the intemperate invectives to which their novelty exposed them. That part indeed of the Hutchinsonian controversy which relates to Hebrew etymology was discountenanced by Mr. Horne as, in a great measure, fanciful and arbitrary. He considered it of infinitely more importance to be employed in investigating facts than to be disputing about verbal criticisms. The principles of Mr. Hutchinson beginning to extend their influence in the university, in 1756 a bold attack was made upon them in an anonymous pamphlet, entitled "A Word to the Hutchinsonians." Mr. Horne, considering himself more particularly called upon for a defence, as being personally aimed at in the animadversions, produced an Apology, which has been universally admired for its temper, learning, and good sense. The question agitated seems rather to involve the very essense of religion, than to concern Mr. Hutchinson or his principles. The pamphlet was attributed by the public in general, and Mr. Horne in particular, to Mr. Kennicott, of Exeter college; a man who had distinguished himself by an accurate acquaintance with the Hebrew, and two masterly dissertations, one on the Tree of Life, the other on the Sacrifices of Cain and Abel.

After his Apology, Mr. Horne took an active part in the controversy with Mr. Kennicott on the propriety of collating the text of the Hebrew Bible with such manuscripts as could then be procured, in order to reform the text, and prepare it for a new translation into the English language. Mr. Horne strongly objected to the proposal, from a persuasion, among other serious reasons, that the wide principle upon which it was to be conducted might endanger the interest of genuine Christianity. He conceived that the unsound criticism to which the text would

be liable by this measure, might afford some additional pretexts for the sceptical cavils of those, who, with affectation of superior learning, had already shewn themselves active in discovering imaginary corruptions. Whatever, in these speculative points, the opinions of Mr. Horne might be, he was esteemed both now and throughout his life, a good and valuable man, a sincere Christian in thought and in action, and in all respects worthy of the preferment he obtained. About 1756, he had planned and begun to execute his "Commentary on the Psalms," which he did not complete and publish till twenty years after. It was a work in which he always proceeded with pleasure, and on which he delighted to dwell and meditate.

Soon after the publication of this valuable work, Dr. Horne, feeling much concern at the progress of infidelity, to which the writings of Mr. Hume seemed in no small degree to contribute, endeavoured to undeceive the world with respect to the pretended cheerfulness and tranquillity of the last moments of this unbelieving philosopher. He addressed an anonymous "Letter to Dr. Adam Smith," in which, with clear and sound argument, and the most perfect natural good humour, he overthrows the artificial account given in Mr. Hume's life, by allusions to certain well-founded anecdotes concerning him, which are totally inconsistent with it.

In 1784 this Letter was followed by his "Letters on Infidelity;" which abound with instruction and entertainment, and are exceedingly well adapted both to arm the minds of youth against the dangerous tendency of philosophizing infidelity, and to counteract any impressions which its specious garb and licentious easy temper may have already made. The unsoundness of Mr. Hume's opinions, and the futility of his arguments, are displayed in so happy a strain of ridicule, that none, says one of his biographers, "but an unbeliever can be angry, or even feel displeased." The latter part of these Letters is employed in attempting to shew the fallacy of some miscelJaneous objections against Christianity, brought forward by a more modern advocate for infidelity.

The character and conduct of Mr. Horne were so much approved in the college to which he belonged, that on a vacancy happening in 1768, he was elected to the high office of president of that society. Nearly at the same ime he married the daughter of Philip Burton, esq. of

Eltham, in Kent, by whom he had three daughters. The public situation of Mr. Horne now made it proper for him to proceed to the degree of doctor in divinity; and he was also appointed one of the chaplains to the king. In 1776 Dr. Horne was elected vice-chancellor of the university of Oxford, which office he held for the customary period of four years. In this situation he became known to lord North, the chancellor, and this, it is probable, prepared the way to his subsequent elevation. In 1781, the very year after the expiration of his office of vice-chancellor, he was made dean of Canterbury, and would willingly have relinquished his cares at Oxford, to reside altogether in his native county of Kent; but he yielded to the judgment of a prudent friend who advised him to retain his situation at Magdalen. In 1789, on the translation of bishop Bagot to St. Asaph, Dr. Horne was advanced to the episcopal dignity, and succeeded him in the see of Norwich. Unhappily, though he was no more than fifty-nine, he had already begun to suffer much from infirmities. "Alas!" said he, observing the large flight of steps which lead into the palace of Norwich, "I am come to these steps at a time of life when I can neither go up them nor down them with safety." It happened consequently, that the church could not long be benefited by his piety and zeal. Even the charge which he composed for his primary visitation at Norwich, he was unable to deliver, and it was printed "as intended to have been delivered." From twe visits to Bath he had received sensible benefit, and was meditating a third in the autumn of 1791, which he had been requested not to delay too long. He did, however, delay it too long, and was visited by a paralytic stroke on the road to that place. He completed his journey, though very ill; and for a short time was so far recovered as to walk daily to the pump-room; but the hopes of his friends and family were of short duration, for, on the 17th of January, 1792, in the sixty-second year of his age, his death afforded an edifying example of Christian resignation and hope; and he was buried at Eltham in Kent, with a commendatory but very just epitaph, which is also put up in the cathedral at Norwich.

It cannot often fall to the lot of the biographer to record a man so blameless in character and conduct as bishop Horne. Whatever might be his peculiar opinions on some points, he was undoubtedly a sincere and exemplary Chris