pital, Fellow of the College of Physicians, and of the Royal Society. To which is prefixed, his Life,

parable Defence of King Charles's Eikon Basilike; but, not complying with the Government after the Revolution, had followed the practice of physie in London for many years with very great reputation; whose daughter the Doctor marrying some time after, induced him probably to apply himself to the study of physick, having so near a relation who was capable of assisting him in that way. But it was not long before the Doctor lost his first wife; yet not the friendship of her family, who continued to serve him to the utmost of their power so long as he lived. Some years after, the Doctor married a second time, with a daughter of the truly eminent and learned Charles Bernard, esq. serjeant-surgeon to Queen Anne; and, not long after his marriage, went to Oxford; where (July 8, 1714) he took the degrees of B. and M. D. as grand compounder; soon after which he was admitted fellow both of the College of Physicians and Royal Society; and, returning to London upon the death of his first wife's father, who died much about this time, by the interest of the family he fell into a good share of his business; which gradually increasing to the death of Dr. Salisbury Cade, he was then chosen by the Governors to succeed him as one of the physicians of St. Bartholomew's hospital; which trust he discharged with great reputation to himself, and benefit to the poor patients, as great, if not a greater number of these being sent away perfectly restored to health by him, as ever had been known to be cured in the same compass of time by the ablest and best of his predecessors. The cheerfulness of his temper, before his spirits were oppressed by misfortunes, which he suffered to be brought upon himself by the easiness and indolence of his nature, was such as made him not only beloved by the gentlemen of his own profession, but likewise rendered his conversation agreeable to all sorts of people. He was a person indeed who did not greatly apply himself to study in his later years, otherwise than the business of his profession; and some public exercises which he had taken upon him, obliged him sometimes to consult books, which if he had thoroughly read and studied, as some others have done, his parts and abilities were such, that none of the profession would have made a better figure, either as a gentleman, scholar, or physician. A weight upon his spirits, occasioned by a sense of the misfortunes which he had inadvertently fallen into, brought an illness upon him, which it is since thought he might have recovered, if he had unburthened his mind to some who had a more than ordinary value for him, and who would have spared neither cost nor pains to have made him easy till he could have made himself so. He took a journey to Bath, in March 1724-5, for the recovery of his health, where he had not been many weeks before he relapsed; and, continuing to grow worse and worse, he at lonoth departed this life, on the 5th of May, 1725, in the fortieth year

of

and an Account of his Writings. Adorned with several curious Cuts *, engraved on Copper. Printed for Jonah Bowyer, J. Isted, and John Worral."— The Contents of this Volume are, 1. "A Comment upon the History of Tom Thumbt; the fifth Edition."-2. "Crispin the Cobler's Confutation of Ben Hoadly], in an Epistle to him;" the third Edition.-3. The Story of the St. Alban's Ghost, or the Apparition of Mother Haggy; collected from the best Manuscripts;" the fourth Edi

66

of his age, very much lamented by all who had ever been acquainted with his character and conversation.-His character was thus given by an eminent physician soon after his death: He was no less valued for his skill in his profession, which he shewed in several useful treatises, than admired for his wit and facetiousness in conversation.'

* These consisit of a portrait of the author, and of two very humourous designs, without the name of the artist, but which are truly Hogarthian.

This whimsical "Comment" owed its rise to two celebrated Spectators, published to shew the beauties contained in the antiquated song of "Chevy-Chase;" in which the learned author undertakes to shew, that the sentiments in that ballad are extremely natural and poetical, and, as he says, full of the majestic simplicity which we admire in the greatest of the antient poets; for which reason he hath quoted several passages of it, in which he affirms the thought to be altogether the same with what we meet in several passages of the " Aneid;" not that he infers from thence that the poet (whoever he was) proposed to himself any imitation of those passages, but that he was directed to them, in general, by the same kind of poetical genius, and by the same copyings after Nature. The Doctor happened to be of a different opinion, and therefore pitched upon the "History of Tom Thumb," a poem of equal fame, though (it may be) less venerable for its antiquity than that of "Chevy-Chase," to shew that the sentiments of the antient poets may be as well adapted to the one as the other; and whoever will take the pains to compare the performances of these two authors, will find the quotations in Tom Thumb" as just and as properly adapted as those in " Chevy-Chase." However, the main thing the Doctor seemed to have in view, in writing this small piece, was to evince that a man of quick parts and ready wit might sometimes extend his thoughts on criticism too far; and if men of learning were once to give into that way of writing, they might indeed please some persons of a vulgar and superficial taste; but the graver part of mankind, and those of a sounder judgment, would be apt to think they might have employed their talents after a more useful and instructive manner.

tion.

tion.-4. "The Testimonies of the Citizens of Fickleborough, concerning the Life and Character of Robert Hush, commonly called Bob. To which are prefixed, some Memoirs of the Life of Charity Hush, the Grandfather, and of Oliver Hush, the Father of the said Bob."-5. "The Representation of the loyal Subjects of Albinia;" the third Edition.6. "The Character of Richard St[ee]le *, Esq. with some Remarks. By Toby, Abel's Kinsman; or, according to Mr. Calamy, A. F. & N. In a Letter to his Godfather." The fourth Edition.-7. “The State and Condition of our Taxes considered; or, a Proposal for a Tax upon Funds: by a Freeholder." The third Edition.-8. "The Plain Dealer," 1712," XVI Numbers.-9. "Preface to the Compleat History of the Treaty of Utrecht."-10. A Letter+ from the facetious Dr. Andrew Tripe, at Bath, to

* The Character of Richard St-le, Esq. does indeed want some apology to be made for it, because it seems to bear too hard upon a gentleman of known parts and abilities, though of contrary principles to the Doctor. It was written at the latter end of Queen Anne's reign, when the person characterised had endeavoured to distinguish himself, by his opposition to the then ministry, by publishing his Crisis. The Doctor, who had some friends in the Ministry, thought he could not take a better way to oblige them, than by thus shewing his dislike to a gentleman who had so much endeavoured, on all occasions, to oppose them. Though this may be said for him, that he was so far from having any personal pique or enmity against the gentleman whose character he wrote, that at the time of his writing it, it is believed, he did not so much as know him even by sight, whatever he might afterwards. Nor, indeed, was it ever in his nature to, bear malice or enmity against any man.

† A little before this Letter was written, a quarrel happened between a physician of the greatest note, and one of an inferior character; in which the former had, as was then reported, been maltreated by the latter, for which he received a gentleman-like reproof; but not satisfied therewith, he endeavoured to vindicate his former miscarriage in print, or at least somebody for him. The Doctor being a little provoked to see a gentleman, the first in his profession, and to whom he had been obliged, thus used, wrote the above Pamphlet, not so much to vindicate his friend, who was above being injured in his person or character by so low an adversary; but merely to shew his contempt of a person who durst be so insolent as to affront a gentleman so much his superior, and for whom the whole Faculty had the utmost esteem,

his loving brother the profound Greshamite, shewing, that the Scribendi Cacoethes is a Distemper arising from a Redundancy of Biliose Salts, and not to be eradicated but by a diurnal Course of Oyls and Vomits.. With an Appendix concerning the Application of Socrates his Clyster, and the Use of clean Linnen in Controversy *." The second Edition.

"The Case of Toleration considered, with Respect both to Religion and Civil Government; in a Sermon preached in St. Andrew's, Dublin, before the Hon. House of Commons, on Saturday Oct. 23, 1725; being the Anniversary of the Irish Rebellion. By Edward Synge, M. A. Prebendary of St. Patrick's, Dublin, and Chaplain to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant. Published by Order of the House of Commons."

A new edition of "Useful Transactions in Philosophy, and other Parts of Learning, in Three Parts; by William King, LL. D. Advocate of Doctors Commons, &c. &c." Svo; and a new edition also of his "Art of Cookery, in Imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry," 8vo.

"The Anatomy of the Human Body, by William Cheselden, Surgeon to his Majesty's Royal Hospital at Chelsea, Fellow of the Royal Society, and Merber of the Royal Academy of Surgeons at Paris, vo.

"Publick Education, particularly in the Charity Schools. A Sermon preached in St. Philip's Church

The tracts which make up the remainder of Dr. Wagstaffe's volume were mostly written in his younger years. Howver, as they contain in them a great deal of humour, as well as the marks of a brisk and lively spirit, they may serve to convey a true idea of the natural temper of the author; but, as they were then published without a name, so it is presumed the Doctor never did intend it should be known who wrote them. But the person who had the copies of them thinking it worth his while to reprint them at this time, it was judged proper to give the publick this account both of the Author and his writings.-These notes, it may be superfluous to say, are by the Editor of Dr. Wagstaffe's Works.

† Son to the celebrated Archbishop, and himself (in 1740) Bishop of Elphin.

Of whom see hereafter, under the year 1734.

in

in Birmingham, Aug. 9, 1724, at the Opening of a Charity School, built to receive an hundred Chil dren; which are there not only to be taught and cloathed, but also to be fed and lodged. By Thomas Bisse, D. D. On Psalm cxliv. 12. Published at the Request of the Trustees," 8vo.

« Τῆς πάλαι κ τῆς νῦν οικεμένης Περιήγησις, sive Dionysii Geographia emendata et locupletata, Additione scilicet Geographia Hodiernæ Græco Carmine pariter donatæ. Cum XVI Tabulis Geographicis; Editio quinta;" published by Edward Wells, D. D. Rector of Cottesbach in Leicestershire, 8vo.* Proposals for printing by Subscription, A Vindication of the Church of England, and the Lawful Ministry thereof, &c. Written by Francis Mason,

* This he reprinted in 1733.

This is the book so often and honourably mentioned by all the later writers on this side of the Controversy, as being not only the first, but by much the most full and particular, in obliging the world with vouchers from the original records, registers, and other books. For the evidences produced by most of the rest are generally taken upon Mason's credit, without recourse had to the originals; there not being the least colour to suspect him of forgery or misrepresentation. Its usefulness is so well known to the learned, that I nced only say, it is a pity the English reader should be deprived of so complete a Vindication of the Ordinations of our Reformed Bishops and Clergy ; since it is among such as are not masters of the Latin tongue, that the adversaries of our orders reap the greatest harvest: a thought worthy of serious consideration, especially of those, who have, or expect to have, a cure of souls. It is true, our author's first performance in this way was in English; but that is so far from rendering this translation needless (as some inconsiderate persons may imagine) that it bears no more proportion to his enlarged work in Latin, than 269 folio pages do to 680. So much is the Latin book more full (as well as more correct) than the English draught of it. Twenty entire chapters thereof having never yet been in English; and most of the rest so altered and improved by the author himself, as to become also in a manner wholly new. And since this Controversy (especially concerning the pretended Nag's-head Consecration) is now again brought upon the stage by our adversaries, no time could be so proper for this translation as the present, to shew the true foundation upon which all our later advocates at home and abroad have raised so many excellent and useful superstructures. This book is in great forwardness, and has already been favoured by

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