taste, literature, and gaiety, with considerable regret. He did not enjoy his retirement long, being cut off by a severe illness, Nov. 17, 1747, in his eightieth year. He was interred at Boulogne, with the following epitaph: "Sous ce tombeau git Le Sage, abattu Par le ciseau de la Parque importune: His character is said to have been truly amiable, and his conduct strictly moral and correct, free from ambition, and one who courted fortune no farther than was necessary to enjoy the pleasures and quiet of a literary life. Of all his works, his "Gil Blas" is by far the most popular, and deservedly ranks very high among the productions of historical fancy. It has been, we believe, translated into every European language, and received in all nations, as a faithful portrait of human nature. Few books have been so frequently quoted, as affording happy illustrations of general manners, and of the common caprices and infirmities incident to man. Le Sage, says Dr. Moore, proves himself to have been intimately acquainted with human nature. And as the moral tendency of the character of Gil Blas has been sometimes questioned, the same author very properly remarks that he never intended that character as a model of imitation. His object seems to have been to exhibit men as they are, not as they ought to be for this purpose he chooses a youth of no extraordinary talents, and without steady principles, open to be duped by knavery, and perverted by example. He sends him like a spaniel, through the open fields, the coverts, the giddy heights, and latent tracts of life, to raise the game at which he wishes to shoot; and few moral huntsmen ever afforded more entertaining sport. The popularity of this novel, which equals that of almost any of our own most favourite productions, may afford a lesson to the writers of fiction, who are ambitious that their works may live. Had Le Sage drawn those extravagant and distorted characters which are so common in the novels published within the last twenty years, he could not have expected that they would outlive the novelty of a first perusal; but, depicting nature, and nature only, as he found her in men of all ranks and stations, he knew that what would please now would please for ever, and that he was speaking a language that would be understood in every 1 spot of the globe. The artifices of refined and highly polished society may introduce variations and disguises which give an air of novelty to the actions of men; but original manners and caprices, such as Le Sage has described, will perhaps at all times be acknowledged to be just, natural, and faithful, whether we apply the test of selfexamination, or have recourse to the more easy practice of remarking the conduct of those with whom we associate.1 SAGE (JOHN), a bishop of the old episcopal church of Scotland, a man of great learning and worth, and an able controversial writer in defence of the church to which he belonged, was born in 1652. He was the son of captain Sage, a gentleman of Fifeshire in Scotland, and an officer of merit in lord Duffus's regiment, who fought on the side of the royalists when Monk stormed Dundee in 1651. Although, like many other royalists, he was scantily rewarded for his services, he was able to give his son a liberal education at school, and at the university of St. Andrew's, where he took his degree of master of arts in 1672. He passed some years afterwards as schoolmaster of the parishes of Bingry in Fifeshire, and of Tippermoor in Perthshire, and as private tutor to the sons of a gentleman of fortune, whom he attended at school, and accompanied to the university of St. Andrew's. In 1684, when his pupils left him, he removed from St. Andrew's, and when uncertain what course to pursue, was recommended to archbishop Rose, who gave him priest's orders, and advised him to officiate at Glasgow. Here he continued to display his talents till the revolution in 1688, when the presbyterian form of church government was established, and then went to Edinburgh. He preached in this city a while, but refusing to take the oaths of allegiance, was obliged to desist, and found an asylum in the house of sir William Bruce, the sheriff of Kinross, who approved his principles, and admired his virtues. Returning to Edinburgh in 1695, where he appears to have written some defences of the church to which he belonged, he was observed, and obliged again to retire. At length he found a safe retreat with the countess of Callendar, who employed him as chaplain, and tutor to her sons, and afterwards he lived with sir John Steuart of Garntully as chaplain, until Jan. 25, 1705, when Dict. Hist.-Moore's Life of Smollett.-Blair's Lectures,-Beattie's Dissertations, p. 570. he was consecrated a bishop. In the following year his. health began to decay, and after trying the waters of Bath, in 1709, and change of air in other places, without much benefit, he died at Edinburgh June 7, 1711. Bishop Sage was a man profoundly skilled in all the ancient languages, which gave him an eminent advantage over his adversaries, the most distinguished of whom was Mr. Gilbert Rule, principal of the college of Edinburgh, who, with much zeal, and no mean abilities, was overmatched by the superior learning and historical knowledge of his antagonist. Sage wrote the second and third letters, concerning the persecution of the episcopal clergy in Scot land, which were printed at London, in 1689, the rev. Thomas Morer having written the first, and professor Monro the fourth. 2. "An account of the late establishment of Presbyterian Government by the parliament of Scotland in 1690," Lond. 1693. 3. "The fundamental charter of Presbytery,",ibid. 1695. 4. "The principles of the Cyprianic age-with regard to episcopal power and jurisdiction," ibid. 1695. 5. "A Vindication" of the preceding, ibid. 1701. 6. "Some remarks on a Letter from a gentleman in the city, to a minister in the country, on Mr. David Williamson's sermon before the General Assembly," Edin. 1703. 7. "A brief examination of some things in Mr. Meldrum's sermon, preached May 16, 1703, against a toleration to those of the episcopal persuasion,' ibid. 1703. 8. "The reasonableness of a toleration of those of the Episcopal persuasion inquired into purely on church principles," ibid. 1704: 9. "The Life of Gawin Douglas," bishop of Dunkeld, prefixed to Ruddiman's edition of "Douglas's Virgil," 1710. 10. "An Introduction to Drummond's History of the Five James's," Edin. 1711, with notes by Ruddiman, who always spoke highly of Sage as a scholar and companion.1 SAGITTARIUS (GASPAR), an eminent Lutheran divine, historian to the duke of Saxony, and professor of history at Halle, was born Sept. 23, 1643, at Lunenburg. He studied in, or visited the greatest part of the German universities, where he was much esteemed for his extensive knowledge of history and antiquities. He died March 9, 1694, 1 Life of Sage, anonymous, but written by Mr. John Gillan, a bishop of the same church, Lond. 1714, 8vo.-Chalmers's Life of Ruddiman, p. 54.-Tytler's Life of Kaimes.-Gillan's Life of Sage is scarce; but an ample abridgment may be seen in the Encyclopædia Britannica. leaving nearly 70 volumes of dissertations, principally on historical subjects; on oracles; on the gates of the ancients; "The succession of the Princes of Orange," 4to; "History of the City of Herderwich ;" a life of St. Norbert, 1683; "Tractatus varii de historia legenda," 4to; "Historia antiqua Noribergæ," 4to; "Origin of the Dukes of Brunswick;" "History of Lubec;" "Antiquities of the kingdom of Thuringia ;" "History of the Marquises and Electors of Brandenburg," and many others, enumerated by Niceron. His life was written by Schmid, and published in 1713, 8vo.' SAINCTES (CLAUDIUS DE), in Latin SANCTESIUS, was born in 1525, at Perche. He entered as a regular canon in the abbey de St. Cheron, near Chartres; at the age of fifteen was admitted doctor of the Sorbonne, 1555, and resided afterwards in the house of cardinal de Lorraine, who employed him at the conference of Poissy, in 1561, and persuaded king Charles IX. to send him to the council of Trent, with eleven other doctors. In 1566 De Sainctes, with Simon Vigor, afterwards archbishop of Narbonne, disputed against two protestant ministers, at the house of the duke de Nevers, and published the records of this conference two years after, and had also a controversy with Sadeel, as we have recently noticed in his article. He became so celebrated for his writings, sermons, and zeal against the protestants, as to be promoted to the bishopric of Evreux in 1575. The following year he attended the states of Blois, and in 1581, the council of Rouen; but having afterwards joined the most violent among the Leaguers, was seized at Louviers by Henry IVth's party, who found a writing among his papers, in which he pretended to justify the assassination of Henry III. and declared that the present king deserved the same treatment. Being carried as a prisoner to Caen, he would there have received the punishment due to his attempt, had not cardinal de Bourbon, and some other prelates, interceded that his punishment should be perpetual imprisonment. He was accordingly confined in the castle de Crevecœur, in the diocese of Lisieux, where he died in 1591. De Sainctes left many learned works, the largest and most scarce among which is a "Treatise on the Eucharist," in Latin, folio, an edition of St. James's, St. Basil's, and St. Chrysostom's 1 Niceron, vol. IV.Moreri.-Dict. Hist. His both wrtised inside the binding of (.D. 1832. St. Am. SAINCTE S. "Liturgies," Antwerp, 1560, 8vo, afterwards reprinted, but this is the only edition that is valued.' ST. ALDEGONDE. See MARNIX. ST. AMAND (JAMES), a classical scholar and critic, was probably the descendant of a French family, but we find no mention of him in any French biographical work, and are unable to say much of his early history. In 1705, he was a student at Lincoln college, Oxford, but made no long stay there. His passion for Greek literature, but particularly for acquiring materials towards a new edition of Theocritus, led him to Italy, where, though young, for he was scarce twenty, he obtained a distinguished reputation for learning, and became acquainted with men of the first erudition, among whom were Gravina, Fontanini, and others. By their acquaintance he was easily introduced into the best libraries; and at Florence in particular, he was favoured with the friendship of the learned professor Salvini, who furnished him with several materials relating to Theocritus from the Laurentian library and St. Mary's monastery of Benedictines. The patronage and friendship of Mr. Newton too, the English ambassador at the grand duke's court, were of signal service to him. After spending some time with these and other learned men, in a mutual exchange of literary treasures and observations, he returned to England by way of Geneva and Paris, and died, not about 1750, as Mr. Warton says, but Sept. 5, 1754, at his house in Red-lion-square, leaving the valuable collection of books and MSS. he had made abroad to the Bodleian library, and the duplicates of his books to Lincoln college. Of the MSS. Mr. Warton availed himself in his edition of Theocritus. Mr. St. Amand left also 8000l. to Christ's hospital, and other legacies, which shew that he was a man of considerable opulence.3 ST. AMANT (MARK-ANTHONY-GERARD, sieur de), a French poet, was born at Roan in Normandy in 1594. In the epistle dedicatory to the third part of his works, he tells us, that his father commanded a squadron of ships in the service of Elizabeth queen of England for twenty-two years, and that he was for three years prisoner in the Black Tower at Constantinople. He mentions also, that two brothers of his had been killed in an engagement against 1 Gen. Dict. art. Sanctesius.-Moreri. • Warton's Preface to his Theocritus.-Gent. Mag. vol. XXIV.—Wood's Colleges and Halls, and Annals. |