Preface," was to carry the purity of the Latin tongue throughout, and not to take things or words upon trust, so as to transcribe others mistakes." This was first published in quarto in London in MDCLXXVIII, and hath met with such a general approbation, that the sixth edition thereof was published but a few months ago. He was a minister's son, of an antient and genteel family at Westcot in Worcestershire, elected student of Christ Church in Oxford in MDCXLVII, was some time an usher in Westminster School, and in MDCLVIII became second master of the same. After the Restoration he was chaplain to King Charles II. rector of Chelsea, and subdean of Westminster. He died in the beginning of July MDCXCIV, and was buried in Chelsea church *. The Cambridge Dictionary in quarto, printed in MDCXCIII, with the title of "Linguæ Romanæ Dictionarium luculentum novum," is an improvement of Littleton, made by several persons whose names have been concealed from public knowledge. What plan the editors of this have proceeded upon may be learnt by their own preface; in which, after a grateful acknowledgment of the great assistance they had by the extraordinary pains of the reverend and learned Dr. Littleton as to the English Latin part, they principally set forth, that they have inserted several whole classes of words, which had been either omitted before, or were very lately introduced into our language; and that they have been more exact, more distinct and full, in noting the various significations of verbs and nouns; that in the Latin classic they began their collection by a careful perusal of several authors, as Lucretius, Terence, Cæsar, Phædrus, Gratian, Petronius, &c. some of whom, they observed, had scarce been named, or if sometimes quoted, often so very little, and sometimes to very bad purposes, in dictionaries of the same volume with theirs; that the second * See also an account of Dr. Littleton in vol. II. p. 58. VOL. V. P edition edition of Robert Stephens's Latin Thesaurus lay always before them, and was constantly consulted by them; that they likewise used a manuscript collection in three large folios, digested into an alphabetical order, made by Mr. John Milton out of all the best and purest Roman authors; and farther, that the complete indices generally annexed to the Dauphin editions of most of the Roman writers had been very serviceable to them; that they had retrenched many far-fetched etymons in former Dictionaries, had given a larger account of the construction of verbs, had rejected all words and phrases, whose authors were either not to be found, or, when found, appeared in so barbarous and uncouth a dress as made them very unfit company for Tully, Cæsar, &c. And, finally, had distinguished the poetical Latin words by a flower placed before them. Thus far they. Those who are desirous to have a more particular account of the difference between this Dictionary and that published by Dr. Littleton, as to the English and Latin part, may satisfy their curiosity by the comparison of a few sheets of each; but it is very manifest that these editors have made very large and useful improvements in the letters L, M, N, O, and P, in the Latin classical part, and augmented or corrected what had been done by Littleton (though neither in so large nor careful a manner as under the aforesaid letters) in most of the other parts of the work. The improvements made under the aforesaid letters, as also a large part of their title, as well as the preface, have been inserted in the several editions of Littleton (except the last, which hath a new preface, and hath been otherwise somewhat altered) printed since the publication of this work at Cambridge; but the other parts of Littleton in general remain as they were when first published *. * See in Mr. Bowyer's Miscellaneous Tracts, 4to, p. 126, "An Essay on the different Ages relating to the Purity of the Latin Tongue." Elisha Coles published also a Latin and English dictionary in the year MDCLXXVII, designed chiefly for the use of scholars of a lower class. He hath indeed considerably enlarged the English Latin part, which containeth many more English words and phrases than any Latin Dictionary published before his time. But not a few of those words are now intirely obsolete, many of them interpreted in a wrong sense, and worse translated into Latin. And the Latin-English part is very defective, both with regard to the several senses of the Latin words, and the citation of the Roman writers proper to fix their authority. This work, however, being not half the price of Dr. Littleton's, hath gone through twelve impressions; the first whereof was printed in a small quarto, and all the following in octavo. The author of this work was born in Northamptonshire, entered into Magdalen college in Oxford in the year MDCLVIII, taught the languages to foreigners in the parish of Covent Garden in London, and was afterwards for some time an usher in Merchant Taylors School: after which, on some default, being obliged to quit that employment, he went into Ireland, where he continued till his death; but of the precise time thereof I have not been able to get any certain information. R. AINSWORTH *." * Of this learned Lexicographer some memoirs will be found in a future page. No. IX. THE WESLEYS. The elder SAMUEL WESLEY, whose labours on Job gave occasion to this memoir, was born at Winterborn Whitchurch in Dorsetshire, where his father (John Wesley) was vicar. He was educated, first at the free-school at Dorchester, and then in a private academy among the Dissenters, whom he soon left, and was admitted a servitor, at the age of 18, of Exeter college, Oxford, 1684. He proceeded B. A. 1688; and, taking orders, was rector of South Ormesby, co. Lincoln; and afterwards obtained the rectory of Epworth, in the Isle of Axholme, in the same county. He was chaplain also to the Marquis of Normanby, afterwards Duke of Buckingham, who recommended him for an Irish Bishoprick. John Dunton, who was nearly related to Mr. Wesley by marriage, and who in other parts of his multifarious writings enters deeply into their family squabbles, gives him the following character: "Mr. Wesley had an early inclination to poetry; but he usually writ too fast to write well. Two hundred couplets a day are too many by two-thirds, to be well-furnished with all the beauties and the graces of that art. He writ very much for me both in verse and prose, though I shall not name over the titles, in regard I am altogether as unwilling to see my name at the bottom of them, as Mr. Wesley would be to subscribe his own. Mr. Wesley had read much, and is well-skilled in the languages. He is generous and good-humoured, and caresses his friend with a great deal of passion, so long as his circumstances are any thing in order, and then he drops him; and I challenge the rector of Ep worth worth (for he is not yet my Lord, nor his Grace) to prove I injure him in this character; for that he was once glad of my friendship, none can question that reads the following letter (of which I have the original still by me): DEAR BROTHER, Epworth, July the 24th, 97. "IT has been neither unkindness to you, with whom I have traded and been justly used for many years, much less unthankfulness to Mr. Rogers, for I shall own my obligations to that good man while I live, which has made me so long neglect answering your several letters; but the hurry of a remove, and my extraordinary business, being obliged to preach the Visitation Sermon at Gainsborough at the Bishop's coming thither, which is but just over.-Besides, I would fain have sent you an Elegy, as well as an Epitaph, but cannot get one to my mind, and therefore you must be content with half your desire; and if you please to accept this epitaph it is at your service, and I hope it will come before you need another Epithalamium*. I am 'Your obliged friend and brother, S. WESLEY. "I could be very maggotty in the character of this conforming Dissenter (for so this letter shews him to be); but, except he farther provokes me, I bid him farewell till we meet in Heaven, and there I hope we shall renew our friendship, for (human frailties excepted) I believe Sam Wesley a pious man. I shall only add that the giving this true character of Parson Wesley is all the satisfaction I ever desire for his dropping an old friend. I shall leave him to struggle through life, and to make the best of it. But, alas! He loves too much the Heliconian strand, Whose stream's unfurnish'd with the golden sand. "I do not speak this out of prejudice to Mr. Wesley; for to forgive a slight (or undeserved slander, * These were articles in which Dunton traded, and regularly sold them ready made. invented |