surface, at an equal distance everywhere from its centre. This sea of fire, like the first abyss, will cover the face of the whole earth, make a kind of second chaos, and leave a capacity for another world to rise from it. But that is not our present business. Let us only, if you please to take leave of this subject, reflect upon this occasion, on the vanity and transient glory of all this habitable world; how, by the force of one element breaking loose upon the rest, all the varieties of nature, all the works of art, all the labours of men, are reduced to nothing; all that we admired and adored before as great and magnificent is obliterated or banished; and another form and face of things, plain, simple, and everywhere the same, overspreads the whole earth. Where are now the great empires of the world, and their great imperial cities? Their pillars, trophies, and monuments of glory? Show me where they stood; read the inscription; tell me the victor's name. What remains, what impressions, what difference or distinction do you see in this mass of fire? Rome itself, eternal Rome, the great city, the empress of the world, whose domination and superstition, ancient and modern, make a great part of the history of this earth, what is become of her now? She laid her foundations deep, and her palaces were strong and sumptuous; she glorified herself and lived deliciously, and said in her heart, I sit a queen and shall see no sorrow. But her hour is come, she is wiped away from the face of the earth, and buried in perpetual oblivion. But it is not cities only, and works of men's hands, but the everlasting hills and mountains and rocks of the earth are melted as wax before the sun; and their place is nowhere found. Here stood the Alps, a prodigious range of stones, the load of the earth, that covered many countries, and reached their arms from the ocean to the Black Sea: this huge mass of stones is softened and dissolved, as a tender cloud into rain. Here stood the African mountains, and Atlas with his top above the clouds. There was frozen Caucasus, and Taurus, and Imaus, and the mountains of Asia. And yonder, towards the north, stood the Riphæan Hills, clothed in ice and snow. All these are vanished, dropped away as the snow upon their heads, and swallowed up in a red sea of fire. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints! Hallelujah.

Sacred Theory of the Earth. Dook iii. last chap.

134. John Eachard, 1636-1697.

A writer of great wit and humour, carefully studied by Swift. For shrewd sense, and a somewhat worldly tone, he reminds a modern student of Sidney Smith.

Better English: and fewer Quibbles.

There are but two things wherein I count the clergy chiefly concerned (as to university improvements) that I shall venture at present to make inquiry into.

And the first is this, whether or no it were not highly useful (especially for the clergy who are supposed to speak English to the people) that English exercises were imposed upon lads, if not in publick schools, yet at least privately. Not, but I am abundantly satisfied that Latin is the all in all and the very cream of the jest as also, that oratory is the same in all languages. But yet it seems somewhat beyond the reach of ordinary youth, so to apprehend those general laws as to make a just and allowable use of them in all languages, unless exercised particularly in them. Now we know the language that the very learned part of this nation must trust to live by, unless it be to make a bond or prescribe a purge (which possibly may not oblige or work so well in any other language as Latin) is the English. And yet for the most part an ordinary cheesemonger or plumb-seller that scarce ever heard of a university, will write much better sense and more to the purpose than these young philosophers, who injudiciously hunting only for words, make themselves learnedly ridiculous.

The second inquiry that may be made is this, whether or no punning, quibbling, and that which we call joquing and such other delicacies of wit might not be very conveniently omitted. For one may desire but to know this one thing: in what profession shall that sort of wit prove of advantage. As for law, where nothing but the most reaching subtilty and the closest arguing is allowed of, it is not to be imagined, that blending now and then a piece of dry verse and wreathing here and there an old Latin saying into a dismal jingle, should give title to an estate or clear out an obscure evidence. And as little can it be serviceable in physick, which is made up of severe reason and well tryed experiments. And as for divinity-he that has in youth allowed himself this liberty of academick wit, by this means has so

thinned his judgement, becomes so prejudiced against sober sence and so altogether disposed to trifling, that so soon as he gets hold of a text he presently thinks he has catched one of his old school questions; and so falls a-flinging it out of one hand into another, tossing it this way and that; lets it run a little upon the line, then Tanutus, High Jingo, Come again; here catching at a word, there lie nibbling and sucking at an and, a by, a quis or a quid, a sic and a sicut; and thus minces the text so small, that his parishioners until he rendevouze it again, can scarce tell what's become of it.'

Grounds and Occasions of the Contempt of the Clergy. Lond., 1712.

135. Gilbert Burnet, 1643-1715. (Handbook, pars. 356, 384.)

The author of the History of the Reformation in England (1679-1681); of an Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles; and of a History of his own Times. He enjoyed the personal friendship of the Prince of Orange, and was made Bishop of Salisbury in 1689.

On the proper Conduct of Princes.

I have had the honour to be admitted to much free conversation with five of our sovereigns, King Charles II., King James II., King William III., Queen Mary, and Queen Anne. King Charles's behaviour was a thing never enough to be commended; he was a perfectly well-bred man, easy of access, free in his discourse, and sweet in his whole deportment; this was managed with great art, and it covered bad designs; it was of such use to him, that it may teach all succeeding princes of what advantage an easiness of access and an obliging behaviour may be; this preserved him; it often disarmed those resentments which his illconduct in everything, both public and private, possessed all thinking people with very early, and all sorts of people at last; and yet none could go to him, but they were in a great measure softened before they left him; it looked like a charm that could hardly be resisted; yet there was no good nature under that, nor was there any truth in him. King James had great application to business, though without a right understanding; that application gave him a reputation, till he took care to throw it off; if he had not come after King Charles, he would have passed for a prince of a sweet temper, and easy of access. King William was

the reverse of all this; he was scarce accessible, and was always cold and silent; he minded affairs abroad so much, and was so set on the war, that he scarce thought of his government at home; this raised a general disgust, which was improved by men of ill designs, so that it perplexed all his affairs, and he could scarce support himself at home, whilst he was the admiration of all abroad. Queen Mary was affable, cheerful, and lively, spoke much, and yet under great reserves, minded business, and came to understand it well; she kept close to rules, chiefly to those set her by the king, and she charmed all that came near her. Queen Anne is easy of access, and hears everything very gently; but opens herself to so few, and is so cold and general in her answers, that people soon find that the chief application is to be made to her ministers and favourites, who, in their turns, have an entire credit and full power with her; she has laid down the splendour of a court too much, and eats privately; so that, except on Sundays, and a few hours twice or thrice a-week at night in the drawing-room, she appears so little, that her court is as it were abandoned. But of all these princes' conduct, and from their successes in their affairs, it is evident what ought to be the measures of a wise and good prince, who would govern the nation happily and gloriously.

The first, the most essential, and most indispensable rule for a king is, to study the interest of the nation, to be ever in it, and to be always pursuing it: this will lay in for him such a degree of confidence, that he will be ever safe with his people when they feel they are safe in him. No part of our story shows this more visibly than Queen Elizabeth's reign, in which the true interest of the nation was constantly pursued; and this was so well understood by all, that everything else was forgiven her and her ministers both. Sir Simon d'Ewe's journal shows a treatment of Parliament that could not have been borne at any other time or under any other administration. This was the constant support of King William's reign, and continues to support the present reign, as it will support all who adhere steadily to it.

A prince that would command the affections and purses of this nation, must not study to stretch his prerogative, or be uneasy under the restraints of law. As soon as this humour shows itself, he must expect that a jealousy of him, and an uneasy opposition

This was written in the reign of Queen Aune

to him, will follow through the whole course of his reign; whereas, if he governs well, parliaments will trust him as much as a wise prince would desire to be trusted, and will supply him in every war that is necessary, either for their own preservation or the preservation of those allies with whom mutual interests and leagues unite him; but though, soon after the Restoration, a slavish Parliament supported King Charles in the Dutch war, yet the nation must be strangely changed before anything of that sort can happen again.

From Burnet's Own Times, closing pars.

Character of William of Orange.

He had a thin and weak body, was brown-haired, and of a clear and delicate constitution. He had a Roman eagle nose, bright and sparkling eyes, a large front, and a countenance composed to gravity and authority. All his senses were critical and exquisite. He was always asthmatical; and the dregs of the small-pox falling on his lungs, he had a constant deep cough. His behaviour was solemn and serious, seldom cheerful, and but with a few. He spoke little, and very slowly, and most commonly with a disgusting dryness, which was his character at all times, except in a day of battle; for then he was all fire, though without passion. He was then everywhere, and looked to everything. He had no great advantage from his education. De Witt's discourses were of great use to him; and he, being apprehensive of the observation of those who were looking narrowly into everything he said or did, had brought himself under a habitual caution that he could never shake off, though, in another sense, it proved as hurtful as it was then necessary to his affairs. He spoke Dutch, French, English, and German equally well; and he understood the Latin, Spanish, and Italian; so that he was well fitted to command armies composed of several nations. He had a memory that amazed all about him, for it never failed him. He was an exact observer of men and things. His strength lay rather in a true discerning and sound judgment than in imagination or invention. His designs were always great and good; but it was thought he trusted too much to that, and that he did not descend enough to the humours of his people to make himself and his notions more acceptable to them. This, in a government that had so much of freedom in it as ours, was more necessary than