be a conftant enemy to every tyrannical and defpotic form of govern

ment.

II. We will fapply all the bishopries in our dominions with bifhops who shall have exercised for feveral years in fome monaftery, thofe virtues which St Paul requires in a bishop; and we ordain, by an unalterable decree, that no perfon fhall ever be raifed to the office of a bishop, without having been a monk for feveral years, and having attentively studied the facred writings.

III. Agreeably to the facred ca nons, we will take care that diocefan, metropolitan, provincial, national, and general councils be, by no means, neglected; and we promife to pay obedience to their decrees, and to make a law, by which we will oblige ourfelves, our children, and our fucceffors in the empire, to pay fuch fubmiffion to the council of the church, that if we or they shall happen to violate the Chriftian form of government, or fhall difcover any inclination to rule with defpotic power (which God forbid) we may be deprived of the imperial power, and our people may be releafed from every obligation to us as fubjects.

IV. We will take the greatest care to cherish and fupport arms and let ters, and particularly to encourage facred and divine literature, in order that our empire may be covered with glory by a great number of eminent men, not only in the art of war both by fea and land, but ftill more in wifdom and erudition; for as the wife man faith in the facred writings, The tongue of the wife is health; and wifdom is the health of the world.' V. The famous city of Athens, the mother of fo many heroes, fhall, by our cares, become a nursery of men eminent in every virtue and in every art and science; from which a number of valiant captains, of prudent counfellors, of skilful artifts, of profound philofophers, and of great di

vines, may continually proceed; and for that purpofe, we will there eftablifh three colleges, with fufficient revenues. The firit thall be the College of St George, into which young people of quality thail be received; who, after producing fatisfactory evidence of their noble birth, shall pe inftructed in the Greek, Latin, Selavonic, Arabic, and other languages, according to their different capacities; as alfo, in things relative to political prudence, in peace and war. Thofe young people fhall, befides, have mafters for riding, dancing, fencing, and every other part of education which may be neceflary to render a gentleman completely accomplished for the fervice of his country. The fecond fhall be named St Bazil's College, into which monks of the Greek ritual shall be admitted. The third fhall be called the college of St Bene dict, and into it all the monks of the Latin ritual fhall be received. Both the one and the other will behove to be the moft dutiful fubjects to be found. among the whole monattic orders. They will learn the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Sclavonic, and Arabic langua ges, befides d.vinity, philofophy, and mathematics; in order that, being again diitributed among the different monafteries of their refpective orders, they may teach their brethren what they themselves have learned at Athers..

VI. As this univerfity of Athens must be the dearest and most precious treasure in the world, reafon therefore directs us to inftruct it to the care of a man of whom we are fully affured, that he is ftrongly attached to us, and that his character and fentiments are analogous to our own; particularly who is warmly attached to the catho lic and orthodox faith, to the holy Scriptures, and to divine and human learning. And we are perfuaded that God has chofen and prefented you to us, to begin and cftablish an inftitution fo important for the fupport and prefervation of our empire, as well as

for

for the general welfare of the church. Wherefore, by this letter, we conftitute and declare you Prince of A. thens, Director and Guardian of the above-mentioned feminary of education; and promife to you, in verbo regis, that as foon as we obtain poffeffion of our empire, you fhall be invefted with the aid principality of Athens, and the whole territory belonging to it, anciently called Attica; to which principality we will, befides, join the duchy of Thebes, with its territory called Boeotia; both the one and the other, with full fovereign pow. er to you and the male children procreated or adopted by you, and all their lawful defcendents for ever. Farther, for a delightful retirement, we will beftow upon you the renowned and beautiful valley which extends from the city of Gonna in Theffaly, to the Theffalonic gulph, anciently called Tempe; to which vale, comprehending the city of Gonna, we will inveft you with the fame rights as to the above-mentioned principality. and duchy and this to the end that all the world may be convinced of our efteem for your abilities and accom

:

plishments, which are defervedly the admiration of all Christendom, and of the affection with which we return your attachment to our perfon.

VII. Whereas we have been by you affured of the profound regard which all Europe entertains for the molt ho ly father Benedict, and his moft glorious order; we will take that order which is fo highly the object of your affection and esteem, under our impe rial protection; and we will caufe complete reftitution to be made to it of all the monafteries which it formerly poffeffed in our dominions, in order that the Chriftians of the Latin ritual may enjoy proper opportunities of gra tifying their devout difpofitions.

We folemnly vow and promife to perform the above engagements as foon as it shall be in our power. So help us God and all his faints. In teftimony whereof, we have, with our own hand, affixed our ufual feal to this deed. Given at Turin, on the 15th of October 1633.

Sultan IACHIA OTTOMAN. By command of the most serene Sultan HONORATE TIRANT. (Novelle Letterarie di Firenze.)

Character of Dr Johnson,

N perufing the Lives of the Poets, I have often thought I traced Johnfon depicting his own mind fo accurately, fo naturally and faithfully, that I could not refift the inclination to make a selection of fome paffages, which, put together, appear to form an exact and juft character of him. And after fo much has been faid of the Doctor, I hope it will not be difagreeable to your readers to perufe a CHARACTER OF DR JOHNSON WRITTEN BY HIMSELF."-" Mutato noinine de te fabula narratur.”

"His mifcellanies contain a collec

as drawn by himself.

tion of fhort compofitions, written fome as they were dictated by a mind at leifure, and fome as they were called forth by different occafions. (Vol. I. Cowley, p. 53.) His power is not fo much to move the affections, as to exercife the understanding, (p. 56.), His levity never leaves his learning behind it, (p. 61.) The plenitude of the writer's knowledge flows in upon his page, fo that the reader is commonly furprifed into fome improvement, (ibid.) He wrote with abundant fertility, with much thought, but with little imagery; he is never pa

thetic,

ance, and therefore he was engaged to contribute fomething, whatever it might be, to many publications, (p.55.) That converfion will always be fufpected that apparently comes with intereft. He that never finds his error till it hinders his progrefs towards wealth or honour, will not be thought to love truth only for herfelf. Yet it may easily happen, that information may come at a commodious time; and, as truth and intereft are not by any fatal neceflity at variance, that one may by accident introduce the other. When opinions are ftruggling into po pularity, the arguments by which they re oppofed or defended become more known; and he that changes his proethion would perhaps have changed it before, with the like opportunities of inftruction, (p.61.) See vol. I. p. 151. The modefty which made him fo flow to advance, and fo eafy to be repulfed, was certainly no fufpicion of deficient merit, or unconfcioufoefs of h's own' value; he appears to have known, in its whole extent, the dignity of his character, and to have fet a very high value on his power and performances. He probably did not offer his converfation, becaufe he exected it to be folicited; and he retired from a cold reception, not fubmiffive, but indignant, with fuch reTerence of his own greatnefs as made him unwilling to expofe it to neglect ar violation, (p. 84.) He has been deferibed as magifterially prefiding oyer the younger writers, and affuming the diftribution of poetical fame; but he who excels has a right to teach; and he whofe judgment is inconteftable, may, without ufurpation, examine and decide, (p. 85.)

His criticifin may be confidered as general or occafional. In his general precepts, which depend upon the nature of things, and the structure of the human mind, he may doubtlefs be fafely recommended to the confidence of

the reader; but his occafional and par« ticular pofitions were fometimes interefted, fometimes negligent, and fome times capricious, (p. 108.) His fcholaftic acquifitions feem not proportionate to his opportunities and abilities. He could not, like Milton and Cowley, have made his name illuftrious merely by his learning. He mentions but few books, and thofe fuch as lie in the beaten tract of regular study, from which if ever he departs, he is in danger of lofing himself in unknown regions, (p. 111.) Yet it cannot be faid that his genius is ever unprovided of matter, or that his fancy lan guifhes in penury of ideas. His works abound with knowledge, and sparkle with illuftrations. There is fcarce any fcience or faculty that does not fupply him with occafional images and lucky fimilitudes; every page difcovers a mind very widely acquainted both with art and nature, and in full poffeffion of great ftores of intellectual wealth, (p. 112.)

The power that predominated in his intellectual operations was rather strong reafon than quick fenfibility. Upon all occafions that were prefented, he ftudied rather than felt, and produced fentimenis not fuch as ra ture enforces, but meditation fupplies. With the fimple and elemental paffions, as they fpring feparately in the mind, he feems not much acquainted; and feldom defcribes them, but as they are complicated by the various relations of fociety, and confufed in the tumults and agitations of life, (p. 173.) He was a man of fuch eftimation among his companions, that the cafual cenfures or praifes which he dropped in converfation were con fidered, like thofe of Scaliger, as wor thy of prefervation, (Smith, p. 249-) His phrafes are original, but they are fometimes harth; as he inherited no elegance, none has he bequeathed.

Obfervations