worthy and pious clergyman of the name of Bolde, who was the author of A Collection of Tracts, published in Vindication of Mr. Locke's Reasonableness of Christianity, as delivered in the Scriptures, and of his Essay concerning Human Understanding, in 8vo. Scarcely was he disengaged from this controversy, before he was drawn into another, on the following occasion. Some time before this, Mr. Toland published a book, entitled Christianity not mysterious, in which he endeavoured to prove, "that there is nothing in the Christian religion, not only contrary to reason, but even nothing above it ;" and in explaining some of his notions, he made use of several arguments from Mr. Locke's Essay concerning Human Understanding. About the same time several treatises were published by some Unitarians, maintaining, that there was nothing in the Christian religion but what was rational and intelligible, which sentiment had been advanced by Mr. Locke. The use which was made of his writings in these instances, determined Dr. Stillingfleet, bishop of Worcester, to make an attack upon our author. Accordingly, in his Defence of the Doctrine of the Trinity, published in 1697, he censured some passages in the Essay concerning Human Understanding, as tending to subvert the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. Mr. Locke immediately published an answer to this charge, in A Letter to the Right Reverend Edward, Lord Bishop of Worcester, &c. to which the bishop replied in the same year. This was confuted in a second letter of Mr. Locke's, which drew a second answer from the bishop, in 1698. A third letter of Mr. Locke's was the last which appeared in this controversy, the death of the bishop having taken place not long after its publication. It was generally admitted, that Mr. Locke had greatly the advantage of the bishop in this controversy. When speaking of it, M. Le Clerc says, "Every body admired the strength of Mr. Locke's reasonings, and his great clearness and exactness, not only in explaining his own notions, but in confuting those of his adversary. Nor were men of understanding less surprised, that so learned a man as the bishop should engage in a controversy, in which he had all the disadvantages possible: for he was by no means able to maintain his opinions against Mr. Locke, whose reasoning he neither understood, nor the subject itself about which he disputed. This eminent prelate had spent the greatest part of his time in the study of ecclesiastical antiquities, and reading a prodigious number of books; but was no great philosopher; nor had ever accustomed himself to that close mode of thinking and reasoning, in which Mr. Locke did so highly excel. How

ever, though our excellent philosopher obtained so great a victory over the bishop, and had reason to complain of his unjust charges against him, and of his writing on subjects of which he had not a sufficient knowledge, yet he did not triumph over his ignorance, but detected and confuted his errors with civility and respect." And an Irish prelate, in a letter to Mr. Molyneux, an intimate friend of Mr. Locke, thus expresses himself upon the subject: "I have read Mr. Locke's letter to the bishop of Worcester with great satisfaction, and am wholly of your opinion, that he has fairly laid the great bishop on his back; but it is with so much gentleness, as if he were afraid not only of hurting him, but even of spoiling or tumbling his clothes. Indeed, I cannot tell which I most admire, the great civility and good manners in his book, or the forcibleness and clearness of his reasonings."

Mr. Locke's publications in the controversy above-mentioned were the last which were committed by himself to the press. The asthmatic complaint, to which he had been long subject, increasing with his years, began now to subdue his constitution, and rendered him very infirm. He, therefore, determined to resign his post of commissioner of trade and plantations; but he acquainted none of his friends with his design, till he had given up his commission into the king's own hand. His majesty was very unwilling to receive it, and told our author, that he would be well pleased with his continuance in that office, though he should give little or no attendance; for that he did not desire him to stay in town one day to the injury of his health. But Mr. Locke told the king, that he could not in conscience hold a place, to which a considerable salary was annexed, without discharging the duties of it; upon which the king reluctantly accepted his resignation. Mr. Locke's behaviour in this instance discovered such a degree of integrity and virtue, as reflects more honour on his character than his extraordinary intellectual endowments. His majesty entertained a great esteem for him, and would sometimes desire his attendance, in order to consult with him on public affairs, and to know his sentiments of things. From this time Mr. Locke continued altogether at Oates, in which agreeable retirement he applied himself wholly to the study of the sacred Scriptures. In this employment he found so much pleasure, that he regretted his not having devoted more of his time to it in the former part of his life. And his great regard for the sacred writings appears from his answer to a relation who had inquired of him, what was the shortest and surest way for a young gentleman to attain a true knowledge of the Christian religion? "Let him

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study," said Mr. Locke, "the holy Scripture, especially in the New Testament. Therein are contained the words of eternal life. It has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter." Mr. Locke now found his asthmatic disorder growing extremely troublesome, though it did not prevent him from enjoying great cheerfulness of mind. In this situation his sufferings were greatly alleviated by the kind attention and agreeable conversation of the accomplished lady Masham, who was the daughter of the learned Dr. Cudworth; as this lady and Mr. Locke had a great esteem and friendship for each other. At the commencement of the summer of the year 1703, a season, which, in former years, had always restored him some degrees of strength, he perceived that it had began to fail him more remarkably than ever. This convinced him that his dissolution was at no great distance, and he often spoke of it himself, but always with great composure; while he omitted none of the precautions which, from his skill in physic, he knew had a tendency to prolong his life. At length his legs began to swell; and that swelling increasing every day, his strength visibly diminished. He therefore prepared to take leave of the world, deeply impressed with a sense of God's manifold blessings to him, which he took delight in recounting to his friends, and full of a sincere resignation to the divine will, and of firm hopes in the promises of future life. As he had been incapable for a considerable time of going to church, he thought proper to receive the sacrament at home; and two of his friends communicating with him, as soon as the ceremony was finished he told the minister, "that he was in perfect charity with all men, and in a sincere communion with the church of Christ, by what name soever it might be distinguished." He lived some months after this; which time he spent in acts of piety and devotion. On the day before his death, lady Masham being alone with him, and sitting by his bed-side, he exhorted her to regard this world only as a state of preparation for a better; adding, "that he had lived long enough, and that he thanked God he had enjoyed a happy life; but that, after all, he looked upon this life to be nothing but vanity." He had no rest that night, and resolved to try to rise on the following morning; which he did, and was carried into his study, where he was placed in an easy chair, and slept for a considerable time. Seeming a little refreshed, he would be dressed as he used to be; and observing lady Masham reading to herself in the Psalms while he was dressing, he requested her to read aloud. She did so; and he appeared very attentive, till, feeling the approach of death,

he desired her to break off, and in a few minutes expired, on the twenty-eighth of October, 1704, in the seventy-third year of his age. He was interred in the church of Oates, where there is a decent monument erected to his memory, with a modest inscription in Latin, written by himself.

Thus died that great and most excellent philosopher John Locke, who was rendered illustrious not only by his wisdom, but by his piety and virtue, by his love of truth, and diligence in the pursuit of it, and by his generous ardour in defence of the civil and religious rights of mankind. His writings have immortalized his name; and, particularly, his Essay concerning the Human Understanding. In this work, "discarding all systematic theories, he has, from actual experience and observation, delineated the features, and described the operations of the human mind, with a degree of precision and minuteness not to be found in Plato, Aristotle, or Des Cartes. After clearing the way, by setting aside the whole doctrine of innate notions and principles, both speculative and practical, the author traces all ideas to two sources, sensation and reflection; treats at large on the nature of ideas, simple and complex; of the operations of the human understanding in forming, distinguishing, compounding, and associating them; of the manner in which words are applied as representations of ideas; of the difficulties and obstructions in the search after truth, which arise from the imperfections of these signs; and of the nature, reality, kinds, degrees, casual hinderances, and necessary limits, of human knowledge. Though several topics are treated of in this work, which may be considered as episodical with respect to the main design; though many opinions which the author advances may admit of controversy; and though on some topics he may not have expressed himself with his usual perspicuity, and on others may be thought too verbose; the work is of inestimable value, as a history of the human understanding, not compiled from former books, but written from materials collected by a long and attentive observation of what passes in the human mind. His next great work, the Two Treatises of Government, is also a performance which will render his memory dear to the enlightened friends of civil and religious freedom. But even in this country, the constitution of which is defensible only on the principles therein laid down, it has been violently opposed by the advocates for those slavish doctrines which were discarded at the Revolution in 1688; and by that class of politicians who would submit to the abuses and corruptions to which the best systems of government are liable, rather than encourage attempts after those improvements in civil policy, which the

extension of knowledge, and of science, might give men just reason to hope for, and to expect. And in our time, we have seen a formal attempt made to overturn the principles in Mr. Locke's work by Dr. Tucker, dean of Gloucester, in his Treatise on Civil Government, published in the year 1781. That gentleman was pleased to assert, that the principles of Mr. Locke " are extremely dangerous to the peace and happiness of all society;" that his writings, and those of some of the most eminent of his disciples, "have laid a foundation for such disturbances and dissensions, such mutual jealousies and animosities, as ages to come will not be able to settle and compose;" and, speaking of the paradoxes which he supposes to attend the system of Mr. Locke and his followers, he asserted, that "they rendered it one of the most mischievous, as well as ridiculous schemes, that ever disgraced the reasoning faculties of human nature." To the disgrace of the age, it was for a time fashionable to applaud his libel on the doctrines of our author. But his gross misrepresentations of the principles of Mr. Locke, his laborious attempts to involve him in darkness and obscurity, and to draw imaginary consequences from his propositions, which cannot by any just reasoning be deducible from them, were ably exposed in different publications; and by no writer with greater force and spirit, than by Dr. Towers, in his Vindication of the political Principles of Mr. Locke, in Answer to the Objections of the Rev. Dr. Tucker, Dean of Gloucester, published in 1782, in octavo.

Of Mr. Locke's private character an account was first published by Mr. Peter Coste, who had lived with him as an amanuensis, which was afterwards prefixed by M. des Maizeaux to A Collection of several Pieces of Mr. Locke never before printed, &c., published in 1720; from which, together with M. le Clerc's Bibliotheque Choisie, we shall present our readers with some interesting particulars relating to this great man. Mr. Locke possessed a great knowledge of the world, and was intimately conversant in the business of it. He was prudent, without cunning; he engaged men's esteem by his probity; and took care to secure himself from the attacks of false friends and sordid flatterers. Averse to all mean compliance, his wisdom, his experience, and his gentle manner, gained him the respect of his inferiors, the esteem of his equals, the friendship and confidence of those of the highest quality. He was remarkable for the ease and politeness of his behaviour; and those who knew him only by his writings, or by the reputation which he had acquired, and who had supposed him a reserved or austere man, were surprised, if they happened to be introduced to him,