by their law, to proftrate himself on the ground, and to defend with life the perfon who possesses it. E Memoirs of Edward Colton, Efq. DWARD COLSTON, a private gentleman, celebrated for his numerous and extenfive charities, was the eldeft ton of William Colfton, Efq. an eminent Spanish merchant in Briffol, and born in that city, Nov. 2, 1636. He was brought up to trade, and refided fome time in Spain; as did alfo his brothers, two of whom were inhumanly murdered there by affaffins. He inherited a handsome fortune from his parents, which received continued additions from the fortunes of his brethren; all of whom, though numerous, he furvived. This family fubftance he increased immenfely by trade; and having, as we would willingly hope, no near relations, he difpofed of a great part of it in various acts of charity and beneficence, In 1691, he built upon his own ground, at the charge of about 2500l. St. Michael's hill alms-houses in Bristol; and endowed them with land, whole yearly rent amounts to 2821. 38, 4d.. The fame year he gave houses and lands, without Temple-gate in that city, to the fociety of merchants for ever, toward the maintenance of fix poor old decayed failors, to the yearly value of 241. In 1696, he purchased a piece of ground in Temple fireet in the fame city, and built at his own charge a fchool and dwellinghouse for a malter, to inflruct forty boys, who are allo to be clothed, and inftructed in writing, arithmetic, and the churchcatechism. The estate given for this charity amounts to 8ol. yearly, clear of all charges. 1 In 1702, he gave sool. toward rebuilding queen Elizabeth's hofpital on the Collegegreen in Briftol; and for the clothing and educating of fix boys there, appropriated an eftate, of ocl. a year, clear of charges, belides cl. for placing out the boys appren tice. In 178, he fettled his great benefaction of the hofpital of St. Augustin in Bristol, confifling of a master, two ufhers, and co boys; for the maintenance of whom, he gave an efate of 1381. 158. 64d. a year. The charge of first setting up his hofpital, and making it convenient for the purpose, amounted to about: 1.1,000l. He gave alfo 61. yearly to the minister of All Saints in Bristol, for reading prayers eve ry Monday and Tuefdays morning throughout the year, and 1. a year to the clerk and fexton: alfo 61. a year for ever, for a monthly fermon and prayers to the prisoners in Newgate there; and 20l. yearly for ever to the clergy beneficed in that city, for preaching 14 fermons in time of Lent, on fubjects appointed by himfelf. The fubjects are thefe: The Lent-fast; Against Atheism and infidelity; the Catholic Church; The Excellence of the Church of England; The Powers of the Church; Baptifm; Con firmation; Confeffion and Abfolution; The Errors of the Church of Rome; Euthufiafm and Superftition; Reftitution; Frequenting the divine Service; Frequent Communion The Paffion of our bleffed Savi our. He beftowed, laftly, upward of 2000l. in occafional charities and benefactions to churches and charity schools, all within the city of Bristol. Let us proceed now to enumerate, in the fame general way, what he bestowed elsewhere. In the first place, He gave 600l. for the augmentation of fixty fmall livings, the diftribution of which was to be after this manner. Any living, that was entitled to queen Anne's bounty, might have this too, on condition that every parish, that did receive this, fhould be oblig ed, to raife 100l. to be added to the 1ool. raifed by Colfton and many livings have had the grant of this bounty. He gave to St. Bartholomew's hofpital in London 2000l. with which was purchased an estate of 100l. a year, which is fettled on that hofpital; and he left to the fame, by will, sool. To Chrift's hofpital, at several times, 1000l. and 1000l, more by will. To the hofpitals of St. Thomas and Bethlehem, 5ool. each. To the work-house without Bishopfgate, 2001. To the fociety for pro pagating the gospel in foreign parts, 300!. He built an alins houfe for fix poor people at Shene in Surry, and left very handfone legacies to Mortlake in the fame county, where he died: that is, he gave 451. yearly, to he continued for twelve years after his death, for clothing and educating 12 boys and 12 girls in that place, and 851. he being fo many years old, to 85 poor men and women there, teach 1l, to be diftributed at the time of his decease, He gave 1ool. per annum, to be continued for twelve years after his death, and to be diftributed by the direction of his executors: either to place out very year ten boys ap prentices, or to be given toward the fetting up ten young tradeimen, to each tol. He gave likewife to eighteen charityfchools in feveral parts of England, and to be continued to them for twelve years after his death, to each school yearly sl. Finally, he gave toward building a church at Manchester in Lancashire, 201, and toward the building of a church at Tiverton in Devonshire, 5. Yet hence the poor are cloth'd, the hungry fed; Health to himself, and to his infants bread, POPE. terion of human actions. Mr. Colton in But confiftency of conduct is the true crihimself was humble, temperate, and even abftinent. In all his actions he appeared to be Belide these known and public benefacti ons, he gave away every year large fums in private charities, for many years together; and the preacher of his funeral fermon gives us to underfland, that these did not fall much Itort of his public. In a word, this great and exemplary chriftian feems to have poffeffed no fmall fhare of that judgment and delicacy, in the difpenfing of his bounties, which are requifite to render the parties re lieved the better for them. Among other inftances of this one may be noted in his never giving any thing to common beggars. This he never did; but he always ordered, that poor houfe-keepers, and fick and decayed perfons, fhould be fought out as the fittest objects of his clarity. We must not forget to obferve, that though charity was this gentleman's fining virtue, yet he pof felled other virtues in an eminent degree. He was a perfon of great temperance, meekhefs, patience, and equanimity. He always tooked chearful and plestint, was of a perlofophy, that the fhare of each man's ceable and quiet difpofition, and remarkably Circumfpect in all his actions. Some years before his deccafe, he retired from bufinefs, and came and lived at Lon don, and at Mortlake in Surry, where he had a country feat. Here he died October 91, 1721, almoft 85; and was buried in the church of All-faints, Brikol, where a monument is erected to his memory, on which are enumerated his public charities, mentioned in this article. His funeral fermon was preached by Dr. Harcourt, and printed at London the fame year. In perufing the life of this excellent perfon, it may be obferved, that undiftinguished by ftriking incidents and adventures, by aught that can amufe the frivolous, or gratify the inquifitive, it was one continued feries of goodness and libérality. Of benevolence and beneficence it has been folin, that they 'do not always exift together. The noble mind, in whom benevolence is a prevailing virtue, is circumferibed, perhaps, in his finances: his wishes to do good are unbounded, but he wants the means to gratify them. Philofophical enough to be contented with 'the little he has, fo far as his own wants only are concerned, he never perceives that lie is poor, till he meets with fome perfon in diftrefs that he cannot relieve, or fome circumftance of human mifery that he cannot On the other hand, he that spreads his ftores around, is, whatever be his motives, a beneficent'man. But in the good that he docs, in the happiness that he diffufes the divine principle of benevolence may yet be wanting. The oftentation of riches, the parace of generofity, and the affectation of being virtuous, may influence a thoufand actions in themfelves beneficent, without one remove. benevolent motive. actuated folely by the divine principles of religion; and he may, therefore, be fafely recommended to the imitation of the wealthy, as one that not only did good to a degree uncommonly extenfive, but did it from those exalted motives that can alone be acceptable to God. SIR, To the Editor. Believe it is generally allowed by phi felicity is very inferior to its concomitant misery; but it is at the same time univerfally acknowledged,' that by far the greater part of our anxieties is of our own creating, and that a few trifling vexations which occur daily, embitter bur lives more than material misfortunes. Whoever then attempts to cure thefe evils, muß let the remedy be, as their difeafe is, altogether imaginary. Every individual must think himself highly indebted to any other, who can add any thing to the finall fhare of his happinefs; therefore I do not doubt but that I shall receive the beings all of your readers, fince they can all become happier by treading in the path which I have followed, and by attending to the admonition which I shall give. in the earlier ages of infancy, when I might be fuppofed to act, as it were, only by inflinct, I remember to have been whipt by my mamma, for not making ufe of the word please, when I asked fomething of her. I was furprised that the omiffion of one word fhould be attended with such disagreeable confequences, and refolved to fay please an hundred times rather than experience the like again. Accordingly the next time I had occation to make any request to her, 'I did not fail to promife that fearful word, when, happily for me, inftead of the four looks of my mamma, and the fourer looks of a birch rod, I was encouraged by the falutation of "that's a good boy;"' I had my requeft granted, and got a penny befides. This circumstance of my life was fixed fo indeli bly on my mind, as to furnish me with many reflections, which have proved very effential to my happinefs fince I grew up: 1 toon found I had the admirable fecret of pleafing others others and of making myself happy, or, to fpeak with a metaphor, that I had the pow er of converting lead into gold. When I was at fchool, had frequent opportunities of trying the effect of this fecret, and ufed to flatter every fcholar with whom it was my intereft to be friendly. If I wanted any thing of him I would praise his generofity, but if I knew him to be flingy, I would praise his economy; if fullen, I would praife his jolidity; if a bully, his courage; and if idle, his jovial temper; always endeavouring to adapt my bats to the fijb i would with to catch. As I always endeavour to please others by Battery, folcannot always avoid being pleafed with it myicif; for I cannot at this day help reading any book that is addreffed to the candid, benevolent, learned, or pious reader, unless it be fome mully folio or quarto, and even then my vanity prompts me to read the part thus dedicated. of any other perfuafion: my father coincided in this opinion with the greateft ftrictnefs: I perceived it, and determined to make my greatest advantage by it. For this purpose I became acquainted with a young lady of family, fortune, and underflanding, but who differed from us in religious principles: it is true, I never fhewed her any marks of peculiar fondnefs, but I whiffered it about as a mighty fecret to two or three female acquaintances, hoping by these means it would come to my father's ears: meanwhile I looked dejected, and spoke but little in the old gentleman's prefence, and counterfeited the fymptoms of love as well as I poffibly could. My father at length heard of it, and thought the news confirmed by my behaviour. It was with a great deal of concern that he asked me the truth of it: I pretended I could not deny; but, as an excufe, I praised her beauty and mental accomplishments, and hoped that he approved of my choice. He answered, No-that the difference of religion was an unfurmountable objection. I begged leave to retire, promifing to return in an hour. I went out, and having adjusted my countenence to the deepeft defpair, and appeared before him at the expiration of the time, I told him, I confented to refign all pretenfions to the lady, rather than give him any uneafinefs; fince the reflection of ingratitude to a tender affectionate parent would damp all the happinefs I could hope to enjoy with her. This had nearly staggered the old gentleman's refolution, for he declared he would fcarcely deny any thing to fuch a loving dutiful fon; and at length his rigidity gave way to his paternal affection, and he confented that I fhould marry the young lady, provided the acted up to the principles of her own religion. This laft had nearly ruined all; yet I pretended to be overjoyed at his condefcenfion. I refolvBut above all things I lay it down as a role ed, however, to try whether I could not ever to be oblerved, to laugh or at least smile, gain her affections, in which I happily fucat every piece of wit I hear, although heard ceeded, by a vigilant perfeverance, and a an hundred times before; and to lend an at-liberal use of my fecret Her father was tentive ear to every anecdote or flory of Jofeph and his brethren, or the smart speeches of Buchanan the king's fool. I mention that this rule is one of my most valuable ones, as it procured me the privilege of being fet down in black and white, in a certain piece of parchment, carefully kept by a good old uncle of mine. I am witha very charitable, and make it a material point never to fpeak ill of any one,, unless it is in the company of ladies, or a rival, and even then I am very cautious, for I let them begin the flander, and then I am fure it is only good breeding to fay yes to what they say. If any one of my neighbours buys any thing, I praile his judgment extravagantly; an inftance of it occurred of one who bought a horse: "Ah, neighbour (fays 1) I find you have cut your hind teeth." If I go to the shop of a mechanic, I praise his ingenuity, and always exprefs particular wonder at any contrivance I know to be his ewn. To an aftronomer I can talk in raptures of the fars; to a mufician of the powers of found; and even the barber of the village looks upon me as a man of vaft penetration, becaufe 1 once obferved to him, that he handled his razor with amazing dexterity. But there is one piece of flattery which I once committed, that I look upon as my master-piece, as it excels every thing or piece of deep contrivance that I am mafter of, and which I honefly confess I relate as much from motives of vanity as from a detire to benefit mankind by it. I belong to a fect of Chriftians who look upon it wrong for any of their members to intermarry with thofe Gent. Mag. Sept. 1788. next to be attacked. I firft gained his love by my repeated and well-timed affeverations of my refpect for him, and I afterwards gained his confent to our union by a few compliments on his univerfal charity. This is the artifice that united me to my dear Sophia, who is one of the finest and worthieft of women. I have pleafed my father by fuch an undoubted proof of my filial love and duty; I have obtained a genteel compe. tency from him, and now relt affured of his entire love, and confidence in me. And, finally, by thefe innocent means, I have procured happiness for your worthy perfons, and without doing the leaft injury to any individual. Thus, Sir, I have given you a few anecdotes of my life, which more fully coaNnn firme אן N perufing the Lives of the Poets, I have often thought I traced Johnson depicting his own mind fo accurately, fo naturally and faithfully, that I could not refift the inclination to make a felection 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 disagreeable to your readers to perufe a CHARACTER OF DR. JOHNSON "WRITTEN BY HIMSELF."-" Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur." "His mifcellanies contain a collection of short compofitions, written fome as they were dictated by a mind at leisure, and fome as they were called forth by different occa fions. (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 surprised into fome improvement, (ibid.) He wrote with abundant fertility, with much thought, but with little imagery; he is never pathetic, and rarely fublime, but always either ingenious or learned, either acute or profound, (p. 86.) He read much, and yet borrowed little, (p. 87) He was in his own time confidered as of unrivalled excellence, (ibid.) te is one of those writers that improved our talte and advanced our language, and whom we ought therefore to read with gratitude, though, having done much, he left much to do, (Denham, p. 118.) It appears in all his writings that he had the ufual concoitant of great abilities, a lofty and fteady confidence in himfelf, perhaps not without fome contempt of others; for fcarcely any man ever wrote fo much, and praised fo few. Of his praife he was very frugal; as he fet its value high, and confidered his mention of a narse as a security against the wafte of time, and a certain prefervative againft oblivion, (Milton, p, 130, 131.) While he contented himself to write [politics], he perhaps did only what his confcience dicated and if he did not very vigiTently watch the influence of his own paffions, and the gradual prevalence of opinions, firft willingly admitted, and then habitually indulged; if objections, by being overlooked, were forgotten, and defire fuperinduced conviction; yet he shared only the common weakness of mankind, and might be no less fincere than his opponents, (p. 151.) He taught only the ftate-doctrine of authority, and the unpleafing duty of fubmiffion: and he had been fo long not only the monarch but the tyrant of literature, that almost all and infulted by a new name, not yet conmankind were delighted to find him defied fidered as any man's rival, (p. 155.) I cannot but remark a kind of respect, perhaps unconsciously, paid to this great man by his biographers; every houfe in which he refided is hiftorically mentioned, as if it were injury to neglect naming any place that he honoured with his prefence, (p. 170.) 20 His warmeft advocates muft allow, that he never fpared any afperity of reproach, or brutality of infolence, (p. 190.) He never learned the art of doing little things with grace; he overlooked the milder excellencies of fuavity and foftnefs; he was a lion that had no fkill in dandling the kid, (p. 118.) He was naturally a thinker for himself, confident of his own abilities, and difdainful of help or hindrance. There is in his write ings nothing by which the pride of other authors might be gratified, or favour gained; no exchange of praise, or folicitation of fupport, (p. 262.) He had watched with great diligence the operations of human nature, and traced the effects of opinion, hu mour, intereft, and paffion. From fuch remarks proceeded that great number of fententious diftichs which have paffed into conversation, and are added as proverbial axioms to the general stock of practical knowledge, (Butler, p. 280.) He improved tafte, if he did not enlarge knowledge, and may be numbered among the Benefactors to English literature, (Rofcommon, p. 320.) He paffed his time in the company that was highest both in rank and wit, from which even his obftinate sobriety did not exclude him. Though he drank water, he was enabled by his fertility of mind to heighten the mirth of Bacchanalian affemblies, (Waller, p. 367.) His convivial power of pleafing is univerfally acknowledged; but those who converfed with him intimately, found him not only paffionate, efpecially in his old age, but refentful, (p. 382.) To fee the highest mind thus levelled with the meaneft, may produce fome folace to the consciousness of weakness, and fome mortification to the pride of wifdom. But let it be remembered, that minds are not levelled in their power, but when they are first levelled in their defires, (Dryden, vol. II. p 33.) His reputation in his time was such, that his name was thought མ thought neteffary to the fuccefs of every poetical or literary performance, and there fore he was engaged to contribute formething, 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 progress towards wealth or honour, will not be thought to love truth only for himfelf. Yet it may easily happen, that information may come at a commodious time; and, as truth and intereft are not by any fatal neceffity at variance, that one may by accident introduce the other. When opinions are ftruggling into popularity, the arguments by which they are opposed or defended become more known; and he that changes his profeffion would perhaps have changed it be fore, with the hike opportunities of inftruction, (p. 61.) See vol. I. p. 151. The modefty which made him fo flow to advance, and fo cafy to be repulfed, was certainly no fufpicion of deficient inerit, or unconsciousness of his own value: he appears to have known, in its whole extent, dignity of character, to a very high value on his power and performances. He probably did not offer his conversation, because he expected it to be folicited; and he retired from a cold reception not fubmiffive, but indignant, with fuch reverence of his own greatnefs as made him unwilling to expole it to neglect or violation, (p. 84.) He has been described as magifterially prefiding over the younger writers, and alluming 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 criticifm 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 doubt lefs be fafely recommended to the confidence of the reader; but his occafional and particular pofitions were fometimes negligent, and fometimes 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 languishes in penury of ideas. His works abound with knowledge, and fparkle with illuftrations. There is fearce any science or faculty that does not fupply him with occasional images and lucky Šmilitudes; every page discovers 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 ftrong reafon than quick fenfibility. Upon all occasions that were presented, he ftudied rather than felt, and produced fentiments not fuch as nature enforces, but meditation fupplies.With the fimple and elemental paffions, as they spring separately in the mind, he feems not much acquainted; and feldom defcribes them, but as they are complicated by the various relations of society, and confufed in the tumults and agitations of life, (p. 173.) He was a man of fuch eftimation among hi companions, that the cafual cenfures or praifes which he dropped in converfation were confidered, like thofe of Scaliger, as worthy of prefervation, (Smith, p 249.) His phrafes are original, but they are fonietimes harfh; as he inherited no elegance, none has he bequeathed. Sketch of the Chara&er of Lord Hood. TT was frequently urged by the opponents of minster election, that his Lordship, as a means of interefting the electors to fupport his caufe, had arrogated to himself the merit of victories in which he had no fhare, particularly that of the 12th of April, and had attempted to place upon his own brow, those laurels which were the juft property of another. Without entering into the motives which induced his Lordship's enemies thus confidently to propagate falfehoods of the moft illiberal nature, as a friend to gallantry and profeffional merit, I fhall impartially state the whole of his Lordship's public fervices; and if the career of any man has been truly glorious to himself, and advantageous to his country, I truft a recital of his actions will prove that of Lord Hood to have been so, in a very eminent degree. After having with the greateft credit, passed through the fubordinate gradations, and when a Lieutenant been wounded in a dangerous fervice of boarding a fhip of the eneiny, he was appointed to command the Jamaica floop, as Mafter and Commander. A in the year 1756, by his gallant conduct off Louifbourg, having attracted the notice of Admiral Holmes, he was by that refpectable officer preferred to the rank of Poft Captain, into his own thip the Grafton, In 1757, when Captain of the Antelope of 50 guns, he drove on fhore on the coat of France the Aquilon French man of war, of fuperior force, and completely defroyed her. And the recollection of his equally brave as judicious conduct on the 21st of February Na ú 1759% |