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sented in his pictures, which are signed with the initials of his name, H. B.; Adrian being spelled with an H.

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BROWER (CHRISTOPHER), a learned Jesuit, was born at Arnheim in 1559, and entered among the Jesuits at Cologne in 1580, among whom he was distinguished for his talents. He taught philosophy at Treves, was afterwards rector of the college of Fulde, and chiefly employed at his leisure hours in composing his works, which procured him great reputation, and the esteem of many men of learning, especially cardinal Baronius, who often mentions Brower in his annals of the church, with high praise. He died at Treves June 2, 1617. His writings are, 1. An edition of "Venantius Fortunatus," with notes and additions, Cologne, 1624, 4to. 2. " Scholia on the poems of Rabanus Maurus," in vol. VI. of the works of Maurus. 3. " Antiquitates Fuldenses," 1612, 4to. 4. " Sidera illustrium et S. S. Virorum qui Germaniam rebus gestis ornarunt," Mentz, 1616, 4to. 5. "Historia Episcoporum Trevereusium, &c." Cologne, 1626. He had also a principal hand in the "Antiquities and Annals of Treves," 1626, 2 vols. folio, and reprinted 1670; but some antiquaries are of opinion that in his anxiety to give correct copies of certain ancient documents, he took liberties with the originals which tend to lessen the authority of his transcripts.

BROWN (JAMES), an English traveller and scholar, the son of James Brown, M. D. (who died Nov. 24, 1733), was born at Kelso, in the shire of Roxburgh, in Scotland, May 23, 1709, and was educated under Dr. Freind at Westminster school, where he made great proficiency in the Latin and Greek classics. In the latter end of 1722, he went with his father to Constantinople, and having a great aptitude for the learning of languages, acquired a competent knowledge of the Turkish, vulgar Greek, and Italian ; and on his return home in 1725, made himself master of the Spanish tongue. About the year 1732, he first started the idea of a very useful book in the mercantile world, although not deserving a place in any literary class, "The Directory," or list of principal traders in London; and having taken some pains to lay the foundation of it, he gave it to the late Mr. Henry Kent, printer in Finch-lane, Cornhill, who continued it from year to year, and acquired an estate by it.

1 Argenville, vol. III.-Descamps, vol. II.-Pilkington. Strutt. 2 Moreri.-Foppen Bibl. Belg.

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In 1741, Mr. Brown entered into an agreement with twenty-four of the principal merchants of London, members of the Russia Company, as their chief agent or factor, for the purpose of carrying on a trade, through Russia, to and from Persia, and he sailed for Riga Sept. 29. Thence he passed through Russia, down the Volga to Astracan, and sailed along the Caspian sea to Reshd in Persia, where he established a factory, in which he continued near four years. During this time, he travelled in state to the camp of Nadir Shah, commonly known by the name of Kouli Khan, with a letter which had been transmitted to him from the late George II. to that monarch. While he resided in this country, he applied himself much to the study of that language, and made such proficiency in it that, after his return home, he compiled a very copious "Persian Dictionary and Grammar," with many curious specimens of their writing, which is yet in manuscript. But not being satisfied with the conduct of some of the merchants in London, and being sensible of the dangers that the factory was constantly exposed to from the unsettled and tyrannical nature of the government of Persia, he resigned his charge to the gentlemen who were appointed to succeed him, returned to London Dec. 25, 1746, and lived to be the last survivor of all the persons concerned in the establishment of that trade, having outlived his old friend Mr. Jonas Hanway above two years. In May 1787, he was visited with a slight paralytic stroke, all the alarming effects of which very speedily vanished, and he retained his wonted health and chearfulness till within four days of his death, when a second and more severe stroke proved fatal Nov. 30, 1788. He died at his house at Stoke Newington, where he had been an inhabitant since 1734, and was succeeded by his worthy son James Brown, esq. F. S. A. now of St. Alban's. Mr. Lysons informs us that the elder Mr. Brown published also a translation of two "Orations of Isocrates" without his name. He was a man of the strictest integrity, unaffected piety, and exalted, but unostentatious benevolence; of an even, placid, chearful temper, which he maintained to the last, and which contributed to lengthen his days. Few men were ever more generally esteemed in life, or more respectfully spoken of after death by all who knew him.1

1 Gent. Mag. 1788.-Lysons's Environs, vol. III.

BROWN (JOHN), an ingenious English writer, descended from the Browns of Colstown near Haddington in Scotland, was born in Northumberland, Nov. 5, 1715, at Rothbury, of which place his father was curate, but removed almost immediately after to the vicarage of Wigton in Cumberland, where, at a grammar-school, he received the first part of his education; and was thence removed, May 8, 1732, to St. John's college in Cambridge. He remained here, till in 1735 he took the degree of B. A. then returned to Wigton, and soon after went into orders. His first settlement was in Carlisle, being chosen a minor canon and lecturer in the cathedral there. This situation he afterwards resigned, on being reproved for omitting the Athanasian creed, which it is said was merely accidental. His pride, however, was hurt, and next Sunday he read the creed, out of course, and immediately after resigned. In 1739 he took a M. A. degree at Cambridge. In the rebellion of 1745, he acted as a volunteer at the siege of Carlisle, and behaved himself with great intrepidity; and, after the defeat of the rebels, when some of them were tried at Carlisle in 1746, he preached two excellent sermons in the cathedral, "on the mutual connection between religious truth and civil freedom; and between superstition, tyranny, irreligion, and licentiousness." These are to be found in the volume of his sermons.

Thus distinguished, he fell under the notice of Dr. Osbaldeston; who, when raised to the see of Carlisle, made him one of his chaplains: he had before obtained for him from the chapter of Carlisle the living of Moreland in Westmoreland. It is probably about this time that he wrote his poem entitled "Honour;" to shew, that true honour can only be founded in virtue: it was inscribed to lord Lonsdale. His next poetical production, though not immediately published, was his "Essay on Satire," in three parts, afterwards addressed to Dr. Warburton, who introduced him to Mr. Allen of Prior Park near Bath. While at Mr. Allen's he preached at Bath, April 22, 1750, a sermon for promoting the subscription towards the general hospital in that city, entitled "On the pursuit of false pleasure, and the mischiefs of immoderate gaming;" and there was prefixed to it, when published, the following advertisement: "In justice to the magistrates of the city of Bath, it is thought proper to inform the reader, that the public gaming-tables were by them suppressed there, VOL. VII.

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soon after the preaching of this sermon." The year after, appeared the "Essay on Satire," prefixed to the second volume of Pope's Works by Warburton; with which it still continues to be printed, as well as in Dodsley's collection.

Brown now began to make no small figure as a writer; and in 1751, published his "Essays on Shaftesbury's Characteristics," 8vo, a work written with elegance and spirit, aud so applauded as to be printed a fifth time in 1764. This was suggested to him by Warburton, and to Warburton by Pope, who told Warburton that to his knowledge the Characteristics had done more harm to revealed religion in England than all the works of infidelity put together. He is imagined to have had a principal hand in another book, published also the same year, and called "An essay on musical expression;" though the avowed author was Mr. Charles Avison. (See AVISON.) In 1754 he printed a sermon, "On the use and abuse of externals in religion: preached before the bishop of Carlisle, at the consecration of St. James's church in Whitehaven, and soon after he was promoted to Great Horkesley in Essex; a living conferred upon him by the late earl of Hardwicke. His next appearance was as a dramatic writer. In 1755, his tragedy "Barbarossa," was produced upon the stage, and afterwards his "Athelstan" in 1756. These tragedies were acted with considerable success, under the management of Garrick; and the former long remained what is called a stock-piece, notwithstanding many critical objections offered to it in the publications of the time *.

Our author had taken his doctor of divinity's degree in 1755. In 1757, came out his famous work, "An Estimate of the manners and principles of the times," 8vo; of which seven editions were printed in little more than a year, and it was perhaps as extravagantly applauded, and as extravagantly censured, as any book that was ever written. The design of it was to show, that "a vain, luxurious, and selfish effeminacy, in the higher ranks of life, marked the character of the age; and to point out the effects and sources of this effeminacy." And it must be owned, that, in the prosecution of it, the author has given abundant proofs of great discernment and solidity of judgment, a

* "I am grieved that either these unrewarding times, or his love of poetry, or his love of money, should have made him overlook the duty of a

clergyman in these times, to make connexions with players." Warburton's Letters, Jan. 31, 1755-6.

deep insight into human nature, an extensive knowledge of the world; and that he has marked the peculiar features of the times with great justness and accuracy. The great objection was, that a spirit of self-importance, dogmaticalness, and oftentimes arrogance, mixed itself in what he says; and this certainly did more towards sharpening the pens of his numerous adversaries, and raised more disgust and offence at him, than the matter objected to in his work, for it may be added that those who wrote against him were not men of the first rank in literature, and could have done little against him without the aid of those personalities which arise from the temper of an author. In 1758 he published a second volume of the Estimate, &c. and, afterwards, "An explanatory defence of it, &c."

Between the first and second volume of the Estimate, he republished Dr. Walker's "Diary of the Siege of Londonderry;" with a preface, pointing out the useful purposes to which the perusal of it might be applied. He was, about this time, presented by the bishop of Carlisle, Dr. Osbaldeston, to the vicarage of St. Nicholas in Newcastle upon Tyne, resigning Great Horkesley in Essex; and was made one of the chaplains in ordinary to his present majesty. These were all the preferments our author ever received ; and, as this was supposed to be no small mortification to a man of Dr. Brown's high spirit, so it was probably this high spirit which was the cause of it; for such was his temper that he never could preserve his friends long, and he had before this time quarrelled with Warburton and lord Hardwicke. In 1760 he published an additional dialogue of the dead, between "Pericles and Aristides," being a sequel to a dialogue of lord Lyttelton's between "Pericles and Cosmo." This is supposed by some to have been designed as a vindication of Mr. Pitt's political character, against some hints of disapprobation by lord Lyttelton; while others have not excluded a private motive of resentment. It is said that lord Lyttelton in a numerous and mixed company neglected to take notice of our author in so respectful a manner as he thought he deserved; and in revenge, weak enough certainly, he composed the dialogue. His next publication was "The Cure of Saul," a sacred ode; which was followed the same year by a " Dissertation on the rise, union, and power, the progressions, separations, and corruptions of poetry and music," 4to. This is a pleasing performance, displays great ingenuity,

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