When things appear unnatural or hard, But once discover'd, leave no room for doubt. They who too faithfully on names infift, How twice in Parthian plains their legions fell; Abftrufe and myftick tho'ts you must exprefs Fall when he falls, and when he rifes, rise. } He that can abftract his mind from the elegance of the poetry, and confine it to the fenfe of the precepts, will find no other direction, than that the author fhould be fuitable to the tranflator's ge nius; that he should be fuch as may deserve a tranflation; that he who intends to tranflate him, fhould endeavour to understand him; that perfpicuity fhould be ftudied, and unufual or uncouth names fparingly inferted, and that the ftile of the original should be copied in its elevation and depreffion. Thefe are the rules which are celebrated as fo definite and fo important, and for the delivery of which to mankind, fo much honour has been paid. Rofcommon has, indeed, deserved his honours, had they been given with difcernment, and bestowed not on the rules themselves, but the art with which they are introduced, and the decorations with which they are adorned. M E MEMOIR S O F THE LATE Dr. BERKELEY, Bishop of CLOYNE. G EORGE BERKELEY was the fon of a clergyman in Ireland, of a finall living, but at the fame time remarkable for his learning and piety; he therefore gave his fon the best education his circumftances would admit of; and, when fitted for the university, taxed his little fortune, in order to fend him to Trinity college, Dublin. Here he foon began to be looked upon as the greatest genius, or the greatest dunce, in the whole univerfity; those who were but flightly acquainted with him, took him for a fool; but those who fhared his moft intimate friendship, looked upon him as a prodigy of learning and good-nature. Whenever he appeared abroad, which was but feldom, he was furrounded by a crowd of the idle or the facetious, who followed him, not to be improved, but to laugh. Of this he frequently complain-3, but there was no redrefs; the more he fretted, he came only the more ridiculous. An action of his, i ever, foon made him more truly ridiculous than bete: curiofity leading him one day to fee an execu, ne returned home penfive and melancholy, and co forbear reflecting on what he had feen. He de T. know what were the pains and fymptoms a m felt upon fuch an occafion, and communicated to Ee 3 1 10 ch.m chum the cause of his ftr nge curiofity; in short, he refolved to tuck himself up for a trial; at the fame time defiring his companion to take him down at a fignal agreed upon. The companion, whofe name was Contarine, was to try the fame experiment himself immediately after. Berkeley was accordingly tied up to the ceiling, and the chair taken from under his feet; but foon lofing the ufe of his fenfes, his companion, it feems, waited a little too long for the fignal agreed upon, and our enquirer had like to have been hanged in good earneft; for as foon as he was taken down, he fell, fenfelefs and motionlefs, upon the floor. After fome trouble, however, he was brought to himfeif; and obferving his band, "Blefs my heart, Contarine, fays he, you have quite rumpled my band." When it came to Contarine's turn to go up, he quickly evaded the propofal; the other's danger had quite abated his curiofity. Still, however, Berkeley proceeded in his ftudies with unabated ardour. A fellowship in that college is attained by fuperior learning only; the candidates are examined in the most public manner, in an amphitheatre erected for that purpose, and great numbers of the nobility and gentry are prefent upon the occafion. This examination he paffed with the utmost applaufe, and was made a fellow, the only reward of learning that kingdom has to bestow. Metaphyfical ftudies are generally the amufement of the indolent and the inquifitive; his bufinefs as a fellow, allowed him fufficient leifure, and his genius prompted him to fcrutinize into every abftrufe fubject. He foon, therefore, therefore, was regarded as one of the best metaphysicians in Europe; his logic was looked upon rather as the work of a man skilled in metaphyfics, than in the dialect of the fchools; his treatife upon matter, was alfo thought to be the most ingenious paradox that ever amufed learned leifure; and many were the answers made to it by the literati of Europe. t His fame as a fcholar, but more his converfation as a man of wit and good-nature, foon procured him the friendship and esteem of every perfon of fortune and understanding; among the reft, Swift, that lover, yet derider, of human nature, became one of the most intimate; and it was by his recommendation that he was introduced to the earl of Peterborough, who made him his chaplain, and took him, as his companion, on a tour through Europe. Some time after his return, he was promoted to a deanery, in which fituation he wrote his Minute Philofopher, one of the most elegant and genteel defences of that religion which he was born to vindicate, both by his virtues and his ingenuity. It was at this time also, that he attempted to eftablish an univerfity for our American colonies, in Bermudas, one of the Summer' iflands. Doctor Depufch, an excellent mufician, and fome others of great abilities, were engaged in this defign, and actually embarked in order to put it in execution; but the fhip being caft away, Berkeley was left to contrive fomething elfe to the advantage of his country. He interested himself deeply in a scheme for improving the English language, by a fociety of wits and men of genius, established for that purpose, in imitation of the academy of France; in this defign Swift, Bolingbroke, and others, were united; but the whole dropt by the death of queen Anne, and the removal of Harley from the office of prime minister. His friendship and connections, however, did not, as was the cafe with Swift and fome others, prevent his promotion; he was made bishop of Cloyne; and fure no clergyman ever had jufter pretenfions to the mitre ! No man was more affiduous or punctual in his duty, none exacted it more ftrictly from his inferior clergy, yet no bishop was ever more beloved by them. He fpent his time with the utmoft chearfulness, innocence, and humanity; the meanest peasant within ten miles of his feat, was familiar with him; those of them that wanted, fhared his bounty; and thofe that did not, had his friendship and advice. The country which was defolate and unimproved, he took the utmost pains to improve, and attempted to fet an example of the proper methods of agriculture to the farmer, as he had before of piety and benevolence to the whole kingdom. Metaphyfical studies were still his amusement, and the difpenfations of charity he looked upon as his duty. But the opinions of metaphyficians he, at last, began to contemn, and to doubt of the certainty, not only of every argument upon this fubject, but even of the fcience. He therefore turned his thoughts to more beneficial ftudies, to politics and medicine, and gave inftances in both, of what he could have done, had he made either his particular study. In politics, a pamphlet published by him, entitled The Querift, is a fine inftance of his fkill, and was at tended |