sions of death, he shewed no dismay or surprize, nor was ever heard to utter a word unbecoming a wise man, or a true Christian. And thus he concluded his days with constancy of mind, contempt of the world, and cheerful hopes of a blessed eternity, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He died in the house of his friend Dr. Tillotson, in Chancery-lane, London, on the nineteenth of November 1672, and was buried on the twelfth of December following, under the north wall of the chancel of the church of St. Lawrence-Jury, where he had formerly been minister. His funeral sermon was preached by Dr. William Lloyd, then Dean of Bangor, (afterwards Bishop of Worcester) at Guildhall chapel in London; by which sermon those who are curious may be satisfied, that every part of the character here given him may be justified to advantage. His Works. I. "The Discovery of a New World; or, a Discourse tending to prove, That (it is probable) there may be another Habitable World in the Moon. Printed at London, in 4to. 1638, and had four editions, the last in 1684. II. A Discourse concerning the Possibility of a Passage to the World in the Moon. Printed with the Discovery. III. A Discourse concerning a New Planet; tending to prove, That (it is probable) our Earth is one of the Planets. London, 1640, in Svo.* IV. Mercury; or, The Secret Messenger: Shewing how a Man may, with Privacy and Speed, communicate his Thoughts to his Friend at any Distance. London, 1641.+ V. Mathematical Magic: or, The Wonders that may be performed by Mechanical Geometry: In two books. Printed at London, in 1648, and 1680, in 8vo." The above five are printed in an octavo volume, entitled, "The Mathematical and Philosophical Works of the right Reverend John Wilkins, late Lord Bishop of Chester, &c. The fifth impression. London, 1707." VI. Ecclesiastes or, A Discourse of the Gift of Preaching, as it falls under the Rules of Art. London, 1646, 47, 51, 53, and *The Author's name is put to none of these three; but they were so well known to be his, that Langrenus, in the map of the moon, (dedicated to the King of Spain) calls one of the spots of his Selenographic Map' after his name. The publication of this was occasioned by the writing of a little thing, called Nuntius Inanimatus,' by Francis Goodwin. There is a remarkable passage in this treatise, which the Authors of the Biographia Britannica have copied, and which merits the attenVOL. III. 2 D tion 53, and 75, in 8vo. VII. A Discourse concerning the Beauty of Providence, in all the rugged passages of it. London, 1649, in duodecimo; and in 1677, the fifth edi tion, in Svo. VIII. A Discourse concerning the Gift of Prayer; shewing what it is, and how far it is attainable by Industry, &c. London, 1653 and 1674, 8vo. IX. Of the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion. Two Books, London, 1675, in 8vo. Published by John Tillotson, D. D. X. Sermons preached upon several Occasions. London, 1682, in 8vo. They are in number fifteen, published by Dr. Tillotson. XI. An Essay towards a Real Character, and Philosophical Language. London, 1668, fol. "An Alphabetical Dictionary: Wherein all English Words, according to their various Significations, are either referred to their Places in the Philosophical Tables, or explained by such Words as are in those Tables." This is printed with the "Essay." This Book is mentioned in the last place, though it be not the last in order of time; because the design being extraordinary and very curious, and printed by order of the royal society, an Abstract of it is printed at the end of his Mathematical and Philosophical works." tion of preachers, especially the young. "As for the manner of composing sermons, it will not be convenient for one that is a constant preacher to pen all his discourses, or to tie himself unto phrases; when we have the matter and notion well digested, the expressions of it will easily fol low; whereas to be confined unto particular words, besides the great oppression of the memory, much prejudices the operations of the understanding and affections; the judgment will be much weakened, and the affections dulled, when the memory is overmuch burthened and vexed. A man cannot ordinarily be so much affected himself, and consequently he cannot so easily affect others, with things that he speaks by rote, as when he takes some liberty to prosecute a matter according to his more immediate apprehensions of it, by which many particulars may be suggested, that were not before thought of, when he doth expatiate upon any subject, according to the workings of his own affections, and the various alterations that may appear in the auditory. And then, besides, this liberty will breed a naррnoia, such a fitting confidence as should be in that orator who is to have a power over the affections of others, which such an one is scarce capable of, who shall so servitely tie himself to particular words and expressions, from which he dares not vary for fear of being out. But a man cannot expect a good habit of preaching thus without much study and experience. Young beginners should use themselves to a more exact and elaborate way; when a good style and expression is first learned by pen ning, it will afterwards be more easily retained in discoursing, p. 202, 203, sixth edition. The seventh edition of this treatise, with many additions to it, by Dr. John Moore, Bishop of Norwich, and Dr. John Williams, was printed in 1694, in 8vo. and there was also a ninth edition, corrected and much enlarged, published in 1718, 8vo. SIR MATTHEW HALE, KNIGHT, LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE KING's BENCH. THIS great Luminary of the law was born at Alderley in Gloucestershire, on the first of November 1609. His grandfather was Robert Hale, an eminent clothier in Wotton Under-edge, in that county, where he and his ancestors had lived for many descents, and had given lands for the use of the poor. He acquired an estate of ten thousand pounds, which he divided almost equally among his five sons, besides portions he gave his daughters. His second son was Robert Hale, a barrister of Lincoln's Inn; he married Joan, daughter of Matthew Poyntz of Alderly, Esq. who was descended from that noble family of the Poyntz of Acton: Of this marriage there was no other issue but this one son of whom we are writing. His father was a man of that strictness of conscience, that he gave over the practice of the law, because he could not understand the reason of giving colour in pleadings, which, as he thought, was to tell a lye; and that, with some other things commonly practised, seemed to him contrary to that exactness which became a Christian, so that he withdrew himself from the inns of court to live on his estate in the country. His charity to his poor neighbours was large while he lived, and when he died, he left twenty pounds a-year to the poor of Wotton, which his son confirmed to them with some addition; and with this regulation, that it should be distributed among such poor house-keepers as did not receive alms of the parish. He was soon deprived of the happiness of his father's care and instruction, for as he lost his mother before he was three years old, so his father died before he was five; thus early was he cast on the providence of GOD. Great care was taken of his education by his guardian, Anthony Kingscot, of Kingscot, Esq. who intended him for a divine, and, being inclined to the way of those called puritans, put him to some schools that had masters of that side. In the seventeenth year of his age, he was sent to Magdalen Hall in Oxford, where Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick was his tutor. He was an extraordinary proficient at school, and for some time at Oxford; but the stage-players coming thither, he was so much corrupted by seeing many plays, |