ス "could be induced to write Cafes of Confcience, if he might "have an honorary penfion allowed him, to furnish him with "books for that purpose?' I told him, I believed he would:" "And, in a letter to the Doctor, told him what great fatisfaction "that honourable perfon, and many more, had reaped by reading "his book De Juramento; and afked him, whether he would "be pleased, for the benefit of the Church, to write some tract "of Cafes of Confcience?' He replied, 'That he was glad that 66 6 any had received any benefit by his books:' and added further, "That if any future tract of his could bring fuch benefit to any, "as we seemed to fay his former had done, he would willingly, "though without any penfion, fet about that work.' Having re"ceived this answer, that honourable perfon, before mentioned, "did, by my hands, return 501. to the good Doctor, whose condi"tion then (as most good men's at that time were) was but low; "and he prefently revifed, finifhed,, and published that excellent "book, 'De Confcientiâ:' A book little in bulk, but not fo if we "confider the benefit an intelligent reader may receive by it. For "there are so many general propofitions concerning confcience, "the nature and obligation of it explained, and proved with fuch "firm confequence and evidence of reason, that he who reads, re"members, and can with prudence pertinently apply them hic et "nunc to particular cafes, may, by their light and help, rationally "refolve a thousand particular doubts and fcruples of confcience. "Here you may fee the charity of that honourable person in pro"moting, and the piety and industry of the good Doctor, in per"forming that excellent work. "And here I fhall add the judgment of that learned and pious "Prelate concerning a passage very pertinent to our prefent purpose. "When he was in Oxon, and read his public lectures in the feĥools 66 as Regius Professor of Divinity, and by the truth of his pofitions, "and evidences of his proofs, gave great content and fatisfaction "to all his hearers, efpecially in his clear refolutions of all difficult "cafes which occurred in the explication of the fubject matter of "his lectures; a perfon of quality (yet alive) privately afked him, "What courfe a young Divine fhould take in his ftudies to en"able him to be a good cafuift?' His anfwer was, 'That a conve"nient understanding of the learned languages, at least of He""brew, Greek, and Latin, and a fufficient knowledge of arts and "fciences pre-fuppofed: There were two things in human litera"ture, a comprehenfion of which would be of very great ufe, to "enable a man to be a rational and able cafuift, which otherwife was very difficult, if not impofsible: 1. A convenient know"ledge of moral philofophy; efpecially that part of it which treats of the nature of human actions: To know, quid sit actus “humanus (spontaneus, invitus, mixtus), unde’habet bonitatem et ma"litiam moralem? an ex genere et objecto, vel ex circumstantiis? "How the variety of circumftances varies the goodness or evil "of human actions? How far knowledge and ignorance may ag "gravate or excufe, increafe or diminith the goodness or evil of "our actions? For every cafe of confcience being only this "Is this action good or bad? May I do it, or may I not?-He 68 6 who, in these, knows not how and whence human actions become morally good and evil, never can (in hypothefi) rationally and certainly determine, whether this or that particular action "be fo.2. The fecond thing, which,' he faid, would be a great help and advantage to a cafuift, was a convenient knowledge of the nature and obligation of laws in general: to know "what a law is; what a natural and pofitive law; what's re quired to the latio, dispensatio, derogatio, vel abrogatio legis; "what promulgation is antecedently required to the obligation of "any pofitive law; what ignorance takes off the obligation of a "law, or does excufe, diminish, or aggravate the tranfgrefsion: "For every case of confcience being only this-Is this lawful for me, or is it not? and the law the only rule and measure by which "I'muft judge of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of any action; it "evidently follows, that he, who, in thefe, knows not the nature "and obligation of laws, never can be a good cafuift, or rationally "assure himself, or others, of the lawfulness of actions in par""" ticular.' "This was the judgment and good counfel of that learned and "pious Prelate: And having, by long experience, found the truth and benefit of it, I conceive, I could not without ingratitude to "him, and want of charity to others, conceal it.-Pray pardon this "rude, and, I fear, impertinent fcribble, which, if nothing elfe, may fignify thus much, that I am willing to obey your defires, " and am indeed, LONDON, May 10, 1678. "Your affectionate friend, "THOMAS LINCOLN." Among the literary characters of the fixteenth century, none appears with more tranfcendent luftre than that of Sir Henry Savile, a magnificent patron of merit, and a complete gentleman. He feems to have traverfed the whole range of fcience, being equally celebrated for his knowledge of ancient and modern learning. The life of this illuftrious fcholar would be a valuable acquifition to the Republic of Letters. That it was actually compiled by Mr. Ifaae Walton, we have every reafon to conclude. Dr. King, Bishop of Chichester, in his letter to him, dated Nov. 17, 1664, tells him, that he has done much for Sir Henry Savile, the contemporary and friend of Mr. Richard Hooker." It is feriously to be regretted, that the most diligent inquiry after this work has hitherto proved unfuccefsful". u The following particulars, relative to Sir Henry Savile are collected from Mr. Aubrey's "Lives of Mathematical Writers." He was as learned a gentle. man as any of his time. Mr. Hobbes informed Mr. Aubrey, that Sir Henry Sa vile Among thofe whom Sir Henry Savile honoured with his friendfhip was Mr. John Hales of Eton. Mr. Anthony Farringdon, an eminent preacher, and a man of extenfive learning and exemplary' piety, had collected materials with a view to write the life of this incomparable perfon. On his demife, his papers were configned to the care of Mr. Ifaac Walton, by Mr. William Fulman, of Corpus Chrifti College, Oxford, who had propofed to finish the work, and on that occafion had applied for the assistance of our biographer. The refult of this application is not known. Ful man's Collection of Manuferipts," written with his own hand, was depofited in the archives of the library of his College, and Wood, laments that he was refufed access to them. It is unnecessary to add, that "The Life of Mr. Hales," by Mr. Dez-maizeaux, was publifhed in 1716. Angling had been long a favourite diverfion in England. Alexander Nowell, Dean of St. Paul's, was a lover of, and most experienced proficient in this delightful art. It was his cuftom, befides his fixed hours of private and public prayer, to spend a tenth part of his time in this amufement, and allo to bestow a tenth part of his revenue, and usually all his fifh among the poor, saying, that vile was ambitious of being thought as great a scholar as Jofeph Scaliger. But : if in the attainments of classic literature he was inferior to Scaliger, in mathe matical knowledge Dr. Wallis declared him to be exceeded by none of his contemporaries. He was a very handfome and beautiful man: No Lady had a fairer complexion. Queen Elizabeth, to whom he explained Greek authors and politics, favoured him much. He was preferred by her to be Master of Eton College, of which he was fo fevere a governor, that the fcholars hated him for his aufterity. To men of wit he gave no encouragement. When a young scholar was named to him as a good wit, he would reject him, and choose the plodding Atudent. John Earle, afterwards Bishop of Sarum, being recommended to him, on that account, was the only one of that character, to whom he extended his patronage. He treated the Fellows of Eton College with afperity; and his influence with the Queen rendered all oppofition vain. When Mr. Gunter came from London to be appointed his Professor in Geometry, he brought with him his sector and quadrant, with which he began to refolve triangles, and to perform feveral operations. This difgufted the grave knight, who confidered the opera tions as fo many tricks below the dignity of a mathematician, and he immediately conferred the professorship on another candidate, Mr. Briggs from Cambridge.Mr. Aubrey learned from Dr. Wallis, that Sir Henry Savile had fufficiently confuted Jofeph Scaliger's Tract" De Quadraturâ Circuli," in his notes on the very margin of the book: And that, fometimes, when Scaliger fays, "A B C D ex "Constructione," Sir Henry adds with his pen;" et demonftratio veftra est "afinus ex conftru&tione." In his travels he had contracted a general acquaintance with learned men abroad; by which means he had access to feveral Greek MSS. in their libraries, and thus obtained correct copies by his amanuenfis, who tranfcribed the Greek character with admirable skill. Fronto Ducæus, a French Jefuit of Bourdeaux, clandestinely engaged a person to supply him, every week, with the sheets of Sie Henry Savile's Greek cdition of "The Works of Chryfoftom," printed at Eton, of which he composed a Latin translation; and published "Chryfoftom's Works," in Greek and Latin; thus fuperfeding the fale of the English impression. Sie Henry Savile died Feb. 19, 1621, having been Provost of Eton College twenty five years. "charity gave life to religion" An elegant Latin poem, written by Dr. Simon Ford, was infcribed to Archbishop Sheldon, who, in his younger years, being fond of this diverfion, is faid to have acquired a fuperior skill in taking the Umber or Barbel," a heavy and a dogged fish to be dealt withall." Dr. Donne is called " a great practitioner, mafter, and patron of angling" And we learn from good authority, that Mr. George Herbert loved angling; a circumftance that is rather to be believed, "because he had a fpirit fuitable to anglers, and to thofe primitive Christians who are fo much loved and commended." Let not these remarks provoke the chastisement of cenfure: Let them not be condemned as nugatory and infignificant: Amidft our difquietudes and delufive cares, amidst the painful anxiety, the difguftful irksomeness, which are often the unwelcome attendants on bufinefs and on ftudy, an harmless gratification is not merely excufable, it is in fome degree necefsary. In the fkilful management of the angle, Ifaac Walton is acknowledged to bear away the prize from all his contemporaries. The river which he feems principally to have frequented, for the purpose of pursuing his inoffenfive amufement, was the Lea, which, rifing above the town of Ware in Hertfordshire, falls ▾ See "Walton's Complete Angler," Part I. Ch. I.At Brazen-Nose College, in Oxford, of which Dr. Nowell was Principal, is a portrait of him with a fifhing-rod over his head, a paper of fishing-hooks in his hand, and this infcription : ALEXANDER NOWELLUS, SACRE THEOLOGIE PROFESSOR, 3. PAULI DECANUS OBIIT 13 FEB. ANNO DOM. 1601, R. R. ELIZ. 44. (Gutch's Wood's Hift. and Antiq. of the Univ. of Oxford, p. 370.J Among other acts of beneficence, this venerable man founded the Free Grammar School of Middleton, in Lancashire, in 1572, and endowed it with a small ftipend for two masters. w«Mufe Anglicana," Vol. I. p. 97.-Gervafe Markham, the author of "The Whole Art of Angling," 4to, 1656, rather proceeds too far, when he tells his reader, that an angler fhould be "a general scholar, and feen in all the liberal "Iciences;" that he should be "a grammarian, a logician, and a philosopher." * The Author of "The Angler's Sure Guide," 8vo. 1706, has attributed a book entitled "The Secrets of Angling, by J. D." to Dr. Donne. "The Experienced Angler," a little tract, written by Colonel Robert Venables, is now before me. The perufal of it calls to memory the days of youth, the guilelefs fcenes of earlier life, spent with innocent companions, in "delightful walks by pleasant rivers, in fweet paftures, and among odoriferous flowers." The concluding obfervation in this little book applies to all readers: "Make not a daily practice, which is nothing clfe but a profession, of any recreation; left your • immoderate love and delight therein bring a cross with it, and blast all your content "and pleasure in the fame." I mention this entertaining work, because Ifaac Walton has prefixed to it not a preface, but an," Epiftle to the Author," who was perfonally unknown to him. Having accidentally seen the discourse in manufcript, he held himself obliged, in point of gratitude, for the great advantage he had received thereby, to tender his particular acknowledgment. The testimony of fo expert an angler could not fail of recommending the tract. into the Thames a little below Blackwall; "unless we will fup- pose that the vicinity of the New River to the place of his habitation might sometimes tempt him out with his friends, honest Nat and R. Roe, whofe lofs he fo pathetically mentions, to spend an afternoon there." In his tract of "The Complete Angler, or the Contemplative Man's Recreation," he has comprised the clearest and fulleft inftructions for the attainment of a thorough proficiency in the art. James Duport, the Greek Professor at Cambridge, who was far from being a novice in the ufe of the rod, difdained not, on this occafion, to addrefs our author in a beautiful Latin Iambic Ode, of which the following classic verfion will not be unacceptable to the reader. 261 "Hail Walton! honoured friend of mine, "You walk to watch the smooth stream glide, "To cheat the fish with cunning hand, "With quick eye guard the dancing quill, Biographical Dictionary," in the article WALTON ISAAC. a He calls himself" Candidatum arundinis." For this verfion I am indebted to Mr. James Tate, M. A. late Fellow of Sidney Sufsex College, Cambridge, and now the very excellent master of the free grammar fchool at Richmond, in Yorkshire. |