and disgust; especially after the scenes exhibited in France, scenes which made humanity shudder and reason recoil, and compelled every civilized government to tremble for its existence, and every enlightened advocate of liberty to abhor revolution. He said he was peaceable, whilst, at the same time, he was laying a train, that, if it took "effect, would destroy and lay waste society. He was a severe sufferer by the brutal fury of the mob at Birmingham. But it would have been right, if he had seen himself condemned of a gross disregard of caution, however pure were his intentions, in this exhibition of the temper of an inflamed populace. The excesses,whch occasioned him such terrour and mischief, and were near costing him his life, were the same in kind as those which his friends celebrated with triumph, and the same as his principles and opinions, operating as they might have done on the popular passions, would have spirited the multitude to commit against the friends of the court and the establishment.

It is ascribed to a change of politicks in this country, a change which the son calls disgraceful to America, that Dr. P.'s political character sunk in the esteem of the federal party. This is said without foundation. The enlightened men of this party never respected Dr. P. for the part he took relating to the French revolution, or for his countenance of the spirit of innovation and change in Eng, land. They had no confidence in his theories about popular rights and civil polity; and they knew from the first, that he did not understand the nature of our governments. But they honoured him for his virtues as a man, and his ev merits as a philosopher; and whilst be forbore to interfere in politicks

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they were desirous he should live here in quiet and reputation. But when, at a time that France was heaping indignities and injuries upon our country, and intriguing with the people against the government, he joined with her partizans in their festive celebrations; when he retained among his intimates one of the defamers of our tried statesmen, and preachers of sedition; when he appeared so weak or so perverse, as to lend his name to the unfounded and profligate slanders of the Washington and Adams administration, he indeed lost much of the regard of the federalists. Although we have no idea that the alien law was made with any particular reference to him, as he supposes, or that Mr. Adams had any intention of sending him out of the country, we admit that his conduct produced the alienation and regret of many, who had before held him in much consideration.

In these memoirs much pains are taken to show, that Dr. P. had reason to be satisfied with his reception in this country, and was not disappointed in his expectations of the state of things here. When he first arrived, he paid lavish encomiums upon our constitutions, and upon the people ; and he continued in this strain for several years. A letter written in October, 1796, gives a very flattering account of the Americans. Yet, in a Maxim of political Arithmetick, published in Feb. 1798, we find a different tone. The following passage deserves to be quot, ed:

are to the vices of the lower classes especially, there is less virtue as well as less knowledge, than in most of the countries of Europe. In many parts of the United States there is also less religion, at least of a rational and useful kind. And where there is no sense of religion, no fear of God, or respect to a future state, there will be no good morals that can be depended upon. Laws may restrain the excesses of vice, but they cannot impart the principles of virtue.' P.446.

If'universal suffrage,' so much relied on by these gentlemen, for securing all that a good man should wish for a country, will not secure knowledge, nor virtue, nor religion, more effectually than the hereditary governments of Europe, on what accounts is it entitled to preference? And what become of republican visions?

When we consider the multiplicity and variety of Dr. P.'s pursuits, and the number of his works, we naturally inquire by what means he accomplished so much. In composition he generally contented himself with being perspicuous, and spent no time upon the graces of writing. Still many of his works must have required great labour and research. His mind posses sed great compass and versatility." To abilities indisputably superiour, he joined uncommon industry, activity, dispatch, and method. The following selections from the memoirs, will furnish interesting information respecting the cast of his mind, his modes of study, and habits of life

:

'I have particular reason to be thankful for a happy temperament of body and mind, both derived from my par ents. My father, grandfather, and several branches of the family, were remarkably healthy, and long lived; and though my constitution has been far from robust, and was much injured by a consumptive tendency, or rather an ulcer in the lungs, the consequence of improper conduct of myself when I was

at school (being often violently heated with exercise, and as often imprudently chilled by bathing, &c.) from which with great difficulty I recovered, it has been excellently adapted to that studious life which has fallen to my lot.

'I have never been subject to headachs, or any other complaints that are peculiarly unfavourable to study. I have never found myself less disposed, or less qualified, for mental exertions of any kind at one time of the day more than another; but all seasons have been equal to me, early or late, before dinner or after, &c. And so far have I been from suffering by my application to study, (which however has never

been so close or intense as some have improving from the age of eighteen to imagined) that I have found my health the present time; and never have I found myself more free from any disorder than at present. I must, however, except a short time preceding and following my leaving Lord Shelburne, when I laboured under a bilious com

plaint, in which I was troubled with gall stones, which sometimes gave me exquisite pain. But by confining myself to a vegetable diet, I perfectly recovered; and I have now been so long free from the disorder that I am under no apprehension of its return.

'It has been a singular happiness to me, and a proof, I believe, of a radically good constitution, that I have always slept well, and have awaked with my faculties perfectly vigorous, without any disposition to drowsiness. Also, whenever I have been fatigued with any kind of exertion, I could at any time sit down and sleep; and whatevhave almost always lost sight of it when er cause of anxiety I may have had, I I have got to bed; and I have generally fallen asleep as soon as I have been warm.*

"I even think it an advantage to me, and am truly thankful for it, that my health received the check that it did when I was young; since a muscular habit from high health, and strong spir

its, are not, I think, in general accom. panied with that sensibility of mind, which is both favourable to piety, and to speculative pursuits.* .

To a fundamentally good constitution of body, and the being who gave it me, I owe an even cheerfulness of temper, which has had but few interrup tions." pp. 101-2-3.

Yet, notwithstanding these advantages, he seems to have labour ed under some peculiar defects :

As I have not failed to attend to the phenomena of my own mind, as well as to those of other parts of nature, I have not been insensible of some great defects, as well as some advantages, attending its constitution; having from an early period been subject to a most humbling failure of recollection, so that I have sometimes lost all ideas of both persons and things, that I have been conversant with. I have so completely forgotten what I have myself published, that in reading my own writings, what I find in them often appears perfectly new to me, and I have more than once made experiments, the results of which had been published by me.

*I shall particularly mention one fact of this kind, as it alarmed me much at the time, as a symptom of all my mental powers totally failing me, until I was relieved by the recollection of things of a similar nature having happened to me before. When I was composing the Dissertations which are prefixed to my Harmony of the Gospels, I had to ascertain something which had been the subject of much discussion relating to the Jewish passover, (I have now forgotten what it was) and for that purpose had to consult, and compare several writers. This I accordingly did, and digested the result in the compass of a few paragraphs, which I wrote in short hand. But having mislaid the paper, and my attention having been drawn off to other things, in the space of a fortnight I did the same thing over again; and should never have discovéred that I had done it twice, if, after the second paper was transcribed for the press, I had not accidentally found

*Though not a muscular man, he went through great exertion at various times of his life with activity. He walked very firmly, and expeditiously

the former, which I viewed with a degree of terrour.

Apprized of this defect, I never fail to note down as soon as possible every thing that I wish not to forget. The same failing has led me to devise, and have recourse to, a variety of mechan ical expedients, to secure and arrange my thoughts, which have been of the greatest use to me in the composition of large and complex works; and what has excited the wonder of some of my readers, would only have made them smile if they had seen me at work. But by simple and mechanical methods one man shall do that in a month, which shall cost another, of equal ability, whole years to execute. This methodical arrangement of a large work is greatly facilitated by mechanical meth ods, and nothing contributes more to the perspicuity of a large work, than a good arrangement of its parts.'

pp. 105-6-7.

It has been a great advantage to me, that I have never been under the necessity of retiring from company in order to compose any thing. Being fond of domestick life, I got a habit of writing on any subject by the parlour fire, with my wife and children about me, and occasionally talking to them, with out experiencing any inconvenience from such interruptions. Nothing but reading, or speaking without interrup tion, has been any obstruction to me. For I could not help attending (as some can) when others spoke in my hearing. These are useful habits, which studi ous persons in general might acquire,

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if they would; and many persons greatly distress themselves, and others, by the idea, that they can do nothing except in perfect solitude or silence.

p. 109.

It was while my father was at the academy that he commenced a practice which he continued until within three or four days of his death, of keeping a diary, in which he put down the occur rences of the day; what he was employed about, where he had been, and particularly an exact account of what he had been reading, mentioning the names of the authors, and the number of pages he read, which was generally a fixed number, previously determined upon in his own mind. He likewise noted down any hints suggested by what he read in the course of the day. It was his custom at the beginning of each year to arrange the plan of study that he meant to pursue that year, and to review the general situation of his affairs, and at the end of the year he took an account of the progress he had made, how far he had executed the plan he had laid down, and whether his situation exceeded or fell short of the expectations he had formed.' p. 176.

But what principally enabled him to do so much was regularity, for it does not appear that at any period of his life he spent more than six or eight hours per day in business that required much mental exertion. I find in the same diary, which I have quoted from above, that he laid down the following daily arrangement of time for a minister's studies: Studying the Scriptures 1 hour. Practical writers half an hour. Philoso-phy and History 2 hours. Classicks half an hour. Composition 1 hour-in all 5 hours. He adds below, "All which may be conveniently dispatched before dinner which leaves the afternoon for visiting and company, and the evening for exceeding in any article if there be occasion. Six hours not too much, nor seven."

It appears by his diary that he followed this plan at that period of his life. He generally walked out in the afternoon or spent it in company. At that time there was a society or club that assembled twice a week, at which the members debated questions, or took it. in turn to deliver orations, or read essays of their own composition. When not attending these meetings, he most generally appears to have spent the

evening in company with some of the students in their chambers.

It was by the regularity and variety of his studies, more than by intenseness of application that he performed so much more than even studious men generally do. At the time he was engaged about the most important works, and when he was not busily employed in making experiments, he always had leisure for company, of which he was fond. He never appeared hurried, or behind hand. He however never carried his complaisance so far as to neg lect the daily task he had imposed upon himself; but as he was uniformly an early riser, and dispatched his more serious pursuits in the morning, it rarely happened but that he could accomplish the labours assigned for the day, without having occasion to withdraw from visitors at home, or society abroad, or. giving reason to suppose that the company of others was a restraint upon his pursuits.

This habit of regularity extended itself to every thing that he read, and every thing he did that was susceptible of it. He never read a book without deter mining in his own mind when he would finish it. Had he a work to transcribe, he would fix a time for its completion. This habit increased upon him as he grew in years, and his diary was kept upon the plan I have before described, till within a few days of his death.'

p. 186-188

The Appendices, which treat of the writings of Dr. P. are next to be considered.

ART. 37.