complication of qualities to do all this as it should be done ; to sustain such a weight of care and business; to be perpetually conversant with the affairs of men; and yet to keep himself unspotted from the world. It is true, I see this done by some men, and I highly admire and revere them for it; but I am myself incapable of doing it; and I will not burthen my conscience with undertaking what I know I cannot perform. But I have still farther reasons for declining this charge, which I will here produce; for though I am writing to you, yet I beg this letter may be made public: so that, whatever may be the result of this affair, or which way soever I may be disposed of, I may, at least, stand clear with God and man, and especially with Theophilus, when I shall have dealt thus openly and fairly. I say then, that God, the laws of the land, and the holy hands of Theophilus, have given me a wife but I declare to all men, that I will neither suffer myself to be separated from her, nor consent to live like an adulterer in a clandestine manner: the one I think impious, the other unlawful. I declare further, that it will always be my earnest desire and prayer, to have as many children by her as possible. Again, let it be considered how difficult, or rather how absolutely impossible it is, to pluck up those doctrines, which by the means of knowledge are rooted in the soul to a demonstration. But you know, that philosophy is diametrically opposite to the doctrines of Christianity; nor shall I ever be able to persuade myself, for instance, that the soul had no existence before its union with the body, that the world and all its parts will perish together, and that the trite and thread-bare doctrine of the resurrection, whatever mystery be couched under it, can have any truth in it, as it is professed by the vulgar. A philosopher, indeed, who is admitted to the intuition of truth, will easily see the necessity of lying to the people; for light is to the eye, what truth is to the people. The eye cannot bear too much light; nay, if it is under the least indisposition, it is actually relieved by darkness: in like manner fable and falsehood may be useful to the people, while unveiling the truth may do them hurt. If, therefore, this method be consistent with the duties of the episcopal dignity; if I may freely philosophize at home, while I preach tales abroad; and neither teach nor unteach, but suffer people to retain the prejudices in which they were educated, I may indeed be consecrated; but if they shall

say, that a bishop ought to go farther, and not only speak, but think like the people, I must declare off, &c."

Besides rejecting the doctrine of the resurrection of the body, in his "Hymns" Synesius adapts the triad, or rather quaternion of the schools, to the received Christian doctrine of the Trinity. If the language of these mystical odes, says Brucker, be compared with that of the gnostics and cabbalists, with the theology of Proclus, and the Zoroastrean oracles, it will be easily seen that Synesius was a more worthy disciple of Hypatia than of Jesus Christ. His works were published, together with those of Cyril of Jerusalem, by Petavius at Paris, 1612; and afterwards, with an addition of notes, in 1633, folio. They are far from being voluminous, consisting only of about one hundred and fifty epistles, and some small pieces. He is chiefly celebrated for his eloquence, an elegant specimen of which remains in his "Dion," a treatise on the manner in which he instructed himself. '

SYNGE (EDWARD), a pious and learned archbishop of Tuam in Ireland, was the second son of Edward, bishop of Cork, &c. and was born April the 6th, 1659, at Inishonane, of which parish his father was then vicar. He was educated at the grammar school at Cork, and thence admitted a commoner at Christchurch, Oxford, where he took the degree of B. A. but on his father's death returned to Ireland, and finished his studies in the university of Dublin. His first preferment was two small parishes in the diocese of Meath, both together of about the yearly value of 100%. These he exchanged for the vicarage of Christchurch in the city of Cork, of the same value, but one of the most painful and laborious cures in Ireland. This he served for above twenty years, mostly without any assistant; preached twice every Sunday, catechised, and discharged all the other duties of his function. Some ecclesiastical preferments, tenable with his great cure, were given him. at different times by the bishops of Cork and Cloyne, which at last increased his income to near 400l. per annum. In this situation an offer was made him by government, in 1699, of the deanery of Derry; but, although this was a dignity, and double in value to all that he had, yet he declined it from a motive of filial piety. He would not separate himself from an aged mother, who either could not,

1 Cave, vol. I.—Fabric. Bibl, Græc.—Dupin.-Brucker.—Saxii Onomast.

or was unwilling, to be removed. Remaining therefore at Cork, he was chosen proctor for the chapter, in the con vocation called in 1703. Soon after, the duke of Ormond, then lord-lieutenant of Ireland, gave him the crown's title to the deanery of St. Patrick's, in Dublin. But the chapter disputed this title, and claimed a right of election in themselves; and to assert this right, they chose Dr. John Sterne, then chancellor of the cathedral, their dean. The title of the crown being thus thought defective, and, after a full discussion of the point, found to be so,Dr. King, archbishop of Dublin, proposed an accommodation, which took place, and in consequence Dr. Sterne continued dean, and the archbishop gave the chancellorship to Mr. Synge.

This brought Mr. Synge to Dublin, though without any addition of income, or relaxation from labour, for the chancellor of St. Patrick's, as such, has the care of the parish of St. Werburgh, one of the most populous in Dublin. This great cure Mr. Synge served for eight years, preaching almost constantly to a crowded audience. During this period he took his degree of D. D. and a new convocation being summoned in 1713, he was chosen proctor for the chapter of St. Patrick's. On Dr. Sterne's promotion to the see of Dromore, the archbishop of Dublin appointed Dr. Synge his vicar-general, in which office he continued until he was made bishop of Raphoe, in 1714. His distinguished zeal for the revolution, and the Hanover succession, which had effectually obstructed his preferment in the latter years of queen Anne's reign, now as effectually promoted it, for, in 1716, he was made archbishop of Tuam, over which see he presided about twentyfive years. He died at Tuam, July 24, 1741, aged eightytwo, and was buried in the church-yard of his own cathedral.

It is remarkable of this prelate, that he was the son of one bishop; the nephew of another, namely, George Synge, bishop of Cloyne; and the father of two bishops, Edward, bishop of Elphin, and Nicholas, bishop of Killaloe. This learned divine, in the course of his ministry, composed and published several excellent treatises for the promotion of piety and virtue; they are written in a sensible, easy, and rational manner; and have been so well received by the public, as to go through many editions. His works form altogether 4 vols. 12mo, but consist of small tracts, which are all printed separately for Rivingtons and others. It has been said of archbishop Synge, that his life was as

exemplary as his writings were instructive; and that, "what he wrote he believed; and what he believed he practised."! SYRUS PUBLIUS.—See PUBLIUS.

T.

TABOUROT (STEPHEN), a French author, generally

known by the name of the sieur des Accords, was born in 1549, was proctor for the king in the bailiage of Dijon, and has obtained a kind of fame by some very eccentric publications. That which is best known, and is said to be least exceptionable, though certainly far from being a model of purity, was first published by him at the age of eighteen, but revised and much augmented when he was about thirty-five. It is entitled "Les Bigarrures et Touches du Seigneur des Accords;" to which some editions add "avec les Apophtegmes du Sieur Gaulard et les escraignes Dijonnoises;" and the best of all (namely, 'that of Paris, in 1614), "de nouveau augmentées de plusieurs Epitaphes, Dialogues, et ingenieuses equivoques." It is in two volumes, 12mo, and contains a vast collection of poems, conundrums, verses oddly constructed, &c. &c. The author died in 1590, at the age of forty-one. Having one day sent a sonnet to mademoiselle Bégar, he wrote at bottom, "A tous Accords," instead of his name; the lady in her answer called him the Seigneur des Accords, and the president Bégar frequently giving him that title afterwards, Tabourot adopted it. The Dictionnaire Historique places his birth in 1547, and makes him forty-three years old at his death; but in his own book is a wooden cut of him inscribed, ætat. 35, 1584, which fixes his age as we have given it, if the true time of his death was 1590.*

TACHARD (GUY), a Jesuit, and a missionary from France to the court of Siam, who died in Bengal of a con

1 Harris's edition of Ware.-Biog. Brit.

2 Dict. Hist,

tagious disorder in 1694, is recorded as the author of two voyages to Siam, in 2 vols. at Paris, 1686 and 1689. It has, however, been since proved, that he was credulous in the extreme; was much flattered and imposed upon, and has given a most exaggerated account of the power and wealth of the king of Siam; other narratives are therefore preferred to his. He went first with the two French ambassadors, the chevalier de Chamont, and the abbé de Choisi. '

TACITUS (CAIUS CORNELIUS), one of the most eminent Roman historians, was born, most probably, in the year of Rome 809 or 810, or about 56 of the Christian æra; but the place of his nativity is no where mentioned. He was the son of Cornelius Tacitus, a procurator appointed by the prince to manage the Imperial revenue, and govern a province in Belgic Gaul. Where he was educated is not known; but it is evident that he did not imbibe the smallest tincture of that frivolous science, and that vicious eloquence which in his time debased the Roman genius. He most probably was formed upon the plan adopted in the time of the republic; and, with the help of a sound scheme of home-discipline, and the best domestic example, he grew up, in a course of virtue, to that vigour of mind which gives such animation to his writings. His first ambition was to distinguish himself at the bar. In the year of Rome 828, the sixth of Vespasian, being then about eighteen, he attended the eminent men of the day, in their inquiry concerning the causes of corrupt eloquence, and is supposed to have been the author of the elegant dialogue concerning oratory, usually printed with his works.

Agricola was joint consul with Domitian in the year of Rome 830, for the latter part of the year. His name does not appear in the Fasti Consulares, because that honour was reserved for the consuls who entered on their office on the kalends of January, and gave their name to the whole year. Tacitus, though not more than twenty, had given such an earnest of his future fame, that Agricola chose him for his son-in-law, and, thus distinguished, our author began the career of civil preferment. The circumstances of his progress, however, are not precisely mentioned, although Mr. Murphy has given us some ingenious conjectures to supply this deficiency. He was favoured

1 Dict. Hist.