great extent of antient learning, are displayed. Some answers have appeared; but none of them calculated to remove the objections, or materially to affect the arguments, which have been stated with so much learning and ingenuity against it." In 1795, Mr. Robertson published a translation of Telemachus, with notes, and the life of Fenelon, in two volumes 12mo; on which the Reviewer in the Gentleman's Magazine observes, that, "this work bears the marks of that elegance, taste, and learning, for which the translator, or the annotator, is eminently distinguished." By a note to the Dissertation on the Parian Chronicle it appears, that he was concerned in writing the Critical Review "for twenty-one years, from August 1764, to September 1785, inclusive.". During this period he was the author of above 2620 articles, on theological, classical, poetical, and miscellaneous publications §. In 1797, Mr. Robertson published "Observations on the Act for augmenting the Salaries of Curates, in four Letters to a Friend," 8vo. "These letters contain an animated representation of the hardships, which may attend the rigorous application of the Curates' Act, when extended to a living of eighty or a hundred pounds a year; with some just and poignant observations on the little attention and encouragement paid to probity and learning in the present age." These observations were written in consequence of what the author thought a disproportionate and oppressive inforcement of the Curates' Act, by which the humane and considerate Bishop ******, when the Vicar was above 70 years of age, and in a and in a precari *Encyclopædia Britannica, articles Arundel and Chronology. † Gent. Mag. vol. LXVI. p. 47. Parian Chronicle, p. 205. § I have Mr. Robertson's sett of the Critical Review, in which he has particularly marked his own articles, Gent. Mag. vol. LXVII. p. 314. ous ous state of health, reduced his small living, worth about 401. a year, to less than twenty*! In 1798, he published "An Essay on the Education of Young Ladies, addressed to a Person of Distinction, 8vo; and the next year, "An Essay on the Nature of English Verse, with Directions for reading Poetry," 12mo. Mr. Robertson, married in the year 1758, Miss Raikes, the daughter of Mr. Timothy Raikes, apo *The following character, written by Mr. Robertson, appeared in the Morning Post: " EUSEBIUS discovered an early avidity for learning. He acquitted himself at school and the university with singular applause; and, so far from requiring the assistance of others, very frequently composed a dozen exercises, both in prose and verse, for the indolent and ignorant part of his acquaintance. While his brother Jerry was upon a scheme of pleasure, or pursuing the chase, Eusebius was rivetted to a folio, and ranging the fields of science in quest of knowledge. He was no sportsman, no jolly companion, no man of pleasure, and therefore had but few associates. He never sauntered away his time at a coffee-house; he never appeared upon the turf; seldom at a ball, a concert, or any other public entertainment. When he entered into holy orders, he had a deep sense of the sanctity and importance of his office; and discharged his duty for several years with the highest reputation; but the sudden death of an amiable Prelate, and soon afterwards of a worthy Baronet, to whom his virtues and abilities were well known, frustrated all his hopes of rising in the Church. Some, who pretended to be his friends, professed the warmest regard for his learning and merit; but their endeavours to serve him were feebly exerted, and their recommendations were cold and indifferent. Instead of introducing him to the Prime Minister, or the Diocesan, they recommended him to PROVIDENCE! Eusebius was not calculated to push himself into preferment; he was, what every Clergyman ought to be, contented, modest, diffident and unassuming. His repeated disappointments brought on him a nervous complaint, which disqualified him from pursuing a laborious or an active life. He had a small estate, of thirty pounds a year, in a distant county; on this small income he lived near fifty years, a retired, regular, studious and exemplary life, and died with perfect resignation, and the satisfaction of having merited that preferment and encouragement in the church which he never obtained. Reader, if thou art rich and powerful, remember, that in such instances as this, Providence not only proves the virtue of the sufferer, but more particularly tries the humanity and beneficence of thyself, and of every man who has it in his power to be a friend, a patron, and protector to merit in distress!" thecary, thecary, in London, by whom he had several children, who died in their infancy. With this lady, who possessed many amiable virtues, he found his house the constant residence of domestic felicity. [To the foregoing Memoirs, printed literally from Mr. Robertson's hand-writing, I have only to add that he died Jan. 19, 1802, in his 76th year.] XIV. RALPH GRIFFITHS, ESQ. LL.D. This gentleman, who was born in the year 1720, was the original institutor of "The Monthly Review*;" which, with unremitting perseverance, he conducted 54 years, assisted only by his son in the latter period of his life†. *The First Number of the Review was published in May 1749, at The Dunciad in St. Paul's Church-yard, whence in 1754 the Publisher removed to Paternoster-row, and in 1759 into the Strand, still retaining the sign of the Dunciad. In 1764, the name of Mr. Becket (the present respectable Publisher) first appeared in the title page. † One of his earliest coadjutors was Dr. Rose, who has the credit of having written the first article in that valuable work. He has already been mentioned, p. 386, as the friend and counsellor of Andrew Millar; and is thus noticed by the Rev. Daniel Lysons: "Dr. Rose, a man of amiable manners, and much esteemed in the literary world, had been for about 30 years an inhabitant of Chiswick; where he kept an academy. He was author of a well-known translation of Sallust, and editor of several useful compilations in Latin, French, and English. His able criticisms greatly contributed towards establishing the credit of the Monthly Review, in which he was one of the earliest writers. Dr. Rose was born in the county of Aberdeen; he died the 4th of July, 1786, aged 67. The following lines to his memory, written by Arthur Murphy, Esq. are inscribed upon his tomb: "Whoe'er thou art, with silent footsteps tread The hallow'd mould where Rose reclines his head. But pensive pause where truth and honour lie: Dr. Griffiths was a steady advocate of literature*; a firm friend, a cordial lover of the enjoyments of domestic happiness, and a zealous and successful promoter of the charms of social intercourse. With zeal through life he toil'd in Learning's cause, * Gent. Mag. vol. LXXIII. p. 896. A portrait of Dr. Griffiths is given in the European Magazine for January 1804, with the following biographical notice: "In contemplating the Portrait of this Gentleman, in whose character industry and ingenuity were in an eminent degree combined, there is one question very naturally suggested to every literary mind; and that is, How long it has known, or remembers, the original? And this leads to the reflection, that his name has been before our eyes as far back as retrospection can reach, as the Publisher and Proprietor of the Monthly Review. "At this juncture there was no regular established Literary Review in Great Britain; nor was the Monthly Review very successful on its first publication. Several times it was about to be abandoned, as Dr. Griffiths often told his friends; but patience, perseverance, and attention, surmounted every obstacle, and procured it a firm establishment. Of the Literary Journals which preceded it, the following is as accurate a list as we can at present obtain: 1. Memoirs of Literature, 8 vols. 8vo. 1722. 2. New Memoirs of Literature, by Michael de la Roche, begun January 1725, and ended December 1727, 6 vols. 3. Present State of the Republic of Letters, by Andrew Reid, began January 1729, ended 1736, 18 vols. 4. Historia Literaria, by Archibald Bower, begun 1730, ended 1732, 4 vols. 5. History of the Works of the Learned, begun January 1737, ended June 1743, 13 vols. 6. Literary Journal, printed at Dublin, began October 1744, and ended June 1749, 5 vols.-The Monthly Review (although it has, perhaps, for what might be deemed the morality of criticism, taken too much the colour, as its authors adopted too much the passions, of the times) has been uniformly successful; and it has also this singular circumstance attending its introduction, that it came into the world almost unannounced. In contradiction to the promises, parade, and verbosity, which are generally the precursors of periodical works, the two first lines of an advertisement, which scarcely contains twenty, most truly state, that "Undertakings which, in their execution, carry the designation of their use, need very little preface.""At this period the Gentleman's Magazine Dr. Griffiths died at Turnham Green, in the 83d year of his age, Sept. 28, 1803. Magazine occasionally noticed works of genius; but much more frequently those of a political or party tendency, in which all the world knows that genius is the last thing expected, or perhaps admired: yet what might be termed a regular Review was unknown in this country. It is true, that early in the eighteenth century a publication of this nature, entitled, "The present State of the Republic of Letters," was attempted; but, probably owing to the extensive nature of its plan, which includes abridgments rather than opinions of works, without much success. Copious, pompous, and florid title-pages, though reprobated by Swift, ridiculed by Arbuthnot, and cautiously launched by every respectable author, had yet, in defiance to common sense, obtained that kind of general toleration that we often see given to things of far greater importance: so that a prudent person would have been as diffident of judging of the contents of a book from the title, as he would of taking the character of those exalted personages, whose names were generally the precursors to more solid matter, from the dedication. This kind of titulary puffing, which, it is said, used to put Johnny Barber so much out of temper, that he was ready to turn an author out of his shop if the frontispiece of his manuscript exceeded the bounds of moderation, had not passed unobserved by Mr. Griffiths; and it is very probable, that a desire to repress it first gave him the idea of the Monthly Review; as he says, in the advertisement alluded to, "The abuse of title-pages is obviously come to such a pass, that few readers care to take in a book, any more than a servant, without a character.' "Of either the literary life or domestic habits of Dr. Griffiths, little is at present known; which circumstance we should lament as a misfortune, were we not informed, that it is the intention of his son, who at present conducts the Monthly Review, to publish his Memoirs. "When we observe that, but for this intimation, we should lament our want of materials as a misfortune, it arises from our reflection, that in the variety of situations where this venerable critic and valuable member of society has resided, from the Dunciad in St. Paul's Church-yard, 1747, to the Dunciad near Catherine-street, 1772, where we perfectly remember his shop to be a favourite lounge of the late Dr. Goldsmith, he must have become acquainted with more characters, anecdotes, and circumstances, many of which we hope he has preserved, than perhaps any other Critic from Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who, we gather from Polybius and others, was the first Reviewer, downward, or indeed any other person of the bibliopolical or literary professions. “Dr. Griffiths retired from his public situation as a hookseller to studies more congenial to his disposition about 30 years since." XV. |