nearonn ' s LIFE OF BURGESS.

ALT1101.:GH rather diffuse upon unimportant particulars, this work is a pleasant and scholarly life of a fortunate scholar. With the drawback mentioned, it narrates in an interesting manner the un- eventful career of a studious divine ; judiciously varying his quiet progress by a succinct view of the leading controversies in which he was engaged, or relieving it by anecdotes of the contemporaries with whom he was connected.

Thomas Beeuess, was a "(.heck" Bishop, and a memorable example of the influence of learning and decorum in advancing a man's fbrtunes in our Church, it' his views are of the "right sort." Ile also illustrates the hold which the Church and the aristocracy possess over the middle classes by means of the educational endow- ments scattered throughout the country, the public schools, and the

ho can reckon the number of provincial persons vim are influenced universities—much as they are abused from their original purposes, w to stick to things as they are, by the advancement of some lucks in- dividual of humble birth, to the woolsack, the mitre, or the judicial bench, through the instrumentality of the grammar-school of his native town 7 We do not quarrel with these institutions—we would extend their operation ; and it is ridiculous to abuse people fitr yielding to their influence : but we may note the blindness and self-conceit of those political sc'iolists, who thneied that the nation was to be duped by sounding word(., and sustained for long-con- tinued action by inflated orations, in opposition to solid advanteges and feelings of ancestral growth. Had Earl Grey's Reform Bill, whilst it extended the constituency, been so carried out as to im- prove the physical wellbeing of the people, and given hopes to the majority that tiny individual might advance himself' in life, we should not have heard of the "Chartism" of the Illnesses, or the "apathy" of the Liberals.

THOMAS BURGESS was the youngest son of a respectable grocer; and was born in 1 7,16, at (Millen), near Basingstoke. Till seven years of age, he was taught at a dame-school; after which he was sent to the grammar-school; and thence, at fourteen, to Win- chester. Here he remained a very lone period ; not quitting school for Oxford till 1775, when he gained a Winchester scholar- ship after a sevm.c competition. At the University, he became a hard student, to remedy the philological deficiencies which his master, Joeeett Weterf,x, addicted to polite letters, had not troubled himself ebout, it' he were even capable of teaching the verbal niceties of Greek. " lloogeven, Bos, and Vigeruse became the const.Int companions of Burgess ; and be even submitted to the drudgery of committing to mentory the whole of Nugent's Greek Primitives." lie also cultivated the muse, and published, at intervals, two prattle; which he himeelf estimated so justly in after years, that no copy was tbund in his library, 110r is the name of one Of then: known. In 1 778, he edited a new edition of Bee- rox's Pet/Meg/a—a work containing five Greek tragedies with annotations ; and dieplayed so much critical that it attracted considerable notice, and. laid the foundation of his Grecian cele- brity. Soon after, he published a new edition of DAwE's rellantct Critiot—a work consisting of " critical disquisitions on and conjectural emendations of the text of the Attie poets, remarks on their peculiarities of construction, dissertations on various questions connected with Greek metre, and elaborate inquiries into the properties of the .1;olie Digamtna." llumeess's pert in this publication had a more than. English celebrity, and eventually pro- cured lbr him the acquaintance of some Va 1:110W11 literary men, and amongst others of"I'v w urn., the editor of Chaucer ; by whose liberality he was materially aesisted. From this period till he took , orders in 1 7 4, or rather till his death, he was continually engaged in some literary task. In 1779, lie entered into a university com- petition for one of the Chancellor's prizes. the subject being the " Affinity between Poetry and Painting ; " and was beaten by Lord

Str»rouen, then Mr. Anmeanroe. In the next year Benoess was

successful, on a subject lie better understood—en Essay on the Study of Antiquities. In 1752 he was appointed tutor of a

College ; and in 1 781 he was ordained ; his motives at that time being, as well as we can divine, rather secular than religious, or at the best mixed. But the regularity of his life 'sustained him in the outward propriety befitting a clergyman; and his sense of duty not only induced him to study the Scriptures more closely, and to ac- quire Hebrew, but led hint to a full conviction of the doctrine of justification by faith, and even to a defence of the authenticity of the much-disputed verse in John's Gospel, " For there are three that beat' record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy

Ghost." In 175h5 lie was appointed chaplain, by BARRINGTON, then Bishop of Salisbury ; whom he subsequently accompanied when translated to Durham. Here the feeling of a Christian mie sister's duties pressing strongly upon him, he procured a country pr atly imiehted fin- the pains v hiell he mei: directing the latent ien of his . pupils to the critical beauties. or lilt t; (he a tit lic.rs they read with him. . t. reputation, arid attach:NI to literature,it tea.; tive o;•■• oil the TaIllvilOcs tin-te vomosition. Ile tv;:5;i1, in the llaik Ice:tiring to the elder on Cretin- do Verit ate during Lent, Out ctiltnei et Greek author?; 1,1111e the ;.;:i.e7fielits to nitwit lie resort-rat gi order to `` •"` ..le" conceal the factota. re easy ofileteetion, and much amusement mitong the " I '? I. • • elder boys. When, for exanip!o, cattle to a. passn:e of peculiar ob,coril v .1 ill the elioruit of a Greek tragedy, he uotihl allow Inc hos who Iteis coestru- ing to Aide throtip.11 it in the best way he could, whih- he rai:01 his au ti voice !'":' " !.L•":"•-• I. to an unusual pitch, and complaint 1 of whieh to ever% body el,e, scented "11,51 " Ill I" "net he put 110 11101T than ertliner:,., in other parts of the •elamt. It was one tix late a", IIarIn• thin It Iltihtitiglotd's anecdotes, thm- he to ,..1 Lem, s•.11;:t vvould InIpi.c11 on '1.1' 1`:t the E"'".'."-- alt apilrl'aril 111 510.11 111,11 110 C:1■211 It) (he bat "Now we hall Lave a cutely." Addinef remarkable instance of isle kindne :.cu yell soon after the reimmelee- living from his friend and patron. Not long after his establishment as a country parson, he married ; and remained at his parish till 1803; when his old competitor ADDINCTON nominated him to the see of St..1);ivicfs, in a curious and unusual way. This condensed notice of the life of THOMAS 13temEss, from his outset as a grocer's son at the dame and grammar schools of ()di- ham till hit advancement to the mitre, will enable the reader more fully to enter into the following characteristic anecdotes from

RAaroun1s volume.

niFuoe nut:tin SS AT A BA AIE AND (111 AM MAn Sc11001..

Thomas was rent when a fifth• boy to r. dame's school, kept by a Mrs. 'Fisher, elm seems t hsve been the very counterpart III !Thenstone's,elioolmistri rs. in his visits to I dth.un, otter he tail dish himself; be "ever failed to call upon his old mist rtes ; who 1, exee, dingly proud of having had him at ber school, and recd to call him Liar lie nos seven years old when he was sent to the grammar-::boot of thlibtim. Though living in the same town with his patents, they denied theteselers the pleneure of lievier hint lieme except at the reeitlar 1.elvda vs, that he mielit not lweeme 'inset:1,AI and Math...wive to his studies. As his mother on hioi, this H...at I ri.il to her, especially when ,he tart 011 :41111:tyl: at church, meong the te11ill of hi, hut she re- pressed lot feelings tie her dai'si'es good. 1 lis own kelings, it is. scarcely need- ful II) WM, were hot it little exrItcd. On tlwse occasions.

Jot CPU )1' II A It ION AS A ScIlooLu AsTEn.

It, .1001', \Vim-ton, so well known by his li asnv or the rienit; and Writ-

.1 ad what's Tool Burgess nut of?

tit' pensive looks,

And toye full of honks, /11111 that's Tom litil-getet made of.

(•lsewhere. 1)r. AVarton, on receiving a copy of it front It old pupil, went into oer 1■■ of Durham. an eestacy of delight, and holding it up in his baud; L, 1;m: the 'Winchester " I have the Lolleer to le, tt itl, Lew e.•••;eten. boys, addrcssed himself particular to one II !Ill SI111.0 :LC111111'01 110 Sinaii V1011'100..1 01.1..licut u1O1 faithful servant, produce :mei, a work ?" The feet is, glint e ;rad uate, who had under • taken the olliee ef editor. grolvin:f tired uf 11 c 1.0.nur. its l sin1,1,1,1y withdrawn his service,. '11... pnbIidter, fir. FIPtchcr, one d::t emopkiciig in the pressure Mr, I Itn•tiand a of corp.'s, al, I other,,, the 11:;:id„„ ill 50,41, 1,, eon .crinently W110:1 11:11-!1■11111.1 exclalii,11, •• vdty ,ltinthl not you ttn,!erIal... it ?" nest day Fletelwr mid formally pee . ,i the eeIee uCwiItce upon him. 'Cho yr:ali- bi' critic cemplled. and had grill rclis,!! to hill ; for,

inde-

pendently of the reptitatI,n1 w1-:e11 the pa! he derived

solid and perroancnt advinit:ige the p■ aci aniientlim ',Licit it involved

of his philological st mlies, from the ell; ie,11 which it 11,1111111 to

fnrcii-

gate, and limn the :lecitti.-.Ultaltee or crio.,1 •11111 of variou learned men which it prceured him.

hineexeert or—mmer err.

111R. BURGESS AS A TIOUSUKEEPER.

11Iy readers lei!' not he surprised to hear, that his thoughts had hitherto been so exclusively bestowed upon his learned studies and ltfs religious duties, that lie had little attended to the cares of housekeeping. III allusion to his inexperience in all such matters, the Bishop of Durham smilingly said to the holy, a short time before their marriage, "Miss Bright, you are about to be united to one of the very best or men, 'Jut n perfect (.1.11.1 in the concerns of this world ; so yon must manage the house, !out pnvern oat only pour maids but the inen-servents also." ,1 piece of friendly advice, for which :tire. Burgess, however Unwilling to 0111stup her prolA r pi CI Villre, SOMI filu,vl reason to per- ceive the necessity.

On the day of tittle nutrrit.ge, the 11:••:ep drove Mt° 1)11111nIn from Auckland Castle to tudte their batoi; end it me,ged. that they go to \l'inston Pinsonage Ininie,Iiately after 1 11..: ccr. mon-. l'onjeetniing 1 11.1r his Chaplain. might prohahly have liweettin to laraer suitably to the occasion,. the kind :lust thmightful Prelate hrsd sent over an ample ::1;19,1y or delicacies to await their arri% al. .1 to:t as they •.% ere about to drive off. he amused himself by probing tlie fact. " You hate, no doubt, taken go...I rare to provhle every thing in the best. manner 11I• 1;nw.ge:!s's reeeptio:, at Winston ? " The CleeelaIli stetted et the ■pwstion, end 5,-.•••• ohlieeli to men that really it had 110'0' to Ile 'Nu, it ulIeved from 11', emborra:.5...ment, nd had reason, as on twiny former occati...i•, to 'pi his diocesan his good genius.

AN 1 Nr.:,:....1"r1:11 III rill:.

.1fter Lad take It P., Dr, Cooper, one of his brother s, and his nee t tlo,•r ;:t ieldwur at 1)nrham, used frequently

to urge him to ptocecil to take lb::! of I ).1 of the l'rchentlaries at this

jog, of Pope, „as: he dive had done sae •• I; it he might to take your 1)octor's degree. It is a your (7,0;Ieg.e." in the summer of 1803, k nosiness ealing t Lc ,...yped at (ksford in his wily, and did poet Lintel: of soot. it. During ; it, loomt the itishop tit' Dor!..mt :old him that .3Ir. Ilk 81111 Iii,711 to kindle it: their Iwwees remRemli ;lame and 1,i:de,. hi, .1 ddoleteh, then a ie..v days before to hiA, in the course of • cyle " wo• r imeges., It not call wi In/ ; I -ea., with !tiro both at auspices their ordinary ehissieal lessens v,..re often converted into an ihstrurs so,11, • and 1, '11,e that utter hearing this, he really eheet eel!. srrie,:eig I'Lc• ii.r.v,•r,r, 011 the lifeSCIA, the la•gular course of sehnel-hours, and t.,11:1 11V:11 to render his comment Si) .,,1 ny Oil notice, or in any ireerestieg that they' Iktched to him eith delIght. 1'.'harton, however, liongh ;in,: t, 1 ;crier:I ,t 1111111;; by this an scholer, wes not an able t. t•erhel (hoap, •- ir ,..v(•r;11 aays after and, :1 natur.,.1 eeevedienee. encom.tered insormount.ilile r''. 1." '.". ''•I " l• ""1 she

;•,-11. cem-sc. tem,- I ; .ct r- nhicit it liroti;.;

Net i.equired the

"•1'11 the Rev. Dr. Burgess,"

was at first inclined le cry " ,piscorlri :" but lie emisideret1 it his duty to tintle‘e;:l.e oti:ee .v hich promised a la...ger sphere of usefulliess and. '.:::y :l_; his exertions is his see were indetitt:erable. dee time lite NVelsh clergy \were drawn from a very kteiMle clays. feel `,..•7e generally igno- rant and soe.',id--onietinics T1, the evil as far as he could, lie introtlueed vericms re;...nietione .1. ex:In.:ming can- I fur or,iers; re.iuired thent to attend certain licensed schools. is this was insufficient to mee.t the cc II. and a university education was out of the ye....tion nn ,,e-eeepe poverty of the livieff,s and the peeple, he projected, :md diet ef e...4.it exertions merit of their parson1i vf.coulii,!:1:1c0, V.16•.11 L•r■HuCc1 So profound all Myles- last, the :eit.i.sfectien of C.,111)!;:dI'dez, Ile, College of $t. sion II the heart of Poe ,• , ie the latest petiods of his i'luni"al • I)V 111 t'fsiteI'''inc•IPalitY may he was 1111111 tt, dwelt avail it ■ti;;; ;:litioSt p:ecarg a clerical teltication aL as pciTortioned to their

e Street ? "

tic post came

• 11 ;1 his atten- : " must moment, its ceteents. . 1., who soon

.el urn 111.A. ht lo,.1.,l rd thoughtful, I..• >hewed her the fee. e L-tter from Mr.

RUI:G1::jS A'P is' INi:111:,11::: (1'1:0N1 A :'(.11005. l'AS(;LINA:91:.) F.ir—'Thou v. e lee.e . -e-rehd nhnost Hair- I have not, let me assure yon, I•,.. 11 .trao,....•,. tb.• nc.• II yom ...iv:lied:armlet, nor to your exertions fur the interes;,, oilcarII i lard 1 ; and I have been

anxious that peer see; iet s siteuld -;:., fartlier Imewed and distinguished,

and your sphere of' !Icing useful enh.rged Irle•se c; alone have led rinser sTee 15 A 111:,110P'S CA!;I:Etz. 11a1 lo t;; Lis (-; 1.nrd (1i:urge Such a publication (Burton's l'entellogi) by an Coder Crtultaate was so 'mere, ;',.• emeee 1 ).0 ; :::,1 tio II;S .111tjesty remarkable an occurrence, that it attracted much attention both at Oxford and 1,,,.• eel Jr, I.,. eepree,,I of lie; le,•,,mne .t: ee It be expected that literary dhdinel!on, the Reverend W. I.. H.• (.11.11):Itg, " will yoo il:NitY :1111/INGTON." haps he was scarcely wise in accepting in his seventieth .year. He was highly respected in his own diocese; he was acquainted with all his clergy, as they were with him ; and from long habit the business of his see had become easy and mechanical. In his new sphere he does not appear to have given satisfaction to some; for we see indications of complaints of want of punctuality in answer- ing communications, and of neglect of business. Looking at his age and his studious habits, this was to be expected, and may be excused: the error was in the original acceptance of the prefer- ment. It should be said, however, that some years after his trans- lation, he requested permission to resign his bishopric; but was answered that " a resignation of this description was deemed, for many reasons, inadmissible." The infirmity of years now began to creep upon him ; though he appeared in his place to protest against the Catholic Relief Bill, and continued his critical investigations to his death. This took place in February 1837; but before coming to it, we will glean a few personal characteristics recorded by Mr. haneono or his cor- respondents.

EARLY HOURS OF BISHOP 111:1HIESS. ,

" Of the Bishop's literary labours and self-denying life," writes the same clergyman, " few can have any conception. I was frequently admitted to see him on business, even as early as six in the morning; when, rather than detain me, he has seen me in his dressing-room. Often he kindly remarked, your time is not your own, and is as precious to you as mine ; scruple not to send to me when you really want to see me." " On one of my early morning visits, about eight o'clock, in the winter, I found him seated, in his greatcoat and hat, writing at a table, in a room with- out a carpet, the floor covered with old folios, and his candles only just extin-

guished. I have been writing and reading,' he said, since five o'clock.' At another time I breakfasted with him one morning, by appointment, at his hotel in town ; and tbund hint, at eight o'clock, about Christmas, writing by candlelight ; the whole room being strewed with old books, collected from various places in the metropolis. The untiring perseverance with which he prosecuted his researches for evidence on any particular subject is incon- ceivable."

IIIS DISPOSAL Or PATRONAGE.

Of his conscientious and independent disposal of preferment, 1 had many-

proofs during my acquaintance with him of sixteen years. Happening one day . to call at the palace, the Bishop mentioned a living just become vacant, and said it was astonkhing what a number of applications had been made for it in the course of eight-and-forty hours. lie appeared dissatisfied with the various candidates named to him, and expressed his wish to fix ou some truly good omit with a family, to whom the living might be of real service. I ventured to name a curate to him, whose ministerial fidelity and moral character had been highly spoken of in my hearing a day or two before. Ile had a large family, and had been labouring with much success in a laborious but very poor curacy. Ile instantly desired me to inquire further and very particularly about him. I did so, and soon reported the result. Ile thanked me for the trouble I had taken, without saying any thing more; but a few clays after, be kindly called on me to say that he had offered the living to the gentleman I had named, who had joyfully accepted it. On this occasion, I know, the Bishop passed by the urgent recommendation of a person of great influence in fhrour of a respectable individual, in order that he might prefer a deserving man with a large family who had worked hard for ninny years on a curate's pittance.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.

His daily dinner was two mutton-chops, with little or no wine. IT usually devoted his evenings to study and writing, and often sat up late at thee. em- ployments. Such, at this time, was the daily tenor of his life ; and his habitual temperance, as we have already remarked, enabled him to pursue this seden- tary course without injury to his health. " Spare fare, which oft with gods cloth diet," was a topic upon which he loved to expatiate. His recreations were equally simple and innocent. Religious or literary con- versation ; the perusal with a friend of fine passages of poetry ; a pleasant walk; listening to the tunes of his nuisical-boxss, of which he had several of exquisite quality,—such were some of his litvourite relaxations, and he enjoyed them with a keen relish. When his nights proved, as they sometimes did, wakeful, he would solace the time by a tune from one of these boxes, which

usually stood by his bedside, or by repeating favourite pieces of poetry. * *

Those who only saw him casually, or in a formal manner, were apt to mis- construe the mixture of gravity and shyness in his address to strangers into coldness, and even into distance. Upon being questioned on literary or theo- logical topics, he was easily drawn out, and his conversation became instructive, amusing, and animated; but he had very little of the pleasant small-talk which makes up so much of the current coin of society. Ile was quite aware of this deficiency, and would often, when listening to the conversation of ladies, tell them, with a smile, how much he would give for their power of running on so long upon agreeable nothings. * The transfer of his person to the gay and busy metropolis made but little change in the prevailing bent of his thoughts and pursuits, which were usually revolving around seine question of theological interest, or of public or private duty; and his habits of temperance were so strict that he was at his studies early and late without suffering front the effects of severe application. In one respect, however, he did painfully feel its consequences, and that was in his eyesight, which gradually became so much impaired that during the last twenty years of his life he was constantly obliged to wear a green shade. The weakness of his eyes rendered preaching .a painful effort to him. :Neither had nature endowed him with oratorical gifts. His voice, thought remarkably sweet, was low ; he had not melt of fancy or imagination, and the calm equa- nimity of his mind unfitted him for acting with power on large assemblies.

THE DYING CRITIC.

On the evening of the 13th of February the Bishop was no unwell that lie

retired early to his room, never again to leave it. During the three ensuing days, he lay in a state of great debility, but was not materially worse. In this state of prostration he gave manifest proof how strong the ruling passion was even in death. Ile had sent to the press at the close of the preceding week a final letter to Dr. Scholts, defending his own views respecting the controverted verse. He asked for the proof-sheet on the very day on which lie thus took to his bed, but it was not ready. On the next day, the 14th, his servant pro- cured and brought several copies of it to him. The Bishop rallied for a mo- ment on being told it was come, and desired that he might be supported in bed while he franked two covers enclosing proof-sheets to his friends Dr. Bribing- ton and the late Reverend Francis Ifuyshe. With the aid of his man-servant and of Mrs. Burgess he at length accomplished his object, thought with great difficulty. The Bishop's politics, as may be conjectured from a life passed at Oxford till near fort- years of age, were high Church and Tory. In mere political questions, however, he took little interest • nor in a certain sense could he be called a politician at all, for he put aside

a consideration of the signs of the times, and seemed to expect a visible interference. This conclusion, stated nakedly, he probably would have denied; but his resistence to the Catholic claims was really based on this view : he held that every worldly danger was to be incurred rather than compromise the truth of God and the glory of' his Gospel. On the Slave-trade he opposed his party, advc- eating its abolition. In filet he was amongst its earliest assailants, having published a pamphlet against it in 1789. Ile was indefati-

gable as an author both clerical and critical ; frequently combining the two in one. His publications amount to nearly a hundred; varying from expositions of time broad principles of Christianity or its evidences, and recondite questions of classical criticism, to elementary books for Hebrew tyros, and little compilations for Sunday schools. Attempts have been made to depreciate his learning, by comparing him with later scholars, who possessed all the advantages which German industry and patience have accumu- lated; as unjust as it would be to estimate the capabilities of an old coachman by comparing his rate of progress with that of a modern conveyance. According to his age and opportunities, Bishop Buncliss was a scholar : but the attack upon him indicates a troth—he 'MIS deficient in originality of mind, so that his learning was in a measure unproductive of fruits. Ile could accumulate, but not discover, scarcely combine. He could collect and condense what was known, but could not make it a basis to advance to the unknown ; occupying the same place in regard to scholars like 13iwri.Ev and PORSON, which a sailor, master of seamanship and practically ac- quainted with the known world, does in relation to the great na- vigators. Whether Bishop 13unnEss was equal to the production of a household book even for scholars, may be questioned ; but we fully coincide with the closing criticism pf Mr. 1.IAaroan—that " had he directed his powers of application and his learned attain- ments to fewer topics, or concentrated them on some select subject of general interest, he might have enriched the literature of his country with more permanent monuments of his fame,"