published in London in 1801, in 12 vols., 8vo. "Cobbett in these volumes has left a picture of the politics and the leading politicians of America, which (with caution) must be studied by all who would understand the party questions with which they were discussed."- Chancellor Kent.

Cobbett wrote also Emigrant's Guide; Poor Man's Friend; Cottage Economy; A Year's Residence in America; An English Grammar; The Woodlands, a treatise on Planting; Parliamentary History of England; and Pamphlets almost innumer

able.

Cobbett did not mistake in naming himself "Porcupine." He bristled all over, and against everybody in turns, and was always in hot water. He was prosecuted and fined several times in England for slander, and once he was imprisoned. He was as untruthful as he was ill-natured. "His malevolence and lying are beyond anything."Jeremy Bentham.

Apart from his moral delinquencies, Cobbett was a writer of great merit. His style is almost universally commended. He was perfect master of that plain, homespun idiom which all understand, and he expressed himself with amazing clearness. “The general characteristics of his style were perspicuity unequalled and inimitable; a homely, muscular vigor, a purity always simple, and a raciness often elegant." -London Times. "The style of Cobbett is the perfection of the rough Saxon English, a model of political writings for the people." He was especially remarkable for his rough common sense, and his powers of sarcasm.

IV. PHILOSOPHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC WRITERS.

Dugald Stewart.

Dugald Stewart, 1753-1828, was the leading metaphysical writer in Great Britain during all the early part of the present century.

Dugald Stewart was born in Edinburgh, his father being at the time Professor of Mathematics in the University. He entered the HighSchool of Edinburgh at seven, and remained in it until twelve. During the last two years of this time he was under the well-known Alexander Adam. He attended the University from 1765 to 1770, that is, from the age of twelve to the age of sixteen. While there, he had the instructions of John Stevenson in Logic, and of Adam Ferguson on Moral Philosophy. In 1771 he went to Glasgow to study under Dr. Reid. While there he wrote his first work, An Essay on Dreaming, which contained the germs of many of his subsequent speculations. He lived also in the same house with Archibald Alison, author of the Essay on Taste, with whom he contracted a lasting friendship.

In 1772, being then eighteen years old, Stewart began assisting his father in the instruction of the mathematical classes at Edinburgh, and continued in that department, jointly with his father, until 1785.

In 1778, during the temporary absence of Ferguson on a political mission to America, Stewart taught the Moral Philosophy class, in addition to his mathematical classes, and lectured on the subject with great applause. On the resignation of Ferguson, in 1785, Stewart was elected Professor of Moral Philosophy, and continued to fill the chair for twenty-five years. His lectures were greatly admired, and added much to the renown of the University.

In 1806, Stewart received a sinecure office from the Government, worth £300 a year. In 1809, his health failing, Dr. Thomas Brown, at Stewart's request, was appointed, at first to lecture to the class, and afterwards to be a joint Professor, which arrangement continued until Brown's death in 1820. On the death of Brown, Stewart exerted himself in behalf of the appointment of Sir William Hamilton, but was overruled in the matter, and the appointment was given to John Wilson. Stewart's active duties in the University ended in 1810.

In his philosophy, Stewart was a disciple of Reid, and he followed up the reaction which Reid had begun, against the doctrines of Hume and Berkeley. Although not one of the most original or profound thinkers in his department, yet by the elegance of his style, the clearness of statement, and the great compass of his writings, he did more than any man in his day to diffuse an interest in speculations connected with the human mind.

His collected works have been edited by Sir William Hamilton, in 11 vols., 8vo. His principal works are: The Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind; Outlines of Moral Philosophy; The Philosophy of the Active and Moral Powers; Lectures on Political Economy; A General View of the Progress of Metaphysical, Ethical, and Political Philosophy, since the Revival of Letters; Philosophical Essays; An Account of the Life and Writings of Thomas Reid; of William Robertson the historian; and of Adam Smith the political economist.

Stewart, like our own Professor Silliman in another department, had extraordinary powers as a lecturer, amounting almost to fascination. "All the years I remained about Edinburgh I used, as often as I could, to steal into Mr. Stewart's class to hear a lecture, which was always a high treat. I have heard Pitt and Fox deliver some of their most admired speeches, but I never heard anything nearly so eloquent as some of the lectures of Professor Stewart. The taste for the studies which have proved my favorite pursuits, and which will be so to the end of my life, I owe to him." — James Mill.

Thomas Brown.

THOMAS BROWN, M. D., 1778-1820, a distinguished Scotch metaphysician, was the colleague and successor of Dugald Stewart in the chair of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh.

Dr. Brown's first publication, Observations on the Zoonomia of Erasmus Darwin, was written at the age of eighteen, and "exhibited astonishing prematurity of talents." "The perhaps unmatched work of a boy of eighteen years of age." - Mackintosh.

The work which first gave him a world-wide celebrity was a treatise on Cause and Effect. The theory of causation which he introduced, though since generally abandoned as untenable, was presented with such clearness of statement and such wonderful vigor and beauty of style, that it took the public by storm. Critics of all schools

were loud in its praise. "This is a work of great power. Before Dr. Brown wrote, we were confusedly all in the dark about causation. If ever there was a system which deserved the appellation of intelligible, compact, consistent, simple, this is the one." -N. Am. Review. "His first tract on Causation appeared to me the finest model of discussion in Mental Philosophy since Berkeley and Hume."- Mackintosh.

Dr. Brown, in connection with his extraordinary acuteness as a metaphysician, had a rich and glowing imagination, as one can see at a glance in reading a page anywhere in his works; it is no wonder, then, to find him a frequenter of the haunts of the muses. His poetical works are numerous, though it is probable they would have passed into oblivion but for the splendor of his abilities in other respects. He wrote The Paradise of Coquettes; The War Fiend; The Wanderer in Norway, a Poem ; Agnes, a Poem; Emily and other Poems. After Brown's death, his Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind appeared. They constitute the leading monument

of his fame.

"It would be unjust to censure severely the declamatory parts of these Lectures; they are excusable in the first warmth of composition. They might even be justifiable allurements in attracting young learners to abstract speculations. The prose of Dr. Brown is brilliant to excess. It is darkened by excessive brightness; it loses ease and liveliness by over-dress; and, in the midst of its luxurious sweetness, we wish for the striking and homely illustrations of Tucker, and for the pithy and sin ewy sense of Paley." Mackintosh.

Abercrombie.

JOHN ABERCROMBIE, M. D., 1781-1844, who was at his death at the head of his profession in Scotland as a physician, was equally eminent as a writer of medical works, and as a writer on metaphysics.

Abercrombie's principal medical works are Researches on Diseases of the Spinal Cord, and Researches on the Diseases of the Intestinal Cord, etc. His works of the other class are The Philosophy of the Moral Feelings, and the Intellectual Powers. The work last named has had an extended and general popularity. Though not profound, it is clear and easily understood; it contains much curious and useful information, and it is particularly valuable on those points in which the mind is affected by the body. The author's medical experience and knowledge gave him special facilities for treating intelligently this class of subjects. A truly Christian spirit pervades all his writings.

JONATHAN DYMOND, 1796-1828, a member of the Society of Friends, wrote two works of great value: Inquiry into the Accordancy of War with the Principles of Christianity; Essays on the Principles of Morality, and on the Private and Political Rights and Obligations of Mankind. The former was one of the most effective weapons of the Peace Society. The latter has been republished in the United States, and has been made a text-book on Moral Science in many institutions of learning.

SAMUEL DREW, 1765-1833, is chiefly and most favorably known by his work on The Immateriality and Immortality of the Soul.

Drew was without any advantages of early education, but being converted from infidelity, he became greatly interested in religious topics and applied himself zealously to study. He was editor of the Imperial Magazine, and wrote several works which

were in high repute: The Immateriality and Immortality of the Human Soul; Remarks on Paine's Age of Reason; Identity and General Resurrection of the Human Body; Being and Attributes of God; Life of Dr. Coke, etc. "His work on the Soul is truly wonderful; nothing like it was ever published.”— Prof. Kidd, "His masterpiece of metaphysical argument is contained in his Essay on the Soul, for which he has been styled the English Plato."- Lond. Christ. Remembrancer. Under the preaching of Adam Clarke, in 1785, Drew became a Methodist; and in 1788 he became a local preacher.

John Mason Good.

JOHN MASON GOOD, M. D., 1764–1827, though eminent in his profession, and the author of several works on medicine of high authority, was almost equally distinguished in linguistic and theological pursuits.

Good had no advantages of a University education, but was placed at fifteen as apprentice to a surgeon, and worked his way up in the profession by private study and dauntless perseverance. He was related on the mother's side to Dr. John Mason.

Good's principal works, omitting those exclusively professional, are the following: The Book of Nature, 3 vols., Svo; Pantalogia, or an Encyclopædia of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, 12 vols. (written jointly by Dr. Good, Olinthus Gregory, and Newton Bosworth); Maria, an Elegiac Ode; Triumph of Britain, an Ode; The Nature of Things, translated from the Latin of Lucretius, with notes philosophical and explanatory, 2 vols., 4to; The Song of Songs, with notes critical and explanatory; The Book of Job, translated literally, with notes critical and illustrative. These two works, on Job and Solomon's Song, displayed immense erudition, and gave the author a high rank as a biblical scholar. The work on Lucretius likewise showed him to be wonderfully at home in the deepest problems of classical scholarship.

"These vast volumes are more like the work of a learned German professor than of an ungraduated Englishman. They display extensive erudition, considerable judgment, and some taste; yet, upon the whole, they are extremely heavy and uninteresting, and the leading emotion they excite in the reader is that of sympathy with the fatigue the author must have undergone in the compilation. The truth is, that Mr. Good, though very intelligent, is very indiscriminate in the selection of his information; and though, for the most part, sufficiently candid and judicious in his remarks, is at the same time intolerably dull and tedious. He has no vivacity; no delicacy of taste or fancy; very little originality; and a gift of extreme prolixity. His prose is better than his poetry; his reasonings are more to be trusted than his criticism; and his statements and explanations are of more value than his argument."―Jeffrey.

"No work of criticism in the language affords such a display of acquaintance with ancient and modern languages. Dr. Good is a firm believer in the antiquity of the book [Job], contends that Moses was the writer of it, and that it contains the great principles of the patriarchal faith. His translation is the most valuable work on Job in the English language, and must materially assist any individual in the interpretation of that difficult book."-Orme.

OLINTHUS GREGORY, LL. D., 1774-1841, a mathematician of great eminence, was Professor of Mathematics in the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, yet had a taste for literary pursuits.

Among Gregory's works of a popular character are: Lessons Astronomical and Philosophical, for the Amusement and Instruction of British Youth; Letters to a

Friend on the Evidences, Doctrines, and Duties of the Christian Religion, published by the Religious Tract Society; Memoirs of Dr. John Mason Good. He edited also The Pantalogia, or General Encyclopædia, in connection with John Mason Good and Bosworth.

Jeremy Bentham.

Jeremy Bentham, 1747-1832, attained great celebrity as a writer on political reform.

Mr. Bentham began authorship as early as 1776, by a sharp critique on Blackstone's view of the origin of Government. From that time on, for a period of more than half a century, he continued to write and publish on almost every subject connected with legislative and political reform. His works were published, after his death, in 11 vols., 8vo.

A striking peculiarity of Bentham's works is that those written first were much better as to style than those written late in life. His early writings are marked by compactness, clearness, and general attractiveness of style. As he advanced in life, he grew careless in this respect, and concerned himself only with the substance of what he had to say. His matter was always weighty, and he always provoked discussion.

Most of the ameliorations in English law have sprung from the discussions to which Bentham gave rise. He was indeed a bold, vigorous, and original thinker, but not a safe guide; and in his religious opinions was decidedly of an infidel character. The cardinal doctrines of his whole system were, that "utility is the test and measure of virtue;" and that "the object of legislation is the greatest happiness of the greatest number."

Bentham's chief works are the following: A Fragment on Government, being the critique on Blackstone; A Defence of Usury; Principles of Morals and Legislation; Panopticon, containing a plan for utilizing the labor of convicts; The Rationale of Indirect Evidence; The Rationale of Punishment; The Rationale of Reward; The Book of Fallacies; Church of Englandism and its Catechism examined.

Of the Defence of Usury, 1787, Sir James Mackintosh says, it is "perhaps the best specimen [extant] of the exhaustive discussion of a moral or political question, leaving no objection, however feeble, unanswered, and no difficulty, however small, unexplained; remarkable, also, for the clearness and spirit of the style, for the full exposition which suits them to all intelligent readers, for the tender and skilful hand with which prejudice is touched, and for the urbanity of his admirable apology for projectors." "A work unanswered and unanswerable; and not less admirably reasoned than happily expressed." Edinburgh Review.

Of the Book of Fallacies, twenty-seven years later, 1824, Sidney Smith says: "Whether it is necessary that there should be a middleman between the cultivator and the possessor, learned economists doubted; but neither gods, nor men, nor booksellers can doubt the necessity of a middleman between Mr. Bentham and the public. Mr. Bentham is long; Mr. Bentham is occasionally involved and obscure; Mr. Bentham invents new