barraffed in his domeftic circumftances, by a dreadful fire, which had deftroyed his library and furniture. The heroic tranquillity of mind which he discovered, was derived not only from the love of science, but from the power of religion. His philofophy was too fublime to ftop at fecond caufes. It led him to the divine philofophy of religion, which can alone form a habit of true magnanimity and patience in fuffering.

The latter days of this extraordinary man were tranquil and ferene, and he preferved to the laft that vigour of understanding, which diftinguished his early life. Sevcral attacks of the vertigo in the beginning of September, 1783, were prefages of his mild and happy passage from this fcene to a better. On the 7th of September, he was feized with an apoplectic fit. "I am dying," faid he, before he loft his fenfes, and expired a few hours after, aged feventy fix years.

His death was confidered as a public lofs, even in the .country which he inhabited. The academy of Peterfburg went in deep mourning, and voted a marble bust of him at their own expenfe to be placed in that affembly hall.

His works were published in thirty eight volumes. It has been obferved, that "few men of letters have written fo much as Euler, and that no geometrician has ever embraced fo many objects at a time, or has equalled him either in the variety or magnitude of his discoveries."

Notwithflauding his profound knowledge in mathematics and philofophy, he had made great progress in medical, botanical, and chemical fcience; and had read with attention and tafte the most diftinguished writers in

ancient Rome. The civil and literary hiftory of all ages and nations was familiar to him.

His moral character was as excellent as his literary was great. Though his head was inceffantly employed, his fpirit was always tranquil. His converfation was cheerful and instructive; his wit tempered with humanity; and profound learning united with modeity. His probity and integrity were pure and uncorrupted. He was anxious to fulfil his duty in every flation in life, and was, in fhort, a good husband, father, friend, and citizen.

This great man was a firm believer in the chriftian refigion, and performed all the duties it enjoins with the utmost reverence and attention. It was his custom every evening, while his fight continued, to read a portion of Scripture to his family, and he fometimes accompanied it with an expofition. His piety was rational and fincere ; and his devotion full of fervour. He was fenfible of the importance of religion to the dignity and happiness óf mankind; and defended Revelation against the objec tions of infidels, in a work published at Berlin, 1747. His philanthropy was great, and if he ever felt the emotions of indignation, it was against the apoftles of infideli ty, whom he regarded as the moft pernicious enemies of mankind.

In his Letters to a German Princefs, he obferves, that "However extravagant and abfurd the fentiments of certain philosophers may be, they are fo obftinately pre

* The princess of Anhalt Deffan was defirous of receiving from Euler fome leffons in natural philofophy. These leffons have been published under the title of Letters to a German Princefs; and tran lated into English by Dr. Hunter, author of Sacred Biography.

poffeffed in favour of them, that they reject every religious opinion and doctrine, which is not conformable to their fyftem of philofophy. From this fource are derived most of the fects and herefies in religion. Several philofophical fyftems are really contradictory to religion; but in that cafe, divine truth ought furely to be preferred to the reveries of men, if the pride of philofophy knew what it was to yield. Should found philofophy fometimes feem to be oppofite to religion, that oppofition is more apparent than real; and we must not suffer ourselves to be dazzled with the fpecioufnefs of objection."

General Biographical Dictionary, Vol. VI.-
Euler's Letters, Vol. I.

SIR JOHN PRINGLE.

JOHN PRINGLE, a celebrated physician, was born in the county of Roxburgh, North Britain, April 10th, 1707. His grammatical education he received at home, under a private tutor; and after having made fuch a progrefs as qualified him for academical ftudies, he was removed to the univerfity of St. Andrews. Having continued there fome years, he went to Edinburgh in 1727. for the purpose of studying phyfic, that being the profeffion he intended to follow. After he had continued a year at Edinburgh, he went to Leyden, in order to attend the lectures of the celebrated Boerhaave, for whom he had a high and juft refpect.

Upon quitting Leyden, Dr. Pringle fettled as a physician at Edinburgh, where he gained the efteem of the magiftrates of the city, and of the profeffors of the col

lege, by his abilities and good conduct. Such was his known acquaintance with ethical fubjects, that in 1734, he was appointed by the magiftrates and council of the city of Edinburgh, joint profeffor of pneumatics and moral philofophy, with Mr. Scott, during the life of that gentleman, and fole profeffor after his deceafe; and in confequence of this appointment, was admitted the fame day, a member of the university.

Dr. Pringle continued in the practice of phyfic at Ed-inburgh, and in performing the duties of his professorship, till 1742, when he was appointed phyfician to the earl of Stair, who then commanded the British army. By the intereft of this nobleman, he was, in 1742, conftituted phyfician to the military hospital in Flanders. The ex-emplary attention, which he paid to his duty in this ftation, is apparent from his "Treatife on the Diseases of the Army." It was his grand object to leffen, as far as lay in his power, the calamities of war; nor was he without confiderable fuccefs in this noble and benevolent defign.

In 1752, he married the daughter of Dr. Oliver, a celebrated physician at Bath. In 1758, he quitted the fervice of the army, and being determined to fix wholly in London, was admitted a licentiate of the college of phyficians the fame year. In 1766, the king raifed him to the dignity of a baronet of Great Britain; and after-wards appointed him his phyfician. In 1772, he was elected prefident of the Royal Society. He was alfechofen a member of various foreign literary bodies.

He published feveral medical productions, in which his great rule was, to make fact and experiment the bafis off

fcience. With regard to philofophy in general, he was as averfe to theory, unfupported by experiments, as he was with respect to medicine in particular.

The ruling feature of his moral character was integrity. By this principle he was uniformly actuated, in the whole of his behaviour. All his acquaintance unanimously agreed, that there never was a man of greater fincerity. He was equally diftinguished by his fobriety; and was ardent and conftant in his friendships. With regard to his external deportment, he paid a very refpectful attention to thofe whom he esteemed; but there was a kind of referve in his behaviour, when he was not perfectly pleased with the perfons who were introduced to him, or who happened to be in his company. His fense of integrity and dignity would not permit him to adopt that falfe and fuperficial politenefs, which treats all men alike, however different in point of real eftimation and merit.

With regard to his religious character, the principles of piety and virtue, which were early inftilled into him by a ftrict education, do not appear ever to have loft their influence upon the general conduct of his life; yet during his travels, his belief of the chriftian revelation was fo far unfettled, that he became at least a sceptic on that fubject. But it was not his difpofition to reft fatisfied in his doubts. and difficulties, with refpect to a matter of fuch high im-portance. He was too great a lover of truth, not to make religion the object of his ferious inquiry. As he fcorned to be an implicit believer, he was equally averfe to an implicit infidelity, which is the cafe of large numbers who reject chriftianity with as little knowledge and as little examination as the moft determined bigots embrace their.