"lifhed; and what is aftonishing, his memory "was so strong, that everything which he had "once read, was ever prefent to it, without his

forgetting the most trifling circumstance. It has been often remarked, that persons of great "memories have not always been perfons of good and of found judgment. But Grotius "was extremely judicious, both in his writings " and in his converfation. I have often," adds Du Maurier, "feen this great man just cast his eye upon a page of a huge folio volume, and inftantaneously become acquainted with the " contents of it. He used to take it for his "motto, Hora ruit, to put himself in continuaj "remembrance that he should ufefully employ "that time which was flying away with extreme " rapidity.

""

Grotius was born at Delft in Holland; was a tall, ftrong, and well-made man, and had a very agreeable countenance. With all these "excellencies of body his mind was ftill as ex"cellent. He was a man of opennefs, of veracity, " and of honour, and fo perfectly virtuous, that "throughout his whole life, he made a point "of avoiding and of deferting men of bad cha"racter, but of feeking the acquaintance of men "of worth, and persons distinguished by talents, "not only of his own country, but of Europe,

{

«with

"with whom he kept up an epiftolary correfpon"dence."

. Grotius escaped from the castle of Louvestein, where he had been confined on account of his connection with the illuftrious and unfortunate Barnevelt, by the addrefs of his wife. She was permitted to fend him books, and fhe fent them in a trunk large enough to hold her husband. She made a pretence to visit him, and staid in the fortrefs till her husband was out of the reach of his perfecutors.

Grotius took refuge in France, and was accused by some of his countrymen of intending to change his religion and become a Catholic. "Alas," replied he to one of his friends who had written to him on the fubject, "whatever "advantage there may be to quit a weaker "party that oppreffes me, to go over to a stronger one that would receive me with open ་ arms, I trust that I fhall never be tempted to "do fo. And fince," added he, "I have had "courage enough to bear up under imprison"ment, I trust that I fhall not be in want of it " to enable me to support poverty and banish«ment.”

Louis XIII. gave Grotius a very confiderable penfion. He was, however, no favourite with his Minister, the Cardinal de Richelieu, whom, it is faid, he did not fufficiently flatter for his literary

T 2

rary talents, and the penfion was foon ftopped. Grotius, however, met with a protectress in Christina, Queen of Sweden, who made him her Ambaffador at Paris. Here again he was haraffed by Richelieu, who was angry with him for not giving him that precedence as a Prince of the Church, to which Grotius thought himself entitled as a reprefentative of a crowned head. This dignity, however, was fo little agreeable to a man of Grotius's great and good mind, that in a letter which he wrote to his father from Paris he tells him, I am really quite tired out "with honours. A private and a quiet life "alone has charms for me, and I fhould be " very happy if I were in a fituation in which I "could only employ myself upon works of piety, "and works that might be useful to pofterity." His celebrated work upon the Truth of the Chriftian Religion has been tranflated into all the languages of Europe, and into fome of thofe of the Eaft. This great fcholar in early life compofed a Devotional Treatife in Flemish verfe, for the ufe of the Dutch failors that made voyages to the East and Weft Indies.

His countrymen, who had perfecuted him fo violently in his life-time, ftruck a medal in honour of him after his death, in which he is ftyled the "Oracle of Delft, the Phoenix of his Country.” It may be seen in the "Hiftoire Medallique de la "Hollande,"

"Hollande," and verifies what Horace faid long

ago,

SIR TOBY MATTHEWS

2

Says, in the Preface to the Collection of English Letters which he made in King James the First's time, "that there is no ftock or people in the "whole world where men of all conditions live "fo peaceably, and fo plentifully, yea and fo fafely alfo, as in England. The English," adds he, "unite the greatest concurrence of the "moft excellent qualities: they are the most

obligeable, the most civil, the most modest and "fafe in all kinds of all nations. To conclude

"therefore

"

Urit enim fulgore fuo, qui prægravat artes Infra fe pofitas: extinctus amabitur idem. The man whofe life wife Nature has defign'd To teach, to humanize, to sway his kind, Burns by a flame too vivid and too bright, And dazzles by excefs of fplendid light. Yet when the hero feeks the grave's fad state, The vain and changing people, wife too late, O'er his pale corpfe their fruitless honours pour, Their friend, their faviour, and their guide deplore; And each fad impotence of grief betray,

To reallumine the Promethean clay.

<< therefore upon the whole matter, I concur, ge"nerally, and even naturally, with a certain worthy, honest, and true-hearted Englishman who is "now dead (meaning Sir Dennis Bruffels). For "once after a grievous fit of the ftone, (when he "was no less than fourfcore years old,) he found "himself to be out of pain, and in fuch kind of

cafe in the way of recovery as that great weight "of age might admit; wherewith the good man "was so pleased, that he fell to talk very honestly, though very pleasantly alfo, after his manner: "If God should say thus to me, Thou art fourscore ‹‹ years of age, but yet I am content to lend thee "a dozen years more of life; and because thou "haft converfed with the men of fo many nations "in Europe, my pleasure is, that for hereafter "thou shalt have leave to chufe for thyself of which "thou would rather be than of any other; I would quickly know how to make this answer without studying: Let me be neither Dutch, nor Flemish, nor French, nor Italian, but an Englishman!"an Englishman, good Lord! "this fay I," adds Sir Toby, "clearly of his mind."

This said he, and " as being most

"