guished family at Florence. His first productions: were of the dramatic kind. He composed a come-: dy upon the ancient Greek model, in which he lashed some of the Florentine ladies with great severity, which, however, was so well received, that Pope Leo X. caused it afterwards to be represented at Rome.

Machiavel was secretary, and afterwards historiographer to the republic of Florence. The house of Medicis procured him this last office, with a very handsome salary, in order to satisfy his resentment for having suffered the torture, upon suspicion of being an accomplice in the conspiracy of the Soderini, against that house, when Machiavel bore his sufferings without making any confession; but, his frequent and high commendations of Brutus and Cassius, have convinced many that he was not altogether innocent. No farther proceedings, however, were carried on against him; but, from that time, he turned every thing to ridicule, and gave himself up to irreligion. He died in 1530, of a remedy which he had taken by way of prevention, having lived, towards the latter period of his days, in a state of great poverty and contempt.

He was the author of various publications, upon different subjects; but, of all his writings, that which has made the greatest noise, and drawn upon him the most enemies, is a political treatise, entitled "The Prince," which has been translated into various languages, and written against by many authors. The world, for a long time, was not agreed as to the motives of this work; some thinking that he meant to recommend tyrannical maxims; others, that he only delineated them, with a view to excite abhorrence; His motives, however, have, in latter times, been almost universally reprobated; so that, when we hear of Machivelian policy, it constantly conveys to the mind the idea of fraud, perfidy, and unbounded tyranny. Machiavel also wrote "Re

flections on Titus Livius," which are deemed extremely curious and interesting.

MACLAURIN, (COLLIN) an eminent mathematician and philosopher, was the son of a clergyman, and born at Kilmoddan, in Scotland, in 1698. At the age of eleven, he was sent to the university of Glasgow, where he continued for five years, during which period, notwithstanding his youth, he was distinguished as one of the most intense students in that celebrated seminary. His great genius for mathematical learning, discovered itself so early as at twelve years, when, having accidentally met with a copy of "Euclid," he became, in a few days, master of the first six books, without any assistance; and it is certain, that before he had completed his sixteenth year, he had invented many of the propositions which were afterwards published under the title of "Geometria Organica."

After he had left the university, he retired to a country seat of his uncle, who had the care of his education, both his parents having died some time before that period. Here he spent two or three years, in pursuing his favorite studies; but, in 1717, he offered himself as a candidate for the professorship of mathematics in Marischal College, Aberdeen, and obtained it, after a trial of ten days with a very able competitor. In 1719, he went up to London, where he became acquainted with Dr. Hoadly, then bishop of Bangor, Dr. Clarke, Sir Isaac Newton, and other eminent characters; at which time, also, he was admitted a member of the royal society; and, in another journey, in 1721, he contracted an acquaintance with Martin Folkes, Esq. then president of it, which lasted till his death.

In 1722, Mr. Maclaurin began to write his celebrated piece "On the Percussion of Bodies," which

gained the prize of the royal academy of sciences for the year 1724. Soon after this, he was invited by the curators of the university of Edinburgh, to fill the mathematical chair in that seminary, and this he accordingly accepted in November, 1725.

Mr. Maclaurin had lived as a bachelor till the year 1733; but being no less formed for society than for contemplation, he then married, and continued happy in his matrimonial connection till his death, when he left two sons and three daughters, together with his wife, to survive him. In 1734, Berkeley, bishop of Cloyne, published a piece, called "The Analyst," in which he took occasion, from some disputes which had arisen concerning the grounds of the fluxionary method, to explode the method itself; and, also, to charge mathematicians in general with infidelity in religion. Maclaurin thought himself included in this charge, and began an answer to Berkeley's book; but, as he proceeded, so many discoveries, so many new theories and problems occurred to him, that, instead of a vindicatory pamphlet, his work came out "A Complete System of Fluxions, with their application to the most considerable problenis in geometry and natural philosophy." This work was published, at Edinburgh in 1742, in two vols. 4to. and as it cost him infinite pains, so it is the most considerable of all his works, and will confer on him immortal honour. In the mean time, he was frequently obliging the public with some perform. ance or observation of his own; many of which, were published in the fifth and sixth volumes of the Medidical Essays at Edinburgh," and some of them in the "Philosophical Transactions."

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The exertions, which professor Maclaurin had made, in the year, 1745, by planning the fortifications of Edinburgh, in order to put it in a state of defence, against the rebels, obliged him to fly his native country, when the army of the pretender advanced

thither. Thus exiled, he took refuge in the hospitable mansion of Dr. Heron, then archbishop of York, where he found a safe asylum: but upon his return. to his country after the rebellion ceased, from having caught a cold on the journey, he was attacked with a dropsy, which put a period to his valuable life, June 14, 1746, in the 49th year of his age.

Mr. Maclaurin was a very good, as well as a very great man, and worthy of love as well as admiration. His peculiar merit as a philosopher was, that all his studies were accommodated to general utility; and we find, in many places of his works, an application even of the most abstruse theories, to the perfecting of mechanical arts. He had resolved for the same purpose, to compose a course of practical mathematics, and to rescue several useful branches of the science from the bad treatment they often met with in less skilful hands. But all this, his death prevented, unless we should reckon as a part of his intended work, the translation of Dr. David Gregory's, "Practical Geometry," which he revised and published with additions, the year before his death. During his life, however, he had frequent opportunities of serving his country and his friends, by his great skill. Whatever difficulty occurred, concerning the constructing or perfecting machines, the working of mines, the improving of manufactories, the conveying of water, or the the execution of any other public work, he was at hand to resolve it. He also made calculations relating to the provision now established by law, for the children and widows of the Scots clergy, and of the professors in the universities, intitling them to certain annuities, upon the voluntary annual payment of a certain sum by the incumbent. In contriving and adjusting this wise and useful scheme, he bestowed a great deal of labour, and contributed not a little towards bringing it to perfection. It may be said of such a man, "that he lived to some purpose," which can hardly be said of those,

how uncommon soever their abilities and attainments, who spend their whole time in abstract speculations, and produce nothing to the real use and service of their fellow citizens.

MACLAURIN, (JOHN) afterwards lord Dreghorn, the eldest son of the preceding, was born, at Edinburgh, 26th December 1734. As his father was a man of no penurious disposition, he left his family but indifferently provided for, his name and a small estate in Berwickshire, being their only inheritance. The former was indeed a great one; but to our author and his brother, on account of their youth, of little avail, the latter yielded no more than a bare competence for the education and maintenance of the family.

The attention and friendship, which the archbishop of York had shewn to the father, when a patriot refugee, was, at his death, transferred with generous remembrance to his sons. His grace, desirous of having the superintendance of their education, and after consulting with Mrs. Maclaurin, used his interest to procure admission for our author and his younger brother into the charter house, in London. His exertions, however, were unavailing; for it happened, that the former was too old, the latter too young to be admitted.

It was, on this account, resolved, that our author should be educated in Scotland; and, accordingly at the usual age, he was put to the high school of Edinburgh, to learn the rudiments of the Latin language. Here he continued five years, making a very great proficiency in his studies, not by labour or intense application, but in consequence of that vigour and quickness of apprehension, which nature had be stowed upon him with so profuse a hand. Ii

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