place. Upon his return to Paris, however, when his father was dead, his passion for the stage, which had first induced him to study, revived more strongly than ever; and, if it be true, as some have said, that he studied the law and was admitted an advocate, he soon yielded to the influence of his stars, which had destined him to be the restorer of comedy in France.

The taste for theatrical performances was almost universal in France, after cardinal de Richelieu had granted a peculiar protection to dramatic poets. Many little societies made it a diversion to act plays in their own houses; in one of which, known by the name of "The Illustrious Theatre," Moliere entered himself; and it was then, that, for some reason or other, he changed his name of Picquelin to that of Moliere, which he retained ever after. La Bejart, an actress of Campagne, waiting, as well as he, for a favourable time to display her talents, Moliere was particularly kind to her, and as their interests became mutual, they formed a company together, and went to Lyons in 1653, where he produced his play called "Etourdi, or the Blunderer." This drew almost all the spectators from the other company of comedians then settled in that town; some of whom joined Moliere, and followed him into Languedoc, where he offered his services to the prince of Conti, who gladly accepted them. About the latter end of 1657, Moliere departed with his company for Grenoble, and continued there during the carnival of 1658. After this, he settled at Rouen, where he staid all the summer; and having made some journies to Paris, he had the good fortune to please the king's brother, who, granting him his protection, and adopting his company as his own, introduced him in that quality to the king. That company began to appear before their majesties and the court, in October, 1658, and were so well received, that the king gave orders for their settlement at Paris. In 1663, Moliere was re

warded with a pension, and in 1665, his company was altogether in his majesty's service. He continued all the remainder of his life to give new plays, which were very much and very deservedly applauded. And, indeed, it is no wonder that he so justly described domestic feuds, and the torments of jealous husbands, or of those who have reason to be so, it being asserted that no man ever experienced all this more than Moliere, who was very unhappy in his wife and if we consider the number of works which he composed in about the space of twenty years, while he was himself all the while an actor, and interrupted as he must have been, by perpetual avocations of one kind or another, we must greatly admire the quickness as well as the fertility of his genius.

His last comedy was "Le Malade Imaginaire, or the Hypochondriac ;" and it was acted, for the fourth time, on February 17th, 1673. Upon this very day Moliere died, and there was something in the manner of his death very extraordinary. The chief person represented in " Le Malade Imaginaire," is a sick man, who, upon a certain occasion, pretends to be dead. Moliere represented that person, and consequently was obliged, in one of the scenes, to act the part of a dead man. It has been said by many, that he expired in that part of the play; and, that, when he was about to make an end of it, in order to discover that it was only a feint, he could neither speak nor get up, being actually dead. The truth, however, is, that Moliere did not die exactly in this manner: but had time enough, though very ill, to finish his part.

He died in his 53d year: and the king was so extremely affected with the loss of him, that, as a new mark of his favour, he prevailed with the archbishop of Paris, not to deny his being interred in consecrated ground: for, we must observe, that as Moliere had gained himself many enemies, by ridiculing the folly and knavery of all orders of men, so he had drawn

upon himself the resentment of the ecclesiastics in particular, by exposing the hypocrites of their order, and the bigots among the laity, in that inimitable master-piece of art, called the "Tarthffe." Many are of opinion, that Moliere's plays exceed, or equal, the noblest performances of that kind, in ancient Greece or Rome; and Voltaire calls him "the best comic poet that ever lived in any nation."

MONRO, (DR. ALEXANDER, Senior) a most eminent Scotch physician and anatomist, was descended from the family of Monro of Milton. His father, John, youngest son of Sir Alexander Monro, of Bearcrofts, was bred to physic and surgery, and served, for some years, as a surgeon in the army, under King William, in Flanders; but for several successive years, obtaining leave of absence from the army in the winter, he resided, during that season, with his wife in London, where the subject of these memoirs was born, on the 8th September, 1697. About three years thereafter, he quitted the army, and went to settle as a surgeon at Edinburgh, where his knowledge in his profession, and engaging manners, soon introduced him into an extensive practice.

The son shewed an early inclination to the study of physic; and the father, after giving him the best education that Edinburgh then afforded, sent him successively to London, Paris and Leyden, for further improvement in his profession.

On his return to Edinburgh, in the autumn of 1710, Messieurs Drummond and Macgill, who were then conjunct nominal professors and demonstrators of anatomy to the surgeons company, having resigned in his favour, his father prevailed on him to read some public lectures on anatomy; and to illustrate them, by shewing the curious anatomical preparations which he had made, and sent home when

abroad. He, at the same time, persuaded Dr. Alston, then a young man, to give some public lectures on botany. Accordingly, in the beginning of the winter of 1720, these two young professors, began to give regular courses of lectures, the one on the materia medica and botany, the other on anatomy and surgery; which were the first regular courses of lectures on any of the branches of medicine, that had ever been read at Edinburgh, and may be looked upon as the opening of that medical school, which has since acquired so great reputation both in Europe and America.

In the summer of 1722, Dr. Monro read some lectures on chirurgical subjects; which, however, he never could be prevailed on to publish, having writ ten them in a hurry, and before he had much experience; but he inserted, from time to time, the improvements he thought might be made in surgery, in some volumes of Medical Essays and Observations, published chiefly under his own inspection.

About the year 1720, his father communicated to the physicians and surgeons at Edinburgh, a plan, which he had long formed in his own mind, of having the different branches of physic and surgery regularly taught at Edinburgh, which was highly approved of by them, and, by their interest, regular professorships of anatomy and medicine were instituted in the university. His son, Dr. Monro, was first made university professor of anatomy; and two or three years afterwards, Drs. Sinclair, Rutherford, Innes and Plummer, were made professors of medicine: the professorship of materia medica and botany, which Dr. Alston then held, having been added to the university many years before. Immediately after these gentlemen had been elected, they began to deliver regular courses of lectures, on the different branches of medicine, and they and their successors have uniformly continued to do so every winter since that period.

The plan for a medical education at Edinburgh, was still incomplete without an hospital, where students could see the practice of physic and surgery, as well as hear the lectures of the professors. A scheme was, therefore, proposed by Dr. Monro's father and others, particularly the members of the royal college of physicians, for raising by subscription, a fund for building and supporting an hospital, for the reception of diseased poor: and our author published a pamphlet, setting forth the advantages which would attend such an institution. In a short time, a considerable sum of money was raised; a small house was fitted up, and patients were admitted into it, and regularly attended by many of the physicians and surgeons in town. The fund for this charity encreasing very considerably, the foundation was laid of the present large, commodious, and useful hospital, the Royal Infirmary; in the planning of which, Dr. Monro suggested many useful hints; and, in particular, the elegant room for chirurgical operations, was designed and executed under his direction. This fabric has since been so largely endowed, as to be capable of receiving a great number of diseased poor, whose cases the students of physic and surgery have an opportunity of seeing daily treated with the greatest attention and care, by those who are most eminent in their profession; and a register of the particulars of all the cases, which have been received into the house, since its first opening, has been kept in books appropriated to that purpose, for the use of the students.

Dr. Monro, though elected professor of anatomy, in the year 1721, was not received in the university till the year 1725, when he was inducted along with that great mathematician, the late Mr. Colin M Laurin, with whom he ever lived in the strictest friend ship. From this time, he regularly every winter gave a course of lectures on anatomy and surgery, from October to May, upon a most judicious and com