of his idle acquaintances to supply them with College themes, and to assist them out of other difficulties in which their dread of study, and perhaps sometimes their love of his society, had involved them. And in after days, older friends took a like advantage of his talents and his facility. His Prelections on Aristotle, his Perspective Lectures, and one manuscript after another, disappeared in the custody of some learned friend, who found it the easiest way to become famous, to make the originalities of another his own. It was his plan, in whatever he engaged, to prosecute it till he had brought it to a termination. As the reader may remember, he speaks of it as his "imperfection, not to be able to draw his thoughts easily from one thing to another." In consequence of this "imperfection," he soon completed whatever he undertook. The only exception was an attempt which he made to learn Arabic. He soon abandoned it, probably from an idea that it would not repay the labour of acquisition. The morning was his favourite time for study. He kept a tinder-box in his apartment, and during all of the winter and some of the other months, he rose before it was light. He would sometimes rise during the night, burn out his candle, and return to bed again. His executors were Dr. John Tillotson, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, and Abraham Hill, Esq. It was under the careful revision of the former, and with a biographical preface by the latter, that his Theological Works made their appearance in 1683, in three volumes folio. And concerning these, what can we now say that has not been anticipated by the admiration of the thousands who have read them during the last century and a half? In regard to their best merit-their usefulness as discourses on religion—there is scarcely exaggeration in the saying of their editor, that " he must either be a perfectly good or a prodigiously bad man, that can read them over without being the better for them." And the same remark may be extended to their literary excellence. He must be singularly fastidious, or singularly dull, who can read them without pleasure; and either perfect in eloquence, or prodigiously incapable of it, who can read them without advantage. In reading Barrow's Sermons there is one circumstance which ought not to be forgotten. He seldom had the advantage of addressing any of them to an assembled audience. When a subject appeared to him important, or had long occupied his thoughts, or when he expected that it would be for his own advantage to turn upon it his special attention, his plan was to select a text and compose a sermon. In choosing this form he had an ulterior view to the benefit of others, but in preparing it, the preaching of it was the remote and contingent consideration. Bearing this in mind, we will be better able to account for many things, which in a sermon immediately intended for the pulpit, it would be difficult to justify; such as the excessive length of some, and the portentous learning of others. Had Barrow written these discourses for a congregation whom he was in the habit of meeting from Sabbath to Sabbath, and with whom he was holding week-day converse from house to house-- so as to measure their capacity and ascertain their moral and spiritual wants-hig good sense would have suggested many alterations, which would have brought them nearer the form of a popular address. Hill tells us, that "had he been a settled preacher he intended them shorter, and he would have trusted to his memory." Had he been settled, their brevity would not have been the only alteration. The long paragraphs would have been shortened; the Greek and Latin would have been translated; the scholastic phrases would have been omitted, and Aristotle and Seneca would have been more sparingly quoted. By this process their value to the scholar and theologian might have been lessened; but they would have become safer models of pulpit eloquence.* On the few occasions when Barrow did appear in public, he seems to have given his written sermons in their unabridged dimensions. His " Spital Sermon," on "The Duty and Reward of Bounty to the Poor," was delivered at full length; and we can quite believe the assertion, that three hours and a half were spent in speaking it. When it was finished, and he was asked if he was not tired, he acknowledged "that he began to be weary of standing so long." We are not told whether the patience of the aldermen held out to the close of this long infliction; but occasionally the endurance of his auditory gave way. At one time, when preaching in Westminster Abbey, the hour allowed for the sermon had expired, and a multitude of people had, as usual, assembled for the purpose of viewing the interior. The servants, who saw no prospect of a termination to the service, and trembled for the loss of the customary gratuities, at last could refrain no longer, but "caused the organ to be struck up against him, and would not give over playing till they had blowed him down.” There are three great qualities which co-exist in Barrow-fertile invention, conclusive reasoning, and energetic diction. Some will study and admire him for one of these excellencies, and others for another. Some have fixed their attention so exclusively upon the logic, as to deny the rhetoric; and others have been so amazed and carried away with the fulness of the diction, that they have doubted whether such a fluent writer could be a solid reasoner. But whatever may be refused, we know of none who has withheld from Barrow the praise of clear conception and a vigorous originality. His ideas are, like his own person, rather compact than colossal, full of a strenuous vitality, stamped with genius, but not finically attired. The argument seems to have been his first concern. At the outset, he fixes his eye upon his proposition, and sets forward to it with the rectilineal precision of a rigid mathematician; but in his progress he accumulates, from either side of his path, such store of fruits and flowers, that you fancy he has forgot his errand, and lost his way— when, without fatigue, and without a deviation, he lands you at the conclusion. The argument cost him labour-the subsidiary thoughts came spontaneous. There is much truth in the remark of Le Clerc Les sermons de cet Auteur sout plûtôt des Traitez, ou les Dissertations exactes, que de simples Harangues pour plaire à la multitude."Bibliotheque Universelle, tome iii. p. 325. His style is sometimes slovenly, but never feeble. He sometimes uses an expression obsolete even in his own day, or which has become vulgar in ours but never one which does not fully convey his sense, and strengthen the sentence where it stands. His very harshness is forcible; and peculiar as is his idiom, its peculiarity is not felt as an affectation. It is the natural product of a singular mind favoured with rare advantages a mind fresh and luxuriant in itself, and enriched from the treasures of ancient genius exercised and strengthened in the change of many climes, and in the intercourse of many congenial souls. If there be any affectation whatever in the style of our author, it is the curious one alleged by Coleridge. "Barrow,” says that subtile critic, "often debased his language merely to evidence his loyalty. It was, indeed, no easy task for a man of so much genius, and such a precise mathematical mode of thinking, to adopt, even for a moment, the slang of L'Estrange and Tom Brown; but he succeeded in doing so sometimes. With the exception of such parts, Barrow must be considered as closing the first great period of the English language. Dryden began the second."* With a certain class of persons, one circumstance has favoured the popularity of Barrow's Sermons. The peculiar truths of the gospel are not brought into that prominence which would have made these discourses "foolishness" to many who have taste to relish their other excellences, but who for the sake of no literary excellence whatever would study a book inculcating in its simplicity and fulness the great doctrine of the New Testament. Barrow did not deny that doctrine. He occasionally vindicates it, and more frequently implies it. We trust that his own soul was resting on it. But he had not sufficient practical acquaintance with the common case of careless and half-awakened sinners to feel, that the only plan for preaching effectually to them, is to "shut them up unto the faith as it is in Jesus." Had he preached more frequently, and enjoyed opportunities of dealing with his hearers more closely, he would sooner have come to the determination of St. Paul, 1 Cor. ii. 2. As it is, he was not silent because he was ashamed. He was coming more and more to glory in the cross; and it is an interesting fact, that this was the subject of the sermon the preaching of which occasioned his last sickness, and in preparing which for the press he employed his dying hand. In some respects, it is the noblest specimen of sacred eloquence which has survived him; and of all that he has written, the best fitted to answer the great end of preaching- "Christ alone exalted." * Coleridge's Table-Talk, vol. ii. p. 337. APPENDIX. LETTERS OF DR. BARROW TO MR. JOHN COLLINS. HONOURED SIR, I received the booke of Snellius, and that of your own composition, which you were pleased to bestow upon me, and for which I thank you, though must confesse it doth somewhat surpasse my capacity, who have little acquainted my selfe with that kind of practicks, and indeed hardly with any. That little study I have employed upon mathematical busynesses, being never designed to any other use than the bare knowledge of the general reasons of things, as a scholar, and no farther; so that if you propound any thing to me, I pray please to doe it in the most general and abstract termes, as neere the geometricall style, as you can; otherwise I shall hardly understand the questions. Concerning the bookes you mention, I have most of them, particularly Hugenius de Magnitudine Circuli (which I would gladly have compared with Snellius), but his Treatise de Quadraturâ Circuli, &c. I have not, but would gladly see, and have it to my selfe, if procurable; for I exceedingly esteeme his writings; and if true that he hath sett out an Algebra, I should be glad to have it, though I kenn no Dutch, and would try what I could divine out of it. I was familiarly acquainted with Renoldinus at Florence; and he was then working upon his Algebra. We may expect a collection of what is in former writers, but whether much new I cannot tell. What you speake concerning the Parabolicall Conoids, I doe not understand whether it is by way of inquiry or offer. If you aske me, I answer, that I thinke I have sufficient reason to pronounce, that generally the proportions between segments made by plaines parallell to the axis (or otherwise) cannot geometrically be found out; because they cutt all the circles parallell to the base in different unexplicable proportions; so that it were but a vaine labour to endeavour the invention of them. However I am now employed in thoughts so different, that I cannot well compose my mind to thinke upon it. If you remember, Mersennus and Torricellius doe mention a general method of finding the tangents of curve lines by composition of motions; but doe not tell it us. Such a one I have some time found out, and did thinke to send it to you, it being only one theorem very easily and simply demonstrated; but wanting leisure to dresse it, I will attend till you call for it, if you thinke such a curiosity worth the regarding. Trinity College, September 5, 1664. HONOURED SIR, Were I to compute the portions of sphaere or sphaeroid, Į 355 na is the n3 should onely use these rules out of Archimedes; or portion of the sphaere (putting r for the radius, and n for the axis of the portion), and 풍 n3 is the portion of the sphaeroid (putting r for the latus rectum, and t for the transversum, and n for the axis of the portion.) : 1 rn n 3 t Trinity College, November 12, 1664. HONOURED SIR, - I have received, and thanke you for the Mengolus; I shall not have leisure for a while to consider him seriously; but casting my eye upon him, I doe not wonder at Mr. Kersey's not having patience to peruse him; for I perceive he doth affect to use abundance of new definitions and uncouth terms; sc that one must, as it were, learne new languages to attaine to his meaning, though it may be only somewhat ordinary is couched under them. I esteeme this a great fault in any writer; for much time is spent and labour employed to less purpose than needed, since there is little in any science but may be sufficiently explained in the usual manner of speaking, as particularly Mr. Cartes his Geometry doth plainly show, where so many usefull rules are delivered without any new words or definitions at all. But I beginn to prate. However be pleased to put this booke upon my accompt (seeing you can furnish yourselfe with another;) for I love to have by me divers bookes, which I doe not much esteeme; upon which score you need not scruple at your discretion to send me any booke, that I have not. I never matter the point of mony in this case, and I shall take any willingly and thankfully from you. 'Tis hard if there be not one thing at least to be learned out of any new booke; and that satisfyes me more than the expense of a few shillings can displease me. Trinity College, Nov. 29, 1664. HONOURED SIR,- Alsted's Admiranda Mathematica is nothing but a very short comprizall of the chief mathematical sciences, containing small systemes of arithmetick, geometry, astronomy, geography, opticks, musick, architecture, according to the methodicall or Ramisticall way. It is done, I thinke well enough, according to the designe, but may well be wanted. I cannot very well describe to you Bartschius his Planisphære. It treats more or lesse concerning most parts of astronomy but mainly concerning the fixed stars and their asterisms, giving verball descriptions, catalogues with longitude and latitude, and three or four mapps or delineations of them in plano. At the end are subjoined ephemerides of the planets from the yeere 1662 to 1686, with some other astronomical tables. Whether there be any thing extraordinary in the booke, I cannot tell, for I have looked very little upon it. But if you please, I will send it you, that you may informe yourselfe. Thomae Albii (that is, in plain English, Mr. Thomas White) his Chrysaspis is a very small tract pretending to the quadrature of the circle (but most easily confutable), as also to prove the equality of the spiral line to the semi-circumference of the circle to which it appertains; both which errors he hath recanted publickly. Whether Dibuadius hath commented upon the last books of Euclid, I cannot tell. Mine is only upon the first sixe. Trinity College, March 3, 1665. For your proposition concerning Archimedes and Apollonius, I cannot well tell what to answer. I have been offered by a friend to be at the charges of printing them for me, which would yield me, I suppose, a considerable benefit, for I thinke I could put off many here. But till I be necessitated by some engagement, I shall hardly ever induce myselfe to take the pains, and spend the time requisite for the reviewall of them; although within two or three months I thinke I could performe that. If the stationer you mention should make me a round offer, and propose faire conditions, I might perhaps be moved. Till such occasion I am likely to supersede. I have been also urged to review that little Euclid, which ten or eleven |