To the EDITOR of the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. SIR, THE Biographical Article at the head of your refpectable Magazine, at the fame time that it is flattering to the vanity of many an Author, renders it unnecellary for him to flatter himself, or when he publishes a Work to hang forth his own face in front, "With bays and wicked rhyme upon't." Without entering into the difcuffion, whether or not it be decorous to exhibit living characters to the public eye, it certainly is attended with this advantage, that mistakes refpecting them may eafily be corrected and omillions fupplied. I have taken the liberty of doing both on the fubject of your Biographical Article for December: and you will print it, unleis you are of opinion that es ough has already been faid on a fubject of fo little importance to the Public. Thomas Martyn was born in Churchlane, Chelfea, on the 23d of September 1735. He was admitted of Emanuel College the 24th of June 1752, and was matriculated of the University on the 18th of December following. He was elected to a Fellowship on the foundation of the Lady Frances Sydney, Countess of Suffex, on the 27th of April 1758. He was ordained Deacon en Trinity Sunday, May the 21t, the fame year, at Conduit-Street Chapel, in the parish of St. George's, Hanover-fquare; and Prieft at Buckden, on the 23d of December 1759; both by Jha Thomas, then Lord Bishop of Linceli. The beginning of this year he was an untuccessful candidate for the Lectureship of Chelsea, then vacant by the death of his schoolinafter, Mr. Rothery. Mr. Martyn was unanimously chofen Prefeffer of Botany by the Senate of the University of Cambridge on the 2d of February 1762, on the refignation, not the death, of his father; for his father did not die till the 29th of January 1768, Presently after, he was appointed, by Dr. Walker himfelt, who was then founding the Botanic Garden, his first Reader of Botany. Both thefe offices were without emclument till the year 1774, when a falaty of one hundred pounds a year was given by the King, whilit the Duke of Grafton, Chancellor of the University, was at the head of the Treafury; and so continued to the 2d of Auguft 1793, when Mr. Martyn was appointed Regius Profeffor by patent, with a falary of two hundred pounds a year. If any merit is to be claimed from reading Lectures in English, Mr. Martyn can delive none from that circumftance; for he merely followed a custom which he found eltablished, and which his father had adopted thirty years before. Mr. Martyn fonetimes made excurfions into the country with his pupils, but not fo conftantly as his father had done; the neceffity of them being in fome degree fuperfeded by the foundation of a Botanic Garden. January 6th, 1773, Mr. Martyn was prefented, by the then Bishop of Ely, to the vicarage of Foxton, in Cambridge. fhire; and on December the 9th, the fame year, he was married to Mifs Marthe Ellifton, filter to the prefent worthy Mafter of Sydney College. January 1ft, 1774, he was prefented by John Berlafe Warren, Efq. to the Rectory of Ludgerfhall, in Buckinghamfhire; and on August 10th, 1776, to the Vicarage of LittleMarlow, in that county, by the fame patron. Mr. Warien, now Sir John Borlafe Warren, never was Mr. Martyn's pupil, but there had been a friendship between them them for many years, and Sir John intrufted his brother to Mr. Martyn's care. On being pretented to Little Marlow, Mr. Martyn refigned Foxton, and quitted Triplow for that place on the 14th of October 1776. July 29th, 1778, he set off for the Continent, and returned from his travels Sept. 2d, 1780. He removed, to London Nov. 27th, 1784, and on June 4th, the year following, he refigned the Rectory of Ludgerhall to his brother, the Rev. Claudius Martyn. 1786, May 18th, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and admitted on the 15th of June. 1788, June 18th, he was appointed to the donative of Edgware, in Middlefex, by William Lee Antonie, Efq. the pati on. July 15th, the fame year, he was received Fellow of the Linnean Society. March 18th, 1794, he was prefented by the Society for the Improvement of Naval Architecture with their first gold medal, for his fervices in the original inftitution of that Society, and acting as their first Secretary. The circumstance in a literary man's life of molt importance to the Public is what works he has written and published; an accurate lift therefore of thefe is fubjoined, with their dates, in the order of their publication. Plante Cantabrigienfes; or, a Catalogue of the Plants growing wild about Cambridge, 1763. 8vo. This is the third Catalogue of Cambridgeshire Plants. The first by Ray, alphabetical. The fecond by Profeffor John Martyn, accord-· ing to Ray's method: and this in Linnaus's arrangement. They are all now fuperfeded by Mr. Relhan's Flora Cantabrigienfis: except that the Planta Cantabrigienfes contains directions for the principal excursions round Cambridge, and lifts of wild plants in aifferent counties. Heads of a Courfe of Lectures in Botany, 1764. This was not jold, but only The English Connoiffeur, 2 vols. 12mo. Diflertations on Virgil's Æneids, by the 1770. The Antiquities of Herculaneum, tranflated from the Italian. Vol. I. 1772. BANK OF ENGLAND NEW BUILDINGS. THE New Building fituated in Loth- together. It were to be wished the fpace was wider before it, as the pal fenger cannot fee it to that advantage he otherwife would. The Gateway, in particular, conveys at once neatnefs and grandeur, the workmanship of which will bear the nicest critical obfervation. P. MEMOIRS OF THE LATE MRS. POPE, OF COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE. [Continued from Page 159.] MISS YOUNGE having made fome occafional trips to Ireland, her fame in Dublin was as well established as in London. The Manager ofCrow-street The atre therefore, in the year 1785, renewed an engagement with her for that fummer, when the, in company with the late Mr. Henderion and Mr. Pope (a young actor from Dublin), who made his appearance the winter before at Covent Garden Theatre in Oroonoko with very confiderable applause), let out for that capital in the June of the fame year. Accident threw Mr. Pope, Mifs Younge, and another Lady of her acquaintance, into the fame poft-chaile, and as Cupid avails himself much of accident, the two former, from fellow-travellers, foon commenced lovers. In short, towards the clofe of that feafon they were married together in Dublin, on terms of fettlement, &c. very creditable to the fincerity of Mr. Pope's affections. The following winter Mr. and Mrs. Pope reaffumed their fituations at Covent Garden Theatre; he in the firft lines of Tragedy and Comedy, the as evidently the firit actress in all the parts of her profeffion; which the fupported with a ftationary degree of reputation till Thurfday the 26th of January 1797, when, in the run of the new Comedy called "A Cure for the Heart-Ache," he was reluctantly confined to her bed. She found herself fo ill three days before this, that none but thofe who felt like her would venture out; but fuch was her zeal for her profeffion, fuch her invariable fenfe of duty to Managers, Authors, and Performers, that, from the bare hint from her phyfician Dr. Warren, that her bufinefs might diffipate her diforder, the cheerfully tried the experiment. Nature, however, was not to be conquered thus; her illness increated upon her fo much, that on her return from the Theatre fhe was feized with fuch a lightrefs in her head, as for a while to deprive her of all tenfation. From this moment the was confined to her bed, and it was foon discovered that he had a paralytic affection. During the first month there were hopes of her recovery, as fhe retained her fenies pretty accurately, and employed * them to the best of all poffible purposes, in conftant acts of prayer, and pious refignation to her condition. During this interval, being requested by a female friend to endeavour to compofe herself, the complacently faid, "the would, if the would firft permit her to repeat Pope's Univerfal Prayer," which the immediately began, and recited without ever miffing a fingle word, with a precifion, a fervour, and fullness of voice, that delighted and astonished every body about her. For the laft fortnight the daily became more infenfible, feldom fpeaking, and then evidently with great effort, until Sunday the 12th of March, when the refuted all nourishment, and gave strong fymptoms of approaching diffolution. She continued in this ftate till the morning of the 14th, when she made signs to a particular friend as if he had fomething to communicate; many things were fuggefted to her, to all of which the waved her head; till, very oppor tunely, her old and valued friend, the Rev. Mr. Matthew, called in, and read prayers by her. This feemed to be the object fhe aimed at, as he grew instantly compofed, and, clofing her hands together as well as her infirm itate would permit, joined moft fervently in the de votions. After this fhe relapfed into a state of infenfibility till Wednesday the 15th March, when, about half past two o'clock on that morning, the expired without a groan. By Mrs. Pope's marriage fettlement fhe had the power of difpofing of her fortune by will; but with that justice and propriety which ever diftinguifhed her character, by dying inteftate, fhe left the whole of her property, except a few nominal legacies, to her husband. Her remains were carried, in a hearfe and fix horfes, from her houfe in Halfmoon-ftreet, Piccadilly, on Wednesday the 22d of March following, between the hours of twelve and one o'clock, attended by her particular friends in two mourn. ing coaches, and followed by the Gentlemen compofing the S.bol of Garrick (wearing the medallion of their founder) A few months before Mrs. Pope's death she was inftituted an honorary Member of this ety, and at the fame time complimented with a gold medal. VOL. XXXI, APRIL 1797. |