fences or cafual temerities, against crimes never com mitted, or immediately repented.

The infidel knows well what he is doing. He is endeavouring to fupply, by authority, the defi ciency of his arguments; and to make his cause less invidious, by fhewing numbers on his fide: he will, therefore, not change his conduct, till he reforms his principles. But the zealot fhould recollect, that he is labouring, by this frequency of excommunication, against his own caufe; and voluntarily adding ftrength to the enemies of truth. It must always be the condition of a great part of mankind to reject and embrace tenets upon the authority of thofe whom they think wiser than themselves; and, therefore, the addition of every name to infidelity in fome degree invalidates that argument upon which the religion of multitudes is neceffarily founded.

Men may differ from each other in many religious opinions, and yet all may retain the effentials of Christianity; men may fometimes eagerly difpute, and yet not differ much from one another: the rigorous perfecutors of error fhould, therefore, enlighten their zeal with knowledge, and temper their orthodoxy with charity; that charity, without which orthodoxy is vain; charity that "thinketh no " evil," but " hopeth all things," and " endureth "all things."

Whether Browne has been numbered among the contemners of religion, by the fury of its friends, or the artifice of its enemies, it is no difficult task to replace him among the moft zealous profeffors of Christianity. He may, perhaps, in the ardour of his imagination, have hazarded an expreffion, which VOL. XII. a mind

X

a mind intent upon faults may interpret into herefy, if confidered apart from the rest of his difcourfe; but a phrafe is not to be opposed to volumes: there is fcarcely a writer to be found, whofe profeffion was not divinity, that has fo frequently teftified his belief of the facred writings, has appealed to them with fuch unlimited fubmiffion, or mentioned them with fuch unvaried reverence.

It is indeed, fomewhat wonderful, that he fhould 'be placed without the pale of Christianity, who declares, that "he affumes the honourable style of a "Chriftian," not because it is " the religion of his

country," " but because " having in his riper years "and confirmed judgment feen and examined all, he "finds himself obliged, by the principles of grace, "and the law of his own reafon, to embrace no "other name but this:" who, to fpecify his perfuafion yet more, tells us, that "he is of the Reformed

religion; of the fame belief our Saviour taught, "the apostles diffeminated, the fathers authorized, "and the martyrs confirmed:" who, though "para"doxical in philofophy, loves in divinity to keep "the beaten road; and pleases himself that he has no "taint of herefy, fchifm, or error:" to whom, "where the Scripture is filent, the Church is a text; "where that speaks, 'tis but a comment;" and who uses not "the dictates of his own reason,

but where there is a joint filence of both: who "bleffes himself, that he lived not in the days of "miracles, when faith had been thrust upon him; "but enjoys that greater bleffing, pronounced to all "that believe and faw not." He cannot furely be charged with a defect of faith, who believes that

our Saviour was dead, and buried, and rose again, * and defires to fee him in his glory:" and who affirms, that "this is not much to believe ;" that “we "have reafon to owe this faith unto hiftory;" and that they only had the advantage of a bold and "noble faith, who lived before his coming; and

"

upon obfcure prophecies and mystical types, could "raise a belief." Nor can contempt of the pofitive and ritual parts of religion be imputed to him, who doubts, whether a good man would refufe a poisoned eucharift; and "who would violate his own arm, " rather than a church."

The opinions of every man must be learned from himself concerning his practice, it is fafeft to trust the evidence of others. Where these testimonies concur, no higher degree of historical certainty can be obtained; and they apparently concur to prove, that Browne was a zealous adherent to the faith of Chrift, that he lived in obedience to his laws, and died in confidence of his mercy.

X 2

ASCHA M*.

OGER ASCHAM was born in the year

Ro

age,

1515, at Kirby Wiske (or Kirby Wicke), a village near Northallerton in Yorkshire, of a family above the vulgar. His father John Afcham was houfe-fteward in the family of Scroop; and in that when the different orders of men were at a greater distance from each other, and the manners of gentlemen were regularly formed by menial fervices in great houses, lived with a very confpicuous reputation. Margaret Afcham, his wife, is faid to have been allied to many confiderable families, but her maiden name is not recorded. She had three fons, of whom Roger was the youngest, and some daughters; but who can hope, that of any progeny more than one fhall deserve to be mentioned? They lived married fixty-seven years, and at laft died together almoft on the fame hour of the fame day.

Roger having paffed his firft years under the care of his parents, was adopted into the family of Antony Wingfield, who maintained him, and committed his education, with that of his own fons, to the care of one Bond, a domestic tutor. He very early disco

* First printed before his Works in 4to.

vered an unusual fondnefs for literature by an eager perufal of English books; and having paffed happily through the fcholaftick rudiments, was put, in 1530, by his patron Wingfield, to St. John's college in Cambridge.

Ascham entered Cambridge at a time when the laft great revolution of the intellectual world was filling every academical mind with ardour or anxiety. The destruction of the Conftantinopolitan empire had driven the Greeks with their language into the interior parts of Europe, the art of printing had made the books eafily attainable, and Greek now began to be taught in England. The doctrines of Luther had already filled all the nations of the Romish communion with controverfy and diffention. New ftudies of literature, and new tenets of religion, found employment for all who were defirous of truth, or ambitious of fame. Learning was at that time profecuted with that eagerness and perfeverance which in this age of indifference and diffipation it is not easy to conceive. To teach or to learn, was at once the business and the pleasure of the academical life; and an emulation of study was raised by Cheke and Smith, to which even the present age perhaps owes many advantages, without remembering or knowing its benefactors.

Afcham foon refolved to unite himself to those who were enlarging the bounds of knowledge, and, immediately upon his admiffion into the college, applied himself to the ftudy of Greek. Those who were zealous for the new learning, were often no great friends to the old religion; and Ascham, as he became a Grecian, became a Proteftant. The Reformation was not yet begun, difaffection to Popery was