folely from the unfkilful comparison which lifhed, though it is only in a lefs degree that his opponent George will inftitute between it can command our attention at the present Ariftotle and Plato. (In Cal. Plat. ii. 2.) day. It will be enough to make some general He is penetrated with the deepest rever- remarks upon the nature and tendency of ence for the old philofophers; and it is his the conteft, and upon the impreffion which anxious endeavor to incite his contempora- it could not fail to make upon Beffarion's ries to learn of them. In a letter to Mi- contemporaries. Our clearest knowledge chael Apoftolius, he fays that Plato and of this is derived from the principal point Ariftotle ought to be reverenced as heroes, of difpute, as ftated by Plethon, who charged in comparison of whom the philofophers of Ariftotle with confining and obfcuring the his day were but men and apes. He had notion of Divine Providence, for the purheard, he fays, with pain the charges which pose of teaching, in oppofition to it, a phyfiPlethon had brought against Aristotle (Cf. cal doctrine, which attributed to Nature an In Cal. Plat. ii. 2); he was not, however, independent activity, unaccompanied, howat all difpofed to put either the Platonic ever, with a consciousness of its own aims. philofophy, with Plethon, or the Ariftote- It was about this point that the contest belian, with George of Trebifond, on an tween George of Trebifond and Beffarion equality with the Christian religion. Even originally turned, though other points were though Plato made a nearer approach to afterward brought into the difpute. Beffathe mystery of the Trinity than Aristotle, rion shows, in his expofition of Plato's docyet neither of these philofophers did actu- trine, that that philofopher proceeds from ally reach it. (In Cal. Plat. ii. 4.) Con- the thought that a general Spirit penetrates fequently, the doctrines of Plato do not en- through the whole of Nature, and produces tirely agree with Chriftian truth. More- all her works, fo that the aims of Nature over, Beffarion is by no means difposed to are not prompted by herself, but only obey agree with him when he teaches the pre- the will of the univerfal Spirit. (In Cal. existence of fouls, or fpeaks of a plurality of Plat. vi. 2.) He points out the connection gods, or of the foul of the world, anima between this doctrine and that of Ideas. mundi, or of the fouls of the stars. (Ib. ii. But he manages to represent the doctrine 2.) It muft, however, be allowed, he fays, of Ariftotle in far milder terms than Plethat there are many more points in which thon. When that philofopher maintains Ariftotle requires correction; for that phi- that Nature produces objects without inlofopher confiders the world to be eternal, tention, he does not mean (fays Beffarion) and puts a limit to Providence, which he to deny by this that a higher Spirit places will not allow to extend beyond fublunary in Nature the ends fhe is to pursue, which things. (Ib. iii. 20-29.) Even on the fub- fhe accomplishes as an intrument, incapaject of the immortality of the foul, the doc- ble of any motion in which she is not paftrine of Plato must be preferred to that of five. Hence there is not, he argues, any Ariftotle, who used ambiguous language on effential difference here between the two this important point, which occafioned a philofophers; but the language of Aristotle difference of opinion between his commen- is that of a physical philofopher, who, looktators, Alexander and Averrhoes. ing only at the proximate caufes of things, So clear and equitable a comparison be- carefully abftains from thinking of the first tween the diftinctive doctrines of Ariftotle and immaterial caufe, that, as his manner and Plato, was undoubtedly a meritorious is, he may keep diftinct the investigations service for the age in which it was pub- that belong to different fciences; whereas

Plato, confidering that it is only by its con- trines of those philofophers. Aristotle benection with the higher fcience that the came an admitted leader in Phyfics; and lower is perfected, acts under this perfua- the examination of his writings, which, in fion, and never leaves the Divine Cause the hand of theologians, had up to that out of fight when he treats of Nature. In time been directed principally to his Metathis way the Providence of God, which phyfics, was now turned principally to his rules over all, is undoubtedly, he fays, phyfical works, philofophers and physicians placed in a fuller light, and it is more fat- vying with each other in the explanation isfactorily shown how every thing happens of this portion of his writings. On the of neceffity, and yet no violence is done to other hand, Plato was henceforth preferred our freedom of will, because we bear about by fuch as were more inclined toward Thein ourselves the Spirit which is the caufe ology. The Ariftotelian Philosophy was no of all our actions. Only the doctrine of longer believed to have reached the highest Aristotle, that the foul is a blank tablet, is point to which natural powers could attain not to be reconciled with this doctrine of in the way of knowing God; a feeling now man's freedom. Stiil, however, there is, became general, that Plato was the more he fays, another way of confidering the profound theologian. Befides this, men matter. Nature, in conformity with the began to distrust the expofitions of Arabian ufual method of her operations, produces interpreters, and to call in the affiftance of every thing according to certain degrees; the Greek commentators, especially of Alfo that a connected chain of caufes extends exander of Aphrodifias. Little, it is true, from below upward, as well as downward was gained by this change in the way of from above. As, therefore, our being may original investigation; nothing more had be received from above, fo, on the other been fecured than new helps, and all dehand, our knowledge, may be referred back pended on what use would be made of from the lower caufes to the higher caufe. them by the Latins themselves. It is in this way, then, that Aristotle proceeds (according to Beffarion) in his Phyfics, and endeavors to give us complete information about the first cause by beginning with the lower causes. In this fenfe, Beffarion not only defends even the polytheism of the old philofophers, but does not fhrink from employing expreffions derived from it himself. He finds it quite confiftent with the natural method of fpeculation purfued by the old philofophers. Nature, he observes, fhows us that every thing in the lower world is produced by mediate caufes; this may, indeed, be called a creation, only we must not forget that the higheft, God, employs all intermediate and natural caufes unconditionally as his inftruments.

This comparison of Plato with Ariftotle undoubtedly exercifed great influence upon the ufe that was afterward made of the doc

Henry Francisco.

IN Philobiblion No. VII., p. 166, your correfpondent C. M. asks for some additional information concerning HENRY FRANCISCO, "a Frenchman who refided (in 1822) two miles from Whitehall, on the Salem road to Albany, in the state of New York, and who was believed to be one hundred and thirty-four years old." The following account of this fingular old man is taken from the Monthly Magazine for 1822, vol. liii. p. 6. It is faid to have been written by Dr. Silliman, and is perhaps the only diftinct record that has been preferved of this modern Methuselah.

"He informed us that his father, driven out of France by religious perfecution, fled to Amfterdam; by his account it must have been on account of the perfecutions of the French Proteftants, or Huguenots, in the latter part of the reign of Louis XIV. At Amfterdam, his father married his mother,

"Two miles from Whitehall, on the that of old people generally, and his lips, Salem road to Albany, in the state of New particularly, are like those of middle life; York, lives Henry Francisco, a native of his voice is ftrong and fweet toned, although France, and of a place which he pronounced a little tremulous; his hearing very little Effex. He believes himself to be one hun- impaired, so that a voice of usual strength, dred and thirty-four years old, and the with diftinct articulation, enables him to country around believe him to be of this understand; his eye-fight is fufficient for his great age. When we arrived at his refi- work, and he diftinguishes large print, fuch dence (a plain farmer's house, not painted, as the title-page of the Bible, without glaffrather out of repair, and much open to the es; his health is good, and has always been wind), he was up ftairs, at his daily work, fo, except that he has now a cough and exof fpooling and winding yarn. This occu- pectoration. pation is auxiliary to that of his wife, who is a weaver, and, although more than eighty years old, fhe weaves fix yards a day, and the old man can supply her with more yarn than she can weave. Suppofing he must be very feeble, we offered to go up stairs to him; but he foon came down, walking fomewhat ftooping, and fupported by a a Dutch woman, five years before he was staff, but with lefs apparent inconvenience than most persons exhibit at eighty-five or ninety. His ftature is of the middle fize, and, although his perfon is rather delicate and flender, he stoops but little, even when unfupported. His complexion is very fair and delicate, and his expreffion bright, cheerful, and intelligent; his features are handfome, and confidering that they have endured through one-third part of a second century, they are regular, comely, and wonderfully undisfigured by the hand of time; his eyes are of a lively blue; his profile is "From thefe dates we are enabled to fix Grecian, and very fine; his head is com- the time of his birth, provided he is corpletely covered with the most beautiful and rect in the main fact, for he fays he was delicate white locks imaginable; they are prefent at Queen Anne's coronation, and fo long and abundant as to fall gracefully was then fixteen years old, the 31ft day of from the crown of his head, parting regu- May, old ftyle. His father, as he afferts, larly from a central point, and reaching after his return from Holland, had again down to his fhoulders; his hair is perfectly been driven from France by perfecution, fnow white, except where it is thick in his and the fecond time took refuge in Holneck; when parted there, it fhews fome few dark fhades, the remnants of a former century.

"He ftill retains the front teeth of his upper jaw; his mouth is not fallen in, like

born, and before that event returned with her into France. When he was five years old, his father again fled on account of de religion,' as he expreffed it (for his language, although very intelligible English, is marked by French peculiarities). He fays he well remembers their flight, and that it was in the winter; for he recollects, that as they were defcending a hill which was covered with fnow, he cried out to his father, “O fader, do go back and get my little carriole' (a little boy's fliding fledge, or fleigh).

land, and afterwards in England, where he refided with his family at the time of the coronation of Queen Anne, in 1702. This makes Francifco to have been born in 1686; to have been expelled from France in 1691,

trouble; and den to have dem, we tought our friends, turn tories; and the British too, and fight against ourselves; O, dat was de worst of all.'

and therefore to have completed his hun- been at least ninety years old). I fight in dred and thirty-third year on the 11th of all forts of wars all my life; I fee dreadful June, 1820; of course he was then more than three months advanced in his hundred and thirty-fourth year. It is notorious, that about this time multitudes of French Proteftants fled on account of the perfecutions He here seemed much affected, and alof Louis XIV., refulting from the revoca- moft too full for utterance. It seems that tion of the edict of Nantz, which occurred during the revolutionary war, he kept a tavOctober 12, 1685, and, notwithstanding ern at Fort Edward, and he lamented, in the guards upon the frontiers, and other a very animated manner, that the tories measures of precaution or rigor, to prevent burnt his house and barn, and four hundred emigration, it is well known that for many bushels of grain. This, his wife faid, was years multitudes continued to make their the fame year that Mifs M'Crea was murescape, and that thus Louis loft fix hundred dered. thousand of his best and most useful fubjects. I asked Francisco if he faw Queen Anne crowned; he replied, with great animation, and with an elevated voice, Ah! dat I did, and a fine-looking woman fhe was, too, as any dat you will fee now-adays.'*

He said he fought in all Queen Anne's wars, and was at many battles, and under many commanders, but his memory fails, and he cannot remember their names, except the Duke of Marlborough, who was one of them.

“He has been much cut up by wounds, which he fhewed us, but cannot always give a very diftinct account of his warfare.

"He came out, with his father, from England, to New York, probably early in the last century, but cannot remember the date.

"He faid, pathetically, when preffed for accounts of his military experience: 'O, I was in all Queen Anne's wars; I was at Niagara, at Öfwego, on the Ohio (in Braddock's defeat, in 1755, where he was wounded). I was carried prifoner to Quebec (in the revolutionary war, when he must have

"He has had two wives, and twentyone children; the youngest child is the daughter in whofe house he now lives, and fhe is fifty-two years old; of course he was eighty-two when she was born. They suppose feveral of the older children are still living, at a very advanced age, beyond the Ohio, but they have not heard of them in feveral years. The family were neighbors to the family of Mifs M'Crea, and were acquainted with the circumstances of her tragical death. They faid that the lover, Mr. Jones, at firft vowed vengeance against the Indians, but, on counting the coft, wifely gave it up.

Henry Francifco has been, all his life, a very active and energetic, although not a flout-framed man. He was formerly fond of fpirits, and did for a certain period drink more than was proper, but that habit appears to have been long abandoned.

"In other respects he has been remarkably abftemious, eating but little, and particularly abftaining almoft entirely from animal food; his favorite articles being tea, bread and butter, and baked apples. His wife faid, that after fuch a breakfast, he would go out and work till noon; then dine upon the fame, if he could get it, and then take the fame at night; and particularly, that he always drank tea whenever he

could obtain it, three cups at a time, three times a day.

country for one hundred years; who, more than a century ago, fought under Marlbo"The old man manifested a good deal rough, in the wars of Queen Anne, and of feeling, and even of tenderness, which who (already grown up to manhood) faw increased as we treated him with respect her crowned one hundred and feventeen and kindness; he often fhed tears, and par- years fince; who, one hundred and twenticularly when, on coming away, we gave ty-eight years ago, and, in the century behim money: he looked up to heaven, and fore the last, was driven from France by fervently thanked God, but did not thank the proud, magnificent, and intolerant Louis us; he however preffed our hands very XIV.; and who has lived a forty-fourth warmly, wept, and wished us every bleffing, PART OF ALL THE TIME THAT THE HUMAN and expreffed something serious with respect RACE HAVE OCCUPIED THIS GLOBE! to our meeting in the next world. He ap- "What an interview! It is like seeing peared to have religious impreffions on his one come back from the dead, to relate the mind, notwithstanding his pretty frequent events of centuries now fwallowed up in exclamations, when animated, of Good the abyfs of time! Except his cough, God! O my God!' which appeared, how- which they told us had not been of long ever, not to be ufed in levity, and were standing, we faw nothing in Francisco's approbably acquired in childhood, from the pearance that might indicate a speedy difalmoft colloquial' Mon Dieu,' &c., of the folution, and he seemed to have fufficient French. The oldest people in the vicinity mental and bodily powers to endure for remember Francifco as being always, from years yet to come." their earliest recollection, much older than themselves; and a Mr. Fuller, who recently died here, between eighty and ninety years of age, thought Francifco was one hundred and forty.

"On the whole, although the evidence refts, in a degree, on his own credibility, ftill, as many things corroborate it, and as his character appears remarkably fincere, guilelefs, and affectionate, I am inclined to believe that he is as old as he is ftated to be. He is really a most remarkable and interesting old man; there is nothing, either in his perfon or drefs, of the negligence and fqualidness of extreme age, especially when not in elevated circumftances; on the contrary, he is agreeable and attractive, and, were he dreffed in a fuperior manner, and placed in a handfome and well-furnished apartment, he would be a most beautiful old man.

"Little could I have expected to converse and shake hands with a man who has been a foldier in moft of the wars of this

Miscellaneous Items.

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Literal Reprint