to, it was from that time that he began, by degrees, to be fomewhat more talked of, and his extraordinary talents more known. It was about a year after that he was fent for to Edinburgh by Dr. Stevenfon, a man of tafte, and one of the phyficians in that city; who had the goodnefs to fupply him with every thing neceffary for his living and ftudying in the University there. Dr. Blacklock looked on this gentleman as his Mæcenas; and the poem placed at the entrance to his works was a gratitude-piece addreffed to hin, in imitation of the firft ode of Horace to that great patron.

He had got fome rudiments of Latin in his youth, but could not easily read a Latin author till he was near twenty, when Dr. Stevenfon put him to a grammarschool in Edinburgh. He afterwards ftudied in that University; where he not only perfected himfelf in Latin, but also went through all the best Greek authors with a very lively pleafure. He was alfo a mafter of the French language, which he acquired by his mtimacy in the family of Mr. Provoit Alexander, whofe lady was a Paritian.

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After he had followed his ftudies at Edinburgh for four years, he retreated from thence into the country, on breaking out of the rebellion in 1745; and it was during this recels that he was prevailed on by fome of his friends to publish a little collection of his poems at Glafgow. When that tempeft was blown

over, and the calm entirely restored, he returned again to the University of Edinburgh, and pursued his itudies there for fix years more. The fecond edition of his poems was publifhed by him there, in the beginning of the year 1754, very much improved and enlarged; and they might have been much more numerous than they were, had he not fhewn a great deal more nicenefs and delicacy than is ufual; and kept feveral pieces from the prefs for afons which feemed much stronger to himfelf, than they did to his friends, fome of whom were concerned at his excefs of fcrupuloufnefs, and much withed not to have had him deprived of fo much more, reputation, nor the world of fo many poe

tical beauties as abounded in them.

Dr. Blacklock during his ten years ftudies at the University "not only acquired," as Mr. Hume wrote to a friend, "a great knowledge in the Greek, Latin, and French languages, but alfo made a confiderable progrefs in all the fciences;" and (what is yet more extraordinary) has attained a confiderable excellence in poetry; though the chief inlets for poetical ideas were barred up in him, and all the visible beauties of the creation had been long fince totally blotted out of his memory. How far he contrived, by the uncommon force of his genius, to compenfate for this vaft defect; with what elegance and harmony he often wrote; with how much propriety, how much fente, and how much emotion, are things as eafy to be perceived in reading his poems, as they would be difficult to be fully accounted for. Confidered in either of thefe points, he will appear to have a great ihare of merit; but if thoroughly confidered in all together, we are very much inclined to lay, (with his friend Mr. Hume) he may be regarded as a prodigy."

Of his moral character Mr. Hume obferved, "that his modefty was equal to the goodness of his difpofition, and the beauty of his genius;" and the author of the ac count prefixed to his works, fpeaking of the pieces which Dr. Blacklock would not fuffer to be printed, and winch, he faid, abounded with fo many poetical beauties that nothing could do him greater honour, correcting himself, added, " yet I must ftill except his private character, which, were it generally known, would recom

mend him more to the public esteem, than the united talents of an accomplished writer."

Among his particular virtues, one of the firft to be admired was his cafe and contentedness of mind under fo many circumftances, any one almost of which might be thought capable of depreffing it. Confidering the meannefs of his birth; the lowness of his fituation; the defpicableness (at leaft as he himself fo spoke of it) of his perfon; the narrownels and ditficulties of his fortune; and, above all, his fo early lofs of his fight, and his incapacity from thence of any way relieving himmelf under all thefe burthens; it may be reckoned no final degree of virtue in him, even not to have been generally difpirited and complaining.

Each of thefe humiliating circumstances he spoke of in fome part or other of his poems; but what he dwelt upon with the moft lafting caft of melancholy was his lots of fight, which in one place carries him on in a deploring style for above fifty lines together. But at the fame time it ought to be confidered, that this is in a picce written when his fpirits were particularly depreffed by an incident that very nearly threatened his life * ; from which he had but just escaped with a great deal of difficulty, and with all the terrors of fo great a danger, and the dejection occafioned by them juft fresh upon his mind.

It is in the fame melancholy Poem that he expreffed his dread of falling into extreme want, in the following very strong and moving manner :

Dejecting profpect!-foon the hapless hour May come-perhaps, this moment it inpends !-

Which drives me forth to penury and cold, Naked, and beat by all the ftorms of Heav'n,

Friendlefs, and guidelefs, to explore my

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fituation in the University of Edinburgh In 1760 he contributed fome Poems to a Scotch collection published at Edinburgh in that year, and being there styled the Rev. Mr. Blacklock, it appears he had then entered into Holy Orders. About 1766 he obtained the degree of Doctor of Divinity; and in 1767 published " Paracies; or, Confolations deduced from Natural and Revealed Religion, in two Dirtations," 8vo. In 1768 he printed "Two Difcourtes on the Spirit and Evidences of Chriftianity," tranflated from the French of Mr. James Armand, and dedicated to the Rev. Moderator of the General Affembly," 8vo. ; and in 1774 produced The Graham; an Heroic Ballad, in four Cantos 4to. In 1776 appeared "Remarks on the Nature and Extent of Liberty as compatible with the Genius of Civil Societies; on the Principles of Government, and the proper li mits of its Powers in Free States; and on the Juice and Policy of the American War; occafioned by perufing the Obfervations of Dr. Price on thefe Subjects," Svo. Edinburgh. This we have been affured was written by our Author, who at length, at the age of 70, died during the courfe of the prefent month.

fubdued the energy of enquiry: not like the plodder in fcience, he felected only from the labour of ages what was fuited to the dignity of his fubject, and the greatnefs of his purpofe; and finally, he turned the tide of fearching for the proximate causes of difeafes from the fanciful hypothefis of a depraved ftate of the fluids, to its proper channel-the more rational and refined investigation of a vital principle, and the primary moving powers in animals. Before he came to the practical chair, he had been profeffor in all the other branches of medicine; and what he fays of Boerhaave, may be well applied to himfelf: "he excelled in each, and was certainly a candid and genuine eclectic."In the exercife of a profeffion where genius alone can be fuccefsful, and which no rules can fupply, the vigour of his judgement and folidity of his understanding were fingularly confpicuous :-it was that accurate collecting of fymptoms, that acuteness of apprehenfion, which, as if by intuition, catched the leading features of his patient's conftitution and disease, that in forming a prognoftic, fo often the bane of medical reputation in private practice, he was feldom miftaken. But amidst all thefe fplendid talents and tranfcendant abilities, the philanthropy of his heart, and the urbanity of his manners, will be long remembered by his numerous pupils. As

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long as his health permitted, a day in the week was fet apart for converfing with ftudents; and in this perhaps we fee an exalted character in the molt amiable point of view, when the aufterity of the preceptor is laid afide to communicate knowledge through colloquial fociety. He ftudied the profeffion, as he faid, " amore," and he rejoiced to inculcate the love of it in others. By these means he became the favourite profeffor and dailing among ftudents: witnefs the affectionate addreffes from the different focieties when he refigned the practical chair, and the eulogies on his character to be found in the inaugural differtations of his pupils.

In medicine, changes and revolutions may be progreffive, but the outlines of his fyitem will remain, whatever may be added by the induction of freth facts and experiments the love and ardour of the study which his example has excited, will be long preferved in the Royal Medical and Phyfical Societies, and will defcend to pofterity. The tyro in the art, will there find his labours encouraged, and ftimulated by the freedom of debate; and the young phyfician who delivers his opinions with candour and modefty, will be heard and approved, in fpite of the captious petulance of his fenior; who, grown grey in error, too often defpifes conviction from a youthful opponent.

GENTLEMEN,

M. DUCHASTELET has mentioned to me the intention of fome perfons to commence a work under the title of "The Republican."

As I am a Citizen of a Country which knows no other Majesty than that of the People-no other Government than that of the Reprefentative Body-no other Sovereignty than that of the Laws, and which is attached to France both by alliance and by gratitude, I voluntarily offer you my fervices in fupport of principles as honourable to a nation as they are adapted to promote the happiness of mankind. I offer them to you with the more zeal, as I know the moral, literary, and political character of those who are engaged in the undertaking, and find myself honoured in their good opinion.

But I muft at the fame time obferve, that from my ignorance of the French language, my works must neceffarily undergo a tranflation. They can of courfe be but of little utility, and my offering must confift more of wishes than fervices-I must add, that I am obliged to pass a part of this fummer in England and Ireland.

As the Public has done me the unmerited favour of recognizing me under the appellation of "Common Senfe," which is my ufual fignature, I fhall continue it in this publication, to avoid mittakes, and to prevent my being fuppofed the author of works not my own. As to my political principles, I shall endeavour, in this Letter, to trace their general features in fuch a manner as that they

cannot be mifunderstood.

It is defirable in moft inftances to avoid that which may give even the least fufpicion with respect to the part meant to be adopted; and particularly on the prefent occafion, where a perfect clearnets of expreffion is neceffary to the avoidance of any poffible mifinterpretation. I am happy therefore to find, that the work in question is entitled "The Republican," This word expreffes perfectly the idea which we ought to have of Government in general-Res Publica-the public affairs of a nation.

As to the word Monarchy, though the addrefs and intrigue of Courts have rendered it familiar, it does not contain the lefs of reproach or of infult to a nation. The word, in its immediate and original fenfe, fignifies the

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