Engravd for the Univerfal Magazine 1749 for Hinton. at the King's Arms in S. Paul's Church Yard London. SUPPLEMENT to Vol. IV. of the UNIVERSAL MAG. 289 The LIFE of JOHN LOCKE, Efq. With his 'Head curiously engraved from an Original Painting. MM R. Locke was the eldest son of Mr. John Locke, of Pensford in Somersetshire: and was born in Auguft 1632, at Wrington, about eight miles from Brifol. Mr. Locke's father was a Captain in the Parliament's army during the civil wars under King Charles I. and not towards the law, and a Steward or Court-keeper to Col. Alexander Popham, as Mr. Wood very difingenuously reprefents him. This is certain, that he took great care of his fon John's education, and obferved fuch a method of conduct towards him, as is worthy of any parent's imitation, and is often mentioned by his fon with great approbation.-He was very fevere towards him, while he was a child, and kept him at a great distance but, as his fon grew up, he became more familiar with him, 'till at laft they lived together rather as friends, than as two perfons, one of whom had a right to demand refpect of the other. His first rudiments in claffical learning were fettled at Weftminster school: and from thence, in 1651, he was fent to Chrift-Church, Oxon, where he became a student, and took the degree of a Bachelor of Arts on the 14th of February, 1655, and that of Matter on the 29th of June, 1658, though he very much difliked the Ariftotelian philofophy, and the difputes of the Ichools, which confifted in obfcure terms and ufelefs queftions, which was the common method of ftudies then purfued in that university. This averfion to Ariftotle's jargon drove him to feek more pure knowledge in the perfpicuous writings of Des Cartes: though he could not approve of all his fentiments. And it feems as if he had determined to proceed Doctor in Phyfic; for, it is certain, he applied himself fo vigorously to that ftudy, that he gained fo confiderable a knowNUMB. XXIX. Vol. IV. ledge in it, as to deferve the encomium of the ever celebrated Dr. Thomas Sydenham, who, in his dedication of his book, intitled, Obfervationes medice circa morborum acutorum hifto• riam & curationem, printed at London in 1676, in 8vo, points him out as an example who had scarce any fuperior, and few equals then living, whether we confider his genius, and penetrating and exact judgment, or the ftrictness of his morals. And, tho' it does not appear that Mr. Locke ever took his Doctor's degree, or exercised that faculty for gain, he obtained the name of Doctor Locke amongst those that were not intimate with him. 1 In 1664, Mr. Locke went Secretary to Sir William Swan, Envoy from the English court to the Elector of Brandenburg, and fome other Ger. man Princes: but he foon returned to England, and applied himself more diligently to natural philofophy, at Oxford, where, in the year 1666, he had the honour of being admitted to a great intimacy of Lord Abley, afterwards Earl of Shaftesbury; on account of his falutary advice, in regard to the operation, which was performed by opening an abscess in his Lordship's breaft; and faved his life. After which cure, his Lordship entertained fo great an efteem for Mr. Locke, that though he had experienced his great skill in phyfic, yet he regarded this afterwards, as the leaft of his qualifications. He advised him to turn his thoughts another way: and urged him to apply himself to the ftudy of things, which related to the ftate and church of England, and political fubjects; in which he made fo great progrefs, that Lord Ashley be gan to confult him upon all occations, and introduced him into the company of the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Halifax, and other perfons of diftincPp tion tion and parts, who were charmed lets against our government in Nowith his conversation. vember 1684, he was deprived of his Student's place at Chrift church. In 1667, we find him at Sunningbill attending Lord Ashley, drinking the mineral waters of Aftrop. In 1668, he attended the Earl and Countess of Northumberland into France, but returned presently with the Countefs, the Earl dying in his journey to Rome. All this time he retained his Student's place at Christ-church; though he did not refide much at Oxford: and, in 1670, he began to form the plan of his Efay on Human Understanding, and fuck pretty tightly to it for two years, though his frequent avocations, and employments, obliged him to lay it afide for fome time after. In 1671, he was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society. And, in 1672, his great admirer, Lord Shaftesbury, being made Lord High Chancellor of England, appointed him Secretary of the prefentations but that promotion terminated with that Lord's Chancellorship, who refigned the feals in the end of 1673. And though he had also been complimented with the Secretaryfhip to a commiffion of Trade in June 1673, a place valued at 500l. per annum, that commiffion being diffolved in December 1674, he was left once more without employment; and took the degree of Bachelor of Phyfic on the 6th of February following. His conftant application to ftudy, and a weak conftitution, made him inclinable to a confumption: fo that he endeavoured to ftop its progrefs by a tour into France in the fummer of 1675. And did not return to London till 1679, when he was invited thither by his patron the Earl of Shaftesbury, then received into favour again, and made Prefident of the Council. But that Nobleman being foon after difgraced, and after his enlargement from the Tower, retiring to Holland in December 1682, Mr. Locke followed his fortune; and, in about a year after his departure, was unjuftly accufed of writing feditious pamph Upon the death of King Charles II. on the 6th of February, 1685, Mr. William Penn interceeded with King James II. for Mr. Locke's pardon; and would have obtained it, would he have, acknowledged himself in a fault; although, in the May following, we find his name amongst eighty-three others, accufed of confpiring with the Duke of Monmouth against the government, whom the British Envoy at the Hague demanded to be delivered up; which obliged him to abfcond in the house of one Mr. Veen at Amfterdam, under a promise from one of the principal Magiftrates of that city, that, if the King of England should demand him, he fhould not be betrayed, and that his landlord should have timely notice when there fhould be occafion. But, in 1686, it being known that he had no fhare in the Duke of Monmouth's invafion, he began to appear again in public; and, in the following year, formed a weekly affembly at Amfterdam, of Mr. Limbarch, Mr. Le Clerc, &c. for the fake of conversation on important subjects. Mr. Locke did not return to England till Feb. 1689, when he came in the fleet that convoyed the Princess of Orange. But though he claimed his place of Student in Chrift-church, and did all in his power to recover it, he was not able to difplace the new-elected in his room. However, he was not entirely rejected: the college would have admitted him as a supernumerary Student: but he would not accept it. Nor was he neglected by the flate; for he was presently made a Commiffioner of Appeals, worth 200 l. per ann. And it was left to his choice to go in the character of Envoy to the Emperor, the Elector of Brandenburg, or where he thought the air would fuit him beft; but he defired to be excufed going a broad, broad, on account of his bad ftate of health. So that, in 1695, he was promoted to be a Commiffioner of Trade and Plantations, worth 1000l. per ann. which place he discharged with great fuccefs, till he was obliged by his afthmatic diforder, that daily increased by the air of London, to refign it in 1700; when he retired to Oats in Effex, a feat of Sir Francis Mafham, about 25 miles from London; where he spent about 15 years in the ftudy of the fcriptures chiefly: and when he found his latter end draw near by an extraordinary decay of his ftrength, and a fwelling of his legs, he prepared to quit the world like a good chriftian, with a deep fense of God's bleffings towards him in every ftage of life; with an entire refignation to his divine will, and with firm hopes of his promises of a future life, through Jefus Chrift.--The study of the fcriptures had produced in him a very lively and fincere piety, though far from affectation. He could not frequent public worship for a confiderable time before his death; and, therefore, communicated at home, attended by two friends. When the Minister had done officiating, Mr. Locke faid to him, That he was in the fentiments of perfect charity towards all men, and of a fincere union with the church of Chrift under whatever name diftinguished. He was fully poffeffed, with admiration of the wisdom and goodness of God, in the manner, in which he is pleased to fave mankind; and when he thought upon it, he could not forbear crying out, O the depth of the riches of the goodness and knowledge of God! He was perfuaded, that men would be convinced of this by reading the fcriptures without prejudice; and he frequently exhorted those with whom he converfed, to do fo, to wards the conclufion of his life; when the application, which he gave to this ftudy, had given him a more noble and elevated idea of the Chriftian religion than he had before; and if he had had strength enough to have begun new works, it is very probable, that he would have written fome, in order to have infpired others with this grand and fublime idea in all its extent. Some weeks before his death, as he was no longer able to walk, he was carried about the house in a chair. But the Lady Masham going to fee him, Oct. 27, 1704, instead of finding him in his study, where he used to be, found him in bed: and, as the fhewed fome furprize at this, Mr. Locke told her, That he had refolved to continue in bed, fince he was fo much fatigued by rifing the day before, that he could not fupport it, and, therefore, did not know, whether ever he should rife again. The fame day, he could eat no dinner; and after dinner, refusing to hear any thing read to amufe him, he defired to be remembered in the evening prayers; and being asked whether he thought himself near death? he anfwered, That it might, perhaps, happen that night, but could not be delayed above three or four days.' He then fell into a cold sweat, but recovered himself soon after; and being offered fome Brunswick mum, he took fome fpoonfuls of it, and drank to the health of the company, faying, I wish you all happiness, when I Shall be departed. They, who were in the chamber, having left it, except the Lady Maham, who fat by his bed, and with great reluctance left him at any time of his confinement, he exhorted her to regard this world only as a state of preparation for a better. He added, That he had lived long enough, and thanked God for having paffed his life happily; but that his life appeared to him a mere vanity.' After fupper, the family went up into his chamber to prayers; and between eleven and twelve at night he feemed a little better; and though he could not fleep, he made a fhift to rife the next morning; and being carried in a chair into Pp 2 his his study, he slept there a confidera ble while at different times. Seeming to be a little refreshed, he would be dreffed, as he used to be, and called for fome fmall beer, which he tasted very seldom; and then defired the Lady Mofham, who was reading the Pfalms low, while he was dref fing, to read aloud. Her Ladyfhip complied, and Mr. Locke was very attentive to what the read, till the approach of death prevented him: for then he defired her to break off, and a few minutes after expired, on the 28th of October, 1704, aged 72 years and odd months. He wrote his own EPITAPH, as follows: His fitus eft JOANNES LOCKE. Si qualis fuerit, rogas? Mediocritate fua contentum fe vixiffe refpondet. Literis eoufque tantum profecit, ut veritati unicè litaret; hoc ex fcriptis illius difce, quæ quod de eo reliquum eft, majore fide tibi exhibebunt, quam Epitaphii fufpecta Elogia. Virtutes, fiquas habuit, minores fanè quam quas fibi laudi, tibi in exemplum proponeret: Vitia unà fepeliantur. Morum Exemplar fi quæras, in Evangelio habes: Vitiorum utinam nufquam mortalitatis certe (quod profit) bic & ubique. His writings will render his name immortal; and are chiefly these : I. A register of the changes of the air, &c. from June 24, 1666, to March 28, 1667. II. Epiftola ad Clariffimum Virum, T. A. R. P. T. O. L. A. i. e. [Theologiae apud Remonfirantes Profefforem, Tyrannidis Oforem, Limburgium, Am ftelodamenfem ] Scripta à P. A. P. O. 1. L. A. i. e. [Pacis Amico, Perfecutionis Ofore, Joanne Lockio, Anglo. Tergou, 1689, in 12mo. Nete, This piece was fo highly approved that it was immediately translated into Dutch and Englife; though it did not want its opponents, particularly Mr. Jonas Proaft, Chaplain of All Souls college, Oxon. But Mr. Locke fufficiently defended his argu ments for toleration in two other learned letters; one dated May 27, 1690, and another dated June 20, 1692. I. An effay concerning human understanding, finished in Holland, in 1687, and published in folio, at London, in 1690. after he had given the world a fpecimen of its inimitable perfection, in an abridgment of it, published in the 8th tome of the Bibliotheque Universelle, for January, 1688. N. B. However, this work, though it has rectified more received mistakes, and delivered more profound truths, established on experience and obfervation, for the direction of man's mind, in the profecution of knowledge, than are to be met with in all the volumes of the ancients, and clearly overthrows all thofe metaphyfical whimsies, which infected men's brains with a spice of madnefs, whereby they feigned a knowledge, where they had none, by making a noife with founds without clear and diftinct fignifications; could not appear without giving great offence to many people at its firft publication, who were too much enamoured with their old fchool jargon. And I am almoft afhamed to remem ber, That it was propofed at a meeting of the Heads of houses, in the Univerfity of Oxford, to cenfure and difcourage the reading of it; and though it was not thought prudent to país a public cenfure upon this essay, it was concluded, that each Head fhould endeavour to prevent its being read in his college. This act of the Oxonians foon fpirited up many antagonists, who charged Mr. Locke's eflay with fcepticism; but he has been fo well defended, that all their unfortunate attempts ferve only to forewarn all men, how far they venture to criticize on that work. IV. Two treatifes of government, printed in 8vo. 1690. V. A letter to a member of Parliament, on lowering the intereft, and rail |