1830.]

Bp. Monk's Life of Dr. Bentley.

treaty of pacification with Miller and the Seniors, the former of whom basely betrayed the interests of his constituents. Yet two of the most influential of that body, Dr. Colbatch and another, still pressed the consideration of the state of Trinity College on the Bishop of Ely, who refused to interfere. Bentley, however, still continued his despotic proceedings, and aimed at drawing all power to himself, and conferring all College offices or livings at his own will; though he was occasionally resisted with success.

Attempts were now made (but in vain) by application to the Court of King's Bench, to deprive Bentley of his Professorship. The demands made on Bentley's time by the duties of his new office, and the extraordinary course of events which ensued, will account for his suspending the great undertaking of his Greek Testament; though he still kept it in view, and, had much valuable assistance from Wetstein, and Dr. Walker of Trinity, as also the learned Benedictines of St. Maur, who have immortalized their Society by so many splendid and, useful Ecclesiasti cal publications. The Proposals, however, for his Greek Testament were at length sent forth; but being drawn up with much haste and precipitation, some weak points were laid open, of which advantage was taken by Middleton; who made a furious attack on the Pros pectus, written in the most captious and malignant spirit, and particularly disgraceful to him, since he must have written against his own private convictions and knowledge, out of hatred to Bentley. The Professor retorted, but in so violent and abusive spirit, as could only injure his cause, and disgrace his cha racter, as holding the most dignified permanent office in the University. This drew forth from Middleton yet bitterer animadversions on the propo sals, in which (observes Dr. Monk) "he shows himself a perfect controversialist, and though every sentence is influenced by hatred of his antagonist, he veils his spirit with the dress of learning and argument. Every thing is disposed in the most lucid order; there is a beautiful style, acute reasoning, extensive learning, and all the accomplishments of a controversialist;

but in vain do we look for the candour of a fair adversary, whose object is the establishment of truth." It is, howGENT. MAG. September, 1830.

209

ever, continues Dr. M., only one of the vnlgar errors respecting Bentley's his tory to suppose that he gave up his edition of the New Testament in consequence of Middleton's attacks. It was, he shows, from other causes, and especially the refusal of the government to grant permission to import the paper duty-free; and he gave it up from the same causes which influenced him to abandon the Third part of his Remarks on Free-thinking.

Middleton, however, had no great reason to exult, since being prosecuted for a libel on Bentley in his last work, and being found guilty, he was obliged to beg pardon of the Professor, and pay the costs of suit. Our Critic was now attacked in his Horace by Cunningham, who had sent forth a rival Edition. But whatever may be the ability displayed in his remarks on Bentley's emendations and notes, he owes the preservation of his name to the transcendent reputation of him whose fame he so laboured to disparage. In 1722 Bentley, at the request of Dr. Mead, made a complete revision of the Theriaca of Nicander for Dr. Mead. The volume found its way into the British Museum, and the emendations were transcribed and published in the Museum Criticum in 1814. Our Professor now applied to the Court of King's Bench to procure restoration to his degrees, and after having, by consummate dexterity, vanquished at law his great adversaries, Middleton, and Colbatch, the leader of the malcontents at Trinity, he carried forward his cause against the University for having unjustly degraded him. The Judges declared their opinions against the University, and a peremptory mandamus was issued to restore Bentley to his degrees, which was (however unpalatable to his adversaries) publicly performed by the University. Dr. Middleton now renewed his action for the recovery of the four guineas, and succeeded; a small consolation for the sacrifices and losses he had encountered to ruin his enemy. Even Dr. Bentley, though successful, and throwing on his adversaries the greater part of the costs, found that his expenses in these continual suits had so much exhausted his finances as to diminish the gratification of his triumph. An offer was now made him of the Bishopric of Bristol, which however he declined; and on being asked what it was he expected,

he answered," something which should render it unnecessary for him to seek a change."

Our Critic now sent forth his elaborate Dissertation on the Metres of Terence, together with an Edition of that writer, and also one of Phædrus; on which Dr. Monk has some judicious remarks, in illustration of the origin and progress of the controversy of Bentley with Bp. Hare on the metres of Terence. With an ardour seldom found even in the young, our veteran Critic now applied himself to an Edition of Lucan's Pharsalia. His Notes, however, from the proposed Edition clashing with two other rival ones then preparing by Cortius and Oudendorp, did not see the light till fourteen years after his death, when they were printed at, the Strawberry Hill Press.

Our illustrious Aristarchus so retained the vis vivida animi, that he now, at 65, proposed to give new editions of Manilius and Homer (the former of which was some years after published) and had not yet abandoned his design to edit the Greek Testament. As to the affairs of Trinity College, all the Master's wishes and projects were now carried without obstruction; though some of them were objectionable, and savoured of oppression and selfishness: insomuch that in 1727 fresh attempts were made to procure a visitation of Trinity College, and the Bp. of Ely was prevailed on to undertake the visi tation, if it should be found that he had the proper jurisdiction. In 1720 George II. visited the University, and was entertained by Dr. Bentley at Trinity Lodge. In consequence of his fatigue on this occasion, the Doctor was attacked with a dangerous illness; but medical skill, or the goodness of his constitution, soon recovered him. Meanwhile the scheme for ejecting the Master was still carried forward. But Bentley anticipated his prosecutors by a Petition to his Majesty. The prosecutors drew up counter petitions, and the Bishop sent one to have the rights of his See examined, and cited Bentley to appear before him. The Master applied to the King's Bench for a prohibition. And now (in 1730) Bentley had an offer of the Deanery of Lincoln, which he refused, as think ing it not an equivalent for the sacrifice of his Academical emoluments. In the year 1731 the Court pronounced that the Bishop of Ely was general

[Sept.

Visitor of the College, and thus the Master was thrown upon his resources to avert so imminent a danger. He sent a petition to the King, and brought his cause before the Privy Council. While awaiting for its determination, he engaged in the only unsuccessful of all his literary undertakings, his Edition of Milton's Paradise Lost. He was indeed in many respects unqualified for the work, which proved a total failure, and did more to sink his reputation than any of his preceding works had done to raise it. Still, as Dr. Monk truly observes, "the work contains many just and sensible remarks, and many acute pieces of criticism; and we cannot but often admit the justness of his strictures, and even the Poet himself might have profited by many of the hints." In 1732 the case between Dr. Bentley and the Bp. of Ely was carried before the House of Lords, which reversed the judgment of the Court of King's Bench, and, after a subsequent consideration of the case in another Session; the Bishop received his Writ of permission to act as Judge in the affairs of Trinity College, and held his first Court at Ely House, in June 1733. Dr. Bentley was then cited to appear in person, but he only attended by Proctor. In ten days after, the Master sent in his Defensive Plea, in which the charges were ingeniously evaded, and the transactions placed in quite another light, though the defence is certainly not satisfactory. The evidence for the prosecution and that for the defence were each taken at great length. And now, on the 27th April, 1734, the Court being assembled to deliver a final judgment upon the cause, the Bishop formally pronounced Dr. Bentley guilty of the charges laid against him, and sentenced him to be deprived of the Mastership of Trinity College. Undaunted even at this, Dr. B. determined to take his stand behind the last entrenchment, and resist the execution of the sentence. Finding that the sentence would not be valid till put in execution by the Vice-Master, he first prevailed upon the then ViceMaster to suspend the execution till he had taken legal advice how to proceed, and then contrived to induce him to resign, and procured another to be appointed who was firmly in the Master's interest, and utterly refusing to carry the sentence into execution, set the Bishop at defiance; who, as a Dissolution of

1930.]
Bp. Monk's Life
Parliament had just taken place, could
not apply to the House of Lords for
support. A compromise was
effected between Bentley and his pro-
secutors; and when at length a man-
damus was procured by the Bishop to
enable him to enforce the execution of
the sentence, he died before he had
been able to use it; and thus finally
terminated the long struggles to pro-
cure Bentley's expulsion. In warding
off all these various attacks, Bentley
showed more dexterity and ability,
than strict regard to rectitude or the
proprieties of his dignified station; and
though always successful in his suits
at law, yet he expended upon them
such large sums as prevented him
from laying up for his family what
would have raised them to compe-
tency, if not opulence. The College,
too, of whose funds he had, in the
maintenance of these suits, generally
contrived to avail himself, was brought
to extreme distress. His College broils,
however, were now over, and a few
calm years of green old age remained,
which were rendered as little irksome
as advanced years and increasing in-
firmities permitted, by the kind assi-
duities of his domestic circle, and the
devoted attachment of a faithful band
of friends who had never deserted his
fortunes when in their most desperate
state. A considerable period of his
declining years was occupied in pre-
paring a new Edition of Homer's
Iliad. The principal object of which
to reform the versification, of
which the harmony was spoiled by
open vowels and other metrical defects.
This restoration was to be effected by
the aid of MSS. and quotations, and es-
pecially by the introduction of the Eolie
Digamma, an instructive account of
which is given by Dr. Monk. Bent-
ley was the first to discover its use by
Homer, and was by its use enabled to
remove innumerable hiatuses, and to
restore the true orthography of many
words. But, alas! our Aristarchus was
prevented by a paralytic stroke from ac-
complishing his design, after having
written Notes only on the six first
books of the Iliad. These were, by the
liberality of Trinity College, placed in
the hands of Professor Heyne, and
formed a great ornament to his valu-
able edition. The latter years of Bent-
ley were somewhat embittered by the
gross and unmanly attacks of Pope and
his party, whose hostility to Bentley

was

had been undeviating and unappeasable, and who thought they had now chosen the time to kick the worn-out Lion of

Criticism. For the enmity of Pope some excuse may be found; but none for that of Warburton, who could not be unaware of Bentley's extraordinary merits. But mark the event-even-handed Justice ordained that he should himself be as rudely attacked, in a far greater decay of his faculties, and when he could make no resistance, by the caustic pen of the Author of the Decline and Fall.

And now our narrative has reached its last stage, and we have only to record that the Prince of Critics departed this life, after a short but severe attack of pleurisy, which terminated fatally for want of bleeding (though the pa tient had himself suggested that it ought to be resorted to), in the 81st year of his age, July 14th, 1742. He died by no means wealthy, the most valuable bequest being that of his Library and MSS., which came partly into the hands of Trinity College, and partly into those of the British Museum. of his domestic life many interesting anecdotes are collected by our indefatigable Biographer, which will be peculiarly interesting to academical readers.

As to the personal character of Bentley, it was, we must confess, a somewhat mixed one. It is humiliating to lettered pride, but not unedifying, to reflect how imperfect an effect his unrivalled learning had in regulating his passions, humanizing his manners, and raising him above the temptations of pride, vanity, and selfishness. It must, however, be admitted, that there is nothing in the nature of profoundly learned and Critical studies peculiarly adverse to amiableness of personal character; and that, as in the cases of not a few illustrious individuals of our own age and country, profound learning does not necessarily produce arrogance, vanity, dogmatism, and supercilious contempt of others; but is consistent with the highest urbanity and courtesy, the cultivation of all moral virtues, and the acquirement of all Christian graces. That Bentley, however, possessed many amiable qualities cannot be doubted; for how else could he have attached to himself so many devoted friends? He was indeed too fond of money, but, though frugal, he was never penurious, though he was passionate, he was not vindictive, still less implacable. To us, indeed, it appears.