convinced the judgment by the force of argument;-like an ima petuous torrent, it bore down all refiftance; extorting the ad miration even of those who moft feverely felt its ftrength, and who moft earnestly deprecated its effect. It is unneceffary, and might be prefumptuous, to enter more minutely into the character of Mr. Pitt's eloquence; there are many living witnesses of its powers; it will be admired as long as it fhall be remembered, A few of his fpeeches in Parliament were published by his friends, and fome of them under his own fuperintendance; but, it has been obferved, that they were confiderably weakened in effect by his own corrections; that, if they gained any thing in accuracy, they loft more in vigour and fpirit; and that he had not himself the power of improving upon reflection, the just and happy expreffion in which his thoughts were conveyed, as they occurred in the courfe of debate.

"As a public man, Mr. Pitt trufted his character to his public conduct; he rejected thofe arts and aids to which inferior men have fometimes had recourfe to prop their fame; and he difdained to court popularity at the expence of unbecoming condefcenfion; he never failed to be generally esteemed where he was generally known; but his public occupations did not permit him to enjoy much of the pleafures of private fociety, and his hours of retirement and relaxation were chiefly confined to the circle of a few friends, which circle he did not feem inclined to ex tend. Thofe hours indeed were few, for his life may be faid to have been devoted to the public fervice; and, perhaps, to have been facrificed by that devotion; for his health had gradually declined for the last five years of his life; but the vigour of his mind was unimpaired, and directed, in spite of a feeble frame, with the most unremitted anxiety, to promote the interefts and welfare of the country. With him, indeed, his country was ever the first object, felf the laft.

It would be highly unjuft, however, to dismiss the character of Mr. Pitt without correcting the erroneous impreffion which has too generally prevailed, that he was in fociety, cold, diftant, and referved. So far from it that, in the relations of private life, he was no lefs amiable than he was eminent in his public conduct; and, in the company of his felect friends, none charmed more by the eafe, playfulness, and vivacity of converfation. He poffeffed a peculiar fweetnefs and equanimity of temper, which, under all the varying circumftances of health and fickness, of good and adverse fortune, was never ruffled. The victory of Trafalgar, though he felt at it the honest pride. of an Englishman, elated him to no unbecoming height; nor did the overthrow of his deareft hopes at Austerlitz, though it af fected him moft fenfibly, fink him to an unmanly dejection. Yet this calmnefs and felf-poffeffion arofe not from any apathy of coldness; on the contrary, the varied expreffion of his coun tënauce and the fire of his eye fhewed him to be, what he really

was,

was, exquifitely fenfible to every feeling; but they were the natural refult of a strong and well-regulated mind-of the cons fcious rectitude of his measures, and of the happy mildness of his difpofition.

The fame benevolence and fimplicity of heart ftrongly marked his manners and deportment, which were, in the higheft degree prepoffeffingThey befpoke the total abfence of any thing like moroferefs in his nature. With the most playful vi» vacity, he affumed no fuperiority in converfation; nor ever op, preffed any man with the ftrength of his talents or the bril liancy of his wit. It was matter of furprize how fo much fire could be mitigated, and yet not enfeebled, by fo much gentlenefs; and how fuch power could be fo delightful. Modesty was a ftriking feature in Mr. Pitt's character; he was attentive to the humbleft, and kindly patient to the weakest, opinions. No man was ever more beloved by his friends, or inspired those who had the happiness of living in his fociety with a more fincere and affectionate attachment. In his conduct, he was rigidly juft and ftrictly moral; and as his virtues were greater, fo were his failings lefs than fall to the lot of moft men." Vol. VI. p. 809.

Moft happy fhould we have been to enrich our pages with obfervations en, and extracts from a work calculated to do justice to the memory of the truly great and illuftrious perfon, who has fo unfortunately fallen into the hands of this author. It is truly lamentable to obferve, that in the prefent day, when all men feem eager for biographical works, the lives of fome of the greatest ornaments of our nation should be utterly neglected or unworthily facrificed : that there should be no adequate commemoration of fuch men as the Duke of Marlborough and the Lord Chancellor Hardwicke; and that the Earl of Mansfield, the Earl of Chatham, and Mr. Pitt fhould have their fame fullied by the attemps of fuch chroniclers as Mr. Halliday, Mr. Al mon, and, we are forry to add, the present biographer.

ART. IV. A History of the University of Oxford, including the Lives of the Founders. By Alex. Chalmers, F.S.A. with Series of illuftrative Engravings, by James Storer and John Greig. 8vo. 500 pp. Small Paper, H. 11s. 6d. Large Paper, 21. 15s. 4to. 61. 6s.: Oxford, printed; London, Longman and Co. 1810.

FEW places are more amply fupplied than Oxford with

materials for their hiftory. Exclufive of other autho rities, the laborious and voluminous compilations of A.

Wood,

Wood, whether published by himself, in the Athenæ, by Fell in an imperfect Latin tranflation, or by Mr. Gutch from his original MSS. (under the titles of Hiftory, Fafli, and Annals,) form altogether fuch a mafs of information, as is feldom to be met with, in reference to the fortunes of one city. But, in proportion to the abundance of materials, the taste and judgment of an able felector were required, to make a work in any great degree pleafing to the general reader. A fitter perfon to execute this talk than Mr. A. Chalmers could not perhaps have been found. Long verfed in every branch of enquiry relative to history, biography, and antiquities, as well as practifed in the art of writing, of a difcriminating mind and cool judgment, he was the very perfon to felect what might be pleafing and inftructive, and to give it the most attractive form. That he has done this in the prefent hiftory, few perfons, we think, will be inclined to controvert; and they who are, muft be guided by rules very different from thofe by which our judgment is directed.

"

The Hiftory and Antiquities of the Colleges and Halls," as published and continued in 1786 form, of course, the bafis of the prefent work but it is not fervilely followed. Much that is heavy and uninterefling is totally omitted, and much of valuable information has been collected from other fources. Mr. C. acquiefces in the reasonings of Wood to give the priority of collegiate establishment to Merton College, which was founded in the thirteenth Century. Whatever might be the refort of ftudents to Oxford before that time, however patronized or encouraged, there was certainly nothing like a college fubfifting, as it is now underftood, till the foundation of Walter de Merton took place. Till then there were feparate fchools, for different branches of learning, with inns or hotels for the refidence of the ftudents, but nothing more.

In giving an account of the defign of this firft founder, Mr. C. informs us that he firft founded a college at Maldon†, which he afterwards transferred to Oxford; but he has omitted to fay, what is neceffary to prevent error, and is clearly expreffed by Wood, that this was not Maldon in Effex, but a village called, originally, Meauden, but fince, Maldon, in Surrey, (near Kingston) the patronage of which living is ftill vefted in the college. Merton, the place of the birth and education of the munificent Walter, is very

* See our account of his Biographical Prefaces to the Tatler, Spectator, &c. Vol. xxiii. p. 548.

Often written Malden.

near

Dear to it. The account of Merton College is in general accurate, except that towards the end, that moft acute of · critics, Mr. Tyrwhitt is not faid to have been a Fellow of Merton, which he was, and is faid to have been a fcholar of Queen's, which he could hardly be, not being a native of Weltmoreland or Cumberland*.

"

It is well worthy of remark, and Mr. Chalmers will probably give it notice in a future edition, that from this inftitution of Walter de Merton, in founding his college at Oxford, may be derived the effential and important difference) which fubfifts between the two Univerfities of England, and the academical ellablishments of all other countries; if we except Trinity College in Dublin, which is alfo a branch from this flock. In Oxford and Cambridge, before the time of Walter de Merton, the ftudents lived in various inns or balls, fubject to the controul, as to conduct, of the principal or head of the houfe; but being taught folely by the graduates in that faculty in which they were proceeding. They lived' entirely at their own expence, no alleviation having yet been devised by any friend to learning. In the convents, indeed, were endowed fchools. Profeffor hips were not yet effablifhed. But when this worthy Bifhop and Chancellor had fet the example, other inftitutions followed, at both Univerfities. Some benefactors even carried their munificence farther, and eftablifhed previous fchools, from which the scholars were to be removed to the college which they had founded in the Univerfity. Of this later, defeription was the famous William of Wykeham, a part of whofe important Memoirs we fhall prefently give, in the words of Mr. Chalmers. All this fyllem of education, however, it thould be obferved, is entirely peculiar to England; and though it has been rafhly cenfured by fome who have been educated under other inftitutions, it is certainly flamped with every characteristic of a noble liberality in the founders, and has produced to the State the greateft benefits, in the characters of thofe who have rifen to eminence from thefe beginnings. Who, that is a worthy member of either of our noble Univer fities will fail to greet her with a "Salve magna parens!" or to acknowledge that the great felicities of his life were derived from her tuition?

*We believe that both Wood and Chaimers are in an error, in allowing any benefactors to fhare h credit of Walter de Merton. All the great endowments come from him. Among others he poffeffed and gave the great living of Sedgefield, in Durham, A modern benefactor, named Simpton, who left near 7000l. is not mentioned.

K

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXVII. FEB. 1811.

Mr.

Mr. Chalmers enumerates the Colleges and Halls of Oxford, in the fame order as Anthony Wood; that is, in the chronological order of their respective foundations; in confequence of which they ftand thus: 1. Merton. 2. Univerfity. 3. Balliol. 4. Exeter. 5. Oriel. 6. Queen's. 7. New College. 8. Lincoln. 9. All Souls. 10. Mag. dalen. 11. Brafen Nose.

Here ends the first volume, the pages being still continued through the fecond; from which it is natural to fuppofe that the orignal defign extended only to one volume. The fecond proceeds thus:

12. Corpus Chrifti. 13. Chift Church. 14. Trinity. 15. St. John's. 16. Jefus. 17. Wadham. 18. Pembroke. 19. Worcester. 20. Hertford.-Halls. 1. Alban. 2. Ed. mund. 3. St. Mary. 4. New Inn. 5. Magdalen.

When we faid that Mr. Chalmers proceeds much upon the foundation of A. Wood, we by no means intended to imply, that he has neglected other fources of information. On the contrary, when we turn to the account of any college, we find him intimately informed of its peculiar hiftorians. Thus in treating of Merton, he refers to the fcarce, and indeed, unpublished works of the Rev. Jof. Kilner*. Under Univerfity College we find him quoting Dr. Wm. Smith. Under New College, Milner, Lowth, and the Wartons. In a word, his refearches appear to have been at once extenfive and judicious. From his account of William of Wykeham we regret that we can only give a few felections. It begins with thefe judicious remarks.

Although fome of the Colleges already noticed were built in the reign of Edward III. they do not appear, if we may judge from the most ancient drawings, to have partaken much of that noble fpecies of architecture which was brought to perfection in that reign. We are now, however, approaching the æra of the pure Gothic, which was introduced at Oxford by the kill and liberality of one man, whofe fhare in the annals of England would have been unusually great, had our hiftorians devoted their attention to the arts of peace. When indeed we contemplate the architectural triumphs of Edward's reign, as they yet appear at Windfor, St Stephen's Chapel, Winchefter, and New College, (were there no other remains vifible,) we know not how to term the fourteenth century a dark age,' or how to reconcile that confummate tafte in art and decoration, which, notwithstanding our improvements and skill, we now find to be inimitable, with

"An Account of Pythagoras's School in Cambridge," and Something fupplementary,"

thole