vation, be exalted to a degree beyond what their pof*feffor prefumes to believe. There is fcarce any man but has found himself able, at the instigation of neceffity, to what in a state of leifure and deliberation he would have concluded impoffible; and some of our fpecies have fignalized themselves by fuch acthievements, as prove that there are few things above human hope. It has been the policy of all nations to preferve, by fome public monuments, the memory of those who have ferved their country by great exploits; there is the fame reafon for continuing or reviving the names of those, whose extenfive abilities have dignified humanity. An honest emulation may be alike excited; and the philofopher's curiofity may, be enflamed by a catalogue of the works of Boyle or Bacon, as Themistocles was kept awake by the trophies of Miltiades.

Among the favourites of nature that have from time to time appeared in the world, enriched with various endowments and contrarieties of excellence, none feems to have been more exalted above the common rate of humanity, than the man known about two centuries ago by the appellation of the Admirable Crichton; of whose history, whatever we may fupprefs as furpathing credibility, yet we fhall, upon inconteftible authority, relate enough to rank him among prodigies.

"Virtue," fays Virgil," is better accepted when "it comes in a pleafing form :" the perfon of Crichton was eminently beautiful; but his beauty was confiftent with fuch activity and strength, that in fencing he would fpring at one bound the length of twenty feet upon his antagonist; and he used the fword in either hand with fuch force and dexterity, that fcarce any one had courage to engage him.

Having ftudied at St. Andrew's in Scotland, he went to Paris in his twenty-first year, and affixed on the gate of the college of Navarre, a kind of challenge to the learned of that univerfity to difpute with him on a certain day: offering to his opponents, whoever they fhould be, the choice of ten languages, and of all the faculties and sciences. On the day appointed, three thousand auditors affembled, when four doctors of the church and fifty masters appeared against him; and one of his antagonists confeffes, that the doctors were defeated; that he gave proofs of knowledge above the reach of man; and that a hundred years paffed without food or fleep, would not be fufficient for the attainment of his learning. After a disputation of nine hours, he was prefented by the president and profeffors with a diamond and a purfe of gold, and difmiffed with repeated acclamations.

From Paris he went away to Rome, where he made the fame challenge, and had in the prefence of the pope and cardinals the fame fuccefs. Afterward he contracted at Venice an acquaintance with Aldus Manutius, by whom he was introduced to the learned of that city: then visited Padua, where he engaged in another public disputation, beginning his performance with an extemporal poem in praise of the city and the affembly then present, and concluding with an oration equally unpremeditatd, in commendation of ignorance.

He afterwards published another challenge, in which he declared himfelf ready to detect the errors of Ariftotle and all his commentators, either in the common forms of logic, or in any which his antagonists fhould propofe of a hundred different kinds of verse.

Thefe acquisitions of learning, however ftupendous, were not gained at the expence of any pleasure which youth generally indulges, or by the omiffion of any accomplishment in which it becomes a gentleman to excel he practifed in great perfection the arts of drawing and painting; he was an eminent performer in both vocal and inftrumental mufic; he danced with uncommon gracefulness, and on the day after his dif putation at Paris exhibited his skill in horse manship before the court of France, where, at a public match of tilting, he bore away the ring upon his lance fifteen times together.

He excelled in domeftic games of lefs dignity and reputation; and in the interval between his challenge and difputation at Paris, he spent fo much of his time at cards, dice, and tennis, that a lampoon was fixed upon the gate of the Sorbonne, directing those that would fee this monfter of erudition, to look for him at the tavern.

So extenfive was his acquaintance with life and man. ners, that in an Italian comedy, compofed by himself, and exhibited before the court of Mantua, he is faid to have perfonated fifteen different characters; in all which he might fucceed without difficulty, fince he had fuch power of retention, that once hearing an oration of an hour, he would repeat it exactly, and in the recital follow the fpeaker through all his variety of tone and gefticulation.

Nor was his kill in arms lefs than in learning, or his courage inferior to his skill: there was a prizefighter at Mantua, who travelling about the world, according to the barbarous cuftom of that age, as a general challenger, had defeated the most celebrated

masters

mafters in many parts of Europe; and in Mantua, where he then refided, had killed three that appeared against him. The duke repented that he had granted him his protection; when Crichton looking on his finguinary fuccefs with indignation, offered to stake fifteen hundred piftoles, and mount the ftage against him. The duke, with fome reluctance, confented, and on the day fixed the combatants appeared: their weapon feems to have been fingle rapier, which was then newly introduced in Italy. The prize-fighter advanc. ed with great violence and fiercenefs, and Crichton contented himself calmly to ward his paffes, and fuffered him to exhaust his vigour by his own fury. Crichton then became the affailant, and preffed upon him with fuch force and agility, that he thruft him thrice through the body, and faw him expire: he then divided the prize he had won among the widows whofe hufbands had been killed.

The death of this wonderful man I should be willing to conceal, did I not know that every reader will inquire curiously after that fatal hour, which is common. to all human beings, however diftinguithed from each other by nature or by fortune.

The duke of Mantua having received fo many proofs of his various merit, made him tutor to his fon Vincentio di Gonzaga, a prince of loofe manners and turbulent difpofition. On this occafion it was, that he compofed the comedy in which he exhibited fo many different characters with exact propriety. But his ho nour was of short continuance; for as he was one night in the time of Carnival rambling about the streets, with his guitar in his hand, he was attacked by fix

men

men masked. Neither his courage nor his skill in this exigence deferted him; he oppofed them with fuch activity and spirit, that he foon difperfed them, and difarmed there leader, who throwing off his mafk, difcovered himself to be the prince his pupil. Crichton falling on his knees, took his own fword by the point, and prefented it to the prince, who immediately feized it, and inftigated, as fome fay, by jealousy, according to others, only by drunken fury and brutal refentment, thrust him through the heart.

Thus was the admirable Crichton brought into that ftate, in which he could excel the meanest of mankind only by a few empty honours paid to his memory: the court of Mantua teftified their efteem by a public mourning; the contemporary wits were profufe of their encomiums, and the palaces of Italy were adorned with pictures, representing him on horseback, with a lance in one hand and a book in the other..

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