teftant principles appearing to him the most agreeable to Scripture and Reason, he declared for them, and confuted in a written Paper the motives, which had induced him to turn Roman-Catholic.

Here Mr. Des Maizuaux gives an account of fome difputes about Religion, in which Mr. Chillingworth was engaged, and of fome Pieces written by him. Thofe things ought not to make part of this Extract: it is fufficient for me to mention them in general.

Mr. Chillingworth was defirous to have some preferment; but confidering that he could not get it without fubfcribing the thirty nine Articles, he was very uneafy about it. One of his chief objections related to the Athanafian Creed, whose damnatory claufes he could not approve. Since fo many learned Divines of the Church of England have found fault with that Creed, one would be apt to fancy, that there is fomething amifs in it. Perhaps it might be faid that the Athanafian Creed is not the finest part of our excellent Liturgy. St. Athanafius is not the Author of that Creed; and therefore it fhould be. called for the time to come the creed Quicunque, or the Creed Whofoever, as we fay the Bull Unigenitus.

In the year 1637, Mr. Chillingworth published the famous Book, intitled, The Religion of Proteftants a fafe way to Salvation, &c. An exact hiftorical account of that Work is to be found in this Life. The Archbishop of Canterbury having read that Book, thought proper to confer upon the Author fome confiderable preferment. The Chancellorship of Sarum was given him in 1638, with the Prebend of Brixworth in Northamptonshire annexed to it. He

then

then complied with the ufual Subscription, as it appears by the Subfcription-Book of the Church of Salisbury. Mr. Wood fays, in his Athenæ Oxonienfes, that Mr. Chillingworth was alfo rewarded with the Mastership of Wygftans Hofpital at Leicester.

When the civil wars broke out, Mr. Chillingworth adhered conftantly to the King's Party. At laft he was taken by the King's enemies in Arundel-castle; and being fick, he was removed to Chichester, where he died in the year 1643-4. That rational Divine had the misfortune to fall there into the hands of Francis Cheynell, a fanatical Minifter, who made him very uneafy. The laft part of this Life is the most curious: it contains a large account of Cheynell's Book publifhed against Mr. Chillingworth after his death. Mr. Des Maizeaux concludes with thefe words. "Thus, that incomparable Man, who was an ૬ ❝ example of virtue, piety and moderation, and "will ever be a model of clear, ftrong and fair "reasoning, and that in the Proteftant Cause, " had the hard fate to be haraffed by Proteftants,

as well as Papifts, and to lye under the odious "charge of Socinianifm: an imputation, which "feems to have been the lot of Men diftin"guished by the excellency of their parts; and CC more particularly of thofe, who have endea "voured to free Religion from Enthusiasm and "Fanaticifm, and to eftablish it upon its true "rational grounds and foundations". Des Cartes himself (who would believe it?) was charged with Socinianifm by fome Clergymen, as it has been obferved by Mr. Des Maizeaux in one of his Remarks.

This Life of Mr. Chillingworth is fo large, that it will fully fatisfy the curiosity of those, JULY 1725.

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who

who defire to know every Particular relating to him, especially if they read the Remarks inferted under the Text.

I fhall conclude with two obfervations. 1. It is not very natural for a Proteftant to turn Roman-Catholic; and therefore I wonder that Mr. Chillingworth fhould have made fuch a hafty step to the Church of Rome, especially confidering that he was a very rational man, and that the Church of Rome teaches the most unreasonable things in the world. How could he believe that an infallible Judge can teach the contradictions included in the doctrine of Tranfubftantiation? 2. I wonder that after fo many fcruples about fubfcribing the thirty nine Articles, Mr Chillingworth fhould have found himself difpofed to fubfcribe them. It may be anfwered that in the first cafe, he was a young man; and as to the second, that he subscribed the Articles, as they are now subscribed by the Latitudinarians.

ARTICLE V.

LEÇONS de Mathematique neceffaires pour l'intelligence des Principes de Phyfique, qui s'enseignent actuellement au COLLEGE ROYAL, &c. A Paris, chez C. L. Thibouft, Place de Cambray. 1725.

That

That is,

MATHEMATICAL LECTURES neceffary for understanding the Principles of Natural Philofophy, which are taught in the ROYAL COLLEGE, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, from one a clock till two. By J. PRIVAT DE MOLIERES, Prieft, Regius Profeffor of Philofophy, and Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. Thefe Ledures may be useful to all thofe, who defire to apply themselves to those Sciences. They will be delivered fheet by Sheet, as they come out of the Prefs. Paris. 1725.

This Article is taken from the Memoirs of Trevoux.

T

HE knowledge of Mathematics was always accounted abfolutely neceffary for understanding natural Philofophy. It is well known that the most antient Philofophers admitted none into their Schools, but thofe who were skilled in Mathematics.

That knowledge is now the more neceffary to those who frequent the Royal College, becaufe the Phyfics taught in it are a continual application of Mathematics to the feveral parts of that. Science. And yet few of those who come to our Lectures, have a fufficient skill in Mathema tics to understand us. Wherefore, in order to make

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make that study more easy to them, we have thought fit to print thofe Lectures, which will only contain fo much of that Science, as is of ufe in Philofophy, and to deliver them to the Students at the fame time that they shall receive those which concern Phyfics, that nothing may be wanting to their inftruction.

Thefe Lectures will nevertheless contain in few words all the Propofitions effential to the Elements of Mathematics; and thofe Propofitions will be fo immediately deduced one from another, that the Students may easily be without those which we fhall leave out, the prodigious number whereof serves only to make difficult and almost impracticable the ftudy of a Science ufeful to every body, and which indeed is the eafieft and the key of all the others.

Thofe Propofitions will be placed in fuch a natural order, that it will not be more difficult to proceed from the tenth to the eleventh, or from the hundredth to the hundred and first, &c. than from the first to the fecond. By which means, one may learn in a fhort time, and without any help, whatever is neceffary to undertake the reading of thofe Books of Mathematics and natural Philofophy, that have been publifhed hitherto.

However, if notwithstanding the care we fhall take to remove the difficulties, that generally perplex Beginners, fome of them want to have any thing cleared, their coming to the Royal College at the ufual hours, where they may immediately receive the wanted information, will remove all obftacles to their progress.

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