author asserts the doctrine of innate ideas. Mr. Locke, who has taken notice of this work, allows his lordship to be "a man of great parts." Gassendi answered it, at the request of Peiresc and Diodati; but the answer was not published till after Gassendi's death. Baxter made remarks on the Treatise de Veritate, in his More Reasons for the Christian Religion; and one Kortholt (a foolish German zealot) took such offence at it, that he wrote a treatise intituled De tribus Impostoribus magnis, Edvardo Herbert, Thomâ Hobbes, et Benedicto Spinosâ, Liber.3 us, that Thomas Master, " a vast scholar, had a hand in latinizing lord Herbert's book "De Veritate." Vide Athenæ, vol. i. col. 40. and note 5. postea.] 3 Gen. Dict. vol. vi. p. 122. Wood, vol. ii. p. 118. In Leland's View of deistical Writers, vol. i. p. 24. it is said that there exists a manuscript life of this lord, " drawn up from memorials penned by himself," in which is a most extraordinary account of his lordship putting up a solemn prayer for a sign to direct him whether he should publish his Treatise "de Veritate" or not; and that he interpreted a sudden noise as an imprimatur. There is no stronger characteristic of human nature than its being open to the grossest contradictions. One of lord Herbert's chief arguments against revealed religion is, the improbability that Heaven should reveal its will to only a portion of the earth, which he terms particular religion. How could a man (supposing the anecdote genuine) who doubted of partial, believe individual revelation? What vanity to think his book of such importance to the cause of truth, that it could extort a declaration of the Divine will, when the interests of half mankind could not! "De Religione Gentilium, Errorumque apud eos Causis." The first part was printed at London 1645, 8vo. and the whole in 1663, 4to. and reprinted in 1700, 8vo. It was translated into English by Mr. W. Lewis, 1705, 8vo.3 Expeditio Buckinghami Ducis in Ream Insulam." Published by Tim. Baldwin, LL.D. 1656, Lond. 8vo. "Life and Reign of Henry the Eighth." Lond. 1649, 1672, and 1682. Reprinted in Kennet's Complete History of England. The 4 [In that year his lordship sent the MS. of this work to Gerard Vossius, as appears from a letter of lord Herbert's, and Vossius's. answer. Biog. Dict.] [Under this title: "The ancient Religion of the Gentiles, and Causes of their Errors considered. The mistakes and Failures of the heathen Priests and wise Men in their Notions of the Deity, and Matters of divine Worship, are examined with regard to their being destitute of divine Revelation."] 6 [Lord Orford remarks, in an advertisement to the Life of Lord Herbert, that his Reign of Henry the Eighth is allowed to be a masterpiece of historic biography. Bishop Nicolson, in his English historical Library, commends it above all the annals of that period, and says, "the author has acquitted himself with the like reputation as lord chancellor Bacon gained by the Life of Henry the Seventh; having in the politic and martial part been admirably particular and exact, from the best records that were extant." But Anthony Wood transfers part of this commendation to the learned Thomas Master, who was a drudge to lord Herbert, and assisted him much. Wood VOL. III. C original manuscript was deposited by the author in 1643, in the archives of the Bodleian library. It was undertaken by command of king James the first, and is much esteemed: yet one cannot help regretting, that a man who found it necessary to take up arms against Charles the first, should have palliated the enormities of Henry the eighth, in comparison of whom king Charles was an excellent prince. It is strange that writing a man's life should generally make the biographer become enamoured of his subject'; whereas one should think, that the nicer had seen four thick volumes in folio, of literary materials for his lordship's structure, in every one of which he found the hand-writing of Master, either interlining, adding, or correcting, and one of the four was mostly written by him: whence he inferred, beyond doubt, that he had an especial hand in composing the said Life and Reign of King Henry the Eighth. Vide Athen. Oxon. vol. ii. col. 40.] 7 [May not the source of this feeling be partly resolved into a natural partiality for whatever has obtained our studious attention? though it probably requires a sympathy of mind, or congeniality of sentiment, between the biographer and his subject, before either affection or admiration can be awakened. "Lord Orford's expression of wonder," remarks Sir E. Brydges, "is very ill-natured and very ill founded. Many obvious and satisfactory reasons might be alleged for the fondness that a biographer feels for his subject. Familiarity does not always beget contempt. A nearer inspection operates to the advantage of many characters; and we have so favourable an opinion of human nature, that we believe actions, which have incurred the censure of the world, disquisition one makes into the life of any man, the less reason one should find to love or admire him. "Occasional Poems." $ Lond. 1665, 8vo. Published by Henry Herbert, his younger son, and by him dedicated to Edward, lord Herbert, grandson of the author." Others of his poems are dispersed among the works of other authors, particularly in Joshua Sylvester's "Lachrymæ Lachrymarum, or the Spirit of Tears distilled for the untimely Death of Prince Henry." London, 1613, 4to. " 2 In the library of Jesus College, Oxford, are frequently turn out on examination to be highly laudable. It was next to impossible not to be interested by so romantic and accomplished a character as Lord Herbert of Cherbury." Lord Orford's reflection cannot but remind his readers of the maxims of Rochefaucault.] 8 [The title runs thus: "Occasional Verses of Edward Lord Herbert, Baron of Cherbury and Castle-island, who deceased in 1648."] 9" [This collection," says the editor, " of some of the scattered copies of verses, composed in various and perplexed times by your late grandfather, belongs of double right to your lordship, as heir and executor."] [One poem appeared in this collection entitled, " Eligee on the untimely Death of the incomparable Prince Henry, by Sir Edward Herberd." The whole is obscurely metaphysical. Lord Herbert wrote another "Elegy on the Death of Dr. Dunn," i. e. Dr. Donne; who had addressed a poem to his Lordship. See p. 13. sup.] preserved his lordship's Historical Collections.3 He is buried at St. Giles's in the Fields 4, but had erected an allegoric monument for himself in the church of Montgomery, a description of which is given by Lloyd." His Lordship had been indemnified by the parliament for his castle of Montgomery, which they thought proper to demolish. [The very curious and eccentric "Life of Lord Herbert, penned by himself," was printed at Strawberryhill for private use only, in 1764, from an original 3 Vide Account of the Antiquities and Curiosities of Oxford, 1749, p. 100. + [With this Latin inscription over his grave: "Hic inhumatur corpus Edvardi Herbert, equitis Balnei, baronis de Cherbury et Castle-island, auctoris libri, cui titulus est, De Veritate.' Reddor ut herbæ; vicesimo die Augusti anno Domini 1648." The following "Epitaph for Himself" was printed in his lordship's Occasional Verses: "Reader, "The monument which thou beholdest here, That when to elements his body turned were, With his CREATOR, peace, joy, truth, and love !"] |