fations with spirits by means of a howstone, which Dee affirmed was given him by an angel. Kelly was the feer, who, when they had finished their invocations, was to report what fpirits he faw and what they faid; whilft Dee, who fat at a table, noted all in a book. A folio volume of thefe notes was published by Cafaubon, and many more remain in MS. in the British Museum. They contain the most unintelligible jargon. The confecrated cakes of wax ufed in these ceremonies, marked with hieroglyphics and mathematical figures, are alfo in the Museum. The fhow-itone, which is a round piece of volcanic glafs finely polished, is in the Earl of Orford's collection at Strawberry-Hill. This farce was carried on for fome time, til at length the whole party having in volved themselves in debt, they were obliged fuddenly to quit England. They left Mortlake Sept. 21, 1583; the mob, who had always been prejudiced against him as a magician, immediately upon his departure broke into his houfe, and deftroyed a great part of his furniture and books. Meanwhile Dee and his friends haftened to Poland, where they flattered themselves that they should meet with great encouragement through the intereft of Laki; but were grievoufly difappointed in their expectations, and reduced to great diftrefs.

They then bent their courfe to Germany, but the Emperor banished them his dominions. At length in the year 1589 the Queen ordered him to return, being then in Bohemia *.

On his arrival in England he waited upon her Majesty at Richmond, and was very graciously received. She affured him that he might rely upon her protection in the profecution of his ftudies. Having been in England three years without reaping any advantage from the promise which had been made him, he was induced to prefent a petition to thẹ Queen, praying that he would ap point commiffioners to inquire into the loffes and injuries which he had fuftained, the fervices he had done her Majefty, and the various difappointments which he had encountered. In confequence of this application, Sir Thomas Gorge, Knt. and Mr Secretary Wolley were actually appointed commiflioners to hear his grievances, and fat as fuch at his houfe at Mortlake, Nov. 22, 1592, to whom, fitting in his library, he related his cafe at large. In the meantime, two tables were placed near him; on one of them were the proper vouchers for the facts he afferted, to which he conftantly referred: on the other, all the printed books and MSS. which he had written. Among the fervices which he had

ren

dered

dered to the Queen he reckons fome confultations with her Majesty's phyficians at home, and a journey of 1,500 miles, which he undertook in the winter feason, to hold a conference with the most learned philofophers on the Continent, upon the means of restoring and preserving her health. In enumerating his loffes, he estimates the damage fuftained in his library at 390l. His whole collection, which confifted of 4000 books, of which a great part were MSS. he valued at 2000l. Among the latter he mentions a large collection of deeds and charters relating principally to eftates in Ireland which he got out of a ruined church. He fays, they had been examined by heralds, clerks of the office of records in the Tower, and other antiquaries, who had fpent whole days at his houfe in looking them over, and had taken away to their liking. His chemical apparatus, which coft him 2001. was entirely destroyed by the mob, when he left Mortlake in 1583; at the fame time they beat in pieces a fine quadrant of Chancellor's which coft him 201. and took away a magnet for which he gave 331. Among the many promises of preferment which had been made him to so little effect, he particularly fpecifies Dr Aubrey's . benefices in the diocefe of St. David's, and the mastership of St. Crofs. He concludes with defiring speedy relief, and gives his reafons for preferring the mastership of St. Crofs to any other appointment, it being a retired fituation, well adapted for his studies, with a good houfe annexed; whereas his prefent fituation at Mortlake was too public, and his house too small to entertain the foreign li

66

terati who reforted to him. Upon the report of the commiffioners, "the " Queen willed the Lady Howard to write some words of comfort to "his wife, and fend fome friendly to"kens befides;" the commanded Sir Tho. Gorge to take him 100 marks, and said, "that St Crofs he should " have," and that the incumbent Dr Bennet might be removed to fome bishopric; and affigned him a penfion of 2001. per annum out of the bishopric of Oxford till it should become vacant. All these promises, like the former, came to nothing: the mastership of St. Crofs he never got.

The next year indeed he was prefented to the chancellorship of St Paul's, but this was by no means adequate to his expectations; and he continued to memorialife her majef ty, till at length he procured the wardenfhip of Manchetter in 1595 t. Here he continued feven years, leading a very unquiet life, and continually engaged with difputes with the fellows. He returned to Mortlake in 1604. King James at first patronized, but was afterwards prejudiced against him and his ftudies; upon which Dee prefented a petition to his Majefty, and another in verse to the Houfe of Commons, praying that he might be brought to trial, having been accused of calling up evil spirits ‡. Dr Dee died at Mortlake in the year 1608, having been fo poor in the latter part of his life as to be obliged to fell his library piece-meal for fubfiftence++. wasburied in the chancel of Mortlake church, where Aubrey fays, an old marble ftone was flown as belonging to his tomb ‡‡.

He

The

+ Biographia Britannica.

perftition and credulity of the age, it will not be amifs to mention that Dee was employed to determine, according to the opinion of the ancient aftrologers, what day would be moft fortunate for Queen Elifabeth's coronation*. Some time afterwards he was fent for by the lords of the council to counteract the ill effects which it was apprehended would befall the Queen from a waxen image of her Majefty ftuck full of pins, which was picked up in Lincoln'sinn-fields. This we are told he performed in a godly and artificial manner," in the prefence of the Earl of Leicester, and Mr Secretary Wilfon. Dr Dee was much connected with the Earl, and has been accufed of being an inftrument in his nefarious defigns. He was much patronized and encouraged by Henry Earl of Northumberland ++, the Earl of Oxford, Sir Chriftopher Hatton, Sir Henry Sidney, and other great men belonging to the court. So great was his reputation abroad, that he was offered great falaries by various foreign princes if he would fettle in their courts. The Emperor of Ruffia in particular fent him a rich prefent, with an offer of conveying him and all his family to Petersburgh, and promifing to fettle an annuity of 2000l. per annum upon him, and to grant him the rank of a privy counfellor. Thefe offers, it must be obferved, were made before his laft unfuccefsful journey to the Continent.

Notwithstanding the Queen's patronage, and the various and rich prefents which he was conftantly in the habit of receiving, his unbound

ed extravagance kept him always poor. His journey from Bohemia in 1589, which coft him †† near 800 1. will afford fome idea of his oftentation. He was attended by a guard of horse, and travelled with three coaches befides baggage-waggons, The coaches, with harnefs for 12 horfes, he bought new upon the occafion. When he arrived in England, he appears not to have been worth a penny, and to have fubfified for the next three years upon the precarious bounty of his friends. During this period he received 500 l. in money, befides veffels of wine, whole fheep, pigs, wheat, fugar, and other commodities: he fold his wife's jewels, his own rarities, and whatever could be fpnred out of his houfe; at the end of the three years he was 333 1. in debt. With thefe expenditures, which according to the prefent value of money we must eflimaté at more than 1000 l. per annum, he tells us, that "with great parfimony "ufed, he preferved himfelf and his "family from hunger, ftarving, and "nakednefs." Dr Dee carried on his converfation with fpirits till the fear before his death, at which time he feems to have applied his pretended art to the difcovery of hidden treafure and ftolen goods+, probably of procuring fome prefent fubfiftence from thofe who were filly enough to employ him. A portrait of Dr Dee, taken at the age of 67, as appears by an infcription upon the canvas, is in the Afimolean Mufeum at Oxford, where many of his MSS. are depofited. Francis Dee, Bishop of Peterborough, was coufin of Dr Dee, being

‡‡ Ibid.

is dated Mortlake, 1607.

being defcended from his grandfather Bedo, called in the Vifitation of the County of Salop, the great Bedo Dee.

Arthur Dee was born at Mortlake in 1579, on the fame day that his grandfather Bartholomew Fromound died, which his father confidered as an ill omen. Anthony Wood, with his ufual credulity, fays, that when a child he frequently played at quoits with gold plates which his father made at Prague by tranfmutation. At eight years of age he was employed by his father as his fkryer. He

was educated at the univerfity of Oxford, and being bred up to phyfic, practifed in London; where he was profecuted by the College of Phyficians for putting a board over his door with a lift of medicines. King James recommended him to the Emperor of Ruffia, who made him his physician. He refided in that country fourteen years; and on his return was appointed phyfician to Charles I. Dr Arthur Dee published a treatise on the hermetical fcience, and left behind him fome MSS. He died at Norwich in 1651*.

THIS HIS is almoft the only fatirical and ethical writer of note, who wants a commentator. The works of Rabelais, Butler, Pope, Swift, and many others, are over-loaded with explanations, while Sterne remains, in many places, unintelligible to the greater number of his readers.

Indeed there is some danger in attempting to detect the fources, from which Sterne drew his rich fingularities. It has been fashionable of late, to decry the analysis of objects of admiration, and thofe who wish to trace the mysteries of wit and literary pleafure, are held to be profané diffectors, who mangle the carcase of learning, out of spleen and idle curiofityt. Befides, the originality of Sterne has fcarcely been made a problem; on the contrary, he is confidered as the inventor of a new ftyle in our language.

In tracing fome of Sterne's ideas to

other writers, I do not mean to treat him as a Plagiarift; I wish to illuftrate, not to degrade him. If fome inftances of copying be proved againė him, they will detract nothing from his genius, and will only leffen that impofing appearance he fometimes affumed, of erudition which he really wanted.

It is obvious to every one, who confiders Triftram Shandy as a general Satire, levelled chiefly against the abuse of speculative opinions, that Rabelais furnished Sterne with the general character, and even many particular ideas, of his work. From that copious fountain of learning, wit and whim, our author drew. deeply. Rabelais, ftored with erudition, poured lavishly out, what Sterne directed and expanded with care, to enrich his pages; and to this appropriation we owe many of his moft pleafing fallies. For being bounded in

his