Bome. His uncommon merit, how ever, and his great influence, did not prevent his ruin; they were probably the caufes of it. King Theodorick was an Arian; and Boethius, who was a Catholic, unluckily published about this time a book upon the Unity of the Trinity, in oppofition to the three fainous fects of Arians, Neftorians, and Eutychians. This treatife was univerfally read, and created our author a great many enemies at court; who infinuated to the prince, that Boethius wanted not only to deftroy Arianifm, but to effectuate a change of government, and deliver Italy from the dominion of the Goths; and that, from his great credit and influence, he was the most likely person to bring about fuch a revolution.-Whilft his enemies were thus bufied at Ravenna, they employed emiffaries to fow the feeds of difcontent at Rome, and to excite factious people openly to oppofe him in the exercife of his office as conful. Boethius, in the mean while, wanting no other reward than a fenfe of his integrity, Taboured both by his eloquence and his authority to defeat their wicked attempts; and perfifted refolutely in his endeavours to promote the Fublic welfare, by fupporting the opprefled, and bringing offenders to juice. But his integrity and teadinefs tended only to haffen his fall. King Theodorick, corrupted probably by a long feries of good fortune, began now to take off the mafk. This prince, though an Arian, had hitherto preferved fentiments of moderation and equity with regard to the Catholics; but fearing, perhaps, that they had a view of overturning his government, he began now to treat them with feverity. "Boethius was one of the first that fell a victim to his rigour. He had continued long in favour with his prince, and was more beloved by him than any other perfon: but neither the remembrance of former affection, nor the abfolute certainty the king had of his innocence, prevented him from profecuting our philofopher, upon the evidence of three abandoned profligates, infa mous for all manner of crimes. The offences laid to his charge, as we are informed in the first book of the Confolation of Philofophy, were, "That he wished to preferve the fenate and its authority: that he hindered an informer from producing proofs, which would have convicted that affembly of treafon : and that he formed a scheme for the restoration of the Roman liberty." In proof of the last article, the above mentioned profligates produced letters forged by themfeives, which they falfely averred were written by Boethius. For the fuppofed crimes, as we learn from the fame authority, he was, unheard and undefended, at the diftance of five hundred miles, proferibed and condemned to death.Theodorick, confcious that his feverity would be univerfally blamed, did not at this time carry his fentence fully into execution; but contented himself with confifcating Boethius's effects, with banishing him to Pavia, and confining him to prifon. "Soon after this, Juftin, the catholic emperor of the Eaft, finding himfelf thoroughly established upon the throne, publifhed an edict a gainst the Arians, depriving them of all their churches. Theodorick was highly offended at this edict. He obliged pope John I. together with four of the principal fenators of Rome (one of whom was Symmachus, father-in-law to Boethius) to to go on an embaffy to Conftantinople; and commanded them to threaten that he would abolish the Catholic religion throughout Italy, if the emperor did not immediately revoke his edict against the Arians. John was received at Conftantinople with extraordinary pomp, and treated with profound refpect. He tried to compromife matters betwixt the two princes: but fo far was he from inducing the emperor to revoke his edict, that, in compliance with the tenor of it, he reconciled many of the Arian churches to the Catholic faith. Theodorick was fo incenfed at his conduct, and of his affociates in this affair, that upon their return he threw them all into prifon at Ravenna. Boethius, though entirely innocent of what was done at Conftantinople, was at the fame time ordered into stricter confinement at Pavia; the king having probably come to the refolution of proceeding to extremities against him. "Though confined in a doleful prifon, and deferted by all the world though deprived of his library, and ftript of all his poffeffions our illuftrious philofopher preferved fo much vigour and compofure of mind, that he wrote, in five books, his excellent treatife of the Confelation of Philofophy. To this treatife our author is more indebted for his fame, than to all his other learned performances. Few books have been more popular: it has gone through a multitude of editions; has been commented upon by many eminent men; has been tranflated into a great variety of languages; and has been univerfally acknowledged a work replete with erudition and inftruction, and executed with much delicacy and good tafte. When we confider the diftreffed fi tuation of our author when he wrote it, we are filled with wonder that he was capable of compofing a performance of fo much real genius and merit. "But the fatal moment was now faft approaching, which put a per riod to the miferies of Boethius. As a prelude to this, pope John was famifhed to death in prifon; and foon afterwards, Theodorick ordered Symmachus, and the three other fenators that were fent to Conftantinople on the embaffy before men tioned, to be beheaded. To complete his cruelty, he commanded the fame punishment to be inflicted on Boethius, in his prifon at Pavia, on the 23d of October 526, in the 71ft year of his age. His body was interred by the inhabitants of Pavia, in the church of St. Augufline, near to the fteps of the chancel; where his monument is ftill to be feen. "King Theodorick, as we are informed by Procopius, regretted thefe acts of violence, and did not long furvive them. Some months afterwards, when the head of a great fish was ferved up to him at fupper, he imagined he beheld the head of Symmachus fiercely threatening him. Terrified with this ap parition, he rose from table, and went to bed in an agony; and after bitterly deploring to his phyfician his cruelty in refpect to Symmachus and Boethius, he became delirious, and in a few days expired. Amalafuntha, the daughter of Theo dorick, who upon the decease of her father governed Italy with fingular prudence and justice, as tutrefs to her fon Athalarick, lamented the fate of this eminent man, and expreffed the utmost respect for his memory. To make all the atone.. ment in her power for the injuries A A her unfhaken." The learned Mr. Jack fon, of Roffington, alfo fpeaks of being brought he trufts into the true knowledge of Jefus Chrift his God and faviour," and again thanks Dr. Clarke for his very learned and judicious book of the fcripture doctrine of the trinity," to which he adds, "by God's grace, he owed the then prefent fettlement of his mind in the true faith of the ever bleffed trinity." "And even fo lately as the last year, 1784, the learned Mr. Taylor, author of the Apology of Benjamin Ben Mordecai, though he reprobates the phrafe (trinity), citing at the fame time, the difapprobation of Luther and Calvin to the very name, continues the ufe of it, under the general idea, that "fo long as that word is understood in a fenfe agreeable to the unity of Jehovah, and the fundamental principles of christianity, it can furnish no argument against the truth of that religion." All this is very plaufible, and the practice would be more excufable, if every man, or every reader reafoned accurately, and confidered things abstractedly; but fince this is not the cafe, the ufe of the word "trinity," by those who are well understood not to believe the full import of it, in its common fignification, is ufing equivocal language, and fuch as will mislead many readers. It certainly tends more to cdification, to ufe plain and determinate words; and to fpeak to the understandings of men in language that fhall help, and not confound, or mislead their apprehenfions. "It is most probable that Dr. Sykes left feveral manufcripts behind him; but I have been particularly informed, by a learned gentleman in the neighbourhood of Winchester, of fome valuable pa pers" upon the authority of the civil magiftrate in matters of religion, by way of dialogue, after the manner of Cicero; very well done, and fairly written ready for the prefs; very candid, and equal to any thing he has written." Dr. Sykes has also been faid to have left fome manufcript remarks on Mr. Peirce's ordination fermen. His own fermons are very credibly reported to have been fold. "Dr. Sykes's engagement in the feveral fucceffive controverfies of his time, has attracted the notice of fome obfervers, and who, on that account, have affected to underrate his eminent worth, and no less eminent learning, and the value of his writings. But these perfons fhould confider, that in the accom modation and application of his learning and abilities to the different demands and exigencies of the times, he rendered a very effential and permanent fervice to the cause of truth and liberty. For, notwithstanding the difrefpect which is occafionally fhewn towards religious controverfy, by little and illiberal minds, it is to fuch controverfies as engaged the pens of Clarke, Hoadley, and Sykes, that we owe much of what is most valuable and dear to us. An affected difparagement of the feveral controversies which have refpected religious liberty, and the improved knowledge of the Scriptures, generally indicates an indifference to the nature and obligations of religion itself; or befpeaks a total ignorance of the bleflings we derive and enjoy from free inquiry and debate, by means of the prefs; or is the effect of a lamentable prejudice against every defire and attempt to bring all profeffing Chrif tians to abide by the plain and art. lefs gofpel of Chrift. Or, when fuch fuch averfion to controverfy is held by well meaning and more candid minds, it is no other than their declaring their earnest defire to establifh the end, while at the fame time they inconfiftently and peremptorily protest against the only means which can effect it. "The late Mr. Hollis, who was himself an active and greatly diftinguifhed friend of liberty, bore his teftimony to Dr. Sykes's writings, by repeatedly advertifing in the year 1766, his two tracts against popery, originally publifhed in the year 1746, and reprinted 1763. And further, by collecting, as he ftates in his diary, "a complete fet of the late learned excellent Dr. Sykes's works, to bind and send to Harvard college, in America, for honourable prefervation of his me mory." "A collection, add the editors of the Memoirs, the more neceffary, as well as the more valu able, as fome of the doctor's tracts were become exceeding fcarce." This teftimony of Mr. Hollis, and of his biographers, will bring more reputation to the writings of Dr. Sykes, than it was in the power of the committee of convocation in 1717, to withhold, or take away, by indirect reflection or threat, when they openly affailed the then bifhop of Bangor." Some ACCOUNT of the LIFE and WRITINGS of the late Profeffor GREGORY, M. D. F. R. S. By Dr. JOHNSTONE, of Worcester. [From the fecond Volume of the Memoirs of the Literary and Philofophical Society of MANCHESTER. JOHN OHN Gregory, M. D. F. R.S. fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians in Edinburgh, and profeffor of medicine in the univerfity of Edinburgh, born at Aberdeen in 1725, was third fon of James Gregory, M. D. profeffor of medicine in King's College, Aberdeen, and of Anne, daughter of the rev. George Chalmers, principal of King's College there. The family of Dr. Gregory is of great antiquity in Scotland, and has for more than a century paft produced a fucceffion of gentlemen of the first distinction in the learned world. James Gregory, profeffor of mathematics, first at St. Andrews, and afterwards at Edinburgh, the doctor's grandfather, was one of the most eminent mathematicians of the laft age, the age of mathematics. He invented the reflecting tele fcope, improved by fir Ifaac New. ton. His Optica Promota, and other mathematical works, are still in high esteem. "David Gregory of Oxford, another of the family, the doctor's coufin, published an excellent and complete Treatife of Aftronomy, founded upon the principles, and eplanatory of the doctrine, of fir Ifaac Newton. James Gregory, M. D. the doctor's eldest brother, fucceeded their father as profeffor of medicine in King's College, Aberdeen: and the doctor, of whom we write, has left a fon, who now holds the office of profeffor of the Inftitutions of Medicine in the univerfity of Edinburgh, made vacant by the election of Dr. Cullen to be fole profeffor of practice, after his father's death. It feems to be the destiny of this family, to enlarge B 4 science, fcience, and inftruct mankind; and we hope, it will long hold this honourable diftinétion. Though Dr. Gregory's father died when his fon was very young, his education was carefully and fuccessfully conducted by able and fkilful perfons, who were attached to his father and family, as well as to the duty they owed to their pupil. In fuch a happy fituation for improvement, Dr. Gregory made a rapid progrefs in his ftudies. At Aberdeen, he became thoroughly acquainted with the learned languages, and with his own; here he finifhed his courfe of philofophy, and his mathematical itudies; for like the reft of his ancestors, he was deeply verfed in mathematical knowledge. And in this adinirable fchool, where abstract fcience itself has undergone a fignal reformation, and has learned to fpeak the language of common fenfe, and to a dorn itself with the graces of tafte and eloquence, Dr. Gregory culti vated an elegant and just taste, clearnefs and beauty of exprellion, with precision of judgment, and extenfive knowledge. With the circle of fcience, he poffeffed a great fhare of common fenfe, and of the knowledge of men. This he difplays in his writings; and evidently carried into his profeflion a fpirit congenial to that of the Gerards and Beatties, gentlemen, with whom he lived in the clofeft habits of friendship. "Having finished at Aberdeen his courfe of study in languages, arts, and philofophy, in 1742 he went to Edinburgh, to profecute the ftudy of medicine. "Having attended the excellent courfes of the late Dr. Alexander Monro, the celebrated profeffor, and father of anatomy there-of Dr. Alflon, on the materia medica, and botany-of Dr. Plummer, on chemistry-of Dr. Sinclair, the elegant and favourite fcholar of Boerhaave, on the institution of medicine-of the fagacious Rutherford, on the practice of medicine-he went to Leyden in 1745, and to Paris in 1746, for farther improve ment. "While at Leyden, he received a fpontaneous mark of the esteem in which he was held by those among whom, and by whom, he had been educated, in having the degree of doctor of phyfic conferred upon him by the university of Aberdeen; and when he returned there from Paris, he was appointed profeffor of philofophy in King's College. He held this profefforfhip for three or four years, and during that time he gave lectures, or rather a complete courfe, according to the method of education in that univerfity, on the following important branches of knowledge. 1. Mathematics. 2. Natural and experimental philofophy. 3. Ethics, and moral philofophy. His la "In 1754 he went to London, where he was chofen fellow of the Royal Society, and cultivated the acquaintance, and fixed the esteem and friendflip, of fome of the moft diftinguifhed literati there. Edward Montagu, efq. an eminent mathematician, and worthy man, maintained a firm friendship for the doctor, founded on the fimilarity of their manners and ftudies. dy, Mrs. Montagu, and George lord Lyttelton, were of the number of his friends; and it is not improbable but he would have continued in London, and practifed there in his profeffion, if the death of his brother James Gregory, M. D. and profeffor of phytic in King's Col lege, Aberdeen, in 1756, had not occafioned his being recalled to his |