APPENDIX. 47 



1. ACCOUNT of WILLIAM LOTH UN, D. D. 



\Readly Mr D^LZEL, March 15, 1784.] 



TH E cuftom adopted by feveral learned Societies or Acade- 

 demies abroad, which requires, that a profefled panegyric 

 on every one of the Members, after his death, mould firft be 

 read before the Academy, and then printed in the hiflory of 

 their tranfaclions, has not met with a general approbation, ei- 

 ther in England or in this country. For although characters 

 have frequently appeared in the republic of Letters, whofe 

 mining talents have, with fufikient propriety, employed the 

 power of eloquence in their praife, every Member of an Aca" 

 demy cannot be deemed the proper fubjecl: of a laboured enco- 

 mium. The Britifh character, naturally my and referved, is 

 apt to look with an eye of fufpicion, upon any difcourfe that 

 comes decorated with the pompous title of Eloge. 



BUT though to write a profefled panegyric on every deceafed ; 

 Member of our Society might, with reafon, be thought often- 

 tatious and improper ; yet fuch is the merit and juftly acquired 

 literary fame of fome of our number, that, to permit them to 

 fink into the grave, without any public teftimony of our regard, 

 would argue a culpable degree of infenfibility and referve. 

 There are names in our catalogue, whofe praife will be publicly 

 celebrated, and whofe fame will defcend to pofterity, in fpite 

 of the filence which we might think proper, to obferve ; and as 

 they muft (land forward in the Biographical Annals of Great 

 Britain, where can an authentic memorial of them be fo pro- 

 perly preferved as in the Regifters of this Society ? 



IT, 



