CHRONICLE. 



455 



Tie published the first book of Ti- 

 jjiwra, by way of specimen, in 

 1796. Mr. M. possessed a rcten- 

 ive memory, aad an elegant style 

 ■jf composition, which enabled him 

 to give the world with fidelity, some 

 of the finest speeches in parliament 

 during lord North's administration 

 and the American war ; in which 

 laborious duty he was succeeded by 

 the late Mr. Wm. Woodfall. Until 

 within a few years bark he kept an 

 excellent seminary at Walthamstow, 

 at which some of the ablest men, 

 now in various professions of the 

 law, church, army, and the mer- 

 cantile Avorld, received their educa- 

 tion. For. the two last years, he 

 Avas engaged in translating into Latin 

 the poems of Ossian, now printing 

 by ^Ir. Bulmer. His last work, of 

 which he received the first proof 

 sheet only a few hours before he 

 died, is intituled, "An Essay prov- 

 " ing the Authenticity of Ossian 

 " and his Poems." 



9th. Found dead in his bed, 

 at Lowestoft, of which he was 

 vicar, aged 83, the rev. Robert 

 Potter, of Emanuel college, C!am- 

 bridge, li, A. 1741, M. A. 1788, 

 and prebendary of Norwich. Ilis 

 first preferment was the vicaroge of 

 Seaming, Norfolk. lie was a cha- 

 racter of the highest distinction as 

 a classical scholar. The literary 

 world is most intrinsically indebted 

 to him for excellent poetical versions 

 of the three Greek tragedians. He 

 published, 1774, an octavo volume 

 of poems, most of which had before 

 appeared separately, many very 

 pretty compositions, particularly a 

 beautiful farewel hymn to the coun- 

 try, in imitation of Spenser. Three 

 years after this, his translation of 

 .i^'schylus made its appearance in a 

 quarto volume, and las since been 



reprinted with the addition of notes, 

 in two volumes octavo. . Of the ex- 

 cellence of this translation it is hard- 

 ly possible to say too much ; many 

 of the parts are so exquisitely beau- 

 tiful as to leave us in doubt whether 

 any poet could have accomplished 

 the task with greater success. . In 

 1781 he published the first volume 

 of his translation of Euripides, in 

 quarto ; and the following year the 

 second: and, 1788, that of Sopho- 

 cles, in the same size. These last 

 mentioned versions are on the whole 

 inferior to his first produ6lion : yet 

 they are each of them excellent 

 performances, and even superior 

 to those of Mr. Wodhull and Dr. 

 Franklin. Besides these very labo- 

 rious Morks, Mr. P. published in 4to. 

 1783, " An Enquiry into some pas- 

 sages in Dr. Johnson's Lives of thw 

 poets;'' and, in 1785, in quarto, 

 " A Translation of the Oracle con- 

 cerning Babjion, and the Song of 

 Exultation from Isaiah, chap. XIII. 

 and XIV.'' "A Sermon on the 

 Thanksgiving for the peace, 1805." 

 " In his weightiest chara6ter, as 

 translator of the Greek tragedians, 

 we must allow that Mr. P. was 

 of very singular service to the 

 literary world. It was an under- 

 taking which to many would have 

 appeared too great for the life of 

 man ; and, considering the success 

 with which so much labour has been 

 accomplished, and the amiable cha- 

 racter Mr. P. bears as a member of 

 society, we may well be surpriseif 

 he had not earlier attra6fed the no- 

 tice of those who are able and wil- 

 ling to confer honors and prefer- 

 ments, when they meet with peculi- 

 ar desert." — Memoirs of living au- 

 thors, II. 153. By hi-i death the 

 republic of letters has lost one of 

 its best and most unassuming orna- 



Nieiit^. 



