28 Biographical Memoir of Sir John Leslie. 



reside ; and even those of his friends who most regretted that 

 his precious time should be wasted on rural occupations, could 

 not but sympathize with his feelings, and rejoice that the ho- 

 nourable labours of the Philosopher had enabled him to secure 

 such a retreat. No one could enjoy more vigorous or constant 

 health ; and, though of a corpulent habit of body, he was ex- 

 ceedingly active, and fond of exercise. His strength, and the 

 longevity of his family — a circumstance on which he himself 

 founded flattering hopes — alike gave promise of longer life ; and 

 it is melancholy to think that its close was but too probably has- 

 tened by one of his foibles — a contempt for medicine, and an 

 unwillingness to think that he could be seriously ill. In the 

 last days of October, whilst engaged in superintending some im- 

 provements on his grounds, he exposed himself to wet, and 

 caught a severe cold. This was followed by erysipelas in one 

 of his legs, which he neglected, and again imprudently exposed 

 himself in the fields. He soon afterwards became dangerously 

 ill, and expired at Coates, on the evening of Saturday the 3d 

 of November 1832, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. 



It has been well observed by Dr Johnson, that "of every 

 great and eminent character, part breaks forth into public view, 

 and part lies hid in domestic privacy. Those qualities which 

 have been exerted in any known and lasting performances, may, 

 at any distance of time, be traced and estimated ; but those pe- 

 culiarities which discriminate every man from all others, if they 

 are not recorded by those whom personal knowledge enabled to 

 observe them, are irrecoverably lost."* To prevent " this muti- 

 lation of character," as the same writer calls it, we shall close our 

 narrative with a few details more particularly illustrative of the 

 mind, opinions, and dispositions of this remarkable person. His 

 discoveries, and the facts and controversies connected with them, 

 may be discussed by many ; and the full detail o.f them would 

 require more space than can here be afforded ; but, having en- 

 joyed all the advantages for observation which long and inti- 

 mate " personal knowledge" alone can supply, we think it right 

 to endeavour, though briefly, to prevent some characteristic fea- 



* Johnson's Life of Sir Thomas Brotvne. 



