162 Biographical Sketch of the [Sept. 



This prejudice has probably arisen, on the one hand, from the 

 circumstance that the restorers of letters in Europe were for the 

 most part remarkably ignorant of the objects of science, and 

 also deeply imbued with the perversions of reason miscalled the 

 Aristotelian philosophy ; and from the consequent disregard 

 in which they and their pursuits were held by the new race of 

 philosophical inquirers, on the other. It has certainly been 

 fostered, likewise, by the mutual disesteem of each other's 

 researches which has been manifested by either party ; and 

 though practical contradictions of the principle might have been 

 found in every age, yet little or no inquiry appears to have been 

 instituted into the grounds of the supposition in other cases ; 

 and it has been received, to a considerable extent, as an axiom 

 in the history of the human mind. 



The intellectual character of the subject of our present 

 memoir appears to have been one of those which have disproved 

 this idea ; and the consideration of it has led us into the fore- 

 going reflections. Theological learning, with the various 

 branches of knowledge necessary to its successful prosecution, 

 and the ancient literature of his country, seem to have been his 

 chief pursuits ; whilst the scientific researches which formed his 

 amusements, though not extensive, were' conducted with the 

 characteristic precision of the modern schools of science. He 

 moy be considered, perhaps, in some measure, as a member of 

 that School of Geology, which, to use the language of a near 

 relation, himself one of its distinguished ornaments, " has 

 afforded a striking and satisfactory proof in opposition to the 

 misrepresentations of shallow sciolists, that the institutions of 

 academical education are far from unfavourable to the cultiva- 

 tion of the physical sciences." 



The readers of the Aunats, however, are already acquainted, 

 to a considerable extent, with Mr. Conybeare's attainments ; 

 for since the commencement of the present series, he was a 

 frequent contributor to our pages ; and it is primarily on this 

 account that we have been induced to draw up the present 

 sketch of his life and labours ; both as a mark of attention to 

 our readers, and as a tribute of gratitude to the memory of a 

 kind friend. For part of the materials employed, we are 

 indebted to the urbanity of the He v. W. D. Conybeare, FRS. 

 and of Henry Ellis, Esq. Sec. SA.: a notice published in the 

 Bath and Cheltenham Gazette, by the Venerable Dr. Moysey, 

 Archdeacon of Bath, has furnished us with others ; whilst the 

 perusal of his communications to the Archseologia and other 

 literary collections, has enabled us, in some degree, to judge of 

 the extent of his varied acquirements. 



John Josias Conybeare was born in June, 1779, and was the 

 son of William Conybeare, DD. Rector of St. Botolph, Bishop- 



