FRANCIS WILLUGHBY. 53 



comprehensive charity, that he could heartily 

 affect and embrace all good men of all persua- 

 sions, good men, I say, to exclude such opinions 

 as are destructive of, or inconsistent with, true 

 goodness. 



" To these I may add his due fear and reverence 

 of the Deity, deep sense of his goodness, and 

 thankfulness of the same, and sincere piety in all 

 his actions towards him, and great abhorrency of 

 whatever tended to his dishonour." From such a 

 confluence of excellencies, which Mr Ray de- 

 clares he " never else beheld united in one 

 person," what excellent, what memorable results 

 might not be expected ! Reasons will hereafter 

 appear, which will render it in the highest degree 

 probable, that the eulogium is as just as it is 

 exalted, a probability arising equally from Mr 

 Ray's own most eminent integrity, and capability 

 of appreciating whatever was admirable in the 

 character of others. 



Thus considered, it prepares us for the statement 

 of Mr Willughby's attainments, and performances, 

 always, till of late years, undoubtingly ascribed to 

 him as really his own, and questioned by some 

 very modern writers simply because it appeared to 

 them impossible that they could have been made 

 by any one during so short a career. Before 

 proceeding to trace his progress, which is inten- 

 ded to be done as much as possible through every 

 year of his life, it may be permitted to confess 

 the impression that there is a most marked agree- 

 ment between the portrait of Mr Willughby, as 



