BOY 



B o r 



two years, from 1652 to 1654, did not afford favmirable furtofsful in ifftorinp; an cflate, of wliidi fliry ii,:d bcfn 



eppurtmiity for profecutiiig the rtftarclies to whicli lie was dcjjrived by col. Brtliiigficlci, a pnpill, although ihcy had 



de%ottd ; and, therefore, he employed the time of his given him for it a Vdhiablc confiduation. In the condutl 



continuance there principally in anatomical diffeaions, with of the concerns of this inllitution he was, in other r<-fpe6\s. 



the affiilaiice of his friend Doctor, (afterwards Sir William) eminently ufefni. When the royal fociety was incorporated 



Petty. Upon his return to England in lC<',^, he fettled at in i6(\2, Mr. Boyle was appointed one of the council ; and 



Oxford, where lie liad the advantage of purfning his txperi- as he may julily be regarded as one of the founders of this 



merits, and where he enjoyed the fociety of many learned 

 friends, who occupied diifcr^:nt fituatioiis in the uiiiveility. 

 It was during his relidcncc at Oxford, that he invented, or 

 rather improved, the conllruttion of the air pump (See air- 

 pump) ; an inllrnment, by the ufe of which he was enabled 

 to perform a variety of e.>tperimeiits, relating to the gravity 

 and elaftieity, and other qualities, of the air, which entitled 

 Iiim to rank amor.gft the firll pliilofophers of any age. He 



fociety, he continued throygh life one of its nioft ufeful and 

 iiidullrious members. In llie following year he puhhflied 

 his " Cinilideratioiis on the iifefulnefs of experimental phi- 

 lofophy ;" his " Experiments and confiderations upon co- 

 lours," with " Obfcrvations 011 a diamond that fliines in the 

 dark;" and " Confiderations on the ilylt of the holy fcrip- 

 tnre," cxtraftcd from a larger work, entitled " An cflay on 

 fcriptnre," publiflied after his death by Mr. Peter Pett, at- 



liad al this early period of his fcientific career renounced the torney-gencrarfor Ireland. In 1664, Mr. Boyle was elefted 



philofophy of Arillotle, as a fyllem of words inllead of into the company of royal miners ; this new coinieflion, and 



things ; and attached to the only jull and tlfeflual mode of other engagements of a benevolent and public nature, pre- 



purfuing phdofophical refearches by experiment, and fearing vented his publilhing any trcatifes, either on religion or phi- 



lell his mind ihould acquire any improper bias from the 

 ingenuity of the author, he declined the perufal of the 

 voiks of Des Cartes, whofe philofophy was held by many 

 in high ellimatiou. Mr. Boyle did not rellrift himfelf, wliilll 

 lie continued at Oxford, to the lludy of philofophy ; but he 

 availed himfelf, in the profecutiou of facred crilicifm, of the 

 ajlillance of thofc great (U'lentalilU-, Dr. Edward Pococke, 



lofjphy, in this year. But the year 1665 produced' his 

 " Occafional refleftions oil feveral fubjeds ;" to whicli is 

 prefixed, " A difcourfe concerning the nature and life of 

 fuch kind of writings." This piece, which had been writ- 

 ten by Mr. Boyle in his youth, and at various intervals, was 

 ludicrouny attacked by Dr. Sivift in his " Pious medita- 

 tions upon a broomllick, in the llyle of the honourable 

 Mr. Thomas Hyde, Mr. Samuel Clarke, and Dr. Thomas Robert Boyle." How far Mr. Boyle potfelfcd in his youth, 

 Barlow, afterwards bifliop of Lincoln. His correfpondence or acquired in his maturer years, a correft tafte and ilyle of 

 was alfo at the fume time very extenfive ; and was carried on writing, partxularly iu works of imagination, it is now 

 for the pnrpofe of the piomotionof fcience with Mr. Henry needltfs to inquire ; it is fufficient to obferve, that no at- 

 Oldenburgh, afterwards fecretary to the Royal Society, tack on the part of Dr. Swift can aiTttl the fame of this 

 Dr. John Beale, John Evelyn efq. Dr. John Pett, and Dr. dillinguiftied perfon, either as a man or a philofopher. In 

 John Wallis, who honoured him with the dedication of his this year Mr. Boyle, befides fome communications to the 

 excellent treatife " De Cycloide, et covporibus iiide genitis." Royal Society, printedin thePhilofopliicalTranfaftioDS, pub- 

 In 1659, as foon as he was made acquainted with the dif- lidied " Experiments and obfervations relative to an expe- 

 treffed circumlhmces of Dr. Robert Sanderfon, afterwards rimental hiftory of cold, with feveral pieces thereunto an- 

 bilhop of Lincoln, who had been deprived of his prefer- nexed ;" a work w^ell received at the time, and containing a 

 inents on account of his attachment to the royal caufe, he variety of obfervations and fadls that have been ufeful to 

 fettled upon him an annuity of fifty pounds a year ; a favour thofe who, in move, modern times, have direfted their atten- 



which was refpeftfuUy acknowledged by the doflor in his 

 dedication of " Ten leftures on calcs of confcience," deli- 

 vered in Latin in 1647, ai^d printed at Oxford in 1659. 



After the reftoration in 1660, Mr. Bovle was treated 

 with great refpeft by the king, and alfo by the lord-trea- 

 furer, lord Southampton, and lord- chancellor Clarendon ; 

 and by the latter he was urged to enter into holy orders. 

 Having conGdered the propofal with due attention, his pious 

 fcruples determined him to decline the clerical office. In 



tion to this interelling fubjeft. Towards the clofe of this 

 year, his majefty appointed Mr. Boyle provoft of Eton col- 

 lege ; but he dechued accepting this honourable and lucra- 

 tive offlee, becaufe he did not widi his fludies to be inter- 

 rupted, and becaufe he thought it more fuitable to a perfon 

 in holy orders. 



About this time Mr. Valentine Greatraks, an Irilh gen- 

 tleman of good family and competent fortune, and of a fe- 

 rious difpofition inclining to melancholy, perfuaded himfelf 



this year he publifhcd his " New experiments touching the that he poffeffed the power of curing difeafes bv flroakin 

 fpring of the air ;" which involved him in a controverfy In fome cafes he fucceeded, but in others he failed. His 

 with Fra"cifcus Linus and Mr. Thomas Hobbes, and to which performances, however, were fo extraordinary, tliat they ex- 

 he annexed a defence iu the edition of 1662 ; and alfo his dif- cited very general attention ; and an account of them was 

 courfe " On feraphic love." Mr. Boyle's reputation had publithed, by Mr. Henry Stubbs, in a ktter entitled " The 

 at this time extended itfclf to foreign countries; fo that miraculous conformill, &c." and addreffcd to Mr. Bovlc. 

 the grand duke of Tufcany communicated to him by Mr. To this letter Mr. Boyle replied ; but his anfwer was not 

 Southwell, then refideut at Florence, his wifli to correfpond publifhed till eighty years afterwards, in Dr. Birch's account 

 with him on philofopliical fubjecls. In 1661 he publilhed of his life. Neverthelefs, the fentiments and reflexions con- 

 his " Phyfiological eflTays, and other trails ;" and foon after- tained in it were probably communicated to his fiiends ; and 

 wards his " Sceptical chymift." Other treatifes, to which though they were exprcffed with a caution, candour, and 

 he refers in this pubhcation, and which were iu great for- judgment, that did him great honour, they were thought to 

 wardnefs, were U'jfortunately loft at the time of the great countenance what fome perfons deemed a deception, or the 

 fire of London. In 1662, a grant of the forfeited impro- mere tfTefts of enthufiafm, and they produced a controverfv 

 priations in Ireland was obtained from the king in his name, of fome continuance. As far as Mr. Boyle was concerned 

 but without his knowledge ; and they were applied by him in this bufuiefs, it will be fufficient to obferve, that, firmly 

 to the promotion of religion and learning. He was alfo believing the aAual exercife of thofe miraculous powers 

 appointed governor of the corporation for propagating the which attefted the truth and divine origin of chriftianity, and 

 giifpel in New England ; and in this office he was a£live and admitting, in confcqueuce of the extent and variety of his 

 Vol. V. 8 y refearches 



