BOY 



collection of choice remedies, chiefly fimple and cafil^ pre- 

 pared, ufcd ill famil'CJ, and tit for the ftrvice of the coun- 

 try people;" the jd and lull volume puliliflicd from the au- 

 thor's original ^lSS. A coUedion of all Mr. Boyle's 

 works was publiflied in 174+, in 6 volumes folio, with a 

 life prefixed, by Dr. Birch ; and in 6 vols. 4t4>. in 177;. 



Mr. Boyle, as to his pcrfon, was tall and (lender, and of a 

 pale and emaciated conntenancc. His coiiiUtutiou was fo 

 delicate, that he regulated his cloathiiig by a thermomettr : 

 and he was occalionally fnbjeft to fuch debility of body, 

 fiich painful paroxyfms of the ftone, and fuch dcpriffion of 

 fpiiitb, that we may be well allonilhed at the number and 

 variety of his fcicntific and literary performances. How- 

 tVL-r, to the fimplicity of his diet, and the Uriel temperance 

 which lie obftrwd, we may rcafoiiably afcribe the degree 

 of healtli which he enjoyed, and the length to which his 

 life V IS protracted. His fpecch was flow and deliberate, 

 and fnbjtct to hefitation ; in his corvcifation he was unaf- 

 fumlng, never dilating his own opinions, or urging his ob- 

 jtdions to lliofe of others with coiilidtncc, but rather pro- 

 pofmg them as topics of inquiry and diicudion ; and in liis 

 manners he was fingularly mild and courteous. Although 

 he was a favourite at court, and indulged in free iiitercourle 

 with three fucceirive fovercigns, viz. Clunks 1 1. James 1 1 . and 

 William HI., he never difgtiifed his fentinitnts with re- 

 gard to public men and nieafuris ; but he took no 

 a£livc part in the politics of the eventful times in which he 

 lived, preferring tiie pnrfults of pliilofophy, and the re- 

 tirement whicli beft fuittd liis infirm frame and religious tem- 

 per. To the rank of a peerage he never afpiretl, but re- 

 fufed it whenever it was offered to him. One of the moll 

 prominent features of his charaiSler, was his fincere and un- 

 affected piety. This was exemplified in all his writings, 

 and in the wliole courfe of his lite. Of his firm attachment 

 to Chnllianitv, and of his folicitiide for vindicating its 

 truth, and extending the knowledge and influence of it, he ex- 

 hibited many fubllantial proofs, botli wliilll he lived, and 

 at his death. Befides the tranflation of the gofpels and 

 book of afts into the Malayan language, and of Grotius's 

 treatife concerning the truth of the Cliriflian religion into 

 Arabic, which we have already mentioned, and which was 

 conducted at his own expence, he propofed an impreflion 

 of the New Tellamenl in the Tui killi language j and when 

 the Turkey company undertouk it, he liberally contributed 

 towards accompli ;hing it. A tranflation and edition of the 

 Bible in the liifh lai;gu?(;c coll him 7C0I.; and he de- 

 frayed a confiderable part of the charge attending an im- 

 prefTion of the Wcllh Bible, and of the Irilh Bible for 

 Scotland. He gave, during his life, jool. towards propa- 

 gating the Chrillian religion in America; and as foot), as 

 he heard that the Eall India company were projefting a 

 fimilar delign in the Ea!l, lie fent a donation of icol. by 

 way of example and encouragement in the profecution of 

 the fcheme. Of the impropriations belonging to his eflates 

 he ordered confiderable lums to be given to the incumbents, 

 in thefe parifhes, and even to the widows of thofe who had 

 died before this dillribntion of his bounty. This he did 

 twice during his life to the amount of Cool , and he ordered 

 anolliet diftrihution as far as his cllate would, bcai', by his 

 will. In other refpeils, his charities were fo numerous and. 

 extcnfive, that they amounted, as bifhop Burnet informs 

 us, from his own knowledge, to upwards of loooh per an- 

 num. The annuity eflablilhed by his will for providing a 

 feries of lefturcs in defence of Chriflianity, affords further 

 evidence of the benevolence of his temper, and of his con- 

 cern for promoting the intcrells of religion. See Boylk's 

 Lecluui, His zeal, iii the caufe of religion, though it was 



BOY 



ardent and aftive, was free from the lead tinaure of bigotry 

 and intolerance. Whilft he adhered to the eflabhflied 

 church, he entertained the mofl undiffemblcd charity to- 

 wards all who differed from him in opinion : nor did he ever 

 exprcfs himfelf in ftrongcr terms, and with a greater de- 

 gree of indignation, than when he condemned every kind 

 of feverity and perfecution in the province of religion. 

 Burnet in his funeral eulogy informs us, that his know- 

 led,;e comprehended Hebrew and the other Oriental lan- 

 guages, the wi-ilings of the molt eminent fathers, commen- 

 taries on the fcriptures, religious controverfics, and the 

 whole body of divinity. He reprefents him as being ac- 

 quainted with the whole compal's of the mathematical fci- 

 ences, and as well verfed even in the moll abllrule parts of 

 geometry. Geography, navigation, and books of travels 

 he had recourfe to for the relaxation of his mind, and the 

 amnfement of his intervals of leifure. Of his knowledge 

 with regard to fubjcdts of natural hillory, cheinillry, and 

 experimental pliilofophy, his various refearches and difco- 

 veries, recorded in his numerous publications already re- 

 cited, afford ample evidence. Mr. Boyle, indeed, poiTcffcd 

 in an eminent degree thofe qualities, which juflify his being 

 ranked among the iirll philofophers of any age or country. 

 He was dillinguiflied by the coniprehenfion of his views, and 

 the extent and variety of his refearches, by indefatigable dili- 

 gence and invincible pcrfeverafce in his colledlion of fafts 

 and invcfligation of their caules, by a total freedom from 

 any preconceived attachment to theories and fyllems, by 

 candour in difcufling the opinions of others, and by fidelity, 

 modefly and perfpicuity in the narration of his own per- 

 formances. Mr. John Hughes might well fay of him 

 (Spedlator N° 554), after obferving that he was born the 

 fame year in which lord Bacon died, that he was llie per- 

 fon deligned by nature to fucceed to the labours and in- 

 quiries of that extraordinary genius. It woidd be endlefs 

 to recount the teflimonies in corrimepdation of him, that 

 might be collettcd from the writings of the moll illullrious 

 foreigners, and of the bell juoges of his merit in our own. 

 country. It will be fuiiicient to fay, that he is uniformly 

 ranked with Bacon and Newton ; that his refearches and 

 experiments have led the way to many modern difcovcries, 

 both in pliilofophy and cliemittry : and that his writings 

 will ever be held in high cflimation by every friend of fci- 

 ence. " They cannot be read," fays one of his biogra- 

 phers, " without improvement ; and in thefe alone, if no 

 life of Boyle had ever been written, the reader would be- 

 hold a man truly deferving of the affcdtion, the eftecrn, and 

 the admiration of fucceeding ages." Bo\le's account of 

 himfelf, under the name of Philocetus. Birch's life c£ 

 Boyle, prefixed to his works. Burnet's funeral fcrmon. 

 Biog. Brit. Birch's Hifl. of the Royal Society. Phil. Tranf.. 

 BoYLii, Charles, fourth earl of Orrery, and baroa 

 Marllon in England, was the fccond fon of Roger, fecond 

 earl of Orrery, and was born at Chelfea in 1676. At the, 

 age of 15 he was entered at Chrift-church college in the 

 univcrfity of Oxfoid, where his tutors were Dr. Atterbury, 

 afterwards bifhop of Rochefler, and Dr. Freind. His ap- 

 plication and proficiency were fo diltiuguifhed, that he was, 

 ilylcd by Dr. Aldrich, the dean, " the great ornament of 

 our college," and deputed to prepare an edition of fome 

 claffic author, for his annual publication. The book re- 

 commended by the dean was the " epiflles of Phalaris," of 

 which a fplendid edition appeared in 169';. I'his publica- 

 tion gave rife to a controverfy, the particulars of which 

 have been already detailed under the article Btntlcy. We 

 fliall here add, that from a letter of bifhop Atterbury to 

 Mr. Boyle, written in 1698, (fee Epillolary Correfpond.; 



dice, , 



