Portrait of John Foster 265 



and bring at last to the wretched human race a most blessed change 

 from the condition they have been in through all ages." 



Foster's " Life" has been published in two volumes, and is 

 of much interest to the student of character. His Essays 

 are well known, and so also his discourse on " The Evils 

 of Popular Ignorance." He was a zealous promoter of 

 education at a time when its value was much less widely 

 appreciated than at present. We append a schedule " space- 

 for-time " statement of his uneventful life. 



Date 



Age 



Biographical Record 



1 



Contemporary 

 Events 



1770 



to 

 1780 



1 



to 

 10 



Born September 17, at Halifax, 

 Yorks. His parents were middle- 

 aged, and had married late in life. 

 An old-fashioned child. 



American Indepen- 

 dence. 



1780 



to 

 1790 



10 



to 

 20 



A hard student, but slow. 

 Member of Baptist Church, aged 17. 



Frederick the Great 

 died. 



French Revolution. 



1790 



to 

 1800 



20 



to 

 30 



Left the Baptist College, Bristol, 1 792. 

 To Newcastle-on-Tyne and Dublin. 

 At Chichester. 



To this period his Journal, as pub- 

 lished in vol. i. of " Life " belongs. 



Wesley died. 



1800 



to 

 1810 



30 



to 

 40 



At Frome, 1804. Essays published, 

 1806. Married May, 1808, and re- 

 moved to Bourton-on-the-Water. 



Napoleon. 

 Trafalgar. 

 Death of Pitt. 



1810 



to 

 1820 



40 



to 

 50 



Residing at Bourton. 



Engaged on Reviews, Essays, &c. 



Five children born. 



Retreat from Mos- 

 cow. 

 Waterloo. 



1820 



to 

 1830 



50 



to 

 60 



Removed to Stapleton. Lectured at 

 Bristol. Essay on Popular Igno- 

 rance published. Lectures (in 

 two volumes) published. 



James Watt died. 



1830 



to 

 1840 



60 



to 

 70 



He lost his only son in consumption, 

 and subsequently his wife. 



Accession of Vic- 

 toria. 



1840 



to 

 1843 



70 



to 

 73 



Died October 15, 1843. 



Penny postage. 



