have been perfectly acquainted with the 
Ariftotelean philofophy; the abfurdity of 
which philofophy he immediately difcover- 
ed and finally refuted. What this philo- 
fophy was, I fhall tell you another time. 
About the age of fixteen, an age when 
young gentlemen of the prefent times ufu- 
ally enter the Univerfity, he quitted Cam- 
bridge, and was, foon after, fent by his fa- 
ther to Sir Amias Pawlet, who was then 
the Queen's ambafTador at the court of 
France. During his refidence at Paris, about 
the nineteenth year of his age, he wrote a 
fhort treatife Of the State of Europe. On the 
fudden death of his father, being deftitute 
of proper fupport, he returned to England 
and commenced ftudent of the Law, and 
with fuch fuccefs, that after patting through 
the ufual gradations, he became Lord High 
Chancellor of England, and was created 
Vifcount St. Albans. 
During this progrefs to the fummit of 
honour, power and emolument, he contir 
nued his philofophical ftudies with unre- 
mitting affiduity, and was doubtlefs, not 
only the firft Lawyer, but the^r/?, I might 
have faid, the only philofopher then in the 
wprld. But, .alas! I wifh, for the honour 
of 
