M I D D L E T O N. - 
White out' author was at Rome, he had the advantage 
of beholding popery in the full pomp and difplay of its 
pageantry, which he compared rather to the folemn afts 
of idolatry of old Rome, than to any thing recommended 
by the plain and fimpie precepts of Chriitianity. He ex¬ 
amined it very Accurately; and, with the view of tracing 
the fnnilarity, he made notes and obfervations while he 
was in Italy ; and, after his return home, kept up an epif- 
tolary correfpondence with his friends and acquaintance 
there. From thefe materials he drew up, and publilhed 
in 1729, “A Letter from Rome, Ihowing an exadt Con¬ 
formity between Popery and Paganilm; or, the Religion 
of the prelent Romans derived from that of their heathen 
Anceftors.” This performance was exceedingly well re- 
-ceived, and went through feveral editions in a very Ihort 
fpace of time. While, however, the author was enti¬ 
tling himfelf to the thanks of the Proteftant world, by 
expollng the corruptions and impoftures of the Romiffi 
church, there were lome, even of the church of England, 
who took grievous offence at the book, pretending that 
he had attacked the popifh miracles with a gaiety that 
feemed to contemn all miracles, and particularly thofe of 
our Saviour, by invalidating the force of certain rules 
which had been eftablilhed by fome divines as the crite¬ 
rion of true miracles. Our author next made an attack 
upon Dr. Waterland’s “ Vindication of the Scriptures,” 
which had been written in reply to Tindal’s famous 
book, entitled “ Chriitianity as old as the Creation." This 
drew upon Dr. Middleton the charge of inf delity ; and he 
narrowly and with much difficulty efcaped academical 
cenfure. 
During the contell in which he had involved himfelf 
with his clerical brethren, our author was appointed to 
the new profefforffiip of phyliology at Cambridge, which 
had been founded in purl'uance of the will of Dr. Wood¬ 
ward, profeifor of phylic at Greffiam-college. With that 
gentleman he became acquainted foon after his return 
from Italy ; and in feveral interviews affifted him, as he 
did afterwards his executors, in fettling the plan of that 
donation. Being nominated by the executors the firft 
profeifor, in the year 1731, he delivered a Latin inaugural 
oration at his entrance upon the office, that did credit to 
their appointment. The duties of this poft Dr. Middle- 
ton dil'charged with fidelity and reputation till the year 
1734, when he refigned it; not finding that the employ¬ 
ment of preparing and reading lectures upon follils was 
fuited to his tafte, or to the turn of his ftudies. Soon af¬ 
terwards he married a fecond wife ; and upon her death, 
which took place but a few years before his own, he mar¬ 
ried a third. In the year 1735, our author publiffied “ A 
Differtation concerning the Origin of Printing in Eng¬ 
land ; fliowing that it was firft introduced and pradliled 
by our Countryman, William Caxton, at Weftminfter; 
and not, as is commonly believed, by a foreign Printer, at 
Oxford;” 4to. This hypothefis, though controverted by 
able Engliffi writers, has the fupport of fome of the belt 
judges on the fubjeft. 
About this time Dr. Middleton was introduced to the 
celebrated lord Hervey, by whole advice and encourage¬ 
ment he undertook to write “ The Hiftory of the Life of 
M. Tullius Cicero.” This great work, which was per- 
feftly adapted to his tafte, and for which he was admi¬ 
rably well qualified, employed fo much of his time and 
attention, that it was not ready for publication before the 
year 1741, when it made its appearance in two volumes, 
quarto. On the fuggeftion of his friends, it was publilh¬ 
ed by fublcription ; and his propolals were fo powerfully 
fupported by lord Hervey, and other perlons of rank and 
iniiuence, that the profits ariiing from it enabled him to 
purchafe afmall eftate at Hilderffiam, about fix miles from 
Cambridge, where he improved a rude farm into an ele¬ 
gant habitation, and, from that time, generally Ipent the 
Summer feafon. This performance might not improperly 
have been called “ The Hiftory of Cicero's Times;” lince 
it prefents us with a fummajry account of the Roman. af- 
Vol, XV. No. 1047. 
341 
fairs, even during the time of his minority, as the author 
obferves in his preface, and carries on a feries of hiftory 
through a period of above lixty years, which, for the im¬ 
portance of the events, and the dignity of the perfons 
concerned in them, is by far the moft interefting of any 
in the annals of Rome. His materials Dr. Middleton 
drew from the works of Cicero himfelf, which he juftly 
pronounces to be “ the moft authentic monuments that re¬ 
main to us, of all the great tranlaftions of that age ; be¬ 
ing the original accounts of one, who himfelf was not 
only a lpeCtator, but a principal aftor in them.” When 
entering upon his talk, he allures us that he endeavoured 
as far as he was able, to diveft himfelf of all partiality and 
prejudice in favour of his fubjeft, and not to give a pane¬ 
gyric inftead of a hiftory. With all his care, however, his 
work is very far from being exempt from this blemilh ; 
and, as he confefles that he fat down to it with the difipo- 
fition of a friend, the reader will perceive that he too fre¬ 
quently endeavours to call a lliade over the failings of 
Cicero, to give the ftrongeft colouring to his virtues, and 
to exalt the man into the hero. But, notwithftanding 
this imperfection, it is a performance replete with enter¬ 
tainment and improvement; and it is executed with fuch 
elegance and correttnefs, that it will probably continue 
to be held in repute fo long as a tafte for polite literature 
lhall fublift among us. Since the appearance of the firft 
edition, it has been repeatedly printed in oftavo, and once 
in quarto. 
While Dr. Middleton was employed on the Life of Ci¬ 
cero, a vacancy having taken place in the mafterfhip of 
the Charter-houfe, he was mentioned for it, without any 
application on his part, by fir Robert Walpole, and fome 
other great perfons, and came to London on that bufinefs; 
but be had not been long in town before he perceived, 
that the duke of Newcaftle had already l’ecured that place 
for Mr. Mann. Upon this he returned into the country, 
with a few good words, as he fays in one of his letters to 
Warburton, from thofe who could as eafily give good 
things-; and refumed the compofition of his favourite 
work. In the progrefs of it, he made great ufe of the 
Letters of Cicero to Brutus, and of Brutus to Cicero, 
without entertaining the leaft Ihadow of fufpicion refpedl- 
ing their genuinenels, and even regarding them as moft 
valuable remains of Roman antiquities of that kind. It 
was not, therefore, without furprife, that he faw their au¬ 
thenticity difputed in a Latin epiftle, addrefted to himfelf 
by the learned Mr. Tunltall, orator of the univerfity of 
Cambridge, who attempted to prove them to be the for¬ 
gery of fome fophift. Being lenfible that fuch an hypo¬ 
thecs affeCted the credit of his own work, as well as that 
of the letters in queition, Dr. Middleton confidered it to 
be particularly incumbent upon him- to vindicate their 
genuinenefs and real antiquity. This he did in the fol¬ 
lowing work, publilhed in 1742-; “ The Epiftles of M. T. 
Cicero to-M. Brutus, and of Brutus to Cicero, with the 
Latin Text in the oppolite Page, and Engliffi Notes to 
each Epiftle; together with a Prefatory Diflertation, in 
which the Authority of the laid Epiftles is vindicated, 
and all the Objeftions of the Rev. Mr. Tunftall particu¬ 
larly confidered and confuted,” otlavo. The next work, 
which our author publilhed was entitled, “ Germana quse- 
dam antiquitatis eruditae monumenta, quibus Romanorum 
veterum Ritus varii tarn tacri tam profani, turn Graeco¬ 
rum atque fEgyptiorum nonnulli illuftrantur, Ronne 
olim maxima ex parte coilefta, ac Diflertationibus jam 
fingulis inftructa,” quarto. This work, confifting of 
figures of thofe curious remains of antiquity which he 
had purchafed at Rome and other places, with a difler¬ 
tation to each, was followed, in 1747, by “ A Treadle on 
the Roman Senate, in two Parts,” oftavo. The firft part 
of this performance contains the fubftance of feveral let¬ 
ters, formerly written to lord Hervey, concerning the 
manner of creating fenators, and filling up the vacancies 
of that body in old Rome ; which letters have been fince 
publilhed at large, from the original ffianulcripts, toge- 
4 S ther 
