7t)-k M o 
lian flyle in his delign, and his colour was Titianefque. 
A very fine work of his, reprefenting the Afceniion of 
our Saviour, is in the gallery of the Louvre at Paris. The 
ftyle of the compofition, which confifts of Jefus Chrift al- 
cending, crowned by two angels, and accompanied by 
the figures of St. Peter and St. Paul, is of the fevere and 
grand call employed by Fra. Bartolomeo 5 the colouring is 
exceedingly fine, and correl'pondent to the ftyle of delign. 
MORE (Alexander), a celebrated preacher among the 
French Protellants, the fon of a Scotch divine, the prin¬ 
cipal of a protellant college in Languedoc, was born in 
1616. He loon dillinguilhed himfelf by his acquirements 
in literature ; and, when fcarcely twenty years of age, 
obtained by his merit alone the profefforlhip of Greek at 
Geneva, in oppofition to a number of other candidates, 
w-hofe years, it might have been expedted, would have 
given them the afcendancy. Having fulfilled the duties 
of this office for about three years, he fucceeded the learn¬ 
ed Spanheim, who had removed to Leyden, as profelfor of 
divinity, and as miniller in the church of Geneva. As 
a preacher, Mr. More poffelled very popular talents, 
which, united with great learning, gave him a fuperiority 
over many of his brethren, which excited their jealouly 
againll him. His own temper was far from conciliating, 
being halty, vindidlive, and fatirical; hence he became 
involved in numerous quarrels. He held at different pe¬ 
riods the profefl’orlhips of divinity at Hardewyc, at Mid- 
dleburg, and of hiftory at Amfterdam. While in the kill- 
named lituation, he obtained leave of ablence for a few 
months for a journey to France. He extended his route 
to Italy, and was noticed by the grand duke of Tufcany, 
who made him feveral handfome prefents. During his 
Hay in this country he wrote a fine poem on the defeat of 
the Turkilh fleet by the Venetians, for which the republic 
of Venice prefented him with a chain of gold. In the 
fpring of 1656, he returned to his profelforlliip in Holland, 
and retained it till 1659, when he went to Paris, and be¬ 
came miniller of a church in that city. In the pulpit he 
attradled great and extraordinary crowds of auditors, and 
was regarded by the auditory as an incomparable preacher. 
It was a matter of confiderable dilpute whether his excel¬ 
lency lay in any thing folid, or only in Ihow ; whether it 
dderved to be called a flalh of lightning, or a Heady light. 
Even thofe who were for decrying his talents, admitted 
that he muff be heard with pleafure, and that he had the 
power of exciting the paffions in a very extraordinary de¬ 
gree. In the midft of the applaufe with which he was fol¬ 
lowed, his reputation was attacked, and he was acculed of 
deeds unbecoming the charadler of a Chriftian miniller. 
The particulars of thefe charges, and of the proceedings 
inftituted againll him, are given by Bayle, who fays, lar- 
caftically perhaps, that 44 his death which was very edi¬ 
fying, and the marks of piety which he difcovered in his 
Iaft ficknefs blotted out the remembrance of what might 
have been irregular in his behaviour.” He died in 1670, 
at the age of fifty-four. Fie was author of many works, 
written in the Latin language ; one on Grace and Free- 
Will, and one on the Holy Scriptures: forne Latin orations, 
and Latin poems, more learned than elegant; neverthelefs- 
fome of them were much read and applauded; and a piece 
entitled 46 Alexandra Mori Fides Publica,” &c. which was 
intended as a defence againll Milton’s attack for fending 
into the world “ Regii Sanguinis Clamor ad Coelum.” 
MORE (Henry), an eminent divine of the church of 
England, and a Platonic philofopher, was born at Gran¬ 
tham, in Lincolnlhire, in the year 1614.. He was a lad 
of fine promife, and was fent at the proper age to Eton 
fchool, where, in the courfe of three years, he made ex¬ 
traordinary progrefs in the Greek and Latin languages. 
From Eton he was fent to Cambridge, and was entered of 
Chrilt’s college in the year 1631 ; 44 and now,” fays he, 
“ a mighty and almoll immoderate thirft after knowledge 
offefled me ; I immerfed myfelf over head and ears in the 
udy of philofophy ; promifing a moll wonderful happi-* 
nefs to myfelf in it.” In this temper of mind he applied 
R E. 
himfelf to the diligeht perufal of the works of Arillotle, 
Cardan, Julius Scaliger, and other eminent philofophers, 
and in a Ihort time made himfelf mailer of their dodlrines; 
and took his degree of B. A. in 1635. He appears to have 
met with but little fatisfablion in their refpeclive fyltems, 
and abandoned the fcholallics, determining to fearch for 
better guides to the objedl which he was feeking after. 
He accordingly began to ftudy the Platonic philofophy; 
by this he was confirmed in the convidtion, that fome- 
thing greater and more divine than the knowledge of hu¬ 
man things conllitutes the fupreme felicity of man ; and 
that it is attainable only by that purity of mind, and divine 
illumination, which will raife him to an union with God. 
I11 the year 1639, Mr. More took his degree of M. A. and 
in the following year lie publilhed a work, entitled 44 Pfy- 
chozoia, or the firlt Part of the Song of the Soul, contain¬ 
ing a Chrilliano-Platonical Difplay of Life;” which he re¬ 
printed in 164,7, with other parts of the fong, and fome 
fmaller pieces, in an odlavo volume, under the title of 
44 Philofophical Poems,” which he dedicated to his father. 
Having been eledted a fellow of his college, he became 
tutor to many young perfons of rank, and among others 
to fir John Finch; and out of the college he was tutor 
to the filler of fir John, lady Conway, whofe genius and 
temper were nearly allied to his own, and with whom he 
entered into an intimate friendlhip. At the defire of this 
lady, whoefpoufed the tenets of the Quakers, he drew up 
lome of his treatifes, particularly the 44 Conjedlura Caba- 
lillica,” and the 44 Philoi'ophias Teutonicae Cenfura ;” in 
return for which Ihe left him a legacy of 4.00I. Previoufly 
to the publication of this laft piece, he had taken his de¬ 
gree of D. D. and from this period he appears to have de¬ 
voted himfelf very much to the retirement of a college 
life. I11 164.2, he refigned the rectory of Ingoldlby, which 
had been purchafed for him by his father. He might have 
been elected to the mafterlhip of his own college, in 1654, 
in preference to Dr. Cudworth ; but he preferred the en¬ 
joyment of undillurbed ftudy and contemplation, to any 
honours and emoluments which the world had to offer. 
In his college he lived generally unmolelted, though he 
conllantly refufed to lubferibe the Covenant. He law, 
and occafionally wept over, the miferies of his country; 
but he was for the moll part, like Archimedes, fo bufily 
occupied in his chamber, as to be inattentive to things 
without. He correlponded with Des Cartes, and em¬ 
braced many of his theories, though his difeernment 
pointed out the fallacy of fome of his arguments, and the 
weaknefs of fome of his reafonings. Offers of high church- 
preferment were preffed upon him, but he refufed them 
all : he was almoll wholly occupied in compofing and 
publiihing books, intended to ellablilh the principles, and 
promote the practice, of virtue and religion. Of thefe, 
one of the moll popular was entitled 44 The Myilery of 
Godlinels.” The high character which he had obtained 
by his works, though mollly theological, occafioned his 
being feledted to be one of the Royal Society, with the 
view of giving reputation to it before its ellablilhment 
by the royal charter. He was accordingly propofed as a 
candidate by Dr. Wilkins and Dr. Cudworth, and in due 
time eledted. Dr. More died in 1687, in the feventy-third 
year of his age. He was highly elteemed and well lpoken 
of by perfons of all parties: he was dillinguilhed by the 
moll ardent piety, and an irreproachable life: he was meek, 
humble, charitable to the poor, and of a moll kind and 
benevolent fpirit. He is deferibed by bilhop Burnet as 
“ an open-hearted and fincere Chrillian philofopher, who 
ltudied to ellablilh men in the greatell principles of reli¬ 
gion, in oppofition to the gloomy tenets of atheifm.” 
Hobbes faid, 44 If his own philofophy were not true, he 
knew of none that he Ihould fo much like as that of Dr. 
More.” His Enchiridion Ethicum is highly applauded 
by lord Shaftlbury and Mr. Addifon, as an admirable fyf- 
tem of ethics; and his Divine Dialogues, on the attri¬ 
butes and providence of God, have been much read and 
admired. Enfield's Hifi. of Phil. vol. ii. 
MORE 
