1803. } 
for admifiion into the Scottifh Faculty of 
Advocates, and after that be content to. 
fpend his time quietly iifhis native country, 
without adventuring rafhly into the perils 
of gay or ambitiouslife in England, 
In the laft years of his lite, Botwell 
fill continued to frequent the focicties in 
which he had been wont to delight. But 
death carried away, one after another, 
many of his deareft companions. The 
dividing paths of life parted him from 
others. The fickle multitude of unat- 
tached acquaintance deferted him frony 
time to time for newer faces and lefs fami- 
liar names. His joke, his fong, his 
fprichtly effufions of wit and wifdomm, 
were ready, but did not appear to poflefs 
upon all eccafions their wonted power of 
enlivening convivial joy. He found that 
fortune, profeffional connexions, great 
expence, and the power of promoting or 
thwarting people’s perfonal interefts, are 
neceflary to give, even to the moft poliflt- 
ed and lively converfational talents, the 
power of. pleafing always. His fits of 
dcjcétion became more frequent, and of 
longer duration. Convivial fociety be- 
came continually more neceflary to him, 
while his power of enchantment over it 
¢ontinued to decline. Even the excite- 
ment of deep drinking in an evening be- 
came often defireable to raife his fpirits 
avcve melancholy depreflion. Difeatfe; the 
conlequence of long habits of convivial 
indulgence, prematurely broke the ftrength 
of ‘his coniiitutton. He died before’he 
had yet advanced to the biink of oldage, 
and left affuredly few men of worthier 
hearts or more obliging manners behind 
him, 
In an attempt to exhibit a fummary of 
From she Port-Folio of a Méan of Letters. 55S 
the qualities of Bofwell’s chara&er, FE 
fhould mark him as a genius of the feeond 
clafs. He had vivacity, but wanted vi- 
gour of imaginaticn; his judgment was 
more guick than juft : an unlucky paffion 
for celebrity made him run continually in 
quelt of it, as- the pealant-boy runs to find 
the treafureat the end of the rainbow, in- 
ftead of earning it by that energetic dili- 
gence in bufinets, or that toil of folitary. 
ftudy, which are neceffarily to be paid as. 
the prices of great and latling reputation, 
He courted the acquaintance of eminence, 
as if genius, or the praife of it, were to 
be caught by a fort of contagion. He’ 
feems likewile to have thought genius to 
confit in fome innate peculiarity of mind, 
and not rather to he formed by the happy 
natural s.nd artificial cultivation of any 
intellect originally found, but not caft in 
any myfterioufly peculiar mould. Thefe 
two vulgar errors feem to have led him 
aftray trom his earlieft youth. The fafci- 
nation of a fociety in which fenfuality 
was enlivened and refined by wit, ele- 
gance, and literature, did the reft. He 
poficfled, for a man of 2 liberal education 
and. Jiterary ardour, lirtle knowledge fave 
what hehad picked up imconverfation. His 
principles were derived from the authority 
of others, not from difcerning inveitiga- 
tion by himfelf, Henee he was fubject to 
whim, affectation, and caprice; but alk 
of an-amiable character. He was too 
fond of general fociety to be the very beft 
of domeftic men. He was, inthe finces 
rity. of his belief, and the warm but per- 
haps inconftant piety of his fentiments, a 
true Chriftian. He might have been more 
ufeful in the world; more amufing he 
could fcarcely have been. H. 
Extradts from the Port-folio of a Maw of Letters. 
—ae ee 
ARETINE. 
RETINE was once popular in this 
ccuntry, or rather thofe of his pro- 
duétions which encouraged irreligion and 
ob{cenity. Hecompofed bocks of piety, 
we aretold, and bocks of debauchery al- 
ternately ; and Mr. Bayle has well applied 
thofe lines of Horace to him. 
** Ouanto conftantior idem 
In vitiis, tanto-levius mifer ac prior ille 
Qi jam contento, jam laxo fune laborat.” 
BISHOP LATIMER. 
In one of the Harleian manulcripts in 
the Mufeuim are ancient copies of many of 
Archbifhop Cranmer’s letters: fome of 
them are to Latimer, and one particularly 
directs him in regard to his conduét while 
preaching before the king, and recom- 
mends him very ftrongly to avoid any 
thing which might feem connected with 
the controverfies he was engaged in. Such 
direStions were undoubtedly very necefla- 
ry fcr Latimer, who, though a man of 
found feafe and virtuous life, was little 
verfed in fuch matters as were neccflary for 
his ubfervance at court. 
THE JESUITS. 
The havock made among the Jefuits: 
may be accounted for without having re- 
: courfe, 
