376 
thofe perfons, who, whether gravely or by 
way of amufement, gave in to practices of 
this fort, with ‘a fiercenefs of refentment 
whien was very furprizing to thefe who did 
not enter into his particular habits of think- - 
ing.—Yet Mr Ritfon was not lefs uncom- 
monly modeft on all other fubjects, that pe- 
remptory on thofe which he’ had induftrioufly 
inv¢itigated ; and was at all times forward to 
confefs his ignorance of the learned, -lan- 
guages, of the philofophy of mind, and the 
' graces of compolition ; and ready to bow to 
the authority of thofe whom he deemed his 
fuperiors in thefe particulars «To the attain- 
ments which he has made in knowiedge, Mr. 
Ritfon added many excellent virtues of the- 
heart.—-He was [liberal in the difpofition of 
his income, and ever ready to relieve merit: 
in diftrefs.—He had great ingenuoufnefs and 
integrity of difpofitioa, never allowing him- 
felf in any fort of pretence and impofition, 
practifing rigidly, in his condu&, the moral 
judgments. of his underftanding, and con- 
fiantly ab{taining from the commiflion of 
ey-ry thing he felt to be wrong.—One fngu- 
Jat proof of this is, that having convinced 
himielf that the ufe of animal food was a 
crucl and unjuftifiable proceeding, he. for 
more than twenty years adhered to the 
firicteft abftinence in this refpeét —The admi- 
rable fincerity of his character was alfo fhewn 
in many. other perisenlai i bias amply 
Rudied the laws and conftitution of his coun- 
try, he was on principle an enemy to the 
fucceffion of the heufe of Hanover ; and, 
without any prejudices of education to urge 
him, became a Jacobite from reafoning, at a 
time when the race of Jacobites, by defcent, 
was nearly extinét in this country.——This un- 
foxtunate fingularity he however difcarded 
about’ the period of the French revolution, 
and till his death remained firmly attached 
to the -principles of republicanifm.—<r, 
Riifon ,purchafed, about the year 1785, 
the ofice of high bailiff of the liberties of 
the Savey.—In this fituation it was his fin- 
gular fortene to be conneéted, with Mr, 
Reeves, the notorious leader of the affocia- 
tion for encouraging ire and informers, and 
for fuppreffing the freedom of ‘writing and 
{peaking upon political topics.-Mr. Reeve 
was high-fteward of the Savoy; and for his 
political condu&t was regarded with no lefs 
antipathy by Mr. Ritfon, than Malone and 
Warton for theirditerary mifdemeaners.—Mr, 
Reeves, a few years ago, refigned his office of 
Bigh, fteward 5 and it was a favourite opinion 
ef Mr. Ritfon, that he, by his hoftilities, 
had driven this redoubted champion from his 
ftation.—-Whether it were owing to the ori- 
ginal teeblenefs of his conftitution, to the 
fingular feverity of his ciet*, or'tothe not in- 
* Mr. Ritfon not only abftained from ani- 
mal food on principle, but, from his habits, he 
abitained from almoft every kind of alimeat. 
Mi. Ritfon: ' am 
[ Nov; 4, 
ferior feverity of his literary application, 
Mr. Ritfon exhibited at the age of fifty, every 
mafk of caducity and premature decay. —His 
memory failed him; his temper daily in- 
creafed in bi sl les. 3 and his converfation 
- betrayed tokens of dotage.—He was feized 
with repeated attacks of the palfy ; and the, 
laft attack having fallen upon the brain, pro- 
duced a delirium, and terminated his exiftence 
in a fortnight —One further fingularity in 
this extraordinary man is, 
laboured fo inceflantly for the information of 
the world, he expreffed a defire that he might 
be forgotten.—He made it his particular re~ 
gueft that no ftone might be placed over his 
grave, and added a hope that nothing, good 
or ill, might be faid of his memory.—Juftice 
to his attainments and his virtues, and a de- 
fire to gratify the honeft curiofity of the 
public, have, in the writer of thefe lines, 
overpowered the whimfical caprice of the de- 
ceafed, whom the writer had long the honour 
to call his friend.—The following ‘is proba- 
bly an accurate lift of Mr. Ritfon’s publica~ 
tions.——1, Obfervations on Johnfon’s and 
Steevens’s Edition of Shakefpear. 2. Quifs 
Modeft, in Defence of ditto. 3. Curfory Cri- 
ticifms on Malone’s Edition of Shakefpear. 
4. Obfervations on Warton’s Hiftory of Eng- 
lith Poetry. 
Eogland, in a large fheet.. 6. Spartan Ma- 
nual. 7. Digeft of the Proceedings of the 
Savoy Court. 8. Office of Conftable ex- 
plained. 9. Jurifdi€tion of the Court Leet. 
to. A Collection of Englifh Songs, 3 vols. 
11, Ditto, Scottifh Songs, 2 vols. 12. Eng- 
lifh Anthology, 3 vols. 13. Minot’s Poems, 
2 vols. 
15. Bibliographia Poetica; and, 16. Treatife 
on Abftinence from Animal Food.——Mr. Rit- 
fon had further projefted an edition of 
Shakefpear, and there are many valuabie 
notes from his pen in the lateft editions of 
that author —He alfo propofed to publith fe- 
veral etymological works, together with a 
treatife, in which his peculiar fyfem of or- 
thography was to be vindicated and eftablifhed. 
—His rifanufcript colleétions were extremely 
numerous; and it is an irreparable lofs to 
the public that he committed the chief part 
of ther to the flames, at the commencement 
of the delirium which terminated his ex- 
iftence.—His library will fhortly be brought 
to the hammer by Leigh and Sotherby. 
_ 
A potatoe, a ‘bifcuit, or an egg, generally 
confituted his whole fupport during the day, 
and his beverage was either lemonade or tea. 
He was a bral itranger to what, in family ar- 
rangements, is called a regular meal. 
a conftitution naturally very weak, and with 
his practice of intenfe ftudy, it is then rather~ 
to be wondered that he lived fo long, than, 
that at fifty, after feveral attacks of difeafe, 
he fhould have had the appearance of being 
fix or feven years older than he Was, 
Af 
that, after having 
i 
5. Defcent cf the Crown of 
34, Metrical Romances, 3 yolss - 
With © 
* 
