> 
1804. ] 
writers of thofe who oppofed the doftrine, 
Mr. Lindfey and Dr. Jebb complimented 
him, by letter, for his liberality ; and, as 
he was well-known to and refpected by men 
of the firtt charaéter among. the orthodox 
party, at Cambridge, fo was he by others 
who, with, at leaft, equal learning with 
them, did not, howevenj embrace their fen- 
timents. 
As to his own party, two of the moft 
eminent of them, Dr. Kippis, the editor 
of the Biographia Britannica, and Dr. 
Furneaux, author of an excellent volume 
of Letters to Judge Blackitone, on peruf- 
ing his Plea, united in requefting him to 
efit from translating, for that, one pof- 
feffed of {uch talents for original compo- 
fition, was not fit for a tranflator. Such 
were the teftimcnies to Robinfon’s attain- 
ments when living: and, after his death, 
three of the moft eminent, in different par- 
tics, of the Diffenters exprefied their very 
high fenfe of his talents and attainments, 
in their funeral fermons, pubiifhed on oc- 
cation of his death. Thefe were, Dr. 
Prieftley, among the Socinians; Dr. Rees, 
the editor of the Encyclopzedia Britannica, 
among the Arians; and Dr. Toulmin, 
author of the Lite of Socinus, editor of 
Neal’s Hiffory of the Puritans, &c, among 
the Bapufts, 
Robinfon, for eafy eloquence in the 
pulpit, was, perhaps, unrivalled in his 
own time. Dr. Price, who was no hafty 
admirer, confeffed, on hearing him, that 
for colloquial’ eloquence he far furpaffed 
any preacher he had ever heard. His 
works are numerous, confifting of Tranf- 
Jations from the French, Sermons, Poli- 
tical dialooues, Traéts, and Hiftories. 
Robinfon’s two principal works are his 
Hiftory of Baptifm, and Ecclefiaftical Re- 
fearches, both of which far exceed our 
praife. “Thefe volumes do not wholly re- 
late to do&trines and ceremonies, to coun- 
cils and ecclefiaftics. The writer travels 
over diferent countries, and furveys differ- 
- ent governments; Judza, Greece, Atrica, 
Rome, Spain, Navarre, and Bilcay, the 
States-oftaly, the Vallizs of Piedmont, 
Bohemia, Maniter, Poland, Tranfylvania; 
fometimes he had to inveltigate difputed 
faks, involved in labyrinths, which were 
AMtricate, and which had nor been reckon- 
ed worth the trouble of penetrating ; 
fo that, though he came to the works 
with a mind well ftored with various 
reading, yet, finding it neceflary to con- 
fult original guides, he fludied the Ita- 
lian, Spanwh, Portuguefe, German, and 
wether languases. He appeals to authen- 
tic ancient monuments, and aatiquaries of 
Monruty Mac, No. 111. 
& 
Cantabrigtana. 
Al 
the higheft authority: and, each chapter 
of the Ecclefiaftical Refearches defcribing 
a particular nation, there are to be found 
ingenious remarks on the geography, go- 
vernment, laws, antiquities, commerce, 
and natural productions of each, as well 
as on the charaéters dnd manners of the 
inhabitants. But he never lofes fight of 
the leading object of his hiftories. 
‘Though a few coarfe and inelegant ex- 
prefiions are found in thefe volumes, yet 
they difplay great command of language, | 
perfpicuity of narration, often {plendor of 
defcription, and almof always firength of 
fentiment. ‘The author is certainly in- 
titled to the praife of an induftrious, 
learned, and original writer; and in no~ 
tions of civil polity, and religious liberty 
he is furpafled by no one. ‘To execute 
thefe works, Robinfon had the free ufe of 
the books in the public library at Cam- 
bridge, and of feveral colleges : for it was 
his good fortune to be acquainted with 
many members of the Univerfity, who 
were not fuch bigots as Cole. 
- When Mr. Cole faid that Robinfon 
had “*learning enough to make him a cox- 
comb,’ he fhould have been reminded, 
that there are folemn, as well as facetious, 
coxcombs ; and, that of the two, the for- 
mer are the moft infufferabie. But Cole 
knew nothing of Robinfon, and nothing, 
probably, of his writings, except that he 
was the diflenting minifter of Cambridge: 
and of Diffenters Cole was a moft invete- 
rate hater. With the baptifm or anabap- 
tifm, with the orthodoxy or heterodoxy, 
with the alteration of Robinfon’s fenti- 
ments, &c. the Cantabrigianahas nothing to | 
do: All'wemean, is, to refcue him from 
the:mifreprefentations of this high pricft, 
asaman of letters; for the prefumption is, 
that, if this Baptift* had poffefied but half 
the intellects by which he was reaily dif- 
tinguifhed, he would have been a greater 
and a brighter man than the Cardinal. 
In our account’ of Cole’s papers, we 
were influenced by a regard to utility; 
what the copyer of the paflage relating to, 
Robinfon had in view we fhail not deter- 
mine: but if an apology fhould be deem- 
ed necefary for this-article, fomething 
more is due for that paflage, 
No, CXL. KING JAMES. 
Mr. Robinfon has certainly {peken in 
* Befides the ignorance, there is malig- 
nity manifefted in Cole’s ufe of the term 
Anabaptift, which has commonly bées adopt- 
ed in reproach : AvaCarticns, fays Scapula, the 
Lexicographer, fect cuidam diabolico de- 
ditus. 
“G too 
