1808.] 
Dr. Gregory invested with unequivocal 
claims to admiration, 
In 1789, shortly after his marriage with 
Miss Nunnes, Dr. Gregory canvassed for 
the office of chaplain to the Asylum, 
which he lost by one vote, more from the 
too sanguine confidence of his friends,. 
than from want of support. In the even- 
ing of the same day, with that digni- 
fied self-possession which never forsook 
him, he preached at St. Antholin’s, ex- 
tempore, from the text, ‘“Put thy trust in 
the Lord, and he shall yetgive thee the de- 
_sires of thine heart.” A volume of Ser- 
mons, previously published by him, was 
re-edited this year; also the Life of Chat- 
terton, for whose fate he felt the most sin- 
cere commiseration. The union of pe- 
nury and genius, was ever the object of his 
tenderest compassion, and indigent me- 
rit never failed to engage his friendship. 
The four following years formed the most 
active part of his life. He conducted a 
critical work of deserved celebrity, and 
was connected with several publications 
of various kinds. Yet amidst all these 
cares and avocations, he published his 
Church History, a new Translation of 
Telemachus, and the Economy of Nature. 
This work, the design of which is happily 
explained by its title, might have been sug- 
gested to his mind by two French books, 
the Spectacle de la Nature, and the Cone 
templutions de la Nature; but these 
authors, independent of the errors which 
are now to be detected in them, are too 
much encumbered with sentiment and de- 
scription, to be capable of affording so- 
lid instruction. Science is founded on 
abstract truth; nor is the imagination 
the medium through which its principles 
should be conveyed to the mind. 
Tt would be as easy toinspire the know- 
ledge of tactics from martial music, as to 
infuse real knowledge by presenting 
agreeable pictures to the fancy. The 
Economy of Nature was intended to 
supply the elemental parts of physical 
science. Its success was such, that a 
third edition of it was published in 1804. 
In that year, through the interest of 
Mr. Addington, now Lord Sidmouth, Dr. 
Gregory was presented by his Majesty 
te the living of Westham, in Essex. 
| Previous to this, various marks of literary 
‘distinction had been conferred on him; 
honours which bestow not reputation, but 
attach toit; and are valuable only as they 
attest the respectwhich public opinion pays 
to acknowledged merit. He had previ- 
ously obtained from the bishop of Lon- 
don, a small prebendary in the cathedral 
of St. Paul’s, which he resigned on being 
preferred to the rectory of Stapleford, in 
Herts, by the same hand. 
f Mos puny Mac. Wo. 160. iih titude 
Menvurs of the late Dr. Gregory. 
231 
In his retreat from the metropolis, 
he found leisure to superintend the 
progress of an Encyclopedia of Arts 
and Sciences. Of such works the utility 
is obvious. They have long been popular, 
and the sanction of opinion is confirmed 
by constant experience. 
The Encyclopedia, of which Dr. 
Gregory was the conductor, exhibits 
the largest mass of knowledge in the most 
portable form of any extant; an ad- 
vantage which it has derived from his 
lummous arrangement, the acuteness of 
his discrimination, and the rectitude of 
his judgment. On dismissing this task, 
he employed himself in revising and cor- 
recting a volume of Lectures on Che- 
mistry. His next labour was the revision of 
two volumes of Letters on Literature and 
‘Taste, which are now in the press: but 
this labour was destined to be his dasf. 
Although he had not long passed the 
meridian of life, he was insensibly sink- 
ing into decay: yet so silent and so insi- 
dicus was the approach of death, that no 
alarming symptoms were perceived; and 
tillwithin a month of his dissolution,no dan= 
ger was apprehended. Even then, when 
the agonizing suspicion was excited, the 
cloud seemed to pass over: bis family. 
and friends were persuaded of his return- 
ing health, and he himself felt so much 
better, as to be able to resume his sa- 
cred duty, which he had reluctantly | 
ceased to perform for two previous Sune 
days. But thisgleam of sunshine served 
only to render the approaching night 
more dark; the medical gentlemen whe 
attended him, attributed his decease not 
to any particular malady, but to an en- 
tire dissolution of the machine. Every 
part at once refused to perform its func- 
tions.. Medicines were prescribed, and 
remedies administered, in vain; and his 
sorrowing family and frieuds have at least 
the consolation of believing, that it was a 
stroke no human art could avert. 
Me expired on the evening of Saturday, 
tue 12th of March, and was buried in his 
parochial church of Westham, on Mon- 
day the 24st. 
To his family and friends his loss is 
irreparable; and adreary blank will long 
be felt in the place of his residence, 
where he was generally repected and be- 
loved. Dr. Gregory had always possessed 
talents for the pulpit; but it was, per= 
haps, more by his unaffected earnest- 
hess, and the fervour of his owm de- 
votion, than even the persuasive tones - 
of his voive, that he drew to him the 
hearts of his hearers. He often preach- 
ed extempore, a practice'both easy and 
familar to him, from the copiousness 
of his language, and au habitual promp- 
