~ 
612 
partake of that honor, who did not make the 
necefiary facrifices to deferve it. Alter : ir. 
Paley had become fub-dean of Lincoln and 
rector of Bihop-Wearmbuth, his relidence 
was divided between thofe two places, his 
fummers being fpent at the lattér, and his 
vanters at the former. He now undertook 
and. proceeded’ flowly with his lat work the 
«* Nataral Theology,” which was not publifh-. 
He pro- 
ed. until the end of the year 1862. 
fefles to have chofen this fabject, becaufe, 
with thofe he had already treated of, it form- 
éd a fyitem which was complete, though its 
parts had. been produced in an inverted or- 
der. In, his Natural fheology, Hore Pau- 
jine, and. Evidences of Chrifianity, he prov- 
ed the truth of religion, natural and revealed; 
and in his Moral.and Political Philofophy 
taught.the duties which refult from and are 
fanctioned by the proof. He had andonbt- 
edly ancther reafon for the choice of this 
fubject, that it was eminently adapted to his 
talents.. To reafon_pertpicaoufly, and ilnuf- 
“trate happily, were the powers by which he 
was mof diftinguifhed, and what other fub- 
ject offered.fuch admirable materials to ex- 
ercife them? He has traced and fhewn the 
marks of wifdom and defign in various parts 
of the-creation, but has dwelt principally on 
thofe which may. be difcovered in the coni- 
tution of the human body. The book con- 
tas almot a complete treatife of anatomy, 
which, by the obfervations he has interfperi- 
-ed, and by the exceHence of his defcriptions, 
he has. contrived to render interefting even 
_tothofe who read without any previous know- 
ledge of the fcience. To be fecure of im- 
anortaiity an author muit be retommended 
either by ftriking excellencies of language or 
_of fentiment, or by an happy arrangement 
of the parts of his fubjett, which renders 
them neceflary to each other and incapable 
of feparation. Valuable matter cannot 
alone preferve the name of the author, for of 
that he may. be plundered by the writers of a 
fucceeding age, who being able to confult 
its tafie, will neceflarily be more popular 
‘than an ancient. whofe productions have not 
fome intrinficfupericrity. Dr. Paley is not 
remarsable for elegant periods or {plendid 
-{catiments. ._He -feems ‘to have been Jefs 
-ambitious of pleafing the ear than of inform- 
» ing.the underftanding; for if we except the 
. dedication of the ** Moral and Political Phi- 
loiophy,’’ fome chapters in the fame werk, 
_Cparticularly that “ On reverencing the 
_ Deity,”) and the conclufion of. the « Na- 
taral Theology,” which contain fome of the 
mof elegant and dignified paflages to he 
found.in the language ; the general charac-. 
~teriftic_of his wiitings is pleinnefs and fimpli- 
city. But this is the genuine didattic ftyle, 
-and he-las imparted-to it-all- thofe numerous 
graces, of. which «it is capyble. It will be 
‘univerfally allowed.that no author ever:wrote 
fo pleafingly on the fubjeéts he has treated 
. Of, The farce and terfenefs of his expreftions 
is not lef admurable than the firength of his 
Evvilogy on Dt. Woodville, 
[Jaly 
conceptions, and there is bothin his language. - 
and his teas a peculiarity of maanér ftamped 
by the vigor’ and independence-of his mind, . 
which cannot be borrowed, and which-will, 
therefore perpetuate his reputation. He hes.- 
merit to deferve readers, and allurements te. 
attraét them, and will preferve a high rank 
among the writers of his country, who caa 
command the attention of pofterity. Dr. Pa- 
ley was twice married, and has left eight. 
children. by his firft wife, four fons and four. 
daughters. In private life he had nothing of 
the philofopher. He entered into little: 
amufements, with a degree of ardour, which, 
when contrafted with the fuperiority of his 
mind, had a pleafing effe& and conftituted a 
very amiable ‘rait of his charaéter. He was. 
fond of company, which he had extraordi- 
nary powers “of entertaining 5 nor was he at. 
any time more happy, than_when communi- 
cating the pleafure he could give by exerting | 
his unrivalled talents of wit and humour. 
No man was ever more beloved by. his parti- 
cular friends; or returned their affeGion with 
greater fincerity and ardour. That fuch a 
man and fucha writer fhould not have been 
promoted to the Bench ef Bifhops cannot be 
eiteemed creditable to the times in which we. 
live. It is generally underftood that Mr 
Pitt recommended him to his Majefty fome 
years ago for a vacant bifhopric, and that an 
oppofition was made from a very high querter 
of the church, which rendered the recom- 
mendation ineffe@tual. All thofe great fer- 
vices which demanded a large debt of gratis 
tude both from his profefion and from man- 
kind, were not it feems, thought fufficient te ° 
atone for having advanced fome opinions, of 
which the “tendency was at the worft only 
doubtful, and which, thofe who condemned 
the author, could not perhaps have proved to 
be worthy of reprobation. ig - 
_ Dr. Woodville. —Mr. UWighmore, Secretary 
to the Smali Pox and Ineculation Holpitals, 
delivered the following Addrefs on Wed- 
nefday the Sd of April, 1805, previous to 
the funeral— There is not, perhaps, any re- 
fieGiion which affords more foothing cenfo- 
lation. to concern at the !ofs of relatives-er 
friends, than that which dwells on the re- 
membrance of their merits, and recapitulates 
the hiftory of their virtues. Whatfoever 
‘may have been the ftation of any indivi- 
dual, bis peculiar profeflion, or the general 
courle of. his occupations, thefe either fur~ 
niih unequivocal teftimonies to his fame, 
-and tranfmit his character with fympathy 
and effeem to his neareft relatives, or hand 
-it with eulogy and renown to the liftening * 
admiration of.a remote pofterity. We fix « 
upon the generous qualities of his heart, or 
upon the enlightened liberality of his mind,. 
as a center from whence his publie action or 
his privaie worth emanate as radii, which 
expand to their diftant circumference as the 
congenial fpirit ‘of veneration and ref{peét 
bear teftimony to their juflice, and magnify, 
but not_exaggerate, their truth; Which of 
Uss 
” 
* 
x 
