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madam d'Urfley at Kenfington; when this lady was pleafed to be very free, in putting fome queries to him concerning the pleafures of Venus. The Doctor gave her full fcope by a reply, which produced a well-known witty epigram, too licentious to be here tranfcribed.

In 1699, king William returning from Holland, and, being much out of order, fent for Radcliffe; and, fhewing him his fwoln ancles, while the reft of his body was emaciated and fkeleton-like, faid, "What think you of. "these?" "Why truly," replied the phyfician, "I would "not have your majefty's two legs for your three king-. "doms" which freedom fo loft the king's favour, that no interceffions could ever recover it. When queen Anne came to the throne, the earl of Godolphin ufed all his endeavours to reinftate him in his former poft of chief phyfician; but he would not be prevailed upon, alledging, that Radcliffe would fend her word again, "that her ailments were nothing but the vapours." Nevertheless,

he was confulted in all cafes of emergency and critical conjuncture; and, though not admitted in quality of the queen's domeftic phyfician, received large fums of fecretfervice-money for his prefcriptions behind the curtain.

In 1703, Radcliffe was himfelf taken ill (on Wednesday Atterbury's March 24) with fomething like a pleurify; neglected Epiftolary it; drank a bottle of wine at Sir Juftinian Ifham's ondence, vol. Thurfday, took to his bed on Friday; and on the III. p. 77 30th was fo ill that it was thought he could not live till the next day. Dr. Stanhope Dean of Canterbury; and Mr. Whitfield (then queen's chaplain and rector of Sr. Martin, Ludgate, afterwards vicar of St. Giles, Cripplegate), were his confeffors. He fent for them, and defired them to affift him. By a will, made the 28th, he difpofed of the greateft part of his eftate to charity; and feveral thoufand pounds in particular for the relief of fick feamen fet afhore. Mr. Bernard the ferjeant-furgeon took from him 100 ounces of blood; and on the 31ft he took a ftrange refolution of being removed to Kenfington, notwithstanding his weaknefs, from which the moft preffing entreaties of his friends could not divert him. In the warmest time of day he rofe, and was carried by four men in a chair to Kenfington, whither he got with difficulty, having fainted away in his chair. "Being put to bed," fays Ibid. p. 79. Dr. Atterbury, on whofe authority we relate thefe particulars," he fell afleep immediately, and it is concluded now [April 1] that he may do well; fo that the town

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phyficians,

Correfpondence, vol. III. p. 81.

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phyficians, who expected to fhare his practice, begin "how to think themselves difappointed." Two days Epiftolary after, the fame writer adds, "Dr. Radcliffe is past all danger; his efcape is next to miraculous. It hath made him not only very ferious, but very devout. The per"fon who hath read prayers to him often (and particu"larly this day) tells me, he never faw a man more in "earneft. The Queen afked Mr. Bernard how he did; "and when he told her, that he was ungovernable, and "would obferve no rules; fhe answered, that then nobody had reafon to take any thing ill from him; fince "it was plain he used other people no worfe than he used "himself."

Swift's Works, vol. XIX. F. 49.

Ibid. p. 98.

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He continued, however, in full bufinefs, increafing in wealth and infolence, to the end of his days; waging all along, as we have before obferved, a perpetual war with his brethren the phyficians, who never confidered him in any other light, than that of an active, ingenious, adventuring empiric, whom conftant practice brought at length to fome skill in his profeffion. One of the projects of "Martin Scriblerus" was, by a ftamp upon bliftering-plafters and melilot by the yard, to raife money for the government, and give it to Radcliffe and others to farm. In Martin's "Map of Difeafes," which was "thicker fet with "towns than any Finders map," Radcliffe was painted at the corner, contending for the univerfal empire of this world, and the reft of the phyficians oppofing his ambitious defigns with a project of a treaty of partition to settle peace. In 1713 he was elected into parliament for the town of Buckingham.

In the laft illness of queen Anne, he was fent for to Carfhalton about noon, by order of the council; he faid, "he had taken phyfic, and could not come." Mr. Fordy from whofe letter to Dr. Swift this anecdote is taken, obferves, "In all probability he had faved her life, for I 66 am told the late Lord Gower had been often in the "fame condition, with the gout in his head." In the account that is given of Dr. Radcliffe in the " Biographia "Britannica," it is faid, that the queen was ftruck with death the twenty-eighth of July that Dr. Radcliffe's name was not once mentioned, either by the queen or "any lord of the council;" only that lady Mafham sent to him, without their knowledge, two hours before the queen's death. In this letter from Mr. Ford to Dean Swift, which is dated the thirty-firft of July, it is faid, that the queen's disorder began between eight and nine

the morning before, which was the thirtieth; and that about noon, the fame day, Radcliffe was fent for by an order of council. Thefe accounts being contradictory, the reader will probably want fome affiftance to determine what were the facts. As to the time when the queen was taken ill, Mr. Ford's account is moft likely to be true, as he was upon the fpot, and in a fituation which infured him the best intelligence. As to the time when the doctor was fent for, the account in the "Biographia" is manifeftly false; for if the doctor had been fent for only two hours before the queen's death, which happened incontestably on the first of Auguft, Mr. Ford could not have mentioned the fact on the thirty-first of July, when his letter was dated. Whether Radcliffe was fent for by lady Mafham, or by order of council, is therefore the only point to be determined. That he was generally reported to have been fent for by order of council, is certain; but a letter is printed in the "Biographia," faid to have been written by the doctor to one of his friends, which, fuppofing it to be genuine, will prove, that the doctor maintained the contrary. On the fifth of Auguft, four days afterthe queen's death, a member of the houfe of commons, a friend of the doctor's, who was alfo a member, and one who always voted on the fame fide, moved, that he might be fummoned to attend in his place, in order to be cenfured for not attending on her majefty. Upon this occafion the doctor is faid to have written the following letler to another of his friends:

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"Dear Sir,

Carshalton, Aug. 7, 1714.

"I COULD not have thought, that fo old an acquaintance, and fo good a friend, as Sir J-n always pro"feffed himfelf, would have made fuch a motion against

me. God knows my will to do her majefty any fervice "has ever got the ftart of my ability; and I have no

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thing that gives me greater anxiety and trouble than "the death of that great and glorious princefs. I muft "do that juftice to the phyficians that attended her in her "illnefs, from a fight of the method that was taken for "her prefervation by Dr. Mead, as to declare nothing "was omitted for her prefervation; but the people about "her (the plagues of Egypt fall on them!) put it out of "the power of phyfic to be of any benefit to her. I "know the nature of attending crowned heads in their laft moments too well to be fond of waiting upon them,

without

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"without being fent for. by a proper authority. You' "have heard of pardons being figned for phyficians, be"fore a fovereign's demife: however, ill as I was, I "would have went to the queen in a horfe-litter, had "either her majefty, or thofe in commiffion next "to her, commanded me fo to do. You may tell Sir J- -n as much, and affure him, from me, that his zeal for her majefty will not excufe his ill ufage of a "friend, who has drunk many a hundred bottles with “him, and cannot, even after this breach of a good under"ftanding that ever was preferved between us, but have a very good efteem for him. I muft alfo defire you to "thank Tom Chapman for his fpeech in my behalf, "fince I hear it is the firft he ever made, which is taken more kindly; and to acquaint him, that I fhould be "glad to fee him at Carfhalton, fince I fear (for fo the "gout tells me) that we fhall never more fit in the "houfe of commons together. I am, &c.

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"JOHN RADCLIFFE."

But, whatever credit may now be paid to this letter, or however it may now be thought to juftify the doctor's refusal to attend her majefty, he became at that time fo much the object of popular refentment, that he was apprehenfive of being affaffinated; as appears by the following letter, directed to Dr. Mead, at Child's coffee-houfe, in St. Paul's-church-yard:

"Dear Sir,

Carfhalton, Aug. 3, 1714.

"I GIVE you, and your brother, many thanks, for the favour you intend me to-morrow; and if there is any other friend that will be agreeable to you, he fhall meet "with a hearty welcome from me. Dinner fhall be on "the table by two, when you may be fure to find me ready. "" to wait upon you. Nor fhall I be at any other time "from home, becaufe I have received feveral letters, "which threaten me with being pulled to pieces, if ever I come to London. After fuch menaces as thefe, "it is eafy to imagine, that the converfation of two fuch very good friends is not only extremely defirable, but "the enjoyment of it will be a great happiness and fatif"faction to him, who is, &c. JOHN RADCLIFFE,"

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Radcliffe died on the firft of November the fame year, having furvived the queen juft three months; and it is faid, that the dread he had of the populace, and the want of

company

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company in the country village, which he did not dare to leave, fhortened his life, when juft fixty-four years old. He was carried to Oxford, and buried in St. Mary's church in that city.

He had a great refpect for the clergy; and thewed mucli judgement in beftowing his patronage. He gave the rec

Epift. Corr.

tory of Headbourne-worthy, Hants, to the learned and Atterbury's pious Dr. Bingham; and it was through his folicitation vol 111. that the headship of St. Mary Hall, at Oxford,, was con-p. 278. ferred on the celebrated Dr. Hudfon; whom he fo much Ibid. p. 233. efteemed, that it has been generally fuppofed it was to the perfuafion of Dr. Hudfon that the univerfity was indebted for the noble benefactions of Dr. Radcliffe; for the Library [A] and Infirmary which bear his name; and for an annual income of 600l. for two travelling fellowships. To Univerfity college, alfo he gave, befides the window at the altar-piece already mentioned, the money which built the mafter's lodge there, making one fide of the Eastern quadrangle.

We do not find that he ever attempted to write any thing, and probably he would not have fucceeded as an author. He was believed to have been very little converfant in books; which made Dr. Garth fay, humourously

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[A] Dr. Radcliffe's idea, in December 1712, was to have enlarged the Bodleian Library. "The intended

"fcheme was," as we learn from Dr. Atterbury's Epiftolary Correfpon"dence," vol. III. " to build out from "the middle window of the Selden

part a room of ninety feet long, and "as high as the Selden part is, and un"der it to build a library for Exeter "College, upon whofe ground it "muft ftand. Exeter College has "confented, upon condition that not "only a library be built for them, "but fome lodgings alfo, which must "be pulled down to make room for

this new defign, be rebuilt. The 66 Univerfity thinks of furnishing "that part of the charge; and Dr. "Radcliffe has readily proffered to

furnish the reft; and withall, after " he has perfected the building, to "give 100l. for ever to furnish it "with books." This fcheme not having been adopted, the Doctor left 40,000l. for building a new Li brary; with 150l. a year for the librarian, and 100l. a year to buy VOL. XI.

books. The foundation flone was
laid June 16, 1737, with rhe follow-
ing infeription on a plate of copper:

"Quod felix fauftumque fit
Academiæ Oxonienfi,

Die xvi kalendarum Junii

t

Anno MDCCXXXVII,
Carolo Comite de Arran Cancellario,
Stephano Niblet, S. T. P.

Vice-cancellario,
Thomas Paget & Johanne Land A. M.
Procuratoribus,

Plaudente unique togatâ gente,

Honorabilis admodum

I aus Lnus Carolus Noel Somerfet,
Honorabilis Johannes Verney,
Gualterus Wagstaff Bagot Bonettus,
Edwardus Harley
Armigeri,
et Edwardús Smith
Radclivii munificentiffimi Teftamenti,
Curatores, P. P.

Jacobo Gibbs Architecto."
The whole building was completed in
1747; and on the 12th of April 1749
it was opened with grear folemnity;
of which fee a particular defcription
in Gent. Mag, vol. XIX. pp. 165.
459. and fee vol. LI. p. 75.
C

enough,

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