"feniftarum.". He had a great quarrel with father Vavaffor, who wrote against his "Reflections on Ariftotle's Poetics;" yet pretended to be ignorant, as there was no name to them, that Rapin was the author. Rapin had faid, in those Reflections, that "it is fo unufual a thing "for an author to write good epigrams, that any perfon "may be fatisfied with making a few in his whole life." Now, fays Menage, who relates this anecdote, "as Va- Anti-Baillet, ch. "vaffor had wrote two large books of epigrams, he was 84. "not pleased with Rapin for this faying; and this prompted him to write against that father: I had this,' adds Menage, "from himself."

tranflation

RAPIN DE THOYRAS (PAUL de), an eminent From his hiftoriographer and Frenchman, was born at Caftres in life prefixed Languedoc in 1661. His family was originally from to Tindal's Savoy, and is fuppofed to have removed into France, upon of his embracing the Proteftant religion. Philibert de Rapin, Hiftory of his great grandfather, fell a martyr to his zeal for Pro- England. testantism; which expofed him fo much to the indignation of the Roman catholics, and particularly to that of the parliament of Touloufe, that his head was ftruck off in 1568 by a sentence of theirs, at the very time that he came by the king's order to have the treaty of peace registered there. Father Daniel indeed paffes over this fact in filence; and his reafon is fuppofed to have been, that he might make the more odious the disturbances raised by the Huguonots afterwards in the country about Touloufe whereas what they did was in revenge of Philibert's death, as appeared from the foldiers writing with coals, on the ruins of the houfes they had burned, Mezeray; "Vengeance for Rapin's death." James de Rapin, lord &c. of Thoyras, was our author's father. He applied himfelf to the study of the law, and was an advocate in the chamber of the edict of Nantes above fifty years. Thefe chambers were courts of judicature erected in feveral towns of France, in behalf of the Huguonots; the judges whereof were half of the Reformed, and half of the Roman catholic, religion. Jane de Peliffon, his wife, was daughter to a counfellor of the chamber of Caftres, and fifter to George and Paul Peliffon: which lady, after having been confined a good while to a convent, was at laft fent by the king's order to Geneva, where he died in 1705.

Our Rapin was their youngest fon. He was educated at first under a tutor in his father's houfe, afterwards fent VOL. XI.

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to Puylaurens, and thence to Saumur. In 1679, he re turned to his father, with a defign to apply himfelf clofely to the law but, before he had made any great progrefs, he was obliged, with other young gentlemen, to commence advocate, upon report of an edict foon after published, in which it was ordered, that no man should have à doctor's degree without having ftudied five years in fome univerfity. The fame year the chamber of the edict was fuppreffed, which obliged Rapin's family to remove to Toulouse and the ftate of the Reformed growing every day worse, with his father's leave he quitted the profeffion of advocate for that of arms. He had before given proofs of a military difpofition: for he had fought a duel or two, in which he had acquitted himfelf very gallantly. His father at firft did not grant his requeft, but gave him fuch an answer, as ferved to prolong the time. However, he pleaded one caufe, and one only; and then applied himself heartily to mathematics and mufic, in both which he became a good proficient.

In 1685, his father died; and two months after, the edict of Nantes being revoked, Rapin with his mother and brothers retired to a country-houfe; and, as the perfecution in a fhort time was carried to the greatest height, he and his youngest brother, in 1686, departed for Engfand. He was not long in London, before he was visited by a French abbé of distinguished quality; a friend of Peliffon, who introduced him to Barrillon the Frencli ambaffador. Thefe gentlemen perfuaded him to go to tourt, affuring him of a favourable reception from the king, but he declined this honour, not knowing what the confequences might be in that very critical state of affairs. His fituation indeed was not at all agreeable to him for he was perpetually preffed, upon the fubject of religion, by the French Catholies then in London; and especially by the abbé, who, though he treated him with the utmost complaifance, always turned the discourse to controverfy. Having no hopes of any fettlement in England at that time, his ftay there was but short: he went over to Holland, and lifted himself in a company of French volunteers, that was at Utrecht under the command of Mr. Rapin, his coufin-german. Peliffon, the fame year, published his "Reflections on the difference of Religions," which he fent to his nephew Rapin, with a strict charge to give him his opinion impartially of the work: and this was accordingly done, although nothing of this

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kind was found among his papers. He did not quit his company, till he followed the prince of Orange into England; where, in 1689, he was made an enfign, and went to Ireland with that commiffion. He diftinguifhed himfelf fo at the fiege of Carrick-fergus, that he was the fame. year promoted to a lieutenancy. He was prefent, at the battle of the Boyné; and, at the fiege of Limerick, was fhot through the fhoulder with a mufket-ball. This wound, which was cured very flowly, proved very detrimental to his intereft; for it prevented him from attending general Douglas into Flanders, who was very defirous of having him, and could have done him confiderable fervice however, he had a company given him.

He continued in Ireland till the end of 1693; when he was ordered for England without any reafon affigned: but a letter informed him, that he was to be governor to the earl of Portland's fon. Having never had any thoughts of this nature, he could not imagine to whom he owed the recommendation, but at laft found it to be lord Galway. He immediately went to London, and entered upon this charge; but quitted all hopes of thofe preferments in the army, which feveral of his fellow-officers foon after attained. All the favour fhewn him was, that he had leave to refign his commiffion to his younger brother, who died in 1719, after having been made lieutenant-colonel in a regiment of English dragoons. Indeed the king gave him a pénfion of 100l. per annum "till fuch time as he Thould provide for him. better,"" which time never came: fo he enjoyed this penfion dur ing the king's life, after which it was taken from him, and a poft of finall value given him in its ftead.

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While the earl of Portland was ambaffador in France, Rapin was obliged to be fometimes in that kingdom,, fometimes in England, and often in Holland: but at length he fettled at the Hague, where the young lord Port land was learning his exercifes. While he refided here in 1699, he married: but this marriage neither abated his. care of his pupil, nor hindered him from accompanying him in his travels. They began with a tour through Germany, where they made fome ftay at Vienna: hence went into Italy by the way of Tirol, where the marefchal de Villeroy, at that time prifoner gave Rapin a letter for the cardinal d'Etrees, when at Venice. Their travels being finifhed, which put an end to his employment, he returned to his family at the Hague, where he continued forpe years;

years; but, as he found it increase, he refolved to remove to fome cheap country; and accordingly retired in 1707 to Wezel, in the duchy of Cleves in Germany, where he employed the remaining years of his life in writing the

Hiftory of England." Though his conftitution was ftrong, yet seventeen years application (for fo long he was in compofing this hiftory) entirely ruined it. About three years before his death, he found himself exhaufted, and often felt great pains in his ftomach: and at length a fever, with an oppreffion in his breaft, carried him off, after a week's illnefs, in 1725. He left one fon and fix daughters. He was naturally of a ferious temper, although no enemy to mirth: he loved mufic, and was killed, as we have faid, in mathematics, especially in the art of fortification. He was mafter of the Italian, Spanish, and English languages: and had also a very competent knowledge of the Greek and Latin. He spent all his leifure-hours in reading, and converfing with fuch as led a regular life, and loved to reason and reflect on things.

He lived to publish the eighth volume of hiftory which ends with the death of Charles I. The two remaining volumes, which bring the hiftory down to the proclamation of William and Mary, came out in 1724. They were printed at the Hague in 4to. and have twice been tranflated into English; by the Rev. Nicholas Tindal, M. A. first in 8vo, then in folio; and by John Kelly of the Inner Temple, efq. in 2 vols. folio. Tindal has given a Continuation of Rapin's history to 1760, and added useful notes to the whole. When Rapin first set about this work, he did not think of writing a complete hiftory of England: but curiofity ard much leifure led him on from one ftep to another, till he came to the reign of Henry II; and then, when he was upon the point of ftopping, an unexpected affiftance came forth, which not only induced him to continue his hiftory, but to do it in a more full and particular manner than at firft he intended. This was Rymer's This was Rymer's "Collection of Public Acts," which began to be publifhed at the expence of the govern ment about 1706. In 1708, fix volumes in folio were completed, which were afterwards increased to seventeen, and then to twenty. Lord Halifax, a great promoter of this noble work, fent the volumes, as they came out, to John Le Clerc; who generously lent them our author, as long as he had occafion for them. That he did actually ufe this collection, appears from the pains he took to abridge the whole feventeen volumes, except the first,

which was done by Le Clerc in which abridgement we have all the important acts pointed out, a well-connected series of events to which they relate, and the use to be made of them in clearing up the hiftory of England. This Abstract lies fcattered up and down in the feveral volumes of Le Clerc's "Bibliotheque Choifee;" and has thence been tranflated and published in English. Rapin. alfo, to let us fee what a thorough knowledge he had of our parties and factions in England, published in 1717 a little treatife, intituled, "A Differtation on the Whigsand the Tories;" which is fubjoined to his Hiftory, and has likewife been tranflated and published in English. Voltaire has obferved, that "England is indebted to "Rapin for the best hiftory of itfelf which has yet appeared; and the only impartial one of a nation, wherein "few write without being actuated by the spirit of party."

tom. ii.

It was eafy to exceed all the hiftorians before him; fince, Siècle de' befides the advantages in common with them, which he did Louis XIV. not fail to make the ftricteft ufe of, he was fupplied with a new and rich fund of materials from Rymer's "Foedera." Nevertheless, his fpirit of moderation has made him obnoxious to the intolerant party: and the men of wit and vivacity are apt to complain of him, for being fometimes. rather tedious and dull.

-Athen.

RAWLEGH (Sir WALTER), or, as he himself fpelt his name, RALEGH, an illuftrious Englishman, was, defcended from an ancient family in Devonshire, and was the fon of Walter Ralegh, efq. of Fardel, near Plymouth, Oldys's Life by a third wife. Mr. Ralegh, upon his laft marriage, had of Sir W. R. retired to a farm called Hayes, in the parish of Budley; Oxon.and there Sir Walter was born in 1552. After a proper Birch's Life education at school, he was fent to Oriel-college in Ox-of Sir W. R. prefixed ford about 1568, where he foon diftinguished himself by to his Mifgreat force of natural parts, and an uncommon progrefscellaneous in academical learning; but, ambition prompting him to Works, purfue the road to fame in an active life, he made a fhortin 2 vols. ftay only at Oxford. Queen Elizabeth fending forces to 8vo. affift the perfecuted Proteftants of France in 1569, Sir Walter went among them a gentleman volunteer; and was engaged for fome years doubtlefs in military affairs, of which however we do not know the particulars. In 1576, we find him in London, and exercífing his poetical to talents; for we have of his a commendatory poem pre fixed among others to a fatire, called "The Steel Glafs," published

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Lond. 1748