Gent. Mag. as before.

Baillet, tom. 11.

proved by a very moderate progrefs in education, ftruck out at once, and of his own accord, into a new province of writing, and fucceeded therein to admiration. Nay, what is more remarkable, and feldom feen in any other writers, he both began and finished the plan on which he fet out, leaving no room for any one after him to make it more complete, or even to come near him: and it is certain, that not one of the various writers that foon after, and ever fince, attempted to imitate him, have any way equalled him, or even come within a thoufand paces of him. That kind of Romance was and is peculiarly his own, and feems likely to continue fo. "I confider him, faid Dr. Young," as a truly great natural genius; as great "and fuper-eminent in bis way, as was Shakspeare and "Milton in theirs."

Mr. Shotbolt told Mr. Jones, that when Mr. Richardfon came down to Wellwyn, with the late Speaker Onflow and other friends, to vifit Dr. Young, he took up his quarters with Mr. Shotbolt, there being not room enough at the Doctor's; and that getting up early, about five of the clock, he wrote two of the beft letters in Sir Charles Grandifon in one or two mornings before breakfast.

RICHELET (CESAR PETER), a French writer, famous for being the firft who published a Dictionary almoft entirely fatirical, was born at Cheminon in Champagne, in 1631. He was the friend of Patru and d'Ablancourt; and, like them, applied himself to the ftudy of the French language with fuccefs. He compofed a Dictionary full of new and useful remarks upon it, which would have been more acceptable than it was, if it had not been also full of fatirical reflections and obfcenities." It was firft published in one vol. 4to, at Geneva, 1680; but after the death of the author, which happened in 1698, enlarged with a great number of new articles to 2 vols. folio, as is the edition of Lyons in 1721. Another edition, 3 vols. folio, was published at Lyons in 1727, and a very neat. one in 2 vols. 4to, at Amsterdam in 1732; and lastly, in vols. folio, at Lyons 1755.

3

Richelet made a French tranflation of "The Conqueft "of Florida, by Garcilaffo de la Vega; and to this is prefixed a preface concerning the life and writings of Richelet. He compofed fome other pieces, in a grammatical and critical way, relating to the French tongue.

RICHELIEU

Ecclef.

RICHELIEU (JOHN ARMAND DU PLESSIS DE), a great cardinal and minifter of ftate in France, and alfo a man of letters and an author, was born of a noble family at the caftle of Richelieu, Sept. 5, 1585. He went through Du Pin, his ftudies with great fuccefs; and, having taken his de- Auteurs grees at the Sorbonne, removed to Rome, where he ob- Cant. XVII. tained of Paul V. a dispensation to be bishop of Lucon at two and twenty. At his return to France, he applied himself in a particular manner to the function of preaching; and his reputation this way procured him the office of almoner to the queen Mary de Medicis. His abilities in the management of affairs advanced him to be fecretary of state in 1616; and the king foon gave him the preference to all his other fecretaries. The death of the marquis d'Ancre having produced a revolution in ftateaffairs, Richelieu retired to Avignon; where he employed himself in compofing books of controverfy and piety. One great object of his ambition being to reduce the Hugonots to the Catholic profeffion, he employed his pen among other means to effect it; and publifhed at Paris in 1618 a treatife, intutled, "The principal points of the "Catholic faith defended, against the writing addreffed "to the king by the minifters of Charenton." He publifhed alfo, with the fame view, "The moft eafy and cer"ain method of converting thofe who are feparated from "the church." Thefe pieces are written with force and vivacity. He wrote alfo " A Catechifm," in which he lays down the doctrine of the church in a clear and concife manner; and a treatise of piety, called, "The per"fection of a Chriftian." Thefe are his theological works; and they have been often printed.

The king having recalled him to court, he was made a cardinal in 1622; and, two years after, firft minifter of ftate, and grand mafter of the navigation. The hiftory of his life would be the hiftory of France, and therefore muft not be expected from us. Suffice it to obferve, that, being a man of prodigious capacity, and of a restless and infatiable ambition, he formed to himfelf vaft defigns; and this made his whole life nothing but a feries of agitations and inquietudes. He projected the abolishing of Calvinifm in France, and would have done it by fair means; but, finding that impoffible, he refolved to do it by force. Other cafes in the mean time interpofed, and prevented the execution of this defign. He found himfelf frequently under the neceffities of combating the

grandees

grandees of the kingdom, the royal family, the whole
houfe of Auftria, and often Lewis XIII. himself. He did
not neglect at the fame time to cultivate literature, and to
fhew himself a patron of men of letters. Nevertheless,
he was hot free from those little paffions, which are but
too apt to feize this order of men. It is feldom, that à
man of power patronifes good artifts, when he happens
to be one himfelf: and this was precifely Richelieu's
cafe. Being himself a poet, he envied Corneille the glory
of his "
Cid ;" and, in 1637, obliged the French academy
to publish a criticism upon it to its disadvantage. Yet he
loved able men of all profeffions, and caufed the arts and
fciences to flourish in the kingdom. He fhewed a parti-
cular regard to divines; and chose those who were moft
remarkable for their abilities and virtues, to fill the
bishoprics with. He caufed the Sorbonne to be rebuilt,"
and became the protector of it. He abounded rather with
great qualities, than good ones; and therefore was much
admired, but not beloved. He died in 1642, amidst storms
and perils, before he had completed any of his defigns;
leaving behind him a name fomewhat dazzling, but by no
means dear and venerable. He was buried in the magni-
ficent church of the Sorbonne, which he had rebuilt; and
a noble monument was erected over him, which was
esteemed a master-piece of the celebrated fculptor and
architect Girardon.

Befides the writings abovementioned, there go under his name, "A Journal," in 2 vols. 12mo; Letters," in 12mo; and "A Political Testament," in 12mo: all treating of politics and state-affairs. Cardinal Mazarine carried on Richelieu's plan, and completed many of the fchemes.

RIDLEY (Dr. NICHOLAS), one of the principal inftruments of the Reformation, and who fuffered martyrs dom for it in the reign of queen Mary, was born of an ancient family about 1500 in Tynedale, near the Scotch Ridley's borders, in Northumberland. His school education he Life, by G. received at Newcastle upon Tyne; whence he was reRidley. moved to Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, at the charges of his uncle Dr. Robert Ridley, about 1518, when Luther was preaching against indulgences in Germany. Here he acquired a good skill in the Latin and Greek tongues, and in the learning then more in fashion, the philosophy and theology of the schools. His reputation was such, as to

5

procure.

J

procure him the efteem of the other univerfity, as well as
of his own;
e or, in 1524, the mafter and fellows of Uni..
verfity college in Oxford invited him to accept of an ex-
hibition, founded by Walter Skyrley, bishop of Durham,
which he declined. The next year he took his mafter's
degree, and was appointed by the college their general agent
in fome caufes relating to it. His uncle was now willing
to add to his attainments the advantages of travel, and the
iniprovement of foreign univerfities; and, as his ftudies
were directed to divinity, he fent him to fpend fome time
among the doctors of the Sorbonne at Paris, and after-
wards among the profeffors of Louvain. Having ftaid
three years abroad, he returned to Cambridge, and pur-
fued his

them, dilogical ftudies; and, as his fafeft guide in

them, diligently applied himself to the reading of the fcripturés in the original: in a walk in the orchard at Pem broke-Hall, which is to this day called Ridley's Walk, he got to repeat without book almost all the epiftles in Greek.

His behaviour here was very obliging, and very pious, without hypocrify or monkifh aufterity: for very often he would fhoot with the bow, or play at tennis: and he was eminent for the great charities he bestowed. He was fenior proctor of the univerfity, when the important point of the pope's fupremacy came before them to be examined upon the authority of

mature deliberation.pture: and their refolution after

64

"more authority or

That the bishop of Rome had no jurifdiction derived to him from God, in this kingdom of England, than any other foreign bishop," was figned in the name of the univerfity by Simon Heynes, vice-chancellor, Nicholas Ridley, Richard Wilks, proctors. He loft his uncle in 1536; but the education he had received, and the improvements he had made, foon recommended him to another and greater patron, Cranmer, abp. of Canterbury, who ap

him to

pointed him his domeftic chaplain, and tefti

was at

the vicarage of Herne in Eaft-Kent. He
mony in the pulpit here against the Act of the Six Arti-
cles; and inftructed his charge in the pure doctrines of
the gofpel, as far as they were yet difcovered to him; but
tranfubftantiation this time an article of his creed.
During his retirement at this place, he read a little treatife
written, 700 years before, by Ratramus or Bertram, a monk
of Cerbey. This firft opened his eyes, and determined
him more accurately to fearch the fcriptures in this ar-
VOL. XI.

G

ticle,

ticle, and the doctrine of the primitive fathers. His difcoveries he communicated to his patron, and the event was the conviction of them both, that this doctrine was novel and erroneous. After he had stayed about two years at Herne, he was chofen mafter of Pembroke Hall, and appointed chaplain to the king; and fuch was his courage and zeal for the Reformation, that, next to the archbi fhop, he was thought to be its greatest support among the clergy. In the reign of Edward VI. when a royal vifitation was refolved on through the kingdom, he attended the vifitors of the northern circuit as their preacher, to inftruct that part of the nation in the principles of religion. In 1547, he was appointed bifhop of Rochester, and confecrated in the ufual form of popish bishops, as the new ordinal had not yet taken place. When Bonner was deprived of the bishopric of London, Ridley was pitched upon as a proper perfon to fill that important fee; being esteemed, fays Burnet, both the most learned, and moft thoroughly zealous for the Reformation. In this high ftation, his behaviour was with great dignity; for it was benevolent, ufeful, and exemplary. He was very careful to do his predeceffor no injury in his goods, and fhewed the tenderness of a fon to his mother, placing her always at the upper end of his table.

His mode of life was, as foon as he rose and had drcffed himself, to continue in private prayer half an hour: then he retired to his study, where he continued till ten o'clock, at which hour he came to common prayer with his family, and there daily read a lecture to them. After prayers he went to dinner, where his conversation was always wife and discreet; and fometimes, if the cafe required, merry and chearful. This converfation he would indulge for an hour after dinner, or elfe in playing at chefs. The hour for unbending being expired, he returned to his ftudy, where he continued till five, except fuitors or hufinefs abroad required otherwife. Then he went to common prayers in the evening, after which he fupped; then diverting himfelf for another hour as before, he went back to his ftudy, and continued there till eleven at night, when he retired to private prayer, and then went to bed. A little before the king died, he was named to fucceed to Durham; but, great as the honours were which he received or were intended him, the highest were referved for him under queen Mary: which were, to be a prifoner for the gofpel, a confeffor of Chrift in bonds,