cultivated all his life. He was attacked by the plague in this town, but happily recovered from it. He went to Altorf in 1584, to profit by the lectures of Gifanius, for whom he conceived a particular efteem. He began to travel in 1587, went through part of Germany, and came to Bohemia. Being afterwards at Bafil in 1593, he then took the degree of doctor of law. He returned to Altorf, to take the profeffor's chair, which the curators of the university had given him fome time before. He had many advantageous propofals from other univerfities of Germany and Holland, but his attachment to Altorf would not fuffer him to accept them. He died at Altorf in 1613, after having married two wives, by whom he had nine children. Two of his fons, George and Nicholas, diftinguished themfelves in the republic of letters; and George wrote the life of his father.

He was a man of confummate learning, and exactly fkilled in the Greek and Latin tongues. He is faid to have had Homer and Hefiod fo perfectly by heart, as once, in a converfatton with a learned young gentleman, to have expreffed all he had occafion to fay in the verses of Homer. He was an admirable critic, and wrote notes upon many ancient Greek and Latin authors, which have been inferted in the beft editions of thofe authors. Thus Burman, in his edition of "Phædrus, 1698," 8vo, has carefully inferted the entire notes of Ritterfhufius, whom he calls in his preface "Germaniæ fuæ quondam orna

mentum, & non minoris Galliæ decus." He published a great number of works in various ways, in his own particularly as a civilian; and an edition of "Oppian,' Greek and Latin, in 1597, 8vo. All the learned have agreed in their encomiums on him.

RIZZIO (DAVID), or RICCI, an Italian mufician, and lutenift of Turin, but not fo diftinguifhed in his profeffion, as on that account to merit a place in this work. He was the fon of a mufician at Turin, where he was born; Hawkins's and, happening to attend the Predmontefe ambaffador Hift. of into Scotland, he afterwards became famous there for Mulic, IV. what he did, and what he fuffered. He is fuppofed to have infufed into the Scotch mufic a very ftrong tincture of the Italian: for, finding the mufic of that country. fufceptible of great improvement, he fet himfelf to polish and refine it; and adopting, fo far as the rules of his art would allow, that defultory melody, which he found to be

Hift. of

Mufic, IV.

its characteristic, compofed most of thofe tunes, to which the Scotch fongs have for two centuries paft been commonly fung. This has been ufually the general opinion, Hawkins's which, however, fays my author, has nothing to fupport it but vulgar tradition: it may be urged, adds he, that Rizzio was not a compofer of any kind. The hiftorians, and others who fpeak of him, reprefent him as a lutenift and a finger; and Sir James Melvil, who was perfonally acquainted with him, vouchfafes him no higher character, than that of a merry fellow and a good musician. "The

P. 2.

Melvil's

46

queen," fays he, "had three valets of her chamber, "who fung three parts, and wanted a bafs to fing the "fourth part therefore, telling her majefty of this man,

as one fit to make the fourth in concert, he was drawn "in fometimes to fing with the reft." This was about Memoirs. the year 1564.

Written

He had art enough, however, to avail himself of his fituation. His fervile condition had taught him fupplenefs of fpirit, and infinuating manners. He quickly crept into the queen's favour; and, her French fecretary hap pening at that time to return into his own country, he was preferred by her to that office. He began to make a figure in court, and to appear as a man of weight and con fequence. Nor was he careful to abate that envy, which always attends fuch an extraordinary and rapid change of fortune on the contrary, he feems to have done every thing to increase it. Yet it was not his exorbitant power alone, which exafperated the Scots: they confidered him as a dangerous enemy to the Proteftant religion, and fufpected that he held for this purpose a secret correfpondence with the court of Rome. His prevalence, however, was very fhort-lived; for, in 1566, certain nobles, with the lord Darnly at their head, confpired against him, and difpatched him in the queen's prefence with fifty-fix wounds.

Can it be thought now, that the reformation or improvement of the Scotch mufic was his care; or, indeed, that the fhort interval of two years at moft afforded him leifure for any fuch undertaking? For a folution to that fingularity of style, which diftinguishes the Scotifh melodies, fee Hawkins, as above, p. 3.

ROBERTSON (WILLIAM), D. D. was born in principally Dublin, Oct. 16, 1705. His father was a Scotchman, who by himself: Genr. Mag. carried on the linen manufacture there; and his mother's 1983, P-745.

name

name was Diana Allen, of a very reputable family in the bishopric of Durham, whom his father had married in England. From his childhood he was of a very tender and delicate conftitution, particularly he laboured under a great weakness in his eyes till he was 12 years of age, and he was then fent to fchool. He had his grammar education under the famous Dr. Francis Hutchefon, who then taught in Dublin, but was afterwards profeffor of philofophy in the Univerfity of Glafgow. He went from Dr. Hutchefon to that Univerfity in 1722, where he remained till the year 1725, and took the degree of M. A. He had for his tutor Mr. John Lowdon, profeffer of philofophy; and attended the lectures of Mr. Rofs, profeffor of humanity; of Mr. Dunlop, profeffor of Greek; of Mr. Morthland, profeffor of the Oriental languages; of Mr. Simpfon, profeffor of mathematics; and of Dr. John Simpfon, profeffor of divinity. In the laft-mentioned year a difpute was revived, which had been often agitated before, between Mr. John Sterling the principal, and the ftudents, about a right to chufe a rector, whofe office and power is fomewhat like that of the vice-chancellor of Oxford or Cambridge. Mr. Robertfon took part with his fellow-ftudents, and was appointed by them, together with William Campbell, efq. fon of Campbell of Marmore, whofe family has fince fucceeded to the eftates and titles of Argyle, to wait upon the principal with a petition figned by more than threefcore matriculated ftudents, praying that he would, on the 1ft day of March, according to the ftatutes, fummon an univerfity meeting for the election of a rector; which petition he rejected with contempt. Whereupon the faid William Campbell, in his own name and in the

against the princ name of all the petitioners, protested

refufal, and in the hands of Cuthbert Steward, notary public and all the petitioners went to the houfe of Hugh Montgomery, efq. the unlawful rector, and there Mr. Robertfon read aloud the proteft against him and his authority. Mr. Robertson, by these proceedings, became the immediate object of indignation, and was the only one of all the fubfcribers to the petition that was proceeded againft. He was cited before the faculty, i. e. the principal and the profeffors of the univerfity, of whom the principal was fure of a majority, and, after a trial which lafted feveral days, had the fentence of expulfion pronounced against him*; of which See it in fentence he demanded a copy; by which it appears that Gent. Mag.

Mr.

1783,P-747

Mr. Robertfon was fo fully perfuaded of the juftice of his caufe, and the propriety of his proceedings, that he most openly and ftrenuously acknowledged and adhered to what he had done. Upon this, Mr. Lowdon, his tutor, and Mr. Dunlop, profeffor of Greek, wrote letters to Mr. Robertfon's father, acquainting him of what had happencd, and affuring him that his fon had been expelled, not for any crime or immorality, but for appearing very zealous in a difpute about a matter of right between the principal and the students. These letters Mr. Robertfon fent inclofed in one from himfelf, relating his proceedings and fufferings in the caufe of what he thought juftice and right. Upon this his father defired him to take every ftep he might think proper to affert and maintain his own and his fellow-ftudents claims. Hereupon Mr. Robertfon went up to London, and prefented a memorial to John duke of Argyle, containing the claims of the ftudents of the univerfity of Glasgow, their proceedings in the vindication of them, and his own particular fufferings in the caufe. The duke received him very gracioufly, but faid, that "he was little acquainted with things of this fort;" and advifed him" to apply to his brother Archibald earl of

liay, who was better verfed in fuch matters than he." Accordingly he waited on lord Ilay, who, upon reading the reprefentation of the cafe, faid he would confider of it." And, upon confideration of it, he was fo affected, that he applied to the king for a commiflion to vifit the univerfity of Glafgow, with full power to examine into and rectify all abufes therein. In the fummer of the year 1726, the earl of Ilay with the other vifitors repaired to Glasgow, and, upon a full examination into the feveral injuries and abufes complained of, they reftored to the ftudents the right of electing their rector; called Mr. Sterling, the principal, to a fevere account for the public money that he had embezzled, which amounted to fo much as to erect many ftately edifices for the ufe of the university; recovered the right of the univerfity to fend two gentlemen, upon plentiful exhibitions, to Baliol college in Oxford; took off the expulfion of Mr. Robertfon, and ordered that particularly to be recorded in the proceedings of the commiffion; annulled the election of the rector who had been named by the principal; and affembled the ftudents, who immediately chofe the mafter of Rofs, fon of lord Rofs, to be their rector, &c. Thefe things fo affected Mr. Sterling, that he died foon after; but the univerfity revived,

5

con

revived, and hath continued in a most fore dition ever fince. Mr. Robertfon was all this time in London, where he received an account of thefe proceedings in letters from Dr. William Wifhart, who was then one of the minifters of Glafgow, and one of the commiffioners, a gentleman well known in the learned world, and afterwards principal of the univerfity of Edinburgħ. A remarkable expreffion in one of Dr. Wilhart's letters to Mr. Robertfon is, "The commiffioners have made fe"veral other regulations for the good order of the uni"verfity, and preventing tyranny for the future."

Lord Ilay had introduced Mr. Robertfon to Bp. Hoadly, who mentioned him to Abp. Wake, and he was entertained with much civility by thofe great prelates. As he was then too young to be admitted into orders, he employed his time in London in vifiting the public libraries, attending lectures, and improving himself as opportunities offered. He had the honour to be introduced to lord chancellor King, by a very kind letter from Dr. Hort, bishop of Kilmore, and was often with his lordship.

1727, Dr. John Hoadly, brother to the bishop of Salifbury, was nominated to the united bishoprics of Ferns and Leighlin in Ireland. Mr. Robertfon was introduced to him by his brother, and, from a love of the natale folum, was defirous to go thither with him. Mr. Robertfon then informed the archbishop of Canterbury of his defign; and his Grace gave him a letter of recommendation to Dr. Goodwin, archbishop of Cashel, who received him in a moft friendly manner, but died foon after. The first perfon whom Dr. Hoadly ordained, after he was confecrated bishop of Ferns, was Mr. Robertfon, whofe letters of deacons orders bear date Jan. 14, 1727; and in February the bishop nominated him to the cure of Tullow in the county of Carlow and here he continued till he was of age fufficient to be ordained a prieft, which was done November 10, 1729; and the next day he was prefented by lord Carteret, then lord lieutenant of Ireland, to the rectory of Ravilly in the county of Carlow, and to the rectory of Kilravelo in the county of Wicklow; and foon after was collated to the vicarages of the faid parifhes by the bishop of Ferns. Thefe were the only preferments he had till the year 1738, when Dr. Synge, bishop of Ferns, collated him to the vicarages of Rathmore and Straboe, and the perpetual cure of Rahil, all in the county of Carlow. Thefe together produced an inVOL. XI.

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