being better armed, partly by furprize, and partly by fuperiority of order and valour, became mafters of the place, where they stayed without fear or danger fix weeks, and at their departure received an hundred and ten thousand ducats, for the ranfom of the town.

They afterwards took St. Auguftin, and touching at Virginia, took on board the governor, Mr. Lane, with the English that had been left there the year before by Sir Walter Raleigh, and arrived at Portfmouth on July 28, 1586, having loft in the voyage feven hundred and fifty men. The gain of this expedition amounted to fixty thousand pounds, of which forty were the fhare of the adventurers who fitted out the ships, and the rest, distributed among the several crews, amounted to fix pounds each man. So cheaply is life fometimes hazarded.

The tranfactions against the Armada, 1588, are in themselves far more memorable, but lefs neceffary to be recited in this fuccinct narrative; only let it be remembered, that the post of vice-admiral of England, to which Sir Francis Drake was then raised, is a fufficient proof, that no obfcurity of birth, or meanness of fortune, is unfurmountable to bravery and diligence.

In 1595 Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins were fent with a fleet to the West Indies, which expedition was only memorable for the deftruction of Nombre de Dios, and the death of the two commanders, of whom Sir Francis Drake died January 9, 1597, and was thrown into the fea in a leaden coffin, with all the pomp of naval obfequies. It is reported

by fome that the ill fuccefs of this voyage haftened his death. Upon what this conjecture is grounded does not appear; and we may be allowed to hope, for the honour of fo great a man, that it is without foundation; and that he, whom no feries of fuccess could ever betray to vanity or negligence, could have supported a change of fortune without impatience or dejection.

BARRETIER*.

H

AVING not been able to procure materials

for a compleat life of Mr. Barretier, and being nevertheless willing to gratify the curiofity juftly raised in the publick by his uncommon attainments, we think the following extracts of letters, written by his father, proper to be inferted in our collection, as they contain many remarkable paffages, and exhibit a general view of his genius and learning.

JOHN PHILIP BARRETIER was born at Schwabach, January 19, 1720-21. His father was a Calvinist minifter of that place, who took upon himself the care of his education. What arts of inftruction he used, or by what method he regulated the studies of his fon, we are not able to inform the publick; but take this opportunity of intreating those, who have received more compleat intelligence, not to deny mankind so great a benefit as the improvement of education.` If Mr. Le Fevre thought the method in which he taught his children, worthy to be communicated to the learned world, how justly may Mr. Barretier claim the universal attention of mankind to

* This article was firft printed in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1740.

a scheme of education that has produced fuch a ftu» pendous progrefs! The authors, who have endeavoured to teach certain and unfailing rules for obtain. ing a long life, however they have failed in their attempts, are univerfally confeffed to have, at least, the merit of a great and noble defign, and to have deserved gratitude and honour. How much more then is due to Mr. Barretier, who has fucceeded in what they have only attempted? for to prolong life, and improve it, are nearly the fame. If to have all that riches can purchase, is to be rich; if to do all that can be done in a long time, is to live long; he is equally a benefactor to mankind, who teaches them to protract the duration, or fhorten the business of life.

That there are few things more worthy our curiofity than this method, by which the father affifted the genius of the fon, every man will be convinced, that confiders the early proficiency at which it enabled him to arrive; fuch a proficiency as no one has yet reached at the fame age, and to which it is therefore probable that every advantageous circumftance concurred.

At the age of nine years, he not only was master of five languages, an attainment in itself almost incredible, but understood, fays his father, the holy writers, better in their original tongues, than in his own. If he means by this affertion, that he knew the fenfe of many paffages in the original, which were obfcure in the tranflation, the account, however wonderful, may be admitted; but if he intends to tell his correfpondent, that his fon was better acquainted with the two languages of the Bible, than with his

!

own,

own, he must be allowed to speak hyperbolically, or to admit that his fon had fomewhat neglected the study of his native language; or we must own, that the fondness of a parent has transported him into some natural exaggerations.

Part of this letter I am tempted to fupprefs, being unwilling to demand the belief of others to that which appears incredible to myself; but as my incredulity may, perhaps, be the product rather of prejudice than reason, as envy may beget a difinclination to admit fo immenfe a fuperiority, and as an account is not to be immediately cenfured as falfe, merely because it is wonderful, I fhall proceed to give the reft of his father's relation, from his letter of the 3d of March 1729-30. He fpeaks, continues he, German, Latin, and French, equally well. He can, by laying before him a translation, read any of the books of the Old or New Teftament in its original language, without hesitation or perplexity. He is no ftranger to biblical criticifm or philofophy, nor unacquainted with ancient and modern geography, and is qualified to fupport a converfation with learned men, who fre quently vifit and correfpond with him,

In his eleventh year, he not only published a learned letter in Latin, but tranflated the travels of Rabbi Benjamin from the Hebrew into French, which he illustrated with notes, and accompanied with differtations; a work in which his father, as he himself declares, could give him little affiftance, as he did not understand the rabbinical dialect.

The reafon, for which his father engaged him in this work, was only to prevail upon him to write a fairer hand than he had hitherto accustomed himself