by every man whose practice is at variance with his words.

The Religio Medici was no fooner published than it excited the attention of the publick, by the novelty of paradoxes, the dignity of fentiment, the quick fucceffion of images, the multitude of abftruse allusions, the fubtlety of difquifition, and the ftrength of language.

What is much read will be much criticifed. The earl of Dorfet recommended this book to the perufal of Sir Kenelm Digby, who returned his judgment upon it, not in a letter, but a book; in which, though mingled with fome pofitions fabulous and uncertain, there are acute remarks, just cenfures, and profound fpeculations; yet its principal claim to admiration is, that it was written in twenty-four hours, of which part was spent in procuring Browne's book, and part in reading it.

*

Of these animadverfions, when they were yet not all printed, either officiousness or malice informed Dr. Browne; who wrote to Sir Kenelm with much softness and ceremony, declaring the unworthinéfs of his work to engage fuch notice, the intended privacy of the compofition, and the corruptions of the impreffion; and received an anfwer equally genteel and refpectful, containing high commendations of the piece, pompous profeffions of reverence, meek acknowledgments of inability, and anxious apologies for the haftinefs of his remarks.

The reciprocal civility of authors is one of the most risible scenes in the farce of life. Who would not

* Digby's letter to Browne, prefixed to the Religio Medici, fol. edit.

have thought, that these two luminaries of their age had ceafed to endeavour to grow bright by the obfcuration of each other? yet the animadverfions thus weak, thus precipitate, upon a book thus injured in the transcription, quickly paffed the prefs; and Religio Medici was more accurately published, with an admonition prefixed "to those who have or shall per"use the observations upon a former corrupt copy;" in which there is a fevere cenfure, not upon Digby, who was to be used with ceremony, but upon the obfervator who had ufurped his name: nor was this inwective written by Dr. Browne, who was supposed to be fatisfied with his opponent's apology; but by fome officious friend, zealous for his honour, without his confent.

Browne has, indeed, in his own preface, endeavoured to fecure himself from rigorous examination, by alledging, that "many things are delivered rhe"torically, many expreffions merely tropical, and "therefore many things to be taken in a foft and "flexible fenfe, and not to be called unto the rigid "teft of reafon." The firft glance upon his book will indeed difcover examples of this liberty of thought and expreffion: "I could be content (fays he) to be nothing almoft to eternity, if I might

ce

enjoy my Saviour at the laft." He has little acquaintance with the acutenefs of Browne, who fufpects him of a ferious opinion, that any thing.can be almost eternal," or that any time beginning and ending, is not infinitely le than infinite duration.

In this book he speaks much, and, in the opinion of Digby, too much of himfelf; but with fuch generality and concifeness as affords very little light to his

biogra

biographer: he declares, that, befides the dialects of different provinces, he understood fix languages; that he was no stranger to Aftronomy; and that he had feen feveral countries; but what moft awakens curiofity is, his folemn affertion, that "his life has been "a miracle of thirty years; which to relate were not "hiftory, but a piece of poetry, and would found "like a fable."

There is, undoubtedly, a sense in which all life is miraculous; as it is an union of powers of which we can image no connexion, a fucceffion of motions of which the firft caufe must be fupernatural: but life, thus explained, whatever it may have of miracle, will have nothing of fable; and, therefore, the author undoubtedly had regard to fomething, by which he imagined himself diftinguished from the rest of mankind.

Of these wonders, however, the view that can be now taken of his life offers no appearance. The course of his education was like that of others, fuch as put him little in the way of extraordinary cafualties. A fcholaftic and academical life is very uniform; and has, indeed, more fafety than pleasure. A traveller has greater opportunities of adventure; but Browne traverfed no unknown feas, or Arabian defarts and, furely, a man may vifit France and Italy, refide at Montpelier and Padua, and at laft take his degree at Leyden, without any thing miraculous. What it was "that would, if it was related, found fo poetical and fabulous, we are left to guess; I believe without hope of guefling rightly. The wonders probably were tranfa&ted in his own mind; felf-love, co-operating with an imagination vigorous

and fertile as that of Browne, will find or make objects of aftonishment in every man's life; and, perhaps, there is no human being, however hid in the. crowd from the obfervation of his fellow-mortals, who, if he has leifure and difpofition to recollect his own thoughts and actions, will not conclude his life in fome fort a miracle, and imagine himself diftinguifhed from all the reft of his fpecies by many dif

criminations of nature or of fortune.

The fuccefs of this performance was fuch, as might naturally encourage the author to new undertakings. A gentleman of Cambridge *, whofe name was Merryweather, turned it not inelegantly into Latin; and from his verfion it was again tranflated into Italian, German, Dutch, and French; and at Strafburg the Latin tranflation was published with large notes, by Lenuus Nicholaus Molifarius. Of the English annotations, which in all the editions from 1644 accompany the book, the author is unknown.

Of Merryweather, to whofe zeal Browne was fo much indebted for the fudden extenfion of his renown, I know nothing, but that he published a fmall treatise for the inftruction of young perfons in the attainment of a Latin ftyle. He printed his tranflation in Holland with fome difficulty t. The first printer to whom he offered it carried it to Salmafius, "who laid it by (fays he) in ftate for three months," and then difcouraged its publication: it was afterwards rejected by two other printers, and at last was received by Hackius.

*Life of fir Thomas Browne.

+ Merryweather's letter, inferted in the Life of fir Thomas Browne.

The

The peculiarities of this book raised the author, as is usual, many admirers and many enemies; but we know not of more than one profeffed anfwer, written under the title of Medicus Medicatus, by Alexander Rofs, which was univerfally neglected by the

world.

At the time when this book was published, Dr. Browne refided at Norwich, where he had fettled in 1636, by the perfuafion of Dr. Lufhington his tutor, who was then rector of Barnham Westgate in the neighbourhood. It is recorded by Wood, that his practice was very extenfive, and that many patients reforted to him. In 1637 he was incorporated doctor of phyfick in Oxford.

He married in 1641 § Mrs. Mileham, of a good family in Norfolk; "a lady (fays Whitefoot) of "fuch fymmetrical proportion to her worthy huf

band, both in the graces of her body and mind, "that they seemed to come together by a kind of "natural magnetifm.",

This marriage could not but draw the raillery of contemporary wits | upon a man who had just been wifhing in his new book, " that we might procreate "like trees, without conjunction ;" and had a. declared, that "the whole world was m

"but only the twelfth part of a'

and, that "man is the whole world

"the rib or crooked nu

Whether the 1

contemptuous per

an only

on yet informed of these whether fhe was pleased

‡ Wood. S Whitefoot.

¶ Religio Medici.