"other monuments: obelisks have their term, and "pyramids will tumble; but these mountainous mo"numents may ftand, and are like to have the fame "period with the earth." In the next, he anfwers two geographical queftions; one concerning Troas, mentioned in the Acts and Epiftles of St. Paul, which he determines to be the city built near the ancient Ilium; and the other concerning the dead fea, of which he gives the fame account with other writers. Another letter treats Of the anfwers of the oracle of Apollo, at Delphos, to Crofus king of Lydia. In this tract nothing deserves notice, more than that Browne confiders the oracles as evidently and indubitably fupernatural, and founds all his difquifition upon that poftulate. He wonders why the phyfiologists of old, having fuch means of instruction, did not enquire into the fecrets of nature: But judiciously concludes, that fuch questions would probably have been vain; " for, in matters cognofcible, and formed "for our difquifition, our industry must be our "oracle, and reafon our Apollo." The pieces that remain are, A prophecy concerning the future fate of feveral nations; in which Browne plainly discovers his expectation to be the fame with that entertained lately with more confidence by Dr. Berkeley, "that America will be the feat of the fifth "empire:" and Museum claufum, five Bibliotheca abfcondita; in which the author amufes himself with imagining the existence of books and curiofities, either never in being, or irrecoverably loft. These pieces I have recounted as they are ranged in Tenifon's collection, because the editor has given no no account of the time at which any of them were written. Some of them are of little value, more than as they gratify the mind with the picture of a great fcholar, turning his learning into amufement; or fhew upon how great a variety of enquiries the fame mind has been fuccefsfully employed. The other collection of his pofthumous pieces, published in octavo, London 1722, contains Repertorium; or fome account of the tombs and monuments in the cathedral of Norwich; where, as Tenifon obferves, there is not matter proportionate to the skill of the antiquary. The other pieces are, " Anfwers to Sir William "Dugdale's enquiries about the fens; a letter con"cerning Ireland; another relating to urns newly "discovered; fome fhort ftrictures on different fub jects; and a letter to a friend on the death of his "intimate friend," published fingly by the author's fon in 1690. There is inferted, in the "Biographia Britannica, "a letter containing inftructions for the ftudy of " phyfick;" which, with the effays here offered to the publick, completes the works of Dr. Browne. To the life of this learned man, there remains little to be added, but that in 1665 he was chosen honorary fellow of the college of phyficians, as a man, "Virtute et literis ornatiffimus; - eminently "embellished with literature and virtue:" and, in 1671, received at Norwich, the honour of knighthood from Charles II. a prince, who, with many frailties and vices, had yet fkill to difcover excellence, and virtue to reward it with fuch honorary diftinctions at least as coft him nothing, yet, conferred U 2 ferred by a king fo judicious and fo much beloved, had the power of giving merit new luftre and greater popularity. Thus he lived in high reputation, till in his feventy-fixth year he was feized with a colick, which, after having tortured him about a week, put an end to his life at Norwich, on his birth-day, October 19, 1682*. Some of his laft words were expreffions of fubmiffion to the will of God, and fearleffness of death. He lies buried in the church of St. Peter, Mancroft, in Norwich, with this infcription on a mural monument, placed on the fouth pillar of the altar: M. S. Hic fitus eft THOMAS BROWNE, M. D. Anno 1605, Londini natus; Apud Oxonienfes bonis literis Haud leviter imbutus ; In urbe hâc Nordovicenfi medicinam Vir prudentiffimus, integerrimus, doctiffimus; Da. Doroth. Br. *Browne's remains. Whitefoot. Near Near the foot of this pillar Lies Sir Thomas Browne, kt. and doctor in physick, Dame Dorothy Browne, who had bin his affectionate Befides his lady, who died in 1685, he left a fon and three daughters. Of the daughters nothing very remarkable is known; but his fon, Edward Browne, requires a particular mention. He was born about the year 1642; and, after having paffed through the claffes of the fchool at Norwich, became bachelor of phyfick at Cambridge; and, afterwards removing to Merton-College in Oxford, was admitted there to the fame degree, and afterwards made a doctor. In 1668 he vifited part of Germany; and in the year following made a wider excurfion into Auftria, Hungary, and Theffaly; where the Turkish sultan then kept his court at Lariffa. He afterwards paffed through Italy. His skill in natural history made him particularly attentive to mines and metallurgy. Upon his return he published an account of the countries through which he had paffed; which I have heard commended by a learned traveller, who has vifited many places after him, as written with scrupulous and exact veracity, fuch as is scarcely to be found in any other book of the fame kind. But whatever it may contribute to the inftruction of a naturalist, I cannot recommend it as likely to give much pleasure to common readers; for whether it be that the world is very uniform, and therefore he who is refolved to adhere to truth will have few novelties to relate; or that Dr. Browne was, by the train of his ftudies, led to enquire most after those things by which the greatest part of mankind is little affected; a great part of his book feem's to contain very unimportant accounts of his paffage from one place where he saw little, to another where he faw no more. Upon his return, he practised phyfick in London; was made phyfician firft to Charles II., and afterwards, in 1682, to St. Bartholomew's hofpital. About the fame time he joined his name to those of many other eminent men, in "a tranflation of Plu"tarch's lives." He was first cenfor, then élect, and treasurer of the college of physicians; of which in 1705 he was chofen prefident, and held his office till in 1708 he died in a degree of eftimation fuitable to a man fo varioufly accomplished, that king Charles had honoured him with this panegyrick, that "he "was as learned as any of the college, and as well"bred as any of the court." Of every great and eminent character, part breaks forth into publick view, and part lies hid in domestic privacy. Thofe qualities, which have been exerted in any known and lafting performances, may, at any distance of time, be traced and eftimated; but filent excellencies are foon forgotten; and thofe minute peculiarities which difcriminate every man from all others, if they are not recorded by thofe whom perfonal knowledge enables to obferve them, are irrecoverably loft. This mutilation of character muft have |