verfes; and the lord Bacon dedicated to him his "Tranfla ❝tion of fome Pfalms into English Metre." HERBERT (WILLIAM), earl of Pembroke, was born at Wilton in Wiltshire, April 8, 1580, and admitted of New-college in Oxford in 1592, where he continued about Ath. Oxon. two years. In 1601, he fucceeded to his father's honours and eftate; was made K. G. in 1604; and governor of Portsmouth fix years after. In 1626, he was elected chancellor of the univerfity of Oxford; and about the fame time made lord steward of the king's houfhold. He died fuddenly at his house called Baynard's caftle, in London, April 10, 1630; according to the calculation of his nativity, fays Wood, made feveral years before by Mr. Thomas Allen, of Gloucefter-hall. Clarendon relates concerning this calculation, that, fome confiderable perfons connected with lord Pembroke being met at Maidenhead, one of them at fupper drank a health to the lord fteward: upon which another faid, that he believed his lordship was at that time very merry; for he had now outlived the day, which it had been prognofticated upon his nativity he would not outlive; but he had done it now, for that was his birth-day, which had compleated his age to 50 years. The next morning, however, Hift. of Re- they received the news of his death. Whether the noble bellion, b.I. hiftorian really believed this and other accounts relating to aftrology, apparitions, providential interpofitions, &c. which he has inferted in his hiftory, we do not prefume to fay: he delivers them, however, as if he did not actually disbelieve them. Lord Pembroke was not only a great favourer of learned and ingenious men, but was himself learned, and endued with a confiderable fhare of poetic genius. All that are extant of his productions in this way, were published with this title: "Poems written by William Earl of Pembroke, "&c. many of which are answered by way of repartee by "Sir Benjamin Rudyard, with other Poems written by them "occafionally and apart, 1660," 8vo. The character of this noble perfon is not only one of the most amiable in lord Clarendon's history, but is one of the best drawn. "He was," fays the great hiftorian, "the most "univerfally beloved and efteemed of any man of that age; "and having a great office in the court, he made the court "itself better efteemed, and more reverenced in the country: "and as he had a great number of friends of the best men, "fo no man had ever the confidence to avow himself to be "his enemy. He was a man very well bred, and of excellent 2. lent parts, and a graceful fpeaker upon any fubject, hav"ing a good proportion of learning, and a ready wit to ap"ply it, and enlarge upon it: of a pleasant and facetious "humour, and a difpofition affable, generous, and mag"nificent. He lived many years about the court before in it, and never by it; being rather regarded and esteemed "by king James, than loved and favoured.-As he spent "and lived upon his own fortune, so he stood upon his own "feet, without any other fupport than of his proper virtue "and merit.He was exceedingly beloved in the court, "because he never defired to get that for himself which "others laboured for, but was ftill ready to promote the - pretences of worthy men: and he was equally celebrated "in the country, for having received no obligations from "the court, which might corrupt or sway his affections and "judgement.He was a great lover of his country, and of "the religion and juftice which he believed could only fupport it and his friendships were only with men of those "principles. Sure never man was planted in a court who "was fitter for that foil, or brought better qualities with "him to purify that air. Yet his memory must not be "flattered, that his virtues and good inclinations may be "believed he was not without fome alloy of vice, and "without being clouded by great infirmities, which he had "in too exorbitant a proportion. He indulged to himself "the pleasures of all kinds, alınoft in all exceffes. He died exceedingly lamented by men of all qualities, &c." HERBERT (THOMAS), an eminent perfon of the fame family, was born at York, where his grandfather was an alderman, and admitted of Jefus-college, Oxford, in 1621: but before he took a degree, removed to Trinity-college in Cambridge. He made a short stay there, and then went to wait upon William earl of Pembroke, recorded in the preceding article; who owning him for his kinfman, and intending his advancement, fent him in 1626 to travel, with an allowance to bear his charges. He spent four years in visiting Afia and Africa; and then returning, waited on his patron at Baynard's caftle in London. The earl dying fuddenly, his expectations of preferment were at an end; upon which he left England a fecond time, and vifited feveral parts of Europe. After his return he married, and now being fettled, gave himself up to reading and writing. 1634, he published in folio, "A Relation of fome Years "Travels into Africa and the great Afia, especially the Ter❝ritories E 2 In Ath. Oxon. Vol. II. "ritories of the Perfian Monarchy, and fome Parts of the "Oriental Indies, and Ifles adjacent." The edition of 1677 is the fourth, and has several additions. This work was tranflated by Wiquefort into French, with " An Account of "the Revolutions of Siam in 1647, Paris, 1663," in 4to. All the impreffions of Herbert's book are in folio, and adorned with cuts. Upon the breaking out of the civil wars, he adhered to the parliament; and, by the endeavours of Philip earl of Pembroke, became not only one of the commiffioners of parliament to refide in the army of Sir Thomas Fairfax, but a commiffioner alfo to treat with those of the king's party for the furrender of the garrifon at Oxford. He afterwards attended that earl, especially in Jan. 1646, when he, with other commiffioners, was fent from the parliament to the king at Newcastle about peace, and to bring his majefty. nearer London. While the king was at Oldenby, the parliament commiffioners, purfuant to inftructions, addreffed themselves to his majesty, and defired him to dismiss such of his fervants as were there and had waited on him at Oxford: which his majefty with great reluctance confented to do. He had taken notice in the mean time of Mr. James Harrington, the author of the "Oceana," and Mr. Thomas Herbert, who had followed the court from Newcastle; and being certified of their fobriety and education, he was willing to receive them as grooms of his bedchamber with the others that were left him; which the commiffioners approv ing, they were that night admitted. Being thus fettled in that honourable office, and in good efteem with his majesty, Herbert continued with him when all the reft of the chamber were removed; even till his majefty was brought to the block. The king, though he found him, fays Wood, to be presbyterianly affected; yet withal found him very obfervant and loving, and therefore entrusted him with many matters of moment. At the Restoration he was made a baronet by Charles II. for faithfully ferving his royal father during "the two laft years of his life;" as the letters patent for that purpofe run. He died at his houfe in York, March 1, 1681-2. ' Befides the travels already mentioned, he was the author of other things. He wrote in 1678, "Threnodia Carolina, containing an hiftorical Account of the two laft Years of "the Life of King Charles I." and the occafion of it was this. The parliament having a little before taken into confideration the appointing of 70,000l. for the funeral of that 3 king, king, and for a monument to be erected over his grave, Sir Liter. Vol. I. p. 30. HERMAS Paftor, or Hermas commonly called the Shepherd, was an ancient father of the church, and is generally fuppofed to have been the fame, whom St. Paul mentions in Rom. xvi. 14. He is ranked amongst those who are called Apoftolical Fathers, from his having lived in the times of the Apoftles but who he was, what he did, and what he suffered, for the fake of Chriftianity, is in a great measure, if not altogether, unknown to us. He feems to have belonged to the church of Rome, when Clement was bishop of it; that is, according to Dodwell, from the year 64 or 65 to the Cave's Hift. year 81. This circumftance we are able to collect from his "Second Vifion," of which, he tells us, he was commanded to communicate a copy to Clement. What his condition Vif. ii. §. 4. was before his converfion, we know not; but that he was a man of fome confideration, we may conclude from what we read in his "Third Vifion;" where he owns himself to have Vif. iii. been formerly unprofitable to the Lord, upon the account of §. 6. thofe riches, which afterwards he feems to have difpenfed in works of charity and beneficence. What he did after his converfion we have no account; but that he lived a very Atrict life we may reasonably conjecture, fince he is faid to have had several extraordinary revelations vouchfafed to him, and to have been employed in feveral meflages to the church, E 3 both Baron. Annal. Eccl. ad both to correct their manners, and to warn them of the trials that were about to come upon them. His death, if we may believe the "Roman Martyrology," was conformable to his life; where we read, that being "illuftrious for his miracles," "he at laft offered himself a worthy facrifice unto God." But upon what grounds this is established, Baronius himself could not tell us; infomuch that in his "Annals" he durft not once mention the manner of his death, but is content to fay, that "having undergone many labours and troubles in "the time of the perfecution under Aurelius, and that too "without any authority, he at laft refted in the Lord July "the 26th, which is therefore obferved in commemoration " of him." And here we may obferve a very pleasant miftake, and altogether worthy of the "Roman Martyrology." For Hermas, from a book of which we fhall speak immediately, being fometimes called by the title of " Pastor, or Martyrolog. Shepherd," the martyrologift has very gravely divided the Maij ix. & good man into two faints: and they obferve the memorial of Hermas May the 9th, and of Paftor July the 26th. ann. 164. Rom. ad Jul. xxvi. Lib. iv. The book juft mentioned, and for which chiefly we have given Hermas a place in this work, is, as we have obferved, intituled "The Shepherd;" and is the only remains of this father. Ancients and moderns are not a little divided in their judgements of this book. Some there are, and thofe the neareft to the time when it was written, who put it almost upon a level with the canonical Scriptures. Irenæus quotes it under the very name of Scripture. Origen, though he fometimes moderates his opinion of it, upon the account of those who did not think it canonical, yet in his "Comments "on the Epiftle to the Romans," gives this character of it, Hift. Ecclef. that " he thought it to be a most useful writing, and was, as 1. iii. c. 3. Catalog. Script. Ecelef. he believed, divinely infpired." Eufebius tells us, that "though being doubted of by fome, it was not esteemed ca-' "nonical, yet was it by others judged a moft neceffary book, " and as fuch read publicly in the churches." And Jerome, having in like manner obferved that it was "read in fome "churches," makes this remark upon it, that it "was in"deed a very profitable book." And yet after all we find this fame book, not only doubted of by others among the ancient fathers, but flighted even by fome of those who had In Habac. i. elsewhere spoken well of it. Thus Jerome in his "Com"ments" expofes the abfurdity of that apocryphal book, as he calls it, which in his "Catalogue of Writers" he had fo highly applauded. Tertullian, who fpake of it decently, if not honourably, while a Catholic, rejected it with fcorn, after 14. he |