been published fince his death. He alfo not a little contributed to the improvements made in the royal obfervatory at Greenwich, by procuring for it, through the intereft of the fame noble perfon, a fecond mural quadrant and other inftruments, by which it is become perhaps the compleatest of any obfervatory in the world. His reputation being now arrived at its full height, he was 'offered the choice of two very confiderable employments. The first was to go to Paris, as one of the commiffaries for adjusting the limits in Acadia; the other, to be engineer general to the Eaft India company, whose forts, being in a moft ruinous condition, wanted a capable person to put them into a pofture of defence. This latter he accepted, as it was fuitable to his genius, and as the company's terms were both advantageous and honour. able. He defigned, if he had remained in England, to have written a fecond part of the "Voyage round the World" as appears by a letter from lord Anson to him, dated" Bath, Oct. 22, 1749," here printed by his lordfhip's permiffion:

"Dear Sir, When I laft faw you in town, I forgot to afk you, whether you intended to publifh the fecond volume of my Voyage' before you leave us; which, I confefs, I a very forry for. If you fhould have laid afide all "thoughts of favouring the world with more of your works, "it will be much difappointed, and no one in it more "than your very much obliged humble fervant, ANSON.'

Robins was alfo preparing an enlarged edition of his "New Principles of Gunnery:" but, having provided himfelf with a compleat fet of aftronomical and other inftruments, for making obfervations and experiments in the Indies, he departed hence at Christmas in 1749; and after a voyage, in which the fhip was near being caft away, arrived at the Indies July 13, 1750. There he imme→ diately fet about his proper bufinefs with unwearied diligence, and formed compleat plans for Fort St. David and Madrafs but he lived not to put them into execution. For the great difference of the climate being beyond his conftitution to fupport, he was attacked by a fever in September; and, though he recovered out of this, yet about eight months after he fell into a languishing con dition, in which he continued till his death, which hap 'pened July 29, 1751. By his laft will, he left the publishing of his mathematical works to his honoured and intimate friend Martin Folkes, efq; prefident of the Royal Society, and to James Wilfon, M. D. doctor of phyfic; but the former

be

former of thefe gentlemen being incapacitated by à paralytic diforder, for fome time before his death, they were afterwards published by the latter, in 2 vols. 8vo, 1761. Dr. Wilfon has prefixed an account of Mr. Robins, from which this memoir is extracted.

ROCHEFOUCAULT (FRANCIS, duke of), a greatgenius among the French, was born in 1613, and died in 1680. He is inferted here on account of a small collection of" Maximes, ou Sentences:" of which Voltaire has not fcrupled to fay, that it contributed more than any performance, to form the taste of the French nation, and give it a true relifh of propriety and correctnefs. "Though Sicle de there is," continues he," but one truth running through Louis XIV. this whole piece, namely, that felf-love is the fpring c. 29. of all our actions and determinations; yet this thought prefents itself under fuch a variety of forms, as never "fail to ftrike with new furprife. It is not so properly

a book itself, as a fet of materials to embellish a book. "This little collection was much read and admired: it "accustomed our authors to think, and to comprise their "thoughts in a lively, correct, and delicate turn of phrafe;

which was a merit utterly unknown to any European writer before him, fince the revival of Letters." A good edition of them, with valuable notes, has been given to the English reader by Mr. Lockyer Davis. We have alfo of this noble author" Memoires de la Regence de la "Reine Anne d'Autriche," written with great fenfe and a deep penetration into things. "His Memoirs," fays Voltaire," are ftill read; and his Maxims are known "by heart."

tom. 11.

life and

ROCHESTER (JOHN WILMOT, earl of), a great wit in the reign of Charles II.was the fon of Henry earl of Rochefter; who bore a great part in the civil wars, and was Some paffathe chief manager of the king's prefervation, after the bat- ges of the tle of Worcester. He was born in April, 1648; and was death of educated in grammar and claffical literature in the free- John earl of fchool at Burford. Here he acquired the Latin to fuch Rochefer. By Gilbert perfection, that to his dying day he retained a quick relish Burnet, of the finenefs and beauty of that tongue; and afterwards D.D. 1750, became exactly verfed in the authors of the Auguftan age, then. which he often read. In 1659, he was admitted a noble- os n. man of Wadham-college in Oxford, under the infpection of Dr. Blandford, afterwards bifhop of Oxford and Worcefter; and, in 1661, was with other noble perfons created

mafter

12mo.

Sheffield

duke of Buckingham's Works,

vol. II.

mafter of arts in convocation: at which time, Wood fays, he and none elfe was admitted very affectionately into the fraternity by a kifs from the chancellor of the univerfity, Clarendon, who then fate in the fupreme chair. Afterwards he travelled into France and Italy; and at his return frequented the court, which, the fame Wood obferves, and there is reafon to believe very truly, not only debauched his manners, but made him a perfect Hobbift in principle. In the mean time, he became one of the gentlemen of the bed-chamber to the king, and comptroler of Woodstock park. In 1665, he went to fea with the earl of Sandwich, who was fent to lie in wait for the Dutch Eaft India fleet; and was in the Revenge, commanded by Sir Thomas Tiddiman, when the attack was made on the port of Bergen in Norway, the Dutch fhips having got into that port. It was a defperate attempt; and during the whole action, the earl of Rochefter fhewed the greateft refolution, and gained a high reputation for courage. He fupported this reputation in a fecond expedition, but afterwards loft it in an adventure with lord Mulgrave; of which that noble author, in the memoirs of himfelf, gives a particular account. It exhibits fome traits of the earl of Rochefter's character; and therefore, though fomewhat tedious and wordy, we will tranfcribe it into this memoir. "I was informed," fays lord Mulgrave, that the earl of "Rochefter had faid fomething of me, which according to his custom was very malicious: I therefore fent co"lonel Afton, a very mettled friend of mine, to call him 46 to account for it. He denied the words, and indeed I was foon convinced he had never faid them; but the mere report, though I found it to be falfe, obliged me, "as I then foolishly thought, to go on with the quarrel; " and the next day was appointed for us to fight on horfeback, a way in England a little unufual, but it was his part to chufe. Accordingly, I and my fecond lay the night before at Knightsbridge privately, to avoid the "being fecured at London upon any fufpicion; and in

66

667

66

the morning we met the lord Rochefter at the place ap "pointed, who, inftead of James Porter, whom he affured "Afton he would make his fecond, brought an errant

life-guard man, whom nobody knew. To this Mr. "Afton took exception, upon the account of his being "no fuitable adverfary; efpecially confidering "tremely well he was mounted, whereas we had only a "couple of pads: upon which, we all agreed to fight on

foot.

foot. But, as my lord Rochester and I were riding “ into the next field in order to it, he told me, that he "had at first chofen to fight on horfeback, because he

was fo weak with a certain distemper, that he found himself unfit at all any way, much lefs on foot. I was "extremely surprised, becaufe at that time no man had a "better reputation for courage; and I took the liberty of reprefenting what a ridiculous ftory it would make, if "we returned without fighting, and therefore advised "him for both our fakes, efpecially for his own, to con"fider better of it, fince I must be obliged in my own "defence to lay the fault on him, by telling the truth of "the matter. His anfwer was, that he fubmitted to it; " and hoped, that I would not defire the advantange of "having to do with any man in fo weak a condition. I "replied, that by fuch an argument he had fuffici"ently tied my hands, upon condition that I might "" call our feconds to be witneffes of the whole business; "which he confented to, and fo we parted. When we "returned to London, we found it full of this quarrel, "upon our being abfent fo long; and therefore Mr. "Afton thought himfelf obliged to write down every "word and circumftance of this whole matter, in order "to spread every where the true reafon of our returning "without having fought. This, being never in the leaft "contradicted or refented by the lord Rochefter, entirely

ruined his reputation as to courage, of which I was "really forry to be the occafion, though nobody had ftill "a greater as to wit: which fupported him pretty well in "the world, notwithstanding some more accidents of the "fame kind, that never fail to fucceed one another, "when once people know a man's weakness."

The earl of Rochefter, before he travelled abroad, had given fomewhat into that diforderly and intemperate way. of living, which the joy of the whole nation, upon the reftoring of Charles II, had introduced; yet had fo far got the better of this at his return, that he hated nothing more. But falling into court-company, where thefe exceffes were continually practifed, he was brought back to it again and the natural heat of his fancy, being inflamed with wine, made him fo extravagantly pleasant, that many, to be more diverted by that humour, trove to engage him deeper and deeper in intemperance. This at length fo entirely fubdued him, that, as he told Dr. Burnet, he was for five years together continually drunk:

not

not all the while under the vifible effect of liquor, but fo inflamed in his blood, that he was never cool enough to be mafter of himself. There were two principles in the natural temper of this lively and witty earl, which carried him to great exceffes; a violent love of pleasure, and at difpofition to extravagant mirth. The one involved him in great fenfuality, the other led him to many odd adventures and frolicks. Once he disguised himself so, that his nearest friends could not have known him, and set up in Tower-ftreet for an Italian mountebank, where he practifed phyfic for fome weeks. He difguifed himself often as a porter, or as a beggar; fometimes to follow fome mean amours, which, for the variety of them, he affected. At other times, merely for diversion, he would go about in odd shapes; in which he acted his part fo naturally, that even thofe who were in the fecret, and faw him in these shapes, could perceive nothing by which he might be discovered. He is faid to have been a generous and good-natured man in cold blood, yet would go far in his heats after any thing, that might turn to a jeft or matter of diverfion; and he laid out himfelf very freely in libels and fatires, in which he had so peculiar a talent of mixing wit with malice, that all his compofitions were eafily known. Andrew Marvell, who was himself a great wit, used to fay, that Rochester "was the only man in England who had the true vein of fatire."

"Thus," fays Dr. Johnfon," in a courfe of drunken "gaiety, and grofs fenfualty, with intervals of study per

haps yet more criminal, with an avowed contempt "of all decency and order, a total difregard to every "moral, and a refolute denial of every religious obliga"tion, he lived worthlefs and ufelefs, and blazed out his "youth and his health in lavish voluptuoufnefs; till, at "the age of one and thirty, he had exhaufted the fund "of life, and reduced himfelf to a ftate of weakness and decay.'

Oct. 1679, when he was flowly recovering from a great difeafe, he was vifited by Dr. Burnet, upon an intimation that fuch a vifit would be very agreeable to him. He grew into great freedom with that divine, so as to open to him all his thoughts both of religion and morality, and to give him a full view of his past life: upon which the doctor waited on him often, till he went from London in April following, and once or twice after. They can-, vaffed at various times the principles of morality, natural

and