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exerts his rhetorical powers in praise of Afcham's difinterestedness and contempt of money; and declares, that though he was often reproached by his friends with neglect of his own intereft, he never would ask any thing, and inflexibly refufed all prefents which his office or imagined intereft induced any to offer him., Camden, however, imputes the narrowness of his condition to his love of dice and cock-fights and Graunt, forgetting himself, allows that Afcham was' fometimes thrown into agonies by disappointed expectations. It may be eafily discovered from his Schoolmaster, that he felt his wants, though he might neglect to supply them; and we are left to fufpect that he fhewed his contempt of money only by lofing at play. If this was his practice, we may excufe Elizabeth, who knew the domestick character of her fervants, if fhe did not give much to him who was lavish of a little.

However he might fail in his ceconomy, it were indecent to treat with wanton levity the memory of a man who shared his frailties with all, but whofe learning or virtues few can attain, and by whose excellencies many may be improved, while himself only fuffered by his faults.

In the reign of Elizabeth nothing remarkable is known to have befallen him, except that, in 1563, he was invited by fir Edward Sackville to write the Schoolmaster, a treatise on education, upon an occafion which he relates in the beginning of the book.

This work, though begun with alacrity, in hopes of a confiderable reward, was interrupted by the death of the patron, and afterwards forrowfully and flowly finifhed, in the gloom of difappointment, under the

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preffure of diftrefs. But of the author's difinclination or dejection there can be found no tokens in the work, which is conceived with great vigour, and finished with great accuracy; and perhaps contains the best advice that was ever given for the study of languages.

This treatise he completed, but did not publish; for that poverty which in our days drives authors fo haftily in fuch numbers to the prefs, in the time of Afcham, I believe, debarred them from it. The printers gave little for a copy, and, if we may believe the tale of Ralegh's hiftory, were not forward to print what was offered them for nothing. Af cham's book therefore lay unfeen in his ftudy, and was at last dedicated to lord Cecil by his widow.

Ascham never had a robust or vigorous body, and his excufe for fo many hours of diverfion was his inability to endure a long continuance of fedentary thought. In the latter part of his life he found it neceffary to forbear any intenfe application of the mind from dinner to bed-time, and rofe to read and write early in the morning. He was for fome years hectically feverish; and though he found fome alleviation of his diftemper, never obtained a perfect recovery of his health. The immediate cause of his laft fickness was too clofe application to the compofition of a poem, which he purposed to prefent to the queen on the day of her acceffion. To finish this, he forbore to fleep at his accustomed hours, till in December 1568 he fell fick of a kind of lingering disease, which Graunt has not named, nor accurately defcribed. The most afflictive fymptom was want of fleep, which he endeavoured to obtain by the motion of a cradle. Growing every day weaker,

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weaker, he found it vain to contend with his diftemper, and prepared to die with the refignation and piety of a true Chriftian. He was attended on his death-bed by Gravet, vicar of St. Sepulchre, and Dr. Nowel, the learned dean of St. Paul's, who gave ample teftimony to the decency and devotion of his concluding life. He frequently teftified his defire of that diffolution which he foon obtained. His funeral fermon was preached by Dr. Nowel.

Roger Afcham died in the fifty-third year of his age, at a time when, according to the general courfe of life, much might yet have been expected from him, and when he might have hoped for much from others but his abilities and his wants were at an end together; and who can determine, whether he was cut off from advantages, or refcued from calamities? He appears to have been not much qualified for the improvement of his fortune. His difpofition was kind and focial; he delighted in the pleasures of converfation, and was probably not much inclined to ́business. This may be fufpected from the paucity of his writings. He has left little behind him; and of that little nothing was published by himself but the Toxophilus, and the account of Germany. The Schoolmaster was printed by his widow; and the epistles were collected by Graunt, who dedicated them to queen Elizabeth, that he might have an opportunity of recommending his fon Giles Afcham to her patronage. The dedication was not loft: the young man was made, by the queen's mandate, fellow of a college in Cambridge, where he obtained confiderable reputation. What was the effect of his widow's dedication to Cecil, is not known it may

be hoped that Afcham's works obtained for his fa mily, after his deceafe, that fupport which he did not in his life very plenteously procure them.

Whether he was poor by his own fault, or the fault of others, cannot now be decided; but it is certain that many have been rich with lefs merit. His-philological learning would have gained him honour in any country; and among us it may juftly call for that reverence which all nations owe to those who first rouse them from ignorance, and kindle among them the light of literature. Of his manners nothing can be said but from his own testimony, and that of his contemporaries. Those who mention him allow him many virtues. His courtefy, benevolence, and liberality, are celebrated; and of his piety we have not only the teftimony of his friends, but the evidence of his writings.

Thát his English works have been so long neglected, is a proof of the uncertainty of literary fame. He was scarcely known as an author in his own language till Mr. Upton publifhed his Schoolmaster with learned notes. His other pieces were read only by thofe few who delight in obfolete books; but as they are now collected into one volume, with the addition of fome letters never printed before, the publick has an opportunity of recompenfing the injury, and allotting Afcham the reputation due to his knowledge and his eloquence.

LETTERS

BY

SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL. D.

SELECTED FROM

The Collection of Mrs. Prozzi, and others.

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