through a course of logic, rhetoric, history, and other branches of learning.

In February, 1739-40, he took chambers, and was admitted as a law-ftudent in Lincoln's Inn. Here he remained till the year 1748; but it does not appear, that he applied himself profeffedly to the ftudy of the law; nor, on the other hand, did he waste this interval in idle amufements or diffipation. He appears to have formed his conduct, very early, on the be nevolent and public fpirited model of his worthy predeceffors, improved by his own good fenfe and obfervations.

On July 19, 1748, he fet out on his travels for the first time; and paffed through Holland, the Auftrian and French Flanders, part of France, Switzerland, Savoy, and Italy; returning through Provence, Britany, &c. to Paris, accompanied by his friend Thomas Brand, efq.

Of this tour he has left a curious and copious journal; from which it appears, that very little escaped his notice, where he could have proper information, relating to arts and fciences, public roads, manufactures, trade, antiquities, and what is called virtù, of which he became an able connoiffeur, and a generous encourager.

His fecond excurfion commenced July 16, 1750, when he travelled through Holland and the northern and eastern parts of Germany to Italy, Sicily, Malta, Lorrain, &c.

While he was abroad he commenced many valuable friendships with men of learning and eminence, favourers and promoters of useful arts and fciences.

Upon his return to England in 1753, he began his collections of books and medals for the purpose, as he expreffes himself, of illustrating and upholding liberty, and preferving the memory of its champions, to render tyranny and its abettors odious, to extend fcience and art, to keep alive the hopour and estimation of their patrons and protectors, to make the whole as useful as poffible, abhorring all monopoly; and to recommend the fame benevolent fpirit to pofterity.'

In pursuance of this generous plan he employed his thoughts, his time, and his fortune; and, with an uncommon liberality of fentiment, extended his munificence to perfons of dif ferent perfuafions, and to foreigners, without diftinction. "

He prefented two large and valuable collections of books to the public library at Berne, with an intimation only, that they were fent by an Englishman, a lover of liberty, and a citizen of the world, as a fmall token of his unfeigned respect for that Canton, and the brave, worthy, and free people of Switzerland.”`

He was a conftant and liberal benefactor to Harvard Coflege in New England, from the year 1758 to the year 1773 and tranfmitted many munificent donations, especially of books, to Leipfic, Hamburgh, Gottingen, Leyden, Geneva, Venice, Rome, Sicily, Sweden, and other foreign countries. To enumerate his prefents to private individuals would greatly exceed the limits of this article. A multitude of thefe remain, moft probably, a fecret even to the perfons, who received them. It was an amiable and ftriking feature in his

character to

• Do good by stealth, and blush to have it known."

We fhall therefore content ourselves with extracting a few of thofe paffages, which relate to his literary transactions, or contain any memorable circumftance; omitting every thing of a political nature.

From the time of his return from his travels he paid great attention to the public focieties in this country, inftituted for the promotion of learning and fcience, and was a member of most, if not all of them; but took an early refolution of avoiding all public diftinctive offices' among them.

6.

The British Mufeun was an object of his particular regard and benevolence. He confidered it as a literary foundation, calculated to do the higheft honour to the British name; and in that view he contributed many things to its valuable ftores, from his own collections.

In 1760, he applied to Mr. Millar, to reprint Dr. Wallis's Latin Grammar of the English tongue, for the benefit of foreigners, and the spreading of the principles of truth and liberty,' which, in his opinion, were most ably and effectually difcuffed by English writers, and little understood by the fubjects of defpotic governments abroad. Mr. Saville, according to the Independent Whig, is faid to have replied to a Frenchman, who exulted upon the fine writings, of his countrymen, That there were but two fubjects in nature worth a wife man's throughts, and they durft fpeak of neither.' This anecdote Mr. Hollis has quoted in his Notes on Sydney's Life, p. 34, and a paffage from Voltaire, wherein the English are. called, les precepteurs des nations." But the proficiency of the nations must be very fmall, if they are unacquainted with the language of their preceptors. Dr. Wallis's Grammar, was intended to obviate this defect; and to that end his inftructions are conveyed in a tongue, which scholars in all countries and of all degrees,, understand in fome meafure at leaft, and was therefore the fittest to open the way for foreigners

reigners to the treasures of English learning. To revive this noble and benevolent purpose of the author, was Mr. Hollis's view in republishing this excellent work, which appeared in the year 1765, with a preface by the late Mr. Bowyer.

Mr. Hollis, it is certain, did not think with, or conform to the church of England; but the following letter is an inftance, among many others, which might be produced, that he acted for the real interefts of that church with as much propriety as the most zealous of her members could have done.

July 29, 1760. Being informed, that Mr. S. is very ill, and not likely to recover, I think it my duty, as patron of the living of L. to look about me in time, in order to find out, if poffible, an able and worthy clergyman to fucceed him, in benefit to that parish and neighbourhood, and fo in fome fort to the public.

At prefent I have no perfon in view for it. But it is my intention, my fixed intention, to bestow the living on that clergyman, who fhall answer neareft to the following defcription:

A clergyman forty-five to fifty-five years of age, of a found conftitution, and without remarkable defect in perfon or voice; one who has had a regular education, and no changeling, is truly, in civil principles, a Whig, has officiated always as a curate, is active in difpofition, yet mild in manners; is beloved by his neighbours, and has a clear and un· doubted character; one who will content himself with this living, without [an additional] curacy, and refide upon and ferve it; or will engage, upon his honour, to refign it inftantly, in case of future preferment. And it is my farther request, that you conduct it with all the ftillness and privacy that is poffible, not only at prefent, but even when Mr. S. fhall be no more.'

• We

In December following, a propofal was made to Mr. Hollis to become a candidate for a borough in the enfuing election of a new parliament; his answer was, that though he would give almoft his right hand to be chofen into parliament, yet he could not give a fingle crown for it by way of bribe. Writing to a friend about the fame time, he fays: are already beginning to prepare for the grand feptennial riot. Let thofe play the game who choose it. For my own part, though I had rather poffefs a feat in a certain place, than any other temporal advantage whatever, yet I remember too well the saying of an ancient to think of it. "I can live contented without glory, but cannot fuffer fhame." Honeft Plutarch records it, I think, but I am not certain.'

In January 1761, was published, under the care and di rection of Mr. Hollis, a new edition of Toland's Life of 'Milton, together with his Amyntor, in a handsome octavo volume. This, and Milton's profe works, he fent as prefents to many private perfons, both at home and abroad, and to a confiderable number of public libraries in foreign countries. It may be obferved, that, at this time, there were several editions of Milton's profe-works. Toland's edition, printed in 3 vols. folio, in 1698; Dr. Birch's, in 2 vols. folio, in 1738; and Mr. Baron's, in 2 vols. quarto, in 1753, before the editor was acquainted with Mr. Hollis *.

Mr. Hollis's veneration for Milton made him particularly inquifitive after every thing, that in any refpect related, or for merly belonged to this great man, as portraits, &c. The following anecdote may ferve to fhew, how far he extended this laudable enthufiafm: June 12, 1761, he bought a bed, which once belonged to John Milton, and on which he died. This bed he feat as a prefent to Dr, Akenfide, with the following card: An English gentleman is defirous of having the honour to present a bed, which once belonged to John Milton, and on which he died, to Dr. Akenfide; and if the doctor's genius, believing himfelf obliged, and having flept in that bed, fhould-prompt himto write an ode to the memory of John Milton, and the affertors of British liberty, that gentleman would think himself abundantly recompenced.'- His biographer adds: the doctor feemed wonderfully delighted with this bed, and had it pur up in his houfe. But more we do not know of the delight the doctor took in his prefent, not the leaft memorandum of an acknowledgment to Mr. Hollis for it appearing. And as to the ode, the doctor might learn from his friend Dyson, that an encomium on Milton, as an affertor of British liberty, at that time of the day, was not the thing.'

Mr. Hollis's connections with the colonies, and his zeal for their improvement, and particularly his correfpondence with Dr. Mayhew, who it feems became obnoxious to the governors of Maffachufets, on account of his writings in favour of civil liberty, have been alleged as evidence of his fomenting that factious fpirit among the Americans, which has ended in their declaring themfelves independent on the mother country. But fuch an idea, fays his biographer, appears from undoubted teftimony to have been the most remote from Mr. Hollis's wishes and endeavours. On the contrary, he endeavoured to inculcate loyalty to the king and his go

Mr. Baron died in 1768.

vernment,

vernment, and to create a good opinion of his majesty among his provincial fubjects.

Let you and I, dear fir, fays he, writing to Dr. Mayhew, continue to wish well to our country, our king, and their ap

proved faithful fervant William Pitt.'

:

And in the same letter

he fays I think I am well informed, that our honeft excellent young king has ordered, that fuch of the French prisoners of war as will be in want of cloathing the enfuing winter (1761) fhall be clothed at his expence.'

And to mention no more inftances, Auguft 12, 1762, in Mr. Hollis's Diary is this article on the birth of his royal highness the prince of Wales: This morning the queen was delivered happily of a prince. Pray God bless him, and endow him with all those noble qualities, which are suitable to a chief ruler of a free and magnanimous people.'-This is the language of benevolence and fincerity.

In 1762, was published at Rome, a Differtation, De Deâ Libertate, ejufque cultu apud Romanos, & de Libertinorum Pileo, written by Rodulphini Venuti, at the request of Mr. Hollis. The Pileus Libertatis, or cap of liberty, was a favourite emblem with Mr. Hollis, and diftinguishes the prints, and books, which have been published by his direction.

About this period, Mr. Hollis employed Mr. Elmfly, the bookfeller, to collect every thing he could meet with written against the Jefuits; which commiffion Mr. Elmfly executed with great fuccefs. The collection was a noble one, and was fent to the public library of Zurich; concerning which Mr. Hollis writes thus to a friend.

• The collection of books and papers, relating to the Jefuits, was fhipped last week for a protestant university abroad, diftant fome hundred miles from this happy country. It was my defire and intention to have lodged this fingular collection in the British Museum. But the behaviour of a committee of the trustees was fo ftrange towards me, on a particular occafion, that I could not refolve any longer, with any degree of magnanimity, to fend it to that place in any other in this nation, fuch a fort of collection would have been almoft loft.'-It must however be observed, to the honour of Mr. Hollis, that he was afterwards a conftant benefactor to the British Museum.

March 31, 1763, Mr. Hollis finished his new edition of Sydney's works, which he fays, he completed, after. great and continued labour, and at a confiderable expence on his own part; having undertaken it without a fingle bye view, and alone, from the love he bore to liberty and the author's memory.'

M4

This