what was fully discovered to be his natural disposition.

The school in Guilford at that time was kept by Mr. ELIOT, a man of parts, and afterwards of much eminence in the country, of whom the reader will hear frequently in the sequel. To this school young JOHNSON was sent, in the eleventh year of his age, where he made great progress in Latin, and was happy in his master's affection. But, unfortunately for him, before the year expired, Mr. ELIOT left the school, and settled at Killingworth as a preacher: so that with an impatience to learn, which had been increased by this promising beginning, he was left without an instructor. After a while he was sent to North-Middletown, and put under the care of the Minister of the place; but this man was so wretchedly qualified for the business of instructing, and was so ignorant of Latin, that his pupil could learn from him little or nothing. Dr. JOHNSON often lamented his loss of time here, at such a season of life; although the whole amounted to no more than half a year.

Upon his return to Guilford he was at first put under the care of one Mr. CHAPMAN, a tolerable instructor; and after some time he had the good fortune to fall into the hands of Mr. JAMES,

who, having been educated in England, was an excellent classical scholar. Under him he made such progress in Latin and Greek, that by the time he was fourteen years of age he was judged to be well fitted for the college, which was then at Saybrook.

Mr. NOYES, his first tutor at college, had some little knowledge of Hebrew; and as young Mr. JOHNSON, after keeping way with his class in the appointed academical course, had considerable time to spare, he devoted it to Hebrew, which soon became his favourite study. He pursued his other studies under the direction of Mr. FISK, a tutor whom he respected; and took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1714.

Learning seems to have been at its lowest ebb in the country about this period. Among the first settlers of Connecticut, there were several persons who had received a regular education at the universities in England, and were distinguished by their learning and abilities; at the head of this list appear the venerable names of DAVENPORT, HOOKER, BLACKMAN, STONE, &c. But this set of men were gone off the stage, and were succeeded by others, who had only such an education as a new country afforded, while but little attention could be paid to literature, and while

the advantages for obtaining it were proportionably small. The great deficiency of the country in point of learning was hardly known or suspected till the college was erected; but then it appeared in too strong and glaring a light to be any longer a matter of dispute.

The best scholars in the colony were at the head of this institution. They were thoroughly engaged in establishing its reputation and interest; they marked out the plan of education; they appointed the instructors; and every thing was conducted according to their direction: yet, after all, the figure it made was but rude and awkward. For many years the utmost that was gene, rally attempted at the college, in classical learning, was to construe five or six of Tully's Orations, as many books of Virgil, and part only of the Greek Testament, with some chapters of the Hebrew Psalter. Common arithmetic, and a little surveying, were the ne plus ultra of mathematical acquirements. The logic, metaphysics, and ethics that were then taught, were entangled in the scholastic cobwebs of a few paltry systems, that would now be laid by as proper food for worms. Indeed, at the time when Mr. JOHNSON took his Bachelor's degree the students had heard of a certain new and strange philosophy that was

in vogue in England, and the names of DES CARTES, BOYLE, LOCKE, and NEWTON,* had

The great improvements in learning, and the rapid progress in science that were made in Europe in the course of the seventeenth century, were chiefly owing to the light and directions held out by Lord VERULAM, one of the greatest geniuses that ever arose for the instruction of mankind. In particular, this incomparable person contributed so eminently to the improvements that were made in natu ral philosophy, that the important service he did to this branch of learning, to say nothing of others which were equally indebted to him, would have been sufficient to render the name of BACON immortal. "He opened the "eyes of those who had been led blindfold by the dubious authority of traditionary systems, and the uncertain directory of hypothesis and conjecture. He led them to na"ture, that they might consult that oracle directly and near "at hand, and receive her answers; and, by the introduc"tion of experimental inquiry, he placed philosophy upon a "new and solid basis. It was thus, undoubtedly, that he "removed the prejudices of former times, which led men "to consider all human knowledge as circumscribed within "the bounds of Greek and Latin erudition, and an ac"quaintance with the more elegant and liberal arts; and "thus, in the vast regions of nature, he opened scenes of "instruction and science, which, although hitherto unknown "or disregarded, were infinitely more noble and sublime, "and much more productive of solid nourishment to the "minds of the wise, than that kind of learning that was in vogue before his time." See MOSHEIM's Eccles. Hist. by Dr. MACCLAINE, vol. iv. p. 259 of the second edition. See also Biog. Brit. Art. BACON.

It was exactly upon his plan that the Royal Society in England; that GALILEI, in Italy; that GASSENDI, in France; that TYCHO BRAHE, in Denmark; that KEPLER, HEVELIUS and LEIBNITZ, in Germany; and the two BERNOULLI, in Switzerland, proceeded; and, in consequence of pursuing his directions as far as was practicable, they made such improvements and discoveries in mathematical and philosophical knowledge as justly astonished the learned world. But to all this the people in Connecticut were entire strangers. They knew nothing of the state of learning, at this period,

reached them; but they were not suffered to think that any valuable improvements were to be expected from philosophical innovations. They were told that a new philosophy would soon bring in a new divinity, and corrupt the pure religion of the country; and it was not intended that they should vary the breadth of a hair from AMES's Medulla and Cases of Conscience, and Wollebius. The Trustees had been careful to establish these as the standard of orthodoxy and true theology as soon as they were authorised to act: for at a meeting on the 11th of November, 1701, held at Saybrook, they appointed for their first and most fundamental rule" That the "Rector take special care, as of the moral be"haviour of the students at all times, so with "industry to instruct and ground them well in "theoretical divinity; and, to that end, shall "neither by himself, nor by any other person "whomsoever, allow them to be instructed and 66 grounded in any other system or synopsis of 66 divinity than such as the said Trustees do order "and appoint: but shall take effectual care that "the said students be weekly (at such seasons as

but as it existed near a century back, before it had been organized, quickened, and directed by the penetrating genius of Sir FRANCIS BACON,