cians, to cure their patients by intuition, and to others to cure without looking on them at all. He projected a menstruum to dissolve the stone, made of Dr. Woodward's Universal Deluge-water. His was also the device to relieve consumptive or asthmatic persons, by bringing fresh air out of the country to town, by pipes of the nature of the recipients of air-pumps : and to introduce the native air of a man's country into any other in which he should travel, with a seasonable intromission of such steams as were most familiar to him; to the inexpressible comfort of many Scotsmen, Laplanders, and white bears. In physiognomy, his penetration is such, that from the picture only of any person, he can write his life; and from the features of the parents, draw the portrait of any child that is to be born. Nor hath he been so enrapt in these studies, as to neglect the polite arts of painting, architecture, music, poetry, &c. It was he that gave the first hint to our modern painters, to improve the likeness of their portraits by the use of such colours as would faithfully and constantly accompany the life, not only in its present state, but in all its alterations, decays, age, and death itself. In architecture, he builds not with so much regard to present symmetry or conveniency, as with a thought well worthy a true lover of antiquity, to wit, the noble effect the building will have to posterity, when it shall fall and become a ruin. As to music, I think Heidegger has not the face to deny that he has been much beholden to his scores. In poetry, he hath appeared under a hundred different names, of which we may one day give a catalogue. In politics, his writings are of a peculiar cast, for the most part ironical, and the drift of them often so delicate and refined as to be mistaken by the vulgar. He once went so far, as to write a persuasive to people to eat their own children, which was so little understood as to be taken in ill part.* He has often written against liberty.in the name of Freeman and Algernon Sidney, in vindication of the measures of Spain under that of Raleigh, and in praise of corruption under those of Cato and Publicola. It is true, that at his last departure from England, in the reign of Queen Anne, apprehending lest any of these might be perverted to the scandal of the weak, or encouragement of the flagitious, he cast them all, without mercy, into a bog-house near St. James's. Some, however, have been with great diligence recovered, and fished up with a hook and line, by the ministerial writers, which make at present the great ornaments of their works. Whatever he judged beneficial to mankind, he constantly communicated (not only during his stay among us, but ever since his absence) by some method or other, in which ostentation had * Swift's ironical tract on that subject. no part. With what incredible modesty he concealed himself is known to numbers of those to whom he addressed sometimes epistles, sometimes hints, sometimes whole treatises, advices to friends, projects to first ministers, letters to members of parliament, accounts to the Royal Society, and innumerable others. All these will be vindicated to the true author, in the course of these Memoirs. I may venture to say they cannot be unacceptable to any, but to those, who will appear too much concerned as plagiaries to be admitted as judges. Wherefore we warn the public to take particular notice of all such as manifest any indecent passion at the appearance of this work, as persons most certainly involved in the guilt. THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK. VOL. VII. H |