Hide Article Text (OCR)
*1606.] Account of the late Dr. Samuel Horsley,rounicated lt;e An Inventory and Appraifement of che Plate in the Lower Jewel Houfe in the Tower, Anno 1649,’* from the original MS. in his poflellion. His perfonal friends have loft a cheerful, pleafant companion, ever willing to communicate information, and ta a Hi ft rheir refearches after fcarce and valuable books and prints, of which he had a thorough knowledge. His collection of both is of great value. In it are fome copies of rare portraits, drawn by himfelf, in a manner that perhaps renders them little lefs valuable than the originals; and never was he happier than when he had an opportunity of making a pre-irnt either of a fcarce pamphlet or print to any intimate friend to whom he knew it would be particularly acceptable. A fmall iilhouette likenefs of him is In the frontif-piece to his Hirtory of Newcaftle.At Brighton, Dr. Samuel Horjley, bsfhop of St. Afaph. He was iuddenly l’eized with a bowel complaint, which baffled all medical ikill, and carried liim oft' in a few days. This prelate, the eldeft of the three fons of the Lev. Mr. Horfley, formerly minifter of St. Martin’s in the Fields, was born about the year 1767, and received the ground-work of his education at Weftminfter fchool, whence he was removed to the univerfity of Cambridge. He applied himfelf, while there, chiefly to tlie ftudy of mathematics $ and not content with carefully reading the writings of the acuteft of the moderns in that line, he went back to the profoundeft of the ancients, and made himfelf thoroughly mafterof their moft intricate reafonings. Having taken his degree of M after of Arts, he accepted an invitation to go to Oxford, as private tutor to the prefent Earl of Aylesford. From that univerfity he received a decree of dottor of laws, and in 1769 printed, at the Clarendon prefs, his edition of the Inclinations of Apollonius, a geometrical work of confiderable value, though exceedingly abftrufe. Previ-oufly to his time, mathematical learning had been in little repute at Oxford 5 but fince that period it has grown into fafhion there, fo that this univerfity can hardly be laid to fall fbort of her lifter, in that great branch of human knowledge. Here he fir ft conceived the defign of publifhing a complete edition of the works of Sir Ifaac Newton ; to which end he began to collect the neceflfary materials. On leaving the univerfity, Dr. Horfley came to London, where he was eletted fellow of the Royal Society, of which he was alfo chofen fecretary in 1773. He continued to ferve that office with the greateft credit to himfelf, as well as benefit to the fcientinc world, till the refignatlon of the late prefi-dent, Sir John Pringle, when finding that the connoifteurs and virtuofi were gaining ground, he retired. Soon after his fettling In the metropolis, Dr. Horfley was noticed by Biihop Lowth, who invited him to become his domeftic chaplain, In 1774, that prelate prcfented him to the retteries of St. MaryMonthly Mag. No. 149.40*Newington and Albury, both in the county of Surrey $ and in the courfe of the fame year he married a Mifs Botham. In 1776, he publiflied propofals for a complete and elegant edition of the works of the immortal Newton, which appeared in 1779, in five volumes quarto, with an excellent dedication, to the King, in Latin. In 1778, when the. controverfy was on foot between Drs. Prieft* ley, Price, and others, refpetting materialifm and philofophica! neceffity, Dr. Horfiev preached a fermon, on Good Friday, at St, Paul’s cathedral, which he afterwards publHhed. In this ingenious difcourfe he reconciles, with, much force of argument, the dottrine of divine providence with the free agency of man, and combats the neceflariau hvpothefis with great, and, 111 the opinion of his friends, complete fuccefs. About this time he was appointed Archdeacon of St, Albans, by Biftiop Lowth ; who, in 1782, prtfentcd him to the valuable living of South Weald, in Efiex. In 1783, Dr. Pfieltley pubiiihed his celebrated work, the Ci Hiltory of the Corruptions of Chriftianitythe principal defign of this was to overthrow the catholic dottrine refpetting Chrift’s divinity. Great was the triumph manifefted by the unitarian party on the publication of fo elaborate an hiftory, The outcry made by them on the oceafion, naturally roufed the attention of thofe who adhered\o the orthodox confefiion, and Dr. Horfley feized this opportunity of ihewingnot only thefoundnefs of his faith, but his abilities for the moft intricate branches of theological controverfy. In the fummef of this year, he delivered to the clergy of the Archdeaconry of St. Albans a charge, in which he exprefsly controverted the 'Socinian. pofition—that the dottrine of the Trinity was not maintained by the Chriftian church in the iirft three centuries; and he not only gave a fiat contradittion to Dr. Prieftley’s aflertioi* on this point, but charged him with having taken, without acknowledgment, the whole of his argument from Zwicker, and other eminent focinians of the laft century. This difcourfe, at the requeft of his reverend auditory, was printed, with an appendix, explaining and confirming the pofitions which it contained. Dr. Pvieftley, with the impe-tuofitv of a man who feemed to place all his reputation as a combatant upon the event of this conteft, jnftantly replied to the Archdeacon, ill a feries of letters, which contained all his former afiertions, exprefled in. a more confident tone than before. Dr. Horfley was aware of the advantage which the precipitancy of his opponent had given, and, therefore, in his anfwer, which was alfo in the epiftolary form, he noticed the frequent flips In Greek quotation and reference which the Dottor had made j and, with great adroit-.;nefs, left it to the reader to judge, whether fo hafiy and incautious an hiftorian was to be depended upon in a matter of fuch import-* ance. But he did not merely expofe the 3 £ Dottor’s
Newspaper Details
Monthly Magazine
London, Middlesex, GB
Sat, Nov 01, 1806
Page 100
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 15 Sep 2022
Other Publications Near London, Middlesex
Bingleys Journal
Arminian Magazine
London Daily Mail
London Stars and Stripes
London Daily Universal Register
