The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-02-26 00:00:00

of his industrious predecessor. Bayles critical casti-
rations of Moved are !generally passed over by tie
itiollern readers, and the Personal censure which din
graces the literature of the present tinsels will meet
with similar neglect in futnre ages. The spirit of
acrimony is not immoral. No antigurrian tree wasted
more time and learning in setting the day and hour
I whereon the foundation-stone of an Absent* parish
church was laid, than Bayle has thrown away in cor-
recting the Retty chronological errors of I.ltrevgi. The
most interesting conclusion from this featnre of the
Isistorieal and critical dictionary is, that patience of
investigation, and minuteness of ktwswledge, mar exist
in a mins] which is rich in inusgination, sea Argent
iu taste. Hat in parts also where be does not at all
clash with Moreri, Hack is exceedingly deficient in
narrative matter. Ilia English biography is brief and
incorrect. He omits, too, the lives of itasonserahle
great characters of other nations% and often iotro-
•lnces people of no importance, merely for the sake of
tinslistg a vehicle from his study into the world of
some particular It is not a work of syste-
matic biography. There is for instance a life of
Dan:e, bet there are no notices of Petrarra awl
Ariosto. Ilis omission of the loser of lAura is Alv-
eolar, for he had described, with wonderful minors.
nes., the real passion of Abelard and Heltsise asp,
the Carr of Petrarca was a esunvenient opportutsity f:tr
specolotittLf on Platonic atleetion. The opinion ;ss
the slictionary see snore numerous- and interesting th•ts
the farts. 'flie ant hor us• a man of wonderful hoc-

lectnal powers.° Ile retleeted deeple, and like tits
few men, the hoodoo centriiarli, silo, have done se,
lie (tonsil in his eon mind all the gems of thought.
His borrowed knowledge :Vas immense. A steady
application, an 1 R retentive memor:, soon niade him
master of the facts. and a mind .plialole to every sliaso.
leadilt essociateil itself with the opinions of forme'
times. Most of the subjects of r
and conduct, are examined hr (kyle. De is perfect;'
imlifferent to the issue of the investigation. lie has
n-tot of those ardent fvelin,s of love for his ii•lperics.
noise of those longings efter immortality. whirls, as
parts of the natwe of man, philosopher.,
his assumption of impartiality.•'n lit to divest hi nisel:
No wonder that lie is an advocate for nnhunottgit
sods
ration of opinion. for tio man tried so severely tit-
patience of society. Jeremy Taylor, in leis celebrated
work tin the Liberty of Prophesying, hail professel
itobiltr:note to all ?limos who acknowledged the troth
of the Apostle's treed, alth..ugh they differed tot
theological subjects not mentioned in that symbol.
John Locke. in his treatises on loleration, excuses an
V3riations of r, ligious opinion, Varela the errors of
Popery. The Papists elifey none of his beneyolesec.
The most liberal advocate of liberty of opini ~,, nits
Bayle. The circumstances of their lives, and their
particular sentiments on smile important subjects,
ducted Taylor, Loehr, and Bayle, to their respeetii •
c.melasions on toleration. But to continne the topir
of the Pyrhonism of the Dictionary. No cause of
lier..sy ever falls to the ground for want of ingenious ,
support. 'f he author states with fairness and siren:rill
the tenets of Ow Manicheans and the Spinoaists. IP •
replies chew' the folly of the religion of tune, so,l
of
the philosophy of the other. Itut still he gives th •
mina no opinions to rest on, for the futility of lin.nan
reasuu is the coticlasion to which all his argniiimit,
lead its. Ile floes not ailow himself even to repose oil
those a with which the academies of iti,t
were satisti.nl, inorli less would be acknowledge th.•
isdom of th.• sehoolnien's practice of deriding as
well as tiitrost.ii g. '1 he dread of penal indiction.' on
lams •if for his imlifferetve as to relit ion, was obeina—
ly on the shim! of ;toile when writing most of ii
Median ry. Ile oe casitinally appeals to the Scriptures
as if he were a faithful son of the cloudy ; hut reli-
gious qiititations a:-i• introduced so coldly, and with
such little power, that the reader is continually re-
minded of those brit f Waill setstenite" which a novelist
often thinks it decent should conclude a glowing de-
scription of coinptunusqess. Boyle was as intimately
acquainted with the historians and poets, as the
philosophers of antiquity. The natural elegance of
his mind led him to the taste. as his curiosity after
intellectual treasures conducted him to the wilaiou►
of antiquity. Perhaps no author quotes wit
so filch propriety a, rayle. Horace brews to
have twen his faviolrite .';sash, for both those writers
were gay, rool humoured, witty, anti elegant.
In
'rite, however, of his intellectual polish, nu win's
imagination is
more I iotucti and prurient than that .if
Boyle. It is never so happy :IN when the task is to
explain and describe ativir of love. Pages after
pa;zes of his wink are hit of arguments, supposition,.
learned references to lt;iii, 1 Oa:ill:vs, Petronius, and
I a'ulins ; and the reader, while disgusted at his
author s immorality, is astonished at his genius and
:earning. This part of the subject is exceediugl.s•
remarkable, t W it is agreed on all bands that Halle
was only a speculative philosopher in tile autor.,us

• We will present onr readers with Warbartan's chs-
racier of Daylr. We quote from inosiory. not being able
at this ftiontent to refer to the Divine Legation. " Mr.
Ilayle's strength and eleartirks of reasoning eon be
eiinally only by thr gaiety. sa.inevi, and tielieacy of isin
wit. He pervaded Finnan nature at a glance. and strirk
into the province of paradox as an 'amigo fur the rest-
less vigour of his wind. With a soul supaview to the
sharpest uttarlib of fortune, and a heart practised to the
plillo‘ophy. he hall not yet etiongli of real gratenvs,
to overcome that last fault of superior scesia tte
truiptatiOn of bettors which the Acadensie exercise of
wit is conceived to bring to its professors. .

tsn the morning of Saturday se'nnight, a fi-e hr .ke
out its the paper-asanufarttvy at Mr. Charles, of Ce-
urarthen, whirls, aided by a leigli winds itestftsyal
considerable quatatitv parr. tegetber with th«
whnh intermit machinery. notwithstanding that ere.
possiitit effort was made -to cheek theltrogrent of !;
devouring element, Lt appears thd this watortons.•
orearreure was wens-Assad by a quantity of pipe:,
pieced over. a stassling-grabe to dry, .ta!sing 6cr, test
coutionti:atitor the ismes, whirls, rprewl with ads.
'fa! rapility. Cufortanately, acot!:l9g was imam!.