he published "An Exposition of the Creed," at London, in 4to; dedicated to his parishioners of St. Clement's, Eastcheap, to whom the substance of that excellent work had been preached several years before, and by whom he had been desired to make it public. This "Exposition," which has gone through twelve or thirteen editions, is accounted one of the most finished pieces of theology in our language. It is itself a body of divinity, the style of which is just; the periods, for the most part, well turned; the method very exact; and it is, upon the whole, free from those errors which are too often found in theological systems. There is a translation of it into Latin by a foreign divine, who styles himself "Simon Joannes Arnoldus, Ecclesiarum balliviæ, sive præfecturæ Sonnenburgensis Inspector;" and a very valuable and judicious abridgment was in 1810 published by the rev. Charles Burney, LL. D. F. R. S.

In the same year (1659) bishop Pearson published “The Golden Remains of the ever-memorable Mr. John Hales, of Eton;" to which he wrote a preface, containing the character of that great man, with whom he had been acquainted for many years, drawn with great elegance and force. Soon after the restoration he was presented by Juxon, then bishop of London, to the rectory of St. Christopher's, in that city; created D. D. at Cambridge, in pursuance of the king's letters mandatory; installed prebendary of Ely, archdeacon of Surrey, and made master of Jesus college, Cambridge; all before the end of 1660, March 25, 1661, he succeeded Dr. Love in the Margaret professorship of that university; and, the first day of the ensuing year, was nominated one of the commissioners for the review of the liturgy in the conference at the Savoy, where the nonconformists allow he was the first of their opponents for candour and ability. In April 1662, he was admitted master of Trinity college, Cambridge; and, in August resigned his rectory of St. Christopher's, and prebend of Sarum. In 1667 he was admitted a fellow of the royal society. In 1672 he published, at Cambridge, in 4to, "Vindiciae Epistolarum S. Ignatii," in answer to mons. Daillè; to which is subjoined, "Isaaci Vossii epis

England demonstrated in four Arguments," &c. which was soon after animadverted upon by William Saywell, D. D. master of Jesus-college, Cambridge, in a pamphlet printed at Cam

bridge in 1688, 4to, under this title, "The Reformation of the Church of England justified, &c. being an Answer to a paper reprinted at Oxford, called, The Schisme," &c.

tolee duæ adversus Davidem Blondellum." Upon the death of Wilkins, bishop of Chester, Pearson was promoted to that see, to which he was consecrated Feb. 9, 1673. In 1684 his "Annales Cyprianici, sive tredecim annorum, quibus S. Cyprian. inter Christianos versatus est, historia chronologica," was published at Oxford, with Fell's edition of that father's works. Dr. Pearson was disabled from all public service by ill health, having entirely lost his memory, a considerable time before his death, which hap'pened at Chester, July 16, 1686. Two years after, his posthumous works were published by Dodwell at London,

Cl. Joannis Pearsoni Cestriensis nuper Episcopi opera posthuma, &c. &c." There are extant two sermons published by him, 1. "No Necessity for a Reformation," 1661, 4to. 2." A Sermon preached before the King, on Eccles. vii. 14, published by his majesty's special command,” 1671, An anonymous writer in the Gentleman's Magazine (1789 p. 493) speaks of some unpublished MSS. by bishop Pearson in his possession. His MS notes on Suidas are in the library of Trinity college, Cambridge, and were used by Kuster in his edition.

4to.

Our prelate was reckoned an excellent preacher, very judicious and learned, particularly accurate and exact in chronology, and well versed in the fathers and the ecclesiastical historians. Dr. Bentley used to say that bishop Pearson's "very dross was gold." In bishop Burnet's opinion he "was in all respects the greatest divine of his age." Bishop Huet also, to whom he communicated various readings on some parts of Origen's works, gives him a high character. But, as Burnet reminds us, he was an affecting instance "of what a great man can fall to; for his memory went from him so entirely, that he became a child some years before he died.” He had a younger brother Richard, professor of civil law in Gresham college, and under-keeper of the royal library at St. James's, of whom Ward gives some account, but there is nothing very interesting in his history.'

PECHANTRE (NICOLAS DE), a French wit, the son of a surgeon of Toulouse, where he was born in 1638, wrote several Latin poems, which were reckoned good, but applied himself chiefly to the poetry of his native country.

1 Biog. Brit.-Cole's MS Athenæ in Brit. Museum.-Ward's Gresham Professors.-Burnet's Own Times.

Having been three times honoured with the laurel at the academy of the Floral games, he wrote a tragedy called Gela, which was acted, in 1687, with applause, in conse quence of which he published it, with a dedication to the first prince of the blood. He wrote also "Le sacrifice d'Abraham ;" and " Joseph vendu par ses Freres," two singular subjects for tragedies; but received with favour. He produced besides a tragedy called "La Mort de Neron," concerning which an anecdote is related, which nearly coincides with one which is current here, as having happened to our dramatic poet Fletcher. He wrote usually at public-houses, and one day left behind him a paper, containing his plan for that tragedy; in which, after various marks and abbreviations, he had written at large, Ici le roi sera tué:" Here the king is to be killed. The tavern-keeper, conceiving that he had found the seeds of a plot, gave information to the magistrate. The poet was accordingly taken up; but on seeing his paper, which he had missed, in the hands of the person who had seized him, exclaimed eagerly, "Ah! there it is; the very scene which I had planned for the death of Nero." With this clue, his innocence was easily made out, and he was discharged. Pechantre died at Paris in 1709, being then seventy-one; he had exercised the profession of physic for some time, till he quitted it for the more arduous task of cultivating the drama, 1

1

PECHMEJA JOHN DE), a man of letters in France, who was for some time professor of eloquence in the royal college of la Fleche, was born in 1741, at Villa Franca in Rouergue. He was a disinterested scholar, a plain, modest, and virtuous man. His eulogium on the great Colbert received the public approbation of the French academy in 1773. His principal fame has arisen from a poem (as he calls it) in prose, named "Telephus," in twelve books. It was published in octavo in 1784, and is said to have been translated into English. The piece is well written, and contains, among other things, a beautiful picture of true friendship, of which he himself afforded a noble example. Pechmeja, and M. du Breuil, an eminent physician of the time, were the Pylades and Orestes of their age. The former had a severe illness in 1776, when his friend flew to his assistance, and from that time they were inseparable,

Moreri.-Dict. Hist.

and had every thing in common. A person once inquired of Pechmeja what income he possessed, "I have," said he, "1200 livres a-year." Some wonder being expressed how he could subsist on so little, "Oh," said he, "the doctor has plenty more." The doctor died first of a contagious disorder, through which his friend attended him, and died only twenty days after, a victim to the strength of his friendship. He died about the end of April 1785, at the age of only forty-four.

1

PECK (FRANCIS), a learned antiquary, the younger son. of Robert and Elizabeth Peck, was born in the parish of St. John the Baptist, at Stamford, in Lincolnshire, May 4, and baptized May 12, 1692. His mother's maiden name was Jephson. It does not appear at what seminary he received the early part of his education; but it was probably at the grammar-school of his native town. He completed his studies at Trinity-college, Cambridge, where he took the degree of B. A. 1715; and of M. A. 1727.

The first work discovered of his writing is "To Los ävylov; or an Exercise on the Creation, and an Hymn to the Creator of the World; written in the express words of the Sacred Text; as an attempt to shew the Beauty and Sublimity of Holy Scripture," 1716, 8vo. This was followed by a poem, entitled "Sighs on the Death of Queen Anne," published in 1719; subjoined to which are three poems, viz. 1. "Paraphrase on part of the cxxxixth Psalm." 2. "The Choice." 3. "Verses to Lady Elizabeth Cecil, on her Birth-day, Nov. 23, 1717." At the end of this work he mentions, as preparing for the press, "The History of the two last Months of King Charles I." and solicits assistance; but this never was published. He also mentions a poem on Saul and Jonathan, not then published. During his residence at the university, and perhaps in the early part of it, he wrote a comedy called the "Humours of the University; or the Merry Wives of Cambridge." The MS. of this comedy is now in the possession of Octavius Gilchrist, esq. of Stamford, who has obliged the editor with a transcript of the preface *.

1 Dict. Hist.

"It may be necessary to inform the reader, that the university characters in this play are of those despicable wretches only who dishonour a college, and are generally expelled as soon as discovered. For I should take

no pleasure in drawing those descriptions which scandalize the place of my education, were it not to inform the libertine that a college is sacred in a double sense; to learning, and what is beyond it, to religion.

In August 1719, he occurs curate of King's Cliff, in Northamptonshire, and in 1721 he offered to the world. proposals for printing the history and antiquities of his native town. In 1723, he obtained the rectory of Godeby Maureward, by purchase, from Samuel Lowe, esq. who at that time was lord of the manor, and patron of the advowson. In 1727, he drew up a poetical description of Belvoir and its neighbourhood, which is printed in Mr. Nichols's History of Leicestershire; and in that year his first considerable work appeared, under the title of “Academia Tertia Anglicana; or, The Antiquarian Annals of Stanford, in Lincoln, Rutland, and Northampton Shires; containing the History of the University, Monasteries, Gilds, Churches, Chapels, Hospitals, and Schools there," &c. ornamented with XLI plates; and inscribed to John duke of Rutland, in an elaborate dedication, which contains a tolerably complete history of the principal events of that illustrious family, from the founder of it at the Conquest. This publication was evidently hastened by "An Essay on the ancient and present State of Stamford, 1726," 4to, by Francis Hargrave, who, in the preface to his pamphlet, mentions a difference which had arisen between him and Mr. Peck, because his publication forestalled that intended by the latter. Mr. Peck is also rather roughly treated, on account of a small work he had formerly printed, entitled "The History of the Stamford Bull-running." In 1729, he printed a single sheet, containing, "Queries concerning the Natural History and Antiquities of Leicestershire and Rutland," which were afterwards reprinted in 1740. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, March 9, 1732, and in that year he published the first volume of "Desiderata Curiosa; or, A Collection of divers scarce and curious Pieces, relating chiefly to matters of

"Wit ceases to be so when it plays upon religion or good manners, and, in my opinion, he hath but an awkward genius who can't exert himself without affrouting God, or the most valuable part of mankind.

"Wherefore the good and virtuous man hath no reason to be angry with him who shows him the pictures of some persons who dishonour that sacred place, more by their scandalous behaviour than any writer can by the discovery of shameful truths, or descriptions of villainous falsehoods.

"The university then is not intended to be affronted, or the nobility and gentry discouraged from sending their sons thither for education. The satire is just, and no man need quarrel, but he who knows it to be his own character.

"To conclude, I was incapable of drawing a man of fine sense, in so much perfection as he is frequently met with in the university; and therefore waved that graceful part for fear of doing injustice to it, thro' the feintness of my strokes, and the weakness of my descriptions."