of the Romans; and for his fkill in Greek learning, and in ancient coins, by a tract called " Jupiter Ful"gurator;" and after his return from Paris, he publifhed "Phædrus," firft with the notes of various commentators, and afterwards with his own. He printed many poems, and made many orations upon different fubjects, and procured an impreffion of the epiftles of Gudius and Sanavius.

While he was thus employed, the profefforfhips of history, eloquence, and the Greek language, became vacant at Leyden, by the death of Perizonius, which Burman's reputation incited the curators of the univerfity to offer him upon very generous terms, and which, after fome struggles with his fondnefs for his native place, his friends, and his colleagues, he was prewailed on to accept, finding the folicitations from Leyden warm and urgent, and his friends at Utrecht, though unwilling to be deprived of him, yet not zealous enough for the honour and advantage of their university, to endeavour to detain him by great libeality.

At his entrance upon this new profefforship, which was conferred upon him in 1715, he pronounced an oration upon the duty and office of a profeffor of polite literature; "De publici humanioris Difciplinæ

66

profefforis proprio officio et munere." And fhewed by the usefulness and perfpicuity of his lectures, that he was not confined to fpeculative notions on that fubject, having a very happy method of accommodat ing his inftructions to the different abilities and attainments of his pupils.

Nor did he fuffer the publick duties of this ftation to hinder him from promoting learning by labours

of a different kind; for, befides many poems and orations which he recited on different occafions, he wrote feveral prefaces to the works of others, and published many useful editions of the beft Latin writers, with large collections of notes from various commenta

tors.

He was twice rector, or chief governor of the univerfity, and discharged that important office with equal equity and ability, and gained by his conduct in every station so much efteem, that when the profefforfhip of history of the United Provinces became vacant, it was conferred on him, as an addition to his honours and révenues, which he might juftly claim; and afterwards, as a proof of the continuance of their regard, and a teftimony that his reputation was still increafing, they made him chief librarian, an office which was the more acceptable to him, as it united his bufinefs with his pleasure, and gave him an opportunity at the fame time of fuperintending the library, and carrying on his ftudies.

Such was the courfe of his life, till, in his old age, leaving off his practice of walking and other exercises, he began to be afflicted with the fcurvy, which difcovered itself by very tormenting symptoms of various kinds; fometimes difturbing his head with vertigos, fometimes caufing faintnefs in his limbs, and fometimes attacking his legs with anguish fo excruciating, that all his vigour was deftroyed, and the power of walking entirely taken away, till at length his left foot became motionlefs. The violence of his pain produced irregular fevers, deprived him of reft, and entirely debilitated his whole frame.

This

This tormenting difeafe he bore, though not with out fome degree of impatience, yet without any unbea coming or irrational defpondency, and applied himself in the intermiffion of his pains to feek for comfort in the duties of religion.

While he lay in this ftate of mifery he received an account of the promotion of two of his grandfons, and a catalogue of the king of France's library, presented to him by the command of the king himself, and expreffed fome fatisfaction on all these occafions; but foon diverted his thoughts to the more important confidération of his eternal ftate, into which he paffed on the gift of March 1741, in the 73d year of his age.

He was a man of moderate ftature, of great ftrength and activity, which he preferved by temperate diet, without medical exactnefs, and by allotting proportions of his time to relaxation and amusement, not fuffering his ftudies to exhaust his ftrength, but relieving them by frequent intermiffions; a practice confiftent with the most exemplary diligence, and which he that omits will find at laft, that time may be loft, like money, by unfeasonable avarice.

In his hours of relaxation he was gay, and fometimes gave way fo far to his temper, naturally fatirical, that he drew upon himself the ill-will of those who had been unfortunately the fubjects of his mirth; but enemies fo provoked he thought it beneath him to regard or to pacify; for he was fiery, but not malicious, difdained diffimulation, and in his gay or ferious hours preferved a fettled deteftation of falsehood. So that he was an open and undisguised friend or

enemy,

enemy, entirely unacquainted with the artifices of flatterers, but fo judicious in the choice of friends, and fo conftant in his affection to them, that those, with whom he had contracted familiarity in his youth, had for the greatest part his confidence in his old age.

His abilities, which would probably have enabled him to have excelled in any kind of learning, were chiefly employed, as his station required, on polite literature, in which he arrived at very uncommon knowledge, which, however, appears rather from judicious compilations than original productions. His ftyle is lively and mafculine, but not without harshness and constraint, nor, perhaps, always polifhed to that purity which fome writers have attained. He was at least inftrumental to the inftruction of mankind, by the publication of many valuable performances, which lay neglected by the greatest part of the learned world; and, if reputation be estimated by usefulness, he may claim a higher degree in the ranks of learning than some others of happier elocution, or more vigorous imagination.

The malice or fufpicion of thofe who either did not know, or did not love him, had given rife to fome doubts about his religion, which he took an opportunity of removing on his death-bed by a voluntary declaration of his faith, his hope of everlasting falvation from the revealed promises of God, and his confidence in the merits of our Redeemer, of the fincerity of which declaration his whole behaviour in his long illness was an inconteftable proof; and he con

cluded

cluded his life, which had been illuftrious for many virtues, by exhibiting an example of true piety.

Of his works we have not been able to procure a complete catalogue: he published,

"Quintilianus," 2 vols. 4to.

"Valerius Flaccus,"

“Ovidius," 3 vols. 4to.

Poetæ Latini Minores," 2 vols. 4to.

"Buchanani Opera," 2 vols. 4to.

Cum notis

Variorum,

SYDEN