Nothing, fays our Author, is an Imitation fur"ther than as it refembles fome other Thing; and 'Words undoubtedly have no Sort of Refemblance to the Ideas for which they ftand.'

But Words ftand for Manners and Paffions; and if he allows the Defcription of them to be Imitation, by Parity of Reafon he might have allowed it to deferiptive Poetry. In his laft Chapter he has made fome juft Obfervations concerning the Power of Words, but recurs again to his Theory of their not exciting Ideas; than which nothing can be more falfe. No Man perhaps has fettled with Precision the determinate Meaning of every Word that fignifies a complex Idea; but if he has fome of the leading Ideas, that make up the compounded one, as we before obferved, it is fufficient for the Writer's Purpofe; and Words will ever excite Ideas according to to the Understandings and Imaginations of Mankind.

Upon the Whole, though we think the Author of this piece mistaken in his fundamental Principles, and alfo in his Deductions from them, yet we must fay, we have read his Book with Pleafure: He has certainly employed much Thinking; there are many ingenious and elegant Remarks, which though they do not enforce or prove his firft Pofition, yet confidering them detached from his Syftem, they are new and juft: And we cannot difmifs this Article without recommending a Perufal of the Book to all our Readers, as we think they will be recompenfed by a great Deal of Sentiment, perfpicuous, elegant, and harmonious Stile, in many Paffages both Sublime and Beautiful.

THE

THE

LIFE of Father PAUL SARPI,

F

Author of The History of the Council of Trent.

ATHER Paul, whofe Name, before he entered into the monaftic Life, was Peter Sarpi, was born at Venice, August 14, 1552. His Father followed Merchandize, but with fo little Succefs, that, at his Death, he left his Family very ill provided for; but under the Care of a Mother, whofe Piety was likely to bring the Bleffing of Providence upon them, and whofe wife Conduct fupplied the Want of Fortune by Advantages of greater Value.

Happily for young Sarpi, the had a Brother, Mafter of a celebrated School, under whofe Direction he was placed by her. Here he loft no Time, but cultivated his Abilities, naturally of the first Rate, with unwearied Application. He was born for Study, having a natural Averfion to Pleasure and Gaiety, and a Memory fo tenacious, that he could repeat thirty Verfes upon once hearing them.

Proportionable to his Capacity was his Progrefs in Literature: At Thirteen, having made himself Master of School-Learning, he turned his Studies to Philofophy and the Mathematics, and entered upon Logick under Capella of Cremona, who, tho' a celebrated Master of that Science, confeffed himfelf in a very little Time unable to give his Pupil farther Inftructions.

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As

As Capella was of the Order of the Servites, his Scholar was induced by his Acquaintance with him, to engage in the fame Profeflion, though his Uncle and his Mother reprefented to him the Hardships and Aufterities of that Kind of Life, and advised him with great Zeal against it. But he was fteady in his Refolutions, and in 1566 took the Habit of the Order, being then only in his fourteenth Year, a Time of Life in most Persons very improper for fuch Engagements, but in him attended with fuch Maturity of Thought, and fuch a fettled Temper, that he never seemed to regret the Choice he then made, and which he confirmed by a folemn public Profeffion in 1572.

At a general Chapter of the Servites held at Mantua, Paul (for fo we shall now call him) being then only twenty Years old, diftinguished himself so much in a public Difputation by his Genius and Learning,' that William, Duke of Mantua, a great Patron of Letters, folicited the Confent of his Superiors to retain him at his Court, and not only made him public Profeffor of Divinity in the Cathedral, but honoured him with many Proofs of his Esteem.

But Father Paul finding a Court Life not agreeable to his Temper, quitted it two Years afterwards, and retired to his beloved Privacies, being then not only acquainted with the Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldee Languages, but with Philofophy, the Mathematics, Canon and Civil Law, all Parts of natural Philofophy, and Chemistry itfelf; for his Application was unintermitted, his Head clear, his Apprehenfion quick, and his Memory retentive.

Being made a Prieft at twenty-two, he was diftinguished by the illuftrious Cardinal Borromeo with his Confidence, and employed by him on many Occafions, not without the Envy of Persons of lefs Merit, who were fo far exafperated as to lay a Charge against him before the Inquifition, for denying that

the

the Trinity could be proved from the firft Chapter of Genefis; but the Accufation was too ridiculous to be taken Notice of.

After this he paffed fucceffively through the Dignities of his Order, and in the Intervals of his Employment applied himself to his Studies with fo extenfive a Capacity, as left no Branch of Knowledge untouch'd. By him Acquependente, the great Anatomift, confeffes that he was informed how Vifion is performed; and there are Proofs that he was not a Stranger to the Circulation of the Blood. He frequently conversed upon Aftronomy with Mathematicians, upon Anatomy with Surgeons, upon Medicine with Phyficians, and with Chemifts upon the Analysis of Metals, not as a fuperficial Enquirer, but as a complete Mafter.

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But the Hours of Repofe, that he employed fo well, were interrupted by a new Information in the Inquifition, where a former Acquaintance produced a Letter written by him in Cyphers, in which he faid, that he detefted the Court of Rome, and that no Preferment was obtained there but by dithoneft • Means.' This Accufation, however dangerous, was paffed over on Account of his great Reputation, but made fuch Impreffions on that Court, that he was afterwards denied a Bishoprick by Clement VIII. After thefe Difficulties were furmounted, Father Paul again retired to his Solitude, where he appears, by fome Writings drawn up by him at that Time, to have turned his Attention more to Improvements in Piety than Learning. Such was the Care with which he read the Scriptures, that, it being his Cuftom to draw a Line under any Paffage which he intended more nicely to confider, there was not a fingle Word in his New Testament but was underlined; the fame Marks of Attention appeared in his Old Teftament, Pfalter, and Breviary.

But

But the most active Scene of his Life began about the Year 1615, when Pope Paul V. exafperated by fome Decrees of the Senate of Venice that interfered with the pretended Rights of the Church, laid the whole State under an Interdict.

The Senate, filled with Indignation at this Treatment, forbad the Bifhops to receive or publish the Pope's Bull, and convening the Rectors of the Churches, commanded them to celebrate divine Service in the accustomed Manner, with which most of them readily complied; but the Jefuits and fome others refufing, were by a folemn Edict expelled the State.

Both Parties having proceeded to Extremities, employed their ableft Writers to defend their Meafures: On the Pope's Side, among others, Cardinal Bellarmine entered the Lifts, and with his confederate Authors defended the Papal Claims with great Scurrility of Expreffion, and very fophiftical Reafonings, which were confuted by the Venetian Apologifts in much more decent Language, and with much greater Solidity of Argument.

On this Occafion Father Paul was most eminently diftinguished by his Defence of the Rights of the fu preme Magiftrate, his Treatife of Excommunication tranflated from Gerfon, with an Apology, and other Writings, for which he was cited before the Inquifition at Rome; but it may be eafily imagined that he did not obey the Summons.

The Venetian Writers, whatever might be the Abilities of their Adverfaries, were at leaft fuperior to them in the Juftice of their Caufe. The Propofitions maintained on the Side of Rome were thefe : That the Pope is invested with all the Authority of Heaven and Earth. That all Princes are his Vaffals, and that he may annul their Laws at Pleasure. That Kings may appeal to him, as he is temporal Monarch of the whole Earth. That he can difcharge

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