he not only discharged his own duty but also that of his facetious friend, Dr. Pope, the professor of Astronomy. The next year he became a fellow of the Royal Society, and was the first Professor of Mathematicks at Cambridge, on Mr. Lucas's foundation, on which he resigned the Gresham professorship. He was appointed Master of Trinity College, in 1672, and the king was pleased to say upon that occasion that "he had given it to the best scholar in England."

This great divine died of a fever, at London, May 4, 1677, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, where a handsome monument was erected to his memory by the contribution of his friends.

The particulars of his death, are thus given by Dr. Pope, in his Life of Bishop Ward.

"The last time he was in London, whither he came, as it is customary, to the election of Westminster School, he went to Knightsbridge to give the Bishop of Salisbury a visit, and then made me engage my word to come to him at Trinity College, immediately after the Michaelmas ensuing. I cannot express the rapture of the joy I was in, having, as I thought, so near a prospect of his charming and instructive conversation; I fancied it would be a heaven upon earth, for he was immensely rich in learning, and very liberal and communicative of it, delighting in nothing more than to impart to others, if they desired it, whatever he had obtained by much time and study;

but

but of a sudden all my hopes vanished, and were melted like snow before the sun. Some few days after he came again to Knightsbridge, and sat down to dinner, but I observed he did not eat; whereupon I asked him how it was with him; he answered, that he had a slight indisposition hanging upon him, with which he had struggled two or three days, and that he hoped by fasting and opium to get it off, as he had removed another and more dangerous sickness, at Constantinople some years before. But these remedies availed him not; his malady proved, in the event, an inward, malignant, and insuperable fever, of which he died, May 4, Anno Dom. 1677, in the 47th year of his age, in mean lodgings, at a sadler's near Charing Cross; an old, low, illbuilt house, which he had used for several years; for though his condition was much bettered by his obtaining the Mastership of Trinity College, yet that had no bad influence upon his morals; he still continued the same humble person, and could not be prevailed upon to take more reputable lodgings." The same writer informs us that the Lord Keeper sent a message of condolence to Dr. Barrow's father, who had then some place under him, importing that he had but too great reason to grieve for the loss of so good a son, but that he should mitigate his sorrow upon that very consideration.

The intrepidity of Dr. Barrow has already been mentioned, but the same entertaining writer who

has furnished us with most of the particulars concerning him, gives another instance of his strength and courage.

"He was at a gentleman's country seat, where the necessary house was at the end of a long garden, and consequently at a great distance from the room where he lodged; and as he was going to it very early, even before day, for he was sparing of sleep, and a very early riser, a fierce mastiff who used to be chained up all day, and let loose at night, for the security of the house, perceiving a strange person in the garden at that unseasonable time, set upon him with great fury. The doctor caught him by the throat, threw him, and lay upon him, and whilst he kept him down, considered what he should do in that exigency; once he had a mind to kill him, but he altered this resolution, judging it would be an unjust action, for the dog did his duty, and he was himself in fault for rambling out before it was light. At length he called so loud, that he was heard by some persons in the house, who came presently out and freed the doctor and the dog from their disagreeable situation.'

Of the doctor's generous disposition the same writer gives us the following instance. Bishop Ward had given him a prebend in the cathedral of Salisbury, and "I remember," says Dr. Pope, "about that time I heard him once say, I wish I had five hundred pounds.' I replied, "that's a great sum for a philosopher to desire; what 3 would

would you do with so much ?" I would,' said he 'give it to my sister for a portion, that would procure her a good husband:' which sum in a few months after he received for putting a life into the corps of his new prebend; after which he resigned it to Mr. Corker, of Trinity College, in Cambridge."

The following pleasant anecdote, from the same authority, will be amusing to the reader:

"We were once going from Salisbury to London, Dr. Barrow in the coach with the Bishop, and I on horseback; as he was entering the coach, I perceived his pockets strutting out near half a foot, and said to him, "what have you got in your pockets ?" "He replied, Sermons." -"Sermons," said I, "give them to me, my boy: shall carry them in his portmanteau, and ease you of that luggage.". ." But,” said he, "suppose your boy should be robbed."—"That's pleasant," said I, "do you think there are parsons padding on. the road for sermons ?"-" Why, what have you," said he, "it may be five or six guineas; I hold my sermons at a greater rate, they cost me much pain and time."-"Well then," said I, "if you will insure my five or six guineas against laypadders, I'll secure your bundle of sermons against ecclesiastical highwaymen." This was agreed; he emptied his pockets, and filled my portmanteau with divinity, and we had the good fortune to come safe to our journey's end, without meeting either

$ 3

either sort of the padders beforementioned, and to bring both our treasures to London.”

The sermons of Dr. Barrow are exact dissertations on theological subjects, and so full are they, that Charles the Second used to call him "an unfair preacher, because he exhausted every topic, and left no room for any thing new to be said by any who came after him."

His sermons, however, are very long, and of this Dr. Pope gives the following instances:

"He was once requested by the Bishop of Rochester, who was also Dean of Westminster, to preach at the Abbey, and withal desired not to be long, for that the auditory there loved short sermons. He replied, "My lord, I will shew you my sermon," and pulling it out of his pocket, put it into the bishop's hands.-The text was the 10th chapter of the Proverbs, the latter end of the 18th verse; the words these: He that uttereth slander is a liar.* The sermon was accordingly divided into two parts; one treated of slander, the other of lies. The dean desired him to content himself with preaching only the first part, to which he consented, not without some reluctancy; and in speaking that only, it took up an hour and a half. At another time, upon the

This is a mistake; the words ase, "He that uttereth slander is a fool," add the doctor has two sermons on the text, both of a moderate length.

same