of these prosecutions he received very mortifying defeats, in consequence of the good sense and good feeling of the juries. As a judge, Sir Vicary was as unpopular as he had previously been while Attorney-General. His extreme irritability of temper, his petulant haste, and undisguised self-conceit, combined in making him one of the most disagreeable judges that ever sate in Westminster Hall, and must have very much detracted from his efficiency. But his sound legal knowledge was signally and constantly displayed by him in practice; and, as a criminal judge, he felt the peculiar moral responsibility of his station: he then kept a watch over his own temper, and never suffered himself to be hurried by passion or ill-humour into the infliction of one harsh sentence. Sir Vicary Gibbs survived his retirement from the bench a little more than a year. He died on the 8th of February, 1820. CHRISTOPHER ANSTEY. FROM an Etonian who loved the English law, and thought it the perfection of human wisdom, we now turn to one who certainly seems to have thought it the perfection of human absurdity. Christopher Anstey, the son of the Rev. Christopher Anstey, was born in 1724. Like the two learned judges whom we have last mentioned, Anstey was educated on the foundation at Eton, and there became a scholar of King's. Anstey took his Bachelor's degree in 1746, but became involved in some quarrel with the University authorities, in consequence of which the degree of M.A. was refused to him. Anstey studied for the law, but the opinion which he had of the study may be inferred from his humorous publication entitled "The Pleader's Guide; a didactic poem, in two books, by M. Surrebutter." In 1754 he succeeded, on his mother's death, to some family property at Trumpington, near Cambridge. He now resigned his fellowship, and lived an independent life, without following any profession. Bath was one of his favourite residences, and, in 1766, he published an amusing poetical sketch, which he had composed, of the amusements and the habits of the fashionable visitors of that celebrated watering-place. This poem instantly acquired HH great popularity; so much so, that Dodsley, the bookseller, who had given Anstey 2001. for the copyright, returned it to him in 1777, stating that he had made more money by the book than by any other in space of time. Anstey generously devoted the profits of his poem to the Bath General Hospital. Anstey translated several English poems ("Gray's Elegy" among the rest) into Latin verse, and published a small volume of these performances. He also wrote some other little poems in English; but his two "Guides" are the principal works, and of them the "Bath Guide" is the one to which he mainly owes his reputation. The versification of this is remarkably graceful, and the spirit of good-humoured raillery is admirably kept up. The similarity of the metre and the subject of Moore's "Fudge Family in Paris," suggests a comparison, which may be worked out not at all unfavourably to Anstey. Anstey's power of writing rhyming Latin was very remarkable. His Latin version of part of his own poem, where the young lady who has taken up with Methodism complains of the wickedness of her friends and relations, almost beats the English: Simkins frater Desperatur, Ludit, salit turpiter; Ridet Jana Sacra fana; Tabitha Runt deperditur, &c. &c. Anstey spent the latter years of his life entirely at Bath, and died there in 1805. RICHARD PORSON. THIS Greek Emperor was born at East Ruston, in Norfolk, on the 25th of December, 1759. He was the eldest son of the parishclerk. His father was a man of unusually good education for his station in life, and he was earnestly desirous of giving his children every possible intellectual advantage. He himself paid unremitting attention to them, and strove to teach them the rudiments of knowledge in the simplest and the most effectual manner. The period of life from nine to twelve years was passed by young Porson under the superintendence of Mr. Summers, a village schoolmaster, whose power as a teacher did not extend beyond. his native language, writing, arithmetic, and the rudiments of Latin; but here again paternal care came in aid of the scanty means afforded for instruction; for the boy was accustomed every evening to repeat to his father the lessons of the day in the exact order in which they had occurred, so as at once to strengthen both his memory and his judgment. The attention to study which had marked the character of Richard-his various acquirements, and his wonderful memory,became the theme of the village. Through the medium of this report, they were heard of by the Rev. Mr. Hewitt, the clergyman, who immediately took the subject of this memoir and his brother Thomas under his care. The progress of both boys was great; but that of Richard so extraordinary, that his improvement became a topic of conversation far beyond the limits of the district. A gentleman of literary taste and independent property, who resided in the neighbourhood, felt some curiosity to see this youthful prodigy, of whom he heard so much. He sent for young Richard, and examined him himself: the result of the examination was to fill Mr. Norris (the name of Porson's benefactor) with surprise and admiration at the great acquirements and still greater capabilities that the boy displayed. He determined on assisting him, by giving him the best education that could be obtained, and for this purpose he sent him to Eton, whither Porson went in 1774, being then in his fifteenth year. He soon attracted universal notice here for the extent of his knowledge of the classics, but more particularly by the extraordinary tenacity and comprehensiveness of his memory. To learn by heart was to him little more an effort than to read. At Eton he was taught to study with more critical accuracy than he had previously been trained to: but, by his own account, little addition was made to the range of his reading, which had indeed already extended over a wonderfully ample circle. Porson was not only admired by his schoolfellows for his classical eminence, but he was popular in every pursuit and pastime. Some of the writers who have collected anecdotes respecting him, say that Porson used in after-life to dwell on these happy years of his youth with peculiar satisfaction. His literary talents are said to have taken a dramatic turn; and he would sometimes repeat a piece which he had composed for exhibition in the Long-chamber, and other compositions both of gravity and humour, with that kind of enthusiasm which the recollection of his academic pleasures never failed to excite. One anecdote respecting him is, that it was while at Eton that young Porson gave his celebrated answer to the question proposed for the subject of a Latin theme : "Cæsare occiso, an Brutus benefecit aut malefecit?" A game being proposed, he joined the scholars in their youthful sports, and was so engrossed by them, that he entirely forgot the theme. When the time, however, arrived for handing up his production, he snatched a pen, and hastily scrawling "Nec bene fecit, nec male fecit, sed interfecit," presented it to the master. Mr. Norris died while Porson was at Eton. The death of his benefactor was a severe blow, and Porson long lamented the loss of his first patron; though, by the liberality of other persons, the means were provided for carrying on his education. Porson was entered at Trinity College, Cambridge, in the latter end of the year 1777. His reputation had travelled there before him, but he proved himself more than worthy of it; and in the larger sphere in which he now moved, he became as much an object of attention as he had been at Eton, or at the little Norfolk seminary. For him to win the university classical scholarship and one of the gold medals were matters of course. One of his papers (a copy of Iambics) in the examination for the scholarship was long preserved as an academical curiosity. He paid but little attention to mathematics, and only took a Senior Optime's degree. He was made a Fellow of Trinity at an unusually early period of his university career. He now contributed various critiques on classical subjects to several periodicals of the day, which attracted much notice, and spread his name beyond the university. He became still better known by his series of letters to Archdeacon Travis on the contested verse, 1 John v. 7. Porson is considered to have completely settled this celebrated and long-agitated question. Not long after he had taken his first degree, it was in the contemplation of the Syndics of the University Press, at Cambridge, to publish Æschylus, with some papers of Stanley. Porson offered to undertake the work, provided he were allowed to conduct it according to his own discretion, but his offer was rejected. He some time afterwards visited Germany: on his return, being much teazed by a loquacious personage to give some account of his travels, he replied, "I went to Frankfort, and got drunk With that most learn'd professor, Brunck; The memoir-writer from whom I take this anecdote, says that Porson made this reply sarcastically: if so, the sarcasm must have been against himself; for, unhappily, his habits of excess were already such, that his rhymes were most likely literally true. In 1786 Nicholson, the Cambridge bookseller, being about to publish a new edition of Xenophon's Anabasis, prevailed upon Porson to furnish him with some notes, which he accordingly did. These occupy about nineteen closely-printed pages, and, although avowedly written in haste, attest the hand of a master. In 1790 a new edition of the very learned work entitled "Emendationes in Suidam et Hesychium, et alios Lexicographos Græcos," was published at the Clarendon press. To this Porson subjoined some critical notes, which were termed "Notæ breves ad Toupii Emendationes in Suidam," and "Notæ in Curas novissimas." These were never publicly acknowledged any further than by Porson's initials. In consequence of his conscientious scruples respecting taking holy orders, Porson was obliged to resign his Fellowship at the end of seven years. He had no private funds whatever, and the contributions of those who had at first maintained him at Cambridge of course had ceased long ago when he seemed to have secured an independence by obtaining his Trinity Fellowship. One of his biographers remarks, that he was a painful example of the inefficacy of great talents and immense erudition to procure independence, or even the means of existence, without patronage, or those sacrifices to which few men of genius or talents will stoop. In this unpleasant situation, without hope from the public, he yet attracted the attention of some private friends; and he was soon after, by the unanimous voice of the seven electors, appointed Professor of the Greek language in the university of Cambridge. Although the salary annexed to this important situation is but 407. per annum, its distinction was grateful to him. This new office not obliging him to reside permanently at the university, he settled in literary life in London. Here he is said to have passed much of his time in dissipation, amid the different convivial circles to which |