pired at Otes-Hall, in Effex, the seat of lady Mafham (a); with whom he paffed the last 14 years of his life. He was buryed in the church-yard of Harlow, a village three miles from Otes. His own infcription is on the wall of the church.

The life and writings of this great man I purpose to review, and, fo far as I am able, will endeavour to vindicate him from the mifrepresentations of wilfulness, weakness, inadvertence, and prepoffeffion. I shall confider the merits of his logic, philofophy, and religion, and attempt to prove, that he hath not only written with a strength, vivacity,

and

(a) Lady Mafham dyed April 20. 1708. in the 50th year of her age, and was buryed in the middle ifle of the abbey church at Bath. She was daughter of the famous Ralph Cudworth, D. D. who writ the intellectual fyftem; a book of the greatest value, on account of its curious, various learning, and much fine reasoning; tho there be many odd, defenceless notions fcattered through it. He died in 88, in his 71ft year; and, by a labored education, fo happyly cultivated the fine Genius of his beautiful and pious daughter Damaris, as to render Lady Mafham an honour to human nature, an ornament to the chriftian religion, and illustrious for learning of many kinds.We have two fine pieces of her writing, to wit, a difcourfe concerning the love of God, London, 1696. in 12mo. and occafional thoughts in reference to a chriftian life. London, 1705. in 12mo.In the piece firft mentioned, the oppofes and confutes Mrs. Aftel's fenfelefs Notion, that any love of the creature is finful.

and fineness, very much above what is common; but, hath treated all his fubjects with fo much truth and justice, that it is amazing how fuch great men, as Burnet, Holdsworth, Edwards, Watts, Butler, Berkley, and Brown, could think of printing against him. Had the drummers and trumpeters of the writing army, fuch as Carrol, the popifh priest (a), in his octavo, made a noise against him, there had been nothing strange in it but to fee fuch admirable genii as Burnet and Butler, not only oppose him, but ufe him rudely; this is one of the astonishing things in the republic of letters. Why they did fo, I fhall fhew in the courfe of my examination. I am to prove that judgment and an equity of mind were not concerned in the objections produced against Mr. Locke; but, the writers have thought ill on the points, and concluded him defective, and in error, because what he writ was not what they would have it to be. My examination fhall begin with the Effay on the human understanding; that noble effay, which ferves the interest of truth, natural, moral, and divine; and from thence I shall proceed to the other writings of this great man. — Here Mrs. Benlow ends

her

(a) Carrol was Mr. Pope's father confeffor: and to him he infcribes the finest of his poems.-To thee, O Carrol... &c.

her preface, and at note (O), you will find an extract from the memoir, in anfwer to the four objections I made to Mr. Locke; relative to innate ideas, abftract ideas, a folid thinking exiflent, and power.

May 27.

and Mifs

Hali-farm

At this work I found the daughter of my 1741. friend employed, in the month of May, 1741, The arrival when I called at her house, to fee how they of Mrs. all did, as I journeyed to Scotland, to vifit Schomberg, the antient monuments of that country, and Weft, at trace the wall of Antoninus Pius from Clyde' to Forth: And about an hour after my arrival at Hali-farm, two ladys came in by accident, who gave a turn to her literary fituation, and took her into the world. These were Mrs. Schomberg, and Mifs Weft. They were riding to Crawford-dyke, near Dunglass, the place I intended for, and by a wrong turn on the road, came to Mrs. Benlow's house instead of going to Robin Toad's, where they defigned to bait. It was between eight and nine at night, when they got to her door, and as they appeared by the richness of their riding dress, their fervants, and the beautiful horses they rid, to be women of distinction, Mrs. Benlow invited them in, and requested they would lie at her house that night, as the inn they were looking for was very bad. Nothing could be more grateful to the ladys than this propofal. They were on the ground in a moment: and we all fat G down

down foon after, with the greatest chearfulnefs, to a fine dish of trouts, roafted chickens, tarts, and fparagrafs. The ftrangers were quite charmed with every thing they faw. The sweet rural room they were in, and the wild beautys of the garden in view, they could not enough admire; and they were fo ftruck with Mrs. Benlow's goodness, and the lively, happy manner fhe has of fhewing it, that they conceived immediately the greatest affection for her. Felicity could not rife higher than it did at this table. For a couple of hours we laughed most immoderately. So much good fenfe, good fayings, and the best. good humor, these agreeable women put together, that I do believe, if Diogenes had come into this company, we should at least have feen him grin. But at laft, from converfation they went to mufic, and performed two pieces, as a conclufion to the happy evening. Mrs. Schomberg and Mifs Chaucer fing with the greatest judgment, extremely fine. Mifs Weft plays well on the Violoncello, the little bafs violin: and the matchless fiddle of Mrs. Benlow being added, they formed a harmony the most excellent and perfect.A whole month thofe ladys ftayed at Halifarm, and then we all fet out together for Crawford-dyke. From that place, Mrs. Schomberg and Mifs Weft were to go to the western ifles, to fee Mifs Weft's brother; who has a

fine feat on one of them, and had fent his own beautiful floop to wait for them in the firth of Clyde. When this vifit was payed, the fame fhip was to take them to Bretagne in France, to pafs fome weeks with Mrs. Schomberg's mother at Vitré. They would go from that to Paris. From Paris to Avignon. Then to Italy; and fo home. This Tour they reprefented to Mrs. Benlow as a moft charming thing. It would confirm her health, and add very greatly to the hap→ pynefs of her life. She would see the world: and have a double relifh for her fine retirement, when she returned. This, and the company, and the manner of going, was enough to an inclined mind. But before we leave Hali-farm, I must give you a description of these two Ladys, as there is fomething extraordinary in their history, and their merits are worth your knowing.

Schomberg.

Mrs. Schomberg is the daughter of John A defcrip Boffuet Efq; a man of great fortune in the tion of Mrs. weft of England, who left his whole eftate to this lady, chargable only with a dower to her mother. She was marryed at eighten to the reverend Dr. Schomberg, a man of great riches, and great deformity, both of fout and body. I knew him well. He was my fchool fellow, and went to the fame college. He made a devil of a husband, and would have been the death of her, had not an ac