thecary, in London, by whom he had several children, who died in their infancy. With this lady, who possessed many amiable virtues, he found his house the constant residence of domestic felicity. [To the foregoing Memoirs, printed literally from Mr. Robertson's hand-writing, I have only to add that he died Jan. 19, 1802, in his 76th year.] XIV. RALPH GRIFFITHS, ESQ. LL.D. This gentleman, who was born in the year 1720, was the original institutor of "The Monthly Review*;" which, with unremitting perseverance, he conducted 54 years, assisted only by his son in the latter period of his life. * The First Number of the Review was published in May 1749, at The Dunciad in St. Paul's Church-yard, whence in 1754 the Publisher removed to Paternoster-row, and in 1759 into the Strand, still retaining the sign of the Dunciad. In 1764, the name of Mr. Becket (the present respectable Publisher) first appeared in the title page. † One of his earliest coadjutors was Dr. Rose, who has the credit of having written the first article in that valuable work. He has already been mentioned, p. 386, as the friend and counsellor of Andrew Millar; and is thus noticed by the Rev. Daniel Lysons: "Dr. Rose, a man of amiable manners, and much esteemed in the literary world, had been for about 30 years an inhabitant of Chiswick; where he kept an academy. He was author of a. well-known translation of Sallust, and editor of several useful compilations in Latin, French, and English. His able criticisms greatly contributed towards establishing the credit of the Monthly Review, in which he was one of the earliest writers. Dr. Rose was born in the county of Aberdeen; he died the 4th of July, 1786, aged 67. The following lines to his memory, written by Arthur Murphy, Esq. are inscribed upon his tomb: "Whoe'er thou art, with silent footsteps tread The hallow'd mould where Rose reclines his head. But pensive pause where truth and honour lie: Dr. Griffiths was a steady advocate of literature*; a firm friend, a cordial lover of the enjoyments of domestic happiness, and a zealous and successful promoter of the charms of social intercourse†. With zeal through life he toil'd in Learning's cause, His every action sought the noblest end; · The tender husband, father, brother, friend. * Gent. Mag. vol. LXXIII. p. 896. A portrait of Dr. Griffiths is given in the European Magazine for January 1804, with the following biographical notice: "In contemplating the Portrait of this Gentleman, in whose character industry and ingenuity were in an eminent degree combined, there is one question very naturally suggested to every literary mind; and that is, How long it has known, or remembers, the original? And this leads to the reflection, that his name has been before our eyes as far back as retrospection can reach, as the Publisher and Proprietor of the Monthly Review. "At this juncture there was no regular established Literary Review in Great Britain; nor was the Monthly Review very successful on its first publication. Several times it was about to be abandoned, as Dr. Griffiths often told his friends; but patience, perseverance, and attention, surmounted every obstacle, and procured it a firm establishment. Of the Literary Journals which preceded it, the following is as accurate a list as we can at present obtain: 1. Memoirs of Literature, 8 vols. Svo. 1722. 2. New Memoirs of Literature, by Michael de la Roche, begún January 1725, and ended December 1727, 6 vols. 3. Present State of the Republic of Letters, by Andrew Reid, began January 1729, ended 1736, 18 vols. 4. Historia Literària, by Archibald Bower, begun 1730, ended 1732, 4 vols. 5. History of the Works of the Learned, begun January 1737, ended June 1743, 13 vols. 6. Literary Journal, printed at Dublin, began October 1744, and ended June 1749, 5 vols.-The Monthly Review (although it has, perhaps, for what might be deemed the morality of criticism, taken too much the colour, as its authors adopted too much the passions, of the times) has been uniformly successful; and it has also this singular circumstance attending its introduction, that it came into the world almost unannounced. In contradiction to the promises, parade, and verbosity, which are generally the precursors of periodical works, the two first lines of an advertisement, which scarcely contains twenty, most truly state, that "Undertakings which, in their execution, carry the designation of their use, need very little preface."-" At this period the Gentleman's Magazine Dr. Griffiths died at Turnham Green, in the 83d year of his age, Sept. 28, 1803. Magazine occasionally noticed works of genius; but much more frequently those of a political or party tendency, in which all the world knows that genius is the last thing expected, or perhaps admired: yet what might be termed a regular Review was unknown in this country. It is true, that early in the eighteenth century a publication of this nature, entitled, "The present State of the Republic of Letters," was attempted; but, probably owing to the extensive nature of its plan, which includes abridgments rather than opinions of works, without much success. Copious, pompous, and florid title-pages, though reprobated by Swift, ridiculed by Arbuthnot, and cautiously launched by every respectable author, had yet, in defiance to common sense, obtained that kind of general toleration that we often see given to things of far greater importance: so that a prudent person would have been as diffident of judging of the contents of a book from the title, as he would of taking the character of those exalted personages, whose names were generally the precursors to more solid matter, from the dedication. This kind of titulary puffing, which, it is said, used to put Johnny Barber so much out of temper, that he was ready to turn an author out of his shop if the frontispiece of his manuscript excceded the bounds of moderation, had not passed unobserved by Mr. Griffiths; and it is very probable, that a desire to repress it first gave him the idea of the Monthly Review; as he says, in the advertisement alluded to, "The abuse of title-pages is obviously come to such a pass, that few readers care to take in a book, any more than a servant, without a character." "Of either the literary life or domestic habits of Dr. Griffiths, little is at present known; which circumstance we should lament as a misfortune, were we not informed, that it is the intention of his son, who at present conducts the Monthly Review, to publish his Memoirs. "When we observe that, but for this intimation, we should lament our want of materials as a misfortune, it arises from our reflection, that in the variety of situations where this venerable critic and valuable member of society has resided, from the Dunciad in St. Paul's Church-yard, 1747, to the Dunciad near Catherine-street, 1772, where we perfectly remember his shop to be a favourite lounge of the late Dr. Goldsmith, he must have become acquainted with more characters, anecdotes, and circumstances, many of which we hope he has preserved, than perhaps any other Critic from Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who, we gather from Polybius and others, was the first Reviewer, downward, or indeed any other person of the bibliopolical or literary professions. "Dr. Griffiths retired from his public situation as a bookseller to studies more congenial to his disposition about 30 years since." XV. JOHN THORPE, M. D. derived his descent from an antient family seated in the county of Kent for several generations*. Edward Thorpe was of Rolvynden, otherwise Rownden, in the reign of Henry VII; whose descendants were afterwards of Westerham. Dr. JOHN THORPE, eldest son of John Thorpe, esq. (fifth in descent from the above-named Edward) by Anne his wife, was born at Newhouse, in the parish of Penshurst, March 12, 1681-2; and was educated at the grammar-school of Westerham in Kent, under the care of the then master, the learned and pious Thomas Maningham, afterwards Bishop of Chichester, who married one of the daughters of Mr. Ireland, who had succeeded, as master of that school, Mr. Hoadly, father of the celebrated Bishop of Winchester. On the 14th of April 1698, he was matriculated as a Commoner of University College in Oxford, * Of this let an epitaph in Westerham Church bear testimony: "Hic infra situm est corpus Johannis Thorpe, Ex antiquâ & honestâ olim gente in agris Cantiano et Sussexiensi oriundorum. Uxorem duxit Annam, Johannis Luck, S. T. B. de Mayfield in diocesi Cicestrensi, filiam posthumam, et fratrum, prole tandem deficiente, cohæredem; ex quâ septem suscepit liberos, filios quatuor, filias tres. Posuerunt Johannes et Oliverus, ex Johanne Thorpe de Penshurst, filio ejus unico, qui connubium inivit nepotes et hæredes." + Sister and coheir of Oliver Combridge of Newhouse, otherwise Harts, in the parish of Penshurst. She brought with her in marriage a very considerable landed estate in Penshurst, Speldburst, Tunbridge, Chiddingstone, &c. This school was at that time in great reputation; it was situate about a quarter of a mile out of the town, but has since been pulled down. under under the tuition of Mr. John Boraston, Fellow of that College; who being soon after obliged to residence, either at his curacy of Penshurst, or on his rectory of Addington, he was committed to the care and instruction of Mr. (afterwards Doctor) Thomas Cockman, then one of the Fellows, and afterwards Master of the said College. In Michaelmas term 1701, he took the degree of B. A. and that of Master on the 27th of June, 1704. On the 16th of May 1707, he was admitted Bachelor of Physick, and in July 1710 took the degree of Doctor. On Saint Andrew's day 1705, he was elected F. R. S. which at that time consisted of but few members in comparison with the present number. Soon after this he fixed his residence in Ormondstreet, London, near his friend Dr. Mead; and for several years assisted Dr. Sloane, then Secretary of the Royal Society, afterwards Sir Hans Sloane, President of the same Society, in publishing the Philosophical Transactions. During his continuance in London he contracted an intimate acquaintance with the most eminent Physicians, Naturalists, and Antiquaries of that time. At the pressing and repeated solicitations of many of his relations and friends, he, in the year 1715, quitted London, and settled at Rochester for the practice of his profession; where, at his leisure hours, he applied himself to his favourite study, the History and Antiquities of his native County, and more particularly those relating to the Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Diocese of Rochester. In this pursuit he employed several amanuenses, to copy and transcribe from the Registers and antient deeds and muniments of that See and Church, and from other public and private repositories of antient learning, whatever appeared pertinent to his purpose. His labour was also indefatigable in taking the sepulchral inscriptions and coat armour on monuments and painted glass within several miles of Rochester (with a copy of which he obliged that great |