haps, the most successful of all modern imitations of Cicero. How far the preface was appropriate may be doubted. Bellendenus had intended a large work, "De Tribus Luminibus Romanorum,' the "Three Lights of Rome," Cicero, Seneca, and the elder Pliny; whence Dr Parr conceived the idea of delineating the characters of the then three most eminent senators of Great Britain. The taste and character of the composition, and the singular discrimination in the portraits, created an extraordinary sensa. tion in the literary and political world. A translation (by Mr Beloe) was published in octavo in 1788, but without the author's approbation. Dr Parr had thenceforth fully committed himself on the side of the popular party. This naturally terminated all hope of church preferment from the Court; and such was the low state of Dr Parr's pecuniary resources, that a subscription was made by the leading Whigs of the day, about the same period as that for Mr Fox, and an annuity of L.300 was purchased for Dr Parr's life.

In 1789, appeared "Tracts by Warburton and a Warburtonian, not admitted into the Collection of their re

spective Works." Although it was thought that personal feelings towards Bishop Hurd gave origin to this volume, yet it was allowed on all hands, to contain some admirable critical remarks. It produced a reply, entitled, "A Letter to Dr Parr, occasioned by his Republication," &c.

In 1790, Dr Parr exchanged the curacy of Hatton (though he still continued to reside there as deputy-curate) for the rectory of Waddenhoe, in Northamptonshire. In the same year he became acquainted with Dr Priestley.

In 1790, also, Dr Parr was involved in the controversy on the real authorship of the Bampton Lectures preached by Dr White. This controversy produced a pamphlet by Dr White, entit

led "A Statement of Dr White's Literary Obligations to the late Rev. Mr Samuel Badcock, and the Rev. Samuel Parr, LL.D.," Oxford, 1790.

In 1791 happened the riots in Birmingham, when the library and philosophical apparatus of Dr Priestley were burnt; and the mob hearing that Dr Parr had been visiting Dr Priestley, made known their determination to proceed to Hatton, and burn Dr Parr's house and library. For three days and nights Dr Parr and his family were agitated with consternation and dismay, but happily, before the mob could accomplish their purpose, the military put an end to their horrible proceedings. In that unexampled period of national excitement, when political and religious prejudices raged together, Dr Parr acted a manly, a decided, and a most honourable part. It is well known, that the pretext for these outrages was a meeting held by the dissenters on the 14th of July 1791, in celebration of the French Revolution. In consequence of a report that a party remained stubborn enough to meditate another commemoration upon the ensuing anniversary of that event, the Doctor, in one day, began and finished his "Letter from Irenopolis to the Inhabitants of Eleutheropolis; or a serious Address to the Dissenters of Birmingham, by a Member of the Established Church." This extraordinary pamphlet produced an advertisement from the Dissenters, in which they disclaimed all intention of meeting again upon that occasion. Though consisting of only forty pages, it is among the most eloquent of Dr Parr's publications. Like most of his productions, it was written on the spur of the occasion.

In 1791, Dr Parr having received two anonymous letters, probably undeserving of notice, publicly attributed them to the Rev. Charles Curtis, rector of Solihull, in Warwickshire. Mr Cur

tis, in justification of his own character, contradicted the charge in the St James's Chronicle, which produced from the Doctor an octavo pamphlet of two hundred and seventeen pages thickly strewed with notes, and a proportionate appendix, entitled, " A Sequel to the Printed Paper lately circulated in Warwickshire by the Rev. Charles Curtis, a Birmingham Rector," &c., 1792. So open to ridicule, however, was this huge Sequel, that it tempted Cumberland to enter the field with a humorous pamphlet, called "Curtius rescued from the Gulph, or the Retort Courteous to the Rev. Dr Parr, in answer to his learned Pamphlet, entitled 'A Sequel,' &c."

In this composition, the author raked into the indexes of the Delphin and Mattaire's editions as cleverly as the Doctor had cited Stobæus. From the tle-page

"Ille mi PAR esse deus videtur,

Ille, si fas est, superare divos"—Catullus, to the word FINIS, inclusive,

"Jam sumus ergo PARES!",

it was one string of puns.

In 1799, he was plunged into the depths of another and yet more important controversy. Dr Parr had been induced to afford valuable advice and as sistance to Mr Homer and Dr Charles Combe, in editing a most splendid and comprehensive edition of Horace. Mr Homer's exertions are supposed to have hastened his end. On the demise of Mr Homer, the bulk of the undertaking devolved on Dr Combe, who was found incompetent to the discharge of so arduous a task; and Dr Parr's assistance towards the second volume, from circumstances which may on some future occasion be developed, was withdrawn, and he was induced to publish some severe animadversions in the "British Critic," a periodical work then

lately established by Mr Beloe and others. In reply to this, Dr Combe published a pamphlet, entitled, "A Statement of Facts, relative to the behaviour of the Rev. Dr Parr to the late Mr Homer and Dr Combe, in order to point out the source, falsehood, and malignity of Dr Parr's attack, in the British Critic,' on the character of Dr Combe, 1794." In this statement, Dr Parr was accused of breach of promise, violation of friendship, and even want of veracity; he was styled by his antagonist the " literary Ajax" and to make that epithet good, he replied, in a closely-printed octavo pamphlet of ninety-four pages, called "Remarks on the Statement of Dr Charles Combe, by an occasional Writer in the British Critic,' 1795."

Mr Boswell, in his Life of Dr Johnson, having expressed his doubts respecting the correctness of Dr Parr's assertion, that the great lexicographer "not only endured, but almost solicited an interview with Dr Priestley," Dr Parr sent to "The Gentleman's Magazine," in March 1795, his reasons for that assertion, which were accompanied by some curious correspondence. To this "a general answer" was prepared by Mr Boswell, a short time before his death, but not published. In the same year, Mr Beloe published a translation of " Aulus Gellius," the very learned and judicious preface to which was written by Dr Parr.

On Easter Tuesday, in the year 1800, Dr Parr preached his justly-celebrated Spital Sermon, at Christchurch, Newgate-street, before Harvey Christian Combe, Esq. the Lord Mayor. This sermon was soon afterwards printed, with a number of curious notes; which induced the author of "Political Justice" to publish, in the same year, an octavo pamphlet, entitled "Thoughts occasioned by the perusal of Dr Parr's Spital Sermon, being a Reply to the

"I am sorry that it is not in my power to place you in a situation which would become you-I mean in the Episcopal Palace at Buckden: but I can bring you very near to it; for I have the presentation to a rectory now vacant, within a mile and a half of it, which is very much at Dr Parr's service. It is the rectory of Graffham, at present worth L.200 a-year, and, as I am informed, may soon be worth L.270; and I this moment learn that the incumbent died last Tuesday.

"Dr Parr's talents and character might well entitle him to a better patronage than this from those who know how to estimate his merits; but I acknowledge that a great additional motive with me to the offer I now make him, is, that I believe I cannot do any thing more pleasing to his friends, Mr Fox, Mr Sheridan, and Mr Knight; and I desire you, sir, to consider your self obliged to them only.

"I have the honour to be, Sir,
"With the greatest respect,
"Your obedient servant,
"FRANCIS BUrdett."

"Vicarage-House, Buckden, Sept. 26, 1802. "DEAR SIR, "After rambling in various parts of

Norfolk, I went to Cambridge, and from Cambridge I yesterday came to the parsonage of my most respectable friend, Mr Maltby, at Buckden, where I this morning had the honour of receiving your letter. Mrs Parr opened it last Friday at Hatton, and I trust that you will pardon the liberty she took in desiring your servant to convey it to me in Huntingdonshire, where she knew that I should be, as upon this day.

"Permit me, dear sir, to request that you would accept the warmest and most sincere thanks of my heart for this unsolicited, but most honourable, expression of your good will towards me. Nothing can be more important to my worldly interest than the service you have done me, in presenting me to the living of Graffham. Nothing can be more exquisitely gratifying to my very best feeling, than the language in which you have conveyed to me this mark of your friendship. Indeed, dear sir, you have enabled me to pass the years of declining life in comfortable and honourable independence. You have given me additional and unalterable conviction, that the firmness with which I have adhered to my principles has obtained for me the approbation of wise and good men. And when that approbation assumes, as it now does, the form of protection, I fairly confess to you, that the patronage of Sir Francis Burdett has a right to be ranked among the proudest, as well as the happiest, events of my life. I trust that my future conduct will justify you in the disinterested and generous gift which you have bestowed upon me: and sure I am that my friends, Mr Fox, Mr Sheridan, and Mr Knight, will not only share with me in my joy, but sympathize with me in those sentiments of respect and gratitude which I shall ever feel towards Sir Francis Burdett.

"Most assuredly I shall myself set

"Man in Quest of Himself, or a Defence of the Individuality of the Human Mind, or Self." These he intended to republish, probably with original remarks, but the whole impression is stored up in the printer's warehouse.

In 1808, Mr Coke, of Holkham, made Dr Parr an offer of the rectory of Buckingham. This, however, did not tempt the doctor to leave the spot to which he was so attached.

On the death of Mr Fox, Dr Parr announced his intention of publishing a Life of his celebrated friend and political favourite. The expectations of the public were excited, but were certainly disappointed in a publication of two octavo volumes, entitled "Characters of the late Charles James Fox; selected, and in part written, by Philopatris Varvicencis," 1809.

On December 27, 1816, Dr Parr married, secondly, Mary, sister of Mr Eyre, of Coventry, who survives him.

Two small publications, one of which was printed by his especial request (containing a critical essay by Dr Parr on the character of Dr Taylor, the learned editor of Demosthenes and Lysias ;) and of the other of which he was the immediate editor, must not pass unnoticed. They were,-1st, " Two Music Speeches at Cambridge, in 1714 and 1730, by Roger Long, M.A., and John Taylor M.A., to which are added, a Latin Speech of Dr Taylor; several of his juvenile Poems; some Minor Essays in prose; and Specimens o. his Epistolary Correspondence; with Memoirs of Dr Taylor, and Dr Long." 8vo. 1819. 2dly, "Four Sermons: 1 & 2, by Dr Taylor; 3, by Bishop Lowth; and 4, by Bishop Hayter; with a preface suggested by remarks of Dr Parr."

A variety of Dr Parr's minor literary productions appeared in "The Gentleman's Magazine;" to which he was a frequent and valuable correspond

ent. Among these are two Letters on the subject of Howard's statue, a learned Letter to the Rev. Mr Glasse, on the word Cauponari, and several Letters to Lord Chedworth (inserted in a report of the trial on the will of that nobleman.) Many biographical notices from his masterly pen have also graced the pages of Sylvanus Urban. In "The Gentleman's Magazine" may likewise be found most of his Latin epitaphs, amounting to upwards of thirty. His manuscripts are said to be very numerous, and upon various subjects of verbal criticism, theology, and metaphysics. He often declared during his lifetime, that they were not in a state fit for publication; that many of them were illegible even to himself; and that he had most peremptorily desired his executors to destroy them after his death, without distinction, and even without inspection. Fortunately, however, Dr Parr seems to have re-considered this subject; for he has left written directions for the positive publication of some, and the discretionary publication of other parts of his works; a duty which his executors will no doubt undertake with all the care and fidelity which the case requires.

It appears from a private letter to the conductor of "The Gentleman's Magazine," dated December 18, 1818, that Dr Parr then meditated the publication of a tract, which, however, did not appear till after his death.

"Milner, the Roman Catholic, has published an elaborate work, which cannot fail of having a very extensive and powerful effect on any person of his own religion. He has put forth all his strength, and let loose all his venom. Among other matter, he three times says that Bishop Halifax died a Catholic, and this you see affords a glorious triumph to the Roman Catholics. I am determined to call him to a public account. I have all the matter and paper now lying before me. If you cho