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serving peace among men," and was a great admirer of Dr. Whichcote's Sermons on the subject. He was exact to his word, and religiously performed whatever he promised. He was very scrupulous of giving recommendations of persons whom he did not well know, and would by no means commend those whom he thought not to deserve it. If he was told that his recommendation had not produced the effect expected, he would say, "the reason was because he never deceived any person by saying more than he knew; that he never passed his word for any but such as he believed would answer the character he gave of them; and that if he should do otherwise, his recommendations would be worth nothing."

He was naturally very active, and employed himself as much as his health would permit. Sometimes he diverted himself by working in the garden, which he well understood. He loved walking, but not being able to walk much, through the disorder of his lungs, he used to ride out after dinner; and when he could not bear a horse, he went in a chaise. He always chose to have company with him, though it were but a child, for he took pleasure in talking with children of a good education. His bad health was a disturbance to none but himself; and any person might be with him without any other concern than that of seeing him suffer. He did not differ from others in his diet, except that he drank water only, which he thought was the means of lengthening his life. To this he also attributed the preservation of his sight in a great measure, for he could read by candle-light all sorts of books to the last, if they were not of a very small print, without the use of spectacles. He had no other distemper but his asthma, except a deafness for about six months, which he lamented in a letter to one of his friends, telling him "he thought it better to be blind than deaf, as it deprived him of all conversation." Many interesting particulars of Mr. Locke's private life may be seen in Coste's character of him, printed in the ninth volume of the last edition of his works.

This edition contains, principally, the following treatises, to which we have here appended the years of their first publication: 1. "Three Letters upon Toleration ;" the first, printed at London in 1689, was in Latin. 2. "A Register of the Changes of the Air observed at Oxford," inserted in Mr. Boyle's "General History of the Air,"

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and the reputation which it had from the beginning, and which it has gradually acquired abroad, is a sufficient testimony of its merit. There is perhaps no book of the metaphysical kind that has been so generally read by those who understand the language, or that is more adapted to teach men to think with precision, and to inspire them with that candour and love of truth, which is the genuine spirit of philosophy. He gave, Dr. Reid thinks, the first example in the English language of writing on such abstract subjects, with a remarkable degree of simplicity and perspicuity; and in this he has been happily imitated by others that came after him. No author has more successfully pointed out the danger of ambiguous words, and the importance of having distinct and determinate notions in judging and reasoning. His observations on the various powers of the human understanding, on the use and abuse of words, and on the extent and limits of human knowledge, are drawn from attentive reflection on the operations of his own mind, the true source of all real knowledge on those subjects; and show an uncommon degree of penetration and judgment. Such is the opinion of the learned and candid Dr. Reid, who says, "I mention these things that when I have occasion to differ from him, I may not be thought insensible of the merit of an author whom I highly respect, and to whom I owe my first lights in those studies, as well as my attachment to them." Dr. Reid has ably pointed out what he thought defective in Locke's system, which indeed has been more or less the subject of discussion in every work on metaphysics during the last century. The late Mr. Horne Tooke, in his "Diversions of Purley," differs from all others in advancing one of those singular opinions which are peculiar to that gentleman. He calls Locke's Essay, merely "a grammatical treatise, or a treatise on words, or on language;" and says, that "it was a lucky mistake which Mr. Locke made when he called his book an Essay on the Human Understanding. For some part of the inestimable benefit of that book has, merely on account of its title, reached to thousands more than, I fear, it would have done, had be called it a Grammatical Essay. The human mind, or the human understanding, appears to be a grand and noble theme, and all men, even the most insufficient, conceive that to be a proper object for their contemplation, while

inquiries into the nature of language are supposed to be beneath the concern of their exalted understanding."

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LOCKER (JOHN, esq. F. S. A.) son of Stephen Locker, esq. or Lockier (for that was the family. name in the reign of Charles II. as appears by the signature of one of their ancestors to a lease in that reign), was of a gentleman's family in Middlesex, where they possessed a considerable property, which, it is said, they lost, as many others did, by their loyalty. He was bred at MerchantTaylors' school, whence he went to Merton-college, Oxford; after which he travelled abroad with his friend Mr. Twisleton, who was probably of the same college. He was entered at Gray's Inn, where he studied the law in the same chambers formerly occupied by his admired lord Bacon; and having been called to the bar, was afterwards clerk of the companies of leather-sellers and clock-makers, and a commissioner of bankrupts. He married (the families being before related) miss Elizabeth Stillingfleet, who was remarkable for her many excellent qualities as well as personal charms. She was grand-daughter to the eminent bishop of Worcester by his lordship's first wife, and sister to Benjamin Stillingfleet, esq. much distinguished by his ingenious writings and worthy character. By this lady, who died August 12, 1759, he had nine children. Mr. Locker is noticed by Dr. Johnson*, in his Life of Addison, as eminent for curiosity and literature; as he is by Dr. Ward, in his Lives of the Gresham Professors, as a gentleman much esteemed for his knowledge of polite literature. He was remarkable for his skill in the Greek language; and attained the modern, which he could write very well, in a very extraordinary manner. Coming home late one evening, he was addressed in that language by a poor Greek, from the Archipelago, who had lost his way in the streets of London. Mr. Locker took him home, where he was maintained, for some time, by the kindness of himself and Dr. Mead; and, by this accidental circumstance, Mr. Locker acquired his knowledge of modern Greek. He almost adored lord Bacon; and had collected from original manuscripts and other papers, many curious things of his lordship's not mentioned by others, which it was his inten

**To whom Mr. Locker communicated a collection of examples selected by Addison from the writings of Tillot

son, with an intention of making an English dictionary,

1 Principally from the Life prefixed to Locke's Works.

tion to publish, but his death prevented it; however, this fell into such good hands, that the public are now in possession of them, as is mentioned in the last edition of lord Bacon's works, by Dr. Birch and Mr. Mallet, 1765. Mr. Locker also wrote the preface to Voltaire's Life of Charles XII. of Sweden, and translated the two first books; and Dr. Jebb the rest. He died, very much regretted, in May 1760, not quite a year after the loss of his amiable lady, which it was thought accelerated his own death. They both were buried in St. Helen's church, Bishopsgate-street, London. Their son WILLIAM, bred to the naval service, but a man of some literary talents, died lieutenant-governor of Greenwich-hospital, on December 26, 1800, at the age of seventy. Some particulars of him are to be found in our authority. 1

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LOCKMAN (JOHN), a man of much literary industry, and known for half a century as a translator, was born in 1698. Of his early history we find no particulars recorded. He appears to have been acquainted with Pope, and to have been respected by that poet, doubtless, on account of his amiable and inoffensive character, which procured him, among the wits of that time, the name of the Lamb. The only time he ever deviated from the gentleness of this animal was when Cooke, the translator of Hesiod, abused his poetry to his face. On this provocation Mr. Lockman proved his relationship to the genus irritabile, by retorting, with a quickness not usual to him, "It may be so; but thank God! my name is not at full length in the Dunciad." Mr. Lockman's poetical talents were certainly not very extensive, as the greatest part of his effusions are only a few songs, odes, &c. written on temporary subjects, and set to music for Vauxhall and other places of public entertainment. Mr. Reed, however, found two pieces of the dramatic kind, both of them designed to be set to music; but only the second of them, he thinks, was ever performed, viz. 1. "Rosalinda, a musical drama, 1740," 4to. 2. "David's Lamentations, an oratorio ;" which we believe were not successful.

In 1762, he issued proposals for a complete edition of his poems, to be printed, by subscription, in two volumes 4to. He frequently went to court to present his poems to the royal family; and after he became secretary to the Bri

Nichols's Bowyer.