his rotation, fupplied the place of a brother alderman. This, confidering the great attention neceffary to his own bufinefs, is no flight trouble; but he has been. enabled to do it from having generally arranged his bufinefs, fo as to be before-hand with the duties of the occafion. In this, his character is diametrically oppofite to that of the late duke of Newcastle; of whom George II. once faid, that he loft an hour every morning, and was running after it all the reft of the day.

Of the alderman's fimplicity of manners, integrity of mind, and private worth, much might be faid--but he lives---and may his life and health be prolonged, and continue to be honourable to himself and ufeful to his fellow citizens.

MR. GEORGE DYER.

THE fubject of this memoir is defcended from reputable parents; very early in life, he, himfelf, was fent to Chrift's hofpital, a moft excellent inftitution, which has furnished the univerfities with admirable fcholars, the church with many learned divines, the navy with able officers; and what, in a commercial nation like this, is no finall praise, the exchange, with enterprifing and fuccefsful merchants.

The youthful ftudent discovered an astonishing attachment to books; and what, in fuch an inftitution, is no trifling diftinction, is faid to have actually got to the top of the fchool, fooner than ever was known

known before his time *. This rare inftance of affiduity, was accompanied by a paffion, which but feldom attends on induftry-a ftrong propenfity for poetry. Pope speaking of himself. fays:

"As yet a child, nor yet a fool to fame,

"I lifp'd in numbers, for the numbers came.'

This feems to have been alfo the cafe of George Dyer, with this difference, that while the one wooed the mufes in his vernacular tongue only, the other had likewife recourfe to a foreign idiom, and addressed the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemofyne, in what is fupposed to have been their native language. This claffical taste, particularly his ardent attachment to' the Greek and Latin authors, at length procured him á patron in the person of Dr. Askew, a physician of great fortune, and confiderable influence; diftinguished for his knowledge of Greek literature, and his valuable collection of books and MSS. in the fame language. Pleafed with the early proficiency, and congenial difpofition of the young man, he took an intereft in his ftudies, and purfuits; and prefaging that he would diftinguish himself at fome future period, promised that he should see him amply provided for. But, alas! fuch is the uncertainty of human life, that this worthy man was cut off foon after; and that, too, at a time, when his pupil only beheld the blof foms, and had not yet realized the fruits of expecta

tion.

* It may not be amifs here to obferve, that his mafters were the Rev. Peter Wholley and Rev. James Penn, both known to the world, as literary men.

houfe, which almoft faced Emanuel college; he also frequently appeared in the pulpits of others of the diffenting clergy, both at Cambridge, Oxford, &c.

After fignalifing himself in this manner for fome time, without any particular adherence to creeds or fyftems, Mr. D. at length determined to put a period to his miffion.

Having repaired to Cambridge, he was encouraged to undertake a work on the fubfcription to the Thirty-nine Articles of the church of England. Many of the diffenters countenanced the plan; and there were not wanting feveral even within the walls of the univerfity who encouraged it, fuch as the Rev. Mr. Tyrwhitt, who actually introduced a grace the removal of what he conceived to be an intolerable burden; Mr. Hammond, fellow of Queen's, and Mr. Frend, fellow of Jefus'.

for

Having now acquired a certain degree of reputation from his " Inquiry into the Nature of Subfcriptions," &c. he determined to try his fortune in London. His firft occupation in the capital required great memory, and fome talents; thefe he poffeffed, but it was attended with a degree of drudgery that proved intolerable. He accordingly foon difcovered, that the office of reporter of the debates, in the House of Commons was unfuitable to his difpofition; he therefore quickly relinquifhed it, and published a fecond edition of his book on Subfcription, greatly enlarged and improved. It is a mifcellaneous compofition, and abounds with politics, theology, metaphyfics, criticifins on the fcriptural text, an exami

nation of the fathers, &c. About the fame time he printed a volume of poems.

Mr. D. now formed an extenfive acquaintance among men of letters, and engaged in the bufinefs of profeffional critifcifin, being at that time employed in writing for the Reviews, a purfuit he has for fome time ceafed to be engaged in; he also affifted gentlemen in acquiring, or regaining, their knowledge of the claffics.

It fhould be obferved here, that on his arrival in the metropolis he threw off his black coat, and af fumed, in all refpects, a fecular appearance, except in respect to his hair, which still favoured of the ecclefiaftical tonfure: he, however, has lived long enough in the world to fee even this become fashionable; for, after having been confined for fome centuries to the clergy, it has been recently adopted by the beau monde.

On his coming to town, he found party difputes and opinions running very high; but although he himself had been an orator in the pulpit, and was accustomed at times to fpeak extempore, yet he never delivered his fentiments in any fociety of the reformers; for he feems to have confidered himself in his political noviciate, and to have preferved the reserve fo rigorously enjoined to the difciples of the Samian fage. But, although filent himfelf, he may have been said to have, literally, opened the mouths of others; as he wrote feveral fongs for political clubs, calculated to promote feftivity, and relax the brow of care from the fatigues and difappointments of life.

Soon after the much dreaded "Rights of Man,"

which had nearly effected a revolution in the political world, made its appearance, Mr. Dyer published the first edition of "The Complaints of the Poor People of England," with the motto of “ fiat juftitia.'

His next work was a treatife on the "Theory and Practice of Benevolence," intended as an appendix to the former: it contains a variety of facts relative to the ftate prifoners, to men of letters, the literary fund, &c.

'After this followed his " Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Robert Robinfon, late Minifter of the Diffenting Congregation, in St. Andrew's Parish, Cambridge."

The last performance, of any fize, by Mr. Dyer, appears to be " The Poet's Fate," produced in 1797, in which he traces, in fome very good lines, the fufferings and diftreffes of the votaries of the mufes, not only in modern, but also

"In ancient times, long ere poor Butler figh'd, "Or dinnerlefs the polish'd Lovelace died."

This is to be followed by " Poetic Sympathics."

He has published, befides thofe already enumerated, a Satirical Prologue to the celebrated Latin Comedy of Ignoramus, in which he does not fpare even lawn fleeves, when a proper occafion offers; and he has lately undertaken to print his poetical works, for which there is the promise of a handfome fubfcription.

On the whole George Dyer must be allowed to be a fingular character, having been always more attentive to the interefts of others than himself. In order

to