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1782 Admiral Rodney obtains a fignal victory over the French fleet under the com mand of count de Graffe, near Dominica, in the West Indies, April 12. Admiral Hughes, with eleven fhips, beat off, near the island of Ceylon, the French admiral Suffrein, with twelve fhips of the line, after a fevere engagement, in which both fleets loft a great number of men, April 13.

The refolution of the house of commons relating to John Wilkes, Efq. and the
Middlefex election, pafied Feb. 17, 1769, refcinded May 3.

The bill to repeal the declaratory act of George I. relative to the legiflation of
Ireland, received the royal affent, June 20.

The French took and deftroyed the forts and fettlements in Hudfon's Bay,
Aug. 24.

The Spaniards defeated in their grand attack on Gibraltar, Sept. 13.

Treaty concluded betwixt the republic of Holland and the United States of America, OR. 8.

Provifional articles of peace figned at Paris between the British and the American commiffioners, by which the Thirteen United American colonies are acknowledged by his Britannick majefty to be free, fovereign, and independent states, Nov. 30.

1783 Preliminary articles of peace between his Britannick majefty and the kings of France and Spain, figned at Versailles, Jan. 20.

The order of St. Patrick inftituted, Feb. 5.

Three earthquakes in Calabria Ulterior and Sicilly, deftroying a great number of towns and inhabitants, Feb. 5th, 7th, and 28th.

Armistice betwixt Great Britain and Holland. Feb. 10.

Ratification of the definitive treaty of peace between Great Britain, France, Spain, and the United States of America, Sept. 3.

1784 The city of London wait on the king, with an addrefs of thanks for difmiffling the coalition miniftry, Jan. 16.

The great feal ftolen from the lord chancellor's house in Great Ormond-street,
March 24.

The ratification of the peace with America arrived, April 7.

The definitive treaty of peace between Great Britain and Holland, May 24.

The memory of Handel commemorated by a grand jubilee at Westminster-abbey,
May 26-Continued annually for decayed muficians, &c.

Proclamation for a public thanksgiving, July 2.

Mr. Lunardi afcended in a balloon from the Artillery-ground, Moorfields, the firft attempt of the kind in England, Sept. 15.

1785 Dr. Seabury, an American miffionary, was confecrated bishop of Connecticut by five nonjuring Scotch prelates, Nov.

1786 The king of Sweden prohibited the ufe of torture in his dominions.

Cardinal Turlone, high inquifitor at Rome, was publicly dragged out of his carriage by an incenfed multitude, for his cruelty, and hung on a gibbet 50 feet high, Sept. 26. Commercial treaty figned between England and France.

Nov. 21.471,000 3 per cent. ftock transferred to the landgrave of Heffe, for Heffian foldiers loft in the American war, at £. 30 a man.

Dec. 4. Mr. Adams, the American ambaffador, prefented to the archbishop of Canterbury Dr. White, of Pennfylvania, and Dr. Provoft, of New York, to be confecrated bishops for the United States.-They were confecrated Feb. 4. 1787. 1787 March. (France) The Affembly of Notables first convened under the miniftry of Mcnf. de Calonne.

May 21. Mr. Burke, at the bar of the houfe of lords, in the name of all the commons of Great Britain, impeached Warren Hastings, late governor-general of Bengal, of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Aug. 11. The king by letters patent, erected the province of Nova Scotia into a bishop's fee, and appointed Dr. Charles Inglis to be the bishop.

1788 Auguft. (France) Monf. Neckar replaced at the head of the finances. November: The Notables called together a fecond time.

In the early part of October, the first fymptoms appeared of a fevere disorder which afflicted our gracious Sovereign. On the 6th of November they were very alarming, and on the 13th a form of prayer for his recovery was ordered by the privy council,

1789 Feb.

1789 Feb. 17. His Majefly was pronounced to be in a state of convalefcence, and on the 26th to be free from complaint.

April 23. A general thanksgiving for the King's recovery, who attended the fervice at St. Paul's with a great proceffion.

May. (France) Opening of the States General at Verfailles.

July 13, 14. Revolution in France-capture of the Baftile, execution of the governor, of the intendant, of the fecretary of state, &c.

October 19. The first fitting of the National Conftituent Affembly at Paris.

1790 July 14. Grand French confederation in the Champ de Mars.

1791 June 21, 22. 25. (France) The king and royal family fecretly withdraw from Paris, but are ftopped at Varennes, and brought back.

On the 14th of July, in confequence of fome gentlemen meeting to commemorate
the French revolution, in Birmingham, the mob arofe and committed the most
daring outrages for fome days on the perfons and properties of many of the
inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood; burning and destroying meeting-
houses, private dwellings, &c. Peace and fecurity were at length reftored, by
the interpofition of the military power.

October 4. (France) The fecond Affembly takes the name of the Legislative
Affembly, and is opened by the king in perfon.

1792 On the 19th of March, the definitive treaty of peace was figned between the British, and their allies, the Nizam, and Mahrattas on the one part, and Tippoo Sultan on the other, by which he ceded one half of his territorial poffeffions, and delivered up two of his fons to lord Cornwallis, as hostages for the fulfilment of the treaty.

Guftavus III. king of Sweden, died on the 29th of March, in confequence of
being affaffinated by Ankerftroom.

Sept. 20. (France) Firft fitting of the Third Legiflature, which takes the title of
National Convention.

1793 Jan. 21. (France) Lewis XVI. after having received innumerable indignities from his people, was brought to the fcaffold, and had his head fevered by the guillotine, contrary to the exprefs laws of the new conftitution, which had declared the perfon of the king inviolable.

On the 25th of March, lord Grenville, and S. Comte Woronzow, figned a convention at London on behalf of his Britannic majefty and the empress of Ruffia, in which their majefties agreed to employ their refpective forces in carrying on the "juft and neceffary war" against France. Treaties also were entered upon with the king of Sardinia, and the prince of Heffe Caffel. The unfortunate queen of France, on the 16th of October, was conducted to the fpot, where Louis had previously met his fate; and conducted herself during her last moments with fortitude and compofure, in the thirty-eighth year of her age.

Meffrs. Muir and Palmer, having been accused of feditious practices, were tried in the high court of Justiciary in Scotland, and pronounced guilty. Their fentence was tranfportation for the space of 14 years, to fuch place as his majefty might judge proper.-They have fince failed for Botany Bay.

1794 On the ift of June, the British fleet, under the command of admiral earl Howe, obtained a moft fignal victory over that of the French, in which two ships were funk, one burnt, and fix brought into Portsmouth harbour.

1795 In confequence of the rapid progrefs of the French arms in Holland, the princefs of Orange, the hereditary princefs and her infant fon, arrived at Yarmouth, on the 19th of January: the hereditary prince himself, with his father the stadtholder, landed at Harwich on the 20th.

On the 8th of April, his royal highnefs George Auguftus Frederic, prince of Wales, was married to her ferene highnefs princefs Caroline of Brunswick. The trial of Warren Haftings, efq. at length came to a clofe on the 23d of April, when the lord chancellor, having put the queft on to each of the peers, upon the fixteen articles of the impeachment, and finding that a very great majority voted for his aquittal, informed the prifoner that he was acquitted of the charges brought against him by the houfe of commons, and of all mat ters contained therein.

Bef. Ch.

MEN of LEARNING and GENIUS.

907 H the Greek

TOMER, the firft prophane writer and Greek poet, flourished. Pope. Hefiod, the Greek poet, fuppofed to live near the time of Homer. 884 Lycurgus, the Spartan lawgiver.

600 Sappho, the Greek lyric poetefs, fl. Fawkes.

558 Solon, lawgiver of Athens.

556 fop, the firft Greek fabulift. Croxal.

548 Thales, the first Greek aftronomer and geographer.

497 Pythagoras, founder of the Pythagorean philofophy in Greece. Rowe. 474 Anacreon, the Greek lyric poet. Fawkes, Addifon.

456 Efchylus, the first Greek tragic poet.

435 Pindar, the Greek lyric poet. Weft.

Potter.

413 Herodotus, of Greece, the first writer of prophane hiftory. Littlebury. 407 Ariftophanes, the Greek comic poet, fl. White.

Euripides, the Greek tragic poet. Woodhull.

406 Sophocles, ditto. Franklin, Potter.

Confucius the Chinese philofopher, f.

400 Socrates, the founder of moral philofophy in Greece. 391 Thucydides, the Greek hiftorian. Smith, Hobbes.

361 Hippocrates, the Greek phyfician. Clifton.

Democritus, the Greek philofopher.

Cooke

359 Xenophon, the Greek philofopher and hiftorian. Smith, Spelman, Afbly, Fielding, 348 Plato, the Greek philofopher, and difciple of Socrates. Sydenham.

336 Ifocrates, the Greek orator. Dimfdale.

332 Ariftotle, the Greek philofopher, and difciple of Plato. Hobbes.

313 Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, poifoned himself. Leland, Francis. 288 Theophraftus, the Greek philofopher, and fcholar of Ariftotle. Budgel,

285 Theocritus, the firft Greek paftoral poet, fl. Fawkes.

277 Euclid, of Alexandria, in Egypt, the mathematician, fl. R. Simpfon. 270 Epicurus, founder of the Epicurean philofophy in Greece. Digby, 264 Xeno, founder of the Stoic philofophy in ditto.

244 Callimachus, the Greek elegiac poet.

208 Archimedes, the Greek geometrician.

184 Plautus, the Roman comic poet, Thornton.

159 Terence, of Carthage, the Latin comic poet. Colman.

155 Diogenes, of Babylon, the Stoic philofopher.

124 Polybius, of Greece, the Greek and Roman hiftorian. Hampton.

54 Lucretius, the Roman poet. Creech.

44 Julius Cafar, the Roman hiftorian and commentator, killed. Duncan. Diodorus Siculus, of Greece, the univerfal hiftorian, fl. Booth. Vitruvius, the Roman architect, fl.

43 Cicero, the Roman orator and philofopher, put to death. Guthrie, Melmoth. Cornelius Nepos, the Roman biographer, fl. Rowe.

34 Salluft, the Roman hiftorian. Gordon, Rofe.

30 Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, the Roman hiftorian, fl. Spelman.

19 Virgil, the Roman epic poet. Dryden, Pitt, Warton.

11 Catullus, Tibullus, and Propertius, Roman poets. Grainger, Dart.

8 Horace, the Roman lyric and fatyric poet. Francis.

A. C.

17 Livy, the Roman hiftorian. Ray.

19 Ovid, the Roman elegiac poet. Garth.

20 Celfus, the Roman philofopher and phyfician, fl. Crieve.

25 Strabo, the Greek geographer.

33 Phædrus, the Roman fabulift. Smart.

45 Paterculus,

45 Paterculus, the Roman hiftorian, fl. Newcombe.

62 Perfius, the Roman fatyric poet. Breafter.

64 Quintius Curtius, a Roman hiftorian of Alexander the Great, fl. Digby. Seneca, of Spain, the philofopher and tragic poet, put to death. L'Etrange. 65 Lucan, the Roman epic poet, ditto. Rove.

79 Pliny the elder, the Roman natural hiftorian. Holland.

93 Jofephus, the Jewish hiftorian. Whifton.

94 Epictetus, the Greek ftoic philofopher, fl. Mrs. Carter.

95 Quinctilian, the Roman orator and advocate. Guthrie.

96 Statius, the Roman epic poet.

Lucius Florus, of Spain, the Roman hiftorian, f.

99 Tacitus, the Roman hiftorian.

Lewis.

Gorden.

104 Martial, of Spain, the epigrammatic poet.

Valerius Flaccus, the Roman epic poet.

Hay.

116 Pliny the younger, hiftorical letters. Melmoth, Orrery.

117 Suetonius, the Roman hiftorian. Hughes.

119 Plutarch of Greece, the biographer. Dryden, Langhorne.

128 Juvenal, the Roman fatyric poet. Dryden.

140 Ptolemy, the Egyptian geographer, mathematician, and aftronomer, fl.

150 Juftin, the Roman historian, fl." Turnbul.

161 Arrian, the Roman hiftorian and philofopher, fl. Rocke.

167 Juftin, of Samaria, the oldeft Christian author after the apoflles.

180 Lucian, the Roman philologer. Dimfdale, Dryden, Franklin.

Marcus Aur. Antoninus, Roman emperor and philofopher. Collier, Elphinstone.

193 Galen, the Greek philofopher and physician.

200 Diogenes Laertius, the Greek biographer, fl.

229 Dion Caffius, of Greece, the Roman hiftorian, fl.

254 Origen, a Christian father of Alexandria.

Herodian, of Alexandria, the Roman hiftorian, fl. Hart.

258 Cyprian, of Carthage, fuffered martyrdom. Marshal.

273 Longinus, the Greek orator, put to death by Aurelian. Smith.

320 Lactantius, a father of the church, fl.

336 Arius, a pricft of Alexandria, founder of the feet of Arians.

342 Eufebius, the ecclefiaftical hiftorian and chronologer. Hanmer.

379 Bazil, bishop of Caefaria.

389 Gregory Nazianzen, bishop of Conftantinople.

397 Ambrofe, bishop of Milan.

415 Macrobius, the Roman grammarian.

428 Eutropius, the Roman hiftorian.

524 Boethius, the Roman poet, and Platonic philofopher. Bellamy, Preston. 529 Procopius of Cæfarea, the Roman hiftorian. Holcroft.

Here ends the illuftrious lit of ancient, or, as they are ftyled, Claffic authors, for whom mankind are indebted to Greece and Rome, thofe two great theatres of human glory: but it will ever be regretted, that a fmall part only of their writings have come to our hands. This was owing to the barbarous policy of thofe fierce illiterate pagans, who, in the fifth century, fubverted the Roman empire, and in which practices they were joined foon after by the Saracens, or followers of Mahomet. Conftantinople alone had efcaped the ravages of the Barbarians; and to the few literati who sheltered themfelves within its walls, is chiefly owing the prefervation of thofe valuable remains of antiquity. To learning, civility, and refinement, fucceeded worse than Gothic ignorance-the fuperftition and buffoonery of the church of Rome: Europe therefore produces few names worthy of record during the fpace of a thousand years; a period which hiftorians, with great propriety, denominate the dark or Gothic ages.

The invention of printing contributed to the revival of learning in the fixteenth century, from which memorable æra a race of men have sprung up in a new foil, France, Germany, and Britain; who, if they do not exceed, at least equal, the greatest geniufes of antiquity. Of thefe our own countrymen have the reputation of the first rank, with whofe names we fhall finish our list.

735 Bede,

A.C.

735 Bede, a prieft of Northumberland; Hiftory of the Saxons, Scots, &c. 901 King Alfred; hiftory, philofophy. and poetry.

1259 Matthew Paris, monk of St. Alban's; Hiftory of England.

1292 Roger Bacon, Somerfetfhire; natural philofophy.

1308 John Fordun, a prieft of Mearns-fhire; Hiftory of Scotland. 1400 Geoffry Chaucer, London; the father of English poetry.

1402 John Gower, Wales; the poet.

1535 Sir Thomas More, London; hiftory, politics, divinity.

1552 John Leland, London; lives and antiquities.

1568 Roger Afcham, Yorkshire; philology and polite literature.

1572 Rev. John Knox, the Scotch reformer; hiftory of the church of Scotland.

1582 George Buchanan, Dumbartonshire; Hiftory of Scotland, Pfalms of David, politics, &c.

1598 Edmund Spenfer, London; Fairy Queen, and other poems.

1615-25 Beaumont and Fletcher; 53 dramatic pieces.

1616 William Shakespeare, Stratford; 42 tragedies and comedies.

1622 John Napier, of Marchefton, Scotland; difcoverer of logarithms.

1623 William Camden, London; hiftory and antiquities.

1626 Lord Chancellor Bacon, London; natural philofophy, literature in general.

1634 Lord Chief Juftice Coke, Norfolk; laws of England.

1638 Ben Jonfon, London; 53 dramatic pieces.

1641 Sir Henry Spelman, Norfolk; laws and antiquities.

1654 John Selden, Suffex: antiquities and laws

1657 Dr. William Harvey, Kent, difcovered the circulation of the blood.

1667 Abraham Cowley, London; mifcellaneous poetry.

1674 John Milton, London; Paradife Loft, Regained, and various other pieces in verse and profe.

Hyde, earl of Clarendon, Wiltfhire; Hiftory of the Civil Wars in England. 1675 James Gregory, Aberdeen; mathematics, geometry, and optics.

1677 Reverend Dr. Ifaac Barrow, London; natural philofophy, mathematics, and fere

mons.

1680 Samuel Butler, Worcestershire; Hudibras, a burlefque poem.

1685 Thomas Otway, London; 10 tragedies and comedies, with other poems. 1687 Edmund Waller, Bucks; poems, fpeeches, letters, &c.

1688 Dr. Ralph Cudworth, Somerfetfhire; Intellectual System.

1689 Dr. Thomas Sydenham, Dorfetfhire; Hiftory of Phyfic.

1690 Nathaniel Lee,London; 11 tragedies.

Robert Barclay, Urie; Apology for the Quakers.

1691 Hon. Robert Boyle; natural and experimental philofophy and theology. Sir George M'Kenzie, Dundee; Antiquities and Laws of Scotland.

1694 John Tillotson, archbishop of Canterbury, Halifax; 254 fermons

1697 Sir William Temple, London; politics and polite literature.

1701 John Dryden, Northamptonshire; 27 tragedies and comedies, fatiric poems, Virgil.

1704 John Locke, Somerfetfhire; philofophy, government, and theology.

1705 John Ray, Effex; botany, natural philofophy, and divinity.

1707 George Farquhar, Londonderry; eight comedies.

1713 Ant. Afh. Cowper, earl of Shaftesbury; Characteristics.

1714 Gilbert Burnet, Edinburgh, bishop of Salisbury; hiftory, biography, divinity, &c.

1718 Nicholas Rowe; Devonshire: 7 tragedies, tranflation of Lucan's Pharfalia.
1719 Reverend John Flamsteed, Derbyshire; mathematics and aftronomy.

Jofeph Addifon, Wiltshire; Spectator, Guardian, poems, politics.
Dr. John Keil, Edinburgh; mathematics and aftronomy.

1721 Matthew Prior, London: poems and politics.

1724 William Wollafton, Staffordshire; Religion of Nature delineated.
1727 Sir Ifaac Newton, Lincolnshire; mathematics, geometry, aftronomy, optics.
1729 Reverend Dr. Samuel Clarke, Norwich; mathematics, divinity, &c.

Sir Richard Steele, Dublin; four comedies, papers in Tatler, &c.

1729 William

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