scure parents. Both his father and mother were engaged in the service of a bachelor, a gentleman of the most amiable and generous disposition, in whose service it is probable they first became acquainted. A mutual attachment became the consequence of this acquaintance, and it was approved of by their master, to whom their fidelity had strongly recommended them. They were, consequently, married with his consent, and young Roscoe, their first-born, was brought up at his expense. Having died without an heir, he left the greater part, if not the entire of his property, to the subject of our memoir.

It does not appear that his patron paid any atten tion to his early education, and his father had no higher ambition than of making him acquainted with writing and arithmetic. Through an obstinacy of temper, however, which, in many minds, is the forerunner of genius, Roscoe could not be prevailed upon to submit to the tame drudgery of scholastic discipline; and, consequently, he did not avail himself even of the small advantages of education which his parents were able to afford him. Indolence, however, was not the character of his mind; and though he would not attend school, he studied assiduously at home. He began early to perceive the advantages of thinking for himself, on every occasion; and the habits of thought and mental application, soon gave evidence of that genius, which has since shone forth with so pure a lustre. At this period, however, he studied things, not words. He endeavoured to resolve into their individual elements, all his general conceptions, and to form general theories from an aggregate of individual principles. He pur

sued nature through her mazy march, and the wizard perplexity of her course was not more unaccountable to him, than the variety of appearance and dresses which she assumed, at every deviation from her direct course. But while he was thus endeavouring to combine the kindred, and separate the heterogeneous attri→ butes of things, he seemed to be perfectly free from the dominion of that restless spirit which pants after fame; and his studies to have been determined by no other stimulus than the desire of gratifying that immediate thirst of knowledge, which, in him, was rather an instinct, than the result of mature deliberation. He never reflected, that the treasures of intellectual knowledge, which he was amassing at this early period, might lead either to the promotion of his future interest, or literary reputation. He studied, because study was pleasing to him, because the charms of science, the captivating scenes of ideal creations, and the syren images of imagination and the muse, were perpetually hovering around him in sportive maze, and communicating a secret gratification to the most simple occurrences and occupations of his youth. As present enjoyment, and not prospective advantages, was, therefore, the secret magnet by which he was attracted, he totally neglected the study of languages, in which there is nothing to gratify, or enchant the youthful mind. A knowledge of Greek and Latin is an endless source of pleasure to him who possesses it, but, until a language is known, this pleasure can have no existence, and Roscoe entered only into those regions of science, where every prospect presented some romantic imagery. He was awoke, however, from his fairy dreams, by

engaging in more active pursuits, in which the idealisms of the poet, and the hypotheses of the philosopher, are equally unknown. He was articled to Mr. Eyes, a respectable attorney in Liverpool, and now, for the first time, he was made acquainted with the difference between practical and speculative acquirements. A clerk in the office boasted, one day, of having read Cicero de Amicitia, and commented largely on the classic elegance and simplicity of the illustrious Roman; and Roscoe, though much more deeply versed in general literature, was obliged to remain silent, and tacitly acknowledge a conscious sense of his own inferiority. He felt his situation very poignantly, but it was not a feeling that remained dormant in his breast. He found a new passion awake in his bosom, and he was no longer prompted to study by that spirit of idle curiosity which proposes to itself no final object. Pride and ambition took immediate possession of him, and he henceforth yielded to their restless but inspiring influence. He now thirsted after knowledge, because he felt its value, and he spurned that effeminacy which delights to linger in the softer recesses of science, and dares not pursue her to her most formidable and difficult retreats. He immediately procured Cicero's treatise de Amicitia, and, by a perpetual recurrence to his grammar and dictionary, he soon became acquainted with those elegancies of style, and beauties of diction, which no art could transfer to his native tongue, He did not rest his career, however, till he became a perfect master of the Roman language, and intimately acquainted with the best Latin poets and

historians. In the accomplishment of this arduous task, he derived very considerable assistance from his intercourse with Mr. Francis Holden.

A knowledge of the Latin tongue was not, however, sufficient to satisfy his ambition. He now applied himself to the study of the French and Italian, in the latter of which, he is universally allowed to be as profoundly versed as the most distinguished of its native writers. When we reflect, that he acquired this knowledge during the intervals of business, and never absented himself from the duty of his office, we must acknowledge it as an instance of application which has few parallels in the history of literature.

His first passion for poetry and works of imagination, though it was moderated for a time by the toil of more rigid pursuits, assumed its original strength and energy, after he became acquainted with the Latin, French, and Italian poets. His first production, accordingly, was a brilliant effusion of imagination. He wrote "Mount Pleasant" in his sixteenth year; and, we must say, that we know of no poem, composed at so early a period, that combines such fertility of idea with such correctness of taste.

We are told that, after the expiration of his clerkship, he was taken into partnership by Mr. Aspinwall, a very respectable attorney of Liverpool; and the entire management of an office extensive in practice, and high in reputation, devolved upon him alone. In this situation, he conducted himself in such a manner, as to gain universal respect; for notwithstanding his various pursuits, he paid strict attention to his profession,

and acquired a liberal and minute knowledge of the law. In clearness of comprehension, and rapidity of dispatch, he had few equals.

About this time, he formed an intimacy with the late Dr. Enfield, who was at the academy at Warrington, a tutor in the belles lettres. When he published the second volume of the Speaker, Mr. Roscoe supplied him with an "Elegy to Pity," and an "Ode to Education." About the same time, he became acquainted with Dr. Aikin, who was then resident at Warrington. These gentlemen were not less admirers of his refined and elegant manner as a writer, than of his chaste and classical taste in painting and sculpture. In December, 1773, he recited before the society formed in Liverpool, for the encouragement of drawing, painting, &c. an ode, which was afterwards published with "Mount Pleasant," his first poetical production. He occasionally gave lectures on subjects connected with the object of this institution, and was a very active member of the society. He also wrote the preface to Dalby's catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings, in which he displays, not only an original view of engraving and painting, but an intimate acquaintance with the opinions of the best writers on the subject. No person saw more clearly the excellencies and defects of Rembrandt, and the causes to which his faults were properly owing.

While the combined powers were engaged in restoring the ancient order of things in France, Mr. Roscoe, animated by the rapid glow of youthful emotions, and the enthusiasm inspired by the love of freedom, attuned his lyre to the cause of liberty, and composed