were Mr. Henry Briggs, Savillian professor of geometry, Dr. John Bainbridge, Savillian professor of astronomy, and Mr. Peter Turner, senior fellow of his college, and professor of geometry in Gresham college, London. By their example he was animated to prosecute his scientific studies with indefatigable industry. Not content with reading over the writings of Copernicus, Regiomontanus, Purbach, TychoBrahe, Kepler, and other celebrated astronomers of that and the preceding age, he made himself familiar with the ancient Greek, Arabian, and Persian authors. In the year 1630, upon the resignation of Mr. Turner, he was elected professor of geometry in Gresham college, in consequence of the high reputation which he sustained in the university, and the friendly interest which Mr. Turner took in his success. By the same gentleman he was introduced to archbishop Laud, the chancellor of the university of Oxford, from whom he received several marks of favour. Soon after this, Mr. Greaves resolved to travel abroad for farther improvement. Accordingly, in the year 1635 he went over to Holland, and, after he had attended for some time on the lectures of the celebrated James Golius, professor of Arabic at Leyden, proceeded thence to Paris, where he conversed with the learned Claudius Hardy on the subject of Persian literature. From Paris he extended his tour to Rome, in order to view the antiquities of that city; whence he afterwards went to Florence, Padua, and other parts of Italy. During this tour, he had very advantageous offers made to him by the earl of Arundel, who was then in Italy, to engage him to enter into his lordship's suite, and accompany him in his travels into Greece; but he had at that time come to a determination to take a voyage into Egypt, which obliged him to return to England, to make the necessary preparations for visiting that country. Soon after his arrival at home he acquainted archbishop Laud with his intentions, and being encouraged in them by that prelate, set about providing for his voyage. As it was his design not only to make himself acquainted with such remains of antiquity in Egypt as are interesting to curiosity, and serve to illustrate ancient literature, but also to make astronomical and geographical observations, he furnished himself with instruments of every kind proper for that purpose, and such printed Greek and Arabic books as he thought might be advantageously exchanged in the East for MSS. and other objects worthy of collection. He also obtained from archbishop Laud a letter of recommendation to sir Peter VOL. IV. Wyche, the English ambassador at Constantinople; and received from his grace a general discretionary commission to purchase for him Arabic and other MSS., and likewise such coins and medals as he could procure. Here he Mr. Greaves embarked in the river Thames for Leghorn, in the year 1637, accompanied by his friend Mr. Edward Pococke, and after a short stay in Italy, arrived at Constantinople before Michaelmas in the same year. was received with great kindness by sir Peter Wyche, and became acquainted with the venerable Cyril-Lucar, the Greek patriarch, who afforded him much assistance in purchasing Greek MSS. He also promised to recommend him to the monks of mount Athos, in Macedonia, where, he says, he "would have had the liberty of entering into all the libraries in that place, to have collected a catalogue of such books, as either were not printed, or else by the help of some there might have been more correctly set out. These, by dispensing with the anathemas which former patriarchs had laid upon all Greek libraries to preserve the books from the Latins, the patriarch proposed to have presented to his grace (of Canterbury), for the better prosecution of his grace's honourable designs in the edition of Greek authors." But the tragical death of that patriarch frustrated Mr. Greaves's intention of visiting mount Athos, and occasioned his being a sufferer in another respect: for having with the patriarch's privity procured from an ignorant Greek monastery, which depended upon that prelate, fourteen good MS. of the fathers, he was obliged privately to restore them and lose his money, to avoid a greater inconvenience. Mr. Greaves's farther stay at Constantinople became now unpleasant, and the more so, because he had not met with the assistance which he expected to find there for improving himself in the knowledge of the Arabic language; he, therefore, determined to embrace the first favourable opportunity of proceeding to Egypt. But before his departure, he gave an instance of his attention to the improvement of astronomical science, which is deserving of being mentioned. Knowing that within a few months there would be a large visible eclipse of the moon, he furnished. proper persons with convenient instruments for. observing it at Constantinople, Bagdat, Smyrna, and Alexandria, and also gave them the neces sary instructions for that purpose. Dr. Halley observes, that a greater service could not be rendered to the science of astronomy, than by taking the phases of the moon's eclipses at those places, in order to determine their longitudes, 3 г since in and near them were made all the ob- Upon his arrival in his native country about servations, by which the middle motions of the midsummer, 1640, Mr. Greaves found the sun and moon are limited. Mr. Greaves, hav- kingdom distracted by the contests between the ing finished his arrangements for this business, king and the parliament, and was led by printook leave of his fellow-traveller Mr. Pococke, ciple to connect himself with the party which who chose to continue in Turkey, and embraced supported the pretensions of the king, and the an opportunity which offered of passing in episcopal constitution. And in the national company with the annual Turkish fleet to Alex- troubles which ensued, he suffered much by andria, where, after touching in his way at the zeal which he displayed in the cause of moRhodes, he arrived in the month of September narchy, and his attachment to archbishop Laud. 1638. He had now reached the scene which Having made a short stay at Gresham college, was the boundary of his intended progress, and he went to Oxford, in order to digest his papers, which opened a large field for the exercise of and to prepare for public inspection such as his curious and inquisitive genius. Nor did he might be useful to the world. In this design he omit any opportunity of remarking whatever the was assisted by archbishop Usher, who had heavens, the earth, or subterraneous parts long known and esteemed him; and he now offered him, that seemed any way useful and drew a map of the Lesser Asia, at his grace's worthy of notice; but complains of having his request, who was writing his dissertation on astronomical observations frequently interrupted that country, which was printed in 1641. In by the clouds and rain, which, contrary to the that year, archbishop Laud having presented a received opinion, he found to be frequent and second collection of medals to the university, violent, especially in the middle of winter. But the task of arranging them was confided to Mr. what particularly engaged his attention, and Greaves, which he performed to the satisfacemployed his care, were the pyramids, of which tion of that prelate. By continuing to reside no satisfactory account was then extant, either in the university, Mr. Greaves had so long abby any ancient or modern writer. This task, sented himself from Gresham college, that the therefore, he thought fit to undertake; for electors thought proper to eject him from his which purpose he went twice from Alexandria professorship; and to this measure it is not imto Grand Cairo, and from thence into the de- probable but that they were in some degree inserts, where he took a careful survey and men- stigated, by the part which he had taken in posuration of them towards the end of the year litics. About the same time, however, he was 1638. He found few books, however, to be chosen Savillian professor of astronomy at Oxpurchased in Egypt, and those few chiefly old ford, on the death of his friend Dr. Bainbridge, and worm-eaten. But having upon the whole and also obtained a royal dispensation to hold highly gratified his curiosity, furnished his mind his fellowship at Merton college, on account of with a large stock of useful knowledge, and the diminution in his stipend as professor, aris-" collected some Greek, Arabic, and Persian ing from the circumstances of the civil war. As MSS. as well as ancient coins and other rarities, in these circumstances his attention to the duties he embarked at Alexandria in the month of of his professorship was necessarily suspended, April, 1639, and arrived at Leghorn in June fol- he proceeded in his labours on his papers; and lowing. He now spent nine months in making a in the year 1644 translated into Latin “The second tour of Italy, in order again to view the Lemmata of Archimedes," correcting the diaprincipal remains of ancient art, and to examine grams, and supplying what was frequently found more accurately into the true state of the Ro- defective in the demonstration itself. man weights and measures, for which purpose piece was published by Samuel Foster in his he had taken care to provide himself with pro- "Miscellanies, or Mathematical Lucubrations," per instruments. At Florence he was received 1659, folio. At the same time he had compiled with particular marks of respect by the grand-" A Persian Lexicon," out of such words as duke of Tuscany Ferdinand II., to whom he had addressed a Latin poem sent from Alexandria; and he also was permitted free access to the Medicean library, which had been refused to him as a stranger when on his former tour. From Florence he went to Rome; whence he returned to Leghorn, and embarked on board a vessel for London, with a rich cargo of MSS., gems, coins, and other valuable antiquities. This could be met with in the Evangelists, the Psalms, and two or three Arabian and Persian nomenclators. He now wished to obtain leave to go to Leyden, to peruse the oriental MSS. which had been procured at the expence of the states, and to publish some of the works which he had already finished; but he was obliged to relinquish that design, probably owing to the unquiet state of public affairs. In the year 1645, at the instance of some persons of rank and fortune, he drew up a scheme for gradually introducing the new, or Gregorian style, by omitting the intercallary days of the leap-year for forty years; which was approved of by the king and council, and would probably have been carried into execution, had the state of the times permitted it. In the year 1646 he published Pyramidographia," or, a Description of the Pyramids in Egypt, 8vo., which does honour to his accuracy of observation; and in the following year he published his very valuable and learned" Discourse on the Roman Foot and Denarius; from whence, as from two Principles, the Measures and Weights used by the Ancients may be reduced," 8vo. While he was thus spreading his fame in the republic of letters, he became involved in troublesome lawsuits, in consequence of being executor to his friend Dr. Bainbridge; and upon the coming of the parliament's commissioners to Oxford, in 1647, several complaints against him in that capacity were laid before them, which they transmitted to the committee of the House of Commons. Upon the hearing of his cause, however, before the bar of that house, he had judgment given in his favour; for which it is probable that he was much indebted to the influence of Mr. Selden, who entertained a great esteem for him, and who was a member of that committee. In the year 1648 he published "Johannis Bainbriggii Canicularia;" to which he added "Demonstratio Ortus Syrii heliaci pro Parallelo Inferioris Ægypti ;" and also, "Insigniorum aliquot Stellarum Longitudines & Latitudines ex astronomicis Observationibus Ulug Beigi, Tamerlanis Magni Nepotis," 8vo. Fresh charges were now preferred against our author by the parliamentary visitors; among which were accusations of having betrayed the interests of the college, by making a discovery to the king's agents of the money that was in the treasury, and of having exercised his influ ence to the prejudice and injury of individual members on account of their adhering to the cause of the parliament. By his putting in no answer to these charges, it is not unfair to conclude that some of them were not without foundation; and the result was his ejectment both from his professorship and fellowship, and his banishment from the university. After his departure, some chests in which he had packed up his papers, &c. were broken open by the soldiers, and his MSS. taken out, part of which were lost, and the rest recovered by means of his friend Mr. Selden. When Mr. Greaves was aware that it would be impossible for him to keep his professorship, his regard for the interests of science led him to form a plan for introducing a worthy and able successor; which he was enabled to accomplish by means of sir John Trevor, who procured that appointment for Mr. Seth Ward, afterwards bishop of Salisbury. This proved a fortunate circumstance for Mr. Greaves, as his successor had interest to procure for him the full arrears of his salary, amounting to five hundred pounds. After his banishment from Oxford, Mr.Greaves retired to London, where he married, and, living upon his patrimony, devoted his time to literary labours. The first piece which he published in his present situation, was "Binæ Tabulæ Geographicæ, una Nassir Eddini Persæ, altera Ulug Beigi Tartari, Commentariis ex Abulfeda aliisque Arabum Geographis illustratæ," 1648, 4to. This was followed in the next year by "Elementa Lingue Persicæ," 4to.; to which the author subjoined "Anonymus Persa de Siglis Arabum & Persarum Astronomicis." At the same time he was engaged, in concert' with Mr. William Seaman, author of a Turkish Grammar, in preparing a Turkish Dictionary, which was never finished. In the year 1650 he published, in quarto, his "Epochæ celebriores, Astronomicis, Historicis, Chronologis, Chataiorum, Syrogræcorum, Arabum, Persarum, Chorasmiorum usitatæ, ex 'Traditione Ulug Beigi, Arabice & Latine, cum Commentariis;" which were found of singular service in correcting a vast number of errors in our books. of chronology. In the same year he produced "Chorasmiæ & Mawaralnahre, hoc est Regionum extra Fluvium Oxum Descriptio, ex Tabulis Abulfedæ Ismaelis Principis Hamah," 4to.; and "A Description of the Grand Signior's Seraglio, or Turkish Emperor's Court, written by Mr. Robert Withers," 8vo., which had been already printed in "Purchas's Pil grims," of which circumstance it appears that our author was not apprised. In the year 1652 he published a piece with this title, "Astronomica quædam ex Traditione Shah Cholgii Persæ, una cum Hypothesibus Planetarum: item excerpta quædam ex Alfergani Elementis Astronomicis, & Ali Kustigii de Terræ Magnitu dine & Sphærarum Coelestium a Terra Distan tiis, cum Interpretatione Latina," 4to.; to which he prefixed "A short History of the Rise and Progress of Astronomy among the Arabi ans," and subjoined his Bine Tabule," already mentioned. He had prepared several other works for the press, and was meditating more, when he was attacked by a disorder that proved fatal to him, towards the latter end of the year last mentioned, when he was in the fiftieth year of his age. Of his learning, ingenuity, diligence, and perseverance in any design in which he embarked, his works, and the particulars which we have related afford abundant evidence. He was much esteemed by many of the most eminent of his contemporaries, both at home and abroad; steady in his principles, and in his friendships; and his death was deservedly lamented, as occasioning a real loss to the interests of literature and useful knowledge. In our authorities the reader may find an enumeration of his pieces which had been prepared by him for publication, some of which have been printed either in the Philosophical Transactions, or in other collections, and the rest still remain in MS. Bing. Britan. Gen. Dict. Ward's Lives of the Professors of Gresham College.-M. GRECOURT, JOHN-BAPTIST JOSEPH VILLART DE, a French poet, was born of a good family at Tours in 1683. He was brought up to the church, and had a canonry in the church of St. Martin, in his native city, when he was only about fourteen. He first made himself known as a preacher, but his sermons were rather satirical than moral, and in one of them he is said to have lampooned most of the ladies of Tours. Quitting an occupation for which he was so little fitted, he became a man of the world, and made his way into company by his convivial talents, and his faculty of writing burlesque and licentious verses. He was patronised by the marshal duke d'Etrees, who often carried him to his seat, which the poet called his earthly paradise. He read in company his verses, which received great advantage from his admirable powers of recitation. His conversation abounded with pleasant sallies and malignant sarcasms, which he supported against retorts and detections by careless effrontery. Thus he passed through a joyous but little respectable life, which closed in 1743. The works of the abbé Grecourt were Tales, Epigrams, Songs, Fables, and light pieces, not rising above mediocrity in the poetry, but lively and pleasant, and often indecent. His poem entitled "Phifotanus" had prodigious success, which is imputed to its subject rather than its merit. It is a satirical history of the bull Unigenitus, in burlesque verses, some of which are extremely humorous, though their general texture is mean and vulgar. Siècle de Louis XIV. Moreri. Nouv. Dict. Hist.-A. GREEN, MATTHEW, a truly original poet, was born, probably at London, in 1696. The anecdotes of his life are extremely few. It is only known that his parents were dissenters in good repute; that he received his education among the sect; and that he obtained a place in the custom-house, the duties of which he discharged with great diligence and fidelity. His learning extended only to a little Latin; but from the frequency of his classical allusions, it appears that what he read when young, he did not forget. The religious austerity in which he was bred had its common effect of inspiring him with settled disgust; and he fled from the gloom of that dissenting worship in which he had been initiated, when he was no longer compelled to attend it. Thus he says, I never am at meeting seen, Thus set loose from the opinions of childhood, he speculated very freely on religious subjects, and at length adopted the system of outward compliance with established forms, and inward laxity of belief. He seems at one time to have been much inclined to the principles of Quakerism, but he found that its practice would not suit one who lived "by pulling off the hat." With this uncertainty of speculation, it is, however, attested that he was a man of great probity and sweetness of disposition. His conversation abounded with wit, but of the most inoffensive kind. He was subject to low-spirits, as a cure for which he composed his principal poem, "The Spleen." It presents a picture of his mind and manners which implies a practical philosophy of the sober and rational epicurean cast. He lived in celibacy, and died in 1737, at the early age of forty-one, in lodgings in Gracechurch-street. The poems of Green, none of which were published till after his death, consist of "The Spleen;""The Grotto;" " Verses on Barclay's Apology;" "The Seeker;" and some smaller pieces. All together amount only to a small volume. In manner and subject they are some of the most original pieces in the language: they rank among the easy and familiar, but are replete with uncommon thoughts, new and striking images, and those associations of remote ideas by some unexpected similitude, in which wit principally consists. Few poems will bear more repeated perusals; and with those who can fully enter into them (who, perhaps, are not the inass of readers), they do not fail to become favourites. They have all been published in Dodsley's collection, and have been received into other collections of English poetry. An ornamented edition of them, with some critical remarks by Dr. Aikin, was published by Cadell and Davies in 1796, 12mo. Dodsley's Collect. Europ. Magaz. for July, 1785.—A. GREENVILLE, sir RICHARD, a gallant na val officer, was the son of sir Roger Greenville, of an ancient family in the west of England, and was born probably about 1540. Being of an active and spirited disposition, he obtained leave from queen Elizabeth, in 1566, with others of his young countrymen, to serve in the imperial army in Hungary against the Turks. Upon his return he engaged in the troops employed for the reduction of Ireland, where he displayed so much courage and prudence as to obtain the appointment of sheriff of the city of Cork. In 1571 he sat in parliament as knight of the shire for the county of Cornwall. He was afterwards high-sheriff of the same county, and received the honour of knighthood. He continued to serve in parliament, but his attention was chiefly fixed upon the plans of foreign discovery and settlement proposed by his kinsman sir Walter Ralegh. When the patents for this purpose were made out and confirmed, sir Richard took the command of a squadron fitted out for the purpose, consisting of seven small vessels. With these he sailed in April, 1585, and reaching the coast of Florida in June, left there a colony of one hundred men, and then set sail homewards. In the passage, he fell in with a rich Spanish ship, which he was so eager to take, that, being unprovided with a boat, he caused one to be hastily fabricated of old chests, in which he himself, with as many sailors as she would hold, got alongside of the vessel, and boarded her. Soon after his return he took a new voyage for the relief of his colony, but he found it already broken up, all the men having entered on board the squadron of sir Francis Drake, who touched there on his return from the West Indies. Greenville left a few men on the island of Roanoke to keep possession of the country, and then made a predatory expedition homewards. On occasion of the dangers threatening the kingdom from the Spanish preparations for invasion, he was appointed one of a council of war to concert means of defence, and received the queen's commands not to quit the county of Cornwall, which prevented him from executing his intentions of making another voyage to the American coast. When in 1591 a squadron of men-of-war was fitted out for the purpose of intercepting a rich Spanish fleet from the West Indies, sir Richard Greenville was appointed vice-admiral. They proceeded to the western islands, where much time was spent in waiting for the galleons, which wers kept back on intelligence of their danger. At length a powerful squadron was sent from Spain to escort them; upon the approach of which, the English admiral, lord Thomas Howard, finding himself very inferior in force, weighed anchor and put to sea. Greenville, with his ship the Revenge, staying to take on board his sick men, weighed last, and missed the wind in getting out. In this emergence he was advised to cut his main-sail and cast about; but considering this as disgraceful, he preferred taking his chance of breaking through the enemy's fleet, which soon came up and surrounded him. The Spanish admiral, with four other ships, began a close attack about three in the afternoon, and made repeated attempts to board. The engagement lasted till break of day next morning, during which the Spaniards were repulsed fifteen times with great loss. At length, the greater part of the English crew being either killed or wounded, and the ship reduced to a wreck, no hope of escape remained. The brave comniander had been wounded at the beginning of the action, but caused himself to be drest upon deck, and refused to go down, till about eleven he received a shot in the body. He was then carried below, and received another wound in the head while he was dressing, the surgeon being at the same time killed by his side. was then his resolution to sink the ship with the remaining crew, rather than surrender; but the offers of quarter from the Spanish admiral induced the men at length to yield. Sir Richard was removed to the Spanish ship, and honourably treated, but his wounds proved fatal on the third day. His last words, spoken in the Spanish language, are his best funeral eulogy. "Here die I, Richard Greenville, with a joyful and quiet mind; for that I have ended my life as a true soldier ought to do, fighting for his country, queen, religion, and honour; my soul willingly departing from this body, leaving behind the lasting fame of having behaved as every valiant soldier is in duty bound to do."" The fleet which he encountered consisted of fifty-three sail with ten thousand men on board. Two ships were sunk by the side of the Revenge, and two more were lost on proceeding to the road of St. Michael; and it is said (though probably with some exaggeration), that the Spaniards lost a thousand men in the action. It is not to be concealed, that sir William Monson, in his account of the affair, throws great blame upon Greenville for his stubbornness and rashness; and even sir Walter Ralegh says that he might have taken a better course, but It |