ESSAY IV.

CHARACTERS OF EMINENT MEN; WITH A CATALOGUE OF SIR HANS SLOAN E's MUSEUM, AND OTHER NATURAL CURIOSI

TIES.

CHA P. I.

URING the time of the publication of

DURING

my History of Birds, I had the great honour, happiness, and pleasure of being patronized by four gentlemen, who were, perhaps, the greatest promoters of learning, fcience, and arts, of any in the prefent age.-The firft of thefe gentlemen was the late Moft Noble Duke of Richmond; noble in his lineage and descent from the royal houfe of these kingdoms, but

ftill more noble and great from the innate magnificence, generofity, and goodness of his foul. Though, by his high offices, his time was taken up by the important affairs of the public, yet his doors were always open to men of learning, fcience, and ingenuity,

The second was the good Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. who employed me, for a great number of years, in drawing miniature figures of animals, &c. after nature, in water-colours, to encrease his very great collection of fine drawings by other hands; which drawings are now all fixed in the British Museum, for the help and information of thofe in future generations, that may be curious or ftudious in natural hiftory. Sir Hans, in the decline of his life, left London, and retired to his manor-house at Chelsea, where he refided about fourteen years before he died, After his retirement to Chelsea, he requested it as a favour to him, (though I embraced his requeft as an honour done to myself) that I would visit him every week, in order to divert him, for an hour or two, with the common news of the town, and with any thing particular that fhould happen amongst his acquaintance of the Royal Society,

Society, and other ingenious gentlemen, many of whom I was weekly converfant with; and I feldom miffed drinking coffee with him on a Saturday, during the whole time of his retirement at Chelsea. He was fo infirm as to be wholly confined to his house, except sometimes, though rarely, taking a little air in his garden in a wheeled chair and this confinement made him very defirous to fee any of his old acquaintance to amuse him. During this latter part of his life, he was frequently petitioned for charity by fome decayed branches of families of eminent men, late of his acquaintance, who were famous for their learned works, &c. which petitions he always received, and considered with attention; and, provided they were not found fraudulent, they were always answered by his charitable donations. He has often defired that I would inquire into the merits of fuch petitioners; and, if found fatisfactory, he commiffioned me to convey his bounty to the diftreffed. —The last time I faw him, I was greatly furprised and concerned to find fo good a man in the agonies of death: this was on the tenth day of January 1753, at four o'clock in the after

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noon: he died on the eleventh, at four in the morning. I continued with him later than any one of his relations, but was obliged to retire, his laft agonies being beyond what I could bear; though, under his pain and weakness of body, he seemed to retain a great firmness of mind, and refignation to the will of God.

The third of my patrons was the great Richard Mead, M. D. He was certainly mag nanimous beyond the common measure, and deserved the title of Great in as extensive a sense as any man in his station could do. He, as well as Sir Hans Sloane, died in the highest stations of phyfic they could arrive at, viz. Phyficians in Ordinary to the King. Dr. Mead, indeed, never was at the head of the College of Physicians of London, but it was because he always absolutely declined it; for he hath been elected into that honourable station, but never could be perfuaded to accept of it. His personal service, his ample fortune, his house, and every thing in his power, always contributed, in the most extenfive manner, to the promotion of learning, science, arts, mechanics, and, in fhort, every thing

that

!

so

that tended to the public benefit and honour of his country, or was of ufe to particular members of the community he lived in. In short, his generofity was fo diffufive, that he may be justly deemed a benefactor to the whole community; whilft, instead of hoarding up that great wealth his practice gained, to raise a vast eftate, as he might easily have done, his public spirit was unconfined, and he was contented to leave behind him a moderate fortune only. The worthy Dr. Afkew, from a laudable veneration for the memory and public character of fo great a patron of learning, &c. has caused a fine marble buft of him to be made by one of the most eminent sculptors of the prefent age, which is placed in the College of Phyficians, London. And, on this occafion, I cannot help informing fucceeding generations, that they may fee the real features of Dr. Mead in this faid bust; for I, who was as well acquainted with Dr. Mead's face as any one living, do pronounce this buft of him to be fo like, that, as often as I fee it, my mind is filled with the strongest idea of the original.