That Religion is jure divino, is no question: "Now that the Convocation, which is questionable whether jure divino, and Parliaments which out of question are not jure divino, should meddle with Religion, which questionless is jure divino, I leave to you, Mr. Speaker."

On this, Mr. Grimstone remarking,

"But Archbishops are not Bishops, Mr. Speaker;" Selden as quickly rejoined;

That, Mr. Speaker, is no otherwise true, than that judges are not lawyers, and aldermen not citizens."

About this time indeed, he was actually implicated in a charge of designing to give up the city of London to the King, from which accusation he was obliged or humble enough to purge himself by oath. It is certain, that the Great Seal was tendered to him in 1642; but of this high and hazardous appointment he declined the acceptance. From Clarendon we learn, that Lord Falkland and himself, to whom his Majesty referred the consideration of that affair, "did not doubt of Mr. Selden's affection to the King;" but withal they knew him so well, that they concluded he would absolutely refuse the offer. "He was in years," continues the noble historian," and of a tender constitution: he had for many years enjoyed his ease, which he loved; was rich, and would not have made a journey to York, or have lain out of his own bed, for any preferment which he had never affected." He might have added, that he was too much attached to the liberties of his country, to lend himself to the royal views. In 1643, he was appointed one of the lay-members to sit in the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, in

which he frequently by his profound learning perplexed his clerical collegues:* and, as Whitlocke relates," sometimes when they had cited a text of Scripture to prove their assertion, he would tell them, ' perhaps in their little pocket-bibles with gilt leaves, which they would often pull out and read, the translation might be thus, but the Greek or the Hebrew signified thus and thus;' and so would totally silence them."

nant.

At this period he was, by the parliament, appointed Keeper of the Records in the Tower, and the following year he subscribed the solemn League and CoveWhen the bill of attainder was passed against Laud, and the commissioners laid hold upon his noble endowment of the Arabic lecture at Oxford, Selden exerted himself with success in rescuing it from their harpy talons. But the learned founder of it, though he had previously been his friend, and even condescended to ask a favour from him, met with no pity at his hands. In 1644, he was elected one of the twelve Commissioners of the Admiralty; and, the same year, was nominated Master of Trinity College, Cambridge: but the latter very honourable appointment he thought proper to decline. About the same period, likewise, he rendered great services to the University of Oxford: and, from his disapprobation of the violent measures pursued against his

* Lightfoot, however, must be excepted from this observation. A single instance of his wit, upon these occasions, may amuse the reader. In attempting to ascertain the exact distance between some place on the sea-coast and Jerusalem, one of the ministers suggested that, as fish was frequently carried from the first to the latter, the interval did not probably exceed thirty miles. This inference was about to be adopted, when Selden unfortunately observed, that in all likelihood it was-salt-fish!' VOL. III.

P

Sovereign (though it does not appear, that he took any active step in his favour) he refused repeated solicitations made to him by Cromwell to answer the "Icon Basilike.' The office, in consequence, devolved upon Milton. After the catastrophe of January 30, 1648-9, he retired wholly from public business, and devoted the remainder of his days to contemplation and study. In 1650, appeared the first part of his Treatise, De Synedriis et Præfecturis Hebræorum, to which he subjoined a second part in 1653. In 1652, he published his Decem Scriptores Anglicani,' and the year following he made his will.

In the early part of 1654, his health beginning rapidly to decline, and his end in his own apprehension fast approaching, he sent for his venerable friends Archbishop Usher and Dr. Gerard Langbaine, with whom he discoursed seriously upon the vanity of learning, and declared that all his hopes of salvation rested upon the promises of the Scriptures.' Exemplary lesson for scholars, which, joined with the instances of Bacon, Newton, Addison, and Grotius,* will be found more than a counterbalance for the influence of such as have closed their cheerless day either in the levity, or in the gloom, of infidelity!

Some days before his death, he requested Mr. Bulstrode Whitlocke by a short note to call upon him, for the purpose of making some alterations in his will; but this, on that gentleman's attending his summons, he had lost the power of carrying into effect.

From Baxter, who knew Hobbes intimately, and denominated him with Spinosa (by a strong epithet

*This illustrious rival of Selden lamented, on his death-bed, that he had lost his life in strenuously doing nothing;' laberiosè nihil agendo.

for materialists) the brutish,' we learn, that Selden refused to have the philosopher of Malmsbury in his chamber while dying, calling out, "No Atheists!" But Aubrey informs us, that Hobbes continued by the side of his dying friend. He expired on the thirtieth of November aged seventy, at the house of Elizabeth Countess Dowager of Kent, with whom he had lived some years in such intimacy, that they were reported to be as man and wife. Dr. Wilkins even supposes, that the wealth, which he left behind him, was chiefly owing to that lady's generosity: but there is no good reason for either of these surmises. He was buried in the Temple Church, where a monument was erected to him; and Archbishop Usher preached his funeral sermon the day before his own death.* His valuable and curious library he had intended to bequeath, in the first instance, to the Bodleian collection; but upon being refused the loan of some MSS. (which, indeed, could not constitutionally have been granted without a restitutionary bond of 1000.) he left it to the Inner Temple, on the condition that a suitable building should be provided for it's reception; in failure of which, it was to pass to the disposal of his executors, Matthew Hale, John Vaughan, Edward Heywood, and Rowland Jewks, Esquires; and by them it was finally attached, under the name of Mr. Selden's Library,' to the Bodleian.

Knowing in all laws, divine and human, he did not greatly trouble himself with the practice of law; seldom appearing at the bar, though he sometimes gave counsel in his chamber. His extensive acquirements procured him the esteem of all his learned

* In this he said, "He looked upon him as so great a scholar, that himself was not worthy to carry his books after him.”

contemporaries throughout Europe;* but the noblest testimony to his abilities is borne by his friend the Earl of Clarendon : " Mr. Selden was a person whom no character can flatter, or transmit in any expressions even equal to his merit and virtue. He was of so stupendous learning in all kinds and in all languages, as may appear from his excellent and transcendent writings, that a man would have thought he had been entirely conversant among books, and had never spent an hour but in reading and writing; yet his humanity, courtesy, and affability was such, that he would have been thought to have been bred in the best courts, but that his goodnature, charity, and delight in doing good and in communicating all he knew exceeded that breeding. His stile in all his writings seems harsh, and sometimes obscure; which is not wholly to be imputed to the abstruse subjects, of which he commonly treated, out of the paths trod by other men, but to a little undervaluing the beauty of a stile, and too much propensity to the language of antiquity: but in his conversation he was the most clear discourser, and had the best faculty in making hard things easy and presenting them to the understanding, of any man that hath been known. Mr. Hyde (the noble writer himself) was wont to say, that 'he valued himself upon nothing more, than having had Mr. Selden's acquaintance from the time he was very young;' and held it with great delight, as long as they were suffered to continue toge

* By Grotius, Saumaise, Bochart, Gerard Vossius, Gronovius, and Daniel Heinsius, he is mentioned with high encomiums; and he well deserved them. In his patronage of men of letters, he was extremely liberal, being apparently free from the jealousy and arrogance too frequently associated with the literary character.