last moments, which vanity, every disguise. able to write" said the

commonly strip from human "Had I a pen, and were I anatomist within half an hour of his death, "I would describe how pleasant and easy a thing it is to die."

This circumstance, it must be confessed, is not without an appearance of ostentation; it seems as if he wished to exhibit himself as free from those prejudices and fears so common, perhaps so salutary, to man, assailed by the alternate dangers of inordi nate exultation and overwhelming despair. But, let us remember, that few men were qualified like our acute and indefatigable professor, by philosophy, science and well directed efforts, to soar above the groveling and earth-born ideas of the millions, wha seem born only to die; et spectare solem, et fruges consumere nati.

To a man so highly gifted, who for more than half a century, had been unremittingly engaged in diffusing useful knowledge, or diminishing human ca lamity, the king of terrors must have been deprived of half his powers, and his approach considered as kind nature's signal of release; not so the sensualist, the degrader of his species and himself, cut off in life's mid-day, during an unvaried course of polluted pleasure, and sent to their account with all their imperfections on their heads.

Besides, expiring in the extreme of old age, may almost literally be denominated sinking to sleep, for the seat of sensation, and the fountain of reason, are almost dried up; the nerves, those instruments of action and reaction have well nigh lost their tone and irritability, and the candle of life is finally burnt to the socket.

HUNTER, (JOHN F. R. S.) surgeon general to the British army was brother to the preceding Dr. William Hunter, and eight years younger. In his ear

y life, he was bound apprentice to a carpenter, in which situation, had it not been' for the uncommon exertions of his genius, he would probably have passed through life unknown and unnoticed. It was, however, his fortune, to rise to a rank in his profession scarce ever remembered, that of an acknowledged superiority over the most eminent of his rivals. Mr. Hunter may be truly said to have been an honour to his profession and to his country. His deep knowledge in both speculative and practical surgery, has long been known and admired, whether considered as to the efficacy of its operations, or the sensibility of its effects. As a man of letters, independent of his profound scientific studies, he had traced the practice of surgery to the earliest ages. He was well acquainted with every practitioner mentioned by Pliny; with all the Greek and Roman authors, who had written on the subject, as well as with every modern writer who had contributed to the perfection of the art. His own publications will be his monuments. His anatomical researches were various, persevering and successful; the offices, uses, situation or communication of the several parts of the human structure, no man was better acquainted with. In short, his labours may be considered as a basis, on which the whole great art of physic may securely

rest.

His "Comparative Anatomy" intended to be pub lished after his death, was many years since, said to be in a forward state, by those, who had been gratified with the sight of parts of it, and had an opportunity of knowing his labourious and extensive researches upon the subject. Among the persons most interested in its appearance must be the disciples of Lavater, whose system, existing hitherto, but in the concep tion of his followers, and communicable by definitions, which depend upon the fancy of the hearer, may acquire certainty from his proofs, and, at length, be received into the classes of demonstrable knowledge.

Every particular is interesting, with respect to the loss of so valuable a man. He had, for some years, been subject to spasms; on account of which, he was cautioned not to indulge, in any violence or loudness of speech. Upon some occasions, in which he was too warmly, but worthily interested, he neglect ed the warning which his own skill had approved, and was seized with a spasm, which occasioned almost an immediate death, October 16, 1793.

HUSS, (JOHN) a celebrated divine and martyr was born in a little village in Bohemia, called Hussenitz about the year 1376; and lived at Prague, in the highest reputation, both on account of the sanctity of his manners and the purity of his doctrine. About the year 1400, he began to preach and write with great zeal against the doctrines of the church of Rome, and succeeded so far that the sale of indul gences began greatly to decrease amongst the Bohe mians. On this the Pope's party became greatly alarmed and began to exclaim, there would soon be an end of religion, if measures were not taken to op pose the restless spirit of the Hussites. With a view, therefore, of stopping this evil, Subinco, the archbi shop of Prague issued forth two mandates in 1408; one, addressed to the members of the university, by which they were ordered to bring together all Wickdiff's writings, with which Huss was greatly enamour. ed and to burn such of them as were found to con tain any thing erroneous or heretical: the other to all curates and ministers commanding them to teach the people, that, after the consecration of the elements, in the holy sacrament, there remained nothing, but the real body and blood of Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine. Huss, whose credit in the univerity was very great, found no difficulty in persuading many of the members of the unreasonableness and absurdity of these mandates, in consequence

of which they appealed to Gregory XIII. and the archbishop Subinco was summoned to Rome. But, on his acquainting the Pope, that the opinions of Wickliff were making a rapid progress in Bohemia, a bull was granted him for the suppression of all such opinions in his province. By virtue of this bull, Subinco condemned the writings of Wickliff, and proceeded against four doctors, who had not compli ed with his mandate, in bringing in their copies. Huss and others, who were involved in this sentence, protested against the proceedings of the archbishop, and appealed from him a second time in 1410.The matter was then brought before Pope John XXIII. who ordered Huss, to appear in person, at the court of Rome and gave a special commission to cardinal Colonna to cite him. Huss, however, under the protection of Winceslaus, king of Bohemia, did not appear, but sent three deputies to excuse his absence, and to answer all, which should be alledged against him. Colonna paid no regard to the deputies, nor to any defence they could make; but declared Huss guilty of contumacy to the court of Rome, and excommunicated him for it. Upon this, the deputies appealed from the cardinal to the pope, who commissioned four other cardinals to examine into the affair. These, however, were so far from reversing the decision of Colonna, that they extended the excommunication, which was formerly limited to Huss, to his friends and followers, declared him an' heresiarch, and pronounced an interdict against him.

All this while, however, Huss continued to recommend, in a public manner, the writings of Wickliff, and to preach with unbounded zeal, against the usurpations of the Romish church. In 1413, tumults became so frequent at Prague, that Subinco prevailed on Winceslaus to banish Huss, whom he represented as the source of all the disorders: still, however, the confusion encreased. The archbishop had then recourse to Sigismund the emperor, who promised him VOL. III. No. 18.

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to come into Bohemia, for the purpose of settling the affairs of the church; but before he could be prepared for this journey, Subinco died in Hungary. About this time, bulls were published by John XXIII. at Prague, against Ladislaus king of Naples, in which a crusade was proclaimed against that prince, and indulgencies promised toall, who would go to the war. This furnished Huss, who had returned to Prague, upon the death of Subinco, with a fine occasion of preaching against indulgencies and crusades, and of refuting those bulls: and the people were so inflamed with his preaching that they declared pope John to be the Antichrist. Upon this, some of the ring-leaders among the Hussites, were seized and imprisoned, which however, was not consented to by the people, till the magistrate had promised, that no harm should happen to the prisoners. But he did not keep his word: they were executed in prison, which the Hussites discovering, took up arms; rescued their corpses, and interred them honorably as martyrs, in the church of Bethlehem, of which Huss was pastor.

Thus things went on at Prague and in Bohemia, till the council of Constance was called: where it was agreed between the pope and the emperor, that Huss should appear, and give an account of himself and his doctrine. The emperor promised for his security against any danger, and that nothing should be attempted against his person: upon which he set out, after declaring publicly, that he was going to the council at Constance, to answer the accusations which were formed against him; and challenging all people, who had any thing to except to his life and conversation, to do it without delay. He made the same declarations in all the towns through which he passed, and arrived at Constance, November 3, 1414. Here he was accused in form, and a list of his heretical tenets laid before the pope and the prelates of the council. He was summoned to appear the 26th day after his arrival; and declared himself ready to