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settled in Dublin as a surgeon and accoucheur; but his youth and remarkable bashfulness occasioned him to remain a number of years in obscurity, little employed; although he was endeared to a small circle of friends by his great abilities, amiable dispositions, and his general knowledge in all the branches of polite literature and the arts. In 1764, he published his "Experimental Essays," which were received with great applause, and were soon translated into different languages; and the singular merit of this performance induced the university of Glasgow to confer the degree of doctor of physic on its author. The improvement introduced by Dr. Macbride in the art of tanning, by substituting lime-water for common water in preparing ooze, procured him the honour of a silver medal from the Dublin Society, in 1768, and of a gold medal of considerable value from the society of arts and commerce in London.

For several years after Dr. Macbride obtained his degree, he employed part of his time in the duties of a medical teacher, and delivered at his own house a course of lectures on the theory and practice of physic. These lectures were published in 1772, in 1 vol. 4to, under the title of" An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Medicine," and a second edition appeared in 1777. It was translated into Latin, and published at Utrecht, in 2 vols. 8vo, in 1774. This work displayed great acuteness of observation, and very philosophical views of pathology, and contained a new arrangement of diseases, which was deemed of so much merit by Dr. Cullen, that an outline of it was given by that celebrated professor in his Compendium of Nosology. Of the five classes, however, into which Dr. Macbride distributed diseases, the genera and species of the first only were detailed.

The talents of Dr. Macbride were now universally known, his character was duly appreciated, and his professional emoluments increased rapidly; for the public, as if to make amends for former neglect, threw more occupation into his hands than he could accomplish either with ease or safety. Although much harassed both in body and mind, so as to have suffered for some time an almost total incapacity for sleep, he continued in activity and good spirits until the end of December, 1778, when an accidental cold brought on a fever and delirium, which terminated his life on the 13th of that month, in the fifty-third year of his

age; his death was sincerely lamented by persons of all ranks.1

MAC-CAGHWELL (HUGH), who in his Latin works called himself CAVELLUS, was titular primate of Armagh, and a learned writer in defence of Duns Scotus, whose opinions were generally embraced by his countrymen. He was born in the county of Down, in Ireland, in 1571, and became a Franciscan friar. He studied at Salamanca, in Spain, and afterwards for many years governed the Irish Franciscan college at Louvain, dedicated to St. Anthony, in the founding of which he had been instrumental. In this college he was also professor of divinity, which office he filled afterwards in the convent of Ara Cœli at Rome, was definitor-general of his order, and at length advanced by the pope to the see of Armagh; but died at Rome, as he was preparing for his journey to Ireland, Sept. 22, 1626, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. He was buried in the church of St. Isidore, under a monumental stone, and inscription, placed there by the earl of Tyrone. He was reckoned a man of great learning, and one of the best schoolmen of his time. His works, which consist chiefly of commentaries on and a defence of Scotus, were in substance incorporated in Wading's edition of Scotus's works, printed at Lyons, 1639, in 12 vols. folio.'

MACDIARMID (JOHN), an ingenious young writer, was the son of the rev. Mr. Macdiarmid, minister of Weem in the northern part of Perthshire, and was born in 1779. He studied at the universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews, and was for some years tutor in a gentleman's family. Such a situation is generally desired in Scotland with the view of provision in the church, but as this was not Mr. Macdiarmid's object, he became desirous of visiting the metropolis, and trying his fortune in the career of literary competition. He accordingly came to London in 1801, and was soon in the receipt of a competent income from periodical writing. His principal occupations of this kind were, as editor of the St. James's Chronicle (a paper in which some of the first scholars and wits of the last half century have employed their pens), and as a reviewer in a critical publication. On the commencement or rather the renewal of the late war in 1802-3, his attention was directed to our military establishment, and he relinquished

1 Rees's Cyclopedia.

2 Ware's Ireland, by Harris.

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his periodical engagements to become the author of a very elaborate work, entitled "An Inquiry into the System of Military Defence of Great Britain," 1803, 2 vols. 8vo. This exposed the defects of the volunteer system, as well as of all temporary expedients, and asserted the superiority of a regular army; and had he lived, he would have doubtless been highly gratified to contemplate the army formed by the illustrious Wellington. His next work was, an Inquiry into the Nature of Civil and Military Subordination," 1804, 8vo, perhaps the fullest disquisition which the subject has received. He now determined to suspend his theoretic labours, and to turn his attention to works of narrative. He accordingly wrote the "Lives of British Statesmen," 4to, beginning with the life of sir Thomas More. This work has strong claims on public attention. The style is perspicuous and unaffected; authorities are quoted for every statement of consequence, and a variety of curious information is extracted from voluminous records, and brought for the first time before the public view. His political speculations were always temperate and liberal. He was indeed in all respects qualified for a work of this description, by great powers of research and equal impartiality. But unfortunately he was destined to enjoy, for a short time only, the approbation with which his work was received. His health, at all times delicate, received in November 1807, an irreparable blow by a paralytic stroke; and in February 1808 a second attack proved fatal, April 7. Mr. D'Israeli has paid a just and pathetic tribute to his memory and talents in the work referred to below.'

MACDONALD (ANDREW), another young writer of considerable talents, was the son of George Donald, a gardener at Leith. The Mac he appended to his name when he came to London. He was born in 1757 at Leith, where he was educated, chiefly by the assistance of bishop Forbes. For some time he had the charge of a chapel at Glasgow, in which city he published a novel, entitled "The Independent." He afterwards came to London, and wrote for the newspapers. His works were lively, satirical, and humorous, and were published under the signature of Matthew Bramble. He naturally possessed a fine genius, and had improved his understanding with classical and scientific knowledge; but for want of connec1 Atheneum, vol. III.-D'Israeli's Calamities of Authors. VOL. XXI.

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tions in this southern part of the united kingdom, and a proper opportunity to bring his talents into notice, he was always embarrassed, and had occasionally to struggle with great and accumulated distress. He died in the 33d year of his age, at Kentish Town, in Aug. 1790, leaving a wife and infant daughter in a state of extreme indigence. A volume of his "Miscellaneous Works" was published in 1791, in which were comprised, "The fair Apostate," a tragedy; "Love and Loyalty," an opera; "Princess of Tarento," a comedy; and "Vimonda," a tragedy.'

MACE (FRANCIS), a learned French priest, was born at Paris about 1640, and pursued his divinity studies at the university of his native city, where he took his degrees. About this time he was appointed secretary to the council for managing the domains and finances of the queen, consort to Lewis XIV.; and when he took holy orders, in 1685, he was immediately appointed canon and rector of the church of St. Opportune, at Paris. He was a very diligent student as well in profane as in sacred literature, and was celebrated for his popular talents as a preacher. He died in 1721, leaving behind him a great number of works that do honour to his memory, of which we shall mention "A chronological, historical, and moral abridgment of the Old and New Testament," in 2 vols. 4to; "Scriptural Knowledge, reduced into four tables;" a French version of the apocryphal "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs;" of which Grosseteste, bishop of Lincoln, gave the first Latin translation, Grabe the first Greek edition, from MSS. in the English universities, and Whiston an English version; "The History of the Four Ciceros," in which he attempts to prove, that the sons of Cicero were as illustrious as their father. 2

MACE (THOMAS), a practitioner on the lute, but more distinguished among lovers of music by a work entitled "Music's Monument, or a Remembrancer of the best practical Music, both divine and civil, that has ever been known to have been in the world," 1676, folio, was born in 1613, and became one of the clerks of Trinity-college, Cambridge. He does not appear to have held any considerable rank among musicians, nor is he celebrated either as a composer or practitioner on the lute: yet his

Biog. Dram.-Gent, Mag. vol. LX.-D'Israeli's Calamities. 2 Moreri.-Dict. Hist.-Rees's Cyclopædia.

book is a proof that he was an excellent judge of the instrument; and contains such variety of directions for the ordering and management of it, and for performing on it, as renders it a work of great utility. It contains also many particulars respecting himself, many traits of an original and singular character; and a vein of humour which, far from being disgusting, exhibits a lively portraiture of a good-natured gossiping old man. Dr. Burney recommends its perusal to all who have taste for excessive simplicity and quaintness, and can extract pleasure from the sincere and undissembled happiness of an author, who, with exalted notions of his subject and abilities, discloses to his reader every inward working of self-approbation in as undisguised a manner, as if he were communing with himself in all the plenitude of mental comfort and privacy. There is a print of him prefixed to his book, from an engraving of Faithorne, the inscription under which shews him to have been sixty-three in 1676: how long he lived afterwards, is not known. He had a wife and children'

MACEDO (FRANCIS), a Portuguese Jesuit, and most indefatigable writer, born at Coimbra, in 1596, quitted that order after a time to take the habit of a cordelier. He was strongly in the interest of the duke of Braganza when he seized the crown of Portugal. Being sent to Rome, he acquired for a time the favour of pope Alexander the VIIth, and was preferred by him to several important offices. The violence of his temper however soon embroiled him with this patron, and he went to Venice, where he disputed de omni scibili; and gaining great reputation, obtained the professorship of moral philosophy at Padua. Afterwards, having ventured to interfere in some state matter at Venice, where he had been held very high, he was imprisoned, and died in confinement, in 1681, at the age of 85. He is said, in the "Bibliotheque Portugaise," to have published 109 different works: and in one of his own books he boasts that he had pronounced 53 public panegyrics, 60 Latin discourses, and 32 funeral orations; that he had written 48 epic poems, 123 elegies, 115 epitaphs, 212 dedications, 700 familiar letters, 2600 poems in heroic verse, 3000 epigrams, 4 Latin comedies, and had written or pronounced 150,000 verses extempo

1 Hawkins and Burney's Histories of Music, but especially the latter, in Rees's Cyclopædia.

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