chins. He then acted, for some time, as chaplain to the English prisoners during the seven years war, for which he received a small pension from the French government, which he retained till the French revolution. Having obtained permission to go to Ireland, he obtained, by his talents, the notice and recompence of the Irish government; and took an early opportunity of shewing the superiority of his courage and genius, by principally attacking the heterodox doctrines of Michael Servetus, revived at that time by a Dr. Blair, of the city of Cork. After this, in 1782, when there was a disposition to relax the rigour of the penal laws against the Roman Catholics, and establish a sort of test-oath, he published a tract entitled 66 Loyalty asserted, or the Test-Oath vindicated," in which, in opposition to most of his brethren, he endeavoured to prove that the Roman Catholics of Ireland might, consistently with their religion, swear that the pope possessed there no temporal authority, which was the chief point on which the oath hinged; and in other respects he evinced his loyalty, and his desire to restrain the impetuous bigotry of his brethren. His other productions were of a various and miscellaneous nature; and several effusions are supposed to have come from his pen which he did not think it necessary or perhaps prudent to acknowledge. He was a man singularly gifted with natural humour, and possessed great acquirements. He wrote on polemical subjects without acrimony, and on politics with a spirit, of conciliation. Peace indeed seems to have been much his object. Some years ago, when a considerable number of nocturnal insurgents, of the Romish persuasion, committed great excesses in the county of Cork, particularly towards the tithe-proctors of the protestant clergy, he rendered himself extremely useful, by his various literary addresses to the deluded people, in bringing them to a proper sense of their error and insubordination. This laudable conduct did not escape the attention of the Irish government; and induced them, when he quitted Ireland, to recommend him to men of power in this country. For many years he resided in London, as principal of the Roman Catholic chapel in Soho-square, where he was highly esteemed by people of his religion. In his private character he was always cheerful, gay, sparkling with wit, and full of anecdote. He died at an advanced age in January, 1802, and was interred in St. Pancras church-yard.

His works are, 1. "Several Addresses to the Catholics of Ireland." 2. "Remarks on Mr. Wesley's Defence of the Protestant Association." 3. "Defence of his conduct in the affair of the insurrection in Munster," 1787. 4. "Review of the important Controversy between Dr. Carrol and the rev. Messrs. Wharton and Hopkins." 5. "Fast sermon at St. Patrick's chapel, Soho, March 8, 1797." 6. A Collection of his Miscellaneous Tracts, in 1 vol. 8vo. 7. " A Defence of the Conduct and Writings of the rev. Arthur O'Leary, &c.; written by himself, in answer to the illgrounded insinuations of the right rev. Dr. Woodward, bishop of Cloyne," 1788, 8vo. The bishop, in his controversy with Mr. O'Leary, acknowledges that he represents matters strongly and eloquently; and that, "Shakspeare like, he is well acquainted with the avenues to the human heart;" and Mr. Wesley calls him an "arch and lively writer." His style was certainly voluble, bold, and figurative; but deficient in grace, manliness, perspicuity, and sometimes grammar; but he was distinguished as a friend to freedom, liberality, and toleration; and was highly complimented on this account by Messrs. Grattan, Flood, and other members of the Irish parliament, in their public speeches. '

OLEASTER (JEROME), a learned Portuguese Domini. can of the sixteenth century, was born at Azambuja. In 1545 he attended the council of Trent, as Theologian from John III. king of Portugal. He refused a bishopric at his return; but consented to the appointment of inquisitor of the faith, and held the principal offices of the Dominican order in his province. He died in 1563. He has left "Commentaries on the Pentateuch," Lisbon, 1556, 1558, 5 parts in one volume, fol. and on "Isaiah," Paris, 1628, fol. from which it appears that he was an able Latin, Greek, and Hebrew scholar."

OLEY (BARNABAS), M. A. president of Clare-ball in Cambridge, and vicar of Great Gransden in Huntingdon shire, was born at Thorp, near Wakefield in Yorkshire (of which place his father was vicar), and was proctor of the university in 1635. On the breaking out of the rebellion, he was very active in collecting the university-plate, and was intrusted in conveying it to the king at Nottingham in August, 1642; but for this, and other acts of loyalty, he was turned out of his fellowship by the earl of Manchester,

Gent. Mag. vol. LXXII.

2 Moreri-Dist. Hist.

April 8, 1644, and forced to quit his vicarage. After having suffered much during the usurpation, he was, in 1660, restored both to his fellowship and vicarage; and Sept. 4, that year, installed prebendary of Worcester; and bishop Gunning (to whom he had formerly been tutor), collated him to the archdeaconry of Ely, Nov. 8, into which he was inducted, by proxy, Nov. 17, 1679. This dignity, however, after a little more than a year's possession, he voluntarily resigned, not thinking himself, in his great humility, sufficient to discharge the duty of it. He was a learned man, and no less eminent for his piety and charities. He published" Dr. Jackson's works," and Mr. Herbert's" Country Parson," to each of which he prefixed a preface. He died Feb. 20, 1686, and was interred in Great Gransden church, where is an inscription to his memory, recording his various charities. '

OLIVA (ALEXANDER), general of the Augustin monks, and a celebrated cardinal, was born at Saxoferato, in 1408, of poor parents. He was admitted young amongst the monks of Augustin, and studied at Rimini, Bologna, and Perugia: in which last place he was first made professor of philosophy, and afterwards appointed to teach divinity. At length he was chosen provincial, and some time after accepted, not without reluctance, the post of solicitor-general of his order. This office obliged him to go to Rome, where his learning and virtue became greatly admired, notwithstanding he took all possible methods, out of an extreme humility, to conceal them. The cardinal of Tarentum, the protector of his order, could not prevail upon him to engage in any of the public disputations, where every body wished to see his great erudition shine; they had, however, the gratification to hear his frequent sermons, which were highly applauded. He appeared in the pulpits of the principal cities in Italy, as Rome, Naples, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Mantua, and Ferrara; was elected first vicar-general, and then general of his order, in 1459; and at last created cardinal, in 1460, by pope Pius II. This learned pontiff gave him afterwards the bishopric of Camerino, and made use of his abilities on several occasions. Oliva died shortly after at Tivola, where the court of Rome then resided, in 1463. His corpse was carried to the church of the Augustin monks at Rome,

'Bentham's Ely.-Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy.-Barwick's Life.

1

where there is a marble monument, with an epitaph, and a Latin tetrastic by way of eulogium. His works are, "De Christi ortu sermones centum ;""De cœna cum apostolis facta;" "De peccato in spiritum sanctum; Orationes elegantes.'

OLIVA (JOHN), an Italian antiquary, was born July 11, 1689, at Rovigo, in the Venetian state. Having been ordained priest in 1711, he became professor of ethics at Azzolo, which office he filled for eight years, and went to Rome in 1715, where Clement XI. received him very kindly. After this pontiff's decease, Oliva being made secretary to the conclave, obtained the notice of cardinal de Rohan, who patronized him, and in 1722 appointed him his librarian, which he held till his death, March 19, 1757, at Paris. He translated the abbé Fleury's "Tr. des Etudés," into Italian, and left a dissertation, in Latin, "On the necessity of joining the study of ancient medals to that of history;" another, "On the progress and decay of learning among the Romans ;" and a third, "On a monument of the goddess Isis." These three, under the title of "Œuvres diverses," were printed at Paris, 1758, 8vo. He also published an edition of a MS. of Sylvestri's, concerning an ancient monument of Castor and Pollux, with the author's Life, 8vo; an edition in 4to, of several Letters written by Poggio, never published before; and formed a MS cataJogue of cardinal de Rohan's library, in 25 vols. fol.'

OLIVER (ISAAC), one of the first English miniature painters, was born in this country in 1556, and studied under Hilliard, but received some farther instructions from Frederick Zucchero, and became a painter of great eminence. His principal employment was in portraits, which he painted for the most distinguished personages of his time; but he likewise attempted historical subjects with success. He was a good designer, and very correct; his touch was neat and delicate; and although he generally worked in miniature, yet he frequently painted in a large size. His drawings are highly finished, and exceedingly valued, many of them being copies after Parmigiano. Several very fine miniatures of this master are to be seen in the collections of the English nobility and gentry. Dr. Mead's collection was very rich in them: some of them

1 Moreri.-Dict. Hist.

Moreri.-Life prefixed to his Œuvres Diverses, 1758.

are portraits of himself, others of queen Elizabeth, Mary queen of Scots, prince Henry, and Ben Jonson, which are admirably finished. There is also a whole length of sir Philip Sidney, of great merit. These are now in the king's collection. At Strawberry-hill are some fine specimens, and in the closet of queen Caroline at Kensington, there is a capital drawing of Oliver's, of which the subject is, the placing of Christ in the Sepulchre; and another drawing after Raphael's design of the Murder of the Innocents, which has a great deal of merit. He died in 1617, aged sixty-one, and was buried in St. Anne's, Blackfriars, where his son erected a monument to his memory, which was destroyed in the great fire. He wrote a treatise on limning, partly printed in Sanderson's "Graphice."

1

OLIVER (PETER), son and disciple of the preceding, was born in 1601, and by the precepts and example of his father, he arrived at a degree of perfection in miniature portrait painting confessedly superior to his instructor, or any of his contemporaries, as he did not confine his subjects to a head only. His pictures, like his father's, are spread among the houses of the nobility and gentry, and are alike justly esteemed. The works which he executed upon a larger scale are much more valuable than those of his father, and are also more numerous, though not very frequently to be met with. Lord Orford mentions that there were thirteen works of Peter Oliver in the collection of Charles I. and of James II.; and that seven of them are preserved in queen Caroline's closet at Kensington; and he also speaks of a portrait of Mrs. Oliver by her husband, in possession of the duchess of Portland, as his finest work. Lord Orford thinks it extraordinary that more of the works of this excellent master are not known, as he commonly made duplicates of his pictures, reserving one of each for himself. On this subject, he adds, that Russel the painter, related to or connected with the Olivers, told Vertue a remarkable story. The greater part of the collection of king Charles I. being dispersed in the troubles, among which were several of the Olivers, Charles II. who remem bered, and was desirous of recovering them, made many inquiries about them after the Restoration; at last, he was told by one Rogers of Isleworth, that both the father and son were dead, but that the son's widow was living at Isle

Pilkington.-Walpole's Anecdotes.