at merit, but sometimes is negligent and loose. Mr. Gibbon
mentioned it to the editor in warm terms of commendation; and was
astonished when he heard how much of our author's life had been spent
abroad. Speaking of our author's Lives of the Saints, (vol. iv. 457,) he
calls it "a work of merit,--the sense and learning belong to the
author--his prejudices are those of his profession." As it is known what
prejudice means in Mr. Gibbon's vocabulary, our author's relatives
accept the character.

Having lived so long in the schools, he must have had a strong
predilection for some of the opinions agitated in them; and frequent
opportunities of expressing it occurred in his work. He seems to have
cautiously avoided them: a single instance, perhaps, is not to be found,
where any thing of the kind is discoverable in any of his writings. He
has carefully brought before the reader every circumstance arising from
his subject, that could be offered in proof or illustration of the
particular tenets of the Roman Catholic church; but he does it without
affectation, and rather leaves the reader to draw his own conclusions,
than suggests them to him. Those expressions which good manners and good
taste reject, are never to be found in his works.

But the chief merit of his works is, that they make virtue and devotion
amiable: he preaches penance, but he shows its rewards; he exhorts to
compunction, but he shows the sweetness of pious sorrow; he enforces
humility, but he shows the blessedness of a humble heart; he recommends
solitude, but he shows that God _is_ where the world is not. No one
reads his work who does not perceive the happiness, even in this world,
of a holy life, or who does not wish to die the death of a saint. Most
readers of it will acknowledge that, sometimes at least, when they have
read it, every worldly emotion has died within them, and they have felt
themselves in a disposition of mind suited to receive the finest
impressions of religion.

At the finishing of his work he gave a very edifying instance of
humility. The manuscript of the first volume having been submitted to
Mr. Challoner, the vicar-apostolic of the London district, he
recommended the omission of all the notes, not {031} excepting that
beautiful note which gave an account of the writings of St. John
Chrysostom. His motive was, that, by being made less bulky, the work
might be made less expensive, and, consequently, more generally useful.
It is easy to