CLARKE (Dr Samuel)

CLARKE (Dr Samuel), was born in the city of Norwich in 1675. His father was an alderman of that city, and one of the representatives of it in parliament for several years. In 1691, he went to Caius-college Cambridge; where, though the Cartesian philosophy then prevailed, he soon made himself master of the Newtonian system; and in order to his first degree, surprised the whole audience by the accuracy with which he traced a question in it. In 1697, he published a Latin translation of Rohault's physics, with annotations. After this he turned his thoughts to divinity; and met with a favourable opportunity; being, in 1699, appointed chaplain to Dr John Moore, then bishop of Norwich, who treated him with all the marks of the highest esteem. In 1701, he published his paraphrase upon the gospel of St Matthew, which was followed by the paraphrases on St Mark and St Luke, and soon after on St John, so universally admired. He intended to have gone through all the re-

maining books of the New Testament, but was diverted from it. In 1704 and 1705, he preached, and soon after published, 16 sermons at Boyle's lecture, so justly admired. In 1706, he published his letter to Mr Dodwell, concerning the immortality of the soul; which was soon followed by four defences of it, and the Answer to Toland's Amyntor added to them. The same year he translated Sir Isaac Newton's optics into Latin. Queen Anne, to whose favour his own merits recommended him, upon the vacancy of St James's, Westminster, presented him with that rectory. Upon this advancement he took his degree of doctor of divinity in the university of Cambridge; on which occasion his public exercise was prodigiously applauded. In 1712, he published a splendid edition of Cæsar's Commentaries, dedicated to the duke of Marlborough; and the same year appeared his Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity, which gave occasion to a great number of books upon that subject by himself as well as others, and was complained of by the lower house of convocation: but the upper house declared themselves satisfied with his explanations upon the subject of the complaint. In 1715, he had a dispute with Mr Leibnitz relating to some principles of natural philosophy and religion; and the papers that passed between them were published at London in 1717. His alterations in the forms of Doxology occasioned a considerable controversy. In 1724, he published 17 sermons; and, the year following, his "Discourse concerning the connection of the Prophecies in the Old Testament, and the application of them in the New to Christ," in answer to a famous book of Mr Collins, intitled "Grounds and reasons of the Christian Religion." Upon the death of Sir Isaac Newton, he was offered by the court the place of master of the mint, worth £1500 a year, which he refused. In 1728, he wrote a letter to Mr Benjamin Hoadley, F. R. S. occasioned by the controversy relating to the proportion of velocity and force of bodies in motion; and in the beginning of the year following, he published at London, in 4^to, twelve books of Homer's Iliad, with the Latin version, accurately corrected, and learned notes, dedicated to the duke of Cumberland. He died in 1729; and since his death there have been published his exposition of the church-catechism, and 10 volumes of his sermons. He was a man of deep penetration; a sincere lover of truth; profoundly acquainted with the abstrusest speculations; and an amiable example of the temper, studies, and practice, becoming a Christian divine.