one of the most learned divines that Scotland has produced, was born May 2, 1593. He was the descendant of an ancient and opulent family: his father was Patrick Forbes, bishop of Aberdeen, his mother was Lucretia the daughter of David Spence of Wormiston. His paternal ancestor was a younger son of Lord Forbes, and he was thus connected with some of the principal families in his native district.

John Forbes, who was the second son of Patrick Forbes, after having studied at Aberdeen, was sent to the university of Heidelberg. He likewise prosecuted his studies at Sedan, and in other universities. Having devoted much time and labour to the acquisition of Greek and Hebrew, he returned to his native country in 1619, being then in the twenty-sixth year of his age, and on the 27th of April he was admitted professor of divinity in King's College, Aberdeen, where he laboured with great diligence, and acquired the character of an able and useful teacher. He was skilled in ecclesiastical antiquity; and, not content with delivering what is called a system of divinity, he exhibited a very elaborate deduction of the progress of Christian doctrine in various ages of the church. Of the value of his instructions in this department, a very adequate opinion may be formed from the perusal of a work which he published in the maturity of his learning and judgment. Nor did he neglect to instruct his students in practical religion: one division of his lectures related to moral theology, another to the pastoral care and to residence.

While he was engaged in these useful and honourable labours, the kingdom was agitated by religious dissensions. Episcopacy, commonly described by the more odious name of prelacy, was no favourite with the great body of the people; and the five articles of Perth, passed in 1618, and relating to kneeling at the communion, the observance of festivals, confirmation, private baptism, and private communion, had excited a violence of opposition with which it was found very difficult to contend. Dr Forbes, who was as much distinguished by his piety as by his learning, endeavoured to promote peaceable measures; and with this view, he published his earliest work, bearing the title of Irenicum Amatoribus Veritatis et Pacis in Ecclesia Scotica. Aberdonian, 1629, 4to. Of this work he sent a copy to Archbishop Usher, who received it with much cordiality. The bishop of Aberdeen did not live to witness the subversion of episcopacy: he died on the 28th of March 1635, in the seventy-first year of his age. This prelate being regarded as the restorer of the university, and as a great pillar of the church, his death was sincerely lamented by the adherents of his own party. As his eldest son had died ten years before, the professor of divinity succeeded to the family estates. Soon after the bishop's decease, a volume of 429 pages, and including a portrait, was published under the following title:—Funerals of a Right Reverend Father in God, Patrick Forbes of Corse, Bishop of Aberdeen. Toi &c. Reverendissimi in Christo Patria, Patricii Forbesii a Corse, Episcopi Abredoniensis, Tumulus, a multis omnium ordinum collachrymantibus variegato opere exornatus." Aberdeen, 1635, 4to.

Dr Forbes, who was naturally disposed to think that nothing is better than peace, next published "A Peaceable Warning to the Subjects in Scotland; given in the year of God 1638." Aberdeen, 4to. It was speedily answered in a tract ascribed to Calderwood, the most strenuous defender of the Presbyterian cause. Dr Forbes was treated with some degree of tenderness; and the Covenanters being solicitous to gain such a convert, the proceedings against him in the ecclesiastical courts were protracted for several years. After some preliminary steps, he was in 1640 cited to appear at Aberdeen before a delegation of the general assembly. He was declared to be free from the taint of popery and Arminianism; but as he still adhered to episcopacy, and declined to subscribe the covenant, his case, through the influence of Baillie, was remitted to the presbytery of Edinburgh. He was allowed a month to yield satisfaction to this judicatory, and as he failed to do so, sentence of deprivation was pronounced against him. In 1643 he moved the synod of Aberdeen to make application to the general assembly, that he might be permitted to retain his professorship without subscription; but it was there determined that his deprivation was valid from the beginning. He had purchased two houses adjoining to the college, and had assigned one of them to the professor of divinity, and the other to the cantor, a person on the foundation. In the deed of conveyance, he neglected to reserve to himself a different in the professor's house; nor can it be mentioned

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1 Professor Edward Forbes's life and labours, and lamented death, were faithfully and feelingly recorded in most of our literary and scientific journals, and in many newspapers of the day. We have made the preceding brief memoir to conform chiefly with a notice in No. 1 (for January 1855) of the New Series of the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, and have availed ourselves, in our geological abstracts, of some observations by W. J. Hamilton, Esq., President of the Geological Society, contained in his anniversary address. See Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, May 1855. without regret and indignation that he was obliged to resign it to his successor in office.

He was anxious to continue his residence in the university, for the benefit of prosecuting his researches in the public libraries; but he found that he must either subscribe the solemn league and covenant, or abandon his native country. Preferring the latter alternative, he embarked for Holland on the 5th of April 1644, and, after a voyage of five days, landed at Campvere. He travelled through the different provinces, and frequently preached in the Scottish and English churches. He had formerly married a lady of Middelburg, named Soete Roos-boom, who died on the 19th of January 1640. She was the mother of nine children; but only one of them, a son named George, was alive at the time of the father's exile. Dr Forbes resided chiefly at Amsterdam, and occupied himself in preparing for the press a work of great research and value. It appeared under the title of "Instructiones Historico-Theologicae de Doctrina Christiana, et vario Rerum Statu, ortique Erroribus et Controversiis, jam inde a temporibus Apostolicis ad tempora usque secuti decimi-septimi priora." Amst. 1645, fol. A second edition followed after a considerable interval. Geneva, 1680, fol. And an abridgment of the work was published by Arnoldus Montanus, under the title of Forbesius contractus. Amst. 1663, Svo. Forbes was enabled to prefix to his ample volume the favourable judgment of the theological faculties of Leyden, Utrecht, and Franeker, as well as that of Rivet, Marcsins, and Vossias. This book established the reputation of the author as a theologian of a very high rank. Bishop Burnet speaks of it as "a work which, if he had finished it, and had been suffered to enjoy the privacies of his retirement and study, to give us the second volume, had been the greatest treasure of theological learning that perhaps the world has yet seen." Dr Cave has likewise mentioned it as a work of great value; and it has received similar commendation from writers of many different nations.

After having resided upwards of two years in Holland, Forbes embarked at Campvere on the 8th, and arrived at Aberdeen on the 14th of July 1646. He immediately retired to his country-seat at Corse, and was permitted to spend the remainder of his days in learned and devout seclusion. He died on the 29th of April 1648, having completed the fifty-fifth year of his age. A short time before his death, he made application to the presbytery for permission to have his bones deposited in Bishop Dunbar's aisle in the cathedral church, beside those of his father and wife; but even this last favour was denied to a learned and excellent man, whose fault was a difference of opinion on the subject, not of Christian doctrine, but of ecclesiastical polity. He then directed his body to be interred in the churchyard of Leochel, where no monument was erected to his memory. He left an only son, who is described by Dr Garden as the heir of his father's estates, but not of his virtues.

Dr Forbes was small in stature, and of a somewhat swarthy complexion; and, with respect to his habits of study, we are informed that he always read and wrote in a standing posture. One of the few relaxations in which he indulged was the game of golf. His conduct was upright and consistent in times of no small difficulty and distress.

An honourable monument was at length erected to his memory, in a collective edition of his Latin works. "Reverendi viri Johannis Forbesii a Corse, Presbyteri et SS. Theologiae Doctoris, ejusdemque Professoris in Academia Aberdonensi, Opera omnia, inter quae plurima posthumae, reliqua ab ipso auctore interpolata, emendata atque aucta." Amsterdam, 1703, 2 tom. fol. The second volume bears the date of 1702. The edition is introduced by two dedications written by George Garden, D.D., an advertisement by Wetstein the printer, and a preface by Dr Gurltler, professor of divinity at Deventer. A copious life of the author, by Dr Garden, is next subjoined. Under the title of "J. Forbesii Vita interior," he has had added an abstract of Forbes' diary, which was written in English. One of the posthumous works is an ample treatise, entitled "Theologiae Moralis libri decem; in quibus Precepta Decalogi exponuntur, et variae circa Dei Legem, et specialia ejusdem Precepta, Controversiae dissolvantur, et Casus Conscientiae explicantur."