Professor Sewall served an apprenticeship at the trade of a joiner, and was noted for his diligence and ingenuity. He was from early life extremely fond of books, and devoted all his leisure to reading. After completing his twenty-first year, he was taken under the tuition, and experienced the friendship of the celebrated master Moody. By the progress he made in his studies, and the eminence to which he arose, as a linguist, he was an honour to his native place, to his preceptor, to his almą mater, and to his country. No native American, previous to his day, had ever so accurate, and, at the same time, so extensive an acquaintance with all the learned languages of the east. In the Pietas et gratulatio coll. Cantab. apud Novanglos, his Greek odes were highly complimented by the English reviewers. His lexicon for the Chaldee, found in several parts of the Old Testament, ought to be published. One fair copy of this is lodged in the library of Harvard college, and another, which he presented to the author of this Collection, is in the library of the N. Y. His. Soc. His Greek prosody, the only complete copy of which is in Harvard college library, was the fruit of close, long, and critical investigation. The rough draught copy, which he gave the author of this work, contains a list of sixty poets and poetesses, whose works he read with the utmost attention, and with the express design to ascertain the quantity of the Greek vowels in every possible case. The result was a system on 3 this subject, which certainly ought not to have remained till this time unknown to the world. Professor Sewall's lectures in general, consisted of various ingenious and interesting disquisitions on sundry parts of the original of the scriptures. He wrote in an easy, perspicuous, and neat style. From the specimens printed, it is desirable that a selection of his lectures should be published, as they would, no doubt, be useful to inquisitive scholars, and a respectful monument of the excellence and extent of his talents and acquirements. He was honoured with an epistolary correspondence with Kennicott, Gebelin, and other distinguished foreign orientalists. Gebelin, author of Monde Primitif, was particularly gratified by the reception of a copy of the celebrated characters on Dighton rock, which professor Sewall took with great care, and transmitted to him. His learned correspondent pronounces those characters Phenician, in one of his letters, and refers to the seventh volume of his works for his further ideas relative to them. The subject of this article married Rebecca Wigglesworth, daughter of the first Hollis professor of theology at Harvard college. His children died in infancy. At length his worthy consort left him a sorrowful widower. His nervous system had become affected with the intenseness of application. He found relief from ardent spirits, and was suspected by some to have made an undue use of them. If this were the case, he must have been betrayed unwittingly into such a dreadful calamity, for no one could express a greater abhorrence at any thing like intemperance, than he has done to the writer of this memoir. A person, whose nerves are in a perpetual tremor from a long and laborious prying into the ramiucations and import of words in Latin, Greek, Hebrew,Syriac, Arabick, Chaldee, Samaritan, Ethiopick, and Persick, may, to the careless observer, seem like one under the influence of inebriety. His feelings, however, were certainly very much hurt at the imputaton, and whether just or unjust, he thought it best, in 1785, to resign his professorship, especially as his health was greatly impaired. He spent the remainder of his days secluded, in a great measure, from the world, in meditation and devotion, and, as his health admitted, in translating the first book of Young's Night Thoughts into Latin hexameter, compiling a Greek and English lexicon, and noting the variations of the magnetick needle. He was about the middle size as to stature. His thick and well set locks, white as the driven snow, gave him, with his open, mild, and pleasant countenance, a most venerable aspect. He departed this life, 23 July, 1804, having entered on the 71 year of his age. His pupils will long remember him as one of the most engaging, pleasing, and communicative instructers, which this or any other country has ever produced. CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 538. In memory of SAMUEL SHAPLEIGH A. M. born in Kittery, a virtuous son, faithful librarian, and liberal benefactor of farvard college, who died, 16 April, 1800, aged 35 years. Note. Mr. Shapleigh was left an orphan at an early age. He was distinguished from childhood for his amiable disposition and for his modest and inobtrusive deportment. Diligence, sobriety, and commendable literary and scientifick attainments marked his collegiate course. He was graduated in 1789. In 1793, he was elected librarian of his alma mater and sustained the office to the close of life. In his last will, having no near relatives, who needed his bounty, he bequeathed all he possessed, amounting to $3000, after specifying a few small legacies to some particular friends, to the corporation of Harvard college. The interest of this generous benefaction is to be annually vested in modern publications for the increase of the college library, which at present consists of more, than 15000 volumes and, if not the largest, is unquestionably the most valuable of any in America. CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 539. Presented to the rev. JOSEPH M'KEAN, by a number of his friends and late parishioners, of Milton, as a testimonial of their affection, and to express how deep ly they regret his separation from them, 1804. Note. This inscription is from a valuable piece of plate. The rev. nr M Kean, now Boylston professor of rhetorick and oratory at Harvard university, was ordained over the church and congregation at Milton, on the 1 of November, 1797. His health being much impaired, he asked a dismission from his parochial charge, which was honourably granted, with a handsome recommendation, under the sanction of a venerable ecclesiastical council, of which the rev. doc. Lathrop was moderator, on the S of October, 1804. CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 540. Huic sepulchro mandantur exuviæ JAHACOBI SHEAFE WILLARD, rev. præs. Josephi Willard filii; juvenis ingenio solido præditi, probitate et virtute conspicui, temporis in usu assidui, sodalibus omnibus dilecti, matris, sororum, et fratrum spei. Ah spem dolosam Morbo crudeli subito correptus animam efflavit spe immortalitatis beatæ firmissima, anno cursus academici tertio, die Julii 26, anno salutis 1805, ætatis 18. Note. This inscription was written by Sidney Willard, A. M. Hancock professor of the oriental languages at Harvard university, and brother of the |