Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/72

 68 DELANY. admirers, and amongst them Dr. Delany, his old friend; and few could have been so well qualified to remove un just aspersions, as he had long enjoyed his most intimate society, from his coming over to Ireland, and before Lord Orrery could have known any thing of him. The opinion entertained by the public of our author's work was, that it was the most fair and candid that had ever been offered to the world, and enabled the reader to judge for themselves respecting the real character of the Dean of St. Patrick. A candid man, however, can never give satisfaction to the bigotted and unreasonable; and Dean Swift, Esq. in his essay on the life, writings, and character of his relation, treated our author with extreme i l l manners and gross abuse. He felt compelled, therefore, t o write a n answer, i n a letter t o Mr. Swift, published i n 1755. He there completely justified himself, and a t the same time shewed s o much candour, ingenuousness, good temper, and po liteness, that h e could not fail t o make the most favourable impression o n the minds o f the readers, and thereby give his adversary a most decided defeat. I n 1754, h e published another excellent volume o f ser mons, chiefly o n practical subjects; and o f these, two o n the iniquity, folly, and absurdity o f duelling, deserve t o b e particularised. During this part o f his life, h e was doomed t o suffer much vexation from a perplexing lawsuit o f the utmost consequence, a s i t related t o the personal estate o f his first wife; and which b y the usual course o f “the law's delay,” was protracted more than nine years. The deci sion i n the Irish court o f Chancery was against him; but, o n a n appeal t o the House o f Lords i n England, that judg ment was reversed, and the doctor secured i n the posses sion. Nothing, however, could draw him from his studies; and i n 1757, h e began a periodical work, called the “Humanist,” which was carried o n through fifteen numbers, and then dropped. I n 1761, h e published a tract, called, “An humble Apology for Christian Ortho