BURNET, G,LBERT, Bishop of Sarum, was born at Edinburgh in 1643. His father, who was a Lord of Session under the title of Lord Crimonci, and a younger son of the family of Ley's in Kincardineshire, was attach ed to the Episcopalian, his mother to the Presbyterian, discipline ; a circumstance which perhaps contributed to the liberality with which he always regarded lesser religious differences. At the age of 14, he commenced master of arts in the college of Ab( rdcen ; and, having abandoned his original study of the ( ivil law, he became probationary preacher when about 18. His rejection of a good living at that age, from a doubt of his compe tency to the charge, is as a promising indication of the integrity of his future life. Having spent about three more years in theological studies in Scotland, and in visits to the English universities, he passed over to the Conti nent, and made some stay at Amsterdam and Paris. The year following, he returned to his native country—re ceived priest's orders from the Bishop of Edinburgh- and was presented to the 1 ving of Saltoun, where lie read the liturgy of the English church. When not more than 23 years of age, he ventured to draw up a memo rial of the abuses practised by the Scotch bishops, which he defended with such success, that Archbishop Sharp thought fit to abandon his design of punishing him for his uncourtly remonstrance by deprivation and excom munication. Three years after, he was appointed pro fessor of divinity in the university of Glasgow, and con ducted himself with such moderation to the Conformists and Non-conformists, as to gain the censure of bigots o' both classes.
A Scotch bishopric was twice offered him about this time, which he judged it prudent to refuse. He pub however, in 1672, A Vindication of the Authority, Constitution, and Laws of the Church and State of Scot land, which was dedicated to the Earl of Laude dale ; and the principles of which very well accorded with that nobleman's well-known zeal on the side of prerogative and power. On his visiting London in 1673, he was ap pointed one of the king's chaplains in ordinary, aod ap peared to be in the high road of preferment ; but, for the present, his strong attachment to the Protestant cause was in the way of his ambition, and he was too honest a man to sacrifice principle to promotion. He soon lost
the friendship of Lord Lauderdale ; and having resigned' the professorship at Glasgow, and removed to London, he was presently struck out of the list of chaplains to the king. Being now freed from the shackles of cow t connexion, Burnet devoted himself, with his characteristic assiduity and zeal, to the service of his country, by resis tance to the Catholic encroachments. With this view, he published, in 1679, the first volume of his History of the Reformation in England—a production of labour and authority, to which the state of the times added so much of incidental value, that a vote of thanks to the author passed both houses of parliament, accompanied with a request that he would complete the design. The second volume appeared two years after ; and a third, which is supplementary, not till the year 11'14. Burnet, both from disposition and on principle, was inclined to mode rate measures ; and proposed, at a time in which the public mind was iiolently agitated by the Popish plot, that some measure of compromise should be attempted, instead of so harsh a proceeding as the exclusion of the Duke of York from the succession. Notwithstanding this conciliatory proposal, his connection, particularly with Lord Russell, his publications, and his undisguised warmth of attachment to the Protestant interest, rendered him so obnoxious to the king and his friends, that, in 1683, he prudently- determined to retire to Paris. The following year, he was discharged, by the king's order, from his lectureship at St Clement's ; and on the acces sion of James, he became, for some time, a resident in Paris. At length, after having made the tour of Italy, Switzerland, and the south of France, by the invitation of the Prince and Princess of Orange be settled at the Hague, and obtained naturalization. Haying lost his first wife, Lady Margaret Kennedy, daughter of the Earl of Cassilis, he now married a Dutch lady of fortune, oescended from the Scotts of Buccleugh in Scotland. The widow Berkeley was his third wife, whom lie mar ried in 1698.