An Irishman, he spent much of his life in London cultivating a wide range of cultural interests that earned him an honorary doctorate in letters from the University of Aberdeen in 1765 and then membership of the Society of Antiquaries. In addition to publishing several original works, he translated Montesquieu and Voltaire from the French and the Life of Cellini from the Italian . Motivated by his fondness for travel, he also translated Grosley's Nouveaux Mémoires sur l'Italie et les Italiens. He wrote his work The Grand Tour; or a Journey through the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and France in four volumes, the third of which is devoted to Italy. The book is structured around itineraries and was probably the result of a subsequent reworking of the material he had collected. A happy blend of journal and guide, it provides a precise map of route s , fares, risks and remedies. Owing to its extreme practical utility, it had a wide circulation and proved highly popular among travelers.